Nine days can be either too long, or too short. It doesn't matter which for Cerulean, for those nine days can be fatal.
Cerulean has never been the prettiest filly, not the most popular, nor the most fortunate. Finally, she decides she's had enough. She decides that if within nine days, it's decided that no one would miss her, she's to jump and end finally end it all.
What causes an end? A beginning. This story tells of my end, and this, as you can tell, is the beginning. Let us begin with my life's start. Cerulean, the tiniest filly you can ever picture, is born. She has bright blue hair, and deep blue eyes. The color of her fur? Oh, she's white. nothing special. She doesn't look anything special. She must not matter. She must be nothing...
My parents couldn't have cared less about me. They never payed attention to my needs, and I found myself wandering around Ponyville to look for scrapes of discarded food for dinner. They never let me inside the house, and I often took shelter in the woods, or hiding behind trashcans. Since I spent most of my time outside, I didn't bother to stay near my parent's house. They preferred to stay distant. Maybe that's why I didn't care when they died. I was beside them during their last moments. I could've called a hospital over to tell them that some mysterious unicorn stabbed them with it's own horn. I could've scared the unicorn off. No. Being the demented unicorn that I am, I stood and watched in fear as my parents bled out before me.
Ever since, I've lived in a cave in the woods.
I didn't want to live in my now-abandoned parents' house. If they wanted me out of the house ever since I was able to walk and talk, myself, why would I be welcome now? I was independent. I still am. I take joy in walking all over the forests, now, exploring what needs to be explored, watching the time pass and trees grow. By now, I could walk the forest with my eyes closed. I once left the forest in the opposite direction of Ponyville, to discover a cliff. The first time I had approached it, I was afraid to fall off it to my death. I peeked down off the clifftop to see a thousand-foot drop. Immediately, I scurried back and hid in the woods, just like the coward I am.
I rarely enter Ponyville. I really only go for two reasons: food, and school. I don't even want to go to school, but I have to seeing that I'm that certain age. I would refuse, but a mare once found me roaming the streets looking for food in the middle of a school day, and automatically rushed me off to the school. They make sure I'm here, every single day. I would give anything to avoid school.... except I have nothing to give....
The other fillies tease me and bully me for matters I find do not matter. They laugh at my blank flank, glare at my white fur, and criticize my magic. I am a unicorn, but I never learned how to use my magic, for no one has ever wished to teach me. I am the only pony in my class that doesn't have her cutie mark, yet, and I doubt I'll ever receive one. I know nothing of talent, just what is necessary for survival. I have no friends at this stupid school. Everyone hates me and teases me just because I'm not to their liking. One day, we were painting pictures and the other fillies decided that I needed more color on my fur. They then preceded to throw paint at me. It took nine days for rain to come and finally wash the color from my fur. Those nine days that it took for the rain to cleanse me, they all teased me more.
My parents caused my first fight in school.
It wasn't intentional, really, for they were dead long before this all happened. We had to do a project about our parents in school, and I asked the teacher if I could skip the project. No one knew that my parents are dead. When I mentioned this, the teacher thought I was lying, trying to avoid doing the project. When I denied this, she yelled at me for lying more. The other students laughed at this, and thought that watching your parents bleed out because a psycho unicorn stabbed them was funny. Sometimes I feel like stabbing them, but then I realize that I would leave people in the state that I'm in now. I wouldn't want to leave anyone in a state like this. You don't really have much of a choice of to fight or not if you're already in a battle, though, and in school, I was definitely in a battle.
Back on topic to my first fight.
This one filly, Petunia, started teasing me for not having anything: parents, a cutie mark, color, talent (this was the day the class heard about my parents' death). The other students chimed in, and I glared at Petunia. "Go ahead," she sneered at me. "Show me what you've got!" The other ponies started shouting at us to fight, and when I refused, a pony behind me shoved me towards Petunia. Petunia was a pegasus, you see, and she flew out of my way when the pony behind me shot me at her. I landed on the ground, and Petunia jumped on my back. She kicked my face over and over, until I passed out. When I woke up, it was raining, I was covered in mud, and everyone was gone. I refused to make an appearance at school for nine days.
Now, I'm sick of all of this abuse. No pony cares about me, and no pony believes what I say. No matter how much I try, I can't get a cutie mark, I can't get color to my fur, I can't learn to use magic, and I can't find acceptance or any friends. The other fillies take turns beating me up, daily, as if I'm their punching bag. I have too many scratches, scars, and bruises, and I'm sick of it all. I have decided that if within nine days, none of this changes, I am to find that cliff again, and end it all.
I woke up early this morning to discover that it was raining. Just my luck. I stretched and remembered the Nine Days Deal and decided that I would try and work on my magic, today. How, I asked myself, will I ever be able to practice magic, if I know the least out of everyone in Equestria? I realized, then, that I would have to interact with the ponies in the town to learn about magic. As I sulked through the forest, I let the rain wash my fur and hair. Unlike other ponies, I love the rain. For some reason, the rain gives me a feeling that everything will be alright; that there's possibly hope. Maybe I feel this sort of relief since the rain washed away the color the day the other fillies threw paint at me.
I advanced through the woods towards Ponyville and wished that the sun could pull itself away from the clouds so that I could know what time it was. I really couldn't care any less, and continued to slowly walk to the town. When I finally broke through the trees, a pink pony saw me, and bounded over towards me, bouncing with every step.
"HI! I'M PINKIE PIE, BUT MOST PEOPLE CALL ME PINKIE? ARE YOU GOING TO CALL ME PINKIE? WHO ARE YOU? ARE YOU A MYSTERY MARE? ARE YOU LIKE A DETECTIVE, THEN? BECAUSE I'VE LOST A LOT OF CUPCAKES! WAIT, NO! I DIDN'T LOSE THEM! I JUST ATE THEM! HEEHEEHEEHEE!!!" This mare, Pinkie Pie, began laughing until she fell on the floor with her giggles. I am not very familiar with laughter, and thus I was scared off by her chuckles. I ran away into the town, where I stood terrified. There were many ponies wandering around the town, rushing through the rain.
The sky ripped and cracked as thunder roared at me. The ponies around me kept rushing back and forth, and the laughs and shrieks of the Pinkie Pie mare reached earshot. Utterly frightened, I back away from the road beside a house, and began crying, silently.
"Now, what are y'all doin' here?" called a voice. I looked up in the rain to see an orange mare looking at me.
"I- um- I was looking for someone who maybe possibly might be able to maybe teach me to use my magic," I responded in my faint voice. "Um... if there's no one, don't bother finding someone. I'm not worth the worry."
"Sounds like you're lookin' for mah friend, Twilight," responded the mare. "C'mere. I'll take you there!" I stood up and walked to the mare, who smiled at me. "Now what's yer name?"
"I'm Cerulean, but..."
"But what?"
"I don't usually talk to others..."
"And why is that, Cerulean?"
"The other fillies hate me... They all make fun of me..."
"Didya tell yer parents?"
"um.. no... I can't"
"And why is that?"
I paused for a moment. What if when I told her what happened to my parents, she would laugh at me, or hate me, or make fun of me? Do I lie to her? Should I face her laughs like I faced the others? Or should I just not answer at all? "um... no reason... I just... can't... certain events have me separated from my parents... we're, um, rather distant." So I didn't exactly, lie, but I wasn't telling the complete story.
"Aww, it's alright. Don' you let those other ponies get ta you, alright? And if they bother ya too much, you've gotta tell yer parents."
"I can't ever tell my parents."
"Cerulean-"
"They're DEAD."
The mare stopped walking and turned to me. Oh, no! I thought. She's going to laugh, now! "Then if those other ponies get ta yah, you tell me, understood? There ain't a reason you should be treated any different. Alright?"
I couldn't believe this. She didn't laugh at me. She actually... cared? Not knowing how to respond to this, I smiled and nodded. Soon enough, we reached the mare's friend's house. What was the friend's name, again? Twilight, I think... The door opened and a purple unicorn appeared and smiled.
"Hi, Apple Jack! What brings you here?" the unicorn asked.
"This little fella here wanted ta learn 'bout magic," Apple Jack responded.
"Of course!" cheered the unicorn. "Come in! What's your name?"
"Cerulean."
"Nice to meet you! I'm Twilight, and this is Spike!" Twilight stepped aside to reveal a baby dragon. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite."
Twilight and I began speaking about my intentions of learning magic, and when she learned the story about my parents and the other fillies at school, she seemed surprised and heartbroken. This confused me. Why would someone by heartbroken by me? I'm just a worthless filly without parents, friends, a cutie mark, a home, and color. Why would someone care? While telling Twilight about my story, I made sure that I would leave of the Nine Days Deal. I couldn't tell anyone about that! Anyway, after I told Twilight my story, she asked if I would like to stay in her house for a while. At first, I declined since I didn't want to be a burden, but Twilight kept insisting, and I finally accepted.
Twilight started teaching me some basic magic, which I struggled with in the beginning, but understood overtime. By the end of the day, I was able to levitate items with ease. I sent all of my gratitude to Twilight, and fell asleep on the couch that night with a smile on my face.
"Well?" calls a voice from a filly behind me named Maple. I look down off the edge to the bottom of the valley. I look down off the edge to my death. I am afraid, not of death, but of letting those fillies win. I don't want to show them that they're stronger than me, and that they can control me. Unfortunately, I am attracted to the pit of the valley like two magnets are to attract each other. "What are you waiting for, blank flank?" Maple sneers. "Jump, already!" The other fillies snicker and scream in reaction to this.
"Yeah, blank flank!"
"What's taking so long?"
"Just do it!"
A tear drizzles down my face as I hear their demands. I step back a few feet, and suddenly begin running. I hear the rhythm of my hooves hitting the grass and dirt until I strike the air.
"How'd you sleep last night?" Twilight asked me as she began making a breakfast for me. I had been very hesitant to accept her offer of breakfast, especially since this was the first time that anyone had ever offered me food. Upon explaining this to Twilight, she grabbed a book from her library, rushed into her kitchen, and began cooking up a storm.
"Um... Alright, I guess," I lied to Twilight. I didn't know this pony very well. I already told her enough about me, yesterday. I was not yet ready to tell her any more, considering that I wasn't expecting to tell her or Apple jack anything about me. "I'm not used to sleeping inside. It's so warm and cozy!"
Twilight giggled. "I'm glad that you were able to experience that! Although, you should have been given a comfortable spot in your family in the first place."
"That wasn't exactly my decision."
"I understand. Do you know where your house is?"
"Well, the forest is my home, now. The house my parents lived in isn't really a home to me."
"Home is where your heart belongs. Cerulean, where does your heart belong?"
In the pit of the valley. "In the forest," I answered quickly.
"Alright," replied Twilight. "I think you should meet my friend, Fluttershy. She's extremely friendly, and she loves animals. I have a feeling the two of you will get along."
***********************
"You've been living in the forest for years and I haven't noticed?" the pale yellow mare questioned in a calm, soft voice. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine, really!" I responded after thousands of apologies. "I've been trying to hide, anyway. It's good you haven't found me!" I lied.
"If you really insist..."
Fluttershy was so quiet. I wanted to get to know her better so we could possibly become friends. How could I do that if she rarely spoke? Maybe I should spark her interest... "Do you like.... bunnies?"
"BUNNIES?" Oh no... Here it comes! She hates me now for asking such a stupid question! I should jump off that cliff, right now and end this all! "I LOVE bunnies!!! Let me introduce you to all of the bunnies! I'm sure they'll be glad to meet you!"
Unlike Fluttershy, I was unable to understand the bunnies' form of communication. It seemed like Fluttershy enjoyed the introduction more than I had. Still, I had that fake smile plastered onto my face, and I pulled through the endless conversation between Fluttershy and the decades of bunnies. Fluttershy showed me how to properly take care of bunnies, and even offered to teach me how to speak bunny. I kindly denied, for I was determined to find a way to turn my life around in under eight days.
Eventually, a light blue pony with a rainbow mane came to get Fluttershy for some sort of emergency, and I took this as my opportunity to find something else to do. I started towards town to look for scraps to eat, when I saw a clique from school. I hid, hoping they wouldn't see me, but unfortunately, I have no luck.
"Hey, look! It's the blank flank!"
"Hey, blank flank," called the leader of the group. "you lookin' for some color?" They all laughed. "Or talent?" The laughed more. "Or actual magic?"
"I bet you couldn't levitate this apple if you tried!" sneered one of the fillies while lifting an apple. Next thing I know, the same apple is shooting towards my face. Splat! More and more laughter. When I open my eyes, another apple is hurled at my face, and it hits me right between my eyes. "C'mon, blank flank! Show us your 'power'!"
I take a deep breath. When the next apple soars, I concentrate and wait for the shooting pain. I hear the twinkle noise of levitation, and see that the apple is hovering just in front of my face. Focusing more and more, I aim and send the apple directly into a tree. Splat!
I look over to the clique and they look startled at first. Then the leader of the group scoffed, "That's it? Come on! Let's get out of here!"
I wanted to shoot that apple at her face. I wished I could have gotten my revenge. She deserves an apple thrown at her head... with flames... and poison... and explosives... and-
"Cerulean?" a familiar voice called. "Is that you?" I turned to see Applejack approaching me. "Why didn'tcha call me over? I could've stopped those fillies!"
"I was fine on my own."
"I can see that, but I don't wantcha gettin' hurt. They sent those apples flying' pretty hard!"
"I noticed."
"Let's get ya cleaned up, alright?"
***********************
"Those fillies shouldn't be treating you like that!"
"Noooope!"
Applejack had taken me to her home and offered for me to stay overnight with her brother, Macintosh; her sister, Apple Bloom; and her grandmother, Granny Smith. I immediately declined, as usual, since I didn't want to be a burden, as usual. With much argument, Applejack insisted I stayed with her, at least to make up for the apples thrown at my head. Finally that day, I was able to rest in serenity.
