A Mother's Protection

by StarRibbon

Of Jealousy and Affection

Pirouette lay in her comfortable, soft bed. Her home would be just like her bedroom, and, of course, it is granted one minor problem. It was massive in size, her work of art of any kind was plastered basically everwhere, but...what was that feeling? She moved her hooves on the silk to get a feel of its soft quality more. It was something she didn't have, but the bed had. She frowned to herself, forcing herself up one time. What was the term for this? She had everything and anything-but it felt...

Pirouette narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose. What could a bed possible have that she didn't? She kicked off before heading over to the vanity in the corner. It was large and wood cut. She could remember a mare gave it to her as a gift.

"'Giving' is a very loose term," She gave a smirk to the mirror as company, but it didn't feel...it didn't feel right to her. To look at her gorgeous looks, to pamper herself up would usually do the trick to heal her soul of this...emotion she had no idea the name of. Yet, it didn't work. She sighed as she touched the edge of the glass to what appeared to be her face in the reflection.

"Is..it regret?" She whispered softly, looking down at the contents of the vanity in the process. Some make-up coated the vanity along with strange objects that didn't seem to belong to the vanity. Violin rosin touched the glass of the vanity, a heart carved into the orange substance as a reminder. She glared at the rosin in disdain briefly. "Fiddlesticks..."

Ah, yeah. It has to be regret. Fiddlesticks stuck into her mind as she levitated the rosin up, ignoring the mess it would give her fluffy redish-pink mane if it touched. Such a strange, strange mare! Pirouette nearly drooled at the images she perceived, even when she was so angry. She had a 'thing' for music ponies-ponies who can create music with seemingly just their hooves. Fiddlesticks wasn't different, but was.

"You stayed by my side for the longest time..." Pirouette remarked bitterly. Oh, how true that remark! "I..I thought..." She briefly looked towards the other oddity of the vanity-a stitch work doll of a blue-maned mare. The small doll in question had a violin cutie mark-her talent country music. She levitated it next to the rosin for several moments in time. Relationships grow stronger-friendship can turn to lust and exploration. Fiddlesticks was the start of the exploration.

"I had to keep you from leaving me, Fiddles..." She stroked the mane of the doll carefully before placing it back. She..no, it wasn't it. How can beds have regret? "I don't regret my bed." She glared back at herself in the reflection. She looked clearly stupid for talking to a vanity set, and worse for holding dolls and forgetting that..that...term. That stupid, Celestia's sake, term! Yet, it was very right. It felt right to confide.

"No..its not that..." In the back of her mind, she wished it was regret. Just how much manure happened in this very set? The touch of silk aroused her-ah, it was the same silk and bed the punishment was held. Reminiscing about Octavia wasn't great at all. No-she didn't want to. She remembered the harshness and the lashes she gave her youngest there and the love she basked her in. The touch of love that made everything right. It wasn't wrong-it was taught that way. "It was love, I taught her love."

The word was so close to her-the term was very close, but she couldn't say it. She felt instinctively that she knew the term, but the word wouldn't leave the tip of her tongue. She decided leaving the room was best, the emotion overwhelming her. She walked herself down the hallways, but not a pony peeped. She cringed-it was empty like always save for the work she possessed. She noted some other work was there, but it didn't belong to her. She took a look at the work that was not her own for closer inspection.

She smiled when she had. "Pick Pocket was always the charmer, that mare couldn't stop hopping around mare to stallion. Persuasion she got from her mother, I might add." Admitting this was one thing, telling it to her face was another. Pirouette was a proud mare-the looks, the popularity, everything simply counted. She was nothing like the 'Silver' (she couldn't help but cringe knowing the name belonging to it-her punishment back lashed and went out of bounds. Its the only regret she ever had.) family headmare. No, nothing like High Society-that new wife of Golden Watch's. Even Pirouette new her standards. She wanted to show roots meant nothing, that was all. Pick Pocket had had it all. She was just like her. She touched the glass. She was the first too, love lessons were taught fast for her. So smart she barely skipped a beat, even graduating high school at a young age like a prodigy.

"Where is she now..?" Pirouette replied bitterly again. Ah, she wasn't here. She was on her latest match, and this time, it was permanent. She could almost feel that she had animosity towards her save for the other numerous visits. Even so-it wasn't common that she came home. It was never even when Scatenata was around. "I swear, that lawyer is never there when you need her." It was a sad fact, but the mare in question was much different then expected. While not thrilled (her little foal was with a mare of her status!) about the mare's status-she didn't surprisingly care. The cream colored mare with light blue mane and eyes was the perfect match for her, but she would never admit it. She would never admit that the mare was sweet as butter and was envied silently, even while she was pregnant with her child's foals. She was not perfect like Pirouette, but she was. That bugged her.She huffed away. The feeling wasn't subsiding. Again, the term fluttered around. She had to ignore it.

"Apple Bloom!" Scantenata giggled sweetly, her words dancing with each soft moan. She bit her tongue. Pirouette wasn't upset with her daughter's relationship (if she called it that, of course. She hid her relationship pretty well.) one bit. No, she really wasn't. She couldn't shake her disbelief off, though. "I-I..never did this before...I..." Scatenata was a proud pony too, Pirouette knew she lacked certain assets (clearly) but she knew pride wasn't something she lacked. This..no, Scootaloo, was never shy.

"Of course, Scootaloo, "Apple Bloom's voice carried its own as well. "Relax, I'll do all the work." Pirouette didn't need to stick around long to hear the moans that echoed the hallways. She carried herself prideful and strong, but that feeling could not leave.

"What is that feeling?" She frowned to herself as she walked closer to the doorway of the next room. Suddenly, the knowledge hit her like a ton of bricks. She lowered her head, ears down as she plopped him on the floor.

"Comfort.." She whispered. The bed had comfort, it was never lonely. It had everything, and she loved it for that. "I'm missing comfort..." She touched her orange coat, just above the heart. A tear slipped from her eye without permission, but it was removed immediately. No use destroying good eyeliner. Her children were growing and, while she deed tried ridding them of anypony else because they were hers only, she couldn't do that. She was gaining grandchildren and losing her own children in the process. Yet, she was losing them too.

Scatenata refuses to be near her, even with only instincts telling her that. Pirouette grew guilty, but pride overshadowed guilt, right? Intentions made the pony-good ones were better than bad ones, and most ponies forgive depending on intent. Pirouette categorized her intentions.

Protection. She needed to protect her foals, her precious foals anyway she can, even if it meant hurting them. She looked at the secret behind the wall next to her like she could actually see it there. Her children didn't see her intentions though. They...ignored her...they..ignore her..hating her..

"I'm..I'm sorry Scatenata.."She tapped the wall before looking back, the moans getting gradually louder. "but..Mommy's going to make everything better. Nopony will take you away from me, even if you don't want me." For the first time in a while-this lack of 'comfort' paining her so granting no ability to check, she looked at the calender. Mother's Day, its so ironic.

Comments

[HMXTaylorLee]

There was something uniquely abstract about that. Like this gnawing sense of uncertainty.

I like.

[StarRibbon]

4405395 Thanks. I appreciate the feed back :)

[TwiwnB]

Okay, this is a challenge for me...

I like the atmosphere of that story. It feels great. I may have understood pretty much nothing of what was happening on my first reading (and I'm still not sure I've understood much), but I felt really sorry for Pirouette in the end, as well as felt like there was something pretty tragic taking place under my eyes.

So I'm going to tell you what I've understood, what I like, some of what I think I've understood but I am not sure was your intention in the hope you'll give me the keys to understand the story fully, because it caught my attention in a very powerful way.
Just know I do that comment with no ill intention, I just want to discuss about your story and understand it as well as how you built it better.

***

First of:

Pirouette lay in her comfortable, soft bed.

It was something she didn't have, but the bed had.

"Comfort.." She whispered. The bed had comfort

THis is the mark of a good story in my eyes. In detail, knowing what was the term Pirouette was chasing after was the stake of the story when I read it. I focused on it very heavily. So it's great to see that you had given the answer in the very first sentence. Not only that, but it opens the interpretation of an analogy between the mother and the bed (with the whole "punishment" being linked to the bed).

Now one of the things that I threw me off the most were all the names. I'm guilty there, because I read the story without reading the description first, so I didn't know Scatenata was Scootaloo. By the way:

"Apple Bloom!" Scantenata

I think it's a typing error, but at some point I was wondering if it was a new pony.
Well, if I try to see, we have:
Pirouette: mother of Scootaloo and Pick Pocket. I still don't know if she is crazy or not.
Fiddlestick: a violin playing mare. Probably a member of the Apple family (country music). The time frame would be funny though if it was the same mare as seen in one of the episodes. First lover of Pirouette.
By the way:

"I had to keep you from leaving me, Fiddles..."

I'm very prone to think Pirouette must be crazy and have done some very violent things in the past...
Octavia Octavia is linked to Fiddlestick and either Pick Pocket or Scootaloo.

Reminiscing about Octavia wasn't great at all.

It's most likely Octavia was another of Pirouette's lovers.
By the way:

ah, it was the same silk and bed the punishment was held

Doesn't the sentence miss a "in" for "in the same silk and bed"? Will also take the opportunity to note the analogy between the mother and the bed is still there. The idea of punishment for the act of love is interesting at that point, because we never really know what happened exactly. It creates that opposition between good and evil in the same sentence and strengthens the weird atmosphere.
Pick Pocket One of the children of the mother. A mare. She is married, but it's not clear whom with. She might also be a lawyer. This part is actually very vague.
Scootaloo Also named Scatenata for some reason ("very wild" in itialian for what I understand), she is the other child and has learned love with Applebloom.

About the whole lawyer thing:

It was never even when Scatenata was around. "I swear, that lawyer is never there when you need her."

It seems to be indicating that Pick Pocket is the lawyer. The fun thing is that it can be interpretated as the presence of Scnatenat making that of a lawyer necessary (which might explain the wild nickname "Scatenata").

On the whole "Scatenata" thing:

"I-I..never did this before...I..." Scatenata was a proud pony too

This..no, Scootaloo, was never shy.

There seem to be a complete opposition between the vision of the mother about Scootaloo (a wild child requiring the presence of a lawyer) and the reality (a pretty shy pony).

***

Okay, at this point, my hypothesis is that the mother had no idea how to educate her children and has done it pretty wrong.

She was the first too, love lessons were taught fast for her.

This is frightening depending on how it is interpretated.

Her children didn't see her intentions though. They...ignored her...they..ignore her..hating her..

Yup, very frightening.

Scatenata refuses to be near her, even with only instincts telling her that.

Yeah, something quite violent must have happened there... funny thing, it feels less (but is just as much) horrible because they are all mares. What does it say about sterotypes... and social rules in our society.

I have no idea what happened, I don't even think you want the reader to know. Or maybe I just lack the basic knowledge needed to understand it fully. But I understand better how you created that weird atmosphere, that "unease" atmosphere.
As for the structure of the story, I guess it is:
- Pirouette wakes up and remembers her old lovers
- Pirouette remembers her first child
- Transition to say that even if Pick Pocket has left, Scootaloo is still there
- Pirouette ears Scootaloo and Applebloom
- Pirouette flees and see it's mother's day

***

This is a great story, even if I don't understand everything. It's actually part of what makes it great. It might be that nothing harsh really happened. It might be that the mother isn't crazy. It might be that I'm just imagining stuff. But there is so much going on while nothing going on, and so many little details that I can hardly ignore how well thought this all is.

I admit I usually prefer a story that helps me understand, but this one does a great job at giving me a good enough atmosphere to make me forget that I needed to read it ten times to decipher it just a little.

So yeah, maybe not the reaction you were expecting, but that was mine. I like that story. I like it a lot actually. It's way more than the eye will catch at first glance.
And I do think the mother is one of those tragic characters that do what they think is the best, knowing it probably isn't, but knowing no other way to achieve what they want to achieve.
At least there is nothing contradicting that interpretation in the story (that I spotted at least).

[StarRibbon]

4564762 You aren't wrong. You practically hit dead on. I aimed for that after the last time she was shown.I think its the fact we learn things from our family and depend on them, but sometimes they..leave. She herself, I suppose, can’t break from the teachings she was given, and in turn, her children figured the teachings. I suppose, the children knew better.

PS:You remembered Fiddlesticks from episode one? I'm impressed that you got that connection. :D

[TwiwnB]

4564846

PS:You remembered Fiddlesticks from episode one? I'm impressed that you got that connection. :D

Actually, no... the story gave me the idea (a violin playing pony who plays country music) and I remembered the pony from Apple family reunion (S3E8). One google search later, I knew that this pony is named Fiddlestick (or Fiddle Saddle it seems, depending on the source) and has a blue mane.
I love watching the episodes, but I'm certainly not at the point of knowing any background pony there is, far from it.

***

You aren't wrong.

Still, I would like to know how you built the comparison between the bed and the mother (how it came to you, how you structured it, etc...)

Also, where Pick Pocket comes from ? And if he is a lawyer and why he is a lawyer.
(the only one I found after google searching (thanks google) is this one:
http://ruaniamh.deviantart.com/art/Pickpocket-290739045
But I'm not sure there is a connection).

You're not obligated to answer those questions. I just would like, as I said, to understand it all better. It is, after all, very well built, so I've got an interest in learning from that.

Oh, and call me obsessed if you want, but I would like to know the backstory leading to this story. I mean, why you decided to write it, if it's not too personal. Because it's emotionally powerful and I wonder if you got personnally invested or were capable of pulling it off without having to resort to deep personal emotions.

[StarRibbon]

4565007 The original reason I chose Fiddlesticks is because I needed a pony that would connect with her abilities. However, I was already hurting myself because I keep creating OCs. So, I used a background pony. I also kind of liked her anyway.

The comparison was created via what happened in my story, The Puppet Maker(Rewriting) and Apple Blossoms. Something did happen in the bed. In fact, it was very traumatizing. I wanted to express what enabled the mother, digging into the past to show what she actually feels. (One character, Check Mate does this, but very briefly)

I wrote it also because I'm interested in psychology. I like researching effects and the sort. I love horror stories too. Though- I haven't encountered one lately. So- I wanted to combine it. Create an intricate world. Originally, it wasn’t even a written story. I wanted a comic similar in style to Japanese horror films.This particular side story came from the undying need to show Pirouette. I loved writing her. I planned a few times, but I couldn't find a ground to put her in. I couldn't find a time period. However-there was a scene I wanted at the end of Apple Blossoms, but I couldn't enter it in. This was the huge scene that I made into one long story. It was taxing because it WAS emotional. I have friends who have parents so separate from their lives. It was my frustration too from hearing so many ramblings with friends just this way towards their parents who-while not crazy, deserve better. They always complain about their parents or families. It was a combination of things, I guess I'm saying (phone rambling)

ps:Pick Pocket was originally a name that I was going to use for a different fanfic. She was a split personality originally only. Though, she turned into her own pony eventually despite everything. Your right-she's Scatenata's (that was actually her real name, Scootaloo being her nickname)older sister. I'm planning a one shot about them based on a scene too. They have..history as you guessed. Scatenata acts like a loner. She and Pirouette have the most character development.

[TwiwnB]

4565217
Thanks for all those answers. It does satisfy my curiosity. The rest, I'll figure out or interpret on my own.
I'll be sur to turn to you if I've got more question though.

[StarRibbon]

4566822 If you have more, feel free to ask :) I will link the full story to you if interested (in visual format of course)

See ya~