A Tail
Chapter One
The Truth
An Original MLP:FiM Fanfiction by Tytyvm
It wasn't the first time my dog had eaten her way into a grave, nor was it the first time we'd gone barreling down Sweet Apple Acres’ dirt road in hopes of digging her out. Mac's legs rippled and smashed into the trodden dirt path while I held Winona in the back of the cart. My tiny hooves rubbed her belly while street lamps streaked by, sending bursts of reddish light over my arms. I whispered babbles of "good girl," into her ear as if my words would somehow be a deciding factor in saving her. The cart would skid to a halt under the unblinking glare of a lamp post when a gate stood closed in our path. The light's magical red glow felt poignant against my sense of urgency; making me acutely aware of the limpness that filled the creature in my arms.
The stark realization that Winona hadn't been moving shoved a lump into my throat; halting my quiet comments of reassurance to the dog. My sudden lack of voice had gained the driver's attention; however, I hardly notice the two green eyes and furrowed brow aimed at me from the gate. As the sound of squeaking metal and banging wood settled over the night, the eyes turned away and the cart jerked forward; thus causing Winona's head to sway with the momentum. In fact, Winona would sway with every bump in the road. Leading me to screw my face into a tighter and tighter ball at the disturbing scene. My eyes would only ever open enough to catch an unblinking gaze from my furry friend.
Lisner Animal Hospital was hardly recognizable to me as Mac pulled us into its front lot. The building was familiar, but the magic of the place had been lost to me as I trudged in through the door. Winona looked like a ragdoll in my brother's hooves as we entered the reception room. A man in a white coat, the type you'd expect to see doctor in, snatched Winona from my brother; throwing my friend onto a dolly. The doctor proceeded to crash, dolly first, through a set of swinging doors on the far side of the room. My brother pulled me over to a row of chairs on the opposing wall and sat me down. He asked me to stay seated, then left to follow Winona and the Doctor.
Sitting alone and scared had left me time to scrutinize the room. A composite board had been hung on one of the walls and was covered with smiling photos of strangers and their pets. Little notes of thanks were written on the bottom of each image; often praising Dr. Lisner for some feat of medical heroism. On the opposing wall hung an army of fliers, advertising an array of animal products. I glanced back and forth between these two walls almost frantically, as if they'd tell me something I didn't know. As if they'd tell me something I could do to help; but all the walls ever told me was to take care of my pet.
My Batmare slippers laid disregarded on the floor; long since being cast away by my initial squirming on the chair. My feet, being too short to touch the ground from my seat, swung back and forth at an erratic pace. My arms alone chose to stay locked in place; ever tightened around a small white blanket I kept with me.
My mind inevitably had gone wild with thoughts of grand rooms of white and gold; equipment that buzzed and whizzed and whorled. Charts and graphs being read by a hundred doctors, racing to save my dog before some timer hit zero. Perhaps they'd constructed a pill that could fight any illness, or cure any poison! That had to have been what was happening behind those white swinging doors. Doubt slipped from my mind, and I smiled broadly at the empty room.
I knew it wouldn't be long before Winona would trot out from those doors, a team of doctors, and Mac, following close behind. They would share smug looks of victory as Winona ran into my arms and carried me around the room. I would laugh and tug on her brown fur as she danced from spot to spot. My friend would be returned unharmed and with another close call narrowly avoided. My new found confidence in hand, I promptly passed out in my seat.
I had later awoke to a tap on my shoulder. Snapping my head back I looked up and grinned at my brother. His face was strangely contorted, with a forced smile on his lips and red in his eyes. Mac's brows arched upwards where they met, and his skin seemed ghostly in the harsh overhead lights. I questioned why he held such a look about him, but quickly pressed for Winona's whereabouts. Mac visibly shrank and cringed. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he averted her gaze from my eyes. "Why won't you look at me?" I had asked.
A hoof appeared on Mac's arm and tugged him away from me slightly. Mac looked up into the doctor's face before nodding and stepping back. The man moved forward to face me and put a hoof on my knee.
"Look here, Bloom," he began. "The world is a big place filled with many, many wonderful creatures; but they can't all be alive at the same time. There can only be so many animals in the world walking around. If none of them ever died, how would there be enough room for the new ones, right?"
I looked at him sideways. "Where's Winona?" I demanded softly.
"Winona had to go to sleep, Bloom. There were just too many new creatures in the world right now," he said slowly, calculating my reaction.
"That's," I paused as my stomach made its way to my throat. "That's not fair. Why Winona? Why not some other dog?" I spurted out.
With a solid look in his eyes, the doctor patted my leg gently and told me, "Sometimes the world isn't fair."
