Once and Future... Student?

“Battle of the bands? Are you serious?”

She’s seated alone in the cafeteria, having just watched the three new girls’ performance. She had noticed the green smoke that had seemed to flow out of everyone, gather on the floor, and finally up into the ruby amulets those three wore. Everyone else is screaming and fighting, claiming to be better. Funny, that’s exactly what those two had wanted- with their weird song. They’d sung it like a formula.

“Ohh, that kind of weird,” she hears, from the table behind her.

She twists around to look. Pinkie Pie’s voice did not sound combative in the least- unlike everyone else in the room. Finally, she finds an entire table that didn’t seem to be touched by the song’s power- occupied by Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer.

Adding herself, that makes seven. However, five of the six at that table had worked with one (missing) Twilight Sparkle in correcting a demonized Sunset Shimmer- and she doubts that either herself or Sunset can substitute for Twilight. Perhaps both? Either way, they likely won’t be able to light off the whole rainbow display without Twilight.

She wonders, briefly, exactly why she found herself thinking about the magic, and the rainbows they’d produced. Perhaps she’d just been over analyzing things again? She clears her mind with a sigh, and turns towards the six. “That really was awful, wasn’t it?”

Applejack, closest to her, responds first. “I’m more worried about how everyone responded to it- hey, it didn’t touch you either?”

Shrug. “Maybe I’ve finally found something I’m good at: Resisting magic.”

Sunset Shimmer turns to face her. “What?”

“It’s starting to seem that way, at least. Whatever that song was, it carried some form of magic in it that riled everyone up for a competition, but I still don’t care about how I compare to others.” She pauses for a second, trying to gage Sunset’s likely reaction before she continues. “Then, back when you were demonized, your controlling spell turned everyone in the building into zombies… But didn’t touch me.”

“Ugh, am I ever going to live that down?” Drat. She got the reaction wrong.

“I don’t blame you,” she replies. “I blame whatever demon it was that used that crown’s power to possess you.” She puts on her best winning smile. She’d never been good at anything- including both honesty and deceit, something that had driven every friend she’d tried to make crazy. That had even included Applejack, once; at least she had tried to help before they eventually went their separate ways.

It seems she made yet another bad decision. “Uh, thanks.” Sunset turns away uncomfortably.

“Sorry, I-” She stops herself before she makes another mistake, turning back to her table dejectedly. She’d never tried to befriend anyone else at that table, but figures that now isn’t the time. Probably a mistake, but what does she do that isn’t a mistake?

She pokes at her empty tray. She’d tried to hang herself last week, but the rope couldn’t seem to crush her windpipe, so she’d given up after a few hours and let herself down. She’d tried slitting her own throat- but after nothing happened the first few times, she’d tried on her arm… And found that the scissors couldn’t seem to pierce her skin, no matter how hard she tried. Even the kitchen knives couldn’t seem to. If she had a gun, she would have tried it too.

She’s too much of a coward to admit to the attempts, or to try for a more painful solution. So, she knew she couldn’t die. Not easily, anyways. Thence, what could she do, except make more mistakes? She had considered hiding, but she’s too cowardly for that, too. She can survive hanging, her skin is knife-proof… And, she knows, she’s also really strong, but clumsy, much like Hercules. As such, all of her attempted friendships had been strictly no touch; even a playful slap could send someone to the hospital. At least she hadn’t killed anyone.

That reminds her of the time last year that she’d been playing with her food. A casually flicked pea had shattered the then-ascendant Sunset Shimmer’s glass before it broke a window. At least Sunset had never figured out who had broken her glass- or the school the window. She’d gotten an idea, and gone to her parents’ indoor shooting range with a bowl of peas. She’d managed to turn the wall behind the targets green, but not one had struck her intended target. That had been a long day of cleaning- which again, she wasn’t good at; she’d had to repaint the walls when she was done- thrice, before her mom pitied her enough to help her not break the sprayer. She had promised not to try that again.

One of the tines of her plastic fork snaps, flying out of sight. Oh well, at least it’s the disposable fork this time, not the tray. She drops her fork back onto her tray, sliding it away from her before she rests her elbows on the table and drops her face into her hands. At least she won’t break anything if she doesn’t use her muscles.

Someone sits next to her. “Come on, Artemis- maybe you’ve got magic too!” It’s Rainbow Dash.

A raised eyebrow. “Yes, I know you’ve all got ties to magic, but I can’t do anything superhuman- except break stuff.”

“That’s still something,” Applejack chimes in.

Artemis takes a look around; all six have come over to surround her. She turns in her seat to face them, and begins her rehearsed rant. “I was named after Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt. However, I lack just about every quality she has. Yes, I’m strong, but I can’t control it near as much as Hercules could. Everything I touch inevitably breaks.”

“Ouch.” It’s Rainbow Dash. “Have you tried music?”

She laughs, leaning back against the table. “A few times, yes. The piano snapped in two on the third note, the first stroke on the drums shattered both the drumset and the windows. I tried violin, but the neck snapped before I even started. The flute deformed on the first note, and quit completely on the third. I even tried writing- but it took six hundred pens before I could put one to paper without breaking it- and besides, I’m no good as a composer, either.”

This earns another cringe from Rainbow. “Anything else?”

“I’m sure I’d make a good demolitionist,” she chuckles. “Practice my nonexistent martial arts against the main beams- and subsequently approaching ceilings. Only thing I’d worry about is the potential damage to the neighboring city.” This gets a couple of chuckles from the friends. “I’m just no good at anything normal, either.”

Rarity counters before anyone else gets a chance. “Oh yes you are,” she says, sliding in to take the open seat next to Artemis, effectively sandwiching the beauty between Rainbow and herself. “If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be so gorgeous!”

This gets a laugh. “The only thing I can’t seem to break its myself,” Artemis chuckles, looking at her hands. “And flexible objects, like shampoo bottles, are a lot easier to avoid breaking. Extra score, it doesn’t take physical contact to use a mirror- so I’m able to control my own appearance, mostly. We still go through a bathroom a week, though.”

The bell rings suddenly.

“Shoot,” Applejack mutters. “I guess we’ll see ya round?”

Nod. “Yep, I’ll see ya round.” Artemis waves carefully, a smile on her face, as they leave. Now, to begin the torturous second half of her day- and hope she doesn’t break anything… Beyond the fork, at least; disposable objects don’t count. She’s managed it so far today- and if she manages it today, she’ll complete a three-day streak. Her record is four days. She stands up carefully; at least she has a decent sense of balance, as long as she watches where she’s going.

Three hours later, she treads carefully behind the rest of the student body, and the last one out holds the door for her. After thanking him, walks out to lean carefully against the Wondercolt statue while she waits for her parents. At least she’s managed not to break it over the last few years. She reaches out to touch the solid marble face, finding it amusing that it refuses to grind under her touch as most stone does. She’d managed not to break anything today; though she had come close to smashing that kid’s face open. She had managed to ignore the binder to the face, mostly. Its spine had broken- but she didn’t break it, he did. On her nose. She had only to glare to drive him into full retreat; her strength is an open secret. That reminds her- scaring people is one thing she usually does really well. It’s also one she usually doesn’t want to do.