Recovery and relocation
Derpy stood on shaky legs. The doctors has suggested that she start her physical therapy, so here she was, outside in the castle grounds. That had been a surprise all to itself, waking up in the castle infirmary, and being looked after by the princesses private physician. The princess had explained why she was receiving this special treatment, but Derpy was having a hard time believing it.
It was a quiet part of the royal grounds that the infirmary backed on to. Away from the hedge maze and statue garden. An open and undulating space, with a well worn path leading around it. Two laps, the doctor had told her, at a walking pace. She silently congratulated herself on remembering the instruction for the two hours it had taken her to get ready. Although, standing here, now, she wondered if she had the strength to manage it. Preparing herself to set off, that just left the question of the two ponies standing before her.
"I'm sorry, who are you again?"
"We're your parents, dear." The dark grey stallion spoke with such an earnest tone, Derpy believed him at once.
Parents, everypony had parents. Derpy shut her eye, and tried to think. The past was a mystery to her. Fragments floated back to her, but there was no context, and no faces she could recall. Her brow furrowed, while nothing came to mind.
"Don't fret dear," the mare, her mother said. "Try not to think about it."
"Was it you, that told me that old joke? 'Don't think about the elephant.' Just saying 'don't think about it' makes it near impossible to not think..." Her voice trailed off. Anger wouldn't help, and she could see the pain her words was causing. "I'm sorry. I still don't remember."
"It's okay, you just need more time."
"'Time heals all wounds,' right? It's been a week..."
"Almost two," her father corrected without thinking.
"We've had a conversation like this before, haven't we?" Derpy asked, struggling with her memory to reveal the answers.
"It's not important. Let's just focus on your therapy. We'll have a nice stroll through the gardens. I think the roses are coming into bloom." Evasion and distraction, masking a mother's pain.
"Two laps, at a walking pace," recalling the instruction irritated her, while there was so many things that were far more important to remember. "At least it's a nice day for it."
The three set off in silence. Derpy's poor balance and missing eye meant that she looked like a meandering drunk. Her parents stayed close, leaning in to support her when she stumbled. They did their best to ignore the way she flinched whenever one of them brushed against her
-----
Princess Celestia sat on her throne, and did nothing to hide her irritation as court played out before her. The parade of nobles had soured her mood. The speeches of support and unity of the first few days had given way to the typical petty squabbles the Canterlot upper classes were famous for. Had the House of Blueblood really demanded reparations from the royal guard for a trampled garden bed? Where was their sense of perspective?
"Mister and missus Hooves, of Cloudsdale!"
Celestia lept from the throne, and walked across the red carpet to meet them halfway. It wasn't enough, however, to forestall their bows.
"Please, there is no need for such formalities. Let us adjourn to the antechamber for a much more relaxed chat." The princess turned to address her attendants. "I am done with court for today, give my apologies to the remaining petitioners."
Derpy's parents followed Celestia into a small room just behind the throne. It was a cosy place, devoid of the pomp and circumstance of the castle's public spaces. Large cushions were arranged around a low table, with a simple wet bar running along the far wall. There was a small fireplace in one corner, with a heavy cast iron cooktop above it. The princess started the ritual process of brewing a pot of tea, she did not permit servants into this private place. One of her little rebellions against the all pervading intrusion of her royal station.
"How is Derpy's recovery progressing?" She asked as she set a kettle to boil.
"As well as can be expected, Highness. Her physical therapy started today. We all took a walk through the Royal gardens. The roses are coming into bloom nicely."
"Yes, they are a credit to the groundskeepers." Celestia let the silence play out, sensing something troubling the ponies before her. It stretched on, until the water had boiled, and the tea was brewed and poured. They had all set their cups down after the first sip, before Derpy's father cracked.
"We think we should return to Cloudsdale." The statement settled like lead over the group.
"It is still very early days yet, and there is a long road to recovery before her. You are both more than welcome to the hospitality of the castle guest rooms."
"Princess... Your Highness..." Derpy's mother was distraught, and confused by the correct form of address in such an informal situation. "We are a distraction to her, and we're slowing her recovery."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Her memory has not yet recovered, and with every passing day it becomes less likely that it will. Every day, we have to start over from scratch, re-establish who we are, explain our relationship to her. Every day, her reaction is different. Whenever she falls asleep, we are gone from her mind and have to begin again. It is far too draining for her, emotionally. We are a hindrance to her progress."
The dark grey stallion took over from his emotional wife. "We've been accused of being imposters, of replacing her real parents. While that may hurt, it is at least more bearable that watching her beat herself up for not being able to remember. Every day is an emotional rollercoaster for her, and the last thing she needs right now. She needs time right now. Time to heal. We are draining energy reserves she can not spare."
"Or perhaps you are thinking of your own emotional needs," even as she said it, the princess regretted it.
"Princess! There comes a time when every mother..." the pegasus mare shut her eyes, and tried to focus her thoughts, "When every parent must put the needs of their child before their own. Whatever our 'emotional needs' may be, they are completely irrelevant. Derpy is lucky to be alive. I don't care if she never remembers me, so long as she is alive and well, and able to live a happy life. When she can walk without stumbling, when the splints come off her wings and she can fly again, when she can wake up in the morning and still remember the events of the day before, I will fly to her bedside and spend every waking minute with her. Until then, we're HURTING her, and I will not be responsible for causing my daughter pain if I can help it!"
"I apologize, without reservation. My statement was inexcusable." The goddess of the sun bowed her head in shame. Had she really thought a parent could be so selfish? She wanted to blame her outburst on a day spent mollycoddling the egos of the nobles, but she pushed the ingracious thought from her mind.
"We should leave." The couple stood, the tea forgotten.
"Please, I beg your forgiveness. If you do not wish to stay, I would urge you to write. A letter has a permanence that might make all the difference," the princess suggested.
"Yes, we will. We have already had a photograph taken with her," the pegasus stallion said, "so she will know we were here, should her memory return."
"I apologize again. I owe Derpy a debt I can never hope to repay. I should never have thought ill of you."
"It has been a stressful time for us all." The alicorn noticed that they neither accepted her apology, or offered their forgiveness. While that stung, she could not help but think on how she had wounded them with her careless remark.
-----
As the princess walked in to Derpy's room in the infirmary, she saw her staring at a photograph in a frame. She held it before her, focused intently on the image. Occasionally she would change the angle she held it at, or bring it closer to her face, but she never took her eye from the image. She was looking at it as if her life depended on it. Celestia was loathe to interrupt.
"I forgot who my parents were again today," Derpy spoke with a quiet and reserved tone, as if ashamed. "Every day it feels like I'm a foal again. Learning to walk, being introduced to ponies I should know, but I have never met before. I've been here almost two weeks, or so I've been told, and I still have to ask where the bathroom is. I don't think I'm getting any better. I want to get better." Derpy let out a heavy sigh, as she dropped the picture on the bed in front of her. "I hate this."
"I insulted your parents today, by speaking carelessly. I do not think they are going to forgive me in a hurry. I fear I have spent too much time amongst the nobles, to be able to fit in with the rest of my subjects." The royal alicorn pulled the tiara from her head, and toyed with it using her hooves. "When you spend your day verbally jousting and point scoring, it can be difficult to switch off, and just converse. That is what I was doing, using you to score points against your parents. Their only concern was for you, and I questioned their motive." The princess put the tiara back on her head, and picked up the photograph. "I hate that."
"So," Derpy queried, "We both have had a bad day?"
"And too many of them in a row." The princess gave a wane smile. "This is a nice photograph, all things considered."
"I'm in bandages and splints, and we've all got fake smiles," Derpy breathed deep, "but, yeah. It's a nice photo. I didn't have any photos of them the stuff that was shipped over from the barracks. Is that typical?"
"Every guard is different. There is no 'typical' guard Derpy, every one is an individual. They all volunteer for different reasons. They come from all over Equestria, the only thing they have in common is the desire to protect the ponies of this land."
"What was my reason, do you remember?" Derpy asked in a very small voice.
"Of course," the princess smiled wide, joy lighting her eyes, "I remember all of my guards. You stood proud, your head held high, and said in a strong and clear voice, 'I wish to make Equestria a safer place, and joining the Royal Guard is the best way to protect the country's greatest asset.' You were quite the idealist. I was a little worried that if I did not take you on, you would spend your days trying to guard me anyway."
"But my cutie-mark has nothing to do with being a guard."
"A pony is more than their special talent. You can do more with your life than what your cutie-mark indicates. It is to guide your life, not to rule it."
The princess and the pegasus sat in quiet contemplation for a time. Each turning the days events over in their minds. Two mares, sitting and trying to define their respective lives. One wishing she could remember more, the other wishing there were some things she could forget.
-----
Three days, that was Derpy's new record. She could remember events from the last three days. She had pancakes for breakfast three days ago, the splints came off her wings two days ago, and yesterday a group of her comrades from the guard came to visit. She didn't remember any of them, but it was nice of them, to come around and share their stories of her time in the guard.
She was pregnant too. That was quite the revelation. Reading her diaries had been a shocking revelation. She didn't recognise anything she had written. Reading them had left her feeling disconnected from what was on the page. She couldn't imagine falling in love with somepony so completely, to be willing to risk everything just to be together. But there it was, written in her most personal journal, and her pregnancy noted on her medical chart. It had to be real.
Today, however, she was going to be fitted with a glass eye. The bandages had been taken off her head, and now a doctor and the the princess were attending her in the infirmary.
"Sit still, Derpy. This will go quicker if you don't fidget," the doctor admonished. "We have to take very careful measurements, and inspect the scaring."
"Sorry doctor, it's just a really weird sensation. I've never had anyone poking around in my eye socket before."
The princess looked on from the other side of the room, focusing her magic on the lump of coloured glass before her. The spell was a simple one, a shaping spell. Most of the foals in her school for gifted unicorns practiced it on clay. It was, however, uniquely suited to the task at hand. The glass flowed before her, twitching and turning under her gaze, forming a bright white, gold and black orb before her.
"How is this doctor, for size and shape?" The princess floated the false eye over for him to inspect.
"Yes... Yes, good. It looks ideal, majesty. Has it cooled?"
"Give it a few moments more. Let me check it against Derpy's other eye for colour matching."
The princess floated the newly formed glass eye over beside Derpy's head, just out of her line of sight. The alicorn peered at it, switching her gaze back and forth, turning it this way and that. Derpy's pulse quickened under the close scrutiny of the princess.
"Perfect!" She proclaimed.
"Let me sterilize it, and we can try fitting it."
The floating eye was plucked from Celestia's magic grasp, and quickly dropped into a solution of medical alcohol. It was pulled out and wiped all over with a fine, lint-free cloth, before the process was repeated with distilled water and a different cloth.
"We'll teach you how to do this for yourself before you leave, but for the time being, let us take care of cleaning it."
"Okay," Derpy responded.
"Now, this may feel strange, as we push it in. And you'll want to put in the eye drops straight away, so you don't irritate your eyelids."
"Waagh!" Derpy cried out as the eye was pushed roughly home. "That's so..." She could feel the eye drops now, lubricating her eyelids as she blinked. "How... How does it look?"
"See for yourself," a smiling Celestia waved a wing towards the bathroom.
Derpy walked into the bathroom, the mirror taking up the left side, out of her line of sight as she entered. With a step and a turn, she was facing her reflection. Seeing herself without a mass of bandages over the left side of her face was something of a shock. There were still some stitches to come out, but it looked like she was not going to have much visible scarring.
She turned her attention to the false eye, and watched as it twitched to match the movements of her real one. It was magnificent, a perfect match. It was near impossible to tell one from the other. She couldn't see out of it, of course, but the illusion of the prosthetic was astonishing. Derpy smiled wide, and blinked.
It was pointing in the wrong direction.
Derpy turned her head, and with a wingtip, carefully adjusted the false eye's position. Checking things in the mirror again, she let out a satisfied sigh, and shut her eyes in contentment.
It was pointing in the wrong direction again when she opened them.
The pegasus stepped closer to the mirror and studied the prosthetic closely. It still moved to match the movement of her right eye, it was just pointing in the wrong direction. She closed her eyes very slowly and deliberately.
It was pointing in a different direction when she reopened them.
"This might make things difficult," she thought to herself.
"Derpy, how is it?" the princess called.
"One small issue, princess," she replied. With a sigh, a blink, and a new random direction for her false eye to point, she turned to leave the bathroom.
"Oh, dear," the princess said when she saw the false eye. "Doctor, is there anything you can do?"
He ran Derpy through a series of eye tests, usually reserved for diagnosing lazy eye. He watched her blink, several times, and even pulled the eye out to inspect it closer. Finally he turned and spoke, "False eyes are not in high demand in these modern times. With further study, I could probably figure some way of fixing it to the carrier we fitted to the eye muscles. That might prevent it being dragged out of position when she blinks."
"It's fine," Derpy said. "I suppose I should come out of this with some sort of visible scars. Let's just leave it."
"I don't mind try..." the doctor was interrupted by a raised wing from Derpy.
"It's fine, wonderful actually. It just points in a different direction. It's a small price to pay."
"Derpy, we can try again. I can fix this," the princess promised.
"No," Derpy said in a firm tone. "The goddess of the sun made my false eye herself. That's a story to tell. Far more interesting than having nopony notice it. It's something to tell my child."
"If you wish," Celestia said as she watched Derpy reach back with a foreleg to pat her belly, as pregnant mares are wont to do.
-----
The princess and the pegasus walked through the castle grounds, Derpy's physical therapy continuing. They had adapted the pegasus game of 'bounce' to aid her recovery. She would leap into the air with one wing beat, and then try to stretch out her glide for as long as possible. It was helping her wing strength and improving her landings with her reduced monocular vision. While they progressed through the grounds, they talked.
"I'll have to leave the castle soon, princess."
"Whatever for?"
"I can't live in the castle forever." The pegasus mare stumbled her landing, but quickly recovered and continued. "I'll have to go and find my way in the world sooner or later."
"The hospitality of the castle is yours for as long as you wish. There is no need for you to leave."
"Princess," Derpy furled her wings, "What would my purpose be? What role would I fulfil? Would you make me a duchess, and condemn me to a life of nobility?"
"I could, you know. Half the noble houses of Canterlot were formed on a whim of mine. It is a long standing tradition. It has been a mere twelve generations since the last time I performed the rites." The princess gave a mischievous grin. "It might be exactly what the nobility needs, some fresh blood to shake things up."
"And what of me and my foal?" Derpy asked, aghast. "We would never be accepted. Rumour and innuendo would plague the rest of my life, and my foal would be the subject of relentless bullying."
"If you wish. There is much that you could do here, however."
"Princess, Canterlot is a city of towers, spires, and mountain sides. I'd wipe myself out, crashing into something if I tried to fly here."
"Would you consider returning to Cloudsdale? I'm sure your parents would be eager to help raising their grandchild."
"Cloudsdale has similar architectural features, with the added complication of being made of clouds. Until I can master my weather magic again, I risk bouncing off the buildings, or crashing through them." Guilt crossed her face as she thought of her parents. "Besides, I don't know if my foal is a pegasus yet. If it's a unicorn or earth pony, I'll just have to move again."
"So, have you thought of a place to move to?"
"No," Derpy sighed. "I think an earth pony town would be best. Wide open sky, with few tall buildings. A town small enough to have a strong sense of community. willing to help me find a place to fit in, but big enough and growing, so I won't be a drain on them. Someplace willing to accept a clumsy pegasus, and a single mother."
"I believe I know just the place. Less than a day's journey from both Canterlot and Cloudsdale."
-----
With a squeal of brakes, and a hiss of steam, the train pulled into Ponyville. Derpy gathered her saddlebags, and moved towards the carriage door. She was taking a big risk, moving so soon after her recovery, but she wanted to be well settled in her new home before her foal arrived. The princess had set up an account at the local bank, and had provided her with letters of reference, suitable for whatever career she may choose. With the compensation provided for her injuries, she had time to settle in, and find a place.
There was a map, thoughtfully provided at the exit to the station. Derpy was easily able to figure her way to the inn she was booked to stay at, until she could find somewhere more permanent. She also located her bank without trouble, and the office of the local real estate agent. She would also have to register at the local weather office, and have her records forwarded to the nearby hospital. It was daunting, almost overwhelming.
With nervous steps, she made her way from the station. It was right in the heart of the village. She could clearly see the Town Hall, the tallest building around and an obvious landmark. It should be no problem for her to miss hitting it when flying. There was a bustling marketplace. The sights, sounds and smells assaulted her. Turning away from it, she walked through the rest of the town square.
The town was full of wide open space, and parkland. Coming from Canterlot, where the only way for a large number of ponies to live in the space available was to build towers and live on top of each other, Ponyville was a revelation. Buildings were spread out, offering lots of space. Even the residential areas had small buildings, with large private yards. This looked like a wonderful place to raise a family.
As she continued on to the inn, she chanced on the most glorious aroma she had ever had the pleasure to inhale. It wasn't too much of a stretch to guess that it came from a rather eccentrically shaped bakery, just up ahead. With no need for a second thought, Derpy followed her nose inside.
"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Which is a weird thing to call this place, 'caues building have so many corners, I'm not exactly sure which corner we keep the sugar cubes in. Oh, it's probably named Sugarcube Corner, because it's on the corner of Main Street an Sweet Lane. That makes sense! Here I was looking for a specific corner of the shop, and it's built ON a corner. Isn't that crazy? Anyway, I'm new in town, and I just got this apprenticeship here. And you get to be my first customer! That's if you buy anything. I hope you buy something, everything here is really good, and I'm not just saying that, I've tried everything we sell! 'Cause it's important for an apprentice to learn everything as quickly as possible. Hey, your eyes are pointing in different directions."
"Ah, yes. They do that sometimes." Derpy wasn't sure the pink pony before her had managed to breathe during her welcome. "What's that in the oven, right now? It smells wonderful."
"Ooooh, that would be a batch of blueberry muffins. Missus Cake should be bringing them out any second now. Do you like muffins?"
"I don't know," Derpy replied.
"You don't know? Wow! That means that you get to try muffins for the very first time. I didn't think I'd get to see somepony try something for the very first time, on my very first day behind the counter. Well, we've also got raisin muffins, pecan and walnut, chocolate chip... But there is a chocolate chip version of almost every pastry, so I kind of like to skip chocolate chip muffins for other flavours. Banana muffins are popular, and I really like the orange zest ones. We've also got..."
"Just the blueberry muffins for now, please," Derpy interrupted. She dropped some coins on the countertop. "How many will that get me?"
"That's enough for three blueberry muffins, with some left over for something to drink. We make some pretty good milkshakes here."
"I'd rather a pot of peppermint tea, if you have it." Derpy smiled, you couldn't spend so much time with the princess, and not come away with an appreciation of tea.
"Okie-dokie-Loki. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll bring it over to you." With an astonishing backflip, the pink earth pony rushed into the kitchen, crying at the top of her lungs, "I made my first sale! We need those muffins, and a pot of peppermint tea, STAT!"
Derpy settled into one of the booths, somewhat intimidated by the apprentice baker. She shut her eyes, and just inhaled the aroma coming from the kitchen. If the muffins tasted half as good as they smelled, dealing with the hyperactive motormouth would be well worth it. In very little time, the baker was back, with the muffins and the tea.
"Here you go! If you don't mind me saying, three muffins is a lot for one sitting. Would you like me to bag one, or two of these up for you?"
"No, thanks. I'm pregnant, so I'm not sure if this is a craving, or if I'm just hungry."
"You're going to have a baby!? Wow! My first ever customer is going to have a foal! That's wonderful. Where's the father? I bet he's as pleased as punch!"
"He... Passed away, before I found out." Derpy was embarrassed by the lack of emotion that statement had on her. Her expression must have looked properly mournful, however, as the effect of her statement on the young pony before her was dramatic.
"I'm sorry." The look of horror at the perceived insensitivity she had displayed was absolute. Derpy could see tears beginning to well behind the apprentice's eyes.
"It's okay, you didn't know. The situation is complex, but I'm fine, really."
"Really?"
"Really." Derpy took a bite from one of her muffins. "Oh, wow! That's really nice. I guess you could say I found out that I like muffins." She gave the young baker a wink and a smile.
"Yeah, they're good. But I have to say that I prefer cake." The pink baker gave a faltering smile in return, and went back to the counter, leaving the grey pegasus to her meal. After a long sip of her tea, she made a start on the second muffin, enjoying it as much as the first. By the time she finished the third, Derpy had decided she had a new favourite food. She was pouring out the last of the tea from the pot, when the pink baker returned.
"I was taste testing the batter, as we were making the muffins, and I kind of had too much. We didn't have enough batter for the last one. It's too small to sell, and a little burnt. Missus Cake said I could have it, but I'd like to give it to you. It's just a dinky little muffin, but you looked like you enjoyed the others so much, I wanted you to have it."
"Thank you very much," The pegasus said as she picked it up. "I'm Derpy Hooves, by the way. I'm new in town as well."
"My name's Pinkie Pie, and I'm glad you were my first customer. I couldn't have asked for a better first customer. I still think you should have gone for a milkshake, though."
As Derpy made her way from Sugarcube Corner, she couldn't help but think that Ponyville was shaping up to be a great place to live.
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Interesting.....the two of them arrived at the same time.
With every chapter I am more and more impressed with this story. Despite everything that unyielding strength, that unbroken sense of duty and honor still at the heart of our wall-eyed mare. And there is Celestia, that is my princess right there. After this chapter I have decided that I will be adding this story to my Protect Celestia group.
Celestia's Paladin
PS: If your Guard doesn't want Derpy, mine certainly will.
I'm rather amused at the implication that Pinkie may have been, more or less, responsible for Dinky's eventual name.
Commence read.
I'm sooooo glad this story is continuing, soo much daaawww's I can feel my heart exploding!
MERRY FIVE HOURS AND ROUGHLY THIRTEEN MINUTES IN TO CHRISTMAS!
Edit: yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh got it right on the thirteen!
Very good, bu I noticed one thing.
Did you mean to use the word won't? Because this doesn't make sence to me the way it is right now.
1848872
The word "wont" means "accustomed," pretty much. The sentence makes perfect sense.
A dinky little muffin!
Quite the providence that the two of them should start on the first day.
I knew there had to be more than simple tastebud delight to Derpy's attachment to muffins & Sugarcube Corner!
I do love this story.
It belongs on the top shelf for sure!
1848936
Yes i know now that, as i went and looked it up. Thanks anyway.
But at the time I did not know what it meant and was defiantly not the only person.
1848994
No problem. English has a lot of odd old words and expressions. My favorite's "shoot your mouth off" - why would anyone want to do that?
UPDATE FUCK YEAH
I love this story! I even set it as my homepage so I don't miss anything.
Also, all the loves for that Dinky little muffin.
Oh good lord that was good.
Keep it up
Was reading through again (cause it's freakin awesome) and I noticed one thing.
I may be wrong but wouldn't they call it a foal? They may be called babies but that just kinda stood out to me.
my god! words can not explain how much i love this story
Keep up the fantastic work!
Wow, this story is great! i cant wait for more!
thanks for the story.
1858263
^^ what he said. I thought it was just a one shot, then you built on it. And did so nicely. I'm hoping theres more where this came from.
1849078 Oh i would LOVE to shoot someones mouth off.
> “A Dinky little muffin.”