Rocket Ashby RocketAlexChaptersNew GirlFun TimesBOOM!GraduateNew GirlI looked in the mirror and sighed in depression. My hair was a mess, I had bags under my eyes, and my fur looked like crap. I grabbed the brush and began to brush out the knots in my mane in a rush. After my red and pink mane was thoroughly brushed, I began brushing my fur. Today was my first day of flight school in Cloudsdale. I had just moved to the town and was both nervous and excited. I abandoned all of my friends at my old town. Who am I kidding? I didn't have any friends. Maybe I could make friends at this new school. I checked myself in the mirror, just to make sure. If I went to my first day of flight school looking like a hobo, I would continue having no friends. My fur and mane were silky soft and looked as good as I could get them. I was wearing a red t-shirt (with holes in the back for my wings, of course) and short-shorts. I did a few warm-up stretches and seized my backpack from the top of a closet. I put it on and made one last check that I looked normal. After assuring myself for what must have been the 6th time that day, I spread my wings and was ready to go. I floated weightlessly into the air on my way to flight school. Cloudsdale was such a beautiful town with white, fluffy cloud floors and rainbow waterfalls, it was lovely. I felt like sightseeing instead of going to school, but that was a very stupid idea. I knew that there was no need to be nervous, no one could judge me since they didn't even know me. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I neared the school. There were other kids either flying around, playing, or just talking. I took in a deep breath and walked into the school yard. I wanted to walk up to someone and introduce myself but found myself unable to move. Social anxiety was probably my absolute worst enemy in most situations. "Hello, are you new?" A sweet voice asked from behind me. The voice belonged to a girl about my age. Her coat was brown with blue blotches, her mane was short with braids in the back and had a mixture of dark and light purple. I couldn't stop looking into the girl's soft, warm, brown eyes. She was gorgeous. "Y-Yeah, I'm Rocket Sky." I managed to stammer. I was such a pro back then. "But, um, I prefer to be called Rocket." "I'm Ashen Cloud, but you can call me Ash." She smiled warmly. "You seem kinda lost, come over to my squAAAd." "You mean... squad?" "Nope, it's my squAAAd." Ash grabbed my hoof and lead me to a group of other people. All but one were girls. They had a wide range of colors and seemed to be in the order of a rainbow. The only male had a blonde coat with a rainbow mane and tail. He appeared to be wearing copious amounts of makeup. "Hey, guuurl," he said in a mock accent, "welcome to the squAAAd, I'm Cam and this is: nobody gives a shit one, nobody gives a shit two, nobody gives a shit three, nobody gives a sh-" he pointed in order to the girls. "She gets it, Cam, you can stop now." The one Cam dubbed 'Nobody Gives a Shit Three' interrupted. She had a cyan coat and a deep magenta mane and tail. "Be quiet, Ella!" Cam snapped. He hovered above the squAAAd and held out his hooves like he was challenging the group to a fist fight. "FIGHT ME!" His voice hit a note higher than even mine could hit. "He's just weird like that." Ella turned away from Cam and addressed me. "Let me properly introduce you to everyone." Jade had a pure white coat with a straight mane and tail that looked like they were dyed with oil. She was a downer and really bad at roasts. Em was light brown with a sky blue mane and tail. She was a low-key savage and loved coffee. Cambell was bleach-blonde with a vibrant orange mane and tail. She was scrawny and the butt of many jokes. Abby was dark gray with a bright pink mane and tail. She was critical of everything. Tana was light blue with a dark brown mane and tail. She was hot headed and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. "So, why is Cam wearing side-hoe amounts of makeup?" I asked. "We just got done putting it on. He's sexy as fuck." Ash wolf-whistled at Cam. "That's... nice?" I sounded slightly confused. "Don't worry about it, newbie," Ella said, "you'll know everythin-" the bell rang. I rushed to my 1st-period class: in-air skills. The teacher was a dull orange mare with a dark blue mane and tail. She rasped at the class to group up, leaving me stranded in the middle of people trying to get to their preferred groups. I didn't see anyone from the squAAAd around, so I just went up to a group that was short a person. "H-Hi, I'm the new kid..." I explained softly. Again, I was a pro. "I'm Danese, how you doin'?" This mare had a particularly heavy Manehatten accent. She was tan with a curly, orange mane and tail. "I'm Haden and this is Janna." Haden was a pale yellow with a straight, blue and brown mane and tail. Janna was white with brown spots and a faded, multicolored mane and tail. "We identify as triangles." "W-Wha-" "What's your name, The New Kid?" Danese asked. "Rocket Sk-" "Rocket?" Haden interrupted. "That's a weird name." "Y-Yeah, I gue-" "We gotta do flips and shiet in the air," Danese pointed up at the clear, blue sky. "Can ya do that?" "Yeah, I'm actually pretty good at flying." My wings spread out and flapped into the air. I did a few turns and rolls in the sky before returning next to my new friends. "Poyfect!" Danese exclaimed. "But not as good as me!" When Danese launched into the air, Janna held an arm out that smacked Danese back to the cloud. "That's what bitches do when they know I'm better than them!" "Does everyone here swear like a sailor?" I inquired as I looked down at the tan mare. "Yup." Haden patted me on the back. "You'll get used to it soon." ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ The rest of the day was ordinary and I didn't really meet anyone else. I grabbed my backpack and readied myself to take off, but was stopped by a hoof on my shoulder. When I turned my head, it was Ash. "Oh, h-hey..." I turned to face Ash. "What is it?" "I just wanted to say I think you and I are gonna be pretty good friends," she winked and then flew away. I shrugged and took off as well. The sky was almost clear of clouds other than a one or two that floated aimlessly about. Other students were flying away from the school in all directions, some with friends and others alone. My eyes kept shifting from student to student uncontrollably. It was the same curiosity that made my tongue constantly explore the empty space left behind when I lost a tooth. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I landed on the cloud platform that was the foundation for my house. I opened the door slowly, making sure it would be silent. I definitely did not want anybody to know I was home. My family was the most annoying family that I ever could have had. My older sister, Amberstone, was moody and bitchy. My mother, Clouded Song, was overbearing and would put me to work on chores in an instant. And finally, my father, Demetrius, was a jackass. Maxy, our hyper, dog-like, white bat, flew excitedly to my feet and squeaked happily. I hushed him and stroked his back lovingly. He rubbed his fuzzy face on my hoof in a way to tell me he was satisfied. He had his own version of body language that I understood almost as well as I could understand a regular conversation. After my run in with Maxy, I was sure that someone knew I was home. I was pleasantly surprised to neither hear nor see anyone rushing toward me. I crept slowly into the hallway that led to all of the bedrooms. My room was at the opposite end of this hallway. I tip-toed slowly but surely to the door. I passed by the two other bedrooms and opened my door slowly and silently. After closing the door just as cautiously as I opened it, I jumped onto my bed and laid down. My blankets were silky soft and just as comfortable as a cloud. I nuzzled against my pillow and let out a deep, relieved sigh. My blue eyes opened and landed on the computer desk in the corner of my room. I now had a decision to make: stay in my comfortable bed or do crap on my computer. I stared blankly at my ceiling as I weighed both options. I decided to get on my computer to check the newest videos on YouDub. I spent about an hour on a spiral of random videos before realizing that my family knew I should be home by now. I tapped my chin thoughtfully and pushed away from my desk. I left my room and ran straight into my mom. She stared down at me with a stoic face, which probably meant she was mad at me. I had to think of an excuse that would trick her into thinking I wasn't as much of an unloving little shit. "I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up," I smiled innocently. "Do you have homework?" I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Mooom, you know you don't get homework from flight school!" "You do get projects that you always do at the last minute!" She said sternly. "Dinner will be ready in an hour." After she walked away, I turned to go back into my room. She was soo great at holding subjects. This time I was actually glad she didn't hold the subject long enough for me to get in deeper trouble. I stepped back into my room and was greeted by Amberstone sitting at my computer desk. She had a (guess what color) amber coat with a brown mane and tail that she dyed purple. She looked at me calmly as she leaned back in my office chair. "What'd you do at school today?" Amberstone asked in an emotionless tone. "Oh, ya know, blew up a few churches, murdered some babies, and shit on a few graves with my new drug dealer," I replied sarcastically as I closed the door behind myself. "I did regular school shit!" "You don't have to be such a smart ass about it, Rocket." Amberstone stood up, knocking my chair into the desk in the process. "When are you gonna bring a nice boy home?" "When I make friends with a nice boy! I'm not a hoe." I crossed my arms and closed my eyes defiantly. "Whatever, see ya later, cheerful." Amberstone exited my room. I have such a loving family. Fun TimesMaxy, the little, adorable shit, launched into my stomach and knocked out my breath. It wasn't like I was trying to get some extra sleep or anything! Needless to say, my eyes opened wide and targeted the white bat. He gave an innocent look as if he actually thought I would believe he didn't mean to smash into my stomach. I considered strangling him but decided against it. "Awwww, Maxy!" I grabbed him and held him tightly to my chest. I gritted my teeth and let him go. I wasn't trying to hurt him, I was trying to show him how hard I can hug. "Fuck off," I muttered. I was sitting at the kitchen table facing the TV. The way that the front part of the house was, the kitchen was just barely blocked off in a single corner (allowing access to the rest of the front room), and the dining room was just a big table and some chairs in the empty space between the kitchen and the living room couch. Right behind the TV was a huge glass sliding door and window that, when the sun was out, made the glare on the TV bright as all hell. It was 5:45 in the morning and I was in that kind of fever-dream phase. I was already completely ready for school and it wouldn't even start for another two and a half hours! At my old school, I would wake up at 5, then stay half-asleep-half-awake until 7, and then get ready. I decided to alter my morning routine after I realized I would just fall asleep and be more tired at 7 when I was supposed to get ready. Now I wake up at 5, start getting ready, and then get some extra sleep in the living room. Today would be the start of my fourth week at the new flight school. I didn't really make any other friends after the first few days. I wondered if maybe I should be happy with my friends or make more. I didn't know how to just be a friend. I just acted like me, which would usually weird-out or scare away any would-be friends. I think that the people in Cloudsdale are just more weird than at my old town. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I walked into the large, crowded schoolyard and walked straight toward the squAAAd. They almost always hung out by the backstop, in the far right corner. My eyes still shifted from person-to-person and I found myself mentally scanning them. I would recognize things like the way they walked and make "assumptions" about their personality based on it. For example, someone walked with their arms relaxed and swaying naturally at their sides and they keep their eyes focused on who they are talking to or where they are going. I could identify that they were open to interaction and not worried about everyone around them, making them social and they probably have a high self-esteem... unlike me. I would've done better in life if I had a better self-image earlier on. I viewed myself as an unlikeable and less-than-beautiful person. Whenever someone tried to compliment me on one of my talents (drawing, writing, joke telling, smarts) or my looks I would say "Thank you" and pretend like it made me feel better. If someone said: "Wow, Rocket! That comic is really well drawn and hilarious!" I would hear it as: "I don't want to make you feel bad, so I'll lie to you and tell you that it's great even though it's dog shit." The squAAAd were just having a usual talk about funny things that they had experienced or seen online. I set my backpack down up against the chain-link bench before sitting awkwardly by it. I didn't know how to contribute to the discussion (which was about some dick that spilled hot coffee on Em's boobs), so I sat silently and listened. "So he just fucking takes my coffee over to me, right?!" Em explained with a sassy and frustrated tone to her voice. "And he fucking pours that scalding ass shit on my shirt like a dumbass!" She poured a pretend cup of coffee onto her red sweater. The squAAAd exploded into incoherent comments about the incompetence of the worker. Ash interrupted and asked, "What did you do?" "I fucking roasted his ass!" The way Em punctuated this statement sounded like she should've dropped the mic. The conversation continued into more unfamiliar territory for me, so I just looked away and watched the other kids on the field. This time I wasn't paying attention to the kids, but just got lost in my weird thoughts. I was becoming more and more aware of how little of life I had experienced on the social spectrum. Not only did I even know how to interact with other people, I didn't know how to interact in almost any social circumstances! ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ The rest of the day went by like every other day: Go to classes. Participate in stupid activity/Listen to dumbass lecture. Talk to friends if possible. During lunch, I sat in between Ash and Cam. Apparently, the reason his mane and tail were rainbow-colored is because he dyed them. Ash also dyed her mane, tail, and body! That is some commitment to being edgy! Anyways, Ash was talking to me and we were doing whole hair-sex-joke and Cam was eyeing us like he was any more mature. "Oooooh!" I moaned erotically. "Your tail is so soffft!" She was rubbing the light purple tip of her tail against the pink tip of my tail. "Harder, papi!" Cam crossed his arms and cleared his throat, bringing our attention to him. "You two obviously are having some sexual frustration that you are releasing through these quote-on-quote jokes." "It's actually pronounced 'quote unquote' and you used the wro-" I corrected in a mock-shy voice. "JUST FUCK AND GET IT OVER WITH!" He screeched in a pitch almost high enough to be a dog whistle. I was about to retort when Ash twisted into the air and roundhoused Cam in the face. He was knocked back into Em, who squealed and shoved him off of the seat. First, his upper half fell down in a very uncomfortable looking position, then his bottom half slid off of the bench. I burst into laughter along with Ash as Cam stared up at us like the salty bitch he was. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I was not pleasantly surprised when I came home. Like always, I attempted to be as silent as possible. After satisfying the demanding bat, I tiptoed through the house. As I neared the door at the end of the hallway, I heard a really loud cracking sound (probably from some alcoholic asshole throwing away his beer bottle) and jumped into the air. I'm a bit of a pussy and I squeaked. Really loudly. This squeak alerted my dad that I was home and he appeared at the other end of the hallway. He was tan with a red and black mane and tail. Since he was a waiter at many different places for many years, he had a plentiful supply of white dress shirts and black dress pants. The other reason I really didn't want my friends to see my family was... My dad was a unicorn while my mom was a pegasus. "Hey, little one!" He bear hugged me while I scowled behind his back. "How was your day?" I took in a deep breath and forced my tone to be enthusiastic. "Really good, thanks!" I squinted and searched for the digital clock. It was 5:00 in the evening! "Shouldn't you be asleep?" "Oh! You caught me," he grinned at his own childish joke. "See ya later, little one!" He walked past me and disappeared into the master bedroom. I was sure mom was going to appear in front of me and order me to do something, but I was met with absolute silence. With a silenced sigh of relief, I crept into my room and threw my backpack in the corner. I launched onto the bed and groaned with the satisfaction of how soft the blanket was. I was suddenly pulled out of reveling at how great my dryer was at making blankets soft. I felt an urge in my hooves and my brain that was almost painful. It was the urge of creativity that was impossible to ignore. At least, I thought as I stood up, it didn't happen at flight school. I rummaged through the bucket by my bed. It was made from thick, green plastic and was bulging with my over-abundance of art supplies. Finally, I seized a pencil and my most recent art book. Since my tenth birthday, I had gone through 10 200-page art books and I was only 12 at the time! My art books had hard, black, fabric covers with perfect, blank drawing pages inside. I'd tricked many teachers into believing I was reading when I was really just drawing hentai. Legit. Hentai. I bounced onto my bed and began drawing a comic. It was me talking with Ash and I was having an existential crisis: "Do you ever wonder," I began, looking at the sky with wide, sparkling eyes, "how meaningless life is?" Ash stared at me with a look of confusion as a tear slid down my face. "Like nothing will ever matter because of how big the universe is?" I hugged myself as I trembled with the feeling of inferiority flooding my body. I began silently sobbing with kawaii anime eyes and stared up at the wide, open sky. Ash gave me and apathetic glare before turning away. As she stepped away from me, she muttered, "Whatever, I'm getting Taco Bell." End of the comic. I tossed the art book back into the bucket and closed my eyes. BOOM!I walked down the cloud field toward the backstop. The squAAAd was, from what I could see, having a heated debate. Some of the girls were standing up, waving their arms around and shouting while Cam hovered above them and screeched. I rolled my eyes and looked around the rest of the field. I spotted a group of kids crowding in one spot. It seemed out of place, so Detective Fuckwad was on the case! I trotted toward the crowd, keeping in a half-crouching position because it was 8th graders. I tossed my backpack onto the cloud and walked up behind the kids. They were looking up at something, so I looked up to find something. It was someone! There was a blue girl racing two boys in the race course. She was bolting forward with impossible speed. A rainbow traced behind her faintly, but there seemed to be sparks around her head. She looked like a meteor racing to collide with Equestria as she bolted through the air. Suddenly, her speed came to a climax and a rainbow vibrated in the sky originating from her. A loud BOOOOOOOM!!!!! echoed in the air and knocked me to the cloud. The other kids around me exclaimed things like "WHAT THE FUCK?!" or "HOLY BALL SACKS!" as they were forced to the cloud. I stayed down for a moment and recovered my equilibrium. I seized my backpack and fucking bolted toward the backstop. The squAAAd had been slammed into the chainlink fence and were trying to stand up. In Cam's case, he had been tossed over the fence. After they had all recovered from the blast, I began to piece together what happened. The girl was named "Rainbow Dash" and she was racing two bullies because they were making fun of her friend, Fluttershy. Apparently, she was the fastest flyer in the school despite being a 6th grader. She was also a blank-flank even though she was in middle school. Even with all these going against her, she had just performed the impossible: a Sonic Rainboom. "She's planning on being a weather pony." "She'd be the best weather pony ever!" "What a waste of talent." "What do you mean 'waste of talent'?" "What do you think your job would be when you're older?" "Good question." "'Good question'?! I've been asked that over a billion times in my life!" While I listened to the conversation, I started thinking about the words people use. Why do we still say "unicorn", "pegasus", "pony", and other things like that? From what I remember out of the blur of random history trivia, Equestria hasn't been populated by primitive horses in over a billion years. We evolved into a different branch of animals while horses continued to be... horses. Couldn't we use words that didn't refer to horses? Then again, what would we be called? "Wing people" and "horn people"? "Hey, Equestria to Rocket," Ash's voice snapped me back to attention. "What are you planning on doing when you're older?" "Just- um... being a... a um... just a regular weather pony..." I replied, my face burning with embarrassment. "What's your cutie mark?" Abby asked. I pulled my shirt up a few inches to show my cutie mark. Sitting above my hip was a pencil crossed over a rainbow. "What'd you get it from?" Campbell inquired. "Oh um... just... being me... I guess..." I fumbled my words even though I wasn't nervous. If my mouth kept refusing to say what my brain tells it to, I WAS READY TO EAT A BULLET! I put my shirt down. "Are you... good at writing?" Abby probed. "Yes..." "Drawing?" "Yep..." "Anything creative?" "Mhmm." "You should be an artist!" Ella suggested. An... *artist*? I decided that was not the best idea. I had an image planted in my brain of the broke artist starving on the street. I was so ignorant yet hopeful back then. "I don't think I could be an art-" "Or maybe an author!" Abby added. I watched the rest of the squAAAd branch off into different conversations while Ella, Abby, and Campbell focused on me. It did feel slightly better to see that a few people in the world were good friends. They continued on the subject of jobs and talents, but I brought up looks. "You know, Rocket, you would look great if..." Abby paused to think of the right thing to say. "If you tried harder in the morning." Ella and Campbell facehoof'd in unison while I gave her a look that said "Seriously?" "I-I mean you do look good already!" Abby sputtered dumbly, trying to make up for her retarded af comment. "It's just you could look even better if-" "Just stop trying..." Ella shook her head disapprovingly. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I looked up at my ceiling. I was a having a crisis. What was my potential? Writing? Drawing? Was I destined to be a lowly weather pony? Was I going to be- for lack of a better term- a basic bitch? Am I going to follow the lead of so many pegasi before me like a sheep? Please, Goddess, what is my talent? I suddenly turned my attention to my cutie mark. A pencil over a rainbow... What was it supposed to symbolize? I growled and huffed in disapproval. I had a cutie mark from something stupid and I didn't even know what it meant! Why did I even have friends? I was, and still am, a basic bitch. I was unlikeable and insulted everyone, friend or enemy. One time I called Cam gay and there was this group of strong, tough-looking 8th grade boys in front of us. Then I shouted while pointing to the boys: "YA KNOW WHO ELSE IS GAY?! THEEEM!" Me and my friends had to run away... At least once a day I say something completely rude and uncalled for to my friends. I was ugly. Everytime I looked in the mirror I though How could people look at THIS ugly ass face and still be friends? Once someone complimented my looks I would giggle politely and say "Thank you so much!" but really I didn't think they meant it. To me, they were lying because they felt bad for me and as soon as I was out of earshot they would insult me. I would be graduating 6th grade soon and I definately was not ready. Fuck life. GraduateLast day of 6th grade... I thought as I clambered out of my bed. Time to not make a fucking idiot out of myself. I stumbled tiredly into my bathroom as I shed my clothes. I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. As usual, it came out ice cold before turning boiling hot. I would've been more irritated that my shower did this if I wasn't half asleep everytime I used it. After washing all the sweat and dirt out of my mane and pelt and drying off, I was faced with a problem. What the fuck was I supposed to wear? I staggered to my closet and shifted through it. I found a nice, non-revealing dress and pulled it on. It had lacy sleeves that went down to my elbows, a cute, ruffled collar, a shiny belt at the waist, and a fluffy skirt that went to my knees. The entire thing was blue and white, adding to the fake class. I went into the bathroom with a brush, comb, and some colorful ribbons. I braided my mane and tail and added bows and ribbons to make it look fancy. Once I was done, it was already 7:40 and I was ready to leave. When I arrived at school, I was met with the sight of everyone all dressed up. I glided to the backstop and saw the most amazing thing ever. Cam was wearing a bright purple suit that was bedazzled with plastic, red gems. Everyone else at the backstop was in generic dresses or skirts. "Oh, my goddess!" Abby cried. "Where'd you get that dress, Rocket?!" "I dunno... somewhere," I mumbled. Have I mentioned how much of a pro I was back then? "Nice way to put our clothes to shame," Jade added. "Yeah, Rocket! You look great in it!" Cam exclaimed in a mocking voice. "I'm in a pimp suit and she gets all the attention!?" "Who're your hoes, though? Ash? Em? Tana?" I asked sassily. "You faggot-cunt!" "Cunt-faggot!" He shot back. "Ladies, ladies, no need to fight!" Ella interrupted. "HOW DARE YOU CALL US LADIES?! DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY GENDER!? I AM A TRANS-BI-CIST-MONO-DEMI-QUEER!" Cam screeched, once again higher pitched than an angry 8-year-old. The bell rang and I continued to my class. We had a good time with free time, pizza, and other things like that. I took great joy in sitting in the corner to draw. I would have to do some kind of socializing at some point, but that could wait. The only things I needed for a good time were food, a pencil, and my art book. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I cannot put into words how embarrassed I was when I arrived home. Literally. At school, my parents and sister arrived to... do whatever parents do at schools. While they were off doing whatever, I was talking with my friends. As I talked to my friends, I saw a handsome boy over with Ash's parents. He was tall, buff, and had a white mane and tail and a cyan coat. "Is that your brother!?" I suddenly asked. "Oh, yeah. He's in 7th and-" Ash began. "He's cute!" I whispered shyly. Ash stayed silent for a moment while giving me an unsure glare. "He's out of your league, Rocket..." "I know, I know," I rolled my eyes, "but I still have an opinion, Ash!" "Wow, Rocket, I didn't know you were gaaay!" Cam smirked. "Whatever, Cam. Go suck a horse cock," I replied smugly. "Hey, Rocket, I heard everything." Amberstone appeared behind me. "Baby's first crush! Imma go tell him!" Before I could stop her, she was next to the boy, telling him about my crush. "That was quick..." Cam muttered. I blushed deeply and sank to the ground. I folded my mane over my face and curled my tail around myself. I imagined his bewildered gaze on me. "C'mon, it's not tha-" Em attempted to comfort. "I want to drink bleach..." I mumbled. I did mean it, I still do, but I wouldn't do it. Bleach tastes gross, trust me. "I'll go get it!" Cam exclaimed happily. I added "Punch Cam in his stupid face" to my bucket list while I wallowed in my own shame. The only reason I didn't overdose on pills that night was Ash. After everyone else was leaving and only we were left, she stopped me for a moment. She hugged me and comforted me for a moment, telling me things she knew would make me feel better. We said goodbye and left... I was far from happy about that. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ "AMBER, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I screamed once we got home. I chased her around the perimeter of the house, arms outstretched and ready to strangle her. "If you can catch me!" She called back. We were quickly stopped by mom. "Stop fighting, you two, or I won't feed you for a week." We both knew she was joking, but stopped fighting anyway. I went into my room and hopped onto my computer. I went into my group chat with Ash and Cam. They were talking about... I don't even know. I quickly asked if they wanted to video call or something. Once they agreed, I started a video call and smiled awkwardly. "Rocket, what the fuck happened to your mane? Looks like you just had rough-" Cam teased. I cut him off with the best comeback I could think of. "What the fuck happened to your face? Do you just naturally look like a failed abo-" "Ladies, stop fighting!" Ash interrupted. "Why'd you wanna video call, Rocket?" "Well... first I just wanna know... does you brother... um... hate me now... or... something like that...?" I mumbled shyly. "Hopefully!" Cam snickered before opening another tab. "No," Ash growled, most likely at Cam. "He didn't even see you, Rocket." I gave myself a victory pat on the back- mentally, of course. "Thank the giant octopus controlling the universe!" I grinned. The conversation went on randomly and ended after only... 2 and a half hours. I needed a life.
New GirlI looked in the mirror and sighed in depression. My hair was a mess, I had bags under my eyes, and my fur looked like crap. I grabbed the brush and began to brush out the knots in my mane in a rush. After my red and pink mane was thoroughly brushed, I began brushing my fur. Today was my first day of flight school in Cloudsdale. I had just moved to the town and was both nervous and excited. I abandoned all of my friends at my old town. Who am I kidding? I didn't have any friends. Maybe I could make friends at this new school. I checked myself in the mirror, just to make sure. If I went to my first day of flight school looking like a hobo, I would continue having no friends. My fur and mane were silky soft and looked as good as I could get them. I was wearing a red t-shirt (with holes in the back for my wings, of course) and short-shorts. I did a few warm-up stretches and seized my backpack from the top of a closet. I put it on and made one last check that I looked normal. After assuring myself for what must have been the 6th time that day, I spread my wings and was ready to go. I floated weightlessly into the air on my way to flight school. Cloudsdale was such a beautiful town with white, fluffy cloud floors and rainbow waterfalls, it was lovely. I felt like sightseeing instead of going to school, but that was a very stupid idea. I knew that there was no need to be nervous, no one could judge me since they didn't even know me. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I neared the school. There were other kids either flying around, playing, or just talking. I took in a deep breath and walked into the school yard. I wanted to walk up to someone and introduce myself but found myself unable to move. Social anxiety was probably my absolute worst enemy in most situations. "Hello, are you new?" A sweet voice asked from behind me. The voice belonged to a girl about my age. Her coat was brown with blue blotches, her mane was short with braids in the back and had a mixture of dark and light purple. I couldn't stop looking into the girl's soft, warm, brown eyes. She was gorgeous. "Y-Yeah, I'm Rocket Sky." I managed to stammer. I was such a pro back then. "But, um, I prefer to be called Rocket." "I'm Ashen Cloud, but you can call me Ash." She smiled warmly. "You seem kinda lost, come over to my squAAAd." "You mean... squad?" "Nope, it's my squAAAd." Ash grabbed my hoof and lead me to a group of other people. All but one were girls. They had a wide range of colors and seemed to be in the order of a rainbow. The only male had a blonde coat with a rainbow mane and tail. He appeared to be wearing copious amounts of makeup. "Hey, guuurl," he said in a mock accent, "welcome to the squAAAd, I'm Cam and this is: nobody gives a shit one, nobody gives a shit two, nobody gives a shit three, nobody gives a sh-" he pointed in order to the girls. "She gets it, Cam, you can stop now." The one Cam dubbed 'Nobody Gives a Shit Three' interrupted. She had a cyan coat and a deep magenta mane and tail. "Be quiet, Ella!" Cam snapped. He hovered above the squAAAd and held out his hooves like he was challenging the group to a fist fight. "FIGHT ME!" His voice hit a note higher than even mine could hit. "He's just weird like that." Ella turned away from Cam and addressed me. "Let me properly introduce you to everyone." Jade had a pure white coat with a straight mane and tail that looked like they were dyed with oil. She was a downer and really bad at roasts. Em was light brown with a sky blue mane and tail. She was a low-key savage and loved coffee. Cambell was bleach-blonde with a vibrant orange mane and tail. She was scrawny and the butt of many jokes. Abby was dark gray with a bright pink mane and tail. She was critical of everything. Tana was light blue with a dark brown mane and tail. She was hot headed and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. "So, why is Cam wearing side-hoe amounts of makeup?" I asked. "We just got done putting it on. He's sexy as fuck." Ash wolf-whistled at Cam. "That's... nice?" I sounded slightly confused. "Don't worry about it, newbie," Ella said, "you'll know everythin-" the bell rang. I rushed to my 1st-period class: in-air skills. The teacher was a dull orange mare with a dark blue mane and tail. She rasped at the class to group up, leaving me stranded in the middle of people trying to get to their preferred groups. I didn't see anyone from the squAAAd around, so I just went up to a group that was short a person. "H-Hi, I'm the new kid..." I explained softly. Again, I was a pro. "I'm Danese, how you doin'?" This mare had a particularly heavy Manehatten accent. She was tan with a curly, orange mane and tail. "I'm Haden and this is Janna." Haden was a pale yellow with a straight, blue and brown mane and tail. Janna was white with brown spots and a faded, multicolored mane and tail. "We identify as triangles." "W-Wha-" "What's your name, The New Kid?" Danese asked. "Rocket Sk-" "Rocket?" Haden interrupted. "That's a weird name." "Y-Yeah, I gue-" "We gotta do flips and shiet in the air," Danese pointed up at the clear, blue sky. "Can ya do that?" "Yeah, I'm actually pretty good at flying." My wings spread out and flapped into the air. I did a few turns and rolls in the sky before returning next to my new friends. "Poyfect!" Danese exclaimed. "But not as good as me!" When Danese launched into the air, Janna held an arm out that smacked Danese back to the cloud. "That's what bitches do when they know I'm better than them!" "Does everyone here swear like a sailor?" I inquired as I looked down at the tan mare. "Yup." Haden patted me on the back. "You'll get used to it soon." ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ The rest of the day was ordinary and I didn't really meet anyone else. I grabbed my backpack and readied myself to take off, but was stopped by a hoof on my shoulder. When I turned my head, it was Ash. "Oh, h-hey..." I turned to face Ash. "What is it?" "I just wanted to say I think you and I are gonna be pretty good friends," she winked and then flew away. I shrugged and took off as well. The sky was almost clear of clouds other than a one or two that floated aimlessly about. Other students were flying away from the school in all directions, some with friends and others alone. My eyes kept shifting from student to student uncontrollably. It was the same curiosity that made my tongue constantly explore the empty space left behind when I lost a tooth. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I landed on the cloud platform that was the foundation for my house. I opened the door slowly, making sure it would be silent. I definitely did not want anybody to know I was home. My family was the most annoying family that I ever could have had. My older sister, Amberstone, was moody and bitchy. My mother, Clouded Song, was overbearing and would put me to work on chores in an instant. And finally, my father, Demetrius, was a jackass. Maxy, our hyper, dog-like, white bat, flew excitedly to my feet and squeaked happily. I hushed him and stroked his back lovingly. He rubbed his fuzzy face on my hoof in a way to tell me he was satisfied. He had his own version of body language that I understood almost as well as I could understand a regular conversation. After my run in with Maxy, I was sure that someone knew I was home. I was pleasantly surprised to neither hear nor see anyone rushing toward me. I crept slowly into the hallway that led to all of the bedrooms. My room was at the opposite end of this hallway. I tip-toed slowly but surely to the door. I passed by the two other bedrooms and opened my door slowly and silently. After closing the door just as cautiously as I opened it, I jumped onto my bed and laid down. My blankets were silky soft and just as comfortable as a cloud. I nuzzled against my pillow and let out a deep, relieved sigh. My blue eyes opened and landed on the computer desk in the corner of my room. I now had a decision to make: stay in my comfortable bed or do crap on my computer. I stared blankly at my ceiling as I weighed both options. I decided to get on my computer to check the newest videos on YouDub. I spent about an hour on a spiral of random videos before realizing that my family knew I should be home by now. I tapped my chin thoughtfully and pushed away from my desk. I left my room and ran straight into my mom. She stared down at me with a stoic face, which probably meant she was mad at me. I had to think of an excuse that would trick her into thinking I wasn't as much of an unloving little shit. "I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up," I smiled innocently. "Do you have homework?" I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Mooom, you know you don't get homework from flight school!" "You do get projects that you always do at the last minute!" She said sternly. "Dinner will be ready in an hour." After she walked away, I turned to go back into my room. She was soo great at holding subjects. This time I was actually glad she didn't hold the subject long enough for me to get in deeper trouble. I stepped back into my room and was greeted by Amberstone sitting at my computer desk. She had a (guess what color) amber coat with a brown mane and tail that she dyed purple. She looked at me calmly as she leaned back in my office chair. "What'd you do at school today?" Amberstone asked in an emotionless tone. "Oh, ya know, blew up a few churches, murdered some babies, and shit on a few graves with my new drug dealer," I replied sarcastically as I closed the door behind myself. "I did regular school shit!" "You don't have to be such a smart ass about it, Rocket." Amberstone stood up, knocking my chair into the desk in the process. "When are you gonna bring a nice boy home?" "When I make friends with a nice boy! I'm not a hoe." I crossed my arms and closed my eyes defiantly. "Whatever, see ya later, cheerful." Amberstone exited my room. I have such a loving family.
Fun TimesMaxy, the little, adorable shit, launched into my stomach and knocked out my breath. It wasn't like I was trying to get some extra sleep or anything! Needless to say, my eyes opened wide and targeted the white bat. He gave an innocent look as if he actually thought I would believe he didn't mean to smash into my stomach. I considered strangling him but decided against it. "Awwww, Maxy!" I grabbed him and held him tightly to my chest. I gritted my teeth and let him go. I wasn't trying to hurt him, I was trying to show him how hard I can hug. "Fuck off," I muttered. I was sitting at the kitchen table facing the TV. The way that the front part of the house was, the kitchen was just barely blocked off in a single corner (allowing access to the rest of the front room), and the dining room was just a big table and some chairs in the empty space between the kitchen and the living room couch. Right behind the TV was a huge glass sliding door and window that, when the sun was out, made the glare on the TV bright as all hell. It was 5:45 in the morning and I was in that kind of fever-dream phase. I was already completely ready for school and it wouldn't even start for another two and a half hours! At my old school, I would wake up at 5, then stay half-asleep-half-awake until 7, and then get ready. I decided to alter my morning routine after I realized I would just fall asleep and be more tired at 7 when I was supposed to get ready. Now I wake up at 5, start getting ready, and then get some extra sleep in the living room. Today would be the start of my fourth week at the new flight school. I didn't really make any other friends after the first few days. I wondered if maybe I should be happy with my friends or make more. I didn't know how to just be a friend. I just acted like me, which would usually weird-out or scare away any would-be friends. I think that the people in Cloudsdale are just more weird than at my old town. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I walked into the large, crowded schoolyard and walked straight toward the squAAAd. They almost always hung out by the backstop, in the far right corner. My eyes still shifted from person-to-person and I found myself mentally scanning them. I would recognize things like the way they walked and make "assumptions" about their personality based on it. For example, someone walked with their arms relaxed and swaying naturally at their sides and they keep their eyes focused on who they are talking to or where they are going. I could identify that they were open to interaction and not worried about everyone around them, making them social and they probably have a high self-esteem... unlike me. I would've done better in life if I had a better self-image earlier on. I viewed myself as an unlikeable and less-than-beautiful person. Whenever someone tried to compliment me on one of my talents (drawing, writing, joke telling, smarts) or my looks I would say "Thank you" and pretend like it made me feel better. If someone said: "Wow, Rocket! That comic is really well drawn and hilarious!" I would hear it as: "I don't want to make you feel bad, so I'll lie to you and tell you that it's great even though it's dog shit." The squAAAd were just having a usual talk about funny things that they had experienced or seen online. I set my backpack down up against the chain-link bench before sitting awkwardly by it. I didn't know how to contribute to the discussion (which was about some dick that spilled hot coffee on Em's boobs), so I sat silently and listened. "So he just fucking takes my coffee over to me, right?!" Em explained with a sassy and frustrated tone to her voice. "And he fucking pours that scalding ass shit on my shirt like a dumbass!" She poured a pretend cup of coffee onto her red sweater. The squAAAd exploded into incoherent comments about the incompetence of the worker. Ash interrupted and asked, "What did you do?" "I fucking roasted his ass!" The way Em punctuated this statement sounded like she should've dropped the mic. The conversation continued into more unfamiliar territory for me, so I just looked away and watched the other kids on the field. This time I wasn't paying attention to the kids, but just got lost in my weird thoughts. I was becoming more and more aware of how little of life I had experienced on the social spectrum. Not only did I even know how to interact with other people, I didn't know how to interact in almost any social circumstances! ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ The rest of the day went by like every other day: Go to classes. Participate in stupid activity/Listen to dumbass lecture. Talk to friends if possible. During lunch, I sat in between Ash and Cam. Apparently, the reason his mane and tail were rainbow-colored is because he dyed them. Ash also dyed her mane, tail, and body! That is some commitment to being edgy! Anyways, Ash was talking to me and we were doing whole hair-sex-joke and Cam was eyeing us like he was any more mature. "Oooooh!" I moaned erotically. "Your tail is so soffft!" She was rubbing the light purple tip of her tail against the pink tip of my tail. "Harder, papi!" Cam crossed his arms and cleared his throat, bringing our attention to him. "You two obviously are having some sexual frustration that you are releasing through these quote-on-quote jokes." "It's actually pronounced 'quote unquote' and you used the wro-" I corrected in a mock-shy voice. "JUST FUCK AND GET IT OVER WITH!" He screeched in a pitch almost high enough to be a dog whistle. I was about to retort when Ash twisted into the air and roundhoused Cam in the face. He was knocked back into Em, who squealed and shoved him off of the seat. First, his upper half fell down in a very uncomfortable looking position, then his bottom half slid off of the bench. I burst into laughter along with Ash as Cam stared up at us like the salty bitch he was. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I was not pleasantly surprised when I came home. Like always, I attempted to be as silent as possible. After satisfying the demanding bat, I tiptoed through the house. As I neared the door at the end of the hallway, I heard a really loud cracking sound (probably from some alcoholic asshole throwing away his beer bottle) and jumped into the air. I'm a bit of a pussy and I squeaked. Really loudly. This squeak alerted my dad that I was home and he appeared at the other end of the hallway. He was tan with a red and black mane and tail. Since he was a waiter at many different places for many years, he had a plentiful supply of white dress shirts and black dress pants. The other reason I really didn't want my friends to see my family was... My dad was a unicorn while my mom was a pegasus. "Hey, little one!" He bear hugged me while I scowled behind his back. "How was your day?" I took in a deep breath and forced my tone to be enthusiastic. "Really good, thanks!" I squinted and searched for the digital clock. It was 5:00 in the evening! "Shouldn't you be asleep?" "Oh! You caught me," he grinned at his own childish joke. "See ya later, little one!" He walked past me and disappeared into the master bedroom. I was sure mom was going to appear in front of me and order me to do something, but I was met with absolute silence. With a silenced sigh of relief, I crept into my room and threw my backpack in the corner. I launched onto the bed and groaned with the satisfaction of how soft the blanket was. I was suddenly pulled out of reveling at how great my dryer was at making blankets soft. I felt an urge in my hooves and my brain that was almost painful. It was the urge of creativity that was impossible to ignore. At least, I thought as I stood up, it didn't happen at flight school. I rummaged through the bucket by my bed. It was made from thick, green plastic and was bulging with my over-abundance of art supplies. Finally, I seized a pencil and my most recent art book. Since my tenth birthday, I had gone through 10 200-page art books and I was only 12 at the time! My art books had hard, black, fabric covers with perfect, blank drawing pages inside. I'd tricked many teachers into believing I was reading when I was really just drawing hentai. Legit. Hentai. I bounced onto my bed and began drawing a comic. It was me talking with Ash and I was having an existential crisis: "Do you ever wonder," I began, looking at the sky with wide, sparkling eyes, "how meaningless life is?" Ash stared at me with a look of confusion as a tear slid down my face. "Like nothing will ever matter because of how big the universe is?" I hugged myself as I trembled with the feeling of inferiority flooding my body. I began silently sobbing with kawaii anime eyes and stared up at the wide, open sky. Ash gave me and apathetic glare before turning away. As she stepped away from me, she muttered, "Whatever, I'm getting Taco Bell." End of the comic. I tossed the art book back into the bucket and closed my eyes.
BOOM!I walked down the cloud field toward the backstop. The squAAAd was, from what I could see, having a heated debate. Some of the girls were standing up, waving their arms around and shouting while Cam hovered above them and screeched. I rolled my eyes and looked around the rest of the field. I spotted a group of kids crowding in one spot. It seemed out of place, so Detective Fuckwad was on the case! I trotted toward the crowd, keeping in a half-crouching position because it was 8th graders. I tossed my backpack onto the cloud and walked up behind the kids. They were looking up at something, so I looked up to find something. It was someone! There was a blue girl racing two boys in the race course. She was bolting forward with impossible speed. A rainbow traced behind her faintly, but there seemed to be sparks around her head. She looked like a meteor racing to collide with Equestria as she bolted through the air. Suddenly, her speed came to a climax and a rainbow vibrated in the sky originating from her. A loud BOOOOOOOM!!!!! echoed in the air and knocked me to the cloud. The other kids around me exclaimed things like "WHAT THE FUCK?!" or "HOLY BALL SACKS!" as they were forced to the cloud. I stayed down for a moment and recovered my equilibrium. I seized my backpack and fucking bolted toward the backstop. The squAAAd had been slammed into the chainlink fence and were trying to stand up. In Cam's case, he had been tossed over the fence. After they had all recovered from the blast, I began to piece together what happened. The girl was named "Rainbow Dash" and she was racing two bullies because they were making fun of her friend, Fluttershy. Apparently, she was the fastest flyer in the school despite being a 6th grader. She was also a blank-flank even though she was in middle school. Even with all these going against her, she had just performed the impossible: a Sonic Rainboom. "She's planning on being a weather pony." "She'd be the best weather pony ever!" "What a waste of talent." "What do you mean 'waste of talent'?" "What do you think your job would be when you're older?" "Good question." "'Good question'?! I've been asked that over a billion times in my life!" While I listened to the conversation, I started thinking about the words people use. Why do we still say "unicorn", "pegasus", "pony", and other things like that? From what I remember out of the blur of random history trivia, Equestria hasn't been populated by primitive horses in over a billion years. We evolved into a different branch of animals while horses continued to be... horses. Couldn't we use words that didn't refer to horses? Then again, what would we be called? "Wing people" and "horn people"? "Hey, Equestria to Rocket," Ash's voice snapped me back to attention. "What are you planning on doing when you're older?" "Just- um... being a... a um... just a regular weather pony..." I replied, my face burning with embarrassment. "What's your cutie mark?" Abby asked. I pulled my shirt up a few inches to show my cutie mark. Sitting above my hip was a pencil crossed over a rainbow. "What'd you get it from?" Campbell inquired. "Oh um... just... being me... I guess..." I fumbled my words even though I wasn't nervous. If my mouth kept refusing to say what my brain tells it to, I WAS READY TO EAT A BULLET! I put my shirt down. "Are you... good at writing?" Abby probed. "Yes..." "Drawing?" "Yep..." "Anything creative?" "Mhmm." "You should be an artist!" Ella suggested. An... *artist*? I decided that was not the best idea. I had an image planted in my brain of the broke artist starving on the street. I was so ignorant yet hopeful back then. "I don't think I could be an art-" "Or maybe an author!" Abby added. I watched the rest of the squAAAd branch off into different conversations while Ella, Abby, and Campbell focused on me. It did feel slightly better to see that a few people in the world were good friends. They continued on the subject of jobs and talents, but I brought up looks. "You know, Rocket, you would look great if..." Abby paused to think of the right thing to say. "If you tried harder in the morning." Ella and Campbell facehoof'd in unison while I gave her a look that said "Seriously?" "I-I mean you do look good already!" Abby sputtered dumbly, trying to make up for her retarded af comment. "It's just you could look even better if-" "Just stop trying..." Ella shook her head disapprovingly. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I looked up at my ceiling. I was a having a crisis. What was my potential? Writing? Drawing? Was I destined to be a lowly weather pony? Was I going to be- for lack of a better term- a basic bitch? Am I going to follow the lead of so many pegasi before me like a sheep? Please, Goddess, what is my talent? I suddenly turned my attention to my cutie mark. A pencil over a rainbow... What was it supposed to symbolize? I growled and huffed in disapproval. I had a cutie mark from something stupid and I didn't even know what it meant! Why did I even have friends? I was, and still am, a basic bitch. I was unlikeable and insulted everyone, friend or enemy. One time I called Cam gay and there was this group of strong, tough-looking 8th grade boys in front of us. Then I shouted while pointing to the boys: "YA KNOW WHO ELSE IS GAY?! THEEEM!" Me and my friends had to run away... At least once a day I say something completely rude and uncalled for to my friends. I was ugly. Everytime I looked in the mirror I though How could people look at THIS ugly ass face and still be friends? Once someone complimented my looks I would giggle politely and say "Thank you so much!" but really I didn't think they meant it. To me, they were lying because they felt bad for me and as soon as I was out of earshot they would insult me. I would be graduating 6th grade soon and I definately was not ready. Fuck life.
GraduateLast day of 6th grade... I thought as I clambered out of my bed. Time to not make a fucking idiot out of myself. I stumbled tiredly into my bathroom as I shed my clothes. I stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. As usual, it came out ice cold before turning boiling hot. I would've been more irritated that my shower did this if I wasn't half asleep everytime I used it. After washing all the sweat and dirt out of my mane and pelt and drying off, I was faced with a problem. What the fuck was I supposed to wear? I staggered to my closet and shifted through it. I found a nice, non-revealing dress and pulled it on. It had lacy sleeves that went down to my elbows, a cute, ruffled collar, a shiny belt at the waist, and a fluffy skirt that went to my knees. The entire thing was blue and white, adding to the fake class. I went into the bathroom with a brush, comb, and some colorful ribbons. I braided my mane and tail and added bows and ribbons to make it look fancy. Once I was done, it was already 7:40 and I was ready to leave. When I arrived at school, I was met with the sight of everyone all dressed up. I glided to the backstop and saw the most amazing thing ever. Cam was wearing a bright purple suit that was bedazzled with plastic, red gems. Everyone else at the backstop was in generic dresses or skirts. "Oh, my goddess!" Abby cried. "Where'd you get that dress, Rocket?!" "I dunno... somewhere," I mumbled. Have I mentioned how much of a pro I was back then? "Nice way to put our clothes to shame," Jade added. "Yeah, Rocket! You look great in it!" Cam exclaimed in a mocking voice. "I'm in a pimp suit and she gets all the attention!?" "Who're your hoes, though? Ash? Em? Tana?" I asked sassily. "You faggot-cunt!" "Cunt-faggot!" He shot back. "Ladies, ladies, no need to fight!" Ella interrupted. "HOW DARE YOU CALL US LADIES?! DID YOU JUST ASSUME MY GENDER!? I AM A TRANS-BI-CIST-MONO-DEMI-QUEER!" Cam screeched, once again higher pitched than an angry 8-year-old. The bell rang and I continued to my class. We had a good time with free time, pizza, and other things like that. I took great joy in sitting in the corner to draw. I would have to do some kind of socializing at some point, but that could wait. The only things I needed for a good time were food, a pencil, and my art book. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ I cannot put into words how embarrassed I was when I arrived home. Literally. At school, my parents and sister arrived to... do whatever parents do at schools. While they were off doing whatever, I was talking with my friends. As I talked to my friends, I saw a handsome boy over with Ash's parents. He was tall, buff, and had a white mane and tail and a cyan coat. "Is that your brother!?" I suddenly asked. "Oh, yeah. He's in 7th and-" Ash began. "He's cute!" I whispered shyly. Ash stayed silent for a moment while giving me an unsure glare. "He's out of your league, Rocket..." "I know, I know," I rolled my eyes, "but I still have an opinion, Ash!" "Wow, Rocket, I didn't know you were gaaay!" Cam smirked. "Whatever, Cam. Go suck a horse cock," I replied smugly. "Hey, Rocket, I heard everything." Amberstone appeared behind me. "Baby's first crush! Imma go tell him!" Before I could stop her, she was next to the boy, telling him about my crush. "That was quick..." Cam muttered. I blushed deeply and sank to the ground. I folded my mane over my face and curled my tail around myself. I imagined his bewildered gaze on me. "C'mon, it's not tha-" Em attempted to comfort. "I want to drink bleach..." I mumbled. I did mean it, I still do, but I wouldn't do it. Bleach tastes gross, trust me. "I'll go get it!" Cam exclaimed happily. I added "Punch Cam in his stupid face" to my bucket list while I wallowed in my own shame. The only reason I didn't overdose on pills that night was Ash. After everyone else was leaving and only we were left, she stopped me for a moment. She hugged me and comforted me for a moment, telling me things she knew would make me feel better. We said goodbye and left... I was far from happy about that. ✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏✏ "AMBER, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I screamed once we got home. I chased her around the perimeter of the house, arms outstretched and ready to strangle her. "If you can catch me!" She called back. We were quickly stopped by mom. "Stop fighting, you two, or I won't feed you for a week." We both knew she was joking, but stopped fighting anyway. I went into my room and hopped onto my computer. I went into my group chat with Ash and Cam. They were talking about... I don't even know. I quickly asked if they wanted to video call or something. Once they agreed, I started a video call and smiled awkwardly. "Rocket, what the fuck happened to your mane? Looks like you just had rough-" Cam teased. I cut him off with the best comeback I could think of. "What the fuck happened to your face? Do you just naturally look like a failed abo-" "Ladies, stop fighting!" Ash interrupted. "Why'd you wanna video call, Rocket?" "Well... first I just wanna know... does you brother... um... hate me now... or... something like that...?" I mumbled shyly. "Hopefully!" Cam snickered before opening another tab. "No," Ash growled, most likely at Cam. "He didn't even see you, Rocket." I gave myself a victory pat on the back- mentally, of course. "Thank the giant octopus controlling the universe!" I grinned. The conversation went on randomly and ended after only... 2 and a half hours. I needed a life.
