The Best of Short Stories

by IndexOutOfBounds

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad
Length: 2498

Pondering about the mysteries of life? Read on.

To what extent does being a "good pony" mean?
Can you be generous to the point of indulgent, or oblivious to being taken advantage of?
Can you be loyal to the point of following blindly, or backfire when that pony betrays you?
Can you be kind to the point of solicitousness, or inadvertently spoil the pony you are kind to?
Can you be joyeous to the point of over-optimistic, and not know when to give up?
Can you be honest to the very core, not even white lies, and hurt somepony else instead?
These are the tales of few unheard individuals that struggled morally.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-03 00:09:21 UTC

Yichi and Me

Prologue: She may not seemed like it, but Yichilang is already a sixth grader; yet it could be said that she has a "disability" in the psychological realm. The quotes are excerpts from her diary.

Twilight today returned home.

Twilight is doing experiments at the Library.

I don't like Twilight because everytime she bullies me.

"When does Twilight get home?"

"Four o'clock."

"Where would four o'clock point to?"

"erm, right here."

*chair, stood up, nail*

"Yichilang, why did you hammer nails on the clock?"

"Because I don't want it to go to four o'clock."

"I'm back."

"oh, you came back?"

"Why are you so dirty? Don't close yourself inside the lab for so long; it's unhealthy."

"mhm, I want to quickly take a bath. I hadn't taken one for ten days. Where's Yichilang?"

"Yichilang- where are you?"

"Yichilang, you're hiding again?"

"Are you here?"

"no-nobody's here."

"Yichilang, I bought a toy for you. Come out and have a look!"

"I want to see the toy, but not sister."

"Then I'll put it inside for you to see."

"Don't open! Or else ghosts will come out!"

grunts

When I use energy I want to pee

But if I pee here, mom will get angry.

I'll juse pee in this box

ah, I forgot the toy is in here

I'll wash it at the cistern

Yichilang!

*surprised

Let's take a bath together.

I- I don't want to take a bath. I'll wash at the cistern

Who would go to the cistern for a bath? You'll catch a cold!

Give me the box, you'll play later.

No, No!

Hmm what's leaking out? wield.

AH it stinks!

Mom! yichilang.. she..

"Yichilang, come here for a moment."

"I need to give you a synringe shot. Stop moving! Sit down!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"I haven't even insert it."

"It hurts! Sister you are the most annoying!"

"Ouch!" She cried as she gripped her arm.

"Not that arm, the arm shot is this one."

Mom tells me to deliver bento to sister.

I really don't want to go, but mom coerced me to.

I don't want to meet sister. When she is going to the restroom, I'll dart inside.

*does so*

*!*

*found a mice inside a glass container that's scratching

*removes*, mice squeaks

I'll free you. You're getting bullied by sister here, right?

Ah! #202 is gone! ..somepony left a lunchbox

It's Yichilang! It has to be him that let it escape!

(angered) Yichilang! Why did you release the mice? That was my most important lab!

Mom! Yichilang is beyond measure! She sabotaged my experiment!

Twilight, your brother had no bad intention. Maybe she was just careless.

*at yichilang's room*

Come, come out. This isn't a scary place.

*squeaks*

Let me think.. you need a name. My name is Yichilang; your name can be Yichi.

Yichi, Yichi. When I call your name, you have to answer.

"Squeak, squeak."

*goes on for a while*

"You are so smart. howmany times I call you; you answered as many times.

Here, I give you a bit. *surprised*

Yichi is so smart. Wherever I go, it follows.

When I read, it keeps me company and reads with me.

This is dog; this is chicken; this is pony.

This is cat.

SQUEAKS

You don't like cat? Then I'll have it scrabbled.

These cats at the curtain needs to be scrabbled too.

Yichilang! What are you doing?

This kid.. At this rate, what can I do?

*sweeps floor

*finds bit

*!*

Yichilang, why is your room scattered with bits?

It's Yichi; he brings them to me.

Yichi's? who's that?

Once I give Yichi a bit, he brings back a lot!

No! You have to give the money back to your friend named 'Yichi'

How can you take people's money?!

I keep them all in here.

*gasp*

*coins splattered all over*

Today when I am writing my diary, Yichi keeps on observing me.

I think it seems like he can know words, so I want to teach it words.

"Say, 'A'

squeak?

AAA~

Squeak!

Say, E

Squeak.

Your pronounciation is no good, couldn't say it.

Squeak squeak.

*draws characters on bedsheet*

ke-squeak!

Wow!

*later*

Mom, what do you think Yichilang is thinking? Really now.

I think the way she is right now is pitiful.

So for him, I thought a lot at the Library, relentlessly researching pony's IQ.

The shot you gave him didn't work?

That medicine is specially made to give the brain nutricients. It can increase brain cells, allowing animals to become more clever. Although I don't know what its potential effects are, Canterlot scientists already succeed in the research.

Even if only a little effect, as long as Yichi can be smart a little, I am happy with that.

As long as the nutricients are replenished, she can become smart, Twilight?

I did an experiment at the Library. I scanned a mother mouse's tummy and found sixteen un-born babies.

I disconnected fifteen of the umbilical cords and connect them all to one baby.

In other words, I gave that baby sixteen times the nutricients.

If my theory is correct, that baby, once borned, will be more clever compared to other normal mice.

Later on, that baby really is safely delivered.

I scanned the baby mice's brain and found out that his brain really is bigger than a normal mice's.

Then I contained it in a closed environment to test how much knowledge it can learn.

That is #202..

Right now I don't know where #202 is wondering.. If it is alive, it will certainly get smarter and smarter, learning more knowledge.

*finish eating*

*opens door to his room, see mice reading*

It's him!!

Hold it!

*mice escapes*

looks at the paper it was reading

Mom!

There's a suspicious mouse looking through my saddle, and even peeped at my documents!

How can it be..

It's true - I saw it staring intently at my report! Yes, it was definately reading!

Twilight, you are worrying too much. You are too tired.

....

A mouse that knows how to read..

Could it be..? #202 is brought back by Yichilang?

Even if I ask him, she wouldn't answer.

If it's like this... this can't be good.

Today Yichi wants to read sister's books.

Yichi is really amazing; even I couldn't read those books.

But he knows how to.

Yichi, is it good?

*later*

My books have Yichilang's hoofprints.. that kid, she even meddled with these books?

Of course it wouldn't be her that is reading; it has to be for #202.

Hm, she even took some of the chemistry books before.

This is hard to believe.. Can the mouse really read books this difficult?

If it understands it, then that's scary! This mouse virtually posses comparable knowledge to those of ponies!

Yes, Celestia! Turns out that little mouse really obtained sixteen times the nutrients. Right now its knowledge grew to unbelievable heights; it even can read...

*explosion*

What's happening?

There's explosion across the road!

Is it some firework prank?

Na, It has to be a bomb.

This is scary, could there be a bomb maniac living in our town?

Hey- I saw it! It's a mouse dragging a bomb across the streets.

It dragged it to a still-lit cigarette on the floor to ignite it. You don't believe it, right?

You don't say; I don't believe it.

Waaa!

Help! Someone took advantage of the ruckus to rob my restaurant!

Did you see the culprit?

"Yes," said while sobbing, "it's a mouse!"

Did you say 'mouse'?

That mouse stole ten of my ramen when I wasn't paying attention!

*Twilight surprised

Today, more places had explosions. I even heard a mouse ran to stores to steal things. Everypony is terrified.

In order to catch the mouse, stores kept a lot of cats.

But as a result, those cats are also blown by the explosions.

"AH! it.. it really is the mouse's doing!"

Yichi, is it you that ran to the stores to cause trouble?

squeak!

I knew it. Why did you do it?

...

I hate folks that steal, you know.

squeak, squeak, squeak

squeak~

Where are you going? You have things to show me?

Eh?

Yichi, are these your friends?

Squeak

*lots of squeaking around*

Everyone is so thin..

ke-squeak

These are newborn babies..

Also many died.. poor ones.

I get it.. everyone was hungry, so they starved.

squeak..

I brought a candy bar, but there's only this little.

*mouse ravages for food*

*yichi angrily squeaks*

divides into pitiful pieces, newborn eats first

Everyone starved like this. it's so meager.

That little isn't enough, I know.

Pity..

So sad..

Yichi, I'm not mad anymore. You stole to feed everyone, right?

squeak!~

squeak, squeak (come here)

What are those?

Are these medicine?

squeak squeak, squeak squeak.

What are you making?

*outside upstairs*

My store is invaded everyday; at this rate, what the hay can I do?

We should find out the rat's nest.

RIght, they must have a base.

We'll use oil to eradicate those pests!

*drops powder on still-lit cigarette

*BOOM

"Boss, w-We were dicussing plans, suddenly an explosion!

"IT hurts! Ow!" painfully concurred.

We had recieved awards for vermin control; why is this happening?

He moved my books again!

This time is drug making..

I knew it! That mouse is up to something!

I must find a way before it makes a disaster.

Read YIchilang's diary

I feel very sad for the mouses.

They are kicked out by ponies and can only live in the small shack by the hill,

with starving tummies and nothing to eat.

Shack by the hil..

Right! There's a drug storage there! Drug.. manufact.. bomb! No wonder!

Sister, you are reading my diary.

Yes, I read your diary.

I finally know the whereabout of that mouse! I have to kill it!

Sister is idiot!

Sister is big idiot! Yichi is my friend, he is a good mouse.

Yichilang, that mouse is a biohazard! Keeping it is dangerous.

I don't want to! No! No! Sister, don't kill him! I hate you!

Hey! let go!

STUPID!

*tears

I'll never write a diary again!!

Ponyville Health Department vehicles

burn, the merciless flames engulf the entire shack, the unforgiving shadows

*in yichilang's room

YICHI

you're still alive!

That's too good! You haven't been killed.

Sister brought ponies just now-

"SQUEAK!!" With those words, Yichi's eye burgeoned into fear.

Yichi! you can't go! Don't go!

You'll be killed-!

Furiously ran and ran

Smoke in sight

ke-squeak-!

squeak!

Ah, it's that mouse!

Nopony expect such a thing even under the sun - that mouse charged straight toward the fiery flaming shack, not with even the slightest hesitation.

Yes! I saw it with my own eyes! It's like it was going in to save its fellows!

An ordinary mouse will flee even at the sight of fire, but that mouse.. Oh my gosh! it's like a real pony!

That mouse is definately life-transferred from a pony!

*crying

waaa-ah

Yichilang!

Yichi is dead!

My Yichi!

My friend died!

Cheer up. Sister will give persistent efforts to make you more astute, just like your friend mouse.

I'll strive to make you a normal pony.

*sniffs..

I don't want to become normal!

I... I want to be a mouse.

-End of "Yichi and Me"-

The Legend of Yuki-ponna

Prologue: In these snowy Crystal Mountains, there's a myth about the "Silver Robes of Yuki-ponna". It was often told to young fillies and colts to stymie them from wondering into the dangerous summit. A long time ago, a stunning mare clothed in a shining silver robe lived on this mountain. Every time she saw a handsome stallion go into the mountains, she would use a blizzard-like song to confuse him. This day, an unfortunate stallion stumbles into the calamity.

"I'll exchange this robe for your most precious belonging." Yuki-ponna said.

The foolish stallion was seduced by the snow-white fur under the silver robe, so he agreed.

After the stallion placed her silver robe into his saddle, he removed his item from his back and said,

"This gun is my most precious possession. Will you take it?"

She answered from behind him,

"No."

"Then, is it money? I have a bag of bits-"

"No."

"This hat?"

She answered with yet another indifferent response.

"No."

Nonplussed, the man asked,

"Then, what do you want?"

She hugged him from behind and said,

"I don't want those cold things."

Sounding more omnious, she continued..

"The thing I really want is... your warm..."

"bloody... heart!"

After the stallion's lifeless body was discovered, what was inside the bag wasn't a robe... but snow.

There was another version of "The Legend of Yuki-ponna" on this mountain. Indeed, it is a very tragic and riveting story.

During a stormy night, a stallion called Mokichi was hurrying home.

He saw a beautiful mare in a silver robe beside the road. The mare shyly looked at the man and said,

"I sprained my hoof in the snow and cannot go any further. Would it trouble you to take me home?"

Mokichi asked her where her home was. The mare silently pointed to the depths of the dark forest where there was no path to follow. Mokichi painstakingly carried her anyways with his saddle basket.

However, the snow got deeper the further they traveled, and there was no sign of a house anywhere. After a while, Mokichi asked the mare,

"Did I go the wrong way?"

The mare just nodded silently.

In reality, she was waiting... Waiting for the stallion to abandon her.

Yes, the mare was the Yuki-ponna, who eats the soul of stallions when they lose their strength.

Finally, Mokichi became slower and slower. His lips showed a slight motion.

"Miss..."

The mare had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and the corner of her mouth lifted a little.

"Yes, is something wrong?"

While panting, Mokichi tried hard to produce sound from his throat.

"Are you cold?"

Shocked, the Yuki-ponna was mesmerized and didn't know what to say. The stallion's surprising question was not what she expected. Mokichi continued moving foward with all his strength, enduring the extreme fatigue and cold.

"Are you comfortable in the basket?"

"..."

"Are you hungry?"

"..."

"Just bear it a little more."

"yes.." The mare finally responded softly.

"Hold on, please try to hold on."

The mare could only answer "yes" to him. The voice of the mare gradually became softer until it completely disappeared.

The worried Mokichi turned back, but found only snow and a silver robe in the basket and no sign of the mare.

-

-End of "The Legend of Yuki-ponna"-