Yeastwood draws in a deep breath, savouring every moment of the early morning world. The moments just after sunrise were always a magic time of day in the quiet halls of Canterlot Castle. Golden rays of sunlight dance through the marbled canterlotian columns and cast long fingers of darkness in vivid contrast to the vibrant sunlit gilding. It was far from the saturnine gloom of the eternal forests outside Umberfoal back home.

He loved it. The stallion happily hums to himself as he turns a corner while staring up through slitted eyes at the sunshine pouring through the cliffside arcades. His first round of the day was already done, the kilns were lit and the ovens lovingly kindled back to life. He could afford the little break before he went home to get some sleep. He'd been awake all night. But now the veil of shadows was dissolving away to let in the glorious dawn.

Already the soft waft of woodsmoke tantalizes his nostrils, drawing up that niggling temptation to caper back to the kitchens. Turning blindly into the hall, he barely avoids colliding with a gold-clad guard.

Yeastwood quickly looks over the tall lanky colt in thick golden plate, spotting the slight slouch and spear propped up against his shoulder. The royal guard's blue eyes glint, but he does squint despite not looking at the light. It's not anger or agitation, the rapid flutter of his lashes screamed 'I just got up.'

“Oh, hey sorry about that Cart Wright.” The baker smiles and skips to the side, “guess I was a bit distracted. Oh, and morning!”

The younger guard just lets out a huff of amusement and smirks, the 'regal' mein of the Solar guard temporarily cast aside.

“Morning Flint. Keep that smile up, some of us need it today.”

Finally seeing the Guard's weariness for what it was, the cook bobs his head enthusiastically.

“Alright. Hey, if you need something by your first break, stop by and I'll make sure there's coffee and a danish left out for ya. How's that sound?”

“Sounds good, mate. Sounds good.” the Guard flashes a thankful grin.

Yeastwood's smile grew wider as he waves and trots off, hesitating only long enough to have caught Corporal Cart Wright's spear haft tapping against his helmet in friendly salute.

The trip back to the kitchen took only a few more moments, and the warm softness of sunlight streaming through the window slats plunged the world into a homely calm. But somepony had opened one window completely and left a few empty ramekins strewn across the prep island.

Oh well. Probably a few of the maids, likely got scared off when they were loitering down here between rounds. He couldn't fault them for it, they worked hard. His sister was one and got him his job.

He smiles and shakes his head, “Mares.”

Trotting around the side, he glimpsed a few specks of red on the edge of the table. So engrossed, he barely felt his forehooves lift up off the stone and catch on something. He stumbles heavily, landing in a heap on something soft and almost scalding hot.

Looking down, he sees the lump of midnight blue feathers and fur. The colour drains from his face and his voice abandons him completely.

'Bright and cheery, Twilight, bright and cheery.'

The Alicorn mentally fortifies herself as she wearily trots down the mauve marble halls of the freshly dedicated 'school of friendship'. Its halls still smelled of oil paints and the fragrance of stone meal and marble hadn't settled. No finalized student enrollment numbers, a shaky curriculum, all a hall of wondrous opportunities. Though, admittedly, the mare was trying to fix the first two issues at that very moment. Not that the constant hazy fugue of tiredness was helping her in any way.

'Mind over matter, Twilight, bright and cheer-'

She nearly trips over the imperceptible lip of the threshold and stumbles into her headmares office.

'Ponyfeathers!'

The bit back curse nearly slipped unbidden from her lips before she could exert even a modicum of control. It hadn't been the greatest morning, and worse yet, she couldn't quite put a hoof on the cause when she awoke. Ruffling her wings, she stifles another yawn. The Alicorn ambles across the carpeted room and circles around the imposing mahogany desk before collapsing in her comfy chair. Well, there were perks to being a headmare, and the cushiony seat could probably rival a royal throne in size and was far superior in comfort. The Solar throne was surprisingly uncomfortable.

It was a subtle distraction, one of many that morning. Everything felt oppressive from the moment she opened her eyes. A missed breakfast, an exhausted assistant, and the general malaise of some unbidden mood all lingered around her in a cloying miasma of barely subdued irritation.

Hoofsteps in the adjacent room alert her to the presence of somepony else. A sidelong glance forestalls everything else as she squints against the early morning sunlight blazing through the eastern windows. With a muffled tinkle of magic, the floor length burgundy drapes whip back across the rails and dim the world to a more manageable ambiance.

“Hey!” the chime of magic reaches Twilight's ears and they immediately rotate towards the indignant murmur. A sharp turquoise light whips the curtain open again. “I thought I opened, oh. Morning Twilight.”

Starlight Glimmer trots in through the doors to the faculty offices. While her smile might light the room as easily as the too-bright morning sunbeams, it didn't take Sherclop Pones to notice the dark rings around her eyes and unerring tilt to her grin. The Alicorn's irritated sigh barely lasts a moment.

“Morning, Starlight.” it was hard to say there was anything 'good' about it. In fact, she only caught her friend's identical hesitation a few moments later.
“Late night?”

Maybe if she wrangled something fun out of her friend it could help with the morning blues. What she got instead was a heaping stack of papers set just to her left, which promptly shifts to slough across the desk in a bureaucratic landslide.

“Oops. Here, lemme' just-”

Starlight's blush reaches her cheeks a half second before she gathers the papers and evens out the sides with a little tap on the desktop. The Unicorn sets them down with a little more care this time before seizing an elaborate swept back waiting chair from its spot near the door. Pulling it right up to the desk like it was a dining room table, Starlight smiles and hops up, settling her rump down with a little squeak of new material.

Twilight's chuckle cuts the awkward lull, “I was hoping you might have learned a new card trick or something. It would have livened up the morning a bit.”

After a polite laugh, Starlight's smile takes on a more healthy warmth and she shrugs.

“I hadn't planned on it, buuuuut if it'll help...”

Her smile becomes a smirk, and the stack of paperwork is nudged to the side again so it evenly spreads itself across the table. A chime accompanies a ripple as the stack of sheets are each turned over in a theatrical wave. Like a Las Pegasus card shark, Starlight fans the papers out, shuffles them, and spins it into a rosette circle with a smirk.

“Now, pick a paper, any paper, and the magnificent mare, Starlight the Spectacular, shall read your mind and divine the contents.” she screws her eyes shut and lifts a hoof to her temple.

Twilight plucks a paper form the slowly rotating carousel. With a smile, she glances at the sheet and floats it back into the slowly whirling mass of paperwork.

With a snap, Starlight reforms them all into a single neat stack, taps them on the table, and forms a neat bridge-shuffle before setting them down. Her smile was far more genuine now.

“You...” Starlight dramatically points a hoof in her direction, “got a permission slip for Rainbow Dash's fieldtrip!”

“Why, Starlight, how did you know.” she deadpans, trying to hold a stony neutrality. It fails with a faint scrunch of her muzzle and twitch of her ear.

“Because Starlight the Spectacular knows all.”

“They're all permission slips for Rainbow's fieldtrip, aren't they?”

“No.” Starlight tilts her muzzle up, smiling more openly. She dismissively waves a hoof, “Just most of them, so I hedged my bets.”

Both mares break out into a chorus of giggles. Even suppressed by weariness, it was a rich and honest expression that let the Alicorn show a far more genuine smile.

“Thanks. I needed that, Starlight.”

“Mmm, hmm. I bet I can guess what else you need this morning.” Starlight quickly turns back to her adjacent room.

“Another trick courtesy of Starlight the Spectacular?” She leans on her desk and stretches her wings, not feeling more awake but better.

“Hush.” Starlight’s wane smile accompanies the chime of magic as two mugs of steaming hot coffee drift into the room and settle on the desk.

Twilight's thankful nod precedes the quick pull of a drawer and clack of two coasters being set down. After all, there's no need to get rings on the desk.

Most of her work tables, not to mention her personal desk and the library’s filing cabinet, all had the telltale markings of water damage from too many hot drinks.. She was fairly certain it wouldn’t reflect well on her if dignitaries or indignant parents came in to see such careless behaviour. The action might have drawn a slightly exasperated look from Starlight, but she said nothing. Taking a sip, the school's guidance counselor holds her tongue for as long as she can.

It's a lull of maybe three seconds.

"So... why does Rainbow have field trip forms when we don't even have a student list nailed down?"

Twilight cradles the mug and takes a sip, ignoring the question for the time being. Black, bitter, strong, and slightly salty.

“Perfect.” she hisses in approval, wings stretching wide as she works out the tension. A cocky grin flashes her way as Starlight shifts in her seat. Twilight's glance back at the Unicorn still caught the glint that said she wanted an answer to her question.

"Because I think one field trip and her half written syllabus is about the only thing she's got planned so far. I'd ask but you know her, she'll just wing it. Besides, we still have two days until the first official day of school. The students will arrive, and everything will be up and running."

“Uh-huh. Well, that does sound like her. Bet the field trip is somewhere not exactly 'classically educational'." she manages a pair of air-quotes with her hooves. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

That interminable gap in the conversation re-emerges, plunging the room into a series of awkward pauses and noisy sips of coffee. Seeing nothing else forthcoming, Starlight rolls a hoof in the Alicorn's direction, “Soooo, what's got your hackles up this morning, Twi?”

“I just didn't sleep well.” She shrugs weakly and pulls another slurp from her mug.

“Penpal problems and overthinking your latest Daring Do fanfic rewrite? Or just stressing out about Rainbow's inevitable antics?”

‘Well, at least she did get the coffee.’

“Ha-ha.” She blinks, and with a blush, turns to her friend. The mauve mare wore a slight smirk barely hidden behind her upraised mug. “Wait, how did you know about the fan- you know what, nevermind.”

It was better to play it off than actually try to relate the series of barely recalled dreams. They had plagued her, dogged her, and worse yet, she couldn't even remember exactly what they were. But she had woken up in a sweat, trembling, heart beating wildly and gasping for breath. Dread slunk around every corner and she'd even glanced around the room looking for something in the shadows.

“Well, I guess that makes two of us.”

“It wasn't just staying up late, and it wasn't insomnia before you ask.”

With a moody sigh and clatter of porcelain on the silver etched coasters, Starlight glances up. The good humours rapidly fade once her lips purse into a tight scowl.

“I'm not exactly sure I like what you're implying, Twilight.”

“I kept waking up in the middle of the night and didn't get any rest. I'm sorry if you thought I was somehow implying anything.” She shot back more brusquely than she intended.

“I call horse apples, Twilight. We both knew what you meant. I'm not a filly, I can handle this.”

Drawing in a breath, the Alicorn centres herself, but her concentration was still trying to slip away. But for everything that she felt, the testiness and agitation, things suddenly felt worse for her friend. The dark rings and bloodshot eyes, the forced poise, even her mane wasn't quite as lively as it usually was. Like a lightbulb, it clicked.

“I'm sorry Starlight, I really didn't mean anything by it.” it was a white lie, but she put any of her wheedling aside and plastered a malformed grin on her muzzle. “I suppose it's just one of those mornings. Is there something wrong?”

With a sigh, Starlight shrugs disarmingly and takes a deep unladylike draught of the coffee. She drains most of it in one gulp, though a solitary dribble trickles down from the corner of her mouth. With a satisfied gasp, she swiftly shakes her head and mops at her lips with the back of a hoof. It wouldn't really wake her up, Twilight was certain of that as something of an expert in the matter.

Her Unicorn friend finally begins after another sigh. “Not really. There's just a lot of half formed dreams floating around that kept me up. Then when I passed by Trixie's wagon, she said she had a 'great and powerful headache' and wasn't in the mood to talk. So I came in early, got coffee, checked the paperwork, and spoke with the mailpony on the way here. It's just a busy morning when you aren't feeling at your best, y'know? And... sorry for snapping at you.”

It was understandable to the Alicorn. Shunting aside her discomfort, she finds that thread of compassion inside her as she looks at Starlight’s less than stellar appearance. She wasn't at her best, but the genuine smile plastered on her muzzle was heartening, “So any plans for today?”

“Work, checking to make sure that all the regulations for one of Applejack's class ideas are double checked, too. The last thing we need is some botany related disaster with pony pouncing plants.” She cackles lightly, running her hoof along the rim of her mug, “then dinner with Trixie and home.”

Twilight barely had time to fix a wry grin on her muzzle before her friend shot her a half-serious glare, “Hey, you know how she is; if I didn't check in on her she'd stuff herself with stale trail mix and snack cakes because they were close at hoof. That mare really doesn't have the best habits.”

“I didn't say a word, Starlight.” she smirks and tilts the mug back, draining the last dregs of the somewhat invigorating elixir. Not a moment after her satisfied gasp the faintest echoes of voices prick the Alicorn's ears. Starlight's turn in concert towards the door where a raspy, irritable, unmistakable tone filters in from the still morning air.

Starlight huffs, “There's an east wind coming, such a wind as never blew on Equestria yet. It will be cold and bitter, Twilight, and a good many of us may wither before its blast.”

The Alicorn's ears twitch as she hears a very loud and very uncouth obscenity echo off the school's marble walls in the distance. “On one hoof, I commend your literary choice. On the other, you know better than to mention such an un-scientific old mares tale.”

Her friend chuckles and levitates both empty mugs off her desk, “You're welcome.” A swift turn and quick trot leaves Twilight alone in her office.
Twilight nods and stares straight ahead, folding her forehooves as she awaits the inevitable. The sound of hoofsteps slowly approaches, as does the scratchy coltish voice of her friend.

'Just keep it together, you can do this. Don't blow up on her.'

Her hooves quickly reach to her muzzle, massaging her cheeks, before she paints on a wide and decidedly fake smile.

“-in the buck did you expect me to say? Should I just roll over and take it?! Pffft, then you don't know the Dash!”

'Oh Celestia, help me, third-pony Rainbow. Oh, this is going to be a loooong day.'

Another equally familiar voice pips up.

“Didn't say that, ah just said calling 'im a skinflint muff-muzzled lickspit diamond dog in a cheap one piece suit with fake mane extensions wasn't a good route if'n you were angling for a refund. Gotta admit, I'm almost impressed that you came up with that'n. Or that y'knew what lickspit meant.”

"WHAT?!"

Applejack’s hoofsteps and the pair’s bullhorn voices echo on the other side of the office doors, stirring the maelstrom of inevitable problems and confrontations. Another office door to her right rocks back on its hinges with an audible bang, jolting Twilight from her hastily prepared posture.

“Twilight!” a tiny dragon rushes in, tongue lolling from his maw as he waggles a gold bound scroll in front of her face. “Urgent… message… Celestia… ugh.”

“Spike, not...” Twilight's irritation boils away as she catches the golden glint of her mentor's seal. Plucking the scroll from his claws, the Alicorn retrieves the missive the same moment the main doors rock back on their well oiled hinges to admit a bickering pair of ponies.

“Whatever, one stuck up stallion's self esteem isn't my problem.”

“Awww, so you do feel bad about that, dontcha Sugarcube?”

Rainbow flaps into the room, barely paying attention to Twilight. With her forehooves folded over her chest, the Pegasus glares at the smug farmpony trotting in right behind her.

“Hey, polk-a-dot mare? Shut up.”

Spike waggles his claws defensively, backing out while avoiding scrutiny. “Iiiii'll just get out of your manes then.”

'Oooooh of course, leaving me alone with them. Self-preserving little drake.'

He was definitely the smart one, and in a paltry second, he darts back into the adjacent office and closes the door. All without drawing the attention of either new arrival.

Applejack's smugness rapidly distills into into vitriol, “Hey, Rainbow,” her voice as smooth as oil, “why dontcha come down here for a second.”

“Girls, girls, yeash...” Twilight shoves her mentor's missive to the side for a moment. “Do I have to send you to Starlight for a session?”

“Pfft, you wish. I don't have a problem, she does.”

'I swear it's like mid-cycle angst for those two'

Twilight whisks the sensation away, realizing her thoughts had escaped her and now she just wanted to be back home curled up in bed for a few more hours. Snapping back into focus, she cringes while glancing at the pair: they were still staring holes in one another. The Pegasus clicks her tongue and runs it along her teeth while the stony faced Earth mare glares impassively at the out-of-reach flyer.

It was probably saving the mare from a trip to the hospital, so it was best she stayed up there for now.

“Twi, if'n ya could, mind tellin' this here filly that just because she couldn't argue a stallion down a bit on a bushel, that it sure as shootin' ain't okay to take it out on her friends.”

“Hey, Twi, mind telling fruit flank here instead of laughing like a loon from across the street, she should just keep her snout out of my business and stick to farming, wrangling, and whatever it is that she's supposed to be up to in her classes.”

Twilight's ears perk up, “Is this school rela-”

“Oh yeah, well tell thunder thighs that if she thinks she can tell me what to do, she'll have to come down from her cloud of hot air an' stale sweat and actually do something about it.”

“Girls-”

“What, think I can't?”

“Girls-”

“Don't let your mouth make cheques yer hooves can't cash.”

“GIRLS!”

Both mares shot Twilight their near-identical death glare, but it quailed in comparison to the narrow eyed glower of the Alicorn. Everything Starlight tried to cultivate and contain that morning was dashed in an instant. Her nostrils flare and wings flick, tail swatting in irritation, even her hooves quake as she folds them across the desk and tried to keep her posture as prim and proper as a headmare should.

By the lull and slight defensive step back from the pair, she looked less like the controlled matriarch of a school and more like a thunderhead about to burst.

“What has gotten into you two? You're both rash, headstrong, and stubborn, but never this snippy.” She restrains the sigh, drawing in just a breath and holding it as her mind calms. “You sound like a pair of bickering old nags, pardon my Prench.”

“... Better watch your language, we're in a school, Twi. There might be foals present and we can't afford to set a bad example.” Rainbow's smarmy grin mirrors Applejack's. She'd intentionally parroted Twilight's own words from a few moons back.

It gets a guffaw as Twilight's ear and eye twitch in concert.

'Keep this up and you'll be in bows and berets by the end of the day. So help me Rarity, I will make you suffer.'

Eyes practically bulging, Twilight bites her tongue and counts backwards from ten.

Rainbow's gaze didn't falter, but she does grin wanly and lifts a wing to her muzzle. Whatever passes between her and the farm-pony was lost to the wind and the thundering beat of blood in Twilight's ears.

“What was that?”

Applejack grins as Rainbow bites her lip to stifle her cackle. “Ain't nothing Twi.”

“I swear, you two.” Twilight let it hang in the air before letting out a shuddering breath. “It just gets worse.”

“Worse, or better?” Rainbow's wry grin fades as the Alicorn lazily swings her head to fix her with her deathglare.

“But seriously, we've got a problem.” Rainbow continues uncowed. She nods to Applejack, “We have an overlap with classes and I've got a, well, scheduling issue that just came up.” At the sound of silence, Rainbow took it as a cue to continue. “Me and Applejack-"

"Applejack and I."

"... seriously?" Rainbow's face falls to an unamused glower, "Look, me and Applejack both have things we kinda wanted to do with our classes on in the afternoon."

"That second day fieldtrip to Heller's Falls?"

"Yeah. Anyway, it doesn't look like it'll work for both of us, and, well, the Wonderbolts just put out an alert for today."

A bubbling irritation rises in the Alicorn as another wrench was thrown into her plans. There was always another complication, yet staring at the cross-hooved Pegasus just hovering five paces in front of her was somehow even more frustrating. "So, you're going to miss the rest of the prep time today right before our first day of classes? Hmmm, we're going to have to go with the back up plan if this lasts more than a day or two.”

"Well it's not the first day of classes." Rainbow shrugs lightly, "It'll work out."

“Well, ah got some of the same students, and it just ain't gonna work if they're gone the whole afternoon. The whole consarn west field is s'possed to be properly set out so we can line up crops, flowers, wildflowers, and show'em the differences. If we keep puttin' this off it won't have the same meanin' and weather schedule ain't all that forgivin'. Blame the weather teams.”

“Hey,” Rainbow puffs out her cheeks, “It's not my fault!”

“Didn't say it was, but if it were, I'd-”

“Girls...” Twilight's warning growl draws both of her friends' attention. “I'll reschedule everything I can, Rainbow, find out exactly how long you're going to be absent so I can get Starlight to cover your classes and bring in somepony else if your leave is significant. AJ, was there anything else?”

“Nah, that's it.” her smile lights up her slightly lean face. Red lined eyes stand out...

'Hold it.'

Twilight hadn't noticed it before, but both mares looked a little worse for wear. AJ's mane tie was gathered more loosely than normal, her eyes red-veined, but it just looked inattentive rather than exhausted. Rainbow, well, she seemed alright aside from the prickling sensitivity and slight narrowing of her vision like she was squinting. She knew when her friend would rather be dozing, and despite it being first thing in the morning, it was definitely approaching that 'lull'.

“-there, Twi?” AJ's waving hoof snaps her out of it more than anything else.

'Oh, just great filly. Zoning out. Okay. Okay, bright and cheery, Twilight.'

“Yeah. Sorry AJ, I guess I just drifted for a moment there. I didn't get a lot of sleep and I guess it's back to bite me.”

Rainbow opens her mouth, hesitates, and smirks. More carefully, she gestures at the Alicorn with a little nod of her head, “Looks like miss All-nighter is back at it. Studies or experiments?”

The headmare's expression dips back to blasè.

“I'm not the irresponsible filly I used to be, Rainbow. Not on school nights, anyway.” It got a laugh and a hoof gesture to say 'touchè' from the Pegasus. Applejack's smirk suddenly did look a lot more affable rather than just teasing.

With a sigh, Twilight conceded that perhaps some of the hostility was just in her head. Her friends were almost always like this, so why would today be any different? Perhaps she was the pony that was more testy than normal.

“I guess it's my turn to say 'sorry'. Rainbow, Applejack, I apologize. And I'll make sure to sort out the scheduling, even if I have to make a special weather request.”

Abashed and somewhat deflated, the Alicorn nods weakly, eyes sliding down to her tabletop and away from what felt like the scrutinizing glare of her friends.

“Pfft, hey, no worries Twi. Pretty sure I can still pull some strings with the weather team to get that fast-tracked. If you wanna draw up some papers, then go for it. But I'll stop in before I take off. So, we all good here?”

She sets down in front of the desk, smiling at Twilight and looking down, catching the mare's gaze. The marish smirk, the cocksure head tilt, even the smarmy 'ocool' pose slouched against the mahogany desk said it all. 'We good?'

Twilight just nods. “Alright, I'll be sure to get everything ready. Go on, Rainbow. I don't want to keep you waiting. AJ, did you need anything else at all?”
With a pensive tap of a hoof to her chin, the farmpony shrugs, “Nah. I just wanted to be here to keep in the loop... and to keep Rainbow from biting anypony. She's in a bit of a funk this mornin'.” A jab to her friends ribs had the fellow athlete playfully shove the Earth Pony back.

The Alicorn nods, drawing up parchment and quill in her magical grasp. But she came up with Celestia's scroll. Something almost felt off, and the momentary squint at it seemed to draw both her friends attentions.

The stamp was right: shining golden wax, her mentor's personal sigil, crimson band, but something just felt off. The wax had splattered, stamped too early, the band sloppy and not perfectly overlapped. Twilight snaps the seal with an arcane stroke, and unrolls the parchment.

“Twi?” Rainbow ventures.

“Sugarcube?” Applejack caught the look as well.

Twilight spread the scroll across the desk, and in nearly the same moment, hops from her chair. There were just 4 words.

Come to Canterlot immediately.

Author's Notes:

Alright, so, bit of the 'next part' and I guess I had to set a timestamp on when this happens MLP wise. So we went with that. Pre-school of friendship is kinda like a Windows Restore point, always good to have a safe enough starting point without wiping out too much information.