“HOW MUCH LONGER ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT?!”
One of the unicorns at the table opposite of Dusk Shine was stomping his hoof as he practically barked at the server who was standing idly by, suffering the misdirected wrath of a rather obnoxious pony.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we were given strict instructions not to serve dinner until everyone has arrived. There are still two missing from the group.”
However, this statement only made the problem worse.
“So because Prince Solaris is having a private discussion with some no-name mare, WE have to sit here and starve? What a load...”
Dusk managed to ignore the distraction of the obnoxiously loud stallion, quietly observing the snowy white mare beside him, seeming to fiddle with the silverware before her. The fascination the mare seemed to have with the eating utensils forced him to stifle some mild laughter, not managing to avoid getting her attention anyways. With direct eye contact made, he figured being quiet wasn’t an option at this point.
“Hi there... Nice to meet you, I’m Dusk Shine.”
The mare tilted her head to the side, ruby eyes staring intently as he seemed to freeze up from her solid gaze.
“Dusk Shine is it?”
Her soft voice was barely audible above the whiny unicorn’s ranting.
“Ah, yes, Dusk Shine. I’m from Ponyville.”
The mare nodded briefly before repeating herself.
“Dusk Shine... Right?”
Why is she repeating herself? Dusk was unable to fathom what kind of reasoning was behind this repetition.
“..Yes, that’s right, Dusk Shine.”
And then her face lit up.
“It’s very nice to meet you Dusk Shine. I’m Starlight Sonata. Have we... met before?”
Dusk struggled to remember if he’d seen the mare before, but that sparkly white coat of fur matching his sister’s was unlike anything he could remember from the numerous students he’d met during his studies. Part of him debated if he had, in fact, seen a mare who looked just like her, but had a much darker shaded coat.
“I ‘want’ to say yes, but I can’t be certain.”
A crimson tint colored Starlight’s cheeks as she lowered her head a bit.
“Um, do you remember someone who looked like me, but much more grey?”
A firm nod of the head from Dusk confirmed her suspicions.
“Yes, I thought we met before. That, unfortunately, was mudslide day.”
Dusk found himself at a loss for words. Mudslide day meant absolutely nothing to him, and the numerous conclusions he drew upon her statement only confused him further.
“Right then. So, I heard you had to attempt the exams three times, was that right? Do you mind me asking why?”
Her mane tossed about as she shook her head, folding her ears down and up after she finished.
“I’m a rote learner, specifically with my ears. I had to take the tests at least once to memorize the questions we were asked... The second time was because I didn’t get enough sleep the night before exams. That was another bad day for me.”
Starlight seemed to shudder quite violently, Dusk taking the hint to possibly not persist any further.
“So you’re a rote learner? That means...”
Another voice spoke out, much more deep and less painful on the ears compared to the stuffy stallion’s still ongoing whining.
“Dusk, it means she can learn through repetition, and in her case, specifically from listening.”
Very familiar with the voice, Dusk turned to the teal colored stallion beside him. Harpford Strings batted idly at his mane as he turned to face Dusk and Starlight directly.
“Really Dusk, you should learn to minimize all your questions. I know you mean well though, just remember that not everypony cares for it.”
Seeing the purple coated pony look a little down, Starlight was quick to retort.
“It’s alright, he wasn’t bothering me. Besides, it’s better than listening to the noise across the room, right?”
Dusk was very aware of Harpford’s intentions. The two had met briefly during a study group some of the other stallions had put together. That group naturally ended off splitting up between friends and with Harpford being by himself, as was Dusk, they gradually got together and worked by themselves. It didn’t take long for Dusk to sort of find himself at home with Harpford, often thinking of him not being too different from Elusive. On the other hand, he felt a level of genuine concern from the other pony, and for somepony who was otherwise a complete stranger, they seemed to get along better than Dusk normally did with new acquaintances.
“I will gladly agree with you Miss Sonata. Though I do have to admit, I wonder what is keeping Solaris and... What was that one mare’s name?”
Dusk was quick to answer.
“Trixie Lulamoon.”
Harpford raised an eyebrow, grinning ever so slightly.
“Ah right, the one you ditched me for that evening to go have dinner with. Tell me, was that just another meal or was it something more?”
Dusk couldn’t help but laugh a bit at Harp’s suggestion, feeling it quite necessary to correct the other stallion.
“No, hardly; it was just dinner, but I think it’s best that way. The time I’ve spent chatting with her, I don’t think she really likes most ponies. Trixie tended to complain a lot about the other students, and kind of Canterlot as a whole. Still, she says it’s been more enjoyable that where she used to live. Not really sure what she meant by that though; don’t most unicorns live within the Unicornian territories?”
Dusk had been referring to the various regions of Equestria under the control of the current King of the Unicorns, reflecting of the shared states established by the three rulers thousands of years ago. Upon the discovery of Equestria, the three tribes had come to an agreement to a fair division of the lands. The pegasi were given the skies as they were in the land before, the unicorns tasked with refining the land into a suitable means of living, and the earth tribe was given the responsibility for cultivating and properly utilizing the fertile land for food growth.
Despite the higher stance some tribe members place themselves upon, the harmonious existence of the three tribes with one another was possible purely through the existence of the alicorns, acting as mediators and peacekeepers for Equestria. Their descendants, such as Solaris, Artemis and Shimmer Shield’s husband, Prince Mi’ Amour Emporte, carried on that duty to this day. Though citizens within the tribes themselves continue to have disputes to this day, the tribe leaders and the alicorns maintain the peace between the ponies, very aware of the much bigger threats lying outside the borders of Equestria. Without the alicorns and their powers ruling over celestial bodies and the very emotions of the ponies themselves, their unity would likely be non-existent.
“You’ve lived in Ponyville all your life, right Dusk? Never... really been outside of your home?”
Dusk looked to Starlight with a demeanor of uncertainty, seeming to dig into the depths of his mind for a perfect answer.
“There was one time, I remember my mentor had me come and stay with him for a few months at his home. He said I needed clarity, something about bringing my mind to peace or something. My mentor was kind of weird that way.”
A pleased smile came to Dusk as he reflected on some more fond memories, leaving Starlight still not having an answer, and only finding herself with more questions.
“What was your mentor’s name?”
Genuine interest on the part of the ivory colored mare prompted such a question, as Starlight was always interested in learning as much as she could, be it from teachers or friends. But when Dusk had remained silent for as long as he did, it led her to one conclusion.
“You don’t remember his name, do you?”
Harpford drew the same conclusion as Starlight, the statement seeming true as Dusk lowered his head.
“He performed a spell that wiped my memory of his name, saying it was for my own good. And that, one day, I’d get to remember his name. He didn’t tell me why, either. All he said was that it would have a purpose one day. I haven't seen him since then...”
Letting out the longest sigh he’d taken in a while, Dusk attempted to return to his chipper self.
“I gotta admit, it feels kinda nice talking to you guys about that. Only one back home who seemed to be okay with listening to me vent every now and then was Butterscotch, though I’m not sure if he was really ever listening or not.”
Their friendly chatter continued on for a while longer, until the doors to the dining hall finally swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang as a rather shocked alicorn stood behind a fiercely grinning mare.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is sorry to keep you all waiting, but as we know, greatness like my own deserves special attention! Prince Solaris of course was not one to deny that either.”
Her eyes flashed a fiery glare at the unicorn who looked about ready to eat the poor server right then and there from his intense hunger.
“I see though some had no patience... Guess I should expect some of you to be so daft as to think attacking another would get your way.”
The choice of particular words seemed to enrage the other unicorn in just the right way. His horn flashed with a bright aura as a bolt of magic shot in Trixie’s direction. Trixie held her ground, but not in the way the other unicorn was expecting. The bolt came within inches of her mane before seeming to curve around the mare and shoot right past her and Solaris. The silver maned mare’s mouth scrunched up tightly before she burst into laughter, seeming to infect the others in the room with a similar amusement.
“What a surprise, the posh little colt’s magic is about as strong as a diamond dog is smart. Just a reminder, there are those of us who were accepted into this class rank on more than just intellect. You’d do well realizing that Trixie is capable of both learning and practicing what she’s taught, rather than just scribbling down simple rantings on parchment like yourself.”
Proceeding towards a free spot at the table Dusk and the others were sat at, Solaris proceeded to his own seat at the large table at the back center of the room.
“As Miss Lulamoon has stated, I intend to recognize those who not only excelled during the written exams, but the practical and oral exams as well. I’d like to remind everyone here that while intelligence is rewarded, if you can’t even make use of your teachings, it’s very possible that your time spent here will be short.”
That warning seemed to resonate through the room and settle most of the ponies, the servers beginning to bring out the food. While the students were prepared to start eating, the Prince raised a hoof high and halted the waiters in their tracks.
“As I stated, recognition will come to those with true talent and comprehension of magic unlike any other. The test results indicated two unicorns were capable of such requirements, both a mare and a stallion to be specific.”
The room fell quiet with most of the ponies focused on Solaris. Unfortunately for them, Solaris' stomach took priority over the announcement, waving his hoof for one of the waiters to come and take his order.
“Oh yes, some of the SAA Private Reserve perhaps? That will go quite well with the Garlic Stuffed Carrots.”
The stares of anticipation were quickly turning into stone cold glares. Solaris continued to ramble on, asking a thousand questions to the waiter and building the firey rage of the other ponies to an intensity rivaling the heat of the sun. Hooves began to tremble, stomach growls turned into roars, and Dusk even swore he heard the faint sound of glass cracking, dismissing the possibility of somepony actually attempting to eat their plate. Just as Solaris was about to discuss dessert, he watched the dishes on the table beside him slowly shift, spotting one pony at the end of the table with a mouth stuffed full of tablecloth. The Prince finally took the hint and spoke at last.
“Right then. Would Dusk Shine and Trixie Lulamoon please join me?”
Not wasting a second, the showpony made her way to Solaris’ table, Dusk needing a nudging along from Harpford to move his flank and join them. With both seated, the room burst into chatter once more, no longer one loudmouthed pony managing to deafen the other students. Dusk was seated on the side opposite of Solaris only a few feet from Trixie, who was lost in the plethora of delicacies listed in tonight’s menu.
“Forgive all the flash and such, Dusk. I know you’re not a fan of that. I still hope you realize that you deserve it.”
Even with the generous compliment, Dusk was still displeased by Solaris’ favoritism.
“I’ve told you before, I had the money to pay for my tuition. Placing me in the S-Rank was completely unnecess-”
Solaris let out a particularly loud groan, interrupting Dusk who gave the Prince quite the perplexed look.
“Why do you continue to question my decisions? We’ve talked about this before. You’ve spent all of your life in Ponyville with no real academia to speak of, not including your average amount of education everypony and their mother has, or that mentor you mention all the time. The accomplishment of freeing my brother of his curse showed your potential, and I only wish to give you that opportunity. There are resources, classes, and entire portions of the school exclusively locked for access strictly to S-Rank students.”
Dusk was completely silent, Trixie breaking from her repeated shoveling of food into her mouth to speak.
“You know, we get a private library. The Prince showed me on the way to the dining hall. We also get our own dorms, laboratories, recreational room, courtyard... Oh, and the Royal Guard’s Headquarters is right... near our dorms...”
A little bothered by Dusk’s lack of etiquette, what with him leaning on the table with both of his front hooves, she was quite unprepared for the forthcoming outburst.
“Solaris, I’ll get to live near Shimmer?! Why didn’t you tell me that?”
The Prince was struggling to not spew cider all over the table, hacking after Dusk’s excitement shoved the glass in his face, forcing down a little more liquor than Solaris was intending on drinking.
“Well, it was going to be a surprise. Shimmer Shield was going to drop by the dorms tomorrow, but I imagine there’s nothing I can do to stop you from visiting her later tonight now is there?”
Dusk started into a flurry of questions for the Prince, Trixie resuming her meal in a more controlled manner than before. Must be nice having family to visit every now and then. Wish I could be as excited as he is. Drowning her less than pleasant thoughts with a little Marelot, the mare tuned out the two stallions as they chatted, occasionally accepting an offer to talk here and there as the celebratory dinner carried on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Following dinner, the S-Ranks were escorted to their dorms, being offered the opportunity to select which wing they wished to stay in. Lucky for Dusk, he was quick to choose the dorm that was close to the library, as well as the Royal Guard’s HQ, Trixie following suit along with Harpford and Starlight. A few winding corridors and directions on how to navigate the campus later, the guard guiding the four ponies took his leave, but not before Dusk asked how to get to the Guard’s HQ, of course. However, when the ponies entered, they couldn’t even see the hooves in front of their faces.
“Would somepony tell Trixie WHY the lights are out?! Are we seriously expected to stay in a dorm that can’t even afford electricity?!”
A giggle from across the room indicated that there was another presence in the room, before bolts of lightning bounced across the room, seeming to be kicked around from a central point. What the hay? How can somepony possibly be able to kick lightning around like that? The possibility that non-unicorns in this world were capable of using magic was not an unfamiliar concept to her, what with all the studying she did for the exams, but this would be the first she'd ever seen since her arrival.
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a welcome if I didn’t try and dazzle you all, now would it?”
One last kick sent a final bolt to the ceiling before it burst with light, revealing an ebony coated pegasus at the other end of the room. The bright smile on her face faded quickly, as a Trixie stomped across the room, shoving her face against the gold eyed mare.
“Do you realize that you could have ELECTROCUTED, nay, KILLED one of us?! It doesn’t matter how strong any of us are or how quickly we could summon a barrier, a pegasus such as yourself should be aware of just how dangerous lightning can be!”
Even with Trixie practically puffing smoke out of her snout, the mare merely tilted her head to the side and frowned.
“Ah, my apologies miss, I didn’t mean to frighten! Only to entertain! Tempest Dancer only wishes to have fun with her little ponies!”
Harpford practically raised his eyebrow to the roof, and had that been physically possible, would have created a hole in the ceiling. He trotted out from behind the others and slowly raised his hoof as if to protest.
“Uh, forgive my assumptions, but do we really need someone ‘watching’ after us here? I mean, we’re all big ponies, right? We can take care of ourselves, feed ourselves, clean up, et cetera?”
Dusk casually fiddled with his mane, trying to avoid answering the question as Starlight squealed with excitement.
“Oh oh oh, I can make the best grass stew ever! And you can try some boiled daisies and... and...”
Harpford firmly planted his hoof in his face, as Trixie gagged and shivered while imagining the blandness of such a meal. It’s just hot water and grass... how in the hoof can you make THAT taste GOOD?! All the while, Dusk placed a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder, slowly shaking his head back and forth as her ears drooped downward. Tempest could see the mood of the room dropping right before her, so she worked to salvage the situation at hoof.
“Um, let Tempest just cut to the chase. Tempest is to be your denmother... No wait, that’s not right. The Residential Adviser? No, that’s not it either. Why don’t we just say Tempest is a housekeeper? Essentially, Tempest will be here 24/7 for your personal needs. Not... Too personal, of course, and do not expect Tempest to run out in the middle of the night because there are some carrot chips you’re just ‘dying’ to have, but at the same time I wouldn’t object to cooking up a quick midnight snack.”
Unfortunately, the whole concept of the overglorified foal sitter was rubbing Harpford the wrong way.
“So, you’ll be here all day and all night for our needs? They really think we need someone for that?”
Tempest giggled once more, trotting with a slight float to each step, practically bouncing towards Harpford. Her mane, grey like a storm cloud with a lightning bolt piercing through it as well, swayed in his face as she tossed it with her hooves; clearly the mare was having too much fun teasing him.
“My my, do you ask a lot of questions. A lot of questions for a mare like myself; if Tempest didn’t know any better, I would think it would be because you can’t get enough of staring at Tempest.”
All of the blood in Harpford’s body rushed to his face, Trixie pointing a hoof and laughing quite loudly at the once bold stallion who now seemed to be frozen in place, whilst the pegasus trotted around him in a circle. She tossed her mane back and forth once more as Harpford shook violently, quite intimidated, considering the mare was somewhat taller than him.
“D-d-d-on’t get any wr-wr-wr-wrong id-d-d-deas! I’m just wond-d-d-dering why you’re r-r-r-really working here!”
Tempest couldn’t resist the urge to swish her matching tail around in his face, giggling all the while.
“Ah, well to tell the truth, it’s good pay! After all, Tempest is not much older than yourselves, and even with her tuition paid off at the Weather Factory’s Technical College, Tempest still needs a few bits every now and then for herself. Even though Tempest can kick up a storm faster than most ponies, they are still insisting that I go through the ropes and get a license like everypony else. So when they aren’t dragging Tempest through the prerequisites, she’s here making some money and having fun. Everypony likes to have fun, right?”
The dorm soon filled with more laughter, Starlight unable to contain her giggling any longer and Trixie poking at Harpford in the side as Tempest continued taunting the riled up stallion. Dusk had been enjoying himself even sitting aside and watching everything unfold, their banter almost comforting to him. Something about the others was beginning to feel right. Thinking back to the last time he was with his friends, he wondered when the last time it was he had that much fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Midnight came quickly, and most of the ponies had grown tired, the day’s exhausting and nerve-wracking events finally at an end. Trixie was the first to head into her shared bedroom, Tempest having to guide Starlight in after her. While the azure colored mare tossed one thing after another into its place on her side of the room, Starlight stood at the door while her eyes seemed to be locked firmly on the empty bed across from Trixie.
“Uh, Starlight, is something wrong?”
Starlight Sonata carefully trotted over to the bed, giving it a once over intently before looking at Trixie. Her eyes rapidly filled with tears as the pony began trembling, biting her lower lip.
“Oh, boo hoo, so we have to share a room! You should be happy to be in the presence of The Great and Powerful Trixie so often! Why, you may even be capable of a FOURTH of her greatness someday!”
Head held high, Trixie quickly came down from her ego boost as she realized how she didn’t really need to put on her proud face in front of such company, let alone insult Starlight. After all, she seems like a sweet little mare, no need to worry about her opi- Suddenly pulled out of her train of thought by the hooves wrapped around her, her gaze met Starlight’s tearful eyes.
“I-I get my own bed, and I get to share a room with somepony else? I... I can’t believe it...”
Clinging somewhat tightly, Starlight jerked slightly as soft sobs escaped her, leaving Trixie somewhat uncertain of how to respond. Slowly, she put her own hooves around her and held her back, a bit uncomfortable, but deciding to let the mare be.
When the crying finally stopped, the older pony was finally able to question the wet eyed ivory mare. “So, do you mind my asking what that was all about?”
Realizing that hiding the truth for that emotional outburst was pointless, Starlight answered with all the details she could, albeit there wasn’t much to tell. ”I’ve never really had a home or a family or anything to really hold onto. I guess that this dorm is the first place to really resemble anything like that. I’ve had to travel all around Equestria most of my life, and I’ve slept outside more times than I can count, even if I wanted to. No bed, no pillow, no blanket... Nothing I couldn’t carry on my back, anyways.”
Finally, after having packed away her sapphire brooch into her nightstand, along with her cape and hat, Trixie pressed Starlight with a few more obvious questions. “So, what about your parents then? Don’t remember them at all, I assume?”
Nodding her head, Starlight carefully organized her things around her portion of the room. Her ear began to glow with a magic aura as she removed an earring, placing it carefully in a box on her own nightstand. Trixie watched as the pony proceeded to place the first box inside another... And then another, before finally the magic around it flashed, Trixie assuming she’d placed an enchantment on it.
“I don’t remember my mother or father... All I remember is waking up in the woods one day, and the only thing I had on me was that earring. I think it belonged to my mommy, but I’m not sure...”
After letting out a sigh, Starlight looked over to Trixie and started turning her frown upside down.
“But it’s alright, I suppose. Maybe all that time alone then will be made up now. Dusk and Harpford seem nice, and we’ll spend time around here together, right? It’ll be like you’re my sister!”
Oh dear sweet Celestia, PLEASE tell me she is joking. Trixie was not ready for such emotional investment in another pony, let alone one she’d only known for a few hours during idle dinner chatter. However, she found herself unable to dismiss the rather cute behavior of the other pony who was now bouncing up and down on her bed, slowly at first, but with quickly growing enthusiasm. Clearly this girl is telling the truth; there’s no way somepony her age would still find amusement in jumping on the bed. But as the other persisted on, and seemed to not lose any energy, amusement turned into concern. Oh no, if she’s like this all the time, then it means I’m never going to get any sleep and she’s always going to bug me to play with her and-
Amid all her panicking, Trixie had failed to notice that the other mare had long since crashed and burned onto her bed, sprawled out amidst a mess of blankets. Alright, so she’s capable of tiring herself out, that’s good. Using her magic, Trixie carefully tugged the blanket and sheets of the bed out from under Starlight and tucked her underneath them, prompting a soft and pleasant sigh in approval from the other. She fidgeted a bit, hooves looking for her pillow even with her drowsy eyes barely opening, grabbing hold of it and clinging tightly.
“Thank you... Trixie...”
BE STILL MY HEART, DO NOT LET HER CUTENESS INFECT YOU. It took virtually every bit of her willpower to fight off the urge to hold the other pony. Trixie may be a changed mare, but she does not go around showing affection for random ponies just like that. Still... Thinking back to the other’s earlier statement, there was realization that maybe it wasn’t that detestable of an idea.
“If Trixie must make nice with other ponies, there are certainly worse choices.”
With the other settled at last, and the moonlight peeking into the room, Trixie finally resigned for the day, exhausted to the point of barely being able to crawl up into her own bed. The events of the day all seemed to be pointing to the best for the mare, even with the ruler of this realm more informed of her background than she’d like. I guess I should have known better than to think things would go off without a hitch. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like he’s about to throw me out nor hinder my progress. But something tells me there’s much he has left me out of the loop on.
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“I believe that you have the ability to be the kind of friend he needs during his time here. Even though his friends will be granted visits with him when they drop by, he needs someone at his side to have his back. I believe you two will get along well, so I’d like you to spend as much time with him as possible. Studying, eating meals, classes, etc. I know it’s a lot to ask, but if he has someone around him he actually enjoys talking to, or dare I say admire, you might rub off on him in due time.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Solaris is a fool if he doesn’t think I won’t find anything about that suspicious. He knows nothing about me, and he surely doesn’t know about the other ponies that are in the academy... So why single me out? With one question only leading to another, Trixie gave into fatigue and finally shut her eyes. Worries for another day I suppose... Best enjoy the next few days off as much as I can.