Story of Maverick

Story of Maverick- Chapter 4: The Spark

Two weeks later, Silver Dust arrived in Farron via carriage.

“Looks like Scarlet’s Unicorn kid is back,” said a villager.

“How long do you bet she’ll stay this time?”

“I’d give ‘er a day before she runs back to the big city with the other Unicorns.”

Silver levitated her bags and walked towards her family’s shack. She felt the stares directed at her, but kept her gaze on her home.

Just ignore them, Silver, she thought. They gave you funny looks before. It’s nothing new to you.

“Hello, mother.”

“It’s so good to see you again, honey!”

Scarlet Plume hugged Silver Dust, but her daughter returned the embrace halfheartedly.

“Please, come inside. Kids, come help your sister with—“

“I don’t need any help,” Silver Dust cut off. “I can carry all of my bags with my magic.” She quickly said “excuse me” and walked through the door into a chorus of helloes and jubilant laughter.

“Silver Dust, Silver Dust!”

“Welcome home, sis!”

“What’s it like livin’ with the Unicorns, Silver?”

“How come you’re wearing those fancy clothes?”

Maverick hopped onto Silver Dust’s back and wrapped his forelegs around her neck.

“It’s great to have you back, sis.”

Silver gave him an annoyed glance accompanied by a groan, but her gaze softened as she looked at Maverick’s smiling face.

“It’s nice to see you too, trickster,” she said with a small smile.

Silver Dust set her bags down on the dirt floor, then looked around the house. Failsafe followed her gaze.

“Something wrong, Silver?”

“No. I was just observing the…shack. It hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Yep, same old home sweet home,” chimed Marmalade. Silver Dust ran a hoof across the floor and looked at the dirt on her hoof.

“Could have at least put in a wooden floor.”

Failsafe’s ears flattened against his head as he snarled. “What was that?”

“Nothing, Failsafe.”

The younger foals looked at the eldest two with curiosity.

“Floors can be made of wood?”

“Nuh-uh. How would they get the wood under the house?”

“Silvy said so, so it has to be true.”

Failsafe approached Silver, towering over her as he glared her down.

“What. Did. You. Say?”

Uh-oh, thought Marmalade. Failsafe’s doing his mad look.

Scarlet Plume stepped between them, chuckling nervously.

“Don’t worry about it, Failsafe. It was nothing.”

“No,” Silver interjected. “I have no problem repeating myself. You do not intimidate me, Failsafe. Intimidate means scare, by the way.”

Silver Dust levitated one of her bags over and sat on it. Maverick walked up and sat next to her, looking up at Failsafe defiantly.

“I said that you could have at least put in a wooden floor. Here, sit on my bag, Maverick.”

“Maverick, you and the other foals step outside,” commanded Failsafe. “Me and Silver need to talk—“

“No.” Maverick stood up next to his eldest sister. “You grown-ups always want to tell kids to leave when you talk about stuff. Everypony else here can go outside if they want to, but I want to know what you’re getting so mad about.”

Scarlet Plume spoke up, saying that it was an adult conversation. However, Silver Dust insisted that he stayed. Maverick plopped his rump down onto Silver’s bag and stared Failsafe in the eyes.

“If you really want to talk big bro, go ahead and talk.”

“Yes, by all means, speak.”

Failsafe told Silver Dust how he didn’t’ appreciate her snide comment about the floor. Silver defended herself by saying that she meant it for the family’s well-being, not because she was comparing Farron to a city or castle like her brother accused. The conversation eventually veered off towards Silver’s initial leaving.

“You never should have left, Silver! We needed you back then, just like we need you now! But you had to be selfish!”

“Shut up, Fail,” barked Maverick. “Silver was right to leave! Heck, she’s better for having left! Besides, she came back!”

“Maverick, what have I told you about calling your brother that? Failsafe, please, we’ve talked about this. Can you just let it go?”

Failsafe scowled and glared at Silver Dust.

“How can I let it go? She’s the only Unicorn in the family, but she refuses to use her weird magic to help us with important things.”

“With what important things,” Silver snapped. “Uselessly toiling through the dirt? Nothing valuable grows here! What does grow can only feed a few ponies for a week!”

Failsafe pointed a hoof at Silver Dust’s bags.

“What’s in those bags?”

“Why does it matter,” snapped Maverick.

“They’re full of clothes, Failsafe. All of my clothes.”

Failsafe scoffed in disbelieve, which provoked a glare from his sister.

“What is it?”

“Your stupid, fancy clothes. You. Every time you finally decide to come back home, you always talk down to Everypony. You prance around looking like a princess, comparing us to those Unicorns and I can’t stand it!”

Silver Dust stomped on the ground and neighed furiously.

“Don’t you judge me! Don’t you DARE judge me,” she screamed. “You think that just because I’m a Unicorn, life is easier or better for me? That I’m constantly judging you all or looking down on you? Well you’re wrong!”

Scarlet Plume shushed Silver Dust, looking at the door.

“Keep it down, Silver—“

“Shut up, mother! You’re nothing but a weak, stupid excuse of a mare! Be silent and let me talk!”

What the heck, thought Maverick. Why’s she attacking Ma? Failsafe’s the bad guy here!

“Sis, cool it. It ain’t Ma you should be mad at. Failsafe’s the one being a jerk.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m the bad guy, Maverick!”

Failsafe heatedly pointed at Silver Dust as he spoke, his voice getting louder.

“Everything I do is for this family! I take care of all the farm work so Ma don’t have as much to worry ‘bout! Who slaves over our field season after season so we have something to eat? When it was just you, me and Ma, who did all the heavy lifting without complaining? Who was there for Ma when you left?”

Silver Dust averted her gaze from her brother as she thought about the day she first left home. Scarlet Plume avoided looking at her two eldest children.

“That day really sucked,” said Maverick.

“Yeah, it did Maverick. Do you know why it sucked, Silver? Why it hurt when you left?”

Silver opened her mouth to answer, but she decided to let her brother answer his own question.

“It hurt ‘cause you left in the first place. And it looked like you weren’t going to come back. It hurt like hell ‘cause you abandoned us just like—“Failsafe cut himself off.

“Just like father did,” Silver finished. With those few words, everypony’s spirit dampened. Silver Dust looked at Failsafe sternly, but her eyes reflected pain.

“I’m not like him. I came back. I guess that was my mistake.”