Celestia's Academy for Protectors

Adagio rolled her eyes and watched Razor leave for Wild’s table. She started talking with her sisters again until she overheard Razor asking Wild for the key to their dorm. She smirked and raised an eyebrow, but went back to discussing plans with her fellow sirens.

“Can I eat his wings?” Sonata asked excitedly.

Adagio quickly looked around to see if anyone had overheard that. No one seemed to have. She turned back and scowled at Sonata. “I don’t care if you make an entire Thanksgiving meal out of him, but don’t go announcing it to the world!” she hissed at her as quietly as she could.

---

“The Grimm will certainly keep you on your hooves.” Nox commented. There was now a phoenix next to her, picking at her plate. Nox didn’t stop her.

“You’re an idiot for underestimating them.” Shining said to Sunny. “The ones you met were clearly amateurs, or psychos pretending to be Flames. If they really do have it out for you, you’d better never leave this school because they’ll do whatever it takes to kill you.”

---

“So my job, having determined that you can be the leader and that you can be a good leader, is to do whatever it takes to get you from reluctant, unsure, hesitant, and slightly oppressed by that Sunset mare being a bit of a cunt, to certain, confident, decisive, and bowing your head to no peer.”

Sunset growled at Viridian, but still didn’t turn to look at them. “At least I’m competent.” she muttered, stabbing a wide portabella cap and stabbing it onto a burger bun.

“Urging you into a lunch queue and pressing you to choose your food quickly and decisively is the first small step to doing my job." Viridian continued.

Fantasy smiled, a subtle but genuine smile, for the first time that day. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a somepony a few spots behind them.

“That was a really heartwarming speech,” a peach-colored unicorn said, her tone initially sweet (if a bit high-pitched) but gradually becoming more strained and akin to a growl. “but I think everyone would appreciate it more if you two finally moved so that we could get our food before dinner ends!” This was confirmed with much muttering and nods from the other ponies, and even a shout about the food getting cold.

The smile fell right off of Fantasy’s face, and her expression became oddly blank and stoic as she turned to the food. She picked out a few vegetables, more fruit, and assembled a portabella-tomato-bacon burger with some turkey bacon and soy bacon on either side of it, receiving some questioning and disgusted looks from the ponies directly behind her. She paid them no mind and as she was done choosing she went back to the table with the dark blue pegasus and… hey, Razor was there, too. Convenient. She sat down and started eating, then pulled out her Scroll and a pair of earbits and started reading something called Dragon Slippers as she ate.

“If I were you, I’d be reading something useful.” Sunset commented, taking a seat next to Fantasy. “Maybe benefit your team.”

“You need a bell.” Fantasy responded, not looking up from her Scroll.

Anja stopped at the entrance to the cafeteria, her illusion once again hiding her from sight before she walked in and walked over to the table in time to hear Shining talk about the Flames. She removed the illusion, though her hood was once again up over her head. I would disagree, if only that you cannot know every member of your organisation to comment in such a fashion, with such confidence she typed out, before picking up a cup of tea and sipping it gently. I do apologise for disappearing as I did, but I prefer to eat in private.

"Competent people don't mutter under their breath about it." Razor snapped, turning her head to glare at Sunset for a moment; for some reason that comment seemed to have annoyed her, picked up by her sensitive hearing. The thestral swore under her own breath and went back to devouring her apples in two or three bites each, tossing the cores idly over her shoulder and hitting Shining Light more than once, though it was hard to tell if she was doing it on purpose.


"Bowler hat, top hat, call it a fez if you like buddy, it's all the same difference to me it's something you wear on your head that doesn't stop bullets." Razor shrugged. She did chuckle when the pegasus turned her down. "You've got a backbone featherback. Wouldn't have guessed that considering you look more like you're about to figure out a way to avoid your taxes instead of how to avoid monsters." Razor commented, nodding at his suit.

Razor looked around when her team sat with her. "You lot took your time." She commented, casually using her foot to pull Sunset's chair out from under her just before she sat down for her continued smart remarks; if anyone was to insult their leader that was Razor's job dammit!

Wild Card simply continued to eat his meal as the ponies around him muttered and snapped and generally spoke with negativity in their voices. He had nothing to contribute to this so he thought he might as well carry on with eating. But then he was addressed again by the thestral, and after swallowing the food in his mouth he chuckled, "Fair enough. Sure it's not the most practical of headwear, but my aura is more than enough, and thank you. I'm not sure how to take the whole, avoiding taxes comment but the rest of it was nice." He replied happily.

The pegasus looked back over to his team mates on the table nearby and inwardly sighed, wondering to himself about how he would have to deal with them. The blue one most certainly had a craving for flesh, and he wasn't entirely sure that the others wouldn't join her too. Wild was told that if Sonata was kept fed she wouldn't try eating him, but again, he didn't know if he could trust the seaponies' words.

Wild then turned his attention back on the table he was sat at, noticing how the mare he was previously speaking to had returned with a plate of food. The stallion idly listened to the chatter and the comments, also noting how the thestral had pulled out the chair from underneath one of the unicorns, before clearing his throat. "So, who is excited for the next few years? It's going to be fun, I bet. Lots of time to get to know one another and work together." Wild said cheerfully, trying to bring about a more positive feel to the table.

"Sod off, you lot, I know for a fact that the speech took only 72 seconds," Viridian scoffs. "Your food won't be noticeably colder between minute zero and minute one point two. And if it is, I could always break enough flammable objects to build a bonfire and keep your food all nice and toasty." She throws a rather too-wide-to-be-sane smile back at the ponies behind them before picking up an apple, some carrots, a small bowl of peas, and a small green salad which she deftly dresses with a splash of something from a small bottle she suddenly and inexplicably has. She then follows their fearless leader back to the table and has to work very hard to avoid grinning at Razor when she pulls the chain out from under Sunset.

"It was time worth taking," Viridian says to the thestral. "We got good food, I got to give the boss a pep talk that was ruined by a tactical injection of cuntage into the moment, and we're all set to kill Grimm sometime soon. Also, food." And now she begins to dig in heartily.

Sunny gave Anja a wave as she approached. “Hey, welcome back.” She greeted, then turned back to Nox, noticing the phoenix. “Oh wow. Don’t see one of those every day. That belong to you?” She asked.

Sunset growled at Razor. "They can if they want to. Me pointing out my own superiority won't change it."

Behind them, Shining Light growled at every apple that hit her head.

---

"If I were you, I’d be reading something useful." Sunset commented, taking a seat next to Fantasy. “Maybe benefit your team."

"You need a bell." Fantasy responded, not looking up from her scroll.

Sunset turned to her food with a small, smug grin on her face, but that was wiped clean off when her chair suddenly disappeared from beneath her and she fell to the floor with a yelp that was cut short by her jaw hitting the table and causing her to bite down hard on her tongue.

"OW!" She wrapped her hands around her muzzle, sitting there for a moment as her tongue throbbed and... bled. She tasted blood. She was bleeding.

Oh, fuck no. Not on a cold day in Tartarus!

Sunset bolted straight up and whipped her head around, looking for the perpetrator. "Okay, who's the idiot?!"

You're throwing one down the middle. Fantasy thought, holding a hand over her muzzle as she tried to suppress her giggles. Then Fantasy nearly spit and choked on her food at Viridian's summation, and she doubled over with a hand to her face when she couldn't keep her full mouth closed in her silent gaffaws.

Sunset then turned on Wild. "Oh shut up, you Disneigh Princess!"

---

"It's alright, I suppose." Nox told Anja. "Although you've set the school's guards on your tail." she commented, looking over at the guards who were just now returning from tracing Anja's magic, some of them clearly miffed that they'd just gone in a big circle.

Pyra squawked indignantly at Sunny's suggestion of "belonging" to anypony, but Nox merely rolled her eyes and gave a small, exasperated smile. "Pyra is my companion, yes. But she doesn't like to be called a pet, so if you would please in the future?"

"You!"

Nox jolted at the sudden shrill noise, and looked to see-... "Oh dear Heavens, what now?" Nox snapped at Shining.

Shining wasn't paying attention to Nox; she had Razor squarely in her sights, with a very accusatory finger pointed at her. "You ruffian! You- you- you thug! What is somepony like you doing in a school for Protectors?!"

"For Celestia's- when did she provoke you? You haven't even met her!" Nox shouted, her voice rising an octave with each word.

Viridian takes a bite from the apple and chews with satisfied calm as Sunset has a chair yanked out from under her, falls, and bites her tongue. She spares a moment to give the irate unicorn a placid smile. "I'm sure it wasn't I, and I'm just as sure it wasn't the boss," she tells Sunset. "I'm also sure that I know who it is, and that pony might get upset and give you a good and proper thrashing if you call them an idiot again." She looks over at Wild and grins. "I can't speak for his singing voice, but he's certainly pretty enough to be a princess," she says with another satisfied chomp on her apple."

As Shining becomes shrill and starts berating Razor, Viridian eyes her with amusement and removes one pea from her bowl. She puts the pea down on the table and lowers her face to check on its lay and possible flight path, adjusts her seating, and then checks again. She does this a couple more times before lining up her middle finger with the pea, waiting a moment to check that its flight path intercepts Shining, and then flicks the pea at her. She then takes another pea and lines up her shot. "Primary twit spotted," she says in a low, monotone voice with a strong touch of a mechanical sound. "Neutralizing." She then flicks the next pea at Shining, and then reloads.

"Bite your tongue. Oh wait, you're ahead of me on that one." Razor deadpanned, continuing to eat her apples without a care. "Keep your tongue to the bridge of your mouth and suck in your cheeks; your tongue gets way more blood than anywhere else, that cut will close pretty fast." Razor told her more usefully, never quite admitting that it was her who yanked the chair out but not really making any effort to act even remotely innocent either.

Razor feigned deafness when Shining Light began yelling at her. In fact, when Viridian began firing her peas the thestral quickly leaned up to catch both of the intended projectiles, before giving Viridian a wink and kicking back in her chair. "Sorry, did someone hea- YUCK." Razor feigned a look of disgust. "Rotten!" She declared about the obviously perfect apple and flung it backwards over her shoulder right at Shining's muzzle.

Anja quirked an eyebrow at the guard's, as if subtly teasing them for their failing, though that was unlikely given the cool demeanor of the seemingly young mare. Her cup of teas froze, however, as she saw Sunset bite her tongue, the surface of the liquid rippling for a moment before she very carefully placed it back on its saucer and stood up. She trotted over, silently taking Sunset's hand and starting to pull her towards the cafeteria doors. Come, we are going to the infirmary, she typed out, holding up her scroll so that Sunset could see it clearly.

Her ears twitched as she was leading the mare away, and words flashed up in front of both Shining and Nox. Both of you, stop making such a scene. You only worsen the situation with your screeching, the letters flashed, before fading away slowly. And you two, she continued, the messages now appearing in front of Viridian and Razor. You need to stop acting like children.

Wild was taken a little aback by Sunset snapping at him, but quickly turned his expression into a friendly smile again. He then chuckled at what Viridian had to say about him, "Well, I'll take that as a compliment, I suppose. But I doubt I'll be wearing dresses or singing with animals any time soon." He replied happily, taking a few more bites from his food afterwards. Once again the stallion went back to watching the events unfold on the tables, occasionally looking over to the rest of his team to see if they were still there.

Wild Card did, however, interject as soon as Viridian and Razor started purposefully throwing food at the pony sitting at another table. "Now that's a bit childish, isn't it? It's also a bit counterproductive to be antagonising fellow students. Who knows, your team may be working with them and their team for missions one day, and to have bad feelings between you isn't going to help. Friendship is the way forward. We all have a common enemy and we're here to learn how to fight them, so it would be best for us all to fight as friends!" The pegasus beamed, obviously happy with what he said even though on the inside part of him was berating him. 'Oh dear Celestia you sound exactly like a Disneigh princess. Let's all be friends, let's all be happy. It's kind of getting a little sickly honestly.' 'Look, the more friends, the better, okay?' 'Alright. But don't act surprised if you begin gallivanting around with an entire ecosystem following you as you sing about the joys of teamwork.' 'Now why in Equestria would I do- Oh right, that was a jab using the whole Disneigh princess thing...' 'Got it in one.' He thought to himself.

A look of realization crossed Sunny’s face, which then transitioned to embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry. Um, nice to meet you, Pyra.” She said apologetically. Though before she could continue, her team’s attention was drawn to a neighboring one nearby. Shining had just started yelling at a snarky thestral. She could just let the argument run its course, but she decided to interfere, if only slightly. As Razor tossed the apple back towards Shining’s face, Sunny briefly summoned a small hardlight shield, about the size of a plate, and with a flick of the wrist she used it to deflect the apple away from Shining. Sure, the zealous mare might come off as a bit of a prick, and she highly doubted the apple was rotten as Razor claimed, but eh, it was the little things.

“And I’m certain that you’re wasting oxygen on what you think is clever sarcasm.” Sunset growled at Viridian. However, she was rather taken aback by Razor actually being… decent, and helpful. She didn’t know how to respond.

She was quickly jolted out of her silence by Anja. She resisted her attempts to drag her and yanked her arm out of her grip. “The infirmary? I only bit my tongue.” she said, as she could still taste blood.

“You’re quite… idealistic.” Fantasy said to Wild, looking concerned. Sunset snorted.

“I don’t screech.” Nox and Shining said at the same time, one snapping and the other simply stating fact. Shining bolted out of her seat when Razor and Viridian began pelting food at her. “STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD, YOU-” she stopped screeching. She cleared her throat, held her hands in front of her, and tried again. “Look… Miss, I don’t know where you’re from, but it’s obviously nowhere with… laws or morals. You’re not there anymore. If you continue, you’re either going to get decency beat into you, whether by pony or Grimm, or you’re going to get kicked out before the year ends.”

At least she’s using an indoor voice. Nox thought, preparing to intervene if things became violent. Next to her, Pyra chirped happily at Sunny. Nox looked over and smiled. “You’re either a quick learner or quick to swallow your pride.” Nox said to Sunny. “Either way, I admire it.”

You are coming to the infirmary. The message was snapped out, and she took Sunset's arm again, this time her grip like iron. Her hood was, as always, up, and her eyes stared at the mare from the darkness of her cowl. It is best to get your injury checked by a medical expert, rather than going on your own assumptions. She continued, before glancing at the pair of mares. You quite clearly were... that's much better.

Sunset would find despite her attempts to pull away from Anja, she would fail. For whilst one second their wrists had been clear, the next a pair of shining steel handcuffs joined them together. Do please be careful, and come with me to the infirmary.

Viridian eyes Shining as she dresses down Razor with forced calm. "Don't you think that talking about her getting decency beaten into her, or getting kicked out, is a sort of extreme reaction to her giving you a hard time about being hysterical?" She looks to Razor. "Because I need to be honest, miss: I just don't see her getting kicked out or thrashed anytime soon. Maybe I'm unduly influenced by the armor-clad exterior. Maybe I have some nostalgia for the rough types back in my growing-up city. Either way, I don't think anyone's getting rid of her without it costing them way more than it's worth." She watches Anja thoughtfully as the mare begins to drag Sunset off, idly wondering what's gotten the elegant female in such an agitated state, and goes back to hungrily eating what she took from the cafeteria queue.

After she's done with her meal, she leaves the dishes where they are and slips out of her seat to where Wild is sitting. "Weird question time, tophat: where do you come from?"

Wild Card nodded thoughtfully as he munched on an apple, chewing slowly and eventually swallowing before smiling cheerfully. "Idealistic? I don't know, really. I think more of myself as an optimistic kind of stallion. Besides, is thinking that people can be nice to one another and thus work well together really that unrealistic of a hope to have?" The pegasus took another bite from the apple casually, "If it is... I'm fine with being unreal, and I'm certainly practicing what I'm preaching, if that's the correct use of the phrase which I hope it is."

Wild then looked to Viridian after she finished her food and asked him a question, to which the stallion chuckled. "Me? Oh, well..." He then paused momentarily. "You know how the Griffish Isles are now a scorched post-apocalyptic wasteland of fire, death and flame breathing Nevermores in which no pony or griffon would ever venture to due to the likely event of being turned into a barbecue snack for a mutated Grimm?" Once more, a bite was taken from the apple Wild held. "I live close to that. Well I say close. I can only see the Isles on a clear day. There is a much greater risk of Grimm attacks, but given I live in a cloud city it's only Nevermores that attack. But they breath fire... so I guess that's the trade-off for not having to deal with Beobeasts and such." Wild answered, appearing very casual about the entire situation with his home.

Sunny smiled, despite her embarrassment. “Well to be honest, it’s not the first time I made that mistake. Although last time it was a mouse. At least, I think it was a mouse. Or some kind of rodent. There’s a funny story behind that, actually. I’ll have to share it sometime.” She glanced back at the others. “When we’re a little more… collected.”

Razor grinned and faced Shining Light, kicking her feet up on the table in front of her. "I come from the real world, you should visit sometime." Razor remarked coolly. "You should visit sometime, be better than the nonsense you lot fill your heads with; you Celestia Witnesses spend more time with your heads in the clouds than a pegasus with cloud sickness."

Razor cocked an eyebrow and rose to her feet, very calmly walking up to Shining Light with a smile which was far, far too friendly for her. "So. Gonna get decency beat into me am I?" She asked with a smirk. "Why don't you step up and do something about problems for a change? Try fixing a problem instead of just branding everything you don't agree with a problem in need of removal." Razor's voice was even and calm as she whispered to Shining Light but there was a venom and threat behind her words which was utterly unmistakable.

She didn't linger however and promptly moved past Shining Light to follow her team. "We interrogating Mr Bowler Hat now?" Razor asked, eavesdropping in while walking behind them. "Heh, I got a friend who's out in the Griffish Isles right now; you should see how she handles those things. Wouldn't catch me within ten miles of them." Razor remarked, remembering fondly the cyborg engineer who had shown her pity.

“What? No!” Sunset blasted the chains of the handcuffs and yanked her hand away again. “I’m not going to the bucking infirmary. My tongue’s almost done bleeding anyway. Look, I can use my Aura to heal it right now if you won’t get off my back about it. Heck, I could use a spell.” She did just that: her Aura flared up and in a moment the cut was gone.

“It’s unrealistic to expect a small speech to solve all the conflicts. Especially small speeches that talk about friendship like it’s all holding hands and singing Christmas carols.” Fantasy responded. She glanced at Sunset, who seemed to have her situation under control, then to Shining and Razor…

There, she might have to intervene. If Razor didn’t snap her in two.

Nox raised an amused eyebrow. “That sounds unusual. Do unusual things often happen to you? Or do you seek them out?” She looked at the group, her eye lingering on Shining and Razor. “It hasn’t even been a day and she’s already the most troublesome of our group.” She smirked. “I suppose that’s what happens when you’ve been raised in an echochamber.” Her eyes hardened. “I don’t know if I should hold her in contempt or pity.”

Shining opened her mouth to bitingly retort to Viridian, but Razor interrupted her. Normally she’d address them in order, but what Razor was saying was rather a mite more important at this moment. That said, she would not accept Razor ending the conversation. “Excuse me, I am not done with you!”

“Oh, you most certainly are.” Nox stood up and grabbed Shining tightly by the upper arm. “You’ve caused enough trouble for today.”

“Get off of me, you witch!” Shining tried and failed to release herself from Nox’s grasp.

“Sit down. Now.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to-” A violet light blinked in Shining’s throat and suddenly she was silent. Eyes wide, she desperately grabbed at her throat as if she were choking, even though she clearly wasn’t as she began hyperventilating.

“You have a friend who lives in the Griffish Isles?” Nox asked disbelievingly, now ignoring her panicking partner.

A table away from the bickering cluster of ponies, Adagio fidgeted irritably with the inhibitor ring around her neck.

Anja stared at the broken handcuff, before it faded away as quickly as it had appeared. She watched the mare heal herself, before giving a short curtsy, rising up again and typing out a message. My apologies, I overreacted. The sight of untreated wounds... does not sit well with, but I should not have tried to force you. Now, if you would excuse me... she gave a second curtsy, before walking towards tje bickering mares.

Miss Back, Miss Rain, could you please be ever so kind as to stop bothering my team members? I understand that you feel threatened, or bullied, or perhaps insulted by their words, but I can assure you they meant no real harm. They have merely overreacted, as I did, and it is something we will work towards remedying. I believe it is simply nerves for a new school, and meeting many new people. The words she wrote in the air hovered in flowing script, visible throughout the entire room. She gave a deeper curtsy to the pair, the words Good Day appearing for a moment before vanishing again.

Anja turned her attention to her teammates, and as she sat down and pulled her tea over to her, sipping the now presumably cold drink. And you two. Miss Moon, as team leader, I expected you to be able to control your team members without resorting to terrifying them. Shining, your words were unbecoming of a lady, so I suggest you withdraw them. We are all new here, there is no need to be so angry. Might I suggest camomile tea? It has exquisite calming properties. She looked at the panicking Shining, before looking back to Nox, before sighing. She picked up a paper bag, helping the mare breathe in and out, whilst rubbing her back to calm her down. Remove the enchantment, now, or I will do it myself.

"We were only 'bothering' your team member, milady, because that one specific team member was acting in a hysterical manner and being loud, rude and dismissive. Hysterical and insulting behavior naturally and justly invites insulting behavior in turn. If you wish your team to be unmolested, you should use your powers of poise and ladylike behavior to calm their ardor and especially educate the insulting one in basic manners," Viridian says evenly to her. "And if I might say, you're rather articulate for a mute, and it's curious that with no apparent injury or physical cause, you do not speak. I'm sure your voice is lovely; you ought to make effective use of it."

Viridian nods to Wild. "Yes, my own home is within telescopic sight of the devastated Isles. Most likely, I've seen your own home from mine but didn't recognize it as such. You seem a delightfully prim and proper gentlestallion as well, which is a nice change from the ordinary flotsam and jetsam that seems to arise." She looks briefly towards Shining before she offers Wild a hand. "Viridian Rain."

"And yet, after all the fighting is done, and both sides wish for no more conflict, it's always words that carry them to peaceful times. A speech can do so much, I believe. No clue what you mean by Christmas though." Wild Card responded happily to Fantasy, finishing off his food afterwards. "Words have such power. Sadly none against the Grimm but still." The pegasus said with a shrug, before looking at Viridian and Razor, the latter with a somewhat disapproving stare.

"It's a top hat." Wild said bluntly, "And you too live near the Isles? Well, who knows, we could potentially spar during a few days of the holidays when we're allowed back home. Wild Card's the name." He shook Viridian's hand firmly and smiled. Then something caught his eye, off to the side Adagio was fidgeting with something. "Uh, excuse me for a moment." Wild said, standing up from his seat and walking over to the rest of his team, though he specifically looked at Adagio. "Hey, sorry I didn't sit with you lot. Just thought that given we're all sharing a dorm, we get ample time to talk. Plus, I think I'm in good standing with at least one other team, so that helps if we're to work with them." He explained as he sat down at the table. "So how're things over here?"

Sunny fidgeted nervously at Nox’s question, unsure of how to respond. “Well… Strangeness and I have a strong connection. I used to go seeking it out more, but then…" She gestured back at her metal wing. “That happened. I’ve learned to be a bit more careful since then.” She said. While her main focus was on Nox, she was still adamantly listening to the rest of the group’s debacle. Her interest was especially piqued by the mention of fire-breathing Grimm, and she wished she’d eventually get to see and/or fight one. She almost missed Fantasy’s comment about Christmas. Almost.

"Yeah, old running buddy of mine back when I- from before I came to the academy." Razor answered, changing track halfway through her sentence for some reason. She took a moment to read what Anja wrote and snorted, apparently amused at the very idea that Shining Light was threatening to her, and moved past her to keep talking to Wild Card and Viridian.

"You oughta see Bronze's ship then if you've got a telescope on the isles." Razor told Viridian, making at least a token effort to include Nox in the conversation. "Mad mare lives above the awful place most of the time, I'll never know why she does when she's could live anywhere she wants in that ship of hers." Razor shrugged. "You might meet her at some point anyways, she says she pops round to the other schools pretty often."

“Words have tremendous power.” Fantasy agreed, “But only when ponies are willing to listen to them, and unfortunately so few are willing to listen.” Wild left, and Fantasy turned her attention to the bickering group once more.

The hostility surrounding Adagio was almost palpable. She was fidgeting with the ring around her neck, groaning and mumbling under her breath, and glared death at Wild as he approached and dared to speak to her so jovially and familiarly. ”Peachy.” she spat, temporarily distracted from her fidgeting. “Absolutely divine. I’m having a grand time dealing with an itchy iron choker and listening to you lot bicker like foals experiencing the competitive and catty environment brought on by a collective first heat.”

Sunset rolled her eyes at Anja, but didn’t say anything. She just sat down at the far end of her and Fantasy’s table, away from everypony else, and continued eating. Pretty soon she was wishing she’d brought a book with her.

Reluctantly, Nox undid the spell, and as soon as Shining felt that she started right back up: “YOU CURSED ME!”

“The Silence Spell is no curse of dark magic.” Nox responded calmly, with a hint of irritation sneaking into her tone. “It is harmless, easily removed, and I used it on you because you are being hysterical-”

“I am not!” Shining started talking over her. “My concern is perfectly justified in these circumstances-”

“-and unjustly malicious to those around you,” Nox continued as if Shining weren’t speaking. “And I would like you to apologize-”

“-I will not take orders from the likes of you! I am perfectly willing to give your kind a chance, but when somepony like you comes along-”

“-for your actions today, as those you have targeted have done nothing to deserve your venom-”

“WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP?!” Sunset roared, silencing not only Nox and Shining, but a majority of the cafeteria as well. ”Nopony cares about your stupid problems and nopony wants to hear you screeching about them, so can it!” She glared for a moment then went back to eating. Fantasy looked fairly annoyed as well, as her head was hanging between pale hands that were pressing hard against her ears.

The whole cafeteria was staring now, waiting for the group’s next move, their next word. Nox turned red and froze, Shining paled but stared defiantly back at the crowd, and Sunset and Fantasy refused to acknowledge anypony. Sunset clearly knew she was being watched though, as her body language announced to the whole room ’I am deliberately ignoring you’, while Fantasy… she might’ve been in her own world, or she might’ve been horribly embarrassed and tired.

Meanwhile, Adagio seemed very amused by the whole spectacle. At first. Then it turned to frustration. Then barely-contained fury, and she scratched at her neck ring again.