Protecting Derpy Hooves

Foster had fallen asleep to the thought of Derpy. And he woke up to the thought of her, too. He couldn't shake the feeling she was constantly in trouble. This must be what being a father is like, Foster thought. He swung himself out of bed. He was too drowsy to block the thoughts of Derpy.

"Why am I so worried about her?" he thought aloud. "There is no safer place for her to be!" Foster walked to his bathroom and brushed his teeth. This partially awoke him. But the thoughts kept coming. "She said she'd send letters, why haven't I gotten one yet? Ah! I'm being ridiculous! Listen, Foster. She is fine. She is busy. She-"

"-has sent you a letter," Foster whirled around to see his mother standing in the doorway. She still had glasses on but had terrible bags under her eyes. Foster wondered if she even slept. She smiled and handed him an envelope. "She wrote on the envelope."

"Thanks, mom. But don't sneak up on me like that!" Foster said. His mother only laughed and walked away. Foster turned it over looked at it. "This is an envelope from the flight school, why would she use it to write on? Doesn't matter." Foster read the letter twice. "I've got to write back!" Foster said as he ran into his mother's room, grabbed a quill and paper, and rushed back into his room and sat down at his desk. He lowered the quill to the paper but stopped right above the paper. What was he gonna write? Nothing had been going on recently, but he had to write something back. Foster was thinking harder than ever. He dropped the quill and ran downstairs. His mother was down there already.

"Hey, honey, how-" she began.

"Sorry, gotta go do something!" Foster interrupted her. He bursted out the door and ran down the dirt road. Turning right, he ran into the market. He didn't stop to listen to the campaign ideas of the sellers. He had somewhere to go. He found himself in front of a door all to familiar. He looked up and read the sign.

"Sugar Cube Corner," Foster said. He opened up the door and walked inside. The stallion at the counter looked surprised at Foster's arrival.

"A customer already? We opened up at least five minutes ago!" Foster walked up to the pony.

"Do you have a job available?" Once again the stallion seemed shocked.

"Uh... aren't you in school?" he asked.

"Yes, I could come by after it and work here. And also on weekends," Foster needed to get this job. It was the best thing he could think of.

"I don't think we can afford any more workers," the stallion said. Foster thought about what he could say. He didn't exactly need the bits. He was only doing this for Derpy. Derpy! He knew how he was gonna be paid.

"You don't have to pay me bits. All I ask is that I get one muffin every half week I work," Foster said. The stallion raised an eyebrow.

"You want one muffin every half week?" he asked, confused by Foster's offer.  Foster nodded.

"Yep, so on, let's say, Wednesday you give me a muffin and then another on Saturday. And I come here after school and on the weekends to work for four hours." Foster thought he gave a pretty fair bargain since he was only doing it for the muffins. He wasn't gonna eat them, he'd just store them away. Finally, he'd have something to surprise Derpy with. The worker thought this was a good offer.

"Alright, do your parents know about this?" he asked. Foster told him he'd be right back and rushed out the door. As he was running he wondered what he was going to do with the muffins. Would he send them to Derpy every half week? Or would he store them and wait until she got back? Foster assumed they would have her on a strict diet to help her fly, so he decided he'd just store them in the refrigerator. He burst back through his house. His mother was finishing up her breakfast.

"Mom, I just got a job at the Sugar Cube Corner and they're going to pay me with muffins which I will keep because I'm going to give them to Derpy and I need your approval so I can work there for four hours on the weekends and after school starting today." Somehow, after Foster said all that, his mom picked it all up.

"Sounds okay to me, I don't see why you can't, so go ahead," she said. Foster ran back to the pastry house. A mare had just walked out with a bag of something that smelled delicious. He opened the door and told the stallion it was okay with his mother. The worker walked into the back and pulled out an apron.

"Welcome to the Sugar Cube Corner Club, kid," he put the apron on the counter. On the front it read 'Sugar Cube Corner' in a fancy writing. "When a customer walks in the first thing you do is say 'welcome to Sugar Cube Corner.' If they want something from the display case, you wear these gloves to grab it. When they pay, make sure you count the money twice. And if they gave you more than the actual pastry costs, use your subtraction skills to give them the extra. If you need anything, just holler." The stallion walked into the back and pulled out a stool, he set it down behind the counter. He walked back again, this time staying there. Foster made his way around the counter and stood on the stool. Pretty soon he'd grow into a stallion and would be tall enough to see over the counter. He  was already at eye level with the counter. After four hours, Foster went home. He went back to the letter, everything still in place.

Dear Derpy,

I have recently got a job at Sugar Cube Corner. You're in for a surprise when you get back. Good to hear you're doing well, I'm glad your roommate isn't mean. I wish I could be there with you, but I can't. Just know, I'm rooting for you the whole way! Good luck with everything!

Your friend,

Foster

He ran outside and place the letter in the mail. Flicking the sign up. And that night, Foster slept soundly.