A Long Winding Road

Chapter 9

~hellooo this is shorter than usual but enjoy :)~

"I... I'll go. Just to see AJ. Then I'll come home."

I run to hug her. It feels weird, but right.

"Thank you."

We walk out the room. "We're going to my home. If you wanna come, you can." I tell Shy.

"I don't know, my mom's gonna worry..." she thinks for a while.

"You know what? I'm going with you. Here with you all the way, remember?" I smile at her. She returns it.

We get in the car. I yawn. "Are you tired?" I shake my head, even though I am. Rainbow Dash, or should I say mom, gives me a look.

"You're just like AJ, so stubborn. Go sleep. I'll drive. I remember the way. Sleep." I nod my head and give in. I fall asleep to the radio playing.

When I wake up, I can see the town. Mom looks at me and smiles. "Morning. We're almost there."

"How long did I sleep for?"

"Erm...through the night, it's about 7 now." Woah. I was really tired.

"Do you wanna go straight to the hospital? Or do you wanna have breakfast first?" Cheese asks.

"Breakfast. I can't do this on an empty stomach." She says immediately. She really is my mom. Food is first priority.

"Great, let's go to mine." Cheese says.

"Okay. You wanna drive?"

"Nah, I'll direct you."

We pull up to Cheese's house.

We walk in the door. "Hey, mom." Cheesy says.

"Lil' Cheese!" Aunt Pie says in surprise. They hug. "Awww" me and Shy go.

I look at my mom. She's a bit tensed up. I forgot. She and Aunt Pie were friends. Aunt Pie looks up and spots my mom. She stares in shock. They stare at each other, a number of emotions passing through between them.

Aunt Pie breaks out of her trance. "Dashie?" She says softly, reaching out to her, as if to test if she was a ghost or not.

"Hey, Pinkie."

Aunt Pie hugs her. "Dashie. You're here." I can see tears in both of their eyes.

"Of course I did. Couldn't leave my fellow prankster."

Mom pulls back to look at her. "You've grown."

"You too. I can't believe you're here, Dashie. I didn't think I would see any of you together again." She realised something. "Does...does...she..."

"Yeah, Autumn knows."

"Then...AJ...?"

"No. She's not out of her coma yet, right?"

"She... she's..."

"Pinkie?"

"She...erm..."

"What? Did something happen? Is she...?"

"No! She's not dead, Dashie. It's just...it's complicated. Have you had breakfast yet?" She knows how to effectively change the conversation.

"No...but..."

"Eat first. I'll catch up with you over it."

Mom nods a bit reluctantly.

Aunt Pie notices Shy. "And you are...?" 

"Discord and Fluttershy's daughter. Discordance Shy. A mouthful, I know. Just call me Shy."

Aunt Pie blinks in surprise, before bursting into her usual energy.

"Hello, dear. Come, eat. Eat as much as you want, I'm closed today anyway."

We eat one Aunt Pie's famous cakes and talk. I look over at the other table for a second. They look so engrossed and happy in their conversation. I like seeing them happy. They deserve it.

After we finish breakfast, we clean up. "Okay so, about my mom, Aunt Pie, what is it? Has she woken up?"

"Sorta. I don't know how to explain. You need to see it for yourself. She's a bit...confused. That's the only way I can describe it. Let's go! Is your car big enough?"

"Yeah." I reply.

"Let's go then! Dashie, AJ hasn't changed a bit. Maybe a tiny bit but not a lot of bits."

"Okay, Pinkie. We get it." My mom says laughing. Aunt Pie is never this energetic. And she's the most energetic person I know. I smile. Maybe this won't turn out that bad after all.

We get to the hospital and to her room. I breathe in and out again.

"Hey." I look at Cheese. "It's gonna be okay." She gives me a smile.

I let out a sigh. "I'm just scared for whatever is gonna happen. I'm completely terrified."

 "I know. Just know I'm here for you, okay?"

She pulls me into a hug. "Thanks."

I take a deep breathe and walk in. My mom is sitting up in her bed. She looks fine, just some tubes and machines surrounding her.

"Mom!"

I run over and tackle her in a hug. "Mom, I missed you so much. I love you."

She pushes me away. I admit, I'm a bit hurt.

"Mom? Did I do something wrong?"

She stares at me blankly. Something's definitely off. "Sure there's something wrong. Who in tarnation are you?"