Chapters Author's Note
A small thing made for Halloween.
School Initiation
"Want to join Necromancy School?"
Sleet Fall stared at his foalhood friend for a while after she uttered those nonsensical words. She stared back at him, bright blue eyes wide, all smiles and sincerity for about a few seconds before giggling. "Haha, Snow, very funny," he replied flatly. He turned his attention on the brochure he was holding yet again, reading the descriptions over and over as if they had some secret to reveal after so many passes. "I'm serious. Sass Thyme is long dead, and there is no Necromancy School."
Snow Shine plopped over to sit next to Sleet, her foreleg draping over his shoulders and her head leaning over to read along. Sleet wrinkled his nose as some of her blond curls tickled his snout. She plucked the brochure out of his grasp, to his annoyance. "You're so serious and grim about this," she said. "Just pick the school that you find interesting. They'll let you switch if you don't like it there. They'll force you, in fact, if you're terrible."
Sleet snatched the papers back. In truth, he didn't even need the damn things. He had been deciding on which school of magic to join months before the Arcanis Atheneum's entrance exams. The brochure was a beaten up mass of papers; dog-eared, water-stained, and webbed up with wrinkles. It looked ready to crumble apart at any second. Sleet was perfectly fine with that. He had committed every word in it to memory.
He stared pointedly beneath Snow's Atheneum cloak's breast pocket. There, beneath the eight pointed star of the Atheneum, was a swishing long cloth of swirling colors; the Mountebank's Cape, which symbolized Illusion School. "Is that how you picked yours?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "I got lucky, though. Fit like a glove."
"Well, I'm not counting on luck," Sleet said. He looked over the various schools again. The entrance exams were brutal; thousands of unicorn hopefuls from all over the Barrier Lands reduced to a hundred or so over the course of a week of written exams and practical tests. He had made it here by being absolutely serious, and his choice should reflect that. He was down to the two schools he was confident in his talents in: Evocation and Divination. Now...
"You should postpone choosing," Snow said. "You won't have to for a week."
"That doesn't mea—!"
Snow hovered a hoof close to his lips, not quite touching them. "Listen," she said. "You've got to do the initiation first, just like every new student in the Atheneum."
Sleet's eyebrows furrowed. "Nopony in the administration told me about this," he said.
"Of course not, it's a student thing," Snow said with a shrug. "I went through it just like every new student, and you have to too."
With a sigh, Sleet let his shoulder droop. "Fine," he said. "What is it?"
"You'll have to join Necromancy School."
Sleet glared and stood up, pushing Snow's foreleg away from him. "I'm done with your games, Snow. Now, excuse me while I—!"
The smile was gone from Snow's lips, though. "Listen," she said. "I know there is no Necromancy School, but what I mean is that you have to go through the process of finding it. It's a test of courage thing, and a tour of the grounds too. If you have any plans of forming groups with the student body, you have to do this. You think you can survive a single year in this place by yourself?"
Sleet ground his teeth and resigned to his fate. "Fine," he said. "What do I have to do?"
The smile crept back to Snow's face.
"The first night is in the library," Lily Gild said with a smile. "Go there an hour before midnight, go to the third floor of east wing, open the third window, and shine a light spell. We'll be watching~"
Sleet Fall stared quietly for a while. When he was still a colt picking strawberries in his father's garden, he would look to the Arcanis Atheneum's direction, and imagine what a student from there would be like: forelocks cut short and straight, mane in a tight braid for mares or just shaved for stallions, large, rounded glasses, serious, no-nonsense mien about them...Lily Gild looked every part that fantasy. Then, she opened her mouth, and out came the tone of a prankster to go with a mischievous smile. Still, her presence made him sit just a little straighter. She was his senior, and the All-Seeing Eye of Divination School by her cloak's breast made him particularly self-conscious. To her right stood Snow Shine, with a reassuring, confident grin on her. To her left was another senior; Flame Froth. His cropped, black mane, his piercing stare, and his chiseled jaw making him look more like a legionnaire than a student. He wore the symbol of his school; Evocation's Sunburst, though often just referred to as an explosion, like a medal.
"Is there more to this task?" Sleet asked. "Seems rather trivial."
"It is," Lily replied. "We're counting on you, alright~?"
"Kid," Flame Froth said. "We'll get you in by our secret entrance. The Library is closed by that time so nopony's around, but, if you do find somepony in there..." His eyes widened and his pupils shrank. "Don't bother them. No matter what they're doing."
The Arcanis Atheneum's Library was a grand sight during the day with its vast halls of aged, dark brown hardwood lined with a seemingly endless array of towering bookshelves. It had a sea of tables and chairs for casual reading as well as lines of cubicles for those who had to hunker down for serious study. Students moved in, out, and through the place like swarming ants; always in the middle of something, always so serious. The smell of aged leather and parchment permeated the air, enough to make Sleet's head spin slightly. It was a true wonder of concentrated knowledge, just as he has dreamed of. He already envisioned going through those shelves with purposeful hurry, studying, researching, even just reading for fun. The sunlight streaming through the library's great windows paled in comparison to that bright future.
Night was a different issue. Without the hustle and bustle, without the sunlight, the Atheneum's Library resembled a labarynthine tomb. The silence was so thick that a single hoofstep set Sleet's teeth on edge. The dark was so palpable that it felt...heavy, as if something thick settled on the shoulders and pressed against the eyes.
Sleet let out a long, deliberate exhale after crawling out of a hidden panel close to the entrance. Dark or bright, this was the same library. His task was simple. He should just complete it and be through with this nonsense. He considered a light spell, a weak one should suffice. That wasn't against the rules, was it? They'll probably complain over a large one since this was supposed to be a "scary" experience. It would probably alert school staff as well.
A quick spell and he had a small globe of soft, blue light hovering next to him; nothing too taxing or flashy. "Right, so east wing, third floor..." he muttered. That the words bounced off the walls nearly made him jump. He had underestimated the silence here. His first few steps echoed the sentiment, and nearly echoed across the empty hallways. A silence spell would probably be helpful right about now, but he had always been terrible with illusions.
Just to get to the stairs to the third floor required passing through a line of cubicles. His light spell may have helped in avoiding crashing into obstacles, but the pale light also did a good job of emphasizing shadows. The nearest bookshelves loomed over him, blocking most of his light save for a few rays that shone between the gaps of their books.
'Ridiculous,' Sleet thought. 'This place is empty. That's all there is to it.' He stared briefly at the stream of blue formed by the gaps, admiring the shape it took.
The stream briefly flickered, as if something passed through it.
Sleet nearly jumped and pressed his jaws together to quelch and surprised cry. 'This place is empty,' he repeated to himself. It must be a trick of his imagination, that's all there is to it. It may not even be his imagination. Sleet's eyes narrowed. It might be a spell. He was in a school full of talented spellcasters. They probably prepared this place beforehand.
He moved on. Pointedly ignoring the edges of his own light spell from now on. It was getting chilly as well, but the night air and mountain weather easily explained that. The Arcanis Atheneum was built on the ruins of the Unicorn Kingdom's Royal Palace, which was the highest point of the mountain. Of course it would get cold. There must be a window open somewhere. He raised his snout, trying to ascertain where the cold wind was blowing. He may as well do the library a favor here. Cold, snowy winds can't be good for old books.
No chill breeze met Sleet, however. Instead, a malodorous foulness greeted him so suddenly that he fell back and gagged. What was that? Something sickly sweet, rotten and metallic all at once. His head was throbbing after a few seconds. He covered his snout with a hoof, but that offered little comfort. He looked around. The stink was coming from one of the closed cubicles. Perhaps, a student snuck in some snacks while studying and let them rot in there. He stepped closer out of morbid curiosity, only to notice that the floor outside the cubicle where the stink wafted from was covered with...something.
Sleets's blue light reflected black on the viscous puddle seeping out of that cubicle. The smell was definitely something rotten, but not vegetables or fruit, at least not ones Sleet recognized. And that liquid...he didn't dare touch it. That stuff wasn't black, it only looked like that because of the light. It was...it was...blood.
Sleet backed away from the cubicle. Why was it seeping blood? His mind hastily pieced an answer together. There must be something inside it then. Something bleeding all over. His breath came out as shallow pants. "Haha..." he mumbled. "Very clever illusions...very clever..."
The door to the cubicle creaked as it slowly swung in its hinges. The blue light caught on the old, stained wood, the thick puddle, then alighted on a hoo—
Sleet hurried away, making his way to the stairs for east wing. No need to see that. Just nonsense pulled by his seniors. Just get this done. He looked back out of some foolish impulse. The cubicle doors were all shut again. His hurried pace slowed as his fear receded before reason. It was a trick, obviously enough; an illusion. Now that the scare was done, the illusion ended and "that" door was back to normal. With a sign of relief, he climbed on.
The library's east wing served as the archive for the Atheneum's published scholarly papers, making it the prime location for research. Here, the bookshelves were replaced with rows of cabinets filled with papers cataloged by magic school and topic, as well as boxes with a seemingly endless supply of quills and ink bottles. Sleet walked past them, alreasy imagining adding his work among so many distinguished papers.
The chill was back, worse than before even. Sleet wrapped his coat tightly around him as he looked for the required window. Oddly enough, the ones here were all shut tightly, as expected. So how was it so chilly here?
A faint sound somewhere among the cabinets seemed to answer.
Sleet's ears perked. That sounded like...a sob. A faint snuffling noise followed by a long sob. "Who's there?" he called out. No reply. He shone his light among the cabinets, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there. With a shrug, he pressed on. Just his mind tripping over itself or maybe more phantom sounds from his seniors. That was it. He cast a basic detection spell, nothing powerful enough to reveal specifics, but if he sensed any recent spellcasting, that should prove he was right.
The detection spell pulsed outward, mentally pinging him when it resonated with the protective abjurations around the papers, designed to keep them safe from dampness and other environmental harm. These were old spells, however, cast earlier during the week, and replaced every week. He waited for fresher spells, particularly illusions.
The pulse ended with no such ping.
Sleet swallowed hard, then hurried for the window. He just had to finish, that's all. Whatever was going on, he just had to put it all behind him.
Another long sob among the shadowy cabinets. Sleet hurried further, outright breaking into a canter. A flurry of hoofsteps behind him turned that into a gallop. Still, the hoofsteps caught up. Something flew past him, like a swift winter breeze that chilled to the bone. He cried out and clutched his shoulders, teeth chattering. The hoofsteps were ahead of him now, moving farther away. The window he was supposed to use flung open violently, flooding the place with moonlight and cold mountain air. A brief shriek stood every hair on the back of Sleet's neck then...nothing.
It took a while before Sleet gathered enough of himself to drag his legs toward the window. Still chattering, he forced his gaze out, towards the night sky. A light spell, one strong enough to let his seniors know he completed their inane task. On impulse, he looked down.
A small, dark figure, a silhouette in the pale moonlight, rolled down the mountainside, trailing a dark substance as it continued to fall. Sleet blinked, and it was gone. "Tricks..." he muttered. "Just tricks..."
His horn trembled just like the rest of his body. His light spell guttered like a failing candle until he forced it to steady. Task completed. He couldn't wait to leave this place.
"That was a pretty solid job, newbie," Lily Gild said with some vigorous pats on Sleet's back. "Record time too. You really hurried through there."
Now in the safety of his dorm room, Sleet looked back at what happened with a more critical eye. He had not detected any illusionary spells, true, but he had used a rudimentary detection spell. His seniors could have easily prepared something to counter that. "Is that what this 'test' is going to be all about?" he asked indignantly. "I wander the dark while my seniors test their scares on me?"
Eyes wide, Lily raised a hoof. "I swear to you, none of us cast anything to that effect," she said.
"Tell us what you saw," Flame Froth added. "This is part of the initiation."
Sleet told his tale, naturally ignoring the part where he panicked.
"Did you look inside the cubicle?" Lily asked.
"Certainly not!" Sleet replied. "I had a task to do and I was instructed not to bother anything!"
"Good choice," Flame Froth said. "I didn't look either. Newbies who did ran screaming out of the library."
"What was that all about anyway?" Sleet asked.
"A long time ago, supposedly," Lily said. "A professor was having an affair with a student. He caught her in that cubicle with another stallion, doing it. From what you saw, you can tell how that ended."
Sleet snorted. "Is there any evidence of this?" he asked.
"Only what you saw," Lily replied, her grin wide.
"That other sighting you experienced," Flame Froth said. "You did see something, correct?"
Sleet nodded. "For a moment," he said. He recalled the rolling...thing, and the trail it left. He had a pretty good idea what it was, but he refused to acknowledge it.
"You saw Pressed Parchment," Flame Froth said. "She's on actual record. A senior from centuries back on her final paper. Couldn't take it anymore, and jumped."
"Does...does that happen often?" Sleet asked.
"Often enough," Flame Froth replied. He and Lily headed for the door. "We'll be back tomorrow night, newbie. Good job so far."
That left Snow Shine, who had been quiet so far. "That wasn't so bad, right?" she asked with a small, nearly apologetic smile.
"This whole affair is ridiculous," Sleet groused. "I should just tell the faculty."
"And make an enemy of most of the student body?" Snow asked."Bad move. Come on, Sleet, two more nights."
Sleet sighed. Two more times of this. "Alright," he said. "Should be easy enough."
"Second night is out in the courtyard, newbie," Lily Gild said. "Start by the statue of the Great Shield of the Kingdom, then cross the courtyard until you make it to the statue of the King's Mirror by the other side. Shine a light when you make it. We'll be watching~"
"Can you tell me what to expect this time?" Sleet asked. He wasn't convinced that his seniors were not deliberately pranking him with high level illusions, but he was willing to assume the worst.
"The courtyard served as execution grounds during the Unicorn Kingdom's time," Flame Froth said. "I'll repeat my previous advice. Don't. Talk. To. Anypony you find on your way."
"Especially if you hear singing," Lily Gild added. She paused, then held a hoof to her mouth. "Hold on, that's only during the fifth or twenty-third of the month. You should be safe. It's only the fourth..."
"The Unicorn Kingdom executed condemned criminals on the sixth and twenty-fourth," Flame Froth said. "On nights before, there was supposedly an Executioner called Sweet Verse who would stay by the cells of the condemned, and sing for them until the early hours of the morning, after which she took their heads for the royalty."
Lily Gild giggled. "You know what's funny?" she asked. "They converted those very group of cells into the senior dormitories! The first administration for the Atheneum certainly had a sick sense of humor!"
"There are stories of seniors preparing for their final panel presentation losing it upon hearing Sweet Verse's singing," Flame Froth said. "They would rush outside to put a stop to it, only to lose their heads. No proper records for these tales, though. Nevertheless, do not approach anypony singing unless you only have a casual relationship with your neck."
"Why does the Atheneum allow ghosts, if that's what they are, to continue haunting the school grounds?" Sleet asked. "You'd think they'd have abjured these things to protect the students."
"They've tried," Flame Froth said. "Several times. You're underestimating how old this place is, kid. The Atheneum is built on grounds with history going back to a time before Lexarius the Steward or even the Old Kingdom. This place has endured thousands of Unicorn Kingdom executions, the Windigo Massacre, the Old Kingdom, the Troubled Times, and every semester of the Arcanis Atheneum. It's steeped in magic and death, both of which feed these ghosts. The best Abjuration Circles we've come up with can cleanse the grounds for a short period of time, but they always come back. The Prince himself has said that the most drastic method will simply collapse this mountain in the process. We're definitely not having that."
"Relax, though," Lily added. "Lexarius the Steward successfully sealed the nastiest and most murderous ghosts here during his time. Sweet Verse is the about as bad as they get, and there's only stories of her chopping heads off."
"Enough talking, time to walk, kid," Flame Froth said with a firm push. Behind him, Snow Shine gave an encouraging wave.
If the library was like a labyrinthine tomb at night, the courtyard was simply a sea of darkness, a void that seemed to pull at Sleet's hooves, threatening to drag him into nothingness.
The moon still shone brightly, bathing the grounds with soft light, silhouetting everything in silver, and casting some rather lurid and stark shadows on the ancient, gray stones that paved the courtyard. At a distance loomed the massive gatehouse that stood guard between the Arcanis Atheneum and the rest of Arcanotropolis, rising like a grave stone while the moonlight filtered through its rusted, though still sturdy, portcullis bars.
Large pines lined the sides of the courtyad, tracing a path to the main lecture halls and decorating the entrances of dorms and other buildings. At the center, surrounded by a raised stone circle that served as a bench, was a particularly large pine, said to have been planted by Lexarius the Steward himself during the Atheneum's founding. Sleet was going to have to pass by it on his way to the statue of the King's Mirror.
He glanced at the statue of Bell Strike, the Great Shield of the Kingdom, one last time before setting out. Just moving away from it felt like discarding an important anchor. The restored statue of Bell Strike looked past his carved, squid-like helm towards his old friend and partner in rebellion, Blade Gleam, the last King's Mirror. It was through their efforts that—
A series of hoofsteps put a stop to Sleet's reverie, and his cautious walk. What was that? A patrol? The Atheneum didn't use roving patrols of ponies, relying instead of widespread abjurations around campus attuned to students and staff alike. Ponies without that attunement raised silent alarms that would send security groups coming.
So, who was that? It sounded like a pair of ponies. Maybe it was other newbies also forced to undertake this ridiculous initiation. A quick look around was enough for him to spot the source. It was a pair of ponies alright; stallions from the build of their silhouettes. They were walking in a rather urgent pace, and there was something hanging between them...
"Um...hello?"
It was only after that reflexive greeting did Sleet remember Flame Froth's warning. He raised a hoof, as if he could snatch those words back, but it was meaningless. The two stopped to look at him.
At closer inspection, Sleet realized that he should have pegged the sight as strange from the start. The two ponies were covered in thick, glistening, metal plates. Those were neither from the Arcane Knights, nor the Legion. And that thing they were carrying...it was long and flat, like a hammock or a...a stretcher. And there was something, or somepony lying on it too. Sleet could recognize the distinct shape of a supine pony. He couldn't distinguish where the head end was.
Sleet's eyes focused on another shape on that stretcher. It looked like a large pouch. The moonlight revealed some very dark stains all around it. His stomach squirmed and his chest tightened. He couldn't move. His hooves stood as straight as pillars. He couldn't say another word while the two ponies looked to each other, said something in some unintelligible language, then trotted, load and all, towards a corner of the courtyard. As soon as the gained some distance, they simply faded away. Sleet blinked and kept on staring. There was nothing else out there though. Finding his legs obedient, if not incredibly shaky, he pressed on.
The goal was the great tree at the center. It felt like he was swimming from one piece of land to another. The wind was starting to pick up when he finally made it to the tree. He was panting when he arrived, odd when he had not really walk— cantered that far. He pressed a hoof against the rough, scaly bark. It felt good to touch something solid and real. The branches above swayed and creaked, the needly leaves letting out a soft rustle as the wind ruffled them. Sleet let out a sigh to help catch his breath.
A loud, heavy creak from above caught that breath in his chest. He paused, his ears perking. No way. That was just a strange branch, that was all. He looked up towards the canopy of branches above him. Nothing but leaves and branches...save for that odd, dark shape far above that swayed erratically. He strained his eyes, but he couldn't make it out. For some reason, a light spell seemed a very bad idea.
Another heavy creak, followed by the slow, tight straining of a rope stretching to its limit. The wind picked up some more, sending the soft rustling into a loud crescendo. The dry rubbing from what was clearly a rope still rose above the noise. Instead of catching his breath, Sleet panted even more heavily. So much for a safe spot!
A loud snap filled the air just as the wind did down. Something heavy crashed noisily through several branches. That was it, Sleet broke into a gallop towards the statue of the King's Mirror. Something heavy landed behind him with a loud thud. Despite himself, he glanced back. There was nothing there at all. He ran anyway. He just wanted to put this night behind him as soon as possible. His hoof struck a jutting portion of the outright ancient stones, sending him crashing hard. He had just enough presience to stretch out his forelegs to break his fall lest his chin hit first.
Hard, cold stone slammed into his midriff, knocking what air he has left in him right out. His forelegs scraped hard on the rough surface, his hide splitting into what was surely a dozen abrasions. At once, he curled into a ball in agony, groaning and wheezing while his shocked abdominal muscles remembered to get back to work with his lungs. As soon as they did, he took a huge gulp of air, then struggled to regroup.
The wind was picking up again, rustling leaves and whistling through the buildings. A small eddy swirled by Sleet's coat as he got to his hooves. Though everything hurt, he had calmed a bit from that encounter. Maybe something did fall from the central tree. His frayed nerves just assumed it was a hanging body, but there wasn't any proof of that. He wasn't going to bother checking now, though. Only a short distance now to the King's Mirror.
Along with the rustling of leaves floated a long, sonorous note from what had to be the most beautiful mare's voice Sleet had ever heard. He froze yet again, wishing desperately that it was his mind playing tricks. It wasn't, and he distinctly remembered that today was the fifth. He cast a detection spell, then a light spell, but panic fumbled both of them, tangling the two basic spells into a jumbled mess. He should run just in case. Who cares if his seniors were laughing at him? They can have their fun. He just wanted this to be over.
The notes blossomed into a song in what Sleet could only guess was the language in the Unicorn Kingdom. He didn't understand, but it was so lovely that, for a while, he was fine with not moving. The voice flowed like water, swirling gently with the wind. The song must be about something somber and tender, like love. His ears flicked a bit, straining to take in each note.
The sharp scrape of metal on stone broke the spell as well as any sour note. With a gasp, Sleet looked down on his hooves. Had he been moving? Unconsciously walking towards the beautiful song? He looked for landmarks. The King's Mirror statue had changed position. He had moved. And that scrape...that sounded like something heavy and bladed dragging along the ground.
Like a large axe.
The song turned into a menacing giggle. Then a phrase in a foreign, ancient tongue. Sleet didn't recognize the words, but his chest seized and his mind somehow filled with understanding. Perhaps, it was simply because his mind held on to the facts that Sweet Verse executed criminals, but the meaning echoed in his thoughts.
"I have you know, traitor to the king!"
The dragging sounds sped up. A single spark flew up from the ground at a distance, and Sleet burst into a gallop. The King's Mirror seemed so far away, but he ran and ran...
"I'm done," Sleet Fall said to Snow Shine. "Initiation or not, you're not getting me into anything remotely similar to what happened last night. Ever."
"It wasn't that bad," Snow Shine replied. She tilted her head slightly as she stared at him.
The scrapes along Sleet's forelegs still stung. So did his left hind fetlock as he had apparently strained it during that last frantic gallop. His right eye was partly swollen as he had crashed into the King's Mirror's statue face first. It was a small miracle that he completed a light spell after that. He rubbed his neck as he thought back to that incident. He supposed that he should just be thankful that he hadn't lost his head. Whatever it was that chased him disappeared when he made it to the statue.
"They're not going to like that, you know," Snow Shine continued. "Especially Flame Froth. He's very popular in Evocation School. He can make your life very hard if you're going to sign up with them. I've heard that his father is an assembly leader for the Western Legion."
That would be a problem. Sleet had thought about it some more and Evocation School was a very attractive prospect. If he did well, he could easily transition into the Legion with some rank. Of course, if Flame Froth started going around saying he was too frightened to complete some initiation for newbies, the Legion wouldn't exactly look at him with any favor.
He looked to Snow Shine, only to find her face uncomfortably close. "What?" he asked.
"I can help you out, you know," Snow Shine said. "I know somepony that can keep ghosts from coming after you."
The dragging whine of an axe still weighed heavily in Sleet's mind. He should refuse. Getting outside help was likely frowned upon. The throbbing ache in his eye gave a pretty good argument. Nopony said anything about taking some extra measures. "I'm listening," he said.
"Then listen closely," Snow Shine said. "Let's meet tonight. I'll take you to him."
That should be easy enough. Thanks to his scrapes, Sleet did get to postpone his last night. "What's the catch?" he asked. "Money? I just paid tuition, Snow,"
"No need," Snow replied. "Just keep an open mind, Sleet. Just remember that it's for your own good."
Once more, Sleet found himself roaming the campus in the dead of night. This was the third time now, and he was starting to worry about sleep patterns. Ahead, Snow Shine led him through the underground hallways beneath the main building; the former palace itself. Underneath the finery and grandeur were the somber, gray-white tombs of the Unicorn Kingdom's rulers, as well as exceptional subjects who were granted the honor of being buried here. Most of the tombs were open to the public, with appropriate spells to keep them from being disturbed and all the valuable items kept under lock and key in the museum building. There was a lower section as well, where the Bloodied Circle was maintained. That part would obviously have very tight security, but it didn't look like Snow Shine was heading there. Instead, they stopped by a relatively small tomb, probably a favored servant's or something.
"What is this place?" Sleet asked. "Your contact wants to meet us in a tomb?"
"He has to," Snow Shine replied. "I'll teach you a spell to summon him in this tomb."
"Snow..." Sleet lowered his voice. "Who is this pony we're meeting?"
Snow Shine let out an exasperated sigh. "Isn't it obvious? Sass Thyme. Don't laugh. I'm serious."
"I'm not a necromancer, Snow," Sleet snapped. "Nopony is! Sass Thyme is long dead, and there is no Necromancy School!"
"But there can be," Snow replied. "We can start it up. If we do this, you don't even have to do the initiation. You'll be part of founding a new school of magic. Think about it, Sleet!"
Sleet could only stare silently for a while. "Snow," he said softly. "What's this about, really?"
"I asked you earlier, didn't I?" Snow asked, her smile trembling, and clearly forced. "Would you like to join Necromancy School?"
"Why?"
Her lips twisted and the smile finally failed. "So you can come up with something, or he could. Something so I can...you know..."
"Snow, I won't do this."
Snow's face contorted angrily. All of a sudden, the already chilly tomb grew even colder. "Why not?" she asked. "You can still sign up with another school." She took a step towards him. Sleet instinctively took one back. "This is just so we can keep our promise! You remember that, don't you? It's just one spell!"
"No."
Sleet couldn't help but cringe. It seemed as if Snow was growing larger as she went on. He shivered, and pulled away.
"This ends here, Snow Shine," somepony suddenly spoke. Sleet brightened and looked towards the newcomer. Lily Gild! And, behind her, Flame Froth.
At the sight of them, Snow Shine fell back and crouched defensively.
"That spell you know will not contact Sass Thyme," Lily Gild said. "Divination School keeps it around to draw ponies of ill-intent. This isn't even the correct tomb."
"I have no ill intents," Snow Shine hissed. "I just want a second chance, to fulfill a promise with Sleet!"
"You have held on for too long, ghost," Flame Froth said. "You will get worse as time passes. We will be forced to abjure you. Now, while your grudge has not bound you to the school like so many, you can let go, and be happy. I am sorry that the promise of your future was snuffed out so abruptly."
Ghost? Sleet stared incredulously at Snow Shine. She was a ghost? How? Why? He thought back to meeting her as soon as he arrived. Then, when she was just standing there when Lily Gild and Flame Froth entered his room.
"No!" Snow Shine shouted. "I can still complete my studies together with Sleet! I just need to find the right spell and the right tomb!"
"Snow..." Sleet said. It did make sense...though he wished so hard it didn't. His voice was choking up. This was not how he wanted this news to come to him. Yet, at the moment, all he could think of was that he didn't want Snow turning into those entities he had encountered the last couple of nights. "I don't know what happened, but you don't have to go through all this over a promise."
Snow Shine's face softened and tears ran down her cheeks. "Sleet," she said. "I had so much to tell you when you got here, I was looking forward so much! It's not fair to lose it all over an accident!" Even as she spoke, she was already losing substance, becoming more translucent with each word.
"Good, Sleet Fall," Lily Gild said. "You can help her by releasing her from old bonds."
"Don't worry, Snow," Sleet said. "I'll graduate, for both of us. I'll never forget you."
"Sleet..." Snow shut her eyes tightly, wringing out a few more tears. Finally, she opened them with a smile. "Tell me all about it one day." And then she was gone.
Sleet stared at the empty tomb. "I didn't know she died."
"The Atheneum informed her closest family," Flame Froth said. "Why they did not tell you is between you and them. You did well here, Sleet Fall. An excellent show of principle."
Sleet's brows furrowed. "How did you two know to come here?"
"I had my suspicions when you kept looking at nothing when Flame and I came to you," Lily replied. "A tracking spell was easy enough. This is not the first time the Atheneum has had to deal with this. We apologize for the deception, Sleet Fall, but we did want to see if you were the sort to actually jump at the chance delve secretly into dangerous magic."
"Welcome to the Atheneum," Flame Froth said.
They started to leave, and Sleet was right behind them when he cleared his throat to get their attention. When they looked back, he spoke. "Is there an actual spell to do what Snow wanted?"
Lily smiled wryly.
"Sass Thyme is long dead, and there is no Necromancy School."