Author's Note: Currently going under revisions, most of this may be changed.

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Standing alone in the background, I watched familiar faces gather around a body as its final breath released the contract between soul and vessel. A smile. Was it happier to feel no more suffering, or just to remember the experience of the life it had lived? Whatever it was for the freshly dead, it was torture for those surrounding the body to see the smile on that blood-soaked face. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the body’s red-and-white mane and tail and its off-white, blood-splattered coat.

I knew that stallion all too well. That body was me.

“What are you waiting for?” A soft, calm voice echoed a question through the silence.

Closing my eyes in sync with those of the resting body, I chose not to answer. A loud, continuous beep signaled the final onset of death. “That,” the machine’s prolonged beep answered for me.

I turned my back to the scene, and my past was left behind. I was severing the ties I’d made with these ponies; I didn’t even care to see their reactions. Sorrow and grief had no purpose for a resting soul.

Trotting away felt like walking through a tunnel, and as you progressed deeper, whatever was left at the entrance, be it light, memories or friends, all met the same fate. Gone for good, but not forgotten.

“So, after these two years, after everything you’ve fought for, you just give up? You had everything you’ve wanted, and you just throw that away?!” The snow white mare yelled at me, her mane of scarlet red sticking out against the vast sea of white before us. “You don’t think I could’ve waited sixty more years to see you?!”

The sounds of my mother’s shouts were replaced with the pitter-patter of tears dropping to the ground. The occasional sniffle passed as her bright yellow eyes gleamed with tears. “I wanted to watch you grow into a stallion, live happily with a wife and kids... and this is how you throw it away? This is what you choose to do with your life?!”

“Throw it away?!” I repeated through gritted teeth. “I gave my life so my friends could do that! I gave my life so my sister, your daughter, could have that chance! And you say I threw it away?” I countered, my voice trailing through the vacant air. “You think I wanted any of this to happen?!”

“Why, though? Why did you choose to do this? Why, why did it have to be my son?!”

“Because ‘your son’ had nothing else to live for! I don’t even know who I am! Those ponies out there, they still have plenty to live for!” I threw my hoof out to the white background. In the direction I was pointing was a window pane, displaying a group of ponies. My teachers. My friends.

“I lost everything before I even had anything to lose! I don’t know who I am or what I was meant for. I have neither a calling nor a special talent thanks to some damned tattoo on my flank that I was born with!” I shouted. But she only smiled, chuckling to herself.

“No, Graze.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You still don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” I asked, uninterested. Turning back, I watched as the mare rose her brow with a bemused expression. Now I know who I got that from. “Sorry, mom.”

“Right!” my mother chimed, never taking her eyes off me. “We, as ponies, don’t let a cutie mark tell us who we are and what we do.” Her hoof reached out to my face, grabbing my attention. “We decide that ourselves.”

Her face then beamed through the white of this land with a simple smile. “Don’t tell me that after two years, you still don’t know, do you?”

“I... I’m not sure anymore,” I said, backing away from the mare. Even after all that, all my shouting and berating her, she had it in her heart to tolerate and forgive me.

“Graze, I’m your mother. Please, let me help you.”

“Help me do what?”

Closing her eyes, she slowly brought her forehead forward, pressing it softly against mine as I followed in her hoofsteps.

“Remember...”

Equestria University, the largest, finest learning establishment in Equestria. This place was perfect. Actually, when you think about it, it’s not really much of a school for education purposes, but a school about life. When given your room, you’re basically expected to survive on your own, and not only that, but the school sometimes supplies you with a job that suits your special talent... not that there’s much they could do for me, but there you have it!

The campus had gardens for groundskeeping, art and music studios for those of creative nature, a bakery and a cafeteria, as well as, their own delivery system and a nurse’s office. If you asked me, the school could pretty much sustain itself like a freaking village. Whatever your cutie mark was, they’d have a place for it. Of course, hard work equals hard-earned bits.

Studies were basically a secondary objective, if you asked me. That’s why I liked it... a lot.

On the concrete path with lawns of freshly cut grass at each side, I stood in front of the main building with my father. The brick structure was four stories tall with a clock near the peak of the tower, roughly saying twenty minutes past nine. Here I was, ready to close out the summer and start my-

"Junior year! WOOOO!" my rambunctious conscience, Kill shouted. "We are free!"

"How do you, of all ponies, think going BACK to school is a sign of freedom?" And then, there was my more level-headed conscience, Joy.

"Because... shut up. Stuck at home for months on end with Tribal and Aroma - mostly TRIBAL - really gets on my nerves. It’s like cabin fever! Who the hell does that guy think he is, trying to control me?!" Kill exclaimed, aggravated by my father's previous motives.

"I don't know... maybe our father! He’s family, Kill, give him some more respect," Joy scolded his other half with an answer.

"Huh, I never did really like that word, 'respect'."

Blocking out my thoughts -- which is pretty damn hard with those two bickering -- I finally paid my father the attention he deserved; it was going to be a long time before I would see him again. If he was about ten years younger, he could have passed as me to enroll in this school, taking my place. Well, except for the white blot by my snout; I kind of got that from my mom.

“So, you’re finally leaving your old man, huh? I remember my first time in college,” he said, reminiscing on the past. I released a sigh the second those words left his mouth. I'm pretty sure he mustn't have noticed, because he just kept on with his story. “It was the happiest time of my life. College was where I met your mother, in fact!”

Tears began to well in his eyes as he continued on the departed. I wasn’t quite sure if it was about me leaving, or mom... maybe it was a mixture of both. “Look, Dad, Aroma is still at home, and I’m coming be back soon, okay?” I placed my hoof on his shoulder, hoping that in comfort, I reassured him. “And about mom... she wouldn’t want to see you like this, dad... it’s been ten years,” I sighed, staring into his dark black eyes with mine. “You need to let go... for her.”

With an exasperated sigh, the icy-coated stallion exchanged glances with me. I couldn't help but notice his still, red, puffy eyes from the recent tears as he responded. “Yes, Graze... for her.”

“HEY, GRAZE! ARE YOU COMING OR WHAT?!” abruptly shouted a mare’s voice.

Watching from the school's gates and towards its entrance, we saw an olive-coated mare who not too shortly after, stopped waving her hoof once acknowledged. “Well, Vinetion found you," Tribal pointed out, focusing back at me. “I guess this is goodbye for now,” he said, still holding his composure as I suddenly pulled him into a hug

“Only for now.” I said, releasing my father as I had set off to begin my first day of the new, school year. My first day of being, as Kill had so elegantly put it, FREE!

A/N 17/10/12: Sorry, this chapter is mostly dialogue. I was kinda now getting the hang of writing this.

---

Walking aside the olive-green mare, it felt as if we were taking a trip down memory lane. After spending almost the entire summer apart, we had a lot of catching up to do. Room keys in our possession, a decision was made to “explore,” as Vine had so put it. The hallways were empty, save for the few students who had made the same decision as us.

“I find it dead. ‘Ghost town’ dead,” I stated. The place was not only empty, but quiet... too quiet. And you would never catch me walking around at night in a place this massive. Not only were hoofsteps on the floorboards incredibly noisy, but if you stayed still and just listened, you could hear whispers. Huh, the walls must be pathetically thin.

"Where in Tartarus is everypony?!" Kill exclaimed, not like anypony but Joy and myself could hear him.

"I don’t think school has even started yet," Joy clarified. "Just chill and enjoy the serenity. The peace and quiet, ya know?"

“Well, we still have about a day before this place gets flooded by students. Why not make the most of it?” Vinetion suggested, looking down the hallway.

“I guess. I’d hate to get lost in this big-ass school,” I said with a trot alongside the mare.

“Old habits die hard, don’t they?” Vine sighed, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stopped dead in my tracks, glaring at her.

“You curse like a sailor, Graze. If you want to make friends, you kind of want to... not do that.” I blame, Kill. All of this, on Kill.

“Pft, so what? It’s not like we’re foals anymore, and no one gives a fu- Agh! Shit!" I smashed into something and collapsed with an audible thud. “What the hay was that?!” I rubbed my head, lying on the floor.

“It’s called a door, Graze. Schools tend to have those these days,” Vinetion chuckled and lent me her hoof. “Just watch where you’re walking, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, waving off her gesture. “By the way, I don’t have a sailor’s mouth, I’m just self-expressive.”

“Then you must be a freakin' artist,” Vinetion said, entering the now-open room only to pop her head back out for more “helpful” advice. “Although I’m pretty sure Ditzy loves art,” she snickered.

Upon hearing that name, most of my blood rushed to my cheeks. Thanks a lot, Vine, you’re a real help.

"Oooo, Ditzy and Graze, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Kill mocked, laughing at my torment.

"Aren’t we a bit too old for that?" Joy added, a bit too late.

"Don’t kill my joy. It’s either you’re with me, or against me," Kill countered. "There can be only one!"

"I’m with ya." Joy sighed, rolling his eyes as he began laughing at me.

"Oh, just you wait. I’m going to lurk in the bushes and watch as karma takes you both the buck down like a gimpy gazelle," I thought, warning the two consciences hovering above my shoulders.

Following Vinetion through the doors, I entered what seemed to be the cafeteria. The vacancy of the rest of the school was nothing compared to the complete emptiness in this room. The only source of light was our princess’ sun shining through the windows, because that lone pony sitting in the corner couldn’t be bothered to flip a damn switch for some reason.

As a matter of fact, he was on the opposite side of the room from the light source. If you drew a line cutting the room in half, it would be half happy sunshine, half paranormal eeriness, and he was squarely on the eerie side.

“Graze, something doesn’t seem right about that pony,” she whispered, pointing to the dark grey unicorn sitting on the furthest side of the room. “I don’t like him.”

“I know, right? Just look at those red shades he’s wearing. And indoors, too! Dear princesses, he must be colorblind. Ugh, and don’t get me started on that black vest,” I ranted, trying to lighten up the mood. Obviously, she must not be a fan of my sense of fashion, because I just got thee most bemused of expressions.

“I’m serious, Graze. Something isn’t right with that pony, I can just sense it.” Vine stood her ground, as if the creepy figure was going to strike at any moment. Both his hooves were under his chin as if he was waiting for something. The shades may have blocked his eyes, but that didn’t mean we knew he was staring at us/

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” I urged. “Just say hello, that’s all. Since you’re such an expert at making friends, I thought you’d have known this.”

“Yeah, just be all like ‘Hiya!’” I heard a high pitched voice at my side.

“Yeah, she’s right!” I unknowingly pointed to the mare beside me. Then I noticed there WAS a mare beside me. “Holy sh-” Nevermind the curse, Vinetion was keeping an eye on me. “-hiya! Who exactly are you?”

“‘Shiya’? Is that like a new sort of hello!? I love it!” The pink, poofy mare clapped her hooves. “Shiya to you too! My name’s Pinkie Pie! What’s yours?”

“Just call me Graze. And this here is Vinetion,” I introduced ourselves.

“Um, if I may ask, do you know who that pony is?” Vine pointed to the now-empty table.

“Hahaha! There’s nopony there, silly!” she laughed. “Ooo, does she have imaginary friends like you and I do?”

“Like you and who, exactly?” Vinetion brought herself closer to the mare with a quizzical look.

“Well duh! Like me and Graze! You know, those mini-you’s!” She pointed to each shoulder, where Kill and Joy were standing. “Right there!”

"Son of a bitch. What in Celestia’s name is happening?" Kill cursed the pink sugar rush, feeling the discomfort of the situation.

"Kill! She’s pointing at me! What do we do?! WHAT DO WE DO?!" Joy panicked, anxiously.

Shaking Joy by his collar, Kill repeatedly slapped him across each cheek with his free hoof. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, MAN! Just pretend she’s crazy."

“Nonononono! I’m not crazy, I can see them right there!” she pointed to, in Vine’s eyes, nothing.

“Well, I’ll return when the weird stuff is over,” Vinetion said, slowly backing away from the scene-creating mare. “I’ll see you later, okay, Graze? I’ll be in my room if you need me. I just need some rest, is all.” She quickly turned her back and whispered to herself, “And a therapist.”

Hearing the click of the door, I turned to Pinkie Pie and gave her my full serious attention. “How can you see them?”

"And why did you call us IMAGINARY!?" Kill demanded.

"I kind of take offense to that," Joy added. "We are consciences, you know. Good and bad, just and lawless, angel and devil? Never heard of them? Yeah, we have feelings!"

“Hahahaha! Of course I have, silly!” Pinkie chuckled. “I have them too!” She then pointed to her left shoulder, where a straight-maned, less-vibrant, miniature Pinkie appeared. “This is Pinkamena.” And then to her right, with a white-coated, yellow-maned, bubbly-pegasus. “And this is Surprise.”

"Well, what fine mares we have here," Kill stated, eyeing Pinkamena as he introduced himself. "My name is Kill, and this is my brother, Joy."

"Well, “brother” may not be the right word, but the sentiment is there. Pleased to meet you." Joy lent out his hoof to Surprise, as did Kill with Pinkamena.

"Hmm, pleasure," Pinkamena accepted his pleasantries. "I guess we aren’t the only ones, huh, Surprise?"

"Hahaha, yup! It’s great to finally meet somepony else like Pinkie!" She grabbed Joy’s hoof with two of hers, violently shaking them throughout her greeting. "My name is Surprise! Oh yeah, sorry, Pinkie already said that! Pinkamena did too, come to think of it, but I guess it’s okay. Anywho, what’s yours? Oh yeah, your name is Joy, and that’s Kill! Pleased to meet yo-"

"You’re going to kill the poor pony!" Pinkamena stopped Surprise and apologized. "Sorry, she gets really, REALLY hyper when we meet new ponies."

“Yup, that’s how they’re supposed to work,” I chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Pinkie tilted her head in confusion.

“Well, from what I’ve examined so far, two consciences make one whole,” I explained, only for Pinkie to tilt her head more. “Basically, without one, I’d only take after the other. For example, without Surprise, you would be exactly like Pinkamena.”

“Ohhhh, I get it! And without Pinkamena, I’d be just like Surprise!”

"You mean she isn’t already?' Pinkamena and Kill said in unison.

“Well, technically, a conscience acts like an equalizer to the other. Pinkamena tones down Surprise’s hyperactivity, and Joy tones down Kill’s rage.”

‘Tis the duty of a conscience! Kill saluted, getting a chuckle from Pinkamena.

“You must be really, really smart!” Pinkie complimented.

“Not really, I just spend a LOT of time listening to these two complain, bicker, argue and whine... you know how it is, right?”

"Hmmm, no, not really. I just let Surprise do most of the work," Pinkamena admitted. "It seems to make Pinkie happy, and who am I to get in the way of that?"

"That makes everything about her make sense now!" Kill exclaimed. "Which is kinda scary. You know what this is, Joy?"

"Yep, recessive-dominance."

“Recessive-domi-wha?” Sweet Celestia, how far can Pinkie’s head tilt?

“How do you not know about any of this? Haven’t they been with you your entire life?”

“Yeah, but Twilight told me to forget about it. She said it was crazy talk! Ha! I knew I’m not cra- WHOA!” Pinkie’s ears suddenly began to flop.

Hey Surprise, are you feeling okay? Pinkamena asked, her gaze fixed on the small white mare.

Nonononono! A combo’s coming on, I can feel it! Surprise exclaimed, her eyes fluttering as she did so.

“Uh, are you okay?” I asked, noticing as Pinkie's motions were in perfect synchronization with her pegasus conscience. The instant I noticed her knees twitch, the pink mare pounced right on top of me. “Hey, what’s that for?!” I demanded a response, with her on top my chest.

“That!” She pointed at the door, ‘conveniently’ being slammed open. “Ya see! I get these weird twitches, and they tell me what’s going to happen in the near future! That’s all thanks to Surprise! And when a bunch happen at the same time, we call them combos!”

Pinkie still lying on top of me as she explained, my eyes focused on the background, where the mare who bucked open the door was entering the room. My luck couldn’t have dropped any lower.

“Pinkie?”

“Yes?” she chimed.

“What’s the combo for being completely bucked?”

“GRAZE!” Pinkie gasped. “YOU JUST SAID A BAD WORD!”

“Please tell me,” I said quietly in disbelief, ignoring her previous comment.

"Maybe if we stay completely still, and don’t make any sudden movements, she won’t see us," Kill whispered.

“What’s wrong, guys? Did something happen?” Pinkie asked out of curiosity.

“Yes, that,” I pointed to a grey-coated, blonde mare slowly approaching from the doorway.

“First day back, Graze, and you’re already hitting on a mare. Typical.”

“Hey! I’m not hitting on her, she just saved my flank!” I countered.

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard that one before. And of course, you’re returning the favor,” she said with a heaping helping of sarcasm. “Right?”

“Yep!” Pinkie Pie innocently smiled. I didn’t expect her toknow what she was implying, but for Celestia’s sake, take the hint that the mare was pissed off! It’s like this mare was seeing some sort of sickeningly saccharine world. Lollipops for trees, flowers randomly sprouting as she walked by, cute animals just raining down from the sky, gifts at every pink corner of that majestic world of hers.

“I’m sorry, I should just give you two some privacy,” she said, exiting the room and slamming the door behind her.

“No, you can stay!” Pinkie Pie insisted, but the other mare was long gone by then.

“Who was that?” Pinkie and her consciences all asked in unison.

“THAT... was Ditzy Doo, a really close friend of mine.”

"You two seem more like enemies than friends," Pinkamena implied.

"I think she’s just jealous!" Surprise added.

“No, no, that’s just her way of showing she cares,” I shook my head. “When she overlooks something like this, that’s the REAL point of concern. Trust me on this; I’ve known her and Vinetion since foalhood,” I said, truthfully. “Let me just see if she’s alright, ‘kay?”

“No problem, Graze! We’ll see each other soon?” Pinkie asked, getting off of me as I stood up.

“I think I’d like that,” I smiled, watching Joy and Kill pump their hooves in success. “See you mares later,” I waved them off, and exited the room with a steed-fast gallop through the halls in search of Ditzy.

---

After countless hours of searching the school top to bottom, it was hopeless. In the end, the three of us came to the same conclusion: we were being avoided. With that in mind, we decided to visit Vinetion’s room, number thirty-four, for a friendly, peaceful conversation.

“--AND GUESS WHAT?! SHE THOUGHT I WAS HITTING ON ANOTHER MARE!” I exclaimed, finishing my story. “A COMPLETE AND TOTAL STRANGER! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Vinetion licked her hoof and flipped the page of her book.

“I have standards! I don’t just go around banging every mare I see! I’m not even that lucky!” I admitted. Okay... the truth hurts.

“Yes, I know, because one of your best friends is a fillyfooler, while the other is...well, Ditzy,” she said, closing her book and giving me her undivided attention.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!” I snapped.

“‘That’, that right there is your problem,” she pointed through me, not at me, but at my very soul. “You are always...Always so, AGH!” she faked a shout.

“‘Agh’? What the hell is ‘agh’?” I asked a bit confused, tilting my head like Pinkie.

“‘Agh’ is you, too much of you. Too demanding, insensitive, assertive, and everything in between.” Please don’t tell me that I’m more of Kill, that’s bad.

"Well! What’s so wrong with me?!" Kill exclaimed, resenting her statement.

"‘Agh!’ is what’s wrong with you, all of you! And if anything, Graze doesn’t need you taking more of the reins, any more than he needs ME doing it." Joy scolded. It was as if he had planned out this very speech once some lucky pony had pointed it out. All he had to do, was be patient. "It’s our duty to ensure that Graze has a healthy mind, not too easygoing and not too assertive! SO JUST CALM DOWN!"

"...holy shiya, where did that come from?" Kill said, a bit shocked by Joy’s outburst, but in agreement. "You’re right to an extent, but I’m not letting my colt get pushed around."

“Alright Vine, I hear you, loud and clear.” I completely understood everything she, Kill and Joy had said.

“Don’t feel so down, Graze. You’re not all bad, and I never said you were,” she said, placing a hoof on my shoulder. “You’re kind - in your own way - smart, independent - maybe a bit too much -and hell, you’re loyal to us and everyone you care about. You just need to tone down the rest. You don’t need to be pushy and assertive to get your point across.”

"Wow, them in between comments," Kill pointed out.

"Meh, it’s a start," Joy shrugged.

“I can always count on you, Vine,” I pulled the mare into a hug, which she returned.

Releasing the embrace, she suddenly remembered something. “By the way, who was that pink sugar rush?”

“Who? Pinkie Pie?” Vinetion nodded. “For now, let’s just say somepony a bit like me.”

“Bucked up?” Vinetion cursed, which shocked me a bit. “What? I don’t do it in public.”

“Hahaha, yeah, completely bucked up,” I laughed alongside her.

"I think I like Pinkamena," Kill randomly said, rubbing his chin. "And I know I can say the same for both Joy and Surprise."

"Oh yes! Can we visit Pinkie sometime soon, Graze?" Joy begged alongside with Kill.

"Hahaha, we’ll see, guys," I replied.

"Score!" Kill and Joy cheered, high-hoofing each other with a smack.

“Well, Vinetion, I’m going to get ready for tomorrow’s classes,” I bumped my hoof with hers as we usually would for a goodbye. “By the way, what’s first again?”

“Physics, with some teacher named ‘Charge’. Silent Charge.”

“Right... never was my favorite subject,” I admitted, twitching my upper lip with a slow trot to her door. “See ya later,” I used both hooves to open the door, stopping as something important dawned on me. “And, by the way, if you see Ditzy... tell her I’m sorry for what happened earlier.”

“Will do, Graze,” Vinetion said, waving goodbye and closing the door behind me.

Venturing down the barren halls, my mind was left to wander. Or rather, I left Kill and Joy to lead in one of their usual discussions, debates, arguments... You can never really tell with those two, actually. They MOSTLY sound the same.

"I wonder who that guy was..." Kill wondered, curiosity in his voice as he hovered beside my view. "The dude in the cafe... he just seemed so... lifeless, strange, paranormal, freaky-"

“You can stop there,”I replied outloud being alone once again.Damn, this school would have been a lot creepier without Kill and Joy supplying the extra noise. “I really don’t want or need to know, guys. Let’s just leave him alone for now, okay? We have a big day tomorrow.”

"Yeah, but Vine is right. There’s something about that guy, something that I don’t trust," Kill continued.

“Just let it go for now. We’re in a school; he most likely won’t go anywhere but around the campus. We’ll find out more about him later if it’ll put your mind at ease, but for now, all I wanna do is sleep,”I explained to the two of them.

"Well, look no further! Here we are, our new home sweet home, room number forty-three!" Joy said, invitingly at the room before us.

Unlocking the door and going through, I lazily bucked it closed again with my hind legs. The room was quite spacious, coming with a desk and a blue-sheeted bed. Other furniture needed to be purchased, of course, but a bed, a desk and a window would do for now. Maybe I could get a job... Yeah, right, I’m too tired to even think about work! I was so exhausted from today’s events, and school hasn’t even started yet!

Dragging myself onto my bed, I laid still, too tired to even move a single inch, only allowing my mind to anxiously think about tomorrow: the hustle and bustle with the students and the new teachers. First up tomorrow... Mr. Charge.

Somehow, I just have this weird feeling that my life is going to be a wreck from here on out.

---

A/N: Being consciences, your thoughts, Kill and Joy don't really need quotes.

---

Mornings, no matter what, will never be my favorite. I don’t care if Celestia’s sun is shining, or if the birds are singing. Hell, I wouldn’t care if the princesses themselves visited me in the early hours. I love my sleep. Sadly, for me and for everypony else here who seemed to be followers of Luna, we had classes at eight. Tired or not, we had to be there.

The only real difference between me and everypony else, was that everypony else knew where their damn classes were. Not only that, but they didn’t have consciences that reminded them every damn second of what they needed to do!

Dammit, Graze! Get up! Joy shouted.

Leave us alone for five more minutes, would ya? Kill asked, thankfully on my side.

Oh, sure! I’ll let you sleep in when we stop being TEN MINUTES LATE FOR OUR FIRST CLASS!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through my mind, waking me up in the instant of hearing the word late. Flinging the blanket off me, I quickly rolled off my sides and onto the floor, landing on all fours with a gallop to the nearest window. “Oh buck! I’m late!” I cursed, seeing the sun tick a few degrees past its eight-o’clock position. “Hoof me sideways! What did Vine say we had first?!”

Physics. Silent Charge. I can’t believe I have to pay attention for all of us, Joy lamented.

Where would I be without you, Joy? I doubt it would be anything close to pretty, since I would be stuck with Kill. Oh, I can see it now: “Here lies Graze, beaten to death for sexual harassment.”

You know I’m more fun anyway, Kill harrumphed, folding his forelegs. What’s a little fun without the risk?

Ahem. Not the best advice to follow, but, no matter how true that may be, I WAS STILL LATE!

My mind thoroughly distracted from talking to myself - or rather, my consciences - I galloped out of my room, leaving behind all trace of books and stationery supplies, as well as my saddle bag. It was too late to go back for them now; either I showed up late or I showed up TOO late. I was so unprepared, I didn’t even know where my classes were! If we had used yesterday like intentionally planned to find where everything was, I won’t be in such a mess!

There were no signs, no arrows, no directories, nothing! Nothing at all to tell me where anything was! Or even where I was! For a school this big, you would think there would be a directory somewhere!

As luck would unfortunately have it, I came to the end of the hallway, where the path split in opposite directions. Oh, what to do, where to go?

Left! Kill exclaimed.

Right! Joy responded.

LEFT!

RIGHT!

The two continued their argument, which soon turned physical as they bashed their heads together. This had gone on for... I don’t know, a minute? I’m sure it was longer, but I wasn’t keeping track. With every passing second, their volumes increased, each trying to outmatch the other.

“SHUT UP!” I shouted aloud, tired of their constant bickering. My voice echoed through the hallways of the school... Whoops, that came out wrong. In the sense that it actually... came out.

Shut up, Kill, I warned before he could try to comment. Not a word from you. Not a single peep. No laughing. I knew that part of me too well not to realize a sexual innuendo when it presented itself.

Pftch- Only if you go left, he bargained, holding back his snickering.

Deal, I relented, making a left turn down the corridor.

As I walked this path, an ominous chill made the hairs of my coat stand as the light flickered on and off. The temperature difference became noticeable; it certainly didn’t provide the most welcoming atmosphere. Any colder and my breath would have been visible.

Now I knew this was a bad idea. Following Kill’s advice is always a bad idea! Why do I even have you?! I asked, turning to the smaller me on my left shoulder.

For a sense of adventure? He answered.

...Touché. And onwards to “adventure” I continued, venturing down this hall and to the last, and might I add, only door on the left. The light beaming from its window filled me with a sense of hope and salvation through this dark passageway. Aimlessly drifting towards the beacon, the ceiling lights flickered out, the shadows concealing me within its darkness. My only source of light was that bit shining from the classroom and the entrance to the hallway; it was easy to fool myself into thinking that nothing was going to happen, or that I was alone...

That eerie feeling that you’re being watched was definitely working overtime. It was a mental battle between my curiosity and my consciences.

Do not look back, Graze, Joy begged. The classroom is right there, and we’re late enough as it is.

No arguments here, Kill agreed. We are already late, a quick peek shouldn’t hurt. What’s two seconds compared to what we already missed out? Okay, if there was anything about Kill that I hated, it was how he can twist a sentence into his own manipulative way. Very manipulative. Evil, but manipulative.

“Physics,” I read, staring at the door and its handle. Well, it’s definitely the right classroom, no point in doubting that.

We can risk the tiny bit of lost time. One. Little. Peek, Kill whispered right in my ear.

Looking back at the exit, my beacon of hope and light through this dark descent, I saw nothing. Nothing at all... until the lights flickered once more, revealing a sleek pony figure with long appendages, almost resembling tentacles. His shadow merged with the darkness of the ill-lit hall with each step.

Nothing. At. All. Just turn around, Graze. Your eyes are playing tricks on you, they have to be! Maybe one more peek... Nope! Nope! Nope! Still there!

I fiddled with the door handle using my hooves, since I couldn’t seem to get a proper grasp on it now that the panic was settling in.

Just push down! Use your hooves! Kill panicked along with me, not making my life any less easier. Using both my hooves to open the door was a terrible plan. I was under pressure, and the sweat was making it harder to grip. It was hard enough to grip with hooves in the first place! Use your mouth!

We don’t know who or what touched this door! It could be dirty! Joy complained.

ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME?! OUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE AND YOU WORRY ABOUT GERMS?! Agreeing with Kill and ignoring Joy (which I think may never happen again). Sweet Celestia, this had to be the most stubborn door ever! I tried both my hooves and my mouth! This thing refused to budge!

Glancing between whatever the hell that thing was and the door, I had almost given up on life. Maybe if I just lay here, and pretend I’m dead, it’d leave me alone. That could work.

USE YOUR TAIL! USE YOUR SNOUT! Kill randomly blurted out ideas as his eyes desperately searched for an answer. I too was just as desperate as Kill. Why? Because I actually tried my snout! Who in their right mind would use their snout?! WINGS! USE YOUR BUCKING WINGS! My wings? Yes, dammit! Curl your wing around the door, and push down!

Never in my life have I heard of pegasi using their wings like that. Definitely to fly, and maybe to do various exercises like push-ups or lifting weights, but to grab? Pftch, that’s just absurd.

Let me do it! Kill exclaimed, taking control of my body. In awe, I watched as my right wing, controlled by Kill, curl around the handle, firmly, slowly grasping it and pushed down with muscles that were normally only used to fly. Maybe Kill is actually onto something, if I can use wings like this, think of the possibilities.

Thanks to a combination of stress and terror, Kill exerted too much force on the door handle, and I fell flat on my face in front of the entire class once the door gave way.

Sitting up straight on my flank, my eyes focused on the door as I scurried away using my hooves, putting as much distance as I could between myself and the door. Ha! No way in Tartarus was I going to be the first to die!

Hitting my back against something sturdy... rough... hard as a rock, I bent my neck ninety degrees back to see a much, MUCH, larger pony, one that could match Princess Celestia’s height. This pony was built like a bucking tank, and had black and white everything! Coat, eyes, slick backed spiky mane, tail, suit, you name it.

“You must be--” he began, but I interrupted him by grabbing at his suit. Without looking down, he lifted me up from my position with a glare, now holding me at eye level... two feet from the floor.

“What the buck is the matter with you?” he scolded. “First you arrive late to my class, and then you have the nerve to disrupt it?”

Wow... this guy... Don’t mess with him, Kill warned, staring at the pony who somehow stared directly back at Kill. Don’t move, don’t breathe, Joy.

Don’t turn your back, don’t look away, and don’t blink, Joy continued, staring at the beast.

Without moving a single muscle, a bead of sweat rolled down Kill’s brow as he whispered, He can smell your fear.

I think I fear’d myself, Joy replied.

Still traumatized from the hallway experience, I was barely able to form coherent words and sentences. “Ou-outisde!” I stuttered, pointing at the door. Somehow, I was crazy enough to think my chances of survival would be better with whatever was out there than with Charge.

Dropping me to the floor in a heartbeat, the teacher dragged me beside him by my collar as he made his way out the class. “Are you bucking kidding me?” he said in a cold, deep voice, staring into the darkness and at the still creature. Flicking the light switch beside him, the place lit up once more and the creature was revealed to be... just a regular pony. “Don’t tell me that you were scared of Omnius, our janitor,” he said with an arched brow.

“Hey there, Silent Charge, how’s it going?” The friendly janitor waved his hoof, holding a mop in the other. “I see the lights are giving you trouble, huh?”

“Yeah,” Charge dully answered, rolling his eyes. I can already tell just by his expression, this was not the first time.

“Have you tried switching them on and off?” Omnius asked out of curiosity, chuckling at his own joke.

“That joke just keeps getting worse the more you tell it,” Charge quipped, rolling his eyes. “Anyways, I will see you around. I have some students to deal with.” He waved off the janitor as he rolled his bucket of water away with the mop leaning over its edge, then turned his attention towards me.

“So, what’s my punishment?” I smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, don’t worry, Graze, I’ve already punished you.” Charge patted my back as he trotted towards the door. “Just don’t talk in my class, this is your first and only warning,” he informed me, opening the door and allowing me to enter first.

Vinetion to the lower back middle of the class, I noticed that the mare had saved me a seat between her and Ditzy. I can always count on those two. Slowly making my way to the reserved spot, I paid no heed to the snickers and chuckles from the rest of the class.

And you, and you, and you... Ohoho! Can’t forget about you! Kill said, marking down each pony who continued their foalish behavior. Not far down the line, somepony in particular caught his eye.

Ooo, what do we have here? he noted, as we - Kill, Joy and myself - stared at that mystery shaded pony from yesterday’s visit to the cafeteria.

“His name is Grim,” Vinetion notified me, as she joined me in staring at the lone pony who was minding his own business.

“How do you know?” I asked.

GRAZE, DUCK! Joy warned, seeing a projectile in shape of a book... Wait, couldn’t be, it was too large for a bo-- HOLY SHIT, IT IS A BOOK!

BAM!

Taking the shot to the face, my head bent a few degrees back as the tome revealed a noticeable red mark as it slowly slid down. “HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” I shouted, but was immediately struck by another projectile, its bound pages opening wide from its arc, completely covering my face.

“Okay, okay, shutting up now,” I gave in, and was yet AGAIN HIT BY ANOTHER HOOFIN’ BOOK!

“Graze, just shut up.” Ditzy placed her hoof in my mouth with a look of concern, stopping me before I began a rant filled with curses, courtesy of Kill.

Designed by me, said by me, and you’d best hope it’s not meant for you, he gloated with pride.

“We’ll deal with the bruises later, just don’t talk,” she whispered.

“Alright, class, we can begin now that Graze is finally quiet,” Charge said, singling me out. He stood tall and firm, towering over every student, completely eclipsing the ponies in the front. That shade was like his domain. Once you enter, you’re beyond screwed.

Wiping his glasses with his black tie, he neatly placed them back on and stared at the entire class. “My name is Silent Charge, and as you know, I will be your physics teacher,” he introduced himself.

Wait. Was he stalling the start of class until I got there!? What in Celestia’s name was he thinking!?

“There will be no talking, eating, or cheating in my class. Sorry I had to use you to set an example, Mr. Graze,” he apologized with a smirk. It just looked so wrong to see a pony like him smile. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't right.

And there we have it folks. One puppy, somewhere within the borders of Equestria, just died. Kill shook his head in disbelief. You sick bastard, Charge.

“We can start with our first physics topic, Magic. Before we begin, any questions?” he asked the still and quiet class. “Good, you are fast learners. This should be an easy enough semester for all of us. ” Walking back and forth, Charge watched the entire class with one question in mind. “So, what is magic? Questions pertaining to work are always allowed.”

Still afraid over here, Joy pointed out.

Anyone else shitting their pants? Yes? Kill rhetorically asked, observing his classmates, who were collectively quiet and filled with respect... and fear. So much fear.

“Now then,” Charge began, “the first thing you need to know about magic is- that it is everywhere. Literally everywhere. It is found in every living being, every breath taken, every meal eaten. As cheesy as it sounds, magic is even in the air. It works in a similar manner to energy, able to be stored and transferred, but not truly created or destroyed.

“All ponies have magic within them, which manifests itself in specific ways by each pony race. This is most obvious in unicorns, who, through use of their horns, can directly influence and control it. This is the most powerful and most visible magic. Its strength and use is dependent on the personal talent of the individual, and can be honed with proper practice and study.”

Charge took a break from his lecture and turned his back to us with a sigh. “Remember class, practice does not make perfect.” Wait, that’s not how the saying goes. Well, at least that’s not how my mother had taught me. “Perfect practice makes perfect.”

“Pegasi, such as myself, have a fair amount of magical ability as well. This tends to manifest in our ability to alter weather. A fine example would be the ability to create, shape, and walk on clouds. Unlike with unicorns, who can remotely grasp and manipulate objects, this ability requires contact with the cloud formation to manipulate it.

“Finally, we have the earth ponies, who use their magic in caring for the land, fertilizing it and growing crops on plantations. This magic is much more subtle and much slower, but ingrained within the earth itself, and eventually into the food we grow and eat. That magic is then transferred into our bodies, creating a sort of energy cycle as earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns alike all expend that energy.”

Wow. I’d never heard this before in all my past years in school, whether through lack of attention or it never being taught. If there was one guy who can change my view of him from one of fear to one of respect in a heartbeat, it was Silent Charge.

Mind. Blown. Joy said, deep in awe, paused from his mental note taking. On the other shoulder, we can just say Kill and Joy really were opposites.

Snores. Loud snores were heard from my left shoulder as Kill was fast asleep, probably bored out of his mind. Joy clopped him upside the head with a quick swipe, WAKE UP! he shouted, watching as the miniature devil of me hovered, continuously flapping his wings from the sudden shock.

What the buck, Joy! That is long drop from Graze’s shoulder ya know! Kill complained, acknowledging how far a drop it really was for him.

Sometimes, I honestly forget that they are miniature ponies. Something that I can just drop onto is different for them; given how small they really are, it can be really dangerous.

You do know that it won’t really kill him, right, Graze? Just badly injure him for like... I don’t know, ten seconds? Joy informed.

Yeah, I just like to make sure you guys are safe... No matter how annoying you two can be, I said as the two smiled brightly to the other on both shoulders.

“Graze, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” Charge asked. Oh crap, I only now noticed that I was smiling like a retard. Right, no one can see Kill and Joy but me.

Honest mistake. I’m sure anyone would have forgotten too, if they lived with two mini-them’s at their side all their lives. “Well, if you don’t mind sharing, rather than keeping that look on your face, please, come to the fro-”

RIIIING! The school’s bell chimed, interrupting Charge and saving my flank. Thank Celestia I got to class as late as I did... I don’t think Joy would really approve of me saying that. Using the bell as a distraction for Charge, I glanced quickly at Joy as he shook his head in disapproval. Hmph, knew it.

“Alright, class, you are free to leave,” Charge announced, watching as ponies of all kinds made their way through the exit. He allowed Vinetion and Ditzy to leave first (gentlecolt’s way,) but as I tried to follow them, Charge’s hoof grabbed onto my vest’s collar, picking me up with ease as he did so. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, staring into my eyes. He then turned his attention to the two mares and told them “You two can wait outside if you’d like, but Graze and I are going to have a little... chat.”

Bucking. Screwed. Kill and Joy cursed, respectively. That was never a good sign. Kill and Joy agreeing on one thing tended to mean this was serious business; it was something that shouldn’t really have any right to happen.

Here is how it’s supposed to work: Joy tells me one thing, Kill tells me another. Kill picks left, Joy picks right. One says sleep, the other says, “WAKE THE BUCK UP!”

His pitch-black eyes stared into my soul, oddly reminding me of what my mother had told me a few years back: “Eyes are the entrance to one’s soul,” I believe that was how it went. Of course, that was a long time ago, but, if memory serves me right, and say, eyes were the doors to your soul, then Charge was the battering ram bashing those doors down.

He sat down at his desk and motioned for me to take a seat as well, ensuring that I was comfortable. “Look, Graze, I know something is up.” Oh crap. “Nopony just sits there blankly smiling at the dust,” he said, focusing on my shoulders.

Staring right back at him, I felt Kill’s heart drop in sudden realization. Joy-

--Yes, I know, Joy replied without hesitance.We had all thought it, but he was the one to say it, He is not staring through us. He is staring AT us.

“Now, I’ve asked Principal Shadow Mark for information on all my students before I met them, and I know you aren’t a bad colt. The only real bad mark on your permanent record is a single fight in third grade,” he stated, slowly reading from my files and laying them down on his desk as he finished.

“There aren’t many ponies with violent natures, and you must have had a good intention to do so, hm?” Charge rose his right brow in what looked like curiosity. He was already sure of the answer, I knew it; he just wanted to hear me confirm it.

Third grade fight... I remember now.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Would you kindly like to tell me what you remember of those events?” He asked, giving the choice of doing so.

Charge... he was my teacher, someone who you can trust. Not that they’re actually forced to be, but they are. Lawyers, doctors, therapists and teachers alike have one thing in common, and it ain’t rate of pay. It’s confidentiality of information. Your information. Lawyers need personal information to win a court case in your favor. Doctors need it for your own medical well-being, and therapists for your mental health. Teachers play a much bigger role. They are the ones who raise these future ponies, who in turn confide in them.

As I rightfully said before, Charge wasn’t somepony you’re meant to trust... but somepony you choose to trust.

“No.”

He sighed upon hearing my answer. “I see how it is. It’s your first day with me, and you aren’t quite comfortable with opening up to me. Well, if you don’t wish to talk to me about it, far be it from me to force you. You’re dismissed.”

“Thanks,” I replied, leaving my seat and moving towards the door.

“Oh, and Graze? One last thing before you leave.”

Dammit, he STILL wants to talk? Kill moaned. Forget him. We have places to be. Let’s just book it.

Don’t even THINK about it, Joy rebutted. He’s your teacher. Your very imposing and creepy teacher, but your teacher nevertheless. Even if you don’t talk to him about that day, just hear him out. It won’t take long.

Joy’s was the advice I chose to take. I turned around to face my teacher one more time. “Yes, Mr. Charge?”

“From what I’ve seen of you so far, you remind me of myself when I was younger... much, much younger.”

“How young now?” I chuckled.

“Ever since the Everfree Forest was just made up of a shrub,” he laughed. “I really do care about my students. If you ever need anything, you know where I am, and I sincerely hope you can open up enough to trust me in time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I promised, finally backing out of the classroom and leaving Charge to pick up the gargantuan black textbooks he’d thrown at me. “By the way, Mr. Charge.”

“Please, Charge is fine,” he insisted.

“I cannot wait to study more about pegasus magic,” I admitted, never thinking I would say that sentence in my entire life.

“Hahaha, just wait until you hear about the Sonic Rainboom,” he heartily laughed as I left the room, closing the door behind me.

---

“Graze!” Ditzy shouted, flagging me down as I passed by her room. “Sweet princess, look at your face!”

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked with a smile. And a swollen, black and blue eye.

“Get in here right this second!” she demanded. “We need to do something about that bruise.”

I wasn’t in any mood to argue, especially after our fight yesterday, so I simply nodded and entered her room. The only real difference between hers and mine was that her walls were more of a light yellow while mine were an icy blue. You won’t expect much by way of decoration on the second day of school. Nopony had the time yet to actually go out and buy what the school didn’t provide, and not many ponies brought their own decorations. Ditzy, on the other hoof, had adorned her table with what you’d expect from a mare. A picture of her family (didn’t get a chance to see what they actually looked like), a couple brushes, perfume, a small plushie, an even bigger one on her bed... that was about it.

There was also a mirror hanging on her wall, which she dragged me over to so I could see my eye in all its painful, swollen glory.

Hel-LO, handsome! Kill quipped, struggling to contain his laughter.

“Does it hurt?” She asked, poking and prodding at the swollen spots.

“Ow ow ow, that’s tender!” I whined.

“Oh, stop complaining,” she snapped.

“I’m not complaining, I’m whining. You want to see complaining?”

Ditzy just rolled her eyes, which was especially odd to watch her do. Still cute, but odd. “I’d like it if you didn’t," she admitted. "Let me go get an ice pack for that.”

I watched Ditzy through the mirror as she made her way to a dual set, white refrigerator with a freezer section at the top. Adorning the upper right segment of the freezer was a small sticker, showing a dark blue, black-maned earth pony with a pair of short, rounded horns beside each ear. Beneath the bizarre pony, a line of text read, “Made by the arctic ponies, keeping your food fresh 24/7.”

Wait, arctic ponies? Those didn’t sound familiar. Why had I never heard of them?

Maybe because it’s a new fridge? Kill suggested. I’ve seen plenty of others, and NONE have had that sticker. Huh, must be new, he guessed.

Or maybe Mr. Charge was going to cover something like this in class, and we screwed that up for him by being late and disrupting him, Joy countered. If you want to know, you can always go back and ask. There’s plenty of time before our next class. I don’t think Ditzy’s room is too far from his, and I’m sure he’d be happy to see you come to him for a chat.

Joy was right, as usual, and I was already enticed by Charge’s teachings so far. Why not take the chance to skip ahead of the class? It’d be nice for a change.

With Ditzy still rummaging through her freezer, and curiosity getting the better of me with each passing second, I decided to cut this visit short. “Hey, Ditzy. I can take care of this when I get to my own room, so don’t worry about me,” I called out.

Ditzy popped her head up from behind the freezer door. “Oh...are you sure?” she asked, sounding a bit saddened that I was leaving so soon.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I returned, trotting to the mare and hugging her. “And before I go... I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

“I already forgave you,” she replied. “I’m sorry too, for overreacting like I did.”

Okay, loverboy, let’s get this show on the road, Kill requested impatiently.

“Well, I have to go now... you know, the eye and whatnot,” I said, breaking the hug.

“Oh... uh... right! Goodbye, Graze,” she said, smiling sheepishly.

“Byeee,” I waved off a bit awkwardly, not looking back as I exited the room.

The door finally closing with a click, Ditzy stared at it, doing a double take as she whispered softly to herself, “...bye.”

---

Well, I’d say the trip here went a lot better now that the hall’s actually lit properly, Kill pointed out.

Really now, Joy responded. I hadn’t noticed.

Trust me when I say, there was a massive difference. I remembered that when it was dark, the only thing that made it worse was the dim and faded light. The lockers were lockers, nothing more, nothing less. Just grey. Dull, bland, grey. Is it weird that I liked the darkness more than light? It got the blood pumping, but at least it wasn’t boring.

The only thing I found wrong about this place was that it was too clean. After all, the janitor - Omnius, I think - had only been through here a little while ago. I can imagine Charge as the black and white sort of pony, because he was. Always one or the other, no room for any grey area. No maybe’s, just flat out yes or no.

Through this corridor, I could swear I heard Charge talking to someone.

Oh good, he’s still there, Joy said.

Shhshhhshhh, Kill hissed. I’m trying to listen.

It’s not good to eavesdrop on ponies, Kill.

“...Yes, I saw them too.”

“.....”

“...Right on his shoulders.”

Was Charge talking to himself? There was definitely only one voice.

Let’s try and sneak a peek, Kill suggested.

Balancing on my hind legs and using the wall for support, I bent my neck, straining it as I peered through the window pane. Through it, I could see the shadowed outline of Charge’s structure. And only Charge’s.

Through my intense moments of focus and concentration, a bead of sweat trickled down my snout, tipping over its edge. My eyes crossed, their views intersecting at the point of that little tease of a drop, praying that it wouldn’t fall. If so much as a plit was heard, I’d be BEYOND bucked.

The adrenaline coursed through my veins. I was terrified of the consequences of my being here, and very well aware of that if I was found out, I would have to make a quick escape.

Seconds felt shorter as my heart raced, seeing the drop hang loosely from its perch, and... there it was. Everything played out in slow motion as I saw the bead drop. Every ripple as gravity acted upon it. I just couldn’t watch anymore. I closed my eyes and bit my upper lip, praying for Celestia to spare my soul as I awaited the sound of tides crashing against a rocky shore...

And waited... and waited... still waiting...

Scared of the outcome, I slowly opened my eyes, seeing my tail poking out between my legs with a small damp spot dotting the tip.

Yeah! Got it! WOOOOOOO! Kill cheered in success. Suck on that, ya freaking drop! Screw gravity!

“Phew,” I sighed in relief... and quickly came to realization that I just screwed myself over.

“Who’s there?!” Charge’s voice exclaimed. He slowly trotted to and out the door, scanning his surroundings but saw nopony in sight. “Hmph,” he snorted hot air through his nostrils, looking in every direction possible the halls provided. Still nothing.

---

Slamming my door shut, my heart palpitated as I leaned against it with closed eyes. Feeling of the wooden door against my mane, I allowed myself to slowly drop onto my flank, overexerted from the rush. My heartbeat sped up way beyond normal parameters as through the door, and the sheer force of the beating had travelled to my head.

Agh! My head hurts! Why did you pump the adrenaline so fast, Kill! Joy scolded, holding a hoof to his forehead to soothe the pain.

I was under pressure, okay? Give me a damn break. It’s not like we were caught anyways, jeez! Kill retaliated. Right, Graze?

From signs of fatigue and exhaustion to those of deadpan and no expression whatsoever, Kill and Joy, watched as I lifelessly faced the floor, the only thing keeping me up right was the door's support. Graze? Joy called out for any signs of life.

What’s the matter, vessel? The two hovered in front of me. Hardly ever would they call me "vessel." Past the meaning of the actual word( as I actually was their vessel if you think about it,) to them, it was actually more of a name to induce sympathy rather than the usual "Graze."

Laying out my two fore hooves before me, I gave the two consciences a place to lay down and rest rather than their usual hovering whether they flapped their wings or not. It never really did make any sense for me to actually use my hooves, or in fact, anything of physical contact to them since they could just lay in the air, not being made of matter and all. But, it just always felt right to treat them like regular ponies.

Now that I was alone in the room, I was free to speak to them aloud. “He can hear and see you guys, and he doesn’t know that we know. Is it possible he has consciences just like you two?”

Impossible. If he did, we would have seen them, just like we did Pinkie’s, Joy pointed out.

“But then, who or what is he?” I brought my hooves further from my eyes to stare at Kill and Joy. “Could he be some weird new type of pony, like an arctic pony? Are there more types of pony? If so, where are they now?” My mind rushed, filled with new questions awaiting to be answered.

We don’t know, the two answered in unison, both glancing at the other and then back to me.

But what we do know is that whatever issues present themselves, we still have two years to get answers, Joy reassured me.

Together, Kill said, bringing out his hoof to meet Joy’s.

“Together.” I bumped my hoof with theirs.

“The three of us.”

A fair week had passed since our first encounter with Charge, and yet none of my questions had been answered. Nothing out of Charge’s mouth, nothing out of any old books or scrolls I came across. Nothing.

Zero-zip-zilch-nada-NOTHING! Kill happily sang, tormenting me with every synonym for “nothing” he could imagine.

Nevertheless, it was a new day, another opportunity to get my answers. I knew we could just ask Charge, but... I was still a bit too creeped out by the guy to give it a serious try. It seemed as if he was skirting around the topic anyway. If he didn’t want to keep something like that a secret, he’d probably blatantly talk to himself all the time, right? It’s not like I’m talking to Kill and Joy out loud in public. I had always get them a secret, my proof being that, nopony actually knew that I had them... Okay, I lie. The only three that did know were Pinkie Pie, maybe Charge, and one other pony.

On top of everything else, I was going to figure this thing out. I vowed to myself that I would not rest or sleep for an instant, until I found out about these weird new types of ponies. Roan wasn’t built in a day, and these ponies must have been around for some time. Things don’t just pop out at rando--

“Shiya, Graze!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, popping up out of nowhere. How does somepony so loud move so quietly? Especially on these floorboards?! That doesn’t make any sense!

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed, stumbling backwards from the mare. “Give me a heart attack, why don’tcha!?” I sat on my haunches, holding a hoof to my chest as I hyperventilated.

“Hehehe! Whoops, sorry,” she chuckled apologetically, lending me a hoof.

“Don’t worry, Pinks!” I waved off her apology as if it was nothing. Standing up on all fours with her aid, I dusted off my clothes as I balanced on the remaining three. I was certain that Kill and Joy had taken control of my body to get me over to Pinkie.

Hearing the two smack their hooves in success, I glared at them, disappointed in Kill and especially Joy that he actually had a part to play in this little scheme.

Hey, it’s harder than you think trying to actually move your fat ass. Give us some props once in a while, Kill scolded, trying to look all big and macho in front of Pinkamena.

Sorry, Graze, Joy whispered close to my ears, his eyes straying to Surprise and Pinkamena.

It’s fine, I know you two haven’t really talked to anypony but each other in a while. Go enjoy yourselves while I stay with Pinkie, I said, freeing the two ponies to do as they wished. Okay, maybe I should be specific and say “as Joy wished,” because Kill’s end goal was drastically different.

Watching the two pairs of consciences gather, I was surprised that Kill was using his hooves rather than his wings to travel towards the pink-maned, earthbound pony. I couldn’t be any more proud of him. Why? Because, it is the gentlecolts way that you travel as your mare did... not that Pinkie was my mare, but I’m sure Kill had wanted to impress.

“So, Graze, where ya heading?” Pinkie Pie asked. Having met the pink pony halfway there, we began our trot together in the same general direction I was heading.

As she hopped alongside with me, it seemed as if she was dancing to a tune unheard by everypony’s ears but hers. I just couldn’t help but catch her happiness like a pathogenic disease. Just the sight of her brought smiles and sunshine everywhere, brightening everypony’s day as she did so. Was this the magic of Pinkie? Surprise was the only pony that I knew who could’ve matched Pinkie in this game. And I’m not just saying that because she’s a fragment of her.

Keeping this smile down was very hard, bordering on impossible. You just couldn’t do it. No amount of willpower could break this curse. “We were just heading for some breakfast,” I answered, pointing to the swinging cherrywood doors of the cafeteria without ever dropping my smile. Damn, my face hurts.

I suppose my actual reason to smile was seeing the four consciences happily interacting with each other. Since Pinkie and I are so used to just living out our lives with them on the sidelines, I guess we didn’t notice until now how hard it must have been on them not to know anypony else but each other.

Seeing Kill and Joy so happy with Pinkamena and Surprise led me to wonder... can consciences fall in love? Or do their romantic choices rely on those of their “vessel?” I highly doubt the second option, since they have their own mindset and will... but can they make love? Like, reproduce?

No, Graze, that’s just stupid, Kill said, hearing my thoughts even from that distance. We may be of free will, but we can’t have foals. Whose head would they even GO in? he pointed out, which might I add was very confusing indeed.

Of course he had a point, but it probably wasn’t the right point. Then again, trying to figure him out could be like trying to figure Pinkie out. Arguing with their logic was futile... I wonder what Joy’s say on this was.

That’s messed up, Joy moaned. You guys are giving my thoughts cancer just trying to wrap my head around this. Please, stop.

Oh oh! I know how this works! Surprise chimed, hyperactively flapping her wings as she temporarily hovered between my two eyes. When a mare eats lots of candy and gets filled up with lots of love, happiness and sugar, she can’t hold in all the excitement, so POOF! A foal is created.

Complete. Utter. Silence.

What... the... buck, Joy, myself and Kill said respectively. Right there and then, I doubted even Pinkie could figure Surprise out. Surprise was the essence of Pinkie’s innocence, but this was just way too much innocence. Going back to Conscience 101, if Surprise was that innocent, and Pinkamena allowed her to handle most of the work, that could only mean one thing: Pinkamena knew things that would scar most sane ponies for life.

For Kill’s sake, and most importantly, mine, I pray he doesn’t screw this up in any way possible.

It seems that just when you think you’ve finally figured out Pinkie -BOOM!- something else pops up that sets you right back to square one. When that happens, even when you think you’re on the verge of understanding her, there’s no choice but to dump all your research and just go, “Buck this.”

She wasn’t actually a threat, once you keep in mind that Pinkamena doesn’t do any of the work. But, like Kill and Joy, there must be a time where she comes out, and when she does, I want to be two cities away.

There was somewhat less entertainment on this stroll for Pinkie and I compared to the four mini-us’ in the background. I guess with Surprise otherwise occupied, Pinkie toned down just by an itty-bitty-little-wittle-teensy-weensy-itsy-bitsy amount.

“So, what do we have first?” I asked, trotting towards the cafeteria doors.

“We have Mr. Charge, duh! Hehehe! Things don’t change in a week, Graze!” she chuckled, brushing my mane with a hoof as if I was some sort of foal while maintaining her bounce.

Still hyperactive. Check.

Since I was too tired to use up any actual energy and catch up with her, I allowed the mare to burst through the cafeteria doors ahead of me, ready to fill the entire room with sunshine and smiles. “C’mon Pinkamena and Surprise! Time for breakfast!” she exclaimed from the other side as I watched the cafeteria doors sway lifelessly back and forth.

With the pink parade gone, Kill and Joy returned, with Kill resting in my mane and Joy on my shoulder.

So, how was it, guys? I asked out of curiosity.

The two glanced at each other and back to me, replying in unison, Good.

Good? That’s it?

Yeah, you know, just fine, goo- Joy tried to respond, but was quickly interrupted by his other half.

IT WAS SO AWESOME! Kill squealed in delight. Peering past my ear, he shot a glance at Joy, whose hoof was firmly covering his face. Ahem! Kill cleared his throat and coughed. I mean, yeah, it was fine... good.

ALRIGHT! Breakfast time! Joy declared, hoping to change the subject. You should get your food and find Ditzy and Vine before class starts.

Kill opened his mouth to give some sort of second opinion, but the sound of my stomach growling told him I was going to follow Joy’s advice regardless. I picked up a decent-sized stack of pancakes and a glass of milk and made my way through the cafeteria, hoping I wasn’t too late to find-

“Graze! Over here!” Vine beckoned from nearly halfway across the cafeteria. By some miracle, I made my way through the crowd of hungry, tired ponies, reaching her table, which also seated Ditzy and-

“GRAZE!” Pinkie shouted, energetically waving her hoof. “You’re just in time! I knew you’d be a little while longer, so I found your other friends and saved a table for them so we can all hang out together! Isn’t this great or what?”

For a time, all I could do was stare slack-jawed at the pink mare, amazed that she’d go through all that trouble. Eventually, though, I found my words again. “Well. That was... that was very nice of you. I’m gonna go ahead and assume you three already know each other.”

“We’re all in the same physics class,” Vine remarked, rolling her eyes. “We don’t have an erratically changing class roster. We’re dealing with the same ponies for that class all semester, probably even all year. Of course we’re going to get to know each other to some degree.”

“Hello to you too, Vine,” I greeted, sitting down. Hopefully she’ll be a bit less of a smartass once she gets some caffeine in her system.

---

Was today only going to be about talking? First the quartet of consciences, and now the trio of mares...for the past half hour. I need some guy friends, you know, to just hang out with.

With my new plan in mind, I lazily scanned every corner of the cafeteria, looking for a single stallion.

I didn’t think being this homoerotic was physically possible, Kill commented.

I swear that he will be the bad side of me, forever. Like with any other conscience that tells you wrong, you go right. All you really gotta do is ignore. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Deeply engaged in their morning conversation, the mares didn’t even notice how quietly I left. To them, I was like a ghost. They knew I was there, but they didn’t pay me any mind. I’m a pony, not a ghost! I crave love and attention too!

“Hey!” Vinetion called out, actually noticing that I was leaving. I take back everything I said about being a ghost. She noticed that I was leaving. Taking time out of her conversation for her best buddy, Gr-

“-aze! Can you get me some sugar for my coffee when you come back? Thank you!” She ordered without my consent.

I take back taking everything back. Getting my hopes up and leaving them to die, alone and unloved without anyone to leave its will to, is terrible. Rightly agitated and snorting hot air from my snout, I continued my search for friends that are males. Notice how I didn’t say “coltfriends.”

Over the course of this last week and the last two years, I knew the names of plenty of the other students. Soarin’ was with Spitfire, but I still couldn’t tell if they were together or not... should I add that to my list of mysteries to solve?

Big Macintosh was at a table with Applejack, which I believe was her name since Pinkie spoke non-stop about her friends. I think I overheard them discussing getting jobs at the apple orchard located at the rear of the campus.

“It ain’t nearly as big as the one back home, but we can manage. Right, Big Mac?”

“Eeyup!”

Returning my focus to the search, I saw the Cider brothers, Flim and Flam, who Pinkie said had a slightly strained relationship with the Apple family. Braeburn... everypony wanted him. Hoity Toity... too uptight.

I stood there looking, not moving from my position about a yard away from the mares’ table, but there was not a single pony inside this cafe that suited my taste... except for one.

“What is he staring at?” Vinetion asked the two other mares, all three of them focusing on me.

There was that one lone stallion again. His dark red shades that glared through his portable darkness, following him like a dog and its master. I was always told not to judge a book by its cover. Not even a tabloid paper saying the apocalypse was coming the following week. Grim being the tabloid of course.

Trotting a few steps from the table, I tried to seem as pleasant as I could. The pony seemed so alone... and seemingly dead. He was there, yet he wasn’t there...like a ghost.

Hey, you guys have something in common! Kill laughed.

Oh, shut up, Kill, Joy said. Graze, just say hello. The worst thing that can happen is that he says “no.”

This sounds so much like you’re giving him advice to date a mare. What is wrong with you two!? Kill asked and sighed. Ugh, just try and act like Pinkie Pie, that seems to work for her.

Act like Pinkie, huh? I guess I could give that a try.

Glancing back at Pinkie, I saw her wave cheerfully to me, oblivious to my intentions. I guess she wanted to wish me good luck... somehow... or maybe it was just a random act of kindness.

Inevitably smiling back at her, I ventured forward to the lonely stallion with hops, skips and jumps as I bounced to a tune only I could hear. Everything was so perfect with this random burst of happiness, so perfect that I allowed it to flow through every inch of my body as it guided me. I just felt so free with each skip, a cool wind blowing through my mane, calling out to me, guiding me. I trusted that wind, that undying glee, and closed my eyes.

THUD! I crashed into somepony and fell onto my back. And like that, the magic was gone.

“Dumbbell! You okay?!” I heard a nasally stallion’s voice shout. I opened my eyes to see a trio of pegasi stallions of varying sizes. Something you’d see in a fast food restaurant where all the cups are neatly stacked in order by size. In ascending order, we had Score, Dumbbell and Hoops.

Ugh, not these guys again, Joy sighed, rolling his eyes. Unfortunately, sharing classes with these ponies everyday didn’t seem like enough time spent with them; they had to come find me.

“Well, if it isn’t Gayze,” Dumbbell teased, dusting himself off between Hoops and Score.

“Morning to you too, Dumbballs,” I countered his morning greetings.

“It’s Dumbbell,” he corrected.

“I don’t think I stuttered, now did I?”

“We can deal with him right now, Dumbbell,” the larger orange pegasus, Hoops offered.

“Yeah, just give us the word--” Score was quickly interrupted by the chocolate brown pegasus’ hoof.

“So Gayze, why don’t you let us have those three mares? You were heading for Grim, weren’t you?” he taunted, raising a brow and laughing among his friends. “One for each of us, right boys?!”

“Hahahaha, yeah! Oh wait, the green one is a filly fooler,” Score laughed, snorting as he pointed at Vine.

Strike one, Kill counted.

Keep it together, Kill, Joy warned.

“And who would do a mare with the mind of a little filly?” Hoops laughed, pointing at Pinkie.

Strike two! Kill exclaimed.

Keep. Calm!

“I don’t know, why don’t we find out?” Dumbbell suggested, as he trotted alongside his friends. Purposely nudging me before they passed, I spread out both wings, obstructing their path, preventing them from doing so.

“Listen here buddy,” Dumbbell pushed me back with a hoof, catching the attention of my friends as well as, the entire cafeteria.

“HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Vinetion shouted, her words echoing through the silence.

“Yeah, stop being meanies and go eat your breakfast, or something!” Pinkie Pie shouted, her voice rattling as she stood with her hooves on the table to support her weight.

“Come on, Graze, just walk away and join us. Leave them alone,” Ditzy advised.

Okay... you have to do SOMETHING, Joy told me. I really hoped this wouldn’t turn violent, but I get the impression that these three aren’t going to listen to reason, not from you and not from our friends. And I don’t see any of the staff here, so, unless they think this will somehow magically resolve itself...I hate to say it, I honestly do, but... we just might have to make this resolve itself. The absolute last thing we need is for them to get hurt... or worse.

Wow. Encouragement of violence from Joy, reluctant or otherwise, never happened. But I still had another conscience to hear from before I could make a decision.

WASTE THEM! Kill shouted, gritting his teeth with a smirk.

Fair enough.

“Yes, Graze, listen to that walleyed ditz,” Dumbbell said, leaning over to my ear and whispering to me. “Who knows? Maybe if we do her hard enough, I can fix those eyes.”

Folding my wings back to my sides, I looked straight through Dumbbell as he allowed the two stallions to pass. I dared them to pass me. Any one of them.

“Don’t do it, Graze,” Ditzy murmured under her breath.

It was Score who made the first move to pass me, as I heard Kill shout, NOW! In that instant, I threw my hoof forward, unfurling my wings mid-gallop.

I smiled evilly, knowing what was going to happen, but suddenly realized I was at a complete halt. My wings were at the necks of Score and Hoops, and Dumbbell’s eyes were crossed, staring at my hoof. It stood mere inches away from his face, and it was surrounded by a magical green aura.

“And what do you think you four are doing?” A hollow voice filled the air, coming from behind Dumbbell. “Just let them go, Graze, you’ve already lost.”

“What do you mean, lost? I have them right where I want them!” I exclaimed, watching as Grim gestured for the three ponies to leave while they could.

“Not lost in terms of this fight. You lost because you gave into those three nitwits. You’re not much better than they are.”

“And what makes you all high and mighty, huh?!” I questioned the unicorn, paused in mid-flight. “Who says you can’t last two minutes longer than these idiots?”

“Nopony, but, if you’d like to find out, I’d be more than happy to show you. Meet me in front of the main building at an hour after we’re released from Mr. Charge’s class, if your lust for battle hasn’t been calmed by then. Do you accept?” He offered, raising his right brow.

DEAL! Kill shouted.

NO DEAL! Joy shouted.

Sorry, Joy. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. “Deal.”

“Good,” Grim said, walking beside me. “Now, this spell has done nothing to relieve the momentum of your flight. I cannot and will not hold you for much longer, so when I release it, you will shoot forward and crash into that wall,” he explained.

“Okay, sure,” I rolled my eyes, not really taking heed of his warning. “Wait, what?!” Realization had hit me as he released his spell, sending me into a spiral, crashing into the wall. Grim simply walked away and left me to my headache.

My eyes spinning in their sockets from the crash, I laid on the floor just waiting for my headache to stop.

Ugh, I can’t believe I was going to befriend that douche! Kill lamented. And my plan was perfect! He never expected us to use our wings!

Honestly, Grim is right. I do take responsibility for my actions, Joy admitted. Sorry, Graze.

You can be such a kiss-ass sometimes! Kill shouted, fighting off Joy. Supporting the other side of the argument, he decided to take it up with the pony in charge, me. My eyes fixated on the smaller stallion as he made his way to my snout. Please tell me we aren’t backing out.

It’d be wrong of us if we did, I replied. I already accepted.

“Uh... Graze?” Ditzy inquired, bringing my attention away from my consciences. “You’ve been staring at that wall for nearly two minutes. Just how hard did you hit your head?”

RIIINNGGG! The school’s bell sounded on its usual schedule before I was allowed to answer.

Lending out both her hooves, Ditzy pulled me back up to all my fours. “C’mon, Graze,” she said, smiling. “We don’t want to be late for Mr. Charge’s class.”

Now, that’s what I wished had happened. Instead, it was more like this:

“Are you insane!? What were you thinking going up against those three ponies!” Ditzy scolded after she had so kindly assisted me in getting back up. With a heavy sigh, she watched me in the eyes and continued, “Graze, I know you meant well, but they can’t do anything to us, okay?” Well, her tone calmed down a bit. Can’t say that I didn’t expect this. “I just don’t want to see you get hu--”

“OHMYGOSH! DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!” Pinkie shouted, popping up out of nowhere as she interrupted Ditzy’s sentence. “Graze was AMAZING out there! Those meanies were all like ‘Grrrr, we’re gonna be mean to those fillies!’ And he was all like ‘You have to get through me first!’ and then WHOOSH! He charged right at them! And then Grim stopped him before he could land a hit on any of them but it was still SO COOL! I just wish I had something with me that could’ve recorded it so I could watch it again and again and again without even stopping, it was that supercalifragilisticexpialidocious super special awesome-”

“IIII think that’s enough, Pinkie,” Vinetion said, her hoof firmly placed in Pinkie’s mouth as the pink mare continued to mumble. “You guys go on without us, Pinkie and I will meet you there.”

“Come on, Graze, the bell just rang,” Ditzy urged as she forcefully dragged me away from Pinkie and down the halls. “I don’t want to be late for class. Especially, Charge’s.”

If there was one thing Dumbbell was right about, even though I’d hate to admit that we was right, it was that my life was controlled by mares... and to some extent, I loved it.

---

Seated in my row between Vine and Ditzy, I rested my head on the flat wooden surface of my desk, eyes facing forward as Charge wrote on the board. Technically, I wasn’t watching him, but the clock above him. Each passing second, a the clock ticked as a reminder of how slow time was moving.

C’mon, move faster, dammit! It’s so boring! Kill complained, dragging his hooves down his face. Somepony do something, quick!”

“Alright class--”

YES! Kill exclaimed with a pump of his hoof, celebrating this small victory out of boredom.

“--today, you will learn about the Sonic Rainboom,” Silent Charge said, causing the class to go through a minimal fit of murmurs, mumbles and whispers. “Settle down, settle down,” he calmly instructed. His words may have been calm and collected, but they were also law, and as such, the class obeyed. “Now, the ‘Sonic Rainboom’ as you know can only be done by a pegasus such as--.”

“Me!” A cyan pegasus mare stood up, apparently playing to the crowd. “Yes, yes, thank you, thank you, hold your applause,” she gloated in a show of pride. Well, from Pinkie’s famous speeches about her friends, and with the sight of her mane and tail casting out any doubt, she had to be none other than Rainbow Dash.

“Take your seat, Ms. Dash, I will not have my class disrupted for a minute of fame,” Charge scolded. With a roll of her eyes and a flicker of her tail, the mare forcefully took her seat, being corrected by the teacher. Something tells me she was the kind of mare that tended to show off to stand out.

Charge took his usual stance in front of the class, towering over the students at the front as he begun his trot back and forth. “While it is true the ‘Sonic Rainboom’ can only be performed by you, it doesn’t mean that a pony can’t perform their own version of a sonic boom.”

“WHAT?! THAT’S MY MOVE! NOPONY HAS DONE IT BUT ME!” The enraged mare shouted, slamming her hooves on the desk. “The Sonic Rainboom is my move, MINE!”

“Yes, Ms. Dash, I commend you on the effort and training you must have endured to perform such a move, but just because you were the only pegasus to perform a ‘Sonic Rainboom’ doesn’t mean that others can’t perform the regular sonic boom. So please, once again I would ask, take your seat and listen to what I’m about to say,” Charge ordered once more, his voice growing stern and impatient as the two locked eyes and shot venomous glares at each other.

“C’mon, Rainbow, just take your seat and listen to what Mr. Charge is trying to teach,” a purple mare begged.

No, Twilight. You stay out of this! Kill demanded, wanting the little bit of drama.

Joy facehoof'd at the display. Stop trying to cause trouble. It’s not like you can affect anything anyway, so why even try?

Regardless of the unheard encouragement, Rainbow heeded Twilight’s words and returned to her seated position, but never tore her gaze from the teacher.

“Thank you for pacifying your friend, Ms. Sparkle,” Charge said, to which Twilight responded with a sheepish smile. “Now, continuing where I left off, the sonic boom is a technique which is doable in theory, but virtually impossible in execution. In order to even come close to performing it, a pegasus would have to reach a velocity that would shatter the bodies of most living creatures. And I have never heard of an instance where it was executed by a pony with temporary wings, which I accredit to their lack of flight experience.” Mr. Charge then turned his attention specifically to the unicorns. “Why do I say this? Because I know there is a spell which grants flight for three days to flightless ponies, and I have no doubt that if I don’t put out this warning, somepony will go out and kill themselves with this technique.”

The class of unicorns and earth alike gulped in unison as one image was displayed in their mind. Something I’m pretty sure sounds a bit like this: Whoooosh-KER-SPLAT!

“By the way, this lesson will NOT be an excuse for earth ponies and unicorns to nod off. You will see this material on future tests.” At those words, everypony who had been focusing on anything but the lesson instantly began taking notes.

“As I covered last week, pegasi have magical ability that is primarily used for atmospheric manipulation. This comes into play during the performance of the sonic boom. During normal flight, or basically everywhere around us, you’re surrounded by air. Seventy-eight percent nitrogen, twenty-one percent oxygen and the remaining percent other gases, basic knowledge, and all that other crap, right?” He rhetorically asked the class, their silence answering for them. “Water vapor is part of the air we breathe, as well as, the atmosphere we pegasi can control. Hence how we make, sit on and alter clouds as we please,” he continued.

Twilight Sparkle rose her hoof, curiosity and excitement seeming to get the better of her. “What does this have anything to do with the sound barrier then?”

“That’s exactly my point! It has nothing to do with the Mach cone. The cone you see as the ‘sound barrier’ is merely concentrated water vapor, forming around the pegasus as it nose dives,” he said excitedly, seeing that class was actually participating. “Okay class, what happens when you buck a cumulonimbus cloud?”

Ooh! Ooh! I know this one! Kill exclaimed. May I? he asked Joy.

It’d be your pleasure, Joy insisted, taking the first step, raising his hoof as he did mine.

“Yes, Graze!” Charge exclaimed, pointing a hoof at me as I dumbfoundedly stood up to the call.

Okay, okay, don’t panic, Graze... let’s see if I still remember, Kill said, unsure if he did, in fact, remember. How could I NOT panic?! They put me in the spotlight and don’t even bucking know what they’re going to say?!

Keep calm, and let me handle this! Kill exclaimed, manipulating my voice to answer the question.

“When a cloud is bucked, concentrated, unstable magical energy is transferred and released as raw energy such as lightning and sound energy such as thunder,” I answered, breathing deeply since apparently Kill doesn’t know anything about oxygen.

“Hmph, correct, Mr. Graze,” Charge congratulated, slowly stomping his hooves against the floor as I sat down. Maybe I should have more faith in Kill... maybe. “But, do you know how all of this plays out in the sonic boom?” he curiously asked, watching not only me, but the entire class as he did so. He leaned forward from his right side, probably his good ear, to hear the expected response.

“No, sir,” I answered as I shook my head, feeling that it was my jurisdiction to answer, since I was the last to respond.

“You see, at first, the cone is colorless and transparent. That is the water vapor collecting around the pegasus’ hooves and being forcefully displaced. Upon breaking through the sound barrier, the water vapor disperses through the air, widening in diameter as the sun rays reflect off it, providing you with your usual rainbow spectrum--”

“AHA! YES!” Rainbow Dash bursted out, jumping from her seat and pumping her hoof in the air.

“HOWEVER!” Charge shouted, making the pegasus and every student around her (mostly her) cower behind their desks. “The color of your sonic boom is based primarily upon your mane and tail,” he finished his explanation, staring at the pony who countlessly interrupted his class. “Ms. Dash, is there anything you’d like to say?”

“Hmph,” she snorted hot air from her nostrils like an enraged bull. “I’m still the only one who has performed the Sonic Rainboom.”

“And there were many before you, and there will be many after you,” Charge quoted, serious as he has ever been, trotting towards the mare as his shadow eclipsed her. He knelt down close to her as she shivered in fear, ensuring the entire class could hear him. “There are many successes, but infinitely more failures before them, Ms. Dash. And to master a move such as that, you must also have suffered many failures.” Holy shit, that was harsh.

Apply cold water to the burn, Kill said, wiping his hooves.

The entire class, myself included, watched as Charge and Dash stood perfectly motionless, staring each other down and waiting for either to make a single move or sound.

RIIIINNNGG! The school’s bell chimed on schedule for the second time that morning. It cleared the still air of the tension of the scene. Rainbow displayed her pride in what may have been the greatest accomplishment of her life... and Charge just mercilessly shattered it. “Stubbornness and pride is a common downfall for any society, and you would be wise to keep it in control,” he warned, his cold, rough voice filling the air.

Without an answer from the mare, silence filled the atmosphere once more, almost becoming breathable as we patiently awaited the next move between both ponies. “Do you understand, Ms. Dash?” Charge made his second move in a row, ensuring she had understood.

“Yes sir,” she faintly said, accepting her defeat.

“Good. Class dismissed,” Charge said, turning away as he slowly trotted to the class’ exit, opening the door. He watched as each pony quietly passed through, the class’ ‘teachings’ still sinking in.

Ditzy and Vinetion being one of the very few to leave, I decided to stay and watch from the backgrounds as Dash quietly walked away at a slower pace. Her friends, matching her speed and trailing alongside her, they tried their best to cheer her up, with Pinkie, of course, who had nuzzled her by the neck.

“Leave me alone, Pinkie!”I heard Dash’s raspy voice a bit faintly once she passed the door. To see fighting spirit die that quickly is really and truly a discouraging sight. Charge basically broke her.

I still had questions I’d wanted Charge to answer, but for now, they would have to wait.

Packing my saddlebags with pens, pencils and notes, I finally decided to leave the class. I couldn’t help but notice that Charge had his head laid on the desk, probably from the stress of having to deal with a student. I wanted to help, but, everypony needed their time to cool down.

Everyone had their problems today, but mine was that one student who always stayed back after everypony else had left. Grim.

“Getting a little over-excited for our fight, are we?” Grim asked from his seat to the furthest end of the class, taking notice that I acknowledged his faint presence. “I said an hour after class, and I meant an hour after class. No amount of waiting around for me will make me change my mind.”

Without a response, I turned my back, averting to my usual course and outside the classroom.

“Hmph, so smug, but for how long?” Grim asked himself as he teleported from the scene.

Charge’s ears cocked up at the pingof Grim’s teleportation through his green haze. Now alone in the classroom, the teacher rose up with a hoof to his chin and said to himself, “A fight, huh? Haven’t seen one of those in a long time. Best I call Chaser for this one.”

Patiently awaiting for the hour to pass, it had finally come at the beginning of lunch. Usually, missing a meal would be a big deal for me, but this was slightly more important. To me, Grim was probably one of ‘those’ ponies, the ones who would sit alone, probably thinking they were better than everypony else.

The walk through the halls and out the school’s doors had been a fairly lonely one, seeing as most ponies were probably in the cafeteria. Unlike that first day, which this almost felt like, there was a bit more chatter echoing throughout the school’s corridors, so it only felt somewhat empty rather than completely deserted.

Can’t say I’m not grateful for the peace and quiet, Joy said, relaxing on top of my mane. Don’t want any unwanted attention, now do we? 

Ha, no thanks, I replied, exiting the school. But, I still want to teach this guy a thing or two. Under the shaded roof supported by rounded pillars, I watched the concrete, square courtyard with its perimeter surrounded by a sea of grass, with only a straight, wide path leading to the school’s gates. All of this, yet nopony in sight.

Ha! He wussed out. Probably scared! Kill laughed by my ears as I grunted, walking to the left sided end of the courtyard. Oh the irony! Hahahaha, a pony as ‘menacing’ as himself is scared of a little fight?

Let’s just wait a couple minutes, Joy suggested. And to that, I agreed. It would have been somewhat rude if we accepted his invitation and didn’t show up, wouldn’t it?

Resting on the concrete surface, I patiently waited for the unicorn as I stared at the school’s blue doors. Seconds growing into minutes, my patience deterred as the unforgiving heat of Celestia’s sun beat down upon my back. And as an added bonus, the floor wasn’t very comfortable either.

Maybe if I just close my eyes and sleep...time will probably move faster...

---

Ping! My ears cocked up at the abrupt tone. Lazily opening my eyes, I squinted through the sheer brightness of the sun to find the pony I’ve been waiting for.

“Sorry I took so long,” Grim apologized, literally talking down to me. “I was merely getting lunch.”

With my usual baffled morning expression, I endured the pain of Celestia’s torture against my irises as I glanced toward the sun to get a sense of the passage of time. “IT TOOK YOU TWO HOURS TO EAT?! WHAT KIND OF STALLION ARE YOU?!”

“The kind who takes his time and savors his food,” Grim retorted. “As well as the kind that... well, that gets to the lunchroom too late and has to wait out a massive line.”

Standing back up on all fours, I rolled my eyes with a bent head before looking directly into the pony’s red shades. “So, how are we actually going to start?” I asked, curiously. “It’s not like we have a referee or a ring.”

Shifting his view between both ends of the courtyard, Grim then watched me and ordered, “You go to the left, and I to the right. I will say ‘go,’ and then we begin. Understood?” I nodded. “Good. Best of luck,” he wished, as we both turned to our respective ends of the field. “You’ll need it.”

Ears twitching at the low whisper, I pivoted on my forelegs, releasing a hard buck from both my hind once reaching the full swing of one hundred and eighty degrees. I had hit...nothing.

WHAT?! Kill shouted, looking at a small cloud of green smoke as it dispersed through the air. WE MISSED!

Over there, Graze! Joy pointed out to the stallion, halfway across the field. Facing front once again and returning to my idle stance, I kept a close eye on Grim, who had a smirk on his face. This isn’t going to be easy. He was prepared for that.

“Looking for somepony?” Grim laughed, never once taking his eyes off me. “C’mon, Graze, there’s a spot right here for you!” he taunted, rubbing his cheek with a hoof.

That mother bucker is mine! Kill shouted, as his unchecked, uncontrolled rage flowed through my body. He was once again in control. Let me handle this, Graze.

A slow trot accelerating to a faster gallop, I dashed forward, spreading my wings over the land as I glided towards Grim, pitching dust and dirt as I flew with a trail red and white behind me. Closing in on him, I bucked my two forehooves together, releasing the first shot mere inches away from Grim’s face.

The last thing I saw was a smile on his face, one of pure smugness, as he teleported once more through that same cloud once again. I’m not letting him go that easily! Kill shouted as his eyes scanned the area. Over there! To your right!

---

In the backgrounds, within the shade of the school’s roof, Mr. Charge watched as the two students went at it, including myself as I repeated the same process over and over again.

“Hello, Mr. Charge, what are you doing?” Vinetion asked, appearing from the school’s doors, as curiosity got the better of her as to why her teacher was outside...and then, she saw the fight. “IS THAT GR-”

“Shhh! Yes, those are Graze and Grim,” Charge hushed the mare, quickly pulling her behind the pillars as he covered her mouth.

“Why are they fighting?” She asked, once Charge released the grip.

“I thought you’d have known since you’re his friend... I guess that’s for me to find out later,” Charge replied, once again taking a peek behind the pillars.

“So, who’s winning?” Vinetion asked, following her teacher’s motion.

“Nopony yet, but Grim is giving Graze one hell of a hard time. He keeps teleporting once Graze is in range, and Graze keeps falling for it.”

“It almost looks like... Grim is making him go around in circles,” the olive pegasus pointed out.

---

Every single one of my attempts to hit the stallion ended in the same result: him teleporting away, only a puff of smoke in his place. It was futile. The process had repeated itself so many times that the entire field was covered in green smog. It couldn’t have been anything dangerous to breathe in, or I’d most likely not still be standing. At worst, it was difficult to see through.

“You’re just a pegasus, Graze,” his voice called out through the thick smoke. “C’mon, flap those wings and muster up a nice gust. Come find me, I beg of you.”

Gritting my teeth, I stomped my forehooves in unison with a mighty flap of my wings, creating a gust big enough to clear the area of smoke. “HA! I... I... crap, I fell for your trap, didn’t I?” I stuttered in realization, surrounded by a small army of Grim’s.

“Of course you have,” one of the many spoke, coming out from the circle. Probably the real one.

Mark that one, Joy, I ordered, staring at the supposedly genuine Grim.

You’ve got it, vessel, he replied, saluting a hoof.

“This is why I’ve said you’ve already lost,” Grim began his speech. Oh yes, one of those infamous speeches where he explains my flaws and why I’m about to lose. “You just head into battle without a plan, and thus, you will always fail.” Knew it. “Do you, a pegasus, really expect to win against me, a unicorn? You’re outmatched by nature itself. All you can do is, what, fly?” Grim laughed as he explained, trotting amongst the many magical clones of him. “As for me, I have an arsenal of spells at my disposal, each more lethal than the last. Who do you really expect to win? The pegasus, or the unicorn?”

From gritted teeth, clenching on each other, I opened my mouth to answer, but was quickly hushed as he threw out his hoof. “No, don’t answer back. Let me show you,” he said, disturbingly smiling, as his horn and the many others glowed brightly of a sickly green. “You lose.”

From the background, Mr. Charge and Vine watched as the beams scattered throughout the battlefield. “GRAZE!” Vinetion shouted, galloping towards the courtyard, but was stopped by the wings of Mr. Charge, obstructing her path. “What are you doing?! He’s getting murdered out there!” She exaggerated, watching the onslaught from behind and over his wings.

“Just watch. This is not your fight,” Mr. Charge calmly said, observing each detail of the battle, especially of those the beams made, pitching clouds of dust and dirt in the air. “You really should have more faith in your friends,” he smiled at the olive mare.

“Wow, that really is creepy,” she mumbled under her breath, bringing her attention back to the fight.

“Enough!”the two heard Grim command, putting a halt to each clone’s attack. Walking through the cloud of dust, he coughed, waving his hoof as he parted the dust from his sight, wanting to see the body in defeat. Nothing. Nothing was there except for the contrasting outline of a pony within the scorched shots marking the concrete floor. “WHAT?!” he shouted in disbelief. “Where is he?!”

“Try looking up, buddy,” I said, relaxing on my back as my wings kept me afloat. “You know, the thing about pegasi is that we can fly, and we can fly fast. I’m sure you knew that already, right?” I mocked the shaded pony.

WOOO! We’re back in the game! Kill shouted, pumping his hoof.

Even though we were never out, we still took a few hits trying to fake our defeat, Joy pointed out. Nevertheless, it’s just a few scrapes and bruises. We can still win this!

“I will not be made to look like some sort of foal, especially not by you,” he snorted, he and his clones taking aim at me.

“A foal, you say? Like this?” I stuck my tongue out, wildly shaking my head as I blurted out some kind of noise one can only do with their mouth open and tongue out. Yes, that’s right, Grim, I’m pissing you off and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Everpony, fire at will!” Grim shouted, venting his fury at my persistent mocking as he endlessly continued his barrage. Okay, maybe there was something he could’ve done.

All jokes aside... for now, I dashed through the air, quickly taking refuge behind a cloud I firmly placed my back against it as I occasionally snuck a peek at my assaulters. “Maybe you need to aim better, Grim!” I advised, poking my head out. Bzzt! A green projectile singed a tip of my mane. “Yeah, like that,” I said, hiding behind my cloud once more.  

“Clear every cloud in the sky if you have to!” Grim demanded, leading his small army as he continued his rapid fire spells. “Just keep your aim on his!” he exclaimed, pointing specifically to my cloud.

Taking cover behind the white fluff, which surprisingly endured, I felt the slight sting of the offensive spells through the cloud and upon my back. I watched as many others darted through, hitting other clouds as they disappeared with a poof, becoming nothing more.

---

Back on the surface, Vinetion and Charge watched the battle of land versus sky, the clouds slowly parting with each blast, except for one. Mine. “Wait a second, what’s going on?” Vine asked in confusion, looking at Mr. Charge. “How come Graze’s cloud isn’t going poof like the rest of them?”

“Oh, that’s quite simple,” he stated, keeping his eyes on the battle. “As I’ve said before, pegasi have the ability to touch and alter the shape of clouds at their will, and of course, you can’t change shape of what you can’t touch. Understand?”

“No, not really,” she said looking a bit more confused. “That doesn’t quite answer my question.”

“Okay,” Charge sighed, giving the mare his full attention. “A cloud to any other pony but a pegasus is just a mass of water vapor, and they can’t touch it. As for us, it’s treated like a solid. So once we touch it--”

“It becomes solid,” Vinetion said, finishing his sentence. “So basically, Graze is using it like a shield?”

“One that looks like it can hold up for a long time.”

---

“I don’t think it can hold up much longer!” I shouted, gritting my teeth as I endured the stings from Grim.

Hold up, Kill said, observing the environment. The clouds around us are getting DESTROYED, but ours is still fine.

Maybe we can use that to our advantage! Joy realized. If our cloud can take the assault, we can use it as a shield! All we have to do is bide our time until Grim wastes enough energy to have to give up on the clone spell AND the offensive spells!

SCREW THAT! Yeah, the shield thing works, but getting back into the fight should be our focus! The real Grim’s doing a crap job of hiding himself, so we just need to protect ourselves with the cloud, fly right up to him and knock him out!

It was a really difficult choice to make, but ultimately, I wanted to go for the faster approach, so I chose to take the fight back to Grim. Behind my barrier, I silently prayed to the princesses that this would work. “If I make it out of this alive... I am going to do victory laps to Tartarus and back!” I exclaimed to the heavens, ensuring they heard my prayer. “Are you ready, Joy?!”

I’m ready! The pony to my right nodded his head, facing forward at our enemies. Are you ready, Kill?

LET’S DO IT! Kill shouted, hanging over my shoulder and pumping his hoof. Not one of you is going to survive! He laughed, pointing at all the other ponies.

The single cloud Grim had paid so much attention to throughout the entire battle was now mobile. Not only moving, but, moving towards him. Fast. “What does that pegasus think he is doing?” Grim said to himself. “Everypony, hold your fire and wait for my signal for an all out attack,” he ordered with a smile. “He’s going to bring the fight to us.”

The cloud was approximately ten meters away. “Wait for it.”

Eight meters. “Wait.”

Five. “Keep steady.”

Three. “Get ready.”

One. “NOW!” The cloud made an immediate right turn but was quickly shot upon the instant it was within firing range.

Poof! the cloud disappeared with the first spell on contact with no pegasus behind it. Grim scowled at this show of deception. “I can’t believe I fell for that.”

Just as he finished his sentence, his cheek was kissed softly, like a mother would do her child. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t his mother. I bucked him so hard that not only did he lose concentration of his spell, he was also sent flying a small distance, bouncing upon impact with the ground. “Told ya that cheek was mine,” I gloated, watching the lone, beaten unicorn on the floor. “By the way, I win.”

With a slow trot, I made my way towards the well-needed shade of the school’s outer roof. When I saw Mr. Charge and Vinetion, my slow trot turned into a gallop, as I wanted to over-excitedly ask them if they had seen the entire thing.

Sadly, I didn’t get that far. My left hind leg was caught, being held back by something almost... dead. That’s right, dead. The thing holding my hoof was the bones of another.

“No! I will not be made a foal of,” Grim shouted, trying his best to regain his balance on the other three hooves while kneeling on one of his forelegs. “ESPECIALLY NOT BY A HOTHEADED, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING PEGASUS LIKE YOU!” His red eye glared through a broken lens, filled with anger and hate.

“What is this?!” I demanded to know, tugging at the hoof slowly tightening its grip on mine.

“Oh, haven’t you been paying attention in Mr. Charge’s class? Magic is everywhere!” He laughed on his hindlegs, abruptly stopping with a serious expression. “Not even death can remove it. Remember, Graze? Magic cannot be destroyed, just manifested.”

“He can’t do that!” Vinetion shouted. “He’s not supposed to! No regular unicorn should be allowed to do that! That’s just wrong!”

“Of course I can,” Grim looked back to the two pegasi in the shade, unworried about the one in his trap. “I’m a Grave pony, born and raised in Everfree. It’s our speciality.”

“Hmph.” Charge snorted hot air.

“Is something wrong?” Vinetion asked out of curiosity.

The teacher stared off into blank space, hearing those words as they echoed through his mind. “No, I’m fine, Iv...Vinetion,” Charge said somewhat shakily, focusing on the battle where Grim was continuing his ongoing speech.

“Now, courtesy of the Grave ponies,” Grim said, his horn engulfed in al black flame. “I present you with the Necro-Flare spell. Oh yes, by the way, you lose.” Stomping his two forehooves, Grim released a stream of continuous black flames, widening as it progressed through the courtyard.

Well, guys, it was nice knowing you, Kill said, giving up. Just try not to scream like a wuss.

Immediately, before the flame had reached, I heard a whistle coming from Charge. “Cloud Chaser!” He shouted, looking up.

In a matter of seconds, a pegasus shot through the clouds, landing in the middle of the battlefield, extinguishing the black flame as it dispersed around the mantis-green, brown-jacketed pegasus. “Cloud Chaser, artist and weather pony, reporting for duty!” He stood firm with a smile on his face, as his long, straight black mane settled from the landing.

“Good job, Chaser,” Charge praised, walking out from the shade and patting his back. Chaser slouched in disgust as a response. “You two as well, Grim and Graze. You’ve done an excellent job. At least now I know you two can survive on your own.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Well obviously, you guys seem like you can pretty much handle yourself,” Charge said, stomping on the bones, setting my hoof free. ““Let’s just say, that’s going to come in quite handy in a few weeks. I’d prepare myself for basically anything if I were you.”

“That’s never a good thing,” Chaser grabbed my attention, bending his head as he whispered to me. “AAAnd like that, he’s gone.”

“Who is?” Grim, Vine and I asked in unison.

“You don’t notice the Chimera-sized pony missing?” He chuckled, as we all now realized that Charge was gone.

Sneaky bastard. Kill nodded in approval.

“Wait, did you say you were an artist and the weather pony for this school?” Vinetion asked.

“Technically, just the weather pony for now. Art classes are supposed to start next semester, since the Principal and the budget are both pretty tight. But I can give classes during my free time to those willing,” he offered. “If you can bring me a few students, I’d be more than happy to bring this up to Shadow Mark.”

“I’ll try my best!” Vinetion assured the stallion, who smiled in return.

“Thank you, it means a lot. Also, I’m looking for a few pegasi that can help with the weather. Doing it alone will really cut down on my art time,” he announced, looking at me. “I saw you out there, and you weren’t half bad. Know your way around clouds, at least. What do ya say?”

Hmm. We do need to keep up with our studies, Joy contemplated. And I know Kill is a lazy bum, so he might not go for it. As much as we’ll need a job, I don’t know if we can afford to seek one out yet.

“The pay is good.”

Deal, Kill said without hesitation.

“I would be glad to, sir,” I accepted his offer.

“Woah, woah, don’t call me sir. I’m not as old as Charge. Never will be. Just call me Chaser,” he properly introduced himself, lending out his hoof to which I gladly shook.

“Wait, isn’t there already a pegasus named Cloudchaser? You know, Flitter’s twin sister?” Vinetion pointed out.

Chaser sighed. “We are pegasi. We live in clouds. We sometimes chase after clouds. Having “Cloud” and “Chaser” as your name isn’t all that rare. Let me just clear something up: her name is “Cloudchaser,” one word. Mine is “Cloud” and “Chaser,” two words. Plus, I’m older, so if anything, she stole the name from me.” The three of us just shook our heads. “Now that we’ve got that all cleared up, weather control with me starts the day after tomorrow. Cool?”

“Cool.” I nodded in agreement.

“Anything for you, Grim?”

“No thank you,” he kindly rejected. “I’m not exactly the artistic type. Also, I don’t have wings, so I’d be of no use to you on the weather team.”

“Alright, I think you guys should go, don’t want you all getting caught in the rain,” he warned, flapping his wings and hovering in midair. “Try not to catch a cold. Tomorrow, Graze, you and I are going to chat with Principal Shadow Mark.”

“See ya! Can’t wait to get started,” I waved off as he did too, soon disappearing into the clouds as, one after the other, they slowly changed from white to black.

I watched as Grim slowly made his way to the shade, leaving the rest of us behind. Speeding up to meet his pace, I caught up to the side of him. “Hey, uh, good match,” I said, lending out my hoof as he slowly walked passed it.

Wow, what a douche, Kill said, hovering above my shoulders.

We just hoofed him across the face. I don’t think anypony would be too happy with that, Joy pointed out.

And we took several of his shots all over our body! I think it’s fair, I fought back with my conscience, watching as Grim exited the courtyard.

“Wow, what a douche,” Vinetion stated, unknowingly repeating Kill’s statement. She then poked at my sore body.

“Hey! That’s tender!” I recoiled in pain.

“You do know Ditzy will not be the slightest bit pleased about this, right?” Vinetion warned as she slowly trotted off.

An eerie wind blew through my mane, and a bolt of lightning conveniently struck to express how badly screwed I was.

“Sorry! My bad, I accidentally bucked one,” I heard Chaser shout apologetically from the clouds. “Wasn’t too sure if it was ready or not!”

“Oh, buck me.”

“Seriously, Graze! What’s the matter with you?!” a blonde mare shouted, violently dipping a cotton ball into a small, clear vial of alcohol. “Look at what you did to yourself!” The mare examined her patient’s body full of sore, black and blue marks.

“I know, and I’m sorry, Ditzy,” I apologized in a raspy voice, unable to look the gray mare in her golden eyes. Where are Kill and Joy during these times? They never EVER talk when Ditzy’s angered. Never.

We don’t like conflict, Graze, Joy explained.

Well, I kinda do, but not with her. That’s your problem, Kill backed out with his brother.

Can you at least give me some moral support!? That’s what you’re here for! I exclaimed, desperately asking them for help.

“No, you’re not. You said you won’t have done it against those three stallions and once again, Mr. Graze must fight the one who helped him.” She said, sitting on her haunches with folded hooves. One glance at her, and those same golden eyes were straightforward and focused on me. Pissed vex. “Look at me, Graze.” I disobeyed. “Look at me.”

Glaring at the mare with a black and blue eye, it was a game I could not ever win against her. “The cotton ball is waiting,” she managed to muffle with the small ball clenched gently between her teeth. “Take off your vest, and let me see.” With a sigh, I obeyed, relieving myself of the white and vertically black striped vest.

Without a sound, the cotton ball made impact with the wooden floor, leaving a damp spot of alcohol where it laid. I was ashamed to show her the copious amounts of black and blue ranging from my neck to the back. What happened next, was a complete, utter shock. She embraced me.

“Ouch, that’s tender,” I chuckled, smiling until I felt a drop of water on my back. My smile disappeared and I embraced the mare tighter, ignoring the pain. It was obvious that she was in more.

Physical wounds will always heal, Graze, Joy appeared before me and informed. It is the emotional pain that stays forever. Next time, vessel, think before you act and learn to ignore Kill.

The other conscience appeared, bemusedly shaking his head at Joy’s advice. I’m disgusted knowing that you had as much influence on this as I did.

Yeah, stop being so saddlesore, Joy retorted.

“I don’t like seeing you get hurt! Why do you do this to yourself!” the mare cried. “Please Graze... please, just stop before you really get injured. There is no need to fight and squabble over small stuff. Okay?”

“Okay,” I nodded, nuzzling her neck. Realization hit me and only now did I notice that I actually nuzzled her. At least, I didn’t mean it in any romantic way... I think. I, for one, know she hugged me out of comfort...right? Honestly, I am oblivious to these kind of signs, even if they’re right in front of my face.

“Good,” she sniffled, wiping away her tears. “I know you are hard headed, so... knowing you, I am going to save these for later,” she said, standing back up and carrying the vial of alcohol to her kitchen’s counter. “That doesn’t mean you go senselessly fighting anypony, you hear?”

“Hmph, I still won,” I joked with a smirk, flickering my tail with the usual added sass. With this, of course, came consequences. “Oh c’mon, it was a joke!” I begged of the mare, seeing as she turned her back on me. Maybe that wasn’t my smoothest move...yet.

“Anyways, did you find a job? You do know we can’t just live off the school, right?”

“Yeah, I’m working weather under supervision of Cloud Chaser.” Ditzy tilted her head, confused about who I was talking about. “You know, our soon-to-be art teacher, hopefully by next semester, and the school’s one weather control pony?” Which I somehow managed to say in one breath.

“Nope, not ringing a bell, but guess what?!” she waved off a bit too excitedly. Her mindset, I was pretty sure of, was not in complete match with her physical well being, though her eyes were still puffy from previous tears. “I’m the new mailmare!” She smiled, continuously dancing on the spot out of pure glee as her hooves lightly tapped against the wooden floor. The mare seemed so happy about getting this job, it was as if our argument never occurred. “I cannot wait for tomorrow!” she squee’d out of delight. “Graze, when do you start?”

“Well, I start tomorrow... hopefully.”

---

“Ohoho! How are you, Cloud Chaser?” a light grey pegasus stallion greeted the weather pony from behind a wooden desk. I couldn’t help but focus most of my attention onto his face. Not because the desk covered his body from the neck down, since it didn’t, but his red eyes pierced through the darkness of the office. The office wasn’t that dark, it just was my wild imagination that did that whenever I did visit the office in previous schools. I always remember it being like a short trip to Tartarus... an air conditioned, well lit Tartarus with coffee. Who needs Celestia’s sun when you got artificial lighting?

“I’m alright, Principal Shadow Mark. How’s the paperwork and budget treating ya?” Cloud asked with a smirk, seeing as he had somehow managed to instantly stress the principal.

With a sigh, the principal fiddled with his goatee that adorned his chin.

That goatee... I don’t know why, but I have the strangest urge just to walk up to him and touch it, Kill said, staring at the black piece of facial hair as the principal continued his rambling about paperwork... something about it being too much, or asking Chaser to look at the stacks upon stacks of paper which the desk hardly gave its best effort to withstand.

“Look at it, Chaser! Look at it! It’s so big, it just never ends!” the principal complained once more.

Dear Celestia! Hahahaha! DID HE JUST SAY THAT?! Kill laughed, rolling on his back as he snorted at the principal’s choice of words.

…Yup, this school is far from normal, Joy facehoofed, speaking the truth. All the teachers and even the principal seem to be weird.

“Don’t worry, Graze, I got this,” Chaser whispered beside me. “Once he starts talking about his paperwork, it soon leads to--”

“THE BUDGET! HOW CAN I FORGET ABOUT THE BUDGET!”

“Wow, Shadow Mark, calm down for a second and take a breather. I need to talk to you about two things,” Chaser interrupted the principal before given the chance to completely stress himself.

The principal somehow managed to instantly rid himself of the stress, hearing of an upcoming matter. “Oh? And what would that be?”

Something’s not right with this guy, Joy said, unsure of the school’s headmaster.

Yeah, I know, right? Who wears a hoodie indoors? Kill said, somehow managing to look at the smaller details of life. But, I gotta admit, it’s a nice hoodie.

“I would like to take this pony under my wing,” Chaser said, literally hovering his right wing over me. “I’m going to teach him everything I know about weather, and more. I’ve seen him fly, and he’s pretty damn good.”

“And more?” the principal queried.

“And more,” Chaser repeated himself, finalizing his answer.

“Hmmm... and more...” Shadow Mark, yet again, repeated himself.

“Yes, sir... and more,” the jacketed pony sighed, bemusedly.

“Ah, yes! And more! I like it!” exclaimed Principal Shadow Mark as he slammed his hooves on the desk, agreeing to Chaser. “You do know that since this pony--”

“Graze,” I interrupted, introducing myself.

“You do know that since Graze is now under your wings and assisting you with the weather, you will have to bathe him, feed him and take him for daily walks... wait, no... that’s for a pet... I miss my cat, Frenchie. You have any pets, guys?” Shadow Mark asked the two of us.

“Get back on topic, sir,” Chaser reminded the pony.

“Ah yes! I meant that you’re going to have to share your salary with him. You do know that, right?” Shadow Mark asked, ensuring Chaser knew of the consequences of sharing work.

“Of course, sir, and that’s the second thing I wanted to talk about... I would like to start my own art class.”

Upon such a sensitive topic, Chaser knew that this would be the response from the principal, a heavy sigh. “Chaser, we’ve talked about this many times before, the budget just simply cannot handle all of this. Princess Luna has already been gracious enough to fund this school as her sister, Celestia did with the School for Gifted Unicorns. I simply cannot take advantage of this,” the principal rejected Chaser’s offer in a more serious tone than previous pleasantries.

“Sir, I will not allow these ponies to grow up just based on scientific facts and literature, with Charge and Anarchy. They need balance, creativity, and to learn how to think outside the box. Also, I’ve already gotten a few who are willing to learn,” Chaser calmly said, presenting his argument respectfully as possible. He was not going to give up on this. “I’m sure as a fellow artist who paints the night with her stars, Princess Luna would be more than happy to watch as her students enjoy creating as she does for us.”

Shadow Mark did not want to go against Princess Luna’s wishes or pass on any ideas without her consent. “Fine,” the hooded pony agreed, trotting out from behind his desk, and to the both of us, lending out his right hoof as Cloud happily shook it. “You’re fired, Chaser.”

With those spoken words, the machinations of the stallion’s mind crashed, no longer functioning properly as he was in utter disbelief that the principal would do such a thing. The hooded pony snickered, no longer able to hold his deadpan expression. “Pftchahahaha! You should see the look on your face, Chaser!” Shadow Mark wiped a tear from his eye, continuing his fit of laughter. “Whew, don’t worry, I’m sure Princess Luna would say yes. I shall send her a letter, okay?”

Gently place the pony upon the pedestal of propaganda, and allow him to shit bricks... I like this guy, Kill nodded in approval.

“Hahahaha, you’re freaking twisted, you know that?” Chaser implied.

“Oh, but that’s how I get the job done.” The two members of staff then shook hooves, as Shadow Mark then looked towards me. “Graze, am I correct?”

“Yes, sir,” I replied with a nod.

“You’re going to be just fine under Chaser’s wing. I have complete faith in all members of staff in this school, so I assure you, there is no need to worry,” Shadow Mark said, finishing his sentence with doubt as he brushed his goatee with his hoof. “Actually, now that I think of it, a lot of crazy stuff does happen here, but thanks to these guys, the school is still standing!”

Knew it, Kill and Joy said in unison.

“Anyways, I really should get back to work, as well as, the two of you,” the grey robed stallion then retreated behind his fort of paperwork. “I’ll let Omnius know that you’re leaving.”

For the life of me, I didn’t know why the principal would allow the janitor to do somepony else’s job. Just to reassure myself of the situation, I needed to ask, “Isn’t he the janitor?”

“Well, yes... but, he is also my secretary... and the lunch pony... and the groundskeeper... etcetera.” Wow, I almost feel bad for the overworked guy... almost. “But, no need to worry! He is actually very efficient! For the life of me, I cannot comprehend on how he does these things so fast! He actually wanted extra jobs since he got the other done in... ten minutes?” The principal said, enticed within his own monologue. “Oh, I’m sorry for my rambling, bad habit... or is it a good habit? I guess talking can be either good or--”

“Okay! Sorry sir, but we have to do weather stuff!” Chaser hurriedly said, interrupting the sentence as he literally used his head to shoved me out the room, safe from Shadow Mark’s rambling. “You do not want to get caught in that, Graze. EVER!”

“Yeah, he can go on forever,” Omnius, the secretary, said with a roll of his eyes. Conveniently as the multi-jobbed pony exhaled deeply, a shout was heard from within the next room, otherwise known as, The Principal’s Office.

“Omnius! I need your advice on something!”

“Dear Princess Celestia, buck me sideways,” the blue jump suited pony cursed himself with a sigh, trotting towards the windowed door. “Save yourselves,” Omnius advised the two other pegasi.

And with that honorable motive of self sacrifice, we fled out the school and took to the skies.

---

Clouds. Soft, white, pillows for a pegasus, everywhere. You’d think by now, somepony would have found some sort of magical way to invent pillows out of the most comfortable material to sleep on. Clouds.

“Ah, this is the life, Graze. Just to lay down and watch the sky!” Chaser exclaimed on a drifter, laying on his back as he gazed at the vast sea. Since clouds can’t technically move by themselves, a drifter is when a pegasus lightly pushes it, as it sails along the sky, of course, soon coming to a stop. It’s one of the advantages of being a pegasus. One that we all loved.

“So, when do we actually start working?” I asked, curious as to why we were still relaxing for the past two hours.

Oh c’mon! The one teacher that allows us to relax, and you ask when to start work?! Geez, Graze, learn to relax, Kill scolded, hoping for the easy way out.

And this is the reason why we never do our work... Kill, snarled Joy, glaring at the miniature pony as he relaxed beside me in Chaser’s position.

“Agh, don’t be a Mr. Charge, we’ll get to that soon,” the jacketed pony said with a smirk, “and also, you aren’t qualified yet,”

“What do you mean, not qualified?! You told Shadow Mark that I flew great!” I quarreled with Chaser.

“Look, some ponies got it, some ponies don’t. Not many have even come close to passing my test,” Cloud said, rolling off his back and onto his haunches. “None.”

“Oh yeah? And what would that so called ‘test’ be?”

“Oh, nothing much, just a race... against me. You fall ten seconds behind, and you’re out,” he explained, rummaging through his pockets, pulling out a pair of goggles.

Pftch, ten seconds is a lot, somepony is quite full of themselves, Joy folded his hooves.

Who the hell does he think we are to fall ten seconds behind?! Kill challenged the stallion.

“If anything, we won’t fall back by five,” I promised the stallion.

“We?”

Buck. I cannot believe I just said that outloud. “I meant to say, I, as in, I don’t have mental issues.” Through the awkward silence was a gust, a gust so light that even the sound of it passing by could have been heard.

 I was sure that the stallion believed I had some sort of mental disorder, infamously known as, schizophrenia.

The pegasus said nothing, but I just had to reassure him. “No, I do not have schizophrenia,” I blatantly said out. Truth be told, what I have is something completely different. I do not spaz out, I do not randomly breakdown or such like that. I am in control of my own mental health.

Yeah, there is nothing wrong with having voices in your head. In realization to what he had said, Joy simply facehoofed at his own poor choice of words.

With a hint of doubt, Kill snickered as he flew from the cloud’s surface and onto his favorite place, my shoulder. Nice going, Joy. Yeah, Graze is totally not schizophrenic...

I simply coughed, disrupting the awkward silence that filled the air. How foolish was I to slip up and make that mistake. “So, we going to start this race or what?”

“...OH! Wait what? Sorry, I was in a daze...” the jacketed pony shook his head and relieved himself of the awkward tension. “Yeah! Three laps around the school, you fall five seconds behind, you’re out,” the experienced flyer reminded me, stretching his wings with an arched back. “You ready?” He asked, looking through his flyer goggles. I nodded. “Good...” Cloud Chaser paused with a flare of his wings, inhaling deeply through his snout.

Kill and mostly Joy observed the pegasus’ actions as he rapidly flapped his wings, preparing for flight. Hey, it sorta looks like Cloud is going to--

 “One two three go!” And the next thing I knew, there was nopony there, but just his outline, a lone cloud, and a few mantis-green feathers.

… get a headstart, Joy pointed out... a bit too late.

GOGOGO! WE CAN STILL CATCH UP! Kill demanded, shouting at the top of his lungs seeing as Chaser had already made it two seconds away from a still target. Damn that sucker is fast!

Advancing from a hasty gallop to becoming airborne, I heeded chase after my fellow racer already two seconds away. I couldn’t allow him to pass five. Of course I was going fast, the only problem here was, he was just faster, but I did what I could to maintain our two seconds distance apart. I flapped harder, putting stress on my wings.

Graze... this guy is all about speed, he’s not even trying, Joy pointed out. Do you remember yesterday? He appeared out of nowhere, as if he instantaneously teleported, figuratively speaking.

A light whistle distracted me from my conscience, coming from the only pegasus in the sky. Unbelievable. He was flying backwards. “C’mon, man, I’m not even trying! You want those bits, don’t you?” He taunted. “Mmm, those sweet, tasty, twenty five bi--CRASH!” A green, flaming meteorite took down the airborne pony.

“Well, that was new,” I watched as both Chaser and the flaming rock were sent crashing towards the surface.

Wait, was he about to say twenty five bits? Kill asked with rejoice. That’s a lot!

GRAZE! YOU NEED TO HELP OUT CHASER! Joy shouted, actually paying attention. With an immediate loop, I began my descent with a mighty flap of my wings, placing my hooves in front, cutting through the air resistance. Upon closer inspection, surprisingly for Chaser... he was pretty much still intact, and not... you know, dismembered from that amount of force.

Closing the distance between the two of us, I actually saw Chaser... hear me out on this... punch the flaming rock! “GET OFF ME, YOU SAD EXCUSE FOR A CHEESE GRATER!” I heard Chaser shout, bucking the flaming green object once more, slightly releasing its grip from the pegasus... I didn’t even know meteors could grab. “GRAZE, HEADS UP!” The teacher warned, uppercutting the rock with his right hoof so hard that the green flames were extinguished.

“Wait a second,” I squinted, observing the so called ‘rock.’ It wasn’t a meteor! It had the anatomy of a pony! IT WAS A PONY... a messed up, hexagonal eyed pony.

With great reflexes, I caught the smaller pony between both my hooves, keeping distance from it as it tried to snap and repeatedly headbutt at my face. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?!” I shouted, pulling my face back to prevent physical contact such as its futile attempts at headbutts or jabs from its horn. “LOOKS LIKE A BUG!” It struggled some more from my grip. “STRONG ONE TOO!”

Once closing the distance between the two of us, Chaser hovered beside me as we both constantly flapped our wings, preventing the whole shouting dilemma. “Nice catch,” Chaser replied, a bit impressed. “That’s a changeling, nasty lil’ buggers that feed off love.”

“Love? Why would the changeling come for us?” I asked the weather pony. “Dude, I’m not gay.”

“He was heading for the school, not us. One thing about universities is that they’re packed with hormone crazy students desperate with their love, and one things that to changelings, love is love,” Chaser explained. “Yeah... I’m not gay either,” he cleared the air of awkward tension once again.

“Are you hurt, though? That was a nasty hit,” I said, observing the half beaten, exhausted pegasus.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My real concern is this changeling. We have to warn Shadow Mark and Charge about this,” Cloud Chaser replied, fixing his disheveled mane at the back.

“Why? It’s just one little bug,” I said, pulling my head back once more at its attempt to headbutt.

“Because, these nasty things appear in swarms, and maybe, since one is here, they’ve already infiltrated the school.” Chaser then looked down at the building, standing tall and strong, undamaged by any changelings so far. “As we speak, any of our friends can be one of them,” he then looked at me, more serious than I’ve seen the relaxed pegasus in the past few hours. “I’m gonna need you up here more often. We can’t allow any more changelings inside.”

“Does this mean I get the job?” Chaser nodded with a smile. “YES! YES! YES!” I exuberantly cheered, hugging the changeling still within my hooves, prancing around midair and kissed it on the cheek. “Yuck, tastes nasty... what do I do with this?” I asked, still with the bitter taste in my mouth.

Don’t worry, Graze. You just fed that changeling for a day, Kill snickered, laying on my shoulder.

“Let him free, we don’t want to allow things to get any worse as they already are.” Following Chaser’s orders, I released the changeling as it retreated to the opposite direction of the school. “Right now, Graze, the school as we know it, is under attack... trust no pony.”

---

Alone in his office, Shadow Mark sensed danger afoot as his ears twitched upon the sound of beating wings. He gently laid the quill in his possession upon the desk as he slowly trotted to the window, seeing one lone changeling in retreat. He whispered to himself. “Beware, beware, the changeling season is here.”

A/N: Omnius has joined the pre-reading party! Thank you, man!

It had been almost a week since my first changeling encounter, and with every passing day, the teachers grew more and more paranoid. So far, the only one within the loop of this information, out of the teacher's boundaries, was me. It had only been by chance that I was there to see it. Maybe you can say life has a plan for everypony... anyway, forgetting about that. So far since the first encounter, two things have happened. The teachers, as well as Shadow Mark, have informed me to keep this confidential, and Charge changed his Physics/Science class to something more... appropriate. Changeling study.

Any way you take it, no changeling has yet to be found.

These guys are pro at hide and seek, Kill said, pointing out the obvious. Stealth level: Changeling.

---

For the past two hours, and three days, Mr. Charge has taught nothing but changeling study and this topic was getting old, especially when he told us to read the entire section of changeling magic... and a test. THIS WAS GETTING REALLY OLD.

It was like every other day, as any other day of this week, in my same old seat besides Ditzy and Vinetion... everything was normal as it was quiet... a bit too quiet, even for Charge’s class. Giving us yet another chapter about changelings to read, the bat winged pony sat behind his desk, staring at the entire class mercilessly, with intent to spot any abnormalities among us. Even Charge was paranoid. As for me? Oh, I was restless, utterly detesting the fact that I had to sit still, doing nothing more than reading.

EVEN I ADMIT, THIS IS BORING! Joy ranted, pulling at his face. Five times, Graze. Five. Times. FIVE TIMES WE’VE READ THIS SECTION.

I need to go to the bathroom, just trot off all this restlessness and take a--

“Graze, this is so boring!” Vinetion whispered beneath her breath, interrupting Kill as she slammed her head against the desk. “Ugh, changelings this, changelings that, what’s up with all these changeling things, anyway?”

“I don’t know,” I lied with a heavy sigh. “I just want this torture to end!” SLAM! One of Charge’s infamous, colossal sized textbooks gently kissed my face, knocking it back as all breath and thought departed my body. “Please, kill me.”

“Be quiet, Graze, or the next time I will use much more force. This goes for everypony in the class as well,” Charge announced, as his eyes scanned the class for any sign of movement.

Seriously, Graze... bathroom, now, Kill demanded, standing on my snout and begging. Please, we need to go.

I can do with a nice walk, Joy agreed.

From sitting on my haunches, I slowly raised my hoof to notify the teacher. And when I mean slowly, I mean one centimetre per second. Mr. Charge was like a predator, when he’s watching you, you either, one, move extremely slow so that he doesn’t recognize a thing, or two, pull it off fast like a band-aid, and get over the pain as fast as possible... and I disliked pain.

“Yes, Graze?” Dammit, Charge noticed me... wait, he noticed me and didn’t kill me! Yay!

HUZZAH! Both Kill and Joy cheered, slamming their hooves together.

“Yeah, I would like to use the bathroom,” I announced for the entire class to hear. Charge curiously raised an eyebrow as if he was waiting for something.

Manners, Graze, Joy advised, poking at my face.

“Oh yeah!” I exclaimed, realizing what I had forgotten. “Please?” I asked, quivering my lip with the most cute face I imagined possible, the puppy dog pout.

“That’s very disturbing,” Vinetion whispered to Ditzy, behind my back as the two snickered, withholding their laughter.

“Kinda cute... disturbingly cute,” Ditzy replied, whispering with a chuckled.

“Alright, Graze. Get on up here for the pass,” Charge said, rummaging through the drawers of his wooden desk with a green pass hung by a cotton red lining. Victoriously trotting through the narrow passage the desks provided, I occasionally skipped out of glee, given the privilege to use the bathroom. This was an honor, a gift from heaven coming from Silent Charge. “Listen carefully, Graze. Classes are in session, you see any roamers around the block, notify a teacher. There can only be one of each student. Do your business, make the school’s rounds, and come back,” he ordered, whispering at a low enough volume behind his wings. “If you see any students following you, or without a pass, call them out.” Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a gift, more like a duty. “Understand?” I nodded. “Good. Remember, Graze, don’t mention this to anypony, not even your friends.”

“Yes, sir.” I replied, but deep down in my mind, I knew I couldn’t lie to them... if they asked. If I told Ditzy, she would tell Carrot Top, who would tell Lyra and BonBon who would then tell Octavia, who would forward the information to Vinyl, who would obnoxiously, on a microphone, announce it to the entire school, being the only pony other than Shadow Mark who makes daily announcements over the intercom, and then once that’s done, utter chaos.

And the list goes on and on and on and on. Kill said, circling his hooves as they revolved around the other.

---

My walk throughout the school had been a fairly lonely one. No students, no teachers, no sound but the clopping of my hooves against the floor, and of course, my mind.

Well, isn’t this fun, being on patrol. Kill sarcastically said. There have been no changelings this entire week, no findings, no bugs. Can’t we just get some bug spray and terminate the bastards? Kill wondered, violently thinking of ways to kill them. Ugh, they are so creepy looking, just those eyes. Reminds of that fly we killed... or maybe it is! That sick thing must have reincarnated wanting its vengeance!

Do you ever stop talking? Joy asked the rambling pony. And it’s not a bug, it just looks like one. And we didn’t have to kill the fly, we could have just released the thing, or open a window, ya know?

Nopony, or bug, messes with our apple pie. He contaminated it, therefore death.

Having these two will never get old. They’re either like an old couple, always bickering with each other, or those pesky radio announcers that interrupt you during one of your favorite songs. Both annoying. Sadly, these two couldn’t die or be switched off. All I wanted to do was use the bucking bathroom.

Honestly, I’m sure I’m not the only pony who doesn’t ever use public toilets, it’s just one of those things about me. I use the bathroom as an excuse to get out of class, walk around, stretch my wings and wash my face, only to return to another session of boredom five minutes later.

Two classes down, and to my left were the glorious bathrooms, both mare and stallion aside the other. An ocean blue door for the mares, and a pink, frilly door... for the stallions. Someponies are just terrible at pranks.

Entering the bathroom, I leaned upon the pearlescent sink with the support of my hindlegs. Watching into the mirror, I basked in my moment of vanity, only to view behind me, a mare. Rarity to be exact.

Please don’t scream. Please please please, don’t scream! Joy begged, watching the mare’s eyes dilate as she hyperventilated, her mouth becoming wider and wider with deeper breaths. Shescreamed. Her voice echoed through the walls of the entire school as ponies every heard her blood curdling cry for help.

---

“Well, looks like Rarity found a pimple,” Twilight said, enticed within the contents of Mr. Charge’s books.

“Mhmm!” Pinkie happily replied with a nod.

---

To my avail, nopony answered to her banshee mating call. “I’m going to speak to the principal about this,” Rarity warned, with the intent to get me expelled.

Worried as ever, Joy looked at Kill for support, who at the time, was staring at Rarity. IS THIS REALLY THE TIME TO BE CHECKING OUT MARES?!

Shhh, shut the buck up... something’s not right here, Kill replied, inspecting the snow white unicorn.

Kill, now is not the time for you to be checking out mares! Joy exclaimed, scolding the other half.

Shhh, man! Be quiet! It’s not Rarity I’m looking at. Isn’t there supposed to be a hall pass around her neck? Kill asked.

“Hey, Rarity, before you take me to Shadow Mark, may I ask one question?” I asked, stalling for the moment.

“No,” she flatly replied.

“Good, then I hope you don’t ask for mercy,” I responded, pointing to the mirror, a view of myself and a bug-like pony through its reflected surface. “Changeling.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed,” I cracked my neck and hooves, preparing for the beatdown of a lifetime.

---

Having given the beatdown of a lifetime, I dragged the unconscious bodies of three changelings by their tails in my mouth, along the tiled floor of the school with a bloody tissue up my snout, and a limp. Apparently, changelings can call for backup by buzzing their wings, once out of disguise. You learn something new everyday, in a very painful way.

Well, that was fun, Kill laughed.

Yeah, besides the whole, “Getting your face bucked into a wall and what not,” Joy admitted, revealing not one of my very best moments. Yeah, fun is the right word.

Hey, we wouldn’t have made it out alive if we just slammed their heads on the sink, in the first place, like I told you to, hmph! Kill retorted, folding his hooves, acting like a Rarity with his snout to the general direction of the ceiling. But ‘no,’ don’t listen to Kill, only listen to Joy and talk it out.

Listen, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think they would be that violent! Joy apologized. Also, we were ambushed by the other two, you can’t really blame me if we didn’t see them coming, can you?

Without any free hooves, or mouth to grip the damned door by its handle, I had but only one option left. Headbutt it open.

Buck Mr. Charge. Buck the changelings. Buck the class. Buck the system. I found three changelings, and the school needed to know. Upon entering the class, each student gasped at my physical status: beaten, worn out and tired.

“GRAZE!” Ditzy and Vine shouted, seeing the condition I was in.

Ignoring them, my attention was fully on Mr. Silent Charge. “I got your bucking changelings, sir,” I exhaustively said, releasing the grip of their tails from my mouth, dropping their unconscious bodies to the floor.

Charge smiled in approval. “Excellent, Mr. Graze. Now that I know we have changelings within the vicinity, I can finally take action.” Some students in the class worried as to what he was saying. “Would you kindly turn off the lights?” Mr. Charge’s request only added suspicion to the class. “Oh, and don’t forget to put them back on in five seconds.”

Eyeing the switch upon the left wall, I flickered them off with a tail, and back on after the five second interval. Charge was beside me with approximately ten more unconscious changelings added to the pile of three.

What in the honest hoof just happened?

“Excellent, now we have thirteen,” Charge said, smiling beside the astounding pile of changelings.  “Class is dismissed, please meet in the auditorium within the next five minutes, there shall be an announcement for those who are confused,” Silent Charge announced to the class of ten lesser ponies. “And when I mean five minutes, I mean now.”

Immediately, the class simultaneously stood up with the sound of dragging tables, following Charge’s instructions to the tee, and left.

Three. Two. One. The three of me counted respectively, as we knew what was coming.

“Graze.” Ditzy growled my name.

“Hey, Ditzy, don’t be mad with him, he had a very legit reason to fight this time.” Vinetion popped out of nowhere, protecting me, as she sensed of what was to come.

“Oh, and what would that be?” Ditzy countered the mare’s response.

“He was standing up for his school, I really hope you do know that. Even though I disagree with him from keeping secrets from us with Charge, he had his reasons. Could you have stopped them?” Vinetion queried, raising an eyebrow.

The blonde mare contemplated on Vinetion’s words, know she couldn’t lie among the three of us, friends. “No,” she answered, flicking her tail.

And then, Celestia herself brought down our savior, Vinetion, Kill over exaggeratingly said.

“Anyways!” I pathed to the two mares. “Thank you for your concern, Ditzy and Vinetion,” I glanced at them respectively. “But, we really do need to get to the auditorium, shall we?”

With a sigh, Ditzy replied, “Fine,” trotting at her own pace in front Vinetion and myself.

“One day, I know that mare and I are going to fight,” Vinetion pointed out, watching as Ditzy trailed the lone path. “But, not today!” she exclaimed, accelerating with her slow trot to meet the grey mare.

“And, I pray that day never comes,” I muttered to myself, watching as the two mares trailed off to the auditorium.

---

The auditorium’s tiled floors were completely flooded, each tile fitting approximately two average sized ponies for the most, as the pegasi of the school occupied higher altitudes as they continuously hovered on the spot. Ponies everywhere polluted the air with questions of the same matter: What’s going on? Why are we here? Did you hear that scream? Why is there blood in the mare’s bathroom?

Honestly, I’d rather leave the last one unanswered, because it was that freaking hilarious knowing it was the blood from my snout.

Hehehehe, they shall never know, Kill maniacally laughed.

“Alright, alright students, calmarsi,” Shadow Mark announced upon the wooden stage. Beside him were the teachers and workers of staff, Omnius, Chaser, Mr. Charge and a few others I’ve never seen in my life. “Before I begin, has anypony seen Ms. Anarchy?”

“Nope,” Chaser replied as the teachers followed up with a respectful shaking of their heads. “Haven’t seen her all day.”

“Agh, this is her first year here! She needs to know the drill!”

Who is this Ms. Anarchy? We keep on hearing her name, but never see her, Kill wondered, upon his usual spot, my mane.

Maybe because she teaches seniors? Joy answered with a hint of doubt, flying to the other conscience as he too, rested upon my mane. Yeah, the view here is perfect, he said to himself.

You have a plaster for every sore, don’t you? Kill asked without a single glimpse at his brother.

Yup.

“Just forget it, sir. We can always inform her when she does show up,” Charge suggested. Shadow Mark replied with a nod.

“Good day, students of Equestria University! You ponies must be wondering why we are all here, no? Well, it has been brought to my attention that a few weeks ago, Cloud Chaser, and a student who shall be unnamed, discovered a changeling within the skies of Equestria University. Now, one little changeling is nothing much, but, it is the sign of an upcoming threat.” The final word of the principal caused chatter and constant mumble amongst the crowd of ponies in the auditorium.

“Settle down, settle down. There is a certain procedure to everything, as this is not our first time of dealing with changelings, but it will surely be our last. Throughout the week, I’ve ordered the staff to stuff your throats with information about changelings, but that is just actually the least of my concerns. I’m just preparing you is all,” he continued as all students surely paid attention to his speech. “I doubt any of you actually paid attention, being taught nothing new but that... yes, I know how this works, I’ve been through it as well... actually, I forced myself. Oh, the horror, it was like--”

“Get back on topic, sir,” Chaser reminded the principal.

“Ah, yes. As I was saying, from that one changeling we had found, this week, on this very day, thirteen more. Of course, any one of us could be a changeling, yet, I simply do not care. It is inevitable that Chrysalis, ruler of the changelings would attack either way. They need love to survive, and feed off of, and as their queen, she would do nothing more but aid her subjects, for what is a queen without her ponies?” The crowd, nor did any teacher provide an answer. “Nothing,” Shadow Mark said, replying for them. “The same goes for his principal and his school, he is nothing without his students, and as teachers, we will do anything to protect you all.”

 ANYTHING? A question bellowed thunderously through the auditorium. Oh Shadow Mark, you old timer you. Of course this will surely be the last, because once I am done feeding off your little students, I shall make this school a colony for all my little changelings to learn, as your teachers are forced under my will to teach.

“Well, that’s not so different from our jobs right now anyways!” Charge countered, revealing the realistic side of the situation.

Without any pay, the voice said once more.

“NOOOOO!” Omnius shouted at the top of his lungs. “YOU CRUEL, HEARTLESS MONSTER!”

“Show yourself at once, Chrysalis!” Shadow Mark demanded, with his calm voice.

A flare of bright green fire erupted barely a few metres due east from the staff,  casting a crazed shadow onto the walls of the auditorium, the owner of the voice appearing before the crowd... Queen Chrysalis in the flesh.“Oh, if you must see your future queen, absolutely!” the alicorn queen of the changelings announced, and as her subjects, as Cloud Chaser perfectly described one, she had holes... like a cheese grater. The queen and her subjects matched, for only her eyes differed from their hexagonal irises, as her horn was much larger than in comparison.

“Ohoho! I highly doubt that... just like last year, or the year before,” Shadow Mark challenged the queen.

“Ah, yes... those years,” Chrysalis was reminded of her past failures. “But it is fair to warn you though, this year would assuredly be different, for this time, I have an army.”

“We have a draconequus,” Shadow Mark was quick to respond. Abruptly, a dazzling spark of magic brightened the stage, the smoke clearing to reveal a long, sleek creature. Her body was mix-matched with those of different creatures: dragon’s and pony’s wing, griffin’s and chimera’s paw, draconic tail as well as the horns of two beasts. Her white hair magically floated, bound and restrained by the likes of a band. “Glad you could make it, Ms. Anarchy.”

“Sorry I was late,” the draconequus apologized, snapping her talons, adding dozens more to the changeling pile. “Just had to get some business done, that’s all. Sweet Celestia! Is that you, Crystal? It’s been millennia!” Anarchy exclaimed in awe upon sight of the changeling queen.

“I told you, do not call me by my real name!” The queen snapped at the draconequus.

Did this thing just turn into a reunion? Joy asked, watching from within the crowd.

I don’t know, but that draconequus is kinda... well, hot! Kill said, gazing at the hybrid creature.

“Awww, is somepony still holding a grudge against me?” the draconequus asked. “That’s cute.”

Wanting to interrupt, Shadow Mark was held back within the restraints of Omnius and Chaser as they advised, “Never interrupt a catfight, if you get caught in the middle, you’re screwed.” The principal nodded, allowing the two to release him.

“Say what you may, draconequus, but soon I shall be taking over you and this school,” Chrysalis foretold.

Anarchy yawned at this, scratching her scales. “Oh, I’m sorry, I cannot allow you to do that. You see, I’ve moved on from petty high school arguments with you, and now, I am both a teacher of philosophy and literature,” Anarchy boasted of her acquired skills, with a warning. “But, you touch a strand of fur on any of these students, I will not hold back on you like I did with your faithful subjects.”

“Hmph, I remember the days when you were vain, filled with pride and cotton candy... I see you’ve finally slimmed down,” the queen of the colony then stooped down to the standards of mere, demeaning words.

“Ah yes, I remember those days, you know what was my favorite? Cheese, lots of cheese,” Anarchy snapped her fingers, coating her nemesis in a bight cheese-yellow. “Mmmm, cheddar to be exact,” she eyed down at Chrysalis’ legs, adorned with holes. “Do those things whistle when you fly?” the draconequus walked up to the alicorn changeling, poking her fingers through the holes with a chuckle. “Reminds you of anything?”

Chrysalis gritted her fangs, annoyed at the draconequus’ tricks of illusions and magic. “Still with the immature games, I see. Don’t worry, when you’re my personal slave, I shall wipe all of that clean from your system.”

“You’re still too serious, Crystal. What you just said hardly makes sense, and I applaud you on that,” Anarchy chuckled as she clapped her paw and claw against the other. “For you see, you have holes in your brain too, my dear. All the information just leaks out as if you poke a water balloon.” Clasping her hands, she widened them revealing a small, rubber ball filled with water, poking at it as the liquid slowly leaked out upon the stage. “Nothing sinks in.”

“We’ll see about that when tomorrow comes,” Chrysalis ignored one of Anarchy’s many taunts, this being a lowly attempt of a pun.

“Oh, you used to laugh at my puns so much! What? Are they too cheesy for you?” I, Kill and Joy, Vinetion, the teachers and other students facehoof’d. “Hmph, tough crowd.”

The queen herself took her spot front and centre upon the stage, gathering everypony’s attention. “Expect a few... changes from tomorrow,” she then glanced at the teachers, slowly trotting towards the group, or  to be more specific, Charge. “Especially you, my dear. I cannot wait to have you as my personal equine slave,” her hoof lightly brushed his chin.

Stoic as ever, Charge glared at the Queen a few centimetres below him, “Not even in my grave. Now leave,” he demanded. “And take your ‘royal subjects’ with you.”

With a frightening hiss, the queen of the changelings teleported herself from the school with her unconscious subjects at her side. Seeing the flames of green magic take its natural course, soon extinguished, Shadow Mark glanced at Mr. Charge, signaling him with a nod, as he too replied in the same fashion.

Silent Charge stomped his hoof, bringing the attention of everypony in the room. “Listen up, everypony! You have already heard she has an army, and you can rest assured that every teacher here will take out everyone of her grunts! All that we ask of you is that when they do arrive, you listen to our orders. To ensure everypony is safe, you must follow each and every word to the very last full stop. Our first order is, stay inside the school. There are no changelings to worry about, Ms. Anarchy has taken care of that. Our second order, no students interfere. We cannot risk your lives, as well as our own! And our third and final order, we need five unicorns to... volunteer. Do not worry, if things get a bit too hectic, you can always teleport yourselves back to this spot. So, any volunteers?” Charge asked the entire crowd.

“Ooo, extra credit!” Rarity glamorously raised her left hoof. “C’mon, Twilight, don’t you want higher grades?”

“Rarity, I don’t think this is for-- HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Twilight retorted surprisingly as to why Rarity raised her hoof for her.

“WE VOLUNTEER!” Rarity exclaimed through the crowds.

“Excellent, excellent, three more,” Charge announced. “Anypony else?”

“I would,” a shallow voice was heard even through the silent crowds, a grey hoof pointing towards the ceiling. It was... GRIM?!

You mean he isn’t a selfish bastard? Kill asked.

I don’t think so--

It was rhetorical, Joy.

Quickly being pulled aside, I was unable to hear of the other two volunteering ponies. Forcefully dragged by my white collar, and out the hall, it was Chaser who had pulled me away for this little conversation. “Listen here, Graze. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but since we both know the cloudwork of the school, would you like to be my wingpony?” Cloud Chaser asked a bit rushed, worryingly.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Okay, I know Charge said not to get any students involved, but I’ve talked to him about this before. Last year, this same incident occurred with Chrysalis wanting to make the school her colony and all that crap. Of course, we fought back, but since it was my first year here, I underestimated the changelings by a tiny bit,” he explained.

“Oh, and what happened?”

“This.” Chaser unzipped his jacket, revealing a criss crossed scar upon his chest.

“You call that a tiny bit?!” I exclaimed, observing the massive healed skin tissue. “I didn’t even know changelings could do that!”

“That’s the thing, me neither. And, they sort of can’t... it wasn’t a regular changeling, it was a Behemoth. One magical blast from that tank, and this,” he pointed to his scar. “Thank Celestia, Shadow Mark was able to take it down... but, he lost his wing in the battle. Seriously, he may have two wings, but that pegasus cannot fly. He can glide with it still, but that wing is sort of... dead. He seems okay, but everyday, we know it pains him... that pony has lost a lot, yet he somehow still has the will to fight for this school.”

I feel sorta bad for the both of them, Joy said, sympathizing for the two injured ponies. We can’t allow the school to lose Shadow Mark, it’s the least we can do if even he is still fighting handicapped.

HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THE SIZE OF CHASER’S SCAR?! AND THE DUDE LOST A WING! NUH-UH, NO WAY I’M GETTING INTO THAT!

“Yes,” I answered to Cloud’s calling.

WHAT?! Kill shouted.

“Wait, wha’?” Chaser asked, unsure if he had misheard my answer.

“I said yes,” replying to the weather pony, and to him unknowingly, Kill. “I can’t allow my teachers to fight... as well as to fight handicapped, might I add.” I then smirked, with one eye open. “You know, you guys may break some bones at this age,” I laughed, waving it off as it seemed to be nothing.

“Ha, I’m only twenty three, might I add,” Chaser smiled, lending out his hoof, to which I smacked with my own. “Just keep an eye on my back, okay?” I nodded. “Oh yeah, and a word of advice, when you see bubbles, do not poke them,” he said with worry and horror in his voice.

It was impossible not to depict fear from his tone.

“Don’t worry, Graze. As you got my back, I got yours, I won’t let anything harm ya.”

Clouds. High altitude. Not a single pinch of sunlight shone upon the school. The perfect hiding spot, the perfect watch out. We patiently awaited the changelings.

Who were we? The Principal, the artist and of course, the student, me. We had eyes everywhere, darting left and right, scanning for movement throughout the vast sky. Actually, the only thing that should move were ponies, flying animals and of course, our enemies as of yesterday, changelings. Nope, clouds are pretty much inert until disrupted by any creature that possessed the ability of flight.  

For the life of me, I couldn’t think of any possible way that one, two, three, SIX ponies: Charge, Shadow Mark, Chaser, Omnius, Anarchy and myself could handle Chrysalis’ entire army, especially with those... Behemoths. It would be a miracle if I get out of this alive, let alone, unscratched.

Yeah, have you forgotten the size of Chaser’s scar?! That thing is bucking huge, like just in your face! Kill said, remembering the perfect details of Chaser’s scar. Honestly, Kill was over exaggerating, he always over exaggerated... actually, the scar did look kind of cool, well, at least that’s my opinion. I think it’s so close to his heart, it throbs he commented once more.

Kill may be an ass, but he is, as of right now, a correct ass. You do not want to get one of those, Joy added, agreeing with Kill’s disrespectful way of laying it down subtly. I’m not even sure you can survive one of those! I’m not trying to discourage you, Graze... Joy sighed, slowly shaking his head in doubt. I’m just trying to show you the reality of the situation... it took only one of those Behemoths to place two ponies into a situation of  life and death. Chaser is brutally scarred, and Principal Shadow Mark is permanently handicapped. That was just one, he repeated once more the dangers of the Behemoth.

But, no matter what, we’ve got your back! Kill butted in, interrupting Joy’s demotivational speech. We see any bugs, we’ll tell you right away! There’s no need to fear, Graze, we’ll be your wingmen! Seeing him so charismatic, could have only brought a faint smile to this face, challenging the lack of hope Joy had brought upon me.

“Hey, Graze, you alright? You seem a bit worried,” Chaser asked, concerned about his pupil’s blank expression.

“Oh yeah... I’m fine,” I replied, hopefully reassuring the teacher.

“Ohoho! No need to worry, Graze! Charge and Omnius are on the ground, if things get a bit too much up here, all you need to do is swoop down, and we can handle the rest!” Shadow Mark informed me, returning to his upright position upon his haunches. Smiling at both the teachers, a shadow quickly whisked its way passed our cloud. The moment of shade was brief, but it was desperately needed.

From his stance, he momentarily gazed upon the school’s grounds, tracing what had seemed to be the same shadow encircling an empty spot upon the compound. Our ears cocked straight up at the sudden screech of what could have only been an eagle. At the edge of our cloud, Shadow Mark smiled, protecting his eyes with a hoof to shade him from Celestia’s harmful rays, glancing at the flying messenger.

It took a day, but Rarity’s banshee call finally worked! Kill laughed, while Joy and I simply ignored.

Standing tall with confidence, Shadow Mark stared at the eagle, awaiting its next cry.

SCREE!!! The blood curdling screech pierced through the silent air, signalling Shadow Mark. Signalling him what? The only thing I could have guessed, was suicide, seeing the robbed stallion as he tipped over the clouds.

Leaning over the cloud, Shadow Mark allowed gravity to take its place, as the earth relentlessly brought him forth to its surface. No wings, he executed a backflip in mid air, landing not unto the ground, but a perfectly convenient, flying changeling.

“C’mon Graze, lets go!” Chaser commanded, bucking the cloud beneath us, disappearing upon contact. Thanks to my wings, I hovered, watching as the two pegasi progressed towards... towards Chrysalis’ swarm. The battalion did not look to consist of one thousand, but it was definitely more than we can chew. From one changeling to another, Shadow Mark kicked off his host, sending their bodies spiralling to the ground as he followed up with a glide using his handicapped wing. Through mid-flight, the principal performed various skilled flips, forehooved bucks and reversals to any passersby. Landing on another of his moving targets, he was set to repeat this process once more.

Holy shit! Look at him go! Kill exclaimed, amazed at the elder pony’s skills as Shadow Mark jumped from one changeling to another, bucking two in the throat before he successfully landed.

He’s going to need backup, Graze. Get the bricks out of your pants and lets go! Joy was right. Alone, the principal barely made a dent to her army, taking out at least twenty or so. There were still too many.

Flying at top speeds, Chaser and I fought through the oncoming onslaught Shadow Mark had missed. We endlessly fought, bucking through the crowd, countlessly jabbing, hook bucking and kneeing the changelings that dared to progress onwards, the outcome was the same for everyone of them, unconscious. “There’s still too many!” I shouted, worrying over the fact that we still haven’t passed a collected total of one hundred changelings. Honestly, who’s counting?

“I KNOW! I KNOW!” Chaser replied while hovering on the spot, quite aware of the fact that some had gotten through. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan!” Chaser reassured me, which for once, didn’t work out so well. Everything was going to shit.

Just by looking at the crowd, it didn’t seem to have ever ended. If the three of us up here were having such difficulty, I only had to wonder how two ponies, Charge and Omnius, handled the situation below.

---

Click-Click

“Rarity, I hate you,” Twilight Sparkle precognitionaly said, within the forehooves of Mr. Charge as he ‘loaded’ her ammunition while standing on his hind.

RATATATATATATATATA!

Endless rounds of violet magical blasts scattered from Twilight’s horn and throughout the field, hitting numerous grunts of Chrysalis’ army “WAH! WAAAH-AHAHAHAHAHA! CRY SOME MORE!” Charge battle cried, as he progressed, alone through the changeling’s onslaught of suppressing fire. “AHAHAHAHAHA!”

“So, so much.”

“GO CHARGE! GO!” Omnius supported from the back, approaching the suited, ying-yang coated teacher.

From the school’s rooftops, Anarchy had been appointed to lookout duty with Rarity as her assistant, both of them having that special keen eye. The draconequus quickly spotted a second Omnius exiting the school with Grim in his hooves, as one would hold a weapon. She gasped, “That janitor is a changeling!”

“Wait! Ms. Anarchy, what are you-Eee!” Rarity screamed from suddenly being picked up by the draconequus, and held in such a position that Rarity’s horn was used for more of an... accurate tool, aiming down the sights at the janitor’s head before Charge. Gripping Rarity’s tail, Anarchy straightened all the curls as she yanked upon it. “WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A HORRID THING!? Do you know how long it takes to get the curls done in a tail?!” She whined. “It took hours, and hours, and hours! Oh, do not get me started on how hard it is to get that special herbed shampoo from Zecora, which you just completely wiped off! Every single morning, I comb my mane and my tail one hundred times, each! That’s a complete total of two hundred brushes per day! Thank Celestia I am a unicorn, I absolutely do not know how I would make it if I was like Applejack, by the way, have you seen her--”

“Ugh,” Anarchy disgustingly grunted, deeply breathing in and out, tolerating each ongoing word of the mare. Rarity continued. Anarchy gritted her teeth. Rarity didn’t stop. Something broke in Anarchy as she twisted a smile, grating her teeth, and fangs against each other in annoyance. She snapped, in a very calm, soothing manner. “Rarity, darling?” The draconequus called the pony in her arms.

“Yes, Ms. Anarchy?” Rarity answered.

“I shit you not, and on my very eternity, that if you don’t give me twenty seconds of silence, I will shave you bald with a spoon.” Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly hushed by the teacher. “I’m a draconequus, I have my ways.” With a whimper, Rarity hushed as she allowed herself for Anarchy to merely use the pony as a weapon, aiming down her the horn as her sights and onto the approaching Omnius’ head.

With a steady and firm grip, Anarchy pulled down on Rarity’s tail as a bolt with a sound of an audible Click.

Steady... Steady... she yanked on the tail, and from the horn released a single, pressurized round with a trace of blue magic, dispersing in the air. BOOM HEADSHOT! Anarchy smiled in success as the phoney janitor was shot directly in the head.

---

“Alright, Charge, I got Grim as you asked, and is that a dead changeling?” Omnius said, observing the slow breaths of the bug-like pony. “Nope, it’s still breathing.”

“AHAHAHAHA! ANARCHY IS GREAT CREDIT TO STAFF!” Charge shouted with a crazed look in his eyes as he continued firing his Twilight Sparkle. “JOIN ME, JANITOR!”

Shrugging, Omnius had that usual look of ‘why not?’ which every member of the school’s staff adopted to use on a daily basis. “So, what can you do?” Omnius asked Grim, flicking the student’s horn.

“Please, don’t touch my horn like that, it’s very sensitive. All you need to do is ask, you know?” the shaded pony insisted, as he concentrated upon a flare of black ember on the tip of his horn.

Omnius was not in the slightest amused at the tiny flame. Standing on his hindlegs, Omnius’ hooves wrapped around Grim, yanking upon his tail, releasing a widespread burst of flames. “Hahaha, that’s more like it!” The janitor quickly remarked, before he was shot in the mouth by a drifting round of changeling’s goo. He pulled effortlessly on the slimy substance but simply forfeited to its reinforced elasticity, sending his hooves smacking into his face.

“MEDIIIC! JANITOR HAS BEEN SHOT!” Charge shouted, seeking aid for the wounded janitor.

“Mmmhmm mm mpmh!” Omnius muttered through the goop.

“What do you mean, you are the nurse!?” Charge asked. “Never mind that, can you still fight?”

“Mmmhm!” Omnius nodded.

“Good janitor!” Charge laughed, continuing his onslaught of magical bullets.

And they call me, crazy. Omnius sighed, picking up Grim as he entered the battlefield, decreasing the numbers with his newly found flamethrower, which surprisingly didn’t really burn them, but more so, kept them at bay.

Very few changelings escaped Grim’s range, his radius unable to cover the entire battle field. Two of these brave changelings managed to charge through the flames, forgetting Omnius as they galloped towards the gatling pony, wielded teacher, Charge. Their sizes were unmistakably too large to be called an average changeling, there was a much more unique term for changelings of their standards, Behemoths.

Slowing their trot, Charge held his fire as the two approached him. This was the gentlecolt’s way of handling situations: if they didn’t attack, or prove any threat such as an assault, he won’t have attacked either. “Get behind me, Twilight,” Silent ordered as she answered him with a nod, once laid down. “So, what can I do for you two lovely stallions, hm?”

“We’re just wondering, are you going to hide behind your little weapon or face us like stallions?” the one on the right said. “What say we get rid of that little filly.”

“Well, if you touch her, then I would have no choice but to kill you,” Charge warned, moving to the side as he presented the lone mare. “ I dare you, take one step towards her and I will personally knock you out in ten seconds flat.”

“Deal,” the Behemoth on the left said, accepting Charge’s warning with confidence. At the very trot forward, and upon landing his hoof, Silent swept the floor with his hindlegs on a pivot, tripping the Behemoth, allowing gravity to take its course. Charge did not give gravity permission to do so. With the Behemoth stunned in mid-air, Charge flapped his wings, giving him the necessary burst of speed to rush the changeling with a knee directly to the forehead. Juggled in mid-air, Charge’s black and white streaked tail constricted the Behemoth’s neck. With an aerodynamic loop and flick of his tail, the once confident Behemoth was defeated, smashed into the ground as the teacher roughly landed on all his fours, beside the newly formed crater.

“Hey look, I made a hole, just like what you guys have!” Silent said, ignoring the whimpering, traumatized and half-beaten changeling in the newly designed floor. “I can’t believe you guys gave Shadow Mark and Chaser so much trouble...” He commented, watching as the remaining Behemoth slowly retreated, backwards as his focus remained on the bat-winged teacher. “Yeah, I’m not going to allow that to happen,” Charge said with a whistle, watching as the changeling now retreated at full speed. “I’ve marked you for death.” A shadow pursued the Behemoth. “Shadow Mark’d, to be precise.”

From the rooftops, Anarchy watched a certain hoodied principal glide through the air, as his robes frantically flailed about to the powerful force of air resistance. She spotted something sharp, shimmering through the daylight, once concealed by the robe’s sleeve. A knife.

Shadow Mark arched his back, taking proper aim with his right foreleg  using his left to counteract for perfect striking position and balance. He landed on the Behemoth’s back, executing a perfect air assassination, jagging the blade through its right wing. The changeling was snared, pinned to the ground and unable to move with the blade through his wing. “What’s your name?” Shadow Mark asked.

“H-H-Hyperion,” the Behemoth answered as the pain coursed through his vessels.

“You’re leverage to us now, Hyperion,” Shadow Mark smiled, as he then spoke to himself. “Thanks for the knife-wrench, Omnius, I’ll make sure to clean the blood off it.” He then watched the blade and laughed. "Hohoho! It has two parts, a knife and a wrench!"

---

With two ponies, Chaser and myself, the airfield was getting a bit too... restricted. Restricted as in, we couldn’t move or think properly with every passing changeling, we were doing a terrible job at this. “WE COULD REALLY USE THAT BACKUP PLAN NOW, CHASER!” I shouted through the buzzing of passing changelings. Fighting them were a bit futile at the moment seeing how many had already gotten through.

Yeah, I give up... Joy admitted.

Yeah, me too, maybe we can ask Chrysalis to enroll in her school, Kill said, agreeing with Joy.

“Argh! I KNOW! I KNOW!” Chaser replied, looking at the rooftops of the school. “WHERE IS THAT DAMNED HYBRID!” He gritted his teeth. “ANARCHY, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, DO IT BUCKING NOW!’ No response. “Argh! That’s it, I’m taking control of this!” Chaser exclaimed aggravatingly, ripping a cloud into two, rubbing the pieces together as the once white fluffy clouds turned dark, surging electricity surging through its matter. “I’m going commando!” he shoved both his hooves into both pieces, wearing them as boxing gloves.

“How did you do that?” I said in awe, watching the electrically nature derived boxing gloves.

“It’s my own little trick, and you know... basically, it’s how pegasi make thunderstorms since clouds can’t actually, you know, touch themselves... I just use this for an offensive purpose. Now, stay back, and watch this,” Chaser said, flying towards the oncoming wave of changelings. Alone, the jacketed equine hovered in the middle of the crowd as their potential target. With a smirk, Chaser slowly rose both his hooves, grabbing the attention of his assaulters. “CLEAR!”

CRACKLE-BOOM! He smashed both clouds together, releasing a violent stream of lightning, coursing through the bodies of every changeling within its range. The thunderous roar came afterwards, showing perfect contrast between then, and now. No buzzing. Complete and utter silence.

“Awww bene!” Chaser pumped his hoof in victory, exasperatingly.

AWWW BENE! Kill and Joy followed the teacher in his celebrations.

And then, more changelings. The entire battalion of the sky, even those who had passed, were now aiming at us. “These things don’t know how to give up!” I exclaimed.

“ANARCHY! QUICKLY, BEFORE THEY COME, DO IT NOW!” Chaser desperately shouted for help.

---

“--and that’s why ponytails are better than curls,” Anarchy finished her explanation to the the white mare, pointing to her hair, held snug by nothing more than a pony tail.

ANARCHY! QUICKLY, BEFORE THEY COME, DO IT NOW! An echo trailed through the air, caught by the ears of the draconequus.

“Stand back, Rarity, and cover your eyes. Things are about to get a bit... colorful,” Anarchy warned the mare, pulling out of thin air, a bottle of soapy water. Dipping the stick into the bubbled water no more than three times, the draconequus placed it before her mouth, and simply blew. “Scatter,” Anarchy commanded, sending forth the bubbles towards the playing field, as she had so called it.

---

Hundreds of tiny bubbles aimlessly drifted throughout the sky, untouched by anypony or changeling. Some had flew past me, others came before the changelings, not a single bubble had been disrupted, we all simply watched in awe. “Bubbles, are you freaking kidding me? BUBBLES?!” This must have been the greatest distraction ever!

Of course, there will be that one idiot amongst the rest who just had the desire to poke a bubble when they see it. Sadly, it wasn’t that way, this time around, it was the idiot amongst bubbles that poked the pony, me.

“Hehehe, I’m gonna boop your snout,” I imagined the bubble saying, in a cute, low pitched voice.

When you see bubbles, do not poke them I remembered Cloud Chaser’s advice. 

“I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna boop your snout!” Of course I would let it boop my snout, it was so cute!

Boop* KA-BOOM! The bubble detonated upon contact, setting off a chain of detonations, setting the sky ablaze, painted with various explosions, wiping out every other changeling and inert cloud in its path.

Call it lucky or not, but that was a very miniscule explosion I received compared to the fireworks every other changeling was caught in. In fact, because of that bubble, II was lucky NOT to be caught in that explosion!

Nevertheless, my body was dropping... fast, a trail of smoke behind me.

Weightless.

I’m going to make it.

Clouds beating against my back.

I’m don’t think I’m going to make it.

Consciousness fading. 

I’m not going to make it.

Thud.

Didn’t make it.

My body seemed weightless, light as a feather. My senses received nothing but darkness and quietude. Peace at last.

“Helloooooo,”  a voice called out, trailing off with faded volume, disrupting my peace.Wait a second... I know that voice!

“Hellooooo, it’s time to wake up!” The voice repeated. I swear, I’ve heard that voice somewhere! It was so familiar! It was... mine?!

Opening my eyes in abrupt realization, I had finally, awkwardly awoken to the sound of my own voice... not what I was really expecting, but it would have to do... for now. My vision still blurred, I quickly recognized the pony in front of me. Why? Because it was me! Striped red and white hair, or as some would have called it, candy cane mane, black and white striped vest, and even that white mark parting between my eyes among my icy toned fur.

“Ah, it looks like you’re finally awake! Don’t get up too fast, or you will get a nasty--”

“Ah! Who are you?!” I quickly exclaimed, recoiling from my haunches with a backwards jump, flapping my wings for that extra boost. “AGHH! MY HEAD!” A sudden rush of pressure flooded my brain, verging on the point of passing out again.

“--headache... and what do you mean by, ‘Who are you?’ Don’t you recognize your own consciences?” The lookalike asked with a tilt of his head, standing inert upon the white surface.

“Joy?” I insecurely answered. Looking at the back of him, and if I was correct, the pony behind him should have definitely been Kill. It was them! “JOY! KILL!” I had finally come to realization, rushing the twins with an embrace, joining them as we had now become triplets. “I’m so happy to finally meet you! What are you guys doing here? And how are you so big?! And why is the place so... bland and white?” I continuously uttered questions.

“Nice to finally meet you face to face, Vessel,” Kill nodded, releasing the embrace as I did with them, standing beside Joy with a smile of a trickster plastered upon his face. “And I’m sorry to answer all your questions like this, but you’re actually dead.”

My heart dropped.

“WHAT?! I’M DEAD!?” I shouted as my voice echoed, trailing throughout the vast whiteness of the area.

Cracking his whip-like tail at Kill, Joy snapped at his other half, leaving a bruised, red mark upon the pony’s icy toned flank. “Don’t deceive the stallion like that!” Joy scolded. “Shoo! Go elsewhere and fix the body up while I explain what’s happening to Graze.”

Kill snorted hot air like an enraged bull, aggravated at Joy’s pushiness. “Fine,” He plainly replied, coming into terms of agreement. “But why do I always get to do the hard work!?”

“Because you don’t know how to explain things properly!” Joy responded, shouting to the stallion as he trailed off. To where? I don’t know, because everything just seemed like an endless ocean of vast white.

Trotting away and not even once to glance back, Kill silently answered with an unfurled wing, and with that wing, was one unfolded middle feather. “Yeah, go buck yourself with a rusty saw blade! Sorry you had to hear all that, Graze... that’s sorta what usually happens when we don’t appear at your shoulders... saves you from our bickering at least,” Joy apologized, coughing into his right hoof with a clearing of his throat. “Right! Some explanations are in order! Basically, this is your subconscious. You know, when your mind is not as active as during day, or more preferably, home to Kill, myself and your memories!” Joy paused. “Urgh... right, example! Kill is solely responsible for those weird images, may it be, excuse my language, clop or not, being the reason why you always question yourself, as to how in Equestria can one pony have so much pornographic, dirty material in his mind... which then, of course, leads to those random wingboners and embarrassment.”

“Damn bucking right that’s me! WOOOO! NO SHAME, NO PRIDE!” Kill confessed with, as he said, no shame present. I don’t know whether I wanted to slap Kill, or hug him, some of those images were so... so great, and then others were so... just so wrong.

“GET BACK TO WORK, DAMMIT!” Joy snapped a shout once more, reminding the pony of his duties.

“BLEH!” Kill stuck out his tongue, mocking Joy.

“BLEH!” Joy retorted, facing back to me. “I swear, I can feel my blood pressure rise with that stallion... anyways,” the one third of me waved off the stress. “We’re not big, you’re just our size because this is your subconscious. And I won’t lie to you, but the place isn’t always like this... so empty.”

“So, why is it just... white... and endless?” I curiously asked.

“Oh... right, because you’re not dead... just a stalemate between life and death... you know, like limbo!” Joy said, smiling a bit too happily.

“And you’re not worried... why?”

“Oh! Because, Kill is trying to resuscitate you, and trust me, he is kind of good at that... the irony, right? A pony named ‘Kill’ is trying to revive you! Hahahaha, but don’t worry, he’s had a lot of practice with this situation,” Joy said, reassuringly as he continued his rambling. “Well, you're not actually dying or dead, we're just trying to bring consciousness back to you... you know, once you aren't actually dying, stabbed or profusely losing blood so that we can't actually do anything... you're pretty much screwed then."

“Wowowow, what do you mean, practice?! How many times have I actually been on the verge of death!?” I snapped at Joy, wondering as to how many times have these ponies attempted to kill me.

“Calm down, Graze... this is actually your first time! Trust me, we never tried to kill you... at least I haven’t... wait... nope, I’m pretty sure that one time wasn’t on purpose. By the way, do you know why we say ‘Bless you’ when somepony sneezes?” Joy asked.

“How the buck does that relate to anything of this matter?!” I exclaimed, wondering as to how a sneeze works in this situation.

“It has everything to do with this situation!” Joy frantically exclaimed as he begun his explanation. “Graze, when you sneeze, your heart literally stops for that one second, and because of that, Kill and I have to restart everything in your subconscious. That, my dear vessel, is where he gets the practice from, and why we say ‘Bless you’... it’s quite fascinating really, how one's mind can literally go blank within a second... this is just a tad bit more difficult, but I’m sure he can handle it,” Joy continued to ramble on, and on about the same thing. “Most you should feel when you get back up is fatigue, and a slight headache.”

“Why?”

“Because, we are just fixing your mental status, not your physical screw up of an exploding bubble... how does that even work?” Joy placed a hoof under his chin, thinking of many hypotheses possible while balancing on the remaining three forelegs. “By the way, sorry about that, this could have all been avoided if Kill and I weren’t distracted with the bubbles... really, what are the chances of seeing bubbles everyday?!” Joy happily chimed, soon noticing my bemused expression. “Sorry if I ramble more than often, it’s just so great to have somepony else to talk to other than Kill! I believe Charge called it Symbolic interactionism...”

“Yeah, whatever...” Kill’s voice bemusedly called out with a roll of his eyes, as he approached the two other copies, Joy and myself. “And what are you talking about, not seeing bubbles everyday! Ditzy literally has them tattooed on her flank! And we all know you check that out everyday.”

The blood immediately rushed to my cheeks, blushing as red as a tomato. “N-no I don’t!”

“Honestly, Graze, who are you trying to fool? We are all you! There’s nothing you should hide, and there’s nothing you can hide. C’mon, just admit you like her!”

Interrupting Kill’s barrage of questions and interrogations was Joy, stomping his hoof as he entered the chat between us, which I admit, was really getting uncomfortable.“Hey, before you start harassing Graze, did you finish your task that I kindly asked you to do?”

“Yes I did, mom,” Kill responded with the attitude and sass of a nagged teenager, because to me, he was.

“Wow, that took kinda long.”

“Yeah, because apparently, bubbles now have the ability to self-destruct and almost kill somepony,” Kill replied. “Anyways, everything is fixed, and should be back to normal in at least a minute... sooo, Mr. Smartypants, how do we actually get Graze out of here?” He asked his other half.

Brushing his chin once more, Joy scrunched his face as he thought of a solution. “Well, there are two ways, one, he wakes up by himself--”

“Nope, too long, he’s still in the red zone,” Kill quickly rejected plan A, taking into consideration that my body is still unconscious somewhere.

“I know,” Joy admitted. “And then there’s plan B, we can send him into shock.” Honestly, that didn’t sound too pleasant. “So, who gets the honors, your or me?”

The two ponies shared an undisrupted moment of silence as they glanced at the other. Joy looked at Kill and nodded in my general direction. Kill mimicked Joy’s actions. Silently, both ponies continued this little gimmick until they had reached to a conclusion where Kill pointed at himself and Joy.

“Fine!” Kill argued, breaking the silence as he turned his back with Joy. “We’ll just wait til he--” POW! Abruptly, I was met face to face with Kill’s and Joy’s hooves, unconsciously landing on the floor with an audible thud.

“Sorry, Graze! We had to!” Joy apologized, flailing his tender hoof, watching my body as a foreleg or two occasionally twitched. “He’s regaining consciousness!” He pointed out, seeing as the now transparent, unconscious body slowly faded into nothing but thin air.

G...Z.. WA... ..P!

“We’ve got ears!” Kill notified his counterpart, both of their ears cocking up to a fairly recognisable sound in the distance. “I can’t really hear what that pony is saying, kinda muffled... I-I think it’s Chaser!”

GRA..E, WA..E UP!

“Don’t rush it, Kill! Give it a few more seconds!” Joy warned the other pony, standing beside him.

“GRAZE, WAKE UP! WAKE UP!” Chaser’s voice desperately begged. “C’MON MAN, DON’T DO THIS TO ME!”

“Ears are a-okay! Waiting for visuals!” Kill informed his brother, as the two patiently waited, staring into blank space. Both suddenly fell to their haunches due to a violent, abrupt shaking. “Holy shit! Is Chaser shaking Graze?!”

“C’MON MAN! GET UP! PLEASE, GET UP! Chaser continuously shouted in desperation whilst shaking the unconscious body.

The area that was once blank before Kill and Joy, slowly faded into showing my point of view.

“It’s a bit blurry, but I can still make it out! Graze is back, up and running!” Joy pumped his hoof in success. “Awww yeah!” The two consciences smacked their hooves with each other in celebrations.

“YES! Thank Princess Luna that you’re alive!” Chaser exclaimed, tightly embraced my body. “Listen, Graze, we need to get out of here fast before Chrysalis arrives, can you trot or fly?” 

With a whimper, Kill and Joy watched from my point of view as I desperately tried to move both hoof or wing. The ending result was fatigue, futility and more pain.

“C’mon, Graze, put your hoof around my neck, I’m dragging you out of here,” the jacketed pony leant out his hoof, grabbing mine as he wrapped it around his neck, struggling to pick up my lifeless body. “Man, you gotta go on a diet,” Chaser smirked, dragging me as my hind legs gently brushed against the concrete floor.

---

The ending ping of a teleportation spell alerted the mantis-green pegasus as many hooves stomped the ground, no more than once before him. One stood out among the rest. “Halt, jacketed pegasus! There will be no need for escape,” an unrecognized, feminine voice called out. “Both of you, turn around, and kneel before your new queen.”

Chaser paused at the sound of the voice, and gulped. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be alright,” the long maned equine whispered to me. “Whatever happens, I am not going to leave you here,” Chaser reassuringly said. I responded with exasperated breaths, clinging onto dear life. I remember Joy telling me I was going to have fatigue, but this was unbelievably painful!

“I said kneel before me!” The changeling queen demanded once more, stomping her right foreleg.

“He’s injured! How in Tartarus do you expect him to kneel when he can barely stand for himself!” Chaser said, fighting for me.

“Well, as a queen, I must  be understanding towards my royal subjects! If he cannot kneel, then you must bow to your new queen!”

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell, you damned changeling witch!”

“BOW!”Chrysalis’ words beckoned throughout the battlefield with a mighty roar. “Bow... or your student loses his life!” She threatened. On her final word, a Behemoth appeared before his queen, its curved, cavitied horn glowed a ghastly, vibrant green as it took aim, pointing towards me.

I couldn’t move, and he wasn’t going to abandon me. Chaser had no choice.

Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes and gently rested my near lifeless body upon the floor. My breaths became less of a struggle rather than before, as I had to drag half of my own bodyweight. Thank Celestia for small mercies. Curse Chrysalis for her cruelty.

As my soft breath gently rolled the tiniest of pebbles before me, I strained my eyes to its corner, watching as the scene played out. Chrysalis with a Behemoth beside her, and one lone pegasus that refused to let his student suffer. That same pegasus... had forfeited.

Chaser instantaneously dropped his body weight onto his haunches, kneeling in defeat as his long, tied, brown hair returned into standard position along his neck from the sudden bounce. He gently laid his body upon the floor, his snout gently kissing the concrete as he bowed towards his new queen.

“Now say it,” Queen Chrysalis demanded. Chaser refused for his ego and pride to take such a dip. “Say. It.” The changeling queen said with emphasis on each word whilst clenching her teeth.

Vision swaying, drifting in and out of consciousness. My lifeless body was hung through the fangs of a Behemoth across my collar. Exhaustion. My exasperated breaths continued, praying not to lose focus as I witnessed the upcoming event - Chrysalis’ sovereignty over the school.

I glanced at Chaser beside his new Queen, sulking, his head hung low , possibly contemplating on his actions of the relatively recent past. We exchanged glances, and to his surprise, I was finally, fully conscious...  still experiencing fatigue, but nevertheless, awake. He gave a conscience effort to smile, bringing a glimmer of hope that even as captives, everything was going to be alright... as promised. There was no talking, just marching... marching as the oppressed swarm followed their queen, progressing towards the school’s compounds where awaited the victors of the war. The teachers.

They were still dominating.

Chrysalis stood patient and watched Silent Charge as he, without a scratch nor sweat, bulldozed his way through an entire squadron of her changelings. Watching the janitor, Omnius, she observed as the stallion balanced on his hinds, mercilessly jabbing, bucking left and right continuously at the changelings, flinging them to the battalion once shamelessly downing them. “Come on! Come get some!” Omnius begged for more.

 And finally, she watched over to her competitor for the school, Shadow Mark. His own style was a mixture of Charge’s technique as well as Omnius’, slipping through the slightest gaps of the entire crowd, dodging hits as he continuously moved in rhythm, using every part of his body as an extension to tactically counter his opponents.

From one changeling’s futile attempt at a forebuck, the robbed stallion wrapped his wing around the cavitied hoof, pulling the bug-like pony into a buck between the eyes. His tail wrapped around its hoof, using the body as a projectile to deflect an incoming opponent. Within the moment, a slight breeze flowed through his mane, his eyes casting a view upon a foreleg mere inches from his face. The changeling was grounded, his joint bent to its limits, restrained by Shadow Mark as he repeatedly bucked his left hoof into the changeling’s solar plexus. A double hindleg buck challenged the occupied elder pegasi. The principal didn’t want to, but there was no other choice. He ducked, bringing his constricted victim down with him, recovering with a roll... snapping the changeling’s right foreleg in the process.

With a quick flap of his wings, his recovery from the slight fall was anything but slow, gliding off the ground as he dove into two more, grasping them by their necks, knocked unconscious once slammed against the floor.

“ENOUGH!” Chrysalis’ voice boomed throughout the compound, halting to the fight. She had seen enough of how worthy her changeling grunts and Behemoths had proven. “You didn’t come here to dwindle my army’s numbers further, I’m sure of that. You must want the stallions I have here beside me, but I think you’re aware I won’t let them go without a fight.”

“Chaser, Graze!” The teachers, Charge, Shadow Mark and the janitor, Omnius exclaimed in astonished unison.

“Stand down, stallions,” Shadow Mark ordered, disarming himself of Omnius’ knife-wrench as a sign of peace towards Chrysalis. The remaining two relentlessly obeyed, watching in the background as the principal approached the queen and her hive. “Don’t be too hasty now, Chrysalis. What say you... a proposition?” he requested, calmly.

The cavitied queen simply rose a brow, curious as to what possibly the robed stallion could have offered but what she desired. “Go on...”

“Seventy four of your counted minions alive, including ten Behemoths in exchange for the student and the teacher, alive, of course... no tricks, nothing of those sorts, just a trade of hostages, and we shall be on our way,” the principal offered, metres away from the queen as both stood on the blackened, scorched courtyard.

With a smirk and motion of her head towards the teachers, a changeling marched midway of both groups. Without gesture nor command, a Behemoth trotted in grimace to the side of his queen. “I reject your offer,” Chrysalis said.

“What is she planning?” A confused Omnius questioned beside the suited teacher, both bewildered, focusing on the scene before them.

With a pause, Silent Charge had the answer. “Execution.”

The Behemoth’s horn glowed a lit of ghastly green, taking aim upon the defenseless example.

Disgusted by this act, Shadow Mark, alone, closed his eyes upon the firing of the spell, tightening his grip, hearing the agonizing, blood curdling screech of the changeling. Omnius and Chaser cringed at the act of treacherous betrayal as Silent Charge stood still, his expression stoic, watching the fallen, lifeless upon the concrete. To his final breath, the changeling was still faithful to his queen, basking under her cruel tyranny.

Silence. The remaining changelings honored their dead in complete, utter silence.

The clopping of hooves were abruptly heard, bringing with it the disruption of quietude. It was Shadow Mark. The stallion approached the breathless changeling, his body still warm, scarred from the Behemoth’s concentrated blast. He kneeled upon his haunches, shading the changeling’s body from the sun as he slowly swept his hoof over the departed’s face.

Upon hearing this, changelings among the swarm glanced at each other with wary looks, confused of their enemy’s motives to respect one of their kind. Their minds trailed on about ponies spitting on their graves for what they have done, but as for Shadow Mark? No, he laid the dead to rest, covering the minion with his robe, shielding him from the sun’s rays.

Chrysalis grunted, rolling her eyes at the principal’s motive. “Honorable notion... but a lost cause, nevertheless. As you can see, my swarm has no place for weakness, and this belief in... peace. We live by our own terminology Veni Vidi Vici, no more and nothing less. Once we conquer, we feed.”  

The principal shot a glare at the crowned changeling. “One day, your tyranny will fall at the hooves of your servants... I strongly suggest you change your ways of sovereignty before your faithful changelings have a change of appetite, Chrysalis,” Shadow Mark warned, returning to all his fours, trotting towards the mare.

“And I patiently await for it to come,” Chrysalis smugly challenged the stallion. “But, as of right now, I still have the upper hoof and we haven’t come to a conclusion, since well...” she paused, chuckling at the fallen changeling on the battlefield. “Hehehe, since that obviously didn’t work out... so, here is my one and only condition which you will obey at the stake of your colleagues.”

Shadow Mark nodded, understanding of what she had spoken of so far. “One. Every single student and teacher must bow down to me as their new Queen. Also, the school and all of its property shall be claimed under my possession... or two, I simply kill the teacher and the colt... so, what say you, Mr. Shadow Mark?” Chrysalis asked, explaining her terms and conditions as she repeated the formalities of the principal’s offer.

“DON’T DO IT!” Chaser shouted without hesitation. “THINK ABOUT THE STUDENTS!”

Joy sighed, his eyes focused on Shadow Mark as he trotted towards the changeling Queen. I guess the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

“Don’t... do it,” I whispered through exhaustion with a slow shake of my head. “We’d be fine, sir... just don’t do it... for the sake of the others... please,” I begged of the principal.

He trotted forward. “Don’t do it,” I pleaded, watching as the stallion progressed. “FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THE STUDENTS!” I shouted, tears flowing from my eyes, putting the stallion to a standstill. “DO NOT DO IT!”

With his head hung low, the finally brought himself to look at me, stallion to stallion. “Graze, you’re one of my students as well... it is my right to protect each and every one of you,” Shadow Mark said, looking up and towards the alicorn changeling as he lent out his hoof. “Maybe one day you’d forgive me.”

“NOOO!” I shouted, struggling at the Behemoth’s firm grasp.

Graze, calm down! You’re still fatigued, don’t wear yourself out! Joy advised, reminding me of my current status.

“I’m sorry, ” Shadow Mark apologized, grabbing the right hoof of Chrysalis as he knelt on his hindlegs, agreeing to the conditions of her contract. The school, as well as the will of hundreds of ponies were now in the possession of our new queen, Chrysalis... traded for the assurance of safety of two stallions.

 “All hail Queen Chrysalis,” the principal was the first to say with a hoof sashed across his chest to the superior in rank.

Without a query, Omnius and Silent Charge followed, bowing to their newly appointed queen. “All hail Queen Chrysalis,” alone the janitor said as the teacher beside him simply ignored protocol.

“Good. Now take them to the auditorium where the entire school can see the downfall of their beloved teachers... and make sure that incompetent brat is last,” she quickly snapped an order. I knew she couldn’t have been talking about me. “We have a little... surprise for all of you.”

Did she just call us incompetent? Joy asked.

I’m not sure what that means, but I definitely know the word after it Kill said, hovering beside as he glared at the cavitied queen.

“I don’t like the sound of this,”Omnius admitted, returning to his fours with Charge who still maintained his stoic expression.

“Me neither, I hate when Anarchy does that to us,” Silent replied, following the ways of a prisoner, allowing a Behemoth to blindfold him as others did to us. “Okay, this is new.”

Based on our ears alone, the five of us- Charge, Omnius, Chaser, Shadow Mark and myself - were guided towards the auditorium as we followed our beloved queen to where our surprise had patiently awaited.

---

The interior of the school was dead quiet. Save for our hooves beating against the wooden floor board,  not a sound nor a whisper could have been heard.

Talking was forbidden.

We were now at the similar, demeaning social rank of our enemies. Mere grunts.

---

Blinded and planted firmly upon our knees, it was apparent that we had arrived at our destination, each of us captive knowing that nothing good could have come out of this.

The glaring rays from the roof’s artificial lighting scorched our sensitive retinas as the blindfolds were roughly yanked from the side of our heads. We simultaneously grunted in pain, squinting and continuously blinking our eyes to regain proper visual coordination from the quick transition from dark to light.

Damn it! That’s the second time today! Kill complained.

Just hurry up and fix the visuals... Joy facehoof’d.

Dozens upon dozens of multi-colored blurs filled the area before us. We strained our eyes, hoping that what we had seen was all part of a nightmare.

 “Oh no...” Shadow Mark muttered under his breath.

Every single student that populated the school had been entranced by Chrysalis’ hypnotic spell. Their corneas were colored a hazy green as they stared into nothingness. Everypony including my friends.

“VINETION! PINKIE!” I yelled, spotting each by their original color schemes. And then, I saw her. My heart ached to see that one blonde, grey mare ripped free and stolen of her free will. “DITZY! DITZY, SNAP OUT OF IT!” I tried my best to escape and reach the mare, only to find myself restrained, my hooves bound together by some sort of weird goo. “DITZY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!” I struggled again, pleading for a response from the mare.

What about Grim? Joy asked. He’s like... right there.

… eh. Kill shrugged.

“Tsk tsk tsk,”Chrysalis teased, lifting my head to her gaze, “is that your special somepony?” she asked. I looked away from her alien eyes, releasing myself from her grasp with a slight blush. “Oh, there is no need to doubt yourself, Graze... that is what they call you, right?” I ignored. “Oh come now... I can literally taste your love for the mare.” Gritting my teeth, I made a conscious effort to ignore the slender being with closed eyes. An abrupt sound and a green flash later, I found myself peering at the changeling queen once more, entranced by her looks... it was... Ditzy. “Am I more appealing in this state?” My gaze was now fixed on her. “Come, Graze, just one kiss...” she begged in a mocking tone. “Just one?”

You know... technically, that is Ditzy Kill stated, sharing glances with Joy, myself and at the mare who was puckering her lips.

NO! Both Joy and I quickly denied.

Fine, fine! Kill immediately backed off as he flew closer towards Joy. I have a better idea, just give me control for twenty seconds.

Why? I asked.

Just trust me. I hated it when Kill says that. You sure, man? This is an opportunity of a lifetime the little devil conscience tempted.

No I bemusedly responded.

Fine.

“Let me feed on your love,” Chrysalis seducingly whispered, closing her temporarily crossed eyes.

“Just one couldn’t hurt...” I agreed, mentally shrugging since my hooves were... well, you know, bind together.

Puckering my lips, I enclosed the distance between myself and the not-so secretly admired mare.

“Graze, how could you?!” Chaser barked at me, struggling from his spot. “If I could have moved, I would be bucking you upside the head, right now!” Taking advantage of Chrysalis’ closed eyes, I quickly winked at Chaser, playing out my little scheme.

As the mare drew closer, I had become rather offended by the stench of love leaking from her breath. On the spot, rocking back and forth, I had gained enough momentum to headbutt the unsuspecting mare.

POW! She stumbled backwards, losing concentration on her disguise, revealing her true identity once more... all at the cost of slight recoil. “Not a snowball’s chance in Tartarus!” I spat on the stage’s surface.  “Well, what do you know? Love really does stink!”

“Why, you worthless piece of shit!” Chrysalis hissed, slapping me with the back of her hoof. “I am going to enjoy every moment, watching your friends and teachers suffer... starting with you!” She pointed to Charge, the first in line.

“Who? Me?” The Physics teacher acted surprised. You can tell because he never looked surprised... maybe in the sarcastic way when I forgot that homework, but he was never, ever surprised. Ever. “Well, I’m waiting,” he smugly replied, challenging his newly appointed queen.

Chrysalis stomped her hooves in anger due to the low levels of disrespect she had received so far. “The queen does need a king after all.” She glared into the eyes of the larger pony as her horn glimmered with a phased transparent green. Deeper and deeper she dwelled into the mind of Mr. Charge, living his memories, unlocking secrets and--

“AAAAGGGHHHH!” Chrysalis screamed in agonizing pain. The immense mental pressure placed on her conscience caused tears to stream from her sudden bloodshot, red eyes. “AAAAGGGHHHHH! PLEASE STOP!” She fell onto the floor, uncontrollably trembling as she lost all sense and control of her body. In her twitches, she strained her eyes onto the restricted, alicorn sized stallion. “H-Wha- what was that?!” She whimpered, suffering from anxiety. “WHY DIDN’T MY SPELL WORK ON YOU?!”

Charge showed off a grin, chuckling with his answer, a quite simple one. “My heart has already been taken...” he paused, glaring at his assaulter, “and buried with.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened to size of saucers, whispering to herself in sudden realization, “She’s... dead.” Charge nodded. “But that shouldn’t matter!” She exclaimed, still traumatized upon the floor. “What was that... horrid feeling?”

“Hatred. Pure hatred.” Charge replied. “I hate what you’re doing. I hate how you treat your subjects. I hate your existence, and just so that I make this abundantly clear,” Charge paused, inhaling deeply through his snout. “I. Hate. You.” 

Through the momentary silence, his ears randomly cocked up to the sound of, to what I heard, nothing. “Come on out, Anarchy,” he announced. “You can handle the rest.”

A stream of hellfire spawned on the auditorium’s stage with the sound of her name. The draconequus appeared, approaching the mentally tortured queen from ashed spot. Anarchy  was pissed. “I warned you... I gave you a second chance, and you take advantage of my good will?! I have half a mind to rip you to shreds!” The hybrid scolded, gripping the changeling by her neck with her sharpened talons ready to slash. “Do you know what’s worse than chaos?”
Chrysalis strained herself to shake her head. “Reality,” Anarchy answered. “The reality that I overlooked our past and still found a way to forgave you. No more of that. No holding back.”

“Anarchy, stop,” Shadow Mark warned. She ignored.

“The reality knowing that I am going to enjoy every second of this as each passing moment is only going to be more painful than the last.”

“Put her down, Anarchy!” Shadow Mark yelled. Gripping tighter on Chrysalis’ neck, the hybrid ignored as her claws poked into the changeling’s skin. With sufficient force upon the grip’s lock, a drop of blood, streamed down the queen’s neck, unto her chest and finally, splattered the floor. “Stop the madness right now!” Shadow Mark ordered.

“Do you know what the lion’s paw is about?” Anarchy questioned the gasping queen, whimpering a response. “It’s basically that wild bloodlust a lioness feels, willing to do anything to protect her cubs... even if it includes death... and I saw you hit Graze.”

“A-Anar-chy! Pl-ease!” Chrysalis begged for forgiveness, desperately grabbing onto the draconequus’ arms for mercy. “I’m sorr-y!”

“Yeah, me too.” Anarchy poked the mare’s neck with one of her sharpened talons, slightly scarring it at the side.

Holy shit... Kill and Joy awed in unison. She’s going to do it!

“I guess the other half of my mind won,” She said, dropping the changeling queen. Anarchy sighed, watching as Chrysalis flailed, gasping to refresh her lungs. “I don’t think I would be ever able to forgive myself if I ever turned out as something as horrible as you,” Anarchy walked away and paused in her tracks. “Get the fuck out of my sight,”  she ordered. Chrysalis paused, unable to think clearly as the machinations of her mind were still recovering from the lack of deprived air. “NOW!” Terrified and without hesitation, Chrysalis quickly nodded, teleporting herself and every other changeling within the vicinity.

With Chrysalis finally gone, Anarchy snapped her talons, undoing the damage Chrysalis had caused, reversing the hypnotic hex on the students. In a daze, mutters and mumbles filled the school’s auditorium, most students confused as to what was happening, others with slight head traumas.

Immediately, I rushed towards Ditzy with a quick flap of my wings as I tackled the mare with an embrace. “Ditzy, thank the princesses you’re safe!” I tightened the hug, nuzzling the mare’s coat.

“Graze, what has gotten into you?!” Ditzy shockingly exclaimed with a slight blush... and then, as I pulled away from the embrace, she noticed ‘it’. “OH MY GOSH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE!?” She examined the perfect example to a street mobbed victim who had been repeatedly bucked in the face... or in my case, bubbles.

Ooooo somepony is in trouble! Kill laughed, hanging on my left shoulder.

Well, Ditzy’s pissed and you’re bucked... I guess everything is back to normal, Joy pointed out on my other shoulder.

“Graze! Listen to me when I’m talking to you!” Ditzy interrupted my inner conversation as she yanked my head back to focusing on her. “What happened to your face?”

This was going to be hard to explain. “Well... you see, erh...”

---

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? A BUBBLE CAUSED THAT?! Anarchy laughed, hearing Ditzy’s shout throughout the hall, overpowering the chatters of the confused crowd. STOP LYING AND GET BACK HERE!

HEY! VINETION, PINKIE... GRIM! HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING?! The draconequus continued to watch as I purposely tried to evade the mare.

OH NO YOU DON’T! YOU MADE A PROMISE, GRAZE! GET BACK HERE! The Philosophy teacher finally bursted into a fit of laughter at the scene before her.

“Nice work there, Anarchy,” Chaser praised the draconequus as he simply passed by with Omnius following behind.

“We couldn’t have done it without ya,” the janitor smiled, exiting the stage as he left to enjoy the moment with the other baffled students.

Shadow Mark was the next. “I’m proud of you, Anarchy... not only for saving the school, but for saving our lives. Thank you,” Shadow Mark said, trotting off the stage as he joined his fellow members of staff.

All who was left, was no other pony than Silent Charge. He didn’t thank her, he didn’t approach her... he simply smiled, watching over the students as they interacted with their beloved teachers. In the slightest, it didn’t seem to bother her, she had already completed her deed. With that thought in mind, she proceeded to the stage’s exit, wanting to join her fellow members of staff.

“Wait.” Anarchy paused in her tracks, hearing Charge’s voice. “Why didn’t you hypnotize her?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. “Couldn’t it have been easier?”

The draconequus glanced at the stallion with a sigh. “Because she’d already been corrupted,” she answered. “Corrupted with power... corrupted with sin... she couldn’t possibly be any worse than she already was. It won’t have made any sense.”

“Hmph, it would have been much easier if we actually followed the backup plan,” Charge rolled his eyes.

“Yes, I know... but she needed to see what she’d caused... who she’d become. You can call what I did, a favor... a favor for an old friend. I promise, we won’t be seeing her around anytime soon.”

“Oh, I know,” Charge smiled, slowly trotting away from the scene.

“And by the way, Charge?” The suited teacher stopped mid in his tracks, hearing Anarchy’s voice once again. “My condolences.”

“...” Charge acknowledged the hybrid with a nod, and continued on his path.

---

Within the confinements of her throne room, the changeling queen sat upon her haunches, still driven with fear from today’s events. Servants tended to her every wish and wound as she trembled in paranoia, profusely sweating. The mind allowed no rest for the wicked as the scene from Charge’s thoughts repeated itself over, and over again. She was scarred for life.

“Forever watching... don’t look... or it will take you...” she continuously repeated.

The next few weeks went by mostly without incident. Everypony went back to their normal daily lives, the finishing touches were being put on the repairs, and most importantly, we didn’t have anymore major apocalyptic disasters. Yup, everything was back to normal status... everything except for one pony: Omnius. Standing on the school’s rooftop, Principal Shadow Mark had already tasked the busy janitor with another “unique” objective once his last was completed.

There was only one obstacle blocking Omnius’ path... a wall... a structured block of four walls leading to the school’s bell tower. Easy for a pegasi to escalate, right? Well, you see, that was the problem... Omnius was an earth pony without a ladder.

“Dammit, Shadow Mark! Why does the school even need a diving board?!” the blue-jump suited pony mumbled through the plank of wood in his mouth. “And more importantly, why doesn’t the school have any bucking ladders?!” He shouted at the perfectly unscalable, red bricked wall. “Twilight’s lucky enough she has magic to reach the bookshelves!”

Ohohoho, Omnius! Don’t you know that ladders are dangerous to have in possession? Statistics show that having a ladder in the house is more dangerous than a knife. That’s why I have two blades, six throwing knives, one crossbow and a gun... just in case some maniac tries to sneak in a ladder. The words of the principal echoed through the confinements of Omnius’ mind. Do you know how long seven years of bad luck can last? That’s 2555 days.

Sir, that is seven years, all you did was convert it into days Omnius remembered answering his director.

Sounds worse, doesn’t it?

“Right, seven years of bad luck... stupid ladders,” Omnius rolled his eyes, leaning his back against the bricked wall providing both him and the plank at his side with cool shade. “It’d be so much easier if sir was here...” he sighed, staring upward at the bell tower. “Wait... why couldn’t he be here, again?”

Mr. Charge is preparing something big for the entire Physics class for a certain topic, so while he does that, I shall substitute for him! The principal’s words answered once again in the machinations of Omnius’ conscious.

“Riiiight... flashbacks,” Omnius grunted in defeat. “I’m gonna have to get this done one way or another, I guess.”

---

The atmosphere of the physics class was polluted with sound, a constant uproar with the absent, dreadful teacher that drew breath over their necks. On this extremely rare occasion, there must have been a pretty damn good reason as for why  Mr. Charge was either late or absent. It was strange, really, as according to fellow members of staff, Mr. Charge had never in his career missed a day.

Desk beside desk, the two pegasi alike, Ditzy and Vinetion promoted the act of the uproar with continuous small talk. “Mr. Charge is never late, what do you think happened?” Ditzy asked the olive mare, quiet as she sat alone, probably bored out of her skull.

“I don’t know, but I have this weird feeling in my stomach that something strange is going to happen,” Vinetion bemusedly replied, twiddling her hoof in circles on the desk as another supported her by the cheek.

“Aw c’mon, why do you have to be so pessimistic?” Ditzy shared her complaint, smiling, beaming her rays of non-stop joy. “To you, it seems like we can’t ever have a regular, good day.”

“Nope.”

“Ugh, just you wait and see,” the blonde mare waved her hoof, shooing away her negativity. “I can bet you five bits that today will be completely normal.”

SLAM! The classroom’s door was bucked wide open, revealing a certain director of the school, Shadow Mark. “Settle down, class, settle down,” he hushed the class, seemingly busy as he trotted towards the desk with his belongings. Just at sight of the substitute, Ditzy reached a hoof to the floor where her saddlebags gently laid, rummaging in search for her purse.

“Don’t worry, blondie,” Vine halted the mare from her side of the bet. Ditzy was completely shocked at Vinetion’s refusal, responding to this with a smile and an oncoming embrace.  “You can pay for my lunch, instead,” Vinetion quickly inserted as her moon of negativity eclipsed Ditzy’s beam of rainbows and sunshine.

“I hate you, so much,” the blonde mare bemusedly replied, focusing her attention at the teacher in front who had begun his introductions.

“Bongiorno, class!” Shadow Mark greeted, picking up a marker as he did so. “For those of you who don’t know, today you shall address me by Prof-”

The principal suddenly paused from writing his name on the whiteboard. Oh crap, does “professor” have one F or two? he thought to himself, stressing over the difficulty of the situation. Merda, they’re all staring at me! C’mon, think! Professor... the stallion continued to contemplate on the mapping of the word. I don’t know! Just do something, hoof! He broke into the submission of another F, quickly scribbling it onto the board beside the first. Two F’s... yeah, that looks right... I think.

At the polar opposite of the class, way at the back and unnoticed by any pony, Grim slowly shook his head in disapproval. Shadow Mark took this to heart, cringing as he made a slow, frightful dash at the base of the letter, transforming it into an E. Grim silently showed his approval of this correction with a nod, allowing the teacher to continue his lesson.

“Right, now that that’s over with, today you shall address me by Professor Shadow Mark as for this once in a lifetime opportunity, I am Mr. Charge’s substitute,” he continued his formalities, centering the class’ attention upon him. “And today, I shall be teaching you physics!” The light blue marker violently squeaked as he wrote the subject’s title below his name, with a neat underline.

“So... physics!” He closed the writing instrument, randomly flinging it onto the desk once its blood oath had been fulfilled. Trotting to another student, Twilight, he repeated that very word. “Physics, ey! Physics!” Shadow Mark continued to exclaim, trotting to each side of the class, his focus on everypony. “Phhhhhyyysics!” his voice trailed off the name of the subject, ending with a slightly more high pitched tone, “Physics!”

“Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics!” the hoodie wearing stallion emphasised as he leaned his back against Charge’s desk, inhaling deeply through his nostrils. “I hope all of you are getting this down.”

Facehoofing in agonizing boredom, Vinetion slammed her head against the desk. “Ditzy,” she called out, muffling words through the wooden surface. “Do you have time for two questions?”

“Sure, what are they?” Ditzy nodded.

“Where the buck is Graze, and why isn’t he suffering with us?” she asked, staring at the empty seat beside her.

“You think Graze knew and didn’t tell us?” Ditzy asked, willing to accept all theories of my absence. “Well, you know, since he is Cloud Chaser’s apprentice and all, do you think he gets special treatment?”

“I am going to kill him if he does,” Vinetion warned, gritting her teeth.

---

Hidden amongst the fluffy clouds of the sky, and far from anypony’s sight, two pegasi of magister and apprentice faced each other as the elder one began to converse. “Graze, you had me scared for a moment there... when that bubble exploded and I saw your body drop, I swore to Luna that you were dead," Cloud Chaser broke the silence. "I don’t think I could have forgiven myself if I allowed you to die.”

“Don’t worry, Chaser, that was almost a month ago, just forget about it,” I hopefully washed away the worries of the stallion. “It was my fault anyways, I forgot abo-”

“No, it wasn’t!” he disrupted my speech with an exclamation. “You were my wingman, and I was yours, we pegassist each other, we look out for each others backs, that’s how it works! What if you didn’t make it?! Have you even worried about that?” He shouted, taking a stand from his relaxed seat upon his haunches. I chose no to respond. “Every single day since that incident, my mind allowed no rest from what I saw...” he paused, relaxing his body from the immediate surge of distraught.

I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I feared for the answer. “What did you see?”

“...” his mouth opened, but no sound was heard. “You won’t believe the amount of relief I felt when I saw your eyes open, a sign of life. Graze, I honestly hated being in limbo, not knowing whether you’d make it or not."

“And thanks to us, you did! Well, mostly me since I did all the work!” Kill boasted, appearing by the side of my left shoulder.

“Oh shut up, this isn’t the time for bragging rights,” Joy called him out, appearing and in a flash, disappearing with his other half. I simply ignored their little gimmick, continuing my conversation with Chaser.

“But, I’m alive, right? That’s all that matters, case closed,” I said, unworried of the situation, trying to change the sour topic as quickly as possible.

“No, Graze, case reopened. Do you remember that swarm of changelings?”

I nodded. “Oh yeah! We took out like fifty or so, until the big swarm came... but thanks to you and that wicked lightning move, you saved us both!” I reminisced on how the lightning surged through the swarm, electrocuting each grunt of the battalion within its range. “And then, well, an even bigger swarm came.”

“That’s the point, Graze, what if I’m not here to back you up? What if such situation occurs that you have no choice but to fight back, and then, Luna forbid, the worst happened?” I gulped at my teacher’s remark.

“Chaser, what are you getting at?” I questioned his motives.

“What I’m getting at is, I can’t leave you defenseless if something like that happens again. I’m sorry, man, but with what happened, if I wasn't there, I’d be sobbing over your tombstone all now,” he truthfully admitted, killing my spirit in the process.

“Graze,” he called out, staring at me with determined eyes. I returned the stare within the silent pause, the chilling wind blew as it flowed through our manes, taking this moment to stare into the soul of the other through the eyes as our gates. “It’s time I teach you how to perform the Denryū.”

It was my first time hearing that word "Denryu" or however the buck it was pronounced... I’m pretty sure there was supposed to be a roll of the tongue by the ‘r’. There was little doubt in my mind that it even was a word, but nevertheless, it sounded kinda cool to me.

Between the two of us, the silent blowing wind answered for my cluelessness on the word at hoof. Thankfully, Cloud Chaser had begun to explain before he realized my doubt in the word. "Denryū is a cloud offensive tactic, Graze," the young teacher informed, gesturing a hoof as we both sat upon the very same cloud spot that shaded the school's compounds. "I've seen you perform defensive, though. Using that cloud as a shield against Grim was very smart, but uhhh... I don't know if you actually knew what you were doing or just running for cover, but nevertheless, you did it! So, congrats!"

... I'm going to be honest here and go with "avoiding hospitalization", Joy admitted, listening to Cloud as he laid on top my candy cane mane with Kill at his side. To those two conscience freeloaders, the top of my head was like a balcony of some sort, VIP seating and top of the world feeling- the wind in your mane, nopony can beat you and the best seat in the house as you watch every lower class pony have to painfully trot to their destination- yeah, those two were living the good life.

"Erm, I just winged it... guts feeling, you know?" I modestly answered with a sheepish smile. At the back of my head, I cringed, remembering the stinging pain of those tiny green bullets against my back.

With a simple nod of approval and bland characterization, "Mhmm," Chaser proceeded onto explaining the basics of the cuminulimbus based skill. "Take this session as a ‘two-birds-one-stone’ sort of training; your first weather skill and your first offensive tactic," Chaser said, tickling my fancy in the slightest. "To make thunder clouds, all we need is a little friction... here, let me show you," he said, grabbing his cloud between his hooves. "ARGH! Right, that should do it!" he grunted, splitting the nimbus in half. "Now, this is where the weather part kicks in, the lightning... let me just make sure you have step one down, and do what I did," he demanded of me.

"You mean rip a cloud?"

"Yeah, should be simple, right?" he said with his usual smug-like smile. With a carefree shrug, I hovered myself to the nearest cloud possible with a lazy beat of my wings.

In reach of the arbitrary cloud, I glanced back at the only other pegasus for his approval upon my choice. "This one good?!" I exclaimed due to the parting distance between us.

"Any will do!" he replied, patiently waiting for the lesson to start. "Now stay there and rip the cloud apart... remember, we want two separate clouds!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the point!" I answered the naggy teacher, gripping the ends of the cloud, forcefully ripping it apart into two. "Yes!" I cried out in victory, celebrating with the ever so popular flight maneuver, The loopty loop. "WOOHOO!"

"Alright, alright, calm down, Graze, your ability to rip cotton impresses me," Chaser sarcastically added with his smug look. "Now, let's try and conduct some electricity into this bad boy. First, firmly grasp the two clouds in each hoof, and by firmly grasp, I mean rip them a new one... like this," Chaser demonstrated with a buck of his forehooves through both pillows of cotton, wearing them as boxing gloves.

Hehehe, clouds are getting the soap treatment, Kill chuckled.

"Now, here comes the tricky part," he warned. Only now did I  realize how ridiculous he looked with pillows for hooves. One part of me wanted to shout “PILLOW FIGHT!” like a teenage mare and hit Chaser with the cloud, while the other part demanded that I learned this way of self defense. You could only guess which conscience said which.

 "As I said before, this is caused by friction, so all you gotta do is rub the clouds together, and that's it! Easy, right?"

Getting into the motion of things and based on previous observations, I followed as Chaser did during the Changeling breakout. "Like this?" I asked, curious of my progress.

Sparks continuously flew out  with each furious dash of the clouds upon the other. Both pieces grew dark and more ominous over time, their soft, fluffy, whiteness now becoming a danger zone as sparks wildly discharged from the thick, darkened surface.

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine," he lazily said, waving a hoof in response to show approval of my progress. "Just make sure not to- wait, what are you doing?! NOT SO MUCH! STO-"

CRACKLE-BOOM!

In awe, Cloud Chaser observed as his long, black mane washed to the sides of his face with a forceful violent wind, the vaults of heaven raged on with flashing thin bolts of light as that alone cleared every cloud in its path once struck with the casted misfortune. A thunderous explosion boomed throughout the mid-afternoon sky almost deafening both the teacher and myself.

Holy buck! That woke up the neighbourhood! Captain Obvious, Kill pointed out.

Set in daze by the lightning, confused about time and space and temporarily knowing the meaning to life, I drunkenly danced my way throughout the sky, tipping on my hooves as I flew towards Chaser. "Hehehe, I just don't know what went wrong," I clumsily chuckled, shaking off the ebony smug from my icy coat.

"Wow..." Chaser remarked in awe. "You did it, Graze! You did it! ... sort of," Chaser congratulated me with a celebratory pat on the back. "So, you got the gist of it, right?"

"Yeah! Get the cloud, rip it, and rub the buck out of it!" I excitedly said with a quick mutter of the lips, overcharged by the electric current as it coursed through my veins.

YES! I AM FULLY CHARGED! HAHAHAHA! Kill maniacally laughed as the electricity sparked through his hooves, dying off that in that very instant.

Ha! Serves you right! Joy teased, sticking his tongue out.

Tilting his hoof, Chaser half-heartedly agreed with my statement. "Urhm, well yeah, sort of... just don't overdo the charge, and you'd be fine... and not mentally damaged." Too late for that. "Oh yeah, and a tip: when you see a cloud violently discharge electricity... yeah, it's going to explode. The bigger the cloud, the more electricity it can conduct, aaand the more chance of it killing somepony."

"And how am I not dead?" Curiosity lead me to ask.

"Because, I am not stupid enough to let you grab hold of a big cloud you can't handle. If one of those gets out of control, the school can be in serious trouble with my hind served on a silver platter," Chaser foretold, warning me of the casualties of weather maintenance.

"Yes, Cloud Chaser, and if you very well know it can endanger the school, why teach that to a pony like Graze? Hm?" A third, familiar voice entered the conversation... and neither of us liking the sound of it. "A word if you may?"

Did anyone just feel the testosterone levels increase by 9000%? Joy asked, curious as to why he felt a beard growing.

I don't know, why, but I feel like wrestling a manticore, Kill agreed... sort of.

"Mr. Charge, dammit," Chaser muttered beneath his breath, cursing at the abrupt appearance of his polar opposite. "Hello, Mr. Charge! What a wonderful day, isn't it? How are you?" Chaser faked his enthusiasm in greeting the stern, and apparently, sufficiently pissed off stallion.

"Stop horsing around and get over here, Cloud," Charge demanded as he hovered mid-air before us, his stoic expression proving worthy to conceal his true motives.

Following orders without hesitance, Cloud Chaser lazily flew towards the formally attired stallion. His exasperated sigh alone announced his stress as he asked, "And on what Tartarian's hex do I receive this kind visit? Nightmare Night isn't in a while, you do know that, right?"

Flaring his nostrils, it hadn't been the first time Charge had received disrespect from this particular member of staff. He had grown accustomed to it. "I am guessing you and Graze are the one's who created the thunder, am I right?"

"Yep."

"Why in Celestia's beard are you teaching him something like that!?" Charge scolded, heading directly to the point.

"For his own safety, what else?" the younger teacher answered, his silent hiss countering Charge's. "You saw what happened... if it weren't for me when those changelings came, he would have very well been buried by now, and you know it. As his teacher and more importantly, guardian, I would like to give him a sense of security," Chaser explained, putting his hoof down. "And what in the buck do you mean ‘somepony like Graze’?"

"You very well know what I mean, Chaser. Somepony just like you. Bashful. Outspoken. Sarcastic. And look at this, you're even teaching him to become a weather pony. All four examples proven in one shot."

Chaser hovered quietly, letting the meaning of Charge's harsh words burn into the back of his subconscious.

"Hmph, nothing. As usual, that's all you can say, because you know I'm right. Giving that power to somepony like Graze is like giving Anarchy sovereignty over the school. We don't know what is going to happen, but when it does, I assure you, we aren't going to like the outcome," Charge continued with an analogy, turning his back before taking off. "Just let the boy get back to his books," he announced, returning to his usual volume. "Something you've never done."

"You know, Charge, you're right," Chaser words of admittance brought the larger stallion to a standstill shock. Never in one thousand years would Charge imagine this fantasy become a reality. "You're right about me and that means, you're probably right about Graze. But, only Shadow Mark knows the reason why he permitted me as his guardian. If it wasn't so, he could have easily rejected my request, or pick another teacher pegasi with properly functioning wings, those being only you and me. And guess who he picked? Somepony like me, who is somepony like him, not you. I have faith in Graze... something you never had in me, or anypony."

It was now Charge's turn for silence, his stoic glare gazed upon the smaller teacher beneath his shade, detesting the fact to be proven wrong. "Graze doesn't need to be fed negativity or fear like everypony else. Ponies don't respect you, Charge. They fear you, and that's plain wrong for a teacher. And for a science teacher, you haven't realized the irony about this. These so called facts and observations you're supposed to abide by? Yeah, throw it out the window for all you care, you just downright ignore them because you choose to." The younger pony fought back with lashing words that demeaned Charge's pride to one of a kindergartner. "You can only impose fear, Silent. Respect is earned... something you don't deserve."

Opening his mouth in crushed defeat, Silent Charge was lost for words. His fellow member of staff utterly destroying his pride with something more frigid than himself, the truth. "I despise you, Chaser."

"You always have, sir, and the same could be said here. For a pony, you could have never said anything positive, and I have never figured out why," Chaser continued, both teachers never once breaking eye contact. "Maybe it's because I never feared you like some ponies did, but why should I? You're just miserable and a bully, and I've had enough of your crap. You can't do that to me anymore, and I won't allow you to do that same thing to Graze. Ever."

"Excuse me," I gathered both teacher's attentions. "Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but did you just call him sir?"

"Yes, Graze, I did," Chaser answered keeping his eyes on Charge. "Seven years ago, about your age, I too was learning Denryū, and my teacher was none other than Silent-hoofing-Charge, and I couldn't stand it. Life lesson, Graze, don't let anypony tell you what you can or cannot do... there are always other ways, trust me on this," Chaser gave a warrior's smile in the face of Charge. He did not like that.

"All this talk and no walk? Huh, this isn't a surprise from you, Chaser. But, you're right, you can't stop me from what I can or cannot do... so, for the fun of it, I'd like to make a deal, not with you, but with Graze... something you should be familiar with, artist." Charge chose not to appoint the teacher by his name, nor did he choose to look him in the eyes, but more so at me. "Graze, you can thank your ‘guardian’ for this one. Because of Chaser, you now have two tests at the end of this month. One, to pass my own, which may be impossible, and two, you perfect the Denryū without that training wheel we call a cloud... there is no choice but to agree to this, or else. Likewise if you fail either test, I can drop you from Physics, or ask Shadow Mark to relieve Chaser as your guardian... or both."

In silence and unmoved by the teacher's proposition, I think I felt my heart drop.

"Mr. Charge, I am so happy I came back to this school as a teacher," Chaser remarked, cracking his neck.

"And why is that?" Charge questioned, his attention now on Chaser where the artist wanted it. "So that you can tell me off?"

"No, so I can do this," Chaser gritted his teeth and hook-bucked Charge directly in his jaw with blinding speed, his hoof invisible to the naked eye.

Silent's neck twisted to the right as he endured the pain, facing Chaser once he spat out a drop of blood. "You must have a death wish, Cloud."

"I do, and it's to see you go down."

Author's Note: Okay, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I am sorry for this. At the moment, I am currently making extreme revisions with multiple proof-readers to send this to EQD... again. Don't worry, the plot won't change, I am just introducing characters in different manners. So, enjoy this little fight scene, and I hope when I do the revisions, you enjoy that too. For example, this is around 1400 words... when enhanced, it shall be a nice 3000.

---

---

“You must have a death wish, Chaser,” Charge’s calm voice breathed upon the smaller stallion, his neck strained to glare at his past student. Silent Charge grabbed Chaser by his flyer’s jacket, pulling him into a bucking forehoof, rupturing his stomach as he twisted his hoof deeper into the artist’s skin. The struggling equine returned the coughed blood, his eyes dilated, straining at the corner to death glare his past teacher. “So, you want to play with the big boys, C-student Chaser?” the buffer stallion questioned with no response from the free loader resting on his hoof.

From the background, I rested on my cloud, cringing in pain for my teacher, his pain overbearing the limits of any normal stallion.

Dazed, my eyes flickered, playing me as its fool. In and out, the vision of a younger Chaser, mere centimetres shorter than his present height stood beside his teacher, Mr. Charge... pretty much looking the same.

---

The entire sky is our training field, Chaser... let’s get started, shall we?

---

“The entire sky is our battlefield, and there’s a lot of you to go around. Let’s get started, shall we?” Charge quoted from what I assumed to be his previous self.

“Uhm, am I going crazy, or did I see what I just think I saw?” Kill asked, sharing glances with Joy.

“No, no, you’re not insane... I saw it too,” Joy responded in simultaneous confused blinks with Kill.

Relieving Chaser from his grasp, Silent Charge enlocked both forehooves, slamming them upon his opponent’s vulnerable back sent plummeting toward Equestria’s earth.

Roaring winds beat against his sensitive ears, sending his mane in anarchy as they stung his cheeks with random flail. In slight consciousness, he focused downward to see the ever expanding ground, his mind abruptly rushing with thoughts to save himself. Dammit, I’m going too fast! At this speed, opening my wings is going to snap them! his eyes darted desperately in search for a cloud. C’mon, Luna, gimme something, gimme something-AHA! Cloud Chaser was blessed with an arbitrary cloud, a gift from the princesses as he leant his body toward the cumulinimbus’ general direction.

Embracing for impact, not a moment too soon, the cloud solidified with the pegasus’ magic touch as it absorbed the shock from the crash landing. In a daze, Chaser’s distorted vision was sent spiraling, blinded by a thin haze for a temporary cover. His ears in traumatic screech and recovering from the fall, the artist rolled to his side and regurgitated anything that could have been considered breakfast. “Ugh, nasty,” he whinnied from the aftertaste with exasperated breaths.

A dark silhouette appeared before the mist, bat wings unsheathed representing nothing more than a Tartarian’s beast.

---

C’mon, Chaser, get up! GET UP!-

---

“-IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!” Charge scolded, finishing the sentence of his former self through the transparent haze.

POW! The underdog appeared from the mist in full assault, hooking the larger stallion with a critical buck to his jaw. “WHAT. IS. YOUR. PROBLEM!?” Chaser furiously exclaimed with continuous pounds on each cheek.

Reaching back for one final forebuck, the physics professor advantaged the moment with a quick shield of his chiropetra wings to absorb the final blow. Unsheathed in parry, Silent Charge reemerged from his barrier with a bellow, successfully flipping his foe upside down with countered tactic.

Vulnerable. Chaser was confused of his whereabouts with his body sent spiraling mid-air. The only thing he did know was that Charge was never the kind of pony to let a moment slip. He needed to act quick, the hoof was coming, and he knew his body couldn’t endure one of those to the already damaged stomach. He did the only thing a pegasus shouldn’t do. Fly... upside down.

From the clouds above, not only was I amazed, but Chaser’s maneuver was enough to stall Charge for a long lived... one second. Their brawl escalated with onslaughts of hooves, each side attempting to outmatch the other. With his backwater flight skills, hoof to hoof, the artist’s speed counterbalanced the physics teacher’s power with every two bucks to one. Built like a freaking tank, we were all pretty damn sure Mr. Charge felt nothing.

“C’MON CHASER! KICK HIS ASS! WOOOO!” Kill cheered on from the balcony of my mane, waving white flags with printed, winged pencil cutie-marks.

“Or you know... just poking Charge with your hooves is fine... woohoo and all that jazz,” Joy bemusedly commented, boringly waving one of Chaser’s flags. “We both know he’s not doing anything to Charge, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just fun to side with the underdog,” Kill agreed, shrugging with reason. “GO, CHASER! POKE HIM TO DEATH!”

From above, the white fluff of the sky cuddled my hooves in delight. In contrast, the teachers were merely beating each other to Chaser’s death.

Hoof constricted by a wing, Charge slowly twisted his appendage, and in turn mended Chaser’s free will to obey. “Chaser, don’t you remember? Before Shadow Mark moved me to Physics, I was the Physical Education teacher, and do you remember what my favorite sport was?”

Chaser had spoken no words, traumatized in fear, his mind flooded with memories of Mr. Charge doing what he did best. “Wrestling,” he gulped, a trickle of salty fear sent rolling down his cheek. It was indeed something to fear, the only sport where you get paid enough to beat all seven artificial flavors out of every pony suicidal enough to enter his ring.

The pain. The suffering. Nothing new... nothing new except for, The Suplex. (Not to be mistaken with ‘the suplex’, it was rightfully pronounced ‘Thee Suplex’.)

Through his eyes, Chaser came back to reality, snug in Charge’s grip. “I win,” he reared his ugly head, victoriously smiling with hindlegs firmly planted on the concrete. With astonishing flexibility, Charge’s back arched to the limits of almost snapping with Chaser at the receiving end.

“ARGH!” Chaser grunted, enduring as he clenching his teeth til blood dripped, painting the concrete canvas.

“No. Way.” Kill and Joy shot from their seats in shock and awe. “I don’t believe any second of this,” both said in unison, each holding their brother’s jaw from dropping.

“NO. YOU. DON’T!” The artist struggled, continuously flapping his wings with strained hooves to counter Charge’s suplex. “Not you! You can’t beat my wingpower!” Chaser exclaimed, pushing off the floor with wrapped hooves around Charge’s neck.

The suplex was reversed.

“OH SNAP! OHHHHH! COMEBACK KING! COMEBACK KING! THE UNDERDOG!” Kill, and surprisingly Joy, oversold the moment with whirring hooves from built suspense.

Thud! Both teachers laid beside the other, gasping for breaths. “I will not be taken down by the likes of you!” Charge stressed to support his body with a hoof, retreating a meter back with a continuous hover of wings.

Chaser followed with equal distance apart, their eyes glared meeting one another with burning hate. “Time for some payback, Silent Charge,” Chaser called him out, poking to his recovered flesh wound.

I swore the last time I heard about his scar, a Behemoth gave that to him.

“You gave that to yourself, but I won’t mind giving you another,” Charge said with added smug. “Lesson one, Chaser--”

With one quick swipe of their forehooves, sparks of electricity scattered upon the floor, their hooves coated with a transparent, discharging current of electricity. Immediately, both teachers charged with their conducted hoof forward. Clashing, bolts of electricity scattered, whitening the vicinity upon impact with an explosive boom unparalleled to anything related to thunder. Tartarus froze over with rods of lightening scattering toward the celestial plains shot from the ground.

Through the almost blinding light, I saw something... a vision of the past, but longer. This time, I was sure I wasn’t going insane. This time, it wasn’t bits or random pieces. It was the entire truth.