I woke up and saw sunlight.

“Crud!” I shouted, rolling out of bed.

I got to my hooves and looked at Bright’s clock. Professor Newman’s class had already started. I was late, very late. This was not going to do my ranking any favors. Why hadn’t Bright woken me up?

After hastily gathering my books into my saddlebag, I rushed out the door. I wouldn’t get any breakfast, but if I ran fast enough, I wouldn’t completely miss class.

“Why the frantic pace, dear chap?”

I stopped and saw Red standing just outside his door, looking curiously at me.

“I need to get to class. Are you just skipping?” I asked.

Red smirked. “I appreciate your enthusiasm for learning. It is an inspiration to us all, but you seem to have forgotten that we were given the day off.”

I sat down. I had forgotten. Now I felt like an idiot.

“Don’t feel bad, chum. We can all get disoriented when first waking up. It should incur no shame,” Red said cheerfully.

“I suppose you are right,” I agreed. “Thanks for not laughing at me.”

“I admit, I did have the slight temptation, but I was able to restrain myself from doing such a thing as it would be in poor taste,” Red confessed, looking down in shame.

Well, at least he hadn’t laughed. “So…why are you standing out in the hallway? Avoiding your sister?”

He shook his head. “No, dear sister has currently left the room vacant so she can go study in the library. I am hoping to come upon our comrade, Lunar Light. You see, he has shown surprising deftness in our combat magic class, struggling only against dear sister, who can hold him at bay by sheer magical brute force. I…well ..I am embarrassed to say I have not shown the same aptitude. It is my aspiration that he can help me get around a particular block I seem to have. However, our classmate is a slippery fellow, and it is quite difficult to determine where he may be at any given moment. He is not currently in his room, and nopony is aware of where he may be…as per the usual. I determined the best course of action is to stand vigilant, studying in the hall, for whenever he inevitably returns to his room.”

Going to the library was getting crossed off my list of things to do today. If Prim was in the library, I was going to avoid it.

“Have you seen Bright, Hannah, or Summer?” I asked.

Red pointed at the room at the end of the hall. “Hannah and Summer have sequestered themselves in their room. Our kirin friend seems quite distressed this morning, and Hannah is attempting to raise her spirits. As for our Apple friend, I believe he is with Onyx and Rocky. Coach Scootaloo is doing an unofficial buckball tournament today in hopes of raising student morale, so the trio may be competing. Twilight is studying with my sister.”

“Twilight’s with your sister?” I asked in shock. “I’d have thought he’d be too lowborn for her. She’s made fun of him.”

“That was before she knew he’s heir to a major shipping business. It’s new money, but it's still a potential business relationship worth fostering. My sister may have a foolishly narrow view of who is worthwhile to have good relations with, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to put in an effort when it is obvious enough to get through her thick skull,” Red explained, barely keeping the contempt out of his voice.

I wanted to march to the library and tell Twilight that Prim was only willing to be his friend for his money…or future money, but that meant having to deal with Prim. I’d talk to Twilight some other time.

“Hmm,” I replied. “Maybe I’ll see my advisor after getting something to eat.”

Red shook his head. “I would not recommend that today. Professor Applebloom and Professor Sweetie Belle seem quite swamped with students needing counsel. The CMC founders are doing all they can to care for students today in light of the recent passing of our aged professor. As for the other professors, nopony seems to know where Headmaster, Inkwell, Newman, or Stockman are; Neighsay and Luster Dawn are performing routine maintenance on the school defenses since the year is getting late and we haven’t had our inevitable yearly crisis as of yet. Somepony mentioned that Glitter Drops decided to take the free day to visit relatives.”

I blinked. “Are you Equestrians really that serious there is going to be some villain or monster attack every year?”

Red shrugged. “Some years get missed, but it is normally like clockwork, and a missed year usually ends up with multiple such issues the next. I am told the Element Bearers are on high alert. There is the situation down at the Everfree that has been growing steadily worse. Perhaps that will qualify, and we can escape any trouble locally. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time the crisis turned out to be the Everfree deciding it was not satisfied with its allotted territory on the map and rapidly overran nearby settlements. While I hope all goes well for those ponies, I confess it would be a relief if nothing happened to Canterlot this year.”

It would be a bigger relief for me if it wasn’t the Everfree because if it was the Everfree, then many people would be pointing at Earthlings to blame. I didn’t even think referring to those ponies as Earthlings was fair. They’d been in Equestria for over thirty years, and many of them were born in Equestria. They may have Earth heritage, but at this point, they should be considered Equestrians. However, their actions made actual Earthlings, like me, look bad.

That still left me to figure out what to do. Should I try to figure out what was happening with the fillies? Maybe I could try to see what Neighsay and Luster Dawn were doing. I wouldn’t be able to find out how the defense operated, but they might tell me some things. I could go try to get brunch since I missed breakfast. I could also try to find out anything about that filly I saw last night since that was weird and caught Valkyrie's attention. I could also watch the buckball tournament and give my classmates my support.

“Well, I hope nothing happens this year, and the Everfree thing works itself out,” I replied, turning towards the end of the hall. “I’m going to see what’s going on with Summer, though I already have an idea. Good luck with finding Lunar. He should have a cutie mark in disappearing.”

“He does seem accomplished at that,” Red agreed. “Good luck with your own endeavors. Give our kirin friend my warmest greetings.”

There were voices as I approached the door. Should I listen in before knocking? It might let me know what I was walking into. No, Red was watching, and if he told them I had listened, they might get mad.

“Hello? Hannah, Summer, are you there?” I called out as I knocked.

The door opened, revealing Hannah’s scowling face. “Why are you yelling?”

I stepped back. “Just announcing myself. I didn’t know it was going to be a big deal.”

“Summer has a migraine, so try to be a little quieter,” Hannah said, face softening slightly.

“Oh, sorry,” I replied. “Sorry, Summer.”

Hannah leaned forward and whispered, “I think she’s trying too hard to hold her anger at Hail in check. It is literally hurting her. She needs to blow off some steam, but I don’t know how to safely do that without someone getting caught in an inferno.”

I looked her in the eyes. “If that’s the case, aren’t you afraid of getting caught in an inferno?”

“I’ll be fine,” Hannah assured me. “Stockman installed a sprinkler system and fire extinguisher, and Professor Glitter Drops taught me how to make a shield to protect myself from extreme temperatures—I can’t hold it for long, but I only need to hold it long enough to get out of the room. The professor also did something to the walls, floor, and ceiling to make them fireproof—that doesn’t protect all our stuff in here, but the dorm won’t burn down if Summer has an incident.”

“And Summer is okay with all these extra precautions being taken because of her?” I asked.

“She’s the one who insisted on it,” Hannah said, glancing back into the room. “You know she is worried she’d hurt someone if she gets mad, and she doesn't want to accidentally hurt me or anyone else in our dorm.”

“But trying to bottle it up is hurting her,” I reasoned. “So, we need somewhere she can let it all out without doing any major property damage or damage to people.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have any ideas. This is Canterlot. There’s nowhere she isn’t in range of something or someone she can burn. Kirin typically live in small communities near caves and rivers where they can safely get away from everyone if they need to blow their tops. Big cities and kirins don’t mesh well,” Hannah said, looking glum.

I looked around. “Well, what if we just got out of the city altogether? A day trip to somewhere else?”

Hannah looked at me like I was stupid. “We can’t do that without an adult. Who would take us?”

“Spring Fling?” I suggested. “I mean, Summer’s mom has to understand better than anyone Summer needs to get somewhere she can just do an angry scream…followed by a big blaze. She’d also probably have some ideas on where to go. It isn’t like she never gets angry, and her blazes are probably much worse than Summer’s, being an adult and all.”

“I’m not sure Summer would be happy running to her mom for help,” Hannah said skeptically.

“She’ll be less happy with a migraine or blowing her top around campus,” I countered.

Hannah sighed. “Fair enough. You go try to find Spring and I’ll try to convince Summer this is a good idea.”

She shut the door, presumably to focus on Summer. That left me to try to figure out where Spring was at—even though it was deep into fall. Okay, that might not have been the best joke.

I walked back towards Red, who was reading a book. “Hey, since you seem to know what everyone’s up to, do you know where Spring Fling is?”

“Not with absolute certainty, but I am aware that all the groundskeepers were previously aiding Coach Scootaloo in setting up an impromptu tournament field,” Red answered. “I do not know if they have completed their undertaking, but they may still be in the vicinity of the grounds even if they have finished.”

I nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Red. How do you find out so much about what people are up to?”

He grinned. “I simply inquire about the comings and goings of those I see, and ponies oftentimes inform me not only of their affairs but also of others. Casual conversation is an excellent tool for such things. For anypony who wishes to rise up the social stratosphere, that pony must keep abreast of what those around them are doing and maintain a good rapport with as many others as possible. It is no great skill, just sound wisdom and the power of pleasant conversation. We are at Celestia’s School of Magic, formerly the School for Gifted Unicorns, and most who graduate here will go on to fill key roles in the government or other critical areas. It is in the best interest of all who attend to be cordial and in good repute with each other—something dear sister may never understand.”

There was one pony Red was failing to do that with, his sister, but he had clearly established himself as her rival, so I guess that was to be expected. I wondered if he got along with her friends. From what I’d seen of her so-called friends, they likely wouldn’t stand up for her. It was kinda sad. I’d feel bad if Prim didn’t go out of her way to prove she deserved it.

Still, for all Red’s charm and demeanor, After interacting with him for months, I had a feeling that underneath it all, he wasn’t too different from his sister, and all his smiles and friendliness were just an act. It came from the way he looked and behaved towards his sister. Even though she was terrible, she was still his family, and anyone who treated their own family, their twin, like that would certainly have no trouble treating anyone else worse. I detested Prim but believed her when she spoke about her brother. With Prim, the contempt for others was on open display, and there was at least some degree of honesty that came with that. With Red, there was a wolf in sheep’s clothing going on. I’d rather trust the wolf outside the coup that showed me they were a wolf than the one inside the coup pretending to be just another chicken. I was perfectly fine being friendly with him and was wary of calling him out on his nature, but it felt like a good idea to keep him at a distance and never discuss any sensitive information near him. I wondered if anyone else saw what I saw. I also wondered if Red knew I saw through him. Prim sucked at chess, but I had a feeling her brother was a different story, and I didn’t want to be facing him.

I kept my smile on. “Sounds like good advice. Thanks again for the information.”

He bowed his head slightly. “Pleased to be of service.”

Author's Note

Not a lot of feedback, on the you decide, but I may give Turnip a turnip later on.