Chapter 3

Starswirl trotted along behind the guard leading him in silence. Meeting an empress was pretty special, or so he was trying to convince himself. In fact, the more he thought about it, the less he was sure of himself or anything for that matter. It's as if all of his past memories had been wiped clean. Scrunching his brow in concentration, Starswirl attempted to dig deeper into the cloud of white fluffiness that was his subconscious mind only to be rebuffed back into reality. He had no idea how he had used magic to mentally probe himself, but it felt weird as if a worm had tried burrowing into his head through his ear. Shaking himself to get rid of the unpleasant experience, Starswirl nearly bumped into the guard as he suddenly stopped in front of a grand set of double doors.

"Welcome to the Ward," announced the guard gruffly. "You'll be stayin' in room 203. Keep outta trouble, or I'll be makin' trouble for you." With a threatening glare that was meant to stay him, the guard walked away to resume his post guarding Empress Corona.

Turning back to face the ominous doors, Starswirl grabbed the handle in his mouth and turned. The doors wouldn't budge. He tried again. There was not even an inch of movement, and Starswirl was practically throwing all of his weight into it. "Well, these are some weird doors. What kind of doors don't open when you try to go in?" Stepping back to examine the barrier obstructing his way, Starswirl noticed a small hole next to the doorknob. "What's this?" Looking closer at the hole, it appeared that he could fit his horn inside of it. Seeing no better option to take, he shrugged and plunged his horn in as deep as he could.

The door still wouldn't move. "Seriously? I think the Empress might have bought some broken doors." Stepping away to pull himself out of the door, he was stopped suddenly by a force pulling on his head. His horn was stuck in the hole. "Oh, ponyfeathers..." Struggling against his bonds, Starswirl attempted to free himself by twisting his horn as far as his neck would allow on either side, but to no avail. At this point, Starswirl was just getting annoyed. "Grrrr, you stupid door!" He growled, the flare of anger causing him to instinctively reach into his magic and release it through his horn. Suddenly, the great doors moved open and Starswirl fell flat on his face onto a red carpeted floor. The doors shut silently after him. "Ouch," he muttered to himself, moving his hoof to his face in irritation. The friction caused by his face moving across the carpet caused minor rug burns.  Looking back darkly at the door, he aimed a buck at it only to be shocked ten feet in the air. "Agh!" he yelped, landing bodily on his rump.

"You alright there, newbie?" Snickers emerged from behind Starswirl as he whirled his head to face the group of strangers moving towards him. They each held identical mocking smiles, staring at him with condescending gazes as if they were the best in the world. "That should teach you to kick at magic doors, although even an idiot could tell that it's magic if the door measures your power to let you in!" At this, the unicorn's companions guffawed obnoxiously. These ponies were the type of ponies that enjoyed belittling others in their weakest moments. "So, what's your name, shrimp?"

"It's Starswirl. Who are you?"

"Pfft, this scrub thinks he's entitled to know who I am? What a riot!" More jeering emerged from behind the speaking pony, causing Starswirl to unconsciously shrink back. "Listen pal, my name's Heatstrike; I'm a Class 2 third year here at the Institute, and I practically run the entire place. You better learn to offer your respect to me, or you'll be my enemy. And let's just say I don't have many enemies still  here at this school." Flashing Starswirl a wicked grin, he bent down until their faces were inches apart. "I bet you think you're hot stuff huh? Get real. What sort of backwater town sent you here?"

"He must have been a farmer, only country bumpkins get grey coat colors!" An earth pony with a jet-black coat proffered forth, toadying to the leader of the gang.

"You know, Cinderblock, I think you're right. You ARE  farmer; I can smell it." Holding his hoof up to his nose, Heatstrike feigned detecting a foul odor in the air. All of his cronies laughed while Starswirl wished he could just disappear into the background. While part of him wanted to just break down and cry, the other part of him was slowly getting angrier and angrier. Who did this punk think he was!?

"Can I leave now?" Starswirl's voice had dropped two octaves, resembling the husky growl of suppressed anger. This tone change went unnoticed by Heatstrike, however, who was busy playing the crowd.

"And what if I so no? What're you going to do about it, scrub?" Heatstrike stood over him threateningly, a good two heads taller than Starswirl was at his diminutive age. He went so far as to spit in Starswirl's coal black mane, eliciting more catcalls and jeers from his goons. "Listen, first year; I make the calls around here. You do what I want, and there ain't NOTHING you can do abo-OOF!" He found himself interrupted as an invisible force hit him in the chest, causing him to stagger backwards a couple inches. Overcoming the initial shock, he quickly became enraged. "Hey! What's the big ide-" He go no further as a stream of water blasted into his face, pushing him back into a nearby wall.

Starswirl glared at his aggressor. He hadn't even done anything to this guy, but he was getting picked on. Well, he wasn't going to let these guys just walk and spit all over him. Slowly shutting off the magic sustaining the stream, he stared at one very wet Heatstrike. "That's exactly what I'm going to do about it," he said, childish rage ruining any capacity he had for thought.

"Oh, you cocky little-!" Bellowing in fury, Heatstrike summoned a wall of water and sent it flying towards Starswirl. Starswirl merely looked at the wall, staring at it until it dissipated before his very eyes. Heatstrike gaped in shock before getting hit by a blast of snow that now covered his body up to his head. Summoning up more magic, Heatstrike forced all the snow to melt into water before sending a wave at Starswirl, followed by several smaller waves behind it. His companions simply stood to the side in anticipation.

"Cream the scrub, Heat!"

"Make mincemeat out of him!"

"Show him who the real water molder is around here!"

Starswirl managed to deform the wave as easily as he had the wall, but he instantly got swamped over by the waves that followed close behind.

"Gotya!" exclaimed Heatstrike in triumph. "You're going down, scrub." While Starswirl was still knocked off balance, Heatstrike froze all the water that surrounded him into ice. He summoned even more ice until it layered up to Starswirl's nose. "Now, time to give you your punishment." Materializing an ice hammer, Heatstrike prepared to give Starswirl the first blow before a hoof jabbed into the cave of his back. Crying out in pain, he immediately reflexed as he was hit soundly in the solar plexus, knocking him unconscious. Instantly, the ice encasement spell fell apart and Starswirl landed with a splat in the middle of a large puddle of water. The guard that had escorted Starswirl stood over him, his eyes glaring at both Starswirl and the other goons. "I thought I told you that if you made trouble, I'd make trouble for you."

Starswirl quailed under the interrogative gaze of the guard, scared. He didn't even know what caused him to use all those magic spells. A part of his brain just got so angry that it shut off the rest of his thinking and caused holes in his memory of what happened while he was angry. "I-I'm sorry sir."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" the guard roared thunderously. "What in the blazes d'ya think yer doin', having a magic duel in the middle of the hallway!" Seizing Starswirl by the scruff of his neck with his teeth, the guard moved his gaze towards the group of cronies trying to scuttle away undetected. "You three are gonna get it later!" He yelled through gritted teeth, which somehow made it more frightening for the adolescent colts. Scrambling over each other to get away, they tripped and pushed and shoved until not a single one was left at the scene of the crime.

Muttering something about hooligans under his breath, the guard dragged Starswirl's sopping wet body across the floor until he stood in front of room 203 halfway down the hall from the main doors. Bucking a door open, the guard tossed Starswirl onto his bed like a wet kitten. "Get dry. And don't get in'ta fights with the other initiates!" Scowling, the guard slammed the door and caused Starswirl to jump a little at the magnitude of the sound.

Starswirl shivered, drenched to the bone from that ice attack he had faced earlier. Shaking himself in an attempt to get dry, he only managed to get the bed under him soaking wet. Not wanting to sleep in a cold bed, he immediately used a burst of magic to create a pulse of heat. It proved to be instantly effective, drying both him and the bed sheets in a second. Starswirl then set about to explore his room when he stopped, something tugging at his mind's edge. For some reason, he felt that something peculiar had just happened, even though all he did was summon up a bit of heat to dry himself. Something seemed to isolate the fact that he had summoned heat, but he just shrugged it off. Whatever it was that was bugging him could be handled later, he decided.

The room was simple and elegant, befitting for it's existence in the Royal Castle. The walls were painted a sky blue, with a muted grey carpet covering the floor. There were a set of windows that looked out over the surrounding forest, allowing the sun to shine through into the room. A single painting adorned the wall opposite of the bed, depicting the picture of the legendary Magus Aquus, Sonas the Persistent. She held a fierce look of determination, wielding her staff around her as she faced down an unknown opponent. Starswirl was enraptured. Here was a unicorn who was just like him, yet she seemed so regal and powerful without exuding a sense of arrogance. Rather, it was a quiet confidence in her own abilities that shone through the painting, quite impressive for something painted by hooves.

Turning away from the portrait, Starswirl turned his attention to the writing desk that occupied the adjacent wall right in front of the windows. The entire thing was constructed of a deep mahogany wood, polished to a shine by diligent castle servants. While the desk itself held no embellishments, it's stability and durability were testaments to the loving care of it's maker in creating it. Sitting down in front of it filled Starswirl with a sense of contentment and peace. A brief memory wriggled into his head of sunny days spent studying under the loving guidance of his mother, whose face remained a blank through the entire scene. Not even realizing himself that he was smiling, Starswirl opened a drawer and pulled out a quill and ink-pot, as well as a sheaf of parchment. Starting from the top left corner, he began to sketch something even he had no idea about. As a figure began to form from the random scratchings of ink, his efforts became more and more fervent until the tip of his quill snapped from the intensity of his writing. Staring dully at the broken tip, he then turned back to the paper.

A crude sketch of a beautiful unicorn mare rested before him. Adorning her flank was a cutie mark of a rose with a thorny stem, slightly covered by a long tail. Turning his gaze to her face, he was startled to realize that he had only drawn a mouth upturned in a smile. The rest of the face remained blank, as if he couldn't remember any other details about who he had been drawing. Scratching his head in confusion, he tried summoning up the final details of this mare but to no avail. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even remember why he had tried drawing her in the first place or why tears suddenly sprang from his eyes. "Maybe this is my mom. But then why can't I remember her if they just sent me here?"

With this and other questions left unanswered, Starswirl decided to take a nap. Dinner, he supposed, wouldn't be for at least another three hours, and he was reluctant to chance meeting Heatstrike again. One encounter with the bully had been enough for a year at least.

Dinner that night was extravagant for a pony like Starswirl. Even though he couldn't really remember anything from before he woke up in the Empress' study, he had a vague feeling that this food was more expensive and costly than all the food he had ever eaten in his life combined. Finely polished platters heaped high with fresh vegetables glazed with varying sauces gleamed in the soft firelight of the main dining hall, surrounded by bowls of broccoli stew and baked potatoes. Goblets upon goblets of non-alcoholic cider were available upon request in all sorts of flavors, from apples to grapes and even bananas. Starswirl wasn't sure what a banana was, but it sure tasted good in his bubbly drink. Looking around at his fellow initiates, he spotted the Class 2 tables down the hall and saw Heatstrike. He was glaring at him with the intensity of a bear bent on murder, his cronies all mad-dogging Starswirl as if he had done them some great injustice. It's not like he started it. All he had done was defend himself against the upperclassmen. They didn't seem to think of it that way.

Glad that they were a considerable distance away from him, Starswirl turned his head back to his food. While there were many colts and fillies in the hall eating around him, he was alone and isolated. There really was nothing else to do but to tuck in, and the food was hard to resist. He had been feasting on what must have been his third baked potato slathered in gravy and sour cream when he caught the curious glance of a filly sitting across from him. She was a petit little thing, probably the same age as he. She offered him a shy grin and he responded accordingly, his face mirroring her action awkwardly.

"Are you new here? I'm Silent Night."

"I'm Starswirl, I think."

"You think? Don't you know your own name, silly?" She giggled at that, causing him to smile some more. He like the amiable foal that sat across from him, plus he was nearly filled up to the brim from all the cider and potatoes.

"Well, I think I do. I don't really remember much from before I came here. It's weird. Empress Corona told me that I just got sent here from my parents, but I don't remember who they were or where I came from."

"Really? Maybe you should ask a doctor what's wrong." Childish concern filled her face.

"Nah, it'll be alright. So, what is this place anyways?" Starswirl asked curiously, his eyes staring at the purple-maned pegasus filly.

"This place is a magic school! I think it's called the 'Institute of Warfare'," she said, scrunching her face as if trying to remember before her attention span ran out and she moved on. "Anyways, we all came here to learn magic so we can help Empress Corona expand Equestria! My mommy said it's a great honor to be working for the good of the Empire, but I just think it's really cool! I never even knew pegasi could do magic until I started being able to control the wind and stuff."

Starswirl's eyes widened. "Really? I never saw a pegasus do that, I think."

She grinned. "Yeah! I mean, pegasi can control clouds and create the weather sort of, but apparently pegasi who can control the wind are reaaaaally rare! That's why my parents sent me to this school so I can learn more about it! How about you?"

"Well, I guess I can control the water... hey, who is Heatstrike by the way? He seems like a real big bully to me."

"He is!" Silent Night pouted. "Last week, he splashed me with water when I was drinking from a fountain! He's just a big meanie, but he's one of the strongest unicorns at the school, I think. That's why everyone is too scared to stand up to him."

"He didn't seem that special to me. He tried bullying me a couple hours ago but I shot water in his face." Starswirl grinned at remembering his accomplishment. The look of pure bewilderment and incredulity had been really funny after seeing him act all proud and stuff.

Her eyes widened. "That was you!? The ponies from Class 2 have been spreading rumors about how Heatstrike almost got beaten by a little colt. Wow!" She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming in admiration. "It must have been scary, huh?"

Starswirl shrugged. "I guess it kind of was. I don't know, I was just mad because I was getting picked on for no good reason. Everything kind of goes blank from there, but I do remember the guard dragging me to my room by the neck." He cringed, bring his hoof to where he felt the teeth still digging into his mane. "I don't know what was scarier though, him or the guard."

"Well, I'm happy someone can stand up to him! We should totally be friends!" Silent's enthusiasm was infectious, and Starswirl agreed readily. After all, his heart filled up with happiness from hearing the word 'friends', like he had never had one before.

"Sure!" Starswirl replied in kind, his face now permanently set in a wide grin. Maybe this place won't be so bad after all.

Just then, an older pony wearing a dark blue robe entered the hall, calling for the attention of everypony there. He cleared his throat before starting to speak. "Initiates! Remember that tomorrow is a half-day in commemoration of Empress Corona's coronation ceremony half a millenia ago! Classes will only last till noon-time, so be sure to report bright and early to your teachers. That is all!" With a poof of smoke, he disappeared as quickly as he came, the muted chatter now returning to the room as initiates discussed their plans for the holiday.

"Hey! Since you're new, do you want me to show you around the palace? I'll introduce you to some of my friends too," Silent Night said eagerly, her entire body quivering in anticipation of spending time with her new friend. After all, spending time with friends was the best feeling ever!

"Sure. I mean, if you really want to spend your time giving me a tour..." Starswirl said bashfully, as if noticing that his new friend was kind of cute.

"Then it's settled! Meet me in the main hall tomorrow! This is going to be so much fun!" Jumping out of her seat to race to her room and make plans, Silent Night quickly disappeared into the semi-darkness of the main hall as moonlight filtered in through the tall windows of the castle.

Starswirl smiled to himself. He would be glad to have a friend after making enemies with Heatstrike. Quickly depositing all of his used dishes at the cleaning area, he happily trotted to his room humming tunes he had no idea how he knew but assumed they were associated with happiness. This memory thing was really starting to annoy him, but he was too excited for the next day to let it worry him too much. In fact, as soon as he'd entered his room he simply jumped into bed and allowed himself to float off into dreamland, where he froliced in the water with bunnies and walruses and his new friend Silent Night.

Starswirl sat stock still, completely engrossed in Professor Sleet Wind's lecture on the basics of weather manipulation. While the skies and clouds were the domain of pegasi and their wind mages, unicorns held some sway over the creation of rains and storms with their inherent connection with water. Starswirlf found that he easily slipped into the class with a brief introduction from the professor, gaining only a roomful of curious glances before the lecture had started. Now, he was easily keeping along with foals that had been in this school since magic kindergarten and just entered Class 1 of the Institute. He even found himself ahead of some of his peers who struggled to understand the concept that clouds were just water waiting to be used and manipulated. How he had gained this formidable know-how, however, was completely lost to him; information appeared in his head whenever he needed it, but the source of where he got that information was clouded by the fog of forgetfulness, something that still annoyed him from time to time. Mostly, he just ignored it in his childish energy to learn more about his heritage and the magic he possessed.

Starswirl got so caught up in his own thoughts and the lecture that the noontime bell had rung before he knew it, half of the day already over and the rest of the day to spend as he pleased. Remembering that he had an evening planned out with Silent Night and the rest of her friends, he smiled. Life at the Institute seemed pretty good to him so far; Great food, great professors, and a great atmosphere all contributed to his love of the place. Even being bullied by Heatstrike the previous day did little to dampen his prospects, although remembering that he was now enemies with the powerful upperclassman made him pale a bit. He shivered, remembering the frigid ice that had entrapped him the previous day. "Maybe it would be better to just avoid him... I'm not big enough to take him directly all the time," he said to himself, facing the reality of the situation.

The fact was that although he had managed to fend off Heatstriker yesterday, Starswirl was still infantile in terms of magic skill when compared to him. There's also the fact that the bully was bigger and stronger than he was, although the "stronger" part was debatable from how Starswirl had deflected some of his attacks. Overall, he concluded that it was better off avoiding the white-coated unicorn as much as ponily possible.

Still deep in thought, Starswirl hadn't even realized that he had reached the main hall and bumped his snout into one of the marble pillars that supported the arched ceiling. "Ouch," he said, moving backwards to rub the tip of his muzzle with his hoof. "I've got to learn to look where I'm going," he sighed.

"Hey, Starswirl Over here!" Silent Night cheerily called out to him from the other side of the hall. She was accompanied by an indigo coated earth pony and a tan coated pegasus, whose colors clashed with her own deep purple coat. "Come meet my friends!"

At that, Starswirl felt his heart swell again before trotting over to meet Silent Night and her friends. It was time to begin the first day of the rest of his life.