//------------------------------// // Enter the Lining // Story: A Silver Lining for Derpy // by Teyeson Bee //------------------------------// In a small apartment room not three blocks from Cloudsdale High School, an alarm clock started to go off. The time on it read 7:00 am as it beeped annoyingly. A tired hand reached over and turned it off as the owner of the hand sat up. Derpy rubbed her eyes, yawned, and stared into open space with an emotionless look on her face; a look that said, "Who cares anymore?" After a hot shower, brushing of hair, putting on clothes, and a muffin breakfast, Derpy stood at the door. In her mind, she thought, "Is it really worth it anymore? Should I even be a little bit excited that this is my senior year?" The thought quickly faded as she remembered what awaited her when she would arrive. The tense trying of not being clumsy, the feeling of solitude and being alone, and worst of all, another year of harassment from Rain Storm and her new groupies. Ever since Rain became the new queen bee at school, she has bought her way up the social ladder, intimidated everyone to praise her, and got herself her own gang. "Maybe she'll be different this year," Derpy optimistic side said. "Maybe she'll remember the good old days and ask to be friends again." "Yeah," Derpy's depressed side chimed in, "and maybe everyone will decide that deformed eyes are the new 'It' thing and make you the next homecoming queen. Get a clue Derpy. Nothing's going to be different this year." Derpy sighed as the depressed side took over again. Ever since she had decided to cut everyone out of her life, a depressed side was formed, and over time, the optimistic and bubbly side of Derpy began to shrinking more and more. Now, even though she would try and stay positive, her depressed side always had a retort, and she just gave up. Derpy grabbed her bag and started for the door when she suddenly remembered that she forgot to brush her teeth. She headed for the bathroom, accidentally bumping the corner of the doorway in the process, and opened the medicine cabinet. She grabbed her toothbrush and reached for the toothpaste. As she pulled her arm away though, her hand hit the bottom of the shelf, causing everything on it to fall into the sink. Derpy let out a frustrated groan as she started to clean up everything. She was putting the last of the stuff back in the cabinet when something caught her eye. An old bottle of pills her mother used to take when she was sick. Derpy kept them after her death as a last reminder of her. Unfortunately, all it did was remind her how her mom died. Derpy took the bottle and looked at the expiration date on the bottom. They were 3 YEARS expired. Suddenly, a thought crept into Derpy's head. "Y'know, you're well aware that this year is guaranteed to be like the others; full of solitude and ridicule. Is it really worth it? You could end it right here if you wanted to. You could be reunited with your mom AND meet your dad. You wouldn't be alone anymore. No more ridicule. No more solitude. All you would have to do is chug a handful and-" "STOP RIGHT THERE!" Derpy's optimistic side interrupted. "How could even THINK about doing that? Your mother would be ashamed! It doesn't have to end like this!" Before she knew it, Derpy found herself locked in a battle between her two sides. "You really expect things to get better? It's never going to end!" "You don't know that! There's always a chance that something will be different. Remember; every cloud has a silver lining." "There IS no silver lining! If things haven't changed after all this time, they're not going to change now." "How do you know? Derpy, you can't give into this. At least go to school TODAY. Give optimism a chance." "Alright, and after today shows that nothing has changed for the better, then what?" "One step at a time." Derpy put the bottle away and went back to brushing her teeth. Derpy was going to give optimism one last chance to show that it still worked. She would go to school today. If she came home just as depressed if not more than when she came in, then that was it. No more hesitation, and no more anything. After she finished, Derpy made her way out the door and made her way for school. When she at her first class of the day, she did what she had done for the past few years; find a seat and keep to self. So that's what she did. Derpy sat down at a desk in the back and looked around at her fellow seniors talking to one another. Although it was apparent that they saw Derpy, they hardly paid her any mind whatsoever. Derpy was used to it though, so she just kept to herself. She was hoping that she could go without any harassment for the day, but just as she thought that, who would walk in but Rain Storm. Derpy moaned and covered her face, hoping she wouldn't be noticed. "Well, well, well," said the familiar smug voice. She noticed. Derpy looked up to see Rain's conceited grin hovering above her. She was wearing a pressed blue blouse with a striped skirt and high heel boots to match and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Rain turned to her groupies and said, "Look who it is girls. The lazy-eyed pegasissy in its natural habitat; solitude." The groupies laughed and even some of the classmates nearby let out a little chuckle. Derpy just rolled her eyes and looked away. "Make sure to approach with caution though," Rain continued. "One wrong slip, and the whole school with fall apart." Another laugh came from the students. Rain would've continued on, but the teacher walked in and everyone took their seats. As she thought, no one sat beside Derpy. "Good morning seniors!" the teacher announced. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Mr. Aero. I hope you all had a good summer and are ready to tackle the books once again. First, a few announcements. First off, the student award categories have been chosen and even though the results aren't until the end of the year, students can start entering their names for nominations starting next week." The student awards were a year-long event for each grade. Students would vote all year long for categories like "Best Dressed" or "Most Likely to Succeed" and awards were given out to the winners. Derpy didn't care though. She had never been nominated before, so why should she care now? Rain, on the other hand, won the "Most Popular" award three years in a row, so of course she thought that it was the best thing since sliced bread. "And on a second note," Mr. Aero continued, "we have a new student joining us this year. He came all the way from Baltimare, so let's give him a warm welcome." The door opened, and in walked a pegasus-boy about 4" 5' with short, silver-colored, ruffled-looking hair. He wore a tinted yellow sweatshirt and had a pleasant smile spread across his face. Derpy looked up from her desk to see him, but only for a second before drawing her eyes back down. When the boy spoke, he had a hint of joy in his voice. "Nice to meet you all. My name's Silver Lining." Derpy perked up after hearing him introduce himself. The guy's name was Silver Lining? Was it just by chance? Could this mean something? Derpy's optimistic side started to show itself, until it was cut off by the depression saying, "Nothing but a coincidence." Derpy's enthusiasm faded as she went back to her desk. "Alright Silver...can I call you Silver?" Mr. Aero asked. Silver nodded. "Sit wherever you'd like." Silver started making his way back through the rows of desks trying to find a spot. Derpy wasn't paying attention, but she heard the footsteps coming closer and closer toward the back. Soon, she saw the bottoms of his tennis shoes as he stopped by her row. "I wouldn't sit there if I were you," Rain called back smugly. "Catastrophe has been known to happen around her." The class giggled as Derpy started to blush. Just like Rain to talk someone out of associating with her. What would happen next? The guy would take her word for it and just move somewhere else? Well, to her and Rain's surprise, he took a seat right next to Derpy. "That's fine," he said happily. "I haven't gotten my daily dose of catastrophe yet. No time like the present though." Derpy stared at him blankly. Was she supposed to take that as teasing, or was he being serious? This was the first time that someone didn't take Rain's word for it when she warned them about her. Derpy wasn't the only one confused though. Rain was pretty surprised and even seemed a little bit offended that someone didn't listen to her. "Whatever weirdo," Rain scoffed as she turned to face the teacher. Derpy snapped out of her confusion and faced forward as well. Whatever just happened, it didn't seem to matter anymore. The rest of the day was just as Derpy thought it would be; solitude and harassment. Derpy spent the rest of her classes in the back and spent lunches by herself as she always did. She would get the occasional mocking of Rain in the halls in between classes, mostly after Derpy tripped or bumped into a wall. It always seemed that no matter when she did anything clumsy, Rain was always nearby to make a remark. As the day went on, all Derpy could think about was what she was going to do after school. That one deciding factor on continuing through this life, or just giving up for good. Derpy wanted to stay optimistic, she really wanted to, but it was looking more and more bleak for her every minute. After the last bell rang and the students departed for home, Derpy knew that Rain would be meeting with her outside to give some of her final thoughts of the day. Sure enough, as she walked out the door and passed by the Cloudsdale High flagpole, there she was with her smug anticipated grin. Derpy took a deep breath and told herself, "Let's just get this over with. It'll be the LAST time!" "Hey there Derp-face," Rain sniggered as she walked up to Derpy. "I was just talking to the girls, wondering how a person like you can get through one day. It must be SO HARD to deal with it. Y'know, having freak eyes and a clumsy attitude to match. I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself." The groupies laughed as Derpy just looked down at the ground to not let Rain look at the hurt in her eyes. With every insult Rain threw out at her, Derpy's optimism shrank more and more. Finally, it just vanished, and depressed Derpy had taken over. "Nothing has changed," Derpy thought as Rain continued her assault. "It's just not worth it anymore. That's my final straw. When I get home, I'm ending it! No more harassment. No more mocking. No...more...Derpy!" "HEY! Leave her alone!" Derpy's depressing thoughts stopped in their tracks as she heard a phrase she never thought she would hear that was directed at her. She looked up to see a surprised Rain looking above them. Derpy looked up just in time to see a familiar figure fly down in between her and Rain. A familiar figure with shaggy silver hair and a tinted yellow sweatshirt. It was Silver Lining.