Dorada Bluebell's 40 Days of Not-Summer

Bluebells dragged her hooves alongside the dusty road, eyes drooping down to the small flowers beginning to sprout up alongside it. She was tired from a long day at school, but finally, the weekend had arrived.

Soon, she had reached the door to her quaint cottage home, a little cramped for three ponies, but they managed. Walking through the door, Bluebells was greeted with the sight of her ever-studious sister pouring over some papers on the dinner table with her quill levitating behind her, ready to dart out at any moment. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and greeted Bluebells.

“Hi Bluebells. How was school?” asked Sunny.

Bluebells climbed onto the opposing chair and deposited her schoolbag on the table. “Bo-ring!” she groaned. “But it’s the weekend now, what a relief!” she sighed.

Her sister, as it seemed, was not pleased with her revelation. “School is good for you,” she chided, pointing her quill at Bluebells’s face. “It gives you a head start on life, and helps with-” she was cut off by Bluebells’s voice.

“I didn’t ask for a lecture, Sunny! All I said is that I’m glad I’m home.” said Bluebells sourly.

Sunny glared and replied, “You’re lucky we came here, Bluebells. After you got kicked out by Mom, we could have stayed in Canterlot.”

Bluebells looked down and mumbled, “I know.”

Just then, the door opened with a loud bang, knocking down a picture frame on the wall next to it. Sunny shot a glare at the grey pony coming in through the door, but Bluebells jumped out of her seat to give a hug to her older brother, Indigo Wreath.

“Hi Indigo! How was your day?” asked Bluebells eagerly, waiting to hear from her more agreeable sibling.

“It was fine. But all those numbers floating around in my head are making me dizzy,” He was an accountant. “How about you? Ready for the weekend? I know I am!” smiled Indigo.

“Yeah, but Sunny’s guilt-tripping me again!” whinned Bluebells. Sunny rolled her eyes and looked back down at her work.

“Aww, did wittle Sunny have a bad day at work?” teased Indigo. The light blue pony scowled at the papers and shook her head. Indigo and Bluebells smiled at each other, two siblings that had successfully annoyed their big sis.

“Well Bluebells, I’m heading out with my friends, but I’ll see you again tonight.” said Indigo. He trotted over to the counter behind Sunny and grabbed a brown paper bag, most likely containing his lunch. Bluebells watched Indigo walk out the door and onto the dirt path leading to the main road. The door slammed shut in front of Bluebells and she walked back to her chair. As she eased into it, she heard a small squeak as the floorboards creaked. Feeling mischievous, Bluebells rocked forwards, and then backwards. Forwards, backwards, forwards, backwards, forwards, back-

“Bluebells! Is there something you need?” asked Sunny sternly.

Bluebells was about to chirp back with a ‘Nope!’ but then a question came to her mind. “How many days of school are left?”

Sunny was annoyed at her lack of care for the education system, but trotted over to the calendar on the wall to find out.

“Now, let’s see here. One, two, three, four, five, six…” Bluebells, tired from her day at school and very used to falling asleep at her sister’s lectures, felt herself drifting off as her eyes shut closed.

“Bluebells!”

Bluebells woke up with a start, shaken from her light sleep. Her sister was glaring at her fiercely, and Bluebells shrank back.

“Were you even listening to me?” Sunny questioned. “Ugh, never mind, you evidently weren’t. By the way, you have 40 days left.”

“40!?” exclaimed Bluebells. She didn’t thought it was so many! “How am I ever going to make it? I’ll die!” she groaned.

“No one’s ever died waiting for summer. Stop being ungrateful.” replied Sunny, making her way back to the chair.

Bluebells rebutted with, “Well then, I’ll be the first. And I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but they’re making it hard.”

Sunny was fed up with her nonsense, as she needed to get some work done. “I don’t know, go wish in a well or something. Just quit bothering me.”

“But-”

“Go!” said Sunny before she had a chance to respond.

Bluebells knew she wasn’t getting anything out of her anymore, so she walked off to her room, which was really just a storage closet. It had a small window and brown shelves on two opposing white walls, with the biggest one being her bed. She flopped on it and grabbed her sketchbook and a quill off the shelf above her head, and drew swirls, pondering if there were any wells in the area, untll Indigo called her to dinner.

After drinking up some carrot soup and a glass of water, Bluebells was feeling tired, and needed to rest up for Saturday. She made herself comfortable on the bed, shifting around pillows, until something glittering outside her window caught her eye.

It was a bright, sparkling star, and as she stared at it her earlier conversation with her sister came to mind.

What was wrong with a little hope, after all? At worst, she’s wake up no worse off than before.  At best, she’d be tasting the sun’s rays and savoring sweet freedom in a matter of hours. Bluebells quickly scurried over to the window, and clasped her hooves together as she shut her eyes tightly and made a wish.

“Please, please, please make summer come here faster. And if you can’t do that, well, make the 40 days left survivable, please?” she pleaded.

Bluebells walked back to bed and hopped into her cozy bed, ready to fall asleep. That is, until she heard a creak as the shelf dipped.

“Augh!” CRASH! Down went the shelf, and Bluebells with it, leaving her startled and then, mad. She let out a long sigh.

“This is gonna be a long 40 days.”