Mark of the World: Chapter 1
Mark of the World
Chapter 1
In the cool morning dawn, gray clouds lazily floated by, shielding Ponyville from the final summer sun. The wind picked up and died down in indecision between a light breeze and a full blown storm. Leaves, browned during the changing seasons, fluttered by, scratching the ground and rustling against the grass blades. In the middle of the matted field, manicured and plucked for any stray weeds and other extraneous foliage, mares and stallions were dropping their young off for the first day of school, the excited foals gathered in clusters as they chatted with their long separated friends, catching up on the adventures that they had over the summer. “Fillydelphia” this and “Salt Lick City” that. Some foals had acquired their very own cutie marks over the break, showing off their flanks to all their pony friends and anypony that would trot by. Among these ponies were a mare and her son slowly stepping towards the school gates.
“Now David,” began the mare, “be a good foal and enjoy your first day at school.” Sweet Plum looked at her son. He was simply staring at the entrance, observing the freshly polished bars on the aged gates. “C’mon, sweetie, it’ll be just fine.” The plain brown coated foal sulked down to his hooves, occasionally rubbing his dark-brown mane for comfort.
“This isn’t home...” David softly winced. He pawed at the ground, forming a small depression underneath his hooves.
“I know you’re nervous,” she said as she nuzzled his neck, soothing the anxious foal, “but you’ll be just fine. Trust me.”
David continued to massage the ground, hoping for an escape of some sort. “What if they don’t like me?”
Sweet Plum sighed, “Oh, don’t be so pessimistic. You’ll do just fine.” The mare’s son slinked further into his jittery hooves. “Hey now, look at me,” she commanded.
David looked up at his mother, her deep violet coat true to her name, a fine gloss shined on her fur. Her soft, loving eyes seemed to stare into his very heart, melting it despite the chilly weather in the morning.
“You will be just fine. Understand me?” David gave a little smile, emitting a slightly confident sounding sigh. “That’s the spirit, sweetie.” Her soft voice trailed into his ears as she rustled his mane playfully. “Now go make some friends.” She carefully nudged him forward towards the school.
“I will, mother.” With that, David trotted into the elementary school, willing to embrace the foreign land with slightly more open arms.
Upon entering the building, the shy colt was greeted by the sound of hooves smacking the concrete floor as children rushed to their classes. Voices trailed off in the halls, young ponies hurriedly asking their friends which classes they had as the hallways bustled with motion and noise. Amidst the commotion, David attempted to navigate through the halls, bumping into foals too excited to notice, and eventually made his way through the maze of manes just as the bell rang, the last foal to get to class. With his face down, David remained small and sat in the farthest seat in the back as the other young ponies chatted away, the cacophonous chatter coming to a premature end as the teacher waltzed into the classroom just as the bell rang.
“Good morning my little ponies!” Cheerilee’s smile radiated throughout the classroom. “I am so very excited to have a new batch of budding flowers in my classroom for the new school year! And what school year would this be if we didn’t start out with some introductions?” Some foals groaned at the news, others squealed with excitement at the prospect of sharing their adventures, and a few of the shyer ponies contorted their faces at the thought of having to get in front of the class.
Cheerilee gave a chuckle and sighed at the reaction. “Well, since most everypony knows every pony, I guess we don’t have to bother with introductions.” A few sighs of relief came from the more introverted ponies in the class. “But! There is one pony here that just moved to Ponyville, so let’s have him introduce himself and then you will all introduce yourselves to him as well.” This news piqued the classroom’s interest as a string of murmurs and speculation began over who the new resident was.
“Now, I would like you all to give a warm welcome to our newest resident here in Ponyville.” Cheerilee scanned the room for the new resident until she locked in on her target, sulking with his head down all the way in the back. “David, why don’t you come up here and introduce yourself?”
David’s eye’s widened as he frantically looked left and right in the vain hope that she was talking to a different David. Letting out a defeated sigh, he reluctantly shuffled to the front. As he walked the long road to the blackboard, the classroom buzzed with whispers and mumbles inquiring about the newcomer.
“Is that him?”
“Huh, thought it’d be someone more, I dunno, interesting.”
“He’s kind of cute!”
“Look, he ain’t got a cutie mark.”
“Not much for words, I bet.”
“Check out the blank flank on this guy. Must suck to be him.”
“I wonder what shampoo he uses. He smells nice.”
“Blank flank.”
“Raw hide.”
“What kind of a name is David anyway?”
David remained silent, increasing his pace slightly to get out of the vicinity of the commotion. With each passing remark, he became smaller and smaller, as if attempting to become a tinier target for their comments to hit. Despite his meek and shy posture, he walked firm to the front of the classroom. The murmurs died down, waiting for the young pony to speak. Silence filled the room instead.
David looked around the classroom as nervously shifted his feet. Ponies of all shapes and sizes stared directly at him, watching his every move. Not a single familiar face was here to greet him. His throat gave a nervous cough before swallowing some more trepidation.
Cheerilee decided to interject at this point, “Now, David, you’re from San Fouta, correct?” The meek colt nodded. “I hear they have wonderful beaches and weather!” Another nod. This time she’d coax him to speak. “What things did you do at San Fouta?”
It took a moment for him to speak up. “A lot of stuff...” he responded quietly, all eyes glued directly on him. That was the best response Cheerilee would get out of him on that matter.
“Well, what about family? Do you have any siblings?”
“No...” David mumbled.
“Any pets?”
“No...”
“Any hobbies?”
“Well, kind of. I like to walk or swim sometimes.”
“Oh really? How often do you do those activities?”
David hesitated for a moment before mumbling, “I dunno...sometimes?”
After a few more questions and short quips for answers from David, Cheerilee finally allowed him back to his fortress of solitude in the back. Halfway to his fort, however, a mischievous red colt stuck his hoof out under the newcomer, causing him to tumble over in an impromptu meeting with the floor.
“Why dontchyou watch where you’re going, blank flank?” The red colt snickered as the class laughed at David’s expense.
Cheerilee gave the colt a cold stare, not amused in the slightest. “Acey Mac! I see you enjoy bringing attention to yourself, so why don’t you come on up here and tell us about your summer break?” The red foal scoffed at this but gave an annoyed sigh of compliance as David scurried back to his seat in the back.
The ponies introduced themselves, one by one. Each of them recounted their experiences over the summer, relaying their adventures, or just describing their unorthodox sleep schedule during their vacation. David didn’t really pay much attention to them, though he gave the occasional courteous clap to feign attentiveness. He was simply waiting for the time to pass by, hoping that he would stay out of harms way for the rest of the day. He gazed out the window just as a streak of light emerged through the clouds, like a bridge to the sky.
At that moment, he heard her. Her high pitched voice called for his attention. His head whipped over to the sound. Her coat was a somewhat diluted pinkish color while her mane was a darker shade of blue.
“…and then when my dad took us camping in the forest, he lost the map so we spent an extra two days just trying to find the trail. It wasn’t that bad since we got to see a ton of nature, which was nice. We sang a bunch to pass the time.”
“Oh yes, I hear you are quite the talented singer!”
“Yes ma’am, as my name would suggest, my super special talent is singing!”
“Would you be so kind to sing us a song, uh, Sing Song?”
“It would be my pleasure, Ms. Cheerilee.”
Sing Song cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and her music came alive. Her voice pierced his ears in the most pleasant way, hitting every high note just right. Even her low notes, despite her voice not being suited for lower ranges, struck a chord with David. The whole room seemed to stop just to listen to her singing. But all good things must come to an end, and her song was no exception. Immediately the class erupted in cheers, blown away by her angelic performance. David still retained the aftershock, deep in a trance. He heard a quick, high pitched giggle and snapped out of the hypnosis in time to see Sing Song looking right at him, a smile of content spread ear to ear on her muzzle. Embarrassed, he quickly sulked back down in his desk as if nothing happened.
“Okay, everypony, it’s just about time for recess! You may all run along and get some exercise. We have a lot to learn in the coming months, so I expect you all to do your very best!”
With that, the children rushed out of the classroom, eager to demolish the newly planted dirt with some good old fashioned roughhousing and play.
David maneuvered through the hallways, following behind the stampede of young ponies out the back door into the playground area. The weather was still a bit moody with a few rogue gray clouds peppering the sky and the wind passing over the playground with a little more aggression. The pegasi were getting lazy, it seemed, though it was still a nice climate for play.
As the brown colt made his way through the playground area, he hoped to find an isolated area where he could be by himself, silently observing the other young foals at play. Some were at the slides, others ran around playing a game of tag, but most simply sat with their friends, yammering on about their summer adventures some more. The thought of introducing himself to a random pony crossed his mind, he pushed that musing aside. What would he say anyway? There wasn’t anything really interesting he could mention to them to start a conversation. Besides, they were already trying to catch up with their friends’ more exciting adventures anyway. They wouldn’t like him anyway...
Lost in his train of thought, David failed to notice the large, red colt in front of him as he bumped into the foal. Startled out of his thoughts, David looked up, meeting a smug Acey Mac towering over him.
“Jeez, raw hide, you can’t see anywhere you’re going, can you?” Acey Mac’s friends chuckled at his snide comment as Acey Mac shifted his shoulders becoming even bigger than he was before. David shrunk away from the aggressive foal, back pedalling from his assailant.
“What, you gonna run away? That your talent, blanky?” Another round of chuckling emanated from the group as they slowly cornered David into a playground set. “You non-Ponyville ponies always bring trouble in this here town, so why don’t run back to where you came from?” The gang nodded in agreement as David huddled closer to the ground. “It’s kind of sad how you don’t got your cutie mark yet,” he laughed, motioning towards his rear, “All the important ponies got them already.”
David frowned at his last comment, softly muttering something under his breath.
“What’d you say, blank flank?”
“Leave me alone.” David’s voice quivered slightly, “Leave me alone, I’m not hurting anybody and I don’t plan to. There are other kids without cutie marks, why bother me?”
The aggressive colt cocked his eyebrow until he couldn’t contain his laughter. “Listen here, white bum, these other kids? They know their place around these here parts already. Me? I keep them in their place.” He motioned to his own flank with three apples, red, yellow, and green, hovering over a white picket fence. “See this? This is my cutie mark, got it a few summers ago helping out in the apple orchard. My family owns the Sweet Apple Acres in this here town, and if it weren’t for us this place wouldn’t even be a dot on the map. Long story short, we’re kind of important here.”
David was forced up against his back as Acey Mac gave him a threatening pat on the shoulder. “Our cutie marks put us on our place. We know our roles and we stick to them. You don’t got a cutie mark, you ain’t useful ‘till you do. Unless your cutie mark turns out to be a box for shippin’ our world famous Apples, you ain’t nothin to me.”
Acey Mac gave the brown colt a smack on the arm, just enough to get a small flinch out of him. “Whenever outsiders come into town, trouble always brews. And an outsider that we don’t even know what he’ll do? And one of those weird foreigny names? That ain’t safe, and it’s my duty to protect my farm. And my town.”
Finally, Acey Mac and his gang backed off. The red coated leader stopped to say one last thing, “Know your place, blank flank, and we’ll be fine.” With that, the gang walked off with David sitting all alone in the middle of the playground, rubbing his shoulder. A small, circular bruise came up, though his coat hid it well. He stared at the mark and the thought of his own cutie mark inevitably popped up. What would his be? When would he get it? Most importantly, would it be better than his tormentors?
“I’ll show them,” he muttered to himself, “I’ll show them all. One of these days he’ll be pushing boxes for my apples. Or something.” David sighed. He’d be patient, he could put up with that self-righteous colt for a few years, tops.
Just as David stood up, the bell rang and he scurried on back to his classroom, the last foal once again.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful for David. He stayed in the back and paid attention to the teacher occasionally, keeping an eye out for Acey Mac just in case more trouble sprouted. Every now and then he’d take a furtive glance towards Sing Song a few seats away. Her song still rang in his head, an earworm that never overstayed its welcome. He had heard she was the very first filly to get her cutie mark in the whole school.
Along with some other unsavory things in the school rumor machine.
“No cutie mark, eh? Not too many left without one.”
“I dunno, some ponies take time.”
“Must suck not to be special.”
Every comment made him wince a bit at himself as he remained small and avoided the other ponies. He never gave too much thought into his empty rear end before, it would come when it would come. As time wore on, however, he continued to think. Was something wrong with him? There were barely any foals left with empty rear ends at this point. He was already struggling to fit in, why did he have to suffer through thus teasing?
Then another thought occurred to him; The foals that talked behind his back out this flaw? They’d all see the error of their ways eventually. He’d come out with a cutie mark that would stun them all, he was sure of that. Good things come to those who wait, and wait he would.
At the end of the school day the clouds were heavy with water on the verge of spilling over along with the wind rapidly picking up in speed. The young ponies were eager to get back home, piling out of the gates to beat the upcoming rain. David remained at the back of stampede as he attempted to keep a low profile among the foals. It was fairly chilly out in the courtyard when he made it out but nothing that really bothered him. His home was a little under half a mile away, it’d be no big deal if he’d get a little wet from the rain.
“Hey! You!” A high-pitched voice reached his ears. Curiously, he looked over his shoulder and it was Sing Song with her lush pinkish coat. His eyebrow raised in confusion as he glanced around. “Yes, I am talking to you, silly!”
He hesitated for a moment, unsure what to really say. Did she come in peace? Or was she yet another filly to point out his empty behind?
“H-hi,” a timid response finally left his mouth.
“So, your name is David, right?” He slowly nodded in response. “Not much of a talker, are you?”
David shrugged, “Not much to really say.” Sing Song starred with her mouth agape. “…what?”
“It’s just…that’s the most I’ve heard from you all day!” Sing Song delivered another high-pitched giggle. “So there is someone behind those tight lips!” She trotted up next to him, pleased to have extracted more personality out of him. “Any more wise sayings inside that noggin of yours, blank flank?”
David let out a frustrated huff from his snout, and without a second thought he walked away. She was just like the rest of them, so why bother with her? She’d only bring more trouble for him, just another foal against him in this town, and he’d had enough ponies for that.
“Hey, where are you going?” Sing Song caught up with him, “Is it something I said?” David looked straight ahead as he gave her the cold shoulder. Her face formed a pout, annoyed with his sudden hostility, and as the seconds went by she finally realized her mistake, “Oh, jeez, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that! Really, honest, I don’t think about what I say half the time, it just comes out. You know, every pony gets his or her cutie mark at different times, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of! Why, my granny didn’t get her cutie mark until she was-“
“Ashamed of? What’s there to be ashamed of?”
“Exactly, there’s-uh, pardon? Wait, I did it again, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to insult you, I just trail off half the time and don’t know what-”
David couldn’t help but be somewhat amused by her ramblings. As she fumbled her words, the brown colt decided to take pity on the filly. She was trying to be nice and strike up a conversation, after all.
“I’m not ashamed. It’ll come when it’ll come. My mother has always told me that good things come to those who wait. So I’ll wait. That’s all there is to it.” Again, Sing Song just stared at him. Her giggle brought relief to the awkward silence.
“I like you, you’re full of surprises.”
David gave out a small laugh himself. At least she meant well.
“So...what kind of a name is David anyway?” Sing Song questioned.
The brown colt simply shrugged, “It’s a weird name, I guess.”
“That’s not what I meant, silly. I mean, how’d you get it, what does it mean or whatever?”
“I never really bothered to think about it.”
The pink filly sighed, “Well, what do you think about?”
David’s stomach groaned in hunger, “Right now I’m thinking of food.”
“Oh! You should totally come by my house sometime! My mom makes the best daffodil soup ever, fills you right up and you still want more afterwards. You know, she got the recipe from my uncle during his wilderness years when he was crazy, which reminds me of the time when my dad went out to look for him.”
“That’s nothing, my dad once lived in the jungle for a couple years. Said it didn’t bother him at all.”
Sing Song looked at him in disbelief, “Seriously? And you didn’t think to say anything like that?”
He shrugged, “I dunno, it’s hard for me to tell what’s interesting and what’s not.”
She giggled at this new bit of information as David joined in on the laughs. “I knew you had something interesting to say, after all!”
The colt gave a smile. “Well, I need to go, my house is just around the cor-” Lightning streaked through the sky followed by roaring thunder, startling the young foals out of their conversation. The rain already began to smack the ground, quickly transforming into a full downpour as the ponies sprinted for shelter under a nearby tree.
“What the? I thought pegasi controlled the weather, where did this rain come from!” David yelled over the pouring rain.
"I dunno, I guess they got caught on an off day," Sing Song hollered over the storm, "They can't always handle what nature tosses at them! Guess they got hit pretty hard this time around!"
Through the pouring rain and the booming thunder, the young ponies galloped as fast as they could towards the corner of the street, quickly soaking up rainwater in their coats as the unrelenting rain continued, the wind violently working against them.
“Hey!” Sing Song yelled over the storm, “My house isn’t that far from yours! Isn’t that neat?”
“Then go to your house!” David thoughtlessly yelled as he trampled the already forming puddles. The rain water began seeping into both their coats as they fought the aggressive wind. He finally spotted his house in the now pouring rain, making a mad dash for his porch. “Mother! Open up!” David desperately banged on the front door, his mane flattened and dripping water from the impromptu shower.
“What do you mean go to my house?”
David let out a yelp, not expecting the filly to stick around. Sing Song was right behind him with a pout on her face as she shivered from the harsh wind on her matted coat.
“Is that how you treat all your friends? Just, ‘see ya! Whatever, goodbye!’ or whatever? Gosh!”
“You said your house was-” The door flew open and his mother was right there with a towel, immediately scrubbing him down.
“Oh dear, David you’re soaked!” Sweet Plum did a double take of Sing Song, “And so is your friend!”
Sing Song gave a quick sneeze, sneaking in a mischievous grin at David, “Yes ma’am, my name is Sing Song and I met David today at school and I just wanted to know so much more about him! He really made an impression at the school today!”
Sweet Plum squealed in delight at her son’s achievement, “Oh, that’s just great sweetie! I knew you’d do just fine at school.”
“But mother, her house is-“
“Really, really, uh, far away...on the other side of Ponyville! I was hoping to get to know him, um, David, then meet my dad at the park, yeah, but as you can see, that’s not going to happen!”
The mare squealed again at this news, “Well now, you’re more than welcome to stay for the night! I’ll just message your father to let him know what’s going on.” Sing Song glanced at David with a sneer, pleased that her devious plan was coming underway. “Wash your hooves on the cloth, David, you’ll get mud all over the floors!”
As David cleaned he offered his towel to Sing Song. “Is that how you treat a lady? Giving her a dirty, wet rag? Oh, I can only imagine what you give your friends for their birthdays!” Her self-satisfactory giggle was interrupted by a dirty, wet rag slapped on her face. This only made her giggle more, “Alright, alright, I’ll quit teasing you.” Her delight in her success was quickly replaced with fear as another crack of thunder echoed throughout Ponyville.
Sing Song shut the door behind her and was greeted by the warm glow of the fireplace. It was a fairly quaint little home. The living room in the center was simple with some furnishings and a fireplace, a kitchen to the right and a hallway to the private rooms of the left. Wood was a common theme, with wooden chairs and sofas layered with softer hay-filled cushions, as the walls nicely matched the firm floor. Some interesting little trinkets decorated the walls and shelves. Most of them seemed to be foreign, some odd looking masks and some jewelry. Maybe they were collectors? Or some antiques from relatives or ancestors? Either way, they were pretty to look at. By no means were they destitute, but with what they had it fitted David perfectly; subdued with an underlying hint of charm.
Sweet Plum peeked outside, her concerned look reflecting off the window. Shaking herself out of the trance of falling rain she went to the task of notifying Sing Song’s father about the situation after extracting his name from the filly. As Sweet Plum was sending the message to a particularly dedicated, though odd, gray coated mare, Sing Song took the opportunity to get to know David some more.
David was lying face down on the hay-filled sofa next to the fireplace, not only to warm up after the assault of rain that he endured but also to take a mental break from the day’s events. The primary event on his mind was Sing Song’s performance. He just couldn’t get it out of his head; her sweet melodies and pitches just spoke to him. At least she didn’t hit him or call him names (on purpose), that was certainly a plus.
The colt woke up from his hypnosis when the sofa gave a sudden bump. Tiredly, he looked up from the comfortable cushion and Sing Song was right in front of him, a smug smile stretched across her face. Even when she was a bit smug she showed it off in a sort of nice way.
“So it looks like I’m sleeping over for the night, blank-flank!” David cocked his eyebrow, waiting for her to figure out her slip of the tongue. She had a beautiful voice, though sometimes it wasn’t used in such a lovely manner. Sing Song cocked her own eyebrows in confusion for a few seconds until it dawned on her yet again, rolling her eyes in frustration, groaning at her own stupidity.
“Darn my big muzzle. Look, I won’t talk about flanks or how blank they are from now on, that’s something that shouldn’t matter at all! I mean, who really cares if somepony hasn’t found their special talent, loads of foals haven’t found it yet and it’s only a matter of time until I’m still running my mouth and talking about it, aren’t I?” His casual stare spoke for itself.
Sing Song huffed at her idiocy again. “Look, I’ll make you a deal. I keep my mouth shut if you open up yours. Please? I really would like to get to know you.”
David sighed, both from exhaustion and the filly’s insistence. Then again he wasn’t making it easy for her in the first place. Friendship is a two way street. A slightly awkward silence filled the room as the rain softly grazed the roof.
“Not much to tell, really,” he began, “My family lived in an apartment in San Fouta ever since I was born. My dad got a job offer here and we moved over the summer.”
Sing Song opened her mouth, obviously readying a witty remark on David’s brevity, but decided against it, keeping her promise in the hopes that he would do the same. He didn’t and another awkward silence came up. The rain continued to pour.
“So, yeah, your dad," Sing Song said as she attempted to break the silence, "what about him? I haven’t seen him, does he travel for his work or something?”
“No, he should be back in a bit.”
“What’s he like? Is he, like, one of those solemn, no-nonsense kind of guys or a happy, fun-loving kind of father that lets their kid do whatever? Like, I remember Green Tea’s dad was really nice, but when she snuck out and he found out he was all,” Sing Song caught herself, “and, yeah, well, what’s he like?”
David hesitated for a moment before he could muster up the words. “He’s...reserved when he needs to be. He says a lot but they’re usually some stupid quotes or something.”
“Oh, one of those dads. My dad likes to drop by the occasional words of wisdom himself, but half the time they don’t even make sense, like ‘beat around the bush’ or something. What does that even mean, seriously!” David smiled with Sing Song. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.
The odor of warm chocolate snuck its way into the ponies’ noses immediately grabbing their attention. Sweet Plum was by the kitchen table, two steaming cups of succulent beverage on coasters and a plate of sandwiches tantalizingly presented. “Go ahead, eat up, I’m sure you two are famished from the day’s events.” With rumbling stomachs reminding them of this fact, the two ponies waltzed up to the kitchen, eagerly devouring the treats.
“So, Sing Song,” Sweet Plum began, as the foals munched on their snacks, “Your father sent a message back with an a-okay response, faster than I thought he would I may add, especially in this pouring rain.” The purple mare gave a subtle wink at Sing Song, to which she responded with an innocent shrug. “But regardless, please, tell me about yourself. How did you meet David?”
The filly finished up her sandwich, giving an audible gulp before responding, “Well, I’ve lived in Ponyville for my entire life. In fact, most of my family has lived here. And obviously, as my name shows, my talent is singing. That’s how I met David, he really liked my singing. People tell me I’m good, but I still have a long ways to go.”
“Oh come now, some ponies can sing, but only the special ones have their special talent be singing. I’m sure you’re just great, you’ll take the world by storm!”
Sing Song blushed slightly at the compliment. “I’m not too sure I want to sing when I grow up, I do it mostly for myself. I just sing when I feel like it, not really to impress anyone.”
As David finished up the last of the snacks he heard a thud coming from the front door followed by a slew of swears and curses regarding the weather. “Oh! Your father is home!” Sweet Plum rushed over to tend to her husband’s needs.
“Ah! My little bushki, how’re you?” David’s father gave his lover multiple pecks on the cheeks, “I got caught in the rain, no trolleys at work.” The father gave a seductive glance at his wife, “I’m in needing of some of your special Equestiran love,” winking at the end.
Sweet Plum gave a cute blush, “Oh, deary, not now, we have company!”
“Eh? Company? What, we turning into a motel or something?”
“Now dear, be nice, it’s David’s friend!” Her voice dropped to a whisper, almost menacing, “And he needs a mother’s support now more than ever.”
He got the message, “Okay, so, where is little Davrhid’s friend? Is it the little pink one over there?”
Sing Song scurried away at being discovered and ran back into the kitchen. She only got a glimpse of him for a few seconds but that was all she needed. The unique accent that attracted her curiosity fit together with his heavy build and striking mane. The distinctive black stripes on his white coat, or maybe it was the other way around, could have been spotted a mile away. No doubt about it, David’s father was a unique specimen.
“Your dad’s a friggin’ zebra?” She whispered loudly, “And you didn’t think to mention that at all?”
David simply shrugged, “I...didn’t think it was that important?”
Sing Song sputtered out a random assortment of letters and sounds, “Oh, yeah, sure, and the fact my dad’s a serial killer isn’t be that important either!” This time she huffed at his stupidity, trying to mix and match anything in the past day that would indicate this odd anomaly. She glanced at David with a very disturbed face on him. “Oh, he’s not really a serial killer! Far as I know anyway. Though it would be kind of cool, in a sort of twisted way, and that whole sort of alter ego and stop changing the subject!”
“I didn’t change it!”
“Then shut up!”
“I wasn’t saying anything!”
“Well maybe you should have said more! It’s not exactly, you know, common for a zebra dad.”
“Why would it matter?”
“I dunno, it’s something interesting about you and-” The debate was interrupted by a light cough from the doorway. The two ponies turned their heads as they were greeted by the couple at the doorway. Sing Song sheepishly held her head down in embarrassment.
“Oh, no need to be embarrassed little pony, I’ve gotten worse reactions from this, trust me.” Sweet Plum went over and picked up the empty plates for washing while David’s father took a seat by a red hot Sing Song. His size was intimidating, clearly a match for his deep voice.
“I’m sorry,” she nervously mumbled, “It’s just...well...we don’t get too many of your...kind...around here. I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with you guys, just...you know...just...uh...”
The father took pity on the poor filly and gave a hefty shrug, a simple commanding movement that silenced her, “To be fair, I never saw too many of your kind back in my home country.” Sweet Plum brought over a cup of some sort of herbal tea, taking a dignified gulp out of. “Dravkhe, by the way, is my name. Mostly people call me Drake.” Sing Song gave a quick nod of her head, still fairly intimidated by Drake. So many questions rang in her head.
Drake gave a soft chuckle, “I’ll get your first question out of way. Long story short, I was an exchange student and I met my lovely wife. We hit off and that was that.”
“Dear, you make it sound so unromantic!”
The zebra rolled his eyes, “Well what would you have me tell them, they’re kids, they don’t care about romance. Yet.” A laugh echoed through the room, “Besides, I’m not that good of a story teller anyway.”
Sing Song built up the courage to follow up, “I thought your people were renowned for their culture of storytelling?”
Drake gave a curious look at the filly, and following a slightly awkward few seconds of silence he gave out a chuckle. “I like this girl, she doesn’t have a krhavki-shrakoni like I thought she would! Her head has some brains in it, doesn’t it?”
The pinkish pony gave a nervous laugh, “Thanks...I think?”
“Now Drake, be nice, the girl is just curious.”
The zebra settled down, conceding with his wife, “Yes, little pony, my people are renowned for their storytelling prowess, though not all of us are born with this ability.” Drake took a sip of his beverage before continuing, “Traditionally, the shamans have the ability of rhyme, exceptions of course. They were the medicine zebras of the tribes, sometimes the history keepers. They would keep their recipes in code, tell the stories of the tribes to the people in rhyme. After all, is easier to remember things by song, no?”
The bulky zebra took another sip of his tea, pausing to recollect any more details, until he finally found them, “That was back then, nowadays is not too important. Some still keep the tradition alive, but most don’t bother. I was born with the voice of a shaman, but I suppose it wasn’t meant to be. Though I can put out a rhyme occasionally, as you can see.” He chuckled at his own cleverness, taking a final sip of his drink.
Sing Song, still slightly at awe at the hulking horse, spoke up, “Well, you certainly...uh...gave us a lot of your history I didn’t know! You know...learn something new every day?”
Again the zebra gave the pink foal a funny look before bursting into laughter once again, “I really do like this little pony! She knows what to say at the right time!”
The ponies continued to talk for a while, primarily about Drake’s culture, and as he answered them, Sing Song gained more questions to ask the bulky zebra. Drake gave a peek at the clock as it struck a late hour. “How time flies! Maybe someday you will hear more stories from me, but for now it seems you ponies must be off to bed.”
The two ponies groaned at the reminder. “Aw, can’t we stay up a little longer? I’d really like to know more about you,” Sing Song pleaded to Drake. A dozen questions still rang in her mind about him and David and Sweet Plum. But he simply chuckled and rustled the filly’s mane.
“Don’t worry little filly, I have a feeling you will have plenty of time to ask questions. Besides, sleep is good, keeps you fresh. Bushki, grab a mattress for the little one to sleep on in Davhrid’s room. I need a bath.” With that, Sweet Plum ushered them through the hall into David’s room. Along the way, Sing Song admired the decorations throughout the house. A few photos hung from the wooden walls, most of them black and white, some with groups of people and others of the odd couple that she just met. One picture was of David as a baby, staring at something off camera with an expressionless face. Just like the David now, she supposed.
Sing Song waltzed on into David’s room, hoping to find anything else that would clue her in on his character. But David was nothing if not an elusive foal as his room was appropriately simple with some standard things one would expect in a young colt’s room. As Sweet Plum left the room to get a mattress, the two were left in an awkward silence. Sing Song attempted to think of anything to say, but optimistically stuck to her promise of keeping her mouth shut in the hopes that David would open his. To his credit he certainly looked as though he was trying to think of something as his face contorting as his brain oiled the gears to think of a good conversation starter.
Sweet Plum mercifully came back to the room with a mattress between her teeth. As the two young ponies settled in to their respective hay-filled mattresses, Sweet Plum gave a peck on David’s forehead. “Good night sweetie. Pleasant dreams, you two.” With that, the purple mare shut the door leaving the two in the quiet night.
After several minutes of laying in the dark a high pitched voice rose up, piercing the night.
“Hey David,” she said, “I like you.” Silence crept back for a few seconds before being broken again, “I mean, not in that way, really, but just as, like, you know... So, can we, you know, hang out sometime?” Another pause. “At least, when the weather’s better. You’re a neat guy. I’d like to know you better.”
David absorbed the information, half entranced with with her voice. He thought of responding, but couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Well...goodnight.”
He let her words hang in the air for a bit, still trying to absorb them. Finally, after several long seconds of contemplation, he responded.
“I like you too.”
Another few seconds passed, followed by a soft giggle.
David let out a contented sigh. He made a friend. A friend that would last a lifetime.
***
Mark of the World: Chapter 2 Part 1
Mark of the World
Chapter 2: Part 1
“Only 45 more days to go,” David said to himself.
Water splashed onto his face as he woke himself from sleep. The liquid cascaded down his face, wiping away the previous day's trials to begin anew, as he looked at himself in the mirror. He checked his teeth for any stray scraps of food, his nose for any leftovers from the cold he had for the past couple of days, his mane for any loose hairs that would annoy him.
“Just 45 days left. Then you can leave those jerks behind.”
He checked the bags underneath his eyes. They had gotten darker.
“Any day now, I’ll show them...”
David rested his head on the mirror, creating a soft thump. Just 45 more days and he would graduate high school and move on. He looked up at his reflection and glanced at his rear end. It was still empty after all these years. A blank flank. His sigh remained in his room, soft and private enough to express personal discomfort, and he walked out of the bathroom, haphazardly maneuvering his saddlepack over his back.
As David made his way outside, its peace and quiet unappreciated by the hobbling colt, he sleepily stumbled along the road to school. He took in the ambience of the early morning. It lulled him into a sleepwalking state, trampling over the occasional budding flower, following the meandering road to get him where it usually led him. Rain came down earlier in the night and had petered out to a slight drizzle in the morning, just in time for the clouds to part, slowly revealing the sky behind. Despite the muddied fields that it trailed through, the road escaped last night’s rain unscathed. Any dirt or trash was washed away to the rain drains on the side of the road, leaving the pavement spotless and ready for the ponies it would bear.
He continued down the road, his haunches stiff not just from the morning but also in preparation for the torment that school would give him. Over and over in his head, “Just 45 more days to go.” It was the only thing that kept him from giving up on the whole school system entirely.
“Hey!”
Maybe not the only thing.
“Hey, David! David, over here, hey!” A pink blob streaked across David’s eyes, shaking him out of his morning sluggishness. “Hey David, what’s up? I almost missed you, you didn’t wait up for me.”
David blinked. “Oh, hey Sing Song,” he mumbled groggily, “Sorry, it’s still morning.”
Sing Song rolled her eyes. “Jeez, you are not a morning person, are you?”
“Nope.”
“I don’t really understand why. The mornings are always so peaceful,” Sing Song inhaled a big gulp of air and gave a contented sigh, “and it’s no good to start the day in a grumpy mood. The day will only be as good as your attitude towards it, so there’s no use being grouchy and tired.”
David chewed his tongue before responding, “I prefer the noon. Nothing really changes at that time, I think. The sun is right at the top, nothing can really hide from it, it’s just...I dunno, kind of relaxing to see everything equal.”
“Really?” Sing Song questioned, “I like to see the changes the mornings bring. If you catch it just at the right time, you can see the flowers start to bloom. Dawn is my favorite part of the morning, it’s when all the colors start to change in the sky, though on the other side I don’t like dusk because that’s when the day ends, and usually I still have a ton of energy by the end of the day, so it’s kind of sad to see it go.”
David shrugged and left it at that. For a little bit, both of them soaked in the ambience of the morning, their hooves lightly tapping the pavement, adding to the natural atmosphere. The sun peeked from behind the clouds just as Sing Song began to hum a soft melody to herself. He closed his eyes and soaked in the music. It still gave him that same feeling all those years ago.
“Are you going to try out for the entertainment at the school dance coming up? Everyone would love your performance, I guarantee it.”
Sing Song bit her lip in thought at this remark before she responding, “Eh, probably not.” She glanced at her cutie mark, the blue cased microphone sticking out of her pink coat. “My talent isn’t exactly performing after all.” Her blue mane fluttered along with the wind on a short breeze, covering her eyes, glazed over in a rare moment of deep thought. “Besides,” she laughed, “it’s mostly a popularity contest, not how good you are. Everypony’s swooning over Rock and Pop’s garage band, they’ll be the entertainment for sure, though I never really liked their genre, too loud for me.”
Finally the two young ponies made their way to the school. They were welcomed by two huge apple trees standing beside the entrance, their branches strong and firm, their leaves green and glistening from the night’s rain. Every weekday the students were greeted by these apple trees and the sign on top of the entrance with a quote;
Look down to see where your hooves are.
Look forward to see where your hooves will take you.
Look up to see where your hooves shall be.
David never quite understood the quote. Neither did anyone at the school for that matter, but the principal insisted it was a metaphor for each student's future or something to that extent. The future. That’s where his cutie mark would be. Every day would bring him closer to this goal, and the sooner he could upstage them the better. Good things come to those who wait, and the longer one had to wait, the better it would be. Right?
“So, I guess I’ll see you around lunch time?” Sing Song asked.
“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” David yawned. He trotted up along the steps into the building, ready to face another day.
***
“Dude, dude, do it.”
“I dunno man, it’s getting old at this point.”
“No, seriously dude, it’ll be hilarious.”
Low pitched giggles came from the back of the room while the teacher went over some blather on ancient Equestrian history. David knew those chuckles were for him, they always were. They had become background noise to him, nothing more than flies buzzing in his ears. Suddenly a wet smack came from behind. He sighed and wiped the spitball off his flank. Just flies buzzing in his ears.
A wad of paper came crashing into his behind followed by a whispered “Bullseye!” David let out a frustrated huff as he grabbed the crumpled piece of paper. There were some scribbles on it but without a second thought he tossed it back when the teacher wasn’t looking. He already knew what it said.
The colts continued to giggle behind his back, undoubtedly scheming of some more pranks to pull on the blank flank.
“Guys, seriously, c’mon, enough’s enough.” David’s ears perked up. Sing Song wasn’t in this class, and nobody would dare stick up for him against his many aggressors. He turned around and their eyes met. David tried to wrap his head around this; Acey Mac, of all people, was defending him. This was ridiculous, no way would his primary tormentor just give up after all these years. The red colt quickly averted his eyes away from David. “Spitballs are...ya know...old school.” His voice wavered as he made up his excuse. “‘Sides, don’t want to bother wastin’ paper on ‘im.”
So that’s what it was. Maybe they just wanted to rest up and come back at full force, or come up with new ways to annoy him. Maybe they wanted to go back to stuffing apple cores in his locker. They were up to something, there was no way that Acey Mac would back off after all these years of torment.
“You’re getting lazy,” he spat back venomously, “Come up with something original next time.”
“Ooo,” one of the colts mocked, “somepony’s getting tough! What’re you goin’ to do, throw stuff at our flanks? We’ve seen you handle a hoofball, butterhooves.” The other colt guffawed at this comment until Acey Mac shushed them.
“Shut it, the teacher’s comin’!”
David shook his head. Just a bunch of flies, he thought. Just 45 more days and he would never have to see them again. He would step out to the greener pastures of his future and show them, show the world, what he was capable of.
The bell mercifully rang as the class stampeded out for lunch time. David, as usual, stayed at the back of the wave of colts and fillies, maneuvering through the maze of ponies and hallways until he made his way to the courtyard with his sack for lunch. It was the same lunch he always made; hay sandwhich with daffodils, a pear, and a bag of haychips. As he began to chew, Sing Song arrived right on schedule.
“I think I get it now.”
“Oh? You, thinking? Perish the thought.” Sing Song pouted and playfully gave a smack on his shoulder. “Okay, that was mean, I admit it,” he laughed.
“My physical abuse balances out your verbal abuse,” she said, giving another whack to the back of his head as she stuck her tongue out playfully. “Anyway, it’s like you said. Everything’s equal. The sun shines on most everything, kind of tranquil or something.” Sing Song rested her head on David’s. It was almost soothing, her blue mane caressing his cheek, her pink coat rubbing against his. It was striking compared to his dull, brown coat and mane.
The sun had escaped the blanket of clouds from earlier and shined brightly throughout the courtyard, drying up any last bit of morning dew clinging onto the grass as the day went on. David let it sink in. The tranquility of it all. It was nice for sure, but if one thing was missing it wouldn’t quite be the same.
“You know,” he began, “I don’t really mind the mornings that much. Or the afternoons.”
“Oh you liar, you’re a grumpy sour-puss during the morning and afternoon.”
“Well, it could be worse,” he mulled over his next thought over a haychip before continuing, “if you weren’t there it’d be much more boring. I can’t really imagine a day without you to liven things up. It’s hard not to spot your lovely mane in the morning, it really catches the eye.”
Sing Song gave a combination of a squee and a giggle at the compliment. “Oh! Such a romantic you are!”
The colt blushed as he realized how it came out. “W-well, I didn’t really mean it that way, just, you know. It’s just, well, true. I just tell it like it is, speak my mind. It’s true, that’s all.”
The two ponies remained silent for a bit as they ate their food, with Sing Song occasionally breaking the silence for a giggle. No telling what was going on in her head.
“So,” David began again, hoping to break the slight awkwardness for him, deliberately planning out his next line, “yeah, the school dance is coming up. Are you going with anyone?”
“Every word you say just digs you a deeper hole, lover colt,” she said, playfully smacking her lips with food, “And the answer is yes.”
David felt a cold arrow strike his heart. “Oh. Who?”
“You, duh, who else would it be?”
“Oh.” It took a few moments for the arrow to melt. “Oh! Oh, okay, yeah, cool! S-so, yeah. What are you going to wear and, uh, what am I going to dress in, and, uh, okay, didn’t expect this to happen so sudden-” his empty-minded rambling was interrupted by a peck on his nose, stunned into a brief silence as his brain tried to process what happened. “You’re lucky I just got over a cold recently.” David blinked at his unplanned comment. “Did I really just say that?”
Sing Song smiled at the colt, patting her hooves on his forehead. “You need to speak less from here,“ she maneuvered her hoof to his chest, “and more here.”
The pink filly hopped off to the courtyard exit. “Regardless, I need to head out, got some tutoring in math. I’ll see you after school. We can visit your mother together then, okay?”
David nodded dumbly as she trotted away. “Hey, Sing Song!” he called out.
She stopped for a moment and turned her head. “Yeah?”
“Mornings really wouldn’t be the same without you.”
She smiled, one that was slightly changed from her usual snarky one. “No they wouldn’t,” she responded, heading off into the school.
David sighed and stared at the sky, now changed, free of clouds and pure blue. Noon was good, but the morning always had a special place in his heart.
***
The two ponies headed off to the hospital after school as planned. The building stood firm at five stories, presenting a conservatively applied coat of pale, white paint that plainly reflected the sun. Out of the numerous windows, David could see many of the decorations and mementos hanging from the inside, but only one mattered; the window with the potted plant sitting on the window sill.
As David approached the entrance, his legs started to stiffen, resisting until he was forced to stop just a few feet from the entrance. The entrance was framed in shining chrome, gently reflecting the sun, giving off a golden sheen. The colt noticed the handles every time he visited; they were smooth, curving outwards as if wholeheartedly greeting anypony who was unfortunate enough to end up here. Sing Song entered the hospital ahead of him and he was welcomed with a gust of cool air, a pure, sterile smell wafting into his nose. His jaw tightened up as he grimaced at the smell. Every day he came here. Every time he had to overcome this reluctance. Every visit was potentially the day it would end.
With no time to lose, David forced himself through the doorway, headed off to the elevator with Sing Song and pressed the button for the third floor. The doors closed effortlessly, barely making a sound as the efficient machine whirred and hummed, pulling itself up, steadily reaching its destination. David’s hoof lightly tapped the floor tiles as they moved up. The ring for the second floor resonated in his ears. His breath became more erratic, making up for the breaths he lost while holding it. This elevator was taking forever.
Mercifully, a soft melody streamed through the elevator. His heart slowed down, beating softly to the tempo of the beat. It felt like he had all the time in the world to appreciate this moment. The elevator signaled for the third floor just as the song came to a close, speeding time back up to the present day. David took in a deep breath before he whispered, “Thank you.”
The ponies lightly trotted through the hallway up to the entrance to Sweet Plum’s room. David cautiously opened the door and peeked in. “Come in sweetie, I’m awake!”
“Hello mother,” he said as a sigh of relief came out. He walked over to the right side of her bed, with Sing Song quietly following behind him, before continuing, “Are you eating right? Have you been taking your fluids?”
Sweet Plum laughed, “Yes, sweetie, I’ve been eating. Though how anypony can survive on hospital food as long as I have I have no idea.”
David’s throat formed a lump at the statement. “You’ll be fine, mother.” He looked up to the window sill where the plant grew. Or attempted to grow, at least. He had planted a plum seed some months ago for his mother but the plant never grew beyond an initial sprout and some leaves that had long since withered into a yellowish color. Every day he would care for it. He never gave up with his project. It still broke his heart every time he saw it.
“Sweetie, be a dear and bring me that cup of water please.” Obediently, David brought the cup to her. When he gave the cup to her, his hoof brushed past her front leg. After all of this, her coat was still a lush purple. A few grayish spots protruding here and there, but it wasn’t that bad, it was just some aging, she was getting older after all. They had gotten bigger in the past couple of weeks, but, again, it was aging.
At this time, David noticed the breathing tubes going up her nostrils. She recently had to start using this machine to help her, keep her in a stable condition. It was like a snake, coiling up into her lungs and sucking her breath away. All it took was one snip of the cable, or some bend in the tubes, and it would be over. He didn’t trust that machine for a second.
Suddenly, Sweet Plum gasped and took a heavy gulp of air. Before David had the time to start panicking, the machine gave off a soft hum and pumped in more oxygen. For a brief second he was powerless to help her. What if the machine malfunctioned? The machine’s buttons and dials were all foreign pieces of nonsense to him, if the machine did malfunction he would probably have made the whole thing worse.
“So,” Sing Song spoke up after Sweet Plum finished her drink, “Guess which lucky mare is going to the school dance with this stallion?”
Sweet Plum’s face strained before it could stretch itself into a smile. “I knew it,” she softly laughed, “you two were so cute together when you were little. It was really only a matter of time.” She took another gulp of air from the machine before she continued. “Do you know what you’re going to wear? I’m sure Drake has a lovely tuxedo for you somewhere around the house.”
“I’m more concerned about how he’ll look on the dance floor than what he’s going to wear,” Sing Song teased, “I’ll need to whip him into shape for the dance, he’ll flail his flank all over the place if he doesn’t practice!”
David shrugged at this remark, trying to hide his discontent at it. “I dunno, I figured I’d just hang around at the back with you.”
“You can’t take a girl to a party and then just stay in the back. What kind of a gentlecolt are you?” his mother laughed as she ribbed him, “Your father is the same way, he never really liked to gather in crowds. Took me forever to teach him how to dance properly, and even longer to get him to come with me to parties regularly. I remember the first dance we went to, it was an absolute bl-”
Suddenly, Sweet Plum took a large, pained gasp of air, causing her entire body to convulse and jump in place. Her breathing became struggled until her body forced another breath, her panicked breathing becoming more erratic by the second. Her foreleg flailed out of the bed and knocked the machine down. It started to make a quick beeping noise, like an alarm or a siren, that filled the room.
David could only stand there stunned, completely dumbfounded at what was going on. After he took a moment to process the situation, he rushed to her side, trying everything he knew to soothe her. He didn’t know much.
“I’ll go get help!” Sing Song said as she rushed out the door.
“Wait! I can do this, I can help!” David desperately tried to do something to alleviate the situation. “Just let me help,” he said, almost to himself, “I can be useful, I know I can, I can help, I just need to find out what to do!”
He quickly moved around the bed and went for the machine. It was still beeping furiously as lights and other random things popped in and out of the machine. With some struggle, David lifted the machine back to its upright position. It was heavier than it looked. What machine needs all that stuff inside it? How hard could a breathing machine be to make?
“Hey!” A voice called out, “What are you doing here?”
David looked over to where the voice came from. It was a white nurse pony. She held a syringe in her hoof with some sort of bluish liquid in it. All he could think of doing was to stand there as his brain processed something to respond with.
With a frustrated huff, the nurse went over to the machine, pressed a few buttons, and injected the syringe in Sweet Plum’s neck. In just a few seconds, her breathing calmed as her eyelids fluttered. She drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The machine stopped beeping.
“What were you doing?” the nurse directly questioned.
David blinked. “W-what?”
“You could have messed something up and made the situation worse. Leave the medical things to the professionals and keep to your own talents. Don’t mess with something you’re not good at!”
David simply stood there, mouth agape, failing to come up with something. His mind focused on her words. Talents. Something you’re not good at. Made the situation worse. He wasn’t just a useless, talentless pony...
Sing Song entered the room with a slight pant. “The doctors told me someone was on their way, is she okay?”
“Ma’am, is this your brother?” The nurse asked.
“What? Um, no, he’s just a friend.”
“Well, could you please tell your friend not to disrupt the medical equipment? Tell him to keep to his own usefulness.”
Sing Song awkwardly opened her mouth as she tried to think of something before finally settling on it, “Uh, well, ma’am, he kind of doesn’t really have a... purpose yet.”
“What are you-” The nurse paused just as she noticed David’s empty flank. She blushed heavily at the misunderstanding, before gabbing on, “Oh, dear, I’m sorry, I just assumed you had one. I suppose ponies without cutie marks are a bit desperate but- wait, no I didn’t mean it like that, I didn’t think you were trying to find out about, well, you know, your talents and such.”
Her apology fell on deaf ears as David stormed out of the room in tears, running down the stairs and bursting through the exit to the front of the building. The sun began to set behind the hills, its light shined in an orange glow as the night started to creep in.
He was useless. Completely useless. The plum plant was a pitiful pile of dirt and dead leaves. The damned machine was a complete mystery to him; He was powerless to help his own mother. And his dancing! All he would do is embarrass Sing Song at the school dance. The nurse even thought he was completely useless, destructive even!
David slammed his hoof down on the ground for each failure. Three holes with nothing in them to show for it. Through his tears, he looked towards the edge of the sky in front of the hospital. Somewhere, out there, he thought, maybe there was something of value buried in the ground. Three holes showed nothing, but there were still many holes to be dug. Maybe, eventually, he’d find something. Anything to show he wasn’t useless.
The sun sank down below the horizon.
Only 44 more days left.
***
