The sky grew darker as a storm began to roll in, already the rain was beginning to fall. Fluttershy was outside trying to round up the animals so she could get them inside before the weather got too bad, "Okay. That's the last of them."
She turned to go inside when a noise caught her attention. The pegasus turned around to see a small earth pony filly stumble out of a bush and collapse on the ground, "Oh dear!"
She quickly ran to the filly and knelt down beside her. She was breathing, but faintly. Fluttershy looked around frantically for any sign of the filly's parents. She called out into the rain, "Hello? Anypony out there?" But the mare received no response.
Seeing no other option, Fluttershy carefully lifted the filly onto her back and carried her into the cottage. The filly's coat was a dark magenta color, her mane a sky blue with sections of purple throughout, and she had little freckles across her nose. The filly laid in the bed silently sleeping. It wasn't until a few hours later that a noise could be heard in the bedroom. Fluttershy peeked her head in to see the filly's eyes slowly open, revealing their lavender hue. The filly blinked a few times to take note of her surroundings. Her expression turned from one of confusion to one of panic as she realized that she was in an unfamiliar room. Fluttershy quickly entered the room as she saw the filly about to cry. She carefully stroked the filly's mane," Shhhh.... It's okay. Everything will be okay."
The filly looked up at the mare who had come to her aid. She sniffled a bit as she spoke, "Who- who are you? And where am I?
Fluttershy smiled calmly, "I'm Fluttershy. And you're in my cottage. I found you out in the storm and brought you inside. You were in bad shape, you've been asleep for the past few hours. Now, can you tell me your name?"
The filly began to cry again, "I don't know! I can't remember!" The filly began to sob more.
Fluttershy just continued to sit with the filly and stroke her mane, "It's okay. You'll remember eventually. Everything will be fine, dear. I promise."
Fluttershy sat there with the filly as she calmed down. They sat there together for another hour before the crying finally died down to sniffles. Fluttershy smiled, "There. Feeling better?"
The filly nodded.
Fluttershy continued smiling, "Now, I bet you're feeling hungry after that. I'll go get you some nice warm soup."
As Fluttershy left the room, the filly just sat there taking everything in. She couldn't remember her name or where she had been. She didn't even remember being outside when the storm came. The memories were there but they were too fuzzy to make out. She just sat there thinking when Fluttershy returned. The mare smiled setting the tray on the bed, "Here you go. It's still kind of hot, so you might want to let it cool so you don't burn your tongue."
The filly took the soup and carefully blew on it and took a sip, "Thank you, Miss Fluttershy."
Fluttershy just smiled in return, "It was no problem at all."
The filly made a miraculous recovery considering her condition, so the next few days were spent trying to find anypony who knew her. No one seemed to recognize her though, and the filly's hope of finding her memories got smaller and smaller. A few weeks later, with no progress made, Fluttershy and the filly were in the cottage getting ready to feed the animals. The filly had insisted that she help Fluttershy with the animals since Fluttershy had spent so much time helping her. Fluttershy was first to break the silence and spoke up, "I've been thinking. Since we can't find your family, and I can't just keep calling you 'filly', we should give you a name."
The filly looked questioningly at Fluttershy, "Give me a name? Like make one up?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Precisely. It should be something nice. Something that reflects you. I was thinking something like 'Loving Miracle'."
The filly contemplated it, "Loving Miracle?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Yes. I think it fits you well. You are just so caring and kind, and it was a bit of a miracle that I found you. So there it is. Loving Miracle."
The filly contemplated it for a moment before smiling the biggest smile of her life, "I love it! Thank you Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy and the newly named Loving Miracle spent the rest of the evening together playing with the animals.
Loving Miracle awoke early the next day to an impatient bunny thumping the side of the couch. Fluttershy had insisted that Miracle take the bed, but she refused and slept on the couch instead. The two compromised by deciding to switch out each night. Loving Miracle rubbed the bunny's head between the ears and giggled, "Good morning, Angel."
Miracle yawned and crawled off the sofa and made her way into the kitchen, "I suppose you want some breakfast, huh?"
The little filly began to get out some carrots and lettuce for Angel when she noticed a note on the counter. It was a note from Fluttershy saying how she had to go into town to run some errands and would be back by lunchtime. Loving Miracle smiled, "This is great! I can prove how responsible! I'll feed all the animals, and clean the house, and Fluttershy will be so proud!"
True to her word, Fluttershy returned around lunchtime with bags of groceries and an envelope for Miracle. She walked into the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. Fluttershy looked around and noticed how clean the house looked. The floors were swept and the little birdhouses hanging from the ceiling were free of dirt and dust. And then she spotted it, little Miracle sleeping on the floor with Angel on her back. Fluttershy smiled softly, "Oh, she's so cute. She must have worn herself out trying to clean up."
Fluttershy nudged the sleeping filly in an effort to wake her. Loving Miracle yawned and wiped at her eyes, "Mmmm.... Momma?"
Fluttershy giggled, "Time to wake up. I have a present for you."
Loving Miracle groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes to try and wake herself up. She yawned once more, "What is it?"
Fluttershy brought the envelope out and handed it to Miracle, "Open it up and see." The pegasus smiled brightly.
Loving Miracle opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. She blinked a couple times before reading the letter, "Ms. Fluttershy. We are pleased to announce your adoption of the filly known as Loving Miracle. Enclosed in this envelope you will find all the official papers and certificates needed to prove the legality of your adoption. I hope you and your new daughter are very happy together."
Miracle read the note again. And again. And again. She put the paper down and pulled an adoption certificate out of the envelope and smiled. She looked up at Fluttershy with tears in her eyes, "Mo--Mommy? You're my mommy?"
Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, Miracle. I decided that you've been here long enough, and since we couldn't find your real family, I would make you part of mine. Is that okay?"
Loving Miracle smiled and hugged Fluttershy. She laughed and cried into Fluttershy's outstretched legs, "Of course it's okay! Thank you, Fluttershy! Thank you, Mommy!"
The next few days were spent getting Miracle adjusted to her new life. They cleaned out an old storage room and began purchasing furniture for Miracle's new bedroom and enrolled her in the local school. Loving Miracle and Fluttershy continued their lives as a family. Fluttershy read bedtime stories to the filly and Loving Miracle wished her mom a good day as she left for school. Life had never been better for the two ponies. But what goes up, must come down.
It was a rainy Saturday and Fluttershy had left to run some errands before the weather got any worse. Loving Miracle was home alone finishing her chores for the day. The magenta filly was in the bathroom cleaning up the medicine cabinet. She was standing on a stool so she could reach the higher shelves. Fluttershy had told her not to worry about the higher shelves if she couldn't reach them, but Miracle wanted to show Fluttershy that she could be a big pony. Loving Miracle was reaching up on the tips of her hooves to dust the final shelf when a loud boom of thunder rocked the house and Loving Miracle fell from her perch, hitting her head on the hard tile and passing out.
A few hours later, Fluttershy returned home. The rain was pouring outside with the occasional boom of thunder and crash of lightning. The pegasus hung her coat on the coatrack and called out for her daughter, "Loving Miracle! I'm home!"
Fluttershy walked into the kitchen to put the groceries away and didn't hear a response, "Miracle? Dear?"
It was then that she noticed a very upset Angel Bunny. The rabbit seemed worried and angry at the same time as he pointed towards the bathroom. Fluttershy followed Angel as he kicked the door viciously. Fluttershy gently pressed an ear to the door and she could hear a strange buzzing noise along with, was that whimpering? Fluttershy knocked on the door, "Miracle? Are you in there?"
A strange, raspy voice answered, "Go away!"
Fluttershy tried turning the doorknob only to discover that it was locked. She began to pound on the door, "You let me in there this instant! Whoever you are! If you hurt my little Miracle I'll... I'll..."
The voice answered back, "No! Just go away!"
Angel grabbed the emergency key that they kept incase they got locked out of a room in the house. Having crazy animals in the house caused this a lot. Fluttershy quickly turned the key and shoved the door open. Sitting in the corner of the room was a small black creature. As Fluttershy moved closer, she could see that the creature was a changeling, and it was crying. Fluttershy stood in shock. She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't expect a crying changeling in her bathroom.
The changeling looked at Fluttershy before shouting at her, "I said go away! Just stay away from me!"
Fluttershy took a step closer, "I-I don't want to hurt you. But-"
The changeling glared at the pegasus, "Don't you know what I am? I'm a changeling! I hurt ponies and steal their love! Why wouldn't you want to hurt me?! I'm a monster!"
Fluttershy stared at the changeling on her floor, "You just look so scared. I don't want to hurt you more. But you need to tell me where my daughter is. I need to know."
The changeling sniffled before crying into her hole-ridden hooves. It was then that Fluttershy noticed the large bump on the changeling's head near it's horn. She looked around the room and finally took the room's horrible condition into effect. There was a spot of greenish blood on the cracked tile, probably where the changeling hit it's head, and a stool toppled over next to it. A pink and purple feather duster lay in the corner, the one Loving Miracle always used when she had to dust shelves for her daily chores. Fluttershy looked back at the sobbing changeling and began to put things together. Miracle's sudden appearance at her cottage, her lack of memories, the sudden recovery after she was showed that bit of kindness, her abundance of energy. It all made sense. Fluttershy sat next to the little changeling and stroked it's head where the mane would have been, "Shhhh.... It's okay. Everything will be okay."
The changeling woke up in Loving Miracle's room. It looked around frantically before spotting Fluttershy sitting in the corner, "Oh. You're awake."
The changeling just looked at the pegasus, "Please. Just send me away before I hurt you."
Fluttershy sat on the bed next to the changeling and wrapped it in a hug, "I could never do that to my daughter. I love you, Loving Miracle."
The changeling pushed Fluttershy away, "No. I'm not your daughter, not anymore. I'm a monster, I've been stealing your love all this time, feeding off of your kindness. I can't be Loving Miracle anymore, she was a pony, I'm not."
Fluttershy just looked sadly at Miracle, "You can't steal what's freely given. And it doesn't matter that you aren't a pony. I love you the same as I did before. Just because you look different on the outside, doesn't mean you aren't the same inside."
She pulled Loving Miracle closer and held her tight, "No matter what, you will always be my little miracle."
Author's Note
Hello all! This is just a story I've had in my head for a while now. I made sure to take my time on it, but if you notice any mistakes, fell free to tell me. This definitely feels like my best story so far but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say. I know it's not perfect, nothing ever is, but that just means I can always get better.
Until Next Time
~blackrosedarkness
Moving Forward (Epilogue)
Loving Miracle spent a few extra days at home. The little filly was trying to recover from her spill and come to terms with the revelation that she wasn't who she believed she was. Fluttershy told the school that she was sick with a flu, so she wouldn't be attending for a least a week. Loving Miracle looked at her reflection in the mirror above her dresser, she looked up and down her magenta coat, stared directly into her own lavender eyes, and sighed. Green flames erupted around her as her coat burned away to reveal a hard black exoskeleton. The magic was easy, kind of like a buried instinct that she didn't realize she had. She looked back at her reflection, the pupil-less blue eyes staring back at her, the fangs protruding from her mouth, the horn on her head. She had learned about changelings in school, Cheerilee had said how changelings were a danger to pony society because they stole love from ponies around them and left them as empty, emotionless, shells. Miracle didn't want that to happen to Fluttershy, but she had been living with the pegasus for a couple months now and nothing had really appeared to change, well besides the obvious.
Loving Miracle went to lay down on her bed. Fluttershy said she felt fine, that her love was freely given and not being stolen, but Miracle still didn't like the idea of taking her mother's love to feed herself. She looked at the stars outside her window, it was late, she needed to sleep, but she was afraid. She was having nightmares, all of them the same. The situation may have been different each time, maybe she was at Sugarcube Corner, or relaxing at home, it didn't matter. The events always played out the same way. She drained everyone of their love, she watched them wither and die in seconds, disappearing one by one. And after everyone was gone, Fluttershy, her dearest mother, would slowly begin to get thinner and thinner until she became nothing at all. And the last thing Fluttershy would do before fading into nothingness, with anger etched on her face, she snarled, "You are no daughter of mine. You are nothing but a monster."
Loving Miracle always woke up at that part.
Fluttershy had been reading books about changelings to try and figure out how she could better take care of Loving Miracle, and possibly figure out how she lost her memories. So far, she discovered that Miracle's original condition had been brought on by a severe depletion of love in her system, her instincts probably took over at the last second and caused her to transform before she passed out from hunger. She thought about talking to Twilight about the matter, but she wasn't sure how any of her friends would react. Fluttershy didn't want her daughter to get taken away due to a misunderstanding or something like that. Fluttershy's ears twitched as she heard the sound of a door opening, "Miracle? Darling?"
The pegasus looked up and saw a green flash as her daughter stood in the hallway. Loving Miracle looked at Fluttershy before retreating back into her room and locking the door behind her. Fluttershy sighed and went back to her book on changeling behaviors. Loving Miracle hadn't been the same since the incident, she had lost her vibrant personality, she didn't talk to anyone anymore, and she avoided other ponies and animals. Fluttershy didn't blame her for feeling the way she did, but it wasn't good for the little filly. Fluttershy closed her book, determination etched into her features, she didn't need a book to fix this problem.
Loving Miracle stared up at the ceiling, she didn't know what to think. There were so many questions and not enough answers. She could stay here, but someone could find her and take her away. She could leave, but Fluttershy might come after her. She could try to find her changeling family, but she had nothing to go on. What did she really want to do? She didn't know. Miracle held a pillow to her face and screamed in frustration. She began to think out loud, "What do I do? I want to stay with Mommy, but I could get her in trouble if someone found me. Ponies would never accept me if they found out, everyone would hate me. The way Miss Cheerilee talked about changelings, she made them sound so horrible, so evil. If anyone else found out that I was a monster..." She sighed in frustration and threw the pillow at her wall. She looked back at the mirror on the wall, her appearance might have changed, and her voice might sound a bit different, but she was still the same inside, wasn't she? Would anyone else see that? Would anyone else understand? Loving Miracle sighed and stared back at the ceiling before eventually falling asleep from exhaustion.
The next day, Loving Miracle awoke to one of her favorite smells in the whole world, freshly cooked blueberry pancakes. The changeling filly's stomach took over as she leapt from her bed and ran into the kitchen, but was stopped dead in her tracks by two pairs of eyes locked on her. The first belonged to her mother, who smiled kindly back at her, and the other belonged to one of her mother's friends. Twilight Sparkle stared at the tiny changeling in curiosity. No anger, no fear, just a curious stare. Loving Miracle looked down at her hooves, she hadn't changed into her pony form before running into the kitchen! Loving Miracle began to panic. The filly screamed, "Please don't take me away!" She ran to Fluttershy and began to cling to the pegasus's leg, "Don't take me from Mommy! Please! Or if you do take me, don't hurt Mommy! Please, Princess! Please don't hurt me or Mommy! I'm sorry!" Loving Miracle was now openly sobbing while clinging to her mother.
Princess Twilight stared down at the little changeling and looked back to Fluttershy. The pegasus nodded calmly. Twilight laid down on the floor to look Loving Miracle in the eyes. She saw fear there, fear of losing her family, fear of leaving her life, and fear of Twilight. The poor filly was terrified. Twilight took a deep breath before calmly talking to the filly, "Loving Miracle, I'm not here to hurt you. I don't want to take you away from your mom or anything like that, I just want to help you. You have nothing to be sorry for."
Miracle sniffled, "How... How do I know you're not lying? You might just be saying that so I'll trust you and then you can take me away forever!"
Twilight reassured the filly, "I have no intention of doing that at all. In fact, I Pinkie Promise to never take you away from your family. Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye."
The princess moved through the motions and smiled, "So, will you come out?"
Loving Miracle nodded slowly, she knew that a Pinkie Promise was the most important promise anyone could make and breaking it had severe consequences, not even a princess would try breaking one. The little filly stood up slowly and let go of her mother's leg. She looked directly at Twilight before taking a deep breath and sighing, "Okay. What do you want?"
Twilight smiled, she was making progress "Fluttershy told me what happened. She said you were scared that other ponies might hate you or you might un-knowingly be hurting other ponies by feeding off of them. Knowing I have an extensive knowledge of changelings and their lives, you mother asked me to help dispel any fears you may have."
Loving Miracle looked back at the alicorn, who was still on the floor attempting to make eye contact, "Um... Okay."
Twilight stood up smiling, "Now, let's eat some of these pancakes before they get cold."
Loving Miracle smiled and grabbed a seat at the table, "Yay!"
Many delicious pancakes later, and the group of ponies were sitting in the living room. Loving Miracle and Fluttershy sat on the couch, the former holding Angel Bunny for support and the latter scratching the bunny behind the ears. Twilight sat down in a chair across from the two. The princess looked at her audience before beginning, "Now, while it is true that changelings can be dangerous, not all are. The ones that pose a threat are those that kidnap other ponies, assume their identities, and steal love from their victim's loved ones. There are some changelings, however, that have left their hives behind for a chance to live among pony society. And after the invasion of Canterlot, changelings were hunted down and banished from Equestria."
Loving Miracle whimpered and held Angel a little tighter, the bunny did not approve. Fluttershy patted her daughter's hoof in a reassuring manner and smiled.
Twilight continued, "However, as time went on, we realized that not all changelings were evil. Some of them had assumed fake identities to live away from the rest of their species, while others were truly evil and were seeking to cause harm. Some of these kind changelings even live here in Ponyville, the candy-maker BonBon has been a changeling living in Ponyville her entire life."
Loving Miracle brightened, "Really?! She's just like me?"
The filly looked up at her mom, "We should go see her! Can we, Mommy?"
Fluttershy smiled, "Maybe tomorrow, Miracle."
The pegasus was glad to see her daughter starting to act like herself again it gave her hope that things were turning around.
Twilight cleared her throat to regain her audience's attention, "As I was saying. BonBon has lived her entire life in Ponyville as a changeling, and a large hooffull of ponies know this, and they treat her no differently. I will admit I was shocked to find out, but I did come to realize that she hadn't changed as a pony, she was just a little different from the rest of us. Also, the ponies around her don't suffer in anyway. The love she uses is given to her freely, not stolen. You see, Loving Miracle, bad changelings force ponies to give their love, and that's why ponies get hurt. They get hurt because they are being forced to give love to something they didn't want to give it to in the first place. So you are in no way harming Fluttershy by taking the love that she is giving to you, because it is love that is meant for you."
Loving Miracle smiled, "So I don't have to leave Mommy? I can stay here?"
Twilight Sparkle smiled, "No. You don't. You can stay here in Ponyville for as long as you wish. You aren't doing anything wrong, so there's no reason for you to go."
Loving Miracle squealed in delight, "Yay! Thank you, Twilight!"
The filly jumped up and hugged the alicorn, there were still unanswered questions, but those answers would have to come later. For now, things were right, and a little filly could take solace in the fact that for now, her fears were gone and tomorrow was going to be bright. No, things would not go back to normal immediately, and they might never go back to exactly how they were, but tomorrow would definitely the first step. The first step toward moving forward.
Author's Note
Here it is! The much-needed epilogue to My Little Miracle! I just want to say thank you for all of the likes, comments, and favorites you guys have given this story. This was my first story to appear on the front page! You guys rock! Thank you. Thank you all. ^v^
Anyway. About a day after posting the original story, I got the idea for an epilogue. And a couple days after I started the epilogue. Drumroll please! *insert drumroll* I got the idea for a sequel! I don't know when it will be out but it will most likely be a multi-parter and cover things not covered in this story. (like Miracle's amnesia) I can't wait to get it started and I will make sure to take my time and work on my problems (like pacing -_-')
Anyway, thank you to everyone who enjoyed this and a huge thank you to IAMCHEEZY for being my pre-reader/editor for the epilogue. Seriously. Thank you. ^v^
Until Next Time
~blackrosedarkness
