What We do for Love

A week had passed since we'd gotten Derpy's letter. A week, and we'd still not seen tail or feather of her. I told myself not to worry, that her business in Canterlot was probably more extensive than I thought, but something, some stupid inkling in the back of my mind had me worrying that something bad might have happened.

I looked up from the book I was trying to occupy myself with over to where Dinky was sitting by the window, her eyes glued to the sky, expecting to see her mother flying home any second. Poor little filly I thought, as I watched her; every day after school for the past week, she'd come home, taken a seat by the window, only leaving it when it was time for dinner, and when it was time for bed.

“Hey Dinky,” I said, as I climbed off the couch to join her by the window, "it's about time for bed, don't you think?"

The little filly didn’t answer; she just kept staring out into the darkening night sky.

“Come on, Dinky. I know you miss your mom; I miss her too, but you can't sit by the window forever.”

"I know," she said, slouching a bit, "I just wish mommy would hurry up and come home already."

"She'll be home as soon as she can; her business with the Princess is probably going longer than they expected."

Dinky nodded, as she let out a loud yawn.

“Alright, come on,” I said, wrapping my arms around Dinky’s torso, and lifting her off the floor, "let's give you a bath, and then get you to bed."

Without any protest from the filly in my arms, I climbed the stairs, and went into the bathroom, where I set Dinky on the floor, while I filled the tub halfway with nice, hot water. Then I put the filly in, grabbed a bar of soap, and began scrubbing her coat.

When I was finished, I drained the tub, dried her off with a fluffy, white towel, ran a brush through her tail and mane, then carried her off to her room, and tucked her into bed.

“Would you like a story tonight?” I asked.

Dinky just shook her head.

"Oh, ok, well, goodnight Dinky."

"Goodnight," she muttered, her eyes beginning to flutter as she began to drift in and out of consciousness; it wasn't going to take long for her to fall asleep.

I smiled, as I pet the little filly affectionately behind the ears, then got up, blew out the lamp, and made my way to my own room.

...

That night I had that strange dream again:

I was lying in the grass in my backyard, when suddenly I started felt myself falling. My arms flailed helplessly in the air, as I hurtled towards the ground to my death, but I wasn’t worried; I knew that Derpy would show up at any moment to snatch me out of the sky, and bring me to safety, only to set me on a giant muffin, then eat me. But she didn’t come; as the trees, and rocks below came closer into view, I looked back to see where my savior would be coming from, but saw nothing but open sky above. At one point I thought I saw a dark, shadowy figure standing on one of the clouds, but before I could get a better look, a sudden, gentle knocking sound roused me from my sleep.

I sat up in my bed, and listened in the darkness, but heard nothing. Had the sound just been a part of my dream? I was just about to lie down again, when I heard the squeak of my door opening.

“Sam,” came a tiny whisper, “are you awake.”

I squinted, and could just barely make out the shape of a little unicorn making her way towards my bed.

“What’s up, Dinky?” I asked.

“I can’t sleep. Would it be alright if I slept with you in your bed tonight?”

I chuckled, as I scooched over, and lifted the covers to make room for Dinky. The little filly got up on her hind legs, placed her forehooves on the bed, and hoisted herself up. Then she did something that took me by surprise; when she had all four hooves on my bed, Dinky crawled up, and nestled in next me. I felt a warmth in my chest; this little filly, the one who who not that long ago couldn't stand to be in the same room as me, was snuggled up close, almost as if she thought I was her...no, I'm not. I'm just a family friend.

Minutes passed as I lay there with Dinky cuddled right up to me, my hand slowly petting her mane, trying to lull her to sleep.

“Goodnight, Dinky,” I whispered, leaning in, so I could give her a little kiss on the top of her head.

“Goodnight, daddy.”

My hand on Dinky’s head froze. Did she just call me what I think she called me, I thought, as Dinky’s words seemed to echo in my head. For a moment I thought that I had surely been mistaken; after all, I was the strange creature she used to be scared of, her human best friend. There was no way I could be her father. Or could I? I looked back on my past year and a half with Dinky; all the homework assignments I had helped her with, all the games we had played, and all the bedtime stories I had read her. When I thought about it I really did seem to be the closest thing to a father the little filly had ever known, especially since her real father was no longer around. And honestly, when I thought about it, I didn’t even mind that Dinky thought of me as her dad; I’d always wondered what it would be like to have a child of my own when I was living back on Earth, and Dinky certainly did a good job filling that hole in my life, even though we were of two...different... Dammit…

In that moment I felt like the biggest hypocrite in the world; there I was, willing to accept Dinky as my adopted daughter even though we weren't the same species, yet more than a week ago, I had told her mother that there was no way I could be in love with her, just because she was a pony. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that that was actually the only reason. I couldn’t help but admit that I cared for Derpy; she was kind, sweet, fun, a great mother, and as ponies went, she was actually pretty cute. But could I really get into that kind of relationship with a pony? What would everyone else think if they found out that we started dating? Wouldn’t they find it strange?

It isn’t as strange as you would think, Sam.

Wha- Where did that voice come from? I tried to sit up to look around for the speaker, but my body wouldn’t move.

Come to me, Sam. I would like to have a word with you.

I was suddenly beginning to feel very tired. As my eyelids slowly closed, my eyes looked frantically around the room, finally landing on a sliver of moonlight that was shining through my window. And that was it.

The next thing I knew, I was hurtling through the sky, just like I had been in all those dreams that I’d been having. Suddenly I felt something snatch me around the waist, stopping me mid fall.

“Thank you Derpy,” I sighed, thankful to be alive. I looked back, expecting to see Derpy smiling back at me, as she flew me closer to the ground, but it wasn’t her. My jaw dropped; instead of the familiar, cross eyed, pegasus mare, I was looking at a majestic, alicorn, with a deep blue coat, and a ethereal mane that shone with the lights of a thousand tiny stars. I looked back down, and began to feel a sense of panic when I realized that we weren't going to land on the ground.

"You seem to have this dream very often, don't you, Sam?" Princess Luna asked, as she began flying us over to the nearest cloud. Before I could answer her, she let me go, and I was once again falling through the air, only I didn't go anywhere. I looked around and realized that I was actually sitting safely on the cloud.

"You can relax," the Princess said, "this is just a dream, and as long as I am here, I have complete control. See?"

I suddenly began to feel myself sinking slowly through the cloud, and my hands scratched at its surface, hopelessly trying to cling onto something.

"Ok, ok, I get it," I cried, "just don't let me fall."

Before I knew it, I was back on the cloud, its soft surface as sturdy as a pillow underneath me.

"Forgive me," Princess Luna said, flashing me an apologetic smile, "I might have taken that a bit to far."

"It's alright, I just... Wait, so it's true? You can actually enter people's - I mean, ponies' - dreams?"

Luna nodded.

"I can, although I must say it was quite a challenge seeing into yours; perhaps it is because you are a human."

All I could do was nod along stupidly; the idea of real magic (along with a society made up of multicolored, talking ponies) had been hard enough to grasp, and I would be lying if I said that any of it made sense to me. All I did know was that there were hundreds of things in Equestria that the beliefs of my old world just couldn't explain.

While I sat there trying my best to comprehend the situation, Princess Luna conjured up a small throne out of cloud, and sat down. That's when I remembered; I was in the presence of royalty.

"Forgive me, Princess," I said with a low bow, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Luna just stared at me for a moment, then broke out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"I am truly sorry," she said when she could finally speak again, "it has been a while since I was addressed so formally. Since my return to my rightful place as princess of the night, I have found that by allowing my subjects to speak to me as they would any other pony, they have ceased to fear me, and have once again accepted me as their princess. So if you would be so kind, please refer to me as Luna. Understood?"

"Yes, your maj - I mean, Luna."

Luna smiled at me.

"Good. I’m glad we have gotten that all cleared up, but I'm afraid I am not here to discuss formalities with you; I have come to deliver a message on behalf of my sister and myself regarding your friend, Derpy Hooves."

My heart started to race.

"What is it? Is she safe? Is she coming home soon?"

Luna held up a hoof.

"Yes, she is safe, and yes, she will be coming home soon."

"Thank goodness," I said, smiling, and breathing a sigh of relief.

Luna didn't look so happy.

"You do understand why she came to visit us, don't you?"

I shook my head; I had absolutely no idea why she would need to stay in Canterlot for over a week.

"Derpy came to the castle a week ago, in tears, with a certain request for us.”

I gave Luna a confused look

“Request? What request?”

Luna stared down at me; I could feel the power in her gaze.

“She asked us to find a way to make you love her the same way she loves you.”

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut.

“She told you about that, huh?”

Luna turned her eyes to the sky.

“Tell me something, Sam: is there something about us ponies that you find...unappealing?”

I was taken aback by her question.

“I… I don’t…” I took a deep, calming breath. “There’s nothing wrong with ponies; in fact, I’ve made more pony friends in the year and a half that I’ve been living here than I ever did while living on Earth.”

“But?”

“But where I’m from, interspecies relationships are considered taboo, and when a human dares to enter into one, they usually end up getting locked in a tiny cell.”

Luna climbed off her throne, and sat down next to me.

“You must remember, Sam, that you are no longer in your old world; here, there is a bit more freedom when it comes to choosing a romantic partner, whether they be pony, griffon, donkey, zebra, or even human.”

“But...but what if-”

“What if you can’t look past the fact that Derpy’s a pony? Well, let me ask you something; do you love her?”

“Yes.” I was surprised by how quickly I had answered.

“Then why should it matter what she looks like on the outside?”

I couldn’t answer her; I just hung my head, feeling ashamed of myself. Luna was right; if I truly loved Derpy, then why should it matter that we’re different? Why couldn’t I have come to this conclusion two weeks ago?

Luna must have sensed my discouragement, because she placed a hoof gently on my shoulder, and gave me a comforting smile.

“You mustn't be down on yourself, Sam,” she said, “from what I have heard, all males are stupid when it comes to love.”

I had to laugh; what Luna had just said had reminded me of those old sitcoms I used to watch back on Earth.

“That we are,” I said, feeling better than I had ever since the night I stupidly rejected the mare I that I now realized I loved more than anything. “Do you think things will work out for me and Derpy?”

“I cannot see the future, Sam, but I believe that if you truly do love her as much as she loves you, then there is always hope that things will turn out for the better.”

Luna smiled, as she got up, and started walking away. Suddenly the the whole world began to fade in and out of focus.

“It is almost morning, and time for me to take my leave.”

She cast a spell at the edge of the cloud, and a portal opened in mid air.

“Farewell, Sam,” Luna said, as she stepped into the portal. “I wish you both good luck. And don’t worry, we will send Derpy back home in a couple of days.” With that, the princess of the night disappeared, and the portal closed behind her.

No sooner had Princess Luna left my dream, then I began to feel myself starting to sink through the cloud. I didn’t try to fight it this time; I just lay back and let myself fall.

Just before I hit the ground, I closed my eyes, and braced for impact. But it never came. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on my back in my bed. As I tried to sit up, but I felt something small and warm brush up against me. I lifted up my covers, looked down, and smiled, as I saw Dinky lying on her side, sound asleep.

“Good morning, Dinky,” I whispered, giving the little filly a gentle shake.

Dinky stirred, and yawned, as she looked up at me with sleepy eyes.

“Good morn- why are you crying, daddy?”

I reached up, and touched my cheek; sure enough, I felt warm, wet streaks where tears had dripped down from my eyes.

“Because, kiddo, your mom's coming home.”