Derpy Hooves was a proud, happy mail mare who stopped at nothing to make sure that the ponies of Equestria received their deliveries every day. Not many ponies were around when she dropped off envelopes in their mailboxes or packages on their doorstep but, she always tried to greet every pony that she did encounter throughout her daily route. She visited the same thirty three houses and businesses every morning which helped her make friends with the ponies she ran into. She was happily trotting up to Fluttershy’s house, said pony in her front yard anxiously waiting by her mailbox for Derpy to bring her mail.
“Good morning Fluttershy!” Derpy said happily.
“Oh good morning Derpy,” the timid yellow pony responded “I don’t suppose you have a package in that bag of yours do you?”
Derpy dropped the two bags that were secured around her body and carefully searched through them for Fluttershy’s delivery. Three envelopes and a small brown box with Fluttershy’s name on them were pulled from the bag which Derpy picked up with her mouth and gave to Fluttershy.
“One package for Fluttershy!” Derpy said cheerfully and then smiled.
“Oh thank goodness. I’ve been waiting so long for these to get here.” Fluttershy said and then began walking to her door.
Derpy turned around and began walking to the second house on her route; Rarity’s, which was on the other side of town. Her route started at Fluttershy’s home which was the closest to the post office, a few homes and businesses in Ponyville, and then a short flight over to Cloudsdale to wrap up the route. She volunteered to deliver to Cloudsdale after regular mail mare quit her job. To her surprise, there were a lot of ponies walking around the town. A lot more than she was used to seeing but, after all it was Saturday and many businesses were closed or would be closing before lunch time. The blonde haired, gray Pegasus happily trotted through town greeting many ponies she recognized.
“Good morning Serena!” Derpy said happily as she walked past a powder blue colored pony.
“Oh uh, good morning Derpy.” Serena said awkwardly and slightly picked up her pace.
Derpy continued walking through the town until she finally reached Rarity’s house, and not to her surprise, no one appeared to be home. Rarity was hardly ever home and her sister was usually at school, but Derpy rang the doorbell anyway as she looked through her bag for Rarity’s mail to slip through the mail slot on her door. Surprisingly the door swung open with Sweetie Belle standing on the other side of it.
“Good morning!” Derpy said happily as she brought out a few envelopes from her bag.
“Good morning,” Sweetie Belle said awkwardly as she grabbed the mail from the cheerful mail mare “I’ll make sure she gets this.”
“How is your weekend going so far?” Derpy asked happily as she closed the flap on her bag.
Sweetie Belle looked off to her left side and smiled awkwardly at Derpy.
“It’s uh, really great. Yeah.”
“Wonderful! I remember when I was just a filly. Every day was a new adventure!” Derpy said and then smiled.
“Yeah I bet. Listen I have to help Rarity so I’ll talk to you later.” Sweetie Belle said and then closed the door.
Derpy smiled as she walked down to the path once more and then spread her wings. Her next stop was Rainbow Dash’s house; a Pegasus she loved to visit. Derpy took flight and flew towards the mansion floating above a large cloud high in the sky. Rainbow Dash was outside and looked like she was fixing up her front door.
“Oh the storm last night probably damaged her house. Maybe I can help her!” Derpy said to herself as she descended towards Rainbow Dash’s house.
Rainbow Dash turned around as she heard the mail mare approaching and swallowed hard.
“Good morning Rainbow Dash!” Derpy said cheerfully as she dropped her bags once more.
“Oh, uh, hey there Derpy,” Rainbow Dash said without turning to face her “Another busy day of mail deliveries right?”
Derpy took a few envelopes from the bag with her mouth and put them in Rainbow Dash’s mailbox.
“Not today, my bag is actually really light today so I think I’ll be done early,” Derpy said and then her eyes lit up at an idea “Hey maybe when I’m done I can help you fix your door there!”
“No,” Rainbow Dash snapped “I mean I can take care of it. I’m almost done with it anyway.”
Two seconds later the door broke from the hinges and crashed down behind her. Rainbow Dash got angry but managed to squeak out an awkward smile to Derpy.
“Oh, okay Rainbow Dash. Maybe I’ll see you on Monday!” Derpy said as she spread her wings.
“Yeah uh, maybe you will,” Rainbow Dash said as she watched the Pegasus fly away; she then spoke to herself in a sarcastic voice “So looking forward to it.”
It took Derpy almost thirty minutes to finish up her Ponyville route before she started heading over to Cloudsdale. Many of the ponies she saw had the same awkward attitude as Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle did but Derpy thought nothing of it. She figured since it was an everyday occurrence then it must be normal; she couldn’t process the fact that many ponies weren’t always thrilled to talk to her. Derpy came to a soft landing outside of the Wonderbolt Academy in Cloudsdale, the only stop in the entire city she was responsible for. The mail that Derpy delivered was dispersed by a select group of Wonderbolt trainees as a “beat the clock” drill. Derpy walked into the academy and stopped when she reached the mail room; a small closet-like room with three big bins on the floor. The bins were mounted on small wheels and were marked Academy mail, Cloudsdale in, and Cloudsdale out. The Cloudsdale in was the bin Derpy dropped all the mail for the city, the Academy bin was where all the mail for the academy staff was dropped, and the Cloudsdale out bin was the mail Derpy must take with her and deliver it accordingly. This bin was empty as it normally was throughout the week; only Wednesday being the day where a large amount of mail was sent out.
“No outgoing mail today! Another early day for Derpy Hooves!” Derpy said happily.
Derpy dropped the mail into their appropriate bins and then walked out of the academy where she ran into Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts.
“Good morning Spitfire!” Derpy said with a big smile.
“Good morning Derpy.” The flame colored Pegasus said as she walked by, her facial expression not changing.
“Spitfire I want to ask you something.” Derpy said.
Spitfire rolled her eyes and turned to face the mail mare.
“Make it quick I have a lot of work to do today.” Spitfire said.
“Well I was just wondering,” Derpy said nervously “you see I put in my application for the Wonderbolts when Rainbow Dash did and she got in but I never heard back. I didn’t get anything saying I was accepted or anything that said I was denied. So I was wondering if you could tell me if I got in.”
Spitfire raised her purple shades and looked through a small book she was holding, pretending she was looking up the issue.
“Yes I see we have received your application but you didn’t make the first selection. We have three more selections this year before you would have to reapply.” Spitfire said.
Derpy became confused and then lowered her head.
“But I’ve already applied three times and haven’t heard anything. I really want to be a Wonderbolt.”
“Look kid the Wonderbolts aren’t for every pony. Being a Wonderbolt requires an elite set of skills a Pegasus learns over their lifetime. We only choose Pegasii that we feel can truly benefit the team.” Spitfire said assertively.
Derpy looked away as a tear dropped from her left eye. She shamefully turned around, spread her wings, and flew away as Spitfire walked into the academy.
Derpy left the post office after her shortened day of delivering mail still upset about what Spitfire had told her. She wanted to be a Wonderbolt just as bad as Rainbow Dash did but, now she wasn’t so sure she would ever make it in. At least when she kept applying she had some sort of hope that she would receive a letter from the academy saying she made the cut. She stopped on the trail as she saw her reflection in a puddle. Her eyes were gloomy and teary; her left eye pointing slightly up while her right eye slightly pointed down. A disability she lived with since birth impairing her vision just enough for it to cause a lot of trouble for her. Her depth perception was off, she had trouble orienting herself at times, and it made some ponies uncomfortable around her. Derpy stomped both her front hooves in the puddle as tears streamed from her eyes. She then sat down on the ground and began to cry.
“I just don’t know what went wrong.”
After a few moments of crying her ears perked up as she heard her name being called. It was coming from Fluttershy’s house where she saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack gathered in the back yard. Derpy walked over and then stopped as she heard her name again but, not it being called out to her.
“She actually asked me if she could help me fix my broken door. Can you believe it? She can’t fly a straight line but she wants to fix a door!?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“She delivered the wrong mail to my house today again,” Fluttershy said softly “I don’t want to hurt her feelings by telling her though. I’m sure every pony already insults her enough with her eyes. I don’t want to add to the pain.”
“Y’all are being too harsh on her. She works hard all day just like the rest of us. Ah fer one have a lot of respect for that there Pegasus.” Applejack said in defense.
“Well I’ve had it. All she does is sit at my house and talk, talk, talk. Like don’t you – quit poking me like that Fluttershy! Like doesn’t she realize that no one even li…” Rainbow Dash stopped as Fluttershy poked her again and pointed her hoof to her right.
Rainbow Dash looked over and saw Derpy standing about twenty feet away from the three of them, all whose eyes were now widened and mouths open. Derpy remained frozen for a few moments with tears flowing down her cheeks. Applejack moved forward but Derpy jumped backwards in fear. Derpy then looked at Rainbow Dash once more and let out a slight sob.
“Wait a min…” Applejack said.
The gray Pegasus spread her wings and launched into the sky. She landed when she was outside of her house and noticed a few ponies looking at her. None of them were looking at her awkwardly or with disgust; they simply just observed her as she landed but, Derpy took this as an offense on her and quickly bolted into her house. She collapsed onto the floor and began to cry her eyes out.
“What in the hay is wrong with ya Rainbow Dash? Ah can’t believe you would say somethin’ like that about her!” Applejack said angrily.
“How was I supposed to know she was standing right there?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Whether or not she was standin’ there you were out of line! Ah seriously don’t believe you Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled and then walked away.
Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash in disbelief.
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily.
Fluttershy turned around and began to walk back inside.
“I don’t think you realize how hurtful words can be,” Fluttershy said softly “You just seem to have no regard for the things you say.”
Fluttershy closed her door and Rainbow Dash lowered her head. She messed up big this time.
Derpy was lying in her bed under the covers still crying. Most of her pictures on the wall were broken or on the floor. She didn’t want anything to do with any pony ever again. She was confused, she was she was scared, and she was hurt. Her Pegasus idol had ripped her apart which is what made it so much worse. Rainbow Dash never insulted her before. She was always so nice to Derpy, she was her friend, they were going to be partners at the Wonderbolt Academy or, at least that what she always thought. Now she saw Rainbow Dash as a bully; a mean Pegasus who just wanted her to go away. Now she was aware that most of the other ponies felt the same way. How was she going to deliver mail to the ponies that hated her? A knock at the door startled her.
“Go away!” Derpy said as she pulled the covers over her head.
“Derpy please come out. Ah got somethin’ fer ya, sugar cube.” Applejack said softly.
Derpy slowly climbed out of her bed and walked over to the window where she saw Applejack carrying a small plate on her back with two muffins on it. The sight of the muffins forced her to open to the door and let Applejack inside.
“Ah made ya some apple cinnamon muffins,” Applejack said as she held the plate with her left hoof “Want to try one?”
Derpy nodded her head and ate one of the muffins from the plate. She let out a slight smile as her taste buds approved of the homemade muffin. Applejack smiled in relief as the once sad Pegasus smiled, but quickly went back to being upset when she saw Rainbow Dash standing timidly in the doorway.
“Hey Derpy,” she said “Can I talk to you for a second.”
Derpy looked at Applejack who had a disconcerting look on her face, and then lowered her head. Rainbow Dash looked away in shame.
“Come on Derpy give her a chance.” Applejack said.
“Fine.” Derpy said coldly.
Applejack walked out of the house while Rainbow Dash walked in and closed the door behind her.
The two of them sat awkwardly in the room for a minute before Rainbow Dash finally spoke.
“I – I didn’t mean what I said before. I’ve just been so worked up lately that I say things I don’t mean. I’m really sorry Derpy.”
Derpy moved her left hoof back and forth on the floor.
“You were right Rainbow Dash. I don’t belong here with every pony else. I can barely fly right, I can’t get the mail delivered right, and I scare every pony. I’m never going to fit in.” Derpy said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rainbow Dash wiped the tears from Derpy’s face and held her head up.
“No Derpy, I was wrong. You’re a good pony and you do every pony here a great service. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and you don’t scare anyone.”
“They look at me funny because of my eyes Rainbow Dash. They hate me.” Derpy said as she pulled her head away.
“Forget about them. If they can’t accept you for who you are then that’s their problem, not yours. If someone says something to you then you stand up for yourself. Don’t let them hurt you because of something that makes you who you are, and if they keep giving you problems then you come find me and I’ll take care of them.” Rainbow Dash said.
Derpy smiled but was still hurting inside. Nothing could take the pain away that she had been exposed to over the last few hours. If only she never stopped Spitfire when she was walking out the academy then maybe this all could have been avoided.
“Spitfire said I can’t be a Wonderbolt,” Derpy said sadly “I wanted it so bad Rainbow Dash. It was something I always dreamed about. Now it’s all over.”
Rainbow Dash frowned and lowered her head. She too had been cut from the Wonderbolts at the academy not too long ago. Spitfire told her that the Wonderbolts were looking for ponies with the best of the best flying skills in Equestria, and Rainbow Dash didn’t have those skills at this point. She would have thought performing three sonic rain booms as early as she has would have been enough to prove that she was worth something but, being able to do one stunt right doesn’t always mean you’re perfect.
“Forget the Wonderbolts Derpy. Spitfire told me that too when she cut me from the team. I honestly don’t even know what the Wonderbolts are looking for in the Pegasii that go to that academy. You don’t need to be one of them.” Rainbow Dash said.
The two Pegasii looked at each other for a few seconds before they both moved in and hugged each other. Derpy smiled as her Pegasus idol patted her on the back.
“Thanks Rainbow Dash.” Derpy said.
The two Pegasii backed away and smiled at each other once more. Rainbow Dash only had one question to ask Derpy.
“You still want to help me fix that door?”