Spark Valor was different. He knew it and so did every pony else. They would never leave him alone.
Spark Valor was different from the ponies of Canterlot and they wouldn't let him forget it. They would never leave him alone. Never ceasing in heir pursuit of him. He didn't understand why they hated him. But he couldn't let them break him. He couldn't let them win. He had to endure.
The tired unicorn looked up once again as the hospital doors opened into the waiting room, only to be disappointed. Again. He had been waiting for news on his wife for almost three hours. As he waited, he recalled the first time him and his wife met at an art gallery. She was new to him and that confused him. Her neatly kept snow white coat, golden mane, and deep blue eyes transfixed him. Her cutie mark was a hexagon diamond. He knew almost every pony of importance in Canterlot and when he went to go ask who she was she slipped away. This continued for the entire night. He enjoyed the game she was playing with him and reveled in the challenge of discovering who she was. As the gallery was closing he finally cornered her. She simply smiled at him and giggled to herself. He almost went weak in his knees as she stared at him, with eyes that could have stopped a raging manticorn in its tracks. That smile was that of angels and her laugh…the sound of perfection. He stumbled as he tried to give his name to her. She shushed him and walked closer to him, pressing her mane up to his face. She smelled like fresh roses in the early morning outside his home. He was close to collapsing. She moved her face to his ear and whispered her name. Diamond Charmer…what a beautiful name for a beautiful mare he replied, intoxicated on her scent. She laughed again and pecked him on the cheek. She told him to meet her at a small café he knew well. That was almost eight years ago. They had gotten married and after what seemed like an eternity, they were going to have a child. A unicorn to carry on their name and raise his family’s name to almost royal standings!
His memories were interrupted as his name was finally called. He rushed over and nearly knocked the exhausted nurse over in his hurry. His first thoughts were to plead for any news on how his wife Diamond was doing and if his child was alright. She tried her best to reassure him that they were both fine. He didn’t believe her. He was the type of pony who needed concrete evidence and not some pony’s word for something.
The nurse took him to his wife first. She was asleep when he arrived. He came to her side, slowly brushing her white coat with his hoof. She looked like hell. Her mane was knotted with sweat and she had a haggard look on her face. He waited patiently for an hour before exhaustion finally overtook him and he slipped into a fitful rest. He had been awake for almost two days waiting in the damn waiting room. He awoke several times and frantically searched for his wife in the soft moonlight. She was always there, resting peacefully. He stopped trying to fall back asleep and left her side reluctantly to see his child. He wandered the hospital floor until her found the viewing area for the newborns. He searched for his unicorn child but the only newborn there was a pegasus. He was confused and as he read the label on the crib, he couldn’t comprehend it at first. He had to re-read it several times. The label said it was from his wife’s room. Now he began to feel the first signs of frustration creep into the corners of his mind. With his wife asleep, there was no pony to stop his rage. He searched for a nurse and quickly brought her over to the viewing area.
“Ma’am, sorry to be a bother, but who is the fool who mislabeled that crib?” he said in a strained voice. “Sir, we do not miss label anything here. If it says something, then it must be true.” She replied in a confused voice. “I don’t think you understand.” He yelled at her. “My family…and my wife’s family…have all been unicorns. Since the founding of Canterlot we have always been unicorns. So tell me how that pegasus is my child!” The stallion was beginning to lose control of himself while the nurse slowly tried to back away. “I-I don’t know what to tell you sir…but that is your son. Your wife is the only mare who has given birth this week…”the nurse stammered in reply trying to ease the stallion.
He just turned and pounded a hoof onto the wall, leaving a hole. He then walked back to the viewing area crestfallen. He heard the nurse run off down the hall. He could make out her soft sobs. He just stood there and stared at the pegasus with his now throbbing hoof. Its coat, a light blue, almost a cyan, was unlike either of his parent’s white coat. The one thing that showed the relation between the parents and their son was the mane, a golden yellow. But as the sleeping child turned, a deep black streak was visible.
The only thoughts that consumed his mind were how could this have happened? His wife would never have had an affair; that he was sure of. They hardly ever left each other’s side since their marriage. So how could this be possible? Two unicorns from the longest line of unicorns in Canterlot…were having a pegasus child? It was unheard of. This couldn’t be happening, he told himself. It’s just a dream and I’ll wake up in a minute. He squeezed his eyes shut and slowly opened them, expecting to see his wife. He only saw the child. Then it hit him. Stone cold realization crept into him chilling his rage and stiffing his limbs. He couldn’t move or think.
This was going to destroy their family’s standings in Canterlot. So close to the top too only fall to the dregs of society. Not a single pony was going to believe that they naturally had a pegasus child. They would assume an affair had occurred. All he had worked for…all the work his family had done to reach this position…gone. His vision turned red and tears of rage spilled over as he banged his hooves against the glass. He saw the child stir and open his eyes. But it didn’t cry. It just stared at his father. No, he told himself, maybe…just maybe…his wife did have an affair…maybe this wasn’t his child or his burden. I’ll catch the lying mare in the act. Yes! He told himself. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll catch them in the act and in the mean time make her life a living hell. The new born just stared at him not knowing what evil thoughts swirled in his head. And so Spark Valor’s life and hell began.
Diamond Charmer knew something was wrong. All of her friends and family had stopped talking to her and she hadn’t received a single letter in almost a month. She was worried she had done something to offend them. She had tried to ask them what was the matter but they all acted like she wasn’t there. It was heart breaking to her. After many years of dinner parties, weddings and countless activities that she had went to with them, they one day decide not to acknowledge her? She couldn’t leave the house without seeing a single person she used to call a friend. All the shops in the city turned her away and every diner would leave her in the waiting room. But when they thought she wasn’t in ear shot or was looking the other way they would stare and whisper to each other with cruel faces.
She no longer cared for her appearance, leaving her once beautiful golden mane in knots and tangles. Her coat was ragged and dirty. She walked with her head hung low and a dead look in her eyes. The one thing that kept her from falling apart completely was her child. She had named him Spark Valor, breaking away from the family name to create something unique like him. He was always so quiet and was always happy around his mother. His father didn’t spend enough time with his son for her liking. She was always trying to get him to watch him or play with him but he always left on some sort of “business”. She just wished she knew what was going on.
As another day passed with no contact from any pony she thought of as important to her life, she decided to stop lying down like a floor mat and to pull herself together. She had a child to take care of and she was in no condition to do so dragging herself around like this. She took the time and made herself presentable and left for her favorite diner where she knew her “friends” would be. She made sure Spark was sound asleep and quietly went downstairs and left. She could feel the ponies stares the second she left the house. She hadn’t looked this nice since arriving from the hospital. She kept her head high and her eyes forward as she proudly left her home to confront who ever she found. As she walked down the street she could hear the whispers start already. As she turned around she found the source. It was a young grey stallion with an almost smoke color mane. His cutie mark was a firework exploding. That would explain the smoky mane she thought. He hadn’t realized she heard, until he turned to see her advancing on him with a cold look in her eyes, freezing him in place with a look of horror on his face.
“If you have something to say, please do it so that we can all hear.” Diamond said coldly, still advancing on him. He was backed up to the wall now and had to stand on his hind legs to avoid being crushed by the mad mare. “Please, I am dying to know what it is every pony loves to talk about every day behind my back!” She was scared of herself but couldn’t stop now. She had to find out what it was that every pony had to say. He looked fairly familiar…but she couldn’t quite place where she knew him from.
“I-I…y-y-you…I-I…p-p-please” The stallion stammered. “Just please leave me alone!” “Not until some pony tells me what is so damn important to have my family and friends to stop acknowledging I exist!” Then it hit her. This stallion was a friend of her husband’s. His name was Silver Sparkler and he ran the fireworks in Canterlot. She also knew he would never give up a secret. She left him and he collapsed in a heap and quickly gathered himself and ran off. The other ponies that had started to gather quickly dispersed as well. Diamond ran down into an alley and followed it until she came up on a dead end. She couldn’t hold herself together and collapsed sobbing into her hooves and letting all the emotion she had gathered in the past month to explode out of her. The joy of being a mother, the confusion of being forgotten by her friends and family, and how her husband seemed so distant since the hospital. She hated herself for being so…viscous towards Silver Sparkler. She hated her family for abandoning her. She hated her friends for spreading whatever rumors that she was involved in. She hated her husband for not doing a single thing to stop it. But…she hated herself for causing it. She didn’t even know what these rumors were about but she knew she had caused them somehow. She sobbed harder, not caring if some pony heard. She curled up into as small of a ball as possible, trying to keep the world away from her.
She must have passed out at one point because when she awoke it was almost dark. As she got up to stretch her tight limbs, a blanket fell off of her. She couldn’t imagine who would do this or how they knew she was here. She looked around but she knew this was futile. She used her magic to lift the blanket up so she could get a better look. It was a very simple design, one side a bright golden yellow with a sun stitched into it. The yellow faded into a gray in the center and then a midnight blue with the mare in the moon stitched into the other side. She stared at it for another minute and folded it. She placed it on her back and left to complete what she set out to do. She emerged from the alley and quickly searched if any of the ponies she once thought of as her “friends”. She didn’t find any of them.
As she made her way to the diner, she found Silver Sparkler, who ran to the other side of the street when he saw her and the determined look in her eyes. She felt bad for him. She had never lost control of herself like that before. You can’t think like that right now Diamond Charmer told herself. She picked up her pace, trying to keep herself from backing out at the last second. As she entered, the waiter at the front had to do a double take of Diamond. He looked around nervously, obviously having heard what happened to Silver earlier. She walked past him and entered the dining room and searched through the ponies.
She found two in the corner that she knew fairly well. One, Starshine Flourish, was the owner of the local salon and was always fretting with her purple mane or nonexistent spots on her pink coat. The other pony was Emerald Circlet, who ran the jewelry shop. She had a pound of jewelry on each of her yellow hooves, never wearing the same two on her them and a large gold hair band in her blue mane. Diamond wouldn’t exactly call them close friends but they were friends still. As she maneuvered her way through the room, a silence fell as the diners saw her and began to whisper and point at her. The two ponies in the corner didn’t realize she was there until she sat down with them. The looks on their faces were of pure and utter shock. They looked for a way out but she stopped them. “Please Starshine, Circlet, sit…we need to talk” “” said in a way giving them no choice.
“I know you two hear a lot in Canterlot…so what are all these ponies saying about me. My family has stopped talking to me…my friends won’t acknowledge me…my husband is never around. So tell me…what are they saying and who started it!” She yelled as she slammed a hoof on the table hushing the room again. Starshine just looked at her friend and started to play with her hair nervously. Circlet could only gape at Diamond as she waited impatiently for one of them to snap out of their daze. Finally Starshine stopped playing with her hair and looked down. She sighed and lifted her head just enough so she could make eye contact with Diamond. “I don’t…I don’t think you want to know the truth Diamond. We’re not supposed to talk to you.” Starshine whispered to her. “Or let you in our shops…” Circlet whispered, not brave enough to make eye contact like her friend. She just kept her head down. “Who told you this?” Diamond asked her angered residing slowly as she saw how her friends were being torn up by this. Through years of helping ponies, they knew how to keep a secret and to be telling her this touched her deeper they might have realized. “Please…I need to know…” Diamond pleaded with the two ponies. “It was…your…your…” Sobs began to consume Starshine and Circlet tried to comfort her and as she began to speak a new look of terror came across her face.
“I think it’s time to come home Diamond.” A deep voice said behind her. She couldn’t possibly believe that her husband was here and was keeping her from finding the truth. How dare him! She thought. She got up slowly and placed the blanket on her back again and bid farewell to her friends. They couldn’t respond. Starshine was sobbing harder and Circlet was still in shock slowly patting Starshine's back.
Diamond was confused the entire walk back to her home. Why had her husband stopped her? How had he found out where she was? She couldn’t piece it together. She didn’t want to start questioning her husband until they were back in the privacy of her home. He didn’t say a word; he just kept walking ahead of her, never looking back or giving a hint of emotion in his stride.
As they entered their home he turned and waited for her to close the door. The second the door was completely shut, he smashed a hoof upside the head. Diamond didn’t see it coming and as she collapsed on the floor, she saw stars. She blinked to try and clear her vision and shakily tried getting up. Another hoof smashed into her head and she lay on the floor. He vision was blurred but she could make out her husband standing over her with a cloth cleaning his hoof. “W…Why…”Diamond whispered. Her head was pounding and she could barely think. The one thought that penetrated her skull was if Spark was awake or not.
“Why? Why! Because you lied to me!” He yelled at her. She could make out the veins in his neck ready to burst and the foam at his month. She had never seen him this mad before. “You told me that thing upstairs was my son! I could never produce a mutt like that!” “I...I don’t understand…he…is your…son.” Diamond tried to stammer out. What was he saying? He…didn’t trust her? After years of long marriage…how could he say this? “You don’t understand…let me put into simple words for you. You are an unfaithful harlot who was with some pony else. And now every pony knows it.” He said cruelly with the most evil smile she had ever seen creep onto his face. “You know how popular I am…so when I told them you were a whore…they believed me. I told them to never make any contact with you. They listened and know they keep watch on you for me.” “But…but…he is…your son” She whispered weakly. She felt broken inside. Everything had been explained, yet she couldn’t believe a single word of it. “HE IS NOT MY SON!” He screamed. He used his magic to lift her and he threw across the room, crashing into a glass table. She could feel the glass sink into her. She lied still trying not to make it worse for her. She couldn’t hold herself together and sobbed deeply. He laughed. It was the darkest sound she had ever heard. That laugh did her more harm than the glass in her back.
She lay there for what felt like hours. She couldn’t stay there any longer. Spark would be up soon. As she got up she could feel each shard of glass move deeper in her. She grabbed the blanket off the floor where it had fallen by the door. The small puddle of blood followed her up the stairs. She took care of herself first but not to of self preservation. She didn’t want to scare Spark. The glass covered most of back and left side. Most of them wouldn’t leave scars. One would though. A glass shard about an inch long and three wide had lodged itself almost all the way into her cutie mark. She didn’t care anymore. Her husband had abandoned her and her friends and family were either too scared or liked him too much to help her. She slowly left her room covered in small bandages to check on Spark.
He was awake but he didn’t make a sound. He just watched her enter his room with his warm gaze. She couldn’t help but smile at him. He tried to fly out of his crib to meet her half way but she used her magic to keep him down. He laughed at the feeling of the magic on him and tried to fight it. She wasn’t trying hard and let him fly to her. He clamped his arms around her neck and she returned the hug with one arm. She draped the blanket around him like a cape that was far too large for him. He just laughed harder. She could feel her tears run down her cheeks. This is my reason to live now…
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.
Chapter 4: Questioning the Exile The Next Day “Now children, as you all should know, the Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow. Can some pony tell me why that is so important?” Mr. Atrox addressed the class room. All of the foals raised their hooves. All but two. Thunder Specter was going to missing from school for almost a month to recover from yesterday. Spark Valor was going to be missing from school for the first time since he had been attending. So he finally broke, Mr. Atrox thought to himself. After the stunt he pulled yesterday and with my…persuasion…he won’t be back. Mr. Atrox smiled and refocused on the foals in front of him.
“Yes, Strawberry Fie-“ Mr. Atrox was interrupted as the door was opened. Spark walked in slowly, half dragging his broken hoof in front of him which was now in a cast. He kept his head down as he awkwardly shuffled his way to his seat, still trying to get used to the new weight on his hoof. The foals started to whisper amongst themselves, leaning into each other and staring at Spark. Mr. Atrox cleared his throat, silencing the class as Spark took his seat.
“Glad of you to join us Valor. Do you have a reason you’re so late?” Mr. Atrox leaned forward on his desk. So, Mr. Atrox thought to himself, he’s tougher than he looks. Or dumber than he looks, he hadn't decided yet. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the fun he was going to have trying to break Valor. Mr. Atrox continued to wait for an answer. The foals stared at Spark waiting for an answer as well.
“Well…um…Mr. Atrox, I-I was late because…of my hoof…I can’t really…um…uh” Spark stumbled trying not to sound frightened as Mr. Atrox continued to give him his undivided attention. Spark tried to hold his gaze but faltered and turned his head down. He could hear his classmates snicker at him. Mr. Atrox’s smile grew larger as he stared at the defeated student.
“Well Valor, even if your entire body was broken, you do not come into my class late. Understand? Now then, see me during recess and we’ll continue this conversation later. Now, where were we; ah yes, Strawberry was just going to tell us why the Summer Sun Celebration is so important.” The foals turned their attention back to the front of the classroom. Mr. Atrox nodded to Strawberry for her to continue and he wrote down several notes on the board as she listed several reasons for the importance of the Summer Sun Celebration. Spark clumsily tried to grab his pad and pencil to copy the notes. He didn’t realize the noise he was making as several students around him turned towards him and gave him annoyed glances.
Spark finally was able to pick out what he needed and struggled to take notes, having a hard time keeping his paper still with only one good hoof. But he managed. He always did. As Spark finished his notes the bell rang, cutting off Mr. Atrox before he could begin his lecture. The students filed out of the class for recess but not before looking back at Spark as he tried to put his things away. He accidently pushed them all onto the floor with his cast, making the class struggle to hide their laughter. As he bent down to pick them up, he heard the last of them leave the room leaving Spark alone with the teacher. He clumsily put his things away and moved towards the front of the class to endure whatever Mr. Atrox had planned for him.
“Valor, do you know why those foals outside hate you so much?” The question caught him unprepared. He hadn’t been expected something like this. Spark thought for a moment, not able to recall a single detail that might have caused them to hate him. Spark shook his head slowly keeping his eyes down. Mr. Atrox leaned against his desk and sighed. “Of course not; why should you? Do you want to know why?” He leaned in closer towards Spark. Spark couldn’t help but look up to meet his gaze. “It’s because you’re different from them. Ponies hate change, so when you came along, they couldn’t help but hate you with a passion. It’s in our nature to fear change and fear leads to hate. And I for one don’t go against nature. So when the spawn of filth walks into my classroom, late of all things, after severely injuring a good student of mine; how do you think I feel?”
Spark shook his head slowly from side to side trying to block out what he was hearing. His teacher was admitting he not only hated Spark with all of his being, but was defending and justifying Thunder Specter. Justifying every action of every pony who had ever hated Spark. “The foals are just the beginning of a long life for you” Mr. Atrox continued, “Every pony in Canterlot will never cease in their hate for you. With Celestia as my witness, know that my words are true Valor. Get your stuff and leave. You’re excused for the rest of the day.” Mr. Atrox sat back down behind his desk and watched as Spark slowly took in his words and walked back towards his desk. His words had struck deeper than Spark could comprehend. He didn’t know why he felt so…empty inside now. He had never felt more alone than at that moment. He wanted to curl up and just hide. He wanted to break down and stop caring. No, Spark yelled at himself in his mind, you can’t let him win.
Spark grabbed hold of the emptiness he felt inside and shoved it to the farthest part of his mind and raised his head high. He placed his saddle bags on his back and turned around to see Mr. Atrox staring him down. Spark began to shake slightly. He couldn’t help himself; he knew what he was about to do was wrong. He didn’t care. “Mr. Atrox? You know what you and Canterlot can do? You can go buck yourself.” Spark walked out as best he could before the teacher could comprehend what just happened. “Have a nice day”, he called back as he shut the door behind him.
His joy was short lived as he realized just how severe the consequences were going to be for him. He couldn’t believe he had just told not only the teacher but all of Canterlot to go buck itself. He didn’t even know where he had learned that curse word from. He quickened his pace, fearing that his teacher might chase after him. He looked over his shoulder several times and began to break out in a cold sweat. He tried to calm himself down and think rationally. He slowed his pace and tried to figure out where he had wandered off to. He didn’t recognize any of the street names, so he looked around for some pony to help him. He spotted a trio of stallions talking around a table in front of a small café. They didn’t seem to notice him as he slowly walked up to the table trying to get their attention but waited for a pause in their conversation. They were some of the longest winded ponies Spark had ever heard. As he stood waiting for them for what seemed like an hour, one of the stallions, a dark green coated unicorn finally noticed Spark.
“Hey kid”, the stallion called over to Spark, nodding his head over in his direction as his friends tried to figure out who he was talking to. “Watcha looking at, huh? Why you just standing their staring at us?” Spark moved a little closer as he tried to speak, but his voice got caught up in his throat. They seem alright, Spark thought, trying to calm himself down. “I’m just…just lost… and I was wondering…” “Come on kid speak up, and quit your mumbling.” The unicorn on the right of the table said turning around to get a better view of Spark. “Hey, your Diamond Charmer’s kid aren’t you?” the unicorn said. He turned towards his friends around the table to confirm his suspicion. They nodded and got up from their table, leaving without a word. Spark stood there for a second trying to figure out what he did wrong to make the three stallions leave. Spark gathered himself and tried to follow them. “Hey…Hey I need your help. Slow down please. Hey. Wait please!” Spark yelled at them trying to catch up to them, barely able to keep within five feet of them with the cast on his hoof slowing him down drastically.
The unicorn stopped and turned around, making Spark scramble to a stop. He looked down on him with a look of disgust as he raised a hoof across his body. “Get lost you piece of dirt”, the unicorn said, his voice full of malice. He swung his hoof down, catching Spark across the check and throwing him into the street and landing in the gutter on his bad hoof. Spark tried to blink to the stars away from his vision as he looked up to see the trio turn around a corner. Spark felt a burning sensation fill his body. It quickly faded as he felt pain sear across his injured hoof. He couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks as sobs over took him.
Could Mr. Atrox really have been right? Was this going to be his life from now until he passed on with no one to love him but his mother? To be spit on and left out to die in some alley? To never feel the warmth of a hug from a friend or the joy in seeing some pony he cared about smile? As he contemplated his fate within Canterlot, a small hole was forming within his being. A small pinprick draining the joy and happiness from Spark. The longer he thought of what his teacher had told him and what he had experienced throughout his life; the hole grew, slowly, but it grew.
Spark tried to drag himself out of the gutter as he continued to grasp the truth in Mr. Atrox’s words. He looked up at the sky to see that time had passed quickly during his time lying in the gutter. The sun was setting on the horizon and he could feel the night’s cool breeze chill him and he dragged himself up into a standing position. His cast was becoming undone and he was swaying, off balance from lying down for so long. He stumbled as he tried walking down the street.
“Spark? Spark is that you? Oh, thank Celestia your alright!” He felt a pair of hooves wrap around his neck before he could recognize the voice he heard call him. “Spark, are you all right?” His mother. That’s who the voice belongs to. “I-I think so.” Spark mumbled into his mother’s neck. “I was so worried when you didn’t come home after school and then I tried to find you and then I-I…Where were you?” Spark could feel his mother’s tears on his back as she squeezed tighter around his neck. He could barely hear her next words. “I’m so sorry Spark.” “I am too.”
They stood there in each other’s embrace, letting tears run down their faces for several minutes before Diamond broke the hug and examined Spark. She magically tightened Spark’s cast as he had come loose. She made metal notes to fix the cast better when they got home to fix the cuts on Spark’s face, “Let’s go home”, she said with a smile. He smiled back up at her as she kept her pace slow for him.
Diamond looked around, marveling at all of the sun themed decorations and banners that hung from every ledge and wall that could be found throughout Canterlot. Shame the Summer Sun celebration isn’t in Canterlot this year, Diamond thought to herself sadly. Spark would have loved seeing the sun being raised first hand.
The walk helped clear Spark’s mind as he gazed up at the night sky. His hoof was itching like a colony of ants had settled in his cast. His face stung and his balance still wasn’t perfect. He was glad his mother had found him and glad they were going home but he still felt…wrong inside. Like something had settled inside him and he couldn’t figure out what it was. He tried to ignore it as he returned his gaze back up at the night sky. He kept his mind busy as he named the constellations and how they got their names. He could only name a few but it was enough to distract him.
They arrived home as Spark was going over Orin’s Belt in his head. His mother opened the door and entered, her hoofs echoing throughout the home. Spark walked slowly up the stairs using what little wing power he had to help lift the casted hoof up the stairs towards his room. His mother came in after him carrying some bandages and a pair of scissors with her magic.
As his mother worked on bandaging the cut on his cheek, Spark couldn’t help but ask her, “Am I different?” Diamond didn’t respond for some time. She had been dreading the day he would ask something like this. It had been only a matter of time before some pony would have said something to Spark. She sighed and stopped working on him. “Spark Valor. You are different from every other pony in all of Equstria. But want to know a secret?” She said leaning closer to him, coming down to is eye level. “The best ponies are always different. They make the biggest changes. They go beyond what every pony say they can do and shatter false ideas.”
“So why do the ponies here hate me then? All of the other foals at school hate me and even complete strangers hate me!” Spark said tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Diamond just sighed again. She couldn’t tell him the whole truth not yet. He’s too young to know just yet. “Spark…sometimes ponies can’t handle change and things that are different. So they lie to themselves and others to protect themselves from something they don’t understand. It’s wrong but they can’t think of any other way to cope.” She got up and began to walk out of Spark’s room when she heard him ask, “But why?” “I just don’t know Spark…I just don’t know anymore.” She whispered back to him.
Spark heard his mother leave his room leaving him alone with his thoughts. He got into his bed stared out his window up at the night sky. It was a full moon tonight and Spark could see the mare in the moon clearly. Is this what Luna felt when she turned? Spark thought to himself. All alone and abandoned by the world with only one person to love her? He felt his eye lids flutter as he struggled to stay awake. As he gave into his exhaustion, he saw the stars move towards the moon and in a flash the mare in the moon was gone. Spark fell asleep believing he was already in a dream. All the while the hole inside grew ragged and swelled.