Azure struggled to remember where she was as she found herself walking in a dark forest, or at least the smallest chunk of a grove. She took a closer look at the trees around her and realized that they were a mere illusion, nothing existed past a few feet of her. Nothing except the moon. Its light bore down on her with an unnatural weight that pulled on her, and it was obviously much too large for the tiny slice of forest she was standing on. Against the sky surrounding it the moonglow seemed almost intense as the sun, but when she looked at it she could not pull her eyes away. Within the rocky formation of craters ponies called “The Mare In The Moon”, a sharp blue-green eye was staring at her.

Azure tried to move slowly around her limited space and could feel the eye tracking her. It was different from the rest of the space around her, something about it felt more real, more alive. She reached up towards it and saw the craters fill with a viscous black fluid, which began to drip down to the bottom of the moon. Time began to accelerate at a breakneck pace, the sun rising into the sky and sinking back down as drops of the black pooled on the ground beneath the moon which never moved. Azure struggled to count but found at the pace everything happened she only became dizzy, and so she just focused on the moon. Somehow she didn’t need to see it all. Her mind told her the answer, an obvious one. Three hundred sixty six sunrises, and just as many drops off the moon. When the last one fell the Eye fell loose with it, and the sun went down a final time. When it set, time came to a crashing halt, leaving her stuck again in a single moment. Azure could only watch as the inky shadows started to pull themselves together, the lone eye doubling as a strange creature took form and stood before her.

Azure didn’t understand the feelings she was experiencing. Tension, fear, anxiety, yes. Those made sense. But there was something else. Excitement. Yearning. The eyes looking at her felt so familiar in all their anger and sadness. Their predatory slits didn’t cause her the fear they should have, just an overwhelming pain and longing that seemed to intensify gravity with every passing moment. Her hoof outstretched, she tried to approach the creature, feeling something she could not comprehend burning inside, some deep and unrealized need to reach it. To touch it. The creature watched her struggle to get close under the intense pressure, and just as she was about to at last press her hoof to it --

The ringing of a loud bell shook Azure awake, causing her to jolt up in her bed, and quickly roll off. Of course it was a dream. Azure knew it wasn’t worth lingering on fanciful dreams but found it difficult. What exactly was supposed to happen in one year? Who was that creature? She had an inkling of familiarity but needed to jog her memory. But the chirp of birds outside and the murmur of movement in the neighboring room made it clear she didn’t have time to dwell on dreams forever.

Azure just shook herself awake and looked around to ground herself. She hadn’t taken in the full extent of the room given to her last night, and wanted to see what she had to work with. The bed was simple, wooden frame, white sheets and blanket. The walls were white too actually, with a beautiful marbled pattern up a few meters and then interrupted by bars of a gold looking metal, probably for ventilation. The ceiling was made of some sort of purple tiling, and the floor a polished but much more dull grey stone. A single small window high on the wall opposite the door allowed light in, but Azure could see the vents above allowed passive light to bounce into the room as well. Aside from the bed there was a simple dresser, presumably for those students that actually had clothes. The whole place was somewhere between ornate and austere. She could appreciate the effort. Maybe the students were expected to personalize them over time? She had nothing to add to hers right now, so she just grabbed her bag and left the room.

The hall, she noticed, was much the same as the rooms in architecture. Fitting given the shared wall, but here the wall continued further past the vents into a high arched marble ceiling. Encased glowing crystals gave a dim hum of light from above, which was almost imperceptible compared to the morning light. The hall itself was open at both ends to the outside, no doors or attempt to contain the outside. Azure tried to grapple with this exposure to the elements before remembering that anywhere with access to cooperative Pegasi could control their own weather.

Looking at the students themselves, Azure noticed the other Unicorns were all up and about. One of them with a fiery coat and mane rocketed off on a blast of magical fire out of the hall, and a brown one with a guitar seemed to still be asleep as an animated bed of clay slowly carried him towards some destination. Crown saw Azure and immediately shot her a scowl before leaving herself. The only one that seemed excited to see Azure was Night, who strode over to her immediately.

“Blessed morning, Miss Star. How did you sleep? I hope it was a good night for you after the hardships of yesterday?” Night was the first to speak to her, and Azure was happy to see her, despite struggling for a moment with her formal and flowery tone.

“Not great. I had a strange dream. I saw the face on the moon start dripping black drops all over the place until something formed from it and just stared at me. I think something important is going to happen in exactly a year? I don’t know, maybe I was looking at it a bit too late at the observatory or something. I just felt like it was more real than the rest of the dream. How about you?”

“Luna’s light! That might be a prophecy! Perhaps you saw a vision! Of her! Did you say exactly a year?” Night frantically pulled out a scrap of paper to take notes and check the date.

“Or, like they said, it was only a dream. I dreamed of a grand adventure with allies in tow. Does that mean it’s destined to pass? Perhaps, but only because I’ll make it so.” A deep voice joined the conversation from behind them both.

Azure looked to find the source of the response. It was a pony that looked somewhat similar to herself but much larger, a Stallion with a light blue coat, short blue and purple mane that seemed perfectly trimmed, and wearing a full suit of armor. She had seen him the other day but couldn’t recall who he was.

“But I forget my manners. I am Gallant Sheen, son of Shield Sheen and knight in training for the Royal Order of The Dragon.”

Gallant bowed to her, in a stiff ceremonial way that she could tell was more about protocol than respect.

“From what I hear you’re named Azure Star, yes? I would suggest you do not waste your attention on the ramblings of a mad-mare cultist”

“I am not mad, nor is our faith a cult! I am just excited by the prospect of any news on our Lady of the Night!” Night stomped her hoof in frustration.

Gallant tried to keep his composure but clearly broke for just a moment to giggle and snicker at her innocence.

“Well your… “Deity” is the subject of much controversy in Canterlot even to this day. It is only by her sister’s decree that your faith is still legal and tolerated in her territory. It would be for the best if you did not wear it so brazenly.” His tone was stiff and judgemental as he looked over Night’s garb.

Something about this made Azure upset. How tolerated is a faith if you are told to hide it in public?

“That might be true but I will not deny my faith, no matter where I am or what others think of it. Besides, any news of her is worth the risk. And you heard what she said. If it’s exactly a year that would be the thousand year anniversary of her banishment! What if it’s a sign!” She turned to Azure, face still beaming with an excitement that Azure did not want to disappoint. “Have you had any prophetic dreams before?”

“I can't remember any other dreams so I don't really have a good frame of reference. I can’t say it isn’t a vision but I can’t say it is either. I’m sorry.” Azure hung her head in shame that she did not have any answers.

“See? She doesn’t know and we need to help her figure it out!”

“I see you need to calm down and not confuse our friend.” Gallant tried to pat Azure’s mane patronizingly, which was quite easy as he was nearly a foot taller than her.

“Our-wait does that mean we're friends?!” Azure’s eyes lit up to stars again, but there were no signs of preparing an attack, just a pure unbridled excitement.

“Well we did have quite the heart to heart last night, it would be odd to at least not try to be friends. Besides, you’re probably one of the only ponies who hasn’t taken a jab at my faith yet.” Night hugged Azure close, and unlike last night she accepted it. It was actually pretty nice.

“We are in the same house while we are at the school. While this is true, we must all function as a unit, and bear our heraldry with pride and distinction. So yes, we must at least try to be “friends”, regardless of any prior affiliations, or transgressions.” Gallant gave Azure a stern glare she couldn’t understand, and huffed slightly as he turned back to Night. “Even cultists who worship traitors.”

“Well it's good to have friends. Maybe we should talk to the other Unico-”

Azure was rudely interrupted by the crackling of a magical speaker on the ceiling.

"Attention all students! The first day of class is about to begin. Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria, and a map of the facility is also there for those who need it. You will head to the main class room after breakfast and remain there until a teacher leads you to another room or dismisses you. Please have a great first day!" The speaker crackled out as abruptly as it started up.

“Wait, what if we don't know where the cafeteria is?” Azure was surprised at the assumption they could use a map if they didn’t know where it was.

“Well that would probably be because both of you ran away before we got a tour of the school. But that would make sense for you given the wounds after your duel. If you retrace your steps from yesterday you will surely find that you have already been there.”

“I have? What duel?”

“Yes, you have. You caused quite a commotion yesterday, fighting in the Cafeteria, injuring the Princess’s protege and fleeing the scene. Your unprovoked retaliation violated the rules of an honor duel, and it’s surprising you haven’t faced disciplinary action yet. It’s a rather dishonorable act that I’d encourage you to avoid in the future if you want to reflect well on our house.”

“Honor duel? Is that what she thought that was?” Azure seemed genuinely confused. Gallant continued his glare for a few moments, before breaking it in a sudden shift to sincerity.

“Was it not? Did you not agree to it?”

“No! She started casting spells on me and I had to fight back!” Azure was filled with indignation at the implications. Did he think she agreed to get thrown in the trash? She didn’t want a fight until she was forced to.

“If this is true then the dishonor is on her. Coming from such an esteemed family I thought she would know better than to illegally first strike. Perhaps she does though, and avoided pressing the issue of you retaliating because she knew she was in the wrong. My condolences for any harshness, but you should strive to learn more about Canterlot’s culture before interacting with her. Outsider unicorns tend to have difficulty integrating into our society, if you do not approach her prepared she will crush you on the social front.” Gallant’s entire demeanor had shifted, from the stern gaze of a knight looking at a dishonorable knave to that of a chivalrous knight who was ready to protect a slighted maiden. Azure wasn’t sure if this was better.

“Thank you, Gallant, I’ll try to learn more in the future. Should we all go to breakfast as a group?”

“I’d like that.” Night chimed in.

“May as well. To the Mess then.” Gallant led the way, unable to stifle a sigh as the cultist followed along.

Azure went with them to breakfast, her dream slipping to the back of her mind. She noticed Night staying very close to her as they all walked, and she stayed close in turn. It was quickly becoming apparent that even other Unicorns were going to be difficult to befriend, but if she at least had one she could keep her spirits high.

The cafeteria was actually the closest building to the dorms, and azure probably would have checked it first anyways. The building was much wider than it was tall, and while it followed the same marble and gold aesthetic as the rest of the school, something about it seemed almost repurposed. White tiles inside created a beautiful walkway along the grey floors, large windows in the walls flooded the place with light, and at either ends of the arched roof were giant stained glass mosaics. One depicted Celestia raising the sun, and was fittingly lit by the actual rising sun behind it. The other depicted an Alicorn that Azure couldn’t recognize but felt like a fitting parallel, backed by a crescent moon, and dull in the shadow of the building’s roof. Between them was another purple roof, supported by heavy wooden rafters, where Azure could see one of the Pegasus students had chosen to eat. At the back of the room opposite the entrance was a long counter setup with a variety of foods that filled the air with salty-sweet smells. A passageway behind it clearly led to some sort of kitchen, and a bearded old stallion was hard at work moving food from the back onto the counter.

Azure grabbed a bowl of humble oats and looked for a seat. Most of the space was taken up by three long tables, each labeled with a mark that seemed to indicate a specific house, and a fourth one overlooking them all, where Azure could see some of the teachers already eating. The Earth Ponies had already filled their table and were chatting loudly among themselves, while the Pegasi seemed more focused on quietly eating their meals and sizing each other up. Crown had gotten to the Unicorn table ahead of her with the other two unicorns, taking a position near the end of the table with the other two sitting on the same side. Azure snorted a bit upon seeing her but considered the layout and got an idea.

“No offense to anyone but I still think this whole setup is missing the point. Isolating ourselves from the other houses isn’t going to help us make friends.”

Azure dragged the chair across from Crown to the head of the table, preventing anypony from sitting across from her and isolating her in some small act of spite. Not to be outdone, Crown simply got up and relocated her chair in response to the opposite end of the table, staring Azure down across it. Night sat next to Azure but spoke up on her confusion.

“An unorthodox seating arrangement I’ll admit, but perhaps it’s for the best we keep you two apart for now. What was that about missing the point? Are you not doing the same by re-organizing the unicorn table?”

“I meant the separate tables. If we're supposed to be working on bringing peace and harmony to all sorts of different ponies, why are we expected to sit apart from each other?”

“The Princess wants us to be more cooperative, that's true. But the tensions and disagreements between the races of ponykind are many. Even within Canterlot only the most exceptional Earth Ponies are ever allowed even into the middle rings of the city unless they’re under the direct employ of the Princess. The Earth Ponies here are being given a privilege unthinkable in any other academy in the nation.” Gallant took the last free seat, now stuck next to Night.

“I guess, but we could still have a better table. A bigger table. That's round! So everyone can see each other!” Azure chewed her food between statements, eating rudely right off her plate in a way that Crown clearly noticed.

“Oh of course you eat like a savage too. Found someone to teach you how to live in Canterlot like a real unicorn?”

“Leave her alone Miss Crown” Night spoke up, before Azure could even utter a word in her own defence.

“The best teaching moments are learned through experience, and without it miss born yesterday here is such a malleable fresh mind to mold! If you just let her make a fool of herself now, she always will.”

Azure thought about that. She hadn’t told Crown about her situation but she wasn’t far away when it was being explained. Was her book filled with notes on her? That was an unsettling idea to consider. At least the other two were glaring at Crown as well now. As much as she hated to admit she was right, Azure didn’t want to look like a fool and tried to think of something fancy. In a spark of inspiration she checked her bag and pulled out a spoon!

“Right! This! Would this be more “proper” to eat with?”

Crown chuckled at it. “It’s the bare minimum. Do you usually carry your own silverware around with you?”

“My dad would say it’s always good to be prepared.” Night remained in her corner but was curious as well. “It’s a valid question though. You don’t recall your history, maybe it’s a clue?”

Crown looked at it, her horn faintly glowing as her aura covered it. “Hmm. It’s magic.”

“What? How can you tell?” Azure tried to snatch it back only for Crown to jerk it up.

“Because I’m the best! But also because I’ve seen spoons like this before. It’s meant to purify food and drinks. It could be used to make bad water drinkable if you’re wandering around the wilderness, but they’re more frequently used to purify poisons under threat of assassination.”

“Really? That’s pretty cool right?”

“That’s not the word I’d use. If a Unicorn has one of these it means one of two things --- You’re a vagabond who can’t find a place to stay and needs to risk drinking rainwater --- or you believe somepony is trying to kill you. So which were you?” Crown gently bapped Azure’s nose with it before letting it fall to her plate.

Azure tried to think of a good answer but still didn’t have one. She didn’t wake up in some high society soiree yesterday, but in the middle of the woods. She didn’t want to admit that being a homeless vagabond looked like the more likely answer.

“Well at least it’s useful. I could do a lot with a spoon like that. Maybe there’s one out there that heats up your soup as you eat it too.” Night playfully nudged her.

“If not I'll have to make one. Or maybe a frying pan that does the same! Wait, do you think they'll teach us how to make Magic Items? Everyone can benefit from a little magic here and there right? We could use them to help ponies across the world!” Azure tried to deflect her anxieties with the first thoughts that came to her head.

“Don’t insult the great Twilight Sparkle by even insinuating that that was in question! With her as our teacher we will learn magic item creation for sure!” Crown shook the table pressing her forehooves into it to half stand on it.

Azure was surprised. This was the first time she’d heard Crown speak praise to anyone but herself.

“Then maybe she'll know what the other one is for too!”

“The other one?” Crown craned her neck over.

“This!”

Azure reached into her bag and pulled out another object. It was a small circular device made of an off-copper metal. It was adorned with tiny turquoise dots that glowed a gentle green, and 4 small starpoints jutting out of it. A circular insert at the top contained a perfectly polished grey stone that hummed with magic. Azure pressed the top of it and it popped open to reveal an interior, with a starry black space that seemed magically animated surrounding the inner side of the inlay to frame the grey stone. Inside a simple needle spun, with various markings and symbols to measure its position as an unknown map manifested under the glass.

“This was the only other thing in my bag. I don’t know what it does. But it has to be really important.”

Crown Eyed it curiously.

“It’s beautiful.” Night marveled at the starry field inside it transfixed on the shifting patterns.

“It’s certainly something magical… but I don’t recognize it. And that’s not something that happens often, I’ll give you that much. ” Crown seemed genuinely perturbed by this device.

“I need to go get ready for class.” Gallant stammered as he quickly got up and left, not even bothering to pick up his plates.

Azure watched him leave, noting his anxiety and frantic speed. Deep down she believed that couldn’t be a coincidence, but whatever he knew, she could press him for later.

“That was weird. Well if you can’t, maybe Princess Twilight will be able to identify it? I wonder if she's teaching us today.”

“Probably. It's on the schedule.” Crown slunk back into her seat, obviously annoyed at the implication that the Princess would do better, even if she couldn’t contest it.

“There's a schedule? Where?”

“On the map on that board? Do you know anything?” Crown pointed at a board on the wall near the entrance.

Azure tried to brush off Crown’s remarks and went over to the board. Law, Math, Economics? Were they being trained to be accountants? Strategy seemed to contradict the claim about not being child soldiers, History made sense, a rotating cycle of Humanities, Lunch far too late in the day, a rotating science and… rotating magic.

“Aww... Magic's at the end of the day. I guess we'll get there eventually.”

“Well, while there are stories that truly exceptional Ponies of other races can manage to develop something resembling spellcraft, Unicorns like us remain the only true masters of magic. If I had to guess the only reason they put it at the end is so the other students could leave early and focus on things they might stand an actual chance at.” Crown’s tone was a mix of disinterested and matter of fact, as if this was simply the fact of things. Azure wasn’t so sure, she had seen what Cackle could do and knew that had to be some sort of magic, and she was an Earth Pony. Probably.

“But they expect us all to learn all the rest of this? It’s so broad!”

“Welcome to school! Tons of work that you don't care about and might never use. But forget any of it and watch what happens to your grades.” Crown got up and headed towards the classroom. Azure realized it was probably time she did as well.

The classroom, if it could even be called a room, was not what Azure was expecting. Rather than using any of the towers she had seen around the school grounds, it was a rounded area in the exact center, almost like a theater. Desks were arranged in a semicircle all facing a central desk for whatever teacher was instructing at the moment, with a large blackboard behind them. The whole area was surrounded by more marble pillars, which supported a carved ring of stone to frame the entire area. At four points the gaps were larger, allowing entry to the ring of Desks, and above these gaps were four bells rigged to tiny magical devices. Brick walkways connected each of the four entrances to the other buildings at the school, and the rest of the area around the pillars were lined with aromatic flowers. Azure admired the lecture spaces design but couldn’t get past the total lack of actual walls or a roof. The designers must have had absolute confidence in their ability to control the weather here to declare this the primary classroom. Azure had begun to suspect that the strange design choices of this place were clues to some previous use, that the only explanation was this place had never been intended to be a school at all.

Azure took a seat, paying little mind to where it was. She knew Law was first and intended to study it hard, knowing it would probably be important to the actual mission of the school. She also wanted to know what rules she shouldn't break while attending or visiting any other nation, especially those of Canterlot.The first teacher to show up was a lanky light gray Unicorn Stallion, wearing an odd garment and a distinguished medal on his chest.

“Good Morning Class. I am Chancellor Neighsay of the Equestrian Education Committee. But you will be calling me Professor Neighsay. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Professor, aren’t you overqualified for this position?’. It’s true, I climbed the ladder well out of teaching students personally and to administration long ago. But when I heard that our dear Princess Celestia was starting a school and intended to recruit outsiders from beyond Canterlot’s borders, well I had to INSIST upon taking a very personal role in the project and making sure everything was done by the book. Now, at each of your desks you will find a textbook, An Introduction To Canterlot Law. Open it up and we will begin here. You cannot understand the differences in laws in other nations without having a… solid frame of reference first.”

Azure learned to hate law class very quickly. Every single thing she learned made her angry, and she was objecting to the foundations of just about every rule in Canterlot. Hierarchical living standards based on what Ring you lived in? Exclusion of non-casters, even among Unicorns? Serfdom for earth Ponies in the outermost rings, with only a few exceptions. The entire Kingdom seemed barbaric and behind the times, even if she couldn’t remember her own frame of reference.

Math was hardly better but for a radically different reason. She was dreading having to memorize her T Tables again but was confused to find the teacher introducing them to simple geometry. He tried to use some sort of mnemonic song to teach them about ratios but it was so far behind she just let her imagination wander. These simple shapes were boring but could be fit together into something more interesting. Pieces coming together like parts of a puzzle, building machines, like clockwork. It wasn’t until she was halfway through reconstructing a stopwatch in her brain that she noticed the student next to her was the half-mechanical pegasus from yesterday, and that their mechanical heart was ticking loud enough she could hear it for the last thirty minutes. The ringing must have inspired her.

As the bells around the room rang in concert again and other students got up to take a break, she leaned closer to them to talk.

“Hey. You were the Pegasus who was late yesterday right?” Azure couldn’t help but notice her strange language, even in her own mind. This was the only pony in the entire school who she could not ascribe a gender. Their appearance was somewhat masculine, and she didn’t mean to de-equinize them, but something in her soul told her to wait and find out.

“Oh, hey. Apologies, I wasn't expecting you to sit next to me. Nice to see you I guess.” Their voice continued to click and buzz, their joints giving off a faint creak as they adjusted to finish writing their notes. Through the stoic tone she could detect a hint of surprise.

She looked at them, trying to keep the small talk going. “That last class was kinda rough right? Just woke up yesterday and even I felt like that was a bit too easy. And I hate math!”

“I can't say I agree, math and science are my best subjects! I’m thinking of seeing if I can turn my heart off when we get to literature and other arts. But for most ponies that was perfectly acceptable for the age-range of students at this school. You would have to have had a very advanced education to get nothing out of it.” Their mechanical eye shifted and focused, scrutinizing Azure for her comment.

Azure could sense their anxiety. Even if the metal half of their face remained stoic, their mechanical heart was ticking faster, and their eyes were doubting about the room. Was she making them uncomfortable?

“You okay, whoever you are? I didn't get your name yesterday.”

“Oh. I’m Cog Wheeler. Refer to me as They or Them if you would be so kind. I know it’s not uncommon but I’m not exactly a normal sort of pony. I’ll be fine. I’m just surprised you’d choose to sit near me of all ponies.” Their joints faintly creaked as they tensed up.

“I’m Azure Star! Happy to meet you Cog! And I assure you that won’t be a problem.” She pretended not to notice his tension. Maybe they were just not used to strangers or unicorns?

“Huh, it usually is for a lot of ponies, especially new ones. I heard you were an amnesiac of some sort. It’s… interesting that you still remember your name. Remember anything else?” Cog’s discomfort only grew with every line she spoke.

“Not really. Just some bad memories, but they’re too hazy to make out.”

“Oh, that’s very unfortunate. Well best of luck with that.” Cog sounded sincere, and yet something about it was off.

Azure could hear the ticking slow down, see the eye growing more stable, the living pupil becoming less dilated as they looked at her. Were they happy she couldn’t remember anything? She studied carefully what this strange horse would say next, and Cog could feel the pressure of scrutiny had shifted to them now.

“So uh, Azure, have you made any friends here so far?” Cog mumbled awkwardly, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Just Night and Gallant. Maybe Dusky and Cackle from yesterday? I should talk to them later.” Azure seemed to be considering what constituted a friend. “Maybe you now?”

“Oh, that’s a good start. I was quite worried when I saw how unfriendly ponies could be to each other, with all the fighting.” Cog deflected the question about themselves immediately.

“Was my fight really that bad?”

“It wasn’t just you. You must not have seen it but one of the other Pegasi, Spear Point, and an Earth Pony, Iron Sight, also got into a fight yesterday. Iron nearly got impaled and put a bullet in Spear’s leg.” They said this in such a matter of fact way that Azure could hardly believe it. Did nopony take this seriously?

“How did he get a gun at the school?!”

“He brought it with him. Apparently any method of self defense is allowed as long as we don’t use them on other students. He’ll be out of class for today and working with the nurse on talking through his issues while she patches him up.” Cog was shrugging this off, and Azure quickly realized everypony else shuffling around them seemed just as disinterested in the violence.

“That’s crazy! Why would they do that to each other?” She had to be surprised if nopony else would.

“Iron’s from Dust and Spear’s from Empyrean.” Another dry delivery, as if the implications were self-evident.

“So?” Azure didn’t understand. It wasn’t self evident at all.

“You really don’t remember anything do you? They’re countries, one dominated by Pegasi and the other by Earth Ponies. They’ve been at war for a few months, but this is really only the latest in a series of conflicts stretching back a century. I suppose they were fighting for the honor of their homelands, or personal pride.” Cog scoffed the last part out, putting little stock in their pride or honor.

“I didn’t even know there was a war. Things seemed so peaceful around here.” Azure looked around. Clear skies, chirping birds, silence. Not a sign of violence in the air.

“Canterlot has always been isolated from the rigors of war. Nopony wants to upset the mare who controls the sun each day, too much of a risk. But the rest of the world isn’t like that. It’s a mess, Azzy. Everypony for themselves, fighting for land and pride and sometimes just to fight. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” Cog pulled out a new notebook and immediately got to work drawing some sort of schematic, driven and motivated by this thought.

Azure ignored the nickname and thought about what was being said. She hadn’t really thought much about what kinds of problems they’d be solving. Were they expected to go into active warzones? Is that why they needed self defense lessons?

Cog continued working on something on their desk as Azure thought about this throughout economics. Here too she could start to see the cracks Cog was talking about. The Earth Pony teaching them talked about money as if it was the meaning of life, glorifying how important securing funds for projects would be to accomplishing anything significant in their short lifetimes. They talked about supply and demand like fighting beasts, one constantly trying to wrest control from the other. It was unpleasant and she began to feel like she would have to take her situation seriously if she was ever going to survive in this world. Lucky for her, strategy was next.

Rather than a new teacher coming in to teach them all, Commander Stromfront ordered the students to gather inside a separate building for Strategy. Following the path past the library they were directed to a large tower, this one with battlements on its roof. The tower didn’t seem to fit in with the other buildings on the inside, having a far more spartan grey stone along the inner walls, with wooden seats arranged around a pit filled with sand. Weapons lined racks on the wall in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all had been blunted or made of wood, presumably for the student’s safety.

Azure took a seat near the front, and watched as the others filed in. The Pegasi seemed to prefer the elevated seats at the back, while mostly Earth Ponies sat in the front with her, and the Unicorns somewhere in between. When all the students had been gathered, the Commander spoke loudly and assertively.

“Welcome to strategy! This class is meant to keep you safe and alive, but to me this is a class about the way of life. The hunter who hesitates is prey and the hunter who stays passive is easier prey. The rule of the universe is to lead with confidence, take the world by force, and move with knowledge. Your wits and your swords are both weapons that will keep you alive at the end of the day if you use them right!”

Azure raised her hoof to ask a question.

“Yes, unicorn?”

“Aren't ponies usually prey animals, not hunters?”

“In the past maybe, but we have evolved and changed, the world has grown more dangerous and we need to be ever vigilant. What would you do if a Hydra chased you down? Cower and accept your death? Or would you fight back and stab at its heart!?” Stormfront gesticulated every word she spoke with her spear, putting on quite the show.

“Are monsters really that common?” Azure was starting to get worried. She didn’t sign up to fight Hydras at all.

“Attacks have been getting more and more frequent recently, and besides, that’s nothing compared to the threats you might face from other ponies. Not every pony you meet will believe in the school’s mission. Several entire nations have refused to send in missions on the principle that it was an absurd idea to begin with. You can’t expect them to show you any kindness just because you’re students here.”

“Are you sure we’re not soldiers? Because it sounds like we’re being trained to fight even in nations that don’t want us there, and that would make us child soldiers wouldn’t it?”

“Well for one by the standards of Canterlot you should all be legal adults to be here. Young yes but… adults as far as their society is concerned. And for two, Soldiers are trained to kill without question. The Princess was very clear I was not to teach you to kill without question. You’re only authorized to use lethal force as an absolute final option if there is no other way to save lives. You’re more supposed to be ‘heroes of the people’ than footsoldiers.”

“Heroes? Like Nights? Do we get to learn how to use swords, or wear big fancy armor? Fight Princesses and save dragons?” Azure murmured to herself. Maybe she had that one backwards.

“There’s nothing about dragons to save, the princesses are your leaders... though tyranny is to be fought against wherever you find it. But yes, you will learn how to use weapons and armor to protect yourself, as well as the strategies needed to coordinate others in both the field of battle and in complex operations like uh. Hmm. Avalanche rescue I guess? Look kid, I haven’t written the full lesson plan yet. But you’ve gotta trust that I’m trying to teach you the teamwork and confidence you need to succeed in all walks of life, not just for fighting.” Stormfront just put a hoof on Azure’s back and tried to assure her that this was important.

“Where do we start?”

“We start with your final! By the end of this year I expect you to come up with a strategy to beat me in combat. You will take everything you learn in this course and you will do your best to subdue me. Those that can will pass, those that can't will fail.”

“I haven't been told what happens if we fail a class. What happens if we can't beat you in a year?” Azure was starting to become nervous about her prospects of ever beating this mare.

“Well, first the shame of defeat. But second, Celestia will be informed that I do not think you are worthy of continuing in her project.”

“Then you'll just have to do your best to help us through, right?

“I will. With that said, your questions have taken up a lot of my time, so let's move onto the basics before I give you a chance to see what your target is early. Best of luck, unicorn.”

Azure stayed quiet after that. Was she serious? A year to beat a fully grown military veteran in single combat or risk getting expelled? She couldn’t afford to slack here.

Strategy was tense but since there was no actual fighting yet, Azure managed it just fine. When Stormfront was done she led the students back to their one classroom for history. Azure was particularly excited about this class. If she could uncover the world’s history maybe it could clue her in on her own? As she came back she noticed students rearranging their seating positions and figured she could do the same, sitting next to Dusky.

“Hey Dusky! I couldn't catch you after everything that happened yesterday. How's your day been?”

“Great so far! I’m super excited for History! I’m gonna try to focus on the class but we can compare notes after okay?” Dusk perked up, happy to see a friendly face. She was still wearing the same heavy cloak from yesterday, but her tail could be seen faintly wagging beneath it. This puzzled Azure a bit. Did ponies usually wag their tails in excitement? Maybe not, but it seemed Dusky was an exception.

Before they could continue their conversation, the teacher walked in, a yellow mare in a purple cloak with black mane and large red rimmed glasses.

“EEEE! Sorry! Sorry. I’m just a fan of your books. I used to take them out of our library so much the other kids got mad at me!”

Dusky tried to stay calm in her seat but was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Yes. I suppose there is no way around it. My name is A.K. Yearling. I have been hired to be your History teacher. And yes I’ve published a few books for children to help make ends meet. But I do have actual degrees in history and archeology from the University of Vanhoover, so please try to take this class seriously.”

Dusky tried her best to follow through and listened intently. Something about her enthusiasm was infectious, and Azure wanted to participate, but she had to at least listen first to understand where to start.

“Well to start with, can I assume all of you know the story of ancient Equestria?” Yearling began by drawing a map of the nation on the board.

Azure’s skin crawled hearing the sound of chalk scraping, some tension in her spine tingling at the scratching. She had to speak up just to stop her.

“No. I don’t recall it.” Azure wasn’t being dishonest, but several other students groaned as she invited the teacher to retread an old story.

“I’ll keep it short and simple then. Over a thousand years ago, the leaders of the 3 great kingdoms, Unicornia, Empyrean, and the Republic of Ponyland, came together and declared the foundation of a joint kingdom of Equestria. But recognizing that an equal federation of the 3 tribes would struggle to survive if any one ruler ever gained power over the others and upset the balance. They called upon Starswirl the Bearded to find a solution. He concluded that Equestria would need an Alicorn ruler to keep the peace, as they were the living embodiment of all 3 tribes in one pony. He reached out to…” She hesitated for a moment. “Somewhere, and was delivered 2 Alicorn Fillies to raise and train for the job. By the time they were old enough to take the throne, the Kingdom of Equestria had expanded to include most of the continent and some lands beyond, becoming the largest nation of Ponykind, and some argue the largest empire in history.”

Azure kept taking notes frantically. This all seemed to be falling back into place, feeling familiar as she remembered it all. Two Alicorn Princesses? Where were they from exactly? Why had she hesitated? Azure was too focused on writing the questions to ask them, so Yearling just continued.

“The reign of Princesses Celestia and Luna was relatively peaceful for over a hundred years. Equestria thrived and ponies began to warm up to the idea of unity, of all kinds of pony living together. But the peace could not last. Princess Luna, feeling like her night time was neglected, became bitter and jealous of her sister, and allowed herself to become the dark and terrible Nightmare Moon. The ensuing civil war broke up much of the kingdom of Equestria as various groups who had their own grievances with the monarchy declared independence or allegiance to Nightmare Moon. The fighting lasted for five years before Celestia could gather the Elements of Harmony and banished her sister to the moon, but many of the breakaway nations decided to retain their independence rather than submit to the Equestrian crown again, and even some loyalist nations petitioned for independence in the aftermath of the conflict. To this day only the nations of Cannonadia and Canterlot remain as nominal members of the reorganized ‘Equestrian Commonwealth’, but only Canterlot is actively ruled by Princess Celestia. Any questions?”

“Why didn’t you go into more depth on the other groups that aligned with Luna and her grievances?” Dusky asked, shooting a hoof up. “There were all sorts of ponies and non-ponies that followed her! What happened to them during the aftermath?”

“Well as I said most of the breakaways tried to maintain their independence, and as Celestia was too tired from the fighting she allowed them to as soon as Nightmare Moon was gone. If you’re referring to the monsters like Manticores and Serpents, they were either driven into the wilderness or fled to Typhonia.” Yearling knew where this would lead and shot that question down quickly.

Dusky seemed to squirm, not content with this answer. Azure just scooched closer to offer support. The rest of the class continued like this, with other students intervening with their own questions and points. By the time the bells rang again, Yearling was drained and grumbled something in frustration as she left.

“Well, that was informative at least. Not sure if Miss Yearling likes teaching all that much. Did you at least have fun despite all the arguing?” Azure turned to her cloaked friend trying to gauge her reaction.

“Oh, no I had more fun! The debates made it even more interesting. I can tell who here got to learn real history and who’s been fed propaganda from their own countries! I can’t wait to see how the next one goes!” Dusky squirmed happily but seemed to be struggling against something as far as Azure could tell, leaving her movements awkward.

“I enjoyed it too. I actually think I used to like history a lot. Guess I’m getting a better grasp on my own likes and interests again.” Azure managed a genuine chuckle. She actually did like learning more. She had so many questions to ask, so much more to learn. Something about Alicorns in particular was calling out to her. But something about Dusky was demanding her attention even more, and she reluctantly forced herself to keep eye contact even as her instincts told her to look away.

“That’s great! I’m happy you're relearning yourself. I get that it can be hard to feel out of place.” Dusky offered a hoof of genuine support. She tried as well to keep eye contact but Azure could tell that it was making her just as uncomfortable. Both broke and looked away, and Azure opened her notebook up on Dusky’s desk to give them both something else to look at.

“While we wait for the teacher, why don’t you tell me some more about yourself? What are some of your interests? We could see if that sparks anything in me. I mean memory-wise.” Azure was slightly flustered at her turn of phrase. Maybe she was getting too paranoid.

“I’d love that! Well, I like history, mythology, mycology, magicology, theology, entomology, etymology, geography, geology, gemology which is totally different, zoology, equinology, and draconic history!” Dusky managed the entire list with a single breath, which was impressive in its own way.

“A lot of -ologies! I know a bit about a few of them. Especially dragons! I don’t know everything about their history but I think I can speak their language.” Azure halfheartedly boasted.

“You speak DRAGON?! I’ve been trying to find a book on that forever!”

Azure pondered the matter but realized her instinct was indeed correct. Somehow, in the recesses of her mind was the draconic language, and a few others she couldn’t place the origins of learning.

“Yes! Why, is that not common? Could it be a clue?! I've got Griffish too!”

“Maybe! You’d have to have been educated in Canterlot or the Kirin lands to learn Drakish as a Unicorn, unless you had family that knew it. Griffish is more common in Griffonstone and the Griffish Isles though. There isn’t any overlap in everyday use, so one has to be from a parent or tutor.” Dusky tried to figure this out, but a family or private tutor could be found almost anywhere. She didn’t have a real lead off this, but didn’t want to disappoint Azzy but admitting it.

Azure considered this for a moment. She hadn’t been forced to think of family so far but trying to just filled her with more longing. A void that ate at her, and pressed her to keep learning. But obsessing over it would get her nowhere. Better to focus on the present.

“You seemed excited by me knowing it. Do you not? I could try to teach you if you want, might help us learn more about them if we find any ancient dragon scrolls, or runestones, or actual dragons!” Azure gestured wildly with conjured magic shapes, evoking missions of raiding ancient ruins and digging up secret treasure troves.

“Yes! I’d love that!” Dusky practically fluttered off the ground jumping up in joy. It was so infectious Azure couldn’t help but spring up and match the energy.

“I'll try my best to teach you then! But you'll have to teach me about mythology and history. I can’t remember much of it, only…” She pondered her answer for a moment “Astrology? And I guess some magic. And languages.”

“Trading information is the best part of school! And Teamwork is always fun!” Dusky’s enthusiasm continued to pulse, but the comment on magic seemed to affect her in some way. She calmed down and after a few moments of silence spoke again.

“You’re really lucky you know. Having magic like that. I tried so long to learn it despite not being a Unicorn. But no amount of reading old books seems to have worked past casting rituals. It’s hard to accept that you really do have it so much easier and we just don’t. But maybe if I see it in action things will be different. Maybe you could be the key.” Dusk’s words were layered with a mixture of sadness and hope. Azure had not considered yet the full extent of her own magic, or how valuable it might appear to somepony deprived of it. But the more she thought about it the more she realized she couldn’t squander it. She had to put it to use, to help in any way she could.

“Yeah. Yeah! I’ll help you figure out something by the end of the year, I’m sure of it. Even if it’s a simple cantrip, I know you’ll get it.” Azure lifted her hoof to the air for a high hoof, and Dusky responded in kind.

The two of them stayed together through Alchemy, though Azure struggled to pay much attention. Thinking of Elixirs just reminded her of Eli’s betrayal, of rushing to aid of Crown over her. Dusky didn’t notice, and stayed right where she was, even as most of the other non-unicorns left when the time came for magic class. Azure watched them leave and tried to focus on her instead. Eli had left the room and it was hard to hold onto her anger without its subject being present. Trying to impress and help a friend would get her much further than dwelling on hatred.

Eventually, Princess Twilight made it into the classroom, looking disheveled and quickly passing out books to everypony still present. Azure could see her frantic pace and slightly frayed mane. Her assessment from the other day seemed to be correct; Twilight was not excited to see her students. Azure wondered why she seemed so unprepared, as there was only one class to teach and it was at the end of the day. A second thought convinced her to be more charitable. Twilight was, after all, only a few years older than her, and she couldn’t see herself teaching a class any time soon. She must have been exceptionally gifted to be offered a position here. Azure thought more about that and started to put everything together. The students had arrived the very same day they were recruited, what if the teachers were as well? It would explain the rather ad-hoc nature of everything, including the obviously repurposed buildings. Suddenly she couldn’t judge the frazzled mare in front of her, realizing that she was probably just a young girl who had the job of teacher thrust upon her without warning just as quickly as she herself had become a student.

“Alright, you know who I am, let's get this over with. Your first class will be on the basics of magic. In its simplest form, applied magic is the study of using the magic inside yourself to achieve magical effects on the world or your body. All ponies have some form of magic inside them - yes, even Earth Ponies and Pegasi. This magic however has a different quality, a sort of… frequency to it that determines what it can be used to accomplish. Earth Ponies excel at channeling their inner magic into their body to perform feats of strength, Pegasi use it to fly and control the weather, and Unicorns use it for spellcasting.”

“What about Rituals?” Dusky asked.

“Rituals are an art form derived from externalized magic, which is the practice of using the inner magic from objects or the world around you to perform magic. They are difficult to develop but I suppose any kind of pony could do them if they had the right instructions and materials.”

“If you can externalize magic does that mean non unicorns could become spellcasters if they knew how to draw on their environment? Or had the right magical artifacts? Or got some magic from a friend? Maybe a giant ghost bat?”

“A What? Look, I don’t have time for this, I have my own studies to do. Just read chapter 1 for tomorrow okay?” Twilight didn’t wait for any other students to respond before immediately flying off towards the library.

“Miss Twilight! Wait!” Azure tried desperately to reach for her, but it was too little too late. “Aww, I really needed to talk to her.”

“You'll get her next time. For now it looks like we have reading to do!” Dusky clutched the new textbook close before putting it in her saddlebag.

“I hope so. I still don't know what this magic thing actually does.”

“Wait, magic thing? Show me!”

“Yeah, this Compass looking device!” Azure pulled out her compass from earlier and presented it. “I can just feel the energy radiating off it. It has to do something but even Crown couldn’t recognize it.”

“We can do some research and try to figure it out ourselves!”

“You know what? You’re right. If she won't help we can do it on our own! That's what good students do right!”

“Of course! We can impress her if we take initiative!” Dusky started to bounce around excitedly, her eyes big and full of excitement. It didn’t take long for Azure’s to match, lighting up again as she joined the happy taps.

“To the library then! Wait, actually do you know anypony else who you think might be able to help first? A bigger study group can cover more books

“Well most unicorns can do a little magic so most should be able to help some. There’s also our local witch.” Dusky looked across the room to where Cackle had been torturing one of the other Unicorn students with another bizarre illusion.

“She scares me but Cackle seems to have some sort of magical power. Maybe you should talk to her. I'll try to get Night Gaze, she seemed friendly enough! I'll meet you at the Library!”

Dusky saluted her and immediately zipped towards the witch girl, and Azure ran to catch Night, who had already started heading back towards the observatory. It wasn’t long before she had caught up though, using her own magic to bend space and catch up.

“Hey Night!”

“Oh, hello there Azure. Do you need something?” Night was a bit surprised but not unhappy to see her.

“Yeah! I know you probably have stuff to do tonight, but me, Dusky, and maybe Cackle are going to go to the library to research me and my magical thing from earlier. Do you want to come?” She kept in stride until they stopped just outside the observatory.

“My magic is more based on faith than academic study. Your compass really was beautiful, I’d love to know more about it, but I’d rather not get in the way if I can’t help.” Night hesitated, her hoof on the door. She wasn’t sure if she’d be helpful, but she did want to know more.

“That's okay. It'd be nice just to have someone else there to pour over the books and chat with us honestly.”

“Then I can make some time for you before my moon rise prayer. Lead the way.” Something about Azure’s earnesty got through to her. Night took her hoof off the door to the observatory and turned to her.

“Great! If you need to step out for that just let us know!” Azure gave an earnest smile and trotted off towards the library with her.

The school library was utterly massive, built in the same white stone as the rest of the school but with much more space dedicated to windows, which were stained purple glass. It stood two layers tall but from the outside there appeared to be an additional room at the very top with a large dome. As Azure stepped inside she noticed the soft birch floors, a change from the usual stone. Directly ahead was a staircase to the second floor, to her right was a long desk in front of a wall of drawers, and to the left was an area recessed into the ground with a few tables, chairs, and even cushions. Further past the large desk she saw a sign pointing to private reading rooms, and noticed light and flashes of sparks coming from one, no doubt another student practicing magic. Straight back past the stairs were rows and rows of books. The place had to have thousands, if not tens of thousands of books across two floors. Looking up she noticed the second floor did not extend to cover the recessed seating area or immediately above the check-out, giving the place a rather open feeling to match its brightness. Looking further she noticed an additional platform at the top to allow access to a third floor, but Azure couldn’t see any way to reach it without wings. She turned her focus back to the set of tables ready for studying to her left, and found Dusky was already there waiting.

“Hey! Do you think there’s anything important on the third floor? It might be difficult for us to access. Could you fly up there if we needed to Dusky?”

“Oh, I’d rather not fly. I’m not very good at it and sort of scared of heights.” Dusky was clearly embarrassed to admit this.

“It's okay if you're not a fan of heights, I’m not really either. Maybe I could just use magic to grab some books. Did you speak to Cackle?” Azure tried to brush it off but she was a little curious.

“I told her and she said she’d meet us here “when we least expect it". So I guess she’ll show up later?”

“Well that's foreboding. But sure. Let's start with what we know! This is all that was in my bag, and that means they’re the only clues I have to figure out my past.” Azure put the compass and her spoon on the table to present them. “The Spoon purifies fluids. The compass is unknown but has some sort of magical aura. Let’s look for books to figure out what it is!” Azure reached out her hoof over the middle of the table, and soon Dusky and Night put theirs in as well.

The three mares ran about the library in an erratic search, quickly gathering a pile of books on magical items and their history. Dusky was the first to find a book with an actual picture of a similar device.

“Oh oh oh! Look! I found something! This picture is almost the same. Well this one’s more silver than copper but close enough right?

“What does it say!” Azure climbed over the table and into her seat to see, earning the glare of several other students trying to make use of the library for her rambunctious behavior.

“Well, it looks like it’s something called a wayfinder. There’s a few variants but this seems to be just one of the basic ones without anything too special about it. On their own they’re basically just fancy compasses… but when combined with magical gemstones they can draw out its full magical power! But it doesn’t say anything about the map projected into the bottom.”

“What about who makes them?” Night chimed in. “If we know where it came from we could trace its path to get to you.”

“It looks like they belonged to some sort of Knightly Order called the “Royal Vanguards?”

“Knights? Strange. I don't think I'm a Knight. Maybe I knew one. Is it really just a compass? Where was I supposed to go if that Star didn't find me? North?” Azure was disappointed. Despite its beauty this one clue wasn’t anything all that special after all. “Well what about the stone, this one has to do something right?”

“Well actually there’s a whole chart! This one-” Dusky couldn’t even finish her sentence before a fire burst on the table in front of them, and out of it crawled a skeleton of a horse, looking over them. Azure was so startled she kicked back causing the seat with her and Dusky in it to fall over. Night nearly jumped to the next floor, but immediately ran to make sure the other two were okay.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Oh I certainly got you this time!” Flesh seemingly flowed out of the bones and around the skeleton, organs filling in as skin finally stretched over and hair regrew. The quickly reforming body reached down to the ground and booped Azure on her nose, winking as its eyelids finally grew back. It was Cackle. “Got ya~“

Cackle laid on the table in a far to sensual position trying to show off her rebuilt body to the girls, as they gathered their bearings and righted the chairs.

“Oh, it's Cackle. I should have known I'd seen that skull before.” Azure tried to gather her composure. “You know generally when you agree to help ponies find something, you show up before they’ve already found what they’re looking for.”

“Guilty as charged~! That’s how I know it was when you least expected me!” She pressed a claw to the fluff of her chest.

Azure just looked closely, poking the claw with her hoof to feel that it was real.

“How do you keep doing that anyways? Are you actually changing your shape every time you scare me?”

“Oh, so forward to go grabbing my claws already! But I don’t mind~. It’s all natural! I was born from a beast of tartarus and crawled my way out of the pit of beasts!” Cackle laughed, and moved another of her claws to trace along Azure’s cheek.

“But don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. Unless you want me to, or I’m in a biting mood~.” Cackle grinned, showcasing fangs in her mouth as her eyes subtly glowed behind their black sclera. Azure didn’t understand how to feel about this. Clearly she was the first to overstep Cackle’s privacy by touching her but this felt like a rather extreme way of paying her back. Right? She looked to the others for some guidance on how to react.

“If what you say is true, and you are a creature of Tartarus, then I should inform you that you always have a place with my faith if you should ever need assistance. Luna was always there for the creatures others called monsters, and so too are her true followers.” Night offered her a respectful bow, still clearly unsettled by her appearance no matter how polite she tried to be.

“You’re being kind of aggressive with how you’re touching her Cackle. And to be honest with everything yesterday you’re kind of making ponies uncomfortable.” Dusky did not bother with niceties.

“Look, I know why I’m here, and I know what I want. If you’re jealous though, don’t worry. There’s plenty of Cackle to share with everypony.~” Cackle pulled them all into a hug and sat in one of the chairs leaving them all squeezed together, something which none of them seemed to know how to respond to.

“But fine, you want to do magic research? What do we have so far?”

Cackle released the trio, and immediately Dusky and Night hopped off and grabbed new seats. Azure stayed. She didn’t understand why, but she didn’t really mind the close contact, no matter how inappropriate it clearly was. Cackle was clearly having some effect on her, but she couldn’t decipher what it was. She’d stay for now.

“Well… that this is a wayfinder used by an order of knights called the Royal Vanguards? Dusky was about to explain what the stone did.” Azure pointed at the device.

“Knights? Interesting, you must be full of secrets then. Maybe the pretty little princess has money? That would make things convenient for all of us~.” Cackle patted her head.

“Anyways…” Dusky interrupted “The one you found is depleted. A few of the gemstones they used were limited use and when all the magic burned out they’d end up like this. Usually those were more powerful ones but it looks like yours was already expended. Sorry to disappoint.”

Dusky sounded disappointed herself. Azure couldn’t help but wonder if she too was hoping for some exciting magical artifact of legend.

“Well, even if it’s basically useless, it’s still a pretty compass. And besides we have a clue on where to look next at least! And if I use that to focus my magic on I might be able to get some more information!” Azure started to concentrate inward, focusing her magic.

“What are you thinking my pretty little pony~?” Cackle could see the magic charging and watched her horn curiously.

Azure focused on that one phrase, the ‘Royal Vanguards’, letting it bounce through her mind as she stared at the open wayfinder. She tried to do what she did in the observatory again, to step out of the present and into the past. What did this have to do with her? Who were the royal vanguards? Why did she have this thing at all?

Time faded to nothing around her. Azure lost a grip on herself, and awoke again to find herself walking through memories in a body not her own once again. She saw herself as a knight, fighting alongside others of her banner. A hero at first, saving lives, fighting for justice and a better world, but eventually becoming something so much worse. Corrupted. A soldier committing atrocities in the name of what others said was the greater good. She saw herself unable to save everypony from the horrors of the world or from themselves, watched them all fall into deeper and deeper misery. Each mission, each adventure grew darker as she bounced between them, until she saw herself gathering mechanical parts and heading to the Princess herself, begging for support on some project. She saw the princess deny her, and all the anger and anguish that caused, the lashing out and frustration and begging that got nowhere. She saw herself looking at a wayfinder that looked identical to her own, only to put it away one final time, before heading out on what she knew to be their final mission. She saw every one of their banners burning, and she saw herself laughing over the flames.

Azure winced as she came back to reality. The longing of last time was so different to the anger and despair she felt this time.

“No. no that's all wrong. Right? Dusky, what happened to these knights? Where are they now?” Azure turned to her desperate for some validation that that wasn’t real.

“It says that about a decade ago all their bases were attacked, burned to the ground. A few members survived but the order is all but extinct. The book just ends with the author lamenting that there are no more heroes like the ones from the old days any more.” Dusky showed it to them, just as she said.

“That's odd. Who wrote this book? How old is it?”

“A former member of their court "Shield Sheen". Says it was only published a few years ago.”

“Gallant’s Dad? That certainly explains why Gallant ran away as soon as I pulled this out. Maybe he saw something similar that belonged to his dad. I could probably ask to meet him but I think I know who I really need to ask.” Azure’s distress was obvious.

She was trying to process everything she had borne witness to. It felt so real and yet she knew these memories were not hers. Whose were they then? Her friends all put a hoof around her, trying to comfort her, but she still didn’t feel at peace. She didn’t need comfort, she needed answers.

“When I do that, I can see memories. But I don’t know whose eyes I'm seeing through. I don’t know if it’s always the same when I do it. No. It can’t be. But it’s starting to scare me. Do we have access to the Princess? Can we talk to her? I'm sure she's very busy but I have questions that are important. I mean, I think they’re important at least.” Azure looked drained and despondent, as if she had lived a lifetime of misery all at once.

“She said she would be able to be called if it were necessary. But It seems that this really might be from how you’re acting.” Night tried to assure her that her feelings were valid.

“Let's go call the princess!” Dusky cried out at the top of her lungs.

“Let’s do that. So is there a special place? A mirror or orb or something?” Azure tried to perk up even if her half folded ears betrayed her. She really was a little excited by the prospect of talking to her one on one, she just wished it was under better circumstances.

“I think she said it was-” Cackle was cut off before she could finish by the loud stomp of Twilight landing next to them, a modestly sized dragon following behind her.

“What part of this being a Library do you four not understand? Fires, climbing on the furniture, now screaming? If you want to use the library you need to follow the rules. Stay quiet, stay off the furniture, and definitely don’t set anything on fire!” Twilight snorted and her mane flared up for a moment as if it was ready to catch aflame before she started to take deep breaths, reeling herself in.

“Sorry, we’ll try to be quiet next time. Wait, have you been here the whole time?” Azure hadn’t seen her here earlier. Was she above them?

“Twilight and I live here, in that room up there” the dragon casually added, pointing to the platform above. “I’m Spike by the way, her faithful assistant. I think I heard you say you wanted to call the Princess or something?”

“D-dragon! So cool!” Dusky sat frozen and transfixed by the dragon in front of her.

Spike proudly puffed up his chest, happy to present himself as a royal’s assistant, but was instantly shot down by a glare from Twilight.

“Spike, don’t humor them.” Twilight shifted her glare back towards the group as the other students quickly re-organized the books and table to be more orderly, or at least tried to look busy.

“Hi Spike, I'm Azure Sture. And yeah, I want to ask her some questions, if she wouldn't mind. It’s really important that I do this. Or at least I think it is.” Azure was still nervous. Twilight was clearly upset to be interrupted, how mad would Celestia be?

“Letter or a call? Yeah, I can do both.” He stood somehow even more smugly than before.

“A call might be faster. I have a lot to say.”

“Right! Follow me then!” Spike marched towards the private rooms, proud to show off his power..

“Spike! Fine, I’m too tired to worry about this right now. If she asks, this was your idea okay? Leave me out of it.” Twilight sighed and followed along.

The group all gathered in the unoccupied private room, squashed together as they tried to give Spike space to perform his ritual. Spike excitedly arranged a set of candles and connected them with an elaborate chalk outline, before lighting them each with a breath of his own. Azure watched mesmerized, only realizing when he was really done that maybe not everypony needed to be here for this. Oh well. Too late to kick them all out now.

“Wow! Dragon magic is really something!”

Dusky circled it carefully trying to memorize the pattern. Spike just smiled, genuinely happy to receive praise for once.

“I used to only be able to send letters but the Princess taught me this ritual in case somepony needed to contact her in an absolute emergency. Really cool that I get to do it on the first day though.”

Spike drew the last sigil and with a final burst of green fire, a flaming portal manifested in the center. In an instant it snapped into clarity, and they could all see Princess Celestia, working on some paperwork at a massive desk of her own.

“Oh! Hello my little ponies, is there something I can help you with? It’s only been one day, is everything okay at the school? I hope you haven’t had any more fighting issues? I heard there was some conflict but don’t worry, I’ve instructed the guards to keep a closer eye on everyone and ensure no students harm each other.” Celestia was perfectly composed as ever as she turned to the portal, looking over them all.

She smiled seeing them all squished together. It was a good sign that ponies from each house had come together, and her student was helping them. Azure felt a strange bliss just seeing her smile, but knew her time must be important. She wasted none of it, getting right to the business at hand.

“Princess Celestia, your Highness, I need your help. I need answers. I am trying to be a good enough student for this school. But I just can't focus well without understanding who I am. I can't remember anything more than moments before you summoned me here, and yet I seem to know things. My past isn’t there, but other ponies’ keep creeping into my mind. Memories that aren't my own come to me in flashes, bursts, or elaborate visions. I remember watching the stars for a thousand years in the observatory and charting every movement, and I remember fighting in your name in a different body. In my dreams I could see the dark side of the moon dripping down from the sky and starting a clock counting down for exactly a year, and I saw the Mare In The Moon staring back at me.”

Azure was struggling to keep her composure. For some reason the reality of her situation hadn’t settled in until now. She didn’t know anything important at all. She offered the only clue she had and held up the Wayfinder to show it to her.

“I don't know what's going on with me. I don't know who I am. Why do I see these things? Where do I come from? What happened to the Vanguards? What did that pony who came to you with the machines ask you that made them so… angry?” Azure was desperate and afraid. Celestia wouldn’t kick her out for asking something personal would she?

Celestia froze up on the other side of the portal. She had been pouring herself a fresh cup of tea when they called, but it started to overflow as she tried to take it all in.

“That certainly is a lot. I don’t know if I can help you with all of it. To access the memories of other ponies is a very rare form of magic. I’m not sure how you lost yours. Your dream of the moon dripping out could just be a normal dream but it’s probably best you keep it to yourself for now, and start documenting any other dreams you have and send me updates on them. Maybe-No. For now we’ll wait and see. As for your last question… “ She got herself under control and cleaned up the spilled tea with a simple flash of magic.

“I can only think of one Vanguard who ever approached me in such a way. His name was Clockmaker. He had grown disillusioned with their mission and thought the world would be better if I used the Elements of Harmony to empower some sort of machine designed to remove free will from ponies he considered evil so they could no longer make “wrong” choices. I refused and had him removed from the order until he was able to think clearly but he took it as a personal attack and retaliated against them, nearly destroying the entire order. He vanished after but he is still to be considered a highly dangerous individual. For your own safety I have to ask that you not research the Vanguards any further. This is a very serious matter that I will look into. Until then… Twilight, I’d like you to work with her to help recover her memories.” Celestia turned to her student, looking her down assertively.

“What? I only just started teaching and now you I have to help her too? I have so much to catch up on still, I’ve only barely read the first volumes on teaching students and-”

“You can handle this, my faithful student. It would be good for you to try to make friends, even with your students. And no invasive medical procedures, okay? Start with talking and magic.” Celestia tried to regain her calm and playful royal demeanor, but Azure could tell there was something shaking her underneath it. Twilight stayed quiet and accepted her teacher’s decision.

“I’m sorry if I overloaded you with questions. I just really needed some answers. I guess these will have to do for now.” Azure bowed in apology.

“I’m afraid it may be. Trust in Twilight, and trust in me, miss Star. You’ll figure this out together.” Celestia offered a nod back.

“Thank you, your highness. I'll try to work with her. and I'll do my best to make the school proud.”

“I am already proud of every one of you for taking the chance to be here together. It’s good to see that ponies from different tribes are already making friends! But if you need me I amd always here, and I wish you well with discovering your past. All I ask is that you keep me informed on any future visions, or memories like those in the observatory.” Celie beamed as she looked over the eclectic mix of ponies present.

“I will.” Azure wiped her tears away.

In a flash the portal vanished and the candles went dark. Twilight finally relaxed her tense body and spike started collecting the materials he had brought down for the ritual.

“Well I guess that's the best I can do for today.” Azure genuinely did feel better. That wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.

“You’ll learn in time.” Night patted her back to reassure her.

“We can always work to learn more together AND PLUS YOU GET TO STUDY WITH TWILIGHT SPARKLE! EEEEEEEE!” Dusky was so excited Azure would have thought she was the one who got to study with her if she hadn’t been told otherwise herself.

“Yaaaay. I have to spend even more of my time working with a student I don’t even know. At least the magical mystery is something that I can focus on. Just try not to intrude on my life too much.” Twilight grumpily left, flying back up to her perch above the library.

“She doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic herself.” Azure wasn’t sure. What was that about an

“She’s still the princess of Magic and Knowledge! If anypony can figure out your powers it's her!”

“I hope so. But enough about me! Friends aren't just selfish. I'd be happy to help the rest of you with anything important you have going on for the rest of the evening! I've had enough of my own excitement for one day.” Azure sighed as they left the private room fully, and watched Spike fly off as well. Night was the first to speak up.

“It is not selfish to talk when you need help, we’re happy to. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help this evening but it was definitely exciting. I never expected the Princess to be so forthcoming to us students. But no, the only thing I need to do now is go to the observatory. I have to prepare for my ritual before the sun goes down, which should be any minute now.” Night hugged the 3 of them and took her leave, running towards the observatory tower across the school grounds.

“I’ll remember that you offered but I'm here for you. I’m fine to keep doing whatever you want.” Dusky just smiled at her.

Azure was struggling to understand this pony. Was she really just that nice? Didn’t she have anything else to do? Or was she looking a gift horse in the mouth? Maybe she shouldn’t complain about having someone who wanted to stick around.

As Azure tried to grapple with this Dusky’s behavior, she noticed Eli out of the corner of her eye, watching them. Azure was too tired to be all that angry. Even Crown had been at least somewhat helpful to her this morning. Being vengeful wasn’t in her nature, but she still had to tip the scales in some way to feel closure.

“Hey Cackle. See Eli over there? She seemed a little skittish yesterday. I bet you could have a lot of fun scaring her. And if you're the kind of witch that makes spooky brews in a cauldron she might enjoy talking about that after.”

“I do love cooking things up in my cauldron. Alright, I’ll take your bait. Just don’t be a stranger if I go spook other ponies, friend~” Cackle giggled and ran like a beast after Eli, sure to cause her a fright. Azure really did hope they could bond over potions after, but she had had enough of Cackle’s weird aura for one evening too. That left only one friend left.

“Just us now.” Azure giggled a bit and went back to their own little corner.

“I guess so.” Dusky stayed close as they walked back to their little table.

“Well, I did offer to teach you Drakish right? That’s something I could do for you! Just to pay you back for being here.”

“You don’t need to pay me back. I like helping ponies. This has been fun, and exciting! But if you really want I’d still like to learn.”

“Right. Where do we begin. Grammar rules I suppose…”

Azure tried her best to teach Dusky the very basics, and the two ended up spending hours working on it. Before long the sun was down and replaced with the moon, and the conversation had shifted entirely from learning a language to an array of topics. Eventually most of the other students left the library. When it was just the two of them they moved closer to the windows to get better access to the moon’s bright light. Dusky spotted a colony of bats overhead and diverged into a twenty minute infodump of “cool bat facts”.

“You really know a lot about bats, Dusk. I guess they’re kind of like dragons too in a way. They have remarkably similar wing structures after all!” Azure was surprised by how much her friend knew about them. Bats weren’t really relevant to her mission, but even she was curious to learn more now.

“Exactly! Some biologists even believe warbats may be a form of wyvern hybrid that evolved into its own species! I don't entirely believe that, but it was an interesting study to read.” Dusky immediately grabbed another book to pull up her citations.

“Really! I've always wondered how Dragons got their wings. Most people call them lizards, even though they're not cold blooded, but if they were really reptiles it'd make more evolutionary sense to have feathery wings like birds do right? And at the same time you'd think ponies would have wings closer to bats, as fellow flying mammals, but they ended up with bird wings somehow? It's all very strange, that we still don't know how it got all topsy turvy like that.”

“I mean there are ponies with bat wings! O-or at least stories of them. And w-they have a long history with both wild bats and dragons! I almost feel like it may have been some strange convergent evolution!” Dusky’s excitement was thrown off for just a moment, and she struggled to address that idea tactfully.

“If they are real I’d love to meet them someday. You know I was thinking about the rumors of Sea-Ponies after Miss Twilight's class. Sure we know a lot about the three big tribes of ponykind but there’s tales of all these other groups out there that we know so little about. I know there's a lot of bad blood to sort out between the more common types of ponies to settle first, but maybe once the school's really started to make progress we could get other types of ponies involved too! Maybe even some non-ponies! Who knows how many creatures are really out there past the horizon.” Azure put away the books she had long since stopped using and moved some cushions to gaze out the windows at the moonlight sky.

Dusky didn’t know how to respond to this and took her time to think of the perfect response.

“There's all kinds out there. And there’s always more to learn about each other.” Dusky smiled and joined her on the cushions.

Another pause hung before Azure spoke up again.

“Dusky. Thanks for making the first day a little less rough. Sorry to dump all my issues on you gals like that earlier. It's just a little rough not knowing who I am or where I really belong. But I think I'll get through it with everypony's help. For now I belong right here.” Azure turned and found it easier to look at Dusky’s eyes than before. Something about them still seemed off, dilated in the moonlight and the green in them seemed to almost glow, lighting up her face.

“No problem Azzy. It's not dumping, it's sharing and it's what friends do.” Dusk just confidently pulled the larger mare next to her closer as they both sat there, now just watching the stars. The night was beautiful, and they lingered in the library well past everyone else except the two that lived there. Azure just enjoyed the moment for as long as she could before the long day caught up with her and she couldn’t help but Yawn.

“It’s getting late. Maybe we should head to bed.” She had cold hooves as she struggled to get up.

“Yeah. This was fun though!” Dusky relented and eventually got up to head out.

“It was. Catch you tomorrow!”

Azure went back to her room with a big dumb grin on her face and just slumped into her bed, looking up out her own tiny window. Someday she’d understand what the moon wanted with her. Someday she’d understand what it all meant. But until then, she’d just think of how excited she was to see her friends tomorrow.

Author's Note

Quite a long chapter! The next one should be much shorter, don't worry! Hope everyone enjoys, and as always feel free to comment.