>Miss Cheerilee is happily lecturing the small class of young ponies on the history of the royal family
>Not your favorite topic, but it was still pretty interesting
>You are taking careful notes but when she reaches the part about when Celestia was forced to banish Luna to the moon you go ahead and put your pencil down
>Your Mommy used to tell you stories every night, one of her favorites being about Celestia's heartbreak after banishing Luna and the happy reunion so many years later
>"Psst! Dinky!"
>You turn to your left to find Applebloom beaming at you
>You whisper back as nonchalantly as you can manage
"What?"
>"After school ya wanna hang out with me, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo?"
>You look to the seats directly behind you and Applebloom, the two fillies there wearing a look of resignation
>"We can play with Anon and maybe even work on getting our cutie marks together!"
>You can hear an eager sort of joy in her voice that reassures you that this isn't going to be some kind of prank
>Besides, Applebloom had never done anything like that to you before
"Sure!"
>The sound is more of a squeak than a whisper; Miss Cheerilee clears her throat and shoots you and Applebloom a knowing look
>You take the hint and settle for exchanging excited grins with Applebloom and before long even Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell look like they might be looking forward to it
 
>Recess!
>You and Applebloom run outside, giggling hysterically at nothing in particular
>"So whatcha wanna do first when school's over?
"Well, we could all walk to my house with Anon and get something to eat. He makes the yummiest treats!"
>Just the thought of the muffins he made set your mouth to watering
>"And after that we can go to the clubhouse to officially induct Dinky into the crusaders!"
>Scootaloo chimes in, her cute little wings buzzing excitedly
>"Oh, oh! I'll have Rarity make you a cape to match ours!"
>Sweetie Bell is bouncing excitedly and the energy is infectious, resulting in the four of you hopping up and down ecstatically while you discuss all the things you'll do together after school
>As Applebloom explains the latest plan to earn cutie marks you notice a familiar colt approaching you
>Your new friends must have seen your expression change because they stop what they're doing and turn to see what's got your attention
>"Hey, the retard has some new keepers, huh?
>Silver Fields' voice is full of condescension and disgust
>"Just leave us alone Silver Fields!"
>Applebloom's tone is commanding and confident, as though she were a grown up scolding a silly little filly
>"Or what? You'll get the retard's monster to eat me?"
>His two lackeys, ponies you'd never even learned the names of, erupt into mean spirited laughter
>Applebloom's confidence visibly wavers
>"No, ah'll tell Miss Cheerilee and she'll tell yer parents!"
>You try to speak up to stop her, but you're afraid
>You know how mean Silver Fields can be and you wish he would just leave the other three out of it
>"Oh, big deal! My parents will just think it's funny that you three fillies are hanging out with the invalid's daughter!"
>That was a new one,he must've heard it somewhere since the last time he decided to try and make you cry
 
>"Stop!"
>Applebloom's voice is much more shrill now, the confidence from before evaporating quickly
>"Or what?"
>Suddenly he snatches the bow from Applebloom's head, tugging her mane hard enough to make her take a step forward, tears welling up in her eyes already
>Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, who'd been slowly backing towards the safety of indoors now step up to take their shot at stopping this bully
>"Hey, that bow means a lot to her!"
>Sweetie Bell's voice squeaks when she yells, completely eliminating any chance of Silver Fields taking her seriously
>"Yeah, that bow means more to her than you do to your mom!"
>Scootaloo actually does make the bully hesitate, but it backfires when he bolts for the road
>He skillfully tosses the bow onto the back of a passing carriage and just like that it's disappearing down the road
>"Yeah, well if she loved it so much she should have protected it"
>He trots back over to the four of you, a smug expression on his stupid face as he looks down at the now sobbing Applebloom
>"Whatever, I'm not gonna keep wasting my time on a retard, a cripple and a couple of blank flanks"
>With that he turns and begins to strut away, his lackeys still laughing hysterically at the pain he's managed to sew amongst you
"Shut up..."
>He stops dead in his tracks and rounds on you, smug superiority plain on his face
>"What was that reta-"
>He's cut short by a blast of magic from your horn that flings him against the side of the school building like a doll
>You're suddenly very dizzy
"Mommy..?"
>With that the world goes dark
 
>You finally reach the door to Derpy's cottage and you can hear her crying inside
>You plant your hands on either side of the door and gasp in hot lungfuls of air. your legs burning
>You wrack your brain, desperately trying to think of what to say to her as you catch your breath
>As soon as you've regained your breath enough that you're confident that you'll be able to speak you throw open the door
"Derpy!"
>You're not sure what you were expecting, but the small home is the picture of serenity
>You hear a soft sob from Dinky's room and rush over to find Derpy sitting on Dinky's bed, fiercely cuddling a small stuffed pony that you don't recall ever seeing Dinky with
"Derpy... I know what you're thinking..."
>She looks up, her eyes filled with pain and a deep seated sadness that your intuition tells you is much bigger than just you
>"You love her, huh?
>She blinks away a few tears when she speaks
"I... I do."
>You can't lie to her, not now, not ever
"I love her like a sister. She saved my life and she helped me learn to love this place."
>She sinks just a little further into the depression she's caught up in
"Without her I would never have learned how much better this place is than my home. I never would've made the few friends I do have..."
>You take a seat next to her on Dinky's bed, placing your hand on her withers and rubbing gently before speaking again
"I would've never been able to fall in love with you."
>She looks up into your eyes again and you can see the glimmer of hope
"I love you, Derpy. I love you and I love Dinky and I want to live with the two of you forever and ever."
>Derpy's lower lip quivers almost imperceptibly and the tears begin rolling down her cheeks again
"I... I don't know what else to say. I love you, you silly horse."
>She sits up and you wrap her in a tight hug, your eyes sting slightly from the tears you're struggling to hold in
>"I-I just thought that the two of you looked so happy there, sleeping together... I th-thought that you'd never be able to share a moment like that with a.. A retard like me."
>She spits the word and the pain in her voice shatters your heart like glass
>She looks up into your eyes again, the glimmer of hope still there beneath the sadness
>You can't think of anything to say to her that could mean more than what you're about to do
>So fuck it, who needs words?
 
>You lean in suddenly and lock your beloved Derpy in the most meaningful, heartfelt kiss of either of your lives, the universe around you melting away until the only thing in either of your minds is eachother
>For that magical moment, everything is perfect
 
>Your little hooves are carrying you as fast as they possibly can to Anon and Derpy's cottage
>Your signature bow is still missing, and somewhere in the back of your mind you're still reeling from what Silver Fields did
>Right now there's more important things to worry about
>Dinky fainted after losing control of her magic and was being rushed to the hospital along with Silver Fields by Miss Cheerilee
"ANON!"
>You start screaming his name as soon as the cottage is in sight, your panic keeping you from realizing that there's no way he can hear you
>Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo went to the hospital with Cheerilee to be there for Dinky when she wakes up, leaving it up to you to find Anon and Derpy
"ANOOON!"
>You throat stings from screaming but you don't stop until you burst through the door to the cottage
"AnonDinkysavedusfromSilverFieldsbutshefaintedandnowMissCheerileeistakinghertothehos-"
>You realize that you just barged in on Anon and Derpy kissing
>By the looks on their faces they were getting pretty into it, too
>The shock passes and you snap back to the situation at hand
"Dinky is at the hospital because her magic went haywire and hurt Silver Fields!"
>Anon and Derpy both jump to their feet(or hooves) and follow you out of the cottage, breaking into a run immediately
>"Derpy, fly there as fast as you can, I'm right behind you!"
>Anon scoops you into his arms as he picks up the pace, holding you not unlike a football
>You try to protest but stop when you see the look of concern on his face
>The gravity of the situation finally sinks in for you now that you're not so panicked and you feel tears building in your eyes
"Will she be okay Anon?"
>You look up at him, praying that he could somehow know the answer
>When he doesn't answer your heart sinks and your thoughts turn to the times you'd ignored Dinky or purposely avoided her and your heart sinks even further still
 
 
>You, Derpy, Applebloom and Miss Cheerilee are gathered around Dinky's bed
>The doctor assured you that she would be fine, that she's just exhausted
>You're not panicking any more, but you're still worried about the precious little filly
>Cheerilee had explained what she knew about what happened; that Silver Fields may have been bullying Dinky and that Dinky had thrown him against a building with her magic
>Apparently the young colt had suffered a couple of broken ribs and a minor concussion
>You knew that he probably deserved it, but you still felt sorry for him. No child should go through such a terrifying ordeal
>You let out a sigh and drape an arm over Derpy's shoulders, leaning against her for emotional support
>She looks up into your eyes with a small smile before going back to just watching Dinky sleep
>"D'ya think she'll still wanna be part of the Crusaders?"
>Applebloom's voice is touched with concern and you can't help but chuckle
"I don't see why not."
>The little yellow filly beams at you before lifting the blanket to get a look at Dinky's new cutie mark for the thirtieth time
>"What d'ya think it means?"
>You think about it for a moment and given the context you're pretty sure that the plain little shield ornamented with a heart that had appeared on her flank represented her desire to protect the people she loved
"I think it means she cares about her friends an awful lot."
>Derpy chimes in now, her voice somewhat hoarse from the emotional gauntlet she'd run today
>"Whatever it means I hope she wakes up soon..."
"Me too."
>You use the arm around Derpy's shoulders to give her a reassuring squeeze
 
>Through all of this, in the back of your mind the name Silver Fields nags at you
>You know you recognize it from somewhere, you just can't place it
 
 
>Cheerilee excuses herself to go see how Silver Fields is doing, finally allowing you to ask Applebloom for the real story about what had happened without insulting the teacher pony
>"Well, ah reckon what Miss Cheerilee said was right, but Silver Fields has been bullying Dinky for a long time now. Right before her magic went crazy he threw my bow onto a passing carriage... Ah don't think she ever even said anythin' to him before then. She just let him pick on her."
>Applebloom, laying on the foot of Dinky's bed, rests her chin on her crossed forelegs
>"And ah never said anythin' either... Ah knew the other ponies were mean to her but ah just never paid attention until now.."
>You stand up, regardless of the fact that you can barely feel your legs, and join Applebloom on the edge of the bed, stroking her mane gently
"It's okay, sweetheart. I know Dinky doesn't blame you."
>She seems to perk up just a bit, but your attention is stolen by a small, pathetic groan from the head of the bed.
>"Dinky!"
>The peculiar blend of concern, joy and sadness in Derpy's voice is truly heartwarming
>"Mommy?"
>Dinky blinks sleepily and sits up slowly, yawning adorably
"Hey, kid. How're you feeling?"
>Dinky's response is cut off before it can begin when her mother hugs her fiercely enough that you almost worry about the filly's spine
>Once Dinky manages to pry herself away from Derpy enough to speak she beams at you
>"I'm fine. Are Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell okay? They're not too sad are they?"
>You're fairly surprised by the filly's concern for her friends before even thinking about her own predicament.
>"We're all fine! Ah'm so glad you're okay!"
>Applebloom somehow squeezes into the hug that Derpy still has Dinky locked in
>"Great! Um... Why are we at the hospital?"
>Dinky seems to have finally realized where she is and the look of innocence and confusion on her face makes you laugh
 
"Well, we're here because you... You kind of attacked Silver Fields at school. You fainted afterwards."
>She tilts her head in disbelief
>"I attacked somepony?"
>You nod
>"Yeah, Silver Fields was bein' a jerk and you shut him up good!"
>Applebloom beams at Dinky, who still seems confused
>"Is he okay?"
>The look of concern on her face is genuine and for the first time you're really realizing just what kind of emotional fortitude this little filly must possess
"The doctors said that you broke some of his ribs and gave him a concussion..."
>You can see tears welling up in her eyes and you ruffle her mane
"But you did it to protect your friends. None of us are mad at you."
>This doesn't seem to help at all
>"But he didn't hurt us at all... He was just being mean... Will he be okay?"
"He'll be fine, don't worry."
>She seems to brighten up a bit at that
>"And ya got yer cutie mark!"
>Applebloom is bouncing on the bed beside her as she lifts the blanket, revealing the edge of her cutie mark
>"I DID?!"
>Her voice is little more than a squeak as she leaps to her hooves on the bed and immediately starts walking in circles trying to get a good look at her cutie mark
"What is it? I can't tell!"
>Applebloom hops off the bed and hurries over to the mirror on the bathroom door
>"Come look!"
>Dinky rushes over to inspect her cutie mark, a simple shield with a heart in the center
>"..."
>"What does that mean?"
>She looks up to you and Derpy for an answer and you look to Derpy
>"W-well... I definitely think it's got something to do with the way you protected your friends today."
>You can see the wonder fill Dinky's eyes as you're sure her head fills with fantasies of knights and dragons and honor
>However it's your turn to hug your little Dinky and you scoop her into your arms, squeezing her as if she might come apart if you stop
"I'm so happy you're okay..."
>A single tear rolls down your cheek as Derpy and Applebloom add themselves to the hug
 
>"Yes, Mr. Golden Fields, he's going to be fine. He's just going to need plenty of bed rest while the magic in the bandages help the bones set."
>You don't look at the doctor
>Your eyes are locked on your son's pained expression, every breath making him wince a little in his sleep.
>"W-well uh.. If you need anything at all, just contact the nurse."
>With that the doctor hurries out of the dark room, leaving you alone with your injured son
>You sit in silence, gritting your teeth as the bile rises up in your throat
 
 
>It's been a couple of months since Dinky earned her cutie mark
>You're standing idly in your kitchen, waiting the last minute or so before pulling out the Braided Blueberry Danish you'd promised Pinkie Pie the other day
>Derpy is napping on the couch, snoring softly
>You pull the Danish out and set it on the counter to cool, tossing aside the oven mitts and reclaiming your spot on the couch with Derpy
>In a couple of hours Dinky will be home from school and you'll be able to show her the costume you'd bought her for the rapidly approaching Nightmare Night
>Until then you and your most favorite pegasus are free to spend the afternoon however you like
>Before long you're asleep with her, the two of you perfectly content to nap away this slow, chilly afternoon.
>You don't even wake up when Pinkie shows up for her Danish, confident that Pinkie will just come in and get it, which she does.
 
 
>Miss Cheerilee dismisses class for the day and you squeal with delight and pour out of the small schoolhouse along with the rest of the fillies and colts
>"We're meeting at the clubhouse with our costumes, right?
>Scootaloo's wings are buzzing with excitement
>The four of you had been keeping your costumes a secret from each other so that you could reveal them to each other on Nightmare Night
"Yeah, Nightmare Night is only a day away anyhow!"
>You can't wait to show off your knight costume that Mommy and Daddy had ordered for you
>"Ah can't wait to show ya'll what Applejack and ah put together this year!"
>Applebloom is positively humming with energy, as is Sweetie Bell
>"Me too, me too! Rarity and I worked soooo hard on it!"
>You all exchange a quick 'see ya in a minute' and take off as fast as you can for your respective homes
 
>"Oh, WOW!"
>She's so excited that Dinky's voice is about 80% squeak when you hold up the mirror for her to look at her costume
>It's actually less of a costume and more of a miniature suit of functional Royal Guard's armor
>You'd traded a certain pink pony a Blueberry Danish for her to convince the Royal smith to forge one to sell to you
>"It's amazing!"
>Still mostly squeak
>Dinky's face is the absolute picture of wonder and excitement as she turns around a few times in the mirror
"Just remember, this armor has a weak point you'll need to watch out for."
>Dinky's expression is suddenly serious
>"Wha-?"
>Before she can ask you lift her up and blow a big raspberry on her exposed belly, causing her and her mother to erupt into giggling fits
>"No fair! No evildoers are gonna try to tummy-fart me!"
>Laughing, you pretend that you're going to set her down before doing it again and descending into another round of giggles
"Don't be so sure, young warrior!"
>You wipe your eyes as the last few giggles work themselves out of the three of you
>"It's perfect, Daddy."
>Her bright golden eyes are filled with adoration and you can't help but hug the little filly again
"Anything for my precious baby and my lovey dovey shmoockums"
>You lapse into babytalk, something that Dinky(and nearly everyone else) hates and she pretends to gag
>"I love you guys! I'm going to the clubhouse!"
>And with that she bolts, clanking noisily the whole way to Sweet Apple Acres
>You and Derpy watch her go from the doorway, loosely holding eachother
>You suddenly turn and plant a kiss on Derpy's cheek
>"What?"
"Nothin'. Just felt like something I should do."
 
 
"No magic, we can't be sure that it effects that...thing."
>You spit the last word, your voice filled with malice
>"Of course."
>The visibly malnourished pony before you bows his head slightly and takes his leave, leaving you alone in your dimly lit study to wallow in your loathing
 
 
>It's Nightmare Night and Derpy is out with Dinky at Sweet Apple Acres for the party the Apples are throwing.
>You've been tasked with handing out candy, but very few ponies are willing to venture so close to the Everfree Forrest tonight, of all nights
>You solve this problem by giving every pony who does show up handful after handful of candy and in short order you've completed your task.
"Now where did I..."
>You have to do a little searching but you find the fake fangs you'd bought and pop them into your mouth, making a scary face at your reflection in the window
>You chuckle to yourself and head out, marveling over how easy scary costumes become when you're the only human in the world
>You lock the cabin up and set out for Sweet Apple Acres. enjoying the serenity of the night.
>You can hear the festivities in the Market of Ponyville in the distance, the sounds carried to you by the gentle breeze
>You smile and take a nice, deep breath of the cool night air and reflect on your time in Equestria for the first time in a long while
 
>You'd woken up in the middle of the forest, only to be set upon by timber wolves.
>You'd ran for nearly an hour before you ran almost straight into what you'd thought was another monster at the time, albeit considerably more orange than the wooden wolves
>You tried to run from her as well, but she'd lassoed you like a pro and dragged you straight to Canterlot to report to the Princesses
>The meeting had been brief, and thinking about it now you feel that maybe the Princesses had been far more calm and accepting of you than they should have been if you were the first human to ever show up here.
>After receiving the official Royal Seal of Approval you'd wandered around Ponyville for a couple of days
>During that time several ponies had tried, unsuccessfully, to slay you.
>After that you'd gone home with Applejack and begun work on the farm
>You grin as you remember the silly games you'd play with her and the rest of the Apples to make the chores feel less like chores
>You'd spent some time with Twilight Sparkle after that, helping her keep notes and lists and clean every nook and cranny of that damned library...
>You remember the first time you'd met Derpy
>You remember the anger evaporating instantly when she smiled and handed you a couple of letters
>You remember the look in her eyes; absolutely devoid of the judgement and disgust almost every other pony had harbored.
>You remember that night on the farm, when Dinky and Derpy had been racing to find you
>You remember how adorable and embarrassed Derpy had been after she'd let the question slip
>You remember how upset AJ had been when she discovered you and Derpy
>You frown at the memory of what she'd said and how you'd reacted
>Your grin returns however when you remember cuddling with Derpy and Dinky that first night, how welcome you'd felt.
>You're smiling dreamily as you stroll down memory lane, passing under the trees at the outer edge of Sweet Apple Acres
>The breeze picks up and you break out in goosebumps, stopping to shiver
>"Hey."
>You hadn't heard anyone following you, so you wince a little at the sudden sound as you turn
>You find yourself face to face with a pony who appears to be starving
"Wha-"
>There's a sharp, metal sound that you place instantly, even though you hadn't heard it since leaving the human world
>The searing hot pain blossoms in your abdomen, quickly spreading throughout your body
>You now notice that the pony standing before you is in fact a unicorn, and that his horn is aglow with his magic.
>You look down as the knife withdraws from your stomach, it's handle also aglow
>The knife plunges back into you and your vision wavers and blurs
>Your throat feels so dry you can't swallow
>You fall to your knees and clutch your stomach as the unicorn turns and bolts.
>You can't scream, you can barely even think
>You've fallen onto your side at some point, but the only thing that's registering with your brain anymore is the pain
 
>You see the last golden and orange leaves clinging to the trees above you stir in the gentle breeze
>You see the deep, endless sky peppered with countless stars and glaxies
 
>And then it all goes black