Starswirl Academy - Original Rainbow Dash Route

The Wrong Foot

Description: You have your math class of the school year, and your first argument with Rainbow Dash.

Math class. This place seems more my speed. The other class rooms were full of different types of students. But this being a chosen elective, most students here have unimposing body types, are gathered in groups, talking as intelligently as I hoped private school students sound like.

Except...for one outlier. One noticeable enough to make me think I’m in the wrong room.

Rainbow Dash is here. Sitting by herself.

I wouldn’t have recognized her if not for that obnoxious hair. I hadn’t seen her in anything besides her track uniform up until now. The skirt didn’t suit her.

She aimlessly stares out the window, her knee anxiously bouncing up and down, her chin resting on her open palm, eyes fixated on the sky.

There’s a pocket of empty chairs around her. I see a few peers glance at her then turn their away. Everyone is keeping their distance from her.

Still, she’s the only person I recognize, and most of the other seats are taken. Someone gives me a funny look as I approach her.

“Hey.” I say. She pivots her head in my direction, not lifting her chin off her palm.

“…John, right?”

“Um, ___.”

“Noted.”

“And your name is Rainbow Dash, isn't it?”

“The one and only. You can call me whatever. Dashie. RD.” She laces her fingers together and stretches her arms upward. Her knuckles crack loudly. “So… what’s up?”

“Nothing really. I just wanted to say hi. You know, be friendly.”

She snickers. “Is that right?”

“Yes.” I hear a whisper behind me, followed by a petty giggle. “Do you know if the teacher is difficult?”

“I don’t even know who the teacher is.”

"Um…but you picked this class, right? I thought the students got to pick the classes they wanted.”

“Hell no! If you don’t nab the ones you want early, the school just puts you in whichever classes are left.”

“So they put you in advanced math?

"It had open spots. Nobody wants to take this class. Except eggheads.”

“…eggheads?”

“Yeah. Brainy-bodies. Pencils and pens neatly bunched together in a pocket protector. The kids these days call ‘em ‘nerds’.”

I take a second to process that. She may have been making a general statement directed at the whole world and not just me, but I just happened to be next to her when she said it.

"I’m not a nerd.”

She snickers again. This time a high-and-mighty, condescending snicker. “Yeah, you kinda are.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know you’re dating a… ‘stuffy bookworm girlfriend.’” She mimics Pinkie Pie’s high-pitched voice. Spot-on too.

“Twilight is not my girlfriend. She’s my best friend. That’s all.”

“Twilight?”

“Yeah.”

“Waist-length hair? Little pink and purple thing on the bangs?”

“You know her?

“I bumped into her in the hall. She, uh, likes books a lot. I mean a lot! I’ve seen love-struck freshmen that are less obsessed than that huge nerd.

“Hey! Don’t talk about her like that.”

“I’m not insulting her. Just calling it like I see it. She goes on and on and on about books.”

“Twilight just likes reading. She’s…not obsessive.” I knew I was lying as the words came out of my mouth. “A-anyway, just because someone likes reading doesn’t mean they’re a nerd.”

“Riiight. Cause all the cool kids hang out at bookstores on the weekend.”

“That isn’t-”

“You’re getting’ pretty defensive for someone you’re not dating, John.”

“It’s ___!”

“___. Yeah, I meant ___.”

"And it’s not defensiveness. It’s called loyalty. Ever heard of it?”

Rainbow clenched her teeth at that comment. I think I touched another soft spot. “You really don’t know who you’re talking to, do you?”

“I’m just trying to be friendly and you’re insulting my girlf–my friend! My friend!”

“I’m not insulting you. Trust me, you’ll know when I’m insulting you.”

“Whatever. Forget I said anything. Have a nice day.”

Hoping to not make things worse, I leave. But Rainbow Dash laughs at me as I leave.

“Now I know Twilight isn’t your girlfriend.” She says it loud enough for the other students to hear. They all stop talking.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. She wouldn’t date you cause you’re not a book. Maybe you’d have better luck with her if you grew a spine.” I feel everyone stare at me. I ignore the loud brat and sit down on the other side of the room, pretending it doesn't bother me.

She laughs again.

Now I see why people avoid her.

---time passes---

The teacher turns to us after his lecture is over. “Okay, class is dismissed. But before you go…”

ZOOM! Rainbow Dash shoots out of the room like a bat out of hell, totally ignoring the professor.

“Wonderful." He shakes his head. "Well, everyone else will know what their assignment is tonight. Read the first chapter of the textbook. If you want, you can do the first thirty problems in at the chapter’s end. If you do , it will count as extra credit. But it’s early in the year, so if you don’t get it done. But we will be discussing the first chapter tomorrow, and I will be calling on people. So be prepared.”

I make a mental note of what he says and leave with the other students.

Still sore over that disagreement from earlier, I realize Rainbow and I had gotten off on the wrong foot twice already. Maybe giving her the homework assignment would help amend this? Or at the very least convince her I didn’t want bad blood between us.

I people watch as I searched for Rainbow Dash in front of campus. Groups of young people scamper over the bright green front yard. Cliques and circles of friends form and go their ways. Upperclassmen leave campus while younger students stay in predictable locales

That Trixie girl stays, surrounded by several adoring younger boys, probably all freshmen.

That Derpy girl blissfully skips along the walkway. I watch her trip then get back up without a second thought. No one seems to notice. This might be a typical occurrence.

I hoped Twilight would find me before lunch ended, but my gut told me she was in the library already.

I look for Rainbow’s easy-to-spot hair before setting off to find my friend, but don’t see her in any group. I search and search, but don’t see her in any group.

Finally, I spot her in the far corner of the field, lying on her back, snoozing under a shady tree, with one leg balancing on opposing knee and her backpack doubling as her pillow.

She even goes to sleep fast. I envisioned her rushing out of class, grabbing something to eat, scoffing it down, then dashing outside to catch a few Z’s before anyone else could get on line for food.

“How does someone like that get into this school?”

Her laziness irritates me. It’s probably best to let her sleep. I can remind her of the extra credit later.