Derpy Hooves stared up at the ceiling of her house - and also having to stare at the wall at the same time, being crosseyed - fighting the urge to toss and turn. Dinky was lying next to her, snoring away. You would have thought it was a second Pinkie Pie invasion, knowing how loud it is in here, Derpy thought to herself with a sigh. Or maybe parasprites. Oh Celestia, that was awful. There was no one selling muffins; they were all hidden away. The gray pegasus looked up at her clock, but before she could get a chance to read the time, Dinky gave a sleepy snore-groan and prodded Derpy in her sleep. "Dad," Dinky protested in her sleep. "Daddy... Stay with us... You left too early..." Dinky frowned a little harder and turned over, bringing the sheets with her.
Now poor Derpy was left lying on the mattress with no sheets. The crosseyed mare sighed and slid out of the bed, and then she got a good glimpse of the clock.
2:00 AM. Two-o-clock exactly. She made a wish: More than anything... I want... I want him to come home. Derpy stared at the floor in pure misery she hadn't felt for the longest time, not since her special somepony had left her. She looked out her window - no stars. They must have been blocked by early morning clouds. She blinked in slight disappointment.
I guess he isn't meant to come home, if there are no stars to wish on. The mare lifted her head to the window. "Yet," she added, with an edge of hope.
***
She was shaken awake to the face of Dinky. "Mommy," the filly moaned. "I'm hungry. You slept in."
Was this true? Derpy shook her head, trying to clear her frazzled mind. The clock read 10:43 AM. The gray pegasus's eyes widened in surprise, even as they were looking in different directions. Well, she had gotten a full nine hours or so of rest... It was true that she had been awake at two-o-clock earlier this morning...
"I'm hungry," Dinky groaned. The little unicorn jumped off the bed and practically leaped downstairs for breakfast. Derpy could do nothing but follow.
***
They now sat at the coffee table - her and Dinky - with two glasses of milk, and a plate of waffles and blueberry muffins to share. A perfect breakfast for a Saturday morning... Even though it was a little late to be eating breakfast, it didn't matter much, as long as they satisfied their hunger.
"Can I go to Twist's house today?" Dinky asked, her purple-tinged head in her hooves. "She said she's inviting me and Tornado Bolt over. Can I go, Mommy? Puh-leeease?"
"Sure you can." Derpy poured more milk into her daughter's glass. "Just stay out of trouble. The rude fillies at school could be anywhere," she added jokingly.
Dinky grinned and hugged her mother. "Thanks, Mommy!"
That'll give me extra time to see Lyra, Octavia, Vinyl and Bon Bon, Derpy reminded herself. Maybe I'll invite them over for a muffin or two. Maybe they'll have advice on what to do about Dinky's father...
"So! Derpy! What's going on? Anything personal emotional valleys that you would hate me for if I knew about?"
"Yeah, Lyra," Derpy said sarcastically. "Plenty of juicy secrets from thousands of moons ago, passed down through everypony in the Hooves family for generations."
"Goodie," chimed Octavia. "Now all we need is a treasure map and we're good to go." She cleared her throat. "So what's your... Er... Personal emotional valley, was it?" The cellist looked to Lyra to confirm it, and received a bubbly nod.
Derpy moved her hoof around the floor in circles, hoping not to make eye contact. "It's really nothing. Maybe I'm just making a big deal about it..."
