"I can talk the talk, but..."
The clopping of hooves against marble tile was the only sound accompanying Sunburst's trot down the Administration Hall of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. He wore the traditional white student's cloak that all students wore during the school year. He had set up an appointment with Princess Celestia, and only had about ten minutes of her time, which he did not intend to waste. Although she was ruler of all of Equestria, she was also headmaster of the School for Gifted Unicorns, and tried to spend at least an hour a day on school grounds.
He quickly found her office at the end of the hall, and approached the guard.
"I have an appointment with the Princess." Sunburst told the guard.
"Let him in, he's expected." Came the Princess' voice through the door, obviously hearing Sunburst announce himself through the door. The guard opened the door and let the orange unicorn pass. He walked into the gorgeous office, where the walls were decorated with various awards the school had been given, as well as portraits of some of the most gifted mages the school had educated. He didn't let his eyes wander too long; he had been in here before, and approached the desk where Celestia was sitting to get to business.
"Good afternoon, Sunburst. How can I help you?" Celestia asked. Her student standing on the other side of the desk cleared his throat.
"I won't waste your time, Your Majesty. I'm here to give you this, along with any explanation you may want." Sunburst began, levitating a rolled scroll over to Celestia's desk and set it down. She promptly picked it up and unrolled it. Her eyes went from left to right as she read the document, and try as he did, Sunburst couldn't get a read on the monarch's expression. After half a minute, her eyes left the document, and focused on the unicorn standing on the other side of her desk.
"This is an official dropout notice, signed and dated. I trust you've already thought a great deal about this, and haven't made this decision lightly." She told him, softly but seriously.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"If I recall, you've attended our school for six years. Your parents have paid your tuition in full each semester, so you have no debt to your name, but to leave here without a diploma..."
"That's the main reason I'm doing this, Your Majesty. My written work... Oral exams, research papers, theses; they've been the only things keeping my grades afloat along with the anchor of applied knowledge... Actual spellcasting that's been pulling me down. As the applied criteria has gotten more demanding, my grades have been slipping more and more. Every written exam I'm given borders on mind-numbing. I can recite Starswirl's first fifty spells and their most appropriate applications from memory... But if you asked me to actually give a demonstration with them... I don't want to waste my parents' bits anymore."
"Have you spoken to your parents about this?" Celestia asked.
"I have," Sunburst began. "And their response was pretty much what I expected: if I leave without graduating, I'm to repay every single bit they spent sending me to this place, which is a perfectly reasonable demand. I have an interview at Canterlot's public library as a librarian for their arcane section. The pay isn't much, but it's a start, especially for a dropout. I know once I demonstrate what I can do, I can move up, or at least get a recommendation if I go elsewhere."
"Mm." Celestia began. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Next semester's curriculum covers Class 4 spells. I can barely manage Class 2. I pushed myself a little too hard when attempting a Class 3 Alteration spell, and I put myself in the infirmary for three days with a severe migraine. I'm afraid anything more would result in something not as temporary. I'm sure."
Celestia looked Sunburst in the eyes from across her desk. His eyes seemed to give off that he was indeed weary of this place. As this was quite a prestigious school, dropouts were few and far between, but they did happen. She got up and went to a filing cabinet, pulling out a file folder, and returned to her desk. She opened the folder, revealing Sunburst's student record. His claims were sound; his written and oral performance was second to none, but his applied spellcasting scores left quite a lot to be desired. If he was stuck at Class 2 spells, it wouldn't be right to ask him to continue on if it put his well being at risk.
She opened a drawer at her desk and took out a scroll, magically taking hold of one of several quills, dipped it in ink, and began quickly writing on it.
"I am sorry to see you go, Sunburst, but your reasons are good ones. I hope it doesn't take you too long to pay your parents back, and that you find your place in this world; where you can put your vast knowledge of the arcane to good use. Lastly..."
Celestia finished the scroll by signing her name and quickly stamped her official seal, rolling it up and levitating it over to Sunburst.
"A letter of recommendation, for wherever you go in life."
Sunburst accepted the scroll, the magical aura switching from a light gold to a light yellow; the change was nearly indiscernible.
"I-I-I... Don't know what to say, Your Majesty, other than... Thank you. Thank you very much."
She gave him an understanding nod.
"Best of luck to you, Sunburst."
Sunburst gave a curt bow, then turned and departed from Celestia's office. Although the disappointment lingered, the overwhelming sense of stress was lifted. He made his way out of the Administration hall, and for the last time, made his way into the dormitories. He came to his room, where his stuff was already neatly packed into his suitcase. He had made his mind up before even stepping into Celestia's office. He had the feeling that she might have tried to persuade him to stay and try to tough it out.
He removed the white cloak that served as the uniform of the School of Gifted Unicorns, and hung it neatly in the closet; the only article of clothing remaining. He then walked over to the bed and took hold of his personal cloak, a dark teal mage's cloak with aqua-colored stars on both sides. It wasn't hooded, but had a high collar that joined in the center with a personally designed clip. Although there weren't many occasions to wear it on school grounds, he always enjoyed wearing it when he could. The dark teal seemed to contrast perfectly with his coat and mane. He felt it was the best way to present himself to the head librarian at Canterlot Public Library, even with Celestia's personal recommendation. He looked at himself in the mirror, then grabbed his suitcase. He hadn't really made any friends here, so there was nopony to say goodbye to. He doubted he'd be missed.
"Come on, Sunburst. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Who knows where you'll go from here."
Author's Note
"Crystalling" by AssasinMonkey
