//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: School 
// Story: The Mark 
// by dragonlover2864 
//------------------------------//

	I walked into class wearing the hoodie my mother bought me. Dark grey, to match my overwhelming sense of worry and hopefully draw attention away from my blazing white fur. Today was my first day here. I kept the hood up over my face and shied away from the other fillies and colts. My slick black tail swayed slowly behind me. I didn’t want to be seen. I didn’t want to be questioned about It. I wanted today to be over with the moment I woke up. I wanted to delay the in-evadable and be left alone...
But she had to walk up to me. 
A young filly trotted up to me with a huge grin on her face. She was light grey, almost white. She had a stunning mane: Pure white with a splash of neon green on her forelock. Her forelock fell along the side of her face and her mane slipped along the back of her neck. Her tail was thin and sharp with a neon green stripe along the top of it.  But her most striking feature was the spots she had splattered across her body. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. 
I receded further into my hoodie, trying to hide my blush, which was more than noticeable with my fur. Stupid fur. All I let her see of my face was my mouth, so she wouldn’t see it.
“Hello!” Her voice was crisp as an apple and twice as sweet. She smiled and waited paitently for a reply.
I don’t know how, but I managed to reply. “Hello” I some how forced a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Night Glow,” What a lovely name for such a lovely filly “what’s your name?”
“My parents call me Slender... You can call me Slendy.” She looked a little confused so I explained “I was very thin as a baby.. They thought I wouldn’t make it..”
“Oh... I’m sorry... But here you are! Safe and alive, but you ARE pretty thin,” to emphasize that, she poked my shoulder and giggled “tall too.”
“Uh. thank you..” What an odd pony... So open and happy... And yet I liked her. 
“Why do you have your hood up like that? You know it’s rude to have it up in a room.. I want to see your face..”
“I’d rather not take it off... If you don’t mind..”
“It’s okay, I was shy my first day too.” She beamed at me and that’s when the teacher walked in and all the young ponies went to their seats. I had no clue where to sit so I stood there, awkwardly, shuffling my hooves and looking at the ground. The teacher walked over and asked me to sit by Silverspoon. 
I walked over and was shocked to see the little filly had her cutie mark already. a spoon.. What kind of talent is that?! Does she eat a lot or something? Next to her to her was another filly with her cutie mark. This one had a crown, a girly one at that, for a cutie mark. I frowned and turned back towards the teacher. She was staring pointedly at me. I was confused.
“We do not wear hoods in here sweetheart. It is disrespectful.”
“May I wear it? Just today? Please Miss, Miss-”
“Cheerilee, and fine, but only today. Tomorrow, no hoods.” She looked at me and the announced to the class “This is Slender. He is a new student and should be treated kindly.” I saw the two fillies from earlier smile at each other in an evil way and some snickers from a group of colts made my heart sink.
We spent the first half of the day taking notes and reading. I mostly doodled. I kept drawing circles, trying to make them perfect. When one wasn’t perfect i’d put an “x” through it and start again. I never did make a perfect circle, all were eventually x’d out. 
I barely noticed when the first bell rang. I stood up and walked outside staying near the wall. It was recess and the ponies were out playing games. I saw a few colts picking on Night. I was furious. I ran over to help her.
The largest colt, a Pegasus, spoke for them all “Stay out of this Slendurr, This has nothing to do with you.” I stood infront of Night and lowered my head, without them seeing my face. “We were only talking, you don’t have to get so bent out of shape.” He flicked his tail at one of his cohorts  who began to walk around Night and myself. “Can’t we all get along?” 
The colt was light blue with a short blonde mane, I hated him the moment I saw him. He seemed to be the leader this band of jerks. His goon was now at my side. I kept an eye on him but I was more worried about blondy. He was well built and looked like he knew how to fight. I watched him carefully, sure of what he would do. And of course, e did it.
He began to flick his tail but I was ready. As he tail began to move I lept at him and bit into his ear, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to shock him. He stumbled back and fell. I landed on him and he kicked out at my stomach. I 
fell off him and lost my balance. I fell flat on my rump. He stood up and bucked me in the chest and knocked the wind right out of me.
I looked to see how Night was. She had kicked the colts ass and was headed straight for the blue pony. By this time most of the ponies had surrounded us, watching the new colt get his butt kicked must be the awesomest thing they’ve ever seen. 
Blue boy had pinned me down. “A tough one, eh? Let’s see just what’s under this hood of yours...” He kept me pinned and the other colt came and stood by my head. He waited.
“NO! Please don’t!” I knew it was useless, they’d pull the hood down and every one would know. 
Just as the blue colt nodded to his friend, Night slammed into him. I heard a crack and saw the colt’s face contort in pain. He let out a quick gasp as he fell to the ground again. He began to moan and sob, holding his leg.
Cheerilee had run outside but stopped in her tracks she looked at Night Glow, and then to the blue colt, and then spotted the colt that Night had beaten. And then, then she looked at me, me and the now horrified colt standing right by my head.
I felt a cool breeze along my head as I realized it had happened. They know now. Everypony was staring at me. At my face...
Or, lack there of...