//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 : Give who a chance? // Story: Abhorsen : Friendship is Free-Magic // by MerlosTheMad //------------------------------// "Ellimere, come back here this instant, and for charter's sake calm down!" Sabriel yelled. Her friend was hiding twenty yards away behind a tree, shaking. Her eyes stared widely around its side every other second. Sulyn stood slowly from kneeling where Ellimere had been, and tried to approach her friend to give Sabriel some back up. "She's not dangerous, alright? She's very friendly!" Sabriel flung one hand out to her side, gesturing towards Rarity. "I don't bite, I promise." Rarity's eyes fluttered, and she gave her best winning smile to the newly awakened girl. While it was true the pancakes were what had mostly put her in the current chipper mood, she really did want the other girl to calm down, too. Not that it wasn't like her to turn up the charm when needed, anyway. "H-How is she doing that?" Ellimere exclaimed, her entire body shaking. Rarity cringed back a little, and her smile faltered in response to the other girl's outburst. Ellimere had jabbed an arm around the tree without looking. It pointed at Rarity's magical aura, which still floated the plate of pancakes and silverware. Sabriel took one glance and exhaled impatiently. Ellimere continued. "A-And what is that thing anyway!?" Sabriel threw up her hands and stormed past Sulyn, who had been quietly trying to reassure her panicked friend hiding behind the tree. "You're being RUDE, Ellimere." Sabriel scowled, but went on. "And 'that' is a she, and she is called 'Rarity'. So before you make me angry, how about you calm down, sit with us and we'll explain everything while Rarity, eats. Honestly, you act as if you've never even seen magic before." Sabriel paused a second. "Actually, you did act a bit like this during our first charter lesson, didn't you? Not nearly so hectic bu—" "Sabriel, we need to get the teachers!" Ellimere gritted her teeth and whispered through them. "That thing could be dangerous—" Sabriel scowled at the girl still clinging to the tree. Did she really just ignore every word I said? she thought incredulously. Sulyn interjected. "She's not dangerous or a thing Ellimere, I promise you. She's a Unicorn." The curly brown haired girl stared disbelievingly at Sulyn. But, Sulyn's always scared of everything, and she's okay with this? Has she lost her mind? Ellimere risked another hesitant look at the strange thing in the forest clearing. Why does it have purple hair? That's not really scary, actually... Ellimere jumped a little as Sabriel suddenly leaned against her tree while letting out a pained sigh. "Are you calm now? Look, I don't know if we should show her to anyone yet, Ellimere. She's certainly not a threat or dangerous, but I am worried how others might react... No offense, but I guess your over reaction is to be expected. She's great though, trust me! I mean, she has better manners than Mrs. Lenwine even. Come over and say hello and stop acting like a silly—" "Filly?" Rarity said, hopping into the conversation.Ellimere eeped and spun around. Sulyn stood beside Rarity just to the side of the tree. The frightened girl of the three was so shocked, she couldn't even move. Rarity already had a hoof held up. "Oh, sorry dear, didn't mean to sneak up on you. Anyway, it's quite alright, your friends and I already spoke and I've come to understand that I'm not... Normal, in a sense for these parts. Nonetheless, I would love for us to be friends. I am called Rarity, and it is a pleasure to meet you." She held the hoof up closer to the girl who gaped openly at her. Ellimere's eyes watched the offering, as a hen would watch a fox threatening to eat it. Rarity saw this. "Oh, sorry, it's a friendly custom to shake hooves where I'm from, or in your case uhm... whatever it is that you have instead of hooves..." Her face took on a concentrated look as she squinted at the girl's hand. "I'm sorry, I'm no good with this sort of thing. Fluttershy's the expert on mythical creatures and what not." After a moment, Ellimere gulped and shook her head up and down slowly in acknowledgement. Sulyn and Sabriel both nudged her, smiling. Feeling a little calmed down, but still shaken overall, she shook the dainty hoof carefully, then let go after a single motion. "Nice to... meet you," was all she managed to murmur. "Terrific!" Sabriel grinned and exclaimed. "We're all well acquainted and friends now. Rarity's going to have a bite to eat, Ellimere, so let's not bug her." She led Ellimere further away, leaving Sulyn and Rarity by the tree. The unicorn sat a little grudgingly on the forest floor, and Sulyn watched wide eyed as she used her magic to skillfully begin digging into the pancakes. "Hey, will you be okay?" Sabriel fought to tear Ellimere's eyes away from the sight behind her. "You aren't going to freak out and tell the Headmistress or something, are you?" The curly haired girl gasped in response to the question. "I have to warn the headmistres—!" Sabriel interrupted and shook her friend once by her arms. "No! You mustn't! We don't know how old grumpy dress will react. What if she calls the military? You really want the government to hurt Rarity? They're like, only forty miles away! There's no way she wouldn't just go ahead and do that, Ellimere." Sabriel beseeched her friend and gestured frantically to the College and back to the unicorn, who was oblivious as to what was being talked about in the midst of her feast. Ellimere kept her feet where they were, fighting Sabriel's words from soaking into her resolve to do what she knew, was the right thing. "Sabriel she's a strange creature! How many friendly creatures have you met that weren't human or an animal huh? Have you ever met a talking creature before? And what about the things you have met, how many of them were friendly!?" Sabriel's look turned to doubt and concentration, before bursting back into a confident torrent of her own opinion. Stop being such a stubborn stick in the mud Ellimere, honestly! She thought caustically. "So that immediately means she's evil? Because you or I haven't met a nice unicorn before? That's pretty short sighted of you, Ellimere. I thought you were better than that." Sabriel sort of regretted the words she spoke, not wanting to be mean or start a fight, but pressed on. "Just... give her a chance! If you aren't convinced after speaking to her some, then I can't stop you, but let her prove it at least? I can't imagine her being dangerous at all, and besides... she has better manners than the three of us and Mrs. Lenwine put together. Rarity can't be all that bad." Ellimere had donned a heated look as Sabriel went on, which softened towards the end with her friend's plea. Oh, she thought. This is just like every other hair brained scheme of yours, except this one could get us killed. "Fine," she said lamentably. "I'll give her a chance, Sabriel. For you." A voice, which was familiar to the two girls joined the conversation. "Give who a chance?" it asked, a bit of question in its tone. Sabriel and Ellimere froze where there stood. "Ah! Uhm, Mrs. Greenwood, uh, hello what a pleasure it is to see you!" Sabriel hastily curtsied and looked behind herself warily. She could hear Sulyn talking, but just barely. Next she saw Ellimere still standing stark still, Sabriel elbowed her to knock the girl out of her shocked state. Her friend jump and dropped into a ridiculously deep curtsy. "Y-Yes! It's nice! Uhm, good afternoon?" She struggled out. "Yes, good afternoon girls, I could hear you raising a commotion from all the way over in the tomato garden...I thought maybe someone was in danger. Well, I'm glad to that isn't the case, but, what is going on? And furthermore, give who a chance?" Ellimere fidgeted uncontrollably beside Sabriel, and she knew she wouldn't be any help. She just hoped she kept her mouth shut and didn't ruin this. Think up something Sabriel, anything! "A chance? Oh, uhm, why Sulyn of course." Miss Greenwood passed a glance between the two, perplexed. Just what had them both so nervous? She wondered it absently and picked up the sound of two voices from further into the trees. There had better not be boys here, again... These girls are far to young to be trying to break that restriction though, surely. Even Sabriel was on edge though, Miss Greenwood could tell easily. Ellimere was an open book when she was caught in the act or guilty, but Sabriel was crafty. It had taken a little while but Miss Greenwood had nailed down her 'tells'. "I see..." The Magistrix of Wyverly said sedately. "Well, what are you giving her a chance for then?" "Chess!" "Cricket!" Ellimere and Sabriel both looked at each other, then grinned sheepishly at Miss Greenwood. Sulyn would never play Cricket and she was on of the best chess players her age that Miss Greenwood had ever seen. Something was fishy alright. "I see." She said nonchalantly. "Well if that's all and your safe I'll be seeing you girls later, I'll be in the library as always if you need me." Sabriel's eyes widened. That was surprising, Miss Greenwood was by far the most student friendly teacher, if not always the most forgiving. "Really? I mean, oh of course." Ellimere shot her a pained glance from her side, Miss Greenwood, however, crossed her arms and leaned her cheek into one hand, tilting her head slightly. "No Sabriel not really. Who's back there, I hear two voices and I don't think Sulyn is the actress type." Ellimere opened her mouth to answer Miss greenwood but Sabriel spoke over her as best she could. "It's not what you think! It's nothing really, she's—" from Sabriel and "I tried to tell her to get help Miss Greenwood! I really did! But it isn't our fault—" from Ellimere intermingled and became incoherent. The confronting teacher raised her hands in surprise at their outburst. "Girls! Calm down, just what's going on, alright? Surely it can't be that bad." Sabriel scowled at Ellimere, she had almost tried to blame her! Still, she wasn't out of this just yet. "It's just another student, uhm, Thessia, from the fourth form? A-Anyway we shouldn't be out here in the trees, so, we'll just head back in..." Sabriel started to walk backwards towards her other friend and the pony she was trying to keep hidden desperately. If I can just make it back there, she thought, I can warn her away and she should be able to escape. "Sabriel, don't lie, come clean about this and whatever it is, I'm sure I can go easy on you. You really must learn to tell the truth to figures of authority. That, or get better at not getting caught, anyway." The teacher smirked at the young girl. "It can't be that bad, can it?" She continued briefly. Sabriel beat her friend to saying anything, this time. "Magistrix..." Sabriel hoped this came out right, and that it was even the right thing to say. "We found something, it's a creature, and it can talk. But she's not dangerous! She's amazing! And adorable! And not even from the Old Kingdom! I know it sounds crazy bu—" Miss Greenwood's eyes widened at first, then set into a stern look as Sabriel spoke. "Sabriel... I don't need to tell you how dangerous creatures of a magical sort can be. I would assume that any that could speak are untrustworthy, too." Her immediate instincts told her that it had to be something dangerous, they always were with almost no exception whatsoever, and that was only when they disabled or powerless. The Old Kingdom's inhabitants were simply a menace. But... they left Sulyn alone with it? What is going on here. "Stay here girls, I'll look for myse—" "Hello!" Sulyn's head popped out from around the tree. She was safe then, thank the charter. Sabriel cringed and started to speak, but held back, held under the withering look of her teacher. "I told Rarity to hide, good afternoon Miss Greenwood." She curtsied briefly as she stepped around the tree to join them. "...Sulyn, where is it? Come away and get behind me, child." Sulyn nodded in response, her face was cheerful, strangely, but cool and relaxed. Their teachers eyes scanned the wood line and underbrush. "Where is it?" She repeated, when the girl gave no other response. Sulyn and Sabriel frowned and spoke in unison. "She isn't an it!" Sabriel continued matter of factly. "Her name is Rarity, she's a Unicorn and she's perfectly safe and friendly!... You already know about her, so I guess we should just let you meet her... But let me explain some things, please!" She clasped her hands together in front of her pleadingly. Miss Greenwood was lost for words as Sulyn joined her. Off to the side Ellimere looked to be trying to fade from sight by merely standing still. "Sabriel I—" "Please Miss Greenwood! There's an explanation, I promise!" "Sabriel, let me finish." The Magistrix rubbed one temple with a hand, dealing with young girls just wasn't as charming after a few decades. "I will hazard to say, that I believe you. But, it could still be a construct or something under someone's control. Now wait, just a moment, I need to think..." She shouldn't be explaining anything really, under the circumstances. It seemed a far better idea to hasten the girls inside to safety. Especially with the attack last night, this was surely the culprit. And yet the fact remained, that these three were all alright. She wasn't your typical teacher, not in a way that would ever jeopardize her students, no, but she listened to them and their side of things. Justice and rules without exception, were tyranny, as she saw it. The Headmistress and her got into it quite often on that topic... So, she decided that Sabriel had some idea about what she was saying. Miss Greenwood knew she was already better versed than many of the top students in the fifth and sixth form classes in charter magic, perhaps this was a case of the extraordinary, after all. Miss Greenwood lowered her silencing hand and took a breath ready to continue. The three girls which faced her kept their eyes locked to the ground. Now what had Sabriel said? The teacher pondered momentarily... A unicorn? That sounds familiar, aren't those a breed of horse? She shook her head, the image of a fiery eyed demonic undead galloping over a field of fire was tossed loose and quickly forgotten. Surely it wasn't the case. "Very well, Sabriel, Sulyn, call out this creature. If it tries to attack us or resist, all three of you will run and warn the school." It won't come to that though, she decided darkly. A small but powerful list of charter marks stood at the ready in her mind. Ellimere spoke quietly, while Sabriel and Sulyn shared uncertain glances with each other. "She... She really is nice, Miss Greenwood, when we found her she was lost and hungry, Rarity had taken a pie from the kitchen. I was a little scared and worried at first, she's a little strange looking you see, but... safe." The young girl gulped, then hid under her lengths of curly hair, staring at the ground. "Like I said girls, I believe you. Now, Sabriel? If you would be so kind." Miss Greenwood finished curtly. The raven haired schoolgirl inhaled deeply, hoping this wasn't a mistake. Upon exhaling she called out for her new friend. "Rarity! This is, uhm, our teacher, Miss Greenwood! She won't hurt you and she's very nice! If you could come out we can show her you are too. I think she just wants to meet you and get to know that you aren't dangerous!" The four of them stood waiting, the girls expecting the alabaster unicorn to creep slowly out of the bushes nearby. Except, after several minutes and more of calling, she didn't come.