//------------------------------// // My Little Muffin // Story: Badlands // by bass-and-the-siren8976 //------------------------------// Slowly, Sparkler pulled the door up "It's not opening!" Trixie pushed Sparkler's hoof down, the door opening downwards. "Oh..." Sparkler laughed nervously "Of course." The three slowly slipped into the room below, filled with props and old costumes. Sparkler gasped "My saddlebags! I left them in the gardens!" she face hoofed "I had my crystal in there..." Derpy paused "Wait... then where'd ya' get the map-" "I have one if you need it." Trixie pulled a small crystal from her cape. Sparkler concentrated a needle-like beam of light into the crystal, which slowly illuminated, just bright enough to see the outlines of the three mares huddled close "Come on-" the crystal flickered and then shone brilliantly, lighting the whole room. Happily, Sparkler rested it on one of the shelves, pushing a few small props to the side to make room. "We should close the door now." Sparkler placed a crate over the hole, Derpy pushing the door up, only to have it fall down open again "How'd it open in the first place!" Sparkler placed a thin magic wand prop in the lock hole keeping the door closed. Trixie flopped down onto a large plush ducky "May the Great and Powerful Trixie eat now?" As Sparkler slowly sat on a shelf that had fallen over, Derpy plopped down on a stack of books, pulling a paper bag from nowhere. "I'm not even going to ask." Sparkler shook her head. Derpy tossed a muffin to each of the two before taking her own. Trixie silently ate, and before long fell asleep on the duck. Sparkler thought back to Notepad, her friend from the bookstore. she thought of his wife and daughter, who had invited her over more then once. Suddenly she didn't feel like eating. Derpy watched as she played with the muffin in her hooves "Are... Are you gonna' eat that, Sparkly?" Sparkler looked surprised before a teeny trace of a smile appeared on her face "No, Derpy... here." Derpy ate the muffin contentedly, yawning as she finished. She lied down on the large pile of books under her, Sparkler doing so with her shelf. "That lucky Vixie." Sparkler yawned "She got a plushy and we..." she fell asleep. Derpy smiled then frowned, the thought of a small filly filling her head. She quietly grabbed three large pieces of cloth, perhaps for costume making. She draped them over her new friends. She looked at Trixie on her plush before putting a small rolled cloth under Sparkler's head. She went back to her own makeshift bed, using another roll of cloth as a pillow, she pulled a cloth over herself, the chilled air slowly warming. "Mama!" A small filly tugged on Derpy's saddlebag. "What is it Dinky?" Derpy smiled down at her daughter. "Ma I-" Dinky frowned, the world around them collapsing. "D-Dinks?" Derpy froze. "You couldn't save me." Dinky cried "You could've if you'd just flown faster." "Dinky-" Derpy teared up. "If it wasn't for your eyes." the filly seemingly hissed "If you weren't so afraid of making a mistake- it's all your fault." "No Dinks! I..." Derpy reached for her daughter, her hand passing through. A mocking laughter came from behind her. Rainbow Dash standing laughing "Oh, what do we have here? The joker herself- Derpy Hooves." Rainbow pretended to walk almost like she was dizzy, making fun of the way Derpy did at times. "You could've saved her you know~" Rainbow taunted her, grinning. "I tried- I-" Derpy collapsed. "But it's just like always~ You try your best but it never works~ Just quit it Derps, you already cause so much trouble for us all!" Rainbow glared at Derpy, preparing her sentence carefully "That filly's happy she's dead. She's better off." Derpy broke into a fit of sobbing "No- My Dinky- she- you- you don't know... she..." "It's all your eyes-" As rainbow continued, a large crowd of ponies appeared. They all had the same voice as they spoke, her father's "IF YOU DIDN"T HAVE THOSE STUPID EYES. YOU SHOULDN"T HAVE BEEN BORN!!"