Your Friends From Across Time

by EquestrianKnight97

Chapter 1 (Earth Pony OC's) (Canon)

Author's Note:

Here are the names and images of the classmates in the link below

https://www.derpibooru.org/images/2531720

By the way, the furry creatures mentioned here are not my creations. They're from G1 MLP.

And for those who don't know, [Y/N] means "Your Name".

Don't be afraid to provide any criticism you have on your mind. Thanks for reading!

The first thing to come back to you was your sense of pain.

An uncomfortable throbbing sensation vibrated throughout the entirety of your skull --- drawing out a distressed groan from your dry lips.

The next thing you noticed, thanks in part to your foggy vision, was the orientation at which your body was set up. There was something about your spatial awareness that seemed just off, and you were only proven more right by the sight of the blurry green grass below you. You crane your head up and discover the end of your rear legs tied up with rope, which extended upward towards a tree branch.

"Well, um, I'm glad to see that you're up, at least."

The male voice coming from your right compelled you to turn your head around. Despite your poor sight, you could tell who your neighbor was --- a cream-colored earth pony stallion with a somewhat spiky orange mane. And like you, he was also suspended upside-down by another piece of rope around the same branch.

"Gallop?" you managed to squeeze out of your mouth. "I thought you got away from them?"

The stallion chuckled. "I thought so, [Y/N], and I think I almost had an opening, too, but I made a wrong turn in the woods and caught blasted by some powder or something."

A collection of foreign mumbles from below made you and Gallop look down at the ground, where you spotted nearly a dozen tiny, furry anthropomorphic creatures huddled around a large black object. The chants --- incoherent to you --- from the furry creatures were squeaky and loud, and though you would not describe the sounds as angry, there was much excitement in the tone of those voices. The fact the creatures got rowdy just as you woke up did nothing to soothe the anxiety festering in your mind.

But any goal you had of calming yourself failed once your vision fully returned to you. The creatures down below, with furs of grey, black, or brown colors, were given a much clearer appearance, as you could see their beady black eyes and their sharp tooth smiles as they shout up at you and Gallop.

But the sight that disturbed you the most was that of the black object on the ground. It was a large cauldron filled with a purplish-blue liquid that bubbled and steamed and swirled with the aid of one of the creatures revolving a stick through the thick medium while on a stool.

The worst part of that sight was that the cauldron was right beneath both you and Gallop by either fifteen to twenty feet, and as far you were aware, there was no escape from what you were sure was about to happen.

"Hey," Gallop started, "I know you just woke up like me, but can you try breaking out of these ropes? My mine are super tight, so there's no way I'm getting out."

You looked at Gallop, who was now staring down at the same cauldron. Though the panic was free from his voice, the stallion's green pinprick eyes were in contradiction to the act of courage that he was displaying.

Pushing through your doubts, you decide to give Gallop's advice a fair chance. With your bundled-up legs, you pushed as hard as you could against the ropes in every direction you could think of. Though your hindlegs were practically useless as you soon found out, your frontlegs did everything they could to break free from the linen cocoon, but even their efforts were in vain.

"Well, at least you gave it a shot," Gallop commented, with you sighing as a response.

Though the effort with breaking free was in vain, that lack of success was not what was souring your mood right now. The creatures below had caught on to the trick you tried to play on them, and from above you could hear the change in their voices. The change in tone was that of anger, but more of panic, as if they were worried about you actually finding a way out of your bondage.

Out from the crowd, you notice one of the creatures running past the cauldron with either an ax or a hatchet in their hands. The sight itself is enough to worry you, and you feel compelled to turn your head around. When that did not work out, likely because of the awkward way you were left hanging in the air, you had to twist your body around in order to get a better view.

From behind you and Gallop, the ropes that held the both of you and were wrapped around the tree branch each had one end that descended downward and was wrapped around another tree's trunk. And as you feared, the weapon-wielder was running straight for that tree.

The strain from turning became overwhelming and so your body twisted itself back to its original position. Having seen enough, you know you did not need another peek to understand what was going to happen.

"No." The word slipped carelessly out of your lips, but the panic throbbing in your heart prevented you from feeling much shame in that.

"What's going on?" Gallop exclaimed. "What are you seeing? Is something happening?"

From outside of your view, as you dreaded your awaiting fate, the furry creature finally reached the tree where the two ropes were wrapped around. The creature looked up at both you and Gallop as hung helplessly from the tree branch, and then returned his gaze to the trunk. The creature, with a determined stare, raised the ax up above his head --- very much ready to strike the first blow on one of the ropes.

FWOOSH!!!

The creature with the ax hesitated from bringing down the tool, as the alien sound was now the focus of his attention instead of the tree. Just past the tree, the creature could see a bright, twinkling orange light from the treeline distances away from the field. What failed to initially register in the creature's mind was the closeness and speed at which the light was gaining. By the time the creature felt the urge to react, in one quick motion, the light exploded several feet from him.

The explosion itself was basically a powerful puff of orange magical dust, barely strong enough to sizzle the grass below. But it was strong enough to affect one individual.

The ax wielder dropped his tool and went to the ground on his knees. The creature let out a panicked shrill, as his fingertips frantically rubbed against his closed eyelids. The distressed noise caused the rest of the furry creatures to turn their heads to the tree where the ropes were tied, and the sight of their distressed companion was enough to draw expressions of concern and anxiety from their small faces.

"What the hay was that?" Gallop exclaimed again. The cream-colored stallion looked to you as if you held the answers he was seeking. As far as you were aware, you both were clueless as to what the mishap was. All you could catch were a few of the creatures running in the direction of where the screaming was coming from, while the rest stayed nervously in their places.

As you observed the confused bundle of creatures down below, you spot a small orange light shining from the treelines beyond. This same light eventually grew in size as it encroached further and further into the field. When the light was close enough to illuminate the nearby, unsuspecting creatures, you found an instinctual urge within yourself to close your eyes tight. Despite not knowing the specifics of the danger, you felt correct in taking action once you heard a muffled explosion --- followed by several more high-pitched screams similar to the one behind you.

"AH! My eyes!"

Gallop, however, was not as lucky as you when it came to protecting his sight.

As you stayed suspended in the air, the chorus of shrieking, along with Gallop's own complaints, filled your ears, making it hard for you to keep your headache from growing ever worse. You had no clue as to what was occurring all around you, but you just hoped that it would end soon with both you and Gallop ending up alright in the end. You just never thought that a trip to the White Tail Woods would end up like this.

"Hey, dude. You can open your eyes now."

The female voice caught you off guard, not just because you were not expecting anyone else to come, but because of how close the voice was to your ear. For some reason, you decided not to trust whoever was around you with their request.

"Alright, then. I guess we'll just have to leave this place with your eyes closed, then. But we still need to hurry up."

When you hear the gruff voice again, your ears pick up on the familiar tone of the speaker. Opening your eyes, you see floating in front of you a greyish-purple and black-haired griffon with a magenta scarf. The griffon gave you a calm smile as she stared at you with her yellow eyes, just mere inches away from your upside-down face.

"Georgia?" You asked. "What are you doing here?"

Instead of answering your question, the griffon floats up further to where the rope is tied to the branch and swiped at it with her grey talons.

"Georgia! Wait---"

In one fluid motion, the rope holding you snapped and you found yourself falling down into the cauldron, but before you become engulfed in the liquid your body paused midair --- just as you were entering the rim of the enormous bowl. With an orange glow developed around your entirety, you are lifted from the cauldron's opening and the ropes around you are loosened and fall to the ground.

Standing up on all four hooves, you meet a pink unicorn mare with a luscious orange-and-yellow mane right in front of you. Though you do not crack a smile or let out a thanks, the sight of the mare is enough to electrify your heart with gratitude and comfort. You could swear that your headache was at least half better now due to her being here, even with the cries of the creatures vibrating in your skull.

"There you go," Georgia muttered. "Easy does it."

Above, the griffon held a befuddled Gallop in her arms while she floated down to the ground. Ripping off the rest of the ropes, Georgia let go of Gallop and the stallion managed to stand up on his own after struggling with his balance.

"If everycreature's alright, we need to go. Now!" shouted the pink unicorn.

Following the mare's lead, you, Gallop, and a still-floating Georgia make your way across the field and head over to the nearby treeline at a brisk pace. You, the mare, and Gallop try your best not to collide with any of the stunned creatures that come across your way, but the latter of you three was unsuccessful as he ended up bumping headfirst with a creature. With a roll of her eyes and a sigh of annoyance, the pink unicorn lit her horn and levitated the earth pony to her side, despite the strain it caused her.

"Just stay by my side," she instructed.

Shaking his head, Gallop struggled to look at the mare as he ran. "I appreciate the save, Luster, but it would have been nice if you told us beforehand that you had a trick like that under your horseshoe. You already have too many spells for me to remember."

The mare never diverted her vision from the treeline. "Your eyes will clear up soon," she replied. "But so will theirs. That's why we need to hurry up. Just don't leave my side."

When you reached the treeline, you could see two figures hiding behind a couple of bushes. One was a brown yak with a golden nose ring and orange hair that covered her face, and the other was a tanish-grey kirin with a teal-colored mane and a red horn. When all four of you were out of the field, the two creatures emerged from their hiding spots and followed you into the deeper parts of the White Tail Woods.

The part of the woods that you were racing through held a bountiful amount of trees that, with the aid of the sun, shined down the bright autumn colors of red, brown, orange, and yellow upon the forest land. Though there were few dead trees or ponds or depressions that got it your way, the woods around you got hilly at times, and thus all six of you would have to fight against gravity.

The autumn beauty of the woods would have normally stopped you in your tracks so that you could admire more of it. But given the race against time and the hostile creatures behind you, you didn't have luxury or lack of sense to just put everything on hold.

"Oh, crap!" Gallop shouted as he watched over his steps. "We forgot to get our token back there!"

"I didn't see any of the grundles with it," Luster said. "They must have moved it somewhere else. Sorry about that."

"Did you at least get yours?" you asked.

Georgia, floating right above you, answered for Luster. "Yeah. The two of us got our's." The griffon reached into the messenger bag she wore and pulled out a large silver coin the size of an orange. "It wasn't hard to get past them with my speed and Lust's magic."

Gallop let out an annoyed and loud grunt. "I was so close to getting out of there! All that hard work down the drain just because I took the wrong stupid turn!"

"Pony should not be so hard on himself," said the yak with a deep female voice. "Yak and River Song took a long time to get their token. In fact, we almost lost ours when the furry grundles chased after us."

The teal maned kirin, who was behind you and right beside the yak, let out a bubbly giggle, which seemed unfitting to you given the surrounding circumstances. "Yelena's right, Gallop! We were soooo close to getting busted back there! I was able to scare most of them away with a little bit of fire if you know what I mean, so it turned out okay."

"You didn't end up burning down a part of the forest, did you?" Georgia asked the kirin with a raised eyebrow.

Though annoyed, River Song replied back calmly. "Of course not. I just sizzled a bit of grass, is all. Besides, I doubt I could generate enough fire to bring down an entire field of trees."

Luster looked up at the griffon. "Georgia, can you rush ahead of us and see what the path home looks like? We need to be sure we're in the right direction."

With a silent salute and a smile, Georgia zoomed off beyond you and the others and disappeared into the foliage of the trees.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds that emanated in the forest were the crunching steps of all five of you against the dead leaves below, the gasps of air you each took as you all ran, and the distant cries of the grundles that you just realized were on your tracks. Like a robust train pushing its gears throughout the midnight, the five of you did not dawdle in your race throughout the woods.

However, if there was one creature amongst the bunch that was losing traction, it would have to be you. You could not tell if it was fatigue from running or the effects of the powder that put you to sleep early on, but you were losing speed as you were barely in between both River Song and Yelena now. You looked over at Gallop, your temporarily drugged-up companion, and you found him to be going at a very good pace alongside Luster. That sight either meant the powder was wearing off for him or that the earth pony just had better stamina and energy than you. Given how you have always witnessed Gallop in peak shape and fitness despite having a huge appetite that went along with a hyperactive metabolism, your mind went with the latter option.

Regardless of someone else's situation, you yourself were not doing so good. Your breathing became heavier and heavier with each step you took, while the pounding your hooves took to the ground bored into your bones and ached all the way up to each of your legs. If you and your classmates really were running like a train, then you were about to be that one faulty gear or wheel that stalled the whole trip for everycreature.

With your body on autopilot as you galloped, you gazed up into the foliage above where freckles of sunlight poured through the leaves and dotted up your face. You closed your eyes like a pious creature in prayer.

Dear princesses, please just let us make it. Please. I need this.

When you opened your eyes, those speckles of light were now replaced by the whole sun, no longer sequestered by any trees above. Putting your head down, you discovered that you and the others were now running through another grassy field that was surrounded by trees on all sides. But only one treeline caught your eye in particular, and that was the one in front you from distances away.

Just beyond that treeline was the upper half of a mountain miles and miles and days away from the White Tail Woods. But it wasn't just any ordinary mountain, for this one held on its side the outlines of a barely visible city, a city of which you have seen many times before since you arrived at your new school. On most days, you barely cared to view Mount Canterlot, but now the far-distance city was a signal of hope.

This small town that you lived in for only a few months was almost within your reach.

You were almost safe from the danger right behind you.

A smile crept its way onto your face as this new fact dawned on you. As the joyful seconds went on, your breathing became slower and steadier while your legs gained a new sense of purpose as you ran faster than before. You could already imagine yourself in the comforts of your dorm room, as if it was beckoning you to come back. You could even see some joy in the faces of your classmates around you, and if they were happy then that must mean that things were turning out okay.

"WE GOT TROUBLE!!!"

The voice from afar snatched you out of your daydream and back into reality. Looking forward, you spot a black figure far away in the sky that was coming directly at you and the group. When the five of you made it halfway across the field, the figure was close enough for you to recognize it as a familiar griffon, who was missing her usual calm demeanor. Meeting the rest of you in the middle, Georgia floated down above Luster.

"There's like two dozens of those guys coming right at us!" Georgia said in a panic. "And they got like ropes and slingshots and all that stuff! One of them almost got me with one of those powder pellets."

Gallop groaned. "Great! Now we're about to be sandwiched!"

Across the field, you could spot small specks of brown, grey, and black creatures approaching from the direction that Georgia had come from. It would likely take them some time to get to you, yet the angry mumbling from behind reminded you that you had no time to feel safe. When the grundles that had chased you come out of the woods, the six of you all bundled up together into a circle, with twelve nervous eyes taking watch of every direction.

"Friends aren't in such a good predicament," Yelena said.

"No kidding," Gallop replied.

Taking a big gulp, River Song looked over anxiously at Luster. "Maybe we should head back into the woods from either the left or the right," the kirin said. "That way we can lose them in the trees."

Frowning, Luster shook her head. "I don't think so," she said with a stoic voice. "The woods to the sides are too far away. Regardless of which direction we go in, they'll likely catch up to us in time."

You decided to add in a suggestion. "What if we split up?"

The pink unicorn shook her head again. "I doubt that would make a difference. They seem to have enough numbers to split up as well."

"If you want," Georgia said, "I can take the rest of the tokens and head back to Ponyville."

"No. We need to do this together. That seems like our best option." A small conniving grin grew on Luster's face that contrasted strongly against the uneasy expressions of everyone else. Though she appeared like a mischievous foal about to commit a heinous act, you knew her enough --- though just a little bit --- to know that she had come up with a useful idea.

"River," she said. "I need you to get angry enough to build a fire-wall behind us. And when you're done, I need you to stay mad until we reach the trees ahead."

The kirin calmed down enough to look back at Luster before leaving the circle. As River Song walked away, she closed her eyes and took deep, heavy breaths that resonated throughout her tense body. Soon, the breaths became gasps, which soon turned into nasty snarls that matched with the scowl forming on the kirin's face.

"Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with a brown dress. Frost Shower messing with my make-up drawer. Last-minute..."

As River Song growled out her mantra, you could see steam rising from her mane and tail. Soon, her regular turquoise hair exploded into a fiery combination of red, blue, and purple flames. The heat from her body was now strong enough to sizzle the grass below with each hoof-step she took, leaving behind dark circles of burnt soil.

"Last-minute homework assignments. Pink socks don't go with..."

"So here's the plan, everycreature," she said before glancing away at the treeline. "I'm gonna use my magic to strengthen River Song's heat to knock out the ones in front of us. While I'm doing that, I'm going to levitate any of their weapons to you when I get the chance."

"What's the need for the weapons?" Gallop asked. "I can't we just push through them with River Song?"

"I'm not sure if the heat will reach all of them. It's better if we have a backup plan. If River loses her energy before we reach the trees, or if I end up losing concentration over her, we might end up in a scuffle. There's a big chance that things will go south with this plan, so we need to be ready for anything."

"PINK SOCKS DON'T GO WITH A BROWN DRESS!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The hair-raising scream from behind snapped everycreature's neck towards the direction of River Song, whose scaly tanish-grey coat was now charcoal-black like a night sky, and whose eyes were devoid of any pupils or irises. With another shrieking howl, the nirik opened her mouth and forged a large jet of red, blue, and purple fire that burnt the ground. Moving her head to the side, River Song formed a semi-circle that protected you and the others from the grundles behind you, who immediately stopped in their tracks at the sight of the multicolored flames --- along with the image of an angry, burning creature.

Luster saw their opening. "River! Get in front of us and keep those flames on! Everyone else, stay behind me!"

Once the nirik had made her way around the group and bolted straight to the treeline leading home, leaving behind patches of burnt grass along the way, you and the others followed Luster's lead --- with you being the first behind the pink unicorn. With a quick glance around your shoulder, you noticed that the grundles to the back had made it past the fire-wall that River Song set up, but it did its job in delaying their advance, given how far away they were from you.

Your head turned back in time to spot Luster casting a spell or two on River Song's body, while up ahead you could see the grundles getting closer and closer to you. Like Georgia had mentioned, they held ropes and nets and slingshots in their hands, and their lack of slowing down meant to you that they fully intended on using those devices.

By now, the grundles in front were close enough for you to see their beady black eyes and snarling teeth. The only reason they did not advance further was likely because of River Song's menacing appearance, but some of them that were in the lead crouched down with their slingshots as they reached into their pouches.

"They're getting out the powder again!" Gallop yelled.

"I got it!" Luster replied.

In front of you, the grundles with slingshots had let go of their pellets and sent them flying at the group. Before they could hit anycreature, the pellets exploded into puffs of white dust midair when they collided with several well-placed orange magical circles. The slingshot wielders tried a second time, and the same event occurred, leaving the furry creatures a bit baffled.

"Watch your backs, everyone!" Luster yelled. "We're about to push through!"

And on cue, that's what happened. When all six of you rushed past the first row of grundles, the creatures that had once been shooting at you were now swaying and collapsing onto the grass floor, clutching their forehooves and breathing aggressively before doing so. Approaching the second row of enemies, with most of them carrying ropes and nets, River Song's heat overwhelmed the ones closest to you all, causing them to fall to the ground en masse like foals falling asleep after a hyperactive day.

When the second row went down, you found a long piece of rope dangling in front of your face, which you made out to be a lasso before taking it in your mouth. Looking around, Luster had levitated a few other items to the rest of your classmates, excluding River Song. Up above, Georgia had been given a slingshot and a pellet pouch, while Gallop by your side had a net to carry in his mouth. Looking back, you saw that Yelena carried a lasso of her own just like you.

There were still many more of those furry worriers up ahead, but you were getting closer to the treeline. Just a few more hurdles left and you would make it back home. After the way things were this early in the day, you felt that you needed to rest up.

But things were never truly that simple.

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It was not something you spotted at first, but once the light noise of sighing caught you off-guard, you saw that the light from Luster's horn was flittering on and off like a defective lightbulb. When your eyes were done analyzing that, they turned their attention over to the strain on the unicorn's face, which included gritted teeth, eyes closed tightly shut, and small beads of sweat pouring down from her temple.

Those sighs eventually become grunts, and those grunts eventually led to a small yell from the Luster. The glow on her horn died off, and her body temporarily slackened, depsite her keeping a steady running pace. If you were one of the grundles, having witnessed your comrades fallen to heat sickness, you would still be wary of approaching the flaming nirik. But that was not the case for you, as you knew that the trick was up and were fearful of the gurndles finding out.

River Song ran past the third row of grundles, with many of the furry creatures having scattered about to get out of her way. You looked as she continued on running, not even looking back to see the progress of her classmates. Though you would usually be upset, you could not find it in you to label her as selfish --- given how chaotic everything is right now.

You hoped that Luster Dawn's magic had come back by now, and that eventually River Song would come back for the both of them to use the heat trick again. But a quick look at the pink unicorn revealed to you that her horn remained unlit, and the image of the sprinting nirik only became smaller and smaller.

Things were not appearing great so far, but you were so close to reaching the treeline. If there was a chance that Luster had one more trick left hidden, not was the time to bring it out. But just as you were about confront Luster on her next plan, you heard the shrieks of several grundles coming directly in front of the two of you --- all armed with lassos or nets that they threw without hestiation.

While the pink unicorn was lucky enough to dodge one of the ropes in time, your reflexes were less refined than hers as you missed the sight of a net coming down on you. As you got tangled in the fibers, you lost your footing and ended up tumbling down to the ground. Through the mesh, you could see a few of the furry creatures with slingshots coming right at you, ready to shoot.

Just then, a puff of white smoke hits one of the grundles in the chest, incapitating them. You look above to see Georgia with her slingshot still in her grasp. The fallen grundle was enough of a distratction to stun the rest of their companions, so you thrash about to raise the net off of your body and get on your hooves. Before you can think of what to do next, you hear a fierce bellow from behind that you recognized, followed by the feeling of the earth shaking.

An angered Yelena faced you once you turned around, and the sight of the charging yak sent both you and surrounding grundles into a panic. Though knowing that you were not the source of her ire, you were quick enough to move --- or rather leap --- out of her way. The yak shot right past you and into the crowd of furry creatures. Most of them were lucky enough to escape Yelena, but one of them collided with her head-on and ended up clinging onto her horns for dear life as she tried to thrash them off.

Another shrill catches your attention, and you spot out of the corner of your eye a grundle running at you with a rope of their own. Before you could react in time, the grundle throws the lasso right at you, but the material stops midair, suspended by an orange glow. With the movement and fluidity of a snake, the rope wrapped itself around the confused grundle's body, rendering them immobile and on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Luster asked as she approached your side.

"I guess," you muffled through the lasso in your mouth. "Do you think that maybe---"

"GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!"

Without warning, Gallops ran past the three of you as two upset, shrieking grundles clings to his face, obscuring his view. Eventually, the stallion skidded in his tracks and thrashed about, managing to launch the duo into the air. Exhausted, Gallop ignored the situation around him for just a moment in order to collect his breath. When he was done, he looked up at you and held a bewildered stare in his eyes, yet you felt that it was not meant for you.

The collective roar of many high-pitched voices was enough to send the hairs on your neck standing up. Turning around, you see that the army of grundles you had evaded in the woods was now enclosing on your position. Though the distance was too far, you could already imagine that they were more than peeved at being blinded and having to chase you for a long time.

You plan on informing Luster about the sight, but it appeared she already got on. Having finished up tying a grundle up with their own rope, she stood in between you and Gallop.

You and Gallop do as she said and come to her side. A few seconds later, Georgia and Yelena, the latter having gotten rid of her grundle rider, came over to the group as well, seeming as drained as Gallop was. Finally, River Song, who was still lit up with flames leaped over in front of you. For a moment, you were concerned that she had made it into the treeline without everycreature else.

"I was about to make a break for it when I looked back and saw all you guys surrounded," River Song said. "What happened to the plan of sticking together?"

"We'll talk about what went wrong later," said Luster. "Right now we need to focus on this.

Once again united in a circle, the six of you stood off against the grundles. Though most of them were coming from the south, there were still enough around all of you that it would be hard for everycreature to make it into the forest without some resistance. You just hoped that whatever plan Luster had, that she would make it work soon. Before it was too---

RRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!

A loud whistle rang throughout the clear afternoon air. Immediately, the grundles stopped in their track and in turn lowered their weapons. You and your classmates, knowing what that sound meant, were able to lower your guard and relax, which included River Song extinguishing her flames. You had doubts, however, as to whether or not you yourself were really able to relax. If things could end by going sour, then there was nothing for you to relax about.

"That's its, everycreature!" a female voice said. "Time's up!"

You, along with the others, look up above at the sky. Floating down in the air was a light-blue changeling with light-red insect wings who landed right between the six of you and the grundles. When she landed on the ground, you could see the turquoise sclerae of her eyes as she stared at you with a smile, along with the whistle around her neck.

"Are the six of you all right?" the changeling asked with a calm, serene voice. "None of you are hurt, are you?"

Yelena was the first to respond, shaking her head. "No, Professor Ocellus. Friends are all alright, including yak."

"Speak for yourself," Gallop grumbled. "I think I have fur in my mouth. I might have even been scratched by one of them."

The changeling's smile did not change a bit at this news. "Well, if that's the case we'll get it looked at back at the school. Other than that, I'm glad to know nocreature got seriously hurt --- at least concerning you six. I have to say, this activity for your midterm didn't seem like a bad idea, even though I originally had my doubts. I was definitely impressed with how Luster and Georgia got a hold of their token."

"Well, um, thank you, professor," Luster said. Even though you did not look at her, you could imagine the pink unicorn saying her gratitude with a blush and a sheepish smile. "I was really worried about getting caught and causing a conflict with the grundles, at least at first, but I'm glad to know that my illusion-plus-mimic spell worked out so well."

"Thank you, professor," Georgia said simply.

The rustling of leaves from behind caught you off-guard and in response you turn your head to spot four ponies trotting out of the treeline leading to Ponyville, along with a single grundle that wore a crown made out of sticks, vines, and flowers. Two of the ponies -- both being pegasus stallions --- were seniors at the school that you knew somewhat about. The third pony was an orange pegasus mare with a long purple mane whose most noticeable features were the wings on her back that were smaller than that of an average adult pegasus.

The final pony, who walked side-by-side with the crowned grundle, had the most memorable appearance out of the five new individuals. He was an orange unicorn stallion with circular glasses and a long orange-red beard that went down to his chest, and around him was a dark blue robe that was dotted with turquoise stars.

Seeing the newcomers, Ocellus turned to face the small grundle army, who sat down peacefully on the grass like foals preparing for a story in a classroom instead of the menaces they once were. In a light-blue flash, the changeling was transformed into a copy of one of the furry creatures, albeit with the unusual shade of blue fur instead of brown, grey, or black. Clearing her throat, Ocellus began to speak to the grundles in a language unfamiliar to you, yet whatever speech she had was enough to grasp the audience's attention.

From behind you, you saw the crowned grundle approach Ocellus to stand by her side as she continued speaking. Eventually, the robed unicorn also left the group to join Ocellus. That left the other three ponies to converse among themselves, which you paid strict attention to. Though each had a turn to talk, it appeared that the seniors were mostly informing the orange pegasus on something, with the mare occasionally nodding her head and adding in her own comments.

The only sounds that came from the trio were mumblings that you could not translate for yourself. They could have been conversing about anything as far as anycreature knew, but you knew for a fact what they were going over. And if things turned south, the outcomes would be ones unpleasing to you. With angst and suspicion clouding your mind, you sat down on your haunches like everycreature else around you had done. Though you knew that relaxing would not prevent any misfortune to rain on your day when it came, you hoped that the grass bed below would at least cushion the mental blows.

"Well, this is just awesome," Gallop complained as he laid on his back. "I'm definitely not gonna pass this midterm."

"Pony doesn't know that for certain," Yelena assured as she played with the grass in front of her.

Georgia, who was sitting on Yelena's back, added her own comment. "If you've seen his grades like I have, you wouldn't be saying that."

River Song winched. "Ouch. I mean, I don't know the full story so it could be true, but that's a bit harsh."

Georgia shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just trying to be objective about things."

"Well your objectivity isn't going to help me out," Gallop snapped back. "I can't believe I fumbled the bag so hard. After all the studying I did for weeks, it's gone down the drain."

Luster's ears shot up. "Studying? If I recall correctly, you didn't put in much time during those study sessions we had together. You would blank out and somecreature would have to call you out."

"Well, that's just when I'm with you guys. When I'm by myself, I'm totally on my A-game."

Georgia failed to stifle a laugh. "Really? Cause I remember a time last spring when Rumble and Pip mentioned you sacrificed a weekend of studying to go hang out with them in Chicoltgo for a buckball game."

Gallop shot up and sat on his haunches. "Hey! It was the finals, and Rumble bugged me about how he was gonna give the third ticket to someone else if I couldn't decide."

Luster continued with her criticism. "And if I remember, the game wasn't the only final you should have worried about at the time."

"I gotta agree with her, Gallop," River Song said. "I think you were pretty bummed out that you didn't make it above the top tens for your classes."

The earth pony shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "At least I passed my freshman year."

"Barely," Georgia coughed, though it was more a whisper, given that Gallop did not react strongly to it.

"There must be a reason for Gallop to be failing classes," Yelena said.

"It's just general laziness," said Georgia, much to Gallop's groans.

"Still, maybe we should try to delve deeper into the issue," River Song added. "Maybe you have to change your diet or sleep schedule. I've heard that eating too much is, like, totally not good for your mind when it comes to thinking. It like, slows your brain down or something. It's just something I've heard of, but it's something to take seriously."

You personally knew that Gallop ate a lot whenever he got the opportunity. Despite being a bit chubbier as a colt, based on a picture you caught a glimpse of, he had apparently gained a slimmer figure over the years. Whether that was due to exercise you had no clue, but his apparent weight change did nothing to make him abhor greedy eating. Once, while in a study group, you had seen the stallion chow down on five hayburgers at the local Burger Village, then went down to Sugarcube Corner for cupcakes, cookies, a slice of pie, and half a cake, before finally going to BonBon's candy store for extra sweets.

"Or, maybe you just need to manage your time better," Luster commented with a reminiscing smile. "I have a personal planner where I organize all of my activities for the day, both educational and leisure-based. It really helped me when I was at Celestia's School, and as far as I'm aware I've never had a moment since when my free-time overlapped with my studies. You should really invest in getting one."

Gallop mused with the thought over in his head. "It could work. I'll give it a chance." He then turned over to look at you. "I'm sorry about what happened, [Y/N]."

You stared at him with a confused frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't help out when the grundles caught you. I freaked out and worried about myself, and even then I got caught. With this being a loyalty test, I didn't do a good job of staying loyal and watching your back."

You take a moment to consider his words and how sincere they are. "It's okay. I don't have anything personal to hold against you. It was a crazy experience. Besides, you had the token, so I get why you wanted to get out of there."

You personally had bigger things to worry about than Gallop's guilt. Though you did not know for certain how bad Gallop's grades were, you knew for a fact that yours were probably not much better. While an average student when it came to the usual classroom and homework assignments, you had not done so well with the previous three midterms, even though they seemed like simple tasks at first.

If this midterm turned out bad, and if you could not get a good grade for the next one, then your family would be given notice of your failings. Given how shaky things already were with them, you did not want to aggravate them any further.

"Welp," Georgia said, getting off Yelena to float in the air for a quick stretch. "Regardless of how this ends---" She looked down at you and Gallop. "--- at least for some of us, I know for a fact that Professor Silverstream's midterm is gonna be a bit easier."

With a heavenly gasp, River Song's ears perked up while her purple eyes sparkled. "Oh my gosh! You're right! We might have had no options with Professor Scootaloo's raffle, but with the laughter midterm Professor Silverstream said we can choose for ourselves what to get graded on." The kirin giggled bubbly. "This should all be easy."

"Then it's settled," Georgia continued. "We'll meet tomorrow in the afternoon to have a study session and pick our project. I'm pretty sure we're all too sweaty and zapped out to do that today. How does that sound?"

"Sure," Gallop said.

"Yak will be there," Yelena said.

"I guess," you mumbled.

"I'll be sure to bring some snacks just in case!" River Song exclaimed with cheer.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet, but I should be free at the right time," Luster said.

A familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind you and the others. "Hey, guys!"

Turning around, you saw that the orange pegasus mare was approaching you, while the pegasi students had already taken to the air and went on their way back to Ponyville. By her side was Ocellus, who you never realized had finished talking to the grundles. When you looked back at where the crowd was, they all were on their way home back to the White Tail Woods. The cloaked orange unicorn was also making his way back to you.

Having gained the attention of the professor, you and the other five students rise up and face her.

"Good to know that everycreature is okay," she said with a smile. "I bet this whole thing has been a crazy three-hour experience for you all, with being chased by grundles and all. But I like to think of this midterm as an important lesson on the value of loyalty, regardless of how well you've done."

"Overall, I believe this event went off pretty well," the unicorn stallion pronounced from behind. "This is the first time in the school's history where we had the natives of the White Tail Woods agree to be involved in our activities. I'm definitely surprised with how the king allowed for his subjects to be volunteers, as long as we assured that no serious harm came to them. I'm very impressed that you students did nothing to bring a single complaint to Ocellus and the king."

Scootaloo chuckled. "You seem very upbeat by this, Sunburst."

"Well, of course I am!" the unicorn exclaimed with a stunned look. "This is the first time that the grundles have interacted with Equestrians outside of limited trading. They're such a solitary species, so I'm very excited that we've even received such an opportunity to begin with. This could be the start of something. For all we know, the king might allow some children to attend the school, or perhaps even permit some grundles to visit Ponyville! Think of the cultural exchange!"

Still smiling, Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm very happy for you. Ocellus and I pulled a few strings for all of this to happen. But maybe we can talk about interspecies interactions later on."

Sunburst grinned sheepishly. "Of course. I'm pretty sure the students want to know how they did."

The orange pegasus looked at all six of you before clearing her throat. "I know some of you might not have been pleased with getting this as your project, but I can promise you that the other students in class have also faced, or will face, some form of difficulty with their own midterm. I won't spoil it, but in a way, yours was easier than others."

"What easier about being chased by overgrown teddy bears?" Gallop whispered to River Song. Though the earth pony was lucky enough to not be heard by his teacher, he still received a scolding in the form of a shoulder bump from the kirin.

"In the end, the main purpose of this midterm is to demonstrate the principles of loyalty as best as possible. Though everycreature did not do things perfectly, and without declaring your definite grade at the moment, I can say that there are some points that I can acknowledge. First of all: Luster Dawn and Georgia..."

From the line you all formed, you could spot Luster tensing up a bit. You could not really blame her, as you felt a knot form in your own stomach.

"From what Professor Ocellus told me about observing you two, you did well with coordination and communication. Luster, you had a very well-thought-out plan with using your magic to lure out the grundles guarding the token. And Georgia, I appreciate you for listening to Luster's suggestions on which trees to hide in as you made your way to the token. And as you were making your way back home, it was an excellent choice to use your wings to your advantage and help Luster navigate past the patrols.

"However, Luster, you had some trouble on the way back here, even though I congratulate you for saving Gallop and [Y/N]. Your plan of using River's heat to push past the grundles was excellent in thought, but you managed to leave some cracks exposed. Ocellus noticed that you were struggling with your magic, and given how you were all almost overwhelmed, I can only guess that you couldn't use River's heat anymore. But I can compliment you on giving most of your classmates weapons to defend themeselves."

Scootaloo paused, giving consideration to her thoughts and next words as you looked among the students. Sadly, the teacher's silence did little to undo the knot that was already tightening.

"River Song and Yelena. Unlike the other two groups, Zoom told me you both had an earlier encounter with the grundles that I'm sure you didn't want. Yelena, I appreciate you not wanting to be too bossy, but it's important for you to provide your opinion when needed. It may have helped you two avoid that encounter with the patrol. But even with that, I have to commend your ability to stand by each other when one of you were in trouble, like how you, River, fended off the grundles while Yelena got away with the token."

Taking another pause, the orange pegasus stared at you for a moment with her light purple eyes before drifting them away, likely to examine Gallop next. In that brief moment, your stomach's knot snapped in half, though the pain remained and grew larger. It amazed you that your legs did not wobble on the spot, but you somehow managed your outward composure.

"Gallop and [Y/N]. Sparrow Jet seemed to believe that the two of you were very determined with getting your tokens, especially when passing through patrols. But one mistake he spotted was that you two didn't exactly have a plan for how to get around the guards in a clever way. It seemed that the two of you were in a hurry to just get the token and then bolt out of there. And given that's exactly what happened, you shouldn't be surprised by what happened. And Sparrow told me about how you left [Y/N] behind, Mr. Fry.

"Like I said before, I haven't decided your grades yet. Just think of what I've said as like a quick summary of what they could be. I need to go into further discussion with the observers about what they saw, and I need to take into consideration any complaints you all may have. I don't need them now, unless you think you'll forget. Just come by my office on Monday or leave a note in my letterbox. Any thoughts or questions?"

Not a single peep arose from any of you in the line. While others were probably quiet due to being calm or anxious over the uncertainty of their grade, you knew for certain that you were in the latter camp. The professor's description of your character in the midterm was not that long or detailed, since it was really focused on both yours and Gallop's faults, but the lack of positive qualities in that report did nothing to ease the tension growing in your mind.

After everything was said that needed to be said, Scootaloo felt it best to give everycreature before her a smile."Alrighty. I get you guys are all ready to get back home. Maybe take a shower, grab dinner, and then go to bed. Try not to worry too much about your grade. You still got one more midterm left, and from what I've heard from the other professors, most of the sophomores got good grades on the previous ones. I just hope you six are a part of that group."

"Yes," Sunburst said. "Please remember to be ready for the last midterm. With winter break coming up, I'm certain none of you want to stay behind during the holidays for extra credit."

With a smile and a wink, Scootaloo wished all six of you "goodluck" before turning around to head back into the treeline. With the advantage of owning wings, Ocellus and Georgia soared ahead of everycreature toward the direction of the school.

"See you all tomorrow!" the black griffon announced as she departed into the skies.

The rest of you took your time walking back to the school. You allowed everyone else to go ahead of you, since as far as you were concerned you had no reason to hurry. Despite wanting to return home during the midterm, you had no ambition with getting there so soon and would rather take in the nature around you for as long as possible.

"[Y/N]?"

The call of your name drew your eyes upward from the grass that you wanted your eyes to be preoccupied with. Up ahead, the vice-principal of the school gave you a concerned glance.

"Yes, vice-headstallion?" you asked.

"Is everything alright with you?" Sunburst asked in turn. "You seem a bit down."

You returned your sight to the ground. "It's fine. Just spacing out is all."

"Hmph. Well, with all the excitement that went on this afternoon, I guess I'm not allowed to blame you for feeling tired. Luckily it's a half-an-hour trip back to the school."

"Uh-huh," was all that you got out of your mouth alongside a quick agreeing nod. You hoped that that was the end of his concerns and that he would simply leave you be.

"Has anycreature given you any trouble here?"

You struggled to keep down a sigh that was bellowing down in your chest, just waiting to come out. "No, sir. My time here has been... okay."

Sunburst kept quiet, yet you knew that he would say something again sometime soon.

"Okay, then. Just tell me if there are any accommodations to be made. And don't forget that Counselor Lulamoon is also available when you need her."

Believing that to be the end of everything, you replied. "Yes, sir. Thank you."