//------------------------------// // 6. A mother that loves me // Story: Sisters of the Storm // by Volgrand //------------------------------// The day after, Star woke up when the morning light filtered into her room through the cracks in the windows. She stretched in bed and sat up, rubbing a crusty eye booger that clung to the filly's eye with all its might. When she managed to pull it off, she looked to one side to find Mulberry. The pony was still sleeping soundly, with half of his body on the bed and the other half off it. He slept belly up, with his mouth open. His tongue fell comically as he drooled and moved his right front leg like a dog being petted on the belly. Star looked at him for a few seconds... and began to laugh. First softly, but the image was so funny she began to laugh out loud. Mulberry woke up, looking around. "Uh? What's going on? Why are you laughing?" Star couldn't stop laughing, let alone answer. Suddenly, the door of her room opened as her mother came in saying, "Dear, what's so funny?" Glittering Light fell silent upon seeing Mulberry in her daughter's room. The young mare's laughter stopped at once as she looked alternately at her mother and her friend. "Mom, it's not what it looks like!" "Hehehe... sure," responded Glittering Light with a chuckle. "Come on, let's have breakfast, guys." Saying this, she walked away down the hallway laughing softly. Star blushed and Mulberry didn't quite understand what had happened. The three of them had breakfast, although nopony explained why Mulberry had slept there. Star's mother didn't ask either, knowing that if her daughter didn't tell her, there was a reason for it. When they finished eating, Mulberry said goodbye politely. "Thank you for breakfast. And, uh... thank you for everything, Star," said the pony. "You're welcome," she replied. The pony left the house, closing the door behind him. A very uncomfortable silence formed in the kitchen for Star. The smirk on her mother's face didn't bode well. "Well dear, it seems like you're looking for a partner before your friends did..." "I told you it's not like that!" "No, no, don't misunderstand me," her mother continued, teasing her daughter. "I just imagined you would go out with Silver Boulder." "Mum!" Star Whistle pleaded. "Stop joking already!" Saying this, Star went to her room. Glittering shouted after her, "You'll have to tell me the wedding date!" The mother's laughter was interrupted by a ball that bounced off the wall and floor of the hallway, hitting the mare in the forehead. A loud "Ha!" was heard from Star's room. Several minutes passed before the young mare came out of her room with her coat, ready to go to Plantain's house. Her mother looked at her and gave her some fruit to eat mid-morning, like any self-respecting mother would do. "Dear, before you go, and now seriously. What was Mulberry doing sleeping in your room? He must have arrived at night, I didn't hear anything." "Yes. You see..." Star told her mother everything, not forgetting any detail of what Mulberry had told her. "And the truth is, when I saw his father yesterday, I felt...weird. I can't explain it, could Mulberry be right?" "Star," her mother responded, "the thing is, you're too empathetic. I think they're having a pretty serious marriage crisis. I'm proud that you took your friend in when he needed it." "Well...it's the least I could do..." said Star, feeling a bit embarrassed. "But listen to me on this: Don't get involved in the matter. Trust me, they need to solve these things themselves. Star didn't like her mother's statement, but deep down she knew it was true. What could she do to fix it? "Okay mom. I have to go now." "Pay attention to Plantain, okay?" "Yes, mom..." replied the young woman with a hint of sarcasm. Several hours later, Star was returning from Plantain's house. The weather had softened quite a bit, although it was still very cold. The harshest part of winter would soon be over. Star's thoughts wandered from one idea to another, but they revolved quite a bit around Mulberry. She couldn't help worrying about him; they had been friends for a long time. She wished she could do something more, but... "Hey! Star!" somepony shouted. Star turned to find Silver Boulder running towards her, smiling. His red mane had grown over the past few weeks and moved to the rhythm of his gallop. He wore a work suit on his back, as well as a coat, from which a hammer, a ruler, and other tools protruded. "Hi, Silver! How's everything?" she replied cheerfully. "Much better. I was getting bored of being at home all day. Today my father and I are fixing some leaks in the roof," Silver Boulder said, pointing to his house. Obviously, his father was perched on the roof, with a hammer between his teeth. "Yeah, you'd better do it now or you'll flood in the spring." "True!" he laughed. "Let me walk you home, and you can tell me how your classes are going. Hey, Dad! I'm taking a break!" Silver's father nodded his head. But as he did so, he lost his balance and slipped. Flailing, he slid down the roof until he fell into the thick snow around his house. A second later, he got up, saying, "I'm okay!" Laughing at the scene, the two young ponies set off towards Star's house. They talked quite cheerfully on the way, although Silver soon noticed that his friend was worried about something. "Is something wrong?" he asked her. "It's nothing, Silver, don't worry." "Are you sure? You seem worried." "It's just that... I can't tell you right now." "Why not?" he asked. The question was answered as soon as they arrived at Star's house. Glittering Light and Berry Punch, Mulberry's mother, were at the door. The latter seemed upset, while Star's mother was trying to calm her down. "He should have come home! I'm his mother!" "Berry Punch, calm down. They're just kids. It's true what you say, but I don't think that..." "Clearly your daughter is not a filly anymore!" Berry responded with malice. At that moment, Star Whistle and Silver Boulder approached. "Hello." They stopped arguing, looking at the young filly. Her mother gestured for them to go inside, but Star ignored her. "I think I owe you an explanation, Berry Punch." "An explanation, you say!" Berry exclaimed, Berry Punch. Star did not falther. "You'll see, yesterday night Mulberry was very altered. She needed somepony to talk to, so he came to find me". Silver looked at her, understanding why Star was worried. "My son went to find her, she says!" exclaimed Berry, talking to nopony in particular. "To talk! and tell me, at what point does 'talking' mean somepony stays over with you?" She said this much louder than she should have, leaving a double interpretation of her words hanging in the air. Several neighbors had already peeked out and were listening to the argument. Star recoiled at the question. She sensed what Berry Punch was implying, although she didn't want to admit it. "What... What do you mean?" asked Star. "That you must have offered Mulberry something very suggestive to get him to stay and 'sleep' with you! Your mother insists on calling you a filly when you obviously no longer are!" "How dare you...!" Glittering Light advanced towards Berry Punch, but Silver Boulder stood in the way to stop the enraged mare. Star Whistle, at first, was in shock at the accusation, but it didn't take long for her to snap out of it, feeling a rage within herself that she didn't know she had. How dare she insult her when she had wholeheartedly helped her son? How dare she?! In front of her mother and her best friend?! "Well, you must have done something very wrong for your son to decide to tell me his problems instead of his mother!" Star shouted, advancing towards the mare. "You little bi...!" Even as she yelled the insult, Berry Punch advanced towards the young pony, ready to strike her. But at that moment, Star's mother dodged Silver Boulder and charged at Berry Punch. The impact caused her to lose her balance and fall onto the snow. When she looked up, she saw Glittering Light staring at her with anger. "Get out of here. Don't come near this house again, and especially near my daughter," Glittering Light said, turning her back and gesturing for Star and Silver to follow her into the house. Berry Punch got up from the ground, still not giving up. "What can you expect from a mare who doesn't even know who her daughter's father is? Like mother, like daughter!" Glittering Light stopped dead in her tracks. First, she opened her mouth slightly, and her eyes widened. Then her face contorted. Clenching her teeth in anger, she turned to face Berry Punch. Completely beside herself, she advanced towards the mare. "Mum, no!" Star Whistle stood in front of her mother, stopping her in her tracks. The mare didn't pay attention, crashing into her daughter. Star tried to push her back, but it was no use. "MUM, STOP!" Star shouted, hitting her mother on the nose with her hoof. Glittering blinked and finally looked at her daughter. "It's not worth it, let her go," Star told her. The mare continued to look at Star for a few seconds before nodding and returning to the house. Star had never seen her mother so furious. She heard Berry Punch's voice behind her again. "Mulberry never needed your help, little busybody. He has a FATHER and a mother for that," Berry Punch spat. "At least I have a mother who loves me," Star retorted dryly. Saying this, the young mare followed her mother and Silver Boulder into their house. Berry Punch stood there motionless, as if the healer's apprentice's words had touched a nerve. When Star entered her house, she heard a door slam shut from her mother's room. She must have locked herself in to drown out her anger alone. Silver Boulder was in the center of the kitchen. Star slumped into a chair and felt the urge to cry growing within her. "I think you can imagine what was worrying me. But I never expected that she...could..." Star began to sob and couldn't finish her sentence. Silver approached her and hugged her. She leaned against his neck. "But what happened out there?" Silver asked. When she was able to calm down, the pony explained to her increasingly astonished friend what had happened.