She was an elegant little mare full of intelligence and prestigious effort. Not a single day went by without her doing something productive either for her clients, friends, or her most dearest family. She was like a light in the dark, always trying to see the good in things. Even in the most tight of circumstances, she always found a way to get around it and out of the pit of darkness she had somehow fallen into.
She had high expectations for her own work; she never left anything undone or incomplete, even if others said she did a good job. She was never truly satisfied with her work; but as she once told her younger sister, "A true artist is never happy with their doings -- a false one takes pride in what they do and boast in it". That is one lesson I will never forget.
Unlike her, I was a mess. All I was before she found me was a homeless, hungry slob. I lived with my family: my mother, father, sister, and three brothers. I was the oldest of my siblings, and with authority came responsibility. I deeply regret not being the kind of elder sister I was born to be. I was not a leader, and anyone that followed me was horribly mistaken. I was a natural beast, catching smaller animals and taking them in for my dinner.
I was literally tangled. My fur was knotted in ways that seemed impossible. My ears were utterly filthy, and my nose was too black to be real. I did not know the better life; the lifestyle of cleanliness, dignity and civilization. At the time I might have not cared. I was who I was born to be -- the whole world was my backyard, and I had no respect for anything else. I never thought that once I was changed that I would miss those early days of my life.
I find it funny how nostalgia manages to creep in at the most random of times. I feel as if life is perfect, and then, I begin to crave for much more... I begin to long for the outdoors to come back into my life. Not sitting outside at a tea party, or laying on the short-trimmed grass on the front lawn. I yearn for adventure; dirt, sticks, leaves, mud, running, sweating, thirsting... But I knew I couldn't have that. It wasn't me. I learned to fear those things as time progressed in my life.
The unicorn found me after I had gone too far. I was chasing a grey squirrel... such a strange animal indeed. Its black eyes so large, yet its head so small. The tail looked too fuzzy to be right, yet the fur covering its body was extremely short. For having the tiny legs it did, the creature ran exceedingly fast. I had finished dining on a small red bird when I saw it. I knew I did not need it, but I also knew that these animals in particular were awfully hard to catch.
Such a great feat would bring upon me a great reward. With that in mind, I took off after the animal. Such a fool I was. Did I truly expect to be able to catch it? I let my imagination, my wishes, my dreams... Get too far. It dashed off into the shrubbery of the Everfree Forest. I knew I wanted it, so I did not hesitate when entering the dark woods.
I lost track of the squirrel only moments in to the forest. While darting after the small animal underneath a bush, my tangled mess of my fur paid for itself. I was stuck there, hopeless. My family did not know where I was, nor did I at the time. I looked around frantically as I let out cries of panic. Thank goodness that I was tangled when I was; sometimes things might not have been meant to coincidence, but perhaps fate.
A young mare, a little older than a school-age filly, was strolling through the forest. She had a saddlebag on her; her pockets seemed to have something in them. She approached me with a half-smile, her soft blue eyes squinted. "Poor darling, let me help you." She said. Those six words gave me the start to a new life.
She emptied one of her pockets in the saddlebag -- it contained bright colored gems and flowers. "I can always come back. For now, I'll help you." She lifted me up gently, careful not to hurt me as I was pulled away from the thicket I was caught in.
We arrived at her home. Inside it was like nothing I had seen before. It had tall walls, long floors, and many different places to explore. Being a young kitten, I wanted to take advantage to hide in the new place. But before anything happened, the little unicorn held me tightly. "You need a name, darling..." she said to me.
I looked at her. Ponies had always puzzled me. They were like cats, but some could do magic, and some could fly. Their fur was much shorter than the shortest-furred cat, and they talked in a way that was very confusing. So much emotion, so many sounds and facial expressions- the way their hooves moved when they trotted was also different compared to the way their hooves moved about through the air when angry or upset.
Her large blue eyes looked back at me. "Opalescence, that's what I'll call you! Opal is such a beautiful name, and it matches your eyes perfectly." She smiled as she sat me down. I didn't move. There was no grass, no dirt- what was I standing on?
I did not even realize that she had grabbed a brush and had began to untangle my fur. "My, Opal- life outdoors certainly is a hassle, isn't it?" I did not know what she said, but the soft tone of her voice against the gentle stroke of the brush got the message through. I was safe now.
Years passed by. I watched her grow up alongside her new little sister. My mare had been so happy when her sister received her cutiemark, when she got promoted to a new boutique in Canterlot, and when she met the love of her life.
But the one thing that made her the most happy was me. When she would work on her latest creations, she would talk to me, asking me what I thought about certain colors and textures. When she was sad, I always jumped off my seat and crawled into her lap, and she always perked up a smile. I lay at the end of her bed every night, listening to her fall asleep: I was always there in the morning when she awoke.
I never understood why I made her so happy. I am only a cat. I don't have hooves like she does, I can't talk back except to say 'meow', and I haven't done as much with her as she has with her friends. But I have always been there for her, right from the start.
However, have gotten older now. I spend most of my days sitting in her windowsill, looking outside. I had come to fear the outdoors, for it was in the woods I had been caught in and almost left to die. If she hadn't found me, I would have passed on when I was a kitten. If she had not brought me to the indoors life, I do not know what I would have become.
I sit in the window, looking down at the green grass and up at the blue sky. It amazes me every time how the weather changes and the seasons pass. Wind blows and night comes, and then it's sunrise and clouds again. Or perhaps today will have a clear sky and a cool, quiet night. Whatever the occasion, I knew I was safe inside.
Inside. I was always inside. I only went outdoors to play with her sister, which was usually a game of 'Tea Party'. I was dressed in some of her sister's old clothes and sat on the grass at a small play table. The embarrassment was too much, but I participated. Soon the little sister grew up and no longer desired to play those games. I sometimes miss it, for it was my only chance outdoors.
I was afraid of nature, it was true. I did not like to go outside, and it was a good thing that she never let me go past the doors that lead to the outside world. But... A deep part inside of me longed for it. Was it because I was a cat, and that my instincts wanted me out there? Or... did I truly miss it?
I pondered this. It confused me, why I wanted something I feared so greatly. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that I would soon have to fear: leaving her.
She was my best friend my whole life. She is holding me on my back in her hooves now as I look up at her, tired. I feel weak, and hungry. My stomach feels like it wants to eat, but my heart is too slow to allow me to grasp enough energy. My breathing is slowing down. Darkness creeps into the corners of my eyes, and she begins to cry. I don't know why. I am just a cat.
I am now too weak to hold my head up. I let it fall back behind me, over her hoof. She manages to hold it up as tears escape her eyes. Then she lets one hoof off of me. She slowly walks through the house. We had been sitting on her bed in her room. Suddenly we appear outside. I'm not sure how we got there, I guess I blinked for a moment and the world went before my eyes. She laid me down in the grass on my stomach, and I smiled weakly.
I was laying in grass, something I was afraid of. I didn't have on play clothes to protect me, and I wasn't in somepony's hooves. I was back, just how I had started.
I coughed. My vision blurred and my head felt light. The pains in my stomach disapeared as my whole sense of feeling vanished. I felt numb all over as everything brightened. The world become white, and then everything stopped.
My life was complete; I had gained fulfillment.
Author's Note
This story is dedicated to my cat (which remarkably looks a lot like Opal), Sophie. And no, my cat's not dead.
This is unedited. If you see any mistakes, please let me know nicely in the comments. I also wrote this during depression. So... Yeah.
