> Dinky: A Filly That Is Loved
>  by vincent5000x
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Like Yesterdays Trash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(o^o)


The young foal looked up with hunger filled eyes at the dark silhouette in front of her, wondering when her mother had been replaced with such a dark image. Even though a soft energy glowed slightly around her body, a never ending darkness surrounded the foal. All she could do was stare at the large silhouette in front of her.

"Its your fault!" a feminine voice seethed through angry breaths. The voice was filled with rage, but stayed contained to where only the foal could hear it. "Because of you, my life could be ruined at any moment!"

The foal merely continued her stare at the silhouette. She didn’t know what the pony was saying, having been born a little over a week before. All she knew was the pain in her stomach, one that never seemed to leave.

"But I won't let you…" the pony continued, a strange scraping sound suddenly echoing through the darkness. For what felt like hours, the foal felt herself slowly glide through the never ending darkness, the silhouette of her mother slowly disappearing. Suddenly, the energy around the foal faded as a soft thud rang through the darkness.

"I still have my own life to live."



(9_6)


The young mare couldn't help but smile as she stared up at the sky. Her amber colored eyes staring in opposite directions as a white cloud passed by her sight. Her gray fur and yellow mane stood out among the bland city streets as her wings stretched out to soak in the morning suns warmth.

Several bubbles of various sizes could be seen on either side of her flank, a bag full of letters and packages she was tasked to deliver hung just under her wings, almost obscuring the bubbles from sight. It was all part of her summer job to save up what she needed to for the senior trip that coming school year.

Although, she had to admit, she didn’t just do it for the bits. There was something about delivering letters and packages that brought a calming peace to her mind.

"Good afternoon Derpy," ponies would say as she passed. Every now and then, she would stop and hand a pony a letter or package meant for them. Some would question why she did this rather than bringing it to their homes. But Derpy always felt that a letter or package was meant to be received and opened as soon as possible.

This was Derpy's summer. Not full of fun and games, but full of doing the thing she loved. She couldn't help but giggle every now and then as she thought of how poetic her summer was, even though she was barely two weeks into it.

By the time the sun was beginning to drop from its high point, Derpy had delivered all but one final package. It was a large box, meant to be delivered to a small hardware store located close to the middle of the city. Derpy knew where it was, she knew where everything in the city was.

As she made her way up to the shop's front door, she became a little downhearted to see that the shop was closed for the day. She would leave the package at the front door, but she knew that the part of the city she was in wasn't known for its consideration for others and their property. So she decided to leave it by the side entrance.

Looking down the path, Derpy couldn't help but hesitate for a moment as she made her way down the alleyway. The only things she could see was a large green dumpster and the side entrance to the hardware shop. Derpy didn't want to be caught back there by somepony who wasn't all that nice. So she quickly made her way over to the side entrance, dropping the package just outside the door.

Turning to leave, Derpy quickly began trotting back towards the main street. She was halfway out before a strange noise reached her ears. Rather than startle her, the noise seemed to confuse her.

The sound was what Derpy could best make out as, dried wails. Like a child had thrown a tantrum for so long, their throat had run dry and they couldn't make any actual sounds. Derpy turned to look for the sounds source, but all she saw was the hardware shops side entrance and the lone green dumpster.

All shreds of fear faded from Derpy's mind as she made her way back into the alley. A sense of worry reached for her as thoughts of somepony being in trouble fed her with the courage to move forward. Her father had raised her right, she would never leave somepony who needed help, even if it meant putting herself in danger.

The sounds of the dry wails only seemed to intensify as she made her way farther in. The wails seemed muffled, so Derpy guessed that they were coming from one of the surrounding buildings. But as she past the dumpster, a new sense of worry and fear spread over her as she realized that the wails were, in fact, coming from inside.

Without even a second thought about her own safety, Derpy rushed over to the dumpster and flung open its lid, looking down at the horrid sight it contained.



(o^o)


The baby foal lay alone in the dark, grasping an unknown object for protection as she cried out. She had no idea what was going on. She was alone and hungry, with nothing but the surrounding darkness to comfort her. Her young mind still trying to grasp what her mother had done.

She had no memories or knowledge. She was only a few days old and all she knew was that she wanted to hear her mother's voice again and to feel the warmth of the strange energy she made. The foal had no idea that the acts of kindness and love she believed her mother had given her, were all just acts of loathing.

So the baby filly cried. Never knowing that the mother she wanted would never return, never realizing just how hungry she was, never feeling just how dry her young throat was. All she could do was cry as she continued to hold the unknown object as firmly as her body would allow.

All she could do was wait for the unknown as she weakened over time. After what the filly believed to be hours of being alone, a new feeling of weakness was sweeping over her. One that caused her to breath more adversely and loosen her small grip.

Just as her last dry wail broke through her lips, a blinding light filled the baby foals eyes, pulling her from a cold dark embrace. Using what strength she had left, the baby foal looked up as a large pair of horror struck, misaligned eyes.



(9_6)


Derpy could do little but look down in horror at the sight before her.

A baby unicorn, most likely no more than a few days old, lay in a small pile of trash and blood at the bottom of the bin. Blood slowly dripped out of a scratch on her head and nose, staining her very pale periwinkle fur. Several other cuts and bruises could be seen, as well as what appeared to be a black eye. Her short yellow mane and tail contained several bits of trash.

The baby unicorn looked up at Derpy, releasing a soda can it had been hugging onto for dear life. Derpy continued to stare in horror as she saw the baby unicorns definable ribcage, telling her that the foal had not been fed in a long time.

A sudden urge to throw up and curl into a little ball began to form in Derpy's mind, causing her body to try and lock up on her. But she knew she couldn't, not with what was in front of her. Reaching in, she began to take the baby unicorn out of the dumpster, doing her best to be gentle. She could feel the young foal try to move in protest to her touch, but she was too weak to do much.

"Oh, please calm down," Derpy whispered through her rising tears as she pulled the unicorn out. Using her mouth, she reached into the bag she had and pulled out a small blanket she had brought with her for emergencies, carefully wrapping the baby unicorn in it. Then, as the unicorn began to notice its new, more comfortable location, Derpy reached into her bag and pulled out a small, half empty bottle of water.

Soaking a small piece of the blanket with water, Derpy lead the damp cloth to the unicorns mouth. Almost instantly, the baby unicorn started to suck the water from the blanket. Derpy wanted to smile as she soaked the portion of blanket several times for the unicorn, but she knew that this was nothing to smile about.



(o^o)


The baby filly couldn't help but feel happy as she felt the warmth of the blanket. It reminded her of her mothers magical grasp, only much softer and warmer. She was so lost in this new feeling, that she almost didn't notice the cold that had touched her lips. It was on pure instinct alone that the foal took the portion of cloth in her mouth and began to drain it dry. Almost instantly, the filly felt the cool liquid soothe parts of her mouth and throat. She was even more surprised when, after drinking the cloth dry, it returned seconds later with more of its cool liquid.

The young foal didn't know who this pony was, only that they were very, very kind.
> Chapter 2: One Life Saved 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	

(9_6)


Derpy couldn't tell how long she sat there, cradling the baby unicorn in her arms. Only that, by the time she realized where she was, the sun had long gone down.

"Now what do I do?" Derpy questioned herself. The baby unicorn still looked very weak, needed food, and medical attention as soon as possible. But the hospital was miles away, and Derpy doubted the infant would survive the bumpy journey in its state. 

Looking out towards the street, Derpy's heart sank as she saw just how barren it was. Everypony had already gone home. No one passing by had even noticed her as she sat in the alleyway. A new feeling of sadness swept over Derpy as she realized that no pony would of even know about the baby filly.

Each would've continued on their path, whether it be home or to a friends. The baby unicorns dried wails would never have reached outside the alleyway. Derpy couldn't help but thank Celestia that she had entered the alleyway. Even though it was by chance, she was happy she had.

Suddenly, Derpy knew what she would do. Her father was a police pony and would know exactly what to do in these kind situations. He also had enough medical training that she knew he would be able to help the baby filly. Her house wasn't even that far. A whole lot closer than the hospital was.

Making sure the filly was wrapped safely in her blanket, Derpy carefully set her on her back. Using her wings, she held the bundle in place. It would take longer to get home walking rather than flying, but Derpy knew that this would provide the baby filly with the most comfort and safety that she could provide.

As she expected, it was a long walk back to her home. She had stopped several times to check on the baby filly. Each time, she was greeted by a weak smile and small amber eyes. Every now and then, the infant would cry out in pain for a moment or two. Each cry, caused Derpy to make more careful steps.

She knew that the filly was crying because she was hurt and hungry. All she had to offer was water and a blanket, and she knew that the baby filly needed a lot more than that.

Walking up to the front door, Derpy couldn't help but sigh sadly as she found it locked. Whenever her father was home, he would leave it unlocked. He was a well respected pony in the city. He always did his best for those around him. He even decided to live in a house on the ground than in the clouds like most other pegasus ponies.

"I don't want to look down at other ponies. Whether physically or morally." He would say in his calm voice, whenever the topic was brought up. It only made him more respected.

But it was the fact that he was not home yet. Derpy knew he worked late some nights, but she had prayed to Celestia that he would be home early for once. But she knew she couldn't dwindle on that thought. The baby filly on her back needed help, and standing on the doorstep thinking was, in no way, shape or form, helping.

Walking through the house, Derpy ignored everything as she made her way for the kitchen. It wasn't the biggest room in the house, but it was large enough to fit everything a kitchen needed. It even had space for a table and two chairs. 

She didn't want to, but Derpy placed the small filly that had been on her back, onto the table. The baby filly laid almost motionless as she stared at Derpy. The only real movements coming from the infant were blinks and breathing.

"Please don't move," Derpy whispered to the filly. she had to get some supplies, and if the filly had stayed on her back, it would've been almost impossible to get them all. Luckily though, everything she needed was in the kitchen. Her gaze never left the filly for more than a few seconds.

Returning to the filly, Derpy had acquired a full medical kit and several ointments. She also had a few cloths and a small bin of fresh water. 

Setting everything on the table next to the filly, Derpy proceeded to unwrap her from the blanket. She couldn't help but notice all the cuts and bruises. Some, showing signs of getting worse.

Using a damp cloth, she quickly began cleaning the baby filly, removing both the dried blood, and layers of dirt. Derpy knew that babies were more susceptible to infection and prayed that the filly had not already contracted something dangerous.

As she wiped the cuts and bruises, the filly would twitch in pain. Each time, it brought a tear to Derpy's eyes. She would wipe more carefully each time she noticed a twitch. Once the filly was clean, Derpy began applying the ointments to their respective wounds. She made sure each cut also had a bandage applied. She wanted to do more, but it was the best she could do with what she knew. Then, without taking her glance off the filly, Derpy grabbed a muffin from a nearby counter. 

Setting herself on the ground with the filly snug in one of her arms, Derpy began giving her some of the muffin. She knew it wasn't what babies should eat, but it was literally all there was in the house. She was supposed to shop that day, but things had obviously not gone as planned.


(o^o)


The young unicorn could barely remember the long journey she had just been on with the kind pony. All she could remember was the small shots of pain and the never ending hunger. But, the kind pony would keep checking on her throughout the journey. Slowing down whenever the bumps made parts of her small body hurt.

Finally, the young filly felt the world close in around her as the once open sky was replaced with bland colored walls. Soon after, she felt herself laying on a hard surface and looking over at the kind pony. She could do little but stare and breath as the pony moved about the strange room, looking for, and grabbing, several strange items.

Then, the pony walked back over to the young filly and removed the blanket, exposing the filly to the mildly warm air of the room. Suddenly, a cold cloth was run over her body. Every now and then, she felt a bit of pain as the cloth passed over several areas on her body. She couldn't help but twitch with each shock of pain, and in response, the kind pony would wipe more carefully.

After the wiping was done, the pony put different substances on areas of the filly's body that hurt or felt soar. The substances eased some of the pain and soreness as well as warmed her body more. She almost didn't notice the pony placing several sticky items on her body. They didn't annoy her, but she knew they were there.

A few moments later, she felt herself being lifted off the hard surface and back into the pony's arm. She watched as the distance from her and the ceiling increased. Once the moving stopped, the baby filly found herself looking up into the kind pony's eyes. She liked the way they looked.

She was so captivated by their color and how they looked, that she barely noticed the strange item touching her lips. Like with the cool liquid from earlier, she opened her mouth as something dry, yet soft was gently put in. Immediately, the baby filly felt a multitude of strange sensations.

Whatever it was that had been placed in her mouth had a taste the seemed to cut into the baby filly's hunger, appeasing it by a bit. The substance was so small, that she nearly swallowed it whole. But, acting on instinct, she began to chew on it with her small teeth. After it slid down her throat, she opened her mouth hoping for more, and like with the liquid from before, she received it.

This continued for a while, only stopping when the baby filly was given more cold fluid to drink. But even after that, the substance would continue to be placed in her mouth. Although, she noticed that it would be placed in after longer periods of waiting as she continued to eat. After a while, it stopped entirely. The baby filly didn't care that it had stopped. A uneasy feeling had begun to develop in her stomach and it was beginning to hurt. 

Before she could even cry, she felt herself being lifted up and placed next to the kind pony's head, her yellow hair covering the baby filly's face. Then, something began to lightly rub her back. It made her feel warm, and seemed to ease the clenching in her stomach.

"Burp"


(9_6)


Derpy couldn't help but smile as she heard the small unicorns burp. It was so cute. It reassured Derpy that she was doing good. For a moment, Derpy thought about giving the baby filly more of the muffin, but quickly decided against it. She was taking a risk giving such a young filly normal food, she wasn't going to continue the risk. She was sure she had already given her enough for the time being. But still, she wished her father would come home and tell her what to do next. 

No sooner had this thought entered her mind, then the sound of a turning lock filled the entire house.

"Derpy, Are you up?" Derpy's father called from another room. The sudden sound of the new voice caused the small filly to twitch in Derpy's grasp.

"Shh, it's ok," she whispered as she continued rubbing the filly’s back with her hoof. It caused the baby filly to calm down and snuggle closer to her head.

"Derpy?" her father called again. Although this time, his voice held a tone of worry as it came from an adjacent room. Looking up, Derpy noticed the mess she left on the table. The cloth covered in dirt and dry blood stood out among all the medical supplies and ointments on the table.

"Derpy?!" Derpy could hear her father crash through several objects as he rushed into the kitchen. He was still wearing the blue button up shirt with his police belt. Each, blending in very well with his dark gray fur. His silver mane was evenly cut and complimented his turquoise eyes almost perfectly. His cutie mark of a pair of handcuffs and a brown police baton just visible behind his belt.

Turning to where Derpy sat, his eyes immediately fell on the small filly in Derpy's arms. He continued his stare for several moments as several different thoughts seemed to run through his mind at once.

Before he could say a single word, Derpy let loose with her explanation. Even if she could, she held nothing back as she told him about the baby filly she found and the horrid condition she found her in.

"I brought her home, because I knew you would know what to do," Derpy said as tears streamed down her face as she finished her explanation. She was still rubbing the filly's back, even though she had already fallen asleep. Her calm breaths just blowing through Derpy's fur.

"Its ok," her father responded quickly. He had been in situations like this before, so he knew how to handle things. But the look on his face was enough to say that he never expected it to involve his daughter. "You did the right thing," he continued as he looked over the baby filly in Derpy's arms. As her father carefully looked over the foal, Derpy silently waited for his response.

"She has obvious signs of abuse and food deprivation," he said after he finished his visual inspection. A scowl formed on his face. As her father thought, Derpy cradled the filly and got up from the ground. Moving back to the table, she took the blanket she had wrapped around the filly earlier and wrapped the filly back in it.

"Come on, the first thing we have to do is get this filly to the hospital," her father finally said after a moment. Once outside of the house, Derpy's father took the baby filly from her arms and flew off towards the hospital, Derpy flying close behind.

> Chapter 3: Just What She Needed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




(o^o)


The baby filly sat alone in a dark room. She had no idea where she was. The only thing she knew was that she was hungry. The pain in her stomach was almost too much to handle.

Suddenly, she was being lifted into the air. She could feel the familiarity of the magic, knowing that it belonged to her mother, but it was hurting her. The magic seemed to be squeezing her tight, tighter than she liked. She tried to look for her mother, wishing that she would be gentler.

But, just as she noticed the dark silhouette of a pony, the magic was released. She felt herself fall into an even darker place, hitting something hard, yet soft. While she couldn't see anything, she could feel the walls closing in on her. Again, she felt the hunger. Only now, it was causing her to cry.

Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she felt something soft and warm wrap around her body. The hunger she felt, was soothed and a bright light filled her eyes.


(9_6)


Derpy stared at the baby filly. She was fast asleep on the small bed the hospital had provided. Two earth ponies, a doctor and nurse, stood around the bed, examining the filly as she slept. Derpy couldn't help but notice the filly's once frowning face, ease into a smile.

"Is she going to be ok?" Derpy asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. While the doctor continued the examination, the nurse turned to reply.

"She's going to be fine," she said with a caring smile. Derpy quickly took notice of her dark silver fur and white mane and tail.

"Yes," the doctor added as he turned to face Derpy himself. Along with his white doctor coat, he had light brown fur with a dark brown mane and tail. Unlike his cutie mark, which was ophthalmoscope and a otoscope crossed together, with a stethoscope behind them, he had only a stethoscope actually with him. "You did very well, and given time, this little filly will make a full recovery."

"Thanks Scope," Derpy's father said from the side of the room. "But, does she look familiar?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Hooves," the nurse replied, drawing everyponies attention. "I know every filly and colt that is born in this hospital and she isn't one of them." 

This caused a small moment of silence, closely followed by Doctor Scope and Derpy's father leaving the room. Leaving Derpy and the nurse behind. Both, watching the baby filly sleep. 

After several minutes, the nurse cleared her throat, gaining Derpy's attention. "I know she looks peaceful," The nurse said, keeping her eyes fixed on the filly. "But could you please wake her up?"

"What," Derpy questioned. She couldn't understand why she needed to do that. She knew the nurse was trained to handle infants and could wake the young filly soothingly.

"I just don't want her to become frightened by the sudden change of scenery," the nurse began. "If she see’s a familiar face when she opens her eyes, she should be able to handle the sudden change more smoothly." 

"O...okay," Derpy agreed after a few moments of thought. Although, she hesitated when she realized that she didn't know how to do it. At first, she thought of just shaking the filly back and forth gently. But quickly decided against it, remembering to never shake a baby, even if it was gently. 

"One thing you can do," the nurse began, noticing Derpy's hesitation, "is gently pick her up and softly brush her mane back. It would even help if you softly whisper to her as well."  

"Okay," Derpy replied as she Carefully picked the filly up and cradled her in her arms. Slowly, Derpy began to softly brush the fillies bangs back, sweeping her hoof all the way back and then starting over. It wasn't much, but the nurse said that it would be enough.

"Come on. It's time to get up," Derpy softly whispered. After a few moments, the filly sluggishly opened her eyes, resisting the urge to fully wake up. But Derpy continued brushing the filly's mane while still whispering in her ear. Soon, the baby unicorn was wide awake and staring up at Derpy.

(o^o)

The first thing the filly noticed was that she was in a different place. The room was a blinding white. It actually hurt her eyes with how the lights seemed to intensify as they bounced off the walls. Then, she saw the kind pony staring down at her, a soft smile on her face. Staring at the pony reminded the filly of the soft and warm feeling from her dream.

But a new sense of fear developed when the filly noticed the other pony. The filly couldn't help but become a little intimidated with the other pony looking at her. She had never seen two different ponies at the same time before. She wondered if the other pony would be kind as well.

Before the filly could figure anything out, she felt herself being given to the other pony. She felt the difference in the way she was being held immediately. This other pony held her far more gently than even the kind pony had. Looking up, the filly's gaze went immediately to the pony's eyes.

They were sky blue and shined with a tinge of green. But that wasn't what caught the filly's attention. All she noticed was that both of the pony's eyes were staring at her. She couldn't help but wonder why this pony stared at her with both eyes, while the kind pony, only with one.


(9_6)


Derpy stared at the baby filly. The filly, in turn, was staring directly into the nurse's eyes, as if performing her own visual inspection. After a few moments, the filly's gaze shifted towards Derpy.

"What kind of tests are you going to do?" Derpy asked as she watched the nurse set the filly back in the small bed. 	

"I just need to check her movement and reflexes," the nurse replied as she sat the filly up. "It will help us understand if she has any injuries that can't be seen normally," the nurse said as she slowly began moving the filly's hooves. At first, the nurse seemed pleased with how smoothly the filly's joints moved. Then, the small filly twitched in pain as the nurse moved her lower left hoof.

"Is she ok?" Derpy quickly asked noticing the filly's reaction.

"Its ok," she quickly replied. "It looks like a sprain, but we'll have to do an X-ray to make sure." With that, the nurse continued her examination. When she reached the eye exam, the nurse flashed a small bright light in the filly's eyes. Derpy couldn't help but cringe a bit as the filly tried closing her eyes in protest. It was at this time, that both Doctor Scope and Derpy's father re-entered the room.

"Where did you go?" Derpy couldn't help but ask her father. 

"Just had to get some paperwork started and call some ponies," he replied. 

"She may have a sprained hoof Doctor Scope," the nurse told the other stallion. "Should we have her x-rayed to be sure?"

"Yes we should, the machine should be open right now," Doctor Scope replied as he began writing something down on a nearby clipboard.

"Can't you just have a unicorn check?" Derpy asked as the thought entered her head. She had fractured some bones before, and a few of the times, a unicorn would use their magic to check on their condition.

"While it is the quickest way, introducing foreign magic into a baby unicorns body is very dangerous. It can cause them to lose control and release their own magic prematurely," Doctor Scope said as he looked at the filly in the bed, who in turn was still staring at Derpy. "And because of her age, it's highly doubtful that she would be able to stop it on her own."

"What would happen then," Derpy asked. She had heard stories of unicorns who lost control of their magic. If not stopped in time, their magic would drain and their life-force would start to be used as a power source.

"We're not even going to risk it," Doctor Scope quickly replied. "Now, lets take this little Jane Doe of ours and get some X-rays, shall we?"

Derpy watched in confusion as everypony made their way out of the room. She had heard the doctor call the little filly 'Jane Doe' but she didn't understand why. After a moments thought, she realized it was because no pony even knew the filly's name. It caused her to question if the filly even had a name to begin with.

"Are you coming Miss Hooves," Doctor Scope asked from the hallway. Realizing she was alone in the room, Derpy rushed out into the hallway and followed everypony to the X-ray room.  


(o^o)


The baby filly was beginning to dislike the other pony. She didn't like it when the new pony started touching her hooves. It felt weird, especially since one of them hurt when she moved it. From there, the pony continued to poke and prod her body as she examined her. The pony even shined a very bright light in her eyes, hurting them a little.

Then, two more ponies entered the room. They were bigger than the first two, and a lot more intimidating. The filly wanted to curl up and hide, but when she looked towards the kind pony, she saw that she wasn't afraid of them. So she thought that she shouldn't be as well.

After a few minutes, the filly felt herself being taken away again. She could only watch as her surroundings continued to change around her. She tried to look around, but the pony carrying her was moving too fast for her to register anything. Quickly, she began looking at the kind pony, who had just walked up next to her. The filly liked how the kind pony had not changed. Unlike everything else around her.

After a little while, the group of ponies walked through a set of double doors into another room. Immediately, the filly noticed a large square machine. To her, it was the only thing in the room. She couldn't help but wonder what it did.


(9_6)


Derpy still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that the filly may not even have a name. By what she knew, parents would decide the name of their foal before they were even born. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the filly getting X-rayed.

"As we thought," Doctor Scope said with a smile, catching Derpy's attention. His sights set on a large screen attached to a strange looking device. "Just a sprain."

On the screen, Derpy could see what looked like a miniature skeleton of a pony. It was focused on the hind leg area, mostly around the lower left hoof. Looking at the other side, she saw the filly sitting on a small table. Her eyes focused on several lenses attached to the machine. She was actually surprised at just how calm the filly looked.

"So what are you going to do now?" Derpy asked. She couldn't help but wonder what else the doctor had to do to the filly.  

"Aside from blood work , a little paperwork, and some medicine, there isn't much left to do," Doctor Scope replied with a smile. "I'll have the blood work done after this little filly has had a good night's sleep and regained her strength. Our main concern right now is to get her properly fed and get her some vitamins."

"You can rest easy tonight Miss Hooves," Doctor Scope said with his smile still intact as he shut down the X-ray machine. "This little Jane Doe is in safe hooves." 

Again, Derpy heard the filly referred to as a 'Jane Doe'. She hated hearing that. 

What if she really doesn't have a name?

This question kept repeating itself in her mind. She was so caught up in the question, she almost didn't notice her father working to gain her attention. Which he appeared to have been doing for several moments.

"Derpy? Are you ok," he asked.

"Do you have to call her Jane Doe?" she asked, without a moments hesitation. The question seemed to create an eerie silence within the room.

Derpy's father was the first to speak," we're only calling her that because we don't have an official name for her yet. Unfortunately, seeing as she is very young... she may not even have one." This only caused Derpy to tear up as her father confirmed her suspicions.

"Why not give her a name yourself then," Doctor Scope chimed with an understanding smile. 

"I cant do that," Derpy quickly replied. "I cant just give somepony else’s foal a name. Its not right."

"It doesn't have to be her actual name," Doctor Scope was quick to reply. "You can give her a nickname. It will also help with the paperwork as well.

"Take as much time as you need," Scope said as he noticed Derpy's continued hesitation. While Derpy thought, the doctor turned his attention to the nurse, directing her to take the filly to the nursery and see to it that she was fed and given some vitamins. 

Leaving the room, the nurse took the filly in one direction down the hallway. Derpy, her father, and Doctor Scope went in the other. Derpy couldn't help but look back as the nurse disappeared around a corner. A powerful urge to turn and follow them began making its way into her mind.

"So, have you thought of a nickname for the filly?" Derpy's father asked, cutting into her train of thought. Again, she hesitated, not having an answer. She tried to think of something, but the urge to go back to the filly kept overpowering her thoughts.

It wasn't until they reached the lobby that Derpy noticed Doctor Scope addressing her. 

"You did very well today Miss Hooves," He complimented. "Not many ponies your age would have acted so calmly in that kind of situation."

But Derpy didn't really listen to what he was saying. She could already feel her legs taking several steps back on their own. It wasn't until she bumped into her father, that Derpy retook control. Looking up at him, she was surprised to see the smile he had.

"Down the hall to the left," he began as he stepped aside. "Its at the end of the third hallway on your right."

Without hesitating, Derpy ran down the left hallway and towards the nursery. Slowing down only when she reached the doors. Without stopping for even a second, she walked in and headed towards the back where the nurse stood looking down into a small crib.

"Miss Hooves, What are you doing here?" the nurse asked as Derpy entered her line of sight. She spoke in a whisper so as not to wake any of the surrounding infants. Ignoring the nurse, Derpy moved in closer to the crib.


(o^o)


The filly couldn't help but stare at the strange lenses that looked at her. She was sitting up on a small table with nothing to look at but the lenses. All the other ponies were on the other side of the strange machine in front of her. But the filly was so caught up with the lenses, she didn't notice. They looked like big black eyes. Each, focused squarely on her.

The filly snapped out of her gaze as the pony she didn't like, picked her up and walked out of the room. Her mind began to wander when she noticed the kind pony walking in the opposite direction from where she was going. At first, she believed that the kind pony would return after a moment or two. But as the distance increased and the kind pony disappeared from sight, she knew that wasn't the case.

Everything around her began to be swallowed by a mental darkness. There was light, but she felt like she was back inside the dumpster. She was alone, scared and could feel the walls closing in on her. To the filly, it didn't matter if there were other ponies around her. All she knew was that the first pony she had ever met besides her mother had just left her. 

The filly barely noticed the strange object being pressed against her lips. She didn't open her mouth to accept the object like all the times before. Instead, she reached out and grabbed the object with her two front hooves. There was no resistance as she brought the object in close and held it for protection. The filly could feel the darkness encasing her. 

Suddenly, a familiar sound broke through her mind. It was a voice she remembered, not the one from her mother, but from a different pony. As the darkness surrounding her mind faded, the filly looked up to see the kind pony looking down at her with a caring smile.


(9_6)


"Its ok, I'm not going to leave you," Derpy said to the filly, giving her a caring smile. She felt horrible seeing the filly clench the bottle the nurse had given her close to her body. It reminded her of when she found the filly in the dumpster. But as the filly looked up at her, she was happy to see the filly smile in return.

Reaching into the crib, Derpy took the bottle and brought the nipple to the fillies lips. The baby unicorn opened her mouth and accepted the bottle, drinking its contents. As the filly drank, her eyes began to slowly close as she drifted into sleep.

"You can stay for as long as you like," the nurse said, taking the bottle once the foal was done. Derpy merely nodded in reply as she kept her gaze fixed solely on the filly. 

"So, have you thought of a name?" the nurse asked as she set the nearly empty bottle on a nearby cart.

At first, Derpy didn't respond, keeping her eyes fixed on the sleeping filly. She still had doubts about giving the filly a name, even if it was a nickname. It wasn't her place to do such a thing. But she couldn't stand having the filly be referred to as a nameless Jane Doe. Then, a single word escaped her lips.

"Dinky."

> Chapter 4: Derpy's Worries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



(9_6)

Derpy could feel the weight of her exhaustion still firmly holding her. She didn't want to open her eyes or accept the fact that it was time to wake up. All she wanted, was to just stay where she was and drift back to sleep.

Except the quick realization that she couldn't remember when she fell asleep prevented her from doing so. She couldn't remember much of anything from the day before. The last perfectly clear memory she had was dropping off a package at a hardware shop. 

Then, in one sudden flash, she remembered everything. The sudden return of her memories almost caused her to jump from her current position. But the sound of soft calm breaths eased her mind.

The breathing were clearly coming from closer towards her chest. It’s calm and repetitive manner hinting that whoever it belonged to was still asleep. Still not opening her eyes, she slowly brought one of her hooves to her chest, coming into contact with a soft blanket. Opening her eyes, Derpy looked down at what her hoof was touching.

Laying just a few inches from her chest, was the baby filly from the night before. She looked to be sleeping peacefully while laying on top of a small pink blanket. Looking at the foal, Derpy couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten in the bed. The last thing she remembered was watching the young unicorn fall asleep in the nurseries crib. 

Looking around, she found herself in a small hospital room. Besides the bed she was on, there were a few chairs and a coat rack. Giving the room one final scan, Derpy couldn't help but notice that they were completely alone, or so she thought.

"Good, you're awake," a unknown voice said from the rooms entrance. Looking over, Derpy was surprised to see a unfamiliar female unicorn. Her blue police uniform and a black belt standing out against the bland white walls. Her light tan fur and a dark brown mane and tail seemed to be the only thing that fit with the surroundings. Out of the corner of her eye, Derpy could just make out the mare’s cutie mark, a single blue police hat and a pair of handcuffs.

"Don't worry," the mare said, noticing Derpy's confused look. "Officer Hooves and one of the doctors found you asleep in the nursery. They brought the two of you in here, thinking it would be more comfortable." Still, Derpy remained silent. She was still trying to figure out who this mare was and what she was doing there.

"Officer Hooves was going to be here," the mare said with a shrug and sigh. "But even he needs some sleep. So I told that I’d handle things." As she said this, the mare walked in and moved to the side of the bed. Her eyes were locked straight on Dinky. The smile on her face confusing the Derpy slightly.

"You’re calling her, Dinky right?" the mare asked as she looked at Derpy, her gaze immediately locking on Derpy's misaligned eyes. The sight of them causing the older mare to lose track of what she was saying.

"I'm sorry," Derpy said a little annoyed. She hated it when ponies stared at her eyes. It made her feel insignificant at times. "Who are you?"

"Oh my," the mare said realizing her mistake. Quickly, she began explaining herself. “My names, Miranda Case; I’m part of the local districts SVU and have been put in charge of Dinky’s case.”

As Miranda continued to rant about prior cases she had worked on, Derpy turned her attention back towards Dinky. All the memories from the night before began to replay themselves all over again. The memory of seeing Dinky for the first time in the dumpster lasting the longest.

Dinky now looked far better than she had at that moment. Her color had brightened and several bruises had already faded from existence. Her rib cage was now hidden from view behind a small gut. The bandage she had on her head had fallen off and revealed an almost fully healed cut. A new bandage could be seen wrapped around her lower left hoof.

"Why would somepony do something so horrid?" Derpy asked Miranda, cutting into her rant. Giving a compassionate smile, Miranda tried her best to explain. 

“Sometimes ponies are just sick,” Miranda sighed, her voice dropping. “Sometimes, it even causes them to think irrationally.” 

"Even somepony's parents?" Derpy questioned, her ears folding flat.

"There’s no need for you to worry about that right now," Miranda continued, trying her best to calm Derpy. Shifting herself, Derpy brought her face to Dinky's. She couldn't help but smile as she watched her sleep.

It wasn’t until two hours later that Dinky woke up. Having slept through the entire blood drawing process that a nurse performed before clearing Dinky for discharge.

"What happens now," Derpy asked as she looked down at Dinky. One of the nurses had given Derpy a special harness so that she could carry Dinky on her chest, even when she was on all fours. She could even fly if she wanted to, even if she doubted that she ever would.

"I was actually hoping you would show me the dumpster you found Dinky at?" Miranda replied with a smile. “Forensics has already swept the place, but I’d like to hear about what happened first hoof if I could.” 

At first, Derpy didn't want to go back to that spot, the image of the abused foal reappearing in her mind. The scared hopeless look in her eyes still haunted her thoughts. But she knew that going back would help find the monster who had hurt Dinky, and she wanted them to pay most of all.

It took almost an hour, but they made it to the hardware store, only stopping once so Derpy could feed Dinky. Aside from a few confused stares from passing ponies, things passed like nothing had happened.

"Here we are…" Derpy weakly said as they walked up to the alley. Yellow tape sealed the area away from the public and a single police officer stood guard. He merely nodded at Miranda as she led the way into the alley. 

Derpy couldn't help but notice the package she had delivered the day before, still sitting outside the side door, untouched.

"So," Miranda began as she looked over the scene, her horn softly glowing orange. "Tell me everything."


(o^o)


"Dinky."

The filly had heard this word said several times as the kind pony walked. She liked that word, not knowing what it meant, but liking it all the same, hoping that it was her name. She remembered seeing all the other pony's reacting to a certain word and couldn't help but think that they were names. It was all she could think about, even as she was given a strange fluid to drink.

She remembered having it the night before, but was too hungry to really discern what it was. It wasn't like the cool liquid the kind pony had given her before. It was thicker, and seemed to fill a space in her stomach more than anything. It wasn't the best thing she's ever had, but she hadn't had much to compare it to. Again, she felt the strange pressure in her stomach, only for it to be relieved when the kind mare rubbed her back and she burped.

It was at this point that she realized that she didn't even know the kind pony's name. It was only right for her to know. The kind mare had done so much for her and she didn't even know what to call her. She decided to try her best to figure out the kind pony's name.

"Derpy."

Whenever the word was said, the kind pony would react. So it was only natural that it had to be her name. So if that was the kind pony's name, she surmised that 'Dinky' must have been hers. She couldn't help but smile as she wondered who had given her the name. 

Passing several yellow strands, Dinky felt a small bit of fear creep into her mind as the dumpster came into view. She could remember the deafening silence and never ending darkness. Most of all, she remembered wishing for her mother's return, and spending hours alone.

But all those feelings faded as she felt Derpy's head rub against her caringly. She liked how it felt. It reminded her of when Derpy first found her, and saved her from the darkness.


(9_6)


Derpy stood softly rubbing her chin on top of Dinky's head. For a second, she believed she had felt her shaking. But then again, she believed that she was the one shaking.

She had finished telling Miranda everything that had happened the day before. She hated how it brought back the memories of Dinky's abused body. She wanted to leave the alley and never return. Luckily, Miranda had everything she needed and lead the way back out into the street.

"So what happens now?" Derpy asked, walking close by. She wondered how much more there was still left to do on her part. Miranda tried explaining what she still had to do. But, Derpy was more concerned with what was going to happen to Dinky, not really paying attention to all the police stuff she was talking about.

"So, should I take Dinky to Foal Services or is she going with you?" Derpy asked a little hesitantly. She knew Dinky had to be brought somewhere to stay until everything was settled, but she didn't know where. She also wondered how she would leave Dinky with another pony without causing her to feel abandoned.

"Oh, there’s no need for that," Miranda began with a smile. "For the time being, she's going to be in protective custody with a foster family." 

“Really?” Derpy asked, raising a brow.

“Yes,” Miranda replied with a nod. “What happened is not only foal abuse, but attempted murder. Until we can confirm that she has any living family members, she’ll have to stay with a foster family.” 

"But how will you find her family?" Derpy asked. 

“Well, we’re going to use some of the reading we took of her magic, and use it to locate her parents,” Miranda replied. “It’s kind of like running a blood sample, but with a little bit more of a definite reading.” 

"When did they do that?" Derpy questioned. She didn't remember anything involving magic happening, besides the doctor saying that they weren't going to use any on Dinky. 

“They got them while you two were asleep,” Miranda quickly said. “While they couldn't introduce foreign magic to Dinky, it didn't prevent them from reading Dinky's, and it’s easier to do when a unicorn is asleep.

"We also have the blood work going through," Miranda continued. "But that takes a week or more and only works if one of the parents are in the system."

"So where is Dinky supposed to go?" Derpy asked again. She was beginning to get fed up with Miranda explaining everything and just wanted to know what was going to happen to Dinky.

"I already told you," Miranda replied, looking confused. "She's going to be in protective custody with a foster family."

"WHERE?!" Derpy yelled, drawing the attention of several ponies in the area. She had not meant to sound so angry, but she really wanted to know where Dinky was going to be. She regretted it though as she felt Dinky flinch at the sudden loud noise, the outburst also causing Miranda to become slightly angry.

"With you," Miranda said sternly.

Derpy quickly found herself at a loss of words as she didn't know how to respond. She had been caught completely off guard with Miranda's reply. 

She wanted to be happy, now knowing that she didn't have to separate herself from Dinky yet. But she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't a good idea for her to take care of Dinky. She was still in school and had a part time job.

"Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea," she began to stutter. "I mean. Isn't there special training you need with inspections and interviews and . . .?"

"Don't worry," Miranda said as she wrapped a hoof around Derpy's shoulders with a smile. "Your dad already finished all the paperwork on your end. All you have to do, is just keep doing what you've been doing and you'll do fine."

Derpy tried to say more, but Miranda rushed off saying she had to go see what forensics had gotten. 

"Now what do I do?" Derpy asked herself as she turned to walk home. She kept questioning why she was put in charge of caring for Dinky. She knew that her father had a hoof to play in it, but couldn't understand why. If anypony knew that she wasn't fit to care for a foal, it was her father.

Once she got home, Derpy wasn't surprised to find the front door unlocked. She guessed her father would of been home, most likely sleeping. 

Walking into her father's bedroom, Derpy didn't dare wake the sleeping mass as she took the bits for groceries off the side table. Her mind still too preoccupied with what had just occurred. She couldn't grasp the fact that she was supposed to care for a young baby filly. 

She had been lucky so far. Everything she had done for Dinky were things her father had once done for her when she was a young filly. But she couldn't help but feel like it wouldn't be enough. She wasn't an adult. She didn't know how to properly care for a filly. 

The only thing that calmed her mind was the thought that her father would be there to help. He may work a lot, but she knew she could count on him for his advice.

Walking back outside, Derpy made her way to the side of the house where she kept a small red wagon she once used for shopping. She hadn't used it since she was a filly. She remembered filling it with more groceries than she could fit in her small saddlebags.

Once she got it back on the sidewalk, Derpy took Dinky out of the harness and set her inside of the wagon. Dinky quickly went about looking all around. She seemed to enjoy her newfound freedom of movement and wanted to see everything she could. Causing Derpy to giggle at how cute it was.

Grabbing the wagons handle with her tail, she began walking towards the store. It was only a few blocks away and Derpy couldn't help but think that Dinky would enjoy the walk from her spot in the wagon.

Again, as Derpy walked down the streets, ponies would give her odd stares and whisper to one another as they walked by. She knew it wasn't because Dinky was in the wagon, because it was something her father had done with her plenty of times when she was young.

Maybe they think I'm the one that hurt her.

The thought began playing over and over again in her mind. She knew that some of Dinky's injuries were still visible. It shook her to her core thinking that everypony would come to the conclusion without even asking. Derpy was so caught up in this thought that she didn’t pay attention to where she was going.

"Watch where you're going!" A mare's voice angrily echoed. Returning to her senses, Derpy realized that she had bumped into somepony. But once she realized who it was, she regretted ever leaving her house.

Her name was Shooting Star, a pegasus pony in Derpy's school. She had dark blue fur, a brown mane and tail with a gray streak running through them. Her cutie mark was a turquoise shooting star with several different shades of violet used as its tail. She was in the same year as Derpy and almost everypony either loved or was in love with her, everypony except Derpy.

"Well, well, well," Shooting Star chuckled once she noticed who had bumped into her. "If it ain't Ditzy Doo, the clumsy mare."

Shooting Star was the biggest bully Derpy knew. She used to think that she was her friend, but she quickly realized that it wasn't the case when she got the whole school to call her Ditzy rather than Derpy. Shooting Star had given her the name because of how clumsy she tended to be. It wasn't her fault though. Her misaligned eyes tended to mess with her depth perception at times, but that explination still never stopped the taunting.

"And who's this little filly?" She asked as she walked up to the wagon. Derpy quickly moved in front of her, blocking Dinky from view. She didn't want her anywhere near Dinky. "Whoa, calm down Ditz~y. I just wanted to know." By this point, Shooting Star had a fiendish grin on her face.

"Derpy?!" She exclaimed, covering her mouth with a hoof and putting on a shocked face. "A foal? At your age? What will everypony at school think?"

Derpy quickly tried to explain the situation, but Shooting Star wouldn't listen. She couldn't wait to get home and tell all her friends about how Derpy had a foal. 

"Never figured you as one of those kind of mares Ditzy," Shooting Star continued, chuckling to herself.

"Oh please," a new voice yelled from behind Derpy. Turning, Derpy was happy to see her earth pony friend Carrot Top. Her light orange coat a welcoming sight as her darker orange curly mane and tail bounced slightly. Her cutie mark of three carrots saying what was usually on her mind. "We all know what happened between you and the Hoof Ball team captain during the senior's graduation party."

"Well if it isn’t the country bumpkin, Golden Harvest," Shooting Star said snidely, completely ignoring Carrot Top's comment. "What in the hay are you doing here? Not enough dirt under your hooves?"

"Not being an arrogant bitch I can tell you that!" Carrot Top replied. "And stop calling me Golden Harvest. I go by Carrot Top." From there, the two went into a heated argument that almost ended in a fight. 

“While I would live to show you up in front of every pony, I have better things to do,” Shooting Star ended up saying, ending the argument as she walked off.

"She sure has an attitude problem," Carrot Top said as she turned to Derpy. Without asking, she gave her a comforting hug and looked down at Dinky. "So… who's the foal?"

	

> Chapter 5: Dinky's Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(o^o)


Dinky loved the red wagon. The color was fading, but she didn't care. She was more intrigued by the sights around her. Every time she turned her head, something new would pass in front of her eyes. 

"Well if it ain't Ditzy Doo, the clumsy mare," A voice echoed. It was a voice she had never heard before, yet the tone of it seemed very familiar. Looking towards the new voice, Dinky was surprised to see Derpy standing between her and a new pony. Dinky could see Derpy's legs shaking slightly, making her think that the pony was scaring Derpy.

That’s when another pony appeared. Dinky couldn't help but notice their curly orange hair, wondering what it was that made it look so fluffy. 

The new pony quickly began yelling at the pony that was scaring Derpy. Resulting in the two new ponies yelling at one another.

After a while, the meaner pony left in a huff, flipping her mane as she walked away. Soon after, the wagon began moving again. Looking towards the front, Dinky saw Derpy talking to the orange haired pony with a smile.

Dinky's gaze quickly shifted as the three of them made their way up to a large building. Except for the hospital, it was the biggest building she had ever seen. 

It was only one floor, but stretched farther than several houses put together. She could see different ponies coming in and out of the building. The ones walking in were empty hoofed and the ones walking out had bags full of different things.

Before she could realize what was going on, Dinky found herself being put back into the harness on Derpy's chest. It wasn't that comfortable, but she wouldn't complain. She liked how close she was to Derpy when riding in it. 

Walking inside, Dinky was amazed by what she saw. They had entered a small open area and she could see a countless number of ponies lining up in different lines. Every pony was talking with one another and loud beeps could be heard every second or two.


(9_6)


"That’s horrible!" Carrot Top said as she grabbed a nearby shopping cart. "I can't believe somepony would do such a thing."

Derpy simply nodded in reply. She had thought enough of the subject and hated having to talk about it. But she had to when she explained everything to her friend. She knew she could count on her for help when she needed it. Like how she had already offered to help with the shopping.

"I'm telling you Derpy," Carrot Top said as she made her way down the first aisle. "Once school is over, you should just leave the city and move to my home town." 

Then, she went on with one of her giant explanations of her home town. Saying how safe and friendly everypony there was, that she would never be bullied, teased, or judged ever again. She even offered Derpy a room to stay in until she could find a place of her own. But Derpy continued to show her hesitation. The city was all she knew, and she couldn't help but wonder if an entire town of ponies could be as nice as Carrot Top said.

"Speaking of your home town…" Derpy began, trying to change the subject. "Why are you still here in the city? I thought you were going home for the summer?" 

“It’s my last summer before I graduate,” Carrot Top began with a shrug. “I just wanted to experience it once before I finished school. Nothing too big, just thought it would be fun.” 

Deciding not to bring up the subject again, Derpy turned her attention towards shopping. Luckily, with Carrot Top's help, she was able to get find all her regular groceries within fifteen minutes.


(o^o)


Dinky liked this place. She had felt a little intimidated with all the different ponies at first. But everything around her was so amazing that she didn't care. She didn't know what everything was, but she was surrounded by so many different things. There was even a time when she smelled something very sweet and slightly familiar.

Then, the group walked into a different kind of place. Dinky quickly noticed several items with ponies that were her size on them. Each pony looked happy and seemed to be doing different things. Then she saw something near the end of the aisle.

It was a group of three ponies. One was large and looked very strong, while another was a bit smaller and was pushing a cart. She also noticed that the pony had a horn, like her mother. In the cart sat the third pony. What surprised Dinky the most about this pony was that they were about as small as her. 

She couldn't help but notice the smallest pony crying. The little pony seemed to be looking towards the pony with a horn. Within seconds, the horned pony took the smaller pony out of the cart and, to Dinky's surprise, cradled them in one of her arms. The small pony almost instantly, stopped crying as they snuggled in close to the horned pony. Dinky couldn't help but feel sad as she watched the group leave.

Dinky couldn't help but wonder why the horned pony had carried the small pony in their arm rather than with magic. This thought continued to linger in her mind, even as the world around her faded.

She opened her eyes to a almost complete darkness. The only things she could make out, was the faint outlines of several large object around her. The sound of heavy sobs could be heard from close by. For several minutes, it was all she could hear.

"Why?" a voice continuously repeated through the sobs. "This wasn't supposed to happen?!"

That’s when Dinky started crying. It was the only thing she could do. She felt cold and hungry, and was scared of everything that surrounded her. She desperately wanted somepony to make it all go away. Suddenly, she felt something clamp her mouth shut, muffling her cries.

"Shut up!" the voice yelled as their own sobs subsided. But even then, Dinky continued to cry. Not because she was scared or hungry, but because it was getting hard to breathe. She tried her best to breathe through her nose, but there was a thick liquid in it that made it hard to do. She could feel her head begin to spin slightly from lack of oxygen.

Suddenly, the thing holding her mouth was released and Dinky could breathe again. Her crying had stopped and all she wanted to do was breathe in as much air as she could. The pain she felt coming from her lungs made her want to cry again. But before she could even form the first whimper, she felt herself being lifted up.

She couldn't tell what it was that held her. Only that it felt slightly warm and very tight as it surrounded her whole body. She didn't like how it felt. It was almost too tight for her to take, and she could feel parts of her body numb a bit.

Instantly, a large pair of amber colored eyes flashed in front of her face. They were so captivating and large that she couldn't look away. At first, Dinky liked how they shined in the darkness. But as she continued to look, she began to fear them.

"I am not your mother!"


(9_6)


"Dinky?" Derpy softly nuzzled the top of the foals head. She had gone completely still and if Derpy hadn't been able to hear it, she could've sworn that Dinky wasn't breathing either. "Dinky, are you ok?" Derpy softly said. 

Carrot Top was waving one of her hooves in front of Dinky's face, trying to gain the filly's attention. After a few moments, Dinky responded with a soft gurgle and began looking around at her surroundings.

"Is she going to be ok?" Carrot Top asked out of concern. Derpy didn't have an answer. She hoped it was only a slight reaction to her surroundings. But all she could do was continue to softly nuzzle Dinky's head out of concern.

While Derpy continued this, Carrot Top began putting foal food and formula mix into the cart. Derpy looked up in time to see Carrot Top place ten jars of foal food in the cart, each featuring carrots as its main ingredient. 

It only took a stern look for Carrot Top to change out most of the jars with a wider variety.


(o^o)


Dinky continued to look around the aisle. She could feel Derpy softly nuzzling the top of her head and was happy she was. It made her feel happy, knowing that Derpy was there and cared for her.

Suddenly, something caught her attention. It was a small stand just a few feet away. On it, hung several different animal dolls that looked very colorful and were a little smaller than she was. Dinky couldn't help but stare at them in awe. She liked how soft they looked, feeling a sudden urge to grab one and squeeze it tightly.

As if in response, Derpy moved over to the stand. Close enough for Dinky to get a better look at the different animals. She quickly noticed that there weren't just different animals, but ponies as well. Each looked the same, while representing a different pony.

Before Dinky could even touch one, Derpy began to walk away. Dinky didn't complain, but she didn't want to leave the stand just yet. She wanted one of the soft looking animals. 


(9_6)


"It should be done within the in a few days," the customer service representative said to Derpy. With a final nod, he took several filled out papers from in front of him and walked back through a set of double doors.

"Are you sure about that?" Carrot Top asked as they made their way to the cash registers. "It seemed pretty expensive for what it is."

“Its fine,” Derpy said with a nod. “I want to do this anyways.”

“Seriously Derpy, you’re way too kind for city life,” Carrot Top chuckled, causing Derpy to smile and blush.

After a little while, Carrot Top and Derpy finished paying for everything and brought it all back outside, the red wagon exactly where they had left it. It didn't take long to move all the bags into the wagon. But before leaving, Derpy wanted to make sure Dinky had something to eat and drink.


(o^o)


Dinky was a little sad seeing the wagon full of bags. There wasn't much room left inside and she doubted Derpy would let her ride in it. But a sudden feeling of hunger took control. 

As Derpy brought Dinky to a nearby bench, she couldn't help but notice two ponies who were already there.

A pony around Derpy's size was holding a pony Dinky's size. Both ponies seemed very happy as the smallest one drank the bottle they had dry. Again, Dinky began to feel a strange sadness sweep over her as everything around her faded away.

She was sitting on the ground with a small bowl in front of her, half filled with a creamy white liquid. Dinky couldn't help but drink as much of it as she could, helping ease the hunger in her stomach. 

But once it was empty, she began to wish for more, the hunger quickly building back up.

Looking up, she found herself alone in a increasing darkness. All she had was the empty bowl in front of her and the pain of hunger to comfort her.


(9_6)


Derpy couldn't help but worry as Dinky sat motionless in front of her. All she had wanted to do was give Dinky something to eat, but no sooner had she set her down, Dinky froze. She was breathing and blinking, but she wasn't responding to anything she was doing.

"Dinky?" Derpy softly said as she put down what she was holding and cradled Dinky in her arms. Derpy could feel her shaking slightly and began to fear that she had done something wrong. But just as these thoughts crept into her mind, Dinky began burying herself in Derpy's arms, softly crying. 

“It’s okay,” Derpy softly assured, brushing a hoof through Dinky’s mane. As Dinky's cries weakened, Derpy slowly began to feed her. 

Dinky took the bottle Derpy offered in her mouth and drank as much as she could without stop. Derpy couldn't help but wonder what had caused Dinky to cry, still thinking that she had done something wrong. 

Looking towards Carrot Top for an answer, something else caught Derpy's attention.

All around her, mothers and fathers moved about with their families. Fillies and colts could be seen happily playing with one another as they stayed close to their parents. But right on the other side of the bench sat a mother and her foal. Both looked very happy as the foal drank from the bottle.


(o^o)


Dinky couldn't understand it. Her own mother had never treated her like the other ponies treated one another. All around her, she could see ponies physical holding smaller ponies rather than carrying them with magic. Everypony seemed so happy to be with each other, even the two nearby ponies. 

She couldn't help but remember the lonely hours with only a small bowl in front of her. 

Then, Derpy's voice broke through her fragile mind, calming it to a point that she could drink from her own bottle.

As Dinky began to eat, she could hear the beat of Derpy's heart as it calmed her even more. She couldn't help but wonder why Derpy was being so nice to her. 

Derpy, the first pony she had ever met besides her mother, was treating her so kindly. She fed her when she was hungry, stayed with her when she felt lonely, and carried her in her arms. 

There was so much she wanted to know. But, as she listened to the rhythmic patterns of Derpy's heartbeat, Dinky could do nothing but slowly fall asleep.


> Chapter 6: Show Stopper
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
"I am joined today by a model of legend," the host pony began, turning his attention to the camera. "After an extended vacation. Let me introduce, Glittering Gem." Upon hearing her name, Glittering Gem walked out onto the brightly lit set. She was greeted not only by the host, who offered her a seat in a comfy chair. But by the echoing cheers of the audience.

"Now, Miss Gem," the host began, taking their own seat. " You returned after months of being gone not even four days ago. I do hope I'm not prying when I ask this. But, where have you been these last few months?" The crowd quickly silenced themselves, all waiting for Glittering Gem's answer.

"Even a fashionista needs some time to recuperate," Gem said as she flashed a gleaming white smile to the camera. She couldn't help but look at herself on the screen. Her light pink fur glistening as her horn reached for the sky. Her expertly styled mane and tail shining a golden yellow. She could almost see her diamond cutie mark shine a brilliant baby blue. But the thing she loved the most, were her own amber colored eyes.

Even as the host continued with the interview, Gem continued to stare at her own eyes. The shine was what she loved most about herself. She couldn't help but remember how the shine had been faded just a few days before. But she fixed that and wasn't going to let it happen again.

Suddenly, a stage hand rushed on stage, drawing everyponies attention and silencing the crowd. Without hesitating, they whispered something to the host. Immediately, a look of worry crossed the host's face as his gaze returned to Glittering Gem. After a few moments, he cleared his thoughts and addressed the audience.

"I'm sorry everypony," they began as they got up from their seat. "But we're going to have to cut our interview short today and. . ." Suddenly, the entire crowd was in a uproar. All questioning what could of cut Glittering Gem's return interview short.

"Now calm down everypony," Glittering Gem said as she walked up to the crowed. Within moments, everypony was silenced enough for her to continue. "I'm not going anywhere for awhile, so we can always have another."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," a feminine voice said from off stage. Looking over, everypony watched as a light tan furred unicorn in a blue police uniform stepped out. Behind her were two other police ponies.

"What do you mean," Gem began, only to be interrupted as a thick ring was forced onto her horn. She could feel it close off her magic abilities as she was surrounded by the police ponies. "What is the meaning of. . ."

"Glittering Gem, you are under arrest," the unicorn said as she put a set of restraints on Glittering Gem's front hooves. The audience sat dumbstruck as the unicorn read Glittering Gem her rights. When she asked what she was being arrested for, the unicorn replied with an obvious tone of anger.

"Foal abuse and attempted murder."



(9_6)


"Just one last letter to deliver Dinky. Then we can go home," Derpy said as she pulled the wagon down the busy street. She had gone from pulling it with her tail, to having attached the handle to her saddle bags. She even put a thick blanket at the bottom for Dinky to sit on. She couldn't help but think it was better than some harness.

Derpy couldn't help but notice how much Dinky liked riding around in the wagon. She would crawl around the sides and look up at any pony they passed with a giggle and a smile. The ponies would reply in the same, giving a slight wave as they walked by.

But not everypony acted that way. Ever since her interaction with Shooting Star three days ago, some of the younger ponies would walk by and make a joke about Derpy, obviously acting on a false rumor. There were even a few older, more refined ponies, who looked away whenever she walked by. The worst was when a young stallion had tried to hit on Derpy, obviously hoping the rumors meant something.

But Derpy ignored them. As long as Dinky was safe and happy, she knew she didn't have to worry about a few false rumors that would fade away with time. Giving a glance at Dinky, Derpy couldn't help but be happy. Dinky was a perfectly fine foal. Her wounds had all healed and she was as active as any other little filly. 

"What in Celestia's name are you doing here," Shooting Star snapped at Derpy. She stood on her front porch and Stared down at the two, looking a little sad. Derpy knew full well that she was delivering a letter to her hated enemy, but the mail must be delivered.

"I just came to deliver your mail," Derpy replied, trying her best to remain calm. Something about the way Shooting Star stared at Derpy suggested that something was wrong, but Derpy didn't care. She already had enough of Shooting Star for one day. Without even a thanks, Shooting Star snatched the letter from Derpy's hoof and walked back inside. Slamming the door in the process.

"Look's like somepony forgot their nap," Derpy said to Dinky as she turned to walk home. Dinky merely looked up with a smile from her position in the wagon. Derpy was happy to see Dinky like this. The memories of the sad, hurt filly were all but gone by this point. 

"There you are," a familiar voice said as Derpy walked up to her house, Dinky in one of her arms. Just inside the doorway stood three ponies, all wearing matching police uniforms. Derpy's father, Miranda, and an older looking stallion all stood staring at the two of them.

"Miss Case? What are you doing here," Derpy asked as she carried Dinky inside. 

"The resemblance is uncanny," the older stallion said as he moved closer, his gaze fixed on Dinky. His dark brown fur was graying out in small patches and his black mane and tail each showed signs of hair loss. His cutie mark was a set of handcuffs. "Then again," the stallion continued, turning his attention from Dinky to Derpy. "She holds several aspects that coincide with this mare as well."

"Give it a rest Roker," Miranda said as she pulled the stallion back by his tail. Turning to look at Derpy, Miranda gave her a smile. "We found her."

"Found who," Derpy asked, not fully understanding what Miranda ment.

"Dinky's mother."


(o^o)


Dinky couldn't help but look up at Derpy's father. Whenever it came to flying somewhere, Derpy's father was the one that would carry Dinky. She knew that Derpy had problems with flying and did it for her own protection. But she still wished that Derpy was carrying her instead.

But the one thing Dinky was really concerned about was what the unicorn had said earlier. She knew that she had mentioned her mother and all it did was confuse her. She knew who her mother was, but she didn't want to. She could already feel the painful memories trying to claw their way back into her mind.

Suddenly, Dinky noticed that they were back on the ground. She quickly began squirming around, trying to make it back into Derpy's arms. Within moments, she was back with Derpy. Looking over, Dinky saw a new building. 

Ponies were coming in and out of it. Some wore clothing just like Derpy's father, while others were just walking in and out. But what stood out the most was a group of flashing lights and loud voices. Dinky couldn't help but bury her face into Derpy's chest as the lights hurt her eyes.


(9_6)


"Why are there so many reporters outside," Derpy asked Miranda as they walked in. Miranda said that she would understand soon enough and lead her down a nearby hallway. Derpy recognized the area, having been there on visits with her father, as the way to the interrogation rooms.

Derpy couldn't help but wonder what kind of pony Dinky's mother was to warrant so many reporters outside. Walking into the observation room, Derpy could only stare in confusion at the unfamiliar ponies in the opposite room.

Two mares sat talking with one another behind the glass. One was a earth pony, who wore a dress coat with glasses and had a briefcase that sat in front of her. Derpy quickly realized that that mare was a lawyer. The other, was a pink unicorn who looked far more refined as she sat straight and inspected one of her hooves. She also had a thick metal ring over her horn. Derpy couldn't make out why, but there was something about the unicorns eyes that made her feel uneasy.

"That is Glittering Gem," Miranda said as she looked into the interrogation room. "A fashion model who has been on a so called, vacation for the last six months." 

Glittering Gem was now asking her lawyer how much longer they would be, saying she had a hooficure in a hour. The lawyer merely shook her head saying that the likelihood of making that appointment was about as likely as a regular pony being turned into an alicorn.

Derpy could feel Dinky shaking in her arm, and she couldn't blame her.


(o^o)


Dinky could feel the world closing in around her. She knew the pony behind the glass was her mother, but something inside of her didn't want to accept it. Part of her wanted to reach out and call for her, hoping to feel her magic around her body once again. While another, told her stay as far away as possible.

She didn't know what to think. She remembered a time when she wished her mother would come back and take her back. But then Derpy found her, and she found out just how life should be. Her days of loneliness and darkness had been replaced with the light of the sun and Derpy.

She couldn't help but think that her mother would take her away and treat her like she use to.


(9_6)


"Do I have to bring her in there," Derpy asked as Dinky began burying herself in her chest. Miranda had told her that Glittering Gem had the right to see Dinky and that she wouldn't say anything until she met her. Derpy couldn't help but be hesitant as she looked at the unicorn in the room. Again, she noticed Glittering Gem's eyes.

"I'm sorry Miss Hooves," Miranda began, leading the way back into the hallway. "But she is legally allowed to meet Dinky, even if she is the top suspect."

Derpy stared at the door for a moment. She didn't want Dinky anywhere near that monster. She wanted to just take Dinky and get as far away from Glittering Gem as possible.

Glittering Gem sat next to her lawyer with a simple smile. The moment her eyes caught sight of Derpy, she gave a soft chuckle and looked towards Miranda.

"Miss Gem," Miranda said as she stood between Derpy and Glittering Gem. "This is the foal that we were discussing earlier."

Glittering Gem quickly snapped her attention to Dinky. Who at this point, was fully buried in Derpy's grasp. Derpy could feel Dinky shaking badly as she tried to curl herself up even more.

"Ok, she met her," Derpy said as she took a step backwards. She didn't like how Glittering Gem was looking at Dinky. The way her eyes seemed to darken at her mere sight. "Can we go now?"

"And who might you be," Glittering Gem asked as her attention was drawn to Derpy, immediately looking at her misaligned eyes. Even though she sat calmly as if she had done nothing wrong, Derpy could feel the pure hate cutting into her as Glittering Gem kept her eyes fixed on her.


(o^o)


Dinky wanted to leave the room. She didn't want to see her mother and remember all the horrible things that had happened to her. She liked being with Derpy and never wanted to go back to the darkness. Even as she kept herself buried inside Derpy's chest, she could feel her mother's gaze. She remembered when it was all she wanted from her mother. A time where she thought that everything she had done to her was how it should've been. 

But now, she knew that it was all a lie. Her mother never loved or wanted her. She had abandoned her to die, knowing she couldn't survive on her own. But her mother had never counted on there being a pony like Derpy.

> Chapter 7: Panic Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(9_6)


Derpy stood in the observation room, trying her best to catch her breath. She had only been in the interrogation room for a few minutes before Miranda let her and Dinky leave. But the entire time, Glittering Gem's gaze never broke from the two. Derpy could still feel Dinky shaking in her arm.

"Are you two ok," Derpy's father asked caringly. Derpy tried her best to answer. But no matter what she tried, she couldn't speak. She could feel her heart rate increase as questions began racing through her mind.

Why is she so calm? She hurt Dinky, didn't she? Doesn't she feel any remorse? How can she sit there and act so calm? Didn't she abandon her own foal?!

The questions kept repeating over and over again, clouding her mind. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster as blood began to rush to her head. Before she could react, Derpy felt her legs go numb as everything around her faded away.


(o^o)


Dinky was caught off guard as she felt Derpy released her grasp. She quickly found herself being caught by Derpy's father, while Derpy hit the ground nearby.

Dinky began to think the worst as she was set down next to Derpy. Using her front two hooves, she tries to shake Derpy awake. She was oblivious to everything else as she tried her best to wake Derpy up from her sudden sleep. 

Dinky feared that her mother had done something to Derpy while they were in the room with her. She continued to shake Derpy with all her strength, hoping to wake her from her sudden sleep. But even as more ponies ran into the room, Derpy wouldn't wake up.


(9_6)


A soothing darkness surrounded Derpy. Soft glows of light could be seen randomly around her. She tried to look around, but her head wouldn't move. She quickly realized that she was crying very loudly. 

Suddenly, a dark silhouette appeared over her. Even in the dark, the figure looked familiar. Derpy felt as if she had met this pony before. But no matter what she tried, She couldn't make out who it was.

"Please stop crying," a feminine voice calmly said. The voice caused a strange feeling in Derpy's chest, causing a slight knot to form. The pony then picked Derpy up in their arms, still asking for the cries to stop.

Slowly, the pony began to rock her back and forth, calming her a little. But no matter how many times the pony asked, Derpy couldn’t stop crying. Suddenly, the rocking went faster and faster, then just as suddenly the rocking turned into violent shaking, as the pony began begging for the crying to stop.

Derpy's head began to hurt more and more as the shaking continued. She could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, the shaking stopped and Derpy could hear her father's voice.

Derpy tried to understand what he was saying, but the pain in her head was too much to handle. Slowly, Derpy closed her eyes, hoping the pain would stop.

When Derpy opened her eyes again, the pain was gone. But she could see two different images. It reminded her of when she was young and couldn't focus right with her eyes, resulting in her seeing two images. 

In one eye, Derpy could see her father standing over her, holding her in one of his arms. In her other eye, she saw the familiar looking silhouette standing nearby. Both seemed to be yelling about something.

"The doctor said that the damage is permanent," Derpy's father choked through tears. He was trying his best to keep his calm, but he wasn't doing well at it. The other pony tried to respond, but their words were being mumbled and mixed with each other.

"Please," Derpy's father continued, cutting into the pony's response. "You need your medication." But the other pony wouldn't hear it. They kept saying that they didn't mean to hurt Derpy. That they only wanted the crying to stop.

Suddenly, the pony dropped to their flank, crying loudly. Repeating over and over again how sorry they were for what they had done. Even as the images faded from sight, Derpy could still hear the pony begging her for forgiveness.

When Derpy opened her eyes again, she was still in her fathers arms. The silhouette was standing nearby, clearly about to walk out a nearby door. Derpy couldn't understand what was going on. Her father was begging the pony not to leave, saying that they can get her the help she needs.

But the pony wouldn't hear it. She said that she had done something no pony should ever do. With that, the pony walked out the door saying one last thing as they disappeared in a blinding light.

"I'm sorry I hurt our daughter."


(o^o)


Dinky never took her eyes off Derpy. The other ponies had moved Derpy to a small room and placed her in a bed. But Derpy still hadn't woken up, and Dinky was getting scared.

She wanted Derpy to wake up and tell her that she was fine and hold her in her arms. But after two hours, Dinky began to worry that she wouldn't wake up. She had fallen so suddenly, a few minutes after meeting her mother. Yet again, Dinky feared that her mother had hurt Derpy without anypony noticing.

Looking over, Dinky saw Derpy's father sitting nearby. He seemed a little sad, but when he noticed Dinky's stare, he gave a forced smile. Walking over, he tried his best to comfort Dinky. But Dinky didn't want him. All she wanted was for Derpy to wake up and hold her again.


(9_6)


Derpy woke to find Dinky sleeping nearby. She was as close as possible, burying herself in Derpy's throat. Derpy carefully pulled her into a hug, nuzzling the top of her head with her cheek. She couldn't help but remember the dream she had. She knew that they were the last memories she had of her mother.

She remembered when she was young and asked her father what happened. Apparently, her mother had suffered from  a minor case of depression, even before meeting Derpy's father. She had been taking medicine, but when she learned that she was pregnant, she stopped to protect Derpy's development. When she was born, healthy as could be, Derpy's father said that her mother had never been happier.

But a few weeks after her birth, Derpy's father came home to find her shaking Derpy violently. Her depression had worsened and she had been shaking Derpy without realizing it. Unfortunately, the shaking resulted in Derpy's eyes becoming misaligned. She left a few days later, punishing herself for hurting her own daughter.

Dinky began to wake up as Derpy recollected herself. She hated how the last memories she had of her mother were when she had left. But as she looked down at Dinky, she quickly pushed aside her thoughts and hugged Dinky even more tightly.

As Dinky returned the hug, Derpy couldn't help but think that she had worried her. She had passed out without even the slightest warning. Derpy hoped that somepony had caught Dinky before she had hit the ground. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if Dinky had hit the ground.

"She hasn't left your side for a moment," a voice said from nearby, cutting into Derpy's thoughts. Looking over, Derpy wasn't surprised to see her father sitting in a nearby chair. He quickly explained how Dinky kept trying to wake her up, all the way to the point where she fell asleep. Hearing that made Derpy feel sad. She couldn't help but think that Dinky must of been scared, not knowing what had happened to her. Spotting her saddlebags next to her father, Derpy remembered something. 

Getting out of the bed, she walked over to her bags. Handing Dinky to her father, Derpy reached in and pulled out a brown paper bag.

"I was going to wait to give this to you," Derpy began, placing the bag down in front of her. "But I guess now is as good as ever." With that, Derpy reached into the bag and pulled out Dinky's gift.


(o^o)


Dinky stared at the strange stuffed doll. It wasn't that it was a strange animal, or the colors were off. It was the fact that it looked exactly like Derpy, except it was Dinky's size. It even had her misaligned eyes.

She continued to stare at it for several minutes. She couldn't help but wonder why Derpy was giving her a stuffed pony that looked just like her. She began to think that it meant something bad. But then, Derpy gave her a smile and said something that made Dinky feel happy.

"Even if we get separated," Derpy said as she handed the stuffed pony to Dinky. "I will never leave you." 

Dinky loved the stuffed Derpy. She could squeeze it as much as she wanted, and bury her face in its warm body. She liked how soft it felt. But most of all, she liked how it looked just like Derpy.


(9_6)


Derpy was happy to see Dinky hug the stuffed pony. She bought it, knowing that one day, Dinky would have to leave her. Most likely to stay with family, or a more reliable pony. She just hoped that when that time came, Dinky wouldn't feel like she had left her. She was afraid Dinky wouldn't like the stuffed pony.

Suddenly, the room's door opened and several ponies walked in.

"Glad to see you're alright," Miranda said as she made her way over. Derpy couldn't help but notice the smile on her face when she saw Dinky and the stuffed pony. "Well, isn't that cute," Miranda continued, giving Derpy's father a nod as she passed.

"I thought you said I could talk to the pegasus alone," a voice said from the door. Looking over, Derpy was shocked to see Glittering Gem standing next to Roker and her lawyer. The ring on her horn had been removed and she was staring at Derpy with a slight grin.

"Yes, I know," Miranda said to Glittering Gem. Turning back to Derpy, Miranda explained that Glittering Gem wanted to talk to her about something, whispering that it could involve Dinky. Hesitantly, Derpy accepted the request and let her father take Dinky out of the room, assuring her that they would be just outside the door.

After a few moments, only Derpy and Glittering Gem were left in the small room. As they stood in silence, Derpy couldn't help but feel the walls close in around her. She tried her best to keep calm, but she couldn't help but feel worried.

"Would you care to join me for a moment," Glittering Gem said as she broke the silence. Moving to the bed, she indicated a spot right next to her. Derpy moved closer, but still kept her distance. She still couldn't understand why Glittering Gem wanted to talk to her.

For a moment, they stared at each other. The once angry eyes that Glittering Gem had, were now glowing strangely. It took Derpy five minutes to find the courage to speak.

"Is there a reason you wanted to talk me Miss Gem," Derpy asked, a little scared of the situation.

"Its Glittering Gem, you retarded little slut," Glittering Gem said calmly with a smile. Derpy was dumb struck. At first, she thought she had heard wrong. Looking towards the door, Derpy hoped to see somepony rush in after hearing Glittering Gem say such a thing. But as she looked, all she noticed was a slight pink glow around the door.

"Oh, there’s no need to worry about us getting interrupted," Glittering Gem said, regaining Derpy's attention. Derpy could see her horn glowing faintly. "They can't hear a word that's being said."

"But why," Derpy began, only to feel her mouth clamped shut. Glittering Gem quickly scolded her for responding without permission, calling her an uncivilized dog in the process.

"Now then," Glittering Gem said as she cleared her throat. "About all this, do you understand the situation you are in?" Derpy suddenly felt her head being shaken, forcing her to say no.

"As I suspected," Glittering Gem continued, inspecting one of her hooves. "You see, first I'm going to ruin your life. Then, I'm going to be taking the little brat with me." Derpy suddenly began to feel anger well up inside of her as Glittering Gem called Dinky a brat.

"After that. . . Well, I'll leave that to your imagination," Glittering Gem said, smiling slightly as a thought popped up in her mind. Derpy could feel her anger reaching a new level as she heard Glittering Gem's apparent threat. 

"But know this," Glittering Gem began, moving closer to Derpy. "By the time I'm finished with you two, you'll wish you never looked in that dumpster."

Before Derpy could stop herself, She launched forward, tackling Glittering Gem to the ground. Every suspicion she had about her had been confirmed by her last statement, and all she wanted to do was crush Glittering Gem's face in. 

Suddenly, Derpy felt herself being pinned to the ground by an invisible force. Out of the corner of her eye, Derpy saw everypony rush back into the room. Glittering Gem lay motionless nearby, blood dripping from her nose.

> Chapter 8: Too Calm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(9_6)


"Why did you overreact like that," Miranda yelled, obviously irritated by the situation. Derpy tried to apologize for her actions but her bindings were making it hard to think. All she knew was that she was in a small interrogation room with Miranda. Her front two hooves were cuffed and her wings were being held shut.

"Where's Dinky," Derpy asked through rapid breaths. The only complete thought she could form was telling her to make sure Dinky was ok and as far from Glittering Gem as possible. But even then, she could feel the room closing in on her. More then any room should ever close in on a pony.

"Derpy, snap out of it," Miranda yelled, trying her best to get through to Derpy. But again, Derpy asked where Dinky was. Over and over again, she continued to ask where Dinky was. But Miranda still wouldn't tell her, only ask that Derpy calm down. 

"Don't let Glittering Gem near her," Derpy yelled, straining against her bindings again. Miranda said something in reply, but Derpy couldn't make it out. She could feel the bindings, holding her wings shut, cut into her sides. But even then, she only wanted to make sure Dinky was out of harms way.


(o^o)


Dinky stared through the glass at Derpy. She could see Derpy sweating as her eyes continuously darted around the room, looking for her. Over and over again, Derpy kept asking where Dinky was, only to be ignored by the pony with a horn. 

Dinky wished she was in the room with Derpy. She didn't like seeing her look so scared and worried. Seeing her like that only reminded Dinky of what had happened just a short while earlier.

After several minutes of pure silence, Dinky heard Derpy yell from inside the room, closely followed by a loud crash. Within moments, all the ponies around her began rushing into the room. The first thing Dinky noticed was her mother laying motionless on the ground, blood dripping from her nose. Then she noticed Derpy, held down by somepony's magic.

Derpy looked angrier than Dinky had ever seen. Even though she was being held down, it was obvious that she was fighting with all her strength against the magic that held her. She kept yelling at Dinky's mother, even as the pony with the horn carried her away with her magic 

Dinky continued to watch Derpy in the other room. She looked so angry earlier. Now, her face was full of fear as she did nothing but ask for Dinky. Pleading for somepony to tell her that Dinky was safe.


(9_6)


"Please calm down," Miranda repeated. It had been half an hour and Derpy was still asking about Dinky. "I can't help you until you calm down," Miranda said moving closer to Derpy. She was now close enough to see just how far the bindings around Derpy's wings had cut into her sides. Small drops of blood could be seen in her fur.

"I can't undo your restraints until I know your calm," Miranda said as she looked Derpy in the eye. After a moment, Derpy took a deep breath and did her best to calm her nerves. She could still feel the room closing in on her, but wanted the  bindings removed desperately.

"Now," Miranda said, keeping eye contact with Derpy. "Have you calmed down?"

Derpy nodded, trying her best to ignore the constantly shrinking room around her. In response, Miranda used her magic to remove the cuffs and bindings on Derpy. Immediately, Derpy felt the difference as the room opened back up and she opened her wings, relishing that she wasn't confined anymore.

"Where's Dinky," Derpy quickly asked. Now that her wings weren't being held shut, she could think straight and already knew where she was. She just wanted somepony to confirm it. 

"She's safe in the other room," Miranda said. Derpy felt a large knot in her chest release as she heard this. "But I need you to tell me what happened back in the other room."

After a moment, Derpy took another deep breath and told Miranda everything. She couldn't help but feel her anger building up as she recalled the threats Glittering Gem had made. But she didn't want to be restrained again, so she kept calm. Once she had finished, Derpy expected to see a look of anger on Miranda's face. But instead, Miranda looked confused.

"That doesn't make any sense," Miranda said as she scratched under her chin. "She had to know that you would tell us what she said. What is she thinking?"

Suddenly, a knock on the two way mirror caught both her and Miranda's attention. Roker's voice echoed over a nearby speaker, asking for Miranda to come into the other room. Derpy could hear her father yelling about something in the background. Miranda nodded towards the window as she made her way to the door.

"I can come to? Right?" Derpy barely noticed the words leave her mouth as she rushed towards the door with Miranda. Derpy instantly felt Miranda's magic hold her back as she left the room, securing the door behind her.


(o^o)


Dinky stared at her surroundings in confusion. The pony that had been with her mother, had entered the room she was in. Immediately, the pony began talking to Derpy's father. Whatever the pony had said, Derpy's father responded by turning and yelling at the pony. Soon after, the horned pony that had been talking to Derpy, entered the room. She also began yelling at the pony.

Everypony was talking to fast and loud for Dinky to make out what they were saying, but she knew that it involved her and Derpy. Every now and then, one of the ponies would say one of their name's, or point to one of them with a hoof. Suddenly, Dinky heard a loud banging from behind her. She could hear Derpy calling her name from the other room again. 

Dinky tried her best to look back at Derpy, but Derpy's father didn't give her much room to move around. All she could do was squeeze the stuffed Derpy tightly and hope that everything would go back to normal soon.


(9_6)


Derpy held her head against the two way mirror, trying her best to hear what everypony was yelling about. While she couldn't hear the actual conversation, she could make out both her and Dinky's name being repeated several times.

"Dinky!" Derpy yelled, banging a hoof on the window. A bad feeling had begun to form in her stomach as the yelling seemed to intensify. She could hear her father yelling at somepony. Saying something that was muffled by the two way mirror. Derpy hit the widow again, begging for somepony to tell her what was going on.

Suddenly, the yelling ended and an eerie silence filled the interrogation room. Derpy could feel her heart beating in her chest as she waited for somepony to answer her prior question. The yelling had stopped so suddenly that Derpy feared that something awful had happened. She was so caught up in her worries that she never noticed the interrogation room's door open and Derpy's father walk in.

"Derpy," he calmly said, trying to hide the stutter in his voice. Derpy jumped upon hearing the new voice, recognizing it as her father's. Quickly, she turned to look at him, expecting to see Dinky in his arm's. But as she looked, all she saw was the uneasy look on her fathers face, his arm's empty of anything.

"Where. . .," Derpy began as she noticed the lack of Dinky in the room. Scenarios began running through her mind as she began questioning her father. Derpy could feel the fear grip her as her father stood in silence, not answering any of her questions.

"Derpy, calm down. Dinky is fine," Derpy's father began, finally finding his voice. But Derpy wouldn't listen as she begged to know what had happened to her. But the more Derpy asked about Dinky, the more her fathers expression changed. It only caused Derpy to worry even more.

"Derpy," her father said, clearing his throat. Derpy calmed herself a little, but still didn't like how her father looked. He didn't give her the smile he usually did or give off the comforting feeling that she always felt. This time, he looked serious and everything about the way he stood told Derpy to listen to what he had to say.

"It's believed that you have become too emotionally attached to Dinky," her father began, taking a seat at a nearby table. Derpy nodded, knowing that she had come to care deeply for Dinky. But she knew that there was nothing wrong with it.

"Which is why, your not going to like what I have to say."


(o^o)


Dinky fought against the pony that was carrying her. She barely liked it when Derpy's father carried her and she definitely didn't like it when other ponies tried to hold her. But for some strange reason, Derpy's father had handed her off to the pony with a horn, while he went to talk to Derpy.

She could see the two of them talking, but only for a second. Just as Derpy and her father began to talk, the pony holding her, left the room and entered the hallway. At first, she thought they were going to go see Derpy. But as they passed several doors, Dinky realized that they were going in the opposite direction of where Derpy was.

Dinky continued to fight against the pony holding her, keeping the stuffed Derpy close to her body. She wanted Derpy back and didn't like being far away from her. She continued to squirm and fight against the pony, even as they made their way outside.


(9_6)


Derpy stared at her father in horror. Her own mind had began to shut down on itself as Derpy tried to understand what he had told her. Derpy could feel a strange throbbing in the back of her head but decided to ignore it.

"Can I at least say goodbye," Derpy asked as she regained the ability to speak. She could already feel the tears in her eyes as her father shook his head, saying that it would only make it harder.

Gone. . .  taken. . . left. . . protected. . . safe. . . 

All she knew was that Dinky was gone. Her father had tried his best to explain to her what was happening. But the throbbing in her head was beginning to intensify.

By what she could make out, not only was Glittering Gem pressing charges against Derpy for nearly breaking her nose. She was having a restraining order filed against Derpy. Not to keep Derpy away from her, but to keep Derpy away from Dinky. 

"Can she even do that," Derpy questioned, her head spinning a little. Her father quickly explained that anypony could file for a restraining order against another pony. In this case, it was being used to start an investigation against Derpy to see if she was competent enough to care for Dinky.

Left. . . taken. . . gone. . . safe. . . hurt. . . protected. . . 

"But can't I still take care of her until they find her father or something," Derpy asked, the room slightly fading in and out of reality around her. Her father seemed to have an answer for that. As to what it was, she couldn't make it out.

Cared for. . . safe. . .loved. . . alone. . . abandoned. . . taken. . . alone. . . gone. . . taken, gone, hurt, abandoned, left, alone. . .

"Derpy," her father called, waving  a hoof in front of her face. For a few moments, Derpy stood completely still, neither breathing or blinking. Then, shaking her head a bit, she began looking at her surroundings with a confused stare. "Are you ok?"

"Where are we?" 

"What," Derpy's father asked. He obviously hadn't expected the question. He couldn't help but worry as he told Derpy where they were. Then, he noticed something strange.

"Why are we in the police station," Derpy asked, still looking around the room. Again, Derpy's father seemed confused by her response. But what he was seeing, made him think something was wrong.

"We're here because of Dinky," Derpy's father said, still staring at the unbelievable. Every time Derpy would look at something, both of her eyes would focus on the object. Even when she turned to look at something else, her eyes stayed perfectly aligned.

"Ok then," Derpy said looking at her father with a strangely uncaring expression. "Can I ask one more question?"

"Go ahead," Derpy's father responded as he made his way to the door. Derpy heard him whisper something about finding a 'medic' as he passed by her.

"What's a Dinky?"

> Chapter 9: Ignoring the Obvious 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(o^o)


Dinky kept her face buried in her stuffed Derpy. She had stopped paying attention to the things around her. All she knew was that she hadn't seen Derpy for hours.

The pony with a horn had taken Dinky to a strange place. All around her, ponies of different sizes played and talked with one another. But Dinky didn't care as she stayed exactly where they placed her. 

Every now and then, she could hear other ponies around her, trying to get her attention. Some tried poking her, while other continued to call her name. One even tried to take the stuffed Derpy she had her face buried in, but was quickly scolded away. She didn't care about these other ponies. 

She knew that Derpy would come for her at any moment. All she had to do was wait for Derpy and they would go home and eat dinner.

That was hours ago. Somepony had moved her to a small bed and had given her a bottle. But she wasn't going to sleep or eat until Derpy showed up. Only Derpy knew how much she liked to eat before going to sleep and only Derpy would slip her small pieces of muffin as a desert. But Derpy wasn't there, so all Dinky could do, was wait as she kept herself buried in her stuffed Derpy, forcing herself to stay awake.


(-_-)


Derpy watched in confusion as the medic talked to her father. Not only did she have no idea as to what was going on, but her father had dragged her to the nearest medical pony he could find. She couldn't help but look around the small room she was in. It seemed oddly familiar to her.

"What do you mean by that," Derpy's father yelled at the medic, drawing Derpy's attention. Derpy was about to ask what was wrong, but the medic was quick to reply.

They went into a strange explanation about Dissociative Amnesia. Saying something about stress causing memory loss. Derpy tried to pay attention, but a soft throbbing in the back of her head was making it hard to focus on what they were saying.

"What in the name of Celestia are you talking about," Derpy yelled looking for an answer. But she was ignored as her father continued questioning the medic about Derpy's so called 'condition'. Whether it be about her eye's or her sudden change in attitude, the medic said it could all be a result of the amnesia.

"CAN SOMEPONY ANSWER ME ALREADY," Derpy yelled, mostly at her father. Her father began to say something before the medic quickly whispered something into his ear. Derpy couldn't hear what they said, but whatever it was, caused a mixed look of worry and fear to appear on his face as he just stared at Derpy.

"Fine then," Derpy said, a bit angry that nopony would answer her. "If you're not going to answer me, I'm going home. I have work tomorrow and want a early start."

Making her way to the door, Derpy couldn't help but notice a small spot of red on the tile floor. She couldn't help but stare at it for a moment as the soft throbbing in the back of her head intensified for a second. But she quickly turned her attention back towards heading home for the night. She already had enough questions that nopony wanted to answer.


(o^o)


Dinky could feel the sunlight hit her body as morning arrived. She felt it slowly creep up her as she sat upright, her face buried in the stuffed Derpy. All she wanted was to hear Derpy's voice, giving her a warm good morning. But she had stayed up all night, and knew that Derpy wasn't there.

"Dinky? What are you doing here," a voice seemed to echo from nearby. For a moment, Dinky thought it was Derpy, but quickly realized that the voice sounded nothing like Derpy's. She recognized the voice as that of Derpy's friend, Carrot Top.


(-_-)


Derpy couldn't imagine how her morning could get any worse. First, somepony had changed her alarm sound to a softer tone, which she ended up sleeping through. Then, when she went to check on her bits, she found out that she was missing a good chunk.

"What in the hay happened to my bit's," Derpy yelled to nopony in particular. She doubted that anypony had taken them, but couldn't remember what she had done with them. In fact, she couldn't remember much of anything, and everything she could seemed to be a bit jumbled.

Derpy couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with what the medic had said the night before. They kept talking about some kind of amnesia or something. But she couldn't help but wonder what it was she forgot. Doing a quick scan of her room, she noticed a few strange objects. But whenever she tried to make out what the things were, her gaze would shift away towards something else.

"Oh buck," Derpy said to herself as she noticed the clock. She was running almost an hour late and needed to leave as soon as possible. Deciding she'd figure everything out after work, Derpy rushed out of her room and towards the houses front door. She began to worry when she didn't see her mail bags hanging on their hook.

Relief spread over Derpy when she opened the front door and found her bags sitting inside her old red wagon. She couldn't figure out why her bags were in the wagon in the first place but quickly brushed aside the thought as she tried to pick them up. She was surprised to find out that they were attached to the wagons handle for some reason.

Again, Derpy cursed at herself as she tried to pull the two apart from one another. But she quickly stopped when she heard a slight tearing noise. She decided to just take the wagon with her and use it to carry any packages she might need to deliver. Although, it meant she wouldn't be able to fly at all with the way it was attached.

Derpy barely paid any attention to her surroundings as she made her way to the post office. She couldn't wait to get to work and forget about all the strange things happening around her. She could feel a slight throbbing in the back of her head and hoped it would subside as she focused on her work.

"I thought I'd find you here," Shooting Star said, standing right outside the post office door. She looked horrible. He mane wasn't styled and it looked as if she had been awake all night. Derpy would of stopped to laugh at the way she looked if she wasn't already late enough for work. So she decided to just walk past her and continue into the post office.

"Oh no you don't," Shooting star snapped as she blocked Derpy's path. "You're not going anywhere until you explain something to me." With that, Shooting Star pulled out a local newspaper from her saddlebag. The page it was turned to had a strange set of pictures.

One was of the famous fashionista, Glittering Gem. Showing her being lead into the police station. Derpy couldn't help but feel a heavy throbbing in the back of her head. The other picture, was of Derpy holding a blurred out blob. Except for the blob, everything else in the photo was clear and easily definable.

"Not only is your father a cop," Shooting Star began as she put the paper away. "But you were there when Glittering Gem was at our towns station."

"And," Derpy snapped back, trying to get past her again. She could see her boss staring back at her through a nearby window. But Shooting Star wouldn't let her past.

"What I wanted to know was," She began as she took a deep breath. "What the hay happened to her?!"


(o^o)


Dinky looked up at Carrot Top with hopeful eyes. She couldn't help but hope that she was there to bring her back to Derpy. Dinky tried her best to relay that she wanted Derpy, holding her stuffed Derpy out slightly. But the sudden look of shock on Carrot Top's face confused her.

Dinky watched as she ran off down a nearby hallway, disappearing from sight. At first, she felt hopeful, believing that Carrot Top had understood her and had gone to get Derpy. But as time went on and the other ponies around her began to wake and talk about breakfast, Dinky realized that Carrot Top wasn't coming back.

But she wasn't going to give up hope. She knew that at any moment, Derpy would walk into the room with a whole muffin for her. Then she would take her outside to the red wagon and they would spend the day together as Derpy delivered her mail and then they would. . .would. . .would . . .

Dinky felt the tears running down her cheeks long before the first cry left her mouth. Her mind became clouded as fear and doubt swept through her mind. She didn't want to accept the fact that Derpy wasn't coming to get her. But as time went on, the only thing Dinky began to believe in was the terrible pain in her heart.


(-_-)


Derpy chuckled as she left a stunned Shooting Star standing outside. picking up the mail and packages she needed to deliver, She couldn't help but remember what she had told Shooting Star.

When Shooting Star had asked what had happened to Glittering Gem, the image of the red stain had popped back into her head. She couldn't understand why it had, but decided it would make for a great prank on Shooting Star. She couldn't help but laugh as she remembered the look on her face when she told her that somepony had attacked her. Sending her to the hospital.

Looking back behind her, she couldn't help but notice Shooting Star rereading the newspaper article, as if looking for a confirmation to Derpy's statement.

"What did your friend ask you about," Derpy's boss asked as he passed Derpy another stack of letters. Derpy couldn't help but notice how he kept looking at her eyes with a strange stare. But she decided to ignore it as she told him about what Shooting Star had asked.

At first, he made a comment about how he never would've thought Derpy would do such a thing. Then he told her about Shooting Star's little hobby. It turned out that she came every day to send fan mail to Glittering Gem, and on rare occasions, receive a response.

Derpy couldn't help but give a evil grin as she listened to this new information. She never expected Shooting Star as a die hard fan girl. But she was definitely going to use that information in the future. As she turned to leave, Derpy thought she heard her boss ask something about a 'filly'. But she quickly brushed the thought away when she remembered that she was still late in getting her deliveries done.

Again, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Shooting Star as she was going though several different papers, a look of fear and worry on her face. She couldn't help but enjoy seeing Shooting Star like that. 

"Its what you get for being such a bitch," Derpy whispered to herself as she set off on her deliveries. As she made her way towards her first stop though, a slight feeling of remorse pressed itself against the back of her mind. But she quickly pushed it aside as she continued down the street.

Most of her deliveries went smoothly as she placed mail and packages in their mailboxes. But as shops began to open and more ponies began walking the streets, ponies she regularly met would ask her strange questions. All centered around something called 'Dinky'. She remembered her father mentioning it the night before, but had forgotten about it up until that point.

She wanted to ask the ponies what this 'Dinky' was, but she didn't want to be late for her next delivery. She already had a bad feeling that she was going to have to work through lunch. But even as she continued delivering mail, strange things kept happening.

Every now and then, a pony would stop and stare at her eyes as if something was wrong with them. Then, every now and then, a random pony would stop her and ask if they could have their mail. She couldn't help but remember the confused looks on their faces as told them all "No". It wasn't her fault they couldn't prove who they were, her job was to put the mail in the specified mailbox.

After finishing her last delivery, Derpy made her way home. She was a little tired and wanted to take a nap. But as she made her way home, she was stopped by her friend Carrot Top.

"Thank Celestia I found you," she said as she scooped Derpy into a big hug. "I was so worried when I saw Dinky at the orphanage with the stuffed pony you got her."

"I got who for the what now," Derpy questioned. She tried her best to understand what Carrot Top had said, but a heavy throbbing in her head was making it hard to focus.

"There’s no time to worry about that now," Carrot Top said as she released Derpy from her hug. "Your father told me everything. We need to get you back to your house as soon as possible."

"Why? I spent the entire morning walking and my legs are killing me," Derpy complained. She wouldn't normally complain, but the wagon had been extra weight that she didn't want in the first place. "Besides, I was on my way home anyways."

"Because the caseworker is at your house now," Carrot Top said as she turned and ran in the direction to Derpy's house. Derpy continued to walk as her friend stopped several feet in front of her. "Hurry up Derpy," she yelled back to her.

"Calm down Golden Harvest," Derpy began. Derpy wasn't worried, caseworkers were always at her house, her father was a cop after all.

"I'm going to let that one slide because of your amnesia," Carrot Top said, watching Derpy walk slowly. 'Please Derpy, we have to hurry."

"Fine," Derpy said as she began to walk faster. She didn't move faster because Carrot Top had asked her to. The throbbing in her head had suddenly intensified and she wanted to get something for her head. But even as she got closer to home, all it did was get steadily worse.

> Chapter 10: Feelings of Betrayal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(-_-)


"I know this is all going to seem confusing," Carrot Top said to Derpy as they walked up to Derpy's house. "But just let me and your dad do most of the talking."

Derpy nodded, making the throbbing in the back of her head worse. Every step she took, brought another throb. To her, it felt as if somepony was kicking the back of her skull, hard. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that was causing the throbbing.

As the two walked into the living room, Derpy heard her father greet her. She heard a slight hesitation in his voice but decided to ignore it when she caught sight of a different pony in the room. Derpy guessed that it was the caseworker.

"And you must be Miss Hooves," they said as they walked up to her. Derpy tried again to respond but seeing the pony caused the throbbing to increase. She couldn't help but cringe slightly with each throb.

"Miss Hooves, are you alright," the caseworker asked, noticing Derpy cringe slightly.

"She's fine," Carrot Top quickly said as she helped Derpy to her seat. "Just a long day at work."

"Does she always work this hard," the caseworker asked, becoming intrigued by the subject. "And where is Dinky usually when you're at work?"

Again, somepony had mentioned a 'Dinky'. The word had been stuck in her head ever since Carrot Top had mentioned it. Derpy couldn't help but notice that the more she thought about the word, the worse the throbbing felt.


(o^o)


"Please young one," the older pony asked Dinky softly. Again, they tried to give Dinky the nipple of the bottle they held. But like every time before, Dinky refused it. Her mind still focused on Derpy. 

Derpy had done nothing but toy with her emotions. She showed her what it was like to be cared for, gave her a toy to remind her of the good times they had together, and raised her hopes. Then, she crushed them. Leaving her like her mother had. Alone, hungry, and hurt by the fact she may never see somepony she cared for ever again.

After one final attempt at getting Dinky to eat, the older pony placed Dinky back in the bed and left. Dinky continued to watch them walk away. Remembering all the other ponies that had done the same.


(-_6)


"I appreciate that you're both willing to help answer my questions," the caseworker said to Carrot Top and Derpy's father. "But do I look like a fool?"

For the past hour, the caseworker had been asking questions about Derpy and what she usually did. Every time, either Carrot Top or Derpy's father would answer the question, never giving Derpy a chance to answer. But the expression on the caseworkers face made it obvious that she was getting annoyed.

"If there is something wrong with Miss Hooves," the caseworker said pointing a hoof at Derpy. "Please tell me." Derpy remained where she was, softly rubbing the sides of her head. The throbbing had eased up a bit, but her head still ached as she herself tried to think.

After a concerned glance at Derpy, Derpy's father quickly explained to the caseworker what happened after Dinky was taken away. 

"We were hoping that if this went well," Carrot Top added in. "That Dinky could come back. She's not doing so well at the orphanage." Carrot Top then went on to explain that she volunteered at the local orphanage, helping to prepare the morning meals and clean a bit. She also explained what she found out that morning.

After finding Dinky, Carrot Top rushed to find the manager. She couldn't understand what Dinky was doing in the orphanage in the first place. She knew Derpy would never abandon the little filly, especially after her already being abandoned once.

While the manager herself didn't know the exact details, she did have some concerns. The moment Dinky was brought to the orphanage, she immediately began to seclude herself. They tried their best to get her to open up, so they could ease any worries she might of had, but she wouldn't let them. 

Then, when they tried to feed her, she would refused whatever they tried to give her. Also, they found out from one of the night guards, that she had forced herself to stay awake throughout the night.

"They need each other," Carrot Top finished, holding back her worry filled tears. For a moment, everypony was silent and Derpy was left with her thoughts. She couldn't comprehend everything both her father and Carrot Top had said. The most she could make out was that there was a young filly that wouldn't eat or sleep without her. 

Derpy suddenly felt the throbbing in her head intensify. Over and over again, the throbbing continued to pulsate through her head. Filling her thoughts with strange, unfamiliar images, as the room around her began to shift.

"Derpy? your eyes are," Derpy's father began, noticing Derpy's eyes slowly misalign. But Derpy ignored him as she rushed out of the room. She knew what she had to do and where she needed to be, and nopony was going to stop her.


(o^o)


Dinky sat alone on the small bed. The stuffed Derpy lay a few feet away. Thrown after Dinky became fed up with seeing it. All she wanted, was to be left alone.

Dinky couldn't help but wonder what it would've been like if Derpy had never found her. The thought of everything ending in the darkness of the dumpster scared her. Derpy had been the only pony she had truly come to love. The only pony that could end the fear. But now, she was gone, and the fear had returned.

Looking at the beds guardrails, Dinky began to think. She knew that if she tried, she could climb over it. Making her way over, she looked over the edge and began to think.

How far is it to the ground?


(9_6)


Derpy remembered everything. She hated herself for forgetting about Dinky. Dinky had meant so much to her and she let them take her. Now, Dinky was hungry and scared because Derpy hadn't tried her hardest to protect her. 

She had hurt Dinky, and instead of being there to comfort her, she ran away. It didn't matter if her mind had caused her to forget. To her, it was unforgivable. She couldn't help but think of her own mother. She had hurt Derpy and ran. But Derpy wasn't going to do the same to Dinky.

Barely slowing down, she landed outside the orphanage doors and rushed inside. Ignoring everypony around her, Derpy ran up to the front counter and demanded to see Dinky. The receptionist tried to say something, but Derpy wouldn't hear it as she demanded that she be allowed to see Dinky.

"What in Celestia's name is going on out here," a mare asked as she walked into the lobby. Derpy quickly recognized her as the manager, having delivered a few letters to her in the past. She didn't waste a second, demanding that she bring Dinky out immediately.

After a few seconds seconds of confusion, a sudden look of shock and worry appeared on the managers face.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding back a slight stutter. "But there was an accident and. . ."

"What do you mean accident," Derpy nearly yelled at the manager. The manager tried her best to calm Derpy, but that wasn't going to happen. Derpy began bombarding the mare with questions, ready to rush wherever it was she had to get to.

"She somehow fell over the guardrails on her bed and. . ."

"WHERE IS SHE," Derpy yelled, tears already running down her face. The moment the manager said 'hospital', Derpy took off without a second thought.

As if she didn't blame herself already for Dinky being taken. Now, she was physically hurt and it was all because she hadn't tried harder for Dinky. She prayed that Dinky was ok as the hospital quickly came into sight.


(o^o)


Dinky expected the fall to have be worse than it had. All she ended up doing was spraining one of her hooves as she fell barely two feet. No sooner had she hit the ground, then some random pony whisked her and her stuffed Derpy to the hospital. Now, she was alone in a crib with nothing but a bandaged hoof and a stuffed Derpy. 

Again, she was alone. She knew that there was a nurse keeping an eye on her, but she didn't care. She knew that the nurse would leave when they were finished with whatever it was that they were doing. Nopony really cared for what she thought or wanted.

Grabbing the stuffed Derpy, Dinky held it in front of her. Part of her, wanted to fling it out of the crib and never see it again. She felt betrayed, remembering the promise Derpy made to her about never leaving her. But another part of her wanted to keep it, still clinging to a the small glimmer of hope that Derpy would still come for her. 


(9_6)


"Please," Derpy begged the receptionist. "I have to see her."

The receptionist merely shook her head, apologizing as she told Derpy that she wasn't allowed to give out patient info to non legal guardians. But like in the orphanage, Derpy wasn't going to take no for an answer. After five minutes of begging, the receptionist told Derpy that she needed to leave before she called security.

"Thats a bit much, don't you think," a voice said from behind Derpy. Turning around, Derpy was surprised to see doctor Scope walking towards her. Before Derpy could even ask, Scope asked the receptionist for Dinky's room number. Derpy couldn't help but feel a slight sense of relief as Scope lead the way towards Dinky's room, asking Derpy questions along the way.

"Dissociative amnesia you say," Scope said as they turned a corner, he seemed mildly intrigued at the idea. Dinky's room was just around the next corner and Derpy couldn't wait to hold the filly in her arms again. But as they turned the next corner, a new fear gripped Derpy as she saw a hospital guard standing outside of the room.

"Scope," the guard nodded, recognizing the doctor. With a simple smile, the guard opened the door for Derpy and the doctor. Derpy wanted to ask why there was a guard at the front Door, but decided against it as she walked into the small room. She didn't bother to look at anything as she rushed up to the crib and looked inside.

At one end of the crib, lay the discarded stuffed Derpy. At the other, a curled up Dinky, facing the cribbs corner and trying her best to ignore everything around her.

"Dinky," Derpy softly whispered, brushing a hoof across Dinky's back. At her touch, Dinky jerked violently, but continued to face the corner. Derpy tried again to gain her attention, but no matter what she did, Dinky kept her attention on the corner of the crib.

"Dinky, please. I'm sorry," Derpy said, moving to the other side of the crib. But as she moved, so did Dinky.


(o^o)


Dinky's heart skipped a beat when she heard Derpy's voice. She wanted to look back at her and finally go back to the way she wanted things to be. But part of her didn't want to. Derpy had decided to return only after she had gotten hurt. To Dinky, Derpy only cared about her when she was hurt.

Over and over again, Derpy tried to get Dinky's attention. But Dinky wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. She had left her, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. Suddenly, Dinky felt herself being picked up. She immediately began fighting back, lashing her hooves out at Derpy.

"Please Dinky," Derpy whispered in her ear, drawing her into a hug. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but you have to know that I'm sorry." But Dinky wasn't going to hear it as she continued to flail her hooves, hitting Derpy's chest.

Dinky kept hitting Derpy over and over again. She knew that it didn't hurt her, but it was all she could do to vent out her anger. She wanted Derpy to know that she was angry and that she wasn't just going to forgive her for letting the other ponies take her away. But as she continued her assault, her exhaustion finally began to catch up to her.


(9_6)


Derpy continued to let Dinky hit her. It didn't hurt, but Derpy wished it did. Derpy deserved Dinky's hatred for the way she had let things happen. Suddenly, Dinky's hits began to slow down as she slowly began to fall asleep. Slowly, Derpy placed Dinky back into the crib before passing out.

"Do you think she'll ever forgive me," Derpy asked whoever would listen. When nopony answered, Derpy looked around and was surprised to find herself alone. She couldn't help but wonder when it was that Scope had left her. Derpy could even see that the hospital guard had left from his position out in the hall.

"I guess its just me and you again," Derpy said, a single tear running down her cheek.
> Chapter 11: Forgiveness 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(9_6)


Even as the hospital room door opened, Derpy continued to stare at Dinky. "I don't care what you say or do," Derpy said, keeping her eye on the little filly. "I'm not leaving."

The following silence was almost defining, but was accepted nonetheless. Derpy knew she had left without explaining her actions. But she couldn't think of a way to explain them, when even she didn't know what she was going to do.

"Now who ever said anything about that," the caseworker lightly chuckle. Finally taking her attention off Dinky, Derpy looked towards the room entrance. As she expected, her father, Carrot Top, and the caseworker stood just inside the room. What she hadn't expected, were the smiles each one of them had.

"What do you mean by that?" Derpy questioned. "Shouldn't I be in trouble or something?"

"Miss Hooves," the caseworker began, walking closer to the crib. "While you may have left before answering the rest of my questions, I respect what you did."

"W-what do you mean by that? Let a filly I-I care about get taken," Derpy replied, stuttering slightly. "And then, in-instead of fighting to get her back. I j-just forget about her and move on with my life."

"Miss Hooves, you have to understand that it wasn't your fault." The caseworker placed a comforting hoof over Derpy's shoulder. "By what your father told me, you do have family with mental issues. So something like this . . ."

"Are you kidding me?!" Derpy didn't mean to interrupt the caseworker. But she could feel her own self-hatred reach a boiling point. “I forgot about a filly that had nopony else, and because of that, she got hurt. Its nopony else’s fault but my own." 

"But even though you forgot," the caseworker replied, trying their best to calm Derpy. "You came back for her."

"And how does that make things any better?" Derpy questioned, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Miss Hooves," the caseworker began, looking down at the sleeping filly with a smile. "I have seen a lot of things though my career. I've seen parents do a lot of crazy things for their foals. I've even seen mothers go through the same experience you had gone through.” After a short pause, the caseworker continued by asking Derpy a question.

“Tell me Miss Hooves, what do you think most said when they were told of their foals?"

"That they wished they never forgot," Derpy sighed, reminded of her feeling of self-loathing. 

"I wish that was the case Miss Hooves," the caseworker sighed. "Most were happy to have forgotten. Yes some showed signs of remorse and sadness, but only a very few ever actually did something.

"I remember this one mare that went to get their filly back," the caseworker said, laughing lightly as they remembered the event. "They actually sent one of the foster parents to the hospital because they wouldn't let them see their foal."

"I almost attacked a few ponies myself," Derpy admitted. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed as a slight smile spread across her face.

"Does that mean Dinky can go back with Derpy," Carrot Top asked, a look of confusion and worry slowly spreading across her face.

"Personally," the caseworker said, looking partially insulated. "I wanted to throw this case away the moment I saw it." Derpy couldn't help but notice the caseworker pause for a moment, rubbing one of their temples with a hoof.

"But I had to at least interview Miss Hooves. It’s why I decided to do it today, rather than next week."

"And for that," Derpy's father happily breathed. "We thank you."

"It’s no trouble at all Mr. Hooves," the caseworker said, making their way over to the room's door. "Would you mind joining me in the hallway Mr. Hooves? I have a few papers I need signed.  After that, little Dinky will be back in your care Miss Hooves."

"Shouldn't I be the one signing papers?" Derpy asked. She couldn’t help but wonder why her father was asked to sign the paper’s instead of her.

"I'd rather you tend to that little filly there Miss Hooves," the caseworker chuckled, walking out of the room, Derpy's father close behind. Derpy and Carrot Top watched as the two slowly disappeared from sight.

"See," Carrot Top chimed, her hair orange mane slightly bouncing. "I knew things would work out in the end."

Derpy merely looked at her friend in silence. She appreciated Carrot Top's optimism, but still didn't feel right.

"Derpy, are you ok?" 

Still Derpy remained silent. She was having a mental debate on whether or not to tell her friend how she really felt. But as she looked up into Carrot Tops shining green eyes, Derpy could tell that she was there to help.

"What if she doesn't forgive me," Derpy began to cry. She could feel her tears already soaking into the fur on her cheek. "After promising her that I wouldn't abandon her, I did. And worst of all, she got hurt because of it."

"Derpy, you heard the caseworker" Carrot Top began, moving next to Derpy. "It's not your fault."

“But it is,” Derpy replied, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I’m the one that let her get taken. I’m the one who walked away. I’m the one to blame for Dinky being in the hospital right now.”

Suddenly, Derpy rushed at towards Carrot Top, burying herself in the earth pony’s light orange coat.

“I don’t deserve her forgivness.”


(o^o)


Dinky woke to the sounds of somepony crying. At first, she wanted to go back to sleep. But just as she was about to, she recognized who it was that was crying.

Moving to the side of the crib, Dinky lifted herself as best as she could to see over the guardrails. Just a few inches away stood both Derpy and Carrot Top. Derpy had her face buried in Carrot Top's light orange coat, crying.

"I don't deserve her forgiveness," Derpy cried, becoming lost in her tears.

Dinky stared at the two for a moment. She couldn't help but think that she had gone too far, shunning Derpy the way she had. She only wanted Derpy to know that she was mad at her. Not make her cry.




(9_6)


"Derpy," Carrot Top softly said, carefully separating Derpy from her chest. "It looks like somepony is worried about you."

Tears still running down her face, Derpy turned around and noticed Dinky staring at her from the crib.

"Dinky," Derpy mumbled, moving over to the little filly. For several moments, the two stared at each other. Neither did anything as tears continued to slowly drip from Derpy's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Derpy finally said. Putting on her strongest face, Derpy continued to talk to the little filly. "I lied to you when I said that I would never leave you, and for that I am sorry." 

Dinky continued to stare at Derpy, her expression unreadable. For a moment, Derpy expected to hear a response from her. But she quickly waved that thought off with a forced chuckle, remembering that Dinky was too young to speak.

"I'll understand if you don't forgive me," Derpy continued, wiping whatever tears still remained from her face. "But please understand that I never meant for it to happen."

Derpy watched as Dinky disappeared back into the crib. For a moment, she feared that Dinky wasn't going to forgive her. But even if she hadn't, she wouldn't blame her. 

"I made a promise," Derpy said, looking down at the ground. She could feel tears fighting to resurface. "I said I wouldn't abandon you. But I let them take you . . . without even a goodbye."

A small groan snapped Derpy back to her senses. Looking back at the crib, she watched as Dinky reappeared, holding the stuffed Derpy in her arms. At first, she expected Dinky to throw the stuffed pony at her. But instead, the little filly held it close to her with one hoof. Her other hoof, stretched out towards Derpy, a smile on her face.

"Thank you Dinky," Derpy said, scooping the little filly in her arms. Tears flowing from her eye's once again.


(o^o)


Dinky nestled herself closer to Derpy's chest. She loved how warm Derpy's gray fur felt. She never realized how much she missed the warmth Derpy shared, or the way her coat smelled of freshly baked muffins. But at that moment, all she cared about was Derpy's heartbeat, softly playing in her ear.

Dinky couldn't tell when it happened, but she felt herself slowly back to sleep. It felt like moment had past when she woke back up. Quickly looking around, Dinky couldn't help but smile as she realized where she was.

She was back in Derpy's room; In her bed to be exact. A dark sky could be seen outside a nearby window. Derpy sat next to Dinky on the bed, a heartwarming smile on her face.


(9_6)


"Look who's finally awake," Derpy chuckled. Dinky slowly began sitting herself up, a loud gurgle coming from her stomach. "Looks like some little filly is ready for something to eat?"

Grabbing a nearby tray, Derpy moved it to the bed. A bottle, a few muffins, and a small damp cloth took up the entirety of the tray. Taking the bottle, Derpy offered it to Dinky with a smile. Derpy was surprised when Dinky hit the bottle away with her hoof, pointing back at the tray.

"Oh," Derpy chuckled, looking back at the tray. Exactly where Dinky was pointing sat a large blueberry muffin. "Looks like somepony has good taste," Derpy joked, replacing the bottle with the muffin.

Like every time before, Derpy carefully broke off a small piece and held it for Dinky to eat. Derpy couldn't help but feel happy as she watched Dinky hastily eat the pieces of muffin she offered.

"Just like the first time I gave you something to eat," Derpy said, mostly to herself. She couldn't help but think of everything that was going on with her life. "A week ago, I never would've imagined that I'd be sitting here with a little filly.

"I mean," Derpy said, now speaking to Dinky. "I was just delivering a package. Just a regular day as any other I've had. Then, I found you." Derpy stopped talking for a second to give Dinky the bottle to help wash down the muffin.

"Granted, I would definitely change the circumstances of the way we met," Derpy continued, now wiping Dinky's face with the cloth. "But I'm still glad we did."

As if to respond, Dinky stopped eating for a second and gave Derpy a smile. Derpy wished that she had a camera to capture the moment. Instead, she continued to give Dinky both the muffin and the bottle. 

"Calm down," Derpy giggled, noticing how fast Dinky was drinking from the bottle. "We don't want you getting a bellyache." Soon, Dinky was full and both her and Derpy were ready for a good night’s sleep. 

Laying Dinky down on the bed, Derpy went to turn the lights off. She couldn't help but notice how Dinky watched her the entire time.

"Don't worry," Derpy said as she got back in the bed. Dinky fell asleep the moment Derpy pulled the covers over her tiny body. Nestling herself up close to the little filly, Derpy also drifted into sleep.

Time flew by as Derpy had the best sleep she ever had. Even in her dreams, she could feel the little filly tucked under her chin, cradling herself in Derpy's neck. Derpy almost regretted having to wake up, but as the morning lights slowly fell on her face, she couldn't help but wake up.

"It's time to get up," Derpy quietly whispered, softly nuzzling the side of Dinky's head with her chin. She wasn't surprised as the little filly did nothing but shift slightly, still fast asleep.

"Derpy?" her father called from outside her room's door. "Are you two awake?"

"Almost," Derpy said in a whisper, not wanting to yell so close to Dinky. Derpy's father then proceeded to open the door.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you," he said, walking in on his own. He was wearing a freshly pressed blue uniform and he smelled as if he had also had a shower.

"Isn't that cute," he said with a chuckle. Derpy could only imagine what he was seeing. Again, Derpy wished she had a camera. "If Dinky were a pegasi, I'd say you two look like mother and daughter like that."

"Dad, that’s not funny." Derpy softly blushed, a little embarrassed. But it was a happy embarrassment. Deep inside, she liked hearing her father call her Dinky's mother. But even as these happy thoughts crossed her mind, a question began to form.

"Wait," Derpy called, stopping her father as he began to leave the room. 

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to face his daughter.

"I was wondering," Derpy began, looking down at Dinky. The little filly was still sound asleep, a small smile on her face.

"Do you know what happened to Glittering Gem?"


(o^o)


Dinky slowly awoke to the bright morning sun hitting her face. At first, she felt at peace, remembering how Derpy had finally come back and taken her home. Reaching out, Dinky tried to give Derpy a hug, giving her own good morning greeting. But as her hooves grabbed nothing but air, Dinky began to worry.

She didn't want to worry, knowing that Derpy wouldn’t leave her again. But as she looked around the small room, the only thing she could find was the stuffed pony, laying just a few inches away.

"Good morning muffin," Derpy's voice chimed. Looking over at the door, Dinky was thrilled to see Derpy walk into the room, a bottle balanced on her head. Dinky couldn't help but giggle at the sight.


(9_6)


Derpy couldn't help but blush as she called Dinky "muffin". At first, she hadn't meant to say it. It had been more of an accident. But as she walked over to the bed, she was happy she had.

"So what do you think of being called muffin," Derpy asked, hopping back into the bed. Before Derpy could even take the bottle off her head, Dinky was responding with the largest hug she could muster.

"I'm glad you like it," Derpy responded, returning the little filly's hug.

Even as she fed Dinky, Derpy couldn't help but think back to what her father had told her about Glittering Gem.

"So she's in jail?" Derpy felt a little more at ease thinking that Glittering Gem wouldn't get the chance to carry through with her threats.

"Not necessarily jail," her father responded. Derpy could see him hesitate slightly before continuing, looking around the room to hide it. "It’s a temporary lock up, usually with the possibility of bail."

"What does that mean," Derpy asked. She couldn't help but cradle Dinky a little closer to herself. She knew that it meant Glittering Gem could be on the streets, but a large part of her didn't want to accept it.

"It means that you have nothing to worry about," Derpy's father quickly stated. Even though he now had a very serious expression, Derpy could tell he was deeply concerned by the matter. "I doubt she was even given bail. Not only has she already made threats, but she's a potential flight risk."

Derpy felt a knot that had been forming in her chest slightly loosen. It had started to form the moment her father mentioned "temporary". She was so preoccupied with her worries that she never noticed her father move up next to her.

"Never would've thought that a fashion model would scare my daughter," Derpy's father chuckled, giving Derpy a playful tap on the shoulder. 

"I'm not afraid," Derpy quickly replied, shooting her father an annoyed stare. She couldn’t help but notice her worries disappeared as a newfound confidence began to build inside of her.

"I'd like her to try to get past my good eye," Derpy said with a confident smile. She and her father both laughed as Derpy pointed towards the eye she had the most trouble with.

"That’s my girl," Derpy's father smiled. With one final good bye, he left the room and headed off to work.

Derpy softly rubbed Dinky’s back, waiting for her to burp as she finished her thoughts. She couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that she was so worried about Glittering Gem's threats.

"Besides," Derpy said aloud as Dinky burped. "What's the worst thing she could do anyways?"


> Chapter 11.5: A Fading Gem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(~~~)


That bitch is going to pay!

Glittering Gem sat motionless as the medical pony carefully inspected her nose. Her calm and trusting demeanor showing the complete opposite of how she really felt.

How dare she attack me!

"It doesn't seem to be broken," the pony said, still staring at her nose with concern. With a final sigh, they used magic to carefully apply a bandage to her nose. "Just try to be careful now," they said with a small smile. "Ok?"

"I will, thank you." Glittering Gem gave her own smile.

After I get back at that bitch.

Just then, Glittering Gem's lawyer walked in. She looked worn out and a little worried as she asked the medic to leave the room.

"So, how did everything go," Glittering Gem asked as she removed the bandage on her nose.

I don't need some horrid thing stuck to my fur.

"Miss Gem, was the restraining order really necessary?" The lawyer walked over to a small table where several documents sat. "The likelihood of it even going through is slim to none."

How dare she question my decisions!

"I'm merely looking out for the foals safety," the unicorn said with an concerned tone. "You saw that pegasi's eyes. There is obviously something mentally wrong with her and I feel that this could. . .benefit the foal in the end. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Miss Gem," her lawyer said rather sternly. "I may be your lawyer and inclined to prove you're innocent to the best of my abilities, but don't think I believe your innocent. You're the one that called for me specifically."

Pompous ass. . .

"Because you are one of the best." Glittering Gem continued, smiling as she made her way over to the table. "You may not believe my innocents now, but in time, everything will work itself out. Then we can all move on with our lives."

"Tell that to the mare you just traumatized," the lawyer huffed.

"I'm sorry?" Glittering Gem couldn't help but become intrigued by her lawyers statement. "Did something happen?"

"Miss Hooves, the one caring for YOUR foal, seems to have suffered due to the restraining order."

That was faster than I thought.

"Oh dear," Glittering Gem said, hiding her smile with a look of concern. "What happened? Is she alright?"

"What happens to her should be the least of your problems Miss Gem," the lawyer said as she finished packing her papers into a small briefcase. "There are a few things I need to take care of before you can leave. Or do you want to spend the next month in a jail cell?"

How dare you speak to me like that!

"Oh my, that would be a problem," Glittering Gem said, putting a hoof to her mouth. "Please, go 'work you magic' as they say." Glittering Gem made sure to give a well practiced chuckle and smile as she said this.

The lawyer simply rolled her eyes as she left the room, taking her briefcase with her. The moment the door closed and Glittering Gem knew she was alone, the false smile she had turned into a scowl.

"That pompous bitch," she said, bringing a hoof up to inspect her nose. she quickly put it back down as a jot of pain followed its soft touch. "How dare she do this to me."

"Miss Gem?" a voice called from outside the door. "Are you ok in there?"

"Just fine," the unicorn replied, re-applying her false smile. When she was sure nopony would enter, she went back to her rant.

"They were supposed to come in before she attacked," she continued, talking more quietly. "But no matter, it still got me what I needed. All thats left is to leave this infernal place and I'll finally be able too..."

"Miss Gem," her lawyer called, re-entering the room. Glittering Gem quickly looked towards the door with another false smile.

Can't anypony get some privacy for once in their life!

"While nothing can be done about tonight," the lawyer said, keeping herself just in the room's entrance. "The hearing to decide your court date is early tomorrow morning. So until that time, you are to stay in this room."

"But where am I to sleep?" Looking around the small room, she couldn't help but notice a lack of a proper bed. "You can't possibly expect me to just sleep on the floor?"

"We have a cot being brought over for you ma'am," a voice from outside the door replied.

So they expect me to sleep like some kind of dog?!

"Thank you very much," Glittering Gem replied to nopony in particular.

"It was either here or in lock up," the lawyer said, a tone of annoyance mixed into her voice. "I'll be back at first light for the hearing. Try not to go crazy until then."

What's that supposed to mean?!

"I'll try my best," Glittering Gem chuckled, trying her best to hide her anger. Yet again, the lawyer rolled her eyes as she left the room.

You're so lucky I have bigger fish to fry!


(~~~)


"Do you understand the conditions Miss Gem," the judge asked in a stern tone.

Of course I do you degenerate! You've repeated them three times already!

"Yes sir," Glittering Gem replied from her chair. "Check in every six hours, random drug tests, random searches and I can't leave the city. Anything else?"

"Yes Miss Gem," the judge said, clearing his throat. "If you are found anywhere near Miss Hooves or the foal in question, your bail will be revoked and you will spend the next month in jail before you case goes to court. Understood?"

How dare you tell me what I can and can't do!

"Yes, I do," Glittering Gem said, hiding her frustration with a smile. 

"Court adjourned," the judge said, beating his gavel once. 

"Well atleast thats over with," Glittering Gem said to her lawyer. She merely shook her head, a look of defeat and annoyance on her face.

"It'll be over when you're behind bar's Miss Gem," a voice from the back seats huffed. Tuning to look, Glittering Gem wasn't surprised to see the pony that had arrested her walking over, the same look the lawyer had, displayed clearly on her face.

"Officer?" Glittering Gem couldn't help but smile as she tried her best to look innocent. "Are you saying that I'm guilty? I thought I was innocent until proven guilty."

"And I'm a dragon dung," Miranda Case nearly yelled in return. "I don't know how you did it, but I swear to Celestia herself, if your late for even one of your check-in's, you'll be in a jail cell faster than you can blink."

"There is no need to worry officer," Glittering Gem said, nearly pushing Miranda out of the way as she walked towards the exit. "I wouldn't dream of missing a check-in."


(~~~)


"You can't expect me to stay here?!"

"It was one of the only places I could find for you Miss Gem," her lawyer said. "And will you please take those things off, there's no need to hide your appearance anymore."

"Only when you can assure me that there are no paparazzi," Glittering Gem said, looking over the large black sunglasses she was wearing.

"Then at least take off the hat," the lawyer said, pointing one of her hooves at Glittering Gem's large sunhat.

"I will once we're inside," Glittering Gem replied as the two walked into the hotel lobby. It wasn't the best the city had to offer, but it was far from the worst. "So what's this hotels rating?"

"Three stars, and its close enough to where you have to check-in that it should only be a five minute walk," her lawyer said quickly. 

Only three?!

"Well, thank you either way," Glittering Gem thanked. "I can take it from here."

"Are you sure?" her lawyer asked with a puzzled look. "I haven't even told you what room you're in?"

"I'll ask the clerk," Gem replied giving a large grin. "Now, I have taken up most of your morning and I'm sure you have other . . . lawyer like things to do."

"Yes well, you know how to get ahold of me incase of emergency, correct?" With a reassuring nod of her head, Glittering Gem watched as her lawyer walked out of the hotel lobby and out into the streets. The moment she was gone from sight, Glittering Gem walked back outside.

How dare they put me in a three star hotel!

Walking Down the streets, Glittering Gem made sure to keep her eyes and ears open for the gray pagasi. She was glad that Nopony recognized her, knowing that it would only make things harder for her.

First I find that bitch of a mare, then I can figure out what to do to her.

"Please Derpy, we have to hurry."

Glittering Gem froze when she heard the word "Derpy".

That's that bitch of a mare's name! Quickly looking down the street, she was shocked to see the same gray pegasi from the other day just a few buildings down. 

"Theres that Bitch," Glittering Gem whispered to herself. She looked exactly as she remembered, except for the way her eyes looked. Weren't they misaligned yesterday?

Glittering Gem watched as the gray pegasi walked past her, a empty red wagon close behind. She couldn't have hoped for a better set of circumstances. Not only had the mare not recognized her, but she was obviously on her way to somewhere important.

This is just too easy.


(~~~)


So this is where she lives?

Glittering Gem watched as the gray pagasi and a oranged earth pony rushed into the small house. She couldn't hold back her devilish smile as she read "Hooves Family" on the mailbox.

"This is just too perfect," Glittering Gem told herself as she walked to the front of the house. "All I have to do now is get a little info and I can finally get back at that..."

"Glittering Gem?!"

Glittering Gem silently cursed the pony who had just yelled her name, praying that nopony inside that house had heard it. Turning, she was surprised to see a dark blue pegasi running up to her, a giant smile on her face.

"I just knew it was you," the pagasi said with a giant smile. "I just knew that damn Ditzy was lying."

Why is this pony talking to me?!

"Look, I'll sign whatever you want, just make it quick and leave."

As if on cue, the pagasi produced a pen and photograph out of her saddlebags. Glittering Gem couldn't help but recognize the photo from a event she had attended over a year ago.

"So who am I making this out to," Gem questioned, levitating the picture and pen with her magic. Even as she did this, she kept her eyes on the house for any signs of movement.

"Shooting Star, Miss Gem," the pegasi chirped, her smile only growing.

"Shooting Star?" Glittering Gem couldn't help but feel as if she had heard that name before. Suddenly, she remembered an old pile of fan mail she had and how some of them were signed with the pagasi's name.

"Yes ma'am," Shooting Star said with a blush. "I'm a huge fan of yours."

'Well its good to see that somepony around here actually has taste," Glittering Gem said with a smile. As she finished writing an all too common quote and a simple signature on the photo, Glittering Gem realized something.

"You said something about a ditzy lying about something?" Glittering Gem began, floating the photo and pen back into the pagasi's waiting hooves. "Who lied about what now?"

"She lied about you being attacked and sent to a hospital," Shooting Star said as she glanced over at the Hooves family house. "I checked at the hospital and everything but when you werent there, I knew she had to be lying. I came to give that bitch a piece of my mind."

"This bitch wouldn't happen to be gray with bubbles for a cutie mark would she?" Glittering Gem asked, noticing where the pegasi was staring.

"How did you," Shooting Star began, only to be interrupted by Glittering Gem's raised hoof.

"Not here," she quickly said. Quickly moving to the side of the house, Glittering Gem made sure that nopony else had noticed them. "Lets just say I have a hoof to pick with her too."

"I knew she was hiding something!" Shooting Star yelled. Again, Glittering Gem was happy nopony had heard the yell. "So what's the plan?"

"What?" Glittering Gem said, confused by Shooting Star's response. 

"The plan," Shooting star repeated. "You obviously have a masterful plan at getting back at the wall eyed dunce."	

"I will," Glittering Gem replied. "But first," she stopped for a moment and looked towards Shooting Star. "I'm going to need some help."

"Whatever you need Miss Gem," Shooting Star said with a smile.

This just cant get any easier.


(~~~)


The next week went by slowly, but Glittering Gem didn't care. With Shooting Star's help, she learned everything she needed to about Derpy. Everything from her work schedule, her friends, family, to the simple fact that her favorite treat is muffins. 

But the thing that confused her the most, was the fact that she was always with the foal. Except for the first day, the foal was always with the wall eyed mare.

"Why does she always have the foal with her," Glittering Gem asked her companion as she peeked behind a tree. Derpy and the foal had been sitting in a sandbox making sand castles for the past hour. "Doesn't she have better things to do than waste her time on that foal?"

"An outcast like her?" Shooting Star quickly glanced over herself. "As if."

"Well, I guess thats to be expected of a nopony," Glittering Gem said, her gaze still fixed on the two ponies in the sandbox. She couldn't help but notice how tired the two of them looked. "It looks like they haven't been sleeping well."

It was at this point that Glittering Gem noticed the foal looking at her. She didn't bother hiding, having been noticed by the foal plenty of times throughout the week. Its not like she can warn anypony.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Shooting Star responded. "So how much longer are we going to watch them?" Shooting Star asked, drawing Glittering Gem's attention. "Do you have what you need to put the plan into action or what?"

"Calm yourself my young companion," Glittering Gem said as she looked towards Shooting Star. "I believe I have what I need. We'll start next thing tomorrow morning."

"But are you sure that it'll work out like you say its going to?" Shooting Star questioned as Glittering Gem made her way out of the park. 

"Do you doubt me Miss Star?" Glittering Gem continued. 

"Its just that," Shooting Star hesitated for a moment, looking back into the park. "This could. . .could. . ."

"Don't worry Miss Star," Glittering Gem said with a smile. "Everything that happens to her, is exactly what she deserves."
> Chapter 12: Beginning's to an End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(9_6)


"Another late night," Carrot Top asked as her friend walked into the restaurant.

"Yeah," Derpy sighed as she placed Dinky in a nearby highchair. "She woke up again at midnight crying again."

"Have you figured out why she's having them?" Carrot Top asked, looking at the sleepish filly. It was obvious that she was fighting the urge to fall asleep, even though she looked like she needed it.

"My dad say's it could be everything finally catching up to her," Derpy sighed, taking a seat opposite her friend.

"And what do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Derpy said, looking down at the menu in front of her, obviously not reading it. "I cant help but feel like something bad is about to happen," she continued, looking up into her friends green eyes. "It feels like somepony's been watching me and I cant help but worry. I think its been getting to Dinky too."

"Well, this isn't a time for worrying," Carrot Top said, trying her best to change the subject for the better. "This is a time for a nice healthy lunch with a friend." Derpy merely nodded in agreement as a waitress came to take their order.

"What can I get y'all to drink," she asked with a slight southern accent.

"Carrot juice"

"Two things of apple juice please," Derpy said with a weak smile. Giving a nod, the waitress left to get the drinks, giving Dinky a slight wave as she left.

"So how has the rest of your week been?" Carrot Top asked Derpy as they waited for their drinks. At first, the pegasi didn't answer, her eyes fixed on the menu. 

"The asparagus lunch special looks pretty good," Derpy said mostly to herself. But she quickly caught herself and answered her friends question. "Aside from Dinky's nightmares, Its actually been really fun."

"Just a few day's ago, we went to the beach," Derpy said as the waitress returned with their drinks. Stopping only to thank the waitress as she gave Dinky a special cup for foals. "It was a bit of a walk, but worth every moment to see her face light up as she saw the water."

"Are y'all ready to order or do ya need another minute?" the waitress asked when she was sure Derpy had finished speaking.

"Two asparagus launch specials and a thing of mashed veggies for the filly please," Carrot Top quickly answered, barely taking time to breath. The waitress gave a slight nod as she mentally wrote down the orders and went to get them prepared.

"The next day I had to work in the morning, but we spent the rest of the day on a nice walk through the city, I even bought her some ice cream," Derpy said as she turned to look back at Dinky. The filly was trying to figure out how to drink out of the small sippy cup in front of her.

"How did that turn out?" Carrot Top chuckled. Derpy kept the answer to herself, giving her own chuckle as she remembered the look on the filly's face as she tried to eat to much of the ice cream at once.

"Fine then, don't tell me," Carrot Top sighed, giving Dinky a smile. "I bet you liked it though." Derpy couldn't help but laugh as her friend began to tickle Dinky's stomach with her hoof.

"Thats two asparagus lunch special's and a thing of mashed veggies," the waitress said, walking up to the table with a tray of food balanced on her back. With a practiced hoof, she placed the two lunch specials in front of the two mares and set the mashed veggies in front of the small filly. "If y'all need anything else, don't be afraid to ask."

The two mares gave a final nod as the waitress left to help another set of customers.

"So what did you do yesterday?" Carrot Top asked as she began to eat her meal.

"We went to the park and made sand castles for most of the day," Derpy replied, slowly pushing the plate away. She suddenly found her meal far less appetizing than she thought it would be.

"Well thats nice," Carrot Top said, already finishing half her plate. "But what about today?"

"Well, we're here aren't we?" Derpy chuckled. "But I was thinking of spending the rest of the day at home. Hopefully we can get some actual sleep before either of use pass out from exhaustion."

"Thats probably a good idea," Carrot Top replied, noticing Dinky bob her head a few times. "If anypony needs it, she does."


(o^o)


Dinky stared at the bowl of food in front of her, trying her best to stay awake. She knew that she couldn't fall asleep yet, not when her mother could be just around the corner.

Throughout the past week, she had seen her continuously throughout the day. No matter where Derpy brought her, her mother would be there, waiting for the two of them, always hidden in plain sight.

Dinky tried her best to warn Derpy whenever she saw her, but her groans and cries were only answered with something to eat or a return trip home, and she hated it. She couldn't help but fear what her mother was planning to do. She was so worried, that she had begun to have nightmares of her mother appearing out of nowhere and attacking Derpy or saying mean hurtful things to her.

But the thing that scared her the most about the dreams, was how she was always alone at the end, surrounded by nothing but a never ending darkness.


(9_6)


"Bye Carrot Top," Derpy called from in front of her house. She watched as her friend disappeared around a house, giving a final wave before she disappeared from sight.

"Today's been pretty calm, huh muffin?" Derpy asked the filly in her arm, slowly making her way into the house. Dinky merely stared back as Derpy continued to walk through the house. "You think we can actually get some sleep tonight?" she continued to ask as she made her way into her room.

She instantly noticed the tray of muffins set on her bed. Just by looking at them, Derpy felt her hunger reemerge as the scent of chocolate chip reached her nose. Walking over, Derpy noticed a small handwritten note set against one of the muffins.


Have a nice nap
~Dad


"He didn't have to do that," Derpy said as she set Dinky down on the bed by her stuffed pony. Without a second of hesitation, she picked up the top muffin, reveling in the fact that it still felt warm in her hoof. 

"I wonder when he made these?" Derpy asked herself as she began eating. The first bite alone sent shots of warmth and bliss through Derpy's body as she quickly devoured the muffin. "Best. Muffin. Ever!"

Grabbing another muffin, Derpy began to break it into pieces so she could give some to Dinky. She couldn't help but notice a strange prickling feeling in her hooves slowly appear as she finished breaking it apart.

"Maybe I'm more exhausted than I thought," Derpy said as she began to lift a piece of muffin up to Dinky. Before it could even reach the filly's mouth, Derpy's hoof went completely numb as the piece fell to the ground.

"shash nosh goosh," Derpy slurred, suddenly becoming light headed. As everything around her began to fade away, Derpy's final thought was to make sure Dinky was ok. But before she could even raise her head, everything around her faded to black.


(o^o)


Dinky stared at the scene as Derpy flopped to the ground motionless. She couldn't help but question what had caused the pagasi to pass out like she had as both tears and worry filled her eyes.

"I can't believe she actually ate one," a all too familiar voice chuckled. Dinky stared at the rooms entrance with a new sense of fear gripped her as her mother, Glittering Gem, walked into the room. "This really is too easy."

"I-is she d-dead?" another voice stuttered from behind Dinky's mother. Just then, a dark blue pagasi walked in, a mixture of worry and confusion on her face.

"No she's not dead," Glittering Gem spat at the pony. "Just some VERY powerful medication."

"Ok, we've done what we came to do so can we. . ." the other pony's statement trailed off as they noticed Dinky looking at them, pure fear in her eye's. "She sees us, what do we do?!"

"Like I care," Glittering Gem huffed as she moved over to where Derpy lay. Dinky could only stare in horror as her mother proceeded to kick Derpy's gut several times before turning back around.

"Miss Gem!? What are you. . .?"

"Grab the foal and follow me," Glittering Gem interrupted, moving towards the exit.

"WHAT?!" the other pony yelled after several moments of awkward silence.

"I SAID GRAB THE BLASTED FOAL, YOU USELESS SLUT!!!," The unicorn yelled, turning and staring at the other pony, all elegance gone from her now deranged face. "Or should I go tell the police about everything you've done to help me already?!"

"B-but. . .I," the pony began before the soft glow of magic wrapped itself around her muzzle.

"Grab. The. FOAL," Dinky's mother seethed. Giving a defeated nod, the pegasi turned around and tried to pick Dinky up, from the bed.

Grabbing the closest thing she could, Dinky began flailing the stuffed pony at the pegasi, hoping it would do something to help her. But it did little to stop the pegasi from picking her up and holding her tightly against her chest.

"She really is a retard," Glittering Gem mocked as she left the room, followed by a silent pegasi and their hostage.


(9_6)


"Derpy!"

"What?" Derpy breathed, noticing just how dry her mouth was.

"Oh buck! Come on hun, you have to wake up!"

"Why is it so dark?" she asked, only just grasping the fact that it could be well into the evening.

"You have to get up!" the voice echoed.

"Dad?" Derpy said recognizing the voice of her father. Doing her best, she tried to sit up and open her eyes. A horrible pain from her stomach caused her to fall back to the floor as she stared at the ceiling. She could just make out the outlines of her fathers face above her. "You look funny," she giggled.

"Come on Derpy, you have to get up," her father continued, helping Derpy to sit up. Again, she felt the pain in her stomach as she began looking at her surroundings. She was in her room, a tray of upturned muffins on her bed, but she couldn't remember why.

"Derpy, what happened? Where's Di..."

"Where's Dinky?!" Derpy interrupted as full awareness gripped her. Dinky was nowhere in the room and the worried look on her fathers face did little to ease her increasing fears.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," her father replied, trying his beast to calm Derpy. But as her fears increased, he knew it was a losing battle.

"What happened?" she questioned as tears were already running down her face. Before her father could answer, she began scouring the room, looking for some sign of the little filly.

"Dinky?" She looked under the bed.

"Derpy you need to calm down," her father said, trying to get through to her.

"Dinky?" She looked in the closet, throwing its contents away as she continued to search. This continued throughout the house as Derpy continuously looked in ever nook and cranny for any sign of the young filly.

"DERPY!" her father yelled, Derpy mere inches from rushing out of the house. "You have to calm down, running out into the middle of the night won't help you find her."

"No!" she yelled back at her father. "I WILL find her and I KILL the monster that took her!"

"DERPY!" her father called one last time, only to watch as Derpy took to the sky's, disappearing into the night.


	
> Chapter 13: The End (Part I)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(o^o)


Dinky kept her eyes firmly shut as she sat wherever it was she had been placed. All she knew was that it was dark and small, voices from nearby only just reaching her ears.

"I c-can't do this Miss Gem," one pony stuttered. "We just foalnapped a filly after assaulting a pony! We are BUCKED!"

"Oh quit your sniveling," Glittering Gem's voice interjected. Dinky couldn't help but cringe as she heard her mother’s voice again. "As long as you listen like a good little mare, everything will work out."

"Are you insane?!" the other pony screamed. Suddenly, there was a defining silence.

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME!"

"I-I'm sorry, it’s j-just," the other pony began to whimper, only to be interrupted by Glittering Gem again.

"Just take that doll and get out of my sight," Glittering Gem's voice seethed. A few moments later, the sound of a door being opened and then slammed echoed through the air.

"Little slut better thank Celestia that I have more pressing matters to handle," Glittering Gem voice followed from close by. "I wonder if that anypony's noticed how late I am for check-in?"

A strange silence followed Glittering Gem's question, a silence that did nothing but engulf the Dinky in her dark surroundings.


(9_6)


"DERPY!!" Her father called, trying his best to keep up with his daughter.

"I have to find her!" Derpy yelled back, throwing as much force into her wing beats as possible.

"But flying o-off like this i-isn't going to accomplish anything," Derpy's father continued, obviously becoming fatigued. "You aren't p-paying attention! You'll just end up h-hurting yourself in your rush!"

No sooner had the older pegasi said this, than Derpy blasted through a hanging street sign, brushing off the impact as if it never happened. But even in the light of the moon, Derpy's father could see a fresh cut on Derpy's side.

"I can't stop until I find her!" Derpy yelled, taking a sharp turn. Seeing an opportunity, Derpy's father angled himself into Derpy's flight path, catching her off guard and tackled her to the ground.

"You have to calm down!" he yelled, holding Derpy down as gently as he could. But Derpy was quick to fight back, using all her strength to push her father off. But no matter what she tried, her father wouldn't let her off the ground. "Go home, I'll handle this."

"W-what?" Derpy asked, her body going rigid as tears began to form in her eyes. "B-but I have t-to find Dinky."

"No Derpy," her father continued, finally releasing his daughter. "Not only has Dinky been foalnapped, but this could turn into a hostage situation."

"HOSTAGE!?" Derpy yelled, jumping to her hooves as her fears began to overtake her mind. "But who would do this? What do they want?"

"Derpy..." her father sighed, placing one of his hooves on Derpy's shoulder. "I will get her back, just go home and wait for me. I'll bring her back safe, I promise."

"B-but dad, I..."

"No but's Derpy," her father replied, moving past her. "Go home, clean that cut, and wait for me to come back with Dinky." Then, before another word could be said, Derpy's father took off towards the police station, leaving Derpy alone on the street.


(o^o)


"Now what am I going to do with you?" Glittering Gem asked Dinky. The little filly just looked back at her mother, suspended several feet off the ground. "Maybe I could just leave you in the closet for the night?"

Dinky looked back at her mother as the pressure of her words sank into her. She couldn't understand why her mother was so mean to her. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, Derpy had told her that it was impossible for her to do wrong. Yet her mother still treated her so poorly.

"Oh don't give me that look," Glittering Gem said, placing Dinky back on the ground. "I'm not going to do anything to you...yet."

Dinky watched as her mother traveled into a separate room and reappeared with a small pillow.

"No, that would be too easy," she continued, picking the filly back up with her magic. "I have to think ahead a bit more this time. If I'm lucky, I should have at least a few more hours till they figure out your gone, another hour for them to realize I took you."

Dinky watched as her mother used her magic to open a small closet door. Without even a single moment's hesitation, she through the pillow onto the ground, dropping the filly on top of it without the slightest regard for her safety.

"Hopefully by then, I'll be long gone from here," Glittering Gem said inspecting one of her hooves. "And you," she continued, looking at Dinky out of the corner of her eyes. "You'll be gone too."


(9_6)


"I can't go home," Derpy told herself, running down another random street. She prayed for some type of sign, something to help her find Dinky. But as she galloped through another empty street, her hope began to falter. Every minute that passed only caused Derpy's fears to increase.

Everypony she passed, Derpy would ask if they had seen anything that could help her. But each pony merely waved her off like she was crazy, telling her to go to the police before they would trot off, leaving her alone once again.

"I just want my muffin back," Derpy whimpered , curling up under a dead streetlight, burying her face in her hooves.

"Excuse me ma'am?" a voice softly asked next to Derpy. "Are you ok?"

"N-no," Derpy stuttered, her face still buried deep in her hooves.

"What's wrong?" Derpy twitched as she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. Her instincts told her to run from the stranger, but her body wouldn't move from its position.

"Somepony t-took my m-muffin," Derpy wept, her tears pooling on the ground below her chin.

"Ma'am, where you rapped?! Do you need the police?" the pony began to yell, a tone of panic and worry in her voice.

"No, I wasn't raped!" Derpy yelled back, finally taking her face out of her hooves to face the pony that was talking to her. "Somepony foalnapped my dau. . . Shooting Star!?"

"Derpy!?" the pegasi responded, finally recognizing who it was she had been talking to. Even in the dark, Derpy couldn't help but notice a look of fear suddenly wash over Shooting Star's face.

"What are you doing out so late at night?" Derpy asked, wiping fresh tears from her cheeks.

"I-I was...you s-see... I got this case of the munchies and," she responded, taking several steps back.

"What?" Derpy asked, mildly confused as she took a step forward. Suddenly her hoof came into contact with a small soft object. "I think you dropped something," Derpy sniffled as she picked up the object with her hoof.

"Wait! Derpy don't!"

But Shooting Star's shout fell on deaf ears as Derpy stared at the stuffed pony in her hoof. One specially ordered to look exactly like her.

"Why do you have this," Derpy seethed, her tears coming to an abrupt halt. But instead of answering, Shooting Star turned and ran down a nearby street, not daring to look back.

"GET BACK HERE!" Derpy yelled at the top of her lungs, flying after her fleeing target. She could feel her rage fuelling her wings as she quickly began to catch up to Shooting Star. Derpy opened her mouth, intent on closing it on the fleeing pegasi's tail.

"Oh buck," Shooting Star said as she took to the sky, flying away as fast as she could. But Derpy wasn't going to let her get away that easily as she began to throw all her strength into her wings.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" Derpy yelled as she closed in on her target. She could hear Shooting Star breathing heavily as her speed began to quickly decrease. Before Derpy could fix her own speed, she plowed into the other pegasi, forcing both of them to the ground with a loud crack.

"My wing!" Shooting Star cried as she pushed Derpy off her. Derpy could see the pegasi's wing bending at a mildly odd angle. "I-I think it’s broken," she continued, looking back at her wing.

"A lot more is going to be broken if you don't tell me where Dinky is you bitch!" Derpy yelled, jumping onto her hooves. Before Shooting Star could respond, Derpy lunged forward and forced her against a nearby wall. "Now, where's my muffin?!"

"Derpy, please," Shooting Star began to beg. "I didn't mean for this to happen, we were just supposed to..."

"WE?!" Derpy yelled, pressing harder against the pegasi. "What the buck did you do?"

"S-she said we just supposed to scare you, m-mess with some of your things" Shooting Star stuttered, trying to push back against her captor. "But then she said to take the foal and she looked at me with this crazy deranged look in her eyes. I panicked. I'm sorry, I didn’t know this would happen. Please don't tell my parents, I don't belong in jail," Shooting Star finished, crying hysterically as she continued to rant.

"That’s  not what I want to hear, who is this other pony? Why did they take Dinky? WHERE ARE THEY?!" Derpy wanted to crush the pony she had pinned to the wall. Shooting Star had just admitted to taking Dinky, and all she wanted was not to go to jail. Derpy could feel her rage reaching an unheard of limit.

"Glittering Gem, she..." a gray hoof interrupted Shooting Star's sentence as it collided with the side of her face.

"YOU LET THAT MONSTER TAKE HER?!" Derpy yelled raising her hoof to stick again. For a moment, Derpy considered hitting the pegasi again, but decided to just leave it in the air.

"Where is she?" Derpy asked her hoof now shaking. She wanted to question what Glittering Gem was doing outside of jail, but it was time she couldn't waste.

"She's at the Trots Worthy Hotel," Shooting Star quickly responded through her tears, small droplets of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. "Room 337. Please Derpy, I don't want to go to jail." 

"Is that all you care about?!" Derpy yelled, releasing the pegasi and dropping her hoof. "You foalnapped my muffin and all you care about is not going to jail!?" 

All Shooting Star did was crumble to the ground in tears, begging for forgiveness.

"This isn't over!" Derpy yelled as she took off. She didn't want to waste another moment in finding the young foal.


(o^o)


Dinky curled herself as much as she could on the small pillow, afraid of the darkness around her. She felt alone as her thoughts continued to circle around the fact that her mother was planning something for her.

"Where is that damn room service already?" Dinky heard her mother ask herself. "Five star my flank, I ordered that rose salad a half an hour ago." Suddenly, Dinky heard a knocking sound from what she guessed was the front door.

"Took them long enough," Glittering Gem grumbled. The sound of a door opening was then heard as Glittering Gem greeted the pony outside it.

"One rose salad with a side of daffodils and a strawberry shake," a pony said.

"Thank you," Glittering Gem responded, followed by a door being slammed.

Suddenly, the closet door opened and Dinky was blinded as light quickly flooded in. Before she could even register what was happening, a small plate was placed next to her with two daffodils on it.

"You're old enough to eat that right?" Glittering Gem asked, not really caring. After a huff, the closet door was closed and Dinky was back in the darkness.

"You should be grateful I even gave you that," Glittering Gem's voice echoed from outside the door. "Maybe you end up choking on it and..." a loud banging interrupted Glittering Gem's statement.

"Will somepony quiet that infernal racket," Glittering Gem shouted over the banging. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound as Derpy's voice filled the closet.

"Give. Her. BACK!!!"

> Chapter 14: The End (Part II)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


(9_6)


Derpy didn't waste a single moment as she lunged at the stunned unicorn.

"Give. Her. BACK!" She shouted as she flew towards Glittering Gem. But just as she was about to connect, she felt herself freeze in mid-flight.

"I have to admit," Glittering Gem said with a chuckle, her horn glowing and a look of mild shock on her face. "I didn't think you'd find me this fast." Then her expression turned darker as her gaze connected with the mad pegasi's eyes. "I was actually hoping it would be that damn Miranda Case."

"Give. Her. BACK!" Derpy repeated, using all her strength to fight back at the magic that held her. The magic wasn't focused around her entire body, but more on its key areas, like her wings and legs. All being forced to remain motionless.

"Now why would I do that?" Glittering Gem asked with a slight grin. Derpy watched as the unicorn proceed to sit down on a nearby couch. "I mean, she is my foal. I should be allowed to do with her what I want."

Suddenly, a quick jolt of pain came from Derpy's left wing. Daring to glance back at it, Derpy watched as one of her feathers flew past her face and levitated in front of Glittering Gem's face.

"I thought you pegasi were supposed to take care of these things," she commented as she looked the gray feather over.

"Where is she," Derpy seethed as she felt another feather being plucked. She could tell that the magic holding her hooves had weakened so Glittering Gem could pluck her feathers, but it still wasn't enough for her to free them.

"Why do you care," Glittering Gem chuckled, a group of five feathers already accumulated in front of her. "I mean, she's not even yours," she continued as she stood back up and circled the room. Looking over her shoulder, Derpy watched as Glittering Gem proceeded to look out into the hallway before forcing the broken door closed.

"Why are you doing this?" Derpy asked as another three feathers were pulled out at once. Derpy knew that if anymore where pulled out, she would half trouble flying. 

"Again, why do you care?" Glittering Gem asked, moving about the room as she closed any open window blinds. "I have my reasons for doing what I did and will do." Derpy couldn't help but shudder as the unicorn said this and another feather was plucked.

"Please," Derpy began to plead. "I don't care what you do to me, just don't hurt my muffin."

"Muffin?" Glittering Gem said as she burst out into a laughing fit. Suddenly the laughing stopped and was replaced with a scowl as the unicorn placed her ever increasing group of feathers on the ground. "So not only did you give a name to a foal that isn't yours, you also gave her a ridiculous nickname."

"Somepony had to!" Derpy yelled through the pain of a primary feather being pulled out. "And apparently it wasn't going to be her mother."

"Oh shut up you autistic little brat," Glittering Gem said as she lost the last of her composure. Derpy suddenly felt the pain of several primary feathers pulled out at once as the magic that held her was released, dropping her to the ground. "That should be enough to keep you from flying away."


(o^o)


Dinky felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Derpy's voice. She knew that she would be saved from the darkness, Derpy always saved her from the darkness.

"You know," Glittering Gem's voice chuckled from outside the closet door. "I can't help but question your real motives behind caring so much for my foal?"

Dinky felt a small pain in her heart when her mother referred her as her 'foal'. It made her feel like an object that could be left and forgotten. Something that didn't even deserve to have a mother.

"Because you won't!" Derpy shouted back. "You left your own daughter to die in a trashcan. You are a monster that should be locked up and should never..."

Dinky jumped as the sound of glass breaking interrupted Derpy's statement.


(9_6)


Derpy held her hoof to the side of her head. She could already feel small amounts of blood trickling from a fresh cut.

"How dare you insult me you little whelp," Glittering Gem seethed, a half broken vase still held in her magic. "Do you really want to know why I wanted to get rid of her? Why my life would be better off without her? A constant reminder of my worst mistake?!"

"What could be so important that you would be willing to kill your own daughter for!?" Derpy yelled as she lunged forward. But Glittering Gen easily stepped aside as Derpy tumbled past her and into a wall.

"How about my life!" the unicorn began to yell, dropping what she held in her magic. "My career perhaps. But most of all," Glittering Gem continued, now standing over Derpy. "It’s something I never wanted!"

"Then why have her in the first place!?" Derpy yelled as she jumped up and finally tackled the unicorn. Derpy threw Glittering Gem into the side of the nearby couch, quickly jumping on top of her before she could register what to do. "Why torment her like you did?! Why abandon her like you did?!"

Derpy felt her hoof collide with the side of the unicorns face with every word she spoke. Suddenly, her hoof froze mere inches from Glittering Gem's face.

"You BITCH!" Glittering Gem roared, sending out a magical shock wave that throw Derpy back against the wall, small droplets of blood dripping from the side of her mouth. "I don't see the need to explain ANYTHING to you!"

Derpy felt her body suddenly lifted up and then slammed back into the ground. Glittering Gem continued to slam Derpy into the ground three more times before she released her magic once again.

"Just let her go," Derpy coughed, pain pulsing through her chest. "Please!"

"Why do you care about her?!" the unicorn yelled, wiping her face with a cloth. "All that thing is just a burden."

Derpy threw herself back at the unicorn, slamming both her front hooves into the unicorn’s chest. "How dare you call her a thing!" Derpy yelled, pushing Glittering Gem into an adjacent wall. Once again, Derpy began punching the unicorn with her hoof, only this time, she aimed for the horn.


(o^o)


Dinky listened to everything that was going on outside the door. Even though she couldn't see what was going on, she knew that both Derpy and her mother were fighting. But she couldn't tell who was winning.

"How dare you call her a thing!" Derpy's voice yelled, followed by several loud thuds. Several moments of awkward silence soon followed as Dinky began to fear the worst. Suddenly, the closet door opened and Dinky was blinded by the light once again.

Before her eyes could adjust, Dinky felt herself being lifted up. Not by magic, but by a pair of hooves.

"Thank Celestia you’re alright," Derpy cried as she brought Dinky in for a hug. Dinky quickly returned the hug, overjoyed by the fact that Derpy had saved her. 

Pulling herself from the hug, Dinky looked around the large room. On one side, Glittering Gem lay in a crumbled heap, small sparks jumping from her horn as she lay unconscious. 

"It's ok, she's not going to hurt you anymore," Derpy said, drawing the young foal's attention. Dinky couldn't help but cringe at the sight of the pony that held her. She had several cuts on her face that were bleeding and a black eye was beginning to form around her left eye.

"I'm ok," Derpy said as she carefully nuzzled the top of Dinky's head, trying her best not to let blood drip on her. 


(9_6)


Derpy held the filly close to her, hugging her once again. Time seemed to stand still as she held Dinky as close as she could, happy to see Dinky safe and unhurt.

"I was so afraid that she had hurt you," Derpy said as she looked back down at Dinky. She felt a small weight ease off her aching shoulders as she stared at the smiling foal.

"W-wh-why?" a voice choked from nearby. Looking over, Derpy wasn't surprised to see Glittering Gem's eye's half open as she stared at the two of them. "W-why d-do you care s-so much for my foal? Don't y-you understand what you'll ha-have to give up, just to c-care for her?"

Derpy watched as the unicorn forced herself to her hooves, wobbling as she tried to stand up straight.

"Yes I do," Derpy seethed, facing the unicorn. "But for her, I will do anything to keep her safe and happy. Because..." For a moment, Derpy paused and contemplated what she was about to say and what it would mean for her and Dinky. But the more she thought about it, the more she was sure that it was what she wanted. "She's my daughter and I love her!"


(o^o)


Dinky couldn't tell which was louder. Her mother’s scream or the sudden explosion from her horn. All she knew was that she was falling. Her mind, trying its best to understand exactly what Derpy had just told her mother.

"Dinky!" 

Looking up, Dinky watched as Derpy came plummeting toward her, her wings tucked in as she quickly scooped her up and wrapped her body around her.


(9_6)


Derpy wrapped as much of her body as she could around the foal as she closed her eyes, knowing that it would be the only thing to shield the foal from the hard impact of the ground. But as moments passed into seconds, Derpy cracked an eye open, wondering what had happened.

"By Celestia's mane that was close!" Miranda gasped, standing nearby with her horn aglow. "I was afraid I wouldn't catch you two in time."

All Derpy could do was chuckle as everything around her faded to black.

"And then we add some water to the bucket," Derpy told the little filly, pouring some water into a small plastic bucket. "Then we pack it in," she continued pushing her hoof down on the wet sand in the bucket. "Finally, we turn it over and let it slide out."

With that Derpy turned the bucket over and slowly began to lift it up. But just as the bucket was fully removed, the clump of wet sand crumbled.

"That’s the third one," Derpy sighed placing the bucket to her side. "I'm sorry muffin, the sand just doesn't want to cooperate today." Derpy couldn't help but feel a little sad, having not been able to make even a basic sand castle for the filly in front of her. But as she looked up, she couldn't help but chuckle as the filly held the small plastic shovel in her hooves, a smile on her face.

"I love you muffin," Derpy said as she scooped the little filly into a big hug.


(o^o)


Dinky stared down at her new mother as she slept peacefully, a smile on her face. She couldn't help but relive the moment she would never forget.

Dinky's mother wobbled in front of her and Derpy, with her piercing eyes as her horn sparkled, a crack easily visible in its side.

"Because," Derpy began, giving her own piercing stare at Dinky's mother. "She's my daughter and I love her!"

Dinky still couldn't believe that Derpy had called her her daughter. She had always wanted it, and now that it was true, she couldn't be any happier. A mother that didn't hate her, but loved her more than her own life. She could already tell that her life would be better from that point on.


(9_6)


"Derpy," a voice softly said in the pegasi's ear. "Derpy, are you awake?"

"Now I am," Derpy moaned as she slowly awoke to reality. Derpy's body felt slightly numb and she couldn't feel her wings at all. "Where's Dinky?" she asked as she looked to her side.

"She's right here," Derpy's father said, holding a concerned, yet smiling foal in his arm. Almost immediately, Dinky began squirming, trying her best to get over to Derpy.

"Where... Where am I?" Derpy asked as she took Dinky in her arms. Even though they felt slightly numb, she could still tell feel the young foal in her arms.

"In the hospital," Derpy's father responded, rubbing the top of Dinky's head with his hoof. "We brought you here after you passed out. I can't believe you jumped out a window with your wings like that." 

"But I had to save my daughter," Derpy said as she looked at her bandaged wings. Each were bound tightly with bandages and had blotches of blood dotted in random locations.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't have, its ju...." Derpy's father froze mid-sentence as he realized what Derpy had just said.

"Just what?" Derpy asked suppressing her laugh at how shocked and confused her father looked.

"J-just, uh," he began to stutter. "Did you say daughter? Because I think I heard you say daughter and I just wanted to make sure that is what you said and..."

"Yes," Derpy chuckled as she stopped her father’s incoherent rant. "If her own mother won't be a mother to her, then I will," Derpy told her father with a serious face. "I just never expected Glittering Gem to explode like that."

"So that’s what happened," Miranda said as she walked into the hospital room. "Glad to see you’re finally awake," She chuckled as she walked over to the bed.

"She was arrested right?" Derpy questioned, trying her best to hid her anger.

"Yes she has," Miranda replied as she nuzzled the side of Dinky's face. "She's currently cuffed to an infirmary bed back at the station with two unicorn guards."

"She should've been in jail!" Derpy partially yelled, trying her best not to yell in Dinky's ear.

"I know Miss Hooves," Miranda said with a sigh. "Unfortunately there wasn't much I could do."

"I know," Derpy sighed. "But what took all of you so long to find out where we were? Aren't there records or something for where she's supposed to be."

"Yes," Miranda continued, a small look of annoyance on her face. "Unfortunately, she wasn't where she was supposed to be." She paused for a second before she continued. "If it weren't for that pegasi that limped into the station when she did, it would've taken us most of the night to find out where she was."

"So shooting Star turned herself in did she?" Derpy huffed as she drew Dinky into another hug. "I hope she goes to jail for what she did."

"She'll get what she deserves Miss Hooves," Miranda said, giving a confident smile. "Even though she helped find Glittering Gem, she was still an accomplice."

"Good," Derpy huffed, nuzzling the top of Dinky's head. "So what now?"

"Now, you can go back to how it should be," Miranda said with a smile. "Both you and your daughter."

"Will everypony please stop saying that," Derpy's father sighed. 

"Daughter," Derpy chuckled. "Daughter, daughter, daughter, daughter..."

"Ok," Derpy's father chuckled. "But are you sure of this? It's not going to as easy as you think."

"I don't care," Derpy said as she curled up in the bed, feeling her exhaustion begin to take her away. "She's my little muffin, and I love her."

With that, Derpy drifted into sleep, her daughter snuggled up close to her chest. Both dreaming of the rest of their lives together.