== CHAPTER ONE: BACK HOME ==

School was over. It was time to go home.

Piña Colada looked around the room as the bell rang, her short sifting tail went limp, and her eyes sagged. School was just too short these days it seemed. Miss Cheerilee took notice as she wiped the chalk slate with the underside of her tail. Piña sighed as she turned from her desk and began the longest walk.

Back home.

As the classroom quickly emptied of the other excited students, Cheerilee moved alongside the filly. "Piña, is everything ok?"

She only sighed more heavily in response.

"Is it your cousin, Ruby? She must be really sick staying home today."

Piña bit her lip. "Yeah."

"Can I walk you home? Maybe I could talk to your sister?"

Piña just teared up and started running. Cheerilee took on a quizzically concerned look, watching her trot in the wrong direction.

The filly turned the corner between some shops and sank to the ground against the brick, coiling her tail around her right flank and sobbing. Everything hurt, it seemed. Her head, her stomach, her chest, her eyes—school was there was to make it go away, and the few times she had pleasant dreams, they were about school lasting forever.

Piña overheard some laughter and happy trotting of some schoolmates. With her mane scarfed around her neck and nose, she wiped her tears on it and shook her head. With a sniffle she toughened up and once again started on her way—back home. She would have stayed in that spot sometimes to cry herself out, but listening to happy foals excited to leave school would just make it worse.

Noi, Rumble, and Jelly Splat were giggling over their game of hopscotch. Piña watched Rumble and Splat attempting to outdo each other in front of Noi who put on a particularly wide grin watching them. Piña tightened her face, gritted her teeth, and marched over towards them. Noi rolled her eyes upward and teased them. "Gee, I wonder which of you can jump the furthest."

"I can!" Jelly Splat shouted. His hyperactivity was practically a special talent, and he bounced off the side of a house and over the all the chalk-etched boxes. He twirled on a hind hoof arms above his head and finished in a gallant pose and bow, but fell over on his finish.

Rumble spat. "As if," with a running start, he buzzed his wings and performed a tremendous leap but landed only a foot further.

"That doesn't count," Splat said stamping his right hoof, "That's not a jump!"

"It sure was," Rumble argued, and the two colts went muzzle-to-muzzle, growing in high-pitch.

Noi walked by, flicking her long, wheat golden mane, lowering her eyelids, and rubbing her choppy tail across Rumble. The Pegasi's wings flittered as her tail moved over them, over his head and over Jelly Splat's head and back, and his features wobbled behind her trail. She looked behind at the two colts. "I suppose we could call it a tie unless…"

Noi fell hard to her flank. She tried to look up but Piña backhooved her.

Rumble and Jelly Splat trotted over, both equally angry. Splat was first to react. "Hey! Whaddya do that for?"

Piña's barred her slightly stained teeth, her blue eyes wide, and eyebrows very low. Hot breath splashed Noi's face as Piña snorted.

Noi looked confused for a moment, but then she perked up with a smirk. As she looked over at the two colts she began to sniffle. "Owe, that hurt!" Noi said bringing an arm over her forehead, "Why ever did you do that for?"

"You know exactly why!" Piña said.

The two colts moved to either side, wrung her arms, and dragged her away. "Leave her alone," Rumble said, "we were just having our afternoon competition."

Piña's eyes welled up. She wanted to hit her friends and tell them to go home. But she didn't want to hurt them, but she also hated to see them used so.

"Looks like somepony's jealous," Noi said rubbing her cheek.

Piña didn't change her angered expression and she took to a standoff.

"You two used to be friends," Splat said as he backed away from Piña towards Noi.

"Yeah, lighten up," Rumbled added as he also stepped towards Noi and helped her up.

Noi lowered her head. "Keep this up, Piña, and you won't have any friends."

Piña curled a lip and shouted, "You're the reason I don't have any, and won't have any, and you know it!" The filly turned her back, on her friends, and on the whole world it seemed, and walked through the ally into the shadow of her home. She gulped and opened the back gate and shut it fast, closing herself off from the world she once knew and loved. Back home.