Above everything else, Henry hated the wallpaper. As he strolled the dark hallways of Admissions and Records, Henry could hold nothing else in more irritation, in more distaste. That horrible brown color... it made his head hurt to stare at it too long. Luckily, somepony at this school was organized, and finding files was rather straightforward. He scanned the alphabetized file cabinets in the glow of his horn.
"Fa... Fa... Ah! Here we are..." Using his magic, Henry gave the steel drawer a tug. Much to his increasing displeasure, the drawer resisted, taking the whole file cabinet with it, screeching a few inches toward him with a horrible din. Henry sighed, shaking his head. "I'm really not in the mood for this." He quickly scanned the pitch-dark room to ensure he was still alone.
Pulling a pair of polished scissors from his inside jacket pocket, he suspended them in the air, where they lolled about slowly. Suddenly, they fixed on the cabinet drawer, like a divining rod to water. Giving one last look around, Henry gave the Scissors a turn.
The file cabinet groaned in resistance, but was no match the force that wrenched the drawer not only all the way out, but off of its track, across the hall, crashing into the file cabinet behind Henry, and onto the floor, spewing papers and folders in every which direction. Henry did his best to compose himself. Above hall, he mustn't panic. Out of all of his Items, the Scissors always seemed to be the most... erratic. He could never seem to get the force right on his turns. He'd always rotate something much too hard or much to soft. It was impossible.
As he sifted through the remains file cabinet drawer, Henry saw a light flood in from the door across the room. That would be security. Pocketing a collection of files from the drawer on the floor, he sneakily made his way toward the collection of security ponies unlocking the door. Flattening against the wall, he kept out of their flashlight beams as they swarmed the room.
"Check everything, boys." The head security pegasus stood in the doorway confidently, his badge gleaming in the moonlight from outside. "There's only one way out of here, and that's through me." Fishing a comb out of the breast pocket, Henry ran it through his mane silently. As he squeezed past the head security pony, he deeply wished he could move objects around while the Comb was in effect. Being able to stop time was one thing, but being able to stop time and be unable to change anything was something much less. He counted the time he had left in his head, preparing himself around the corner. Unfortunately, he was unable to stay himself enough for the jerk of time resuming. Staggering and almost falling, Henry swore under his breath at the motion sickness the Comb caused. You can accomplish hardly anything with suave when---
"Somepony there?" The the security pegasus turned around, fanning the grounds with his flashlight beam, but Henry was long gone, making his wobbly escape into the night.
~~~~
"Professor Ruby wasn't in class today." Starshine informed her friends over lunch. They sat in the cafeteria on a patio on the second floor, overlooking throngs of collegiate ponies and their lunches. Reliving the experience in her mind, Autumn's salad was much less appetizing after remembering the events that transpired yesterday. She ate slowly, saying nothing.
"Good." Prissy nodded in approval, setting down her chef salad, "Maybe she got sick. I didn't want to take that Algebra test anyways." Cream nodded eagerly.
"Something dreadful," Cream spoke through spoonfuls of sweet parfait, "She was such a bat, Starshine."
"I know, right?" The three of them shared a laugh, which ended awkwardly when they found Autumn staring at her food, looking ill. Feeling she'd rather be alone, Autumn stood abruptly, taking her tray with her.
"Wait!" Cream called out to her, concern on her face. Autumn turned to look at her beige companion. "Can I have your pineapple, Autumn?" Autumn waved a hoof in agreement, and Cream whisked the bowl over, sticking a whole wedge in her mouth in the process. Dumping three quarters of her salad in the trash, Autumn headed for the library.
"How you don't get cavities is beyond me, Cream," Prissy shook her head. Exasperated, Starshine agreed.
"Your sweet tooth is monstrous! You eat more sugar," Cream gestured to the pineapple, unable to defend herself with her mouth full, "...Natural or otherwise, than the three of us put together."
Cream attempted to speak, and her two companions squealed with disgust as pineapple juice spewed from her mouth rather than intelligible speech. Cream swallowed hard, "It's a weakness. Ever since I was little, I've just loved sweet---" She stopped mid-sentence and stared as the jousting team strolled through the crowd on the first floor with their lunches. Thunderclap, at the center of the group, led the pack of pegasi to a far table. "On the subject of sweet things," Cream grinned and elbowed Starshine, who gaped in Thunderclap's wake, saying nothing.
"Star... Star!" Prissy tapped her hoof on the table, snapping Starshine out of her trance. "Good gracious, girl."
"One of these days," Cream waved a piece of pineapple on a fork in front of Starshine, "I am getting you to talk to that pegasus." Prissy laughed at this.
"You remember the last time we tried that? She went belly-up before she could say anything!" Starshine turned pink with embarrassment as the memories came flooding back to her.
"You swore to me we'd never speak of this again." She sighed, watching Thunderclap take a large mouthful of his chili-cheese hay fries.
"There she goes again..." Prissy shook her head, at a loss. For a time, all they heard was Cream finishing Autumn's pineapple, and moving on to a tall vanilla-chocolate swirl shake.
"Autumn seems... more distant than usual." Prissy tried to make conversation after a silence.
"A super space case." Cream agreed through her shake. Starshine turned back to her friends.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't get me wrong," Prissy put a hoof to her chin in thought, "Autumn is fun when... if... she speaks, but I'm concerned about her, Starshine."
"We're all she's got," Cream added, paying more attention to the ice cream in the bottom of the glass than the conversation at hand.
"I don't know what is..." Starshine looked at her two friends, lost in thought as well, "I can't tell sometimes, because she only talks to me. But even then, ever since she found that Ink Pot..." The other two stopped, curious.
"Ink Pot?" Not wanting to get them involved, Starshine waved it off.
"It belonged to her Grandfather." An "Oh..." was shared between Cream and Prissy.
"She was the Dean's granddaughter, right?" Cream, satisfied with the emptiness of the glass, turned to the conversation at hand, "Didn't she live with him and stuff?" Starshine nodded solemnly.
"Her parents died when she was very little. He raised her. He was the world to her."
"That's so sad..." Prissy heaved a sigh.
"But she's got us now, right? Ever since your parents took her in and adopted her. Right, Star?" Cream tried to brighten up the mood.
"She only ever talks to her teachers and Starshine, though. And even that has been lessening."
"I know, I know..." Starshine wasn't happy about it, either. Above all, she wanted to include Autumn with her friends. She knew Autumn could be a normal pony if she could only open up to others. "We need to find a way to connect with her..."
"A way to engage her in our interests or us in her interests..." Prissy liked the sound of that idea.
"Let's do it!" A hoof-bump was shared amongst the three of them, and lunch disbanded.
~~~~
Child, your superiors are there as a resource. Autumn sat in the waiting room for the dean's office, book bag clutched tightly to her brisket. Just because you don't know where to start doesn't mean somepony else doesn't. Autumn never really had an opportunity to meet the pony that replaced her grandfather. She was told that the new dean was a nice enough mare, but it didn't make her not nervous. I will always be here to guide you, Autumn.
"Miss Fairbreeze?" The receptionist looked up from her book as a clock buzzed on her desk. "The dean will see you now."
Shaky and afraid, Autumn moved slowly for the large oak door, an unfamiliar gold placard screwed tightly into it. She remembered when they asked if she wanted Burgundy's placard, and as much as she did, she couldn't think of a good place for it.
"Come in," A voice from inside called as the door opened. It shut behind her as she shuffled in, taking a seat in a large chair. In design, it was exactly like the one in her study, but still felt foreign to her. The new dean had changed so much of her grandfather's office. It made her uncomfortable. She couldn't take her eyes off of the gold name plate on the desk, which used to have her grandfather's name on it. Now, it read "Dean Twilight Sparkle".
"Are you comfortable?" The lavender pegasus felt uneasy with how nervous Autumn Fairbreeze seemed. Was she intimidating? Autumn relinquished a small nod. Twilight sighed and shook her head. This mare reminded her of a friend she knew. Rising from behind her desk, she moved next to the hazelnut pony, softening her voice.
"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you? You seemed quite concerned in your letter." Autumn relaxed at the tone in this new dean's voice. She went into her bag and revealed the Ink Pot, showing it to Twilight.
"I... I was wondering if you could tell me what this is." Twilight laughed at this.
"That's an inkwell, silly." She floated the Ink Pot off of Autumn's hoof toward her, "I have hundreds... of..." The deans face changed as she held the odd bottle with her magic. She peered at it quizzically. "Wait... what?"
"What is it?"
"This... doesn't feel... right..." Twilight Sparkle had difficulty explaining what exactly it felt like. It didn't quite feel like it was the Ink Pot itself, but it wasn't an aura coming off of it, either. It was almost as if the Ink Pot itself was... incorrect, or somehow connected to something she knew was wrong or disorganized. It gave her an unsettling feeling in her stomach to reach out to it with her magic. Bringing it close, she lifted the lid from the Ink Pot and almost lost it in her surprise when it pushed against her magic. She shut the lid quickly,
"It moves?" Twilight asked, exasperated.
"It moves away from the lid when the lid is off. The farther the lid is from the Ink Pot, the faster it moves."
"Astounding..." Twilight Sparkle examined it scrupulously while Autumn spoke.
"I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of magic it was." At this, Twilight stopped. She stared at Autumn.
"That's the thing," Twilight set the Ink Pot on her desk and let it slide around as she moved the lid from side to side, "This isn't magic." This confused Autumn.
"How is that possible?" Twilight looked at her, a grin growing on her face at the growing mystery. She said something she knew she hadn't said in years.
"I don't know," She shook her head, putting the lid on the Ink Pot, "I don't know, Miss Fairbreeze. Where did you find it?"
"It belonged to my grandpa." Autumn looked away.
"I see. He was a great pony, Autumn. He taught me many things, as I'm sure he taught you as well." Autumn nodded, growing to like Dean Twilight Sparkle. Anyone that was a friend of Burgundy was a friend of hers.
"I take it you are the one using his private study, then?" Autumn nodded.
"Most of my favorite reading is in that study. Take good care of it," Twilight smiled to her, and Autumn smiled back.
"I think Grandpa was studying this when... he died." Autumn nodded, recollecting what little she knew of her grandfather's research, "He referred to it as an Object. I think there are more than that one, though." Twilight's eyes grew wide at this.
"There are more? Do they all move like this one?" Autumn shrugged.
"I don't know, all I know is what I've seen from Grandpa's research. There are Rules."
"Rules?"
"Rules that Grandpa defined about the Objects. He called it 'The Laws in the Fluxx of Time and Space,' if memory serves."
"That's odd. I've read all of Burgundy's publications, but I've never heard of that one."
"I don't think he published it," Autumn continued, "When I saw them, he made me swear not to tell anypony about it." Twilight nodded.
"I appreciate you telling me this. Do you have any other Objects?"
"Well, I have this book." Autumn fished in her bag for Greed, which she hoofed to Twilight Sparkle. "I don't know if it is an Object or not, but it kind of... came to me when I found out what the Ink Pot does."
"It... came to you?" Twilight opened Greed and observed the large hole carved in the pages. She had a look like there was a dead animal inside when she saw it.
"It was like that when I got it," Autumn added quickly. Twilight lifted the book with her magic, staring at it. After a while, she set it down.
"This book is an Object." Twilight confirmed.
"Really? How can you tell?"
"It... feels the same as the Ink Pot when I pick it up with my magic."
"Feels?" Autumn didn't understand.
"Magic is an extension of your own consciousness," Twilight explained, "It is shaped and affected by your own emotions and controlled by your mind. When you affect a living thing with your magic, your conscious mind touches theirs."
"Are..." This made Autumn more confused, "Are you suggesting the Ink Pot and the book are alive?"
"No..." Twilight placed her words carefully as she attempted to explain it, "But it feels... similar. When I touched the Ink Pot and..." She read the cover of Greed, "Greed with my conscious mind, I felt a connection, like with a conscious mind, but it felt... different. It was... an unsettling feeling." That was the best way Twilight Sparkle could describe it. Autumn nodded, unsure if she understood, but glad for an explanation nonetheless.
"I can't think of an easy way to ask this," Twilight wasn't sure about Autumn's response to this, "But can I hold onto these? Until we can learn more about them?" Autumn was afraid she'd ask that.
"I... I want the Ink Pot, It was my Grandpa's. It was very important to him, and as such, it is important to me. You are welcome to Greed, though." Twilight appreciated her generosity and returned the Ink Pot to her.
A clock on Twilight's desk buzzed suddenly, and Twilight sighed. "I would love to discuss this more with you, Autumn, but I have more students to see. I will study this tonight, and we will talk more tomorrow."
Autumn smiled at her and stood to leave.
~~~~
"I told you seeing the dean would be a good idea," Starshine was particularly proud of herself as they got ready for bed that evening.
"Yeah..." Autumn was already in bed, the Ink Pot on her desk, "She seems... nice."
"I wouldn't know." Starshine flumped down on top of her covers, staring at the ceiling. She turned to look at her foster sister. "That boy followed us home again."
Autumn raised an eyebrow. "Boy?" Starshine nodded.
"That white pegasus from history class. What was his name?" Autumn never really payed attention in history class.
"I don't know. What does it matter?"
"Ugh... what was his name? I can't remember."
"Why is it important, Starshine?" She looked at her and grinned, blue orbs glinting in the dim light.
"I think he likes you." Autumn was taken aback.
"Huh? What makes you think that?"
"Cream was telling me he was asking about you." Autumn heaved a sigh. That frizzy-haired ball of trouble kind of got on her nerves sometimes.
"I've... never thought about it. I don't even know who you're talking about."
"The white, thin one? I think he tried out for the joust team, but he's a little scrawny."
"See, that doesn't narrow it down for me." Starshine laughed in the low-light.
"Relax, Autumn. We'll check him out tomorrow."
"...Do we have to?" Autumn switched off the light, hoping that would get Starshine to drop the topic.
"Well sure." It didn't. "You can never leave a colt hanging. Especially if he's interested enough to follow you home."
"How do you know he isn't following you home? You're the bubbly attractive one." Starshine laughed again.
"Cream said he asked about you. And besides, I'm taken."
"By a colt that doesn't know you exist?" That got Starshine to be quiet.
"...All right, I'll make you a deal." Starshine wouldn't let it go. "If you talk to him tomorrow, I'll talk to Thunderclap."
"...Why is this such a big deal?"
"Because." Starshine was determined to find a way to get Autumn to open up and be herself around other ponies, "You gotta. You might like him."
"I seriously doubt that. He sounds creepy."
Starshine yawned, "You gotta..."
"...Fine."