The Book of Forbidden Spells: Come to Light

FLIGHT

The exit was something Whimsical had never seen. When he was brought to the school, he was ritually blindfolded. So he never saw that hall. It turned out that it wasn't easy to find. Clearly, if even Sheephead didn't know of it.

The journey they took to get there appeared thoughtless. A long thread of random turns and openings haphazardly tied together. Dragons must've died getting lost in these tunnels.

They were led by Northstar, Gelid, and Seahorse. The length was excruciating, solely from anticipation burning in Whimsy's stomach.

Then it all surfaced at once. Dimly lit by distant torches, the exit loomed. High up with the ceiling, blocking the outside, a giant flat stone. As if a boulder was sliced like meat. An unassuming sight to a stranger, and the gateway to heaven for the students below it.

The teachers stepped out and down the halls to talk about something, and the four were left alone with their bodies and bags they were given, strapped to their sides. Through his racing heart and numb legs, Whimsical kept his composure.

Insight stood near him. He looked almost composed, except the constant shifting, looking, and glancing gave him away.

"You know you're allowed to be nervous, right?" Insight squinted at him.

Whimsy curled his snout.

"Get out of my head! I'm not nervous. I'm excited."

"It's okay to be nervous," Sheep carefully stepped closer to them. He was extra cautious of them after snitching, which made sense. But they pretty much made up over the weekend. "I'm admittedly kind of nervous about it."

"Kind of?" Whimsy scoffed. "I could hear you from my room last night trying to talk yourself into calming down."

Sheep shrugged his wings and looked down.

"Okay! I'm pretty nervous! It's okay, though! It's going to be- I mean- this is going to be ... wow!" He shivered and giggled, covering his snout excitedly.

Insight turned to the boulder, a familiar gloom in bright eyes.

"They're finally letting us out. After ten years. I doubt it's going to be all sunshine and rainbows. They wouldn't just lock us up, then let us free for nothing so randomly," Insight spoke deeply, solemnly. But as he went it got breathier and weaker.

"Oh my Moons!" Whimsical groaned. "Lighten up! It's a field trip. It's supposed to be fun. Not fuel your emo conspiracies."

Insight hissed at him, ears flat.

"I'm not theorizing anything. I'm stating fact," he whirled away to pace and Whimsy braced himself for annoyance. "This has been Hell. I'm not going to act like I'm not angry about it!" Insight turned to Sheephead. "You could've been a brilliant, famous animus writer by now!!"

Sheep just looked down, brow furrowed.

"And you could've been a famous, rich artist!" Insight whirled to face Spongy and point down at the paper on the floor that she was drawing on.

Spongy lazily lifted her head and blinked at him.

"Oh. Yeah, maybe," she kept drawing.

Insight growled of frustration.

"None of you understand!"

Whimsy's frills flattened, forcing back a wince.

Whimsy understood. Better than anyone, he understood. He had to push it from his mind.

"Seriously, man," Whimsy sighed. "Don't ruin this."

Somehow, that shut Insight up and left him staring with an open mouth. There was no more time to respond after they heard Northstar's voice echo down the hall. It was trying so hard to be loud, but his gentle vocal cords barely allowed it.