"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.