Drip.
Drip.
Drip, drip, drip.
The little grey pegasus stared out the window of her cottage as the bigger pegasi made the streets wet. She liked watching the puddles gather rain. It was one thing she didn’t need both eyes to see properly. Her momma joined her at the window.
“What are you looking at, Ditzy?”
“Puddles!” the filly answered, smiling wide at her momma, who smiled back and tousled her daughter’s blonde mane. The pair looked out the window for a few more moments. “Momma, can I play in the puddles?”
“When the rain stops, sweetie.”
“Okay, momma.” Ditzy Doo loved her momma dearly. She always made her feel good, and always kept her safe.
“In the meantime, why don’t you help me make muffins?”
“Muffins!”
Ditzy loved to bake. She especially loved to bake muffins with her momma. Poppa was busy helping the other pegasi make the rain fall down, so momma liked to have a treat ready for him when he came home. Momma gathered everything you need to make good muffins: flour, eggs, sugar, salt, and momma’s special secret ingredient, yogurt. Ditzy didn’t know why momma always put yogurt in the muffins. On it’s own, yogurt was icky and tasted sour. But Ditzy knew was that the yogurt made the muffins taste good, and that was all that mattered.
Ditzy mixed the eggs, yogurt, and sugar with a bit of oil, another one of momma’s special secrets, in a bowl. Ditzy made a mess, but momma wasn’t upset. She knew that Ditzy was trying her best, and she was proud of her all the same. Besides, messy Ditzy would have to have a bath later, and Ditzy loved bath time. Ditzy liked to play with the soap and make bubbles. Bubbles made other ponies happy, and Ditzy loved to make other ponies happy.
Momma and Ditzy poured the messy wet stuff into the bowl of flour and salt and other stuff. Ditzy asked momma if she could mix the wet things and the dry things together, but momma said no. This made Ditzy sad, but momma said she wasn’t old enough to mix them yet and the kitchen would be messy. Ditzy understood. Momma didn’t mind when Ditzy got messy, because she could give Ditzy a bath and they could have fun together while Ditzy got clean. But momma didn’t want to clean the kitchen because it made her tired, and when momma was tired, she couldn’t play with Ditzy, and that made them both sad.
Momma and Ditzy poured the mixed batter into the muffin tin, and momma went to the pantry.
“Now, Ditzy, what can we do to make these muffins super-duper-delicious? Should we add...” momma pulled out a bag. “Blueberries?”
Ditzy shook her head, and momma went for another bag.
“How about... almonds?” Another no from Ditzy. “Maybe... bananas?” No. Then momma smiled. “I know just what kind of muffins Ditzy wants today!” She pulled out another bag, and Ditzy’s eyes got wide. She smiled big and nodded her head, clapping her hooves together excitedly. “Chocolate chip muffins it is, then!”
Momma opened the bag and Ditzy put some chocolate chips onto each muffin, even sneaking a few into her mouth. Ditzy thought momma saw her, but momma didn’t say anything. Momma and Ditzy put the muffins into the oven and waited for them to bake.
“Now,” momma said, “how about some tea?”
“Yay!”
Ditzy loved tea with her muffins. Momma put the kettle on the stove and set the water to boil. Ditzy got three cups from the cupboard, one for her and momma, and one for poppa when he got home. Momma then got a towel and wiped some of the batter off of Ditzy so that she would be clean for poppa. They sat at the table and waited for the tea and muffins to be ready. That was when Ditzy asked momma a very important question.
“Momma?” The little filly looked up. “Am I special?”
“Of course you are, dear!” Momma said. “You’re momma’s only little muffin, and that makes you special.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t a good “oh” that came from Ditzy, and momma knew it. Ditzy looked sad, and momma hated when Ditzy was sad, because it made her sad.
“What’s wrong, Ditzy?”
“In school,” Ditzy said. “They say I’m special... call me names.”
“What names?”
“They call me Derpy... they make fun of my eyes.” Ditzy started to cry a little bit. “What’s wrong with my eyes, momma? Why can’t I always see good?”
Momma frowned. Momma knew Ditzy would ask this question some day. Momma sat down and sighed.
“Ditzy... my little muffin,” she began. “Yes. Your eyes don’t always work right. The doctors don’t know how to fix it, but you were born that way, and I’m sorry.” Momma sniffled. “But don’t be sad, Ditzy. Sure, your eyes are... different. But you are so much smarter and stronger than everypony else, you make me and poppa and so many others so happy, and I would not want you to be anything other than what you are.” Momma lifted Ditzy’s chin up with her hoof. “I love you, Ditzy, and I always will.”
“I love you, momma,” Ditzy smiled, then sniffed a tear back. “But what about the mean ponies, that make fun of me and call me names?”
“Hmm...” Momma thought. “They laugh at you?” Ditzy nodded. “And what do they call you?”
“Derpy.”
“Derpy... Derpy Ditzy Doo...” Momma thought some more, and then she did something Ditzy didn’t expect. Momma laughed.
“Momma!” Ditzy cried.
“It’s a little funny.”
“No it’s not!” Ditzy was mad. Ditzy didn’t like Momma making fun of her.
“Come on!” Momma picked up Ditzy’s hooves and started making her dance. “Dancing Derpy Ditzy Doo!”
“Stop it!”
“But you’re so cute!”
“I don’t like it!”
Momma kept moving Ditzy around, chanting “Dancing Derpy Ditzy Doo!” in a cheery way. Ditzy was upset at first, then something wonderful happened. Ditzy began to laugh. Then she laughed some more. Ditzy started laughing more and more, and soon she was dancing on her own! Momma and Ditzy both began to sing.
“Dancing Derpy Ditzy Doo! Dancing Derpy Ditzy Doo!”
Ditzy jumped into momma’s hooves and they were both laughing, happy as any momma and Ditzy could be. “See?” Momma said. “Just laugh with them, and the names won’t bother you anymore!”
“You’re the best, momma!” Ditzy laughed as momma kissed her on the forehead. They laughed and danced and had fun until the tea and muffins were done. They decided to wait for poppa before eating, and when he came home, momma, poppa, and Ditzy ate and talked and laughed. After they ate, the rain stopped and Ditzy went out to play in the puddles with poppa, but they didn’t play very long. Poppa was tired from work, and Ditzy was tired from making muffins and dancing with momma. Ditzy got a little messy with mud, but that was okay. Momma was there to give Ditzy a bath, and Ditzy loved bath time. After the bath, though, Ditzy wanted to take a nap, so momma picked up Ditzy and went over to tuck her into bed. Ditzy yawned. “You’re the best, momma.”
“You’re better,” momma said. Momma gave Ditzy a nuzzle and a kiss. “Just keep smiling, Ditzy. Because when you’re happy, the whole world is happy.”
Ditzy yawned again. “I love you, momma.”
“I love you, Ditzy. Sweet dreams.”
Momma turned off the light and Ditzy drifted off to sleep, dreaming of all the fun things she, momma, and poppa would do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Ditzy smiled in her sleep. Ditzy knew that as long as she thought of momma, poppa, the muffins, the bubbles, and the puddles, she would be happy. Always and forever.
***
Drip.
Drip.
Drip, drip, drip.
The little lavender unicorn looked out the window of her cottage as the pegasi made the streets wet. One very special pegasus wasn’t outside, though. She was sitting right next to the unicorn, looking out the window as well. She had just told the unicorn about all of the fun things she used to do with her momma on rainy days. The little unicorn had heard the story a lot, but she loved it every time.
“Momma,” the unicorn said, “can I play in the puddles?”
Ditzy Doo smiled down at her daughter. “When the rain stops, sweetie.”
“Okay, momma.”
“In the meantime, why don’t you help me make muffins?”
“Chocolate chip?” the unicorn asked excitedly.
“Sure,” Ditzy said. “Get the bowls. I’m sure your sister will be hungry when she gets here.”
“Yay!”
Dinky Doo ran off to get the bowls and ingredients for their muffins. Ditzy couldn’t help but giggle as she saw how much her daughter resembled her. She sighed and turned to look out the window one more time. After all these years, she still liked to watch the puddles gather rain.
