Author's Notes:

Hello all!

For those of you curious, you DO NOT have to have read through the story Another Life, written a couple years back, to properly read this story. It can't hurt though. If you don't want to read it, or have not yet read it (there will be no spoilers for the main story in this one shot) just start by making a quick headcanon of Snape arriving in Equestria after he dies.

I really just wanted to get this idea out of my head and onto the internet, and also to do something....fun with Snape again. I haven't really touched his character since the last chapter of the aforementioned fic of mine. I hope you all enjoy, and if you'd like, please do read the full story.

Have a great day all.

-TBK

The dreaded moment was finally upon the students at Celestia's Magic School: exams day. Such were always rigorous days, but the unicorns of Canterlot once foolishly thought the work was demanding before the enigmatic Professor Snape appeared. Everypony feared this day, as one bad grade was often enough to send you spinning into the path of academic probation, and not long afterwards, expulsion. None of them knew what to expect from the foreign wizard clad in black who could leave the bravest and brightest shaking, including some of the other professors.

Even more of an ominous sign, the sky was weeping today, with heavy rains falling through a gray sheen. Professor Snape stood at the window nearest his desk, quiet and still as a sleeping bat, looking at something outside. To their relief, he was not alone today, - joined by Princess Twilight Sparkle, who taught classes at the school now and again, and stood in front of the desk, smiling and greeting the students as they took their places.

Talking, especially last minute quizzing, would have accompanied the brief seconds before the class began in other rooms, but not this one. All was quiet as the bell rang and hardest part of their day ensued. Princess Twilight remained smiling, and Snape came to life, turning around abruptly, and in his quiet, commanding tone, explained their test to them.

"Today, we will be weeding out those among you better suited to return to...magic kindergarten," He began, briefly turning to Princess Twilight as he finished the statement, as though the concept of such a basic level magic school was unusual to him.

"As it happens, the potions masters of years past did not know of a concoction I myself have worked with before arriving here. Today, you will attempt to recreate it, and I will judge you as I have judged all my students in the past. Instructions are on the board," He said with a wave of his black wand, which revealed the chalk scribbling across all three of his blackboards at the front, "ingredients can be found in the cabinets to your right and left. Pairs only. Begin."

While the students rushed to find partners and begin work on the lengthy potion of testing, Twilight turned to Snape, eager as ever to learn from his pool of knowledge.

"Tell me more about these everlasting elixirs," She said to him.

Snape's eyes darted from different students and back to Twilight throughout his explanation, "As the name suggests, such potions have effects that do not wear off, no matter the time between application and present moment. Obviously I wouldn't trust this lot to make anything too dangerous...the selected elixir is a solution intended to induce accelerated hair growth, even into old age. Incredibly easy to brew wrongly, not so disastrous if they do botch it though, nothing I couldn't fix easily enough."

Her smile brightened, if possible, "That sounds incredible....we've never had such a potion in Equestria, if I'm not mistaken. A spell of similar effect, maybe, but we can't compete with your knowledge of general alchemy and chemistry, that's for sure."

"I am here to serve," he said quite monotonously, moving towards a nearby pair already warming their cauldron. He had insisted they return to using them, though such things had long been out of use prior to his arrival.

"I hope you don't mind if I take a few of the best ones?" She asked, following him closely and in her own right inspecting the groundbreaking work of the students.

"I was going to discard them all, but if by chance a well-made solution comes to me, I will send it you."

"Thank you," she replied, ignoring his persistent pessimism.

The pair before them shared uncertain looks as Snape leaned over them,tsking as he inspected their cauldron bubbling hotly. The next pair stopped working as the professor and the princess observed their solution, neon yellow, and bubbling very slowly. The mare of the group looked as though she wanted to ask for help, but surely knew such an endeavor was doomed to be mocked at. It was a test, after all, his eyes told her as they moved on.

Stargazer, a young stallion of measured promise, was carrying his partner through the (so far) well brewed potion. Snape did not like this one much, almost gifted, certainly one of the best brains in the bunch of them, but stuck up too. A complex mixture of intelligence not unlike his own, but brought down by the impudence of James Potter; assured too greatly in himself, always eager to show up the others, and he had grown into the habit of making snappish and witty remarks, not unlike a young Sirius Black.

They took note of each other almost at the same time.

"How does it look, Professor?" He had the gall to ask.

Unawares of his impish qualities, Twilight took a positive tone while praising him, "It looks well done to me so far. How did you cut the roots as opposed to the stems?"

"We cut the thicker roots diagonally, and the rest of them and the stems horizontally," He answered with as much a smile while his partner stirred the solution.

"Interesting," Twilight commended.

"What about the pollinated bile bits?"

"Excuse me, Professor?" Stargazer asked, eyebrows crossing.

"How many?"

"Four, as per instructions."

"And here I was wondering if you'd figured out why that wasn't the correct way of doing it," Snape said, dropping the comment with a curled upper lip.

Twilight looked confused, Stargazer quite upset. For all the correcting Snape had tried doing, Stargazer had gotten more hostile with him than any other professor he had occasion to talk back to, and was quick to try and fault Snape for anything he could.

"Actually, professor, your instructions are right there. Cut the roots and stems, then add four bits of pollinated bile. Perhaps you're...confusing this for something else? As we can all clearly see, the instructions are right there."

"And do you know who corrected the instructions?" Snape asked, lowering himself to better stare down the know-it-all, "Me."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, looking from the stewing work in progress to the board and back again.

"A simple tactic," Snape explained, speaking up now, "I was affording any pair that knew only three bits of bile were necessary extra points. As none of the pairs did such a thing, I see it only fit to dock you all for missing it...and for Stargazer's cheek in trying to correct me."

"What kind of terrible teacher gives the wrong instructions!?" Stargazer had the audacity to challenge, rising from his seated position.

"The kind who expects students to begin thinking for themselves. If you'll recall the law of potions twenty-three, and I quote, 'In any potion based in an animal heavy ingredient list, which also contains the plant fiberslignalunam',known to you as moonwood, 'reduce the concentration of all ingredients by a factor of three.' What do you say that, Stargazer?"

It was phrased differently in the world Snape knew, but the physical laws of potions were the same in Canterlot and in Hogwarts. Brews still bubbled, vials still shone in the light, and students were generally impulsively annoying, especially the ponies.

The young stallion was cross, and straining to think of any way to disprove Snape, but he could not, and sat down angrily. In his old habits, Snape almost let the words "Ten points from Gryffindor" escape his mouth, but settled into a smug grin. Some of the others still watched the brave stallion, expecting his next move, but Snape soon snapped at them to resume their examination.

He then resumed his patrol of the classroom, Twilight still close on his heels, but no longer smiling.

"I admit, that was an impressive plan, to see who could check the directions against known facts...but that was a little harsh, don't you think?" She asked him, as he passed a pair of mares so far below his expectations he had already pre-graded their efforts at almost zero.

He stopped suddenly though, and faced her with a serious expression.

"Remind me of your adventures, if you would be so kind, did...Discord act in fairness? King Sombra? Or did they rely on deceit to defeat you? Have any of the threats in your past not required you to think through your plans and check the facts of the situation to succeed?"

"Well.....I-I agree, it was a great idea. But....a teacher is supposed to....."

"To prepare students for what they may face later in life?" Snape suggested as her quiet thought.

"Yes, but is that really the best way to do it? And do you expect these students to be taking on evil tyrants in the future?"

"I do not believe in preparing students through niceties. Pain is an excellent teacher, I and countless other before and behind me have learned. I cannot say what the future holds, but why not prepare for any outcome? Don't you often strive for the same ideal?"

Twilight relented at that, and decided to switch topics as they resumed the inspection of the students.

"You don't often speak of your past. Would I be prying by asking what kind of pain taught you?"

Snape stopped behind the next pair, grabbing the levitated ingredient about to be dropped into the cauldron, and confiscating it with a disapproving shaking of the head. He did not look back to Twilight until they were behind the next pair.

"Frankly, yes."

"Oh! Well, forget I said anything about it then," She replied sheepishly, and Snape hardly needed his legilimency to perceive her thoughts, her reddening expression and averted eyes told it all.

He'll warm up to us eventually....won't he?

A bright orange-red flash caught his gaze an instant later.

Snape's inward smile was torn away when a panicked cry erupted nearby and the cauldron between a mare and a stallion caught fire with deadly speed. In seconds it seemed the wall was also on fire, and the desks nearest, as though the fire were simply exploding. Twilight wasted no time in erecting a shield around the students in danger, while a powerful, wordless auguamenti spell from Snape extinguished the fire rather aptly.

"Stay back," Snape warned, "somehow......the solution has combusted, and the ingredients, if indeed the students did put all of them in, will make spontaneous combustion a very real problem for the next few hours. I will see to this contaminated project myself....for the time being, Princess Sparkle will supervise you."

Instantly apparating to the edge of the dead part of the yard behind the school, Snapetsked very loudly as he toppled the cauldron with a swing of his wand, letting the solution leak out into the dirt. The steady rainfall would help keep the chemicals from igniting on their own, but all the same, it would be prudent to put up a few protective barriers. He was midway through the first one when Twilight Sparkle rejoined him under the overhang of the lunch area roof.

"I don't believe class is due to end for a while yet; I do hope you haven't left the pupils unattended," Snape greeted.

"Of course not," Twilight replied, the final magenta flashes of her teleportation fading into the bleakness of the gray world, "I ran next door and had Professor Periwinkle step in. Couldn't miss a chance to see a failed potion and record the results."

She did indeed have a notepad in her telekinetic grasp, and was scribbling in her observations as she carried on the conversation while he moved his black wand around the contaminated area.

"If this is a safer elixir, I'd hate to see anypony botch a dangerous one."

"Yes, well, it is possible for any potion to go awry if the maker does not handle it like the art it is. Fortunately for them, we were present."

She chuckled, "I'm only joking you know. It really is fascinating, your potions and the way you treat them. I've always thought about it a lot more like cooking than art, but I understand what you're saying."

"Few can truly appreciate the nature of potions," Snape reflected, beginning the second barrier, this one glowing a faint yellow-orange in the misty air, "Few have the patience."

"So it isn't much more popular in your world then it is here? Even among the magical and scientific communities of Equestria, potions and chemistry seem to be viewed as chore work by most," She reflected with a tinge of melancholy.

"Well, as to your purpose here, the brew is beyond saving once it catches fire. You will note the smell has changed as well."

"The reaction between moonwood fibers and the overheated jelly?"

"Quite astute," Snape remarked, sparing a look away from his work to observe the way her face lit up as she scribbled more writing down.

After the second barrier was done, Snape spun his wand in a small circle and apparated the empty cauldron away to a lonely closet in the school. Now there was only one thing to attend to. He carefully turned his wand on Twilight, raising her alarm until he raised his free hand to calm her.

"Only seeing that the residue does not linger on us. Relax, the chance of combustion from such little concentration as this is...slim," He assured, making a few careful swings over her and watching the microscopic drops form together into a few tangible orbs of potion, and he flung them into oblivion. Then he turned his wand on his own form.

Running it smoothly from his wand side to his chest and then to the opposite side, he picked off the droplets and formed them together into the same tiny, tangible masses, and just before he flung them away, the potion played fickle for the second time. He sighed in frustration more than fear or alarm as his left sleeve caught fire and burned itself away in a red flash. The cloth was gone to about halfway between his wrist and his elbow, his untouched, pale flesh like a canvas for the curious black mark on the underside of his arm.

"What's that? It's...it's not a cutie mark, is it?" Twilight asked.

Snape knew before his eyes beheld it that she would ask about it, and he slipped his wand away and clutched at it with his hand, folding his left arm up at the same time.

"Hardly," He turned away.

"What's wrong? Is it...a tattoo? ...Snape?"

His fury was contained only by the shock of seeing it turn blacker than ink, or indeed, blacker than any of his sins, through his fingers. And for the first time in what seemed to be ages, it burned. He opened and closed his palm, watching it come alive again and dance atop his bone. It all came rushing back to him, and he exhaled deeply again, and apparated to his quarters.

But...what did I do wrong?

"Snape...?"

The afternoon aged into evening, and the moon had come out by the time Snape realized he had neglected to return to the school to finish the final period of exams. His arm was still clutched close to his chest, the burning sensation was still strong in his wrist, and his eyes were shining from the faint trace of tears. For the first time since arrival, he'd felt closer to his old life than he ever had....and it was wasted on the greatest mistake of that life.

He broke his crouched position in the wooden chair near his desk and stood, only to collapse to his knees under the moonlight, shining through the now clear night sky. He did not know the worst of feeling this pain again, the reminder that no matter what he accomplished, living or dead, he would be forever marked by Lord Voldemort, or that he was even farther now from the memory of Lily Evans than he ever was. Perhaps it was that of all things, he was more alone than ever before. Loneliness was cured by a companion, Lily was his. But even after Lily had gone, he could find some small refuge in certain others, but not here. Here, he was alone, a singularity in a world that did not make complete sense to him.

These ponies did not know him - and he was damned if they ever found out. They had cutie marks to tell them about their destinies, he had a dark mark to forever scar his.

Damn him, Snape thought, Damn him and his evil...and me, for ever taking a part in it.

He let the arm go, flopping down to his side as he looked into the full moon above him. Like a fool with his heart on his sleeve, he realized he had spent hours mourning his tragedies. There was always time to mourn some things - some people, but to dwell on them...would not do, as was once told to him.

So he would bear the mark, and the pain behind it, in order to move forward here and find a way back to the good he had long ago lost. He would put up with the Princesses and the ponies, and whatever foul magic was lurking in the land, for a chance at going back to a time when Severus Snape was not a marked Death Eater; before he was a hated teacher, an embittered wizard, a lonely soul quietly seeking something lost, he was a little boy. A little boy with a precious love for Lily Evans. If he could just figure out what he had to do here....he could go back two lifetimes.

He got to the school early the next morning, explaining his absence as a "sudden injury", which was bending truth, but did him no harm. The most aspiring magic students were arriving much the same time, some in his last class, and they dared not inquire about his absence towards the end of the day. Even Stargazer, pausing briefly from his scroll to take a sandwich slice from his friend, looked low when Snape swept by and turned the corner.

The classroom was cold, the potion samples from the final period's exams waiting on low-lit burners. He attended to them and found a note from Twilight Sparkle was attached to the front of the desk.

Severus,

I saw to the final class of the day (luckily no fires!), and it was my pleasure. I am truly sorry if I offended you somehow yesterday, because it was never my intention. I hope you weren't very angry...and if you're interested, my friends will be coming up to Canterlot for the afternoon. Feel free to join us, we'll meet at Joe's Doughnut Shop just after lunch.

Hope to see you there,

Twilight

Snape set aside the next of the vials with his right hand and tore the note away with his left, chancing a glance at the sleeve under his wrist, and crumpled the paper slowly. Even if he didn't have an appointment to keep, he wouldn't go. There was a certain wonder in Equestria, but Snape was not of Equestria. Best not to mingle cutie marks with dark marks.