//-------------------------------------------------------// Just another day for the Hooves family -by LokosFermincho- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The morning //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note A little story about my favorite family in all of Ponyville. Just a little warning, there's going to be LyraBon shipping here, so if you don't like that kind of thing maybe you should look away. This fic is going to (probably) have three chapters, so if you liked it, wait patiently for the next. Hope you like it! :pinkiehappy: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/pinkiehappy.png The morning The sweet scent of freshly baked muffins filled the kitchen as Derpy Hooves hummed a melody her mother used to sing to her when she was depressed or when she went to bed. It always brought a smile to her face, all the memories it carried along combined with the sweet treats she was preparing always made her day a little brighter. While setting up the table, Derpy looked through the window once again. It certainly was a beautiful day outside. “I have to remember to tell Rainbow Dash she really outdid herself this time” Derpy thought, smiling as she finished setting up the table for her and her two daughters. Derpy let out a sigh. “I wish he was here too.” Derpy’s smile faltered as her head was slowly filled with memories about The Doctor and all of the adventures they went through together, but she shook her head and the smile returned. “Come on Derpy, don’t get sad now” She whispered to herself “He said he would come back as soon as he finds himself some time. I’m sure he’ll knock on the door when we least expect him to.” Her smile grew wider “As always.” Finally, Derpy stepped out of the kitchen and was on her way to the stairs and towards her daughters’ bedrooms when she heard a door opening and a very sleep deprived Amethyst Star, a.k.a. Sparkler, came out of the room walking zombie style towards the bathroom. “Sparkler. Did you go to sleep late again?” Derpy said trying to sound angry, and failing because the worried tone of her voice was very poorly disguised. “Izokaymom. Imfeelin’mazin” Sparkler mumbled as she pretty much crawled inside the bathroom. “Breakfast is ready. Come down when you are done” Derpy said while walking towards Dinky’s room. A barely audible “Okay” was all the answer Sparkler gave. Derpy tried her best not to laugh as she came closer to Dinky’s bedroom door. She knocked on the door and said “Wake up, wake up, my little muffin. I know it’s Saturday, but it’s not good to sleep for too long” Derpy waited for an answer but none came, so she softly opened the door while saying “Coming in” Dinky was snoring softly, wearing her favorite blue pajama with the drawing of Freddy Fazzbear and his friends, Chicka the chicken, Bonnie the bunny and Foxy the pirate fox. “I never understood how that pizzeria became so famous, those robots are very creepy looking if you ask me” Derpy thought, though thankfully they looked very cute drawn on the pajamas. As she came closer to the bed she realized Dinky was holding something in her arms. It was a picture, but not any picture. It was the picture of that wonderful day The Doctor invited them to a picnic and the only day they spent from sunrise to sundown all together. Before he had to go away once again he asked a mare with big black and pink glasses and a funny accent to take a picture of them and since then that picture became pretty much a family treasure. Derpy softly leaned closer to her little muffin and gave her a long kiss on the forehead. Dinky stopped snoring but she still didn’t open her eyes. “Hmmmm. How strange” Derpy said “Normally that should be enough to wake up little miss Dinky Doo” Dinky tried to maintain a calm expression but Derpy could easily notice she was holding laughter. “Perhaps” Derpy slowly raised her hands “I need to recur to…” Dinky opened her eyes and said “No mom, wait” “A TICKLE ATTACK!” And Derpy launched herself towards her daughter, tickling her mercilessly. Dinky laughed and started kicking uncontrollably begging her mom to stop. After a few more seconds Derpy stopped to let her daughter fill her lungs with air. Dinky wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at the best mother in ALL of Equestria. “Good morning mom” She said smiling and jumping from the bed into her mothers embrace. “Good morning muffin” Derpy set the little girl on the ground “Breakfast is ready, so go brush your teeth and come down so we can plan out how the evening will go” “Okay mom!” Dinky ran towards the bathroom. “Oh, Dinky wait!” But it was too late, Dinky entered the bathroom and Sparkler scream was heard all the out to the street. “Sweet merciful Luna, Dinky! How many times do I have to tell you? Knock on the door before entering the bathroom!” Sparkler said in very annoyed tone of voice. “Sorry sis” Was all Dinky could say before closing the door and waiting by the door, head hanging low. Derpy saw this and walked towards the little girl “Don’t worry muffin, just try to be careful next time. Okay?” Derpy said while patting lightly on Dinky’s head. Dinky’s answer was a slight nod. “Give your sister some time and when you are done go down to the kitchen. I baked your favorite muffins” Dinky’s head went up, a look of pure joy on her face “You mean, chocolate chips muffins?” “Mhmm. Why don’t you go change your clothes while you wait?” Derpy said Dinky gave a salute “Right away ma’am” *some time later* Dinky was wolfing down her plateful of chocolate chips muffins with gusto while her mother and sister just stared at her, Derpy with amusement and Sparkler with shock. “Gee Dinky, thank Celestia you only eat like this when mom makes this muffins” Sparkler said “’Cause if you ate like this on a daily basis you’d end up looking like that classmate of yours, what was his name again? Snails?” “No” Dinky said, with her mouth still full of muffins. She swallowed them and continued “Snails is the skinny one and Snips is the fat one” Derpy put on a serious face “Dinky Doo! It’s not good to refer to other people by their physical appearance.” Dinky looked at her mom and then down at her legs as sadness took over her face. “I’m sorry mom. I didn’t mean…” “I know you didn’t mean it” Derpy said in a reassuring tone “But it’s not good to do that kind of thing. You can hurt people really bad by saying that kind of things” If there was someone who knew full well how that felt, it was Derpy. “I know. Sorry” Dinky said. “It’s okay Dinks” Sparkler joined the conversation. “We all make mistakes. Besides I’m kind of at fault too. I shouldn’t have brought that up” Sparkler scratched the back of her head as she said this. The rest of the breakfast went on normally; small chats about nothing in particular and lots of more delicious muffins for each of the three Hooves family members. “Well” Derpy said while taking the plates and cups to the sink “How about we start making plans for the evening? How does that sound?” Sparkler and Dinky looked at each other and with they fingers they counted together “One, two, three, four.” And together said “YAY!” and shared a laugh. “Well, my idea was that you, Sparkler, should go with Dinky to the park and spent the day there while I go to-“ “Wait, what?!” Sparkler interrupted her mom. Derpy looked at her with a confused face “What’s wrong Sparkler?” “I can’t do that. I have to finish that project for college with Twinkleshine and Sea Swirl. It’s going to take us until pretty much nightfall at least” Sparkler said. “B-but I have to work today. I have to make up for last week’s accident, remember?” Derpy said with a worried tone “You never told me anything mom.” The purple unicorn responded “I didn’t?” Derpy’s left eye went downwards while her right eye looked at the opposite direction, signaling she was thinking really hard. After a few more seconds she gasped “You are right! I didn’t tell you! Oh, I’m such an airhead” Derpy covered her face with her hands “What are we going to do now? Can’t you take her with you and your friends?” The wall-eyed pegasus asked her daughter. “We are going to Sea Swirl’s house; she barely has space for us three to fit in. And we are going to be super busy. We can’t take care of her and do this homework at the same time” While her mother and sister panicked, Dinky started thinking about a possible solution. Sparkler couldn’t watch over her, and Dinky didn’t want to be close if they were going to be working on those complicated projects. Sparkler tends to get pretty grumpy when she’s doing that kind of thing. And her mom was going to be extra busy trying to repay her boss for the last week’s accident, so what could be a possible solution. While thinking, she looked out through the window and saw Lyra Heartstrings walking out of Bon Bon’s house. The owner of the house was on her knees taking good care of the beautiful flowers at the entrance of her house and Lyra was taking her a glass of water or lemonade, Dinky couldn’t say for sure. Lyra gave the glass to her girlfriend who drank the whole thing on one go and later returned the glass to the green unicorn, but not before they shared a quick but sweet kiss on the lips. Dinky always loved Bon Bon’s sweets, and though she tended to be a bit grumpy towards everybody except Lyra, Derpy always said that it was all a cover and that she’s actually sweeter than the candies she make. And Lyra was well know for being a talented song writer and musician and being one of the most cheerful girls in town, only beaten in that aspect by, obviously, Pinkie Pie. Slowly, Dinky walked towards the two still arguing women in the room and raised her hand to get both of their attention. When they both stopped panicking and looked at her she said “How about we ask Miss Lyra and Miss Bon Bon to take care of me?” //-------------------------------------------------------// The evening //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Chapter two! :yay: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/yay.png yay Just a warning, shipping ahead. Expect LyraBon and slight OctaScratch... or ScratchTavia... or however the flying f**k they call it. Hope you like it! :raritywink: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/raritywink.png The evening “Yeah, sure! Why not?” Lyra Heartstrings said with a big smile on her face. “WHAT?!” Said Bon Bon staring at her girlfriend while Derpy bounced up and down saying “Thank you” every time she went up. “Would you excuse us for a moment?” Bon Bon said with a nervous smile as she dragged away the now confused mint green unicorn away. Once inside the house, Bon Bon asked “What the hay are you doing?” with an angry look. “What’s the matter babe?” Lyra asked. “What’s the matter?” Bon Bon’s expression was one of shock and a bit of anger. “Have you forgotten already? We are super busy today! Octavia is coming home today to talk with you about the upcoming show remember? AND! I have to come up with some new flavor for this year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve! We can’t be babysitting!” “But Dinky is an angel. She won’t be any problem, in fact, maybe she could even help you with the new flavor thingy” Lyra smiled widely but Bon Bon didn’t return the gesture. “You said the same thing about Sweetie Belle that one time Rarity had to make an emergency trip to Canterlot. AND SHE ALMOST BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE!” The cream colored girl threw her arms up in the air to emphasize her point. Lyra waved a hand dismissively “Details, details” she said “Besides, Sweetie Belle and Dinky are totally different. Dinky always helps her mom in the kitchen making muffins” Bon Bon was about to talk but Lyra put a finger on her lips to silence her “I know muffins and candies are two completely different things, but my point is Dinky has experience cooking. She already knows about this so she could be useful.” Bon Bon stood there in complete silence, thinking hard about a good reason to say no, but before she could think of anything Lyra talked again “If being alone with Dinky scares you, she can be with me and Octavia. Derpy told me she loves the music we make so there should be no problem” “It’s not that it scares me” Bon Bon mumbled loud enough for Lyra to hear “It’s just that…” she fell silent again. Lyra finally understood the reason behind all of this “Is it the whole children-are-scared-of-me thing again?” Bon Bon’s ears flattened against her head and she silently nodded. Lyra hugged her girlfriend and kissed her in the forehead “Baby, I already told you, it’s not like that. Sure, you do wear a grumpy face way too often, and may scare some people away. But as soon as they get to know you they realize that’s just the way you look on the outside. All of our friends love you and you know fully well that I adore you. You are my precious honey flavored candy.” The hug continued for a while and slowly the tension Bon Bon felt melted away as she returned the gesture. “Thanks Lyra. I don’t know what I’d do without you” Bon Bon said smiling “Only one thing though” “What is it hon?” “Don’t use that kind of corny language ever again. It’s embarrassing.” “No promises” Lyra laughed and she let go of her lover. “So, what do you say? Wanna play babysitter?” After a short silence Bon Bon agreed “But only on one condition” she said with a serious look on her face “If she’s too much to handle for me, you are taking care of her for the whole evening without me. Got it?” “Aye aye captain!” Lyra saluted and ran out of the door to tell the Hooves family. “I can’t thank you enough!” Derpy’s voice came from the front of the house. “No problem Derpy” Lyra answered “Anything for a good friend such as you” Derpy hugged Lyra with enough strength to squeeze out all the air Lyra had in her lungs and said “I’m so going to repay you somehow, I’ll think about it while I’m working!” Sparkler stepped in and tapped her mom’s shoulder “Uh mom, did you know that air is VERY important to stay alive? Derpy looked at her daughter confused “What does that has to do with anything Sparks?” Sparkler pointed at Lyra, and when Derpy turned her head around she noticed that the usually mint green face of her friend was now purple. “Oh my Lyra, are sure you are feeling okay to take care of Dinky?” Her older daughter faceplamed while the younger laughed uncontrollably. With the little air she had left, Lyra managed to say “As soon as I’m able to breathe again, I’m sure I’ll be fine” “Oh, okay” Derpy let go of her friend and turned around to look at Dinky “Now behave and do whatever Lyra and Bon Bon tell you little muffin” She kissed her on the forehead “I’ll do my best to deliver everything really fast so we can have that amazing dinner I promised you” “Don’t worry mom. I’ll be fine” Dinky hugged her mother “Take care” “I will” Derpy smiled and took off the ground “See you all later” “Bye mom” both girls waved as their mother made her way towards Cloudsdale. “Well, I have to go as well” Sparkler said “See you later Dinks” “See you later sis” Dinky stretched her arm and closed her hand forming a fist “Sisfist!” Sparkler rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless and fist bumped her sister “Sisfist. See ya later Lyra and Bon Bon” “Bye Sparks” Lyra said, her lungs filled with delicious air once again “Good luck with that college thing” Lyra went closer to Dinky and kneeled before her “I still have some free time until Tavi arrives. So what do you wanna do kiddo?” Lyra asked smiling widely. Dinky touched her chin with her index finger and thought about it for a second “Do you know how to play hide and seek?” Lyra snickered and ruffled Dinky’s hair “I sure do” ***later*** Bon Bon was in the kitchen working on the new flavor when she heard someone knocking on the door. “That must be Octavia” she thought while walking towards the door. She looked through the peephole and saw Octavia standing in front of the door along with someone else she couldn’t quite distinguish. Without thinking much of it, she opened the door. “Good evening Bon Bon. How nice it is to see you again” Octavia said in her usual elegant manner. “How are you doing?” “Oh, just fine Octavia” Bon Bon smiled slightly “Working on a new flavor for this year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Bon Bon peered over Octavia’s shoulder just to have a better look at the unknown guest. As soon as she saw that unique wild blue colored hair, she knew who it was. “And hello to you too Vinyl Scratch” Vinyl took a step forward “What’s with the formalities? C’mon Bonnie, I already told you a hundred times, Vinyl is just fine” The DJ said and went straight for a hug which caught Bon Bon by surprise. Octavia was also shocked at first, but her shock was soon replaced by anger “Vinyl Record Scratch! What are you doing?” Vinyl turned her head around and simply answered “I’m hugging a friend. That’s a way to say hi too you know?” A smile crept on the DJ’s face “Could it be you are jealous Octy?” She said in a teasing tone “Don’t be ridiculous. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t act like that with everyone you meet. Some people like to have their personal space.” Bon Bon snapped out of it and said “No, no. It’s okay. I just wasn’t ready for that. This is just the… third or fourth time we’ve meet. I didn’t thought you saw me as a friend” “Of course I do” Vinyl smiled “You are Lyra’s partner after all and Lyra is a good friend of mine. So that means you are also a good friend of mine” Bon Bon smiled at this. “Well thanks. I appreciate it” A slight blush appeared on the cream colored girl. “No problems Bonnie” Vinyl said while patting her on the shoulder. “Where’s Lyra by the way?” “Oh, she’s playing hide and seek with a friend’s daughter” Bon Bon let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head “We have to take care of her until nightfall. I hope that’s not a problem for you” “Nah, it’s okay.” Vinyl said still smiling “No problems with me either.” Octavia said “I like children… as long as they behave themselves” Octavia’s smile dropped a bit when she said that. “Well, come on in” Bon Bon stepped out of the way to let them in “I’ll look for Lyra, you two just get comfortable” While the two guests made their way towards the living room, Bon Bon started looking around for Lyra. She looked in their bedroom, in the bathroom, all of the upper floor and through the windows but she couldn’t find them. Anger rising, she decided to look for them in the basement. Reaching the stairs she could hear both of their voices. “Weren’t they playing hide and seek?” she thought and when she went down a couple of steps she saw them, waving two old broomsticks like swords. “You’ll never defeat me foolish knight Sir Dinkylot” Lyra said in a low raspy voice “This kingdom will be mine! I’ll be the new king and all of your people will have to bow before me! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” “Not if I can do something about it, you evil sorcerer” Dinky said doing her best to sound like a stallion. Bon Bon just stared at the two of them like she was in some kind of trance, a smile growing inch by inch on her face as the “furious battle” went on before her eyes. Finally, with lightning speed Dinky dodged one of Lyra’s attacks and gave the mint green unicorn a lethal strike to her side. Lyra stood still for a moment before falling to her knees and collapsing to the floor in a dramatic manner. Laying on the floor she slowly raised her hand towards Dinky “You have bested me brave knight Dinkylot, and you have set my soul free at last.” Dinky gasped “Were you under some kind of mental control?” Lyra coughed “Yes, I was. But you stopped me. I can’t thank you enough for that. Please, brave knight, promise me you’ll take care of this country. Promise me you’ll be a fair king and that you’ll take care of all the people that live here. Please.” Dinky held Lyra’s hand and said “I swear upon my honor as a knight that I’ll be the greatest, most awesome king there’s ever been” Bon Bon and Lyra both snickered at Dinky’s choice of words and after some seconds of silence, Lyra’s arm went limp and she slowly closed her eyes. Bon Bon started applauding without even thinking about it. This startled both Lyra and Dinky, especially Lyra, whom stood up in an instant, her face as red as a tomato. “H-Hey hun. What’s up?” Lyra laughed nervously “H-ho-how much did you see” Bon Bon was trying with all of her might not to start laughing out loud, when she regained her composure a bit she said “Enough to say that you should seriously consider acting as your second job sweetie” Lyra’s face became redder and brighter as Bon Bon couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. The laughter proved contagious as Dinky soon joined the pink-and-blue haired woman. Once the laughter finally died down Bon Bon remembered the reason why she was looking for Lyra in the first place. “Oh, I totally forgot, Octavia is here along with Vinyl” “Really?” Lyra said “Wow, time flew by while we were playing.” Lyra said smiling “But wait, why is Vinyl here? I thought the show was going to be just Tavi, the ensemble and me” Bon Bon shrugged “I don’t know, go and ask them. Maybe she just wants to accompany her” “Yeah that must be it” Lyra said and looked at Dinky “Hey, I’m going to go talk to my friends now. Wanna come with me or do you wanna go with Bonnie? She’s working on a new flavor for her candies, and your mom told me you are a great helper at the kitchen” Dinky smiled “Is it okay if I go with you Miss Bon Bon?” she said looking at Bon Bon Bon Bon felt pressure on her heart, how could she say no to that face. But the last time she allowed a child in her kitchen they almost lost their house. Seeing the doubt on Bon Bon’s face Dinky walked closer to her “I promise to stay quiet and only do what you tell me to do and talk only when you allow me to.” And then she used the puppy eyes. Bon Bon felt her heart melt away as she said the word “Okay” without even realizing. Lyra saw the whole scene play with amusement and then saw them both walk towards the kitchen and after a short laugh she made her way towards the living room to welcome her two friends. ***meanwhile*** “Here you go Derpy, the list of all the deliveries you have to make today” A rather large pegasus male said while moving the cigar he held in his mouth from left to right. “Wow” Derpy saw how long the list was “So many” she whispered and felt cold sweat running down her face. “Uh boss, I know you told me it was going to be a lot but I never thought it would be this much” The rather large man just stared at her with an neutral expression “So?” he said “You can’t back off now Derpy, you screwed up and you have to repay for it. It’s always been like that and it always will. If you have problems keeping up because of your condition then you can quit the job for all I care” Derpy felt pain and anger mix inside of her. Why did he always have to bring that up? It almost looked like he wanted her to quit. Every time he could, he would say that exact same line. Gritting her teeth she responded “No boss, I can do it. I’ll start immediately” “Well then, what the hay are you waiting for? GO!” He said and pulled out a newspaper pretending to read the news while fact he was just hiding his grin. Derpy grabbed all the packages she could and walked out of the door still grinding her teeth and with tears in her eyes. She was so focused on getting out of there she fast she bumped into someone without noticing “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking” She said “Yeah, I kinda realized that already Derpy” the pegasus girl said Derpy opened her eyes and saw a yellow skinned green haired pegasus lying on the ground “RAINDROPS!” She screamed with joy “What are you doing here; you have to work on Saturdays too?” “Nah” Raindrops waved a hand dismissively and stood up from the ground with Derpy’s help “I heard you had to do some extra work so I wanted to check on…” Raindrops then saw the tears on Derpy’s eyes. Derpy quickly looked away but it was too late, Raindrops already knew. “He’s mistreating you again isn’t he?” Raindrops tone was one of poorly disguised anger. When Derpy didn’t respond Raindrops talked again “Celestia dammit Derpy! Why are you still working for that guy?! Seriously! I can’t stand seeing you like this, and you are lucky neither Rainbow Dash nor Cloudkicker are here with me, ‘cause you know fully well those two would just go in there and kick that guy’s butt until he begs for mercy.” Derpy just stared at her feet “But, this is the only thing I do sort of right. All the other things I tried to do always end up affecting everybody else like what happened with the town hall” Derpy started sniffing, tears rolling down her cheeks and her voice cracking as she kept talking “I’m just a mess up, everything I do, I do it wrong.” Raindrops hugged her friend tightly and said with a gentle tone “You are not a mess up Derpy; you make mistakes just like everyone else. Even Celestia and Luna make mistakes every now and then. And even if you mess up a lot of things there’s one thing I know for sure you do great” Raindrops pushed Derpy’s face upwards so that she would look at her eyes “And that’s being a mother. You are one of the most caring and loving mothers I’ve seen in my life. So stop believing and saying all of this nonsense about yourself. You are a great mother and a wonderful person.” Raindrops broke the hug and put her hands on her thighs “And since you are such a wonderful friend, I’ll help you with the delivers so that you can be done in a jiffy and you can go back to be the awesome mom you are” Raindrops winked and grabbed some of the packages Derpy dropped to the floor Derpy was uneasy about this “Are you sure Rain? I mean, I really appreciate it but didn’t you have to help Cloudchaser and Flitter prepare Thunderlane’s surprise party today?” Raindrops perked up “Oh, that. I forgot…” She was silent for a couple of seconds “Meh, I’m sure it’ll be alright. I’ll just help you finish this quickly and then I’ll go meet with them.” Derpy smiled and hugged her childhood friend from behind “Thanks a bunch Rainy! Thanks for always being there for me” Raindrops smiled and winked at the wall eyed girl “Hey, that’s what friends do.” ***meanwhile… again*** Sparkler, Sea Swirl and Twinkleshine were all sitting around a long and round table with papers, books, Twinkleshine’s laptop and other stuff, the three of them working in absolute silence. They had wasted a lot of time chatting and drinking coffee when they arrived and they had to finish this today, they couldn’t allow themselves any kind of distraction. Then Twinkleshine’s cell phone started ringing. Sparkler looked at her friend with burning anger on her eyes “Twinkle, I thought we all agreed to turn OFF the cell phones” Twinkleshine nervously grabbed the device “Sorry, I forgot to turn it off.” “Well, please turn it off now” Sea Swirl said with a calmer tone, even though she was also getting pretty stressed over this. “Yeah, hold on a second” The white colored unicorn said and she answered the call “Hello? Mom? What is it? I-I’m in the middle of something right now, remember? Yes, yes that. …Do you really need to call me just for that?” Saprkler’s stare intensified with anger as the conversation went on, Sea Swirl noticed this and decided to try and calm her down “H-how about I make some more coffe-“ “NO MORE COFFEE SEA SWIRL! I JUST WANT TO GET THIS FRIGGING HOMEWORK DONE!” Sparkler snapped at her friends and they both backed away in fear. “Uh mom? I’ll call you back okay? Love you” Twinkleshine hung up the phone and the three of them went back to work, one of them blowing off steam through her nostrils, the other two shaking in fear. //-------------------------------------------------------// The night //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Final chapter! Not much to say. Expect Lyra X Bon Bon and a bit of Vinyl X Octavia shipping. HOPE YOU LIKE IT! :pinkiehappy: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/pinkiehappy.png The night “Aaaaaaaaaaand… DONE!” Sparkler shouted as she relaxed on the chair she was currently sitting on. “It was actually pretty easy” Twinkleshine said, a bit of surprise in her voice. “I thought it was going to take a lot longer, it’s still pretty early” “Maybe it’s because we are getting good at it” Sea Swirl joined as she stretched her back “We already know which subjects each of us is good at, so now that we know each other so well we work a lot better and faster than when we started” Sea Swirl said with a big smile and let out a giggle. Both of her friends looked at her and she said “It’s just that…” Sea Swirls face was covered by a slight blush “I know this is going to sound super cheesy, but I’m glad I met you girls. I’m not sure I could’ve taken this whole year all by myself.” “Aaaaw” Twinkleshine stood up from her chair and hugged her friend “It’s not cheesy, it’s adorable Sea. I’m so glad I met you too” “Thanks Twinkle” Sea Swirl let her head rest on the white unicorn’s shoulder. Sparkler stared at the scene with a little smile formed on her lips. “Thanks for including me” She said in a sarcastic manner. Both girls opened their eyes, looked at the lone girl at the other side of the table, then at each other. And a wicked smile appeared on both of their faces. Slowly they walked towards their friend, wearing an evil smile all the while. “Wh-what are you two doing?” Sparkler said standing from her chair and backing away “Stop smiling like that! You are creeping me out.” Sea Swirl was the first to spoke “You know Twinkle” Twinkleshine answered “Yes Sea?” “Sparkler was extra grumpy today, wasn’t she?” Sea Swirl whispered loud enough for Sparkler to hear. “Yes. Indeed she was.” “Don’t think she deserves some kind of… punishment?” “Yes. I do think so” Their smiles grew wider. Sparkler swallowed a huge lump that had formed in her throat and spoke “C’mon girls, you already know me. That’s just the way I am. I can’t help it.” Sparkler’s back found the wall producing a small thump sound “Tell you what. I’ll invite you girls some hay burgers! How does that sound?” Sparkler smiled nervously. “Oh, that won’t be enough, I’m afraid.” While Sea Swirl was saying this, Twinkleshine casted a spell to grab Sparkler by the limbs and Sea Swirl one to momentary cancel Sparkler’s magic. “What are you going to do?” Cold sweat ran down the purple haired unicorn as she struggled to get free. “Oh, we’ll just use… those” Sea Swirl brought a small box with her magic. “No. You don’t mean… NO! Anything but that! PLEASE!” Sparkler’s voice cracked and she struggled with all of her might. “Yes.” Sea Swirl whispered as she opened the box and pulled out a handful of feathers and used her magic to levitate them towards her frightened unicorn friend. “Where should I start Twinkle?” Twinkleshine thought about it for a moment and the smile slowly returned to her face. “The armpits of course” “Will do” “MERCYYYY!!!” Was the last word Sparkler was able to say before starting laughing out of control. ***…*** “Have a good night Noteworthy” Derpy said cheerfully as she took off the ground. “You too Derpy. Thanks for delivering the package. Without breaking the content” The last part came out as a whisper Derpy couldn’t hear. Derpy flew around happily on her way to the mail office. “Just a couple more packages and I should be done” Derpy thought and she picked up the pace so that she could be done sooner and go back to her beloved daughter. But then she heard a voice. A voice she did not want to hear. A voice that brought back some of the worst memories of her life back. A voice that had caused her so much pain and grief. Dumbbell’s voice “Hey guys, look who’s here. The wall eyed retard.” The light gray haired man said as he flew past Derpy and stopped right in front of her “Right on time too. You see, we were kind of getting bored out here. There’s not much to do this days you know. Everyone’s getting ready for the festivities. It’s a pain in the butt you know?” A sadistic smile appeared on his face “But then I look up, and who do I see but my old classmate Derpy Hooves. It must be destiny or some crap like that, don’t you think?” Derpy didn’t want to look at his face. She just wanted to leave. But there was no way she could beat Dumbbell’s speed and agility. And to make matters worse, his two sidekicks, Hoops and Score, were now flying at both of Derpy’s sides. There was no way she could just fly away from this one. Derpy just froze there, floating in place without saying a word. “What’s the matter Derpy? Are you scared?” Dumbbell laughed “Look at her, she looks like she’s about to start crying for her momma.” Hoops added also laughing. Derpy didn’t say a word; she decided to wait and hope they’d get bored and leave. But she knew it wouldn’t be that easy. “Say, for being a wall eyed freak, I must admit you are looking pretty fine” Dumbbell said while examining Derpy from top to bottom with his gaze “If it wasn’t for that eye of yours, I must admit I would give you a chance. Maybe you should buy yourself an eye patch and we could try sometime.” Dumbbell laughed once again. His laughter alone brought back all of the awful things he made the poor grey pegasus go through. Derpy’s hand turned into a fist as she struggled to stay still and not say a word. Sadly, this action didn’t go unnoticed. “Whoa, watch out DB!” Score said in a mocking tone “She’s getting ready to give you a beating” The trio laughed even harder at this. “Really? You, of all people? Hit me?” The brown pegasus said “Keep dreaming loser. You wouldn’t even be able to throw a punch against someone messing with of those two failures you call daughters.” The trio exploded into laughter once again louder than before, only to be silenced by a loud “slap”. Hoops and Score’s eyes went wide open as they saw Dumbbell slowly taking his hand to his cheek, a look of surprise plastered on his face. “Don’t you DARE insult my precious daughters” Derpy’s voice was as filled of anger as her eyes were, both of them staring straight into Dumbbells shocked ones. After a couple of seconds, the shock on the brown pegasus’s eyes was replaced by rage. “YOU ARE DEAD, YOU WALL EYED FREAK!” He roared as he readied himself to deliver a punch straight to Derpy’s face, but something stopped him. Dumbbell looked over his shoulder to find a coal black hand holding his arm with a firm grasp. “If you wanna fight someone, fight someone your own size jackass” Thunderlane said in a calm but threatening tone of voice. Dumbbell broke free from his grasp and his two minions stood to both of his sides. “Stay out of this if you know what’s good for you Thunderlane” “No” A loud voice came from above them and a very tall and muscular white pegasus landed right beside Thunderlane “YOU will leave Derpy alone if YOU know what’s good for YOU!” Bulk Biceps said leaning his head forward and tensing all of his muscles, ready to fight. The three bullies couldn’t help but shake a bit in fear. No one or at least no one sane, would take Bulk Biceps in a fight. They started flying backwards slowly at first, but gaining speed as they got further and further away. Finally they disappeared in the distance, Dumbbell yelling something about revenge to try to, at least, save some of his pride. Once they were gone, Bulk went from threatening fighter to caring friend in a split second “Are you okay Derpy? They didn’t do anything to you did they? ‘Cause if they did, I swear to Celestia I’ll get them one by one and I’ll use them as punching bags.” Thunderlane tapped Bulk’s shoulder “Big guy, why don’t you let her breath first?” Bulk’s white cheeks went pink “Oh, right. Sorry Derpy.” And he gently backed away. Derpy was still staring in the direction the trio went to and slowly turned around to look at her friends. “You okay?” Thunderlane asked with concern “Y-yeah” Derpy said “Thanks for helping me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t show up” “Anytime Derpy” Thunderlane smiled “You know you can count on us for anything right?” Bulk said “Yes, I do. Thank you. For this and all the other times you helped me” A familiar voice interrupted the conversation. “Hey you found her” Raindrops landed in front of the group followed by Clouchaser, Flitter and Thunderlane’s little brother Rumble. “Good job Laney” Cloudchaser said and patted the black pegasus’s back “Ugh, how many times must I tell you? Don’t call me like that!” Thunderlane groaned. “But it sounds very cute” Flitter said “Don’t you think Rumble?” The little pegasus boy snickered “Yes. Very cute” Thunderlane stared at his little brother “One single laugh escapes your lips and you’ll regret it midget” Rumble switched moods from laughing to furious in one second “I’m not a midget! Wait and see! When I’m older I’ll be bigger than Bulk!” The whole group laughed hard at this which only increased the little one’s rage. “I don’t think that’s physically possible Rumble” Raindrops said once she caught her breath. After the laugh died down, Derpy had a thought. “Hey wait, were you looking for me?” Derpy asked “Oh yeah” Thunderlane said “We completely forgot to tell you. Were you going to the post office?” “Yeah” Derpy answered “Well, you don’t have to worry about going back anymore. You can go back to Ponyville” “What? Why? Did something happen?” Derpy asked with concern “Yes actually, apparently all of the packages you had to deliver mysteriously delivered themselves so you don’t have any more work to do” Raindrops said smiling, Cloudchaser and Flitter both winked at Derpy and the other three were all smiling. Derpy wasn’t the smartest girl, but she knew her friends and she knew those smiles. “Oh guys, you didn’t have to. There are more important things you should be taking care of, like Thunderlane’s birthday party.” “Well this was actually his idea” Bulk said “Really?” Derpy asked “Yeah” Flitter added “We saw Rainy going around with packages on her arms so we asked her what was happening and she told us everything.” “And then Thunderlane said we should all help you. And since it’s his birthday, we just couldn’t say no” Cloudchaser said smiling widely. Thunderlane blushed “It was nothing. Anything for a friend” Derpy suddenly leaned forward and hugged the black pegasus “Thanks a million!” “Don’t worry about it Derpy” Thunderlane said returning the gesture “Just go and enjoy this night with your family” “I will. Happy birthday Thunderlane. And thanks to all of you guys! You are the best friends anyone could ask for!” And after hugging every one of her friends and saying their goodbyes Derpy flew to the post office, changed into her everyday clothes and merrily made her way towards Ponyville. ***back on Lyra and Bon Bon’s house*** Bon Bon was feeling uneasy. Why was it all so quiet? She could even hear the conversation between Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl in the upstairs room, that’s how quiet everything was. And it was making feel strangely uncomfortable. Dinky was just standing there without making a single noise, just staring at her working on the undetermined flavor. “I kind of expected her to be all over the place asking me what’s this and that and being noisy… Like Sweetie Belle…” The cream colored girl thought as she kept working “Maybe Lyra was right. Maybe she really is different. But for some reason it doesn’t make any more comfortable with her being there, just quietly observing every move I make.” Bon Bon stopped working for a moment, took a deep breath, exhaled and turned around to face at Dinky. “Mind if I ask you something Dinky?” She said smiling slightly “Yeah, sure. What is it Miss Bon Bon?” The little girl said. “Why are you so quiet?” Bon Bon asked. Dinky looked at the woman in front of her with a questioning look “What do you mean Miss Bon Bon? I thought you wanted silence while working” “Were silent because you thought that’s what I wanted?” “Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Dinky asked and looked down at her feet “I’m sorry” Bon Bon stared at the girl with wide eyes “No, you don’t have to apologize” she waved her arms nervously “I was just asking” Dinky looked back up “I just wanted to know why; I wasn’t blaming you for anything.” She sighed “There’s always these kind misunderstandings with me.” “Sorry, it’s because you looked angry.” The little girl almost whispered. Bon Bon sighed once again “Yeah, I get that a lot.” “I thought I should wait until you started a conversation. My mom told me that it’s hard for some people to open up if you are always on their backs, so I should just wait until they start the conversation.” Bon Bon stared at the little girl “That’s… a very good suggestion.” She smiled. Dinky smiled widely “Yup!” She said cheerfully “My mom told me that when I tried to become friends with Scootaloo. The orphanage she lives in it’s in the same direction as my house, but every time I tried to talk to her she would ignore me.” Bon Bon had a surprised look on her face “Really? Why?” “Because she thought I was friends with Diamond Tiara. And they don’t get along too well” The little girl said, scratching the back of her head. “Oh yeah, I heard stories about that Diamond girl. For what I heard she’s a bully right?” “Well, she’s always bothering the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but she never bothered me or any of my other classmates. She always wants to be the center of attention though.” Dinky giggled “I see.” Bon Bon said touching her chin with her index finger. “But then why did Scootaloo think you and this Diamond girl were friends?” “Because I do hang out with her and Silver Spoon from time to time.” “What? Why?” Bon Bon asked shocked “Because I want her to be my friend as well. My mom told me that she lost her mother when she was born and her father is always so busy working that he barely spends any time with her, so that’s why she always does that kind of things. I don’t want to even imagine how much it must hurt to lose your mother.” She placed both of her hands on her chest “That’s why I want to be her friend.” “Oh, that’s very kind of you Dinky” Bon Bon smiled Dinky laughed and blushed a bit “Thanks” “But it’s not going to be easy for you to be friends with the both of them. The last I heard, Diamond made fun of Scootaloo’s flying problem.” Bon Bon had a serious expression on her face “Those kinds of wounds take a long time to heal. If they ever heal at all” “I know that.” Dinky felt her happiness slip away a bit, but it returned instantly with more strength than before “But I’m already making progress. Not too long ago Scootaloo and I finally had a chat all the way to my home. She even asked me if I wanted to join the CMC” she grinned showing all of her teeth. “That’s amazing Dinky! I’m very happy for you.” “Thanks! I’ll keep trying, I won’t give up!” Bon Bon giggled at the little girl’s excitement; she had to admit she was extremely cute and adorable. And with a gigantic heart too. She was definitely Derpy’s daughter. The conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps walking down the ladder. “Well then, everything is settled then” Octavia said “Then we’ll be seeing each other again next Monday. Is that alright with you Lyra?” “Sure” Lyra said with excitement “This is going to be amazing! Thanks again for the helping us Vinyl” “No problems” Vinyl said while they made their way to the door “I also want this show to be epic. Even if I’m not into classical music” she wrapped her arm around Octavia’s waist “I would do anything to help my girl” “VINYL RECORD SCRATCH!” Octavia said, her face turning scarlet red “Behave you. Wait until we reach our home” “C’mon Octy, all I did was put my arm around you. You need to loosen up a bit. We are among friends here” Vinyl said laughing hard Lyra also laughed and reached for their and opened the door. “Are you leaving already?” Bon Bon asked “Yes. We have a reservation in a restaurant Beauty Brass recommended me and we are a bit late” Octavia answered “Oh, well I hope you two have a lovely night” Bon Bon smiled “Oh, trust me we will.” Vinyl said and kissed Octavia on the cheek “Vinyl!” They all laughed at the poor gray colored girl and bid each other farewell. But just as Lyra was about to close the door, a familiar blonde girl landed in the porch of the house with a bit more strength that she intended to. “Mommy!” Dinky said and jumped into her mother’s embrace “I’m back my little muffin!” She said and hugged her little girl tightly “Did you have fun?” “Mhm” Dinky said “I had a lot of fun! We played hide and seek and then we played at the knight versus the evil sorcerer! I was the knight and Miss Lyra…” While Dinky told Derpy everything that had happened in the day, Lyra smiled and looked to her right to find Bon Bon staring at the scene with a weird expression on her face. “Baby? You okay?” Bon Bon snapped out of it and looked at her girlfriend “Yes. Yes, I’m fine dear.” They were interrupted by Derpy “Thank you two so much for taking care of Dinky. I hope she didn’t caused you trouble.” “No, she was an angel” Lyra said “Yes. No problem at all. You raised her well Derpy” Bon Bon said smiling “You really are an amazing mother” Derpy was a bit surprised at first but her surprise turned into absolute joy “You really think so?” “Indeed I do” Bon Bon assured “Absolutely” Lyra added “Thanks!” Derpy’s wings flapped with excitement and she took off a couple inches from the ground. She then grabbed Dinky’s hand and said “Well, we have to go home and wait for your sister, and then we’ll go to eat something very yummy.” “YAY!” Dinky jumped “Can Miss Lyra and Miss Bon Bon come with us? Please?” “Oh, I don’t know if they’ll wan-“ “Of course we do!” Bon Bon suddenly yelled scaring the rest of them “Oops, sorry. I said we would be more than willing to go with you. Let me go and grab my purse and we’ll go right away.” Bon Bon said making her way towards the bedroom “But honey!” Lyra screamed “Didn’t you have to keep working on that special candy flavor?” “THAT CAN WAIT!” Came the response from upstairs. Lyra then turned around and shrugged “I guess we are eating together then. I hope it’s no problem for you” Derpy smiled “No, not at all. I have to repay you somehow for taking care of Dinky.” “Do you want to come in while we wait for Sparkler?” Derpy was about to respond but Sparkler answered first “There’ll be no need. I’m here” “Sis!” Dinky was about to jump at her sister but Sparkler stopped her with a levitation spell “Hey, what’s this all about sis?” “Please Dinky, my everything hurts. I can’t take a hug from you right now” “Oh my, did something happen? Are you okay?” Derpy asked concerned and went to her daughter’s side to check on her. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. But for now no hugs please.” “But why does it hurt?” Dinky asked “Wasn’t it supposed to be just homework?” “Yeah, but something… unexpected happened.” Before her mother or her sister could ask, she stopped them “I don’t want to talk about it.” Derpy and Dinky looked at each other confused and answered “Okay” at the same time. Just then Bon Bon came back, ready to head out “Well then, shall we get going?” ***later in Dinky’s bedroom*** “Today was super awesome!” Dinky said while Derpy put her Freddy Fazzbear and friends pajama on her “Can we go out with Miss Lyra and Miss Bon Bon again?” “Maybe in the future little muffin” Derpy said, grabbing Dinky and placing her in the bed. “But now you need to go to sleep.” “Okay mom” Dinky said and kissed her mother on her muzzle “Good night mommy. I love you” “I love you too Dinky. Sweet dreams” Derpy said as she stood up and walked out the door gently closing it behind her. ***meanwhile in Lyra and Bon Bon’s bedroom*** “That girl is the sweetest! I told you she was a little angel” Lyra said as she got comfortable on her side of the bed. “Yeah” Bon Bon pretty much mumbled, the look in her eyes distant. “What is it babe? Are you feeling okay?” Lyra asked worried “You are acting strange.” Bon Bon silently stared at nothing for a couple more seconds. Then she turned her head around, stared at Lyra square in the eye and said “Honey, I want a baby.” “…………..WHAT?!” ***the end***