Chapters It was a dark evening as my old silver ford explorer noisily pulled into the driveway of my house. I sighed as the engine died and I got out falling face first onto the cracked cement, again. I started cursing at the top of my lungs at the pain, the horrible day I'd had, and that life just hated me in general. I wasn't worried about anyone overhearing me, everyone in town knew to stay as far away from the 'accursed one' as possible. My presence scared people so much that the neighboring blocks had been abandoned out of fear. The only time that people weren't afraid of me was when I was at work, for some reason nothing went wrong there.
I slowly walked over to the front door while nursing the bump that was slowly forming on my head, and unlocked the door. The inside of the house was musty and hadn't been cleaned in months. The faded blue wall paper and stained carpeting only testified to how old this house was. I dropped my backpack off by the door and walked into the kitchen to see if I could find an ice pack for my throbbing head. That search failed as I walked into the adjacent living room before flopping onto the couch. Letting my gaze gently shift over to the two photos on the wall. One was a family portrait that had been taken years ago before my mother died of complications due to breast cancer, the other was one of me and my late girlfriend who'd died about a year ago in a car accident. The vivid memories came back, my father in hysterics as the news of my mother's death came in and the scene of metal twisted and warped into shapes unimaginable and the sight of the bloody arm sticking out of the wreck. I just wanted it all to be over, even my friends online were shunning me.
"Fate! Why do you torture me like this!" I shouted at the ceiling as tears welled up in my eyes. I began to cry as I fell onto the couch and cried myself to sleep.
My phone started ringing as I slowly sat up and removed the source of my annoyance from my pocket. Happy birthday! was written on the screen as it continued to play its cheerful theme. I shut off the alarm as I thought about how to spend my day off from work and school. Several scenarios played through my head as I made my way to the fridge. I was running low on food and had barely anything to eat. giving up on that idea I slowly walked into my late father's room and spied his old hunting equipment leaning on the wall. I remembered the first time he'd taken me to hunt wild boar, all the fun we'd had and how proud he had been when I finally bagged one. The memories made me feel all the more lonely as I stumbled upon some unused ammunition.
You could always rejoin them. An evil little voice spoke in my head. It took several attempts before successfully shaking the voice out of my head, but even then the echo still lingered. A grin spread upon my face as the ultimate birthday gift idea came into mind.
The old clock in my house struck 9 as I finished setting up my room for the suicide about to take place. Though the set up in my room looked very complex it was actually really simple. I'd wedged the gun between the dresser and the wall so that when I lay down on my bed the barrel of the gun couldn't possibly miss its target. Then I'd used two yo-yo's to set up the firing mechanism so that when I pulled on the one beside me the other would pull the trigger and I'd be killed instantly. I calmed myself as I lay on my deathbed excited that I'd finally get to see my loved ones and end this horrible existence. Gently closing my eyes, I took a moment to reflect on any happy times as of late. Fortunately none came to mind as I grabbed the string. I was about to end everything when knock came from the front door. Ignore it. I thought to myself as the sound persisted. After a few minutes it finally stopped and I was planning to finish my death when curiosity began to bug me. Begrudgingly I sat up and walked to the front door.
"Whaddya want!" I shouted trying to sound intimidating, only to find nobody there. I looked around and was about to go back inside when a multicolored flash caught my eye. Looking down I saw a rainbow ball of fur with white feathers poking out and a red gift bow on top. I was about to crouch down and get a better look when. . . it moved? After blinking a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming, it arched it's back before looking up at me like some sort of lost puppy. Only it wasn't a puppy, it was white, had wings, a horn, and a beautiful rainbow mane. Looking at this creature which defied the laws of nature itself I noticed a small white card sticking out of it's mane, I pulled it out and it only had two words on it,
Happy B-day
She innocently giggled as I looked around for the person who'd placed her at my door. Seeing no one around I did the only thing I deemed logical at this moment, I slammed the door in its face.
"Back to business." I mumbled as I prepared my suicide again. I closed my eyes to gather my thoughts when the little creature outside my house came back into my thoughts. I tried to force it out, but she wouldn't leave.
"Fine! I'll check on her!" I barked at the empty room as I walked back to the front door. I swung it open and was surprised at what I saw. She hadn't left, she was still waiting for me. She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with a childlike purity that captivated me. She unsteadily walked over before leaning against my leg, I picked her up and she was ice cold from being outside by herself for so long. I sighed knowing that my reunion would have to be pushed off for another day as I cradled the little filly in my arms before walking inside.
"Don't get used to this, you're going to the pound in the morning."
I walked into the house with the giggling filly in my arms. I placed her on the floor as a grumble came out of her stomach.
"Sounds like somebody's hungry. Let me get you something to eat." I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. What do ponies eat? I dug through the fridge and finally found a nice shiny apple. After digging out my dad's old chef's knife, I went to work about peeling the apple. After glancing around the kitchen, and seeing what little there was to work with, I pulled out an old cutting board and began to slice the apple. Getting a little desperate, I wrapped the apple slices in plastic wrap and placed them in an old bowl, as out came the meat tenderizer. A few smacks from the blunt side and some scraping later, I had a home made applesauce, or apple mash as I used to call it when I was little.
"Come on little one. You need to eat." I cooed as I tried to get the tiny filly sitting on the couch to open her mouth. Defiantly she clamped her mouth shut and refused to open it. After using every trick I knew of, and I'd babysat a lot of children, I gave up.
"I guess I won't have to take you to the pound after all, you'll die of starvation before then." I chuckled as I sat beside her. Almost as if she understood me, she began to cry. I nearly jumped off of the couch in surprise, but the filly's cry was enough to make me feel guilty. I gently picked her up and cradled her in my arms while desperately trying to think of something to say.
"Hush now, it's okay, daddy's got you." I whispered into her ear which calmed her down a little. In response she clung to me like a little monkey, which was actually kinda enjoyable. "Don't worry . . ." Damn, I'm drawing a blank. I need a name and quick. Taking a quick glance at the various book in the room, I tried to think of a name. Ellie? Too plain. Kaitlin? Ex-girlfriend. Ruby? Not a single splotch of red on her. Spotting one of my textbooks for my elective class titled All about celestial objects. A single name popped into my head, "Luna! Do you like that name?" The only response I got was even louder crying.
"Okay, okay, no Luna. How about, Celestia?" I flinched, ready for an earsplitting volume of crying, but it never came. The opposite was true, her grip loosened around me as her joyful eyes met mine. Deciding to test my luck, I tried it again.
"Celestia? Are you hungry?" As if on cue her stomach growled as she looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. With a smile I set her back down on the couch, reattempting the feeding maneuver. This time she gratefully opened her mouth and greedily scarfed down the food, causing me to smile. As soon as the bowl of food was gone I gently picked her up causing her to giggle. As soon as she was in the air, her expression changed from one of pleasure to one of relief, "Awww. Celly, not on the carpet."
It was a bright father's day as I walked towards the restaurant my father worked at. I looked happily at the wrapped box in my hands, it contained a specialty kitchen knife that my father had been seeking for several years. Granted it took a few months paychecks to purchase, but it was going to be worth it to see his expression.
"What do you mean that there might be someone still inside?!" I heard my father shout as I turned the corner. I was shocked at the sight of my father rushing back into a burning building.
"DAD!" I called out as I charged at the flaming restaurant only to have his boss and a co-worker restrain me several feet from the entrance. "Let. Me. Go! He needs my help!"
"We can't let you!" His boss said, refusing to let me budge. There was a scream as a girl about my age flew out of the building, bouncing a bit off the ground before stopping right in front of us. I used this distraction to break free but it was too late. The building collapsed upon itself burrying my father. The gift fell from my hands as I dropped to my knees clutching my head as I could hear the dying screams of my father. The screams grew louder and louder until they were unbearable.
My eyes flew open as I began gasping for air. "It was just a dream."
I noticed a squirming filly in my arms, as I loosened my grip I looked down at Celestia who was giving me a worried look. That's right, after cleaning up Celly's little 'accident', I rocked her until she fell asleep then fell asleep myself.
"Don't worry Tia. I'm all right now." I said giving her a warm smile. Her look of worry persisted as though she'd seen what I'd just gone through, but my gentle words put her at ease. She visibly relaxed and curled up into a ball much like the one I'd found her in before going back to sleep. After gently shifting her off of my lap I crept to my room where after a bit of searching I found a box and my old sock rabbit. I padded the bottom of the box with some towels, just in case of another 'accident', and placed my old rabbit inside creating a makeshift crib for the filly. I gently placed her inside and snatched my wallet before leaving.
"Hello dear." An elderly woman greeted me as I walked into the old store.
"Hello Mrs. Miller." I returned with a wave.
"It's been a while since I've seen you. How have things been going?"
"Sorry, but I haven't needed groceries in a while. Also I'm going to be taking care of my niece for a while , so do you have any diapers?" I asked, albeit nervously.
"Sure! Hey Sabrina! Come here!" Mrs. Miller shouted into the back, summoning a black haired girl with huge glasses. She saw me and immediately averted her gaze, "Sabrina! Be nice and show the man where the diapers are!" The harshness of her tone made Sabrina flinch but she did as she was told.
"I-I'm sorry about what happened with your father." Sabrina said as she stopped in front of the diapers. It wasn't until I looked closer that I realized that this was the girl my father had saved.
"Don't worry. He was just an idiot with a noble heart, he would've done it for anyone." I said as I grabbed the package and walked over to the produce.
"But you lost your father! Aren't you upset?" She asked.
"That was several months ago, don't worry." I calmly replied while grabbing several apples.
"You sure?" She was looking at me for the first time.
"It doesn't bother me anymore. I suggest you let it go too." I grinned as I headed to the checkout counter.
"Did Sabrina give you any trouble? Mrs. Miller asked raising an eyebrow.
"No problem at all. She was a real angel." I grinned as I passed over the items I was carrying.
"Really? In that case take an extra case of diapers. On us of course." Mrs. Miller said motioning for Sabrina to get the item.
"I couldn't possibly! I'm going to be fine. How much do I owe you?" I asked trying to change the subject.
"If you're sure. Then it'll be $28.97." She said as I placed thirty dollars on the counter and picked up my stuff and began to leave.
"But your change!" Sabrina called after me.
"Can't stick around. I've gotta go and take care of Tia." I smiled as I walked away.
I pulled into the driveway and immediately noticed something off. The door that had been previously locked was now ajar, causing my pulse to quicken. Little Celly immediately came to mind as I turned off the car and dashed for the door. I crept in and swiped the sharp knife from the sink, prepared to use it for self defense. My eyes widened as both a scream and laughter came from the living room.
"Celly!" I shouted as I dashed into the room knife at the ready, but the sight caught even me off guard.
"Put me down! Help!" A lady wearing nothing but black yelled as she floated helplessly in midair. Celestia however, was enjoying this for every time she moved her head the lady was shaken like a rag doll. I spotted a pistol on the ground and carefully picked it up.
"Celestia, please put her down." I asked causing her to giggle again before putting her down.
"Thank you. How can I ever rep-" The lady's sentence was cut short when she realized that the gun was pointed at her heart. "What are you going to do to me?"
"That depends on what you saw today." I glared causing her to back up.
"I didn't steal anything! I saw nothing! Please just let me go." She begged as I forced her to the door.
"You know about the existence of Celestia and you even tried to attack her. Why shouldn't I kill you? You didn't tell anybody that you were going to rob me right? In that case, I could easily kill you and nobody would ever find the body." At this point I had a murderous look in my eyes and my finger started to squeeze the trigger. She took off running and tripped, hitting her head on the concrete which luckily knocked her out. I dragged her over a few houses over and called 911.
"Don't worry Celly, the mean lady will not be coming back. I cheered as I gently tossed her up into the air before catching her. "The paramedics will think it's a bad dream, and if she ever tells anyone she can't get out of going to jail." Celestia just laughed as I continued to toss her into the air.
"I was really worried when I thought that something bad might have happened to you, but I'm so glad you're okay." I admitted as I pulled her into a big hug, "For some reason it feels like you're the only one who truly understands me." After a bit of pondering I decided that Celestia could stay a little longer. Then came a knock from the door.
Casting a suspicious gaze at the door I swiped my ill gotten gun and proceeded to the peephole. It was dark outside but the porch light clearly illuminated Sabrina who was waiting outside. I opened the door a crack, not letting the gun into her sight, before saying, "Good evening, Sabrina was it? What can I do for you?" She blushed and stared at the ground nervously as she tried to find her words.
"Um, I wanted to ask, if maybe I could help with taking care of your niece."
"No. I've gotten everything taken care of." My words were cold and harsh as I attempted to drive her away.
"Please, I want to help you." She persisted.
"I repeat, I've got everything under control. Now go home." My tepmer was rising. Sabrina looked like she was on the verge of tears but refused to leave. "Why won't you leave?" I finally barked at her.
"My grandmother told me everything. About how you're all alone in this world. How your mother died when you were little, your girlfriend died in a car wreck, and how I took your father away. I just wanted to try and ease some of your pain." A few of her tear drops fell and hit the ground.
"I said that you shouldn't worry and just forget about it. Besides, I have little Celly to keep me company. So don't worry about me." I sighed.
"Are you sure?" She looked into my eyes and I could see that there was more than just this bothering her.
"Yeah. Anything else I can do for you?"
"This is a little awkward, but," She began to say but the rest of her sentence faded with her voice.
"I didn't catch that."
"I kinda need a place to stay for the night."
"Pardon?"
"I kinda need a place to stay for the night." She blurted out before turning away.
"Mrs. Miller locked you out of the house didn't she?" I sighed knowing all too well what the crazy lady was capable of. Sabrina gave a gentle nod as the rest of her face turned a bright red. "I've been there. I had to stay at her house several times when I was younger. Give me a minute."
I closed the door and moved Celestia and her box into my room before picking up a few things that had been strewn around the floor.
"Sorry for the wait." I said opening the door for Sabrina.
"I'm really sorry to bother you like this." She said hesitantly walking into the house.
"Don't worry, your grandmother's had to take care of me on less notice than this. Besides, she's been a friend of my family for years, this is no problem. Anyway, bathroom's first door on the left and the last door on the right is mine. Just knock if you need something."
"Where do you want me to sleep?"
"You can have my parent's room. I don't think they'd mind. It's the room right across from mine. Anything else?"
"Thank you." No sooner had the words left her lips then Celestia began crying.
"Is that Tia?" Sabrina asked as I rushed into the kitchen and pulled out some apple sauce that I'd made earlier.
"Yup. Now if you'll excuse me." I said rushing into my room closing the door behind me. Celestia looked at me then at the door with curiosity. "It's okay, I'm here now." I started to feed Celestia when Sabrina screamed and burst into my room with the gun I'd stolen earlier. Damn! I should've hidden it better.
"Why do you have Amber's gun?" Sabrina asked before realizing what I was doing. My body moved on instinct as I yanked the gun out of her hand and knocked her to the ground.
"You've seen too much." I growled as I pointed the gun at her. Celestia interruped by screaming as loudly as she could. Both of us perked up at the cry, it wasn't one of hunger, or exhaustion, or any normal cry, it was one of pure terror. "Celestia?" I choked out as I reached out for her, but to my horror she squirmed away from my hand.
"You're scaring her!" Sabrina shouted jumping to her feet and slapping me across the face. "Shh. It's okay, he didn't mean it." Celestia stopped crying as Sabrina picked her up and began to cradle her. It wasn't fair, Celestia was mine and now this girl was Celly's new favorite.
"Fine." I spat dropping the gun to the ground. "If you need me I'll be sleeping." I dashed over to my parent's room and slammed the door behind me as hard as I could. This was just crushing, "The Accursed One strikes again." I sighed as I crawled beneath the sheets and curled into a ball.
The door opened and I could see Sabrina's shadow on the wall. "Are you okay?" I didn't respond to her question, I chose instead to pretend I was asleep. I watched as her shadow bent over then stood back up, it took a few moments but my eyes went wide as I heard a pair of wings flapping furiously. There was a moment of silence and the crinckle of her diaper as I assumed she fell to the floor. I held my breath as I expected a cry, a cry that would never come. Instead the sound of wings beating returned and after what felt like an eternity another figure plopped onto the bed. "Being told you're not alone, is not the same as truly feeling that you're not alone. The reason you can't really feel like you're not alone is that you don't believe it yourself. Even though your family is gone, you've still got people on your side." Sabrina said as she closed the door behind her. I rolled over meeting the gaze of a pair of big innocent eyes. Celestia gently placed a hoof on my face, letting out a giggle as she did so. I pulled her close to my chest and put her partially under the covers. She smiled as within moments my melodic heartbeat had lulled her to sleep. I gently smiled at the little life sleeping peacefully in my arms, knowing all too well that if it weren't for Sabrina, this moment would never have existed. I must find a way to thank her. I thought before falling asleep myself.
My school alarm woke me up and I groggily made my way to the kitchen after putting Celestia back in her box. I took a glance around the living room and spotted Sabrina sleeping peacefully in my dad's old recliner. I snatched an apple from the fridge and sunk my teeth in it as I grabbed my backpack and flung it over my shoulder. I pocketed my keys and crept out the door. No sooner had I gotten into my explorer then the front door opened and Sabrina ran over.
"Just the girl I wanted to see." I said, killing the engine.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I saw." She gasped the morning's cold air filling her lungs.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that." At my words fear crept into her eyes.
"But I won't say anything. I promise I'll stay quiet."
"I believe you. Actually I think Celly likes you, plus I can't be home all the time, would you like to help me take care of her?" At my words her face lit up like christmas lights.
"You really mean it?" She asked excitedly, I replied with a nod. "Thank you soooo much! I have always loved animals and pets and I'm such a mythology lover." She threw her arms around my neck while she continued to ramble on.
"Promise me one thing," I interrupted her. "You will kill all rumors about Celly's existence. We are to be the only ones who know about her."
"Is that all? That'll be easy. I just have to say that my grandmother told me the same thing. That's all it'll take."
"Really? Thanks." I was amazed at how easy it was to hide Celestia's existance.
"I could also pick up a few things from her house like a proper crib, and such. I'm sure she won't mind."
"That would be a major help!" I said as I wrapped my arms around her.
"Anything to help out." She grinned as she let out a small sneeze.
"Maybe you should go inside before you catch a cold." She blushed as she walked back inside, but not before she waved goodbye. I smiled as I pulled out of the driveway and a thought returned to my head. I can't believe that I'd completely forgotten what my mother said before dying. "If you have friends, people you can trust, no matter how hard today may be, tomorrow you can turn everything around."
It was the dead of night and the entire house was quiet. Or at least it was until there was a soft plomp from Celestia's room.
Please tell me this is NOT what I think it is.
The sound was immediately followed by the weak flapping of wings. There was a moment of silence followed by the sound of the filly alicorn falling onto her pillow. I continued to pray that this was all just a dream as the door to to her room, which was already ajar, opened more with a loud creak. It wasn't until I heard another series of wings flapping that I accepted the reality of my situation. I could feel the covers move as Celestia climbed on and over to where I had tried to sleep.
*poke*
Her hoof was like ice, I tried to ignore it and hope that she would just go back to sleep, but she began to poke me repeatedly and with increasing strength. She continued this until I couldn't take it anymore.
"Celestia, please go back to sleep." I quietly whispered to her, only to have her shake her head in response and continue the onslaught of poking. Having reached my limit, I pulled her under the covers and held her close to my chest. She knew what I was up to and immediately began to squirm her way out from under the covers.
"Okay Celestia, you win. What do you want to do?" I sighed having been defeated by the infant.
"Cwis cwis! Cwis cwis!" She cheered happily, eager to celebrate the holiday. The light from my phone hurt my eyes as I saw it was 3AM.
"Celestia, can't Christmas wait until 6AM?" I pleaded to the wide awake filly. I sighed as she adamantly shook her head again. "How about this? If I give you one present now and we open the rest at 6AM?"
She mulled this over and much to my delight she nodded then held out her hooves. I fumbled over to my closet and removed a small white sweatshirt with a picture of the sun on it. I had gotten it especially for Celestia and it was a good fit, if not a little too big. The white alicorn seemed excited as she looked at me expectantly for more.
"No Celestia, we had an agreement." I sighed as I crawled under the covers.
Determined to get more gifts she tried to use the oldest trick in the book, the puppy dog eyes. I simply ignored it and crawled back under the covers, She tried whimpering to draw my attention away from sleep, but was unsuccessful. She crawled over to face me, to which I promptly rolled over to avoid her gaze. She tried again only to have the same thing happen. I awaited her third attempt but it didn't come. In the silence I could hear Celestia getting ready to cry, if she began to cry I would NEVER get any sleep so I rolled over and put my hand on her face. I immediately felt like a jerk, she was freezing cold and had begun to shiver. I gently lifted the covers which the filly immediately crawled under and into my arms. She snuggled up to me as best she could and quietly fell asleep. I smiled gently as I pulled Celestia close to me and fell asleep as well.
I awoke a few hours later to a squirming filly in my arms, I let Celestia out from under the covers as I took a look at my phone.
6:30. At least she let me sleep in.
"Cwis cwis?" She looked at me hopefully.
"Yes Celestia, it's time to open presents."
The little alicorn cheered as I scooped her up and carried her over to the living room where the christmas tree awaited. It wasn't the prettiest tree, mostly because it had been in the family for 25 years, most of the fake pine needles had fallen off, there were plenty of bare spots, several of the branches were broken, and it still had a faint scent of the coffee my dad spilled on it a few years back. Celestia payed this no mind as her eyes scanned the pile of multicolored gifts trying to find the biggest one to open first.
An evil look flashed in my eyes as I remembered an old christmas tradition my family had. I quietly removed one of the stick on bows from a nearby gift and quickly stuck it on on Celestia's forehead. This surprised her and she slowly removed the bow from her head before flashing an evil grin. A second later the bow was on my knee. She squealed with laughter as her revenge was complete. I removed another bow and stuck it on her hoof this time, it was that action that declared war. The two of us were removing all of the bows and sticking them on each other as quickly as we could. The presents were completely ignored as the bows went flying. After a good 30 minutes of fighting, the two of us, completely spent, stopped to take a break. It was then we actually got a good look at each other and began to howl with laughter at how ridiculous we looked. It took a minute before we caught our breaths, then I handed Celestia a present. She tore through the wrapping paper like it was wet toilet paper and looked at the gift with confusion. It was a picture book, once I showed her how to open it, she immediately forgot about the other presents and looked only at the pictures.
I was actually surprised at how quickly I got to open my first present. It was the third volume of Jing King of Bandits, I had been looking for this book for a while and was happy that I finally got it. I took a look back at Celestia who was still engrossed in her book, her horn flashed for a second as the page turned by itself. I quickly dismissed it as some of the weirdness that goes on around here. After I opened up a few more gifts I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see Celestia eagerly awaiting another present. I handed her a few more which she opened immediately. There were a variety of outfits made especially for her, courtesy of Sabrina, and she seemed extremely happy to have them. Except, now I have to teach her what clothes are, because right now she's using them as a bed. After all the gifts were open we sat down to examine what exactly we'd all gotten. I'd gotten mostly clothes with a few books, Celestia on the other hand had several little pony figurines, almost an entire wardrobe, and a few picture books which she seemed to favor.
"Want some hot chocolate?" I offered as I stood up. The white alicorn nodded furiously with a giant grin on her face. Normally I'd have been worried offering something that wasn't human chocolate, but she'd already downed one cup of it while my back was turned and since nothing bad came of it we guessed that chocolate was okay for her.
I quickly made the cocoa and was about to return when there was a bright flash from the living room. I hurried in there and spotted something odd. Celestia was hugging an old, dirty, pony doll which looked like it had seen better days. Its mane was made of string one of the button eyes looked like it was falling off. There was a feather and tiny notepad nearby I contemplated taking it away from her and throwing it away, but she just seemed so happy with it. But there was one thing I couldn't figure out, where had it come from?
Big Mac's room was being torn to pieces as the stallion looked desperately for his treasured Smarty Pants doll. It wasn't in its secret hiding place, and he was the only one in the house that knew about it. He would continue to search for it fruitlessly for a few more hours until a certain princess of the night would arrive, with a purple unicorn in tow.
Author's Note
I rushed a bit to have this out by christmas, so it has not been pre-read. If you could point out any and all spelling, punctuation, and/or grammer errors it would be greatly appreciated.
