Chapter 16 – By day's end
The stone room has taken to the morning's sun as it creeps in through the window, both by making it's light bounce around the room lighting it up and by running off some of the night's chill.
From where Violet usually sleeps the first light of the day would have stirred the mare awake, but for right now the light purple mare holds her content sleep. Just like the stallion that has yet to even shift an eye under his closed lids.
Knock Knock Knock
The sound runs around the room and shoots the mare's sleepy eyes open as she runs through the events of last night quickly , and as they complete she almost jumps to her other side as she pushes the only half awake stallion to the floor. Which brings the bed covers and sheets with him, leaving nothing to the naked bed.
"Violet Sparkles...Are you awake?"
The unknown mare's voice strikes a fear to the young purple mare as she quickly darts her head between the door and Sparky who slowing brings his head up from where he now sits on the floor. To his eyes Violet jets her hoof down as her hoove's motions screams, hide!
With nowhere to go and the voice at the door starting back up Sparky brings his head down behind the bed as he just listens to the door opening to Violet's hoof.
At the door a grayish mare with blond mane stands at the door dressed in gold guard armor, "Ah, good morning, your presence is needed for a few words from Princess Luna." As the mare's words come to an end she looks over the bed that lays behind the young mare with a questioning eye, but before she can speak up Violet has nodded her head and closed the door.
Sparky pokes his head up as he speaks up in a low voice, "Maybe I should just go out through the window..."
Violet looks over the stallion's wings as she sparks her hooves up, to the mare's words Sparky shakes his head, "My wings feel ok right now...And I don't want to risk getting you in trouble." He flares his wings out slowly as he moves towards the window, "I'll see you tonight ok?"
Before he pushes the large window open Violet's horn sparks up as she floats Sparky's satchel towards him, "Oh thanks..." Sparky wraps the bag around him as he clutches his teeth a little to the strap running over his right wing, but it gets over him as he pushes the window open.
As the pegasus takes his first hoof out of the window Violet watches just hoping he's right about his wings, but before she can make him second guess he has jumped from the room and into the world. His hoover is a little wobbly but as his left wing focuses on compensating for his slightly sprained right he maintains his flight, "Alright bye Violet." He closes the glass window behind him as he starts to drift away from it's view.
As her friend moves from her room's sight Violet turns back to the door as she starts out it, her bow that she never took off is a little lopsided from where she was sleeping and her mane has a slightly more messed up look to it from not going through her normal bathroom routine; but she holds her unbrushed mouth shut as she travels down the hall. All the while telling herself that she'll just come back to the room before leaving for school.
Violet's quick hooves bring her down the length of the hallway as she sets her mind to the outside courtyard where most of Luna and Celestia’s speeches have been heard...Although she slows her trot down as the group of young unicorns come into sight at the entrance of the castle.
The tall dark mare stands over them with a bright morning face as she looks over the ponies that start to move in front of where she stands, "I know it's a little early for a speech, but it is a quick one..." Luna's regular and slightly lispy voice comes up as she continues, "Our sister has been called away for an undisclosed period of time...And as a result we will be presiding over the last few weeks of your time here."
The few ponies start to mutter to each other as Luna's voice pauses, even Violet's own confusion makes her hang to Luna's next words, "...Do not worry yourself, when you return from your break and start the last few weeks nothing will have changed...we like our sister have seen all of you progress through your magic training, so you should have no worries about the next few weeks."
Luna's words come to an end as she gives a friendly smile to the young unicorns in front of her, "You all should understand today is your last day before your break, so we wish you all safe travels for tomorrow's departure."
Everypony nods their heads to Luna's words as they start to drift back to their hallways in order to start the day.
- - -
(Across Canterlot)
Sparky's wings may not be flapping as hard or fast as the young pegasus should, but his trip to the edge of Canterlot's city has come to it's end as he lowers his flight and sets his eyes to the group of stallion's that have gathered outside..For what Sparky has no idea but he brings his wings to a halt as he sets himself a decent distance away, in hopes that he will be able to just blend into the group without anypony noticing he's late.
Truly though there's no hope for his plan as he nears the group, "Dodo, Cloud-Shaper...Why are you late!" The commanding voice from the white pegasus that hovers above the group beams his eyes to the light orange pony as he waits for a response.
But Sparky just puts his head down as he speak up, "I don't have an excus-..."
Before his words can come to an end another voice comes up, "Hey Streak, Sparky never made it in for curfew last night either."
Sparky has no trouble placing Flaps's voice as he brings his head up and towards the two stallion's from last night that stand at attention towards the end of the line. The two ponies both hold their gaze away from Sparky, but he can still see the slight burn mark from where Violet's spell struck against the chocolate stallion's left side.
Streak blinks to the words as he nods his head, "That's right...Where were you last night Dodo?" The stallion's voice is not mad but theres a hint of annoyance, with good reason to; seeing as how Sparky not being in on curfew affects a Strix's report.
Again though Sparky speaks up with a slightly lower voice, "I'm sorry...I don't have an excuse."
Streak tightens his eyes to Sparky as he speaks up, "Oh? No excuse huh?" He shakes his head as he sighs, "Then you get to join Flaps and Chase, the other two ponies that don't have a reason for being late to curfew.." His voice gets a little more stern as he speaks up, "I want twenty laps on the sky track, and when you're done you three can report to your class for your midterm exam that you all should be ready for....Alright Dodo's go to class."
The group of stallion's quickly start their trots up as Sparky gives a defeated sigh and starts to spread his wings.
Streak brings his hoover back down to the ground as he holds his right hoof up, "Do not try to tell me you all finished your laps...because I will know if you did or didn't."
His word's spark a quick reaction from Sparky as he speaks up, "Y-you're not going to watch us?"
The young stallion's tone turns a questioning eye from Streak as he blinks to him, "No...I can't, because I HAVE to write a report on why I let three Dodos miss curfew." Streak turns his gaze to the two other stallions that just now start to come over to where Sparky and Streak are as he speaks up, "You two, this is your last warning...If you both don't get in before curfew i'll put you two up for expulsion..."
Streak's stare comes back to Sparky as he slightly lowers his tone, "And you...Cloud-shaper Dodo, don't let it happen again."
As his words end his trot starts back up, "Don't forget you three, i'll know If you skip out."
Flaps gives a smile as he calls out, "Don't worry Streak...We'll get our workout!" He holds his smile as the white stallion trots away...And as he gets a decent distance away he turns his attention back to Sparky, "Well hey FillyFlank...How you been? Did you have a nice night with your broken mare?"
To Flaps's words the stallion next to him nods his head, "Ya...You gotta be tired from all the activities you two did...Here why don't you let me hold your bag." The chocolate stallion's hoof extends towards Sparky's bag as the light orange pegasus is quick to bat it away.
The smirk that they both hold ends as they both take a quick step forward, Flap's hoof comes to slam at Sparky's right wing as Chase comes up a little from the ground and forcefully rips the satchel from Sparky's body and begins to open it's contents to the slight breeze that carries them away, "Aww...Look at that your papers fell out."
Flaps again slams his hoof to Sparky's hurt wing as he laughs and pretends to pat him like a friend, "You want some help picking them up? Huh?"
Sparky pushes back as he quickly takes a step back, but before he could run or fight back the chocolate stallion drops the satchel to the ground as he kicks his front hooves to the welt on Sparky's head.
A high pitched yelp comes from Sparky as he falls to his front legs in pain.
"Oh Chase! I think that hurt FillyFlank..." Flaps presses his hoof to Sparky's right wing as he bends down, and whisper to him, "Listen up FillyFlank...When you're able to stop by the castle you should get your balls out of that mare's mouth...When you do, hows about you comes and finishes the rest of your twenty laps in the clouds." Flaps smiles as he pause and taps his hoof to Chase, "Or...You can sit down here like the wimp you are and we'll tell Streak you did your laps."
Chase quickly darts up to the cloud layer above them as he bites his mouth to a piece of cloud and brings it back down to where Flaps stands over Sparky.
Flaps holds his hoof to the stallion for a second as he waits for Sparky's answer...But the young orange pegasus can't really think through his ringing ears as Flaps shakes his head, "Smart choice FillyFlank..."
The cloud in Chase's hold comes to his hooves as the pegasus flaps his wings hard to it, the white cloud starts to shrink as a very light mist comes over Sparky's body, taking on the appearance of a light sweat.
Again Flaps taps his hoof to Sparky's wing as he speaks up, "C-ya around FillyFlank..." He like his friend spreads their wings out as they start to take themselves up into the air.
To the sound of their flapping wings Sparky unclenches his slightly teared up eyes as he sniffles his nose and starts to push himself up...The young stallion so desperately wants to fly up into the clouds above him, even though he knows the fight he would be flying into would be one sided...But at the same time the slightly shaking stallion is too afraid to do it as he puts his head to the ground and walks over to the empty bag the two ponies took from him.
His nose is sniffly as he turns his attention to collecting the few pieces of paper that haven't scattered away.
End of chapter 16