Last Stop on the Mail Route

Neither the loud splashing of my kitchen sink spraying water against itself, nor the cold water prickling my skin as I wash my hands prove enough of a distraction from the worried thoughts that now swirl about in my mind.

Thankfully, there are several little ones around that are much better at keeping my attention from swelling in on itself.

"Is Dinky's mom gonna be okay?" I hear carefully whispered by the concerned orange-furred filly beside me, making me pause in the midst of helping me whip up something for Derpy to eat. Something light, at least, that she can snack on to take her mind off of things. I doubt she's got the stomach for anything heavier.

Scootaloo sets down one of the boxes she grabbed from my pantry, some kind of cheesey cracker the girls had been ripping through already. Scoot is staring up at me with those concerned little eyes, and I'm reminded before I answer that I shouldn't be putting anything more on this filly, especially over the others.

"I think so, Scoots. She's just... going through a rough time with work. Had a bad day, you know?" I try to offer, wanting to keep it light.

She tilts her head, though I can see her weighing my words silently. Honestly, I should probably just send them home... but I think they're being a big help for Dinky right about now. Last thing I'd want is for her to sit here in an empty house, waiting to find out what's going on.

Speaking of which, I look out from over my kitchen, back into the living room.

Dinky isn't taking seeing her mom in that state too well, head hung and shoulders slumped. She's gotten pretty quiet, though Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are doing their best to try and keep her spirits up, offering assurances and distractions as they continue with the boardgame. Scootaloo had set her cards down to help me out, so now she's trailing after me around the kitchen, showing a surprising emotional curiosity towards the situation.

The sounds of my shower running can be heard muffled through the bathroom door back past the kitchen entryway closer to my room, offering some of the only noise that can be heard through the entire place. After I walked Derpy inside, she headed to the bathroom so she could take a moment to herself to clean up. She's been in there for a while now.

"Mister Muss?" The little voice of Scootaloo snaps me out of my staring. I turn off the sink, reaching for a hand towel to dry my hands.

"Sorry, Scoots. Just stuck thinking."

"Oh, it's okay. I get stuck thinking all the time too!"

"Well thanks for the help, but I've got it now. Why don't you head back over to the others?" I properly turn my attention to her, flicking my hands dry as I reach for my hand-towel.

"Okay! But let me know if I can help more!" Scootaloo eagerly offers up, earning a pat between the ears.

"Will do, Scoots." I mumble, but she doesn't really react, more just watching my hand. I'm confused as to why at first, but then I see a thought slowly emerge from the depths of her dome, face twisting in surprise as she remembers something.

"Oh! Can I ask you some advice?" Scootaloo suddenly prompts, padding her hooves in place.

"Shoot-- mm. Go for it." I try to stifle my poor choice of wording with a cough, nodding.

"I think I'm losing at Marenopoly." She huffs, squinting over at the table. "I had a genius idea to go all-in on the first property I got..."

It's a little whiplash from the gravity of my prior thoughts, and a reminder that the kids are still kids, doing kid things. It gets an earnest chuckle out of me, grounding me despite this messy situation.

"Whaaat? No, I'm sure you're doing fine." I lie through my teeth, smiling.

For some reason, she doesn't seem terribly convinced. "What should I do? Applebloom and Sweetie are getting ahead of me! I wanted to go big, but... they just aren't landing on my squares!"

I use the kitchen counter to lean down, taking a knee. A supportive hand takes her shoulder, and I level my stare with her. "Listen, kiddo."

"Yeah?"

"You think your idea isn't working?"

"Yeah..."

"Double down."

"Huh?"

"Triple down, even. They're going to land on your square eventually. It might take a while. It might suck. But you make that tile of yours the absolute worst thing on the board, so the moment of them puts a toe -- or a hoof, I guess, on it? All their bits. Yours." I poke her chest, watching her eyes brim with a newfound inspiration. I almost feel a smile form, until the kitchen's quiet is met with the sounds of muffled water running.

I don't get any words back, only a conniving grin as Scootaloo plans her nefarious, potentially friendship-ending scheme. As she trots back over to the others, I push up off the counter to get back to my feet, leaning against it for a moment.

My gaze falls to the bathroom door, shut tight and holding my mare inside. Part of me wants to repeat Canterlot and go in there to comfort her... but that's not really appropriate given present company. And I think she needs a moment to herself, too. I'll be here for her when she comes out. Until then, I'll try to help how I can.

The snacks that Scootaloo lugged out for me were a sweet gesture of assistance, but I had proper food in mind. Since half my fridge is stuff for Ponies (a given to my shopping list from how many of them I have over), it wasn't too hard to put something together that I think she'd like. Pasta with some tomato-basil sauce, lightly buttered. Simple enough to make, and should be filling. Made a big enough batch that I could serve the rest of the girls, actually. And probably the next half a dozen ponies that walked through the door. Might have to send some with leftovers. They've moved the boardgame around to make room for their little portions, a little more life back in that side of the room as Dinky cheers up a bit.

I'm in the middle of washing up the dirty dishes when I hear the shower shut off, pausing mid-scrub to listen. I'm entirely still, not daring to move an inch out of fear of missing a sound.

My eyes are glued to the bathroom door as it clicks, slowly swinging open, to reveal her. Derpy. There are still red bags under her eyes, but she's wearing only the fur she was born with now, her uniform carefully folded on the bathroom counter. Her wings are loosely held out to try and let them dry a little faster. Derpy rubs her eye one last time with a hoof before making eye contact with me as she stops, pursing her lips when our gazes meet.

The thunderous clattering of tiny hooves announces Dinky and distracts us both as the filly slides around the corner, nearly tackling her mom from a poorly timed stop. Instead, bunching up my hallway carpet and thumping directly against Derpy's chest.

"Mom!" Dinky pushes for answers without a moments notice, only concerned for her mother and entirely ignorant of her own collision. She's still smashed up against Derpy, staring upwards. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright, Dinky. Are you?" Derpy assures from between a weak bout if laughter, putting a hoof around Dinky and pulling her closer. Her voice sounds strained, hoarse.

"What happened?" Dinky mumbles into Derpy's fur, her ignorance of the questions plenty an answer enough.

Derpy is silent for a moment, swallowing.
"I'll talk to you about it later tonight, okay? I need to talk with Anon first."

"Okay." Dinky nods, not budging. "...But you are feeling better, right?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you, Dinky." Derpy kisses her daughter right beside the base of her horn, before shooing her back towards the living room with her still damp wings, the filly giggling as she tries to avoid loose specks of water.

It doesn't take long for Derpy to make her way into the entry of the kitchen, quietly standing beside the counters as I finish up, just outside of reach.

I don't say anything quite yet, giving her as much time as she needs. I don't need to push anything out of her now, despite my own worries. I just want her comfortable. Knowing that she's safe here.

A long, quiet sigh makes it's way out of Derpy as her shoulders sag, and she slowly turns her attention to me, offering a weak smile. "Hey, Nonny."

"Hey, Bubbs." I greet her again, drying my hands as I set the clean dishes aside. "The shower help?" I'll skirt the elephant in the room as long as she wants.

"Yeah, I needed that." She's quick to agree, but I can already see her mind wandering. "Your... shampoo. It smells really good. I may have used a little too much of it. Sorry." Derpy is practically mumbling at this point as she steps closer, staring forward at whatever part of me is closest rather than craning her neck to look up at my face.

"It's good stuff, right? Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you like it." I assure, even as she slumps against my leg, leaning against me. I can feel her take a big, long breath as one of her wings wraps around my leg for further support, Derpy just kind of... staying there.

"Okay." It's a simple and quiet response from her. I've got a feeling she's getting pretty done with words. Probably tired, too. That's alright. My hand roams downward to cradle the cheek of the face pressed against me, slowly stroking that still slightly-wet fur.

"I made you and the girls something to eat. Hungry, or should I save your plate for later?" I offer, drawing her attention to her awaiting portion.

"That's very sweet, but I don't think I could eat right now." Derpy closes her eyes, fully leaning into me, her wings grip tightening. My fingers slowly idle between her mane and her ears, brushing through her hair.

"No worries, you can eat it later. I made plenty." I assure her, feeling her nod ever so slightly against me.

"You didn't have to do all that." It's a quiet comment, but I can tell by her tone she appreciates it.

"Wanted to, going to, always will." Is my own, quiet response. "Plus, the others were getting peckish."

I can feel her hum against me as words fall out of favor again, enjoying simple contact. "Dinky's friends?"

"Yeah, they're playing a game in the living room. Marenopoly or something."

"Ah."

"Wanna sit down?" I offer, leaning to try and get a look at her face.

"...Yeah, okay." Derpy's eyes open partway as she leans off of me, watching me. She kind of just trails after me as I pack some of the food into containers, waiting until I head towards the coach before actually walking anywhere.

With her mom back and looking better than when she first arrived, Dinky is starting to perk back up and get into their board game again, even as the group takes a moment to catch Scootaloo up from the turns she missed. With the fillies occupying the floor, the couch is all ours, and I'm quick to settle in on the far end, leaving plenty of room for Derpy.

There's a polite collection of greetings from the crusaders towards Derpy as she enters the living room, to which Derpy smiles at them. It looks forced, as happy as she may be to see Dinky's friends, and it falls from her face the moment they return their attention to their game.

As I ease myself onto my usual spot, Derpy goes to climb up onto the couch beside me -- but her hoof slips off the cushion, and she nearly falls backwards. As her wings flare out to try and stabilize herself, I lunge up from my reclined position to grab for her. Derpy practically propels herself into my arms as we thump back into the couch, more laying down with her on top of me rather than anything that could be considered sitting.

She sighs, and before I can sit up or offer to help her get seated properly, Derpy makes herself comfortable by just splaying out atop of my chest, nestling her head in underneath my chin. Judging by the noise she makes, she's pretty content with the choice. Her wings creep around my midsection as she holds me, and I can feel that her breathing is still staggered and awkward the way we're pressed together.

"Sorry. Just tired of spills today." She mumbles.

"That why your uniform was dirty?"

"Yeah."

This close, I can't help but tilt my face down to bury it in her freshly washed mane, my hand idly stroking up and down her back, fingers weaving between her wing blades. Somehow, the product I've been using since I got here smells brand-new and better than ever before when she's the one using it. "You were right, my shampoo does smell nice. I think I like it when I smell it on you a little more though." I note, smiling into her hair. I can hear her make the littlest scoff, but her grip around me tightens.

We lay like this for a while, just watching the foals play their cutthroat game known to risk friendships as a welcome distraction. Eventually, their curiosity to us fades and they're fully subsumed back in their competition, Sweetie Belle sweating buckets as she lands directly beside Scootaloo's near triple-downed minefield of a tile. The tension is rising, and they're woefully subsumed with the fun games of youth -- even Dinky has picked up another key piece of the rail line, and Sweetie's mane is starting to fray like Rarity's does when she's stressed. Applebloom is still trying to convince Dinky to part with her oh-so-prized tile, while Scootaloo deviously looks for means to quadruple down.

With the focus no longer on either of us, my hand gently brushes the fur on the back of Derpy's neck, my words soft and quiet. "Do you want to talk about ehat happened?" I whisper, hand slowly rising to stroke through her steadily air-drying mane.

It takes her a while to decide on an answer, tail swishing against my leg as she thinks. Either to find her words, or to muster the strength to say them, it doesn't matter. I wait for as long as I need to either way, slowly stroking her back, her hair... any part of her as I hold her close. I think she's a little too tired to care about showing this kind of affection in front of other ponies, but it's not like the foals aren't here every other day to see her fly through my window. "You want me to send them home?" I offer, in case she's uncomfortable.

I can feel her shake her head against me. "No, it's alright. They're good for Dinky right now."

I nod, and silence returns. I don't push the topic, but I can feel one of her hooves fidgeting. She's either debating explaining, or...

"The Pony that came by from Canterlot... it wasn't just one." Derpy suddenly starts. "We thought it was just going to be an inspector or something, Anon. Middle of the shift, right as I'm taking over for Featherflight at the desk... It was a whole team of mail-ponies and guards from Canterlot that burst in. They shut down the entire Ponyville postal branch." Derpy explains, words muffled as she's still nuzzled into my neck.

"Fuck. Seriously? What for?" I mutter, taken aback.

"They were saying something about our boss being involved in some kind of tax fraud, and that until things could be properly investigated, they'd be taking over the branch. It was a replacement team, Anon. They had the guards shuffling us about and checking our belongings, while they dragged our boss out the front."

"They didn't think you were involved in anything, did they?" I question, knowing damn well Derpy wouldn't get into that kind of thing.

She shakes her head. "No, just our boss... but that didn't change how they treated us. They still investigated if any of us were tied into whatever he was getting up to. They said the replacement would be temporary, and that they may reach out to us again in time about our positions once everything was resolved... but what am I supposed to do, Anon? Wait until they might decide to rehire us? How long is that going to be? I can't wait months to maybe get my job back. I just spent most of our savings on the Canterlot trip. I thought we were in a good place for once. The first time I thought I could actually do something like that for Dinky... and it turns out to be the stupidest thing I could have done."

Derpy quietly scolds herself, her breath growing shakier as she continues to speak. "And working the mail is all I've known for years now, Anon... if they re-test us, there's no way I'm passing again. I can barely read the words on the letters and packages, I have the other ponies tell me the addresses. They know I'm clumsy. There's no way that's gonna fly." Her doubts and worries seep through her words, revealing just how badly this is affecting her.

"...Oh, Derpy." Is all I can mumble, feeling a sense of guilt weighing in over me as she mutters into my neck, keeping her tone quiet so the foals don't notice. I'm angry with myself. I can spoil them all I want, but what does it matter if I can't be there for them when they need it? That I lull them into the idea that we can both afford to splurge with money, just to be shit out of luck when something actually happens?

"I just don't know what to do, now. I know I can't afford to try and wait out however long they're going to take, if they even ever decide to try and rehire, but whose going to hire me?" She sniffles, teeth clenching.

I hate the words she's saying the way she feels about herself. "You know I'm here for you, but just take it easy for the moment. We'll figure this out." I try to assure her; but how can you promise someone that everything's going to be alright when you don't even know if you can make that happen?

"Will we? Will I?" Derpy questions quietly and I can feel her chest shuddering against mine. "I don't--"

"It will be, Derpy. Don't doubt it for even a second. We'll figure this all out, okay? You're a brilliant mare, and they'd be stupid not to get you back as fast as possible. Even if they don't, you can't be so hard on yourself. There's plenty of jobs that you would do great in."

"I..." She looks like she wants to keep arguing, even lifting her head to stare at my face. Her pretty little eyes search mine as best they can, even as tired as they look. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely." I gently kiss her nose, offering nothing but sweet assurances as she presses into me again, nodding quietly. "We need to take another trip to Canterlot for a career fair for you, Miss Hooves?"

"No I... I get it, Anon. But... can we stay like this for a while?" I hear her mutter softly.

My arms wrap tightly around her as I hug her close, feeling Derpy do the same. We stay that way for a long while, well into the filly's game. Eventually, it's Applebloom that lands on Scootaloo's destined tile, the table erupting in frustration and long overdue excitement as Scootaloo hops around, Applebloom startling Sweetie Belle with a variety of colorful words.

It marks a good time to send the group home, as it's starting to get dark out. I excuse myself from Derpy's grasp for the moment, ensuring they've each got their belongings and are making their way home. I double-check where Scootaloo is going, and after confirming she's staying with an aunt, it's just Derpy, Dinky, and myself. Along with a mess of a boardgame and snacks to clean, but that falls on me. Dinky said she was going to help, but realized she hadn't gone to the bathroom the entire time she'd been here, sprinting off to use it now that it was clear. So, my task after all.

Not quite yet though. As I near the table to remove the evidence of a fierce capitalist battle, I feel a set of wings trap me from behind with a tight grip around my waist.

"You want a turn? I'm afraid I'm not terribly competitive... might mop the floor with me." I try to joke, twisting about as best as my battered form might allow me. She's got her head pressed against the small of my back, face hidden under messier than usual mane.

"Anon?" Derpy says against me in a small, quiet voice.

"What was that, Bubbs?" I ask, still trying to wriggle around to see her better.

"I don't think I want to be alone tonight." I think I hear her mutter, taking a deep breath of the back of my shirt.

"Didn't quite catch that." I grunt, finding a decent enough, if awkward, way to twist myself to get a better look at her. Right as she lifts her face from my back, her words more like a shaky whisper.

"I don't think I can be alone tonight, Anon." Her wings tighten on me, almost to the point that it hurts.

I force myself around, pushing through her grip and cradling her head with my arms. "You won't be. You're crashing here for the night, Bubbs. You want to tell Dinky it's a sleepover, or shall I?"

"I didn't want to intrude --" She starts,

"And you're not. The bed is me-sized, so we'll fit. Mostly. Might have to get cuddly, but that's standard now."

"Promise?"

"Oh, very cuddly I'm afraid."

"No, that... that you really don't mind it. Mind me. Mind us."

"Derpy. You and Dinky could move in with me tonight if you wanted to. You're always welcome, wherever I am. I need you to remember that."

"Okay." She sniffles, wings finally drooping off of me. "But could we stay on the couch for a little longer? Like before?"

I stroke her cheek, shuffling over to take a spot beside her, opening my arms. "Of course, you silly mare. Come here."

Doesn't take her very long to get nestled back in my embrace, holding each other for who knows how long. Long enough that we actually start to wonder if Dinky is doing alright -- only to find her 'making potions' like 'Applebloom told her and she learned from Zecora how to make them' or something. I'd bet Zecora doesn't typically use my toothpaste, hand soap and body wash in a sink, though. Looks pretty at least.

Derpy handles that little mess while I clean up the living room, thinking to myself.

I mean it. I'm going to figure something out, doesn't matter what it takes. This mare doesn't deserve to go through this.

My eyes roaming to the underside of the table, close to the loose board. I purse my lips, ignoring it.

I'll do it right by her. No shortcuts. Which means I'll need some ideas from someone that actually knows how to use their brain, at least most of the time.