//------------------------------// // Part 2: Chapter: 14 // Story: Arcane Academy: Celestia's New Student // by TheDimensionRift //------------------------------// Silverlight looked down at the land below him, he couldn’t believe the beauty of Equestria from so high up, the lakes and forests all looked relatively small; though he couldn’t see it all because of how fast the pegasi pulling his chariot were going. They were no Wonderbolts, but the speed of the Royal Guard pegasi was staggering, Silver felt the wind in his mane as he closed his eyes and imagined himself as a pegasus soaring through the sky. He imagined himself diving in and out of clouds, seeing the land through a new perspective, his fantasy was cut short however, as he heard an elegant voice beckon his name. “Silverlight,” Princess Celestia began as the white haired earth pony turned to face her. She was sitting in her own chariot, though not very far from Silver’s own to the point where she needn’t to speak any louder than she already did. “Are you enjoying yourself?” the Alicorn laughed out her own question with a giggle. “You bet! I’ve never been this high off the ground before, actually, I’ve never even flown before. Now I kinda wish I was born a pegasus,” Silver laughed as he switched between staring at Celestia and staring at the land below him. “Is this what it’s like when you fly Princess?” “Not entirely,” Celestia giggled at the earth pony’s curiosity. “I don’t fly on my own very often, but when I do, I don’t think I’d fly at this speed.” “Now that you mention it, we are going pretty fast aren’t we? Why the rush? I mean, I know Canterlot’s a good ways away, but it seems like we’re going a bit faster than necessary.” “Your familiar with my duties as Princess, aren’t you?” Celestia asked, almost as if she was testing the knowledge of her new student. “Well, aside from being Princess of all of Equestria, I know you raise the Sun and the Moon, right?” Celestia gave him a nod. “That is correct, however, I no longer raise the Moon. That responsibility has fallen back onto my younger sister, Princess Luna. I now only have to raise and lower the Sun.” Celestia took notice of the lowering Sun in the distance and then returned her gaze to Silver who appeared to be grasping the idea of what she was saying. “Oh, I get it, we’re rushing to Canterlot so you can lower the Sun so Princess Luna can raise the Moon for the night.” Celestia gave him a smile and a nod which was recognition that he was correct. Silver turned his eyes ahead of him and noticed that the two chariots were heading straight for a mountainside, but his destination soon came into view the closer they drew near. He could see the rather large regal looking buildings which appeared to resemble miniature castles brimming with gold, blue, and several unique patterns of shades and shapes. They had finally reached their destination: Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria. “Man, those buildings are huge.” Celestia watched the earth pony carefully and began examining him and his demeanor. His eyes remained filled with fascination and excitement, he reminded Celestia of Twilight when she first heard she would be the princess’ student. With Twilight taking on Starlight Glimmer as her own pupil, Celestia missed teaching an eager mind, this loneliness is what lead her to search for a new student. Most of her students had been gifted through brains, however, something about Silverlight drew Celestia toward him and piqued her interest. It wasn’t the fact that he was an earth pony who wanted to learn Arcane magic, while this was an oddity in itself, it was Silver’s determination and persistence which the princess admired and his ability to draw others to him. “Princess Celestia?” Silver began as a curious look crossed his face, “How come…..how come you chose me? I mean, Astral if anypony would have been the perfect student, but instead you chose me.” Celestia laughed softly, and gave Silver a loving smile, “Your character is the most valuable trait that you have, your integrity and tenacity are admirable, and you never ceased to amaze me.” Silver had a puzzled expression which showed he still wasn’t gripping all of what Celestia was saying, so she further elaborated. “If you recall, in the middle of the first trial you charged in headfirst to save ponies who you didn’t even know from an unknown threat even when the exit was just before you. You were willing to risk your own team’s victory for the sake of saving another. During the second exam, rather than succeeding through cheating you decided that you’d fail with honor; it is not very common to find a pony with your level of integrity.” Celestia gave a soft chuckle as she watched Silver’s face light up with a grin, the earth pony was enjoying the compliments he was receiving. “During the final exam you knew of the dire consequences that would befall you should you or your friend lose, yet you acted selflessly and accepted your loss rather than allow your friend to get expelled; you never faltered, even when you knew your choice was to surrender your dream. Far better that I have a student who understands the meaning of self-sacrifice, then one who only looks out for his own best interests.” Silver gave Celestia a nod with a toothy grin before returning his sight to the rapid approaching capital city. Celestia just watched him, she couldn’t explain it, but she felt something stir inside her as Silver appeared to glow with charismatic determination. He may not be a magical genius like Sunset Shimmer, or even as book smart as Twilight Sparkle, but his ambition was unrivalled by any other student she’s ever had. However, as much as he was willing to learn, Celestia still had to find a way to teach Silver through different methods; after all, he was no unicorn. ****** Silver stepped out of the chariot and began to stretch, then he noticed the numerous guards who had apparently been waiting for Celestia’s return. They all bowed their heads humbly as the Alicorn princess exited the chariot with grace. “Greetings your highness,” an armored white pegasus said as he approached the princess. “We’re glad you’re here, Princess Luna has been awaiting for the lowering and raising of the Sun and Moon.” “Thank you, I shall see to the matter as soon as possible.” Celestia noticed several confused glances from the guards who kept eyeing the earth pony who stood beside her. “Allow me introduce my guest here—” “Nice to meet ya! I’m 1st class Arcane Academy student Silverlight, I’m also the princess’s new student and I’m gonna be the greatest wizard in Equestria someday!” Silver seemed to practically shout in a loud charismatic and enthusiastic tone of voice. Realizing what he had done, he quickly apologized to the princess for his rudeness. “Oh, sorry Princess Celestia; I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” “It’s quite alright,” Celestia chimed back with her traditional warming smile; she then returned her attention to the guards and declared loudly. “As of today, Silverlight is my new student and will be residing here in Canterlot Castle. I hope all of you can make yourselves familiar with his presence and help him feel at home here.” “Yes ma’am!” the guards all cried in unison as they gave the princess a quick salute. “Silver,” Celestia placed her hoof gently on the pony’s head and stared down at him charmingly. “I’m going to tend to my duties, why don’t you grab your things and get settled in your room for the time being?” “Got it!” Silver replied with a teeth filled grin. He watched as Celestia trotted off past the guards with several following closely behind. He was left with a trio of pegasi ponies who appeared to await a response; all the while, in awkward silence hung in the air. “So......do any of you know which room I’ll be staying in?” “Right this way sir Silverlight,” one guard said as he made his way toward the castle entrance. Another grabbed Silver’s saddle bag from the chariot and carried it for him. He followed the guards into the castle with glee, he had finally made it to the first step of his dream. The castle was just as regal and fancy as Silver had always heard it was, stories from his parents about his father’s proposal to his mother on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala talked of a castle with breathtaking architecture and design. It was just as large on the outside as it was on the inside, the halls were riddled with countless doors and a labyrinth of passage ways which would only confuse Silver if he attempted to memorize where they lead. The lead pegasus stopped in front of a large dark oak door with a golden handle. The pegasus opened up the door and allowed the earth pony to enter. “This is your room, apologies for the bed sheets being pink. We shall look into getting that fixed for you,” one of the guards said as he followed behind Silverlight and placed his saddle bag on his bed. “It’s cool, it won’t bother me none” Silver told the guard as he looked around the room in awe. Though the bed sheets and wood pattern had several pink heart shapes, the bed looked comfortable and Silver actually thought about collapsing on it; however, he still wanted to check out the rest of the room. There was a round mirror which doubled as a dresser where one could put their clothing or other belongings and a nightstand with a lamp on it that rested by the bedside. There was another door which piqued Silver’s curiosity; without hesitation, he trotted over to the door and opened it only to find himself on a balcony. The balcony overlooked some mountains with several carvings in it which were linked by what looked to Silver like a railway system. He then took notice of the setting Sun and watched as it faded over the horizon and the Moon took its place high above the sky. Silver never paid much attention to the rising and setting of the Moon and Sun, but seeing it now, before his very eyes and knowing what powerful forces were behind it; stirred a feeling inside the earth pony. It wasn’t until one of the guards spoke up that Silver snapped out of his trance. “We shall leave you to make yourself comfortable,” an armored pegasus stated as he and the other two exited the room; before he left, he poked his head in the doorway one last time. “If you need anything, you need only to ask, and welcome to Canterlot Silverlight.” With that, the guard shut the door behind him as he departed, leaving Silver to do as he pleased. “Okay, enough sightseeing for now,” Silver said to himself as he entered the room and closed the door to the balcony once more. He then trotted over to his bed and emptied out the contents of his saddle bag onto it. “Alright, better get to putting this stuff away.” ****** Midnight sat on his hospital bed carefully so as not to apply any pressure or weight to his injured leg. Numerous opened books floated around Midnight’s head in a circular motion as the pages turned by themselves, Midnight’s eyes danced rapidly over the pages as he switched his gaze from the books floating around him to several he had in his lap. Mary watched on, her blank expression had returned and she fiddled with a small wooden pegasus puppet as she watched Midnight float books around him with a more agitated glare on his face than usual. “Midnight,” Mary began, her voice a cold emotionless tone as she spoke. “It appears as though your distraught.” “What ever gave you that idea?” Midnight asked, his question drowned in a sea of sarcasm as he said it. He tossed a book across the room in a fit of agitation, “Damn it! It should have been me!” Midnight continues reading the books floating around him but he seems to be talking more than reading. “I’m the one who’s studied magic and advanced arcane techniques since I was a foal; I’m the one who should obtain the power which comes from Celestia’s teachings!” Midnight’s nostrils flared as the air temperature around him dropped rapidly causing Mary to take a step away from his bed. “I’m the one who’s read all 10,872 books in the academy’s library 234 times, each time reanalyzing what I read and comparing it to other literature works; and yet an earth pony, with absolutely no idea how to use magic whatsoever has usurped my opportunity from me!” Midnight froze several of the books he was reading as his aura dropped them to the ground, the ice around them not even receiving a scratch from the height that it fell. Midnight shifted his eyes toward the other pony who was present in his room, “You realize I still place blame on you for this? After all, you’re the one who put me in this condition.” “If you want to be fair than I’d say you injured yourself,” Mary fired back without hesitation, her tone still emotionless. “I didn’t ask you to fight me, you rushed in recklessly and in doing so suffered your injury.” “Yes, I was reckless,” Midnight growled through gritted teeth as he tried to contain his anger. “Is that offer still on the table? The one were you offered up your life to me as forgiveness?” “Nope. We’re friends now,” Mary played with the pegasus puppet with her magic, levitating it and making it take to the sky. Mary watched as Midnight gave a sigh and continued to read, when he did a question came to her mind. “Midnight, how come your so obsessed with power?” “I’m not obsessed with power, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t crave it,” Midnight begins as he sighs once more, this one was different this time, it sounded saddened to Mary’s ears which perked up to hear better. “Power is necessary in this world if you want to move forward in life, and not get left behind having to fend for yourself and practically raise yourself from foalhood!” Midnight realized he began to raise his voice louder than was necessary, he then glanced over his shoulder at Mary while he continued. “What I mean is…..oh who am I kidding? It’s not like you want to hear me rant anyway; none of this interests you.” "Yes it does, besides, isn't that what friends do?" Mary asked as she continued playing with her wooden doll, now making flying noises as she did. "Friends tell each other their problems, then the listener comforts the speaker, at least, that's what me and Sir Trottsalot do." "Why don't we start with you then?" Midnight shifted carefully in place as he turned to face Mary, curiosity burning in his eyes. "I don't know very much about you, what you like, where you came from, or even why you enrolled in the academy." "I like puppets," Mary replies in a low tone without even glancing in Midnight's direction. "And that’s another thing," Midnight's face looked as though he was pondering the answers of life and the universe as he studied the mare and wondered why he (or even Principal Solar Wind) had little to no information on her. "I've seen other unicorns use puppets but never in the way you do, your spell, whatever it is, makes your puppets practically come to life; its almost as if they are alive. Where did you learn a spell like that? Did perhaps your parents teach you?" Midnight watched as Mary dropped her puppet she was playing with as the color drained from her face at the mention of her parents, he could see something in her eyes, a glint; even though her face was frozen in an expressionless manner, he could tell that she was uncomfortable for some reason. Mary quickly turned to face the door and glanced over her shoulder before exiting. "I'm going to get something to eat before the cafeteria closes, would you like anything?" "Sure, surprise me." Mary gave her friend a nod before exiting hastily out of the medical wing door. 'Well, that was certainly something. She sure is a mystery, then again, she may be thinking the same thing about me.' Midnight closed the book in his lap as he levitated it over to the top of a stack he had next to his bed, still pondering the mare's strange behavior. "I guess her parents are a touchy subject, but still, that look in her eyes, I can't explain it but I've seen that look before......but where?" The unicorn's gaze was quickly diverted to the glowing tome which rested on his nightstand, the book which he had almost forgot he had; he brought it on to his lap as he rested his back against a pillow he had placed against the wall to use as support for occasions as such. "Well, even if I was Celestia's student, I'm sure this isn't something she'd be teaching." Midnight flipped open the book and stopped on the last page he left off on. "Here we go, the triggers behind dark magic and what empowers it are…..." ****** “Alright, that should do it,” Silver said to himself as he put his now empty saddle bag away in his nightstand drawer. Next to the candle lamp on his nightstand was his journal that his parents had given him when he was a colt, he still wrote in it from time to time, though not as often as he used to. He trotted over to the mirror and placed several quills and scrolls away in the drawers, afterwards, he took a moment to look at the small blue framed picture in front of the mirror. In the picture were two ponies, a grey colt earth pony with white hair who was on the back of a large cream white unicorn stallion who’s hair was a light shade of grey with pale white streaks mixed in. His orange flamed eyes seemed to burn into Silver’s soul, this feeling made him smile. “I did it bro……I’m on my way to being an awesome, important wizard just like you were.” Suddenly, there was a knock on Silver’s bedroom door, soon followed after by a gruff voice. “Sir Silverlight, the princess has asked that you join her and her guests in the dining room for dinner,” the guard said through the door, just as he did, Silver’s stomach began to growl loudly. “Shall I take that as a yes then?” he laughed. “Hehe, yeah just give me a sec,” Silver replied with a chuckle as he examined himself in the mirror. “Knowing Princess Celestia her guests are nobles of some sort so I better at least look presentable.” Silver eyed himself in the mirror long and hard before, smiling with his teeth and playing with his hair. “Aw who am I kidding? I’m already as presentable and handsome as is, I’ll be fine.” Silver galloped over to the door and opened it, when he did, he was greeted by the presence of a pink mare. Her mane was violet and rose with pale gold streaks that ran down both her long mane and tail. Her eyes were light purple and seemed to mesmerize Silver the longer he stared into them. “Oh, what perfect timing, I was just about to knock,” she said with a gentle smile as she stared at Silver’s surprised reaction. The mare waited for a response, but Silver was still captivated by her beauty. “You must be Silverlight, Princess Celestia speaks very highly of you, saying you’re the most ambitious student she’s ever had. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, nice to meet you.” ‘Come on Silver, think! Sure she’s really, really pretty, but you have to focus.’ “Sweet Celestia your really pretty,” Silver cried out without thinking; he quickly face hoofed himself after he did this. Cadence just let out a laugh as he did. “You remind me of my Shining Armor when we went on our first date,” she laughed at Silver’s nervousness. “Come on, Princess Celestia is expecting us, I’ll show you the way to the dining room.” “You know your way around this maze of a castle?” Silver questioned as he shut the door behind him and followed Cadence. “I got confused just on the way in.” “I was once a pupil of Celestia and I stayed here in the castle, It can seem confusing some times, but you’ll get used to it.” Cadence and Silver rounded a corner and made a right. Cadence decided to strike up small talk to try to kill the silence between the two. “So, Silverlight, your Princess Celestia’s newest student hm?” “You got that right!” Silver laughed, “Princess Celestia hoof picked me personally among several others students from my school.” “Oh? You went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” Cadence questioned, a look of confusion struck her. “Not exactly, my school is called Arcane Academy, only the best of the best are allowed in. Its located just past Griffonstone if you follow the Guto River, head over the mountains and a bit to the North, you’ll eventually get to the school.” Silver followed as he and Cadence made another turn. “But originally my parents raised me in Fillydelphia for a couple years and then we moved to Manehatten after……” Silver stopped walking for a few moments and then let out a sigh, Cadence stopped to see what was wrong, but the earth pony was walking once more when she did. “So, Princess Cadence—” “Please, just Cadence will do,” Cadence said humbly as her and Silver stopped in front of a set of blue doors with golden handles. “Oh, we’re here.” Cadence opened the doors using her magic and they both entered. Silver took notice of the large, long, rectangular table in the center of the room. It was a dark blue with a large pink banner laid spread out over the top of the table, the banner had what resembled Princess Celestia’s cutie mark on it. Silver also noticed he and Cadence weren’t the only ones in the room, waiting by the large table was Princess Celestia and another dark blue and black Alicorn whose mane seemed to flow just like Celestia’s; standing in front of them was a white, blue streaked haired unicorn who Cadence trotted over to and greeted with a kiss. “Nice of you to come Silverlight,” Celestia said as she greeted him with a smile. “I trust you got settled in without any problems?” “Yeah, there’s plenty of room, and I love the view from the balcony.” Silver watched carefully as he was approached by the other dark blue Alicorn, her eyes seemed to scan the earth pony and examined him thoroughly. “Sister, is this the one you speak so highly of?” she asked as she began to circle around Silver as if a predator stalking it’s prey. She picked up one of Silver’s forelegs and tapped it with a hoof, then she continued her circular movement before returning to Celestia’s side. “Everyone, this is Silverlight, my new student from Arcane Academy,” Celestia announced to the members of the room. “Tia, surely your not serious…....right?” Luna looked Silver up and down before she continued. “He’s an earth pony, earth ponies aren’t meant to wield arcane magic……you’d be wasting your time sister.” “Hey! I may be an earth pony, but don’t you doubt what I can do. And if she wants to teach me then fine, let her. What she does in none of your business.” Silver’s outburst was met by the Alicorns own look of annoyance. “Mind thy tone when you speak to us!” Luna snapped back. “Don’t you know who we are?” “No and I don’t care!” The argument between the two was interrupted by a pair of large white wings wrapping around the both of them; Celestia stood between the two ponies and prevented anymore quibbling. “Silver, this is my younger sister Princess Luna.” Silver’s whole demeanor changed at the mention of Luna being a princess. Unlike her sister, Celestia knew how to calm and deescalate a situation, especially an argument. “Luna, Silver is my new student, and will be staying here, I would hope that you two could get along, .” “I….” Silver managed to utter the beginning of his plea. “I’m sorry for raising my voice against you Princess Luna.” Silver lowered his head in a humble bow as he spoke. Luna looked at her sister who had a ‘be nice’ look on her face. “Apology accepted,” Luna said in a flat tone as she rolled her eyes. Celestia gave her a slight nudge which made her sigh and rephrase her words. “I mean, I accept your apology and forgive you Silverlight.” “Now, with that out of the way,” Celestia began with a smile as she retracted her wings from Luna and Silver and walked over to where Cadence and the stallion were standing. “Silver, this is Princess Cadence and her husband Prince Shining Armor, they will be our dining guests for tonight.” “Nice to meet you,” Shining Armor said as Silver approached him. The two extended hooves and shook them, a common greeting in Equestria. “Funny, you seem familiar…..but I’m sure we haven’t met before.” “Well, let’s all prepare for dinner, shall we?” Celestia asked as she Luna sat down in a pair of chairs at the end of the table and motioned for the others to do the same. ****** Silver watched on as the other members at the dinner table at their soup with levitating spoons; he was unsure how to approach this matter for he had no magic only his hooves, and as one knows, hooves cannot grip a spoon. Silver was hesitant on how to handle the problem, he was having dinner with royalty and he wanted to appear at the very least that he had some manners about him. ‘Okay, maybe if I just try hard enough I can levitate the spoon.’ Silver calmed his thoughts and focused solely on the spoon which rested next to his bowl of hot soup. His face contorted into what looked like a struggling expression, doing this drew out several giggles from everyone present except for Luna; after, Silver just stopped as his face flushed a shade of crimson. ‘Come on Silver, think, there’s got to be something…..’. Silver’s eyes lit up as though a light bulb turned on in his head. He picked up the bowl and began to sip from it, however, the heat from the soup caused him to burn his tongue which in turn made him drop the bowl. The bowl feel and spilled over onto the area of the table Silver sat at and onto his lap, he jumped up from his seat and out of his chair. “Ah! Son of a—” Silver stopped himself before he finished the last of his remark. He gave a guilty laugh with a faint smile to match his red face before expressing his apologies. “Ummm…..…hehe…….sorry bout that.” Without a command even being given, a pink unicorn came out from a doorway, cleaned up Silver’s mess with a cloth, and replaced his empty bowl with a new one before disappearing to the doorway again. Everyone present seemed to be retaining laughter, everyone except for Luna. “Sister, thou traded Twilight Sparkle for this?” Luna spoke in a whisper to Celestia who sat on her right. Celestia, still keeping her smile and eating, simply giving Luna a ‘Not-while-we have-company we’ll-talk-about-it-later’ look, however, Luna was persistent. “So, sister, how did you go about obtaining Silverlight as your student?” Luna’s question was purposefully loud and practically begged for the attention in the room. “You remember that private school run by an old student of mine, correct? He was attending the academy and he just happen to catch my eye.” “If I remember correctly, that school was a unicorn exclusive one,” Luna shot a stare at Silver though he couldn’t tell exactly what it meant. “Tell me, how does an earth pony manage to enroll in such a school? If memory serves me right, the entrance exam was a series of spells that one must perform in a given sequence.” “Why don’t we allow Silver to speak for himself,” Celestia said with a gentle laugh. Everyone at the table turned their heads at the earth pony who appeared to be enjoying the attention he was getting. “Well, I didn’t necessarily pass, but Principal Solar Wind had a talk with my parents and I guess they convinced her how determined I was to enroll.” Silver picked up his bowl once again and take a sip, now that his soup had time to cool, he was able to avoid burning his tongue. “My parents and my friends know how much I wanna become a powerful wizard.” “Interesting, and why is it that you wish to become a wizard or even learn magic in general?” Luna continued with her questioning. She was no longer annoyed with Silverlight from their earlier problem, in fact, she was genuinely interested in what he was saying. “One does not carry an ambition as…….unique, as yours without a cause.” “Well, you know how when you graduate from the academy you have a chance to become a member of the Equestrian Arcane Agency?” Luna gave a slow nod to Silver’s question as she recalled what little she knew of the agency and the academy he spoke of; sure she and her sister kept tabs on the agency, but it was Celestia who knew more about it then Luna. “Well, my older brother was a member, probably the best member of them all. He was really strong; and wise; and super crazy fast; oh and he was pretty famous. I mean, not Starswirl famous but—” “Pardon for the interruption, if you don’t mind me asking, was his name Lightray?” Luna watched the white haired earth pony’s reaction to her question; Silver looked as though he was going to hop over the table at the sound of his brother’s name. “Yeah! Ya see, you DO know about him!” Silver exclaimed with excitement. “I knew he was famous among other members of the agency but I didn’t think the princesses knew him!” “Not personally mind you, but my sister and I would always be present when an award was given out for a member’s achievement and I remember your brother receiving many on several occasions.” Luna glanced in her sister’s direction to catch a glimpse of her grinning. ‘So that’s why Tia chose him. If he’s related to Lightray….then…..’ “I recognize that name and now I know why you looked so familiar,” Shining Armor chimed in as he wiped soup away from his muzzle with a napkin. “He’s assisted the Royal Guard before on several occasions and boy was he something,” Shining turned to Silver, “Honestly you look just like him, your brother is a very skilled magic user.” “Was….…..” Silver mumbled, though loud enough that everypony present heard. There was some heavy silence in the room before he continued. “That’s why……..that’s why I wanted to join the academy, and why I wanted to become Princess Celestia’s student so badly and learn magic. I wanna become stronger so I can protect those I care about, not just my friends and family, but all of Equestria just like my brother once did.” Silver lost his saddened expression and replaced it with one of burning passion. “To be the greatest wizard in Equestria, that is my dream, and as long as I work hard at it, I will make it a reality someday. Just you watch!” The room hung with a bit of silence, aside from Silver’s slurping of his soup. Celestia smiled at her sister who began to understand why she chose Silver. It was eventually Celestia herself who killed the silence in the dining room with a change of subject. “Cadence, Shining Armor, how is Princess Flurry Heart?” the large Alicorn princess asked with a smile. ****** Silver was escorted to his room by another armored guard, he would have indulged in conversation along the way but he didn’t know the guards name and they all appeared the same to him. So to keep from sounding like a racist or saying something else stupid, he just kept his mouth shut. The two finally stopped in front of the same dark oak door that Silver was brought to earlier. “The princess has asked me to inform you that your first lesson begins in the morning.” The pegasus opened the door and allowed Silver to enter. “8:00 AM, sharp.” “Thanks for the heads up,” Silver replied as he slowly closed the door. Afterwards, he galloped over to his bed and collapsed on it, stretching and moaning with pleasure as he did. “Aaaaah, this bed is more comfortable than it looks. I think I’m gonna like it here.” The earth pony quickly sat up in his bed. “Right, better get to bed, my lessons under Princess Celestia begin tomorrow.” With that, Silver threw his blanket over him, blew out his candle lamp, and closed his eyes.