A change of worlds

“Rumble when I catch you, you’re in for it!” Sitrep.

“What do you want?!” Good news, I found Rumble, and now had the whole of break to kill him.

“Your blood!” Bad news, he’s fast.

“Just leave me alone! I’m sorry!” Really fast, I can barely keep up with him.

“No you’re not! But I’ll make you sorry!” When I say ‘barely’ I of course mean, I can’t get anywhere near him.

“Where is Miss Cheerilee!? Somepony go get her!”

“Rumble not even the princess could save you now!” I may not be quick as him, but on the other hand, hoof? He was getting tired and I wasn’t. He’ll have to stop eventually, and I’ll get him.

And so we ran, I kept chasing him, he kept running away. It will all be over soon.

10 minutes later

“Come out, come out where ever you are.” Rumble at some stage he had worked out what I had, he can’t run forever and instead ran for the forest to hide. “Rumble your futile attempts of prolonging your life are commendable, but of course, entirely useless.” I’ve been in this forest for 5 minutes now and haven’t been able to find him, I’m not even sure he is still here. I was thinking of giving up and heading back to the school house, maybe he sneaked out past me, as I turned to head back a leaf fell past my face, normally I would have just ignored it and walked on, but it was the rustle that accompanied it that pulled my eyes up. “Found you.” Rumble was hiding above me the whole time. “I didn’t know you could fly.” That shall make this all the more fun.

“What do you want from me?” Rumble called down to me, fear in his eyes.

“Oh I thought I already told you.” I answered back, a sinister grin started tugging at the corner of my lips.

“Hey everypony! Rumble and Thorn Row are playing Hide and Seek and Thorn Row is it!” Snapping my head around to face the disturbance, I found most of the class standing together, lead by Scootaloo. “RUN!” In an instant the whole group despised and found various hiding spots. But it did not matter the only thing that mattered was...

“Where the fuck did he go?!” Turning my attention back to Rumble I found he was missing. “Shit.” Casting my gaze to around me, I started to scan the area for Rumble, finding a few of the slower fouls still to find their hiding spot, as well as a few bushes were shaking, obviously fouls still trying to make sure they are hidden, but only one foul mattered and he was gone. “Let the hunt continue.” I declared to myself.

Moving over to one of the bushes that was still moving, I pushed some of the branches away and peered inside to find a filly staring back, a white coat with purple and pink mane, Sweetie Belle.

“Aww, you found me.” Yeah you weren’t very well hidden.

“Sweetie Belle I’m not playing Hide and Seek.” I dead deadpanned, Not with them anyway.

“Oh, we thought you and Rumble were playing.”

“No we were not. I just need to find him, have you seen him?”

As Sweetie Belle climbed out the bush, once again with a few leaves and branches in her mane and tail, she doesn’t stay clean long does she?

“Yes he went that way,” As she started to lift a hoof to point where Rumble had went, I could feel a wave of excitement wash over me, this would be over soon. “Wait.” She said dropping her hoof to the floor before she could point in any direction. “You can’t do that, it’s cheating.”

“Sweetie Belle I’m not playing, just tell me!” I shouted a little too aggressively, I could tell by the fact Sweetie Belle cowered away a bit, now I feel bad, again. “I’m sorry, I just...” Lifting a hoof to face-palm, face-hoof whatever! “Look I swear I’m not playing.”

Sweetie Belle seemed to relax again. “No, you’re going to have to find everyone yourself.” She said with a stern shack of her head.

“God dammit Nappa.” Ha references.

“What’s a Nappa.” This is going to be a long hunt.

15 minutes later

“Looks like that’s everypony,” More good news, I found everyone. “Well, now what?”

“How about Tag?!” A filly shouted, jumping from the crowd of foals that had gathered on the edge of the school field, most of the group sounded their approval of the idea but a few said something against the idea, but they went unheard.

“So who’s it?” The same filly asked, who I now recognized, Berry Pinch.

Scootaloo scratched her chin in thought. When did she become the game master for this play ground?

“I know!” She shouted, getting the attention of all of us. “Thorn Row is it!” What!? “Run!” Before I could even register what was happening there was a large cloud of dust as all the filly’s and colts scattered all over.

“Dammit Scootaloo you only chose me cause you know I can’t run!”

“Yep!” Fuck.

10 minutes later

I lay dead in the middle of a grass field, I had no idea where this field was, but I knew I was dead. A white figure formed in front of me, I could not make out any features of the figure but there was a heavenly glow behind it, until a pair of wing spurted out from is sides. It’s this an angel? “Is this heaven?” I asked struggling to lift my head.

The figure moved closer to me and slowly lifted an appendage towards me. I shot up to a standing pose and quickly jabbed it with a hoof before jumping around a running as fast as I could. “You’re it!” I shouted back over my shoulder to the filly silly enough to walk right up to the pony that was it, Cotton Cloudy I think.

“What? That’s no fair!” She shouted back and started chasing after me who was, of course, laughing hysterically. I knew I wouldn’t be able to out run her, but I didn’t care in the slightest, I was having too much fun.

“Okay everypony, time for class!” Cheerilee shouted from the doorway of the school.

“Cotton Cloudy loses!” I heard a few ponies call out from all over the field.

“But Thorn Row cheated.” Cotton Cloudy protested, as all the foals started toward the school building.

“Hey it’s not cheating it just tactics,” I defended. “Tactics you fell for.” A few foal ran up to us to talk about what had happened to them during the game of Tag, where they hid, close encounters, and while I had not spent all the time as ‘it’ I did spent most time as ‘it’ out of everyone else.

“Ye’ Thorn you’re pretty slow, why?” A voice asked from behind me, I had no need to look to see how it was I knew already.

“Scootaloo, haven't seen you fly yet, why?” BOOM! Harsh, but it worked, and thus she fell silent, good thing to as our small group passed by Cheerilee and in to the... Class room...

*Slam*

From behind me I could hear the door shut, I spun around to face the only exit, that was now blocked off. There was no escape.

“Is something wrong?” Yes! Good god yes! How could I be so stupid!? Why did I just walk straight back in to class, I was meant to be long gone. “Dear?”

“Uh-huh,” I mumbled out automatically before I noticed what the question was, eventually I managed to get my body to respond again. “Oh yeah I’m fine.”

“Okay go and take your seat then.” She smiled at me before walking away to the black board, which had a lot on new stuff written on it, don’t ask what is was I never looked at it properly and I’m only assuming it’s new cause Cheerilee was erasing the board last I saw.

Turning to face the class and move toward my seat, I noticed Rumble was missing and somebody, ah fuck, somepony else was sat there instead, looking over the class I found Rumble sitting right at the front of the class. As I walked past him a give him a sinister grin, just to fuck with him, turning my attention back to my seat, I took a better look at who would sat next to me, I recognized her immediately, it was Dinky. What was she doing in Rumble’s seat? In fact this was the most I have seen of her all day, was she even playing with us? I thought most of the class was. As I took my seat I turned to her.

“Hi.” I’m going to be nice to Dinky. I like Dinky.

“Hello.” She barely looked at me, but she sounded kind of sad.

“You alright?” She looked at me properly this time, her eyes had just the slightest red in them and her cheeks were wet, she had been crying. Who the fuck made her cry? She sniffled and brought a hoof to wipe her eye and gave me a weak nod. I was going to press further but Cheerilee had other plans.

“Right class,” She was standing next to a large pile of books. “Miss Twilight was nice enough to let us use these book please don’t damage them. Can somepony pass these out please?” Cheerilee walked away from them as a few different colored auras surrounded them and floated them to all the desks in class, I need to find out how to do that. “And open them to page 117.”

Several day later

God dam how long can a history lesson take? It feels like we’ve been here for ages! And looking around the class room would seem to agree most of the foals were struggling to keep their attention towards the front of the class, I gave up at the start of class and just started reading from the beginning of the book some of it was really interesting, well as interesting as pony history can be.

The gryphons for example, at the beginning of Equestria a peace treaty was signed to ensure that they would not invade during the first few decades so Equestria could build up so long as the gryphons could trade later, which started a war between the two countries when Equestria refused to trade some rare diamond, or something.

“Right class that’s is all for today,” There was a group sigh of relief as many of the class dropped their books on their desk and started to pack their stuff in to their bags. “Thorn Row may I speak to you after class.”

“Oh come on. I didn’t do anything,” Wait I know exactly where this is going, some shit about that's exactly it, I didn’t do anything. “Except study.” Saved myself there.

“Oh you’re not in trouble.” Say that first woman! Why is it always women that do that? If you’re going out with one they randomly walk up to one day and say ‘We need to talk.’ Then you brain goes straight to ‘Oh shit she’s breaking up with me.’ Women if you’re reading this, I have one thing to say to you.

DON’T DO THAT!!!

As the class funneled out of the building away to spend the rest of their day doing whatever kids do without Xbox, I can’t remember, what did we do? We didn’t spend all day playing Hide and Seek, did we? The class was once again empty of all ponies except me and Cheerilee.

“What did you want?” I was genuinely curious, what did she want? Do I need an adult again?

“Oh it was just to ask you how your first day was.” Cheerilee was behind her desk again looking over some notes, or something.

“Well the morning I slept through that, and then I shouted a Rumble and scared him enough to move seats.”

“Oh Rumble was asked to move seats by me.” Aww I thought I was getting to him.

“Why? Or is it one of those things between just you two?”

“No I thought that Dinky would be able to get along with you, and maybe she could have a partner in group activities that doesn’t leave her doing all the work.” Oh but that’s how kids get through group stuff, team up with the smart kid then piss off to go play with their friends, or that’s how we use to do it, until high school where there were no smart kids.

“Oh ok.” Not like I’m hanging around much longer anyway. “This book, can I borrow it?” Could come in helpful.

“No sorry dear, they are from the library.”

“But isn’t the point of a library to borrow books from?”

“Yes, but if you want to borrow one you will have to go ask Miss Twilight at the library.” Bollocks to it then. “You must have enjoyed history then, every time I saw you, you had your nose in that book reading.”

“Um yeah, but I was reading about the treaty with the gryphons.”

“Why was that?”

“Well I really don’t know anything about Equestria, apart from the bad guys had a field day a thousand years ago.”

“Oh that’s bad, tell you what, talk to me after class next time and I'll discuss something with you. Also would you be kind enough help me gather all the books?” Cheerilee got out from behind her desk and started to gather the books and place them on her back.

“Um sure.” No idea how I’m going to do this, one at a time comes to mind. Getting off from my seat picking my book up in my mouth, looking over my shoulder to try and balance the book on my back, I couldn’t quite get it to balance right every time I lessened my grip on the book it would start to fall off until I caught it again, eventually I just gave up, looking back up a Cheerilee she had three books on her back and one in her mouth, how does she balance three books on her back? She moved back to the front of the class and placed the book in her mouth on the floor then started to place the ones on her back on top, forming a pile. Knowing that I wasn’t going to be doing more than one at a time, ether by the fact that I couldn’t balance them on my back or that I needed to jump up to reach the desks and it wouldn’t be possible to keep the books on my back doing that, I walked down and placed mine on the pile.

After a few minutes of this, me and Cheerilee had all the books at the front of the classroom.

“How are you getting these back to the library?” It was a good question.

“Miss Twilight is coming around to collect them.” Fair enough.

“Well if that’s all you need I’m going to go. Bye.” I gave a quick wave to Cheerilee before I left.

“I’ll see you in two days.” Wait, what?

“Why two days?”

“It’s the weekend.” She said raising an eyebrow. “You didn’t know.”

“Oh I never noticed.” SWEET! That’s great news I now can have my party tomorrow then get the day after to sleep off the hangover. “Well, see you then.” I walked out the door to go walk about Ponyville a bit I suppose, it was why I was here at all.

“Hey Thorn Row!” Looking around I saw a group of foals all standing around in a group. “You want to play Hide and Seek again!?” It was Scootaloo shouting for me. You know Ponyville can wait.

“Fuck yeah!”