//------------------------------//
// Chapter Nine 
// Story: Bubbles: Derpy's Return 
// by RoxyMoronNERDy 
//------------------------------//



Chapter Nine

I trotted over to Dinky's room, and cleared my throat before entering.
"Good morning!" I said as I walked in. "Dinky, today is a special day! Come on!" I said, trotting over to her bed. She was snuggled underneath her fleece blanket that was light blue with different designs of snowflakes scattered all over. It was Dinky's favorite.
I used my magic to open the curtains, and the blue-ish light poured in, mkaing her flinch. She must have realized there was no escape, becasue she finally opened her eyes and looked at me. I smiled down at her.
"You know what today is?" I asked, inching toward her face, shoving the calendar in front of her. She blinked and stared at today's date, and suddenly her face lit up as she loked outside, where it was hurdeling snow.
"THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER!!" She cried as she bounced on her bed, looking at the snow. I heard Spike cry out and a big THUMP. I sigh. He fell out of bed. Again. 
Spike walked in, rubbing his head and saw it was snowing. He just sighed.
"What's the big deal?" He said in a monotone. "It's just precitipation or whatever." I give him a dirty look and smack his scales. "Ow!" He said.
"First of all, it's PRECIPITATION, Spike." I say, frustrated with his lack of focusing on when I lecture him. "Second of all," I continue, quiet enough so Dinky wouldn't hear. "Dinky happens to LIKE snow, and I do too. So don't ruin it for her! Or ME!" I look at him and he just rolls his eyes and walks to the kitchen to get something to eat like he does just about every hour of the day. i swear, I think to myself. he's going to be diabetic one of these days.
Dinky and I eat breakfast quickly and get on our saddles, boots, scarves and hats on and plummet into the snow. Every pony is already outside enjoying the fresh blanket of snow the pegasi brought out last night. Dinky and I build a snow pony, and even some snowballs to throw at Rainbow Dash when she flies by the check out how the job turned out. We quickly build a fort with our magic and I cast a spell on it so it won't fall, and even create a little window for us to see out of. Just as I predict, a few minutes later, Rainbow Dash floats by, checking out the snow. Just when she passes...
"Now!" I shout. Dinky and I plummet snowballs at Rainbow and she lets out squeals of delight. 
"Hey!" She cries in her slightly-scratchy voice. She scoops up some snow and quickly makes a snowball and gets us back. Every once in a while, a snowball would hit somepony else and soon, almost the entire town is having a snowball fight! Dinky and I snuck inside at some point and hide out in front of the fireplace while every pony else outside hurdles snowballs at each other and let out squeals of delight. I watch outside the window and laugh when I see Pinkie Pie in on the action. She looks like she's concentrating extremely hard, and is taking the battle seriously, as if it were some epic pony-war. It's never easy to take Pinkie Pie seriously, since she's goofing off all the time.
I all of a sudden hear my stomach grumble and trot away from the window to make some lunch. I pass by Dinky, who when I turn to look at is sleeping sound. I fight the urge to make an "aww!" noise and just put a blanket on her. She must have fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, I decide. I smile to myself and go make some soup. By the time I get back with two bowls in case she woke up, I see Spike outside with Pinkie Pie, shooting other ponies with snowballs. I laugh louder than I meant to this time, waking up Dinky. She looks up at me, sees the soup and I hear a gurgle come from her belly. I smile and levitate the soup down to her.
"Eat up," I say as I plop down next to her. "It's your favorite."
"Thanks, Mommy." She slurs, rubbing her eyes with her hoof. I stop levitating the spoon in mid-air. Did she just call me "mommy"? Does that mean she's grown that attached to me?
I look at Dinky, who is levitating spoonfuls of soup to her mouth. Suddenly, I know it was an accident. Because her eyes suddenly widen, and she drops her spoon, sending drops of French onion soup scattering around her.
"Did I just say...?" She doesn't even finish her sentence. She quickly levitates the bowl to her mouth, drinks it up and gallops to her room. I sit there in front of the fireplace, staring at the melted cheese that slowly sinks under the liquid of the soup. I put the spoon back in and sigh, staring at the flames of the fireplace.
The front door bursts open and Spike is walking through the door, covered in snow and laughing. He has his green coat on and his snow boots, as well as ear muffs and mittens. He slams the door behind him, still giggling. He freezes when he sees me.
"Uh..." He stutters, trying to find the right words. I smirk at him and he just laughs and charges into the kitchen for- you guessed it- food.
I sigh and stand, taking one more gulp of the warm, soothing soup and quietly trot to Dinky's room. Her door is cracked open. I quietly peek in, and see her laying sideways on her bed, staring at the photo of her and Derpy. I push the door with my hoof and walk over, and rub her head with my hoof. She shudders, and looks up at me. She's been crying.
"I'm sorry, I didn't..." She doesn't finish her sentence before crying again. I continue to rub her mane with my hoof as she sobs, holding the picture to her heart. I don't stop soothing her until I hear her breath is slow and continuing. I carefully remove my hoof from her mane and walk over to the door and shut the lights off. When I look at her again, I see her huddled up fetal-position body moving to the rhythm of her breathing, the picture of her and her mother against her heart.