It was supposed to be Octavia’s first big moment in her beginning career. To her dismay a unicorn named Vinyl Scratch stole her spotlight and left an impression on the cellist she would so soon not forget.

This is my take on how two of my favorite ponies met and the stages they went through.

This story takes place about 2 years before Nightmare Moon returns, so you will not see any of the main characters here. If you are here for some Scootaloo & Rainbow Dash, I am sorry to disappoint you.

But please….stay a while and listen….err read.

Rated Teen for some slightly darker scenarios in later chapters and some crude attempted humor.

Diamond Tiara Rich- wealthy, beautiful, spoiled rotten. Everypony hates her, but at the same time, they desperately want her life. But this life doesn't come without problems.

Diamond Tiara has always hated Apple Bloom, and who could blame her? She's annoying and pathetic and obviously insanely jealous. So anytime they see each other, Diamond tries to get it into her head that she, being rich and amazing, is way better. But after a particularly dicey encounter with her favorite victim, Diamond makes a mistake.

And that mistake sends her to boarding school.

Determined not to let her new circumstances get her down, Diamond vowed to have the entire school eating out of her hoof by the end of the year. But that's a little hard to do when the role of resident Queen Bee has already been filled...

But unbeknownst to anypony, strange forces are lurking close. A student hungers for power, and secrets of Equestria are revealed. Soon, it will be up to Diamond to decide what matters most- herself, or the ponies around her?

Takes place right after Call of the Cutie.

Cover art by Kikirrikitiki on DeviantArt.

Dawn is a young mare approaching her mid twenties who feels like she has no direction and no discernible future. It is only when she meets more ponies that share her interests that she starts to find love, friendship, and what life is about.

Rainbow Dash usually had her head in the clouds, but she always thought she knew up from down. When an incredible revelation sends her life into a tailspin, she finds herself at the mercy of emotions she never thought she had, faced with hard questions and impossible choices.

Life is full of changes, but none of them are quite as disturbing as having a horn pop out of your skull…

Original Lauren Faust canon; non-alicorn Twilight, non-alicorn Cadance, no ascension. Diverges from the cartoon after season 3, with nods to later continuity wherever possible. Contains mature themes.