“Hold up, guys. I’ve gotta finish some paperwork,” said Artifex. After Sunset and Soul had nodded, he slipped his backpack around and grabbed the folder containing the necessary papers. Fluidly, he opened the wooden door and entered the office.

“Can I help you?” asked the person at the front desk. His eyes scanned downward, looking over her name tag.

“Yes, Miss Raven,” he said, holding out the folder. “I’ve some paperwork for you to look over.”

“Ah, yes. Mister… Chronicler, was it?” She looked up from beyond red-rimmed, narrow glasses, a small, knowing smile across her features. “I had a feeling you’d be returning. And this time with proper identification.”

“What, are you psychic?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I know a good deal about this school than you think. Such as that secrets are revealed, and accepted in the end. Or that a boy going by the name Chronicler isn’t really named such a weird name.”

Not offended, he sighed. “Yes, well, considering you’ve people in this school with monikers related to a condition of law, it really isn’t too hard to believe.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to tell Swift Justice that. But I suppose you’re right. Now, let’s look this over.”

She was fast, Artifex had to admit. She read over the papers like they were nothing, and signed just as quickly. He hadn’t taken so much as four breaths before she handed them back over with a pen in her hand. “Just sign this last document, then you can hand them to the principals.”

He blinked, surprised, before nodding. He wrapped the pen around his thin fingers, signing his name quick and elegantly.

“You have beautiful handwriting,” commented Miss Raven.

He shrugged. “Writing a lot tends to do that to you, I’ve found.”

“Hmm. You should tell that to my kids. They hate cursive.”

He managed a small, knowing smirk. “Who said I liked it?”

After looking over his handwriting to verify it, Miss Raven nodded. “Okay. Head on in, Mr. Frost.”

“Thank you, Miss Raven.”

As he approached the door, through its stained-glass window he could see two silhouettes—no doubt the principals. He paused briefly, in order to better adjust his grip on the folder, before using his free hand to knock.

“Come in,” said a voice he recognized as Vice Principal Luna’s.

He twisted the knob and pushed, allowing himself entrance. He stopped mid-step at what he saw. Celestia was sitting at her desk, a perplexed look on her face, while Luna stood behind her, also confused. They both looked up once they heard him enter.

“Oh! Chronicler!” Celestia greeted. “I see that Raven let you in?”

“Yes. I’ve some paperwork I need you to look over.” He leaned to the side. “May I ask what it is that you two are doing?”

Principal Celestia let out an irritated huff. “It’s our Superintendent, Mr. Discord. He’s sent us some sort of… email spam.”

“Email spam?”

“Yes,” Luna said, shaking her head. “A prank of his.” She leaned back, folding her arms. “Not his best, if I have to be honest.”

Artifex started. “You mean to say that he’s done this before?”

“Exactly. He has a… unique sense of humor,” answered Celestia. She moved her hands away from the monitor. “But, enough about our clown prince of the educational system. What have you to show us, Chronicler?”

Rather than correct her, he handed her the papers. As he did so, he was able to steal a glance at the monitor’s screen. It was indeed an email spam; each second, a new menu popped up, with the words “DISCORD OWNS” appearing on each menu. He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow.

“For a superintendent, this ‘Discord’ is rather childish,” he commented.

Luna sighed. “Yes. The poor dear hasn’t found it in himself to grow up at all. He’s always been that way since we were kids.”

Celestia, meanwhile, was busy going over the papers. She nodded to herself, before reaching over her desk and signing her name. She then handed the papers over to Luna.

“These are…” started the Vice Principal.

“Artifex’s enrollment papers, yes," her sister said, emphasizing the name. She offered him a beaming smile. “I had a feeling you’d come around again.”

“Funny. Your secretary outside said something similar.”

Luna finished signing her own signature, letting out a sigh as she did so. “Hmm. Seeing a new student enroll in our humble school always brings warm feelings to my heart. Here you go, Artifex.”

“Thank you, Vice Principal Luna.”

He tucked the papers back in his folder, before placing them back in his backpack. Celestia shuffled around her desk, looking for something. She let out a short, “Aha!” as she found what she had been looking for. She took out a piece of paper, and handed it over to Frost. “Here’s your schedule. We were able to drum it up yesterday after school. I hope you find it satisfactory,” she added.

Artifex nodded. “I’m sure I will, Principal Celestia.”

He then tucked the schedule inside the pages of his golden notebook. Slipping his backpack back on, he turned, intending to head out, but was stopped by Celestia.

“Artifex?” she called.

“Yes?”

“… I just want you to know, that you are always welcome in our office, if only just to talk.”

He understood what she meant by the words. Turning, his face showed no signs of discontent; instead, across his lips, was a grateful smile. “Don’t worry, Principals. I’m sure my friends and I will manage. But on the off chance I do need someone to talk to… I’ll come here.”

They both nodded, returning his smile.

“Oh, and before I go…” he said as he reached the door. “Thanks for everything.”

“You’re very welcome, Artifex. Now, run along.”

He nodded, showing his gratitude, before once again exiting the wooden doors of the office. Briskly, he checked the clock, seeing that there was still some time before his first class. He saw Miss Raven wave to him, a gesture he mimicked with the same speed, before heading out for the hall.

Outside of the front office, he found Soul and Sunset still waiting for him.

“Hey, guys,” he said. “Thanks for waiting up for me.”

“Not a problem, Artifex,” said Sunset. “You know where you’re going?”

The young man opened his backpack and grabbed his notebook. He opened it, and pulled out the schedule, glancing at the first class. “Huh. English. With Mr. Solil?”

“Oh, you’ll like him. He’s really into the class.” Soul offered him a smile. “I’ve a feeling you and he will get along really well.”

“You think?” He cocked his head, then grinned. “Well, I’ll take your word for it.”

They exchanged goodbyes, before leaving for their separate classes. Artifex fell into a thoughtful silence. His steps clacking against the floor were the only things generating any noise as he ascended to the second floor. The class was soon within sight.

He hesitated. Am I ready for this? Certainly, he had been through the school’s grounds the day before; he knew the ups and downs, the stairs from the halls, the walls from the classes, the exits from the entrances. Yet here he was, preparing to enter a simple classroom; to resume a sense of normality, something that had been hard to keep hold of in recent years.

The schools he had been filtered through in former years had little impact on him. But Canterlot High was a different story. It had, after all, changed him for the better; he was starting a new life here. That thought reassured him that, yes, he was ready; ready to start anew; ready to resume living.

He grabbed the knob and turned, sliding swiftly through the gap, and entered Mr. Solil’s class.