Derpy Hooves; The Bubbly History
Prologue- Alone
I woke up later than usual. My body ached from my head to my hooves. Sleeping on Cloudsdale's cloud-covered ground might sound like it would be comfortable, but nothing is more comfortable then sleeping in a bed. A bed that's supported by a frame. A bed that's safe and warm shut up inside of a house. Oh, how I long for the day I'll be accepted in this fair country; when I'll be able to get a job and earn enough bits to support myself and not have to sleep on benches or in alleys, propped up against frozen icy cold walls.
The weather conditions in Cloudsdale unpredictable at times, being above the clouds and all. We hardly receive any precipitation, and we can't farm without the correct soil to do it with. Ever tried planting seeds in clouds? Didn't think so. I'd much rather be living down on the real ground, but I've never been out of Cloudsdale; not much anyway. It's not often I get to explore. I'm most often wandering the streets of Cloudsdale, finding bits of things that can help me to be comfortable where I am and without a residence to stay at.
I rose shakily to my hooves. It's amazing what a night of sleeping on the ground can do to a pony. The sun was already high in the sky. Having just awoken, the intense light burned my eyes and I cringed, closing them again. Nopony else was on the streets that I could see, but that's hard to know with eyes like mine. They were all up in the sky, wings spread, visiting and gossiping with one another. Seeing them all together made me heave a heavy sigh. A frown curled upon my mouth. I remembered my friends. The ponies who could relate to me. Even after I'd had my little...episode.
Chapter 1- In the Beginning
When I was only a filly I had very moderate family funds. I couldn't get everything I wanted, but I got a fair amount. A pony can't expect everything at her hooves. Each day I'd go to school and each day I'd come home. It was just like that for a long time. Until one day, a Pegasus by the name of Sketch found me during break. She introduced herself and I introduced myself as well; Ditzy. Ditzy Doo. We became fast friends. After talking over our likes and dislikes, we also concluded that we had quite a bit in common. Both of us liked flying, speed, and just being in the air as much and for as long as we could. She was the first pony to ever be my true friend. The first pony to notice me. I was always an outcast as a filly. I wasn't a genius, I wasn't beautiful or stunning. I was just plain. A plain Pegasus who wasn't special at all. Then dear old Sketch came along. She was like a sister to me. But, the day she left changed me for a lifetime.
I had been getting ready school on a chilly day in March. My mother came to me as I readied to head for the bus stop. She explained to me with heavy sorrow that Sketch, my best friend for so many years on end, had traveled to the other side of Equestria to do what she does best; draw. She'd joined a special school for ponies just like her, ponies that draw and have special artistic talent. I couldn't believe my ears. Sketch had moved away? I don't have any artistic talent. Does this mean she left me because I wasn't special? Did she finally realize that I'm not just like her? And, why hadn't she said anything to me about this plan? I was proud of her for clutching her dreams in her hooves, but...why? I thought we were friends. Going to school that day wasn't the best idea. My attention was off. Every bit of knowledge counts for growing ponies even if I wasn't a little filly anymore. Gym class that day was undoubtedly the worst class.
We got ready as usual, warm-ups and exercises and such. But when I lifted up into the sky, I knew something wasn't right. I was too weak to beat my wings strong enough to propel me very far. We began with a few laps around the court before a relay race with the other ponies in the class. I readied at the starting line between two mares who talked over my head as it dropped down low, my nose almost touching the ground. The race suddenly started and we all took off down the track.
Realization suddenly hit me and my eyes clouded with grief for the loss of my friend. Without my ability to see where I was going, I tried to drop back to the ground so I could mourn in safety, but instead I closed my eyes, tears rolling silently down my cheeks. Losing control of where I was headed, my wings fluttered frantically. My eyes wouldn't open. A few ponies were yelling to me to look where I was going. I didn't listen. Before I knew it, I felt a sharp pain in my head before I blacked out.
I remember waking up in a hospital, the smell of cloth and dirt surrounding me. I did open my eyes, however my vision was warped. After rubbing my eyes for a moment though, I got my sight to look normal once more. As I peered around the bleak room I was in, I realized I was in hotter water than I'd thought. One of my back legs was propped up above the bed, bandaged up tightly. My left wing had been permanently damaged from the fall I'd taken when I hit the pillar. As I blinked, my left eye slid down to the floor. I rubbed it vigorously and it returned to its place once more.
After a generous time of waiting, one of the doctors came back. He was tall and handsome, with a brown coat and a darker brown mane to match, combed back from his face and down his neck. His tail was cut short, and his cutie mark looked like an hourglass. Apparently relieved that I was finally awake, he began to gab aimlessly to me as he checked over my more serious wounds. I rubbed my eye with my hood again before he could see that it was obscured. The entire time that he talked I kept my mouth shut, not in the mood to make conversation. He didn't seem to mind. After a while of admiring him, I realized he had a name tag pinned to the chest of his white jacket. I squinted to try and read the clumsy writing. Because of my accident, my eyesight was even worse now than it was before. I couldn't figure out what it said. Before he left, I wanted to know his name, so I spoke up. "Um, sir..." My voice cracked badly to my surprise. He turned around to face me on his way out the door.
"Need anything else?" His beautiful English accent made his voice flow like a river.
"Um...I'd like to know your name so that I can address you properly," my tongue slid over every 's' as I spoke.
He gave a small smile that made my heart skip a beat. "I'm the Doctor." He then turned tail and trotted his way out of the room. I watched him go. Would he really expect me to call him 'Doctor'? With no other name to address him as, I decided it was the only way to go. Slowly my eyes began to close and I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 2- Reunion
I woke with a start as ponies began rushing into my room. I couldn't recognize any of them, but maybe that was just my memory. Over my time of rest, I'd been transported to a small town called Ponyville back on the ground. It's the first time I've ever been out of Cloudsdale, and the first thing I want to do is get up and explore. My head spun with voices and noisy chatter. But, suddenly one voice stuck out above the rest.
"Quiet, all of you!" That English accent I could recognize anywhere, it was the Doctor. I felt happy that he'd come to Ponyville with me. I sat up slowly in my bed, blinking away my blurry vision. He broke through the small crowd of ponies at the foot of my bunk and began to work on a laptop, checking data and such. The ponies around him remained silent. Soon he finished his work and straightened up again. "I understand you all came to visit this mare, it's not often we get to work with Pegasi on the ground, but she still needs her rest. There are visiting times throughout the day but for now, I'll have to ask you to leave. All of you."
It took a moment but one by one the ponies sulked out the door. Once they had all departed, the Doctor closed the door behind them. "Why did I have to move hospitals?" I asked cautiously.
"The other up in Cloudsdale was getting crowded, the feather flu popping up everywhere and all. You're not the only pony who was transported, though."
I nodded abruptly, not wanting to start a conversation. I didn't want to rest; I wasn't tired. But just as soon as I lay my head back on the pillow, I was out like a light.
I woke up the smell of food. Opening my eyes slowly, I realized no one was in the room with me. Sighing with relief, I slipped my back leg from it's sling and slid off the bed and onto my hooves. I wobbled a little as they hit the floor, the bandages restricting my walking, but I needed my exercise if I was ever going to get back to normal. I wasn't meant to get up and out of bed, the nurses fearing that I might hurt myself again. I trotted over to the window, the shades pulled down so I could sleep. Drawing back the curtains, an excited smile curled the corners of my mouth. It didn't stop growing. The sights outside were amazing; animals, ponies, grass, dirt and...color! There weren't many colors in Cloudsdale. And the best part was that I could see this all from my room. Imagine how much more there was to see out there. I longed to be outside with the other ponies, rolling around in the pure life and not living away on large masses of condensed water suspended in the sky. My eyes glazed over as I watched the bustle of ponies outside. Suddenly I was snapped out of it as I heard hoofsteps in the hallway. I hobbled as quickly as I could back to my bed and crawled in. A nurse pony wheeled in a cart with a plate of food on it. It didn't look appetizing, but I was starving. As soon as she left, I scarfed down the food.
Days soon passed. Days turned to weeks as I followed the same routine. Wake up, gaze out the window, eat, sleep, gaze upon the world once more, eat, sleep, repeat. I couldn't thing of anything more tiring. The only perk was that the Doctor kept checking in on me. We began to talk more and I learned a lot about him. I could only understand about twenty percent of what he said most of the time, he babbled uncontrollably about space and time. I listened, of course. I didn't want to be rude. This morning, however, was different. He entered early and walked to my bedside, shaking me awake. My eyes blinked open and I groaned. He'd never done this before. "Hey, wake up!" He chimed. "I have something planned for us."
I sat up and shoved his hoof off of me. "What is it..?" I asked, almost not finishing my sentence before he pulled me off of the bed. My leg had healed enough so I could walk on it, though I nearly fell when I landed on the floor. Not wanting to deal with any more talking, I shut my mouth. He walked with me through the building and to the front. I kept tripping over my own hooves as I walked. He led me down to the front door of the hospital. The sun caught the glass and made it shine, almost like it was calling me. Briefly forgetting that he was standing at my side, I began to walk to the large glass doors. The Doctor ran in front of me and pushed them open. I walked at the same pace outside. Everything was overwhelming me. The scents, the sights, the smells; I could hardly breathe, I couldn't even smile. The Doctor shook his coat off and lay it on a bench outside. I was only just standing on the concrete ground outside the hospital. As the Doctor returned to my side I leaned on his shoulder for support, unable to stand. I wanted to thank him, but I couldn't find the words. I think he knew though.
We spent the entire daylight exploring the world outside. He explained things to me that I could actually understand. The ground was like a whole new world. Of course, dreams don't last forever, and after the sun set into the watery sky, we headed back to the hospital. He slipped his coat on before we entered. I was greeted by two nurses when I walked inside. I looked confusedly at them. The each stood at my side and led me back up to me room. I glanced back at the Doctor. He smiled sweetly and lifted a silent hoof in farewell. A wave of emotion swept over me, and I teared up, my cheeks getting hot. I realized what was going on. I was being taken back to Cloudsdale.
Chapter 3- Sendoff
The nurses left me in my room to gather my things. As soon as they closed the door behind them, I was left alone. I began to cry. Tears rolled in streams down my cheeks. I couldn't stop. I'd just found this wonderful place, and now I was being taken away. And...the Doctor... The tears stopped. "Doctor!" I called, grief choking my voice. After a moment of nothing, I started to cry again. "Doctor!" I called again, louder this time. He burst through the door. I turned and leaped from the bed to him, my wings spread. I glided clumsily through the air and landed in front of him. "I don't want to go..."
The Doctor was silent for a second, thinking. Finally he spoke. "I'm sorry, Ditzy, but this is the way it has to be. You can't stay here at the hospital forever."
I hung my head low again, tears dripping off my nose and onto the floor. "Don't throw me out like this... I don't want to leave you... I don't want to leave this place..." My eyes closed as he placed his hoof gently under my chin and lifted my head high. I couldn't help but open my eyes. Just as I did our mouths met. My eyes fluttered shut once more. Our kiss was broken when a nurse walked through the door to retrieve me. Before I knew it I was being dragged away once more.
I was taken outside to a carriage. Other Pegasi from Cloudsdale followed behind me or sat in the seats inside. When everyone had boarded, the ride took off. I drown myself in thoughts and feelings. Why did the day that I left have to be the day that I realize that over all this time I'd fallen in love with the Doctor? I stared out the window. We were too high to see any of the world below. The ride lasted for almost an hour before we were high back up in the skies of Cloudsdale. The Pegasi all left the carriage. We were dropped in a large city. I recognized it, and I knew how to get home, but the truth was I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to be in Cloudsdale. I didn't have the money to take the trip to where Sketch had gone so long ago. I didn't even have the bits to pay for a ride down to Ponyville once let alone visiting. And if I did I wouldn't have enough to live down there by myself. I don't even have enough money to support myself here in Cloudsdale. I live in a world where absolutely everything is white and plain. The only creatures around are the Pegasi that soar through the sky. I was ineligible to work in the weather factory, which was one of the only jobs in Cloudsdale. I couldn't see four hooves in front of my face without my vision warping. My eyes were no longer useful to me, and neither were my wings. I'm no perfect pony. I'm...less then perfect. Less then average. I teared up. Not wanting to face my mother's pushy overprotective antics, I slunk into a nearby alleyway and lie down, watching the sky before dozing off.
Chapter 4- In the End
That's the story of my life up until today. The ponies in the sky and I'm on the ground. Ponies miles and miles away that might care about me. I trotted down the road a little, stretching my legs. I hardly noticed a pony stepping out in front of me. I bumped into her shoulder. She flipped around and faced me. I backed away a little, my blonde mane falling into my face. She'd seen my eyes. "Oh, um... E-excuse me..." I mumbled, my lisp showing through once more.
"Why don't you try looking where you're going, you... you derpy pony!" The mare snapped, slipping over her words as she searched quickly for a way to finish her sentence. She seemed angry enough without me bumping into her.
"D-derpy...?" I repeated, confused. She'd already spun around and trotted angrily away down the sidewalk, mumbling to herself. I turned my head and looked at the building she'd just come out of. It was at least twenty stories high. I peeked in the window. There were all kinds of ponies inside, speaking with one another and rushing around. I pushed the door open and walked inside. Ponies glanced up at me from their work, but I wasn't much of a distraction. I walked to the back and passed many cubicles, my hoofsteps quiet. I approached an elevator and waited for the doors to open. An important looking pony eyed me questioningly on her way out. I ignored her and let her pass. Once I'd entered the elevator, I was alone. I looked over the keypad. Twenty-four floors, a basement, and...
I pressed my hoof to the button that had an 'r'. It was right after 24, red though the others were black. I sat silently in the corner as the elevator rose up. My stomach flipped and I closed my eyes, calming myself. Soon the doors opened and it was dark. I could faintly see a door knob in front of me. I stepped out of the elevator before it was called back down and the doors shut. I tried at the knob; it was locked. I turned to face the elevator and bucked the knob hard with my back legs a few times. In the first couple of hits I got the knob off. After a few more times I stumbled as my hoof broke through the door. I pulled my hoof out and the door swung open. I walked toward the edge of the building as if I was in a daze. Halting at the very edge of the rooftop, I looked over to the ground. I thought I saw a couple of ponies look up at me and yell. I suddenly snapped out of it. What was I doing? I backed frightfully away from the side to a safe distance. Then it hit me; I have nothing to live for. I stepped to the edge once more, reality swarming through me. No money, no friends, no family that treats me like a real filly, no intelligence, no flying ability, hardly enough sight to walk safely down the road, and I'm...retarded. I rubbed my eyes with my hoof, my lazy eye moving back to it's natural position.
Mother always told me to take action, don't let anyone pull you down into a rut. This rut was too deep. And I am taking action. I readied myself into a pouncing position. If only mother could see me now. In a hesitated moment, I could feel the dampness of the tears on my cheeks and the feeling of my hooves leaving the ground once more. I kept my wings at my sides as I plummeted to my death. I held my life tightly in my hooves, memories flashing by. I could fly again.