> Friends.
>  by DerpyJr
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

L.W. Trottingworth Academy. This was it. This was where you would turn it all around. This was where you would finally have a social life, become popular even! Yeah. Definitely. No more awkward interactions, teasing, or shunning. No. This was your chance to reinvent yourself. This was where you would take control of your life and be who you wanted to be...if you could move. You'd been standing in front of the large brick building for a solid ten minutes, too nervous to actually enter. 

"Come on, legs, move," you whispered to yourself just as a group of three mares walked past. They all raised an eyebrow at you and giggled as they headed inside. Not off to the best start are you? Nevermind that, you need to get yourself inside that building before classes start. You inhale deeply and, with all of the willpower you could muster, unsteadily lift your right forehoof up and place it ahead of you. There we go! Just take it one step at a time. Just as you lifted your leg to take the next step, you and your belongings were knocked to the ground by a rather large force. 

You turn around to find a group of large jocks standing behind you, the largest of them standing at the front looking down at you. "Watch your step, you damn freshman." He grunted as he and his clique walked on, most of them laughing at you.

Everypony in the general area was now staring at you. There goes your confidence. Well, what can you do? You shamefully pick up your books from the ground and begin placing them in your saddlebag. This was not the best start to your first day of high school. One of your notebooks was suddenly thrust into your field of vision. You traced the black hoof connected to the notebook up to a stallion wearing a friendly smile.

"'Sup, dude," he casually greeted.

You hesitate for a moment shocked by the sudden friendly gesture. Snap out of it! You need to make a good impression on somepony. "H-Hello," you stutter.

He laughed at your nervousness. "Relax," he advised as he placed the notebook in your saddlebag. "I'm not like those jackasses you just saw." He collected more various items on the ground and packed them into your bag.

You loosen up a bit as you pack in the last of your materials. Could it be? Could you possibly be making a friend? "Thanks a lot."

"Don't mention it," he said as he pulled you to your hooves. "Name's Class Act."

"I'm Psyche."

He stretched out a hoof, "Nice to meet'cha."

You grabbed his hoof firmly. "Same here." You managed not to completely screw up. Good for you. 

"Let's get inside; I think the bell is going to ring soon."

You nod in agreement as the two of you head towards the entrance.

"I've never seen you before. You're not from Trotter Junior High, are you?"

"No," you answer. "Rising Sun."

"Ah, well, most ponies attending Trottingsworth are from Trotter. Rising Sun is a really good school though. You could've just attended high school there."

You shifted your gaze. "There were quite a few ponies there I don't want to see again."

"Ah, well, everypony I've met at Trotter was pretty cool and will have your back, including me." He reached out his hoof.

You bump his hoof and smile. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, if we're lucky we might have a few classes together. I need a good cheating buddy." He laughed as he playfully nudged you in the side.

"Yeah that'd be awes-"

"YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH!" 

You jumped a bit at the sudden screaming that greeted your immediate entrance into the school. The hell is going on? You then notice of a sizable group of ponies surrounding two mares, one of them being held back by a large stallion. A fight? On the first day? Trottingworth wasn't the best school in Canterlot, but this is ridiculous. You look next to you to find Class Act, only to find he'd joined the group of surrounding ponies.

"LET ME GO, DAMMIT! I'M GOING TO KILL THIS BITCH!" She thrashed about furiously giving the stallion holding her a hard time.

Yikes! This mare has some serious anger management issues, you thought to yourself. Despite her temper, she was actually quite stunning. Her coat was milky white and practically glowed. She had long blue spiked hair with highlights and her eyes were...red? Crimson red. That's pretty strange for an eye color but they looked great on her. You turn your attention to the other mare who stood across from her, a blank expression on her face. She was just as attractive if not more so than the mare trying to kill her. Her coat was a very pristine shade of silver and her mane was the deepest black you'd ever seen. Wonder what she did to piss her off so badly.

Before things escalated any further, a group teachers had arrived and one of them took the two mares with him while the others broke up the large crowd that had gathered. 

You went about your business, getting your homeroom number and a map of the campus, all the while contemplating the cause for the situation you saw.

"Yo, Psyche!" a voice called out to you. It was none other than Class Act. "Did you see what went down earlier? I swear, that mare's gotten even worse."

"You know her?" you asked, confused.

"Yeah, her name's Vinyl Scratch. I remember seeing her a lot in middle, but we didn't really speak much. She was well known for having quite the temper." he explained. 

Not surprising at all. "What about that other mare?"

"Never seen her before. I asked some of my old buddies about her, though. Turns out she's actually a really high up in Canterlot society. Related to nobility and all that. Her name is Silver Dust."

You began to think deeply, searching for a solution to all of your unanswered questions. Why was such a high class mare attending this school? What did she possibly say to anger Vinyl to that extent? And why did you care so much? The bell cut off any further contemplation on the matter. Oh well, you'll just have to think about it later. For now, you should probably get to homeroom.

"Three eleven...three thirteen...Ah! Room three fifteen." You entered the room, noticing only six other ponies in various desks were the only ones there. Guess I'm a little early. Ah well. You find a seat in the very back and sit quietly. The room slowly began to fill as ponies drifted in from the hustle and bustle of the hallways. Most seats were occupied in a matter of minutes. Very few vacant desks dotted the room, including one to your immediate right.

After the tardy bell rang and everypony settled down, the teacher had everypony stand up and introduce themselves. Uh-oh. You weren't a shy pony by any means, but ever since a little incident in middle school you've had a bad case of stage fright. The mere thought of it still made you shiver. That was behind you though! You were a new stallion, and you were going to introduce yourself, even if it killed you. 

One by one, your classmates finished their dry introductions and before you knew it it was your turn. You stood nervously and began to recite the script you'd mentally prepared for yourself. "My name's Ps-Psyche. I'm a unicorn, fifteen, and my cutie mark is a magnifying glass over a brain which shows my talent for psychoanalysis." You sped through your introduction before slamming back down in your seat. You didn't mess it up too badly, though.

"Wonderful, Mr. Psyche. Next."

After another fifteen minutes, introductions were finished and the teacher handed out everypony's schedule.

"Okay, everypony," she began, "My name is Ms. Applebottom. Let's all have a good year and—"

Boom!

The door flung open and the identity of the pony standing in the doorway came as quite a shock to you. Vinyl?! We have the same homeroom? 

The mare casually strolled into the classroom with a less than pleased look on her face; nopony dared to stare her in the eyes. Even the teacher seemed a little frightened.

"Why...hello! It seems you missed the introductions. If you would please introduce yourself by telling us your name, age and giving us an explanation of your cutie mark."

"Tch!" she spat before complying. "Name's Vinyl Scratch, fifteen, and my cutie mark is of a double eighth note, showing my talent for music."

Whispers spread through the room, but one phrase made a clear cut through the random noise. 

"Her eyes..."

She snapped. "What about my eyes?! You have a problem with them? Say it to my face!" The entire class went dead silent.

"Now, now, enough of that, dear," Ms. Applebottom chimed in. "I'm sure nopony meant any harm. Now why don't you take a seat next to Psyche over there."

Crap! Why me?!

Vinyl tossed her bag on the floor and folded her legs up on the desk. 

You didn't move at all. You were utterly frozen with fear. No! Come on, Psyche. You know better than to be so quick to judge ponies. She's probably not that ill-tempered, just a little sensitive about her eyes is all. Then it hit you. Her eyes. Could Silver Dust have—

"I'll be passing around the roll now, so make sure you sign it, everypony," Ms. Applebottom warned.

You were completely lost in your thoughts for a few minutes before turning to your right and looking at Vinyl. She was just staring at the roll on her desk. What was she doing? All she had to do was sign it. 

You stared at her as she stared at the paper for a short moment before your common sense kicked in.

Oh! she needs something to write with! You reached into your bag, and dug out a pen. Here's my chance. Maybe showing a little kindness will get her in a better  mood.

"Here," you whispered over to her while holding out the writing utensil.

She looked at you as if you'd just given her one of your kidneys. "Thank you," she whispered back as she took the pen. After quickly scribbling her name on the sheet and passing it on, she reached it back over to you.

You stuck out a hoof, "Keep it, you might need it later."

She looked as though you'd given her your second kidney as well. "Thank you." 

"No problem. My name's Psyche."

"So I've heard. My name's Vinyl Scratch."

"So I've heard." Vinyl blushed lightly as you both laughed at you're unnecessary introductions. She had an incredibly cute laugh. That was enough to erase any remaining traces of fear you had. Nopony with a laugh that heart-warming should be treated like something to be feared. You almost wouldn't believe she was the same mare from earlier. I was right. A simple act of kindness was all she needed to drop her guard. She did seem a little surprised by it though.

Before you knew it the bell had rang for the next period. You exchanged farewells with Vinyl and headed off to your class. Your next three classes went by smoothly and, after what seemed like forever, it was finally time for lunch. 

Inside the cafeteria, the tables were clearly broken up according to hierarchy within the school. The athletes, preps, nerds, druggies, goths, and everything in between was present. Now your only problem was finding which table was yours.

"Over here!" a voice called out to you. Could it be? It was! Class Act was waving a hoof at you from a table with a decent number of ponies. Oh, the benefits of having a friend. You trot over to the table and take a seat next to Class and his friends. 

"Dude, these are my friends from Trotter." He began introducing the ponies before you, pointing a hoof as he named them. "We have Brushstroke, Lily, and Pump. Guys, this is Psyche."

More friends for you! Just don't act like a doofus and you should be okay. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," you formally greet.

One of the stallions chuckled at your salutation. What was his name? Brushstroke? "'It's a pleasure to meet you all?' What are you, royalty? You don't have to be so uptight." 

"Oh, hush you," the yellow earth pony mare with an orange mane ordered. You believe her name was Lily. "Just because he has manners unlike some ponies doesn't mean he's uptight." She smiled at you.

"Who you callin' unmannered?!" a large grey stallion yelled. He must be Pump, "I'm the most sophis... sophstoc..."

"Sophisticated," Lily helped. "And 'unmannered' isn't a word," she added under her breathe.

"...sophisticated pony in this room!" he yelled as he shoved his sandwich in his mouth, sending crumbs everywhere. Lily rolled her eyes as Brushstroke and Class Act laughed.

You felt yourself begin to chuckle a bit at the friendly atmosphere. Well isn't this nice? Who would've thought that you'd meet so many nice ponies on your very first day? Nice going.

Just as you began to pull your lunch from your saddlebag you felt a hoof slam against your back. "Ow!" you shriek in pain. "Who the—" You turn around. "Vinyl?!"

"The one and only," she nonchalantly retorted as she took a seat next to you and began unpacking her lunch.

"Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?"

"What? I can't eat lunch with my friend?"  Her expression shifted to a look of sadness. "We are friends aren't we?"

"Y-Yeah, sure we are."

"Good!" she exclaimed before aggressively biting into her sandwich. Did Vinyl not have any other friends to eat with?

"Your name's Vinyl, right?" Lily asked.

"Who wants to know? You got a problem with me?" the mare defensively questioned.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy girl. I' m not picking a fight. I just remember seeing you around Trotter is all, but we never actually talked. Since we're sitting at the same table I figured I'd take the opportunity to say hey."

Vinyl squinted and stared at the mare as though she was trying to stare through her. "Hey." She continued eating her lunch silently.

An awkward silence came over the entire table as everypony ate their lunch.

"Even monsters eat huh?"

You somehow hadn't noticed Silver Dust had walked up to your table. Did she just call Vinyl a monster?

"You're trash. You and everypony at this school, worthless. Especially you, you red-eyed freak."

Vinyl's teeth were clenched, and her eyes narrowed. She was trembling with rage. 

"What's wrong? Want to hit me? You know the consequences for hitting somepony with royal blood don't you?"

Vinyl's face was turning red, obviously infuriated. Why was Silver Spoon even doing this? "Just leave me alone."

"Hmph! A demon like you has the nerve to tell me what to-"

"Leave her alone," you ordered. What were you thinking?

"Excuse me?"

You rose from your seat, "So you're a descendant of royalty huh? That explains your attitude. Canterlot royals just love to hide behind their money and status like cowards." All eyes were on you and Silver Dust as nearby ponies began to stare the two of you. You were nervous and weren't sure what you were doing but you had to do something.

"How dare you—"

"But even Canterlot snobs don't go around throwing it in everypony's faces, so what's your deal? And while we're at it, what exactly is somepony who comes from royalty doing at this school in the first place?" You walked closer to Silver Dust causing her to back up a bit. "Pointing out another pony's insecurities is just a foalish way to hide your own." You moved closer, she backed away. "What are you hiding? Does it have something to do with why you're going to this school?"

She had a look of utter shock on her face. "I...I—"

"So it does. You don't want ponies to know why you're going here. Royals usually attend private schools mixed with lower class citizens until after middle school. At that point they're either home-schooled to focus their studies on their royal duties or attend a pure-blood only school." 

You could see Silver Dust was trembling and a light sheen of sweat covered her face.

"Of course they could still attend public high school if they wanted but that's almost unheard of." You silently think for a moment. "Could it be you're not a royal at all? Either that or—"

"I'm not a pure-blooded royal!" Gasps and awes filled the room at the shocking confession. "I don't have any royal blood in me at all. My family married into royalty when I was too young to remember. I was raised with the mentality of a royal so I've grown used to looking down on everypony around me."

"So picking on Vinyl was just your way of shifting attention over to her to make sure nopony would question why you were attending this school. Don't you see all you did was attract more attention to yourself?"

"Well what am I supposed to do?!" she shouted as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I was always given attention and special treatment because of my royal status. If everypony knew I wasn't royalty then I-I just..." She began sobbing.

The muscular athlete who'd knocked you down earlier that morning decided to step in.  He stood in front of her, looking down at you meneacingly. "Leave her alone, fucker!"

Just then a teacher stepped in and dispersed the crowd. As the large stallion walked away, a hoof wrapped around a sobbing Silver Dust, he shot you a look of anger. You sighed as you returned to your seat, feeling lightheaded from the sudden drop in tension. Everypony at the table stared at you slack-jawed. 

"What?" You cock your head sideways in confusion. You suddenly feel the air being squeezed out of your lungs by Vinyl.

"That was AMAZING! Nopony has ever stood up for me like that!" She squeezed tighter, her hug becoming closer to an attempted murder. You could feel your heart rate increasing and heat in your cheeks.

"V-Vinyl!"

She released you, realizing what she was doing, and began to blush as she looked down at the table. "S-Sorry about that."

You turned your head away from her, redness still fresh in your cheeks. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh-ho, what's this?" Lily whispered to herself, giving Vinyl and you a sly look. Nopony else seemed to notice though.

"Man, you went all reverse mind fuck on her. It was cool." Brushstroke lightly punched you shoulder.

"I have to admit that was quite impressive," Class agreed.

It was Pump's turn to compliment you. "You broke that bitch down like a fraction!" He proceeded to shove more food in his mouth.

"It was nothing, guys really. She wanted attention for being a royal but too much would risk her image. With no other option, she directed some off of her by throwing it Vinyl's way. That was unfair to Vinyl, though, so I had to do something."

"Thanks for that." Vinyl smiled at you.

"Don't worry about it." You returned the smile.

The bell for your next classes rang shortly thereafter. Your next three classes went by painfully slowly, but, to your surprise you had your last class with both Class Act and Vinyl. Naturally, the three of you sat together.

Class Act had lived up to his name the entire period, almost getting kicked out a couple of times. At least nopopny was bored, thanks to his antics. Class went by in a flash and before you knew it the three of you were trotting out of the building together.

"Geez, Class. I didn't know you were so funny!" you said, still wiping a tear from your eye.

"Yeah, you were something else in there," Vinyl agreed.

Class stuck his nose in the air confidently, "Well, you know, it's not hard when it's literally what you were born to do." You and Vinyl laughed at his boasting. "Oh, hey, before I forget, I want to let you guys know that Moondancer is throwing a party and the entire schools invited. Me and the gang are going you guys should come too."

You can't remember the last time you were invited to a party that wasn't a relative's birthday. "I'll be there!" You pause and quickly calm yourself before replying a second time. "I mean, uhh...yeah, sure, if I'm not busy." You try your best to appear laid-back. "What about you Vinyl?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," she answered.

Class smacked his hooves together. "Then it's settled!" After exchanging details on the location and time, the three of you parted ways.

You took the opportunity to review your day as you walked home alone. Let's see: made a group of friends, got into a 'fight' with a royal wanna-be, made an enemy of probably the entire football team, and got invited to a party. Not a bad day. You stop walking as a goofy grin works its way across your face. "I have friends now, and I get to go to a party! Yes!" Shortly after you continued your happy trot home, you suddenly stop again. "Wait, if the entire school's invited that means that jock who stood up for Silver Dust will be there too..." Crap.