You sullenly poke your food with your spoon, not really feeling like eating right now. It's not that the porridge turned out bad, it's quite good actually, it's just that the task that's lying ahead of you seems anything but pleasant.
You're sitting at the dinner table together with Twilight, who's casting you the occasional nervous glance, and Derpy, who's just happily chowing down on her food, completely oblivious to what's going on with Twilight and you.
After Twilight had told you about what she found when she went looking for Hoofington the two of you had decided you'd talk with Derpy about it over dinner. In retrospect you maybe should have been more specific in your planning because right now you're just awkwardly sitting at the table, unsure of how to start the conversation.
Eventually your patience runs thin.
"Derpy", you begin just as she's about to get herself another serving, "about Mr. Hoofington-"
"Did you find him?", Derpy cuts you off, looking at you hopefully.
You're almost paralyzed by her gaze, unable to get out a coherent response. When after a few seconds you haven't answered Twilight takes over:
"No, we didn't find him", she says hesitantly.
You can clearly see how the small sparkle in Derpy's eyes vanishes as her hope turns into disappointment. In your time in Equestria you've found that ponies are very expressive with their emotions and Derpy is anything but an exception.
"I asked around a little", Twilight continues, "and apparently Mr. Hoofington has left Ponyville. One of the ponies working at the train station remembered seeing him board the Canterlot Express."
"When will he come back?", Derpy asks, expectantly looking at Twilight and you.
"Derpy", you say with unease, "I don't think Mr. Hoofington will come back from Canterlot."
For a moment Derpy just stares at you blankly, unable to comprehend what you just said.
"He won't...? But..."
Small tears start leaking from Derpy's eyes as her face contorts with grief.
"Why is everypony leaving me alone?"
More tears flow from Derpy's eyes and even though she's not crying as hysterically as she did before, you can't help but feel like being abandoned by Hoofington has hurt her very deeply.
"Derpy", you ask carefully, "Did you like Mr. Hoofington?"
Only after you said it you notice how you unconsciously used past tense there.
"Yes", Derpy answers, unphased, though her voice sounds a little shaky.
You don't think she's lying to you, but so far this looks like she's just suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. It's probably a good idea to get more information.
"Can you tell us more about why you like him?", you say in what you hope to be a soothing voice.
"He always-" Derpy begins before her voice cracks, "He always says that he trusts me and that I'm a big pony and that I don't need help from anypony else."
You feel the corner of your mouth twitch a little. Considering the context of him being Derpy's caretaker that doesn't actually seem kind to you.
"But isn't he a totally mean pony?", Twilight blurts out, making you cringe internally.
God dammit Twilight, can't you be a little more careful with your wording?
"No he's not", Derpy protests, "Because when he's being mean to me it's not his fault."
For a second it's dead silent in the room. Even Derpy, who seems like she's not very good at recognizing social cues can tell that Twilight and you are not convinced.
"It's the alcohol's fault", she elaborates, "Because Mommy said that I'm not allowed to drink alcohol because it messes with your head and it makes you do things that you wouldn't do otherwise. And Mommy also said that she doesn't like Mr. Hoofington and when I asked her why she said that she doesn't like him because he's an alcoholic and that means that he has a sickness that makes him drink alcohol all the time."
She pauses briefly to take a breath.
"But that's really mean because it's not his fault for being sick."
"Look", you say calmly, "It's not that sim-"
"And also", Derpy cuts you off, "I mess up all the time even though I try really hard to follow the rules because sometimes I do something wrong and Mr. Hoofington says I broke a rule but I didn't know that there is a rule."
Over the course of her explanation Derpy's tone of voice has become increasingly heated, accompanied by a growing scowl on her face.
This is worse than you expected.
"Listen, I-"
"And one time it was Mr. Hoofington's birthday and I knew because I had asked him and I had made a cross on my calendar and I wanted to give him a birthday gift because he's always sad and I wanted him to not be sad anymore. So I went into the kitchen to make a birthday cake for him and it was really hard because I had to follow the recipe and I had to think really hard to do everything right. But then Mr. Hoofington came into the kitchen and I was surprised because I didn't know that he was there and I bumped into a bottle of alcohol that was standing on the counter. And then the bottle fell onto the floor and it broke and the smell made me feel sick and then Mr. Hoofington got really angry and he ... he..."
For a split second Derpy just stares off into the distance before all of her anger seems to just vanish as she breaks down crying.
Before you know what you're doing you've gotten out of your seat, quickly walking around the small table in front of you. You hadn't really planned ahead when you got up but when you see Derpy's crying form, curled up in a miserable pile, you know what to do: You scoop up the crying pony in your arms, gently rubbing her back as you hold her close.
Though Derpy is shying away from your touch at first she quickly returns the hug, burying her head in your chest as she let's it all out.
"I'm sorry", she repeats over and over again, staining your shirt with her tears.
"You're safe with us", Twilight says as she strokes Derpy's mane, "Nopony can hurt you now."
Though it takes a lot of gentle hugging and soothing whispers Twilight and you eventually manage to calm Derpy down, or at least you mange to reduce her crying to a quiet sniffle. She still hasn't let go of you, holding you tightly with her small hooves.
"Do you feel better now?", you ask her carefully.
Though it's a little hard to tell with Derpy's body so close to yours you think you see her nodding her head. For a second it's silent in the room until Derpy suddenly raises her head, pushing herself away from you.
"But if Mr. Hoofington is in Canterlot", she asks helplessly, "who's going to take care of me?"
That's a good question actually, you hadn't thought of that until now. The smile on Twilight's face makes you think that she has though.
"When I went looking for Mr. Hoofington I talked to the Mayor and we agreed that we'll need to find somepony else to take his place now that he's gone."
However, when she sees Derpy's horrified expression she quickly adds:
"O-only until he comes back from Canterlot, of course."
You can tell that Twilight is getting nervous. She doesn't react very well to unexpected problems.
"I told the Mayor that I know somepony who's very trustworthy and diligent who could start tomorrow."
She does work quite fast though, doesn't she.
Suddenly there's a shift in Twilight's expression, like she forgot something, and she gives you this weird, sheepish smile.
"So, Anon, what do you say, are you going to become Derpy's new caretaker?"
Wait, what?
Cold sweat starts running down your back as you piece together your situation. Twilight had not mentioned anything along the lines of you becoming Derpy's caretaker when you were talking earlier.
Why did she have to bring this up now, she knows how much you hate to be put on the spot like this. You look at her for an explanation but judging by her apologetic expression she didn't plan this either. Derpy just seems to be confused by what's going on, joining Twilight in looking at you expectantly.
It makes you realize that you still haven't given an answer, but you just don't feel ready to. A decision like that is not something to be taken lightly, you need time to think this through.
"I, uh..."
Suddenly Derpy's expression changes as she seems to understand.
"Are you going to take care of me?", she asks, with a small smile like she's actually looking forward to it.
It makes you feel weird.
"Sure, why not."
This is some dark shit. You have my attention, and I'll wait for the next chapter. I wonder how your going to handle the battered family member Recovery.
I give this story a Dislike.
Nobody calls our Derpy a retard.
Ve Vah La Muffins, forever!
Here's hoping we can beat Hoofington's face in later.
Viva la Derpy!
NEW CHAPTER YAAAAAAY!!!! media.tenor.co/images/05a7505c225710ad1b77bc4caf7cd0bf/tenor.gif
8152237 We give your COMMENT a Dislike in return bitch
c1.staticflickr.com/7/6052/6878062768_e1e2b2ffdc_b.jpg
wait, why are there ">"'s?
8153036
Because I originally wrote this story on 4chan's pony board where greater than signs are used for formatting.
Then, when I adapted the story for fimfiction I forgot to remove them.
8153115 ah, i c now
7991377 Ok, who disliked my comment?
its was a compliment you idiot
7987791 YO! whats wrong with me Loving Derpy?
8153154
Sorry to say, but you can expect as much when your username and avatar are associated with national socialism.
8153186 WHAT?! ROMMEL WAS PART OF THE "ASSASSINATION OF HITLER"!
He hated Hitler and was forced to kill himself because he was part of the attempt to Bomb their Racist "Leader"...
Plus, you should look at the short description on my user page, its sez me iz brony bruh
8153200
That doesn't change the fact that he's being associated with nazis.
If your username was "I <3 KKK", and it's short for "I <3 Kool Kids Klub" people would still downvote you because KKK is primarily associated with the Ku Klux Klan.
8153022 Bless your heart and soul, sir! Have a Follow!
8153022 derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/6/22/354187__solo_princess+luna_animated_solo+female_questionable_plot_upvotes+galore_happy_persona+4_artist-colon-2snacks.gif
8153426 dafuq?
8154676 That's the way, uh huh uh huh, you like it, uh huh uh huh!
That's the way, uh huh uh huh, you like it, uh huh uh huh!
Also this story still annoys me how it called Derpy a retard in the description...but it is kind of well written so it has that going for it.
Also General Rommel and I are best buddies now. Uh huh uh huh!
8154687 Ok, but that was Anons opinion at the first millisecond, after that, he regretted that thought
8154692 Well, it's not a clopfic, so this story already got a B+ immediately first time I stopped by here.
8154781 I didn't say it was a clop fic, i no like dos
8155336 If you don't like clopfics then you're automatically one of the coolest people ever to me and you deserve a star, baby.
img.clipartfest.com/e05a13c27d7a2374d27d826984e578a6_nintendo-super-mario-party-mario-star-clipart-no-background_1964-2222.png
I need more of this story in my life, you can have all my thumbs up as long as you update regularly... plz?
8155630 Thanks
yeah, I'm just not that kind of person who likes clop fics... unlike other people.
The ONLY kind of thing RELATED to it that i enjoy: is cuddles, BUT THATS IT!
Cuddles at the most
8158024 Well, I'm a bloke who is still trying to find a pretty girl who can stand to look at me but...do you want a hug, man? It'll make me feel better about myself as much as it would make you feel better.
This isn't sarcasm, this is a genuine offer. You're alright, dude, and I'd consider it an honor if I manage to make something here or on YouTube that amuses you.
8158054 static1.squarespace.com/static/582e3e6946c3c43279126d61/t/5834d1bc197aeac1e8c4c94c/1479856835138/freehug.jpg
I know that it can be a hard time to take care of someone liker her, if her problems are as bad as they seems to be.
It sometimes can be pretty bad if people don't want to have anything to do with those people just because they are a lot of work, at the same time apart of me can understand that it might feels like it could be to much sometimes.
Maybe if people like Derpy would have more people that care for them, everyone could actually live without to feel annoyed by her or anything like that.
I would be happy if there is a chance for Derpy to actually learn enough with time to live like a normal child or teenager. Just being able to handle herself enough for a more or less short amount of time. Maybe I say this with the sequel and possible romance or adoption in mind, but I would actually like to see something like that once.
I don't care how many people might get picky about it or get angry for some stupid reason, I had to suffer through enough stuff that happens in several storys too and people like her can get love too. Like I said maybe she needs to have a doctor that can figure out how serious her feelings would be or that in her own way she actually likes him. That and I guess she would have to learn about this kind of relationship for that to happen, either she walks in on someone or get told about it.
I would love it if anon could adopt her too, even if I'm crurios about the romance option too. Stories like that never continue at some point. I haven't seen a finished storie where a pony has problems like her, blind or with similar problems.
To be honest I can't really see it happening in this story, but maybe in a sequel.
Dein Name lässt mich vermuten du sprichst Deutsch richtig?, so könnte ich dir besser erklären was mir so gefallen könnte, oder gerade warum das so ist, sollte dich etwas an meinem Kommentar sauer aufstoßen oder sowas.