//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Another Singularity // by Cyron757 //------------------------------// Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Ponies or anything related to it. That belongs to Hasbro or whoever it is that owns it. Twilight looked down at her schedule, then back up to the building in front of her. Bright red letters spelling “Equestrian High” stared back at her, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Who had even come up with a name like that? Were all other possible options so overused that the school had to be named after an ample activity involving horses? The idea seemed to border between idiocy and stupidity, and the more she thought about it, the harder it became for her to keep from snapping at the ridiculous name. That small irk aside, she couldn't believe that she was actually standing outside the prestigious school. After not receiving any replies regarding her application she had thought the worst, but now here she was, ready and eager to begin. Not even the school's odd choice for a name could take away from her excitement. Folding the paper containing her courses in half, she took the time to examine herself before stepping inside the school. She plucked a thin piece of string that had somehow landed over her vest and carefully pressed both hands over her skirt, making sure that there were no wrinkles on her school uniform. Using the front door as a mirror she checked her hair and, satisfied, took a deep breath, reached for the handle, and pulled the door open. Cool air greeted her upon her entrance, the school’s central air conditioner working at full power even in the early hours of the morning. She was surprised to see so many people already crowding the halls. There were still around forty minutes to go before the first bell rang. Back in the other school, the halls would have remained empty until five minutes before classes began, when a sudden throng of students would have come rushing through the main doors, toppling anyone in their path as they hurried to the different homerooms. Yet it seemed as though here everyone took a more responsible approach and arrived early. The brochures her parents had given her about the school had not been lying when they stated that discipline of the student body was Equestrian High’s most revered factor. Twilight made her way through the crowd, but she did not get far before two girls crossed her path. She instantly became tense, but relaxed as they greeted her and formally welcomed her to her new school. It surprised her to see that one of the girls had dyed her hair two different colors, and it cascaded down her back in a clashing wave of pink and dark blue. The other girl had short, fair hair, with a bright streak of white running down the side. Both were honorary students, they said, and it was their pleasure to welcome Twilight to Equestrian High. When Twilight asked their names, the long-haired girl laughed. “Here in Equestrian High,” she said, “students are encouraged to create their own identities. I ask everyone to call me Bon Bon.” “You can call me Lyra,” the shorter-haired girl said, grinning from ear to ear. Twilight smiled against herself and, finding no other words to say, settled for, “That sounds nice.” “You can work on creating a new name for yourself, too,” Bon Bon told her. “You can let us know once you come up with one.” “My name is Twilight.” “That’s a good one!” Lyra said. “How did you come up with a new name so fast like that?” “I didn’t-” Twilight began, but stopped when she heard Bon Bon chuckling. “I think you can do better, dear. That sounds so dark and depressing.” “It’s a cool name,” Lyra shot in Bon Bon’s direction, her tone taking a sharp edge. “There’s nothing wrong with it.” “I was just saying that she might want to come up with something that sounds a little more cheerful.” “Like what, something that sounds like candy?” Twilight remained silent as the argument became more heated. She turned to the other students around her. They had all remained silent, seeming to ignore the conversation and carrying on with their own activities. Discussions between Bon Bon and Lyra were nothing new to any of them, or so it seemed. After a while Lyra turned back to Twilight and, seeing her hesitant expression, began to laugh. “Sorry about that, Twilight. The two of us end up fighting over just about everything.” “Don’t tell her that!” Bon Bon cried. “She’ll think we’re weird or something.” “Anyways,” Lyra continued, “we’re supposed to welcome you to Equestrian High and make your first day as easy as it can be. Is there anything you might need?” Now that Lyra mentioned it, Twilight thought, she could use some help finding her locker. She had memorized her assigned locker number and the locker combination, as well as the number for all her classrooms, afraid that she would look like the biggest dork in the world carrying her schedule on her first day. Now that someone had volunteered to direct her, she would do well to take the offer. On the other hand, asking for help from the two girls would mean being around them longer, and even though deep down they seemed nice, she would rather not be stuck in another argument again. Thinking it over quickly, she said, “If you could just point me in the direction of my locker, I’d appreciate it. I should be able to manage everything else on my own. I don’t want to take up any more of your time.” Lyra smiled at Twilight. “Nonsense, we live to help new students. Here, let me see your schedule.” Sighing inwardly, Twilight reached into her bag and handed Lyra her schedule. “It’s kind of odd that you use a suitcase for school,” Bon Bon stated rather bluntly. “It’s called a school bag,” Lyra replied in a dry tone. “Don’t go starting another argument.” She returned to the list, her eyes darting from side to side as she scanned through it. Her mouth split into a grin. “Cool, we take Biology together. That class is going to be so awesome!” “We’re studying mammals this year,” Bon Bon told Twilight, “and Lyra here has a thing for ponies.” She’s not the only one, Twilight thought as she smiled at Bon Bon. Who names a school after horses? “I’m on the school equestrian team,” Lyra stated proudly, causing Twilight to snap back to attention. “Hey, you should think about joining, Twilight!” Twilight smiled weakly. “I’ll think about it. About my locker…” “Oh, right, it’s just around the corner to the left, you can’t miss it. Your homeroom is down the hall, second door to the right. The first period bell rings in ten minutes, so don’t be late.” “Right,” Twilight said, taking back her schedule and starting to walk away. “Well, thanks for the help. I’ll see you girls later.” “We should eat lunch together,” she heard Lyra call after her. “We can talk more about the team then!” “Honestly, Lyra, leave her be. Can’t you see that you’re embarrassing the poor girl?” “Look who’s talking. You’re the one who made fun of her name.” Ignoring the quarrel behind her, Twilight hurried on her way. Other students around her were offering her sympathetic looks, causing her face to grow warm. Turning around the corner, she quickly spotted her locker and hurried to it, wanting nothing more than to blend in with the background and forget the odd encounter with the other two girls. Lyra and Bon Bon had seemed friendly enough, and deep down she had enjoyed their company, but she would rather go through her first day without any further embarrassment. Opening her locker, she placed all of her school materials inside except for the books she would need for her first class. As she emptied her school bag she noticed everyone around her begin to move away, no doubt making their way to their homerooms. Not wanting to arrive later than the whole classroom, and making sure that she wasn’t forgetting anything, she closed the locker, jumping in surprise as a new smiling face popped up next to her. Two cerulean-colored eyes shinned bright with excitement as a new, shorter girl with pink hair leaned close to her. “Hello,” Twilight began, taking a step back and laughing nervously. “Can I help you?” “You’re the new girl, aren’t you?” Twilight hesitated, and then muttered, “Yes,” in a weak voice. The next thing she knew, the breath had been taken out of her as the other girl enveloped her in a crushing hug. “You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting forever for the principal to assign someone to the locker next to mine. Now we can be locker buddies! Isn’t this exciting?” Unable to breathe, Twilight merely gurgled in response. The other girl suddenly released her and turned around, and Twilight took the opportunity to catch her breath. “Hey Dash, come here for a second!” No longer seeing bright spots in her vision, Twilight shook her head and turned just as another girl walked up to her. If she had been worried before that Bon Bon and Lyra were violating the student code with their dyed hair, she had yet to see how far some of the other students were willing to push their luck. This “Dash” had taken just about every color in the world and applied it to her hair, the end result being that she now sported a rainbow over her head. “What is it, Pinkie?” Dash asked, stifling a yawn. “I was busy.” “Sure you were, you little sleepyhead,” the pink-haired girl all but sang. “I want you to meet my new locker buddy.” Turning back to Twilight, she let out a squeal as she hopped from one foot to the other. “She just got here!” Dash looked at Twilight with a bored expression. Yawning widely, she wiped against her eyes and said, “Does the new girl have a name?” “Of course she does, silly. Everyone has a name. It’d be pretty hard to know who she is if she didn’t have a name.” Dash rolled her eyes, not seeming to take in a word of what the pink-haired girl had said. She nodded in agreement, saying, “Right, Pinkie,” without paying attention. “So what’s her name, then?” “My name is Twilight.” “That’s a good one,” the pink-haired girl said, echoing Lyra’s earlier sentiment. “How long did it take you to come up with it?” Twilight sighed in annoyance. This again? Sure, it was not the most common name, but did everyone have to assume that she had made it up? She took a deep breath, prepared to explain to the overexcited girl that it was her real name, when a voice behind her caught her attention. “Are you Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?” Turning around, Twilight found another girl, one with shoulder length blonde hair, waiting for her to reply. She was about to answer when she suddenly stared into the other girl’s eyes. One of them was focused on her; the other one was clearly staring off into space in the complete opposite direction. Struggling not to show her surprise and insult the girl in the process, Twilight merely nodded in silence. “Ooh, she’s good,” Twilight heard the pink-haired girl say to Dash. “How did she know her full name?” Had things been different, Twilight would have closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the other girl, fighting to keep her face composed. The blonde-haired girl did not seem to notice her unease, smiling broadly at her and moving closer to Twilight. “I’m supposed to bring you to the principal’s office,” she said, her voice seeming to bounce off the walls as she spoke. “The principal wants to have a word with you.” Dash began to laugh. “You’re in trouble on your first day before first period even begins? That must be a new record.” Ignoring her, Twilight frowned at the blonde-haired girl. “But I haven’t done anything, and the first bell is going to ring any minute now! I have to get to class!” The other girl did not seem to hear her. She grabbed Twilight’s hand and yanked her away from the other two girls. Twilight struggled at first, but the surprising force on the other’s hold made her quickly give up and she let herself be dragged away. “Bye, Twilight,” the pink-haired girl said, waving frantically after her as Dash continued to laugh. “We’ll see you at lunch!” Great, Twilight thought, blushing furiously as the eyes of the few students still in the hall fell over her. From somewhere overhead the bell began to ring and she groaned out loud. I’m embarrassed to death and tardy, both on the first day. Could things be any worse?