//------------------------------// // Introductions // Story: St Trineighans School for Fillies // by SamuelK28 //------------------------------// Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria there were two regal sisters who ruled together and spread harmony throughout the land by raising the sun to mark the dawn of a new day and raising the moon to mark the beginning of another night. The elder would do the former whilst the younger the latter and for a time all was well. Sadly, as she watched the ponies relish and play in the daytime her sister brought forth yet sleep during her beautiful night, the younger sister slowly became bitter and resentful. Seeing the pain her sister was in, the elder of the two decided to decree to their subjects that she was leaving the ancestral home to start anew elsewhere so that her sister could turn the castle into a school to teach the offspring of their subjects the importance and beauty of the night. These were the first fillies of the night, for you see, as it so happened, all of these first offspring were fillies and thus the first tradition of St Trineighans Finishing School for Fillies was born. As the years passed, the school grew alongside the population and now, one thousand years later, its power and influence spreads across the whole of Equestria. It is here that our story truly begins. * Apple Bloom shuffled nervously as she waited alongside her big sister at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Celestia’s sun was just rising in the distance to mark the beginning of a new day. “I’m so proud of you sis,” Applejack gushed for what must have been the thousandth time as she gave Apple Bloom yet another squeeze with her forehooves. Apple Bloom blushed in embarrassment as she tried to desperately squeeze herself out of her sister’s grasp. “Applejack,” she whined, “you’re embarrassing me!” “Tough,” Applejack replied mischievously as she slowly released her sister. “And besides, I’m not going to see you again for months! I still can’t believe it. My sister, picked by the Princess of the Night herself. Did I tell you how proud I am…” “YES!” Apple Bloom interrupted rudely before she could stop herself. Applejack turned her head sideways and stared at her younger sister for a moment before asking, “Nervous Sugarcube?” Apple Bloom let out a sigh as her head drooped and she stared at the grass that adorned the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, her home for her entire life thus far. Did she really want to go through with this? It had been two weeks since that life changing letter had dropped through the farmhouse’s letter box offering her a full scholarship to the most prestigious school in Equestria outside of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns - St Trineighans Finishing School for Fillies, run by Princess Luna herself. As an earth pony, unless a miracle occurred, it wasn’t like she would be able to attend the former and any normal filly would have been ecstatic at such an offer to attend the oldest known school in Equestria. The school only offered fifteen places a year to outstanding ten-year-old fillies across Equestria. Having been brought up on a farm though and without both her parents since the age of three, Apple Bloom had a lot more sense than other fillies her age and had been taught by her siblings to never take anything at face value. If something seemed to be good to be true, it almost certainly was. After the initial shock had slowly worn off and she had realised that it wasn’t a dream and that, yes, she really had been admitted to the second most prestigious school in Equestria at no cost to her or her family, the questions had begun to infiltrate her mind thick and fast. For a start, why her? Although her siblings had ensured she grew up with a proper education, something they had both lacked after her father’s mysterious disappearance, she wasn’t that smart and it was only down to Applejack and Big Mac pushing her that she had managed relatively okay grades. Still, she’d never achieved anything more than Cs and Bs in any of her school work. Heck, she’d soon be eleven and still didn’t have her cutie mark yet! So, again, why her? Surely there were many other fillies across Equestria more deserving of a scholarship and a place in the school than her. Then there was the mysterious school itself. In spite of the many graduates it had produced over the years, very little was actually known about it or its principal, Princess Luna, the reclusive Princess of the Night. This had produced an uneasy nagging feeling in the back of Apple Bloom’s head that had only increased as she realised that once she arrived at the school there would be no escape if things went south. This was due to the fact the school was located in a clearing in the centre of the Everfree Forest, a forest that was filled with many of the deadliest beasts known to pony kind and yet another reason so little was known about the school. The school, for all intents and purposes, would be equal to that of a prison once she arrived there. That realisation had only unnerved her further and an examination of the letter she had received only made her worries grow further. Aside from a short paragraph explaining her acceptance, where to meet and what time, the letter contained very little information. There was no itinerary of what she would need, no brochure or flyer included highlighting the school’s positive attributes and not even a mention of how to accept her place at the school, as if they presumed no one would dare reject such an honour. It all seemed very suspicious, as if the school was hiding something. It had taken all her resolve, along with the fact she didn’t want to disappoint her family, especially her sister, to accept her place and get to this point. Even then when she’d first caught eyes of her fellow prospective first years she’d nearly bolted. If she hadn’t known she was going to a school, she really would have thought she was heading to prison. One of the ponies had an axe strapped to her side, another a large hammer in her mouth, another was a purple unicorn with a broken horn and a large scar running down across one eye, and yet another didn’t seem to be a pony at all! Yes, something definitely wasn’t quite right with St Trineighans and Apple Bloom was determined to get to the bottom of it. “Well, Sugarcube, I’m waiting,” Applejack pressed as her gaze bore its way into the very depths of Apple Bloom’s being. It was at that moment Apple Bloom realised she had been staring at the ground for over a minute lost in her own thoughts. Slowly, she looked up at her sister and met her piercing gaze. “It’s just…” “Alright, settle down,” a booming voice suddenly cut in and both mares attentions turned to the direction from which the voice had come from. A lilac unicorn with a purple and teal mane wearing formal attire had appeared from the forest holding a clipboard. “Listen up. I’m going to say each of your names once and once only. Then I expect you to form a nice orderly queue. I hope you’ve all said your goodbyes, because if not, well, it's too late now.” * “Equestria to new girl, Equestria to new girl,” a voice echoed bringing Apple Bloom back to her senses. “Huh, what, where am I?” Apple Bloom queried shaking her head. Damn her head was pounding fiercely. “The last thing I remember is a lilac unicorn calling my name on the edge of the forest and then… nothing.” “Oh, that’s Vice Headmare Glimmer. Her special talent is hypnotism and mind control. The headache will pass over time although these will help.” Still regaining her bearings, Apple Bloom suddenly found two pills being forcibly thrust down her throat by a hoof before her jaws were yanked open and a glass of water followed them causing Apple Bloom to cough and splutter. As she did so, and for the second time attempted to regain her bearings, the voice spoke for a third time. “I’m Scootaloo, the white unicorn is Sweetie Belle and the earth pony on the top bunk over there is Screwball. Your bed is below hers. Welcome to St Trineighans. So, what’s your name and what are you in for? Grand larceny? Super strength? Some other power? Your connections?” Apple Bloom shook her head once more in an attempt to clear it and gradually the orange Pegasus filly with a purple mohawk came into focus in front of her. “What, whatever do you mean?” Apple Bloom stuttered as she steadily took in her surroundings. She appeared to find herself in a bedroom with two bunk beds pushed up against the walls to her left and right whilst in the middle of the far wall in front of her a window revealed a gloomy looking sky outside. She was guessing the door to said room was behind her. “Don’t even think about it. No pony has ever managed to navigate the forest successfully. No Pegasus can fly out of here due to the wild weather the Everfree produces and the same in regards to teleportation due to the effect it has on a unicorn’s magic,” Scootaloo explained before returning to her previous line of enquiry. “Again, welcome to St Trineighans School for Wild Fillies. As for your question, Sweetie over there is here because her sister is a teacher at the school and because she likes to start fires. SWEETIE, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT IN OUR DORMITORY!” Scootaloo suddenly bellowed as smoke started to spread across the roof of the dormitory. “Don’t make me turn you to stone again!” Apple Bloom’s eyes opened wide as she looked past Scootaloo to see that in less than a minute from her last look the unicorn had started a fire in a waste paper bin. What was even more concerning was the cannister labelled EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE! that she was levitating precariously above said waste paper bin and the fact the unicorn had a ball of flame sporting her flank for a cutie mark. Sweetie Belle whined and gave Scootaloo a morose look before relenting and throwing the canister out of the window, breaking the window in the process before a loud explosion erupted from outside. “SWEEETIEEE BEELLE!” A shrill voice echoed from outside. “Eeeep!” Sweetie squeaked before diving under her bed. “Now you’ve gone and done it. You know very well your sister is one of the few staff you cannot mess…” Scootaloo never finished her sentence as Sweetie, coated in a light blue magical aura, was dragged kicking and screaming from underneath the bed and proceeded to follow the canister out the window. “Okay, anyway, where was I?” Scootaloo chuckled nervously trying to ignore the screams of agony now reverberating from out the window as she walked over to the waste paper basket with the fire extinguisher she had just pulled off the wall from the end of her bunk bed. “Oh right, explanations. “So, Sweetie is here because of her sister and penchant for fire. I’m here because I was raised by cockatrices until I was six and as such can turn living creatures to stone simply by looking at them, thus my cutie mark.” She pointed to the cockatrice that lined her own flank before continuing in the extinguishing of the fire. “As for Screwball…” “Two plus Two is forty-four!” The other filly in the room chuckled as she leapt from her bed and literally floated to the ground using the propeller hat that adorned her head, defying almost every known law of physics that Apple Bloom had been taught in the process. “Hi knew friend, I’m Screwball. Have you heard of our divine lord and chaos bringer Discord?” Screwball eqnquired as she wrapped her forehooves around one of Apple Bloom’s and shook it vigorously. Apple Bloom, already completely lost over what had transpired over the past five minutes simply stared blankly back at the swirling vortexes that made up Screwball’s eyes until Scootaloo pushed her out the way. “Sorry about that. I should have warned you sooner not to stare directly into Screwball’s eyes unless you want to become a drooling paralysed wreck trapped within your own mind. You see, Screwball stared into the chaos realm when she was six after a rift tore open in her village. She was the only one to survive with their mind somewhat intact.” “Erm, okay? I’m Apple Bloom by the way. No idea what I’m doing here but I’m here for one reason or another,” Apple Bloom stammered as Scootaloo helped her from the floor whilst her mind tried desperately to comprehend everything that had transpired over the course of the day so far. Hypnotised then foalnapped, check. Left in a room with three mentally unstable fillies, check. What next, who knows but by the way Scootaloo’s face had just dropped, she was pretty sure she was not going to like it. “Wait, did you just say Apple Bloom? Oh Tartarus no. She hasn’t, please tell me she hasn’t,” Scootaloo rambled. “What?” Apple Bloom asked equally confused. “Well, as I’m guessing you’ve already realised, St Trineighans isn’t a normal school for normal fillies. It’s a school for special fillies aged ten to sixteen along with a class for younger fillies in need of special attention, aka what us three were a part of up until just recently,” Scootaloo began to explain. “Okay,” Apple Bloom replied rubbing her head with a forehoof not liking where this was going. “So, where do I fit into all this?” “Well, the school is literally a front for the biggest and only crime organisation in Equestria, run by Princess Luna aka Nightmare Moon herself and controlling the Equestrian market in a wide variety of areas from fashion to drugs. I’m guessing you are here because your family and their power has grown too much. Simply put, Moon is going to use you to try and persuade your family to join the St Trineighans family and I’m guessing I’m your babysitter, just like with those two.” Scootaloo paused and pointed at the broken window and then Screwball who replied with an unnerving smile. “Anything bad happens to you, I’m going to be in serious trouble, so please, try not to die.” Thrust into the life of a criminal, check. What a day. “Okay, and I’m guessing if I don’t like what I see and play ball, me and my family will suffer because of it?” Apple Bloom deadpanned as she continued rubbing her head with her forehoof. No, she definitely didn’t like the sound of it. Why oh why hadn’t she listened to herself instead of her family, refused the invitation and stayed home. For just a moment Apple Bloom saw genuine fear creep into Scootaloo’s eyes before she coughed and said flatly, “Trust me when I say, refusal isn’t an option. If you think Screwball and Sweetie are bad, try an alicorn princess with extreme split personality disorder.” “What?” Apple Bloom replied. “Luna has a dark alter ego known as Nightmare Moon. Most of the time even she is fine but trust me, you do not want to stand in her way. Imagine her as a child with god-like powers, telling her no is not an option unless you don’t like living,” Scootaloo explained. Apple Bloom gulped. “Gotcha, don’t annoy the mentally unhinged principal with god-like powers. Anyway, what happens next?” As if on cue, she heard the door to her new bedroom open behind her. Turning around she saw Vice Principal Glimmer pointing at her. Her and her big mouth! * “So, to put it simply, even if she says just one word, you’ll end up losing at least five minutes of your life,” Apple Bloom stated as they trotted down the hall behind Starlight Glimmer. Scootaloo nodded in reply. “Damn, that’s some powerful magic. But she also can’t control it. So, she can’t speak without controlling someone’s mind. That’s quite a conundrum.” “Yeah, that’s pretty much the gist of it,” Scootaloo replied. “The teachers are quite laid back here so unless you do something super bad, they won’t punish you. Even so, with a power like Starlight’s you’ve no hope of getting away with anything anyway so it’s just best not to bother. Nevertheless, if you stick with me and the girls, we’ll make sure you stay out of major trouble. The older students have learnt already that picking on someone that can turn you to stone in an instant will not end well, especially after seeing one of their number lose a leg that way.” Screwball chuckled on Apple Bloom’s other side. “Oh yeah, I remember that. One of the older mares shaved poor Sweetie’s mane off and wrote nasty things all over her coat with permanent spray ink. I’ve never seen Scootaloo so mad. That was just the start. By the time the girl was out of the infirmary she found out from her friends that everything in their room had been torched and the gravity reversed. The gravity still remains that way to this day!” “Woah,” Apple Bloom replied. “You seriously don’t do things by halves do you?” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You’ll learn sooner rather than later that at St Trineighans there is no room for the weak and pretty much anything goes aside murder and occasionally serious bodily harm. I only got away with that stunt because of what the girl had done to Sweetie and the fact Sweetie’s sister is a teacher. Otherwise, I would have been in serious hot water. Now, we’re here. Its best you keep quiet and only speak when I nudge you, okay?” Apple Bloom nodded in reply as she watched Starlight open a large solid oak door without even knocking first and gestured for them to step inside. Apple Bloom gulped and pushed along by Scootaloo entered into almost total darkness. Only a few flickering candles and the ebb of magical fire that still lingered in Rarity’s mane, illuminated the otherwise pitch-black room as the door closed with a thud behind them. Princess Luna, coated by shadows, sat behind a desk waiting for them. Rarity stood next to her. In front of the desk Apple Bloom could just make out the outline of four chairs. Sweetie was already seated in one, playing casually as one does with a ball of fire between her hooves. “Welcome Miss Bloom. It’s great to finally meet you. Have a seat next to your dormmate. I’m hoping Scootaloo has been helping you settle in although she should have been asleep three hours ago,” Luna commented casually. “Bite me Moon,” Scootaloo retorted, a knife lodging itself in the wall behind the alicorn as Scootaloo took her seat next to Apple Bloom. “You barely pay me enough to stop these two from unleashing a fiery yet chaotically funny apocalypse upon the world and now you want me to babysit this weakling too. What’s in it for me?” “Tsh, tsh, how rude, although I won’t have to if she does it for me,” Nightmare Moon replied leaning across the desk with a wicked leer that revealed a set of ultra sharp and pointed teeth. Apple Bloom gasped as she took in the black as night appearance of their host with her eery cyan eyes that pierced the inky blackness and sent shivers racing through her entire body. Meanwhile, alarm bells had started to ring in Scootaloo’s head. “What exactly do you mean?” she queried, barely finishing before her head was turning sideways to Apple Bloom next to her. “Yowch! That hurt,” the earth Pony grunted rubbing her right shoulder. Scootaloo saw the needle in Starlight's magical grip and the alarm bells intensified further. “What did you…” This time Scootaloo didn’t even have a chance to finish before a flash of blinding white light engulfed Apple Bloom. As it slowly started to clear and Scootaloo saw what now adorned the earth pony’s flank her right forehoof met her forehead. “Please tell me you didn’t?” Scootaloo groaned. “If you are implying that I had Mrs Glimmer inject her with the W chromosome, then yes, yes I did,” Nightmare Moon admitted frankly before letting loose a nefarious and bone chilling cackle. Scootaloo groaned once more. “I’ll expect triple what you’re paying me now and no less.” “Will someone please tell me what the hay is going on?” Apple Bloom cut in bluntly. “I have some good news and some bad news,” Scootaloo deadpanned turning her attention to Apple Bloom as Nightmare Moon finally finished her award winning cackle attempt. “Congratulations, you got your cutie mark.” “I did!!!” Apple Bloom replied practically leaping of her chair in excitement as she swung her head round to see what the image that now adorned both her flanks was. Unbeknownst to her, her tail also started wagging uncontrollably with joy. “What is it?” She squinted in the darkness but couldn’t quite make it out in the dim light of the room. “A wolf howling at an apple,” Scootaloo deadpanned once more. “Huh, that seems a little strange and obscure,” Apple Bloom replied, the pieces of the jigsaw having not quite yet fit into place in her mind. “Although I guess the apple is symbolic and meant to represent the moon. It seems pretty…” “You’re also a werewolf,” Scootaloo cut in rudely. “Glimmer injected you with the werewolf gene, chromosome W. It’s a safety feature to ensure you cooperate with Luna’s plans in the long run.” “Oh, that kinda makes sense now. But on the plus side, I did get my cutie mark,” Apple Bloom replied, her tail still wagging at a speed seemingly faster than that of the speed of light. Scootaloo looked at the other filly as if the injection had just caused her to grow another head. “You’re seriously taking this a lot better than I thought you would,” she managed to spit out eventually. “I got my dang cutie mark and it’s freaking awesome! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment? Most foals get their cutie marks by the age of five or six, latest eight. I’ll be ELEVEN in the fall. Right now, it could suggest I’m going to be a mass murderer and I still wouldn’t care two bits. I got my dang cutie mark,” she hollered for the second time nearly piercing Scootaloo’s ear drums as she did so. She followed that up by shaking the Pegasus like she was nothing more than a can of beans. Her tail had somehow seemed to pick up even more speed and had also seemingly altered its appearance to the more scruffy and unkempt style of a canine. “Oh, I like her, I like her a lot,” Nightmare Moon chuckled in the background as Scootaloo continued looking at Apple Bloom like she’d grown another head. “But you do realise that Principal Moon is night incarnate right and as such one of her powers is that she can take complete control of any creatures associated with the night,” Scootaloo attempted to explain trying desperately not to slam her head into her hooves and proceed to scream every obscenity known to pony kind. “So?” Apple Bloom replied, her tail slowing ever so slightly, unsure what Scootaloo was going on about. “So that means she can turn you into a werewolf at any time along with the amount of control she desires to give you. You make one slip up to your family and they’ll end up as your lunch, you get me?” Scootaloo explained. “Ah, cow dung. But, as long as I’m a good girl, behave myself, do as I’m told and don’t say anything I’ll be fine, right, and have complete control over my werewolf form? Wait can I be a werewolf right now!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, too excited by what had transpired to truly grasp the severity of the situation. “If you concentrate hard enough, poss…” Nightmare Moon didn’t even finish her sentence before a shaggy furred butter cream werewolf with sharpened teeth and a wet button red nose had replaced Apple Bloom. “AWESOME!!!” Apple Bloom cried. “AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO,” she then howled, her tail once more trying to challenge the speed of light. “Interesting. That was incredibly fast, almost as if it was destined to be. It usually takes months for a werewolf to master their transformations,” Nightmare Moon stated stroking her chin with a hoof deep in thought. Scootaloo meanwhile wished she’d grabbed that cannister from Sweetie earlier and thrown herself on the paper basket fire her friend had started as Apple Bloom began to sniff her all over. “Down girl, down,” Scootaloo commanded and Apple Bloom returned to her seat looking somewhat dejectedly at her new friend and dormmate. “Oh, this is going to be such fun,” Nightmare Moon giggled. “For you maybe,” Scootaloo grumbled. “Although it does answer why you haven’t gone after the Apple family previously. You needed an unmarked filly to make your plan work. It is well known that the W chromosome will only take effect on those who have yet to receive their cutie marks. Otherwise, the only way to turn someone is if they are bitten by a werewolf. Apple Bloom, I may be immune to lycanthropy but my foreleg is not a chew toy,” Scootaloo finished with a sigh. Apple Bloom looked up from where she had started gnawing on Scootaloo’s foreleg and gave her friend a pitiful look. Scootaloo retaliated by flicking Apple Bloom's nose with one of her wings, this sent the werewolf retreating back to her own seat to nurse her now sore nose. Nightmare Moon chuckled before continuing. “Ahh, how cute, she likes you, although I might have to give her a little more control. Can’t have her turning half the school into werewolves now, can we? Oh wait, that’s what I have you for. I’ll triple what I’m paying you now for keeping her out of trouble and harms way alongside Misses Belle and Ball. Plus, not that you’ll need it but, as the head of the Equestrian Education Association, I’ll even ensure that no matter what happens in the next six-years, you come out of here with a top-class diploma.” “And three for my friends as well?” Scootaloo negotiated. Nightmare Moon seemed a little taken aback by that. “Really, that’s it? I had expected more from you.” Scootaloo shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a fair offer and despite driving me round the bend at least once a day, they’ve grown on me quite a bit. Plus, I can’t deny you’ve already done a whole lot for me these past four years. Heck, when Fluttershy brought me in, I couldn’t even speak a word of Equestrian,” Scootaloo finished as Apple Bloom began playfully nuzzling her side. “Yes, you certainly have surpassed all our expectations since arriving. Then we have a deal?” Scootaloo extended her hoof and Nightmare Moon took it in her own to seal the deal. “I’ll keep them safe. You can count on me,” Scootaloo chuckled. “Although no promises on Rarity’s mane.” Nightmare Moon let out another hearty chuckle as Rarity harumphed. “Splendid and I’m sure you will. Now, I’ve still two more groups of your peers to talk to so here are your timetables and daily schedules. Classes start tomorrow night. Tonight, you’ll be given a tour of the school and then we’ll be having our traditional beginning of year games out on the sports field and obstacle course. Oh, and Miss Sweetie Belle, do try to keep the fires away from the school and the forest. Although I do admire your love of pyromancy, I really don’t want to have to be forced to rebuild part of the school or regrow a large chunk of the forest, understood?” Sweetie, who hadn’t in the least been paying any attention to the conversation thus far, looked up and nodded. “Huh? Oh, yes, Principal Moon,” the girl replied having clearly not taken in a word Nightmare Moon had said to her. As Nightmare Moon passed Scootaloo the necessary paperwork for all of them, both mares exchanged a knowing look. “Twelve, twenty-four or forty-eight?” The alicorn whispered as the papers transferred hooves.” “I give it twelve hours max. Five bits?” “Five bits,” Nightmare Moon replied dismissing the girls as she did so. On the way out, Starlight passed Apple Bloom the satchel that she hadn’t even realised had been missing when she had arrived. As soon as they were back out in the hallway Apple Bloom shivered and, after taking a couple of deep breaths, gradyually returned to her pony form. “Okay, can somepony please explain to me what just happened?” Daily Schedule at St Trineighans for first- and second- years 18:00- Breakfast 18:45- Physical Education 19:45- First Period 21:45- Break 22:15- Second Period 00:15- Lunch 1:00- Third Period 3:00- School end 5:00- Dinner 7:00-8:00 Lights out Lessons are held Moonday, Hoofsday, Wingsday and Fursday nights. Students are free to do as they please on other nights (Hornday, Magicday and Sunday).