Origins of Derpy

by Scourgeous

The Pony Beneath My Skin

The phone slipped from Derpy's hoof and bounced on it's cord, dangling just above the ground. There was the sound of the long beep at the end of the message droning from the speaker. Derpy staggered backwards until her flank hit the soft wall behind her. She felt herself changing inside rapidly, feeling very hot and faint, then cold and frail, angry, then passive, sad, then filled with glee, all in the space of a few seconds. It felt like it took a lot of effort, because when she began to sway on her hooves, she was overwhelmed with grief.

All these years. All these seasons. Alone. Deprived. Broken. Deserted. My parents abandoned me...

"What's up, Derpz?" Carrot Top called over her shoulder, eyes skimming the news paper.

"I... I..." She couldn't force words through her throat as hard as she tried.

She fled for the bathroom, nausea rising deep within her stomach. She leaned over the sink and her stomach convulsed, but nothing rose to her mouth and she just groaned and staggered a little. A vile taste at the back of her tongue made her want to spew, but her belly was empty. She rose her head to stare in the mirror with one teary eye, the other drifting off into space.

So flawed... why me? She hissed in her mind, watching tears stain her cheeks. No wonder her parents had left her in that cold damp orphanage, where ponies seldom had to stay. Everypony had a loving pair of parents who raised their fillies and colts until they were ready to leave. Derpy still felt fragile as a newborn foal, her legs wobbly, her eyes blurred, head not quite right yet.

She smashed her hoof against the mirror, and it cracked, a few of the shattered pieces raining to the ground. She let out a choked screech, pulling her hoof back and slamming it on the ground. She stared at her jumbled, ragged reflection in the pieces still clinging to the frame, lips pulled back in a snarl.

Carrot Top flung herself into the bathroom, careful not to step on the glass. "Derpy! What's going on? Do I have to give a lecture about being pretty on the inside again?"

"So you do think I'm ugly!" She hissed. "Well so did my parents! And every other pony!"

The golden mare looked taken about, hurt flooding her eyes as she stared at her distraught friend. She tried to find words, but her lips just moved a little as she struggled to understand what was wrong.

"My parents are alive. They abandoned me because I was an ugly little foal who didn't turn out perfect as they had imagined." She wailed.

Carrot Top flung herself towards Derpy and pressed against her, feeling the Pegasus slump against her and cry aloud, her wet tears soaking into her orange mane. She soothed her gently and stroked her with a hoof, listening to her rumbles and squeals into her fur.

She sighed, leading the Pegasus back out into the living room. "Come on, you don't need them! You've done well without 'em."

"No I haven't. We have no bits. I fail at the job I try to keep. Everypony besides you hates me."

"Surely, somepony has showed you kindness?"

Derpy looked up very slowly, staring through a mop of her fringe. She stared at Carrot Top, meeting her gaze as she turned the question over in her head. Her memories flooded back to meeting the mare as a young filly, her smile, her friendliness, and her overall warm-heart. The memories skipped forward a bit, and she saw herself meeting Twilight, asking to cast a spell on her friend. The kind unicorn had always been there, and she had never stared at her eyes like all other ponies. Then the thoughts came very close to the moment she was living, only a few moments before.

She felt herself staring into warm, pleading eyes. Blue swirling eyes with a swoop of dark brown mane drooping over them. The brown stallion who had defended her, asked of her name, tried to talk to her when her heart was breaking. She opened her eyes again only seeing Carrot Top waiting for her quietly.

"There was a stallion. Today. I'd never known him before now... but he stood up for me. He really wanted to talk to me, but I just came home." She explained, snuggling against her friend.

"Why don't you go see if he is still in Cloudsdale? Start again and talk to him." She said, smiling. "Forget about your parents. You can have plenty of true friends."

Anger rose inside Derpy and she kicked Carrot Top away with a scream. "No! I will find him! And he's going to help me find my parents."

"How would you ever find your parents?" She said, growling with pain.

She ignored her, stepping out of the door and into the cold evening. The sun had already been lowered beneath the cloud layer, and the land was ghostly gray. She stepped across the cold blanket, hooves sinking a little in the soft damp fluff. Tears continued to fall unconsciously down her face as she walked through the quiet streets, which had bustled with life only moments before.

Something was strange. Only a few minutes had passed since she had been in the street, with the citizens of Cloudsdale streaming around her. She looked between the houses, and the gangly shadows cast by the houses. She took a deep breath and called out, but there was nothing.

Where is everypony? Slowly as she wandered, her anger and misery fading from her aching body, ponies began to step from their homes and walk about as usual. Soon there was more life in the streets, and she found herself being jostled around as per usual.

She looked wildly for the brown stallion, but it was hard to see between the ponies who ran along the ground and those who hovered and flew above. She hissed and wished that she had asked his name in return. Her eyes trailed along every alleyway, then halted on a hot air balloon that was hovering just above the edge of the city. She pushed through a group of Pegasi and galloped towards it, hopes soaring as she saw the scarfed pony trotting towards it.

"Yoo-hoo!" She called, eyes brightening.

He looked up, a smile spreading across his face. "Derpy Hooves! I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Feeling better?"

She hesitated beside him, then scraped her hoof on the soft ground. "No, actually. I needed to talk to you."

"Doctor Whooves at your service, ma'am." He dipped his head, blinking softly.

Warmth tickled her inside, and she stared up at his tall figure. "When I got home from one of the worst days of a life that I've never though was worth living, there was a message on the receiver. It told me that even though I grew up my whole life in an orphanage, teased, alone, struggling to find myself, that my parents were alive. I want to find them, Doctor. I want to prove to them that I'm not a useless foal with wonky eyes."

He stared down at her with the deepest warmth any pony had ever shown towards her, an understanding in his eyes that made her feel butterflies in her chest. He smiled, then nodded to his balloon. "I was just about to head to Canterlot. If you want to come with me, I'll be happy to help you look for them."

She stared up at him, tears of happiness ebbing at the edges of her eyes. She took a sharp, cold breath, then dipped her head politely to him, unable to word her gratefulness. She continued to make several polite gestures, then leaned forward to press her cheek to his neck before backing away sheepishly.

"Thank you. I would love to come. At least until I find something. Anything."

"Do you have any idea who your parents are?" He asked, climbing clumsily into the the basket.

She followed more slowly, fluttering up beside him. "Well... no. A Pegasus, maybe? I've had weird feelings this week, as if my body knew that this was the week I would be told. Whenever I get angry or upset, whatever played a part in doing it disappears until I calm down."

"Sound's weird." He said, confusion swirling in his gaze.

Not weird. Powerful. She blinked and looked around, the voice in her head disappearing like smoke. Obviously Doctor Whooves hadn't heard it. Beautiful. You're blooming like a beautiful flower, love. Every flower needs sunshine.

Comments

[Scourgeous]

2301480

Doctor Whooves is there for the adventure, but it's Derpy's adventure. But he's nothing really like the real Doctor.

[RadBunny]

Just a note-
the last line of the first chapter:

'you're' should be 'your' ^_^

[Moon Glider]

Is that voice who I think it is...?