• Published 4th May 2012
  • 1,185 Views, 5 Comments

Grey - Zorotokon



College and Magic. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. That is what.

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1 - As Goes Canterlot

Grey Chp. 1 - America

"What about just a LITTLE toxic?”

"No, Alchy, not even a little toxic.”

The first unicorn who had spoken, a dark-blue mare, gazed around the small dorm room, imagining what life would be like for any pony unlucky enough to be assigned it as residence for the coming year at the Royal Canterlot Magic University.

A long podium running along the southern wall would serve as a workbench for Grey and his future roommate, dried splattered ink dotted it like a crime scene. A large ornate window with heavy ironwork and poured glass faced west, a catch that hadn’t been open in decades had been broken, letting in air to the dusty old room. A sliver of sun was barely peeking in from the top of the window, casting web-like shadows of early afternoon over the occupants and floor. The eastern wall consisted of a giant heavy-set oak double door, far too large and complicated with faded patina and complicated inlays to have ever been intended to serve as the portal to a dorm room. It stuck out like a sore hoof, which was exactly the image conjured up by the two slabs of rock that had been cleverly disguised with pillows and linens. To the uninitiated or absent minded they would have been perfectly mistakable for beds. Each of the four old walls wore a bare antiquated stain punctuated by darkened areas where water had seeped in. Each of the walls finally and most greatly showed their age where flecked and peeled paint revealed the ancient blackened brick below. The old wing of the residence halls had been appropriated for the new male dorms. This was the first year RCMU had needed male dorms at all, but equality, as progress, marches on.

The complaining mare flopped onto one of the unoccupied bed-like objects and began pouting as well as her awkward position would allow. The mark on her flank was a bright and shiny chemical jar. Though the label was unreadable, the contents looked remarkably dangerous, even while upside down. "But Greeey,” the unicorn punctuated each word by swishing her long sapphire mane to and fro, letting a whine sneak in just for good measure, “I wanna experiment."

"No buts this time,” the stallion dictated, slamming his hoof down in emphasis, “I'm not drinking anything you make this semester and that is my final decision. Now stop complaining and help me unpack."

The other occupant of the room, a male unicorn with a light charcoal pelt, was carefully unpacking boxes. Or at least he had been until he had put a hoof straight thru the top of one, no doubt crushing the contents within. Alchy tittered as Grey extracted himself. Three white dots connected in a straight vertical line made up his cutie mark. His mane was dirty blonde, and had only recently escaped the tyranny of a bowl cut.

Alchy righted herself, horn glowing as she randomized a stack of books that Grey had just alphabetized. "I just wish that your roommate would get here sometime soon."

Grey took a look around at his newly decorated half of the dorm room. Various constellation maps adorned the walls, with similarly themed linens on his bed, already mussed by Alchy’s interference. Grey's books were stacked nicely on the extra-wide desk that he would share with his future roommate. The unicorn frowned. Why was Marcan's Guide to the Northern Constellations above An Astrologer's Calendar? Did he reverse alphabetize them yet? No, he couldn’t have, above Marcan's was Cancer: An In-Depth Chronicle.

"Bah." Grey's magic enveloped the pile as he organized his books for the second time today.

"I just hope he's some sort of big, strapping stallion." Alchy's gaze turned hazy as she stared into her own personal dream world. "And then he can come and sweep me off my hooves." Her cheeks began to darken as her fantasy unfolded before her. "Imagine it: long flowing mane, glittering eyes, a perfect white coat, and a deep red rose clutched in his teeth.” A sigh escaped her lips as she mused on, falling into full day-dreaming mode. “He would come in here, invite me off to his private retreat in the mountains. We would go off together, hoof in hoof, and we would lie down in his personal boudoir and kiss, and then he would run his-"

"ALCHY. I know you enjoy reading those trashy clopfics in your spare time, but that isn't important right now." Alchy resumed pouting at the interruption of the inception of her latest work. The Mysterious Roommate, she would call it, torrid scenes already fully forming in her mind. Grey ignored her. "What is important right now is that SOMEPONY has reorganized my primers,” on the word “somepony” he cast a particularly accusatory glance at his companion, and ranted on. “And nowtheyareoutoforderANDTHAT. WILL. NOT. STAND."

Grey’s own scowl quickly deteriorated into a fit of guffaws and chuckles, Alchy’s poorly contained grin at her old friend’s expected outburst betrayed her intentions. "Is that supposed to be your innocent face? You look like you're five and your mother just caught you eating the entire box of hay crackers."

"Nyeh," the female stuck her tongue out at him while he finished rearranging the books. "Now work your magic and make the perfect stallion walk through my door!"

"First of all, Alchy, that is my door, as this is my room. Second of all, we are both unicorns. If you want to magic up a prince, do it yourself!"

"Fine! I will!" Faux huffing to herself, Alchy's horn became wrapped in a crimson hue as she concentrated. She had no actual idea what she was doing, but she figured it wouldn't do any harm to throw some magic in the general direction of the door just to annoy Grey. He just rolled his eyes as Alchy finished her 'spell.'

"There," Alchy declared, folded her hooves triumphantly "now all I have to do is wait." The two companions looked expectantly at the door.

"Gah, now you've got me believing too. All I ask for is an hour or two of peace, and then you come in here, rambling on about this and that, messing up my books, and then I have to-"

"SHHH!" Alchy's hooves clamped down on his muzzle, silencing the protester. "He's right outside!"

The voice of their Resident Advisor floated in from the hallway, partially muffled by the closed door. "Fourteen, fifteen... Ah, here we are, three sixteen. You’re sharing your room with Grey Circinus; he's already here. If you have any questions, I'm on the first floor, room one twelve. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Destiny."

Grey was not faint of heart, and prided himself on standing strong in the face of adversity. But when he saw how Alchy's face had been overtaken by two glassy, star filled orbs the size of dinner plates, he knew he was looking directly into the terrible, unending maw of oblivion. Whoever this Mr. Destiny was, he was going to die here, and it would be an utterly horrific end.

Alchy started to panic as she heard the approaching hoofs. Within the next moments, the stallion of her dreams would walk through that portal; she needed this first meeting to be perfect. Magically, she clicked the lock and levitated the unresisting body of Grey out of sight, and behind the bed. The handle jiggled as it was tried, followed expectantly by three short raps. Alchy threw herself onto the bed, arranging the covers around her for maximum enjoyment of the male eye without giving too much away. The three knocks repeated themselves again.

Alchy next did something that she had always wanted to try, but had never gotten the chance. She was going to be seductive. "Come iiin." Grey was still mostly paralyzed in shock, but the trill that Alchy had forced into her normally sandy voice sent spasms down his back as his brain attempted to evacuate by way of his eyes. The crimson hue surrounded the lock once more and twisted it open. With a final click the door swung inwards, allowing the greatest stallion that Alchy had ever seen to enter her vision.

It was a shame that her view was still obscured by a pile of luggage and a small earth pony colt.

"Ah, hm." The brown colt back peddled and looked at the sign above the door. "No, that's right, this is three sixteen, yes?"

Alchy wilted slightly at her carefully planned impression being wasted upon a short earth pony, but recovered magnificently as she realized that this must be his servant! Which meant that he had money! She mentally added a yacht to the wedding photos already filled with large sacks of bits, because all rich ponies kept large sacks of bits around. How else would they remember they were rich?

"Yes, this is three hundred and sixteen. Please show yourself in." Alchy gestured grandly to the cramped, partially decorated room. "My name is Alchy, and please inform Mr. Destiny that I am eagerly awaiting his appearance."

"Dest."

"What?"

"Well, my last name is Destiny, but please call me Manni. Mr. Dest if you must be formal."

Alchy couldn't believe what her ears were telling her. This colt couldn't be older than 14, and HE was saying that he was Grey's roommate? But then, if that was true, there was no Mr. Destiny. And that meant there was no yacht. Which meant that there were no large sacks of bits, which meant that there was no tropical island private vacation spot where she could raise their foals and grow old happily together staring into the sunset on a hanging bench!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Her plans for fame, fortune, and eternal undying love were being torn apart at the seams before her very eyes. The unicorn fell dejectedly from her partially propped position to wallow in the pillows.

"Is something wrong?" The wicked and FALSE Mr. Dest approached her, confusion sounding in his voice.

"Why-hi-hi ME-he-he?" Alchy continued blubbering as Grey picked himself off the floor from his ‘hiding’ place.

"Hey Manni, I'm Grey. This is Alchy, she's melodramatic." As the two males brought their hooves together in a greeting Grey continued, "don't worry about her, she's just over reacting because you're not a big strapping stallion who was coming to take her away."

"Well, that explains things at the least. Charmed to make your acquaintance Grey. I hope this isn't intruding, but why were you on the ground?"

The unicorn huffed and threw a hoof in the direction of the bed.

"Ah." The earth pony nodded, understanding.

"It's nice to meet you and everything, but why are you here?" Grey asked the question only now coming to his mind.
His brown companion smiled and ran a hoof thru his well-kept and cropped mane. "While the university is technically for Unicorns, I showed enough aptitude on magical theory and understanding of concepts that I was able to pass the entrance exam without the practical section. And yes, the dean and higher ups know all about me, it has all been prearranged."

Grey blinked at this wash of information. Apparently it was possible to study magical theory at the Royal Canterlot Magic University, something useful to remember. "So, how'd you get into college so early? Know someone on the top?"

A puzzled look crossed over Manni's face before his brow furrowed in annoyed recognition. "I am nineteen."

Grey was taken aback by not only how old his new roommate was compared to his looks, but how icy his reply had been.
"Wow, sorry I asked."

The earth pony sighed as he deflated, "It's fine. I'm used to people commenting on my stature by now. My parents were both average builds, my mother a bit above actually." Manni swept across his front with a hoof. "And yet, here I am, shorter and less bulky then the average unicorn mare."

"We're not that small." Grey and Manni turned to Alchy, mentally comparing their sizes. She was at least four centimeters taller, and probably a couple in diameter. "Hey, Manni, where's your accent from?"

The earth pony smiled wryly. "Glad you could join us for the conversation, Miss Alchy." The mare stuck her tongue out at him at the slight, but let him continue. "It's from a bit of here and a bit of there. I moved around boarding schools for most of my life, so I've never really had the chance to stand still. Just long enough to pick up some local colloquialisms, then it was time to move on."

Grey perked up at this, "So, your parents were in the military then?"

Manni dropped his gaze at this, "Nah, it wasn't like that. I just wanted to learn, so whenever my current school didn't offer a class I wanted, I transferred to one that did."

"What? Didn't your parents have anything to say about that?"

Manni's frame further drooped as he turned his head, eyes locked on a knot in the plank floor.

Alchy's eyes bulged as realization dawned upon her. Glancing over at Grey she saw that he had gotten it too.

"Soooo, do you want any help moving in?" Alchy's horn glowed as she picked up the Manni's bags, magicking them inside.
Manni brightened up considerably now that the topic had been changed. "Thanks for that, where are you two from anyway?"

Alchy's face exploded in a delighted grin as she prepared to launch into her entire life story (unabridged).

Grey got in first though, blabbing his line out at high speed over her voice. “Alchy and I grew up in Canterlot, other side of town though."

"Me and Grey- Hey! You didn't even let me start!"

"I didn't let you start because it's the first Friday night of college and I want to actually go out and do something fun. And suffering through your rendition of our entire life stories from foalhood thru today as interpreted by Franz Kafka is not only not fun, but it would also probably kill Manni due to boredom induced aneurysm. And a dead roommate is not how I want to start this semester."

"So you would prefer to start it by getting sodding drunk, making an utter foal of yourself, and waking up in a hayloft covered in glitter?"

Had they just heard that right? The two friends met each other’s eyes and then turned as one to gaze at the earth pony interjector.

"So the brain does have a sense of humour." Grey extended a hoof, pulling Manni in for a brohug "That was exactly what I was planning on doing! Great minds think alike, or something. You game?"

"Well, I've only ever done the first two, but might as well go for the full flush this time around! You want to join us, Alchy?" The mare knackered mockingly at the very idea of HER cantering around Canterlot with this pair.

"Yeah, even if that sounded like a good idea, I still have to meet my roommate and get unpacked. Which you should probably do, too." Manni and Grey looked at the small pile of suitcases that represented everything Manni had brought to sustain himself for the next three months of arduous college work.

"Yeah, that can wait, let's do this!" And with that, Manni and Grey charged out of the room with their hearts set on living the high life in town, even for just the night. Alchy was left with only an annoyed look and the echoes of whoops and hollers indicating the two colts' progress.

Her ears flopped to the sides of her head as she ground her teeth, emulating in both vision and sound a very angry beaver taking out vengeance upon cobblestones. "But I don’t WANNA be the responsible one!" She popped her head through the window and watched the procession of the two making their way across the lawn. “Horse feathers,” she grumped.


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Continued in Chapter 2, The 59th Street Bridge Song, coming to a source near you, soon!

Chapter 1:
Google docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LGyAfG3F4x4cAk2P8FcL53pdtQiVBEOutj9JL3LkCdk/edit
Deviant art: http://gigathrash.deviantart.com/art/Grey-1-As-Goes-Canterlot-299975697
Fim fiction: You’re here!

Chapter 2:
GDocs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eMcRJ8DSOX5Sol5deT0WfW1xJX8T_PipTlwlFiGm4Vc/edit
Deviant art: http://gigathrash.deviantart.com/art/Grey-2-So-Goes-Canterlot-301412989
Fim fiction: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/24378/2/Grey/2---So-goes-Equestria

If you want to contact the author for any reason, the most efficient way is to simply email him at victorharms@gmail.com. He doesn’t actually check his deviant art messages.