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School

***REALLY sorry about the lateness of this chapter. I've been really busy with school lately as well as some other things, never really had a good chance to just sit down and write. So, with finals now being over, I give to you Chapter 3***

Falling.

She didn’t know where she was, or what was happening. She only knew that she was falling.

Or was it… drifting?

No it couldn’t be. You don’t drift through air like this… The brown mare thought as she glided through the darkness around her.

Tinted green, like a dirty stream.

She rolled over slowly, surprised. She definitely wasn’t falling.

“Where am I…?” She questioned herself and the shifting green around her. The dark background seemed almost alive, rippling in places and swirling back and forth, like a pool full of liquid.

Liquid. Water.

She put her hooves to her throat suddenly as she tried to take a breath.

She couldn’t breath. No air. Only water.

She sputtered, kicking her hooves in the encroaching darkness as she struggled for air, sucking in the vile liquid in its place. She coughed, trying to expunge the blackness from her lungs.
She watched in horror as bubbles came from her mouth and lifted through the water, moving past her face and moving… down?

She panicked, not knowing which way was up and which way was down. She pulled herself through the watery darkness, following their trail in the hope of reaching the surface. She moved faster, her lungs feeling as if they were shrinking. She saw a shape in the space above her; she squinted, her limbs beginning to feel heavy. She reached for it, trying to get a better glimpse.

‘I-is that…?’

With a cough and a sputter she finally received the air she was so desperate for, tossing and flailing about as she drowned in her blankets.

“AH!” She cried out in terror and confusion, the sea of green wrapping around her.

Quicksilver calmed, looking up at her bedroom ceiling as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and breathed hard. She looked left to her ringing alarm clock, 7 AM.

Quicksilver sighed and groaned, rolling over lethargically as she brought her hoof down on the annoying piece of plastic that was screaming for her to get up. “Dammit…” She said under her breath as she reluctantly lifted herself from the dark green sheets, yawing and doing a quick stretch with her front legs.

Quick both loved school and hated it with a passion. Learning was something she loved. The social aspect of school, however, was a different story entirely. She shuddered to think about it as a vision of a red pony flashed before her eyes, almost making her jump as she saw the mental picture.

She shook her head, swinging the image out of her mind as she tried to think of the good side of school again. “Alright… so there’s a history test today.”

Quicksilver jumped out of bed and trotted over to her nightstand, eyeing a stack of papers and looking them over with a smile, “Think I studied enough for that one…” She put the papers into a small cyan backpack and zipped it shut. “Can’t forget the homework either.”

After strapping the little pack firmly to her back, Quick made her way across her small, cozy room to the door. She stopped at the window, peering out into the city.

Crowds of ponies swarmed the busy sidewalks as cars passed them by, everypony was in a mad rush to reach their destination, bumping into each other and filling the streets with the sound of their hooves. How she hated rushing, Quick loved calm, the opposite of what lie in view.

“It’s like everypony’s getting bit in the ass by a swarm of hornets…” She noted sadly to herself with a tinge of frustration, thinking back on the farm. She even missed the swarms of stinging insects on the hot afternoons back home. She watched as her mind placed little buzzing black dots amongst the ponies, resembling the angry creatures she thought of, she almost smiled. Almost.

She growled and shut the blinds, closing off her little window to hell. “Dammit.” She muttered to herself quietly again, staring at the slightly peeling green paint of her small bedroom. Her eyes ran along the floral patterns across its surface, distracting her from the outside world that she so desperately tried to shut out. Her short-lived bliss was cut short by the loud, sharp wakeup call of her older brother from the next room.

“Hey Quick! Breakfast!”

Quick sighed and flicked an ear in irritation, “I’m coming!” She shouted sharply in return, surprised at her own intensity. “S-sorry!” she followed up quickly to her outburst.

“Just hurry up! It’ll get cold.”

She turned from the strangely attractive wall and shifted her pack a little, feeling it’s light weight sit against her back comfortably. She perked an ear in alert, tilting her head a bit as she noted it’s lightness, “A little too light…”

Quick’s bright, violet eyes widened as she realized her mistake, running over to the corner of her bed. Lying down her pack, she reached around in the covers. She smiled as she felt the familiar, short fur of the desired object. Pulling out her teddy bear, she gave it a smile before placing it delicately in the front pouch of her backpack. Quick had always been picked on for carrying around a teddy bear, but she didn’t care, she needed her bear.

“Stay safe, Teddy.” She said as she put it away lovingly, laughing a bit at her unoriginal name. She was eight; naming a teddy bear “Teddy” just seemed right.

Quick hoisted her pack firmly onto her back and trotted out toward the kitchen. She felt a little better knowing that her special friend always had her back, or was on her back in this case.

Quick stood at the edge of the kitchen door, taking a deep inhale through her nose. Pancakes.

And there it was, that all-too-familiar sense of nostalgia. It was a common feeling, a feeling she experienced just as much as she felt anger or sadness, which was too much for her liking.

She stepped into view, “That better be dad’s recipe.” She stated to her brother who washed a bowel in the kitchen sink, giving a lighthearted smile.

Joseph smiled back, nodding, “Why would it be anything different?”

Quick sat at the table and pulled her seat in, looking at her meal and feeling her stomach gnaw at itself. “Guess dad lives on in his pancakes.” She said as she took a bite, wincing, “Sorry for eating you, dad.”

Joseph chuckled a little and dried the black mixing bowel, setting it aside as he wiped his hands on a dishcloth. “I really doubt that dad’s inside the pancakes…” he responded as he sat next to her, having already eaten he had no plate in front of him. “Now Quick…”

Quicksilver perked a single brown ear, not turning to look at him as she took another slow bite.

“We never really got to talk last night. You kinda just ran off after I yelled a few things.”

Quick remained silent, tensing noticeably. Joseph saw her unease.

“So I want to know, specifically, what you were doing last night. You said you had an accident but… that doesn’t really tell me anything.”

Quick grew more uneasy and choked a little on a piece of food, hitting her chest a couple times and coughing.

“You okay?” Her brother asked with concern.

She nodded, still coughing. “I’m okay.”

“So…?” Her brother awaited her answer eagerly, staring her down with his bright, crimson eyes. Quick shuddered at their gaze, they were beautiful eyes, they gave a strange sense of comfort, but they somehow felt… unnatural, always making her shiver. She felt them bore into the side of her head, feeling her skin prickle as his gaze seemed to burn it.
Quick looked up a bit and opened her mouth to speak, stopping abruptly as she saw the clock, her jaw dropping like a bag of rocks. “OH SHIT!”

Joseph winced at her loud outburst, “shhhh! You’ll wake the neighbors!”

Quick paid him no mind as she took a few more hurried bites of food and scrambled from her seat, almost falling as she skidded across the tile kitchen floor to the front door of their apartment. She almost slammed into the door as she fumbled for the knob, opening the door wide and dashing outside as she gave her hurried farewell, “Gottagothanksforbreakfastloveyoubye!”

Quick ran like mad, ironically, she was just as rushed as the ponies she was noting with disdain. She bumped into somepony, giving a slight apology but not slowing as she felt the hornets push her on her way.

Quick breathed hard, still sprinting down the city streets. She passed the coffee shop and cut across the street through the park, running below the gnarled branches of the park’s tree. Rounding a bend, she picked up her speed.

The school was in sight, it’s large, monochromatic walls looming over the flat surrounding area. She rushed through the gates, hardly noticing the dark-coated pony that stood there, almost blending in with the black fencing. “Quick?” the figure said in surprise.

Quick skidded to a stop, her momentum carrying her a few feet as she slid along the pavement, tipping forward slightly. She regained her bearings and turned to face the figure.

The figure was of an average height, sporting a short, spiking white mane with a tinge of blue-gray. Her coat was a deep, night sky blue, almost appearing black as it caught the light. Her defining feature was the two sets bright, neon green stripes on either of her cheeks, two stripes for each cheek, running from her jaw line to the base of her soft, bluish-gray eyes. “What’s the rush?” the figure said additionally, turning to reveal the group of white stars that stood as her cutie mark.

Quick looked, her face one of panic, “We’re gonna be late! What are you standing out here for, Midnight!?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, easy there Quick, it’s only 7:45. We got 15 minutes.”

“H-huh?” Quick’s worried expression turned to one of confusion.

Quick put her hoof to her face in agitation as she finally realized the clock back at the apartment was slow. “Celestia dammit…” she muttered to herself as she took a deep breath, calming and taking her hoof away from her face.

Midnight trotted up to her a bit and leaned close, “Slow clock?”

Quick nodded and groaned in agitation, “Dammit Joseph…. Fix that clock already…”

Midnight giggled a bit, “You should just get a watch or something, I mean you are a runner, having a watch would be good for a lot of things.”

“Meh.” She simply said in response, looking at the grass absent-mindedly. “I’m lazy and broke.”

“Top students aren’t supposed to be lazy,” Midnight scolded jokingly. “Get your ass in gear!”

“I’ll think about it.” Quick responded, shifting her eyes at her friend and then back towards another random object. “Happy?”

Midnight shrugged, flicking her long tail to fan herself. “Damn… it’s hot.”

“That’s just cause you have that dark coat, if it wasn’t black it wouldn’t absorb as much-“

Midnight interrupted her, flicking her tail in Quick’s face and smiling, “Don’t pull that science stuff on me, Quick.”

Quick spit out a hair, “Ugh. Flick that somewhere else!”

“Okay.” Midnight flicked her tail onto Quick’s head instead.

Quick brushed off Midnight’s tail in agitation, “Dammit that’s not what I meant!”

Midnight chuckled, “You should be more specific.”

Quick growled a little.

“Whoa whoa, don’t get all feral on me, I’m just joking around.” Midnight said in defense, pulling her tail away.

Quicksilver took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, feeling her pack slide around. “Yeah, sorry.” She gave a smile.

“That’s better, now what do you-“ Midnight cut off as a pony bumped into her forcefully as he walked, obviously on purpose.

“Oops, sorry there Mutt.” The stallion said as he trotted by, chuckling maliciously.

Midnight’s ears drooped and she looked down sadly, her chipper mood fading, “Never mind….” She said quietly.

Quick glared at the stallion, he glared back.

Looking to her friend, Quick tried to comfort her, “It’s okay Midnight, he’s just an asshole. Just cause you’re part zebra doesn’t mean you deserve that.” Quick halted for a moment, “Wait… that came out wrong.”

Midnight gave her a weird look.

“I meant… that… just cause…” Quick sat down on the ground, giving up and sitting in her failure. “I’ll shut up now…”

Midnight sighed, “I know that’s not what you meant, Quick. Just be careful in what you say next time.”

“Okay… sorry…” Quick rubbed her neck nervously, clearing her throat. Her eyes drifted back to the patchy, brownish grass that lay beside her.

“Quick?”

“Huh?” Quick snapped back to reality, shaking her head a bit. “Sorry guess I’m just a little tired…”

“Ah.” Midnight said in a quick response, fanning herself again with her tail long, silvery tail, almost seaming to gleam in the sunlight. “Can we go somewhere less… hot?”

Quick sighed, twitching an ear sharply. She didn’t share Midnight’s dilemma, in fact she liked the sun. “I guess…” She replied reluctantly.

Midnight looked at her watch again, angling it away from the sun’s glare to read the numbers. “Looks like we only got four minutes anyways. Might as well head to class.”

Quick winced slightly as Midnight angled the watch to reflect the sun into her eyes, turning away a bit, “ahg! Dammit Midnight that’s annoying!”

Midnight giggled and put her hoof down, stopping and saying with exaggerated innocence, “I’m sorry.”

Quick narrowed her eyes as Midnight giggled again.

Midnight looked away slightly and cleared her throat in response, “Well then… shall we?”

The brown mare lifted herself from the ground and stood beside her with a bored expression, “Yeah, sure.”

They began to trot toward the open doors of the school at a relaxed pace, passing students as well as watching others rush by.

“So Quick…” Midnight began with a smile, looking to her friend, “Isn’t it your birthday soon?”

Quick had almost forgotten, she was turning 14 in just… was it three days? Four?

“This Friday right?”

It was Tuesday. Quick scratched her head, “Yeah, guess I forgot.”

“Forgot your birthday?” Midnight said with a snicker.

Quick pushed her friend playfully, “At least I don’t forget my backpack almost every day.” Quick looked to Midnight’s bare back, where a backpack should be.

“Oh crap… I thought I was forgetting something…” Midnight’s ears drooped. “Guess my shoulders felt light for a reason.” She shrugged it off. “Oh well.”

“Oh well?” Quick began with a raised eyebrow, “you won’t be saying ‘oh well’ when Miss Magistra beats your flank with a barbed ruler.”

Midnight shuddered at the actual possibility.

The inside of the school wasn’t much cooler, Quick noted as they passed through the doors and felt a light gust of lukewarm wind, but then again the temperature couldn’t be much above room temperature outside anyways. Midnight was noticeably relieved to be out of the sun, she took a deep breath and held it, “I hate the smell of school.” She said as she let out the air sharply. “Smells like rotting books, angst, and sweat.” She shivered in disgust.

“I like the smell of books…” Quick said under her breath.

“We know Quick…”

Quick had always been sort of a nerd. She was one of the few ponies in their grade that actually cared about grades and learning.

“So I had this idea…” Quick began, looking to the side nervously and shuffling her hoof.

“Yeah?” Midnight perked her ear in attention.

“What if… I changed my name to Quinn?”

“What?” Midnight said with a raised eyebrow.

“What if I changed my name, legally, to Quinn.” She repeated.

“No I heard you” Midnight said. “I just don’t understand you. Why?”

“Well I just figured I might get a little less shit from ponies if I had a less… ‘fancy’ name.” Quick responded nervously.

“Well Quick I think that-“ Midnight began, rubbing the back of her head.

Quick bolted suddenly, disappearing behind a corner in a blur.

“Huh?” Midnight’s confusion was cut short by the two heavy footsteps behind her, followed by a brief silence. The increasingly terrified mare tensed up, feeling the hair on the back of her neck prickle.

“Good morning, Mutt.” Came the harsh voice of a mare from behind her.

Midnight closed her eyes in fear, chills running down her spine. She whimpered quietly.

Midnight heard a laugh and then hoofsteps heading away from her, she relaxed a bit, cautiously opening one eye. Her vision was greeted by a red hoof flying at her face. She barely had time to react as impacted, the force of the punch knocking her back into the lockers with a metallic clang. Midnight groaned in pain, clutching her throbbing face gingerly. A shadow fell over her and she tensed up again, wanting to close her eyes in fear, however she found herself looking up at the looming figure before her.

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