//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Where Is My Love? // by TheMyth //------------------------------// Rounding up of all the foals, Cheerilee did a head count, giving a sigh when all her wards were present and accounted for. All of their luggage, along side souvenir bags from the city tour the day before, was piled by the door, several of the castles’ servants waiting to help them to the trainstation. Just as she was about to step out of the door, Princess Celestia herself stepped in. “Oh good, you haven’t left yet.” She floated a letter over to the teacher, turning her gaze to the bowing foals in the room. “As you can see here, it seems one parent is coming to Canterlot, and has requested her daughter visits family in the city. But my fellow princess down in Ponyville neglected to mention where they live. I am awaiting an update. In the mean time, would you trust the foal into my care?” Cheerilee looked over at the foals, seeing each and every one hopeful that they would be the one to stay. They were all surprised when the mare stepped in front of one little unicorn filly, giving her a soft smile. “Dinky, would you like to stay with the princesses whilst waiting for your mother?” Dinky’s eyes went wide as she stared at the alicorn before her, then nodded her head rapidly. She shot over to the bags and dragged hers out of the pile, moving it to where Celestia stood. Turning her gaze upon her classmates, the filly picked out one downcast colt in particular, waving him over. Pip slowly approached, aware all eyes in the room were on him, and stood in front of her, expecting her to speak. Instead, she leaned closer and gave the colt a quick peck on the cheek, giggling when he stepped back with bright cheeks and a dumbstruck look. Glancing at the clock, Cheerilee gasped and began to usher her class out of the room, turning at the door and giving Celestia a bow. Dinky watched her friends leave, then turned to look up at Celestia, who was smiling down at her. “Seeing as it might be some time, do you know who your relatives are in Canterlot?” “Um… grandpa Lucky Mint and grandma Sugary Myth, both unicorns, I think. I also have an uncle, but I only met him once, and don’t know his name.” “One moment, please.” Celestia stuck her head out of the door and had a muffled conversation. When she was done, she turned to Dinky with a cheeky smile, and then a golden aura surrounded the filly. “I have sent some messengers out into the city. Perhaps we will find your grandparents before Twilight remembers the last detail. For now…” Dinky started to float through the air, worried as to what was happening until she was set down again. A giggle came from her as she held onto to Celestia’s neck, peering around the side to see where they were going as she rode on the Solar Princess’ back. Canterlot Castle guards, guests, and staff all paused what they were doing to do a double take as one of their rulers trotted past with a filly on her back like nothing was out of the ordinary, not that they would question her actions. Although she had seen quite a bit of the castle, her new position offered Dinky a better view, her head twisting and turning she noticed things in alcoves that any adult pony would see, but too high and not interesting enough for a foal to pay attention to. She was a bit put off when her view was suddenly obscured as they entered a side corridor, one she had noticed only the servants seemed to use. Still, she kept her questions to herself and peered around the new location, then starred forward as clanging from a room further down made her ears flicker. It seemed the noise was unexpected to Celestia as well, as she stopped her walking and cocked her head, looking towards where the noises were coming from. Slowly trotting forward, wings raised to protect and hide the filly upon her back, she poked her head through the doorway. Dinky tried to peek through the white feathers blocking her view as to what made Celestia start to giggle, and she was lifted from her back onto a table, where she looked around. They were in one of the kitchens, where the cupboards had been rooted through, items left on the side and open, and a mess everywhere. When her eyes met those of the pony responsible, she let out surprised gasp. “Prince Blueblood, what did you do?” “...I was just trying to make a sandwich.” The stallion rolled his eyes as Celestia giggled again, so he decided to talk to the only other pony that hadn’t seemed to take leave of their senses, coming over to stand in front of Dinky. “But I don’t think this is the right kitchen. All I can find is dessert ingredients.” Dinky turned to look at Celestia with wide eyes and a hopeful smile, doing her best ‘please’ expression. “Can… can we make muffins, Princess?” The filly flattened her ears back as well, dipping her head whilst staring up at the white mare. “Well… I don’t see why we can not make some. Blueblood?” “Sure, sounds good.” He grinned at Dinky when she let out a squeal of delight, running across the countertop to where the supplies lay. Blueblood helped her grab them and several bowls, a baking recipe book appearing before them in a golden flash, and he flashed a grateful smile over his shoulder at his aunt. When he handed the book over to the filly, it was pushed away by her who simply shook her head with a smile. Content to sit on the sidelines, mainly to keep her coat clean due to the meeting with her court she had later that day, Celestia watched her nephew and the filly with a smile. She didn't even chide them when they purposefully left the lid off of the mixer, splattering the walls with cake mix. Soon enough there were several batches being placed into the ovens, with a lot more waiting on the side. Turning her nearly-mouthwatering gaze from the treats, Celestia surveyed her impromptu bakers. One simply had some flour on their muzzle, whilst the other… “Blueblood… perhaps you should take a moment to wash up?” Giving a chuckle, the stallion nodded in agreement and whispered something into Dinky’s ear, causing her to giggle, and then he left the room. After wiping the mess from her face, Dinky hopped over to Celestia and sat against her side, closing her eyes and humming away to herself. Celestia lay her stomach to the floor and wrapped her wing around Dinky, pulling her close, and closed her own eyes as well, ears and nose alert for signs of the treats being done. “Well, don’t you look happy?” Celestia’s eyes snapped open and darted to the owner of the voice, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was Blueblood, who was now flour-free. A glance at the clock showed her nearly half an hour had gone by, and she looked down to Dinky to find she had drifted off next to her. She gave her a nudge, the filly waking and looking around the room, then gasping as she saw Blueblood opening the first oven. Jumping onto a chair, Dinky used her magic to carefully take each muffin from the baking tray and set it on the cooling rack, Blueblood then putting the tray into a large sink for washing later. Just as she was checking over the muffins, Dinky saw a white hoof from the corner of her eye, and, remembering what Blueblood had whispered to her, slapped it away with one of her own and turned around, glaring at the shocked Princess Celestia. “No touching! They have to cool down first!” The alicorn pouted at the filly whilst somehow simultaneously glaring at her nephew, who was having trouble taking the next tray out as his body was shaking, the stallion trying to keep himself from laughing. Celestia stepped back and sat down, crossing her forelegs and turning her head away, watching them with one eye. Dinky was keeping a close eye on her now as they took the remaining cooked muffins from the ovens and placed the second batch in. Testing one with a hoof, Dinky nodded to Blueblood who in turn nodded at Celestia, the mare jumping up in excitement like a foal on Hearth’s Warming morning. She almost skipped over to the filly but held herself in check, head high as she approached. Taking a muffin within her magic, Celestia raised it to her muzzle and took a deep breath, some strange form of recognition entering her mind, as if she had had these before. She hid the confused frown she felt coming and took a bite of the muffin, chewing slowly. It seemed that voice in her head was onto something, as the taste further cemented the feeling she was missing something. Giving a nod of approval to her bakers, Celestia stepped back and watched Dinky carefully whilst chewing on the muffin. These muffins… there’s only one mare I’ve ever met that made them like this, and she disappeared from the Gala… shortly before Blueblood started his search! Conjuring the image of the mare from her memories and the picture on the back of the spare copy of The Canterlot Guardian, she lost focus on the world around her. Soon all she could hear was the sound of chuckling from her nephew and giggling from the filly, and that’s when, like a runaway Canterlot Express against the end of the line, it hit her, her head snapping up with her eyes wide. “Blueblood...there’s...” Something strange blew past her ears, which could not be wind as this room had no windows and only one door which was closed, and she thought she heard a whisper, something about the ‘time not being right’, and to ‘wait a little bit longer’. “Aunt Tia?” Shaking her head and coming back to reality, she looked over to see Blueblood staring back with worry, Dinky watching from behind him. In some strange way, she could see a slight resemblance, yet what she now realised was the deep magic of Equestria talking to her, like it had done eons ago when instructing her to make the prophecy of Nightmare Moon’s return, and it already knew what she now did… and even she could not ignore its instructions, so put on a gentle smile and lifted her muffin back up. “You and your assistant did well, young Dinky. Perhaps I should fire the royal baker and hire you instead?” Dinky blushed and turned away, mumbling to herself as she continued to inspect her creations, Blueblood smiling at his aunt before doing the same. Oh Blueblood... A three storey building stared down and tried its best to weaken the resolve of the single earth pony stallion stood just outside the gateway to its grounds, a briefcase over his back instead of saddle bags.. He looked up, seeing a wrought iron gate head with ‘FOAL PROTECTION SERVICES’ in the works. The two gates were open, the concrete yard devoid of any other signs of life. It truly was a dismal place, going against the government department that was housed there, yet this had been its home since its inception. Giving a deep sigh, the stallion stepped through the gateway and up the steps at the front of the building, where he found the first pony in the building; a rather angry looking unicorn security guard. “Hey! You’re not an FPS agent! You can’t be here!” “And a good day to you. My name is Hutch Jubilee, and I am here to represent the Ministry of Finance during their investigation. Will you allow me entry now, or do I have to come back with some guardsponies in order to carry out this royal order?” “R-royal order?” “The Minister is a prince, remember.” “O-of course, sir. If you can just wait over here, I’ll go fetch the pony that will be assisting you.” The security guard quickly trotted down one of the corridors, Hutch taking a deep breath once he was alone. He spotted a seating area, but decided to remain where he was. It was only a few moments later when the guard came back with an older pegasus mare in a suit. “Mr Jubilee?” “Yes.” “I am Breezy Haze. This way please.” The security guard seemed to lose a bit of composure as Hutch walked by, the mare leading him to the first floor and into a rather spacious room. “We were in the middle of reorganizing the offices when we were told to halt all work. It may take some time to find forms that you require.” “Just any and all forms that detail the expenditure of your funding for now. I know they’re not lost, as you are required by law to have them accessible at all time, including moving locations.” Hutch allowed himself a small smile at Breezy’s shocked reaction, clearly not expecting a young pony like him to be experienced enough to know what he was talking about. Regaining her composure, the mare nodded and pointed to a clear desk, then moved to one of the filing cabinets and rolled it over. “Here is every monthly expenditure sheet of the FPS for the last ten years. All others are held in the Canterlot Archives, just like every other department. Anything else you need? Perhaps a cup of tea?” “No thank you, I shall be fine.” The mare nodded once more and left the room, Hutch sitting at the desk and pulling out a thick folder from his briefcase, followed by opening the filing cabinets. Starting with the most recent file, he worked from the bottom up, noting every bit and where it was spent. Outside the room the pegasus mare watched him work, her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t angry that he was here to carry out the investigation, but because while most of the FPS representatives, she actually cared about the foals; there were some that only took the job because they needed money. “So, who’s that?” The mare jumped in shock and turned around, about to shout at the pony that startled her, but she let out a shocked gasp instead. “M-miss Vain! That’s the investigator from the MoF.” “I see.” Moving up to the door, Amber took a good look, noting everything she could. His back was to them as he worked quickly and efficiently, moving from one sheet to the next. “He’s kinda cute. Shame. Give him everything he asks for, got that?” “Y-yes, Miss Vain.” With that the unicorn mare left the area, heading up to her office. The pegasus, whose office was right next to where Hutch was working, made her way inside, looking at the forecast budget and trying to work out how to put bits where they belonged. So engrossed in her work was she that it took the gentle tapping of a hoof on her desk to get her to look up. “Where are the bits?” “M-mister Jubilee! What are you accusing me of?” “You deal with the budget.” He chucked a sheet of paper onto her desk, which was marked with her name at the top. “You know what’s going on.” Not saying a word, the mare stood from her seat and walked out of the room, waving Hutch after her, and looking around all the time. She led him down to the ground floor and into a door hidden in the staircase panelling, which revealed another set of stairs down into a basement. Once down there, she clicked on a light and faced Hutch. “Yes, I know what is going on. Others do too, but none of them had the guts to be a whistleblower. Listen kid, if you really want to help, then looking through all of those records won’t help. The keeper is one of the top management team’s lackeys, and does anything they say for an extra bit.” “Why has nopony said anything before?” “Because the last one that tried to do something has never been seen again.” “You mean…” “Don’t know, never found a body. I don’t think it’s Miss Vain, she’s only been CEO for three years, and bits started to drain away before then.” “What was she before CEO?” “No idea, she wasn’t here. Look, this box,” Breezy slid said box out from under the table, which housed several files. “Contains copies of all of those documents you just looked at. Perhaps you could take them back to the Ministry, and get another set of eyes on them?” “I think that might just be a good idea. Thank you for helping.” “I’m doing it for the foals, that’s all.” With that, she led him back upstairs, where he waited with the security guard whilst she got his briefcase. A few moments later he was trotting out of the doors with the files secured, the mare breathing a sigh of relief. She turned around and stopped dead in shock for a moment, then held her head high. “Miss Vain.” “Well well, it seems we have our money drain. You know it’s illegal to copy official documents for personal use. What was he doing here, helping you divert more funds?” “I don’t know if you’re in on this or not, Vain, but it’s going to be found out soon!” “Yes, it will, by those three. All yours, boys, take this criminal away. Oh, and you might want to intercept that stallion before he sells those files or something. And when you do catch him, please destroy them.” “As you wish, Lady Vain.” Breezy Haze turned to find a squad of Royal Guards waiting behind, wing shackles at the ready. She gave one last glare at Amber, then turned and walked away with the guardsponies. Amber watched her go with a smirk, then turned to the security guard, who had seen the whole exchange. “Whether you continue to exist is dependant on your next answer; what did you just see?” “You… coming in the front door, Lady Vain?” “Good answer.” With that she lightly trotted back up towards her office, ready to deal with any other fool who thought they could best her. It’s okay Derpy, everything will be okay… “Canterlot Station! Arriving in ten minutes!” Derpy’s thoughts came to a halt when she heard the conductor yell out her desired destination. Releasing a sigh, she slowly got up from her seat and strapped her saddlebag onto her torso. When she looked out of the window, Derpy could see the city approaching fast. When the train finally came to a standstill, Derpy walked towards the nearest door opening for the passengers inside, entering the busy station of Canterlot. Seeing the exit to the city, Derpy started walking toward the large door, dodging ponies to the best of her ability. Feeling slightly claustrophobic, Derpy started to canter to get away from the crowd. Finally outside, Derpy looked up to see the time on a tower overshadowing the station. Knowing what time the school trip was due to get the train back to Ponyville, she knew that Dinky would soon be on her way, and, as much as she loved her daughter, wouldn’t mind some time with them alone. I guess it'll be alright, and if not, I’ll buy her something nice… a smile slowly crept onto her muzzle, her decision final. Trailing through the streets, Derpy arrived at an apartment complex near a well known bakery, the very same one that she used to work at. Things haven’t changed much around here… Derpy trailed off as she was lost in nostalgia for a moment before blinking and heading towards the other building. As she entered the complex, she trotted happily down the corridors until she reached her destination, grabbing the metal rings that was attached to the wooden frame and used it to slam the door three times. Derpy’s ears twitched when she heard hoofsteps from the other side of the door, which opened to reveal a mint green unicorn stallion with a dark brown mane and a mint candy for a cutie mark. “Hi, daddy…” Lucky Mint gasped before he grinned cheerfully as he gave his daughter a bear hug, nearly choking the life out of the mare. “My little filly! Good to see you again.” Lucky said as he pecked Derpy’s cheek before letting her go, laughing a little before cocking his brow at his daughter wheezing for air. “You okay?” “I’m fine…” Derpy uttered out, clearing her throat before straightening herself. “May I come in?” She asked politely, despite knowing her father’s answer. “Like you have to ask.” He gestured her to come inside, closing the door before following her to the living room. “Take a seat, I’ll be right back!” Lucky chuckled before rushing up out of the room. “Honey! Come and see who’s here!” Dad! Derpy groaned as she rested her face to her hooves, feeling a combination of embarrassment and joy. When she lifted her head, she was greeted by the sight of a unicorn mare with a pecan coat, mahogany mane and a sugarcane cutie mark looking down on Derpy with moist eyes. Before Derpy could say another word, she was enveloped in the mare’s magic and brought into another hug. “My little Derpy!” Sugary Myth spoke soothingly as she nuzzled her daughter before dissipating her magic. “This is a nice surprise,” Sugary said as she sat down next to Derpy. “If we’d have known you would be coming, we’d have tidied up the place.” “Mom, it’s okay…” Derpy waved her hooves as she smiled sheepishly. “Really, my place is messier than this.” Derpy said humbly, remembering how her parents had bought her house for her in Ponyville when Dinky came into the world. Sugary blinked for moment before she looked around every corner of the room. “Where’s my beautiful granddaughter by the way?” She asked curiously, a hint of mischief tainted in her voice. “Oh, she’s at the castle right now. She was on a field trip with her class.” “That’s nice, but then why didn’t she return with the other foals?” Sugary asked curiously, surprised to see her daughter looking away as her smile disappeared. “Did something happen to Dinky?” Sugary voiced raised a little as she began to fear the worse. Derpy turned her attention to her mother, shaking her head a little as she sniffed. “No, there’s nothing wrong with Dinky…” Derpy whispered, barely audible as she looked down avoiding her mother’s gaze. “Sweetie,” Sugary spoke as she caressed her daughter’s cheek, slowly raising her chin. “Please tell me… what happened?” she begged her daughter. Scrunching her lips, Derpy let out a sigh before she spoke again. “Remember when I told you and dad about Dinky?” Derpy asked her mother rhetorically. “And remember when you asked me who the father was and I didn’t know his name?” Sugary’s eyes dilated, almost as though she foresaw what her daughter was going to say. “Did you find out who he is?” Sugary asked, a fusion of relief and anger flushing over her. “Please tell me you didn’t go out looking and found him frolicking around—” “Mom, no!” Derpy rested her hooves on her mother’s shoulders, calming the elder mare before continuing. “He came looking for me... “ Derpy said as she removed herself from her mother. Perplexed by what Derpy had just said, Sugary’s mouth went agape before closing as she shook her head. “Pardon? Why did he come looking for you?” “Who came looking for who?” Lucky asked casually as he came from the kitchen carrying a tea tray with his magic. “What did I miss?” He questioned his wife and daughter, only to be greeted by silence. Frowning as he placed the tea on the table, he saw Derpy’s crestfallen face and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. “Can you tell me what happened?” “The stallion came back.” Sugary replied flatly, nuzzling Derpy gently when the latter was looking down upon the ground. Stallion? Wait… Him!? Lucky clenched his teeth, remembering the fateful day when his daughter came to them revealing she was pregnant. Even though he was over the moon at the prospect of becoming a grandfather, finding out that the father of Derpy’s future daughter ditched her nearly sent him into a rage to find the one responsible for breaking Derpy’s heart. “Where is that good-for-nothing son of—” “Dad!” Derpy exclaimed, abruptly silencing her father. “It’s not like that. He came looking for me because... “ Derpy paused for a moment before sighing again. “Because he still loves me…” “Huh?” Lucky uttered out as he looked to his wife for an answer, but was greeted by a shrug from her. “What do you mean, he still loves you? Wasn’t he the one to walk out on you when you woke up in the—” Lucky closed his mouth abruptly, afraid he might have spoken too much. “But do you still love him?” Derpy closed her eyes momentarily before opening them up again slowly, releasing a single tear from her eye. “I mean, my mind is telling me ‘no’ but my heart says otherwise. I don’t know whether to believe him or not, nor do I know if it’s all some cruel joke after so long....” Derpy continued to babble on, more tears cascading from her eyes with each word. “But I’m… I’m...” “Sweety?” “I’m scared.” Derpy confessed with a whisper, barely audible to her parents. She felt a pair of hooves bringing her into an embrace, which she returned and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. Sugary rubbed her daughter’s back as she nuzzled her head soothingly. “Let it all out Derpy,” Sugary said as she continued to hold onto her daughter. When she felt Derpy’s head leaving her shoulder, Sugary released her grip and placed her hooves on her daughter’s. “Sweety, does he know about Dinky yet?” Sugary asked out of concern, only to be answered with her daughter shaking her head. “I think the first thing you should do is tell him about Dinky.” Sugary stated, firmly graspifng Derpy’s hooves. “I will… when she gets here, I will tell her who her father is,” Derpy replied, wiping her tears from her face. “By the way, who is the father?” Lucky asked curiously, leaning in to hear his daughter’s answer. If it’s some grunt guard, he’s going to have a few choice words from me! “Prince Blueblood.” A deafening silence fell upon the room, only to be broken by Lucky dropping his tea cup on his saucer shattering it. “W-what did you say?” Lucky stuttered, oblivious to the tea that was staining the couch and the broken china that was scattered around him. Before he could get an answer, the front door’s lock clicked and opened revealing a beige unicorn stallion with a donut cutie mark coming inside. “Derpy!” Donut Joe beamed as he walked towards the group and hugged his little sister. “Now this is a nice surprise.” Joe ruffled his sister’s hair, eliciting a giggle from Derpy. “It’s good to see you again, Big Joe,” Derpy greeted him with his nickname, nuzzling him when he stopped messing with her mane. “Good thing you’re here, had some messengers from the castle just now asking about mom and dad.” Joe said as he looked to his parents. Both Sugary and Lucky looked at each other before returning their gaze at their son. “Why would Princess Celestia ask about us?” Lucky wondered, feeling a little dread. I hope we’re not in trouble! Derpy gasped, realizing why the messenger were asking about her parents. “It must be Dinky,” she thought out loud, placing her saucer and cup on the coffee table. She looked up to the clock over the fireplace to see nearly an hour had gone by, and there was no still sign of her daughter. “There must be something wrong!” Derpy quickly pecked her mother and father. “I love you mom, love you dad!” she spoke fast as she flared her wings and took off from the couch, flying over her brother. “I’ll see you later, Joe!” she called out to him, running out of the door and not bothering to close it behind her. Just as she got her bearing right to fly to the castle, she accidently made a head on collision with another pony. Groaning from pain, she rubbed her head to soothe the soreness. “I’m so sorry!” Derpy apologized as she squinted her eyes, barely making out a stallion in light armor who was hardly affected by the crash. “I’m alright, ma’am.” The stallion replied with a grunt voice, clearing his throat before he spoke again. “Perhaps you can help me, I’m looking for two unicorns who go by the name of Sugary Myth and Lucky Mint.” he asked her politely, yet with a tone of professionalism in his voice. “Those are my parents,” Derpy replied evenly as the pain settling down after running its course. “Tell me, what do you want from them?” “We just wish to know their residence so that we can notify them about their granddaughter.” the messenger answered Derpy’s question before smiling. “But seeing as they are your parents, the foal in question must be your daughter?” he asked, receiving a nod from the mare. “Then why don’t I escort you to the castle grounds, since I believe that’s where you were heading?” “Thank you very much,” Derpy said as she and the messengers took wing towards the castle. “I didn’t know there were so many statues in the gardens,” Dinky said as she was amazed by the number of stone figures she and Blueblood had walked past, the latter telling her the story of each one of them. Blueblood suppressed a laugh as he looked down on the filly. “Well my aunt does take a lot of effort to immortalize ponies that have left a big impact on Equestria.” they continued to walk slowly through the green scenery. His gaze landed on an empty spot next to a few other statues, where the infamous Discord was once located after the Elements of Harmony petrified him again not so long ago. Why Auntie Celestia decided to pardon that beast, I will never know… “Some foals in my class say that these ponies here did  horrible things and were turned to stone as punishment for their crimes…” Dinky shuddered at the thought of being petrified, living forever yet no freedom of movement at all. As he rolled his eyes, Blueblood sighed just before he shook his head. “That’s just a silly superstition, Princess Celestia would never do that to a pony at all,” Blueblood stated to Dinky, a soft smile forming on his muzzle when he saw her relax. “That was only Discord who received that fate, as far as I know... “ “But then why is Discord free?” Dinky questioned Blueblood, remembering a few pranks around the school that were done by the lord of chaos, ones that did not please Cheerilee at all. “That is something only Princess Celestia knows…” They came to a stop near a water fountain where a few birds were bathing, and Dinky tried to get a closer look at them. Taking one step forward, all the birds flew away, leaving a dejected Dinky behind. “Sorry about that, the animals here are rather shy,” Blueblood said as he came to sit next to Dinky, remembering the gala a few years ago when a pegasus mare tried her best to get the affection of the critters, in the most bizarre manner. “By the way, those muffins you made… were the best muffins I ever tasted,” Blueblood said randomly, catching a glimpse of Dinky blushing before looking away giggling. Dinky looked up to Blueblood beaming. “My mom taught me how to bake them, but I’m not as good as she is.” “Still, you could give some of the best bakers here in Canterlot a run for their money with those muffins.” Blueblood joked as he shared a laugh with Dinky, not hearing the flapping of wings coming towards them. “Dinky?” When he heard the voice of Derpy, Blueblood’s laughter stopped abruptly as he turned around to see the mare he loved standing behind them. What surprised him even more was the shock he saw in her eyes when she looked back at him and Dinky. “Oh hi, mommy!” Dinky greeted her mother, running towards her and nuzzling her chest. “What’s wrong, mom?” Dinky asked her mother, who did not acknowledge her daughter’s presence as she stared at Blueblood. Derpy blinked before she looked down on Dinky, her pupils shaking a little as she breathed erratically. “Dinky… do you remember when you asked me about your... “ Derpy couldn’t finish the sentence as a lump formed in her throat. She tried to swallow it, but her actions were futile. Mommy… wait! Dinky! Is she my—?! Blueblood connected the dots in his head, causing him to fall onto his haunches as he was now in shock too by the discovery. “When I asked about?” Dinky repeated her mother’s words, trying to figure out why her mother was acting this way. “You mean when I asked you about who my daddy was?” Dinky remembered questioning her mother about the rather sensitive topic. “Wait…” Dinky looked back at Blueblood, thoroughly inspecting him. White coat, golden hair, bright blue eyes… and a compass rose cutie mark! Dinky jaw's went agape, remembering the description her mother gave her about her father, Blueblood being an exact match. Turning her body towards Blueblood, Dinky’s eyes traveled upwards until they met Blueblood’s. Her lips started to quiver before her mouth opened to speak. “Are you... “ Dinky paused, her eyes watering as she sniffed. “Are you my daddy?” Blueblood looked to Derpy and saw the mare nod slowly, causing him to return the gesture to the filly before him. “I am…” Blueblood answered Dinky, his own eyes becoming misty from the revelation. I’ll understand if she hates me for this… I deserve it for— Blueblood’s thoughts halted when he saw Dinky charging towards him, crying openly as she collided against him. “Daddy!” Dinky cried out, nuzzling Blueblood’s chest as she shed tears. She tried her best to hug him, but his chest was too broad for her to envelop him. Instead, she felt herself being brought into an embrace by the stallion that was her father. “Dinky…” Blueblood whispered with quivered lips as he was now too releasing a river of tears from his eyes, nuzzling the filly with his eyes closed. I’m a father… I’m actually a father! Blueblood thought to himself, a little overwhelmed by this new discovery but more overjoyed than afraid. He felt his coat being soaked by Dinky’s tears, but did not care as he was too happy to care about such trivial things. Blueblood continued to rub his head against Dinky’s mane, staining her with his own tears. As he continued to hold onto the filly like she was the most fragile thing in existence, Blueblood failed to see Derpy standing at a distance with a wide smile and her own eyes becoming a waterfall at the scene she was witnessing. Unbeknownst to the three ponies, Wise Words observed the beautiful moment from the other side of the gardens. Reaching for a tissue in his pocket, he wiped the tears from his own eyes as he smiled proudly at Blueblood. Tis truly the best thing that could have happened to you, Master Blueblood… Wise Words turned away from the scene, wanting to give them privacy. Wise Words let out a laugh as he smiled fondly. I think Princess Celestia and Luna will be over the moon when they find out about this… And just think when Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor hear about this  When he entered the castle, a sigh escaped from him as he frowned in concern. I just hope they won’t have to deal with… them.