There’s No Place Like Home

By Katrina Smith (a.k.a. Lips)

 

Author’s note: Although this story takes place after My Little Pony, The Movie, Baby Lickety-Split’s Waterfall is more like the one where the Sea Ponies sprayed the Witches with a sea shell when they were trying to ruin the Spring Festival than the one that Spike and Baby Lickety-Split find the Grundles in later.  Don’t envision a valley with a river flowing from a crashing waterfall – it’s more of a waterfall falling down a cliff into a pond that becomes a little brook that drains toward the Sea Ponies home to the south.

 

Baby Milkweed squealed and grabbed a hoof-full of her alfalfa cereal to fling across the room at Baby Bouncy.  The little yellow foal dodged the breakfast missile in mid-air and landed with a grunt.  The First Tooth Babies were watching the New Born Twins for the grown ups while they prepared for Megan, Danny and Molly’s stay for the annual Autumn Harvest Festival, which was to begin tomorrow.

 

Baby Tic-Tac-Toe was so busy picking up Baby Sniffles’ toys that she didn’t see where Baby Milkweed’s cereal had landed.  She slipped on the milk and alfalfa and went skidding into Baby Tumbleweed’s block castle.  Baby Tumbleweed’s eyes slowly filled with tears until she burst out crying.

 

“New Born Twins cause too much trouble!” quacked Baby Quackers as she tried to comfort Baby Snookums, who had started crying as well.  “Why we always gotta watch ‘em?”

 

Baby North Star sighed as she finished rebuilding Baby Tumbleweed’s castle.  Baby Tic-Tac-Toe was rubbing her head where the blocks had hit her and looked as though she would cry herself.  Baby Milkweed filled her spoon again and hurled it the cereal and the spoon at Baby North Star.  The spoon hit Baby North Star on the back of the head and she fell face-first into the new castle.  Baby Tumbleweed threw her head back and wailed.

 

“That’s it!” yelled Baby Lickety-Split.  She grabbed hold of Baby Fifi’s mane and dragged her away from the diapers she was folding.

 

“’Ey!  Stop eet!  Zat ‘urts!” said Baby Fifi.  “What are you doing?”

 

“We’re getting outta here!  We never have any fun – we always too busy pickin’ up after twins…”  Baby Lickety-Split’s voice trailed off as she looked outside the Nursery window.

 

A little man was racing around outside the Nursery.  He seemed to be gathering something, but Baby Lickety-Split couldn’t tell what.  Baby Fifi fell to the ground when Baby Lickety-Split suddenly let go of her mane and went tearing outside to investigate.

 

As she approached the little man, he looked up from what he was doing.  “Hello there,” he said in a small voice.  “I’m not bothering you, am I?”

 

Baby Lickety-Split kept her face firm and scowled at him.  “What you doin’?  This our home!”

 

The other baby ponies came tumbling out of the Nursery, although Babies Milkweed, Tumbleweed, Sniffles and Snookums could still be heard pouting inside.  “What he want?” quacked Baby Quackers as she picked alfalfa out of Baby North Star’s tail.

 

“My name’s Pete, I’m an impossible dream collector!” said the little man as he puffed up his chest.  “I take dreams that cannot be, box them, and place them on a little shelf in my study!  I really do the world quite a service, ridding it of all these silly thoughts.”

 

Baby Fifi eyed Pete suspiciously.  “Whose dream ‘ave you got dere?” she said while pointing at a pulsing bit of space between the little man’s hands.  Baby Bouncy took flight over Pete’s head to get a better look.

 

“Why, this is a good one,” he said, shining the invisible orb with his shirtsleeve.  “This one is Baby Lickety-Split’s dream to live on her own – away from Dream Valley and away from Paradise Estate and the Nursery.”  Pete chuckled as he slipped the dream into a potato sack next to him.

 

“Hey!  Gimme that back!” yelled Baby Lickety-Split.  “That dream not impossible!”

 

“Well…” pondered Pete, “I suppose I could give this one back, but I’d be really very remiss in my duties if this dream turns out to be impossible after all.  I mean, you’ve already had one try at it and nearly got yourself smoozed.”

 

Baby Lickety-Split blushed furiously.  “That was different!  Witches gone now.  Besides, I’m gonna take my friends this time.”  Baby Lickety-Split turned on her heel and marched back into the Nursery with her head held high.  The other baby ponies gave Pete a wary look as they raced after Baby Lickety-Split.

 

Pete’s warm smile slowly froze into a cold, evil grin as he released the invisible, impossible dream to the sky.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Baby Lickety-Split spent the whole rest of the afternoon packing up her bag full of clothes, sheets, dresser drawers, and other necessities.  She closed up the bag and began to empty Baby Quackers’ possessions into a new bag.

 

“Hey!  What you doin’?  That’s mine!” shouted Baby Quackers.

 

“You heard what I told Pete.  It not impossible for us to go away – we just gotta do it together,” stated Baby Lickety-Split.

 

“But where shall we go?  We’ve never been outside of Dream Valley!” said Baby North Star, looking rather nervous.

 

“I have!  It no big deal.  We just keep walkin’ past the Waterfall ‘til we’re somewhere else…” answered Baby Lickety-Split.

 

“What about da twins?” asked Baby Bouncy.  She swooped from the air down to grab Baby Tumbleweed, who was chewing on Baby Tic-Tac-Toe’s tail.  Baby Tumbleweed dodged and Baby Bouncy ran head-first into Baby Tic-Tac-Toe’s behind, knocking them both down.  Baby Tumbleweed and Baby Milkweed squealed with laughter.

 

“What about ‘em?  They got food and toys.  Besides, grown ups will be back for ‘em later.”  Baby Lickety-Split finished with Baby Quackers’ stuff and stared on Baby Bouncy’s.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The bright blue afternoon sky slowly faded to dusk.  The First Tooth Babies had finished packing their bags and were saying goodbye to the Nursery.

 

“Au revoir, bed! *sniff sniff*  Au revoir lamp!  Au revoir toy box!  Au revoir curtains…” sobbed Baby Fifi as Baby Lickety-Split grabbed her mane and pulled her out the door.

 

A crisp wind blew through their hair as they approached the Waterfall.  The fine mist that sprayed up from the pool below crystallized and dropped as snowflakes to the ground.  Baby Tic-Tac-Toe shuddered and hugged her bag close to her.

 

“When are we going to stop for zee night?” begged Baby Fifi.  “My eyelashes are sticking to my face!”

 

“Only stoppin’ w-w-when we’re on th-th-the other side of th-th-the Waterfall,” shivered Baby Lickety-Split.

 

The going was rough – the trail they had been following to get to the Waterfall had stopped and they were forced to set out on their own.  The forest that lay to the east looked ominous and uninviting.  The prairie to the west looked barren and cold.  The baby ponies knew that the Sea Ponies lived somewhere to the south, but they also knew they had started walking too late in the day to reach them before it got dark.  The rest of the baby ponies were beginning to have second thoughts about leaving home, but Lickety-Split was as determined as ever.

 

“Okay, forest or prairie?” said Baby Lickety-Split to no one in particular.  Baby Fifi whimpered and Baby Bouncy landed with a thud.

 

“Forest looks dark, Lickety…” said Baby Tic-Tac-Toe in a quite voice.

 

“Yeah!  Like wild aminals in there,” quacked Baby Quackers.

 

Baby North Star took flight and flew beside the Waterfall, doing her best to keep dry.

 

“Hey wait!  There’s a cave behind the Waterfall!” cried Baby Lickety-Split as she darted off towards the pond’s edge.  “That’ll be a great place for our new home!”

 

Baby Lickety-Split very carefully traversed the slippery, moss-covered rocks from the pond’s edge to the mouth of the cave.  It was a little tricky with the wind blowing even harder than before, but she made it.  Baby Tic-Tac-Toe went next, followed by Baby Quackers.  Baby Bouncy had just crash-landed inside when she and the other ponies heard a scream then a loud splash.

 

“’Elp me!” shrieked Baby Fifi from the pond.  The rocks had broken underneath her and she had tumbled into the pond.  She was drifting closer and closer to where the Waterfall emptied into the pond.

 

“She’ll drown!” shouted Baby North Star as she hovered over the pond, trying to stay close to Baby Fifi.  “Find some rope!”

 

The other baby ponies emptied their bags onto the cave floor.  It was very dark behind the Waterfall and it wasn’t until Baby Quackers had found her flashlight that they could begin to look for a rope.

 

“Zee water!  She is very cold!  It is making me freeze!” yelped Baby Fifi as she splashed around to keep her head above the water.  The pond had begun to freeze around the far edges and the constant current the Waterfall created seemed to be the only thing keeping the middle of the pond liquid.

 

“Ah ha!” shouted Baby Quackers as she pulled a blanket from her bag.

 

“What’s that gonna do?” moaned Baby Lickety-Split.

 

“Bouncy!  You take one end in your mouth and North Star can take the other end in hers.  Then Fifi can grab the middle and you can pull her out!” said Baby Quackers in a satisfied sort of way.

 

Baby Bouncy looked unsure, but grabbed a corner of the blanket and galloped to the mouth of the cave.

 

“Hurry!” hollered Baby North Star.  Baby Fifi was getting dangerously close to the Waterfall.  Her head kept dipping below the water and she had stopped thrashing around.

 

Baby Bouncy leapt into the air and flew to Baby North Star so she could grab the other end.  They both flew down to try to get to Baby Fifi before the Waterfall did, but the spray off the Waterfall was freezing on their wings, making it very difficult to fly.

 

“Hold on, Fifi!” yelled Baby North Star.  She and Baby Bouncy dipped the blanket into the water and scooped up Baby Fifi with it.

 

Baby Fifi’s weight wouldn’t have normally been so hard for the two pegasi to bear, but with their wings so cold they were barely keeping aloft.  Her icy wings complicated Baby Bouncy’s usual rough landing and she let go of her end of the blanket.  Baby Fifi tumbled to the floor of the cave and came to rest against a wall.  Baby Tic-Tac-Toe rushed forward with another blanket and started to dry Baby Fifi off.  She whimpered and shivered, but seemed okay.

 

“She could have been killed…” sighed Baby North Star.  She huddled up close to Baby Fifi to try to keep her warm. 

 

“How we gonna get out now that those rocks are gone?” groaned Baby Quackers.  She, Baby Tic-Tac-Toe and Baby Bouncy all settled down around Baby Fifi as well, hoping to warm her up and themselves as well.  Baby Lickety-Split wandered off a few feet away and flopped down on a pile of clothes she had dumped from her bag.  A lone tear dripped down her face as she wondered how things could have turned out worse.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

When Baby Lickety-Split awoke the next morning, the entire cave was bathed in rainbow light.  The sun was shining through an ice sickle that had formed at the mouth of the cave.  Frost covered the walls of the cave and the floor had become quite slick.  Baby Lickety-Split’s tummy rumbled as she thought longingly of the Almond and Apple-Crunch ice cream her mother had made for the Autumn Harvest Festival.  The festival was to begin at noon and Baby Lickety-Split had a pretty good idea that it was midmorning already.

 

Baby Tic-Tac-Toe awoke to commotion outside.  It sounded like someone was shouting… lots of someones!

 

“Wake up, Quackers!” and Baby Tic-Tac-Toe nudged her awake.  Baby Quackers looked annoyed at first, but the sound of voices outside made her pause.  She poked Baby Bouncy, who sat up and listened too.

 

The faint beating of wings could be heard from the other side of the Waterfall.  “I think I found something!” shouted a voice, which was garbled as it came through the Waterfall.  The sound of the wings drifted away.

 

“Wait!” shouted Baby Lickety-Split.  She rushed to the mouth of the cave, sliding along the way.  “We’re in here!”

 

Baby North Star got up and flew out of the cave with some difficulty.  The ice sickles were sharp and hung down low, so she couldn’t take off until the last second.

 

A few minutes later, Baby North Star returned with her mother, Paradise, Lofty and Wind Whistler.  The grown up ponies had an even harder time getting into the cave, but when they did, they found all the baby ponies to be all right – even Baby Fifi.

 

“For Rainbow’s sake, how did you all get in here?” gasped Paradise.

 

“There were rocks to get in before,” explained Baby Quackers, “But Fifi slipped and broke them.  We were stuck!”

 

Baby Fifi smiled sheepishly as she got up from her bed against the cave’s wall.  She trotted up to Lofty and leaned on her legs.

 

“But why did you all come here?  And why did you leave the Newborn Twins alone?” questioned Wind Whistler.

 

“Are they okay?” cried Baby Tic-Tac-Toe.

 

“They made a mess with their alfalfa cereal and nearly tore the Nursery down, but they’re all right,” said Lofty, looking down at Baby Fifi.  She had fallen asleep again and her feet were slowly sliding out from underneath her.  Lofty propped her back up with her wing and Baby Fifi sighed in contentment.

 

“Can we go home now?” asked Baby North Star.

 

North Star frowned slightly at her daughter; “Now, now – you haven’t answered Wind Whistler’s questions yet.  I’m interested in hearing what was so important that you left the twins alone and didn’t come back when it got dark.”

 

“It’s my fault,” confessed Baby Lickety-Split.  “I wanted to find us our own home so we wouldn’t have to baby-sit anymore.”

 

“There was this weird little man!” piped up Baby Quackers.  “He told Lickety that her dream was impossible, so we wanted to prove him wrong!”

 

Suddenly, Surprise swooped into the cave.  “We just caught Dream Dasher Pete near the Nursery!” she said through heavy breaths.

 

The grown ups glanced at each other with worried looks on their faces.  “Did this little man have a potato sack with him?” asked Paradise.

 

All of the baby ponies (except for Baby Fifi, of course) nodded their heads.  “Yeah, and he said his name was Pete,” said Baby North Star.

 

“Yep, that’s Dream Dasher Pete,” groaned Surprise.  “He keeps a magic talisman in that bag that gives him special powers.  It’s not impossible dreams that he feeds off of, but broken ones.  It’s how he keeps the talisman powered.  We already knew you all were missing, so we made him tell us what happened.”

 

“So he was tryin’ to get us in trouble?” quacked Baby Quackers in surprise.

 

“That’s right, Baby Quackers,” said Surprise.  “He was attempting to ruin Baby Lickety-Split’s dream of being on her own.  When he saw you heading for the Waterfall, he loosened the rocks so they’d break and you’d all be stuck in.  Slowly, he assumed that all of your dreams would be broken and he could supply his talisman with endless power.  He wants to take over Ponyland.”

 

“I just wanted to prove him wrong!” shouted Baby Lickety-Split through her tears.  “And he tried to trick us!  Baby Fifi coulda gotten really hurt!”

 

“Baby Lickety-Split,” stared Lofty quietly, “Dreams are wonderful things, but sometimes you have to wait for them.  Sometimes you have to work hard and do the things you should before your dreams can become reality.  Living on your own is a big responsibility, and leaving the twins alone wasn’t a very responsible thing to do.”

 

Baby Lickety-Split looked down at her hooves and spoke quietly; “Guess I’ll just hafta wait then.”

 

“It’ll come sooner than you think,” said Paradise, smiling.  “Besides, don’t you think you’d miss all of us?”

 

Baby Lickety-Split thought of her mother.  She thought of Posey’s gardens and the pool at Paradise Estate.  She thought of her warm little bed and her favorite window at the Nursery.  She thought of all the good times she’d had running in the fields with Sundance and the swimming lessons Wavedancer gave her.  She slowly nodded her head in agreement with Paradise.

 

“Now,” said Lofty, “Let’s get you all home – the Autumn Harvest Festival is starting soon!”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The ponies gathered up all of the baby ponies’ things and flew them home.  They arrived back at Paradise Estate just in time to watch the crowning of the Harvest King and Queen.  The dancing and games went on all afternoon until it was time for the Autumn Harvest Feast.

 

Baby Lickety-Split sat thoughtfully over her Almond and Apple-Crunch ice cream.  She glanced around at everyone sitting at the feast and at Paradise Estate in the distance.  The Nursery was brightly lit behind them and looked warm and inviting.  Baby Lickety-Split sighed and whispered to herself; “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”