The first days are always the hardest
The first days are always the hardest
"Quantum mechanics, theoretical physics, history, complex mathematics..." Cherilee looked in awe at the paper the university sent with me. "Is there anything you're not qualified to teach?"
"Cutie mark acquisition, magical mechanics..."
"Huh. but it says here that," Cherilee asked hesitantly as if she didn't believe me.
"Magical theory, not application," I was so tired of ponies messing that up, "I'm not a unicorn after all."
"Well," Cherilee took another long look over all the paperwork, "Why here?"
"I...I'm not sure I understand the question."
"With these qualifications you could be teaching at Canterlot University, or Celestia's school and making exponentially more than you could dream of making here." Cherilee put down her reading glasses and sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Not to say I couldn't use your expertise, but there's so much more you could be doing."
"I've never thought about it that way, to be honest," I shifted my satchel containing my supplies, "I guess you could chalk it up to a calling. Maybe Celestia pulled some strings in my destiny, who knows? But all that matters now is whether or not you'll sign me on. If you choose somepony else, I guess I'll look into that university job you mentioned." I meant the last comment as a joke, but something about it seemed to hurt the young teacher.
Cherilee avoided my gaze, glancing out her office window at the pouring rain. "I'll strongly consider your application, thank you for your time."
I wanted to help her, to pull her into a tight hug and tell her that whatever was hurting her that I would defend her. But unfortunately, I had to settle for slowly slinking out of the office and silently closing the worn wooden door behind me.
"That went well," I turned up my collar against the wind and rain as I fought my way through the streets to the hotel building. My mutterings were lost to the storm, heard by nopony but me. I had to get this job, but it didn't make sense. Why had I chosen this one, this town?
I let my gaze drift over the soaking buildings and closed shops. "It's a nice place, don't get me wrong, but why? Why here?" It startled me that I've never thought about it before she said anything.
I let the thoughts linger a few moments longer, "You know what, it doesn't matter. This town needs an extra teacher and I aim to fill that need."
With a determined nod I continued on my quest.
The hotel was a nice place, although understaffed they kept it clean and it was nicely preserved from the last century.
I stamped off the mud and water from my hooves before entering the lobby. I didn't want to make their job any harder I guess.
"Hey, Professor how'd the interview go?" the mare manning the front desk called, I vaguely recalled her name to be Octavia.
"I've had worse, she said that she would 'strongly consider my application.'" I pulled up a chair, "There's something else though, she asked me something I haven't been able to get out of my mind."
Octavia raised an eyebrow and with infinite caution asked, "and that would be..."
"Why I decided to work here when I could make so much more teaching at some prestigious university in the big city." I placed a hoof on the desk and gingerly slid it over the pristine marble surface.
Octavia cleared her throat, "anyways...we cleaned your room while you were out, I hope you like it better now."
"Oh, thank you Octavia," I had completely forgotten about last night's incident.
"Well, I for one hope you stick around it's not every day a pony stays here and cleans their own room." Octavia finished her glass of, what I hope was iced tea.
"I hope so too, Octavia, although, for slightly different reasons." I gave the mare one final smile before packing up for the night.
My room, apartment rather, was on the third floor closest to the roof. On the wall hung portraits of Ponyville's glory days, and the room just felt vintage. It was a perfect fit, and after working out a deal with Octavia I managed to snag it for a little bit of nothing.
There was a small kitchen off of the main room and a bedroom off in the corner. The place was furnished with refurbished antiques that still held their beauty, much like the building itself. There was a table and some chairs in the kitchen and a small coffee table and couch in the main room. The bedroom was simple, a small bed, a dresser in the corner and a mirror hanging on the wall.
With as little effort as possible I flopped down on the bed and pulled the covers over myself. "Today was good, now I just wait until Cherilee gets back to me and figure out where my life goes from there."
I didn't know whether to hope for the job or to start looking elsewhere just to be sure, but I had to let such thoughts go otherwise I'd never sleep.
With a soft click the lamp shut off and the room was bathed in darkness.
I made my way through the market, scanning for that one item I needed, "It's just got to be here..."
Ponies of every color and race flowed past me as I frantically searched the stalls.
Unfortunately for me, I can get a little too focused at times and forget the world around me.
Before I new what was happening I found myself flat on my back and more than a little out of breath.
"I told ya you were goin too fast."
"I was not. He just doesn't watch where he's going!"
I rolled sideways back onto my hooves to find three fillies 66% of the group was bickering over speed and the other 34% was glancing up at me with teary eyes and holding a watch.
"Um...you dropped this," The unicorn filly placed the watch in my coat pocket.
"Thanks, um what just happened if you don't mind my asking?"
"We were trying for our cutie marks as physicists, and Scootaloo got going a little too fast and then we crashed into you." the unicorn filly informed, brightening up when she saw she didn't cause any permanent damage.
"Physicists? What was the experiment," I asked, helping the fillies get their vehicle back on its wheels.
"We were just wondering how fast we could go," Scootaloo started.
"Yep, and how much weight slows us down," Applebloom continued.
"And we were measuring it with this," Sweetie Belle squeaked, holding up what looked like a bathroom scale sent through a paper shredder.
"Right," I nodded at the three fillies, "it's always nice to see young ponies so interested in science...?"
"Wait, have we met before," Applebloom questioned, assuming a rather intimidating posture.
I took an involuntary step back from the filly.
"Ya look awful familiar," she continued, pressing me further away.
"I don't think so, it's my first few days in town," as the words left my lips I head a gasp that I was sure would rip the universe apart and a pink blur faded off into the distance.
"Wait, he's the new science teacher Miss Cherilee hired!" Sweetie Belle piped up, pulling her friend back from her inquisitive charge.
Well, that's one thing solved. "Well," I brushed the dust off my coat, "if you bring the experiment to class we could go over the results after school one of these days."
"You would do that," Sweetie Belle asked in disbelief.
"Why not? That's what I'm here for." I wasn't going to be that teacher who only wants to be friends with the students, but their research legitimately piqued my interest even with their primitive methods.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom called from the wagon.
Sweetie gave me a quick hug before racing off after her friends.
I shifted my bag back onto my shoulder as I watched the three friends vanish into the distance. Now, to find a banana...
Octavia had briefed me on the town when I arrived looking to move into her building. The main thing she cautioned me about was a specific tradition one of the villagers honored.
I braced myself glancing from my bag to the door of my, no doubt, full apartment. It would be full of towns ponies that bounced around from party to party and those that actually wanted to be my friend and welcome me to their town.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the colored paper packets and a few test tubes, This is going to be good.
I gave the glass a quick shake, letting the crystals rattle inside, I had warned Octavia beforehand of what I had planned. I opened the door just enough to slide the glass inside and I slammed it back shut.
The reaction was nearly instantaneous a bright flash flew out under the door and a loud bang shattered the silence inside.
Well, time to meet the town. I thought as I pushed the door open and stepped into my invaded apartment. "Surprise."
"Wow, I would've never thought of that," Princess Twilight commented as she worked on her sixth glass of punch.
"Are you sure you don't want one," Pinkie asked offering a glass.
"Yes, I'm sure," I had answered the question six times already, "I don't drink anything unless I know what's in it. Sorry."
"I understand," Pinkie nodded, "besides if I went through half of what you did, I'd be the same way."
"Okay..." Meanwhile on the other side of sanity. "I saw it in a magazine once, I still have the address somewhere if you would want to order some." I pulled the well folded scrap of paper from my pocket.
"Won't you need it for class," Twilight asked, hesitant to accept the postal address.
"I've long since memorized it, don't worry." I assured her, turning my attention to Pinkie who had slunk over to the fridge while Twilight and I discussed science, "I don't want any punch."
"What? How'd you see me?"
"You left a trail," I lifted a hoof gesturing to the smoky pink residue that floated after the mare.
"If you were a unicorn you'd be downright dangerous," Twilight laughed, giving me a playful shove.
My watch fell to the floor with a heavy thud, perfectly blending to the loud music.
"We all wish we had your talent, especially the unicorns."
"Really?" Twilight asked, confused, "I'm not all that special actually, just a hard worker."
"You're so much more than that, Ms. Sparkle, you're a hero and an inspiration to thousands across the world. Adoption into the royal family, friendships, the Elements, and more adventures than AK Yearling."
Twilight blushed, "W-what?"
"Oh, sorry. You were my senior paper topic at the university...and a bit of an obsession--academically."
Twilight went from pink to red, "Well...that's, um, very flattering professor."
"What?!" Rarity screamed from across the room, charging right towards me.
Oh, no. Not again...
She skidded to a halt just inches from me, "This is a first century Pegasus silver watch, one of six in existence today...where'd you get it?"
"What? That old thing," I tossed her the watch, "It's been in the family forever, I wouldn't know anything about it."
Twilight caught interest in the watch all of the sudden, more so than her over-professional friend. "Is this yours?"
I nodded and motioned for her to examine it. It was just an old beat up watch that might've been once silver, but now it's stuck, broken, and so old it can't be fixed. It's worth little more than a fancy paper weight to me.
"Do you know anything about this writing on the back here?" Twilight asked, highlighting the scratches with her magic.
"No, I don't. My father would though."
"How can I get ahold of him," Twilight's speech was getting smashed into single word sentences.
"He died in the war," a single tear fell onto the table. "There wasn't anything anypony could do, so please don't apologize."
"But, but...you're still here." Twilight declared, as if she'd won the lottery.
"I'm not bitter or anything Twilight, I'm going to be living in Ponyville, hopefully for some time now. I'll be teaching at the school."
"Yes, yes, yes, do you mind if I run some tests on the watch, maybe show it to a friend of mine?"
"As long as you give it back I don't see any harm in it."
Twilight excused herself from the party right after the watch incident and Rarity followed her, pestering her friend about the pricelessness of the watch and how she should be careful with it. At the rate Rarity was going off you would think Twilight was carrying the crown jewels into an active minefield.
The party wound down soon after, with the last guest leaving at about ten. At least Pinkie kept my being a teacher into account.
I was amazed at how spotless the apartment was, not a trace of the party existed, except a small gift or two, a leftover piece of cake wearing a blue party hat, and a bottle of Pinkie's homemade punch.
Weary from the long day, I pulled out my notes for tomorrow and checked them over one last time before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning came early. I started the kettle, took a shower, made triple sure I remembered to shave, brewed some coffee, ignored Pinkie's punch, finished off the cake, packed my bag, grabbed my notes, put on my coat, and set off for the school.
Nopony was there, I glanced at the clock on the wall and my face met the desk. "Of course, Canterlot's an hour ahead of Ponyville."
"Oh, Sleuth. I didn't think you'd be here this early." Cherilee greeted from the door.
"Forgot to set my clock back," I groaned, my head still on the desk.
"I see you've set up the classroom already," Cherilee noted as she walked around the room, "it's good to have someone else here. As much as I love my students there are some things I just can't teach them."
The first few students poured into the classroom.
"Hey Quill, ask him, he might know," one of the boys urged their reserved, notebook bearing comrade.
"Ask me what," I scrawled a quick sketch of the classroom on the blackboard, sure to include every desk and started placing students' names over them.
"Well," Quill hesitated, "I've been working on a story and just wondered how the Las Pegasus gangs laundered their money in the 20's is all."
"Most often they'd do it betting on the derbies," I pulled a small book from my desk and tossed it towards the unicorn. "It's mostly fiction, but I think it's exactly what you're looking for."
He was already buried in the early equestrian story of mystery and revenge. "Thanks."
"I've got the whole series, just don't waste time in class, okay?"
"Great! Thanks."
"Diamond Tiara," furious would be an understatement I was at war, "stay here a while."
"What? Why?"
"Go home Silver, and close the door on your way out." The students filed out a few quicker than others until it was just me and the filly left in the classroom.
"Do you have any idea..."
"Don't." I was not a stallion to be reckoned with, "what you're doing is dangerous and borders on abuse, if I see it again..."
"Why do you care? they're just blank flanks."
"I don't want to see them dead!" I slammed my hoof on the desk, "If you keep devaluing them the way you are it won't be long. There's a fine line between harmless teasing and verbal abuse. You've crossed that line. Consider this is your only warning." I pulled the yardstick from behind my desk, "you do not want to mess with me, kid."
"My father will have you fired!"
"Really," I asked in disbelief, putting down the yardstick, "getting me fired would be doing me a favor. You don't want that now do you?"
She started to counter, but stopped.
"Not all your problems can be solved by having your mark ahead of time or your family's money. Sometimes it takes more than that." I had cooled down some, seeing some remorse in the child.
I would like to tell you that she changed, like a sudden epiphany rocked her world and she turned into a perfect angel. I should've known better than to believe she could change. Never the less, I saw her to the door and made sure she got home alright, but beyond that I just had to hope her father loved her enough to give her the proper guidance she needed. That too, however, was too high a hope to be attained.
Celestia's sun was long gone by the time either of us had made a dent in our mountains of papers to grade.
"How did your first week go," Cherilee asked as she finished grading yet another student essay on cutie marks, something I never fully understood.
"I met Quill and the Cutie Mark Crusaders," I paused, "...and Diamond Tiara."
"Oh, her. She's fine when she turns in homework on time, but I haven't really seen anything the kids can't handle."
"I don't want to do it for them by any means, I'm just saying that a little discipline here and there might discourage her current, corrosive effect on the school."
"I wish I could to be honest, and believe me I've tried. But lately her father has been cracking down so to speak." Cherilee dipped her pen and began grading again.
She's avoiding the topic. I noted, "Anything exciting happen in your classes?"
She nearly laughed, "You really should contain your students."
Oh, no Scootaloo. You didn't...
"She brought her velocity measurer to class for show and tell, which in itself wasn't a bad thing, but then Applebloom and Sweetie Belle..."
Oh, no. I wasn't seriously suggesting it.
"...the amazing thing was that nopony was hurt in the blast. There was something odd about the readings though, I left a copy on your desk, hoping you could make sense of them."
"There wasn't anything alarming if that's what you're concerned about. Most likely they just blasted their way into some reserve magic pool, happens all the time especially in the Canterlot Mines. The company, for a while, sold what they called 'magic in a jar' but after a few foals drank the contents it was banned from the market. I actually have a jar or two come to think of it..."
"I'm not even going to ask why you have a substance of questionable legality."
Last night's events followed me like a bad dream, "Do you know any reason for Twilight to get interested in an old conductor's watch?"
"...No, actually, unless it has some relevant magical history or something like that. Maybe the princess asked for a report on you."
That...no, something's going on here, and I have to get to the bottom of it. "Would she be home now?"
"Twilight? Maybe, she lives in the castle at the end of the lane."
I felt a frown forming, "No, not Twilight. Rainbow Dash, if I'm going to get any answers I have to have some leverage."
"What, like blackmail? Good luck with that, I don't think Rainbow is going to be a cooperative hostage."
"Cherilee, I like you, but no. I'm not doing anything illegal." I got up to leave, "want to come along?"
"Eh, why not?" Cherilee threw her pen into the jar and wrapped her scarf around her neck, "I need a break anyway."
We spent hours talking to Rainbow Dash. Hours. Apparently some little filly who can't keep her mouth shut told her about me being a physicist.
"...and then I thought what if I could get faster?"
"In theory you'd open a temporal vortex and get sucked into a alternate reality. Now, about the watch, why would Twilight care about something like that?" I was impatient, Twilight was withholding important information and I had a right to know.
"I don't know professor, she's been locked in her study with it since she got her hooves on the thing. Honestly it's a little creepy." Rainbow cast a nervous glance towards the castle as if she expected it to implode. "Eh, but it's just a watch right? What could it do, destroy the world?"
"Really, Ms. Dash, with the scandalous misadventures you've had with your friends I thought you'd pick your words a little more carefully."
"...you lost me after Dash..."
My hoof met my face, "Athletes," I groaned.
Cherilee just rolled her eyes, "He's just worried you're going to jinx us talking like that."
"You superstitious or something professor?" Dash asked, touching down for the first time since the conversation started.
"If I was superstitious I wouldn't be living above Equestria's biggest vein of devil's eye diamonds with the embodiment of chaos just meters from my apartment, and least of all I wouldn't be talking to you."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Just what I said, if I was superstitious I wouldn't talk to somepony who had such a close encounter with Nightmare Moon or King Sombra." Do I need to explain everything to this filly?
"Yeah. I guess so..." Rainbow agreed, backing down hostilities.
"Let me guess, 'how'd you know all that?' You were my freshman science thesis, demonstrating Spectrum's Reality Quandary."
"Okay...not sure whether to be flattered or creeped out."
"Anyways, the watch? Has she told you anything yet?"
Dash sighed and shook her head. "I didn't even know she had it until today."
What? With the way she's so loyal I'm sure Twilight would've given Dash something. I scratched at the ground nervously. Something was definitely going on here, and I had a right to know how it involved me and/or my watch.
"But, there was somepony else in there with her," Dash remembered, "I've seen him around town off and on, before the coronation, but he disappeared until about a week ago."
"Do you know who he is?" I pressed, hoping my turn of luck would hold. If Twilight was getting a consult on the watch then he must know at least something about it.
I was already on my way to the castle when I heard Cherilee close the conversation and both mares followed after me.
If they want to tag along it's fine, just so long as they don't get themselves hurt or killed doing it. I determined as I continued my journey.
It was about a quarter mile from Rainbow's to the castle, and by the time we got there it was long past dark, only the guards were stirring.
"Halt," they ordered in unison, barring the door with their spears, "the princess must not be disturbed."
I put on a false air of confidence, "disturbance? Do you have any idea who I am?"
They stood silent, still barring the way.
"If you're not going to say anything," I tried forcing my way past, but was thrown to the ground several feet away.
"Hey! What are you doing," Rainbow demanded, assisting me to my hooves.
"We're sorry, Miss Dash, we had no idea..." The guard on the left replied and stood down, allowing us passage.
Rainbow glared down the guards until they faded from view, "....ought to be court marshalled acting like that."
Our hooves resounded like thunder on the empty crystal halls, we trotted on, following Rainbow to the lab.
"What did you do now, how'd you get in?" Cherilee whispered, scanning the walls and floor as if everything was a portal to another world.
"Simple," I whispered back, slacking my pace so Rainbow wouldn't overhear, "I just got them worked up, and the element of Loyalty saw me mistreated, she talks down the guards and Bob's your uncle."
Cherilee looked confused, "Who's Bob?"
"I...don't understand."
"You said it, and..." Cherilee glanced up to see Rainbow's ears burning, "oh, never mind."
"If you two are done flirting, we're here." Rainbow rapped on the double-enforced crystal weave bunker sealed door.
"That would contain a category two point five starburst spell," I exclaimed, examining the door with rapt attention, "They solved Gunther's loose cannon paradox! Cherilee, come look at this! It's amazing!"
"Well, starburst spells are kind of my forte," a new voice commented from behind me.
"There's not a lot of unicorns that can bind that much energy, in fact there hasn't been one for about ninety years. She was last seen in Prance the night the opera house collapsed." I turned to face the newcomer with confidence, "hello, Twilight. It's been a while."
"How'd you get in? I thought the guards were instructed to let nopony pass. I don't know entirely what I'm working with here so I pulled out all the stops in security." Twilight declared, stamping once for emphasis, "but, then again you might be able to help me..."
"Twilight, I just want some answers. That's all just to satisfy my curiosity and we can all get back to work." I assured her, glancing between my duo of irked compatriots.
"Oh, well..." Twilight paused considering her words carefully, "what did you want to know?"
I noticed a bead of sweat trace its way down her forehead, and how her eyes swiftly darted about the empty hallway.
I lowered my head and sighed, "how can I get Pinkie to stop pestering me? I have to work sometime and with all the parties she's planning Cherilee and I will have to shut down the school to go to them all. "
Cherilee looked at me, shocked while Rainbow skillfully held her tongue. She'd had this talk a few times herself and knew how sensitive it could get.
Twilight sighed in relief, "well Pinkie is like any small foal you have to tell her no, but in a nice way."
"It's hard," I drooped my ears, and glanced as far as I could under the door, I don't want to upset her."
"I know..." Twilight recalled from painful experience, "she tries so hard, but sometimes what ponies need is to be sad or left alone. She's been getting far more efficient at discerning those times from when her brand of help is actually needed, but like anything. It's a work in progress."
"Yeah," Rainbow agreed, "like a stuck record."
"Rainbow!" Twilight snapped at her friend, "How could you say such a thing?"
When Twilight and Rainbow were sufficiently distracted I pulled Cherilee close, as if I was showing her the features of the rather impressive door. "...but, they have one weakness from the outside," I told her gesturing to where the latch met the wall, if you blow here..."
I shoved my fellow teacher inside and pushed the door shut behind us.
"Okay, now, where's the light?" I asked, sorting through my mental checklist as I searched the wall for the switch.
"Are you sure this isn't illegal?" Cherilee demanded, throwing the master switch.
"Of course not, if Twilight didn't want us in her castle she would've called the guards and had us thrown out. Besides you can't get arrested for being invited to a party...well, unless it's the king of Florence's wedding day." I felt myself drawn to the center of the massive round room to a hopeless mass of wires all connected to my father's watch.
"What is all this for," Cherilee asked examining some of the instruments strewn throughout the room, "I've never seen a setup quite like this, even in Manehattan."
Whenever I find a laboratory I just have to explore the exploring! I can't help myself, come along Jane it'll be fun!
I shook my head, struggling to remove the hallucinations. Something was wrong here, very wrong. Whatever Twilight had done I wanted no part of it, we had to leave. Right now!
"Cherilee," I Struggled out, barely able to make a sound, "let's get out of here."
She nodded and whimpered, she was terrified and crying, but like me, had no clue why. Something in this room was wrong. Very, very wrong, and I was never supposed to find it; that much I knew.
We turned back to the door, only to be starred down by a vaguely familiar brown coated stallion wearing one of Rarity's suits. He cleared his throat and gestured for us to leave. It was almost like he was afraid to speak like a single syllable would cause the towering ceiling to collapse down upon our heads.
Not much else happened that night, except insomnia inducing questions kept going to war with my barely conscious mind. Who was that stallion? What was Twilight hiding? What evil experiments had she been conducting in that room? But alas no answers came, and after several hours I found myself in an uneasy, mostly restless, and nightmare filled sleep.
Author's Note
If you've noodled it out, please don't give it away. Thanks.
"Applebloom," I called from outside the barn, "it's not worth it. Just let the filly go, okay? We can talk about this."
"Don't give me that, I know yer type!" I heard Diamond squeak in terror behind the locked door, "besides, you told me to stand up for myself and that's what I'm doing."
"NO!"
The rope tightened around the filly's neck leaving me only seconds to react....
RINNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
I flew out of bed, scarcely giving my hooves time to connect with the short, soft carpet before bolting out of the room. I ran down the halls to the lobby and paused when I reached the door, "it...just a nightmare...nothing's wrong."
"Sounds like a bad one," Octavia yawned, slowly closing the office door behind her, "did Luna show up?"
"No, not at all. Not even a trace," I thought it out, connecting the dots, "it was almost like...I don't know, like a memory more than a dream. It...bad things happened."
"Yeah. I get those sometimes when Vinyl plays her music too loud at night."
"I...," Just when I was about to explain what I had suffered when Applebloom passed by the glass doors on her way to the market, "I have to go!"
"Yeah," Octavia sighed as the door slammed closed, "I get that a lot..."
"Applebloom," the filly turned, almost as if she was shot when she heard her name, "you okay?"
"I'm fine, just....sortin' some things out." She responded with a harshness I had never expected from the filly.
"Give me the rope," I held out my hoof, "please."
"But, it's for my chores," Applebloom insisted, pushing it further into her bag so Nopony else would see it.
"I know you want to strike back, but this isn't right." I took a half step closer to the shaken filly, "trust me, okay? It isn't worth losing everything."
"How would you know," she demanded, eyes burning under her tears, "there ain't nothing left for us. Everyday it's the same thing, we come to school and it's a war, us against her! It ain't so bad with Silver, but she's the worst, and not just to us..."
"I know," I pulled her into a hug, "I understand, okay? I had the same thing where I went to school."
She cried into my shoulder, "how...how'd you get through it?"
"I had a wonderful teacher who helped pull me through the toughest times," I told her, brushing away her tears. "I'll do the same for you, if you'll let me."
"How'd you know anyways," Applebloom slowly surrendered her weapon, and a sudden look of terror crossed her face, "does Applejack know?!"
"Nobody else, but me knows, I swear." I tucked the worn rope into my satchel and dropped to meet the filly's gaze. "And I aim to keep it that way."
I left the filly to her morning shopping and struggled to figure out what had just transpired when a neatly rolled newspaper landed at my hooves.
"Top of the morning professor," The colt called as he flew off to his other subscribers.
Sighing I picked up the paper and pulled off the rubber band with my teeth, At least it's the Canterlot Gazette this time.
I flipped through the pages looking for the new "Science and You" article when a particular headline caught my eye:
Foal Found Dead at Captains Manor!
"This week the tragic story of Blank Page comes to a grizzly end. The foal of Storm Turner and Rough Diamond was found murdered and buried under Captain Banner's elaborate manor. Both the Captain and his wife are on trial for the horrible crime...
...scheduled for the end of the week both of the Canterlot princesses are going to preside over the trial."
A flash of a shattered memory burned through my mind. A voice, mechanical and cold. But try as I might I couldn't remember what it said or why it applied. I studied the crime scene photos with a sudden obsession, like this is what I was meant to do.
Names, faces, and dates flashed through my mind as I tried to piece together the puzzle just as I was about to give up a flash of inspiration struck. "He's not the killer!" I shouted to Nopony in particular.
"What," Octavia asked, confusion and shock blending her voice.
"He's innocent, there's no way he could've buried the foal's body under his house without damaging the ears! Look," I pushed the paper in her face, "And look at the burns on the forelegs and hooves."
Octavia stepped back from the paper, "That's just... sickening." She thought for a moment before taking another glance at the picture, "You're right! there's no way he could've done that without messing up the colt's coat."
"Under normal circumstances the foal's fur would've combusted and also their time of death is wrong, look at his feathers, they're all still attached!"
"Who killed him then?" Octavia asked, looking at me with a tilted head.
I tried to answer, but my head felt like it would catch fire. Voices faded in and out of existence and for a second I remembered impossible things: walking on the surface of alien worlds, death and carnage on an impossible scale and loss. I had lost something too great and terrible to remember.
A name floated to the surface of the chaos: Jane Scott.
I woke up in Ponyville hospital with a long thermometer poking out of my mouth.
"Hey, how do you feel," The nurse asked as she added another ice pack to the pile on my body.
"What happened," I asked, bewilderedly examining my surroundings, "Where am I?"
"Sh," the nurse hissed, gently pushing me back into the mattress, "try not to move around so much, you had a fever of 105. and you're in Ponyville hospital, we're just waiting for your fever to recede."
"How long have I been here," I asked slowly trying my best to rationalize the situation.
"Just a few days," the nurse answered calmly, reaching for something on the bedside table, "You're students left you a card."
Inside the card was decorated with all sorts of foalish drawings and a few words from each student in my class.
I felt a smile crease my dry lips and a tear rolled down my face.
The nurse smiled too, "they're very sweet aren't they," the nurse lifted the thermometer from my mouth and studied it intensely for several long seconds, "Your fever finally broke." She let out a relieved sigh. "Just hang in there a second and I'll get the doctor."
That name. Something snapped inside of my mind and terror flooded my system. "No! Not him. He's going to kill me, just like the rest of us!"
The nurse gripped my hoof, "It's going to be okay, alright?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know what that was," I lowered my gaze and my ears sank, "It's almost like I don't even know who I am anymore..."
"It's okay, hallucinations happen sometimes with high fevers." She smiled at me and let go of my hoof, "Redheart, could you fetch the doctor for me?"
We were alone in the room for several minutes before a brown coated stallion wearing a pristine lab coat pushed his way into the room.
He spent several minutes studying the clipboard that hung off the foot of the bed with a slight frown. "Well, personally I think you just got a rather nasty case of the feather flu, Mr. Sleuth. Not much else fits these symptoms."
"But, doc isn't the feather flu a Pegasus thing?" I asked, confused, "in case you didn't notice I don't have any wings."
"Usually it keeps to Pegasi, but certain strains can infect other ponies and are resistant to traditional medication, that's why we needed to consult the princess on your condition." The doctor marked down something or other that I couldn't read and dropped the clipboard back into place at the foot of my bed.
"Which one did you notify?" I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table.
"Princess Twilight, she's the closest after all and one of the best healers I've ever seen." The doctor gave me a smile that disturbed me.
"What happened to me? One minute I'm reading the paper..." Slowly things started connecting in my mind: The dream, confronting Applebloom, and the paper.
"You collapsed while talking to Octavia about the recent Canterlot murder and she brought you in right away, and it's a good thing she did too, you wouldn't have lasted much longer without some serious magical intervention."
"I'll have to thank her for that," I said to myself, wondering how to best go about that.
"Well, I think we're safe to release you later today as long as we don't get any more surprises." The doctor paused, scanning my face with a look of concern, "is there anything else you needed?"
"When I collapsed I heard voices, but I can't for the life of me remember what they said." I paused embarrassed to admit it, "But they mentioned somepony's name, a Jane Scott. Is there any way we can find her?"
The doctor frowned, "I don't know the name, but that doesn't mean she's not real. I'll ask Twilight, it's the type of thing she'd know."
"Thank you, for everything. Both of you," I felt my shaky grip on reality wane and I fell back into my darkened dreams.
"He's never going to make it into the university and you know it!" A voice thundered, I recognized it, but couldn't place the stallion.
"Not while he has these episodes, but if we get him into the hospital..." I recognized this voice as my mother, but she sounded...different.
"No! Do you realize what kind of scandal that would cause? We have to deal with this ourselves." The thunderous voice argued, "I have a real chance of getting on the council, but if word gets out about our son winding up in the Hospital then any and all chance will be gone."
"Not if I take him," my mother promised, "I know the (Static) he owes me a favor or two. I'm sure he'll keep it quiet."
"Don't mess this up," the thundering voice rumbled as it vanished.
My mother's voice rapidly followed, leaving me wondering blindly in a blank field between dreaming and memory.
Slowly, the sounds of moving water drew me out of my unexpected slumber.
"Oh, you're awake," the nurse said, dropping a thawed ice pack into the large bucket beside the bed. "You're getting checked out of here in a couple hours, I didn't want to wake you before I got rid of these things," she gestured to the growing collection of ice packs.
"That's considerate of you, thank you," I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back onto the pillow. It was just a dream...right? I'm not crazy?
"Good news," the doctor declared as he waltzed into the room behind a wheelchair, "we're getting you home."
Something about the wheelchair froze the blood in my veins, "No, not again!" I pushed myself off of the bed, struggling to stay on my hooves.
"It's okay, Sleuth we're just taking you to the door," the nurse reassured.
I wasn't sure what was happening to me, but I knew for sure I wasn't getting in that wheelchair. "NO, not that way."
"Okay," the doctor sighed, leaving the wheelchair by the door, "Just relax a little, okay?"
"I...I don't know what's happening to me," I felt like I was being torn into two different ponies. The sensation was indescribable. "Listen, I'll go, okay just not in that thing."
"I think we can make an exception in this case, don't you nurse Redheart," the doctor asked the nurse who silently nodded in agreement.
"Well, lead the way," I sighed in relief when that thing disappeared in the maze of endless hallways.
We passed the duration of the trek in silence only bidding each other friendly farewells at the door.
. I shifted my satchel, dreading returning to work after all this time. The students probably had a huge party while I was gone. With any luck the school might've been destroyed. I laughed to myself as I imagined Cheerilee standing over the crater lecturing the students about the dangers of science and magic.
On a whim I crossed town to look at the schoolhouse, just in case some disaster happened.
I pressed my muzzle against the glass and saw Scootaloo, of all ponies, lecturing the class on engineering.
"That's why they build skyscrapers that way, so that if they fall they don't damage the other buildings in the collapse." She finished scrawling barely legible notes on the board for the class, "Okay, as much as I don't like it, Sleuth assigned us the next section to do over the weekend."
"Forget it," I declared walking into the room, "we're way ahead of schedule as it is."
The students let out a collective cheer.
"Crusaders, could you stay a while and help me with a project." I asked, clearing the blackboard.
The bell rang and the students filed out of the room except for the three fillies.
"You need our help," Sweetie belle asked in disbelief.
"I need somepony's help, may as well be yours," I gave each of them a piece of chalk, "besides, I know you'll never give up."
"What do you need us to do," Scootaloo asked, ready to go.
"Applebloom just stayed as far away from me as possible, never meeting my eyes.
"I need you to draw a map of Ponyville and as far into the forest as possible," It was little more than an experiment on my part, just an idea. I didn't know what I was looking for exactly, but rapidly joined in the amateur cartography.
By the time we finished Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack showed up looking for the fillies.
"Okay, that's a little creepy," Rainbow commented, eyes never leaving the blackboard.
"It seems like something's missing," I studied the similar maps, "Rarity, you have an eye for this sort of thing, do you see anything out of place?"
Rarity took a spare piece of chalk from my desk and quickly filled in a...
I dragged myself to my bed with a groan, "this had to be a coincidence," I laid there staring at the ceiling, "how did we all forget that whole building? All four of us?"
I rolled over and started a staring contest with the wall instead, "it was like it didn't exist until Rarity drew it."
I groaned again, something was wrong. Maybe I should tell Twilight and her friends what I've found. They're the elements of harmony after all.
"But that wouldn't be nearly as fun as investigating myself." It was decided, Cheerilee and I would investigate the anomaly in the morning.
I rolled onto my back again, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
There are certain things I never thought I'd have to deal with as a teacher in such a small town: Conventions, unions, and royalty just to name a few. But none of those things could even compare to an enraged seamstress and Element of Generosity.
"I know you're up to something, one day Sweetie Belle doesn't have any assignments and the next she's staying after class. Are you punishing her, or rewarding her?" Rarity paused when she noticed the scattered notes covering my desk.
"I'm sorry, she's helping me with a personal problem I've been trying to solve for a couple weeks." I thought about what I said for a second, before correcting: "I have a magical quandary, but lack the physiological capacity to solve it."
"...I'm...sorry...to hear that?"
"Sorry, it's just that when I get nervous I talk like I'm presenting to the board of professors." I sighed and turned to the blackboard, as if it would help me out of this metaphorical hole I'd dug myself into. "What I mean is that I need a unicorn's assistance to cast a couple of testing spells, nothing strenuous I assure you, just to 'light the way' as it were."
"May I see these spells?" It wasn't a request, she was almost harsh.
"Diagram or equation?" I stopped, banged my head against the wall, 'Stupid' "Of course. Notation format."
"That's preposterous. Simply insanity," Rarity spared no expense or time laughing at my project.
"I know. Ridiculous." I returned the chalk to its rightful place under the blackboard. "It's not balanced, doesn't rhyme, and on top of all that has nothing but influx energy."
"Then, why has this evolved beyond a simple curiosity?" Rarity asked as she poured a generous portion of tea for herself, out of MY thermos.
"What terrifies me is the exponential notations beyond the third cycle. Now we're dealing with a...almost like a block of energy at this point; and not just any energy, this is volatile. Enough to level: mountains, towns, capitals, nations--"
Rarity stopped pillaging my lunchbox, mid-bite. "What?"
"This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down."
My sandwich slapped against the desk, Rarity stared at me, her brain practically leaking out of her ears.
"This, this isn't just any volatile energy." I turned back to the blackboard, slashing the equation out of existence with a flick of my tail and started on an energy series graph.
"That's...you really should stay away from poetry."
"Didn't plan on entering the field," I sneezed, clearing the chalk dust from my lungs.
"Might I ask the answer to the riddle?"
This counter-balances this series over here. Yep, not dark magic. I threw open my "General Guide to Misspells" and sprinted through the pages, No, no...what?! definitely not that one. I... didn't want to know that was even a thing...
I looked up from my book, "Time."
Rarity blinked, shocked, almost as if she hadn't expected an answer at all. "Huh...well, I guess that makes sense when you think about it."
"Yes. It...does." I completed the equation and stepped back to view my work.
"What...?"
I wasn't sure which one of us expressed our shock, but we both knew that what had been discovered tonight could never be hidden again.
"Until I find a counter-spell this doesn't leave this room." I looked over at Rarity, her eyes locking with mine.
"Agreed."
"Consider your sister indefinitely suspended from the project." I copied down the notes as fast as I could, and destroyed the original. "Before you go, down the hall, in the broom closet is a green glass bottle of cleaning solution, could you bring me that please?"
"That's a little paranoid isn't it, professor?"
"Sleuth, and no it isn't." I sighed, shaking the chalk dust from my coat, "I know ponies that would raze this town to the ground for one cycle of this spell.
"The academic community's that competitive?"
A broken memory flashed through my mind, blood dripping from my hooves as I held in somepony's insides. Only able to watch as one of my closest friends drowned in her own vital fluids.
"I'm sorry were you saying something," Rarity placed the bottle on my desk, "I believe this is the right bottle?"
"Yes," I blinked back the tears forming in my eyes, "That's great. Thank you, for everything. But I have to emphasize: Nopony, not even the princesses are to be told."
"I understand."
I turned to face her, "Promise me."
"I promise."
I let out a sigh of relief, "...I've got some serious work to do...."
Rarity paused at the door, "Before I forget, do you have a moment to go over something in Sweetie Belle's report card?"
I stumbled over to my filing cabinet and ripped the drawer open, I pulled my student file out and placed it on my desk. "What did you need?"
"The fourth assignment last week, on astrological calculations why is the final grade so low?" Rarity asked, pulling her copy of the report card from her bag.
I sighed, "In some things she excels, far beyond a filly her age should, but in others she needs a little help. I'm sorry to say but she failed the paper because her base calculations were far from anything structured, she never showed her work, and she didn't use any runic Equestrian like the assignment stated."
"But is there any..."
"Yes," I cut Rarity off, "She can get her grade in the class back to an "A" if she does the shooting stars sheet I sent home with her-- in runic."
"Thank you," Rarity placed the paper back in her bag with a burst of magic, "but, I thought you weren't sending assignments home with her...?"
I laughed, "She asked me the same thing you just did. I just gave her a chance."
I turned to the blackboard and started scrubbing the traces of the spell out of existence forever. 'I can't let anypony know the terrible thing I discovered. Not even the Royal Guard can know.'
Remembering there was somepony else in the room, I turned to ask if she needed anything else.
I found an empty classroom. Dark, musty, and out-dated by at least a decade.
"Well, that's one thing solved," I picked up my bag; my remaining ungraded papers; and started off for home.
I paused, locking the front door of the schoolhouse. I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
"Is anypony there?" I asked the empty night.
Silence.
I returned the keys to my coat pocket, "Probably nothing. Just my mind playing tricks on me."
Heedless of my assurances, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and I had chills running up and down the length of my spine. 'Someone's there, watching me. Out in the darkness.'
Slowly I started down the road to Ponyville. It was less than a mile, but tonight the path stretched on for an eternity.
I stopped every few steps to look over my shoulder. I knew something was there. Something had to be there. I wasn't crazy.
'Do not fear, young one.'
"Who are you, Identify yourself," I started scratching runes into the ground as fast as I could. A wendigo... it has to be nothing else fits...
'I am here to help you. To keep you safe.'
it's getting closer! I pricked my hoof with a quill and slammed it down on the runes. 'Protection and harmony. Let's see it break this.'
The last thing I saw was the, worn, red door of the schoolhouse blinking into existence before my head cracked off of the pavement leaving me in restless darkness.
