Point of View: Twilight Sparkle
I walk downstairs to turn out the lights. I smile as I see the books within my home standing tall, undisturbed. I check over each book, flipping through the pages of my check-out list to see which books have been checked out.
“Let’s see. E…Elements of Harmony, The. Oh, Pinkie has that one! Next...F…G…H…How to ask a mare out? Who does that belong to?” I scan over the list. “Carrot Top. Hmm…wonder who she’ll ask out.” I shrug. “I…J…K…L, M, N, O, P, Q…R…S, T, U…” I yawn. “Only a couple more books. V…W…X…” My eyes flick back to the W section. “There’s a book missing from that section?” I check over my check-out list. Only two ponies currently have a book checked out, well other than ponies hiding books in my library so that they ‘secretly’ read them. “W? What was between those two books…Weapons of the Ponyquistion?”
I blink. “Why would somepony check out that book?” I close my eyes and my mind filters over the list of spells. “Aha!” I smile as I feel the tracking spell begin tracking the book. “Let’s see…” I push the door open, moving outside into the dark night. I see a Purple trail leading everywhere, criss-crossing back and forth. My mind blinks trying to understand the confusing mess.
“Did somepony know how my spell works and purposely try to mislead me?” I facehoof. This is going to be a long night if I use this spell. I cast a minor adjustment to the spell, and trail disappears. I smile as I feel a purple dot pulsating at me. I close my eyes in concentration as the purple dot begins establishing a connection with my magic. Closer…closer…and there we go. I smile as I feel the connection spark with my magic and I proceed to open my eyes.
“So, let’s see. Dot is stationary.” Good. I grin as I see the straight line to the book. Looks like this book recovery will be simply in and out.
I begin walking along, admiring the night sky. “Wow, Princess Luna, you have truly created outdone yourself tonight. I’ll have to devote tomorrow tonight to studying the stars again.” My eye catches sight of a formerly empty patch of the sky. “Did Princess Luna create a new constellation?” I smile. “I’ll have to name it, after I find this book.” I look down back at my trail and nearly stumble over the steps to the town hall.
I walk quietly over the steps to the town hall, and I check my magic. It looks like the book is inside of this hall. I summon a magical key and unlock the door. “Looks like somepony checked out the book and left it here for some reason. Perhaps they forgot about the book.” I smile as I light up the hallway. I see the book lying near the center of the town hall. “Aha! There you are! I knew I could find you!” I snatch up the book and hug it. “Did you miss mama? Did you?” I smile as I feel the book’s comforting papers. “I know you did bookie.”
I look at the pages where was the book was open to. “Hmm. How to make one’s body impervious to alicorn healing magic?” I blink. “Maybe I shouldn’t keep this book in the public section. I’ll have to ship this one off to the Canterlot Archives and let the Princesses know. Well, I’ll have to head on home.” I smile as I see the bottom corner stained with red ink. I touch the corner and I smile as I feel the paper perfectly dry.
“The artist really tried making this realistic, putting fake blood on the pages of death.” I chuckle dryly. “I’ll have to give the artist my best recommendations.” I turn and as I pick up my hoof, I feel something sticky clinging to it.
“Sticky?” I blink. I bring my front hoof to the light of my magic and I blink as I see red stuff on the hoof. “Did someone forget to clean up the ketchup?” My ears twitch as I hear a drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
“Okay, now I know someone is trying to prank me.” I close my eyes and send out a magical pulse to detect life forms. “But I got you now!” I open my eyes in shock as my magic detects nothing.
“Nothing?” I look down at my hooves.
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
“Is there a leak in here?” I slowly blink. Then I moan. “Of course there would be. Now I have to go find the source of the leak so that I can report it to Mayor Mare.” I look around at the darkness around me. “Let us have a little more light.” I chuckle. “Princess Luna is rubbing off on me.” I continue giggling as the light reveals a red puddle…
Leading to another puddle…
Leading to another…
Leading to greyed out hooves…
With a blood red piece of parchment…
I blink. I slowly raise the light level as my eyes trace with rising horror the greyed out form of a dead pegasus. I slowly blink as my eyes take in the sight, before catching sight of the colorless cutie mark – seven bubbles.
“Derpy? Nononononono, no this can’t be happening!” I drop the book and rush over to the table. “Derpy? Please respond.” I cast a healing spell as I work, my eyes fluttering over her injured form. “Derpy? Please don’t be gone. Don’t be…” I feel the tears dripping down my face. “Derpy, please no.”
My eyes catch the piece of parchment, stained red by her blood on the floor. I see her writing, and I snatch it up.
Dear whomever may find this…
I’m sorry. I’m tired of all this. I’m tired of being called flightless, useless, a derp-up. I’m tired of hurting those around me, Carrot Top and Dinky. I’m tired of hurting those whom I idolaize, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight Sparkle, I’m sorry for the anvil on your head.
Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry for zapping you with lightening.
Vinyl, I’m sorry for destroying your music set.
Zippy, I’m sorry for never delivering the letters like you wanted them delivered.
“Derpy…it was always alright.” I close my eyes as I see row upon row of apologies. I hug the letter to my heart. “Why?” I close my eyes. I know why my magic doesn’t work on her. She borrowed that book to make sure it would never work on her. “Why? We always cared about you. No matter how much you messed up, you made us smile. And now…now…you’re gone. It’s going to devastate everypony that you’re gone…forever. I CAN’T TELL THEM!" feel the tears dripping down my face. "Why Derpy?" I hastily wipe my tears away and force my eyes to skip past the rows upon rows of apologies.
Everypony, I’m sorry. I just can’t take this anymore. I am SICK and TIRED of being called Derpy. I’m leaving…forever.
I’m sorry, but I can’t take it anymore.
Dewdrop Hooves.
My tears burst from there. I can’t see the letter anymore, my eyes can only look upon the dead body of the mare. I close my eyes and using the best of my magic, I begin to set the town hall in order, cleaning the bloodstains, putting color back into Derpy’s mane, and recoloring Dewdrop’s cutie mark. Finally, I open my eyes and I see the spotless room….surrounding the mare who will never breathe again.
“I…” I sob. “I just don’t have the heart to tell them. I love you Derpy, and I’m going…” I choke. “I’m going to miss you.” Sobbing quietly, I summon the last of my willpower and summon a familiar spell to my horn. A teleporting spell, that as I gaze in sorrow at Derpy, takes so long to prepare. What once took me mere fractions of a second, takes me minutes to prepare. Finally, as I feel the magic finally ready, I close my eyes. “I’m sorry Dewdrop. You never deserved this.”
A flash of light covers my vision. When I open my eyes, I see the interior of the library. I sigh quietly and turn into the basement. I walk down the cold hard stairs, levitating the body of a familiar mare. I see the dirt in the corner of the basement, and I smile sadly. I had planned for using that soil for agricultural research, but now? Now it doesn’t matter. I close my eyes as I use my magic to open up a hole in the soil, large enough to contain Derpy…Dewdrop
“Good night Dewdrop. You don’t deserve this.” I sob. “No pony does.” I turn and bolt up the stairs. I am not going to be able to sleep tonight, I can tell. I run around Spike’s bed and I bury myself under the covers, looking out the window. “Why?”
My eyes catch sight of the new constellation in the stars. My eyes slowly trace over the stars, tracing the new circles of starlight in the sky. More sobs rack me as I count the circles of starlight.
“One…two…three…four…five…” I break up into sobs, unable to continue my thought outloud. Six…seven circles. Luna...Princess Luna knew. I cry as I bury myself into the pillows.
I feel somepony’s hand shaking me awake.
“Hey Twilight. I know you don’t like me waking you up, but somepony is here to see you.”
I raise my eyes to the expecting eyes of Spike. “Who…” I cough as I feel my throat hoarse. “Who is it?”
“Carrot Top.”
My head falls to the pillow. “Send her up here. I really don’t feel like moving.”
“Okay dokey.”
“Spike?”
“Yes Twilight?”
“Take a gem and go over to Rarity’s place. I think you deserve a day off.”
I see his eyes widen. “Geez thanks Twilight!” He runs over to me and gives me a hug. “Are you sure you don’t need me?”
I nod. “I’m sure.”
He runs off down the stairs. I hear hoofsteps ascending the stairs.
“Sorry to bother you Twilight Sparkle, but do you know where Derpy is? I woke up this morning and I can’t find her. Nopony seems to know either, and after we discovered her letter in the town hall, we’re all really concerned.”
My ears twitch at a word. “We?”
She gestures outside of my window. I lazily raise my head and look out the window. There, outside my window, sits at least half of the town. My eyes catch the sight of my friends sitting there and I withdraw into the comfort of my bed.
“She went on a vacation. She um..requested that I not tell anypony where she went, and made me pinkie promise.”
Carrot Top gives me a half-smile. “So she is safe?”
“Yes.”
“But how can we talk to her?”
I shrug.
“She didn’t say?”
I shake my head.
“Well, can we write letters to her?”
I nod. Yea, sure why not? Surely it’s only going to be one or two ponies.
“I see…” Her voice falters. “I’m going to have to let Dinky know. I’ll be back.”
She turns to leave. “Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
I smile as she leaves. Finally, some quiet. I feel the tears coming to life once more.
I hear the door open and close…then the sound of at least a half dozen footprints. I raise my
eyebrow as I see Rainbow Dash fly to a stop in front of me.
“Okay everypony, if you want to write a letter to Derpy, get in a line! I was here first, so I get to dictate the first letter!”
I hear grumbles, and I take a chance and glance beyond Rainbow Dash. My mouth drops as I see a line consisting of multiple ponies. My eyes scan over the line and stare as I see Vinyl Scratch, Pinkie Pie, Mayor Mare and so many more. Well…buck.
“Can I start dictating Twilight?”
Rainbow’s brash voice snaps me out of my reverie. I blink at her, before my mind catches up to the current circumstances. I start with a sigh as I levitate a quill and parchment.
“Now you may.”
“Dear Derpy,” Rainbow sighs. “I really want you to know I didn't mean those things I said about you back in flight school. We were just kids, you know, and kids do that kind of stuff. I know, I know, that's no excuse, not really. Still, I'm glad you didn't take it too hard, I guess. I mean, I hope you didn't take it too hard. I'm not sure now.” She kicks at the ground with her hooves. “What I mean is, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve it.” She buries her muzzle in her wings. “We’re still friends right?” She breaks into tears. “Sorry, I can’t take this anymore!” She flies out the window behind me, shattering the glass. My eyes catch the broken glass on the floor and I sigh heavily.
Who knew that one mare could impact so many others? One life is gone and dozens upon dozens are shattered, like the glass of a broken window.
“Excuse me, but may I start dictating my letter?”
My eyes catch sight of Vinyl Scratch standing in front of me. I put away the parchment I was writing and retrieve the next letter. I feel the tears fill my eyes as I speak.
“You may.”