Chapter Two

It had been three weeks since the Academy's first school day had started, and everything had been going perfectly! Twilight often doing her duty as Headmistress, making sure what needs to be done is so and teaching her own handful of classes. Though, there was a time when said lavender alicorn could not be found for about two hours, but a rather studious unicorn mare can be. None of the faculty, or her best friends, understood Twilight's sudden daily disappearance, two particular friends believing it was a colt. The only thing that they could tell was she seemed like a foal in a candy store before and after her disappearance.

Right now, it was a time of day for "Headmistress Twilight" to disappear, and "Star Ruby" to go to her afternoon class with Professor Anubis. To add something to her disguise, after the first day, Twilight added a pair of her reading glasses to the outfit and held on to her notebooks. The mare was gitty about what said Sorcerer is teaching the class today, which is about the Nexus Field protecting Equis from extremely dangerous dark entities. She had no idea such creatures even existed! Though, it unnerved her how there are things far more dangerous than Tirek or Discord, and how a power mad mortal could open the door for one to enter Equis. Having Anubis and his silent brethren, here, put the mare more at ease… In case such a thing was to happen.

"Star Ruby?" Anubis' voice snapped the mare out of her vigorous notetaking trance.

"Y-Yes, Professor Anubis!"

Her surprised reaction earned a soft chuckle from said Astartes. "Can my star pupil tell me: What makes a warpborne entity so dangerous to magic wielders?" Anubis asked, the mare blushing at his little pet name for her.

Ever since Twilight turned Anubis' Advance Assignment in, shockingly, four days after giving it to her, disguised as Star Ruby… The Astartes had always referred to her as his "Star Pupil" or "Prized Student" when talking to, or about, her. There was even an incident, after Twilight finished writing a cause and effect corruption equation, he actually gave her an affectionate pat on the head! She had been blushing for hours after this occurred.

Things did not help, that said Sorcerer decided to wear a crimson and gold sorcerer-lord's robe, which Rarity had made him, today! The mare struggled to get her prior notes out, scambling to find the right ones, with a blush burning on her cheeks. "T-The reason w-why…" She started, after finding the correct notes." Is that Warpborne Entitles are dangerous to magic users because of the environment in which they materialize in. An untrained magic user, whose mind is not protected, could either become a beacon to these entities or easily corrupted by them… Along with the fact they will most likely have defenses against a well-trained magic user, leaving only physical means, or a spell catered to that specific type of entity, to banish them."

"Textbook answer, Star Ruby! I expected no less from you, my dear." Anubis congratulated, before write her answer up on to the blackboard. "Now, for the last half of the class, we shall go into a more hands on approach at how to effectively use this method." The class looked at one another, as Anubis wiped the chalk off of his hands and turned around. "Alright, I would like you all to split up into two teams. One team's members shall face off with Brother Calious, while the other takes on Brother Malkha." His irises started to shift colors, the Rubricae pair jolting to life and stepping forward. "These will be one on one matches, both Rubricae having wards that would be found on warpborne entities."

"H-He can't be serious about this!" Twilight thought, as she got into the group that'll face off with Calious. "Their protection can even defend against my magic!"

"This task is a difficult one, even the Elements of Harmony members found it hard to combat their defenses." Anubis warned, some of the students becoming nervous about facing off against the Rubricae. "However! To achieve this, you will have to put everything you have learned in my class, thus far, to the test. The first to penetrate either Rubricae's defenses, will be allowed to have private lessons about everything I know. But…" They all looked at their robed professor, raising an eyebrow. "If a magic user manages to do this, I will teach them how to wake a Rubricae and how to get said Rubricae to respond to them."

That caused every magic using student to gain a determined look about them, even Twilight practically forgot how powerful their defenses were… Her urge to learn overriding said memory. The implication and things she could learn from each Rubricae were endless! Not to mention, this could give her a better understanding of the very power Anubs wielded. Though, she did notice that one of the unicorn students in the room started to gain a strange excitement about him.

His name was Nova Crystal, a unicorn from Canterlot and one from one of the prominent Noble Houses that focuses primarily on great magic wielders. Some say that his house descended from Starswirl the Bearded, as well. But this isn't what made her worry, it was the fact that this stallion took an unusual interest in the daemonic entities that Anubis encountered over the years, often asking the different types, forms, and sizes; they came in. The instructor shared Twilight's concern, about his interest in such entities, and often discouraged Nova Crystal or gave him vague enough answered questions for him to not really gain too much information about said entities.

After seeing his students pumped up, each one determined to be the winner of his challenge, Anubis smirked. "Alright then, seems like you are all ready to begin." He leaned on to his desk, the area suddenly becoming more open for them. "Mr. Rox, Mr. Fang.; the two of you are the first ones up."

A Diamond Dog and Changeling stepped forward, readying themselves for battle. The pair of Rubricae nodded to their opponents, before taking on a hand-to-hand combat stance. Both pairs of fighters just starred at the other, awaiting the que to begin… So, when Anubis lifted his hand up, and then quickly brought it back down, they lunged towards each other!

The Changeling opened up with a barrage of magical bolts, trying to pin Calious where he was and tire him out. The Diamond Dog, on the other hand, attempted to use sheer strength against his opponent, both students using approaches they had learned so far. However, Calious held his hand forward, creating a strange barrier to deflect the Changeling's magic bolts, while Malkha revealed that his strength had been superior to the Diamond Dog's own.

Rox let out a yelp, as Malkha lifted him completely off of the ground, and over his head. Slowly, the Rubricae's gaze went to Fang, who kept his brother pinned with magical bolts. Without warning, he launched the flailing Diamond Dog at the distracted Changeling! The whole class gasped, as the two collided and were sent to the wall, both in a daze and unable to fight.

"Mr. Rox, Mr. Fang; you are both disqualified." Anubis declared, the class looking at him with surprise. "What? At no point did I say, you could not use the other opponent to defeat either yours or the other… Though, good luck with that." He gave a devious grin, teaching the class that their foes will not fight fairly. "Ms. Mira, Mr. Smaug; you're up."

Each time a new pair went up against the Rubricae pair, it ended the same way… Neither being strong enough to penetrate their defenses, or being out flanked by the other Rubricae's attack. Even Nova Crystal showed promise and nearly defeated Malkha, but Calious out flanked him by using his opponent to distract the stallion, allowing Malkha to knock him out. Many of the students became discouraged, especially after it was revealed that Calious' shield could resist dragon fire! Not even a Minotaur's strength could over power the Rubricae in front of them.

Soon, it came to Star Ruby and another Gryphon named "Guss". During the other duels, Twilight had been watching their future opponents, searching for any weaknesses. Unfortunately, for her, she could not find any by the time her turn came. Now, with a shaky Gryphon, she stared down the two Rubricaes in front of them.

Twilight took the best combat stance she could, Calious staring down at her. Tilting his crescent helmet side to side, he gave a nod and took his own combat stance, signifying he was ready. The very moment Anubis signaled for their duel to begin, Twilight unleashed a hellstorm of magenta magic bolts! The sudden, and frequency, of her attack actually surprised Calious, being struck a few times before his barrier had gone up. Though, her attacks did not penetrate his warded defenses.

While she kept her opponent pinned, Twilight's mind started going from strategy to strategy, trying to find the best way to claim victory over Calious. But her train of thought instantly ended, when she caught the sight of Guss being thrown back. Malkha slowly approaching him. Then, out of nowhere, an idea suddenly came to mind, remembering one of Anubis' lessons and what he said after the first duel.

Malkha towered over the prone Guss, preparing to finish his duel… When a bolt of magenta magic slammed square into the Rubricae's helmet! This caused him to stumble to the left, a couple of steps, before his green eyes locked on to the one that attacked him… Seeing Star Ruby, her hand still glowing with the same magenta magic, glaring back at him. With a nod, the second Rubricae started to walk towards her, like she planned.

Twilight quickly created a ball of magic, before slamming it on to the ground. When it made contact, the ball exploded into magenta smoke, filling the whole classroom and blinding those within! Not even the two Rubricae could see clearly, but they did hear fast pace hoofsteps. They turned to the sound, both seeing the shadowed silhouette of Star Ruby.

Calious dropped his barrier, and quickly charged the smoke covered mare, intent on ending this duel. He pulled his armored fist back, intending to knock out the mare.

When Malkha saw her silhouette, he wasted zero time, and charged her! The Rubricae was intent to get back at her, for giving him a faceplate full of magic. Pulling his own fist back, Malkha was intending to teach her a lesson of his own.

However, both had fallen for Twilight's basic, but clever, trap. The moment she heard both Rubricae close in, far too close, she smirked. "Got ya!"

She quickly dispersed the magenta smoke, quickly ducking to the ground, as both Rubricae threw their fists. They were surprised to see the other revealed right in front of them, unable to stop themselves, and…

WHAM!

The Rubricae struck the other, square in their helmet, the wards cancelling each other out! The class went slacked jawed, while Anubis was completely dumbfounded, as the Rubricaes sent each other back, and no to the ground. They both landed with a heavy thud and attempted to get back up, straining, but the two fell limp… Their eyes going dim.

All within the classroom were speechless, not believing that Star Ruby had just defeated both Rubricae. That all changed, when a single pair of hands started to clap, all looking at the dumbfounded Anubis. Soon, the entire classroom joined their applauding professor, congratulating their classmate, all but Nova Crystal… The stallion seemed agitated and disappointed that he had been "robbed" of the victory, and the mare is now going to learn from their professor. "Well done, Star Ruby!" He praised, walking up to the mare, and placing a hand on to her shoulder. "Tell me, what was your reasoning for such a plan?"

Twilight blushed, looking away, while clasping both hands in front of herself. "W-Well, I combined your lesson about 'Fighting Fire with Fire' and how something cannot defend against itself…" She suddenly smiled brightly up at him, a slight slyness to her tone. "With that accidental hint you gave after the first duel!"

Anubis smirked, nodding at her response. "Well done, seems like my star pupil can surprise even me… The Headmistress has competition for 'Number One Student of Equestria'." He joked, laughing a bit while Twilight blushed, and looked at the other students. "And, it seems, Ms. Star Ruby taught the lesson I had been planning on giving after the duels were completed… So, with that?" The bell suddenly rang, as he grinned." I will see you all next Monday, and remember? Your papers on Nightmare Entity Corruption are due next Friday, enjoy your weekend!" He looked back down at Twilight. "Star Ruby, I need to you to remain after class, so we may go over your lesson plan."

She gave a nod, waiting for the other students to leave. Unfortunately, she caught Nova Crystal giving her quite the angered look… The mare feeling that he could potentially become a problem in the future, but decided to wait it out until he slipped up. Once the last student left, and Anubis locked the door, she dropped her disguise. "Sweet Celestia, that was really hard to do…" Twilight let out a strained sigh, placing a hand over the side of her head.

"Which part? The duel or keeping up the disguise during said duel?" He asked, reawakening the dazed Rubricae, so they could reposition themselves.

"Trying to perform all that with the disguise, and keeping it up right after." She answered, leaning against the desk. "Don't even know if I have enough energy to put my disguise back on, I'm so drained."

"Admittedly, I thought even you would fail at trying to defeat them." Twilight shot him a glare, but her comment made him raise an eyebrow. "One moment, and I will have your current problem solved."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the Sorcerer, about to ask him what he meant by that, but noticed he had already entered a deep trance. Curious, she simply sat down on to his desk, and began to watch the tranquil professor.

Unknown to her, though, Anubis was stretching his consciousness all across the campus, searching for the brother closest to Twilight's Office and room. Adding the Academy to her already large castle, was a clever idea, but it made it slightly harder for him to call for his brethren. The Castle of Friendship had a strange surprise of magic emanating off of its crystal walls, disrupting his telepathy to the Rubricae. But, luckily, he only placed one within her castle, the rest protecting the main part of the Academy.

His conscious zoomed through the castle corridors, the magic users within barely catching a trace of something being there. Though, he stopped just outside of Twilight's room, where a Rubricae waited to be awakened, and protect the headmistress at all costs. "+Kamaat.+" Anubis called out, the Rubricae's eyes lighting up.

"+I am here, Anubis… What is it you require from me?+" The Rubricae asked, stepping own from his pedestal.

"+It seems our newly acquired Princess and Leader has worn herself out, pushing past her body's psychic limits…+" Anubis gave a mental sigh, before smirking. "+She is in need of a change of clothes, and you are the closest out of us all… Think you can assist her with this?+"

There was a pause in Kamaat's response. "+And you are unable to do this, because?+"

"+I must remain here, and ensure none see what she is currently wearing.+" Anubis paused, trying to word it correctly, without making things awkward for himself. "+So that none could possibly take advantage of her current condition and situation.+"

"+Understood, I will be along after obtaining the proper clothing for said Princess.+" Anubis felt Kamaat moving towards Twilight's door, and decided to push it to the back of his mind, until the Rubricae contacts him again.

His attention went to the, patiently, waiting Twilight. "Brother Kamaat will be along shortly, with a change of clothing for you, Headmistress."

That caused Twilight to smile, nodding to him. "I cannot tell you how big of a help this is, Anubis… You know you can call me Twilight, right?" She suddenly giggled, and then smiled at him. "I also cannot wait to start learning how to contact the Rubricae myself!"

How she smiled up at him, caused Anubis to return the gesture. "And I look forward to teaching you, Twilight, as are my brothers." Anubis' features softened, recalling how much he enjoyed her company, her refreshing intellectual personality, annnnnnnnd how she looked in the Academy Uniform. "She really does look grand in the school uniform, rather attractive really."

"+Xeno Lover.+" Kamaat's voice suddenly said.

Anubis' eyes went wide, before he narrowed them in the Rubricae's direction. "+Quiet, you walking scrap pile!+"

"+Tooooouche.+" Kamaat gave a mental chuckle, before continuing. "+I am on my way to your location, brother.+" Anubis smirked at how Equis' Nexus Field restored the personality of his brethren, but sadden at how it was all it could restore.

-Few Minutes Later-

Anubis waited outside of his classroom, while Twilight changed out of her uniform, his brother choosing an attire best "suited" for a Headmistress of her caliber. Speaking of Kamaat, the Sorcerer had to send the Rubricae back to his post, after the two had a telepathic debate about staying out of the other's private thoughts. Safe to say, he won the debate, since Kamaat admitted to having intrude on Anubis' privacy.

When the door cracked open, Anubis quickly stepped out of the way, so that Twilight could exit. The mare, for some odd reason, was wearing her old lab coat, with a white blouse and black skirt combination, matching the black tie around her neck. Her hair had been put up in a tight, for her long hair, bun and choose to continue to wear her square reading glasses, that rested at the end of her nose. Strangely enough, Twilight had a more flustered blush, instead of an embarrassed one, now.

"H-How does this qualify as Headmistress Attire?" She asked, crossing both arms over her breast. "I look like a female scientist about to seduce her co-worker!"

"That's a bad thing?" Anubis thought, before he pushed such a thought away, his features softening. "Well, it is a lot better than being caught wearing the school uniform… Also, could say you were running some experiments, and wanted to wear something comfortable."

"I-I guess y-you're right…" Twilight whispered, as the two started towards her castle. "So, about me learning how to waken and communicate with the Rubricae?"

"Ah, yes…" Anubis nodded, walking along side Twilight. "The process is easier to explain, than actually performing it… Using the method is a completely different beast all together." Twilight looked up at her current travel companion, raising her brow. "Think of it like this… You are inserting your consciousness into a single Rubricae, allowing them to use you as a mental beacon to focus on. Once properly linked, they could respond with a single thought, not even having to say a word… But, one could also imagine the negative outcomes caused by failing said connection, as well."

Twilight gulped, nodding, before she flinched at the possibilities. "Mental backlash, soul swapping, mind trapping, mental break, split personalities." She listed, the Astartes nodding.

"And that is naming only a few outcomes." Anubis agreed, the mare shivering a moment.

"This will be quite the cautious lesson." She suddenly smiled, causing Anubis to raise his own brow. "But, if I actually gain the ability to waken and communicate with them, it'll open up opportunities for the both of us! For example, you wouldn't have to stay coped up in the Academy all the time, and actually explore Equestria!" That caused him to stop, Twilight halting a few paces in front of him. "Learn about things you might not even know about." Twilight suddenly looked back at the Astartes, with the brightest smile he has ever seen her give. "Let's do our best at this, Anubis!"

He just looked at her, the smile she is giving him actually disarming Anubis, before gaining a smile of his own and nodding. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Twilight."