"G'bye Big Mac! See ya after class!"
Applejack waved as Bic McIntosh walked up the dirt road out of Apple Orchards. Although he knew that Applejack was going to be school age next year, he couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous of her being able to stay home. After what felt like ages of pointless education he figured he had learned enough about history and magic. The rest of this year was about pointless as it gets. Alas, his emotions were for naught and here he was again trekking up to the city for school. The dirt and pavement of the road feeling so much rougher than that of the soil in the orchard. "Just a few more months of this and I'll be home free"
Arriving at the old - and somewhat dilapidated - schoolhouse he walks over to Thunderlane. Thunderlane was an gray colt with a mane of light blue and lighter blue stripes.
"Big Mac! I thought I would never find you!" Thunderlane exclaimed turning to the side. "My cutie Mark came in last night! While I was with my dad corralling clouds yesterday evening."
Sure enough a storm cloud and a yellow lightning bolt was visible on Thunderlane's flank. Flashing a huge grin at Mac "Turns out my special talent is with lightning. I single hoof-edly stopped a huge lightning storm last night!"
"And I suppose the other 6 pegasi had absolutely no impact whatsoever?" Hearing Thunderlane's boast, the teacher - Fisherberry - decided to step in.
"Oh, no! I mean yes, they did! I mean, I had a lot of help but ..." Thunderlane stutters.
"What you mean to say is that you found your raw talent, but still have many years of hard work left to refine it." Fisherberry turns and heads towards the building. "Now if you two are done chit chatting I would like to begin class!"
Following close behind the light blue mare, the 9 foals and colts file into the run down building of a school and start sitting down. Almost immediately after sitting down behind Cherilee, as Big Macintosh was oft to do, she hastily hands him a note. Waiting for an opportune time to open it without getting caught, he reads it.
"With Nimbus out of the running, looks like it's just you and me left without our cutie marks. Who will be victorious, and is it victory or defeat to be the last?"
What an odd question. It had always seemed to Big Mac that being the last in the class to get a cutie mark was an embarrassment. Yet somehow Cherilee had a crazy way to make you not feel so bad about things. Hastily scrawling on the paper - whilst imitating taking notes on whoever Fisherberry was talking about - he writes down "eeyup!" and hands it back to her.
He immediately knows when she's read it. Her neck tenses for a second while stifling a giggle as she turns to cough, trying to hide the laughter. Afterwards, however, he receives no further responses though expecting further discourse after class.
Author's Note
Exposition! First fan fic ever, so any advice - ill will or no - will be greatly appreciated.
Also, remember that this story is classified as a tragedy. No one dies, but I'm going to try and tie in the cannon as much as possible. It isn't the end of the story that is being written for, but the experiences before the end.
"Class, don't forget to have that paper on the history of pre-modern Fillydelphia complete by Monday. No excuses!"
Fisherberry started to stack her papers as the students filed out of the school house. Once outside, Big McIntosh was immediately beset by Cherilee and Thunderlane.
Cherilee turned and smiled a wry grin at Nimbus Storm. "So now what? Thunderlane has got his cutie mark, but I don't want to ostracize him just because of something as simple as finding out what his special talent is."
"Hey, who said corralling lightning clouds is simple!" Thunderlane retorted. "For all we know your going to get your cutie mark in glitter and messing up your mane."
"Hold on just a second Thunderlane, it took me hours to get my hair to look like this! Just because it may look like I just got out of bed doesn't mean I did! If you were to see my hair having just woken up, you would a whole mess of a difference"
"A whole mess of a difference eh?" then after a glare from Cherilee, "okay okay okay, I'm sorry. It just that," Nimbus pauses for a second staring at Cherilee's mane-do, "can it get any more angular?"
"Ha-ha, very funny. Do you at least like my style Big Mac?"
"Eeyup!" Big McIntosh responds, grinning at Thunderlane as Cherilee just groans.
"Seriously," she says, "You two are going to be the death of me. I realize it is funny sometimes, but only answering 'eeyup' or 'eenope' really puts a dampen on the ability to hold a conversation!"
"Eenope?" Big McIntosh tries to respond. "I guess that one didn't really work that well."
"Ah, come on Big Mac, you were doing so well!" Thunderlane turns his head to Cherilee, "How come you've always got to ruin the fun? What did it ever do to you?"
"I guess I just hate fun," Cherilee sarcastically remarks. "Oh look at me, the hater of all things fun. Fun sucker you should call me! Am I a fun sucker to you two?"
"Eeyup."
Pulling a face-hoof, Cherilee says through her hoof, "I opened myself wide open for that one didn't I?"
"Eeyup"
Nimbus collapses on the ground laughing. Cherilee just looks at McIntosh, rolls her eyes then starts to prod Thunderlane. "Are you through? What do you want to do today anyway? And if you say twenty questions I might just hit you."
Wiping a tear from his eye, Thunderlane gets up. "So I'm guessing that 15 questions is also out?"
*smack*
"Well with that out of the way," Cherilee remarks - passing Thunderlane's new position on the ground - "what do you suppose we should do with the entire weekend ahead of us?"
Thunderlane looks up a Mac, rubbing the back of his head. "What else? Procrastinate our paper until the last day and then rush it during the last few hours and hope for the best."
"She means what else are we going to do. We're not going to just sit and do nothing all weekend." Big Mac then turns to look at Cherilee. "I've got a few chores to do at the orchard, but after that what say you to heading over to the clubhouse? I'm sure we can think of something once we get there."
Cherilee responds, without turning around, "Oh woe is me, Big Mac leaving me alone with the crude humor of Thunderlane. Whatever am I to do whilst I wait for his important chores to be completed." She then turns, cracking a smile, "So how about it mister high and mighty 'I got my cutie mark!'. Any ideas? We could get some cupcakes. I could smell some fresh ones cooking when I walked to school this morning."
Thunderlane immediately jumped up and started hovering in the air. "Cupcakes!" he exclaimed, "why didn't you say so earlier, let's go!"
"We'll be sure to bring you one too Mac," Cherilee says walking beside Thunderlane as he flies. "We'll see you in about an hour or so?"
"Eeyup!"
Author's Note
I didn't include any mention of sugar cube corner since I'm not entirely sure if it would be there yet. Mr and Mrs Cake may be in town, but this is probably about 10 years back from the show so I'm unsure.
Also, I'm trying to use as little Macintosh dialogue for these first few chapters just because it will be a lot easier now rather than when it will inevitably be just Mac and Cherilee alone. In later chapters he will undoubtedly talk a lot more, but for now I've got a running gag to continue!
