Sticks and Stones
“Rumble told me you agreed to come for Family Appreciation Day.” Cheerilee said after a lull in the humdrum small talk that had been thus far dominating her tea with Derpy. She was relaxed on her favorite hay pile outside the Ponyville Café, a seat she frequently occupied after a busy day at school. On the table before her was a steaming mug of chamomile tea and a plate holding a half-eaten apple tart. “I think that’s wonderful.” She smiled, the sincerity of her words lending warmth to her tone, hoping that maybe inquiring about something more personal would garner more of a response.
Talking with the weather pony was proving to be difficult; Derpy didn’t seem to have very good conversation skills. Most of her answers were short and to the point, leaving Cheerilee to guess what might be going on in her mind. It was a shame, too, because the teacher was genuinely curious about some aspects of the other mare’s life; she didn’t know much about the finer points of creating weather, nor did she know a lot about the city of Cloudsdale. And those were things she was interested in knowing about; things that she could be teaching the young ponies under her care.
It didn’t seem like she’d be getting much new information from the other mare, however.
Across the table, Derpy was systematically breaking a cookie into pieces, her own gaze flickering around almost nervously. She wasn’t the best in social situations and usually felt tongue-tied around ponies she didn’t know well. Cheerilee was nice, of course, but her kindness wasn’t really doing much to alleviate Derpy’s social awkwardness. “Uh-huh.” She bobbed her head a couple times in agreement, before glancing skyward and off in the distant direction of Cloudsdale, “I dunno what I’m going to say, though. My family isn’t really something to appreciate. My parents aren’t exactly, um, supportive. They were actually kinda mean and I haven’t even seen them or talked to them or anything since I…I left.”
Cheerilee was quiet for a moment, trying and failing to imagine those circumstances being normal to her own life. Her parents were wonderful ponies who had always encouraged her and, though she knew there were indeed stallions and mares who didn’t care too much about their foals, it seemed impossible to fathom. Parents were supposed to encourage and help their children so that they could grow and the idea that there could be ponies who did nothing of the sort was hard to swallow. It was the sort of thing one read about in the papers; the sort of thing that happened in the city, not here in Ponyville, where everypony knew and cared about each other.
But Derpy had been living at Rumble’s house since she first came to Ponyville nearly four years before and the colt thought of her fondly, like she was his sister. He talked about her often enough, and sometimes squabbled with her – Cheerilee had overheard Rumble venting to his friends about some frustrating part of his life, such as Thunderlane and Derpy refusing to take him to Cloudsdale because he was too young or Derpy being too busy to play with him during the rainy season. He was quick to forgive her, though; such was the nature of the young. And they did things together often; she doted on him like they were truly family.
And Thunderlane had certainly taken a shine to her and their parents…As far as Cheerilee knew, they liked her as well. No matter what shortcomings Derpy’s own parents had and what kind of care –or lack thereof- they had put in to raising her, she had turned out well and found herself ponies who loved her.
“Well…” Cheerilee finally said, slowly and thoughtfully, leaning forwards a little in an attempt to catch the other mare’s eye, “You have a new family now, don’t you?”
Derpy’s gaze fell back to the table and Cheerilee, eyes darkening with some unidentifiable emotion. “Um…Kinda?” She replied weakly, placing her forelegs on the table and resting her chin on them, “I’m not really part of their family. Not, um, yet. It’s not like me and Thunderlane are married or anything…”
“Derpy,” Cheerilee reached across the small table to pat the other mare’s shoulder lightly, a smile once again lighting her face, “there are a lot of different kinds of family. You don’t have to be related to somepony to be part of their family. Rumble wanted to invite you because he considers you family, because you’re his friend and you’re special to him.” Her voice had taken on the kind, nurturing tone of her profession, her words gentle and certain, “Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘friends are the family you choose for yourself?”
It was Derpy’s turn to be silent as she turned the question over in her mind, something about that statement sparking a memory of laughing purple eyes and similar words. She had been so caught up in thoughts of her parents and how miserable she’d been that she had completely forgotten all about the other types of family that existed in the world.
Then she brightened, some of the cheerful golden glow returning to her own eyes. “I get it.” She lifted her head, happy once again, a small, secret smile spreading across her face. Suddenly, she was certain she knew what new story to tell Rumble and his classmates. “And I know what to talk about, now.”
-
Rumble was waiting for her on the porch when she returned home later, sitting slumped and forlorn, and even without the telltale evidence he’d been crying, Derpy would have easily been able to tell something was terribly wrong. He was usually a bundle of energy – He rarely stopped moving, as most colts his age were wont to do. Rumble was lively and active and his being so still and sad was so out of place that seeing him in that state made Derpy’s heart plunge into the pit of her stomach.
She trotted silently up the few steps and over to the colt, leaning in to gently nuzzle at his damp cheek, offering a quiet show of both support and affection. “What’s wrong, Rumble?” Whatever it was, she feared for the worst. Rumble was not one to sit around moping and for this complete turnabout in his behavior, something terrible must have happened to him.
He sniffled, looking up at her through still watering eyes. For a moment, he didn’t speak, but simply leaned into her chest, seeking the kind of comfort only adults were capable of providing. She shifted, wrapping a pale grey wing around him protectively, enfolding him in her warmth, and he choked back a sob. “Why do other ponies gotta be so mean?” His voice was quiet, frail like a whisper soon to be lost in the wind.
“Oh Rumble…” She pulled him closer, snuggling his little body against hers, “Was somepony teasing you?” Who could possibly make fun of sweet little Rumble? He was a good foal, friendly and well-behaved. There had never been an occurrence of anypony bullying him or even teasing him; for the most part, he was well liked by his peers and had a lot of friends. And he was smart and as capable a flyer as any pony his age, so what was there even to tease him about?
She felt him tense in her embrace, then he burrowed closer, clinging tightly to her, fresh tears spilling from his eyes. “No!” The word came out louder than he intended, “Tornado Bolt was teasing me about you!” He whimpered, hiding his face in her coat, trying desperately to hold on to that warmth she always radiated. He didn’t want to repeat what the filly had said, but before he could help it, the words had slipped out. “She said you’re stupid…”
“I’m not stupid.” Derpy frowned, her heart squeezing painfully at the sound of words she had heard far too many times over the course of her life. But she didn’t let up at all on the snuggly embrace, instead pulling Rumble tight against her, as if attempting to shield him from the world. “And I dunno why so many ponies think I am. I might not be the smartest pony there is, but I know that ‘stupid’ and ‘different’ don’t mean the same thing. And I know that the ponies who matter are the ones who like me.”
She didn’t feel as confident as she sounded; other ponies often implied that she was dumb. It was an old insult, one that had always proven to be devastating in its weight. Derpy was a bit slow in her thought process; it took her longer to understand things than it did most other ponies. And after hearing it so many times, she’d begun to wonder if she was indeed as stupid as they all suggested. But she knew at that moment that she couldn’t second guess herself; that she had to pony up and stand tall, or Rumble wouldn’t believe her. And it was her job to reassure him, so he could remain the innocent foal he was. There would be time enough later for the harsh truths of life.
“And I want you to promise me something, Rumble.” She stroked his feathery mane, feeling something loosen in her chest a bit at the thought of the words she intended to speak. Her heart had been so heavy the past few years that she had forgotten many of the wise words she’d heard in her foalhood during good times – And there had been good times, even if it was easier to remember the bad. “Don’t listen to the ponies who say things that aren’t true. I know you wish things were different, but it’s not worth getting upset over words that aren’t true and in the end, the only ones who look stupid and foalish are the ponies spreading gossip. But you’ll look wise if you know when to ignore and when to answer back.”
“But I can’t just let them say mean stuff!” At that, Rumble pulled back, looking up at Derpy, mouth twisted into a frown. How could she expect him to do that when she was the greatest, most funnest mare he knew? Tornado Bolt’s words had hurt because they weren’t true and he didn’t want her going around saying things like that to anypony else. Thinking about her repeating them made him want to yell more. Or buck her into next week. Or both.
“It’s okay.” She countered the frown with a small smile, ready to share with him some little truth that she had long ago learned, “Because the mean stuff is the untrue stuff and arguing with them’ll just make them feel dumb and then they’ll be even more mean. You can tell them they’re wrong, or you can just not listen. Either way, they’re still gonna think what they want. But me and you and Thunderlane…and my friends, too. We know the truth and that’s what’s important.”
“Is that how come you smile so much?” Rumble sniffled again, leaning back into her for another cuddle. She was so calm, so steady. He was already beginning to feel better, simply because she didn’t seem to be overly bothered by the teasing on her behalf. “Even when other ponies are being mean, you still know that they’re wrong, right?” He had always known she was smart, even if her wisdom was sometimes roundabout and confusing for his juvenile mind.
“Right.” She nodded, eyes crinkling shut as her smile widened, “And because I know that no matter what anypony says, there are special things inside of me that nopony can take away.”
“You mean this.” Rumble leaned, stretching to run a small hoof over the trail of bubbles adorning her flank. He had never figured out what her cutie mark meant; it had nothing to do with the weather or her ability to spin twisty, turny tales. She never talked about it, even when it was brought up, and Rumble –who still had yet to discover his own special talent- was incredibly curious about the spray of delicate bubbles.
“That, and other things, too. And sometimes, it takes really special ponies –like you and your brother- to remind a pony of those things.” She gave him another nuzzle, this one happy and tickly, reaching up to brush away the last remnants of his tears.
He giggled, shying away from the tickles and giving himself a little shake. He hated crying; it made him feel weird and tired and edgy all at the same time. “Okay, I’ll try not to listen when anypony says stuff I know isn’t true.” He smiled then, the youthful sparkle returning to his violet eyes, “I promise.”
“Good.” Derpy rose, stretching, flexing her wings and grinning down at him. There was still a little whisper of hurt in the back of her mind, telling her that somepony must have told the filly calling her names that she was defective and broken, but she brushed that thought aside. Rumble was happy and that was what really mattered. “And there’s still a little bit of time for that ‘something fun’ before dinner, but we’ll have to hurry!”
Eyes lit with excitement, Rumble galloped off the porch, prancing anxiously in place as he waited for her. She followed at an only slightly more subdued pace, then cantered past him and towards the center of town and the Splits’ ice cream parlour. “C’mon, slowpoke!” She teased, and Rumble barreled forwards, trying to match his shorter stride to her slightly wobbly trot, laughing all the while.
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First!
Fir-
darnit!
hehe.
Great chapter!
let me sum up my feelings....
DAWWWWW!
1557597
She's cool because she doesn't care about being cool and that's cool (and I just wanted to see how many times I could say "cool" in one sentence).
But yes, her entire life is kind of an emotional rollercoaster.
I think, ultimately, what I'm playing at here is that Rainbow Dash likes Derpy more than Flitter and Cloudchaser. They annoy her, what with the laughing at Fluttershy over her weak wing power and making fun of Derpy and all...She thinks they're jerks.
1557648
Rainbow is going to be awesomely rewarded for her kindness later in the story; she's going to get one heck of a Surprise towards the end
1557676
If the capital 'S' in 'Surprise' means what I think it does, then I am officially intrigued.
So, now Derpy has a plan for Family Appreciation Day. Cool. It had better be good if she wants to change the kids' minds, though. And not just for her own sake; poor Rumble has a lot riding on this now, too.
1557676
Rainbow's gonna get one heck of a Surprise at the end?
Surprise is a pegasus mare that acts similar to Pinkie Pie...
If you make RD a lesbian I'll downvote all of your stories and future ones.
Don't ruin this for you, me, or any others please. You never want to dissapoint your fans.
1563281
Oh, did I capitalize that word? Hmmm...Must've been a slip of the shift key. Maybe.
Derpy has a heck of a plan. It's just taking a while for me to get her story typed to my liking. And while things might not change everypony's mind right away...It'll all tie together nicely in the end :3
1563327
Wow, uh...Homophobia much? While this story isn't about shipping Rainbow with anypony, I DO ship her with Applejack, but that's got nothing to do with this fic. This fic is about Derpy and her hidden awesomeness.
I would, however, find it sad if you'd decide to dislike my story based on something I ship, rather than the actual content of the story.
1563365
I'm not a homophobic. I just think the concept of RD (or any of the Mane Six for that matter) being a lesbian should be lashed upon a cross. And Besides that, my uncle is gay (and married) and I think no less of him. Also besides that: I support OctavScratch and I support Equal marriage Rights
Wanna know why I feel so strongly about this? I may or may not have a crush on Rainbow Dash, I'm not sure.
...
What? Don't judge me.
Besides all of this, this is an awesome story and I would feel bad for downvoting.
1563411
That's a kind of ridiculous reason to say you'll downvote my stories. Wow. I just can't even...Wow.
But you know? Your ship does not have to be my ship. You like your OC with Rainbow? Fine and dandy. But I see the show and her interactions with Applejack make me think "oh yeah, they're totally rolling in the hay behind the scenes." *shrug* I'm entitled to like what I like, just as you are.
Also, I think what you mean is "Pinkie Pie is an earth pony who is similar to Surprise" because Surprise has existed since MY childhood and probably well before you were born.
1563437
Oh, yeah. Surprise was from the first gen wasn't she?
And I do like my OC with RD. But thats not what I meant. I'm saying its possible that I, a Human, may have a crush on Dash. Joy Stick is married to Rainbow Dash. But Elijah is a pathetic Human that might have a crush with the cartoon character, Rainbow Dash.
But besides this: You're right. You have your opinions and I have mine. Sorry. Continue the good work
1563481
Surprise is from the 80s cartoon, yes. She also happens to be my favorite G1 pony (along with Lofty and Gusty).
I get what you're saying about cartoons and crushes. I myself identify as lesbian, but I still think the ideal man for me is The Mighty Monarch.
It helps that his wife is hot too.1563540
I clicked the link and screamed as if I was playing Slender.
Too much swag.1563563
I do not understand your jargon. Speak English, not idiom.
1528253
The writer's are pairing RD up with a mystery stallion?
EXCELSIOR!!!
Joy Stick is pleased by this. I TOLD YOU ALL SHE WASN'T A LESBIAN. But noooo. No one ever listens to the gaming nerd.
*Grumbles angrily to self*
1563586
I have no idea what a 'jargon' is.
1563609
It's kind of a fancy word for nonsense language. And seriously, I'm an old lady. I don't understand most of today's internet speak, so I have no clue what you meant.
1563709
Oh.
Well, Slender is an independently made downloadable videogame that made me elicit 3 liters of urine from my nostrils, Its that scary.
Here is some gameplay from YouTube:
And you're not that old! You're around 28. Correct? My mother is only 4 years older than you.
1563782
Gee, 'cause knowing I'm close to a teenager's mom's age makes me feel so much younger.
1563540
On the subject of the older MLP generations... if you don't mind my asking and going a bit off-topic: as someone who's been a pony fan since the franchise's beginnings, what's your take on G4/FIM? Obviously you're a fan, but how does it compare to the classic stuff? I know very little about it myself; like most of us here, I only got into pony through FIM last summer.
Same with the brony fanbase. I imagine it must be very jarring to have followed the franchise for decades, then see it suddenly shift gears, draw in a new audience and become an overnight pop-culture phenomenon like this. That's something I find fascinating; that we have two distinct fanbases. From what I can tell, a lot of you old-school fans view we bronies as a bunch of arrogant, loudmouth invaders, and I can't help but agree a bit with that imagine. What do you think?
1563836
Yeah. Mom was 17 when I was born.
Regardless of this, you're still not old. You qualify as old at age 55.
1563862
FiM has waaaaay better plotlines and stories. The animation is also a lot crisper. Neither of those things are uncommon for 80s cartoons getting remakes.
Honestly, I don't remember much about MLP from when I was a kid, aside from the "schmooze" Hydia, Reeka and Draggle tried to use to destroy Dream Valley in the movie. I've been rewatching it over the past couple weeks and, like most cartoons from my youth, it is pretty awful. The ponies are pretty much incapable of solving any problems without fetching the human girl, Megan, and the villains are all really cheesy. Also, there are some really awful personality stereotypes amongst the ponies (especially the Big Brother Ponies), as was also commong in the 80s.
FiM, on the other hoof, has a lot more variety among plots, characters, and villains. It's clever where the original cartoon is not and the puns amuse me to know end. I definitley enjoy the original cartoon in an "LOL this is awful" sort of way (as I do many 80s cartoons, like Smurfs and Transformers), but FiM has a way cooler, well, everything.
It is a little bit strange for me to see so many dudes into ponies, but I do know a few guys my age who watched the original show. It's not really that odd for me, though, since I'm in to Transformers as well, and that franchise has kind of the exact opposite issue -- It's intended audience was male, and yet there are TONS of women who are hot for robots. But really, I enjoy seeing people stepping out of gender stereotypes, so it's fascinating for me seeing guys so into brightly colored ponies.
Yeah, seeing the gender stereotype broken on a large scale like this is pretty awesome. I like a good gunfight or superhero brawl as much as the next guy, but as the ponies have so thoroughly proven, traditionally female-oriented things like dressmaking or whatever can be just as cool. It's nice to see so many dudes embracing that.
1563365 This comment chain went down hill FAST. Just wow. Is it weird that I wish I was a girl?