It has only been a week since I came to live at Ponyville with my sister and already I'm heading back to school. My sister was too busy in her dress-making projects that I had to walk to my first day of the new school alone. I was hoping to take the rest of the year off since my parents decided to have a surprise trip out of town and pulled me out of my old school, but I guess having no friends will be a bummer.
"Did you forget about me, your imaginary friend?" my "imaginary friend" says in my head. "I am so hurt that you didn't consider me at all, especially when I am with you at all times!"
"Uggh, that's not what I meant by 'friends.'" I can feel him as if he had a shocked face to my comment.
"Hmph, well if it will be that way, then I guess I will just leave then."
Oh please do, I think to myself.
"Psych! I do not leave that easily."
I don't know how, but for the longest time I had this, "imaginary friend" with me; he always comes in at the most annoying times possible and gives me a headache. I can't really say he's a "friend," more of a "voice."
"A handsome voice at that."
"Agggh! Stop interrupting my thoughts!" Anyways, I don't know where he came from, or more importantly why now, but I know that he hasn't been that helpful to me.
"I keep you company when you're alone," he said, still interrupting my thoughts.
Whatever.
"You might want to lift your head up and smile. There is the school you dread about."
I feel a gesture in front of me and see the new schoolhouse I will be attending from this day on. It is mainly a pink little building covered with a different color of pink hearts with white on the rim of the rooftop. On the roof the school's silver bell to let us know if it's time to start class, or go home. The front door has a roof of its own and two white pillars on either side of it. At the very font of the door's roof, there's a horseshoe facing down surrounded by hearts.
I start to arrive near the front when I see the front yard has a sign that has a pink background and an open book. Above the book are two fillies facing towards yet another heart. I see a couple of fillies and colts outside either talking or playing with the school equipment and other walking into the classroom. I really really really don't want to go through with this; the first days of a new school year are awkward already, but the first day of school in the middle of the first half? "Make sure to smile little filly!" the voice continued. "You do not want to be seen as a weirdo or a loner on your first day of school, right?"
I sigh and take a deep breathe as I walk past the front sign and into the classroom.
"Sweetie Belle?" the schoolteacher, Ms. Cheerilee call out to me. "Can you come to the front?" I hop off the chair next to the teacher's desk and head to the front. She has me face forward towards the class. "Everypony, I will like to introduce to the class our new student that will be attending this school starting today! Can everypony welcome 'Sweetie Belle' to our classroom?"
"Hello Sweetie Belle," the class says with a monotone voice.
This is sooo awkward, I say to myself.
"You're telling me! the voice chimes in. "I can feel your awkwardness from here!"
"Now is not the time, I respond back.
"Sweetie Belle," Ms. Cheerilee says to me, "would you like to tell us about yourself?"
Oh Celestia I do not.
"Yeah, it is not like there is anything interesting about you anyways. Unless, you want to tell them about me!" I do my best to try to ignore him and not talk to him and look down to the floor with my mouth shut.
"That is okay Sweetie Belle," Ms. Cheerilee says with assurance, "maybe next time once you get comfortable here. Go ahead and head to your seat over there." She points to the empty desk at the side of the room in the middle row.
"Thank you," I say in a quiet voice to Ms. Cheerilee.
I walk to my desk and sit down. I take a deep breathe as I just survived the first hard part of today.
"Okay class! Today we will be going over history until it is time for recess."
"Oooo, history!" the voice says, "Will we learn about how the first Kingdom fell under Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's rule?"
"I don't know!" I yell back, "Plus, there isn't any history book about any two Kingdoms!" I readjust myself to try to pay attention to what Ms. Cheerilee is teaching. "Can you just leave me alone until class is over?"
"Remember? I keep you company when you are alone, and I feel you are in need of a friend!"
"But I'm not alone, I'm at school!"
"With no friends." I can feel him say that with a smirk. "Plus the is the boring part of the school at that. History that doesn't take place in the far, far, past, before Ponyville was founded OR before any of the three races of ponies."
"Again, there is no text of any of that fake time. You're just making it up."
"Or are you? Maybe I was made-up too?"
He pulled this trick before, he left for a week and came back in the most unexpected timing. "Aww, you figured me out," he butted in, again.
I really wish he would do anything besides bother me and anything that I'm doing. He comments on this and that, and keeps me awake at night. EVERY. NIGHT.
"Except Sundays~!" the voice chimes in again. I sigh. He doesn't leave me alone with my own thoughts. If only he was helpful to me in any way. "I can teach you how to read minds."
What?
He clears his throat(?), "I said, I can teach you how to read other ponies' minds."
"Wait, really? You're serious?!"
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
"No."
"Well good! Let us see, now who's mind to read. Ah-ha! That one!" I can feel a gesture towards the colt to my right, one row ahead of me. "He looks like an easy target to test it on."
"How easy is this?"
"Simple! Focus on your target." I look at the colt and squint my eyes a little. "Now picture him like a book."
"A book?"
"Just trust me."
I refocus and imagine him to be a book. This is soo stupid.
"Now mentally think of opening the book." I tried thinking about the book opening but it didn't work. "You can use your hooves to 'physically' open the book if it helps, like the book at the front sign." I roll my eyes. I put my hooves out and pretend to open the imaginary book. This is soo stupid.
"I wonder if I can have another slice of apple pie when I get home," the voice said, but with a much younger tone.
"You talking doesn't help me you know?"
"That was not me," the voice said to me, in his regular tone.
"Huh? Then who was it?"
"How about the colt's mind you just read?"
Wait? Was that really my classmate's thoughts?! Did I actually read his mind?!
"Hey!" the voice yelped in pain, "Not so loud!"
I ignore him and try to read his mind again. Picture him as a book, reach out with my hooves, and open the book.
"I wonder what apple pie is made out of?" my classmate's voice said.
"Uhh, apples?" I said, responding to his question; it is obvious that apple pie is made out of apples. He snaps out of thought and looks towards me, confused. He sees me looking at him with my hooves extended towards him. I freeze in place of this new talent I now have! And the embarrassing position that I am in.
"What about apples?" my classmate asks, confused.
"Uhhh," I utter.
"Somepony needs to learn to keep her thoughts to herself!"
"Sweetie Belle, are you feeling okay today?" Ms. Cheerilee asks. It's after class and all of my classmates have already left the classroom, playing outside or chatting with each other. "I heard you were talking to yourself sometimes while I was teaching the class." Oh no, how much of what I said actually was heard?
"Maybe all of it?" the voice chipped in. I try to ignore talking to him in case I utter it out towards the teacher by accident.
"Sorry Ms. Cheerilee," I say with my head down, "I guess I have a lot on my mind."
"Buh-dum tisssh!!"
"Be quiet!"
"Sweetie Belle?" Ms. Cheerilee calls out, concerned. My eyes widened. Did she hear that? Oh, Celestia, pleeeease tell me she didn't hear that. I look up and sure enough, her face is concerned about me. "If you need to talk about any problems you have here or at home, I am more than willing to sit down and listen. I know you do not have many friends here, is it because you are shy?"
"No ma'am," I responded, "I just haven't been able to think straight recently."
"I also noticed you seem to talk to yourself while looking up in the air or to the side. Do you have an imaginary friend by any chance?"
"HAHAHA! HA! Yes! I am your imaginary friend! Ooooo~."
I try REALLY hard to ignore him, or respond to him. "No, I don't. I-" I try thinking of a good excuse. "I sometimes like to… read out loud to myself." This is soo embarrassing.
"Not to me! Imagine me eating popcorn while laughing!"
Celestia, give me strength to put up with this voice!
Ms. Cheerilee still looks concerned, but accepts my answer. "Okay, well if that is all you have problems with, then I will let you go. Do not forget, the math homework is due tomorrow!"
"Yes Ms. Cheerilee." I start walking towards the door, out of the classroom.
"And Sweetie Belle?!" Ms. Cheerilee calls out from her desk as I'm at the door.
"Yes?"
"It is okay to have an imaginary friend, I had one when I was your age too!" She waves goodbye to me. I groan on the inside.
"Yes Sweetie Belle, it is OK to have me around!" the voice says.
"Ugghh! Can you please be quiet for two minutes?"
"Careful there Ms. Sweetie Belle, if you talk out loud, ponies will think you're a psycho!"
"I AM NOT A PSYCHO!" I blurt out. I stop in my tracks. I REALLY hope no pony heard that...
Author's Note
Psychonauts 2, out now!
