“Last time, we spoke about Appiano III’s multiple attempts to marry his son, the future Jacopo IV, to Lawrence the Magnificent’s daughter, Lucretia, until Lawrence’s surrender and acceptance of the deal. Now we will start a hopefully much more interesting topic, Jacopo IV’s rise to the throne, politics and his unification of Central Italy, which will jump start the unification of the peninsula under Jacopo V ‘The Great’ and that will compose what is now the United Kingdom...”
Twilight Sparkle sighed, as she re-read the notes she had taken during the History Class back in her old school. Her History notes arrived well beyond the time- around a century o be precise- that the teacher, called Hero Dou Tus (more commonly called Mr. Dou Tus), was currently talking about. This left her without much to do but use her pencil to scribble on the blank spaces of her notebook- thusly giving to the teacher the impression she was actually listening to the lesson- and instead look around her, to check the class' situation.
Twilight could notice that most of her new classmates at her sides were taking notes- or pretending to do so at very least- about the subject. Turning her head around, Twilight could see that Rainbow Dash was slumped backwards,her mouth open and a little thread of drool hanging by her mouth, with her desk neighbour Pinkie Pie rapidly placing her pencil case and the books on her left, while staring at Bon Bon, who had set up the books likewise on her right.
Twilight suspected that the two were playing Battleships or a variation thereof. Well, I hope they know what they're doing there, or else they'll have a brusque wake-up call later this year. She turned around again and looked in front of her on the left, where she noticed the unusual sight of Quicksilver bent over the paper and writing furiously and frantically, something she had never seen him doing in all the time she had seen him.
Sure, I might have not paid too much attention to what people in Crystal Prep did, but I can't have forgot that he used to refuse to do anything related to schoolwork by his own will. Twilight thought, as she frowned of bafflement again. Guess that is another thing to add to the list of oddities I've met in him so far.
As the teacher sketched on the blackboard the Appiani-Medici's family tree, plus the reigning dates and the major deeds of each monarch from 1457 to 1517, Philip Silver quickly rose his hand up and frantically waved while making his desk quake with a rumble. Mr. Dou Tus turned around with a sharp movement and, while holding the piece of chalk up between his middle finger and his index, faced Philip Silvers, asking "What is the question you are so much in need to ask, Philip? Do you need to use the restroom 'real quick'?"
Philip Silver immediately lowered his arms for instead making him fiddle his hands furiously, clearly flustered and confused by something.
"N-no... I just wanted to know, what happened to the Holy Roman Empire, how did Appiano V managed to defeat the coalition between the Duchy of Milan, the Swiss Confederation and the Duchy of Savoy? And how he, and his successors, could've ruled on so many states used to have their own independence?" Quicksilver said, his voice expressing amazement, as if he had never heard of those events.
"From this question, it is clear that you haven't paid much attention to my lessons, Quicksilver. We have lost a month on talking about the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire due to the actions of Subotai and his successors, and talking about the various theories that have come up over the years about the Appiani's success both in war and peace, about the one we're going to follow and why. I suggest you to open up your books and study more often, instead of waiting for your coffee machine to make coffee or faking your death for go Tengri-knows-where." Mr. Dou Tus deadpanned, as he turned around again. Hearing this, Twilight bit her lower lip and squinted her eyes closed, as silence briefly befell the class.
That's a bad idea, a really, really bad idea! she thought, awaiting for Quicksilver to first bellow like a bull, then spring up and grab the teacher by the shirt's neck, threatening him with violence and insulting everything he could possibly insult about him.
But Quicksilver instead let out a little whimper and bowed his head. "Yes, but of course, teacher, I will do!" he said with a frantic tone that felt more belonging to her old self than to "her" Quicksilver. Twilight Sparkle stared at him, mouth ajar.
Did... he... uh, what? Twilight thought, still staring, as the teacher went back to his lesson, ignoring the fact that many of the students were still staring at him, which, in turn, made him somewhat curl up onto himself.
Now Twiligth added herself to the stares. Even if she was feeling somewhat bad for doing that, she could not help herself in that particular situation.
He isn't definitely the guy I used to know! Not anymore at least, Twilight thought, shuddering at the flashbacks of her interactions with him, most of them involving him either shouting or slapping her for extort a cheat sheet for whatever exam was coming up. but he has the same voice pitch, the same clothing style, the same skin, hair and eye colour, he is probably of the same exact weight and height, not to mention the same name, what are the odds of this happening? One in bilions, probably.
Twilight had suddenly an idea.
I know that magic is real, I've felt that on my skin. Perhaps the same force that turned me into a daemonic entity also brought him back to life? When recess comes, I must ask Sunset if such a thing is even possible. Twilight thought, turning her head around, looking at Sunser Shimmer sitting at the last desk on the right.
The bell rang, signaling the start of recess. Most of the students got up from their seats and started to walk around and form groups. Looking behind her, Twilight noticed that Sunset was already engaged in a conversation with Applejack, so she got up from her chair and went next to them, catchign glimpises of their conversation, one that Twilight could only guess begin about a reality show, and Twilight, not knowing the topic very well, stood by silently.
When there was a lull in the conversation Twilight lifted her index finger and hunched forward, saying "Um... hello?"
Applejack turned her head around, while susnet got up and also faced Twilight after doign a little bowing gesture.
"Hello there, Twilight, how are you doing during this fine, fine day?" Sunset Shimmer said, smilign a little towards Twilight, who responded with a tiny grin.
"I am fine, thank you very much, you?" Twilight asked.
"I'm good too!"
"Well, that is good," Twilight said, letting out a mumble before speaking up again and get to her point. "I have a question for you, one regarding Quicksilver."
Sunset's smile quickly faded, as Appleajack crossed her arms and huffed. "Lemme tell ya, that was a real awful move from his part. To pretend to be dead like a racoon... and what for anyway?"
"No, Applejack," Sunset Shimmer said somewhat seriously, massaging her chin. "That cannot be. I've seen his casket begin closed and his coffin buried, how he could've faked an entire funeral service without looking too phony, and, if he did spend for a full burial service, why he would go as far as that?"
"Yes, that's what I was thinking too." Twilight said with a quick nod, forcing herself to not join her hands and rub them together. "I have a theory about that, but, since you are the only one that has any kind of extensive experience with magic, I guessed it was better to ask to you."
Sunset turned her face towards Twilight and sat on the desk, crossing her legs as she did so.
"You think that magic could've revived him?" She asked. Twilight nodded with a hum, and Sunset Shimmer, in turn, hummed and massaged her chin, before making a closed-open palm gesture with her left hand. "I'm not sure, actually. On one hand, when I used to live in Equestria, bring living begin back from the dead was impossible. Sure, you could revive them for, what, four hours or five? But no way to fully resurrect a former living thing has been ever found."
Twilight leaned forward in interest, as Applejack took the French leave from the conversation.
"On the other ho- er, hand," Sunset continued. "When I first came here, one of the elements of Harmony turned me into a demon much like you back at the Friendship Games."
Twilight cringed a little and nodded with a sigh, while susnet kept speaking.
"That transformation is something that usually happened only in completley different circumnstances. Perhaps your device, once unleashed, managed to do that?" She said, before settign her hands in her lap. "The most obvious thing would be check if his grave has been opened and if he's emanating magical radiation or something like that."
"Yes, yes, that is ture." Twilight said, just as the bell rang again, signaling that the lessosn were starting again. Twilight congedated herself with a little bow, going back at her seat.