Equestria Girls: The College Years

by Trader_Jack

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Slice of Life, Drama
Length: 16842

What happens when Sunset Shimmer and all of her friends attend college? A lot of crazy new experiences that hopefully don't involve magic

I decided to re-write this story. You can find the new version here.

After graduating from Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer has decided to attend Equestria University with her friends. But what happens when you're paired up with a fellow Shadowbolt that you faced in the Friendship Games? A lot of crazy events that they hope don't involve magic. Easier said than done, since three former sirens now work there as staff.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-21 05:39:22 UTC

Checking in to Equestria University

It was a busy day in Canterlot.  Students everywhere were getting ready for the start of a new school year.  But this wasn’t Canterlot High, or even Crystal Prep.  It was Equestria University, the biggest and best college in Canterlot and beyond.  And it’s here where our famous heroes plan to start their college years with their own goals and experiences in front of them.

It was in front of the Clover dorm rooms that a dark blue, 2-door sedan pulled up to the building.  It looked like it was over 20 years old, so it could have belonged to a staff member or campus worker.  But it was a fiery haired girl with a black leather jacket that came out of the car.  Sunset Shimmer looked at the building and took a deep breath before getting her suitcase and walked into the building.  Inside the lobby was one the dorms’ resident hall directors behind the half opened door to the building’s office, issuing dorm room keys to the residents that were attending this building.  Another door to the right was labeled “Kitchen & Laundry Room”.

Sunset walked up to the lady and said, “Hello, I’m Sunset Shimmer checking in.”

The lady replied, “Ah, Sunset Shimmer.  If you can look over and sign this form, I’ll get your keys for your room.”

Sunset looked over the form, explaining the dorm rules, and signing the form.  The lady came back to the half opened door and filled out the room number that she was staying in.  She handed Sunset her room key and said, “You room is 203.  Just take the door on the left and up the stairs.  You’ll see your room in front of you at the end of the stairs.  The next door at the bottom of the stairs leads to the boys’ dorm rooms.  The room next to us has a microwave and fridge if you didn’t bring your own, plus an oven for cooking and 3 washers and dryers for you to use whenever you need it.  Let me or one of our RA’s on duty help you if you have any questions.”

“Thanks.  Has my roommate arrived as well?” Sunset asked the lady.

“Let me double check.”  She looked for the sheet that had the same room number as Sunset’s.  “Yes she did, Twilight Sparkle.”

Sunset was surprised that she would be sharing the room with the former Crystal Prep student that she had to save after what happened at the Friendship Games.  She also had to help her understand what the true meaning of friendship means after she transferred to Canterlot High.

Sunset took her room key and suitcase and went through the door and up the stairs.  When she walked through the next door at the top of the stairs, she saw her room in front of her, Room 203.  She inserted the key into the keyhole, turned the key and doorknob, and opened the door.  She saw the side closest to the door already with boxes and suitcases in the area, but no sign of Twilight anywhere.

“I guess she’s still getting more of her stuff inside,” said Sunset.  She noticed the side next to the window was bare, with the expectation of the bed and drawers, and a two-sided desk shelf that divided both sides.  Both sides had an open hanger bar next to a sink and mirror.  There was a door between the entrance and the sink on Twilight’s side, which lead to the shared bathroom.  She wondered whom they would be sharing the bathroom with.  She went to the far side where the window was and placed her suitcase on the bed, knowing that she had a few more things to bring in.  She opened the window to get some fresh air and enjoy the view.  The entrance door started to unlock and open, which got Sunset’s attention.

“Excuse me, but can you help us here?” called Twilight.

“Let me get the door for you,” Sunset replied and went to hold the door open.

Twilight was surprised when she recognized the voice.  “Sunset, you’re rooming with me?”

“I know.  I was surprised that you would be my roommate as well,” Sunset told Twilight.

“Well, it’s nice that my little sis will have a roommate that she can trust again.”  The voice came from a guy with blue hair, who was bringing in a small microwave and fridge that were attached together.

Twilight responded.  “Oh, I don’t think you ever met my B.B.B.F.F.”

“B.B.B.F.F?” questioned Sunset.

“Big Brother Best Friend Forever,” Twilight replied.  “This is Shining Armor.  He also graduated from Crystal Prep and Equestria University with a major in Athletics.  And he’s finally married to Dean Cadence.”

“Well, she does treat you as a sister, Twily,” said Shining Armor.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” said Sunset.  “I hope Principal Cinch didn’t have a problem with it, since how she acted at the Friendship Games.”

“Well, Principal Cinch has been rethinking how Crystal Prep should handle its goals for the students, after having a ‘talk’ with Principal Celestia and Professor Discord,” said Shining Armor.

Twilight said, “Professor Discord is the head president here at EU, and a good friend of Principal Celestia.”

“Well that’s a surprise,” Sunset responded.  “The Discord from my world was known as the controller of chaos.  And it was Princess Celestia who requested Princess Twilight, before she was a princess, for him to be reformed.”

“That’s the mirror version of me, without the glasses,” Twilight explained to her brother.

“I’ve heard a bit about what happened from both Twilight and Cadence about Twilight’s magic experience,” he told Sunset.  “That’s why I’m glad that’s she’s rooming with you.”

Sunset replied, “I’ll do my best to keep her out of trouble.”

Shining Armor placed the fridge in the middle of the room and plugged it in so it can get cold.  Twilight placed the remaining boxes on the bed on her side of the room.

“Do you need any help getting your stuff up here?” Shining Armor asked Sunset.

“It’s not a lot, but I could use some help with the storage trunk I have.”

Sunset, Twilight, and Shining Armor went down to Sunset’s car to get her remaining things.

“It’s nice that VP Luna was able to help you with getting your driver’s license over the summer,” said Twilight.

“I’m just glad that she gave me her old car that she was having a hard time selling it years ago.  At least Indigo Zap was able to give it a tune-up,” said Sunset.

“She’s good at auto mechanics,” replied Twilight.  “I hope she’s here, as well as our friends from Crystal Prep.”

They were able to get a couple more suitcases and hanging clothes, plus the storage trunk and small TV up to the room.  Once they were done, Twilight hugged her brother goodbye before he left.  The girls went to their items and started to unpack.  Sunset hooked up the TV and turned it on so it can start scanning for channels.  Both of them placed their clothes on the hanger rod and drawers, got all of their daily items in place, and school supplies and laptops around their desks.  Sunset noticed that Twilight had some gadgets and tools that she usually uses to make various kinds of equipment, including the badly damaged magic scanning device that she used during the Friendship Games.

Sunset asked Twilight, “You don’t plan to rebuild that and start stealing magic again, are you?”

“Oh, that thing.  I was hoping to salvage its parts and rebuilt the old scanner that I used to build this.  You might have seen me use it on the statue when I was trying to keep my identity a secret.  You scared me off when you called to me.  I just have this feeling that there could be strange things out there, and it’s best to be prepared.”

Sunset started to rub her chin and said, “You might be right.  I did bring my book in case I needed to send a message to Princess Twilight for advice.  But we haven’t had anything like that happen since the Friendship Games.”

“Well, it helps to be prepared for anything.  Besides, I’ve been meaning to ask you this, but why did to decide to attend college instead of returning to your own world?”

“I guess I just wanted to experience what else this world has to offer,” Sunset replied.

Twilight asked, “But what about money?  It cost a lot to attend college, not like high school.  And your world uses ‘bits’ for money.”

“No problem there.  VP Luna asked if my world had gemstones as well, and Princess Twilight was able to provide me with enough to sell for money.  Besides the car and TV, Luna was able to set me up with my own bank account and debit card for me to use.  She helps oversee the account with me until I get used to it.  And I can message Princess Twilight for more gemstones to be sent over as money.  You might think I’m set for life, but I like to think that I’m making sure I’m on the safe end of life.  I am majoring in psychology, which could be helpful for both worlds.”

“Knowing you, that’s a good major to focus on.  I decided on science technology as my major.”  Twilight went to grab a big poster and ask, “Think you can help me get this on the wall?”

Sunset replied, “Sure,” and stood on the bed with Twilight to roll out the poster, only to realized that it was upside down.

“Whoops.  Better switch ends.”  Twilight went to switch sides and got the poster right side up.  “That’s better.”  She went to place sticky tabs at the corners on her end, then on Sunset’s end.

When it was in place, Sunset noticed what was displayed.  “The periodic table of elements.  And it’s the newly updated version.”

“I was surprised that four new elements were discovered over the winter,” said Twilight.  “Too bad there’s no element of magic.”

“Or friendship,” Sunset added, causing both of them to laugh.

Just then, they heard a knock on the bathroom door.

Sunset said, “I guess our neighbors want to meet us.”  She went to open the bathroom door, only to be greeted by a familiar face.

“Well what do you know?  I thought those voices sound familiar.”  It was none other than Applejack.  She yelled back into her room, “Guess who we have as neighbors?”

“I hope they’re not as rowdy as you are at times.”  A girl with glasses and pigtails came into view, only to have her eyes wide open.  “TWILIGHT!!!”  It was Sugarcoat who was running towards Twilight, giving her a hug.  She looked at her roommate and was surprised.  “Sunset, you’re rooming with her?”

Sunset replied, “That’s right.  I’m surprised that you and AJ are sharing the same room.”

Applejack said, “We were surprised as well, but we don’t have much of a problem with that.”

Sugarcoat said, “When I saw that she was my roommate, she was able to help get my stuff up here.  Never really knew that she was that strong, and well organized too.”

“Always willing to help out whenever I can,” Applejack replied.

Twilight asked, “Is there anyone else that we know that are here?”

“Well I did help Rarity in getting here stuff into her room,” Applejack answered.  “She’s in Room 212.  No word on her roommate.”

Sunset said, “I’m sure the others will show up soon.”

The girls soon then heard some loud music coming outside.  They stick their heads out of the door to see where it was coming from.

“Sounds like the noise is coming from the other end of the hallway,” Sugarcoat recommended.  “Could be Lemon Zest.”

“Or Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack.  “She likes to pay her music loud at times.”

“So does Indigo Zap,” said Sugarcoat.  “I’ve heard her play it while she works on cars.”

Twilight said, “What about Pinkie Pie?  She likes loud music at parties.”

“Maybe it’s all four of them.  They could be rooming together like we are,” Sunset suggested.

“Well we won’t know if we’re over here,” said Applejack.

All four girls made there way to the end of the hallway.  The noise was coming from Room 228, the last room on the side of the hall.  Sunset was ready to knock on the door, but stopped and looked at Applejack.  She knew what Sunset was trying to say and went up to the door and banged the door five times.  When the door opened, the music was extremely loud, and a girl with headphones around her neck stuck her head out the door.

“YEA, WHAT DO YOU WANT?”  It was Lemon Zest, who just noticed who she was looking at.  “TWILIGHT, SUGARCOAT.  HOLD ON FOR A MOMENT.”  She went back in and yelled, “HEY PINKIE, GUESS WHO’S AT THE DOOR?”

As the music volume went down, Pinkie Pie looked out at the doorway.  “Twilight, Sunset, Applejack, Sugarcoat.  You here as well?”

Applejack answered, “Yep, Rooms 201 and 203.”

“Awesome, dude.”  Lemon came back up to the door to see the others again.

“Hey, who turned down the music?”

Applejack recognized the voice.  “Hey Dash, you know there’s others in this building.”

The door to 226 opened and two girls, one with rainbow hair and the other with goggles, came out.

“AWESOME!!!”  It was Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap who responded.

Sugarcoat looked at Sunset and said, “You were right.”

Sunset asked, “So all four of you are living next to each other?”

“That’s right,” replied Pinkie.

Dash asked, “So has anyone heard from Rarity or Fluttershy?”

“Or even Sunny Flare or Sour Sweet?” Indigo added.

It was then that another door opened from the middle of the hallway.  “Who is making such an awful racket out here?”  The girls saw that it was Rarity who spoke.  Rarity saw the group at the end of the hallway and went back inside yelling, “Girls, guess who’s here?”

Rarity came back out of the room with Sunny Flare.  The door next to them opened, and Sour Sweet and Fluttershy came out of that room.  When all four of them saw the rest of the group, they came running down the hallway to meet them.

“We should have known who was playing that loud music,” Sunny said as she was staring at Lemon.

Lemon responded, “Dude, I like my music loud, OK?”

“Oh yes, it’s cool music to listen to,” replied Sour, “If you want to make everyone go deaf.”

“At least there are no animals around campus,” said Fluttershy, “otherwise, it would scare all of them away.”

“I guess we can all say that the gang’s all here,” said Indigo.

“Isn’t that nice,” said Sour, “as long as there aren’t any magical portal opening up out of nowhere.”

Sunny slapped the back of Sour’s head.  “Do we need to be reminded?”

“Well, it’s better that being turned into mind controlling servants,” said Pinkie.

Applejack slapped the back of Pinkie’s head.  “Another thing that we don’t need to be reminded of.”

Sunset looked at Twilight.  Then she looked at everyone else and said, “I think we’ve gotten over that.  As long as we don’t get put under someone’s musical spell.”

“HEY, DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO MAKE THAT INSULT?”

Sunset recognized the voice and looked at the other end of the hallway.  “Aria Blaze!”

Everyone else looked towards her as she was walking towards the group.  While she wasn’t wearing her usual clothing, the purple pigtails and scratchy voice were a dead give-a-way.

“If you think you plan to get back at us after we destroyed your powers, then forget it.  We now have twice the friends that can take you on,” said Dash.

“Sorry Dash, but I’m here for one thing, and that’s with Sunset here.”  Aria was in front of Sunset, both of them staring at each other.  It was then that Aria made her move…

…And hugged Sunset saying, “Forgive me and my sisters for what we done in the past.”

Sunset was stunned at what was going on with Aria.  “Um, ok, I guess.”

Aria let go of Sunset and decided to explain why she did that.  “After you destroyed our magical pendants and ran away, we started to feel lost and confused.  I started to argue with Adagio about what happened when it got to a breaking point.  That’s when Sonata broke down after seeing what we’ve become.  We realized that we were nothing but monsters and knew that we needed to change, because if felt like we were given another chance in this world after being blasted by your rainbow magic.”

Applejack asked, “If that’s the case, then why are you doing here?”

Aria answered, “I work here on campus, checking up on the resident halls and making sure that everyone is settled here.  Already saw your names on the list.”

Sunset corrected, “I think she means what brought you here.”

“Oh, that.  Without our powers, we were left homeless.  We spent weeks trying to survive, staying in shelters if there was room, begging for pocket change.  That’s when Professor Discord saw us and took us in.  We were surprised that he was willing to let us live in his place for the night.  Until the next day, he had some visitors.  Principal Celestia and VP Luna.  We didn’t realize that they knew each other, and somehow, those two told him about us before he saw us.  We thought that we were going to be punished for what we did at the school, but they showed mercy for us and recommended that we work on the campus grounds with Professor Discord as a way to repay for the damage that we did.  We started working a year ago, and so far, I think we’ve understand what this world truly has for everyone, including me and my sisters.”

Dash asked, “If that’s the case, where are your sisters now?”

Aria answered, “Adagio is working at the campus library, and Sonata works at the cafeteria, and at times the food court, if they need the help.  I also work at the coffee lounge at night.  It’s nice to listen to students who want to talk about their problems or perform there to get noticed.  Working here has helped all three of us in changing our lives.”

Sunset asked, “And your magic hasn’t returned, has it?”

“Nope,” Aria responded.  “And I guess I should be glad that it hasn’t returned.  Although Sonata has a habit of singing in the shower when she feels like it.”  She looked at the new girls and said, “I’m guessing these girls are the Shadowbolts, right?”  Then she looked at Twilight.  “And this girl here is this world’s Twilight Sparkle, correct?”

Sunset responded, “That’s correct.”

“Figures.  We heard about the Friendship Games incident that happened long ago from Principal Celestia when she made another visit to Professor Discord’s place.  Adagio was shocked to find out that some principal forced a Crystal Prep girl to unleash the magic that she collected, only to turn into a demon.”

“That’s right.  And someone was able to take a picture of it, see?”  Pinkie pulled out her cell phone and showed the picture of Midnight Sparkle to her.

Aria said, “Whatever you do, DON’T show that to Adagio.  She will have a jealous fit for a week if she sees that.”

“Then you don’t want to see my Daydream Shimmer form that I became at that time,” Sunset told Aria.  “She’ll be that way for two weeks.”

And Pinkie displayed the other picture that Sunset was talking about.

Aria said, “Damn.  Make it a month.  It makes her looks feel like it’s old fashion.”

“So, just to make sure, you know this girl and her sisters?” asked Indigo.

“Yep.  It’s a long story,” replied Sunset.

“Well, you can tell it to them at Johnny’s.  It’s a nice local burger joint just outside campus.  It may not be like Sugarcube Corner, but they do make some good milkshakes,” Aria recommended.  “I’ll make sure Adagio knows that you girls are here.  She would really want to get everything off her chest for once.”

“Well, tell her to come look for us when she gets the chance,” said Sunset.

“Sure thing,” replied Aria.  “Now, I’m guessing that everyone’s rooms are ok?”

Almost everyone nodded, saying that the girls’ own rooms were ok.  Almost everyone.

“Um, we have a problem in our room,” said Fluttershy.  “The A/C unit isn’t working right.  It’s too cold in there.”

Aria said, “The guys just fixed it a week ago.  Just turn the dial to a warmer setting.”

“Oh we did turn the dial up,” replied Sour, “because it’s supposed to be feeling like a sauna in there when we did that, but its not.”

Aria looked at where the girl’s room was located on the list.  “Room 210?  Damn it.  I thought they fixed it last week.  Now I need to get them back in here and fix it again.”  She grabbed her radio from her waist.  “Maintenance building, can we get someone back in Clover building, Room 210, AND FIX THE DAMN A/C UNIT RIGHT THIS TIME!!!”

“That’s our Aria.”

A Toast to Friendship

On the outskirts of the campus grounds is a local burger joint called Johnny’s, home to some of the best burgers, sandwiches, and shakes close to Equestria University.  Owned by Johnny Grill himself, he’s been running this place for over 20 years.  And while it would usually be busy around lunchtime, it wasn’t on this day because everyone was still checking in to their dorms.  But sitting in three booths that were next to each other were a group of girls who decided to get together for lunch and catching up on past events.

Sunset and her fellow Rainbooms were busy telling their Shadowbolt friends how they faced the sirens during the battle of the bands.

“So all six of you and your princess blasted those sirens with a blazing rainbow, destroying all of their magic and what pony powers they took from you, and they just ran off?” Indigo was asking Sunset.

“That’s right.  And we haven’t seen them since that day, until now.”

“So was Aria in charge of the group?” Twilight asked the girls.

“Nope.  Adagio Dazzle was the one calling the shots,” replied Applejack.

“And I’m hoping to meet her here soon,” said Sunset.  “I would like to get her side of the story in all of this.”

“It would be nice to see how they all have changed, like Aria said,” Rarity added.

Sugarcoat decided to speak her opinion in this.  “If they went to Crystal Prep, they would have been able to get all the energy they needed so they could take control of the school and make us invade Canterlot High so that they could collect the Equestrian Magic they needed to take over the world.”

“At least Principal Cinch would be acting like a servant instead of a blackmailing principal that she was,” said Sunny.

“After what she did to Twilight before the friendship games, I think it would have been nice if she was under the siren’s control,” said Dash.

“Oh, she wasn’t talking about what Principal Cinch did to Twilight,” said Sour, “She was talking about what that meanie did to us.”

The other girls were in shock at what they were hearing from their former Shadowbolt friends.

Twilight asked, “Why would she try to blackmail you five?”

Sugarcoat responded, “Don’t know.  All we know is that Dean Cadence caught on and was able to stop her from doing so.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to graduate and attend college like you girls have.”

“Cadence never told me anything about this,” Twilight said.  “But she would have figured that I would worry about you girls too much that it would be a distraction for me.”

Rarity interrupted.  “I hate to be rude, but we might want to table this discussion, because she’s here.”

Sunset looked over at the entrance and saw what looked like a professional lady with puffy orange hair.  She saw Sunset and waved to her, in which Sunset waved back.

Johnny looked over to the lady and said, “Hey Adagio.  Here for lunch?”

“Not today, Johnny.  I’m just here to see some old friends over here.”  She looked over to the group and said, “Actually, give me a sweet tea, if you don’t mind.  I’ll be over there with those girls.”

“Sure thing,” Johnny replied.

Adagio walked on over to where Sunset and her friends were.  Sunset was able to slid on over to make room for Adagio to sit with them.  It was quiet until Johnny brought over Adagio’s sweet tea.  Adagio took a sip, and then spoke.  “I guess you’re wondering why me and my sisters are working here.”

“I would like to hear the whole story, if you don’t mind,” Sunset said to Adagio.

“Well, I think it’s best to start with what happen after the battle of the bands.”

[Begin Flashback]

Days after the battle of the bands, the three former sirens had their hoddies on once again, while carrying what little clothes they have since they went to that school that the Rainbooms attended.  Trying to find cover from the rain at night, they went under a small bridge in the park.

Adagio removed her hood and said, “I swear to you, I’ll get those precious Rainbooms if it’s the last thing I do.”

“And how do you plan on doing that, Dagi?”  Aria said and she removed her hood.  “We have no pendants, no siren magic, NOTHING!!!  What do you plan for us to do, yell them to death?”

Adagio pointed at Aria, saying, “Did I ask for your opinion?”

Aria responded, “Well, you never had a backup plan in the first place.”

“Because my plans are fool-proof!”

“Really.  Because last I recall, we got beat by five high school student, and alicorn princess, and a unicorn that was once a she-demon.  And before that, we got sent to this world thanks to Star Swirl the Bearded.  You tell me that’s fool-proof?”

“Well I don’t see you giving out any ideas!”

“Because you didn’t give a damn what I had to say, you slut!” Aria said, as she shoved Adagio back.

“Watch it, bitch!”  Adagio pushed Aria back.

Both girls kept pushing each other.  Then they were punching each other.  Then they started to fight like crazy as they were pulling each other’s hair.

Sonata, with her hood off, saw her sisters fighting, not knowing what to do.  She couldn’t help see what her sisters were doing to each other and yelled, “STOP IT!!!”  Adagio and Aria stopped fighting and looked at Sonata as she fell on her hands and knees, crying.  “Look at you two, fighting over nothing.  We lost, and all you can do is act like monsters.”

“She’s right,” Adagio said.  “We’re no longer sirens.  We’re just human beings acting like monsters.”

“And how are we suppose to survive without our powers?” Aria asked Adagio.

“I don’t know, but somehow, we’ve been given another chance.  Maybe a chance to live a normal life for once.”

Adagio walked over to her fallen sister and helped her onto her feet.  “If Sunset was able to survive what she went through after becoming a she-demon, then we can do the same.”

[End Flashback]

“So we spend months begging for money or handouts, staying in homeless shelters that didn’t have any creepy guys there, just trying to stay on our feet,” said Adagio.

“So how were you able to meet Professor Discord?” Sunset asked Adagio.

“Let’s just say it was more planned out on his end that we didn’t see coming.”

[Begin Flashback]

The former sirens were next to a back alley, wrapped in worn out blankets, taking turns in asking for money.  Adagio was taking her turn in asking for money when she met a tall, professional man with short, gray hair, small reading glasses, and a goatee.

“Excuse me, but do you have any money to spare,” she asked the man.

He looked at the lady for a moment and said, “Tell me, why is there such a lovely lady like yourself out on the streets all alone?”

“I’m not alone, you see.”  Adagio pointed to her sisters in the alley.

The man said, “My dear.  Are these your sisters?”  Adagio nodded.  The man shook his head and said, “This will not do.  Why don’t you and your sisters join me at my place?  It will give you a chance to recover from living in this place.”

Adagio looked at her sisters and saw them nod their heads.  “We would be grateful of your hospitality mister…”

“Discord.  Professor Discord.”

And it was Professor Discord who took the three former sirens into his home and let them wash up while he went to get them dinner for them to eat.  The three girls saw the professor return with a couple of pizzas and drinks and brought them to the dinning room.  And the girls were eating, Adagio wanted to ask Discord something.

“You said that you were a professor.  Where do you teach at?”

“Actually, I’m the head president of Equestria University.  I’m also a professor in psychology and teach several classes at the university.  It’s a lot of work, but I don’t see any problem with it.”

“That’s good to hear,” Adagio replied, knowing that it wasn’t someone who they met back at Canterlot High.

Discord asked, “What about you ladies?  How did you end up in the streets?”

Sonata answered, “Oh, we were trying to take…” only to be cut off by Aria’s elbow to her side.

“What my sister’s trying to say was that we’ve fallen on hard times,” Adagio said.

“Well, you are welcome to stay here for the night,” Discord said to the girls.  “You can sleep on the couches in the living room.  I’ll prove some blankets and pillows that you can use.”

So the girls were able to get some sleep for the night.  When morning came, Discord had some orange juice and a selection of cereal for the girls to choose.  As the former sirens were eating their breakfast, someone knocked at the front door.

“Excuse me, dear ladies, but I need to answer this,” Discord said, and walked out of the dinning room and made his way to the front door.

The girls continue eating until they could hear some of the chatter outside.

Discord said, “I’m glad the two of you could make it.”

“Thank you, Professor Discord.  Are they still here?”

Adagio went into shock.  “Damn it.  It’s Principal Celestia.”

“How did she know that we’re here?” Aria asked Adagio.

“I don’t know, and I don’t plan to find out.  Let’s try to get out of here.”

The girls started to make their way to the back entrance, only to be encountered by Vice Principal Luna.

“Going somewhere?” VP Luna said with her arms crossed.

Discord and Celestia walked into the same room, asking for them to sit back down in the dinning room.

With all of them sitting together, Discord placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands and spoke.

“Forgive my deception, but when I saw you last night, I knew that these two ladies would love to have a chat with you after what they have told me back then.”

Luna looked at them and said, “Adagio, Aria, Sonata.  The actions that you have done at our school, including what you did to us, cannot be forgotten.  And I’m sure the girls that saved us would want to see the three of you pay for your crimes.  So if you have anything to say in your defense, then we’ll let you have your say.”

“Allow me to speak for my sisters,” Adagio said.  “After our defeat, we tried to run and hide from the school and its students.  At that time, we started fighting against each other.  We were nothing but monsters, to you, to the students, and to ourselves.  If we must be punished for what we have done, then we’ll take whatever you decide to give us as punishment.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded before Celestia spoke.

“While you deserve to be punished, we have had another idea in mind.  I would like the three of you to work on the campus with Professor Discord.  I’m sure he can find fitting jobs for you to work on.”

The girls had confused looks on their faces.  Celestia spoke again.

“Perhaps an explanation is needed.  Just weeks ago, we held the friendship games on our school against Crystal Prep.  They have a reputation of winning in everything.  And they will do whatever they can to win, including blackmailing their own students.”

Luna continued.  “This was done to their top student, who was also trying to study what she didn’t know as magic by herself.  The device that she used was able to absorb the magic at will.  Crystal Prep’s principal, Abacus Cinch, learned of this and blackmailed her again to unleash the magic she had just to win a game.  This caused her to turn into a monster like Sunset was before you arrive.  It was Sunset who was able to save her and lead her to transfer to our school.”

Celestia took over.  “The reason we’re telling you this is that they will be going through their senior year soon, and maybe attend EU.  I want the three of you to understand what this world has to offer, just like Sunset and her friends are doing to their new friend after what happened during the games.  We hope in a year, you can work alongside them and put your differences behind.”

Adagio asked them, “Does Sunset plan to attend college?”

“She’s been debating it,” Luna answered.  “I’ve been helping her in what she wants to do when the time comes.”

“Ladies, this is a great chance to have a new life in this world,” Discord said.  “I know you will enjoy the experience there.”

Adagio looked at her sisters and knew that agreed on the same thing.  “We’ll be happy to take the job.  Just one question, what was the name of the girl that turned into a she-demon at the games?”

“Would you be surprised that her name was Twilight Sparkle?”

[End Flashback]

“All three of us were surprised to know that this world’s Twilight attended Crystal Prep,” said Adagio.

“I was more surprised to be talking to myself afterwards,” said Twilight.  “But I understand that she went through this phase in her own world and came out a princess.”

“Speaking of which, how is the princess doing these days?” Adagio said to Sunset.

“Well, while we were dealing with magic during the games, she was busy repairing the timeline that her new student caused during that time.  Said that she was tired of everyone leaving her because of how they were earning their cutie marks.  Almost reminds me of…well, me.”

“I guess everyone has their own adventure to experience,” said Adagio.  “I already had to help in saving these girls from a terrible fate.”  The girls had confused looks on their faces.  “I guess Dean Cadence didn’t tell you the details.  Might as well tell you now.”

[Begin Flashback]

Someone was knocking on the door to Professor Discord’s home.  Adagio went on over to answer the door and was met by two ladies.

“Good day, ladies.  You must be Principal Cinch and Dean Cadence.”

“Yes we are” said Principal Cinch.  “I presume that Professor Discord is here?”

Adagio replied, “He is.  If you will follow me.”

Adagio escorted the two to the living room where the professor was.  When they entered the room, they were surprised to see Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna in the room as well.

“I hope there’s a reason for these…two to be here.” Cinch said to Discord.

“There is.  If you will please have a seat.”

The two ladies sat down across the Canterlot sisters.  Adagio went to stand next to Discord.

“I have been told that you have been blackmailing students to get what you want for the school,” Discord said to Cinch.

Cinch adjusted her glasses and said, “If it’s about your new student, then I understand your concern.  But that’s in the past.”

Discord said, “This isn’t about her, but five other students that you plan to blackmail, maybe even expel from the school.”

“And how do you…” Cinch looked over to Cadence and said, “You told them this, didn’t you.”

“Principal Cinch, I will not allow you to make a bigger mistake to Crystal Prep or its students because of what happened after the Friendship Games.”

Cinch responded, “That is not for you to…”

“ABACUS CINCH!!!”  Discord yelled at her, silencing her.  “You understand the actions that you have caused during these games.  And I expect you to take responsibility for what you have done.”

“Excuse me?” Cinch replied.

“Principal Cinch, I can understand that you saw what was believe to be magic at our school,” Luna explained.  “And it was that same magic that saved us from fates worse than that.”

Cinch responded.  I can understand that one of your fellow students went through the same thing, but what else could be worse to any of that.”

Adagio went to Principal Cinch’s side and bend down to look straight at her.  “You’re looking at her.”

Principal Cinch let out a quick laugh and said, “You?  Is this a joke?”

“I have you know I was once a siren before I came here.  And during that time, I was able to put that school under my spell, causing them to compete against each other.  It was that anger that we absorbed that made us stronger.  But we couldn’t take control of some students, the same six students that you faced during your precious games, because they processed Equestrian magic, the same magic that your former student tried to absorb and release, turning her into a monster.  It was that same magic that we tried to absorb to make us invincible, only to let it destroy the powers that we once had, making us human like everyone else.”

Cinch stared at Adagio and said, “And your point is?”

“Let me make it clear.  You decided to play with powers you don’t even understand.  If I knew what your school was like, we would have used your students and staff and absorb the negative emotions they possess and made them do what we wanted them to do, including you.  Then it would have made things easier to take over CHS.  And if you think that pointing the blame to other students for what you forced onto them, forget it.  The only person to blame…is yourself.”

“Don’t forget who help you in exposing what your school was doing decades ago,” said Celestia.  “If you haven’t come to Discord and me when he was still the principal of CHS, you would still be a teacher working in a corrupt school with no one to help you.”

“For some reason, you’re forgotten the meaning of the “Chaos Theory” that I told you,” said Discord.

Principal Cinch looked down and thought it over.  “In order for there to be balance, there must be chaos.”

“And what does that mean?” Discord asked Cinch.

“That we much accept failure in order to succeed later on.”  Principal Cinch took a deep breath and said, “I’ll dismiss the claims on the five students…and begin reviewing the school policy for changes to help benefit the school as a whole.”

Discord said, “That’s what I like to see from you this point on.”

[End Flashback]

“So she was trying to find an excuse to expel us from CPA after what we did after the friendship games?” Indigo asked Adagio.

“That’s right.  Don’t know what it was, but I don’t think it matter anyway.  All of you are here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Dash said, “Yea, we should just enjoy our time here anyway, right?”

Everyone agreed to that comment.

“I’m surprised about this chaos theory that he uses,” Sugarcoat said.  “What if you can’t control the chaos that has been created?”

“There is always a way to control chaos, as long as you work together.”  The girls were surprised to see a man with gray hair, glasses, and goatee.

“OH, Mr. D.  This is a pleasant surprise,” said Fluttershy.

"MR. D?"

“It’s nice to see you attending EU, Fluttershy.  I’m guessing that someone is looking over the animal shelter for you?”

“Oh, why yes.  Three girls that we know well.”

“Fluttershy, I didn’t know you knew Professor Discord,” said Adagio.

“OH, he comes by the shelter over the weekends when he’s looking for a possible service animal that is needed for someone with…what was it, PTSD?”

Sunset answered, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Something that I plan to study for my major.”

“So you must be Sunset Shimmer that some of my friends have been talking about,” said Professor Discord.  “I’ll be glad to help you during your time here.”

“I’m grateful to have you as my guidance consoler, Professor Discord, “said Sunset.  “And I hope to be taking some of your classes later on.  I must say, I never thought of you as being the head president here.  Plus, you come close to the one back in my world.”

“Principal Celestia told me a bit about your world and it’s magic.  So what can you tell me about the Discord from your world.”

Everyone stared at Sunset, waiting for her answer.  “Well, this only came from Princess Twilight, but she told me that you were know as the master of chaos, and that the two princess used the Elements of Harmony to turn him into stone.  He broke free, only to be turned to stone by Twilight and her friends.  Then he was requested to be released by Princess Celestia so that he can be reformed with Fluttershy’s help, which could explain why the two of you know each other well.”

Lemon Zest jumped up and said, “Wow, that was awesome.  Do you think there are pony versions of us there?”

Sunset replied, “Well, I have yet to see the human version of myself, or even Twilight’s new student, Starlight Glimmer.  I’ll be surprised to find a mirrored version of Queen Chrysalis here as well.”

“Chrysalis?  That’s my guidance consoler,” said Sour.

“So you must be majoring in psychology as well.” Discord said to Sour Sweet.

“Well, I do have bipolar disorder, which I have been trying to overcome,” Sour replied.  “I’m hoping this can help me understand it better for myself and for others with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and severe depression.”

“At least your meds are finally kicking in,” said Sunny

“Watch it Sunny.”

“Well that’s her specialty in the psychology field,” Discord added.  “I think you’re going to like her, even if she can be weird at times.”

“Well, my major is science technology,” said Twilight.  “What is everyone else majoring in?”

“Um, mine’s nursing,” said Fluttershy.  “I’m hoping to help out people and animals that need help.”

“Theater,” said Sunny Flare.

“Business,” said Rarity.  This got some stares towards her.  “What.  If I’m going to be running a fashion business, I need to understand how to make it happen.”

“Agriculture,” said Applejack.

“Physical Science, with a minor in Mathematics,” said Sugarcoat.

“Music Education,” said Lemon.  This got different stares from her friends.  “Hey, I want to teach others how to play music.”

“Visual Arts,” said Pinkie, raising her fist.

“Athletics,” said Dash and Indigo together.

“Looks like we got a wide variety in what we want to do for our future,” said Sunset.

“Professor Discord, your food’s ready,” yelled Johnny from the counter.

“Thanks,” he replied.  “Well, I need to be heading back.  I hope we get to cross paths again.”

Sunset said, “Same here.”

“I better head back to the library,” said Adagio.  “If you need any help in there, just let me know.”

Both Discord and Adagio left the place to return back to the campus grounds.

“Well, it’s nice to see that Adagio and her sisters have changed,” said Applejack.  “One lest thing to worry about.”

“I’m just glad that she saved us from being expelled,” Indigo added.

“I think this calls for a toast,” Rarity requested.  “Would you like to do the honors, Sunset?”

“I’ll be glad to.”  Sunset raised her glass. “To all the friends that have helped us to get here.  For Friendship.”

Everyone else raised their glasses and cheered, “FOR FRIENDSHIP!!!”

Freshman Orientation

Equestria University, the biggest and best college in Canterlot and beyond.  While classes have yet to begin, it was busy with first year students coming and going to where they were required to go, for today was freshman orientation.  And it was where our friends were coming from the theater building and making their way to the cafeteria for lunch.  Now students would require a meal plan, but it wasn’t needed during orientation because the campus was filled with freshmen, while the upper classmen wouldn’t arrive for a few more days.  This gave our friends a chance to try out some of the basic meals and meet up with one more former siren.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH!!!”  Pinkie Pie was excited to see the size of the cafeteria.  “It’s bigger than the one in Canterlot High.”

“Pinkie Pie, this is just the eating area.  We have yet to see the serving area,” said Applejack.

“Well, it’s big enough to serve over half the campus students that live on here,” Sugarcoat added.

“Is that why we have to have meal plans on campus?” Sunset asked the others.

“It is, Sunset.  At least a 10-meal plan,” Twilight explained.  “After a year, we can change to a 5 or 15-meal plan, or just stay on the 10-meal plan.  Maybe even a full meal plan if you plan to only eat in the cafeteria.”

“At least we have credits for the food court with the other plans,” Indigo added.  “We just have to monitor how much we use during the semester.”

“Good thing we can look it up online,” Sunny added.

“Um, I hope they have a salad bar,” Fluttershy said.

“Vegetarian?” Sunny asked Fluttershy, in which she replied with a nod.  “Oh I’m sure they do, plus a non-meat selection to go for.  Colleges are required to have those opinions available to students.”

“That’s good,” Fluttershy responded.

So the girls went towards one of the lines into the serving area, and when they were in the area, they saw on the cooking grill a blue-haired siren wearing a mesh to keep her hair covered up.  And leave it to Pinkie to get her attention.

“SONATA!!!!!!”

Sonata, who recognized the voice, looked over her shoulder to see the Rainbooms from Canterlot High.  “About time you got here.”  Sonata was busy flipping burger patties and rolling hot dog links on the metal grill.  “I love to chat, but I got to make sure you get some food in your bellies to get through the day, right Big Stew?”

“That’s right,” said the big chef who just walked in from the back.

“Just so you know, we got hamburgers, hot dogs, boneless chicken, fries, and tater tots to get you started,” Sonata explained.

Fluttershy asked, “Um, do you have a salad bar somewhere?”

Sonata pointed, “Over there in the center of the area, just as you head back to the dining area.  And just so you know, this is just some of the basic options that you will see around here.”

“Well, thanks for filling us in on what to expect,” said Sunset.

Sonata replied, “No prob.  If I find some free time, I’ll come visit you, OK?”

“Sure.” Sunset replied.

As everyone was getting their food, Rarity requested, “Fluttershy, since you’re on your way to the dining area, can you find us a table for all of us to sit together.”

“Sure, Rarity.”

Once everyone got their food, they went to get their drinks, then look for Fluttershy at one of the tables in the dining area.  They saw Fluttershy waving at them, and noticed some familiar faces with her.

“Hey, isn’t that Flash Sentry, Sandalwood, and Micro Chip over there?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You’re right,” Rarity answered.  “And Trixie and Octavia are with them.  But where have we seen the four that are with them?”

“Oh, that’s Tenderhoof, Neon Lights, and Suri Polomare,” Lemon answered.  “They were on our team during the friendship games.”

“And the other one is Fleur De Lis,” Indigo added.  “I believe you were trying to rescue her when the ground broke away,” she said to Rarity.

“How can I not forget that episode,” Rarity said.  “At least you and Lemon were there to save us.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Indigo replied.

“Might as well join them,” said Sunset.

All of the girls joined their high school classmates at a couple of long tables near the main entrance to eat.

“Hey girls,” said Flash. “I’m guessing it’s a Wondercolt/Shadowbolt roommate match up?”

“Yep,” Sunset replied.  “Don’t tell me it’s the same for you?”

The others agreed to Sunset’s question.

“I got Neon Lights as my roommate,” said Micro Chips.

“And the cool thing about is that he’s majoring in Computer Science, while I’m focusing on Liberal Arts with a minor in Computer Science,” said Neon Lights.

“He has some neat gadgets for music,” Chips added.

“And I have Sandalwood as my roommate,” said Tenderhoof.  “He’s focusing on Biology while I’m focusing on Journalism, but we have something on common.”

“We both admire what the world has to offer for people to explore,” said Sandalwood.

“Could explain why you read the lifestyles section in the newspaper every time,” Sugarcoat said to Tenderhoof.

“Sugarcoat, even the small things in life are worth exploring,” Tenderhoof explained.

“Well, Trixie is sharing with Suri, which I thought was odd,” said Trixie.

“But with her Musical Theater major, and my Fashion Design major, we might be working together on future theater projects after college,” said Suri.

“I would think you would focus on creating your own fashion business, Suri,” Rarity said to her.

“While I might be good, I can hardly compete the business that your family has earned,” Suri replied.  “Besides, I have seen how big and fancy the costumes are for the stage, and that takes lots of talent.”

Rarity responded, “Too true, Suri.  Too true.”

“And you can guess who my roommate is,” Octavia said.

“Both of us have nice taste in the classical arts,” Fleur explained.  “I’m focused on English Literature.”

“And I’m working on Music Performance as I improve on the cello,” Octavia added.  “And she even has some classical music that I haven’t even heard before.”

“Looks like you could be seeing Flash more often in the music building,” Applejack said to Octavia.  “He has the same major, but towards guitar.  I do hope the acoustic guitar my brother found is helping you out.”

“It is, AJ. I was able to replace the broken strings on it,” Flash said.

“Good to hear,” Applejack replied.

“So, where’s your roommate, Flash?” asked Sunset.

“He hasn’t shown up.  I think he’s an upperclassman, sophomore I believe.  So I’ll have to wait a couple of days before I meet him.”

So the group went on to eat and talk about what each one has been doing over the summer.  As they were finishing up, Sonata was able to meet up with them.

“Hey guys.  Finally got a break before the next group comes in,” said Sonata.  “I’m sure my sisters filled you in on our big change?”

“They did,” replied Sunset.  “I’m surprised that you had an effect on your sisters’ wake-up call.”

“I’m just glad that the fighting is over.  I just think we have been living a curse without knowing it.  But I like what I’m doing now.  Learned a lot on cooking, which felt common when I started.”  Sonata looked around and noticed some fellow Wondercolts giving them stares.  She had a confused look, saying, “What?”

“Where has Trixie seen you before?”

Sunset sighed and said, “Let’s just get this out of the way.  Friends, this is Sonata of the Dazzlings.  Sonata, these of the friends that you and your sisters tried to put under your spell.  And I don’t want to see any problems between each other.  All three of them have been reformed, and if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Professor Discord, OK?”

Sonata looked around again and noticed that someone was missing.  “Where’s that DJ girl that helped out last time?”

“Oh, you must mean Vinyl Scratch,” replied Octavia.  “She’s attending a community college nearby.  She wants to focus on being a DJ full time while getting an education.  She’s already got a job at Club Moonlight.”

“You mean the all ages club in Canterlot?” Lemon asked, in which Octavia nodded.  “That rocks!!!”

“We might have to go there one weekend,” Dash recommended.

Sonata asked, “I’m guessing everyone in this group is rooming with someone in group as well?”

“Everyone expect Flash,” Applejack replied.

“Do you know who your roommate is?” Sonata asked Flash.

“Hang on.”  Flash digs into his pocket and got out a folded piece of paper.  “Centaur Archer.  You heard of him?”

Sonata placed a finger on her chin, trying to remember hearing the name.  Then a light bulb went on.  “Of course.  He either eats pancakes and sausages or bacon and scramble eggs in the morning.  I remember it all the time.  Aria has seen him at the coffee lounge on most evenings, so you could ask her about him.  There was something else about him that made him different from most students.  What was it?”

“Maybe he’s undecided in his major,” said Sugarcoat.

“He was undecided, but Aria said that he finally decided his major during the spring.  I just can’t remember what is was.”

“Maybe he’s got you and your sisters under his spell,” said Rarity.

“For realizes?”

“That was a joke, dear.”

“Maybe he’s disabled,” Sour said, “just to get Sonata to help with his food every morning.”

Sonata’s eyes lit up.  “That’s it!  He has a learning disability.”

“Um, what kind of learning disability?” Dash asked Sonata.

“It’s a learning disability.  DUD!!!”

“I think she means a general learning disability,” said Sunset.  “He has a hard time learning or remembering certain things.  He might look normal, but his mind may have a hard time trying to remember details.”  She asks Sonata, “Do you know who’s in charge of disability services?”

“Um…Oh.  Dr. Zecora.  She handles all students with physical or mental disabilities.”

“We might have to keep that in mind, Sour Sweet,” Sunset recommended.

“Well, I need to head back to the kitchen,” said Sonata.  “Need to get ready for the next group.”

The group was able to wave goodbye as Sonata made her way back into the kitchen.  Everyone else finished eating and placed their trays and plates in the cleaning area and made their way outside, getting ready for more freshman orientation.

Sour Sweet wanted to talk to Sunset Shimmer in private so that Sour could understand what Sunset was talking about.

“Is there a reason we might have to visit disability services?” Sour asked Sunset.

“A few reasons.  Mainly, it’s a way to meet others who have mental problems that we need to identify, since we share the same major.  Plus, just like Sunny mention that there had to be food opinions for vegetarians, schools, colleges, and most buildings are required to have accessibility for those with physical disabilities.  One that I learned is known as multiple sclerosis, or MS.  It’s one that you can’t see from the outside.  I’ll show you what it means after orientation, so you can get a better idea of it and other physical and mental issues.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to understand more of this stuff,” Sour said.  “As long as it’s not boring.”

“Trust me, it’s worth it,” said Sunset.

“Is that all?” Sour asked Sunset.

“Well, there’s one more thing.  If Dr. Zecora is who I think she is, then you’re going to have to understand what her rhymes mean.  Otherwise, you will fail to understand the diseases.”

There was a moment of silence before Sour spoke.  “If that was a rhyme, then it really sucks.”

“I know,” said Sunset.  “I sometimes wonder how Princess Twilight understands her back in the pony world.”

“Maybe we can visit the coffee lounge tonight and talk to Aria about him,” said Sour.

“Wouldn’t hurt,” Sunset replied.  “I want to see how good Aria does in making coffee anyway.”

Coffee Time, Tea Time

Night has fallen around the campus of Equestria University.  And with freshman orientation coming to an end, most of the students would finally enjoy a few days of freedom before classes start, giving time for the upperclassmen to check in.  But tonight was a time for others to bond and experience what the campus life, and its surroundings, were really like.  It was here that Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Sour Sweet, and Flash Sentry decide to spend some time with Aria Blaze at the coffee lounge on campus, just next to the food court.

The coffee lounge has lots of tables and booths with students chatting away.  At the small performing stage was a projector screen showing one of the movies that was being played from the campus movie channel.  Two TVs were hanging on the walls behind the counter showing a news channel on one TV and a sports channel on another.  At the counter were Aria Blaze and her co-workers, handing out free coffee for all the freshmen to enjoy for tonight only.  Our four friends found several empty stools in front of the counter and decided to join Aria working the area.  Flash sat at one end, with Applejack next to him.  Sunset sat next to Applejack, and Sour was on the other end of the group.

Aria said, “Here for some coffee?”  All four of them nodded in agreement.  “We have regular and decaf.  How do you want it?”

“Regular.  Extra milk and sugar,” said Sour Sweet.

“Decaf.  Little milk and sugar,” said Sunset Shimmer.

“Decaf, with some milk,” said Applejack.

“Regular.  Black,” said Flash Sentry.

“On it.”  Aria took their orders and served them to what they wanted to drink.  “Just so you know, we’ll have more opinions starting tomorrow.  Your credits should be active by then.  So, what’s everyone else doing tonight?”

“Well, Dash, Zap, Pinkie, and Lemon are chilling in their room,” said Sunset.  “And don’t worry.  They plan to keep the noise level down this time.”

“Flutters is having tea with Rarity and Sunny,” said Sour.  “Sunny has several kinds of tea with her.  Don’t know why she needs that much.”

“So does Rarity,” Applejack added.  “She’s not much of a coffee person, ya know.”

“And Twilight and Sugarcoat are trying to get the old magic scanner working again,” said Sunset.

“We’re not going to have more Equestrian magic on campus, are we?” Flash asked Sunset.

“Not to mention having our magic taken away again,” Applejack added.

“Don’t worry.  It’s her old scanner she was using when she appeared days before the games,” Sunset explained.  “It only detects anomalies like magic and spirits.  I rather feel confident that magic won’t be popping up out of nowhere.”

“As long as Cinch doesn’t get her dirty hands on magic again,” Sour said with a mean look.  “But, better safe than sorry.”

“What about you, Flash?” Aria asked.  “Are the guys doing other things?”

“That’s right,” Flash replied.  “And I’m still waiting on my roommate to show up.”

Aria said, “Let me guess.  Centaur Archer.”

“I guess Sonata told you about our conversation in the cafeteria,” said Sunset.

“Yep,” answered Aria.  “Nice guy to talk to.  Cute too.”

“We heard that he has a learning disability,” Sour said to Aria.

“That’s right.  He’s good with anything math related, but anything that involves words becomes a problem for him to remember.  Disability services help him with those problems, and I have spent some time with him here when he needs help preparing for a test.  And trust me on this; it has helped me learn some things that I never knew.  Most of it was from Biology classes, and some Lit classes as well.  He even let me keep a book of noir stories from one of his Lit classes that he no longer needed.  And when they plan to issue updated books and place the old books on the clearance rack, I plan to buy some of them and start learning a bit more of this era.  Adagio has been doing the same.”

“Sounds like you want to attend college yourself,” said Applejack.

“Not really,” Aria replied.  “I like where I’m working at.  But having reference materials is nice.  We even keep an eye out for old cooking books from yard sales for Sonata to use.  She’s been hooked on cooking since she started to work in the cafeteria.”

“So back to Centaur,” said Sunset.  “What else can you tell us about him?  We’ve become curious about him, being a special student and all.”

“Oh really,” Aria said as she raised her eyebrow.  “Well, he’s just your average student with a learning disability.  Nothing much else to say about him.”

“Do you know what he’s majoring in?” Flash asked Aria.

“He was undecided when he first came here, but Professor Discord recommended a guidance consoler for the time being in helping with deciding what major to take.  Her name’s Professor River Song.  She teaches history, archaeology, and astronomy.  Before he finished his spring semester, he decided on astronomy as his major, keeping the same guidance consoler to help him out.”

Sunset asked, “Have you met the professor?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself,” said Aria as she pointed to the lady behind them.

A lady with pale yellow skin and orange locks was walking towards them.  She was wearing a white blouse, jeans, and black boots, along with a jean jacket.

“Good evening, sweetie,” she said.

“Good evening to you too, River Song,” Aria replied.  “Same as usual?”

“Make it a double.  I’ve had to deal with Discord’s staff meeting going on this late.”

Aria went to fix River Song her coffee with extra milk and sugar.  She handed it to her, saying, “These are a few old friends of mine.  Flash Sentry, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer.  And this is one of their friends, Sour Sweet.”

River Song said, “So this is the one who made you human, right?”

Aria said to her friends, “Don’t worry.  She knows about what happened to my sisters and me.  She’s been helping us get adjusted to our new lives.”

“Oh my.  Where are my manners?  Professor River Song at your service.”

“My friends were curious about your “prized” student that you have,” said Aria.  “He’s rooming with Flash Sentry.”

“Oh really?” River Song said as she raised her eyebrow.  “Well Flash, I think you’re going to like having him as your roommate.  But I’m surprised that a few young ladies are interested in him as well.”

Sunset replied, “Oh, Sour Sweet and me are majoring in psychology, and we learned that he has a learning disability.  We were hoping to meet him in person sometime and understand how he struggles with classes, if he’s willing to show us.”

“Well, we don’t discuss students’ personal issues in public, but he likes to help out at times, so I’m sure he can show you if you ask nicely,” said River Song.  “Just don’t force him into doing something he doesn’t like to do, ok?”

“Oh we promise that we’ll be really nice to him,” said Sour, “unless he decides to cause trouble.”

“SOUR!!!” Sunset replied, nudging her elbow into Sour’s ribs.

River Song said, “Let me guess, bipolar disorder, right?”  Sour Sweet’s jaw dropped.  “When you spend most of your time with Professor Chrysalis, you understand what to look for in a person.”  Sour decided to close her mouth.  “But there is one thing that Centaur likes to do.  Archery.”

Both Applejack and Sour Sweet’s eyes went wide open.  Then they remembered what happened at the friendship games and started to stare at each other, with Sunset in the middle.

“Will you two just stop it,” Sunset said to the two girls.

“Tell it to Sour Sweet, who used three arrows to hit the bulls-eye,” said Applejack.

“At the same time, might I add,” said Sour Sweet.  “And you took your sweet time in hitting the bulls-eye with one arrow.  How long did that take, a minute?”

“Mere seconds,” said Applejack, “Since my target went in a circle.  Yours went back and forth.”

“You think you could do better?”

“Darn right I can.”

Aria interrupted and said, “How about six bulls-eye on six targets with six arrows?”

Sour Sweet and Applejack looked at Aria and said, “Are you kidding?”

“From last I remember, Centaur did that in quick succession,” Aria replied.  “It’s the only talent he truly has.  Too bad we don’t have that kind of sport in college.”  Sour Sweet and Applejack’s jaws dropped.

“Looks like you blew their minds,” Flash said to Aria.

Sunset said, “It looks like college life is going to be pretty interesting.

Back at the Clover dorms, Twilight and Sugarcoat were busy inspecting the damaged locket and checking to see if Twilight could still use the programming chip back in her old scanner.  Rarity and Sunny Flare were sitting on Twilight’s bed and Fluttershy on one of the extra chairs from Sugarcoat’s room, drinking some herbal tea.

“I must say, do we really need that device working again?” Rarity asked Twilight.

“Don’t worry.  I don’t plan on letting it take your magic like before.  My old scanner was used to detect anomalies like the school statue being an actual portal.  Nothing more.”

“The only question is how much damage there is to the main programming,” Sugarcoat added.  “Sunset really threw it down hard when she took that same magic and transformed her into Daydream Shimmer.”

Twilight looked at the programming chip and carefully reconnected it back to her scanner before putting the cover on and testing it.  When she turned it on, it started to work.  “Good.  Now I need to make sure it can detect any anomalies.  I wonder if I can find any near a graveyard?”

“Well, it did work when we pony up,” said Fluttershy.  “But that was when we showed our own personal element that we were linked to.”

“Or when we played music.”  Then Rarity had an idea.  “Fluttershy, did you bring your tambourine with you?”

“Why yes.  Yes I did.”  She started to catch on to what Rarity was thinking.  “Of course.  Let me go and get it.”  Fluttershy handed her teacup to Rarity and left the room, returning to her own room.

“Rarity, dearie.  What reasoning is there to this,” asked Sunny.

Rarity explained.  “After the Battle of the Bands, Sunset wanted to…experiment with how music causes us to pony up.  She did so with each one of us separately.”

“And what was the results of the experiment?” Twilight asked Rarity.

“Not sure.  I think being blasted by rainbow paint and electric balloons took its toll of Sunset.”

Twilight set her scanner on her desk and grabbed her teacup.  She took a sip of her tea and said, “Rarity, this herbal tea is nice.”

Sugarcoat took a sip of hers as well.  “I must agree with Twilight.  It has a nice taste to it.”

“Why thank you, ladies.  I hope next time we can use one of Sunny Flare’s tea selection.”

“I’ll be more than happy to serve some up next time, Rarity,” said Sunny.

Fluttershy came back in with her tambourine.  “Ok, I got it.  You ready Twilight?”

Twilight placed her teacup on her desk and picked up her scanner.  “Ready.”

Fluttershy started to get into the rhythm with her tambourine.  As she was feeling the beat, she started to pony up.  This caused her scanner to go off the radar, enough that the screen went dead and smoke was coming from the inside.  Fluttershy stopped playing and her ears, wings, and mane disappeared.

“Oh no, no, NO!”  Twilight went to remove the cover of the scanner and saw smoke coming out.  She waved her hand to clear the smoke and saw that the programming chip was fried.

“Looks like it was in bad shape from the beginning,” said Sugarcoat.

“Either that, or what it was scanning was too much to take,” Twilight said as she placed the broken scanner on her desk.  “Not only will I need new parts, but some upgraded parts as well.  I guess having a scanner is no longer an option.”

Fluttershy went up to Twilight and placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder.  “I’m sorry that I broke your scanner.  But maybe it’s time to move on to other stuff that can be helpful to someone.”

Twilight looked at her and said, “It wasn’t you, Fluttershy.  My tech feels like it’s out of date.  I guess it’s time to focus on getting my degree and move forward.”

“Twilight, I’m sure that it’s great to move on, but even curtain technology has to be upgraded,” Sugarcoat said.  “Look at televisions, radios, cell phone, even computers.  All of them have to be upgraded at times.  If your scanner needs upgrades, then we find what is needed to upgrade.”

“Even so, it would cost more money to buy, and I need to find the parts to fix it,” said Twilight.

“Twilight, do you have any diagrams on how you designed the scanner?” asked Sunny.

Twilight looked over her papers and found the designs for the scanners.  “Here they are.”

“Sugarcoat, do you think you can help Twilight in finding out what needs to be upgraded?” asked Sunny.

Sugarcoat looked at the designs and said, “Maybe, but I’ll need time and research to do so.”

Sunny said, “If you two can create a newer scanner and find out where we can get the parts, I’ll purchase what you need to make it done.”

“Please, I don’t want to trouble you with all this,” Twilight told her.

Sunny said, “Think about it.  We may not be around our own high schools, but what if some unknown event happens.  How can we be prepared?  I’m not saying that it would happen, but it helps to be safe.  Maybe we can be ghost hunters or something.  The world is filled with mysteries, and you were able to make something to help discover it.  I know it was something that you or anyone else had any knowledge about, and it almost cost us our lives, but now that we have each other, including Sunset Shimmer, we can be prepared for anything.”

Twilight looked at Sugarcoat, in which she gave Twilight a nod, then looked back at Sunny and said, “Alright.  We’ll do it.”

“That’s the Twilight that we like to see,” said Sunny.

“Sunny, you sure you have enough money to do this?” asked Rarity.

“More than enough for two scanners.  How do you think I got these?”  Sunny pointed to her data bracelets.

“I stand corrected,” Rarity replied and she took a sip of her tea.

Twilight said, “With you girls around, I might enjoy the college life.”

First Impressions???

With freshman orientation done at Equestria University, our friends get to enjoy a few days off before classes start.  It was a time to relax and meet the upper classmen who were starting to check in.  But for two roommates, it was a time to enjoy the “eye candy” that was walking the sidewalks on campus.  Rarity and Sunny Flare spent their time sitting on the bed that was next to the window, looking at the new faces that were showing up on campus.

“I’m not sure that there will be any guys worth chasing, Rarity,” said Sunny Flare.

“Darling, there’s bound to be that one guy out there that says, ‘He’s the one I’m looking for.’”

Sunny responded, “But wouldn’t most of the upper classmen be taken?  I mean, it’s not easy to tell if someone is single or not.”

“That’s why you need to start a conversation with them.  If they’re single, then go for it.  If not, then be their friend and hope that they know someone who is.”  Sunny just let out a sigh, which raised Rarity’s concern for her roommate.  “Sunny, have you ever tried to find someone back at Crystal Prep.  I mean there are some nice charming ones that I recall seeing during the friendship games.”

Sunny looked at Rarity and said, “Not really.  It’s just…I’ve tried when I turned 16, but I went on some terrible first dates.  Indigo and Sugarcoat tried their luck with who they knew, but it didn’t work out.  And just so you know, I didn’t trust Lemon Zest, since she would know the “rocker” type.  And Sour Sweet had her own problems that I had to keep an eye on her.  Since then, I never bother trying, even after the friendship games.”

Rarity stood up and placed her hands on Sunny’s arms and said, “Well guess what, consider this a fresh start in the dating pool.  And I’m going to do what I can to help guide you in your search.”

Sunny asked, “Have you ever done this before?”

“I’ve helped some of my friends in high school that needed my help.  And just so you know, I’ve haven’t had much time looking myself with the fashion work that I had to work on.  But now that my parents are back to take over while I’m here, I can finally start looking for one as well.”  But Rarity’s mood did change when another person came to mind.  “I will admit that I did have one bad experience of my first date.  God, what was I thinking?”

Sunny Flare raised an eyebrow, curious of this.  “What was his name, dearie?”

“Ugh, Blueblood.”  This sent a shiver down Rarity’s spine.

Sunny was surprised to hear the name.  “Wait, you mean the I-like-to-look-at-myself Blueblood?”

“You heard of him?” asked Rarity.

Sunny answered, “Like me, he’s from a rich family, that’s for sure.  But he wasn’t accepted into Crystal Prep, even if his parents donated all the money they had to get him in.  At the time, I figure he fit in with the Wondercolt losers.  But since the games, I feel sorry for your class to have him around.”

“Tell me about it,” Rarity said.  “When a car came by after a rainy evening, he hid behind me so he didn’t get wet and muddy.  My nice dress that I was wearing at the time was ruined.  Took me weeks to get it cleaned.”

“Well, if I heard correctly, he wasn’t accepted to any of the colleges like this one.  So, one less problem for us to worry about,” said Sunny.

Just then, a knock came from the bathroom door.

“Must be Sour Sweet,” said Sunny.  “Let me get that.”

Sunny Flare got up and walked to the bathroom door.  When she opened it, it was Sour Sweet standing there.

“Ok if I join you?” Sour asked Sunny.  “Fluttershy is hanging with Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest playing video games.”

“Sure, dearie.  Anything for my good friend, Sour.”

“So what’s going on with you two?” asked Sour Sweet.

“We were just talking about guys and dating,” Rarity answered.

“Really?” Sour responded.  “At least it’s better than being alone.”

All three sat next to each other at the window-side bed.

Sunny asked, “Sour, is it true that your interested in Flash’s roommate, even if you haven’t seen him?”

“I’m…curious.” Sour replied.  “As long as Applejack doesn’t get to him first.”

“Be careful, dear,” Rarity said.  “Applejack is one who doesn’t back down from a challenge.”

“Plus, you have had your…issues when meeting guys.” Sunny added.

Sunny’s cell phone buzzed, showing a text from Indigo Zap.  “WEBCHAT, NOW!!!”  Sunny went to get her laptop, turned it on, and logged in to the private chat room that Indigo was in.

Indigo was on the screen with Rainbow Dash in the background.  “Hey Sunny.  I know it’s been a long time, but want to give dating a second chance?”

Rarity stepped in and said, “We were just talking about it earlier.”

“I figure you would be doing that,” Rainbow Dash said in the background.

Indigo said, “Look out your window RIGHT NOW!”

The girls went out to the window to find whom Indigo was talking about.

“See the guys with the lion and bull t-shirts?  That’s who I’m talking about.”

They saw two guys walking across their side of the dorms.  One guy had red skin and short black hair.  He had a fit body that look like he was a quarterback of some football team, and was wearing a black t-shirt with a red lion’s face on it, and blue jeans and black walking shoes.  The other guy had green skin and short brown hair.  He had a bigger size body that the other guy, and was wearing a black t-shirt with a green bull’s head on it, and black knee-length shorts and white tennis shoes.

“Indigo, remember the last time you tried to set me on a date with an athlete?” Sunny asked Indigo.

Rarity intervened.  “Wait a minute, dear.  They might be different than you think.  Watch and learn.”  Rarity opened the window and stuck her head out to get the guys attention.  “YOU WHO!  Yes, the ones with the lion and bull shirts.  Can I talk to you two for a moment?”

The two guys walked up to the open window that the purple haired lady was at.  “Is there something wrong, miss?” said the red guy.

“Oh my, what a gentleman he is,” Rarity quietly said to herself.  She said, ‘I haven’t seen you two around.  Are you upper classmen here?”

“That’s right, babe,” said the green guy.  “I’m a second year student, and my roommate here is a third year.”

“That’s good to hear,” Rarity said.  “Me and my friend here were curious about something.”

“THEYWANTTOKNOWIFBOTHOFYOUARESINGLEANDAREWILLINGTOGOONADATEWITHTHEM!!!”

“PINKIE!!!”  Rarity yelled, then glared at her, who had her head out of her room’s window.

The red guy let out a laugh and said, “You must be Rarity.”

Rarity was shocked to lean that he knew her name.

“And your friend must be Sunny Flare,” said the green guy.

Now both of them were in shock.

“H-how did you know w-who I was?” Rarity asked, trying to get the words out of her mouth.

“We’re neighbors with Flash Sentry,” said the red guy.  “My name is Blaze Lionheart, and this is my friend, Steel Horn.”

“What’s up, babe,” said Steel Horn.  “Flash told us about you girls.  Seems like you’re something special from where you’re from.”

Rarity let out a giggle and said, “Something like that.”

Indigo stuck her head out of her window and looked at Rarity, saying, “We met them earlier during out walk as they were checking in.”  She turned and looked at Blaze, saying, “You guys finally finish unpacking?”

“Just about, Indigo.  Centaur’s still getting his stuff unpacked.”

Hearing Centaur’s name got Sour Sweet pumped up, crossing her fingers.

“Oh please come here.  Oh please come here.  Oh please come here.”

Sunny said, “Sour, you really want to meet this guy.”

Sour snapped out of her phase and said, “It’s…it’s not like that.”

“Really,” Sunny said as she gazed at Sour Sweet.

“Hey guys.  I see you met the rest of our friends.”  It was Flash Sentry, with Sunset Shimmer, walking up to Blaze and Steel.  “Centaur’s almost finished unpacking and should be joining us here.”

“Oh please, oh please, oh please,” Sour Sweet said while she was praying.

“Yep, Applejack’s helping him with the last of his items,” Sunset Shimmer said.

Sour Sweet was stunned at what she just heard.  “WHAT!!!!!!”

Everyone outside was surprised at what they just heard.

“Rarity, is Sour Sweet in your room?” asked Sunset.

Rarity replied, “She is, Sunset.  Why?”

Sunset Shimmer face-palmed, realizing that she said something that she shouldn’t have said.

“Sunset, you might want to give AJ a heads up,” said Flash.

“About what, partner.”

Both Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry went into shock, hoping that it’s not whom they just heard behind them.  When they looked behind them, they saw Applejack with a dark yellow guy with light tan hair, wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and a dark blue open vest with a gold bow and arrow on the top right side.

Rarity asked, “Is that Centaur, AJ?”

“Sure is,” Applejack replied.

Sunset and Flash just realized that they were not fast enough to warn the others about what they learned from the past night.

Sour Sweet heard the guys’ name and was able to get a glimpse of Centaur with Applejack.  Stunned for a moment, her right eye started to twitch.  Sunny Flare just caught a glimpse of Sour Sweet’s twitching eye and realized what was about to happen next and had to warn the others.

“TAKE COVER!!!  SHE’S ABOUT TO BLOW!!!”

Everyone that was in the conversation had confused faces, expect for Indigo Zap.  She went back in and ran to Lemon Zest in the next room, pulled her headphones from her ears, and said, “CODE SOUR!!!”  Lemon Zest dropped everything and joined Indigo Zap on the emergency call.

Pinkie Pie said, “Code Sour?”

Rainbow Dash asked, “What does that mean?”

“It means Sour Sweet’s about to go off the wall,” Indigo explained.

“Off the wall?” Dash and Pinkie said together, before they realized what it meant.  “OFF THE WALL!!!”  Dash and Pinkie ran with the others to get to Sunny Flare’s room.  Fluttershy was wondering what was going on and decided to join them.

Back in Sunny Flare’s room, Sour Sweet was ready to snap.  When she did, she pulled Rarity from the window and stuck her head out of the window with pure explosion.

“HOW DARE YOU GET TO HIM BEFORE ME, COWGIRL!!!  I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU DOWN SO BAD THAT YOU WILL…”

Before she could finish, Indigo and Lemon made it to the room and pulled Sour from the window and began to hold her down.

“WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?  I’M NOT DONE WITH THAT COWGIRL.  LET GO OF ME NOW!!!”

“Damn it!” Indigo said.  “She’s become tougher than last time.”

“Dude, with you just chill out?” said Lemon.

“NOT UNTIL I GIVE HER A PIECE OF MY MIND…AND FIST!!!”

Indigo saw Dash and Pinkie and said, “Hey, can you help us out here?”

All four of them began holding Sour Sweet down while she was in a rage.  Rarity was trying to recover from being pulled back and asked, “Is she like this?”

“If you mean a raging beast, then yes,” Sunny Flare replied.

Rarity saw Fluttershy at the door and said to Sunny, “I have an idea.”  She looked at the doorway and yelled, “FLUTTERSHY, STARE TIME!!!”

Fluttershy nodded and looked straight at Sour Sweet’s eyes.  As they stared at each other, Fluttershy’s eyes started to widen and got bigger.  As she was at her peak, she said, “You…will…BEHAVE!!!”  Sour Sweet was stunned and then fainted.  “Um, was that too much?”

Rarity got up and dusted her skirt off, saying, “No dear, you did just fine.”

The others let go of Sour Sweet and breath a sigh of relief.

“Rarity, is everything fine in there,” Sunset Shimmer yelled into the window.

Rarity made it to the window and said, “Yes dear.  Everything’s under control.”

“What the hay just happened there?” Applejack yelled.

“Remember the Midnight Sparkle ordeal?” Rarity asked, which was responded with nods from her friends.  “Let’s just say that you don’t need magic for Sour Sweet to do the same.”

“How come everywhere we go, crazy stuff always happens,” Flash said to Sunset.

“With or without magic?” Sunset added.

Centaur stepped in and asked, “Can someone fill us in as to what just happened?”

Sunset and Flash, along with Rarity from the window, glared at Applejack, requesting that she answer the question.

Applejack scratched the back of her head, saying, “Well…when we heard about your archery skills, me and the girl who you saw go…well, you know…kind of gotten interested in you a bit more.”

“And that other girl is Sour Sweet,” Sunset added.  “She’s the one who’s working on the same major as me.”

“You mean the bipolar girl?” Centaur asked.  Sunset nodded.  “Oh brother.”

Sunset looked back to the window and asked, “Sunny, is she still taking her meds before this happened?”

Sunny Flare came up to the window and said, “I’m not sure, dearie.  I do my best to make sure she does.”

Centaur looked down and shook his head in disgust.

“Looks like round two for you, dude,” Steel Horn said to Centaur.

“Do you have to remind me of what happened last year,” Centaur said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow and said, “Care to explain?”

“We learned that two girls that were upper classmen during his freshman year were trying to hook up with him a year ago,” explained Blaze.  “When we started our spring semester, we took him to a get-together party at one of the houses nearby, and saw both girls there.  When they tried to make a move on him again at the same time, they started a catfight that drew a huge crowd.  He was turned off by this and left the party.  We followed him back to the dorms just so that he was safe getting to his room.”

“And it was a good thing we did,” Steel Horn added.  “Minutes later, the cops came by the place.  Don’t know what happened, but we were glad that we left at the right time, and with good reason as well.  Turns out that they were doing it because of some silly virgin bet.”

“And it was weeks later that I started to behave badly that Professor River Song saw what was wrong with me and took me to see a friend of hers to look me over,” Centaur said.  “Turns out that I started to have signs of depression because of how others try to use me around.  Add that to the bullying that I went through during middle school and part of high school, and I felt like a loose cannon.  Had to start taking meds at that time, and my parents were not happy with this.  But the professor explain it to them and recommended that I stay on this for the time being if I want to get through college.”

Sunny Flare asked, “Is it possible that I can take Sour Sweet to see the same person that you went to see?  I want to make sure she’s taking the right meds.  Her parents wanted me to take care of her with this issue.”

“Sure,” Centaur replied.  “She’s a professor on campus.  Her name’s Professor Chrysalis.”

“Wait, the psychology professor and her guidance consoler is also a therapist on campus?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“Yep,” replied Centaur.  “Wait, Professor Chrysalis is her guidance consoler?”

“Yea,” replied Sunset.  “I guess we learn something new every now and then.”

Centaur looked at Sunny Flare and said, “Just make sure you go with her when the professor is in her office so you can schedule a time to talk.  Tell her that I sent you.”

“You know, I’m just going to…head off before she gets up and has another fit again,” Applejack said and left to go inside the dorm.

“I better make sure she’s ok,” said Sunset.  “She does room next to me.”

“No problem,” Centaur replied.  “I’ll let Dr. Zecora know that you want to have a meeting with her when I see her on the first day of classes.”  He looked up and said, “It was nice meeting you two, even if it was a short time.  I hope to meet your other friends later on.”

“Oh that’s fine, dear.  Just make sure you let us know whenever you want to come by, and I’ll be happy to introduce you to our friends,” Rarity said.  “Flash has our numbers if you want to call.”

So the guys went back to their dorm rooms on the other side of campus, while the other girls that had to hold down Sour Sweet went back to their rooms.  Applejack stopped in front of the door to her dorm room to think about what just happen.  Sunset was able to finally join her.

“You ok?” Sunset asked Applejack.

Applejack let out a sigh and said, “I don’t know.  I thought I was making a first impression towards him.  I just didn’t know that Sour Sweet had…”

“A rage mode?” Sunset finished.  “I don’t even know if that comes close to my she-demon form, or Twilight’s Midnight Sparkle form.”

“Well, at least there wasn’t any magic involved in this,” Applejack said as she opened the door to her room.  They were met by Sugarcoat and Twilight, looking over some plans for a new device.

“Hello there,” Twilight responded.  Both of them waved.

Sugarcoat bluntly said, “So, did our friends go and help Sunny Flare because Sour Sweet went into a rage and decided that she wanted to kill you because you were flirting with Flash’s roommate because all three of you have an interest in archery?”

“Bulls-eye,” Applejack responded.

“I didn’t think she would do that again,” Sugarcoat told Applejack.  “Forgive me for not telling you about it earlier.  We thought she got over it by taking her meds.”

“I guess I need to take this lightly, after what I just went through,” said Applejack.

“At least you didn’t experience any magic happening.  We’re still working on the updated designs for the new scanner,” Twilight said as she pointed to the plans in front of them.  “Care to help out?”

Sunset looked at Applejack and said, “Why not.  At least it can get our minds off what just happened today.”

Meet the new students

On the other side of campus lie most of the remaining dorm buildings.  And it’s at one building where most of the guys are staying, the Hurricane Building.  It is here that Flash, Centaur, Blaze, and Steel return to their dorm rooms after a crazy afternoon, one that Centaur and Flash would like to forget.

“Come on, Centaur.  At least it’s better than what happen last time,” said Steel Horn.

“And what’s better about this one, because what I see happening is two girls fighting for me…AGAIN!” Centaur replied.

“At least it’s not some stupid bet like the last two girls,” said Blaze Lionheart.  “And when you look at it, you can see that one of them is sane and the other is not.  It should be an easy decision for you to make from the start.”

“I don’t know about that,” Flash responded.  “If Sour Sweet is that determined to win Centaur over, Applejack is one who won’t back down.”

The guys came in front of the doors to their own dorm rooms, opened their doors, and walked on in.  They made sure the bathroom doors were open when they went inside.

Blaze asked Flash, “Ok, what makes you think that Applejack won’t be one to back down against Sour Sweet?”

“You wouldn’t notice it from the start, but Applejack is stronger than she looks.  She spends her free time on that farm that her family owns.”

“Applejack told me that she worked on a family farm.  Sweet Apple Acres, she calls it,” said Centaur.  He went to grab his flexible wooden bow and leaned on it.  “It’s a surprise that they want me because of my archery skills.”

Flash sat on his bed next to the window, while Blaze and Steel just leaned on the walls.

“I can see that carrying apples is a lot of work, but she can’t be that strong,” said Steel.

“Oh she is,” Flash explained.  “When we were to have the Fall Formal back then, the entire gym was a mess.  The girls went to work on cleaning up so that we can have the Fall Formal on time.  When other students saw what was going on, they decided to help out.  Two students tried to carry a busted school table when Applejack was able to carry the same table by herself.  That’s how strong she is.”

Blaze and Steel’s eyes went wide open.  Steel said, “Ok, it’s not another cat fight waiting to happen.  It’s a dog fight instead.”

Centaur started at him and said, “Steel, shut up.”

It was then that they heard a knock on the window.  They saw a girl with white skin and long blue hair and glasses.  They could see that she was wearing a white coat with a daisy on the upper left pocket.

“Hey Flash, can you open the window, please?” Blaze asked.

“Sure.”  Flash went over and opened the window next to him.

The girl said, “Hello cousin Blaze.”

“Hey Daisy.  How was freshman orientation?” Blaze asked.

“It was fine,” Daisy replied.

“I’m sure you remember Steel and Centaur,” Blaze said, in which Daisy nodded.  “That’s Flash Sentry, Centaur’s roommate.  Flash, this is my cousin, Daisy Breeze”

Flash reached out to shake Daisy’s hand.  “It’s nice to meet you.  And I’m guessing the girl with the country hat is your roommate?”

Centaur knew whom he was talking about and yelled, “Gem Stardust, will you stop hiding from us?”

The orange girl with long red hair and freckles got up from her hiding spot.  She was sporting a white shirt and tan vest, along with her signature country hat.  “Gosh darn it.  How’d you know it was me?”

“Because you’re the only girl we know who likes to wear her country hat wherever she goes,” Centaur answered.

Blaze asked Gem, “So you have my cousin as your roommate?”

“Sure do.  Makes things easier for the both of us.”

“Just make sure you take care of her,” Blaze requested.

“I will,” Gem said.  “Unless you want Centaur to really take care of her.”

“Too late for that,” Steel said.  “She’s have to wait in line for the other two to give up.”

Gem looked at Centaur and asked, “Ok, who’s fighting for you this time?”

“A farm girl name Applejack, and a crazy bipolar girl name Sour Sweet,” answered Centaur.

“Damn.  Sounds like you got the real deal, partner,” said Gem.

“Don’t even start, Gem.  I hate to go through it again like last time,” said Centaur.

Gem asked, “So I take it that this here Applejack lives on a farm?”

“She does,” Flash answered.  “Sweet Apple Acres.  You heard of it?”

“Heard of it?” Gem replied.  “That place is home of the best apples in the nation.  No other apple farm can beat them.  I put them right next to Cheery Jubilee’s cherry farm.”  She turned back to Centaur and said, “You better go for that girl on the fly.  I bet ya she’s a real keeper in the long run.”

“Not unless Sour Sweet gets to him first,” said Steel.  “She might be crazy, but she can really take the heat.”

“I just hope that Fluttershy doesn’t have any problems with having her as a roommate,” Flash added.

“Oh, I know Fluttershy,” Daisy said.  “We both share the same major and guidance consoler.  She’s really nice and loves to tend to animals.”

“That’s my Daisy,” said Blaze.

“By the way, just got a text message from Sea Spray,” Gem said.  “He and Crab Hammer are going to be running late.  Turns out, there was a major wreck that closed the road on the outskirts of Manehattan, not far from where I lived.  Told those two to leave early before the roads became busy, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“That’s what you get for living close to the docks,” Blaze said.  “Let’s hope that Silver doesn’t need any major help into her new apartment.”

Flash asked, “Friends of yours?”

“Yep,” Centaur replied.  “Sea Spray plays for the swim team, and Crab Hammer is more of a worker than a talker.”

“Sounds like Applejack’s older brother, Big Mac,” Flash said.  “He doesn’t talk much, but works hard.  He’s now in charge of the farm’s workers while his sister is here.”

“Actions speak louder than words,” said Centaur.

“And Silver Justice is moving into an apartment for the first time,” Blaze said.  “This is her third year here.  And it was her that helped Centaur get out on the mess that he was in with the last two girls.”

“Not to mention telling Professor River Song about what happen after he started to act different,” Gem added.  “She had to explain what lead to his depression.”

“Last thing I want to get into again is another crazy dating game,” said Centaur.

“I know how you feel,” Flash responded.

“Did this…happen to you?” Daisy asked Flash.

“It’s more…compacted,” Flash replied.  “I rather not talk about it now.”

“Well, I just hope Silver doesn’t boss us around with carrying her stuff,” said Blaze.

“You know her.  She’s always strict about everything,” said Steel.

“Any word from Rocky, Needle, and Soul?” Centaur asked Gem.

“Soul Heart just checked in.  Nothing on Rocky or Needle at the moment.”

“I guess you two will have to do the heavy lifting if needed,” Centaur said, pointing to Blaze and Steel.  Centaur’s cell phone buzzed and he looked to see a text message.  “Silver just made it to the apartment and is waiting for us to help.”

“Well, let’s get this over with,” said Steel.

“I’m just going to stay here for a while, Centaur,” said Flash.

“I was about to recommend that,” Centaur responded.  “Might be best to meet Silver on easier grounds.  Otherwise, you’ll just get an earful from her while helping out.”

“We’ll go check on Soul Heart and see if she’ll help out as well,” said Gem.

“Good idea,” Blaze said.  “You know where her apartment is?”

“Sure do,” Gem replied.

“Then we’ll see you over there,” Blaze said, and Gem and Daisy left from the out window.  Blaze and Steel went back to their room to lock up before heading out.

Centaur grabbed his keys and said, “I should be back later today.  You have my number, right?”

“Yep.  Take care,” Flash said as he waved to Centaur, who was leaving the room.

Flash closed the window and lay down on his bed.  He started to think about the earlier conversation, which reminded him about Princess Twilight in the other world.  He grabbed his cell phone and decided to call Sunset once again.

“Oh hey.  Just one moment,” Sunset said on the phone.  A moment later, she spoke.  “Sorry about that, Flash.  AJ was in the other room helping Twilight and Sugarcoat.  I’m surprised you wanted to talk with me some more.”

“Just needed to get something off my mind,” Flash said.  “You still keep in touch with Twilight…I mean the other Twilight.”

“So that’s why you called,” Sunset said with concern in her voice.  “I plan to write to her tonight, so if you need to get it off of your chest, I got enough time to listen.”

“Well…”

On the outskirts of campus, Centaur Archer, Blaze Lionheart, and Steel Horn were able to join Gem Stardust, Daisy Breeze, and Soul Heart at Silver Justice’s new apartment, helping her in getting her stuff out of the trailer that was attached to an old brown van.  Blaze and Steel got stuck with the heavy stuff.

“Silver, why do you have to pick the top floor of the building to have your apartment room at?” Steel said as he was holding on to the bottom end of the small couch, trying to get up the stairs to the third floor.

“Because I like the view from up there,” Silver responded.  “Now quit your bragging.”  The white lady with the long blonde hair would usually wear her gray suit, being a future lawyer and all, but settled for at white t-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes instead.  She was carrying some of her personal stuff up to her apartment.

“Told ya that you would be doing the heavy lifting,” said Gem.

“Crab Hammer is so going to owe us for this,” said Blaze.

Centaur walked up of her apartment and looked over the railing.  “Hey Silver, Daisy wants to know where in the kitchen you want to place the dishes and glasses.  And I need to know where the cable ports are in the house so I can hook up your TVs.”

Silver yelled, “Be right there.”

It wasn’t long before Silver showed the cable ports to Centaur in the living room and bedroom.  Centaur had a way with the high tech that old people would be clueless to understand.  Silver then went to the kitchen to help Daisy and Soul with the dinnerware.  Blaze and Steel finally got the couch up and into the apartment and set it down facing the living room TV, before sitting down to rest.

Silver saw them resting and yelled, “Did I say you can rest?  You still have the coffee table and cushion chair to bring in.”

“Why do we have to lift those in here as well?  We already helped with the bed and dresser,” said Steel.

“Because I was kindly enough to bring in the dinner table and chairs,” said Soul.

“That’s because it wasn’t heavy like the others,” said Steel.

“Oh my.  Giving up already?  I thought you were tougher than that.”

Silver looked out from the kitchen to see a familiar lady with puffy orange hair.

“Adagio!”  Silver went up and gave her a hug before releasing her from their hug.  “It’s been a while.  Everything find since we left for the summer?”

“It’s been alright,” Adagio replied.  “I got the rest of the day off, so I figure I come by, since you text me that you were here.”

Silver noticed something about Adagio and started to pat her down her down, giving the former siren a strange look.  “Have you been working out?  Eating well?”

“Is it showing?” Adagio asked her.

“Just about,” Silver replied.  “I guess Sonata’s cooking has been a blessing in disguise.”

“It certainly has,” replied Adagio.

Gem and Centaur came out of the bedroom where they were busy getting the TV working in there.

“Hey Adagio.”

“Hey Gem, Centaur.”  Adagio noticed Soul and Daisy in the kitchen.  “Blaze, is that your cousin Daisy?”

“Yep.  It’s her first year here,” Blaze replied.

“And where are the others?”

“Well…” Just then, Gem’s cell phone buzzed.  She looked at the text message and smiled.  “Looks like the road’s now open.  Sea Spray and Crab Hammer should be here in a couple of hours.  Don’t know about Rocky Smash and Needle Spike.”

“Aria just called me as I was coming over.  They just checked in to their dorm rooms,” Adagio responded.

“That’s good,” said Blaze.  “I hope we have everyone here soon.”

“Good, because the professor wants to talk to all of you later tonight.  I’ll make sure she knows that the last two will be coming late.”  Adagio then focused her attention to Centaur.  “I heard that you have some new love interests out there.”

Centaur rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and said, “Really?  The last thing I need is for you to get involved in this.”

“Love interest?” said Silver.  “I hope these girls are better than the last two I had to punish.”

“Oh they are,” Adagio responded with a grin.  “I know that the farm girl, Applejack, is a tough girl to face.  And from what I heard from Dean Cadence, Sour Sweet is more of a complex girl, but I think you can break through her with time.”

Centaur started at her and said, “You’re not helping.”

Soul walked up to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said, “Oh come on, Centaur.  Maybe this will be better than last time.”

“Last time was a cat fight.  This might be more of a dog fight that he’s facing,” said Steel.

“Well, one of them is…magical than the other,” Adagio said as she was twirling her hand.  “But the other one is more tempted than the first.”

“So she’s one of the…” Silver stopped mid-sentence when Adagio raised her hand and nodded, knowing what was about to be asked.  “I guess we could be one step closer to getting the help needed to handle our problems.”

“No sense dragging them in right now,” Blaze said.  “We don’t know if they can be of any help to us.”

“Well, it better be soon, because I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up,” said Centaur.

Adagio said, “Leave that to me and my sisters.  You just focus on what you’re doing for now.”

“Let’s talk to the professor before going forward, once everyone gets here,” said Blaze.  “We need to make sure we’re ready for what’s to come, and hope that one of them can help us in resolving our problem.”