bubbles

CHAPTER 4:

After we left the testing unit, the doctors had told me that they still wanted me to stay another day in the hospital so I could fully recover from the hit.  On the way to my room, ponies and other patients gave me weird looks as we passed by, and it really began to bother me.  I thought I could escape bullying once I left school, but I guess I was wrong.  As we went we passed a unit dedicated to helping the mentally ill.  I didn't want to look because I had always felt so terrible for those ponies because it wasn't their fault they were like that.  But even though other ponies know that they still think of them as a crazy nuisance and bully them for it.  As we strolled by it I tried to look away, but I had seen something out of the corner of my eye.  It was a light brown stallion with a spiky chocolate brown mane and bright blue eyes, and an hourglass laid upon his flank.  He was sitting on one of the waiting benches with a blank look on his face.  He noticed me and looked up, and his face immediately brightened up.  He raised his hoof to wave at me, and I did the same.  The wheelchair passed by as quickly as it came, and I began to miss him already.  The reason was probably because he was the first person I had seen in many years to give me such a warm, welcoming look.

When we got to the room it had looked the same as before, except my bed had been remade.  The doctors helped me into bed and without hesitation left the room.  I had been so curious throughout the day why they had been so uneasy about my eyes.  Maybe they really DID look as bad as they said they were.  I had noticed a mirror next to my bedside-table, and stretched over to look at it.  My first reaction was to scream, but I didn't want any attention drawn at me.  It was hard not to though, because the eyes in the image I saw looked so misshapen and distorted.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  Was this really permanent?  Was it possible to cure them?  What will the other kids think of me? No, what will the other kids DO to me?  These questions danced around my head as I began to cry again, but this time it was louder.  Way louder.  I felt like I was crying all of the hardships and bullying I had faced away.  It actually felt good to cry, especially since I had been holding it in all of these years.  When I had finished I was startled to find that brown pony standing in the doorway, flashing the same smile at me as he did before.

"Hello, how are you feeling?  Are you doing alright?  I heard you crying in the hallway and I wanted to make sure you were okay" he said to me in a soft, gentle voice.  "Yea, i'm alright.  My eyes just hurt that's all" I replied.  I didn't want him to worry about me.

"Would it be alright if I ask you what your name is?"  he asked.  I hesitated for a little bit, thinking of what to say.  "M..my name is D..Derpy" I stuttered, not sure if I should have just said I didn't have one.  I had expected him to laugh at me and make fun of the name, but all he said was "That is a cute name!" with a wide grin across his face.  I could tell he wasn't faking it.

"I'm sure your hungry since you missed lunch Derpy" He said after an exchange of smiles between us.  "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I grabbed a muffin from the cafeteria"  "Muffin?" I asked in confusion.  I had never heard of one of these things before.  "Yea, I think they're swell! Trying it wont hurt" He said while holding out the muffin to me.  Normally I would have passed on something I haven't eaten, but somehow I felt a special connection between us that I couldn't explain.  It took all of my courage, but I took the muffin from his hoof and quickly took a bite.