Meeting Mommy

Spring is in the air, I can just feel it. From every tip of every branch in Equestria, a bud is waiting to blossom and reveal its beauty to the world. Everypony wore a smile as the sun cast its warm glow upon them, thawing the frost that burdened the land for so many months. Naturally, the local fillies and colts were overjoyed to see the sudden change in weather. While they would surely miss making snow pegasi and having snowball fights, a plethora of new activities to busy themselves with had revealed itself.

I trot through the Ponyville market, instantly greeted with several grinning faces as ponies tending to booths hopefully over their wares for my wandering eyes. However, I digress and pry my eyes from their merchandise, for I am on a mission at the moment. Besides, I have too little money to spend on frivolous things as such. "Aha!" I say as the jeweller's shop comes into view. I break into a light gallop, cantering in the doorway. My ears are greeted with the soft jingle of a bell, signalling my arrival to the shopkeeper.

The rather aged stallion eyes me through a magnifying glass, which he had been using to study a diamond the size of my eye. His lips part into a smile, which reveals his evident dentures. I return it with a curt nod.

"Hello, I am here to look at some lockets. Nothing too expensive please." I beam. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't waste my money on anything silly, but this is very important. He nods and disappears behind a large door with a sign reading 'Staff Only' hanging from a nail. I hear him rummaging through something, the faint clink of metal clashing with metal emanating from the back room.

Moments later, he returns with a locket in hoof, and gently sets it down on the glass counter before me. I must say, it is beautiful. The chain is linked with thin, silver oval-shaped chains, joining at the bottom to reveal a heart-shaped charm. I can tell the silver is fake, but it still had a similar effect.

"You like what you see?" he smiled, opening the tiny clasp on the heart to reveal two thin film pockets where the picture of two ponies were supposed to go. I nod vigorously.

"How much?" I ask, placing a hoof on the counter nonchalantly. He says the number, and I swear that if I had a mouth full of coffee right now, I would do a spit take. It was way over what I had hoped. I know that most fancy things as such would be out of my price-range, but if this was cheap these days then I am seriously screwed.

I grin uneasily, a bead of sweat forming on forehead, just beneath my mane. "Um... that's a tad out of my price range at the minute. Is it possible we could haggle?"

The shopkeeper raised a greying eyebrow in contemplation. I silently pleaded, knowing he couldn't hear me but hoping that my will would somehow make up his mind. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded slowly.

"Tell ya what, for a pretty young mare like yourself, you got a deal." he chuckled. I nearly squealed in delight, but luckily supressed the urge. Perhaps I was some sort of telepathic pony after all. For a solid five minutes, we shoot slowly decreasing prices back and fourth until finally, he gives up and dips just low enough for me to afford.

I counted out the gold coins, adding a few bits as a thank you tip to him. With a grin on my face to match those of the ponies around me, I trot out of the store triumphantly with the locket clenched in my teeth. I peer up at the sun, trying to gauge the time. Eventually, I give up, mentally admitting I had no idea in Tartarus what times it was. Gingerly, I approached a cherry salesmare as she chatted up a potential customer.

I waited awkwardly for her to turn her attention to me, and as soon as she did I jumped at the opportunity.

"Excuse me, do you have the time?"

The unicorn nodded and peered down at a wristwatch.

"2:27, miss." she answered. Crap. Crap, crap, crap.

"HOLY PONYFEATHERS! I'm late! Gotta run! Thank you!" I scream, dashing off. How could I have been so foalish? I mentally scold myself. My sprinting quickly transitions into flight as my wings kick in and hopefully save me some time. Where I am heading in such a rush? The answer is quite simple.  I am attending the school Talent Show, where all the talented foals came to perform. Someone very special to me was going to be up on that stage in less than five minutes.

With one final surge of speed, I soar towards my destination. In exhaustion, I collapse on a patch of grass. Wearily, I glance up to see the relieving sight of the schoolhouse just a few feet away. I could already see a large crowd forming around a rickety stage in the vast school field. I jog over and steal one of the few remaining seats. Just in time.

The audience was humming with chatter, but soon fell silent as a joyful mare trotted onto stage. None other than Ms. Cheerilee, the beloved teacher at Ponyville Elementary school. She was greeted with a small round of applause herself. She grinned sheepishly, taking a sweeping bow before approaching the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, thank you for joining us this afternoon for our fifteenth annual school Talent Show!" she announced, her voice swelling from the speakers. "Please give a round of applause for a very brave filly, whom volunteered to go first.... Ms. Viola Velvet!" Cheerilee threw her hooves up and several whistles and the sounds of hooves stamping the ground erupted around me. I was certain, however, that I cheered most of all.

I suppose it is high time I explained some things about me. My name is Magenta Skies, and that filly up there is my daughter. Too bad she has no idea who I am. At the young age of sixteen, I was impregnated by a boyfriend I thought would be a loving father. I thought wrong. As soon as the baby was announced, he vanished. Said adios and skipped town to hit up some other poor teen.

Despite the several financial struggles I had to endure, I managed to give birth to a healthy filly. She was beautiful, but so much like her father: for example, she had his purple coat and distinctive curl to what little mane she had at the time. It seems the only thing I passed on was my eye and my muzzle. Nonetheless, I loved her dearly.

I wanted what was best for her. I wanted her to have a bright future, unmarred by my horrible excuse for parenting skills.  I did the only thing I could think of, and gave her up for adoption. It seems like only yesterday that Viola was a baby, sleeping in my arms with a placid look on her face. Now, she was seven years old, and she is just as pretty as she has always been. A gem in my eyes. I watched intently, holding in a nervous breath, as the filly meandered onto stage, making her way slowly to the microphone.

She lowered it to her height and gulped, beads of sweat visible on her forehead. She frowned nervously, searching the crowd, most likely for her adoptive parents somewhere out in the sea of ponies. I silently wish her eyes would land on me. Oh, if only I could take her back and raise her as my own. If only my own daughter could recognise me. But to her, I am just another unfamiliar face, staring at her, awaiting her performance with bated breath.

She parted her mouth, inhaling sharply before beginning her song. I admit, it started off a tad shaky, as was expected from such a nervous young foal. However, she soon regained her composure and her voice settled. Her voice is stunning; melodic and powerful, her voice poured over the audience and rushed to my waiting ears. I can tell the crowd is awe-struck, just as I am.

A minute or two passes, though it seems like only seconds, and her song comes to an end. Crap. I am getting emotional. I've always been a cry baby. A tear of pride stings my eye, welling up an then escaping down my blue cheek. She pauses, stepping down from the microphone quietly. The audience is silent, save for a few hushed murmurs of "wow" and "amazing, simply amazing". A mere moments passes and in unison, a deafening cheer explodes from the mouths of every pony attending. Their hooves, as well as fine, stamp at the ground and join in a collective buzz of approval.

The pony glances up in evident shock at the response, her violet cheeks flushing a deeper purple, and once again her eyes wandered through the crowd, sifting through the ocean of faces for a certain pair. I wish I could scream out her name, call her over to me and settle her in my lap. If only I could hug her. I would give anything to hug her. She happily skipped of the stage, her spot replaced by two young colts wearing comical disguises.

A comedy act ensued, and I admit, I chuckled on more than one occasion. It was followed by several other performances, all wonderful in their own unique ways, but in my eyes, severely outshone by Viola's song. Perhaps it was just the bias of a proud mom. It felt odd to think that somewhere out in the crowd, a couple of ponies felt the exact same love for my daughter. It felt even weirder to think that she returned that love.

I am overcome by a wave of guilt. It was not the first time, far from it, in fact, that she had felt bad about giving up her daughter. From the moment she had signed the last bit of paperwork, writing her signature on the dotted line, she had regretted it deeply. What would my life be like if I weren't just another face out in the crowd. What if I wasn't simply another stranger milling about Ponyville.

What if I no longer had to love my own daughter from afar?