Twilight and Fluttershy began to enter Dr. Discord's Equestrian Social Studies class. Dr. Discord was in the middle of role call. As mentioned by Fluttershy when students heard their names they responded with the unique greeting. Discord lit up when Fluttershy arrived.
"Well if it isn't sweet, young Fluttershy," he cheerfully greeted. "Running a tad behind, are we? I'm sure you have a good excuse."
"What's up, Doc?" Fluttershy said returning the enthusiasm. "I do have a good excuse. I ran into a new student. Here she is."
"Ah yes," Discord said looking at his role call sheet. "The new student. I've been expecting you. Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to the class."
"Um, hello everypony. What's up Doctor… Discord? My name is Twilight Sparkle I transferred here from The Princess Academy in North Canterlot-"
"BOOO!" Heckled a pony!
"P.A. sucks!" Followed another.
"Hey! We don't suck," Twilight, retorted.
"Um, Twilight," nudged Fluttershy. "Um, you might wanna...stop..."
"Why? I don't understand."
"But, um, Princess Academy is our… rival school."
"What? They are?"
"They've been our rivals for over 60 years," Discord added. "How could you possibly not have known that?"
"I didn't even know this school existed, until about a month ago!"
"BOOO!"
"What a snob!"
"Go back to Princess school!"
"Hmm, perhaps you should just take a seat," Discord said.
Twilight found a seat in the back. As she went to her seat she received dirty looks and nasty words loud enough for everypony to hear. A pony managed to ball up a piece of paper and throw it at her. It landed its target successfully. All of this was done without Discord's knowledge.
Twilight sank into her seat as Discord carried on with class. Fluttershy took her seat toward the front of the room. Another pony greeted her as she sat down. Twilight watched as they laughed and giggled amongst each other. "I wouldn't mind having that," she said. "It sure would make this all easier." She suddenly remembered the pep talk she had with Spike earlier and began to perk up! "No, Twilight. No negative thinking. I will ace all my classes and have at least three friends! These will be my goals."
After class Fluttershy took Twilight on a tour of the school, showing her the important locations like the auditorium and the Principal's office. While showing her the lunchroom they ran into a pony who was talking to a lunch staff member. She wore cowboy boots and a rancher's hat. She was a strong looking pony whose hardness is roundly softened by the splatter of freckles on her cheeks.
"Oh, what luck," Fluttershy said to Twilight. "I was afraid you weren't going to meet another friend of mine today. Come and I'll introduce you two."
Fluttershy grabbed the attention of the busy pony.
"Hey, there, sugarcube," the pony greeted.
"Twilight," Fluttershy started. "Allow me to introduce my friend, Applejack."
"Well, it sure is nice to meet ya, Ms. Twilight" Applejack said, vigorously shaking Twilight's hoof. "Applejack's the name. Apples are mah game. Mah family sells apples grown from our farm: Sweet and Savory Apple Acres!"
"Apple Acres?" Twilight questioned. "Oh wow, I practically grew up on your apples. It's an honor to meet you."
"Well, shucks, ain't nothin' to it but good ol' fashioned hard work and respect fer the trade."
"Applejack and I are on the event planning committee here," Fluttershy said.
"Yup," Applejack concurred. "We're actually the only members."
"It's how we met."
"Hey, are you guys looking for more members?" Twilight queried. "I need to add some extracurriculars to my schedule, anyway, and I think this would be a good way for me to... meet some new friends?"
Applejack placed her hoof around Twilight bringing her closer.
"You sure can," Applejack said. "And I think you just met a new one: me."
Twilight smiled and hugged Applejack for the friendly welcome. Overwhelmed with kindness she couldn't stop herself from shedding tears.
"Oh you stop that now," Applejack said. "Yer gonna get me started."
"Me too," Fluttershy cried hugging both of them.
"Sorry," Twilight said, wiping the tears away. "A moment ago I just thought this might be difficult for me. Thank you, both."
"Think nothin' of it, Twilight," Applejack said pulling away from the hug. "But If'n you serious about joinin' us, why don't you come by after school and help us set up for the New School Year party."
"It's a party the school throws every year at the beginning of the semester," Fluttershy added.
"Everypony's gonna be there. You can meet some of our other friends and some of the hoofball players, if'n yer into that sorta thang." Twilight agreed to help Applejack and Fluttershy setup for the event. Suddenly, the bell rang for lunch. "Well look at that," Applejack exclaimed. "Lunchtime already! Come on let's get in line first."
Applejack led her friends to grab lunch trays. Students began pouring into the lunchroom. One by one, Twilight watches as the tables are filled with loud, hungry students. It was a good opportunity to see how many different ponies and creatures attended Equestria High. She was hoping to see Spike but he wasn't there. Twilight assumed he had a different lunchtime.
"Wow, there are so many," Twilight said with a look of concern.
"Aw, don't fret none sugarcube," Applejack consoled. "Stick with us and-"
"Oh, look," Fluttershy interrupted as a sky blue pony came hovering toward them. "It's Rainbow Dash. Oh, I just know you'll love her Twilight. She's one of our school's top athletes."
"Uh, I'm Equestria High's BEST athlete, thank you very much," said the rainbow haired sports pegasus.
"Oh, but of course! You can cut in front of me if you want."
"Don't mind if I do!"
"Anything for you Rainb-"
"Hey AJ," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "So who's the new kid?"
"Rainbow Dash," Applejack began. "This here is Twilight... um..."
"Twilight Sparkle. Hi! I just moved here from Canterlot."
"Canterlot! Don't tell me you came from Princess sucky Academy for sucky suck ponies."
"Well…"
"BOOO! They suck! I don't blame ya for transferring, kid."
Twilight smiled and offered an empty laugh. The ponies paid for their food and sat at an empty table. The table had a good view of the rest of the lunchroom. Twilight began eating the oat salad she picked out. Being the observant pony she was, Twilight made a note of the lunches her new friends picked out. Fluttershy selected the celery and carrots sticks. Applejack was eating sliced apples and applesauce. Rainbow Dash had pasta salad, a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and an orange. Rainbow Dash noticed that Twilight was watching her eat.
"Uh, ya want some? I'm an athlete so I get all I want to eat for free!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Oh, no. Sorry," Twilight said catching herself rudely staring at her friends eat their food.
"You're kinda weird, Twilight. But I like ya!"
"Thanks Rainbow Dash."
"Don't mention it," she said. "So, did either of these two fill you on who to look out for in this place?"
"Ah haven't gotten around to that, yet," Applejack said.
"Oh, I told her about Sunset Shimmer," Fluttershy added.
"Good," Rainbow Dash said. "That pony is trouble with a capital BIG."
Twilight showed a look of concern.
"Is there any other pony I should stay clear of?" she said.
"Yeah, let ol' Rainbow Dash-"
"Rainbow Anita Dash," Applejack slyly added.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY MY MIDDLE NAME!"
"I think it's cute," Fluttershy said.
"Anyways," Rainbow Dash continued. "There aren't too many weirdoes here like there are at P.A. You would want to stay away from the spaz table. Watch out for that Griffon too. We used to be tight, but she grew into a total bitch. And you see that table over there? Hippie pot head losers."
"Some of those ponies are my friends," Fluttershy said.
"That guy screams a lot," Rainbow Dash continued. "Those two are gay but they won't admit it, that pony drinks, like all the time, that pony is our best soloist and the pony next to her is a DJ, and that pony thinks she's like some powerful wizard or something. What a nerd!"
Twilight was taking notes as Rainbow Dash was speaking. She was happy to do some sort of work.
Meanwhile, right outside of the lunchroom, recess was held for the younger students on a blacktop and small playground. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike arrived with their class. Scootaloo lead the group to the jungle gym. Spike saw that there was a merry-go-round with only two ponies on it playing on their cell phones. He wondered why nopony else was on it with them.
"Hey, isn't it against the rules to have phones on during school?" Spike asked.
"Uh huh," Sweetie Belle said.
"Well, what makes those ponies so special?"
"Oh, that's Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. They get away with breaking the rules a lot."
"How come?"
"'Cause they're rich," Apple Bloom said hanging upside down. "I heard their parents helped bail this school outta debt a few years back. Last year, Diamond Tiara was excused from a big chemistry test because her daddy done bought us all new textbooks. But what I heard was she got her daddy to buy the books so that she wouldn't have to take it!"
"Yeah," Scootaloo chimed in. "And they're, like, bitchy little brats."
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "Stop swearing!"
"Oh grow up! We're practically teenagers! Rainbow Dash swears all the time and nopony says anything to her!"
"Rainbow Dash?" Spike questioned.
"Yeah she's like the coolest pony in school! She was my big sister at camp when I was little and we became friends ever since! She's like my real big sis!"
"We have sisters, too" Apple Bloom said. "I have a big sis and big bro. My sister Applejack goes here. She's a senior. My brother, we call him Big Mac. He graduated already and now he works full time on our farm."
"My sister is a senior here, too," Sweetie Belle added. "Her name is Rarity. She's… nice..."
"Yeah my sister's cool, too, I guess," Spike said as he continued to watch the rich ponies doing nothing. "You think they'll let us play on that thing?"
"Nope," Apple Bloom said. "They won't let anypony on it. Silver Spoon's daddy helped build this playground last year, too."
"Does the Principal know about this?"
"Principal Luna?" Scootaloo said. "She creeps me out."
"She's really hard to approach," Sweetie Belle said. "You don't find her. She finds you!"
"Whoa, spooky!" Spike said.
"Rarity says that Principal Celestia was better. But she got promoted to Superintendent, so it's not that bad-"
GRRRRRGGGHHHHH
Spike's growling stomach interrupted Sweetie Belle, startling the others off the jungle gym.
"Sorry about that."
"Well, it's a good thing we have lunch after this!" Apple Bloom said.
Back in the lunchroom, the upper class ponies were finishing their lunch. Rainbow Dash was still informing Twilight on the ponies in the lunchroom.
"Is there anypony else I should worry about?" Twilight asked.
Suddenly the lunchroom went dark. The DJ pony took off the headphones she was listening to and looked at the lunchroom clock. She saw that it was 11:55am. She used her magic to amplify the speakers from her headphones. A pulsating beat filled the lunchroom. Lights began flashing on and off. Smoke began to bellow from the depths of nowhere. Then POW!
"Hi, everypony! Your Princess has arrived to grace this school with another year of posh and elegance!"
"And parties!"
Two ponies burst through the lunchroom doors as balloons fly up behind them. It called the attention of everypony. One was a pink pony dressed in a fun frilly party outfit and the other was a white pony with a fashionable blouse and jacket. Ponies around the room all cheered for their spectacular appearance.
"As a matter of fact," Applejack said to Twilight. "You may want to stay clear of those two. They're nastier than my granny's pickled plums."
"Who are they?"
"Pinkie Pie and Rarity," Rainbow Dash scowled. "Rarity is like the most popular pony in school. She's rich and pretty and such a snob. She always acts like she's the center of the universe or something."
"The other one is Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said. "She's not really all that bad. But she does everything Rarity tells her to. She's actually really fun. Sometimes she can be a bit overbearing."
"They throw the wildest parties together," Applejack began. "Guessin' that's why everypony loves 'em so gosh darn much. I could take it or leave it."
"... That rave they threw at the roller rink was pretty sweet, though," Rainbow Dash said with a softer tone.
"Yup. That lake party they threw over the summer was a barrel of fun, too. Ah got so drunk! Fluttershy were you there?"
"I was but I couldn't really enjoy it. Pinkie Pie gave my friends and I a ride there. It was really nice of her. But then she gave me candy. It had acid in it and I didn't know until it was too late. I was so sick, but she was nice enough to stay with me to make sure that I was okay. She even drove me back home and snuck me into my house. At least that's what my friends said. I don't remember anything! Just lots of colorful circles, spinning around me for hours and hours."
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Rainbow Dash said as she ate the last bit of her sandwich. "But I'm gonna beat it before I die of 'posh and elegance.'"
"Ooh, Twilight," Fluttershy said as the group began to leave together. "If we hurry we can stop by the library on the way to our next class."
"There's a library here!?" Twilight jolted with much excitement.
"Um, yes? But we better hurry."
Twilight and her new friends began to walk out of the lunchroom. They each placed their trays in the designated spot. As the group passed the lunch line Twilight came closer and closer to an oblivious Rarity. Rainbow Dash quickly procured jello cups for her friends on the way toward the exit. With radical style and little effort, she tossed them to Applejack and Fluttershy who successfully caught them. When a jello cup came flying towards Twilight, she tipped the cup mid air with the edge of her hoof. She juggled the cup, desperately trying to grab hold of it. She finally grabbed the cup with both hooves squeezing all of the red jello contents onto the blouse of Rarity.
The fashionable unicorn was shocked silent by the act. Everypony gazed with anticipation for what may happen next. Rarity took a ghastly look at her ruined outfit. She could not believe that her dress was so swiftly destroyed. She became filled with rage. "YOU!" she growled as she stamped toward Twilight charging the magic in her horn. "You little-"
Before Rarity can inch any closer she slipped on the little bit of jello that fell on the floor. She released a shot of magic from her horn before she fell. The shot missed Twilight and headed for a serving lady who held a shinny metal spoon in her hand. The shot reflected off of the spoon and ricocheted off a several other shinny objects before hitting a jello cup out of another pony's hooves. The jello cup was already opened. The cup flew onto Rarity's mane. Her dark purple mane was topped with orange jello.
Twilight started to apologize but was cut off by the loud laughter from Rainbow Dash. The entire lunchroom followed suit as they began pointing and laughing at Rarity. Pinkie Pie came rushing to her aid. "Don't worry, Rarity," she started. "Let's go get you changed." Rarity's head jello caught Pinkie's eye. She couldn't resist but take a little nibble of the jello on her mane. "Mmmm, orange flavor!" The act only excited the crowd more.
Pinkie Pie walked Rarity out of the lunchroom. Rarity looked back and saw that Twilight was receiving praise from her new friends for the dastardly deed. Her vision grew red with anger. "Mark my words, Pinkie Pie," she started. "As heaven as my witness, I will make that pony's life a living hell!"
