1 * Preparations
With supplies in saddle bags, a pink and white Pegasus adolescent with green eyes and goldish-brunette mane and tail looked out her window. She blinked the warm sunlight out of her eyes and tossed strands of her mane out of the way to get a better look at the world below her cloudy home. Young ponies everywhere were bustling about on the ground, doing various things to try and wake themselves up. For some reason, the young Pegasus couldn't help bet feel butterflies dancing around in her stomach. She was pondering this when a shout disrupted the silent bliss of her thoughts.
"Hey Paint Spatter! You gonna get ready for the first day of school?" a voice called out from down the hall. The pink Pegasus poked her head down the hall, seeing a light gold Pegasus in the room on the end. Her light cyan mane was in a tousled mess, and her slightly darker eyes looked tired but bright. Oh, that's why, Paint Spatter thought to herself. "Thanks, Raindrops!" She'd been nervous these last few days. Not just about school itself, but since she was new to this school, she had to take a placement test. If she failed, she'd be placed in...she didn't even know. To relax, the turned on the radio to "The Vinyl Scratch Tapes" so she could listen to it while getting ready. It was always entertaining to listen in as Vinyl and Octavia 'debated'.
It didn't take too long to get ready. She just had to kick one of the clouds that made her ceiling in order to take a quick, although fairly cold, shower, dry and brush her coat, mane, and tail, and throw on a blue-jean vest she'd spotted in a store a few days back. Then she trotted into the kitchen to get a bite of breakfast. Freshly-baked chocolate chip muffins where cooling on the counter. Paint Spatter, making sure nopony was around, slunk to the ground an creeped towards the muffins in a ninja-like manor. Just as she was about to snag one, a voice sounded from the doorway. "What'cha doing?". Startled, she jumped into the air and fluttered her wings in a cartoonish manner. After recovering from this surprise, she looked towards the doorway, spotting a grey-coated, blonde-haired Pegasus with amber eyes staring at her in a quizzical manor.
"Oh, uh, hey Derpy!"chimed Paint Spatter. About two weeks ago, Derpy had taken Paint Spatter in as a guest. She was glad for the wall-eyed Pegasus's help, but she knew she couldn't live as a free-loader forever. She had to repay her somehow, but every offer for a part time job was dismissed. "Don't you have more important things to worry about? Like, oh, school, maybe?" That was essentially what every employer said to the adolescent pink mare. Now the first day had come. As she thought about what the day may bring, the butterfly feeling took over again. As usual, she'd been thinking only about worst-case scenarios. To calm herself she took out her journal and began to write.
Journal entry No. 2
Today is the first day of school. Though I try to look on the bright side, I can't help but feel nervous. Not only do I worry about what everything that nearly everypony else worries about whenever the topic of school is brought up, but there is also a test I must endure in order to be placed where I need be. I hope it isn't a physical, because I'm not confident I'd do all that well if that where the case. Though I'm not physically disabled in any way(not to poke fun of those who are and happen to find this), I'm not exactly the most physically adept ponies out there, especially for a Pegasus from what I've observed. Raindrops and Derpy keep trying tho ease my nerves by attempting to boost my confidence, but I'm still worried. What if I don't do well? Will I be kicked out of town, or worse?! I only know one thing, and that's the fact that I've gotta head out soon
With that, Paint Spatter closed her journal, slipped it into her saddlebags, slipped the bags in question onto her back, and, after snagging a muffin, unceremoniously leaped clean through the front and glided to the ground. Seeing many ponies more or less her age heading towards a large, slightly-foreboding building, she followed along near the back of the crowd.
Right through the door she was singled out by a Middle-aged Earth Pony mare with a coffee brown coat, foamy creme mane and tail-the former done up in a bun-and burnt orange eyes wearing spectacles and a pearl necklace with a steamy cup of coffee as a Cutie Mark. "Excuse me, but you're going to follow me." she said in a bored but kind tone. Scarred out of her mind, Paint Spatter immediately complied. falling in step behind the older mare. She was eventually led into a cozy office with some cabinets, a desk(complete with a plaque reading Coffee Bean, a couple of chairs, and other office-y things. "Please take a seat. Principal Ace isn't always here first thing in the morning, so you may have to wait a bit.". She motioned toward a stack of books. Paint Spatter found a History book and sat down in one of the chairs.
Although they were mostly old textbooks, they proved to be effective in passing the time. In what seemed like a few minutes later, a Unicorn stallion with a pale seafoam green coat and short faded red mane, tail, and goatee-mustache combo with an unusual certificate-like Cutie Mark trotted into the office. He had kind sapphire blue eyes and a tie to match. "I assume you're miss Paint Spatter, correct?" he said, looking at the young pony in question. She nodded. "Good. I'd like you to follow me to the testing hall. Except for a Canterlot transfer, there shouldn't be anyone else there to interrupt.". She nodded again and followed him out the door.
It was quite a walk to the testing hall. It was a good-sized building with plain walls and a few windows on the exterior. The inside was somewhat cold due to the air conditioner and the cool tile floor. The two ponies walked through a heavy wooden door and into a large room with a large table lined with chairs. At the opposite end of the room was a grayish-purple pony with a slightly poofy grayish-red mane and bright yellow-green eyes sitting next to a gray Earth Pony stallion with a gray coat, grayish white hair, and blue-gray eyes with glasses, a dress shirt, tie, and sweater vest. "I'll take it from here, Bill" Principal Ace told the stallion. "Thank you, Sir." the gray stallion said as he exited the room. The other pony in the room smiled widely and waved at Paint Spatter while motioning to sit in the chair next to her. Paint Spatter awkwardly walked over to the chair to the right of the other pony.
Paint Spatter had never seen anypony like her before. She had almost Draconic eyes that seemed to glow. She had long hangs that gave off a somewhat creepy vibe when paired with her overenthusiastic smile. She had leathery, bat-like wings with razor sharp claws on the "thumbs". And to top it all off she had a bright smiley Sun as her Cutie Mark. She waved friendlily at Paint Spatter before Principal Ace put a thick plastic barrier between the two. After that they where both handed their tests.
Journal entry No. 1
I'm not sure what day it is. In fact, I'm not sure about anything right now. The only thing I know is that a strange grey
Pegasus mare found me in this strange forest last week or so. She was kind enough to let me stay with her and her sister until I can get back on my own four hooves. I deeply wish to remove myself as a burden upon these two wonderful ponies. They don't seem to mind my presence, but I'm not-or at least I think I'm not- the kind to take advantage of a pony's kindness. I've been trying to get a job in this town, but it's a little difficult not knowing anything about yourself, like what your Special Talent is. Heck, I don't even know my own name, for goodness sake! My boarder, the Pegasus, has dubbed me as Paint Spatter. I kind of like it. Sometimes she just calls me "Spat", but it's okay. I don't think she's good with names, but neither am I. Sometimes I just call her "Bubbles" when her name slips my mind.
Lately I've been informed that the summer season is almost over. I'm not sure why that's important, but I've started to see ponies my age skulking about the town, going on about their "last days of freedom". I'm not sure what that means, but I don't like it one bit. Other than some sea green and rust red adolescent Unicorn mare with bright orange eyes, older fillies and colts alike are complaining about shopping with their parents. Lights are out in this place-Ponyville, I think-about three hours earlier than normal, and thank goodness for the lack of hip-hop music playing up in the clouds. Makes it hard to sleep. But the worrisome thing is that when people mention this place called "school", I start to feel dizzy and nauseous at the same time.
What's up with that?
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Well, that's it. The first chapter. Tell me what you guys and gals think of this. In case you're wondering what Paint Spatter looks like, this is her-
