"You're going to have to tell her eventually, so you might as well get it over with."
Sparkler Hooves glanced up at her friend from the tree she was reclining under and sighed. "I know, Dashing Wind, but you know my mom. She stands by..." Sparkler spun her hoof around as she tried to think of the words. "More traditional values. Something like this would really hurt her."
Dashing Wind smiled warmly at Sparkler and put a hoof on her shoulder. "It's not like you can help it, right? You just have to say that it's not her fault that you feel this way, and that you just want things to be the same as they always were."
Sparkler groaned and put her head in her hooves. "I don't know how anything will be the same! Mom will never look at me the same way, and what will Dinky think about this?! How do I even explain these feelings to a filly like her? Ug. Our muffin family nights are never going to be the same." Sparkler sighed and rubbed her temples. "She's going to think those have been nothing but lies."
"I'm sure she'll understand." Dashing Wind sat down next to Sparkler and put a foreleg over her shoulders. "Fillies love their sisters no matter what, so I don't see Dinky hating you."
"She'll probably try to give me one of her 'get better' hugs." Sparkler closed her eyes and shook her head. "But it's not like I can be cured. She won't understand that."
Dashing Wind nuzzled Sparkler's cheek. "I'll be there to help you when you talk to your mother. She's just getting back from her mail route, right?"
"She got back five minutes ago," Sparkler muttered.
Dashing Wind nodded and stood up. She held out her hoof to Sparkler. "Then get up and let's go tell her." Dashing Wind nudged Sparkler's shoulder. "I'll be with you every step of the way. You don't have to do this alone."
Sparkler ran a hoof through her mane, but nodded and extended her hoof. Dashing Wind took it and pulled Sparkler up. It was time.
The two walked towards the home of Derpy Hooves, where Sparkler lived with her mother and filly sister. She pushed the door open and motioned for Dashing Wind to step inside. She walked inside after her. The first thing that she noticed was her mother's mail bag hung up on the coat rack where it was always placed when Derpy came home. It was a reminder of the comforting familiarity that was such a big part of her home life. Now that may never be the same again.
"She'll kick me out of the house," Sparkler whimpered. "She'll see this as unforgivable."
Dashing Wind frowned and turned back to her friend. "Now you're just being dramatic. There's no need for that, Sparkler. Your mother loves you very much. She'll understand."
"If you say so," Sparkler muttered. "But you know how important this is to her. She may see it as a failure on her part."
"Sparkler is that you?"
Derpy's voice echoed throughout the house. It seemed to Sparkler to be far away, yet loud and domineering at the same time. No, that's not what Mom is like. She'll understand. She'll still love me. She'll still love me.
Sparkler took a deep breath. "Yeah, Mom, it's me."
Derpy stepped out of the kitchen and flashed her daughter a wide smile. "Just in time to help me with dinner." Her eyes flickered over to Dashing Wind. "Who is this? A friend of yours?"
Sparkler forced a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah. A friend of mine."
"Well she's welcome to stay for dinner if she's willing to help out, too." Derpy's smile widened and she motioned to the kitchen. "We're having grilled lettuce, tomato, and Canterlot cheese sandwiches! I wanted to try something new tonight."
"That's great, Mom." Sparkler's smile faltered and she cleared her throat. "Uh... before we have dinner, there's something that Dashing Wind and I have to talk to you about. Something really, really important."
Derpy looked between the two mares, but her smile never faltered for a moment. "Okay. Wanna go into the living room? I haven't quite started dinner yet, so I'm not going to set anything on fire."
Sparkler let out a noise that was a half-laugh, half-sob and followed her mother into the living room. Derpy directed her daughter and Dashing Wind to the couch while she sat down at her favorite comfy chair. "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Sparkler's forced smile completely faded now that she was confronted by her mother. Her ears flattened, and she turned her gaze to the ground. "I don't..."
Dashing Wind put her foreleg over Sparkler's shoulder again. "It's okay. She'll understand, I promise."
Derpy's own smile slowly began to fade, and she looked between Dashing WInd and her daughter. "Understand what? Sparkler, what's going on?"
"Mom... I have something to tell you that I've been meaning to say for a long time." Sparkler raised her head and looked over to Dashing Wind who nodded at her. Sparkler returned the nod and looked back to Derpy. "I..." Sparkler groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. "Dang it, Sparkler, just say it."
Derpy's ears flattened, but she leaned forward and reached her hoof out to Sparkler. "Sparkler? What's going on?"
"Mom..." Sparkler took a deep breath and forced herself to look at her mother to reveal her deepest, darkest secret. "I don't like muffins."
Derpy softly gasped and retracted her hoof. "W-what did you say?"
"I said I don't like muffins, Mom." Sparkler began blinking back tears. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I hate them beyond belief. I always have."
Derpy began blinking back her own tears and she put her head in her hooves. "Oh Sparkler... I don't see how that's possible. I've been feeding you muffins since you were a filly." Derpy raised her head. "You always seemed to love them so much."
"I'm sorry, Mom, but I was lying." Sparkler wiped a tear from her eye. "I just... didn't want to hurt your feelings. I know that you love them so much. You love them, Dinky loves them, and I really wanted to love them too."
"Oh." Tears were dripping from Derpy's eyes, and she refused to make eye contact with her daughter. "Well, I suppose that it's good that you at least tried them. What don't you like about muffins?"
"It's the consistency," Sparkler admitted. "The way they feel in my mouth is just..." Sparkler withheld making a face of disgust as she reasoned that it would be counter-productive at the moment. "They're just not for me."
"I see." Derpy sniffled and raised her head. "Who is your friend then? Just some mare here to give you moral support?"
Sparkler hesitated and bit her lip. "Well... not exactly." Sparkler ran a hoof through her mane. "I met Dashing Wind when I was looking for... alternative breakfast foods. She runs a bagel shop a few blocks from Sugarcube Corner." For the first time a genuine smile appeared on Sparkler's face. "I'd say that they're the best darned bagels in Equestria."
Dashing Wind smiled in return and lightly punched Sparkler's shoulder. "You flatter me, Sparkler."
"So, your allegiance is to bagels now instead of my muffins." Derpy scoffed and look back down at the floor. "So what, you just throw the muffins I give you for breakfast away?"
Sparkler's eyes widened and she extended her hoof. "N-no! If course not! Dashing Wind loves your muffins! I give her your muffins, and in exchange she gives me two fresh blueberry bagels with strawberry cream cheese!"
"Well, that's something at least," Derpy muttered.
Sparkler's ears flattened and she lowered her hoof. "What are you thinking, Mom?"
"I'm thinking..." Derpy took a deep breath and stood up. "I'm thinking that I need some time alone right now." She nodded towards the kitchen. "Everything for dinner is there. You know how to make it."
Without another word, Derpy walked out the door.
* * * *
Twilight smiled as she levitated the final book into its proper spot on the bookshelf. It had been almost a full two weeks since she had done any re-shelving. The pile had grown quite large. But it was all finished now. Everything was back in its proper place.
Twilight cricked her neck and trotted over towards her desk where her half-finished essay lay. "Nothing cures a nasty case of writer's block like re-shelving," said Twilight with a smile. "Okay, no more interruptions. It's time to get this done."
It was at that moment that the door to the library slammed open with such force that the books vibrated. Twilight spun around to see a wide-eyed Derpy Hooves flying towards her with her forelegs outstretched. "Twilight, you've gotta help me!"
On instinct Twilight ignited her horn, wrapping a magical aura around Derpy's tail that caused her to come to a screeching halt a few hooves in front of Twilight. Collision averted. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Twilight powered down her horn, allowing Derpy to land. "Okay, what's so important that you came crashing into the library?"
Derpy whimpered and grabbed Twilight's shoulders. "The most terrible thing ever has happened and I need your magic to help fix it!"
Twilight's eyes widened, but she pushed Derpy's hooves off. "What happened?!"
"It's awful!" Derpy leaned forward until her snout was almost touching Twilight's. "Sparkler doesn't like muffins! She hates them more than anything!"
"Okaaaayyyy." Twilight took a step back and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess I can see why that would be a problem for you, but what exactly do you want me to do about it?"
"You know spells!" said Derpy wildly. "You know every spell in the history of ever which means that you know a 'like muffins' spell! I need you to cast it on Sparkler!"
"Uh..." Twilight cleared her throat. "I don't actually know every spell. There's a lot of dark magic that Celestia never taught me. Besides all of that, there isn't even a 'like muffins' spell out there."
Derpy visibly deflated, and she turned her gaze to the floor. "You can't help me?"
"Sorry, Derpy." Twilight gave her a small smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "But in all honesty, I don't think I'd cast such a spell even if it existed."
Derpy's eyes widened and she raised her head. "W-why not?! My daughter doesn't like muffins. She never has! I feel like a failure as a mother."
Twilight frowned and cocked her head. "Why? Why do you feel like a failure as a mother because she doesn't like the foods you like?"
"Because..." The first traces of tears appeared in Derpy's eyes, and she wiped them away with her foreleg. "If I'm going to be honest, it's not just that she doesn't like muffins. Yeah, I feel bad because it seems like I could never make them right for her and she doesn't even want to try them anymore, but I think I failed more because she didn't trust me enough to tell me for eighteen years."
"Probably because she knew you'd react exactly the way you reacted," Twilight muttered.
"Yeah." Derpy growled and facehooved. "I mean, no! I mean... maybe." Derpy deeply exhaled. "I guess I overreacted big time, but I think I was scared."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "Scared of what? What makes you so scared that she doesn't like muffins?"
"Because..." Derpy squeezed her eyes shut and sat on the floor. "When she was a little filly, before Dinky was born, the highlight of my week was baking a fresh pan of muffins and sitting down with her to just talk. We just talked about each other's day and enjoyed eating muffins together." Derpy sighed as Twilight sat down next to her. "I always thought that muffins were just as important to her as they were to me, because to me they were a good way for us to bond. We still have that night whenever we can, but obviously Dinky joins us." Derpy sniffled and leaned into Twilight's shoulder. "And that was all a lie?"
Twilight vigorously shook her head and straightened Derpy up. "I don't think that was a lie, and I definitely don't think that she didn't tell you because she didn't trust you. If I know Sparkler, she did it because she wanted to connect with you and she knew how important muffins are to you."
"She didn't have to lie about liking them," Derpy muttered. "On my end, I should have noticed that she never like them."
"Were there any visible signs?"
Derpy shrugged. "There probably were, but I'm such a dunce that I didn't notice them."
Twilight frowned and crossed her forelegs. "Hey now, don't talk like that. If she didn't give any indication then there's no reason that you would have noticed."
"Well, you know that I'm not the most observant of ponies," Derpy admitted. "There were probably a billion signs."
"Even if there were, it says a lot that Sparkler was willing to eat them just to make you happy."
Derpy groaned and put her head in her hooves. "But she shouldn't have to sacrifice her own happiness to make me happy! Why did she let this go on for so many years? Was she afraid that I'd disown her? That I'd cancel our family nights?"
Twilight shrugged. "I can't say for sure because I haven't talked to her about it." Twilight cocked her head. "But have you? I think it's more important to talk to her about it than it is to talk to me about it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Derpy muttered. "I just... I just don't know how open she's going to be since I ran out."
"She was brave enough to talk to you about it in the first place," said Twilight. "I think she'd be very open to talking it through with you. I definitely think that she'd be open to keeping your bonding nights going. She's a good mare."
Derpy sighed and pushed herself to her hooves. "I guess you're right, Twilight." Derpy took a deep breath and fluttered her wings. "I think I have a daughter to go talk to. But before I go..." A small smile crossed Derpy's face and she looked around the library. "Do you have any cookbooks on how to bake bagels?"
* * * *
Sparkler flipped the sandwich over so it began grilling on the other side. Dinky would be home from school soon, so it was important to have food ready for her for when she returned. She couldn't know that anything was wrong.
She heard the door open and turned around to greet her sister. "Hey, Dinks. I've just about got dinner ready."
"It's actually me," said the voice of Derpy.
Sparkler flattened her ears and turned back to the stove. "O-oh. Hey, Mom."
Sparkler's eyes flickered to Dashing Wind who gave her an encouraging smile. "It's going to be okay," Dashing Wind soothed. "Your mom loves you."
"If you say so," Sparkler muttered.
The two heard Derpy enter the kitchen, but Sparkler didn't turn around. "Sparkler? I'd like to talk to you for a second."
Sparkler took a deep breath and took the pan off of the stove. "Okay. I assume it's about our conversation earlier."
"Yeah. If you could turn around, I'd really like to speak to you face-to-face."
"Okay." Sparkler turned the oven off and turned to face her mother. "What do you want to—?"
Sparkler's words were cut off when Derpy wrapped her in a crushing hug. "Sparkler, I want to apologize for running out and getting so upset. It was shocking news for me, but they're just muffins."
"You're not mad?" Sparkler whispered. "I thought that... well, you'd think that our family bonding nights were a lie."
"I did at first," Derpy admitted. "But I realized that you were so willing to have them that you ate muffins just so you could spend time with me. Am I upset that you lied? I suppose I am, but I don't want it to matter. You don't have to eat muffins anymore if you don't want to."
A small smile formed on Sparkler's face and she leaned into her mother's shoulder. "I love you, Mom."
Derpy nuzzled her daughter and tightened her hug. "I love you, my little... er... bagel."
Sparkler snorted. "It doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well as 'my little muffin,' does it?"
Derpy chuckled and shrugged. "That's my name for Dinky anyway."
And so mother and daughter held each other in a tight embrace. One loving muffins more than any other food, and the other having an affinity for bagels. Yes the third pony in the room felt a little awkward just standing there while they hugged, but she knew it was a tender moment so she didn't say anything. Finally one of them spoke up.
"Hey Mom."
"Yeah?"
"How exactly are we supposed to tell Dinky? She thinks muffins are my favorite food."
"... huh."
Author's Note
This is what happens when my mind wanders during my job. My next one-shot? How Cheerilee got her cutie mark.
No, this is not allegorical. I'm talking about literal muffins and bagels.
