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// XVI. The Assembly 
// Story: Memoirs of a Magic Earth Pony 
// by The Lunar Samurai 
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	The room was one of the most intimidating things I have ever seen. The way it was constructed intentionally drew on the power that the Council had vested in them. The entire room was round, putting the doors, and any who came through them, in the very focus of the circle. The Council sat with their backs against the rounded wall, with a singular arcing table between me and them. Frosted skylights behind each one of the members cast eerie outlines of light around their otherwise dark figures. I couldn’t make out Evenstar’s face against the overpowering light of the pure white sky outside. I was standing in front of the most powerful figures in the school, and all of their eyes were on me.
They oversaw every operation at the university, they had the authority to shut down an entire division with no notice. They were gods to me. My confidence immediately set up its defenses as I cleared my throat to draw their attention. Just keeping my cool would be a challenge in this place.
“Greetings,” one of the figures said with a deep resonating voice. His salutation caught me off guard and I snapped my attention to the figure who sat in the center of the ring. I was extremely nervous, but I was equally confident. I felt like a cat, both predator and prey to the council that sat above.
“Hello,” I declared. I had to be concise and not lose their interest with needless words.
The figure spoke up once more. “Your name is Starswirl and you are considering a change of major from Cereal Production to Advanced Theoretical Magic, are you not?”
“That is correct,” I said with a firm yet subtle nod of my head.
“If I said this was a routine change of major I would be lying. I have never had a unicorn first choose Cereal Production as a major, only to change to Advanced Theoretical Magic.”
“Sir,” I started with every bit of confidence I could muster, “I am not a Unicorn. I am an Earth Pony. I am changing my major because I believe that I have a future in the field of magic.” My ears were ringing from the adrenaline, but I believe I heard a stifled snicker after I completed my statement. My confidence cracked.
“So you are an Earth Pony trying to get into the field of Magic?” another voice asked. “What brought you to this decision?”
“I entered the Union a few weeks ago and attended professor Evenstar’s class on Advanced Theoretical magic. He gave me a book called Tabula Rasa and encouraged me to build my own mental dimensions.
“That night, I created a world to the third dimension, placed several points in the space, and let the world that I created spin. I later found out that my cutie mark bears a representation of this very act.” I was confident that the mention of my own destiny would bring them to the same conclusion I firmly believed in.
“I think I’ve heard enough,” the first voice said. I could sense a bit of consternation in his tone, as though he was upset that I was in his presence. “Your request to enter the School of Magic to pursue a degree in Advanced Theoretical Magic has been denied. We also have reports that you have been skipping classes to attend lectures in the Union. As this action is punishable by expulsion, you are hereby restricted from this building.”
My confidence was no more. “What?”
“Do I need to repeat myself? The Council has rejected your request, there will be no further discussion.”
“With all due respect, you’re making a mistake.” I wanted them to see the future that I had so clearly seen just moments ago. I was going to make a difference in the world because I had no boundaries before me.
“Starswirl, you are hereby ordered to leave!” The shout would have sent shivers down my spine on any other day, but today I was more headstrong than ever.
“You must understand that I have a unique advantage over the rest of the students in the Union. I am not hindered by the boundaries that all unicorns have put themselves into. I have more potential to conjure up more magic inside of my mind than any one of you could ever dream!” At this point, as you can probably imagine, I was furious. The emotions that surrounded me were completely indescribable beyond a sense of heightened rage and terror. I wanted to lash out, to attack the barrier that stood in front of me as the ghastly pale outline of the council. However, it made the first strike.
“Heed my words, Earth Pony, your place is not here. You provide the world with food and nothing more. Magic is not for your kind, nor is farming for the likes of mine. You will do as all others you have: you will till the ground, bear a harvest, and die. It is part of who you are, and it isn’t something you can change. There is no opportunity here for you aside from failure and humiliation. This isn’t part of the world you can imagine, just as yours is a part I cannot imagine. We separate ourselves for the good of us all, and this world will benefit from your work. You have a future, Starswirl, but don’t dream of the impossible, for it will only crush you.
“If you do not learn this simple fact, you have no business being in this school at all. Now, I implore you, continue with your studies in Cereal Production, you have a future there, an opportunity to achieve the greatness you so truly desire. This decision isn’t debatable, and trust us, it’s for your own benefit. You are not to enter the Union again.”
At that time, I felt only my heartbeat. In a simple statement, the Council had told me directly that my destiny was to be lesser than the rest of the world. It was my greatest fear, one that I hadn’t even believed would have been possible only moments before. The only thing I could muster in response was, “I understand. Thank you for your time.” And with that, I turned to the massive doors and stepped back into the world outside.