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// Introductions Aren't in Order 
// Story: From Sacred Flames 
// by ArtoriasFlagg 
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	Children... They are our past as much as they are our future. The twists and turns that their lives take echo throughout eternity as the foundations all events to come. We were all counted among their ranks once, none of us made it this far without having a childhood of some form or another... And so to must our champion have her childhood. If ever she is to reach the advent of her destiny, she must grow into the great savior we all know she will be. We guide her with our love, we pave the way for her with our actions and prayers. But in the end, it falls to her to walk the path herself. So let us wait, as always, and see how she chooses to proceed...

"Alright class, settle down. Today we're going to continue with last week's history lesson about the founding of Canterlot; but before we go on there's someone I'd like to introduce." 
Ms. Cheerilee nodded to the door as a little grey unicorn awkwardly entered the classroom. Her mane and tail were a shade similar to her coat, with a few streaks of a darker grey throughout. A dark blue saddlebag rested upon her back; one of her uncle's old school things, cinched together with fine red rope. 
She walked to the front of the room to stand beside Cheerilee. "Class, I'd like you all to say hello to Ash. She and her family just moved to Ponyville last week." 
The class greeted her warmly enough, with only a few students responding in a half-hearted, tired manner. The three fillies she had seen being outsmarted by their kites on the day she had arrived were present, all of them smiling pleasantly as their eyes followed her. 
"Ash, perhaps you'd like to tell the class a little about yourself?"
She paused. She had looked forward to going to a real school for so long, had looked forward to this very moment since she had arrived in town. She had always been good at starting conversations with other and had known exactly what she was going to say when she got up in front of the class... And then all of that slipped her mind completely.
"Uh... H-Hello.... class... Um... My-My name's Ash and... uh.... uh.... um..."
A bit of laughter escaped from one corner of the room, a giggle from another. One little, light pink filly decided to help add to her humiliation. 
"Well I guess we know can rule out public speaking as her special talent," she said, ushering in a wave of laughter from several students nearby. 
Embarrassment washed over her. She could feel the blood just beneath her skin boiling. Cheerilee broke in for a moment but her presence seemed to do little to help the situation. 
"Diamond Tiara, I'm surprised at you! That was very rude."
"No no, its okay Ms. Cheerilee." It had taken a moment for her to regain her composure but she finally managed to organize her thoughts and come up with a plan to save a bit of her dignity. "Trust me, talking has never been one of my strong suites," she lied. "Actually, theres not really much else I wanted to say. My name's Ash, I just moved here, I like music, and I want to make some new friends. Thats all."
The teacher looked down at her, seeming slightly surprised. "Are... are you sure there's nothing else you want to say? Nothing about where you're from or your journey here?"
"Nope, that's about it. If anyone wants to hear about that stuff, I can tell them after class. But I don't want to hold up the lesson any more than I already have. Can I take my seat?"
"Ohhh...Kaaay... Um, lets see. Theres a desk open in the back of the room, or one by Snips over in the corner. Or I suppose you could take the one behi-"
A deafening CRACK erupted from beside her as she looked around the classroom for a desk for her newest student. A bright golden light flashed across the room accompanied by the scent of smoke.
"-behind Diamond Tiara? That'll be perfect, thank you." The pink earth pony nearly jumped out of her skin as the new unicorn spoke up from the desk directly behind her. She let out a quick, involuntary shriek, causing the students' laughter to turn on her instead. 
The rest of the class flew by in a flash of historic information. The little unicorn sat quietly at her desk, took notes, and generally played the part of the perfect student. However, underneath it all her mind was far from focused on what Ms. Cheerilee was saying. How could she be expected to pay attention when there was so much else to think about?
All around her were potential friends for her to meet, new ponies to talk to, an entire world she had never been able to be a part of back in the south and on the road. So when the bell finally rang for lunch that day, she was among the last to leave the room, still busy taking in her surroundings, getting a feel for how the classroom was set up. 
She stepped outside with her lunch tucked safely away in her bag, a few other students greeting her as she passed by, looking for a good spot to sit and eat. She had not gone far before the trio of fillies she had seen on the day she first arrived were beckoning her over to a nearby picnic table. The earth pony and pegasus were smiling warmly while the unicorn to their left was standing on the table, calling loudly to her.
"Ash! Aaaaaash! Come sit with us!"
The scene attracted the attention of just about everyone in the school yard, though most of the students seemed so used to the little white unicorn's over-enthusiasm that they just ignored it.
Ash had been looking forward to making some new friends here since day one, so she jumped at the opportunity to spend some time with these three who had already clearly taken an interest in her. She made her way over to the table, not noticing the other two fillies following a few yards behind her.
The three welcomed her to their group, introducing themselves in turn as she made herself comfortable on the opposite side of the table. 
"Hi! I'm Sweetie Belle."
"Ah'm Applebloom."
"Scootaloo, nice to meet ya."
That last one particularly interested her. During the past week she had seen maybe three pegasi in the entire town, with Scootaloo and a little grey colt from their class making up two of those. It had initially struck her as being a bit odd to see any of the winged breed living in the grounded little town, but she decided it would be rude to ask and simply let the subject drop from her mind. 
"Its great to meet all of you. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to make any friends here or that no one would want to talk to me 'cause I was new and all." She waited a moment for one of them to respond, but it seemed as though they hadn't heard her. Her smile began to fade as she realized that their eyes had been drawn to something behind her.
"Well well well, it looks like the reject patrol has a new member."
"What d'ya want, Diamond. We ain't doin' nothin' to ya, can't y'all go just one day without botherin' us?"
"Oh we just wanted to make sure our new classmate was getting along alright. But I guess we were just too late to save her from you three." She turned to the bespectacled filly that had accompanied her. "I suppose its just as well, don't you think? The last thing we need is another blank-flank following us around everywhere."
Ash looked at her in confusion. "Blank-flank?"
"Don't listen to her, Ash. She's just jealous because her only talent is being a spoiled little brat."
"And because the rest of us are still totally full of potential and could do anything we want with the rest of our lives!"
"And 'cause Silver Spoon's her only friend, while we get along with just about everyone!"
The two interlocking earth ponies just glared at them from behind twin expressions of boredom. "Uh huh... Silver, I think we've wasted enough time trying to help this lost cause. If she wants to be one of their... what is it again? Blank-Flank Brigade? I say that's her choi-"
"THAT'S 'THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS,' YOU BRAT!" The little white unicorn was on the table once again, her voice breaking as she did her best to deafen the two would-be bullies. 
Ash couldn't help but laugh as the two stumbled backwards a few paces, their ears clearly ringing after Sweeitie Belle's aural assault. They shook it off quickly enough and attempted to walk off with some shred of their dignity still intact, eyes closed and noses raised in distaste. When she saw the opening she simply couldn't help herself. Her horn began to glow the golden color of her eyes.
A stick began to move from its eating place beneath the nearby oak tree and settled a few inches in front of Diamond Tiara and her friend. It snapped as they tripped over it, the sound mingling with their shrieks as the ground rushed up to greet them, alerting everyone in the schoolyard to their misfortune. Laughter erupted from every corner of the yard as the two scrambled to their hooves, coated here and there in a thick film of mud. They sprinted the rest of the way to the door, the laughter of their classmates following them the entire way.
Back at their little table, the four fillies quickly turned their attention back to their lunches. Ash inquired about the nature of the so-called "Cutie Mark Crusaders" and was immediately drowned in a wave of enthusiasm as her three new friends clambered over each other to explain it. She liked the idea of the group, though getting her cutie mark had never really been a top priority in her mind before then. If nothing else, being a member would mean belonging; and that thought alone was enough to convince her it was a worthwhile cause.
"And we have secret meetings, and capes, and a clubhouse, and everything," Applebloom continued.
"Ha ha, you guys don't have to convince me, I already said I'd love to join!" 
The bell rang a few moments after they finished eating. All of the students found their seats quickly as Ms. Cheerilee began the lesson once more. Everything continued as it should . A perfectly normal day at a perfectly ordinary little schoolhouse.
These were the days which the Child would cherish for the rest of her unnaturally lo life: the simplicity of it all, the happy memories, the time spent with her loving friends. All of it would be remembered, all of it would warm her heart and ease her mind as the trials grew mo brutal and more bitter. For now, though, this was life. It was all she knew, and it was all she wanted. She would fall asleep that night, as she did so many nights, thinking of her friends and her family, and all of the lovely memories they shared together...
*   *   *   *   *

The thunder made her stir from her thoughts, the visions of her past life fading as lightning tore through the sky overhead. The parapets were slick in the darkness, made treacherous by the rain that had hammered down on them since morning. The dreary day had given way to a cold, unforgivingly-stormy night... Just as she had planned.
The wet surface of the tower was of little concern to her as her claws and talons dug deep into the stone, holding her tight against the steep neck of Archives. The Disciple had gone before her, ascending the stairs inside as she made her way up the face of the tower itself. She glimpsed him for a brief second as she climbed past a window, the rain distorting his form as it beat against the crystalline pane. 
She continued her ascent, the rain pattering harmlessly off of her armor. The wraps drank up the falling water, cooling the burning flesh beneath them with their sweet kiss. Her tail swung from side to side as she climbed, its stinger scraping the stonework as it moved. Golden eyes glowed beneath the weight of her crown, a dark orange flame burning deep within them as they gazed through stone and time. Her target moved amongst the bookshelves, searching frantically for something that she knew full-well he would never find. 
The Disciple had seen to that part already, confident that the old unicorn would sense his end approaching. The wizard had proven to be a far more capable adversary than the Order could ever have imagined. His wisdom was jarring, his resources endless, and his cunning far beyond what they had prepared her for. They knew he needed to die, but even they could not have known the haste with which it would now need to be accomplished.
He had worked feverishly for the last five days to perfect the spell that might undo all of her work, taking no meals or sleep for fear of what might happen should he let his guard down. He had been sustaining himself only on summoned water and nutrients, too fearful of the possibility that any food he did not create himself would be poisoned. Yet the lack of sleep would surely cloud his senses. There would be no more opportune moment than this to strike. 
She saw where he was going, where he would search for his forgotten book. She sped her way up to the floor he would come to, letting herself in through a stained-glass window between two sections of shelves. The shadows rushed to conceal her presence, cloaking her in their soft embrace. A moment later she heard the door open as the sorcerer and his steward entered. They passed by her hiding place and made their way to a nearby shelf, the old unicorn searching relentlessly for his papery savior. 
A curse escaped his lips as he found the shelf empty.
The time had come. The ruse ended here and now. Lightning streaked across the sky. Thunder roared from the heavens to shake the earth below. And on that night, in the dusty aisles of the Royal Archives, history was rewritten.