I'll Always Take Care of You
It was a plain, ordinary, average day. At least, to everypony else. But for me, this day was special.
I strode up to the florist’s counter and waved at the attendant. “One bouquet please,” I said.
“Three bits.” The salespony smiled at me, brushing her mane out of her eyes. Snatching three bits from my saddlebag, I hand them over. After she gives them to me, she asks, “Is that for your very special somepony?”
I paused. “In a way.”
“Well, I hope you make whoever it is happy.” Her smile gleamed even bigger, her pearly white teeth reflecting in the sunlight.
“Me too,” I said, grabbing the bouquet with my magic. “Me too...”
One of my earliest memories of my mother was something I could hardly remember. Like a dream. You wake up in the morning and want to hold onto it as long as possible, so you don’t open your eyes. But eventually, life goes on so you need to get out of bed. Once you do, the memory fades. You can never remember your dream one-hundred percent, no matter how much you want to. Still, at least I can remember something. Just a remnant, but it’s something.
A baby crib, slowly rocking back and forth, with bars that extended to into the sky. No matter how much I try to climb them, I could never reach the top. But each time, I climb higher than I did before, so I keep trying.
One time, I was almost near the top, but my hoof slipped. Before I knew it, I was sent tumbling downwards. I landed on my head. I didn’t bleed, but it still hurt. My head felt like it was splitting open. I tried to fight back the tears, but they came anyway.
“Waaaaaaaaah!” I can hear a shuffling sound from above me. A giant hoof reached out and gently picked me up.
“There, there. Everything’s going to be alright,” said a voice from above.
I looked up into the eyes of a grey mare. One of the eyes is looking straight at me, but the other one is looking at the ceiling. Rubbing the back of my head, I stopped crying.
“Oh, do you have a boo boo? Let mommy fix that.” She bent down and kissed me on the back of my head. For some reason, it felt like the pain disappeared. Curling into a ball, I pulled up my hindleg and started sucking on it.
“There. All better?” After I grinned in response, she rubbed my stomach, causing me to giggle. All of the pain floated away, replaced by a sense of peacefulness. Cradling me in her forelegs, she rocked me back and forth while humming a lullaby.
I curled into a ball and a warmth spread throughout my body. Using my tail as a toy, I start nibbling on it.
My mother held me close to her chest and said, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you.” She rubbed her snout against my belly. “Dinky... my little muffin...”
“Hey, watch it!” shouted a voice.
My mind zapped back to reality. “Ahh!” I shouted, nimbly jumping out of the way of an incoming pony. “Sorry!” I said, blushing in embarrassment. I had been walking down the street and accidentally drifted to the other side.
Clutching my bouquet of flowers, I wandered past Sugarcube corner. Checking my watch, I realized that I was almost to my destination; it was only a few blocks away. My thoughts drifted back to my mom.
Now that I think about it, my mom has always been there for me, especially when I get into trouble. Thinking back, I’m not sure how, but I was real accident prone. On this particular day, it seemed like any other, a bright summer’s day. There were no scheduled rainfalls or storms, so it was going to be nice all day long. It was a perfect day, and nothing could go wrong. Or so I thought.
I rode inside a saddlebag handing off my mother’s back. My legs are safely enclosed inside while my upper half hung out the side. I shuffled around, my eyes darting around back and forth. My mouth gaped open. My mom chuckled; she nuzzled me in the neck.
“Oooo, what’s that? Or that? And that? Aaah!” I pointed at everything I could as we walked through Ponyville. Normally I was always cooped up in the house, playing with the same old toys, but after a while I grew too restless. School had just let out, so I bounced around the house in boredom. My mom must have sensed that, so she took me with her to work.
“Aww. Who’s this little cutie?” A cream-colored mare cooed to me, tickling me under the chin. I giggled in return.
“This is Dinky.” A beam of sunshine reflected off my mother’s smile, she beamed that much.
“How old is she?” The mare flipped her two-shades-of-orange mane out of her eyes.
“Only six.”
“They sure grow up fast, don’t they?”
After some more small talk, my mom waved at her and we went along our business. Finally, we reached our destination. A giant sign along the top of the building told me that it was called “Sugarcube Corner.”
As she fumbled with the package in her other saddlebag, I quietly slipped out. I looked at my mom, but her back was turned, so I wandered a few hooves away.
Something caught the corner of my eye, the majestic movement of a bug that had fluttered into view. It perched on my snout. The body itself was tiny, but it had a wide wingspan of pink. A butterfly. It stared at me, and I could almost swear it winked at me. After a few twitches of its wings, it took off, flying amidst the cool breeze.
I tried to reach it with a hoof, but it slipped out of my grasp. It didn’t move particularly fast, instead flying around in loopty loops in front of my face. A slight chittering drifted into my ears, as if it was beckoning me. It looped around one final time before it blew away.
“Wait for me!” I’m not sure what it was, but something compelled me to follow it. Forgetting my mother’s words, I took off after it. Looking back now, I wonder why it was so fascinating to me. After all, it was just a butterfly. But a youthful mind sees things differently. Curiously. And so, I followed it.
I walked after it, but it flew fast enough to evade me, so I quickened my pace. From a trot into a canter and finally a gallop, I chased after that butterfly, yet it stayed out-of-reach. Before I knew it, I followed it right past Ponyville and directly into a path filled with bushes and trees. The light behind me shrinking as I galloped deeper into the forest. It quickly became a speck, then disappeared entirely.
I paused and looked around. Trees towered over me, all of their shadows stretching across the landscape. It had grown dark, as if the sunlight couldn’t penetrate the trees, but I hadn’t noticed because all I could stare at was the flapping wings of the sparkly butterfly. If anything, it’s brightness lingered around itself like a protective sphere, which only stood out even more amidst the dark. I reached towards it.
With a puff of dust, the butterfly exploded. A shower of sparkles washed over me, some of it entering my snout and causing me to sneeze. Just like that, the only light I could see vanished in the blink of an eye. I shivered. Whether it was because it had gotten cold or because I realized I was alone, I wasn’t sure. I turned around and tried to look for the path I had followed on the way there, but it was gone. Disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place.
Goosebumps crawled on my fur as I backed up. A couple of indistinct sounds echoed in the trees above. My eyes darted back and forth, looking for the way out. “Mommy?” I whispered.
I could hear growls in the distance. Outlines of eyes in the darkness. My body froze up. There was a rustling of leaves and a crackling of twigs that grew closer with every passing moment. Like something was there. Watching. Waiting.
With erratic breaths, I held my hoof against my chest. I could hear my heart pounding. Licking my lips, I realized my tongue was deprived of moisture.
Finally, I could stand it no longer. I chose a random direction, and just bolted. I don’t even know why, but there was an uneasiness that lay at the pit of my stomach like a stone. I just ran. I wasn’t even sure which direction I was going in. I just kept running.
Beneath the thick canopy of trees, the bushes rustled, and the branches twisted in the wind. Then I realized: There was no wind in the Everfree Forest. I looked back, and immediately wished I hadn’t. My eyes widened to the size of coconuts.
From within the “trees” emerged a creature made out of wood. Its eyes glowed bright green, contrasting with the darkness that surrounded it. With elongated fangs and sharpened claws, it sprang towards me. It felt like my heart stopped as its jaws leapt out, nearly catching my flank. I could feel its teeth graze me. Any closer and I would have been done for.
Snarls came from behind the creature as two more appeared, following on their tails like a cat chasing a mouse. They both nipped at my heels, but I managed to avoid them.
Taking a deep breath, I looked straight ahead and focused on escaping. Adrenaline flooded my veins, fueling my body with a power I didn’t even know I had. I wanted to scream out, to cry. I promised to Celestia that I’d never leave my mother’s side again if only she would help me. My head pounded. It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t escape from.
A shrill scream pierced the air as a grey blur moved past me. Craning my neck around, I saw as it pulled out a giant square-shaped package from out of its saddlebag and brought it down on the head on the first creature. It wobbled around before tripping on its own appendages.
“Mommy!” I cried out, slowing down my gait. A beaming smile appeared on my face.
“Keep running!” Derpy shouted. She bent down and full-on bucked one of the timberwolves in the face, causing it to explode in a cloud of twigs and fury. The last creature tried to jump around her, but Derpy picked up a rock and kicked it. It flew towards the back of the wolf’s head, sending it to the ground. The wolf tried to lift its head up, but Derpy pounced on it, crushing it to pieces. The last remaining timberwolf threw off the box that was covering his head.
I ran as fast as I could, but I couldn’t keep up the pace forever. With the adrenaline gone, my chest heaved and I gasped for breath. Blood slowly leaked down my flank from the earlier wound. I felt lightheaded. I slowed to a walking pace before I collapsed onto the ground. I just wanted to rest. Just for a little bit...
“Dinky!” She took a step towards me, but the remaining timberwolf leaped forward.
I weakly lifted a hoof up. “Watch out!” I tried to gasp.
I was too late. The momentary distraction was all the opportunity that the timberwolf needed. It latched its jaws onto my mother’s wing. It bent at an odd angle, a loud crack filled the air. She struggled to get free, but she was held back by the wolf. Blood spurted out from her wound as the feathers were violently ripped away and she cried out. “Ahhhhh!” She bucked him in the face, shattering it to pieces. It fell over in a heap, lacking a head.
“Dinky? Are you okay?” she said, limping towards me. She lay beside me and cradled me in her forehooves.
“I’m fine. Just a little scratch...” I said, barely managing to keep my eyes open. For some reason, I felt really... tired. I looked over at my flank and saw a sizable chunk missing from it. “How the...”
I whispered. When did that happen? I had no idea.
“Dinky? Dinky!”
A warmth spread through my body. Now that my mom was here, everything was going to be okay. I knew that, deep down inside. My eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. The last thing I felt was being picked up and carried somewhere.
When I had awoke, I found myself in a room of white. Surrounded by white walls, a white ceiling, and a white floor. It had a bit of a sterile smell to it, which burned my nostrils. I looked at my flank, it had been covered with a bandage. My forehead felt like it was burning and a tiny hose was attached to one of my forelegs.
My mother was sitting in a chair in the corner, slumped over in a heap. Her head was propped up with her hoof. Her eyes were closing, and I heard a gently snoring coming from her lips. Her right wing had been bandaged up, and she was wearing a hospital gown. A tickle built up in the bottom of my throat, so I tried to cough to get it out.
“Huh? What?” My mom shook her head, trying to wake herself up. Then she noticed me. “Dinky!” She rushed over and threw her arms around me. She looked at me as if I was to going to disappear at any second.
“Hi, mom.” I looked at her wing again. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s just a flesh wound,” she said, following my gaze. “How about you? How are you feeling?” She placed a hoof on my forehead.
“Good.” I pushed her hoof away.
“Do you need some water or anything?” She turned around and tried to look for any remaining refreshments that the nurse might have brought, but there was nothing there.
“I’m fine, mom. Really.”
“If you say so.” She leaned her head next to mine. Her body wouldn’t fit onto the bed, so half of it hung lopsidedly. She grimaced a bit. It must have been uncomfortable.
“I’m sor—” She placed a hoof on my lips, stopping me mid-sentence.
“Hush now. It’s in the past.” She craned her neck and forced both eyes to look at me. “Just promise me one thing.”
I stared back. “Anything.”
She hesitated for a moment. “Don’t wander off without saying anything, okay?”
“Yes, mom.”
She kissed me on the cheek. “Good. Now get some rest.” After one last nuzzle, she shuffled off towards her own hospital bed.
I ran home, tears streaming down my face. I can’t help it. The other kids were so mean: always picking on me, calling me names, throwing stones at me. I hated it. Why didn’t they just leave me alone? I didn’t know.
I opened the door as quietly as I could. I sneaked through the living room and into my bedroom. Flopping onto my bed, I shoved my face into a pillow and cried. I tried to fit in, I really did, but once they learned who my mom was, they shunned me. They said I was weird. A freak. I tried to shake away the images, but they kept pelting at my brain, just like the rocks they threw at me.
“Dinky?” I heard a voice coming from outside my door. I didn’t want to answer, but...
“Yes, mom?” I tried to keep my voice level, but it kept cracking.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Everything’s fine.” My irregular breathing and gasping for breath did nothing to relieve her. The sound of my whining was similar to a drowning cat.
“Can I come in?”
“No. I’m fine. Really.” I stifled the noise with my pillow.
“Please?”
“Fine.” I looked away from my mom as she entered the room. She sat down next to me. Suddenly, I felt her forelegs wrap around me.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes.” I stared at the floor. I didn’t want to bother her with my petty concerns. She had enough problems already.
She sat there in silence and gently turned me to face her. I wiped my face with a hoof, but I had red eyes, so it didn’t do much. She kissed me on the forehead.
“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” She tilted her head at me, one head looking right at me, with the other looking elsewhere.
I tried to speak, but words wouldn’t come out. The feeling welled inside of me, building up pressure until it burst like a dam. I told her about everything. All of the silly little problems I had. All the bullies. But she just sat there and listened patiently. When I finally reached the end, she hugged me again.
“You know I love you, right?”
I nodded.
“No matter what happens, I’ll always take care of you. Please don’t forget that.”
I held onto her for what felt like an eternity. I didn’t want to let go. When I was around her, everything felt much more peaceful. She was so... understanding. Unconditionally loving. Even though she probably just went through a tough day of work, she was still willing to listen to me.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you too, mom.” I smiled. As long as she held me in her forelegs, I felt like I was untouchable. All my problems melted away. I just wanted that feeling to last as long as possible.
Finally, she pulled away and asked, “Are you hungry? I baked some muffins...”
I nuzzled against her neck again. “I’d love some.”
As I passed through Ponyville, I waved at all the passing ponies. The flower bouquet hovered behind me, encased by my magic. Today wasn’t really a special day, per se, but I’d like to pretend that it was.
Finally, I reached the gated community. I stopped and read the sign. I was here.
I levitated the flowers into my mouth. If anything, I wanted to do it properly. My mom deserved it.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward into the field of stone stabs.