The Truth is a Harsh Mistress

by Lunias

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark, Sad, Mystery
Length: 6781

Equestria is doomed to fall into darkness. Will Dusty Tome and his friends be able to set things right, or will they be forced to watch the world crumble?

Dusty Tome, a unicorn stallion with a talent for Learning, attends Sparkle's School for Gifted Students in Canterlot. He gets good grades, exercises every now and then to stay in shape, and gets along well enough with his fellow students. So far he has lived a fulfilling life, and while nothing's perfect he has a gut feeling that everything is turning out fine!

His gut is wrong.

The School will soon be plunged into chaos, and solving the mystery behind it is the key to saving Equestria from its dark future. Will he and his friends be able to stop the mastermind's plot, or will the kingdom as they know it all come crashing down around them?

Notes:
Contains copious amounts of Nerd many references to creatures and spells from the Pathfinder RPG. If you see something that looks like it might be a re-skinned spell from that game, it probably is.

Additional Warnings:
Lots of swearing, although the worst ones are "ponified".

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-10-19 02:50:01 UTC

Chapter 1 - A Facade

My light hovered a foot or so above my head bathing the dark forest in a cool blue light. Trees twisted into various shapes to each side of the path, the cold nipped at my thin coat, and the autumn leaves rattled in the wind -

“Those aren’t leaves.”

I spun around as the creature clambered onto the trail behind me, an earth pony skeleton with an abnormal coloration holding a jagged dagger between its teeth.

“Bloody Skeleton. Heals fast. Weak to blunt force, won’t stay down for long. Need holy water.”

I grabbed a pair of flasks off my bandolier, my horn field glowing a strong green color, as I scanned the surroundings. Three - no, make that four more skeletons climbed the steep slope to my left, three pegasi and a unicorn. One flask was tossed their direction and made a satisfying pop as the liquid ice froze two skeleton’s hooves to the ground. Not a permanent solution, but I preferred waves to a horde.

I waited until the first skeleton started charging me to throw the second and my magic guided the throw true. The flask hit my target dead-center and a sticky black resin burst out, coating its body and causing its hooves to stick to the ground, its attack halted.

“Need protection. Cast Staunch Aegis to guard. Get some distance, make them come to you.”

The thought had barely entered my mind before I started casting, and by the time the two skeletons I hadn’t frozen reached the road a translucent shield hovered at the ready and I had moved further down the road. As expected the skeletons gave chase, a pegasi that flapped useless wings trailing behind a unicorn that leveled a broken horn as it charged. I suppressed a shudder at the sight as it rammed headfirst into the shield which had interposed itself between the monster and myself.

“Sizeable fallen branch to the right, useful as club. Fight one-on-one.”

At my urging the branch levitated and bludgeoned the unicorn skeleton, taking out its left legs in one swipe. I had just enough time to breath before the pegasi reached me, wings outstretched in a horrid display of avian bone structure. I struggled to maintain my grip on the club as it and my shield worked in tandem to block the frenzied swipes from the skeleton. As it pulled on my club I let it go and grabbed another pair of flasks - the first hit the ground, coating it with an oily substance and causing the skeleton to slip, while the second hit the pegasi on its barrel as a burst of alchemical fire set it aflame.

“Earth pony skeleton is breaking free. Need a diversion, buy time to whip up some holy water. Twinned Limning will do.”

I cast my spell just in time - the skeleton charged and crashed into my shield which fell apart under the immense pressure. It swung its knife at me. I dodged downwards and to its right, horn blazing with effort, and with a flash -

One of the remaining pegasi slammed into “me” only to pass straight through and crash into the earth pony skeleton. I ignored the urge to laugh from my spot just off the trail in the woods and continued mixing. The reserve spell lattice I kept packed away for emergencies burned away as it catalyzed the final reaction with holy power, blessing the contents of my canteen. With the most pressing issue solved I turned my attention back to the skeletons.

“No bludgeoning spells, but a concussive blast should work just fine.”

I pulled a sphere out of my saddlebags and levitated it over to the skeletons who were just starting to stand back up. I covered my ears as I applied pressure and twisted the cap before letting it drop between the two of them. The grenade exploded loudly as the force behind the fiery explosion battered the skeletons and I heard them fall apart from behind my tree. I sighed with relief and quickly left cover to anoint the skeletons and lay them to rest. I focused carefully on each body for signs of (un)life but found none and unscrewed the cap to my canteen.

I felt more than heard the remaining skeleton creeping up behind me as I sprinkled the holy water on one of the pegasi. I cursed as I tried conjuring up a basic shield but the force of its blow shattered my hastily-called barrier and knocked me over. My horn felt like someone had stomped on it, and in a way it had - abjurations broken by brute force usually cause the caster to take negative feedback. It swung a hoof at me. I dodged left and grabbed its hoof, pulling it. The skeleton staggered, off-balance. I turned and bucked as hard as I could. Not hard enough, despite the stinging pain in my hooves. It snapped at me with its teeth - I pulled away just as its jaw closed. It unfurled its wings and swung. I grabbed the nearest bone and blocked what I could, wings and hooves making contact with my barrel and legs. I moved back quickly and tried to throw a flask at it, but my hooves were unpracticed. The flask broke on the ground between us and I cried out as the acid splashed against my coat. I took solace knowing the skeleton had felt it as well.

“The other skeletons are reviving. Find it, quickly.”

I used the time to scan the forest and hill - I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The skeleton was coming at me again. I grabbed every bone I could reach with my magic and held them in front of me in a makeshift barrier. The pegasus skeleton slammed against the bones and I grunted with effort. I was stalling, and the skeleton hit my bone shield hard to wear me down. I grabbed my last flask and lifted it over the shield, hoping it would be enough to take out -

“Ah… hahaHA! You clever plothole!”

I put the flask down and instead ran my magic over my coat, feeling for anything abnormal, and sure enough it was there. I lifted the small paper disk in front of me and as the skeleton finally broke through the bone shield I cast a spell on the paper. The skeleton passed straight through me and vanished, followed shortly by the rest.

I sighed and laid down on the ground, tired, as the forest and hill around me shimmered and faded away to reveal an open courtyard nested at the bottom of a valley. It was a large grassy field with sidewalks criss-crossing at imperfect angles every now and again, a fountain with six statues depicting the Elements of Harmony sitting at one end next to a long, winding set of stairs built into the hillside. The yard looked rather plain, but I knew for a fact that it would be filled with flowers of all shapes and colors come spring. Somepony really put effort into maintaining the area.

I heard somepony clapping and looked up to see Professor Hazy Mirage smiling as he walked over and levitated a potion to me. I took it in my own field and drank it greedily, feeling a soothing sensation tingle along my body as it soothed my wounds and accelerated my body’s natural healing process. I’d still feel the bruises later, but for now I felt like I hadn’t been hit once.

Professor Mirage chuckled and said “Well done, Dusty Tome! Well done indeed!” I laughed a bit myself, blushing at the praise.

“I was a bit sloppy, to be honest, forgetting that fifth skeleton like that. But putting the illusion tag on my body? That was sneaky! I almost didn’t find it!”

The professor did a quick, joking bow to an imaginary audience. “All part of my brilliant test! So, how’d you find it? I hid it pretty thoroughly. Layering that many illusions on top of a powerful spell like that isn’t easy, you know!”

“To be honest, professor, it was mostly luck. I was using Twilight Sparkle’s Truth Sense to locate it, but it wasn’t going to find the tag if I couldn’t see it. When I lifted up that last flask I saw my back in the reflection and the spell picked it up.” I wasn’t thrilled that it had been mere chance that allowed me to succeed.

“Ha! Good to know! I didn’t put any reflective surfaces in that one, but I’ll have to work out a solution to that. Perhaps I’ll put it on the underside of the student’s barrel next time? But that area is more sensitive, they might feel it… Maybe if I layer another? But it already has so many! If I could just…” I rolled my eyes as the professor started mumbling to himself about ways to improve his spell. If I hadn’t cast Truth Sense beforehand I’d be quasi-real skeleton chow, ferried off to the medical wing.

“Well, anyway, back to business!” The professor spoke back up again, his talk of formulas and magical interference quickly forgotten. “You performed admirably, Dusty. I can tell your studies are paying off. That was excellent use of Trixie Lulamoon’s Twinned Limning, by the way!”

“Really? I kind of forgot to make my double blink. I thought they just didn’t notice because skeletons are mindless.”

“I wouldn’t have worried about that! Most ponies won’t take notice of a minor detail like that during a fight - hay, most casters won’t realize it until it’s too late if you time your spell right!”

I shrugged - who was I to argue with the School’s most talented illusionist? “So… I take it I passed then?”

Professor Mirage laughed. “With flying colors, no less!” He leaned in and whispered as if passing a secret. “Truth be told, your grades in this class are high enough that you’d have passed even if you couldn’t figure it out, so I decided to make things a little harder. You know, as a sort of challenge for my #1 student.” He stepped away and snarked “Of course, I should’ve known you’d use one of Princess Twilight’s spells against me. That’s basically the same as cheating.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess so. It took me months to get it to work right. Say, have you ever tested her?”

The professor groaned and said “By the stars, don’t even remind me. She’s truly one-of-a-kind. What do you think happened?”

I thought for a minute. “Um, she’s got plenty of skill and the raw power to back it up, so… I guess she’d use Truth Sense as a wide-radius detection spell rather than sensory alteration, pinpoint the tag’s location, and destroy it with some kind of force missile?” The professor’s eyes grew haunted and he shook his head. “No? Then, maybe she used an arcane sight spell to see where the illusion’s magic was originating and dispelled the source remotely?”

The professor sighed and looked down at the ground. “She didn’t use magic.”

I’m pretty sure even the crickets stopped chirping.

“WHAT?! How is that- no, how did- was it some kind of-”

He didn’t even look at me when he said “She’s by far the most intelligent mare I’ve ever met. She sat in on a few classes to see how I was faring as a teacher and took some notes. When she asked if she could do a demonstration for the class she told me to do whatever it took to fool her, so I cooked up the most elaborate veil I could think of. As soon as the test began she started rattling off her observations on my personality, just using what she saw in class, like she was analyzing my life. While she lectured she just walked over to where it was hidden and tore it in half with her bare hooves.”

I couldn’t believe it. No magic, no special powers, just deductive reasoning? “No way.” I breathed, in awe.

“Yes way. She turned back to the class and told them that in any kind of conflict the most dangerous opponent isn’t the one with strong spells, special powers, speed, physical strength - not even the most intelligent. No, the most dangerous enemy is the one who knows you, who understands you on a level that nobody else does. If you know how another pony thinks, how they’re likely to act and react, you control the course of the conflict.”

Amazing. “‘Princess of Friendship’, indeed. Must’ve been rough.”

He chuckled at that and smiled as he looked up at me. “Well, not really. I think I was part of the class in her mind that day. What she said has many implications for illusion magic as well - knowing how the enemy will act and react gives you a distinct advantage in that you can mold your spells to their expectations. It’s difficult, sometimes - empathizing with the enemy, that is - but it has merit. And, hay, if you understand the enemy you might not even need to fight.”

I understood that much. “I get it. She didn’t have to fight the creatures or the illusion you threw at her because she knew how you’d think. She avoided the conflict through understanding. That’s pretty ingenious.”

“It sure is! But enough about that. You ought to get back up to the college, lunch is going to start soon and you don’t want to miss the next meal - it’s one of those special ‘Exam Meal’ dealies where they really pull out all the stops. It’s supposed to be enhanced with stress-relieving herbs or something. Though, if your other exams are going as well as mine I suppose you won’t need them, eh?” he ribbed.

I blushed a bit again and said “Yeah, I’ll get going. Thanks for the story, Professor! Good luck with the rest of the students!” as I turned and trotted up the stair path back towards the School.

“Ha! You really ought to be wishing them luck!” He waved at me as I climbed the stairs, and as I got about halfway up I heard him shout “You better be signing up for my intermediate course next semester, young stallion! I’ll make a proper illusionist out of you yet!”

I snorted and let out a laugh that rang across the valley. “Wouldn’t dream of missing it!” I climbed up the rest of the stairs, a spring in my step, and gazed upon the wondrous architecture of Canterlot. As Equestria’s old capital city the buildings here were simply astounding, arching and reaching towards the sky in ways that framed the sun on its journey every day. The white marble reflected much of its light, making the city seem bright and cheery even on a cloudy day. There were monuments everywhere dedicated to the Princesses, heroes of old, and of course the six mares who saved the world time and time again.

The Elements of Harmony. Everypony knows they existed, once, but it has been a long time since the last mortal Bearer passed. They say Princess Twilight keeps them in her quarters at Ponyville. I’ve heard that the city expanded so rapidly that it became a hub of activity for the whole kingdom, and with the newest and most popular princess’ castle there it wasn’t long before most of the nobility moved from Canterlot. Which was all fine by me, of course - Sparkle’s School for Gifted Unicorns was devoted to education away from all the intricacies of politics and the nobility. Sure, lots of rich ponies lived here even now - And who could blame them? The city is gorgeous. - but they’re more often than not business-owners and rich retired ponies who want a nice quiet life. I half-expect that Princess Twilight petitioned for the capital’s relocation so her home-away-from-home would be more peaceful. Besides that, Princess Luna had a permanent residence at the Canterlot Castle and decided to stay after the move - the nobility never cared much for her anyway and were glad to be rid of her heavy hoof on the court. If you ask me I think she prefers it this way. Night Court is still held each night, though it’s not the same as it used to be. Nowadays the Princess gets more astronomy students and stargazers than petitioners and legal disputes, and she displays her nightly creations for the whole city to see. Nopony would call her princess-like in the strictest definition of the word, but there’s a casual beauty and grace to her countenance, a kind heart that resonates with the people, and a childlike glee that makes her very popular with the foals. We really couldn’t ask for better.

My thoughts trailed off as I reached the School’s imposing marebau timber doors etched with the unmistakeable symbol of the Element of Magic. I walked over to the side where the pull-chord for the doorbell sat and passed it, reaching out with my magic for the puzzle next to it. The solution changed daily, and you weren’t allowed entrance without solving it - the doorbell was for students who gave up. It was quite embarrassing to have the doors opened for you, but better to be embarrassed and inside than stubbornly prideful and outside. Today’s puzzle was rather tricky, and I considered casting Deductive Guage to supplement my thought process but realized the solution moments later and started twisting the pieces around. With a satisfying click they all fell into place and the door opened. I walked through and heard the whirring of the puzzle resetting as the doors closed behind me.

Tired as I was a break was in order. I dropped by the cafeteria and took a meal to go, and once I trudged up the stairs to my room I realized I was dead beat. I resigned myself to a nap, lazily casting a preservation spell on my meal so I wouldn’t have to put it away or reheat it later, and closed my eyes.

She looked down on the foal, tears flowing down her cheeks as she apologized. The sun was meant to set ten minutes ago, it wasn’t like her to miss her schedule, but she ignored the thoughts. With a gentle tenderness she lifted the colt in a soothing golden-yellow field, and despite her sobbing the colt giggled and cooed in her magic’s grasp. She allowed a smile to grace her features, the moment of happiness stirring up her guilt once more, and everything seemed so still for just a moment.

Light played across the broken glass just inside the window creating rainbows, mixing the world’s beauty with its harshness in a testament to the cruel irony of reality. She carried him through the front door, broken down at the hinges, out into the sunlight which persisted long after it should have been dark. As the colt reached out, grasping at strands of her hair, she held him at a distance. She couldn’t allow herself to feel joy after this. The mare absentmindedly began to sing an old, mournful song and started off on the long journey home.

The night came late that day.

Chapter 2 - Awakening

The sound of birds chirping outside my open window woke me from my sleep. I rolled out of my bed onto the floor, hoping the impact would make me more alert, but was only rewarded with a dull thud and an “Ow.” So much for that idea. I held onto the bedpost for support as I stood on shaking legs, then let go and started my trot along the Green Mile which led to the coffee machine. I took my time, wincing as each step caused pain from the early morning’s bruises. Groggily, I reached for - and missed - the coffee grounds once, twice, three times before I finally reached and grabbed it with both hooves, trying hard to balance on two legs.

I really don’t get what’s up with ponies and their fascination with bipedal stances. They make absolutely no sense and lack balance.

I poured them into the machine, started it up, and waited for a few minutes. Oddly it appeared to be a lighter color than usual - much lighter, in fact. I shook my head and cursed whoever invented mornings then took a sip of my UGH NOT COFFEE. I scowled and looked back over at the counter top where I had placed my not-coffee grinds and realized I had used sugary cereal. Disgusting. Although, thinking about it, I realized it might make for a decent April Foals’ Day prank.

I decided to take another shower instead, since I wasn’t going to wake up without sending my poor intestines into shock with that accursed sugary concoction. I mindlessly started the shower and stepped into the ice-cold stream. While it did make me freezing cold I felt my morning mood washing away along with my headache. I had already washed my mane and tail earlier that morning, and bedhead wasn’t going to make either worse - one of the benefits of a messy mane is that you can get right up out of bed in the morning, comb it down a bit, and get on with your day. Fussing over it would only make it look less natural. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to scrub down after my test, so I set to work. A few minutes later I got out of the shower and toweled off in front of the mirror, and as I dried I checked myself for any ticks or annoying seeds.

I tried to keep my steel-blue coat trimmed since weather was normally on the hotter end in Canterlot, so I didn’t have much trouble checking it. My gray mane was messy, sure, but with a bit of magic I was able to scour my head quickly, and I came up clean. My tail was another story - I liked it longer than my mane so it trailed close to the ground. I found a few seeds but no insects and promptly combed out the offending plants. I finished toweling off and looked myself in the face as I set down the towel. My field glowed the same color as my eyes, a vibrant yet darker green shade, and I levitated my glasses onto my face. I frowned as they framed my freckles that I had (apparently) inherited from my mother.

I hadn’t gotten to know my parents - well, parent - when I was younger. I was told my mom had me out of wedlock and struggled to take care of the both of us when I was just a newborn. Foal Protection Services told me she had died in a household accident and I had been taken into the closest orphanage - that would be Moonlight’s Haven, the one adjoining the old Canterlot Castle. The other children and I owed Princess Luna, well, everything really. She oversaw our affairs and ensured that we all had food, a warm bed, toys, and an education. That’s actually how I came to be a student at Sparkle’s School for Gifted Students - I spent so much time at their library reading anything I could get my hooves or magic on (no mouths, I learned - ink tastes horrible) that when I finally graduated from Magic Kindergarten-

I shuddered at that thought and started over.

When I finally graduated from… you-know-where… I scored high on the placement test and was sent to “The School”. On my first day of class I took notes, asked questions, and raised my hoof to answer practically everything. I had so much fun doing it that I ended up feeling that distinctive tingle and looked back to see my Cutie Mark appear. An open book, signifying the joy I get out of learning new things. I was teased for a couple weeks after that - “Teacher’s pet” or “Bookworm”, they called me - but I didn’t really pay any attention and the rude remarks stopped. I figure they realized that teasing a kid for being a nerd at the most prestigious school in Equestria wouldn’t actually work.

I’d lived just down the road at Moonlight’s Haven for eighteen years before I was finally able to move into a dorm room at the School. I really missed my caretakers, but I made sure to visit every week and I could still see Princess Luna every once in awhile at her Night Court. Her stargazing sessions were absolutely fascinating, and I had learned to appreciate the night as a young colt.

I walked back out to the kitchen and noticed my meal still waiting for me - I’m so glad I learned that spell, reheated food just isn’t the same - so I sat down at the table and ate my meal absentmindedly while I double-checked the thesis paper I was turning in later today. Though I was only 20 years old and much younger than the other seniors I had graduated from high school a couple  years early. My Talent for learning coupled with diligence had kept me on the fast track in education and I was already submitting my final paper for Advanced Divination to Doctor Discerning Gaze, my teacher of six years and one of the brightest minds at the School. After double and triple-checking it - what? I like to be thorough - I hastily finished my meal and grabbed my saddlebags and bandoliers. It wouldn’t do to be unprepared for my Alchemy exam, after all.

On the way downstairs I noted the students rushing around from one class to another and shook my head. Everypony seems to think consolidating your class times is a good idea, but I’ve seen enough ponies breaking down under stress to know that spacing them out a bit is usually for the best. I made my way through the crowded halls, ducking underneath the odd pegasus’ wing or scooting around a big earth pony, and as I turned into the next hallway I saw a mare with glasses I recognized instantly.

Cloud Cover. That pegasus’ yellow coat and short purple mane and tail were easily distinguishable in just about any crowd. We’ve had most of the same classes in the past few years and I had tried to strike up a conversation but found her willingness to cooperate… lacking. So I let her be, and every now and then we’d get paired up in class and finish our assignment early, but while I’d stick around to ask a question or two she’d leave without so much as a nod my way. I guess not everypony is sociable.

I made my way into class and sat down at my desk. Our teacher, a zebra named Ms. Fareha, was demonstrating one of her signature creations for those who got to class on time. She had the lights turned out and struck a rod against her hoof, causing it to ignite and light up the room without giving off any heat.

“Four of these are enough to burn for a whole day at this level. Watch closely, I will show you but I will not slow down for you. I take my marenesium and phoshorsus, place them in the crucible like so, add water and mix, then take the resulting substance and coat the tip of this wood handle with it like a paste. Wrap the tip in a flammable bandage, you won’t want to lose it.” By the time she had said this it was already finished and she demonstrated again by striking it across her hoof, momentarily blinding a couple of the students who had just walked in. She turned to me and winked then said “Those of you who were late can see why you ought to show up on time. Or, perhaps, you can’t.” That got a laugh out of the class. “Now then, I want you all to check the list of items on the board and choose four of them. You may take this time in class to make them. Bring them to me and demonstrate - I will grade their performance and then you may leave for the day.”

Everyone started writing formulas furiously, but I knew better than to start just yet. “Dusty Tome! Cloud Cover! I have another list for you two. You may use the lab next door - some of the things you’ll be making could produce noxious gas, strong acids, or even explode if you do them wrong. Take your time! Be safe about it!” I smiled as I stood up and met Cloud Cover at the front of the classroom - I knew she’d have an alternate exam for the two of us. We had attended one of her elective courses last semester and knew how to speed things up - creating that sunrod would take ten minutes for everyone else, but for the two of us it would take a matter of seconds. That is, if we could stop it from blowing up in our faces.

I checked the list - hybridized flasks, bottled lightning, fireworks, deodorizer, antitoxin, invisible ink - Ms. Fareha certainly wasn’t kidding. Some of these would actually take time to complete. I was very interested in the hybridized flasks - I had used flasks of fire, ice, and acid to great effect during the morning’s test, and if I could combine them it would give me an edge in combat. I glanced over at Cloud Cover - the lab only had one set of tools, so we’d just have to work together. She seemed to come to the same conclusion, although she looked less than happy about it.

“Ahem… so, uh, looks like we’re-”

“Let’s do the bottled lightning first. I have high shock resistance and can handle it directly so we’re more likely to get a satisfactory result.”

I decided to cut the pleasantries and just work, like she was. Why did I bother trying to talk to her anyway? I knew she didn’t want to chat. She never wanted to chat. Then again, I couldn’t deny results - Cloud was the only one in the class who could keep up with Ms. Fareha and me - hay, sometimes it was me keeping up with her. It was pretty impressive.

“Alright. I’ll get the bottle coated. Got the lightning?” She nodded, flashing the barest hint of a smile as she extended her wings - arcs of electricity started jumping between them and she grasped it between her hooves, shaping it into a ball. Welp. I took a look at her cutie mark - a thundercloud with purple lightning. Figures. I lit my horn and started applying the solution to the inside and outside of the bottle - fail to get an even coating and I could polarize it. That would be bad.

A couple minutes later I said “Alright, ready! I got the cap!” and Cloud took the ball of electricity and shoved it into the bottle. The moment she let go it started jumping back towards the entrance into open air, but I was faster and slipped the lid in place. With nowhere to go the “lightning” sparked and jumped around the bottle as if alive. Normal lightning burns out quickly, but the bottles used are enchanted by the School’s craftsman to hold the charge indefinitely. Fancy stuff.

The rest of our exam continued in much the same way, and we soon fell into wordless cooperation. Cloud was a dutiful lab partner and stayed on task the entire time, which was all I could ask for. I tried not to start any conversations and respected her space. When we finished a half-hour later I glanced over at her and opened my mouth to say something, but when I met her eyes I saw something in them and caught my breath. She was the very picture of composure, of a diligent student with no time to waste, but her eyes were like fire given life.

I realized that I was staring and turned away, blushing slightly, and mumbled an apology. Cloud said nothing, picked up her things, and walked back to the classroom, leaving me to catch up.

As Cloud and I walked in Ms. Fareha saw us then leaned over to her aide and whispered something - I couldn’t hear very well but I’m pretty sure she said “Pay up.” The poor guy slipped a small pouch to her under the table. I wondered what they were betting on - maybe it was how fast we’d finish? Or perhaps he thought we’d make something blow up? Whatever it was, she certainly wouldn’t be paying for dinner tonight. Lucky.

Ms. Fareha waited for us to hand over our creations and inspected them with a keen eye, searching for any kind of defect. She checked our bottled lightning jars first, grabbed a bottle from under the desk marked “For High Voltage” and chugged it, and told her aide to cast a containment shield to make sure it wouldn't hit the students if it bounced. She took a piece of chalk and marked the blackboard with an X then stepped a few paces back, turned, and uncapped my bottle.

The lightning struck true, hitting just right of the center. Apparently her room was specially-designed to take this sort of punishment, as rather than charring the board or bouncing it appeared to diffuse into the blackboard. The chalk was still burnt away though, and when she walked back up to draw a new one Ms. Fareha held her breath. I bet it didn’t smell great. She took a look at Cloud’s bottle again like she was searching for something, then told the aide to increase power to his shield and put the second X a little higher up. She took a couple deep breaths, stepped back further than she had with mine, and uncapped the bottle.

The lightning left the bottle and struck the X dead-center almost immediately, but unlike the first this one bounced. Fortunately Ms. Fareha seemed to know what was going to happen beforehand and had set the target on an angle to prevent the reflected bolt from striking her directly. She dove to the side just after opening the bottle and I watched in two parts shock and one part amazement as it bounced around the containment shield rapidly. When it finally hit our teacher she gasped and the lightning dissipated.

As soon as the aide dropped his shield I ran towards her, but Cloud got there first and tapped Ms. Fareha on the head. The zebra just laughed and raised a single hoof into the air, sparks jumping between her mane which was comically standing on end. “Don’t worry, class, I’ve had far worse. That’s what safety equipment is for. Miss Cloud, that was very impressive work! I’ll get the repair ponies up here to recast the diffusion enchantment on the board.” She stood up on shaky legs and looked at her class, who had stopped working at the display. Ms. Fareha shot them a disapproving look and said “Well now, the rest of you must be ready to turn your projects in if you’ve stopped working!” I saw more than one student blanch as everyone got back to their exam.

The rest of our grading process went by without incident, or at least their explosions were much less impressive. Cloud and I both ended up scoring in the top percentile - the rest of my creations scored evenly or higher, but Ms. Fareha gave her extra credit on her bottled lightning so we both finished with top marks. Cloud left suddenly, but I caught the door as she left and followed her into the hallway. She was already halfway down the hall when I called after her.

“Hey, uh, Cloud! That lightning was really impressive!”

She slowed down and sighed, then turned around. “Look, I don’t know why you can’t take a hint. I’m not interested in talking to you. Leave me alone.”

Wow, harsh. Cloud scowled and I realized I had heard myself say those words out loud. “S-s-sorry! I-I mean, I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”

Her teeth clenched together giving her the appearance of a snarling beast. “No, but now you are.”

Aw, horseapples, I was making it worse. “I just wanted to-”

She was in my face immediately. “I’ve seen your grades! How can you be so dense?!” I backed up in fear and she kept moving towards me, hoofsteps echoing loudly in the empty hall. “I don’t want to talk! I don’t want to get to know you! I don’t want to be your friend!” Sparks flew from her wings and she got inches from my face as I bumped into a locker behind me. Nowhere to flee. “So leave me alone, and go! Buck! Yourself!” She punctuated her sentence with stomps that I swore could’ve broke the tiled floor.

I felt a primal fear surging in my chest as I looked into her eyes again. That same fire as before was directed my way as if a glance alone could set me ablaze.“I-I- ah, o-okay. Sorry.” I shrunk down as far as I could, trying to find safety through submission.

One moment she had death in her eyes and the next she started and flinched back, then looked around and back down to my huddling form. “Oh, buck me. L-look, kid, I-”

I barely heard the galloping before something barreled into her, knocking her back a good five feet. I looked up again and saw a welcome sight - a light-brown earth pony mare with long messy green hair and a tangled tail, standing a head shorter than Cloud and just taller than myself, snorted in rage and stomped the ground. “Who the buck d'ya think you are?! Back off! NOW!”

Cloud had landed on her hooves, looking no worse for wear, and shot back daggers with her eyes at the mare who interrupted us. “Did you seriously just do that?! He was the one-”

“Huddled in a corner tryin' to hide from you! I don’t care who ya are, ‘cuz right now you’re nothin' more than a bully! So what’s it gonna be, huh?! You an' me, right here? Either I tan your hide, or you do the smart thing and leave.” Damn. She seriously does not back down.

Cloud looked over the new mare’s shoulder and I followed her glance - doors were opening down the hall. It looked like someone else was coming to check what all the commotion was. She took a deep breath and stood up straight, then snapped “Dusty!” I flinched back again but met her gaze. Her normally stern and disciplined face softened momentarily. She said something softly then turned and ran down the hall away from us. I didn’t realize until she was already out of sight that she had said “Sorry.”

She walked through the forest at a brisk trot, foal in tow. She did not need a light to see for her field shone more than bright enough. Terrifying creatures roamed these lands, giving pause to most travelers, but this mare did not stop for she did not fear the forest. The foal's laughter echoed through the trees and drew more than one hungry predator, but each one's appetite was forgotten the moment they laid eyes on the mare carrying him. She made her way along the forgotten trail as swiftly as one could while distracted by a foal. Even when the path begun to vanish completely she pressed forward unwavering. She remembered each and every detail of the expansive forest intimately from the years spent in solitude there - she knew these lands, and the lands knew her.

The longer she trotted onward the more resolute she grew in purpose and the faster her pace became. The underbrush parted for her as she broke into a gallop. She had just hit breakneck speeds when she entered a clearing bathed in moonlight. She stopped, confused, just before her eyes caught sight of Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle looming in the distance above the treetops. The mare fell back on her haunches and stared at those crystalline towers which pierced the sky. She considered turning around, but one more coo from the foal was all she needed to get back up on her hooves and make her way towards Ponyville.

It had been far too long since the last time.