“Hey Ditzy, it’s time to wake up…” You whisper in the gray Pegasus mare’s ear as the airship you two are riding begins its slow descent into the massive city below.

She yawns, “Already? But it’s only been a few hours…” She rubs her eyes with her hooves. Her yellow irises shine in the sunlight pouring through the small window beside you.

You chuckle, “We’ve been on here for a day, Ditzy. You’ve slept like a log…” You yawn, your lack of sleep catching up to you.

Ditzy giggles, “You know we could’ve taken a faster airship. We didn’t need the fanciest one available. Then again, you’ve always been one for showing off ever since Flight Camp.” She nudges you in the side with her elbow, jerking you back awake.

You sigh, “Yeah, I guess Rainbow rubbed off on me a bit. I wonder if she’s one of the ponies that made it in.” You look out the window, taking note of the massive cluster of large buildings gathered in the center of the city proper. In just a few hours, you and Ditzy will be standing in the courtyard of that large campus, meeting the dean of the school that offers you everything you’ve ever wanted.

Ditzy notices the glazed look in your eyes and laughs, “You really should’ve slept more, you stubborn mule. Now you’ll be all tired when we meet the dean!” She slaps a hoof onto your back, making you flinch slightly.

You scoff, “And? He’s just the dean. He can’t punish me for being tired.” You shrug your shoulders and smile.

“But he’ll think you’re a slacker and probably make somepony keep an eye on you! You know how prestigious this school is, and I doubt he’ll let a slacker take it easy here…” You hear genuine worry in Ditzy’s voice. Or at least what you think is genuine worry.

You place a hoof gently on her shoulder and take a deep breath. You laugh, “When have I ever not been a slacker? He’d be right to keep his eye on this Pegasus!” Your comment makes Ditzy smile again.

The two of you, along with everypony else on the ship, jerk from side to side as the airship makes its landing on the giant landing pad a mile east of the campus. Your heart flutters as you realize that you’re actually almost at the school. You hear the chatter of everypony around you as they realize the same thing. Every last one of you are about to be officially enrolled in the most prestigious and high-class school in all of Equestria. You can’t hold back a chuckle as the door opens and the flight attendant directs you to undo your safety belts and exit the ship single-file.

You’re the first one off of the ship, sudden excitement propelling you forward. You turn and offer a hoof to Ditzy, who gladly takes it as she steps from the airship. With a smile, you both start your trot to the booth set up a few yards from the ship. The sign hanging above the booth tells you that that’s where you get your luggage and campus maps. The two of you happily walk up to the booth and reclaim your possessions. The old mare behind the booth also hands you a large piece of folded up parchment.

You immediately unfold it, wondering what the map looks like. To your surprise, the map portrays the campus to be almost ten times bigger than you actually imagined. Ditzy lets out a stifled ‘Ooh’ as she sees the size of the campus. She pulls the map right up to her muzzle, getting as close a look as she can. You chuckle at her intense display of curiosity and fold your map back up. The only important place you need to know about is the campus courtyard, where the enrollment ceremony will be held. The rest of the campus could wait.

You look at the sky, noticing how late it’s getting. You tap Ditzy on the back with your hoof and start your trot in the direction of the courtyard. She folds her map up and places it in her satchel of luggage before trotting right behind you. The excitement sparks in both of you, and you can’t bring yourself to speak. You two continue your trot side by side and listen as everypony around you chatters wildly about how nervous they are. You scoff at their trembling voices.

Ditzy notices this scoff and asks, “Let me guess, you’re not nervous at all, huh?” She beams a wide grin at you as you continue your trot.

You laugh, “Of course not! My sense of nervousness died when Rainbow drew that d-!” You turn your head to respond to Ditzy and take your attention away from the path in front of you. Just as you are about to finish your sentence, you slam right into a large oak tree. A familiar mare’s laugh echoes from above you.

The cyan Pegasus wipes a tear from her eye, her gaze glued on you and Ditzy. She laughs, “How old are you, thirteen? Shouldn’t you be able to see something like a tree coming right at you?” She lands beside you and extends a hoof, trying to help you up.

You can’t help but chuckle as you take her hoof. You’re relieved to see that the prankster Pegasus made it into the school with you. After all, you two have been friends for years, ever since Elementary school. Flight Camp only made that friendship grow. You laugh, “I’m glad to see you here, you annoying filly…” You stand to your hooves and place one on Rainbow’s forehead, much to her disgust.

She jerks away and stamps a hoof. She scoffs, “You know I can’t stand ponies touching my mane!” She lifts a hoof to restyle her rainbow-colored mane. You hold back a smart retort, knowing how important Rainbow’s mane is to her.

Ditzy greets the Pegasus with a wide smile and cheers, “Yay, Rainbow! You made it to school with us!” She floats gently through the air with her wings and lands beside the cyan Pegasus. They both share a quick hug, having been friends for years more than you.

You wait patiently for the nostalgic hug to end before scoffing, “It’s only been two months, you two. Why are you so sentimental?”

The two ponies blush and stamp their hooves at you. Rainbow screams, “It’s cause we’re best friends, something you wouldn’t know about!”

Ditzy giggles, “What, are fond memories something else this mare stole from you back at Flight Camp?” You smile back at the two of them. Fond memories of the last few years flood into your brain.

You shrug your shoulders and sigh, “Look, that cyan pain-in-the-flank did some horrible stuff to me…” Your voice trails off as you think back to the story you were telling before you hit the tree. You continue, “…like when she drew that dick on my flank and didn’t even tell me!” Your face flushes red as you remember how long you walked around unaware of the phallus’s presence on your flank. This was back when you still had a blank flank, so most ponies were convinced in their childish thoughts that dicks were really your ‘special talent’.

Rainbow falls to the ground in a fit of hysteria. She chokes out, “That was the best week of my life! Everypony really thought you were-!” She couldn’t finish her sentence because the laughing became too intense. Ditzy couldn’t hold back a fit of her own as she remembered the week in question.

After Rainbow’s fit of hysteria ends, the three of you trot along on your way to the school campus. You share fond memories with each other as you hurry towards the most honorary school in the entire Equestrian kingdom. This school is the one place everypony wants to go, but the admission requirements are so strict that not many really get to. You ponder just how exactly Rainbow Dash of all ponies made it into the school, but decide to drop the thought.

After about ten minutes of walking, you find yourself staring at the splendid beauty of the courtyard of what would soon be your new home and educational facility…

Fillydelphia High…

And so Rainbow Dash, Ditzy Doo, and you wait for hours as everypony gathers into the large courtyard. The moon rises high in sky and lets its majestic glow blanket the entire campus before the dean of the school makes his appearance to greet the freshmen ponies. A large stage is set up around the fountain at the center of the courtyard and everypony—new and old—gathers in front of it to await the induction ceremony. The moon is high enough in the sky for you to realize that it is nearly midnight before the dean finally appears on the large stage with a microphone and several other ponies at his side.

The ceremony is finally beginning, and your heart flutters as you realize that once this ends you will be an official student of Fillydelphia High. You are gathered in a group with at least a thousand other ponies who are also being inducted. One-thousand freshmen ponies that you’ve never met most of, all gathered together in the large courtyard, surrounded by older and more intelligent ponies.

The dean starts to speak as your thoughts snap back to the large stage. You can see in the bright moonlight that his brown coat is groomed professionally, and his slicked-back red mane tells you he is one who cares for appearances. He cheers into the mic, “Ladies and gentlecolts, it is with great honor that I welcome every last one of you here tonight for a very special ceremony! With each passing year, a new class of ponies enters these esteemed halls with the intention of gaining knowledge and preparing for the life ahead of them. Tonight, we welcome a new class of young ponies that are diverse in both style and intelligence.” He pauses here and allows the three younger ponies beside him to step forward. They take turns speaking into the mic.

The oldest of the three, a unicorn stallion with a white coat and yellow mane, says, “For the last three years I’ve taken part in this ceremony, and have seen everything this school has to offer. Only the best of the best make it here, so to each new freshman arriving to these hallowed grounds tonight, I salute you.” He steps away and bows to the crowd of ponies in front of him.

The youngest of the three, an earth pony mare with a red coat and silver mane, cheers, “This is my second year here at the school, and I am completely sincere when I say I hope your first year is anywhere near as amazing as mine was!” She claps her hooves and bows to the freshman ponies in the crowd.

The middle of the three, a unicorn mare with a blue coat and green mane, chuckles, “I’ve wandered this campus for two years now and I can safely say that if you ever get lost and need help finding someplace, don’t trust the upperclassmen!” She steps back and sends a glare at the older pony.

He responds by adding, “She’s completely right, everypony. Don’t trust us upperclassmen. We’re all jokers.”

The crowd of ponies bursts into laughter, though you don’t see why. Nothing about what just happened was funny, but you fake a laugh so you don’t seem like a poor sport. The dean steps back up to the mic and clears his throat. The crowd falls silent.

He claps his hooves and says, “Yes, very amusing. Now, in each class there is one pony that excels above the rest. Well, I would like to say there is only one pony… That pony is inducted at the beginning of their semester as a student representative in the Administration. The Administration makes the rules and maintains balance in our dear school.” He waves a hoof at the three ponies that spoke before.

The stallion steps forward again and takes a bow. He says, “My name is Charming Masquerade. I am the Senior Class Representative of the Administration. For my three years here I’ve been an Admin, and this year will be my fourth and last. I do hope I can help each and every pony here before I leave Fillydelphia High and move on to greener pastures. If there is ever anything you need help with, don’t hesitate to find me.” He takes a bow and steps back as the older ponies in the crowd cheer and go wild.

The older of the two mares steps forward and bows. She starts with a giggle, “The name’s Diamond Charmer, and I’m the Junior Class Representative.” Her giggle is replaced with a serious statement, “I’m happy to help anypony I can, so don’t hesitate to ask. If I think it’s important enough, I’ll gladly spare the time to lend a hoof.” She takes a bow as all of her junior classmates cheer, whereas a portion of the sophomores and seniors merely clap.

The younger mare takes the mic and says, “I’m Daisy Hooves, and I represent the Sophomore Class. I haven’t been here too long, and I don’t know everything about the school, but I’ll do my best to be the voice of the students!” She sets the mic back on its stand and takes a bow as nearly everypony goes wild.

You immediately size up all three of them. You find Charming to have an arrogant air about him, although you feel he is a studious and caring stallion. You decide he might be worth befriending in the long run. Your thoughts turn to Diamond, who reminds you of a happy-go-lucky party pony. You think she might be nice, but you feel she’s too overenthusiastic. Your mind wanders off to Daisy, who is still bowing as the crowd continues to cheer. You get the feeling she’s book smart and kind, and is genuinely willing to help somepony.

Just as you begin to wonder about how those three became Admins, the dean’s voice shreds through your thoughts and sends you back to the events at hoof. “My name is Obsidian Coronet, and I am the lead Administrator of this fine educational institute. As I said before, there is always one pony that stands above the rest in each class, and you have just met three. But now, it is time to induct the Freshman Class Representative…s.” His voice trails off as he silently whispers the ‘s’ at the end of ‘representatives.’ Your head perks up at the way his face twists in what appears to be regret.

The entire crowd of ponies bursts into confused chatter. It was a known fact that there was only ever one Admin from each class in the history of the school, so why did Obsidian add the ‘s’ at the end? The other three Admins share confused looks as the dean regains the attention of confused students.

He stammers, “This is an unprecedented event in the history of our fine institute, but our Freshman Class has not one, but two Admins joining us this year! Both of these excellent students scored an almost-perfect 2100 on the entrance exams, and both surpassed the Optional Literacy Exam expectations with scores of 78, the highest ever recorded by our board of admissions.” Everypony starts to mutter to one another as the dean seemingly brags how smart these two ponies are.

The fact that they scored identical points on both the entrance and optional exams sends alarms off in your mind. You think it either has to be rigged, or has to be a mistake. Despite your skeptical inner thoughts, you still manage to smile in curiosity at who the two extraordinarily genius ponies are.

Obsidian continues as the crowd calms down, “I would like to introduce you to the two Admins of the Freshman Class. I will call them up one at a time and let them say a few words before finishing the ceremony in the usual fashion. The first pony is a unicorn mare straight from the Canterlot School of Magic, and is a personal apprentice to Princess Celestia herself…”

The crowd jeers at the mention of the Princess’s student. Everypony immediately thinks she only got in because of her status with the ruler of the kingdom. You immediately cast such petty and jealous thoughts from your mind, knowing that an institute like this would never accept a student based solely on position. It is an esteemed school for a reason, after all.

“…Twilight Sparkle!” the dean finishes his previous statement. The crowd falls silent as a lavender unicorn with a mostly-purple mane steps forward regretfully from the crowd and a spotlight finds her. Obsidian waves a hoof, beckoning her to the stage. She sighs and slowly approaches it.

Upon reaching his side, the dean hands her the mic and asks her to say a few words. You can see in her eyes that she doesn’t want to be up there, essentially bragging to everypony how smart she is. She clears her throat and says, in a voice reminiscent of a shy filly, “It’s an honor to be here tonight with all of you. I hope I can live up to the title of…Admin…” Her voice trails off at the end, not wanting to rub it in.

Rainbow Dash nudges you in the side and scoffs, “Get a load of this, dude! How can a pony that smart be so shy? How can she hope to represent us if she can’t even talk in public?” Ditzy giggles at the statement and rests a hoof on the now-angry Pegasus’s shoulder.

You chuckle, “Oh well. She earned the spot, I guess. She must be a genius to get a 2100 on the entrance exam.” You both fall silent as the dean speaks again.

The crowd gets quiet as Obsidian speaks up once more. He laughs, “The second of the two Admins joining us tonight is a Pegasus stallion from the Cloudsdale Flight Camp...” Rainbow, Ditzy, and you all share excited looks. You’re amazed that somepony from Flight Camp is an Admin.

Your heart skips a beat as the dean finishes his sentence. Everypony’s eyes glue directly to you as the spotlight finds you in the crowd. Rainbow and Ditzy both lose their excited smiles and replace them with confused frowns. Suddenly, you go from being an equal friend to a superior Admin… You look around at the ponies in the crowd that eagerly await your advance toward the stage. For just an instant, you lose your sense of direction as your mind clouds up. How in Equestria did you, a slacker and prankster, score so high on the entrance exam?

You step forward with more confidence than Twilight, but you still find yourself doubting that you’re an actual Admin. You’re convinced that there had to be a mistake. Still, you push the doubts from your head and join Twilight at her side. Obsidian hands you the mic and you shove all the fog from your brain. You manage to say, “It’s an honor, really. I promise I’ll do my best to represent the students of the Freshman Class!” You lift the mic in the air with a hoof, a wide grin on your face. The confidence written on your face makes the crowd go wild, much more so than Twilight’s speech.

Your eyes scour the crowd and lock on to Ditzy and Rainbow, who are both cheering wildly for you. You think about how angry Rainbow had just been about the unicorn, and wonder if the cheering was just an act to hide her anger for you. You push the thoughts from your head as you realize Dash has never been the type to hide her feelings. If she has a problem, she’ll let somepony know immediately. You let out a relieved sigh as that thought fills your head.

The dean takes the mic from you and ushers you and the unicorn off to the side. He cheers into the mic, “So now you’ve met all five of our Admins! Over the course of this first week, we shall work on distributing your school-given materials and schedules, as well as sorting out any boarding problems you may have with whoever you’re roomed with. One week from today is when classes for this Fall Semester shall begin. Please, do make yourselves comfortable and get familiar with the campus over this next week!” He lifts his hooves in the air and everypony goes wild. The other three admins join you at your side and grin.

Charming chuckles, “Welcome to the herd, you two. You’ve just made a bunch of enemies.”

Daisy giggles, “Don’t scare them, you meanie! Everything will be perfectly fine, you two. Don’t listen to the seniors, remember?” She taps her head with her hoof, bringing back what Diamond had said earlier.

Diamond sighs, “Although you’re definitely not going to be the most welcome freshmen in the school, I wouldn’t worry about the regular students. It’s the UFABÉ and POCA radicals you need to keep an eye out for.” She places a hoof on your forehead as if you’re a young child, which sort of irks you.

You maintain a respectful tone as you snap, “Get your hoof off of my head, lady. Nopony treats me like a kid.” You jerk your head out from under her hoof as you notice her lack of honoring your command.

Charming gasps, “Oh man, not a good idea!” He covers his face with a hoof as he notices a slight twitch under Diamond’s eye.

The junior mare shouts through clenched teeth, “How dare you address me with such disrespect, you mule?!” Just as she goes to continue, you stomp your hoof down hard on the stage, causing the four ponies around you to flinch.

You scoff, “Time to get off your high horse there, lady. You may be older than me but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like a kid. I’m not about to take crap from somepony I don’t even know.” You smile as your comment makes the mare back off. Twilight giggles as she sees the stunned expression on the other two Admins’ faces.

Daisy giggles, “Wow, you showed her…” She sees Diamond try to regain a more civilized expression through her anger.

Charming places a hoof on your shoulder and sighs, "Diamond’s not an enemy you want, man. She has a major pull with the UFABÉ. She can make your time here a living hell if you’re not careful."

You scoff, “What the hell is the UFABÉ?”

The other four Admins stare at you in disbelief. You look around to them in a confused manner, feeling the serious nature of their glares jab right into you. With a look of utter amazement, Diamond answers your question.

She laughs, “You’ll find out soon enough, kid. Both of you will. Now that you’re Admins, you won’t be able to avoid their attention…”

With that cryptic series of statements, the three older Admins shut up. The dean walks over to you and slaps a hoof on your back. He cheers, “Great message! You really got them going for you! Now, if you’d be so kind as to follow me, I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying as an Admin.”

Without waiting for a response, he starts a fast trot off of the stage and onto a small trail leading into the trees at the far end of the courtyard. Twilight and you walk side by side as you follow Obsidian to wherever he is taking you. The other three Admins bring up the rear, already knowing this path by heart. After minutes of walking, you come to a large building with a massive emblem on the front door. The emblem depicts a large pony with a horseshoe print crossing over it. The words ‘ADMINISTRATION BUILDING’ are etched underneath it.

You are ushered through the door by the dean, and you find yourself caught completely off guard by the décor. A fancy chandelier hangs from the ceiling of the foyer, marble floors clack as you step across, and solid oak doors and railing span the stairs and doorways. You’re taken aback by the sight of such an overly-decorated building. Twilight lets out an astounded ‘Ah’ as the beauty of the room fills her eyes.

Obsidian takes you and her by the hooves and essentially drags you up the stairs in the center of the foyer. You follow him all the way to the end of the eastern wing, where a large mahogany door sits and waits. He releases you both and shoves open the door, revealing a massive room with one large bed and several luxury cabinets and drawers dotted along the walls. On the far side of the room is a glass door leading out to a balcony view of the immediate area.

He shoves you both into the room, waves a hoof, and shuts the door as he leaves. You look around the room in amazement. Your eyes meet Twilight’s, and you can tell she’s thinking the same thing as you. There’s only supposed to be one Admin, so this room is built to house one pony. You would be sharing this room, a fact that makes you feel uneasy. You don’t like the thought of your stuff being within reach of a pony you don’t know.

But it wouldn’t be too bad, would it? You think about how quiet the mare seems to be, and decide it can’t be too horrible. At least it was a large room and had plenty of storage space for both of your belongings.

It won’t be that bad, right?

“Well…that was quick…”

Twilight sends an annoyed glare in your direction, not even trying to hide the fact that she doesn’t like this situation. You can see in her eyes just how upset she is. She undoes the strap across her chest and levitates her satchel of luggage over to the edge of the large bed. She immediately begins rooting through it and sorting all of her belongings into the small drawers at the bed’s side.

You walk over to the opposite side of the bed and begin to unpack your own belongings. You sigh, “He throws us in here and leaves without saying a word… What’s that all about?” You shake your head as the unicorn attempts to ignore you. As far as you know, you’ve done nothing to upset or offend the mare, and her hostility seems a bit unwarranted.

Just as you go to say something else, she snaps, “Let’s get one thing straight: I have no intention of being your friend. In fact, I have to say that this whole fiasco is annoying me to no end. I’m here for my studies and that’s it, nothing else. Don’t waste your breath with friendly banter on my behalf.” You close your mouth as you realize that further attempts to be nice will be useless.

Instead, you try a different tactic. You leap on top of the silk-covered bed and immediately gain her attention. Your uncivilized display obviously irks her. Just as she goes to snap at you, you cut her off with your own retort. “Excuse me, princess, but I think you’re a bit out of line! You’re here for the academics? That’s fine. You don’t want to be friends? That’s all good. But we’re obviously stuck together, so you need to get rid of the conceited notion that you’re better than me and accept that fact.”

She stamps her hoof on the floor in front of you and shouts, “What the heck are you talking about? Nopony said anything about being better that you! And quite frankly I couldn’t care less if we’re stuck together; just keep away from my stuff and don’t bother me, and we’ll be just fine!”

You scoff, “All high and mighty because you’re the Princess’s apprentice, eh? Look Twilight, I don’t have any intention of making an enemy or friend out of you. But listen, you’re an Admin, and we have to be the voice of the people. How can you be the voice of the people if you don’t talk to them and learn their feelings on the happenings around campus?” She gives you a look that lets you know you’re right about that fact.

She sighs, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to handle that, won’t you?” She gives you a sly smirk that lets you know she’s just as stubborn as she seems to be.

“You’ve got attitude, arrogance, and an introverted personality. Yep, all the signs of a Princess’s little pet.” You step off of the bed and begin fiddling with your own belongings again. The lavender pony sends you a glare of burning anger and a frown reminiscent of an embarrassed filly.

She mumbles under her breath, “What a disrespectful mule you turned out to be…”

You ignore her comment and start packing away your things in the drawers on the side opposite of her. You pull out a large ornamented picture frame and set in on the bedside table. The picture in the frame brings back some intense memories of Flight Camp. Twilight looks at the picture with curiosity.

Making her voice sound as apologetic as possible, she asks, “Those are the Pegasi that were cheering for you at the ceremony, right?” She has a small frown on her face as she turns her head away.

You see her lift a picture from her satchel with magic and place it on her respective bedside table. You see it’s a picture of her with what appears to be a baby dragon. You look at your own picture and chuckle, “Yep. Rainbow Dash and Ditzy Doo have been by my side since late Elementary school. I’m actually surprised Rainbow made in to this place, given its strict admissions rules… What about you? Who’s the dragon?” You point a hoof at the picture beside her.

Her gaze shifts awkwardly around the room before she sighs, “His name is Spike. When I applied for the Canterlot School of Magic, my entrance exam was to hatch him from his egg. We’ve been inseparable since then…” Her voice trails off and you think you see the hint of a tear in her eye.

You realize just why the tear is there. She and the dragon must have been together for years, friends by each other’s side. Now that she had come to this school, the dragon wasn’t allowed to come with her. You think about what that really means. She seems like the type of pony that doesn’t make friends, so Spike may be her only one. And now she can’t see him anymore while she stays at the school. At least you still have Rainbow and Ditzy with you…

Before you can realize you are doing it, you apologize to the mare. You sigh, “I’m sorry, Twilight. It must be hard being separated from a close friend like that.” She gives you a small smile, before wiping the tear from her eye.

She shakes her head and silently resumes unpacking her things, a smile plastered on her face. You quietly resume your own unpacking before a loud banging erupts from the door at the front of the room. You and Twilight share confused looks, uncertain of who would be trying to talk to you this late at night.

The door flies open and a rainbow-colored blur bursts into the room, followed by a calm gray Pegasus. A short white stallion follows slowly behind the two, his silver mane windswept and unruly. He speaks slowly, “I’m terribly sorry for the intrusion at this late hour, but these two insisted they see you.” He takes a bow and steps out of the room, closing the doors behind him. You assume he is some sort of butler for the residents of the Administration Building.

Rainbow Dash greets you with a rough tackle to the ground, nearly tossing you out of the glass door onto the balcony. Ditzy joins the two of you with a hearty laugh before helping you both to your hooves. Twilight looks on in confusion as you three share your absurd greetings. You all plop down on the bed and start discussing what happened since the ceremony ended. To your amazement, Rainbow informs you that it’s nearly morning already.

“Dude, it’s almost morning. We’ve all figured out where our dorms are and who we’re roomed with. Me and Ditzy got paired up!” The cyan Pegasus slaps her friend on the back with an excited hoof.

Ditzy laughs, “Yeah, we’ve got a room together, so we don’t have to worry about any weird ponies we don’t know messing with our stuff.” She shrugs her shoulders and falls back on the silk sheets of the once-made bed. She lets out a content sigh, “This bed is so much better than the ones in the dorms…” Rainbow nods in agreement.

You chuckle, “Yeah, this place is pretty cool, I guess. I’d rather be here than with a whole bunch of other ponies. What do you think, Twilight?” You look over to the other side of the bed to find the unicorn passed out. You let out a light laugh as the exhausted mare snores.

Rainbow wastes no time in asking, “What’s she like? She as stuck up as I think she is?”

You sigh, “I can’t tell yet. I mean, she’s not the nicest mare I’ve ever met, but she definitely has her own baggage.” You lower your voice so as not to wake your roommate.

Ditzy giggles, “Baggage? She comes from Canterlot, how much baggage could she have?” Rainbow gives her a slight nod of approval.

You sigh, “More than you think, Ditzy. Imagine having to leave all of your friends behind to attend this school. I mean, at least we have each other. She has nopony.” You find yourself surprised to be defending the mare. You’ve never been one to make excuses for another’s actions or behavior, except on the occasion where you saved Dash’s flank from getting expelled from Flight Camp.

Rainbow giggles, “Sounds like somepony’s got a crush on somepony else…” She nudges Ditzy in the side, and the two exchange sly smiles.

You scoff, “Ha! Fat chance, Rainbow! You can keep your little fantasies to yourself.” You return her smile with one of your own.

Ditzy sighs, “I can’t wait to see what this school has in store for us. I mean heck, it is the best school in Equestria…” She gazes out of the glass door and into the sky, noticing the sun starting to rise.

You think about everything that’s happened since you got here. How hostile Diamond was, how quickly the dean shoved you in here and dismissed himself, and the discussion you had with Twilight all come to mind. You ignore all of that and cheer, “It’ll have a lot of crazy antics waiting for us! Imagine all the pranks you can pull, Dash!”

Rainbow smiles as she actually drifts off thinking about the pranks. She sighs, “Since you’re an Admin, you’ll be there to bail me out if things go wrong, right?”

Ditzy cheers, “Same goes for me, too!”

Twilight stirs on the bed, her snoring stopping. She yawns and rubs her eyes with her hooves. “How long was I out?” she asks you.

You chuckle, “Not too long, but it’s morning now.” You find yourself yawning, your lack of sleep suddenly catching up to you.

Ditzy sighs, “I don’t think anypony slept last night. I think it’s a little too late to now, though…” She yawns and slaps a hoof onto Rainbow’s shoulder.

Rainbow scoffs, “You have to be kidding. Don’t tell me you two are actually tired.” She crosses her arms over her chest to show her defiance of the sleepiness in her brain.

“We should probably get up and get moving so we don’t pass out. I mean, the last thing we need is a wacked-out sleep schedule just before school starts.” You laugh as you scratch your mane. You stand up to your hooves and lift the other two Pegasi from their seats.

The unicorn rolls from the bed and brushes her mane in the mirror on the wall. She sighs, “This’ll be a long day, I think.” She smiles at the three of you, the bags under her eyes showing just how tired she really is.

A knock on the door sends the four of you into an unnecessary panic, not sure of whom exactly was knocking this time. The three mares stay stock-still, their minds still in some sort of panic-triggered paralysis. You take a deep breath as you realize that there probably isn’t anything to fear. You head over to the door and open it, greeted by a familiar voice.

Daisy cheers, “Good morning fresh meat!” She waltzes into your room and right to the trio of mares once more sitting lazily on the bed. She turns back toward you with an eyebrow raised and her head cocked to the side. She places a hoof to her muzzle, apparently lost in thought.

You close the door and rejoin the group of ponies. Noticing Daisy’s expression, you ask, “Something wrong, Daisy? You look a little lost…”

The red pony giggles, “One stallion and three mares all sitting on the same bed in the wee early hours of the morning could be kinda suggestive, you know.” She waves a hoof at the three ponies sitting on the bed, each with tired expressions and fatigue-tussled coats.

You feel your face flush red as you laugh, “Oh no, nothing like that! We were just talking!” You raise your front hooves in a show of innocence.

The three mares all blush as they realize what Daisy meant. The sophomore continues with a giggle, “I know that, silly. But somepony else might think otherwise. It’s very easy for rumors to start in this school.” She taps her hoof to her muzzle three times in rapid succession, a signal you’re not familiar with.

Twilight speaks up, “So what exactly are we supposed to do? I know we’re Admins, but what exactly does that mean?”

Daisy takes a deep breath and plops down on the floor against the wall. She sighs, “I hate drawing the short straw…” You four freshmen share confused expressions, uncertain of what she means. She continues, “I’m the one assigned to answer your Administration questions. Although the two non-Admins aren’t supposed to be here, I won’t tell. Which brings me to my first piece of business…

“Tapping your hoof to your muzzle thrice symbolizes the phrase ‘Admin Secret’, which means that what we say before or after stays a secret between us. As Admins, we’ll be talking about a lot of stuff nopony else is supposed to know. I’m also supposed to tell you about the school politics while I’m here, so let’s start there.” She takes another deep breath and pauses to let the questions flow.

You immediately ask, “If it’s an Admin Secret, why are these two allowed here?” You wave a hoof at Rainbow and Ditzy, much to their surprise.

Daisy laughs, “Because they’re okay, so long as they can keep secrets.”

Ditzy cheers, “You bet I can!” Rainbow snickers without acknowledging the promise.

“Good. Now, for the politics. There are four governing bodies in the school: UFABÉ, POCA, Student Council, and us Admins. Each body is special in its own ways. For example, the ‘ooh-fah-BAY’,” she stresses the syllables, “is the Unicorns for a Better Education. They believe that the professors are too lenient and desire higher educational standards.” Daisy winces at the mention of the UFABÉ. She’s never been able to understand their radical view on education.

Twilight chimes in, “That doesn’t sound near as bad as Diamond made it last night…”

Daisy scoffs, “You don’t know the half of it, yet. Now, the other faction is the ‘POH-cah’, which is the Pegasi of Content Accommodations. They are happy with how the school’s run, and don’t like the UFABÉ threatening their comfort. The only problem is that the dorms are fairly messed up, so most ponies aren’t too comfortable. The POCA don’t fight for the renovations, so they aren’t helping anypony.” Again, she winces. She can’t stand either of the two factions, despite their ‘noble’ goals.

Rainbow mutters, “Well, Pegasi can sleep on clouds. We don’t need the dorms, really.”

The sophomore continues, “Exactly. Both factions have good goals, but they also have bad side-effects. Now for the Student Council… It’s a normal group of students that try to get stuff done. The council comes up with new bills, and sends them to the Admins. The Admins then decide whether they pass or reject the bills. When an UFABÉ or POCA joins the Admins, the faction gains an unfair advantage over the other one. Same for when they join the council.”

Ditzy laughs, “So basically the Student Council is the first line of defense against bad bills, then you’re the final say?”

The red Admin nods and continues, “That’s right. That’s how it goes, anyway. When a new Admin is inducted, POCA and UFABÉ go to war trying to win the Admin over. When either side wins an Admin, the other side is pretty much screwed. Diamond is an UFABÉ, whereas Charming is a POCA. Neither of them are radicals, but they still belong to one faction. Everything’s balanced now…until they can convince one of you.” She glares at both you and Twilight, who share worried looks.

You laugh, “Don’t worry, Daisy, I have no intention of falling into all this political nonsense. I’m here to have fun and learn, not complain.” Daisy returns your neutral reassurance with a wide smile.

Twilight chimes in, “I don’t plan on getting involved, either. I’m here for studies, not politics…” She smiles and turns back toward her bedside table to remove something from it.

Daisy cheers, “That’s great news! Now, assuming you both are still Admins by the semester’s end, we’ll all stay in balance!” Your eyes widen as she says this.

The only reason you’re both Admins is because of your identical scores on the entrance and optional exams. At the end of the semester, only one of you—maybe neither of you—will be an Admin. One of you will surpass the other in grades without a doubt…

You chuckle, “Yeah, once semester hits, we won’t be the same anymore.” The realization that the school would knowingly allow two Admins for a single semester stuns you. Not to mention you still have your doubts about having actually scored identical to the purple unicorn beside you.

Twilight giggles, “When that time comes, I guess we’ll see who the best is.” She sends a sly smirk your way, which you return with one of your own. Was she really challenging you?

Daisy slaps a hoof to both of your backs, drawing your attention suddenly back to her. She laughs, “So now you know the factions, but I’d bet anything that resisting the urge to join them won’t be easy. In fact, I remember how the UFABÉ tried to gain my favor…” She shudders at the memory of the day a representative of UFABÉ tried to ‘persuade’ her to join their cause.

Twilight chimed in, “But the factions aren’t as politically inclined anymore, are they? I mean, they don’t seem to be actively standing out for what they mean.” The sophomore gives her a light smile.

The earth pony continues, “Not really. They mostly just want control over the student body. If they get an Admin, that could potentially happen. In fact, Mr. Coronet and the rest of the professors have been thinking about just shutting down the two houses. The only problem with that is…” She trails off at the end, not certain how to go about finishing her explanation.

You raise an eyebrow and ask, “The only problem is…what?”

Daisy continues hesitantly, “I’ve made my point with them. I won’t be joining either faction, and their presidents know that. But you two, on the other hoof, are fresh meat. The presidents won’t spare expense to win you over. If one wins one of you over and the other doesn’t, then that faction will have an advantage. This means that they’re going to go all out to win both of you over…” She gives you and Twilight a look that shows how serious this matter is.

Twilight scoffs, “We’ve already told you we aren’t interested in either house. What’s the problem?”

Ditzy raises a hoof to her muzzle and raises her head up. She says, “I don’t think it’ll be that easy to stop them, Twilight. I mean, it sounds to me like they’re desperate for support.”

The sophomore claps her hooves excitedly and says, “That’s right, fresh meat! You’ve got it figured out! The presidents aren’t going to stop until they get support. The dean’s already announced that if a new Admin doesn’t join either faction by the end of this semester, then both houses are going to be closed. They aren’t going to go easy on you two.” Her eyes are filled with worry about your academic lives.

Rainbow laughs, “So what? I don’t think you understand how hard this dude is to crack!” She slaps you on the back hard enough that you almost wince in pain. You don’t think she knows her own strength.

Ditzy cheers, “Yeah, he won’t be won over by some simple bribes or threats!” You wince at the word ‘threats’. Your mind starts to wander off thinking about how serious things might get.

Daisy places a hoof gently on Ditzy’s head, not in disrespect but as a sign of endearment. She sighs, “You’re an optimist among pessimists, Pegasus. I’m afraid that the things UFABÉ and POCA are capable of are far more frightening than just some petty threats…”

“What?!” Both you and Twilight leap to your hooves, horrified expressions glued to your faces. You share concerned looks as Daisy taps the Admin Secret, showing that what she is about to say should remain between the five of you.

She looks around carefully, ensuring neither Diamond nor Charming are anywhere within earshot. She sighs, “I overheard the other two Admins talking yesterday afternoon, before the ceremony. Apparently, they like to discuss what goes on between the two houses, despite being enemies. And according to them…the presidents are prepared to go to some extreme lengths for the Admin. But now, there are two of you, which means they’re going to go to greater extremes for both of you…” She takes a deep breath and pauses for the four of you to speak.

Rainbow tilts her head to the side and thinks for second. She says, “They’d best not mess with him, or I’ll have something to say about it!” She hits her hooves together in a somewhat-violent manner.

You burst into laughter, “I don’t think you can do much, Dash! Appreciate the sentiment, though!” Your laughter subsides and gives way to the serious situation before you.

You sigh, “I guess we’ll just have to be careful, right Twilight?”

Twilight scoffs, “What’s the worst they could possibly do to us? Can’t they be expelled if they act too out of line?”

Daisy chuckles, “They could, but as long as Diamond or Charming thinks their actions aren’t too drastic, they’ll side for who they want. Just promise me you’ll be careful and not let your guard down around the houses, okay?” She stands up and starts walking towards the door.

You cheer, “You have nothing to worry about, Daisy! We’ll be fine, I’m sure!”

She gives you a nod and opens the door. Just as she goes to walk out, a short unicorn mare dashes into the room, knocking her flat on the ground. The mare’s blue coat is ruffled, telling you that she’s either been busy or just got out of bed. She trots right up to your side and bows, her white mane falling over her face.

She says, “On behalf of the Unicorns for a Better Education, I am here to present you with these…” She removes two large silver cards from a pouch at her side and hands them to you and Twilight. The two of you share uncertain looks. The first morning has barely started, and they’re already receiving bribes from one house…

“What are these?” You look at your card to find that it simply says ‘Welcome to UFABÉ Orientation.’

The blue mare laughs, “These are invitations to a large dinner party our president is holding tonight in the UFABÉ house’s dining hall. You’re more than welcome to attend, to get a feel for the members of the house.” She turns to walk away.

Without hesitation, your mind wanders off thinking about a dinner party full of psychotic unicorns and tasty food. You look back to see the puzzled expressions on Rainbow and Ditzy’s faces. You smile wide and nod at them before asking the messenger, “Can I bring friends?”

To which the unicorn responds, in a somewhat disbelieving tone, “O-of course, sir. Bring anypony you want, there will be plenty of food.” She continues walking towards the door, stopping to help Daisy back to her hooves.

Daisy scoffs at the messenger, “Still the errand-colt, I see.”

The messenger retorts, “You’d be surprised how much respect I get.”

The sophomore Admin laughs, “Just give me my damn invite and get out of the Admin Building.”

“Certainly, you cold Neutral.” The unicorn pulls another silver card from the pouch and flicks it at the Admin, to which she responds by tearing it in half.

With a quiet groan, the messenger stomps from the room, an angry frown stretched on her face. Daisy notices the four of you staring on in intense curiosity. She sighs, “Her name is Trixie, and she’s an UFABÉ puppet. She’s been one ever since our induction ceremony last year…”

Ditzy laughs, “Sounds to me like you two have a lot of history.”

The sophomore replies, “Yeah, we used to be friends. But that place…changed her. It made her…arrogant and sycophantic, not to mention blind to the truth.” She turns back towards the door and sighs. She mumbles, “I won’t say anything else. Go to the dinner tonight and you’ll see why I can’t stand them.” With that, she trots from the room and slams the door behind her.

Rainbow sends you an inquisitive look as she asks, “So, uh, you’re going, right? So does that mean…” An idiot could tell where she was going with it. Rainbow never was one for subtlety.

You laugh, “Yep! I’m inviting both of you to have dinner with us. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” You look over to Twilight, who gives you a small smirk.

And so it is that you find yourself waiting for evening to come around. With the three mares by your side, you decide to hang around the Administration Building and enjoy the comforts and luxury of the facilities and dining hall. The four of you wait impatiently for the time of the dinner party to arrive as you see all that the Admins have to receive.

Your last few words continue to echo in your head, as if some sort of omen is warning you not to go to the party.

What’s the worst that could happen?

The four of you are corralled into the large brick building on the far western side of the campus as the evening rolls around. Hundreds of ponies are grouped with you as a battalion of unicorns with fancy suits guide you into the building and through a series of halls and stairs. Finally, you are all stuffed into the large dining hall of the UFABÉ house to sit and wait for the food to be served.

The four of you sit at the far end of the table, as close to the exit as you can possibly get just in case things go awry. You see that a majority of the ponies in the room are wearing red ribbons tied around their necks with the phrase ‘Sapere aude’ printed in golden fabric. Certain that these ribbons are the symbols of the UFABÉ members, you hold your tongue as you wonder what the phrase means. The last thing you want is to seem more curious than you really are.

The three mares that accompany you are completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the building. The décor in the dining hall alone rivals that of the Admin Building, a feat that amazes you to no end. The chandeliers appear to be made of solid gold and diamond, whereas the chairs and tables appear to be made from the finest mahogany. You consider for a moment how it’s possible for a house on campus to be so fancy, but realize that any member could come from a wealthy family.

After sitting around talking for nearly an hour, the chattering stops and everypony stands to attention as the large oak doors on the far end of the hall swing open. Advancing from the door are two tall stallions wearing solid white suits and sporting the red ribbons. Following behind them is a single, tall, well-groomed unicorn mare, clad in a large golden dress. Her purple mane shines in the light of the chandelier, which only brings out the pearly-white sheen of her coat.

She takes a seat at the very end of the table, in a large cushioned oak chair. With a wave of her hoof, everypony in the room immediately offers their bows of greeting and takes their seats. Everypony aside from you four, anyway.

Gently clearing her throat, the overly-dressed unicorn says, “Tonight I am glad to welcome two very special guests into our halls. You are all aware that the opening dinner is generally reserved for veteran members; however, this is a special occasion. Tonight we have with us not one, but two new Admins to scout out our fine house.” She stands from her seat and waves a hoof in your direction.

With a quick nod, both you and Twilight stand up to show who she is referring to. It’s at this time that you notice everypony in the room dressed in some sort of suit or dress, while the four of you aren’t dressed at all. You already expect the unicorn to mention this before introducing you by name.

The unicorn giggles, “I see you are minimalists, eh? You aren’t one for fancy outfits?”

You scoff, “Sorry lady, but we didn’t get the memo. I didn’t figure it would be formal, considering all this is just so you can kiss our plots, right?” Everypony in the room gasps at your disrespectful use of language, and Twilight quickly sits down to avoid being grouped in with you. Rainbow Dash bursts into laughter.

The unicorn slaps a hoof to the table and shouts, “How dare you say such rude things?! You are a guest in our company and should speak to us with respect!”

“We’re Admins, lady. And here’s the kicker, I know you need us.” You aren’t sure if you’re giving too much information away, but you know the dean has already informed the presidents of their ultimatums.

She sits down and crosses her arms over her chest. She sighs, “You…you are correct. We do need you, which is why I invited you to this party. You do not have to be here if you do not want.”

Twilight stands up and says, “You definitely aren’t being a very gracious host, Miss. You haven’t even introduced us by name…or yourself for that matter.”

The prim and proper pony stands back up and says, “How rude of me. My name is Rarity, and I am the president of the UFABÉ house. And these two are this year’s new Admins…” She points her hoof to you both as she says your names.

You and Twilight sit back down so as to drop the passing conflict. One of the tall stallions that had escorted Rarity speaks up, “We are here tonight to not only honor the 26th anniversary of UFABÉ house’s foundation, but to also extend an invitation to our campus’s two new Admins. Without Admin support, our house is just another residence hall with a fancy name.”

The other escort continues, “So tonight, we offer our invitation to you both, in the hopes that you might see it fit to join us in our plights. Now, to everypony in attendance, we would like to thank you for showing up, and we extend our hooves to the dinner table, where we may all eat.”

With a whistle, the doors at the side of the room fly open and a dozen ponies of all shapes and sizes waltz in with trays and platters of different kinds of gourmet food. Placing each tray strategically on the table so as to make them accessible to all in attendance, everypony was soon staring down at a massive array of food from all over Equestria. Every dish that anypony could ever want lay in front of them at the moment.

Nopony hesitates to reach over and gather the foods they want from the table. Knives and forks go to work cutting the heaps of food into pieces and gathering the pieces onto individual plates. The four of you wait patiently for the flurry of hooves to calm before gathering your own delicacies. Just as you are about to take a bite from the delicious sandwich in front of you, Rarity calls everypony’s attention to her.

She stands up and raises an average-sized wine glass filled with wine into the air. She cheers, “In honor of our house’s twenty-sixth anniversary, and to the special guests we have tonight. Cheers.” The other ponies raise their glasses and cheer before downing the beverages within.

The dinner is disturbingly quiet after the cheer. You all eat your food in peace and quiet as it slowly disappears bit by bit from the table. Before long, all of it is devoured and replaced with sweet desserts. Another flurry of hooves greets the delicacies as everypony takes what they want. Despite already being stuffed, you join in with the flurry, not wanting to seem ungrateful for the food. Minutes pass as everypony pigs out on what seems to be the richest pastries you’ve ever eaten.

Finally, the entire room settles down, stomachs full of food and drink. The sun has nearly set outside, letting you know that more time has passed than you anticipated. Sharing a nod with your three companions, you stand to leave the dining hall and head back to your rooms. Most of the ponies don’t even notice you heading for the door. You’re stopped by a pony standing in the small doorway.

The mare laughs, “I was hoping you’d show up tonight.” Diamond has a smug look on her face as she takes a few steps toward the table.

Rarity giggles, “You’re late, Ms. Charmer! Not exactly how a vice-president should behave is it?” The unicorn hastily walks over to greet the Admin with a smile and a hoof-bump.

Diamond sighs, “I was simply too busy taking care of senior Admin things. You know classified information. Oh, and Mr. Coronet was looking for you two earlier.” She places a hoof on Twilight’s head and smiles.

“While I’d love to stick around and shoot the shit, I think we ought to be going now.” You firmly shove Diamond’s hoof off of Twilight’s head. Taking your roommate by the hoof, you head back towards the door.

Diamond Charmer scoffs, “No need to leave, fresh meat. I mean, you haven’t even seen what this house has to offer other than food.”

Rainbow Dash butts in, “I’m not gonna lie, this place is a little lame. I mean, you all act like stuck-up rich ponies. What kind of politics is that?”

Everypony at the table sends her an angry and insulted glare. Rarity stamps her hoof and cries, “How dare you insult us like that! We are simply a house that cares about class and appearance, something you obviously have no knowledge of, you barbaric mare!”

You place a hoof firmly on Rarity’s shoulder and look her straight in the eye. You say, “Exactly. You’re all stuck up. I thought this house was supposed to be a political power, but you all seem to be living the high life.” You turn back toward the door one last time. You laugh, “Oh, and if you insult Rainbow again, you’re going to have a problem with me.”

Rarity’s jaw drops at what she assumes is a threat. Diamond giggles, “Well then, sounds to me like she can’t fight her own battles. Need to have your coltfriend stand up for you, fresh meat?”

Rainbow’s hoof hits the table as she screams, “You trying to start something, lady? Why don’t you come over here and say that?”

Ditzy places a hoof gently on Rainbow’s shoulder and whispers, “Calm down, Dash. She isn’t worth it.”

Rarity scoffs, “I would never imagine an Admin hanging around with such an uncivilized pony. How in Equestria did she manage to catch your eye?” She looks back and forth between you and Rainbow.

You retort, “I’d rather hang around with an uncivilized ‘barbarian’ than a bunch of stuck-up snobs. What exactly makes ponies want to be around you all? The money? The pull with the Admins thanks to Diamond?” You find yourself getting angrier as you speak.

Twilight sighs, “I have to agree with him, Ms. Rarity. If you didn’t have Ms. Charmer’s pull with the Admins and weren’t so rich, I don’t think most of the students here would be able to stand being around you.” You give her an impressed and approving nod.

Diamond laughs, “Oh well. She does have those things, so does it truly matter what would happen if she didn’t? If you don’t want to be here, leave. The rest of us are going to enjoy our opening ceremony.”

“I ain’t going anywhere until she takes back what she said!” Rainbow leaves her hoof planted firmly on the table.

The rest of the group of party guests sit back and listen to the petty argument that their president and vice president are allowing themselves to get involved in.

Rarity giggles, “If you are waiting for an apology then you are backing up, fresh meat. I have no obligation or reason to apologize to you. We’ve spoken nothing but the truth.”

Something in your head clicks. You laugh, “You have money and influence, sure. You have your fancy unicorn magic. But I bet there’s one thing none of you can do. In fact, only one pony has ever been able to do it.” You send a sly smirk right at Rainbow and wink.

She immediately realizes what you’re getting at and groans, “No, man! Don’t say it!”

“Have you ever seen a Sonic Rainboom?” You ignore Rainbow’s objections and continue on with the ace up your sleeve.

Rarity and Diamond share curious looks. The latter of the two asks, “A sonic what?”

Ditzy walks up beside you and cheers, “A Sonic Rainboom! It’s like an explosion of sound and color mixed together! It’s really awesome!”

Twilight cocks her head to the side and asks, “Is that even possible? A sonic boom is made by breaking the speed of sound, and a rainbow is made from different wavelengths of light side by side… Light travels faster than sound, so is it possible to make them both happen at the same time?”

You, Rainbow, and Ditzy send the unicorn very puzzled looks. Focusing on the question she had asked, you laugh, “It totally is possible. I watched it happen with my own two eyes. It was just a few years ago, back at Flight Camp. Rainbow was racing a bunch of jerks that were picking on another one of our friends. She left them in the dust and crossed the finish line at record speeds.”

Rarity asks, “Are you trying to tell us that that insufferable hoodlum created something as amazing as this ‘Sonic Rainboom’?” She waves a hoof dismissively at the cyan Pegasus.

With a look of uncertainty, Rainbow says, “I sure did! And I’ll do it again if you don’t believe me!”

Diamond claps her hooves and laughs, “I’d love to see that! In fact, UFABÉ house could host a show for the entire campus, just for your Sonic Rainboom, fresh meat!”

Rainbow swallows the lump in her throat and chuckles, “That’d be great! I’ll show all of you snobs just what I can do!”

“So it’s settled then? I will officially endorse this ‘Sonic Rainboom’ of yours and get the show hyped up. As a matter of fact, we can celebrate the last day of Summer Vacation with the show. We can all go to class the next day with the memory fresh in our minds.” Rarity cheers and claps her hooves. She’s already planning the show in full detail.

Ditzy cheers, “Yay, a whole show just for you, Dash!” She hugs her friend excitedly.

You notice the expression on Rainbow’s face and laugh, “It’ll be a fun show. You’ll do fine.”

Twilight smiles and giggles, “I’m interested to see just what this Sonic Rainboom really is.”

Rainbow fakes a laugh, “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it!”

Just as suddenly as you were all corralled into the room, the party is dismissed and everypony rushes from the building to spread the word about the show Rainbow Dash will be doing the day before classes start. Word spreads fast, and it’s suddenly the talk of every student in the school. Whereas every student is super excited for the amazing feat that is supposed to be the Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow is secretly filled with dread of the moment she would have to perform her stunt.

You can see in her eyes that she’s nervous about the stunt. In fact, you realize that you threw all this on her so suddenly that there’s no way she could possibly be prepared for the feat. At the same time, you think about how fast the last two days flew by, and decide that you may have just set her up for failure. You wonder just how the show might turn out.

What if she can’t build up enough speed? What if things break from the force of the sonic boom? What if Rainbow gets too tired or nervous and ends up hurting herself? You think about all these things before you sigh…

“What have I gotten her into this time?”

The four of you are greeted with a cheerful voice as you follow the crowd away from the UFABÉ building. As the massive group of ponies slowly disperses, a familiar mare approaches you with a smile stretched wide across her face. Compared to the company of Rarity and Diamond, this mare is wonderfully welcome to join you.

Daisy cheers, “Seeing your expressions, can I assume I was right?”

You look at her with a confused expression and ask, “Right about what? UFABÉ?”

“Yep! So was I?” She grins and stops right in front of your group, waiting for a response.

Rainbow scoffs, “They’re all a bunch of stuck up snobs!” She still has indignant anger at what Diamond said to her earlier fresh on her mind.

Ditzy sighs, “Yeah, I don’t really like them. Especially their president, she’s really disrespectful…” She shrugs her shoulders and thinks back to how Rarity greeted them at the start of the party.

“Not saying I expected better company, but I was surprised by just how big of a snob the president really was.” You walk around the still-stopped Daisy in an attempt to continue moving forward.

She quickly darts around you and stops you in your tracks again. She giggles, “I told you they were bad! So the party didn’t go too well, I take it? I totally should’ve gone, just to see your reactions.” She adopts a scheming look on her face after saying that.

Twilight scoffs, “You’re lucky you decided not to. Even I thought she was stuck up, and look at me. But she was the kind of stuck up that you can’t possibly like…” She blushes as she realizes she just insulted herself.

“I always thought somepony should put them in their place. But what can you do except ignore them?” Daisy shrugs her shoulders and turns away from the group. She takes a long look at the sun in the sky before cheering, “You fellas feel like going for a little walk? I know a great place to watch the sunset, but it’s a decent ways away.”

You cock your head to the side and ponder watching the sunset after such a hectic party. You chuckle, “I’m game.” You turn toward the other three mares and ask, “How about you guys?”

Ditzy leaps into the air with a cheer, “Sounds like fun!” You can’t help but envy her constant optimistic demeanor.

Rainbow shrugs her shoulders and says, “It can’t hurt. I needa blow off some steam after that party, anyway.” She taps her hoof on the ground impatiently as she continues to think about Diamond’s comment.

Twilight simply nods her head in agreement without saying a word. You turn back to Daisy and nod, and before you know it, you’re following her down a small dirt path leading away from the residential buildings of the school. Before long, the five of you come up on a large lake on the eastern side of the campus. Right on the bank of the lake, a small outdoor café is set up for ponies to sit and enjoy themselves in.

Daisy cheers, “Welcome to Lake Damarescus, fresh meat! This is the one-stop-shop for all things summery! The lake is large enough that it’s split up into different sections for whatever you need. You can go swimming, fishing, boat-riding, and just so many other wonderful things!” She plops a hoof onto your shoulder and directs you to a small table right by the water’s edge.

She calls one of the café servers over to your table as you all sit and get comfortable. The server quickly gets to your table to take your orders. He cheers, “Welcome, ladies and gentlecolt. How can I help you this fine evening?” He pulls a notepad and pencil from the pouch at his side.

The sophomore of the group giggles, “Give us all some of the famous sundaes.”

You quickly interject, “I don’t think I can stomach anything else, after that party…”

She responds happily, “Don’t be so silly, fresh meat! You haven’t lived until you’ve had a Lake Damarescus Double Chocolate Banana Nut Sundae!” The other three mares in your company let out oohs of joy as the thought of an amazing sundae fills their heads.

The server says, “I take it that’s a ‘yes’ for the four mares. How about you sir?”

You sigh and, against your stomach’s wishes, say, “Might as well. It’s just a sundae, it can’t hurt.” Your stomach immediately responds with what you would assume is an annoyed growl.

The server jots down the order and cheers, “Alrighty then, should be out in about five minutes!” He quickly trots away to deliver the order to the small building a few yards away.

The five of you all sit and exchange small talk for a few minutes in anticipation of the sundaes that you’ve ordered. As a group of mares passes by your table, they stop to examine the ponies sitting at it. After a few seconds of being stared at, you start to say something.

But one of the mares interrupts you with a gasp, “You’re that new admin, right? The one that tried to crash the UFABÉ party?” She points an excited hoof right at you.

You’re caught off guard by the title of ‘party-crasher’, but managed to stutter, “Uh…y-yeah, I guess. What’s it matter?” You sit back in your seat and return to the calm state you were in before.

Another of the group laughs, “You sure didn’t take any crap from Lady Rarity! It’s about time somepony stood up to that snob!” She then turns her attention to the cyan Pegasus of the table. She cheers, “And you’re the pony that’s supposed to do that awesome trick at the show, right?”

Rainbow groans, “Yeah…that’s me…” She still isn’t too certain about doing the Sonic Rainboom in front of all the students in the school.

Daisy claps her hooves and laughs, “I guess word spreads pretty fast in this school! I’ve never really noticed before.” She manages to calm down before addressing the group of mares. She sighs, “So what are you fellas doing here? I thought you had some Council meeting to attend.”

The third mare in the group moans, “It was just so boring! We couldn’t stick around the whole time…” She plops a hoof down on the table beside Ditzy.

The first mare scoffs, “Speak for yourself Cloud. I happened to enjoy listening to a bunch of nerds going on about stuff nopony cares about.” She pulls a chair from a neighboring table and sits beside the sophomore admin.

The admin rolls her eyes and sighs, “Those nerds are the ones keeping UFABÉ and POCA from running this place into the ground.” She perks her head up as she sees the server exiting the small building with a tray of sundaes in his hoof.

The second mare chuckles, “Of course you’d be down here for a sunset sundae. The show’s about to start.” The four of you freshmen share uncertain looks at the word ‘show’.

It’s at this time you suddenly realize that there are voices flooding your ears aside from the seven ponies gathered at your table. You look around to see the lakeside covered in crowds of ponies, all sitting in a way that allows them to seek the lake clearly. You raise an eyebrow and ask, “Why’s everypony crowding around the lake?”

The four non-freshmen glare at you with disbelieving expressions. Just as the server reaches your table, Daisy exclaims, “You gotta be kidding! You don’t know about the Lake Damarescus Luminescent Ladybugs?” You simply stare back at her with a blank expression.

Twilight raises a hoof and asks, “The Lake Damarescus what? I haven’t read anything about that before…” The two Pegasi of the table nod in agreement.

Daisy scoffs, “The Lake Damarescus Luminescent Ladybugs! They’re only the most beautiful and popular insects this side of Canterlot!” She takes her sundae from the server, and the rest of you follow suit. The three new mares order their own sundaes and the server sets off to place the order immediately.

The mare that had been addressed as Cloud giggles, “The LDLLs have a reputation for being the most hypnotizing thing ever, even more so than the Sweet Apple Acres Super Sizzling Spicy Cider! If you’ve never seen them before, prepare to have your mind blown!” She places an excited hoof on Ditzy’s head and lets out a deep breath.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoes over the ponies on the lakeside. A mature stallion’s voice cheers, “Welcome ladies and gentlecolts, to the spectacular show that is the Lake Damarescus Luminescent Ladybugs! I would ask that you all turn your attentions toward the center of the lake, and remain silent during the show. Please no flash photography or sudden movements! Thank you, and enjoy!” All the Pegasi lift up in the air instantly so as to get a better view of the show.

The three of you sitting at the table decide to do the same. You hold Twilight in your hooves as you gently lift up in the air, not wanting her to miss the show.

Out on the center of the lake, small specks of light start sparking to life. Each speck is a different shade of all the colors of the rainbow, each with a unique beauty to them. The few lights plastered here and there across the lakeside turn off in respect of the bugs’ beauty. Before long, each little insect—thousands of tiny lights—are flying around all over the lake, landing gently on ponies before continuing their dance.

The bugs even take time to create pictures during their dance. The sun, the moon, the Elements of Harmony from the storybooks…the bugs form all these wonderful pictures. After a few minutes of the dancing, the insects gather together at the center of the lake in one giant ball. They lift up in the air and, mimicking an explosion, scatter hastily from the pack and spread all across the sky above the lake.

The bugs slowly flicker out one by one as they fly through the sky away from the crowd of awestruck ponies. All of the Pegasi land on the ground and resume any business they were handling before the show. You place Twilight in her seat and sit in your own. You lift the spoon from your sundae and put it to your mouth.

Just as you do, your sense of hearing dies. Your vision gets blurry, as if looking at something through the bottom of the lake. Suddenly, you find yourself paralyzed and unable to speak. You vision goes, and soon, you lose consciousness…