“It’s over this time, it’s truly over… I really botched it this time…”

She knocked more insistently this time. “Sunburst, are you in there? It’s Cherry Blossom. I just want to talk.”

This drew only silence from Sunburst's dorm room. Silence, and sniffles. Cherry offered some gentler knocks, just to let her friend know she was still there.

Finally, she heard hoofsteps approach from within. The door opened warily to reveal its occupant, worse for wear. “Oh, hello, Cherry,” Sunburst greeted halfheartedly. “W-what do you want to talk about?”

Cherry knew by now that the most merciful approach with Sunburst was to cut straight to the point. “They’re telling me you haven’t picked up your exam results to let them know whether you plan to stay in the program. If you don’t go see them by the end of the day," she warned softly, "they say they’re going to have to drop you.”

“Oh, that,” Sunburst said, staring at his hooves. “I… don’t think it matters, Cherry. The examination was awful, even worse than my usual. You weren’t there, but my entire class was. They saw me struggle just to light a candle, let alone conjure up a flame patronus.” Cherry could see her friend wince just from the memory. “At that moment I knew, my classmates knew, the proctors knew, I just don’t belong at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Even if I didn’t fail, and my grade is just barely hanging in there, it’s less painful to just face the music now.”

[i]He might be right[/i], Cherry thought, realistically. But he couldn’t let fear make a decision like this for him. She took a breath, and said, “When I didn’t think there was a chance for me to understand magical theory in my first year, you proved me wrong. There [i]is[/i] a chance for you, too, Sunburst. If one day you pull through and become a full-fledged wizard, how will you think back on this moment?”

Sunburst winced again, and so did Cherry; it was cruel of her to guilt-trip him with his one true dream, but she could think of no other way.

“Just, promise you’ll come with me to get your grades? I can give you a moment.”

Reluctantly, painfully, Sunburst nodded his head.

[hr]

[center]Concerning the grades of the student by the name of Sunburst:

Final marks on the cumulative semester examination

Theory (written)—20/20
Theory (oral)—19/20
Practical (prepared)—5/20
Practical (improvised)—1/20

Overall—11/20

We regret to inform you that, despite your impressive theoretical knowledge of magic, your performance on this practical and all previous practicals has been, frankly, abysmal. As you are no doubt aware, CSGU is an elite and highly competitive institution, and unfortunately, there is not enough room in our classes to accommodate students who cannot perform even the most rudimentary spells. We hope you understand that such skills truly are an obvious prerequisite to calling oneself a wizard.

Effective next semester, you are no longer a student at CSGU, and you do not retain the option to continue your studies here.

We wish you luck in your future endeavors.[/center]

[hr]

Cherry Blossom couldn't find Sunburst anywhere. Not in his (now empty) dorm room, not in the dining hall, not even under the tree behind the school that she knew had always been his private place.

She had waited outside Professor Feghoof's office while Sunburst received his grades. It had taken so long, however, that Cherry left for but a moment to get a drink of water. When she'd returned, the door was open, and the professor had had to give Cherry the bad news.

Frantic, she asked a nearby student if he had seen Sunburst. "Sorry, I haven't seen Sunburst since the final. Did something happen?"

It wasn't fair. Sunburst knew his magic better than anypony, even better than some of the professors.

She asked another. "Sunny? Ha, I hadn't seen his face for weeks, not since the practical. You shoulda seen it. But I saw him packing his bags by his room a little bit ago."

There was a place for him as a wizard, she knew it. Just not with all these narrow-minded, arrogant unicorns.

One more. "I thought he dropped out long ago. Never really seemed like wizard material."

"You're wrong!" Cherry shouted back, holding back tears. "He's going to change the world one day! He's only leaving because he's [i]too good[/i] for this pretentious school!"

"Um, okay?"

Cherry apologized, trotted off to the tree behind the school, and wept.