Mark of The World

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.

***