Witch Anon

"What do you mean 'I won't be able to handle the Witch Academy'?"
>You scrunch up.
"I'll be fine!"
>"Ri'skri kfro ni fiskesk!"
"So what if I don't have experience with dark magic? Neither do you!"
>Letuch stares at you, wide-eyed, offended by your statement.
>"Skri kfrl fiskesk!"
"Oh really? Well then, if you were good enough for it, then surely I will be too."
>Letuch slaps his wing on his muzzle, quietly screeching into it.

>You look around the dark alley around you.
>The day was still young; the pale white sunlight bounced around all metal surfaces, highlighting their imperfections in contrasting pitch black colours, with the rest of the light illuminating the walls of the houses around you.
>Your pet bat jumps onto your shoulder and sighs.
>"Skri ni eki firi."
"I know, Letuch, I know."

>You move out towards the main street.

>Your leg muscles start moving without hesitation.
>'Cause today's finally the day when you'll become a proper wizard.
>Or, well, begin learning how to be one.

>Step after step, the blinding light of the outside world is closing in on you.
>You take a deep breath before stepping out of the boundary of the little alley.

>Warm air envelops you; strong gusts of it hit you in the face, warming up your skin to a boiling temperature.
>Holy hell it's hot today.
>Speeding up your stride, you press on towards the Witch Academy at the end of the street.

>A huge, beautiful building in the centre of the city, dominating the view with its ivory towers and chiseled facades.

>Getting closer to it, you notice that there's less people around you.
>Letuch , hiding from the sun under his wings, also was looking around him in confusion.
>"Ri ni ersk?"
"I know, right? Where is everyone?"

>You look forward once again.
>And come to a full stop a yard before smashing into the gates with your nose.

>...

>Right.
>Now what are you supposed to do?
>You glance over at Letuch.
>He stares at you and sighs once again.
>He flaps his wings, floating up to just above your head.
>He takes a deep breath.
>"Kiki, rir'ikik irsk!"
>With a screech and a groan, the hinges move by themselves and open the huge metal gates.
>A strong gust of wind pushes you and Letuch into the now open courtyard.
"Amazing. Since when do you know how to get into here?"
>"Skri ki ikik'skesk."

>You already knew that.
>Thanks.
>Whatever.

>You wait for Letuch to land himself back onto your shoulder.
>You continue slowly moving through the empty courtyard.
>Past the fountain glistening in the sun rays, reflecting the entire visible spectrum right into your eyes, filling your view with coloured dots splattered all over it.
>You take a couple more steps, approaching the main entrance.


>20 feet tall great oak doors, looming above you, creaked in pain as soon as you stopped right in front of them.
>The slit inbetween widened bit by bit, opening up and showing you the interior hall.

>You notice Letuch change his usual cool expression into that of something you've never seen before.
>"Skri eki ersk?"
"Are you scared, Letuch?"
>Wow, the greatest bat mage of this century, the wisest specimen of his entire tribe, is humbled by a little Witch Academy.
>You feel far too smug right now.

>As you move on inside, he instantly flies off your shoulder and starts hovering a couple of inches above you again.
>Heh.

>Great big pillars of marble looked puny in comparison to the rest of the hall; a huge staircase leading up to a beautifully crafted upper level, the carved ornaments on the ceiling, it was breathtaking for you, a countryside boy, to behold.
>The windows on the facade let in just enough light to make the entire room shine--

>"Like it?"

>You almost jump at the sound of someone's voice.
>You turn your head in the direction it came from.

>A tall, old woman appears right in front of you.
>She looks you up and down with a scrunchy face.
>"So you want to enroll into our Academy, huh?"
>She gets closer, her dark blue eyes turning into slits, giving more space for her limp, pale skin.
>"You seem like fine enough material."

>You see something moving behind her head, fidgeting her hair bun.
>A bat wing reaches out of it.
>And then another.

>A noticeably old bat finally jumps out and stares first at you with visible disgust, and then at Letuch with surprise.
>"K-kiki."
>The old bat greets him, stuttering a bit, rather uncharacteristically.
>Well, it's not like you knew it anyway, you just assumed that it'd be--
>"Kiki, ri skri. Skri ni krik ri'skri ersk Skri Res."

>The woman is apparently just as surprised as you are.
>Not the same kind of surprise, though.
>It's more curiosity than anything.

>"Not many people are brave enough to choose a bat as their pet, you know."
"I know. This bat chose me, though."
>Letuch cartoonishly presses his forearms into his sides, still lingering in the air, with a smug grin on his face.
>"Kk, skri sekl An-nuun. Skri vel An-nuun resve fer."
"Yeah. I've always wanted to be a wizard, but didn't have the means to become one, so Letuch chose to train me."
>"He's trained in the arcane arts, is he?"
>"Kiskri!"
>"I see."
>The old bat rests on the woman's shoulder, trying not to stare at Letuch too much.
>"Well then, welcome. Welcome to the finest academy in Canterlot, and by extension, in the world."
>Well that wasn't so hard, was it?
>"I'll be your headmistress. You can call me Ysolda."
>That's a... Strange name to have.
>Hm.

>"And you're... Anon, right?"
"Uh, yes."
>"Is that your full name?"
>You wish.
"Um, yes."
>You can almost feel Letuch's stare pierce the back of your head.
>"Good. At least you're not one of those."
>Uh?
"What?"
>"You'll see."
>A small notebook appeared in her hands out of nowhere, and she started scribbling something in with a quill she pulled out of her hair.
>Was that there the entire time?
>Whatever.

>"Right. You're now in class 1-14. Have fun."
>With a puff of smoke and a blink, she disappears into thin air.
>Alright.
>Cool.
>Fine.

>Letuch snickers.
>"Hikse."

"Agreed."
>You feel the miniature claws clutch onto your shirt.
>"Kk."
"Now what?"

>"Kr hik?"
"Hm."
>You look around.
>There's really no other way, or anything interesting on the ground level, for that matter.
"Might as well get up to the first floor, then."
>"Kk."

>You creep along the main staircase, trying to make as little sound as possible.
>Your steps, resonating across the flat walls of the hall weren't making this an easy thing to do, though.

>Why is it so quiet here, anyway?
"What day is it today?"
>"Niske."
"Real helpful, Letuch."
>"Kreskri ni."
"Same."

>You get up to the first floor, after a seemingly unending set of stairs.

>A new hallway opened up to you; light, as if coming from nowhere, was jumping around the gold-trimmed plaques decorating the big row of doors to both the right and left of you.
>You guess you'll have to choose where to go now.
"Any ideas?"
>"Kr... Her?"
"You sure?"
>You look around again.
>A second passes.
>"Ni."
>For God's sake.
>"Ver."

"Alright."
>You turn to the right and move out.

>Passing one door after another, you read the plaques.
>3-8.
>2-12.
>4-26.
>1-14.
>2--
>Wait.
>Aren't you supposed to be in class 1-14?
>"Keiki. Ni skri irsk?"
"I think so."

>You inhale.
>Exhale.
>Inhale.
>Ex--
>The back of your head suddenly meets the back of Letuch's wing.
>"Kr!"
"Alright, alright."
>You grip the knob tightly.

>...

>Heh.
>Knob.

>Twist it.
>Turn it.
>Jerk it.
>Pull it.
>Push it.

>The door gives almost too easily, and you're thrust into the blinding light of the auditorium.
>The negative pressure inside pulls you in even harder with a constant stream of chilling air blasting in your back.
>You stumble, and only by miracle manage to catch yourself mid-fall.
>You raise your head.

>A hundred pairs of eyes centers on you in an instant.
>Even the lector, who looked like someone who'd care less if someone was late, was staring you down silently from behind the lectern.
"Um. Hi."
>"And you must be Anon."
>How'd they--
"Yeah, that's, uh, me."
>"Good. We've just started. Take a seat."

>You look around the long rows of seats, and notice only two things.
>First, the only free seats are next to those three nerdy looking girls in the first row.
>Well, everyone here kinda looks nerdy.
>Can't really complain, this is a witch school, after all.

>And speaking of females, you don't really see anyone except them.
>No male face has been caught by you in the couple of seconds that you've been awkwardly staring at everyone.

>Whatever.
>You'll figure that out later.
>Right now you'll have to get to your seat faster.
>You speedwalk towards the first row and slide on the bench until you're close enough to the person next to you.

>The wooden bench isn't the most comfotable, and maybe that's on purpose.
>Helps you concentrate.
>You pull a small notebook out of your shirt's pocket and pull a pen out of it.
>The lector continues, looking straight at you.
>"Welcome to the Canterlot Witch Academy, Anon. I hope you'll find whatever you were looking for here."
>Uh.
>Are you supposed to reply, nod, or...
>You'll just sit straight and won't move a muscle.
>Perfect.

>Well, this didn't last long.
>You suddenly feel two sets of claws grip your right shoulder, and flinch.
>Good job, Letuch.
>"Now that we're sure that the interruptions are over, let's continue."
>The professor turns his back to you to write something down on the blackboard.

>And then you feel it.
>Every inch of you feels it.
>Every bit of muscle, every cell, every atom.

>A hundred girls staring right at you from all sides.
>You sitting in the centre of the first row doesn't help, either.
>You slowly turn your head towards Letuch.
"You were right."
>"Kk."

>"Hey. Psst."
>You get tapped on your left shoulder by a small, sharp fingernail.
>It digs into your shirt, briefly scraping your skin.
>Your neck creaks and squeaks as it snaps to the opposite side.

>First you glance at the turquoise fingernail, and slowly follow the hand to the forearm, to the short sleeved shirt, to the fiery-red long curly hair with yellow strands, and the elegant neck, the faint smile, and the glasses pressed up right to the top of the bridge...
>"Hey."
>The soft, high-pitched whisper calls to you.
>"You're Anon, right?"
"Um. Yeah."
>Your quite bassy voice isn't really made for classroom whispering.
>You hear it reverberate along the walls and all the indents in them, attracting the attention of practically everyone.

>"Move closer, we'll get kicked out if we make too much noise."
>You think it over for a second.
>And hear hissing in your right ear.
>"Nikfr!"

>Buzzkill.
>You slide over closer to the fiery girl.
>Play it cool, Anon.

>You advance closer still, stopping only when you're almost touching her thigh with yours.

"What's up?"
>"Well, there's a new guy in our class, that's what."
>She bridges the gap between you.
>Your thigh presses into her soft flank through the thin skirt.
>Your avocado face turns into a beet.

>You glance over to the professor.
>He's still writing stuff down.
>"Don't worry about that, l could tell you the most important stuff he said after the class, if you want me to."
>Hm.
>Maybe.
"Yeah, uh, sure."

>"Great. Now, what brings you here?"
>Her soft jaw leaning on her hand, she looks ready to completely ignore whatever there is going on around her.

>Is she gonna interrogate you?
>You raise an eyebrow.
>She seems like the type.
>Huge teal eyes, the elegance and the arrogance mixing together to strike you right in the face, her condescending tone coming through even through whisper, and the smug smirk gave it away.
>She definitely was from some rich family of magic users, maybe even from Canterlot.

>You feel like this isn't gonna end well.
"Um. You know."
>You stare into the deepness of her eyes.
>For a couple of seconds.
>Couple more.

>Maybe ten more.
"Magic."
>The anticipation in her face dropped down like a brick on your head.
>It goes from "I'm mildly interested" to "Is this guy for real" in a second.
>"That's it?"
"Uh, well, no, but I can't really tell the whole story right now, can I?"
>"Ugh. I guess."

>She shifts her focus back to the professor.
>And so do you.

>"The subject you'll use the most in your studies is Magic Linguistics. That is what this class is all about. For those who have arrived late, I am Professor Lucien, and I'll be your mum, dad, nanny, brother and everything inbetween for the rest of your first year here."
>You hear a couple of faint giggles from somewhere out in the back.
>"Now that that's out of the way, let's begin."
>Lucien points at the elaborate patterns and symbols he drew on the blackboard just now.
>"We'll start with the history of magic..."

>...

>Oh man, that was a good nap.
>"You awake?"
>You pull your head up from the comfiness of the armlock and look around briefly.
>Seems like the first class's over.
>Everyone, chatting and laughing between themselves, is getting up and ready to go outside.
>Huh.
>Well that was an experience.
>Your first magic lesson, and you've already slept through it.
>Kinda gay, if you ask you.
>"Anon?"
>Oh, yeah.
"Uh-huh?"

>The redhead is also getting up from her spot on the bench and packing her stuff.
>Finally, you get to have a good look at her.

>Short, wavy locks of hair flowing down the contours of her oval-ish face, akin to quick strokes of a brush, the fiery red and yellow alternating between each other...
>Her petite frame stands out the most; it looks delicate enough to not be boyish, but her posture and body language still radiates strength and determination.
>If that's even possible.

>Oh, boy.
>Now that most of the class is up, you can tell that most of it is really exactly what you would expect from a witch school.
>Well, you're definitely an outlier, so you're sure that you've to make friends in the "special" circle from now on.
>T-that's how it works, right?...

>"Are you getting up?"
>Your eyes automatically roll back to the girl in front of you.
"Um, yeah."
>You look down to see if you look alright.
"Yeah."

>Your muscles ache.
>Your knees are dead.
>For how long have you been asleep, again?
>"Long road, eh?"
"Kinda."
>...
>Wait.
"Wait, how'd you know I'm not from Canterlot?"
>She smirks at you, breaking through all of your defenses right away.
>She crosses her arms on her chest, which somehow makes her look bigger.
>More menacing, too.

>"You just seem like the type, that's all."
>You stand up, going from a quite vulnerable position to looking down on her.
>Looks like you're just a couple of inches taller.
>Ha.
"Now, what's that supposed to mean?"
>Her smirk doubles.
>"Well. I guess you'll see later."
>She waits for you to raise an eyebrow, turns around and calmly walks towards the exit.
>Walks too calmly, you think.

>Ah.
>She's waiting for you to catch up.
>You understand social cues.
>You're not autistic.
>Yeah.

"Hey, um..."
>She slows down a bit more, until you two are walking side by side.
>Back to normal speed.
>Ha!
"I never got your name."
>She glances over at you, like you're expected to know who she is.
>"It's Sunset Shimmer."
"Right."

>...


>You find yourself in a small, cozy room in the dorms of the western wing.
>Two big beds, separated by a thin wall with an equally thin opening to walk through

>Well, you might as well get changed.
>Locking the door and taking your pants off, you recollect your thoughts.
"Right."
>You slip a new pair of thin, baggy dress pants  on.
>Where the hell's Letuch?
"No idea, Anon."
>You button up a long-sleeved pure white shirt.
>Why do pointy witch hats make your dick go wild?
"I don't know, but it'll sure be hard to keep Little Anon at bay."
>The final button of the indigo vest clicks.
>...
>You think you're supposed to say something right about now.
"Y-yay?"

>You imagined Letuch clicking his claws together as you'd said that.
>"Hihi'An-nuun," he'd have said.
>Hehe.

>Is that another voice in your head now?
>Some girly chatter.
>In the back of your mind.
>It hasn't been a day, and you're already going insane?
>These witches are going to be the death of you.

>You stare at the cloth band on the hat you were given.
>So that's the colour of your team, huh?
>Light blue.
>A perfectly stitched band adorning the area right above the rim of your new pointy witch hat.
>This is all you've ever dreamt of.
>The girly voices are getting louder.
>You're not ready.

>You have a moment of clarity.
>There's a field of magic in this Academy that turns all boys into girls.
>That's why there's no males around.
>That's right!
>And you're gonna battle every last witch to get to the source of the conspiracy!
>Your eyes, burning with determination jump upwards to the door.

>Knocks.
>They're here.
>They're here for you, Anon.
>You're ready.


>The door slowly opens with a long, painful squeak, and a patch of curly red hair flocks in, followed by a familiar head.
>Wearing a hat decorated by a light blue band.

>"Oh."
>All of your rock hard determination drops down onto the floor and shatters into a thousand prickly pieces when the realisation comes...

>You were just being a retard.
>Nothing out of the ordinary, really.
>"Hey."
>You continue blankly staring at the band and the similarly coloured sash on her waist not noticing Sunset's calls to you.

>You continue watching her as she walks in, closes the door, and sits down on one of the beds.
"Hm."
>"Anon."
>Your gaze shifts up.
>This is kinda awkward.
"Yeah?"
>"Something wrong?"
"No. It's alright."
>Sunset's head tilts with a slight "Hmm?".
"You know."
>You take two huge strides towards the other bed and sit down as non-awkwardly as possible.
"The fact that we're on the same team."
>"Well, I, for one, see nothing wrong with it."
"Same."

>You glance over to Shimmer.
>The sunset outside pierces the darkened glass pane of the huge window next to her bed, covering her in a pink haze.
>Something's off about her.
>Something you can't notice.
>Red hair, check.
>Pointy witch hat, check.
>Fancy long wand on her waist, check.
>...
>She's not wearing glasses.
>"What are you staring me down for?"
"Weren't you wearing glasses earlier?"
>"For a bet."
"Wearing dumb things for a bet on your first day?"
>"Why not?"
>She's got you there.
"Yeah, you're right."

>Her strong posture and determined gaze are gone.
>Or maybe that's just your warped perception of people affecting how you think others percieve yourself.
>The thought's too complicated for a before-bed-inner-monologue, though, so you quickly drop it.
>Might return to it later.
>Or not.
>These textdump monologues never end well for you and your sanity.
>You've gotta talk to people more.
>And what better opportunity than this, huh?

>Sunset, sitting on the bed with her back turned to you and looking at the ceiling, breathes in and out a couple of times, and finally speaks up.
>"I'd also be right if I'd mentioned that we seriously ought to get some sleep."
>Oh, yeah, that.
>You nod.
>She probably can't see you.
>"...I'll take that as a 'yes'."
>Whatever.

>You let the Sleep Gods take you.
>They tip you over with their mighty invisible finger, and you fall head first onto the plush pillows.
>Your legs hurt like hell.
>So does everything else in your body.
>Really, a good night's sleep is all you need.
>You roll onto your side, into a more comfy position.
>Put your forearm under your cheek.
>Chill out.

>...
>Oh.
>Sunset.
>Lying in the same position on the edge of her bed.
>Trying not to stare too awkwardly at you.
>Failing.
>You also try not to stare too hard.
>...

>But a quick glance won't hurt, right?
>You lay your gaze upon her tiny shoulders covered up by tasty-looking locks of fiery ginger hair and her thin, pale neck, popping out from a neatly folded collar of her standard issue white shirt.
>And you manage to do it in less than half a second.

>"You weren't too bad on your first day, you know."
>You pin your eyes back onto hers.
>Don't look guilty.
>Don't look guilty.
>You didn't do anything wrong.

>"You hadn't blown yourself up, for one."
>Wait...
>That was a possibility?
>"Don't worry though, it's not as bad as it sounds."
>You're not too sure if she's serious right now.
>Too ambiguous of a smile, that.
>Your head hurts from thinking too hard.
>You close your eyes.

>...