High School is Annoyingby GraniteChaptersA New School And A New HatPrincipals OfficeBugging OutMore Mystery MeatKno Wut I'm Sayin'?The Old Mobster and the Homeless MareA New School And A New HatScootaloo walked down the road very very slowly. She really didn't want to go to school. She heard the rumors about High School. She wan't exactly the most popular filly, which meant that she would be labeled as soon as she walked in. She was, in most ponies opinion, somepony to avoid. Nopony really messed with her since Diamond Tiara and her little lackey moved to Manehattan to attend that prissy private school. She was, nevertheless very nervous. This was a whole new game, with ponies she never met. Sunburst High was a pubilc school, so she didn't have any trouble messing with the system. "At least Applebloom and Sweetie Bell are gonna be there" Her group of friends had stuck together somehow after all these years. Even after the Cutie Mark Crusaders disbanded. She smiled. That little club of theirs was one of the only things that could make her do that. They were close enough to be family. Her only family considering that damned house fire that claimed her parents when she was only two years old. She had fended for herself when she outgrew the foster homes. The cutoff was seven, which was screwed up in every way possible. Now she was fifteen, alone and couldn't give a buck about anything even if she had one to give. If it hadn't been for her friends, she probably would've starved to death before she hit eight. Luckily Applebloom's family specialized in delicious food and Sweetie Bell could provide her with outfits, because clothes were more mainstream nowadays. She always wore the same black leather jacket, paired with a rough hairdo and one of the hardcore band t-shirts. She was the scary student that everypony thinks has some sort of unholy habit and cooked and ate cats or had a swimming pool full of piranhas. This wasn't true of course, although she did have a serrated combat knife stashed away inside her jacket. She kept on walking at a procrastination-to-the-extreme pace until she was a few feet from the school gates. Nopony was here. Maybe because school didn't start for a few hours. She knew this, and picked a shady tree to sit under, even tough the sun wasn't even up yet. She dug her hoof into her pocket and pulled out a just-illegal-enough amount of cider. She glanced at her watch, which was fashioned out of obsidian shards, courtesy of Rarity. 4:12. Good. With luck, she could be drunk and expelled before the first bell even rang. ********** Sweetie Bell rampaged though her closet. So much pressure. Everything rode on her appearance today. Everything. She had to look absolutely beautiful in every way. Or at least that's what Rarity had said, and she did overly-well in high school. Now she was telling Sweetie Bell how do make her "grand debut", as she so elegantly put it. Sweetie Bell mocked her sister's voice. "Now you must make sure your makeup is absolutely flawless, make sure to curl your eyelashes just right. Don't forget to wear that diamond necklace dear. Oh and while your at it you should defiantly tattoo the words open trench right above your...." She stopped herself. Bad language was not needed, she agreed with her sister on that one. She rummaged through her over-sized wardrobe until she stumbled upon what she was looking for. It was a white jacket embedded with several small pearls. Just a few, rather invaluable gems, at least compared to what else she had. She preferred a little less flash. She didn't want to be popular or beautiful. She wanted to be herself. Since clothes had become a bigger market, her sister never failed to provide her with the best she could, which was really good, she had to admit. But she always wore what she liked, not what others liked. She slipped on the jacket and put the matching pearl necklace on. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Well the necklace does work with this outfit. I could've dubbed down on the makeup a bit. Ah well too late now." She eyed the clock. 5:03. School seemed to start earlier each year, which was really starting to get annoying. She took a few minutes to curl her mane and then headed downstairs, bracing herself for her sister to "constructively criticize" her outfit. ********** Applebloom just woke up and already she was being disruptive. Granny Smith woke as she walked downstairs. She said something about fish, laughed a bit, and fell back asleep in her rocking chair. Applebloom looked at her deeply and kissed her green forehead. Granny was getting even older, and senile, which didn't prove useful towards their family structure. Applejack was in the kitchen with Big Mac, who was actually talking about something. She walked in and plopped down in a chair. She was still in her nightgown. No biggy it was only 5:35. Applejack stared to relentlessly smother her with stuff that Applebloom was too tired to listen to. Her southern accent was as prominent as ever. "Aww jezz ah remember when ah was in your position. Ah think ah was almost as tired too. Well now don't ya worry none, Applebloom everthang will be just fine. What fillies an' colts say nowadays about all this school rough housin' is a bunch a hooey." Big Mac saved her. His accent was a little more suppressed. "Applejack please all ya gonna do is make her more nervous. Plus you get real annoyin' when you ramble on like that." Applebloom smiled at them both. Her accent was equal to her brother's. Lighter. "Huh...yeah well ah shouldn't be all that worried now. Besides its a whole new start right?" She didn't wait for a response. She was super nervous and she could tell that her siblings knew. Her poker face was awful. She turned to walk back upstairs, but her sister called after. "Wait a sec Applebloom." She turned around and faced her sister. "Ah...uhh...well since it's your first day of high school and all." She moves to the hall closet and pulls out a box. It was labeled "Stetson." She removed the lid and pulled out a hat, like her own except a bit nicer and embedded with some turquoise. Then she held it out to Applebloom, who took it gingerly. AJ spoke. "Ah think you should have it. For...good luck and whatnot." It was a meaningful gift for a western pony. One did not simply get a hat. Especially a Stetson, which was worth an good amount of bits being that it was completely antique. You don't say anything when a cowpony gives you a hat. You just take it. Applebloom held fast with tradition. She went upstairs and quickly got dressed. She threw on her white undershirt and red and white plaid button-up over it. She ties her mane in one, long braid. She looked in her mirror and slowly placed her new hat on her head. Stereotypical cowgirl. Just the way she liked it. She walked back downstairs and smiled at her brother and sister, glanced at her granny, a bit concerned and left to meet her friends at school. ********** They met at the tree where Scootaloo had gotten really drunk, barfed a few times and sobered up a few minutes ago. Sweetie Bell was there before Applebloom and grimaced slightly at her disheveled friend. She highly disproved of the pegasus' rather destructive lifestyle. It wasn't like she could really say anything though. Given Scootaloo's absolute lack of money and pretty much everything else, there was no valid argument. If school wasn't government funded, she would've dropped out nearly a year after they first met. They stood there in relative quiet until Applebloom showed up, grinning wide at her new head-wear. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo spoke in rapid burst of choppy sentences. "Woah dude....NICE hat!" "Well did your sister finally give you one?" Applebloom smiled big at them. She was glad her friends understood how big of a deal this was to her. "Aww thanks gurls. But enough 'bout this. Whatcha got on your classes?" She pulled her folded schedule from her shirt pocket. Sweetie Bell pulled her's out and stole Scootaloo's and Applebloom's and set them on the ground. "Ok lets see here. Nothing for homeroom. you guys have second period Geometry, while I have Zoology. Third period I have Chorus, Applebloom has Physics and Scootaloo has Art. We all have fourth period lunch!" They stopped and giggled joyfully. "Umm next I have Algebra, and a you guys have English. Then I have English, Applebloom has Gym and Scootaloo has Chemistry. Seventh we all have History." "Ok so that means you two see each other after homeroom. We are all on our own for third. Then we'll meet up for lunch. You guys see each other for fifth again. Alone for sixth and back again for seventh. I think this was less than I expected. I get less time with you guys." Scootaloo seemed content. "I'm happy with it. I was kinda hoping I would get math with one of you. Now I don't actually have to do work." Just then somepony called to them across the courtyard. A pony walked towards them with a pinkish coat and a elegant white dress with gold lace. She wore a small tiara on her head. She was soon followed by her grey tag-around with the braid, who wore a expensive looking navy overcoat that tied around her waist, kinda like Sweetie Bell's except better. "Well well look what the cockatrice dragged in. It's good to see that you still are so lame." Scootaloo couldn't believe it. Neither could the other two. That bitch was supposed to be at private school. "Oh buck not her!" Scootaloo cursed. Diamond Tiara walked briskfully towards them. She eyed Sweetie Bell, "Oh I love how you just wear anything. Really though your sister is a prime fashion couture and you still hang around these freaks. You could've at least asked for a better outfit." Scootaloo had enough of her way before this. In split second, she got up, spun around, grabbed Diamond and pinned her against the tree. Scootaloo drew her hidden knife and held it less than an inch from her throat. Sliver Spoon gasped along with the other two. Scootaloo's voice dripped with menace. "Look her you little prick! I had enough of you back in grade school. Now since you decided to show your face again I can carve it like a hearthswarming ever dinner. You get how that works?!" Diamond held the orange pegasus' stare. "Oh trust me, you won't. Not when daddy can take everything you still have after your families little accident. You actually think I'm sacred of you? You technically don't even exist as far as the government is concerned. So if something were to happen to me, nopony would give a damn if you followed suit." Scootaloo would've gutted her right there. But she didn't. Instead she let go, fell back to the ground and stared to cry. Diamond smirked and walked off to her homerooom without a backwards glance. Silver Spoon did a quick double take and followed her master. The bell rang, but the three friends didn't move. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell sat next to the depressed Scootaloo and comforted her. Principals OfficePrincipal Shepard was putting the finishing touches on his office. He had a few diplomas hanging about, his name plate was laced with platinum. He had a large desk with a stack of office papers that needed to be copied. His secretary had just ran the morning schedule. He was a generally neat stallion, with his graying mane and deep blue coat. He always wore a classic tie and semi-formal shirt. His cutie mark was a rolled up scroll. He filling up his morning coffee when his secretary show him the security footage of an orange pegasus who had pulled a knife on the new transfer student from Manehattan. Great. Not even a hour into the school-year and he already had life threats. Now he was sitting in his big official-looking chair waiting for the student to be called in. She trotted in and she did not look happy. He had her file in hoof, but he hadn't read it yet. Instead he sat there silently eyeing her. She sat in the chair opposite. School had started only nine minutes ago and she already had that "I could give a buck less" aura swarming her. Her purple mane was a bit messed up, he avoided asking why. He spoke in a accusing tone. "Well, miss Scootaloo I have to admit you shattered the record for quickest appointment change. I'm sure you know that violence is not tolerated. Let me start by saying that....." She interrupted him. "Look you can just stop right there, If your gonna threaten me with expulsion then don't waste your breath. I don't care what you say. My friends and I had enough of that one back in elementary school. She is totally rude. She probably would've been long gone by now if her dad didn't have his hoof in Equestria's bank account. So yeah I think, for what she said to be a knife threat was needed." She waited for him to send her out and label her with detention or something stupid like that. Instead he just looked at her with a curious expression. He asked a question she never expected. "What did she say to you?" She hesitated a bit and then told him. If anypony ever asked...well nopony did ask. So she felt like he might understand. "Well, it's...my entire life that got in the way. I'm an orphan. Been one for as long as I remember. Lived in the foster homes until they booted me out at, like seven. Now I live in an alleyway that I can still barely afford. My friends provide for me most of the time. Diamond bullied us since grade school. Then she moved to Manehattan and we were doing okay. Now she is back and makes fun of the two ponies who actually care about me and have helped me through everything. So I used the knife then she brought up my past and I cried. Nuff said. Now are you gonna bash me with detention or can I go?" He looked at her for a moment. When he spoke he did so in absolute monotone. "No I won't. The way I see it, eveypony gets one. This is yours. You can go back to class." He started shuffling papers as a sign to take it or leave it. Scootaloo took it. She stood and trotted out of the office. She didn't know what to think. Usually principal's pegged her with immediate dislike. Principal Shepard hadn't. Yet. She walked through the admin building with most of the assistants and parents looking at her cautiously. She knew what they were thinking and didn't give a second glance. Bugging OutAn hour after her friends morning episode, Sweetie Bell was sitting in her desk rapidly jotting down her zoology teacher's guidelines and requirements. She seemed to be the only student that actually cared. Most of the class was either sleeping or talking. Whatever. Sweetie Bell was a good student. With a grade point average of 3.8 she was arguably one of the best. No cider or poison joke for her. Ever. Eventually the student's got unruly and her teacher was apparently too tired to deal with it, so she just stopped and let the class have their time. Only ten minutes and teachers were already giving in. Sweetie Bell spent a few more minutes making extra notes, then she closed her notebook and looked around the class. She didn't see anypony she knew so she put her head down on the desk and shut out the jabbering class. Why was it that her two friends had barely any classes with her? She didn't think that was really fair. That left her alone for most of the day and she didn't like that. She starting thinking of ways to get by unnoticed when a weird smell like wet dirt filled her nose. She looked up and was staring right at a old looking snail. She squealed and jumped out of her seat. Ponies laughed at her. The teacher was reading a book and lifted one eyebrow in surprise, but she seemed to disregard the prank. She looked at the slimy mollusk and moved here eyes around the class. Of course Silver Spoon was giggling in the corner. Figures. No way Sweetie Bell could get off that easily. She sighed and tried to pick up the creature with her hooves. She touched it and didn't like it. She ended up using magic to take the snail outside. She set it down gently in a patch of wet grass because that's where snails were supposed to be. She then trotted back inside only to find yet another creepy crawly on her desk, this time a hairy tarantula, More giggling from her tormentor. She briefly though about flinging the new nuisance across the class into Silver Spoon's braided mane and pushed the thought out of her head. She was already fed up with the class. She was gonna have to take this highly venemous spider to...where? Snails were fine on campus but where the hay could she put this thing? She sure didn't want to pick it up. She was lost. Silver Spoon was laughing uncontrollably now. Apparently her expression was priceless. Sweetie Bell reluctantly reached out to the spider. But before she could pick it up another hoof was on the desk. She looked up at the newcomer. He was a pegasus stallion with a brown coat with a grey and black stripped mane. His snout had a few white freckles. He wore a white shirt with a unbuttoned black button up with a collar as a over-shirt. His deep emerald green eyes avoided Sweetie Bell's kinda awkwardly, and they were nearly the same color as her own. The spider crawled almost nonchalantly onto his hoof. He must have been either handsome or popular from the way Silver Spoon had suddenly shut up and was staring daggers at Sweetie Bell. He didn't say anything but he did take the creature with him as he walked to the back door. As he passed Silver Spoon he looked at the grey mare rather deviously and brushed the spider pass. She flipped out and moved away from him. He chuckled and muttered something that Sweetie Bell didn't catch. Whatever he said made Silver Spoon even more mad. Then he moved to the door, opened it and let the arachnid crawl off to wherever he came from. The stallion promptly went back to his desk and opened up a sketchpad. Everypony was looking at him including Silver Spoon. Sweetie Bell didn't know this guy, but he still helped her out. Maybe she did have a friend in the class after all. Silver Spoon was looking at him for exactly eleven minutes before she grew tried of him not cracking under the pressure, He seemed to know he was being watched and didn't seem to care. The precise timing set Sweetie Bell of a little. Eleven minutes. Was ten not good enough? She would've broken after one. But he didn't seem to notice either of the mares. He just worked busily on his sketches. Sweetie Bell eventually trotted over to his desk and sat in the one next to him. She occasionally looked over to his book to see what he was drawing and possibly find something to talk about. His sketches were hard to make out from her viewpoint and one of his hooves was in the way. She turned away for a few seconds and then he spoke to her. His voice was not as deep as most stallions, but she figured it suited him well. "Did you need something else?" She didn't really like where that was going. She ignored the question. Instead she tried to take his interest. "I just wanted to see what you were drawing." He looked at her and then moved his hoof so she could see. "It's a anatomical sketch of a Wyvern showing a complete skeletal reconstruction along with a living version. I put in a few enlarged features like tooth structure, wing membrane and tail thagomizer. " He pointed to some smaller sketches on the same page, detailing the special qualities. Sweetie Bell was lost. He expected that and simplified it. "Its a endangered reptile. Like a dragon, except much more primitive." Now she seemed at least back on track. "I think I know what that is." She looks the drawings over again. The reptile was in a running with its bat-like wings in the up position, like it was flapping. It didn't have front legs like a dragon did. It's mouth was open, with needles of teeth and a barbed tongue perched on a slim neck and head. It seemed to be reaching for a strawberry fruit bat. It had a crest of feathers on its neck and running down its back, the tail ending in a spiky mace. In the left corner was a smaller, skeletal version in the same position. She looks back at him, realizing he was staring at her. "Um...well I do now anyways." To her relief he chuckled. "Right. Well it's a zoology class. Might as well start of learning a new animal. But maybe we should switch topics. Probably best for both of us. How about something else? I'd guess that Silver Spoon gives you trouble huh?" Sweetie Bell was going to answer but right then Silver Spoon marched over to them. She must have been listening in on them. She cut in the middle of the conversation and starting raging on him. Her voice was like ice needles. Cold and sharp. "Okay look here Granite I don't know why you decided to show up here but you better not get in the way of Diamond and I. You are really gonna get it from Diamond's dad if you don't!" He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut in. "And another thing! If you want to get along with anypony at all you should stay away from this one!" She jabbed her hoof at Sweetie Bell and continued. "Her and her little friends are the lowest of the low as long as we have a say and that won't change, Understand?" She turns to walk away when the stallion, who's name was apparently Granite, shot back at her with a very calm, collected voice. "Well who says it won't change." He also pointed at Sweetie Bell. "I think she's kinda nice. I haven't met her friends but I don't think they can be as bad as you say. Diamond Tiara might have some pull around here, sure. Doesn't mean I have to care and doesn't mean you two are the only ponies who do." He rested his head on his hoof. "I'd say that maybe this is the year things change. But what do I know?" Silver Spoon was about to say something but was interrupted by the bell. Granite swung his saddlebag onto his back and tipped his fedora in Silver's direction in a taunting gesture and walked out leaving Silver Spoon and Sweetie Bell alone. Silver stood fuming mad and didn't even look at Sweetie Bell. Sweetie Bell quickly grabbed her own bag and hurried out. She wanted to catch up to Granite. Nopony ever spoke to either of the devious duo like that before that she knew of. Nopony except him. She felt like her friends might just be willing to meet this guy. She trotted faster until she found him among the mass of students. He was standing at his locker pulling out more pencils. She slowed her pace and walked up to him. He didn't notice her until he turned his head. He didn't seem surprised. " Sorry about all that. Didn't mean to put you on the spot." Sweetie Bell didn't care at all. "No it's fine. I....Well the thing is I've never actually seen anypony counter her before. Do you know her from somewhere?" He closed his locker and put the pencils in his bag. "Barely. I know she can be a brat and she used to go to Moonridge Middle School in Manehattan along with her friend. I went there too if that counts as knowing them." He zips up his bag, and his voice seemed to be strictly apathetic. "I'm not the private school type. Their uniforms are all too...well... uniform. And I was putting a dent in my family bank account. On the other hoof Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon must have left because their pull wasn't as strong. Over there almost everypony was in the upper class, except for me, which is why they picked on me. I guess I was in the same boat as you and whoever else she was harping on. The difference being they didn't irritate me, which in turn made them irritated. Bullies don't like not having a reaction. No big deal for me." He turned to go to his next class. "You however wanna have me around right? Give you some extra backbone with them?" Sweetie Bell did, but she didn't want him to actually know that. She replied weakly. "Well yeah I guess. TBH My friends and I really don't like them probably as much as you don't." His tone stayed where it was. "Okay well first off don't use text lingo." She blinked, looking confused. He saw that. "It's just something I can't stand." She nodded in understanding and he continued. "Secondly you should tell your pegasus friend to hide that knife better." She was starting to get a little freaked out by his extensive knowledge to her situation. He noticed. "No I'm not a creeper, that was all over PonyHoof. Social media is a perfect way for Diamond to get a head start on you." He holds up a phone to put emphasis on his statement. He started to walk away. Sweetie Bell snapped up. "Hey!" He stopped and turned his head. "If you want we can talk at lunch. Do you have fourth?" His face remained expressionless for a bit more and then he smiled. "Sure I'll look for you." With that he left. Sweetie Bell smiled too. She met somepony new on the first day. Not a bad start. More Mystery MeatIt seemed to take forever for lunch to roll around. Applebloom was getting insanely bored. Her physics work was sitting on her desk completed. She hated physics, but Big Mac insisted the school to put her in classes that would challenge her. He liked to say he had "been around the block a few times." That was mostly because he was too bucking drunk to find the house. She sighed out loud. She knew her family only wanted the best for her. And she wanted to help them too, but sometimes that seemed to put more on her then she wanted. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it either, she was a 2.9 GPA. That was good for the classes she was in, but if she wasn't placed in the higher ups, she would've gotten a better grade, because it would be easier. At least that was her theory. Her phone buzzed again. She sneaked a peek at the text and ignored it. Sweetie Bell had been texting her for the past twenty minutes. Applebloom didn't want her phone taken away, especially since she didn't have anypony to pick it up after school, or money to buy a new one. Applejack could, but she wouldn't be happy about it, and it was an experience to avoid. Whatever Sweetie Bell was hyping she wouldn't drop it. Her phone buzzed again, and Applebloom looked at the text angrily. She typed back in all caps telling her to stop. To Applebloom's surprise she did, and it was only a few minutes before Applebloom had somepony asking her for help. Snips was sitting next to her, prodding for answers, and Applebloom complied. Back in grade school Snips and Snails were two that you really tried to ignore. Since then that had changed for the better. Snips had taken up a part time job at the barber shop, and Snails had some future with fancy cuisine, which apparently called for mollusks sometimes. They're physical appearances had evened out too. They were still geeks, but they weren't nerds. There was a huge difference there that few ponies cared to acknowledge. Applebloom had played enough video games to understand it. She even had a few matches against them in Call of Cutie. She usually lost, but not horribly. That was okay, the two boys spent much more time on that than she did, and their skills reflected it. Once she started offering help time went by faster, and soon the bell rang for lunch. She gathered her things and made her was outside the science buildings. The cafeteria at Sunburst High wasn't nearly big enough to house every student. Applebloom noticed that ponies were setting up on the grass and all around campus. It seemed whoever didn't fit in the cafeteria sat outside. Or weren't cool enough for an indoor table. She was fine with that. It was a nice day, perfect temperature. She stood around for a bit, realizing her friends didn't make a place to met. Her phone rang, with a text from Scootaloo. She checked her phone. "At the line, meet me in 5" Applebloom smirked. Scootaloo's text tended to be short and to the point. Her punk friend often said she didn't like texting, saying something about being to mainstream. It was mainstream, that's why it worked. But neither Applebloom nor Sweetie Bell argued the point, because was a good one. Applebloom made her way to the line, where Scootaloo was waiting with Sweetie Bell and some other guy. Applebloom didn't recognize the stallion, but he seemed to know Sweetie Bell to an extent. Scootaloo gave him a brohoof, which usually meant she didn't have any intention on stabbing you. That was a good sign. She noted that he seemed to be the exact opposite to Big Mac, who was the first stallion she compared others to. Her brother was a bigger guy, while this one was visibly smaller, although he wasn't nearly scrawny. She got to the group, looking the stallion over. "Who are you now?" Scootaloo half smiled. "Apparently the newest addition to our little group of misfits. Says he hates Diamond as much as we do" Granite smiled at Applebloom "Scootaloo has a lot of hate. Not really sure if I can compare. But I have had my bouts with them. My names Granite." Applebloom raised an eyebrow "Granite? Don't suppose the name goes with a destiny huh?" He replied "Actually it does. Archaeology. The study of fossils, history and extinct life, hence the claw cutie mark" The lunch line moved forward a little. Granite edged forward, almost too close to the gabby mares in front of him. They looked back at him but didn't say anything. Sweetie Belle spoke up "He's also good at drawing too." He turned around. "I dabble. Just to keep my mind busy." He tapped his head. "I like to keep my brain active. Keeps me on edge." Applebloom was behind all her friends in line. "On edge for what? Teasing n' whatnot? He shrugged. "I guess. I've heard all the nicknames. But it hardly effects me anymore. I've gotten used to it." Scootaloo growled. "That must suck." Again Granite seemed rather apathetic. "In a way it works out better like that." A few minutes later they reached the front of the line. Granite just got a bottle of grape juice. Applebloom and Scootaloo got a haphazard mixture of crappy food. Sweetie Belle was smart enough to bring a lunch from home. Cafeteria food was always rather tasteless. But at least this food was distinguishable as food. They had they're share fair of mystery meat. A running joke last year was that the middle school meat was chopped Zebra flank. Of course this wasn't true. School lunches had to meet a certain heath standard, although that standard was shamefully low, it at least ensured that cannibalism was out of the question. After they got their food, they left the line to find a place outside to sit. A passing stallion bumped Granite hard, spilling his juice onto his white shirt. Scootaloo made a lunge for him, but he was already out of reach. They didn't even get a good look at him. All they noticed was a charcoal grey coat before the lunch line crowd swallowed him up. Even though his shirt was ruined, Granite seemed largely unfazed. He just wrung it out like a towel. Sweetie Belle voiced what Granite was probably thinking. "What the hell was that?!" He sighed. "Just some douche bag. Who really cares? Just a shirt. It was like six bucks. Now lets go find a place to sit before somepony makes a rash decision." Scootaloo clenched her teeth. "Bet I'll end up cutting him open anyways." ***** They left and found a place on the grass. Lunch today wasn't very social for the group. Granite kinda dosed off. He was laying in the grass with his eyes closed. He buttoned up his shirt to hide the juice stain. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom started a conversation about how they're sisters, now in their late twenties, hadn't had any romantic relationships, which was a hot button topic between the two lately. Scootaloo hated this particular talk, so she spiked her drink with a small amount of liquor and just phased out. The campus was teeming with students. The cafeteria building itself only housed about a hundred, out of the thousand or so ponies in attendance. There were two lunch periods, so about five hundred students at lunch per period. The higher ups on the social scales always got the seats indoors, so outside was home to literally every other group. To be fair, each of the group of misfits could have made their way into another group easily. Scootaloo could defiantly fit in with the goths. Applebloom could find a western group, or maybe even squeeze her way in with the geeks. Sweetie Belle could probably even get in good with the popular mares. But they didn't. They couldn't. The girls were practically sisters, and sisters were never alike. So they stayed a group of misfits. They liked it. The bell rang and the students reluctantly started to get moving. Granite's eyes snapped open half startled. Scootaloo pulled a pair of sunglasses from her saddlebag and put them on, effectively hiding her still tipsy expression. They parted with quick goodbyes. Scootaloo walked in Appleblooms direction. They both had English together. She watched Sweetie Belle and Granite walk towards the math and science wing. She also watched that charcoal grey stallion trail them. Kno Wut I'm Sayin'?Sweetie Belle walked with Granite from the east side of campus, where the math and science buildings were. Sweetie Belle didn't have the same class as him. As far as math went, Sweetie Belle was considerably gifted, although she didn't like it. But that didn't stop her parents from putting her in advanced math classes. Super advanced. Sweetie Belle had some family pressures lately. Since her parents were the thrifty type, the pressure on Sweetie to turn out like her big shot upper class sister was immense, so her family enrolled her in better classes to try and boost the likelihood of having another successful kid. It didn't make them bad parents, if anything it was the right thing to do, but it was just so hard on her sometimes. Class was boring. The first day was all just requirements and syllabus stuff. This math class required some pretty nifty stuff though. Graphing calculators, graph paper, it's own binder. Why did math have to be so expensive? Walking out of that class, she was pretty burnt, but across the way she noticed Granite and another stallion. It looked like the stallion was giving him a hard time about something because he was awful close to him, pushing him around. She walked up behind the two, but Granite caught her and shot her a glance to stay there, she could still hear the conversation though. Wasn't much talking though. Mostly empty death threats. The stallion was one of those swaggy types. Full nine yards, and just his voice got on her nerves, although some girls went for that, which was stupid to her. She held herself higher than that. This guy wore a over-sized snap-back hat with really big shirt with a rather offensive picture of a sensual mare on it along with some horribly baggy pants, showing more boxer shorts than necessary. Most notably he had a massive gold chain around his neck with a double "B" back to back. He shoved him again. She noticed he had a charcoal grey coat, so he must have been the guy who bumped him at lunch. "So heard you was talkin' shit bout my gurl." Granite tried to keep walking forward. 'I wasn't. I don't even know who you're dating." Another rough shove. "Don't be like dat. Silver told me wut you said man. We gonna keep havin' problems then you gonna have more kno what I'm sayin?" "Silver Spoon? That I did not know. Well whatever it was I'm sure it wasn't intentional." Once again shoved back, this time spilling pencils on the ground, the other stallion was about to say something, but Sweetie Bell cut him off. "Hey! Quit doing that!" He looked from Granite to her, and she immediately regretted stepping in. "Oh so this bitch is your gurl then Granite? He was about to respond but it seemed Sweetie Belle was gonna take the reigns. 'I'm not a bitch and I'm not his girl. If anypony's a bitch it's your girlfriend and her half witted lies!" The stallion stared at her intently, and for a second she was afraid she was going to get hit. But a commanding voice from behind him prevented that. 'Mr Bling! I won't have you terrorizing my student's on my campus. Get to my office." When "Mr, Bling" didn't listen he was pulled by the ear towards an angry Principal Shepard and away from the two victims. Granite stood up with the spilled pencils. Sweetie Belle just looked at him. "Mr. Bling? Is that a street name or something?" "Nope. Real name is Bitchin' Bling. But adults have a hard time saying the whole name. Pretty sure "Double B" is his street name" She blinked confused. "So his parents are...?" "Probably in jail and stupid enough to name a kid something like that." There was a silence. Then she stared laughing, which made Granite laugh, and they laughed for a few minutes until they got a hold of themselves. They were already late to their next class, but they took their sweet time getting there, odds were the office would call down anyways. ***** Principal Shepard dragged Bitchin' Bling through a lobby full of indifferent staff members and straight to his own office. Second kid today causing problems. He instructed him to sit in the chair opposite his desk, which he did. Shepard sat in his own chair and stared him out. "Any particular reason for giving that student a hard time?" 'Yah man little punk was talking shit" Shepard sighed and swung his chair around to a file cabinet, pulling two files. He opened one. "According his file Granite doesn't seem like the rowdy type. No incident's in the past three years. Decent grades. Good kid by the looks of it." He opened the other one. "However you are quite the trouble maker. Suspended for sexual harassment, aggravated assault, racial profiling, drug possession, and yet somehow never prosecuted. That's interesting." He put his elbows on his desk and his muzzle in his hooves. "Look I'll be frank with you, I have a policy I follow. One free pass, no matter the student, one free chance to turn it around so you don't come back here. Do not mistake it for acceptance or apathy." He leaned back a little, and now spoke with a slightly mocking, technically-still-allowed-but-not-really attitude. "Come back in this office and we gonna have problems. Kno what I'm sayin?" With that he wrote a pass and sent the pissed stallion on his way, knowing full well problems were almost certain with that one. The Old Mobster and the Homeless MareScootaloo rested under a makeshift shade structure behind the bowling alley. School day was over, and she didn't really have anything else to do. Mr. Kingpin let her camp out there, even though it probably wasn't the best for business. It was dark enough back here where most ponies couldn't see or didn't bother. There wasn't much to look at anyways. A crappy canopy made of discarded metal piping and one of Rarity's old quilts that she totally stole. Underneath that was an old mattress with a older TV. One with antennas and junk so she could pick up the local channels. Other than that it was just her and her scooter gathering dust and rust. She started at it nostalgically for a little. Since she learned to fly she never took it out anymore. There wasn't really a need. But it helped her do many things back in the day, including get her cutie mark. Very late. But it still happened. It didn't even work anymore, but she could never bring herself to trash it. There was too many memories. Good ones, which she needed now more than ever given the circumstances. Her head snapped at the noise of the back door opening. The big, scruffy Manehatten stallion with the tan coat, the 5 o'clock shadow and the scratched up hooves of the typical hardworking Earth Pony that she knew a little more than most. Mr Kingpin was basically an partially annoying landlord to her that didn't charge her money for her stay. They were hardly friends, and they almost never talked. The deal was pretty much "Don't bug me I won't bug you." That was how it stayed. He normally let her know when the work day was over, which he was doing now. He spoke in the gruff accent typical to Manehatten ponies. "Shifts over. You can come in now if you wanna." She got up lazily, taking almost a full minute to sit up. He rarely invited her inside, but it was better than outside. She followed him to the ball counter, where he parked to polish the bowling balls before he left. She walked right by him and sat in a chair on the end of the lanes. She used to come here pretty often as a filly with her friends. She sat in the same chair every time. She stared up at the pulsing neon lights, halfway wishing she was high so this would've been more interesting. Then the stallion behind her spoke up. "Hey kid. Can I talk to you for a second?" She sighed annoyed "No." "You sure about that?" "Pretty sure" "Alright Guess you don't want the job then." Scootaloo suddenly sat up. "What was that?" The old stallion smiled small. "The job. One of my attendants walked out on me. Figure I'd at least give you a shot, since you piratically live here." She stood up and trotted over to the counter."That sounds like work." He turned to open the lock on the cash register. "Yeah. Kinda the point of job. But I don't expect something for nothing." He slammed a packaged roll of bits onto the till, pouring them out into the drawer. "You'd get your pay, which means you could get off my back porch." She spoke with a sassier tone now. "Why would I do that? I don't mind paying nothing for what I got now." He slammed the drawer closed. "Because I'm kicking you out." Her mood went from smug to worried in a heartbeat. "What?! You're just gonna throw me out there?! I thought we had a mutual understanding!" He put a hoof up, interrupting her. "I'm giving you the choice. You can start working for a paycheck or you can get the hell out. You walk outta here, that's on you." He walked around the counter to another door. He unlocked it and it swung open. She followed him into what appeared to be his office. He sat down and pushed some papers her way. "That way I don't get pegged as an insensitive old bastard." She sat down in a chair and looked at the papers. It was a pile of employment stuff. She looked back up at him. and he was putting a coat on. A pinstripe suit jacket that reminded her of the mob. Then she noticed a black and white picture in a frame. It was a group of stallions all wearing the striped suits standing next to a massive . "What's this?" He looked briefly at the picture. "Just me and some buddies from my younger years." She examined the picture, then looked back at Kingpin. "You were in the mob?" "Put it frankly yeah. I was young and stupid" "And rich by the looks of it. What happened?" He paused and sighed. "I grew up" She frowned. "That sucks" He raised his voice a little, getting a little irritated. "No it doesn't. I keep that picture to remind me of my bad choices. We weren't good boys as I'm sure was obvious. We broke the law. We hurt ponies." He sat in the chair on the other side of the desk. "You remind me of my younger self. Careless and stupid. It comes with youth. I'm not kicking you on the streets cause I don't wanna see you get in trouble. I'm hoping working here will give you some sort of self worth. So wadda say kid? She stared at the picture a little more. "What would I have to do." "Just show up after school. Be sober. Keep ponies happy. Manage the lanes. Isn't that hard." "How much do I get payed for this?" "Starting wage 15 bits an hour. That's more than most. Use it to rent a place." A long silence passes before she speaks up. "Fine." He smirks. "You start next week then. Now get out." She stood up and walked out of the office, out of the building and back to her little hideout. This wasn't exactly good news for her. She was strictly apathetic about her current living conditions, and she hated working, but she couldn't afford getting kicked out from the back. Kingpin knew there wasn't a choice for her, despite offering her the option to take it or lave it. But at least he was offering to help. At least she had something to tell her friends.
A New School And A New HatScootaloo walked down the road very very slowly. She really didn't want to go to school. She heard the rumors about High School. She wan't exactly the most popular filly, which meant that she would be labeled as soon as she walked in. She was, in most ponies opinion, somepony to avoid. Nopony really messed with her since Diamond Tiara and her little lackey moved to Manehattan to attend that prissy private school. She was, nevertheless very nervous. This was a whole new game, with ponies she never met. Sunburst High was a pubilc school, so she didn't have any trouble messing with the system. "At least Applebloom and Sweetie Bell are gonna be there" Her group of friends had stuck together somehow after all these years. Even after the Cutie Mark Crusaders disbanded. She smiled. That little club of theirs was one of the only things that could make her do that. They were close enough to be family. Her only family considering that damned house fire that claimed her parents when she was only two years old. She had fended for herself when she outgrew the foster homes. The cutoff was seven, which was screwed up in every way possible. Now she was fifteen, alone and couldn't give a buck about anything even if she had one to give. If it hadn't been for her friends, she probably would've starved to death before she hit eight. Luckily Applebloom's family specialized in delicious food and Sweetie Bell could provide her with outfits, because clothes were more mainstream nowadays. She always wore the same black leather jacket, paired with a rough hairdo and one of the hardcore band t-shirts. She was the scary student that everypony thinks has some sort of unholy habit and cooked and ate cats or had a swimming pool full of piranhas. This wasn't true of course, although she did have a serrated combat knife stashed away inside her jacket. She kept on walking at a procrastination-to-the-extreme pace until she was a few feet from the school gates. Nopony was here. Maybe because school didn't start for a few hours. She knew this, and picked a shady tree to sit under, even tough the sun wasn't even up yet. She dug her hoof into her pocket and pulled out a just-illegal-enough amount of cider. She glanced at her watch, which was fashioned out of obsidian shards, courtesy of Rarity. 4:12. Good. With luck, she could be drunk and expelled before the first bell even rang. ********** Sweetie Bell rampaged though her closet. So much pressure. Everything rode on her appearance today. Everything. She had to look absolutely beautiful in every way. Or at least that's what Rarity had said, and she did overly-well in high school. Now she was telling Sweetie Bell how do make her "grand debut", as she so elegantly put it. Sweetie Bell mocked her sister's voice. "Now you must make sure your makeup is absolutely flawless, make sure to curl your eyelashes just right. Don't forget to wear that diamond necklace dear. Oh and while your at it you should defiantly tattoo the words open trench right above your...." She stopped herself. Bad language was not needed, she agreed with her sister on that one. She rummaged through her over-sized wardrobe until she stumbled upon what she was looking for. It was a white jacket embedded with several small pearls. Just a few, rather invaluable gems, at least compared to what else she had. She preferred a little less flash. She didn't want to be popular or beautiful. She wanted to be herself. Since clothes had become a bigger market, her sister never failed to provide her with the best she could, which was really good, she had to admit. But she always wore what she liked, not what others liked. She slipped on the jacket and put the matching pearl necklace on. She looked at herself in the mirror. "Well the necklace does work with this outfit. I could've dubbed down on the makeup a bit. Ah well too late now." She eyed the clock. 5:03. School seemed to start earlier each year, which was really starting to get annoying. She took a few minutes to curl her mane and then headed downstairs, bracing herself for her sister to "constructively criticize" her outfit. ********** Applebloom just woke up and already she was being disruptive. Granny Smith woke as she walked downstairs. She said something about fish, laughed a bit, and fell back asleep in her rocking chair. Applebloom looked at her deeply and kissed her green forehead. Granny was getting even older, and senile, which didn't prove useful towards their family structure. Applejack was in the kitchen with Big Mac, who was actually talking about something. She walked in and plopped down in a chair. She was still in her nightgown. No biggy it was only 5:35. Applejack stared to relentlessly smother her with stuff that Applebloom was too tired to listen to. Her southern accent was as prominent as ever. "Aww jezz ah remember when ah was in your position. Ah think ah was almost as tired too. Well now don't ya worry none, Applebloom everthang will be just fine. What fillies an' colts say nowadays about all this school rough housin' is a bunch a hooey." Big Mac saved her. His accent was a little more suppressed. "Applejack please all ya gonna do is make her more nervous. Plus you get real annoyin' when you ramble on like that." Applebloom smiled at them both. Her accent was equal to her brother's. Lighter. "Huh...yeah well ah shouldn't be all that worried now. Besides its a whole new start right?" She didn't wait for a response. She was super nervous and she could tell that her siblings knew. Her poker face was awful. She turned to walk back upstairs, but her sister called after. "Wait a sec Applebloom." She turned around and faced her sister. "Ah...uhh...well since it's your first day of high school and all." She moves to the hall closet and pulls out a box. It was labeled "Stetson." She removed the lid and pulled out a hat, like her own except a bit nicer and embedded with some turquoise. Then she held it out to Applebloom, who took it gingerly. AJ spoke. "Ah think you should have it. For...good luck and whatnot." It was a meaningful gift for a western pony. One did not simply get a hat. Especially a Stetson, which was worth an good amount of bits being that it was completely antique. You don't say anything when a cowpony gives you a hat. You just take it. Applebloom held fast with tradition. She went upstairs and quickly got dressed. She threw on her white undershirt and red and white plaid button-up over it. She ties her mane in one, long braid. She looked in her mirror and slowly placed her new hat on her head. Stereotypical cowgirl. Just the way she liked it. She walked back downstairs and smiled at her brother and sister, glanced at her granny, a bit concerned and left to meet her friends at school. ********** They met at the tree where Scootaloo had gotten really drunk, barfed a few times and sobered up a few minutes ago. Sweetie Bell was there before Applebloom and grimaced slightly at her disheveled friend. She highly disproved of the pegasus' rather destructive lifestyle. It wasn't like she could really say anything though. Given Scootaloo's absolute lack of money and pretty much everything else, there was no valid argument. If school wasn't government funded, she would've dropped out nearly a year after they first met. They stood there in relative quiet until Applebloom showed up, grinning wide at her new head-wear. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo spoke in rapid burst of choppy sentences. "Woah dude....NICE hat!" "Well did your sister finally give you one?" Applebloom smiled big at them. She was glad her friends understood how big of a deal this was to her. "Aww thanks gurls. But enough 'bout this. Whatcha got on your classes?" She pulled her folded schedule from her shirt pocket. Sweetie Bell pulled her's out and stole Scootaloo's and Applebloom's and set them on the ground. "Ok lets see here. Nothing for homeroom. you guys have second period Geometry, while I have Zoology. Third period I have Chorus, Applebloom has Physics and Scootaloo has Art. We all have fourth period lunch!" They stopped and giggled joyfully. "Umm next I have Algebra, and a you guys have English. Then I have English, Applebloom has Gym and Scootaloo has Chemistry. Seventh we all have History." "Ok so that means you two see each other after homeroom. We are all on our own for third. Then we'll meet up for lunch. You guys see each other for fifth again. Alone for sixth and back again for seventh. I think this was less than I expected. I get less time with you guys." Scootaloo seemed content. "I'm happy with it. I was kinda hoping I would get math with one of you. Now I don't actually have to do work." Just then somepony called to them across the courtyard. A pony walked towards them with a pinkish coat and a elegant white dress with gold lace. She wore a small tiara on her head. She was soon followed by her grey tag-around with the braid, who wore a expensive looking navy overcoat that tied around her waist, kinda like Sweetie Bell's except better. "Well well look what the cockatrice dragged in. It's good to see that you still are so lame." Scootaloo couldn't believe it. Neither could the other two. That bitch was supposed to be at private school. "Oh buck not her!" Scootaloo cursed. Diamond Tiara walked briskfully towards them. She eyed Sweetie Bell, "Oh I love how you just wear anything. Really though your sister is a prime fashion couture and you still hang around these freaks. You could've at least asked for a better outfit." Scootaloo had enough of her way before this. In split second, she got up, spun around, grabbed Diamond and pinned her against the tree. Scootaloo drew her hidden knife and held it less than an inch from her throat. Sliver Spoon gasped along with the other two. Scootaloo's voice dripped with menace. "Look her you little prick! I had enough of you back in grade school. Now since you decided to show your face again I can carve it like a hearthswarming ever dinner. You get how that works?!" Diamond held the orange pegasus' stare. "Oh trust me, you won't. Not when daddy can take everything you still have after your families little accident. You actually think I'm sacred of you? You technically don't even exist as far as the government is concerned. So if something were to happen to me, nopony would give a damn if you followed suit." Scootaloo would've gutted her right there. But she didn't. Instead she let go, fell back to the ground and stared to cry. Diamond smirked and walked off to her homerooom without a backwards glance. Silver Spoon did a quick double take and followed her master. The bell rang, but the three friends didn't move. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell sat next to the depressed Scootaloo and comforted her.
Principals OfficePrincipal Shepard was putting the finishing touches on his office. He had a few diplomas hanging about, his name plate was laced with platinum. He had a large desk with a stack of office papers that needed to be copied. His secretary had just ran the morning schedule. He was a generally neat stallion, with his graying mane and deep blue coat. He always wore a classic tie and semi-formal shirt. His cutie mark was a rolled up scroll. He filling up his morning coffee when his secretary show him the security footage of an orange pegasus who had pulled a knife on the new transfer student from Manehattan. Great. Not even a hour into the school-year and he already had life threats. Now he was sitting in his big official-looking chair waiting for the student to be called in. She trotted in and she did not look happy. He had her file in hoof, but he hadn't read it yet. Instead he sat there silently eyeing her. She sat in the chair opposite. School had started only nine minutes ago and she already had that "I could give a buck less" aura swarming her. Her purple mane was a bit messed up, he avoided asking why. He spoke in a accusing tone. "Well, miss Scootaloo I have to admit you shattered the record for quickest appointment change. I'm sure you know that violence is not tolerated. Let me start by saying that....." She interrupted him. "Look you can just stop right there, If your gonna threaten me with expulsion then don't waste your breath. I don't care what you say. My friends and I had enough of that one back in elementary school. She is totally rude. She probably would've been long gone by now if her dad didn't have his hoof in Equestria's bank account. So yeah I think, for what she said to be a knife threat was needed." She waited for him to send her out and label her with detention or something stupid like that. Instead he just looked at her with a curious expression. He asked a question she never expected. "What did she say to you?" She hesitated a bit and then told him. If anypony ever asked...well nopony did ask. So she felt like he might understand. "Well, it's...my entire life that got in the way. I'm an orphan. Been one for as long as I remember. Lived in the foster homes until they booted me out at, like seven. Now I live in an alleyway that I can still barely afford. My friends provide for me most of the time. Diamond bullied us since grade school. Then she moved to Manehattan and we were doing okay. Now she is back and makes fun of the two ponies who actually care about me and have helped me through everything. So I used the knife then she brought up my past and I cried. Nuff said. Now are you gonna bash me with detention or can I go?" He looked at her for a moment. When he spoke he did so in absolute monotone. "No I won't. The way I see it, eveypony gets one. This is yours. You can go back to class." He started shuffling papers as a sign to take it or leave it. Scootaloo took it. She stood and trotted out of the office. She didn't know what to think. Usually principal's pegged her with immediate dislike. Principal Shepard hadn't. Yet. She walked through the admin building with most of the assistants and parents looking at her cautiously. She knew what they were thinking and didn't give a second glance.
Bugging OutAn hour after her friends morning episode, Sweetie Bell was sitting in her desk rapidly jotting down her zoology teacher's guidelines and requirements. She seemed to be the only student that actually cared. Most of the class was either sleeping or talking. Whatever. Sweetie Bell was a good student. With a grade point average of 3.8 she was arguably one of the best. No cider or poison joke for her. Ever. Eventually the student's got unruly and her teacher was apparently too tired to deal with it, so she just stopped and let the class have their time. Only ten minutes and teachers were already giving in. Sweetie Bell spent a few more minutes making extra notes, then she closed her notebook and looked around the class. She didn't see anypony she knew so she put her head down on the desk and shut out the jabbering class. Why was it that her two friends had barely any classes with her? She didn't think that was really fair. That left her alone for most of the day and she didn't like that. She starting thinking of ways to get by unnoticed when a weird smell like wet dirt filled her nose. She looked up and was staring right at a old looking snail. She squealed and jumped out of her seat. Ponies laughed at her. The teacher was reading a book and lifted one eyebrow in surprise, but she seemed to disregard the prank. She looked at the slimy mollusk and moved here eyes around the class. Of course Silver Spoon was giggling in the corner. Figures. No way Sweetie Bell could get off that easily. She sighed and tried to pick up the creature with her hooves. She touched it and didn't like it. She ended up using magic to take the snail outside. She set it down gently in a patch of wet grass because that's where snails were supposed to be. She then trotted back inside only to find yet another creepy crawly on her desk, this time a hairy tarantula, More giggling from her tormentor. She briefly though about flinging the new nuisance across the class into Silver Spoon's braided mane and pushed the thought out of her head. She was already fed up with the class. She was gonna have to take this highly venemous spider to...where? Snails were fine on campus but where the hay could she put this thing? She sure didn't want to pick it up. She was lost. Silver Spoon was laughing uncontrollably now. Apparently her expression was priceless. Sweetie Bell reluctantly reached out to the spider. But before she could pick it up another hoof was on the desk. She looked up at the newcomer. He was a pegasus stallion with a brown coat with a grey and black stripped mane. His snout had a few white freckles. He wore a white shirt with a unbuttoned black button up with a collar as a over-shirt. His deep emerald green eyes avoided Sweetie Bell's kinda awkwardly, and they were nearly the same color as her own. The spider crawled almost nonchalantly onto his hoof. He must have been either handsome or popular from the way Silver Spoon had suddenly shut up and was staring daggers at Sweetie Bell. He didn't say anything but he did take the creature with him as he walked to the back door. As he passed Silver Spoon he looked at the grey mare rather deviously and brushed the spider pass. She flipped out and moved away from him. He chuckled and muttered something that Sweetie Bell didn't catch. Whatever he said made Silver Spoon even more mad. Then he moved to the door, opened it and let the arachnid crawl off to wherever he came from. The stallion promptly went back to his desk and opened up a sketchpad. Everypony was looking at him including Silver Spoon. Sweetie Bell didn't know this guy, but he still helped her out. Maybe she did have a friend in the class after all. Silver Spoon was looking at him for exactly eleven minutes before she grew tried of him not cracking under the pressure, He seemed to know he was being watched and didn't seem to care. The precise timing set Sweetie Bell of a little. Eleven minutes. Was ten not good enough? She would've broken after one. But he didn't seem to notice either of the mares. He just worked busily on his sketches. Sweetie Bell eventually trotted over to his desk and sat in the one next to him. She occasionally looked over to his book to see what he was drawing and possibly find something to talk about. His sketches were hard to make out from her viewpoint and one of his hooves was in the way. She turned away for a few seconds and then he spoke to her. His voice was not as deep as most stallions, but she figured it suited him well. "Did you need something else?" She didn't really like where that was going. She ignored the question. Instead she tried to take his interest. "I just wanted to see what you were drawing." He looked at her and then moved his hoof so she could see. "It's a anatomical sketch of a Wyvern showing a complete skeletal reconstruction along with a living version. I put in a few enlarged features like tooth structure, wing membrane and tail thagomizer. " He pointed to some smaller sketches on the same page, detailing the special qualities. Sweetie Bell was lost. He expected that and simplified it. "Its a endangered reptile. Like a dragon, except much more primitive." Now she seemed at least back on track. "I think I know what that is." She looks the drawings over again. The reptile was in a running with its bat-like wings in the up position, like it was flapping. It didn't have front legs like a dragon did. It's mouth was open, with needles of teeth and a barbed tongue perched on a slim neck and head. It seemed to be reaching for a strawberry fruit bat. It had a crest of feathers on its neck and running down its back, the tail ending in a spiky mace. In the left corner was a smaller, skeletal version in the same position. She looks back at him, realizing he was staring at her. "Um...well I do now anyways." To her relief he chuckled. "Right. Well it's a zoology class. Might as well start of learning a new animal. But maybe we should switch topics. Probably best for both of us. How about something else? I'd guess that Silver Spoon gives you trouble huh?" Sweetie Bell was going to answer but right then Silver Spoon marched over to them. She must have been listening in on them. She cut in the middle of the conversation and starting raging on him. Her voice was like ice needles. Cold and sharp. "Okay look here Granite I don't know why you decided to show up here but you better not get in the way of Diamond and I. You are really gonna get it from Diamond's dad if you don't!" He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut in. "And another thing! If you want to get along with anypony at all you should stay away from this one!" She jabbed her hoof at Sweetie Bell and continued. "Her and her little friends are the lowest of the low as long as we have a say and that won't change, Understand?" She turns to walk away when the stallion, who's name was apparently Granite, shot back at her with a very calm, collected voice. "Well who says it won't change." He also pointed at Sweetie Bell. "I think she's kinda nice. I haven't met her friends but I don't think they can be as bad as you say. Diamond Tiara might have some pull around here, sure. Doesn't mean I have to care and doesn't mean you two are the only ponies who do." He rested his head on his hoof. "I'd say that maybe this is the year things change. But what do I know?" Silver Spoon was about to say something but was interrupted by the bell. Granite swung his saddlebag onto his back and tipped his fedora in Silver's direction in a taunting gesture and walked out leaving Silver Spoon and Sweetie Bell alone. Silver stood fuming mad and didn't even look at Sweetie Bell. Sweetie Bell quickly grabbed her own bag and hurried out. She wanted to catch up to Granite. Nopony ever spoke to either of the devious duo like that before that she knew of. Nopony except him. She felt like her friends might just be willing to meet this guy. She trotted faster until she found him among the mass of students. He was standing at his locker pulling out more pencils. She slowed her pace and walked up to him. He didn't notice her until he turned his head. He didn't seem surprised. " Sorry about all that. Didn't mean to put you on the spot." Sweetie Bell didn't care at all. "No it's fine. I....Well the thing is I've never actually seen anypony counter her before. Do you know her from somewhere?" He closed his locker and put the pencils in his bag. "Barely. I know she can be a brat and she used to go to Moonridge Middle School in Manehattan along with her friend. I went there too if that counts as knowing them." He zips up his bag, and his voice seemed to be strictly apathetic. "I'm not the private school type. Their uniforms are all too...well... uniform. And I was putting a dent in my family bank account. On the other hoof Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon must have left because their pull wasn't as strong. Over there almost everypony was in the upper class, except for me, which is why they picked on me. I guess I was in the same boat as you and whoever else she was harping on. The difference being they didn't irritate me, which in turn made them irritated. Bullies don't like not having a reaction. No big deal for me." He turned to go to his next class. "You however wanna have me around right? Give you some extra backbone with them?" Sweetie Bell did, but she didn't want him to actually know that. She replied weakly. "Well yeah I guess. TBH My friends and I really don't like them probably as much as you don't." His tone stayed where it was. "Okay well first off don't use text lingo." She blinked, looking confused. He saw that. "It's just something I can't stand." She nodded in understanding and he continued. "Secondly you should tell your pegasus friend to hide that knife better." She was starting to get a little freaked out by his extensive knowledge to her situation. He noticed. "No I'm not a creeper, that was all over PonyHoof. Social media is a perfect way for Diamond to get a head start on you." He holds up a phone to put emphasis on his statement. He started to walk away. Sweetie Bell snapped up. "Hey!" He stopped and turned his head. "If you want we can talk at lunch. Do you have fourth?" His face remained expressionless for a bit more and then he smiled. "Sure I'll look for you." With that he left. Sweetie Bell smiled too. She met somepony new on the first day. Not a bad start.
More Mystery MeatIt seemed to take forever for lunch to roll around. Applebloom was getting insanely bored. Her physics work was sitting on her desk completed. She hated physics, but Big Mac insisted the school to put her in classes that would challenge her. He liked to say he had "been around the block a few times." That was mostly because he was too bucking drunk to find the house. She sighed out loud. She knew her family only wanted the best for her. And she wanted to help them too, but sometimes that seemed to put more on her then she wanted. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it either, she was a 2.9 GPA. That was good for the classes she was in, but if she wasn't placed in the higher ups, she would've gotten a better grade, because it would be easier. At least that was her theory. Her phone buzzed again. She sneaked a peek at the text and ignored it. Sweetie Bell had been texting her for the past twenty minutes. Applebloom didn't want her phone taken away, especially since she didn't have anypony to pick it up after school, or money to buy a new one. Applejack could, but she wouldn't be happy about it, and it was an experience to avoid. Whatever Sweetie Bell was hyping she wouldn't drop it. Her phone buzzed again, and Applebloom looked at the text angrily. She typed back in all caps telling her to stop. To Applebloom's surprise she did, and it was only a few minutes before Applebloom had somepony asking her for help. Snips was sitting next to her, prodding for answers, and Applebloom complied. Back in grade school Snips and Snails were two that you really tried to ignore. Since then that had changed for the better. Snips had taken up a part time job at the barber shop, and Snails had some future with fancy cuisine, which apparently called for mollusks sometimes. They're physical appearances had evened out too. They were still geeks, but they weren't nerds. There was a huge difference there that few ponies cared to acknowledge. Applebloom had played enough video games to understand it. She even had a few matches against them in Call of Cutie. She usually lost, but not horribly. That was okay, the two boys spent much more time on that than she did, and their skills reflected it. Once she started offering help time went by faster, and soon the bell rang for lunch. She gathered her things and made her was outside the science buildings. The cafeteria at Sunburst High wasn't nearly big enough to house every student. Applebloom noticed that ponies were setting up on the grass and all around campus. It seemed whoever didn't fit in the cafeteria sat outside. Or weren't cool enough for an indoor table. She was fine with that. It was a nice day, perfect temperature. She stood around for a bit, realizing her friends didn't make a place to met. Her phone rang, with a text from Scootaloo. She checked her phone. "At the line, meet me in 5" Applebloom smirked. Scootaloo's text tended to be short and to the point. Her punk friend often said she didn't like texting, saying something about being to mainstream. It was mainstream, that's why it worked. But neither Applebloom nor Sweetie Bell argued the point, because was a good one. Applebloom made her way to the line, where Scootaloo was waiting with Sweetie Bell and some other guy. Applebloom didn't recognize the stallion, but he seemed to know Sweetie Bell to an extent. Scootaloo gave him a brohoof, which usually meant she didn't have any intention on stabbing you. That was a good sign. She noted that he seemed to be the exact opposite to Big Mac, who was the first stallion she compared others to. Her brother was a bigger guy, while this one was visibly smaller, although he wasn't nearly scrawny. She got to the group, looking the stallion over. "Who are you now?" Scootaloo half smiled. "Apparently the newest addition to our little group of misfits. Says he hates Diamond as much as we do" Granite smiled at Applebloom "Scootaloo has a lot of hate. Not really sure if I can compare. But I have had my bouts with them. My names Granite." Applebloom raised an eyebrow "Granite? Don't suppose the name goes with a destiny huh?" He replied "Actually it does. Archaeology. The study of fossils, history and extinct life, hence the claw cutie mark" The lunch line moved forward a little. Granite edged forward, almost too close to the gabby mares in front of him. They looked back at him but didn't say anything. Sweetie Belle spoke up "He's also good at drawing too." He turned around. "I dabble. Just to keep my mind busy." He tapped his head. "I like to keep my brain active. Keeps me on edge." Applebloom was behind all her friends in line. "On edge for what? Teasing n' whatnot? He shrugged. "I guess. I've heard all the nicknames. But it hardly effects me anymore. I've gotten used to it." Scootaloo growled. "That must suck." Again Granite seemed rather apathetic. "In a way it works out better like that." A few minutes later they reached the front of the line. Granite just got a bottle of grape juice. Applebloom and Scootaloo got a haphazard mixture of crappy food. Sweetie Belle was smart enough to bring a lunch from home. Cafeteria food was always rather tasteless. But at least this food was distinguishable as food. They had they're share fair of mystery meat. A running joke last year was that the middle school meat was chopped Zebra flank. Of course this wasn't true. School lunches had to meet a certain heath standard, although that standard was shamefully low, it at least ensured that cannibalism was out of the question. After they got their food, they left the line to find a place outside to sit. A passing stallion bumped Granite hard, spilling his juice onto his white shirt. Scootaloo made a lunge for him, but he was already out of reach. They didn't even get a good look at him. All they noticed was a charcoal grey coat before the lunch line crowd swallowed him up. Even though his shirt was ruined, Granite seemed largely unfazed. He just wrung it out like a towel. Sweetie Belle voiced what Granite was probably thinking. "What the hell was that?!" He sighed. "Just some douche bag. Who really cares? Just a shirt. It was like six bucks. Now lets go find a place to sit before somepony makes a rash decision." Scootaloo clenched her teeth. "Bet I'll end up cutting him open anyways." ***** They left and found a place on the grass. Lunch today wasn't very social for the group. Granite kinda dosed off. He was laying in the grass with his eyes closed. He buttoned up his shirt to hide the juice stain. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom started a conversation about how they're sisters, now in their late twenties, hadn't had any romantic relationships, which was a hot button topic between the two lately. Scootaloo hated this particular talk, so she spiked her drink with a small amount of liquor and just phased out. The campus was teeming with students. The cafeteria building itself only housed about a hundred, out of the thousand or so ponies in attendance. There were two lunch periods, so about five hundred students at lunch per period. The higher ups on the social scales always got the seats indoors, so outside was home to literally every other group. To be fair, each of the group of misfits could have made their way into another group easily. Scootaloo could defiantly fit in with the goths. Applebloom could find a western group, or maybe even squeeze her way in with the geeks. Sweetie Belle could probably even get in good with the popular mares. But they didn't. They couldn't. The girls were practically sisters, and sisters were never alike. So they stayed a group of misfits. They liked it. The bell rang and the students reluctantly started to get moving. Granite's eyes snapped open half startled. Scootaloo pulled a pair of sunglasses from her saddlebag and put them on, effectively hiding her still tipsy expression. They parted with quick goodbyes. Scootaloo walked in Appleblooms direction. They both had English together. She watched Sweetie Belle and Granite walk towards the math and science wing. She also watched that charcoal grey stallion trail them.
Kno Wut I'm Sayin'?Sweetie Belle walked with Granite from the east side of campus, where the math and science buildings were. Sweetie Belle didn't have the same class as him. As far as math went, Sweetie Belle was considerably gifted, although she didn't like it. But that didn't stop her parents from putting her in advanced math classes. Super advanced. Sweetie Belle had some family pressures lately. Since her parents were the thrifty type, the pressure on Sweetie to turn out like her big shot upper class sister was immense, so her family enrolled her in better classes to try and boost the likelihood of having another successful kid. It didn't make them bad parents, if anything it was the right thing to do, but it was just so hard on her sometimes. Class was boring. The first day was all just requirements and syllabus stuff. This math class required some pretty nifty stuff though. Graphing calculators, graph paper, it's own binder. Why did math have to be so expensive? Walking out of that class, she was pretty burnt, but across the way she noticed Granite and another stallion. It looked like the stallion was giving him a hard time about something because he was awful close to him, pushing him around. She walked up behind the two, but Granite caught her and shot her a glance to stay there, she could still hear the conversation though. Wasn't much talking though. Mostly empty death threats. The stallion was one of those swaggy types. Full nine yards, and just his voice got on her nerves, although some girls went for that, which was stupid to her. She held herself higher than that. This guy wore a over-sized snap-back hat with really big shirt with a rather offensive picture of a sensual mare on it along with some horribly baggy pants, showing more boxer shorts than necessary. Most notably he had a massive gold chain around his neck with a double "B" back to back. He shoved him again. She noticed he had a charcoal grey coat, so he must have been the guy who bumped him at lunch. "So heard you was talkin' shit bout my gurl." Granite tried to keep walking forward. 'I wasn't. I don't even know who you're dating." Another rough shove. "Don't be like dat. Silver told me wut you said man. We gonna keep havin' problems then you gonna have more kno what I'm sayin?" "Silver Spoon? That I did not know. Well whatever it was I'm sure it wasn't intentional." Once again shoved back, this time spilling pencils on the ground, the other stallion was about to say something, but Sweetie Bell cut him off. "Hey! Quit doing that!" He looked from Granite to her, and she immediately regretted stepping in. "Oh so this bitch is your gurl then Granite? He was about to respond but it seemed Sweetie Belle was gonna take the reigns. 'I'm not a bitch and I'm not his girl. If anypony's a bitch it's your girlfriend and her half witted lies!" The stallion stared at her intently, and for a second she was afraid she was going to get hit. But a commanding voice from behind him prevented that. 'Mr Bling! I won't have you terrorizing my student's on my campus. Get to my office." When "Mr, Bling" didn't listen he was pulled by the ear towards an angry Principal Shepard and away from the two victims. Granite stood up with the spilled pencils. Sweetie Belle just looked at him. "Mr. Bling? Is that a street name or something?" "Nope. Real name is Bitchin' Bling. But adults have a hard time saying the whole name. Pretty sure "Double B" is his street name" She blinked confused. "So his parents are...?" "Probably in jail and stupid enough to name a kid something like that." There was a silence. Then she stared laughing, which made Granite laugh, and they laughed for a few minutes until they got a hold of themselves. They were already late to their next class, but they took their sweet time getting there, odds were the office would call down anyways. ***** Principal Shepard dragged Bitchin' Bling through a lobby full of indifferent staff members and straight to his own office. Second kid today causing problems. He instructed him to sit in the chair opposite his desk, which he did. Shepard sat in his own chair and stared him out. "Any particular reason for giving that student a hard time?" 'Yah man little punk was talking shit" Shepard sighed and swung his chair around to a file cabinet, pulling two files. He opened one. "According his file Granite doesn't seem like the rowdy type. No incident's in the past three years. Decent grades. Good kid by the looks of it." He opened the other one. "However you are quite the trouble maker. Suspended for sexual harassment, aggravated assault, racial profiling, drug possession, and yet somehow never prosecuted. That's interesting." He put his elbows on his desk and his muzzle in his hooves. "Look I'll be frank with you, I have a policy I follow. One free pass, no matter the student, one free chance to turn it around so you don't come back here. Do not mistake it for acceptance or apathy." He leaned back a little, and now spoke with a slightly mocking, technically-still-allowed-but-not-really attitude. "Come back in this office and we gonna have problems. Kno what I'm sayin?" With that he wrote a pass and sent the pissed stallion on his way, knowing full well problems were almost certain with that one.
The Old Mobster and the Homeless MareScootaloo rested under a makeshift shade structure behind the bowling alley. School day was over, and she didn't really have anything else to do. Mr. Kingpin let her camp out there, even though it probably wasn't the best for business. It was dark enough back here where most ponies couldn't see or didn't bother. There wasn't much to look at anyways. A crappy canopy made of discarded metal piping and one of Rarity's old quilts that she totally stole. Underneath that was an old mattress with a older TV. One with antennas and junk so she could pick up the local channels. Other than that it was just her and her scooter gathering dust and rust. She started at it nostalgically for a little. Since she learned to fly she never took it out anymore. There wasn't really a need. But it helped her do many things back in the day, including get her cutie mark. Very late. But it still happened. It didn't even work anymore, but she could never bring herself to trash it. There was too many memories. Good ones, which she needed now more than ever given the circumstances. Her head snapped at the noise of the back door opening. The big, scruffy Manehatten stallion with the tan coat, the 5 o'clock shadow and the scratched up hooves of the typical hardworking Earth Pony that she knew a little more than most. Mr Kingpin was basically an partially annoying landlord to her that didn't charge her money for her stay. They were hardly friends, and they almost never talked. The deal was pretty much "Don't bug me I won't bug you." That was how it stayed. He normally let her know when the work day was over, which he was doing now. He spoke in the gruff accent typical to Manehatten ponies. "Shifts over. You can come in now if you wanna." She got up lazily, taking almost a full minute to sit up. He rarely invited her inside, but it was better than outside. She followed him to the ball counter, where he parked to polish the bowling balls before he left. She walked right by him and sat in a chair on the end of the lanes. She used to come here pretty often as a filly with her friends. She sat in the same chair every time. She stared up at the pulsing neon lights, halfway wishing she was high so this would've been more interesting. Then the stallion behind her spoke up. "Hey kid. Can I talk to you for a second?" She sighed annoyed "No." "You sure about that?" "Pretty sure" "Alright Guess you don't want the job then." Scootaloo suddenly sat up. "What was that?" The old stallion smiled small. "The job. One of my attendants walked out on me. Figure I'd at least give you a shot, since you piratically live here." She stood up and trotted over to the counter."That sounds like work." He turned to open the lock on the cash register. "Yeah. Kinda the point of job. But I don't expect something for nothing." He slammed a packaged roll of bits onto the till, pouring them out into the drawer. "You'd get your pay, which means you could get off my back porch." She spoke with a sassier tone now. "Why would I do that? I don't mind paying nothing for what I got now." He slammed the drawer closed. "Because I'm kicking you out." Her mood went from smug to worried in a heartbeat. "What?! You're just gonna throw me out there?! I thought we had a mutual understanding!" He put a hoof up, interrupting her. "I'm giving you the choice. You can start working for a paycheck or you can get the hell out. You walk outta here, that's on you." He walked around the counter to another door. He unlocked it and it swung open. She followed him into what appeared to be his office. He sat down and pushed some papers her way. "That way I don't get pegged as an insensitive old bastard." She sat down in a chair and looked at the papers. It was a pile of employment stuff. She looked back up at him. and he was putting a coat on. A pinstripe suit jacket that reminded her of the mob. Then she noticed a black and white picture in a frame. It was a group of stallions all wearing the striped suits standing next to a massive . "What's this?" He looked briefly at the picture. "Just me and some buddies from my younger years." She examined the picture, then looked back at Kingpin. "You were in the mob?" "Put it frankly yeah. I was young and stupid" "And rich by the looks of it. What happened?" He paused and sighed. "I grew up" She frowned. "That sucks" He raised his voice a little, getting a little irritated. "No it doesn't. I keep that picture to remind me of my bad choices. We weren't good boys as I'm sure was obvious. We broke the law. We hurt ponies." He sat in the chair on the other side of the desk. "You remind me of my younger self. Careless and stupid. It comes with youth. I'm not kicking you on the streets cause I don't wanna see you get in trouble. I'm hoping working here will give you some sort of self worth. So wadda say kid? She stared at the picture a little more. "What would I have to do." "Just show up after school. Be sober. Keep ponies happy. Manage the lanes. Isn't that hard." "How much do I get payed for this?" "Starting wage 15 bits an hour. That's more than most. Use it to rent a place." A long silence passes before she speaks up. "Fine." He smirks. "You start next week then. Now get out." She stood up and walked out of the office, out of the building and back to her little hideout. This wasn't exactly good news for her. She was strictly apathetic about her current living conditions, and she hated working, but she couldn't afford getting kicked out from the back. Kingpin knew there wasn't a choice for her, despite offering her the option to take it or lave it. But at least he was offering to help. At least she had something to tell her friends.
