The morning dawned bright and clear at Canterlot High School. It was 15 minutes to go before class was due to start, and the hallways were filled with the sounds of chattering students and the opening and closing of locker doors. Among them was Orion Shadow, a somewhat handsome grey-skinned young man dressed, rather peculiarly, in a tweed jacket and bow tie with jeans and black shoes, and a fez.

He stepped up to his locker and quickly spun the combination, and extracted a book and a notebook.

Abruptly he felt a hand sweep over his head and grab the fez. From behind, a girl's voice said "Nice fez, dork. What are you, a wannabe Shriner or something?"

Orion blinked and turned to look, finding the yellow-skinned, leather jacket wearing form of Sunset Shimmer standing behind him, his fez in her hand. He rolls his eyes, "No Sunset, I just like the fez… why does that bother you?"

"Because it's nerdy," Sunset said, tossing it into a corner. "Just like you." She grabs at his bow tie and unties it, tossing it away too. "And I hate nerds." With that she grabs Orion's collar in one hand and shoves him up against the locker, drawing her other hand back in a fist to punch him.

Sudden resistance on her fist, along with a hand gripping it tightly, caused Sunset to stop and slowly turn to see who dared to interfere with her fun. She blanched visibly as she saw Raven's face looking back at her, a deeply angry look on Raven's face.

"I thought we had a deal, Shimmer," Raven hissed. "You leave us alone and I don't give you tnat face rearranging I should have given you a long time ago." A sinister grin crossed Raven's face. "Or, does this mean our deal is now officially canceled?"

Sunset lowered her arm, which Raven was still grasping tightly, and gulped audibly. "Hey, I didn't know he was with you, okay? It was ... it was an accident."

"Be more careful next time, Shimmer," Raven hissed, " or my fist may accidentally relocate yor nose." She released her grip on Sunset's arm. "Get out of here," she commanded, and Sunset quickly complied, shooting a glare over shoulder s she did so. Raven picked up Orion's bowtie and handed it to him. "I always thought bowties were pretty cool," she said. "Name's Raven. You new here?"

Orion Shadow smiles and puts his bow tie back on, adjusting it afterward more for effect than anything else. "Bowties -are- cool. About time someone agreed with me." He also nods, "Transferred from Trottingham... I am Orion Shadow, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He offers a hand for her to take. "Oh, and thank you for... well, saving me... usually Vice Principal Luna does that."

Raven shakes Orion's hand. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. Y'see, Sunset and I had a little ... disagreement when I first transferred here from Manehattan. Seems she didn't like the studious types and I didn't like how symmetrical her teeth were." She chuckled. "We made a deal after that - if she left my friends and me alone, I wouldn't try to forcibly remove delicate parts of her anatomy." She grinned at Orion, a small flush spreading over her cheeks. "You're one of Luna's Loonies too, eh? She takes a great interest in us problem children for some reason. So, what brought you here from Trottingham?"

The smile fades abruptly, replaced by a frown filled with sadness and deep regret, "A family tragedy..." he says finally, "One I don't really like to talk about... only the Principals know so far." He looks up again, staring into her eyes. "I'm not going to tell you yet... not because I don't trust you, but because I don't feel I'm ready yet." The bell rings at that moment, and he quickly grabs a book, "Sorry, I need to go... I'll be late to history. See you at lunch!" He runs off, disappearing into the crowd of other students.

Raven waves as Orion runs off to his next class. "Yeah, see you then," she calls after him, then under her breath she says, "I hope ... " She shakes her head, wondering where that came from, and heads off to her physics lesson. The physics class, oddly, is taught by a tan-skinned young man with spiky hair, black glasses, and a brown suit with blue pinstripes.

Later that day, Orion is walking toward the cafeteria, a blue backpack the same color as his hat slung over his shoulders, carrying a textbook, a notebook, and a pencil.

"There you are!" Raven said as she fell in step with Orion. "You haven't been avoiding me, have ya? Only 'cause most kids do when they hear about me," she continued, sadness mixing in with her words. "But I didn't think you'd be that type."

"Certainly not!" he replies, smiling gently to her, "It's not every day a random girl saves an innocent from a violent act... I owe you one." He places his things down on a table near a window. "Why do most kids run away? I think you're very nice."

Raven blushed a little. "Well, it's just that when they hear I was sent here for being a 'problem student,'" she explained, making quotation marks in the air, "they immediately think I'm some sort of bad seed or something. Far from it, actually."

"A problem student?" He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more. Once we've gotten lunch, that is." And with that he takes her hand in his and walks with her toward the line of other people, all of them with trays, waiting to be served.

Raven doesn't resist, instead squeezing his hand as they walk. "It's really nothing bad. I just have a tendency to stick up for my friends ... which landed me in the principal's office more times than I cared to count." She smiles. "I also don't suffer fools gladly, which annoyed the teachers for obvious reasons. So, I was given a choice of either coming here, or going to the 'special' high school with the other delinquents." She takes a tray and moves down the line. "Vice Principal Luna took an interest in me after my dustup with Sunset, and she's been very supportive."

"That does not surprise me in the least," Orion replies, selecting a tray and following her down, "Odd as it may seem, Vice Principal Luna really is one of my best friends here... I haven't really had time to make any others. Not that they'd want anything to do with me, anyway. Sunset's word is law among the students, and she's been pushing a negative narrative about me from the moment I stepped through the main doors."

"Look, between myself and Luna, you have nothing to worry about. I think we're the only two people in this school that she's afraid of ... well, except for Miss Sunspot the principal, and I'm not even sure about her." She leads Orion to a table with a couple of empty seats. "Don't get me wrong, Principal Celestia is okay, but I don't think she's as strict as Vice Principal Luna can be, and a lot of Sunset's crew knows that."

Orion nods, "I haven't really interacted with her much... but I know Sunset and her lot have." He starts eating, using a napkin to dab at his mouth every so often and then asking eventually "On an entirely different note, what is your favorite subject?"

"I kind of like physics, and science," she said, at least being courteous enough to not spray Orion with bits of her lunch. "I'd like to be like my older brother some day. He's studying nuclear science, and he loves his classes. He tells me he has this crazy teacher that wears dark glasses..."

"Science is an excellent field," Orion says, nodding sagely. "So says the amateur historian." He takes a sip of his milk. "Your brother wants to be a nuclear scientist, then?"

Raven nods. "He says he has a job waiting after he graduates. He says fifty thou a year will buy a lot of beer." She chuckles. "He was always a goofball. Always threatening to send me to Timbuk-Three whenever we argued."

"What do you want to do after graduation?" he wonders, leaning back slightly in his seat.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she says wistfully. "Part of me wants to be a performer, another part wants to be a scientist, and yet another part wants to be a pretty princess."

Orion laughs a little at that, "I'm sure you could find a way to be all three!" he says. "Nuclear science, or something more? Astronomy, maybe?"

"Luna has made me more interested in stargazing lately ... it's really interesting. I'll have to think about it." She leveled a gaze at Orion. "Now .. perhaps you can fill me in on your life, including why I feel so drawn to you and so comfortable that I just spilled secrets to you that I've not told anyone else?"

"Because people have a tendency to trust me?" Orion says with a shrug. "I've never been able to understand it either... maybe it's the fact that I am fair and truthful almost to a fault." He adjusts his glasses. "I'd like to be a historian when I'm older... maybe an author. I've always felt that by investigating the past we can influence the present to create a better future."

"You'd make a good archaeologist," Raven said. "Maybe even a lawyer with your sense of justice. But for now, maybe you could be my study buddy. As Luna would no doubt tell you, I have a hard time learning from the past."

"It would be my pleasure," he says with a warm smile. "And you could help me with science, as despite my name, my grasp of astronomy really is rather abysmal." He finishes eating and gets up, "I've got a meeting with Vice Principal Luna after school, but I can come and find you after that... where do you live?"

"I live about three blocks west of here," she said, scribbling an address on a piece of paper. "It's an easy house to find, it's at the end of a cul-de-sac. I'll see you after school," she said rising quickly and giving him a quick hug before heading off to her next class.

The final bell rings at 2:00 that afternoon, signaling the end of the school day. Students pour out of the building like a tidal wave, talking among themselves as they board buses, climb into cars, or simply walk home. Orion however is heading toward the administrative section of the building, and knocks on Vice Principal Luna's door once he arrives.

Vice Principal Luna is busy working on a stack of papers in front of her when there's a knock on her door. She brightens the room alightly for the benefit of her visitor. "Come in," she says, and smiles when she sees Orion enter, closing the door behind him. "Ah, Orion. Punctual as always. Please, have a seat."

Orion takes one of two seats in front of the desk, smiling warmly to VP Luna. "It's good to see you again, ma'am... I've had quite a busy day today."

"So I have heard," Luna said, leaning across the desk slightly. "I heard you had a run-in with Sunset Shimmer today. Would you care to elaborate on that for me?" Her voice showed no trace of anger, but of curiosity.

"I was fetching my books for class this morning when she decided that would be a good time to bully me... she would have punched me had Raven not stopped her from doing it," he replies, the note of gratefulness toward Raven's actions as clear as day.

Luna smiles. "I figured she'd step in if she were able. Were there any other incidents today that I might have not heard about yet?"

"Not incidents, per say... but Raven and I are becoming close... rather quickly, for reasons neither of us can really understand just yet."

"I see..." Luna says, leaqinig back in her chair. "Tell me, Orion, and be completely honest - how do you feel about Raven? How does she make you feel? Perhaps, by exploring these feelings, you might understand your kinship better."

Orion Shadow looks a little thrown, and takes a few minutes to consider the question. "Well, I... I'm not sure. I like her well enough, she's very easy to talk to. And of course, I feel like I owe her, since she saved me from being hurt... and I want to be her friend. I know some about her background, but... whether she's a problem child or not doesn't really matter. What matters is that she did what she thought was right, and I admire that trait."

A smile plays across Luna's face. "That is a good foundation to build a friendship upon, Orion. Whether it turns into more than that, that is truly none of my business, but if it did I would be immensely pleased for the both of you. Since she has told you a little bit about her arrival here, I can tell you that there is more under the surface than she lets on. Treat her well, and you will find no one more loyal to you anywhere." Her expression sours a bit. "As for Miss Shimmer, I will once again speak to Principal Celestia about her. I will be keeping watch over her as well."

Orion nods, rising from his seat and bowing his head, "See you soon then, ma'am... and thank you." He turns to leave, intending to go find Raven, taking out the piece of paper with her address on it in the same moment.