Author's Note

Hello!
I would like to say thank for taking the time out of your day to read my story.
Before you read, I would like to point out that I am not in any way trying to poke fun of school shootings, especially with certain events that have happened through out these last few months. But I haven't really seen anyone who has made a HIE story where said human is teleported to Equestria after being one of the many victims of a mass school shooting. So I would like to point out that if you're very sensitive to these kinds of topics, please don't read any further.
Other than that if so happen to come upon a spelling error or something doesn't really make sense to you, please let me know in the comments. With that being said, enjoy the Prologue of 'A Simple Soul'.

Prologue

"It started in 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand,"

Hearing the sound of my history teacher explaining what happened years ago as I sat in front of the class, resting my head on my left hand while I was listening to his lecture, watching as he used his pointer to show us pictures of old-timey people. During the time were males were still fighting in the war and the woman would actually stay at home moms (literally not trying to be sexist or anything). While he went on and on about how the French basically said 'fuck you I ain't going to die for your sorry asses', I was staring up at the board, watching as he changes picture after picture from the nineteen hundreds. Meanwhile, on my desk, I would have a pencil in hand drawing down on my notepad as I would multitask between both listening to the lecture and drawing on my notepad as I pushed my glasses up to my face. I signed as I was completely bored with the whole class, I already had an A in this class so what do I need to worry about? I would tap my foot against the carpet, it was at this point that I had completely zoned out the teacher's lecture and now focused on my drawing, I had drawn a perfect circle as most artists start off with, staring at the circle I would picture what I wanted to draw out seeing all the scenarios I can go off of. Placing the tip of my pencil on the edge of the circle going down, soft sketching what I wanted to draw down, moving my long red hair off my face.

Even though I had my hood on that came with my striped hoodie, my hair was still in the way. Now I know I could simply just cut it, but I just prefer it to keep it long, even though it was extremely damaged from not being able to take care of properly considering that I shower every day, thinking that the red hair dye would work. But unfortunately, it didn't as it made it look worse the only reason I painted it red for two reasons, one obviously because of how damaged it looked but the second reason was that my hair was originally blonde and I hated how it looked. In about thirty to thirty-five minutes I managed to finish my drawing, it turned out pretty cool. After erasing the circle from behind, I drew a huge star with a smaller star in the middle and it hit me.

"What if...?"
I mumbled under my breath as I would flip it pencil to the other side now the pink eraser being shown as I started to erase some parts of the star replacing them with a bit more detail drawing down two different half of a bird. Smiling as I would slowly start to finish it wishing I had my colored pencils to color it in. Finally, after another ten or so minutes, I had completely finished my drawing. And just in time too, the sound of a loud beep can be heard which was a reminder that this period was over and the next would start in ten minutes.

Moving quickly I started to pack my stuff into my bag, zipping it up as I would get up and off my desk waiting for the rest of the students to leave, as I looked up seeing the history teacher sitting down on his desk getting ready to start his own work. I had gotten a letter not too long ago from him saying that I was eligible for financial opportunities in hopes of getting into the college of my dreams, and I wanted to have a personal talk with him so we can arrange what I can do to get into my preferred college as I walked up to his desk waiting to see if he would notice me as I slipped off my hood. My hair now resting on my shoulders as it would now covering a part of my face, giving him my biggest smile, I spoke.

"Mr. McCarthy,"
I spoke as he would look at his computer monitor, noticing me with my dry damaged hair, glasses on my face and a big smile as I saw he had a very confused look on his face as he leaned back in his chair, giving me that face that I might not look familiar to him. My smile slowly disappearing as I would speak again.

"M-my name is Zachary,"
I said as he would look at me again completely confused about who I was as I would look at him now a bit annoyed, explaining.

"Zachery Sanchez ...I'm in your history class that just ended?"
I explained to the confused history teacher as he would now give the expression of now knowing who I was as he finally spoke.

"Oh that's who you are, I didn't recognize you due to the fact that you weren't paying attention and you had your hood on."
He said in a very exaggerated tone as I just chuckle in response, both out of being nervous over what he was going to lecture about me not paying attention in class and out of being amused at how well he played being confused. After I chuckled I would look back up at him as Mr. McCarthy spoke once again.

"Well Mr. Sanchez, how can I help you?"
He said rolling his chair away from the monitor and his desk as he was in the middle of his classroom leaning his elbows against his knees as he looked up at me smiling. Walking up to him as I stood in front of the history teacher, smiling as I once again spoke.

"My mom got a letter from you not too long ago saying that I was eligible for financial opportunities which can help me pay for my college tuition, "
I said smiling as I got on one knee putting my backpack down as I unzipped my backpack looking through many stuffed papers. Trying to look for a brochure of the college I was planning on attending as I smile pulling it out as I stood up once again showing it to him as Mr. McCarthy looked at the front cover which read Meadows Ridge School of Fine Arts . I smiled at him as I would shake it a bit wanting him to take a real good look at it as he would look back up at me before taking off his glasses. My smile soon went away, knowing exactly what that meant pulling the brochure away from his sight as I waited for his response. Ultimately after a long moment of silence, he spoke up.

"Listen, Zack, "
He started, and usually when teachers, professors or anyone school-related adult starts a conversation with 'Listen' followed with your name you knew something bad was coming up as I looked at him listening to what he had to say as he continued, looking at me.

"You do know that this isn't a real college right?"
He said as I looked at him confused at what he said, looking back down at the brochure, seeing it said 'school of the fine arts' written in old letters as I looked back up at him.

"It seems like a real college to me, I mean what's wrong with this school?"

"Zack that's not what I'm trying to say, "
He said as he took his glasses off placing his thumb and pointer finger towards his nose softly apply pressure on the dorsum of his nose sighing before putting his glasses back on as he looked back up at me.

"Listen all I'm trying to say is that maybe it's best that if you find a college that tests your...academic side, schools like these baby you for messing up and that's not what happens in the real world."

"Isn't that a good thing, I mean sure the real world won't baby me if I mess up but at least they'll know that I tried right?"
I said as I looked at him, seeing if he understood what I was trying to say as he just looked at me with a very serious look. That look you get when you know you said something so stupid that it can't be put into words. Well, soon enough Mr. McCarthy soon rolled his chair back and behind his desk as he would look back towards his monitor signifying that our conversation was over as I would look at him, not sure what I could say next but a simple.

"I'm sorry...I just-"

"Zachary ...just leave, you clearly don't get what I'm trying to tell you, and frankly I think I picked the wrong student to help prepare for college."
He said as I looked at him, at this point I was at a loss for words. What I just heard from him was like hearing it from some random kid in the hallway after being pushed to the ground and spat on in the face. I stood there as I held the brochure in my hand, looking at Mr. McCarthy working on his computer. After about a minute of hearing the clicks that the keyboard made when he would push them with his fingers, Mr. McCarthy would sigh as he looked away from his monitor and back to me, and what he said next complete killed my confidence as he stared at me dead in the eyes.

"If you want my honest opinion ...I think you should just forget about applying to any college. Seeing that you have the mind of a complete idiot if you think that anyone in the real world will even care about your feelings. And if you think you'll get far in those kinds of schools ...maybe it's best if you stick behind a drive-through window."
After he said that, my heart sank, it was at that point I was in tears as I crumpled up the brochure in my hand. I then grabbed my bag from the floor behind me swung it over my shoulder as I walked away from his desk throwing the brochure into the trash before I walked out of class. Walking down the hallway, walking up to a garbage can taking my bag off, placed it on the floor. Swinging the flap open as I pulled out a blue portfolio that had my name on it. I then opened it to reveal an applicant to the art academy that had all the boxes filled it with the following information. All of my hopes and dreams were in this application, and after being told that I was better off at a minimum wage job made me tear the application up, throwing it into the trash as I cried in silence. Tears falling down my face as closed my eyes looking down as the hallway was completely empty the warning bell rang.

Wiping the tears off my face as I grabbed my bag now feeling a bit lighter I would push both my arms underneath the straps of the bag as I stared at the trash can for one more moment before walking away. All I could think about while walking towards my next class was what Mr. McCarthy told me, everything he told me was now imprinted into my mind forever with no way to remove it. My train of thought was lost as I heard the announcements being stated. Stuff like what was going to be served for lunch and all the extracurricular activities that are going to be held after school. You know everything that's expected to say from the announcements. However, while I was hearing the principal talking over the speakers which echoed through the halls. Before I can even take another step I heard the sound of a gunshot echo down the hall, turning around only to be met with nothing. I was now I'm complete panic mode as I began to run down the hall turning to the left. Suddenly bumping into someone as I fell to the floor, shaking my head after being thrown to the floor I looked up to see who it was as I saw it was the janitor with his bucket and mop smiling at me as he would chuckle.

"Whoa, you're running late or something?"
He told me as he leaned into onto his mop as I stood back up, trying to tell him that I had heard a gunshot not too long ago. But it was hard considering I was in shock, I couldn't speak at all, only to hear another gunshot being fired. Now the janitor knew what was wrong as he throws his mop grabbing me by the arm as he dragged me down the hall and towards the janitor's closet grabbing his millions of keys from his chain, the janitor would go through so many keys trying to find the right one as I would look behind us seeing if anyone was coming around the corner, sure enough, I could see a silhouette of someone walking up towards where they were as I looked back at the janitor seeing that he hasn't found the keys yet.

At this point I didn't know what to do, should I stay and wait until the janitor finally found his key to open the closet or should I bail and leave the janitor to die? In either of these scenarios, I was doomed to die either from the janitor not finding the keys fast enough and the shooter finds the both of us our demise surely confirmed or leave him behind but later running into the shooter ultimately getting shot. And who's to say there's only one shooter? Before I could use up my mind I heard another round of shots being fired from the direction we came from. But as soon as I could see who the shooter as I was quickly pulled into the janitor's closet, seeing said janitor close the door behind us and locking it once again. Moving quickly I scooted away, as I stuck towards the wall moving away from the line of sight or the window that was on the door. I started to hyperventilate from everything that was happening at the same time trying my best to calm myself down. Slowly breathing in and out as I looked over seeing the janitor leaning against the door to make sure he barricaded the door by using his body, hoping that the shooter would just take off from the scene. Slowly seconds turned into minutes, the janitor not hearing any shots, the worryingly looked at me, looked at me seeing I was in the corner of the room hugging my legs as I patiently waited for the coast to be clear.

"Psst, Zack…"
I heard the janitor calling my name as I looked up seeing him still barricading the door as he would look up at the doorknob, I soon got the gist of what he wanted to do as I immediately started to shake my head. Completely ignoring my silent response, the janitor would slowly start to stand up as keeping himself away from the view of the window. Once standing up he would slowly move his hand towards the doorknob as he would slowly, not trying to make a sound as he gently twisted the doorknob as it would unlock automatically carefully opening the door as the light from the hallway came into the room as he looked both sides of the hallway seeing if the coast was clear. Then out of nowhere, I saw him get shot in the heart as I covered my mouth so not a single sound can come out. As blood slowly drooled out from the chest of his jump suit he turned to me with his final words being.

"...Run.."
Before falling to the floor limp as my eyes widen, soon looking up as i saw the silhouette of someone standing in front of the door as I looked up seeing not being able to see his face as the male figure was dressed in all black with a face mask covering solely his mouth as he walks to close to me, I now started to panic mentally. At this point, there was nowhere to go from here as I met with my demise as the masked figure was now standing in front of me looking at me dead in the eyes as he aimed his gun at me, my eyes full of tears and fear as I slowly closed my eyes with the final sound I heard was….

(Meanwhile)

"Rainbow Dash, you need to keep up."

Fluttershy said as she flew through the Everfree Forest, trying to find her lost bunny Angel. Stopping, she looks around seeing if she can spot the poor bunny anywhere. She was the worrying type, she always felt uneasy whenever she's forced into the Everfree Forest but if that meant there was a possibility of finding her pet bunny she'll take that risk of maybe being mauled by some beast in there. While she flew through every three she passed by she would look inside each of them seeing if she could maybe spot Angel hiding in one of those trees. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof wasn't having any of it today as she groans in boredom.

"Fluttershy come on, the Wonderbolt air show is about to start and I don't want to miss it."
She exclaimed as she would fly behind the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy looked frantically through each tree now, hoping she would at least get some hints that her bunny was close by. But unfortunately she couldn't find anything as she sighed looking down, sad that she couldn't find her beloved bunny anywhere. Rainbow Dash saw her incredibly sad as she tried to comfort her by gently wrapping her hooves around her hugging the poor Pegasus as she looked at her.
"Look, Angel will pop up soon, I guarantee you that he won't leave you hanging."
She said smiling at her as Fluttershy gave her a smile back, while still floating hugging each other one more time before Fluttershy saying.

"How about we go see your air show now?"
She asked looking at the other pegasus, Rainbow Dash smiling from ear to ear as she took Fluttershy's hoof dragging her out of the Everfree forest while still in the air as she spoke.

"Hurry if we leave now we can still-"
Suddenly she was cut off from something really heavy falling down from a tree right in front of both of them as Fluttershy yelped, quickly hiding behind Rainbow Dash as she looked away covering herself with her wings as she hoped it wasn't something life-threatening. Then again this was the Everfree forest after all, but still. As Rainbow Dash slowly peeked through her wings she saw something lying on the floor, seeing it gently breathe as she could see strips on it, she then moved her wings away from her face as she moved closer to it. Only to be stopped once she heard Fluttershy speak.

"Wait...don't.."

Rainbow looked back at her seeing she was completely terrified over what it was. Turning back to the figure on the floor she also noticed that its lower half was a completely different color seeing it was black from its waist down before going back to slowly moving towards it. Now in front of it, she would try and see if she could maybe look at its face seeing it was covered by its stripes. Dash would then move both her wings towards the figure getting a grip on its stripes before quickly moving it on it's back as she gasped. Fluttershy behind her would move up close to the blue pegasus as she looked down, also gasping in shock. Both pegasi saw that the creature had what looked to be a red-colored, mane, on what looks to be it's face had a bruise on its eye

"What are we going to do with it?"
Fluttershy said as she looked at Rainbow Dash before walking around it, seeing it was completely still as she looked up at Fluttershy before exclaiming.

"I'll carry its lower half, you carry its upper half. Quickly!"