Dawn Star: Manehatten Mare

A loud 'boom' filled the air again.

The spell collided with the metal target at the end of the range and exploded in a bright ball of purple fire. I had cast the spell and was pretty proud of myself, considering this was only my third hit that day. I was distracted. As usual, but for different reasons than plans for my future. This time it was about the horrible rumours going around, about the company. And me. They were rumours that this magic testing company were taking homeless and weak ponies off the street and, using them in our tests. Not only that but I was the one who had decided we should do this. It is true ponies seem to be going missing, especially the homeless. But it isn't our fault. No pony I know in this building has experimented on any pony, let alone cast a spell toward another living being. I certainly hadn't. However casting experimental fire spells and blowing up metal targets at a range of fifty to seventy feet away was certainly my specialty. I looked to my rump for a moment, just to check the bright red flame that was my cutie mark was still there. Obviously it still was. I walked over to the large glass walk of the testing range, where I knew my bosses were watching. I caught my own reflection in the glass for a moment and gave myself a little look over. My long black and red mane was still in one piece and even as flat and brushed as when I confronted it this morning. My onyx orange eyes looked back at me as I stared at my figure. My horn sat above my head as it had done since birth. The dark orange, almost black coat of mine was on me looking like a layer of coal on my coat. I wasn't a particularly pretty mare, but had some good looks. Mainly my mane, how it stayed in one place even after a days work. I smiled at the screen, showing my bright, white clean teeth. The light on the other side turned on suddenly, cutting off my reflection. I was now smiling at my three bosses, all wearing white lab coats and glasses. All three were unicorns, however the CEO of this company, whatever his name was, had the longest horn. His cutie was a bit surrounded by magic and his coat hid much of it since he was near on the same shade of grey as his magic was. So far off it just looked like a single bit. Which isn't that exciting. He had short curly brown hair and the attempts at a mustache. He was even wearing a visitor badge, showing ponies like me he doesn't stay with lower ponies, when he does. He doesn't stay, nor say anything to anypony who aren't someponies bosses. I mean, I am team leader, but that doesn't have boss in the title. They looked at me in what seemed like shame. But I hadn't done anything wrong, well from what I could tell. The target was dead.

"Yes well done Dawn Star, now show us what your team produced this term." One of the ponies commanded. I paused, our latest spell was solely a group casting, and none of them were here. I only knew a fraction of the spell. I needed around six ponies to actually cast it, and the whole team of twenty to cast it right. I gulped down. We weren't really meant to produce group spells, especially times like these, where the examiners of the four teams going against each other constantly in this company. I gulped again, if I couldn't show them something amazing, somepony was going to get fired, and it was bad enough paying the rent to the apartment.

What was worse is this job actually paid pretty well, enough to make me a name in one of the richer ponies of the city. But if I lost this I had around a years worth of savings which I couldn't really afford to spend. I was saving up on moving. I didn't know where yet, just out of the city. I heard somewhere that another Magic testing site had been opened in Canterlot and required ponies who knew magic. That would be great for me, working alongside the princesses in the capital. But I had grown a bond with my team, it wouldn't feel right to leave them. I knew them all personally. I realised I hadn't moved at all and one of the ponies was calling my name through the glass. I gulped again and nodded. Then walked over to the sand bags. Another metal target popped up. I had to do something. I just didn't know what. I decided to improvise, which using magic, is one of the worst ideas any unicorn could have. I didn't know what I was casting, just hoped it was an offensive cast that didn't blow me up. My horn began to glow the light blue colour and a small orb began to form. It looked black at first, then as it formed more and more I realised it was like black glass, no. Oil. It was glass full of oil. The orb floated there for a moment, trapped in my magic for a moment. I was unsure what to do. I had created, something. In a matter of seconds, but it was what I needed to keep my job. I was sweating, I could feel it running down my checks and brow. I dared to dart my eyes toward the glass, the light was off so I just saw the reflection of my tail, slightly showing my plot. I moved my tail to the left a bit, blushing. I was still holding the orb. I decided to go with it and thrown the orb. It was shot through the air toward the target at a fairly slow speed, it was a pretty terrible throw and looked like it would go to short to the the target. It did. The orb fell and hit the ground with a loud thud just a few feet away from the target. Nothing happened. I could feel my life disappear before my eyes. Planning out the sentence 'you're fired' in my head. But suddenly, the orb exploded in a ball of fire. Destroying the metal target and much of the artificial grass and shrubs nearby. Flames licking into the air and surging back down before burning away at the plastic ground. I turned to hear something drop behind the glass. I walked over to it and smiled again. The light turned on and the three unicorns looked to me in shock. One was missing his glasses.

"Well Ms Star. I think you and your team are in need of some extra funding. I would like to see more of this offensive magic. You are now the directors of Manehatten Offensive Spells." The CEO of the company said. I smiled, being director of anything was a big deal. Usually it was cast whatever the hell you wanted and see how it went, but to actually specialise in a certain spell division meant a lot. Considering a lot of my team had studied offensive magics in magic school. We were pretty set. Only two out of twenty-one knew any sort of respiratory spells and healing spells. Another three had studied shield spells whilst four more had learnt about old, forgotten magic that we either couldn't cast anymore. Or the spell shape didn't work anymore so the spell had died. Thus only seven of twenty-one were blank to offensive. We were the second team to have gotten our speciality. The first being Bravo team, who is now focusing on Mechanical magic. Whatever that meant, machinery wasn't ever my strong point. I was aloud to leave by the three bosses, now it was after hours so I could go home. But I wanted to give the news to my team. Well at least one pony of it. A stallion named Heart Seeker, a specialist in fire spells who was always working late and would still be in the lab at this time. I decided to at least tell him the news. I thanked the CEO and my bosses and left. Gamma team leader, a mare named Crystal Dust, stood at the door. I swear she tried to trip me when I left the room.

I made my way through the complicated hallways and stairwells toward our lab. It wasn't actually that far from the testing area. I just didn't  want to go through B wing so went the long way. I have a thing against B wing. I went down a flight of stairs and noticed a few ponies walking around, it was normal for the leaders to be in since it was examination day, again. But not these workers. Maybe another room was being renovated. Or they were painting over the various burns on the walls of trainee rooms. I bumped into a pony who instantly apologized and ran off. A strange green goo dripping down his lab coat. I didn't think anything off it. Probably some experiment based on the edge of the facility; some chemical experiment seeing the effects of certain potions and remedies on ponies to see if there was a way to enhance magical abilities in unicorns. I turned a corner down a hallway marked 'C block: Labs 1A-9C' I walked down, on paper we owned this entire hallway, but only really ever used 3A-4A, only four labs. But it was more than we needed, I preferred everypony close together so we could share ideas easier. I looked in each of the first three doors and didn't see any signs of life, no lights nor ponies. However lab 4A had a light on and a brown coloured pony sitting at a desk, horn glowing and ink well next to him. Making noted on spells was always the hardest, for me anyway. I preferred casting rather than writing. But I suppose it is best to tell ponies what one did and how one did it. I opened the door slowly which still made Heart Seeker jump. He turned.

"Oh Star. You are back. How did it go?" He asked.

"Nailed the single spell tests, but when they wanted to see the group agreed spell I had to improv as normal. Since no pony was there to help me cast it." I replied.

"Oh right. Sorry, I have been busy." Heart Seeker replied. Looking to his notes, there was easily a good fifty pages in front of him.

"We all have Seeker. Also, I have some very good news." I said.

"No pony is getting fired?" The brown unicorn replied quickly. I laughed a bit.

"Well that too. But we have been specialised. In offensive magic. We are the head department in Manehatten, and probably the company." I replied, smiling again. Heart Seeker stood up for this.

"Really? Damn. That is impressive. What did you do?"

"I don't really know. But it worked. We are the 'Directors of Offensive Spells.'" I recited.

"Well then. We better get working."

"Woah. Not now. It is like ten, eleven in the evening. I am hungry and shattered. I'm going to clock out, grab the days wages and go home. I am-" I paused, fighting a yawn, which I quickly lose. "Shattered." I added, as the yawn ended. My eyes felt heavy and I could just fall asleep here in the lab, but certain spells have been cast in here that caused more than one clean up crew. I walked out of the room and closed the door. Only for it to open again when I was halfway down the corridor.

"Want me to walk you home Dawn? You look like you could pass out and sleep here." Heart Seeker offered. I thought about it.

"That thought did come into my head once or twice. Go on then, you know where I live?" I asked. This was obviously Hearts attempt at courting me. But I wasn't going to have any of his half hearted attempts at dating me. I had already put him down more than once in the last year alone. It wasn't just him either, a few other stallions had attempted wooing me.

Including a few mares.

That was a weird week.

We walked out of the building in near on silence. Only as we left the building did we start talking. Mostly about how great it was our team had been promoted and how annoyed the team members who hadn't specialized in OS (Offensive Spells) would be tomorrow. Heart took me right to my door and smiled at me, looking into my eyes. I only had one on him. The other looking at the wall behind him. I was on a slight side of him, so as to not stand right in front of him in a perfect line. He looked into my eyes for what felt like hours. Until I found my door keys and quickly moved to the lock, opening it with my key.

"Well thank you. I would offer you an invite inside but as you can see. I am knackered." I said to Heart, steady behind the door and slowly closing it. I managed four yawns in that sentence. Whether some fake some real, only I will really know. I smile at Heart and say bye. Before closing the door and walking to bed, ignoring the growling of my stomach.