Chapter 1 - The New Guy
"Please take your seats everypony! I've got an important announcement!" I hear Miss Cheerilee announce through the thick wooden door.
"Deep breaths..." I calm myself, or at least attempt to. "First day of school, I can do this."
It isn't working.
I can barely hear Miss Cheerilee through the door. Am I having a panic attack? Come on, snap out of it! It's not that bad. Just because you transferred here from a school really really far away, doesn't mean you can't make friends here! Just because you don't have your cutie mark yet doesn't mean anything, right? Okay, let's work on what I'll say. I'll introduce myself, sprinkle in a little bit of what I've learned about Ponyville into the mix, and done!
"Hi, I'm Shadow Flicker, and I... uhm..." I practice. "Aw man, what do I say?"
I jump back a bit as Miss Cheerilee opens the door. No time to practice, there's my cue.
I walk into the class and stand in front of the class.
"This is Shadow Flicker, everypony. Please give him a warm welcome to the class!" Miss Cherilee says enthusiastically, a never-ending smile on her face. Wow, she really loves to teach, doesn't she?
"Uhm.. Hi, everypony." I awkwardly introduce myself. I should've practiced more.
"Hi Shadow Flicker." replies most of the class in a monotone unison. Three of the girls in the front row don't reply with the class, but all suddenly grin ear to ear upon seeing me. Some girls near the back, one wearing a tiara for some reason, are snickering and looking at me.
"Please take a seat anywhere you'd like, Shadow." says Miss Cheerilee as she walks over to the chalkboard and-did she just put chalk in her mouth?
After a quick look around, I notice the same smiling earth pony with a bow in her hair pointing at the empty desk next to her in the front row. Well, I'm certainly not sitting next to the snickering girls in the back. I guess I might as well get this over with. I walk over to the desk and sit down, after a half-hearted smile at her, I focus my attention on the lesson.
Does she always stare at the new kid this way?
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As the bell rings I immediately spring up from my desk and start trotting out of class, completely ignoring whatever homework Miss Cheerilee was assigning us. A few more seconds and I'd be out that door. I could spread my wings and get out of here. I could go anywhere I wanted, explore the town or just laze around for a few hours.
The very second I'm out the door, someone calls my name. I continue to trot away, ignoring whoever it is but I ignore them. I just need to get a bit further and-
"Hey blank flank," the voice calls from behind me. Great, because I totally needed this right now. I turn around and face the same pink pony wearing the silly tiara.
"My name is Shadow Flicker, or just Shadow if you pref-"
"Whatever blank flank." she cuts me off. She and her gray friend begin to circle around me. "So what's a loser like you doing in Ponyville?"
Loser? Who does this tiara wearing pony think she is? "Who are you to judge me?" I ask. Smooth.
"I'm Diamond Tiara, and this is Silver Spoon." she replies, pointing a hoof at her friend.
I can't help but snicker.
"What's so funny?" asks Diamond Tiara angrily. She turns and faces me. Wow, I must have really set her off. Guess I better use this.
"Your name... is Diamond Tiara." I can barely say it through laughter. "Your cutie mark is a Tiara-presumably made of diamonds-and you're wearing a tiara. Made of diamonds."
She looks flustered and backs off a bit, and her friend-Silver Spoon as I've just learned-steps up to me. "Hey, don't make fun of DT's name like that! Besides, like Shadow Flicker is so cool." she attempts to turn the tables.
I push past them as I notice Diamond is on the verge of crying. "Oh I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I was the one who came up to you and started calling you loser and blank flank."
"Whatever," grumbles Silver Spoon angrily. "Come on DT, let's go."
I can't help but feel bad. Making fun of people for their name is so low. I soon realize a crowd had formed around us. Some of them looked shocked, others looked like they wanted to start cheering. A minute passes and everypony disperses, except for those three girls that were smiling. They all immediately run up to me with even bigger smiles-which I honestly doubt existed until now-and started greeting themselves.
"That was so awesome!" shrieked the purple maned one, unable to contain her excitement. She quickly coughs and recomposes herself, holding out a hoof which I shake. "I'm Scootaloo."
"I'm Sweetie Belle!" squeaks out the white unicorn as a spark of magic flies out of her horn, a giant grin on her face as well.
"Heh, and ah'm Applebloom," says the earth pony politely.
"I guess you all already know who I am." I say with a bit of an awkward laugh. "So what's got all of you so exited and smiley? Or are you always like this?"
"We just noticed that you don't have a cutie mark!" exclaims Sweetie Belle.
"Sweetie Belle," warns Applebloom quickly.
"Oh it's no bother," I state. "I got over any embarrassment with that ages ago. My mom tells me I'll get it any day now, and that I've just got to hope."
"I used to believe that too," chides in Scootaloo. "But then Rainbow Dash-"
"We don' need tah hear any more 'bout Rainbow Dash, Scoot," Applebloom cuts off Scootaloo by putting a hoof to her mouth. Scootaloo huffs, then sits down in disappointment. She must really like Rainbow Dash or something. "What Scoot is tryin' to say is that we'd love tah have you in our club!"
"Club?"
"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" yells Scootaloo excitedly, literally jumping up into the air and flapping her wings faster than a hummingbird. Not that I watch hummingbirds or anything.
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom smile and nod their heads in agreement. Seriously, do they do stuff like this all the time? "So what do the-er, crusaders-do?"
"We do a lot of fun stuff-" starts Sweetie Belle
"Awesome stuff!" interrupts Scootaloo.
"Right, awesome stuff. We do a lot of awesome stuff to try and get our cutie marks."
"Sounds like fun. How about I think about it for now?" I stretch my wings and back. "I've got to get going. I'll see you three at school tomorrow?"
"Yeah!" replies Applebloom a little too quickly, then blushes and retreats a few steps. "I uh, I mean yeah. See you then."
With a quick few flaps of my wings, I wave goodbye to my new friends and start flying off to a nearby forest of apples, probably a farm. As I look back at the school, I see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giggling at a blushing Applebloom as they all start walking together home.
My stomach growls, but It's getting late. I'll find food tomorrow.
Hopefully.