“Rainbow Dash. Sophomore transfer from Cloudsdale.” A tan, brown maned stallion sighs, placing her school record back on his desk and reverting his gaze to the pegasus mare sitting across from him. “Your rap sheet tells me that you were recently kicked out of a flight school for…” the stallion narrows his eyes in shock as he reads the text. “Destroying the gym with a sonic rainboom.”

The cyan, rainbow maned pegasus mare in question chuckles nervously and rubs her cutie mark: a white cloud expelling a rainbow lightning bolt. The walls of the office she is in are a tan color with various “motivational posters” hanging up on the wall. However, due to the pony that currently owns the office, the posters seem more intimidating than motivational. Rainbow quickly glances from the bronze placard on his desk that reads “J. Davenport: Principle” to Principle Davenport himself. In the back of her mind, Rainbow notes that the pony’s placard is much nicer looking than the pony behind it and, for that matter, the junk cluttered desk it sat upon.

“Well, you see, Principle Davenport, there were vamp-” Rainbow begins, but then catches herself, “eh. It was an old gym anyway. It was practically dying for a renovation.”

“You know what we at Ponydale call ponies like you, Miss Dash?” Mr. Davenport asks, eying her with a disgusted, accusing glare.

Rainbow tries to respond, but Davenport cuts her off.

“Delinquents. Juvenile delinquents.” Davenport snarls unforgivably. “However, here at Ponydale High, we’re accepting of all ponies, regardless of their…past mishaps.”

He taps a paragraph explicitly detailing Rainbow’s destruction of the gym judgingly. Rainbow gulps nervously and smiles. She knows full well that “past mishaps” is a gross understatement of her last few months in Cloudsdale. Life altering revelations, chosen by fate, and assaulted by destiny would all be much more fitting descriptions of that time. However, Rainbow hoped with the purest sincerity that that time was over forever.

“Well…what a perfect way to start afresh,” Rainbow chuckles amicably, “I’m sure-“

Mr. Davenport interrupts her. He leans towards her and growls, knocking over a quill holder as he does so. All of the quills, as well as a few tacks, staples, and a pair of scissors, are knocked onto the desk.

“But I’m warning you, Miss Dash. Any funny business, any at all, and I’ll have you expelled faster then Wonderbolts could fly in to save your rainbow flank. Capiche?” Davenport warns, purposefully ignoring the mess he recently created on the surface of his desk so he can focus all of his attention on the potentially troublemaking pony.

“Yes, very capichey. There’s capiche coming out of my ears, sir,” Rainbow says quickly.

Davenport doesn’t look convinced, but waves her off with his black-tipped hoof regardless.

“Alright, you can go. Your first class starts in five minutes. I expect to see you there no earlier than three minutes before it starts!” He growls.

Rainbow Dash nods and quickly trots off to her locker, glad to be done with that humiliating and slightly intimidating experience. Davenport begins cleaning up the spilled quills, staples, and tacks that are now littering his desk. When Rainbow arrives at her locker she realizes that in the heat of being told off by Principle Davenport she had forgotten her new locker combination. She fumbles around in her brown leather saddlebags for a moment. Quill, ink, stake, notepad. Where was the piece of paper she used to write down her locker combo?

Suddenly, she feels a tap on her shoulder. Instinctively, she swings around, expecting trouble. However, the culprit of the tap on the shoulder is a stunningly white mare. The mare looks about as neat and sophisticated as a pony from Ponydale could possibly appear. Her mane is expertly crafted as if it was a sculpture molded by a goddess. Her tri-diamond cutie mark shines as though it is made from polished marble. Not a speck of dirt, dust, or dander could be found on her entire body. The white pony brushes her purple mane back delicately.

“Excuse me, darling, I believe you dropped this on the ground over there,” The white pony states matter-of-factly, holding out a slightly dirty piece of paper to her.

Rainbow accepts the paper from her.

“Oh, thanks,” She replies, relieved that there is at least one thoughtful pony in this dismal place.

The white pony waves the thought away, as though the act was simply second nature to her.

“Oh, don’t thank me, darling, it was quite alright. I’m Rarity, by the way,” Rairty introduces herself with all the self-importance of royalty. She extends one of her spotless hooves to Rainbow Dash.

“Hi, I’m Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow accepts her hoof and shakes it.

“Oh, you’re the new pony, aren’t you? You came from Cloudsdale, didn’t you? It may not be as sophisticated as Canterlot, but it’s better than here. I hear that our new librarian is from Canterlot. Stuffy old pony, you’d think she’d be more classy, being from Canterlot and all-oh my Celestia, where did you get your mane done, darling?” Rarity exclaims in excitement.

Rarity stares at her expectantly. Rainbow hesitates. She usually brushed her own mane, but she knew full well that a sophisticated pony like Rarity would frown upon any answer that didn’t include an elegant boutique and a professional stylist.

“I do it…eh…it’s a place in Cloudsdale. Very elegant place,” Rainbow lies. “The best stylists in Cloudsdale.”

Rarity is taken aback, almost as if in awe that such a place exists.

“You must tell me of this place, darling. They’ve done an absolutely gorgeous job on your mane,” Rarity squeals in delight, “You and I are going to be the best of friends, Rainbow Dash. I just know it.”

Suddenly, a yellow, pink maned pony bumps into Rarity’s flank. Rarity rears around instantly and a dark look falls across her white face.

“Excuse me,” Rarity gasps, offended in the way royalty is when bumped into by a commoner.

The yellow mare cowers away from her.

“I’m so sorry, Rarity,” She whispers, quivering in fear.

Rarity snorts with contempt at the cowering yellow pony.

“Watch where you’re going, Flutterloser!” Rarity spits, “And you should save your apologies for whatever wretched soul ‘beautified’ that hideous thing you call a mane.”

Fluttershy cowers for a moment longer, and then turns and flies off down the hall, tears in her eyes. Rarity turns back towards Rainbow Dash.

“So, as I was saying, darling-“

But Rainbow is gone. Rarity looks around, confused.

“Darling?”

Fluttershy lies curled up on a smooth, well-sanded wooden bench in front of the school’s “fountain garden,” a place that could barely be called a garden, as it only housed a few flowers. Most of the “flowers” happened to be dandelions. She cries quietly to herself, soaking a small patch of the bench with her tears. Suddenly, she feels a hoof rest on her buttefly cutie mark. She opens her puffy tear-stained eyes. She can barely make out a cyan and rainbow blur standing next to her through her tear filled eyes. She quickly shuts her eyes once more and covers her face with her front hooves.

“G-g-g-go away!” Fluttershy stutters between tears. “Leave me al-lone!”

“It’s okay,” the cyan and rainbow blob assures her. “I’m not here to make fun of you. I think what Rarity said back there was terrible.”

Fluttershy sniffs and wipes a few of her tears away. She looks up timidly at the rainbow maned pony that is smiling encouragingly down at her.

“But you’re…o-o-one of her friends,” Fluttershy says, building up confidence one brick at a time. “Are you sure this isn’t just a…p-plot to make fun of me some more?”

Rainbow shakes her head and stands on her hind hooves. Fluttershy flinches.

“See I’m clean. No making fun of ponies in my future. And Rarity is not my friend. She mostly forced herself on me,” Rainbow explains. “I’m Rainbow Dash.”

Fluttershy sniffs and sits up. She dabs away the rest of her tears with a yellow hoof.

“I’m F-f-f-fluttersh-sh-shy,” Fluttershy stutters with slightly more confidence.

Rainbow sits down on the bench next to her.

“Nice to meet you, Fluttershy.” Rainbow smiles encouragingly.

Fluttershy attempts a timid smile.

“Nice to meet you too, Rainbow.” She retreats quickly, “You don’t mind if I call you Rainbow, do you? I mean I won’t if you don’t want me too. I shouldn’t have-“

Rainbow shakes her head.

“Rainbow is fine,” Rainbow Dash replies. “You can call me anything you want, except Rainbow Crash.”

Suddenly, a purple and green baby dragon pounces into view. He snorts out a puff of smoke and growls at Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, you, Miss Rainbow McRainbowerson!” The baby dragon tries to sound ferocious, but fails miserably, “You leave my friend Fluttershy alone!”

He glares at Rainbow Dash with defensive eyes, shamelessly unaware that Rainbow could in fact beat him in a fight if it came to that.

“Spike…it’s okay. She’s not trying to…make fun of me,” Fluttershy says. “This is my new friend Rainbow Dash.”

Spike lightens his gaze and posture, slowly realizing Rainbow is no threat to Fluttershy. He finally gives in and hobbles towards them. He hops onto the bench next to Rainbow.

“Oh, well in that case…hi, I’m Spike.” Spike extends his small-clawed hand out towards Rainbow. “Resident lunch money bank for the local football ponies.”

Rainbow grabs his hand just a little too hard and shakes it. Spike grimaces a little, but is determined not to show any weakness in front of this new pony. He takes the pain for the moment being without any objection. Finally Rainbow lets go of his hand. Spike quickly sticks his hand behind his back and rubs it as subtly as possible.

“I’m new here, so I don’t really know anyone that well,” Rainbow explains.

Spike rubs the spines on his head guiltily.

“Sorry about the hostility. I saw you with Rarity earlier and figured you were one of her mean ponies,” Spike apologizes.

Rainbow shakes her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a mean pony.” Rainbow waves the thought off. “Rarity and I are not friends.”

Suddenly, the tardy bell rings out, screeching out like it’s being murdered.

“Oh, crap, I’m going to be late for my first class,” Rainbow exclaims.

“You wouldn’t happen to have Ponyology with Mrs. Cheerilee first period, would you?” Fluttershy asks, staring at her expectantly.

Rainbow nods in confirmation.

“Yeah.”

Fluttershy suddenly becomes excited.

“Spike and I have her class too,” Fluttershy giggles.

Rainbow looks towards the door leading to the hallway as various ponies galloping through it, hoping to get to class before their teachers realize they are late.

“Well, we better get going. We’re going to be late as it is,” Rainbow says.

The three friends stand up from the bench and head through the door into the locker-cluttered hallway towards their very first class together. As they enter Mrs. Cheerliee’s light-blue panted classroom, Rainbow see Principle Davenport out of the corner of her eye standing a few yards down the hall by a row of grey lockers, shaking his head at her almost as if to say “You’re not going to last a week here, Miss Dash.”

She really hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

Hundreds of feet below Rainbow’s hooves, a group of ponies are gathered in a damp, candle-lit cave. The cave is fairy large, with enough room for the ponies and then some. Dirty, moist stalactites hang down from the ceiling of the dark cave. The largest of the ponies, a deformed pitch-black stallion with a brown mane, is staring intently at a strange symbol on the closest wall of the cave. The symbol looks like a triangle with five arrows crossing through it and a star where those arrows intersect. Suddenly, the black stallion shivers as if a cold wind had just blown past him. He looks up. The rest of the ponies step closer to him, concerned at this development.

“My-“ a light purple mare with a blue mane begins.

The black stallion interrupts her as he turns towards the rest of his minions. The ground squishes under his hooves as he does so.

“Hush, my children, do you feel that?” The pony’s ugly face scrunches with a mixture of displeasure, excitement, and awe.

The other ponies look around in confusion, trying to make out what their master has just said. Among them is Daisy. She steps towards the black stallion intently.

“Feel what My Lordpony?” Daisy asks.

The LordPony pauses for a moment to feel the energy around him once more. He smirks as he interprets the flow of mystical energy.

“A Slayer has come to Ponydale,” The LordPony sneers. “A Slayer has come to the Hellfoal.”

Every other pony becomes frightened. They back away a few steps from the LordPony in fear.

“A-a-a…Slayer?” another pony quivers.

The LordPony bows his head for a moment, and then raises it up to the sky.

“Fear not, my children. The Slayer won’t be a problem to us,” The LordPony explains. “For on the night of the third day, I will rise to strike her down and she will be helpless before my power.”

The rest of the vamponies regain their confidence and express their enthusiasm with grins and cheers.

“On the night of the third day,” he continues slowly, “Ponydale will be mine!”