Arcane Academy: Celestia's New Student

by TheDimensionRift

Part 1: Chapter: 5

“You idiot!” Midnight called back as he rushed Discord along with Silverlight.

“Well at least the both of you aren’t sticks in the mud, at least not yet anyways,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and turned the ground underneath the hooves of the unicorns to mud which caused them to slip. Midnight used a spell to teleport himself to solid ground to safety while Silverlight got caught in the mud slide and slammed face first into a tree.

“Fool, what are you doing!? You have to stay on top of your game for this one,” Midnight said to his classmate in a fit of annoyance.

“Ah be quiet already I know what I’m doing,” Silverlight replied as he sat up and shook off the mud which was in his mane. “Why didn’t you teleport the both of us!?”

“Why didn’t you follow my instructions instead of rushing him head on!?”

Discord simply sat in a recliner which floated in mid air wearing a pair of 3D glasses and eating a bag of popcorn. He watched silently as the two ponies bickered and argued amongst each other.

“My, my, you two truly are a very unusual pairing. Your both total opposites and on top of that one of you has superb magical skill while the other seeks to gain magical skill,” Discord’s popcorn bag was turned to ash by a small ball of fire which had come from Midnight’s horn. “Well, that wasn’t very nice,”

“Just shut it already, you don’t know anything about us,” Midnight told Discord as he glared at him the way he did everypony else.

“Oh really,” Discord began with a sly grin as he snapped his fingers and brought up a magical panel. “Because I just heard you tell your entire life story so I’d say I know you pretty well, wouldn’t you agree Midnight?” Discord snapped his fingers once more and a replay of Midnight’s confession to Silverlight looped over the panel. “My favorite scene of this movie is when you begin to tell your friend over there how much you hate him and everypony else,”

“He’s not my friend,” Midnight Star corrected. “I simply needed assistance in aiding in your defeat, nothing more, nothing less” the earth pony glanced at Midnight with an angered stare and then smiled.

“Hey Midnight!” Silverlight called as he watched the grey unicorn’s gaze shift over to him. “It doesn’t matter what you say, it was obvious to anypony before Discord showed up that you were going to except my friendship. So stop talking like we’re not friends already,” Silverlight shot the glaring unicorn a smile which only seemed to irritate him more.

“Ah shut it! You really think a 1st Class Student like me would be friends with you!?” The unicorn gave out a faint huff and looked away from the pony as if trying to hide his expression.

’Interesting, I’m beginning to see why Celestia called me here, that earth pony’s body seems to be taking in magic from around him without even knowing. Well in any case,’ Discord snapped his fingers and made another glass of chocolate milk appear, this time with a dollop of whipped cream on top. “At least you two won’t bore me,” Discord sipped the brown liquid from his glass giving him a whipped cream mustache as he smiled in delight. “Hmm Pinkie Pie was right, it is better with whipped cream,”

---

“What is HE doing here?” Solar Wind asked as her and Celestia flew above the area where Discord had appeared. “Quick, we have to help the students-”

“Calm down, he’s the friend I was referring to,” Celestia said as she placed a hoof in front of the principal. “Thanks to a student of mine and her friends, Discord has been reformed and now uses his magic for good. I asked him to come her so he could test the power of Silverlight’s magic,”

“You really think he has magical potential?” Solar Wind asked the princess with a confused expression.

“I figured you of all ponies would remember what I taught you,” Celestia teased with a laugh. “All ponies, no matter the race, have magic present within them. However, unicorns perfect magic of the mind which is why they display the most magic ability,”

“Yes and pegasi have wings and earth ponies utilize the magic of the earth and body; but what’s different about Silverlight?”

“Why don’t you watch and see for yourself,” Celestia said as she and Solar descended behind trees and made themselves invisible, preparing themselves for the battle that was to come.

---

“Idiot! I said rally on me, why do you continue to rush him head on?” Midnight questioned with an angered face.

“Well I was trying to figure out his casting speed, but it’s his movements that are impossible to predict. They're all erratic and all over the place,” Silverlight rubbed his head after running into yet another tree that was beside Midnight Star. “How could something so disharmonized be so powerful? Some of his movements don’t even make sense,”

“That’s because there’s no fun in making sense,” Discord laughed as he still sat upon his floating red recliner. “You’re an odd one yourself, the only earth pony in a unicorn academy, your not really trying to practice magic, are you?”

“You bet I am! I’m gonna graduate from this academy and become a powerful wizard one day, just you watch!” the white haired pony gave a determined grin to the draconequus. “And that starts by me taking you down and finishing this exam,” Discord erupted in laughter as he said this.

“How are you going to pass without these?” Discord asked as he wore a necklace around his long neck which was made up of several assorted rubies and gems of different colors. “Oh these gems are just dazzling, perhaps I’ll give them to Rarity,” Silver and Midnight both began to search their saddle bags frantically in hopes to find their own gemstones.

“What!? My emeralds are gone?”

“Same with my ruby,” Silverlight looked the draconequus over carefully. ’He’s just been playing with us this whole time and we have yet to even get a hoof on him’. Silver than turned his gaze upwards, even though he couldn’t see past the thickness of the forest, he could still tell that the sun’s rays were beginning to fade. ’At this right we’ll run out of time and no pony will make it past this first exam. Come on Silver, you gotta think of something; concentrate, concentrate, concentrate,’ Silverlight’s eyes widened as a light bulb went on in his head. “That’s it, hey Midnight, I have an idea but in order for it to work you have to set the others free,”

“No way any plan of a 3rd Class Student like yourself will work, I refuse to-”

“Would you just put your stupid pride aside for once and just listen to me!?” Silverlight’s command seemed to silence the unicorn who just nodded in agreement with his question.

“Y-yeah, whatever, this plan will fail anyway,” the unicorn replied as he walked over to the frozen ponies who began to thaw rapidly as the warmth of Midnight’s flame spell melted the ice.

“Poor Midnight, how about some pepper to go along with all that salt you have there?” Discord laughed as he transformed himself into a giant talking salt shaker, mocking the unicorn.

When the other three unicorns were free, Astral and the others joined Silverlight but continued to glare at Midnight.

“Just letting you know, while we were frozen, we could hear everything so we’re already up to speed,” she said to her friend as they all stared down Discord.

“Yeah, now I know why Midnight was always such a sourpuss, it’s because he’s a mama’s pony,” the mint green male unicorn laughed as he teased Midnight.

“Do you wanna get put on ice again!?” the unicorn snapped with fire in his eyes. “The only reason your free in the first place is because your useful,”

“So what’s the plan Silver?” Astral asked her friend as her horn began to glow. The white haired unicorn brought all of the ponies in for a group huddle so as to discuss his idea.

“Ooh a secret, I want to hear, I promise I won’t tell anypony,” Discord said as he attempted to hear what the group was talking about by cupping a paw around his ear.

“Alright then, does everypony know what to do?” Silverlight asked as he watched all his classmates nod aside from Midnight. “Alright then, Astral and Midnight, you’ll be up first. Chip, Cherry, you two will move when I move, got it?”

“Roger that,” Chip said as he raised a mint green hoof and saluted the earth pony.

“We’ll be right behind you,” the pink female unicorn chimed in with a sing song type of tone.

“Good, then let’s go!” at his command, Astral and Midnight rushed forward toward Discord as Silverlight and Midnight had done before, this time with both Astral and Midnight firing a combined beam of ice like magic. Discord side stepped the beam as he yawned with a claw over his mouth as the beam hit a tree and created a large piece of ice around the base of it.

“Now Midnight!”

“I know!” the unicorn replied as he fired a fire ball at the ice block and began melting it rapidly. The steam filled the air around Discord with a thick dense layer of mist that made it almost impossible for Discord to see the ponies. All he heard was the commands that Silverlight was giving to the others.

“Alright, Chip, Cherry, now it’s our turn!” Silverlight yelled as the three ponies ran through the mist with magical bubbles surrounding them which the two unicorns provided.

“Another head on charge, you can’t be serious?” Discord questioned as he could now see the ponies charging him. He was about to snap his fingers again when he noticed that his body would no longer respond to his commands. “What in Equeastria!? Why can’t I move my-?” Discord’s question was interrupted by a strong head-butt which connected firmly to his body. He let out a moan of pain as the force knocked him into the mud which he had created earlier. “Good thing the mud broke my fall,”

“Midnight now!” Silverlight cried as the unicorn fired another ice like beam from his horn. However, his target wasn’t Discord, but the mud which he was covered and laying in. The mud quickly turned to ice and began freezing the draconequus’ entire body where he lay. Unable to move his body, Discord only let out a defeated cry as his head began to become frozen like the rest of his body.

When the mist began to clear, the ponies let out cheers of success, all except Midnight who just stared at the frozen creature. He then noticed the gems of everypony, rather than take them for himself, he levitated the stones in mid air and walked over to where the rest of his classmates were.

“Here,” Midnight began as he tossed each pony their respective gems. “You all deserve these, you may not be 1st Class Students, but you all demonstrate some sort of skill appeal,” Midnight than looked at Silverlight with his usual glare. “Well, some of you at least,”

“I’ll just take that as your way of saying thanks,” the earth pony laughed with a grin. Silverlight then noticed a patch of orange light which was shining dimly at the end of a pathway through the forest. “Hey there’s a way out! Come on everypony, let’s go!”

Each pony, including Chip and Cherry who had their emeralds returned from Midnight, placed their stones in their saddle bags and began to run toward the light, with the white pony leading the pack. When they all finally managed to make it out of the forest’s exit, the five ponies were greeted by principal Solar Wind and princess Celestia smiling back at them.

“Congratulations my little ponies, you successfully made it out if the forest before the time limit expired,” Celestia congratulated the group with a warm smile as the evening Sun’s rays shined behind her. “But now to see who scored the highest number of points, please show principal Solar Wind and I the gemstones you collected,”

All at the same time, the ponies dumped out the contents of their saddle bags to see who scored highest, however, what they found shocked them all. The contents of their bags did not reveal any gemstones, instead, the rubies were replaced by apples; the sapphires with blueberries; and the emeralds with green granny Smith apples. The ponies all stared at their items with shocked expressions, even Midnight Star who had gathered one of each gem stared on in astonishment.

“Well, these don’t look like the gems you were supposed to bring,” Celestia laughed. “I guess Discord pulled a fast one on you ponies,”

“Indeed I did Celestia,” Discord said as he now appeared behind the five ponies with a satisfied grin on his face. With elastic like outstretched arms, he pulled the five together and brought them close for a group hug. “Want to know a secret?” he whispered to the ponies. “I’m still here,

“But how?” Silverlight questioned the draconequus with a confused demeanor. “We froze you solid?”

“Come now, it took the Elements of Harmony and the combined magic of both Celestia and Luna to seal me in stone. Did you really think you five with a mist paralysis combination spell could really seal me within ice and expect me not to escape?”

“Hehe, we still did a good job at kicking your flank though,” Silverlight laughed in response to the draconequus’ question.

“So does this mean we all lose?” Midnight asked the princess with a concerned expression.

“While it’s true none of you returned with any gemstones, I believe you all may have found something more valuable,” principal Solar Wind said with a smile as she stared at Midnight. “You all managed to put aside your differences to cooperate and succeed at a common goal. And that, is what this first exam was originally for, if you had managed to actually find all the gems in the forest, you would have noticed that there were plenty for everypony if you had all just worked together,”

“But what about Moongazer and the other five participants, does this mean they fail?” Silverlight asked the principal as he and the other ponies were released from Discord’s vice grip.

“Actually, Moongazer and the other five participants worked together to find an equal number of gems and made it out of the forest within an hour of the start of the trial,” princess Celestia answered. “They have all completed this exam and have returned to their dorms to rest up for tomorrow’s trial, it's all here in his note that he left,”

“Darn!” Midnight grumbled as he stomped a hoof on the ground. “How could I have been so careless? I should’ve have just taken the emeralds I got and ignored Discord. Instead, I was wasting valuable time which could have been better used to find the exit,”

“Yeah, but than you wouldn’t have made so many awesome friends,” Silver said as he smiled toward the angered looking unicorn.

“Friends? Please, you were all only needed to aid me in stopping Discord,” the unicorn let out a sigh as his anger began to die down. “Whatever, I’m heading to bed,” Midnight called back as he stomped off toward the school dorms.

“You should all rest up as well,” the principal began. “The last two trials will only be even more difficult,”

The ponies grabbed their saddle bags and began walking in the direction that Midnight went, leaving the two alicorns and Discord standing outside the illusionary forest. The two alicorn’s horns began to glow but their brightness dimmed down as Discord raised a paw.

“Allow me,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and watched the forest deflate like a balloon as it slowly shrunk and became wrinkled up. “Now if my services are no longer needed I really must be going, Fluttershy invited me to a tea party this afternoon,” Discord said as he put on a green Mad Hatter like hat and a monocle before disappearing in an explosion of confetti.

“I think I’m going to rest up tonight as well,” Celestia said as a group of royal guards approached her. “What about you, principal Solar Wind?”

“I have a very important talk I must have with Midnight Star,” Solar Wind replied with a gentle smile. “It’s been awhile since I spoke with him as his mother and not his superior,”

---

“So he just attacked you guys and tried to take your emeralds?” Silverlight asked the two unicorns who walked along side him and Astral.

“Yeah, he scared me at first but after hearing how much of a mama’s boy he is I think I fear ‘1st Class Student’ Midnight Star a bit less,” Chip laughed along with his friend Cherry.

“He’s just confused that’s all,” Silverlight said with a faint smile. “He just needs some friends that’s all,”

“You really try to see the best in everypony don’t you Silverlight?” Cherry asked as she and and Mint stopped in front of a dorm door.

“That’s Silver for you,” Astral laughed as she and the earth pony opened the door and entered the room. “Whether he’s fighting against impossible odds both in and out of the classroom, Silver always looks toward the brighter side of things,”

“I’m glad I’ve got two more friends now aside from Astral and Moongazer,” Silver said as he stood in the doorway of the room. “Anyways we all better get some rest for tomorrow, who knows what principal Solar Wind and princess Celestia have in mind for the exam,”

“Alright, see you guys later,” Cherry called back as her and Chip galloped down the hallway out of sight.

---

The soothing sound of shifting waves; a gentle breeze of salt water in the air; and the beautiful reflection of Luna’s moon that was casted across the moving surface. Midnight Star hadn’t visited the school’s beach in a long time, and it had been even longer since he’d gone alone. He stared out at the open ocean with calm eyes and began to speak in a soft comforting voice, though the words he spoke seemed as they though they were from another world.

“She protects him with unyielding spirit, like the calm before the storm,
Fates intertwined since before he was born
The warmth of her touch, caresses him evermore,
Yet, he is lost, drifting further and further away from she who had promised his very protection
Her guidance he seeks, more now than ever,
He pleas for the serenade of her comforting voice, but she sings not to him, not now, never more,” Midnight let out a sigh of defeat as he looked out at the ocean. “It’s useless, the poem is incomplete without a second speaker,”

“She appeared before him, like an angel with wings spread wide,
To comfort her child, for she doesn’t like the sight of his cry.
Infinite is the gift which she has blessed upon him, her feelings true to the end,
She’s with him in spirit, body, and soul; at his highest high, or lowest low.
This is what they both share; this is what bonds them even in absence; this, which can never be severed, no matter how far they drift,
This is the power of a mother’s love, the ultimate parting gift,”

Midnight Star didn’t even turn his head to acknowledge the soft voice, because he knew there was only one other pony who knew that poem other than he.

“Good evening, principal Solar Wind,” Midnight stated without even turning to face the alicorn which had snuck up on him. “Tell me, what brings you down here on this fine evening?”

Solar Wind watched as Midnight continued to stare out into the ocean, and even though he spoke in a resentful tone, something about how peaceful he looked, the calmness in his eyes, made her smile.

“I just wanted to talk to my son,” the principal replied with a smile. “I knew you’d be here as well, after all, this is your favorite spot in all of Arcane Academy,”

"Yeah, there’s an abundance of memories here, that I cherish,"

"Memories of your childhood?" she asked as she sat down next to the young unicorn. "Midnight, when Princess Celestia and I watched your fight with Discord, I heard why your so resentful of me and why you don't cooperate well with the other students; and I just wanted you to know, I understand completely,"

Midnight now turned his glare toward his mother, she had his attention but he still didn't speak a word.

"I know your mad because you feel like I've abandon you, and your jealous of the other students because you feel like I acknowledge them more than you,"

"I'm not jealous!" Midnight interrupted as he turned his head away trying to hide his pouting red face.

"You never could lie to me, you give yourself away," Solar Wind chuckled lightly. "What I'm trying to say Midnight, is," she paused as she put a hoof under her son's chin and turned his eyes to meet hers. "I couldn't be more proud of you,"

Midnight's usual glare began to fade away as a look of shock filled his face, this wasn't at all how he expected his mother to react towards his true feelings.

"Re-really?" the unicorn asked as his single eye stayed locked on his mother's golden eyes.

"Of course, your one of the top students; your currently the only 1st Class Student registered at the academy; and on top of all that, you’ve proven to wield magic better than myself when I was your age,” Solar let go of Midnight and brushed his hair to the side exposing his other vibrant yellow eye. “I’m telling you this as your mother and not the principal of the academy, I couldn’t be more proud of you. However another thing you must understand is that I have to watch over the academy and tend to my responsibilities as the principal before I can act as your mother. It is my duty to help every student here to strive to do their best as I have helped you in the past, in a way, your all my children, and I would do anything to protect everypony at this academy no matter what,”

Midnight’s eyes turned back to the sea as he replied with a half-hearted ‘Oh’ to his mother. Seeing that he was still distraught, Solar Wind knew exactly what would comfort her son.

“Guardian to all, ones which she smiles upon, her very life she’d throw on the line for him,
And though there were many to count, one sole spirit stood out without discretion,” the alicorn outstretched her wing as she wrapped Midnight in it and drew him nearer to her. “His spirit was the brightest among many, the star which illuminated over all,
It was him who she protected above all others, for he was her life; he was her soul; he was her first; he was everything; her true child,” when she finished her poem, Solar Wind stared silently out at the ocean with her child, it wasn’t until he finally spoke that the silence was broken.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Midnight began as he nuzzled into the alicorn’s fur. “But I think it’ll still be awhile before I can work with anypony, I need time to think,"

“I understand my son, take it at your own pace, just know there are some things you can’t do alone, no matter how skilled you are,” a curious look formed on Solar Wind’s face now. “How did you all manage to beat Discord anyway?”

“It was all Silverlight’s idea, he had Astral combine a paralysis spell with my ice spell to form a giant piece of ice. Then, when I set it on fire, the mist it created had remnants of the paralysis spell in it and it shrouded Discord so he couldn’t move,” the alicorn still listened intently as her son spoke. “Then he rushed Discord with Chip and Cherry surrounding them all with a magical shield so they wouldn’t be affected by the paralyzing mist and Silverlight delivered the blow which knocked him in the mud which Discord had made earlier. It was then that I was to freeze him since mud is still a form of water,”

‘Even without magic he still managed to form a winning formula and coordinate everypony without any issues. Celestia was right, I guess he is magical in his own way.’ Solar Wind thought to herself before replying to Midnight.

“Sounds like you have some competition,” she laughed as she held Midnight closer to her.

“He has potential, but he’s not on my level,” Midnight laughed as he dug his face into his mother’s fur. ‘At least, not yet anyways,’

Comments

[DaminVoltz]

thats awesome.