It was later in the morning on the next day when Derek awoke. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes and wondering what had happened the day before through his clouded mind. He took his hooves away from his eyes and looked at them, seeing the ugly, scabbed over cut on his right hoof. Everything from the day before became clear to him again, and he grumbled as he cursed Hood again, picking up his guitar and placing it in the case. He grabbed his small bracelets that he wore on all of his legs and slipped them on before picking up his cigarettes and slipping them into their usual holding place. At that moment, his mother burst into his room.
"Derek!" she said. "Quick! You've gotta see this." Derek, quizzical, followed his mother into their living room to see that the news was on the television, and the liner at the bottom of the screen said "Attack Prevented by Authorities". Derek immediately knew what it was about as the pony voicing the news simply confirmed it.
"...Once again, an attack on the local library here in Los Pegasus has been stopped before it could happen," the reporter was saying. "Police have released the identity of the attacker and his statement of motives as of now; a picture, shown on the right, depicts Hood Jaguar, an eighteen year old earth pony who could have caused the deaths of many ponies known to have been schoolmates of his. His only statement given for his motives was simply 'They f-worded with me one too many f-ing times'. Several weapons were confiscated from Hood, including many knives, all of which are unknown as to how Hood was able to acquire them. The police can only guess that Hood got them from acquaintances in gangs, but no official information has been released."
"Did you know Hood was going to do this?" Derek's mother asked him, looking at her son. Derek hung his head and ran a hoof through his mane.
"...Yeah, I did," Derek replied. "...I was the one who tipped off the cops." His mother looked at him strangely, and he pointed to the TV as the reporter continued speaking.
"Authorities have also released information that only yesterday they received a tip from a local pony that they have dubbed the 'Celestia of Suburbia' due to his knowledge of where this attack was going to happen and who the targets were going to be, as well as a description of the assailant that was completely accurate down to the last detail. The police will not release the identity of this pony to protect him from possible retaliations from ponies who may be associated with Hood, and the authorities have told the public already that they will be on a high alert notice for the next several weeks until they are absolutely sure that there is no longer a threat." His mother looked from the TV to him several times, and then she hugged him tightly, her eyes becoming filled with tears.
"Thank Celestia he didn't come here to try and kill you...," she sobbed softly into Derek's shoulder as Derek placed his hooves around his beloved mother, trying to soothe her.
"He already tried yesterday, but I'm too smart for a dumb fuck like Hood to get me, Mom," Derek said, holding her closely. "Don't worry... Nopony's gonna take me away from you." His mother continued to cry softly as he looked back to the TV, ignoring everything that the reporter was saying and focusing only on the background, which the camera zoomed in on slowly as several policeponies walked out with Hood in hoofcuffs, leading him to a waiting police vehicle. They forced him in, as Hood was still resisting, and Derek could hear Hood screaming endless profanities and curses in the background. They then shut the door and the vehicle roared away, leaving the scene and a large group of bystanding ponies were held back by officers left at the scene. There was suddenly a knock at the door, and Derek's mother went to answer it as Derek walked towards the kitchen, which was two rooms away. She opened the door, and two policeponies were outside.
"Are you the mother of Derek Beauregard?" one of them asked.
"Yes," Derek's mother responded.
"Can we speak with him, please?" the officer asked.
"What is this about, officer?" Derek's mother asked in reply.
"I'm sure you just saw the news report about it, ma'am," the officer said. "When we mentioned a description of who tipped us off, the perpetrator muttered Derek's name under his breath. We wanted to come here and speak to him to see if we can find out anything that might help us in determining Hood Jaguar's possible motives and any events leading up to today that caused him to tip us." Derek's mother gasped slightly.
"So who the hell's at the door, Mom?" Derek asked as he walked back into the living room, looking down at a bowl of cereal he'd fixed for himself. "It better not be any of Hood's fucking friends or I'mma kick their fuckin' asses all the way ba..." He trailed off as he looked up and saw the policeponies at the door. "...Whatever Hood told you, I ain't a part of his shit. He pulled that shit by himself."
"We aren't here to arrest you, Derek," the policepony said. "We just want to ask you a few questions. If you'd just step outside with us for a few minutes we'll ask what we need to know and then we'll be on our way. Your identity will not be released unless you give us permission to do so."
"...Can I at least eat my breakfast?" Derek asked, motioning with the bowl of cereal.
"Please do," the officer replied.
Once Derek had finished his breakfast, he walked outside with the two officers and he sat across from them at a small glass coffee table on the porch. He lit a cigarette and took a quick drag on it before placing it on the edge of the ashtray, the lit end of it smoldering. He offered the pack of smokes to the officers, which both of them refused.
"We haven't properly introduced ourselves," one officer said. "I'm officer Cuff, and this is Officer Bar. We're with the Los Pegasus PD. We know you're acquainted with Hood. Can you describe your relationship with him?"
"Well, he WAS my friend," Derek replied. "That is, until he went fucking crazy and pulled this shit."
"Alright," Cuff said. "And what do you think made him do what he tried to?"
"Honestly, I don't have a clue," Derek responded. "He was always a decent guy. His grades in school sucked but that's 'cause he just didn't give a single fuck about school. He also got the shit bullied out of him there; I should know, I stuck up for him more than a few times. His home life was alright, though. His mom and dad were never abusive and they treated him right."
"Do you think the bullying contributed to why he tried his attack today?" Officer Bar asked.
"I think it was one of the main causes, yeah," Derek responded. "But I also think that it's probably just because he's a straight-up fuckin' psychopath."
"Okay, perfect," Cuff said. "What made you think that Hood was going to attack students from the school?"
"Well, let's see here...," Derek said sarcastically as he picked up his cigarette and took a drag on it, blowing the smoke out his nostrils. "Maybe it's that he fucking straight up told me he was gonna, or maybe it was that he slashed at me with a fucking knife and tried to kill me, I dunno. It was one of those two things."
"The sarcasm isn't needed, but we get the idea," Bar stated. "Both of those things led you to know that he was going to do it and that he'd gone crazy in one way or another."
"Yeah," Derek said. "And if you're gonna ask me if I gave him any weapons or anything of the sort, I didn't, so don't even try me on that one. I don't own anything like that anyway. Closest thing I have to a weapon would be this lit cigarette or my guitar."
"We weren't going to ask that, but thank you for telling us anyway," Cuff told Derek. "Anyway, there's not a lot more we need to ask. But one question that arises; why did you tell us? You and Hood were obviously friends, and generally ponies around in these parts don't take it very well when they find out that one of them ratted out one of their own..."
"I tipped you off because as much as I liked the son of a bitch, once he tried to kill me I lost all respect for him," Derek answered. "And I wasn't gonna let anypony get hurt. Nopony deserves to get killed because some crazy motherfucker decides to lose his shit over pretty much nothing."
"And that's all we needed to know," Cuff said, standing up with Bar. "Thank you for your time, Derek. Would you mind if we released your identity to the press? Of course, that is entirely up to you." Derek thought about it for a moment, but then he shook his head.
"Don't," Derek said. "But go to them and tell them I ain't no 'Celestia of Suburbia' or whatever the fuck they called me this morning. I was just at the right place at the right and wrong time..."
"Of course," Cuff said. "Have a nice day, Derek." The two officers then went to their vehicle and left the neighborhood, and Derek walked back inside his house after finishing his cigarette. His mother was now sitting on the couch, watching the television, which was still tuned to the news.
"Did they get everything they needed?" Derek's mother asked, looking over at him.
"Yeah," Derek responded. "I don't know what the fuck they were even here for, really. Just because Hood mentioned my name doesn't mean they need to fuckin' talk to me. I would've rather just stayed anonymous in the giant clusterfuck that this bullshit has become. I'm goin' in my room."
"Okay," his mother said. "Please don't spend too long in there... try and get out today if you can."
"I know, Mom, I gotcha," Derek said as he walked into his room and shut the door behind him. He looked around for a second before he moved a few items off of his dresser and opened a drawer, moving guitar picks and hoodies until he pulled out a bag filled with a white, powdered substance. He opened it and poured some onto the wooden top of the dresser and put the bag back underneath all of his personal items before shutting the drawer again. He then picked up a nearby straw and pushed the small pile into a fine line before putting the straw just barely above the line of drugs before inhaling sharply, moving the straw along and snorting the line up the straw and into his nostril. After the line was gone, he tossed the straw to the side and sighed greatly, placing his items back on the dresser. As the drug began to slowly take effect, he picked his guitar up out of the still open case and the pick from his dresser, placing earphones into his ears and starting a song on his MP3 player. He then began to play his guitar to the song, hitting every note perfectly. His voice then came through the house very clearly as he sang, and his mother overheard him both playing and singing, and she smiled. She knew her son was destined to be a great guitar player; however, she knew he needed to leave town to spread his wings and meet other ponies. The hood wasn't a good place for him to be. She didn't mind his smoking, but she knew he used drugs and he needed to get away from them.
And he needed to get away from town fast, because once Hood's friends found out Derek tipped police, they'd mob him. And they wouldn't stop until he was dead.
-
It was much later when Derek finally decided to leave his house. The high he had received earlier from the line of cocaine had completely worn off, and he felt absolutely nothing anymore. He had a quick, small meal with his mother before packing up his guitar and heading out to his favorite spot near the convenience store to go and play for the public. He sat down, opened his guitar case and set it before him as he began playing many, many different songs on his guitar, singing to some of them. The amount of ponies dropping Bits into his case tonight was highly increased from usual, which he found odd but didn't object at all. A pony who was passing by stopped to listen to him for an entire song, bobbing his head along to the beat of the music as Derek played and sang.
"You've got a real talent there," the pony said once Derek finished the song. "You ever tried recording any music with a record company?"
"Nah," Derek replied as he strummed a few chords and notes. "I just kinda play it."
"Well, you should look into a recording company or something," the pony told him. "Here, take this." The pony then dropped several bits and a small piece of paper into the guitar case. "I hope to see you again." As he walked away, Derek reached into the case and picked up the scrap of paper, reading it carefully and realizing that it was a card for a recording company, and that the pony who had left it behind was an agent. He simply tucked it into his pack of cigarettes as he resumed playing his guitar, playing beautiful music for every passerby. Eventually he put his guitar back in the case and walked into the parking lot of the store, lighting a cigarette. He was lucky that he hadn't seen any of Hood's other friends or anypony else, but as he turned, he saw that there was graffiti on the wall of the building. He carefully inspected it, and upon reading it he shook his head.
"'Hood is innocent'," he said, reading it out loud. "'Free Hood'." He took a drag on his cigarette before dropping it to the ground, having barely even smoked any of it before crushing it under his hoof.
"'Ey, you!" Derek heard a voice behind him yell. He turned and saw two ponies walking up to him, one an earth pony and the other a pegasus. "Who the fuck are you? This is Hood's hangout."
"Hood's in jail, leave it the fuck alone," Derek replied. "Besides, he knows me."
"Oh? What's your name then?" the pegasus asked.
"I ain't telling you shit," Derek said. "Now what the fuck is this shit?" He gestured to the graffiti. "He wasn't fucking innocent. He was gonna kill a bunch of ponies."
"Even if he had, that's what ponies in the hood do, and hood ponies don't fucking rat out another," the earth pony remarked. "Whoever sold him out is gonna get theirs, trust me."
"Well, now's your fucking chance, dumbshits," Derek said, placing his guitar case on the ground. "I'm the one who fucking 'sold him out'. So come the fuck at me. I'll beat both your asses back to whatever fuckin' ghetto you came from." Hood's two "friends" laughed and advanced on Derek quickly, but Derek was ready for them; he grabbed the earth pony and shoved him behind himself, knocking him to the ground in the process, before throwing his hoof right into the pegasus' muzzle. The pegasus was knocked down as well, blood immediately beginning to drip from his muzzle. Derek turned and saw the earth pony getting back up, and he knocked him back down, knocking the other pony's head into the asphalt and giving him a concussion. Derek was then knocked down himself, savagely being beaten by the pegasus as he tried to block his adversary's strikes with his own hooves, eventually getting the chance to kick the pony off of himself with his rear hooves. He then got back up and charged up his horn with magic, pointing it at the pegasus with a malicious look in his eyes.
"Little fuck!" the pegasus yelled at Derek. "You ain't gonna get away with this! We're gonna bust Hood out and come to kill you!"
"Be my fuckin' guest, fool," Derek responded. "If you're smart you'll walk your punk ass away from here and take this dumb motherfucker on the ground behind me with you." They both heard the earth pony grunt, and the pegasus' expression changed for a moment to one of fear before going back to rage and anger.
"We're gonna do it," the pegasus said. "Fuck you, you piece of shit. Put your gay ass fuckin' magic out and fight me like a real stallion."
"Man, fuck you!" Derek responded. "I ain't fuckin' dealin' with any more of you dumb fuckin' bitches anymore! This is a city of the fuckin' damned; anypony who stays here is completely fucked! Now get outta here before I fry your ass." The pegasus snorted but walked past Derek to his friend, helping him to his hooves and then walking away, Derek watching carefully the whole time with his magic still charged up. When the two vanished from Derek's eyesight, he stopped his magic flow and simply picked up his guitar case, slinging it over his back and walking back towards his house, fuming with rage.
-
As soon as he walked in the door to his house, still fuming with rage, his mother walked into the living room, her eyes currently on a book that she was looking at. Derek, noticing his mother walk into the living room, stormed quickly to his own room and slammed the door shut behind him, rattling pictures on the wall. His mother was startled by the slam, and she dropped her book before looking to Derek's door.
"Derek?" she asked, knocking on the door and then trying to open it; it was locked. "Is everything okay?"
"Go away, Mom," she heard her son reply; his voice was riddled with anger and rage. "I'm fine."
"Honey, you're not fine, I can tell by your voice...," she told him, knocking on his door again. "Please tell me what's wrong..."
"I said go away!" Derek yelled, this time sounding even more angry.
"Derek, tell me what's wrong," his mother said in a soothing manner. "Please, I just want to help."
"Go the fuck away!" Derek shouted. "I want to be alone! Please, just respect that!" Derek's mother finally backed off, stepping back from the door.
"Alright," she said. "I'm going to leave you be, but if you need me, I'll be right out here. I love you, Derek." She picked her book up off of the floor and sat down on the sofa nearby, resuming her reading.
Derek, on the other hoof, was in his room fuming with anger. His guitar case was thrown in the corner without any regard as to how it was sitting or standing, his guitar still in it. He had a tissue pressed against his nostrils to soak up the blood that was running down his muzzle and he was breathing incredibly quickly with the rage he was feeling run through his veins.
"Fuck those guys," he muttered under his breath. "Why do I care about them? They shouldn't fucking matter to me. They didn't do fucking shit to me, they're just stupid assholes who think Hood's innocent. Fuckin' shitheads... Why do I care so much?!" He slammed his hoof into his bed, tears starting to run down his face. "I know I did the right thing... but why do I care so much?" He buried his head in his hooves, tears running down and mixing with a bit of leftover blood from his nose as the tissue fell to the floor. "Fuck, Hood... why'd you do it, man, why'd you do it..." He started sobbing softly, his emotions running completely wild. "Why do I fuckin' care? I shouldn't, I know I shouldn't... FUCK!"
"Derek...," he heard his mother's voice coming from outside his door again. "Derek, please tell me what's wrong... I'm worried about you, sweetheart."
"I'm fine, Mom," he answered her, but his voice broke at the end of his sentence and he cursed under his breath.
"Derek, I could hear you crying... you're not fine, sweetie. Please tell me what's wrong."
"IT'S FUCKING HOOD!" Derek cried out, unable to keep up the charade. "THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE THREW EVERYTHING AWAY TO TRY AND DO SOMETHING STUPID AND I DIDN'T STOP HIM!!!" He threw a guitar pick at his wall, which bounced off harmlessly and hit the floor. "I fucking knew that something was up when he came by school; he hadn't been there for a month. Then his hooves were shaking when I gave him my smokes so he could have one, and then he told me what he was fuckin' gonna do at the fucking store later and cut me with a knife when I told him to go fuck himself; that's why I tipped the cops. I should've stopped him myself! FUCK!!!" He put his head in his hooves again, now letting his tears flow freely.
"Derek, honey... if Hood was going to do this, he must have been planning it," his mother said. "He was probably beyond help... I don't know much about him, but I know that you two were good friends before this happened. And I do know that you cared about him. That's why you reported him to the police. You didn't want him to hurt himself and others, so you tipped off the authorities to get him so that he wouldn't follow through with his plot and hurt himself or worse."
"...I-I guess...," Derek managed in between sobs. "I j-just don't fucking c-care, Mom... I w-want out of t-this fucking town so bad..."
"I know, honey, I know...," she said. "Can I come in...?"
"...No...," Derek responded softly, his voice starting to wear out. "I-I'm just gonna sleep or something... see if I c-can get these t-thoughts to end..."
"Alright... I'll wake you up for dinner, okay?" his mother said softly. "Please unlock the door..." Derek finally stood and unlocked his bedroom door before laying down on his bed, shutting his eyes. "I love you, honey..." Derek didn't respond; he simply lay on his bed, his eyes closed, as he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
-
When Derek awoke, it was already well past dinner time, he could tell that immediately; he had woken up facing his bedside clock, which read 1:27 AM. He groaned softly and rolled over on his bed, sitting upright after a moment to rub his eyes and look around.
"Said she'd wake me for dinner, didn't even bother...," Derek muttered, standing up and going to the door of his room. He swung it open, but as he did, he noticed a little piece of paper taped to the side that faced out towards the living room. He gently took it off of the door and read it to himself, as it was a note.
"Derek,
"I'm sorry I didn't wake you for dinner, but you were sleeping so soundly and you were so calm that I didn't want to disturb you. I've already probably gone to bed by the time you read this, but your dinner is in the refrigerator if you need something to eat later.
"I know things are very strange and hectic for you right now, but remember, I'm your mother and I'm here for you no matter what, honey. Please, if you need someone to talk to, I'm always here, so come to me. Please remember that. I worry about you all the time, you know. Love, Mom."
Derek read the note at least twice in the dim light, and a tiny smile crossed his face as he realized that she really did care about him. He went to the kitchen and got his dinner out of the fridge, his stomach growling from lack of food, and dug right in. He quickly devoured his dinner, tossing the scraps that were left on the plate in the trash and then washed the plate, putting it back in the pantry where it belonged. He looked around for a moment before heading back into his room, getting his cigarettes and his guitar, heading back out and outside onto his front porch. He slowly drew a smoke from the pack and lit it, taking a little drag on the tobacco stick before just holding it between his lips for the moment as he tuned his guitar, plucking each string individually until he had it just the way he liked. He then strummed a few chords, puffing on his cigarette as he did so. He then placed the cigarette in the ashtray, where it smoldered as he began playing a rather upbeat sounding tune, starting in with lyrics soon after. He sang out into the cool night air, playing his heart out, not caring if anyone heard him or not; he was playing for himself, not for anyone else. He tapped his hoof on the wooden boards of the porch underneath him, keeping a good, even beat with his music, singing at the top of his lungs.
"Hey!" a voice called out from across the street, which made Derek stop playing. "Quiet down, you inconsiderate little fuck! We're tryin' to sleep over 'ere!"
"'Ay, fuck you!" Derek retorted, taking a drag on his still burning cigarette before dabbing it in the ashtray. "If I feel like playin' guitar at 1:30 in the morning I'll play guitar at 1:30 in the morning, ya prick! Take your fuckin' cyanide and go back to bed!" He didn't hear a response from the other voice, so he went back to playing his guitar for a few more minutes, at least until he finished his cigarette, before he went back into his house. He placed his guitar back in his room, still softly singing to himself, when he heard a knock on his doorway, as the door was still open. He turned around and saw his mother standing there, and he smirked a bit. "Heyo, Mom."
"Hey, you," she responded, a smile of her own evident on her face. "Just get up a little while ago?" A yawn left her mouth, her hoof going to cover her mouth and muffle it the best she could.
"Yeah," Derek replied, turning around and sitting down on his bed. "Thanks for dinner, by the way."
"Of course, sweetie." She smiled at him again, looking over to his guitar. "I heard you playing and singing outside. You know, you're really great."
"Heh, I know," he said, laughing a little. "It's my talent after all."
"No... I don't mean just about that. I mean you're not afraid to be yourself and let it be known what you do," his mother said. "You stand up for the right ponies and you make sure you're doing everything for the right reasons..."
"Obviously I didn't think that through when I became friends with Hood," Derek muttered, laying down on his bed and looking up at the ceiling.
"We all make mistakes, Derek. That's what makes us ordinary. I made a mistake not marrying your father." Derek sat up a little at the mention of his unknown father.
"What about Dad?" he asked, definitely interested now.
"Well... a long time ago, before you were born, obviously your father and I were dating. We'd been going out for a while by then and after a little while longer I found out I was pregnant with you. I told him, and he was absolutely ecstatic and also incredibly saddened..."
"Why was he sad?" Derek was confused; usually knowing that you were going to have a foal was a wonderful thing, not something that made you sad. His mother took a breath before continuing.
"He... was terminally ill, and he hadn't told me," she said. "He had leukemia and hadn't told anyone besides his family, and there was nothing he could have done to treat it so he was trying to have the time of his life before he passed on. I remember the last day I saw him... he was just as he had been the day before, perfectly fine and smiling, but I could tell he was actively dying that day. I knew he wouldn't live to see tomorrow, so I made that night the best I possibly could for him... I spent every moment with him, stayed up until the late hours of the night just talking aimlessly and watching old films... I fell asleep beside him on the couch and when I woke up he had already passed away."
This had taken Derek by shock. He was just now finding out about his dad, and his dad was... dead? Like his mother had been telling him all along? He didn't want to believe it... but he knew his mother. She wouldn't lie to him. Especially not on a subject like this.
"...Why didn't you tell me, Mom?" Derek asked quietly.
"I just... I wasn't sure how you would take it," she replied in the same soft tone. "It's been a sensitive subject between his family and mine alike... his parents were the ones who suggested I not tell you. At least not until you showed interest yourself..."
"I showed interest in what happened to Dad seven and a half years ago, Mom... you should've told me."
"You're right, I should have... and I didn't, and I'm sorry, honey. I just didn't want to hurt you."
"...This didn't hurt me, Mom. I'm still the same Derek you've known your whole life."
"Alright... I'm going back to bed, okay? I know you might not but that's okay. Goodnight, Derek."
"Night, Mom."
-
Graduation came and went by quickly. It was a happy day for Derek and his mother alike; he'd made it all the way through til the end. Even though his grades had only been mediocre, he made it all the way to the end of high school. The second he got his diploma he was jumping down off of the stage, whooping in joy, his mother doing the same thing before they embraced each other. He'd even gotten to perform at the graduation ceremony, displaying what he was planning on doing with his life; playing music the best way he knew how. The personal graduation parties were held for everyone, and a few of Derek's friends and most of his family, including his father's family, was there to celebrate that he'd finished up one chapter of his life and was starting the next. He performed for his family as well, once again displaying his talent to everyone there to show them where he was headed.
Once the party had ended and everyone had left, leaving Derek and his mother alone in the house, Derek didn't know what else to do. The day had been so perfect. Nothing could make this day any better.
"Derek?" his mother called as he was sitting in the living room, simply relaxing after having had such a good day. He looked up and over towards the kitchen where her voice had come from, getting up and walking towards it.
"Yeah, Mom?" he responded as he walked into the kitchen, seeing his mother holding a wrapped up present in her front hooves. She placed it down at the table, going back down on all four hooves and looking over to Derek.
"This is your graduation present from me," she said, a smile on her face. "Well, this and one other thing... the other is still in my room." Derek, now very, very excited, walked to the package and slowly peeled up the tape around it, taking the wrapping paper off and revealing a big cardboard box. Of course he opened up the box too, and he peeked inside for a moment before looking to his mother.
"You didn't," he said, a big smirk across his face.
"Oh, but I did," she responded in the same snarky tone. Derek pulled from the box a brand new electric guitar, and then reached back in and pulled out brand new high-quality strings for it as well; two packages of all six, even. He could only smile wider and wider still as he set the guitar down on the counter and grabbed his mom in a hug, hugging her so tightly that she could hardly get any air. He picked her up off the ground, laughing.
"My fuck, thank you so much!" he exclaimed as he finally set her down, letting her get a breath. "How the hell'd you even get the money for this?"
"I've been saving up for a while, Derek," she said, catching her breath a bit, though she was smiling wide; she knew how much that gift had pleased him. "Put away just a little bit every month for the last year for your graduation. Got this for you, and the other bit is obviously an amp for it." Derek looked at her with a huge smile across his face, heading to his mother's room with her to retrieve the amp. Once everything was in place in the living room for the moment, he put the strings on the guitar and tightened them up, tuning it as he went along before plugging it in to the amp. The first chord was then struck; perfect. It was all in tune, the volume at the perfect spot. The Pegasus looked up at his mother, a huge smirk on his face as he started playing notes and chords in quick succession, a song that he'd memorized and was now playing. He belted out some lyrics as well, his mother just laughing and watching and listening all the while. He smirked wide as he stopped, setting the guitar aside and hugging his mother again, picking her up just as he did before.
"I love you, Mom," he said, a little tear in his eye. His mother was stunned for a moment but regardless returned the embrace, a smile of epic proportions on her face.
"I love you too, Derek," she said to him. Once he'd set her down, he went back into his room, taking the guitar and the amp with him to practice for a while.
Days passed by without anything changing. Life was normal for both Derek and his mother. The days were long, the nights were short, and each one was spent simply going through routine for the two ponies. But one day, Derek made his decision. After talking it over with his mother and gaining her permission, he packed up what he could fit into his suitcase, grabbed his acoustic guitar and dumped it in the case, and packed up his electric and the amp as well. He needed a bit of help carrying it all, but his mother helped him with that, walking with him all the way to the train station on the west side of their hometown.
"You know I'm gonna miss you, right?" Derek said as he took his train ticket from the attendant, picking up his electric and the amp to go along with it.
"Of course I know that, honey," his mother responded as they made their way onto the platform; the train was already boarding. "You know I'm going to miss you..."
"Yeah... never thought it would hurt this much to leave," her son said. He looked around for a moment, taking in his surroundings one more time. This was the last he'd get to see of Los Pegasus for a long, long time.
"You know that you're always welcome back home, sweetie...," his mom told him.
"...I know. And thank you."
One very emotional hug followed, both parties squeezing the life out of one another. Neither wanted to let go, but an "all aboard" from one of the conductors said they had to.
Derek finally let go of his mother, and planted a little kiss on her forehead before picking up everything and making his way to the train, getting to his seat and setting it all down. He opened up the window and called out to her, telling him he loved her with tears in his eyes. She looked like she was holding back her tears, yelling to him that she loved him too.
Only moments after that and the train was gone. Speeding off into the distance leaving nothing but a trail of smoke clouds behind from the stack, Derek's mother could only watch as her only son began his own journey into life.