Chronicles of Derpy

[Luminescence]

Author Notes: This story was written to give background to one of the most popular of the background ponies of MLP:FiM, Ditzy Doo aka Derpy Hooves. Aspects of the story have been influenced by the numerous cameo appearances she has had in the show itself and some aspects of the fandom, however most ideas have come straight from me. Thus you may find yourself wondering why certain things aren’t the same, this is deliberate as I wanted to create my own version of the character as I see her. I do hope you enjoy. *brohoof*

Second note: I'll be posting each part as and when I finish it. I'm working on another unrelated writing project at the moment too (which I hope to publish) but I need some easy going project too which is why I'm writing this. I'm also working on a number of large written assignments for my final university year so depending on how those are going updates here may or may not be quick/slow. Anyway... *cough* *puts on Rarity voice* ONWARDS!

Chronicles of Derpy

Part 1

Storm clouds thundered in the night sky over head as a cloak shrouded pony darted her way down the street. Rain dashed the ground causing mud to splatter upwards with every hoofstep she made. Slung over her back was a basket covered in a blanket and sheltered from the rain under her cloak. As the pony reached the end of the street she paused slightly and rolled back her hood. Her coat was a deep grey colour that matched the colour of the clouds above her and her eyes shone with a golden orange hue beneath her auburn coloured mane and forelocks.

Ahead of her sat a large building on the edge of the town. The lights were out and the curtains drawn, the occupants fast asleep, apart from one window upstairs that still bore a light. Another rumble of thunder echoed over head as the pony looked up at the sign above the door. It read ‘Ponyville Orphanage’. Slowly the mare approached the door and dropped herself to her knees. She took a moment to unbuckle the strap around her middle that held the basket on her flank before lowering it to the ground beside her.

She stood slowly and looked back at the door. Raising a hoof she made a move to bang on the door but no sound occurred, her hoof stopping short of the door. A sniff filled the air as a tear began to form in the mare’s eye. She shut them quickly, forcing the tears to roll down her face as she raised her hoof once more; again though she stopped short. Was it reluctance? Guilt? Fear?

Just then another sound crossed the air, a small laugh filled with wonder and amusement. The mare looked back at the basket to see a small head poking out of the blankets looking up the thundering sky above her. The small foal shared a grey coloured coat with the mare but it was much lighter, her short mane a beautiful blonde colour. Her eyes were the same vibrant orange as the mare but that is where the similarities stopped. The foal’s eyes were crossed, one looking up and the other down.

For a moment the mares expression softened, a smile crossing her face as she watched the young foal looking up at the sky. Eventually though she shut her eyes tight, looking away sharply as tears began to flood back to her eyes. Voices in her head haunted her...

“That’s your child?”

“Oh goodness...um...she’s lovely...”

“By Celestia have you seen those eyes?”

“Trust you to give birth to a freak.”

“Hahahahahahahahahaha......!”

The mare hung her head and continued to weep for a moment. Nothing but ridicule and torment. Why did everypony laugh? Why was she so weak? She looked up at the lit window above her. Was this right? What else could she do? She couldn’t take any more.

“...Ma-ma...!”

The mare felt her blood chill and for a moment time stood still. She looked back at the basket. The young foal had wiggled her front legs clear of the blanket and was waving them in her direction with a large smile on her face. Her first words! For a moment she just watched the young foal and everything around her seemed to fade away.

Finally she shook her head and looked back at the window. No she couldn’t do this! This wasn’t right! She would show everypony what she could do! She would make them sorry for laughing and raise a child that she could be proud of!

Kneeling down again she fastened the basket onto her flank once more and stood up. She moved a hoof to her chest and unclipped the clasp holding her cloak on allowing the wind to blow it over her shoulders. A moment later she lowered her head and spread her wings. She would return to Cloudsdale a proud mother! She wouldn’t allow others to rule her life anymore; she had decided!

With a powerful downward swipe of her wings and an upward jump with her legs the pegusus mare found herself in the air soaring upwards towards the cloud. She couldn’t help but feel a little unbalanced due to the basket on her flank but she put the thought aside as she turned back in the direction of Cloudsdale.

The storm above still raged and the thunder was getting louder and louder. The Pegasus didn’t seem to care, she was after all a weather pony by trade; storms were part of her everyday life. The rain pelted her face as the wind whipped around her and yet she felt on top of the world.

A sudden flash brought her attention back to the moment. Lightning! She quickly decreased her altitude, afraid of another bolt getting too close. How had she not noticed how high she had been flying? Another flash. The noise of thunder filled the air almost immediately; that one had been close. At her side the previously quiet foal was now crying, the noise and flashes scaring her.

She had to land, there was no point trying to go on further in this storm. Ducking her head downwards she made a beeline for the ground but forgot she was still near the clouds. A final crack of thunder echoed the flash of another lightning bolt and the Pegasus felt her whole body go limp. She had barely had time to move as the lightning bolt had sizzled its way past her, barely a few feet away. The smell of burnt feathers filled her nose as the pain reached her mind.

With a scream of pain the Pegasus plummeted from the sky her right wing ripped to pieces by the force of the lightning bolt. She knew there was nothing she could do, there was no way to stop her freefall and nopony was there to catch her. A wave of sadness and despair filled her mind as she watched the ground speeding towards her.

Suddenly a thought hit her. She reached back and pulled the light grey foal from the basket at her side. Clutching her tightly in her hooves she curled up around the child, trying to protect her from the coming impact. She shut her eyes and braced herself. The air rushed past her, rain splattering against her coat and mingling with the flood of tears that ran down her cheek. The ground neared, shapes of black and grey slowly coming into view as the lightning above flashed across the sky. It took but a moment in all, the strike, the fall and finally the thud as she hit the ground.

The world was a haze of grey and black blurs. Nothing would focus. Rain splattered her face as her vision gazed up at the sky. How long had she been lying there? An few minutes? An hour? More? She didn’t know. All she could feel was pain. She tried to move her head but nothing happened, her body didn’t respond to anything she told it to do. With her blurred vision she tried to see where she was but without being able to move she couldn’t see much. Looking back down she found the young foal curled up in her arms. She was sleeping. Twitching lightly every few moment in her dreams.

“...h-help...”

Her voice was low and hoarse. It hurt to talk and yet she knew she had to find help.

“...Help...!”

It was little more than a whimper. Just then she heard it, voices! Her mind started to race, had they heard her? Who were they? Help...please!

“Great galloping galoshes!” came a broad female accent, “Jonagold get the cart quickly! We got ah ‘mergency on ah hands!”

The new pony looked awestruck for a moment as she stared at the Pegasus. Rushing forwards she looked up at the hole in the barn roof and then back down at the injured Pegasus. She looked her over quickly; her right wing was burnt beyond recognition and the left had been broken during her fall through the barn roof. A nasty cut ran the across her flank, slicing the Pegasus’ storm cloud cutie mark in half. The new pony couldn’t be sure but it also seemed that one of her hind legs was broken but the most worrying thing was the trail of blood that was leaking from the Pegasus’ mane across the back of her head.

“Darn it all Jonagold where is that cart?!” she cried again as she looked over her shoulder at the barn door before looking back at the Pegasus, “Now don’t you worry sugar, y’all gonna be jus’ fine!”

“Ah ma here Gala, what’s goin...” cried a new male voice before pausing mid sentence, “Ee gads! Gala help me out here!”

The Pegasus could do little but lie there as the other two ponies went about their work. She could feel them checking her out, surveying her injuries one at a time.

“Gala look, sh’all got a kid!”

“Oh struth!”

She could feel her front legs being moved. Were they going to take her child? No they couldn’t! She wouldn’t allow it! Not now!

“...n-no...”

“Gala she’s awake!”

“...n-no...”

“Don’t you worry sugar, we won’t take her away from you. Jonagold we gotta get her in the cart quick.”

She could feel herself being lifted up and placed in a cart full of hay. Before long the cart was moving out of the barn and back into the stormy weather outside. The cart bumped and rattled on the dirt road as rain continued to fall. She could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness.

“Come on Jonagold we all gotta hurry!”

“Ah’m going as fast as ah dare, don’t want to aggravate her injuries!”

Everything seemed so far away, so distant; the noise of the cart, the flash of lightning above, voices, shouts, flashing lights. Nothing seemed to register, nothing mattered. Her blurry gaze fell on the still sleeping foal in her hooves and a small smile turned the corner of her mouth.

“Nurse get me a bed quick!”

A new voice! Who was it? Did it matter? She was getting sleepy now, so sleepy.

“What about the child doctor?”

“Get it off her, we can’t operate if she’s still clutching it.”

Child? No! Please no! She felt her hooves being moved apart and the foal was quickly lifted from her view.

“...n-no...”

Her voice was barely audible, little more than a weak gust of wind. She couldn’t talk any more. Suddenly she felt herself cough harshly, the sudden movement causing a wave of pain to shoot through her body as she felt a sticky wet substance splash against her lips and front legs. Taking a breath seemed hard now, she felt so sleepy and weak.

“Doctor we’re losing her!”

She could feel her eyes closing. Everything was getting so dark. So tired. Breathing in, out, in...out...

“Doctor!”

Darkness. I’m sorry...so, so sor...