Twilight Sparkle waited patiently outside her house for her ride. Today was her first day attending Canterlot High. Her last day at Crystal Prep hadn't been as...sad as she thought it would've been.
A few of the girls had said goodbye, but other than that, no one seemed to care that she was leaving. And, that was the exact reason why she couldn't wait to go to CHS.
She wouldn't have trouble weaving her way through the hallways at school anymore. She didn't have to worry about being a loner with no friends, because now, she had friends.
Twilight sighed happily at the thought. She had never really had an interest in making friends. Whenever she tried to talk to someone at Crystal Prep, they'd either ignore her or tell her to be quiet. Well, not anymore.
Twilight turned her head at the sound of her front door opening to see her brother racing out.
"Twily." He ran over to her, giving her a big brother hug. "Glad I was able to catch up with you before you left."
"Why?" Twilight asked, readjusting her glasses. "Do you need something?"
Shining Armor rubbed his hair nervously, sighing, "Look, Twily. Don't take this the wrong way, but do you really want to attend Canterlot High?"
Twilight frowned, "Yes, I do. Why? Do you not want me to? Shiny, this is obviously a better school for me. I've done a lot at Crystal Prep, but making friends wasn't one of them. You've always told me how much you wanted me to make friends, and now I have friends."
Shining Armor bit his lip, "When did you get so interested in friends?"
Twilight sighed, hanging her head. "Shining. You know what happened. You know what I became. I almost destroyed this world. I could've killed someone, if it weren't for Sunset Shimmer and her friends. After I was defeated, I was so sure no one would forgive me. But, these girls did. They forgave me, even when I stole their magic. And, they're willing to be my friend. And, I'm willing to be theirs."
"You tell him, Twi." Twilight jumped at the voice from inside her backpack but calmed down as she realized it was Spike.
She unzipped her backpack, patting Spike on the head. She sighed, "I'm still not used to the idea of a talking dog. Try not to do that too much, okay?"
Spike whined, "But, why? It's so fun. Now, people can understand me. Do you know how frustrating it is? I don't want kibble; I want steak."
Twilight giggled, "Okay. Okay." She turned back to her brother. "So, still think I shouldn't go?"
Shining Armor rolled his eyes, ruffling Twilight's bangs, "Okay, you've proven your point. If this is what you want, who am I to stop you?"
Twilight smiled, hugging her brother tightly, "Thanks, BBBFF."
A van pulled up to the curb in front of their house. Twilight and Shining separated as the side door of the vehicle slid open, revealing Twilight's friends.
"Looks like my ride's here. Bye, Shining!" She ran toward the van, hopping into a seat next to Rarity. Once she was seated, the van sped off towards Canterlot High.
"Oh. Your first day at Canterlot High. Are you excited?" Rarity asked happily.
Twilight nodded, "Very. It's so nice to know that I'll actually be able to enjoy school again."
"You didn't enjoy school? I thought you loved learning." Fluttershy petted Spike from behind Twilight.
"I do. But, I don't really think CPA could offer me anything else I don't know. It's been...rough this past year." Twilight hung her head at the many unpleasant memories she had of her old school.
Sunset Shimmer placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Twilight. You're not going to be alone anymore."
"That's right. We're sticking with ya, Twi." Rainbow winked at her.
"Hey, Mac, mind speedin' up? There ain't no traffic at this time of day." Applejack nudged her brother from her seat.
"Nope." At that, the van sped up.
"So, do you have a schedule yet, Twilight?" Sunset asked.
"Ooh! I hope you're in our classes. Dibs on sitting next to you!" Pinkie raised her hand exuberantly, hugging Twilight tightly.
"No fair. You didn't even give me a chance." Rainbow crossed her arms defiantly.
Pinkie giggled, ruffling Rainbow's hair, "That's kind of the point, Dashie."
Twilight laughed, "All right, you two. No need to fight. Anyway, yeah, I do. Principal Celestia emailed it to me Saturday."
"No doubt you're in Trig. That's like college stuff right there." Rainbow leaned back in her seat, reclining her feet on the seat in front of her.
Twilight shrugged, "It's really not that bad. Are any of you in Trig?"
Sunset and Fluttershy raised their hands.
Twilight's eyes widened, "Fluttershy? Really?"
Fluttershy hid her face under her hair, "I honestly am surprised myself. I didn't think I was that smart."
Rarity rolled her eyes, "Oh, don't be so modest, darling. " She adjusted Fluttershy's butterfly pin. "You're very smart."
Twilight patted Fluttershy on the back, "Don't worry. It's not always a bad thing."
"Well, it's about time we got here." Applejack sighed as the van parked in front of the school.
The girls exited the vehicle. They watched as Big Macintosh drove off in the other direction.
"I'm guessing your brother's a graduate?" Twilight turned to Applejack.
Applejack nodded, "You guessed right. Been out of school for about two years now. It gives him time to manage the farm."
Twilight nodded, turning around to face the front of the building. She looked to the side to see the destroyed Wondercolt Statue. She hung her head. "I'm sorry for ruining the statue. I was just - "
"We know, Twilight. You don't need to keep apologizing. We've already forgiven you." Sunset smiled at her.
Twilight nodded sadly, "I know. But, it's going to take awhile for me to get over this."
"Well, until then, allow us to give you a tour of CHS." Rainbow ran toward the front door, holding it for the others.
"That'd be nice. I didn't get to see much since we were all running around during the Games. Lead the way."
-----
Twilight was given her locker number, which happened to be right next to Rarity's. She entered her combination into her locker and opened it, retrieving all of her books she'd need for first period.
"What's your first class, darling?" Rarity asked as she closed her locker.
Twilight took out her schedule, squinting her eyes at the tiny print. "Let's see. Today's Monday, right? So, for first period, I have...English. Well, that's an easy class to start with."
"Oh, shame. I have French. Well, don't worry. Pinkie Pie and Applejack have English first as well. They'll keep you company." Rarity looked at the clock above them. "Oh, heavens, if I don't get going, I'll be late. See you later, dear." She gave Twilight a quick hug before rushing off down the hall.
Twilight laughed, shaking her head. She grabbed her books, closing her locker. She quickly took her backpack off of her back and set it down on the ground. She unzipped it and was met with a slobbery dog kiss.
She giggled, "Spike." She wiped her face with her sleeve and looked back down.
"Sorry, I'm just glad to get some air. This bag's stuffy." Spike waved a paw in front of his face.
Twilight rubbed his head, "Sorry, Spike, but pets aren't allowed on school grounds. You have to stay hidden. Unless, you'd like to spend the entire day in my locker."
Spike shook his head, "No thanks. I'll stay hidden. "
Twilight smirked, "That's what I thought. Now, I need to get going. Remember, only talk when you're around me and the girls. Got it?"
Spike rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I got it. No talking. It's gonna be hard, though." He gave Twilight one final lick before ducking back into her bag.
Twilight smiled, zipping the bag and placing it on her back. She stood up, fixing her bun. She nodded to herself and started to walk.
Only to be knocked down.
"Ow." Twilight found herself on the floor, her glasses knocked askew on her face.
"Oh, T-twilight. Uh, sorry. Again." Twilight looked up to see the same boy who had bumped into her before, who she now knew as Flash Sentry.
He helped her up, picking up her fallen books as well.
Twilight fixed her glasses and looked at him in amusement, placing her hands on her hips. "So, do you bump into everyone, or just girls named Twilight?"
Flash rubbed his head, "Oh, so, they told you, huh?"
Twilight nodded, a twinkle in her eye. "They told me all right. It definitely explains why you seemed so happy to see me."
"Well, you sound like her and look like her, minus the glasses. I just assumed you were her." Flash leaned back against a locker.
Twilight chuckled, adjusting her glasses, "In a way I am, in a way I'm not. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, too. We're in the same boat."
Flash looked at her and smiled, "I guess you're right. Walk you to class?"
Twilight's eyes widened, "Well, if you want to."
Flash nodded and walked along with her to class.
-----
It was the end of the day. Twilight's last class was Trigonometry. What a way to end the day.
Twilight was finishing up the last problem on her paper when she heard a frustrated groan from next to her. She turned her head to see Sunset Shimmer sitting at her desk, her head in her hands as if she were depressed.
Twilight bit her lip, wondering if she should say something. She took a deep breath. "Hey, you okay?"
Sunset lifted her head, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "No. I'm not. I can't figure this out. I've redone it like a dozen times. Ugh." She furiously erased her work, wrinkling her paper.
Twilight looked at her sympathetically. She looked down at her paper then back at Sunset. She nodded to herself, raising her hand.
"Mr. Cartesian?"
The teacher looked in her direction, "Yes, Miss Sparkle?"
"May I help Sunset with her work?"
The teacher nodded.
Twilight smiled, "Thank you." She turned to Sunset. "So, what are you stuck on?"
Sunset looked surprised but showed Twilight her paper anyway.
Twilight took a look at her problem, trying to discern where she made her error. When she found it, she laughed.
Sunset bit her lip, "Well?"
Twilight chuckled, "You're going to kick yourself. " She pointed out where she made her mistake. "That should be 5,297. You should've carried the four, then multiplied that answer by 14xy squared plus 28.7x. Do that, and you'll get your answer." She sat back in her chair, arms crossed in triumph.
Sunset looked at the problem, then slapped her hand against her face, "Duh. Wow. I can't believe I didn't realize that. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
-----
Twilight sighed as she sat in the passenger seat of her brother's car, a smile stretching across her face as she thought about her day.
Shining Armor looked over to her briefly before turning his attention to the road. "So, how was school?"
Twilight hugged her backpack. "It was great." She unzipped her bag, allowing Spike to have some fresh air. He jumped and licked her face, causing her to giggle.
"Just great?" He chuckled. "That's all you have to say?"
Twilight leaned back in her seat, "There's a lot I want to say. But, it'd take too long to say it all. I haven't had fun in school since...I can't remember when." She hugged Spike tightly. "I don't know why I didn't give friendship a chance sooner. It's such an amazing feeling. The girls are all so nice. I'm so glad I transferred here."
Shining smiled, "Well, I'm glad you enjoy it. An intelligent girl like you shouldn't be alone. I'm happy that you've made friends." He said, as they pulled into the driveway.
Twilight hugged him tightly, "So am I, big brother. So am I."