Everypony knew that Fluttershy was one of the kindest, most compassionate ponies in all of Equestria. These qualities, combined with her expertise in animal care, meant that ponies often entrusted her with caring for their pets while they travelled. But one day Fluttershy found herself caring for someone a little different.
It was late spring, and Fluttershy was making her rounds in the garden, greeting every nest of new baby birds. She was making her way back to the cottage when she saw Derpy and Dinky Hooves coming up her walkway. Dinky was carrying a small tote bag in her mouth.
''Hey Fluttershy!'' Derpy called out. ''Can you do me a favor?''
Fluttershy waited for the two to come closer before she replied, as she was not a fan of yelling. ''Hello Derpy, Dinky. What's the matter? What do you need?''
Derpy, being Derpy, had just remembered an hour earlier that she had to go to Canterlot for her mailmare recertification test. She would be gone overnight, and needed someone to watch Dinky for her.
Fluttershy, being Fluttershy, was hardly ever able to say no. And when it came to anypony in need, whether it be a critter or a foal, there was no possibility of it.
Derpy hugged her filly goodbye and kissed her on the cheek. ''You be good for Fluttershy, alright?'' she asked. Dinky nodded yes. As Derpy flew off, she called out, ''And try not to ruin anything!''
An unpleasant thought occurred to Fluttershy. Was Dinky as clumsy as her mother? She'd only met the filly a few times, but she seemed quiet and soft-spoken, not unlike herself. The pegasus tried to push the thought out of her mind. She smiled at Dinky. ''Do you want to see where you'll be staying?'' she asked, and led her into the cottage.
As the two ponies walked through the living room, Angel hopped over to Dinky and sniffed at her. Dinky lowered her head for a better look and giggled. But Angel turned to Fluttershy and wiggled his nose disapprovingly.
''Now Angel Bunny,'' Fluttershy said, ''this is Dinky Hooves, and she's going to be staying with us tonight. Make her feel welcome.'' Angel just scampered off. ''Don't mind him,'' Fluttershy said to Dinky. ''He's quite nice, but he can be a little fussy sometimes.''
Dinky had yet to speak a word. But when Fluttershy pushed open the door to the guest bedroom, the little foal's face lit up immensely. ''Wow!'' Dinky exclaimed. ''It's so pretty in here!''
To the young unicorn, the room looked like something from a fairy tale. The top and bottom of the pea-green walls were lined with white woodwork. The white metal bed was covered by a dainty quilt, each lovingly-sewn patch decorated with flowers and birds of many pastel colors. In the corner stood a wooden rocking dragon, which Dinky immediately climbed onto.
''I'm glad you like it,'' Fluttershy said as she grinned at the playing pony. ''When you're done there, would you like to play a board game?'' Dinky quickly hopped off the rocking dragon.
''Yeah! Yeah!'' she said excitedly.
Angel Bunny hopped across the living room, landing on board after board. Tokens, cards, and other game pieces were scattered about. Dinky Hooves was very enthusiastic about board games.
The sun was slowly starting to sink below the horizon, brilliantly painting the sky orange and pink. Fluttershy came out of the kitchen and handed Dinky a bucket of cut-up fruits and vegetables. ''Want to help me feed the critters?'' she asked the filly.
Dinky happily followed her foal-sitter outside. She was thoroughly enjoying the attention she was receiving. Derpy was busy as a single working mother, and didn't always have a lot of time to play with her daughter. Dinky had fun at the day-care center, but spending time with Fluttershy was turning out to be a lot better.
To the filly's delight, Fluttershy had pizza delivered for dinner. After eating, Dinky was ready for more playtime. ''No no, Dinky,'' Fluttershy said. ''It's time to wind down for bed. Let's go get you in the bath.''
Dinky gave the usual disappointed ''aaaaahhhhhh'' most foals do when it's bathtime. But Derpy told her to behave, so she complied. After Fluttershy helped her get squeaky-clean, Dinky brushed her teeth and headed to the guest room.
''Want me to read you a bedtime story?'' Fluttershy asked as Dinky settled into bed. The unicorn nodded. Fluttershy pulled a book from the nearby bookcase and crawled into the bed. As she began to read, Dinky snuggled up to the pegasus. It had been a long time since Derpy had had the time to read to her, or even to just cuddle.
Dinky admired the colorful pictures as Fluttershy's soft, soothing voice told the story. But the filly's eyelids were heavy. When the tale was over, Fluttershy tucked the quilt under her charge. She flipped the light switch down, leaving a nightlight softly illuminating the room. ''Sleep tight,'' she said as she pulled the door around. ''I'll be right down the hall if you need me.''
Dinky laughed as she chased a lamb around Fluttershy's large garden. Soon she would catch up with it and tap it gently, declaring ''Tag! You're it!'' The lamb would bleat, and Dinky would be running again, this time being chased by the baby sheep.
But an unpleasant sensation was tugging at Dinky's dream. She was trying not to notice, not to wake up, but the emerald-green grass of the meadow was becoming hazier and hazier. Soon it was gone completely, and Dinky slowly opened her eyes to discover what had disturbed her.
The filly jumped out of bed and groaned. It had been a while since she last wet the bed, but the older she got, the more embarrassing it became. She wondered if she should wake Fluttershy. But then she remembered her mother's parting words: And try not to ruin anything! Dinky looked at the stained bedding, and began to sob.
Her young brain was telling her the only thing to do was to just go home. She tried to control her sobbing until she got outside and away from the cottage, in an effort not to wake Fluttershy or Angel. Although young, the unicorn had an excellent sense of direction, and was able to navigate the street-lamp lit avenues and boulevards of Ponyville back to the rowhouse she and Derpy shared. But as she tried to open the door, the knob wouldn't turn. It was locked, something she didn't foresee.
A renewed bout of tears began as Dinky climbed onto the porch swing. Pushing herself against the back, it started to move, and the filly lay down, the wooden slats pressing uncomfortably into her body. She shivered gently as she felt the chilly night air. She didn't know what to do besides go to sleep, the decrepit swing squeaking out a makeshift lullaby.
The sun's first rays of the new morning were barely beginning to peak through the pegasus' bedroom window when Fluttershy awoke. She always got up at dawn because her critters did, and critters become grumpy if they don't get their breakfast first thing in the morning.
Fluttershy decided it was best to allow Dinky to sleep as she went about her morning routine. After all, young fillies need their rest. But she became concerned after a few hours. Fluttershy nudged open the guest room door and gasped.
''Dinky?!'' she called out. She galloped through the house, yelling the filly's name again and again, panic rising in her voice with each successive call. She searched outside with no luck, and the critters had not seen Dinky either. Fluttershy returned to the guest room to check under the bed and in the closet before she called 911. But when she looked at the bed, everything became clear. ''Oh Dinky,'' she muttered as her eyes filled with tears. She felt horrible for the filly, realizing how scared and embarrassed she must have been. But Fluttershy couldn't stay emotional. She had a pony to find. Did she go home? To a friend's house? Where did she and Derpy even live? Fluttershy had never visited their home. She pulled out a stack of phone books from the kitchen cupboard, and searched through one until she came to ''Hooves, Derpy'' and the corresponding address.
Fluttershy rarely flew anywhere. But this was an emergency. At the end of her walkway, she stretched her wings, took a deep breath, and shot into the sky, flying as fast as she could in the direction of the Hooves' address. She landed at the beginning of their street to check each building for the proper house number. As she identified the correct one, a unicorn filly looked out the door of the rowhouse attached to it. It was Dinky! The neighbor had found her on the porch that morning and, concerned, had taken her in.
Fluttershy, forgetting her manners for a moment, ripped open the door and embraced the filly, tears running down her face. ''Dinky, oh Dinky,'' she cried. ''You had me so scared! Don't ever run away! It's dangerous!'' She was almost too choked up to speak.
Dinky had also begun to sob. ''B-but I d-didn't know w-what to d-do,'' she stuttered. ''I w-wet the b-bed. I th-thought you might y-yell at m-me, and Mommy said n-not to ruin any-anything...''
''You mommy cares a lot more about you than any old quilt,'' Fluttershy replied, ''and so do I.''
''Y-you mean it?'' Dinky asked. ''Y-you're not mad? You still l-like me?''
Fluttershy loosened her grip to look at the filly's face, the filly innocent enough to believe some dirty bedding was enough to ruin a frienship. ''I'll always like you,'' she said, tears still flowing down her cheeks and creating tiny puddles as they hit the floor. ''I'll always care about you no matter what you do. You can wet the bed a thousand more times, and I will still love you.''
Even the neighbor was crying at this reunion.
Derpy and Dinky walked up Fluttershy's pathway as the clouds parted just enough to allow the sun to stream over the cottage. Dinky carried a small tote bag in her mouth. But she dropped it and ran as they approached the garden. ''Fluttershy!'' the filly cried out as she jumped into the pegasus' front legs, nearly knocking her over. She hugged the filly, and lifted her up to a low-hanging tree branch. Dinky smiled as she peered into a nest of baby birds. Just as Fluttershy was about to set her down, the mother bird landed in the nest, and the chicks crawled under her. ''Aaaaahhh,'' exclaimed Dinky. ''She really loves her babies, doesn't she?'' she asked.
''She does,'' replied Fluttershy. ''Just as I love you.''