The Long Road Home

by Wheller

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The commotion had sent nearly everypony into the streets. Derpy Hooves rubbed her eyes sleepily, it was still the middle of the night and she had to be up for work in three hours. The town had become quite loud, and several Police Ponies and Kangaroo Soldiers were arguing with each other several metres down the road.

“Detective Chief Inspector Clockwork. My jacks and I aren’t trying to get in your way, but you’re making it near impossible when one of my soldiers can’t go to the dunnies without getting stopped by one of your constables trying to cite him for something!” Captain Blackthorn said.

DCI Clockwork was furious with the accusation. “And for good reason! Your “jacks” have done nothing but try and usurp the role of emergency services! Driving tanks recklessly through town, through Canterlot! Discharging firearms within town limits, you all are nothing but trouble."

"Yes. Nothing but trouble," Blackthorn snarled back. "We've certainly done nothing positive for you and this town... Like fight a gryphon mechanised infantry battalion that invaded the town? Were it up to you to defend, you and your constables would have turned tail and ran."

"How dare you!" DCI Clockwork cried back.

Derpy lost interest at this point. Public arguments between Blackthorn and Clockwork were commonplace, and they were lucky that it never evolved passed the screaming match.

"Excuse me? Could you tell me what's going on?"

Derpy turned and discovered a White Pegasus mare with a pink mane had trotted up to her.

"I don't really know. There was some kind of commotion. I heard screaming, but I didn't actually see anything," Derpy said apologetically.

"That's all right," the other Pegasus said.

"I don't think I've seen you in town before, I'm Derpy Hooves!" Derpy said cheerfully.

"I'm..." the mare began to say, but her voice trailed off as if she didn't know what to say.”Sunshine, I'm Sunshine."

Derpy noted that the mare's behaviour was a little... off, but regardless she smiled at her and offered her hoof for a shake. "It’s very nice to meet you Sunshine."

Sunshine took the hoof and shook back. "Nice to meet you, Derpy, I just got to town, like a moment ago. So I've got a lot to take care of..."

"I understand," Derpy said with a smile, and with that, Sunshine walked off.

Derpy was far cleverer than she let on. She knew that this "Sunshine" pony wasn't who she claimed to be, and she intended to figure out the truth.

...

"Sunshine" trotted around the corner and out of Derpy's direct view. So far, Princess Celestia was unsure if she'd been convincing enough. According to things she'd heard from town on prior visits, Derpy Hooves was the town's dim-witted postal delivery mare. She would probably be fine, but regardless, she glanced over her shoulders every so often to make sure that she wasn't being followed. Celestia arrived in front of the Library, she slipped under the police caution tape and opened the door, making her way inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. The princess shed her disguise, appearing in her normal Alicorn form.

Celestia scanned the room, noting the dried blood that covered the floor. She hadn't been gone from Ponyville for more than a few days. What had happened while she was gone?

She trotted over to Twilight's desk, and began looking through the papers on the desk. Many of them were just blank pages. There was one that caught her eye, she lifted it up and gave it a look. The page was mostly bare, with only a single, messy looking, word on it.

"Surprise?" Celestia read aloud.

"SURPRISE!" cried a voice from behind her. Celestia jumped and turned around to face it. Standing behind her was two pegasi, who had popped out from a cardboard box that Celestia had not taken notice of before now.

She recognised one of them as Scootaloo. But the other one she did not know.

"Aw, you're not Twilight and Vinyl!" the red eyed Pegasus cried out in disappointment.

Celestia looked on in confusion.

"Hi! I'm Surprise!" the Pegasus said with a smile.

Celestia frowned, she knew that name. This was Overdrive's pet minion, now she understood what the Siblings Nightmare had meant back at the hospital.

"It's not nice to stare," Surprise said condescendingly.

Celestia scowled at the Pegasus, she did not appreciate anypony talking down to her like she was a child. She turned to leave, she'd seen enough.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? I'm not done talking to you... Sun."

Celestia froze, and slowly turned to face the Pegasus. "How do you know that name?"

"I was there when you cast it off," Surprise said simply. "I watched as you tore away the foundations of everything Queen Gaia did."

"How dare you speak that name!" Celestia cried out.

At this point, Scootaloo retreated from the box and into the corner; the last thing she wanted was to be involved in this.

"Gaia Gaia Gaia Gaia Gaia!" Surprise repeated, angering Celestia to no end.

The day princess reached out with her mind and clasped on to the Pegasus, launching a telepathic assault on the mare before her. Surprise however did not seem to be phased by it. Her eyes grew big, and her smile became wider than it had ever been. She met the princess stare, and returned it own.

Celestia felt herself beginning to falter; the Pegasus was actually blocking her!

That was when the images came. The mare before her was not only blocking her telepathic attack. She was countering with her own.

Images of horribly mutilated ponies filled the day princess' mind. She saw rivers of blood flowing freely in Canterlot's streets, buildings burned; ponies unlucky enough to escape them screamed in terror as they burned alive.

And standing on the tower of the castle was none other than Surprise herself, ginning madly, and coated in blood.

"Boo!" the Surprise in her vision cried out.

Celestia screamed in terror, changing back into her disguise and fleeing the library at top speed. She had met her match.

Surprise collapsed in the floor, rolling around laughing hysterically.

Scootaloo watched from the corner. She had not seen what Celestia had, but she knew to be scared anyway. Surprise turned around and looked at the filly with a smile.

"I know how else we can have fun!"

...

Sunshine had given her the slip. Derpy had taken her eyes off her for only a second, and just like that, her eyes had betrayed her again. Derpy sat on the kerb looking up at the sky. No point in going back to sleep now. Where she able, she would have gotten her mailbag and started delivering the post now.

Derpy hated her eyes. They had been nothing but unkind to her for her entire life. They caused her humiliation, misery from being the receiving end of cruel jokes, but most importantly, they'd caused her heart to ache.

For a time, Derpy had been a foster parent to a small unicorn filly named Dinky. The constant "harmless pranks" had caused Child Services to determine that Dinky was not in a safe place. Derpy had loved Dinky as if she had been her own flesh and blood.

Derpy was crying, as she often did when thinking of Dinky, she missed that filly terribly, and the worst part of it was that she wasn't allowed to have any contact at all. The system was not kind to her. Derpy had been a loving parent, and now she had no idea if Dinky was even okay, for all she knew, Dinky was living in a home where her foster mother could be beating her right now.

There was nothing she could do about it.

Comments

[Apocalypse Pony]

Poor Derpy

[DreadedCandiru2]

Crap. I'd wondered when you'd bring Dinky into the mix and, well, you added a hint of realism and a bucketload of pain. When Celestia herself sees a clumsy moron instead of the victim of bigotry, you know that Derpy is screwed.

[Fallen Knight]

poor derpy indeed

Surprise stronger then celestia huh, damn then Override is probably 100 times stronger

[Wheller]

8231

Not exactly, you have to remember why Celestia does things the way she does them. She loves her subjects and wants to protect them just a little too much. Here comes Surprise, who despite her childlike playfulness, is incredibly violent, sadistic, and insane. Celestia looked into her mind and saw what was inside. It was too much for her to handle.