A wall extended out from the school’s main building and stretched back a great distance. It went past a perfectly maintained race track, the middle of which contained an area for a long jump, a row of dummies, bars to perform pull ups and other exercises on, and several other spots designed for training.

Beyond the track lay a labyrinthian obstacle course. Towering walls, narrow corridors, and steep wooden inclines were the most visible aspects. There were also monkey bars, ropes, and paths lined with holes of various sizes you could fire a wide variety of projectiles through. That was just what could be seen from afar.

A great open field rested past the obstacle course and was where the wall finally turned, ran along the back of the enclosure, and then returned towards the main building. Being the start of the school year, the grass at the back was still pristine and unmarred, but here and there were a few spots where the dirt was fresher. No amount of landscaping could fully hide that this was where heroes trained.

Twilight and her friends stood side-by-side along with the rest of the class. Tantabus patrolled in front of them, exactly how Shining described his drill instructor had done on the first day of basic. Some students gulped and quivered as he marched by. Even without eyes, he gave off a pressure that assured a student when he or she was in his focus. There were many students with goosebumps and standing hairs, but there were also those that stood firm with their eyes forward and the muscles firm. Twilight, Dash, Applejack, and Sunset counted themselves among that group. Pinkie may have counted too if she was not straining to keep herself rooted to the ground.

“We will start with three laps around the track to get warmed up,” Tantabus commanded, voice resonating through the air. “You will all then gather at the starting line for the fourth lap. That will be a simple race—no wings, no magic, just hooves.

“You will then divide up based on race. Earth ponies will start with the 50-meter dash, unicorns will do a strength test on the dummies, and pegasi will handle the obstacle course. When everypony is finished, you will switch until each group has done all three stations. Then, we will convene on the rear field for the day’s final task.”

A few shudders went through the crowd when a pair of steely blue eyes materialized on Tantabus’s face. Some students shut their own eyes, while others braced themselves. A breeze blew through the field but no feeling of pure terror welled up in any of the students.

“Do not worry,” Tantabus said while his newly formed eyes scanned over the class. They glinted in the sunlight. “These only paralyze when I want them to. They are more to illustrate my next point. Just as I will be observing you to gain a better understanding of your special talents and general capabilities, you should also take notice of your classmates’ powers. No matter the situation, a hero, and a smart pony in general, must always be vigilant and take in their surroundings. Any questions?”

Spike shot up a claw. “Um, what group should I go with?”

“Dragons, despite their use of flame magic, are still creatures of physical might,” said Tantabus. “Mr. Spike, you will be with the earth pony group. That is how it shall be for the rest of the time you are under my watch.” Tantabus looked over the group. “Any other questions?” He waited a moment and then declared, “Then get into starting positions on the track!”

As the class broke formation and made its way over to the start line, Dash leaned over to Fluttershy. “See, he’s just getting a feel. Nothing to worry about. Hay, this is even better than flight school. No jerks so far to mess with you.”

Fluttershy nodded in silence.

Dash pressed close to Fluttershy, making sure nopony else could hear. “What have you got loaded?”

“S-still falcon and b-bear,” Fluttershy answered.

“Okay. That’ll totally work.” Dash pulled back and gave Fluttershy a slap on the back, producing a squeak. “You got this, girl.”

“And we’ve got ourselves a race.” Applejack grinned, lighting a fire in Dash’s eyes. “With all that bragging you did last week, I’m looking forward to this.”

“Ooh!” Pinkie popped in between Dash and Applejack. “Me too! Me too!”

While Twilight walked alongside her friends, she kept an eye on Tantabus as he made his way over to the inner side of the track. If Tantabus noticed her glaring in his direction, he did not appear to react.

When everyone had assembled, they fell silent and waited. With a booming shout, Tantabus sent them off. Dash and Applejack instantly took the lead. They smirked at each other and sped up. Sunset was in hot pursuit behind them. Just a few feet back, Pinkie hopped along with Maud nearby but slightly ahead. Somehow, despite the need to build up strength for a jump and recover on the landing, Pinkie managed to stay keep a strong pace.

Twilight and Spike were no slouches either. They pushed forward, weaving through the other students to get up to the front as well. It stung a little to keep racing ahead without even a glimpse of Fluttershy in her peripheral vision, but Twilight pushed it aside and focused on the task at hoof, while also keeping an eye out for any signs of blue aura.

She was pleased to not spot any by the time she finished her third lap. While catching her breath and stretching, she looked around and took in everypony’s state. Most of the class didn’t appear winded, but a few were taking sips from their water bottles.

Spike spotted Rarity having a drink. Even the simple act made his heart flutter. In his eyes, she seemed to bend her head back just right to let her mane flow while she drank. Even the beads of sweat rolling down her face appeared to emphasize her stellar cheekbones and delicate muzzle.

“Heh, nice warm up,” Dash chuckled. “Ready for the real deal?”

Applejack lifted her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Are you?”

Grinning despite their hastened breathing, both assumed their positions along with everyone else. Like before, everyone waited in anticipation. This time, when Tantabus gave the signal, Dash and Applejack did not just burst from the starting line, they exploded from it, sending the unfortunate nearby students off balance.

Applejack turned into an orange blur. Dash grunted and slammed her hooves into the track, harder and faster. After only a few seconds of keeping pace, a gap formed, but by that point, the two of them were already a quarter around the track. Dash pushed every muscle she had save for her wings as hard as she could, but Applejack’s speed was too much.

The more the distance grew, the more Dash’s expression went from one of determined resolve to harsh scowl. When Applejack passed the third-quarter mark with a solid yard between herself and Dash, something snapped.

With a snort, she unfurled her wings. In a blast of air, she took off and rocketed forward. Just when her hooves came within reach of Applejack’s tail, a smoky tentacle wrapped onto her right hind leg and threw her into the center of the track. She was left staring at two different sections of the sky before she blinked and shook her head. Wobbling to her hooves, she fell back down when an immense pressure forced her knees to bend. A shadow spread across her and she looked back to see Tantabus looming over her.

“No wings, Ms. Dash,” Tantabus growled.

While Applejack and Dash had taken off like bullets, the rest of the class gave it their all as well. Like in the previous laps, Sunset took off in third. By the halfway mark, she was closing the gap between herself and Rainbow Dash. She could not help but smirk when Tantabus ripped Dash off the track. Taking her eyes off the track ahead had also allowed her to glimpse both Pinkie and Maud right on her tail. With a snort, she plowed forward.

Further back, Twilight found herself mixed with a large clump of the class. Careful weaves and pushing her legs to their limit led her to the front of the group, but other students surged up next to her. When she saw Dash take flight and Tantabus almost immediately slam her into the ground, she gritted her teeth and burst ahead until she was nearly matching pace with Maud and Pinkie. Ultimately, she finished a few seconds after the former.

Everyone was left drenched in sweat and parched when the race concluded. As soon at Twilight had finished, she wobbled over to where everyone had left their water and took a drink from her bottle. As she savored the refreshing coolness, she kept an eye on everyone else.

The lime-green unicorn and the beige earth pony that sat in front of Spike had clashed next to her in the race. As soon as they grabbed some water, they were chatting it up again. Twilight guessed from the conversation that the unicorn was Lyra and the earth pony was Bon-Bon.

A pair of earth ponies, one blue with a pink mane and the other pink with a blue mane, were next to finish. Twilight had to wonder if they were related. After them was Derpy. Despite zigzagging across the track, she managed to outrun the muscle-bound pegasus Twilight recognized from the entrance exam.

Spike had also managed to surpass him. Heaving, he stumbled over to his water, took a gulp, and then fell on his back. Between gasps, he managed to rasp, “Four… legs… not fair.”

“You never complained over the summer,” Twilight teased. Spike just groaned and allowed his body to go limp while his heart rate and breathing slowed.

Twilight was convinced Spike had given it has all in the race because Rarity had finished just after him. She may have even beaten him if she had been a little closer to the inner loop like Spike had been.

When she saw Fluttershy just barely beat out a rather shaggy looking earth pony, she bit her lip. It was not just that Fluttershy had come in second to last, but also that she was not sweating that much and her rushed breathing did not appear to arise from exertion alone. Twilight spotted her knees quivering when she got closer.

“Fluttershy,” she said, “is everything okay?”

“I… I just get nervous in big groups,” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Totally get you on that,” said the shaggy pony with a laid-back tone. “The aura around some of us is really intense, plus some of us have got some negative tones too.” When she turned to Twilight, the already-wide pupils in her droopy eyes grew even bigger. “You’re, like, really out there though. Most unicorns are pretty trippy to look at, but you’re, like, super trippy. They’re usually like ‘whoa” but you’re like ‘whoooooaaa.’ I’m Tree Hugger.”

The words had come out slow, but their meaning cluttered Twilight’s brain as she tried to translate them. It dawned on her after a second that Tree Hugger had extended a leg out to her. With a jolt, she shot up a hoof and grabbed Tree Hugger’s. “Uh, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Coooooool,” Tree Hugger replied. With one fluid motion, she leaned away from Twilight and swept over to Fluttershy, who had taken the chance to grab some water and collect herself. “You’re looking a little, uh, what’s the right word for yellow, but like, as a feeling?”

“Anxious,” Fluttershy blurted out, blushed, and ducked behind her mane. With a small yelp, she thrust out her hoof. “I… I’m Fluttershy. Sorry.”

Tree Hugger gazed down at Fluttershy’s leg for a second, and then wrapped both of her forelegs around it. “Awesome to meet you too. Your fur is super nice.”

“Um… thanks?” Fluttershy murmured.

Releasing Fluttershy, Tree Hugger said, “Yeah, I can totally tell you have a really deep affinity for life and nature. It’s a really good flow you’ve got. You just gotta get rid of some of those rocks in the stream, you know?”

A shadow rose up behind Tree Hugger. Tatubus’s presence did not appear to visibly affect her as her face and body remained relaxed. Tantabus’s eyes sharpened. “Ms. Hugger, you seem to have enjoyed a stroll around the track.”

“Yeah, teach, this is a pretty good set-up you’ve got,” Tree Hugger replied. “I think we’ll all get some major benefits to our inner balance from this.”

“Then I’m sure your balance will benefit from giving me fifty push-ups after you’re done at all the stations.” Twilight tensed when Tantabus turned his head in Fluttershy’s direction. Tantabus had said he was not using whatever ability he had to terrify anyone. Yet, Twilight equated Fluttershy’s look to the pictures she had seen of deer. Something about camera flashes momentarily robbed them of all wits and left them forever immortalized as shaking and stupefied. “That goes for you, too, Ms. Fluttershy.”

Twilight took a step closer. “But she’s ju—”

“Just a little nervous?” Tantabus interjected. His words stole the fire from Twilight’s eyes and her stance loosened. “I do not need you to tell me that, Ms. Sparkle. But, I do not have time for nervousness. Ms. Fluttershy made it through the entrance exam, so that excuse is an insult to her own skill. She will join Ms. Tree Hugger and Ms. Dash in doing pushups, am I clear?”

“Y-yes,” Fluttershy quibbled.

“Yes,” Twilight snorted, “sir.”

A few minutes later, Twilight stood before the dummy. To her ire, she saw that a sheet of blue aura clung tight to it. It was too easy to imagine Tantabus in its place. Plus, this was a strength test, so there was no need to hold back. Thinking back to the exam, she thought of Fluttershy once more pinned by Tantabus’s glare. She imagined Pinkie, Applejack, and Spike there as well, all caught and helpless. At the same time, she envisioned her own magic and allowed the perceived threat against her friends to push her deeper into the depths of her mind.

Just as streaks of rainbow began to appear within the lilac sea of her magic, the image of her burnt and cracked horn and shattered legs returned to her. Her vision went dark and she opened up her eyes. She found her breathing ragged.

“Having trouble?” Sunset snickered as she advanced to an open dummy next to Twilight. “Go on, I’ve just been dying to see what you can actually do now.”

“I… I just need to focus a little,” Twilight sputtered, mind hazed by memories and a swirl of emotions.

“Well…” Sunset grinned. Her horn lit up and then one of her hooves turned bright red with flecks of white here and there. The air around it wavered from the heat coming off of it. “Let me show you what I’ve been working on over the summer so you can know how easy I’ve been going on you.”

With a spin, Sunset launched herself at a dummy. Rearing her enchanted leg back, she threw all her weight to her right and slammed her hoof into the dummy’s head. Twilight glimpsed the aura around the dummy quake before an explosion roared out of the point of impact. The shockwave forced Twilight to crouch. On Sunset’s other side, Lyra was not as quick and was knocked off her hooves.

There was a moment of silence as everyone stopped what they were doing and gaped at Sunset. The silence was shattered by a loud thud when the dummy crashed back into the ground, having been launched into the air despite its weighted base. A corner of that base crashed into the ground and remained there, leaving the dummy poised on its side. Sunset smirked.

“Very impressive, Ms. Shimmer,” said Tantabus. Smoky aura lifted the dummy out of the ground with the easy of a foal lifting up a toy. Sunset’s smirk shrank when she saw that, aside from some dirt covering the part of the dummy’s base that had wedged itself into the ground, the dummy was unmarred. Appearing in full form beside the dummy, Tantabus marched close to Sunset. “There is always room for improvement though. Keep that in mind.”

Tantabus said nothing as he strolled by the other unicorns. Nopony dared cast their gaze in his direction for more than a second. Tantabus did not reciprocate, instead looking in every direction, eyes rapidly changing focus and glancing separate directions. It made a few students’ skins crawl. When one lingered on Twilight, she took a breath and faced forward.

The blast that rocketed out of her horn was neon purple in color. It rammed up against the thin veil of aura surrounding the dummy. Sparks flew as Twilight fed a steady flow of magic into the blast. Pings and pops rang through the air as the dummy’s base rolled over pebbles and dirt. Just as heat raced down her horn and summoned a sting at the base of it, Twilight clenched her jaw and fueled one last burst into her spell.

Huffing, Twilight ignored the sweat pooling off her forehead and the steam rising off her horn. Her sight remained locked on the rough outline of the dummy, its full detail obscured by a cloak of dust. A gale erupted behind Twilight and cleared the dust away, revealing the dummy completely unharmed. The only indication of a change was that it was a half-foot further back than the rest of them.

“A fine start, Ms. Twilight,” Tantabus commented. Before Twilight could reply, Tantabus spoke one more. “And you as well, Ms. Belle. Such a display caught me by surprise.”

Between Sunset and Tantabus, Twilight had only taken note of the Lyra and Rarity in the corners of her vision. She had thrown everything she had at the dummy, so she had spared not even a sliver of her focus on either Lyra or Rarity.

Given what it had taken just to move her own dummy back, she was amazed to see Rarity’s dummy on its side. Lyra’s only had the dirt around its base disturbed, but Twilight, more than anyone else on the field, knew what it took to even get Tantabus’s aura to give an inch.

Lyra and Rarity’s efforts also stoked the curiosity in Twilight’s mind, especially since both of them were shaking a hoof. Both were fit, but so was every other student to some degree. They were certainly not on Applejack or Dash’s level though. Twilight scolded herself for not being more observant, which only led to more self-condemnation because she had not heeded Tantabus’s advice. Stepping away from the dummy, she vowed to keep a closer eye on both of them at the other stations.

Twilight weaved left. The air rent where her flank had been just a second ago. She leapt, slammed her hooves against the ground, and summoned a shield. The spell rose up to protect her face just as a sphere of aura crashed against it. It ground against the shield and forced Twilight back before bursting, lifting Twilight off her hooves.

It was little more than an inch and she managed to stick a landing, but she had to immediately go back into a gallop. Spheres were coming at blinding speed from both sides. Not as fast as a raging manticore’s claws, though. With ducks and dodges, she managed to make it to a steep incline.

Aura coated the wood. As Twilight had observed when Lyra had gone first, it made her slip like ice at the end of winter in some spots, and clung to her hooves in others. Taking a breath, Twilight lit up her horn. A glow wrapped around her hooves as well. Looking up, she caught sight of Lyra zipping across the ropes at an incredible pace. Her horn was aglow, but Twilight could not make out just what spell she was using.

“Out of the way!” Sunset shoved Twilight aside and raced upwards. Before her hooves could slip or stick against the aura, a blast propelled her away from the incline.

Twilight gave chase. Like Sunset, her hooves did not actually meet the aura. Instead, four purple bubbles rose out of Twilight’s hooves, giving each step she took a little bounce. At the top of the incline, she glanced back and spotted Rarity making a beeline through Tantabus’s volley. The spheres struck her and knocked her off course, but she still plowed forward. Wasting no more time, Twilight resumed the chase and leapt for the first rope while Sunset was already halfway across them.

“Go!” Tantabus shouted.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack may have been rockets in the race at the start of the exercises, but neither summoned actual fire and smoke like Sunset did when Tantabus gave the word. The explosion propelled her all the way to the 25-meter mark in the blink of an eye. Red hot hooves smacked into the ground. Another blast rocketed Sunset past the finish line.

“4.51 seconds,” Tantabus declared. “Next!”

As Lyra went up to the starting line, Twilight glanced over to the where the dummies were. A second Tantabus stood near Applejack as she darted toward the dummy, spun, and unleashed the pent-up strength and speed of her legs into it. The dummy went flying and landed two feet away with a clang.

“Go!” the Tantabus at the 50-meter dash yelled.

Twilight spun her head back around just in time to see Lyra surge forward. She moved too fast to be certain, but Twilight thought she saw Lyra’s hind knees bend forward rather than back a second before she took off. Twilight could not linger on the thought because the sight of Lyra dashing across the track on just her hind legs raised so many questions in her mind.

Lyra’s legs moved too fast for Twilight to make out whatever Lyra was doing to give each step so much force, but she guessed it had something to do with length. If bipedal motion alone provided such speed, Spike would have been at the forefront of the earlier race.

Theories on what sort of spells Lyra was using were running through Twilight’s head when Tantabus shouted, “Ms. Sparkle! Next!”

Jumping to attention, Twilight raced to the start line. Taking a breath, she remembered Celestia’s training. Her vision shrank down to the broad white line only fifty meters away. Fifty meters. That was all she needed to clear.

When Tantabus gave the word, it seemed distant to Twilight. Sunset’s jeer sounded like it was coming through a fog. Her horn sent out a blinding flash. Sunset blinked as did everyone else. Another flash of purple had them all seeing spots. With a scowl, Sunset lit up her own horn, allowing her eyes to fog up for a second and then clear once more. She glared and watched Twilight wobble and bend one knee.

“4.38 seconds.” Tantabus drew close. With her true voice, she whispered, “Keep up the practice and the unsteadiness will fade.” Resuming the false baritone, she shouted. “All right, walk it off. Next!”

Twilight stumbled her way to the side and laid back. A sharp jab to her side forced her to look up at Sunset.

“A teleportation spell isn’t anything special, you know,” she huffed, “and the drawbacks aren’t worth it. In a real fight, using a move like that would be it for it.”

“But for an escape, it’s good.” It made her head spin, but Twilight forced herself up and met Sunset at eye level. “And against a magically inclined foe, it can really throw them off.”

“That a threat?” Sunset growled.

“Only if you think it is.” Twilight sighed and turned away from Sunset. Ahead of her, Rarity galloped across the track. She had decent speed, but it was nothing different from what she had displayed in the race. “You know, Sunset, everyone here is really talented, but they’ve all got different reasons for being here.”

“The buck are you talking about?” Sunset snorted. “We’re here to be heroes, idiot.”

“Being a hero can mean a lot of different things.” To Twilight’s left, she saw Fluttershy flapping with all her might to get through the obstacle course. Dash was already guzzling some water. To her right, Applejack was doing the same while Pinkie brought a giant hammer down on a dummy. Close by, Spike unleashed a stream of flame that drilled into the dummy, pushing it back. “I… I’ve wanted to say it for a while now, but we’re on different paths too… I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Think I’ll be your friend now?” Sunset stood up. Tantabus had vanished and was now standing over by the field. Other students were already on their way over to him. “You’ll never get it, Twilight. You always grovel around me. It makes me sick! Get mad! Fight back! Stop acting like friendship will solve all your problems!”

“Sunset, come on,” Twilight pleaded. “It doesn’t have to be like this, especially if you still want t—”

“Shut. Up.” Flames flared up Sunset’s eyes. “You don’t get to talk about that anymore. Whatever you did over the summer and whatever you do here won’t change that.”

Sunset stomped off, leaving smoke and burnt grass in her wake. Twilight watched her go, frowned, and picked herself up. Inside, words and thoughts ate away at her. Seeing Sunset in full form in a school setting had dredged up the one challenge she had feared the entire summer. It was something Tantabus had only manifested briefly, but now it once more reared its head.

As Sunset and Twilight walked back from looking out over Canterlot, Sunset spoke up. “Hey, I just thought of something.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Princess Celestia always picks a personal student from the school, right?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, she picked one out a few years ago called Mystic Rune. I hear he’s super strong but he doesn’t really like talking to newspapers.”

“Who wants to deal with that when there’s crime to fight?” Sunset huffed. “Point is, she’ll probably keep him around for a while, but after that she’ll need a new student. That’s us.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she gasped. Sunset rushed forward and covered her mouth to keep her quiet. She watched Twilight’s pupils focus and her body slacken before letting go. With a cough, Twilight whispered. “But there’s only ever one student. I checked.”

Sunset bopped Twilight on the head. “Dummy, of course there’s only one. That’s why you’ll be Princess Luna’s student.”

Twilight was about to gasp again, but a glare from Sunset forced her to clamp down on her own mouth. While Twilight blushed, Sunset shook her head.

With a clenched hoof, she declared, “We’ll show them, Twilight. So what if there haven’t been two students before? There isn’t a rule against it. Just get your horn working and nopony is going to get in our way!”

“Hey!” came the counselor’s voice. “Who’s out there?”

That’s what I meant, Sunset, Twilight thought as she joined the rest of the group. Guess I’ll have to wait for another time to break it to you.

“Well,” said Tantabus as he trotted back and forth in front of the group, “you’ve all certainly demonstrated why you belong at this school. Each of you shined in various areas, even those that were lacking in others.”

Rainbow Dash turned a little red and Fluttershy hid behind her mane. Tree Hugger observed a dragonfly float by.

“Nopony is perfect though,” Tantabus continued. “The most important lesson that everypony, especially heroes, must recognize is we are only ponies… or dragons. Whatever the case, there will come a day when you fail. How you react to that is one of the most difficult skills to learn, since it involves confronting that which you cannot defeat. This final exercise will bring you to that point.”

The wind kicked up. Shadows swirled behind Tantabus, rose off the ground, and connected in a single point. Expanding out, the smoky tendrils turned into inky walls. A black dome now stood in the field, its walls swirling and flecking off smoke.

“Each of you will go inside one at a time,” Tantabus said, voice prickling everyone’s skin, “I shall face you there one-on-one for five minutes. You may yield at any time, but once the five minutes are up, we stop, and I will offer my comments.”

“So, it’s like a sparring match?” Dash asked.

“No,” Tantabus coldly replied. “A match implies there’s a chance of winning. I welcome you to fight with all your might, but you should do so with the proper mindset: facing something you have no chance of beating. I warn you, there are no rules outside of the five-minute limit. I will use every means at my disposal to break you.”

Twilight shot up her leg.

“Yes, Ms. Sparkle?”

“What do you mean ‘break?’ Are you trying to get us to quit?”

Tantabus took a breath and looked over the group. “That is a risk. Every now and then this exercise is too much and a student does quit. Better here than in the midst of battle. Fear, hesitation, anxiety, anger, regret. These are all common reactions to an unwinnable situation, and ones that will ensure your defeat is all the worse. This exercise is meant to help you recognize what that situation feels like and better prepare you for when it happens, because it is inevitable. It is my hope that everyone here has the resolve to face such a situation and persevere. As our motto goes: Through night, through day, and ever onwards!”

Tantabus allowed a moment of silence for the words to resonate with the class. Even Twilight was rendered silent by his speech. Taking Tantabus out of the picture and thinking on the words themselves, she imagined Celestia saying something along the same lines. Loss was impossible to avoid. Twilight already knew that lesson well.

“So, shall we begin?” Tantabus asked, eyes scanning over the class. “I can call or do I have a volunteer?”

“Oh!” Pinkie called out, waiving a hoof through the air. “I’ll go first!”

“Certainly, Ms. Pie.” Behind Tantabus, a tear opened up in the dome just big enough for a pony to fit through. “You do seem a bit eager. Are you certain you are ready for this?”

“Yep-yep!” Pinkie grinned. “Nopony likes losing, but it’s no reason to be scared. So, if I can show everypony it’s not that bad, the exercise will go even better, right?”

“That is one way to look at it.” Tantabus vanished, but his voice rang out from within the dome. “Come on in then. Ms. Dash, Ms. Hugger, and Ms. Fluttershy, start with your pushups! As for the rest of you, please stay here. I will call you after Ms. Pie is finished.”

Dash groaned and slunk away from the rest of the class along with Fluttershy and Tree Hugger. Everyone else watched as Pinkie hopped over to the dome and then disappeared inside.

Then, silence. Everyone’s ears perked up to see if they could hear anything. The dome swirled, but nothing could be heard from it. The way it stood in the afternoon sun, absorbing light like a massive smudge was unnerving to look at for too long. As the minutes ticked by, whispers spread among the class.

Spike wanted to join in on speculating what Tantabus might do, but the strained look on Twilight’s face sealed his mouth. A look around showed Applejack in a similar state. Sunset watched the dome with a furrowed brow. Maud stared at where Pinkie had disappeared and remained still.

When the dome opened up once more, everyone’s heads turned toward the gap. Pinkie emerged. There was not a hop, skip, or a jump to her step as she hobbled forward. While her mane always had a bit of a fizz to it, it was now downright unkempt, with parts of it matted and uneven. With each unsteady step she took, a few tears spilled down her face.

Ice flooded everyone’s veins. It may have been the first day, but out of all the students, Pinkie had endeared herself with her energy and wide smile. The sight of her barely managing to stay upright was enough to steal most of the class’s breath. Twilight seized up, Spike’s claws raked the dirt at his sides, Dash stopped doing pushups, and Fluttershy fell the ground and shook.

Only one pony managed to push past the shock and rush to Pinkie’s side. Maud was beside Pinkie in a blink, eyes now sharp and alert. Her hoof shot out and pulled Pinkie close. Pinkie buried her head in Maud’s chest and cried.

“I’m sorry!” Pinkie sobbed. “I… didn’t… I didn’t…”

The rest of her words were lost in a divulge of tears and ghastly coughs. Slowly stroking Pinkie’s mane, Maud helped lower her to the ground. In a whisper only Pinkie could hear, Maud sighed, “You’re okay, Pinkie. You’re okay.”

The dome seemed to loom over the class now. For those that had faced Tantabus before, they were all reminded of what the exam had been like. Everyone else was struck with a feeling of dread. A few inched back and prayed. Yet, amidst the thick air of alarm, Twilight and Sunset furrowed their brows. The later also bit her lip to the point where the skin was on the verge of breaking.

“Applejack,” Tantabus called out. “Come in.”

Author's Notes:

Luna is probably my favorite character to write for.