2: Life in Equestria
Fortunately, Princess Cadence had come to Canterlot that very same night on business she chose not to disclose in front of Snape, so his arrival and hopeful integration into Equestrian society was going smoothly thus far. Furthermore, the opportunity to speak with and measure the identities of all four of Equestria's rulers so soon was an immensely valuable tool.
Given that the night was still moderately far from ending, it was decided, and encouraged by Severus himself, that the formal introductions be made later on, in the morning. In the meantime, he was free to rest or take any (reasonable and unprovocative) action he pleased. He wasn't sure if he should have been tired, but he was not, and was more than used to spending long nights up and about.
Canterlot was a city unlike any Snape had seen before. Far from the rundown, gloomy architecture of Spinner's End, yet at the same time, the castle was too modern, too sleek and steeped in color and refinement of style to remind him much of Hogwarts. Judging on appearance alone, it seemed this world might actually be out of the reach of things like evil, but then again, evil was never docile enough to not poison anything that was not already evil.
He ended up leaving the confines of the castle, after obtaining permission from the Captain of the Guard, and found a more or less deserted hill in which to test himself. Upon being transported to Equestria it was clear he had been weakened greatly, allowing the strange creature he encountered to successfully attack him; without the intervention of the ponies, he might just be wounded beyond complete repair...or perhaps dead once more. Now that he had been healed and had some time to adjust to the feel of the new world, he was prepared to see if he was still the powerful wizard he had known himself to be.
Back in the forest he had proven that with great concentration and power of will, despite injury, he was still capable of spells like Sectumsempra, suggesting that his magic was not too far fetched a thing here. He conjured up a few dummies with ease, then proceeded to try a few spells out. To his delight, magic was almost easier to work with here than in England. Though he did not actively try and use either Occlumency or Legilimency, he was sure he could, especially given the circumstances that not all ponies seemed to possess magical abilities.
After around half an hour out in practice, he was satisfied that his skills were up to par and he removed all traces of his activity. The castle stood out more than anything here, and he laid himself down against the trunk of an oak tree on the same hill to gaze at it in its entirety. It was an impressive fortress, he could not deny that, and those who worked and lived there held unbreakable loyalty to the Princesses and to each other.
He resigned himself to watching the night and getting a better feel for the land. It was more peaceful here than at Hogwarts, at least more peaceful than the school had been in the last few years, but that was to be expected. The inhabitants remained about as interesting and tempered as the muggles back home. The world itself, however, was a large departure from what he knew. Evidently magic was a respected gift here, and though not everyone could use it, everyone knew about it. He assumed that the news of his magical ability would be met with some apprehension, but as a strange creature to them from a land they had never once heard of, he couldn't quite come to blame them.
Furthermore, it seemed that magical creatures were fairly common, given that a small dragon was the one and only example he'd seen of a library assistant. He also caught sight of a phoenix upon arriving at the castle, another magical creature with which he was familiar, and he sensed that the phoenix knew that, somehow. And of course whatever attacked him at the old castle could not have been much of an oddity, and he had already garnered a sense that the forest in which he arrived in was a place of mystery and danger.
It was a new world, but it wasn't all that different from his own, obvious changes aside. He clearly felt a defined sense of good and rightness in Canterlot, and that meant that a defined sense of evil and wrong were present somewhere else. The exact location was still far from his grasp, but he was satisfied with how quickly he had managed to come into contact with the Equestrian royalty. His mission was well underway now...the thought made him stiff.
The moon had begun to lower at a faster pace, and the night would soon be over, prompting him to rise and quietly and quickly trek back to the castle. Two or three of the Canterlot residents had awoken by now and saw him out of their windows or from their doorsteps, and each of them had the same look of confusion and anxiety the Ponyville residents had about him.
The guards at the castle entrance let him in without question and he ascended up the long stairs and towards the room he was given for his own use by Princess Celestia during their brief meeting. None of the guards on patrol inside found him, but he didn't mind and slipped into the guest room, which was far more decorative and elegant than he was used to in a place of living. He filled a bowl with water and washed off his face and his hands, after which he proceeded to take the banana and one of the apples from the fruit bowl that had been set on the nightstand near the large bed. His meal was more satisfying than he had expected, and whatever the ponies did to their apples here, it made them more enjoyable than almost any fruit he could recall from England. The very of thought of the whole breakfast comparison made him chuckle to himself.
Upon finishing up in his room, he left once more as the sun rose and dawn broke the stark darkness completely. A few guard members were stationed at the bottom of the stairs and met him with indifferent expressions, much like the one he wore.
"Princess Celestia is waiting to speak with you in the throne-room," one of the guards reported. His broad and muscular figure being outstretched so that it looked as imposing as possible, and the other two were mimicking his posture to the best of their ability.
"Fine," Snape replied in more of a drawl than he had been using around the ponies thus far and followed the two stallions through the castle.
The route to the throne-room seemed inconvenient and unnecessarily elegant, but the front entrance to the castle was much closer to Celestia's chamber than the guest rooms on the western wing. Already the halls had gotten more crowded as workers began to attend to their duties, a few ignoring Snape for the sake of the jobs they were committed to, but many eyed him with suspicion and sometimes worry.
The trip was not overly long, and by the time the guards had led Snape to the door, Princesses Twilight and Cadence were arriving from their own private chambers in the eastern wing. Twilight looked bright and cheery enough, but it seemed that Cadence was a bit down, and her appearance was definitely masking something, what however, would require a bit of probing to figure out. He was wary to try and search her thoughts, figuring that if any being here would notice and take issue with it, it would be a Princess. He made a mental note of her behavior as he approached them.
"Good morning Severus," Twilight greeted with a warm enough smile, and at the same time Cadence followed suit.
"And you," Snape greeted back quietly as he opened the doors for the Princesses and followed them in where Luna was standing beside Celestia, who rose from the throne and walked forward when the three entered.
"Severus," Celestia welcomed and spread out her hoof in a formal gesture, "I'm so sorry that our meeting was cut short last night. I'm sure we will have more than enough time to discuss the matters at hand now, however."
"Yes, we have much to discuss," Snape told her and looked upon the rulers of the land with a deep look, as though he was staring through them.
"Then let us go and talk in a more comfortable place," Celestia said as she led the group off to the side where a sort of private chamber where two couches and a very fine and well crafted table sat. Celestia sat in between Luna and Cadence, while Twilight took her seat beside Snape on the opposite couch.
"Now then, if you don't mind me asking, where exactly have you come from?" Celestia opened the discussion with the authority and respect of a shrewd and practiced politician.
"A far off realm you've likely never conceived of before. Even with the magic I have seen here, I doubt any ancient scroll or magical mirror could tell you about the world I come from."
"And how is that you found yourself here?" Luna asked assertively.
"I am not entirely sure myself, but I am keen on the idea of staying here for a time," he replied, and he did so in truth. The methods of his arrival were more or less a mystery, knowing who was responsible but now how, and he had no idea how large or small the nation was. This could be as good as he would get it.
"Something can be worked out easily enough, but may I ask what has caused this desire of yours to remain in Equestria instead of trying to find a way back to your home?" Celestia inquired with a keen look.
Snape took a moment of silence before replying in a voice that a half an octave lower than his already low voice, "My home...is behind me. I seek no way back to it...I left it in good hands." He did not look into Celestia's eyes, but past them.
"That is a fair enough answer, and while Equesria has not had a creature such as yourself come to live here before, we would be far from what we claim to deny you the right to live here, assuming your interest is genuine," The Princess of the Sun once again responded.
"Quite so," Snape replied, his tone reaching back up to the range that was just above a whisper.
"Well then, Princess Twilight and I can work on the details, but there are a few things you'll have to do," Celestia explained, "for instance, find a job. What was your trade back in your old life?"
"I am a wizard," Snape answered as he put his fingertips together, posing in an austere and prideful manner, "specializing in potions and what was referred to in my realm as defense against the dark arts. Whether or not any such position exists here I cannot know."
Celestia smiled at his answer and looked thoughtfully towards the figure garbed in black. Twilight's look seemed much more eager upon hearing of his past identity as well.
"I may have a job that would suit you very well, Severus. The Canterlot School of Magic has long been a place where young and inexperienced unicorns can go to build a strong state of ability for themselves, but sadly, in the recent years we've lost a few teachers, and I'd be very interested to see your skills at work."
"That can be easily enough arranged, and I'm sure Princess Twilight will vouch for my skill," Snape commented casually but still sternly, catching Twilight off guard with the comment.
"Oh-yes, yes-he possessed magical talent that was strong enough to hurt the strange hybrid creature my standard magic could not," Twilight praised and shifted nervously for being thrust into the spotlight. She almost swore Snape took a liking to it, though his features remained unchanged...perhaps it was just her imagination.
"Ah...yes, the hybrid creature is a matter I would like to discuss at a later date, when more information can be gathered. I hope you don't mind, Severus," Celestia mentioned, eager to push back the troubling matter for another time. Snape nodded curtly.
"What will you do about living quarters?" Luna asked the man as he gazed over to Cadence, who seemed content to remain quiet and still, as if moving would hurt her in some way.
"If it isn't too much trouble, I would be fine with staying here," Snape told the Princesses, "but if there is room available at the school itself, that would also suffice."
"You wish to live in a school?" Luna asked for clarification.
"I have lived in a school for a majority of the year for the past two decades of my life," Snape replied quickly, almost in a way that suggested Luna's comment offended him in some way.
"No teacher has lived in the school before, but if it would make you feel more at home, then I will arrange something. Until then, you can remain in the guest room," Celestia spoke before Luna could make any kind of reply.
"Princess," Snape addressed Cadence, who quickly looked startled, "tell me...what lies beyond the borders of Equestria?"
"A few different nations of some renown...I can have a map sent to you if you're that curious about it," Cadence responded with enough vigor and energy to suggest she was dealing with whatever was bugging her well enough.
"I would very much like one, thank you."
"If you'd be willing to come with me to arrange your legal papers, maybe afterwards we can gauge your skills and talk about working at the magic school...I've had to put in some time there myself, and I'm eager to see what you can do," Twilight suggested, seemingly having recaptured her enthusiasm for the man.
"You'll want to begin work as soon as you can," Luna agreed, "we will help you settle in, but you are expected to pave your own path."
"Of course," Snape answered.
"Now let me see," Celestia interrupted, "we've covered your background well enough, mentioned the creature incident, and sorted out your living and working conditions...I think you are free to go, Severus."
Rather than respond, he gave a low but meaningful bow, and departed with a nod at Twilight, who followed him with a smile, leading him out the door to finalize and legalize his new life in Equestria.
Cadence remained behind with Luna and Celestia.
"Do you trust him as much, Luna?" Celestia asked.
"I do...he doesn't seem quite the same, but I believe he is still genuine," the younger sister replied without taking her eyes from the now closed doors.
"And what about you, Cadence?" The Princess of the Sun inquired.
"I...can't make any decision yet."
"Are you feeling well?" Celestia quickly asked and moved nearer to her niece.
"Well enough," Cadence told her aunts with as big a smile as she could.
Twilight closed the door of the office behind her as Severus headed out towards the bright streets of Canterlot, where citizens were socializing and working with a smile. The sun was high in the sky and morning was beginning to shift into midday, and his legal status was now on file and as complete as it possibly could be.
"So, Severus, you said you specialized in potions?"
"And defending against the dark arts," Snape added, hardly slowing down for the lavender Princess.
"Right," Twilight replied with a sort of laugh, "I happen to know a bit about those subjects myself."
"So there is dark magic here," Snape confirmed speaking more to himself than to Twilight.
"Yes, in fact, my friends and I have faced a few dark magic users in the past year or so!" Twilight told him, trying not to sound boastful.
"Is that so?" Snape asked with considerable intrigue for someone like himself.
"Can you keep a secret," Twilight confided and moved in to finish the thought in a whisper, "the first one was Princess Luna."
She swore Snape's eyes grew wider for a fraction of a second, but before she could blink they were back to the normal, unassuming stare they had been in for most of the day, looking down at her. As much interest as she had in Snape, his very presence seemed a bit darker than she liked.
"You might be surprised at how often powerful dark magic users pop up here every now and again," She told him with another quasi-giggle, "sometimes I wonder how we get by so well." Another, more obvious laughter followed at her joke.
They continued the conversation, though Twilight was more the talker than the listener, and entered through the school gates. The students stared with awe at the Princess and the unfamiliar creature, and one young mare tripped over herself at the sight. The halls were cool and had an academic smell to them.
Twilight's office, as she did hold a position as a teacher at the school, though did not regularly work more than a few times a week, was more messy than Snape expected, and many books and scrolls lay on her desk and on the floor beside it.
"And that was how we finally stopped Discord," Twilight remarked as she searched through the pile of books, tossing aside one every second or so until she found the one she was looking for.
"So..you've made it into the history books a few times, have you? How fitting..."
Twilight's attention, however, was solely focused on the book she levitated towards him.
"Here we go! Want to take a look through this and see how many herbs and plants you know?"
Snape seized the book and flipped through the pages, spending no more than 15 seconds on any two pages, and continued this process for a few minutes while Twilight fiddled with something on her desk, seeming to forget about Snape for the moment.
"Many of these are familiar to me, but some remain unknown. This is a masterfully crafted book for a world where nothing too deadly exists," He told her as he read through the back cover.
"Umm...thank you..." Twilight replied and refused to take the book back, telling him that it was his as long as he had things to learn from it.
"So, with how much you know, I think you can start working with the potions classes, but you'll need to be doing some research on it too. At least the students will be relieved that somepony with...more than mere competence...will be teaching," Twilight told him as they headed for what was to become his office. Snape decided not to press about the current potions teacher, and let Twilight lead him on as he watched the students give him odd looks. He hoped they'd be used to him soon; it wasn't distracting, but it was annoying to notice.
The office sat in such a way that bright light was reflected into it through the window, and Snape almost immediately pulled out his wand and closed the wooden shutters. Twilight didn't seem happy or upset with the motion, and began to look through the private room that had been left abandoned for a year or two.
"Delightful," Snape commented, though almost lower than Twilight could hear.
The office was filled with dust and a few cobwebs, and a few broken desks were being stored in it, but the furniture that was meant to be here was in well enough condition. It was a bit hot, but nothing unbearable. Snape lifted his wand high in his right hand and swung down to his left side, and the dust seemed to fade into the very room itself.
"I have to say, your magic seems pretty useful for day to day activities...but is it limited to the use of your wand?" Twilight inquired as Snape set down the book on a shelf behind his desk. He peered back at her for a moment, then returned his attention to the shelf.
"No, not everything is dependent on my wand."
Twilight gave a silent nod and began to organize the few books that were sitting on the student desk nearest to her. Snape was not overly fond of having Twilight with him, but she was helping, and this was a ripe opportunity to gauge her character more. He didn't need to use magic to tell that she was trying the same thing, though she wasn't very good at it.
Snape moved out the broken desks and into the custody of the head janitor as Twilight mended the broken shelf on the wall near his window and to the side of his desk. A chalkboard was built into the back wall and a quick motion of his wand made all the chalk disappear, leaving no traces of the obvious student graffiti. Just like Hogwarts...even where supposedly gifted students were sent to learn, there were jokers and punks among them.
The next hour was filled with more cleaning and organizing, but Snape had finally gotten things to an acceptable state and locked the door behind them as they headed back outside. Princess Celestia had already sent an official to finalize Snape's job at the school, and the one office worker they passed on their route out waved somewhat awkwardly to them.
"Would you like to get something to eat with me?" Twilight offered and looked around for a good restaurant nearby.
"No, thank you," Snape replied flatly and began to walk off. He was already nearly three times as far away from her as he had been when she flipped her head to find him.
"OK, well it was nice to spend the time with you! See you soon!" She called out to him, but he made no signs of acknowledgment.
Twilight took the moment to pause and sighed. Friendships weren't always easy to strike up.
His first day in Equestria had not gone so horribly. He had settled in surprisingly fast, and was pleased with the ease of gaining some semblance of his old life back here. He had been a little worried he was going to have to resign himself to making rainbows or some such trivial thing.
He had long ago returned to the castle and looked through the book Princess Twilight lent him. He studied up on plants such as Poison Joke and a large flower that served as cover for Tatzlwurms, though the petals did have some useful properties, according to some authorities. He didn't peer much into the parts about mixing and doing the work with chemicals and serums, as the art of which was the same as he had always known it. He did find himself looking into the uses and dangers of the items he was unfamiliar with, however.
After a while of this and some food that was sent up to him, he was rather finished, and sat at the desk in front of the mirror. He had set out a scroll and a quiver and ink partridge, but he wrote nothing. He simply lost himself in the mirror, and let his mind wander.
What was he doing here? He had been tasked with something he had no duty to serve, and was only brought here upon the wishes of the figure he had met between life and permanent death. He had not stated specifically his approval or disapproval of his new task, but at the time, he was more open to it. Now that he had realized what he was committed to, he wasn't so sure.
Evidently existing between life and death drains one in more than physical ways.
The Guide promised him acceptance into paradise if he succeeded. Nothing was said about him failing. Snape recalled telling Dumbledore once that he was tired of spying, of playing the silent and shadowed hero from behind the cover of evil. This role was not so very different, and it was bringing out a bad mood in him.
He was not so much as asked about it, only informed- and subsequently influenced- to accept the role. No consolation with him or those who could be waiting for him...not that very many of them existed, he supposed. It was troublesome. Unfair. Life was unfair, but apparently so was the stage between life and death.
His love for Lily drove him in the past, but she was not involved with this world. No one from his past was. He was alone in this endeavor.
He felt no attachments to these ponies, and though he aligned himself with good rather than evil, he could hardly see how the evil here was so bad he had to dragged off to deal with it. His single motivation for this task now was paradise-but beyond that-who he could see there.
Dumbledore had made it there, no doubt was to be had, and he imagined his mother had, which wouldn't be so very bad either. Yet it seemed Lily had more to do with this than he first thought. If he was guaranteed paradise, and she was there as well, it opened up many things.
A new life to create. A new bond to forge if the former could not be repaired. A way to transcend the singular plane of Earth and meet up with the one woman he ever cared for more than anyone else. This was not a great trial with which to vanquish evil so much as a stepping stone to Lily. That...was a reward he desired. Certainly after 17 years of protecting her son, she would have him back into her life...
The classroom was rowdy and loud. Students were out of place, writing personal notes, carelessly eating and drinking, and behaving like caged animals.
This was put to a stop, however, when Severus Snape stood up and walked out of the storage room to the far right of the classroom, prompting every single student to go silent. He walked quietly up to the front desk and looked out to each student, meeting every unicorn mare and colt in the eye and asserting his utter dominance without a single word.
"I assume that those of you capable of reading have studied chapter four," Snape stated coldly as most of the misbehaving students put away their private notes and food and drink, a ban on which was clearly visible on the all behind the front desk, and sat attentively.
Snape turned around and waved his wand in front of the chalkboard, and many statements appeared on the board, the first of which was his title: 'Professor Snape'. He did not turn back as he spoke, "If I were one of the three mares in the second row with food still out, I would put it away now...unless you fancy going bald."
The mares put away the food quickly and scrambled to attention when they saw a list of ingredients to work with, which if tasted, would indeed cause baldness...or worse.
When he had turned back around he found the class was in much more of a studious and attentive manner as the herbs and vialed brews were passed along via a cart Snape controlled with his wand.
"Yes, before any of you think to ask, I am your new permanent teacher, I do not grade easily and my patience for stupidity is very low. Yes, I am a human being, a creature of which I doubt your primitive minds would be able to grasp, and any questions asked of my past will result in an unfavorable punishment."
A mare in the back row raised her hoof and waved it with passion, but Snape waited a moment and returned the cart to its place before letting her speak.
"May I go to the bathroom?"
"Surely any more makeup would only serve to drive away your lab partners," Snape commented and watched the hoof go back down as the mare put her head down.
Legilimency was easy on magical students, even easier than he assumed. A Princess was still a dangerous gamble, but these students had likely never done anything like Legilimency or Occlumency; they sensed some disruption, but Snape was clever enough not to give them the chance to dwell on it-not that they could properly identify his work.
He still wasn't overly pleased with his situation, but some things never changed, like the naivety of students and their typical behavior.
"Can anyone...anypony..." he corrected himself with some apparent agitation, "tell me what happens when the solution in vial 'A' is mixed with that of vial 'C' and why mixing 'A' or 'C' with 'B' would be disastrous?"
None of the students had an answer for him.
"And so none of you can read," He chided and began to write once more on the board.
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
1,010 users online
1,880,246 hits today, 2,167,270 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
5008318 He does, actually, on the money bags every criminal in the movies uses to steal money from the bank.
And now I am enthralled with the possibilities of Snape becoming a unicorn animagus... Silly Brain, why doth thou conjure such thoughts?
Nice to see Snape is doing his best to set himself up as the disliked teacher once more. Some things never change.
5009365
...that is all...
5009361 Thank you, i quite passed over that
Omg I love this fic!!! Thank you for posting it
I wasn't sure about how you wrote Snape but the scene in the end was worth it. I expect more teacher Snape in the future. Keep up the good job
That ending...
rs1ci.memecdn.com/60/4603060.gif
Snape really doesn't seem like himself in this chapter: he's snarky at anyone who pisses him off in the slightest, and praises his favorites to the fullest. No rating as of yet due to this characterization in question.
5011801 Well noted; Snape is easy enough to characterize, but writing him in with ponies is a lot tougher, lol. I'm working on flushing him out more and making it closer to the source
Thanks for the input (and postponing judgement, lol)
lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DSxrAUHm9EU/VBiFUO_TxZI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/eGZeaQgNfCg/s2048-d/62acbe73-e23e-4eb3-87af-0a3530cbbe48
5013736 I took it (and meant it) as the former. :
5011882
And This.
5014669 It's always another life.
5014678
I see what you did there.
This story has 1/6 the views as Always, half the dislikes, and 1/10 of the likes.
With those ratios, Always is the better story. Sad, since I'm rooting for my co-writer here.
5014689 Pfft.
this story is kicking, who cares if another story with Snape is out, why not enjoy em both?
He's really charismatic professor even though I avoid one like him if I could.
5015208 :D
5015589 thank you :) 3rd chapter is in progress
Must be one big bummer for you, releasing a fanfic you have been working on only to find somebody else have wrote a story with the same basic idea and relesed it just Before you.
Similar situations have happend to me, i came up with an idea, was about to post it and somebody else have already done it, Always so much fun eh?
But it really dosen't matter, i've read several One piece/MLP crossovers where Luffy ends up in Equestria, and several Mlp/Dark souls crossovers, and even if the basics are the same, the storys themselves are completly diffrent and just as wonderful to read.
So far your story are really interesting, and i shall keep my beady Eyes on it, keep it up!
5015949 thank you for the empathy and moral support; I was in slight disbelief, ha ha :)
Geniuses tend to make poor teachers. Severus Snape is a Potion's Making Genius, one of the youngest ever to be made Potion's Master.
That being said, while the man knows his stuff, he's ill suited to teaching because of his high personal standards.
Which makes this all the more hilarious to watch.
That's right ponies, welcome to the school of hard knocks.
welcome, my little ponies, to the world of His Royal Snarkiness.
His Assholiness. Severus Snape. bravo and very entertaining.
And it's back to teaching....
They have a Princess that does that, and I'm interested to see that happen! Of course, it's called something else in Equestria...
7044905 Your comment had me going back and reading this chapter for the first time since I published it; thank you, it was quite nostalgic. (And of course I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it, and equally glad to say that the quality improves as the story progresses, in my (proud) opinion)
Why do I get feel that one the students are going to get a rat tail.
Story is slightly fast paced, lacking in some details (like it should've described Twilight explaining her history rather than skipping into it) and the characters are a bit nonchalant of the whole thing.
regardless, i'll keep reading
Good old (professor) snape is back