//------------------------------// // Chapter Seventeen // Story: Bubbles: Derpy's Return // by RoxyMoronNERDy //------------------------------// Chapter Seventeen Dinky smiled as she galloped off the train into the train station, her saddle bag on her back. She looked at it and watched the train pull away, with the rain still sputtering. Dinky dropped the smile as she saw the familiar coats of Bon Bon and Lyra. She gasped and hid behind a pillar that was holding up the porch that covered the patio of the station. She could hear their conversation. "Are you sure about this, Lyra? I mean, it's just a race... Just gallop!" Bon Bon said, worriedly. She could hear Lyra scoff. "Don't worry! I got this! I can walk that way easily! No help at all!" Lyra said excitedly. Dinky raised one of her eye brows, confused. That way? What did that mean? "I know you're excited, but... I just don't want you to regret it..." Bon Bon replied, not seeing Dinky behind the pillar as the walked passed. Dinky looked at them as they continued their discussion. Dinky shook her head, ignoring their problem. She had her own problem! Dinky galloped from shop to shop, hiding out under the canopies that covered the step as she tried to avoid getting soaked. Eventually, she found a shop that sold umbrellas. However, she wasn't sure she had any bits. She looked at the umbrella longingly, and sighed as she lowered her head and just treaded into the pouring rain. They probably weren't open, anyway. It was really late. She walked through the silent, sleeping town that had upper-class homes and apartments, and she suddenly wondered what it would be like to live here. She imagined herself in a stunning hairstyle, fabulous cutie mark, and a cute outfit to show it off as her horn glittered and sparkled from her shopping bags of books and drawign pads. She would glance at the other ponies as if to say "I see you staring." She giggled to herself as she walked, imagining the ponies looking away, embarrassed for staring. Of course, Dinky knew that she would never be that popular, but in her own mind, she could be. She could be anything she wanted! She had no cutie mark, maybe she could be something that didnt have to do with drawing or reading! Maybe she was meant to be a scientist! Or a mother, she wondered? She put her head up, staring at the night sky with pouring rain. Was there a pony who's talent was mothering? Dinky snapped back to reality when she saw a mare with a dark blue coat and flowing mane that looked like the night sky. The mare was an alicorn with dark sparkly shoes, necklace and tiara. "Princess Luna?" Dinky whispered, coming to a complete stop to bow for the princess in respect. Dinky felt her mane dip into a puddle. She didnn't mind, however. She was already soaked to the bone... "Princess, what are you doing out here? You'll get absolutely soggy!" Dinky allowed herself to slightly touch her mane to see if it was real. She smiled as she felt the mane flow beneath the touch of her hooves. "Young filly, I could ask you the same thing!" Luna said, looking down at Dinky. Dinky shot her hoof away and brough it back to the cobblestone street. She didn't meet the princess' gaze. "I'm looking for the hospital." Dinky muttered, looking at the street beneath her. "The hospital?" Luna said, confused as she lowered her head closer to the filly's. "What are you doing looking for the hospital? Are you ill?" She looked closely at Dinky, and Dinky shook her head, still looking at her hooves. "No, I'm alright." Dinky said. "I just wa-ACHOO!" Her sentence was interrupted by a sneeze. Dinky wiped her nose with her hoof, and bowed, embarassed. "Please excuse me, princess! I'm just looking for my Mommy." Dinky replied. Luna's eyes widened as she looked at the filly, who was soaking wet and sneezing in the cold, drizzling rain. Luna's ears lowered. This filly was going through such awful weather and a cold just to meet with her mother! Luna smiled sympathetically as she lowered her head under the filly's legs and lifted her down her neck and onto her back. "Princess? What are you-" Dinyk started, but stopped at the sight of Luna's wings unfurling and flapping downward, excess feathers scattering as tehy lifted off the cobblestone street. Dinky watched in awe at the working wings that let them soar through the rainy sky, the town looking like it was meant for dolls. Dinky smiled as she watched the rain scatter around them, going so fast taht not only was the rain missing them slightly, her mane and coat was also drying! Luna giggle silenty as she heard the filly laugh at the tiny city and the missing rain. She tried not to make it obvious that she had just put a magic cover over their heads that forced the rain to roll down the sides of the magic dome. They hovered over the hospital that loomed over the edge of Canterlot. Luna cut off her magic, the dome above their heads disappearing, and the rain leaving dark, wet marks on their coats. Luna accompanied Dinky as they walked into the hospital doors, their lights still on, considering hospitals are open all the time. Dinky looked around the clean facility, the smell of something that reminded her of plastic gloves and some cleaning material. Dinky wrinkled her nose, but ignored the smell. She trotted over the the front counter nervously, hearing Luna's hooves follow her own. Dinky looked at the tired mare behind the counter nervously as the mar looked at Luna, shocked. "P-Princess Luna!" The mare lowered her head in respect of the princess. "At ease," Luna said, as if she were reciting it. "we are here on business." Luna nodded to Dinky and Dinky cleared her throat. "Um... D-Derpy Hooves?" Dinky asked hopefully, her voice shaking. She felt grown up, asking for somepony in the hospital at the front counter. All by herself. Luna felt a ping inside of her. She'd heard that name from her sister before... But it was only mentioned. Luna had no idea why it was important, but she knew that something was off about it. The mare behind the counter typed something into a computer and shook her head as she went to a filing cabinet that was behind her. Dinky watched as she searched and searched. Dinky felt herself shaking nervously. She knew that her and her mother's future revolved aroudn this nurse finding the document that hekd the information to where her mommy was. Dinky watched, time seeming to go slowly as the mare looked carefully and diligently. All of a sudden, the mare seemed to pause on a file, and Dinky's eyes lit up, knowing what that meant. She knew what was going to happen as the mare turned around, looking as if she was satisfied with herself. "Room 345, on the third floor." The nurse said cheerfully, her eyes still sagging from a long night. Dinky smiled as she galloped toward the elevator, sending a "thanks!" over she shoulder as Luna tried to keep up. "Young filly, please tell me, who is this 'Derpy Hooves'?" She panted, keeping up with the filly. Dinky turned to Luna, who's eyes were seeming confused and yet somehow familiar. "She's my mother. Princess Cele- I mean... somepony placed her here." Dinky panted back, slowing down as they reached the elevator. Dinky pressed the "up" buttong over and over, as if it would bring the elevator car down more quickly. Luna placed a hoof on Dinky's, as if to tell her "it's okay, relax." Dinky nodded as she put her hoof down, her shoulder bumping her saddle bag slightly. The car came down and the doors opened. Dinyk and Luna walked on as Luna pressed the "three" button for Dinky. Luna looked at her, as if she wanted more. "I know it might be hard for you, but if you're comfortable, please, continue." Luna looked at the filly as if she understood, because really, she kind of did. Luna and her sister Celestia hadn't seen their parents in years, becasue once there is a new monarch to control the kingdom of Equestria, the previous monarchs die, either of old age or of magic. Luna didn't even get to say goodbye, because she was sent to the moon only slightly before her parents left over a thousand years ago. Luna felt heavy and sad, but snapped back to reality as she heard Dinky sigh, remembering everything to tell her tale. "Derpy Hooves is my mommy, and she's super nice and cool! But... not everypony really likes her..." Dinky explained, her high voice seeming to tinkle. "She loved me more than muffins, and that's saying a lot! But all the other ponies don't like her because she's different." "'Different' how, exactly?" Luna asked. Dinky sighed sadly as they walked off the elevator and sat in some nearby chairs, to allow Dinky to finish her story. "She has some... 'thing' with her. I don't know what, but everypony treats her badly. She has something that I can't really name, but it makes everythign harder for her. She acts like it's no different for her than it is for me or anypony else, but I can tell that she tries really hard to do well. She likes to have fun and play with me, but sometimes she has to work, since she's a mail-mare. So when she has work, she has to leave me alone to let me go to school by myself. I know the way, but ponies don't like somepony like my mommy leaving me home alone. Everypony else's parents leave them home alone, but they act like Mommy is some... I dunno, exception! "She comes home before I get home from school, though, so whenever I'm alone it's only in the morning. And she always makes sure she stays late enough to say 'bye', even if it means she gets to work late! That's one of the things I like about Mommy. Any way, she loves me a lot and I love her a lot. "But one time, when we were having dinner, there was a big knock on the door, and two of your sister's guards took Mommy away, and I only had a few minutes to say goodbye and get my things. And when I came down, they were already out the door and climbing down teh ladder of our tree house! I tried to chase them, I did! But then I tripped and fell, but Twilight Sparkle caught me and cast a spell on me, making me fall asleep. She took me home and told me what happened, and theni had to stay with her for a while. "I tried escaping to canterlot on Hearth's Warming Eve, but I passed out in the snow, and then I ended up back in her house. Then today, I was sad becasue it was rainy, and Spike took me to Sugar Cube Corner while we waited for Twilight, but it didn't help, so I ran away and now I'm here... Even some ponies on the train tried to take me home, but I ran away just in time. And, you know the rest..." Dinky and Luna sat in silence, the distant beeping of somepony's heart moniter being the only thing filling the air besides the sound of a heating vent above them. Luna wiped her eyes away of tears and looked at Dinky angrily. "This all my sister's doing." She growled quietly after a while. Dinky looked at her and looked back in her lap, where her bag was sitting. "Yes." She replied in a whisper. Luna got up and help Dinky up, placing the bag on her back for her. "Let's go." Luna said, leading her down a hallway taht was filled with the sounds of giggling and weird noises that sounded like somepony was banging on the walls. Dinky could see padded walls inside the small windows on the doors. Dinky felt felt uncomfortable. She looked up at Luna, who was really confused. "Prey tell, young foal..." She said continually. "Are you sure your mother is HERE?" Luna looked from door to door, and stopped dead in the hallway. Dinky turned to see she was staring at the door that read "345". Dinky gulped as she looked inside the window to see a pony's body hunched over in a corner. The room was filled with stray feathers and scratches in the padded walls. Dinky looked in horror at the pony's body. The mane was tangled and messy, and there were little band aids all over her body as if she had had shots there. Luna looked down at Dinky to see her pupils the size of pins, and hey eyes quivered in horror at the sight of the mangled pony. Luna felt a pain in her stomach as she turned back to the hunched over body to see the shoulders quivering, as if they were crying. Luna sighed and quickly brought Dinky close to her. "We'll, isn't this what you wanted? Is that your mother?" She asked quietly, almost whispering. Dinky looked from her to the window. She stared at the grey fur and blonde mane. It appeared to be her mother, but she was appalled at the state of them. She searched for the cutie mark. She found the flank and looked at it, trying to make out the mark. Bubbles. Dinky's eyes filled with tears as she slowly and tenderly opened the door, so as not to startle her. The mare whirled around to see who it was. Dinky looked at the shaky, golden eyes that were ever-so-slightly crossed. Dinky burst into tears as she kept onto her mother, soaking her mother's shoulder. Mommy hesitated for a moment, but then gripped onto her daughter for dear life, crying tears of joy. Luna watched the mother and daughter's reaction to being reunited, and she smiled. She then remembered who had done this. Who's fault it was that this happened. Without saying a word, she galloped away silently toward the exit. She was going to have a talk with her sister.