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Digital_Hex- - - - - - - -A shameless self-insert by Digital_Hex

Chapter 3

        “Alright, ladies!” Mr. Rash bellowed as he trotted down the line of ponies, all of us doing pushups.

        “Up! Down! Twenty-nine! Up! Down! Thirty!” he yelled.

        Finally, he reached me, at the end of the line next to Raindrops. Raindrops was going along fine, but as for me...

        I was drenched in sweat, front legs wobbling as I struggled to lift myself up.

        I could feel his eyes on me, and desperately stiffened my front legs, snapping them straight. I did it!

        “F-fifteen...” I sputtered out, trying to blink the sweat from my eyes.

        Push-ups were NOT my thing.

        “Pathetic,” Mr. Rash commented before trotting back towards the other end of the line, humiliating anypony who wasn't up to his standards. Note that I was the only one below his standards. Hence, he was rather quiet.

        Buck.

        “You having trouble there, Hex?” Raindrops asked, a thin sheen of sweat on her coat.

        “N-nah,” I lied. I'm sure she saw right through it. No, scratch that, I KNOW she saw right through that.

        Push-ups were NOT my thing.

        Mr. Rash blew the whistle again, and I let myself flop unceremoniously onto the floor. My sweat pooled around me as I tried desperately to catch my breath.

        A lot had happened since I'd impressed Mr. Rash during the run. Enough to return my standing to zilch.

        After the run, he had us climb ropes. I barely managed to clamber half-way up the rope before sliding down, my hooves getting rope-burn from my grasp.

        Then it was wrestling practice, because apparently wrestling was a popular sport at this school and being the head coach of the teams he wanted to see everypony's skills.

        I will spare myself the humiliation of recounting the entire tale, but suffice to say, Raindrops had no trouble pinning me. I suck at wrestling.

        After that was sit-ups, which I did somewhat decent at, at least meeting the minimum requirements.

        And then it was the accursed pushups.

        Raindrops carefully prodded my side with a hoof, probably checking to see if I was dead. For all I cared, I could have been.

        “Kill me now,” I wheezed. “I can't take it any more!”

        “Uh, Hex?” she asked me, “You do know he let the class go, right?”

        And now to the rest of the world, you'd have thought I was amped up on mana!

        I leaped to me hooves, ready to get out of there.

        Raindrops laughed at my sudden dramatic change.

        “The colt's showers are that way, goof,” she said, pointing towards the boy's locker room.

        “Ah, okay!” I thanked her, ready to dash off.

        “Hey, wait. What's your next class? Something tells me you'd probably get lost in this school.”

        “That obvious?” I asked, rubbing my sopping mane with my hoof.

        “Yep!” she said, cracking a grin. “Meet me back here after you clean up, I can give you directions.”

        “Okay!” I agreed, then scurried off to the locker rooms. Sweet Celestia, I love scurrying.

        Now as much as you little pervs would love to hear about the locker room and all of the shower jokes I could make, I'll keep it PG. Plus, nothing interesting happened there. I took a shower. Hoo-freaking-ray.

        After I'd gathered my saddlebag and had re-fitted my earpieces and cuffs, I trotted back into the gym. Raindrops wasn't there. She was probably still in the showers.

        I sat down where we'd agreed to meet, pulling out my schedule. Before gym, all I'd done was glance at the first class on there since I was already almost late. Now, I had a chance to read it through.

Digital Hex, Senior

Master Schedule

Period 1: Gym/Fitness – Mr. Rash, Gym

Period 2: Equestrian History – Mrs. Victory, Room 202

Period 3: Senior Mathematics – Mr. Six, Room 305

Period 4: Governments and Culture – Mrs. Victory, Room 202

-LUNCH-

Period 5: Music is Art – Miss Clef, Drama Room

Period 6: Senior Health – Miss Heart, Room 401

Period 7: Class Team – TEAM B, Commons

        I read overt the schedule in my head a couple times, trying to dedicate it to memory. I did NOT want to forget my classes.

        Apparently, chanting your schedule to yourself is seen by some as a perfect moment to sneak up behind you whack you right between the shoulder blades. It was for me, as it seemed.

        “YEOW!” I yelled as I jerked on the floor, spasming. That was my weak spot, right between the blades.

        I heard Raindrops fall to the floor laughing. I craned my neck around, letting myself catch a glimpse of her. Her hair was still a little wet, and clung slightly to the sides of her head.

        I snorted as I tried pulling myself up.

        “Funny,” I commented.

        “Sorry,” she apologized, eyes still teary from her fit of laughter.

        “It was just so... funny!” she admitted. She shook as another round of laughter threatened to take her, but surprisingly she choked it down. I do mean choked it down, however. She almost let loose with the giggles.

        “Not for me!” I complained, picking my schedule back up. “Now, where are all these classes?” I asked her, pointing at the page.

        “Hmm... Oh, you have Equestrian History next period? Me too!” she said excitedly. I groaned. Not because she had the same class as me, but because, well... History. Not a fan.

        “The classes are grouped loosely on field of study. The one-hundreds are the physical science rooms, the two-hundreds are the history and culture classes, we have a lot of those here at Ponyville High!”

        Together, we left the gym as Raindrops took me on an impromptu tour of the school. At first, I was afraid that we would get in trouble for leaving the gym before the bell rang, but Raindrops must have had some credibility with the teachers because we weren't even looked at twice as we passed Mr. Rash out the door.

        “The three-hundreds are the mathematics and advanced studies classes, along with our business classes. The four-hundreds are for health, life science, and magic classes. There are also two pegasus-specific classes in the four-hundreds, but you don't need to worry about that; they're just flight classes.”

        We re-entered the main atrium of the school, following it along a circular hub until we entered the middle of the school, a huge grassy field with a small school store set up in the middle. Several benches, tables and trees dotted the area, which was about the size of two hoofball fields side-by-side. It was quite impressive.

        The two of us crossed the empty field, going back into the building on the other side, which housed the 200's rooms.

        “That was our commons. Most schools have a big room for their cafeteria area, but we get ours outside!” she said with a big smile. She sure was proud of it, wasn't she?

        She gave me pretty much the general lay-out of the school: from the commons, the entire school was laid out like a horseshoe. The open end led to the track and hoofball field, with each fifth of the building housing it's own set of rooms. The center, though, opposite the open end, held the offices and club rooms, such as drama. That was also where the gym was at.

        Raindrops led me to room 202, and we approached the door right as the bell rang. She reached for the door, but I cringed unintentionally, expecting a horde of students to pour out of the room. Raindrops must have sensed my thoughts and fears, because she cast me a reassuring look.

        “Don't worry, Mrs. Victory doesn't teach a class first period. The class is empty.”

        And sure enough, as she pulled open the door before us, nopony ran into us. The only pony in there was a deep purple mare, seated behind the desk. I assumed she was Mrs. Victory.

        “Mrs. Victory!” Raindrops called to her.

        Damn, I'm good.

        “Ah, Raindrops!' Mrs. Victory called to her. “How have you been? I am sure your summer was great, you had so many plans of things to do with your coltfriend when you left!”

        Aho, Raindrops had a coltfriend? I could use this against her at a later date to get her to do my bidding, I could.

        … Hey, don't judge me. I'm quite the cynical little colt when I feel like it.

        “Oh, we, uh... broke up, actually,” Raindrops said rather sadly, dragging her hoof in a circle along the floor. Her face went a tad pink.

        Screw cynicism, I felt bad after hearing that.

        “Oh- Oh my, I'm so sorry!” Mrs. Victory empathized. “I'm sure you'll find a new-”

        Mrs. Victory seemed to finally notice my presence. I couldn't really blame her, though; she really did seem engrossed with Raindrops' love life. Creepy...

        “Oh, and who is this?” she said, clapping her hooves together.

        “Oh, this is Digital Hex!” Raindrops said excitedly (as she seemed to say everything, now that I notice). “He's new here!”

        “I recently moved here from Hope Hill,” I told her. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Victory.”

        “Ah! Are you leading a tour of the school for the new eighth graders?” Mrs Victory asked, craning her neck to look over us for more students.

        I visually crumpled. Mrs. Victory noticed.

        “What did I say?” she asked Raindrops. Raindrops, bless her heart, was poking my side once again, trying to illicit a response from me. I swear I felt my soul float out of my mouth.

        “No! He's- ohmygosh, are you alright? Mrs. Victory, he's a student!”

        “Oh! My bad!” Mrs. Victory apologized. I started to return.

        “Shouldn't you be showing him the freshman classes, though?”

        Right in the feels. I was down.

        “No, he's a senior!” Raindrops argued on my behalf.

        “He is? But he's so small and young, he-” she stopped, perhaps noticing the state she'd put me in. Maybe, maybe not.

        “Wait, there was a memo about him in my files this morning,” she said, thinking.

        “Ah,” she remembered aloud. “You're the transfer from Hope Hill!”

        If I could have face-hoofed-

        My snout crunched under my hoof as I face-hoofed. It was done.

        “Yes,” I breathed, shaking in agony. That HURT!

        “Well then, it is pleased to meet you! Please, both of you take a seat; I'm sure more students will be arriving shortly.”

        I followed Raindrops to a pair of seats by the window, a nice view of the lake beyond the track right beside me. I liked the seat.

        As the room filled up, two students arrived that knew Raindrops. One was a brown earth pony stallion with sandy yellow hair, his cutie mark being a silver horseshoe with a hoofball inside of it. The other was a unicorn mare with a yellow coat, much like Raindrops, and a blue mane. Her cutie mark was three hearts, two that were blue and one that was green.

        “Hey, Raindrops!” the mare called, rushing to her friend where the two hugged.

        “Lemon Hearts! I haven't seen you in sooo long!”

        “Hey, where's my hug?” the stallion cracked up, getting a smug grin from Raindrops who gave him a big hug, too.

        “I dunno, Lug, where's the twelve bits you owe me?” Raindrops asked him, giggling.

        “Oh come ON, that was three years ago!” Lug complained, Raindrops and Lemon Hearts laughing at his frustrated look.

        Raindrops gestured me towards her friends.

        “Hex, these are my friends Lug and Lemon Hearts. Guys, this is Digital Hex! He just transferred here-”

        “AND I'M A SENIOR.”

        Every head in the room shot me a look as I wore my best poker face. Yeah, I said that a little too loud. Can't say I didn't do it on purpose.

        “Woah, you're a senior?” Lug asked. “You must be, like, crazy smart!” He said as he extended a hoof to me.

        “Thanks, but I was only smart when I was younger. If I was still that smart, I would've graduated by now,” I explained with a dry smirk on my face. Lug, despite his namesake, laughed at my joke as if he understood where I was coming from. He seemed pretty legit.

        “Well, as Raindrops said, I'm Lemon Hearts,” Lemon Hearts said as she took my hoof in hers, curtsying respectfully. How she managed to make it look that good even without a skirt, I'll never know.

        “Pleased to meet you!”

        I smiled. “Same to you,” I said.

        The two sat down next to us, and began talking with Raindrops about their summer. I just sunk into my chair, dreading the class that was about to begin.

        All too soon, the bell rang. It was time- Class time.

        In my head, all I could think was NOOO!!!

        Then, everything went black.