Sunset Shimmer, meet Starlight Glimmer
"I think there's a new math club." Rainbow Dash said at lunch.
"What makes ya say that?" Applejack asked, taking a bite of JELL-O.
"Have you seen the pin everyone is wearing lately?" Rainbow replied, pointing at some the students behind her. Each of them were smiling broadly, and had a pin with a black equal sign on them.
"So? There's a new club here, big deal." Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time."
"What really bugs me is their smiles." Sunset said, who was poking her fork into her salad.
"What's wrong with their smiles?" Applejack asked.
"They just look...wrong." Sunset explained. "Like they're forcing themselves to smiles, as if there was a gun pointed to them. It isn't natural."
"I don't like their outfits." Rarity said.
"Tell me somethin' new." Applejack mumbled.
Rarity frowned at the farmer. "In the years I've been at CHS, most people have had a decently good fashion sense. But, lately, they just seem to coming to school in rags they found in the dumpster." And, it looked very true. The clothes worn by the other students were brown and grey in color. They just wore a button-down shirt, and a jacket. Nothing particularly interesting.
"I agree with Sunset." Pinkie Pie said, frowning. "Those smiles, they're just not right."
"It makes me wonder..." Sunset said.
Suddenly, a girl came running up to their table. She had pink skin, purple hair, with greenish-teal streaks in it. She wore a black button-down shirt, with a purple jacket. She wore a purple skirt with an equal sign on it, and held a clipboard under her arm, and a pencil behind her ear. "Hi!" She shouted cheerfully. "I would normally say welcome, but, you already go this school!" Her grin was much like the other students, but not as extreme. "My name is Starlight Glimmer, head of the Equality Club, here at CHS!"
"The... Equality Club?" Sunset asked.
"Yes." Starlight replied. "Those of us in the equality club believe that the only way to be true friends, is to be truly equal!"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Wadda mean, 'truly equal'?"
Starlight continued gleefully, "No special talents! Those of us in the club separate ourselves in only three different ways: Name, gender, and appearance!"
Sunset couldn't think of anything to say except, "Interesting."
"Over the past week, we've been able to get nearly a third of the school into the club!" Starlight exclaimed.
"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "That's really impressive."
"Isn't it?" Starlight gloated slightly. "So, I was wondering," She pulled the clipboard from under her arm. "would any of you be interested in joining?"
The six girls at the table looked at each other with looks of skepticism. Sunset broke the silence. "What... would be entitled to joining?"
"Oh, it's relatively simple." Starlight explained. "All you do is come to my locker after school, pass the acceptance test, and," she reached into the breast pocket of her shirt. "wear this pin." She pulled out a black equal sign pin.
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's it?"
"That's it." Starlight confirmed.
"We'll...uh...think about it." Sunset said.
"Okay." Starlight said cheerfully. "My locker number is 7362. I hope to see you after school." She then ran off to another table.
Sunset turned to the other five. "Well?" She asked.
"She's weird." Rainbow said. "And, the concept, kinda, creeps me out."
"I conquer." Rarity said. "At least, unlike the other students, she has a slight sense of fashion."
"Her smile was, just, wrong. Fake." Pinkie Pie said, surprisingly serious. "Anyone agree?" The other five nodded.
"I thought she was really nice." Fluttershy said.
Sunset shook her head. "The question is: should we see her after school?"
"Maybe." Applejack said. "It could give us more entail on her."
"But, was anyone concerned about the 'acceptance test'?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah, I did notice that." Rainbow admitted. "Kinda creepy."
"I don't think we should see her after school." Sunset said. "But, look that those four." Sunset jerked a thumb to four kids sitting at a table. Two boys, two girls. "Those four said they would see her after school. I think we should follow them, and see what happens. Agreed."
"Sounds like a plan." Rainbow Dash said.
"Good." Sunset said.
"Wha...?" Starlight exclaimed. "I studied that spell for years! How can you..."
"I studied magic for years too," Twilight said, interrupting the unicorn. "but, what I didn't know then, is that studying could only take me so far." She pointed to the ponies behind her. "Each of my friends my friends have taught me something different about myself. It was their unique gifts, and passions, and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me. I never would have learned that I represent the element of magic without these five, and I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!"
Starlight rolled her eyes. "Spare me your sentimental nonsense!" She shouted. "I gave these ponies real friendships they never could've had otherwise!"
"How do you know that!?" Double Diamond shouted, removing his helmet and goggles. "You never even gave us a chance!"
Starlight became enraged. Her horn lit up, a blue shield formed around her, and in a flash of light, she was gone, running into the cave. She heard shouting behind her, but she kept running.
She reached a fork in the path, and went to her right. Starlight saw a chasm in front of her, and tried to stop, but she was too late. She fell down, rolling along, until finally she hit the ground with a loud thud.
Starlight looked up. She saw a small pond, or at least, it seemed like a pond. But, instead of water, a swirling pink liquid swirled instead. Starlight thought she heard shouting behind her, and jumped in the portal.
Upon exiting, she said to herself, "This is an interesting development."
