> Spiked Wheels > by Daxn > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Sedev Neg- Orshil (Chapter One) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A new student? And he's a cripple?" "It's called 'differently-abled,' Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said, while sitting at her desk in the classroom. "Eh, whatever," Scootaloo commented on, while she circled a pencil on the desk "It's the same thing, really." "Actually," Sweetie Belle said, while gesturing upwards " it's rude to call a pony in a wheelchair 'cripple.' You should call him 'differently-abled' or just 'handicapped,' if you prefer." "Yes, I get it, Sweets, you don't need to say it twice." said an annoyed Scootaloo, as she kept making circles. Sweetie Belle let out a sigh, and, looked behind her, seeing the few ponies in the class going about their business before starting the first hour of school. Right behind her, Silver Spoon was muttering "The battle of Gargamello, fought between Sombra's army and the Diarchy's, was a decisive victory..." as she intently read the book in preparation for the interrogation that was likely to ensure during the History class that day. At the right side of Silver Spoon, Archer, with some spare cheat sheets, created spitballs to be used later on in the morning as per his usual. On the left side, Snips was sleeping on the desk and, for the first time in years, he was not doing it with his pal Snails, since he was absent. In the last row behind Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara and Shy Flames were leisurely talking with each other about a topic that Sweetie Belle could not know due to the distance. On the left side of Diamond Tiara's desk, Featherweight was scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Nothing new so far on the Ponyville Front," Sweetie Belle murmured to herself while turning around towards the empty teacher's desk. Not that it was going to stay that way for long. Around a minute after, the old door of the classroom started to squeak loudly. "Cheerlie's coming!" Scootaloo whispered-shouted to the class. At this point, everybody stopped doing what they were doing for stare at the door, which opened slowly, revealing the usual amaranth shape of the teacher and another dark gray one. "Is he..." "Yes, he is." Cheerliee sat at the desk, then said. "Class, say welcome to our newest addition to our class: Limp Daeva!" A cracking sound of rusty wheels followed those words, revealing the previous gray shape in all its glory. He was a gray colt with short spiky dark purple mane, and his rear legs were no more than a couple of atrophied stumps of what were once. "Uhhh... ugh, poor colt," Sweetie Belle murmured at the sight of those leg stumps. "It looks like he has stalactites as hind legs. I don't want to know how they got that shape..." "Freaky... but cool." "Curious, most curious..." As those comments arose from the class, Limp Daeva dragged his wheelchair along towards the teacher's desk, before slowly turning around to face the rest of the classroom, his eyes clearly showing determination and readiness into showing himself off, and the rest of the class, with its silence, was setting itself up for it. “Hello everypony,” said the colt with a tone that expressed energy and haughtiness at the same time “I am Limpa Daeva. I am from a nearby town, and went to the ‘Vero Vassallo’ school there. I have your same age and yadda yadda, ask me stuffs.” Scootaloo was very quick to raise her hoof for the first question. “How did you lose your legs?” Almost everybody in the class glared at Scootaloo, but Limp kept his composure. “No, I didn’t, I was just born with bones made of wet paper, and the doctors cut them off.” Scootaloo hanged her head low and let out a disappointed sigh, which made Apple Bloom facehoof. The next turn was Diamond Tiara’s, who, after inflating her chest a bit, asked inquisitively. ”What is your parent’s job? And how you are, economically-speaking?" “Is that a true question?” Limp Daeva stated while leaning forwards and talking in an acidic tone ”or is this some kind of test to see if I’m worthy in being a friend of a rich pony?” There were a few giggles, causing Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara to blush annoyed. “Either way, my mother works as accountant in ‘Barn’s Bargain,’ and my father sells trinkets to donkeys and dunces. As you can guess, no, I don’t brush my teeth with liquid gold.” Scootaloo and Applebloom laughed hard, the two bullies and Shy Flames looked offended at Limp, Cheerilee glared at the crippled colt, and the rest of the class simply chuckled. “Daeva, that was not very nice. Anyway, any more questions?” There was silence. “Nopony?” Shakily and unsurely, Shy rose his hoof and slowly sank under the desk at the same time. Fortunately for the colt, Cheerilee spotted him, and said. “Yes, Shy?” The colt immediately regained his previous position with crinkling and, while looking down to the floor, he asked. “What do you do…. err… in your free time?” The colt in wheelchair sniffed. “I generally help in the house, do my homework, then go to bed after eating dinner. Happy now?” Shy quickly retreated under his desk at the answer. “Alright. Any more questions?” Cheerilee asked. Nobody answered and, after a short while, Limp Daeva walked towards one of the empty desks near Scootaloo, and set the rucksack beside the desk. With a sigh, Cheerilee went to the blackboard and picked up a red chalk. “Now that the greetings have been done, let’s start with our first lesson of the day, History.” With a sigh, Sweetie Belle proceeded to take out her textbook from her rucksack, and set it on the desk, before opening it at a random page. “Today’s topic is the demise of Sombra’s Northern Kingdom and the Donation of Perticanon. Open your books at page thirty-nine, and look at the third paragraph.” Sweetie Belle, like the rest of the class, browsed the pages of the book until she reached her destination. “Daeva, do you want to read the paragraph?” Cheerlie asked. The colt smirked, then, after he set his eyes on the page, he started to read. “Sombra’s Northen Kingdom fell in ‘Whocares’ Before Banishment thanks to the deeds of General Cadaver McDead, and resulted into a bunch of dead ponies turning dead earlier.” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Snips erupted into giggles, while the rest either glared or were left unfazed. “Limp Daeva,” Cheerliee said sternly, glaring again “please, stop it, and behave yourself.” The colt groaned, as he lowered his eyes on the pages again. “Sombra’s Northen Kingdom fell in 475 Before Banishment thanks to the deeds of General Cretinorna, whom assaulted the garrison of the city with only one-hundred soldiers, that managed to take a hold on the fortifications… I find it unlikely but whatever, and thus allowed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to challenge King Sombra to a fight to the death, where the King lost, and was banished in Çita.” Cheerilee, after another glare to Daeva, said. “Okay, now look to the map of the city below the paragraph.” Sweetie Belle immediately looked at the map. However, due to the lack of a legend explaining the symbols properly, she was left more confused than anything. “Ugh. Maps. Who designs them anyway? Abstract painters?” Sweetie Belle whispered to Apple Bloom, trying not to get anyone else’s attention. “Yeah, they are useless! It’s just a bunch of signs scribbled on smears of colour!” “And it’s not like that they are useful anyway,” Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo “Am I right?” Scootaloo, however, did not answer, since she was too busy snickering and talking with Daeva, clearly unaware that her friends were talking to her. “Yep, this map looks like a dirty tablecloth with lots and lots of ants squished!” Scootaloo said while giggling and gesturing to Limp Daeva. The colt, after snickering a bit more, put the book upwards and pointed to a photography of a tapestry piece. “Also, doesn’t this guy in this picture looking like he got hit in the…” he laughed gesturing to the book deviously Naturally, begin on the first row, the little chat between Daeva and Scootaloo didn’t last much longer, as Cheerilee slammed her hoof on the table. “Daeva, Scootaloo! Stop talking!” After jump-scaring a little, the colt and the orange pegasus filly immediately shut up, and went back to look at the pages of the book. Not wanting to be the next ones, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom also went back to reading and observing the pictures. Twenty silent minutes passed, the whole class all reading with solemn expressions, only a few seeming to enjoy this time of quiet studying. “Bored…” Scootaloo groaned, as she let her chin hit the pages of the book. “Can’t we just do this at home?” “Yeah. When this class is gonna end?” “But then we would have more things to study at home.” Sweetie Belle commented, as she read silently a timeline briefly explaining the major events of Equestria’s History during the Early Modern Age. “Study at home?” Daeva said, before blowing a little raspberry “Who needs study anyway? It’s just a bunch of useless notions.” The comment of the disabled colt was seemingly heard in the rows behind. “They are not so useless anymore, at least, if you want to get somewhere in life,” Silver Spoon said, her head bent forward. Naturally, this was not taken kindly by Daeva. “Shut up, Luxurious Laura. You know nothing about how the world goes around.” The colt said with an hiss. “Oh, really? Tell me more, oh great sage!” Silver Spoon said before rolling her eyes. “Silver Spoon!” Cheerilee called “Stop talking!” “He started it!” She complains as she pointed to Daeva, being the only one in trouble from the talking “Why didn't I hear him then?” “I have no idea, Miss Cheerilee, but he started it!” “Then you are admitting you started it. No matter anyway, you remain silent now.” With a resigned sigh, Silver Spoon went back to her position, making Daeva smirk a little. “Wow! You made it! You actually put Silver Spoon in trouble, albeit little!” Scootaloo whispered. “Richies always get what they deserve in the end” He shrugged while still grinning. As soon as Daevas said that, the bell rang, signaling class change. Everybody in the class immediately put aside their History books and notebooks, and started to take out their English books. “Now class, today we will be learning about the ‘Caliope’ by Prench Laidmount. First of all, let’s read it,” then the teacher immediately pointed at Shy. “Flame Shy, do you want to honor us with you reading?” “M-me?” He stuttered as the whole class looked towards him, making him slowly hide under his desk. “Is there anyone else called ‘Shy’ here?” Cherilee joked. He shook his head, before raising up again, and nervously opening the book. “W-which page?” He asked, his blush visible even from the front row. “Page 29 please” After browsing to that page, he cleared his throat before letting out a barely-audible squeak, then followed by the reading of the first words. “I-it is a s-statue in deep w-wisdom’s l-lore, T-that for h-his line-es none s-should patron-n a cu… cho…” Diamond Tiara quickly came to rescue, saying. “Chuse, Shy, it’s chuse.” “T-thank you,” the colt said, before resuming, the rest of the class going from borderline chuckling to perfect silence and attention after Diamond Tiara’s correction “By w-wealth a-a-and poverty, by l-less or more, B-but who t-the same is-s able to p-peruse: Nor o-ought a p-pony his labour dedicate.” “Okay, you can stop there, Shy,” Cheerilee said, before gesturing towards Snips “Snips, could you please read the rest?” The colt jerked his head up, leaving a little trail of saliva behind. “Uuuh? What is going on?” “We were reading Caliope.” Cheerilee deadpanned. “Oh, okay, sorry Miss Cheerilee,” said Snips, as he browsed the book towards the poem’s page. “Where we were?” Cherilee sighed before telling him the part at which the class was at. And then the colt started to read where Shy had left off, thus causing the class to stop staring at him and read the poem on their books instead. As soon as Snip was done reading, Cheerliee said. “So, does anybody know what Calliope was?” Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle raised their hooves at the same time. Noticing the draw, Sweetie Belle quickly spoke up. “Calliope was one of the Muses, the one protecting poetry, to be more precise.” “Indeed it was Sweetie Belle, but please wait until I say you can talk in the future.” Cherilee answered back smiling. Sweetie Belle nodded off, faintly hearing a “nerd” coming from somewhere, but being unable to pin it. Daeva was smirking at the front of the class, looking back, as Sweetie Belle peered around the room, trying to find the culprit, but failing to do so. “Thank you for that… hurtful insight, whoever that was.” Cheerilee said sternly, glaring at the class. As silent as the class was, a tapping noise could be heard. Daeva waited impatiently, slumped down in his wheelchair, his uneasiness clearly growing. Then Cheerliee gazed upon Daeva, and she said, whiel takign pencil and paper. “Daeva, I would like to see you after class.” The colt looked confused at the teacher. “Why? What did I do?” Cheerliee started to scribble. “You made a pretty rude comment, and your behaviour wasn’t top notch. I think that we can easily talk about it during recess.” “Actually,” Daeva said, while stretching his left hoof behind him “that wasn’t me. It was sivler Spoon. I’ve heard her perfectly.” Silver Spoon recoiled a bit, dropping her pencil. “I never said that. Sweetie Belle may be a blank flank, an airhead, a bland clot of oatmeal, a shadow, but she is not an excessive scholar or, as you call it, ‘a nerd.’” The sound of two hooves meeting an equal number of faces resonated in the room, as Cheerlee quickly cancelled whatever was on the paper. “Silver Spoon, what happened to you today? Did you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Daeva isn’t the one that will talk with me today, you are.” The gray filly with glasses was going raise her left hoof, before dropping it and, with it, her ears. “As you wish…” she siad. “Alright, let’s move on now,” The teacher said, after going to Silver's desk and dropping the paper onto it. And so every pupil in the class returned their attention to the piece of poetry. Well, most of them, since, once again, Daeva commented on the text, and made Scootaloo snicker and Silver Spoon groan some more. > Sedev Khoyordugaar- Khögjil (Chapter Two) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a hour and half of more lessons, the recess bell rang in all its glory, deconcentrating the pupils intent in studying the topic of the lesson at hand, awakening the ones that went into trance due to boredom, and interrupting the conversations of some Others that just didn't care. "Okay then, we will finish this the next time," Cheerlie stated, as she closed down the textbook, and proceeded to get to the blackboard and wipe it clean "for the next time, see the blackboard. Now everpony can go outside..." As Shy Flames and Diamond Tiara got up from the desks and walked away slowly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Snip and Archer jumped off their desks, and went to the door towards the yard like a buffalo stampede. Daeva, obviously not wanting to remain in class any longer, tried to join the others with a burst of speed. "... except Limp Daeva and Silver Spoon." Cheerliee said, likely knowing that Daeva was going to try to pull that off. "Blast!" The colt exclaimed as he walked back in, not even having put a stop out of the classroom, and, as he returned into the classroom, he closed the door behind him. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was already in the yard, shattering themselves into the usual groups. One of those groups was, of course, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "So, what do you think about Daeva so far?" Apple Bloom asked to her two friends as she walked. "Mmmm... I don't know," Sweetie Belle said, also walking "he seems very rude and mean to me. I mean, I don't think that he needed to answer that way to Shy, nor why he had to be sarcastic when he had to read that paragraph." "I like him," Scootaloo said, as she went near a bench on the edge of the yard "I mean, he doesn't act like Shy at all, he's way better than that." Sweetie Belle gasped. "Scootaloo!" She exclaimed. "What's the deal? Shy has always been treated with white gloves ever since he joined our class, and that's only because he's in a diaper and cries at everything!" Scootaloo said with a shrug. "Scootaloo... please... don't start that again," Apple Bloom said while rolling her eyes and sighed "I've had enough with lectures about the topic from Applejack." "Also, isn't Daeva also disabled?" Sweetie Belle said. "But... Daeva's disability looks cool! Also, he never cries..." "That's because you have known him for three hours." Apple Bloom deadpanned. "Whatever AB," Scootaloo shrugged "my point is, he seems to have a thicker skin and more attitude than Shy Flames." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sighed at the unison, before sitting on a nearby bench. "Okay, fine, you got me," Applebloom said, before murmuring "if that makes you happy, so be it." Scootaloo glared at Apple Bloom offended, before walking away. "You know what, I'm gonna stay away for you for a while, so that you might refresh your ideas," then Scootaloo waved at Sweetie Belle "Comeo n, let's go." "Okay, just let me fix my irony meter first..." Sweeite Belle knocked her right temple with her hoof, causing Scootaloo to walk away with a huff. "Fine!" She said, as she walked towards another set of benches at the opposite end of the yard. As she did that, Scootaloo noticed that both Silver Spoon and Limp Daeva were exiting from the Schoolhouse and entering in the yard, and the filly immediately ran towards Daeva. "Need help?" Scootaloo asked to the colt, who was trying to drag his walking assistance down the small stairs. "No thanks," he said as he rolled down the second-to-last step, with his wheelchair "as you can see, I can make it alone." Then the colt rolled down from the last step, and finally set hoof and wheel on the wet stone that paved the sidewalk just before the actual schoolyard. "So, liking my class so far?"Scootaloo asked, attempting to break the ice with her new disabled classmate. "A bit," he said "the teacher is surely more attentive and stricter, so that's a minus. On the flip side, nobody has tried to insult me yet." "Yeah, a pretty good thing," Scootaloo said "by your comment, I guess you were made fun of at your old school?" Daeva groaned a little, as he pulled his wheelchair over to some benches. "Not, they commented about it but nothing more than that. If you are asking again why I left my old school, my father simply had to move away, and, since my old school was too far away from my new home, my parents sent me here instead. It was only that." "Oh, okay," Scootaloo said as she sat on the bench, "I thought there was something more to it. Then again, if that were the case, then this school would be the worst possible choice." "Why?" Daeva said while leaning forward. "You didn't see nor hear me?" Scootaloo said, pointing at Diamond Tiara, who was talking with Shy Flames and Silver Spoon. Daeva stared a bit towards the ponies pointed by Scootaloo, before averting his eyes to chuckle. "Them are your problem? Ah," he said "I bet they would never get into a fight for the fear of getting dirty." "The problem is; they don't physically beat me and my friends up..." Scootaloo said "... it's that they insult us and try to take away something from us pretty much daily." "And you can't take them anymore?" Daeva asked, and Scootaloo nodded affirmatively, causing Daeva to let out a chuckle again. "And that is your problem? You haven't manage to stop two richies and a big baby from annoying you, even if you were in three? I would say I pity you and go along with my business, but I actually feel pity for you now, so I will teach my ways to repel annoying and oppressive ponies and be the one in charge instead.." Scootaloo recoiled a bit, and looked offended at Daeva. "Why he said that?" She thought "How dares him to speak about me and my friends that way?" A little idea hit Scootaloo, making her get back up. "Then again, advice is advice. Maybe I can learn something for me and my friends..." "Ugh, we aren't weak or anything, we just can't deal with them," Scootaloo said to Daeva "so any help is appreciated." Daeva inflated his chest a little and gave it a strong beat with his left hoof. "What you ask will be given to you. First tip for shoo away bullies: show 'hem some power." "What do you mean?" SCootaloo asked. "Be a bully yourself. No matter what and how many times your parents and various adults tell you, attack somepony else is a good way to deal with your enemies. After all, bullies pick the weakest, but you can't be very weak, if you are capable of pull out something from somepony." Scootaloo looked sideways at Daeva. "I'm not sure, Daeva. That sounds stupid and lame to me." She said with a hint of submissive tone. "Do you want to break free or not?" He asked. Scootaloo answered without even thinking. "Yes!" "Then follow me, I'm gonna show you how's done." After Daeva said that, he started to walk towards the swings, which had only one lonely filly occupying one of them. Said filly was hanging her head low, and was not swinging, as much sitting on the swing's plank and dandling in there. Daeva poked the filly's back. "Hey, you." He said while the filly scare-jumped high in the air, before land on her flank on the bare sand. After she had got up, the filly asked while trembling a little. "W-what do you want f-from me?" "I want your cash," Daeva said with a big smirk, while he started to go in circles around the filly "why? Because I'm older than you, and, ice older ponies can ask for things to the younger ones..." The filly fearfully reached for a little sack contained under her long mane, took it, opened it, and poured what little was in it, namely, five bits. "You are good to go now," Daeva said, as he picked up the money "Oh, and don't tell anybody. There may be some issues if you do..." The filly nodded silently, as she quickly walked away from both Daeva and Scootaloo, and, naturally, the latter was not silent. "Daeva... mmmm..." "What's that? You don't want to go on? Feel free to do so. I'm sure that Diamond Tiara would like to keep you as a target." Once more, Scootaloo breathed deeply and took her courage in both hooves for get over her moral qualms. "YOu are right. GO ahead with the second step." "So, the second step..."