The sun is up, the warm light shines through the windows of the bustling cafeteria, and students chat excitedly among themselves with their plates of food and tall glasses of juice and milk. It is everything a student can possibly want. Eggs, cereal, pancakes and syrup, bacon and sausage, and even oatmeal and grits for some with sweet rolls and biscuits. It is a good sized meal, and some students exchange portions of their meal for more desirable parts. In the case of Applejack, with some trading, she no longer has sweet rolls and cereal, but a whole lot of grits. For Pinkie Pie, her stomach hurts too much to eat anything, leading to soggy cereal and cold food that she can only watch with baggy eyes. At least the cool table top is comforting against her slightly green face.

“Applejack, help me,” moans Pinkie Pie.

“Eat some oatmeal,” says Applejack as she pours a gratuitous amount of butter on her grits.

“I don't like oatmeal.”

Applejack is now sprinkling bacon all over her grits. “How about grits?”

Pinkie Pie groans, and her stomach contents gurgle and slush. “I want something with flavor.”

Applejack stirs her bacon and butter into her grits. “Well, we can't have you eating anything sweet or else you might, eh, make a mess.”

A second later, a familiar blue haired student with a guitar case on his back slides next to Applejack, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good morning, beautiful,” says the student.

Applejack has food in her mouth when he says this, and she stops in mid-chew and stares at him curiously, and when she looks at Pinkie Pie, she sees she is holding the same look. A second or two passes and Pinkie Pie nods towards him, too scared to say anything since a very uncomfortable pressure is going up her throat.

“Eh, good morning... Who are you?” says Applejack.

“The name is Flash. Flash Sentry. Rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it. Guys envy it,” says the student.

“Right,” says Applejack slowly. “Aren't you the guy that puked on the ship?”

“At least it was in a garbage can,” says Flash.

“Ha. Ha. I'm dying with laughter,” says Pinkie Pie.

A sickly gurgle surges through her stomach, and Pinkie Pie clamps her hand over her mouth and her cheeks puff out, but neither Flash or Applejack seem to notice.

“So, anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to join my team,” says Flash as he casually inspects his fingernails.

“Your team?” says Applejack with a raised brow.

“That's right. Team Flash. We'll be the best of the new teams because I have leadership experience that nobody else here has.”

“And what experience is that?”

“I was the lead singer in my band, Flash Drive.” He whips out a CD case from his pocket, which has a picture of a flaming flash drive on wheels. “We're multiple winners of battle of the bands, both on and off school.”

Applejack frowns. “Yeah... Listen, I don't wanna sound rude, but-”

“You sounded pretty rude back there,” says Pinkie Pie minutes later in a locker room that is gradually emptying of students leaving with their gear, no longer green in the face but still a bit woozy.

As she speaks, Pinkie Pie's eyes are flicking between a slip of paper with numbers on it and the pad on the locker in front of her. Next to her is Applejack, who is also working on her locker, and after Pinkie Pie gives her statement, she sighs exasperatedly and pulls her locker open, revealing her Stetson, a pair of gloves, gauntlets and boots and a battery pack, all of which are lined with gems and colored orange.

“I was not,” says Applejack as she puts on her battery back and fastens the strap around her body.

Pinkie Pie pulls open her locker. “He left in tears.”

“Those were not tears. It was just the lighting.” Applejack takes off her old boots and slips on her new ones, which are armored and start humming after she gives them a couple of test stomps. “Besides, your face was on the table. How could you see anything?”

Pinkie Pie pulls out her hammer and checks the gems inside, smiling approvingly and closing the chamber when she sees them glowing blue.

“I heard it in his voice,” says Pinkie Pie.

Applejack slips on her gauntlets and gloves, and after tapping a button on each one, the items lock themselves into each other and start glowing and humming as well.

“He was a mite disappointed, I'll say that, but he only wanted me on his team because you said I sleep in the nude,” says Applejack.

Pinkie Pie giggles and closes her locker. “Aw, relax, Jackie. It was only a joke. Nobody took it seriously.”

Applejack closes her locker and stares at Pinkie Pie with her arms folded across her chest. “Well, ever since that joke boys have been flocking me and asking me if I want to be on their team all day.”

Drake Firewall slides next to Applejack. “Hey, gorgeous.”

“No.”

Drake Firewall slides away from Applejack. “Bye, gorgeous.”

Pinkie Pie hums and rubs her chin thoughtfully, then turns to a random male student . He is wearing a simple yellow shirt and jeans with a red helmet that has an advanced monocular with three, and is is pulling out a bulky rifle with a stubby barrel that has a telescope-like scope on it. He is preoccupied with checking his gem power supply with an energy gauge that has data scrolling across it, and Pinkie Pie grins wolfishly and leans against her locker, drawing the student's attention.

“Can I help you?” says the student nervously.

“Hey, guess what?” says Pinkie Pie.

“Uh... What?”

“I sleep in the nude.”

The student scowls. “Shame on you for your perversions! Your body is a temple and you go and prostitute yourself like that? People like you disgust me.”

The student then slams his locker shut and storms off, shaking his head, leaving Pinkie Pie still leaning against the locker, but she is trembling and feels a vein throbbing in her head.

“Smooth,” says Applejack while she makes final adjustments on her gauntlet.

Pinkie Pie growls and slams her locker shut with a resounding bang, drawing some heads, but the observers keep on walking.

“What. Is. Wrong with these people!?” says Pinkie Pie. “Like, seriously! I'm just trying to make some friends so this blackmailing thing won't suck as bad but everybody is... is... is like on drugs or something!”

“Have you tried being yourself instead of doing whatever it is you're doing?”

“I tried that! The first guy I talked to got grossed out and ran away, the second guy gave me the heebie jeebies and the third guy said he wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. Then there is Rarity, and I know for a fact that she doesn't like me.”

“I wonder why,” mutters Applejack.

“And then there is Trixie, and I think hates everybody.”

“I reckon she does.” Applejack closes her locker and places her arm around Pinkie Pie's shoulder, giving her a warm smile. “But you ain't gotta worry none. I'm here with you, and even if we don't get to be on the same team I'll still be on the campus, so I'll be close.”

Pinkie Pie returns the smile and hugs Applejack tight. “Thanks, cuz. I can always count on you.”

Applejack chuckles and awkwardly walks with Pinkie Pie still latched to her. “Come on, now. No need to get corny.”

The two share a laugh and walk normally, but still keep their arms wrapped around each other.

Meanwhile, off to the side, Trixie sits on a bench, watching the two students walk away, being disgustingly optimistic with their giggles, smiles and hugs. Seeing the two is leaving her cold without much light, and when they disappear around the corner, she stares at their exit a bit longer, throat tight and finger twitching. Then Rarity skips in front of her, humming brightly and wearing knee high, purple armored boots with a white band running down the shin. She also has purple goggles with blue tinted lens, an armored vest with a gem battery pack on the back, gloves and gauntlets that are also purple with white bands running down them. Beneath all of that is a light blue dress, and keeping her hair out of her eyes is a blue hair band.

Trixie watches Rarity skip along, and when Rarity is out of sight Trixie looks at her phone and sees zero messages or calls. Her Chatbook has plenty of updates, but none of them are important and frivolous is too generous of a word.

Trixie blows heavily through her nose and runs her hand through her silver hair, and then she rests her mouth on her mist ans stares at a tall mirror placed conveniently in front of her. Her eyes glaze and her foot taps rapidly on the concrete floor.

She is wearing her outfit from yesterday, with the only difference being a heavy belt around her waist loaded with gem packs, a medical kit, flashlight, flare gun and night vision goggles. She also has her hair tied into a pony tail. Her wand, which she has resting on her lap, has a blue gem in its cartridge and the power bar is at a full green bar

“Going to war, duchess?” snickers a passing student who is wearing a wife beater shirt, jeans, street gloves and shoes with boosters, and is carrying a pair of sub-machine guns with blades on them. For reasons beyond Trixie, said student has also dyed her hair the colors of the rainbow and has a cloud with a colorful lightning bolt tattooed on her shoulder.

“No,” says Trixie flatly. “Trixie believes in being prepared.”

The student shakes her head and puts on sunglasses. “Its a first year test. Not a warzone. Relax a little.”

“Not gonna happen.”

The rainbow head keeps on walking without saying another word, but she still keeps on with her repulsive snickering. With the menace gone, Trixie takes a deep breath, gets up and stretches her arms and starts walking, but stops in mid step when she sees a familiar student going through her locker.

The student has thick rimmed glasses and purple hair with purple hair that has a thick stripe of violet and a thin stripe of pink, which she has tied in a bun with the help of a star pin. She is wearing a grayish-purple, plaid skirt, a white dress shirt with a tie underneath her purple vest, and knee-high socks with armored shoes. She has shin pads and gauntlets, as well, and on her persons is a circular device with a glowing dot hanging around her neck, a round shield with three blue stars on it, and a spear that appears to be mechanical.

The student appears nervous, but Trixie knows her. She has seen her in action plenty of times, and in exactly four cases, she has had personal experiences with her that left her without a trophy. That said, Trixie knows exactly what she has to do, and so she gets a mischievous smile approaches the student. When Trixie is at the perfect distance, she slams the locker door shut with both of her hands, making the student squeak and jump and trapping her between her and the locker.

The student turns around, eyes wide and her glasses reflecting the wicked grin and lidded eyes of the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle, do you remember me?” says Trixie.

“Um... Pixie?” says Twilight, smiling nervously.

Trixie frowns. “Wow, really? No. Its me, Trixie. The student you beat four years in a row during the Simulation Tournaments.”

“Oh, um, nice to meet you... again. Um, I have to go to the Launch Zone for the test, so...” Twilight looks past Trixie's shoulders, then extends her hands slightly, but stops. “Can you please move?”

“No. Trixie has a proposition for you that you cannot refuse.”

“Which is...?”

Trixie's grin widens and her eyes become an inferno of demented glee from her destined victory.

“Trixie wants you, Twilight Sparkle, to join Team Trixie. With you and mir on the same team we will be unstoppable. Your intellect, my resourcefulness, our social status, all of it will enable us to dominate the freshmen of this school in ways never seen before. We will be invited to every party, boys will be drooling over us, teachers will be doing us favors, you will give me good grades and Trixie will teach you how to be human. We will be unstoppable!”

Trixie then cackles madly up until-

“You suck,” says a man from far away.

Trixie stops laughing immediately, and pulls away from the locker and scans the room.

“Hey, who said that? Seriously, who said that?“ says Trixie. When no one answers and no one crosses her line of sight, she sighs and looks back at Twilight. “Anyway, Twilight... You are gone.”

Trixie huffs and turns away from the locker and with a quick look she is able to spot the nerd making a speed walk towards the exit with her shield on her back. Only for her to be stopped cold when she and Flash Sentry run into each other, knocking them on their butts and the glasses loose from Twilight's face.

Trixie face palms.

“I am so sorry, I did not mean to bump into you like that,” says Twilight as she crawls around on her hands and knees, feeling for her glasses.

“No, its my fault,” says Flash. He picks up Twilight's glasses and holds it out to her, smiling apologetically. “Looking for these?”

Twilight giggles and her cheeks flush as she gently places her glasses back on her face. “Thank you. I'm nearly completely blind without them.”

“You imbecile!” says Trixie. She marches over to the two and pulls Twilight up in a completely ungentle way. “Do you have any idea who you just bumped into?”

Flash stands up and brushes himself off. “A girl?”

“No duh, genius, but which girl?”

Twilight pulls away from Trixie. “Its okay. It was just an accident. Besides, it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going.”

Trixie pinches Twilight's lips shut. “Silence. Brad, is it? Do you realize who you just bumped into?”

“First, it's Flash. Secondly, I already said a girl.”

Trixie releases Twilight's lips. “This is Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight smiles and waves nervously. “Hello.”

“Hi. And?” says Flash.

Trixie scoffs. “She graduated the top of her class at Crystal Preparation Academy.”

“Never heard of it,” says Flash.

“She won the Simulation Tournament four years in a row, which is a new record.”

“Yeah, I don't know what that is.”

Trixie's eyes narrow and her fists clench, then with a growl she says: “She's on the Lucky Pete's Marshmallow Flakes cereal box.”

Flash's expression blanks out for a few seconds, but when intelligence returns, he hums with a smile.

“Oh, so that's who you are. My little brother loves Lucky Pete's, and he'll be stoked when he finds out I met you in person. Heck, you look a whole lot better in real life than on the box. You look weird on the box, like too much makeup or something, no offense,” says Flash.

Twilight chuckles and rubs the back of her neck with her cheeks glowing red. “Digital editing has that effect, I guess.”

Trixie pushes Flash away and links her arm around Twilight. “Now that you know who she is you can buzz off. She is way above your level and we already agreed that she will be on Team Trixie.”

“Um, actually-” starts Twilight.

“Wait, teams?” interrupts Flash. He goes on the other side of Twilight and slips his arm around her free arm. “I never said anything about teams and I'm pretty sure she didn't say anything about your team. But you're kinda bitchy, and I'm really cool, so she clearly needs to be on Team Flash for sake of her self esteem.”

“Uh, guys...” says Twilight.

Trixie pulls, making Twilight and Flash stumble.

“She's mine!” says Trixie.

Now Flash pulls, lurching Twilight and Trixie towards him.

“Dibs. She's on my team, now,” says Flash.

Trixie pulls. “Trixie saw her first!”

Flash pulls. “You can't break the rule of dibs!”

Trixie pulls. “Trixie just did! She's mine!”

Flash pulls. “No, she's mine!”

And so the tug of war between Flash and Trixie commences, leaving Twilight without a voice, save for a long, deep sigh.

Outside, on the edge of of a cliff, bathed in warm, magnificent sunlight is a row of one hundred and twenty eight students that have an excellent view of the misty, dark green canopy before them.

Each student is armed with a unique weapon and many have some sort of armor on them. In front of them, Celestia and Luna stand with a thermos for the former and a pad for the latter, and with them is a pair of new teachers. One is a woman with olive skin, dark hair with stripes of gray, wearing a safari hat, khaki shorts and an olive drab shirt plus combat boots. With her is a canteen, a whip, a pistol and a notebook. The next is a man who is a bit older than the woman, also with dark hair, but he has only one stripe of gray and has a five o'clock shadow. He is wearing a light brown shirt, a red ascot with white polka dots, and thick olive drab pants with boots, as well. He has a canteen and has armed himself with a pistol and a notebook, as well.

The staff is patiently waiting for the remainder of the students to file out, and as each one takes a spot on a platform with a sun on it, they are given special gear by people in lab coats. One is a thin camera that wraps around their head and has the transparent lens positioned over the eye, and the other is a spider-like device that latches on to their chests. For those with equipment in the way, modified devices are given to suit them.

Seeing as how Pinkie and Applejack were one of the first, they have already been equipped and are now on the brink of boredom induced collapse.

“So, how are you feeling?” asks Applejack.

Pinkie Pie flashes a smile and a thumbs-up. “Better than earlier.”

“All the funny feelings passed, eh?”

“Oh yeah. Nothing a bench, tap water and burps couldn't fix.”

The spot next to Pinkie Pie is taken by Flash Sentry, who still has his guitar case, but is now wearing a metal vest and shoulder pads. With him next to Pinkie Pie, he nods coolly at her.

“What's up?” says Flash.

Pinkie Pie points up. “The sky.” Then she leans back slightly to get a view of his strangely normal looking guitar case and blinks. “Why are you bringing a guitar?”

Flash grins, cracks his knuckles and rolls his shoulder. “Miss, what I have is no ordinary guitar, and if you promise not to vomit on me I just might show you what it can do.”

“Its not some kind of music based weapon is it?”

“No!” snaps Flash. He then coughs into his fist and shifts in his spot. “I mean, not anymore, anyway.”

Pinkie Pie sighs sadly and turns away. “Bummer. I really like music.”

Flash turns slightly and snaps his fingers, making a disappointed grunt. Then the devices are attached to Flash and his questions about them are ignored. Though, a few minutes later when the last twenty slots are filled a ding catches everyone's attention and they see Celestia holding a triangle, which is vibrating and twirling from its little string. With all eyes on Celestia, the Principal smiles and puts away the instrument.

“Now that I have your attention, I would like to make a couple of announcements,” says Celestia. “First off, this is the Assessment Test to gauge where your skills in both fighting and people interaction lie. You will be dealing with the beasts of Tartarus, and it will be scary and challenging. Secondly, the devices we gave you are cameras with audio and visual recording and a booster pack that will strengthen your natural aura. They will also measure your vitals, and should we determine that you are about to die you will be teleported out and scheduled for a reexamination. We cannot have our students dying on the first test, after all.”

A very uncomfortable silence falls on the group as the students glance at each other. The wind rustling the grass is the only noise and somewhere in the distance a bird caws. After some seconds, Celestia continues.

“That said, should you be taken out for a reexamination that will count as a strike. Three strikes and you are out of the school for at least six months,” says Celestia. “Now, for the Assessment Test. Luna, if you will.”

Celestia steps back and Luna steps forward, thanking her sister.

“Students, the rules for the test are simple,” says Luna. “You will be launched into the Hollow Shades Forest, and it will be up to you to use an efficient landing method. Once you are in the forest, you will form teams of four, fight your way to the far end where the ruins of an ancient temple lie and retrieve one of the chess pieces on display. You will then take your piece back with your full team to the other side of the forest where Doctors Daring Do and Rene Cabelleron will be waiting.”

The two professors that are with them nod and barely wave at the students.

“However, there is a twist,” says Celestia. “Your teams will be chosen by who you come into contact first. For example, students A through H are launched into the forest, and student A comes into contact with students E, G, and H first, they are now teammates for the full four years they are here.”

Students gasp and murmur, and Pinkie Pie feels an odd mix of panic and excitement rushing in. Sure there are plenty of opportunities to make new friends, but so far she has seen nothing but questionable characters and she really does not want to be stuck with someone she despises for four years. From the reactions of the other students it seems that they are feeling similar things.

“This is such poop!” says Drake Firewall. “I already had a team planned!”

“Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?” says Luna flatly.

Drake doesn't reply and the students gradually fall silent. When all is back to chirping birds and sunshine, Luna types on her pad, which leads to a series of clicks and whirs, with all the lights on the platforms turning green. Seeing this, the students brace themselves in quick and mostly sloppy manners. Some get cocky smiles, others do quick breathing exercises, and quite a few mutter quick prayers. For Pinkie Pie, she giggles and shudders, getting a strange look from Flash, who has not prepared himself in any way.

“Oh, I'm so excited I could just squee,” says Pinkie Pie.

“The pads are activated. Are there any questions?” says Celestia.

Flash raises his hand. “Um, I got a question.”

“Excellent. Luna, do it.”

Luna pushes a button on her pad, and one by one students are flung into the air, like dolls on a catapult. Their bodies rapidly turn to black silhouettes and their screams, shrieks and terrified sobs fade with distance, and each student has only three seconds to prepare after their neighbor is launched.

“Um, Principal, ma'am?” says Flash.

“Yes?” says Celestia.

Twilight is catapulted.

“What do you mean by landing method?” says Flash.

“Exactly what I said,” says Celestia. “Be creative when you begin your descent. Don't hurt yourself or others, and use quick wits to figure out the best and least painful plan of using the trees to slow your fall. Trust me, you will thank us for this should you have to jump out of a burning airship.”

“Oh. Wait, what?”

Now Rarity is flung into the forest.

“Can we at least get jetpacks or parachutes or something?” asks Flash.

BOING! And off Trixie goes!

“No,” says Luna.

Another platform ejects the rainbow haired student, only she is hollering with a crazed enthusiasm only an adrenaline junky can get.

“This is crazy!” says Flash.

“Your point?” says Luna.

Applejack salutes Pinkie Pie, and then is shot off into the sky. Pinkie Pie then grins and giggles wickedly at the forest, heart racing and body coiled, and her hammer held tight in her hands.

“I mean, this just seems really dangerous, especially for first year students,” says Flash.

“Oh, it is,” says Celestia.

“But it is fun,” adds Luna.

Pinkie Pie is then launched, leaving everything behind her in a blur. Even her body seems to be farther than her excited screaming and laughing.

Meanwhile, down below, Flash holds up a finger, knees quivering and face dripping with sweat.

“But-”

And that is all Flash can say before the launch pad shoots him into the sky. His terrified shrieking quickly becomes distant, and Luna pulls out a pair of binoculars and watches his twirling flailing body shrink with the more disciplined students. Next to her, Celestia calmly sips from her thermos, and when the last of the students are launched, she sighs with a content smile.