//------------------------------// // On a Snowy Winter's Night // Story: My Strange Family // by Dark Enigma //------------------------------// A unicorn filly lies on the bottom bunk of her bunk bed, waiting for sleep to take her. She looks out the darkened window of her room she shares with other orphans like her. The snow gently brushes the frosted glass as it falls from the night sky streaked with clouds, dim moonlight dripping out of them. The filly known as Dinky Doo silently cries, careful not to wake her peers around her. Hearth's Warming Eve is a week away and, yet, no pony has come in to adopt her. It's not like anypony in the Metrotpolis Orphanage cares. No pony is here long enough to care. Every time a pony comes in to adopt, they look through her like she's a ghost not meant to exist. Friends she has made all leave sooner or later, never to return, not even to say hi or bring her a present. The caretakers try their best to make her feel special, but they are just doing their jobs. All their "love" is fueled by a paycheck. A sob escapes Dinky's lips, surprising her like an unannounced guest. She quickly covers her mouth to make sure another one doesn't show up and wake somepony. Her bunk mate, a pegasus filly, sleeping above her stirs causing Dinky's heart to race. After moving and squirming around in her bed to find that sweet spot, the pegasus returns to her slumber. Dinky releases her pent up breath in relief and comes back to her indulgence in self-pity. It's a strange feeling, but she has come to accept her sadness. Not that it makes her situation any better, but feeling sad all the time is normal for her. She finds comfort in her misery. It's like if she doesn't feel sad, then something's off in her life. She continues her crying until her tired eyes could no longer stay open. The following morning is like any other morning. Dinky lazily gets out of bed, last as usual. On the way down the hall and into the cafeteria, she tries her best to avoid talking to other ponies. The caretaker, Mrs. Whinny, a mare with a light brown coat and a dark green mane, greets Dinky upon entering the cafeteria to which Dinky replies with a simple nod. She could care less about formalities and just wants to get this day over with. The cafeteria is a depressing room. Most notable are the windows, covered in a wired mesh making it feel like a prison. There are three long wooden tables extending from one end of the cafeteria to the other, all filled with noisy fillies and colts. To the left of the entrance is the kitchen where the slop passed off as food is prepared. Dinky heads to the kitchen. On a tin counter top lie some red food trays, all carrying the same thing: a green mush in a porcelain bowl with carrots on the side and a glass of orange juice. With her unicorn magic, Dinky picks up one of the trays, enveloping it in a light gray aura. She looks around the room for a place to sit. All the other orphans are screaming and talking really loud. The noise irritates Dinky, it grating against her ears. She sighs and sees an empty corner away from all the other ponies. Setting down the tray, she sniffs the bowl of mush. An acrid smell flares up her snout bringing tears to her eyes, so Dinky pushes the bowl away and takes a bite of a carrot instead. The orange vegetable is warm, limp and soft, but at least it's tolerable. Next, she takes a sip of her orange juice which has a strange bitter taste. She gags, trying hard to keep from spitting out the juice. She sighs once more as if done by routine. The others don't seem to have a problem with the food. Maybe it's just Dinky's luck she always picks the wrong tray, though arriving late for breakfast everyday might have something to do with it. Dinky stomachs down another carrot and gets up to throw away the rest of the food. A couple of hoof steps approach her from behind. "Look, it's the permanent resident of the orphanage." Dinky, recognizing the voice, solemnly asks, "What do you want Flash Fire?" Flash Fire is a rude little pegasus colt. He never listens to the caretakers and always picks on other ponies. His mane is a dark orange with yellow highlights. His coat is blood red and he has a cutie mark of a bomb with a short fuse. "Not much, dorky. I just wanted to tell you that I just got adopted. I won't give this place a second thought once I leave with my new dad." "Okay, you told me. Now can you go away?" Dinky turns around to her food. She sits back down, taking a mouthful of the mysterious mush to try and ignore Flash Fire. Flash Fire stomps on the table with his forelegs, causing the mush in the bowl to jiggle in place. "Doesn't it burn you up inside, everypony is getting a family this Hearth's Warming Eve. Everypony, but you. If I were you, I would just run away, hide my face where no pony can see it. No pony wants you here anyways." Dinky sighs. "Please, just go away." Flash Fire glares at Dinky. "Fine." He smirks and pushes Dinky's face into the bowl of mush. He laughs and laughs and laughs and Dinky simply takes it. She doesn't react beyond wiping her face clean. Flash Fire stares at her disappointingly. "You're no fun," he says and walks away. A single tear crawls down Dinky's cheek. She continues eating until the food and everypony in the cafeteria are all gone. Later that day, everypony is called out to the front. Dinky is in her bed when the announcement comes through the intercom. "Everypony come to the front door. It's time to say good bye to Flash Fire." As much as Dinky hated Flash Fire, even more so because he got adopted and not her, she wills herself to go. Doing something to keep her mind and body occupied is really the only thing that keeps her from thinking negative thoughts. She's in no hurry though. Dinky waits for everypony to go ahead of her before getting up from bed and heading out. She walks down the gray hall, and turns left, apathetically putting one hoof in front of the other as she steps downstairs into the lobby. She arrives to see many ponies crowding the front door, all wishing Flash Fire farewell. There is another group of ponies watching from afar. Obviously, they are ponies who were picked on by Flash. It is comforting to Dinky to see she wasn't the only target of Flash Fire's bullying. Dinky sits down away from all the noise. She sees Flash hugging the foreleg of a very important-looking stallion. He has a dark black mane and is dressed in a business suit. His coat is white and his cutie mark is of an overflowing bit bag. Mrs. Whinny is there too, hoofing him the papers which makes the adoption official. Flash and his new father walk out. He turns around, locking eyes with Dinky. She nonchalantly stares back at him until he is out of sight. The ponies disperse, leaving Dinky alone in the lobby. Dinky stares at the door and thinks about what Flash said before. You should just run away. No pony wants you here anyways. What did she do to deserve this? It should be her walking out the door with a new family, not a colt as foul as Flash. Tears swell up behind Dinky's eyes. She looks around to see if any pony is there watching. Confirming the room is empty, she lets out a sob. Her crying echoes off the gray walls, but, even after she exhausts all her tears, no pony comes to comfort her. She heads to her room to wait out the rest of this miserable day in bed. Another snowy night. Instead of Dinky sleeping--or crying--in her bed, she's staring out into the city from the only window in the room. Dinky's breathing fogs up the glazed window, so she's constantly rubbing away the condensed water from the glass. Outside a blanket of snow covers the courtyard. A single gray pathway is outlined by light posts illuminating the white downcast in a dim yellow halo. In the distance, past a wrought iron gate of interweaving metal laces, Metrotpolis glows faintly in the cold fog hugging the ground. Headlights from automobiles slug along peacefully in the city streets. Above the city, stars and snow dance around each other making it hard to tell which is which. It's a distant world, something Dinky can only experience from her room. Hearth's Warming Eve is six days away. Visions of that day flash through Dinky's mind. She goes over many scenarios in her head: Mrs. Whinny giving her a gift with absolutely no thought put into it, the cook making a special breakfast just for her. She even goes through the possibility of getting adopted, but she quickly dismisses the idea. She doesn't want to get her hopes up. Her head bobs in the air as drowsiness veils her eyes. Through her haze, the snow flakes drifting close to the window twinkle like stars. She mouths a single wish and, no longer being able to keep her eyes open, gets down from the window sill and feels for her bed in the dark. Unintentionally, she kicks the metal bedpost of her bed with her left foreleg. Dinky groans as she rubs her hoof to ease the pain away. She limps onto her bed and snugly wraps herself in the warm embrace of her blankets, drifting away into a light sleep, but mouths her wish a second time before blissful darkness finally takes her. Another cold morning, with the same routine. The cafeteria is emptier than usual because Dinky overslept. She gets her food and sits down in her normal spot. The carrots are crispier and more tolerable than yesterday though the mush is still the same. Dinky chews on a carrot when hoof steps echo off behind her. Her first thought is of Flash Fire, but she remembers he left yesterday. Dinky concludes it must be some other pony passing by, not worth her attention. A voice resonates in the nearly empty cafeteria which captivates Dinky. "My, what a fascinating establishment you have here. Look, Ditzy, tables. Ah, blast, these aren't real wood. What a shame." "Yeah, what a shame," says another more feminine voice sarcastically. "Your husband is quite... eccentric," says the familiar voice of Mrs. Whinny. "That's the Doctor, always getting caught up by the weirdest things," says the mare. Dinky turns around and sees Mrs. Whinny standing with two other ponies. One is a light brown earth pony with a darker brown mane and a simple white collar with a blue tie. His cutie mark is an hour glass. The second pony is a light gray pegasus with a blond mane. Her cutie mark consists of seven bubbles. "Maybe you should look at the fillies and colts instead Mr... uh, what was you name again?" "Oh, I don't have a name. And if I did, it would be one most tantalizing you wouldn't be able to say it." Mrs. Whinny, baffled, looks at the Doctor's wife. "Just call him Dr. Whooves," replies the pegasus. "Very well," says Mrs. Whinny, "Dr. Whooves, we have many ponies here at the Metrotpolis Orphanage. I'm sure we could find somepony with similar... uh, tastes such as yourself." "Oh, what fun would that be, hmm? If I wanted another me, I would simply clone myself." "Oh, okay? What are you looking for in a son or daughter?" "I don't know yet. Ooh, what about her? What's her name?" He points at Dinky. Dinky turns away. Did he really point at her? Can today really be the day? Her heart races as she tries desperately to hold back a smile. "Um, her, yes. Her name is... oh, what was it? Dorky! Yes, I heard her friend call her Dorky the other day, that is her name." Mrs. Whinny chuckles nervously. Their hoof steps come closer to Dinky. Each step causes her heart to thump louder and faster. She holds her breath, unsure of what to think. All these questions bubble up inside of her. What if they don't like her? What if she isn't what they're looking for in a daughter? She couldn't hold her breath any longer and lets it out in one big respire. She pants as she refills her lungs with air. A hoof lands on her shoulder causing Dinky to freeze. "You okay there?" The pegasus mare asks. Dinky slowly turns to see the face of a concerned mare looking at her. "My name is Dinky!" She blurts out, smiling nervously. "That's almost like your name, Ditzy," says the Doctor. Ditzy giggles. "Yeah." Mrs. Whinny looks away, embarrassed she didn't know Dinky's real name. "What are you doing sitting here by yourself?" asks Ditzy. Dinky looks down. "I don't have any friends to sit with." "But what about Flash Fire?" asks Mrs. Whinny, desperate to redeem herself. "Certainly he is your friend. I saw you two here together yesterday." "He isn't my friend. He always picked on me and called me names." Ditzy glares at Mrs. Whinny for not knowing that. She sits next to Dinky, putting her wing around her. "You know, I was picked on too when I was a filly, because of my derpy eyes. You know what got me through it all?" "What?" Dinky asks innocently. She looks into the soulful eyes of Ditzy, entranced by how much care is behind them. "My mother. She always knew what to say and got me through some tough jams even if she had to stand up to my bullies herself." Ditzy smiles and giggles. "Let me ask you this: Would you like a mother?" Dinky's eyes widen. After a few moments of stunned silence, she hugs Ditzy and begins to bawl with no reserve. Ditzy smiles and returns the embrace as Dinky continues to cry her heart out. She looks at her husband which, in turn, looks at Mrs. Whinny. "We'll take her," says the Doctor. That snowy winter's night is different than the others. Dinky can't sleep, but it's out of happiness and excitement, not sadness. She finally got adopted! And she will be on her way to her new home tomorrow. She's sitting on the window sill, thanking the snow flakes for granting her wish. She feels silly talking to frozen water, but she's sure she isn't the only one who has done it before. She thinks back when the adoption became official, never getting tired of replaying the scene in her mind. * * * Mrs. Whinny took Dinky and her new family to her office. She had never been in the record's office. It looked very different compared to the rest of the orphanage. The walls were painted a bright yellow, there was actual carpet rather than a concrete floor, and the room smelled of lavender. Mrs. Whinny pulled out some paper work from a large file cabinet for the Doctor to fill out. While he did so, Dinky and Ditzy got to know more about each other. "So, what do you like to do for fun, Dinky?" "Fun? Um, I don't know." "What do you mean you don't know?" asked Ditzy concerned. "Well, I usually stay in bed all day." "You better not do that when you with me, cuz we're gonna have lots of fun." Dinky giggled as Ditzy tickled her rib cage. "What do you do for fun?" asked Dinky with a dying laughter from being tickled. "Hmm." Ditzy put on a thoughtful expression. "Muffins!" "Muffins?" "Yeah, I like to bake banana-nut muffins and blueberry muffins and poppy-seed muffins with a hint of cinnamon. Not so much that it's overpowering, but just enough to let you know it's there." Ditzy gasped at a sudden realization. "I know, I'll bake you a muffin! Consider it your home-warming muffin." "I-I never had a muffin before." "That's just sad," said Ditzy. "Muffins are the greatest thing in the world! Oh, I guess they're now the second greatest thing in the world." She ruffled Dinky's mane. Dinky hugged Ditzy, a tear falling from her eye. Ditzy lifted Dinky's head and gently rubbed away her tear. "There, we best head home, Ditzy," interrupted the Doctor after signing the last piece of documentation. "We have much to prepare for Dinky Whooves' arrival." He winked at Dinky. "And you have to pack your things," Mrs. Whinny said to Dinky. Mrs. Whinny led them out to the lobby; Dinky was under Ditzy's wing the whole way there. She didn't want to leave her side. Dinky couldn't pinpoint it, but something about Ditzy made her feel safe. Nothing really existed out of Ditzy's warm embrace when they hugged. Maybe this was what having a mother felt like. At the door, Dinky was reluctant to leave them, but Ditzy promised they'll be here to pick her up tomorrow at eight. Dinky hugged Ditzy one last time before parting ways. Afterwards, Dinky raced to her room and peered out the window to see the Doctor and Ditzy get in an automobile and drive off to what will be her new home. * * * Dinky steps down from the window sill and jumps on her bed, shaking the filly above her awake. "H-hey, what was that?" Dinky laughs. "Sorry," she says. The filly leans over the side of the bed. "You okay?" "Never better." "Well, can you quit jumping? You nearly gave me a heart attack." The filly slumps back onto her bed. "Sure, I promise I won't do it again," says Dinky. The pegasus filly tries to returns to sleep the rest of the night away when Dinky interrupts her attempt. "Hey, what's your name?" The filly groans. "Scootaloo, now can I please go back to sleep?" "Hi, Scootaloo--" "Guess not..." "--My name is Dinky. Don't you find it funny that we've been sharing this bunk bed for months now and we barely got to know each other's names?" "No," says Scootaloo blankly. She covers her head with her blanket hoping it will drown out Dinky's voice. "I find it hilarious." Dinky laughs. Scootaloo tosses her blanket forward. "Yeah, well I find it annoying. Why'd you pick today to finally talk? I have to get up early tomorrow." "Sorry, I'm just so excited. I finally got adopted today!" The corners of Dinky's smile nearly fly off her face. It feels wonderful admitting she got adopted. "Yeah, well, me too. Now, I want to sleep so I won't be tired when I meet up with my new big sister tomorrow." "Oh, sorry, good night." "Good night," says Scootaloo bluntly. "My name's Dinky by the way." "I know! Go to sleep!" Dinky recoils from Scootaloo's tone, but that doesn't quell her happiness. She slips into her blankets and closes her eyes, trying to hold in her enthusiasm so Scootaloo can sleep. It's hard though, because, starting tomorrow, she finally has a family to love her. As the night drags on and Dinky's energy boils down, the last image she sees is the snow twinkling in the night sky, it watching over her. She mouths one more wish before the veil in her eyes fully envelopes her vision, casting her in a comforting wave of peace.