In a pitch black arena with only one light shining above, Flash Sentry slams his ax into ground, panting and shaking with a heavy sheen of sweat coating his face and neck. He looks up at his opponent, who is Thorn Shoot, and growls in aggravation while pushing himself up.

The coat clad fiend is lacking any signs of damage and fatigue, and is pacing back and forth, sporting a cocky smile and tapping his shotgun against his palm, which has been converted into a club. After taking a few breaths and adjusting his grip on his ax, Flash roars and charges Thorn. When he is near, he swings his ax, but Thorn calmly blocks it and he deflects another of Flash's attacks, resulting in metallic clangs. Another swing from Flash is skillfully blocked, and Thorn starts pushing forward, forcing Flash to awkwardly back up and clutch his weapon tighter lest he wants to fall.

Soon Thorn is towering over Flash, and Flash's knees quiver and buckle. Flash grunts and meets Thorn's malicious smile with a determined snarl and attempts to push back, but to no avail.

“Just give up, Pretty Boy. I'm too much for you,” says Thorn.

Flash adjusts his footing and tries to smile. “Give up? I can do this all day.”

Thorn smirks, and suddenly headbutts Flash. Pain erupts across his forehead and his vision becomes flooded with stars as his feet gives way and his grips loosens. Thorn then twists Flash's ax away, rams the butt of his club against his stomach, and as he stumbles back, coughing, Thorn swings his mace against his face, sending him spiraling off of his feet and landing flat on his back with a thud.

Flash's entire skull and back hurts and his vision spins, and when Thorn stands over him, all he can do is blink before his opponent stomps on his testicles, bringing out a very girly shriek of pain. An alarm immediately buzzes and a dozen blinding lights flash on, revealing a crowd of students and two staff members. One of the staff is Luna, who is messing with her phone, and the other is a teacher named Bulk Biceps, but the students have given him the nickname of 'Snowflake'. He is a pasty pale, mammoth of a man with blood red eyes, short, golden hair, a tattoo of dumbbells on his shoulders and a gold earring on his left ear. He is also wearing a skin tight wife beater shirt, blue yoga pants and red slipper socks.

“That is enough, Shoot,” says Luna.

Thorn instantly steps back and slides his weapon on a scabbard on his back while the teachers climb on the stage, leaving Flash to curl up and hold himself, whining. Without the noise of battle, the students are heard clapping and murmuring quietly among themselves. Some snickering is heard, but nobody does anything, and Octavia is munching on a bag of crackers. She casually offers some to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but the sharp glares from them convince her to finish her crackers alone. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie ogles the male teacher's amazing build with some drool and sparkles in her eyes, Applejack is stuck cringing, Rarity has covered her mouth with her hands, leaving only her wide eyes to speak for her, and Trixie is facing away from the stage. One arm is resting on the other and she is snobbishly inspecting her doctored fingernails.

“Trixie could've beaten him,” says Trixie.

“Trixie got beaten by a bunny rabbit,” counters Applejack.

Trixie glares at Applejack. “Trixie was not beaten by a rabbit. She pulverized it with skill and determination.”

“If I remember correctly you got banged around until Pinkie saved your hide.” Applejack looks at Pinkie Pie. “Right, Pinks?”

“Bang me, senpai,” says Pinkie Pie distantly.

“What?”

Pinkie Pie looks at Applejack blankly. “What?”

Applejack turns away. “Never mind.”

Pinkie Pie shrugs dismissively and looks back to the stage. Bulk is standing at ease in front of the students, keeping his back to Thorn and Flash, with the former standing firm and the latter groaning and laying curled on the ground. Above them, a pair of screens drop, displaying the profile of Thorn and Flash and their aura levels. Thorn's is barely touched whereas Flash's is almost depleted.

“Students, as you can see, Sentry's aura has dropped into the red, which would lead to his dismissal in a tournament match and land him in hot water on the field!” yells Bulk. “Sentry did not check his aura and did not adjust his strategy to fighting a superior opponent! Bull rushing is not always better! It can actually get you killed in the field in most cases! Any questions?”

The class is silent, and Luna walks next to Bulk, putting her phone away in the process.

“Thank you, Mr. Biceps,” says Luna. “Students, I am afraid that is all the time we have for today. Practice your close range combat skills and read up on the Tom Rock Fighting Manuel. Next week's assessment will be as scheduled so don't slack off. Dismissed.”

The students file out, but Flash remains sitting on the stage. His aura is still recharging and his body is sore, especially his face, and the disappointment he sees in his team and their sister team is as obvious as a knife in his heart. He turns away from the girls and looks at the floor with sunken eyes, only to look up when a shadow falls over him. He barely lasts a second before he looks away from Luna's condemning stare.

“Sentry, it has been a month already,” says Luna. “You should know how to gauge your aura by now. If I do not see drastic improvement from you soon then I will have you dismissed from the Academy. Are we clear?”

Flash nods, but keeps his eyes on the floor.

“Good. Dismissed,” says Luna.

Luna walks off with Bulk, and Flash peeks out of his peripheral vision to see that Team PART and most of his team have left. Only one person has remained by the stage, but her worried gaze pushes his eyes away from her and he finds himself looking at the floor, again. It is only when Twilight extends her hand to him does he muster enough strength to hold his eyes on her.

“Come on, Flash. Let's grab some lunch,” says Twilight.

Flash is hesitant, but Twilight's smile brings him to reach out to her. After she helps him stand she links her arm around his and the two gradually make their way to the brightly lit doorway, where Team PART and the rest of FORT are waiting.

Nearly an hour has passed, and most of Teams PART and FORT are done with their lunches, so they are sitting at one of the long, wooden tables of the cafeteria, enjoying each others company. The only two who are not finished are Flash and Octavia, but Octavia is taking her time, eating each portion of her meal separately and with deliberate slowness whereas Flash's appetite has been destroyed by a black hole of gloom. So cold and consuming is the darkness creeping in that he barely hears what is going on around him.

“So, there we were in the middle of the night,” begins Rainbow Dash dramatically, her hand brushing through the air as Rarity and Applejack listen with anticipating smiles.

“It was daylight,” corrects Octavia while making a volcano out of her mashed potatoes and gravy.

“We were surrounded by manticores.”

“They were kujos.”

“Dozens of them!”

“Two of them.”

“But they were no match for my mad skills, and in the end, I saved Octavia and I sold their skins as rugs, making a fortune and being named Huntress of the Year.” Rainbow Dash folds her arms over her chest, beaming with pride and glory.

“Liar. I saved you,” says Octavia, shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

Rainbow Dash's pride fizzles, as does her smile. “Dude, really? How can you possibly know what goes on in my dreams?”

Octavia stops chewing and slowly looks at Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash's hostile gaze fades to worry. All Octavia does after that is nod once, then Dash slumps in her seat, lips puckered and face heating up like a boiling lobster. Applejack arches a brow and stops chewing, and Rarity and Twilight look at the two before meeting each others eyes. Pinkie Pie, however, is keeping her attention of Flash, who is poking at his peas, completely oblivious of his surroundings, and Trixie is typing away on her phone.

“Pinkie, why did you send me a friend request on Chatbook?” asks Trixie.

Twilight shakes her head and looks at Flash. “Flash, are you okay?”

Flash stops poking at his peas and looks at Twilight curiously. “Hm?”

“Are you okay?” repeats Twilight gently.

“Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just another day at the Academy. Why?”

“Well, you don't look fine. You look glummy,” says Pinkie Pie. “You've actually been looking glummy shortly after the team ceremony thing ended.”

Trixie scoffs. “That's fine. Trixie likes being ignored.”

“No, really, I'm fine,” says Flash. He smiles at the group, but his smile is on par with stretching a corpse's lips. “See? Dandy.”

Thorn then strolls by, hands stuffed in his pocket, whistling a cheerful tune, and when he is by Flash he ruffles his hair, leaving Flash wincing, his hair disheveled, and strands of blue floating down. He and the two teams glare at Thorn as he takes a seat at the table where his team is. The team meets his arrival with ill will, and Teams PART and FORT wordlessly agree to mind their own business.

“It's that Thorn guy, ain't it?” says Applejack.

Flash rubs his scalp and checks his fingers, wincing, then he moves his peas around to make a random pattern.

“No, Thorn is not a problem,” says Flash. “Can we drop this, please? You girls are making a big deal out of nothing.”

“The guy's been messing with you from the start. Plus he stomped on your nuts! I thought there was a guy code that said that that was off limits,” says Rainbow Dash.

“He is a bit of a brute,” says Rarity.

Trixie puts her phone away. “Don't be so polite, Rarity. Thorn is not a brute. He's an asshole. A crusty, shit filled, asshole... We are talking about Thorn, right?”

Rarity gags and turns away, shuddering, and Applejack sighs and nods slowly.

“Yes, Trixie, we are talking about Thorn,” says Applejack.

“Oh, good,” says Trixie. “Trixie would hate to waste her insults on someone unworthy. So, Brad, when are you going to grow a pair and knock Thorn's teeth out?”

The group gasps in unified shock.

“Trixie, you aren't helping!” scolds Pinkie Pie.

“What? Trixie is just saying that the only way to deal with a bully is to be the bigger bully. It works quite well,” says Trixie.

Rainbow Dash seethes nervously, and speaks slowly. “You know, I think the diva is on to something.”

“I concur,” says Octavia.

“I don't,” says Twilight. She glares at Trixie. “Two wrongs don't make a right. Ever.”

Trixie rolls her eyes. “Please, spare Trixie the crybaby rhetoric. If Brad can't stand up for himself, then how can he stand up for his team?”

Twilight opens her mouth to counter, but snaps it shut and looks down, resentful, and Trixie smiles smugly and turns to Pinkie Pie.

“Now, then, Pinkie Pie, why did you send Trixie a friend request? We live in the same room,” says Trixie.

Pinkie Pie nibbles her lip and drums her fingers on the table before asking: “Flash, do you want me to... you know... talk to Thorn about his bullying?”

Trixie scoffs and throws her hands in the air, and Flash throws his fork down, glaring at Pinkie Pie.

“There's nothing to talk about. He isn't a bully. He just likes messing around with people,” says Flash.

“He's a bully,” says Pinkie Pie sternly.

“Oh, really? Name one time he's bullied me.”

“Atomic flushies,” says Rainbow Dash.

“Whacking your books out of your hand,” says Twilight.

“Putting super glue in your uniform shoes when we were doing a field exercise,” says Octavia.

“Smashing your muffins,” says Applejack.

“Spitting chewed gum in your hair,” says Trixie.

“Throwing glitter all over your stuff in your locker,” says Rarity.

“Karate chopping you in the face!” says Pinkie Pie.

The two teams look at her, and she smiles uneasily and shrinks a bit in her seat, bringing her fists up to her lips.

“I was not karate chopped in the face,” says Flash.

Without moving her fists, Pinkie Pie points at Flash. “Give it time. It'll happen.”

Flash shakes his head and resumes poking at his peas, and Twilight slides close to him and places her hand on his shoulder.

“Flash, you know if you ever need help you can just ask,” says Twilight. “All of us are here for you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I'm fine,” says Flash, his tone turning sour.

Octavia then flexes her pinkie and a sleek, silver blade slides out from her sleeve, barely above her hand, and both teams curse and jump back slightly, leading to Twilight pressed tightly into Flash.

“Do you want me to shank him?” asks Octavia.

“Octavia, what the hell!?” says Flash.

Octavia's confused eyes flick between the horrified faces around her. “What?”

“Why do you have a blade on your hand?”

Octavia pulls back her sleeve to reveal an antique aged apparatus of gears, wires and straps clamped around her wrist with a sleeve big enough to hold the blade. With the device on full display, she turns the blade for all to see, and the blade reflects the light of the lamps above, briefly covering Twilight's face in bright gash.

“This is a family heirloom,” says Octavia. “And it is still sharp and lubed, so it'll be easy to take care of Thorn.”

Twilight sits up, but remains scrunched into Flash, and he holds out his hand cautiously towards Octavia.

“Octavia, please put the blade away,” says Flash.

Octavia dips her head, sighing quietly as she retracts the blade and pulls her sleeve over her device. Then she reaches behind her and pulls out a metal rod, which she then extends to a baton and puts it on the table.

“Can I at least break his knees?” asks Octavia.

“No!” Flash inhales and pinches the bridge of his nose, then he exhales steadily and stares at Octavia. “Look, Octavia, I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but I'm going to deal with this without mob tactics, all right?”

Octavia moodily returns her baton and folds her arms across her chest, lips slightly puckered, and Flash nods approvingly and stands up with his tray.

“Good,” says Flash, feigning a smile. “You ladies have nothing to worry about. I'll take care of this. Besides, Thorn is a prick to everybody, so its not like I'm special.”

Flash then hastily leaves the group, not giving them a chance to reply, and after he dumps his trash in the garbage can by the door he casts one more look in the direction of his team. Only, instead of seeing his team, he sees Thorn looking right at him. Thorn grins and raises an energy drink bottle in salute, and Flash scowls and leaves the cafeteria without looking back.