Is this thing on? Ahem... My name is Sarsaparilla Swirl. I was an orphan, living by myself with only the company of my imaginary friend. But all that changed when I found my special talent, and a special friend...
...
I woke up. It was early in the morning, but ponies were already pulling carts and setting up their stalls in Mane Street. I think it was a Monday, but I wasn't sure.
As I got up from my cardboard bed, I realised that I felt really funny. Almost as if their was something on my mind that I couldn't remember. Or, maybe something about me had changed.
I looked into a nearby mirror. It had a couple of cracks, here and there, but it still worked perfectly fine. I definitely had not changed. I still had the same brown fur, dark brown messy hair, yellow eyes, muzzle, hooves and weird ears, and brown patch on my flank. So I must have forgotten something.
I decided to ask Bartholomew. He always remembered everything, even though he was just a figment of my imagination.
"Bartholomew!" I yell. "Do you remember if anything special is happening today?!"
Bart soon appeared next to me with a puff of smoke, like he always did.
"I know!" My young draconequus friend smiled, leaning on the wall of the alley I lived in. "Isn't it your first day of school today? Miss Cheeri-whatever-her-name-is is going to be very mad if you're late!"
I hit my forehead with my hoof. "Of course! How could I have forgotten! I have to get ready!" I ran to the bins, looking behind then and finding me tatty, old saddlebag. It was very simple; just a plain red one that buttoned up on the top.
"You're going to need some writing paper!" Bart yelled to me helpfully.
I jump into the bin, and soon find some parchment. It had writing on one side, but it would have to do.
"Now find some ink, and a quill!"
I look inside my saddlebag. Sure enough, a quill and some ink are already in it. I pick up the ink jar and look inside. The ink had dried out.
"No ink!?!" I cried. "What am I supposed to do?!?"
Bart came up to me. "Well," He said, "I know I'm just a figment of your imagination, but if you try really hard, I may be able to make some ink appear!"
I close my eyes and concentrated really hard. I opened one eye, to see if it worked and, sure enough, it did! I almost screamed with joy, but Bart put one of his eagle talons over my lips.
"No need to thank me! Now, you'll need some food for lunch!"
I nod eagerly, his talon still on my lips.
He let me go, and I eagerly went rushing off to the food bin at the mouth of the alley. I grab the only good food I can find; A rotten apple, a half moldy cucumber sandwich, and a half empty juice box. I then run over, and drop it into my bag.
I smile. Then, I suddenly hear the old clock tower clock ringing.
Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong.
"Well, now. You better get going! It's eight o'clock. School starts at eight thirty, and it's better to be safe than sorry!" Bart smiled. "Now, give me a goodbye hug!"
I hug him tightly, and rush towards the mouth of the alley. I stop halfway there, though, and turn back to him.
"Bart?"
"Yeah?"
"I counted seven dongs, not eight."
I could see him blushing under the white mop of hair covering his face.
"Ahem... um... I did say it's better to be safe than sorry, didn't I?"
After a quick bath in a nearby pond with a bar of soap that I had found in a bin, (I strongly insisted that Bartholomew didn't watch, even though he was a figment of my imagination.) Bart and I started to walk to school together. We were still early, and it was only seven thirty.
I could see the school sitting on the horison. I was about to rush off and explore, but then I realised something. I turned to Bart.
"Bart," I say, "What if the kids at school don't like me? I'm not as rich as any of them, and I'm not very clean either..."
Bart stopped flying and stood next to me, puffing his chest out so that he was at his full height, which was only around ten centimeters higher than me. He placed his lion paw on top of my head.
"Sassy, don't worry. They will like you, trust me. You know, it doesn't matter how rich you are, because if boxes were bits and bits were boxes, you would be the richest pony ever!"
I laugh. Somehow, even when he didn't make any sense, Bart always knew how to make me happy. I guess that could also be because he is just a figment of my imagination, but somehow it didn't feel like that at all. I can't remember when I started having Bart as my imaginary friend, but I sure am glad I did it when I did.
I suddenly hear voices coming from nearby. Bart disappeared in a puff of smoke. He always did that whenever somepony else was near.
Two girls come out from around the corner. One of them was pink with purple wavy hair with white stripes. She had a tiara as her cutie mark. The other was grey, with hair that was two shades of grey and hung in a plait. Her cutie mark was a spoon, and she wore blue glasses. The two fillies were both earth ponies, like me.
As soon as they saw me, they stopped.
"Who are you?" Asked the pink one looking at me with an unamused look in her face. She sounded a little bit snobbish, almost as if she thought she was better than everypony else. I let it slip, thinking that it could just be her accent.
"My name is Sarsaparilla Swirl. I'm the new girl at the school... um... just up the road..."
The pony stopped looking at me like I was garbage, and smiled a small smile.
"We go to that school too, right, Silver?"
The grey pony, Silver, nodded.
"I'm Diamond Tiara. That's Silver Spoon. Why don't we walk you to the school?"
I nod happily. Making friends seems to be easier that I first thought!
They laugh and walk next to me as we slowly go up to the school.
"So," Diamond started to ask me, "Do you have your cutie mark yet?"
I shake my head. "Not yet."
Diamond smiles at me. It looked like she was plotting something.
"You know," I say as we get closer to the school gates, "I'm glad that I found ponies as nice as you guys to be my friends."
Diamond suddenly puts her hoof in front of me stopping me in my path.
"You almost fell into that puddle." She explained. "We wouldn't want you getting dirty, now would we???"
I look down. A large and very muddy puddle sat at my feet.
"Tha-"
Splash!
Diamond Tiara had pushed me into the puddle. I sat up and stared at her, wondering what I did wrong, mud dripping out of my brown, mop-like, and now wet hair.
She laughed at me. "Did you think that ponies like us would let filthy little blank flanks like you to be our friends? As if!"
She kicked mud into my already muddy face and laughed out loud. I sunk deeper into the puddle ashamed and embarrassed, my cheeks red hot. Guess our friendship is over, then...
As Diamond Tiara walked off towards the classrooms, Silver came up to me. I crouched backwards and closed my eyes, waiting for another pile of mud to be kicked into my face. But no mud came.
I opened my eyes, just as Silver reached her hoof out to me.
"I'm sorry about that." She said as she pulled me up. "Diamond Tiara doesn't know the first thing about manners..."
Diamond called out from inside the classroom. "What's keeping you, Silver?!? Come on already!!!"
Silver wiped some of the mud off my face. "Stay safe, and keep away from Diamond, alright?" She tells me. I nod.
Silver runs off towards the class. "I'm coming!!!" She calls.
I smile. It seems like I did make a friend after all...
