This is a story about the mane six as humans in high school. I made all the pony names into human names that are similar. Rated T for stuff that will come later. This is my first story, so I'd appreciate reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony. Also, the title is from the Paramore album All We Know Is Falling.
Chapter 1
Watery brown mud was splashed into the air by the wheels of a speeding pickup truck, splattering all over Twyla Sparks's purple plaid skirt and black collared blouse. Too late, she lunged back from the curb, only to feel her black loafer sinking into the swampy grass behind the sidewalk with a wet squelching sound. A scream of frustration welled in her throat.
It was all her stupid mom's fault, she thought. If her mother hadn't gotten pregnant with a second child and decided to uproot Twyla's entire existence in the big city where she had grown up, she wouldn't even be standing here. Dismal raindrops wouldn't be barraging her black umbrella while she waiting for a smelly old school bus to come and take her to a high school full of people she wanted nothing to do with. Her long, straight black hair wouldn't be frizzing like crazy and the moisture wouldn't be eroding her black eyeliner and mascara. She wouldn't be living in a tiny two-bedroom house in this ditzy little neighborhood in the godforsaken little town of Perryville. But the baby needed space to run and play, the baby should grow up somewhere peaceful, the baby this, the baby that. The baby, always the baby.
The thing that Twyla had been truly dreading ever since her mom announced the move was having to meet new people, especially at school. She only had a couple of good friends at her old school, and she was always made fun of for everything from her good grades and bookworm-ness to the fact that her parents were from the Philippines. The only big transitions she had ever made were from elementary school to middle school and from middle to high, both of which had been traumatic enough for her. But now she was walking into completely unknown territory, where she knew absolutely no one and had no idea where anything was.
At that moment, the sound of the bus came into earshot. It was a mixture between a steely, stressed moan and an obnoxiously loud rumbling. Through the misty sheets of rain it came into view, its yellow paint looking a little sickly in the grayish morning light. It let out an exhausted screech as it halted in front of her.
You are going to be okay, she told herself firmly. Her stomach was swarming with anxious butterflies, but she had no choice but to step onto the bus as its doors banged open.
The seats were fairly packed. Some shouts bounced back and forth across the aisle, but mostly a low-key thrum of chatter permeated the bus. Twyla desperately cast her eyes around for an empty seat, but didn't see one. The bus doors slammed shut and the big noisy vehicle began to move. She was just thinking that she might be about to panic when she heard an enormous gasp. A fast, high pitched voice rose over the chatter.
"Oh my gosh, you're new! Here, sit with me!"
When Twyla saw the source of the voice, she felt vaguely as if she had been struck in the face by a heavy weight. The girl sat a few seats ahead of her, beckoning to Twyla with her hand and sporting what had to be the biggest grin since humans developed teeth. Her long hair was dyed an eye-assaulting hot pink color and had been heavily crimped so that it poofed out from her head in tight little waves. Several blue and yellow bows were clipped in random places throughout her voluminous mane of hair. She was a tad on the plump side, with a circular face and cute, round cheeks. Baby blue eyeshadow made her blue eyes pop like aquamarine firecrackers, and her lips were made big and shiny by sparkly pink lip gloss. She wore a ruffled pink shirt with heart- and balloon-shaped patches ironed onto it and straps that just barely met the three-finger width requirement imposed by the dress code. Reluctantly, Twyla made her way over to sit down next to the eccentric-looking girl, who moved her bright pink Hello Kitty backpack onto the floor to make room. As Twyla lowered herself into the gray vinyl seat, setting her purple shoulder bag in her lap and wrapping her arms around it, she saw that the girl was also wearing a blue tulle skirt and pink-striped, calf-length leggings on her short legs, and the ballet flats on her feet were as yellow as rubber ducks. She had at least a dozen bracelets on each wrist, and each one looked like she had made it herself with a child's beading kit full of big plastic beads. Many had letters that spelled things like "love" and "awesome".
"I'm so glad to meet you!" the pink-haired girl gushed at Twyla. "My name's Penny, but everyone calls me Pinkie because of my hair, so you can call me that. What about you, what's your name?"
"Um, Twyla," Twyla replied, distastefully eyeing the crazy clothing rather than looking "Pinkie" in the eyes.
"Oh wow, that's such a cool name! What grade are you in, Twyla? You must be at least a sophomore; you're definitely not a freshman…" Pinkie trailed off, scratching her nose with a hot pink acrylic fingernail.
"Junior," said Twyla shortly.
"Oh my gosh, me too! We'll have, like, classes together!" Pinkie seemed momentarily overwhelmed by this prospect.
I can hardly wait, thought Twyla drily.
"We should compare schedules," suggested Pinkie ecstatically. "You know, to see what classes we have with each other!"
"I haven't gotten my schedule yet," Twyla told her, trying not to show her relief that she wouldn't have to compare schedules with Pinkie. "I have to go to the office when I get there."
"Oh!" exclaimed Pinkie. Her voice showed no signs of becoming lower or less excited. "Have you been to the school before? I mean, do you know how to get to the office? 'Cause I can show you where it is if you don't."
"No, I know where the office is," Twyla lied. "I went to the open-house."
"Okay!" said Pinkie brightly. "Tell me if you change your mind. Ooh, hey, we're stopping! This must be a new freshman; we never stopped here last year. I have to say hi to them!" She jounced up and down in her seat, craning her neck to see who got on the bus. The boy who stepped into the aisle looked extremely nervous and, like all freshmen, seemed ridiculously young. "Hi!" Pinkie sang at him as he looked for a seat. "Welcome to your first day at Perryville High School!" The boy looked around as if a ghost had just spoken, and then looked even more freaked out when he saw Pinkie herself. He opted not to respond and kept searching for a seat.
"How can you do that?" Twyla blurted.
"How can I do what?" echoed Pinkie, tilting her head like an inquisitive puppy.
"Just…you know, greet people you've never even met."
"Well, you just say hi to them," said Pinkie, sounding confused. "It's easy!"
Twyla started to speak but changed her mind. "What I mean is – never mind."
"Okay!" Pinkie chirruped. "Ooh, look! We're here!"
Twyla's heart sank. The bus was pulling into the bus loop of Perryville High; it stopped behind several other unloading buses, letting out the same screeching sound. As students stood up and filed out of the crowded bus, Twyla stood in her seat waiting for passage into the aisle. She waited until every single person had gone before her, stalling as long as possible before getting off. Pinkie waited patiently behind her, humming a cheery tune off the top of her head.
The bus roared away as soon as they stepped onto the sidewalk. The back end of the school loomed in front of them, a two-story brick building that was…well, just like any ordinary high school. Pinkie strode confidently ahead and held open the heavy metal door for Twyla, who followed more cautiously.
Once inside, they found themselves in the cafeteria. It was huge, with a floor of white and blue linoleum tiles and row upon row of long rectangular tables. A sea of students milled around, some sitting on chairs and tables, some roaming around or heading for the breakfast line, some standing in groups and chattering or greeting their friends with hugs after a summer apart. Twyla didn't even have time to look around for the main office before two people came over and greeted Pinkie.
"Hey, Pinkie!" hailed a big, dark-skinned guy who looked like a senior. At his side was a blonde girl who grinned and ran up to hug Pinkie.
"Hi, guys!" the pink-haired girl chirped, hugging the blonde. "It's so awesome to see you!"
As the two walked away, even more people started waving at Pinkie and calling out salutations, all of which she returned happily. "I know everyone in the school," she said proudly, turning to Twyla. "Speaking of which, I need to go introduce myself to all the new freshmen! Bye now, see ya later!" Pinkie turned and darted off into the crowd.
Twyla's heart sank even further as her new acquaintance's pink mane disappeared. Far from the relief she expected to feel once she was free of the pink-haired chatterbox, she felt startlingly scared and alone, like a child lost in the grocery store. True, Pinkie was annoying, but at least being with her was better than being alone and free-floating, with no anchor to hold on to.
Twyla shook her head obstinately. What was she thinking? Alone was her specialty. She had always been able to do things by herself, with no help or guidance from anyone. Why should she be afraid to go find the damn office and get her schedule? She set her jaw and scanned the cafeteria, and, spotting a sign that read "office", headed off in that direction.