Within the confines of Equestria, the castle of Starswirl’s School of Gifted Unicorns can be found serving a beacon of magical excellence and as a bastion of education. Though originally founded to discover the new bearers of the elements of harmony, the school expanded far beyond that original purpose and instead trains the talented unicorns of Equestria future. Throughout history, it has hosted many an extraordinary pony within its halls, be they professors passing on their knowledge or students who graduate only to go on to achieve greatness.
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Headmasters
Celestia and Starswirl (Former; founders), Echo Sounds (Former)
Thanatos Gaia and Raspberry Ribbon
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Lower Levels 2
The Solar Common Room is located in the dungeons and is the lowest point in the castle.
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Lower Levels 1
1 Study Room | 2 Study Room |3 Vindicator Claimed | 4 Vacant Room | 5 Kitchen | 6 Vacant Room | 7 Classroom | 8 Vacant Room | 9 Stallion Bathroom | 10 Mare Bathroom | 11 Classroom | 12 Classroom | 13 Lunar Stallion Dorm | 14 Lunar Mare Dorm
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Ground Level
1 Boathouse | 2 Courtyard |3 Great Hall | 4 Bathroom | 5 Grand Staircase | 6 Teachers Lounge | 7 Bathroom | 8 Study Area| 9 Hall of Memories | 10 Point Lounge | 11 Celestial Dorms | 12 Courtyard | 13 Herbology + Rooms| 14 Lunar House Commons | 15 Lunar Gardens | 16 Classroom | 17 Classroom | 18 Stallions Bathroom | 19 Mares Bathroom | History of Magic | 21 Classroom | 22 Classroom | 23 Care for Magical Creatures | 24 Sound's Memorial | Practice Courtyard
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Cemetery | Ruins
Level 2
1 Classroom | 2 Classroom | 3 Transfiguration | 4 Celestial House Commons | 5 Quarters| 6 Library | 7 Restricted Section | 8 Quarters | 9 Quarters
Level 3
1 Practice Area | 2 Study Area |3 Classroom | 4 Charms | 5 Infirmary | 6 Guest Quarters | 7 Guest Quarters| 8 Quarters| 9 Study Area | 10 Vacant Room| 11 Bathroom | 12 Art Room
Level 4
1 Nocturnal House Dorms | 2 Clock | 3 Headmaster’s Office | 4 Headmistress’ Quarters | 5 Headmaster’s Quarters
Level 5
Nocturnal House Common Room (and Observatory) is the highest point in the castle.
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Founded in 1816, two years after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, Starswirl’s School for Gifted Unicorns was created in order to seek the brightest young minds of their generation, to educate them in the arcane arts, and to create new bearers of the Elements of Harmony. After ten years of no luck, Starswirl and Celestia realized they had to take a different approach to the Elements. Not entirely willing to abandon the school, however, Celestia and Starswirl appointed one of their most promising students Echo Sounds as the new headmaster to keep the school running and train the greatest wizards Equestria has ever seen. For 5 years, Echo ran the school with great success, until met with terrible tragedy in 1831. Four professors, and two students were lost in the Hall of Memories incident, leading the school to close its doors to the public. The school remained closed for decades, though small courses were offered on occasion within the castle walls throughout the years to keep the spark alive.
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In 1863, an effort was made to truly wipe clean the slate and appoint new staff, new head boys and girls, and bring in new students to attempt a new beginning. A fresh batch of students and staff arrived, filling the halls with a newfound promise- but not all was well within Starswirl’s. Shadows from the past arose again, the renewed bustle of magical energy calling forward a long buried entity. Another tragedy befell the school, leading to the instating of a new Headmaster, Thanatos Gaia. Starswirl's hosted the Tricorn Tournament in 1864, and dealt with new threats while putting to rest old ones. The year was hectic, but the school persevered.
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Another year begins, the push forward to another semester of magical excellence headed by Headmaster Thanatos Gaia. With truths and secrets just barely within reach, and the danger of years past coming to a head, this semester it seems students will truly define the future of Equestria, for better or for worse.
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Starswirl’s School for Gifted Unicorns was formerly known as Requiem castle, belonging to a smaller but incredibly wealthy unicorn family for several generations. In the early 1700s, Somber Requiem, her husband, and her five sons inhabited the castle. Their memorials exist in the Lunar Gardens today, though the family is entombed in the nearby cemetery.
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Following the passing of the heirless Requiem family, the castle remained uninhabited save for a line of groundskeepers who had formerly served the family. Groundskeepers would often chase off any curious ponies who came to visit the castle, hoping to preserve what dignity the Requiems retained. Celestia and Starswirl eventually approached with the proposal of converting the castle into the location of their school, rather than let the castle fall into disrepair and ruin.