Prologue: Welcome To Despair!
Hope's Peak Academy, the school for only the most gifted ponies and creatures in all of Equestria. To enroll, one must be top in their field of expertise and also must be a high school student. The students do not apply for the school but instead the school invites them.
If they graduate from the school, they are almost certainly guaranteed for a successful life ahead. Students who attend the school are given the title “Ultimate”. And yet somehow...I managed to get in.
I guess before I continue, I should probably introduce myself.
"My name is Lucky Clover and I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student."
Lucky Clover
}The Ultimate Lucky Student{
Species: Earth Pony
Coat Color: Grey
Mane and Tail Color: Black
Cutie Mark: Four Leaf Clover
I'm a pretty average stallion to be honest. I don't really have any outstanding interests or talents, I'm just...well average. The only reason I managed to get into this school was because I had won the yearly raffle the school held. Apparently that made me the "Ultimate Lucky Student"
I mean I know I'm pretty lucky, don't get me wrong. Heck, my cutie mark is a four leaf clover for crying out loud! But that still doesn't change the fact that luck really isn't much of a talent, more of a personality trait to be honest. So I was understandably nervous about entering this school.
So that's why I decided to look up some of my fellow students on the internet the day before. I managed to get some pretty detailed info on a lot of them, nothing personal, just common knowledge. They all seemed to be way above me on the social scale, but I was hopeful that I could make a few friends while I was here.
With a deep sigh I walked through Hope's Peaks gates and entered the entrance hall, but when I did...
"Wha-what the!?"
As soon as I entered the school, my vision began to contort and twist. It was almost like the whole world was being deconstructed in front of me. My world began to spin around and around. Soon it became too much for me and my world went dark...
"Ugh..."
I don't no how long I was out, but by the time I regained my senses I was in some classroom. I had no idea how I got there, all I remember was walking into the school and then my world twisting.
I looked around the classroom I was in. The first thing I noticed was that there were metal panels along the walls of the classroom. I tried to unscrew them, but nothing I did made it budge.
Maybe if I was a unicorn I could try to magic them off, but since I'm not that's a no go.
I also noticed a weird security camera in the room as well as a strange looking monitor hanging from the wall.
That's weird, why would they put a security camera in here? Is it here so the school makes sure we follow the rules or something? And what's with that monitor? Well the school is funded by the royal princess so I guess it makes sense for their to be a monitor in here. But something about it feels off...I don't know why through.
After that I decided to leave the classroom to see if I could find someone who could explain what exactly was going on. Before I left I checked the wall clock to see what time was.
Huh...it's already 8 o'clock. It was just after 7 when I got here. Can't believe it's already been an hour since then, feels longer for some reason.
After confirming the time I left the classroom and entered the hallway. The hallway I entered was pretty dark with an ominous purple hue all around the halls. Steeling my nerves I decided to head towards where I thought the main entrance was. I was hoping that my fellow classmates would be there, hopefully with some answers.
After passing by a strange huge red door, a video room, a locked off nurse's office, and school shop I went through the only open door in the hall. When I walked through...
"Hey, another new pony!"
I sighed in relief at seeing a few students in the entrance hall before I said,
"So that means you're all..."
A perky looking pink earth pony nodded her head rapidly before saying,
"Yep yep yep! We're all students starting our first day at Hope's Peak Academy too!!! Oh this is just soooooo exciting!"
Another pony, a purple unicorn wearing glasses, ignored the pink pony's outburst and said,
"With you that makes sixteen of us. Nice even number, you must be the last one."
I just gave her a confused stare, to which she just sighed before clarifying,
"By that I mean you're probably the last student. Classes here usually only have a total of sixteen students. So you being the sixteenth student to arrive must mean you're the last student here."
Her theorizing seemed sound as I took in this information. I looked out at the other 15 students, all spaced around the room before I stuttered out,
"O-oh...I see. Thank you for the information."
The purple pony just rolled her eyes before muttering something I couldn't hear as she walked away.
Did...did I say something wrong? She looked really annoyed for some reason.
After that and a few more minutes of awkward silence I decided to break the ice.
"Um...how's it going? My name's Lucky Clover, what's your guys's names?"
My question was responded with even more awkward silence. Chuckling nervously I thought,
Stupid! Clearly asking for names during a suspicious situation is the wrong thing to ask! ...Wait a minute that doesn't make any sens-
My thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched squeal coming from the pink pony. Said pony began bouncing up and down in an excited matter before stopping...in mid air!?!
What!? How is that even possible!?
My thoughts were amplified as somepony shouted out,
"What the?! Tell me you guys see the pink earth pony floating in mid-air?!"
Before anypony could answer her question the pink pony started giggling...while floating down. She soon stopped giggling, and floating, and responded,
"Well silly, I can float because it's a hilarious tension breaker!"
My confusion only sky rocketed at this declaration, as did the others in the room. Well...most of the others, somepony was laughing really hard at all this. Before I could even blink the pink pony was suddenly right in front of me! I jumped back in fright and let out an 'eep' of surprise. The pink pony just giggled at this before saying,
"Anyway, time for my totally cool intro! The names Pinkie D. Pie, and no I am not a pirate!"
Pinkie Pie
}The Ultimate Partier{
Species: Earth Pony
Coat Color: Pink
Mane and Tail Color: Also pink, but a darker hue
Cutie Mark: Three balloons in a triangle formation.
As Pinkie started to bounce off to some other pony to introduce herself to, I finally managed to calm down enough to remember where I had heard of her before. Pinkie Pie was famous all over Equestria for her out-of-control parties as well as her...bizarre behavior. Apparently she once threw a party for Princess Celestia that got so out of control that they had to close off Canterlot for a whole week just to calm everypony down.
Well I guess she isn't called the Ultimate Partier for nothing
"Well I guess that pink pony has the right idea, besides I bet you're all dying to be introduced to me!"
The sheer amount of arrogance in her voice was almost overwhelming! I turned to the source of the voice to see a light blue pegasus with the strangest hair color I've ever seen fly up into the middle of the room and say,
"The name's Rainbow Dash, and I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria!"
Rainbow Dash
}The Ultimate Flier{
Species: Pegasus
Coat Color: Light Blue
Mane and Tail Color: Rainbow
Cutie Mark: Cloud with Rainbow Lighting Bolt
While Rainbow was basking in her glory I thought back to what I read about her. Apparently she holds every flying record and has the fastest speed for getting from Canterlot to the other side of the world and back. There were rumors that she was going to be picked for the next spot on the Wonderbolts.
"Now now everypony, no need to clap all at once, there's enough of my awesomeness to go around!"
Oh yeah, and she was infamously known for her huge ego and arrogance. There were even rumors going around that she would do anything, even cheat, to win a race.
"Well don't you just like tooting your own horn? Hasn't anypony ever told you that arrogance is an ugly color for a lady?"
Rainbow gained an annoyed look before she started to look around,
"Okay, who said that! You got a problem with me or something!?"
At Rainbow's question a stunningly beautiful unicorn mare stepped forward and said,
"That would be me darling."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed as she flew done to the unicorn,
"Oh really? And who are you to be judging my awesomeness?"
The unicorn scoffed before saying,
"Arrogance is anything but 'awesome' darling. But if you must know my name then I will tell you. My name is Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique.
Rarity
}The Ultimate Designer{
Species: Unicorn
Coat Color: White
Mane and Tail Color: Moderate Indigo
Cutie Mark: Three Rectangle Shaped Diamonds
As Rarity and Rainbow Dash continued to bicker I thought on what I knew of Rarity. She was gifted even as a filly with an incredible sense of fashion and design. She also had a natural gift when it came to sewing and had designed and sewn countless dresses and suits that had sold for thousands! The princess even asked her to personally design and make her gala dress last year.
After my little info dump, I turned my attention back to Rarity and Rainbow Dash...only to see that they were still bickering. I couldn't help but sigh and think,
You'd think considering the situation we're in they wouldn't be arguing so much.
Before I could continue my thought I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking behind me I saw an orange earth pony wearing a Stetson giving me smile,
"It looks like those two will be at it for awhile, so ah figured I should keep the introductions going," she stuck out her hoof as she continued, "The name's Applejack, current owner and worker of Sweet Apple Acres. Home of the best darn apples in all of Equestria!"
Applejack
}The Ultimate Farmer{
Species: Earth Pony
Coat Color: Orange
Mane and Tail Color: Blonde
Cutie Mark: Three Apples
I had actually heard of Applejack before Hope's Peak. She had entered an apple bucking competition a few years ago near my town. I was sick the day it happened, but from what I heard she managed to buck 500 apple trees in under five minutes! She's also known for being able to grow any crop with no problems at all, as well as being the most honest pony in all of Equestria. She also once said in a interview that the key to a healthy life is honesty and hard work.
Smiling as I grabbed her hoof in my own I started to say,
"Nice to meet ya Applejahahahahahahahhahahahah!"
Oh, she's also one of the strongest ponies in the world. As I was learning with the fact that she held my hoof in a death grip and was literally shaking me up and down! She didn't appear to notice this as she smiled and said,
"Nice ta meetcha too Lucky! I hope when this whole mess is cleared up we can be good friends!"
When she finally let go of my hoof and I had stopped shaking I returned the smile and said,
"I'd very much like that Applejack."
She nodded her head at this before walking off, probably to introduce herself to the others. Before I could do the same I heard somepony mockingly laughing behind me,
"Oh that was just perfect! You looked like you were about to turn into paste with how much she was shaking you!"
My eye twitched in annoyance from the comment as I turned around to face the...pony?
"What the!? What the heck are you!?"
In front of me was some mismatched creature with a goat's face sporting a mischievous grin. The grin only got wider as he said,
"Oh, haven't you heard? I'm the one and only draconequus in all of Equestria, Discord!"
Discord
}The Ultimate Prankster{
Species: Draconequus
Body Color: Brown
Beard and Tail Color: White
I could only stare at Discord in shock, but before I could recall what I read about him he beat me to the punch as he said mockingly,
"Let me guess, you're probably thinking something along the lines of : 'Oh noes! Isn't he that evil spirit of chaos that was unsealed from his 1,000 year imprisonment in stone by the princess who oh-so-foolishly let him roam around free since he claimed he had seen the errors of his ways and decided to turn over a new coat?! That same Discord who not a week later dyed every piece of clothing in Canterlot baby blue and posted embarrassing photos of the Royal Guard captains on the internet?! I bet he's the one responsible for the boarded up windows!'"
It should be mentioned that he changed his face to mine and was doing a terrible impression of me the entire time he was talking. The scowl on my face must have been the reaction he was looking for as he changed his face back to normal and grinned before saying,
"Oh I hit the nail right on the head didn't I?! Well just to be clear that this is not my fault. This kind of chaos is far too mundane for my taste, and kidnapping is so last century. Though I have to compliment whoever it is that's able to keep ME here."
"B-but this place is only for high school students. Why are you here?"
"Oh sure, bring age into this. I'll have you know it's never too late to get an education, and this snooty school only accepts the best of the best."
His eyes wandered away from me and they lit up before he said,
"Oh! Well lookie who's here! Looks like we'll have to chat later Clover, I have an old friend to see!"
And with that Discord walked, more like, skipped off. Before I could go after him and find out who he was talking about and what he meant by being kept here, I heard a shout coming from where Rarity and Rainbow where bickering. Looking over in surprise I saw that their bickering had gotten even more intense and that they looked to be at each others' breaking points.
Looking around I saw everypony was just staring at the situation with different emotions, but none of them seemed to be ready to stop the fight. I was about to try and stop it myself when I heard a tiny female voice say in a ghost of a whisper,
"Uh...please stop fighting...."
My eyes widened in shock at just how quiet the mare was! The only way I even heard her was because she was near me! So it was obvious that the bickering mares didn't even bat an eye towards the mare and continued to argue. The yellow mare appeared to be determined to stop the arguing as she spoke in a slightly louder voice,
Uh...you're making everypony uncomfortable with your arguing...please stop.
The mares don't hear her and continued to argue. The yellow pegasus was going to try and stop them again, but was beaten to the punch when an insanely loud shout,
"WHEN PONIES WON'T STOP KICKING AND BITING, YOU MAKE THEM STOP FIGHTING!"
The two ponies immediately shut up when a huge minotaur charged over to the two. They both backed up at the hulking form of the minotaur who looked like he could lift two houses at once. The stared at each other for awhile till the minotaur said in a slightly quieter, but still loud tone,
"You were making everypony here very uneasy with your bickering. Please consider the situation we're all in and stop."
Rarity nodded her head dumbly and walked away. Rainbow, on the other hoof, got a challenging look in her eyes as she flew up to the minotaur and asked,
"And who are you to tell me what to do buddy?!"
The minotaur's eyes glinted before he shouted,
"I AM IRON WILL, THE ULTIMATE MOTIVATOR!"
Iron Will
}The Ultimate Motivator{
Species: Minotaur
Body Color: Grayish Cobalt Blue
Hair Color: Dark Cobalt Blue
Rainbow actually recoiled from just how loud Iron Will's voice was. She picked at her ear as she resonded,
"Jeeze man, no need to yell! You almost made me deaf!"
Iron Will didn't appear to hear her as he just said/shouted,
"IF YOU WANT TO BE HEARD, YOU MUST SHOUT YOUR WORDS! THAT IS IRON WILLS MOTTO!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes in annoyance,
"Whatever man, I'm out."
With that she flew off...and Iron Will followed her shouting something about 'Seminar Ticket prices.' As he chased her I thought back on what I read on him.
He had held up to over 100 self-help seminars with a 99.9% success rate. Each and every pony or creature that came to him for help had overcome their problems within a week of his teachings. He only charged 11 bits per day and he even offered to help rehabilitation efforts for free. His only quirk is his...unique teaching methods and the fact that he talks in the third person.
Seeing as how Iron Will helped defuse the situation with Rainbow and Rarity I decided to go introduce myself to the pegasus who tried to stop the fight. As I walked over to her she noticed me and made an adorable 'eep' sound and hid behind her mane. I chuckled nervously as I reached her and said,
"Uh...hi! I noticed that you tried to stop their bickering. Thanks for trying, at least you did considering everypony else was just standing and watching, including me. So uh...thanks."
The mare just nodded shyly at me and didn't say a word. Soon it became awkward as the two of us just stared at each other. Well more like I just stared at her mane as she probably looked through it at me. I coughed awkwardly into my hoof before asking,
"So..uh...what's you name?"
I think I saw the shy mare's eyes look to the ground before looking at me as she barely whispered,
"Uh...My name is Fluttershy."
Not quiet hearing her I asked,
"Uh...could you please say that again?"
She nodded her head again before whispering slightly louder,
M...my name is Fluttershy."
I still couldn't hear her and was about to ask again before a gruff voice said,
"Oh for pete's sake!"
Suddenly a talon landed on the shy mare's shoulder, which caused said shy mare to 'eep' in surprise. The talon belonged to a female griffon who was now leaning on the mare slightly. She had an annoyed look on her face as she said,
"The little shybug's name is Fluttershy."
Fluttershy
}The Ultimate Caretaker{
Species: Pegasus
Coat Color: Yellow
Mane and Tail Color: Rose Pink
Cutie Mark: Three Butterflies
The now named Fluttershy made another 'eep' sound at being introduced, and the griffon, still holding her annoyed expression, continued,
"And before you ask, the name's Gilda. Got that?"
Gilda
}The Ultimate Baker{
Species: Griffon
Body Color: Brown
Head Feather Color: White
I nodded my head at Gilda's question, and she responded with,
"Good, come on Flutters. Let's get back to Dash."
With that Gilda began to drag Fluttershy off. Said mare looked like she was trying to say something before giving up and giving me a shy wave. I waved back before thinking back on what I knew on the two.
Fluttershy is known throughout the world for her impressive caretaking skills. She is somehow able to understand animals on a whole different level then most ponies. She's even better when it comes to colts and fillies, who have all said that she was the "bestest most funnest babysitter ever!" She's also known to be able to tame the most deadly of creatures. She once even convinced an Ursa Major to move it's home without even hurting it. She's also infamously known for her 'Stare' that can paralyze anypony in their tracks.
Gilda, on the other hoof, is known far and wide for her impressive baking skills. A relative of the famous chef Gustave la Grand, she got her start selling her family recipe scones, before moving onto other confections. She can make the most delicious bakery products from the most simple of ingredients. She once baked all of the goods in the catering for the Griffon Pony Friendship Treaty a few years back. In fact her acceptance in this school is not only because of her status as an Ultimate, but to also help increase relations between ponies and griffons. However she has a bad temper and gets angered very easily. There was an instance where she destroyed a whole bakery interior for having the worst ingredients when it dared to call itself a five-star bakery.
After going over what I remembered I started to head off in some random direction in the room to try and meet somepony else, but I wasn't really paying attention so I ended up bumping into somepony on accident. Seeing the overwhelming sight of pink, I realized it was Pinkie, but she seemed more calm then before. I chuckled nervously before saying,
"Hehehehe...sorry about that Pinkie. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
Pinkie just chuckled...cruelly(?) before saying,
"Oh my, you seem to mistaken me for somepony else. You see I'm not Miss Pie, I am..."
My eyes widened in shock, as did some of the others, as Pinkie suddenly burst into green flames. When the flames died down a pony like figure with holes all over her body had replaced her. The pony, no wait changeling smiled at the shocked looks she received before finishing her sentence,
"Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings and the Ultimate Disguiser!"
Chrysalis
}The Ultimate Disguiser{
Species: Changeling
Body Color: Black and Green
Hair(?) Color: Dark Cerulean
My eyes widened even more at her declaration. Not so much at the fact that she was a changeling, they'd been known to pony society since the Pony-Changeling Peace Treaty signed 20 years ago, but more of the fact that she herself was here. I mean I figured that she would be the best at disguising herself considering she's the queen of a whole species of them, but I didn't think she'd go to Hope's Peak. Chrysalis must have been reading my mind as she said,
"You're probably wondering why little 'ol me is at this school? Well it's all very hush-hush with the princess that I should attend this school now that I've inherited the thrown from my mother. Since changeling relations have been so shaky the last couple of years, they figured this would be a good sign that things are good. So Hope's Peak was oh so kind to let me in as long as I didn't reveal myself to the public and one other condition."
I could only stare in confusion at what she said before asking,
"But aren't you revealing yourself right now?"
The changeling merely shook her head before saying,
"Oh you poor naïve fool. It's obvious that we're in a situation that is out of the school's control. So I saw fit to reveal myself so I could establish a sign of trust between my fellow captives. Ponies and other creatures alike tend to act irrationally in these kind of situations, so I want everypony to know I can be trusted."
She looked around the room as she said this, sending a brief glare towards Applejack who returned it, before looking back at me. I gulped slightly at her stare before I asked,
"Uh...what was that other condition you mentioned?"
She sighed at this,
"Oh yes, that. Well its quiet simple Mr. Clover, you se-"
"QUEEN CHRYSALIS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO EXPOSE YOURSELF!" came a shout as an orange pegasus stormed over to us with an angry look on is face. The Queen merely sighed before continuing,
"That is the other condition. I must have a guard escort me throughout the school to keep me in check. Mr. Clover let me introduce you to Flash Sentry, the Ultimate Guard."
Flash gives me a salute as he says,
"Pleasure to meet you sir!"
Flash Sentry
}The Ultimate Guard{
Species: Pegasus
Coat Color: Orange
Mane and Tail Color: Sapphire Blue
Cutie Mark: Blue Shield with a Yellow Lighting Bolt in the Middle
Here was a guy I had no information on, but I assumed by his title he must be a very good guard, and he seemed young enough to enter the school. Anyway, Sentry diverted his attention from me to Chrysalis, a glare adorning his face as he said,
"Queen Chrysalis, you must know that even if the situation we're in is slightly...unusual that does not mean you should reveal yourself so casually!"
Chrysalis merely rolled her eyes in annoyance before growling out,
"Listen you little peasant, this situation we're in is anything but unusual! The windows are boarded up from the inside with metal and I can't teleport out of here! This is a kidnapping plain and simple, and I will not be forced to conceal myself if I don't have to! Is that clear you little worm?!"
Flash, shrank back more and more as Chrysalis ranted, and let out a unstalionly 'eep.' He tried to get a word in edgewise to the angry queen, but both of them were interrupted by a calm pleasant voice.
"Now now Chrysalis, no need to scare the poor guard. He's just doing his job after all."
I turned around to see who was talking, and immediately bowed as before me was a pony everypony knew. The alicorn before me let out a giggle before saying,
"No need for that, we're all students now, no need for formalities. Just treat me like everypony else. In fact let me introduce myself! My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but my friends call me Cadance."
Mi Amore Cadenza (Cadance)
}The Ultimate Matchmaker{
Species: Alicorn
Coat Color: Pink
Mane and Tail Color: Purple/Yellow/Magenta
Cutie Mark: A Crystal Heart
Everypony knows about Princess Cadence. The adopted niece of Princess Celestia, she is the Princess of Love. She has fixed thousands of broken relationships and started millions more. She has been known to instantly know the type of pony you're destined to be with just by looking at you. There have even been rumors that she has been dating a secret coltfriend and that there was going to be a wedding soon.
Chrysalis's eyes widened upon seeing Cadence, but she plastered on a smile aimed at the princess.
"Oh, if it isn't the Princess of Love? I must admit I was not expecting you to be here. In fact from what I remember you were supposed to be investigating some disturbance in the north."
Cadance smiled back with an almost forced smile, as she replied,
"Oh you know, plans change. I got an acceptance letter into Hope's Peak and I could not just pass this up. I'm sure you understand considering how you got in last minute as well."
"What'd you do? Flutter your eyes at them?" Chrysalis asked in mock interest.
"Oh no, they just recognized real, true talent. Unlike some who are here for political reasons..." Cadance shot back with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
Sensing the rising tension while Sentry tried and failed to stop it I decided to do the wise thing and back off. I continued to back off till I backed into a wall...of muscle? I turned around to see...
Holy mother of Celestia what kind of drugs is this guy taking?!
In front of me was a white stallion pegasus that had bulging muscles that seemed to be pulsing with even the slightest of movement.
And I thought Iron Will was huge, this guy is a monster compared to him!
The pony looked down at me with his piercing red eyes, and I thought he was going so squash me for bumping into him. But instead he gave me a kind smile before saying,
"Sorry dude, you okay?"
I could only nod dumbly at such a calm response from this hulking form of muscle. He chuckled at my expression,
"The name's Bulk Biceps!"
Bulk Biceps
}The Ultimate Weightlifter{
Species: Pegasus
Coat Color: White
Mane and Tail Color: Dark Blonde
Cutie Mark: A Dumbbell
I had actually heard of Bulk before, I just never expected him to look so...well huge in person. The guy looked like he took a bunch of steroids everyday since the day he was born! He holds the world record for heaviest weight lifted at 6,270 pounds...in each hoof! The dude is the poster boy for every weightlifting club in the world. However, he was born with a wing defect that made his wings stop growing at a very young age, so he's continuously mocked for it.
I gave Bulk a kind smile as I said,
"Nice to meet'cha Bulk. I think I've almost met everypony, so if you don't mind I'm going to find the last few ponies to introduce myself to. Wanna talk later when this is all done?"
Bulk gave me another smile before he shouted,
"YEAH!!!" very enthusiastically. After my hair straightened back from his outburst, he said in a more calm manner, "That'd be cool."
Nodding at his mood whiplash, I walked away from Bulk and looked around for anypony I had not met yet. I eventually spotted somepony, over in the corner of the room, or should I say somedragon? About eye level to a pony in size, he stretched his lanky limbs out as he leaned against the wall.
"Hi there!" I called out.
The purple dragon gave me a loopy grin and extended his claw to me.
"Hiya dude!" he spoke in a relaxed, almost lazy like manner. "I was wondering when my turn was for this little introduction thingy. The name's Spike, and I'm the Ultimate Assistant!"
Spike
}The Ultimate Assistant{
Species: Dragon
Scale Color: Purple and Tan
Hair Scale Color: Green
I grabbed Spike's claw in my hoof and shook it.
"Nice to meet ya Spike."
Like with Flash, this was another student I had no information on. While other species and cultures were on relatively friendly terms with Equestria, not much was known about the dragon lands. From the stories I'd heard though, I didn't expect to meet one that seemed so friendly and laid back.
"So what do you think about this whole boarded windows thing?" I asked him.
Spike let go of my hoof and let out a chuckle before saying,
"It's obviously some elaborate prank set up by the school. I mean we are freshmen coming into high-school, so I wouldn't be surprised if this is just the seniors or the teachers just pulling our legs."
Thinking over Spike's reasoning, I couldn't help but agree with him. I mean there was no better explanation as to why this was all happening. I mean sure it was a little extreme, but there was no other way but for this to be a pra-
"You're all a bunch of idiots."
Suddenly all chatter stopped dead cold at the sophisticated voice that echoed throughout the room. Spike sighed and mumbled to himself,
"Oh boy, here she goes again."
Confused by his comment, I looked to where the voice came from. At the center of the room was the purple unicorn from before, and she looked like she was both annoyed and calm at the same time. Rainbow, ever the hot-head, flew up to the unicorn and asked,
"Oh yeah? And why are we so stupid?"
She just fixed her glasses before saying,
"Simple. You're all acting buddy-buddy like nothing is wrong with the situation we're in."
Discord let off a chuckle before asking,
"Oh, then please do enlighten us miss prim and proper. Just what exactly is our situation? I simply thought we were stuck in a school with windows boarded up with metal. Clearly I'm missing something, please fill me in."
The unicorn let out a scoff before replying,
"While that may be the obvious problem, there are plenty of more glaring problems. Tell me, who here woke up in a classroom after passing out when walking into the school's front doors?"
Everyone in the room...raised their respective appendages to Twilight's question. My eyes widened at that.
"What! That can't be...how is it possible that we all passed out and woke up in a classroom? That makes no sense!" I declared.
Chrysalis followed me up,
"Mr. Clover is correct, the likelihood of all of us experiencing the same event is highly unlikely. Which just makes this situation all the more suspicious."
As the others started to chatter in agreement the purple unicorn nodded her head,
"Other evidence that supports the fact that this is not just some simple prank," her annoyed eyes darted over to Spike when she said this before continuing, "is the fact that none of us who can use magic...can teleport out of here."
A few seconds after she said that there was an outburst of shock from the occupants of the room. Most notable being Rarity who yelled out,
"She...she's right! I can't use my magic to get out of here! WHAT'S GOING ON! OH THIS IS JUST THE WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!"
The purple unicorn ignored the outburst and continued her speech.
"I also haven't been able to use any long distance communication spells either, do you know what that means?"
There was silence for a few moments before Applejack spoke up.
"That means we're all cut off from the outside world, and ya'll magic types can't just teleport us all out."
This caused another uproar from my fellow students as Gilda yelled,
"OH JUST WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!!"
Following her outburst was Pinkie saying,
"Oooh! The plot is finally kicking in! You know this reminds of a time when I..."
"Well that's interesting. Not even I can effect the windows," Discord interupted as he snapped his claws over and over again with nothing happening.
This worried me most of all, because if the so called god of chaos couldn't do anything, then something strange was going on. Eventually all the talking calmed down as Rainbow asked the purple unicorn,
"Okay, seriously lady just who are you?! You got us all freaking out yet we still don't know who you are!"
The purple unicorn just sighed at this,
"I was hoping you'd recognize my status, but it seems I have to inform you all. My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia herself."
Twilight Sparkle
}The Ultimate Magician{
Species: Unicorn
Coat Color: Purple
Mane and Tail Color: Violet with a Pink Stripe
Cutie Mark: A Magenta Starburst Surrounded By 5 Small White Starbursts
My eyes widened at her declaration. Everypony and their mother knew of Twilight Sparkle. Gifted at a young age with insane amounts of magical energy, she almost destroyed her elementary school if Celestia herself didn't get involved. Since that day Princess Celestia took her under her wing and taught her how to control her magic. She spent years learning everything there is about magic. She invented her own spell at the age of 10 and was the youngest unicorn to get their magic license at 12.
Everypony got in a uproar again after that, but before things got too out of hoof Spike stepped up and said,
"Okay okay, everypony calm down. Now I don't know about all of you but I still think this is a prank. A very elaborate prank, yes, but a prank none the less."
Twilight glared at the dragon and growled,
"Spike! What are you doing!?"
Spike let out a sigh, "Calming everypony down from your crazy conspiracy theories Twi." This caused him to receive another glare from the mare, but he turned back to all of us and continued on with his tirade. He talked about how this was all a prank and how it was just the school messing with us. By the time he was done pretty much everypony was convinced, except for Twilight who just looked annoyed.
I could feel everypony's tension evaporating....but then...it happened.
*Ding dong, bing bong*
Suddenly the TV screen in the room sprang to life as a silhouette of a...bear(?) appeared on the staticy screen. The thing cleared it's throat before speaking,
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...!"
The voice sounded so out of place, so cheery and playful. I couldn't help but feel a deep, unnerving dread at the sound of it. It was like hearing somepony laugh when you told them your grandparents passed on.
"Ah, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That's all. I'll be waiting!"
With that the screen went dead and the intercom went silent.
"Well Spike, is this part of the prank?" Twilight asked condescendingly.
"I...uh...sure. This is probably where they'll drop the act, and we'll all have a good laugh," he said a bit nervously.
All of us a little unnerved, we didn't really have any other theories or options to go on, so we kind of just accepted that explanation. A few moments later my fellow students began to walk out of the room, some in groups and others by themselves and all of them talking about how this really was a prank.
That left me in the room alone...or at least I thought I was alone.
"Hey."
I turned around in shock at the voice. Behind me was a yellow unicorn with a kind smile on her face. That smile stayed on her face as she continued,
"Looks like I'm not the only one who got left behind," she extended her hoof to me before continuing, "The name's Sunset Shimmer, you're Lucky Clover right?"
Sunset Shimmer
}The Ultimate ?????{
Species: Unicorn
Coat Color: Light Amber
Mane and Tail Color: Red with Yellow Stripe
Cutie Mark: Intertwined, Half Red, Half Yellow Sun
I smiled at her friendly demeanor as I took her hoof in my own and shook it.
"Yep, that's me. Nice to meet ya Sunset."
"Nice to meet you too Lucky," she smiled as we let go of our hooves. "You know we should probably get going before we're too late."
I nodded my head at that and we both began to walk out of the entrance room and towards the gymnasium, which I figured was at the other end of the hall. As we walked, I tried to remember if I had any information on her. Try as I might, I couldn't recall any mention of her, just like the guard and Spike. My thoughts were interupted when Sunset made a 'tsk' noise before asking,
"So, am I the only one that thought that that announcement was a little off?"
My eyes widened when she said that.
"You're not the only one. Something about that announcement was off, like whoever was talking was way too cheerful considering what's happened to us."
She nodded her head as her face scrunched in thought.
"Yeah. I mean wouldn't it have made more sense to tell us then that this was all some big prank or something, not just that the entrance ceremony was starting? Something just doesn't seem right here."
"Agreed," I nodded, "I wish I could believe Spike, but I feel like something really bad is going to happen."
Sunset nodded in agreement, and after that our walk towards the gym was silent. Well it was for awhile till Sunset suddenly got a confused look upon her face.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"You know, its weird. I feel like I've been in high school already. But I don't recognize this hall at all, and I don't even remember how I got here in the first place."
Confusion and worry overtook me then.
"Wait...you don't remember how you got here Sunset?"
"No," she said as she closed her eyes.
"Do you remember anything before coming here?"
She opened her eyes and sighed at my inquiry.
"To be honest, I don't remember a single thing about myself. After I woke up, all I knew was that my name was Sunset Shimmer, and that I was a high schooler at Hope's Peak."
"That's all?"
She put a hoof to her temple in thought, but then shook her head,
"Well, there is some other useless information about the school, but nothing about my life...I just can't remember who I am or what my Ultimate is."
I couldn't help but feel pity for the poor mare as I grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure your memories will come back, we just need to jolt them is all," I said with as much sincerity as I could produce.
A small smile overcame her face.
"You really think so?"
"I know so," I declared in determination, which caused her to chuckle slightly.
"Well, aren't you quiet the optimist?" she said visibly more relaxed.
I chuckled nervously at the question before saying,
"Hehehehe...just one of my perks is all. Oh! Looks like we're here."
As I said that we stopped in front of two doors with the word "Gym" above them. Sunset looked at the door and then at me.
"Mind not telling anypony about my amnesia? It's kind of embarrassing is all. I mean considering the situation we're in my lost memories are the least of anypony's problems."
I nodded my head and smiled.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
She gave me a look of gratitude and we proceeded into the gym.
After walking through a room with a display case holding multiple trophies we entered another set of twin doors and found ourselves in the gym. The gym itself was pretty big with a entire basketball court in it. In the front of the gym was a stage with a podium on it. Next to the podium was a bonsai tree and in front of the stage were a bunch of chairs, most likely for the entrance ceremony.
The others were already there but none of them took a seat besides Spike, who looked pretty laid back and was even leaning back on his chair. Everybody looked at us as we entered, but before we could say anything that same cheerful voice spoke out,
"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everypony here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVTV597ET5A
Spike let out a surprised yelp at the sudden appearance of the...thing and he fell backwards and off his chair. We all just stared in shock at the...bear before us on the podium. One half white with a smile, and the other half black with a snarl, it was a strange sight to behold. The silence was broken when Fluttershy's usually quiet voice rang out through the gym,
"Is...is that a teddy bear?"
"I am not a teddy bear! I...am...Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!" it declared, apparently not liking being called a teddy bear.
Now I've seen a few things in my life, ranging from giant monsters to video game message boards. This thing though, was the strangest thing I had ever seen.
"Nice to meet you all!"
Such a bright and cheerful attitude was so out of place. All the anxiety I had been feeling suddenly transformed into fear. Just...it was just so unreal. I mean a talking teddy bear!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELfxtdEakhk&list=PLU4ktq2pWONtJ7o5pLZyWJc88nttIzMKx&index=30
Apparently I wasn't the only one freaking out as Rarity screamed,
"Wh-whaaaatttttt! The teddy bear is talking! Why is the teddy bear talking!?"
"Calm down, it's probably just enchanted," Twilight scoffed.
Apparently the bear didn't like being ignored, as it jumped up and yelled back at us.
"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"
That did nothing to calm Rarity down, if anything it only freaked her out more as she yelled out,
"Ahhhhhh! The teddy bear can move!"
Gilda let out a sigh of annoyance to the white mare.
"Calm down drama queen! Like the purple bitch said, it's probably one of those enchanted toys for fillies to play with," Twilight glared at that nickname, but Gilda either didn't notice or didn't care. "Even I know that and I'm from the Griffon Kingdom."
Suddenly the bea...Monokuma gained a depressed aura and looked down in sadness.
"How dare you compare me to a foal's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mareana Trench. I'm the ultimate combination of machine and magic! My design is so complex that even the folks at Celestia's Magic Academy can't create or even comprehend it!"
Monokuma's face then became angered as he threw out his arms and shouted,
"Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy CMA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!"
....
....
...
"Well then," he said rubbing the back of his head at our silence,"...moving on! We really must hurry and get started..."
"Wow man, way to give up already! No more stupid bear puns then?" Rainbow mocked.
"Quiet down now, quiet down. Ah, okay so...!"
"He abandoned the gag fast huh?" Bulk theorized as he stared blankly at the so called headmaster.
The thing's forehead twitched, but he again ignored the outburst.
"Everypony, stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!" he shouted.
Nopony bothered to actually listen to Monokuma...well almost nopony. Flash Sentry and Bulk Biceps gave a loud "GOOD MORNING!" to him. This only caused Chrysalis to roll her eyes in annoyance as she said,
"You idiots, you don't have to say good morning back. In fact you didn't even need to bow at all."
The sheepishly looked back at her and chuckled, while Monokuma cleared his throat loudly to get our attention.
"Now then, without any more interruptions, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like."
Almost everypony, myself included, stood at attention to hear what our so called headmaster had to say.
"Now, ah, make no mistake,you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope..." he paused and raised his arms, "...you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school. Now then, regarding the end date for this communal life..."
Now this got everpony's attention as we all leaned forward to hear when this would all be over with...
"There isn't one!"
Silence...and then....
"WHAT!"
Seemingly ignoring our collective outburst of shock Monokuma continued with his speech,
"In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."
While everypony was just staring at Monokuma in shock, Fluttershy stuttered out,
"Did...did he say until we di...die!?"
The bear ignored her, placing his white paw behind his head.
"Oh, but fear not! We have quiet an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences."
"Now listen hear varmint! That there is the least of our worries!" Applejack growled with a glare.
"What in Tarturas is going on!? Are you screwing with us? Cause if you are your on your way to having my talon up your ass!" Gilda roared.
"I am not screwing with you!" the bear yelled in anger. "I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure. And just for your information...you're completely cut off from the outside world. No phones, no magic, nothing! So you don't have to worry about the dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"
This just cause another uproar among us,
"BUT WHAT ABOUT MY SEMINARS?!" Iron Will shouted.
"What about my shop?!" Rarity screamed.
"What about my parties?!" Pinkie screeched in dread.
Ignoring all of us, the bear spoke once more.
"Also, you may have noticed that none of you magic types can teleport away from the building. You can thank my oh so wonderful magic proof Monoshield! Surrounding our school is a technologically advance force field that keeps all of you magic types from leaving."
I heard Twilight tsk, at this, and glare at a sheepish looking Spike. Probably smug about being right about no teleportation, but I sorta just blocked her out.
"So all those metal plates all over the school are meant to keep us in here?" I asked to myself while everyone else shouted.
When all of a sudden Monokuma appeared right in front of me, causing me to jump back in fright.
"That's exactly what they're there for. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help...help will not come. So with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandonment!"
As soon as he finished saying that everypony started to get in an uproar about how this couldn't be happening or how this was just a prank set up by the school (Spike). The most notable one being Applejack who said,
"Do ya'll honestly believe I wanna stay here forever!? I got mah family and farm to take care of! Where's the exit, I want outta this school!
Eventually everypony else started to saying stuff similar to that, till the point that Monokuma let out a frustrated sigh.
"Come now, what's the matter with all of you? You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? Yet the entrance ceremony isn't even over yet and you all already want to leave?! Well..." his face took on a thoughtful look, "I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There *is* one way for you to leave the school..."
Everyone stopped talking and began listening with excitement on their faces. I only had one of dread.
Something about his tone is giving me a bad feeling about what he's about to say.
"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave!"
Monokuma put his paws together in a crafty way before he threw them out and said,
"I call it...the Graduation Clause! Now let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if somepony were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"
"What do you mean by "disrupt the harmony"? Do you want us to stay up all night making noise?" Twilight asked skeptically.
The bear suddenly gained an evil glint in his red eye and chuckled.
"Oh no no no, nothing that trivial. Pupupu... Well, you know... If one of you were to murder another...."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpkl30bTHhw&index=7&list=PLU4ktq2pWONtJ7o5pLZyWJc88nttIzMKx
Silence reigned as all our eyes widened. I could feel my heart skip a beat as I stuttered out,
"M-Murder!?" The bear nodded and began to dance around.
"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, magical blasting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill somepony if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."
My blood ran cold at what Monokuma said. We had to kill somepony just to leave this stupid school? The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine. Disbelief and horror were written across my classmate's faces. In response, Monokuma covered his mouth and giggled.
"Pupupu. I bet *that* got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a griffon catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know..." His voice took on an almost wishful tone, "Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair And I just find that so...darn...exciting!"
This just causes another huge outburst as most of us began to freak out. Well, everypony besides Discord, Chrysalis, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy. The first three held inquisitive looks, deep in thought, but for the last to...well they sorta passed out as soon as Monokuma went into his examples of how to kill somepony.
Gilda on the other hoof chose anger over anything else.
"Listen up asshole! This has gone way too far! What the Tartarus kinda joke is this!?"
Monokuma looked confused at this,
"Joke? What, you mean like your beak-job?"
That seemed to be the last straw for her as she roared,
"BBBUUUUUUUUUU-!"
The next thing I knew Gilda was flying at Monokuma, straight and fast like a bullet. She locked onto her target...
"Gotcha you little stuffed bastard! I dunno if you're a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the Tarturas! Either way I'm gonna rip you to buckin' shreds!"
Gilda had grabbed Monokuma and hoisted him into the air. The bear flailed about trying to escape but it was no use. Monokuma eventually stopped struggling as he spoke in a panicked tone,
"Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!"
Gilda didn't even care as she yelled,
"Shut the buck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Celestia..."
Suddenly Monokuma went limp and a strange beeping sound began to come from him.
"What the...?" she mumbled while looking at the limp bear in her talons.
The beeping started to go faster and faster as we all looked to Gilda. The beeping sounded familiar, almost like it was a-
"You idiot! Get rid of that thing now!"
Gilda looked over at Twilight in confusion and was about to say something when Twilight cut her off,
"Didn't you hear me you idiot?! Throw the damned thing if you value your life!"
I don't know if it was the sheer seriousness of her tone or something else, but Gilda obeyed and threw Monokuma. And as soon as she did...
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The bear exploded, pieces of him flying everywhere. Several of us hit the deck, while others like Bulk and Will just braved the wreckage no worse for wear. When the coast was clear, I looked up and saw Gilda standing shellshocked. She stared at where Monokuma exploded and mumbled,
"What the buck!? That sure as Tarturas wasn't a joke. He just bucking blew up right then and there!"
Before anypony could say or do anything, another Monokuma appeared on the stage with an annoyed expression on his face. He sneered at Gilda and said,
"See what happens when you break the rules? That was a waste of a perfectly good body!"
Gilda just stared at Monokuma in horror and screeched,
"You...you son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!"
Monokuma just nodded his head sagely.
"Indeed I did. You violated one of the school rules and had to be punished. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. All naughty little boys and girls who violate my rules will be punished severely!"
I could only gulp in fear to what Monokuma implied when he said punishment. The others seemed to share my thoughts as they too had looks of fear on their faces. Discord, on the other hoof, just stared at Monokuma curiously before he asked,
"So Mono, does that mean there are a bunch more of you throughout the school?"
Monokuma simply nodded his head.
"Monokumas have been placed around the school, yes. Also don't forget about the security cameras in every room! I will know if you break a rule, and I will act accordingly if you are caught." With that said Monokuma put on a cheery face and continued with his speech. "Now then, lastly...To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you..."
The bear suddenly flung a bunch of thin rectangular objects at each of us. When we all caught ours (except Spike, who missed it and it ended up smacking into his face) Monkuma explained to us what they were,
"Those are your official student hoofbooks! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see it is fully digital, so we call it the e-Hoofbook! These little miracles of technology are indestructible and are totally water-proof. No matter what you do to it it'll never be destroyed! Whenever you turn it on it displays your name, so make sure you have the right one!"
None of us even attempted to turn them on. Our focus was entirely on the cruel monster in front of us.
"Also, these have the school regulations in them. More rules will be added in time so make sure to look at them often. Don't want to accidentally break one now do we? I won't be held responsible for what happens if you do!"
Not a word was spoken. Fear at this insane bear had taken us all.
"And with that our ceremony has come to an end! Remember this school is your home, your life, your world from this moment on! And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...see ya!"
With that said, Monokuma disappeared leaving us to just mumble amongst ourselves or look at our e-Hoofbooks. I think I heard Spike say something about how the joke had gone too far, and maybe Iron Will shouting something about nopony being crazy enough to believe this. Honestly I couldn't tell, I was too distracted staring at my e-Hoofbook in pure fear. However I was snapped out of it when Twilight's suspicious glare landed on me. I stared back at her in confusion, not knowing what I'd done to earn the ire of the bespectacled mare. She stared at me for a bit before sighing and saying loud enough for everypony to hear,
"Now some of you may think that this is still some joke...for some reason," she shook her head at Spike's nervous look, and continued "But what really matters right now is this. Is there anypony here who's seriously considering all this...?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0dZnWkzv2U&index=27&list=PLU4ktq2pWONtJ7o5pLZyWJc88nttIzMKx
It took a minute to realize what she was implying, but we quickly caught on. I must shamely admit that I had suspicion in my eyes as I looked at my classmates. They all stared at one another, trying to gauge each other's thoughts. I could almost taste the hostility.
And that's when it hit me...
I realized the true terror hidden within the rules Monokuma had laid out. It had planted viscous thoughts in our minds, forcing us to think that one of us might actually betray us.
And that's how my new school life began. However, it was not a school of hope as I hoped it would be. No...it was something far worse...
....
....
....
It was a school of despair!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQbP2RJCw3k&list=PLU4ktq2pWONtJ7o5pLZyWJc88nttIzMKx&index=47
Surviving Students:
16
End of Prologue: Welcome to Despair
To Be Continued