PROLOGUE
Rebel never thought he would meet anypony that could make him truly happy. He'd always been depressed, lying in his room, and drowning his sorrows with a lonely bottle. His only true social outlet was a low speed internet connection. Even on the internet; however, people judged him harshly for whom he was. To maintain ANY sort of relationship, he had to hide himself from others, and conceal his true self behind a false personality. There was one secret he had to keep hidden from other ponies at any cost. He still struggled with finding acceptance. The constant rejection of everypony in school pushed him to the edge of self destruction. Bullies would constantly shove him into lockers and shove him around. Seeking help from an adult wasn't an option for the poor stallion. The intimidation the bullies had instilled in him was effective, and he swore to secrecy. Rebel couldnt even get angry at others for more than a couple of seconds. Instead, his sorrow would grow until he couldn't take it anymore, and he cut himself on a near daily basis. For him, blood was an ever-lasting outlet. His wrist was a physical canvas on which he could paint an emotional picture of sadness. He didn't LIKE the pain, but it became the most reasonable option for him next to suicide.
CHAPTER ONE
Rebel looked away from his locker, just in time to see the group he had hoped would make no contact that day. His old group of bullies moved toward him, towering over with their superior height and bulky bodies. He felt like yelling, but somehow he had grown attached to the group. After all, they WERE the only ponies who made any sort of contact with him on a daily basis. He secretly LOVED attention, no matter how negative it was.
"Whatcha got there, mare?" The towering leader of the group spoke to him. His name was Soarin. "Say, you got my lunch-money for today?" As he spoke, his voice grew deeper; he was intentionally trying to intimidate the young stallion.
"I-I'm not a mare, Soa-" Rebel stuttered. He couldn't finish his sentence before a lone hoof smashed into the locker beside him, knocking it shut. Slowly, Rebel spoke up again, but very quietly. "I'm not." He choked out the words.
"From here on out, you're a mare. You got that?" Soarin's voice had grown as deep as it could. His cronies supported him, slapping him on the back, hooting and hollering. "You act like a girl, so we figured we'd treat you like one! Let me carry your bag for ya, Rebs!" Soarin snatched the backpack from him, leaving a phone falling out of Rebels hands. It was still open to his favorite group, titled "LGBTQ Ponies and Pegasi." Rebel's biggest secret had finally been revealed to his life-long bullies. Rebel was gay. His hooves flew up to cover his face, as it grew bright orange with embarrassment.
"Give it back, Soarin!" Rebel snatched at the phone. "PLEASE give it back!"
"It's okay, Rebs. We're not gonna hit you today. We don't hate you either." Soarin's words grew to be soft and caring. His sobs of frustration grew quiet almost instantly, and he looked up at his nemesis.
"R-really?" Rebel barely managed to squeak out the words.
"Of course not! We don't think you're weird anymore." He reached out a hoof to touch Rebel's shoulder. He looked up at Soarin and cracked a smile. Immediately, Soarin's words once again grew angry. "WE just think you're a FAGGOT!" Soarin wrapped his arm around Rebel's throat, tackling him to the ground and choking him severely. To make the punishment seem even more painful, Soarin even gave him a noogie. This went on for a couple of minutes with him struggling to break free. It continued until he got bored and decided to let Rebel up. "Here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna get up, go to class, and you aren't going to tell ANYONE what happened. Got it?" Soarin grew intimidating once more.
"Y-Yes sir!" Rebel stuttered again. He could hardly breathe. He began to gather his books into his hands; He stuffed his phone into the deepest pits of his pocket."I-I'm sorry!" Rebel stuttered, looking up at his nemesis, just in time to see the group exit the front door.
He heard two final words before the bullies fully disappeared out of sight.
"Don't be!" The words faded away as the halls became silent.
