Story of Maverick

Story of Maverick- Chapter 7: First Degree Burn

“I have never been so humiliated or disappointed in my life!”

Loud smacks and pained cries resounded through the shack as Scarlet Plume’s hoof repeatedly struck Maverick’s rear. Scarlet’s younger children kept their eyes away from their brother’s punishment, wincing with each smack of Scarlet’s hoof.

“I’ve never seen mama so angry before.”

Scarlet Plume set Maverick down and stood up, shaking her aching hoof.

“It’s not that I’m angry with him—I’m not even that mad. I’m just…” she sighed. “I’m just extremely disappointed in you, Maverick.”

“She ain’t the only—“

“Failsafe, be quiet. You may be his older brother, but I am his mother. It’s my job to scold him and correct him, not yours.”

Maverick rubbed his sore rump and looked up at his mother with big, watery eyes.

“I’m really, really sorry, Ma.” A good old sad look and teary eyes will soften her up. It works every time.

Scarlet and Maverick looked each other in the eyes for a few moments, but the mare’s expression didn’t change.

Why isn’t it working? And what’s with Ma’s eyes? They’re not warm and sweet like before. They’re…different, like something’s missing.

“D-don’t you want to know why I did it, Ma? Maybe if I explain, you can under—“

“You’re not talking your way out of this one, young colt,” Scarlet snapped sharply.

Maverick flinched backwards from his mother’s tone, his ears pressing against his head.

“I’ve taken it easy on you and stood up for you every time you got in trouble, Maverick. Without thought and without question. Every single time, just like today.”

I don’t like how her eyes look now, Maverick thought. I don’t like where this is going!

“Ma, please, just let me tell ya—“

“No! Not this time, Maverick! Do you understand just how serious this is? Ponies in Farron already didn’t like you because of your mischief. And now they think you’re a thief!”

Scarlet stomped her hooves and shook her head.

“Do you know how it has made me look to keep protecting you, son? Do you know how the other mares and stallions talk about me when my back is turned?”

What? But you’re the best ma in the world! Why would anypony talk bad about you?

Maverick started to say something, but Scarlet silenced him with a raise of her hoof.

“But that’s not the worst part. I can handle idle gossip about me. But what irks me—what HURTS me is when ponies attack my children. When I heard you be accused of stealing, I chose to believe the best about you. I defended you today—Failsafe got his leg broken because we believed in you.”

Scarlet’s voice cracked and her eyes began to water, making Maverick’s heart ache.

“Ma—Ma, please don’t cry.”

Scarlet wiped her eyes and sighed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t cry, because I’ve brought this on myself and you. I saw what I wanted to see, but now I see you for what you really are: trouble.”

His mother’s words pierced Maverick’s heart like a spear. Each beat hurt with a pain deeper than any kind the colt was familiar with.

Marmalade looked at the hurt look on her brother’s face, then turned to her mother and said “You don’t really mean that, right?”

She means it, thought Maverick. Just like every other grown-up in the village.

A sob escaped Maverick’s lips, then his face contorted into a snarl.

“I did it for us! I took all those potatoes so we wouldn’t starve to death!”

“It doesn’t matter why you did it, Maverick! Stealing is wrong no matter what!”

“Don’t you yell at Ma,” Failsafe commanded.

Maverick stomped over and bit Failsafe’s broken leg, making him yowl in pain.

“Maverick!”

“Shut up! Eating less won’t let us survive winter! More food will! But hardly enough food grows here to actually feed us!”

The youngest sibling started wailing and Maverick pointed sharply at him.

“Foals need to eat more so they can grow, right? Especially when they’re babies. Little Sapling will DIE before winter’s over if we do what you and Failsafe talked about! I bet the rest of us won’t last long past winter!”

The youngest sisters shrieked fearfully as their eyes grew to the size of the moon.

“Sapling’s gonna die?”

“Mint, Clover, Nopony is going to die,” stated Failsafe.

Failsafe and Scarlet chastised Maverick, but he continued to shout and argue with both of them.

“It’s no wonder Silver Dust left this lousy place!”

Failsafe glared at Maverick, raising his body as much as he could without causing his leg pain.

“Don’t talk about her. Don’t even bring up her name,” he growled.

“Failsafe…”

“I’ll do more than talk about Silver. I’m going to do the same thing she did: leave!”

“You will do no such thing, young colt! You’re too young to fend for yourself,” said Scarlet. “You wouldn’t last a day on your own.”

Maverick stood tall. “Then I’ll leave when I’m older, bigger and stronger! I don’t want to go down the same dead end road as every pony here! I don’t know what’s out there…” He pointed at the image of a branching flame on his flank. “But I swear by my new Cutie Mark that I’ll blaze my own trail!”