My little Tavi

I woke up from another nightmare. I was chased by something I couldn’t see, but I could feel its nasty presence right behind me. I ran even thought I knew I couldn’t get away. My ears were filled with scream and crying, and I could feel the monster getting closer and closer. Just when I was about to be caught, I heard a familiar barking, and then I jerked awake. Sweating and panting, I sat in the darkness for a while to calm my rapidly pumping heart.

Sam is the German shepherd that I have kept for more than three years now. In a world full of lies, pain and misery, he is my only true friend. He is usually quiet, but tonight he seems rather anxious. Maybe something had caught his attention, and he found it necessary to wake up his friend.

I put on a jacket and slippers. I grabbed my flashlight and went downstairs towards the front yard. The night was cold, and I shrugged as I open the door towards the front gate where Sam is. It was probably around 5 am, since the sky was still dark, but some faint light could be seen on the edge of the sky.

Sam stopped barking as soon as he saw me. He ran over and rubbed himself against my feet. I felt his warm breath against my ankle, so I bend down and gave him a pat on the head. He seems rather calm and happy. Maybe he found another dead cat ran over by a truck or something. I stood up again and walked towards the front gate. Sam circled around me and then walked right next to me.

I walked to where Sam was and looked down. There was indeed something on the ground. It looked like a small creature with gray and black fur. It’s about the size of a medium puppy. There were a few blood spots around it, but not enough to cause serious injury. It might have been an injured cat or puppy. It was too dark for me to see clearly, so I turned on my flashlight and pointed it at the strange creature.

For a second there, I thought I was dreaming. I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself on my forearm. My vision was clear and I felt pain. I looked down again. I could not believe my eyes.

It was a pony, just like the ones from that one show that I used to watch. I think it was called my tiny pony or something. That was long time ago, a few years maybe. I was in college back then, and everything was great. I can still remember people laughing, hugging, and there were love and friendship everywhere. But after the world economy broke down, everything fell apart. People became deceiving and selfish. Hunger, terrorism, racism… bad times like this brought out the worst in human nature. The government tried to establish a new system, but it never quite worked out. Sure people are still working, eating, and living, but all the positive things such as honesty, happiness, and love were nowhere to be found. Every day was the same dark gray mess. I could faintly recall the memories of myself laughing and actually enjoying life, and I often wondered what had happened to me, the past me who was able to laugh so hard that my stomach ache from too much joy.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. I sighed deeply. It was indeed cold outside. I could see a small fog forming right in front of my nose and mouth.

I pointed the flashlight at the creature again and looked closer. It was a small pony with gray fur. Her mane and tail were both black with strands of light gray hair. She looked unconscious, her tiny body shivering from the cold.

Sam walked over and sniffed the pony, and immediately he let out a groan and was about to start barking again. I grabbed muzzle and stroked his back, whispering, “Shhhh, it’s okay…” Sam eventually came down and looked at the tiny creature with curiosity.

Well, I can’t just leave her out like this in such cold. Even though she is probably from a completely different dimension, I’d hate to witness the death of another living creature right in front of my door step again. Besides, the house was a bit too big for just me and Sam any way.

But deep inside, I had other thoughts, other hopes. I knew it’s probably never going to come true, but I wished to find happiness again, to experience the same joy that I felt years ago. I see no hope of finding it in the human world, so maybe through this strange encounter I could feel joy from an extension of the pony world that I had dream about so many times.

I took off my jacket and wrapped it around the pony. She was a bit bigger than I imagined, about the weight of a five year old child perhaps. She moved and moaned a little when she felt the unfamiliar touch in her sleep, but as soon as my body heat reached her, she quickly quieted down. I sneezed as soon as I felt the cold air against the back of my neck, so I rushed into my house with the little gray pony in my arms.

I ran to the table and pushed all of the dirty dishes and empty beer cans out of the way. The pony was a bit too heavy for me to hold with one arm, so I quickly set her down on the table. She was lying down on her side, all four of her hooves on one side. I grabbed one of her front hooves and started checking for injuries. Unlike the real ponies from my world, her hooves are round and soft. Her fur covered her entire hoof, and I could feel her pulse through the tip of her hooves.

I finally found the wound. It was a cut underneath her armpit. It looked a scratch from a piece of sharp metal. The wound was a few inches long, but not very deep, so she should be all right. I took some cotton and cleaned the wound with some alcohol. She didn’t wake up from the pain, but she took a deep breath every time I touched the wound. She must be in great pain, but I had to prevent infection. After cleaning the wound, I covered the wound with a piece of clean cloth and wrapped it around with bandages.

“There.” I murmured to myself as I wiped the sweat off my forehead. She should be fine now. I would have never guessed that the first time I apply my knowledge of first aid will be on a creature from a completely different dimension.

I put my arms below her and lifted her up like carrying a baby. I took her upstairs and put her in the spare room that I had. I pulled the bed cover to the side, set her down, and put the cover over her tiny body. I could hear her breathing again, much easier and smoother now. It looked like she was no longer in pain, and her lips had curved upwards a bit to form a tiny smile. I looked at her face silently, the feeling of her fur and weight still lingering on my arms.

I rubbed my arms with my hands to get rid of the strange sensation. Feeling a bit tired, I decided to take a nap on the chair nearby. I turned off the light of the room, and soon I fell asleep to the sound of the wind and the little pony’s quiet, peaceful, and rhythmic breathing.