The Bubbly Mare

"Honesty Revisited?"
3, 6,

Just like the first time Derpy came to Ponyville to be with the Apples, she saw fireflies lighting up the trees as the sun went down. What made this different, though, was that Derpy went into town all by herself. She walked through Ponyville almost every day without a grown-up. Once she was done talking with Amethyst and doing any early chores, she would head out and say hi to everypony she passed. Mommy said it was okay to do that, as long as no big ponies (except Mommy, Amethyst, or Granny Smith) tried to take her somewhere. After that she would go to Sugarcube corner, to say hi to Pinkie Pie and tell the Cakes she was "out on the town," just like Mommy had told her to. Sweet Apple Acres was a little bit too far to make it on her own yet, but soon. Her favorite place was the Ponyville fountain, especially when no ponies were around after lunch... the water always sounded so pretty.

Applejack and Big Mac were away at summer camp, but Derpy didn't mind. She minded a little when she thought about it, but they were there doing their stuff and she was here doing hers. That was okay.

Derpy didn't always like to be home, though, especially during the day. Dinky would be up and she didn't cry much anymore, but she did something else that Derpy didn't like. It was something new.

* * *

Over at the Acres they were finishing up dinner the first week of Summer when something unusual happened. It was the last time Applejack and Big Mac were going to be there for two whole months, and they were all talking about playing a big pony board game, Who-done-it. It was a game where the players would all have to use their brains to figure out who was the criminal. It could even be one of them, and if it was they'd have to try to "frame" another player... which Derpy really didn't understand her first time, but it sounded neat. Amethyst was behind Derpy with Dinky, just as they were all about to clear the table, when Derpy felt a tug at her back. It wasn't enough to make her say ow, but it was still enough to get her attention. She looked back to see her tail held in a soft green glow, noticing Dinky in Amethyst's forelegs, with the same glow on her horn.

"H-hey!" Derpy exclaimed, as Amethyst noticed Dinky's horn and everypony turned to see what the noise was about.

Before Derpy even knew what was happening, everypony had gotten up, even Mommy. They left the table to see what was going on. Derpy stayed put, but watched. As Big Mac approached Dinky quickly took his foreleg in her magic. He chuckled, keeping his shoulder relaxed and allowing her to move his foreleg freely. Derpy couldn't help biting her lip.

"Kinda tickles," the young stallion said, pulling back to discover his foreleg was still in Dinky's grasp.

"Well, how 'bout that!" Applejack exclaimed. Dinky picked up her hat for a moment, gently letting it fall back on the pony.

"Ya look pretty jaunty with it tilted like that," Granny Smith said, as Applejack straightened her hat.

"Amethyst," said Mommy, glancing back at Derpy and motioning to herself with her hoof. Derpy couldn't exactly say why, but she wanted to stay where she was. "Not that I don't trust you to tell me these things, but.... is this the first time she's done this?"

"Oh yeah!" Amethyst replied right away, as Dinky focused on the chair beside Derpy and pulled it out with her magic. "It's a lil late, and part of me was thinkin' she's not got enough unicorn in her to make it work, but, hey... you know what they say about late bloomers?"

"Isn't unicorn magic supposed to be the same color as their eyes?" Applejack asked, as Derpy held on to the table. "Ah remember learnin' about that in school a while back."

"It's a first year lesson, " Granny Smith replied. "and yes. But there are some exceptions..."

"Like what?" Applejack went on to ask, as Derpy felt what she would say was static electricity at her back.

Suddenly Derpy felt her chair being pulled across the floor. She tried to slip out as it was pulled back, but ended up with her hooves going out from under her, hitting the floor boards with a loud thud which made her unable to breathe. Even she knew she was lucky she hadn't broken some teeth.

Laying there with her eyes closed the filly shook. Before she knew it she heard Mommy's voice above her.

"A- are you okay, Sweetie?"

Derpy looked up, her vision a bit blurry... it didn't hurt enough to make her cry, but it still hurt.

Uh-huh," Derpy said, as Mommy extended a hoof to her. "I'm all right."

Derpy got up and the family was still gathered around her little sister. Suddenly the game which they were less than five minutes from playing was going to take an hour. It would still happen, though, and Amethyst would sit it out... only because Dinky wouldn't stop taking parts of Derpy's body -- tail, mane, hoof -- in her magic, gently tugging.

"Just her way of saying she likes ya," Granny Smith said, comfortingly, trying to distract Dinky with a funny, old rag doll.

"I don't like it," Derpy said, hugging Mommy, who was beside her. "I really don't!"

"It's okay, Sweetie...," Mommy said, soothingly. "Dinky doesn't realize she's upsetting you, and she certainly doesn't mean to... it's just part of growing up. She's exploring! She'll outgrow it, and someday you two will be able to share all sorts of special things together, just like you and I sometimes do. I promise you this'll all be a memory sometime soon... trust me."

This was the first time Derpy couldn't wait for something like this, and even though it wouldn't happen for a long time, Mommy and Amethyst both told Derpy she could go outside and explore by herself if she wanted. Being able to do that made her feel better... going to a place where it was quiet and Dinky couldn't pull at her mane or take a crayon she wasn't even old enough to use felt... nice. Though she didn't realize it, it was because of this Derpy didn't even feel like she was waiting.

* * *

It was late at night, still the middle of the summer. Applejack and Bigmac would be back in less than a month. Even without them around and not wanting to be home a lot of the time, Derpy was still happy. Everypony was together and she had so many things she could go to see. Sometimes even Granny Smith would pay a visit for the night... every day was different, and that was okay.

"Derpy?" Mommy suddenly asked. "Are you awake?"

"Uh-huh." Derpy found herself yawning. Mommy's voice was almost in her ear as they huddled together under the thin sheets. "I'm here."

"Mommy wants to ask you something... is that okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you know what it means to 'come clean'? Is that an expression you've heard before?"

"Um... does it mean to tell the truth?"

"It's a little more complicated than that, sweetie. It means you've been hiding something from somepony, and you think it's time to tell them."

"Oh. Um... okee." Derpy tried to turn to face Mommy. "I don't have anything to talk about like that."

Mommy chuckled.

"That's not what I mean, Derpy." She found herself being turned around so the two were face-to-face. "I didn't want to tell you about this because I didn't know what I wanted to do."

The filly shook her head.

"About what, Mommy?"

"Derpy, do you think Mommy's getting fat?"

"Um..." The filly looked away. Even in the darkness she could barely see Mommy's eyes and that was enough to make her feel funny.

"It's okay to say yes, silly... I ask you this because I think that's what you think."

"Um... I dunno."

She felt Mommy's warm breath as she sighed.

"I'm going to have another foal, Derpy. You're going to have another baby brother or sister." Even in the darkness Derpy still found herself unable to look at Mommy. "Doesn't that make you happy? Tell mommy how you're feeling, Derpy. Please know I can't get rid of it, even though me and Granny Smith have been talking about that for a very long time."

"Make it die?"

"No, silly... Mommy would never do that. I was thinking about giving the foal to a place that would take care of it and find it a family. Ponies out there looking for a special foal to care for."

"Another family?"

"Yes, Derpy... a family that could take care of it and be more fair to it."

Derpy couldn't explain why, but talking about this didn't make her happy... she wasn't sad, she wasn't mad, but she felt something she didn't like.

"Why?"

"Our life is full enough with you and Dinky, and every other pony we care about. I thought it wouldn't be fair, but I was wrong, and that's why I wanted to tell you. To be fair to you, and let you know how much of a big girl Mommy thinks you are. I'll never let any of my babies go, because every one of you means so much to me. I want you to know that. Mommy will do anything for you, to keep you safe and happy."

Derpy found herself hugging her mommy tightly.

"I love you, Mommy," Derpy said, sleepily. "I really do."

"I know you do, sweetie..." Mommy kissed her forehead. "I'm going to hold on to all of you. You're too special to let go."

"Okee."

Even though she had just felt really weird with what she and Mommy had been talking about, she didn't anymore. She felt even more happy to be with Mommy than she usually did, even if it meant another foal soon. That was later, any way. Later didn't matter so much.