Bubbles: Derpy's Return

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
chapter three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Prologue
Chapter Nineteen

Chapter One

Chapter one
"Dinky! Muffins!" Called Dinky's mom from the kitchen. Dinky gasped and galloped down the stairs, thump thump thump thump thump. Dinky ran past the fireplace which had a yellow pony-looking doll sitting on it, with looked really old and tattered. She flapped her wings as hard as she could and jumped up onto the chair of the dining table. Dinky's mommy turned around with a big tray or golden muffins. Dinky gasped.

"Mommy! They look..." The gray mommy placed a golden muffin with brown spots all over, and the smell flew up Dinky's nostrils in a flash. Chocolate, sweet... It made her mouth water. "These look yummy!" She bit off the muffin top, and chewed the fluffy, cake-like texture. Her taste buds cowered at the wonderful sweetness of the chocolate chip. It tasted like there were fireworks in her mouth. She used her horn to levitate the milk over to her, and took a big gulp. The tasted of the milk balanced out the bitterness of the chocolate that was still in her mouth. It was delicious.

"Dinky, I have to take care of some mail today." Said mommy in her funny voice. She picked up the hot muffin tray with her oven-mit still in her mouth, and set the tray on the stove that she had just cleaned, and it showed the muffin tray in it's reflection. Dinky nodded as she finished her chocolate chip muffin, and drank the entire glass of milk. Mommy flapped her wings and flew out of the kitchen to the hat stand, where her mail bag was sitting. Dinky looked at mommy's wings, and shrugged as she levitated her empty glass to the sink.

As Mommy flew out, Dinky got her saddle bags and galloped out the open door, shutting it behind her with a kick. She galloped all the way the dirt road path and strode into central Ponyville. She had no friends, but she didn't mind. She knew everyone was scared about how Dinky might act because of how Mommy was, but she wasn't sad. She just thought if the other fillies in her class got to know her and she showed how smart she was, maybe she could make some friends and even join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Dinky sighed as she looked at her flank. Nothing. It was bare. Not even Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon noticed her. Well, she was actually grateful for that. They made everypony’s lives awful and sad, but Dinky had a strategy to not get them to notice her. She ate lunch in the classroom with Ms. Cherilee and went to recess after she ate, unlike the fillies who ate and played at the same time. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara don’t eat lunch. They say that it will make them fat. But Dinky eats lunch every day! Why isn't she fat?
Dinky found herself in the Ponyville Schoolhouse playground the next moment she zapped to reality. She knew the entire way to the school and Mommy only helped her twice! Sometimes Mommy still walks to school with her, but when she does, the other pony’s don’t want to be around her. Dinky hears their whispers about how she messes up a lot, and she is “disabled.” Dinky didn't know what “disabled” meant, but it must be bad. But Dinky doesn't care. She loves her mommy, and Mommy loves her.

Chapter Two

Chapter two
Dinky walked into the classroom while the other fillies were talking and she took her seat behind a pony with an orange coat and a purple-ish pink-ish mane. Dinky liked Scootaloo because she didn’t have a cutie mark either! She was friends with two other fillies- Apple Bloom and Sweetiebell- and they had a secret club together. Well, not really secret, almost everypony knew about it; but Dinky thought it was cool that they had their own club. Dinky sighed. Mommy didn’t want Dinky to form her own club because they live in a treehouse and don’t have a yard. Dinky sighed and levitated her pencil to a piece of paper and began to doodle. She drew a picture of Mommy surrounded by bubbles while she was smiling.
“Alright class, settle down!” Ms. Cheerilee called in her big-pony voice. Dinky put down her pencil as Ms. Cheerilee walked over to the big blackboard. “Today, we’re going to learn how to do multiplication!” Dinky beamed. One time, a mare named Twilight Sparkle taught her how to do that when Dinky couldn’t figure out how many muffins she should share with the class when Mommy made thirty. Then Twilight taught her that in order to divide, you had to do division. Dinky sat up straight and mumbled to herself,
“Easy Peasy, one-two-threesy!” Ms. Cheerilee picked up chalk with her mouth and began to write on the board a problem. 2 x 2 =__
Dinky gasped. This one was the first problem Ms. Sparkle taught her how to do! Dinky shot her hoof in the air and waved it all around, making “ooh!”s and “oh!”s. Ms. Cherilee looked at Dinky is a funny way. It was the same way ponies looked at her when she said that Derpy was her mommy.

“Yes, Dinky?” She said in her high voice which Dinky loved.

“Um, can I solve it?” She said excitedly. All the ponies looked at her and there were a lot of murmur noises. Dinky felt herself get hot. She didn’t like ponies staring at her. Then she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon staring at her, too. She ignored everypony anyway. Ms. Cheerilee started to stutter.
“But, Dinky… I haven’t taught you how to do it yet!” She said, confused.

“Ms. Sparkle taught me!”

“You mean Twilight Sparkle?”

“Uh huh.” Dinky looked at the problem and squirmed. She wanted to show everypony how smart she was, but Ms. Cherilee was taking forever!

“Well… I suppose you could-“ Before Ms. Cherilee finished her sentence, Dinky strode up to the board and levitated the chalk up and she wrote the number four. She turned around and stepped away from the problem so everypony could see how smart she was. She heard Diamond Tiara’s snort and Silver Spoon’s giggle follow a bit delayed.
“Big deal,” Diamond Tiara said in her mean voice which she used on ponies who made her feel scared. That’s what Mommy says, anyway. “So she can add numbers!” Silver Spoon giggled after and added on to Diamond Tiara’s mean words.

“Ya, I mean, Multiplying is basically adding!” All the ponies looked at Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara and laughed along with them. All except for Sweetiebell, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who looked at Diamond Diara and Silver Spoon in a sad way, then back at Dinky. Dinky looked at Ms. Cherilee for help, but she just stared at Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara in a mad way. Then Ms. Cherilee snapped.

“CLASS!” She said in her angry-pony voice. The entire room became silent in an instant, and everypony froze, including Dinky. Ms. Cherilee never used her mean voice unless somepony was being super mean to Dinky. Ms. Cherilee was extra-sugary sweet to Dinky.
“Now that’s enough, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!” She snapped. Dinky felt herself cowering and got a little scary feeling in her stomach, and her eyes got hot and felt water coming up. “You two are wrong. That problem is one of the problems you will all have to learn, and you should be grateful you have a pony in class who understands it!” Diamond Tiara scoffed at Ms. Cherilee while Silver Spoon tried to look cool, but Dinky could tell she was scared just like Dinky.
“Multiplying is NOT like addition, Silver Spoon.” Silver spoon cowered at her name, but straightened up when everypony started looking at her. Then Ms. Cherilee turned to Dinky and strode over to her, smiling. Dinky didn’t look at her teacher because she was shaking. Was she in trouble too? Was Ms. Cherilee gonna yell at her for letting her Mommy leave her home alone?

Dinky’s thoughts were interrupted with Ms. Cherilee’s head nudging hers gently and soothingly. Dinky liked it when ponies did it. It reminded her of Mommy.
“That’s right, Dinky!” She said in her happy voice again. Dinky looked up at her and smiled.

“I’m right?!” Dinky smiled as Ms. Cherilee nodded. Dinky galloped over to her desk and everypony stopped staring at her. She then picked up her pencil with her magic again and finished her drawing while she listened to Ms. Cherilee teach the class how to do something she had already learned.

chapter three

Chapter three
Dinky sat at the dinner table with Mommy as they ate hay fries with muffins for dessert. Dinky smiled at Mommy, who was looking at her and smiling. At least, Dinky thought she was looking at her. She could never really tell for sure because her eyes were so crooked. But Dinky just assumed she was looking at her. Even though Mommy’s eyes are funny, Dinky still loved her mommy. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Mommy flew over, bumping her glass of water just slightly. Dinky used her magic to straighten it out, and followed after Mommy’s trail just right, so she wouldn’t know Dinky was there. Dinky hid behind the umbrella-holder that was next to the door. She listened.
Mommy opened the door and Dinky saw two really tall ponies that were wearing gold armor and had unicorn horns just like her! She moved the umbrella’s slightly to get a better look. Then the grey pony opened his mouth and spoke in a big-pony voice like the Mayor Mare did during Winter Wrap-Up.
“Derpy D. Hooves, you are hereby under arrest for the incapability of caring for a child. You are going to be taken to Canterlot in one hour. In that time, you must find another caretaker for your child, Dinky D. Hooves.” The one colt looked at mommy angrily while the other saw Dinky through the umbrellas. She sighed and looked at mommy sadly.
“Say goodbye.” He and the other colt walked away and sat outside the treehouse. Mommy was looking really funny. Not the haha funny, but the funny that made Dinky’s stomach hurt. Dinky came out from behind the umbrella’s and looked at Mommy.
“Mommy?...” She whimpered. Mommy sighed and turned to Dinky. Her eyes were straight now. Dinky walked slowly to her and felt like crying. “Mommy…?!” Dinky forced herself not to cry. She wanted to show that she was a big pony, and big ponies don’t cry.
“Dinky,” Mommy said in her funny voice. “Mommy has to go away for a little while, and I might not be back in time for Nightmare Night.” Dinky looked at her mommy really worriedly. Where was Mommy going? She heard the guards talk about Canterlot, but only briefly…
“W-What about Hearths Warming?” She started sniffling, but forced herself not to cry. Mommy looked at Dinky really sadly and shook her head. She grabbed Dinky and hugged her really tight, but not tight enough to stop her heart from breaking. She whispered really sadly to Dinky.
“It’s okay to cry, Dinky Doo.” Mommy’s words touched Dinky’s face like a soft feather. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. It tickled, but not in a funny way. She cried and cried and cried until Mommy pulled away. “You need to go pack a saddle bag and go with Twilight Sparkle.”
Dinky looked at Mommy like she looks at Diamond Tiara when she says something mean. Did Mommy actually want her to leave? Unbelieveable!
“But… We were going to go to the Hearths Warming Eve pageant! We were gonna watch Ms. Sparkle and her friends do the play!”
“I know, Dinky but Mommy’s in a lot of trouble because she had you. Ponies don’t like mares and colts like me because we’re different and they think we can’t do things on our own.”
“Ponies like what?” Dinky asked, confused.
“Disabled.” Mommy said the words like they tasted badly in her mouth. Dinky felt her stomach turn and suddenly realized she had stopped crying. She wiped away her tears with her hoof and stood up tall. She was a big pony. The only pony she’s ever cried in front of was her mommy, and she barely remembers when she cries unless it’s something important like a birthday or if somepony died.
“Go pack a saddle-bag, Dinky.” She said once more. Dinky sniffled and nodded. She galloped up the stairs to her room and looked around. It was fairly big with a bed in the corner and a book shelf full of books about magic, history, and even some fictional stuff. Including one book she got from Ms. Sparkle on her birthday called “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.” It was Dinky’s favorite book, and she never got the chance to go get the other ones in the series. She got her yellow saddle bag with the bubbles on the clip and put the book in it. She looked around the room and saw a grey pony-looking doll. She smiled and grabbed it. She called the doll Miss Derpy, because Mommy said she had a doll just like that and named it Miss Sweety because that’s what her daddy called her mommy. Dinky never met Mommy’s mommy. But when she told Ms. Cherilee about her, Ms. Cherilee said that kind of pony is called a “grandmother”.
Dinky sighed and place the doll in her bag. She then looked around the room once more. She looked at her desk that was at the foot of her bed and the lamp that sat on it. She looked at the doll house in the other corner and the posters of Sapphire Shores and her closet that had a few party dresses in there. She then saw the picture of her and Mommy. She trotted over and looked at it. It was her and Mommy in Manehatten standing in front of the big red bridge. Neither her nor Mommy knew what it was called, but they thought it was cool so they took a picture of it. It was the only picture she had of her mommy. She placed it inside her saddle-bag without a second thought. But then she got a sick feeling. What if Mommy didn’t have a picture of her to remember her by? Dinky didn’t want her mom to forget what she looked like! Sometimes Mommy forgot things, and she thought how bad it would be if Mommy forgot about her. Then she heard the tall ponies’ voices.
“You have ten minutes!” They said in their scary-voices. Dinky started muttering a prayer to Celestia.
Dear holy Celestia,
It’s me, Dinky. I don’t know if you’ll get this because my magic isn’t too good, but I’ll use it to send to you anyway; Please let Mommy get me back by Hearth’s Warming Eve. I didn’t get to see Ms. Sparkle and her friends do the play last year, but I got to be in the one here in Ponyville. Please let Mommy get me back, because I love her very much, and she’s a really nice mommy. I don’t want her to go away forever, so please, please, please let her come back!
Your royal subject,
Dinky.

Dinky used her magic to send the prayer to Celestia, and grabbed her lucky piggy bank, where every time she made a wish or wanted something, she put in a bit.

She put her bag on, took one last look in her room, and very sadly walked down the stairs to say goodbye to Mommy.

Chapter Four

Chapter four

I gallop around the library, searching for that book. I really dislike it when I lose a book, and I do it more than ponies would think…

I gallop up the stairs to Spike’s basket to find him still snoring.

“Spike! Wake up!” I use my magic to levitate him out of his basket. “This is the SECOND time this morning I’ve told you to do so!” I shake him up, down, around and even throw him a little, but he continues snoring. I sigh and put him back in his basket. Nothing I can do now. But if only I knew where that book was…

Just then, Spike burps a scroll from the princess, and that startles him awake.

“I DIDN’T DO IT!!” He cries as he bolts up. I give him a look and he smiles sheepishly and laughs nervously. I roll my eyes.

“Spike, I’ve told you a thousand times this morning to get up!” I trot over to retrieve the scroll and open it up and read it as Spike goes on and on about how he “so dearly wanted to help” and “couldn’t for the life of him get up”. I tune him out after a while to read the message Princess Celestia had sent to me. I finish the letter, but reread it. I reread it again. I’ve never had a problem processing the messages that the Princess send to me, but this one just… shocked me! I drop the scroll and stand there, frozen.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Spike comes over and picks up the scroll to put in the archive of previous Celestia scrolls in the back of the library.

I trot downstairs again and pace. I know I promised Spike that I wouldn’t pace, but it keeps my sanity in check! I couldn’t possibly NOT pace at a time like this! Dinky is coming with me? Derpy going away? Who’s Dinky, and why is Derpy leaving? I gallop to Spike who was just about to put the scroll away.

“Wait!” I snatch the scroll out of his hands with my magic and open it up, reading it one last time.

“Twilight Sparkle,

I apologize to bring this up with you on such short notice, but this has to be done and it is an emergency; it seems the Pegasus Derpy D. Hooves has been harboring a foal when she does not have the capability to hold one. She has been raising this filly since she was born and leaves her home alone sometimes when she isn’t near old enough to do so. Guards were sent to retrieve Derpy Hooves and her daughter, Dinky D. Hooves, is going to be sent to live with you. I don’t think I mentioned to the guards that Dinky was going to live with you, so be prepared to tell them if they pass by.

“Please understand that this is a difficult time for the both of them. Derpy will be held at a local hospital in Canterlot and is going to be taught how to care for a foal appropriately. She is going to be there for one year’s time. Please be diligent to teach this filly that her mother isn’t the type of pony to care for a foal. I await you response.

“Sincerely,

Princess Celestia”

Spike stares at me as he listens to the letter, and suddenly he gets very angry.

“What does she mean, ‘harboring a foal when she does not have the capability to hold one’?!” Spike stares at the scroll and grabs it, throwing it into the archives room.

“Spike!” I gallop in there and levitate it as I trot over to Spike. I look at the stamp on the scroll with the shiny red ribbon and the golden crest with a “C” on it. Celestia doesn’t seem like the type of mare to do such a thing…

“Why would Celestia do that?” He asks, a bit more calm this time. “She always seemed so wise and kind…” I nod.

“I agree. I was just thinking the same thing,” I state as I set the scroll on the table in the middle of the room. “She would never say such ghastly things! She basically said ‘people with disabilities have no rights’!” I shook my head and suddenly saw the book I was looking for.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Spike and I look at each other and I trot over to the door. I use my magic to open it, and standing at my door is Rarity. I sigh in relief.

“Hello, Darling.” Rarity says while her eyes slightly twitch. I look at her, confused.

“Hi, Rarity,” I say cautiously. She seems odd today. Normally she is so put together and calm and content, but today her hair is straight, her eyelashes don’t have as much volume as they usually do, and her eyes keep twitching around, like she’s looking for something. “Are you feeling alright?” I look behind me to make sure she isn’t looking at something behind me.

Rarity shakes her head. “There’s something you need to see.” She steps aside and leads me around the corner, where two of Celestia’s guards are walking down the dirt road, escorting a grey Pegasus with a yellow mane. Her eyes are slightly crossed and she appears embarrassed and sad. Then I see a little foal galloping toward them, crying.

“Oh no…” I mutter. I gallop over to the guards.

“Twilight, Wait!” I hear Rarity call to me frantically. I ignore her and gallop to the sobbing foal. She starts calling to the guards and her mother as if they were leaving her alone forever.

“Mommy, No!! Leave her alone! Mommy!!” She suddenly tripped and started to fall, but I caught her with my hoof before she scraped her face. I look at her and notice her lighter sort of purplish-grayish coat and light yellow mane. She’s Dinky, right? I thought to myself. I never imagined that her mother was Derpy…

“Dinky, calm down, it’s okay…” I try to soothe her, but she pushes me away. I look at her, shocked. She never acted repulsively against me! No once!

“No! It’s not okay! She’s my mommy!” She started trying to get to Derpy, but I knew if she did that, she’d get in trouble as well. I then got an idea on a spell I could cast on her to calm her down, but I didn’t want to do it. I hate tricking other ponies, but others were starting to stare at the wailing foal. I knew it had to be done.

I let her go and she starting sprinting toward the guards. I cast the Rock-a-Bye spell and she suddenly froze in her place.

“Wait, wha-?” Her voice trailed off as she collapsed unconscious. I sighed sadly and picked up the now sleeping foal and carried her on my back. I walked up to my front nor and nodded to Rarity to come inside.

Chapter Five

Chapter five

I paced back and forth in front of the table in the middle of my library. I have a foal to care for now. How on earth am I going to do it? I hardly know anything about foals! Is there-

“Good heavens, darling, calm down!” Rarity interrupted my thoughts. “I have SWEETIEBELL as my sister. I’m sure I can help you with her!” I looked at Rarity, who was rubbing her side-brains slightly with her hooves. I blushed.

“I guess my thoughts became words, huh?” I smiled as I stopped pacing. Rarity nodded. “Well, I may not know how to take care of foals, but I think I know how I can learn!”

“And how is that?” Rarity asked, her eyes looking at all the books.

“You guessed it,” I said as I started up my magic, “Books!” I took out a few books from the shelves that I knew mentioned foals. “Let’s see; ‘Foalsitting for Teenage Mares and Colts’. No, that won’t do. ‘Newborns for New Parents’. Close, but not quite…” I caught a glimpse of Rarity who had her hoof covering her face.

“For heaven’s sake, darling! Stop researching! I watch foals on a regular basis!” She said to me impatiently.

“What are you getting at?” I asked her, still looking through titles. ‘Fables through Foals’. I actually think that one is fictional…

“Let. Me. Help. You.” She spat out slowly, as if I didn’t understand English.

“And how do YOU know to care for fillies?” I asked Miss-Know-It-All.

“MY SISTER.” She replied. I dropped all the books and lowered my ears, blushing.

“Oh, right.” I said. Rarity and I looked at each other and burst into giggles as I put the books away. Rarity may act rude, but we all know she means well. Besides, that’s who she is. And we love her for who she is.

Rarity got out my chalkboard with her magic and she taught me how to care for foals. Amazing, I thought to myself. I knew that friends could teach me life lessons, but I didn’t mean that literally. Rarity even taught me about newborn foals. Changing them, feeding them, she didn’t teach me about the magic surges though. I knew that already. But she taught me also about how delicate young ponies can be. She taught me that Dinky is going to be very sensitive about her mother being taken away from her.

“Don’t worry, Rarity. I’m aware of the consequences that will result from this problem. Dinky will probably have some trouble adjusting to me being her foster-parent since she thinks of me as her teacher.” I said. Rarity nodded and put down the chalk as we heard hoof-steps coming down the stairs.

“Rarity!” I whispered. “Put the chalkboard away!” Rarity nodded and kicked the chalkboard with her hind-legs into the other room. I winced at the crashing sounds and was about to go check that nothing was broken, but then I saw Dinky appear before I had a chance.

“Where’s Mommy?” She asked in her shaky voice.

Chapter Six

Chapter six

Rarity and I watched the foal as we waited for a response. We told her EVERYTHING. We of course didn't explain WHY she was taken away, but we explained why Derpy was leaving without the "disabled" part. We sat in the library, silence seeming to embed the room. Its like the feeling you have when you are completely in the dark, not a stream of light entering the room, unable to see even your own hoof in front of your face. It was very uncomfortable. Just then, salvation.

"I'm going home." She said in a monotone. Rarity and I eyed each other.

"Uh... Well... Um..." Rarity was stumbling on words as the foal slowly walked past us. I trotted in front of her, blocking her path and causing her to stop. She looked up at me, her face still red from sobbing and her eyes quivering. Don't fall for it, Twiley, I told myself. She's guilting you! I smiled down at her.

"You can't!" I said in the nicest way I could, but to no prevail. Her eyes seemed to get glossier. No, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!

"Why not?" She asked, her voice cracking. I swallowed. I had to fight the urge to hug her... Not yet... Be patient. I looked at her. Cuteness... Too... Strong...! I fought the urge and stood tall, refusing to show weakness.

"This is your home now!" I said, still smiling the same warm smile Celestia gave me when we defeated Discord with the Elements of Harmony. Dinky seemed unimpressed. She saw right through my act. I sighed and dropped the smile. I knelt down on my hooves to get eye-to-eye with the little filly.

"Listen, sweetie, I know you want to go back to your old home, but if you do that, you're going to get in a lot of trouble. You don't want that, do you?" I pleaded, looking Dinky in the eyes and tried to almost beg her in her mind. I know Zecora said "telepathy was not real, no matter what you feel", but I know that Dinky can see it in my eyes, because of the reaction I received from her facial expression. But she just shook her head and continued walking. I huffed and teleported myself in front of the front door.

"W-what about me?" I blurted out, sweating slightly as she got closer to the door. If I don't stop her now, I never will.

"What ABOUT you?" She asked, making a funny face. I racked my brain for something to say. She was distracted now, but I don't know what to do to get her to stay...

"If... if you walk out on me and stay at your house on your own... um..." I looked past Dinky and at Rarity, who was making a spiral motion with her hoof. "Keep going!" She mouthed. I changed my facial expression to show her I got it.

"If you walk out on me, I'll get in trouble and be charged by Celestia as an unfit parent!" I said, proud with my excuse. I looked Dinky right in the eye, and knew immediately i hit a soft spot. She sighed and walked the other direction, not turning back to me as she spoke.

"Fine, but I'm going home at Hearth's Warming Eve." She said, once again in a monotone. I sighed with relief. I've bought myself some time, at least.

That night, I spent a few hours preparing a room for her. I saw her unpack her bag, and saw the book i got her a while. I don't remember if it was her birthday of Hearth's Warming, but I know it was from me. I then immediately knew what to do. I had an entire room in my home for fictional books, so I set up a temporary bed for her in there. I smiled as I looked at the bed I set up which was by the window. I smiled and ruffled the curtains that were hanging in front of the window. I hadn't opened them in a long time, because I've been reading a lot of Magic books lately. Preparing for a big exam coming up.

"Where can I put this?" Said a small voice behind me. I turned around to see Dinky carrying her saddle bags. I looked around and saw an old filing cabinet. I had no idea what was in there, but I figured she could put her saddle-bags on top of it.

"There," I said, pointing my hoof at the cabinet. "You can just set it on top of that if you want." I stated as I started trotting out of the room. I grabbed a lamp and levitated it into the room a couple minutes later, and found her settling into the bed I had set up. She briefly looked at me, but was mostly focusing on using her magic to set a picture frame up on the window sill. I set the lamp next to her saddle-bag and plugged it into the outlet and turned it onto the lowest setting as a nightlight for her. Rarity happened to mention young foals can be scared of the dark sometimes.

When I turned around, I saw Dinky was already asleep, and the picture frame was off the window and nestled in her arms. I then saw the familiar red bridge that I saw in Manehatten once. I walked quietly over to put the blanket on her and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the picture. There, in the middle of the frame, was a photograph of her and Derpy hugging and smiling, as if they had heard something really funny and were laughing. I felt myself tearing up as I looked at Dinky, who was sleeping with a smile on her face, and a single tear rolling down one of her cheeks.

Chapter Seven

"Dinky, come on, it's time for the race!" A voice called, sounding like Dinky was underwater and there was somepony calling her from above. Dinky's eyes fluttered open, and saw she had slept with the picture of her and Mommy. Again. Dinky gasped and fumbled with it as she rushed to put it on the window sill. She looked at the picture and kissed her hoof and then placed her hoof on the part of the frame where Mommy was smiled, her crooked eyes seeming to shimmer in the sepia-colored morning.

"Good morning, Mommy." Dinky whispered as she rushed out of her room, which now had a real bed in it. Ms. Sparkle had her friend Apple Jack make it for her, even though Dinky said it was okay by her to sleep on a regular mattress. Dinky bumped into Ms. Sparkle as she was galloping out the door.

"Oh my gosh, Dinky, are you alright?!" She said to Dinky in a scared voice as she bent down to help Dinky up. Dinky giggled.

"Sorry, I galloped. Yes, I'm alright." Dinky said, blushing. Ms. Sparkle reminds her all the time not to gallop in the library, even though she does it sometimes when she's looking for something, like a lost book or a letter from the Princess that Spike burped out but it got lost in the clutter of books and scrolls of science things. (Ms. Sparkle does a lot of liquid-mixing and potion-making sometimes) Ms. Sparkle laughed and sighed.

"Come on, we're going to be late." She said, leading Dinky out the door, where Spike was waiting, tapping her foot. When he saw Dinky and Ms. Sparkle, he sighed the way Dinky does when Ms. Sparkle tells her to do her homework.

"Finally!" He said. "I need to get there early to help Pinkie with the announcing!" He ran to get a little ahead of them and then would slow down after a while and speed up again. He did that a lot when he was excited.

Finally, they got to the Running of the Leaves race. Dinky was going to watch Ms. Sparkle run and Spike said it was okay for her to ride in the balloon with Spike and Pinkie Pie. Dinky was super excited. She felt a fluttery feeling in her stomach. It was the same feeling she got when she was going to be in the talent show. But she wasn't scared. Why did she have this feeling?

"Um... Ms. Sparkle?" Dinky asked, trying not to let her voice quiver. Ms. Sparkle looked down at Dinky, with a slight "Hm?" as she did so.

"Dinky," She said, laughing slightly. "You can call me Twilight! You don't have to address me so formally." She smiled down at Dinky. Dinky tuned out Spike's practicing for the race. She wondered if Ms. Spar- uh, Twilight was doing the same thing.

"Oh, okay... um... TWILIGHT." Dinky giggled at herself. The words sounded foreign, like something you've always wanted to say but could never really say because it's never happened to you, like saying "I broke my wing once" or, "I was sick at the hospital." Dinky could almost TASTE the funny words.

"What's this funny feeling in my tummy? I'm not scared... Why is it so fluttery?" Dinky wondered to Twilight.

"Oh, you're just excited! That's something a lot of ponies call 'butterflies'. They say they have butterflies in their tummy when they're scared or excited!" Twilight said in her soft, intelligent voice. Dinky's eyes widened.

"But, I never swallowed-" She stopped herself. She remembered just the other day Ms. Cherilee taught the class about different figurative language. What was this one again...?

"It's kind of like... a metaphor, right?" Dinky asked.

"Well, yes. I suppose it is. But remember, a real metaphor is when you use 'is' to describe something." Twilight mentioned to Dinky, teaching her without knowing yet again.

Dinky and Twilight stopped at the edge of White-Tail wood in a shock. Nopony was there! Dinky's butterflies only grew, and she felt sick-ish now. She was so excited towatch Twilight run, but why was it that big of a deal? Suddenly she remembered. Her and Mommy would always come to watch the leaves fall.

"W-where is everypony?" Spike asked, clearly looking for Pinkie's balloon.

"I dont know! this is the right day, isn't it?" Twilight asked in her scared voice. Dinky sat on the ground. She was tired from walking. White-Tail Wood is kind of a long walk from the library. Suddenly, Dinky saw a carraige coming into the area. Dinky knew that carraige, and she recognized the two guards. Dinky gasped and ran into the nearby bush. Twilight looked in the general direction.

"Dinky, what are you doing?" She asked, confused. Dinky tried not move and didn't reply to Twilight's question. Dinky saw Celestia's carraige ride in next to Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?" The Princess asked, concerned. "The race was cancelled today due to weather issues." Twilight looked up at the sky, as well as Dinky. The sun was shining beautifully.

"But there's hardly a cloud in the sky!" Twilight said, and Dinky could tell she was hiding giggles. Dinky looked at the Princess for clarification through the bush, and then the Princess turned in the general direction. Suddenly, The princess was levitating Dinky out of the bush. Dinky fought and fought, but she was no match for Celestia's magic.

"Dinky, what in Equestria were you doing?" Celestia asked, laughing. Dinky laughed along, trying to look like it WAS funny, when in reality she was actually hiding from the Princess.

"I was... um..." Dinky couldnt think of an excuse, but she felt Twilight knew. Princess Celestia probably knew too, but acted like she didn't. Dinky and Twilight looked at the Princess for clarification on why the race was cancelled. Celestia cleared her throat.

"The Pegasi declared that there was a cold front coming in, and cloudsdale had too much spare water. So a snow storm was scheduled today." She said, pointing her hoof behind the two ponies. Dinky and Twilight (Spike did as well, on Twilight's back) turned to see a dark grey patch of clouds coming in. Dinky's butterflies grew even more, and se suddenly felt sick. She was about to moan, but stopped herself.

"But what about the leaves?" Twilight asked, motioning toward the White-Tail woods that still had trees covered in leaves.

"That's what I came here for." Celestia said, making her horn glow. Dinky watched in awe as the Princess' horn glowed a faint yellow glow, and suddenly a harsh wind blew Dinky off her feet. Dinky got close to the ground and Twilight carried here to a nearby picnic table, which they huddled nder. Twilight, Dinky and Spike huddled underneath it and watched the Princess' wind carry through the area, knocking the leaves off the branches of every bush, tree and shrub in the town. Each leaf was caught in a wirlwind surrounding the Princess, and she finally started flying upward, the leaves still surrounding her. Even the gaurds couldn't refrain themselves from watching her. Finally, a big explosion sent the leaves flying in all different directions, and the wind knocked the guards off their feet.

"That's taken care of. I await your next letter on friendship!" Celestia said in her warm voice as she took off on her carriage. Dinky came out from the table and watched Princess Celestia disappear in the distance. Dinky was now aware that if she ever wanted her mommy back, she had a lot of strength to compete with.

Chapter Eight

Dinky trotted into the classroom over to her desk, where she found a note sitting. On that note, there was a poem with a word aritten downward and other words leading off of it. Twilight said that kind of poem was called an "accrostic poem".

Little grey foal, how you make my heart soar,
Other ponies should envy you; Nopony can compare.
Valiant and radiant as the shining sun, you're making me want more,
Everlasting light, approach me if you dare.

-Your Secret Admirer

Dinky felt her cheeks get hot, and suddenly felt as though she were being watched. She ingored it though, and smiled to herself, unaware of the pony who trotted over to her. She looked up and saw Sweetiebell standing right before her. Dinky never actually met Sweetiebell, but Dinky knew she was in the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetiebell looked at the note and smiled.

"So Lit finally told you?" Sweetiebell asked. Dinky looked at her funny.

"Huh? Lit?" She asked. Who is Equestria was named LIT? Such a strange name...

"Valiant Literature? The colt who sits right back there?" She said as if it were obvious, pointing with her hoof at a colt sitting three seats behind her who had a golden coat and dark blue/black mane. It looked black inside, but when they were outside for recess, Dinky thought his mane looked like it had dark blue hgihlights. She liked that. He had his cutie mark for writing and reading, and it was an open book that looked like it was flipping through pages, as well as a quill that looked like it was about to write in it. Dinky blushed.

"He wrote this for me?" Dinky whispered. She looked at the poem, and felt her heart beat quickly. She liked him because he was smart just like her. Sweetiebell nodded and looked back at him, who was trotting over to Dinky now. Dinky gasped and fumbled with her mane. Valiant Literature was a unicorn just like she was, only he hardly used magic unless it was for writing or reading or looking for books. He knew some spells that had to do with writing too. Like if he couldn't find a synonym or antonym for something.Sweetiebell grabbed Dinky's hoof and giggled.

"You'll be fi-ine!" She sang as she trotted to her desk. Dinky blushed and stared at her hooves as Valiant came over. Dinky didn't look at him, she only listened.

"Hello, Dinky. Might I ask; did you... enjoy my poem?..." He was talking the way Dinky wished she could talk, but she was too scared ponies would make fun of her. His voice was so calm and soothing; the perfect voice for reading, she decided.

"Um... yes... it made me happy." Dinky said, blushing furiously. She allowed a smile to crack her face as she looked up at him from behind her mane. He like her. He really, truly liked her! And... did she like him? Or was it just that his... his gorgeous mane and... oh his beautiful eyes. His sky blue eyes made her want to have wings and fly through the clouds. She imagined him and her as pegasi, flying through the clouds together, even faster than Twilight's friend, Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, she realized she was staring into his eyes, and he was staring right bakce into HER eyes. Dinky's eyes were the same color as Mommy's; golden and shinier than the most expensive gold in Equestria.

"You... want to eat lunch together today?..." Valiant Literature said, blushing so hard it looked like he spills tomato juice on his cheeks. Dinky's pupils receeded and she blushed, looking at her desk once more.

"Um... yeah... sure..." Dinky said, trying to find the right words. All she could think of was "yes" or no". She couldn't think of words that would impress him. Suddenly, she got it!"

"Absolutely!" She thought to herself. "It's be my pleasure! That's what I'll say!" Right as she opened her mouth, Valiant Literature was already at his desk.

"Oh, pony feathers..." She mumbled to herself. "Way to go, Dinky."

Chapter Nine

I trotted over to Dinky's room, and cleared my throat before entering.

"Good morning!" I said as I walked in. "Dinky, today is a special day! Come on!" I said, trotting over to her bed. She was snuggled underneath her fleece blanket that was light blue with different designs of snowflakes scattered all over. It was Dinky's favorite.

I used my magic to open the curtains, and the blue-ish light poured in, mkaing her flinch. She must have realized there was no escape, becasue she finally opened her eyes and looked at me. I smiled down at her.

"You know what today is?" I asked, inching toward her face, shoving the calendar in front of her. She blinked and stared at today's date, and suddenly her face lit up as she loked outside, where it was hurdeling snow.

"THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER!!" She cried as she bounced on her bed, looking at the snow. I heard Spike cry out and a big THUMP. I sigh. He fell out of bed. Again.

Spike walked in, rubbing his head and saw it was snowing. He just sighed.

"What's the big deal?" He said in a monotone. "It's just precitipation or whatever." I give him a dirty look and smack his scales. "Ow!" He said.

"First of all, it's PRECIPITATION, Spike." I say, frustrated with his lack of focusing on when I lecture him. "Second of all," I continue, quiet enough so Dinky wouldn't hear. "Dinky happens to LIKE snow, and I do too. So don't ruin it for her! Or ME!" I look at him and he just rolls his eyes and walks to the kitchen to get something to eat like he does just about every hour of the day. i swear, I think to myself. he's going to be diabetic one of these days.

Dinky and I eat breakfast quickly and get on our saddles, boots, scarves and hats on and plummet into the snow. Every pony is already outside enjoying the fresh blanket of snow the pegasi brought out last night. Dinky and I build a snow pony, and even some snowballs to throw at Rainbow Dash when she flies by the check out how the job turned out. We quickly build a fort with our magic and I cast a spell on it so it won't fall, and even create a little window for us to see out of. Just as I predict, a few minutes later, Rainbow Dash floats by, checking out the snow. Just when she passes...

"Now!" I shout. Dinky and I plummet snowballs at Rainbow and she lets out squeals of delight.

"Hey!" She cries in her slightly-scratchy voice. She scoops up some snow and quickly makes a snowball and gets us back. Every once in a while, a snowball would hit somepony else and soon, almost the entire town is having a snowball fight! Dinky and I snuck inside at some point and hide out in front of the fireplace while every pony else outside hurdles snowballs at each other and let out squeals of delight. I watch outside the window and laugh when I see Pinkie Pie in on the action. She looks like she's concentrating extremely hard, and is taking the battle seriously, as if it were some epic pony-war. It's never easy to take Pinkie Pie seriously, since she's goofing off all the time.

I all of a sudden hear my stomach grumble and trot away from the window to make some lunch. I pass by Dinky, who when I turn to look at is sleeping sound. I fight the urge to make an "aww!" noise and just put a blanket on her. She must have fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, I decide. I smile to myself and go make some soup. By the time I get back with two bowls in case she woke up, I see Spike outside with Pinkie Pie, shooting other ponies with snowballs. I laugh louder than I meant to this time, waking up Dinky. She looks up at me, sees the soup and I hear a gurgle come from her belly. I smile and levitate the soup down to her.

"Eat up," I say as I plop down next to her. "It's your favorite."

"Thanks, Mommy." She slurs, rubbing her eyes with her hoof. I stop levitating the spoon in mid-air. Did she just call me "mommy"? Does that mean she's grown that attached to me?

I look at Dinky, who is levitating spoonfuls of soup to her mouth. Suddenly, I know it was an accident. Because her eyes suddenly widen, and she drops her spoon, sending drops of French onion soup scattering around her.

"Did I just say...?" She doesn't even finish her sentence. She quickly levitates the bowl to her mouth, drinks it up and gallops to her room. I sit there in front of the fireplace, staring at the melted cheese that slowly sinks under the liquid of the soup. I put the spoon back in and sigh, staring at the flames of the fireplace.

The front door bursts open and Spike is walking through the door, covered in snow and laughing. He has his green coat on and his snow boots, as well as ear muffs and mittens. He slams the door behind him, still giggling. He freezes when he sees me.

"Uh..." He stutters, trying to find the right words. I smirk at him and he just laughs and charges into the kitchen for- you guessed it- food.

I sigh and stand, taking one more gulp of the warm, soothing soup and quietly trot to Dinky's room. Her door is cracked open. I quietly peek in, and see her laying sideways on her bed, staring at the photo of her and Derpy. I push the door with my hoof and walk over, and rub her head with my hoof. She shudders, and looks up at me. She's been crying.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." She doesn't finish her sentence before crying again. I continue to rub her mane with my hoof as she sobs, holding the picture to her heart. I don't stop soothing her until I hear her breath is slow and continuing. I carefully remove my hoof from her mane and walk over to the door and shut the lights off. When I look at her again, I see her huddled up fetal-position body moving to the rhythm of her breathing, the picture of her and her mother against her heart.

Chapter Ten

I trot through the field, picking flowers with my magic and sniffing them. I sigh blissfully and twirl around, trying to make myself dizzy. It was actually quite easy, becasue within minutes I am on the ground, surrounded by soft petals and grass, the smell of jasmines and cherry blossoms filling the air. There was a slight breeze that made my mane tickle my cheeks. I giggle to myself and sigh. All of a sudden, there's this slight sound of trotting that surprises me. The breeze stops and I look around. There's not even any pavement!

I bolt up and realize I was dreaming.

"Dear Celestia..." I say, annoyed as I rub my head with my hoof. I look over the ledge of my lofty bedroom and I see Dinky trotting around, looking for something. I then see her picking up a grey doll with a yellow mane and go into her room. Her room light is on. I look at my clock, and do a face-hoof. Three in the morning.

What in Equestria is she doing up?! I think to myself.

I walk into her room and it looks like she's packing for something. She has her saddle bag on the bed and her picture frame is still sitting on the bed. I suddenly realize that she IS packing. But I don't know why, it's Hearth's Warmings Eve! Well, technically it is, anyway. It's three A.M for pony's sake!

"Dinky, what in Equestria are you doing?" I asked her, my voice stillscratchy and tired from sleeping. "It's three in the morning!" I walk over and watch her pack.

"I'm leaving." She said, as if it were obvious. I'm suddenly awake now, and my body tenses. I think for a moment, and suddenly I remember.

"Fine. But on Hearth's Warming Eve, I'm going home."

I feel my pupils shrink and look outside, where I see pegasi are already up, getting ready for another snowy day. She can't possibly be serious... or is she? IS she serious?

"Dinky, but... But you said you would stay!" I say, trying to get her to stop packing.

"I said no such thing." She said in the same tone I use at Spike when he ruins a book of mine. I gallop out of the room and pace, knowing I don't have much time to think. She's almost done packing, and she doesn't even have much to pack! She came here with barely anything at all! I think back to the letter Celestia sent me when she told me that Dinky was going to stay with me and give up. I'm going to Magic Kindergarten. I can't believe this is happening. Celestia will surely think that not only is Derpy unable to care for Dinky, but that I am too! Oh why is this so hard-

"What did you just say?" I hear small voice say behind me. I turn around and see Dinky, standing there, extremely angry. I look at her, confused. I didn't say anything. But then...

"Did... Did I say that out loud?" I ask, ashamed. I did it again.

"My mommy is unable to care for me?" She asks, her anger escalating. "My mom is UNABLE TO CARE FOR ME?!" Her voice is getting louder, and I can hear Spike turning in his bed. He's waking up.

"Dinky, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, you're sorry. You're sorry!" She turns around and starts kicking the floor with her hoof. For a while we stand there, silent and I think about what I thought... or... SAID, apparently. What I said... Was it really so bad? I mean, Derpy left Dinky home alone. But if it's so irresponsible, then why is Dinky here? She's safe, isn't she? Why is it so bad that Dinky was home alone sometimes? I was in a room alone a lot when Celestia trained me. What's so different?

Suddenly I'm angry too. Celestia... she's such a... such a... hypocrit! She left me alone in that castle sometimes, and I was able to fend for myself just fine! My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Dinky turning around. I calm down, and look at her. I know what to say now, but beefore I can open my mouth, she begins talking.

"Did you agree?" She whispers. I stand there, my body aching from shame again. I'm the hypocrit now. After all, I'm technically royalty. I'm technically related to Celestia. Even if it's not by blood, Celestia practically raised me. It's entirely possible that I've somehow gained part of her personality of wisdom and intelligence by spending so much time with her.

"I SAID, did you agree?" She says, louder this time. I hear Spike moan and snore again. I wince. If he wakes up and listens, all respect he has for me will have been lost!

"No, of course not." I say kind-heartedly. I must have her know my true feelings. I didn't mean it that way, but it sure came out that way.

Dinky shakes her head and turns around again, walking toward the door. She opens the door, and right before she enters into the cold, dark, frozen world, she turns back to me. She has a disgusted look on her face, like she's seen a parasprite infestation in her own home.

"And I thought you were different." She says like the words taste badly in her mouth. The words sting my face, and she turns around, walking out the door and slamming it behind her with a kick of her hind leg. And then she was gone.

Chapter Eleven

Dinky walks, shivering through the dark, frozen world. She really was all alone this time. She felt really sad and sick inside, knowing that not even the amre she like most was able to see it her way. Mommy works so hard to care for her and loves her very much, yet Dinky finds it hard to find somepony who can see the world trhough her eyes. Dinky sighs sadly and continues. The wind has picked up and she is very cold. She forgot to grab her saddle and boots before she left. She was practically naked. Dinky giggled. Well, technically she was always naked, but she knew what she meant.

She then saw a snowflake land on her nose and it melted, sending another chill down her frozen body. She tread through the snow path to her home as the snow picked up, each flake amking her body mor and more numb. She was shivering terribly now, her body aching from the frozen wind nipping at her every joint. She was hardly moving at all, and she was so young that she barely had any fur to rely on for winter. She shivered and a gust of wind knocked her off her feet. She sighed as she lay on the side of the road. The snow storm was so bad she couldnt even see her hoof in front of her face. She shivered as she lay there, she body frozen and aching at every joint. She was going to die. Her whole life suddenly started flashing before her eyes.

She barely remembered when she was born, but she remembered the day she realised that she was a unicorn and her mother was a pegasus. Dinky was always confused, but she never got the answer. Sometimes, a colt would come by to visit her. His name was Cloudy Daze. He was a unicorn, but he knew magic that allowed him to fly. Even if for a short amount of time. He was always getting in fights with Mommy, and that's why he hardly visited. Dinky never really knew him that well, but more and more he stopped visiting. Mommy said that he was a jerk and that the other mare he was with was an old friend of hers. But Mommy wouldn't tell her who. But whenever Mommy and Cloud got in fights, she would always yell in her funny voice he was a cheater. Mommy would yell that the other mare was one of her best friends, but since he cheated and her friend never told her, Mommy wasn't friends with her anymore. Dinky always got confused though, because Mommy said he "cheated." What does cheated mean? Were they playing a game? Why would Cloud cheat?

Dinky shivered as she lay in the snow, unable to move. She suddenly pictured one time when she was with Mommy at the store. Dinky was always in charge of remembering what to get, since Mommy always forgot. Dinky never asked Mommy for things other than what they needed, because Dinky knew that nothing could make her happier than being with Mommy. Dinky and Mommy went to the store more often than usual during summer, because Mommy had a lot more mail jobs in winter and fall than in summer and spring, so she had more fun during that time with Dinky.

Dinky suddenly remembered when she was on her way to the first day of school. She was really scared, because she was afraid that the other fillies in class wouldn't like her. So when Dinky said she was going to school, she actually went to Twilight's library. But when she got there, Twilight told her she shouldn't give up. That she should be brave and show them that she was unique. Dinky liked that word. Unique. It made her feel special. Twilight explained that special was exactly what it meant! Dinky felt really smart that day. She loved feeling smart.

She smiled to herself as the cold wind relentlessly abused her, and she felt as if the snow what building on top of her. She saw a warm, fuzzy light ahead of her and smiled as she allowed herself to drift off into a cold, shivery sleep.

Chapter Twelve

The colt stood by the sleeping foal who was still shivering, even though she was taken out of the cold half an hour ago. He sighed and joined his sister, Golden Chakra. She sat, hovering in mid-air, her horn glowing from concentration. He sat beside his sister, only he was sitting on the padded floor, looking around the room, which was dimly-lit by candles that he set out for his sister when she meditated. Hs sister had a golden coat just like his, only her mane was a different color. Instead of her mane being black, like his, hers was a combination of gold and red. It glistened in the light of the candles. He looked at his sister, who was sitting seemingly on the air, her eyes closed. He smiled. His sister was truly beautiful.

After a few minutes, the floating mare floated back to the floor, and she sighed. She opened her glistening violet-purple eyes and looked at the sleeping filly.

"Dinky, yes?" She asked in her soft, calm voice. The young colt nodded and looked from his sister to the foal, who was quivering slightly. He couldn't tell if she was having a bad dream or shivering, but either way he started bringing his hoof to her mane to stroke it, meaning to calm her. Golden Chakra placed her hoof on top of his. He looked up at her, and saw her shake her head ever so slightly. He sighed.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, he voice not sounded the least bit sarcastic. He liked that. His father always used sarcasm with him and his sister, and never seemed interested in what they had to say. Golden Chakra nudged her younger brother with her muzzle,her horn slightly touching his own, creating a spark from her recent magic use. Valiant Literature sighed and turned his small body to face his older sister's grown body. He felt puny compared to her.

"I did it because I thought she looked...." Valiant Literature looked at Dinky, and felt a chill run down his spine. "She looked lost. Like she had lost all hope. She seemed like she was okay with being on death-road. I didn't want to say goodbye. Not yet." His sister looked at him funny, raising one of her eye brows up high and the other one down low. Valiant corrected himself. "Not EVER." He said. He saw his sister's face crack and they both burst into quiet giggles. His sister was so cute when she laughed, even though she hardly did it. They both sighed and turned back to the sleeping foal, and Golden Chakra adjusted herself so she was sitting on the knees of her legs, her front legs resting on the thighs.

Valiant Literature looked at her, and thought about how he found Dinky. He remembered trotting through Pnyville because he had trouble sleeping, and the blizzard completely caught him by surprise. He galloped harder and harder, finding it more and more difficult to see. He finally saw the street lamp that pointed down the road to his home, when he saw a grey body laying in the snow bank on the side of the road. He trotted over quickly to check it out, and saw it was Dinky!he touched his hoof to her face, finding it to be ice-cold. "She's been out here for hours!" He thought to himself. "How is she still living?!" He used his magic to levitate her body on his back, and used the strongest magic he knew to teleport himself to his house, where he fell from the immense weight of the sleeping filly.

Valiant Literature cowered at the memory. He was so frightened that he lost his first-love, and now she won't wake up. He had fallen asleep from the effort it took to teleport to home from such a long distance, and when he awoke, his sister was meditating, using her magic to reach into the filly's subconscious and find out who she was. And Valiant was sure that she found out a little more. At least, he hoped she did.

"Why... Why was she out there?" Valiant Literature asked, shaking as he spoke the words slowly and carefully. Golden Chakra turned to her brother, who was cowering at what was clearly a bad memory. His pupils were the size of pins and she felt herself getting stressed. She carefully colored her eyes ad felt herself lifting slightly, meditating to find out about the filly while listening to her brother's words. This took a great amount of effort.

"Why would she leave the safety of her mother's home? She was safe, she was happy, why? Why would she think to run away?" Golden Chakra listened to her brother, and knew he w referring to when their father was here, before he left. Before... Before he died.

Golden Chakra gasped and fell to the floor. She held her head in her hooves, as she processed the memories of the young filly. She turned to her brother slowly, shaking and cowering.

"Lit.... She..." She stuttered on the words, her mane standing on it's ends. "She has no mother. Her mother was taken away." She spoke the words, her voice quivering. Her head hurt terribly, as she visioned the foal's memories. She saw everything. The near-death experience, the guards, even the fight between her and a lavender-coated mare with a horn. She saw everything the filly saw, and she disliked it. She never wanted to see things like that again, but here she was, experiencing it. She hardly noticed her brother's reaction, and he was looking at his sister worriedly.

"Chakra! Calm down! It's over! He's gone!" He said, his voice reaching a volume he didn't mean it to reach. He put a hoof around his sister's shoulders, and she flinched at first and relaxed. Her breathing slowed down.

"I'm sorry, Lit. I didn't want you to see that..." She said, lowering her ears in embarrassment. She took a breath an let it out slowly, looking at the foal who had stopped quivering and was sleeping peacefully. "It's just... Her memories. They reminded me so much of when our father was still here. When he..." Chakra was unable to speak the words. They made her relive the moment.

"When he beat us." Valiant said gravely, completing her sentence for her. Chakra nodded and smoothed her mane with her hoof tiredly.

"He always acted so kind.... He was happy, mom was happy, heck, even WE were happy!" She chuckled, but it quickly faded. "And then he started drinking. All the daisy wine... It practically became a smell that came with the house. There was no hiding... The yelling, the thrashing, and the banging. But the screaming... There was no escaping. I thought it would never end. I tried to cover you ears, but I knew you could hear it. You and I would quiver in our room, trying hard to get it out. Trying to keep it out, but If we ever interfered..." Valiant looked at the tear rolling down his sister's cheek. He didn't remember his father or mother at all. He was too young. Chakra turned and looked at her brother. "But that's beside the point. We need to make sure she gets where she needs to be. When she wakes up..." Chakra looked at her brother sternly and he nodded.

"When she wakes up, we take her home." Valiant Literature said understandingly.

Chapter Thirteen

Golden Chakra carried Dinky on her back, Dinky's body moving ever so slightly from each step she took. Dinky's body was still asleep. Chakra promised her brother she would take Dinky home after she woke up, but when Valiant Literature fell asleep, she coudln't pass up the opportunity to take Dinky back home. She still remembered Dinky's memories and was looking for the big tree library. She'd never been there, but she'd heard great things about the mare living there. They looked to be about Chakra's age.

Chakra found the house and crunched through the fresh-fallen snow. It was about five A.M., and she was worried she'd wake the lavendar-colored mare up. She shook the thought out of her head. This was the foal she was caring for, and she ran away! Why would they be upset with Chakra waking them up ? For that matter; Chakra knew that SHE wouldn't be able to sleep if her brother were missing. So she assumed they were awake, also judging by all the lights that were on.

Chakra knocked on the door, and she found that it wasn't even latched correctly. She looked trhough the crack to see a pony that was passed out on the floor, with a baby dragon sleeping soundly beside her. Chakra winced. They WERE sleeping. But she could tell they were worried. She felt it.

Chakra pushed open the door, and quietly knocked on it again as she walked in.

"Uh... *ahem*... hello?" She said rather loudly to get the mare's attention. The mare slowly awoke, and when she saw the pony, she jumped up and backed away.

"I swear! It wasn't my fault! I promise on behalf of Celestia!!" The mare had tears streaming down her face and she backed away from Chakra. Chakra's ears bent down. There was clearly a much deeper problem here.

"No! Wait! I promise I'm not here to do anything to you, I just..." Chakra started moving her hooves in a way to let the mare know she wasn't going to hurt her. The lavendar-coated mare looked at her, her pupils still the size of pins. Chakra turned ever so slightly to show her that she had returned the foal. The pony's eyes lit up as she fell on the knees of her hooves, sobbing on the floor.

"Oh thank you..." She sobbed breathlessly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" She sat there for a few minutes sobbing gratefully and Chakra waited there patiently in understanding. She'd had a breakdown similar to tha some years ago.

The mare stood, once more a little bit collected, and used her horn to lift the pony over to the rug in front of the fireplace, where the baby dragon was still snoring. The foal slept next to the dragon, and after a moment, the dragon cuddled up next to her, still sleeping. Chakra smiled and looked back at the tired mare.

"I'm sorry to have startled you," She smiled sadly while speaking in her soft, tender voice. "It's just that my brother found her lying in the snow bank during the awful snowstorm about two hours ago... And... well it's a long story." She sighed and remembered when her brother slammed the door open, the snowflakes and ice cold wind blew nearly all the candles out. She remembered him panting, and passed out on the floor from exhaustion. Chakra shivered. It scared her half to death.

"I understand." The lavendar mare replied, her voice shaky from crying. She took a breath and let it out slowly, seeming to look into the distance. Chakra had seen this before. Ponies often di it when they were worried. Often it happened whenever they needed an escape. Ponies all alike do it a lot, seeming to stare off into space. Golden Chakra didn't interrupt her. That would make Chakra a hypocrit if she snapped the pony out of it.

The dazed mare came back to reality, and shook her head, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I stared off into space for a second there." She laughed and smiled sheepishly. Chakra smiled and shook her head slightly.

"It's fine." She held out her hoof. "I'm Golden Chakra."

"Twilight Sparkle." The other pony replied as she placed her hoof on Chakra's. They shook hooves and Twilight Sparkle gasped. "Wait, did you say 'Golden Chakra'?" She asked. Chakra nodded. "Oh my gosh! You're the town buddhist! I'm a VERY big fan of your work!" Twilgiht Sparkle was beaming at Chakra, and she blushed.

"So you've read my spells?" She laughed.

"READ them? I practically MEMORIZED them!" Twilgiht Sparkle was grinning from ear to ear. Golden Chakra smiled back at the mare, and she giggled slightly.

"Well, you should come over sometime!" Chakra offered. Twilight's mouth was gaping, stuttering on words. Chakra laughed. That would CLEARLY be fine with her.

Twilight all of a sudden dropped the smile and turned to the foal. She was slightly moaning and got up, rubbing her eyes. She looked around for a little bit, and looked at Twilight Sparkle. She suddenly awoke with the jolt of her facial expression. She glowered at Twilight. She looked at Chakra too, and her face got red with anger.

"What am I doing back here?!" She asked, angry. Twilight back away slowly and tilted her face away. Chakra loooked back and forth between them. She was trying to help, but it seems that she'd made things worse.

"I thought I'd made it perfectly clear I didn't want to be here." She was almost growling at Twilight Sparkle, and Chakra saw that Twilight was ashmaed of something. Chakra sat down and closed her eyes. She sat in the Lotus position and focused, her horn aglow. Dinky turned to her.

"What are you DOING?" She asked, shooting her anger at anyone who angered her. The dragon started moaning, awakening, Chakra guessed.

Chakra ignored all these distractions, and felt herself starting to float into mid-air. She focused on focusing. (She was aware others might think that made no sense, but it made sense to her.) She started humming a monotone, and the room became dark, the only light was the white light coming from her golden horn. The light became brighter, and Dinky sheilded her eyes. She suddenly lost her anger, and became engrossed in the light of the mysterious mare's horn. She stared into it, as if she were staring into the face of Celestia. (Even though she was still mad at her.) The golden-colored mare floated up and up, until she was high enough she could just reach up slightly and touch the cieling of Twilight's library!

Finally, Chakra opened her eyes, and she unfurled her legs, floating on all fours. She opened her eyes and the light exploded from her horn, covering every inch of the room in a warm, fuzzy light that made Dinky forget her anger and made her want to smile. It was the smae warmth that came from her mommy's hugs.

After the light dimmed, Dinky opened her eyes and looked at Twilight. She suddenly got a sick feeling in her stomach. She did something really bad. She lowered her head and ears and walked toward Twilight, not looking at her directly out of shame and embarrassment.

"Um... Twilight?" Dinky said in her soft voice that Twilight always couldn't help but smile at. Twilight turned to the foal, and saw her eyes were very glossy. Twilight smiled sheepishly and pulled Dinky in to her and hugged, feeling her coat on her shoulder getting damp from Dinky's tears. Twilight looked at Chakra over Dinky's shoulder and mouthed "Thank you." Chakra nodded and galloped out the door, back home before Valiant would wake up and notice somepony was gone. Maybe Chakra could convince her brother that he's dreamed it?

Chapter Fourteen

Dinky zipped behind the school building, hiding her giggles as she heard other foals laughing, making themselves easier to find once Snails stopped counting. Dinky smiled to herself. Knowing Snails, it was going to be a while before he was going to start looking for everypony. Dinky looked around the corner of the building to see that Snails was still covering his eyes, face down on the picnic table, shouting out the numbers slowly. Dinky tiptoed into the dense forest that was behind the school building as she heard Snails shout the number "seven", followed by "eight" about five seconds later. Dinky then started galloping until she could hardly hear Snails shouting, or even see the school for that matter! She looked around, and saw that it was more like White Tail Wood rather that the Everfree Forest. She shrugged and looked around for the mark that pointed to her secret hideout. It wasn't much; only a grove that you could only find if you paid attention hard enough.

She trotted over to a nerby tree that looked like some kind of creature, and saw the branch that looked like an arm pointing towards something. She smiled and went the other way, entering a part of the woods that was so dense you could hardly even walk. She was a little sad, though. She knew once she got to be a big pony like Twilight or Mommy, she woudn't be able to come here because she would be too big. She coudl hardly fit through the narrow cracks at the size she already was! She couldn't imagine how impossibly difficult it would be as a full-grown mare...

She reached the part that was the most dense and the hardest to get through. She inhaled and exhaled, focusing on every step. She reached the part that had Poison Joke surrounding the trees that separated the grove from the rest of the wood. Part of her was happy it was there, so it would keep intruders out, but it made it all the more harder for HER to get in. She started sweating and suddenly found herself about to fall. She squealed slightly, but didn't pay any mind to it. She was far enough that no one would hear her. Time seemed to slow down as she fell toward the blue plant, the leaves seeming to taunt her as if to say, "Ha ha! We're gonna get you!" She covered her face and suddenly, time froze. She opened her eyes to see she was hovering just above the Poison Joke, the leaves barely missing her coat by a centimeter. She then started moving over the trees taht surrounded the grove and she landed softly on the plush, leaf-covered floor of her secret grove. She then noticed that she was surrounded by a dark-blue glow, and it disappeared as she looked around. That glow was from a horn, but definitely NOT her own. She narrowed her eyes as she heard a slight tinkling noise, and suddenly saw something rising above the trees. She held her breath, waiting to see who had saved her and now knew about her secret hiding spot. She cowered, waiting to be found.

"Hi, Dinky! Quick save, huh?" Said a familiar voice.

"Wait a second..." Dinky allowed herself to say out loud. The dark blue glow around the floating body disappears and the pony dropped to the ground, their black-blue mane falling around their face. They stood, and Dinky looked at Valiant Literature in awe. She shook her head and grimaced at Valiant Literature.

"Yeah. Quick save. Why'd you follow me?!" Dinky said, crossing her hooves over her crest and huffing. Valiant Literature lifted one of his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" He asked. "I was coming out here to hide in my secret hiding place!" He said, looking Dinky up and down. "I figured that you knew about this place by following ME." He said, narrowing his eyes at Dinky.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the distant sound of snails shouting "Ready or not, here I come" combined with the sounds of the forest were the only things that made noise. Dinky and Lit then burst into soft giggles, so as nopony would hear them. They sighed and came to an agreement to stay there with each other, and they would share the secret hideout from then on. Dinky and Lit spent the time of the Hide and Seek game playing "Would You Rather" and setting up Tic-Tac-Toe games in the dirt, moving the leaves around to make piles to use as chairs. After they couldn't think of any games to play that were quiet, they would just sit there, watching the clouds roll and talk about things that weren't related in anyway. They would start talking about Rainbow Dash, and end up talking about what it would feel like to be a bug. (Or, more specifically, an ant) Sometiems, they wouldn't even talk at all. They would just sit and either stare at each otehr or look at their surroundings, being okay with the silence and just enjoying each other's company. Until Lit broke the silence with something a little more serious.

"Hey, Dinky..." He said shyly. Dinky turned to him to see him blushing, and she put down the stick she was scratching the dirt with.

"Yeah?" She asked, slightly worried he was not feeling well. "Is something wrong?" Dinky looked at Lit, concerned.

"Do you remember... Do you remember that one day at school... Do you remember the poem?" He asked, almost whispering. Dinky didn't even need to think.

"Of course," She replied, blushing. "I asked Twilight what I should do with it, and she was kind enough to put it in a picture frame for me. It's sitting next to Mommy now." Dinky looked down at her hooves, smiling and blushing.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked. Dinky giggled.

"Oh, right. You probably wouldn't get it." She sighed and looked up at the clouds that were moving slowly past them, every once in a while a pegasus would fly by, pushing a cloud or kicking it, making it disappear into thin-air. "I have two pictures now: Your poem and the one of me and Mommy." She said dreamily. "I figured that since both pictures hold things that represent things that are dear to my heart, they should be together." Dinky sighed and just realized what she had said. Out loud. IN FRONT OF VALIANT LITERATURE.

"Wait, you mean..." Lit stumbled on words, processing what his crush had just said. Dinky just kept staring at him. She couldn't resist her feelings. She liked him. And she knew he liked her. They liked each other. A LOT.

Dinky and Lit got up and started walking slowly toward each other. They stopped when they were face to face, and Lit opened his mouth to speak until Snails burst in through the trees, Poison Joke leaves dangling from his mane. He was panting, and everypony else in the whole game was standing behind him.

"Found...*huff* you...*huff" He and everypony else then fell on the Poison Joke, panting and trying to catch their breath. Lit and Dinky stood, frozen in the middle of the grove. The looked at each other, and blushed as they zipped a step away from each other. They both stared at the heap of panting ponies as they tried to figure a way out of the grove without being touched by the poison joke. Dinky then found her and Li levitating out of the grove and safely on the outside, just missing the Poison Joke by an inch. Dinky turned to Lit who was sweating and rubbing his head from using that much magic. Dinky smiled, blushed and kissed Lit on his cheek. She then galloped away, blushing furiously as she left Lit in the dust, wondering what had just happened.

Chapter Fifteen

Dinky sighed as she stared out the window into the dark, cloudy sky. Rain spouted from the clouds and the sound of pattering rain echoed throughout the tree-house. Dinky laid her head on the window pane and closed her eyes, her face cold from the window. She remembered the last time there was a storm, but that was in winter on Hearth's Warming Eve. She was really angry at Golden Chakra for bringing her back home. All she wanted was to go back to her old home, but Twilight said that if she did that, then Twilight would get in a lot more trouble than Dinky. Dinky rolled her eyes at Twilight and sloushed the entire day. Normally, Mommy would bring her presents, but Twilight wasn't aware, apparently, that Dinky had always gotten presents. Dinky sighed as she opened her eyes, looking out at the rain once more. Maybe its a good thing, She thought. If Twilight continued the tradition, I'd more more homesick han ever. She stared outside and felt a tear roll down her cheek and blinked to keep others from coming.

"Not possible." She mumbled to herself.

Twilight and Spike peered in on Dinky from the door, and whipped back out into the hall. Twilight brought her hoof to her cheek and sighed.

"She's been moping all day! Why would the pegasi schedule a downpour TODAY? We have a tea party with Fluttershy soon, and Dinky's surely in no mood for that..." Twilight sighed and lowered her head. "I just don't understand." Spike's eyes lit up, and he looked at Dinky happily through the door. He turned back to Twilight.

"What if I watch her?" The young dragon offered. Twilight looked at him and stifled a giggle.

"YOU? Watching FILLIES?" Twilight said in a more rude way than she meant. Spike crossed his arms and gave Twilight a dirty look.

"I could do it!" He grumbled. He turned to Twilight, pleading. "Come one! I know I could! If Pinkie could do it, why wouldn't I be able to?!" His voice was growing slightly, and Twilight winced.

"SHH! Spike, she'll hear-"

"I can hear you, you know." Said a little voice from Dinky's bedroom.

Twilight winced and started pacing, thinking of what to do. She heard Dinky's slow, sad steps clop closer to the door. Twilight teleported to the front door and grabbed her saddle bag.

"Fine, Spike! Do it! I'm going to be late, so I'm leaving it up to you!" She called as she galloped out into the rainy weather.

Spike beamed as her walked toward Dinky's door. He stopped short when he realized that Dinky was already there. He laughed nervously at the filly who what his same height. Dinky's face was sad and droopy, and Spike's smile dropped. What have I gotten myself into? He thought.

Dinky rested her head on the door frame and stared at Spike, waiting for him to say something. She was in no mood for fun, and she knew that was probably because of the weather. She always got in a good mood on rainy days, becasue Mommy never had to work the mail delivery and got to stay home with Dinky. But today, Mommy isn't here. Mommy's gone. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Spike cleared his throat and stood up tall and proud. He had to set a good example.

"Come on, Dinky! What do you say we go do something fun?" He tried smiling Pinkie's happy smile to cheer Dinky up, but Dinky just slid down the wooden door fram and laid on the floor, her head still resting on the frame, her mane covering her eyes.

"I'm not in the mood." She said in monotone. Spike tried not to sigh, becasue it would show frustration. Instead, he thought about what they could do that would cheer her up for sure. He gasped and grabbed Dinky's hoof, lifting her up.

"Come on, I know where to go!"

Dinky and Spike ran through the rain. Twilight took the last umbrella to go to Fluttershy's tea party, so he and Dinky had to run through the wet world. He was okay with that, though. Sping rain was usually not too cold in Ponyville. Spike laughed, and ran ahead of Dinky, sliding through the muddy roads. Dinky watched Spike's boddy slide as his feet stayed grounded. She allowed a slight smile as she watched him. She looked at her muddy hooves, and decided to try it herself. She galloped as hard as she could, turned sideways and allowed herself to slide through the mud, keeping her hooves grounded and keeping her balance. Until she caught up with Spike and they toppled over each other. For a moment, there was no sound other than the rain hitting the ground. But then the air was filled with laughter. For a moment, Dinky forgot about her troubles. Her and Spike ran toward Sugar Cube Corner without a care in the world, the rain soaking her mane and the mud covering her hooves. Spike and Dinky laughed at each other playfully as they ran in the puddles and rain, not in any rush to get to Sugar Cube Corner.

Dinky and Spike laughed as they walked into Sugar Cube Corner, no longer muddy from letting the rain wash them off before entering. However, they were soaked to the bone and we leaving puddles and drippings as they walked up to the counter. Spike and Dinky seemed to be the only ones there other than a few seniors who possibly got caught in Sugar Cube Corner from the rain, and are waiting it out. Dinky looked at them and felt the teeniest-tinyest bit sorry for them, because they couldnt go home. Dinky then remembered. Home. Mommy. Dinky wants Mommy to come home.

Dinky stopped short and looked at her hooves, off in another world. She suddenly came back to herself. This was a day Mommy would normally spend with her, not in Canterlot. If Celestia hadn't taken Mommy away, Dinky would still be happy. Dinky looked at Spike, and just realized he had spoken to her. She ignored him and turned around, leaving Spike at the counter with Mrs. Cake, waiting to take their order. Spike was flustered, and turned to Mrs. Cake, embarassed.

"Hold on a minute," He said quickly, hasing after Dinky just as she was about to go outside into the pouring rain, which was now worsening. Spike caught up with her and stopped her.

"Dinky, what are you doing?" He wondered, confused. "We just got here! Let's get something!" He was looking behind Dinky at Mrs. Cake, who was still waiting for an explanation. the senior colts were now starting to stare, but Dinky ignored them. right now, all she wanted to get on the train to Canterlot.

"I'm going to Canterlot." she said plainly,as if it were obvious. Spike burst out laughing and covered his mouth quickly, regining himself and clearing his throat.

"You can't possibly be serious," He sad, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's ridiculous." He watched dinky step around him and stand just outside of the rain, the bangs of her mane getting slightly wet, but the rest of her still inside.

"I told you, I'm going to Canterlot." She said once more as she stepped out into the rain.

Twilight and Fluttershy laughed and sighed. Fluttershy giggled once more before speaking.

"Oh that's hysterical! Tell me more!" She said, coming out of her shell slightly around her unicorn friend. Twilight sipped her tea and lowered the cup back on the platter with her magic.

"Well there's nothing more to tell! Pinkie never plans on doing it again. She was actually EMBARRASSED." Twilight said, her expression turning serious. Fluttershy and Twilight burst into more giggles.

"Over the bad muffins? It wasn't even her fault!" Fluttershy said softly, but still more outgoing. "It was mostly Applejack's fault anyway, yes?" Fluttershy sipped her tea and poured her and Twilight some more. Twilight nodded as if to say "thanks".

"Yes, mostly. But you'd think that Pinkie would have noticed!" Twilight rolled her eyes playfully as Fluttershy nodded, taking a bite out of a cupcake. Twilight looked outside to see the sky getting darker with clouds. Twilight's facial expression darkened as well, her stomach turning. She was worried about Dinky, and Spike's capability to care for her. Twilight hated saying this, but if pinkie could do it, anypony could! Twilight felt bad for saying that, but Pinkie isn't... like most ponies. Twilight sighed as she stretched her forelegs up, and letting out a sigh. What's there to worry about? She asked herself rhetorically. Besides, I'm here to relax.

Spike ran to catch up with Dinky, but she was running too quickly. The rain also got harder, and it made it harder for him to see her. He panted and forced himself to keep going. I really need to lay off the gems... He thought to himself as he kept trudging forward. Just then, he tripped over his on feet, and fell down, sliding forward through all the mud from the dirt road. He winced as he toppled over and over, still going toward Dinky but not at the same rate as before. He watched her run off in the distance.

"DINKY!!" He cried hysterically. "WAAAIT!" He stood and tried running some more, and pushed himself harder and harder,until he found himself catching up with her. They were almost to the train station, and Spike knew if he didn't catch her now, he never would. He smiled to himself and stopped running, land-locking his feet facing sideways. He bent his knees and alowed himself to slide toward the running filly. Time seemed to slow for Dinky as she turned around to see Spike directly behind her. He launched himself at her, toppling over her right in front of the wooden platmormbefore the station. Dinky could hear the faint noise of the train. She started resisting as they lay there in the mud, just a few feet away. Dinky saw the still very faint glow of the train light, but she knew it would be there in a matter of minutes. She pushed and shoved Spike, but to no prevail. He clutched his arms around her waist as tight as he could, and Dinky started sobbing as she saw the train pulling up. It was long, but it was there. Now or never.

She got angry now, but she was still crying. She felt her face get red and angry, furious that Spike would keep her from following her desire. She wanted Mommy, and she wasn't going to let a puny dragon stop her. She used the levitation spell that took her months to master, and she lifted Spike off her, and threw him behind her, listening to him slide away. Spike took a moment to register what had happened, and shuffled to all fours, trying to get back up, but he wasjust too tired. He watched as the filly galloped onto the wooden platform, and leap onto the train just as it was starting to leave. Spike watched the train pull away, and felt himself cry, knowing that this mistake would not please Twilight in the least. He slowly stood and limped toward Fluttershy's cottage, where he knew Twilight would be sure to disband him as her number-one-assistant. Forever. And forever is way too long.

Chapter Sixteen

Fluttershy nodded at my remark as someone knocked on the door. She looked out the window to see that it was still pouring rain. She made a strange face.

"Who could possibly be out in THAT?" She asked as she flew over to the door. I nodded agreeingly as i sipped more of my tea and taking a bite of a cupcake. I dropped my tea cup when I heard Fluttershy gasp in alarm. I looked at the pile of broken glass and quickly used a spell to reverse the break. "You look awful!!" Fluttershy cried. She slammed the door and I looked up at Fluttershy, who was carrying a small, muddy, scraped up baby dragon. I gasped and quickly stood and galloped toward Spike.

"Spike?! What happened?!" I asked in alarm. "Who did this to you?!" Fluttershy and I raced him to the bathroom to get him cleaned as he spoke.

"Dinky did it." He said as we set him in the tub full of warm water.

"Dinky? No, she wouldn't!" I washed his chubby face and scales as he refused to meet my gaze. Something was wrong. I froze. "Spike... Where's Dinky?..." I said slowly as Fluttershy came back with bandages. Spike turned his head away and crossed him arms in the now muddy bath water. I levitated him out of the tub and in front of my face. "WHERE. IS. DINKY." I repeated in a stern tone. Spike sighed and looked me in the eyes, his eyes getting glossy. I could see tears welling up. I hate it when others cry...

"She's going back to Canterlot." He said, his voice cracking. I dropped him back in the water, murky droplets scattering on the linoleum floor. I dropped on my flank and dropped my ears. Dinky? She's... She's on a train to Canterlot? Fluttershy interrupted my thoughts.

"We have to get her back!" She said in her soft voice as she lifted the clean dragon out of the tub. I snapped out of my daydreaming and turned to Fluttershy. I could still hear the pattering rain from outside.

"How? The only way is to-" A crash of thunder interrupted me and Flutteshy jumped, dropping the bandage she was about to put on one of Spike's cuts. I jumped as well and squealed a little along with Fluttershy. I continued after allowing my heart to slow. "Go out in THAT." Fluttershy got a new bandage and placed it on Spike's cut, being gentle with her touch. She seemed to be ignoring me. Probably becasue she knew if she got scared before she went out, she'd probably never be able to leave the cottage. Not to mention she lived right on the edge of the Everfree Forest...

"We've got to try." Spike said, agreeing as he jumped off of the edge of the tub. He walked to me and lept on my back, wincing at his scraped knee slightly touching my back leg. I sighed and lifted my head up high.

"I agree." I stated as I walked out of the bathroom. "Come on Fluttershy! Let's go get Dinky!"

Dinky stared out the train window as the train plummeted toward Canterlot. She was happy the trains never needed tickets, because she had no money. She sighed as she watched the droplets of rain hitting the window. She loved rain, but today it made her sad. She liked to be in it, but the rain reminded her too much of Mommy. Dinky turned and looked around the train. There were hardly any ponies other than herself. She noticed there were only two other ponies, and they were sitting together. She looked at the mare with the light blue coat and harp cutie mark. She recognized that cutie mark. Dinky didn't know where though. She then saw the mare was a unicorn with a white and blue mane. Dinky couldn't recall her name, but she knew the mare sitting next to her. The mare with the golden coat and dark blue and light pink mane owned a sweets shop just a ways passed Sugar Cube Corner. She believed her name was Bon Bon. Dinky looked at her cutie mark with the candies and sighed. Dinky had no special talent, as far as she knew, that is. She'd been a little preoccupied lately. Dinky didn't like not having a talent, because talents gave her something to do! She like drawing, but she also really liked reading...

Dinky snapped back to reality when she realized that she was still staring at them. Bon Bon and the light-blue-coated mare were staring back at Dinky, and she realized they must have asked her a question, judging by their expressions. Dinky blushed as she turned away, toward the window.

"Sweety, are you lost?" Bon Bon asked Dinky in her light, nice voice. Dinky shook her head as she continued to look out the window, watching as they spiraled up the mountain leading to Canterlot. Dinky then heard hoof steps as the light-blue mare walked toward her.

"Hey, I know you! You're the mail-mare's filly, right?" She asked, smiling nicely. Dinky looked back at her, showing no expression. Trying to look unreadable. Dinky was known by almost everypony. But she wasn't sure if she liked that...

"Sweety, what are you doing on the train by yourself?" Bon Bon asked again, slightly worried. Dinky turned away.

"Lyra, I think we need to help her get off." Bon Bon said in her nice voice. Dinky winced. Why was everyone getting in her way? She didn't want help! from ANY pony! She could feel Lyra and Bon Bon getting closer, and Dinky sat, hunched over, refusing to let their hooves touch her purple-gray coat. Suddenly, she snapped.

"NO!!" She cried, her voice powerful and angry. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She shook them away, refusing to let them show her soft side. "I am going to Canterlot!" She stared at them with her cold, golden eyes. Bon Bon and Lyra stared, shocked at the filly's outburst. The train seemed to shake with her voice, but she knew it was only the general rocking of the train hitting the train tracks.thumpety thumpety thumpety thump.

Dinky was sick and tired of everypony acting like she couldn't do it. Like she couldn't be a big pony! She WAS a big pony! She almost kissed a colt! Why was it such a big deal that she went to Canterlot?!

Dinky gallopped away, leaving Bon Bon and Lyra in a daze. She then felt the tears rolling as she galloped to the very last train car, and she walked into the caboose. The caboose was a lot more secluded that the regular train cars. It had seperate tables and chairs, and it even had a slight homey feeling to it. She liked it. She liked it a lot.

She collapsed in a big La-Z-Colt chair that was off by the big window that showed the pouring rain outside. She then burst into tears, every thing she'd been through and any stress she'd encountered. They all came off her shoulders in big, dropping tears. She slowly felt herself getting lighter. She'd felt a lot better about going on the train. She didn't really know where to go when the train arrived in her desired destination, but she knew that it would be fairly easy. She just had to find the hospital and get Mommy.

She wiped her tears as she stopped sighing and sobbing. Eventually, she sat in silence with nothing but the rain and train tracks filling her ear-drums. She looked down at her lap, realizing she hadn't grabbed her saddle-bag. The one that held her picture of Mommy and her. As well as her doll, Miss Derpy. Dinky felt heavy, trying to figure out something she could do, and quickly. The train was almost to Canterlot! She then remembered a spell that caused her most desired thing to come to reality. She was told to use it wisely, but that didn't stop her from wanting her bag back. It had things that she cherished most, and she couldn't live without them.

She stood, and focused on her most wanted thing. She wasn't very good at magic, but she had to try. She could feel the train cirling up the big mountain. She closed her eyes and focused, telling herself over and over in her mind the spell she was using, and the thing she wanted most. She repeated, my bag, my wish. My bag, my wish. Finally, she heard a slight tinkling noise and a little pop! she opened her eyes, and saw her bag, her doll, and her picture sitting in front of her. She smiled with joy and lept onto her bag, feeling even the book that she had left in there! She beamed and whispered to herself;

"I'm coming, Mommy."

Chapter Seventeen

Dinky smiled as she galloped off the train into the train station, her saddle bag on her back. She looked at it and watched the train pull away, with the rain still sputtering. Dinky dropped the smile as she saw the familiar coats of Bon Bon and Lyra. She gasped and hid behind a pillar that was holding up the porch that covered the patio of the station. She could hear their conversation.

"Are you sure about this, Lyra? I mean, it's just a race... Just gallop!" Bon Bon said, worriedly. She could hear Lyra scoff.

"Don't worry! I got this! I can walk that way easily! No help at all!" Lyra said excitedly. Dinky raised one of her eye brows, confused. That way? What did that mean?

"I know you're excited, but... I just don't want you to regret it..." Bon Bon replied, not seeing Dinky behind the pillar as the walked passed. Dinky looked at them as they continued their discussion. Dinky shook her head, ignoring their problem. She had her own problem!

Dinky galloped from shop to shop, hiding out under the canopies that covered the step as she tried to avoid getting soaked. Eventually, she found a shop that sold umbrellas. However, she wasn't sure she had any bits. She looked at the umbrella longingly, and sighed as she lowered her head and just treaded into the pouring rain. They probably weren't open, anyway. It was really late.

She walked through the silent, sleeping town that had upper-class homes and apartments, and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to live here. She imagined herself in a stunning hairstyle, fabulous cutie mark, and a cute outfit to show it off as her horn glittered and sparkled from her shopping bags of books and drawign pads. She would glance at the other ponies as if to say "I see you staring." She giggled to herself as she walked, imagining the ponies looking away, embarrassed for staring. Of course, Dinky knew that she would never be that popular, but in her own mind, she could be. She could be anything she wanted! She had no cutie mark, maybe she could be something that didnt have to do with drawing or reading! Maybe she was meant to be a scientist! Or a mother, she wondered? She put her head up, staring at the night sky with pouring rain. Was there a pony who's talent was mothering?

Dinky snapped back to reality when she saw a mare with a dark blue coat and flowing mane that looked like the night sky. The mare was an alicorn with dark sparkly shoes, necklace and tiara.

"Princess Luna?" Dinky whispered, coming to a complete stop to bow for the princess in respect. Dinky felt her mane dip into a puddle. She didnn't mind, however. She was already soaked to the bone... "Princess, what are you doing out here? You'll get absolutely soggy!" Dinky allowed herself to slightly touch her mane to see if it was real. She smiled as she felt the mane flow beneath the touch of her hooves.

"Young filly, I could ask you the same thing!" Luna said, looking down at Dinky. Dinky shot her hoof away and brough it back to the cobblestone street. She didn't meet the princess' gaze.

"I'm looking for the hospital." Dinky muttered, looking at the street beneath her.

"The hospital?" Luna said, confused as she lowered her head closer to the filly's. "What are you doing looking for the hospital? Are you ill?" She looked closely at Dinky, and Dinky shook her head, still looking at her hooves.

"No, I'm alright." Dinky said. "I just wa-ACHOO!" Her sentence was interrupted by a sneeze. Dinky wiped her nose with her hoof, and bowed, embarassed. "Please excuse me, princess! I'm just looking for my Mommy." Dinky replied. Luna's eyes widened as she looked at the filly, who was soaking wet and sneezing in the cold, drizzling rain. Luna's ears lowered. This filly was going through such awful weather and a cold just to meet with her mother! Luna smiled sympathetically as she lowered her head under the filly's legs and lifted her down her neck and onto her back.

"Princess? What are you-" Dinyk started, but stopped at the sight of Luna's wings unfurling and flapping downward, excess feathers scattering as tehy lifted off the cobblestone street. Dinky watched in awe at the working wings that let them soar through the rainy sky, the town looking like it was meant for dolls. Dinky smiled as she watched the rain scatter around them, going so fast taht not only was the rain missing them slightly, her mane and coat was also drying! Luna giggle silenty as she heard the filly laugh at the tiny city and the missing rain. She tried not to make it obvious that she had just put a magic cover over their heads that forced the rain to roll down the sides of the magic dome.

They hovered over the hospital that loomed over the edge of Canterlot. Luna cut off her magic, the dome above their heads disappearing, and the rain leaving dark, wet marks on their coats. Luna accompanied Dinky as they walked into the hospital doors, their lights still on, considering hospitals are open all the time. Dinky looked around the clean facility, the smell of something that reminded her of plastic gloves and some cleaning material. Dinky wrinkled her nose, but ignored the smell. She trotted over the the front counter nervously, hearing Luna's hooves follow her own. Dinky looked at the tired mare behind the counter nervously as the mar looked at Luna, shocked.

"P-Princess Luna!" The mare lowered her head in respect of the princess.

"At ease," Luna said, as if she were reciting it. "we are here on business." Luna nodded to Dinky and Dinky cleared her throat.

"Um... D-Derpy Hooves?" Dinky asked hopefully, her voice shaking. She felt grown up, asking for somepony in the hospital at the front counter. All by herself.

Luna felt a ping inside of her. She'd heard that name from her sister before... But it was only mentioned. Luna had no idea why it was important, but she knew that something was off about it.

The mare behind the counter typed something into a computer and shook her head as she went to a filing cabinet that was behind her. Dinky watched as she searched and searched. Dinky felt herself shaking nervously. She knew that her and her mother's future revolved aroudn this nurse finding the document that hekd the information to where her mommy was.

Dinky watched, time seeming to go slowly as the mare looked carefully and diligently. All of a sudden, the mare seemed to pause on a file, and Dinky's eyes lit up, knowing what that meant. She knew what was going to happen as the mare turned around, looking as if she was satisfied with herself.

"Room 345, on the third floor." The nurse said cheerfully, her eyes still sagging from a long night. Dinky smiled as she galloped toward the elevator, sending a "thanks!" over she shoulder as Luna tried to keep up.

"Young filly, please tell me, who is this 'Derpy Hooves'?" She panted, keeping up with the filly. Dinky turned to Luna, who's eyes were seeming confused and yet somehow familiar.

"She's my mother. Princess Cele- I mean... somepony placed her here." Dinky panted back, slowing down as they reached the elevator. Dinky pressed the "up" buttong over and over, as if it would bring the elevator car down more quickly. Luna placed a hoof on Dinky's, as if to tell her "it's okay, relax." Dinky nodded as she put her hoof down, her shoulder bumping her saddle bag slightly. The car came down and the doors opened. Dinyk and Luna walked on as Luna pressed the "three" button for Dinky. Luna looked at her, as if she wanted more.

"I know it might be hard for you, but if you're comfortable, please, continue." Luna looked at the filly as if she understood, because really, she kind of did. Luna and her sister Celestia hadn't seen their parents in years, becasue once there is a new monarch to control the kingdom of Equestria, the previous monarchs die, either of old age or of magic. Luna didn't even get to say goodbye, because she was sent to the moon only slightly before her parents left over a thousand years ago. Luna felt heavy and sad, but snapped back to reality as she heard Dinky sigh, remembering everything to tell her tale.

"Derpy Hooves is my mommy, and she's super nice and cool! But... not everypony really likes her..." Dinky explained, her high voice seeming to tinkle. "She loved me more than muffins, and that's saying a lot! But all the other ponies don't like her because she's different."

"'Different' how, exactly?" Luna asked. Dinky sighed sadly as they walked off the elevator and sat in some nearby chairs, to allow Dinky to finish her story.

"She has some... 'thing' with her. I don't know what, but everypony treats her badly. She has something that I can't really name, but it makes everythign harder for her. She acts like it's no different for her than it is for me or anypony else, but I can tell that she tries really hard to do well. She likes to have fun and play with me, but sometimes she has to work, since she's a mail-mare. So when she has work, she has to leave me alone to let me go to school by myself. I know the way, but ponies don't like somepony like my mommy leaving me home alone. Everypony else's parents leave them home alone, but they act like Mommy is some... I dunno, exception!

"She comes home before I get home from school, though, so whenever I'm alone it's only in the morning. And she always makes sure she stays late enough to say 'bye', even if it means she gets to work late! That's one of the things I like about Mommy. Any way, she loves me a lot and I love her a lot.

"But one time, when we were having dinner, there was a big knock on the door, and two of your sister's guards took Mommy away, and I only had a few minutes to say goodbye and get my things. And when I came down, they were already out the door and climbing down teh ladder of our tree house! I tried to chase them, I did! But then I tripped and fell, but Twilight Sparkle caught me and cast a spell on me, making me fall asleep. She took me home and told me what happened, and theni had to stay with her for a while.

"I tried escaping to canterlot on Hearth's Warming Eve, but I passed out in the snow, and then I ended up back in her house. Then today, I was sad becasue it was rainy, and Spike took me to Sugar Cube Corner while we waited for Twilight, but it didn't help, so I ran away and now I'm here... Even some ponies on the train tried to take me home, but I ran away just in time. And, you know the rest..."

Dinky and Luna sat in silence, the distant beeping of somepony's heart moniter being the only thing filling the air besides the sound of a heating vent above them. Luna wiped her eyes away of tears and looked at Dinky angrily.

"This all my sister's doing." She growled quietly after a while. Dinky looked at her and looked back in her lap, where her bag was sitting.

"Yes." She replied in a whisper. Luna got up and help Dinky up, placing the bag on her back for her.

"Let's go." Luna said, leading her down a hallway taht was filled with the sounds of giggling and weird noises that sounded like somepony was banging on the walls. Dinky could see padded walls inside the small windows on the doors. Dinky felt felt uncomfortable. She looked up at Luna, who was really confused.

"Prey tell, young foal..." She said continually. "Are you sure your mother is HERE?" Luna looked from door to door, and stopped dead in the hallway. Dinky turned to see she was staring at the door that read "345". Dinky gulped as she looked inside the window to see a pony's body hunched over in a corner. The room was filled with stray feathers and scratches in the padded walls. Dinky looked in horror at the pony's body. The mane was tangled and messy, and there were little band aids all over her body as if she had had shots there.

Luna looked down at Dinky to see her pupils the size of pins, and hey eyes quivered in horror at the sight of the mangled pony. Luna felt a pain in her stomach as she turned back to the hunched over body to see the shoulders quivering, as if they were crying. Luna sighed and quickly brought Dinky close to her.

"We'll, isn't this what you wanted? Is that your mother?" She asked quietly, almost whispering. Dinky looked from her to the window. She stared at the grey fur and blonde mane. It appeared to be her mother, but she was appalled at the state of them. She searched for the cutie mark. She found the flank and looked at it, trying to make out the mark.

Bubbles.

Dinky's eyes filled with tears as she slowly and tenderly opened the door, so as not to startle her. The mare whirled around to see who it was. Dinky looked at the shaky, golden eyes that were ever-so-slightly crossed. Dinky burst into tears as she kept onto her mother, soaking her mother's shoulder. Mommy hesitated for a moment, but then gripped onto her daughter for dear life, crying tears of joy.

Luna watched the mother and daughter's reaction to being reunited, and she smiled. She then remembered who had done this. Who's fault it was that this happened. Without saying a word, she galloped away silently toward the exit. She was going to have a talk with her sister.

Chapter Eighteen

Princess Celestia and her sister, Luna, stood across from each other. Celestia's eyes were wide from shock, in reaction to what her sister had just told her.

"I asked you a question!" Luna repeated, angrily. Celestia looked around the room, looking to see if her sister was joking.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Celestia replied, embarrassed. Celestia stared at her refelction in the light-pink-colored marble floor.

"An answer shoud be very simple." Her sister shot the words at Celestia as if they were arrows, and they seemed to pierce Celestia's coat and make her bleed. She stared at her sister as if she were a stranger. Was this really Luna? Luna never acted so... so HOSTILE toward her before! "All I asked was why you put a poor little filly's mother in a sanasilum!" Luna's eyes were cold as ice, not glistening like they normally did. Celestia slowly looked toward the window, where there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and she could see that it was time for her sister to raise the moon soon. However, she knew that this wasn't the time to worry about that.

"Truthfully, I don't really know." Celestia replied, quietly. Luna grunted in frustration at her sister's answer, which clearly didn't please her. "Luna, please! I-I thought I'd be doing something good for the filly! Her mother always seemed so... incompetent!" Celestia knew immediately she'd chosen the wrong word, and was about to say something to fix the mistake, but it was too late.

"INCOMPETENT?!" Luna yelled angrily, her face seeming to burn hotter than Celestia's sun. Celestia put her front hoof up to console her sister.

"No, wait! I... I meant INCAPABLE of caring- wait, no..." Celestia stumbled upon words to show her sister that she hadn't meant to be rude at all. Everypony loved her, but when Celestia was under pressure, she found it difficult to stay calm and say the right things. Celestia sighed sadly and did a face-hoof non-comically.

"Forgive me, for I assume I"ve made a mistake." Luna spat the words out as if they had a vile taste. Celestia looked up in horror at Luna.

"What are you saying?!" She asked frantically.

"I'm saying you're incompetent. Goodbye." Luna retorted as she unfolded her wings. Celestia frantically trotted after her sister, thinking of what she could say to prove her innocense.

"Wait, Luna, I thought that Derpy Hooves wasn't capable of being a good mother! But from what you've told me, I... I was wrong! " Celestia started to cry as she chased after her sister, who was walking toward the balcony, getting ready to fly away. Queen Galaxia only know where...

"I'M SORRY!!" Princess Celestia screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hoarse, frantic voice echoed through the city of Canterlot. She knew that her subjects had heard her, but she paid no mind to it. Celestia winced as she sobbed, wanting her sister to stay. She's always been soft when it came to her sister, becasue she knew that she had lost Luna once already. She wasn't about to do it again. Ever sisnce Luna was sent to the moon, Celestia felt it was her fault, and she shouldn't have doen it in the first place. Celestia dropped to her forelegs and sobbed, feeling her through burn from screaming in a way she had never done before.

Luna stopped dead in her tracks, feeling a shot of pain in her heart. Her sister knew what she had done, and she hadn't meant it. But Luna felt as though this wasnt right... Was it really okay of her sister to do such a thing? Was it really worth her worrying about? Luna suddenly felt as though she didn't know what to think. If she just returned Dinky's mother to her, then... wouldn't everything be alright?... Luna suddenly felt sorrowful and resented on her sister. Luna folded her wings and smiled to herself sadly as she walked over to her sobbing sister.

She placed her horn atop of her sister's, and closed her eyes as she used a spell that shot a fuzzy, warm happy feeling through Celestia's body that consoled her. Celestia halted her sobs and allowed her sister to console her with her magic. When Celestia felt only the crusty remains of her tears on her cheeks, she stood and hugged her sister. She had felt so badly about what she had done. She knew it was wrong, yet she did it anyway...

"Oh, Luna..." Celestia sighed. "If only I could make it right again..." Celestia's sigh was shaky, and Luna suddenly broke away from her sister, getting an idea.

"Actually, you might." Luna said, beaming as she raised her precious moon, knowing that she was delayed a little. "I have an idea."

Chapter Twenty

Dinky awoke to the sound of someone knocking on Twilight's door. Dinky slowly got off of her bed and trotted to the front door of the house, sleepily. When she opened the door, she was caught off guard to see Princess Celestia stadning on the front porch. Dinky flushed, knowing that she was standing in front of the mare who had the power to take her mother away. Suddenly she remebered the prayer that she had sent to Celestia, and became slightly angry. She forced herself to look directly at the Princess' face, and became resentful when she saw sadness in Celestia's eyes. Dinky held her angry words inside.

"Celestia..." Dinky said, bowing her head to show respect.

"At ease, Dinky." Celestia said kindly. Dinky stood and stepped to the side to allow the Princess in, who had no guards with her. Dinky felt confusion, but knew that the Princess was here for a reason. Visits from royalty weren't exactly considered... "normal"...

"Miss Dinky," Celestia said softly, pain and fear in her eyes. Dinky flinched at the sound of her name coming out of the Princess' mouth. "I came to apologize and clear up any... bad feelings that were resulted from my actions." Dinky looked at Celestia with disbelief.

"Princess, I'm just mostly confused." Dinky replied. "I mean, I am kinda mad, but I'm mainly confused; Did... did you ever get my prayer?" Dinky asked painfully. Celestia felt tears welling in her eyes at the sound of Dinky's high, innocent little voice. She knew what she had to do.

"Yes..." Celestia whispered. Celestia didn't meet Dinky's gaze, because she knew that dinky was about to cry. Celestia took a breath and smiled at the filly knowingly. "However, I've come to make things right." Celestia smiled. Dinky looked up at the Princess with confusion as the princess stood up straight and closed her eyes. She stuck her horn in the air and soon a light, golden glow surrounded her long, slender horn. Dinky watched Celestia work her magic in awe, and she heard rustling coming from upstairs, where she assumed Twilight was just beginning to wake up. However, Dinky paid no mind to it, because she could not bring herself to look away from Celestia. Her long, slender body and horn seemed to work together and make her look so beautiful. Her wings looked like the delicate angel wings that Dinky had seen other ponies dress up as for Nightmare Night. The golden glow made Celestia look as if she had a halo, and Dinky just wanted to reach her hoof up to her magical, flowing mane and touch the Princess to make sure she was real.

What seemed like hours later but was only a few mere seconds, Dinky saw a spiral of golden, sparkly magic hovering in mid-air. Dinky finally allowed her eyes to wander away from Princess Celestia and over to the magic that she had been conjuring up. Dinky watched as the spiral slowly grew, until it looked to be the size that could possibly be the same size as a grown-up pony. Dinky then noticed that the spiral started taking the shape of a mare's body, and the spiral slowly shifted into an actual pony. Then, Dinky saw that a mare had been brought into the room using that magic, and she could make out a golden mane that flowed magically. She couldn't make out any other colors other than the mane and tail. All she knew was the color of the hair and that the mane and tail were relatively long. Dinky watched as the mare's body hovered down to the wodden floor, and the golden glow that surrounded the body started to fade away until Dinky could make out a grey coat and yellow mane and tail. Dinky blinked numerous times, feeling tears well up.

"...Mommy?" Dinky asked carefully as she heard Twilight's hoof steps trot down the stairs. However, she stopped abrubtly when she saw the commotion going on in her home. Dinky watched the mare-who's eyes were still closed- intently and very closely.

Just then, the mare opened her eyes, and Dinky saw the familiar golden-colored, cross-eyed mare that she'd grown up with. Dinky gasped and burst into tears as she galloped toward Derpy. Derpy then registered what was going on and where she was, and started to cry as well, as she opened her fore-legs out for a hug, her mouth spread into a smile.

The two ponies collided, and they sobbed happily together, even though they were both having their moment in front of a princess and a very confused, purple-coated mare. Dinky finally allowed herself to breathe after shoving her face into her Mommy's coated shoulder in her hug. Derpy also wiped her tears and carefully stood, her crossed-eyes still glossy and full of happy tears. Dinky looked at Princess Celestia, tears still rolling down her cheeks with joy.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Dinky said in her small, innocent voice. "I knew you were a kind mare."

After Princess Celestia explained to her student, Twilight Sparkle, what had just happened, Twilight smiled as Dinky and Derpy both went into the temporary room that Dinky had been living in to pack her things. Twilight could hear Dinky laughing, and assumed that Derpy had done something clumsy, judging by the ever-so-famous phrase that she used whenever something went amiss, "I just don't know what went wrong." Twilight laughed quietly to herself.

"Princess, I must ask you, with all due respect," Twilight started carefully, so as not to disrespect her teacher or offend her. "Why did you separate them in the first place?" Twilight looked at Celestia with concern and confusion, a look that Celestia had recieved the moment Dinky laid eyes on her. Celestia sighed sadly.

"Well, I could tell you," Celestia started, smiling as she saw Dinky and Derpy hugging again and smiling in the bedroom out of the corner of her eye. "Or I could just say I had a change-of-heart, and leave it at that."

Epilogue

I climbed up the ladder to my old home, and helped Valiant up with me. I giggled as he stumbled, his blackish-bluish mane falling in front of his golden-colored face. His eyes looked up at me with embarrassment and playfulness, and I watched him climb up to catch up with me, his horn poking my back-leg slightly.

"How about you climb ALL THE WAY up and THEN help me?" He asked, annoyed but still smiling playfully,

"You're just sore 'cause you never had a cool house like me!" I retorted, helping him all the way up and standing on the wooden-planked porch that surrounded the two-story tree-house.

"Come on, you know I'm afraid of heights!" He pleaded, inching away from the edge. I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door, which I hadn't seen since I'd moved out. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a dark-grey-coated mare with a yellow mane and golden crossed eyes. I smiled and hugged her as a greeting.

"Hi mom!" I said, my voice muffled into her shoulder. She laughed her goofy-sounding laugh that I always loved as she puled away from me to nod to Valiant Literature.

"Hi, Dinky! Oh, and you've brought a friend?" She said, motioning toward Lit. Lit and I looked at each other knowingly and i smiled back at my mother.

"Yep!" I replied, giggling. "I figured that you'd want to meet him, so i brought him with me for Hearth Warming's Eve!" Mom moved aside and opened the door wider, allowing us inside and out of the cold, windy, snowy world and into a toasty home with a burning fireplace, where I saw my mom's old doll, Miss Sweety and my old doll, Miss Derpy. I smiled inside my head as I led Lit over to the sofa, where we sat together, hooves touching slightly. I could hardly wait to tell Mom.

Mom slowly closed the door and walked over, her old, tired body walking to the reclining chair that sat next to the two-seat sofa. I saw Lit looking around, and I realized the last time he'd been to my old house was when we were only fillies. I used my horn to levitate my Miss Derpy doll over, and looked at the old, tattered doll with a grey body and yellow mane and tail made out of yarn. I stroked the mane and smiled, remembering all those nights away from home in Twilight's tree-house that I'd spent, crying myself to sleep, yet clutching the doll, knowing that someday I'd see Mommy again. I sighed and levitated it back on the mantle of the fireplace, turning to Mom, who was now settling in the chair. She had aged well, considering how she took extra physical and mental therapy classes to help her regain herself and keep herself able to do other things that she hadn't been able to do before. Her body wasn't as wrinkly and tired as Granny Smith's, however you could tell she was elderly.

"So..." I sighed, as I unwrapped my scarf with my hooves and levitated it onto the coat-rack by the door.

"So," Lit echoed. "You're Dinky's mother?" Lit said, as if they had never met. My mother's mind was never really one to remember things, considering the mental disability she had. But now that she was getting older, and her physical and mental capabilities were starting to wear off, I noticed that she started to forget things. Not important things, like dates and family, but people whom she hadn't seen in a while, and the last time she'd met Lit was back when we got married, whihc was maybe two or three years ago.

"Yes, and you're her husband." Mom laughed. I blinked, confused. "You think I'd forget that?"

"Wait, you didn't forget the wedding?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat. She laughed her goofy laugh, and I sat back, realizing what a foolish thing to think.

"Dinky Doo Hooves, how could I forget my only daughter's wedding?" She asked, sounding a little hurt. I suddenly felt a bit guilty.

"It's just that, you never really talked about him..." I trailed off, and decided to just drop it. "Never mind..." My mother laughed, which meant she forgave me. I turned away from my mother and toward the Hearth Warming's Tree that sat off in the corner of the room. I saw the tree skirt underneath it was covered with lots of presents wrapped in pretty paper and topped with pretty bows. There were presents of all shapes of sizes, and I could see a present from at least everypony I knew; Twilight, Spike, Lyra, Bon Bon, Octavia... I even saw two presents from the Princess Sisters! One was wraped in a magic wrapping paper that showed a dark, dark blue background and it twinkled slowly with little white stars, that replicated the night sky perfectly. The other was wrapped in a blue paper that showed the sun, and it was magic as well, showing the sun glow. I watched the magic wrapping paper in awe, wondering if Twilight Sparkle could replicate a spell like that.

Later, when we drank tea,-after talking and catching up on what had been happening in our lives, which seemed so distant now-a-days- Lit and I looked at each other knowingly, and nodded, agreeing that this was the perfect time.

"So, Mom," I started, setting my tea cup on the side table that sat beside the sofa. "I wanted to share something with you. It was actually the whole reason I brought Lit with me." I started, feeling the Hearth's Warming magic kicking in. My mother looked at me, letting a little "hm?" escaped her lips as she took another sip of her tea, holding it in her hooves.

"What's that?" She asked. Lit and I smiled at each other, and suddenly I just could wait any longer.

"I'm pregnant!" I burst out, beaming. Mom's eyes started tearing up, and she gasped, bringing her hooves to her mouth.

"No! You're kidding!" She laughed, smiling happily. I giggled and she lept out of her chair and hugged me, weeping into my shoulder. "Oh that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" She laughed. Lit and I held our hooves together and smiled at each other after my mother and I pulled away.

The rest of the day, we all spent hours feeling my middle and discussing plans for the future. Talking about how far I was in, (I was four months in, at the time) and discussed names. Lit and I talked about how we had considered a home birth, but decided that wasn't for us. We talked about names we had chosen, and even talked about naming it after my mother. I rubbed my middle, feeling the warm, magic feeling that lit up my world with happiness as I thought forward, envisioning the moment I would get to hold my little filly or colt for the first time. I turned back to my mother and Lit, and thought back to when I was a little filly, and I thought I'd be stuck with Twilight for the rest of my pony life.

I looked around the room, seeing how I was right back where I started; living happily with my Mommy, and now I had a loving husband by my side and another little one about to be added to the picture. I smiled and blinked back tears of joy. I then knew right there that no matter what happened ahead of time from now, no matter how bad things may seem...

I knew they would always turn out alright.

Fin

Prologue

The foal awoke, but was in complete and utter darkness. She had no idea where she was or what she was doing, but everything was dark. She couldn't see a thing. She could feel herself being picked up, and shivered from the harsh frozen wind that made her mane tickle her cheeks. She nustled up against the mare or colt who was holding her for warmth, and Felt the pony cuddle her tighter. Just then, She felt herself rising. She then found that her eyelids were covering her sight. She very slowly opened her eyes and for a moment, everything was blurry. But her eyes adjusted, and she saw she was nustled up against a grey-coated mare with a blonde mane and two golden eyes. The mare had feathery things that were going really fast. up, down. up, down. And the filly felt herself being held tightly. The foal looked down to see they were far away from a green floor. there were little white, fluffy things falling everywhere, and a cold breeze blew once more, giving her a chill. She looked back up and the mare, who was now looking at the foal. Her eyes we golden and crossed, but loveable all the same.

The mare smiled and hugged the foal once more, and the foal felt cold things touching her shoulder where the mare's eyes were. The foal then felt the mare's body warmth reach hers, and she fell once more into a cold, windy sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

Dinky allowed the nurse to take her away from her mother. Dinky was sad to leave, but she knew it was for the best. If Celestia took her away, well... Maybe Mommy wasn't meant to take care of her.

Suddenly, as Dinky exited the hospital, a light-purple spark was blasted in front of her, and after a little explosion, suddenly a frantic Twilight Sparkle and a sobbing baby dragon appeared before her eyes. Twilight's mane was tangled and her pupils were the size of pins. Dinky did a double take on Twilight, for it surprised her that she was here. Suddenly, Dinky undersrtood. She lowered her head and walked toward Twilgiht. Suddenly, when Twilight registered that the missing filly was right before her eyes, her pupils turned back to normal and she gallopped toward her and lifted her in the air, crying tears of joy.

"Oh, thank Celestia I've found you!!" She sobbed, laughing slightly. Dinky swallowed and bit her lower lip nervously

"Um... Twilight?" She mumbled shyly. Twilight stopped twirling.

"Oh, are you getting nautious, I'm sorry..." Twilgiht frantically put the filly down.

"No! I mean, no that's no it..." Dinky replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just wanted to apologize for making you worry. And, Spike?" She continued, turning toward the wailing dragon who clearly had no perception of where he was or what was going on. All he did was cry.

Dinky gallopped toward him and hugged him tightly, making Spike suddenly stop crying and register what was happening. Spike's eyes lit up as he realized who was hugging him. He smiled a big, goofy smile and laughed, hugging Dinky back.

"Spike, I'm so, so, so, super sorry about making you worry about me, and... you know... kicking you in the face..." Dinky sobbing into Spike's shoulder and Spike sobbed into Dinky's. Twilight watched the two sob with each other, and she rolled her eyes and laughed as she swept them both on her back.

"Come on, you two," She giggled. "Let's go home."