All I Wanted Were My Mommy's Kisses

by Sith_Dreamer

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Cheerilee, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tragedy, Dinky Hooves, Derpy Hooves
Length: 11406

Dinky Doo thinks her mommy is the best mail mare ever. But does Ditzy take her job too seriosuly?

Sometimes the bond between a mother and daughter can be nearly unbreakable. However, everything can be broken. When Ditzy Doo makes what she considers an unforgivable mistake, will her drive to make things right cost her dearly?
And will Dinky be able to cope with the outcome?

Temp Cover image by ace windham and megasweet.

Published 2011-12-05 08:30:12 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-02 07:48:41 UTC

All I Wanted Were My Mommy's Kisses

All I Wanted Were My Mommy’s Kisses

It was a day that seemed like any other in Ponyville. The skies were blue, and every pony in town was going about their usual business. Today however, the skies were filled with more Pegasus ponies than usual, as Rainbow Dash was organizing the bi-weekly rain shower for the gardeners and farmers of Ponyville. To save some time, Dash had gotten Twilight to organize every pony’s part so that everything was running smoothly. By midday, the skies had been cleared of the normal fluffy white clouds, and several Pegasi were whipping up dark clouds, filled with rain ready to be set off at a moment’s notice.

Not long before the storm was set to go, Zecora wandered into Ponyville. She wasn’t here for her usual visit to the shops for ingredients in her potions. Instead, she came with a warning for Twilight Sparkle. She found Twilight talking with Rainbow Dash, both admiring the fantastic job the weather team had done.

“Zecora!” Twilight said surprised, and broke away from Rainbow to greet her. “What’re you visiting for today?”

“Twilight Sparkle, my visit if not of pleasure. I feel we must take some safety measures,” Zecora rhymed back, making a confused look come across Twilight’s face.

“Whatever do you mean?” Twilight asked her.

“A storm today there should not be, as something worse blows in from Everfree.”

Zecora turned her head back towards the forest from where she’d come, looking concerned about something. Dash had been listening behind them and took to the air, flying high above Ponyville so she could look across the vast expanse of the Everfree Forest.

“I don’t see anything!” Dash called down, “Are you sure you got…whatever it is that told you something was going to happen right?”

“I know my calculations were quite clear, something terrible is very near,” Zecora continued, making Twilight nervous.

“Rainbow Dash! Maybe…maybe we should listen to what she has to say!” Twilight yelled back up to the cyan Pegasus.

“No way Twilight! We spent all morning getting this ready, just one kick above the center and it’ll keep the plants watered for the next two weeks! Applejack and everyone else are counting on this rain, Twilight.”

Twilight looked over to Zecora, who was again looking into the twisted trees of the forest. Twilight began to say something, but Zecora just lowered her head and began to head back to the forest.

“You’re friend will not accept my intervention, even though she does it with the best intentions,” Zecora said as she walked slowly away from Twilight.

“Zecora wait!” Twi called out to her, “I can try to convince Rainbow Dash again. Is this thing really that bad?”

“An unnatural condition is on its way, what it will do with your weather, I cannot say,” and with that Zecora continued on, until Twilight couldn’t see here between the trees any longer.

Dash flew down and landed next to her, seeing the concern Twilight was holding from Zecora’s words.

“Ah, don’t worry about it Twilight,” Dash said, putting a leg around her neck, “I’m sure Zecora is getting all worked up over nothing. Besides, I’ve lead this weather team a thousand times now and it’s never gotten out of hand before.”

“I want to believe you’re right Rainbow Dash,” Twilight sighed, “But I hate to think what could happen if you are wrong.”

Despite everything that was going on that day, not every Pegasus in the sky belonged to the weather team. Among them fluttered a grey Pegasus with a blond mane, whom everyone in Ponyville recognized for how strange her eyes looked. The Pegasus was Ditzy Doo, also called Derpy by many in Ponyville. She was never sure why they had adopted this name for her, but even if it was with any ill intention, it never seemed to bother her.

Ditzy was the mail-mare of Ponyville, a job she took very seriously, always taking care to deliver every letter in perfect condition and on time. Today she was especially rushed, trying to finish her work before the rain was supposed to fall on Ponyville so she could grab her daughter, Dinky, from school and get them home dry. Around the time Zecora had visited Twilight and Dash, Ditzy was just finishing up delivering her last letter. It was a letter to Pinkie Pie from her parents who were still farming rocks at home. Pinkie had been so ecstatic to have Ditzy deliver the letter personally she’d vowed to throw her a “Ponyville’s Best Mail-Mare Party”. Ditzy had shyly told her she didn’t have to, then took off for the school house, where Cheerilee was waiting outside with Dinky, the last little filly to go home for the day.

“You know Ditzy, I could take Dinky home for you some days. I know how busy you are, and I know she doesn’t always want to stay here with boring ol’ me,” Cheerilee told her, grinning as Dinky ran into her mother’s waiting hooves.

“Oh no, Ms. Cheerilee, “ Ditzy said, “I already work so much as it is. I don’t want to miss out on anymore than I have to with my little muffin here.”

Cheerilee nodded, and watched as Ditzy scooped Dinky onto her back, the filly biting down on her mother’s mane and wrapping her forelegs tightly around her mother’s neck, as Ditzy took quickly to the sky and headed for their home. Cheerilee could only smile. Despite the taunts and teasing some of the citizens of Ponyville did to Ditzy, Cheerilee couldn’t help but see that she was one of the most caring parents in Ponyville.

Arriving in their small cottage, Dinky dropped down gracefully from her mother’s back as Ditzy began to remove her saddle bags. Not but a moment later, the sound of rain began to pound against their roof.

“Looks like we made it just in time,” Ditzy smiled at her daughter.

“Yay, we didn’t get wet!” Dinky cheered, and ran off to play in her room.

Ditzy smiled, and headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. Normally she would have a snack of a muffin after a long day of working, but today she didn’t feel like she was much in the mood for that. She decided to see just what else she could find that might fill her up on this rainy day.

As night fell, the rain continued, soaking into the ground, and bringing new life to the plants of Ponyville. The raindrops glistened as they fell across the apples that grew across Sweet Apple Acres. All across the town, the rain was blessing the lands it touched. However, nopony could see the darkness that had begun to rise from the Everfree Forest. It had been said the weather controlled itself in the forest, and now, one of the storms that was almost never seen above the trees of the forest had climbed above the tree line and was headed toward Ponyville. Its clouds were black, some dipping down into funnel shapes that seemed to roar as they climbed back up and dropped down again.

It didn’t take long before it had flowed into the rain that was pouring across Ponyville. The Everfree storm overtook the weather team’s storm like a virus. Twisting the grey rain clouds into scary black shapes as the rain began to fall much harder, the wind blew much faster, and thunder and lightning began to pound across the skies. It was the start of a very bad night for Ponyville.

Dinky was now sitting happily at the table in their kitchen, a big plate of spaghet-hay, a bed of hay with tomato sauce poured over it that Dinky loved, set neatly in front of her. Ditzy had skipped her snack after a while and decided to make Dinky’s favorite for dinner. The filly had been so excited she had galloped around the house for several minutes, cheering and laughing until she had accidently tripped over Ditzy’s saddle bags. Now that she was settled calmly down, Ditzy had left her to eat while she picked up her bags. She straightened out the first bag and sat it nicely by the front door. But upon picking up the second bag, a small red letter fell out and landed on the ground at her hooves.

Ditzy leaned down and picked the letter up in her teeth. With one eye she looked down at the writing on the enveloped. It read Applebloom, from your cousin in Appleoosa. Ditzy began to panic. Any other pony would have been fine with waiting a day, but Ditzy was always serious about her job. She’d never let a letter be delivered late, and she knew it’d eat away at her until she got it where it needed to go. She stood and thought for a long while, until she heard Dinky trotting up behind her. Ditzy turned around to see her daughter smiling big at her before letting out a small yawn.

“Ready for bed already?” she said to the little filly.

Dinky nodded, so Ditzy gathered her up with one hoof and flew them back to Dinky’s room. Ditzy sat her daughter into bed and covered her up. The letter was still on her mind the whole time.

“Dinky…I’ve got to run out for a moment. There’s something I’ve got to do, and it won’t take me long,” Ditzy told her.

“Don’t go mommy! You’ll get all wet again!” the little filly’s concern made Ditzy feel special, and she thought about how she couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.

“I won’t be gone long,” Ditzy told her, standing up and getting ready to leave the room. “If you’re still awake, I’ll read you a book when I get back.”

“But mommy, I want—“ Dinky was cut off as Ditzy quickly left and closed the door.

Ditzy didn’t want to argue with her daughter. She just knew she had to get the letter to its owner quickly. She didn’t care if the Apple Family thought she was crazy or stupid, she knew it was her job to get it to them. She laced up one of her saddle bags and threw it around her body. She tucked the letter gently inside, and began to head out the door, just as the first crash of thunder was heard over Ponyville.

The wind whipped and tugged at Ditzy as she tried her best to fly straight over to the Apple Farm. She swopped low, hoping that the houses would deter the gusts that kept rolling her in the air, but all they served to do was provide a hard surface for her to be blown into. Still she struggled, making it a little further with each passing minutes There was no light to lead Ditzy, she just hoped she was going the right way. After a long while, she did begin to see apple trees below her. She knew she was close to where she needed to be.

And that’s when something white and hot crackled through the air, and a white flash exploded around her, erasing everything from her vision completely.

In the morning, when the storm had finally subsided, Rainbow Dash was one of the first ponies out to scout out the damage. She saw trees uprooted, homes ripped in two, and small animals that had lost their homes in the storm. She was also the first one to find the body. On the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres, Dash had thought some hay and farm equipment had been blown away from the farm. As she got closer, she could see the charred wound that was burned into the side of the what she now knew was a pony. Quickly, Dash flew to first get Applejack, and then darted off to the library to get Twilight.

Dinky woke up to the sound of someone beating on the front door. She called out softly for her mother, but there was no answer. She climbed gently out of bed, and took a quick walk around the house. Ditzy almost never left Dinky alone, so the filly began to get instantly worried. She hadn’t seen her mother since she left the night before. She’d stayed up as late as she could waiting for her mother to get home, until finally sleep had overtaken her, and she’d passed out in her bed. The pounding continued for another minute, while Dinky sat down for a moment, wondering what she should do.

Suddenly, the ponies outside decided to open the door themselves, and in walked Cheerilee and Twilight Sparkle. Dinky knew Twilight a little bit, knowing that she was a unicorn like herself, and was willing to teach her magic if her mother had wanted her too. Dinky walked out from where she was slowly, and saw both ponies did not look the least bit happy.

“Have you seen my mommy Ms. Cheerilee? “ Dinky asked hopefully.

“Dinky..sweetie…there’s been an accident,” Cheerilee said to the little filly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“An…accident…what..what kind? Did somepony fall down a well or something?”

Cheerilee turned away, unable to face her student as Twilight stepped forward.

“Dinky…your mother…she-“ Twilight was suddenly cut off.

“She left last night, and I never saw her come back! I didn’t mind her going but, I just…” Dinky suddenly realized what the two ponies had come to say to her.

“Dinky…I’m sorry,” even Twilight was having trouble breaking the news to the filly.

Tears welled up in the little filly’s eyes. She didn’t want to believe what they were implying. She couldn’t.

“I…I just wanted mommy’s kisses,” she choked out, before she broke down and began to cry.

Changes

(Thanks as always to my pre-reader and friend Zev, for just being awesome!)

The little purple unicorn sat solemnly next to the hospital bed, staring up sadly at the bandaged mare who lay in it. Dinky hadn’t left her mother’s side all day, she was content to just wait. Twilight Sparkle and Cheerilee had taken her to the emergency room when Rainbow Dash had arrived shortly after they had at Ditzy’s home, with the news the mail mare was still alive, and where she was being taken.

Now only Dinky sat in the room with her mother, sobbing into the sheets every few minutes, constantly blaming herself for what had happened. Out in the hallway, Twilight and Cheerilee were having a discussion with Nurse Redheart and a red-maned doctor. His mane was bunched up in such a way that it looked like a muffin.

“I’m telling you girls, for now we’re hoping for the best, but one major change and she’s got to be airlifted to Fillydelphia. We just don’t have all the tools for major surgery here, Ms. Sparkle,” the doctor told them, attempting to keep Dinky from hearing inside.

The doctor motioned down the hallway to a room where several pegasi wearing flight jackets with the words Ponyville Air and Rescue Team were enjoying some free time.

“I will have them at the ready at all times for the next several days. In the mean time, I think it needs to be discussed where that sad little filly in that room needs to go for a while. She can’t stay here all the time,” he shook his head, “But we will be doing everything we can.”

With that, the doctor cantered away down the hallway, leaving Nurse Redheart to deal with anymore of their questions.

“Well, I just can’t take her,” Cheerilee spoke up, “Between teaching classes at the school, grading the children’s work at home, and other things in my life, I just can’t.”

“I don’t mind,” Twilight replied, “It may be a change, but I’m sure it wouldn’t cause me too much trouble.”

“Are you absolutely sure, Twilight Sparkle,” Nurse Redheart asked, concerned that Twilight might be getting herself into something she couldn’t handle.

“I’ve raised Spike since I was a little filly,” Twilight told her, “And I’m sure a baby dragon is a lot more complicated than a filly like Dinky. Ditzy had asked me about magic lessons before, maybe now would be a good time to try as well.”

Nurse Redheart nodded. Twilight decided it would be a good idea to talk to the little unicorn about everything, and where she would be staying for a while. She pushed past Cheerilee and made her way for the door to Ditzy’s room. It was dark, only lit by a few light fixtures above the bed. Dinky was still sitting on a stool looking up at the figure in the bed, whom was nearly unrecognizable for being covered in so many bandages. Dinky glanced back as the purple unicorn trotted inside.

“Dinky…” Twilight trailed off for a moment as she leaned in close to her, “Well, the doctors will do everything they can. But they say you can’t stay here all the time. Besides hospital rules, you’ve still got school with Ms. Cheerilee, and you can’t live alone until your mother gets better. So that’s why I have volunteered my home for you to stay in!”

Twilight managed to end her proposition happily, but after a moment she felt that maybe happy wasn’t the best option for such a situation. Regardless, Dinky seemed at least a little bit intrigued. She glanced back over at her mommy’s damaged body, feeling a little guilty for wanting to go somewhere else while her mother just laid there, likely unaware of the world going on around her. Some in Ponyville would joke that this was how Ditzy always was, but Dinky knew that her mother wasn’t a pony to be judged by her eyes alone. She sat there quietly, thinking on what Twilight had just told her.

“Um, Dinky?” Twilight asked.

Before she could say anymore, Dinky stood on her hind legs, and leaned over her mother. She kissed her on the forehead, then lowered herself back down and turned around to Twilight.

“Ok Twilight, I’ll come with you,” Dinky didn’t sound very excited, but Twilight hadn’t exactly expected her to.

“We’ll come visit your mommy every day until she gets better,” Twilight promised. “I’ll make sure you know everything that’s going on with her.”

Dinky managed a smile, “I’m hungry, Twilight. Do you have any food at your place?”

Dinky wasn’t a filly who talked much. Since arriving home with Twilight, she’d barely said two words, which were “thank you”, when Twilight had quickly whipped up a bluegrass and green onion sandwich for her to eat. She seemed quite lost, keeping her gaze to the ground most of the time, and generally ignoring Twilight, Spike, and Owliscious when he had flown through the window that night.

“You think she’s alright,” Spike looked up at Twilight and asked, “You know, she might be a little…” he didn’t finish the sentence, but pointed to his temple and spun his finger in a spiral motion.

“Spike, that’s a terrible thing to say!” Twilight snapped, “She just almost lost her mother. Anypony would feel just as bad if they were in her situation.”

Spike shrugged and walked off, muttering to himself. Spike’s comment did bring about some worry.

Twilight couldn’t be sure just how badly her mother’s accident had affected the little filly. She hoped the little unicorn’s mind was dealing with everything well.

“Maybe I should talk to her?” Twilight asked herself. “I’ve got to make some arrangements, for her school and such. If she doesn’t look well tomorrow I’ll sit her down and see if she wants to talk about it.”

Due to Twilight’s busy schedule, she’d asked Cheerilee if she could move Dinky up to the morning class, the same one the Cutie Mark Crusaders attended. The mauve earth pony hadn’t had any objection to the switch, and the first thing the next day, Twilight dropped Dinky off to join her new class. While she was sure Dinky had probably a lot going on in her head, Twilight had decided keeping Dinky to a relatively normal schedule would be for the best. She’d promised they’d visit the hospital as soon as Twilight picked her up that afternoon.

Dinky wasn’t sure what to make of her new class. She was happy to know she wasn’t the only blank flank in the class, receiving warm welcomes from three fillies just like her. However, several other classmates didn’t seem so nice. Still, Dinky sat quietly and didn’t try to notice the scornful stares she received, especially from two certain ponies that were sitting to her left in the front row.

“Another blank flank?” Diamond Tiara whispered disgustedly to her best friend, Silver Spoon.

“You’d think they’d have some special place to keep those…less talented than us till they became normal,” Silver Spoon whispered back, “I’d be surprised if she ever gets one, especially with a mother like hers.”

“Oooo, tell me more,” Diamond Tiara tried to keep her excitement down as she thought of all the things she was going to say at recess.

Dinky sat alone at the corner of the playground, watching all the other ponies have fun and play games around her. She’d been invited to play some ball with the three fillies from earlier, but she’d declined. Inside it had made her happy, no one ever seemed to want to play with her much in her old class. Still, she was afraid of getting in the way of anypony elses fun.

“Hey, Little Derpy,” a shrill voice cried out to her from across the playground.

Dinky turned her head and saw two fillies, a gray one with glasses and a spoon cutie mark, and a pink one with a tiara for hers, cantering towards her.

“It’s…it’s Dinky,” she squeaked out, “M-my name.”

“Oh, sorry,” Diamond Tiara stressed the word. “You know it must be so hard being you.”

The unicorn didn’t reply, instead she glanced down at the ground so she didn’t have to face the two.

“Yeah, being a blank flank, and having a mom that’s dumb as a rock and all of Ponyville knows it!”

Dinky still tried to look away from them, their talk about her mother cutting deep into the little filly’s heart.

“I heard her mom got hurt the other day,” Silver Spoon continued, “My mom’s a surgeon at Ponyville hospital, and she told me they brought her in all beat up the other night. She said she’s surprised they didn’t just let her go, she couldn’t imagine anypony less worth saving.”

Dinky teared up at their comments. She couldn’t hold her emotions much longer, and she knew it.

“A blank flank with no mom, how horrible would that be? Surely they wouldn’t let such trash stay in Ponyville around the likes of ponies like us?” Diamond Tiara snipped.

Dinky meanwhile couldn’t hold back anymore. She began to sob uncontrollably.

“Oh, did we hurt your little feelings blank flank? Why don’t you go cry to you—Oh that’s right, you might not have one soon!” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara both began to laugh at her.

“Hey! You leave her alone!” a voice shouted across the playground, causing several ponies to take notice.

Scootaloo stood at the head of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, followed by Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, as well as their friend Twist.

“Gonna take up for this one too, Cutie Mark losers!” Diamond Tiara stuck out her tongue as she finished.

“You leave her alone! She’s going through a lot, and doesn’t need you two making it worse!” Sweetie Belle shouted at the pair.

“And mah sister and mah Granny Smith know yer father, Diamond Tiara, and Ah’m sure they’d love to hear what ya’lls been saying to her!” Applebloom followed her friends.

Diamond Tiara knew her father had a soft spot for the Apple Family. She didn’t want to have anything to do with them, and certainly didn’t want to be punished because of them.

“Pssh, whatever. Come on Silver Spoon,” and with that the two fillies trotted off to play on the swings.

The four fillies rushed up to Dinky who continued to sob.

“We asked ya to come play with us,” Applebloom said sweetly, “Ya’ll didn’t have to sit here alone and get har…har…get made fun of by them two.”

“Don’t let them get to you. They’ll never be awesome and they know it! Besides, who’d want the special talent of being spoiled bi-“ Scootaloo was cut off by Sweetie Belle who slapped a hoof to her mouth.

“Language Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle chided.

“Yes mom,” Scootaloo mocked back. They both shared a small laugh.

“Th-th-thank you,” Dinky sputtered out through her tears.

“Come on, lets go play some ball together,” Sweetie Belle offered her a hoof and helped Dinky stand.

Dinky wiped the tears from her eyes with her foreleg, and managed a small smile. Then off she went with the other fillies to play.

After school, Twilight was the last one to pick Dinky up. Her new friends had offered her the chance to walk home with them, but Dinky was used to staying, and had declined their offer. They’d said their goodbyes and Dinky had sat quietly in the schoolhouse with Cheerilee until Twilight knocked on the door.

“Did you have a good day in your new class?” Twilight asked with a smile.

Dinky looked up, a mix of happiness and sadness plastered across her face. She nodded without a word.

“Well, alright then,” Twilight wasn’t sure how to handle it, so she decided it was probably just how Dinky was.

They said their goodbyes to Cheerilee who wished them well until tomorrow, and headed off into town. As they walked, Twilight levitated something from her bags and brought it down to the little unicorn.

“Muffin!” Dinky cried out happily, stopping to grasp it in her hooves.

“I thought you might be hungry, so I picked this up on the way to get you.”

Dinky munched on the muffin for a few moments, until she’d devoured the whole confection.

“Thanks mom-I mean Twilight,” suddenly she lowered her head and seemed out of sorts again.

Twilight sighed, but knew that Dinky was probably still trying to cope with all that had happened.

“Come on Dinky, let’s go visit your mom.”

Thoughts/Solutions?

“How are things today doctor?” Twilight asked nervously, as Dinky went on into the room where her mother still laid unconscious.

A different doctor from before, the brown unicorn shook his head without a word. Twilight put her head down, trying not to make a scene in case Dinky came out.

“To be perfectly honest, Ms. Sparkle, things haven’t really changed. We have no idea when she might wake up, if she ever does. We’ve kept in close contact with Fillydelphia, one of their doctors even came in this morning to have a look. So far we’ve had no need to move her, but like Doctor Muffin Mane said yesterday, any sudden change could make that happen very quickly.”

Twilight nodded, and turned her gaze towards the dim room. Dinky once again sat on a stool next to the bed, chatting softly to Ditzy’s motionless body.

“Do you think she can hear her?” Twilight asked the doctor, whom had begun to scribble notes onto a pad he had floating in front of him.

“Hm,” he looked up, having not been paying much attention. “Oh, some ponies think it is very possible. However, I can’t really say for sure.”

“I hope she can.”

“Any ideas for dinner tonight?” Twilight asked the little unicorn as they trotted home from the hospital an hour later.

Dinky didn’t speak, instead lost in as much thought as the little unicorn could be. She watched the setting sun above Ponyville, wondering if there was anything Princess Celestia could do for her mother.

“Twilight?” she asked after a few moments, “You know the Princess really well. Is there anything she could do for my mommy?”

“Well Dinky, there might be. She’s very busy though, and she just doesn’t have time to make stops for everypony.”

“But it’s my mommy Twilight! She could come and help her, couldn’t she?” Dinky whined, her voice showing a bit of youthful agitation at Twilight’s response.

“I’ll make up a letter to the Princess and we’ll see what she says,” Twilight told her absent mindedly.

In truth, Twilight hadn’t even considered that Princess Celestia might be able to help. She usually dreaded the Princess even thinking of coming to Ponyville, so she usually only wrote when she needed to send a friendship report. She wondered what she might say.

“Twilight?” Dinky asked for the sixth time.

Twilight shook herself from her stupor, realizing she’d lost herself for several minutes and they’d nearly made it to the front porch of the library.

“Sorry, just thinking. Come on, maybe Spike can whip us up some Hayseed Soup.”

The Wind whipped and the thunder pounded against the cloudy ceiling of the night sky. Nopony would have dared go outside, save for one gray Pegasus with one thing on her mind. She flew against the gale, her wings working harder than she’d ever had to work them before. Ahead of her were the darkened fields of Sweet Apple Acres, her goal nearly in site.

Below her, a light purple unicorn raced as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. She’d managed to get the door unlocked with her limited magical abilities, and had tried her best to follow her mother into the storm. Now she found herself doing her best to not be tossed around amongst the limbs and branches, and the pieces of the houses of other ponies. Her tiny horn glowed to light the way, and she did her best to cry out her mother’s name every few steps.

It didn’t take Dinky long to catch up to her mother, She had been sure Sweet Apple Acres was much further away, but she couldn’t have cared any less once she saw the gray Pegasus above her.

“Mommy!” she called as loud as she could muster.

No response as Ditzy pushed on against the winds.

“Mommy!” Dinky tried again.

Still nothing.

“Mommy!!!” Dinky strained her voice as she shouted up.

This time, Ditzy turned her head, looking around for the source of the voice she’d heard, the wind winning its battle as she did, causing her to tumble backwards in the air. Ditzy managed to catch herself, and looked down, seeing her daughter on the ground below.
“Mommy!” Dinky cried out with a smile, hopping into the air and tumbling much like Ditzy when the wind caught her small form.

“Dinky!” Ditzy cried as she prepared to zoom down to see why her daughter had even thought to follow her into the storm.

Zap Boom

Dinky’s mouth dropped open wide with horror as she watched a white bolt of lightning crash down and pass through her mother. For the briefest moment Ditzy’s skin had gone transparent, revealing a dark skeletal frame before returning to a now horribly charred version of her normally gray coat. Ditzy began to fall as she lost consciousness, falling fast straight down at first, but each gust of wind blew her body towards more danger. Finally she crashed hard onto the roof of the house Dinky had known to belong to Berry Punch, and rolled down the incline, falling hard and landing limply on the ground below. Dinky ran as fast as she could toward the place here she thought her mother fell. She noticed the storm seemed to have died down around her as she had no trouble dashing to find Ditzy.

When she finally arrived, she could see the crumpled form of her mother, the skin on her motionless body still seeming to sizzle from the electricity that had surged through her. She crept close, afraid of what she was going to see.

“M-m-momm-my,” tears welled in her eyes as she tried to raise the Pegasus.

“Yeeeesssss muffin,” a strange hiss escaped, as Ditzy’s head jerked upwards and spun around limply to look at her daughter.

`Her left eye looked upwards as it always did, her right eye still looked down, only now it hung completely out of its socket. All Dinky could do was scream.

“Twilight!” Dinky screamed as she jumped out of bed and ran from the guest room all the way up the stairs to her caretaker’s room.

Twilight darted up as her door slammed hard against the wall, and her bed was suddenly invaded by a little purple filly. Tears ran furiously down the sides of her face as Twilight tried to understand what was wrong.

“I-it w-w-w-was a nightmare!” Dinky sobbed, “My mommy was a m-m—m-mon-monster!”

“Shhh, shh,” Twilight tried to calm her down, “Nothing is bad about your mommy. You’ve just got a lot on your mind.”

Twilight had read every book on foalcare she could find, when confronted with a problem like she was now, she just couldn’t find the words to help. Instead, she wrapped a leg around Dinky and pulled her close, letting the filly’s tears soak her coat. She stroked the small blonde mane, trying to show her support. Twi searched her memories, trying to think of anything that might help.

“Hush now, quiet now, its time to lay your sleepy head…” Twilight began to sing softly, singing every verse until she could hear the sobs subsiding, eventually replaced with the sound of soft breathing.

Twilight didn’t try to move Dinky or take her back to her own room. Instead, she placed a light kiss at the tip of the filly’s horn, and snuggled her closer, settling herself back into bed, and did her best to try and fall back to sleep herself.

(Author Note: Once again, sorry for this taking so long to update. Thanks to my pre-reader Zev as always, and if this chapter seems a little short, don’t worry, more is coming soon and we’ll be getting to the main part of the story soon.)

Not What She Wanted To Hear Part 1

After a few days, everything began to feel rather routine for Twilight Sparkle. She would wake up and get Dinky fed, and then they’d trot along the streets of Ponyville until they reached the school house where Cheerilee would be waiting for all the fillies and colts to arrive. From there Twilight would go about her usual activities, reading, study, and spending time with her friends, until she had to pick Dinky up, from which they’d depart for the hospital. An hour was usually spent with Twilight speaking to the same doctors with the same answers while Dinky went on about her day to her mother. However, after a few days, Twilight noticed Dinky had less and less to say, opting to make her visits quick so that her and Twilight could spend some time together before night fell and she had to get prepared for the day that was to follow.

Nearly two weeks had passed since Ditzy Doo had entered the hospital, and once again it was their visitation time.

“Excuse me, Ms. Sparkle?” a familiar voice said from down the hallway.

“Hm?” Twilight mumbled as she turned to see the brown unicorn doctor that had taken care of Rainbow Dash not so long ago walking her way.

“I thought you should know. Things with Ms. Doo have been, well, interesting to say the least. It seemed her vitals spiked to very good levels earlier today, and then crashed just as suddenly, I know I’ve been pretty grim about all this, but it is not looking any better at the moment. I know its terrible, but I think its time you start discussing with that filly the real possibility that her mother may not ever be coming back.”

“Do you think its wise to say such a thing right now? I mean, there has to be other options,” Twilight couldn’t imagine breaking Dinky’s heart like that.

He sighed. “I told you already, Manehatten, even Canterlot is going to have more well equipped facilities, but in the state she’s in, we don’t want to risk moving her. I’m sorry, but for now we just have to continue to wait.”

Twilight looked away, her time spent in the hospital for the day only totaling minutes but her conversation had made it feel like an eternity. Her mind drifted back to what Dinky had asked her earlier, about if the Princess was capable of doing something to help. As soon as she saw Dinky already trotting away from the bed, Twilight knew for sure that she had a letter to write.

Once night had fallen and Dinky had been put to bed, Twilight called Spike to their room, and asked him to take a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m sorry if this is any sort of bother to you, as I know just how busy you are. However, in the past couple weeks it seems I’ve acquired a rather energetic unicorn filly named Dinky, the daughter of Ditzy Doo, our town’s mailmare. Ditzy was severely injured from an accident caused while trying to deliver something during a storm, and while anypony can tell you that it certainly was not one of the smartest actions a pony could take, Ditzy certainly deserves to get better for her daughter. However, the doctors here tell me there likely isn’t much they can do at the present, and so I’m left to ask you this large favor. Is there anything you can do to help save the life of Ditzy Doo. I can imagine you have something that can help with your vast knowledge of magic. Please answer me soon, Ditzy may not have much time.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle.

Spike finished the letter, and with a nod he vaporized it with his fire.

“You think it will work?” Spike asked a worried looking Twilight.

“I hope so Spike. I really hope so.”

Twilight sat up waiting, hoping her mentor would send back good news soon. It took hours, but soon a response rocketed itself from Spike’s throat. Twilight tore across the room and furiously yanked the seal off so that she could read its contents.

My Faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

It is with a heart full of regret I must tell you I cannot do anything for your injured friend. What you are asking may not be beyond my powers, but I feel I must explain my reasons for giving you this answer. For the same reason unicorn doctors still rely on medicine and medical instruments, so do I agree with their methods. With a magical approach, there are many more factors that must be taken into account, and one wrong move could either kill or harm that pony further. I will not have another pony’s blood on my hooves. From the sound of your friend’s injuries, it would take an immense amount of work to make sure everything was healed properly, another place where any number of errors could occur.

Sometimes Twilight, ponies are selected earlier for their time, it’s the balance of things. IF Equestrian
medicine cannot save her, then I fear nothing can. I am very sorry that I must send this reply back to you, and I’m sure I cannot expect you to be happy about what I have to say. I will offer my services however if she needs to be taken to a larger facility. I’m sure one of our hospitals might have the means to help.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia.

Twilight’s mouth hung agape as she read the letter again and again. She was utterly shocked that the pony she looked up to most had turned her down when she needed her most. For a moment, Twilight didn’t allow herself to see the Princess’ point, instead becoming very angry towards her.

“Twi? Twilight? What happened?” Spike asked her, himself curious as to the reply she’d received.

Twilight sighed hard, surrendering the letter to the baby dragon and letting go of her anger. Spike clutched the letter in his claw and began to read it.

“Oh wow, I’m sorry Twilight,” Spike looked genuinely sincere. “So, what now?”

“Well, I suppose we ask the Princess to get Ditzy help in Canterlot. Aside from that, I’ve got a very awful talk I have to give to a very timid filly.”

Twilight and Spike had both went to bed soon after reading the letter. They’d been up until nearly morning, and all Twilight could think about after suffering the disappointment was getting some well deserved rest. She needed to time to think of how she was going to talk to Dinky. The purple unicorn was still very delicate emotionally, and Twilight knew she would have to choose her words carefully. She was glad it was now a Saturday, and she didn’t happen to have anything planned for most of the day.

Downstairs, Dinky began to stir early, yawning and climbing out of bed to watch the sun rise. She wondered what the day would bring her, and hoped it would be something good.

Not What She Wanted To Hear Part 2

Twilight paced around the library, her anxiety high as she tried the best way to talk to Dinky about what the Princess had told her. She didn’t want Dinky to hate her mentor, but it was silly to worry about that when she knew that thought of even less hope was what would really crush the little filly.

“Twi, are you worrying again?” Spike said while rubbing his eyes as he came down the stairs.

Twilight nodded. Spike knew all the details, so she didn’t need to explain a thing.

“Twilight, do you remember all the times you have worried before? Every time, those worked out, and nothing bad happened.”

“But Spike, a pony’s life was never on the line in those other situations. It isn’t just me this time,” Twilight sighed.

Spike suddenly pushed Twilight back on her haunches, and brought his face close to hers.

“Look, Twilight, more than once you’ve learned not to worry so much about the little things. This isn’t little, I’ll give you that, but a calm head would certainly make it easier. Stop worrying Twilight, just let what you’ve got to say come from your heart, and I’m sure Dinky will listen. She may be a bit shy, she may get emotional sometimes, but she isn’t stupid, and she can understand these things. She may not like what she hears, but going about it calmly will be a lot easier on her than if you did it in the state you’re in now. “

Spike moved away from her, and headed toward the back of the library. Twilight took a few deep breaths.

“You-your right Spike. Sometimes, well, you know me too well. Thank you,” Twilight managed a smile and tried to relax a little.

“It’ll work out Twilight. I know it will,” Spike called back as he climbed into his extra basket in the far corner of the library, before curling up and passing out once again.

Twilight looked at the dragon she’d helped care for since she was a little filly, surprised by how wise the little dragon could sometimes be. Spike let out a loud snore that made Twilight chuckle, reminding her that no matter his advice he was still the same baby dragon as always. Feeling a little better, Twilight decided to do some more reading to relax her mind for the moment when Dinky came home from playing.

“Come on Dinky!” shouted the orange Pegasus in front of her, “You gotta be faster than that to keep up with us!”

Accepting the challenge, Dinky Doo closed her eyes and galloped forward, hoping she’d catch up to her new friends. She pushed on until she could only hear the galloping of her own hooves. She skidded to a stop and opened her eyes. She found herself faced with the entrance to the Everfree Forest. A large black spider-like creature poked its head through the leaves and stared at Dinky.

“Hrrrrisssssss!” the creature screeched, causing Dinky to skitter backwards as fast as she could.

It took but a moment for her to reach the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were all chuckling at Dinky’s misstep.

“What’s so funny?!” Dinky huffed, then glancing back at the forest, “W-what was that?”

“Ah have no idea,” Applebloom replied, “But Ah wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Come on, we don’t need her getting the wrong idea about us,” Sweetie Belle said.

The Crusaders nodded in agreement. The three crowded around Dinky and lifted her into the air above them. Dinky gasped in surprise, but quickly began to giggle.

“Come on everypony, don’t fer-get, we had a plan fer Dinky,” Applebloom reminded the other two.

“Cutie Mark Crusader Membership Initiation YAY!” the three shouted in unison as they dashed off, leaving Dinky to follow as fast as she could manage.

A few hours later, the fillies had all gathered at the Cutie Mark Crusader Club House, and started to throw a party for Dinky. She’d been surprised by the whole, but enjoyed every minute of it.

“Applebloom, this whole party was amazing!” Dinky said cheerfully, much perkier than the Crusaders had seen her before.

“But that ain’t all, we got one more surprise fer ya!” Applebloom hopped up and down excitedly.

“Come on Sweetie Belle, some of us don’t have all day!” Scootaloo huffed, ready to give their gift to the purple unicorn.

“Hold your hooves Scoots, I’m coming!” Sweetie retorted.

After a few moments, Sweetie Belle came out with a brand new Cutie Mark Crusader cape clutched firmly in her teeth. With a little magic, she raised it into the air and wrapped it loosely around Dinky’s neck. Dinky lit up like the decorations on Hearth’s Warming Eve, happily bounding around with excitement.

“I can’t wait to tell Twilight! This is the best day I’ve had in a long time!”

The other Crusaders couldn’t help but smile. It was a welcome change to see the filly in such great spirits.

“Come on!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “We’ve still got lots of time. We have to think of more ways to find our cutie marks!”
______________________________________________________________________________

The sun had begun to sink low into the horizon by the time Dinky returned to the library. When she trotted in, Twilight was pacing back and forth, worry evident on her face.

“TwilightTwilightTwilight!” Dinky cried, “Look at what my friends made for me!”

“Oh..well, that’s very…nice Dinky. And I’m happy to see you in such good spirits. But I have some…news, and you may not like what I’ve got to say.”

Dinky calmed down, suddenly intrigued by what the older unicorn had to say.

“Is…is it my mommy, Twilight?”

“Well..yes.”

Twilight stood firm. She’d stood against a Tyrant of Darkness and a Lord of Chaos, she had no reason to be afraid now. And yet, deep down, breaking a little filly’s heart felt far worse.

“Dinky, your mom, she,” Twilight paused and took a deep breath, “She isn’t getting any better, not yet anyway. I tried to contact Princess Celestia, but the Princess won’t use her own magic. She says it’s too dangerous to try any strong magic on a pony in such a frail condition. She does think the medical ponies in Canterlot might be able to do more, but we’d have to move her. I’m not making it my decision, though, I’m leaving it to you.”

Twi could already see the tears in Dinky’s eyes, but surprisingly the fragile filly hadn’t broken down yet. Dinky came close and snuggled next to Twilight, and the purple unicorn wrapped a hoof around her for comfort.

“Twilight…-I want mommy to get better. I want her to go to Canterlot,” she sniffled.
“Then I’ll get right on it,” Twilight comforted her. “As soon as they get her settled in, we’ll go visit. Have you ever been to Canterlot?”

Dinky wiped away a few tears that had begun to drip down her face.

“O-o-once, a while ago. I haven’t seen much of it though.”

“Then I’ll show you everything there is to see!” Twilight managed a grin. “Maybe I can even introduce you to my brother Shining Armor.”

With teary eyes, Dinky looked up at Twilight and cracked a small smile, before yawning loudly.

“I think somepony had a long day, and I’m sorry for having to ruin the end of it. But I hope you understand. Now let’s get you to bed. “

Dinky nodded, and followed Twilight to her bedroom.

Soon after, Dinky was tucked into bed, after having been read another chapter of one of the Daring Do Adventure Books. In her hooves she clutched her new Cutie Mark Crusader cape tightly to her chest. Twilight got up from where she had been reading, and began to leave the room.

“Twilight?” the small filly’s voice drifted into her ears.

“Hm?” she looked back.

“If things don’t get better…will you be my mommy?”

Twilight was taken aback. This unicorn was so attached to her mother, accepting the wall eyed mare and all her faults, and yet suddenly she was thinking about life beyond all that. Surprising would have been an understatement to Twilight.

“W-well Dinky I-“ she stopped when she saw the little unicorn had passed out, and was already snoring loudly. She managed a faint grin before she blew out the candle lighting the room and headed back to the main section of the library. Twilight felt she wouldn’t be getting much sleep this evening... her mind was clouded, filled with thoughts of how she would answer that question if she had to.

(Author’s Note: Sorry this took so long, but as a few blogs have said, I’ve been busy. I also admit, I had a slight burnout from FIM. Never did I quit loving it, but I took a step back for a little while, and with season 3 coming, i’ve headed back into the fandom full blast. Thanks as always to my good friends Zev for editing this and generally putting up with my bull.)

To Canterlot (re-done version)

The next morning was yet another school day for Dinky and several other young ponies, so Twilight dropped her off early with Cheerilee and then headed straight for the hospital. Knowing all the work it would take, Twilight didn’t want to waste anymore time.

When she came into the lobby, she headed for the front desk, and rapped on the counter with a hoof to get the attention of the nurse in the room behind it.

“Yes Mrs. Sparkle, what can I do for you?” a red mare with a blonde mane wearing the traditional nurse attire trotted out and asked.

“I would like to speak to whomever is currently caring for Ditzy Doo. It’s a very urgent matter, I even have proof from Princess Celestia herself.”

“Just a moment. I’m not sure who is in the ICU right now. Ms. Doo’s regular doctor was called away on some family business, so I’ll go up and see. Do you mind waiting?”

“No, but I think the doctor will appreciate some speed when he finds what I’m here about.” Twilight kept an enthusiastic demeanor the whole time.

With an audible hum, and a quick nod, the nurse left the desk and began to climb the nearby stairs. Twilight listened to each hoof-clop as they got softer and softer, and the mare disappeared onto the next level. Twilight sighed, letting the façade of confidence drop. There was no way she was sure this was even the best idea. Twilight Sparkle, prized student of the Princess, totally clueless in the field of advanced medicine!

She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, and let out another long sigh, just as she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming back down. The red mare came down first, followed by a stout unicorn stallion, brown coat with a green mane that was trimmed flat against his neck. Twilight couldn’t help but notice he stared at the red mare’s blood-drawing needle-adorned plot the whole way down. The nurse surely knew he was as well, and gave him a light kick to the leg as she reached the bottom stair. He jumped more out of surprise, but composed himself quickly and walked over to Twilight.

“Ms. Sparkle, pleasure to meet you in person. I, like most of us here in Ponyville, have heard of your exploits before. Excuse the formalities though, my name is Surgeon General, and I’m in charge of Miss Doo. What did you come for today?”

His large green eyes stared deeply into hers. He was surely a stallion that had a way with the mares, but Twilight wasn’t there to be wooed, and got to the topic at hand.

“Well Doctor, I have here a letter from Princess Celestia, regarding some questions I had relating to Ditzy Doo’s condition. Although I trust the medical staff here Doctor, I and the Princess believe that Canterlot might well be a better center of treatment for her. I’d like to request a transfer, today, if possible.”

Twilight levitated the scroll from her saddlebags, and unrolled it for him to read. Surgeon General rubbed the scruff under his chin. He grunted and hummed to himself for a moment, but finally he returned his gaze to Twilight.

“While I disagree with you and even the Princess on Canterlot having any better care than we do, I cannot refuse direct recommendation from her or her number one student. But I warn you Twilight Sparkle, once we start moving her, you can’t just change your mind. It’ll be enough stress already moving her, and with her body healing under such slow conditions, we risk further injury. I can’t guarantee she will even make the trip to Canterlot.”

The purple unicorn took in everything he said, but had already made up her mind.

“Yes, doctor move her. Do you need anything from me?” she asked him.

“Well we’ve got a cart, and a team of stallion paramedics for these sort of situations, but our Pegasus scout is out sick. Any chance you know anypony willing to help?”

Twilight already had a certain rainbow-maned Pegasus in mind. She nodded, but she had to wonder out loud what the scout Pegasus did.

“The scout,” Surgeon cleared his throat as he spoke, “is in charge of going ahead, making sure the road is clear, watching out for obstructions that our unicorns will have to move, and clearing any weather problems. It’s a tiring job, not for just anypony. If you can find somepony, we’ll have her ready to be moved in one hour.”

“Thank you, Dr. General,” Twilight said sincerely. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Buuuuut Twilight!” Rainbow Dash whined, putting her face into the dirt and putting her hooves over her head. “I’ve gotta practice, the next Wonderbolt tryouts are in two weeks, and I’ve got to be on my game.”

“Rainbow Dash, somepony’s life hangs in the balance here, and her daughter would be lost without her. Besides that, don’t you think it’d look good for the Wonderbolts if you could say you flew with a team of medical professionals to save the life of one of Ponyville’s mares. I’m sure some real heroics would really impress them!” Twilight grinned from ear to ear, her best way to convince her friends to go along with her plans.

Dash pondered over the idea for a moment. Twilight could see a smile creeping across the Pegasus’ face.

“Hey yeah it would,” Dash began thinking about the glory that comes with being a hero. “It isn’t like I won’t be flying after all. And it’ll basically be like I’m in charge. Alright Twilight, even though I can’t say I’m too fond of Der…Ditzy, I don’t want to see her die. Take me where we need to go!”

Twilight smirked, but tried to keep it hidden from Dash. She knew even after learning several lesson, Dash still couldn’t resist the limelight. She began heading back towards the hospital, Rainbow Dash in tow, who chattered all the way back about dreams of being the hero the Wonderbolts deserve, and need right now.

Outside the hospital, an enclosed cart awaited Twilights return. Surgeon General stood outside it, tapping a hoof on the dirt. He silently greeted Twilight as she came back up the path. Rainbow Dash landed, standing close to Twilight, ready to accept her orders. Two stallions stood ready to pull the cart; a buff earth stallion and similarly able-bodied unicorn. One of the stallions pulling the cart gave snort as he looked over the rainbow-maned beauty, but Dash was too busy pumping herself up for the journey ahead.

“Here she is. You may have heard of the marvelous Rainbow Dash, another one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony ,” Twilight tried to play her up, to stroke Dash’s ego.

“Oh yeah…probably. I don’t really remember,” Surgeon replied casually.

Dash huffed. “Just tell me what I’ve got to do. I’ve got big plans to train tomorrow, to make sure everyone knows who I am someday.”

Surgeon General went on explaining the things he’d already said to Twilight. Dash tried her best to focus on the task, but was clearly eager to get flying. When he was done, he trotted to the cart and opened the doors. The two ponies could see Ditzy, laid in her hospital bed, with several tubes of fluids connected to various points of her body. A mare and a stallion sat on each side of her. The stallion was currently not performing any tasks, while the mare had a special line connected to her that ended at Ditzy’s chest, allowing her to monitor the pegasus’ heartbeat. After a few moments the stallion climbed out and gave the two up front the all clear.

“Are we ready?” the earth stallion pulling the cart snorted.

“Lets get going!” Dash cried eagerly, taking to the air.

“Be careful Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called as the cyan Pegasus blasted into the air.

She watched, filled with hope as the cart pulled away from the hospital. Surgeon gave her a nod, and headed back inside. She stood still, watching until the cart was a small dot in the horizon.

Several hours into the journey to Canterlot, Rainbow Dash was bored. So far, the roads had been clear, no wayward creatures or ghouls had crossed their path, and the weather was looking quite fine. They were on a winding mountain road, one that would lead into the valley below Canterlot Castle itself. The city wouldn’t be much further beyond that.

“Ugh, so much for Rainbow Dash, the hero of Equestrian medicine,” she moaned as she glided high above the cart. “Anyone mind explaining to me why we couldn’t have loaded her up onto a train and-”

Dash was cut off as a cold wind whipped across her face. It’s bitterness shook Dash to her core, especially since it was still the tail end of summer across Equestria, and the weather teams wouldn’t be preparing for winter for a couple more months. The higher the mountain was, the colder it got this, Dash was aware, but she hadn’t accounted for the group having to traverse such a high road. She looked up, realizing the quickly darkening sky. She hadn’t seen clouds form on their own, especially clouds like those, since the times she’d ventured into the Everfree forest.

The wind began to blow stronger now, and far colder. Snowflakes began to rain down almost immediately, and She knew little about the way other weather teams were organized, especially those around Canterlot, but seeing no other ponies in the area, she knew this was something totally unnatural. Quickly she zoomed down to the cart. Seeing the snow quickly descending, the stallions stopped the cart and waited for her report.

“This looks like it could get bad!” Dash shouted over the rising wind. “Are you sure you two can handle it?!”

Both nodded.

“I’ll try and keep the majority off of us,” the unicorn stallion spoke up, his horn glowing a soft orange.

Dash bumped him on the shoulder with her hoof and grinned. She floated around to the back to check on the nurse and her patient. Ditzy hadn’t moved from her position, but the nurse was frantically digging through a small case of items. Dash cocked her head, her mouth slightly agape as she watched as she tossed it aside and began digging through a second bag.

“Uh, what’s up Doc?”

“I’m a nurse, not a doctor, and I was sure we packed some jackets. Without any trains to Canterlot today, I thought they’d remember we had to come this way. Any changes to the patient could result in serious complications. We need to keep her warm.”

Rainbow withdrew her head from the covering, and found herself immersed in a sea of white. Nothing in front or behind but cold icy flakes drifting down with the wind.

Dash bit her lip. “Great, now what do I do?”

It took a few moments, but Rainbow wasn’t a stupid pony, and she managed to come up with an idea. She trotted quickly up to the stallions who were already becoming impatient.

“Alright you guys, have you made it to the city this way before?”

“Three times,” the unicorn snorted as he focused his magic, blowing the snow away from them.

“Four mah’self,” the earth pony replied, with a draw not dissimilar from Applejack.

“Do you still know the way? I mean, if his magic can give you any visibility at all, can you two make the journey without me?”

“You’re abandoning us?” the unicorn sneered. “Some Element of Loyalty.”

The earth stallion that had been checking Dash out earlier just sighed and looked toward the quickly disappearing trail.

“Of course not!” Rainbow snapped back. “I don’t want to let anypony down! But....this snow is too much for me to fly in. I can’t do you any good if I can’t see where I’m going. But that mare back there...she might freeze to death before we get there. She needs to be kept warm, and that is something I can do.”

The earth stallion smirked, clearly impressed by her spirit. The unicorn simply nodded, and motioned for her to get into the cart so they could go. Within seconds she climbed into the back, surprising the distressed looking nurse. She quickly explained her plan.

“Alright, lay over here and stretch out your wing. Wrap it tightly around her, but don’t strangle her. She still needs a little space. Now move your body close and try not to move too much until we reach the city,” the nurse tried her best to accommodate Rainbow’s unorthodox plan.

Rainbow followed every order without question, and hoped that the stallions knew what they were doing.

It was slow going, and Dash couldn’t be sure how long had exactly passed, but soon enough the path shifted into a downward slope. She hoped that it wouldn’t be long until they were out of the mountains and into the green valley below the Castle of the Royal Sisters.

Up front, Lifesaver and Siren tried to keep their pace. Both were cold, and yet their legs burned from the trek upwards. The snow seemed to be thinning out and the clouds had lightened, although the evening sun was still not visible to either of them. Siren let his magic release, and sighed with relief as his concentration finally broke.

“Don’t get too comfortable there pardner,” Lifesaver reminded him.

Siren turned his nose up, letting his gaze wander to the snow covered side of the mountain. Lifesaver shook his head and kept his focus on the trail ahead. Even so, neither of the stallions could have seen the broken path, obscured by the many inches of fallen snow. In a single step, Lifesaver was falling, pulling Siren and the cart with them.

The nurse cried in surprise as they went down. Dash, knowing her small frame would be useless to save everyone, did the only thing she could: she held tight to the comatose mare beside her, and shut her eyes as she waited for the ground to meet them.

Morning was coming to Ponyville. The sun hadn’t risen yet over the horizon, and all was quiet. Dinky was sleeping soundly in her bed . Twilight had assured the little unicorn they’d visit her mother once she was settled in Canterlot before she’d gone down. Dinky had been scared about the move, but when she’d found out that Rainbow Dash, whose fan club Dinky had been a member of, was with them, she settled immediately.

Early in the evening, Twilight had started flipping through a book on the Equestrian Renaissance, but she only read it half-heartedly. It was the first time in a long time Twilight hadn’t been interested in a book. Eventually she’d found herself pacing. She could see visible spots of wear in the carpet around her table. She needed news, she needed to know everything was alright.

Suddenly, there was knock at the door, startling her despite her disinterest in the text. She hurried quickly and flung it open. A single nurse she recognized from the hospital in Ponyville stood in the doorway. She started to speak, but her voice shook and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Twilight.

“M-m-miss Sparkle. I... we at the hospital....”

“What is it? Is it Ditzy? did something happen to Rainbow Dash?! Tell me please!”

“Well I-I-I...”

“Oh come on, I thought you could do this! I promised you 5 bits after all,” a familiar voice called out from around the corner.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight gritted her teeth.

The rainbow-maned mare came from the shadows and into view. Twilight gasped at her appearance. One of her hooves was bandaged, and a wooden crutch was strapped onto it to help her walk. Her left wing was stretched out, and splinted and wrapped. She had several cuts and bruises, and a black eye to top it all off. .

“My word Rainbow Dash, what happened? What about the cart, and the ponies, and Ditzy?! Are you ok?”

Dash looked down, a look of total sadness and disappointment crept across her face.

“Oh…oh no…oh Celestia no,” Twilight started to sob.

She didn’t see the smirk Dash was hiding behind her messy mane. The Pegasus looked up, trying to mimic the smile Twilight always wore around her friends.

“We made it Twi. It wasn’t easy, we had a really bad wreck on the way down the mountain path. Lucky for us there’s still some farmers that live outside of the city. Everyone got banged up pretty bad, but Ditzy is being settled in at Canterlot General as we speak.”

Twilight’s sobs of sadness suddenly became sobs of happiness. She embraced Dash in a tight hug, happy about Ditzy, but also happy to have her friend back safely.

“Owowowowow,” Dash squirmed. “Hey Twilight, you mind if I crash here tonight? I uh, can’t exactly make it home right now.”

The purple unicorn nodded as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

“Thank you Rainbow Dash,” Twilight continued to cry, “Thank You.”

Author's Note

This chapter was actually already published close to a year ago. However, I am writing the next chapter, and I was not a fan of what I originally wrote in this chapter. So it has been redone. I'm hoping that it flows a little bit better. For those that read the original, I thought it just felt too much like the storm that injured Derpy, so I rewrote it with a different weather condition. Speaking of weather, I was using a theory I had on Equestrian weather, being that, in cities and towns, thing shave sort of adapted to the ponies running everything, but places like mountains and forests akin to the Everfree, weather still manifests itself in unpredictable ways. I hope people are still around to read this, I do plan on finishing it very soon, and the next chapter is halfway completed as we speak. .