“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?

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