3. But Here I Am Under The Sky
03. But here I Am Under The Sky
The rain fell all day and night and continued to fall the next. And the day after it fell some more.
Free of the control of its pegasus drivers the storm had intensified, its great bulk piling up against the side of Canter Peak as it slowly wound its way along the fertile valleys below Canterlot. From a distance it seemed as if the capital had disappeared into the heart of a bright new range of mountains. White cloud rose and fell with a gentle grace that belied the treacherous air currents roiling within them, so powerful that even if the weather teams had remained they would no longer be able to bring the storm under control.
Beneath the cloud it was as if night had returned again. The storm raged and thundered, flinging lightning around with abandon as it poured months worth of rain onto the streets of Canterlot, transforming the entire city into a network of canals. Few dared venture outdoors except for the most pressing or foolhardy of reasons. Even the normally efficient city postal service faltered despite having weathered the Long Night without interruption to their schedule, its hardy employees refusing to risk drowning on the city streets in what should have been the middle of summer.
The city slumbered beneath the storm and waited patiently for the rain to cease, content to hide.
High above, the palace towered like a beacon, every visible window burning bright and clear against the storm. Its upper reaches were lost amongst those same wracked clouds, but the glow of their lights was a constant nimbus that now shone day and night. In those dark days when the sun had seemed lost to the world the palace had become a beacon of stability. As long as the palace lights burned, so the story went, Equestria would survive.
Atop it all, on a balcony overlooking a city now lost beneath the same glowing mist, one light burned bright as the sun as Equestria's young new ruler stood in the blinding rain. Not a single drop touched her light grey coat. Her golden mane drifted about her head, mirroring the cloud that swirled around her palatial home, and her eyes shone with the light of life itself. She took a deep breath, held it and spread her wings.
Far away above the storm, the sun rose to begin the day anew.
Derpy lowered her wings and let her breath flow free. Her mane fell limp to her sides, returning from its golden, sphere-speckled aura to a plain flaxen blonde. With her power hidden her coat was soaked almost straight away; her mane soon slicked against her body as the rain drove it flat on her scalp. She stood then, with her eyes still closed and her head held high, letting the rain batter her flesh, uncaring.
After some time, though she was not sure how long, she noticed another presence. She opened her eyes to a gentle light glowing to her left and found another pony, another alicorn standing beside her. The other watched her intently through lavender eyes as Derpy gave a small but courteous bow.
The first time they had met it had taken the form of the departed Celestia, sparking no end of rumour and speculation in the streets below. Subsequent mornings it had appeared in a similar guise, recognisably Celestia's form, but differing in odd little details. Today the differences were more profound. Her mane flowed a bright, solid green and her face bore the proud nobility of a warrior rather than the gentle motherly image of before. She was smaller too, harder, a pony accustomed to privation and lack and conflict, so unlike the Celestia who had watched over a millennium of peace.
The Sun spoke.
"You shelter not from the elements. Why?"
Derpy was never sure how to respond to that sort of question.
Her relationship with the Sun was unusual. First and foremost there was the fact that she could have a relationship with the Sun at all. The Sun was wise beyond any pony she had encountered before, wiser than her old gramma, who always knew when Derpy had been at the cookie jar. Wiser even than Twilight Sparkle, who Derpy knew to be a very smart mare indeed. Yet despite all the apparent wisdom it kept asking her the strangest of questions and there were moments when it seemed like it really didn't understand anything at all.
Wisdom was not Derpy's own strength. She knew she wasn't the smartest of ponies, recent experiences with Twilight aside. In the end all she could do was be honest. And so she was.
"I like the rain."
If the Sun had any sort of reaction to her answer it wasn't showing it. The face it wore looked merely thoughtful as it slowly circled Derpy, never taking its eyes from her face. "You enjoy that which your predecessor professed to be 'a pain in the flank'."
"I was a delivery mare for years. Neither snow nor rain or any of that stuff." Derpy scuffed her hoof on the stone tile of the balcony as she thought back just a scant few weeks to her past. "I learned to enjoy it. I could either enjoy it or go mad and quit my job. I couldn't afford to quit so I didn't really have a choice."
"The choice is now available, yet you continue to choose the discomfort." The Sun paused to look up at the sky, unheeding of the same discomfort. At first Derpy had thought the rain was falling through the strange creature's body but she could see that it didn't now – it was solid as a real pony. Yet when the rain touched its skin it disappeared entirely, leaving the avatar dry and untouched.
It turned to look at her again, its face entirely neutral. "Why?"
"Because it's who I am."
Derpy shook her wings, sending a cloud of spray up to be lost in the overwhelming flow of the storm. For a brief moment she was back on her rounds, grounded and soaked, skulking between houses that were all but invisible in the pouring rain and loving every moment of it. Then, as now, true solitude had been a rare thing; she was always meeting ponies on her round or looking after Dinky and Sparkler. A rainy day was the only time she got to truly be alone on her own terms for any length of time.
"Because I can be mother to my daughters and a friend to Twilight and all that other stuff, but if I'm really gonna live for thousands of years then that'll be just a tiny part of my life. One day all I'll have left is you and this rain. If I stop enjoying this, who would I be?"
The Sun didn't answer. When Derpy looked the avatar it had inhabited was gone, lost to the clattering rain, which meant she had a visitor. This too had become a habit. Except for their initial meeting the Sun spoke to Derpy alone, refusing to even appear if any other pony was present. The idea that the spirit of the sun itself could be nervous around other ponies was hard to accept, yet it was the only explanation Derpy could come up with for its reluctant nature.
The Princess turned her back on the empty spot and found Twilight Sparkle a short distance beyond the balcony doors, sheltering from the rain beneath the glowing light of a magical shield. Something of a family specialty, she'd said once. Derpy didn't have any reason to doubt the claim.
"I guess I missed her again?"
Derpy nodded. "I'm sorry, Twilight."
The archmage smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. She probably knows I'd have questions to ask that she's likely too busy to answer, what with the whole light and life of the world thing."
Twilight extended her shield to cover Derpy as she trotted back toward the doors. Much as she enjoyed the rain the Princess didn't try and stop the kind gesture; she didn't want to hurt Twilight's feelings. And she had to admit that it was possible to have too much of a good thing.
"Why do we even call her a she anyway? It's not like the sun has a gender." The door closed behind them, dulling the steady roar of rain and wind to a dull rumble, punctuated by the occasional slap of a squall against the glass. "It's a giant flaming ball of gas."
"I felt the same when I was pregnant with Dinky."
The look that got from Twilight was worth every single moment Derpy would have to spend in her splendid isolation. Taking advantage of the silence while her friend tried to gather her thoughts, Derpy sauntered over to a heap of cushions near the fire and lay down. Once she had settled herself into the plush comfort of the pile, she spread her wings and sighed as the fire's heat soaked into them.
Over the crackling flames she could hear Twilight pottering about the study, mumbling under her breath as she organised the day. Quite when the archmage had decided to take on the role of royal secretary was a little hazy, but she did a pretty good job. It was just that it wasn't her job to be good at.
"Twilight."
The rustling of parchment abruptly ceased, leaving just the crackling fire and the sound of Derpy's breathing. The Princess opened her eyes and rolled her head toward the soundless space. Behind a pile of official documents Twilight sat very still, her hooves pressed against the surface of the desk.
She took a breath and closed her eyes. "Highness?"
Derpy lowered her wings, giving them a light flutter to release a little of the moisture still lurking in their depths. She couldn't remember the last time she'd given them more than a cursory preening and it was starting to show, with several of her feathers starting to seriously fray and split. The Princess began absently running her snout through the primaries on her left wing as she spoke.
"You know you don't need to do all that stuff." Her muzzle snagged at a feather that came loose with a barely audible crack. Derpy let it fall to the ground and looked toward Twilight.
"Certainly, your highness."
The voice was one Derpy had quickly come to recognise as Twilight's 'I don't want to talk about it' voice; it was uncannily like Dinky's when she was in a recalcitrant mood, which said a lot about one of them, though she wasn't quite sure which yet. Derpy could have argued the point, maybe told Twilight she was being silly by hiding, but that wouldn't have helped matters. Instead she held out her wing and continued running her muzzle through its feathers.
A few more strokes and another feather slipped free, reliving an itch that had plagued her for days. She let out a quiet sigh and pulled the feather away to join its compatriots on the floor before turning a critical eye on her wings once again, shaking her head at the dismal state they were in.
"You'd think I wouldn't have to do this any more either," she muttered, stretching one wing forward so her foreleg could reach it. With great care she flexed her hoof and ran it leading edge of her wing, smooth out the feathers with a light sheen of oil. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do for now. "And I thought I told you not to call me that."
Despite the cheer in Derpy's voice, Twilight remained sullenly silent, refusing to look up from her neatly stacked papers. Derpy sighed and folded her wings carefully against her back before shuffling around to a more comfortable position.
"Leave that, Twilight. Come here." She patted a cushion on the floor by her side and smiled. Twilight didn't move. "You're going to leave that handsome secretary you got for me with nothing to do."
The gentle barb seemed to work. Twilight shuddered and shook her head, looking around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Taking a deep breath she pushed herself away from the desk and plodded to Derpy's side. There was a slight frown on her face, one eyebrow lowered just slightly below the other over narrowed eyes that didn't seem focused on anything.
As she settled down on the cushion Twilight absent-mindedly leaned over to lay her head against Derpy's side, only to pause mere inches from her shoulder with a confused grimace.
"Sorry," she muttered, pulling herself away again. "Guess I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay," Derpy replied, a timid smile working onto her face. Her ears had laid flat at the sight of her friend feeling so comfortable in her presence, even if it was just for a brief moment; Derpy wasn't sure quite how she should feel about it.
"I used to spend a lot of time like this with the prin-- with Celestia, when I was still very small and learning more basic magical skills. She even let me help her preening once or twice. I didn't realise what that meant until a lot later."
"Dinky likes to help me with mine too. It's different with foals," Derpy replied quietly. She nuzzled at the top of Twilight's head without thought, closing her eyes as she drew in the familiar scent of Twilight's mane.
Both mares caught their breath at the same time, the same chilly feeling running down their spines despite the heat of the fire. Carefully, avoiding any sudden movement, they shuffled away from one another, their stances becoming just that little bit more formal and remote as they settled again. The perfect image of professional interaction.
It was exactly the thing Derpy had wanted to talk about, but now she was as guarded as Twilight, unable to even think about it without her mind bringing up unwanted images. Her wings fluttered at her sides; for something to do she flared one out and plunged her mouth into it, searching for another loose feather, for a snag or a ripple or anything that might occupy her mind.
Slowly the moment passed, the icy barrier between them melting away as each mind sought to reorient itself. To her side Twilight took a deep breath in through her nose then let it flow slowly from her mouth.
"I'm sorry."
The words had come unbidden. Twilight barely reacted, the flick of her ears the only real sign that she had even heard. She stretched out her forelegs and took another deep breath then hauled herself to her hooves.
"Your rehearsal will be in a few hours," Twilight said, her voice remaining carefully neutral. "There's not much to do until then. I could have Dinky and Sparkler come up to spend some time with you, if you like."
While you hide away in your own little tower, Derpy thought sadly. "That would be nice. I've barely had any time with them."
"I know." Her eyes were filled with so much more she wanted to say, so much that Derpy already knew. So much they both already knew.
Twilight turned away then, clearing her throat to break the silence as she stalked back to the desk. Papers flung themselves into the air at her command, rearranging themselves into an order more to her liking. She stared at the shuffling reams without paying any real attention.
"I had a thought, since we're on the subject of your coronation."
Derpy nodded slightly. "I think I can guess. You want to move it to Ponyville."
"The weather will be better," Twilight replied quietly. She let the papers fall to the desk in neat stacks and closed her eyes for a moment. "It'd be nice to see all the girls again. And on a more official level it would establish a nice precedent."
"I don't understand."
With deliberate care, Twilight circled the room and made her way to the window. She stared up at the endless grey wall that surrounded their tower. "You represent something completely new. It's tempting to make statements about the collapse of the old order and the rise of new paradigms, but I think more than anything you represent the Equestria that Canterlot rarely interacts with. You're everything they're not."
She closed her eyes and smiled. "In a way you're everything Celestia wasn't."
"Twilight..."
"It is what is," Twilight said quietly. She turned from the window and walked toward the door with her eyes still closed. "It seems fitting. I think... I think Celestia would have liked to see you crowned somewhere divorced from the old ways."
At the door Twilight paused, her hoof half-way to the handle. She lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Derpy with an odd half-smile.
"Of course it's up to you," she said quietly.
"I think I'd like it," Derpy replied. Her voice had stayed low; it seemed almost blasphemous to raise it in the presence of her predecessor's name.
Twilight's smile only grew broader. Without a word she opened the door and stepped out, leaving Derpy alone with her fire. The Princess knew her daughters would arrive soon – she could feel the bond between them and herself so powerfully now, one of the many advantages of her new form. Until then she was alone. Or almost alone.
For a moment Derpy saw another pony standing by the windows, staring at the sky with a peculiar smile on her face. Yet before she could even think to speak the avatar was gone, lost to the bright glow of lanterns in the rain-soaked cloud that swirled and shifted around her towering home.
Her hooves itched, memories of her time as a reserve weather teamster forcing their way to her conscious mind at the sight of so much cloud. Closing her eyes, Derpy trotted toward the great doors that led out to the world. She stepped out into the rain and moved to the balcony rail, lifting her wings to soak in the eternally shifting currents of the storm.
High above, the sun continued its lonesome path, undisturbed by any intruder.
Equestria woke to the new dawn.
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Derpy??? As a princess?
THIS I gotta read!
~Skeeter The Lurker
Hell, yes! It continues! All Hail De Raptura!
Annnd, faved.
Now to read.
Two stories for me to read? This will throw my schedule off completely!
I could have sworn I read this before.
The part with Sparkler and Rarity especially.
2887067 The first tow chapters were originally posted on the previous story but they were the start of a new story arc and didn't really fit. I've waited until I had some new material to re-post them.
So, I get to reread some of my favorite work on the site, and then get more, full of solar avatars and new dawns and Derplight. Good deal!
The only negative feeling I have that's even related to this story is that I've already given my Ditzy a middle name, so I can't grace her with the metal awesomeness of Thunderpeal. Seriously, I hear that and I imagine a pegasus berserker with a battle axe in one hoof and an electric guitar in the other. Now transpose that image onto Derpy Hooves. Glorious.
Well this popping up just thoroughly made my day.
I think the things that really grabs me about this story is all the things that AREN'T said, the silence itself speaks volumes. Twilight Sparkle was supposed to succeed the princesses, that much is obvious, to her especially, it's very telling that she hasn't mentioned it once or so much as had a single obvious reaction to the fact that Ditzy wound up being chosen instead; no elation, no relief, no jealousy, frustration... anything, so far she just seems sad that Celestia and the others are gone and supportive of Ditzy and her daughters. There's also the silences between the characters, all the words that aren't said, between Ditzy and Twilight, between Sparkler and Rarity, between the Sun and Ditzy... it's interesting, not to mention enjoyable.
*Finally posted on the right story this time.
2889214
I like your insight.
2887860 mmhmm
2887112 It is a pretty rockin' name.
OTP.
Amazing series so far, can't wait for all the future surprises that Princess De Raptura has in store for us.
This is such a fun story.
I'm getting the impression that more than a few readers are missing the fine print that this is a sequel.
Meh, It's probably a false hope, but can you keep DerpLight out of this story?
I just read it. And I guess you are going that way... Happy travels to you I guess. *walks out the door*
2891589
oh you so edgy.
2891620 Umm ok. Good travels and a polite way of showing I am disappointed and don't like the way the author is going with this...... I don't think I'm edgy...
I hope I was polite at least.
2891913
Sorry, not sure what to make of actually telling him you're done reading it, I took a stab at it.
Mmmm...Uhhh....No. Not gonna happen. First, it's an idea that is tasteless. Sure, people wanna see Derpy have something better, but shoving a giant fircken responsibility before her and it's far too much.
Now, if you would have made it to where Derpy was given the chance of a lifetime, giving her a lover, a new family, a great supporter to ehr life as a simpl, lowly mail mare, that would make top of the feature list. It's not a form of thinking, but knowing. Play your cards right, dude, you'll get far.
2893915
That's rather rude, you know. You shouldn't tell people what they can and can't write; I mean, it's their story. Let them do what they want. In fact, if someone had said, "Twilight Sparkle shouldn't be an Alicorn, let her stay a lowly bookworm in Canterlot with no friends," I assure you, the show would have been much more boring. Live life for the spiciness, not for the bland mundane!
Also, great story, keep it up.
2893915 Really? IMO, Guiding Light was an amazing story and this is shaping up to be just as good.
2894468
2894199
Now I'm just not going to try. I wrote something long, soemthing which actually would be a good diea to make this story hat I would dab as (and have only ever claimed 3 specific stories as so) perfect.
I don't even know how old this person is, and the simple fact that no younger child could understand what I say, is what is keeping me form doing so. Never once said the author was a child, I'm just not taking the chance of looking like some (can't think of a word other than a fak, Un-understandable) person.
2894703 How old I am should not matter. Patronising a writer by declaring that only you know the way to fame and fortune when that writer has already been there several times, however, is considerably bad form.
I could point to my educational achievements. I could point to the fact that I've popped the top of that feature box three times already and hovered in it many times more. I could point to the fact that this very story crawled half way up the damn thing the same day it was posted and that its predecessor was guaranteed a slot there every time it was updated. I could point to a lot of things, but I think I'll just point at you and laugh, because you really are very amusing.
You want a story where Derpy gets some fancy happy fantasy life and everything is hunky dory? Great! Go write it. Make it the perfect tale you want it to be. Me? I don't want that. I want a story where she's thrust into a world beyond her comprehension and has to learn and grow and overcome challenges and experience things she never thought possible, and in the end rise above every obstacle because of the sheer strength of her character and the support of her friends and loved ones.
That's what I want to read, so that's what I shall write.
And for the record? I'm thirty-three.
2894703 You are either a troll, or a serious case of the Dunning-Kruger effect (i.e. so ignorant and incompetent that you actually have yourself believing you're an expert). But in either case, someone who mangles grammar as badly as you do, to the point where you can barely even write an intelligible comment, really has no place presuming to lecture anybody about how to write.
But if you really have yourself so convinced that you are a better writer than this author, then by all means show us. Write your terrific Ditzy Doo story, please. Given what you said in your previous comment, I bet it would suck majorly. After all, there is a reason why William Faulkner, probably a far better writer than anyone on this site, once spoke about “...the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about..." But feel free to prove me and Mr. Faulkner wrong with your tale of sunshine and roses.
2894874
It does matter whether or not you can or can not understand. Unlike what you people do know, I hate insultign children, and lvoe to communicate with people more of my age. So, bottom line, I'm here to make my opinion.
2893915 ...Don't tell somebody how to write their story. That's such bad form I don't even.
Like, you aren't even criticizing how they handled the plot - you're telling them they shouldn't have done this plot at all. What's your problem?
This is fanfiction. We do crazy things. We play with canon. We bend it out of shape, twist it into new things. Not everything is going to be your cup of tea. There are plenty of stories on this site, but I only take a glimpse at the five or so percent that interest me.
So I see stories with plots that don't sit right with me, don't seem plausible, don't interest me. The vast majority of them just... don't. Specific tastes and all. What do I do? I move right past them. Should I go up to every one of them and let them know that I didn't like their story because it wasn't about, say, vamponies or Changelings or sudden Alicornification? Should I tell them to go add the things I like, to change the plot, because I'm all-important and my opinion is king?
Look, I know concrit like the back of my hand. When somebody's making errors - somebody needs to tell them, or they'll never improve. Some people handle this more tastefully than others, but at the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with pointing out grammar mistakes, lapses in characterization, things that just felt off to you, the reader.
But if your issue is the story itself, the only thing you can tell the author to do is to change their whole plan to suit your views. And speaking as a writer - you have absolutely no right to do that. You're placing your views over theirs - something we all do in the real world, but this isn't your world. This is Archonix's little microcosm, and what he says goes. Sure, we can suggest, bring up things we hope will happen. Superimposing our worldviews over his? Not a chance. This isn't your story, it's his.
Sure, the idea of Derpy becoming a princess is a little out there. but Celestia's choice makes sense. It was quite well-explained. There's no mischaracterization here, and the writing is quite good - and if you're here to complain about the story's fundamental plot, I have to wonder why you even read it at all.
2899158
Walls of text I see, Walls of text I will not read.
2898071 There you go again with this "children" thing.
I'll put this simply, because you clearly aren't interested in dialogue or criticism and equally clearly are only here to whine about pointless things and insult everyone who disagrees with you.
Fuck. Off.
2899914 Well, aren't you mature. First you're insulting the author and his work, then you're implying that you're oh-so-high-and-mighty in comparison, now you're refusing to read any dissenting opinion.
This may just be experience speaking, but when somebody writes a wall of text at you, it's good form to read it. Walls of text take a while to write. Although honestly, I'm not sure what I could accomplish at this point. Nor would I consider that a wall of text, but whatever.
Bottom line - you have nothing useful to say here. Once you tell the author to completely scrap his plot, you've moved past any sort of constructive criticism.
2900452
No. I simply could care less, and could spend my time doing something other than babysit and read long rants from angry people.
2903004 So basically, only your opinion matters.
I suppose that's a decent attitude if you're a solipsist.
In all truth, though, it's rather ironic how you're claiming we're all so much lesser than you when you're the one acting like a petulant teenager.
2893915
Ohh ohh do me next do me next!
2903015
I don't care how you word it. Doesn't effect me if I don't care and ignore it, because I'm actually doing something productive.
2903407 Meh. If this is your idea of being productive, I doubt it.
But really, I'm getting tired of talking to you. If you ever decide to, you know, get a shred of common decency, and respect, and all those things that people like to be treated with? Quit the swaggering. The way you're presenting yourself will earn you no friends and no admirers.
2903416
I've been writing for the past few hours. When I see the notifications pop up, I got ot get rid of them and tell people my opinions. Thats what commenting is all about, so that people can give others their opinion. Now whether or not it's good is up to the person speaking. Have a ncie day, stop replying.
2903534 Look at me, I'm replying! Try to stop me if you can!
Just got done readying your stories up to this point and I must say that I am rather enjoying it. De Raptura is right up there with Nyx as being one of my favor characters. Both are just behind Applejack however
.
Keep up the great work I look forward to your next chapter
3013826 Mmm... nah.
2914811 Of course. Applejack is Best Pony and always will be.
3013826 Yeah, no.
If she just has a lazy eye, that's one thing. But if we're talking legitimate mental deficiency, it's a BAD IDEA.
Thoroughly enjoying this so far, just as I thoroughly enjoyed Guiding Light. How you can take such a relatively outlandish premise and expel such a well written story is impressive. Then again, it's quite en par with what I have come to expect from you having read several of your other works.
Looking forward to how it plays out.
I came to see how much I needed to read in the next couple days since I had fallen behind. I stayed once I started reading the wonderful back and forth with Bro Dash. I wish I had some popcorn for that. For someone so "amazingly talented" he sure doesn't have very many well rated stories. Most are about 50/50 with the thumbs up and downs. Many have more thumbs down than thumbs ups. His best is 47 thumbs ups and 10 thumbs downs. I'm sorry you had to deal with someone so stupid Archonix. All the while just this story alone smashes his best with 97 up and 5 down at the time of this writing. Anyway, continue with your wonderful world and story and I can't wait to catch up on this so I can go crazy waiting for more updates
3014636 Hasn't the story clearly shown that she has no real mental deficiencies. I fail to see why there would be any problem with her in particular being a princess. She just has a lazy eye.