"Princess Celestia tried to recover all she could of the Equstrian stars, but with both the sun and the moon to contend with she found herself at ends" The Professor glanced to the clock on the wall, he pushed his glasses up his snout and squinted, " And I do believe that's all we have time for today, Ladies and Gents. I'll see you all on next Monday's lecture." As if on queue, the university's buzzer rang through the echoing hall, many of the ponies sprang up from their seats in the stands and bolted, "If you have any questions feel free to come ask me or my assistant here! and remember, we have a three strike system, so try not to make the homework a problem," he called after them.
The front runners bolted out the door with a trail of fire, others were slower, taking time to pack their saddlebags and chat with their friends, and then there were a final few who were still napping in the warm Friday sunlight, leaving puddles of drool on their desks. The Professor levitated a few blank pieces of parchment into the air, scrunched them up, and tossed them at the sleeping ponies. "Scram," he chuckled, "you're free to go." The sleepy ponies, barely alive, stumbled from their desk, saddlebags gripped in their maws, and hobbled to the doors.
Professor Night Light was an old family friend, and the old blue stallion was the one who helped me get a job in the most prestigious school in Equestria. He was a good pony. The professor pulled down his tie, strode over to his desk at the front of the room, and reclined into his chair. "So my boy," he asked me, "got any plans for the night?"
I nodded, strands of my slicked back mane falling back into my face, I swept my light yellow hoof through the maroon mess,straightening it all out, "Yeah actually," It was rare that I had plans, but it wasn't unheard of, "I'm planning on seeing my mare-friend, I've been pretty busy lately so it should be nice to catch up, I'm actually off to see her now, if you don't need me for anything else," I said, stepping over to the coat rack that leaned near the blackboard.
The older stallion smirked at me, "No, no, please, don't let me keep you."
I couldn't help but chuff to myself, "I think I can manage it," I said. I picked up my saddlebags, swung them on my back, and reached out with my magic, grasping the letter. "So I'll see you on Monday?" I asked, walking backwards to the door.
The blue stallion tapped a hoof to his chin, "Yes, should do," he waved a dismissive hoof, "have a good weekend, Sol." He nodded to me, signalling my release.
I place a hoof on the heavy wood, call back, "you too!" and trot through the ornate doorway.
The University was a beautiful place. Its walls were whitewashed, its floors were polish granite, and it's gardens glowed a vibrant green in the summer evening. At that time, just after the final lectures of the day, the halls were usually bustling, but on a beautiful Friday like that one, everypony had gotten the hell out of dodge, and fast. I had no problem with it, I always loved roaming the empty hallways, it was peaceful. I kept at a constant trot for the few minute trip.
But, all too soon I came to the grand reception hall, also empty bar the royal guard who was sat at his station. He looked up from his paper, I nodded to him, he nodded back. It was our thing.
I stepped outside into the warm sunlight. The verdant trees were rustling, ponies of all ages were going about their afternoon, and the happy sounds of lower Canterlot filled the air.
Taking In a deep breath of the clean mountain air, I step though the receptions archways, only to be stopped by a pair of big grey eyes and a snout bumped into mine. "Boop!" the upside down pegasus mare laughed. Scoria, or Blue as she liked to be called, was hung from the arches high points like a bat, her black mane sprawled down the rest of the way to the floor like a unkempt ball of yarn.
I almost flinched, almost. But she had a habit of popping up where I least expected her. "Hey, Blue, what are you doing?" I ask.
She kissed me on the snout, and dropped from her perch, spinning to land on her hooves, "Waiting for you, of course," the blue mare said. "Why else would I be here?" She had soot and ash coating her hooves and face.
I must have given a her a dumb little smile as she called it, because she laughed. I returned the kiss, getting a fair amount of soot in my mouth, "eugh," I cringe and deal with it, "I don't know that's what I'm asking you. I though we were meeting later?"
She set of walking, a slow trot for her because she was waiting for me, "Yeah, me too, but I got let off work early, the guards have a day off today, so I just had to finish up on the Captain's ceremonials and then I was free to go." Blue was a mare of her own making. A little over five years older than me, biologically anyway, she wasn't exactly mature. Scoria grew up in a pretty poor part of town, but, she had shown great talent for metal working, and soon she found herself a nice place in the royal armoury.
"Oh," that had buggered up my agenda, "so what do you want to do now?"
She stopped, "Well I've had a hard day," she pouted, using her damned puppy eyes. She fell to her haunches, "I've had my head in a furnace for three looong hours managing molten steel and iron and slag and..."
I put up a defensive hoof, "Alright, alright," I sighed, "dinners on me." My poor wallet, I could feel it crying.
She perked up and continued her skip down the cobbled streets, "Oh well, if you're offering that would be just great."
I half laughed, half groaned, and followed in her hoof steps. "What did you have in mind," I whine.
She tapped her sooty hoof to her less sooty chin, "Oh, well... You could cook something? Pasta?" she asked.
I smile, wallet saved, "I think I can manage that," I said. My father, who had passed away a few years prior, was a professional chef working in the Canterlot palace. Whilst we didn't really ever get along very well, he did teach me how to cook a gourmet dish. She nuzzled my mane, and we kept our pace to the rich district.
When we got to the divide between Lower Canterlot and the peak district, where my home was, I could feel the energy and happiness seeping from my marefriend. She gradually went from skipping on her merry way to head down and walking in my shadow. It was the rich ponies, not like me, but the old fashion ones. I could feel their noses turning up at her and me. Some glared, some ignored us as if we weren't worth their time.
"They keep staring at me," Blue said, biting her lip. I could see she was getting more self concious by the minute. What was she to them? A literally dirty pegasus stinging off of a young rich boy, probably. Eugh, the rich were getting in my head too much.
When we got to my street, Blue was pressed up against me. The guard that sat on the gated community's squinted at Blue, looked to me, and shrugged, nodding us through the polished steel gates. He knew me, and maybe he knew her, she had probably made his armour, after all.
The snobs reached their pinnacle on the road to my house, before we went down a side lane.
"I can't stand it when they stare," she said.
"Well, next time I'll say something if you like."
"No, no." She sighed. "These things always get out of hand. It's best to just ignore the bloody pompous money."
We turned another birght side street, our hooves resounding on the washed cobblestone. My mansion approach us, black wood trimming that slightly lighter than itself in the evening warm.
We stepped up to the door and my blue mare glanced from side to side, letting her black hair dust out excess soot. She wrapped a wing around her stallion, and I opened the massive door. "Home sweet home," I said, gripping my saddlebags with my magic and placing them gently on a nearby desk.
