A Certain Kind of Silence

What... happened? Where am I? I paused. Who am I?

"WHO AM I!?" I shouted, the air burning at my throat and suffocating my mind. It seemed so heavy...

Who am I?

I landed with a thud, dropping one of the three envelopes in my saddlebags. Another Pegasus landed behind me, a vibrant trail fading in the space behind her.

"Oh, hey. Twilight's not here, so I'll just take that-" Rainbow tried to reach around me, almost touching the letter.

"I'll take it." I interrupted, pushing her hoof away. "It's my job."

"I know you don't get extra pay for a long delivery."

"So do I." I replied, lifting the letter up with a wing. "And I'm doing it anyway. Where is she?"

Rainbow frowned, but lifted into the air anyway. "Over at Fluttershy's. You sure you don't want me to go?"

I nodded firmly. "I've got it."

"Well... bye." She darted off somewhere, and I slowly got my balance before flying up as well.

-----

"Oh, hello." Fluttershy waved from her porch. "How's your day?"

I hesitated before trusting my balance and landing. "Been good. You?"

"Oh, Twilight stayed up last night studying and has a migraine. She came over for some medicine, and she's having a nap. She's a lot more agreeable than most of my animals. At least she tried the medicine... oh, I'm sorry, I've been rambling..."

"Oh, no problem." At least you talk to me like I can think...

"But really, you're on duty, and now I've held you back from doing your job..."

"No, Fluttershy, I'm fine. Here." I pulled out the envelope, handing it to the timid Pegasus. "It's for Twilight."

"Oh, you're so good at your job." Fluttershy grinned. "You just come by whenever and we can talk."

I smiled back. "That would be nice."

As I took off, Fluttershy waved a hoof. "Bye, Derpy!"

Emptiness

"My name is Derpy... yes! Derpy Hooves! I remember now!" I pumped a hoof, flapping my wings victoriously. "But... I still don't know where I am... or what's going on..."

I looked around, noticing the vague landscape had gotten darker. "No! No..."

"What..." I had been answered before... "What happened?"

What's going on?

"Momma! Momma! Time for school!"

"I'm coming, muffin! Wait a second." I smiled, pushing my foal into a puffy jacket. "It's cold out today."

"Mom, I going to be late! We have to go!"

"I know." I crouched, letting her climb between my wings. I turned and locked the door before taking off, Dinky squealing and twisting her hooves into my mane and pretending to steer.

"Now, now, muffin, mommy's trying to fly."

"Sprinter's mom lets her play with her mane." Dinky frowned, reluctantly removing her hooves.

I winced, unknowingly prickling the hair on my back. "Sprinter's mom doesn't have my problem, Dinky." I managed to choke out.

"But I wanna play with your mane." Dinky whined, rebelliously putting her hooves into my yellow locks.

"Dinky!" I yelled, squeezing my eyes shut. "I said NO!"

I took a deep breath, hearing the whimpers of my daughter. I lifted her from my back and into my front hooves, and act that would have been simple for any other flier but required the utmost concentration for me.

"I'm sorry, muffin. I didn't mean to yell. You just have to understand how hard it is for me to fly or walk because of my problem."

"I know, mommy." Dinky whimpered, hugging my chest. "I just don't want the other kids to make fun of me..."

"They make fun of you?"

"They say you're stupid, mommy, and that you can't do anything... I tell them they're liars and meanies, but they don't care."

"Oh, muffin, I'm so sorry. I'll make sure that I do something right."

"I love you just the way you are, mommy."

-----

"I want to help."

Rainbow Dash cast a critical glare my way as she pinned up the corner of a huge poster. "If you must... um..." I could see her looking for something harmless that I could do, and finding nothing. She sighed. "We need to get that storm cloud out of the way..."

"On it." I nodded, flying up. Going well... I was helping, I wasn't useless...

Then my vision began to fuzz. "No..." I muttered, the fuzz quickly becoming double. "No!"

I aimed for the cloud, trying to figure out how far away it was...

BANG!

I hoisted back up, the stormy bits on my hooves. Closer than I thought.

BANG!

Crap!

BANG!

CRUNCH!

I turned slowly, seeing the wooden beam slam through the floor, tearing the poster, bringing Rainbow Dash down into the hole. I grimaced, still seeing double as I tried to land, overshooting and catching myself seconds before toppling over, my head down into the jagged hole.

"Are you okay?"

Rainbow flew out, a frown on her face and an angry flash in her eyes. "Derpy!"

"I just don't know what happened..."

Oblivion

"That... that's why I'm here? That's why everything's gone?"

There was barely any light now, darkness stretching up my legs.

"So... where am I?"

"This is the Background." Another voice echoed. A pale blue pony trotted up, blue and white streaks in her mane and a green mare with a paler shade in her mane at her side.

"I'm sure you'll be happy here." The green pony added. "It's quite nice."

"Do you have names?" I asked.

"We have symbolic names, given to us by the few who see us."

"You may call me Colgate." The blue pony smiled weakly, "And this is Lyra."

"Officially named Heartstrings."

"I'm Derpy Hooves."

"Well, Derpy, even being in the Background can get you some recognition. The Watchers will still see you. They fought a losing battle for you to stay out of the Background. You've been here before, but you were given a speaking line."

"But... we always talk! Why are we in the background if we can talk?!"

"It's what the Watchers see." Lyra nodded.

"What are Watchers?"

Colgate looked at her partner. "Only Lyra has seen the Watchers." She admitted. "We think the mare known as Pinkie might have seen them too, but... Pinkie has never existed in the Background."

"What do we have to do in the Background?"

"Quite simple." Colgate frowned.

Lyra finished the thought. "You stand, you walk, you sit, and you are silent."

"Silent?"

"You may talk in crowds, but quietly. You can move your mouth. You can look around. You can interact with others in the Background... but cannot speak."

"It is a very certain kind of silence." The pair muttered together.

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