Twilight closed the door behind her, sealing the classroom off from her sights. The feeling of choking anxiety, however, did not stay behind. Having finished her placement exam, Twilight could not think of anything else other than the unknown outcome. She had no clue which class she would end up in.

Minutes passed as she stared at the carpeted floor. Weighed down by immeasurable unease, her eyes hovered over the dark shades of purple, leaving her brain to wander the abyss symbolic of space itself.

The door to the classroom suddenly opened behind her. With a jolt she backed away from the entryway and watched as Starlight slowly backed out. Wearing a blank expression, he closed the door as quietly as he could. Pleased with his noiselessness, he nodded and turned at once, bonking heads with the onlooker right behind him.

“Ouch!” he yowled, rubbing his forehead. “Oh, Twilight! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were right there. A-Are you all right?”

“No, no, I shouldn't have been just standing in front of the door,” the mare insisted. “I guess I’m all right.” She paused. “Say, Starlight, how do you feel about that exam?”

The young stallion tapped his chin and stared at the floor, much like Twilight had not a few seconds ago.

“It was fine, I guess,” he said with a glint of confidence in his eyes. “I don't know how they can measure what class we'll be in based on some of those questions-”

“Doesn't that make you nervous?” Twilight interrupted. “I mean, here we are at this advanced magic school, and instead of teaching us right away they’re just testing us? What if I don't pass!?”

Starlight's relaxed face suddenly gained a look of apprehension as his even lips turned into a fearful frown. His trembling eyes collapsed between the squeeze of his cheeks and eyebrows.

“W-Wasn't this just for placement?” he asked skittishly. “I don't think we can fail-”

“But what if you do? What if I do? Everypony will notice if I fail. Being Princess Celestia's faithful student I'll probably become the laughing stock of all of Ponyville!” Twilight moaned as her dragged her hoofs across her face. “Oh, Starlight, what do we do?”

“I think all we can do is wait,” he tried to say nonchalantly, but his words came out with quivers jiggling his words.

“I don't think I can! I’m not sure I've ever been this nervous before; well, maybe except for when I was testing to get into Celestia's magic school... aha!” Twilight suddenly grabbed Starlight's face, smooshing his muzzle between her hoofs. “Starlight, it's a pattern! I always struggle with entrance exams!”

The door opened behind Starlight this time, but the individual exiting did not back into him as the stallion had bumped into Twilight. Rather, the unicorn walked around the two, only to stop and stare with curious, blue eyes.

“Twilight, Starlight,” came the deep voice of Gallant with an acknowledging nod. His eyes narrowed after a double take. “Are you two... feeling well?”

They turned to face him. Starlight's face was still squished together between the trembling hoofs of his peer. Gallant investigated the peculiar pair and narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

“Don't tell me,” he started, but then allowed his voice to trail off before adding anything more.

The wide-eyed gazes of the duo did not change; instead, they continued to stare down the bulky unicorn before them.

Gallant added, “You're not worried about the placement exam, are you?”

Twilight immediately let go of Starlight's face and began flailing her hoofs in the air. “I can't help it! Being a diligent student my whole life hasn't prepared me for times where I don't get to study for a test. What do you expect?”

“I expect that there won't be any grades,” Gallant stated stoically, “so you two should have nothing to fear.”

He turned and began to walk away with a regained air of confidence, which soon was polluted by the fear of his two followers.

“But Gallant,” Starlight pleaded, “don't you understand the weight of these exams, of how important they'll be to the rest of our winter term?”

“You two don't seem to understand: this is not a pass or fail kind of exam,” Gallant stated. “If you paid close enough attention, you would have realized that those questions did not contain any right or wrong answers.”

When he threw a glance back at his companions, Gallant beheld two sets of gaping eyeballs, one set purple and the other green. Both irises had shrunk significantly as the rest of their faces seemed completely frozen. The silver stallion rolled his eyes and snickered.

“I’ll try and explain as clearly as I can: I don't think this exam was for evaluating your magic knowledge,” Gallant explained. “It was probably to test your main area of interest-”

“Probably?” Starlight asked nervously.

“You mean you're not one hundred percent sure?” Twilight added, leaning uncomfortably closer.

Gallant stared at the two, whose desperate gawks had not changed in the slightest; in fact, their faces seemed far more filled with anxiety than before.

“I think you two need to calm down,” Gallant said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

The stallion descended the staircase leading into the main hall's foyer, a spacious chamber reaching from floor to rooftop. The majestic violet rugs and curtains lining the dark marble floors had grown darker since the sun took its course far into the west. Black and blue decorations, from artistic portrayals of the moon to delicately shaped torches, hung all over the walls like shadows reaching outward as the darkness of the evening set in.

Visible over the horizon of the western mountains was the descending sun which took its vivid color and light down with it. A trail of dark blue swarmed the sky from the east over the ocean like tainted water filling a glass pan. Stars began to poke their heads into the approaching darkness, giving their small lights as a joint effort to replace the majesty of the sun. Their gentle blinks welcomed a new night.

Twilight, however, could not think upon the delicate night that lathered the setting. Rather, all she could take from the scene was the darkness, the ominous movement of the unknown swarming her. She picked up the pace of her stride as if to escape it, hurrying to catch up to Gallant as the three approached the dormitory.

“So, Gallant, are there any other things going on tonight?” Twilight asked with ears twitching.

The gray unicorn breathed out his concern and smiled.

“Dinner is to be served shortly, I believe,” Gallant answered. “Aside from meeting the rest of the Ponyville folks then, I cannot think of anything else important that is to happen today.” He looked over at Twilight, whose teeth were gritting restively. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Good!” Starlight chimed.

“Good? GOOD!?” Twilight shouted. “If there isn't anything else going on, I won't be able to stop thinking about this whole dilemma!”

“What dilemma?” asked a nearby voice from within the dormitory.

The three ponies entered in and saw the eager face of a pink and silver Quirky Q. She stood just inside the door, leaning on the tips of her hoofs.

“The placement exam!” Twilight asked, when suddenly puzzlement skewed her face. “Wait, when did you finish? I don't remember seeing you leave.”

“It only took me a few minutes,” Quirky replied, cocking her head to one side. “Why? Do you think I should've taken longer?”

“Twilight thinks that she might fail the exam,” Starlight said. “What if one of us fails?”

Gallant massaged his temples with his hoofs and groaned.

“What if one of us fails it!?” Quirky repeated suddenly, the color in her pink eyes shrinking as the others' had. “What will we do? I just got here, I don't want to leave already!”

“Would you all just calm down?” Gallant murmured. “No one's leaving because of a simple placement exam.”

“You said it was probable yourself,” Starlight noted.

Gallant clicked his teeth in suppressed frustration. “No, I said that probably-”

“What? Gallant said it was possible? And he's one of the geniuses who knows all this stuff about royalty and magic tests and stuff!” Quirky cried.

“I've only attended the royal knights' school in Equestria for a year. That doesn't make me an expert-”

“We're doomed, doomed!” cried another unicorn that staggered into the foyer.

It was a tearful and whimpering Lyra. She carried her head high, leaving it to sway back and forth like a thin tree in a mighty squall. Her eyes fixed on the ceiling as a hoof caressed her faint head.

“Lyra! Are you nervous about the exam too?” Twilight asked the newly arrived unicorn, who leaned her body against the nearest wall in the corridor and covered her face.

“I overheard what you were discussing back in the main hall,” Lyra remarked. “At first I was doubtful, but it suddenly struck me that the same thing had happened to Sparkler! Remember, Twilight? Back at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns? The horror of it all!”

The whole group paused and stared at Twilight, who cocked her head and twisted her mouth.

“Actually,” Twilight said slowly, “Sparkler made it into the school just fine.”

Lyra lifted a hoof from her face to gaze at Twilight, as though checking for the confidence in the mare's response. The minty mare suddenly laughed and let out a sigh of relief. “Now that I think about it, she did make it in. She's probably here now!” She smiled and pondered the idea, then looked up at the others. “What were we crying about again?”

“We weren't crying, we were panicking. We still are!” said Starlight. “What if one of us has to leave the academy for failing the exam?”

Lyra gasped, “What if is right! It could be me, or you, or Quirky! It could even be-” She stopped and glanced at each pony. “-me!”

“Hey gang,” interrupted Vinyl Scratch from the entryway. The darkness behind her emphasized the blue in her otherwise cloud-white coat. “You all headed to the dining hall? I think it's dinnertime and I'm starving.”

“We can't eat! We're too-!” Starlight began, but was stopped briefly by Gallant's hoof muffling his muzzle.

“Too hungry!” Gallant finished. “Yes, that. Lead the way, Vinyl.” He motioned for the others to follow with teeth clenched and eyes directed towards the door. “We’re right behind you.”

---

Nighttime set upon the island as darkness began to swim across the atmosphere. Light turned into shadow, and shadow into a gateway to the mysterious land beyond. The main hall appeared especially dark from the outside with its smokey brick and dark roofing. In the backdrop of the scene stood the bumpy silhouette of the eastern mountains, sticking out like jagged waves of the ocean that cut into the very fabric of the sky.

As Twilight and others headed back to the main hall a single door stood out from the surrounding darkness. Within the doorway glowed a fire like that of a warm and welcoming fireplace. Happy to escape the dark, the group of six entered the main hall and followed it to an angled wall in the far right corner of the foyer. Tucked away, the entrance took the form of a large arch, four times the height of even the tallest pony, with thick doors under its span.

“Is this the way to the dining hall?” Starlight asked as the group passed the middle of the faintly-lit entrance. Even darkness could not hide the glazed white of his eyes.

Vinyl answered, “Yeah, the door's between those torches in the corner. Did you see the annex sticking out when you flew over? That’s it.”

Twilight recollected the sight of the northeast wing branching out from the castle from above. They had seen it during their chariot flight. The whole island came back to Twilight's mind, the sight of the entirety of Crescent Island returning to the mare's memory. In the daytime it was a most splendid spectacle; during the nighttime, however, everything seemed to take on a new personality. However, with the mix of majestic buildings in an otherwise haunting environment made up for the spookiness in Twilight’s mind. She could stare and study the castle grounds day and night.

Upon entering the banquet hall Twilight took a moment to observe it. The ceiling reached up high and peaked like the mountains visible through the windows, stretching for the heavens. The thick rafters above could hardly be seen as they faded to black beyond the reach of light from hanging chandeliers and hundreds of candelabra. Tables scattered across the far half of the hall, leaving half of the shiny tile floor untouched and, for the most part, squeaky clean.

Gallant and Vinyl led the others into the mass of fellow students. Their eyes scanned the area until they spotted a table occupied by familiar faces. As the Ponyville group drew near, the three seated smiled and greeted the newcomers that squeezed their way past occupied tables of hungry ponies. Twilight could recognize two of at the round table. The third pony she was not sure she had actually seen before.

The first of them was a stallion unicorn of slate blue color and light hair. His horn was especially pointy, warned by the spiky safety pin Twilight knew was pictured on his flank. His name was Pokey Pierce. The other, named Colgate, was a light blue unicorn, with dark blue and ice-streaked hair flowing like spring-clean waterfalls from her head and tail. An hourglass adorned her flank.

The third individual was one she had not seen much of, but had heard of from her friends in Ponyville. He had light gray fur and a dark violet mane and tail, colored like the misty top and dark underpinning of a storm cloud. His cutie mark was a twisting tornado spiraling down from a single cloud. With a tightly shut mouth and deep, platinum eyes, Twilight knew she would have to gather courage before speaking with him.

“We were wondering where everypony had disappeared off to,” Colgate said. “Here I thought I might be missing out on an adventure.”

“You know we couldn't leave on one without you,” Vinyl smirked.

“Some were fretting a bit too much over the placement exam,” Gallant stated, looking back at the guilty party behind him.

Colgate laughed. “You wanna know something? I was thinking about bringing up a secret tunnel we could explore, but I happen to have some inside information about the results-”

“Look, Princess Luna is entering!” Lyra gasped, quickly grabbing a seat of her own. The others soon followed suit as a disappointed growl crossed Colgate's face.

“Ugh, I'll tell you guys after. Just wait, it's so awesome,” she added last second, and then the entire hall filled with hushes and a growing silence.

Twilight, now seated herself on a firm cushion, was almost as equally disgruntled. Trying her best to put curiosity aside, she looked beyond the arrangements of tables about the room and spotted the elevated platform near the front. Standing on it was Princess Luna, and to her sides three very familiar faces, two mares and a stallion, all adults. Twilight thought she could recognize them, but the images faded before she could distinguish them as the princess's enchanting figure strolled to the front and center section of stage.

Tall and lean, the princess was ever graceful. The soft blue colors and glow of her glistering mane and tail only accentuating her poise. Her violet coat seemed to glow itself as the princess stood graced with her sparkling black neck-piece and sparkling blue glass slippers. With noble composure, she cleared her throat, lifted a hoof to her chest and opened her mouth.

“GREETINGS, ONE AND ALL!” the princess declared loudly with her voice clear as the night, and quite nearly deafening.

Seems like the princess has practiced her wording... but not her volume.

Princess Luna continued, “WELCOME TO THIS FIRST YEAR OF THE RESTORED WINTER MAGIC ACADEMY. I AM OVERJOYED TO SEE THAT SO MANY YOUNG MARES AND STALLIONS HAVE COME TO FURTHER THEIR TALENTS AT MY NEW SCHOOL OF MAGIC THIS WINTER.”

Twilight saw the princess's eyes suddenly bearing into her own. Her voice gently echoed in the student's head.

“Especially thou, Twilight Sparkle.”

The princess's eyes opened wide for a moment, then closed as a smile escaped her lips. She continued aloud, “To begin, it has become known to me and some of my subjects that my ways are much more accustomed to those of older traditions, such as the manner in which I speak. For this, I merely ask for your forbearance. It appears that even my own sister did not think to forewarn me of the cultural alterations that occurred in my absence.”

A few in the audience giggled, to which Princess Luna gave a grin of approval.

“However, such adjustments are of no major significance; for now, I bid thee welcome to Crescent Island! I hope that all have found the academy in acceptable conditions, is this so?” A few in the crowd nodded, others whistled or cheered, to which Luna seemed slightly irritated for a second. “It took over a year since my return to restore this place to its former glory. When I found it, very little had remained.” Her eyes began to glow white as her voice grew louder, “This brings me to the first rule of this semester: there shall be no venturing off WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT PERMISSION OR PRESENCE OF A TEACHER OR MYSELF!”

Twilight shook as power erupted from the command. The unicorn could feel what little curiosity she had escaping through her aching ears. Her eyes had closed in reaction to such force of vocalization, but when they reopened the princess's eyes had returned to their normal, sapphire coloring, and her face resumed its more pleasant appearance as an amiable smile crossed Princess Luna's muzzle.

“I can sense the hunger with which some have arrived today,” the princess proclaimed, the volume of her voice more controlled again. “Enjoy thy first night's feast for now. The remaining edicts shall be discussed after the banquet.” Luna clapped her hoofs together and raised her head proudly. “Chefs, bring out the dishes!”

“Dear Celestia, I am stuffed!” Lyra said merrily, nearly falling over before even crossing the castle foyer. “If I had eaten one more thing, somepony would've had to have carried me out!”

Her eight compatriots laughed and agreed as each walked alongside her, stomachs full.

“That was some sweet cuisine,” Vinyl said. “I think I'm ready to hit the hay soon.”

“What!?” Colgate exclaimed. “How could you want to go to bed? There's so much to do around here! We could go out and explore, or check out some secret-”

“Uh, you do remember the rules Luna just gave everypony, right Colgate?” Twilight asked abruptly. “There's no sneaking around after midnight, especially without Princess Luna's or a teacher's consent. And the princess did say that she and the teachers would not be available tonight.”

“Yeah, we don't wanna make Princess Luna mad,” Quirky Q said. “Remember what happened when she came to Ponyville a few months ago? She nearly cancelled one of the biggest pony holidays, forever!”

“She sure doesn't seem to have changed, either,” Lyra said as she rubbed her ears. “Is it just me, or was she especially loud tonight?”

“Louder than when she visited during Nightmare Night?” Quirky asked. “I thought she was just trying to speak up for everypony. That was a giant dining hall, after all. I mean, did you see the size of it?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “It was only half full.”

“Give her time,” Gallant said. “Princess Luna said herself that she's still adjusting to Equestria's ways. Hopefully you have more patience with her than you do those exam results-”

“The placement exam!” Twilight screamed, along with Colgate. The two looked at one another as all eyes fell on them. Unlike Twilight, Colgate had a giant grin on her face.

“I totally forgot! You'll never believe what kind of a lead I have,” Colgate began. She quickly scanned the area and waved everypony closer. She lowered her voice and continued, “I overheard some ponies talking about the results being posted at midnight, tonight!”

“Tonight!?” Twilight asked anxiously.

“Well, we're not supposed to leave the grounds after dinnertime without permission, but I suppose that doesn't apply since it’s still on the grounds,” Gallant stated. “But, we also aren't supposed to leave our rooms after midnight. If the notice is posted past that time, then I refuse to go.”

“Aw, come on guys!” Colgate begged. “It'll be fun! We can sneak out, find the results, and then head back. It's no big deal! Like Gallant said, we're not leaving the grounds or anything.”

“But the other rule still applies-” Gallant tried to get out, but the group had already moved on behind an eager, fast-paced Colgate. “Ugh, forget it.”

The troupe marched their way through the extension from the main hall to the dormitory. Its walls were made of glass, with dark brick ribs lining the otherwise crystal clear corridor. The familiar wine-colored carpet ran over the glossy floor in the middle of the hall, granting safe passage like a pegasus's soft walkway through the shimmering sky. Plastered across the sky was a wallpaper of the galaxy, stars and planets glowing against a black background. Its lucidity made it nearly impossible to believe one's eyes.

While most were occupied gaping at the panorama above, Twilight found herself walking closer and closer to her blue friend until they side by side.

The mare inquired slyly, “So, Colgate, exactly where are they posting the results?”

Colgate, then distracted, did not hear her friend's request. But Twilight would not settle as she poked at her friend sheepishly. One prod did not do, so she tried again, and again, until her nudge was more of a jab.

“Ow! What!?” Colgate shrieked.

“You said you knew of the teachers posting the results, but you didn't say where,” urged Twilight.

Colgate shrugged as she observed the school campus through the glass walls. She spotted something and pointed a hoof at the main hall entryway that was just in sight.

“Probably on the castle doors,” she said. “Given my knowledge of smart and sneaky teachers, I would think they don't want us to see the results until tomorrow, and no pony would dare walk across the commons outside.”

“Didn't you say you wanted to go, though?” Twilight asked from behind clenched teeth. “You do like a good adventure, right Colgate?”

The blue mare guffawed, “Duh! I'm always up for some fun and danger. I figured none of you wanted to join me, though.”

“Of course not,” Gallant stated. “If we were found out, we might get kicked out after our first day here. I wouldn’t want to risk that.”

“Y-Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea,” Starlight agreed.

Pokey Pierce nodded in agreement.

Vinyl clicked her teeth. “Who cares about some lame exams? I need some shut-eye for tomorrow when the party starts.”

“I'm with Vinyl... minus the partying,” Lyra remarked. “I'm in need of some beauty sleep after all that traveling.”

“I really want to venture about, but I'm too scared that I’d get carried away,” said Quirky Q. “Actresses tend to have this problem. That, and they’re very loud. I’m not that loud, am I?”

Understanding this was rhetorical the group finally looked to Windchaser. The charcoal color making him nearly blend in with the shadows around him. He shook his head.

“Well, I'm not going alone,” Colgate sighed with shrug. She glanced at Twilight with a chagrined gaze. “Everypony needs at least one friend to come along on an adventure. We’ll just all have to go back and go to bed, I guess. No sneaking around for me. Nope.”

Though the group continued on their merry way, Twilight could not stop the thought that plagued her mind. Her senses tingled every time the mysterious results popped into her head. She figured she would get used to it after some time, or at least manage to cope with the disquietude somehow.

But even after Twilight returned to her lodging the fear crawled beneath her skin. As though for some kind of guidance she opened her window and leaned out to gaze at the stars she had ignored minutes ago. A coolness swept into the room, passing by her gently. The distressed unicorn let out a drawn-out sigh.

I can’t wait. I have to do something... but what?

Next Chapter: Chapter 4 (Episode 1, Part 2): Late Night Endeavors Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 44 Minutes