Grave Matters

A cold wind blew through the  hallway, its caress sending a shiver up wakes spine as he waited next to a door; his parents flanking him on either side.

“You’ll be fine Wake,” His mother reassured as she rubbed his back in small circles. “Just like we practised at home.”

The door cracked open and a frowning, yellow stallion peered out. “Next,”

Wake could have sworn his heart froze in his chest. He hadn't been this frightened since his parents had taken him to get his shots.

He turned to his mother, only to find his parents, the bench, and the rest of the hallway had vanished only to be replaced by a dark lecture hall.

“Hatch the egg,” a voice hissed from the shadows.

He jerked his head in the direction of the voice, stifling a scream as five sets of glowing green eyes stared back at him.

“Hatch the egg,” the voice hissed again, more insistently.

His ears twitched as he heard something snaking its way through the darkness around him. He shuddered as he turned to the egg, its dark form glinting wetly under a harsh light that Wake swore wasn't there a moment ago.

“Hatch the egg,” a voice purred into his ear as he felt something slowly winding its way up his hind legs.

He flinched as he desperately focused his magic on the egg doing his best to crack the shell

”Hatch the egg,” The tendrils were halfway to his chest when the shell began to crack.

“Hatch the egg,” the crack spider webbed its way across the egg.

“HATCH THE EGG!” the voice all but shouted, as Wake felt something making its way around his neck. Slamming his eyes shut, he put everything he had through his horn.

The shell of the egg shattered, the crackling of the shell seemingly driving away both the voices and the tendrils.

Cracking his eyes open, Wake jerked his head around, the voices, eyes and whatever was crawling up his back where gone.

Completing his search Wake slowly turned back to the egg, the shards of the shell resting in the pile of hay that protected it.

Shuffling closer to examine it better, he jumped when the pile twitched.

Jerking his head around one more time to sure he was still alone he leaned in closer, fearfully moving a piece of egg with his muzzle, revealing a small pile of black wet, feathers.

The cart groaned as the raven swelled in size, three glowing green eyes glared scornfully at Wake as he fell on his back and began to crawl away, his teary eyes wide in terror.

The giant raven cawed mockingly before it launched itself at him.

The screeching of the cars side door heralded the return of sunlight to the dark cargo car, the light temporarily blinding the cars sole occupant. Wake brought up his now free hood to shield his eyes

“Get up,” A shadow fell over Wake as his eyes peeked over the grey foreleg.” Your councillor wants to see you.”

“But I didn't do anything wrong!” Wake whined as he was hauled out of the nest of luggage he had made for himself. “ It was the orange filly… Autumn I think her name was.”

“Silence you miscreant!” Sunbeam barked as he pushed Wake along.” I'll not have you besmirching the other student’s reputation with your baseless accusations. Now march!

Wake’s eyes and ears wilted as he was dragged through the train station and into a coach. He sat in silence for what felt like hours as Sunbeam glowered at him from the seat opposite to him.

Not for the first time today he wished he was still at home with his parents and his sister. They would just be sitting down for lunch, he could imagine the pile of daisy sandwiches and soup as Vigil would go on about the adventures she had with her friends that morning. His gut twisted at the thought of his family sitting down with out him.

“We have arrived.”

The carriage had stopped in front of a large marble building that Wake recognized from his first trip to the school.

“Out,”

Wake found himself pushed through the carriage’s door before he could react, Sunbeams magic leaving him in a heap on the ground.

“Gently, Sunbeam,’ a matronly voice chided as a set of white hooves halted before Wake’s muzzle.

“The little ingrate is fine.” Sunbeam retorted as Wake stumbled to his hooves.

“I’m sure,” the orange hooves owner replied dryly as Wake’s leg trembled beneath him, wincing when he noticed along scrape on his fetlock.

“Well I'll take him from here,” the mare said as Wake made his way to his hooves. ”come along.

He looked up in time to see an orange rump disappear into the building the carriage had parked outside off.

He turned to look back at the professor, only to be clipped by his suitcase as it was lobbed towards him.

“I would refrain from unpacking,” The stallion said, his eyes glaring coldly down at Wake.

The carriage sped off, the pale blue stallion pulling it sparing Wake a sympathetic glance as he turned a corner.

“Oh don’t worry about him,” The mare’s voice suddenly spoke right next to his ear, Wake flinching away from the sneaky mare who had come up behind him. “Now come along...Wake, was it? Let’s get that scrape looked at.”

He nodded and followed the mare into the building.

************

“So that’s your story eh?” the counselor asked as the mare dabbed a swath of cotton into a jar of what Wake could have sworn was acid by the way its contents made his scrape burn. “A filly shot you with some manner of glue pellet and your hoof got stuck to your horn.”

Wake nodded emphatically for a moment before letting out a whine as the hydrogen peroxide was dabbed once again into the scrape.

“ I’m sure...” the mare replied dryly as she wrapped a cloth around Wakes leg. ”Well in the future, when a filly tries to introduce herself to you, I recommend not accusing her and most of your future class of having cooties.” Amber reinforced this with a sharp tug on the bandage, earning another emasculating yelp of pain.

“There,” Amber leaned back, her green eyes examining the bandage a moment before nodding her head in satisfaction. ”Good as new”

Looking at his bandage a moment, Wake looked shyly back to the mare, who was looking at him expectantly “Thank you miss…”

“Amber,” the mare replied as she picked up Wake from his perch on a high desk, and gently deposited him on the floor.

“Am I still in trouble?” he asked after a moment, shifting nervously, his gaze not quite reaching the adults  face. “Can I go home?

“Hmmmm,” Amber sat down, a hoof scratching her chin as she adopted a thoughtful pose. “No I suppose not, at least not with your teachers, though i recommend avoiding Professor Sunbeam for a while.” Amber smiled as Wake gave a relieved sigh. “Though, you still have a class full of fillies who are no doubt quite upset at you.” Amber paused, her smile faded slightly.

“Why would you want to go home? Don’t you want to learn magic?”

“I do...” Wake scuffed the floor with his uninjured hoof” its just….”

“You miss your family,” Amber said simply.

Wake nodded.

“Don’t worry about it.” Wake winced as Amber have him a noogie

The pair walked through the streets of Canterlot for a time, Wake rubbernecking as they made their way through the capital

“So,” Amber began after a few minutes of silence as Wake gaped at the wonders of Canterlot. “I hear you had a bit of an altercation with some fillies on the train.”

“I'm not afraid of them,” Wake said, puffing out his tiny chest, stomping his injured hoof into the ground. His facade crumbled as he jumped and cradled his injured forelimb.

Amber laughed a moment at the colts posturing a moment before she picked up the whining foals suitcase.

“Alright hot stuff,” Amber laughed as she nudged Wake away from a particularly eye catching display in a window. “Let’s get you all set up in your room, im sure your roommate is eager to meet you!”

After returning to the campus, Amber led wake up a winding street towards one of the dorms located in the back of the school grounds.

The building itself wasn't particularly impressive compared to the white marble castle that the school resided next to, but the hard granite walls exuded a palpable sense of age and security. The dorm had multiple stories, the roof terminating in a massive bell tower that reminded Wake of the chapel his parents worked at in the Manehattan graveyard.

“Well come on!” Amber said as prodded wake with her muzzle, distracting him from his examination of a set of massive Gargoyles taking the form of a pair of bat winged pegasi bearing massive fangs in silent snarls.

“What are those?” Wake asked as he was scooted towards a massive pair of oak double doors.

“Hmm?” Amber looked up at the pair of stone forms crouched menacingly on the roof. “Those,” she began, a look of distaste crossing her muzzle. “Are remnants of a bygone era. You see this used to be a barracks for a very particular branch of the guard.”

Wake remembered the Royal Guard of Equestria. He had assisted his parents with the preparation of a military funeral for some dead guard captain. He and his sister had been in charge of cleaning up the chapel and washing all the dishes afterwards. He didn’t want to admit it but he found the massive stallions with their golden armour and sharp spears more than a little intimidating.

“... And so it became a dorm, though why the Princess won't allow us to remove those horrid things is beyond me!”

Wake simply nodded along, not really paying attention to what the mare was saying.

Amber signed a moment before pushing open the door. “Your room is a on the third floor, room twenty three.” She lowered the suitcase next to Wake. “Stairs are on the left.” She turned to leave. “If you need anything I will be in my office on campus.”

Wake nodded and took his suitcase in his mouth as moved hesitantly inside. The entry hall was huge, Wakes house would have fit comfortably inside the massive space, Ancient sets of blue armour decorated the walls and more ornate doorways, the sunlight gleaming of the metal barbs on the helmet and ear guard  as they stood vigil.

He promptly lost the battle against his foalish curiosity as he set down his suitcase and walked closer to a nearby set of armour, puzzling over the amber eye set in the chest, rather than the blue star that he had seen on the armour of the odd patrolling guard.

“Rather frightful aren’t they,” A voice said behind him.

A chubby white colt sat behind him, a ratty set of saddlebags thrown over his barrel as he walked up to examine the armour.

“Wait... I know you,” Wake said squinting at the new comer, pointing a hoof at the white colt, “You were on the train when that filly shot me with the glue ball!”

“I was,” The colt agreed, “Though as I recall you accused her of having cooties first.”

“But she does… I mean… Why would I accuse her of it if it wasn’t true!?” Wake retorted half-heartedly, Shame at his actions preventing him from truly making a valid argument. He scuffed his hoof against the granite floor as he looked  at the floor, unwilling to look the other colt in the eyes.

“You should apologise,”

Wake heaved a great sigh before nodding his head in agreement.

The other colt gave a big smile before nodding in approval. “good man,” The colt picked up Wake’s suitcase in his teeth before placing it on his back. “My name is Fancy pants by the way, and you are?”

“Wake.”

“Ah,” Fancy pants nodded as they began climbing the stairs. “so Wake like the Ocean, Wake?”

He shook his head, ”my dad said it was a kind of party that took place after a funeral to make people happy.”

“I see….” Wake noticed the colt inch away from him slightly. “so is your father a priest?”

Wake shook his head,” No he is a funeral director; my mom is something called a mortisheen.”

“What do they do?” Fancy asked as he pulled open the third floor door for Wake.

“Dunno, Mom never let me into her work area. She said it wasn't something for little colts or fillies to see.”

They traveled in silence a moment, Fancy Pants’ face screwed up in confusion.

“Well,” Wake said as they reached a door adorned with a big twenty three in big brass numbers “Here we are…”

He turned to Fancy who was examining a carving on the door frame. “I suppose I will see you in class?

Fancy Beamed and gave wake a nod before turning and walking down the hall.

Turning back to the door he pushed to open it…

...only to fall flat on his face as someone else opened it.

“Ah, I thought I heard voices,” a refined voice said over Wake’s head as he looked up to see a startlingly white colt with a short golden mane looking down on him with a slight smile. “You must be my Roommate.” I..,” the colt leaned back and raised a hoof to his chest.” am prince Solis Dolium Blue Blood, heir to the throne of Canterlot… and your new roommate.”