Postal Blues and Grey Feathers

by The_EE

Postal Blues

Postal Blues and Grey Feathers

By The_EE

The new century had rolled into the world of the Royal Equestrian Postal Services a few weeks ago when their Canterlot headquarters had been fitted with a new sorting system. The old and severely outdated steam driven machine had been replaced by a much more intricate and modern clockwork mechanism powered by unicorn magic, the new system promising both a twenty-two percent increase in speed as well as a significant cutback on downtimes. Or at least that was the sales pitch, in practice the results had been rather underwhelming thus far, with frequent outages.

Early this morning the complex machine had malfunctioned altogether. It had done so in the most spectacular way possible, sending mail to all the wrong directions. The cause was a weak gear that had stripped in the central processing unit of the automation block, which had caused the whole output end of the system to go haywire. Unfortunately the error wasn't readily apparent as the fault detection magic relied on the same sub-system to operate. As a result the fault had gone unnoticed for a few hours and by the time it was discovered the damage had already been done. This information was relayed to different branch offices via an urgent letter, although it didn't say much to those not technologically inclined. For that reason the technical explanation was abridged in a little blurb at the end of the letter, as so:

The malfunction affected the mail services in most of continental Equestria and Ponyville was no exception. Derpy couldn't help but curse a little as she was dragged awake an hour early by her supervisor. The same irritated mood continued at the office, where the morning chatter centered around the budget cuts they had received in the past couple of years, as those had necessitated a bidding war for the new system. As it turned out, money and quality went hoof in hoof and the new system was a jury-rigged mess, held together by little more than unicorn farts and happy thoughts, as some of her more verbally inclined coworkers had put it.

Sorting the mess had taken well into the afternoon, and had meant plenty of extra work for Derpy, but thankfully they had gotten everything back under control by closing time. However, combined with the backlog of mail they already had in store meant that it was already dark outside when she got back home. Not helping things either was the fact that she had a splitting headache that had been growing progressively worse as the day had worn on. What had began as a small nuisance had slowly developed into a full blown migraine and come nightfall she could hear and feel her heartbeat in her ears, a flash of white light in her peripheral vision accompanying every beat. Still, she kept a smile on her face as she tucked her beloved daughter Dinky in for the night. Thankfully the little unicorn hadn't wanted to hear a bedtime story tonight.

“It's probably just a cold coming on. Or something. You've had a migraine before. You'll feel better in the morning,” she thought as she trotted up to her bedroom.

Derpy stopped at the door to take a look at the mahogany desk seated under her window. She had fallen behind on some paperwork, and there was a neat pile of papers and opened envelopes on the corner of the desk to remind her of that. They were mostly bills and she had been meaning to sort through them that night, but then her body had come up with other plans. Right now even the thought of doing finances made her head spin. She decided they could wait another day.

The grey pegasus collapsed onto her bed with a moan and let her tired wings spread out. Even though she was single she had opted for the double bed just for this reason, even if it had cost her a bit of extra. Then there was also the fact that she was a restless sleeper, and would often fall out of a more narrow bed. That had happened many a time since she was a foal, to the extent that waking up on the floor in a tangled mass of sheets didn't even surprise her anymore. The wider bed had mostly fixed that problem, however. Mostly.

She wriggled around for a bit until a series of quiet pops could be heard. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as the joints in her wings shifted, relieving some of the tension. She buried her head deep into the soft, cool pillows, hoping that it would ease the throbbing pressure in her head. It did, at least to some extent, and she quickly fell asleep.

The piercing shriek of the alarm clock was met with a groan, followed by a loud clunk as the offending timepiece was swatted to the floor. This was nothing unusual, as despite her occupation Derpy was not a morning pony in the slightest. She liked the idea of being up early and did truly enjoy the morning hours once she was up, it was just the part of actually getting out of bed that always gave her trouble. This morning was nothing out of the ordinary in that regard.

After lying awake for a few minutes Derpy slowly got out of bed, stretching her limbs as she did so. Her mane was more frazzled than usual and just looking at the sheets one could tell she hadn't slept well, tossing and turning through the night again. The headache still lingered, but it was slight and she was relieved to find that the pounding in her ears and the flashes of light had disappeared. Her eyes, however, were struggling a bit more than usual with finding their focus, but that didn't worry her too much. It happened from time to time and would always sort itself out. She took a quick look to the direction of her work desk and the pile of papers stacked atop it, shaking her head slightly. After a moment her eyes drifted back into their proper alignment.

“There we go,” she thought, turning away and stopping to give an apologetic look at the battered clock, before setting it back atop the nightstand.

“I'll just take it easy today. It's Friday, with any luck I'll get off work a bit early,” she mused as she walked to the kitchen to start on breakfast. She let out a loud yawn. “And I can probably take a nap during my lunch break.”

The coming weekend didn't really mean as much to Derpy as it did to most everypony else, as she had been working Saturdays for a while now. The pay was roughly the same, but the hours were shorter and as such she was usually back home well before noon, leaving the rest of the day to herself. Sundays, on the other hoof, were dedicated solely for herself and Dinky and as such were something she was always looking forward to. That day she wasn't going to trade away, no matter what the pay.

Derpy went over the tasks for the day in her head as she prepared breakfast for Dinky and herself. The day was promising to be nothing unusual, a welcome departure from the mess that the previous one had been. But then again her line of work rarely offered much excitement anyway, dullness was the norm and she quite liked it that way. After a while the aroma of freshly baked muffins and tar black coffee filled the house.

By the time the breakfast was served the clock was nearing four, the time for Derpy to leave for work. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a quick note for Dinky for when she would wake up. It wasn't something she really needed to do, but it was a habit and one she liked at that. Her usual greeting and well wishes were jotted down quickly, almost out of memory. She then took a quick look at the thermometer on the windowsill and added a postscript urging Dinky to take a scarf with her. The fall weather could be surprisingly chilly, after all.

She put the note down next to the basket of warm muffins and picked out a nice and plump looking pastry for herself. She chewed for a while, delighting in the warm and mushy texture of the freshly baked treat. However, as she swallowed a frown formed on her face. After taking another tentative bite she sighed; her throat was sore. For some reason the muffin didn't appear as appetizing anymore.

Derpy finished her breakfast quickly, downing another muffin mostly just out of spite and washing it down with a cup of scalding hot coffee. After taking one final look around the house she slipped her saddlebags on and was out the door, into the chill of the cool morning air.

Derpy awoke to a shiver. When she had fallen asleep the pleasant glow of the sun had felt inviting, but now that warmth was all but gone. She realized that the midday nap on a cloud might not have been the best of ideas after all as she reached to feel her forehead. It felt a little warm, as did her ears, and as an added bonus her nose was stuffy. There was no question about it now: she was coming down with something.

“Figures I'd get a cold in time for the weekend,” she thought getting up, letting out a bitter sigh. “Oh well, just a few more houses to go.”

A gust of wind caught her off her guard as she flew off from her cloud on the outskirts of town. Correcting her flight required more effort than it usually did, for some reason her wings seemed stiff. As a matter of fact, all her limbs felt stiff, the joints giving protest to every movement, and the headache was back with a vengeance. After making her next delivery she landed on a nearby rooftop to stretch for a bit, but the attempt was to no avail.

“Ugh. I should have just called in sick today,” she muttered under her breath as she took to the air once again. A subtle smirk flashed briefly on her face as she finished. Now that she was actually on the job, she was determined to finish her route; “The mail always gets through,” after all. The slogan had become a matter of pride for her.

Derpy made her next few deliveries quickly, forgoing the usual idle chatter. The next stop would be her last for the day and she was happy to know she would be on her way home as soon as she had finished up her tasks back at the office. The thought of home and promise of rest gave her new strength and she picked up her pace.

As she was flying over the Ponyville park the white flashes suddenly came back, as did the pounding in her ears. Her eyes started losing their focus again and every flap of her wings required more effort than the last. A quick wave of nausea passed over her and she swallowed hard to keep a hold of her breakfast. The sudden realization hit her: something was not right.

“I have to land.”

She looked down and found the ground to be a soupy, slowly spinning mess of green and brown somewhere below. She angled her wings back to slow her forward momentum, taking a deep breath as she started her descent. With that the edges of her vision started to grow black. White spots danced in her eyes and the low hum of rushing blood filled her ears, quickly joined by a high-pitched squeal.

A few futile flaps of her wings was all she managed before gravity took over.

“Oh, hello mister Ground. How nice... you're getting... n-”

Twilight Sparkle was enjoying her own lunch break in the park. In reality it wasn't so much a lunch break as just, well, lunch. While she was technically taking care of the library while she was staying there, she didn't really consider it to be work. Still, she liked to go out for an hour or so around noon, figuring the fresh air would do her good after spending the morning cooped up indoors.

The park was a nice place this time of the year as there were few others around and that made it a good spot to go for thinking in peace. She had been doing just that when a muted thump jolted her from her thoughts. It hadn't been loud, but for some reason it sounded very unpleasant, the kind of sound that made one's stomach knot instinctively. Her attention turned to the source of the sudden noise, her half eaten daisy sandwich falling onto the bench as her eyes wandered over to the grey form lying on the ground. After a quick gallop Twilight found herself standing next to the fallen pegasus. She gave the mare a cautious prod and when there was no answer her blood ran cold. Her mind went blank for a split second, but then her horn quickly erupted with a brilliant burst of magic. A bright red flare exploded high in the air and stayed lit above them. It was one of the many signal spells all unicorns learned from a young age, this one calling for medical assistance.

“Derpy? Derpy!” Twilight yelled, trying to shake the pegasus back awake as she undid her saddlebags. To her relief she found that the pegasus was breathing, and much easier now that the firm straps had been undone. She gave herself a moment to look the situation over.

The mailmare was lying on her side, having come to a halt after skidding on the ground for a few feet, a couple of broken grey feathers littering the track made in the torn grass. She seemed to be in a daze, somewhat conscious but not completely aware of her surroundings. After a couple more fruitless attempts at getting a response from the pegasus, an idea sparked in the unicorn's mind.

“Hey Derp-eyes!” she yelled, forcing a mocking tone.

Derpy's ears perked up and one of her eyes opened lazily halfway. It took her a few seconds to realize who she was looking at.

“T- Twilight? I thought...” she said in barely a whisper. Twilight noted that her speech was coming out slightly slurred.

“I know, I'm sorry. I just had to get your attention somehow. How are you feeling?” Twilight asked, immediately feeling dumb for coming up with such an obviously stupid question.

Derpy just whimpered and shook slightly. She mumbled something, almost inaudibly.

“Sorry, I didn't hear,” Twilight said, leaning closer.

“Hurts,” Derpy said, through gritted teeth. Her speech was a little clearer this time, although still quiet.

“I know, I'm sorry. Help is coming soon, just hang in there.”

Derpy shifted uncomfortably and let out a quiet moan. Her left wing was pinned under her body, jutting out at an unnatural angle. Twilight thought it looked painful, or at least uncomfortable, and decided to roll the pegasus onto her back to free the limb. As she did so, she brought a hoof to Derpy's head. Her temple felt warm and sticky and Twilight could feel her stomach knot further as she took a closer look, which confirmed her suspicion; the fur there was matted with blood. The wound was bleeding profusely, staining the golden blonde mane of the pegasus.

“Uh-oh... Don't worry, it'll be fine,” Twilight said, more to herself than to the downed pegasus. “Just lie still. Don't move.”

Twilight looked around quickly for something she could use. There was nothing else on hoof, so she took her scarf off and pressed it against the wound to stem the blood flow. The grey mare flinched away slightly, letting out a quiet, but pained, gasp. Her muscles tensed up momentarily, then she fell limp again.

Twilight found herself suddenly remembering how she had wished to become a doctor for a while as a young filly. A few nights spent riffling through medical textbooks had shaken that wish away, however. She had always been squeamish to the sight of blood and even now she had to avert her eyes and take a few calming breaths before concentrating again on the task at hoof. Even then she felt her stomach turn.

“I'm... tired,” Derpy said, her breathing turning heavier and eyes falling shut. She let out a ragged and sickly cough and Twilight was afraid she would see more blood, but luckily that didn't happen.

“No Derpy, stay awake. Help is coming. Talk to me.” Twilight shook the pegasus gently, eliciting a moan of protest and causing her to stir a little. Derpy opened her eyes lazily halfway.

“What do you wanna to talk about?”

“About anything! Um...” Twilight paused briefly, trying to think of something. She knew she had to keep injured pony awake, somehow. The mailmare seemed to have different plans, though, as in that brief time she had started to drift off again. A quick idea came to her.

“Tell me about Dinky. How is she doing?”

A small smile crept up on Derpy's face. “Dinky... I love her so much. She's such a good little filly... I'm so proud of her...” The smile disappeared and was replaced by a much more troubled expression. Her eyes sprung open. “I have to get home,” she said, propping herself up before Twilight could stop her. The effort was too much and the limb gave out under her weight. She fell flat on her back again, out of breath and with a painful grimace on her face.

“I don't think I can...” she said with a whimper.

Derpy turned to look at Twilight as she continued: “You have to promise me. If something happens to me... make sure Dinky has somepony to take care of her. Somepony to love her. Promise me.”

Twilight forced a smile at her. “I promise, but I don't have to, because nothing is going to happen to you. You've hit your head pretty hard and it looks like you have a concussion, but you're going to be alright.”

A moment passed in silence. Then the mailmare spoke again, her voice quivering:

“Twilight? I don't feel so good...”

“Just hang in there. You'll be alright,” Twilight said, her barely contained panic seeping into her voice.

What the pegasus said next came out slurred again and soon her speech dissolved into quiet unintelligible mumbling. Her body went limp and her chest slumped down an inch as the air escaped her. Twilight tried to get her to speak again, but the mailmare had already gone to someplace else. She looked around in panic and noticed that a few worried onlookers had appeared in the distance, making their way towards them at a quickening pace.

Twilight was sitting on the waiting room bench, looking around anxiously. She had been waiting there for the better part of an hour and was growing more worried and impatient by the minute. The painfully slow ticking of the clock was starting getting on her nerves and for a moment she considered stopping the timepiece altogether just to make it quiet. Eventually a unicorn doctor clad in a white lab coat walked up to her. Twilight didn't recognize him, he had to be new.

“Hello, I am doctor Silvertail, and you're Miss Sparkle, I presume?” The doctor extended a hoof, Twilight following suite. “Pleased to meet you.”

“How is she?” Twilight realized she was being a little blunt, but she really wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. Thankfully the doctor didn't seem to mind.

“She has a severe concussion,” the doctor started. “And she is unconscious now, in a coma, if you will. There are some other, more minor injuries as well... but she is stable. She is breathing well on her own again and her heart rate is normal, which is a good sign... You said that she was still conscious when you found her?”

“Yes. She was pretty out of it, but we did talk for a while.”

“That is a good sign as well. It would hint that there is no extensive damage, at least.”

The doctor's words helped to dispel some of her fear, but not all of it. There was something else on her mind that had been growing heavier as she had waited for the news, but first she needed to ask one more question. She shook her head in worry.

“Do you have any idea when she might wake up?”

It was the doctor's turn to shake his head. “I'm afraid it's impossible to tell with a case like this, I'm sorry. I wouldn't expect her to wake up any time soon, the swelling in her brain has to go down first.” He paused to give a sympathetic look. “And, well, with an injury such as this, you have to understand that there is always the chance of further complications... We'll just have to wait and see. We will know more in a day or two.”

Twilight let her head hang low, allowing the words to set in for a minute. She looked back at the doctor. “She has a daughter, Dinky. Derpy is a single mother. What will happen to her now?”

“Do they have any family nearby?”

“Not that I know of, no,” Twilight said. “She is not from around here originally, I think I remember her saying that she moved here from Phillydelphia.”

The doctor bit his lip briefly. “So a long way then... We'll have to contact the social services. They will find a foster home for the time being. In any case, she will be taken care of, so don't worry.”

Twilight wasn't entirely sure she liked the idea. She knew Dinky was adopted, it was sort of an open secret, and Twilight feared what her reaction would be if she was suddenly thrust into a new family. She would be broken up enough as it were. At the same time she knew there was little else to be done, however.

“I understand,” she started, stopping to take a quick glance at the time. “Dinky is at school right now, I think. Do you think it would be alright if I told her what has happened? I mean, she knows me already. We can go on from there, then.”

The doctor was silent for a while, but then nodded. “I suppose it would be. It's not exactly standard procedure, but I can see where you are coming from. It would probably be better if a friend told her.”

Twilight wanted to clarify that she wasn't really a “friend”, but more of an acquaintance from the library. She didn't have the chance, though, as the doctor quickly continued:

“I'll contact the social services. Just bring her here, and we'll go from there, as you said.” He paused briefly to give a questioning look. “I trust you know how to be... gentle... with this kind of thing?”

“Yes, of course. I'll break it to her gently.”

The classroom was filled with excited little ponies. To say that their excitement was due to the lesson at hoof would have been lying, though, the real reason probably had more to do with the ever nearing weekend. Looking through the glass Twilight could see the lesson was about geography, Cheerilee was talking passionately about the topic, seemingly oblivious to the fact that most of her students weren't listening anymore. A small smile crept up on Twilight's face, until she found what she was looking for. Dinky was sitting at the back of the class, chatting happily with a friend.

“How am I supposed to tell her? She looks so happy,” she thought.

She took a moment to clear her head, taking a deep breath, then raised a hoof to knock on the door. All other sounds ceased. A muted and somewhat surprised “Yes?” came the answer from the other side. Twilight opened the door, cringing a little at the ominous creak it made in the silence as she stepped into the threshold.

“Sorry to interrupt your class Cheerilee, but there is something that has come up that I need to talk to you about.”

“Could it wait until after school?” The teacher said, seemingly not catching onto Twilight's tone right away. She glanced at the clock. “There's only half an hour left...”

“I'm sorry, it's important.”

Cheerilee saw the look Twilight was giving her and didn't like what she was getting. She nodded in response. “Alright...” she said, warily. “Class, I'll step out for a minute. Keep reading pages one hundred and nine through one hundred and eleven, I'll be right back.”

Cheerilee kept her word, coming back just a minute later. She did a remarkable job at keeping her expression from giving away the nature of the news she had received. Some might have noticed the usual spring in her step was gone, though.

“Alright class,” she started, picking up a pile of loose papers from her desk. She tapped the edge of the pile against her desk to make it into a neat stack. The simple gesture managed to get the attention of the class, as always. “It seems we'll be wrapping up a little early today. I'm sure you won't mind,” she said, shooting a smile at the class. “Read up on pages one hundred through one hundred and fifteen and we'll have a small test on Monday. Have a nice weekend!” Her façade of normalcy gave a little at those last words, but thankfully enough nopony seemed to notice.

The class didn't need to hear more and soon a stream of students was heading out the door. As Dinky walked by to her desk, Cheerilee called her up:

“Dinky, please wait. Could I have a word with you?” The teacher felt a pit in her stomach and it took great effort to keep it from showing. She read Dinky's expression quickly and relaxed a little. The filly looked surprised, perplexed even, but not worried yet, just as the teacher had hoped.

“Let's go to my office so we can talk in private.”

Cheerilee's office was a small room along the hall, just slightly larger than something that could be called a janitor's closet. The teacher was efficient, however, and little room went to waste. Her desk stood the furthest from the door. It was covered with piles of paper and various writing implements, as well as some other more miscellaneous clutter. A row of dusty filing cabinets took up one of the walls, while a worn couch occupied another. She had even found room for a small potted plant of some sort, which seemed to flourish in the corner of the room despite the lack of natural light.

Dinky had been too surprised to ask what Cheerilee wanted to talk to her about, but as she entered the office and saw Twilight waiting there she began to worry. Cheerilee noticed this and gave her an encouraging smile, motioning her to take a seat on the couch. There was a moment of silence, with Dinky alternating between looking at Twilight and her teacher. The air hung heavy with tension.

“Is this about that thing at recess?” Dinky spoke up before either of the older mares had a chance to. “I don't know where those older colts hid it, I swear... I'm not in trouble, am I?”

Dinky's question gave Cheerilee pause. It was not unusual for students to assume that they had done something wrong if they were invited into her office, and usually they were right. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened at recess that she had missed, but she pushed that aside, with the feeling that she would find out sooner or later. She knelt down to Dinky's level.

“What? No, not at all dear. But...”

Dinky seemed to notice the change in her tone. The teacher fell silent for a short second and lied a hoof on her shoulder. It was time. Cheerilee breathed in deeply and did away with her smile before she continued: “I'm afraid we have some bad news for you. There has been an accident.”

Nothing good ever followed those last words, Dinky knew that much. Cheerilee noticed her expression change and decided it was best to just push on. This wasn't the first time she was in a situation where she had to be the bearer of bad news, and had learned that being frank was usually the best way to go.

“Your mother, Derpy, was in an accident earlier today. She is in the hospital. They are taking care of her.” She condensed the news down to the bare minimum of words. That was another thing she had learned over the years: sugarcoating things rarely did any good.

Twilight was genuinely surprised. She had been expecting to see some kind of reaction, but Dinky's expression was completely blank. The filly blinked, opened her mouth to say something but then just blinked again. At the second try she managed to get a single word out, her voice cracking slightly:

“What.”

It wasn't a question. The unicorn's mouth hung open and she was looking at her teacher in disbelief. She had heard what she had said, but the words were slow to sink in.

“I'm sorry Dinky,” Cheerilee said. She pulled herself a little closer, anticipating what might happen next.

The unicorn filly gulped, the words having started to form a meaning in her head. She shifted uncomfortably. “It's not... serious, is it? I mean, she's alright, right?” she asked, her eyes watering as her pulse started to pick up. A telltale twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Cheerilee turned to look at Twilight and in a split second she had two pairs of eyes focused on her. The purple mare dug her hoof anxiously at the floor, fazed from being put on the spot so suddenly. She wanted to avoid the filly's gaze, but couldn't, seeing the fear and worry in those eyes.

“They are taking good care of her,” she started, trying to keep her voice as level as Cheerilee had, “but... yes. I'm afraid it is... serious.”

She paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say next, but her mind went blank. What she had wanted to say, and what she knew Dinky needed to hear, was that Derpy would be alright, but for some reason those words never came out. The moment came and went.

For a few seconds the clock ticking lazily away was the only sound in the room. The ticking of the timepiece was then joined by quiet sobbing as Dinky shot her front legs around Cheerilee's neck and cried. The teacher gave a quick, and mildly accusing, look at Twilight as she hugged the filly, stroking her mane in a vain attempt to calm her.

“Gentle. Right...” Twilight thought, digging awkwardly at the floor.

“What happened? Why?” Dinky asked, leaning against the edge of the bed. She had been silent for the past five minutes. Twilight wasn't sure if that was an improvement or not, as before the filly had just been sobbing quietly. Even now she was barely holding together, distress welling up behind every word.

“We're not sure. She just fell. It could have been a gust of wind that caught her off guard, or something else like that,” Twilight said, making a guess. Her words fell on deaf ears, however.

“Does it hurt? Is she in pain?”

Twilight laid a hoof on the filly's shoulder, the gentle weight of it pushing her down an inch. She had to choose her next words carefully, that much was clear. 'Coma' was a bad word, too scary and to the point, a definite no-no, but then she couldn't lie, either. 'Sleep', on the other hoof, that was good. It was a nice word, and one Dinky would understand without more difficult questions. Twilight stroked the filly's mane as she spoke:

“No, she cannot feel a thing. It's like being in a really deep sleep. She is comfortable.”

The doctor had been waiting in the corner patiently for the past ten minutes. He noticed that it was his cue.

“She's right,” he said, getting up. “Your mother just needs to... rest for a while. She'll wake up when she gets better and in the meanwhile we are taking good care of her. However...”

His tone was much more confident than Twilight's, but then again this wasn't the first time he had been in a situation like this. He paused to take a calming breath and lowered himself down to Dinky's level, smiling with his eyes as he spoke:

“While she is here we need to find you some other place to stay. If you would come with me, there are some nice ponies that would like to talk with you.”

Dinky jerked herself away and clung herself against the edge of the bed, shrinking. “I don't want to go anywhere!” she cried. “I want to stay with mom.” The outburst died out into a quiet sniffle that echoed in the room.

“I know, and I'm sorry, but that just isn't possible,” the doctor said in an compassionate, but determined tone. “This isn't a place for a filly, you need a real home.”

The filly just sniffled louder.

It was just as Twilight had feared, and it was breaking her heart. Dinky was already scared out of her mind and now they were going to put her in with some strangers. While she knew they meant only what was best, she wasn't completely certain if it was the right thing to do. She also wasn't completely sure what she was doing, but she had to step in. The final words Derpy had said echoed through her head.

“Would it be alright if I took her in with me?” Twilight asked suddenly, breaking the pressing silence. The doctor gave her a puzzled look, and Twilight continued: “I mean, wouldn't it be better if she was with somepony she already knows? I'm free to look after her.”

A moment of silence ensued and Twilight took the opportunity to kneel down next to the filly. Two small legs clamped around her neck. Twilight gave the filly a gentle nuzzle as she spoke: “Would you like to stay with me?” There was no answer from Dinky, but Twilight felt her grip tighten, even if ever so slightly. Perhaps that was answer enough.

The doctor scratched his chin. “Well, I suppose, if you are certain you can manage. We'll have to clear it with the social worker, but I doubt they will resist your idea too much. If you'd follow me to their office we can talk this over.”

Two hours later the two unicorns arrived back at the library. Twilight had been surprised at just how easily they had agreed to let her take care of Dinky, though she figured being Celestia's personal student had probably helped the matter. The social services had promised to send somepony to visit them daily, and for that she was grateful.

After leaving the hospital they had gone to get some of Dinky's things from her house, a small and somewhat lonely and unkempt looking cottage on the outskirts of town. Dinky had fallen silent after that. Twilight was hoping she could get the filly to cheer up a little once they got settled at the library, although she wasn't quite sure how that would happen exactly.

She nudged the door open and could immediately hear the rapping of tiny claws from within the building. Spike greeted them at the door, running up to Twilight the moment he heard the door swing open.

“You've been away for hours! Where have you... uh, hello.” The dragon trailed off when he saw Dinky standing behind Twilight. He noticed something seemed off and gave a puzzled look at the purple mare.

“Spike, you've met Dinky before, haven't you? Her mother was in an accident earlier today and she's at the hospital now, so Dinky will be staying with us for a while.”

Spike's expression changed the moment he heard those words. The look on his face was a difficult one to read, but seemed to mostly consist of surprise and worry. “I'm sorry to hear that,” he started with concern in his voice. “Is it serious? I mean, it has to be serious if Derpy is in the hospital and you're here, and-”

He stopped when he noticed the look Twilight was giving him. It was one he had learned to know well, it served to say: “Shut up, you're not helping.” Twilight's expression softened quickly, however, and her tone was the same gentle one as before when she spoke:

“Could you make the quest room ready, please? And then you could start dinner. I'll come help you once we're settled in.”

Spike nodded his head and gave an apologetic look Dinky's way, though the filly didn't seem to notice; the floor was far too interesting to look away from.

The evening dragged on slowly. Dinky hadn't spoken much all night, mostly giving monosyllabic answers to Twilight's questions. It was getting late, the sun having gone down a few hours ago. Twilight wasn't sure what time Dinky used to go to bed, but the filly had started looking drowsy and she figured that it was just as good as time as any. It had been a hard day, after all.

“You look tired. Would you like to go to bed now? I won't make you if you don't want to, we can stay up some more if you want to.” She didn't get an answer and after a moment she prodded the filly on the shoulder. “Dinky?”

“Huh?” The filly said, snapping out of her thoughts. She let out a quiet yawn. “Yeah, I guess.”

Twilight patted her on the back, but Dinky didn't respond in any way. She seemed to be in a world of her own and didn't even seem to notice when she bumped her leg against the coffee table as she got up.

The guest room was pristine, Spike had done a remarkable job of clearing the the clutter usually filling the room. Twilight tended to think of the room as extra storage space and as such it usually looked the part too. It was a little piece of sloppiness the usually well organized unicorn had allowed herself, it was almost a guilty pleasure. Now, however, the loose papers, books and boxes that normally littered the room were stacked neatly against a wall and the layer of dust covering the floor was gone as well. The room looked just about as nice as it could. Twilight made a mental note to thank her assistant once she had the chance.

Twilight sat down next to Dinky on her bed. The filly was staring at the wall, her front legs held against her chest.

“Would you like to hear a story before you go to sleep? I have some really good books,” Twilight said, eying at a shelf standing against the wall for a storybook.

The filly shook her head. “No. I just want to be alone,” she said. It was the longest sentence she had spoken since they had arrived. Dinky pulled the covers over her head, as if to emphasize her point.

Twilight patted her on the shoulder, again not getting any kind of response. “Alright then. If there is anything you need, remember that I'm right there upstairs. Just come wake me up. Don't hesitate to ask, I just want to help.”

She got a sour snort in response, making her heart sink.

“Good night Dinky. Don't worry, everything will be alright, I promise.” With that she trotted to the door, flicking the light off as she left the room. The room went dark, save for the small nightlight in the corner. It was something that Spike had come up with. For some reason it stuck out to her as a nice touch.

Twilight was lying awake in her bed, in the same position she had been for the past hour or so. It had gotten uncomfortably warm for her and she had tossed the covers aside a long while ago. She felt exhausted, but there was just too much going on in her mind to grant her rest. Spike didn't seem to have trouble sleeping, though he rarely had, and for that Twilight was glad. At least one of them would have the energy needed for tomorrow. She tried to escape the thoughts in her head by rolling to her other side, but none too surprisingly, they just kept coming back.

“This isn't going well,” she thought. “How did you ever think you could handle this? You don't have any idea about what you are doing! You don't even know what to say half the time! Maybe there's a book... no, that's just stupid. Why do you have to be so stupid? Huh?”

She glanced at the clock sitting on her nightstand. It was just past midnight. A sigh escaped her lips as she let her head sink deeper into the pillow, ready for another vain attempt at sleep. A few moments later her ears perked up. Apart from Spike's usual snoring she could hear hoofsteps from the stairs. She turned to look and saw Dinky standing at the top of them, looking at her.

“I can't sleep,” the filly said.

“What's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?” Twilight asked, getting out of bed. She trotted up to the filly, then knelt down to her level. Despite the low light she could see she had been crying, it was evident by the moist glimmer in her eyes.

“No...” the filly said, her voice shaking slightly. “I just keep thinking about... stuff.” She wasn't saying it, but her anguish was still all too clear.

Twilight sighed. “Me too,” she mumbled under her breath.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, nothing at all.” She shook her head quickly. “What's on your mind?”

The filly looked down and scratched at the floor halfheartedly. For some reason the cracks between the floorboards suddenly seemed very interesting to her. She lifted her head up slowly. “Would it be alright if... um, if I, you know, slept here tonight?” She was quiet for a while, then added: “I know I said I wanted to be alone, but... I don't.”

Twilight blinked. The idea felt more than just a little weird to her, but she could see the filly needed the support. She had been through a lot, after all. Twilight gave her a warming smile and nodded.

“Of course it is alright. Come, hop on.”

Twilight tucked the filly into bed and was about to lie down next to her, when an idea suddenly came to her. “Wait just a second,” she said and walked up to a chest sitting against the far wall. After a brief moment of rummaging its contents she walked back to the bed and tucked a stuffed doll between the filly's forelegs. She got a puzzled look from Dinky.

“Her name is miss Smarty Pants,” Twilight explained. “She was my favorite toy when I was your age, and she always made me feel better when I was scared or feeling sad or lonely. I think she might help you too.”

There was a moment of silence while Dinky gave the doll a questioning look, before hugging the worn stuffed animal against her chest. “Thanks,” she said.

Twilight gave the filly a gentle nuzzle and when she pulled back she was greeted with a smile. It was subtle and only lasted for a brief moment, but it was the first one she had seen the filly give since hearing the news. Even more importantly, it seemed to be genuine, not forced.

Twilight felt her heart grow lighter again as she lied down on the bed. She turned the alarm clock off, figuring there was no reason to get up early in the morning. She lied awake for a while and when she heard Dinky begin to snore she allowed herself to drift off as well. Right before she fell asleep she felt the filly lean deeper against her side, sighing contently in her sleep.

“Do you think Derpy would like it if we brought her some flowers?” Twilight asked.

They were sitting at the breakfast table, but Dinky had barely touched her food. She had been quiet all morning, Twilight's usual “good mornings” and “did you sleep wells” being met with mostly monosyllabic responses. Twilight wasn't quite sure if it was because she was embarrassed from the previous night, or if she had gone back to her worrying. The filly didn't let on much, but it was probably a little of both. She seemed to perk up a little at the question, however.

“What kind of flowers does she like?”, Twilight asked, pushing her empty bowl aside.

“Mom likes dandelions,” the filly said. Twilight raised an eyebrow and Dinky took note of this. “She likes the way they turn into cotton when they get old, she thinks they look funny,” she went on to clarify. She turned back to her breakfast, giving her bowl of cereal a tentative prod.

Twilight smiled. “Alright, dandelions it is then. I know Rose sells all kinds of flowers, I'm sure she will have some. Finish up your breakfast and we'll go pick up a big bouquet of them.”

Rose had been a little surprised to hear the flowers would be a gift, as they usually found their use as an ingredient in cooking, mostly in salads, but she hadn't asked more about it. She didn't know the mailmare that well, but knew that she could be a little eccentric at times. She had insisted on giving them free of charge, saying that she wanted to give a gift as well.

After that they had headed for the hospital, arriving right at the beginning of visiting hours. They had stayed there for well over an hour. It had probably been the hardest and most awkward hour in Twilight's life. At times Dinky would break out in tears, other times she would just lie flat against the side of her mother's bed, but for the whole time she hadn't said a word. Twilight had done her best to comfort the filly, but it had been a losing battle.

After they had left, Twilight asked Dinky if she would like to stop somewhere to have something to eat, but the filly had just wanted to go back to the library. There she had lied down on the couch, not moving, or talking since. Every once in a while she would let out a deep sigh, but other than that she was quiet and wore a blank expression on her face. Twilight sat down next to her.

“Would you like to talk?” she asked.

The filly sighed and turned away slightly. “Not really,” she said, from under her breath.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, scooting a little closer. “You look like there's something bothering you.”

“I'm just tired,” Dinky said, sighing again.

It was only afternoon, but Dinky did look quite drained. Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder, giving her a gentle nudge. “Would you like to take a nap? It might make you feel better.”

“I dunno,” Dinky said, shifting slightly. “I don't want to go to bed.”

“You don't have to, you can stay right here. I'll go get you a pillow and a blanket for you.”

Twilight trotted off before the filly could protest and returned shortly with the blanket and pillow in tow. Dinky curled up to a ball under the soft cover, not really looking any happier at all. Twilight realized something was missing and quickly retrieved her Smarty Pants doll from where it had been left on her bed. She didn't say anything as she tucked the doll next to Dinky. She got a happy little sigh in return.

Dinky didn't say anything. Instead she leaned in to give Twilight a hug, before cuddling up to her toy and closing her eyes. After a few minutes she began to snore quietly.

The young unicorn woke up a little over an hour later. As she opened her eyes she found Twilight sitting on the other side of the couch, immersed in a book. She rolled over to her other side, letting out a deliberate yawn. The book shut with a quiet pop and landed on the table with a gentle thump. Twilight turned to the filly.

“Hey there,” she said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Dinky said, rubbing her eyes. “I guess. I had a dream about mom.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, not completely sure how to react. “Was it... nice?”

“It was. I kinda wish it hadn't been just a dream though.” The filly finished with a wistful sigh, staring off into the distance. An awkward silence ensued.

“I'm sure she is dreaming about you too,” Twilight said. She laid a hoof on her shoulder and gave the filly a gentle pat. Dinky seemed to cheer up some at those words. She rolled onto her back and propped herself up a little.

“You really think so?”

Twilight nodded and gave a faint smile. “I'm sure she is. You're the most important thing to her, you know. I can't imagine what else she would be dreaming about.”

A weight lifted off her chest as she saw Dinky return the smile. “Whew, nice save there,” she thought.

“You look hungry,” Twilight continued, changing the subject. “What would you like for dinner?”

Dinky stood up and stretched her legs a little. She shrugged. “I dunno. Anything is fine.”

“Well, in that case,” Twilight said, getting up as she spoke, “I'll make some carrot soup. Would that be okay?”

“Yeah, anything is fine... Funny, I though Spike did all the cooking here.”

“That wouldn't be fair, now would it. We usually do it together or take turns,” Twilight said. She leaned closer and lowered her voice to a whisper as she added: ”He's the better cook, but don't let him know I said that. That kind of thing tends to go to his head.”

The filly giggled a little at the last part. Twilight was glad that she seemed to be in at least somewhat better spirits.

The soup they had for dinner was a simple dish, made mostly of carrots, with the odd piece of celery thrown in for a good measure. Still, it was warm, filling and oddly comforting. The mood seemed to lighten considerably as they ate, with even a couple of laughs being shared over the table. The evening was much more enjoyable than the previous night, and as such the time seemed to pass much more quickly.

Before they knew it, it was night again and the time for Dinky to go to bed. After she was tucked in the filly wrapped her front legs around Twilight's neck, giving her a hug. The purple mare was more than happy to return the gesture. However, as the embrace dragged on she felt it start to shift from a simple hug to something else. The first sniffle turned into a sob, then another, at first quiet, then louder. Dinky began to cry and soon she was outright bawling like only a little filly could. Twilight held her closer.

“Hey, what's the matter?” she asked, surprised at the sudden outburst. She got no answer from Dinky, apart from her grip tightening.

“Is something wrong?” she continued, stroking the filly's back.

Dinky buried her head deeper against her neck, still not saying anything.

“You're scared, aren't you?”

There was still no response.

“It's alright to be scared, it just means you love her,” Twilight said, pulling the filly tighter against her chest. “I'm scared too, but you have to believe everything is going to be alright. And you're not alone, I'm here for you.” Having said that Twilight fell silent, realizing it really wasn't a time for words.

“Please don't let go.” The filly's words came out with a ragged gasp for air. She clung herself against Twilight like a damp dishrag.

“Don't worry, I won't.”

The filly kept crying for almost twenty minutes, letting all her hurt and worry drain out. As bad as it felt, every passing teardrop made her chest lighten, until there was nothing left. Slowly she began to calm back down again, until there was nothing more but the occasional sniffle. Her grip weakened and soon she was just hanging on limply, trying to catch her breath again.

“Do you feel better now?” Twilight asked. She felt the filly pull back slightly.

Dinky looked at her with her puffy eyes and nodded. “Yeah, kinda,” She said, nuzzling back up to Twilight and pressing her cheek against the purple mare's neck. The fur there was soaking wet, but neither seemed to mind.

“I'm glad. I just want to know that you're alright.” Twilight paused to return the nuzzle. She noticed her vision had gone a little blurry, the result of having shed a few tears of her own, and wiped her eyes dry before continuing:

“Are you sure you want to sleep alone? You can stay next to me again tonight if you want to. It's not a problem.”

“Thanks, but I think I'll be fine,” Dinky said, still a little shaky. “I'll have Miss Smarty Pants with me, right,” she added, forcing a giggle. “She'll keep me company.”

“Of course,” Twilight said, tucking the filly back into her bed. A faint purple aura appeared around her horn and soon the doll flew in through the doorway, landing softly beside the filly on the bed. “She will take care of you if you take care of her. She's a very special doll like that.”

Dinky pulled the ragged old doll against her chest and a small smile crept up on her face. “You know, some other filly might think that she looks silly, but I think she's pretty in her own way. She might be a little worn, but I still really like her.” She curled herself up a little under the covers and let out a relaxed yawn. Her fears were fading fast and with every passing second her breathing became calmer and calmer.

“Good night, Dinky,” Twilight said. She got no answer, as the filly was already drifting off to sleep, almost as if nothing at all had happened.

Twilight just sat there quietly for a while, looking over the sleeping filly. She found her mind wandering back to when she had been a little filly herself, more specifically to the time she had been accepted to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. It had been one of the happiest moments of her young life, yet it had also been scary for her, since it had meant she had to leave her parents. She remembered the many nights she had spent awake in her bed, unable to sleep, feeling alone. Sometimes she had cried too, when there was nopony around to hear her.

Miss Smarty Pants had been a gift from the Princess herself, a present she had given a short time after Twilight had become her personal student. The stuffed animal had quickly become her favorite toy. There was something about the simple doll that had always made her feel a little better, no matter how worried or sad she had felt. The effect had always been there, even to this day, although it had seemed to have lost most of its power now as her worries had turned to more adult ones. It had been a long time since she had last taken the doll out, but she was happy to see that it still seemed to have the same effect on Dinky as it had on her back then. Suddenly a weird thought crossed her mind.

“I wonder...” A crooked smile crept on her face.

Twilight made a mental note to ask Celestia about the toy and its origins sometime, although she was almost certain she wouldn't get a straight answer. However, the more she thought about it, the more it felt like just the kind of thing the alicorn would do. Perhaps there really was more to the simple doll than just some fabric and stuffing.