Unleash the Magic!

Unleash the Magic!

Chapter 1: The End of Another Day

“Starry,” a voice called.

Everything was dark. I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t smell, I couldn’t even see my hand close to my face. I didn’t know where was up, down, left, or right. There was just the blackness and wherever that voice was coming from.

“Starry,” the voice called again.

I tried to follow the source by sound with no knowledge of where I was going. My head suddenly bumped into something with a metallic rattle, and I was temporarily blinded by a flash of light. I rubbed the space under my horn before I squinted at a floating glowing chain in front of me. I rubbed my eyes from the brightness and grasped the chain. It was strangely warm, like it was preheated before I made contact.

“Starry.”

The voice was coming from one side of where the chain was leading. I pulled myself to the source of the sound, and noticed other chains from different directions were coming together. Finally, I saw a big ball of light coming closer. No, not a ball. The chains were binding something in a big lump, but I couldn’t see what it was.

Could it be whoever’s calling me? I thought.

“Starry,” the voice called once more from the cluster of light. I didn’t know what I was doing, but my body reached for that light. The blackness around me got brighter as I got closer. There was a silhouette of somepony trapped in chains. Then things got brighter… closer…

“Starry…”

Brighter…

Closer…

SMACK!

“AAAAGH!” I jolted upwards, the sound of a yardstick hitting my desk startled me awake.

“Starry Night. Seeing as you are sleeping in my class, again, I assume you are prepared for the finals next week?” a grayish purple unicorn mare with a silver bun-tied mane asked with a furrowed brow.

“Uh…. Finals? W-Was that what we were talking about?” Laughter in the room answered my question. Everypony except a pegasus and earth pony filly from my front and left respectively laughed at my reddened, slightly drooling face as I wiped it off.

Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Doubtburn, groaned and rubbed her eyes under her small glasses. “Alright class, settle down. I know you’re all eager to finish school, get to summer vacation, and start high school, but you can’t refrain from doing your school work. As you’ve seen from Starry’s example, you need to get plenty of rest while studying this weekend to prepare for your last tests of your middle school years. You’ll all receive your final grades in your report cards that will be mailed a few weeks after the tests are done. Once you’re done, should you decide to choose, there will be a high school club and summer classes fair, a graduation dance, and a post-graduation party at the local bowling alley on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday respectively. More information for those events are on these papers here that you can pick up on your way out.” She gestured to a stack of papers at the corner of the table closest to the door. “Are there any questions? Yes, Misty?”

The very light blue pegasus filly with the curly white and teal mane and tail lowered her hand. “What happens if we don’t attend our classes for finals?”

“If that happens, I will have a word with your parents and see if arrangements can be made for you to take those tests in another time with partial credit; otherwise, you’ll automatically fail which will affect your final grade significantly. Whether you’ll be able to move on to high school depends on the circumstances with your grades. Granite, I’m looking at you.”

“Yeah yeah, I get the picture,” the light brown earth pony filly with a messy, dirty blond mane answered while rolling her eyes.

The bell suddenly rang, ending the last school day before finals and starting our four day weekend. All the students of the class got their things and made a beeline to the door while some picked up a flyer of the upcoming school events. Granite, Misty, and I picked them up as well while we walked out last. I sighed and rubbed my eyes from the embarrassment I made of myself in the classroom.

“Are you alright, Starry?” Misty asked.

“I’m fine, just trying to get over what I did in the classroom,” I answered.

“You know, you’ve been sleeping in class more often the last few weeks, and I’m usually the one who gets a mouthful for things like that. Is something the matter?” Granite asked with a strong Manehattan accent.

“I think the stress is just getting to me. I’ve been staying up later than usual to study for finals.” I held up the flyer and looked at the summer courses section. “I’m also trying to prepare myself for this as well.”

“You mean that program from the School for Gifted Unicorns?” Misty asked.

We left the school building and walked to our usual hang out at Canterlot Park. We would always go there for pretty much anything that comes to mind, especially for holding important discussions like we were having right now.

“Yeah. It’s a special program for unicorns of all ages to apply and prepare for the exam to enroll in the school. How long they’re there for when they get accepted kind of depends, but you’d have to show the kind of magic that most unicorns don’t in order to get in. I’ve been asking Mom and Dad time and time again if I could apply, and they said as long as I achieved good grades in school while practicing my magic, they’d consider it. With how my grades are doing right now, I shouldn’t have any problems in academics. It’s just my magic that’s concerning me.”

“I may not know as much about magic as the next pony, but you seem good enough to get in,” Granite commented before counting on her fingers. “You make things float, change some stuff to different colors... you could even make a force field.”

“I’m surprised I could even pull that one off,” I commented. “Defensive magic is my dad’s specialty, and I thought with his help I could achieve something so great it would make getting into the program a sure thing. However, I can only make it big enough to cover the three of us, and the longest I could hold it was two minutes. Dad, on the other hand could maintain one that would cover the whole school for weeks. And if that wasn’t bad enough…” I pulled up my sleeve and looked at one side of my bare shoulder. “I haven’t even earned my cutiemark yet, so I don’t even know what my special talent is.”

“Don’t think you’re the only one who’s worried about that,” Misty interjected. She and Granite pulled up their own sleeves and presented their shoulders in the open with nothing on them. “All three of us are having trouble finding our special talents. If I had to guess what mine is, I just hope it’s not something related to my family’s business. It’s bad enough Mother and Father are urging me to take the torch, I don’t need a symbol that would give them all the more reason to do so.”

“And with me training to become a great fighter like my dad was, I thought my cutiemark would be related to that too,” Granite added in. “I’ve been chasing the dream of becoming Equestria’s best fighter for as long as I could remember, but even then I haven’t gotten a cutiemark yet.”

When we made it to the park, we sat down under the large tree that stood out from the grass, taking in the cool temperatures from the shades that were blocking the sun’s rays.

“Perhaps over this summer, we should look into how we can earn our cutiemarks,” I suggested. “If middle school was bad enough with Brace right now, I can’t imagine how things will go when we get to high school. I think it’s absolutely essential that we get those cutiemarks before this summer ends; otherwise, our social lives will be over before they even began.”

“I concur.”

“Ditto.”

“That settles it then. We’ll focus on preparing for finals this weekend, and I need to get ready for the gifted unicorn exam afterwards. Once all that’s done, we’ll start our cutiemark hunt. You two with me?” I stuck my pinky finger out in front of me before glancing between Granite and Misty.

“Pft. Do ya even have to ask? Course I’m in, ya big dope.” Granite followed my gesture with a grin, her pinky pointing towards my own.

“And I will be by your side until the very end.” Misty pointed her own pinky to the center of ours with a smile of her own, making a small triangle out of our finger tips.

“Alright, then let’s promise to make this summer one we’ll always remember, both before and after we earn our cutiemarks, and make the most out of our time together while we’re at it. Ready?”

“One,” we all called as we raised our pinkies to where they pointed to the sky.

“Two.”

We closed our pinkies, lowered our fists down, and pulled them back, readying for a strike.

“Three!”

We all gave a swift punch at the same time, our fists now forming a triangle between the three of us as we smiled.

Granite, Misty, and I have been best friends since elementary school. We’ve always been there for each other, watching each other’s backs, and having all kinds of fun while we were at it. That little ritual we just did was like our version of how we make promises between the three of us, with each pose we made holding a significant meaning to them. I couldn’t remember when we made it, but after a while, it was ingrained enough for us to make into our own thing.

With the ritual done, we lowered our fists and chuckled our worries away, like whatever happens from that point on, things will turn out okay. After a bit, another thought came to mind that I just couldn’t manage to shake off.

“Hey guys, can I ask you something?” I asked.

“I don’t know, can you?” Granite asked with a raised brow and a smirk.

“I think you mean ‘may I ask you something,’ but of course, we’ll listen,” Misty answered.

“Have either of you ever had any recurring dreams?”

Granite and Misty looked up and hummed.

“Can’t say that I have. At least, nothing out of the ordinary,” Misty answered.

“Same here. Why? You been gettin’ any?” Granite asked.

“Yeah, it’s been coming to me over the last few weeks, which I think is also a part of why I’ve been having trouble sleeping too,” I said.

“What are they about?” Misty asked.

“Basically, I’m just floating in complete darkness with no idea where I am, or which way I’m going. There was only somepony calling out to me, and after a few moments of trying to follow it, a bright, glowing chain suddenly appeared in front of me. I then followed the chain to the voice where other links were coming from different directions until they come together into one big glowing lump.”

“A lump?” Granite asked.

“It was made out of all the chains wrapping and conjoining together, of course, but I couldn’t see what was under all of those layers. I only had that voice to go by.”

“Do you know who it belonged to?” Misty asked.

“It was a mare’s, but I’ve never seen the pony who spoke it. It would make sense that I don’t know who the pony is either, but… I don’t know why, but it sounds familiar, somehow. Like I’ve heard this voice all of my life.”

“Did you try to see who was under that lump of chains?” Granite asked.

“I would pull myself closer to that lump, but every time I did, things got brighter and brighter until I woke up, never giving me the chance to even touch it.”

“Hmm… And you said this dream has been coming back to you every night?” Misty asked.

“For the last few weeks, yes,” I answered. “Have either of you ever had a dream similar to that?”

“Nope.”

“I would certainly tell you if I had, but no. What was the mare’s voice like?”

“How do I describe it?” I looked up. “It had a motherly-like tone to it, very caring and mature, almost like Princess Celestia’s, but different. It was otherworldly too, something you don’t hear a lot from other ponies.”

“Well, we would certainly know somepony with a description like that if we ever met her,” Misty said.

“Are you sure it wasn’t Princess Celestia with her voice muffled from all the chains on top of her?” Granite asked.

“No. The lump of chains would be much bigger if that were the case,” I answered. “The lump I saw in the dream was holding a regular sized mare, maybe a little taller than my mom if I had to make a comparison.”

We all hummed as we tried to think hard about what exactly I saw in my dream, but no luck.

“Well, if it keeps coming after school ends, maybe we can look into it more while we try to get our cutie marks over the summer,” Misty asked. “We’ll certainly have plenty of time to do a lot of things, so there’s no reason to rush.”

“I guess.” Still, if this voice was that familiar to me, why would she be calling out to me now rather than earlier in the past? Was she trying to have me reach for her, or… was she trying to come to me, but those chains were holding her back? What are those chains, anyway? Can chains ever be enchanted to become something like that, or is there something more to them that I’m not aware of? I’ll have to look into that at some point.

“Alright, trainees! We’re nearing the end of the day, so let’s finish today off with a few sparring matches!”

“SIR YES SIR!”

About freaking damn time. Even after a year of doing this shit, I still haven’t gotten used to this.

I was standing at attention in a line of ponies between two stallions. The one on my right was a light green pegasus with a messy pale blonde mane stretching to his shoulders, a head taller than me, and with shins covered in bandages along with his arms up to the elbows. There were bags under his eyes, and though he looked tired, he tried not to yawn so our Drill Sergeant wouldn’t give him a reprimand. Strange how he was more tired from sleepiness than exhaustion, I had to admit that. I wasn’t sure why he was like that, though.

On my left was another stallion with a white coat, three different shades of blue on his mane and tail, and a more muscular build than I usually see in other unicorns, half a head taller than me. He stared ahead with a hardened gaze, made to look as stoic as possible and not flinch under any circumstance. My heart raced slightly as I scrolled down to his lower half where he was wearing the same black shorts as everypony else in the line.

Ooh, if only those shorts conformed around our bodies just a little more…

“Now then!” the sergeant exclaimed, snapping me out and looking straight ahead as he passed by us. “First match, Nil, take off the bandages, you’re up against Brainiac!”

“Sir. Permission to keep them on, please,” the pegasus next to me requested while keeping a straight face.

“DENIED! I want them off now, trainee!”

“Yes sir.” He quickly unraveled the bandages around his arms first, revealing thin steel plates under them while the sergeant walked off to one of the sparring rings.

“Hey Lumina, could you watch these for me, please?” Nil asked me as he took off the plates and worked on the bandages on his legs next, which also had plates of similar material with different sizes underneath.

“Sure thing,” I answered.

“Good luck,” the white unicorn next to me said.

When he took off the last one, he stacked the plates and bandages on top and passed them to me. I held onto them and he jogged to the sparring ring where Brainiac, another unicorn, was waiting with his arms crossed.

“About time,” Brainiac said. “Let the record show that today will be the day that I will finally take you down and prove to the entire E.U.P. Guard that—”

“Can we get this over with, please? I’d rather not dawdle for too long,” Nil said as he popped his neck and stretched.

“Hey, Shining Armor,” I whispered to the white unicorn next to me. “Have you figured out why he always wears these plates?”

“Not really, no,” he answered. “All he said was that it helps him relax a little. He has a spare set in our room, along with plenty extra rolls of clean bandages to use too. What’s strange, though, is that he wears them even in his sleep, and he doesn’t take too long in the showers when he has them off.”

The moment he said ‘showers,’ my mind quickly wandered to an image of a soaking wet, steaming Shining Armor scrubbing himself with soap while what was below him was all up to imagination. My face warmed up and I swallowed my watering mouth from the thought of it.

“That’s… good to know, thanks,” I said.

“Hey, what’s the deal with Brainiac and Nil, anyway?” one of the other trainees asked as another conversation in a group started.

“Don’t you remember? They made the highest scores in the entrance exams, with Nil getting a perfect hundred while Brainiac got a ninety-nine. Brainiac’s been trying to one-up him ever since.”

“Remember how shocked he was when Nil first used that here?”

“Yeah, I remember that all too well, too. With Nil’s laid-back attitude, he became the ‘Idle Prodigy’ in this class.”

“It’s not allowed for these spars because of the wings, right? You think he’ll still do it?”

“With how much of a hurry he’s in, I think so. Don’t know why he’d throw away matches like that even knowing about it, though. He’s better when it comes to the practices and courses, strangely enough.”

That’s because he was still wearing those plates, right? Wonder if he feels safer wearing them than not?

“Alright, best two out of three rounds wins the match!” the sergeant exclaimed. Brainiac and Nil got into a fighting stance as the sergeant raised his hand up. “Round one. FIGHT!” He chops the air between the two, commencing the match.

Nil and Brainiac moved in a circle as they kept eye contact and their guards up. As soon as Brainiac made the first move with an oncoming punch, Nil dodged and grabbed his arm, and tried to throw him down. Brainiac acted quickly and wiggled out of Nil’s grip, spacing himself away from him and back to his fighting stance.

“HA! Is that the best you can—GAH!”

Nil rushed forward at an incredible speed, interrupting Brainiac’s gloat by trapping his legs with one of his own and using it as leverage to push the unicorn down to the ground. Nil quickly pinned him down by the shoulder and waist with his hand and knee, and finished him off with an assumed punch in the face.

“Round one goes to Nil!” the sergeant declared.

“You may want to save all comments until the end of the fight, you know?” Nil asked as he stood up and offered his hand to lift Brainiac to his hooves.

Brainiac sneered and stood up on his own. “I don’t need you to tell me that. I’ll get you next round.” The two stallions moved back to their positions in a fighting stance, Brainiac’s glare was more hardened than the beginning of the match while Nil’s still had that slightly tired, but attentive half-lidded stare.

“Huh, he won the first round, that’s rare,” one of the trainees commented.

“Think he’ll actually try to win this time?”

“Five bits says he’ll throw it down with that the next round.”

“You’re on.”

“Round two. FIGHT!” the sergeant exclaimed as he chopped his hand down between them.

Brainiac didn’t wait and charged at Nil. As soon as he was close enough, it happened…

With a small flap with his wings, Nil suddenly appeared behind Brainiac at the blink of an eye, and used his attacker’s momentum to tumble him to the ground. Nil acted quickly and pinned him down with a hoof to his back, stretched his straightened arm out behind him, and made a small push that strained Brainiac to the point of pain.

“OW OW OW OW! Alright alright! I give!” Brainiac yelled as he repeatedly tapped on the ground with his free hand before Nil let him go.

“Penalty! Use of wings! Restarting second round!” the sergeant announced before turning to Nil. “This is your first warning, Nil. Use them again, and Brainiac will be declared winner by default… again.”

“Yes sir,” Nil replied stoically.

“Did you see that?! He did it!” one of the trainees exclaimed in a whisper. “That was the Featherstep, right? I think he got faster this time.”

“Yeah. I heard you’d need as much time and training as the Commander of Offense took to master that technique. Nopony knows when Nil mastered it, but he did it on the first day of training like it was a walk in the park!”

“So is that what made Nil the ‘Idle Prodigy?’”

“You bet, and from the looks of it, he didn’t skip out on his practice with it since he got here.”

Sheesh, go kiss his hooves why don’t you? I thought. Don’t they even remember what he does sometimes?

Like one of the trainees predicted, Nil used the Featherstep on his second try, and threw the match to Brainiac within a couple seconds.

“Nil, you need to not rely on the Featherstep so much to get by,” the sergeant said. “There will come a time when you won’t be able to use it, and if you don’t have any back up plans, you’re done for. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Nil answered with a nod before quickly jogging back to the line while Brainiac walked to his spot grumbling to himself.

“Yes, five bits for me.”

“Dammit. Hey, how come Brainiac gets grumpy even though he wins?”

“I think it was about not winning fairly, or something. Can’t say I really blame him for feeling that way, though.”

I passed back Nil’s plates and bandages and he took them with a smile. “Thanks for watching these.”

“Don’t mention it,” I said before he started putting the plates and bandages back on from the legs up.

“Alright, next match. Shining Armor! Lumina! You’re up!”

Oh, fuck me! I have to spar with him?!

“Guess we’re up next,” Shining Armor said as he turned to me with a smile. “We haven’t done this for a while together, haven’t we? Let’s make the best out of it.”

“Um… Sure thing,” I said before forcing a smile of my own.

We walked up to the sparring ring where the sergeant was, took our spots from opposite sides, and got into a fighting stance.

“Alright, same as before! The pony who wins best two out of three rounds wins the match!” the sergeant announced as he raised his hand up.

“Best of luck to you, Lumina,” Shining Armor said with a determined smile.

“Thanks… Same to you,” I returned. I could only imagine what the other mares in the group were saying about me, and they were not pretty. I knew Shining Armor and I were talked about a lot in the training camp along with Nil, but I think what they’ve said about me were a little demeaning compared to the other two. I was just glad my roommate Creamy was chill with me compared to the others. I even saw her giving me a thumbs up from where I was standing.

“Round one. FIGHT!” the sergeant announced with a chop.

Our spar went underway almost immediately. Shining Armor and I exchanged blows, blocking each other’s punches and kicks while trying to get an opening. Suddenly, when I gave him a roundhouse, Shining Armor squatted and did a sweep. I yelped as I was tripped onto my back. He quickly pinned me down with his knees on top of my legs and a hand holding my shoulder. As he prepared for a fake punch to my head, I took advantage of the position I was in to take a good look at his cobalt blue eyes. I’ve seen a lot of ponies back in Trottingham before I was enrolled in the Guard Academy, and when I looked into those eyes, I could see how he wasn’t like anypony else I’ve met up to that point. They were almost glimmering with his passion, hope, and resolve to achieve great things, all while showing kindness, respect, and friendly cooperation with other ponies. I wasn’t sure if he was like that with all ponies he talks to, but I couldn’t help but feel a little happy and glad that I made good friends with him, despite the hostility I showed to everypony, including him, during my first few weeks of my time in the academy.

“Lumina? Are you alright? I wasn’t too rough with you, was I?” Shining asked with his open hand toward me, snapping me out of my daze.

“H-Huh? Oh, no, don’t worry, I was just off-guard,” I said as I grasped his hand and he pulled me up to my hooves.

The next two rounds were similar to the first when it came to exchanging blows. I won the second by getting him in a leg lock, and the third I had him in an underarm headlock. It took more out of us than I thought, which showed from our slightly sweaty faces.

“Excellent demonstrations, you two,” the sergeant said as he patted our backs. “Back to the lines. Uppercut! Left Hook! You’re up!”

We jogged back to our spots while the next two ponies took the ring. “You got me good there, Lumina,” Shining Armor complimented while rubbing the back of his head with a grin. “Guess we both know who’s on top for now.”

Nil snickered before I jabbed his ribs with my elbow.

“It’s nothing. You almost had me a few times, yourself,” I said. “We’re going to walk around town for a bit after practice. Wanna come with?”

“I’d love to, but I need to keep up with my studies tonight, especially with what’s happening tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? What’s tomorrow?”

“Sergeant will remind us after the spars are over. You’ll see what I mean.”

I raised a brow and shrugged before the three of us watched the rest of the matches in silence, not caring for some of the quiet chatters from the other trainees.

“Alright! Now before we finish today, I have an important reminder for all of you,” the sergeant announced after the last pair of trainees went back to their lines. “Tomorrow, the Commanders of Offense and Defense will be stopping by to evaluate you trainees and discuss your progress to your draft into the E.U.P. Guard.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine when I heard ‘Commander of Defense.’ Oh no… Not this again.

“You will learn the details in the morning,” the sergeant continued, “but it’s most important to show what you can do to serve Princess Celestia and protect her along with the citizens of Canterlot. So I want you all to give everything you’ve got before they come and meet with each of you to discuss your futures. You’re dismissed!”

“SIR YES SIR!”

“Aaaaagh! I can’t believe this! Why is this even happening?! Why do I have to go through with this?! And should you even be reading that at a time like this?!”

I was venting my frustrations to Nil as we walked the streets of Canterlot to a diner we sometimes go to for dinner. We went to our rooms after our day of training to change into more comfortable clothing before we headed out. Ponies in the E.U.P. Guard Academy were allowed to stroll around the city until curfew, which was one of the few things I was thankful for, as I wasn’t sure if I could live with myself if I had to stay cooped in there for so long. I was in a comfortable t-shirt and jeans with my violet mane tied in a pony-tail, while Nil had a foreign attire (I think he called the beige shirt and pants set a jinbei, and the dark green jacket a haori?) that looked more like comfy pajamas than clothing. He also had a worn out, black bucket hat sitting on his head.

“It’s your fault for introducing me to these books, you know. I’m near the end of a good act, and I wanted to see it as soon as practice was over. I couldn’t possibly put this down now,” Nil explained as his eyes were glued to the erotica called Of Reins and Fantasies in his hand as we walked. “Frankly, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Having superiors evaluating you is one thing, but you don’t seem like the kind of pony who really cares for that.”

“It’s not the evaluation that I’m worried about,” I said before sighing. “It’s that I have to face the Commander of Defense.”

“Do you know him?”

“No. He’s just… How should I put this? He’s—”

“Intimidating? Scary? A force to be reckoned with?”

“How about all three?”

“I would have to agree with you on that. For somepony who specializes in defense tactics, he certainly brings more of an offensive aura to his being.”

“It’s his eyes that really get me. What’s worse is that even though I don’t know him, he knows about me, at least to an extent.”

“Is it because of you being in the academy under ‘special recommendation?’” He made air quotes with his free hand.

“Pretty much,” I sighed.

Unlike the rest of the trainees like Nil and Shining Armor, who got in the academy through an entrance exam, I was put in thanks to my bitch of a private teacher, as she has connections to the Royal Guard. I was introduced to the class during orientation, and that was part of how I got my bad rep. Shining Armor and Nil were the only ponies who were okay with me being there, while my roommate Cream Cloud (whom I call Creamy) took a bit longer to warm up to me.

“So much for this teaching me discipline,” I grumbled while I crossed my arms.

“Ah yes, I believe you made your dislike for the academy quite clear during the first two weeks.”

“What about you? What’s your reason for being there again?”

“It’s really for my personal gain. Nothing too special.”

Not with how you’re being so cryptic about it.

“*Sigh* That was nice,” Nil said as he placed a bookmark on a page of the erotica and placed it in his coat pocket. “Back to our previous subject, though things may seem bleak, at least there’s one good thing that happened today for you.”

“What’s that?”

“You pressed yourself on Shining Armor’s back during that headlock.”

I whipped my head to him with heated cheeks. “W-what?”

“That was your attempt to flirt with him, was it not? Though your 36DD breasts were big enough to make it possible, I doubt Shining Armor would notice that in—OW OW OW OW!”

I was twisting his arm, tempted to pop it out of his socket as I pierced a fiery glare through him. “Nil… How did you know my bra size?”

“It… was difficult not to remember when you had your black-laced bra hanging on your door—GYAAGH!”

“Remember how I told you things like that should be kept discreet in public? You say something like that again, and I’ll dislocate your shoulder next. Understand?”

“YES! YES! I understand! Just let me go please!”

“Tch.” I tossed his arm, and he babied it as we continued walking, ignoring some of the stares we were receiving from the locals. “Seriously, are you still this perverted after everything I taught you?”

“I had a complicated life, okay? Cut me some slack.”

“Whatever.”

“Going back to what I was saying before though, why don’t you try telling him how you feel if you like him so much?”

I sighed and rubbed my eyes before looking down the path in front of us with folded ears. “I don’t know, Nil. Part of me wants to, and I have good reasons for liking him, but—”

“HEY! Somepony stop that runaway gem!”

“Huh?”

“So have we got this weekend figured out?” I asked as I was walking the girls back to their homes, Granite’s being the first since hers was closer.

“Mhm. Head to the movie, have lunch, go to the arcade, and finally relax at the park,” Misty said as she counted the events on her fingers.

“I’m so psyched to see Shanghorse Knights,” Granite said as she tightened her first with a grin. “When a movie has Whinny Chan in it, you know there’ll be some kick-ass action going on.”

“I find the concept of ponies from different cultures getting together rather interesting myself,” Misty commented. “It also looked pretty funny, too. We’ll be spending the rest of the weekend studying for finals after that, correct?”

“Yeah,” I replied with a nod. “Thought it might be a good idea to have as much fun as we can get out of our system before we put all our efforts into studying. Wait, did we decide where we’ll hold the first one for the day after?”

“I nominate Star’s crib!” Granite exclaimed while raising her hand up.

“Seconded!” Misty followed.

My body tensed up from the girls’ outburst. “Uh… Are you two sure about that?”

“Your parents aren’t that bad if that’s what you’re tryin’ to get at,” Granite said. “Embarrassing, yeah, but they’re still pretty cool.”

“Better than mine, to be honest,” Misty commented. “Do you not like us being in your home?”

“No no, it’s not like that at all,” I said while shaking my hands out front. “It’s just… Mom and Dad are going to be gone most of the day for work this weekend.”

There was a brief pause as we stopped walking. The girls glanced at each other then back to me. “So? Isn’t that better? You won’t have your mom babying you with us around, right?” Granite asked.

“I don’t see the issue, either,” Misty commented. “Could you elaborate, please?”

“Um…” How do I tell them that the three of us will be alone in the house? I thought. Wait, why am I feeling so nervous about something like that? We’re all best friends here, basically hanging out like we always do. Just without Mom and Dad around. Not much different when I’m by myself there sometimes, too. I’m capable of making my own food, I could even prepare snacks and lunch for the girls if they want. They’ll probably like that. What’s to be worked up about?

“You know what, you’re right,” I resigned. “I’m probably just thinking too much. I’d love to have you two over.”

“Great!” Granite said before slapping me on the back. “That’s settled then—”

“HEY! Somepony stop that runaway gem!”

“Huh?”

The three of us glanced around to see who shouted until I saw a fist-sized emerald rolling toward me. It bumped against my hoof and rattled on the ground before I picked it up. When I looked up, there was an orange colt in very different attire running towards us. When he caught up, he rested his hands on his knees and gasped for breath. He was an earth pony, about Misty’s height, with a fiery-colored mane and a short tail. He only had a black vest with yellow trimmings on his build with no shirt underneath, goggles strapped around his forehead, and beige shorts. There was a cutiemark containing a silhouette of a dragon surrounded by flames on his arm.

When he caught his breath, he looked up with orange eyes. “H-Hey... could I... have that back please?”

Clearly, he wasn’t a Canterlite. I didn’t know what he was doing here in town, but I could tell he needed the gem. It could have been his only currency to pay for something, so I didn’t think too much on what to do with it. “Sure. Here you go. Try not to lose it again, okay?” I asked as I handed it back to him.

“Sweet! You’re a lifesaver! I thought I’d lost my dinner!” the colt exclaimed.

“Don’t mention it. I’d be bummed out too if I lost something to pay for—”

CRUNCH!

The three of us went completely silent as we heard crunching sounds from the colt. There was a bite mark on the emerald that wasn’t there before I handed it back to him. He swallowed and took a few more bites out of the gem as we just stood there with jaws agape.

Finally, he tossed the remainder of the gem in the air, caught it in his mouth, and finished what was left before licking his lips of the emerald’s remnants while rubbing his stomach. “Ah, that will get me through tonight,” he sighed before flashing a big smile at me. “Thanks again, dude! I owe you one!” He then dashed off, leaving the three of us in the lingering dust.

“Did that colt just… eat a gem?” a new voice asked.

I turned to the source and my eyes widened. There was a creamy yellow colored unicorn mare with a violet mane and tail staring in the direction of the strange colt that just left. She was well endowed, fit, and had the curves in the right places as I quickly scanned her figure. When I saw her face though, something clicked in my mind.

Have I… seen this mare somewhere before?

But just like how it came, that feeling disappeared in an instant, leaving me unable to recall that cryptic memory.

“Th-That’s not possible,” the pony next to the mare mumbled. “This just—this just can’t be right.”

Her acquaintance was a light green pegasus stallion with a messy light blonde mane and tail. He almost looked like a beggar with his worn out, baggy, even more foreign clothing than the orange colt. The black bucket hat that was slightly shadowing his eyes made him all the shadier.

“Come on, let’s just go,” the mare said as she patted the stallion’s back, who kept mumbling too incoherently for me to hear. She then turned to the three of us, her violet eyes somehow catching my crimson ones. “You three should get going too. Don’t stay out too late, all right?”

I blinked a few times. “Y-Yeah, sure.”

The pair then passed by with the mare’s hand still rubbing the stallion’s back, who was shivering and still speaking gibberish as the three of us watched them walked.

“Wow… She looked so pretty,” Misty said.

Pretty doesn’t even begin to describe her.

“Oh shit! I gotta get going!” Granite exclaimed, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I’m gonna be late if I don’t get home. I’ll see you tomorrow!” She then ran off in the direction of where her home was, leaving me and Misty by ourselves.

“See you,” I said as we waved.

“Well, shall we head to my home, then?” Misty asked.

“Yeah, sure.” I fixed my backpack and we went to Misty’s home next as I tried to replay what happened in my head. The strange colt eating the gem aside, who was that mare? I don’t see her around here very much, but I feel like I know her from somewhere. But how could I not even remember somepony like that? Ugh, this is just going to bug me if I keep thinking about it. I should just let it go. It’s not like I’ll see her again, right?

“Starry?” Misty asked.

“Huh?”

“Did you hear what I said?”

“Uh…”

“Were you thinking about that mare from earlier?”

“No,” I replied too quickly.

“Liar. You think she’s pretty too, don’t you?” Misty pouted and puffed her cheeks while crossing her arms.

“No! Of course not!”

Misty still kept her face and gesture, not convinced.

I sighed. “Okay, maybe I think she’s cute, but so what? I’m not going to find her and ask her out. She looked much older than me.”

“Uh huh,” she deadpanned as we walked. She kept her posture while taking a few steps further ahead of me.

“I don’t see what you’re getting so worked up about. It’s not like I don’t think of you as being cute.”

Misty then stopped and unfurled one of her wings to block my path, making me skid to a halt. “Do you… really think I’m cute?”

My face heated up as I just remembered what I said a moment ago. I glanced to the side and scratched the back of my head. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” While part of me didn’t want Misty to press the issue any further, I couldn’t help but feel there was some truth in that statement.

After a pause, Misty cleared her throat and folded her wing back. “Well I would certainly hope so. You wouldn’t know how hard it is for somepony like myself to maintain a marely figure.”

“So you’re saying you’ll turn into a stallion if you don’t? That’s kind of a relief.” I snickered as Misty turned to me with her face reddened.

“I didn’t mean it like that you big jerk!” She delivered a flurry of fists on my chest as I chuckled.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

Just like that, the awkward air between us blew away in an instant as Misty sighed before we continued walking.

“So what was it that you were saying before?” I asked.

“I was saying I was looking forward to the trip to Horseshoe Bay this summer,” Misty answered. “We’re still planning on going there, correct?”

“I’ll double check with Mom and Dad, but yeah, definitely.”

“Good. Because I want this summer to be as memorable with you as possible.” A brief pause passed between us before Misty flailed her arms with flushed cheeks. “And Granite! I want this summer to be as memorable with you and Granite as possible! That’s what I meant to say! Really!”

“Uh, okay. No need to tell me twice.” Wonder what’s gotten her so flustered?

After I dropped Misty off at her home, I went back to mine just as things were getting dark. When I approached the front door and reached for the knob, a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Oh good, you’re back. I was hoping you’d get here in time for us to talk.”

I turned to the source, and saw my dad, Marine Night. He was a dark blue unicorn stallion in a blackish blue uniform. His mane and tail were as black as mine, his eyes also as crimson as my own. On his uniform were badges, patches, and straps on his chest and shoulders, one badge in particular represented his cutiemark as a maroon shield with a black six pointed star in the center. He was sitting on the edge of our porch as he looked at me with a smile.

“Oh hey, Dad!” I walked over to him and we shared a brief hug before he rustled my mane. “You’re here earlier than usual.”

“I actually would have gotten here sooner if I hadn’t been held up with some last-minute assignments. Getting ready to interview the trainees tomorrow, plus preparing for the gala on Monday, it’s getting rather hectic around the castle lately.”

“Think you’ve found some new recruits for your squad?”

“There’s a good lineup this year, but that’s not what I’m here to talk with you about. Have a seat.”

I nodded and sat on the porch’s edge next to my dad, the Commander of Defense in the Royal Guard. I honestly get a little nervous with how serious he can be with discussions like these sometimes, but none were anything about me doing something wrong to a high degree.

“I realize it’s a little late to ask before your last year in middle school ends, Starry, but do you still want to attend the School for Gifted Unicorns?”

“Yes! I want to take part in the program they’re holding as well. The information’s in this flyer.” I pulled out the paper from my backpack and passed it over to Dad, who inspected it thoroughly.

“Mhm, and you’ve been keeping up with your studies?”

“Of course! Both in academics and magic!”

“Alright, let’s see what you can do with the latter then. Show me how you’re doing with the force field spell.”

Ah, crap. “Okay, I’ll try.” I stood up, took a deep breath and rubbed my hands together. I closed my eyes, pointed one of my fingers in the air, and concentrated the magic to go from my horn to the tip I was directing upwards. I slowly opened my eyes to see a bright blue light on my fingertip, and with one flick, I shot it up in the air, and it exploded, spreading and covering me and Dad like an umbrella changing into a sphere. I opened my hand and focused on maintaining the field around us while Dad took out a pocket watch to keep track of the time. Sweat started to form on my brow, and my breaths became harsh as the seconds passing by felt like hours.

I held on for as long as I could, but I stopped once I felt pain starting to form on my horn, something Dad and Mom advised I should do if I pushed myself too far. The shield shattered like glass and collapsed as it disappeared. I fell on my hands and knees while panting for breath, one of the former lightly touching my horn to be sure it was doing okay.

“Two minutes, twenty-five seconds,” Dad announced.

“R-Really?” I asked between breaths. “That’s better than what I had before.”

Dad walked in front of me and sat on one knee. “Starry, may I ask why you want to attend the school?”

“I want to get better with magic, of course,” I answered as I got on my own knees.

“Is that all there is to it?”

I opened my mouth, but didn’t say anything. I closed it then glanced to the side. “Well…”

“Could it have something to do with this?” Dad lightly patted one of my arm’s sides and I winced. The touch didn’t hurt, but he was on the mark on what I was trying to accomplish.

“I just thought… if I can get into that school, I’ll have a better chance to know what my special talent is. Plus, there was that promise I made.”

“I see. Starry, I understand what you’re trying to accomplish, but you must remember that there are other ways to earn your cutiemark, and there is never only one option in any situation. Mastering the shield spell may be an impressive feat, but it’s not the only way to get in the school if you really want to. Same goes for keeping the promise you made so long ago. I may not have been there when you made it, but seeing you remember it must really mean something to you, doesn’t it?”

I looked up and nodded with ears folded.

“If you’re that determined to keep that promise and getting into the school, there are times in life when we have to make do with what we have on hand. We can only do what we can with our own power. We’re the only ones to decide whether we can surpass ourselves or not, and only we know how to make the most of what we have. Once you know what your special talent is, whether it’s before or after you get in the school, then there are numerous possibilities to what you can do to achieve all your goals.”

“So does that mean I can get in the school?”

Dad gave a small smile. “Tell you what. I’ll get you in this program here for the few weeks listed, but during that time, I want you to keep practicing the force field spell until you’re able to hold one of any size for at least a half hour. I also want you to find and master a new challenging spell that interests you along the way. If you’re able to do at least one of these and still want to attend the school after seeing how they run the classes, then I’ll talk to your mother about applying you for the entrance exam.”

“You really mean it?!”

“Yes, but don’t forget that you’ll need to earn a good grade from your finals next week as well to make this possible. Think you can do that?”

“Absolutely! It’s a deal!” We confirmed our agreement with a handshake. A big grin was plastered on my face while Dad chuckled. “Oh! I almost forgot, but we’re still going to Horseshoe Bay this summer with Granite and Misty, right?”

“Your mother and I have already scheduled our vacation time off from work. Of course, we wouldn’t leave without taking your marefriends along.”

Heat rose in my cheeks as I glance to the side. “Uh, I’m not dating either one of them, you know.”

“Who said you were dating them?” Dad raised a brow with a smirk.

“…Shut up.”

“Alright you two, enough games.”

Dad and I turned to my mom, Olive Heart, who was standing in the doorway as she called us. She was a white unicorn with a light green mane that stretched below her shoulders and matching tail, wearing a white button-up shirt and skirt as she too came back from her job at the Royal Guard’s medical squad a while ago.

“Come on in before your dinner gets cold. There’s plenty to eat,” Mom said with a smile.

“Great, I’m starved,” Dad said.

“Me too!” I agreed as I grabbed my bag before the two of us went inside.

I had a nice shower after dinner was done, and I was in a comfy pair of pajamas while sitting on my bed with my stuffed bear, Bearbert. I cast a sound proof spell in my room so nopony would hear my private conversation with my inanimate friend.

“Just think. I just need to do well in finals and the program in the next few weeks, and I’m sure to get in the School for Gifted Unicorns. Can you imagine all the spells I could learn while I’m there?”

“…”

“I know I should listen to what Dad said too, but still, this is pretty big.”

“…”

“Huh? What do you mean ‘what about Granite and Misty?’ Of course I’ll still make time to hang out with them. They’re my best friends, after all.”

“…”

“What do I think about them? Can you be more specific?”

“…”

“Well of course I like them. That’s kind of silly to ask, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Do I like like them? What makes you think I’m like that with them? I mean, they’re both pretty amazing. I can’t deny that. Granite’s strong, protective, and though she can get deviant and a bit egotistic sometimes, you gotta admire her passion to be Equestria’s top fighter. I still haven’t beaten her in any of our spars yet. Misty, even when she’s sometimes too prideful from compliments and a stickler for cleanliness, she’s headstrong, generous, and quite intelligent. It’s also really something how she wants to find her own path instead of taking over her family’s weather machine business.

“And to top it all off, they’re both pretty cute in their own ways. Misty can be adorable thanks to her petite figure, and the way she dresses also adds charm to her looks. Granite’s also pretty attractive, with her puberty taking effect to her height, some muscles, and even some places like… Wait, why am I rambling so much about this? Bearbert, I’m blaming you for making me say those things, especially almost about something that could be thanks to those magazines in Dad’s secret stash.”

“…”

I sighed. “Okay, maybe I have some special feelings for them, but I can’t confess to them. I’ve known them most of my lifetime, and I’d rather keep our friendship intact instead of complicating it with romance. I can’t really be anypony’s special somepony if I don’t become a strong and dependable stallion, like I promised to her all those years ago. I don’t think I can be in a relationship with anypony if I don’t live up to it. Plus, I’m pretty sure a mare wouldn’t want a pervert who has gone into those kinds of magazines at least once every other week.”

“…”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I got curious of a box I found in my parents’ room, that goes double with Granite’s mom with that ‘special room’ in her boutique. You can never beat curiosity to something once it’s introduced, you know.”

“…”

“Ah whatever, I’m heading to bed.” I placed Bearbert back on my nightstand and turned out the lights with my magic before slipping under the covers.