Building Blocks

by BirdyTheEarthPony

Pieces To My Puzzle

Chapter Seven
Pieces To My Puzzle

My mother and I sat in silence, just holding one another. I was glad to finally have a connection with my mother, even if I had only known her a short while. She had stayed with me through my entire coma, which had to be incredibly hard on her emotionally. I wondered, how many nights had she sat where she is now, crying herself to sleep? But it didn’t matter anymore, I had my mother and she finally had me. I thought back to my mother in my past memories. So full of energy, so strong. Me and her fighting her cancer together, the stressful times that we had made it through, everything. Maybe Nurse Redheart and I could form a bond that was close. If it was even half as close it would be amazing; but I could not lie to myself. Nurse Redheart and I had a lot of bonding to do.

She broke the silence first, “I-I’m just so glad to have you back!” tears were still streaming down her face “I thought I would lose you and then you came back to me. Now you are doing better than I would have ever hoped! But when I had heard you’d been stabbed I panicked. I was about to lose you again and I felt terrible. I had never really explained to you what had happened. After I initially told you I got nervous about what you would say and ran away. I apologize for that.” She embraced me again in a very tight hug, her tears slowly coming to a stop.

As I rested my muzzle on her neck I asked her “Nur---Mom……..”I lingered on that word; it felt foreign on my lips as it left my mouth. “Will you tell me about me?”

She retreated from our embrace and sat on her haunches, “Yes, I wish it was a longer story and I wish I knew more but I will tell you all I know.”

I looked at her, eyes full of wonder; what could have caused me to be this way? I wanted to know, and badly.
She started in, “Simple enough, me and your father decided that we should have a colt. But things were not the same for us as every other pony. You see, your father had a condition that made him very infertile, but we prayed to Celestia and kept trying and after years and years of trying we finally were blessed enough to have you. Things were regular for a very long time but right before you were born something came up.” She sighed looking reminiscent. “Your father went to make a delivery to Canterlot. He boarded the train early in the morning and that was the last time I ever saw him. His train crashed only a few miles from its destination. He was….the only one who died…”

I saw her pause and wipe a tear from her eye. “After that day I fell into a deep place. I hated myself for letting him go, for him being the only one who died. I hated a lot of things. Most of all though through this hate, I cherished you. You would be all I had left of him. Sadly I fell into some very bad things. I started hurting myself, trying to drown the pain away in cider and tranquilizers.” She stopped for a moment.

“Mom?” I put my hoof on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” she rested a hoof on my bed,

“Yes dear, I just needed a second. This next part is hard to accept, I still have issues with it today.” She straightened her back, as if preparing for the worst.

“One day I felt pains in my abdomen and went to make sure everything was fine. But it wasn’t; the doctor said that you were going to be born 2 months early. He asked if I had used any sort of drug, to which I said yes.” She sighed. “He said that you would very likely not survive.”

I found myself thinking aloud, “So I was very close to not surviving at all?”

She nodded, “Very, very close. I went into labor a few days later and gave birth to you. You were a healthy little thing; you even looked just like your father. When I held you for the first time though, something went wrong. You suddenly had a seizure; it raised your heart rate to dangerous levels and caused you to go comatose.” She grabbed me for another hug, sniffling again.

“I waited days, weeks, months, then years; I waited for you to come back. But you never came. There was always hope though, you seemed like you weren’t even in a coma really; just a long, peaceful sleep.” She broke a grin that lit up the entire room, “Then one day you woke up and were finally back with me!”

She had left a big hole in the story though, “Mom” I asked “What was my father’s name, and what was he like?”

She looked at me to explain, “His name was Dust Cloud. He got it from his dusty colored mane and his extreme ground speed. He worked tirelessly as a delivery pony. He had a very unique cutie mark; it was an envelope with a flame trail behind it. I used to call him my little Hot Mail because he would always be sent back to me. All but one time…..”

She turned from me. “Look you need your rest; you should be good to go tomorrow. That is if you feel up to it, I hear Pinkie has quite the party planned for you.”

I nodded, sleep sounded like a very good idea right about now. My mother turned to walk out of my door. Just before she was gone I shouted after her

“Goodnight mom…..I love you.”

With that she smiled then left.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep, I had a big day tomorrow it sounded like; and I didn’t want to miss another party, maybe I could stay this time.

The morning went by relatively fast, I got a wrap that wrapped around my entire wound and my body. I talked to my mom again before I left,

“You sure it’s okay that I just…leave?”

She shooed me out the door, “Of course! You are a young stallion; I can’t think to keep you here! Plus I’m sure your friends are waiting for you” with the last statement she winked at me.

I hugged her again before saying my goodbyes and walking out into the midmorning sunlight.

It was a beautiful day outside, the birds were singing their springtime songs and the flowers filled the air with the scent of fresh bloom. I inhaled deeply before walking towards Twilights library. I found myself picking up pace even though I had been strongly advised not to exert myself any. I laughed silently under my breath; that wasn’t me. I took off full gallop towards the library door, planning to stop right before I hit the door just to see how close I could get. When I was only a few yards from the door I heard a clicking noise. Twilight walked out to see me inches from her face. We had a split second of realization before we collided into each other, tumbling back into the library.

I got up slowly, looking over to Twilight “Uh sorry Twi! I just was happy to be on my hooves again!” She looked annoyed.
“Ethan, I am almost 100% positive that Nurse Redheart wouldn’t want you running at all, anywhere for a while!” She glared at me, inching closer and closer “Ethan. Promise me that you WON’T do anything stupid to hurt yourself please!”
I stammered “Yes ma’am!” I gave a salute with a crappy poker face grin. She flicked my nose with her hoof. “Better be good! Now let’s go, the party is in several minutes and you are going to love it!”

I walked beside her all the way to Sugarcube Corner. I never noticed how pretty she really was. She had a light mulberry coat that gave a cool feeling when you looked at it. Her mane was a moderate violet that gave a stark contrast to her coat; the rose colored streak that ran through it only added to her beauty. She truly was a very kind pony and I admired the fact that she cared about me as much as she did.

I walked into the Sugarcube Corner to see a grand party, almost more extravagant than before. There were fewer ponies this time, many who looked like they had stopped by to see what the commotion was. Pinkie burst forward from a box in the floor, “Hey everybody Ethan is here! Give him your applause everypony!” The room gave an awkward clap, led on by the charismatic pink pony, which seemed to be a single entity of energy and joy today.
She took me by the hoof and led me to a long table with a big box on top of it.

“It’s your present! It’s a super-secret-special-one-of-a-kind-only-you-Ethan-original-gift!” She shoved me forward, “Take a look! It’s from all of us!”
I looked around the table; all six of my newly acquired friends had assembled in a semicircle around me. They fixated on me with an eager glare, “Go on open it!” Pinkie Pie shoved me towards the box. I gingerly hoofed at the wrapper; opening gifts had always made me nervous. I never felt like I was ever grateful enough and that I was always disappointing the person who was giving me gifts. Opening the lid slowly, I peered inside and gasped at the sight inside.
In the box lay the most beautiful saddlebags that I had seen yet in Equestria. It was fashioned with a stunning white leather-like material that brought light to the box. It had golden clips on the flaps that held them firmly in place. A black fur had been used as a lining to the part of the saddlebags that would rub my back and chest.

“Well don’t be shy now, try it on!” Rarity hung close behind me awaiting my response. I slipped it on with ease, pulling a strap to make sure it was very secure and snug.

“I love it!” I looked to Rarity, who was absolutely beaming with pride.

“I made it from only the strongest, lightest, and of course beautiful materials. Bleached Corray Eel leather, making it scratch and tear resistant while also waterproof! “

“Wow Rarity, thank you! It’s absolutely beautiful!”

She looked at me and laughed, “Well that is all thanks to Dash here! She picked the colors and style out for you.”

“Yea I had to pick a color that went with you. It had to be tough” she punched the air “Cool!” she lay down in the air “And fast, but not too fast, since your slow and all!”

“Very funny Dash. We will race again once I am better to see how slow I really am!”

“Pfft, yea whatever slowpoke!” she gave me a playful nudge.

Twilight spoke up now, “I added an enchantment to make it incredibly light so you can take long journeys with it and not worry about it weighing you down.”

I had to agree, this saddlebag was large yet, it weighed close to nothing! Honestly it was quite the piece of craftsmanship on Rarity’s part, and I did love the color scheme; even though it was picked due to my lack of speed.

“Well ya’ see those straps right there?” Applejack hoofed at a strap beneath my chest. “That ain’t standard on most saddlebags, but ah’ figured you could use one to keep it strapped tight while you’re fightin’ off badies!”

I nodded, “Should come in handy if I get in a tight place! Thanks Applejack!”

Pinkie was pushing Fluttershy towards me, “Tell her what you did Flutters! It’s really cool!”

Fluttershy turned bright red, looking around me but never directly at me “Uhm well you see…I uh added.. the uh….Sheep wool, it is very special and..” she stared at the wall behind my head, “it won’t rub or chafe , while keeping you warm or cool, depending on the weather…..”

I took her in a tight hug as she squeaked out faintly. I kind of did it just to tease her really; I knew she was very nervous around me. I didn’t know why but I intended to change that! The hug soon escalated into a full group hug, me in the middle.

The rest of the party went pretty smoothly, we talked lots about general things. When I could get back to work, if I needed to buy a house, how awesome Rainbow Dash is, stuff like that. This went on for quite some time. When we had finished up I looked outside to see dusk had broken the horizon, blanketing much of the sky in a dark midnight blue. We walked outside and said our goodbyes, all going our separate directions.

I had started off towards my favorite thinking place when I heard Rarity whisper behind me.
“Hey Ethan, come here. I need to speak with you for a moment.”

I walked to where she stood, slightly off of the path in the faint shadow of a bush. She looked around to see if anypony was near then, without speaking a word she used her magic to open up one of my saddlebag flaps. She opened her own and produced a rather large velvet bag, setting it in my bag.

“I sold that dress that I had made from the gem you retrieved for me. I apologized for it being late and told her the reason why. She sympathized and felt terrible for almost killing you and all. So she paid me double. I tried to stop her but she insisted. I guess being one of the richest ponies in Canterlot has its perks…..” She stared at the sky, “I-I’m sorry I asked you to get that gem. It almost took your life and I was afraid I….uh, we might lose you.”

I put a hoof around her, “Rarity I wouldn’t leave that easy, and you know I can’t accept these bits.”

She slowly shook her head, “You have too, I wouldn’t have a use for that many bits.”

“How many bits are we talking Rarity?”

“10,000 in solid 20 mark bits.”

We sat in silence for quite some time before she stood up and started to walk away. “Rarity…….” She looked back over at me. “Thank you, it means a lot that you gave me this.” She turned to me, winking “It’s no problem. Not for a friend like you.” She smiled then departed towards her boutique.

I sat by that bush for a little while longer. How could these ponies be so kind to someone they had just met? They were more sincere and kind than any other person I knew in my old life. These ponies tried to give so much, and take so little. It amazed me really. Was everypony like this? I was beginning to like this world so much. I had a caring mother, a great group of friends, all the bits I would need for a long while.

I continued to walk along the path all the way to my favorite tree. It was another beautiful night, just like the first night I sat here and collected my thoughts. A mild breeze swept spring smells in the air, a crisp scent that filled the nostrils with a rich earthy smell. I lay down on the grass, letting my senses run wild with the scents, feelings, and sounds that surrounded me.

I sat in silence, just smiling to the sky, happy and content with the life I had been given. I got up soon and began to walk towards the library. I walked at a quick trot, hoping I could catch her up, still hard at work studying. When I arrived I saw no light from inside, odd for this hour. I opened the door gingerly, not allowing it to creak or pop. There on the couch lay Twilight, sound asleep with a book lying underneath her head. I smiled at her antics, “Always in a book” I whispered to myself. Making my way around the couch I realized that I had nowhere to sleep now. I wondered if I should take her bed, I doubt she would mind really. And I would explain myself in the morning. I sighed, walking up the stairs towards her bed. It was slightly a mess, made and tossed about carelessly. I undid the strap that held my saddlebag in place, letting it slide to the floor with a soft thud. I climbed onto her bed but decided against getting under her covers which might seem a little too personal. I set my head down on one of her pillows, it smelt like her, and I took the scent in with a big sigh. It smelled of lavender and of some other scent I couldn’t quite put my hoof on.

I stretched out my weary limbs. It had truly been a long day, and I was not shy to admit I was extremely tired. I lay and let the soreness of my side dim away as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Everything seemed to be perfect in my life for once.

Comments

[ZaeroZX]

Ah how I do want to smell Twi's pillow( that came out wrong). Also YAY for another chapter, you these chapters faster than I can do Algebra II.

Random Quote: Let the Rage of Sparta, Fuel you blades Kratos
- Athena from God of War 3

[Mr Popo]

Hes gonna wake up the next morning with Twilight next to him.