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RIMESTONE HIGH SCHOOL - 6 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT (5 YEARS BEFORE TLS)
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The bell sounds to mark the end of the day as Meteorite walks through the crowded hall back to her locker, not the easiest feat for one of the largest mares in the school, being not only fairly tall, but very overweight. However, without much more incident than brushing against a few ponies she makes her way to her locker, where a sky blue stallion is waiting for her.
"Hey Mete," the stallion asked with a smirk. "What's going on?"
Meteorite knew the stallion more than she would've liked. Blue Line. Assistant captain for the Rimestone hockey team- a team that, as they tended to gloat, would've been undefeated last year if they had only played half their games. "Nothing really. Just trying to get my stuff out of my locker."
"Well," Blue Line said, not taking the hint and getting out of the way (intentional or unintentional Mete wasn't sure), "I've been seeing you around lately and I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Homecoming dance with me."
Meteorite was taken aback. While her brain was quickly trying to fabricate an excuse, since she hardly liked Blue Line, she couldn't help but be flattered that he would ask in the first place. "You... you want to go to Homecoming with me?"
"She didn't say yes!" a gray stallion called out from several feet back. "That's ten bits, Blue!"
"Ten bits?" Mete asked. "What are you talking about?"
Blue Line gave out a sleazy smile. "Yeah, we bet on if you'd say yes immediately. Honestly, nah Mete, I don't want to go with you. I mean, come on, you didn't know it was a joke? I've got marefriends for days! You're smarter than that."
Meteorite didn't respond, having no idea what to even say to that.
"Besides," the gray stallion called out, "how're they even gonna fit a dress around your fat ass?"
"Hey," Blue Line replied sternly. "Don't say that. They make plenty of dresses for mares her size."
Meteorite smiled at the defense. Sure, he was still scummy, but maybe he wasn't all bad after-
"Yeah, they're called tents," Blue Line finished, causing Mete's smile to quickly vanish.
Blue Line and his friend hoofbumped as they walked away. "C'mon dude, let's go get you a real date."
Meteorite grumbled as she slammed her forehead into her locker, leaving one of several indentations she'd have to pay for at the end of the year.
"They're not even worth your time. You're better than that."
Meteorite turned her head to her right to see a familiar pegasus stallion. Off-white coat, dark teal mane with one stubborn cowlick always out of place- but never, it seemed, the same place. Sudden Squall. "I wish I could believe that," she replied.
"Those jerks only care about looks. That's why they stay away from you."
Meteorite glared at her friend. "So I'm ugly?"
"No, I... Okay that came out wrong. I mean you're more than just looks. You're a good friend. That's what matters, and they're never going to get to see that."
"I don't think Mr. Marefriends-For-Days cares about that in the first place."
"Well, it's their loss."
"If you say so, Squall, but I'm still staying as far away from the dance as possible. The music's too loud, I'm not coordinated, they're right that I'd have to wear a tent, and I'm just going to get made fun of for going alone because only an idiot would want to take me." Meteorite shoves her books into her bag, slamming her locker shut. "I've got better things to do that night, like rolling in broken glass. Anyway, see you tomorrow, Squall."
Sudden Squall walks back to his own locker, where amongst his strewnly-placed books is a single rose.
"Only an idiot." Squall sighs as he looks wistfully at the flower. "You're not wrong."
Sudden Squall grabs his books and walks home, but not before throwing the rose away.