The Bubbly Mare

"Strange Ponies, Strange Places"
2, 1

What was this strange place Mommy had taken Derpy to?

The filly was used to big buildings, blue skies peeking just above them. When it wasn't that it was mountains, and well-dressed unicorns skiing in the winter and fall, provided there was early enough snow. This place was almost empty, flat, and a bit hot. She felt, even where she was right now, strangely... vulnerable. It made her feel funny, like ponies could see her a mile away.

The pair had only just arrived, their luggage right beside Derpy. It was approaching dusk. Mommy hobbled away from Derpy as two ponies walked up.

Mommy stepped up on the porch, chatting with a green older mare in a rocker who sounded happy to see her, between them a small bassinet. Derpy knew there was a foal nestled up in there from the sound, and normally would have been curious, if it wasn't for her being so worn by the train ride. That and then there were the two ponies right in front of her. Both looked more mature than Derpy, and they had their cutie marks. One stared at her... so motionless it was almost unsettling. He wore a yoke a bit big for his body... must've been a teenager or a really young grown-up from his size. Derpy was too nervous to realize that he looked like a really nice pony, and fortunately he was. The other one wore a stetson a bit too large for her, much like the colt's yoke. She was more talkative, and stuck out a hoof... speaking in a fast, high-pitch drawl:

"Well, howdy! I'm Applejack."

"Derpy Hooves," replied the shy pegasus, taking her hoof.

Applejack shook it enthusiastically.

"This here's Big Macintosh," she said, gesturing to the colt beside her. "Granny says y'all are visiting for a week. Well, welcome to ya!"

"Thanks."

Derpy reached for her suitcase, but was surprised when Applejack put a hoof on her foreleg.

"Oh, don't you fret none. Big Mac's got your luggage. Yer Ma's, too! Don't you Big Mac?"

"Ee-yup."

Not surprisingly, Big Macintosh picked up the three heavy pieces of luggage and set them on his back with ease. The pony-drawn cab had carried them this far; Derpy wasn't sure she would be able to carry them very far on her own. Her mommy was in no shape... she was, if anything, starting to look fat around her tummy. This gesture on the part of the children was just the beginning of the Apple's hospitality.

Following Big Mac, Derpy walked right by mommy and the older mare. She went inside the big house to their tiny guest bedroom. There they set the luggage down and the colt trotted off, looking at Derpy first and giving her a welcoming smile. She looked around, inside the tiny room first then out and down the hall. She had never seen a house quite this big before:

Is this really all their home?

The little pegasus then cantered back towards the porch, where Big Mac had just shut the door. She heard snatches of a conversation she could not begin to understand. The old mare -- Derpy knew was Granny Smith from her mommy's description -- spoke to Mommy in a hushed voice, clicking her tongue.

"You're better off without 'em, seeing what he did to you. Just how far are ya?"

"My due date's three months from now."

Granny looked down at the bassinet and smiled. Her rocker squeaked against the porch floor.

"Seems we've both been blessed, and both lost somepony at th' same time. Figures that'd be how it works out, but ya gotta take what you're given."

"Yeah."

The elder mare felt Derpy's eyes on her and looked over at the filly through the screen.

"My, where are my manners." She motioned towards herself with a hoof. "Come on here, child... you were a bit older than Apple Bloom here when I last saw ya. Let me get a good look at ya, now that you're settled in. I'm Granny Smith, by th' way."

Mommy opened the screen door and Derpy stepped out. The elder smiled. She was the only new pony that didn't strike Derpy as too quiet or too loud. If anything, she was strangely comforting.

"My, oh, my... you have grown. Lemme ask you a question, and it's real important now, so pay attention: do you like... apple pie, child?"

Derpy nodded slowly, giggling.

"Well, I make the best dadgum pie this side of Equestria! I'll give you two a guesses as to what's cooling for desert tonight."

"Pie?"

"Exactly! Now run along, child. Go play with th' grand kids. You'll know it's dinnertime, and if you don't hear the bell, they will. Trust me. Explore!"

Derpy looked out at Applejack and Big Macintosh. Both were in the middle of empty yard, staring at her. She had played with ponies her own age before, but large groups and only for a little while at school during recess. Never in big, wide open spaces. Mommy was usually too busy to watch her, so most of the time she had fun with her teddy. This was different, though. Dinner would take an hour and a half to prepare, not that Derpy knew, and the Apple siblings were happy to have a new playmate, even if she was the last picked for most games where she came from... and that wasn't just because she wasn't a unicorn.

"Come on!" shouted Applejack.

"Ee-yup!"

Derpy looked at her mommy.

"It's okay," she said, softly. "Mommy and Granny Smith have some grown-up talking to do. It's boring, you won't like it. Go have fun with the nice two Apple kids."

Slowly, and looking back at Mommy one final time, Derpy made her decent down the stairs. She nearly tumbled, continuing to stare back.

"Go on," said Granny Smith. "They don't bite."

Derpy giggled, turning to face the Apple children before heading off... slowly. Her coordination wasn't the greatest and she knew it, but she was able to trot in a straight enough line that neither Applejack or Big Mac said anything. Or at least that's what she thought. They were well-raised, after all.

They were all cantering into a huge apple orchard. The trees were endless where they were headed, and this... this started to feel a bit like home. Being surrounded by tall and big strong things made Derpy feel at ease again. The cool breeze wafting by her was an experience she had never had in the open air. Her smile grew as she looked up and saw pin points of yellow light glowing and then disappearing.

"Fireflies!" she exclaimed, something she had never seen in vérité.

"Ee-yup!"

Derpy was content to run, but soon the red colt was nowhere to be found. Applejack stopped dead in her tracks, pointing this out, his booming laughter echoed throughout the orchard. It was impossible to figure out where he was for sure without actually looking.

"Come on out, big brother!"

"Ee-nope!"

"Well..." Applejack looked over at Derpy. "Guess we gotta find him then. Hide and seek it is!"

Derpy, Applejack, and Big Macintosh played for what felt like forever. After they found the red colt -- who was hiding in plain sight, discovered by Derpy blending in to a nearby tree -- it was Applejack's turn. This also took a while, but eventually she was found, too, blending into the dirt by the rocks under a tree. She was really just the right color for that. Derpy didn't didn't take her turn, and didn't want to... the orchard was unfamiliar after all, so tag was the next game they played. Derpy chased after Big Mac first, then Applejack. Then she got chased, but surprisingly (especially to herself) she was not caught right away... she had already learned enough of her surroundings to know where some of the hills were, and she ran downhill surprisingly fast.

Eventually a bell rang off in the distance. It was time for dinner.

* * *

Dinner with the Apples was nothing Derpy had ever experienced. Four new ponies -- a foal in a highchair, babbling to herself; two "youngin's" and an elder mare -- and they all got along just fine. There was not one pony getting along with just one other, and being uncomfortable around the rest like with Mommy and Mic. No fake ponies like the ones that came as guests sometimes. They all talked freely here, even Big Macintosh, who said more than just "ee-yup" now that he was at the table. He had suggestions, thoughts, and opinions as to what would be nice to do the next day, and was actually fun to listen to:

"Maybe a film at the Ponyville Cinema? They just got that Lunar Wars movie in not too long ago, 'supposed to have some good effects."

Derpy's eyes lit up at the thought. 3D Cinema was a regular treat when Mic used to be around.... but Granny Smith shook her head:

"They can watch films any time they like back at Canterlot." She rubbed her chin, turning to Derpy. "Well, what would you like to do? Speak up, youngin'! Name anything ya like."

This was not a list of things to choose from, but an open invitation to make a suggestion... anything she wanted. Derpy naturally had no idea, but being given the option to contribute to a group discussion around the table was foreign to her... and exciting! Plans were not being made for her. The smile didn't leave the gray pegasus's face, even when she was given peas, something she didn't particularly like. Her mother was getting ready to say "eat up or no desert", but she didn't have to. Derpy ate it all, and for some reason... they were the best peas she had ever had.

After dinner came desert. The slices were small, even by the Canterlot Elite Dining Standards, but pie itself was good. Derpy was used to "home-cooked," single-servings of desert from the food courts at Canterlot, but she had never actually had real home-cooked food. Knowing that Granny Smith had made it (though it was actually Granny Smith and Applejack) made it taste better for some reason because Granny Smith was nice. This was the start of something awesome. Derpy could not put her hoof on why that was.

Shortly after dinner, however, would come bedtime. Despite not doing the best in school Derpy could tell time alright from an analogue clock. There was a clock on the kitchen wall. It said it was barely eight-thirty.

"But it's early, Mommy," Derpy whispered quietly at the table, as Granny Smith and the family were putting away the dishes.

"I know, but it's their home. When you're in some pony's home you have to play by their rules. No exceptions! Besides, it's only for a week."

Though disappointed, there was something Derpy already liked about this family... and what staying there was doing to both herself and Mommy.

After bathroom stuff was done and good nights were wished, Derpy and Mommy retired to their bedroom for the night. Mommy got the bed, Derpy got a cot... which Mommy was pulling out from underneath the bed frame. At night the house was surprisingly cool. Derpy was wearing her favorite pajama top, and the blankets on the cot looked quite inviting, except...

"I wanna sleep with you," Derpy said, eyeing the bed.

"The bed is too small, Derpy," said Mommy firmly. "Besides Mommy needs to be able to get up fast in the morning if she's sick. You don't want her throwing up on you, do you?"

"But... why would that happen?

"Because it's what can happen when a mommy's carrying a foal." Mommy went through her suitcase on the bed and passed Derpy a sizable white article from it. "Now put this on please, Derpy."

Derpy didn't have to look at it to know what it was. She scowled at it, then up at her mommy.

"I don't want to," she said, flatly.

"You have to, sweetie.... Mommy doesn't want you going tinkle in your cot. Granny Smith has been very nice to us and if you do that, she'll be very disappointed. You don't want that, do you?"

"But I don't want Applejac-"

"Derpy, please don't make Mommy have to raise her voice. We're having fun. Put the All-in-One on and just go to sleep. It'll be okay. If I have to talk to you again, I'm going to be very upset."

"Mommy..."

"Derpy, do what Mommy says! This is your last warning."

The little pegasus frowned, lowering her head.

"Okay."

Though they were without foal powder, as it had been forgotten in Diamond's haste to leave Canterlot (along with a few other things; Derpy's teddy bear included), Derpy put on the All-in-One just as she was instructed to. It felt familiar, but not in a way Derpy wanted.

Soon the light was flicked off and room was suddenly a darkish blue. Derpy was not used to having a window in her room, especially one so big with her bed so low and close. She stared out of it, at the huge crescent-shaped moon, and gradually faded. She wasn't happy to be diapered, but it wasn't as bad as it could be. The door was closed and she just knew the Apple family members would leave them alone, or at least knock before entering. Mommy was snoring a bit before Derpy was, and soon Derpy was as well.

* * *

It always puzzled Derpy how she could wake up in the same bed, in the same bedroom, and not know where she was at first. This time she woke up on a cot in a tiny room on the floor and had no clue where she was for over a minute. Celestia's sun was just barely peeking over the horizon, which Derpy wasn't used to seeing.

"Mommy?" she finally said, quietly.

There was no answer. Derpy turned over, barely recalling the night before, and looked at the bed. It was empty.

"Mommy?"

Derpy's voice now sounded a bit more upset, but there was still no answer.

Had she been wet from the night before, Derpy's instinct might've been put on hold long enough for her to realize what she was about to do wasn't the best idea. She bolted upward and headed for the door, pushing it open.

"Mommy?"

There was still no answer.

She stepped out in the hall, looking to left and to the right. To her right was Applejack, who saw Derpy and what she was wearing only for a few seconds -- shirt, All-in-One diaper, and all.

"Uh..." Applejack paused for a moment, awkwardly looking at Derpy's attire. She beamed a friendly smile and waved. "Mornin'!"

Derpy took one look and froze, then quickly ran back into the room, thoroughly embarrassed. She didn't know what to do, so she went to the cot and put the blankets back on. There she sat for a bit, rocking... waiting for her mommy to return. It was so quiet, all Derpy could hear was her breathing. She was alone for what felt like forever.

Mommy did eventually come back to the room, a full ten minutes later, with a magazine in her hoof. She was wiping her mouth with a cloth. She turned to see two little eyes on her.

"Hi Derpy... you're up early!"

The little pegasus smiled.

"Hi."

"Did you sleep well?"

She nodded.

"Are you dry?"

Again, Derpy nodded.

"I'm so glad." Mommy laid down on the floor beside Derpy. "We're going to have fun today... Applejack is going to show us around town after lunch. We can eat where ever you want. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Again, Derpy nodded... slowly.

Mommy hauled herself off the floor. It was difficult because of her tummy. She smiled at Derpy, winking.

"Get up, silly... everypony's awake in this house, ready to have breakfast!"

Derpy continued to lie there as Mommy headed over to the bed. Eventually the filly turned over, took the All-in-One and shirt off, then got up.

She and Mommy headed into the kitchen together. They smiled at each other, and could smell the fresh cooking and hear little Apple Bloom's babbling. Mommy wasn't making breakfast today and neither really had to go anywhere. When they got to the door they saw was waiting for them: stacks and stacks of pancakes. In their spots rested little hoof-made napkins with the names of the guest on them.... and Derpy's pancakes had a smiley face drawn on top with whipped cream. Anything that had happened earlier was temporarily forgotten.

"Y'all like that, eh?" Granny Smith said, from the sink. "Applejack did it. She made breakfast wit' ma oversight. Enjoy now."

Applejack came shyly up beside Derpy. She was quite different from the night before. Derpy was quite nervous, and not that she would have noticed but Applejack was nervous, too.

"Sleep alright?" the farm filly asked.

Derpy nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, that's good. Hope y'all like the pancakes..." Applejack gestured towards the strawberries and blueberries waiting to the side and laughed. "We eat more than just apples in this house, don't worry. Ah can promise ya a different food each day. Ya won't grow tired of what we've got in store any time soon."

Derpy smiled weakly.

Applejack sat, Derpy sat beside her with the rest of the family. They all ate... this meal was more quiet than the night before, but they had plans for the day already set. Derpy was surprised, however, when Big Mac and Applejack got up after their meals were gone.

"If y'all are set, me and Big Mac have some chores to do. Won't take too long... maybe a couple hours."

"What're chores?" Derpy asked.

"Responsibilities," said Granny Smith plainly, while spoon feeding Apple Bloom small bits of pancake. "Things to take care of, like big ponies got to. Big Mac'll be tied up a bit longer than AJ. He's older, so he's got more on his shoulders, but he'll meet you in Ponyville this afternoon. Won't ya, Big Mac?"

"Ee-yup."

"Why don't I have chores, Mommy? They sound neat!"

"Derpy, they can be a lot of fun, but they can also be really boring. You don't have chores because..." Mommy was clearly thinking of a good answer. She looked at Granny Smith, who seemed to encourage her to speak with a motion of her hoof. "We don't have a big enough home yet. Just wait until we move here to Ponyville, into a house just like this. I'm sure they'll be something Mommy'll need help with, if you still want something to do."

"Okee!"

Soon the Apple children departed breakfast leaving them all alone. Granny Smith approached the little filly.

"Y'all are welcome to come on a walk with me and yer mom in a few. Gunna show her around the Acres. You saw a bit of it last night. It's different durin' the day. You'll be able ta see Applejack and Big Mac hard at work on the farm. Mac'll be bucking apples, and AJ'll be feeding the piggies and cows. Y'all can help her, if ya really want a taste of farm work."

"Really?"

"Of course!" She turned to Mommy. "Provided your ma's okay with it?"

"Of course I am, sweetie. Just be careful!"

"I will, Mommy. Promise!"

"Then its settled!"

* * *

After bathroom stuff was done the four found themselves on a walk, Derpy at the back, Granny Smith at the front pushing a stroller, and Mommy in the middle.

The trees all looked the same, and going at this pace was a bit more boring than before, but Derpy found the same sense of security and wonder going into the orchard that she had the night before. First pony they saw out working was Big Mac. He was kicking the apple trees, two buckets beside him catching the apples that fell through the air.

"He's pretty strong for just a colt," said Mommy.

"Only fourteen," replied Granny Smith, proudly. "Stronger than most full-grown stallions."

"Wow."

Even Derpy was impressed watching him. With one leg he would kick a tree, the sound the apples made falling into the buckets was surprisingly loud.

They walked down the path a bit farther. Derpy had never seen miles of landscape quite like this. It stretched out a way and just seemed to drop off. It looked like it was the end of the world, but in reality it was just as far as she could see. Even as a pegasus filly she had never flown high enough to see something like this. This... this felt pretty, all this infinite space with no pony around and no boundaries.

Finally they approached a hill and came to Applejack, who was out with a few buckets on her shoulders headed to a building behind them.

"Y'all can follow her, if ya like," said Granny Smith. "I'm sure listening to an ol' fuss budget like me all day isn't half as fun as watching my grand daughter feed the animals. Or helpin' for that matter."

Derpy looked at Applejack, who simply smiled... motioning with her head.

"Come on," she said, plainly.

Derpy looked back at her mommy. She nodded.

This time Derpy didn't hesitate. She followed Applejack and soon Mommy and Granny Smith were over the hill behind her.

She didn't know what to say at first, so she let Applejack do the talking.

"In just a lil while I'm takin' ya out to Ponyville for lunch."

"Neat!"

"Um, anything ya wanna try?"

"I dunno."

Applejack looked back, biting her lip. The two were approaching the barn. When they got there Applejack held the door open and Derpy went inside.

"Ya know..." Applejack began, closing the door. "I've got a cousin a bit older than you out west a ways. He still sleeps with a rubber mattress cover. Ain't nothing to be ashamed of."

Derpy had no clue what she meant. Rubber mattress covers were well outside of her realm of experience.

"Okee."

"Look, uh..." Applejack set the buckets of feed down right in front trough. "I don't want you thinkin' I'm gunna make fun of you or anything 'cause of what I saw you wearin' this morning. It's just not what the Apples do! Ah don't care if you wear a diaper to bed. Ain't a big thing to me."

Derpy smiled big. The farm filly smiled right back... she looked, if anything, relieved.

"So... ya wanna feed the piggies now, I guess?"

The pegasus looked over at the trough, then down at the buckets. She nodded vigorously.

"I'd like that, Applejack."

"Me too, Derpy... Me too."

Applejack and Derpy turned to the trough and began dumping the first bucket in together. The second bucket Derpy was going to take care of by herself... or at least try to. She wasn't quite as strong as Applejack, and that wasn't just because of her being a pegasus. The piggies would still get fed, and then the cows their hay, but the slop would take some time to clean up first... which Applejack was okay with. The area surrounding the trough was in need of a cleaning, anyway.

The day would go on, as days tend to do, and Derpy would have lots of fun. So would the Apple children and Mommy. This was the start of a wonderful friendship, and not only that... Derpy was finding out fast she was good at more than just she thought she was. It brought her joy to run and jump with the two others, and to try new things. It seemed like there was almost no end to this wonderful place.

Lunchtime came and Derpy found something she never expected to: on the way there every pony the Apple family passed Applejack said hello to, and so did Granny Smith.

"Well, howdy!" she would say. "Howdy! Howdy... Well, howdy! Why, hello Ms. Fluttershy!"

This was unheard of in their district of Canterlot. There were just too many darned ponies going every which way to say hello, even if you did know them. Not only did Applejack say hi to them all, she knew most of them by name. Not just the fillies and colts, but big grown-up ponies, who smiled back when they saw her.

"How'd you do that, Applejack?" Derpy asked.

The farm filly laughed.

"Shucks, just spend enough time around ponies, selling 'em apples and whatnot, and ya just get to know 'em. It comes natural, and you become friendly to everypony you meet!"

Derpy's smile just grew and grew.

They would meet Big Mac for lunch soon, and their day would have still just started. An entire week, dedicated to getting to know Ponyville and all the ponies Derpy would soon be around. This was done just for her.

This vacation would be remembered for a very long time... it started out seeming like it was going to take a lot longer than it ended up feeling like it did. Once the pair went back Derpy's memory of Canterlot felt hazy, because she had seen what the future would bring... and that's all she could think about while she was there. Canterlot was boring and lonely, even with Mommy there, who was no longer working, but having all these loud conversations with suited ponies she called "Auditors." They weren't very nice. Ponyville was a nice place, and before Derpy knew it she would be there... with new friends not far off.