The Stars Shall Aid in Her Escape

The Stars Shall Aid in Her Escape

Chapter 1 – Awakenings

“Shall I ask again Orion, or should I call on somepony else while you finish your little nap?”

Orion blinked, slowly becoming aware of her classmates attempting to stifle their laughter around her. Meanwhile, Miss Winter glared at her from the front of the class. She sat up instantly and attempted to muster a valid response, but all that came out was muddled nonsense. “I um… I mean… But… Um…”

Miss Winter smiled. “That’s what I thought. Dawn, perhaps you can help Orion.”

Orion slouched. Great, she thought to herself. Sleeping in class automatically earned her detention after class. Now, not only would she be forced to clap erasers, but that meant that she would miss going to Donut Joe’s with her friends. They had been planning this trip all week. Why out of all days, did she have to doze off today?

She let out a silent sigh. It wasn’t like her to fall asleep in class. In fact, this was the first time in years. She normally was so interested by the class material that sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. If only Sugarcube hadn’t given her that book on Star Swirl the Bearded yesterday. She had started reading it late last night, and found it so enthralling that she just couldn’t put it down. At least, she wasn’t able to until early that morning when the first signs of daylight peeked through her window.

She shook her head in frustration from her lack of foresight and self-control. Unfortunately there was only one thing she could do at this point, accept that she had made a mistake and forget it.

And forget it is exactly what she tried to do, but despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get that dream out of her head. While most of her dreams faded after only a few moments, this one stuck, still just as vivid as when it began. To her, it had seemed, almost as though she had been actually been standing in the room of the library. Also, it was as though she was already completely familiar with her location, despite having never seen it before. It had been so dark that she could barely see anything, yet she knew without a doubt that she had been in a library. She knew the creature that stirred was a dragon, despite him being covered by a blanket and shrouded by the darkness. She also seemed to be able to hear the mysterious pony’s thoughts as though they had been spoken out loud.

She chuckled to herself. There’s no way that she could have possibly known all that unless it was a dream. Yes. Nothing more than a ridiculous dream… And yet…

“Very good Dawn.” Miss Winter’s voice drew Orion’s attention out of her thoughts and back into reality. This was not the time to try and analyze her subconscious. She had plenty of other things to worry about, most importantly at the moment, her school work. She did her best to push the dream to the back of her mind, and furiously began copying down the notes on the chalkboard.

“Conservation of energy is extremely important in regards to magic,” Miss Winter proceeded. “It is well known that all magic requires energy in order to be performed. How much energy is required entirely depends on the difficulty and complexity of the spell in question. For example when using a levitation spell, a larger or heavier object is more difficult to maneuver than a smaller, lighter object because it requires more energy. Now, who can tell me where a unicorn gets their energy from?”

It was a simple question, one that everypony knew the answer too. Had she not been furiously scribbling she might have raised her own hoof.

“The sun, the moon and the stars,” an orange colt in the back piped up.

“Correct,” Miss Winter responded. “Magical energy is flowing around us all the time, and it affects all ponies, not just unicorns. However, the horn of a unicorn acts like a lightning rod, drawing in the energy and storing it within the pony. Likewise the effect can be controlled in reverse, which with the proper training, allows all of you the ability to perform all different types of magic.

“The amount of energy a unicorn can keep contained varies from pony to pony. Most unicorns can only store a relatively small amount, which is why they only ever learn small spells, normally linked to their particular special talent. But some unicorns are gifted, with the ability to store and release massive amounts of magical energy. The royal sisters for example are able to raise the sun and the moon each day, a task that once required no less than ten unicorns working together to accomplish. However, much like how exercising your muscles increases your strength and stamina, the amount of energy a pony can keep contained can be increased through repeated effort and continually pushing yourself to do better.”

A bell rang in the distance, signifying the end of classes for the day. Miss Winter looked in its general direction rather annoyed, before turning back to the class. “Well, I guess that’s a good enough stopping point for today. We’ll continue this lecture tomorrow right where we left off. You’re dismissed.”

Since it was the last class of the day, everypony quickly started for the door. Everypony that is, except for Orion. A year ago, she might have tried to make a run for it, but that would have ultimately meant some worse punishment. Head drooped, she watched as Dawn and her other friends walked out the door, happily chatting about the adventure they had planned for today. Orion sighed. “Might as well get this over with,” she muttered to herself.

Slowly, she drug herself to the front of the room where Miss Winter was busy clearing the chalkboard. “Miss Orion,” her teacher said without looking back, “I have to admit, I’m impressed that you didn’t try to make a run for it. Many of your classmates probably would have tried.” Orion smiled to herself for having just had the same thought, but said nothing.

Miss Winter set down the eraser and examined her work. “Still, you have to understand that sleeping in class isn’t just detrimental for you, but it also draws attention from the class, which makes it harder for your classmates as well.”

Orion hung her head. She wanted to come up with a good excuse, but knew better. “I’m sorry. “ She said weakly, “It won’t happen again.”

Miss Winter turned to look at her. She smiled. “You’re a good student Orion, possibly one of the best in the class. Make sure for your sake that it doesn’t become a habit, alright?”

Orion looked up and nodded. She couldn’t help but smile at the compliment, despite knowing what was coming next.

“Still, the rules of this school are set and I’m forced to obey them just as you are. I’m afraid you will have to clean all of the classroom’s erasers before I can let you go.”

Orion’s head drooped again as the smile disappeared. She nodded weakly.

Miss Winter pulled the box of dirty erasers out from the closet. Orion looked it over for a moment. There had to be at least a hundred erasers within it. “Well, better get started,” she said to herself as she picked up the first set of erasers and clapped them together. This was going to take a while.

Orion shook the water out of her coat and breathed a sigh of relief. That shower was exactly what she needed. Not being accustomed to cleaning erasers, she had managed to get more than her fair share of chalk dust all over herself. So much in fact, that she managed to turn her coat almost completely white in some places. Had she been the more mischievous type, she might have kept it like that for a while and attempted to scare some of the younger fillies at the school. However, that likely would have just ended in more detention, which at this point Orion was eager to avoid. Still, the idea made her chuckle.

Orion magically picked up a brush next to her, and passed it through her mane. She wasn’t sure why she even bothered. No matter how hard she tried to keep her mane combed, it always ended up looking completely unkempt by the end of the day. She did what she could to keep it under control by keeping it relatively short, but it was always a losing battle in the end.

She set the comb down after a few futile strokes and glanced herself over. Her light purple coat was clean and shining, a nice, though stark contrast to her dark mane. Though her mane was mostly purple, there was the slightest hint of blue which helped give it its deep color. She looked herself in the eye for a brief second, admiring their almost hypnotic red color, before turning to examine her tail for any remaining chalk. Her tail was much like her mane. Dark, short and extremely difficult to keep managed. Her father had always told her not to worry about it. That it was a part of who she was and helped define her character.

She smiled at the thought of her father. It had only been a couple of months since she had left Fillydelphia to attend Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, but it had felt like years. Her father had always wanted to provide the best education for Orion, but just never had the money to do so. At least, not until the Parasprite invasion a little under a year ago. With almost all of Fillydelphia's crops demolished by the swarm, the town had to rely on neighboring cities to provide food, until the farms could be regrown. All that extra shipping allowed her fathers small transporting company to flourish, and he was able to save up quite a bit of extra money.

Orion, however had no idea about this, At least, not until the day she came home and found her father with the biggest smile she’d ever seen . He explained that because of the increased income he had made, he finally had enough to pay the tuition for Orion to attend Princess Celestia's school. Not only that, but he had already sent in her transcript, and he was thrilled to tell her that she had been accepted.

Although it was the happiest moment of her life, she had no idea how sad she would be when it came time to say goodbye…

“There you are Orion! I was starting to think they had you cleaning every eraser in the city.”

Dawn’s voice snapped Orion back to reality. Quickly wiping the forming tears from her eyes, she retorted, “Nah, just trying to steal all the hot water so you won’t have any tonight.”

Dawn laughed at the joke, just as Orion knew she would. From the first moment that Orion had been assigned as Dawn’s roommate, the two had become fast friends. This was actually kind of surprising, since the two mares really weren’t that much alike. While Orion didn’t think that she was particularly bad looking, she also knew she wasn’t likely to win any beauty pageants. Dawn on the other hoof, could easily have won every single one without even trying. Not only was she extremely tall and slender, but her coat was a pure white which seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Her long mane was a bright orange with red streaks, and had definitely caused more than one colt to turn and stare as she trotted past.

However, despite her looks, Dawn was anything except prissy. She had come to school entirely because of her parents. Being some of the most prestigious ponies in Canterlot, they felt that their daughter should follow in their hoofsteps and become a socialite as well. That meant that she needed a proper education to help make her a proper lady. Dawn however hated the entire social scene and would’ve much rather spend her time out experiencing the world first-hoof. She was extremely outgoing, frequently getting into trouble or jumping in head first without asking questions.

Orion, however was much more reserved. Although she enjoyed the company of others, she found it difficult to be around large groups, or with ponies that she had never before met. She also really enjoyed spending time by herself with her books. Reading and studying were definitely her forte, and it was highly unlike her to jump into any situation without first weighing all the potential dangers.

Dawn trotted over to and very ungracefully fell down on her bed. She opened her saddle bags and levitated a small paper sack out. “I brought you a donut since you were detained. Maybe if you didn’t spend all night with your head buried in those boring books, I wouldn’t have to be so generous.”

Orion shot her a dirty look. “These books are not boring. This one Sugarcube loaned me about Star Swirl the Bearded was particularly exciting. It explained all about how he started the field of research into where Unicorn magic comes from, and how when boiled down…”

Dawn rolled over and covered her face with her hooves. “Go ahead and keep talking, but all I’m going to hear is ‘Blah, blah, blah’.”

Orion turned her nose up in fake disgust. “Fine, then I’ll just keep all the secrets of unicorn magic to myself, and leave you to wallow in ignorance.”

“Please do.” Dawn responded mockingly. “It’s much too early for me to start my beauty sleep.”

The very mention of sleep reminded Orion of that afternoon, which brought the dream that she had back to the forefront of her memory. Despite her best efforts to forget it, it just kept creeping back into her mind. Something about it was just so real. “Speaking of which, have you ever had a dream that… you know… well it almost seemed…”

Dawn jumped up suddenly. “Hey! I’ve got a great idea! Since you missed out on Pony Joe’s, let’s go down to the market before they close for the evening. I’ve been dying to see what sorts of new oddities and trinkets have come in since last week.”

Orion sighed. It was just like Dawn to ignore her. Oh well, it was just a silly dream anyways.

“Come on Orion. What do you say?”

“Um… I don’t know. We should really get started on our homework and…”

“Oh please. We’ve got nothing due tomorrow, and you know I don’t care about it even if we did. Plus you’ll probably finish it in no time anyways, so there’s no problem.”

“But…”

“Don’t deny it. You know it’s true.”

Orion laughed. Dawn was right. It was true. “What the hay. Let’s do it.”

The two left, talking and laughing all the way through the halls and into the streets of Canterlot. They were indeed two very different ponies, but that just made their strange friendship all the more fun.

The two friends trotted on, blissfully unaware that they were being watched. High above them, from the balcony of her castle, Princess Celestia gazed down upon them. They both looked so happy and carefree. She couldn’t help but regret the decision she was forced to make.

Behind the princess stood Madam Aviary, the grandmaster of her beloved school. While Celestia was technically the head of the school, the affairs of the kingdom kept her from being able to keep an active hoof in the day to day events that happened there. As such, she had chosen Madam Aviary to take care of such matters, and report back to her each week.

The two sat together in silence as Celestia continued to watch the two mares below. Her gaze never faltered, until they turned a corner and were lost to her view. She continued to stare at the location where they had disappeared and broke the silence. “You’re certain that she’s the right pony for this task?”

Madam Aviary stood up straight at the request. “Yes your highness. She has met every qualification that you asked me to look for. However, if you disprove of my decision, I can continue my search and try and find somepony else.”

Princess Celestia turned towards her, a friendly smile forming across her face. “Aviary. You know that I hold your opinions at the highest value. If you say that she is the correct pony for the task, then I agree with you.”

Madam Aviary looked at the princess hesitantly. “But…?”

Celestia sighed. She returned her gaze to the street below. “I don’t know. There’s something about her. Something that just seems… off, but I’m not sure exactly what it is.”

“Your highness, if you feel this way, then I can find somepony else. Really. It’s no trouble at all.”

Celestia chuckled at the comment. “You and I both know that that is a lie. There is nopony else that meets the requirements for this task so perfectly. Besides that, I have delayed this long enough. No. She must be the one, regardless of my reservations.”

A sudden knocking at the door interrupted Madam Aviary's further protesting. “Enter.” The princess commanded and precisely on cue, a grey pegasus entered and saluted smartly. Princess Celestia smiled as he entered. “Stonewall, my friend. What can I help you with this evening?”

“Your majesty. I bring a message from Princess Luna. She has asked me to fetch you for your evening walk through the gardens.”

Celestia drooped her head at the request. The smile washed away from her face. Ever since the whole ordeal with Nightmare Moon, she had been trying so hard to make up for the lost time between her and her sister. These nightly walks were one of the simple ways of trying to reconnect with each other. But as much as she enjoyed them, the task at hoof needed to take top priority.

She sighed. “Please inform Luna, that I am discussing school affairs with Madam Aviary. I will be unable to share our walk with her this evening." Struggling with regret, she added, "And… please tell her that I’m very sorry.”

Stonewall saluted. “Understood, princess.” He turned and left as elegantly as he had entered. Aviary frowned. "Pardon my asking Princess, but shouldn’t we involve your sister in these affairs? I mean, after all she was…”

“No.” Celestia interrupted. “There is still a chance that I might be wrong, and even if I’m not, I don’t want my sister to be caught in the middle of all this… Not again…”

There was silence for a few seconds, though to Aviary it felt like hours. It was clear that the princess was going through a lot of turmoil from this decision. Finally, and hesitantly, she responded. “Very well princess, as you wish. What would you have me do next?”

Celestia snapped out of her trance. She raised her head high. “Proceed as we have planned. Tomorrow send a guard to fetch the unicorn, and have her report directly to me. I’ll personally brief her on the task at hoof.” She again moved to the window and looked out. Her gazed fixed upon the few lights of Ponyville just visible in the distance. “And then hope and pray for Equestria’s sake that this is all a misunderstanding.”