//------------------------------// // 45~Outcast // Story: Youngblood // by Centurion Pike-Wall //------------------------------// May 1st, 3096 Imperial Calendar (1523 AD) Ponyville Regional Junior University High Society gagged, yanking her head as far away from her locker while still holding onto the door. A few laughs entered into her ears, but she frankly didn't care about them. She looked back into her locker, pinching her nose with her magic as she did so. She put the books back, before removing her lunch pail and the small packet and surrounding the latter with a magic bubble. As the fierce smell finally abated, she sucked in a deep breath before heading out of the hallway. "How did they even get a stink packet into my locker?", she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the dirty looks that many of the students were giving her. 'Trying' being the keyword; she flattened her ears and hunched slightly, and yet the looks piled on like the layers of a cake. Finally, she left the hallway and composed herself. She took a deep breath and headed for her usual spot. Reaching the small table near her next class, she sat down and opened her pail, casting a quick spell to remove the lingering smell from her small meal. As she removed the items from her pail, she looked up to see one of her friends sit down. Well, one of the ones that stuck with her, anyway. "How are things?", Globetrotter asked, the lavender and grey unicorn unpacking her own lunch. "Fine", High Society said, taking a bite of her wrap. It was delicious as always; her parents chef made an excellent Saddle-Arabian Chickpea wrap, as well as pretty much everything else. However, for the past couple of days, the food just didn't... feel as good, for want of a more accurate term. "And you?" "Oh, things aren't too bad", Globetrotter said. "Father has been a bit upset lately, given recent developments." High Society looked up. "What? Did the stocks shift again?" "No no, nothing like that", Globetrotter said, starting to pick at her own lunch. "The company is in a lawsuit. Apparently, some Pryhan muck-rakers ended up causing a collision with one of my father's airships. Almost tore ours in half. They claim that it was a minor collision, but, well... I suppose you yourself know how prone to anger and petty blaming Pryhans are." "Quite", High Society said, her voice hollow. Globetrotter looked around, her muzzle scrunching up slightly. "By the by, where is Thunderhead? The dear usually is with you." "His parents told him to keep away from me. Even had some classes shifted around to avoid me", High Society said, remembering the letter that one of Thunderheads friends had passed to her. "They claim I'm a bad influence on him." "Perish the thought", Globetrotter said. "You're a model of the higher orders. Besides, you aren't at fault for the Pryhans outburst." "Of course", High Society said, taking another big bite of the wrap. She didn't need to be related to Miss Applejack to know what a bald-faced lie that was. +++++~+++++ As the school day ground down, High Society was consciously growing more and more aware of the looks that the other students were giving her. Even a few of her acquaintances in her various classes were giving her somewhat dirty looks when they thought she couldn't see them. She hadn't been outright attacked or anything like that, but no one interacted with her. She could usually strike up a conversation easily, but now nothing came to her. She had stepped out of her last class to use the bathroom, the baleful looks of students still in the halls for whatever reason seeming to follow her all the way to the bathroom. She hadn't needed to go; she just needed a minute to herself. After a few minutes of sitting down, breathing, and thinking, she hadn't made any real decision. No idea what was going on, and how she felt. She stood up and left the bathroom, stopping at the door as a firm pressure slammed into her chest. Looking down, she saw that it was a light brown wing, connected to a resolute Depressi. He locked eyes with her, his signature small smile nowhere to be seen. She hadn't really noticed it before, but without it, he looked surprisingly scary. "Do you have a minute?", Depessi asked. "Uh... I guess?", High Society replied. "Good", Depressi said, closing his wing and gesturing with a paw to a bench. "Sit. Please." It obviously wasn't a request. High Society did as he asked of her, sitting down on the bench. Depressi did the same, staring straight ahead and not looking at her. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes, waiting for a move that never seemed to come. Finally, he asked, "Why?" "What?", High Society asked. "Why did you... You know?", Depressi said. "I... I...", High Society said. She knew what he was talking about, but couldn't really put her ideas into words. "I... I guess I never really heard... good things about Pryhans, and-" "So you insulted my brother for months", he said. "For no reason other than the fact you have a bias?" He laughed a bit, though it was joyless and somewhat cold. "I honestly don't know what I was expecting." "What's that supposed to mean?", High Society replied, looking at him accusingly. "Are you calling me-" "Shallow. Vindictive. Petty. Do I need to go on?" High Society recoiled, not a retort blocked in her throat. Before she could say anything else, she felt something slam into her chest again. Looking down again, she saw that this time, it wasn't just his wing that had hit her chest. As he brought his wing back to his side, she saw that there were a pair of books now resting in her lap. She lifted one up, turning the simple black leather book over in her magic to see the title stenciled in gold on the cover: Pryhan History and Moral Philosphy. "That's my old copy, from when I was still learning proper Equish", Depressi said. "The other one's a Psychological study; malady lists, symptoms, basic stuff. That one's a library book from Golden Oaks, so you'll need to return that. Keep the first one." Depressi stood up and left, walking off into another hallway nearby. High Society watched him leave, following him with her eyes until he rounded the corner and disappeared. She looked back at the two books, before looking up to the spot where she last saw him. She stole another look between the books and the hallway, before gathering the two books up and heading back to her class.