Spike and his friends begin a year at a new school, a school of magic. However, it seems that the school is facing some dire problems. Will Spike and his friends be able to save the school, and beyond?
Spike, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie have been accepted into the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. However, their school work is cut short by an undead problem within Wizard City. Spike and his friends must trim this problem at the root, but it is not just Wizard City that is facing problems, there is much more to it than that. Will the group of friends be able to defeat evil, and save the worlds of the Spiral?
Spike was waiting with his friends to read the Book of Secrets. Their Headmistress at the new school, Celestia, told them that the Book of Secrets will show them what School they will belong to. He asked his friends, "So, what school do you guys hope you'll get?"
Twilight adjusted her glasses and replied, "I'm not quite sure myself. I'll be happy with whatever school I'm sorted into."
Spike nodded, "Yeah, it'd be nice if some of us were sorted into the same school, but even if we're not, we still have some of the same classes."
Celestia's voice called out from her office, "Next student, Spike Drake."
Spike stood up and entered Celestia's office. "Good morning Headmistress."
Celestia smiled at Spike and said, "Good morning to you as well Mr. Drake. Why don't we get started with the Book of Secrets. The Book will ask you some questions. Just answer them honestly, and you'll learn what school you should be in."
Spike nodded and opened the book. The book asked him some basic questions, and as he answered them, the book recorded his answers. When he finished answering the questions, the book's pages flipped through themselves and stopped. Spike's eyes widened a bit when he saw what school the book put him in, "I-I'm in the Death School?"
Celestia put a hand on Spike's shoulder and said, "That is nothing to be ashamed of. Let me ask you, are you afraid of your own death?"
Spike thought for a moment, "Well, no. I mean, I know I'm going to die one day, nothing can stop that, and you never know when your number is up. I've sort of accepted that everything dies, and I just live my life."
Celestia smiled, "That's exactly why you were placed in Death. Those who fear death do not belong in the Death School. Fearlessness is part of what makes a Necromancer. You should be proud of yourself."
Spike smiled lightly, "Thank you Headmistress. I'm not worried anymore."
"Good. Now, here are you school robes." Celestia walked over to a wardrobe and pulled out a black robe with white trims and handed them to Spike. "You'll also need a spell book and your wand." handing Spike his spell book and wand.
Spike thanked Celestia and walked back out of her office to meet his friends. He told them, "I've been sorted into the Death School. I'm excited to start classes."
Twilight smiled, "That's great Spike. I've heard good things about Professor Luna." When Celestia called her name, she herself went into the office.
After all of them had been sorted, they met outside by the lake in the commons. Spike chuckled lightly, "Seven of us, seven schools, figures we'd all be in different schools. Still, we'll always be best friends, no matter what school we belong to."
Twilight nodded, "That's right Spike. I'm excited to become a Master Sorcerer. I want to learn as much as I can about the art of Balance magic."
Rarity sighed lightly, "I'm not much of an electricity person, but the Book of Secrets is never wrong. And Storm's colors aren't too bad either."
Pinkie pouted saying, "I don't mind being in Myth, it sounds lots of fun, but I've heard that Professor Discord is a stick in the mud, and doesn't like students. Hopefully my special brand of imagination can change that!"
More like special brand of insanity...
"Hey! I can read that too you know!" Pinkie yelled up towards the sky.
Spike sighed, "Pinkie, did you take your medicine this morning?"
Pinkie grumbled lightly before taking a pill capsule out of her pocket and swallowed one of the pills in it, shuddering from the foul taste of it. "I still don't get why these pills have to taste so bad."
"Ok, now that that's out of the way, should we look around the city? School doesn't start until next Monday, so we've got the rest of the week as free time."
Twilight nodded, "Sounds like a good idea Spike. We should get used to the rest of the city before school officially starts."
Another voice called out saying, "I'm afraid that's out of the question right now." As the group looked over to the voice, they saw Professor Luna, who continued, "All the streets in the city have been placed as restricted areas. We're facing a bit of an undead infestation, and new students aren't allowed on the streets for a while. You can go as far as Olde Town and the Shopping District, no further for now I'm afraid."
Spike sighed, "Well, that kills that idea, but thank you for the information Professor Luna."
Luna nodded and walked away saying, "My pleasure. I suppose I'll see you next Monday in class. Good day."
Spike shrugged and asked his friends, "Should we just go back to our dorms, or do any of you have ideas?"
Twilight sighed, "I suppose there's not much else to do. I'd like to get settled into my dorm anyway."
The seven friends went their separate ways when they went to their dorms. Spike looked around his dorm and placed his bag in the corner before unpacking his bags. He put a picture of himself with his parents on his nightstand, and hung up some posters. "Wizard City sure is a lot different than back home in Dragonspyre. Then again, I said the same thing when we first moved to Mooshu. I suppose every world in the Spiral is unique in its own way." He fitted his Death school robes on himself and looked in the mirror, admiring how it looked on him. When he heard a knock on his door, he said, "Come in."
When the door opened, a blue Draconian girl walked in and said, "Hey Spike, I heard you got into the Death School. I'm in the same school, so I wanted to visit."
Spike smiled at the girl, "Hey Ember, it's nice to see you again. You're in Death too eh? I suppose we'll see each other on Monday. If I remember, this is your third year at Ravenwood, so I'm guessing you have permission to be on the streets of the city. I don't, not yet at least."
Ember nodded, "Yeah, I've been on the streets, and I don't blame Celestia not wanting newer students out there, the undead infestation's turned into riots at this point. I guess I'll see you in class then. Night."
"Night." Spike waved goodbye to Ember before getting in his pajamas and going to bed.
Twilight had woken up in her dorm room and when she looked at the time, her eyes widened. She screamed, "I'm going to be late on my first day of class!" she ran through her room and quickly got in her tan and maroon robes, heading out after she got her spell book and wand. When she got to the Balance professor standing in front of Bartleby, the Grandfather Tree, she was panting, "I-I'm not late am I?"
The professor took out a pocket watch and said, "Well, you're actually thirty-two seconds early, so everything's fine."
Twilight sighed in relief, adjusting her glasses and putting her hair in place. "Sorry I was almost late, I overslept."
The Marleybonian professor smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry about it, you're not late, that's all that matters. Now, sit down with the rest of the students, if you please."
Twilight nodded and sat down on the cobblestone path with the other students.
The professor cleared his throat and introduced himself, "Good day students. To all our first-years, my name is Arthur Wethersfield. I am Ravenwood's Balance instructor. Now, all first years, please stand up form a single file line in front of me. I will be giving you your first spell card. You will be practicing with this spell card for the first part of class."
Twilight stood up and got in line for the spell cards. When she obtained her first spell card, she noticed it was a Scarab card. It was a simple card, but she knew it would be the first step on the road to becoming a master Sorcerer. She thanked her professor and sat back down.
Professor Wethersfield smiled at his students, "So, for today's lesson, first years will be studying with me. Second and above, you have your daily assignments, so off you go." The older students got up and left while the first years stayed seated. The professor continued, "Now, we'll be learning the basics of a wizard duel. These duels will likely become part of your daily life, what with all the undead roaming around. Now, I've set up sparring pairs. Your sparring partner will remain the same until the end of the year, so it would be best for you to get to know each other." He started reading the names of the partners, and eventually said, "Twilight Sparkle, you'll be paired with Starlight Glimmer."
A girl with purple and blue hair looked over to Twilight, "Nice to meet you Twilight. I think I'll enjoy sparring with you."
Twilight smiled and replied, "The feeling's mutual Starlight."
As Professor Wethersfield finished reading off the partners, he pulled out twenty decks of cards, one for each of the students, "Now, these decks are made specifically for Sorcerers, but they are for sparring in the arena, and only that. Students who use these decks outside the arena will be properly disciplined. I hope I don't have to go that far though, and I assume you all will understand the consequences of using your sparring deck outside the arena."
The first years made their way, led by their professor, to the Duel Arena. A unicorn greeted them, "Ah, Professor Wethersfield! I see you're bringing your class for their sparring duels. I'd be more than happy to help, but Professor Luna's class is in the arena right now."
Arthur sighed and said, "Well, first come first serve I suppose." he thought for a moment before sighing a second time, "I'd like you to learn how to duel in a practice area, the undead are still too dangerous for the first years. I suppose we'll just have to wait our turn. Diego, do you mind if we watch Professor Luna's class from the stands?"
The unicorn nodded, "Not a problem professor! Once Luna is done with her class's sparring lessons, you'll be next up for the arena."
Arthur smiled, "Thank you Diego. Alright, we'll be observing the Death school's sparring lessons, and afterwards, we will be sparring ourselves. Watch the Death students carefully, you may learn something from watching them spar."
As Twilight took a seat with Starlight in the stands, she saw Spike coming out into the arena. She smiled and cheered "Good luck Spike!"
Starlight looked at Twilight and asked, "Friend of yours?"
Twilight nodded, "Yeah, Spike's a good friend from back in Mooshu. He's originally from Dragonspyre though, he moved to Mooshu when he was young."
Starlight smiled, "Well, based on the way he's dueling, he's going to be a powerful Necromancer."
Twilight looked back to the arena and saw that Spike had summoned a Vampire to drain health from his sparring partner while getting himself back to full health. "Not bad, this is his first duel, even if it's just sparring, and he's doing great."
As Luna's class left the arena after their sparring, Professor Wethersfield cleared his throat, "Ok then, time for us to get started. For our first duel... Twilight and Starlight, you'll be sparring first."
The two wizards made their way to the arena and bowed in respect before starting their duel. Twilight drew cards from her sparring deck and thought. She played a Balance Blade on herself and then let Starlight make her move.
Starlight sighed as she looked at her starting hand. "Darn, all my spells can't be used right now. I pass."
Twilight drew another card from her deck, and looked at her feet. She saw she had gotten a Power Pip. That meant she had enough power to cast a third rank spell. She pulled a card out of her hand and turned it in her fingers, letting the picture face Starlight, "I summon a Locust Swarm! My Balance Blade spell increases the power of my spell by 25%!"
As Starlight groaned from the attack, she pulled another card from her deck. She looked at her pips, and she had enough to summon her new card, Scorpion. She did the same thing Twilight had done during her turn, "I summon Scorpion!"
Twilight winced from the Scorpion's attack, but before she could make her next turn, the bell chimed, meaning that time had expired for the duel. Professor Wethersfield smiled, "You both did great, but Twilight's health is higher, so she wins this duel. You learned the basics. You should get to your next class, you two are dismissed."
As Twilight and Starlight left the arena, they complemented each other on their dueling strategies, even though their battle was very short. When they went their separate ways, Twilight sighed happily, "First day was amazing, I got to duel like a real wizard, and Spike's duel was impressive too. I'll have to talk to him later about it after classes are over for the day."
Spike had just gotten out of his bed. He looked at his clock and saw it was 8:30. His class didn't start until nine, so he wasn't in much of a hurry. He got dressed into his black and white school robes and decided to head out to get a feel for the school. When he went out of his dorm, he was met by Ember, who asked, "Hey Spike, you're up early. I was going to see if you were awake yet. I wanted to talk to you about the problem with the undead. To be honest, Professor Luna actually asked me to talk to you about it."
Spike raised an eyebrow, "Professor Luna wanted you to talk to me about the undead? Why? I thought first years couldn't go on the streets with the undead."
Ember nodded, "That's true, but you're going to be allowed out there sooner than normal. Professor Luna's sister, Headmistress Celestia sees something in you and the girls. I'm not sure what it is though. Anyway, Professor Luna used to have a split personality. Her bad side, she was called Nightmare Moon. Two years ago, the two of them split apart, by accident. Luna thought she could use a special spell to lock Nightmare Moon away, but things went wrong. We're not sure, but some people subscribe to the theory that Nightmare Moon is causing this undead problem."
Spike scratched his chin, "It would make sense if you think about it. But why would this Nightmare Moon be doing this?"
Ember started explaining, "Nightmare Moon was conceived from Luna's jealousy of her sister. Luna was able to get over it, but Nightmare Moon still inhabited her mind, and then the split occurred. If Nightmare is behind the undead, chances are she's trying to drive Celestia from her position as Headmistress."
Spike sighed, worried about this and asked, "Has Nightmare Moon ever targeted Death Students?"
"Unfortunately, she has. Nightmare Moon is a much more powerful Necromancer than Luna is, and she thinks that she can convince students into joining her by showing off her power. I actually have scars from when I refused to join her." Ember lifted up her robe's left sleeve, showing a large scar, running up from her wrist to her shoulder.
Spike's eyes widened when he saw Ember's scar, "Wow, that's terrible... I'd better be careful if Nightmare Moon tries to recruit me."
As Ember let her sleeve fall back over her arm, she told Spike, "Yeah, you should. Why don't we get some breakfast?"
Spike's growling stomach answered for him, "Sure, I could use something to eat." and followed Ember to the mess hall and got some bacon and eggs. "It's been a long time since I've had food like this. Almost everyone in Mooshu was a vegetarian, so it wasn't too often I could eat stuff like this."
After Spike and Ember finished their breakfast, they headed to class. Luna greeted them as they arrived, "Good morning Spike, good morning Ember. I assume you two talked about the undead problem?"
Ember nodded, "Yes ma'am, I filled Spike in on everything you asked me to."
Luna smiled, "Thank you, now please take your seats."
When the rest of the class arrived, Luna began a lecture. "The Death arts are a highly misunderstood school of magic. Death is connected heavily to the Life School. All life eventually comes to an end, nothing can stop that. However, there are a rare few Necromancers who don't understand this. These few try to cheat death, and it never works out for them. I implore you all to remember this, death is unavoidable. It would be wise for all of you to accept that. However, fearing one's own death will not get you far. We Necromancers accept the fact of death, and live our lives to the fullest. But that's enough of that. For all first years, please approach me in a single file line to receive your first spell card, and your sparring practice deck. This deck is not to be used outside of the Duel Arena on Unicorn Way."
Spike got up from his seat and approached Luna and looked at the new Spell card she'd given him, Dark Sprite. He was excited to get a chance to use it, but wasn't sure he'd get a chance.
As Luna finished giving out the decks, she said, "Now, we have a reservation at the Duel Arena, so all first years, please follow me. All second years and above, please remain here and study for tomorrow's yearly review quiz. I don't want any of you to have forgotten anything you were taught last year."
Luna led the first years to the Duel Arena and walked into the arena. "Now, all of you will have different sparring partners every day. The first duel will be between Spike and Gilda."
Spike looked over to Gilda, the griffin girl from Aquila. She didn't look back towards him, she just walked into the arena and shuffled her deck. Spike followed suit and said, "May the best wizard win."
Gilda rolled her eyes, "Oh don't worry, she will."
Spike had the first turn, so he cast a Death Prism on Gilda, which would change his next Death Spell into a Life Spell. Necromancers were weak to life magic, so it was a good idea."
Gilda drew a card from her deck and smiled, "I cast Doom and Gloom!" Doom and Gloom was a powerful spell that increased the strength of all Death Spells cast by anyone in the duel.
Spike sighed looking at his deck. He passed his turn, "I still need a bit of time... Hopefully I can do this."
He heard Twilight's voice call out from the stands, "Good luck Spike! You can do it!"
Spike smiled as Gilda cast her next spell, a Dark Sprite, "This may be the best I've got, but Doom and Gloom still increases its power!"
As Spike was effected by the magic of the Dark Sprite, he grumbled lightly, "This isn't going good." he looked at his feet, seeing he had gotten a Power Pip. He chuckled lightly and said, "Now I have enough Pips to cast this! Vampire!" He cast the card, and summoned a vampire in a coffin. The top of the coffin opened up, revealing the head of the vampire before it turned into a bat and bit Gilda. After it bit Gilda, the vampire let out a gasping breath towards Spike.
Gilda fell to her knees, weakened by the Vampire, her eyes widened as she heard Luna say, "That's enough! Spike wins!"
She growled saying, "No! I can't lose like this! I cast-"
Luna's voice bellowed loudly, "Enough! Gilda, you will be serving detention with me today!"
Gilda squealed out of fear and nervously said, "Y-Yes professor..."
Spike left the Duel Arena and returned to his dorm. "Professor Luna can be scary when she needs to be... I'd better stay on her good side." He started getting ready for his next class, which was Alchemy.
Pinkie was already up by seven in the morning. She wanted to get to class early to introduce herself to Professor Discord. She got in to her yellow and royal blue robes and walked over to the Myth Classroom. "Good morning professor!"
Pinkie's voice woke the Draconequus professor with a small fright, "What's that!? Oh, it's just a student." and thought to himself, "Great, another Conjurer want to be disturbing me from my meditation."
Pinkie growled lightly saying, "You weren't meditating, you were napping, I know the difference! Plus I can read the story!"
Discord's eyes widened when Pinkie said she could read the story and asked, "You can? Huh, and here I thought I was the only one who could do that. Are you on medications?"
Pinkie sighed, "Yeah, but I don't like taking those gross pills."
Discord chuckled lightly, "The same applies with me. I only take the pills because Headmistress Celestia makes me. I like you child. You'll certainly make this class much more interesting."
Pinkie smiled, "Thank you professor!"
As the other students arrived to the class, Discord and Pinkie stopped conversing and took their places as student and teacher. Discord cleared his throat, "Well, for those of you who don't know me, I am Professor Discord. I believe in a more independent study. All of you will be on your own most of the year, and will learn through experience. Now, if you've been in this class before, you know what to do, off with you. First years, you'll be doing some tasks to prove if you're worth my time teaching you."
Pinkie smiled as Discord started giving the other first years their tasks. When she came up to Discord to receive her task, she asked, "These tasks seem fun, but they're a bit too easy don't you think?"
Discord stroked his beard, "I suppose they are a bit easy, but don't worry, these tasks are worth the effort if you can complete them. Now, as for you Pinkie, I'd like you to go to the library and bring me a book on a creature called the Wumpus. It lives deep underground and causes earthquakes by squeezing through tectonic plates. Don't bother asking the librarian for help, he's of no use."
Pinkie nodded and said, "Okie dokie lokie!" before heading off to the library. She went through the books in the Mythical Creatures section of the library and found a strange looking book. She opened it and saw a picture of a massive worm with no eyes, sharp teeth, and a tail that resembled an axe. She took the book to the librarian and asked, "Mr. Arglesten, may I check this book out?"
The librarian adjusted his classes and told Pinkie, "Strange, I don't recall ever having this book in our collection." he flipped through the pages and his eyes widened, "Impossible! This book is on the Wumpus! I swear, every week we have new students asking for this book, and I keep telling them this book doesn't exist... My memory must be getting worse in my old age. Well, I assume Professor Discord sent you for this book, so I'll check it out for you." he stamped the book's rental card and handed it to Pinkie Pie, "Have a nice day, and please apologize to Professor Discord for me, I always thought the Wumpus was a figment of his imagination."
Pinkie took the book back to Discord, who seemed shocked that she got the book, "Well, it seems you've found the book on the Wumpus. And here the librarian was calling me crazy. To be honest, I was actually beginning to question myself on the existence of the Wumpus. Well, you've proven yourself capable of basic tasks. But now I want to see what you can do in a wizard duel. I want you to head over to my tower and grab the Cyclops Eye in there and bring it to me. It's guarded by a troll, so if you are able to bring me the eye, I'll know if you're capable of holding your own in a battle."
Pinkie nodded before heading out and across the path from the classroom to Discord's tower. She saw the troll and giggled, "I knew there was going to be a troll, but I didn't expect such a meme-ie! Ha, I crack myself up!"
You do realize I'm the one who comes up with these jokes, right?
"Hey- well... ok, I'll admit to that. Just write the damn battle scene!"
As Pinkie and the troll began their battle, Pinkie cast a Blood Bat spell. Since she was a new student, that was one of the only spells she had. That and her Minor Strike cards she got from her wand. However, she was still able to defeat the troll, despite it being her first fight. She grabbed the cyclops eye from the desk and headed back to the classroom and gave it to Discord.
Discord smiled, "Impressive indeed. You may actually be worth teaching. Now that you've proven you're capable, I'm sending you out to Unicorn Way. Go there and concentrate. If you are lucky enough to summon something, they will give you your power words, and then I can teach you how to summon a minion."
Pinkie squealed in excitement, "My first day of class and I get to summon a minion!" she ran off towards Unicorn Way. When she arrived, she had a strange feeling, but it wasn't her Pinkie sense.
A unicorn appeared and trotted up to her and told her, "Young Pinkie, I commend you on your efforts. The path of a Conjurer is not an easy one, but your destiny lies in Myth. Tell Discord you have my favor. If he does not believe you, all you must say is 'Tacotodo renrio renfro.' Tale care student of Myth." and with that, the unicorn was gone.
Pinkie ran back to the Myth classroom and told Discord the words she got from the unicorn. Discord smiled, "Impressive, here. This is just the first step on your journey as a Conjurer. It will only get harder from here. Be ready, but for now, you may be dismissed."
Pinkie took the card that Discord handed her, it was a Summon Troll card. She thanked Discord and went off to her next class.
Rainbow Dash was getting ready for her first day of class with Professor Spitfire. When she had found out that her idol was the Professor of Fire she was even more excited to start classes. She ran out of her dorm to get to class as early as possible, so she could get a seat closer to her idol. As she sat down and waited for the rest of the class, she thought to herself, "I can't believe my teacher is the Spitfire! This is epic!"
As the class arrived, Spitfire walked out of her office and into the classroom to greet them. "Good morning everyone, I'm Professor Spitfire. Now, many of you may know me as the captain of the Wonderbolts Wisp Catching team. First things first, I am your teacher first, athlete second. Make sure you remember that. That being said, I am also the coach for the Fire School's Wisp Catching Team. Now, for our first lesson, second years and above, you have your daily assignments, get to it. First years, today we will learning how to summon a Fire Cat. Fire Cats are the simplest of Fire Spells, so it's a good start. Now, let's take this outside, I don't want a repeat of what happened last year with the new students."
Rainbow Dash had heard about the incident she was talking about. Some cocky student tried to summon a Fire Cat, and he acted like the Fire Cat was a lion in a circus, and it burned down the Fire classroom. She could see a student who looked away from Spitfire when she mentioned the incident, so Rainbow Dash assumed he was the student, and that he'd been held back a year because of the incident.
As the students claimed their Fire Cat card, Rainbow Dash tried to keep her cool in front of her idol, and thankfully, she was able to. As the students went outside, Spitfire said, "First up, Rainbow Dash, show us what you can do."
Rainbow Dash stood up and walked in front of a training dummy. She cast her Fire Cat card, and the cat appeared, but it didn't attack the dummy. It looked back at Rainbow Dash and pounced on her and started licking her face. Rainbow Dash was laughing as the Fire Cat was licking her like a puppy, "Hey, get off- hahaha! Come on, just attack the dummy!"
As the students laughed, Spitfire blew a whistle to stop them, and said, "Rainbow Dash, is this some kind of joke?"
Rainbow Dash blushed and forced the Fire Cat off her, "O-Of course not, I'd never-"
Spitfire chuckled, "It was a rhetorical question kid. Fire Cats are normally ferocious creatures, but there's a rare few wizards who bond with them like it's their pet. The last time this happened was back when I was in school. If you are able to bond with a Fire Cat, I think you will go far in the Fire School."
Rainbow Dash smiled, "Th-Thanks professor." before sitting down to see the other students summon their Fire Cats, while the one she summoned napped on her lap. Surprisingly, her cloths weren't catching on fire, but she'd learned that if a Fire Cat likes someone, they'll make it so they don't burn to the touch.
As the last student finished summoning a Fire Cat, Spitfire said, "Good job everyone, you successfully summoned your first Fire spell. Now, head back to the Fire Common Room and wait for me to give me your next assignment. You'll all be doing independent studies that will be assigned by me. Also Rainbow Dash, since your Fire Cat bonded with you, I'm allowing you to keep it as a pet, as long as you make sure to control it."
Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "Thanks professor, I'll see you in the common room." before heading back with the other students and her new pet Fire Cat, who she had named Rusty. She sat in a chair and let Rusty sit on her lap, waiting for Spitfire to return and give them their assignments.
When Spitfire returned, she was carrying a clipboard and started reading off the assignments for the other students. Finally, she said, "Rainbow Dash, you're going to be training with Soarin', the assistant coach for the Fire School's Wisp Catching team. He'll be showing you the ins and outs of playing."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened when Spitfire told her she'd be training to play for the Wisp Catching team. She nodded and said, "Yes ma'am!" before putting Rusty down and saying to him, "Be a good boy while I'm gone, and don't burn anything." When Rusty meowed in confirmation, he went into Rainbow Dash's dorm room and laid down on her bed to take another nap.
When Rainbow Dash arrived to meet Soarin', the assistant coach greeted her, "Hey rookie, good to see you. Now, before we begin, tell me what you know about Wisp Catching."
Rainbow explained all she knew about the sport, which was one of her favorites, "There's six players on each team, three Racers, two Beaters, and one Scorer. The Racer's job is to collect as many wisps into the Wisp Cage as possible. There's five types of wisps, Red, Blue, Purple, Black, and Gold. When the Wisp Cage has enough Wisps in it, the Racer passes it to the Scorer, and they throw the Wisp Cage into the opposing goal. For every Red Wisp in the Wisp Cage, the scoring team earns ten points, twenty-five points for each Blue Wisp, and fifty for each Purple Wisp. The Beater's job is to knock Black Wisps into the Wisp Cage when it's in the possession of the opposing team. For every Black Wisp in the Wisp Cage when a goal is made, the scoring team loses five points. And then there's the Gold Wisp. When a goal is made with the Gold Wisp in the Wisp Cage, the game is over and the scoring team earns one hundred points. That doesn't necessarily mean the scoring team wins though, if the other team is ahead after the Golden Wisp and other Wisps are counted into the score, the scoring team may still lose."
Soarin was surprised by how much the new student knew about the game, "You watch us a lot don't you?"
Rainbow Dash blushed, "Y-Yeah, you guys are my favorite sports team, so I learned as much as I could about Wisp Catching when I watched you over the years."
Soarin chuckled, "Well, that makes things a lot easier then, since there's not much for me to teach you that you don't already know. Now, let's go into the Shopping District and get you fitted."
Rainbow Dash looked confused for a moment and asked, "Fitted?" before realizing what he meant, "Are you saying I'm on the Fire School's Wisp Catching team!?"
Soarin nodded, "You bet you are. Spitfire has an uncanny ability to tell what kind of player students would be, and she chose you to be our new Scorer the day she met you after orientation."
Rainbow Dash flew in the air in excitement, "Awesome!" before going with Soarin to get fitted for her Wisp Catching uniform.
As Rainbow Dash headed back to the Fire Common Room, Spitfire saw her new pupil in her uniform, and smiled saying, "You look good in that uniform Dash, I hope you'll make us proud and win Fire the cup this year."
Rainbow Dash smiled back, saluting her, "I won't let you down Coach!"
Fluttershy yawned as she woke up and got into her light blue and white robes. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, "I think I'll like Ice. I was a bit upset I didn't get sorted into Life, but the Book of Secrets is never wrong. If Ice is my place, so be it." Before heading out of her dorm to the Ice Classroom.
The professor, who Fluttershy recognized as Twilight's sister in-law, looked up from her desk and said, "Oh, you must be a new student, please, take an available seat. Class hasn't started yet, so you have a bit of free time to get ready for class. Wait... I recognize you! You're one of Twilight's friends! It's good to see you Fluttershy, I hope you'll enjoy my class."
Fluttershy smiled, "Thank you professor Cadence, it's good to see you too. I think I'll enjoy Ice, after all, the Book of Secrets put me in it, and the Book of Secrets is never wrong, right?"
Cadence smiled back saying, "That's true, but some people think of Ice as a hard class to learn. It's certainly not for people who can't be patient, but it's not incredibly difficult."
Fluttershy sat down and waited for class to start, and when it did, she was ready for whatever Cadence had in store.
Cadence spoke up to her class, "Now, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Professor Cadence. Our first lesson will be on the fundamentals of Ice and its origins. Can anyone tell me where Ice magic originates from?"
Fluttershy raised her hand and said, "If I recall, Ice magic comes from the Giants, who created Ice magic to fight against the Dragons and the Tritons."
Cadence nodded, "That's correct, very good Fluttershy. Ice magic was created by the Giants. Long ago, when the Spiral was young, there were three races, the Dragons, the Tritons, and the Giants. Very few people know why they began to fight, including me, I don't know why they began to fight. That's something that only they know. However, when they began to fight, the Giants created Ice magic to defend themselves. It was not to be though, as their fighting caused them to be destroyed, and the Spiral splintered into many worlds, Wizard City included."
As class continued, Fluttershy wrote down almost everything that she learned from Cadence. She wanted to be a great Thaumaturge, and this was the first step on that journey. When class was dismissed, she walked up to Cadence and asked, "Cadence, do you know if anyone besides the Giants know why the three Elder Races began to fight?"
Cadence thought for a moment and said, "Well, I'm not completely sure, but Bartleby, the Grandfather Tree might know more, but ever since the incident with Nightmare Moon, he can't remember things as well."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why not?"
Cadence sighed and told her, "You see, Bartleby used to have two eyes, gifts from his sister, Lady Nightstar, the Grandmother of Ravens. They were called the Eyes of Time, one showed the past, and the other the future. When Nightmare Moon was separated from Professor Luna, she stole the Eye of History, and now he has trouble remembering things. If only we could defeat Nightmare Moon, we could restore Wizard City to the peaceful place it once was..."
Fluttershy frowned a bit, but nodded, "Thank you professor, I appreciate it." before heading out of the classroom, and over to Bartleby. She sat by his roots and asked him, "Excuse me Mr. Bartleby, do you mind if I ask you something?"
The Grandfather Tree looked to Fluttershy with his one eye and smiled, "Ah, hello young one. You must be one of the students that Celestia told me about. Ask away, although I hope you'll understand if my mind gets foggy."
Fluttershy asked the tree, "What do you mean when you say Celestia told you about me?"
Bartleby chuckled, "That's for me to know, and you to find out. You see, my sister and I were created just after the creator made the lands and seas and hung the stars in the sky. I sang the Dragons, Tritons, and Giants into existence, but my children began fighting one another, splintering the First World. My sister and I took what was left of the First World, and fashioned the spiral, using my roots and her magic."
Fluttershy smiled, "I see, thank you Bartleby. I'm glad I was able to meet you. I hope that we can reclaim your Eye of History."
Bartleby smiled lightly, "That's kind of you young one. I'm sure that one day, Nightmare Moon will be defeated, I know it actually. I may not be able to remember the past as well, but I still see the future very clearly. Nightmare Moon will fall one day, that much I know, what I do not, is how, and by who."
Fluttershy seemed surprised that Bartleby knew Nightmare Moon will fall, despite not knowing how. She stood up from the root he sat on and said, "I'll be on my way then." before leaving and heading to her next class.
Meanwhile, in a Dark Corner of the Spiral...
Nightmare Moon looked into the Eye of History as she sat in her throne. She couldn't stop looking at Bartleby's memory of her and Luna splitting apart. "That idiot Luna... if we were still one and the same, we could have had everything we ever wanted. What a fool. It matters not though, I'll have my revenge."
Applejack woke up in her dorm room and picked up an apple from the bushel she'd brought with her from home before biting into it. As she walked to towards the Life School, she heard younger students murmuring about something and decided to ask what they were talking about. She walked over to a group and asked, "What's all the commotion about?"
One of the students, a yak who introduced her as Yona said, "You haven't heard? There's rumors that Nightmare Moon is in the City again, and classes have been canceled until the rumors are dispelled. It may just be gossip, but rumors like that are certain to cause panic."
Applejack had been told about Nightmare Moon by Spike at breakfast, but she didn't really know what to think of it at first. If the classes were cancelled, she didn't have anything to do now. She decided to stay and talk, "A good way to get focus off them rumors is to have a good ol' fashioned hoe-down!"
One of the other students raised an eyebrow and asked, "Hoe-down? Is that some sort of hick way of saying party?"
Applejack was obviously angered by the rude question, calling her a hick was one of the few ways to get on her bad side, but calmed down quickly, knowing anger would get her away from her train of thought. "Anyway, why don't we have some sort of first year welcoming party? I'm sure we could have a real good time!"
The other students voiced approval and ran off to get ready. Applejack then left to find Pinkie Pie to help with the party. When she found her, Pinkie Pie already knew about the party and said, "You don't have to tell me about a party! I always know when a party is going down! Plus the writer still doesn't know how to hide these things from me."
"Don't make me come down there Pinkie."
"I'd like to see you try!" Pinkie yelled to the sky, gaining some strange looks from passing students.
Applejack put a hand on Pinkie's shoulder, "Pinkie, not in public like this."
Pinkie pouted and said, "But he's always like this, he never lets me have fun. And why did me, Spike, Twilight, Dashie and Fluttershy have to go to class only for yours to be canceled, mind explaining that?"
"… I'm not saying anything without my lawyer present."
Before Pinkie could reply, Applejack put a hand over her mouth and said, "Pinkie, focus, party time."
Pinkie nodded, "Ok, I'd much rather plan a party than have to deal with him and his lawyer. And before you ask, I took my pills this morning. So, where should we have the party? Rainbow Dash told me she'd made friends with some Fire Elves on Firecat Alley and they offered her a free show at Fireglobe Theatre."
Applejack raised an eyebrow and asked, "And how did she do that? Didn't Professor Luna tell us the streets were off limits to first years?"
Pinkie was about to answer and fell silent, "Come to think of it, she never did tell me how she was able to get there, maybe Professor Spitfire gave her permission?"
Applejack sighed, "Well, Dashie's no liar, so if she got permission and can get us into Fireglobe Theatre, that's a good place. I'll go get to makin' some apple cider for the party, I'll meet you there." before heading back to her dorm. When she started getting ready to mash the apples, a tear came to her eye, "It's just not the same without Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Granny... But I've still got to get this cider ready." before starting to turn the apples into apple cider.
As she carried the crates of apple cider, she heard Blossom, the Life Tree call out to her, "Excuse me young one, but would you mind terribly if I could taste some of that cider? Even here in Wizard City, the Apple family's cider is highly sought after, and it's been so long since an Apple attended the school, so I haven't had any since."
Applejack was a bit confused as to how a tree would want apple cider, but was happy to know that her family's cider had made a name for itself here too. She walked over and asked, "So, do I give it to you myself or pour it over your roots?"
Blossom smiled, "Thank you Applejack, pouring it over my roots will be just fine. If you don't mind, could you give the other trees in Ravenwood some? They too enjoy the tangy, refreshing taste of Apple family cider."
Applejack carefully poured a glass of cider over the tree's roots saying, "I'm more than happy to share some cider with the other trees." before going around the campus and giving the cider to the other six trees, Bartleby included, and receiving thanks from the other trees. After that, she headed down Firecat Alley to the Theatre.
Rainbow Dash waved over to her as the Fire Elves were on the stage moving props around, "Hey Applejack, down here!"
As Applejack took the crates of cider down, she asked, "Are the Fire Elves putting on a show for us?"
Rainbow nodded, "Yeah, when they heard you were bringing cider, they offered to put on a show in exchange for some. Guess the Apple family's cider is famous even here in Wizard City."
Applejack smiled, "Yeah, the school trees like it too, I spared them some too. It makes me proud to know my family's cider really is the best." before clinking a glass with Rainbow and sitting down to watch the Fire Elves' show.
As the show started, the Fire Elves were acting out the story of The Crucible. Applejack found the chosen show a tad ironic considering how they were learning to be witches, and the show was about the Witch Hunts in a far away realm of the Spiral called Earth.
After the show was over, Applejack served the Fire Elves the promised cider, "Drink up, have as much as you'd like. It's the least I can do for that great show."
The Fire Elf prince, Alicane Swiftarrow thanked her, "Thank you for the cider young one, it's been too long since an Apple family member has come to study at Ravenwood. Any time you need help or just want to see another show, feel free to come by."
As Applejack clinked her glass with the prince's, she said, "Much obliged." before going back to the Ravenwood campus.