Learn to Fly (Derpy's Tale)

by Ganondox

Part 2: Hourglass

A great deal of my time was spent reading books I found in Miss Doo’s study. Miss Doo was a naturalist who specialized in Everfree Forest botany who made her living off of selling herbal remedies and books she wrote. As such there were lots of books on all sorts of topics relating to the natural sciences, including a few written by Mary Doo, as was Miss Doo’s full name, and I was able to convince her to get me new books when I finished all the ones that interested me. Before long I developed an obsession for the sciences, specifically physics, and even more specifically, aerodynamics.

I had always wanted to fly, but my motor control and visual impairments prevented from learning flying at the normal ages for a pegasus. I spent most of my time studying aerodynamics one way or another. I read books on physics and vector calculus, observed motes of dust as they floated through the air, and studied the motions of butterflies in flight. Before long I knew far more about the theory of flight than even most flight engineers in Cloudsdale, but all that knowledge didn’t have any practical benefit for me. I still could not fly, no matter how hard I seemed to try. I simply could not focus my eyes and my wings were too weak.

Miss Doo used what she found in “Bubbles” to try to make me feel more at home. She bought me another yellow doll, and while it wasn’t Miss Sweetie I still enjoyed playing with her and I named her Miss Ditzy. We also started cooking together more, especially by baking muffins. As I practiced cooking, I got better and grew more dexterous and stronger. With her help I got to the point where I could successfully go through the process of baking blueberry muffins without making any messes every time. At that point I started baking on my own. At first I kept screwing up because in the moment I’ll forget to do one thing or another or overlook something, but soon enough I got the routine familiarized and I had no problems with making blueberry muffins.

While I could now listen fine, I still did not speak very well. Miss Doo continued to try to coax me to talk., but I lacked the motivation to learn, and as we had already established a means of communicating with each other she began to lose her motivation as well. When somepony works hard for something and it appears that there would be little reward for succeeding, and no progress appears to be being made no matter how hard she tries, she will tend to put minimal if any effort into pursuing that goal after a while, and Miss Doo began to give up.

I figured I would not need to speak as Miss Doo and I communicated just fine, and I would not need to interact with other ponies, wherever they were. I would stay here, until one day I would learn to fly, and then I would fly off and find my mommy and daddy and then we would fly off together to the rainbows. However, that was all going to change with the addition of one more pony into my life. A colt, to be precise.

***

One day I was in the bedroom playing with Miss Ditzy when I heard a knocking on the door. I jumped up with a start as there shouldn’t have been somepony knocking on the door at this time. Miss Doo was in the house, so it couldn’t have been her, and the only pony who ever stopped by her house was the was the mail stallion who brought her letters and such and picked up her goods to sell. He only came once a week, and he had just come yesterday, so nopony should have been there today. I rushed downstairs and found that Miss Doo had opened the door and a colt was standing in the doorway.

He was around my age, and he was brown, with blue eyes and a spiked up mane. On his flank was the emblem of an hourglass. Miss Doo smiled and spoke.

“Speedy Hooves! How nice to see you! what brings you here on a fine morning like this?”

“Aunt Mary, my mother broke her hoof yesterday, and it has grown infected, so she sent me over to get some of that ointment from you, so...”

At this point he stopped as he noticed me. He then whispered into Miss Doo’s ear, but I could still hear him.

“Hey, who is that cute filly who just came downstairs?”

Miss Doo glanced back over her shoulder, then whispered back into his ear.

“Oh, that’s Derpy, but I call her Ditzy. She has been living with me for a few years now. Don’t pay too much attention to her, she mainly just keeps to herself. My, has it really been that long since you visited me last?”

Speedy Hooves decided to ignore Miss Doo’s advice and spoke directing to me.

“Hey Ditzy! I like your hair!”

I tried to stammer out a reply, but all that came out was a “beh..behh.” and then a high pitched squeak as I ran back upstairs and into the bedroom, and threw myself onto my bed. Once upstairs I heard Speedy Hooves say something, but I couldn’t make out what he said. Miss Doo then replied.

“I warned you not to talk to her. Ditzy is not your average pony, she wasn’t and still isn’t ready to speak to you yet. I’ll get you the Hawkberry salve.”

I heard the sound Miss Doo fetching the salve, and then of Speedy Hooves leaving the cottage. Miss Doo then walked upstairs and into the bedroom, sat herself down on the bed beside me, and spoke to me.

“Ok, Sweetie, I’ve had enough of this. I know you can talk, you would just rather patter messages out on that block of yours. Speedy Hooves isn’t going to wait for you to go and poke at that thing, he expects you to speak back to him, and what you did today offended him. We can’t keep this up forever. You need to learn to use your voice. Look, I know this is not easy for you, but I believe in you. Ditzy, you can do hard things, you have come amazingly far from that clumsy little filly I took in years ago. Now you can read, write, listen, and cook by yourself. If you practice speaking, it get easier, but you need to start practicing first, and now is good time to start. Speedy is going to come back one day, and you needed to be prepared to speak back to him one day. Oh Derpy, will you promise to me that you will try now?”

I stared back at Miss Doo for a moment, a bit shocked and what she had just said. Finally I spoke.

“Aa...I’lll....ch..tr...try.”

Miss Doo smiled back at me.

“I love you, Sweetie.”

***

We spent the next few weeks practicing talking. I was slow, but I was getting better and getting slightly faster over time. It was hard, but I wasn’t going to give up, I had made a promise to Miss Doo and I wasn’t going to break it. I was going to try, and every night I reminded myself that I could do hard things. I can do hard things.

I was getting better and better, but still there was something lacking. Miss Doo said there was something wrong about my mannerisms, but she had no idea how she was supposed to correct them. She also made me work on my manners, in preparation for a time when I had to deal with other ponies who actually cared. She taught me to say “puh..leez.” and “thuu...ayn...kyooo..”. I found it completely unnecessary, but Miss Doo said other ponies liked it when you said those words as it showed that you cared. I didn’t see why it mattered, but I did it anyway. These social conventions were so confusing to an isolated young pony such as myself.

I could not forget that colt who appeared that day. When I thought of him I felt a feeling that I do not know how to even attempt to describe. He came to me in my dreams at night. I wanted nothing more than to see him again. As Miss Doo promised, Speedy Hooves did return one day, and it was a lot sooner than the hiatus between the last two visits.

***

Miss Doo received a letter one fine afternoon saying that her sister and Speedy were coming over. Her sister said that she realized she had not visited her dear sister in far too long, and that they needed to fix this rift that was growing between them and strengthen their relationship. Miss Doo told me to stay in my room while she was over as she didn’t believe I was ready to deal with other ponies yet.

However, I was not going to have that. I was not just going to let Speedy come over and slip away between my hooves. While I stayed in my room I practiced saying phrases to myself to prepare for when Speedy came, and then I would say them to him. I was going to prove them all I could do hard things.

I waited until I heard knocking on the door and heard Speedy and his mother come in, and then I made my move. I came out of my room and stood at the top of the stairs, watching what was happening below. Miss Doo’s back was to me, and in front of her was Speedy Hooves and a caramel colored mare with black hair. I waited as the two mares talked while Speedy silently hung around, staring at the ground. At last I decided I was going to make my move.

“Hello S-Speedy!”

Everyone now turned towards me and instantly I began to regret doing anything. I began to back away, but then Speedy spoke.

“Hey Ditzy. My, I love your voice.”

I stared back at him for a second, then I realized that this what is called a compliment, and I was supposed to thank him for it.

“Th-thank you.”

Speedy came up to me. My first friendship was about to begin.

***

I was sitting with Speedy in my room one afternoon and we were lying on our bed. We weren’t really doing anything in particular at the moment, we were just lying there. Now I could speak just fine, it was no longer hard. After a while I decided to ask him a question.

“Speedy, what does your cutie mark mean?”

He turned and looked at his cutie mark. He then turned back to me.

“Oh, my talent is time keeping. I have a real knack for reading clocks and even hourglasses down to the tenth of the second, and I’m good with starting them and synchronizing them so I can get exact times. I discovered my talent when I noticed that my clock and several of the other clocks in Ponyville were off, so after I figured out which of clocks in Ponyville were displaying the correct time, and then I figured out how to set my own clock. After I fixed the time on my own clock I received my cutie mark.”

As he relayed his story, I was reminded that I had never actually been to Ponyville proper except for my initial visit to the hospital. I had always stayed in the grounds surrounding Miss Doo’s cottage, which lay in the outskirts. I enjoyed listening to Speedy’s tales regarding Ponyville, and I was going to ask for him to tell me more, but that was not to be.

“Now, your cutie mark is the real mystery. Bubbles, now what does that mean, Ditzy dear?”

Speedy whispered into my ear as he reached across my back and placed his hoof on my flank, right over my cutie mark. The sensation of him touching me caused me to tense up as I was overwhelmed. Speedy then removed his hoof. After I was able to regain my composure I spoke.

“I’m not exactly sure. I guess it means I’m good at making bubbles. I got it the day before I came to live with your aunt. I remember my mother took me off into the woods. She gave me the bubble wand and bubble solution, and taught me to wave it around and make bubbles. I then made bubbles until dusk, and my mother disappeared and Miss Doo found me, and later I found that I had my cutie mark. I don’t know where mom went, but I will find her one day, and then I’ll show her just how far I have come. I’m going to learn to fly, and then I’ll find mom and dad and show them rainbows, including the one found on the surface of the bubble.”

Speedy was now staring back at me.

“That’s quite a story you have there. Now, can you show me this talent of yours? If bubble making is your talent you must make some pretty impressive bubbles”

I nodded, then got off of the bed and headed off to the chest at the foot of my bed, which I opened and retrieved the bubble wand and solution. Speedy then watched as I created bubbles.

“Uh, Ditzy, I’m sorry, but you don’t seem to be any better at blowing bubbles than any other pony. I don’t think that’s your special talent.”

I was quite shocked. If bubble making wasn’t my talent, what was?

“I don’t understand. This just doesn’t make any sense. What else could bubbles represent besides bubble making? What happened on that day?”

I was now pacing around the room and my voice was turning erratic.

“I blew bubbles! I made them and I watched them for hours on end! There they were, floating through the air as they outlined the air currents, covered in a thin iridescent film! I didn’t do anything except for make bubbles on that day. What does this mean! What-”

Speedy cut me off by grabbing me, putting a foreleg around my neck and he pulled me in for a reassuring hug.

“It doesn't matter what your talent is. I’m sure we will find out eventually. Whatever it is, I love you just the way you are.”

With that he kissed me on the forehead. I then knew everything was going to be alright.

Comments

[Insanekyber]

Daaaaaawww. Keep up the good work.

[Aregularreader]

This story is cute, and I am enjoying it. Keep it going! And when I say it is cute, I mean it in a non-offensive way towards what I usually read. I mean like I really enjoy it no matter what. I am having a hard time explaining this oh well.

KEEP IT UP!!!

[Frizzy]

Doctor Whooves=Speedy Hooves?

What?

[Intrepid Mix]

This story made me all happy on the inside.
But then I thought why not take that happiness outside.
I now spend my days inside out, but I regret nothing.

Good story by the way.

[TLC]

Foo Fighters? Rad. Will read later!

[EvoDriven]

Aw. More Please!

[Ganondox]

428565

Yeah. It will be explained later on, it's important.

[Diabolic Gnome]

DAWWWWWWWWWWW

[midnight void]

dawwwwwwww

[Ganondox]

In order to prevent it from being confused with another story of the same name, I've added a subtitle. I hope no one minds.

[Bugenhagen]

They're not going steady

[Ganondox]

444893

Are you trying to tell me to de-capitalize the I's? That doesn't make any sense. However, I do see that the phrasing of that sentence is odd or doesn't make sense, I think placed the wrong word at one spot or left something out. I'll see if I can make the learning letters section any longer. I also think the section in part 2 where she improves her speaking ability is a bit rushed, but I needed to get her to be able to communicate with Speedy Hooves in a reasonable amount of time for the course of the story, even if its not entirely realistic.

[Wyvern1998]

445668
thats fine, and i understand. Like I said, I feel like it should have more detail in it, but I have no idea what I'd put. Although more detail may end up making the story longer than it needs to be.
Sorry about that. My shift key and I tend not to agree. I edited my comment.

I can't wait until you write more with this story.

[Mother3Forever]

Hmmm...Where does Dinky come into play?

ALLONS-Y!!!

[GuyFace]

Speedy? It's fine but... Speedy? Is that what fanon decrees now?

[Derpy Fan 4eva]

... aren't they a little young to be having those kinds of "feelings" or am I reading too much into the cutie mark touching?

[Manticore328]

87 likes no dislikes....by celestia what are you?

[Ganondox]

629107

Well, I'm not exactly sure how the timing is working, that was one of the hardest parts when righting this, but I figured they are young teenagers around now. Anyway, this was not mean to be sexual, or else I would have given it a teen rating. It's more slightly romantic, he was trying to stealthily hug her, not "tap dat ass".

[Ganondox]

628950
428565
Read the rest of the story, its explained.

[AnneHairball]

So is Speedy supposed to be the Doctor, or just another colt. I'm cool with any version.

[Noah]

“Uh, Ditzy, I’m sorry, but you don’t seem to be any better at blowing bubbles than any other pony. Sorry but that just freaked me out right there

[Toolkit]

Just a few things...
1) D'awwwww!
2) One of the best stories I've read centered mainly on Derpy. (The other is Trails and Trials, by Mazzyrazzy)
3) Am I the only one who reads Miss Doo's lines in the voice of River Song?
I can't wait to read the rest of the story, and I will(When it isn't whythebuckamistillawake o'clock in the morning).

[alexanderhunt88]

842537
Yes

[Lunamann]

Something tells me that it's air currents...

[Gates of Hell]

And here we can clearly see 11 soulless bastards, pardon my French!

[Phoenix Nebula]

6066810

Make that 13.