Rule-Breaking Nuisance

by Shimmer Shy

Mage's POV

Sportsy Sketch… Sportsy Sketch! I liked that name! It rolled off the tongue nicely. I looked at her with a large smile spreading across my blue face. She gave a little giggle, and for the first time other than saying her name, she spoke.

“So… what lesson do you have next?” She asked. For a minute, I didn’t realise what she was talking about, and then it sunk in. We were at school. Quickly and frantically, I grabbed my saddle bag in search for my timetable. I withdrew it from the brown bag, and attempted to read the crumpled piece of paper.

“Er… Science, you?” I asked, hoping that she also had it.

“I have Sports, so I guess I’ll see you after school?” She sighed, as she began to walk to where her next lesson was. My smile faded a little, but I walked to science anyway, still pleased that I had made a friend.

I remember walking towards the classroom, feeling a sense of dread . Like a little voice in the back of my head was telling me to get out of there, to run away. A sixth sense possibly. Obviously as I was in school I couldn't do that, but I did keep almost crying several times throughout the lesson. I blame that on myself, though. I should have learned to be able to talk about changelings without breaking down. It might have been the hostility everypony in class seemed to have towards us, then again, since the wedding things have become more serious. It seemed that as the hour progressed, the realisation that I was fake, and didn't belong began to hit me harder and harder until I eventually broke.I walked out of the lesson, struggling to hold back tears, and simply informed Sportsy that I needed the toilet. She followed me, and waited patiently outside.

When I finally came out, Sportsy was there. It probably looked like I had been crying, because she quickly pulled me into a tight hug, trying to comfort me. Although I knew she was trying, the hug really wasn't helping, in fact it was making me feel guilty again. I was tricking her, and everypony else at this school. I was a traitor. I wasn’t Mage. I didn't feel warm anymore, either. My body felt cold and fake. Well, my body was cold and fake. I was just a cold-hearted monster that had tricked a friend and had probably accidentally stolen some love at one point.

After Sportsy let go, she asked me whether I was okay, and she looked me straight in the eye. I tried to avoid eye-contact, trying desperately to just stop panicking. Obviously, I wasn't okay, and I knew that she was trying to find out why, the way she wouldn’t drop the conversation, and the way she was looking at me. It was as if she was trying to uncloak my disguise. I looked into her beautiful, sapphire eyes that sparkled like gems. I looked at her purple fur that was the perfect portrayal of her personality, and I smiled at her brown hair, the way it rested perfectly on her head with no bumps or knots. I remembered my own orange eyes, how they stuck out from the greens, blues and purples of Everypony else. I remembered my own blue flank, how it was so... dark. It stood out amongst the pastel pinks, blues and yellows of Everypony else. I remembered my hair, the way it got knotted and frazzled easily, and how it was so strangely coloured. But to be honest, I really didn't care anymore. As I stared into Sportsy's eyes, I remembered that she cares, that somepony cared for me! That was enough to convince me to even consider telling somepony my secret. I thought about it, what the consequences of it could be. I knew she wouldn’t drop this, and that a lie would just make the situation spiral out of control. I probably wouldn’t be able to think of a good enough one anyway.

Eventually, I decided that I would tell her. I asked her to follow me back into the dirty, worn down toilets. I opened one of the grimy doors, and nodded my head as a signal to go in. She frowned as she walked in and I followed her into the same one, and locked the door behind me. Just in case worse came to worse and she attempted to attack me, I’d be able to knock her out without her escaping. It was a little squashed, and a bit awkward too, but it was enough for me to do what I had to do. I leant against the cool, plastic door. I was sweating, and I looked down to avoid eye-contact.

"What's happening, Mage?" Sportsy asked again, for about the hundredth time, a frown painted across her purple face. I looked at her, seeing the panic and discomfort in her sapphire eyes. I figured she wouldn’t have jumped to the correct conclusion, and that the transformation would come as a terrible shock to her. She may lash out, or scream or cry, or hit me…

…

Or take it well…

Nonetheless, I closed my eyes and I felt so much weaker and vulnerable, about to share a secret I had kept from everypony for my whole life with somepony I had met a few hours ago. Strange how I felt I could trust her.
It didn’t matter if she hated me afterwards, I would be able to change my form and go to live somewhere else; I’ve always wanted to go to cloudsdale anyway.
Then I transformed, I felt the flames cover me like a warm blanket as my form changed into the ugly, bug-like creature. I must have been about half the size of Sportsy now, but I stood still with my eyes shut tightly closed, waiting for her reaction.