//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Hocus Pocus // by Pegasus Rescue Brigade //------------------------------// A few of the day’s last rays of sunlight glimmered on the smooth stone floor of the antechamber as the three fillies stepped inside the castle. Before them, two great, intricately carved doors guarded the entrance to the main hall. Dinky pushed on the door with her front hooves, which proved to be a rather fruitless endeavor; each door, she realized, probably weighed hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Clarity laughed. “Still getting used to this, huh?” she asked a slightly abashed Dinky. “Don’t worry, one of these days you’ll get the hang of automatically using magic rather than your hooves for most things.” The grey filly lit her horn and pushed the huge doors open, and then all three fillies were stunned into silence, taken aback by the room beyond. The main hall was larger than Dinky had even thought possible, and hundreds of colts and fillies were seated within, filling the room with a cacophony of chatter. Huge stained glass windows, not unlike the ones lining the vault of the Elements of Harmony in Canterlot Castle, split the evening light into a prismatic display that decorated the hall. Unlike Canterlot’s windows, which depicted crowing moments of Equestrian history, these windows displayed images of a few dozen of the unicorns that were most influential in developing the field of magic. Numerals, carved with beautiful calligraphy into the glass, depicted the dates which each had lived. Together, the unicorns dated from the earliest recorded days of Equestrian history right up to the modern era. Dinky didn’t recognize the vast majority of the figures in the windows, but she supposed that was to be expected. After all, Twilight hadn’t had time to teach her anything about history. They’d barely gotten through the practical material in their limited training period. However, there was one figure near the beginning of the chronology that Twilight, even with her intensely limited time, had not been able to overlook. The figure with the long white beard, and starry cape and hat was unmistakably Twilight’s favorite magical figure of all time: Starswirl the Bearded. The sides of the massive hall were lined with pillars standing between the windows. Each one held a strange, glowing orb. The light they gave off was oddly similar to the light cast by Ponyville’s (admittedly somewhat rare) electric light fixtures, but they weren’t connected to any power source, so it seemed safe to assume that they too were simply powered by magic. The vaulted ceiling was far, far above, supported by dozens of stone buttresses that climbed up the walls. The surface was painted with somewhat abstract images of unicorns in various parts of Equestria. At the far end of the room was a polished wooden stage, with a huge banner bearing the royal seal hanging on the wall behind it. Before it were rows and rows of seats, many of which were already occupied by students. Clarity gave a low whistle. “Everything about this place is impressive, huh?” she asked. “Come on, let’s go find a seat.” She and Dinky quickly trotted down the aisle to search for a few open chairs, and Honeydew tagged silently along behind. However, the fillies quickly realized that their dawdling since leaving the train hadn’t left much room to sit. Colts and fillies sat in groups, leaving only occasional single chairs left open between them. The prospect of finding three open seats situated together seemed nearly impossible. Finally, they happened across a pair of unoccupied chairs near the front of the room. It seemed there wasn’t any remaining seating that offered more than that. The trio all exchanged glances, and Honeydew was the first to speak. “It’s fine, you two can sit together,” she said. “I know I said you two could help me figure out what to do until we all get situated, but I’m sure there are lots of first-term students who don’t know what they’re doing yet. I’ll, um… just ask an adult if I’m not sure where to go.” Honeydew’s voice cracked a bit, betraying her anxiety despite her attempt to sound casual. “Are you sure?” Dinky asked, sharing a concerned glance with Clarity. “We don’t wanna just ignore you if you’d like to stay with us for a while.” “It’s fine!” said Honeydew a little too loudly, looking around the hall as if searching for any additional excuse to disappear. “I mean… I’ll be fine. Really! You two can sit here. Maybe I’ll… see you later, or something…” Clarity thought for a moment, and then she brightened. “Hey, maybe after the ceremony we can—” “She’s already gone,” Dinky pointed out. “She kinda left pretty quickly after she said goodbye.” Clarity frowned. “I guess she’s still not quite ready to make some friends,” she admitted. “I’m surprised she was willing to stay with us that long. For a moment there, it seemed like she wanted our company, but I think her nerves got the better of her.” “We can’t really blame her,” Dinky mentioned. “I’d be a bit of a wreck too if I’d been through what she has. I mean, her parents tried to cut off her horn! Is that even legal?” “No, it’s not,” Clarity deadpanned. “But her whole community consisted of magic-phobic earth ponies. I don’t think there was anypony there who would have seen it as enough of a crime to report it anyway, even if they’d gone through with it.” Dinky carefully tucked her treasured magic guide beneath her seat as she and Clarity sat down and continued to gaze around the impressive main hall. The remaining light coming from outside was fading rapidly, and (interestingly, thought Dinky) the magical orbs seemed to be compensating for it, glowing brighter to replace the lost sunlight. “Do you know a lot of the ponies in the stained glass windows?” she asked suddenly. “I’m not sure how famous most of them are. The only one I recognize is Starswirl the Bearded.” “Well sure!” Clarity said, glancing quickly around at the dozens of colorful figures. “Everypony up there has made some major contribution to our understanding of magic. For example, Starswirl’s contemporary, Clover the Clever, is up there on the next window over. Clover aided in the founding of modern Equestria, and she also made huge strides in discovering how intricately emotion ties in to latent magical power.” “That’s cool,” said Dinky. “If they have a magical history class here, I guess we’ll learn all about these ponies." “Oh, I’m sure we will,” Clarity agreed, “and many more besides.” A trumpet suddenly blared nearby, causing the fillies to jump. While they were talking, a greenish unicorn had appeared on the stage. Once he saw his instrument had captured everypony’s attention, he smiled and waved at the colts and fillies. “Good evening, students, and let me be the first to welcome you to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns! As always, we shall begin our opening ceremony with an appearance from our dean, the honorable Ms. Bright Spark!” A door opened in the front corner of the room, and a yellow unicorn with a long, well-groomed silver mane walked slowly into the hall. Her slightly lined face and pair of thick spectacles betrayed her advanced age, which came as no surprise considering she had been dean when Twilight attended the Academy over a decade ago. The mare’s Cutie Mark was an oil lantern. The hall fell silent as Bright Spark slowly climbed the stage steps and strolled over to stand next to the green unicorn. She scanned the hall for a few moments before speaking. “Thank you, Professor,” she said politely. “And welcome, all of you, to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns. As you are all already aware, my name is Bright Spark, and I am the acting dean here. I have been running the school as a service for our beloved Princess Celestia for quite some time; in fact, this is my fortieth year.” The impressive number evoked a murmur of admiration from the crowd. Bright Spark smiled calmly as she waited for the room to quiet again. “Now, I suppose I will begin with the usual welcoming speech for our many new students,” she continued. “To those of you who are joining us in this hall for the first time this evening, I hope your experience thus far has been an enjoyable one. We do pride ourselves in making the Academy and its grounds a pleasant and beautiful place. After all, feelings of contentment usually lead to a clearer, more focused mind, and that in turn leads to greater magical ability.” The old mare sounded as if she knew this speech like the back of her hoof; Dinky assumed she had been giving a variation of the same presentation every year. Bright Spark adjusted her glasses and looked down at the first-term students, most of whom were seated together near the front of the room. “Now, while we do hope to make your time here comfortable and enjoyable, we mustn’t forget that we are all gathered here to study and improve our abilities,” she continued, ignoring the older students in the back of the room who had begun to chatter quietly after growing bored with the speech they’d all heard several times in the past. “Throughout history, all the greatest unicorns known to ponykind have had their humble beginnings here at this very academy. Almost every one of the famous figures you see pictured in our lovely windows is a graduate of this school. Right now, most of you are probably exemplary in casting basic, practical spells, and plenty of you know some unique additional tricks that you picked up by accident or learned from a sibling or parent. Our greatest goal here at Celestia’s Academy is to augment those bright, young minds of yours with the resources necessary to go out there and use your great magic skills to bring something new and wonderful for everypony in Equestria!” The dean again waited as the new students exchanged excited whispers and glances. A few moments later, she spoke once more. “Those of you who truly want to be able to accomplish these things, however, will first need to be fully versed in the ways of modern magic. For five years, each of you will have to study hard and practice often in order to hone the magical abilities already buried within you. It can be very trying, but you will graduate here as masters of the magical arts, and there will be few limits to where you can go and what you can do after that.” Bright Spark smiled knowingly as she observed the nervous looks on some students’ faces. “Of course, even we can’t expect you to work all the time,” she admitted with a chuckle. “We’ve only just arrived, after all, and tonight is a night for you all to enjoy yourselves. So to say a few final words and kick off our opening ceremonies, please welcome our very own benevolent ruler and owner of the Academy, Princess Celestia!” As soon as the words had left the dean’s mouth, a flicker of yellow light, only a few inches across, appeared above the center of the stage. For a moment it floated there, glimmering silently as it attracted the attention of all the students in the huge hall. It began to grow, gradually at first, and then accelerating until it was a bright sphere more than twice the size of the average pony. Bright Spark sidestepped out of the way as the large, pulsing sphere of light began to descend to the stage. It touched down lightly on the polished wood before beginning to fade, exposing the outline of a tall, slim pony with a long, flowing mane. The audience broke into applause as the light vanished completely, revealing the beautiful form of Princess Celestia. “Thank you for the introduction, Professor Spark,” Celestia said as the dean leaned into a respectful bow. “And welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to another term here at the Academy. Firstly, I would like to apologize for Princess Luna’s absence. As you can see, day is fading into night as we speak, and so my sister is attending to her most important royal duties and, to her great disappointment, was unable to attend the ceremony this evening.” Celestia motioned to the windows, where sure enough, stars were beginning to twinkle into view in the darkened sky, and the moon was poking its pallid face over the horizon. “Now,” Celestia continued, “I won’t speak at length, because I know you’ve all had a long day riding the train and I’m sure most of you are famished. I’d just like to say a few words before we serve our welcoming dinner.” She smiled warmly at her audience, which seemed to put everypony at ease, making the room quieter than it had ever been during Bright Spark’s speech. “I just want to say that you have no idea how happy it makes me to see so many young minds here, willing to go the extra mile to fulfill their potential. Ponies like you are my greatest hope for Equestria’s future, and believe me, if I could spend all day here with the students, I would. Unfortunately, that is impossible, so I deeply thank Professor Spark for her many years of dedicated service to this school.” Bright Spark simply nodded in appreciation. “I am here on occasion, though,” Princess Celestia continued. “Luna and I both teach a few classes now and then, so if anypony should need to leave a message for either of us, it can be left at the dean’s office for us to pick up. And in case of an emergency, it can be sent directly to us via the Academy’s mail service. Although in most cases, one of the professors or the dean should be able to handle the problem.” Celestia paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I believe that’s all, really,” she said finally. “I sincerely wish each and every one of you a truly fulfilling year of magical study...” The Princess grinned and winked at the students. “…and, in the more immediate future, a truly satisfying dinner. Our dining hall is located in the next room over, and you’ll find the tables have already been set with a welcoming feast.” There were a few articulations of delight among the crowd at that news. “And now, my little ponies, I must leave you for tonight. Professor Spark will handle the rest of our opening proceedings. Good night and good luck to all of you!” And with that, Celestia spread her wings wide and rose into the air before vanishing in another grand flash of golden light. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a brief walk to the dining hall, the students spent an hour or so indulging in a seemingly endless supply of delicacies. Dinky tried several dishes she’d never heard of (and often with names she couldn’t hope to pronounce), and was pleased to find that almost everything was delicious. Clarity, whose home town was even more remote than Ponyville, seemed even more thrilled with the selection. Both fillies were stuffed by the time the meal was over, but that didn’t stop either of them from sampling the desserts that followed. “Wow, I couldn’t eat another bite,” Clarity declared, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach. “I hope they don’t serve meals like this every day, or I’m gonna get too fat to move!” Dinky laughed. “Maybe you can learn a spell to shrink the food in your stomach after you eat it, so you can eat more,” she joked. Clarity’s eyes widened. “I am so going to learn how to do that sometime this year!” she replied, giggling. Dinky was about to respond, but the fillies’ laughter was cut short by a flash and a loud bang. They turned to the center of the room, where Bright Spark had set off a small magical firework to capture the students’ attention. “Alright, everypony, I hope you enjoyed the feast,” she called. “Now, it’s beginning to get late, and it’s time for you all to return to your dorm rooms, or in the case of our new students, get acquainted with them. So before I send you off to the residence towers, I suppose it’s time to introduce this year’s Student Overseers.” Bright Spark watched as some of the younger students exchanged confused looks. “For those of you who do not know,” she continued, “Student Overseers are fifth-term students who have shown remarkable social and leadership skills throughout their previous terms here at the Academy. Overseers are there to help you with any problem when a professor is not available; they address behavioral issues that may occur in the residence towers, as well as help younger students find their way around the Academy or deal with other minor concerns not related to actual classes. Student Overseers also have the ability to deal minor punishments for misconduct, or report students to me for larger infractions.” She stared toward one table where many of the older students were seated. “As always, we have one colt and one filly who have been chosen as Student Overseers, and will be responsible for managing their respective residence towers,” she announced proudly. “Our male Overseer this term is Presto, and our female Overseer is Sparkler. Please come stand over here, you two.” “Sparkler?” Dinky asked Clarity curiously. “Is that the same filly who scared off those bullies on the train?” “Looks like it,” Clarity said, pointing to the pink and purple filly who was now making her way toward the dean, along with a white unicorn with a nearly black mane and tail, bearing a Cutie Mark of a top hat and magic wand, who was apparently Presto. “So that’s why the FrostFire Twins and their little brother weren’t willing to mess with her,” Dinky realized. “She has the authority to punish them!” Sparkler and Presto joined the dean on stage. Presto smiled broadly and gave a small wave to some of his friends in the crowd. Sparkler, in contrast, simply maintained a level stare. “Remember these ponies well!” Bright Spark said. “Chances are they’ll be the first ponies available to help you in most situations, as well as the ones most likely to catch you if you’re acting out of line! I’m going to turn the presentation over to Sparkler now, who will direct you to the residence towers for the evening. Bright Spark stepped aside, and Sparkler moved forward to address the student body. “First things first, everypony!” Sparkler called in an authoritative tone. “It’s getting late, and I think most of you would probably like to get out of this noisy hall and off to the quiet, warm residence towers for the night. Fillies, gather at the front of the room and I’ll lead you to the fillies’ residence tower where I’ll then lay down the rest of the rules. Colts, please gather at the back of the room and follow Presto to your tower, where you’ll receive the same information.” Sparkler marched to the front corner door, and Presto teleported to the back of the room to gather the colts. There was a great commotion as hundreds of students rose from their chairs. Dinky made sure to grab her beginner’s magic guide, and followed Clarity to the door at which Sparkler waited. The Overseer pushed open the door and let the herd of fillies into the hallway. The corridor ahead was lit by more of the magic orbs, casting their bright, if somewhat artificial light down the hall. Sparkler trotted quietly and briskly forward, and Dinky and Clarity did their best to stay near the front of the group of unicorns. At the end of the hall, Sparkler opened another door and led the students to a wide courtyard outside the castle, enclosed by a low hedge, where she stopped and turned to face them. “For those of you who are new, you may be interested to know that the residence towers are outside the main castle,” Sparkler announced in a loud but even tone. With a wave of her hoof, she indicated a large building built into the mountainside, with two separate steep stone ramps leading to each side. “It’s the largest building on the Academy campus save for the castle itself; you can’t miss it.” Dinky only had to glance at the various buildings surrounding the castle to confirm what Sparkler had said. Unlike most of the structures built around the castle’s perimeter, which were small, single story buildings, this one was easily as big as some of the grander feats of architecture found in Canterlot. A long, low rectangular section, perhaps two stories high, sat between two impressive white towers. “The residence tower structure is simple,” Sparkler explained. “The left tower is for the colts, and the right one is for the fillies. There’s a spell over each to prevent ponies of the opposite sex from entering, so don’t bother trying.” “What about the middle?” a filly standing next to Sparkler asked. “The middle section of the building connects the two towers,” Sparkler answered, sounding uninterested. “It’s the student lounge, and there’s no enchantment on it, so if you’d like to hang out with the colts, do it there.” Sparkler looked over the hedge, where Presto and the colts were emerging from another door. She nodded to her fellow Overseer, and the two of them simultaneously began to lead the students up the two separate narrow paths that approached the residence complex. “As you can see, the residence complex is up on a plateau on the mountainside,” Sparkler called as she continued to walk. “The only way to safely travel to and from the building is by way of these paths, and because the courtyards at the base are enclosed, you actually have to re-enter the castle and exit via a different door to reach the rest of the grounds.” “That seems kind of unnecessarily complex,” Clarity called. “Is there some reason it’s like that?” “Of course,” Sparkler answered without turning around. “The school rules forbid wandering the grounds after dark. It is very common, however, for students to have evening classes, or perhaps a need to stay up into the wee hours of the morning in the castle library. Both the castle and the residence buildings are open all day and night, so isolating the residence towers was necessary to prevent students wandering off onto the rest of the campus as they traveled between the castle and their tower.” “That’s clever,” Clarity admitted, as Dinky nodded in approval. After a few minutes, Sparkler reached the top of the stone path, and pushed open the wooden door to the fillies’ residence tower. The fillies followed her inside and were faced with a fairly simple, round room. The whole chamber was lit only by moonlight and the glow of a large fireplace, which cast their light upon the thick, plush carpeting. The only other furniture in the room was a few overstuffed chairs and a long, low table. Sparkler’s horn flared brightly, and several more of the light orbs that seemed to be a common feature of the Academy flickered on, flooding the room with light. There were two doors leading out of the room besides the one from which the fillies had entered, as well as a staircase leading to the higher levels of the tower. Next to the stairs was a mountain of irregularly-shaped objects, which Dinky quickly identified as all the luggage that had been stored on the train that morning. Sparkler marched to the center of the room and stood still for a few moments as she waited for the mass of fillies behind her to squeeze inside the chamber. “Dinky,” Clarity whispered as dozens of other ponies shuffled around them, “you wanna stay in the same dorm room once we go upstairs, right?” “Well, yeah, of course!” Dinky answered. “Good, then here’s what I want to do,” Clarity continued in a hushed tone, swishing her tail excitedly. “My sister told me her old room was really great, and she told me how to find it, so I want to try to claim that one for us, since nopony’s living in it anymore.” “Okay,” Dinky said, nodding at the suggestion. “But how do we make sure we get that room before somepony else does?” “We have to work our way over, toward the steps, while Sparkler is talking,” Clarity replied, grinning. “As soon as she’s done, you and I are going to bolt up there as fast as we can!” Dinky laughed and stepped out of the way to allow her friend to lead the charge. The last of the group of fillies trickled into the room, and Sparkler began to speak. “Alright, this is the fillies’ tower. The room we’re in now is just the entrance, and it can also serve as a quiet study area if things get too noisy in the student lounge. None of the rambunctious colts can get in here, so this area is typically pretty peaceful." Sparkler pointed to the door at the back of the circular room. “Through there is the Overseer suite,” she explained. “I’ll usually be in there when I’m not in the castle, so if you need my help with something, that should be the first place you look. Additionally, there are a few other fifth-term students who are acting as student aids. They can’t give out privileges or discipline like Overseers can, but they might be able to help if you have a small question or concern. They’ll just be housed on the levels above us, mixed in with the rest of the student dormitories.” The older filly turned and indicated the other door with a gentle nod. “Through there is the lounge. Like I said before, it’s open all day and night, but typically it’s the busiest in the evening, just after classes have ended. Any questions about any of that?” Nopony raised a hoof. “Good,” Sparkler said curtly. “Now, I know this should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: we are all going to be living in this tower for the better part of the next year. I hope I can count on all of you to be respectful and courteous to one another. I’ve had a no-nonsense lifestyle since I was a foal, and I’m not going to tolerate misbehavior from you fillies, either.” A few of the younger fillies shied away a bit at Sparkler’s stern gaze. Most of the older ones, however, simply waited with bored expressions for the Overseer to dismiss them. “Have you found your luggage in that pile?” Clarity asked under her breath. Dinky nodded. “Good, then get ready to run,” Clarity whispered, bending her knees to get into a good position to spring forward at maximum speed. “Three… two… one…” “Now that that’s out of the way,” Sparkler continued, her dry, businesslike tone finally dissolving into a slightly more cordial one, “you’re free to take your luggage and proceed upstairs in an orderly fash—” “GO!” With a flash of magic, Clarity yanked her luggage from the pile and galloped for the stairs, and Dinky followed closely behind. The commotion spurred the other fillies into action, and within a few seconds, dozens of other ponies were joining in the stampede. “Wait! Stop!” Sparkler yelled fruitlessly, already realizing she was far too late to stop the frantic charge of excited fillies. “Somepony’s going to get hurt! Calm down and—” A large suitcase, caught in somepony’s magical grip, flew through the air, and Sparkler only just barely managed to duck under it as it hurtled by. Without wasting another second, she formed a shielding spell around herself, wincing as bags and boxes thudded against the magical wall as the veritable blizzard of luggage raged around her. She could only watch as the rest of the fillies charged heedlessly up the staircase. Grumbling to herself, she lowered her shield and followed the chaotic mass up into the tower. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dinky puffed and panted as she followed Clarity up yet another flight of stairs. “How high up is your sister’s old room?” she gasped. “It’s on the sixth floor!” Clarity called back. “Hurry, some of the other fillies are catching up!” With seemingly limitless energy, Clarity turned sharply around another corner and charged up the stairwell to the sixth story. She paused for just a moment as Dinky (and several floating suitcases surrounded by the fillies’ auras) caught up, and then tore off down a long hallway as quickly as she could without slipping on the silky purple carpet. The two fillies reached a room at the end of the corridor, and Clarity trotted inside. “This is it, Dinky,” she called. “Come on in!” Dinky stepped into the room Clarity had led them to. The room was almost perfectly circular and fairly large. There were three beds; a pair of bunk beds stacked on one side of the room, and a single, wider bed on the other. A pillar near the door held one of the light orbs Dinky had already become accustomed to seeing around the castle. Opposite the door was a wide window with a long, padded bench beneath it, curving with the wall for about a third of the room’s total circumference. A few tall, narrow doors on one part of the circle concealed a bathroom and a small storage closet. Dinky trotted to the window and realized that the view was probably one of the perks of this particular room’s position; it faced roughly northward, which caused it to overlook the forest set in the corner of the campus. One part of the castle was also visible off to the right, as was the drop-off that separated the school from the portion of Equestria beyond the mountain. The moon, now high in the sky, cast its beams through the window and onto their floor. Dinky sat down on the bench beneath the window, realizing it would probably make for a great place to study during the coming term. “I call top bunk!” Clarity yelled as she scrambled up the ladder. “You want the bottom, Dinky, or would you rather have the spare bed?” “It doesn’t matter,” Dinky said, shrugging. “I guess I’ll take the bottom bunk. That way we don’t have to call across the room to talk to each other.” Clarity grinned and jumped down from her bed, landing with a thump. “That works!” she chirped. “We still have that big spare bed, so I guess we could use that to sit on if we want to study together or something!” Dinky laughed. “You’re really excited that we got this room, aren’t you?” “Well, just look at it,” Clarity said defensively. “My sister said it’s a little bigger than most of the other rooms in the tower, and the view is awesome! I’ve been wondering all day whether I’d be able to stay in this room or not, so of course I’m excited!” “A little too excited if you ask me,” came a voice from the doorway. Dinky and Clarity turned to the entrance to find Sparkler standing just inside the room, tapping a hoof impatiently and staring sternly at the fillies. For the first time, it occurred to Dinky and Clarity that they’d probably broken some rules by bolting upstairs and causing a bit of chaos in the process. “Oh, hi Miss Overseer, ma’am,” said Clarity awkwardly. “How was your evening?” “It was going pretty well, until two fillies decided to make a run for it and ended up causing the whole building to turn into a war zone of dashing ponies and flying luggage,” Sparkler said levelly. “Everything’s been calmed down now of course, and as far as I can tell, nopony was hurt. Still, it would have been nice to have avoided that incident entirely.” Sparkler waited for a response, but the two younger fillies just fidgeted nervously and failed to meet her gaze. “Well?” she asked more forcefully. “I’d like an explanation for your actions, girls. Unless you’d like me to report you to the dean for misconduct before the term even starts.” “It’s my fault,” Clarity admitted. “My sister graduated last year, so I knew this room was open, and she’d told me all about how nice it was. I wanted to make sure we were the ones to claim it…” “Your sister…” Sparkler said thoughtfully. She gazed at Clarity for a few moments and blinked in surprise as she made a mental connection. “Are you Lucid’s younger sister?” she asked finally. Clarity nodded. “Yeah, Lucid taught me most of the magic I know.” “That doesn’t surprise me,” Sparkler said pensively. “Lucid was a brilliant student. She also always followed the rules, if I’m not mistaken.” Clarity smiled sheepishly. Sparkler turned to Dinky. “And I’m guessing you were just following your friend’s lead?” she asked. “Uh, yeah…” Dinky admitted. “Sorry. I guess neither of us were really thinking about the trouble we might cause.” Sparkler nodded. “Well… no harm done, I suppose,” she said slowly. “We’ve only known each other for a few minutes, so since you apologized, I’ll let you girls off with a warning.” Both of the younger fillies breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Miss Overseer,” Dinky said. “You two can just call me Sparkler, by the way,” Sparkler responded. “I may be the Overseer, but I’m a student here too.” For the first time, the Overseer gave them just the tiniest hint of a smile. “Stay out of trouble, you two,” she said as she trotted from the room. Clarity waited until the sound of hoofsteps had vanished, and then sighed and flopped down on the carpet. “I guess that wasn’t my best idea,” she said with an ironic chuckle. “Well, it wasn’t all bad,” Dinky pointed out. “We got to keep the room you wanted, and we didn’t really get in trouble. We should probably try our best to follow the rules from now on, though.” Clarity nodded as she stared up at the ceiling. “I wish I hadn’t had to tell Sparkler about my sister, though,” she sighed. Dinky stepped closer and stared down at the pony on the floor. “So your sister’s name is Lucid?” she asked. “Yep," Clarity replied. “Lucid kind of had a reputation while she was here. She was a straight-A student, and kind of a teacher’s pet. She was always winning academic awards and tutoring her classmates. She graduated at the top of her class.” “Whoa,” said Dinky, slightly taken aback. “You said she was smart, but I didn’t realize she was that smart!” “Well, I was a little reluctant to talk about the details while we were on the train,” Clarity explained, sounding a bit petulant. “If ponies find out I’m related to Lucid, one of the most successful ponies in the Academy’s recent history, their expectations for me are going to be pretty high. I want to attend the Academy as ‘Clarity’, not ‘Lucid’s little sister’, but she was such a success that it can be hard for me to get out of her shadow.” Clarity picked herself up off the floor. “But no sense worrying about it!” she declared, returning to her usual upbeat demeanor. “Lucid is gone, and now it’s Clarity’s turn to have a go at the Academy! So far you and Sparkler are the only ones who know, so maybe it’ll stay sort of a secret.” Dinky admired Clarity’s optimism. It seemed the grey filly was always ready to face a challenge. Somepony knocked on the doorframe, interrupting the fillies’ conversation. Dinky looked to the door and was surprised to see Sparkler had returned. “Hey again, girls,” Sparkler said. “You two have a spare bed in here, right?” “Yeah, why?” Clarity asked. “Most of the rooms got filled up pretty quickly in the commotion you two caused,” Sparkler explained. “One filly wound up without a room to stay in, and I’m pretty sure this is the last spare bed in the building, so I’m assigning her here.” The Overseer beckoned to somepony in the hallway. A pair of pale green eyes peered cautiously around the corner for a moment, before the pink filly they belonged to stepped into the room. “Honeydew!” Dinky and Clarity cried simultaneously. “Oh, it’s you two,” said Honeydew, sounding somehow simultaneously relieved and concerned. “You’ve already met, huh?” Sparkler asked. “I’ll leave you girls to get settled, then. Goodnight.” Sparkler left without another word, leaving the three fillies standing together in silence. “So… which bed is still open?” Honeydew asked finally. “The big one over there,” Dinky replied. The meek filly nodded and began to unpack her things and carry them to the closet. The room fell into an awkward silence. Not sure what to say to their antisocial companion, Dinky began to do the same. But as usual, Clarity was not so easily put off by Honeydew’s attitude. She sidled discreetly across the room until she was standing at the pink filly’s side. “So, how was your dinner, Honeydew?” she asked brightly. “It was fine,” Honeydew said quietly, not looking away from her suitcase. “I’d never seen Princess Celestia in person before. She’s very beautiful.” “She is,” Clarity agreed. “I wonder what class she teaches? It’s probably one of the most advanced ones.” “I’d imagine so,” Honeydew replied dully, avoiding eye contact with Clarity as she continued to unpack. The quiet swept over the room again as Clarity tried in vain to think of a topic that the shy pony would actually discuss. To her surprise, it was Honeydew who broke the silence. “So, during dinner, I was thinking about what you two said earlier,” she mumbled, finally turning to face Dinky and Clarity. “About how I need to choose the way of life that I want to live…” She trailed off. For a moment, she seemed to wrestle with herself internally, but eventually, she forced herself to meet her roommates’ gazes, and continued. “…and you two are right. I am a unicorn, I do like magic, and I really, truly want to study at this Academy. But this city, this castle, and everything about unicorn life… it’s just so different than what I’m used to. I want to fit in, but I don’t even know where to start…” Honeydew sank down onto her haunches and stared at the floor. Dinky trotted over to the dejected filly and placed a foreleg over her shoulder. “Honeydew, come on,” she said softly. “All three of us are new this year, and we all have challenges to overcome. You may not know much about unicorns, but you know more about magic and how it applies to daily life than I do.” Honeydew blinked. “Why is that?” “My dad was the only unicorn in my family, and he passed away years ago,” Dinky explained. “I was raised by a pegasus, and never even learned to use magic until just a few months ago.” “Oh,” Honeydew replied. “Well, I guess I did have a lot more training than you, then…” “And I don’t exactly have it easy either!” Clarity piped up. “I need to try to break free of the standard set by my sister. It’s gonna be tough, but I’m not going to give up! And when I need someone to turn to for help, I’ll have Dinky here!” “Exactly!” Dinky added. “The point is, we’re all going to have to face some obstacles, but they seem a little more manageable when a friend is there to help.” Honeydew finally seemed to get what the others were implying. She looked up, a small, hopeful smile creeping over her muzzle. “So, since we’ll be seeing a lot of each other anyway,” she said slowly, “maybe… we could be friends?” “Finally!” Clarity laughed, scooping the surprised Honeydew into a welcoming hug. “I’ve been trying to get you to ask that all day!” “So… that’s a yes?” Honeydew asked tentatively. That left Clarity at a bit of a loss for words. Dinky piped up instead. “Yes, Honeydew. That’s a yes.” Clarity and Dinky laughed, and Honeydew finally chuckled a bit as well. “Well, now that that’s settled, we should probably go to bed,” Dinky pointed out. “We don’t want to be late for our first class tomorrow morning.” “Way ahead of you,” Clarity retorted, already climbing the ladder to her raised bed. “Turn out the light, would you, Dinky?” Dinky glanced at the pillar holding the light orb. There was no visible switch. “How?” “Illumination spell in reverse,” Clarity called as she fluffed her pillow. “Establish a connection with the orb and draw the energy out of it.” Illumination spells were one thing that Dinky did know how to do, and very well for that matter. She drew the light from the orb, and jumped a bit at the sudden rush of energy that flowed into her body. It only took a few seconds for her to adjust, though, as the energy was stored away in the magic reserves somewhere in her head. Now nothing but moonlight lit the room. Dinky yawned and trotted to the bottom bunk. “Goodnight, girls,” she yawned. “Night, Dinky!” Clarity’s voice said from the bed above her. "And Night, Honeydew!" “Night,” Honeydew echoed. Dinky pulled the sheets over herself, and within moments, the weight of the day’s events washed over her, and she fell into a deep sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hidden among the trees in the shadow of the castle, a shape stirred. Two beady blue eyes peered up at the residence towers, unblinking. As the minutes passed, the last few lights dimmed and went out, leaving all the windows dark. With a sudden, jarring movement, the strange silhouette darted to the cover of another bush, then into the shadow of a drooping tree. It continued to leap and dash erratically until it reached the darkness of the Academy’s thick forest, where the moonlight did not reach. The creature writhed, and wrapped itself around the trunk of a tree, moving up the bark in a strange motion that was half scurry, half slither. It gathered itself into a bunch on a branch, its beady eyes flicking back and forth. “The new students have arrived today, yes they have,” it said, speaking in a strange voice that was as much gurgle as it was hiss. “Every year the new colts and fillies come, but none of them are ever the right one, no they are not.” The creature paused to sniff the air before continuing to mutter to itself. “Something seems different this year, though, oh yes it does. I’ll have to keep a particularly close watch this year, yes I will, in case the right one comes along.” The amorphous shape shuddered and emitted a strangled sound that had to be an attempt at laughter. Then, with another abrupt series of movements, it made its way down the tree and disappeared into the dark of the forest.