At first glance, she wasn’t much to look at. Gray coat, gray apple green mane, a bit on the pudgy side, somewhat goofy smile on her face, and of course, the googly eyes. Compared to Rarity and even Applejack, she wasn’t very pretty, but she definitely wasn’t ugly either. He’d certainly heard more than one stallion expressing interest in her.
She was a bit on the clumsy side, but contrary to popular belief, it was just natural clumsiness and not at all because of her eyes. She actually had decent vision, and even better hearing. Her eyes were just that way and nopony had been able to determine why.
Say what you want about her clumsiness and her eyes, but one thing was above question: Derpy loved her little daughter, Dinky, more than anything in Equestria.
He hung back a little in the crowd as he watched her home, waiting for the mare and filly to come out. He was still a bit of an anomaly in Ponyville, but most of the residents had gotten a bit used to him by now, so nopony really bothered him as he waited, the door to the humble little cottage opening.
Dinky was the first one to exit, the little filly grinning wide and hopping about, Derpy coming out and laughingly trying to calm her down, closing the door behind her before pulling her daughter close with a wing. She said something in Dinky’s ear and the filly settled down, though she still had an big grin on her face. He’d seen the two of them at the market enough to know Dinky enjoyed every second of it. Considering it was never the same twice, he could certainly understand.
And something he also saw each time was Derpy’s…struggle (God, it was hard for him to acknowledge that fact) to decide what was a need and what was a luxury. She hid it well, but he could see the subtle signs; biting her lip, returning to several booths over and over, counting her bits before deciding, and giving Dinky a little talk now and then. From what he’d gathered from watching her for a few months, she wasn’t too close to poverty, but money was tight and she had to make every bit spent worth it.
“Not today, Derpy. Not today,” he said as he began to follow her.
Derpy sighed as she approached the checkout booth, gazing at her slim purchases. Food, some body care items, some school books…and some new toys for her daughter. The last purchases could mean some penny-pinching over the next couple of months, but it was worth it to make her little muffin happy.
However, when the wally-eyed mare reached the checkout booth, she was surprised when the stallion manning it pulled up a large bag of items and set it out, a smile on his face.
“A young…colt brought this up here and told me it was for you. It’s all paid for…and he left more than enough to pay for what you have now,” he said, Derpy able to see from a glance that the bag contained many of the items she’d felt a longing for. A special doll that Dinky had had her eye on since her first time at the market, the ingredients to her favorite muffins, some jewelry she’d always wanted, and various other items. They hadn’t been at all cheap, so whoever had done this had spent a pretty penny.
“Who…who was it?” she asked, aware her mouth was hanging open.
“He requested I not tell you…and also said there’s more waiting for you at home,” he said with a warm smile, adding her items to the bag and offering it to her. “So you better hurry, Miss Hooves.” Placing the items in her saddlebags, she nodded and trotted away, Dinky hot on her heels.
Mark saw Derpy and her little filly coming, and after taking a quick peek in the window to make sure everything was set up, he slid around the house and out of sight. Dinky’s excited questions about what a stallion at the market had been talking about told him his message had been delivered, and he waited for the sound of the door closing before he slid back around to the window, watching with anticipation.
Derpy had to blink a few times and even rub her eyes before she half-believed what was on her kitchen table…and then it became even harder to see as tears began to bud in her eyes.
The sight before them had started the leaking; a plate of muffins in the center of her table, each one with a frosted letter and sprinkles, spelling out the words “Derpy & Dinky 4ever”. Next to the plate was a large bag of bits, Derpy able to tell from a glance that it probably contained more than she made in a year.
And propped up in front of it all was a record disk, a little note attached to the center. Looking closely, Derpy saw it said “Please play” in neat letters. She’d bought a used record player some months ago for music and story records, so she gently took the disk in her mouth and placed it on the player, setting the wand and turning the handle to wind it.
It wasn’t long before tears were running down her cheeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Y5pkg983Q
Mark felt his own heart swelling in his chest, wiping his eyes as he watched the two ponies through the window, seeing what so many ponies seemed to miss about the wally-eyed Pegasus.
“You’re more special than you realize, Derpy. Don‘t ever think otherwise,” he said softly, bowing his head before turning away.
Derpy and Dinky were holding each other close, both almost bawling their eyes out as they hugged, each one saying sweet words of endearment to the other. The record disk continued to play in the background, certainly adding a beautiful touch to the scene.
Derpy’s ears suddenly twitched, her head shooting up to her window. She may not have had the best eyesight, but her hearing, like that of all Equestrians, was superb, and she knew she’d heard someone speaking even above the song.
“Stay here, Dinky,” she said, wiping her eyes as she quickly made her way to the door, coming out and turning to her window. There was no one there…but wait, those weren’t hoof prints in the dirt. That could only mean…
She turned to look out into the street, seeing Mark walking away, his head bowed low. As if sensing he was being watched, he turned to look at her. He smiled, nodded, and raised his hand in a shy wave the silent “You’re welcome” very clear. Then he turned and continued on his way, soon disappearing into the crowd.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” said Derpy softly, wasting no time in returning to her daughter.
Later…
Mark sat on the edge of the upper door in the barn, gazing at the lowering sun, waiting for it to disappear and the moon take its place. He’d never been much for watching the sunset when he was back in his own world, but Celestia had a way of making it special…and today was a special day.
“Mark? Ya in here?” came the voice of Applejack, a lot softer than he was used to.
“Up in the loft, Miss Applejack,” he called without looking away, hearing her make her way up the ladder, the floorboards creaking as she made her way up behind him.
“Ya shouldn’t be up here all by yer lonesome, sugarcube. Not after what ya did today,” said the farm pony as she sat down next to him and put a foreleg around his shoulders. Mark turned to look up at her, a small smile on his face.
“It’s the way I am, ma’am,” he said, Applejack scoffing a little at the honorifics, but deciding to ignore them for now. He’d earned the right to call her whatever he wanted today.
“Derpy hasn’t stopped talking ‘bout what ya did. Ah think she’s told all of Ponyville ’bout ten times over by now, and Ah must say Ah‘ve never seen her so happy,” said Applejack, leaning in to nuzzle him, then gently turning his face to hers with her hoof. “Ah’ve never believed anypony needed a reason to be kind to others, but why did ya do all of that? That was going above and beyond and Ah wanna know why.”
Mark sighed and turned his attention back to the skyline, watching the sun slowly fade away, the moon peeking out and starting to rise. The special day was over, and he’d kept his promise.
“I once promised my mom that I‘d make her birthday special every year,” he said softly, tears glistening in the moonlight as they ran down his cheeks. “I didn’t see any reason to stop just because she’s not with me now.”
Applejack said nothing, but simply pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder as she let him rest against hers. She didn’t know if Mark was referring to his mother being away because he was here in Equestria or because of…other reasons, but she understood what he was saying.
“She’d be mighty proud of yah today, Mark. Mighty proud indeed,” she said, rubbing his back with a hoof, feeling her own eyes moistening a bit. As someone whose own parents were no longer with her, she knew all about remembering them.
Pulling away, she gently wiped his tears away with her hoof, then got to her feet, urging him up as she said, “It’s time for dinner, sugarcube. Granny Smith’s got a nice spread out tonight, and she insists ya actually join us tonight at the table.”
Mark opened his mouth to protest, the human still not over his shyness about being an outsider, but Applejack politely put her hoof over his mouth, shaking her head.
“Mark Hirami, ya went out of yer way ta make a li’tle filly and her mother feel special today. If that don’t earn ya a spot at the table, Ah don’t know what does,” she said, taking his hand and all but pulling him along, Mark hesitating for a moment before coming along.
As Applejack started to make her way down the ladder, Mark turned back to the star-lit sky one last time.
“Happy Birthday, Mom…and thank you for being the mother I wanted.”
Author's Note
A small tribute to my mother on her birthday (and yes, she's still with me), and hopefully highlighting the reason our favorite mailmare is so special.
I'm not gonna try and pretend this story is perfect, but I hope I've pleased the fandom in regards to Derpy. Say what you want about her eyes and clumsiness, but you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect mother.
Constructive criticism only, please.