Chapter Twelve – The Breakfast Club

Scootaloo's eyelids groggily opened up. It was late in the morning. She could tell because sun had rose above her window, sending beams of light across her face. Yawning, she stretched out her forelegs, and forced her body to roll out of bed. Three hooves touched down on the floor, the fourth was rubbing Scootaloo's eye as she tried to become fully awake.

It took a while for her brain to begin functioning. When it finally did, she dragged herself out of her room, and towards the kitchen. Memories from last night were starting to come to her, but they were all fuzzy. They were also slightly confused with a dream she had been having right before she woke up. Scootaloo didn't try to force anything into making sense just yet.

The orange filly plucked a clean looking bowl out of the sink and set it on the table. Poking around the cabinets, she found a box of cereal. On her way back to the table, she glanced into the living room.

"Morning, Sunshine." Obsidian Glass said enthusiastically. He was sitting laxly on the couch, facing Scootaloo. The cereal box dropped to the floor, scattering the contents all around.

"Y-you're still here." Scootaloo whispered in shock.

"Where else would I be?" Glass asked. Memories from last night came flooding back to Scootaloo, as she began to comprehend what was going on.

"So it wasn't a dream then." Scootaloo said. Glass hopped off the couch and crossed over to her.

"No, I suppose it wasn't." He told her.

"So you really…"

"Yep." Glass said, running a hoof through his hair, which had been mangled by the couch last night. "I really did."

"…I just can't believe it." Scootaloo said. Glass grinned.

"I really hope you mean that in a good way." He said. Scootaloo smiled.

"Yeah, I do." She told him. The white colt couldn't seem to stop grinning, which only made Scootaloo smile more. A tint of red hinted at both of their cheeks. "So… now what happens?"

Glass opened his mouth to respond, but the moment was stolen from him by a knock at the door. Scootaloo immediately knew who it was.

"I got it." Glass said, moving to open the door.

"No don't!" Scootaloo said urgently. Glass looked at her confused. "It's Derpy." The orange pegasus explained. "My dad is having her check up on me, and she can't know you're here."

Glass nodded. "Got it. So I need to disappear."

"No!" Scootaloo said. "Don't do that disappearing thing you always do. We still… need to talk."

Glass narrowed his eyes. "Okay." He said slowly. "So you just want me to hide?" Scootaloo nodded.

"Only for a little while. Derpy won't stay long." She pleaded.

"All right." Glass said. He moved to the other side of the living room and took refuge behind her father's recliner.

With Glass securely hidden, Scootaloo moved to the door. A second knock came before she got there. As soon as it ended, the orange filly opened the door to greet the wall-eyed mare on the other side.

"Hi Derpy." She told the smiling gray mare.

"Hi Scootaloo." Derpy replied. "Sorry I'm a little later today."

"Oh, that's ok–"

"But I brought blueberry muffins!" Derpy excitedly said. She reached into her saddlebag and withdrew a package from Sugar Cube Corner.

"Oh, great." Scootaloo said through partially clenched teeth.

"I was thinking maybe we could share them." Derpy said, oblivious to Scootaloo's tone. The orange filly wasn't entirely sure what to do. She didn't want to turn down the gray mare's offer, because it would create some suspicion and probably hurt Derpy's feelings. But if she invited her in, it would mean Glass would be stuck in hiding for a while, along with the threat of Derpy finding out at almost anytime. It was a difficult choice to make.

"Uh… yeah sure. Come on in." Scootaloo finally said, nervously. Derpy happily walked into the house, muffins in tow. Scootaloo anxiously glanced at Glass's hiding spot. The white colt had poked his head around the recliner, and was raising his eyebrow at Scootaloo, as if to ask why Derpy hadn't already left. The orange filly motioned with her hoof for him to stay hidden.

Scootaloo turned around to the kitchen in time to see Derpy setting up their breakfast. Putting on a smile that looked far more awkward than she was willing to admit, Scootaloo walked in and took a seat.

She had to admit, the blueberry muffins smelled really good. Derpy had already started eating, but Scootaloo was a bit more reluctant. The fear of the gray mare finding Glass at potentially any moment was enough to make her lose her appetite. Eventually, Derpy noticed the orange pegasus wasn't eating.

"Aren't you hungry, Scootaloo?" The blonde mare asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I guess I'm a little distracted." Scootaloo said. She took a bite of the muffin, if anything it was to appease Derpy. A fantastic sensation immediately exploded in her mouth. The baked dough was still warm and soft, and the blueberries were by far the sweetest she had ever had.

Derpy was grinning. "Based on the look on your face, you must like them." She said. Scootaloo nodded vigorously. The orange filly tried to say something, but found it difficult with a mouth full of muffins.

Her attempt at speech made Derpy giggle. "What was that?" The gray mare asked her.

Scootaloo remembered to swallow this time before answering. "It's the best muffin I've ever had." Derpy smiled with delight.

"I knew you'd like them." She said. "Blueberry is always a winner." Scootaloo took another bite of the baked good.

Both ponies worked their way through several more of the dozen muffins that Derpy had brought. Each one just as good – if not better – than the last.

"So why were you distracted?" Derpy asked.

"Hmm?" Scootaloo responded, unable to answer as she was halfway through her third helping of blueberry muffin.

"Early you said something was distracting you. I was just a little curious as to what it was." The blonde mare clarified. Scootaloo swallowed slowly.

"Oh… well…" The orange filly scanned her brain for an excuse, but none came to mind. The truth would have been to incriminating for her to say. Luckily – or perhaps unluckily – she wasn't the one to say it.

"I suppose that's my fault." Glass said, stepping into the kitchen.

---

Sweetie Belle cracked her eyelids open one at a time. Light was spilling into her room through her closed curtains, letting her know it was well into the morning. In the next room over, Sweetie Belle heard four hooves running back and forth frantically.

It was probably Rarity, Sweetie Belle deduced. Her sister had recently received a large order. Apparently some heiress in Canterlot was having a birthday soon, and had requested a very special dress for the occasion. Rarity had somehow gotten it in her head that if she did a fabulous job making the dress, then she would be invited to the party as a thank you from the heiress.

Sweetie Belle didn't follow that logic.

Realizing she was hungry, Sweetie Belle leapt out of bed and made her way to the door. Making breakfast would be a difficult excursion, considering her last few attempts hadn't ended well. On the way to the stairs, Sweetie Belle stopped by Rarity's workroom.

The whole area was thrown about in the usual Rarity mess of dress creating, with fabrics spilling over the table and onto the floor, various scissors and pins lying around everywhere from the dresser to the window sill, and mannequins covered in half finished dress designs that had been abandoned. Rarity herself was running back and forth between the sketchpad and a mannequin that held her latest design.

"Hey, Rarity. Did you want some breakfast?" Sweetie Belle asked in an attempt to get out of having to make it herself.

"What? Oh… breakfast. Sorry Sweetie Belle, I'm much to busy to eat right now." The white unicorn said as she realigned the mannequin's headdress.

"Oh, that's okay." Sweetie Belle said with mock disappointment. "I can just make something for myself then." The filly took one step out of the doorway, and let the words sink in.

"Make something by yourself…" Rarity said, pausing her work on the outfit. The unicorn filly imagined that Rarity was remembering the time Sweetie Belle had managed to burn juice. "On second thought," Rarity said, turning around and heading for the door. "I could go for some breakfast. Allow me to take care of it."

"No problem." Sweetie Belle said as Rarity brushed passed her and went to the kitchen.

It took overly long for Rarity to make them both some toast and pour some orange juice, but Sweetie Belle could hardly complain. She bit into the slightly crunchy bread and stared out the window. Distantly, some pegasi could be seen placing clouds in the sky for the scheduled shower later in the afternoon. Her thoughts turned to her friends as the filly pondered what they might do as a Crusading attempt. With the rain coming, a lot of opportunities would be closed. Scootaloo's attempts at extreme sports would likely be canceled – a relief to Sweetie Belle – but almost any outdoor activity would be ruined if they got rained out.

Thoughts about Crusading eventually turned into thoughts about Glass. Sweetie Belle would be curiously watching him during their attempts to get their Cutie Marks. He seemed fine with being left out now, based on yesterday's overall reaction when they came out of the Everfree Forest. Still, Sweetie Belle suspected that he still wanted his Cutie Mark, despite what he said. It was confusing her to no end.

Sweetie Belle's thoughts were interrupted by a white hoof waving in front of her face.

"Sweetie Belle?" She heard her sister say. The filly blinked a few times, coming back to reality.

"What?" She asked, a little annoyed.

"You've been in some sort of trance for the past five minutes." Rarity informed her. Sweetie Belle looked down at her plate to see her toast only had a single bite out of it, while her sister had nearly finished her entire meal.

"Oh." Sweetie Belle said, realizing she had gone too deep into her thoughts.

"What were you thinking about that made you zone out like that?" Rarity asked.

"Uh… it was nothing." Sweetie Belle said. It must have come out more defensive than she meant, because Rarity looked at her smugly.

"You were thinking about a colt, weren't you?" The white mare asked. Sweetie Belle felt her cheeks instantly flush.

"N-no." Sweetie Belle lied. While she had been thinking about Glass, it was certainly not in the way Rarity thought it was.

"You can't fool me, Sweetie Belle." Rarity said. "What's his name?"

"I wasn't thinking about a colt." The unicorn filly responded, getting up from her seat.

"Come on now. Who is he?" Rarity responded. "I have a right to know if my sister has a little crush on somepony."

"Goodbye sis." Sweetie Belle said, leaving to avoid further teasing. As she shut the door, Sweetie Belle wondered if she would find better company at Applebloom's house.

---

"Uhh… Scootaloo?" Derpy asked as Glass beamed nonchalantly. "Do you know this colt?"

"Y-yes. I know him." Scootaloo said, embarrassed by the situation and furious at Glass for revealing himself. Neither of those reasons really explained why her cheeks had turned red. "This is Glass. He's uh… a friend… of mine." The white Earth pony smiled innocently at Derpy, who was still in a state of disbelief.

"Okay." Derpy said slowly. "Why is here?"

"Uhh…" Scootaloo mumbled. The orange filly tried to come up with some excuse that would sound reasonable given the circumstances. Apparently, her brain was still not fully awake, because nothing came to mind.

"We had a sleepover." Glass said, picking up where Scootaloo had left off.

"Did your dad say that was okay, Scootaloo?" Derpy inquired. The blonde mare was still unconvinced by the whole situation.

Scootaloo, of course, had no response and turned to Glass for help. Picking up on the cue, Glass said, "I don't believe he ever said she could not have a sleepover."

"Right. That's right." Scootaloo said, facing Derpy again with an incredibly awkward fake smile. Derpy's eyes narrowed as she pondered this. Her gaze shifted from Scootaloo's shaky grin and Glass's even smirk.

"Okay then." Derpy said. Her tone had changed dramatically, going from suspicious to happy in mere nanoseconds. Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. "So Glass," the gray mare began. "Would you like a muffin?" Derpy reached into the package from Sugar Cube Corner and pulled out another blueberry muffin.

Glass allowed his eyes to dart around the room a bit, as if he was considering Derpy's proposal. Then a low growling sound could be heard from his stomach.

"Yes." Glass conceded. He hopped onto the third and final chair by the table and bit into the muffin. Glass's seat was really close to Scootaloo's, and his hoof brushed against her's as he went for to muffin. Both ponies tried and failed to contain their blushes when it happened.

"So how was the sleepover?" Derpy asked in an attempt to make conversation.

"I found it very enjoyable. What about you, Scootaloo?" Glass said, mouth half-full. He turned to face the orange filly, staring intently into her eyes. Scootaloo knew that Glass was talking about more than just spending the night.

"I thought is was pretty great." The orange pegasus responded. They both smiled.

"You know, I can't even remember the last time my little Dinky had a sleepover." Derpy said, clearly thinking of something other than the two ponies on the other side of the table.

Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. "Dinky?" She asked, quizzically.

Derpy gave a small smile. "She's my daughter. You might have seen her around school a few times."

Scootaloo swallowed in earnest surprise. "That Dinky?" She asked. Dinky Doo was somepony Scootaloo only knew vaguely. Infamous only for being a bit of a clutz, and very shy in class, the blonde unicorn filly went under almost everypony's radar. In fact, Scootaloo had seen her more than once just playing by herself during recess. "You're her mother?" Scoots asked again, incredulously.

"I am." Derpy said, not at all offended by Scootaloo's surprise. "I can understand why you didn't know. Dinky never really talks to anypony… or even try to make friends."

"Why not?" Glass asked, grabbing for a second muffin.

"Well… I guess you could say it's because of her… disability." Derpy explained.

"What disability?" Scootaloo heard herself ask, though she knew she probably shouldn't bring it up.

The gray mare gestured to her eyes. "Like me." She said.

"Oh…" Scootaloo said softly. Though she – nor anypony else for that matter – ever paid Dinky much attention, everypony had noticed she was wall-eyed. Scootaloo had just never put two and two together and made the connection between Dinky and her mother.

"I don't see how that's a disability, to be honest with you." Glass said. The mare gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean? My eyes are…" Derpy didn't finish the sentence. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"It just doesn't seem like a disability to me." Glass said. "It hasn't made you any less of a pony. So you shouldn't consider yourself any less of one."

Derpy smiled slightly. "I suppose not." She said. "But other ponies don't see it like that. They've always treated me like an outcast because of it. And I can't bare the thought of Dinky having to go through what I have because I passed down this…" Derpy gestured to her eyes again "…to her."

"That's… horrible." Scootaloo whispered. She never thought ponies would treat Derpy differently just because of her eyes. The atmosphere of the breakfast table had gotten really dark suddenly. All the muffins were gone now, so there was little the group could do to fill the silence.

"You know." Glass said. "If I ever see Dinky, I'll be sure to say hello to her."

"Me too." Scootaloo said. Derpy grinned at the two of them, tears threatening to well up in her eyes.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." The gray mare said. It was quiet for a moment. Derpy nudged the empty muffin box. "I suppose breakfast is done now." She said. Slowly the three of them got up from their chairs, and wordlessly cleaned off the table.

"Uh… hey Glass." Scootaloo said, deciding to change the topic of conversation.

"Yeah?" Glass responded.

"We should probably go check in on Sweetie Belle and Applebloom." She said.

Glass nodded, and said goodbye to Derpy before walking towards the door. Scootaloo stayed a minute to help throw away the trash.

"I can see why you like him." Derpy said as she collapsed the muffin box.

"Wh-what?" Scootaloo asked, cheek's mutinying from orange to red.

"You two make such a cute couple." The gray mare continued.

Realizing her secret was out, Scootaloo stammered, "H-how did you know?"

Derpy grinned. "I'm wall-eyed. Not blind." She said.

"That obvious?" Scootaloo asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah." Derpy said. "But don't worry about it."

"Can I be honest with you?" Scootaloo asked. The blonde pegasus nodded. "I'm not really sure where we're supposed to go from here. I like him, and I'm pretty sure he likes me. But I'm just all nervous and excited, and a little scared about where it's going to lead."

The gray mare looked at her seriously. "I… I know with your mom gone and all and… it's probably not my place to say this but… if you need anything Scootaloo, just ask me. I'll be there for you."

Scootaloo was so stunned, she didn't know what to do. Luckily, her body took over and she wrapped her hooves around Derpy for a hug. The blonde mare was surprised, but did not turn away the young filly. She hugged Scootaloo back.

The two of them lingered like that for a while. For a moment, Scootaloo felt like she was years younger, hugging her own mother. Derpy's hug was so warm and caring and protective; everything Scoots remembered about her own mom's embraces. Maybe it was just something all mothers were really good at.

---

I tossed around quite a few ideas for the chapter title before settling on "The Breakfast Club", but I'm still not sure if it was a good idea or not. [It was either that, or "Do You Know the Muffin Mare?"].

As for Derpy's more prominent role, this was not something I had originally planned for when I started writing this fic [though my original idea was that Shattered Glass would not go beyond five or six chapters], so let me know what you think about it.

As for a writing schedule on this story, I'm not sure if I can keep it going as far as weekly updates. The main reason is because I have this story, a one-shot backstory for Sombra and Chrysalis planned, and the first chapter of the next Frostburn fic to write. Pile on a shitload of school work, and a lot of other crap I've got going on, and I don't know if I can make that happen without sacrificing sleep and sanity. Wish me luck.