//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 - Mare's Night Out // Story: Major and Minor // by Lady Froey //------------------------------// Vinyl awoke from her rest; opening her eyes, she looked over at her bedside table and checked the clock. 7 AM. She normally wouldn’t wake up this early, but with her mother on her mind she couldn’t go back to sleep. Sitting up in bed, she stretched her legs and blinked her eyes a few times before grabbing her glasses off the bedside table. She got up out of bed and opened her blinds. The sky was perfectly clear; the sun poured light into her room. Vinyl then opened her bedroom door and walked down the hall, down the stairs. Vinyl walked slowly into the living room area, holding up a hoof to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight inside. On the sofa, Claret rested peacefully. “Morning,” Vinyl said. Walking over to the kitchen, she prepared the coffee pot and turned it on. While the coffee brewed, she placed a pan on the oven and grabbed some eggs from the fridge. As the aroma of coffee wafted through the home, Claret took in the scent and opened her eyes. She sat herself up on the sofa and looked over at the kitchen to see her daughter preparing breakfast. “Good morning, Vinyl,” Claret said groggily. Vinyl’s ears perked at the mention of her name and she turned around to see her mother. She was still a mess from last night, especially her mane, which was pressed against her face on one side. “Morning,” Vinyl smiled back. Claret walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mug, filling it with coffee from the pot, and noticed Vinyl cooking eggs. “Is this going to be a daily thing now? You know I wouldn’t mind if you cooked me breakfast every morning.” She chuckled. Vinyl noticed Claret carrying the mug in one of her hooves. Not seeing it surrounded by the cool glow of her mother’s levitation magic felt strange. Is this going to be a daily thing now, too? How do you manage with this, mom? “Vinyl?” Claret tilted her head, noticing that Vinyl was staring at her. “Oh, nah.” Vinyl scratched the back of her head. “I got up early, figured I’d do something nice.” “Well, I appreciate it.” Claret sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed her morning coffee. “I hope you don’t mind, but Derpy is going to come over later today.” Vinyl turned the eggs over in the pan. She took a deep breath, listening to them sizzle pleasantly. “Could we talk about yesterday? About the, you know…” Claret dropped a lump of sugar into her coffee and watched it crumble and fall into the darkness. She took a sip of her mug and sighed. “I understand you have a lot of questions, Vinyl, but it’s been a long month for me. Can we just put it to the side today?” “S-sure,” Vinyl stood there in silence, still keeping her attention on her cooking. “I already told Derpy, though. I hope you don’t mind.” “Not at all. It saves me from having to tell her myself, so thank you.” Claret waved Vinyl over and gave her a brief hug. “We’ve had so much to deal with lately. I feel we’re due for a nice day.” The two remained in the kitchen throughout the morning. Vinyl shuffled between frying eggs and making sure the toast didn’t get burnt. A few minutes later she placed a plate in front of Claret: buttered toast with a fried egg on top. Claret blinked her eyes, and smiled. “You remembered my favorite.” “I figured you would like it.” Vinyl grinned. Vinyl sat across the table from her mother and they both enjoyed the morning together. After breakfast, Vinyl and Claret were in the living room. Claret read a book to herself while Vinyl sat on the sofa staring at the ceiling. Vinyl found herself thinking about when her mother told her about the cancer, when she started seeing her mother crying. Wanting to get it off her mind, she sat up with a start. “Hey, Mom. Can I ask you for something?” Vinyl said. “Of course. What is it?” Claret raised an eyebrow. “What you’ve been writing in the kitchen for the past month, can I see it?” “Oh,” Claret was taken aback that her daughter had an interest in her work for once, but refocused. “I placed a folder with the pieces on top of the piano. Feel free to read them, just please handle them with care.” “Sure.” Vinyl walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench, picking up a nearby folder and opening it. Inside were sheets of paper with wobbly notes scratched across the lines. Some sections were hard to read, but Vinyl turned past a few pages and noticed the writing improving over time. Many of the pieces seemed simplistic, even basic compared to Claret’s past works. Vinyl pulled a piece of paper from the top of the stack, placed it on the piano’s stand, and opened up the cover to reveal the keys. Tapping a few keys with her levitation magic, she heard the notes hum across the room. She then focused on the sheet of paper and began playing the first section. Claret heard the familiar tune and turned her head over to the piano, Vinyl slipped on a few sections of the slow tune, but unlike the last time she played she managed to keep her cool and continue playing. Vinyl soon got the hang of it and began repeating a section, striking the keys with precision and soon continuing on from the measure. She played through the full piece without a hitch. “Vinyl…” She turned her head to see her mother smiling, a few tears coming out of her eyes. “Mom, are you all right?” “I’m all right.” She grabbed a tissue to wipe away some of her tears. “I just remember when you would sit beside me while I played. It seems like it was such a short time ago. You’re a much better pianist than you think you are, you know.” Vinyl smiled, but shrugged at the compliment. “You were what inspired me to get into music.” She withdrew a few more sheets from the folder. “Is it okay if I continue?” “Please. It sounds lovely.” Claret smiled. Vinyl played throughout the rest of the morning, occasionally taking a short break to rest her magic and not pass out. She grabbed a towel again, wiping down her sweat and was ready to play another piece until she heard a knock on the door. “That must be Derpy.” Vinyl got up from the piano bench and was about to open the door, but instead Claret got up and motioned for Vinyl to sit down. “I’ve got it. You clean yourself up, dear.” “Thanks.” Vinyl walked over to the hallway bath and cleaned herself off. Claret went over to the door and opened it to see Derpy holding a bag in her mouth. “Hello, Derpy. What do you have there?” “Mrrrph,” she said, trying to talk with the bag still in her mouth. Claret opened the door. “Why don’t you come in and settle down first? Then we can talk.” “Thrph roo.” Derpy walked inside and went over to the kitchen, placing the bag on the table. She mimed spitting a few times to get the taste of plastic bag out of her mouth. “Tastes bad, huh?” She chuckled. “I just hate plastic,” Derpy said with a demure smile. “Earlier I would've said I can’t imagine what it’s like to carry things in your mouth. Unfortunately, it looks like I’m going to have to get used to it,” Claret said. “You do after a while. It’s not so bad, minus the taste of certain things.” Claret smiled. “Let me get you a glass of water to help get that taste out.” She went over to the counter and grabbed a clean glass, filling it with water. Vinyl walked into the kitchen soon after, reeking of hastily-applied deodorant spray. “Yo,” she called to Derpy with a casual wave. “Hi, Vinyl.” Derpy smiled, sitting at the kitchen table. Vinyl sat across from her and looked inside the bag to find a box inside. “What’s in the box?” “Just a cake from the local bakery, I thought it would be nice to have, with what you and Vinyl are going through.” She paused, fidgeting with her hooves. “I also got it for myself, honestly. Today is, well, my birthday.” Vinyl’s eyes went wide.“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” she blurted out, then caught herself. “I would have gotten you something.” Derpy shrank a bit, then waved it off with a nervous laugh. “With everything going on, I didn’t want to butt in and draw attention like that. Besides, it’s not like it’s a big deal anyway.” “Well, Happy Birthday, Derpy. And I think a birthday is a very welcome distraction.” Claret passed a glass of water to Derpy, then sat next to Vinyl. “Are you doing anything special today?” “Not really,” Derpy said, taking a sip of water. “At my last adoption house, the most I got was a happy birthday song from the staff, a slice of cake and a small gift. Here in Ponyville, it doesn’t seem much different.” “What did you get this year?” Vinyl asked. “A book and about twenty bits.” “That’s it?” Claret asked. “Yes? Why do you ask?” “It just doesn’t seem like a very exciting birthday.” “It’s what they can afford. Public funding only gives them just enough to get by. Even then, though, it’s no secret that most the staff don’t care all that much about me. I’ve filed so many complaints about bullying before and my vision made me clumsy as a foal, so most see me as nothing more than a liability.” “Now Der—” Claret was cut off by Derpy. “Ms. Rondeau, please. I know you are trying cheer me up, but I’ve been abandoned since I was born and will probably remain in the adoption house until I am eighteen. It’s nothing new to me and I’m not particularly sad about it. It’s just how things are.” Claret frowned. She knew Derpy deserved more in life and wanted to cheer her up, but she sighed, knowing Derpy was old enough to know things were not getting better anytime soon. “I’m sorry. You’re just being nice and I don’t mean to kill the mood.” Derpy sighed. “It’s just, nothing much has changed throughout the years. Aside from meeting you two, of course.” Claret nudged Vinyl in the side, making motions with her eyes and head to have to her say something to lighten up the mood. “Um, let’s do something today then,” Vinyl said. “What?” “Let’s celebrate your birthday, all three of us. We can head out around town and have some fun. Today is a special day for you, so let’s make it that.” “Vinyl, is today really the best day? Your mother—” Derpy said, before getting cut off. “I think it’s a great idea.” Claret clapped her hooves. “I would personally prefer it over staying here all day.” “Well, if it makes you feel better,” Derpy mumbled. “I think it would make us all feel better.” Claret smiled. Derpy looked at the both of them; she smiled. “Thanks, both of you.” The three explored Ponyville for the rest of the afternoon, visiting several shops. They first stopped at a bookstore. Derpy picked out two books she had an interest in, one being an epic adventure with romance, and another being a book regarding social issues in Equestria. Claret couldn’t help quietly grabbing a book for herself too, and Vinyl rolled her eyes. She could never walk out of a bookstore empty-hooved. They went to a jewelry store afterwards. Neither Vinyl nor Derpy had interest in jewelry like Claret did, but a display case filled with elegant pens caught Derpy’s eye and Claret bought her her favorite of the bunch. After a bit of shopping, the three went for a stroll along the park until the late afternoon. Later in the evening they went to one of Ponyville's well known pizzerias for dinner. Leaving the restaurant, it was night out and the three walked through town being guided by the humming street lamps. “I really enjoyed today, Ms. Rondeau. I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday like today,” Derpy said. “It’s my pleasure. You deserve it.” Claret smiled, patting Derpy’s head maternally. They stopped at an intersection. Derpy looked between the two crisscrossing roads ahead. One led to the adoption house, the other to Claret and Vinyl’s home. “So, do you have to go back?” Vinyl asked. “…I don’t want to.” Derpy sighed. “But I have nowhere else to go.” “I wish we could do more for you, Derpy,” Claret said. Derpy turned around to face Claret and returned a smile. “Ms. Rondeau, you and Vinyl have been the best things in my life. You’ve already done everything you can. I told Vinyl before, but…” Derpy swallowed and hesitated for a moment, then said it. “You are basically the mother I never had.” Claret went strangely silent. “Derpy, if I can…” she paused again. “Could I? Be your mother?” “Huh?” Vinyl tilted her head looking up at her mother. “Could I adopt you?” Vinyl’s jaw dropped. Is she serious? Derpy looked like she was going to cry as she stared up at Claret, but she bit her lip and looked down. “I would love for that to happen.” Derpy shook her head. “But I shouldn’t even be thinking about things that can’t happen. The agency I’ve been part of since being admitted has been very strict and only accepts ‘complete’ families.” “So…?” Vinyl said. Derpy sighed. “Their definition of complete is pretty strict. They’re not going to like that you have a single mother, a divorced one on top of that. And, well…” she paused, thinking of how to form her next words. “Having—you know—cancer… They’d consider it a liability for the welfare of the child. They would reject the request immediately.” Claret’s ears fell. It made her chest ache, knowing a kind young mare like Derpy had no one to really look after her. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more.” “It’s not your fault. In the next few years, I can be away from them and live by my own rules.” Derpy broke off from the two and waved. She did her best to carry a smile, though she wished she could go with them instead. “I’ll see you two later. Thank you again for everything today.” She then walked off into the darkness.