NARC


                                            “Whoa!” Snails jumped back and shook his head as rapidly as possible. “Snips! I think there might be a necromancer around here! We gotta run, dude!”

                                            “Relax, Snails.” Snips stepped over the line of candles, smiling wide. “[i]We’re[/i] the ones doing the necromancy. We’re just gonna bring back a squirrel. It’ll be so cool! You wanna join us?”

                                            “Wuh?”

                                            Snails looked at the center of the circle, spotting the dead squirrel, then across the room. Snips and the two fillies were the only ponies in sight. They really did have to be the necromancers!

                                            “But dude!” Snails stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder. “We just went through three years of anti-necromancy education!”

                                            “Yeah!” Snips knocked his hoof away. “And that’s why we’re doing this! The only thing those mind-numbingly boring classes accomplished were showing us just how cool necromancers are!”

                                            “Necromancers are so hot!” Twist leaned up against Snips and flittered her eyes.

                                            “Totally.” Gloria twirled her little braids. “I never thought about it much, but after hearing that guy talk about it, I decided I am still afraid of death. But maybe necromancy will make me feel like I can control it.”

                                            “But what if you accidentally create an unstoppable undead monstrosity?” Snails asked. “Like– like in the story they told us!”

                                            “It’s a [i]squirrel[/i]!” Snips pointed to it. “If things get out of hoof, I’ll step on it.”

                                            “Yeah,” Gloria added. “Nopony [i]accidentally[/i] creates unkillable monsters any more than they accidentally forge magic weapons. You gotta be a skilled spellcaster to do that and we’re just a bunch of foals.”

                                            “It’s a gateway to summoning demons!”

                                            “We’re not stupid enough to summon a demon, you dolt! It’s not even like necromancy is addictive. Where do they even get that idea from?”

                                            “But what about what about all the jail stuff?”

                                            “That’s only if you get caught.” Snips pulled Snails in close, to speak in a low but menacing voice. “Listen! I’ve [i]two[/i] fillies fawning over me right now, got it? Don’t screw this up for me!”

                                            With one last jab to Snail’s chest, Snips went back to his ritual circle.

                                            The three of them drew up their hoods. Snips’ horn glowed and so too did the rune drawn on the ground.

                                            “Sorok Torok Norishte! Sorok Torok Norishte!”

                                            The three of them chanted as they marched around the dead squirrel.

                                            “Oh, no!” Snails pressed himself against the wall. “Oh no!”

                                            “Sorok Torok Norishte!”

                                            They stopped an equal distance apart and rose their forehooves to the sky. The squirrel levitated in midair. The rune beneath it burst. The purple light that shone from it flew up to meet the squirrel.

                                            At last, the squirrel spun around to land on its feet. The candles all blew out at once. Snails clenched his teeth and shook his head as the squirrel began to move!

                                            To be fair, it just looked around and did that thing with its hands that squirrels do. But it was still undead and that was creepy!

                                            And the three of them cheered like that was a good thing.

                                            “Hey, this does make me feel a little better,” said Gloria.

                                            Snails had to do something!

                                            He turned and ran back up the stairs!

                                            But just as he got to the top, he bumped into Silverspoon!

                                            That was a good thing. Silver Spoon was the greatest genius alive. She’d know what to do.

                                            “Silver Spoon!” Snails grabbed her. “Those three are performing a necromantic ritual!”

                                            Snails and Silverspoon both looked down at the group, then at the undead squirrel as it crawled out the window.

                                            “Hey,” said Gloria. “That does make me feel a little better.”

                                            “So they are,” Silverspoon noted. “They animated a squirrel. Who cares?”

                                            “Well, should we narc on them?” Snails asked. “You know like they trained us to for the past four years?”

                                            “I dunno,” said Silverspoon. “Do you want to live in a police state where the freaking NARC guy wields unlimited power over our lives?”

                                            “Uh. No.” Snails tilted his head.

                                            “Then we don’t destroy the lives of our classmates for no reason.”

                                            “But.” Snails’ ears drooped. “But the song, dude!”

                                            “Listen, DT and I are going to sneak into the maze.” Silverspoon looked towards the window. “Go knock something over to cause a distraction for us.”