by Hasbro
“I’m surprised you even have them here in the summer!” Celestia teased. “My students are just finishing up back in Canterlot.” She looked around at the beautiful weather and realized all it was missing was a bunch of young ponies reveling in it. They should have been down by the beach, splashing in the surf and collecting shells. Playing hide-and-seek in the ocean caves. Anything but studying.
“I had no choice. They had to be kept here because they didn’t pass their exams. It’s the first moon in Monacolt’s history that it has ever occurred,” Diamond Waves whimpered. “My father would have been so ashamed of me if he were still here. That’s why I need you, Celie.”
“Don’t despair, Di.” Celestia looked Diamond straight in her cool blue eyes and smiled. “Whatever is going on here at your academy, it doesn’t stand a chance against you and me together. Just as nothing did before.” Celestia lowered her horn and expelled a soft glow of blue sparkling magic toward the duchess. It enveloped the yellow pony and lifted her spirits enough to smile back at her friend a hint of newfound confidence. And it would have lasted longer, if it weren’t for the bloodcurdling scream that came from inside the school two seconds later.
Well-Behaved Unicorns
Celestia and Diamond Waves crossed under the gilded archway sign that read MONACOLT MAGIC ACADEMY, tore through the doors, and galloped inside the school’s main atrium. Celestia braced herself for attack, mustering her remaining strength from the day’s journey to defend this land from mortal peril. She just couldn’t believe it was happening before she’d even had the chance to sit down and have some Monacoltian apple crisp!
“Halt!” Celestia shouted into the void. Her beautiful mane and tail billowed out behind her as she searched the cavernous main entry for a menacing beast. “Let it be known that any creature that threatens any citizen of Monacolt must answer to me—Princess Celestia!” she bellowed. Celestia almost didn’t recognize her own words, which sounded more like the tone of Princess Luna’s when she had become Nightmare Moon than the gentle melody of her own voice. But a young pony was in danger. Where was the poor student that had signaled the alarm with their innocent scream? Hopefully they were unharmed and concealed somewhere, awaiting rescue. Celestia scanned the room. The duchess had disappeared.
“Eeeeeeeeek!” Another scream rang out, echoing down the empty school hallway. Celestia spun around, but there was nothing there. Could Discord have followed Celestia here to play a prank on her? She recalled a time when the naughty draconequus had covered himself in something called Invisipaint and followed her for an entire week, whispering everything she said right after she’d said it just to amuse himself. At the time, Celestia had thought she was going crazy. Right now, she thought it unlikely that this was any sort of trick.
The screaming suddenly stopped, followed by the sound of hooves and the muffled voice of Diamond Waves. “Now, what did you learn from this?” she hissed. Celestia followed the sounds to find that there was no monster at all, just a tiny blue Unicorn standing next to her friend, looking upset.
“I’m sorry, I just needed a snack. My tummy was grumbling and I couldn’t think, and I—” The colt shifted back and forth on his hooves as he looked up at the headmistress. His eyes darted up to the mare and back down to the floor. “I, uh, learned to never leave class with-with-without a pass. Or you get attacked by a fake spider spell.”
Diamond Waves leaned down toward the colt. “Repeat it again, just how I taught you, Rainy Air,” the duchess said, jaw clenched.
“Y-y-yes, Headmistress Waves.” Rainy Air nodded that he understood. “I shall not leave class without a pass, for the pony who leaves class does not pass.”
“Good colt,” Diamond Waves said, standing tall once more. She gave him a tiny smile. “I need focus from all of you. Only serious and talented Unicorns are allowed to stay at my academy. It is an honor and a privilege to be here. You understand, right?”
“Yes, Headmistress,” Rainy Air replied. He crinkled his muzzle. “It’s just that we finished reading the textbook assignment on fighting manticores that you told us to, and I thought I had time to—”
“Read the next section, then,” Diamond Waves shot back. “Tell the others to do the same. I’m busy showing our guest teacher, Princess Celestia, around, and I need all of you to be ready to attempt your attack spells when we get to class.”
“Yes, Headmistress,” Rainy Air nodded. “I will do that and—”
“Hello there, little one,” Princess Celestia called as stepped out of the shadows. She nodded her head in greeting to the duo.
“Celestia!” Duchess Diamond Waves brightened like a switch had been flipped. She chuckled. “It was nothing to worry about. Rainy Air here just got a little spooked.”
“Rainy Air, is it?” Celestia smiled at the young pony and bent down. “You seem like you could use a snack.” A glow of magic swirled from her horn and spun around, creating a beautiful red apple. Celestia passed it over to the colt, whose eyes were alight with wonder. The surface of the apple was so shiny, his reflection danced on its surface. The princess bowed to the student. “Nice to meet you. I’m Princess Celestia of Canterlot.”
“Whoa,” Rainy Air marveled. “That was so cool! Thank you.” He crunched down on the crispy fruit and smiled back. “Now, there’s a spell we should learn, Headmistress Waves!” he hollered before trotting back down the hallway and through the open classroom door.
“These colts and fillies.” Duchess Diamond Waves shook her head in defeat. She trotted over to an arched window and looked out to the street. “See? They just don’t understand how to take anything seriously. At this rate, none of them are going to pass their exams.”
“It’s true that exams are very important, but you mustn’t worry so much,” offered Princess Celestia. “In the pursuit of education, all lessons can be learned if only you allow enough time for them. Patience.”
“I wish I could be patient… but I can’t. Maybe you’ll understand when you see this.” The duchess motioned for Celestia to follow, and the two ponies headed to the heart of the school. They trotted through the halls, hooves clicking lightly on the marbled floor until they reached the Mane Hall. Celestia noticed that the wooden walls of the school were decorated with grandiose banners of the royal cutie marks of Monacolt in a rainbow of colors. They reached high up to the arched beams of the roof, a constant reminder to the Unicorn students of the history that had brought them there. A coin, a starfish, a crown, a rain cloud, a sand castle, and a seashell.
Celestia bowed to the banners in respect. They had been her great allies throughout the history of Equestria. “In the name of Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth pony—I offer my regards.”
“Celie, look!” Diamond Waves interrupted, motioning to a massive hourglass. “Time is the only thing we do not have.” The hourglass was forged from silver, mounted on a marbled pillar and filled with golden sand. The grains funneled down into the bottom glass chamber in swirls and wispy loops. It was no ordinary timekeeper.
“The Time Glass?” Celestia gasped. She touched her hoof to the hourglass. “I didn’t know it was here.” The Alicorn marveled at the way her glorious sunlight shone down onto it through the skylight in the ceiling. “The last time I heard of it was over five hundred moons ago. I thought it had been destroyed.”
Duchess Diamond Waves sighed. “Luckily, no.”
Celestia watched the sand fall through the glass, mesmerized by its beauty. “King Nautilus must have been quite proud of you for continuing his tradition of educational excellence to let you keep the Time Glass here.”
“Yes.” Duchess Diamond Waves nodded. “In fact, it was the whole reason my father wanted me to open the school—I just know it. That’s why it’s such a crisis that”—Duchess Diamond Waves stifled a sniffle—“the training of these young unicorns has been a failure. I don’t want to fail him and put Monacolt in danger!”
“How are you putting Monacolt in danger?” Celestia looked up at the hourglass a
gain, searching. But she saw nothing of a threatening energy surrounding the Time Glass. Just a gorgeous sculpture made of metal and glass and carved with images of Monacolt’s history. There were pictures of stars scattered onto the sandy shoreline, waves crashing against the cliffs, and ponies of the region standing together in reverence of it all.
“The sands of time are about to run out,” Diamond Waves said as she pointed to the swirling sand. She leaned in close to Celestia, eyes wide with terror, lowering her voice to a whisper. “When they do, it is said that the ponies of Monacolt will have to protect the borders from a great invasion of beasts.”
Celestia frowned. “In all my moons, I have not heard this legend. I understood the Time Glass to be nothing more than a magical object that kept the days of the calendar. Why did you never speak of this threat, Duchess?”
Diamond Waves began to pace back and forth, her nerves trying to escape through her hooves. “I thought that we had at least another Circle of the Comets before the event… that’s what the ponies in Northern Prance say. But I was wrong. I thought we had more time to impress upon these youths that they need to train. Because it can only be daughters and sons of this land that can fulfill this destiny to protect us.” Diamond Waves gestured to the Mane Hall, lined with classroom doors. “Thank goodness you are here to fix everything, Celestia. You’re my only hope.”
Celestia looked up to the hourglass once more and back to the panicked expression on her friend’s face. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you for understanding. I need every student to pass the beast defense spells exams on the next try. If not, I’ve… I’ve failed.” Diamond’s face grew stern. “As an educator and as a protector of Monacolt.”
Celestia and Diamond looked up toward the last banner in the sequence. It was the same color as Diamond Waves’s beautiful mane, and the emblem of a seashell stitched onto it was the mark that graced the duchess’s very own flank. She was destined and determined to protect this land, no matter what. So would Celestia.
Lesson Number Fun
The next morning, Princess Celestia felt rather awkward as she stood at the head of the classroom. She wasn’t sure why the students looked so afraid of her, but there they were—twelve Unicorns staring back at her with expressions of pure terror. Nopony was talking or giggling as her students back in Canterlot did before class began each day. When Duchess Diamond Waves had briefed Celestia the previous evening before she’d left for her impromptu visit to the ponies up north, she’d reiterated that her students were lacking focus. It seemed like a false assessment, so Celestia wasn’t sure what to believe from the stack of notes her friend had provided. It was time to experiment.
“Good morning, fillies and colts!” Celestia chirped, hoping to stir a reaction with her sunny smile. Nopony even blinked an eye. They were like the stone statues in the Canterlot garden.
“My name is Princess Celestia,” she continued on. She used her magic to write her name on the board with a piece of chalk. “I’m an old friend of Headmistress Diamond Waves, and I’m here to help you with some of your spells while she’s away in Northern Prance. Let’s start with something simple, shall we?” Celestia began to pace back and forth, but then thought better of it. She didn’t want to spook any of these little ponies. She stopped and sat down, trying to match their stillness. She took off her gold crown and put it on the desk to show the students they could see her as an equal. “Does anypony know what a Windigo is?”
A magenta curly-maned Unicorn filly in the front row raised her hoof. Celestia looked at the seating chart. “Hello, my dear. Are you Ambrosia Breeze, perchance?”
“Yes, Princess.” Ambrosia Breeze nodded, keeping her eyes cast down at her desk. She began to speak robotically. “A-Windigo-is-an-evil-spirit-that-feeds-off-fighting-and-hatred-but-can-be-defeated-by-any-‘love fire’-such-as-friendship-fire-or-caring-fire.”
“Excellent! That’s exactly right.” Celestia laughed, and her almond eyes crinkled in satisfied delight. “You’re as clever as Clover the Clever himself!” Ambrosia blinked her green doe eyes in disbelief and looked to her other classmates, who seemed just as surprised by Celestia’s response as she. The princess, however, did not notice the rest of the class’s astonishment.
“Now…” Celestia continued, assuming her natural teacher role. It was one she felt completely comfortable in, despite not being back home at her own school or guiding her faithful student Twilight Sparkle. “Does anypony know what other creatures can be tamed with the Fire of Friendship?” Five ponies immediately raised their hooves high into the air. “Wow!” Celestia exclaimed, scanning the hooves. “You tell us… Mr. Sandy Shore?”
“Manticores and hydras,” answered the tan colt with the white mane, daring to smile a little bit. “Mainly,” he added, just in case he was wrong. “There are probably others, too.”
“Well done!” Celestia grinned. She looked around the room and nodded. “I have to say, you all are much more prepared than your headmistress thinks. I was expecting to have to start from scratch, but you all sure have done your homework.” She trotted down the aisle of desks and noticed that each student had a thick scroll covered in writing on top of their tall stacks of books. She used her magic to pick up the one on Rainy Air’s desk. “What’s this, Rainy Air?”
“They’re our essays, Miss Princess,” a pale lavender filly with a straight teal mane squeaked. She stifled a yawn. “On defense spells. We do them every night to practice for the big Muybridge test.”
“Muybridge?” Celestia repeated to herself. She’d never heard of it before. At her school, the only exam was simply called the Unicorn Final.
The lavender filly motioned for Celestia to lean in closer and said quietly, “Muybridge was an old stallion who won a battle in Monacolt a long time ago. Headmistress is obsessed with him, so we’re always studying what he did and writing about how he fought the monsters. Our big exam is based on all the feats he accomplished.”
“Flora! Shhh!” urged a yellow colt with a spiky green mane. “You’ll get us in trouble. We’re not supposed to tell anypony about that! It’s top secret academy business.”
“It’s fine, Lemon Square. She’s our new teacher, right? She’s gonna know eventually.…” said Rainy Air. He looked back at Celestia dreamily, admiring how her mane and tail floated continuously, sparkling in the daylight. He wondered how it did that and considered asking her, but thought better of it.
Ambrosia Breeze held up her scrolls, covered in writing. “We’ve had to write an essay every night this moon since Headmistress Diamond Waves got all strict and boring and horrible—” She covered her mouth. “Whoops. Please don’t tell her I said that!” Lemon Square shot Ambrosia a knowing look and then rolled his eyes. Ambrosia frowned and slumped down.
But she wasn’t the only pony who seemed grumpy and tired. All around the classroom, the students had their heads down on the desks, fighting to stay awake from their long night of homework. Celestia recalled that when her friend was younger, Diamond Waves had a tendency to get carried away with completing her assignments, like a certain young purple Alicorn back home. But there was a perfect cure for that.
Princess Celestia winked at Ambrosia. “Don’t worry, class. Go ahead and take a rest if you need to. Just let me know. You can tell me anything. Everything that happens in this classroom is just between us students.”
“But you’re not a student.…” Flora whispered timidly, looking around at her classmates. “You’re a… a… princess.”
“Of course I’m a student!” Celestia replied. “A pony never stops learning, no matter how old they are or if they are royalty. For example, I just learned something from all of you.”
“You did?” asked Rainy Air, leaning forward in curiosity. “Cool! I mean… what was it?”
“That you students are in desperate need of possessing the greatest power of all”—Celestia leaned forward and met their eyes—“the power of fun!” The word caused all the students to gasp
in horror. They clearly had a long way to go.
The Key to Magic
Celestia chuckled and used her magic to erase the chalkboard, which was filled with diagrams of great beasts, maps of Monacolt, and tactical spells. In its place, she drew a bunch of balloons that would have made Pinkie Pie proud. Then she drew some smiley faces. It was a start, at least.
“Fun?” the students whispered to one another. “But this is school time! The headmistress would be so mad if we had fun.”
“Who can tell me about some things that are fun to do?” Celestia queried, ignoring the protests and continuing to use her magic to do away with everything that looked serious or boring. Swish. A bunch of posters on proper Unicorn spell-casting posture flew out the window. Swoosh. A banner that said STUDYING IS THE KEY TO MAGIC folded into a bouquet of paper flowers and landed on the teacher’s desk.
“Oooh! I know!” Sandy Shore raised his hoof. “It’s fun when I finish my essay for the night and my mom says I get to brush my teeth before bedtime!”
“Yeah!” agreed a pink filly with a straight mane. “I love that. All those minty bubbles dancing in my mouth are cool.”
“Hmmm…” Celestia cocked her head to the side. “I suppose taking care of yourself is satisfying, yes. But what else makes you happy?”
“I like raindrops on roses,” Rainy Air said with a casual shrug. “But that’s more a favorite thing than a fun thing.”
“Getting a little better,” Celestia encouraged. “But think bigger. How about… galloping on the beach with the wind in your mane or singing songs with your friends around a campfire?”
The class considered this. A few young Unicorns looked as if they were straining to remember what a “campfire” was. Or maybe they actually didn’t know what a campfire was.
“I like the sound of those activities in theory.…” Flora squeaked. Her already-big eyes began to widen even more. “But what if you’re doing one of them and then you get in trouble for not doing your homework instead?” The students all nodded in agreement. This was much worse than Celestia thought. She needed something to truly light a fire in the hearts of these students to get them to loosen up. There had to be another strategy, a way to speak these students’ language.
