Title:           Chapter 2: School Times
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/EtTgFE22
First Edit:      Sunday 5th of June 2016 12:01:05 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Thursday 9th of June 2016 07:34:00 PM CDT

>You are now in class.
>You currently stand in front of the all the fillies, who are seated in their desks, as Miss Cheerilee gives you introduction to the class
>"I hope recess wasn't too exciting class, because we have a new foal in class today, say hello to Anonymous, our newest student."
>They all simultaneously give a loud "Hello, Anonymous!" which makes Cheerilee delighted.
>"Why don't you take a seat next to Button Mash over there while I start the lesson today Anon?"
"Alright."
>You say as you walk towards the seat.
>Sitting down, you notice the three you saw earlier.
>They appear to be whispering to each other, and with a quick glance your way, they sit back into their seats and listen to Miss Cheerilee as she talks.
>"Alright class, today we will be talking about addition and subtraction, so get a paper and pencil and..."
>The teacher talks about simple math, which kind of bores you to a degree.
>Most of this information has been absorbed through your feast.
>Useful information that was filtered through the voices and into your mind for safe storage.
>Perhaps they kept some information to themselves, but you don't mind the thought.
>Taking a second away from the lecture, you notice that a little paper has arrived on your desk.
>Unwrapping it, you read what it says.
>But before you can, you hear a loud 'ahem' come from the front of the classroom.
>Miss Cheerilee takes on a serious demeanor and speaks with a descending tone of voice. "I do hope you aren't passing around notes Anonymous, I will not tolerate distractions in my class."
>Nodding, you get up and throw the paper into the trash.
>Some of the fillies have started to snicker behind their hooves, leaving a trace of belittlement in every sound they produce.
>You return to your seat and continue to listen to the lecture, taking fake notes and talking to the voices through paper.
~O?h? ho?w ?y?o?u?ng?,? ?th?ey ?s?e?e?m? ve?r?y ?im?pression?a?ble?, p?er?f?ect?~
>Didn't we agree to no manipulation in the terms?
~It? ?w?o?n?'?t? b?e?, ?i?t? w?i?l?l j?us?t? ?b?e? h?a?rm?le?s?s fu?n?, ?a?n?d? t?hese c?re?a?tu?r?es? ?are t?o ?c?u?r?io?u?s? ?f?o?r? ?th?e?r?e o?wn ?g?o?od~
>Agreed, but I have a question, what was that deal you had with discord?
~Jus?t? ?A ?p?rec?au?t?i?o?n t?ake?n ?am?ong ?c?h?ao?t?i?c? ?bei?n?gs?,? ?in ?cas?e we? ?l?o?s?e o?u?r? 'Sp?a?r?k'?~
>So a mutual agreement to co-exist?
~E?xac?t?l?y, a?n?d ?i?f? ?o?ne ?fa?l?l?s,? T?h?e ?ot?her ?ge?ts? a ?bo?ost? In? ?chaotic? ?en?er?g?y, ?an? ?u?p?gra?d?e? To? r?u?le ?ov?er ?m?u?lt?ip?le? dom?ai?n?s~
>Ah, so the voices don't have a say in this world like they do in yours.
>A contract to keep the balance makes sense.
>Where the chaotic energy roamed free in your world, this world seems to have multiple locks in place to keep unwanted things out of reach.
>With Discord being the only one with the keys.
>And it looks like class has ended.
>Near half the class has left except for some who are talking to Cheerilee and others discussing what to do for fun tomorrow.
>It's them... and the three from earlier.
>They get up and slowly walk towards you.
>The yellow one goes to the front of them and speaks. "Hello Anon, um... you wouldn't mind if we asked a few questions, would you?"
"Twilight said to go home after school was over, so I'm going to do that"
>The white one speaks up. "We know Twilight, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind you hanging out with us."
>Going over your current options, you think of what to do.
>Going home would make the most sense, but these three seem to have an... interest? in me.
>Twilight said that this school would help you learn about basics of making friends.
>Maybe this is the task she meant, which means school isn't over? The technicality of time might not apply to this event.
>So you decide to oblige their attempts.
"I will answer your questions and stay."
>All three of them light up and the orange one speaks this time. "That's great! C'mon. We'll show you to the tree house we made."
>And so you follow them out of the school and into a farm.
>Apple trees cover most of the landscape around you as the three lead you to what appears to be a miniature wooden house.
>Walking into the tree house, you find multiple failed posters lying everywhere.
>Paint, glue, glitter, and pictures lie scattered across the floor, walls, and... ceiling?
>How did they manage to do that?
>The three of them go a bit red. "Sorry, we sorta forgot to clean all this up, our bad. How about you wait outside so we can clean all this up." And so you listen to the white one's instructions.
>Sitting on the balcony, you hear some commotion near the school.
>But you decide to stay and watch from a distance.
>Nothing interesting happens, and the noise dies down as you hear a "You can come in now!" signalling you to enter the tree house once again.
>Everything in the house has been cleaned and in the middle stands three painting fillies who look desperate for answers.
>"Alright... Now that... that's done... we can finally ask you.... the questions we have...." the white one finishes, taking in a deep breathe and sighing.
>"But first..." The yellow one interjects. "This is Sweetie Belle" she points to the white one, "this is Scootaloo", pointing to the orange one, "and I'm Applebloom, pleasure to meet'cha Anon!"
"Likewise. Now what do you want to know."
>"Well... First off, what is it that you did to get Diamond all panicked like that?"
>"Yeah, what did you do?" Scootaloo interjects.
"I told them off, nothing else."
>"So you didn't do anything weird to them?" Sweetie asks.
>She must have caught a glimpse at the bulges in their throats.
>More observant to details than the others.
"No, I did not."
>Sweetie is off-put by your answer.
>But before she can ask another question, Applebloom speaks up. "Why do you have such a weird voice? It's like a robot or something."
"I fail to see the problem."
>"Don't you, y'know, feel emotion?"
"No, but I'm curious as to what you inquire."
>"What I mean is that when you talk, there's no personality in it. No friendliness or kindness, just talking, it's weird."
>The other two nod in agreement and decide that something needs to be done.
>"I know, how about we help with your personality!" Scootaloo offers.
"My personality?"
>"Yeah, so that you can like, not be a robot."
>"Yeah, Cutie Mark Personality Helpers! Yeah!" They chant in unison
>And then they fall a bit in enthusiasm.
>"Where do we start exactly?" Applebloom asks.
>"How about we start with kindness." Sweetie Belle offers.
"Kindness?"
>"Yeah, it's probably gonna be the most common act you'll see, so it's important you understand how it works!"
>"But Sweetie Belle" Applebloom interrupts. "Wouldn't that be a better job for, y'know, Fluttershy? She is the 'element of kindness' after all"
>"Huh... then why not just niceness in general?" Scootaloo asks.
>"Mmmm... yeah that could work." they say in unison
"If I may ask, what is this 'kindness' you speak of?"
>All three of them are stumped.
>None of them expected you to not even know what the word meant, but needless to say, they knew they were in for something big.
>"Errr... Ummmm..." Scootaloo tries to find the right words, but struggles to explain it, so Applebloom does it for her. "Kindness is something you display to others in order to gain their affections. At least, that's what I think it means." While the other two blush profusely, you understand the concept she's trying to convey to you.
>An act or display that shows affection towards someone.
>Straight forward and simple.
"How do I 'display' this 'kindness'?"
>"Well first you need to stop saying 'this'. It's not a physical object Anon, its just something you do like an action."
"Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding."
>Sweetie Belle's eyes light up. "That's it! That's kindness! What you said just now, except now we need to add some emotion to it."
"Emotion? How would I add emotion to a sentence?"
>"Why by moving that Adam's apple of course!" Applebloom chirps.
>Adam's apple? What is a-... oh, she means the laryngeal prominence in one's throat.
>Yes, you might be able to change pitch during speech, though you haven't done that since the human's used ultrasound to try and pierce your eardrums.
>That shit was annoying.
"How does this sound?"
>"Mmmmmmm needs more change, oh and try to end with a low pitch, like finishing a sentence."
"Is this better?"
>"Errr... no, I think that was worse, try to make it suit the sound of the words you make, like I'm doing right now."
"How about this? Does this suit the way you described?"
>"Yeah, that's a lot closer!" Applebloom's progress seems to have sparked something in the back of the room as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo take out some posters from before out, along with some markers.
>They scribble something down on the poster and hang it up on the wall.
>"Alright Anon!" Sweetie chimes in. "I want you to say this sentence with as much emotion as possible, got it?"
>You nod and walk up to the poster, reading the contents they've scribbled down.
"The hacky sacky went wacky tacky as Baron Lacky went on a stroll, and boy oh boy the wacky did tacky as the hacky sacky hit Baron! Oh no!"
>The three take a moment to organize their thoughts, and then they huddle up, whispering to each other their thoughts on how good you did.
>You placed the high pitches and low pitches in the right places, though you do question why they made you say such a weird sentence.
>After a few moments, they disperse as Sweetie Belle gives a little 'ahem'. "It wasn't as good as maybe an actor in a theater per say..." but Applebloom cuts her off. "I think it was perfect, normal like any other pony would say it."
>With reassuring nods from all three you thank them for their help.
"Thank you, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom. I'll be going back home now."
>The three... cringe at this. "Anon, your supposed to do it 'all the time', like a regular thing, you can't just drop it like a hot potato."
"Oh, excuse me, I did not know it was required during the whole day."
>"Nope, more like for the rest of your life. To put it simply." Sweetie Belle walks up to you.
>"Don't worry, everyone does it, so you'll get used to it in no time."
>This new information is important.
>Maybe you can talk to the voices with your new kindness.
>Though you don't know how they'll react.
~Iem ea'elehar l'oa'sub l'oa elehar l'oa~
>You nod to both Sweetie and the voices as you start to head out the open door.
>"Wait!" yells Scootaloo. "You don't have to leave just yet."
>"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle insists. "We still have so much to cover about emotions and stuff."
>You would love to stay, but worrying your caretaker could lead to punishment.
>And since the lesson is over on kindness, you see no reason to stay here much longer.
"Sorry, but I need to return to the castle before Twilight becomes worried."
>The three lighten up a bit. It would be the same for them since they all have caretakers of their own, so they give each other a mutual nod of agreement.
>"Alright, you can leave Anon." Scootaloo says. "But can we at least come with you? In case something happens?"
>You see no reason why they'd want to follow you.
>But you also see no reason to say no.
"Alright. You may come."
>After hearing the approval, a echoed "YAY!" is chanted by all three as they run out the door next to you.
>You follow the path through the trees and past the school, making it back to town.
>As you continue to walk, the three of them seem to slow down in pace as they glance around at the ponies around them.
>They take a worried visage, but continue towards the castle nonetheless.
>And outside, waits a very flustered, very unorthodox, Twilight sitting at the front of the door.
>So you guess she was expecting you to come home early.
>You should have known.
 
 
 
>Walking up to the castle doors, Twilight looks very agitated, staring at you like an angry parent.
>The three behind you hesitate to follow you a few steps in as you engage in conversation.
>"So Anon, how was school?" Twilight keeps a calm demeanor about her as to not scare away the three following you.
"It was efficient. I didn't learn any information from Miss Cherokee, but the three behind me taught me how to talk normally."
>This news changes Twilight's visage, like night is to day, her agitated state is replaced with a gleeful smile. She was so happy to hear that you learned something today, and even more so that you've made friends in such a shor-...
>Twilight takes a deep breathe, turns around, and readjusts her thoughts. Yes, she's a mother now, which means she will have to discipline when it is necessary.
>Turning back towards you, she now has a smirk more than a smile.
>You can clearly tell that emotions are fighting for control in her mind.
>"Anon, do you remember the rules I set for you?"
"They are clear in my mind."
>"Good, because I'm very certain that a certain little colt went and used his special talents on some pony." Twilight needed to walk around the whole powers thing, since the CMC have all perked up in interest.
>Your special talent? But Anon doesn't have a cutie mark at all on his flank. Without a cutie mark, how could you already know what your special talent was?
>Now they all wanted to know, what might your special talent be.
"If you're inquiring on the two that fled to town, yes that was my special talents doing."
>You feel a slight subtle change in mood behind you. A flare of anger comes from Sweetie specifically, but the other two stay curious to your abilities.
>"I KNEW I-! Wait..." Twilight was off balanced by your lack of hesitation, as well as your truthfulness on the matter. And truthfully, she should have expected this from you. A lack of self conscious and self doubt, as well as no concern for punishment, but... even so...
>"Erm... ummm... well, you still need to pay for your actions, Anon, you do realize that don't you?"
"I know. I did nothing wrong with my actions. The ones known as Diamond and Silver wreaked of arrogance, so I punished them for it."
>Twilight's emotions change near instantly.
>"Anon, how about we talk about this inside." Twilight offers, glancing at the group behind you.
>You feel the overwhelming worry and doubt spreading, so you agree.
>Walking inside, Twilight closes the door behind you with the mist and faces you, leaving the CMC to their own devices.
>"Anon, are you OK?" Twilight asks, the worry increasing significantly.
"Yes."
>"Does it hurt anywhere?" She asks
"No. Twilight, why are you asking these questions?"
>What is she on about?
>You haven't been injured, have you?
>No, any threat would have been dealt with easily.
>Twilight starts walking towards you, each step triggering something inside you.
>Your face is starting to distort in defense.
>They sense an unknown threat.
>"Anon, calm down..." she continues slowly walking toward you.
>You start backing away through the hall, your teeth growing and sharpening every step you take.
>"Anon..." she keeps going.
>Something has started to hurt inside you.
>Why does it hurt all of a sudden? Nothing is touching you.
>You growl in agony, trying to fight the pain growing in your body.
>What the hell is going on, you shouldn't be hurting.
>It's her mist, you have to kill her
>You'll break the rules Discord set
>Who cares a?bo?ut t?he ?ru?l?es~
>Stop this pain, make it stop
~THEN KILL HER~
>Make it go away.
~Yo?u? h?a?ve no cho?ice~
>Someone...
~DO IT~
>He-...
>The room has distorted, tentacles and claws surrounding you, aiming straight at you.
>Your body has distorted to that of a rabid beast, your limbs transformed to razors and wings have sprouted from your body, the tentacles waving ever so slightly.
>And all is silent.
>As Twilight just pulled you into a warm embrace.
>The voices lay silent.
>You lay silent, unknown of what's to come.
>Suddenly, the pain you've been experiencing stops, and a steady stream of water leaves your eyes.
>Why is there water? Another spell?
>Twilight's wings extend and lower over yours, which retract themselves back into your body, covering you in warmth.
>The area around you undoes itself and dissipates to leave the regular crystal below.
>Your face changes back to its original form, and now...
>You can't help but make noises into her soft chest tuff.
>It doesn't make sense, why is this happening?
>Why now? Why haven't you experienced this feeling before? Why must you lack feelings in the first place?
>"Thank goodness..." Twilight whispers.
>Why is she thankful?
>I'm suffering and she's thankful?
>Who does she think she is?
>What reason does she-
>"You aren't any monster... you just want love is all... don't you?"
>Wha...
>Monster?
>Love?
>Is this what this feeling is?
>You hate this feeling.
>Why do you continue to water.
>Liquids are now pouring from your nose as well.
>You hate it.
>Hate, hate hate HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT~
>"Shhhh..."
>What is she doing?
>"It's alright."
>Why must she do this?
>"You can just..."
>WHY MUST SHE HURT YOU LIKE THI-
>"... let it all out."
>And just like that, it all comes crashing down.