Welcome to Vietnam, (un)fortunate pony

by Bronycommander

Chapter 4 Parents'worry

Petunia’s mother was not doing well. Since her daughter went missing, she couldn’t sleep without worrying about her, often having nightmares.

“Mommy!” the filly’s voice rung in her ears. ”Help!”

“Hold on, sweetie! I’m coming!” She galloped in a jungle, following her daughter’s voice.

Petunia was crawling on the ground, bleeding from her chest, leaving a bloody trail in her wake. “It hurts…”

“Don’t worry, I’m here!” She pressed her hooves on Petunia’s wound to stop the bleeding.

“I…don’t want… to die…” Petunia got weaker, her eyes half open.

“You’re going to be alright! Stay with me!” her mother yelled desperate.

“Please…don’t forget me…” Petunia’s body went limp.

Her mother cried, her hooves covered in blood. “No…NO! PETUNIA!”

In that moment, Mrs. Paleo woke up, drenched in cold sweat, gaspingand breathing heavily.

“Honey, you okay?” Her husband asked worried.

“I…I just had another nightmare. She…she died in my hooves…” His wife trembled, the stallion wrapping an consoling hoof around her.

“Shh, calm down. I know how worried you are about her, I’m too. But we have to believe that she’s safe and sound.” He smiled at her.

“You’re right, we must have faith in it.” She could sleep much calmer that night.

The next morning, the married couple were sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast. As Mrs. Paleo read the newspaper, she suppressed tears as the news reported about Petunia’s disappearance, but nothing new. Please…be safe. She prayed.

Her husband noticed her sadness. “I don’t know why, but I have to think of when we first met. Do you remember?” He asked, hoping it would cheer his wife up.

She let a light smile cross her lips. “Of course I do.”

Years ago, Mrs. Paleo was a very successful pearl diver, walking home in the evening from her work. “Ten pearls in one day, must be my lucky day!” She laughed merrily.

As she walked past an alley, somepony grabbed her from behind. “Scream and you’re dead. Give me all your pearls if you don’t want to die!”

“Okay, just…don’t hurt me.” The young mare whimpered.

“Let me her go at once!” A second voice yelled.

She couldn’t see the pony in the dark, but she saw a silverly, shining long object in his hoof.

“Or what? Back off or I’ll kill her! Her captor threatened, holding a knife close to her throat.

“Your mistake.”

In a swift and elegant move, the unknown pony rushed forward, stabbing her captor in the hooves without hurting her in the process. The criminal let out a cry of pain, dropping the knife, allowing the mare to escape.

She scurried behind her savior, seeing he was holding a fencing sword.

The attacker quickly recovered, grabbing his knife again.

“You’ll pay for this!” He charged at the fencer, who just smirked.

“En garde!” He held his sword out, disarming his opponent with another swift strike.

Before the criminal could react, he was knocked out by the fencing pony.

The young mare was impressed by the act, speechless until the fencer asked her, “Are you alright, Ma’am?”

”Y-yes, I’m okay.” Suddenly, everything went black.

Mrs. Paleo came to in a hospital room. There was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

An Earth pony stallion with a light golden coat, blue mane and matching eyes and two crossed fencing swords as Cutie Mark walked in.

“Ah, you’re awake. I’m glad to see you’re okay. It seems you got a very bloody wound during the fight, but the doctors took care of it. I’m Mr. Grant.”

“Ms. Levine. Levine Paleo. Thank you for saving me.” She blushed.

“You’re welcome. I was on my way home from training when I saw how he attempted to mug you, I knew what I had to do.” He looked away, blushing.

“And I’m grateful for that.” For some reason, her heart beat faster now. She leaned forward slowly and kissed him on the lips. Grant returned it.

“I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.” He said, smiling.

It was more than that. Grant visited her regularly and she was pleased every time. After Paleo was released from the hospital, they spent time together, dating, Grant told her how he became a fencing champion. Eventually, their love turned into marriage.

After their wonderful wedding and a beautiful evening, Levine got pregnant.

“You’re going to be a wonderful father.” Levine kissed her husband.

“And you’re a wonderful mother.” Grant returned it. Levine grimaced as the foal inside her kicked.

Then they went to bed with smiles, snuggling.

Time passed fast and soon, Levine’s water broke.

In the hospital, Doctor Stable and Nurse Redheart helped with the birth of the foal.

“It’s so painful!” The opal colored mare gasped heavily from the pain.

“I’ll be over soon. Push!” Redheart ordered.

Paleo screamed in pain louder than ever before in her life. Then the sound of a crying baby filled the room.

“My goodness… it’s a filly.” Her husband gently gave the newborn foal to Levine, tears of joy streaming out of her eyes.

The filly had blue eyes, matching coat and a blue mane with brighter strands. “How shall we name her?” Grant asked, proudly.

“Petunia. Welcome to the world, my sweet daughter.” She looked with teary eyes and a smile at her baby.

“Who knows what could have happened if you hadn’t been there back then, Grant.”

“Don’t even think about it, it belongs to the past. Now you make me think of our embarrassing reaction.” He blushed at the memory.

His wife smiled instead. “Oh, you….”

Both parents were cleaning the house as Petunia ran in, calling out, “Mommy! Daddy! I got my Cutie Mark!”

“Congratulations! What is it?” her father asked with pride. It turned into shock when they saw that Petunia had a skull and two bones as a Cutie Mark.

“What do you think?” The filly asked with joy, jumping up and down.

Both parents forced a smile. “It’s…nice.” They replied together.

“I can’t wait to tell my friends!” Petunia exclaimed, running out of the house.

While her parents were very proud of her, they were unsettled by their daughter’s Cutie Mark.

“What could her Cutie Mark mean?” Levine asked, worried.

“I don’t know. Maybe she will become a pirate?” Her husband replied.

“Pirate? What makes you think of that?” The mother asked, confused.

“Well, pirate flags have bones on them, so it could be possible. Plus, one of my ancestors was a pirate, if my memory is correct.”

“If you say so. I will make her some pirate clothes. But to be entirely sure, we should ask the ponies who help others with their Cutie Marks, the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“I will take care of that right away, honey.”

After the Crusaders arrived, Scootaloo kept Petunia busy while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom talked with Petunia’s parents over a cup of tea.

“So, Scootaloo's keeping Petunia busy like you asked. What did you two want to talk about?” Sweetie Belle asked, curious.

“I'm sure you get these questions all the time. Oh, this is so awkward.” Mrs. Paleo was not sure what to say.

“Um, you're the experts, so we thought you'd have some insight into our daughter's new, uh, cutie mark.” Mr. Paleo tried to find the right words.

“What's wrong?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Obviously, we're both very proud of her and her cutie mark...” Petunia’s mother started.

“Despite its, um... unsettling nature.” The father finished.

“Unsettling?” Sweetie Belle looked out of the window.

“I don't get what you mean.” Apple Bloom replied as she,, Mr. and Mrs. Paleo joined Sweetie Belle.

“Her mark doesn't... bother you at all?” The mare asked the farmer filly with a concerned expression.

“Hey! Check out what we found!” Scootaloo called out.

They all went outside to the backyard, where Petunia had dug a hole into the sandpit, a Skeleton lying in the hole. ”Look! A spiny-backed ponysaurus! In our own backyard! And I found him on my very own! How cool is that?!” Their daughter exclaimed with enthusiasm, happy and proud about her find.

Her parents now realized what her Cutie Mark meant. “Oh!” They chuckled, relieved. “She's an archaeologist.”

“Of course! What'd you think she was gonna be, a pirate?” Scootaloo replied, the CMC’s expression becoming confused as they saw the pirate clothes in the hooves of Petunia’s parents.

Realizing how embarrassing that was, the threw them away. „Pirate? Pfft! Why would we think that?” Mrs. Paleo countered embarrassed, before both laughed nervously.

“Why didn’t we realize that earlier? I first thought of something worse, like that she was a necromancer.” Her mother wondered.

“I don’t know. Guess it was the fear. And we confused paleontologist with archaeologist. But anyway, she can be proud of herself. Grant looked on the picture of Petunia and her find.

“Indeed. Let’s catch some fresh air, should help to get our minds clear.” Mrs. Paleo suggested.

“Sure.”

Outside, everypony greeted them and gave them their condolences, they thanked in return. That was what they liked very much about Ponyville, everypony helped each other in the time of need, no matter what.

During their walk, Petunia’s friends Dinky, Noi, Ruby and the CMC crossed their way. “Hello, Mrs. and Mr. Paleo. We’re sorry to hear what happened to your daughter!” they exclaimed together.

“Hello, girls. We know what a good friend our daughter is too you.” Both parents spoke in unison.

As the foals left, the Paleos continued to walk through Ponyville, seeing how one of Petunia’s classmates, Tender Taps, talked with the griffon Gabby, which they helped to find the CMC.

“Your dance moves are impressive! Your parents must be proud of you!” Gabby said to the young colt.

“Yes, they are!” He noticed Petunia’s parents. “Oh, hello Mrs. and Mr. Paleo, I’m sorry for what happened to Petunia.”

“Me too. If I get any information about her, I will let you know right away.” The Mail courier promised in her usual kind tone, sounding also worried about the young filly.

“Thank you, Gabby.” Both parents replied.

The two parents felt slightly better after getting condolences from their neighbors and their daughter’s friends, so they headed back to their home in Crichton Park.

“Our daughter has very good friends, don’t you think, Levine?”

“Yes, she has.”

Suddenly, the mare stopped abruptly, like she was frozen on the spot.

“What’s wrong?” Her husband asked, concerned

“I…have a stinging pain in my heart.” Her pupils shrunk and she collapsed, crying. “No…NO!”

Before the father could process what his wife went through, a voice echoed in his head.

“Ow….Ow…M-mommy…Da-daddy.”

It hit him like a brick.

He collapsed beside his wife.

“SHE’s GONE! MY daughter's gone!”

Author's Note:

Poor Mr. and Mrs. Paleo. I like to thank Purple Patch for helping me with their first names

Comments

[Boneguard]

I really hope you do the russian roulette scene, keep up the good work

[Bronycommander]

8417256
Thanks, i will. I have a Russian Roulette Scene planed for a later chapter