My Little Quack-Quack

by Yosh-E-O

First published

Some fun with the many duck ponies that existed prior to Equestria's founding

Before friendship was magic and prior to the days of the time when Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies lived apart in their own lands there was Dream Valley.

Dream Valley was home to Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. However these ponies did not have the honed talents of their descendants. However their attachment to magic was there. It was just, well, very different.

Enter these short tales about the four Duck Ponies. Quackers, Baby Quackers, Sprinkles, and Rainfeather. Ducks certainly had quite the connection with the ponies of times long gone and these tales explore it.

Tale 1 - Sprinkles & Rainfeather

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Sprinkles the Pegasus always enjoyed exploring the skies in search of rainbow pools in the clouds. On one occasion she came across one that a very special mallard liked to frequent. His name was Duck Soup and he told her that he got his name from how he felt no pond was ever complete without a lively duck quacking around in it. “I’m the special ingredient to having the best times in the water!” he would proclaim. “Water is just water without your pal, Duck soup!”

The light-pink Pegasus would sometimes soar the skies with Duck Soup in search of other rainbow pools. She really wanted to find one that her friends could join her at. Duck soup was a super friend but more friends in the magical rainbow ponds would only make the times spent there all the better!

Sprinkles made friends with a lot of ducks and other water fowl. However her bond with duck Soup was the strongest. She earned her cutie Mark of six blue ducks from the time she realized how she had a gift for helping ducks in their adventures to find nesting grounds, train their babies to fly, and assist them when the time to migrate came.

Duck Soup never migrated far from Sprinkles. He just loved keeping the blue-haired pony company. They would crack jokes, bring some enchanted water to her Unicorn and earth Pony pals as often as possible, and just be a common sight to spot over Pony Land as they would quack along either together or with a flock of ducks, geese, swans, loons, or any other water loving birds that were seeking adventure, assistance, or companionship with the blue-eyed Pegasus and her mallard pal.

Sprinkles spent lots of time in the skies over Pony Land. However there was an Earth Pony who always had a way of keeping her on the ground. His name was Quacky Pants and, like her, he loved to tend to the water fowl that resided in the ponds and lazy rivers near his lush forest cottage.

Quacky Pants and Sprinkles built a strong friendship that developed into a loving relationship. So it was no surprise that the two soon had their first, and only, foal, Rainfeather.

Rainfeather had all of her mom’s looks from her blue eyes to a baby-pink colored coat. The only thing she seemed to get from her green-coated father was being born an earth Pony.

Baby rainfeather, named for the weather the day she came into the world along with the couple’s shared love of water fowl, enjoyed exploring around the grounds of their home by the ponds and lazy rivers. She was quick friends with Duck soup and delighted flying with her mother into the sky to see the rainbow pools that her red-haired father often only could get to by using a hot air balloon he had built for joining his wife on nesting and migrating missions.

One day, while Rainfeather was playing by the river, she met a blue duckling named Chirrup. Chirrup was sad because it hadn’t rained in days and he really wanted to play in a warm summer rainfall. This made rainfeather think about all the stories her mom and dad had told her. She believed in magic and thought she could grant the little quacker’s wish if she only had one of his feathers.

Chirrup was quick to hand over the biggest feather he could pluck from his back to Rainfeather. She then dreamed and hoped with all her heart to make it rain as she waved the feather around like a wand.

DROP
DRIP
DRIP-DROP

Rainfeather was surprised to see that it had suddenly started raining! The blue feather was aglow with magical energy and she came to retain it as her gift. Having the ability to make it rain was definitely perfect for a family who were so close to Pony Land’s water fowl. Rainfeather got her Cutie Mark of a blue duck with a yellow umbrella that day and always made certain to keep the ‘magic feather’ she got from Chirrup tucked safely behind her ear in the event she would ever need to bring about a gentle rainfall for those feathered friends her mom and dad had raised her around.

And so is the tale of Sprinkles and Rainfeather. One day Rainfeather will grow up to inherit her mother and father’s home by the ponds and lazy rivers. She would make a lifelong friend in Chirrup as her mom had made in Duck soup. However, for now, she’s a happy baby pony who just can’t get enough of splashing around with the ducks, swans, geese, and other winged friends that make up all of Pony Land.

Tale 2 - Quackers & Quacky Pants

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Pony Land was a magical place long before it would evolve into the Equestria we know today. So many things could not be simply explained beyond how the power of imagination, belief, and doing all that could be done to balance the ethereal world beyond the rainbow was paramount in a world of seemingly endless possibilities.

Prior to the little ponies taking home in Paradise Estate they lived in a wondrous place known as Dream Castle. One such pony was named Quackers for how much she loved the rain and just going, well, quackers playing in it.

One rainy day Quackers could swear she heard the rain outside calling to her. It was beckoning her outside to play. Eager to give in to her natural delight to play outdoors, Quackers put on her raincoat and ran outside as fast as she could possibly go.

There were many puddles to play in but the rain seemed to keep telling her to go further-and-further away from Dream castle. There was nothing to fear in Dream Valley so she just went with her eagerness to see what she was being guided towards.

To her delight she came across a large pond that lead into a small cave. The cave was being covered over by rainwater flowing from the stream that had formed itself above through the rocks.

“Play with us!” cried a mallard duck. “Be our friend, little pony!”

Quackers smiled and felt herself give out an involuntary ‘quack’ that made the ducks in the pond cheer.

“We knew you were one of us, little pony!” another mallard cheered. “Now use your magic to bring the wonder of the rainbow to our special place!”

“My power?” the Earth Pony wondered as she looked towards the falling rain. Something in her couldn’t help but see each drop as if it were a small fragmentof the great rainbow that separated their world from those of others.

“She’s doing it!” gleed some ducklings as they trailed their ecstatic mother from out from the cave.

“Doing what?” quackers quacked as she suddenly saw the raindrops turning all colors of the rainbow itself. The colored droplets filling the water with swirls of beautiful color that collected into two regions of the pond. One turned white from the colors gathering to create a whole other pony!

“Momma?” quacked the little one as she pulled herself out of the water. She looked exactly like Quackers! She had a white coat and multi-colored mane. She was just smaller and appeared to make a lot of quacking sounds.

“You did it!” the ducks in the pond celebrated. “We knew you’d be able to help us become friends with the little ponies!”

“But…,” trailed quackers as she admired the small miracle that was looking up towards her. “Who are you?”

“She’s ‘Baby Quackers’,” answered a duck mom. “She’s like you in every way except she now carries the gift of speaking duck.”

“Wanna’ play, mommy?” asked Baby Quackers as her lips appeared to make a sort of ‘duck face’. “I love you forevers, momma!”

Quackers, knowing of how their magical world was ever-filled with wondrous mysteries smiled at knowing how she now had a littleone of her own. So the two continued to play in the fading, rainbow rain before bidding the ducks farewell and heading back to Dream Castle.

Little known to Quackers nor Baby Quackers was that the second collection of colors got mixed up underneath the temporary waterfall. It’s colors were dominantly green and red and, as with Baby quackers, created a baby pony of their own. One with blue eyes, a duck symbol upon his haunches, and green coat. The ducks took this baby pony as their own and named him Quacky Pants.

Quacky Pants never ventured to Dream Castle nor Paradise Estate. Rather he followed the ducks from pond-to-pond until he came to a place where there were numerous lazy rivers, tiny ponds, and a great tree for him to make a home of his own out of. This home would grow to become a landmark for all sorts of water fowl and where a special duck named duck soup would eventually lead an adventurous Pegasus, named Sprinkles, to meet, marry, and bring to life their own special pony through their love of each other and all those birds they enjoyed caring for. This daughter would be Rainfeather.

One day rainfeather would meet with Quackers and Baby quackers. However not until she was much older and ready to go on her own adventures like her mom, dad, and the magical pony that gave her father life in the first place, Quackers.