Could Be a...

Chapter 9 – Schooling the noobs

The breakfast at the castle has taken about an hour, which isn't really bad timing seeing as how there were about fifteen ponies Violet and Starlight had to wait for. But, full stomachs still don't have much effect on the now colder outside world, Violet now even regrets not wearing something.

However, the young mare's mind has kept most of her thoughts about weather towards the back of her mind, instead her thoughts have now drifted more to just remembering where she needs to be leading the group. Starlight, strangely did not take lead which left Violet with it. Not that the young mare is complaining though, seeing as how Starlight has instead become the question answer of the group, which definitely would not be a job the young light purple mare wanted.

Although the questions from the the younger ponies has started to stop as the large weathered two story stone building comes into view from around the last turn in the road.

"Where is the library again?" The silence is broken as the smooth southern accent runs up from somewhere in the middle of the group of ponies following behind Violet and Starlight.

"The library is located a little ways from the train station, if you follow Canterlot’s main street you can find it." Starlight turns her head back from the group as she looks over the building they now near, "First year students are in the lecture hall on the right."

As her comment ends Violet's horn sparks up to the doors as she opens them to the group she leads in. However, as her hoof touches the shining sun stone floor her horn's light blue glow pops.

Starlight quickly turns her head back to the group of ponies as she continues, "Oh, yes the building is made of sun stone, meaning magic only works in permitted areas."

Violet cocks a smile to the comment as her horn sparks up in a green glow to again hold the door open for the still entering ponies.

Her magic quickly takes the light tan colored unicorn attention as he nudges Starlight, "I do believe you meant to say most magic."

To Starlight's turned eyes Violet happily pokes her head high as she slowly brings her magic down with the last pony to trot in.

"Yes well, here is your classroom." Starlight holds her hoof to the hall as she brings a friendly smile up, "Good luck everypony."

It takes a few moments for everypony to file into the hallway and then into the classroom but as they do Starlight turns her head back to Violet, "Shall we get to our class."

Violet blinks to the comment as she loses her smile and brings her right hoof up with a sheepish question.

"Oh that’s fine, I know where the class is." Starlight brings her trot up as she trots further down the main hall to the other side hall on the left.

"Here we are."

Violet casually waits for Starlight to trot in first as they enter the classroom.

However, as they do they stop as a question runs into their minds. The ponies already sitting down are their classmates, but the older white maned and pale red coated stallion standing at the front of the classroom has halted them.

A faint laugh comes up from the stallion as he rolls his hoof, "Oh don't stand there and gawk, and no, you do not have something wrong with your eyes. I am your teacher, again."

Violet and Starlight both give a little smile as the crystal mare speaks up, "Hello again Professor Strokes."

The older stallion nods his head to the comment as he holds his hoof out to the few open seats located at the front of the classroom, "I hope you don't mind sitting in front of the classroom... All of your classmates seemed to mind it for some reason."

Violet holds her friendly smile as she moves to the seat on the right, the classroom and the seat are pretty much the same as last year... And the fact that the teacher is the same does make this whole classroom feel like something she's already done before.

"Good morning class."

Everypony gives their own hello as the old stallion continues to roll his eyes over the class, "As I have already told most of you, I am going to be your teacher this year. Princess Luna felt the best way to deal with your shorter first year was to make sure nothing major changes this semester. So I am your teacher again." The stallion gives another laugh as he raises his hoof, "Now, like I said last time I use to teach second year so you will not be getting off easy this time."

Violet still holds her smile as she thinks over the comment, last year wasn't hard but she does know this stallion likes to give out random test and enjoys long reports. Her smile slowly starts to fade as the stallion grins to his own words.

"...And much like last year I will be expecting a book report on this weeks studies by three days from now."

Everypony in the class goes quiet for a moment as the stallion just nods his head, " But lets not think about that, lets first just talk about what we will be learning this year." The stallion's horn takes on a light glow as a piece of chalk floats up to him as he trots towards the blank blackboard, "Last year we learned how magic affects everypony and the world around them... This year we will be learning...How magic is created, and by how it is created that affect varies."

He turns back to the class as he spells it out on the board, "Any questions?"

There's a moment of silence as the stallion halts, but he brings his voice up as he nods, "Good, now, magic is generated through multiple things big and small, Happiness, fun, a simple smile, yes all these things generate magic. As do pain, sadness and yes sex.

A slight snicker comes up from the back of the classroom as the old stallion's smile is quickly chased from his face, "I see we still have a few colts or fillies in a school like this..." A slight sigh comes up from the stallion as he continues, "So, why would something like sex be considered a form of generating magic? Because it is literally the act of transferring magic."

The stallion gives a simple smile as he looks over everypony, "As we all know magic is thoughts and emotions correct?"

Everypony brings their voices up as Stroke's eyes stay to them, "Yes."

"And what does it affect?..."

The class again speaks up, "Everything."

"Ah, good you were all awake last year. Now, magic affects everything, depending on the creator's mood and thoughts when using magic. I do not believe I need to truly go into detail about the feelings everypony should get from...Activities with another, so lets move on." Professor Stroke turns back to the chalkboard as he speaks up, "Now back to what this year's requirement are for my class."

"The generation of magic... Some things create more magic than others, and these are what we call upper level magical creation."

A faint laugh comes from the stallion as he turns back to the class and begins to speak up, "I forgot to mention with the list earlier, There is of course reanimation magic... But that has been outlawed by well...You all know should know why..." The stallion holds his laugh as he waits for somepony to speak up.

"No? No pony?" Stroke taps his hoof to his mouth as he shrugs, "Well I suppose we can do a brief history lesson, after all you will be required to hoof write a ten page paper on this at some point."

The comment flicks Violet's ear as she quickly brings her satchel from around her to free a piece of paper and a pinnacle. Just as she gets her items the stallion begins to speak up.

"Sagitta, was the first pony to regularly study the form of magic more commonly known as necromancy. For those of you who didn't pay attention last year with your historical unicorns from the past class, he was the mage who took over for Star Swirl upon his strange death-.."

To the comment Starlight raises her hoof as her well spoken voice breaks in, "What did Star Swirl die from?"

The question stumps the old stallion for a moment as he looks off towards the ceiling.

"..Hmm, I am not completely sure, from what scholars have found out he died of an unknown mind disorder that seemed to dissolve his memory and then subsequently his mind entirely. It would have been an awful way to to go, in fact one of the last things written about Star Swirl was by his assistant Clover the Clever. In her journal she described Star Swirl's last days, in which the stallion seemed to have forgotten everything about himself and ponies whom he had known. Quite interesting, but we can't devote a whole day to studying him, which we would if you all would let me. Ha ha."

The stallion taps his hoof again to his mouth as he thinks out loud, "Where was I... Oh yes Sagitta. Now normally in pre-Celestia Equestria the previous mage picks their successor and for most cases it would be their closest assistant. However this did not happen, Clover the Clever at the time was expecting a foal and as a result was unfit for the stress of a mage's responsibility. So the new ruler of Equestria... Celestia, selected the new mage, and at first everything was fine; in fact Sagitta presided over his new power for about five years and within this time he created, studied and proved hundreds of ways to create magic, use magic and the repercussions it would have."

The older stallion's excitement slowly starts to come down as he straightens his posture, "Sadly though, Sagitta's work was halted when he began trying his magic on... Well dead ponies. He was able to prove that magic could be drained from a pony, and that the magic gained would be stronger then just normally generated magic-..."

"Drained? you mean like Changelings do to normal ponies?" A stallion's voice from the back of the classroom brings Stoke's speech to an end as the old stallion rolls his hoof to the comment.

"Ah well Changelings, yes they do feed from ponies but it's a little bit more complicated. There are two known ways Changelings feed, the first is from form taking. From what we currently know Changelings gain power by literally feeding off of another ponies thoughts, for example the Canterlot attack... " Stroke stops his comment with a laugh as he looks around the classroom for somepony else to join in.

"Hmm...I do believe you were all too young or not even born when that happened. Either way, what happened was during the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence the Changeling ruler formally known as Chrysalis took the form of the Princess. Now by doing this Chrysalis was able to feed off of every ponies thoughts. If somepony knew Cadence, the real one, then all of the feelings they had towards her would be transferred just by the residual magic the two ponies previously shared... Very fascinating."

A silence comes over the class, half because their confused and half because they're waiting for more. Violet, on the other hoof hardly is even paying attention to what the stallion is saying as she continues to write down what he had said earlier.

"...Yes, well the other way is a more understandable one. Changelings have evolved with magic receptors in their eyes, and they are able to induce a hypnosis that drains a pony's magic. So much so that the pony will become receptive to commands even though their unaware if a command has been given."

The stallion holds his hoof up to Violet as he continues, "Now that's all I know, and some of it may even be wrong. Perhaps if you all would like more information you could all ask Violet Sparkle, after all Shining Armor is her uncle."

The sound of her name makes the young mare jump a little as she snaps her head up from her notes. It's at this point she realizes everypony's eyes have now been focused onto her, with a hesitant nod she gives a little smile to everypony.

"Now where was I on Sagitta...." Stroke's rubs his chin as he hums to himself, "Hmm... Oh well the day must go on. Lets get back to what's expected from you all this school year. You are all required to have more in depth study of the magic that is generated from love, and friendship."

Stroke brings his hoof up as he points it to all the stallion's in the room, "Now before all you stallions start to wonder your eyes I am not asking or telling you all that you must go out and well... Join a herd or something.... I am simply saying that you all need to allow yourselves the opportunity to enjoy one of life's strongest magic, in the form of a simple or makeshift date or some other form of social gathering of two or more ponies where you would inspire feelings of happiness or uncertainty."

"Hmm, perhaps uncertainty is not the right word..." Stoke rolls his hoof to his own words as he shakes his head, "Either way, before you can graduate from this class there must be an extensive report on your own experience with the creation of one of the simplest magics a pony can generate."

A deep breath of air is taken in by the old stallion as he hoovers the chalk next to himself again, "Well, now that everypony knows what's going to be expected of them by the end of their three month stay I believe we should turn our attention to today's work..."

However, as the chalk begins to run to the blank board the old stallion who loves to hear himself talk brings his voice up, "Oh and do enjoy this last year of easy school, because next year and the year after will actually be six months long each."

"OH!!" The stallion quickly sets the chalk down as he turns with a wide smile, "I forgot, the new school headmaster, Princess Luna wanted everypony to get a new text book."

The stallion's horn pops with a magical chime as a book poofs to his desk, "Ah yes, how the celestial bodies of the outer world affect magic and generate magic. Um, we'll start on this side of the room, Violet could you come get your new book?"

The light purple mare hesitates for a moment as she just stares to the large heavy looking book on the desk.

End of chapter 9