Pastries for the Heart

by Rio362

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Sad, Derpy Hooves, Tragedy
Length: 4929

My family grows in number by one, but that one changes everything.

A heart warming tale about a loving daughter and the father who raised her.

Published 2013-04-29 21:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-29 21:10:02 UTC

Me, My Apartment and an unexpected guest.

Months go by like weeks. Weeks go by like days. Days go by like minutes. Time seems to just slip right by me. I guess that's what being lonely feels like. Though its not entirely true. I'm not truly lonely because I do have my brother who comes and visits from time to time. He goes to a school that is out of the city and so I really only get to see him either every weekend or every other weekend. Anytime he has come over though we have a blast and whatever feeling of loneliness I am feeling at the time get blown to the back of my mind.

Almost every time he has come over we play video games and watch some movies on Netflix all the while snacking on junk food. Hey to me its paradise but that doesn't mean I'm a slob or unfit. I workout the whole week that he isn't around and I stick to my workout almost everyday. Thanks to learning some good workout training on the internet I have been getting toned and that helps me out with my martial arts training.

I go to school same as my brother I'm just in culinary school while he does.... well to be honest I'm not entirely sure what he does. Guess it doesn't really matter as long as he loves what he's doing right. Anyway I guess I should tell you a little about who I am. I'm 22, about 5 ft 9 and about 203 lbs thankfully most of it is muscle but hey I'm workin on it. Anyway I'm a brony and have been for a little while. Seen all the episodes and have some merch yadda yadda all that good stuff.

As a lot of people know winter is a time that not many people like simply cause of one fact....ITS FRICKIN COLD. To me however its different. I love it because I grew up in it plus its easier to get warm when its cold out then it is to get cool off but hey that's just my opinion. I go to school like most people and for me its about a 10 minute walk to the station and then its about a 15 minute train ride to my place of "culinary enlightenment" as some chefs would say. Nah I'm kidding even they say it like I do, with plenty of sarcasm but good intentions none the less.

Tomorrow I'll be sending myself off to school once more for today was Sunday. However this Sunday was different because this Sunday it snowed and for me that put a big stupid smile on my face all day. I've enjoy the summer time just as much as anyone else but when it comes to falling asleep lets just say that it was a bit of a hassle. Who wants to fall asleep over heated by summer heat. Definitely not me. Winter for me gives me comfort in that when I tuck myself into bed and fall asleep I gain the exact amount of warmth that I want and am not overheated.

Now enough about who I am, what I do and how I live. Let me tell you a story about something amazing that happened to me during winter. It started out as your typical winter day being about 20 below 0. I woke up at about 5am wanting to go back to sleep i set my alarm for 5:30 instead. Not sure why but something kept me up. "Bah i'm already up may as well just go get breakfast before school god knows I need it." Standing and stretching my tired legs I gather my chosen cloths for school that day. I have a hoodie that I wear everyday because well its my favorite. putting on my jeans and fresh shirt I stop to look outside seeing the snow paving the streets and roof tops of the houses that surround my apartment building.

That sight to me does nothing less then bring a smile to my face. Once all of my apparel is in it's place I head out to my kitchen area to pull out a frozen dinner. I may be in culinary school but I'm still a student so frozen dinner for the win. I set the timer on the microwave, go to my computer and turn it on listening to the fans and sounds of it coming to life in the main room of my home. I recently got this new computer and have been loving it. My old one would break down almost every six months. I went onto YouTube and looked up "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" one of my favorite shows to watch from food network while I ate my breakfast.

Everyone once in a while I'd turn my head to look outside and see the snow still there and hardly seeing any cars on the road. It did feel a little lonely but it was also peaceful which somehow made me feel a little warmer in my home. After finishing my breakfast I put away my trash and brushed my teeth all the while being lost in thought. "I guess it's just going to be another day of service in my class. Wonder what station I'm going to be on today." Almost everyday I had that thought and man did it sound like a busted record in my head. After three weeks of thinking that it tends to get really and I mean really annoying.

Ah well it was beautiful outside and I wasn't going to be bothered by that thought today. My alarm for 6:30 started going off and so I grabbed my chef's knife kit and was making my way out the door when I heard a thumping come from one of the cabinets in my kitchen. "Huh guess some stuff just fell over. Whatever I'll check it when I get back." I'll admit it did kinda make me jump but after thinking about how messy some of these cabinets were it just made me chuckle. Turning the key and locking the door I set out to school. One of the bright sides to culinary school was that we never really had any homework except maybe a single big assignment here and there. Otherwise it was study study study.

Outside was chilly but the enjoyable I'd grab handfuls of snow and chuck em at fences and trees just to enjoy the small things in life that I child would. The way I always figured things was if you can enjoy the little things then the big things aren't as enjoyable as they should be. I always pass the same apartment building that is the sister building of mine. Seeing it there standing tall with lights from rooms running up the side of it was always somewhat comforting even if I could never really explain why. I continued toward the train station heading over the small bridge and past some more houses. Once I was actually in the station it was a little warmer and so I found a place to sit down and wait for the next train.

The station this early never really has many people in it at least not until there is a train coming. Then it feels like they come out of the walls. "Next train arriving please stand behind the yellow line." Almost everyday it heard that same announcement so you can imagine how boring it starts to sound. Anyway I walked onto the train and as usual most if not all the seats were taken so I grabbed the nearest pole and leaned against it to keep my balance. "Alright now 15 minutes and I'm there." I thought about that almost every time I got on the train. Timing became something of a science for me in culinary school.

I would check my schedule for my upcoming classes and would set all my alarms accordingly so I would never be late. I kinda felt like a dork but at the same time I never wanna be late so ya. "Next stop SAIT, Alberta Collage or Art and Design Jubalie Station." The train announcement sounded. I made my way closer to the door to get off the train passing by some people who were in the way "excuse me sorry just gotta get through." The doors opened and I got off the train heading toward my classroom. That SAIT station wasn't to big but every it had to flights of stairs and bridges going to either ACAD which is the art school next to SAIT. Everyday without fail was the newspaper guy. Everyday I'd pass him and as usual I'd get "Would you like the Calgary sun? Its great for the train ride or for tea, or coffee." I know he was just doing his job but it did kind of annoy me.

Passing through the doors into SAIT the warmth rushed in and felt kinda nice. after leaving the building that housed the station I found myself outside once more and the moon was out. I loved the moon's glow and since becoming a brony I have started calling her Luna just like the princess from the show. She was always so bright and beautiful that I'd always take a break from whatever I was doing to see her and enjoy the view that she would bring to the scenery around me. She made the buildings roofs glow and the grass shine. Part of why I love winter so much is also because of how beautifully the moon's glow brightens up the snow.

I savored every minute of those moments until I had to get back to reality. I made my way past the giant center building which was dead in the middle of the campus. passing by it I never really gave it more then a glance however the city to my right was far more lively. Almost all of the buildings were lit up and smoke from the buildings heating systems were rising into the air and then dispersing. I continued my path towards the 4 nines building which is where I have my classes. First was theory next was the practical portion of my class which was slightly more fun. I felt like that whole day went by without me even realizing it.

Those days I seriously just felt like a drone just going through the motions and well I guess it was just due to me being bored. It's not that I'm not enjoying what I do I guess I just haven't had any inspiration to do anything creative there. Anyway after class was finished I took the same path I used to get to the station and made my way home. Once I got off the train at my stop I started on my way home. Now I normally take the same path to and from my home and the station but today there was some construction going on that I only remember once I saw it. "Damn it. Now? Really guys? Gah fine."

I turned around from the bridge I normally would take and had to pass the station, go around the bus parking area and then take a path through some apartment houses. I know the guys doing the construction were just doing there jobs but it was kind of annoying. *sigh* I finally reached my normal path passing the sister building of my apartment building which is actually called "The fortress". Kind of a funny name if you ask me but at the same time it does sort of look like one i guess... maybe not. While going down the sidewalk I was passing by some houses and I'm not sure why but something made me want to take a different path that wasn't much of a detour from my normal route.

I decided to head into the group of houses that were there and I passed by a a dumpster with a wooden shelter that had the door slightly opened. Still not sure why I did what I did but I went over to it and looked inside. I must have looked so stupid but for some reason it just grabbed my curiosity. I stopped myself before I actually did anything majorly stupid like jumping into it or anything. At least until I heard a bang from I thought was just some garbage being shifted. However that wasn't what grabbed my attention. What came next is what completely caught me off guard. I heard what sounded like a baby crying.

I covered my mouth and thought the worst. "How could a parent leave their child in a dumpster....how messed up and heartless could someone be.?" I couldn't just stand there so I walked over to it and grabbed onto the rim of the dumpster's opening. I used some cardboard boxes as good footing and jumped off them to get over the side of the dumpster. When I landed my first objective was to find the child, call the police, and then get it to a good home. When I finally found the source of the crying what I found was not a baby at least not a human one.

"This....this can't be possible. There is no way in hell this is true." What I saw before me was a foal but not just any foal. It was Derpy Hooves. She had everything that she did in the show. Same gray body and golden mane with matching golden eyes. Her wings looked injured along side other parts of her. Her mane and tail were covered in trash and some snow. She looked malnourished beyond belief. "Oh....my.....god." I was so frozen with shock and horror. I couldn't understand how this was possible for her to be in my world but I couldn't dwell on that at the moment. After about 2 seconds of taking it all in I took off my hoodie and quickly wrapped her up in it to keep her warm. I used the sleeves of my hoodie as a harness and wrapped them around my chest and shoulder. It was getting pretty cold these days and being without a jacket or hoodie was a pretty bad idea but at that time I didn't care in the slightest.

My only concern was getting this little foal back to my apartment building, getting her something to eat, and nursing her back to health. I was sprinting already until I didn't hear her cry anymore. Fearing the worse I hauled ass bursting through doors and gunning it up the stairs to my room which was on the ninth floor. I had never sprinted so hard and so fast in my life until now. When I finally did make it to my room I had my key in hand ready to unlock the door. The first thing I did was grab the first aid kit. The second was a pot filled with water to boil and some carrots ready to be mashed. Still no crying was heard from her.

I was so scared that I started crying but I had to remain focused. I rested her on my bean bag chair and uncovered her and to my horror her eyes were closed. My blood ran cold. "No....no....please. Please wake up.....please wake up I'm begging you." I gently picked her up and held her close to my chest all the while bawling my eyes out begging for her to wake up. "Please..... Please wake up come on please don't let me lose you." I fell to my knees. There was nothing but silience around me until I felt her move. She was very weak but she snuggled close to me. I looked down at her and with what energy she had left she looked up at me.

Everything around me stopped. It was just me and her. I brought her close to my chest once more to give her as much warmth as my body heat had at the time. "Hold on okay let me get you some food." Still holding her close I went into the kitchen and cut up some carrots and boiled them. Afterwards I mashed them up and fed them to her slowly. "There ya go." She had so little energy even to eat. Every time she took a bite and swallowed I would gently pet her keeping her nice and warm. After about an hour she had finished up and I could see she was feeling very tired. Fear hadn't left me and I stayed with her keeping her close to me to keep her warm. Her mane and tail were still filthy and reeking with the scent of trash.

The thought of whoever did this to her almost sent me into a rage but then I felt her breathing quietly and resting her head against my chest. My heart melted seeing her there sleep so peacefully that I forgot about the bullshit. Her breathing was normal and she seemed okay. Her injuries were next to take care off. I laid her to rest on my beanbag chair constantly keeping a close eye on her as I picked up the first aid kit. It was too soon for peroxide to clean her wounds and I was afraid the sudden shock would do far more harm then good. So I simply grabbed the bandages from the box and wrapped up her cuts and bruises.

"You are one tough little foal to have survived all that." I'll take good care of you. I picker her up once more and let her rest on my chest while covering her and myself with my sweater. I could feel my eye lids getting heavy and so I let myself fall asleep making sure that the little foal was still in my arms comfortably. Getting up as early as I have been these days, this nap was a welcome comfort that I haven't had in a very long time. I awoke when she shifted slightly to readjust herself. Her little wings were poking me and I noticed that my shirt was wet. Turns out she had been nibbling on my shirt as she slept.
I didn't mind it in the slightest if anything it brought a smile to my face.

Author's Note

Enjoy ^_^

Daddy

The next morning when I woke up I found the little foal was still there sleeping soundly atop my chest and snuggled happily under my sweater. Obviously I had no intention of going to school today. Not with this little foal to take care of. I couldn't help but smile watching her little tummy rise and fall as she breathed softly. A few minutes after I woke up she awoke as well and began crying. I already sort of knew what she needed to so I picked her up and brought her into the kitchen and cut up some bananas for her to eat. They were soft and healthy for a growing pony such as herself.

Along side the bananas I had some milk left in the fridge and so I heated it up for her just enough to drink without burning herself. It was around 4 am when I woke up and that's only thanks to having my nap which turned out to actually be my sleep for the day. I was wide awake though since the time I went to bed was about 6pm last night. The whole ordeal yesterday was extremely draining but worth it. She was finally getting some fat on her belly and my fear of her malnutrition had finally left me. Now she was as plump as a little foal should be to be considered healthy.

The scent of her mane and tail wandered into my nose and I knew exactly what to do next. Bath time for this little one. After she was done with her food, I burped her and brought her into the bathroom. Now I only had shower products that were meant for humans but I figured there wouldn't be any issue with me using that stuff on her mane and tail. I mean hair is hair right? Thankfully no problems occurred and she seemed to enjoy the whole experience. She was splashing around in the water getting herself soaked and me too in the process but I played with her all the same. I used the shampoo that I had and the results were pretty good. Her mane and tail were all cleaned. Her beautiful golden colored mane and tail were showing through once more.

On the down side my shirt had to be changed for obvious reasons. She had been sleeping on me all last night so the smell was lingering. Just as well my sweater had to be changed for the same reason. I brought a towel out from the storage closet to dry her off. All snuggled up and warm within the towel I picked her up for some good morning breakfast. At first I was thinking more mashed carrots, but then I remembered the show and what her favorite eats were. I was shaking my head to the idea that "She must be the same pony from the show and so she must love muffins." I went to the kitchen, walking past my fridge and stopping at the fourth upper drawer which held some packaged Blueberry muffins that I had bought a day before this incident.

They had a nice parchment paper design to them which I guessed was meant to resemble a flower. I always felt a little bad pulling it apart what with being a culinary student. Art was a thing for me. Anyway I offered Derpy the muffin and though I shouldn't have been surprised she took a nibble and then a massive bite. Needless to say a happy discovery. She had one heck of an appetite because she went through all six of the muffins I had. She started to squirm a little and grabbed her tummy. "Ah no worries come here derpy." I picker her up and burped her. "All better?" She nodded and yawned.

I figured she was still a little tired what with waking up so early so since I wasn't going anywhere today anyway may as well pop on the Xbox and set up Netflix. "Hmmmm what to watch....ah here we go." I'll admit to you all right now I'm a hopeless romantic kinda guy so I watch a fair number of Rom-coms. I know lame right?. Anyway I fell back onto beanbag chair and relaxed. It seemed only like a few moments and Derpy was out like a light. Seeing her sleeping there on my chest all relaxed and happy brought a warm smile to my face.

It's been a few months now and she is now the size of what a filly in the show would look like. She can speak clearly now after teaching what I know. That and shows like "Dora the explorer" and "Bob the builder" helped her a fair amount. I no longer need to worry about leaving her on her own at home because she knows where everything is and if she needs entertainment she know how to use the Xbox for Netflix. I have always hated her leaving her though for school. Every time I leave I get this feeling in my chest that when I get back she'll be gone. So far though she has always been waiting for me at the door to surprise me with a big hug.

I always ask "Didja miss me sweetheart?" She'd always reply with "Of course I did silly pants." I was never sure why she called me that but hey it's cute, she's adorable, and I love her so much that I became accustomed to being called that by her. One day though when I arrived home the apartment was in such disarray and Derpy was no where to be found. I dropped my bags and ran around in a frenzy looking for her screaming. "DERPY.....DERPY WHERE ARE YOU!?" I was so lost in fear and on the verge of tears until I heard whimpering coming from under the cot that I had in the living room right next to the kitchen.

I knelt down to lift the bed sheets to find her crying and sniffling. "Derpy....thank god your safe." I reached under and brought her out from under the cot. She held onto me just crying her eyes out. "hey its alright everything is alright. What happened sweetheart? Are you okay?" I didn't get a response so I gave her a quick once over looking for any bruises, scratches or cuts. She was perfectly fine so I just began stroking her mane until she calmed down a little. After a few minutes she stopped crying however the sniffling hadn't stopped. "Feeling any better?" No words but I could feel a gentle nod from her so I leaned down a bit to give her a little kiss on her forehead. After a few moments of silence and sniffling she finally spoke up.

Her speech was mixed with sniffles and some lingering tears. "I...I'm sorry. A bird flew in and...and i tried to get it to leave but it was flying like super....I'm so sorry" I brought her up to my eye level so I could see her beautiful eyes. "Derpy its okay. I'm just so happy you are alright." Derpy spoke up "You're not mad at me for making a mess?" "Of course not silly. I was so scared someone had come in here to taken you away from me." She grabbed onto me holding me tightly. "Derpy are you okay.....sweety?" after a few moments of silence she spoke up with words that I would never forget. "I love you daddy." looking down at the little filly who was hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her body holding her as close as I could. "I love you too sweetheart."

To this day I still feel my heart skip a beat every time she calls me daddy. Of course she still calls me silly pants most of the time so that hasn't changed but I still love it either way. My mornings have become something to look forward to instead of the old days where I would wake up maybe grab some toast and just haul ass out the door to school. Nowadays I have new spring in my step. Since Derpy has become older I don't need to worry about if she can or cannot take care of herself. She's a big girl and knew where everything is in the apartment and has spent plenty of days without me there. Because of her I can look forward to coming home even more.

It use to be that whenever I finished my classes I would simply come home and bum around for some odd hours playing video games or watching things on the internet and then fall asleep. Now that Derpy has shown up in my life I always rush home with a smile on my face and know that as soon as I come through the door Ill be given and big welcome home hug. It's become something that I almost can't live without because her hugs aren't just your typical "Hey how are ya?" or "alright I gotta go bud" boom hug and then begone. These hugs were different. She would hold onto me and really snuggle into me like she wasn't just hugging me and I know this is going to sound corny as all hell but stay with me now. It's like she was trying to hug my heart and keep it warm.

I don't know of anyone who has ever been able to do such a thing. She was still somewhat small in my arms so it made it easy for me to hold her in such a way that I could almost cradle her next to my body. I would wrap on arm around her body and the other would be used as a seat for her legs to rest comfortably against my stomach. This way I could hold onto her while I walked over to the big black beanbag chair I have and slowly lay down on it with her. Almost everyday I did this with her when I got home. Those moments that we shared we my most cherished and it was partially because they reminded me of when my mom use to do that with me when I was younger. She would come home from work and running up to her I'd grab hold of her leg till she picked me up and kissed my nose. She did that for me everyday and tell me with such love and softness in her voice "I love you times infinity my sweet little baby boy."

Holding Derpy in my arms I lifted her up and kissed her nose. She's smiled happily "Daddy that tickles." I chuckled setting her back down onto my chest and just continued to lay there petting her mane while she rested her head. I looked outside seeing the beautiful winter's snowfall and seeing the grey clouds in the sky which reminded me of Derpy. After everything that happened I had a whole new love for winter since it was the time when she came into my life.

Author's Note

Enjoy ^_^