We're Gonna Get There Soon

by Cranberry Muffin

Flight

“Surprise turned out to be the most amazing pony I ever met. She was always busy and on the move, always causing some kind of excitement and getting in trouble. And even though she was smart and the best flyer in our class, the instructors were always frowning, always yelling at her. I don’t think a single day went by without somepony being annoyed with her, but she never stopped smiling or pulling pranks or trying to make the other foals laugh. She didn’t care about what anypony thought of her; all she cared about was being happy.”

Derpy smiled fondly, her eyes taking on a glassy, faraway look as she thought about her friend, picturing her wide, amethyst eyes and dazzling smile, the way her mane did whatever it pleased, how the sun shone brightly off her snowy coat. Everything about Surprise was bright and cheerful; she was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

She paused for a moment, eyes shut, and let a cascade of faded images flicker through her mind. Surprise, proudly introducing her to the rest of their class on that first day, crowing that this was her awesome new friend. Herself floundering through the sky and Surprise suddenly beneath her, lifting her and encouraging her to keep trying. The teasing and taunting of the stronger flyers, followed by Surprise’s firm voice telling her to keep her head up and ignore them. Hours upon hours of playing and gossip and jaunty flights into the commercial part of Cloudsdale for snacks and open-air movies and shopping. Quiet moments where they explored their fears and secrets, as they bravely winged their way towards that mysterious thing called adulthood.

And when she opened her eyes again, they were lit with bright determination. It suddenly didn’t matter if not a single foal in the room save for Rumble believed her story or if anypony laughed at her over her shortcomings. This was more than just a story; it was her life, the story of her.

“My life before I met her was dull and kinda…I don’t know. I was picked on a lot and I had a lot of accidents. I didn’t really feel very comfortable around other ponies and none of the other foals at my old school had wanted to be my friend, so I played alone a lot. And my mom and dad didn’t really give me much attention, just a lot of things. They were always busy with work stuff and, besides, I wasn’t the perfect filly they had wanted. I was really shy and always kinda nervous and really sheltered and when Surprise found that out, she made it her business to make me do everything and take me everywhere…”

~~

“Where’re we going, Surprise?”

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, duh!” Surprise did a forward roll, bursting through a small cloud blocking her path. She gave her glorious wings a powerful flap, swooping upwards, her curly tail fluttering behind her, “And you know how I love surprises!”

Behind her, Derpy rolled her eyes, snorting a little. She had expected that response, but the question still slipped out anyway, even though there was no chance of a straight answer. Surprise was ridiculous and they both knew it. “Gee, I never woulda guessed that.”

They were older then, nearing their graduation from flight school. Surprise had aged beautifully, growing from an awkward filly to a slender, muscular young mare. She had been bred for speed and endurance in the sky; her father came from a long line of hurricane control pegasi, used to flying for long distances and in dreadful conditions. The past year or so, she’d become quite athletic, channeling her boundless energy into competitions and helping teach young foals the basics of flight.

Derpy, on the other hoof, had never outgrown the gawky adolescent stage. Her mane and tail were still thin and limp. Her lazy eye had never corrected itself. Her limbs still seemed too long for her body and her wing power was sometimes unreliable during extensive periods of flight. While most mares their age had blossomed into magnificent, graceful flyers, she had remained on the same juvenile level.

And it didn’t help that next to Surprise, she felt absolutely plain and dull – Not that she held it against her friend; neither of them could help how they looked. It was just one of those things that stayed in the back of her mind, never to be spoken aloud.

“Close your eyes!” Pausing only a moment to be certain Derpy had followed the command, Surprise surged forwards, grabbing her friend under her forelegs and speeding off in a direction other than the one they’d previously been flying.

Derpy squawked in surprise, at first flailing against the air currents suddenly whipping past her. The feeling of flying not under her own power was a very strange one, though not something she was completely unaccustomed to. Surprise did this often enough, when she was excited and Derpy was going too slow – Though ‘slow’ for Surprise was often Derpy’s top speed.

The grey pegasus kept her eyes squeezed shut, not necessarily out of obedience, but rather fear. Flying this way with Surprise was a sure way to get one’s heart racing and Derpy had learned the first time it happened that trying to look at the world whizzing by was a good way to wind up nauseous. And the white mare was utterly fearless, defying both gravity and physics with the way she careened through the air.

A moment later, they rocketed upwards, and Derpy experienced a peculiar feeling of weightlessness as she was spun upside down, as Surprise executed a huge loop through the ether. Then there was a cold, wet feeling as icy bits of water stung her coat when Surprise plowed through a cloud like it was nothing. And then…

Nothing.

Surprise had released her, dropping Derpy into a dangerous free fall. Eyes still shut tight, the grey mare plummeted through the air, wind whistling in her ears and tugging at her mane and tail. For a precious few minutes, she struggled to right herself, tumbling head over hoof before finding her bearings. Her wings opened at the very last second, unfurling and filling with air with a loud CRACK.

And then she crashed, the force of her body hitting more solid cloud sending her rolling a few times before she stopped, upside down, body folded awkwardly over itself, her tail tickling her nose.

“Surprise!” A high voice sounded right in front of her and she snapped her eyes open, vision blurred for a moment. She shook her head, and when she looked again, all she saw was white, but it wasn’t the blinding white of Surprise’s coat.

They were in the Cloudiseum.

~~

When Derpy paused for dramatic effect, Cheerilee blinked, suddenly brought back to earth by the abrupt silence of the classroom.

The teacher hadn’t been sure what to expect the morning would bring. Though Rumble had proclaimed Derpy to be an excellent storyteller, Cheerilee had found herself doubting his assessment of her skills after actually spending time with the other mare. Their tea at the café earlier in the week had been painfully awkward and left Cheerliee uncertain if inviting Derpy to speak was wise; the pegasus had been so quiet and withdrawn that afternoon that it seemed impossible she’d be able to speak in front of anypony, let alone her occasionally rowdy class. It was sometimes difficult to gain and hold the little ponies’ attention and Cheerilee had found herself fearing that Derpy would only be humiliated.

But Cheerilee found herself pleasantly surprised -- Rumble hadn’t exaggerated about Derpy’s storytelling abilities. Most of the schoolponies were hanging on her every word, almost as if entranced by the tale. She was surprisingly eloquent, her tone lyrical. She didn’t have a pretty, feminine voice, but there was still some magical quality to her speech, something powerful in her words.

And she was animated and lively, moving about across the front of the room, acting out certain parts of the story, taking on multiple roles at once. She somehow managed to make herself seem larger than life when pretending to be Surprise, an impressive feat, considering how she generally faded into the background in a crowd.

Her portrayal of her own younger self was much less exuberant. Instead of the cheerful, seemingly clueless mare she’d grown into, she painted a poignant picture of her fledgling self as an uncertain, timid individual who struggled with almost everything that came easily to her peers.

And Cheerilee had found herself sucked into the story, incredibly curious to see what would happen next.

~~

“We can’t be here!” Derpy glanced around in a panic, desperate to make sure nopony had seen them. She, like everypony else, knew that the Cloudiseum was off limits to the general public outside of events. And there certainly was not anything going on that afternoon; the stadium was eerily silent, save for the sound of her own voice. “We’re gonna get in so much trouble if anypony catches us.”

Surprise flopped back onto a nearby cloud-seat, not at all worried. “Nopony is going to find us.” She reassured her friend, tucking her front hooves casually behind her head, “I’ve been here before when it’s closed.” And she had, many times. She was the youngest of six and though their house was big, she had very little in the way of privacy at home. The first time she’d snuck into the stadium, her actions had been fueled by sheer curiosity – Could she do it? Was it possible to get into the great Cloudiseum without getting caught?

It was.

It was surprisingly easy.

And Surprise had been humbled by the massive size of the structure. She’d never before been there as something more than a mere face in the crowd and had thusly never realized exactly how big the place was.

She got over her awe quickly, however, and the Cloudiseum? Well, in its dark, solitary afterhours it had become her private place, where she went to fly or simply think.

“C’mon.” Tired of watching Derpy fidget nervously, Surprise rose, beckoning her friend to follow. There had been a reason she’d brought the other young mare to her special place; a reason she couldn’t fully put into words. It had just been the right time – And Surprise rarely did things before the time was right.

Derpy followed, still glancing around as if she expected somepony to jump out of nowhere and yell at them, her ears flicked back, wings lowered. Ninety-five percent of the time, she had no clue what Surprise was thinking or planning; the white pegasus was so impulsive that there was no possible way to predict her actions.

Surprise fluttered off, headed for Princess Celestia’s private skybox. It wasn’t the highest point in the Cloudiseum, which Derpy would have expected her to aim for, but it was the most lux, and Surprise did enjoy creature comforts almost as much as fun and mischief.

She landed, settling back on her haunches and looking down over the stadium below. Derpy plopped down beside her, a little less graceful, and tried to follow her gaze.

“Someday…I’m going to fly here,” Surprise said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. She often said things out of the blue; there was nothing unusual about that. But that time…She sounded so serious, so solemn. So un-Surprise-like. “And I don’t mean in, like, a competition or something. I’m going to fly here because I’m famous…Someday, I’m going to fly here with the Wonderbolts,” She sat up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders, “because I’m one a the best. I’m fast and strong and everypony always says I make things exciting. And I don’t want to just be stuck here, working the weather like my family. I’m meant for waaaay better things than that! My mom and dad don’t get it. They’re happy working at the factory. So are my brothers and sisters. And they indulge me all the time, saying things like ‘oh, Surprise, of course you’ll fly with the Wonderbolts!’ but I know they don’t really believe it. They just think I’m being silly…but I’m not.” She paused, turning to look at Derpy, an unusually serious intensity lighting her eyes, “I’ve been coming here for a long time…to practice.”

Derpy stared back at her, wide-eyed and speechless. Even knowing Surprise as long as she had, that was the last thing she had expected to hear.

It was also the last thing she wanted to hear.

She didn’t doubt that Surprise had what it took to become a Wonderbolt. They were the cream of the crop, the best flyers in all of Equestria, and the white mare was an amazingly skilled aerial acrobat. Her speed and endurance were unmatched by anypony in their class; even their flight school instructor had difficulty keeping up with her more often than not. And if anypony deserved to join the best of the best, it was Surprise -- Who, in Derpy’s opinion, was the best.

But joining the Wonderbolts meant she would have to leave Cloudsdale. They were constantly on tour, and when they weren’t, they held quarters in Canterlot. If Surprise joined them, she would either be traveling or far away…And Derpy couldn’t bear that thought.

What would life be without Surprise? Derpy didn’t have to think about it; she already knew. Her life before Surprise’s friendship had been drab and empty. She had been alone for far too long, with her parents too busy and other ponies her age being merciless in their teasing. And while her parents still treated her the same –half the time, she suspected they forgot she even existed- and the other young mares and stallions laughed at her and made fun of her without even trying to be discreet, Surprise was that steady constant that made her life both fun and bearable.

Derpy had already spent enough time in a dark, gloomy world; she did not want to go back to that.

But what was she supposed to do? Surprise had always been there for her; always supported her when her mom and dad failed to do so. She’d had been there for Derpy when she bombed the physics of flight midterm earlier in the school year. When their peers were picking on her for her shortcomings. When her parents were critical or cruel. When she felt lost and alone and broken, Surprise was the one to build her back up and tell her she could do anything she dreamed.

After all of the support Surprise had offered her, how could Derpy possibly say anything against her friend’s dream?

“I don’t think it’s silly.” She offered after a moment, and though her smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes, her tone was sincere; she believed completely in Surprise’s abilities. Anything Surprise put her mind to, she could and would accomplish and Derpy was well aware of that. “I think you’d make an awesome Wonderbolt.”

“If they accept me, I’ll have to leave, though.” Surprise was easily able to discern her thoughts, as easily as if she’d were able to read minds. It was an uncanny ability she had; she had almost always been able to tell exactly –or pretty close to exactly- what Derpy was thinking. And the thought they both shared was one that had been weighing on her mind for some time. She knew her friend relied on her a lot and didn’t want Derpy to feel abandoned. “Maybe…Maybe you could come with me?”

~~

“We both knew that wasn’t gonna happen, though.” Derpy shook her head sadly, glancing about at the faces of the young ponies listening to her story. At that point, all of the foals seemed to be listening intently; some were wide-eyed, while others looked sad or thoughtful. The three troublemakers in the back weren’t whispering or note passing any more, though they didn’t look quite as into the story as the rest.

Rumble was sitting ramrod straight, soaking up every word of the tale. He was always her most attentive audience, and loved being told stories. And though Derpy had no idea why, he seemed to favor her narratives over any other he ever heard, though he enjoyed the faerie stories and adventure novels they borrowed from the library too.

When their gaze met, Derpy grinned at Rumble, her eyes dancing. She was reveling in this opportunity to story tell for a larger audience; she’d never really had the chance to spin a yarn for more than a pony or two at a time. Usually, nopony cared to listen to her, but today, she had the entire class’ undivided attention.

“I wasn’t a strong enough flyer to even think about trying out for the Wonderbolts with Surprise.” A wistful look settled across her face, smoothing Derpy’s features and lighting her eyes with a soft, sad glow, “And there was nothing really for me to do in Canterlot; my special talent isn’t suited to city life. I knew it, and I think Surprise knew it too. But I also don’t think she could help asking; no matter how grown up we thought we were…She wasn’t quite ready to let go of foalish ideals and the idea that we could do anything and everything together. And the only other reason for us to stay together…Well, we weren’t really at a point in our life where we’d even be thinking about those kinds of feelings. It was time to move on and figure things out on our own.”

There was a moment of silence as Derpy paused, seemingly to collect her thoughts. It was broken by a small voice. “So…You and Surprise just weren’t friends anymore?”

When she opened her eyes to look for the source of the question, her gaze fell upon the little white unicorn seated next to Rumble. Derpy was humbled at the sight of the filly, who’s green eyes were brimming with tears, her lower lip quivering. The pegasus had never imagined that one of her stories would so move another pony that, at first, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to it. But seeing the little filly so affected stirred something deep in her own heart, something so sad and bittersweet that she didn’t think she would be able to bear it.

There were some things in the world, Derpy knew, that were so impossibly fragile that they could shatter in an instant. It was not her intent to spoil any foal’s innocence; she didn’t doubt the little unicorn figured her friends would always be her friends.

And besides…That was not how the story ended.

Comments

[marmelmm]

D'awww....

[chasethebrony]

I like this chapter.

The switching between the narrative and the other ponies perspectives in the classroom makes it feel like a story in a story. There is enough differentiation that you can (or at least I can) imagine Derpy walking around telling the story in the classroom.

tl;dr: it's good stuff

[Cranberry Muffin]

1647546

Thanks, Chase! The intention was that it would indeed be a story within a story, just like you said. I didn't want to have the story just be actual dialogue, because it's so freakin' long. I'm still working on Derpy's tale as I type this...And though it's starting to wind down, I think I've got over 5000 words to write before Derpy gets to the end of the story *_*

I think it would have been boring and a lot less detailed if I wrote it simply as Derpy talking about it, if that makes sense.

[Seether00]

Well that's just great! Now I have a sad. I think I am going to go back to reading the story where Derpy is a wonderbolt as an antidote.

[Cranberry Muffin]

1647584

This part does seem a little hopeless and sad, yes. But it gets better!

(And I seem to be specializing in sad/angst/whathaveyou lately! )

[chasethebrony]

1647567
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. When presented with a large block of text or dialogue people tend to faze out a little. Breaking it up with descriptions of the character actually telling the story helps keep people focused and 'hooked in'.

[PonyPuffy 2012]

That was.... Beautiful!! You've earned yourself a Spike.

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[Cranberry Muffin]

1647649

Aww, a Spike! I hope he gets along well with cats, because I'm totally a crazy old cat lady

[La Barata]

F YOU AND YOUR FING CLIFFHANGERS

Moar.

[RadBunny]

AWESOME CHAPTER!

as always ^_^

[NOLA_Paul]

images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120718134505/adventuretimewithfinnandjake/images/a/a6/Meme-guy-staring-at-computer-screen-thinking.jpg

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[JAG]

All right, sorry it took me so long to get to this. The limited reading time I've had for the last week has gone to Those Blue Wings, which I finally finished up yesterday. I've got a few other fics to catch up on, and then I'll give Currents a try.

Anyway, Derpy's story continues to entertain. In a sad sort of way, now, but presumably that will change. The alternative would break Sweetie Belle's heart, and we all know you and Derpy aren't that evil. Right?

On to the next chapter to find out, I guess...