Hearing the sound of the front door closing, I waited for a minute to see if he would return then crept out of bed. Moving to the corner of the room I removed a loose floor board and took out two bags, one if them was a blue, beaten down saddlebags made for school aged foals while the second was a more newer, tan, adult sized saddlebags. Both of them filled with supplies.
Grabbing them both I snuck through the hallway to my sons bedroom, where he was fast asleep. I smiled at his sleeping form however upon seeing the black eye that sported his face, reminded me of the task in hoof.
I nudged his sleeping body and whispered “Come on Void, you need to wake up” After repeating myself several times, I watched his eyes flutter open as he sat up in bed rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
Yawning he muttered “What’s going on, Mummy”
I tried to think of how I was going to answer him as I put my old purple jacket that I used to wear as a filly onto him along with an old, light blue scarf and beanie. “We’re going on holiday” I told him.
“Is daddy, coming?” He asked me.
I hid the scowl that came across my face when he mentioned his father. Despite the constant abuse he had to put up with, he still loved his father.
“I’m sorry, honey but he can’t make it” I told him and my heart broke as his face turned to sadness.
He then asked “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to see some old friends” I explained. I then added while putting the saddlebags on him “But, we need to be quick, so we don’t miss the train”
“What about my toys” he asked, holding onto a wonderbolt Rainbow Dash plush toy.
“I’ll buy you some new ones” I then put him on my back and left the house.
***
Looking at the darkening sky, I ran to the train station.
Thats when I heard it “Where do you think you’re going!”
Turning around, my face fell as I saw my husband, once again, drunk as a skunk. I heard Void shout “Daddy!”
I then continued to run, I heard Void ask me “Why are we leaving, Daddy?”
Wanting to concentrate on running I ignored him, I felt bad as I felt him tugging on my mane in attempt to get my attention, but I kept on running. The train station now in sight I heard a crashing sound behind me but I still didn’t turn around to see what it was.
“Daddy fell, we need to go and help him” he pleaded, tapping my shoulder now but I kept on running, knowing that our lives depended on it.
I ran into the train station and practically shouted at the conductor “One adult and One foal ticket to Ponyville, please hurry” I pleaded while shoving the bits into his chest. I then watched the main entrance for any sign of my crazy husband “Hurry” I urged.
Just as he gave me the tickets I saw him burst into the station his light blue face, red with fury. I instantly rushed into the train just as the doors were closing, looking out the window I saw him push the conductor to the ground as he jumped over the ticket barriers and started to chase the train, which had begun pulling away. I sighed in relief as I watched him disappear in the distance.
***
I then looked at my son, who was on the verge of tears as he asked me in an accusatory voice “Why did you leave him?”
I looked into his golden eyes, which glared at me as I started to explain “Void, your father is a bad pony.”
“No he’s not” he said in denial.
“He is Void, he hurts you” I told him pointing at his black eye, which was one the reminders that we needed to get away as soon as possible.
“Thats only because I’m naughty. He says it’s because I’m useless and a bad colt” he tried to explain in vain.
“Hey, you are not a bad colt, you’re a good boy” I told him putting my hoof on his shoulder before pulling him into a hug. I could feel his tears staining my fur.
I then lied him down on one of the beds and placed a light blue blanket on him and told him “Why don’t you go to sleep and i’ll wake you up when we arrive at our stop” he nodded, cuddling up with his plushie.
He then asked me “Can you sleep with me mummy?”
I smiled at him before saying “I can’t sleep as we might miss our stop but I will lie in bed with you”
He muttered “ok” as I climbed into the bed and covered him with my wing and pulled him close to me.
I then kissed him on his forehead and whispered “Good night, my little streak”
He replied sleepily “Good night mummy, I love you”
My heart fluttered as he said this, I began to stroke his mane and gave him another peck on his forehead “I love you too”
Once I hear quiet snores erupting from his mouth. I looked out the dark window as I thought about, what would happen when I arrived at my foalhood home. I thought about my friends and what they would say once they seen me. The last I heard of them, Sweetie Belle had became a famous singer and Apple Bloom had started her own engineering company called, Bloom Tech. I also knew that they both turned the old Cutie Mark Crusader club into an actual charity helping those who haven’t yet found their cutie marks. My Sister had achieved her dream of becoming a wonderbolt and had her own range of merchandise.
***
Suddenly I heard the shrill whistle of the train arriving into a station along with the conductor announcing “We have now arrived at Ponyville”
I looked down at Void who had been woken up by the whistle, I then packed up the blanket and left the train and nearly slipped on the icy platform.
Looking at the clock I noticed that the time had just passed midnight, thats when I realised that it was technically Hearts Warming Eve. I looked down at my son as I had the nasty realisation that I hadn’t gotten anything for Void. Tears started to whell up in my eyes as I thought about how Void would feel, waking up to no gifts. Every Hearts Warming without fail I had gotten him gift of some kind despite the daily struggle I had to put myself through finding him a gift, knowing full well that I was going to get a beating of my jack ass of a husband for spending all the bits on a present, I still got him something for Void.
Void noticed my sadness and asked “What’s up, Mummy?”
“Nothing, sweetheart. Im just cold” I explained trying to hold back sobs.
He then offered me his scarf but I immediately turned it down saying “No honey, you keep it your more important”
I then began to walk through town, thankfull that the streets were empty. I then noticed my destination in the distance and picked up my son and I began to fly. Void put his hooves up in the air and cheered, he loved it when he was flying. His sorry excuse for a father refused to teach him, I tried to teach him but I hardly had time, the best I had managed was teaching him how to hover and glide.
I was hoping that she was in, I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she was out. I was also worried about how she would react to seeing me after so long without an explanation as to why I left.
***
Rainbow Dash yawned as she was sat with her husband, Soarin Skies. They had just finished setting up the Hearts Warming Eve boxes for her three kids when they heard a knock on the door. Rainbow muttered angrily “Whoever’s knocking at this time of night had better have a good excuse”
Soarin jokingly said “Maybe, its Santa”
“Don’t be stupid” Dash told him but giving him a playful jab on the shoulder.
Answering the door, her jaw dropped as her face looked like she had seen a ghost…
I knocked on the door and was relieved to hear somepony to come and answer it. The door opened to reveal my sister, Rainbow Dash, looking shocked. I didn’t know what to say and neither did she. I then heard a stallion’s voice shout “Who is it?” Before a blue pegasus showed up at the door, I recognised him as Soarin Skies, another Wonderbolt.
Suddenly, I felt like I was imposing on somepony’s private life. I suddenly found an interesting spot on the floor. My son suddendly screamed in a fan-boy kind of way “OH MY GOSH, YOU’RE RAINBOW DASH AND SOARIN!” He shouted, letting out an excited squeal, that was reminiscent of when I used to fawn over Rainbow Dash.
Soarin then knelt down to Void and said “Yes I am, what is your name?”
Void suddenly got shy and hid behind my leg and whispered “Void Streak.”
While this was going on me and Dash continued to stare at each other until I decided to break this uncomfortable silence “Hi, long time no see.”
Rainbow whispered “You’re real,” touching my face before pulling me in for a hug amd crying softly “I missed you so much, I have so many questions.”
“Can we come inside? It’s a long story,” I said, relieved that she wasn’t angry about my unexplained disappearance.
“Yes, Soarin can you make us all some hot cocoa?” She then held the door open and gestured for us to come in. I looked around the house in shock and awe, I wasn’t expecting it to be so big. I’ve never been inside of Rainbow Dash’s house before.
Soarin answered “Sure can do, honey” he then turned to Void and asked “Do you want to come and help me make it and let the grown ups talk.”
Void turned his face towards me, before he could ask me if he could I simply nodded my head, he then followed Soarin to the kitchen.. Meanwhile me and Dash sat down in the sitting room, which had a huge, hearts warming tree in the corner. Looking around I noticed pictures of Rainbow Dash, Soarin and two colts, who appeared to be slightly younger than Void, along with a baby filly.
Sitting down I told Rainbow “Let me start from the beginning.”
***
I looked at the test in shock, I was pregnant. My stomach plummeted as I thought about what my friends would think. I was dreading telling my parents, I knew that my father would flip demanding to know, who got his ten year old daughter pregnant.
I suddenly vomitted into the toilet. As I decided to hide it. I threw the pregnancy test into the bin before finding a purple jacket that I would wear to hide my growing bump.
I knew that I would have to tell my coltfriend the news. Pulling my hood up, I didn’t want to be seen. I found him at our usual hang out spot, at the top of a hill underneath an aging oak tree. My coltfriend was a transfer student from Manehatten. He was slightly older than me, he was light blue with a black mane and light blue eyes. His name was Stormy Streak.
“Hey Scoots!” He greeted, pulling me into a hug, he then asked “Whats with the jacket?”
I didn’t answer him straight away instead I burst into tears. He cuddled me some more before saying “Hey what’s up?”
Sniffling, I explained “I’m pregnant.”
He was silent, but then he burst out “I’m going to be a father!”
But then his face frowned “I won’t be able to see my foal. I’m going back to Manehatten”
My heart broke, I didn’t want him to leave.
Suddenly he then told me “Come with me.”
“What,” not believing what he had just said.
“Come with me to Manehatten.”he repeated.
But I immediately shot the idea, thinking it was crazy “I can’t, what about my parents.”
“Don’t tell them, just come with me,” he insisted.
“No Stormy, I can’t.”
His face flashed with anger as he exclaimed “Fine” before bucking the tree and storming of, leaving me in tears.
I walked into my house to find my parents sat in the living room, waiting for me to arrive back home. My father was seething and my mother was disappointed.
“What is this?” My mother asked harshly, throwing the positive, pregnancy test onto the table.
I didn’t answer, my father asked angrily “Who is the father?”
I didn’t tell him, I knew that if I told him he would find Stormy and beat the living daylights out of him. My parents were both overprotective of me but my father had made it expressly clear, that I was not to have a coltfriend until I was eighteen.
When he realised that he wasn’t going to get an answer out of me, he then ordered me “Get an abortion.”
I shouted “NO!”
“I am not taking a no for an answer, you are getting abortion, or else!” He shouted back.
“Or else, what?” I sneered.
“Or else you are out of this family,” he threatened. I merely rolled my eyes, he had threatened me with this type of thing before and never went through with it.
“No, You can’t make me get an abortion,” I told him taking a stance against my father.
He then calmly said “you’re right I can’t force you. Get out!”
“What,” not believing what I had just heard.
“get out, get out of my house!”
“But Dad,” I started but he cut me of.
“I’m not your father. I don’t want to have a slut for a daughter. Now get out!” He roared in anger.
Tears rolling down my cheeks, I turned to my mother but she looked away from me. I held onto my father and begged “Please dad, don’t do this!”
However he just pushed me of him before storming upstairs into my room and grabbing my things, he then packed some of my clothes into my saddlebags and then chucked them out the window. He then grabbed me by my arm and dragged me to the door where he flunged me out of the house before slamming the door shut.
I stated at the front door in shock not believing that my own family had disowned me. Not wanting to face town I walked over to Stormy’s house where I knocked on the door. A kind mare answered the door and introduced herself as Stormy’s mother before shouting up the stairs “Stormy, your fillyfriend is here!”
I saw him run down the stairs where he noticed that I had been crying. He took me into his room and I explained to him “My parents kicked me out, I’ve got nowhere to go.”
“Let me take you to Manehatten with me?” he asked again but this time I agreed. He managed to convince his mother to let me come.
***
“After he took me to Manehatten, his mother rented out a house for us. At first it went okay but shortly after my son was born he became more possessive and controlling. And then the drinking started. We hardly seen him during the day because he was always either at the pub pr the casino. One time, he got me fired because he stormed into the place I worked at and demanded that I gave him money. When I refused he trashed the fast food place, where I worked at. Originally he took his anger out of furniture and the house, then he took it out on me before eventually on Void too. When he first hurt Void, I tried to leave but he told me that he had control of all the money and that he wouldn’t give any to us and if I tried to take him, he would take me to court and tell them that I was unfit to be a parent. It was horrible, watching him beat us up. To avoid suspicion he forced me to homeschool Void. He also refused to let me send any letters or to even leave the house. I was practically trapped in my own home!” I explained to Rainbow, who looked both shocked and angry.
Rainbow hugged me as I cried “There there let it all out, he’s not going to hurt you anymore”
“I can’t even get Void any hearts warming gifts because I spent my last remaining bits on the train ticket,” I told Dash.
“You and Void can stay in the guest bedroom,” she told me.
I sniffled as I asked “Are you sure, I don’t want to impose”
Rainbow merely waved her hoof through the air “I wouldn’t be the element of loyalty if I left you out on the streets.”
“Thank you so much!” I exclaimed.
“Eh, it’s no problem, I think it’s time that you went to bed anyway”
I nodded before shouting “Void! Come on, its time for bed now”
“Mummy you should see my hot chocolate, I put chocolate sprinkles on it and marshmallows” I smiled as he described his hot cocoa.
Rainbow showed us to a guest room that had its own private bathroom. Taking him in my arms, I climbed into bed with him. Rainbow muttered goodnight before switching the lights of. I quickly settled into the comfy cloud bed and went out like a light.