Dinky and Derpy's Big Adventure

by Echo 27

The Stars at Night

Dinky, resting atop her mother’s back as the weary pegasus flew, resettled herself and peered down at the ground below. At this distance to such a young filly, everything looked as small as an ant, miniscule and minute, nothing more than a speck on the dark green that was the earth. The Everfree forest expanded beneath her in a misty, tree-dotted expanse that went on for miles. It seemed astonishing to her that just a few hours before, she had entered its depths simply to find shelter from a thunderstorm. Instead, she had escaped a pack of timberwolves and discovered a legacy she never even knew she had. It was so much to take in she hardly knew what to say or do, much less think.

The little unicorn found herself entranced by the view, taking in every tree, bush, and rock she saw. She stared off at mountains far away, gazing at their snowcapped peaks that cut like jagged spires into the beautiful starry night. She saw the shadow of Canterlot to the north, its many turrets and parapets aglow with lanterns and the magic of the unicorns that kept it safe. And, just a short distance away, she saw the dots of lanterns that revealed Ponyville, her home.

Dinky’s thoughts ventured back to the graveyard from which they had just departed, where so many souls lay sleeping. Where her father lay sleeping. They had fought for this, defended this, shed blood –and died- for this. All of it. Everything she could see of the land that she called home, and so much more, was safe because of brave ponies like her father.

He didn’t have to join at all, she thought to herself. He could have stayed, waited till he was a little older before getting married. He could have gotten a better job. He could’ve even avoided her mother and never married her. After all, his parents hadn’t liked her. But he did nonetheless. He chose to marry a girl that no one noticed, give up a future elsewhere to find a way to support her, and then went off to war to make sure no one would ever harm her. He had left before he had been able to see the birth of his firstborn child and gone off to fight in a faraway country. And he had died there, so she, along with so many others, wouldn’t have to.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, she wondered how anyone could be so brave.

Dinky couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so warm. A beautiful softness lay across her body all the way up to her chin, and a gentle heat was gleaming on her chest. It was like being wrapped in a cocoon of pure bliss.

She opened her eyes to slits and immediately opened them wide, head bouncing upright. She was home! The softness she had felt was her bedsheets, the warmth a beam of sunlight streaming in from the window. She looked around: a thin layer of dust sat across her schoolbooks on the desk, and the pictures of she and her mother were grayed.

Judging by the sunlight, Dinky guessed that she had been sleeping quite a while. It looked like it was nearly noon. “Mom?” she called, stretching forward from where she sat. When she received no answer, she walked out into the hallway. “Mommy?”

A rustle from her mother’s bedroom- it sounded very much like a box being tugged to the ground. Dinky trotted down and peered in to see her mother poring over the contents of a cardboard box full of trinkets. “Mommy?”

Derpy paused and turned around, smiling at her daughter. “You’re awake,” she greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

“I guess so,” Dinky replied, rubbing her eyes. “How long have we been home?”

“Oh, we arrived about an hour after you fell asleep. I decided not to wake you since it had been such a long day.”

Dinky peered over her mother’s shoulder at the contents of the box. “What’s in there, Mommy?”

Derpy looked down at her numerous trinkets with a soft warmth. “Just some things from when your father and I lived in Baltimare. I put them away when we moved here because of how we’d been treated back at home. After a while, I just… never got around to putting them back up.”

“Can I see?” Dinky asked, excitement rejuvenating her tired frame and she bounded over to her mother’s side.

Derpy nodded and gently extracted a framed photograph from deep within the pile and handed it to her daughter, who stared at it with reverential awe. “This was a picture of me and your father on our wedding day.”

Dinky held on to the picture so tightly that the frame shook, her eyes soaking in every detail. Her Aunt Berry Punch was in the background with a bright red pegasus that had to have been Red Feathers, both of them bright-eyed and laughing. Her mother was wearing a beautiful white dress, thought it appeared to be a dull, faded white and somewhat worn.

Derpy, perhaps guessing what her only child was thinking, said, “Neither of our families would support the wedding, so we had to make do with what little we had. I know it wasn’t much…”

“You look so pretty,” Dinky whispered happily. “And so happy, you’re smiling so big.”

Derpy gave a warm laugh. “I was marrying your father. Nothing in all of Equestria could make me happier, except maybe you.”

Finally, Dinky’s eyes drifted to the strong figure that was Crimson Beam, her father, the first time she had ever seen his face. He wore dress uniforms instead of a tuxedo, bare of any medals or decorations. He look somewhat tired (had he been training hard with the Royal Guard?) but his face, just like her mother’s was as radiant as the sun. Dinky closed her eyes and wrapped her hooves around the image, hoping she could seal it away forever. It was a part of her legacy, now and forever, and that was something she never wanted to let go. “Thank you, Mommy,” she said.

“I’ll show you one more thing today, before we go in to the village. We need some fresh food,” Derpy said, pulling ever so gently at a beautifully ornate, rich flag of Celestia’s sun. By the way she regarded it, little Dinky could tell this was an item of great importance to her mother. “This,” Derpy said shakily, “was the flag the Royal Guard gave me at your father’s funeral.”

Dinky felt the silky smooth fabric on her fur, drinking its scent. She could still smell the scent of fine wood, intermixed with the smell of the cardboard box it had been kept in. She wondered what he had been like, her father. Did he have any mannerisms? Any strange little quirks? Was he ever clumsy and silly, like Mommy? Or was he serious and strong, just as he looked? There was so much she didn’t know, but she knew of no way to ask.

Dinky gently returned the flag back to her mother, who draped it across her bed and stared at it with a blend of love and sorrow, longing for the one who had lain under it. “Let’s go, Dinky,” she said, and the two made their way to the front door.

The sun peeked through the windows of the mailmare’s bedroom and found their way to the top of the bed, striking deep into the heart of the sun woven into the flag. The sun began to glow with a deep, fiery light, pulsing as if it were a heartbeat.

The day passed as if a blur to the Hooves family. Friends made their way to them and welcomed them back home, inquiring about their journey. For Dinky, there were hardly any words to describe what she had seen and done. She settled for the simple things, telling her friends about Van Hoover and Las Pegasus. It was nowhere close to describing her adventure, but it was the best she could manage, for now.

Derpy walked slightly ahead of her daughter, feeling lighter than she had in many, many years. Despite all their hardships, their poverty and their struggle, she and Dinky had truly made it through and survived- no, thrived. They may not have much, nor may they have what other ponies have, but they had one another, and that was certainly worth something. Little Dinky had a legacy to be proud of, and a history so deep she could never have imagined it. No matter what, nopony could take that away from her.

Can you see her, Crimson? Derpy thought. Can you see what your daughter’s become? She’s grown so much in so little time and she’s more like you than ever. I wish you could have been here to see it yourself.

Derpy heard her name called and saw Berry Punch racing towards the two of them, being assaulted by Dinky and wrapped in a big hug before she reached the mailmare. Derpy couldn’t help but smile as the unicorn filly came and alive and told her aunt everything they had seen, and all of the ponies they had met.

Crimson, I wish you could have been here… but thank you for keeping our little girl safe. I hope I’ve made you proud.

Perhaps they had slept too late. Perhaps they were simply overexcited from their adventure. But for Dinky and her mother, the evening did not bring a time of rest. For them, something else awaited: a starry night, a beautiful sky illuminated by Luna’s moon.

Dinky sat atop her mother’s back, her chin nestled within her mother’s mane as the two stared up at the heavens. Never in her short life had she ever felt so content, or so at peace. “Mommy?” she asked.

“Mhm?” Derpy replied.

“I love you,” she said.

Derpy gave a smile. “I love you too, Dinky.”

Silence met them once more. A shooting star passed by.

“Mommy?”

“Mm?”

“Do you think Daddy would be proud of me?”

“He would have adored you. He looked forward to you all his life.”

“Oh.” There was a pause. “Can you tell me a story about you and Daddy?”

Derpy’s mind raced backwards, through her younger days of an early marriage, a blossoming love that started from a simple friendship that began when she was just a tiny little filly herself. “I can think of a few,” she said with a grin.

The End

Author's Note:

For futures lost... and won.

Thank you for joining me on this journey, dear reader.

Comments

[Echo 27]

6176756 Nah, not a cutter. Just someone whose grief is so great that he's given up caring for himself beyond basic survival needs.

[Echo 27]

6271925 I wanted to make a group that seemed to have a magical connection to the spiritual world. Benign, but still a bit spooky.

[SIGAWESOME]

I am glad Derpy is now finally facing her suppressed issues regarding Crimson's untimely death in the line of service. Maybe now she and Berry will finally go visit some counsellors?

Well that certainly was an amusing story. There can never be too many Derpy stories...

The story could stand to use a round of judicious editing though. The plot needs to be tightened up in places to remove extraneous elements that disrupt the flow of the story. There are several set-pieces and characters that are introduced, but do not really relate to the overarching story...

Just my 2p.

[Echo 27]

6273090 Oh I agree it's not perfect. I could've done better so I'll certainly try harder next time round.