[Celestia's School] Examination Day (Bellosh101 & Mojo: PM to Join)

[Mojo]

As Piccafilly and a still muzzled Misty Magic watched from the gallery, Gold Standard cleared his throat and began to speak:

[colour=#FF8C00]"Professor Marie, members of the committee, I know that the education I will receive from this wonderful school will open many doors for me. It would be the greatest thing to ever happen to me! After I lost my parents and was sent to the orphanage, I was scared, sad and very worried. It was Nanny who taught me to believe in myself again, who gave me the confidence to not give up on life. When she saw my knack for magic, she trained me that much harder, to bring me to this moment! After I graduate from here, I can see myself passing on the knowledge I've learned here through teaching it to other fillies and colts. In some small way, I would love to do for others what so many have done for me, encourage them to be their very best!"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie sure had to agree that Ms. Piccafilly was a good mentor for Gold Standard. Piccafilly herself proved to be quite adapt at magic, and she certainly had the aptitude to pursue magic-related careers if she had wanted to. In that light, Ingrid was glad that the magic school graduate opted to follow her heart and establish her orphanage instead; Mr. Standard most likely wouldn’t be in this room today otherwise.

Focusing back on the colt’s answer, Counselor Marie was surprised by how specific his answer was for someone of his young age. It seemed perplexing then that Gold didn’t have his cutie mark yet if he had a somewhat-clear vision of his future. Inquiring further, the middle-aged asked; [colour=#008080]“What makes you so confident that you’ll become a magic teacher, Mr. Standard? And what steps have you taken to fulfill these aspirations of yours?”[/colour] As this was the first time Ingrid had actually heard of Gold’s career goal, she wondered if he would have good answers to her follow-ups.....

[Mojo]

Gold Standard calmly cleared his young throat as he began to speak:

[colour=#FF8C00]"First, I've been working hard at the orphanage school on my studies. All of you have my school records so you can see my grades are very high. Secondly, in my spare time, I read a lot. You can ask Nanny, I've read every single book in our library. Maybe that's why I came up with the sorting spell for all of our new books that arrive. Third, I pay attention to my teachers in class, not only what they are teaching, but how they do it. I've particularily enjoyed watching you, Professor Marie, when you've taught our magic class. I understand that teaching is all about communication. Knowing a subject well doesn't guarantee that one can teach other ponies that same material, which is why I am learning how to communicate with others. And lastly, I'm learning things that aren't taught in a classroom, such as social skills and how to 'read' other ponies. Nanny's been a great help to me in that area too."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Paying especially close attention to Gold Standard’s response, Ingrid Marie held back a blush as the colt praised her teaching abilities. Counselor Marie knew better than anypony else that while she may be skilled in the art of one-on-one tutoring, were certainly were other magic professors who did a far-more masterful job of teaching classrooms than she could ever hope to do. Ingrid wouldn’t say she was bad per se though, so she’d accept the young colt’s compliment for what it was.

As for the rest of Gold’s answer, while it did do a very good job of explaining how he was striving to achieve his goal, Ingrid Marie still felt there was little to go on concerning what drove his teaching aspirations and why they existed. Without knowing the catalyst for Mr. Standard’s current choice in a future career path, the counselor wouldn’t know how likely he would be to switch aspirations later in his academic career (especially if his future cutie mark suggested that his destiny lay elsewhere). [colour=#008080]“We see that you’re quite dedicated in your career pursuit Mr. Standard,”[/colour] Ingrid addressed the lad; [colour=#008080]“But we’d also like to know why you want to become a teacher at this current time.”[/colour]

[Mojo]

Gold Standard looked over at the gallery, and in particular at Piccafilly. The two exchanged smiles as the blank flank colt turned towards Ingrid Marie and the other examination ponies.

[colour=#DAA520]"Why do I want to teach? Because I feel a calling towards the job. It's rather hard to explain, but there's just something inside me, as if I'm being pulled in this direction. Often when I go to bed, I dream of standing in front of a classroom and leading other students. I know this sounds odd, but there's no other way I can express this. Perhaps when my cutie mark comes in. it'll relate to teaching. I can't give you a formula or a passage from a book that I can use to back up my claim, it's more like, for lack of a better term, a gut feeling that my destiny will be tied to teaching.[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie didn’t show it through her stoic facial expression, but she couldn’t help but be moved by Gold Standard’s declaration. If he really did think teaching would be his calling in life, then there was a very good chance that he’ll achieve this goal. Still though, it was odd that the colt didn’t have his own cutie mark yet. Perhaps he just needed a chance to prove his dedication first however.

Unfortunately, an entrance examination was not the time and place for such an occasion. They were on the last stretch now; with Gold Standard having gotten so far, now was the time for the all-important final challenge. Indeed, it would be the all-important last test of character for the young unicorn before the proceedings could close satisfactory.

But before the final problem could be administered, the room had to be cleared of the other carts first; [colour=#008080]“We will now take a two-to-three minute break while the other carts are moved out of the room. The last exercise will be administered when preparations are complete.”[/colour] With that, Counselor Marie gave the signal to have the attendants push the other carts out of the room.....

[Mojo]

Gold Standard breathed a sigh of relief as the blank flank colt rushed over into the gallery next to Piccafilly and the still muzzled Misty Magic.

[colour=#DAA520]"Nanny, how do you think I'm doing so far?" [/colour]the anxious gold-coated colt asked.

[colour=#FF0000]"You're doing just fine, Gold," [/colour]the red maned unicorn mare answered. [colour=#FF0000]"Keep up the good work."[/colour]

[colour=#DAA520]"Why is Miss Magic wearing a muzzle?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Trust me, Gold. It's there for a good reason," [/colour]Piccafilly said as Misty moaned and groaned.

[colour=#DAA520]"Better get a drink of water and get back to it, wish me luck," [/colour]Gold said as he galloped over to the drinking fountain before returning to where he had stood before in front of the review board of unicorns.

[Bellosh]

Just like Ingrid Marie said, the attendants wheeled the carts out of the room in only two minutes’ time. As the last cart was cleared out, Gold Standard stood at attention to receive his final instructions. Sensing that asking the boy about his readiness would only have been a mere formality, Counselor Marie signaled for the final cart to be pushed into the room.

By all accounts, the object resting upon a layer of straw looked like a green polka-doted dragon egg in every way. It had the same precise weight as a dragon egg, had the shine and luster of one, seemed to be surrounded the same magic-resistant shell, and even had the same weight as an egg. Given that the basement of the school library actually housed a dragon egg incubation chamber, nearly all ponies didn’t question the fact that faculty members used dragon eggs in entrance examinations.

Except that the very egg in front of Gold Standard was a fake... an extremely well-crafted and well-enchanted fake.

In many respects, the use of phony eggs in exams has been one of the School’s highest-guarded secrets. Only a few employees were privy to this fact, and nopony ever dared to reveal for fear of losing their pensions or lifelong tenure. Since use of authentic dragon eggs was only permitted for use in very-special circumstances, school administrators instead retooled the standard “hatching” exercise into a test of character. Instead of demonstrating their ultimate magic power, foals were examined closely to see how they coped with the inevitability of failure; a no-win scenario in a manner of speaking.

Ingrid was proud that Gold Standard had gotten far enough to reach this point; the vast majority of applicants never made it past the third exercise. Unfortunately, a good number of potential students who made it to the Final Problem ultimately failed the entrance examination thanks to a poor reaction to disappointment. Anypony who couldn’t handle setbacks would clearly be unable to be worthy of being a student at Princess Celestia’s School, regardless of their talent.

Now came time for Ingrid to issue the examiners’ last challenge; [colour=#008080]“Your final objective Mr. Standard will be to hatch this dragon egg. Use any magical means necessary, just as long as the egg remains unmoved and unharmed. You may begin at once.”[/colour]

[Mojo]

At last, the final part of the test, the one Gold Standard has held spoken of only in rumor: the hatching of a dragon egg. There was no way to 'practice' this part of the test in advance, due to the fact that dragon eggs were rarely seen in public and the dragons who lay them very seldom are willing to part with them. Seeing the egg and hearing the test being announced gave different emotional responses to Piccafilly and Misty Magic. For the red maned older unicorn, it brought back memories of triumph as she remembered passing the test easily, back when real eggs were used. For the still muzzled Misty, it brought back scary memories of how she flubbed that particular test. Instead of hatching the dragon's egg that fateful day, Misty's misguided magic started multiplying the egg repeatedly until everypony in the room had to flee as the room filled completely with dragon eggs. Tears fell from the eyes of the petite yellow unicorn as she remembered the pain of rejection when she was told that she had failed the test and would not be accepted into the school.

But now, all eyes were on the smallish blank flank colt who began to cast his spell. His magic made the egg glow, but as hard as he tried, the egg remained unhatched. Gold wasn't about to give up easily, he made several valiant attempts to complete the task. Each time the colt had the same look of determination on his face. Finally, after the sixth attempt and as the point of near complete magical exhaustion, Gold Standard collasped to the floor, his eyes slowly closing.

[colour=#FF0000]"GOLD!" [/colour]Piccafilly shouted from the gallery, though she dared not to gallop up to him to help, for fear of disqualifying him. Misty Magic could only lower her head and weep more intensely.

[Bellosh]

Even Ingird Marie and her fellow proctors had to wince when they witnessed Gold Standard fainting from exerting himself too much. Of course, their response was more measured because they’ve seen incidents like this before. Some poor foal would try spending all their magical energy on the fake egg only to find themselves spent. For Ingrid’s part, she knew the boy would regain consciousness shortly. For the time being though, the counselor needed to officially wrap up the proceedings.

[colour=#008080]“This concludes the entrance examination for Gold Standard,”[/colour] the beige unicorn announced without emotion, as per standard proctoring procedure; [colour=#008080]“We will deliberate on the colt’s qualifications for admission into Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns based on what has transpired here today. In two days time', he is to report to my office to receive his results. Mr. Standard’s guardians are now free to escort him out of the premises as they please.”[/colour]

[Mojo]

Hearing that the examination was completed, Piccafilly leapt out of the gallery to attend to the still fainted Gold Standard. Frustrated beyond measure, Misty Magic used an angry burst of her own magical energy to disintegrate the muzzle on her snout as she quickly joined the red maned mare at Gold's side.

[colour=#ff0000]"I feared this would happen," [/colour]Piccafilly said as she levitated a bottle of smelling salts beneath the gold pelted colt's nose. [colour=#ff0000]"The entrance exam often takes a lot out of applicants. What I don't understand is how that egg was completely unphased by all of Gold's magic?"[/colour]

As Gold Standard began to awaken, Misty galloped up to the cart where the egg sat.

[colour=#800080]"Poor Gold! He couldn't make that dumb old egg hatch!" [/colour]the petite unicorn mare lamented. [colour=#800080]"I can't be critical, I couldn't do it either. I tried and I tried, I remember it like it was yesterday."[/colour]

As Misty's mind raced back to that fateful day, she didn't notice that her horn was now glowing.

[colour=#800080]"So much for history repeating itself," [/colour]Misty said as she turned to walk away. With a flash of her horn, suddenly the one egg in the cart became two, and then four, and then eight. Piccafilly was too busy attending to Gold Standard to notice Misty's latest magical mishap, and with her own back turned away, the purple maned mare didn't realize how the cart was now filled to overflowing with duplicated eggs and how the pile was continuing to glow quickly.

[Bellosh]

Bleh, not again! Almost immediately after Misty Magic made Picafilly’s nuzzle vanish, she just had to go blurt out something stupid almost immediately and perform a repeat of the stunt that cost her enrollment in the School. To Ingrid Marie’s extremely-visible frustration, it didn’t appear that the young mare even tried to make an effort to curtail her more problematic habits. Even though Ingrid specifically instructed Miss Magic not to use figures of speech, the other mare always went along and said them anyway and caused an accident. Of course, the petite unicorn would then later complain how everypony treats her as a pariah for not being able to control her magic despite the fact that she does not really try doing anything about it herself. It was as if Misty Magic preferred playing the role of a victim!

The good news was that Counselor Marie was able to swiftly cast a failsafe spell at Misty Magic before the younger mare realized what was going on. With Ingrid’s frustration fueling her failsafe, Misty would probably be unable to cast magic for at least a good hour or so; more than enough time to get her away from the premises. And since the duplicate eggs were of a magical nature, there was no question that they’d dissipate once the failsafe went into effect on Misty.

Ingrid would have a nice long chat with Misty Magic later, but for now she didn’t want to put up with her nonsense. Other young applicants were waiting for their entrance exams too, and the sooner Misty got a move on, the better.

Oh, Ingrid also wanted to remind Picafilly not to have Misty Magic accompany Mr. Standard when he comes to find out his results, but that could also wait.....

[Mojo]

As Piccafilly started to revive the fainted Gold Standard, out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the 'multiplying eggs.' Before she could cast her own spell to fix the situation, the red maned unicorn mare saw that Ingrid Marie had already done it. Letting out a heavy sigh, she helped to get Gold Standard back on his feet.

[colour=#ff8c00]"What happened, Nanny?" [/colour]the gold pelted colt asked. [colour=#ff8c00]"Did I pass the exam?"[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"We won't know until they send for you again in a few days," [/colour]Piccafilly said with a note of confidence in her voice. [colour=#ff0000]"The exam is over, we better be getting back home."[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"Awww!" [/colour]Misty Magic sighed. [colour=#800080]"I was hoping we could give Gold a tour of the school and.."[/colour]

[colour=#ff0000]"Please Misty, not another word! I think it's best to leave now."[/colour]

So the three walked slowly out of the room and then out of the building together.

[Bellosh]

As the attendants prepared the room for the next applicant of the day, Ingrid Marie took the opportunity to write a final series of notes. As she had spent a good deal of magical energy on the previous failsafe spell, Ingrid opted to hoofwrite instead:

Mr. Standard has obvious issues with using excessive energy

Sure is quite persistent even when blatantly making no headway at task

Did not show signs of modifying his strategy for finishing exercise

With not much else needed to be written, Ingrid grabbed a new blank sheet as she recommenced her proctoring duties for the next young unicorn.....

-----------------------

*Ingrid Marie's Office: Two Days Later*

Today would be the big day for Gold Standard, where he’d find out if he got accepted into Princess Celestia’s School. This time around, Counselor Marie mailed to Picafilly in advance asking Misty Magic not to accompany the boy; the middle-aged unicorn was sure that the orphanage nanny didn’t want to put up with Miss Magic’s antics again. As she waited for Picafilly and Gold to arrive at her office, Ingrid busied herself with finishing paperwork.....

[Mojo]

[colour=#FF0000]"Don't be nervous, Gold," [/colour]Piccafilly said as she walked with the gold pelted colt towards Ingrid Marie's office.

[colour=#FF8C00]"But Nanny, I know I didn't complete the last task," [/colour]Gold Standard said sadly. [colour=#FF8C00]"I know she's going to tell me I've failed!"[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Nonsense Gold! After all, if you'd been rejected, would they have summoned us all the way here instead of simply writing a rejection letter?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF8C00]"Er, maybe Nanny. By the way, where's Miss Magic? Why didn't she come with us?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Well, the school asked to meet the two of us. We better go in now, just relax."[/colour]

Piccafilly and Gold Standard slowly entered the office lobby, waiting for Professor Marie to ask them into her office

[Bellosh]

Hearing the familiar voices of Gold Standard and Piccafilly originating from outside, Ingrid Marie set her paperwork aside as she prepared to let the two ponies inside her office. [colour=#008080]“Come in please,”[/colour] the counselor warmly instructed, telekinetically opening her door to bid them in. As the two other ponies came inside, Ingrid asked of the two; [colour=#008080]“I hope you two had a pleasant train ride to Canterlot today.”[/colour] Ingrid usually wasn’t one for small talk, but maybe it could soothe Mr. Standard’s nerves... assuming they were jittery, that was.....

[Mojo]

[colour=#ff0000]"Thank you, Professor Marie," [/colour]Piccafilly said as the red maned unicorn mare let Gold Standard into her office and sat down.

[colour=#ff0000]"Yes, we did have a lovely trip here, don't you agree, Gold?"[/colour]

[colour=#ff8c00]"Yes ma'am," [/colour]the nervous colt quipped. He was too afraid to ask the only question on his mind, did he pass the exam or not.

[Bellosh]

A moment of silence passed as Gold Standard seemed too reluctant to engage in small talk. Figuring that she should cut to the chase, Ingrid Marie delivered the big news with a ever-so-slight perk in her voice; [colour=#008080]“Mmmkay, the admissions committee reviewed your examination results from the day before yesterday Mr. Standard, and we are happy to announce that your application to enroll in Princess Celestia’s School has been accepted.”[/colour]

Counselor Marie personally had little doubt of this outcome from the start. Gold was not a perfect magic-user by any means, but he sure had plenty of promise. After a brief pause to let the colt grasp his success, Ingrid continued; [colour=#008080]“Beginning next semester, you will be attending classes here as one of the select few that call themselves students of this institution. Do you have any questions or concerns so far?”[/colour]

[Mojo]

[colour=#FF0000]"You did it, Gold! You're in!" [/colour]Piccafilly shouted.

[colour=#FF8C00]"I'm in? Really? I'm IN!" [/colour]Gold standard neighed, the message coming from Ingrid Marie taking a few seconds before it sunk in. [colour=#FF8C00]"WOW! This is terriffic! Thank you, Professor Marie!"[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Do you have any questions for the Professor?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF8C00]"Just one to start with. How soon will the next semester begin?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

With all the jubilation in the room from Gold Standard and Piccafilly, Ingrid Marie cracked a smile of her own. Unlike with most other applicants, the counselor had a reasonable-level of confidence in the colt’s ability to pass the entrance examination. With time, Mr. Standard could very well be as much of a model student like his Nanny used to be back in the day.

Once the cheers died down, Gold’s first question happened to be about the start of the next semester. [colour=#008080]“The school-year begins in the fall,"[/colour] replied the counselor; [colour=#008080]"So you’ll have plenty of time to get ready. You’ll have to go out and buy school supplies, attend orientation day in the summer... and move into your dormitory.”[/colour] Ingrid let that last fact sink in for a little bit; as students of Princess Celestia’s School lived in on-site dorms, she was effectively telling Mr. Standard that his orphanage days were over.....

[Mojo]

Gold Standard's happiness instantly turned to sadness after he heard Ingrid Marie's words. Yes, Gold had understood from the beginning what acceptance into the school meant, but only now was the full weight of this reality weighting upon the young colt's mind.

[colour=#FF8C00]"Nanny, this means I'll have to leave you," [/colour]the gold pelted unicorn colt sighed as he nuzzled up to her. [colour=#FF8C00]"You've been like a mother to me, taking me into the orphanage when my parents... well..."[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Yes Gold, this is true," [/colour]Piccafilly said as tears fell from the red maned unicorn mare's eyes. [colour=#FF0000]"But we talked about this before. You'll make new friends at this school, and I will be by to visit you as often as I can. Also, some of your classmates have also shown great magic potential and soon, I'll be bringing them here for their entrance exams. This is an important step for you, Gold, I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you today."[/colour]

Gold and Piccafilly shared a warm embrace, tears flowing from their eyes. Soon, both turned to face Ingrid Marie.

[colour=#FF0000]"Don't worry, Professor, I will have Gold packed and ready to go when the semester starts."[/colour]

[colour=#FF8C00]"And I'll be ready too, ma'am." [/colour]Gold Standard declared. [colour=#FF8C00]"I won't let you or Nanny down!"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie had seen this ritual play out hundreds of times by now; a young foal realizing that he or she would be living away from home for the first time in their life, while the parent or guardian comforts their child. While the counselor didn’t show it, she had never become numb to the feelings invoked by such scenes. After all, Ingrid too had once been one of those magically-gifted fillies who got scared at first at the prospect of leaving their families behind.

Once Gold Standard and Piccafilly vented their bittersweet emotions out, Counselor Marie nodded and spoke up again; [colour=#008080]“Now then, there’re a couple of other things to go over first. When you come for your orientation Mr. Standard, you’ll be given a list of courses that you’ll be required to take for the first year. Most of these are standard introductory classes, but a few will be assigned based directly on your entrance examination performance. As you advance in proficiency, you’ll be given more freedom to decide what courses you’d like to take. Do you have any questions Mr. Standard?”[/colour]

[Mojo]

Gold Standard thought for a moment and then asked a question.

[colour=#FF8C00]"Professor Marie, what are the dorm rooms like? Back at the orphanage, I had ta share a room with three other colts. I'm not complaining about that, all of us are good friends. I was just wondering about that."[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"Good question, Gold," [/colour]Piccafilly said with a smile. [colour=#FF0000]"Back when I was here, there were many of us sharing a room together. Of course, that was some time ago..."[/colour]

Piccafilly suddenly became embarrassed, not wanting to reveal her age. She wasn't an elderly unicorn mare, but she was certainly not a 'spring chicken' anymore.

[Bellosh]

Ingrid Marie chuckled as Piccafilly mentioned how many ponies lived in a dorm; [colour=#008080]“Dormitory rooms here still accommodate four ponies each; just like at the orphanage. Given how well Nanny keeps her place running, you won’t actually notice any significant difference as far as comfort and maintenance are concerned. You’ve got any other questions about the Dormitory Tower, Mr. Standard? Or would you like to move on to other matters?”[/colour]

Sorry for the short post, but I forgot to add this thread to my backlog queue. Oh well.

[Mojo]

[colour=#FF8C00]"I see, Professor Marie," [/colour]Gold Standard said in delight. [colour=#FF8C00]"Do you have some kind of student hoofbook I can read so I'll be ready for school when the time comes?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF0000]"I'm sure there's a Student Hoofbook available," [/colour]Piccafilly said with a grin. [colour=#FF0000]"I would left you borrow my old one, but I'm certain that it's out of date. Though I am sure that all of the regulations in regards to the Student Honor Code, correct?"[/colour]