Ponysona

The last few days had been mostly uneventful. You had taken a few walks around town, and seen what it had to offer. The answer was, unsurprisingly, not much. You could go fishing, if you had a fishing rod. Or an interest in fishing. You could go out to eat, which was fun, but not exactly something you could pass the time with regularly. You could buy swords... So, yeah, nothing to do.

However, now was the first day of school. The definitive end of your summer vacation, and the start of your Junior year of high school.

After you made it to school, you noticed just how big the school was. It was three stories high, and you couldn't even hazard a guess as to how wide it was. It was much bigger than

"Yo!" A familiar voice calls out to you. "What's with the jaw drop? It's just a school!" As she nears you, you recognize the voice as Rainbow Dash.

You quickly answer. "Nothing. It's just, my old school was... smaller."

Rainbow chuckles. "Then it's your old school that's weird. Canterlot High isn't that big." She takes her phone out and glances at the time, her eyes widening. "Crap, it's 8:00! We're late! Let's hurry!" She grabs your arm forcefully and drags you into the school.

"You know, Rainbow... We would have been slightly less late if we'd have taken a second to read what class we were in." You berate Rainbow as a  teacher escorts you both to homeroom. A nearby wall clock tells you it's 8:15 already.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I kinda forgot that I forgot what class I was in." She responds half-heartedly with her hands in the air as if to say 'alright, you win.'

"You didn't even ask me what class I was in." The teacher shushes you as you come up to the room, Class 2-F.  As he opens the door and rushes you both in, the (rather young-looking) teacher glares daggers at you and sighs.

She gets up and hands you a piece of chalk, never losing the grumpy look in her eyes. "Write your name on the board and introduce yourself to the class."

LYRA HEARTSTRINGS

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings. It's nice to meet you." You introduce yourself with an emotionless voice, almost perfectly matching the bored look most of the class has, save Rainbow.

The teacher, somehow outdoing your deadpan, mutters a "Sit down in an empty seat."

The only empty seat is right next to Rainbow, so you take it. "Hey." She whispers. "Don't feel bad. Miss Cheerilee's a pretty big grump to everyone. But she used to be nice, I hear... Wonder why she's such a meanie now?"

"SHUSH!"

You stay quiet for the rest of class.

LUNCHTIME

You sit down with Rainbow and two other girls, wanting to socialize after the past few classes.

"'Sup? Hey, uh, this is Fluttershy," She points to the shy girl with wavy hair, who waves weakly to you. "And this is-"

"I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your- WELL, I guess I already know your name. Lyra, right?" You nod, overwhelmed by her energy. And her strange hairstyle. "Right! So, we're your friends now and-"

Rainbow interrupts. "Uh, Pinkie, I think you're overwhelming her. Just a bit."

"Oh, sorry!" Pinkie bows exaggeratedly.

At that moment, a white-skinned girl with curled violet hair sits down at the table beside Fluttershy. "Ah, hello, dears, is this the new transfer student?" She speaks with a vaguely British-sounding accent.

"Yes, she is." Fluttershy responds in a soft voice. "Her name is Lyra. Rainbow says she's living in the dorm."

"...What dorm?"

"The one where transfer students stay if their parents aren't with them and they don't have relatives who live nearby."

"...There's a dorm?"

Fluttershy sighs, and Pinkie changes the subject. "A-NY-WAYYYYYY, did anyone hear the rumor about the statue in front of the school?"

You reply, "What rumor?"

Rainbow and the others seem to also have no idea what she's talking about, so Pinkie elaborates. "They say that if you stare at the statue at midnight, you'll see a face in the base of the statue."

Rainbow groans. "You don't really believe in that stuff, do you?"

"Hey, I'm just sayin' what I heard!"

"Uh, yes we can! I'll pick you guys up a little before midnight, I'll prove this doesn't exist!"

Rarity shakes her head. "I can't be out that late. My parents wouldn't let me."

Pinkie says she can't come either. "Auntie Cake might let me, but she'd be pretty upset, and I'd hate to do that to her."

Rainbow seems annoyed. "Dammit! Then I'll record it on my phone or something. Whatever it takes!"

You and Fluttershy exchange a worried glance, but neither of you dare to anger her more. You can tell this is a bad idea.

You inform Mr. Armor, Cadence, and Bon-Bon that you'll be out late. Shining and Cadence reluctantly give permission but Bon-Bon is skeptical. "Why do you need to be out so late, on your first day? What, are you a druggie or something?"

Cadence scolds her. "I'm sure Lyra has a perfectly good reason."

Nevertheless, Shining and Bon-Bon are suspicious when Rainbow pulls up at 11:00, angry yet drowsy, telling you to hurry up and get in the car. You ask why she's in such a hurry. "Fluttershy lives far away. Even if we hurry, we might barely make it.

Far away is an understatement. It takes you a little under half an hour even with Rainbow's angry maniac driving to get to a small cabin at the outskirts of town. The lights are flickering, and Fluttershy is out on the porch, reading what seems to be a book on sewing. She puts the book under her rocking chair and walks up to the car, getting in and sitting beside you.

"So this is everyone. Alright, let's go!" Rainbow shouts, driving off to the school.

During the drive, you and Fluttershy start to talk. "So, Fluttershy.... why is it you live so far away from the school?"

"My parents don't want me spending too much time in the city. They think it'll be a bad influence on me."

"I see..." You don't see, needless to say. It seems stupid.

"N-no. It's not as bad as you think. I usually have enough time to go to the mall with Rainbow and Pinkie, after school." Despite her words, she has an underlying tone of bitterness, clearly resenting her parents for forcing her lack of social interaction.

You both stay silent for a while.

Suddenly, Rainbow pulls up at the school, putting an end to the awkward silence.. Rainbow yells at you to get out of the car, as it's almost midnight.

Rainbow fumbles with her phone a moment, before starting to record. She points it right at the statue's base, and as midnight strikes...

A bright light shines from the statue.

*VWMMM*

The light dies down, and the image of a middle-aged man comes on the statue, albeit blurred and dark.

"Holy shit..." Rainbow, shocked, drops her phone on the grass, and falls to her knees.

"Is that... isn't that your dad, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asks.

"It.. IT IS! I couldn't tell at first 'cause the picture wasn't too detailed... but why is my dad showing?!'

Fluttershy and Rainbow chat in the background. You hear a voice ringing in your head.

I AM THOU

AND THOU ART I

Hypnotized, you hold out your hand to touch the statue. To your amazement, it goes in. Shocked, you pull away frantically, landing on your back.

*THUMP*

Rainbow and Fluttershy look to you, and Fluttershy asks if you're hurt.

"...THE STATUE TRIED TO EAT ME!"