Monday mornings usually couldn't be described as 'intimidating'.
Two figures stared in awe at the monolithic brick building that faced them in all its glory. A myriad of pristine windows that adorned the front of the building shone the morning sun’s light back to small piles of leaves scattered on the ground. Behind them stood a large marble-white statue with a stallion, reared up on its hind legs, made of stone on top, looking rather threatening yet majestic from their point of view.
Students who laid eyes on them as the duo looked around continued with their exchanged glances and whispers about the the two unknown girls, blissfully unaware of the reasons that brought them there in the first place.
A calm breeze blew across the front lawn of Canterlot High, scattering fallen leaves slowly across the grass. Starbreeze shifted uncomfortably towards her friend, pulling her dark purple jacket closer to her as the wind began to pick up. Worried cobalt eyes stared at small pebbles on the ground as the anxious girl’s brain worked in overtime to stave away fear that was creeping up on its host, finally causing her to work up the nerve to speak.
“I'm not too sure about this, Autumn…don't you think people will realize that-”
A comforting hand was placed on her shoulder as emerald eyes met her own, stopping Starbreeze mid-sentence. Several strands of pale orange hair were pushed behind her friend’s right ear as a red, leaf-shaped hair clip held back a portion of her hair on the opposite side. A warm smile crossed her lips, causing the corners of Starbreeze’s mouth to rise a little in response.
“What, that we’re former Shadowbolts?” Autumn spilled, glancing around to see if anyone overheard her, noticing several pairs of eyes turn towards them and away again after a moment. Fortunately for her, people seemingly didn’t hear or cared what she said. After a few more moments of silence and realizing the coast was clear, she whispered, “I don't think it would be much of a secret, considering what we’re wearing.”
Starbreeze pulled at her jacket once again, giving a glance at the Shadowbolts patch that was stitched to it before quickly looking up with an ashamed expression. “I-I'm sorry, Autumn. I just wanted to-”
A smirk rose. “Starbreeze,” She replied. “You don't have apologize for wanting to reminisce a little bit. I admit, Crystal Prep wasn't all bad...I guess.”
Starbreeze gave an incredulous glare at Autumn, remembering all the moments leading up to the point in time they were at. Sure it wasn't. You liar. She sighed. Might as well say something...
Standing on her tiptoes to place a hand to her friend’s ear, she said in a hushed voice, lower in tone, “Autumn...didn't you say that you wanted to move here because-”
A finger was placed to her lips as Autumn’s eyes met hers. “Honestly, I'd rather not talk about that now, okay?” she spoke in a whisper. Memories flooded Autumn’s mind as she spoke, forcing her to take a deep breath to repress those memories and get back on track. Before bitter tears could surface, she quickly pivoted on a heel to face the school with a giant grin. Starbreeze let out an audible squeak of surprise in response.
“And besides, this was your idea, remember?” she continued, looking over her shoulder at Starbreeze as she took hold of a trembling hand with equal parts warmth and resolve. Starbreeze wanted to push these memories back as much as she wanted to; she could see it, clear as day, in her determined yet anxious cobalt gaze. Adjusting her backpack with her free hand, Autumn began to move ahead at a brisk pace. Starbreeze was stammering behind her all the while as she was taken along for the ride.
“W-Wait, no it wa-” Starbreeze barely managed to sputter out as Autumn continued ahead.
"C'mon, I'm sure everything will be fine!" Autumn reassured.
“I-If you say so…” Starbreeze meekly said in response, unsure if Autumn was lying to make her feel better or attempting to convince herself of a not-so-blatant lie. Either way, she saw right through her false confidence.
A mischievous grin that her best friend couldn't see crossed Autumn’s face. “Don't you trust me, Starry?”
She felt her eye twitch in response to hearing the all-too familiar nickname Autumn had given her in the months leading up to their transfer to CHS. “I-I thought I told you not to call me that anymore, Autumn!”
“I’m pretty sure I never heard you say that.”
“...Liar.”
Starbreeze couldn't help feeling awkward as students took the time to glance at her jacket, turning their heads away in apparent disdain at the sight of Shadowbolts in their midst. As soon as Autumn had opened the double doors leading inside, it felt as though all eyes were now on them. Unfortunately, she was far too used to feeling isolated.
Starbreeze took the time to look at each student as they passed by, noticing the movement of their lips and their eyes darting back and forth between Autumn and her. A wave of anxiety washed over her as she continued to study every movement in a meticulous fashion, even those of the students that paid them no mind. That was a really bad habit she needed to break from; unfortunately, she didn’t think that would happen anytime soon.
No doubt some of them are talking about us, Starbreeze thought, biting her lip. She tried to divert her attention from the whispers, taking in her surroundings the best could despite the anxiety snaking through her already-rattled brain. The best thing she could do was to ignore them, hoping the moths left the flame alone.
She drew herself to two trophy cases that were embedded in the far walls opposite to them, for no particular reason other than to distract herself, displaying numerous award ribbons and trophies won by Canterlot High over the years. Each award glistened from the small lights above them in each case, lending a small bit more weight to the victory that claimed them as they shone neatly behind the glass. I wonder...how many victories were taken by Crystal Prep instead of CHS? Probably too many to count, if I remember correctly. Stupid, victory-obsessed school...
She stepped further into the lobby to interrupt her train of thought as Autumn trailed behind, noticing the mostly empty cafeteria save for a few students eating breakfast or gathering their belongings. Her eyes darted to the right, noticing a hallway stretch beyond as students turned the corner, whispering when they approached or passed by the newcomers. In some attempt to put the chatter behind her, Starbreeze spun on her foot to face two staircases leading to the second floor. Her smile widened as she thought of many possibilities, her mind immediately wandering to the thought of a library being beyond the staircase.
It took all her willpower to not to let a out a squeal of joy at the thought. Curiosity and excitement overtook her as her legs gained a mind of their own, guiding Starbreeze to the nearest stairwell to escape from the moths to her own personal sanctuary, a place where her own creative mind could flourish.
Autumn tapped her friend on the shoulder before she could run as fast as her legs could carry her, grinding her progress to a severe halt. Just as she did, Starbreeze's head turned towards her. With just enough movement that one eye was visible, Starbreeze shot a glare that could make anybody back off out of fear for their life. Autumn only chuckled in response, snuffing out Starbreeze's ire with her rather quickly. That look never seemed to faze her, did it? Might as well hear her out before I do anything stupid. Autumn, what the heck would I do without you?
“You do realize we're not going to get anywhere just wandering around, right?” She said, donning a smirk afterward. A quiet sigh escaped Starbreeze’s lips as her eyes scanned the nearby area for any signs of life. The coast was clear. Just how she wanted it to be.
“R-Right…sorry.” Starbreeze, thoroughly embarrassed, dusted off her jeans before falling in step with Autumn to their destination. Her hand intertwined with Autumn’s subconsciously on the way there, receiving a stronger grip from her friend to calm her racing nerves. The library stayed on her mind all the while, the only other solace she had in this unfamiliar place.
A single door left of the lobby was where the girls headed after gathering directions from an awfully energetic student with pink hair. Starbreeze was rather thankful that the girl, as nosy as she seemed, didn’t make a point to antagonize them. Before she could dwell on the situation for too long, the duo reached their destination, standing before them in the form of a wooden door. Mustering courage, Starbreeze slowly knocked on the wooden door with a shaky hand after receiving some encouragement from Autumn to do so.
A serene and rather mature voice sounded from the other side, calming her down almost immediately “Come in.”
The door creaked open, revealing to the girls a young woman with long, pastel-colored hair and a golden suit-jacket who sat in a rather large chair, leafing through several papers in a folder that had reached her desk. As the duo entered, she set it aside and motioned for the girls to come closer.
“Ah, you must be our two new students we've heard about. Autumn Dawn and Starbreeze, correct? Your parents contacted us beforehand to tell us about your arrival.
“U-um...yes, that’s us…” Starbreeze replied, albeit shakily as she nervously held her right arm out of habit. “You must be...Principal Celestia, right? I-I've heard a lot about you and the vice-principal from our dean…”
“Ah, yes. Dean Cadance, I assume? Vice Principal Luna and I are rather close to her. Honestly, it’s no surprise that she’d speak of you both to us, especially if you spoke to her about your transferring here.” Starbreeze swore she heard the principal chuckle a bit as she headed over to a small filing cabinet in the corner of the room. Opening it, she leafed through several folders, examining each with a passing glance before moving on to the next one. “Starbreeze and Autumn Dawn, transferring from Crystal Prep High School to Canterlot High School...let’s see…ah, yes. Here they are."
She held two folders forward, labeled with each girl’s name in small writing, coaxing the duo to take them. As they complied, beginning to look through them, Celestia spoke up with the same warm tone as she at back down in her chair.
“I suppose I should begin with a formal introduction. On behalf of the staff and the current student body, we happily welcome both of you to Canterlot High. I hope your time with us will be as enriching and delightful as possible.” A hand gestured to the folders as a warm smile crossed Celestia’s face. “Inside those folders are schedules for each of you, a handbook explaining the dress code and other rules of CHS, and several other documents containing information regarding sports and other activities, if you’re interested, of course.” As the girls continued to leaf through the folders, two small combination locks were set in front of them; taped to the back were small slips of paper with a three-digit number and passcodes on each of them.
A quick glance at their schedules revealed that they had a few classes together. Statistics, Visual Art, History...it wasn't much of a consolation, if she was being honest; there were other worries that plagued Starbreeze's mind, not being relieved in the slightest from those minor victories.
“On a side note,” Celestia said, breaking Starbreeze’s concentration from much more unpleasant thoughts. “I’m sure you both are aware that the Friendship Games are occurring this year, correct?” The girls nodded in unison. Starbreeze, after noticing the creeping annoyance on Autumn’s face, glanced down at the ground, fumbling with the zipper pull on her jacket. Autumn reached for her unoccupied hand, holding it firmly, calming not only her friend down, but herself as well.
“What about it?” Autumn’s shaky voice asked, waiting for an answer from the principal.
The silence ensuing it stretched on for an eternity in Starbreeze’s mind, infinite possibilities forming a bubble of anxiety that was ready to pop at any moment. Luckily, Autumn squeezed her hand tighter, barely noticing the principal leaning into an intercom on her desk, saying something that she didn't care enough to hear. She took a deep breath in response to her friend’s encouragement to relax, thankful that Celestia began to speak up at that point in time to diffuse the rising tension.
“Well, I understand that you came here because of some...unfortunate circumstances at Crystal Prep, from what both your parents and Cadance explained, but I assure you,” Celestia adopted a motherly tone, eyes softening as they trained on Autumn. “If anything does happen, especially concerning any upcoming events, you can always find me here to talk if you need to,” she mentioned, producing two light blue slips of paper from a small pack to give to the girls after she signed them, smiling all the while. “You might need these passes as well, I suppose.”
The duo thanked her as they grabbed their bags that laid beside them on the floor, placing the folders inside. As the two gathered their belongings and headed out, Celestia trailed behind.
“One more thing girls, before you head out,” Celestia mentioned, freezing the duo in their tracks as they turned to face her. “I've taken the liberty of calling someone down to the main foyer to give you a tour of CHS during your first period. I'd just thought I'd let you know so it didn't come as too much of a shock.”
“U-um...thanks, Principal,” Autumn said. “Oh, by the way, do you think you could tell Candance we said hello sometime? I think she’d like to hear it, honestly.”
"Of course, Autumn,” she responded with a warm smile. She spoke up again as she headed inside her office. “Just remember, if you need me for anything, my door is always open."
The door shut rather abruptly afterwards.
Silence reigned for a few moments between the two girls, save for the occasional sniffle from Autumn as she tried to fight back tears and the shuffling of Starbreeze moving closer to her for comfort. Autumn still held her hand tightly.
Starbreeze knew it was pointless to even ask why her best friend was fighting tears. She knew all too well that the only thing she could do is be there for Autumn in her time of need. Her hand instinctively went to Autumn’s shoulder, guiding her along as they headed to the main lobby.
After waiting for several minutes that felt like days, Autumn finally heard footsteps from the top of the staircase to their right. Emerging from the second floor was a rather beautiful girl with crimson-and-gold-striped hair and cyan eyes that shone like gems. Standing out about her the most was her slightly-tattered leather jacket with a magenta shirt underneath, emblazoned with a shining red-and-yellow sun.
“Oh, hey! You two must be the new girls I'm supposed to show around CHS, right?” She spoke with a twinge of excitement. Freaking adorable.
“U-um...yeah, t-that's us…” Starbreeze spoke up, stammering a little as her cheeks shone slightly red, proving to Autumn how simply adorable she could be, too. She outstretched her hand as she murmured, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, “I-It's nice to meet you...u-um…”
“Sunset Shimmer. And, well...it’s nice to meet you both, I guess,” she responded, shaking Starbreeze’s hand firmly. “So, uh...I guess we should start with the main foyer, huh?”
Autumn smiled warmly in response to the girl’s hidden enthusiasm. Although, she realized they forgot one little detail…
“By the way, Sunset,” Autumn spoke up, causing the girl to stop and slowly turn to face her. “My name’s Autumn Dawn. And this little one-” she said, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “-is Starbreeze.”
“I-I'm not that short, you know…” Starbreeze retorted, messing with her jacket's zipper pull again.
“..Yeah, you're right. 5’5” might not be that bad...Starry.”
Starbreeze glared up at her when the familiar nickname reached her ears, speaking volumes more than words could ever say. “Don't call me that, Autumn, please,” she murmured, staring at the floor and blushing. “Not in front of Sunset.”
Sunset smiled in response, placing a hand on Starbreeze’s shoulder. “Y’know, we really should get going,” she said, pointing a thumb directly behind herself.
“Heh, yeah. I guess you're right, Sunny.”
“C’mon, Autumn, don't do the same thing to her, dammit!” Starbreeze protested as Sunset led them halfway through the empty cafeteria to show them around, chuckling softly as she did so. “It’s already embarrassing enough when you do that to me all the time!”
“Yeah, I know...besides, that's just what make you so damn cute.”
Starbreeze didn't even bother responding to that one, choosing instead to bury her face into Autumn’s shoulder as Sunset attempted to hold back slight laughter in the middle of leading the duo down the right hallway after leaving the cafeteria.
I can see right through you, Sunset. You’re really nervous right now, scared even. Shit, I can’t blame you, Autumn thought to herself, glancing down at Starbreeze now and again to focus on her bright-red cheeks. Maybe the whole school hates her just as much as us; at least she isn’t showing it much, but...I guess we’re not too different in that regard. Ah well, maybe things might turn out okay after all...hell, maybe this fresh start is exactly what we needed all along. At least I've got you by my side in all this, Starry. There’s no way I would've been able to get through this alone.