Author's Note

I realized that Ponder was painted in too positive a light and some people were having trouble believing he would do the things he did in Gauntlet of Espionage and similar.
I also wanted to expand on his past, so here we are.

I am open to PM. No discord or email. Do not use email. Please.
I am open to work, even collaborations. I can't draw. Muscle condition.

Want to test my writing with this one. Will try to write more and more challenging subjects as time goes on.
All criticism minus something that can only be seen as a nitpick will be appreciated.

15.5 - Interlude - Stagnation from Liberation

" Get up, get down, cuz were gonna come around, we can work to-gether helping Twilight win the crown! "
Today had not been a good day. He had been accosted three times this morning alone by wannabe linebackers wanting to charge him into a locker. His mother decided that she wasn't going to feed him breakfast either, due to their fight yesterday night.
At least the school lunch was consistent.
Bad, full of plastic, and generally not filling; but it was something.

Another another round of the crowd in the line shouting ' PONDERBRIIIIIIGHT! ' later he finally had his meal, after almost 30 minutes of waiting in that unoptimized overcrowded line.
If they were going to tease him, at least be creative like in his first year.
His derogatory nickname alone he was getting board of.

He sat down at one of the middle tables this time; side ones were apparently sick of him.
But just as soon as he looked down at his food -

CRUNCH

" Uh. Whoops. "
" Sorry. "

The rainbow haired girl had stepped in his food.
Maybe he placed it down too fast? Was in too much of a rush to notice her?
Muscle brain syndrome for Ms Rainbow over here, dancing on top of a lunch desk?

Probably some combination.
In reality, most things were.

She closed her eyes for a bit and scratched the back of her head.
He considered it.
She couldn't take him, being female and all, and it certainly would set a example.

But this place had too many potential witnesses.
He would have to get her later.

" Are you - " Rainbow was about to apologize.
She looked to where Ponder used to be, but he had already stormed off.

She instinctively raised a hand to him as he was walking away, but she then turned to the others that were singing and did her part in the middle of the song.

He somehow managed to find a way to slam the cafeteria door on his way out, greeted by the most prominent female bully in school.
" HEY! Watch what your doing - You nearly - "
Ponder cut Sunset off.
" No. "

He got up in her face. A surefire way to get the conformists to back off.
She took a step back.

" -A "
She took a moment to gather herself.

" I already have my hands full. But I can make an exception. "
" Do you want to be even more alone then you are now? Because I - "

" I already am alone. "
He smirked at himself for that one.

His stare pierced her like daggers. But she was top brass, as far as female social stuff was concerned.
Essentially socially pampered, he was not too surprised when she still didn't back down.

" Stay out of my way. "
She was starting to break. Good.

" Wasn't planning on it. " He then broke eye contact and started to walk away.

He then felt a cold wet chill run down his spine.
Was that her drink?

He turned around to see her smugly filming him on her phone.
And it was her drink.

Her smile quickly turned to fear as he marched towards her. Her words and cries of ' HELP! ' and ' STAY AWAY FROM ME! '
were drowned out by the music coming from the cafeteria.
Not that it mattered.

She let out a real shriek when he grabbed her by the wrist.
He pulled her in close, knocking her phone out of her hand and onto the ground.

" I gave 3 men here hernias. " Ponder said in monotone.
" 6 to the hospital. "
" Surely you must have heard the rumors? "

Those numbers, were in fact, way overblown.
He had only confirmed 2 permanent injuries and 3 hospital visits from his escapades;
But the rumors were as such and he just couldn't ignore them.
He did state lesser numbers then the latest exaggeration, to add some ' credibility ' to them.

Her feeble attempts to break his grip were about as successful as her attempts to hide her fear.
His grasp looked like it was hurting her. Good.

" I- I can report this. "
She managed to chirp out.

He pulled her closer.
" Then I'll disfigure you so bad you won't be recognizable. " He blankly responded.
The fear in her face grew wild.
" And men in white suits will likely have to confine you indefinitely to prevent you from killing yourself. "

" And yeah you can get me jailed for this. " He took a slightly more whimsical tone on that one.
" At least for a little while. "
" But you better hope witness protection does a damn good job hiding you in your new life. "

" Because once I get out "
He then let his anger show. On his face, in his voice, and all over his body.
" I'm coming for you. "

He let go at just the right moment, her shambling backward and falling to the floor.
She said nothing as she frantically scurried along the floor to get her phone, which was much more closer to her then he was.

She finally ran away in panic, not screaming, just shaking with minor tears.

He finally could stop the blank staring and return to his sulking.

He found a nice little spot under the stairs to hide out until the students started to walk the halls again.
Nice time to sharpen some wood stakes that look like pencils.

' Everything, no matter how stupid, understands an ass whooping. ' He was thinking to himself as he did his work.
He sharpened them for the rest of the dream.

And yes, It was a dream, because he woke up from it.
Again, to a foreign ceiling.

Almost a month had passed since he got here, but it was still all too surreal.
He walked past Starlight talking with Spike. Twilight talking to Luna.
He didn't pay them much mind.

He sat down at the table.
Food.
Good food. Filling food.
Not just diced lettuce with a bell pepper chopped into 4 segments on his plate.

He didn't really see the need to pay anything else any mind.
Everything was alright.
He was happy just the way he was.

He happily enjoyed his meal.