70: Derp Beat Dad
Karyn took a sharp intake of breath. She needed a moment to digest everything, but wasn’t going to get it. The stallion—Dinky’s father—was still looking at her wondering who or what she was. It explained why Dinky was being so secretive and also, to some degree, Derpy’s reaction. She didn’t know what had occurred between them in the past, but clearly it bothered her more than anything Karyn had seen.
She said her own name casually, but didn’t extend her hand. He looked away from her and back to Dinky.
Meanwhile, Derpy stood up and addressed the table in a formal tone. Karyn figured that manners would be the only thing keeping Derpy from breaking down emotionally.
“If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll be getting home. Karyn, if you would care to accompany me, I will convey you. Dinky, I will contact you later. Have a pleasant day.”
Not knowing what else to do, and having to cast her allegiance somewhere, Karyn stood up, bowed her head to Dinky, and followed Derpy. Although they were the same streets that they’d been running all over, they felt colder and darker.
No words were spoken between them. Karyn wasn’t even sure where they were going until she saw the train station once more. This time it was bustling with ponies, but when Derpy reached the ticket booth and was informed that the next train for Ponyville wasn’t for another two and a half hours, she started shaking.
“All that time, so much waiting, first this morning and now this, and I can’t get out of this city for another two hours now and I can’t leave I’m trapped I’m trapped I’m trapped—“
“Derpy!”
“Karyn, let me out I want to go home!”
She threw her arms around Derpy’s neck and dragged her away from the ticket window. She pulled her around the side of the building and hoped nopony else would come by and cause a scene. She laid Derpy’s head down by the cool grass. It bobbed up and down with quiet sobs.
“It’s all right, Derpy. It’s all right. You don’t have to talk about it. Just let it out.”
Derpy sat up and sniffled, wiping her eyes. “No, I want to talk about it. Maybe if I get all the memories I have out it won’t hurt so much.”
“Are you sure.”
“I think so. I just don’t know where to start.”
Karyn sat down on the grass. “Why don’t you tell me his name?”
“His name is Rocky Top. I met him a long time ago, when I first took over my father’s mail route. He was apprenticed to a carpenter, and every day when I would bring the mail to the shop he would put down his hammer or saw and stare at me. I wasn’t the most perceptive young mare, but after time even I could figure out that he liked me. If there was a job hauling wood he would brighten up especially and take his time loading my cart while he asked me about my day, or even more personal questions.
“Was I wrong to be charmed by him? Nopony else seemed to notice me in that way. Who would want a pegasus who still had to work at flying, whose eyes were crossed, whose cutie mark was a sign of weakness rather than a special talent? But he did. Nopony understands love. Well, maybe Princess Cadance, because it’s her special talent. But I didn’t even know about her at the time.”
“You’re digressing.”
“Sorry. Anyway, after a while of this we decided that we were in love. Of course, it was difficult for two young ponies just starting out. My daddy didn’t have much money and neither did Rocky’s family. We each had jobs, but they didn’t pay much. He worked hard, though, and when he was made a journeyman carpenter and got a pay raise, he decided it was time to propose marriage.
“We had a simple wedding, just the families and the mayor of Ponyville presiding, which was a service she provides as part of her job. Ponies who want to get married queue up on a given date, and each one takes about fifteen minutes, then everypony can go off to their own party.
“Rocky found a cheap house and got to work in his spare time trying to build it up into something nicer. Soon enough he was spending his time on building a nursery, because we got the word that our foal was on the way.
“We never talked about having children. It was just what ponies did when they got married young. I never said yes or no, but when it actually happened I had nothing to complain about. Only a worry, that when she came out she wouldn’t be smart, or would have problems with her eyes like me. Rocky assured me that he would love her no matter what. I don’t think he was lying. Well, that doesn’t matter. Have you ever thought about children, Karyn?”
Karyn exhaled. “It’s a lot different in the world I’m living now. They make life so complicated.”
“That’s true, but let me tell you one thing. When I went into the hospital, it hurt a lot. Dinky was a difficult labor, and even with all the painkilling spells that the unicorn doctors used, it still kept hurting. Especially with her horn. Finally she came out and the pain ended. They cleaned her up, wrapped her in a blanket, and laid her in my hooves. You’re a very good friend of mine, but nothing we’ve done compares to that moment. It was the high point of my life.
“After that…I can say where it started. Rocky lost his job with the carpenter. I don’t know all the details, because he refused to tell me, but from what I could gather, he didn’t lose it because there wasn’t enough work or any noble reason. He was either insubordinate or lazy, something like that. If it wasn’t, then why couldn’t he just go to work for some other carpenter?
“I assured him that we’d find a way to make it. I was back on my hooves by that time and could take the mail route again, even if I wanted to stay with Dinky all the time. He kept looking for work, and sometimes he would even find it. He certainly wasn’t fit to go into farming with its long hours. He had a good job as a salespony for a while, but lost that one too. Whatever the reason, he just couldn’t hold one.
“At that point we started talking about moving out of Ponyville. I don’t know whether he brought it up first or I did, but we talked. Both our families were in Ponyville, but Dinky hadn’t started school yet and I thought that if we did, then would be the time. But it never went beyond talking. Rocky always had such a strong aversion to doing things. He preferred to let things happen to us.
“Maybe I’m not being fair. You know, you’re only getting one side of the story.”
Karyn picked up Derpy’s hoof. “At this point, I’m only interested in your side.”
“I could have forgiven him anything. We could have gone on without money. My father was never rich, and my fillyhood home was a happy one. When Dinky had to go to school, we would have found a way to pay for it. That was only the trigger. What was beneath…it just seemed that, when Dinky came, he was resentful that I spread my time between him and her. I only loved him more for giving her to me. Why couldn’t he see that?
“I first took notice after an incident. For her birthday, the one year that Rocky had made good money as a salespony, we scrimped and saved to buy Dinky a special toy. It was kind of a training box for young unicorns, where it would work with their horns and spin a wheel or make a rattle sound or such. Dinky found that she could trigger the rattle sound and loved it. I’ll admit it was annoying, but she was having such fun. Well, Rocky walked over and snapped the box in two. Poured all the magic out of it, made it worthless. I don’t know if he figured that, if he didn’t, Dinky would never stop, but that was when I saw how angry and short-tempered he could be.”
Derpy stood up and seemed calmer. “From there it just got worse. He got more surly and irritated, and I lost my temper more than a few times as well. If I can say anything in my own defense, it’s that I didn’t leave after a fight. I waited until we were both having a reasonably good day, and I told him that I was taking Dinky and leaving. We had a conversation about it, calmly and rationally, and he let me.”
Karyn stood up and rejoined her. “And today was the first time you saw him?”
“Saw, yes. I know he goes from town to town finding whatever work he can, because Dinky told me that they write to each other. And that’s all right with me, but I really don’t want them spending time together. He’ll lead her down a bad road, make her irresponsible the way he is.”
“Maybe so, but Dinky’s a lot stronger than you give her credit for. You see her as this little filly still, but she’s been under your care her whole life. I don’t think that one day’s visit from her father is going to ruin all that.”
She peered around the corner to see if the coast was clear.
“Maybe. I just worry about her makeup. She’s his daughter too, so all of his meanness is inside her somewhere.”
Karyn didn’t want to get into a debate about pony genetics. Instead, she said, “Still, you walked out of there and all she saw was that her mother wanted to fly away from her as fast as she—you—could. We can’t go back home until you find her and make it up to her.”
“But what if she’s still with him? What if we can’t even find her?”
“We’ll find her at some point. And if Rocky is still there, you don’t have to talk to him. Just don’t seize up like you did and go all formal. Admittedly it’s a better reaction than freaking out, but you’ve got to stand up to him.”
Derpy stared at Karyn, hoping that she could convince her to let go and come up with some excuse, but then hung her head down and walked back through Canterlot. This time Karyn led the way.
The table at the café where they had left Dinky and Rocky was empty, but an inquiry of one of the servers led them back toward Dinky’s apartment over the shop. Karyn knocked on the door and hoped. A magical glow and the knob turned.
“Hello,” she said, “Dinky?”
The door flew open wide. Although the sun was low in the sky, the bare conditions of the apartment made it bright and airy. Dinky hopped off a worn overstuffed couch and galloped to the entrance. “Karyn! You came back. Oh, I’m so relieved!”
“Your mom’s here too. May we come in?”
Despite the brightness of the place, Karyn could see Rocky shifting in the shadows. Dinky nodded, and Karyn and Derpy entering, Derpy keeping as close to the door as she could. She looked at Dinky, trying to keep her eyes on her, and said, “I’m sorry if I upset you before. I came back because I was worried and wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Of course I’m all right, Mommy. Daddy would never hurt me.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Whatever else his flaws, I believe that he does love you.”
Karyn grimaced at the evident fact that Derpy planned to ignore Rocky’s presence and only speak to Dinky.
“And I’m sorry,” Dinky said “that I didn’t tell you. I should have known that you were going to come visit anyway, but even if you weren’t, it would have been better to let you know why and talk about it later.”
They hugged. “All right, we forgive each other,” said Derpy.
“Thanks for understanding about Daddy.”
“Well, as I said, he does love you. You reflect on him, and that’s what he loves, things that make him feel bigger.”
Karyn sucked on her teeth as the shuffling from the shadows grew louder. Rocky Top stood up and plodded across the room.
Dinky got in between her parents. “Daddy, Mommy, please don’t start fighting.”
Rocky spoke quickly, before anyone else could. “Derpy, as usual you don’t listen. You’re taking things from the past that you barely remember and twisting them around to make it look like I’m some sort of selfish pony with no love for anypony else. If you actually listened to me—buck, if you actually listened to Dinky, you’d know that’s not the case.”
“All I know is that there’s no way to tell whether you’re being helpful to Dinky or harmful, so I’d prefer you not be around at all. Normally that’s something you don’t have a problem with.”
“Oh, buck, Derpy, if you keep bringing—“
“Both of you, stop it!” Dinky shouted. “I knew this would happen, that why I tried to keep you two apart. Daddy, why couldn’t you just leave us alone, and Mommy, why couldn’t you just not have come or stayed away or anything?!”
The three ponies all continued to shout at each other. Karyn didn’t know how she could stop it. Her meek voice didn’t even carry above their bickering. That gave her her clue for what to do. She just needed to figure out who could be loud enough. After thinking back to the MLP canon, she focused and called forth the green light.
“Enough! Everypony, be quiet!” Whether they were actually cut off by her words or just shocked at the six-foot tall minotaur with a booming parody of Karyn’s high voice, all the ponies listened and obeyed.
All right, Karyn, she thought. You’ve got their attention, now what are you going to do with it?
Rocky said, “How did you—“
“I’ll explain later. Right now you need to step outside so that I can explain things to Dinky and Derpy.”
“Me?! But they’re not the ones fighting.”
Karyn raised her voice even more. “Just get out. You’ve had no problem being away from Derpy for years, a few more minutes isn’t going to kill you.”
He stumbled out of the apartment. All the girls could tell that he hadn’t gone far down the stairs, so they moved to the opposite side of the apartment. Karyn resumed her natural form, to her relief, and they spoke in low voices.
“Good job getting him out of here,” said Derpy. “You think we could sneak away while he’s out there?”
“That’s not what we’re going to do. I’m going to invite him in and talk to him without either of you present. Both of you have feelings about him that get in the way of being honest about the way he is. Well, I’ve only just met him today, so I still want to know more. Maybe I can make him understand a little more about you two. Derpy, you’ve changed a lot since you saw him last. I’ll try to make him see that.”
“You’ll listen to him, won’t you Karyn?” asked Dinky.
“I intend to. Could you go and fetch him?”
Derpy insisted on flying out the window rather than cross Rocky’s path again, and Karyn reflected that it was like the problem of the fox, the hen, and the grain where you had to cross the river.
Once Dinky had left, Rocky came in. Unsure whether she was the hostess or the guest, Karyn invited him to sit down.
“First explain to me how you brought that minotaur.”
“The short version is that I’m a changeling. But that’s not important right now. Derpy gave me her side of what went on between you two. I want to hear your side.”
Rocky opened his mouth like he was going to upbraid Karyn, then thought better of it. “When I was young, I loved Derpy. I don’t apologize for that. But we just grew apart. You’re her friend?”
“Yes.”
“She ever bug you to clean up your room? Don’t answer, I can see that she has. Ever get on you for not doing some job or some chore? Yeah, she used to do that to me too. Always on me to get things done, look for work when I knew some job was right around the corner. Made me more nervous trying to get one because I was afraid of what she would say if I didn’t. Simple fact is that she’s real demanding. Then once Dinky came along…listen, I love Dinky, and not the selfish way Derpy says. But nothing I did was ever enough for Derpy. I’d want a moment’s peace and she’d be on me for not being the father of the year. Not that she’d yell, she’d just give me the big eyes and make me feel bad.”
Karyn nodded. She could see in her head that their split had been the best idea for everypony. “All right, but why are you back here now?”
“I’ve swung by Ponyville a couple of times, and I’ve written letters to Dinky plenty, but I haven’t had time with her ever. When I got the word that she was going to school in Canterlot, I saved up a bunch of money to make it out here. Can’t stay too long, have to get back to work. But I’d hoped I’d at least get a day with my filly, to fulfill the dream I’d always had of seein’ her grow up.”
“All right, I’m going to bring them in and see what we can’t do.”
“Are you sure Derpy will come in?” asked Rocky.
“She’ll have to if we want to solve this.”
She opened the door. After bringing in Derpy and seating Dinky between her parents, she began.
“Now I’m no family therapist. I’m not even from this universe! Derpy, you know you’re my friend. Dinky, you too. Rocky…I don’t know you. But what matters is this. Everything that went on between you is all gone. What matters is one pony.” She pointed at Dinky.
“Everyone says that the best interests of the child are what’s important. Now, Rocky, that doesn’t mean you can have a part-time filly or whenever you want. From everything Derpy’s told me, you’re a lazy pony. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it doesn’t make for a good father. Now, I’m going to explain something very important to Derpy, and it might hurt you. I think it’d be better if you just left. When Dinky really is on her own, then you can be her friend. If you want to stay, it has to be as her father.”
He looked toward the door, but sat still.
“All right,” Karyn said. “Derpy, I know why you have the reaction you do to Rocky. It’s because you know, deep in your heart, that Dinky is his filly as much as yours. I mean, she’s a hybrid of the two of you. The same lazy, tramping pony that left you is part of her, makes up who she is. You’ve been trying all her life to work it out of her, and I’m sure that when she got into Princess Celestia’s school you were overjoyed. But you can’t change who she is.”
Dinky stared at Karyn, who tried to read her expression. Dinky’s lack of ambition had never been a declared secret between them, but it had been something she’d kept from Derpy. In her eyes, Karyn saw that she was resolved, and so continued. “She’s not going to be Twilight Sparkle, or even Lyra who came up with the kind of spell that found me. She’s going to find her place in Equestria and be happy. Unless somepony pushes her either way. Too much from her mother, and she’ll try to be those ponies, fail, and be miserable. Too much from her father, and she won’t do the work needed to find that place. Above all, the biggest thing you two need to do, is to understand how the other fits into her.”
In Karyn’s mind, Derpy and Rocky would stand up and have an awkward hug with Dinky in the middle. That didn’t happen. Instead, Rocky stood up first and said, “That makes some sense. Dinky, you’re your own mare. I’ll be in town another day or two. If you want to see me, come around and we’ll meet as equals.”
He walked out of the apartment. Karyn let out the breath she was holding. Then she laughed when Derpy did the same.
“I guess it’s all out now,” said Dinky.
“Then what Karyn said is true?” asked Derpy.
“It is. Is…that all right, Mommy?”
Derpy got down on her knees. “Listen to me, little Muffin. If we were in Canterlot Castle, and in the middle of a conversation you decided to stab Princess Celestia with your horn, burn Princess Luna down with dark magic, and lay Equestria to waste, I would assume that all of them were bad and that you had a good reason. I will always trust you. I may not always understand, and I may not always remember, but if there’s part of you that wants to be like your father, then it’s right for you to do that.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
“And I love you too.”
Karyn stood up and shouldered her purse. “I guess my work here is done.”
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I just noticed how well you handle conversation.
How come they don't have an envy emoticon? They could even finally use Luna.
When Karyn decided to change we thought it would be into one of the Princesses to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, but then decided it would cause more trouble than was warranted. Still, he certainly took her status as changeling very well, not to mention her overall alien-ness.
It's nice to see this kind of conversation can end well, it usually doesn't in my family...
Keep going! ;)
“Sigh. Derpy, I’m willing to bet that Dinky won’t be back from the bathroom for a while.”
Now, I’m going to explain something very important to Derpy, and it might hurt you.
3264681 Fixed, thanks!
3259642 I have four rules to help me write dialogue:
1. Never go more than two lines without saying who the speaker is.
2. Never use more than one "said Derpy," or "said Karyn" in a row. Make them take an action.
3. Never have more than twelve lines of dialogue total without taking a break for a non-dialogue paragraph, even if it's just what's going on in one character's head.
4. Never be afraid to break rules 1-3.
Blast it! Out of chapters! Oh, whatever. Might as well take a crack at those 27 fics on read later while I wait.
okay, it's getting on my nerves leaving it till the end. did you seriously quote the California girls parody earlier on in the story?
6898452 I think so. Didn't I say something about Derpy being so cute she'll blow your mind?