“Mommy? Why are my teeth so weird?” A young colt asks, checking his teeth in the mirror many times over. He forced a smile, showing two clear sets of fang-like teeth on his lower and upper mouth. Twilight Velvet sighs as she pats her son’s shoulder.
“I’m.. not sure Shade dear, but I’m sure it’s anything but bad. Are you ready for your first day of school?” She asks with a small but slightly forced smile. The colt who is known as Shade, looks up to her, his deep ocean like eyes staring up to her with worry. Then looking back to himself at the mirror. He barely stood up to his mother’s waist, his nearly pitch-black mane long enough to cover one of his eyes and his unicorn horn. His coat a light gray, He wore a small blue dress shirt with a darker blue vest over it as well as a pair of black cargo pants to go with his outfit. Shade moves his arm up to fix his mane over his eye as he liked it that way. Velvet didn’t however and combed back his mane into it’s original way. The colt sighs in slight frustration but nods slowly.
Shade looks back into the mirror before closing his eyes for a moment before opening them back. His one deep blue eyes changed, his normal pupils were not longer there. They’ve been replaced by longer slits, his iris now a different lighter blue as well.
Shade’s mother see his eyes and shiver slightly. “Shade? Didn’t we talk about this? We agreed to no longer do that remember?” Velvet says with a slight frown.
Shade sighs softly and nods. Closing his eyes before opening them once more to see his eyes had returned to normal. “Sorry... I wanted to see if I could still do it..” he says before adding, “I think I’m ready now.”
Velvet smiles and brings him a dark brown book bag. “Here’s everything you need for today. I even packed you a lunch!” She says a little enthusiastic.
Shade smiles and hugs her gently. “Thanks mom!” Shade exclaims before letting go. He quickly puts on the bag soon holding his mothers hand once more. “I’m ready to go.” He says finally. The nervousness still there in his voice but barely.
Velvet of course noticed and smiles to her son reassuringly. “It’ll be okay hon, I promise your first day will be great. Just smile and do your best okay?” She says and kisses his head just below his horn.
That gave a small confident boost for the colt as he smiles and gently nuzzles his mother’s face. “Thanks mom.. okay I’ll do my best.” He says.
Velvet smile became more motherly as she gently took his hand. “Let’s get going! We don’t want to be late!”
Shade immediately feels nervous from the sight of the school. It wasn’t his first time there but it always made him feel small and overwhelmed whenever he gazes at the huge building before him. The sign above in white bold letter,”Canterlot Elementary.” The sign alone intimidates Shade so much that he hid behind his mothers legs. He already wanted to go back home, back to his bed and hide under the covers and never come out. He wanted to wake up from, what he thought, was a bad dream. Shade desperately wanted to wake up by the smell of his mother’s morning cooking.
That never came. Shade was still at the entrance of the school, behind his mothers legs with his tail around himself. Shade was in the reality and he wanted out. Soon he feels the familiar hand of his mother gently resting his back.
“It’ll be okay dear.. I promise you will have an amazing first day of school. Want me to walk in to class with you?” Velvet asks softly, her comforting words slowly working on Shade.
The colt slowly unwraps himself of his tail while his head nods slowly. Gently taking his mother’s hand in his. Velvet smiles at this and holds his hand in reassurance. Then leading ahead into the building with her son in tow.
Shade didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until he makes his first step into the building. The inside had been much brighter than he expected. The walls were covered in posters and what seems like art projects made by other foals. Shade’s interest was more into a few hanged art pictures than actually paying attention his surroundings. This cause Shade to stumble a few times while he was walking. A few foals, who were in the hallways saw him be clumsy, softly snicker and laugh.
Shade felt his cheeks become hot as he knew why they were laughing. He kept his head down as to not look at anyone until they got to the classroom. However the hanged colorful pictures on the walls continue to grab his young eyes attention.
The pictures always looked like a jumbled mess but it wasn’t that, that just got his attention. It was the colors. All the colors were amazing to Shade, as if the colors were speaking to him. Of course there’s the normal colors such as blue, red, and yellow but there were also other colors he had seen before but never knew the names of. Such as gold or silver, turquoise or lavender.
Shade’s young and curious mind began to grow. Shade began to wonder if there were any other colors out there that he doesn’t know yet. If they would be as beautiful as gold or bland like sand.
Then his mind began to from new questions. Not just about the colors, but what of the actual art work from the other sides of the world? This thought excites Shade, he felt the urge to learn more. To learn of the world’s greatest arts for himself and to learn their meanings. It all felt right to him, as if it’s like his true calling.
“Okay! We’re here.” Velvet’s voice breaks Shade’s train of thought. Before them was a wooden and stained glass door with the number ‘103’ in the center. Shade realizes that they finally arrive at his class.
Shade immediately losses all thought and felt the need to go back, to run away and hide. His grip slightly tightens around his mothers hand. Before Shade could even begin to protest, the door opens. Out comes a middle-age mare with a bright curly yellow mane, a lighter brown coat and dark eyes. She wore a vest with a dress shirt under neath, similar to Shade’s but different sets of color, and a skirt. She also had glasses resting in her muzzle as she looks at both Velvet and Shade in slightly surprise.
“Oh! Ms. Velvet! Wonderful to see you, we were about to start class. Is this your son?” The mare asks as she slowly squats down to Shade, giving him a soft smile.
Velvet nods as she lets go of Shade’s hand, despite his inner wishes, and pats his head. “Yes, this is my son Shade. Say hi dear.” Velvet says as she looks down to Shade with the same smile.
Shade could feel the words slowly come out of his mouth, trying his best to slowly hide his face behind his mane. “H-hello miss..” he finally musters to say.
The mare holds her smile and even chuckles softly at the colt’s shyness. “Why hello! My name is Rule Book but you may call me Ms. Book, okay? I’m going to make sure you have the best first day ever!” The mare, now Shade knows as Ms. Book, says with an even bigger smile and more enthusiasm than before that just made Shade worry slightly.
Ms. Book stands back up, her attention to Velvet. “I promise he’ll be safe and happy here. School should be starting very soon.” Ms. Book says.
Velvet nods and sighs, slowly kneeling down to Shade’s height. Her arms wrap around him in a hug. Shade’s own arms hug her back as best he could.
“Be good for mommy, okay Shade?” Velvet softly says to him, to which he nods in response. She slowly let’s go of her son. “I’ll be back later to pick you up, learn a lot today!” Velvet says as she gets up again.
Ms. Book steps aside to let Shade in the door. The colt slowly begins to enter the classroom before turning to give his mother one more look. Velvet still held her motherly smiles as she waves at him.
Shade feels the hand of Ms. Book on his shoulder, using her other arm to gesture to go inside the classroom. Shade hesitates but obliges and enters the class room. Officially starting his first day of school.
Shade could feel all the eyes on him, his shy personality taking over and slowly hid behind the teacher to hide from the gazes or other goals. They stared at Shade as if he was an alien, an outsider that was never suppose to be here.
Thankfully Ms.Book clears her throat, catching the attention of all the foals. “Class? Meet our newest member of our class! Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Shade felt his nervousness grow, she had given him the stage, the spotlight was on him and the eyes of the audience now glued to him. Shade didn’t want to introduce himself but he knew he had to. He slowly came out from behind Ms. Book’s legs.
Shade didn’t look at the foals, bit into their judgmental eyes. He would just say his name, pick a seat and he would be done with it. But it was hard to speak, he felt as if there wasn’t any more air in the room. He had the force himself to speak.
“H-hi.. my name is Shade Sketch..” When he finally did speak it was hard to hear for others.
A foal in the back spoke up. “Huh?! I can’t hear you!”
This caused to Shade jerk back slightly, he took a deep breath and tried again. “H-hi.. my name is S-Shade..” Shade says and forces a grin. Exposing his sharpened teeth.
The goals in the front see them almost immediately. Some gasp and some just stared in wonder. Shade instinctively closes his mouth as his eyes went wide. He covers his mouth, only one though rushed in his mind. Why did he do that? Out of fear? As a weird safety precaution for himself? He didn’t know, what he did know is that he had foolishly exposed one of his secrets. I’m the first day to boot.
Not long a foal came right up to Shade, wonder clear in his eyes. “Why are your teeth like that? Did you do something to them?” The foal asked. Soon more and more foals asked the same or a similar question.
Shade easily felt overwhelmed and looked on to the teacher for help but even she too looked bewildered from what she saw.
The questions continue to bombard Shade, one after another. “Show us again!” “Are they real?” “How did you get them?”
Shade felt as if the walls were becoming closer and closer, he felt as is he was getting smaller and smaller. Becoming trapped in a cage with no way out with the foals as a cage.
It made him snap, a spark ignited in him. Shade snapped open his eyes, his eyes changed like it had before. Now however they were slightly glowing. “I was born with the okay?! Leave me alone!” Shade suddenly yells out, causing all of the foals to get back in fear of his sudden change in behavior.
It was enough to snap Ms. Book back into reality. She sees Shade’s expression, it was confusion along with annoyance. She immediately gets in between him and the other kids to keep them safe. “Uh.. okay class! Back to your seats please, then we can get started.”
It was enough to bring Shade out of his tantrum. His eyes went back to normal as he stood a little dumbfounded as the foals wasted no time to go back into their seats. Shade can see their eyes but it was no longer in confusion or curiosity. Instead it was one of fear and only that.
Ms. Book slowly kneels down to Shade with a slight smile but he could see past that. It was force and from what he can tell she was worried. Not worried for him, worried at him. “I think there’s an extra seat in the back. How about you take that one?” She suggested.
Shade turns his head to indeed see only a free spot near the back left side of the classroom. He nods and slowly walks to it, his head kept low for the guilt he feels for scaring the others. As soon as he makes his seat, a few other foals ever so gently scoot away from him, their eyes still on him in case he did anything else.
Out of the corner of Shade’s eye he sees a foal, staring at him as if he was a dangerous creature. “What a weirdo..” the colt says.
That one line made Shade’s heart sunk. Those words had been forever etched into his head. His first ever impression on his first day school had been a disaster.
