//------------------------------// // The Feast // Story: MLP at Hogwarts // by SeleneMizutani //------------------------------// Applejack POV The hat shouted to the whole hall,"SLYTHERIN!" What? Rainbow seems like a pretty nice girl. Why would she be in Slytherin. The Slytherin table on the second from the right burst into applause. Rainbow cast a anxious look at me before walking over to her new house table. "Fluttershy!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Griffonstone, Gilda!" "SLYTHERIN!" "Dust, Lightning!" "SLYTHERIN!" "Pie, Pinkie!" "GRYFFINDOR!" "Rarity!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Shimmer, Sunset!" "SLYTHERIN!" "Skies, Soarin!" "GRYFFINDOR!" "Sparkle, Twilight!" "RAVENCLAW!" "Trail, Blaze!" "SLYTHERIN!" These were the names I caught from the long list. The others, I forgot. A lady in emerald-green robes with pastel colored hair stood from the High Table. "Welcome, everyone to Hogwarts! Tuck in!" she called. There was a rousing cheer from all the tables as the empty plates and goblets filled with delicious food. I chose some roast beef, chicken, gravy, carrots and peas and piled them on my plate. My elder brother, Big Mac, was sitting next to me. He said softly,"Weird that rainbow-haired girl went to Slytherin, isn't it?" My mouth was full, so I can't speak, but I nodded vigorously. I made a mental note to ask her about it tomorrow. A pearly-white figure suddenly floated to me and sat don in the vacant spot on the other side of me. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. I'm the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." said the figure. I just stared with my mouth open. I never knew that there were ghosts in Hogwarts. "I'm Applejack. Nice to meet you." I replied. "Hope you new Gryffindors will help us keep the record for the House Cup. Us Gryffindors had won the Cup for like 100 years! I got to taunt the Slytherin ghost, the Bloody Baron about this since Harry Potter came to Hogwarts." said Sir Nichola-what now? I totally forgot his name! Big Mac whispered to me,"He's Nearly-Headless Nick." Apparently Nearly-Headless Nick heard that, because he said,"Yes, that is my nickname." He tugged his left ear, and his head swung off his neck and dangled there like it was on a hinge. Wow. "Awesome, huh? New Gryffindors give the same reaction every year." said Nick. He flipped his head back on his neck. A girl opposite of me with pink poofy hair squealed,"That was fun! Can you teach me on how to do it?" "Hi. Name's Applejack. Yours?" I asked. "I'M PINKIE PIE! NICE TO MEET YOU, JACKIE!" she cried, and the whole table stared at her. "I'm a half-blood, Harry Potter's descendant. You?" I said. Pinkie replied cheerfully,"I'm a half-blood too! I love Hogwarts so far!" The rest of the meal went like this, with all of the Gryffindor first-years chatting happily together, but I sneaked glances towards the Slytherin table, and saw that Rainbow was sitting alone, everyone avoiding her, and a tear, unnoticeable to the others, rolling down her cheek. We went to bed after the feast, and I was sharing a room with Pinkie and three others which I didn't know their names. Before I fell asleep, I thought of Rainbow Dash, helpless and alone. I must talk to her. Rainbow Dash POV I slowly walked over to the Slytherin table, in the midst of the applause. I found a spot and sat down. The rest of the Sorting went without a hitch. Fluttershy and Rarity were both in Hufflepuff, and that boy Soarin who taught me to get on the platform was in Gryffindor with Applejack. Sunset Shimmer's gaze was focused on me. I tried to look away, but her gaze bore in deeper. She whispered to a boy with fiery hair like her and he nodded uncertainly. A girl asked me,"Are you a pure-blood or a powerful half-blood?" "I'm a Muggle-born." I replied. She gasped in shock and cried loudly enough for the whole table to hear,"There's a Mudblood disgracing our house here!" "Really?" "Where?" "Oh, the disgrace!" "How could this even be possible?" "Our purity destroyed!" The girl pointed at me, my futile attempts to hide failed. Sunset Shimmer shouted,"Mudblood! Mudblood! Mudblood!" The entire table took up the chorus, and a tear rolled uncontrollably down my cheek. I couldn't eat anymore, so I just pushed my plate and goblet away. After the feast (if you could call it one), a prefect led us out of the Great Hall, and to a staircase. It moved!! "The staircases here in Hogwarts will take to wherever you want to go if you say it." said the prefect. "The dungeons!" he cried, and we followed him down the staircase. Portraits on the wall started speaking. "Hi! Welcome!" "Nice to meet you!",etc,etc. I smiled at the portraits, but I was the only one to do so. The others just walked past with haughty expressions on their faces, making the portraits slightly downhearted. We arrived at a piece of solid wall. The prefect said,"You need to say the password to get into your common room. The password is 'pure-blood'." The wall slid open, and we stepped in. "Girls go this way, while boys go the other!" cried the prefect, as he gestured me to go to the left side of the common room, where there was a staircase. All the girls went up the staircase, as I remembered another excerpt from Hogwarts: A History The four founders thought that boys are less trustworthy than girls, so that is the reason why girls can go into the boys' dormitories, while the boys can't go into the girls' dormitories. A door marked with the words: First-Years was nearest to the staircase, and I walked inside. Our trunks have been sent up, and I found mine beside the bed nearest the window. Engine's cage was on my bedside table, and when he saw me, he let out a delighted hoot. Three other girls entered the room, and my heart dropped. "So, here's the Mudblood." taunted Sunset Shimmer, flanked with Lightning Dust and Gilda. I backed up against the wall. "L...Leave me alone." I said. Lightning Dust flopped down on her bed, and jeered,"You're a disgrace to our noble house." Gilda stormed forward and pinned me against the wall. I struggled to no avail. "Mess with us and you'll pay." she said harshly. She clutched my throat. "Yes..." I finally managed to say. She threw me to the ground. I panted, gasping for air. "Leave the Mudblood alone. She's filthy." said Sunset Shimmer, her gaze fixing on me. They crawled into their beds and fell asleep almost immediately. I slowly picked myself from the ground, changed into pajamas, and lay down on the pillows, staring at the ceiling. Tears trickled uncontrollably down my face. Life's not fair. Ii was three hours later before I drifted into a nightmarish sleep.