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- "HOPE MARISA MOUS! YOU WILL SHIFT YOUR P0NY-ASS OUT OF BED RIGHT THIS SECOND, OR SO HELP ME P0NYJESUS..."
- >You trail off, not entirely certain where you were taking your threat.
- >Thankfully, you don't need to figure it out, because you hear the sharp tac-tac-creak of her heaving herself out of bed.
- >You don't move, just waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
- >Eventually, she drags herself to the top of the stairs, and squints down at you.
- >Sleepily, she paws away the dust from her eyes, before cracking her arms above her head, and letting out a tremendous yawn.
- >"was' gon' on?"
- >You let out a sigh.
- "Go shower, then get dressed. We've got stuff to do. Be quick, it's past one already."
- >She blinks.
- >"'k".
- >Eyes fluttering closed, she turns away, and pads off to the bathroom, before switching on the shower.
- >The steady hiss dies down to a gentle whisper as she shuts the door, and you head back into the kitchen.
- >The coffee's brewed, but you pout out a cup for her, and drop in several cubes of sugar. A small splash of cream, and then you place it on the side to cool - Hope's never been that partial to showers, so she shouldn't be too long.
- >Yours, on the other hand, gets no sugar, but almost a full quarter of the cup filled with cream.
- >Caffeine is the one true God, but p0ny coffee is cheap, nasty stuff compared to what you could get back home.
- >Switching attention back to the hob, you give the (failed) omelette (honestly, it's just scrambled eggs by now) another stir, then scrape it out onto two plates of toast.
- >Here, your daughter takes after you, preferring her toast only slightly crunchy, rather than the burnt black both her mother, and late grandmother, enjoyed.
- >Your breath catches, thinking of Marisa again.
- >And your discovery, after the funeral.
- >You still haven't mentioned it to Hope, and have no plans on doing so anytime soon, if you can get away with it.
- >The gentle hissing stops, and you hear Hope stomp out of the shower, then the vibrations that almost certainly indicate she's shook herself to help dry.
- >Again.
- >Which means you're going to have to dry the walls.
- >Again.
- >You're not that annoyed with her, she's got enough going on at the minute, but you wish she'd... think things through.
- >Not having a cutie-mark wasn't a big deal for the most part, growing up.
- >She loved the adventures she went on with Red, and she certainly enjoyed the crazy stunts they both pulled when Aquafresh got involved.
- >Not getting one hadn't caused her world to come crashing down, not when you showed that you shared a blank 'flank'.
- >But after college, things changed.
- >P0nyville didn't really need a second general "hands-body", and the townsfolk weren't really willing to hire somep0ny without the right talent.
- >Most of the town were at least polite enough to preface the rejections with promises of future work, but that didn't change the fact they were still rejections.
- >You're jerked from your thoughts when slim arms, fever-hot, wrap around you, and Hope presses herself against your back.
- >"Mornin'"
- >Definitely not nearly spilling your coffee in surprise, you turn around to face your daughter, and hug her back.
- "Hey Hope, ready to face the day?"
- >She buries her head in the crook of your neck in answer, dripping beads of water down your shirt.
- >"nhhhh."
- >Reaching through her arms and under her chin, you lift her head up, and meet her eyes.
- >She's still wearing the same gloomy face she has for the past month.
- >And you hate it.
- "C'mon, we'll get the shopping done, and have a poke around for a job for you. It can't be that bad."
- >It was that bad.
- >Nop0nies hiring.
- >With Hope's class just finished two months ago, all the general positions are now filled.
- >It's only specialist roles left, and they're all the same:
- "Applicants must have at least three years experience, or a cutie-mark in a related field"
- >You turn from the notice board, and scan the crowd for Hope.
- >She isn't there, but you're not too worried.
- >It's a Saturday, the market's in full swing, and the younger p0nies are celebrating their freedom from the tyranny of school.
- >There's no surprise that you can't catch sight of her.
- >Instead, you eye up Applebloom.
- >Long gone is the awkward filly from when you first arrived, and all the farm work keeps her in fine shape.
- >It does bring an idea to mind...
- >You shake your head, and realise you've been staring intently at Applebloom's flank for several minutes.
- >She noticed.
- >All stations to DEFCON1
- >WE'RE ABOUT TO BE BOARDED!
- >Instead, she blows you a kiss, and turns, flicking her tail and swaying her hips.
- >swish
- >swish
- >swis-
- >Hope pokes the back of your head.
- >"You done?"
- >Turning around, you smile, and completely ignore the fact your daughter just caught you staring at a mare's bottom.
- "For now. And I figured out how you can pay rent!"
- >"Hoora - wait... Rent?"
- >You sigh.
- "Hope... You're a grown girl now. If you're going to be living at home, you need to be contributing to the household somehow."
- >She gapes at you.
- "Oh don't look at me like that! It's just to help me with the costs. You eat more than you used to!"
- >Her eyes narrow.
- "Not that you're fat!"
- >The glare continues.
- "Hey, I'm being more than reasonable here. It'll just give you more incentive to get a job, right?"
- >Ignoring the pout, you turn, and head home, leaving a hand to trail behind you.
- >The fingers that wrap snugly in yours shortly after make you grin.
- +++++
- "Come on Hope, both hands, like I showed you"
- >Silently, she furrows her brow, but drops her left hand, taking a firm grip.
- >You lean back, and drop you hands behind your head, basking in the sun's glow.
- >Hope looks up, and brushes a strand of sweaty hair from her face.
- >You smile, whilst she's gasping for air, and use a hand to wipe the sweat away from her brow.
- >Quickly, she leans back down.
- >Obviously, she just wants this over.
- >So it's a good job you're a generous father.
- "That's enough for today. But we'll need to carry on tomorrow, herb gardens don't care for themselves."
- >She looks over at you, and grins.
- >Weeding isn't ever fun, but with the right company, it can be tolerable.
- "but my knees are killing me. Maybe we could just spend it on the sofa with a few beers instead?"
- >Hope leaps at you, and hugs you.
- "Oh... fuc... you're all sweaty, damnit LET GO!"
- >She giggles, and runs back inside.
- >You fucking hate gardening.
- >But it's worth if, if you can get Hope to smile again.
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