A Silver Lining for Derpy

by Teyeson Bee


Every Dark Cloud...

8:00 am. That was what time the alarm clock said as it started going off with a loud beeping noise. In a small house on a cloud, overlooking the town of Ponyville, where lived a race of human-pony hybrids, there lived a tired hand that reached up and turned off the alarm. And that hand was connected to Ponyville's lovable mailgirl, Derpy. Everybody in town knew Derpy. Why, you could say that she was quite popular around the town. No matter where she went, she always had a pleasant attitude that cheered up the townspeople in an instant. Her demeanor was so bubbly, that nobody could not smile even the tiniest bit. That's what her special talent was after all. That's why her cutie mark was bubbles.

A cutie mark was a marking that all people got on the back of their right hand when they discovered their special talent, and as said before, Derpy's was having a bubbly attitude. She was also kind, considerate, and a little quirky at times. She was a pegasus-girl with straight blonde hair that came down to the bottom of her neck, and she always wore a gray, button-up dress shirt with matching jeans. Her eyes were as yellow as her hair, and if there was one thing that pointed Derpy out among others, it was her eyes. Not just because of their color, but because of their abnormal structure. You see, Derpy had a lazy eye since she was born that had slightly altered her sight. But at this point in her life, Derpy didn't care at all. It just added on to her quirky demeanor.

Derpy sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "It's gonna be a good day!" she said aloud as she jumped out of bed. After a nice shower and putting on her mailing uniform, she grabbed a blueberry muffin (her favorite food) off the table, picked up her mailbag, and zoomed out of the house. As she flew through the puffy white clouds and headed towards the post office, Derpy couldn't help but laugh as the clouds tickled her face as she flew through them. She soared down from out of the clouds and landed on the stone streets of Ponyville, where she entered the post office to get her daily route.

Now, I probably know what you're thinking; What an upbeat girl! She seems so nice! She's definitely a lovable one! Well, you'd be right. But, believe it or not, it wasn't always that way. Not many knew how Derpy ended up where she is today. Many just assume that she had a wonderful childhood and just grew up like any other kid. Hate to burst your bubble, but they'd be wrong. Derpy didn't always have the bubbly attitude she has today. Sure, it may have started out that way in her much younger years, but as time went on for her, she started getting into problems and tragedies that she would never forget. There was a time when Derpy was, well, depressed. And if things didn't happened how they did, the Derpy of today wouldn't be the same.


In the beginning, like with any child, there was a father and a mother. Iron Lung and Blueberry Muffin were their names, and they were total opposites. Iron Lung was a tough, hardworking bulk of a man who worked at the local steel mill. Blueberry was just the opposite. She was the best baker in all of Cloudsdale, and one of the sweetest women you'd ever meet. The two met when Blueberry was catering for the mill, and believe it or not, they didn't seem to get along. But over time, as you probably guessed, they fell in love and married a few years later. Then when Blueberry announced that she was pregnant with Derpy, things seemed to have gone well. For a while. One month before Derpy was born, Iron Lung was in a tragic accident at the mill and passed away on the way to the hospital. It was a sad day for Blueberry, being without her husband and best friend, but she never let it get her down all the time. One of her best character traits was her optimism and the ability to always see a bright side. She knew that the two would meet again someday, and that even though he wasn't with her physically, Iron Lung would be with her spiritually and mentally.

The day that Blueberry had anticipated finally came on a Monday morning in March. She gave birth to a little pegasus-girl and she couldn't have been happier. When examining the baby though, it was noted that she was born with abnormal eyes. One looking normal, while the other looking up. The doctors worried about what this would do to the young one, but Blueberry didn't mind in the slightest. As she held her giggling baby in her arms, she decided on a name that would match her. A name that defined her and that she would be proud of because it said that she was perfect just the way she was. She went with the name Derpy.

As Derpy grew up, Blueberry did an exceptional job in taking care of her. She loved her like no other and taught her kindness and optimism. When Derpy entered kindergarten, she made her first friend in Rain Storm, another pegasus-girl who's father was a famous weatherman. Rain has a slightly larger overbite than others, and, seeing Derpy's own physical abnormality, they hit it off right away. The two became inseparable for several years, even when they entered grade school. However, as they grew older and entered fourth grade, Derpy began to get more friends than Rain. Maybe it was because the kids saw Rain's overbite a bit more distracting and less cool than Derpy's eyes or maybe because Derpy was more fun to be around, but because of this, Rain started to grow distant from Derpy. Then if that wasn't bad enough for Rain, by the time they entered fifth grade, Derpy had gotten her cutie mark before her. Derpy had been showing her kindness and optimism taught by her mother for years, and it wasn't until fifth grade when someone labeled her personality as, "bubbly." Derpy loved that expression and realized that that was her talent; to show others her bubbly attitude and pass it on. That was when the bubbles appeared on her hand. Derpy was ecstatic and her friends were all happy for her, except one. With the jealousy that came from having less friends than Derpy and from not being first to get her cutie mark, Rain had completely blocked herself out of her old friend's life and had grown cold towards her. Though Derpy tried to make up with her, Rain wouldn't listen and stopped talking to her. This broke Derpy's heart over the loss of her best friend, but with the encouragement from Blueberry, Derpy continued to show her kindness. Things couldn't have been better for the young one.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before things took a turn for the worse. After Derpy had entered middle school, she started getting more clumsy. She would start tripping over things and running into others. She didn't know why, until her mother took her to the doctor. Apparently, as Derpy's eyes were starting to mature, her lazy eye was a lot slower in the process than the good eye. This meant that Derpy's sight in her lazy eye would never be as good as her other eye, and would cause her sight to be cut in half. Though Derpy worried about this, Blueberry told her not to, and that the eye would not change who Derpy was as a person. Derpy took this into account and ignored it. Then one day, when Derpy was in the seventh grade, she accidentally fell in the cafeteria and caused a chain reaction that resulted in a calamity of food flying all over the place. As everyone looked at Derpy, a girl stood up and shouted, "Well, look who's the klutz of the school!" The whole cafeteria broke out in laughter. Derpy looked at the girl who said those words, and to her surprise, it was Rain!

Her appearance had changed since the last time they spoke. Rain now had straight brown hair that flowed down to her waist, unlike her old curly locks. Most surprising of all, her teeth were straight. Apparently, she talked her dad into paying for the surgery needed to fix her overbite. Derpy looked at her and noticed the new smug look she had on her face and couldn't believe that she had changed so much. The girl, who was once her best friend, was now the one who urged others to make fun of her. As Derpy looked around at the kids howling with laughter and calling her "Derp-face" and "Klutzy", all she could do was run out and cry. And it just kept going from then on. Everyday, Rain had something to say about Derpy's deformity and everybody laughed. Her old friends from grade school were too embarrassed to talk to her, worrying that they would get ridiculed too. Every night, Derpy would cry into her mother's arms, telling her of all that was happening.

"My dear Derpy," Blueberry would say, "don't you pay any mind to what they say. They just don't understand. You are a sweet, bubbly, optimistic girl, and your eyes do not define who you are. Keep your chin up and don't lose hope."

The same thing happened every week. Derpy would get ridiculed, she'd come home, cry, and get comforted by her mom. Blueberry was the only means for Derpy to feel comforted. She was the only one to give Derpy the motivation she needed to carry one and try to keep being bubbly. Unfortunately, with everything that was already happening in her life, nothing could prepare Derpy for what series of events happened next.

Blueberry was dying.

A few months after Derpy moved into her freshman year of high school, Blueberry was struck with tuberculosis. Through the efforts from the doctors, medicine, and intensive treatment, she was able to stay alive for a few months. However, the disease began to really take its toll during that time, up to the point where Blueberry couldn't even stand up straight anymore. Then, one rainy night, it came to the point where the doctors finally said that there was no more they could do and that she only had a short time left. Derpy's insides turned to pudding as the doctors gave her the news, and as she sat at the side of her mother's bed, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"Now, now, sweetie," Blueberry said softly as she placed her hand on Derpy's cheek, "it's going to be alright."

"No it's not, Mommy!" Derpy said through her tears. "You can't die! You just can't!"

"Don't worry, Derpy," Blueberry smiled. "I'm not scared."

"I AM!" Derpy shouted as the tears flooded down her cheeks even more. "I need you, Mommy! Please don't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone!"

A tear trickled from Blueberry's eye as she took her daughter's hand. "Oh Derpy. I won't leave you. Even if I leave this world physically, I will always be with you. All you have to do is look for me and I'll be there, watching over you." She stopped to cough. "Just...just promise me something Derpy."

Derpy focused on her mother's face as she spoke. Derpy could tell that her voice was getting weaker by the second. "D-don't forget what I taught you. Never lose that famous attitude of yours. Y-your cloud may seem dark right now, but remember; every cloud has a silver lining. Your life WILL get better, but you have to work at it. Your bubbly attitude is your best weapon against the struggles in life. Always look for a b-bright side, never give up, and always remember; I love you and will always be proud of you. I will always be...always be proud...proud of...

At that moment, Derpy felt her mother's hand grow cold as it slipped from her grasp. Her face showed a soft smile as her eyes closed. Derpy started to cry harder as she placed her head on her late mother's stomach. Blueberry Muffin had passed.

"I love you too, Mommy," Derpy whispered through her sorrow.


After her mother's death, Derpy was moved to the Cloudsdale Foster Home where she stayed until she turned 18. Derpy learned that both of her parents had a big life insurance policy and when she turned 18, the money would go to Derpy. That didn't help her feel better though. Derpy had lost her mother; the only person who ever provided her comfort. I wish I could say things at school went better, but I would be lying. Rain's assault on Derpy didn't falter for a minute. She would stir up a crowd to laugh whenever Derpy would trip or bump into something. Those who didn't laugh kept their distance. Derpy never felt more alone in her life. Her evenings turned into crying into her pillow and not speaking to anyone. Through the years, all the ridicule and harassment took its toll as Derpy began to grow more and more depressed. Then one day, Derpy had enough of it.

Deciding that crying wasn't helping and that there was no point anymore, she just stopped. Not just the crying. She stopped feeling. The depression had run so deep, she turned into an emotionless statue. Her trust in others had completely faded as well, seeing enough heartbreak from people pretending to be friends just to set her up to make her look ridiculous. Derpy had cut the entire world out of her life, and just lived it as she wanted to. After she turned 18, Derpy left the foster home with her parents' life insurance money and rented an apartment close to the school. Spending the entire summer by herself, Derpy just saw the upcoming school year as another friendless year of ridicule and harassment, and she just didn't care anymore. She didn't think it, but Derpy needed someone. Someone to be there for her and save her from herself. Someone to be her silver lining in life.

And that is where our story begins.