Her First Student
The storm that ravaged the Equestrian capital of Canterlot was unlike anything the city had ever seen. Princess Celestia, an Alicorn of a thousand years of age, had never before seen such a tumultuous storm. Nor have the Wonderbolts, in any of their historical annals, have encountered a monster such as this. Nothing could dispel the storm; not all the Pegasi, nor Unicorn magic, not even Princess Celestia’s magic was powerful enough to duel the beast. The Princess surrendered, ordering the ponies of the capitol to remain in their homes until the storm ran its course. Not that it eased the ponies’ fears. The mountain the city stood on shook and rumbled with the power of the skies, little fillies ran into their parent’s beds, the peace of sleep refused to come to any. One filly in particular was having a difficult time to sleep, a filly with a purple coat and deep purple mane striked with pink.
That day, the day the storm arrived, Twilight and her class had a day inside Celestia’s castle, studying the Princess’ artefacts and objects, learning of ancient Equestrian history and lore. They would be back in their dorms at Celestia’s school if not for the terror in the skies, so the Princess decided to allow the class to spend the night in her castle, which alleviated some fear out of the little fillies. As Celestia trotted the corridors of her castle, she checked upon her young students in the large bed chamber they now shared, turning and twisting in their beds; battling the howling wind. Just as Celestia was about to ease out of the chamber a forceful blast of lightning shook the world. Her little students screamed. Celestia part flew, part cantered her way to the fillies.
“It’s okay, my students.” She cooed, resting a hoof upon a quivering purple filly’s shoulder. “It’s okay.” As Twilight and the others regained themselves from the sudden fright, the embraced the high legs of the Alicorn Princess in a hug of comfort and protection, which the Princess returned by kneeling down. When students and teacher had parted, Twilight spoke.
“Can nothing dispel this storm, Princess?”
Celestia shook her head. “This storm is unnatural, young Twilight. It is magical, a kind of magic I have never before seen.” Celestia, peering out the window, noticed a silhouette of a mare high in the clouds, illuminate by a flash of light that was unfollowed by thunder.
“Perhaps a story will help you all to sleep, hmm?” The Princess spoke, at her words fear was partly erased from the filly’s faces and the students sat up, awaiting the Princess tale. Celestia partly noticed the storm outside had calmed slightly. “Once upon a time, there was a filly Unicorn named Rosa…
Rosa was born on a pig farm outside of Manehattan, her father ran most of the farm, her mother she does not remember. Her father had told her: her mother had left when Rosa was born, leaving him to care for his baby daughter. Rosa’s father was most unkind to her.
“Quit yer fancy tricks and get back to work!” He would oft shout to her, as she practiced her magic. “Yer not a wizard, yer a pig farmer!” Rosa knew she was better with magic than she was with pig farming and she intended to prove it. As Princess, it was my duty to see my subjects in all parts of Equestria, a duty I cherished for seeing my little ponies safe and happy. As my entourage entered Manehattan, when it was a port town before becoming the grand city it is today, Rosa stepped into the road before my carriage carrying a potted sapling. All was quiet, every pony was watching her, I thought she wanted to demonstrate her magic to me, which she did. She made the sapling grow, and grow and grow; its root broke into the ground, burrowing deep into the earth, its crown rose higher and higher until it blocked the sunlight and casted a great shadow upon the town. All ponies cheered at the incredible display of magic Rosa had made, even I was impressed. Never before I have seen such a terrific feat of magic by one so young. I decided then and there to make Rosa my pupil.
“Citizens of Manehattan,” I announced to the ponies. “This young filly possesses a great power of magic, the likes of which I have never seen before. I would be glad if I could bring this filly back with me to Canterlot and personally tutor her. Who are her parents?” I had expected her parents to be unicorns, perhaps heralding from great unicorn mages, alas it was her father.
“No, ney!” He shouted at the royal guards collecting Rosa from her farm. “She ain’t no fancy mage, she’s my daughter and she’s got-” He was abruptly cut off as the guards vanished as did Rosa when she had teleported them and herself away from the farm and her father’s eyes.
“Shall we?” She spoke to the guards, who were quite surprised and shocked at the filly’s spell.
For the next dozen years, I taught Rosa many things, though she taught me as well. She inspired me to open my school for gifted unicorns, allowing any unicorn to be taught advanced magic. Rosa herself taught there, teaching young unicorns like yourselves powerful and splendid magic. Yet, despite all that I taught her about magic, despite all she had taught me about any unicorn having great potential and despite her being a wonderful teacher, Rosa was unable to gain a Cutie-Mark.
“I do not understand,” She told me one morning, after one of her lectures. “Surely my Mark would be in magic, I have learnt as much magic as you, why does it refuse to show?”
“I will admit Rosa, I too am puzzled by your lack of a Cutie-Mark. But it is nothing to be worked up about, it-”
“I’m a laughing stock , Princess.” I did not see before just how terrible this was for her, to be a masterful mage but not have a Cutie-Mark in magic. So, I suggested. “Perhaps you can try the library at my old castle in the Everfree forest. Maybe there you will find something about Cutie-Marks.”
“Very well, Princess. I will return by tomorrow.” With that, she was gone in a teleporting blink. She did not return the next day, nor the day after, or the day after. I was beginning to feel worried that something had happened to her. I was about to leave and search the Forest when she entered the throne hall, bouncing like a filly.
“Look Celestia, I got it! I got my Cutie-Mark!” She rejoiced, I had never seen her so joyful.
“That’s wonderful, Rosa. That’s-” I was cut off by Rosa’s Mark, I had thought it to be a rose like her name, or perhaps a magical effect or a star like yours, little Twilight. But instead it was a skull. A pure white pony skull, an eye so black it seemed to have void to it. A skull Cutie-Mark is the sign of a necromancer. I was in shock by her Mark. Rosa, my first student, the unicorn who inspired me to open my school, was a necromancer. Necromancers were feared and hated in Equestria, five hundred years ago, so I had no choice but to demand Rosa leave.
“Wh-what?”
“Rosa you… I… I cannot allow you to remain in Canterlot, or Equestria. You must leave, and never return.” Her joy was gone in an instant.
“W-why Celestia? What have I done?”
“It is what you are, Rosa. A necromancer. Such ponies are shunned in Equestria. I… I am sorry… truly… but I cannot allow you to-”
“I trusted you. Looked up to you. Adored you! I BEGAN YOUR SCHOOL FOR GIFTED UNICORNS and you thank me by exiling me! From my friends, from… from my home.”
“I am sorry, Rosa.”
“You will be.” And she teleported away. I have never seen her since.
There was a moment of silence in the young students’ temporary bedroom, even the storm had quietened to listen to the story.
“But why did you exile her?” Twilight broke the silence. “How could you, because of a… a Cutie-Mark.” Celestia sighed.
“A very long time ago, there was an empire in the continent of Griffonia known as the Dread Empire. This empire’s sole purpose is to… to destroy all life in the world.” Twilight gasped at the Princess’s words. “Many ponies were in this empire, all of them had a Cutie-Mark of a pony’s skull. That is why I banished Rosa, to prevent her from reforming Equestria into a Dread Empire and leading a crusade of death upon the world. But I should not have done so.” Celestia sighed once more, a tear trickled down her cheek. “That is the lesson of this story: to never judge somepony by one aspect of them, never judge them at all. Had I not banished Rosa…”
A few of the fillies yawned deeply and beyond the glass window Celestia saw the storm beginning to disperse, the stars of the black night sky twinkling. As the foals settled back under their covers, entering the pure peace of sleep, Celestia vacated the room. As she walked the corridors of her castle, memories returned to her. Seeing little Rosa awed at the sight of her new bed chamber, her exclamations of surprise at her powerful displays of spellcasting, her shyness when meeting new friends, the loud burp she procured after devouring a stack of Celestia’s pancakes. The Alicorn Princess found herself outside upon a balcony, the storm had dissipated to nothingness, only a small black cloud lingered; upon it stood a unicorn. Her fur had retained its light-pink colour, her hair was still a dark red, greying curtaining her face. Her eyes burned with a hard orange glow of loathing.
Rosa and Celestia stared at each other for an uncountable amount of minutes. There were many things the Princess wanted to say to her first student, innumerous regrets and apologies, begs of forgiveness and a chance for atonement. Finally, Celestia spoke aloud.
“I am sorry, Rosa.”
The pink unicorn in the cloud remained still, silent, she could have been an expertly painted statue. Then she was gone in a puff of black smoke, the cloud she stood upon dissolving away. Just as the black smoke began to vanish, Celestia heard a familiar, deathly cold voice next to her ear.
“I won’t be.”