//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Be My Friend? // Story: Monster-bumps // by Napalm monster //------------------------------// It was already lunch time and the cafeteria was crowded with students. Ralph was the first one to leave class, so he got lunch easily before the lunch room got too crowded. He sat in an empty round table, any student that dared walk near him, he would send them a grimace, while he ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He already hated this school. That was pretty obvious from the angry expression on his face. First it was that annoying pink girl, then that bacon hair girl giving her weird looks. Why? Was it because he was new? Girl should mind her own business! Ralph sighed, his anger was making him do a red face again. 'Relax' he told himself internally, "It's just the first day. Just the first day." He stated quickly, his anger subsided. It could alway be worse. Ralph has always told himself in the worst situations, someone out there has it worse. Way. Worse. Aiden found him and sat infront of him, having been use to Ralph's sullen expressions, she had already been able to brush it off as normal. "There you are, what happened? You didn't wait for me." She stated, picking up a fork and eating her salad. Ralph shrugged and continued chewing his lunch, more focused on his food than his sister "Just wanted to get a head start." "Alright," Aiden replied, and shoved a fork full of salad in her mouth, "By the way...." "Yeah." Ralph said quietly, raising an eyebrow. "Haven't we been here before," Aiden replied, remembering a long time ago. "What do you mean?" Ralph asked arching an eyebrow up. "This town," she answered, "Remeber three years ago, when we went on vacation?" Ralph recalled now. How their dad once took them on a cross country road trip. They stopped by in this town for a week while they're father picked up extra gas and other things. Ralph brought his (undisclosed item) and found an abandoned mining facility where he hid it to make sure no one else, not even himself, would ever use it again. But that was a long time ago. "Yeah, its where I buried that..." Ralph looked around to make sure no one was listening on their conversation, he turned back at Aiden and cleared his throat before speaking in an almost whisper tone. "....'you know what'. " "Oh right that abandoned mine place down the road." Aiden recalled, she then chuckled as more memories flooded her mind, "Remeber the time when dad made us stay at that hotel near the edge of town and you wouldn't go inside the hotel room cause you kept thinking ants were hiding under your bed and they would swarm you in the middle of the night while you were sleeping?" Aiden then laughed, remembering how different Ralph was all those years. So much fun, so kind, so exciting to be around, so alive. Remembering those days and looking at Ralph now, it made Aiden heart wilt seeing how he was just an empty hollow shell of his former self. "Yeah, whatever." Ralph replied, disinterested, "I thought this town looked familiar." Aiden exhaled through her nose, even bringing up happy memories didn't seem to lift his spirits up one bit. "Do you atlest plan on getting the 'you know what'?" She asked using air quotes with her fingers to add emphasis. "Are you kidding?" Ralph exclaimed, the volume in his voice suddenly dialed up. "Na-ah! Sorry to break it you, but those days are past me. I am never using the..." Ralph then used air quotes, "-'you know what' again, it can stay in those mines for all I care. And stop bringing up the past." Aiden raised an eyebrow and began drinking some chocolate milk, thinking it was probably best to change topics, "Weeeeeeeell, how's the social skills practice going?" "I don't wanna talk about it." He muttered, slightly hanging his head over his tray. "No luck huh?" "I don't think I'm ready." Aiden then put her hand over Ralph's hand, it curled up into a fist when their skin made contact with each other, "Hey, have you even talked to anybody?" "I don't want to." He said stubbornly, breaking eye contact. Aiden sighed and stood up, "I'm going to the bathroom, maybe when I get back you'll actually make a friend and my actual brother will return." Ralph rolled his eyes and watched his sister leave before resuming to his lunch. "-but I think Big Mac was just making up an excuse to see her again," Applejack finished her story and turned to Sunset, "What do you think Sunset?" "Uh…” The fiery haired girl uttered looking to her side, not paying much attention to the conversation, her mind drifting somewhere else at the moment while her friends gave her a worried gaze. “Darling? What’s wrong?” Rarity asked. The girls turned to Ralph who still sat alone, looking dejected and despondent. Ignoring the entire world surrounding him, his only focus was his lunch. "Oh hey it's that new kid!" Pinkie chirped happily. "Oh yeah from science." Applejack said examining him. "There's something off about him?" Sunset said. "He looks normal to me," Rainbow replied, then turned to him noticing his full body covered in dark clothing that matched his hair color, "Well sorta normal, little dude loves black though." "Aww he looks sad..." Pinkie cooed with sympathy. "Well we could invite him over?" Applejack offered. She earned full nods from her table. "I guess it couldn't hurt." Sunset shrugged pushing all suspicion aside. “Hi there!" Ralph turned to all the girls looking at him with small smiles, though he kept his unwavering frown present. Sunset spoke, in a nice tone "We’re just wondering if you'd like to join us,” she said friendly, figuring that was the kind of nice thing to say to a new student. Ralph just stared at her, unresponsively, no expression whatsoever. It was like his face was made out of wax. Blank. After a moment of awkward staring and silence. The girls began feeling uncomfortable by his strong silence. Ralph's eyes remained calm, resolute, and more importantly, aloof. Ralph suddenly raised an arm and pointed at the line between them running down across the room. “See that line?” “Uh, yeah?” Sunset asked confused. “Stay on your side of it,” he said. The girls just stared at him in disbelief and surprise at how hostile he suddenly became. He went from silent to deadly at the snap of a finger. Unsure what to say or do, Rarity was the brave soul who spoke up next. "Uh, excuse me dear?" “Stay away from my sister, stay away from me, and we won’t have any problems.” He expressed to the girls shocked faces as they were taken back by his hostile tone. "Hey buddy what's your problem!" Rainbow snarled, as he talked rudely to her friends, "We were trying to be friendly." "I don't want your friendship," Ralph replied angrily, "I want you and everyone else to leave.me.alone." "But," Pinkie said in disbelief and confusion, "No one deserves to be alone, everyone needs to have a friend!" This time she said sounding a little cheery. Ralph sighed, and stood up from his table, "I do not need this!" He then stormed off and exited the lunch room as Rainbow muttered. "Jerk." “Well that was rude.” Rarity remarked, insulted. All the girls nodded, except Pinkie who jus looked at Ralph with watery eyes and her lip quiver. Her sniffles caught the attention of her friends. Sunset was the first to turn her head. "Pinkie? Are you okay?" Sunset asked putting a hand on her shoulder. The answer was pretty obvious. "No," she sniffled loudly one last time and seeing Ralph look so miserable on his own made her really sad. No one deserves to be alone. And her job was to make all of Canterlot high smile. All . Of. Canterlot High. Pinkie then perked up instantly, "I bet Ralph just needs a little cheering up." "Uh, how are ya gonna do that?" AJ asked. "I'll think of something," Pinkie replied, and skipped towards Ralph, "I always do." The others girls just looked at each other and shrugged. They put this under the category of Pinkie being Pinkie. Ralph ate his sandwich alone behind the school near football field, leaning against the wall near a dumpster. Ralph took small bites, every know and then looking around to the football field as it was empty. This is what he was use to after all anyways. Isolation. Until.... "Surprise!" Pinkie cheered. Ralph yelped, startled by Pinkie. As she suddenly appeared out the dumpster, with streamers and confetti raining down over him. Some falling over his head. Ralph panted heavily as his chest heaved up and down frantically, his breathing erratic and wild. His eyes widened, and his heart pumping almost out of his chest. "Were you surprised!?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, "Were ya! Were ya! Were ya!" Ralph growled, "I. Was." "Great!" Pinkie cheered, then she reached behind the dumpster and pulled out a giant strawberry cake with frosting reading "Be my friend?". The cake was taller than both Pinkie and Ralph combined, with strawberries lined on the side, squirts of whip cream also, with yellow frosting. And to make it more theatrical, sparklers on top, instead of standard traditional candles. "I baked you a cake as an offering to be my newest friend!" She said happily. "I don't want cake!" Ralph exasperated. "No? Maybe pie?" "No." He said with a flat tone. "Cupcakes?" "No." He continued with the same exact flat tone as before. "Cookies?" "No." "Parfait?" She continued asking. "No." "Waffles?" "No." "A Stroodle? A muffin? A gum ball? Cotton candy? Ice cream?" She asked, pulling all those things one by one, each disappearing behind her back as she presented a new confectionary treat infront of Ralph who kept holding an expression that would make even her sister, Maud, jealous. "If I said 'no' the first eight times you said it, then why the hell would it be any different the next thousand times?" Ralph asked, clearly growing annoyed with Pinkies antics. Pinkie stared at him silently for a while, blinking. It took only eight seconds for her to lose the moment of silence and speak up. Her cheery voice returning. "Ooooh! I get it, your not a fan of sugar," Pinkie chuckled, "You look like the type who enjoys Mexican food." Ralph shook with rage, "This is the last time I’m warning you." He wasn’t shouting anymore, and somehow, that was even scarier. "If you don’t stay away from me, something very bad will happen.” Pinkies hair suddenly deflated, losing all air, and dropping from its normal demeanor, to flat long hair that reached her elbows.Her head dropped. She turned around and sulked out of the alleyway, looking just about as defeated. "Oh, okay," she whimpered, distraughted heavily, "I'll just leave the cake here then, maybe you can eat it later." "Doubtful." Ralph murmured, he watched Pinkie slumped demeanor walk out of the back alley, not feeling anything for the girl. Not the slightest bit perturbed. He glanced at the cake and noted it was strawberry flavored. He grimaced at the cake and walked away from it, muttering, "I hate strawberry cake."