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// Chapter 3: The School Yard Game  
// Story: Lonely Is the One Who Endures: The Life of Spark Valor 
// by Spark Valor 
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Chapter 3: The School Yard Game
6 years later
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Night Mare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since…

“Spark Valor! What in Equstria can be so important that you can’t pay attention in class?” The teacher yelled at him. All of the foals turned to look at Spark in the very back of the class reading a book on top of his desk. Spark slowly closed his book to see his teacher approaching him with an evil smile on his face. “Reading in class? Well can you tell the class what you are reading then?”
“Um…it’s the…A History of Equestria…I was…still paying attention Mr. Atrox…” Spark stammered. He hated having to speak when everyone was watching and hated being picked on by the teacher. No matter how many notes were passed or objects throw around the room, he was somehow the cause of it all. “You were giving another lesson on the founding of Equestria…”
“Another? Spark I don’t think you realize what I am doing here.” He said with a sneer in his voice. 
“You gave the same lesson on how the three tribes came to Equestria last month…I still have the homework you assigned us…” Spark tried to sound calm but it came across as panicked. He could see Mr. Atrox heard it too and seized it. 
“So you think you know everything there is to know do you.” Mr. Atrox planted a hoof on Spark’s desk making him try to back up as far as possible into his chair to get away from him. Spark could feel his pulse rise and heard the blood pound in his veins. His hooves started to shake.
“No…that’s why…why I’m reading this book Mr. Atrox. But I think it’s wrong” Spark’s whole body began to shake now.
“Wrong? How could the most accepted book on our history be wrong? Please come up front and tell the class why you think it’s wrong.” Mr. Atrox walked back to his desk and sat down with evil glee radiating from his body. 
Spark slowly got up from his chair and could feel his classes’ eyes on him. He heard their stifled laughter. He just sighed and tried to keep walking forward. As he reached the front of the class he turned to see all eyes were on him. Each foal had a look of joy on their face, waiting for their opportunity to strike out at him. 
“I...I think the book is wrong…because it says…Princess Luna turned evil out of jealousy…but she had everything…what could she be jealous of?” Spark couldn’t help but look at his teacher as if to say “what now”? One of the foals spoke up breaking the brief silence as the foals tried to think of a way to counter his point. No matter what the subject they always had to prove him wrong.
“Well the book explains that doesn’t it? She was jealous that every pony loved the day more than the night.” Spark didn’t know the foal well. He didn’t know any of them. 
“A good point Dream Chaser. So Spark, what do you have to say now?” Mr. Atrox leaned forward anticipating an easy victory. Spark would not let him win this time. He was right and they were wrong. 
“How could she be jealous when she controlled the moon and the stars? The sun is good but you can’t enjoy it like the night. The night is…peaceful, beautiful, and…and…” Before Spark could finish one of the foals yelled out “Spark has a crush on Princess Luna!” 
The laughter erupted and the teacher leaned back and smiled as Spark looked around realizing he had lost this battle. Crestfallen, he slowly walked back to his desk with his head hung low. The laughter followed him every step of the way. Before he could react his hind legs were tripped by one of the foals and he crashed onto the hard floor. The laughter turned into shrill glees of euphoria. Spark slowly got up and could hardly keep his emotions in line. He was on the verge of tears and lashing out at every pony in the class room. As he reached his chair he picked up his book and placed it in his desk. 
“So as I was saying before we so rudely interrupted. The three tribes…”Mr. Atrox began but was interrupted as the school bell rang. The foals quickly filed out of the room barely containing their excitement as they were released for recess. Spark sighed deeply as he grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil from his desk and tucked them under his wings. He then followed the line from a distance. He never enjoyed recess. The foals would never leave him alone.  He didn’t know why they chose him as their target every day. He was sure they didn’t either. 
As Spark left the classroom he was greeted by a group of foals that had appointed themselves to ruin Spark’s day at all costs. They were maybe five or six of them at all times but today most of the class was there. Maybe twenty foals all together. The foal in charge of the group, Thunder Specter, had become the spearhead for the foals’ attacks against him. He had led this group since the very first time it was made clear Spark Valor was different and was to be treated as such. Spark had never done anything to offend them. He had tried his best to become friends with them and later to just make them stop. They never did.
“So what’s on the agenda for today Thunder?” Spark asked the gray unicorn calmly. It didn’t help to answer violence with violence he had learned through firsthand experience. At least, not when they have you outnumbered, Spark thought coldly. “Don’t you talk to me like I’m your friend Spark!” Thunder retorted. He was all ready in a bad mood today. That was going to be a problem Spark thought to himself, all ready thinking of an escape plan.  The foals had started to form a circle around him. Spark started to panic. His plans kept coming up short in his mind. 
“Well maybe you shouldn’t talk to me like your better than me then huh?” Spark replied trying to hide his panic as best as he could. He hated being the center of attention. Thunder must have known that by now. After so long torturing him, he knew his every fear and weakness. That’s why there are so many of them today, he thought. Thunder started to advance on him, hatred glowing in his eyes. Spark held his ground as Thunder approached him, never breaking eye contact. He stopped so close Spark could feel Thunder’s breathing on his face. 
“You’re pathetic, did you know that? You have no friends. No pony would care if you died. Not a single pony. Not even your mother, the bucking liar.” Thunder looked down at Spark waiting for his words to sink in. Spark was shaking. Thunder leaned in closer as Spark lowered his head. “You don’t like that do you? Well Spark, it’s true. Your mother is a whore and every pony knows it.” Spark was shaking violently now. Thunder just laughed at him and soon the circle around them began to laugh too. Thunder leaned down to see Spark’s face, his hair long enough to cover his face at that angle. “She is a whore.” Thunder made sure to draw out the last word as long as possible. Spark mumbled something, still shaking with his head held low hidden from the circle. Thunder leaned in closer, but still couldn’t hear his mumbling. 
“Speak up you pathetic excuse for a foal!” Thunder yelled at him lifting his head back up so the circle could hear him. Thunder turned around and began to walk into the circle. “You really shouldn’t turn your back on some pony that’s better than you.” Spark said just loud enough for the circle to hear him. The foals all turned and looked at Thunder waiting for some kind of response on what to do. He turned and looked at Spark. He hadn’t moved but the shaking seemed to have gone down. 
Thunder just smiled at him and left the circle again. “What was that you son of a whore?” Spark’s shaking seemed to stop all together. “Say it again. I dare you.” Spark answered through gritted teeth. “Or what you son of a who-“ Before he could finish, Spark Valor snapped. For the first time in his life he lost control and attacked. He used his wings to launch himself at the unprepared Thunder. He landed hooves first onto him and started to pound him with the years of hate that was always directed towards him. He let all of his emotions flow into one feeling: rage. He couldn’t stop; he just kept throwing hooves into Thunder. His face, his sides, it didn’t matter to Spark, he just couldn’t stop. “Why do you hate me! Why won’t you leave me alone! Why…can’t….you…just…leave…me…alone!” He pounded a hoof to emphasize each word. He could feel tears running down his face and the sounds of shock from the foals. When he finally began to tire, he got off of Thunder and started to walk away. The circle of foals just stood in shock and parted to let Spark through. He paid no attention to them. Spark soon began to run away, tears still running down his face with no end in sight. He kept running till he came to the edge of the school grounds where a lone tree stood. 
The withered old tree had kept Spark safe from the foals before and now it was his refuge once again. He lifted himself into the lowest branches and glided into the top branches. He had found a small hollow where he was able to sit and watch the school without being seen by Thunder and his gang. Spark curled up into as small of a ball as possible trying to forget what had happened. He looked at his hooves to find them covered in blood. Thunder’s blood. How could I have done this? Spark thought to himself. What in Equestria made me do this? He started to shake again. He couldn’t keep himself from letting his crying become audible. He didn’t care anymore. He just wanted to be forgotten and left alone. As he let his emotions drain, he heard his pad and pencil drop onto the hollow’s floor. He lifted his head and slowly dragged the pad over to him. The picture on the front was of the mare in the moon. He had stayed up late all not on the full moon to get the sketch just right. He smiled and chuckled to himself. No one will ever see this. No one will care. Thunder was right. No one cared for him. He was all alone. 
No. His mother did. She cared for him. She kept him happy and she loved him. His shaking stopped. He placed his pad and pencil in his mouth and as he was about to glide down from the tree he heard the foals coming. He put down is pad and looked at them coming towards the tree. There were enough leaves to hide his face but he knew they were coming for him. They must have finally figured out where he hid. He stepped back into the hollow. The foals gathered around the tree and began to throw rocks up at him. Most didn’t make it past the lowest branches, but some of the unicorns knew how to aim. Their magically flung rocks zoomed past his hollow. Spark had to cram himself as far as possible into it to avoid being hit. They started to yell at him. They called him a mutt. A disgrace to ponydom. He should be put down for what he did to Thunder, like an animal would. Spark began to cry again. He stared at his hooves and studied the blood that had dried on them. He didn’t know what had happened to him. He just lost control of himself. But, he started it…he made me do it…Spark tried to reason with himself. No…no I did this with full knowledge of what I was doing. 
His mental debate was cut short as a rock struck the side of his head, leaving a solid echo in the hollow. Spark’s vision blurred and as he stumbled out of the hollow, he lifted a hoof to his forehead. It came away with fresh blood. He continued to stumble and a sense of vertigo came upon him. He didn’t know where he was going. The world rushed past his eyes and it was all he could do to open up his wings. The world slowed only slightly and then it came to a halt. He crashed into the ground, knocking the wind out of him and causing a searing pain in his right front hoof. Spark tried his best to get back up without causing more harm to himself. He heard the foals begin to rush him. 
“Now now children, I think that’s enough for today.” Mr. Atrox’s cold voice broke through the yelling. The foals stopped in their tracks and turned to see him standing on the hill overlooking where they had gathered. “Recess is over. Every pony head on back to class. Except for you Valor.” The foals headed back to the school house, glaring back at Spark with hate all the way. Mr. Atrox moved closer to Spark and bent his head down to his level. “A very interesting day Valor. Assault on a classmate, Thunder Specter, breaking several of his ribs, his jaw, and a collar bone. Looks like you have a nasty cut on your forehead and possibly a broken front hoof.” Mr. Atrox simply shook his head and made a tsching noise as a cruel smile came across his face.  He grabbed Spark’s broken hoof and squeezed it tight, his smile growing wider as Spark squirmed in pain, leaving fresh tears in his eyes. 
“You see Valor; you can never win in a world that hates you. You can’t win against people like me or the foals, because there will always be ponies to keep out from society and there will always be those to keep them out. You just so happen to be Canterlot’s pony of choice. You will always be alone and will never experience the joy we feel when we ban against you.” Mr. Atrox finally let go of Spark’s hoof. He collapsed on the ground clutching it and trying to control his emotions, and keeping the situation from getting any worse. Mr. Atrox picked up Spark’s notepad and smiled again as he looked at the front image. “So Valor; you really do have a crush on the traitor Luna huh? Well outcasts seek out outcasts it seems.” He threw the pad at Spark and left for the school house. “Do try and clean up before you come into class Valor. I don’t want you to trail blood on my floors.”
It took all of Spark’s will power not to chase after him. He sat there clutching his hoof for what felt like an eternity. He finally got up and grabbed his pad. He starred at his sketch and recalled what Mr. Atrox said. Outcasts seek out outcast. Well Mr. Atrox, Spark thought to himself, you’re wrong. I’m not alone. I have my mother. You can’t win. I’ll win this war yet.