There Are Some Muffins Left For You

Crying didn't solve problems, it only made her feel better. And a stranger served just fine for hugs too, as it seemed. Her own papa hadn't been quite the pony for hugs. Every time she'd cry he would rage, which would result in more crying, which would somehow result in Shining and her papa arguing. Early on had she learned that this was more of a family thing, as ponies who didn't belong to her family came more easily to a crying filly. She knew that from the kind nurse Redheart and now from mister Jelly. For these moments there were only his arms, Octavia playing in the background and her shrinking pains. Not physical pains this time – luckily she wasn’t about to collapse again –  but the emotional kind.  Not that there were many of that kind.

Twilight was a smart filly and smart fillies didn't hurt.

Still, it was during the crying that she found herself lifted from the bed and unto Hugh's back.

"You come, too, Octavia. I think they should be ready now,“ the stallion said warmly and Octavia immediately jumped from her bed and hurried outside. Between sniffles Twilight had to wonder what he had meant and why the grey filly had reacted like that.

She didn't have to wonder long, however. The place wasn't that huge. From the only hallway she spotted about two other rooms, aside from the bathroom. One was on the end of the hall, closed, probably where the parents slept and the other was by what Twilight presumed to be the front door. Behind the entrance was a room, not big, but not small either. It wasn't kingly nor for beggars. It was simply, for lack of a better word, home. The kitchen itself was simple and held no need for the examination of what it was. But the table in the middle was something else entirely. It was carved from oak and its legs had the forms of the first ministers. Although she knew how they looked and she knew their legends. Firefly, who dared the last dragon to a race; Twinklestar, who, in her time, had banished all the paperwork from Equestria; Mjölna, who had united the pony tribes after they had gone to war against each other for the thirty-fifth time and – Twilight had to think who the one right in her sight was, the left leg of the table, although it seemed like she didn't belong. A unicorn in a simple robe. Then she remembered, the last unicorn with magic, Clover the Clever, a pony who had lived for more than a hundred and fifty years. On the table were small cups of tea, coffee and warm chocolate, while muffins were piled up on a tablet in the middle.

The ponies at the table were far more interesting. Lyra was waving happily at her when she spotted the filly on Hugh's back but Trixie's mood seemed immediately fouled. Twilight had to wonder what she had done. Then there was a tall, slender mare with a brown coat spotted with white and a long, dark brown mane, done into a braid, just like her tail. She looked at Twilight with a smile but the small filly noticed that her eyes were sleepy. To each of her sides she spotted a pegasus filly. The one on her left was a bit smaller, had a deep black coat with a mane pretty much the same color, playing with two muffins like they were toys. The one on the right was bigger and. . . Twilight didn't even notice her light grey coat or pale mane, all she noticed were her eyes. She had never seen something like that, how they stared into two different directions. The weirdness meters were topping themselves over and over again, today.

The weird eyed filly noticed her staring and started to grin as mister Jelly sat the young unicorn down. The filly than immediately told Twilight: "There are some muffins left for you.“

She however just sipped at her tea. It was warm and tasted so sweet, Twilight let it gladly warm her body. She only had one blanket left to cover her and she was shivering beneath it. The drink would help only a bit but she still felt starved. If a muffin would do? Probably.

She looked at the stallion, "can I take one?“

He seemed to genuinely think for a moment, Twilight began to wonder if that question was even right to ask. She was starved, yes, but what if they'd throw her out or yell or something worse. She really expected the last, adults were always good at coming up with 'something worse', it made her cringe sometimes. The 'tips' their own neighbours had given them for raising a filly had made her own papa tell her to never talk to these ponies again. Grown-ups sometimes even managed to scare grown-ups.

In the end, though he gave her a good answer. The words that told her that she could take one were the best she heard today. She immediately made a grab for one. It was still warm in its wrapping. The smell of raspberries filled her nose and as she took the first bite she felt its deliciousness in her mouth. It wasn't like she hadn't had muffins before but the last time was so long ago. She remembered snow falling and a young Shining laughing and their papa looming over them, smelling of a strong cider brewage.

"Do you think you'll be fine?“ She heard Trixie ask after a few moments. The piebald filly didn't look like she knew whether she should be worried for Twilight or not.

"Yeah,“ she answered with her mouth full. She took a look around, the mare was making the black filly stop to play with her muffins in one single movement, without ever saying a word. Octavia was eating in a fairly refined manner, while the wall-eyed filly was munching down muffins at record speed.

That was the moment Twilight grasped the chance: "Where am I?“

"You're at our household, well, technically it's hers,“ Hugh said, pointing at the mare,"I present my sister, Madame Hooves.“

She gave but a nod and a smile, but still didn't say anything. Hugh laughed at that. “Sorry, she doesn't talk. Lost her voice at an early age, actually. Anyway that one,“ he pointed at the muffin muncher, "is Derpy, my niece and the other one,” he pointed at the black one, "is Raindrop, she's another 'friend of the family' like Octavia, whom you've already met.“ Twilight looked at the grey filly who gave her a friendly smile while grabbing for a cup, although her being refined immediately left her as she toppled it over and spilled the tea all over the table. Madame Hooves gave her but a disapproving look and then moved into a motion that seemed so routinely handled Twilight didn't quite believe she was watching a pony and not a robot.

"Oooh. . . I'm Lyra!“

"Yeah. . .“ Twilight answered to that,"I know. . . And I'm Twilight and that's. . .“ She looked at Trixie, wearing her hat and wizard robe, "Starswirl the Bearded!“

That got a laugh out of everypony. Lyra laughed the loudest, "she called you 'bearded'?“

Trixie just looked forlorn. Twilight didn't quite get why until Hugh Jelly explained to the small filly that Starswirl had been a great magician in his days. Yet, with the way he phrased it Twilight couldn't help but think that he didn't appear to believe what he told the guests at the table. As if he didn't believe that magic had once been a part of Equestria. For some reason she had to smile at that. Maybe it was because she had read the stories about the princess of love, maybe it was because she was still so small. Shining had always told her that only foals believed in fairy tales, even though he liked Cadenza's story more than she. Not that he’d ever admitted it, but it had been there.

So she smiled and ate and thought of magic. And as they delightfully ate the raspberry muffins, the memories were regaining a foothold in her mind and soon enough it began to sting. From one moment to another Twilight had to hold her head with her hooves, as the hurts came so suddenly. They were different from her normal ones though, and this time the hurts brought something else but crying and more pain.

They brought her memories of rainbow fields, air that tasted of lemons and cotton candy clouds with moustaches and top hats made of chocolate and with these memories came the snipping of scissors and mud bleeding from an eye. Then the voice came back, too. The old, kindly voice of the wise goat. Again it was in the wind around her, filling the whole room but again, she knew, it was only the room she saw, not the one the others were in and the voice was only filling her head. Still the words were there and they frightened her so deeply.

You're awfully happy for a pony that is seconds away from dying.