Not all Scars are Seen
Chapter 2
Theme: Remember me this way - Jordan Hill
Like so many things, the definition of a home was a strange and nebulous concept; one largely dependent upon the upbringing of the pony in question. In many places, especially the larger cities of Equestria, a pony's home was less a place of residence and more a statement of wealth, a way to flaunt their bits and prestige to impress their peers. In other places, it was less a statement of wealth and more a simply matter of survival, a place to get in out of the rain and a place to hide at night. Still others argued that it was family, not bits or shelter that truly made a home.
Those who argued as such were often looked down upon as unambitious or hypocritical, while those who argued against it were seen as shallow and cold. Regardless of which side the opinion fell, all too often the appearance of a pony would lead to immediate assumptions of their home and vice versa. Those who did not know Derpy, for example, often assumed that because of her drab coloration, clumsiness, her seemingly mundane profession and the fact she did not live with other pegasai in Cloudsdale, that she either lived in squalor or just barely kept herself out of it.
These ponies were wrong, of course, for while her home lacked the stylish majesty of the Carousel Boutique or the unique architecture of the Books and Branches Library, it nevertheless held a comfortable, rustic charm. Simple and welcoming, it's two-story construction consisted of cream-colored stucco and dark chocolate roofing and framing, surrounded by a simple picket fence of cream colored timber. Set along the northern edge of Ponyville, it was all but indistinguishable from its neighbors save for the lush and extensive garden which filled its back yard.
What had started as a hobby to pass the time had become an integral part of her life, and in their own morbid way, her restless nights were a blessing when it came to her garden. Growing it had been a challenge at first, given her lack of aptitude, but her neighbors had stepped in to help, teaching her what she had done wrong initially and allowing her to ultimately excel in the endeavor. Now acting as her own slice of heaven, it contained all manner of fruits, vegetables and nuts and hardly a day went by that she did not tend it or peruse it for its bounty.
That morning was no exception, and after a few minutes of searching, she felt satisfied with her basket’s contents for the day and trotted back inside.
Like the exterior, the interior of the house remained simple and welcoming, with light beige walls accented by darker trim and carpeting to give it a feeling of perpetual warmth; something she had always wanted growing up. Neatly furnished with comfortable cushions and carefully arranged tables gave it a sense of order, while misplaced toys, books, keepsakes and innumerable family photos gave it a lived in quality that made the simple dwelling into a home; and in every way that counted, the house itself was as much a part of her family as the ponies dwelling within it. That said, while nopony visiting would ever claim that she was wealthy, yet every time she stepped across the threshold into the familiar surroundings, she could not help but feel rich.
Tail swaying lightly, she hummed an old marching cadence as she reached the kitchen and tried her best to ignore the dull ache already beginning to stretch from her eye down the back of her neck, her wing twitching irritably from the sensation. Repeating her mantra from earlier, however, let her focus on the task at hoof. Soon, with the efficiency of a master baker, rote movements intertwined with the variances of her daily harvest as she sat about preparing the basket's contents.
Sliding the muffin pan into the oven a short time later, she felt a sense of pride that she had only stumbled four times.
Piquing her ears slightly and closed her eyes, letting her other senses reach out to gauge the readiness of the rest of her family as their breakfast baked.
Having sensitivity to the subtle but complex changes of air pressure as her special talent was an advantage all her own and allowed her to "feel" out the nuances of movement around her; the bubbles on her flank representing the way she could work with them in ways that few could predict. Experience and knowing the sound of every crick and creak of her home didn't hurt either. These, coupled with the uncanny and seemingly precognitive "mommy sense," which came from bearing a foal, this allowed her to know where her girls were at any given time and always gave her an advantage when dealing with their antics.
Sparkler, she determined, was in her room getting ready and Dinky had just rolled out of bed by the sound of things; but a heartbeat later, she felt a sudden change in pressure followed by the sound of those tiny hoofsteps going completely silent; and thus signalling that the day's antics were about to begin.
As a pegasus, Derpy knew about magic only in the most academic of terms; it simply wasn't something she dealt with except in passing and this made being the mother of two unicorns interesting to say the least. Fortunately, though this had proven to be a problem for several years, the town librarian, Twilight Sparkle, had been only too happy to provide tutoring for her girls once Derpy had finally asked her about it. Though initially Derpy had insisted on paying, the friendly and studious unicorn taught for the sake of teaching and refused any form of payment; something that both impressed and infuriated the proud and thrifty pegasus, who had eventually talked her into accepting a dozen muffins a week in lieu of bits.
Part of the tutoring, however, had included reading; specifically a lot of highly advanced reading, and while Sparkler found it easy enough, Dinky had always been a weak reader due to a mild dyslexia. In an effort to overcome this, Twilight had introduced Dinky to the Daring Doo series as a means of helping her improve her skills, and to say that her little muffin had fallen in love with the books was an understatement. As such Derpy quickly found herself with not only a budding magician, but an aspiring adventuress on her hooves as well.
This spirit of adventure and need to practice had eventually led into daily adventures as Dinky felt the need to attempt some new method of surprising her mother each morning, and though her attempts were thus far unsuccessful, her techniques were steadily improving in both cleverness and sneakiness.
It made her proud as much as it made her smile.
Going about the kitchen as if nothing were out of the ordinary, she continued to hum the familiar tune as she finished breakfast and began to pack the girl's respective lunches along with her own. Whatever Dinky had done, none of the usual creaks from the floorboards were accompanying her movements, but the air displacement told her she was near the kitchen door. Magic truly was making things interesting, and as a nod to her daughter's stick-to-itiveness - and in the spirit of sportsmareship - she turned slightly so that her prosthetic eye faced the doorway as she worked.
It might have given Dinky an advantage if the little unicorn had remembered to quit narrating her adventures aloud.
Feeling and hearing her just a few paces behind, Derpy turned quickly, the room spinning slightly and causing her wings to flare reflexively for balance. Out of her good eye, she caught an after image of movement and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snickering as her eye refocused. Beneath the table, dressed in the firefighter outfit she had worn for Nightmare Night, she spied Dinky attempting to disappear behind one of the table legs. Unfortunately for the filly, while a certain "Doctor" Time Turner had somehow managed to condense an six story house into a sixteen square foot blue box, hiding an eight inch wide barrel behind a two inch wide table leg remained an impossibility of spacial conservation.
So it came to pass that, once again, that her fearless adventuress' escapade ended with a soft yelp followed by squeals of laughter from the raspberries blown across her tummy until she finally surrendered.
Several minutes later, the ancient temple turned graveyard turned kitchen became not the sight of slaughter for the young adventuress, but rather the serene, if tense, gathering known throughout the land as breakfast; the scent of freshly backed muffins and hot coffee filling the room as the two occupants stared each other other down. Derpy, a self-satisfied smile upon her muzzle, nibbled at her breakfast and sipped at her drink in silence. Across from her, Dinky sat with her forelegs crossed and cheeks puffed out in an indignant attempt to look angry as she did her best to ignore the honey-drenched, raspberry baked good a few inches away from her.
To an outsider, the scene may have been seen as a tense situation, one that would erupt into harsh words and cruel shouts at any second; and in any other home in Equestria they might have been right. But the Hooves home was governed by a series of complex laws of social dynamism, all of which varied upon which occupant was asked about them. Naturally, under the governance of such laws, it came as no surprise that the first words out of Sparklers mouth as she trotted into the kitchen were used to rub metaphorical salt into her little sister's wounded ego.
"Gobbled up again, eh Dinks?" she asked, snickering as she plucked a blueberry muffin for herself and took her seat between the other two.
"Hmph," was her only response.
"What was the adventure today?" Sparkler asked, addressing her mom, her breakfast held in her light teal aura as she nibbled at it.
"Something about a temple and a golden tassel of some kind," Derpy replied.
"It's not fair!" Dinky exclaimed, looking back at the two of them. "I was really careful this time! I even casted your muffining spell like you taught me and everything!"
"I think you mean you 'cast' my 'muffling' spell, Dinks," Sparkler corrected her.
"Yeah that," she replied.
"It's not my fault if you didn't do it right, kiddo," she stated as she took a sip of juice, completely missing Derpy's raised eyebrow at the previous statement.
"But I did do it right!" Dinky stated flatly.
"Well, regardless of who did what, right or otherwise" Derpy said, silencing further argument, "it's getting a bit late, muffin. You need to finish up your breakfast and go get your things ready for school."
Dinky shot her mother a glance halfway between dejected and adorable as she took hold of the muffin in her flaxen aura and began to nibble at it, her light golden eyes turning towards the ceiling as she did so, a tick of curiosity causing the corner of her mouth to turn upwards slightly in a grin. She said nothing of course, but the older mares in the room exchanged a knowing look that said they both knew she was plotting her next attempt. A moment later, she excused herself and left the room quietly.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Sparkler turned back to her mom and narrowed her eyes.
"Okay, mom, spill!" she said. "I need to know how you do it! It's more than just your so-called 'mommy sense,' that's forty straight tries and forty straight catches! I need to know what you're doing cause she's always getting the drop on me when I watch her."
Bringing the mug to her lips, Derpy took a long sip of the thick, strong beverage, her eyes closing as she felt it slide down her throat and warm her insides. The slight distraction of her daughter's little adventure had given her a momentary reprieve from the spreading aches, but she could already feel them returning with a vengeance that threatened to throw off her balance more than usual. Despite her best efforts, she felt her earlier smile slipping away momentarily.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Sweetie?" Derpy asked, shaking her head quickly to clear the vision as she smiled once more.
"You okay? You kinda zoned out there for a minute."
"I..." she started, pausing to contemplate her words.
Unlike Dinky, no blood existed between the elder pegasus and the magenta coated unicorn across from her; but just as bits did not make a home, blood did not necessarily make a family. Sparkler had originally been Dinky's foalsitter when Derpy had returned to work, but eventually she had grown to love her just as if she had foaled her herself and had eventually taken her in, offering her the home she might never have otherwise known. For a moment, she realized just how knowledgeable her second daughter had grown and in that instant longed to tell her everything-- until the dream for the previous night tugged at her subconscious.
Like all families, she, Dinky and Sparkler did not always see eye to eye on things, but she loved them both equally and the idea of anything happening to either of them or shaking their trust or faith in her was simply too much to bear.
"I... I'm fine, sweetie," she said at length, once again bottling her thoughts deep within her psyche. "I just didn't sleep well last night, sorry, what did you ask me?"
Sparkler looked less than convinced, but shrugged it off after a moment.
"I asked if you'd tell me how you always catch Dinks so I can keep her from getting the drop on me all the time."
"Well that depends, Sweetie."
"On?" she asked.
"On whether or not you're going to tell me why you learned a sound muffling spell," Derpy replied, her face serene as she raised her cup to drain it's contents, all the while watching Sparkler over its rim. Older sisters may have had certain privileges over their younger siblings, but so too did mothers have certain privileges over their daughters regardless of age.
Making them squirm on occasion as they tried to escape their mother's seemingly all-knowing gaze was once such privilege.
"Y-you know what? I'm fine not knowing... um, oh, shoot! Would you look at the time!? I need to get ready for school too! Bye!" she replied even as a blurred streak of blue and magenta exited the room, vanishing so quickly that Derpy almost believed it to be teleportation.
Now alone once again, Derpy finally let her smile slip away as she sagged into her chair, her wings spreading and fidgeting uncomfortably before tucking back against her sides. Being able to spend time with her family as she had soothed her, the little games she played with Dinky and the good natured banter with Sparkler giving life to an otherwise lifeless facade. But inevitably, those times gave way once more to aching dizziness and looming silence which, despite her talent, seemed to close around her following such exchanges.
The aches and silence were a small price to pay, however, as those exchanges were the times she remembered most fondly. Not because of any particular action or inaction, but because for those few moments, her smiles were always genuine.