Second Class: Secrets of the Supernatural

What just happened? Twilight thought, her mind racing as fast as her legs. There’s no way in Equestria I did that, right? But that voice in my head... Was that really me? No, just focus on getting back to the dorm. I can figure out exactly what happened once I’m there. Blessedly, nothing impeded her progress to her dormitory building, only a few eyes following her mad dash for a few brief seconds. She got inside and hurried up to her room, not stopping until she had flung open her door and slammed it shut behind her. She proceeded to lock, bar, and blockade the door behind her. She didn’t want anypony getting into this sanctuary before she herself could fully explain the scene with Comet.

With the knowledge of her total security, she relaxed, breathing deeply to replenish her near-exhausted supply of fresh oxygen. “Okay,” she said aloud, steadying her breathing.

“Umm... Twilight?”

Twilight whirled to face the sudden sound. “Oh! Oh, it’s you, Spike,” she said with a sigh. She walked past Spike and started pacing. “You wouldn’t believe what happened just now! I... I think I just used magic! It felt weird, though, not like any way magic has been described in any of my classes. Could it be something different, some new kind of magic? Oh, but I can’t possibly stay here, there was an accident and I think I lit Comet Blaze’s mane on fire and--” She stopped mid-sentence to look at Spike, who seemed to be staring past her without hearing what she was saying. “Spike, are you listening to me?”

“Well, it seems that you’ve had quite an interesting day, Miss Twilight Sparkle.”

Two thoughts fought for dominance in Twilight’s mind as she heard this new voice behind her. One of them was hey, I know that voice. I’m saved! The other was oh horseapples, I know that voice. I'm so bucked! She tried to turn, but she found that her legs had frozen in place, giving more heed to the latter thought. She put all her effort into forcing her neck at least to listen to the former thought in order to look at the speaker. All it took was a glimpse of the billowing, ethereal mane for the second thought to win out decisively, locking every muscle in Twilight’s body with fear. “Ah... P-Princess? I-I can explain- well, no I can’t, but- I don’t- ahhhhh,” Twilight babbled, trying to find her voice even with her body frozen.

“It’s alright, Miss Sparkle. I witnessed the entire event,” Celestia said. “And perhaps I can shed some light on it as well.” She levitated a pair of cushions over to herself and stepped around in front of Twilight, setting the cushions between them. “Please, take a seat,” she said, doing so herself.

“S-so, you’re not mad?” Twilight said, blinking rapidly in confusion. She started to regain some feeling in her legs. That was a good sign.

Celestia chuckled. “That remains to be seen. But no, I am not angry with you for your actions. Quite the opposite, in fact. Your abilities greatly intrigue me.”

Twilight, having finally recovered the ability to utilize her extremities, stepped forward to sit on the cushion. “So... What do you know about these powers I’ve just manifested?” She asked hesitantly.

“You are a rare individual possessed of powers beyond magic. They are known by a number of different names, including psionics, extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, or, more commonly and more simply, psychic powers.”

“What? I’ve never read any conclusive proof of psychic powers being anything more than exaggerated hoaxes and works of fiction. Where does this kind of power come from?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

“I assure you, your powers are very real. As for where they come from, even I do not possess a complete understanding of how individuals come to possess these abilities.” Celestia paused for a moment, considering how exactly to continue. “If I recall correctly, your assistant is capable of using his fire to send small objects to others. Is this correct?”

“Uh, yeah, I can do that,” Spike said, kneeling next to Twilight. “But what does that have to do with Twilight having psychic powers?”

Celestia pulled out the envelope from Zen Star. “There is a school, similar to this one, which trains ponies with talents like yours to use those talents to protect the world from various kinds of evils. Regrettably, I don’t know much about the place. I want to learn about what they teach, how they teach, anything that may be important. This letter is a letter of acceptance: an invitation for you, Twilight Sparkle, to attend this Demongate Academy.” She levitated the letter over to Twilight and placed it on the ground at her hooves.

“So, you want me to go to this school and learn to control my powers for the sake of Equestria? I think I can do that,” Twilight said, her eyes alight with determination. This was a chance to prove herself, to show that she could be useful even to somepony as great as Princess Celestia.

“I like your enthusiasm, Miss Sparkle. It will serve you well in the future, I can tell,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “Actually, your assignment is threefold. First, exactly as you said, you must learn to use your powers and strengthen your abilities. Secondly, you need to report to me anything important you learn about the supernatural world in general, including the powers possessed by yourself and your peers, as well as any information you can discover about the Demongate Foundation.”

“So that’s where I fit into all this, isn’t it?” Spike asked, eliciting a nod from the princess. “Awesome, so I get to go with you!” He exclaimed, his giddiness nearly tangible.

“Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly,” Celestia paused and leaned in close to Twilight’s face, a knowing smile adorning her own, “you need to make some friends.”

Twilight leaned back, blushing. “Wh-what do you mean by that? Surely my own social status can’t possibly influence the fate of Equestria.”

Celestia chuckled, righting herself. “Perhaps you’re right, but I’ve found that friends are never a bad thing to have, especially when plunging into the unknown. Do what you can and be true to yourself. I’m sure you won’t have too many problems along the way.” This has to happen naturally. An artificially formed friendship won’t be able to call on the power of the Elements. I’m sorry I’m sending you into this blind, but I have no choice.

Twilight concentrated on Celestia for a few moments, her face wearing a serious expression. “Somehow... I can tell that you’re leaving something out,” she said quietly. Then, she smiled. “Of course, it’s probably something you believe I don’t need to know. If that’s your judgment, it’s good enough for me.”

Celestia stared, shocked that this young unicorn could possibly have seen through her facade like glass. She shook her head to rouse herself from the disbelief. “Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Now, go ahead and open that letter. I think you’ve waited long enough.” It’s about time you started walking the path of your true destiny.

Twilight opened the envelope. There was a letter, a pamphlet that looked to be a small guidebook, and a small circular badge. It featured a yellow pony head on a violet background, small bolts of lightning seeming to come off the head. She set the badge and pamphlet aside and began to read the letter aloud. “Dear Prospective Student, Twilight Sparkle

Congratulations. You have been chosen to join the student body of Demongate Academy due to your unique talents. Each year, we recruit the best and brightest of the world’s youth so that we may teach them to better use their special talents in a way that will most benefit the world as a whole. We promise to help you better understand what you are fully capable of, and to offer exciting coursework and extracurricular activities. Each month, we conduct field trips to sites around the world where you will have the opportunity to learn many new and exciting things.

There is little doubt at this time that you have begun to realize that most ponies your age do not possess your talents. You have remarkable abilities. Our goal is to help you understand those abilities, and guide you on the path to best using them.

Demongate Academy, founded in 792 SLE (Secundum Lunar Exsilium), has been the world’s premiere school for instruction in the use and control of such abilities for over two centuries. Throughout its illustrious history, Demongate Academy has produced alumni who have gone on to do great things for the world and ponykind. Most have worked in secret, protection the world from behind the scenes, while others are more renowned.

This fall, you will join two hundred other new students from around the world in the academic year’s welcoming ceremony. Classes begin the second Monday in September. However, I implore you not to openly advertise your acceptance to Demongate Academy. To better serve its purpose, as you will soon learn, its existence must remain secret from those in the world who do not possess your abilities.

The Demongate Scholarship Fund has waived your tuition, room and board. Enclosed with this letter you will also find round-trip airship tickets, dated for departure one week before classes begin, as well as a brief primer about the school itself and a badge signifying the type of power you possess, which is to be worn at all times. Upon arrival, you will be assigned a dormitory and a roommate, and provided a schedule of coursework tailored to fit your individual needs.

I warmly welcome you to our family, and sincerely hope we can meet your educational and vocational needs. I promise you your stay with us will be someof the most enlightening years of your life.

Sincerely, Fancy Pants
Headmaster, Demongate Academy
Chief Artificer, Demongate Foundation

P.S. As I understand it, you have an assistant who is also a dependent. Enclosed will be one extra round-trip airship ticket for your companion, who is most welcome to attend Demongate Academy. Perhaps, in his own time, he may also find his own strength.”

As Twilight finished, everyone in the room was silent for a few moments. It was Spike who finally broke the silence. “Wow. That’s... That’s really all I can say.”

Twilight levitated over the pamphlet, shaking it a little, until two silver tickets fell out and drifted into her telekinetic grasp. “Well, these are the tickets... The date printed on them is almost six weeks from now. What should I do in the meantime, Princess? What with today’s events, I doubt I can stay here much longer before something else like that happens. At the very least, I don’t think I should stick around long enough to see Comet again, especially since I’m not supposed to talk about these powers I’ve suddenly found myself to be in possession of.”

The princess shook her head. “No, you’re right. No good can come of you remaining at this school for very long and potentially becoming the center of yet another incident. I suppose for the time being, you should go to your family. Explain what you can about this to them, though I would recommend leaving out the part about you being able to set fires with your mind,” she said with a chuckle. “After that, I would like you to come and stay at the palace and hone these abilities you now have as much as you can without anypony to guide you. I do have a special suite reserved for very talented ponies I take under my wing. In the past, it housed a pony I believe you rather idolize.” She gazed over at the door to Twilight’s bedroom, adorned with a poster depicting a young, pre-Bearded Star Swirl the Bearded and an unknown brown earth pony, a volcano erupting in the background.

Twilight blinked for a few seconds. She looked to the poster, then back to Celestia. She repeated this a few times, before finally settling on what she thought to be an appropriate response. She fainted and fell backward, a giddy smile on her lips.

Celestia stared at the unconscious unicorn for a few seconds. “Well, I can honestly say I’ve never encountered that reaction when speaking to anypony. Does that happen often?”

Spike sighed. “Only when she can get closer to Star Swirl in some way. It’s a weird reaction. It happened this one time when she bought this hat that some guy was claiming Star Swirl had worn during his training. Of course, it turns out it was a scam, and she had paid over 500 bits for a lame 30 bit hat that had been made in Neighpon. She was mopey for a month after she found out it wasn’t legit.”

“I see. Was it possibly a poor decision to offer her the room?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it. At the worst, she’ll be unnecessarily happy for a year, barring any disastrous circumstances. At best, she’ll discover any little secrets Star Swirl could’ve hidden there,” Spike said with a shrug. He glanced around the apartment. “Well, I guess if we’re gonna be leaving, I should probably start packing.”

“Of course. Thank you for your understanding, and your cooperation, Spike. And, please, make sure Twilight follows through on my third task. It’s more important than either of you could imagine.”

Spike looked confused, but didn’t question Celestia. “Of course, Princess,” he said as Celestia turned to leave. “Oh, Princess, wait!”

“What is it, Spike?”

“Thanks for delivering this news yourself. I’m sure Twilight appreciates it a lot, especially considering Star Swirl isn’t her only idol.”

“You’re very welcome, Spike,” Celestia said, giving him a sad smile as she walked out the door. After closing it, she sighed. “...But I’m not one to be idolized...”

===

Twilight glanced around the dark dungeon, waiting. Come on... Where are you... Four crudely painted wooden bullseyes sprang up out of the darkness. There! Twilight focused her mind quickly, her eyes sweeping over each of the targets. With a flash, all four bullseyes burst into flame, being reduced to cinders in a matter of seconds. She panted, wiping sweat from her face with a hoof.

“Four. I can hit four of them simultaneously.” She grinned. Just two weeks ago she could barely ignite a single target. She was incredibly pleased with her own progress. Somehow, she was learning incredibly quickly.

Very good, a familiar voice said in her mind. Now, try it blindfolded.

Twilight whirled around, searching for the source of the mental voice. “You were the one who pushed me to lash out at Comet, weren’t you? I’d appreciate it if you showed yourself.”

Not just yet, Sparkly. If you can either find me or burn four targets blindfolded, I’ll show you where I am. If you can do both, I’ll teach you a neat little trick. A blindfold fell from the darkness above the room. Put it on, and concentrate. You should be able to feel something.

Twilight levitated the blindfold over her eyes, tying it down. She moved her body into a ready stance and shifted her head around, pointing her face in different directions. Of course I can’t see anything.

Wrong. Don’t think. Just feel. Reach out with your mind. Don’t rely on your ears, either. They’ll only fool you.

The sound of springs rang out all around Twilight. Feel it? She relaxed, letting her normal senses subside. I just have to feel it... There! She directed her mental energy to the four points she felt, and heard four distinct cracking sounds. She had hit them. She could feel it.

Good, but you still have to find me. Unless you want to give up.

“No way in Tartarus am I just giving up. Hold your horses for just a few seconds.”

Alright, then. Want a hint? Don’t limit yourself to just this frame. Extend your vision.

“Oh, sure, that’s not cryptic at all.” Extend my vision? Frame? Wait, I know this... How do I know this? Time! After a moment of concentration, Twilight could see something. It was blurry, but there was something... Green? Yes, it was definitely green. Where was it? She concentrated further, and her frame of vision extended itself. Off behind her, to her left. There you are! She whirled around to face in the direction she had seen in her vision, casting off the blindfold. “Found you!”

A green earth pony filly stood right where Twilight was pointing with her hoof. She was smirking. “Very good, Twilight Sparkle,” she said.

“Who are you? How are you doing all this?”

“The name’s Zen Star. I’m gonna teach you how to really use your powers.” The filly’s eyes shone with an enigmatic intent.

“I thought I was doing pretty well, all things considered,” Twilight said, pouting a bit.

“Tch, you’re so uncreative, though. You focused for two whole weeks on Combustion. Seriously, what’s with that? You devised a nice rig to test yourself and your reflexes, but this contraption,” Zen Star paused, waving a hoof around at the shrouded mechanism Twilight had devised and built with Spike’s assistance, “does nothing to push the limits of your powers. You improved your overall ESPer power more in the past five minutes than you had in the entirety of these past two weeks.”

“So what are we going to do, more of what I’ve been doing, except blindfolded?”

Zen Star shook her head, her teeth glinting maliciously in the candlelight. “Not quite. You see, blindfolding you for this next lesson would be rather unfair. I’m going to come at you, and you have to stay alive.”

As Twilight opened her mouth to respond, she felt a wave of killing intent from the child before her. A vision of blood and violet fur filled her sight, and she jumped backward reflexively. The floor in front of her exploded, showering her with bits of stone and dust. “What in the name of Faust!? You’re insane!” She coughed out some dust she had inhaled.

“Did I say we were done yet?” Zen’s venom-coated voice asked from right beside Twilight. She looked over to the source, but before she could register anything in her vision, she felt the force of a bucking stallion in her side. The force flung her more than a meter. She landed hard on her side. “You’re full of openings. Stay focused when you’re being attacked, or it could spell your death in a matter of seconds.”

Twilight groaned and pushed herself to her hooves. She could feel at least two broken ribs. It hurt to stand. “Gahhh, what did you just hit me with?”

“That was an incredibly weakened Cohesion. You should be able to shrug off that much damage fairly easily. Remember when you were burned by Comet Blaze? You just have to make the pain and damage go away.”

Twilight closed her eyes, half flinching from the pain, half to focus herself. She could feel it, her body repairing itself. Her broken ribs still throbbed, but the pain was incredibly dulled compared to just a second ago. This is absolutely incredible. I wonder what else I can do.

“That’s the spirit, Sparkly! Experiment! Push your powers to their limits, and then go a step beyond that! You’ll make a fine ESPer yet,” Zen said, her smirk now belying confidence rather than malice. “Now, let’s continue!”

===

Two weeks of fighting Zen: 12 EXP

===

“As a unicorn, you have a major advantage over other ESPers in that you’re already incredibly capable with Telekinesis,” Zen said, launching a bolt of electricity at Twilight. Twilight put up a barrier of force to intercept the lightning, which arced over the barrier’s surface and dissipated. “Telekinesis, while it is a rather basic ESPer skill, can be used to learn a multitude of more powerful abilities, including Electrokinesis, which I’ve just demonstrated, as well as Cryo and Pyrokinesis, Biokinesis, Magnetokinesis, Gravitakinesis, Rend, Barrier, Cohesion, and, eventually, Chronokinesis.” Twilight felt the power flowing from Zen as she began to move faster. What in Tartarus? This energy... it’s so incredible! Zen disappeared, and Twilight was barely able to follow her presence shift to- behind me!

The “neat little trick” Zen had mentioned two weeks earlier was called Biokinesis. It allowed Twilight to manipulate her body consciously, controlling the flow of adrenaline and other hormones. She could make herself stronger, faster, smarter, and even more creative. It was an incredible ability, and Twilight was incredibly thankful at this instant that Zen had taught it to her.

She reared back and Biokinetically increased her hind leg strength, letting loose a powerful buck right into the filly’s shoulder. Huh? I’m sure that hit. I felt it connect. She should be smashed against that wall. Why is her presence all the way up there? She looked up to see Zen bearing down on her, the filly’s hoof covered in blades of telekinetic force. Twilight put up another barrier, hoping Zen’s Cohesion would be stopped by the spherical wall. Zen’s hoof impacted the barrier, sparking as telekinetic force clashed with telekinetic force. Twilight grinned. Her shield had stopped the foe’s sword. Two simultaneous loud pops broke Twilight’s concentration. Zen had disappeared again. What’s this pressure on my back? She twisted her head around to see a splash of green lash out at her neck, striking pressure points Twilight wasn’t even sure existed. She slumped and hit the ground, completely numb.

“Still no good at dodging, I see. Strange, I thought your Premonition ability would be able to cover for your lack of agility.” Zen hopped up onto Twilight’s limp body, pressing a hoof at the base of Twilight’s neck. Sensation returned all too quickly, and Twilight’s body ached. “Oh well. Can’t see everything, I guess. That last attack sapped a good amount of your energy. You’ll be lucky to be able to move.” Zen looked up into the darkened area above. “It seems my time training you is at an end. In two days, you’ll be getting on that airship for Demongate Island.”

Twilight tried to respond, but could only groan. At the very least, I’ve improved significantly.

“That’s right, you have.”

Dammit, stop reading my mind.

Zen laughed playfully, which in Twilight’s mind seemed rather disconcerting, considering the brutal training she’d just been put through at the hooves of this monster-in-a-filly’s-body. “Sorry, it’s really a force of habit. Sometimes I can’t even tell if a pony is actually speaking or just thinking. Something I’ve been meaning to work on but neglecting.”

You never answered my question, though... Not really.

“Oh? What might you be referring to?”

Who are you, really?

Zen grinned. “You’re right. I didn’t.” She took a few steps away from Twilight and vanished. Don’t worry, Sparkly. You’ll get your answers in due time.

Twilight rolled onto her back, holding a hoof up to the shrouded ceiling. Two days, she thought. Two more days until it starts for real.

===

After a day of rest, relaxation, research, and reading, the day of departure finally arrived.

Despite the fact that Twilight was incredibly happy to be in the Princess’ presence for a little while longer, she wished Celestia hadn’t insisted on escorting her to the airship. She didn’t particularly enjoy being at the center of attention of large groups like one might find at at the airship port. It was even worse now that she could to a degree sense what everypony else was thinking. Surface thoughts bled into her mind occasionally, disorienting her.

“Are you alright, Twilight?”

Huh? Oh, it’s the Princess. “Yes, Princess. I’m sorry, I still haven’t completely reacclimated my mind to being around so many ponies. Having honed my senses so much in near-isolation, being surrounded like this now is a little overwhelming.” She touched a hoof to the ESPer badge now clipped to the fur on her chest. “Don’t worry. I’ll be alright. I’ll hone my powers even more here, and report anything important I learn.” She wore a serious expression.

“And?” Celestia smiled down at Twilight.

“And, of course, I will complete your third assignment of making friends,” she said, her voice weaker than her first two proclamations.

“I’m sure you will,” Celestia said gently, the massive airship now looming closer. “And of course, you’ll tell me all about them, too, won’t you? I do love to have a view into the lives of my subjects, to see the world how they see it. I’m counting on you, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes, Princess. I won’t let you down,” Twilight said with determination.

“Keep her out of trouble, okay?” Celestia whispered to Spike as Twilight turned to the ticket claim.

Spike snapped a quick salute. “As much as I can, Princess. I’ll watch her back, and make sure she makes some friends. You can count on us.”

My brave little pony and her stalwart little dragon. Good luck to you both.

Author's Note

Not much exposition here, just character building, some fight scenes, explanation of certain powers, and... wait, EXP? What is this, some kind of game!? Oh, wait, I'm running it like it was a Paragon game. That EXP Twilight got is the only thing that let her learn Biokinesis and Barrier, as well as a bunch of other stuff. If you're curious about it, I'll give a more in-depth explanation in the comments if you feel inclined to ask.

Zen is quite a fun character to write for. Very enigmatic, and a rather chaotic personality. It's interesting to develop her. So, she started out as one of the Seers (a Specific Power Type), revealed rather early on that she uses ESPer powers (She does have quite an affinity for Cohesion), and now this nerve punch? What exactly could she be?

Ooh, getting on the airship next chapter? I get to introduce the rest of the Mane 6! Whee! Oh, and a major character will also get her introduction. Stay tuned!