> Melting a cold heart
>  by Inferno demon Dash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Day one: The bastard stallion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say Derpy Hooves, a gray furred Pegasus most known for her crossed golden eyes, was surprised was a bit of an understatement—okay, maybe more than that.

So much was it so that she needed a smoke and felt a headache coming on now as her younger  unicorn sister, Dinky Doo, held one of the biggest smiles a filly could muster at her older sister, who had to keep from rubbing her forehead with her forehooves.

“I did great, right, Ditzy? Didn't I do great?” Dinky spoke. Dinky resembled her older sister with her short blond mane and tail and a soft shade of gray—although hers was a lighter shade—and had big yellow eyes that always made her look as innocent and sweet as she was. 

The gray mare heaved an audible sigh hearing her little sister's nickname for her before looking at the stallion; an Earth Pony to be exact, with a brown saddle bag on his back that was soaked to the bone because of the large heavy downpour in Ponyville that would be happening for four days straight.

The stallion before her was quite handsome, she had to admit. His coat and short mane were both nearly the same shade of brown, as well as his long, mesmerizing eyes. With an hourglass Cutie Mark on his flank, he smiled sheepishly at the mare standing in front of him, before a hacking cough forced him to break eye contact.

Derpy scowled. She hated when her sister did something without letting her know. Of course, it would make sense to help somepony out when such awful weather was in the town and was the only sensible thing to do as her younger sister was not heartless. She had never been raised to be such, unlike herself, who learned a bit late to never just trust somepony just because they smiled at you.

She had been forced into the streets by her parents because she had hung out with the wrong crowd during Flight School.

Smoking, drinking, doing drugs, she knew that Gilda the Griffon and Rainbow Dash. along with a few other ponies that she was with, were never a good choice, but she had ignored it and paid the ultimate price because of it. Getting kicked out and almost being with a foal twice but having a miscarriage on both was her luck with her being so young—that was when she was at the age of seventeen, and now she was twenty one years old.

Of course she regrets it, but because of her crossed eyes that she had since birth, many ponies would not take her seriously. Her so called ‘friends’ never gave a shit about her, save for Rainbow Dash, who helped her get her mail job and bring her to Ponyville, but Derpy was still on edge and angry with what the cyan mare put her through and what she had allowed of herself.

Her parents had died two years before on a train ride to visit the Crystal Kingdom, and she had been forced to take care of younger sister, who while young, was very, very brave and had accepted their parents death. The same couldn't be said for Derpy, who had gotten drunk and cried her eyes out for two weeks before she had accepted it. 

Now, now she had to make the choice of helping this grown stallion, who might have caught a cold or worse because he had been too stupid to stay out of the rain.

“Thank, thank you, fair lady. I did not expect such hospitably from such a young-"

“Cut the bullshit. What kind of adult goes out into the rain when this damn town's been warned it would be raining for four days?” Derpy interrupted harshly as the stallion cringe from her cruel tone. 

“Um….I apologize, allow me to introduce myself. I am Doctor Whooves, you may just call me Doctor if you wish. I have just come into this town from a train ride from Dodge Junction, where I had been working with a young mare who deals with cherries. I've been saving up enough bits to move here and have not been given the chance to look at a place to stay, for obvious reasons. Though I have been out in the hard falling rain for three hours now and did not get the news until the last second, I’m truly sorry, Miss.”

Derpy blinked in a hint of sympathy before her eyes hardened. She used her right wing to grab a Diseased Stallion cigarette from her right ear and her tail to grab a lone match near her kitchen table. Lighting the match before doing the same with the tobacco, she inhaled deeply before exhaling out gray smoke from her nose then sat down on the floor.

Closing her eyes, she opened them again to see her sister and the Doctor staring at her, silently asking her to speak. She sighed then said with a fake smile, “Derpy. Derpy Hooves, and this is my little sister Dinky. Look, trust me, it’s going to be tough out there once the rain stops. Sorry about your saddle bag and your health, but to tell the truth, you only entered day one of this downpour, so you are not going to be able to get a chance at finding a house, let alone a damn job until it’s over, Doctor.” Her tone was as soft as she could before she blew a large gray cloud of smoke from her nose, to which the stallion waved away with a forehoof and coughed.

“I understand, Miss Hooves, and I do not mean to be much of a bother. But if I could be so kind to ask for a bit of-"

“No.”

“Sis…come on, look at him. He’s soaked, and he has nowhere else to go. We can’t be so cruel to just send him back out into the rain. It’s freezing,” Dinky defended the Doctor, causing him to blink in surprise from the young filly’s angry tone.

But Derpy had had enough. No one gave a shit about her when she was thrown out; no one but Rainbow Dash, though that was only to redeem herself from the guilt that clawed at her heart, and they both knew that.

So why should she lend a hoof to a grown stallion who she did not even know? For all she knew, this bastard could be a murderer.

“Dinky, that’s enough, go to your room. Let grown ponies talk alone,” Derpy growled at her younger sister while taking a longer drag of her smoke. She blew it out of the right side of her mouth.

“But—”

“Now!” Derpy shouted.

The small, scared filly ran up to her room, tears running down her face. The mare then turned her eyes towards the Doctor, who pawed at the floor nervously.

“Miss Hooves, honestly, I mean no—” 

“Shut it! Listen, I know it’s a bit harsh and cruel for me to do this, but I’m having a harder time taking care of me and my sister. We don’t got enough for a damn stallion, who was too bucking stupid to not know what the weather was going to be in the town he was going to ahead of time. Life’s tough; oh well.” Derpy voice as cold as ice as she spoke. She used her tail to take her smoke out and put it out,and then she got up from the floor and walked towards the stallion. He gulped, a bit afraid of the mare with her crossed golden eyes in front of him. The left eye looked right at him, with the right sliding to the side as neither held any pity towards the male in front of her.

“Miss Hooves, please if you just—”

“And stop calling me Miss Hooves, damn it. I am not my mother,” Derpy snapped, causing the Doctor to cut off his words before he continued with a nervous breath.

“Derpy, please... I have the bits to repay you, I can help you—”

“I don’t need your bucking HELP!” Derpy shouted.

The Doctor froze again fearfully. He waited a total of five minutes before speaking again. “I... I meant no disrespect, honest. But I could get very sick out in that freezing rain. I could die from hypothermia. Please, all I’m asking is for a few days of rest, no more. I could pay you for your help, if you wish, and will only eat what you make and sleep where you wish; nothing more, I swear,” he said softly.

She turned her head away, thinking hard. Finally, she took another deep breath before replying, “Fine, four days only. No more. Try anything with me and my sister, and I’ll kick your ass and send you to the hospital, and that’s not a threat; it’s a promise. Got it, Doc?” she spat with malice as the Doctor allowed a small smile to grace his face before he nodded.

“Good. Now take off your damn saddle bag and go take a shower. You stink. But first, go get me my smokes from my room. After your shower and my smoke, we are going to lay down some ground rules. Towels are upstairs in the hallway to the left in the closet, shower is to the right, so don’t get lost. Bring me my smokes quick, Doc, which should be on my dresser to the left, my door being the same way,” Derpy instructed bitterly. 

The Doctor saluted with a forehoof, trotting out the kitchen to the stairs. Derpy sighed loudly. What the buck had she just gotten herself into?


> Day Two: Praying to silent Gods
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By day two, Doctor Whooves honestly did not know how to feel about this mare whose house he was staying in. Last night, after she had her smoke and he his shower, she had let down some rather blunt, if a bit cruel, ground rules.

*Flashback*

“One: Don’t go for a snack, or eat anything that the two of us are not eating. I don’t need your damn bits, and we don’t waste food in this house, got that?” Derpy growled while holding a bottle of red wine in her left wing. 

The Doctor nodded.

“Two: We will be stuck in this bucking house for four days, so don’t just think you can do whatever the buck you want. If you’re bored, go hang out with my twelve year old sister if you must, but don’t be entering our rooms or shit. You’re sleeping on the couch. Got that, Doc?” she sneered. 

The stallion accepted this, for thought that was fair. After all, this was not his house, so he had no say of anything. He adjusted his brown saddle bag and stood up straighter to pay more attention to her. She took a long drink from the bottle before burping loudly and narrowing her eyes at her guest.

“Three: Don’t ever, EVER, touch my drink or smokes. Do that and I’ll kill you. I’m not kidding, Doctor Whooves. You hear ME?” She shouted her last words due to being a bit buzzed from the alcohol as the Doctor nodded his head roughly, hoping he would not have a whiplash later for it.

Derpy snorted before putting down her bottle and getting a cigarette from her packet on the kitchen table while the Doctor sat across from her. Setting off a match with her tail, she lit her second smoke for the night before inhaling and blowing the gray smoke out her mouth. She grinned darkly in amusement as the stallion before her coughed.

“Derpy, I would never smoke. Being in the farm I was, it would have affected my lungs and body to the point were it would ruin my chance at the cherry farm if I had continued such a habit. And besides, it’s addicting, wasting bits and health,” he answered, glaring at the mare that rolled her eyes but did not comment.

“And besides, why can we not just spend a bit of time getting to know one another. We are adults and-”

“And what? You thought you could watch me get drunk, then get me in bed and tap this? You stallions are all the same,” she grunted in annoyance.

The Doctor frowned, hating how she just jumped to conclusions. “NO! Derpy, I meant that we could maybe play some cards, listen to the radio, talk, you know... get to know one another. I’ll even have a glass or two of wine ,with your permission, if you don’t wish to drink alone,” he stated calmly.

The mare narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her thoughts from the last time a stallion had gotten drunk with her and ended up on his couch with him. She hated being taken advantage of, but it was her own fault for trusting the bastard.

“No, no drinking with me... look, you want to ‘hang out’ with me, then I guess we can play some cards or some shit, but don’t expect me to just start crying on your bucking shoulder as you demand to hear my damn life story, Doc,” she said harshly.

He could do nothing more than nod.

*Flash back ends*

Doctor Whooves learned that Derpy Hooves was no sad, feel-sorry-for-herself kind of mare who needed a stallion in her life. Something about her past would never allow it, and while he admired her independence, her way of speaking was a bit too cruel for a normal pony. He wanted to know her, but how could that happen when she wanted nothing to do with him?

As such, there was nothing for the three to do all day. So after Dinky played in her room, Derpy drank while listening to the radio about the Wonderbolts re-run races and smoked every two hours or so, and the Doctor looked at magazines about houses or jobs that he would need to look for after the storm was over, Derpy got started on dinner early, it being four p.m.

The Doctor was looking at quite a cheap apartment near Sugarcube Corner for only six hundreds bits that had a kitchen, abate small, living room, one bed room and bath. It utilities included with rent, and he thought that was very reasonable with him only having one thousands bits. 

Also, he did not find any other better offer in the newspaper when he smelt the amazing cooking of boiled carrots, cabbage in a pot with corn, mashed potatoes and brown gravy being made by the owner of the house. His stomach growling loudly as he chuckled.

“Dinky, TIME FOR DINNER!” Derpy shouted to the filly upstairs who had muffled a reply in return. She rolled her eyes and turned her head to her guest.

He walked into the kitchen while she was cutting the carrots on a cutting board with careful forehooves and a short knife. She then moved to the cabbage, the corn already cooking in the green pot with the boiling water.

Her long blond tail stirred the brown gravy in the pot with a wooden spoon across from her as it then switched to the potatoes on the stove. Her wings were very gentle to set three plates on the table to the left of her while she ignored the stallion who stood awkwardly in the kitchen.

“Um….would you like some help?” he asked with a cough.

She gave him a blank look before narrowing her eyes. “Does it look like I do, Doc? Wash your hooves then sit your ass down. You might buck my hard cooking up with your cherry ‘skills'. Be sure to get three glasses from the cabinet to your left,” she mocked with a harsh chuckle.

The Doctor grimaced, but did as he was ordered. He saw Dinky rush down stairs with a crayon drawing in her mouth.

She set it on the table before going to wash her hooves and then sat on the chair after using her forehooves to push her self-up to it. She smiled at the Doctor with a proud grin, and he got water for all three of them in the glasses; with Derpy’s permission, of course.

“Look what I drew, Doctor,” she said, pushing the child made drawing towards the stallion.

He looked it over with a small smile. It was a picture of her with her sister and two other, bigger, and older looking ponies in it with a sun shining above alongside clouds and a blue sky. Green grass with pretty flowers was drawn below their hooves with two small trees to the left of them.

“That's really good Dinky. Who are the other two ponies?” he asked softly as the young filly’s smile slowly disappeared into a sad frown.

“Our mom and dad. They died in a train ride to the Crystal Empire two years ago and –”

Her voice was stopped by a loud bang on the table in front of them, making the two jump. Turning, they saw the crossed but angered eyes of Derpy glaring at her sister. She set the pot of soup then mashed potatoes with gravy before them.

“Enough Dinky. It’s time to eat, so stop letting our guest know of something that does not concern him,” she ordered in a dark tone.

Dinky broke eye contact with her sister and did not reply.

“Doctor, would you like to say grace?” the filly asked in a small voice. She ignored her sister's annoyed grimace and looked at the stallion with wide, innocent eyes.

He allowed a small smile to appear on his snout. He turned towards Derpy, who rolled her eyes. “Something wrong, Derpy?” he asked with a hint of annoyance.

“Did I say something was wrong? Say your damn prayers with her, and let’s eat already. I did not waste all this hard work just for it to turn cold,” she snapped causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion and a bit of surprise.

“Don’t you want to join us?” he questioned.

She was about to open her mouth, no doubt to swear or tell him to mind his own business, before her sister answered his question for her.

“Ditzy does not believe in the Gods. She never wants to pray for our meals or before bed,” Dinky said in a sad tone.

The Doctor to look at the mare in shock. “You don’t believe in the Gods, Derpy? Celestia, Luna, Cadance, any of them? Even Discord? You don’t go to church on Sunday, either?” he asked with his mouth and eyes opened wide.

“No, I don’t believe in your damn Gods, Doctor. I would expect that you being a stallion of ‘medicine’ would understand, but I guess not. Why the buck should I waste my time praying to immortals who did not do shit as I struggled all through my school years, or watched my drunk father beat on my mother then come and beat on me when I was just seven years old?

“Why the buck should I care about them, when they don’t give a damn about ME!” Derpy shouted with tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away with a hoof and scowled at the two to dare question her.

“Miss… Derpy. I know it’s hard to believe but the Gods are there for us. Princess Celestia and Luna are as real as you and me, so is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. We don’t have to bow and pray to them but we can at least-”

“Look, Doctor, if you want to tell all that to my sister as you two pray for your meal which I made all by myself and as you go to bed, be my guest. But don’t you dare try to tell me what I can and can’t believe in, in MY own house, understand?!” Derpy screamed at the stallion, who backed his body away farther from the cruel mare as he swallowed then nodded.

Dinky neared having tears in her eyes as she put her forehooves together, bowed her head and prayed to which ever Goddess would listen to the little filly, the Doctor doing the same. Derpy rolled her eyes and began eating her hard worked meal.

“Thank you Celestia, for this stay. Thank you for this food. Bless our friends and our family in the Gods name we pray, amen,” she ended with a small smile then wiped her tiny tears away with a hoof. She, along with the Doctor, who had opened his eyes, began to eat.

After supper, in which Dinky was washing the dishes as punishment for questioning her sister, the Doctor walked into the living room and saw Derpy lying on the tan colored couch that was his bed. At the moment, she was smoking a cigarette, and she let out a deep sigh.

He was very cautious to not anger her as he spoke his words carefully, “You know, I understand that you don’t like doing certain things your sister does being grown, but don’t you think you can humor her? She’s still your sister, after all, and only a filly.” He spoke softly to her while sitting on the other side of the couch trying to get as much space as he could because she was laying on it.

Derpy opened one eye while blowing out a cloud of gray smoke from the left side of her mouth. She then removed the tobacco with her tail to speak calmly.

“You don’t understand what life was like for us, Doc. You could never understand. I’m teaching her to stand up on her own four hooves, to not be weak and worthless around a stallion like my mother. You don’t get what our lives were like, so don’t try, cherry boy,” she grumbled. She rolled over and put her four hooves on the ground, taking one last drag of her smoke before putting it out on an ashtray to the right of her, along with the long brown table on where it rested.

“Then maybe I can understand if you let me,” he argued back to the mare.

She smiled a small smile and let out a deep breath. “Don’t count on it, Doc... don’t count on it,” she answered as she went upstairs to get to sleep wishing that she could go to work. But for the next two days, no ponies could even work outside like her job required, so she could not escape her annoying and religious guest.

The Doctor frowned, watching her walk up the stairs to her room. He heaved in a deep breath and looked at the small, gray filly that had finished the dishes and stood before the stallion with a small smile.

“Doctor, would you mind praying with me tonight? I don’t want my sister’s soul to go to Tartarus,” she said softly .

The stallion chuckled softly then nodded. Resting his front hooves on the table along with Dinky, he closed his eyes and prayed to Princess Luna for Derpy Hooves's soul. He did not know how, but he would do what he could to heal the mare from her dark past and cold, cruel heart, though it would take some time.

After their prayer, Dinky thanked the Doctor and went to bed. He laid on the couch he had been assigned, and with his long blue blanket wrapped around him, along with a small tan pillow, closed his eyes. He soon drifted to sleep, wondering what it was that could cause such a beautiful mare to act as harsh as a timberwolf.

> Day Three: The Doctor's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“DINKY HOOVES, WHERE THE BUCK ARE MY CIGARETTES?” 

The loud, very angry scream of Derpy Hooves jolted the Doctor awake from his peaceful slumber on the couch. 

Being day three, the very powerful storm was long from over, much to the Doctor’s dismay.

He liked Dinky. She was really wise for such a young filly and never judged anypony for their choices or mistakes. Derpy, on the other hoof, was an entire hoofful all by herself. It hurt the Doctor to say it, but if she did not have such a sharp attitude to every creature in her path, including her sister, then maybe she could have a real decent friend—if one could also ignore her drinking and smoking, but each pony was their own animal. It was not his place to judge.

Even more so because his past and his own choices that were not so... innocent, to say the least, that was for sure.

“They should be on the kitchen table, sis!” the shrill yell of Dinky answered back.

The doctor turned his head to the left to see the older mare rush down the stairs and to the table, opening the carton with a hoof. After trying to get one out with her two front hooves, she grunted in rage when it did not come out.

The Doctor yawned before he turned his whole body left, and planting his four hooves on the wooden floor, walked in a sleepily haze towards the gray mare. Derpy had successfully gotten a cigarette out and, with a huff of frustration, looked for her matches.

“Everything alright, Derpy?” he asked kindly.

The mare turned her angered glare at the stallion that had grown quite used to her anger and simply ignored it. Derpy rolled her eyes and replied with an annoyed hiss. “Can’t find my damn matches. Leave me alone,” she spat, making him scowl at her tone.

He sighed loudly, and to this, she snapped her head towards him.

“Got something to say, DOC?!” she yelled.

He jumped and shook his head rapidly. He then nodded his head to the kitchen counter top where the matches rested. Derpy snorted, and with her mouth, removed the cigarette first. She grabbed one then used her tail to light it and her tobacco, blowing smoke out of the right side of her mouth.

Turning her body towards the Doctor, Derpy looked him in the eyes and spoke almost softly, “You’re not as useless as I thought, Doctor. Thanks.” Her calmer tone made him smile before Dinky’s voice interrupted their ‘moment’.

“Can you make breakfast, Ditzy?” she called, making the mare snap back to her cold nature and roll her eyes, blowing out a line of gray smoke from her nose.

“NO! Make your own damn breakfast. You're twelve years old, Dink. Better learn how to cook yourself,” she snapped back.

The sound of hoofsteps sounded from upstairs, and the little filly was coming down the steps, Derpy walking towards the stairs herself.

“Please, sis?” Dinky pleaded.

Derpy narrowed her eyes and walked slowly upstairs, replying, “Buck, no. Get to cooking, little mare, and I’m going to go to my room and get drunk. Doctor, you come into my room while I’m wasted, and I’ll snap your neck and use your bucking body for firewood!” she growled, and her body disappeared from view. 

The Doctor shivered in horror that such a pony would even think to murder another so casually.

“She’s not kidding, either. Derpy hates being around stallions when she drinks,” Dinky stated calmly to him.

He shook his head sadly, not wanting to ask why, figuring it had something to do with her past. Then, with a smile, he walked farther into the kitchen and started making a bowl of honey oats cereal for the both of them.

“Is something the matter with Derpy? She’s acting a bit….colder than usual,” he asked, a bit confused by the turn of events that happened so far.

The filly shrugged before swallowing a spoonful of her food and answering, “It’s her payday today, and since Mailponies get paid first before any other worker in Ponyville, she can’t get her check because of the storm which won’t end until the day after tomorrow. So that means no bits for rent, food, a few bits for my allowance and worst of all for her, her cigarettes.” The small unicorn slowly said this as is if it was nothing new.

The Doctor frowned as he looked at the filly, who was happily eating her breakfast, and sighed. He finished his oats then drank the milk along with Dinky. When both were finished, they put both bowls in the sink to be washed at a later date.

The stallion turned towards the table and sat down with the filly. Dinky smiled at him with an innocent air around her before he spoke, not wanting to make their morning awkward.

“So tell me, Dinky, what grade are you in?” 

The filly frowned and put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a second. She had not been to school due to the storm in three days then, with a giggle, replied., “I’m in fifth, going to be in six next fall.”

The Doctor nodded, thinking that this little filly could really do well in school if she stayed out of trouble and with her studies.

“Do you have any friends?” he asked, to which she nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, I’m even a member of a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with the original three: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. And we have some other new members, too:  Pipsqueak, Babs Seed and Rumble. The girls were a bit unsure to allow the colts to join, but once they realized that they didn't have their Cutie Marks like the rest of us, they allowed them to join.” She giggled before beckoning the Doctor closing with a hoof then whispered into his ear when he was close enough.

"Though I think Rumble might have a crush on Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak, Scootaloo,” she said, smiling at the Doctor.

He joined in with her merriment and opened his mouth to speak, only a loud shout of a curse word screaming throughout upstairs interrupted him.

“BUCK! YOU STUPID, OLD PIECE OF SHIT!” Derpy’s very loud and enraged voice bellowed at her radio was heard. Dinky simply ignored it with a small smile, and the Doctor frowned. 

“Dinky, has Derpy ever... well, physically abused you when she was intoxicated?” he asked slowly and clearly, ready to take mental note in case he had to report Derpy’s violence to the authorities.

Dinky’s face showed an expression that which the Doctor would never forgot for the rest of his life. With complete and utter horror on her face, she shook her head, took a deep breath, and spoke so quietly that the Doctor had to leaned closer to understand her words.

“Ditzy swore she would never be like our father. Whether somber or not, she would never, ever do anything to hurt me,” she explained as tiny tears of sorrow slid down her face, and she sniffed. 

The Doctor did everything he could to calm the little filly down, least she start to wail from dark memories as even a smaller filly. He feared of Derpy coming down the stairs, ending the Doctor’s life as he knew would happen; it was not a threat that Derpy would have killed him if he even accidentally injured Dinky emotionally.

As it was, the smart child calmed down once the Doctor got her a glass of fruit juice and a green apple, which she took calmly and with a smile as if she had not been distressed moments ago.

The Doctor thought that both females must have truly been through a lot to just shrug off their emotions as such, Derpy through her smoking and drinking and Dinky through her childlike innocence, which the Doctor hoped she kept with her for a long while before she reached her cruel teenage years.

With a sigh, the Doctor felt as though he needed a drink, but Derpy’s alcohol was kept off limits. And he could not go to a bar with the really horrible storm in Ponyville. So instead, with nothing else to do, he thought of getting to know Dinky a bit more.

“So, Doctor… tell me. What’s it like coming all the way from Dodge Junction?” she asked curiously, throwing her apple core into the trash by the kitchen counter. It missed, and with a frown, she got up before trotting to dispose of the garbage. She rejoined the Doctor with a huff as he chuckled.

The Doctor put a hoof to his chin in thought as his mind wandered into the journey that led him to his place of rest today, and he started his tale.

*Flash back*

His real name was Time Turner. He was the son of a clock maker and a flower seller, and as odd as this pair was, they were even more befuddled themselves when their son and only child wished to be a doctor. With this, they nicknamed him Doctor Whooves, which he changed into his legal name upon his eighteen birthday. He had gotten into a fight with his drunken father before leaving his house to see the world beyond his own home in Manehatten itself. He even remembered helping a mare with an electric blue mane and magenta colored eyes slowly recover from her drug habits before he left.

When he had left his hometown, he visited all of Equestria—well, most of it anyway. His visited cities included Appleloosa, Hoofington, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Trottingham (he had laughed when he saw a white colt with brown spots on his body and brown eyes with the same colored mane and tail play with his mother and friends in the park), and even Las Pegasus itself. Forgetting to visit Canterlot, he finally, after eight years, had settled down in Dodge Junction right before his abused and violent past with his alcoholic father caught up with him. He worked with and for Mrs. Cherry Jubilee and her family.

For four years, Doctor Whooves had worked for the owners of Cherry Hill Ranch, doing what he could as an Earth Pony to get the cherries off the trees and running the machine when able with a few other employees. He had heard rumors of Mr. Jubilee being very abusive of his wife and was an alcoholic as his father was. At first, he had done his best to ignore it, not wanting to get into business that had nothing to do with him.

It had been about the time that Mrs. Cherry had had enough that she fought back in front of everypony when her husband had whispered something into her ear and she had slapped him, hard. He back hoofed her before the Doctor had intervened and fought him, knocking him unconscious before the police ponies had stepped in and arrested him, not doing such to the Doctor because he had defended the wife, getting some very visible bruises.

He had been let go, since the husband still, by rights and law, owned the property and would have been sued if he had not been told to run away by Mrs. Jubilee herself. She spent a night of passionate love with him in reward for his service to the business and for protecting her. It was something he would never forget, and with one thousand bits, plus an extra two hundred, which he used to for his train ride and for those who needed the bits before he had left, he had taken a train to Ponyville and hoped to spend the rest of his days here, even while he was still so young.

*Flash back end*

Doctor Whooves, done with his tale, looked at the filly next to him whose jaw dropped in awe in wonder of this gentle, passionate and honest Earth Pony. She smiled, glad to know such a stallion, before a roaring, harsh voice shattered her hero image of the Doctor.

“Dinky, keep your damn crayon drawings out of my bucking ROOM!” Derpy yelled, having apparently woken up from her hangover. She cried out something else about dinner to her, making the Doctor wince but smile, both knowing that while their lives were tough and cruel, it was their future that counted. And they could shape such anyway they wished, never wanting to be like their parents before them. Their fathers' sins were their own, and they would be damned if they were blamed to be at fault.

> Day four: Party from memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By day four, Doctor Whooves had known as much about Derpy Hooves as he could; while cold, she was as gentle as she could be to her little sister. As much as a smart mouth she was, she showed a softer side to those she cared about. She often told the Doctor about her friends like Carrot Top, whose real name was Golden Harvest and Berry Punch, who, as she often got drunk, was as much role model to her little sister, Piña Colada, as she could.

“I don’t have many friends. You can see why, obviously, but for those that are, I try to be there for them if they are there for me,” Derpy Hooves said in a calmer voice than usual to the Doctor while drinking from an entire bottle of hard cider. The Apple family, she had informed him, started bottling the alcohol on request of Princess Celestia.

Derpy was drunk—shit-faced was perhaps the better term—which was why she was ‘pouring her heart out’ to the Doctor on the evening of the third day after he had his talk with Dinky. The two sat on the couch while she talked. Her first intention was to get a cigarette in her drunken state, but she had changed direction and sat by the Doctor who was reading from a magazine about decent designs of wallpaper and curtains—once he had gotten the apartment, of course—and she started to just talk.

The Doctor listened to her words with high intent, ignoring her breath as she got close to his own to make her point and hoping he got the point, even though she would not remember her words.

She told him of everything from her past:  getting addicted to drugs with a pure white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane every Friday, letting Rarity or even Fluttershy take care of Dinky while Derpy snorted cocaine and got drunk with the mare, sometimes even having Rainbow Dash come over and try to stop her from continuing down her dark path. That often ended in a physical fight that Derpy won in her hazed state, the fourth time they fought even forcing Vinyl Scratch to kick her out of her house due to destroying much of her home in the brawl.

“After I got kicked out, I understood finally what Rainbow was trying to tell me; that I was hurting my sister emotionally and mentally, if not physically. I was hurting the only pony that would always be there for me… I was becoming just like my father.” Derpy sniffed, her ego wounded. 

With a hiccup, she turned away from the stallion before he could lay a hoof in comfort her. The Pegasus used her tail to grab a cigarette, putting it in her mouth before grabbing a match and lighting it. Lighting the smoke, she inhaled deeply before she exhaled out her nose, her eyes closed as the Doctor saw a single tear slide down her left eye.

Wiping her eye with a hoof, Derpy rolled over, landing on her wooden floor.  With a sigh, she said, “So after that, I gave it up, as much as I could. My soul will never be pure like my sister’s. I’ll always have sin, but at least I’ll do the best I can to always be there for my only family. Thanks, Doc… I guess you can do more than just be a lazy, dumb ass stallion. I’m going to bed; you can have the rest of the cider, if you want,” she whispered and turned away, her tail swishing slowly before she walked up the stairs. While she had not allowed the Doctor to say one word, he had been there for her in her time of need. Certainly that meant something, right?

The Doctor looked at the little amount of cider the mare left him and ignored it, his mind wandering with how lucky he was. He had found the Gods, they have saved his soul and he had never wished to get into the drugs that Derpy herself had. He was fine with a drink every once in a while, but never had as much as the Pegasus herself. 

With a loud sigh, he put the blanket over himself and drifted off to sleep, praying to Princess Luna in her realm above that maybe one day, Derpy could finally get rid of her dark past that followed her with every hoof step she took.

The next morning was one that surprised the stallion; not by what Derpy was exactly doing, but by what she was creating before his eyes. He had woken up later then he expected and saw the gray furred mare making muffins, her tongue out in constriction and her eyes narrowed as she whisked the batter to make oat muffins, a freshly made batch of red velvet with cream cheese swirled atop them. There were six in all and another of carrot to the side of her, cooling off.

Her eyes—well, her right  to be exact—looking at him in annoyance as her left slid upwards, she scowled. While she turned back to her batter, the Doctor’s mind flashed back to the night before and her heartfelt confession of guilt, which chained her soul from finding peace with herself or love, for that matter.

“What, you want to say something, or just stand there like an idiot?” her snarling voice snapped him out of his mental thoughts, making him sigh.

Well, it’s clear she does not remember our conversation. A shame, really, but she was drunk, he thought before slowly trotting up to her, looking at the desserts she prepared. For what purpose was unclear to him, though.

“It’s nice to see you cooking again,” he spoke up, wincing and slightly cursing himself for the way he said it as her face looked up in anger, her teeth gritting before she spat. 

“Why? You think all mares should only be in the kitchen making food for you to have or in the bedroom for you to impregnate and take care of your babies? Buck you!” she hissed.

He stepped back in shock, used to her rage, but he had not meant to insult her. He had only meant to tell her she was doing a good job, though she had taken it the wrong way.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to insult you, and no, I do not think the same as many stallions. I know that all mares can do just the same as stallions, I only mean-”

“Doc, if you’re here to just watch me bake like some sort of damn stalker, then get out of my kitchen. Otherwise, shut the buck up and go get the Blueberry mix and help me. I’m not going to have you stand there while I cook; you’ll just get on my nerves,” she demanded, and he went to do as ordered and helped her prepare the next batch for the oven.

Fifteen minutes of silence was all that was in the house before the stallion took a chance and decided to speak, choosing his words carefully to not offend Derpy.

“So… what's with all the muffins?” he asked cautiously. 

The mare ignored him for a few seconds. Derpy poured her mix into six separate muffins slots and put the gray tray in the oven. After that, she walked over and got the dry banana mix, two eggs, milk, and she watched the bowl she had used before mixing the ingredients and making the new batch of muffins.

“For a party Rainbow Dash is having to celebrate her relationship with Applejack. You’ll meet them later after the damn storm is over, which should be in a few hours. Apparently they have confessed their love to each other for a while, but Rainbow wanted to wait until after the storm to have the party. I get paid by the Cake family for bringing this and more muffins to their shop, so you know… a few more bits are always a good thing, right?” she replied causing the Doctor to nod with a smile as the two worked in silence for a half an hour.

After making three more trays of the same type, they washed their hooves then sat down. They each tried one, Derpy taking a red velvet and the Doctor, blueberry while drinking milk. Derpy lit a cigarette and blew the gray smoke away from the stallion, which surprised him.

“Thanks for the help, Doc; it would have taken me an hour to make them by myself,” Derpy said shyly. For once, her cold nature gone, replaced by a gentler, almost sweeter voice, nearly causing the Doctor to choke on his muffin. He swallowed, though, as he looked at the mare, who glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. She inhaled and exhaled her cigarette from her nose.

“You're… you're welcome, um, Derpy,” he answered, a bit uncomfortable with the almost caring way Derpy Hooves was speaking to him, silently wondering if the mare was drunk again.

“You’re welcome… just don’t get used to it, Doc,” Derpy added in her more usual, snippy tone, before putting out her cigarette in the ashtray on the table and getting off her chair, finishing her muffin and milk. Using her tail to grab the glass and deposing it in the sink, she walked out of the kitchen. 

The Doctor sighed, and with a smile, ate the rest of his muffin. He was able to put his own glass in the sink before a small gray furred filly entered his vision and caused him to grin.

“Oh, muffins!” Dinky squealed before taking one of the red velvet and taking a bite. With a large smile, she licked the cream cheese that had appeared on her snout and looked at the stallion in front of her.

“Hi, Doctor Whooves,” the filly said with joy before she ate the rest of her snack and walked back to her room.

The Doctor followed her out the kitchen, looking to see Derpy on his ‘bed’ taking a nap. He chuckled.

A knock at the door made him jump. He walked to it, and upon opening it, saw a cyan furred mare with a rainbow colored mane and tail, and magenta colored eyes. With a lighting rainbow colored Cutie Mark on her flank, she must have been Rainbow Dash, the mare Derpy and Dinky talked about a few times. 

“Oh, hey, you must be new in town. Name's Rainbow Dash, who are you?” she asked in a blunt manner causing the Doctor to frown before announcing his name, in which the mare only nodded, looking as if she did not really care.

“Hey, is Derpy Hooves here?” Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of impatience

The Doctor did not like the mare’s tone, but he supposed he was not one to judge seeing as how Derpy acted towards him all the time.

“Yes, one second,” he replied, walking towards the mare in question, who was snoring lightly before he gently poked her with a hoof. “Derpy, Derpy wake up… there is somepony here to see you,” he whispered to wake the mare.

Derpy opened her eyes and glared at him, then got up. With a yawn, she walked towards the open door through which Rainbow Dash was waiting.

“Oh, hey Derpy. What’s going on-?”

“What do you want, Rainbow?” Derpy growled, annoyed that her sleep had been put on pause by the mare who, though as helpful as she had been to provide her with a job and help her settle in her house, even going as far as stopping her from her drug abuse, annoyed her the most.

“I… I was sent here to tell you that the storm is over, and if you got the muffins the Cakes needed for the party, you know the one celebrating mine and Applejack’s rel-”

“Yeah, I know about it, and the muffins are ready. Storms over you say? Finally. Now I can kick that bastard stallion out of my house,” Derpy cheered with a dark smile, making the rainbow mare a bit uncomfortable as she rubbed her left arm with her right hoof.

“Um, yeah, I guess that’s great news. Anyway-”

“Party’s at four, like you and Pinkie Pie both told me… three times to be exact, I know. So I’ll see you then,” Derpy interrupted rudely.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes in irritation. “Well yeah, the party, too, but what I mean to ask-”

“The stallion is none of your business, Dash, so Dinky and I will see you at four, alright? Bye,” she spat, closing the door, but not before hearing Rainbow Dash ask if she can borrow a cigarette, which the gray Pegasus ignored with a roll of her eyes.

“Asshole,” Rainbow Dash whispered with a snort. She opened her wings, flapping them out wide, then flew into the now open and clear sky, a huge change from the horrible storm that both Mayor Mare and Princess Celestia ordered down to Ponyville and many other towns across Equestria.

As Rainbow Dash flew throughout the clear blue sky, which shone with the Goddess of the Sun’s bright, orange star, she thought of the dark past that she had had with Derpy herself. She understood a bit of why she had felt so much resentment and malice from the Pegasus that she had known for the past ten years, her mind flashing back to an important day that changed her view on her ‘friend’.

*Flash Back*

It was the twenty-first birthday of Thunderlane; a black furred male Pegasus with amber eyes, and a blue/sliver mane and tail. He was the current coltfriend of Derpy Hooves, who was seventeen during the time, and with no surprise, she was smoking a cigarette as he drank a plastic cup of apple vodka, holding it in his right wing.

Derpy laughed as Thunderlane whispered something into her left ear, making her roll his eyes with a smile when Rainbow Dash, with her current creature friend, Gilda the female griffon, walked over to them. 

“What up, Derp? Hey, Thunder… happy birthday, little boy.” Rainbow Dash laughed, obviously tipsy, causing the stallion to laugh.

“Hey, Dash. Been hitting the liquor a bit too hard, don’t you think?” he asked.

The mare scoffed before looking over to her friend, who stole a plastic cup of grape vodka from another mare Pegasus before chugging all of it and tossing it behind her, hitting a drunk stallion in the head.

“Nah, Dashie is still good to go a few more rounds before she falls asleep on a lighting cloud like last time,” she sneered.

The blue mare turned to her, giving her an evil glare before turning to Derpy, who had put out her cigarette on the floor, knowing that nopony or creature would care.

Derpy laughed as Gilda starting to mock Rainbow Dash behind her back, the poor Pegasus having no clue. Derpy was not hearing a word the mare was saying to her when a mare rudely slammed into her right shoulder, causing her to stumble into Rainbow Dash. She turned, seeing the spiked blue/silver mane and tail of Cloudchaser. A mare with pale Persian blue coat and rose colored eyes, she hated Derpy since she had gotten into a relationship with Thunderlane a month ago, but never physically confronting her... until now it seemed. 

Derpy's eyes narrowed, her left glaring at the mare in question while her right slid to the left of her, observing Cloudchaser, who was hanging around with her sister, Flitter, whose Cutie Mark Derpy could never determine, nor did she care, though she knew that Cloudchaser had the sun with a single cloud in front of it. Derpy knew of such because she always flashed her flank in front of Derpy’s face as if to say, Your boy doesn’t know what he’s missing out on. This made her either ignore her, gritting in teeth in rage, or to make her want to slap the grin off her cocky face, as if the blue furred whore was really even a challenge compared to Derpy’s own body. But now, now she had enough of all the shit the bitch was putting her through.

She took three steps forward towards the mare, but she felt a yellow talon on her left shoulder. Derpy turned to see the usually drunk and encouraging of fights griffon shake her head.

“She’s not worth it, Derp. Just ignore her, seriously,” she warned her, only her talon was slapped aside by the cold mare.

“Stay out of this, Gilda. This is personal. I’m so sick and tired of her shit. If she wants to start something, then I’ll oblige to her sense of jealously,” Derpy snarled, ignoring Thunderlane’s protest to leave it alone, and moving through the crowd of drunken teenagers.

With a snort of warm, exhaled air, Derpy’s rage only increased as she stood behind the mare of her frustration. She tapped her shoulder with a hoof, and Cloudchaser turned around, annoyed to be pulled away from her friends because of somepony she may not know.

“What do you want you-?”

These were the mare’s only words before a sharp hooked right hoof flew hard into her jaw, forcing her to stumble back from the blow. Her jaw aching with pain she did not think was possible, she moved her mouth to make sure it was not broken. She opened her eyes and stared at the pony who dared to physically assault her as she looked at the enraged face of Derpy Hooves. Cloudchaser winced in pain from her bruised jaw, and she narrowed her eyes in anger and shock.

“Derpy?!” she shouted, the noise from the party drowning out her words. However, those near the two heard her words and quickly formed a crowd over the ‘drunken’ fighting mares, making bets on who of the two would win.

“You have a problem with me now that I got your attention, bitch?!” Derpy shouted before flapping her wings, quickly lifting into the air. She dove fast towards her opponent, who had no time to open her wings and lift into the air, let alone dodge, when Derpy’s forehooves smashed into her chest, throwing her into a priceless mirror that hung on Thunderlane’s parents wall. The injured mare slammed back first into the wall, her back and sides covered with long, sharp shards of glass as she dropped to the floor, her spine and flank bleeding, which Cloudchaser ignored, standing on her four hooves. She wobbled a bit from the pieces of embedded glass in her coat.

With a growl, Cloudchaser ran towards Derpy and threw a fast speed swing towards her, hitting her hard in the cheek. Derpy grunted as pain registered in her face, and with a second’s hesitation, uppercutted Cloudchaser in the chin. Then she quickly turned and stabbed her two rear hooves into her chest, throwing her hard into the living room table which broke upon the sudden weight, the shards in her back slicing open her wounds even more, but she barely noticed.

Cloudchaser could not even lift her head before Derpy flew over her and pounding her face hard with her hooves, showing no mercy nor restraint towards her attacks. Cloudchaser’s nose, lips and left eye were bleeding. However, she finally found the strength to pound her left back hoof into Derpy’s stomach and pounded her in the face with both front hooves, the gray furred mare getting a black right eye and her bottom lip splitting open. Blood from Derpy's lip spilled onto Cloudchaser’s chest fur, but Derpy did not notice her wounds and continued to beat the living shit out of her enemy.

“Get off her. Leave her alone, you crazy, jealous bitch!” Flitter shouted, trying to help her sister, but Derpy was having none of it.

“Get the buck away from me!” she screamed and back hoofed the mare in the face with her right front hoof, forcing her to stumble back to dodge the blow and trip on a discarded bottle of grape vodka. 

Cloudchaser's head impacted against a nearby small table stand, blood slowly dripping from the heavily inflected wound. Her friends tried to help her and her sister, but the enraged Derpy paid nopony any attention before she flapped her wings, lifting herself and a near unconscious Cloudchaser into the air. Derpy threw her harshly into a mobile speaker of the DJ Pegasus. She showed no guilt, as she witnessed the mare getting fried by the thousands of volts of electricity.

Cloudchaser was barely breathing after the fight was finished. Derpy breathed hard and glared anypony, threatening any of them to lay a hoof on her as she landed onto the clouded floor. Cloudchaser friends helped the near death pony from the large speaker.

Derpy’s body finally realized the pain she had. She held a hoof to her head then turned to go to her friends, ignoring the DJ, a stallion whose name she did not know who was demanding she pay for repairs to his beautiful system.

She took three, painful steps to her friends when Thunderlane’s body blocked her own. She smiled, blood dripping from her mouth. However, his eyes were narrowed and his mouth set in an angered frown, making her frown, as well, but in confusion.

“You know what your problem is, Derpy Hooves? You think you can take on everything in all Equestria by yourself. You don’t give a shit what comes your way just as long as you can settle it by violence,” he growled, his eyes shifting to Cloudchaser’s body. Her friends were flying to get her to the hospital before they went to her sister, whose friends were trying to do the same.

“Thunderlane, I-“

“No, you know what? We’re through. You don’t give a shit about anypony but yourself, and with the road you’re going now, you never will. It’s over, Derpy; have a nice bucking life,” Thunderlane said coarsely. He flapped his wings to chase after Cloudchaser, no doubt to comfort her. This made Derpy sniff then wince as she felt a headache creep into her head.

Derpy frowned. She did not mean for any of this to happen; she was just tired of Cloudchaser’s mocking and jealous nature. She did not want things to go this far. She lifted her head as Rainbow Dash and Gilda walked towards her. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed in her rage, and she slapped Derpy in the face hard, the mare herself not even feeling the blow through her depressed thought.

“You happy now, bitch? Huh, are you BUCKING HAPPY NOW?” Rainbow Dash screamed into her face, about to hit her again but was stopped by Gilda, who shook her head.

Derpy sighed loudly, wincing again as a long line of blood ran down her nose.

“You got a cigarette?” she asked quietly. Gilda threw her some nicotine before shaking her head, her eyes filled with pity and shame for the mare before tossing her a long match.

“Come on, Rainbow, let’s go smoke some Hay Weed, try to get this party going a bit more. I suggest you leave, Derp, before you cause any more damage to anypony else,” Gilda growled lightly.

Derpy only nodded as she took the cigarette and match in her tail and walked away towards the front door. There, a butter furred mare with a pink mane and tail was just now entering, her eyes widening around the house as she saw the destruction caused by one mare.

“Hey, Flutters, come for the party?” Derpy whispered, watching Fluttershy look up and see Derpy’s injuries, her eyes holding shock and pity for whatever happened to the mare.

“O… oh, Derpy! Yes, I… I got here a bit late. I’m sorry-”

“It’s alright, Shy. Party seems to be over anyway… and yes, Dash is here. She’s over by the Hay Weed smokers in the back. Have fun trying to sweet talk her, and don’t worry, you’ll get her one day. Just do what I said and be yourself,” Derpy interrupted her in a small voice, not wanting to get into her wounds with the mare.

Derpy Hooves was the only one who knew that Fluttershy had a crush on her best friend, Rainbow Dash, but swore to never tell. She tried to help the mare, but to no avail. With Fluttershy’s very shy nature, and with Gilda, it made it five times harder for Derpy to help, but still… she did what she could.

Excusing herself from her friend and ignoring the mare’s quite protest to allow her to help, Derpy stepped into the cold, clear sky. As the ponies still at the party were doing what they could to get back into swing, she took her cigarette in her mouth from her tail then lit the match, igniting the nicotine before inhaling deeply then exhaling out the right side of her mouth. She was lost in deep thoughts of her wounds, her break up with Thunderlane, her abandonment from her friends, and even feeling a tad guilty on almost killing Cloudchaser and her sister.

With an angered snort, Derpy swore that she would never let anypony but family get so close to her again—maybe Fluttershy, but she was an exception. She did not need anypony else, and she did not want anypony else. Call it pride, and a very bad case of it, but Derpy had had enough of allowing ponies to walk over her because of her eyes or messing up on a test or such. She was done.

“Buck, everypony else. If I want something done, I’m doing it myself… nopony else will mock me again,” she growled to herself before stretching out her wings and lifting into the air. She flew towards her house, where her life would forever change because of her harsh actions.

*End of flash back*

Rainbow Dash sighed loudly as her mind was reeled from the past to reality. She was helping clear clouds with the other Pegasi around her, hoping to be with her marefiend, Applejack and to be with her best friends at the party. She knew that while Fluttershy had a long time crush on her, yet she had found love in Rarity; and still to her knowledge had a crush on the white furred mare, Rainbow honestly hoped that the two would date soon though it would never be as long as  Rainbow Dash and Applejack themselves, who only been together for a month.

“Seems like nothing can keep Derpy from her past or her sins; not her friends, her drugs or even her family… is her soul really doomed to Tartarus because of her actions?” she whispered to herself. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, hoping to have a cigarette before she met up with Applejack. Turning, she used her rear hooves to dissolve the cloud in front of her, her mind still on her lost, cruel friend’s soul.

> Tragic accident in such a joyous celebration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derpy Hooves sighed loudly as she lifted the second pan of cupcakes onto her back, where another silver tray rested, making sure to secure to them with her wings. She looked over to the Doctor, who had two other similar trays on his back along with her little sister, though the little filly was getting on her nerves by balancing the medium sized tray on her head.

“Stop fooling around, Dinks, and open the door. I don’t want these trays and all my hard work to fall to the ground before we get to the Bakery. You’re pissing me off,” the mare demanded lightly, making the filly’s eyes widen.

Dinky placed the tray gently on her back and headed towards the door, opening it with her right front hoof. She walked out the door, almost dropping the tray.

Derpy face hoofed herself, sighing loudly; she needed a cigarette already, and it was only one p.m. Plus, she just had one an hour ago. With a roll of her eyes, she looked over to the stallion, who smiled at her. She ignored it and followed her sister. The Doctor frowned sadly and walked out the front door, following the two to whatever destination they were heading.

Sugercube Corner was soon in view to Derpy. She grunted, feeling the tray full of the baked good on her lower back beginning to slip. She used a rear hoof to keep it from dropping, and then with a scowl, she continued on their journey.

The three had apparently arrived at the bakery a bit late, because it was in full swing by the time they entered. Music blared from large speakers, complete with a turntable performed by Derpy’s old friend, Vinyl Scratch. Ponies from all over were either rocking to the music with friends, drinking by the tables—the alcohol was set away from the non-alcohol for the younger ones, far enough away so no pony could be tempted to get a sip—or were enjoying the many sweets provided by the shop itself.

Dinky Doo looked around the very well planned out party before her eyes spotted a familiar white furred, blank flanked filly. She jumped in excitement, almost dropping the tray and making Derpy snap at her.

“Watch what you’re doing, Dinks!” she shouted.

Dinky blushed, nodding and slowly trotting over to the dessert table to set her tray down. Without a word, she ran towards her friends, and Derpy sighed loudly with a smile.

Doctor Whooves stood around, waiting for Derpy’s command and looking around awkwardly, not knowing any of the faces before his eyes, save for the mare he had met two hours ago, Rainbow Dash he believed her name was with another mare. She was an orange furred mare with beautiful green eyes and a long blond mane. He assumed she was Rainbow's marefriend, Applejack.

Derpy looked over her right shoulder, nodding her head towards the table filled with tooth rotting goodness. They both calmly walked towards it and set the trays down, making them both sigh loudly now that the hard work was completed.

The Doctor looked at Derpy with an eyebrow raised, signaling her to to make the first move. She, with an embarrassed chuckle, walked to a few ponies that were drinking at one of the many tables, signaling the stallion to follow her. He had no other choice but to comply.

“Hey, everypony,” Derpy called out.

Three heads turned to look at her. One mare with aquamarine fur, golden eyes and a white colored hair streaked with blue, smiled at Derpy as lifted a plastic cup in her blue aura.

“Derpy! I’m glad you could make it. We weren't thinking you would come after that large fight you had with Carrot Top two weeks ago at Twilight Sparkle's birthday party,” the unicorn said with a smirk, making the Pegasus roll her eyes.

“Yeah, well that’s water under the bridge, alright? Doctor, this is Lyra Heartstrings, with her marefriend—sorry, her wife, Bon-Bon, though her real name is Sweetie Drops. And this is my old friend, Golden Harvest, but everypony calls her Carrot Top,” Derpy said in a huff while looking at the Doctor.

“And girls, this is Doctor Whooves. He’s new here from Dodge Junction and has been staying with me during the storm,” she said in a tone that implied she did not want to be talking about him. She muttered something under her breath. 

“What was that, Derpy?” Bon-Bon, the one with the light apple greenish coat asked with a frown 

Derpy scowled once more and roll her eyes at her ‘friends’.

“Nothing, Sweets,” Derpy replied before telling the four she was going to get a drink, leaving the poor stallion alone with the three polite but very nosy mares.

“So... Doctor, you and Derpy-” Bon-Bon began.

But Doctor shook his head with a red blush forming on his face. “Oh, no. Derpy is just being a helpful mare… well, she was actually forced to help by her sister, but it’s been… fun while it lasted,” he interrupted with a weak smile.

The mare frowned as he chuckled then looked over to the mare in question, who was chatting with a yellow furred, pink maned mare, a drink, no doubt alcoholic in her right wing.

As the three mares bombarded the stallion with their questions, Derpy chatted with Fluttershy, the shy mare having a non-alcoholic drink in her left wing, which she quietly sipped to wet her throat and lips. She laughed when Derpy told her a funny joke involving what happened between her and Carrot Top a week ago.

“So what’s been going on with you, Shy?” she questioned the shy Pegasus, who smiled, a dreamy gaze filling her eyes.

“I’ve fallen in love,” she announced softly, Derpy having to strain her ears to hear the words.

Derpy snorted, never being one for sappy romance, but Fluttershy was an expectation. To do anything to injure the mare would cause almost all of Equestria to rain down their fury on her enemy’s head. 

With a sincere smile and polite chuckle, she asked who the mare was this time that the solitude mare’s eyes had caught.

“Um... uh... R-Rarity,” she stuttered with a small 'eep.'

Derpy laughed but then nodded her approval. She was impressed at how Fluttershy had managed to do what she could to get the gorgeous unicorn, with her beautiful white fur, silky purple locks of her mane and tail and enticing dark blue eyes to notice her. After all Rarity was a serious catch to obtain, if one was lucky.

Fluttershy told her how Rarity had to break Spike’s poor heart by denying his offer for dinner. Even though Spike had found romance with Apple Bloom, she still felt awful for shattering the preteen’s ‘love’ in front of his face. However, once he had gotten over it slowly, and she had been forgiven, Fluttershy quietly made her move, doing all she could to make subtle hints at the fashion designer.

To Fluttershy’s disappointment, though, Rarity had never noticed any odd behavior in her dear friend. Derpy wondered if Rarity even liked mares herself. If she did not, then Fluttershy would be crushed…again. 

With a loud sigh, and knowing how serious Fluttershy could get once she fallen head over hooves for a pony, she wrapped an arm around her oldest friend.

“No more waiting, Shy. It’s time for you to make your move. You can’t show any hesitation towards the mare that caught your eye, and you have to go after her. You don’t want her to slip out of your hooves like Rainbow did, do you?” she questioned.

Fluttershy winced, and Derpy felt bad for bringing such a sore subject back into topic, but she felt it was necessary for the mare to learn her lesson. If Fluttershy was truly in love with Rarity, then she needed a rough shove in order to ask her out, and to stop being treated like a foal. It was harsh and cold, but Derpy was an expert at being to the point and not beating around the bush.

“You’re right… I… I have to tell her, no more waiting. Thanks, Derpy,” she answered sweetly, a determined look on her face. Giving Derpy a quick hug, she drank all the fruit juice in her cup, asked for a sip of Derpy’s own drink, and taking a small drink, she gave it back to her. She walked over to begin her journey to win Rarity’s heart, with Derpy wishing her luck.

Derpy, mean and brutal as she may be, was always a supporter of her friends, and whether Rarity broke Fluttershy’s heart or not when she made her confession, she would be there for her, as she would for anypony else that needed the help… or just a swift kick in the rear to get moving.

She was about to pray to Celestia that everything would go well for Fluttershy when she caught what her mental words were about to say and shook her head with a rough shake. She snorted loudly, thinking, Gods… who needs them?

With a sigh, she allowed her eyes to wander, wondering who else was at this celebration, enjoying the party. She noticed Octavia, Vinyl Scratch’s roommate and marefriend, talking to one of the Flower Trio sisters and Mrs. Cake by a table that was near her marefriend’s DJ equipment. Derpy heard a rumor that the two might get married that summer, even though Derpy highly doubted she would be invited to.

With a grimace, she let her eyes drift again, seeing Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic and the leader of the Elements of Harmony with her marefriend as of three weeks ago, Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laugher. Both were enjoying some cake, along with Spike, who was eating a sapphire cupcake by himself, laughing at one of Pinkie Pie’s recent antics. Right now, Pinkie was putting a spoon on her nose.

Derpy smiled, but then felt as if somepony’s eyes were on her. She turned around and noticed three ponies in the corner of the shop, one stallion and two mares glaring at her.

She notice Berry Punch, Cloudchaser, and Caramel glaring daggers as her. The Pegasus scoffed and glared back, right before Caramel stood from his seat and slowly trotted up to her.

The light amber coated Earth Pony, walked towards Derpy, standing almost nose-to-nose with her. 

“Don’t think you were invited to this party, crossed eyes,” he spat coldly, making Derpy narrow her eyes in anger, more than pleased to get in this stallion’s face if he continued to haggle her.

“I think I was, Fumble Hooves,” she said through her teeth.

Caramel took a threatening step towards her, his mouth set in a permanent frown. He held a grudge towards Derpy for her comment that maybe he should have just gone to stallions, seeing as mares never liked him. Being dumped by his old marefriend, Sassaflash, for Thunderlane, Derpy’s own ex-coltfriend, only gave her more to her comment.

Caramel dated Applejack for a while before they gotten into a large argument over her spending more time with Rainbow Dash than himself. This lead the two to break up, which was two months ago.

As such, he hated her and often teamed up with Cloudchaser, Derpy’s old rival and Berry Punch, who despised her for trying politely, in her own terms, of course, to tell her to get off her alcohol addiction and got into a physical fight with the mare. Derpy won, but not after receiving some very large bruises and a broken nose for several weeks, while Berry Punch had been put in the hospital with a left black eye, four teeth being knocked out of her and a broken left rear hoof.

“Don’t call me that, alcoholic bitch,” he snarled.

Derpy pressed her nose against his hard, her left eye trailing downward as her right glare with rage that anypony dared to call her that. Besides, she was a chain smoker, if anything, though that did not mean the comment itself did not seriously offend her.

“The buck did you call me, little prick?” she snapped, gritting her teeth to keep from socking him in the face, which she was very tempted to do.

“I called you a lazy, stupid, retarded piece of s-” were the only words he was able to utter when a hoof conneceted with his jaw, knocking him into a nearby table and making everypony, including Vinyl who stopped her music, jump. 

Derpy ignored them to throw another punch at his face. He dodged it then dug his right front hoof into her stomach, and as she hit the ground, he punched her hard into the face.. 

She spat out a glob of blood and stood up, feeling her anger overpower all other thoughts before she ran. Standing on her hind legs, she kicked her hind hooves into his back, but then she felt a swift, well aimed blow to the right side of her face and flew hard into a table, which broke under her weight.

The Pegasus stood. Her legs shook from the painful blow as she watched Cloudchaser float from the air then land on the ground, a large smirk on her face.

“Should have stayed down, whore,” she yelled to the mare that roughly shoved away Carrot Top as she was telling her to stand down; Derpy had had enough from these three.

With a shout of rage, she charged at both her enemies, swinging her left hoof to Caramel’s face, which landed successfully, knocking out a tooth. Turning around quickly and aiming her hind legs into Cloudchaser’s chest, she threw the mare into the wall, blood dripping from the wound on her head. Cloudchaser stood up, her hooves barely keeping her up as she flapped her wings, intent on doing more harm to Derpy, who was fighting both Caramel and now Berry Punch.

Berry Punch headbutted Derpy’s face, making her nose bleed, then punched her in the face. Derpy’s head snapped back. In the back of her mind, she wondered why nopony was helping her. Sure, she doubted Fluttershy could handle this, but what about Rainbow Dash? Lyra?

Doctor Whooves?

She felt her body lift into air, and without even a flap of her wings to get out of her aggressor's attack, her body was thrown far.

“Stop it, you four. AH SAID STOP IT NOW!” Applejack screamed a few seconds too late.

Derpy felt glass break behind her, the shards embedding themselves into her body. She flew through the air from the window she was thrown out of, not able to open her wings to slow her fall, and hit the ground with the force of being ran over by a carriage. Her vision went black, and she slipped into consciousness.

The Doctor watched the entire fight before his eyes as he was talking with Carrot Top, who he swore was flirting with him. He could not believe that the Pegasus was able to hold her own with the three ponies, even though the fight quickly ended in a brutal way against her. 

Dinky Hooves, along with her fellow Crusaders, ran out to help the mare who was critically hurt. Caramel, Berry Punch, who was completely drunk, making her five times harder to detain, and Cloudchaser were kept from escaping by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Vinyl Scratch, Big Macintosh, Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings, who all had enraged expressions due to the fight having interrupted such a joyous occasion. Even though Derpy was the one to start it, they knew she would not do such unless pushed over the edge.

“Sis, sis?! Are you ok?” Dinky screamed while she and Sweetie Belle managed to turn the mare over, seeing the large shards impaled in her body and not knowing that to do.

Just as they were going to pick her up, she was gently taken from the ground by Fluttershy and the Doctor. They did their best to bring her to the hospital. Rarity, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, meanwhile, followed after the three, their faces set with shock and pain that such a horrible accident could happen to the currently injured mare.

The three brawlers were being escorted roughly by Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, Applejack, Lyra and Bon-Bon to jail, hoping they could explain the solution to the police.

The Doctor, even though he had only knew Derpy for four days, felt worry and panic for the mare. He knew that she should not have been taken down so easily, but it was a surprised attack, and it had seriously harmed the mare. He tried not to fear for the worst for the Pegasus.

“How the buck do you get yourself into these situations, Derpy?” he wondered aloud before following her friends and little sister to the hospital. He could only pray to the Gods that she would be ok.

> Bittersweet Romance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When an hour had passed since taking in Derpy, it felt more like an eternity. 

Doctor Whooves was pain-stricken to see Derpy in the condition she was as they held her while a doctor and nurse scurried toward them with a stretcher. They placed her on it and quickly asked what had happened before taking her in. 

Her injuries sliced deep, and her face highlighted the agony she felt. Words could not describe the sympathy he felt for her, the concern for her condition. He placed a hoof on hers, feeling for her heartbeat. It was weak, but the fact there was one gave him faith as they took her into the back. 

Dinky trotted up to the the Doctor and hugged his foreleg once the panic calmed ever so slightly. He wrapped a hoof around her shoulder and noticed she wasn't crying. Her eyes, however, told him she was trying to be strong. He just nodded at her. They were both told to wait patiently in the waiting room while they looked over her injuries and critical condition. 

When Dinky asked if her sister would be okay, the nurse behind the counter just said, “We can't be sure right now, but don't worry, little filly. Somepony will let you know as soon as possible.” 

Dinky nodded her head slowly but accepted this, sitting down in a red seat with the Doctor next to her. Worry burned in her large eyes as she kept looking over at the hallway that led to all the hospital rooms. She was very strangely quiet, unresponsive. At first, Doctor Whooves wished he knew what the little filly was thinking. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to have a sister beat up so brutally as Derpy was...

The Doctor leaned down to her and whispered, “It'll be alright, Dinky.”

Dinky sniffled “I know. She's a strong pony, so I know she'll be fine soon. B-but... I just wonder why ponies would be so mean to her. Yes, she can be rude and smokes and drinks a lot, but she's my sister,” Dinky said, tears leaking down her face. “It's not fair.”

“It'll be okay, Dinky. They're in deep trouble for hurting your sister,” he said to comfort her. He gave her a somber look.“So this wasn't gone unpunished.”

Dinky smiled a little, somewhat happy with this response.

Most of the ponies who came in for Derpy gradually left after staying for so long. They held on for about half an hour, with jobs to handle and families to get to, they had to put aside any empathy for the injured Pegasus to deal with their own lives. Even Fluttershy, who had cried into Rarity's shoulder when they took Derpy into the back, eventually departed to take care of her critters. While the Doctor and Dinky understood that, they had decided to stay the entire time. After all, they had no where else to go but home after this, and without Derpy, it just wouldn't be the same. 

Not to mention that Doctor Whooves still wasn't quite sure where to go after this. He had finally decided on an apartment by Sugarcube Corner, but he didn't want to leave these two mares all alone. It felt like it would be wrong to do. He didn't want to leave them—at least, not just yet.

He tried to keep optimistic, but there was that seed of doubt inside him—and oh, how he despised that little part of him. 

She would be alright, she would be alright...

But the sight of those shards digging into her skin, blood dripping onto the library floor and even trailing across Ponyville, sickened him. 

She would be fine, she was going to be fine...

The Doctor and Dinky kept themselves occupied just barely. While he read magazines and newspapers of the past month, Dinky found small enjoyment with whatever friend of hers that visited Derpy in concern. He just kept to himself, since he was not exactly friends with anypony in Ponyville quite yet.

At the time Dinky was alone and drawing with crayons and paper the Crusaders gave to her to pass the time and while Doctor Whooves just stared disinterestedly at the ceiling, somepony cleared his throat, earning both of their attention. Standing before them was a doctor whose name tag read Dr. Aid. His intent stares at both Dinky and the Doctor confirmed who he was there for.

“Is Ditzy going to get better?” Dinky asked immediately, jumping up from her seat to look up at the white furred doctor. 

Doctor Whooves had no time to feel any fears of the worst, because Dr. Aid was quick to the punch. “She has several stitches from the wounds on her back and quite a few bruises, but after we patched her up, nothing looks too severe. However, she will need to take things carefully for the next few weeks, maybe even a few months. Give her a day or two here to rest before she goes home, alright?” he advised. “We've just given her some medicine to put her to sleep so she can let her wounds settle a little, but if you want to see her, you may.”

Dinky's head bobbed quickly. She followed Dr. Aid down the white walled hallway, Doctor Whooves in the rear of them. While passing where Dinky sat to draw, several of her pictures caught his attnetion.

Every picture, the Doctor noted, had a gray coated Pegasus standing by a pale coated unicorn, and both were smiling.  

However, he couldn't blame her. He hadn't even read those articles before his eyes. He had skimmed through them with scarcely a thought. All he could think about was Derpy in that emergency room, getting treatment for her severe wounds. 

He shook his head and walked the rest of the way, finding Aid opening a door on the right for Dinky to enter. She nearly ran in the room, and the second she spotted an occupied bed, her face lit up. 

Derpy lay in the cot, her eyes wide open—the left one gazing to her side while the other stared at the ceiling. No noticeable marks were on her besides the few bruises that still lingered on her face. When Dinky ran up to her, she did not smile. “Dinks, calm down. I got a headache, alright?” she said in a small growl.

Dinky nodded her little head and took a step back, letting Doctor Whooves stand next to her. “How are you, Derpy?” Doctor Whooves asked. 

“Like I got the shit bet outta me by three ponies—what do you think I'd feel like?” Derpy grumbled, eyebrows narrowing. She groaned, rubbing a side of her body where pain burned. “Damn it, I can usually kick ass, but this is just pathetic.” 

“It was three against one—you couldn't do anything about it,” he noted. There was a pause where Derpy glared at the side. He couldn't be quite sure who she was angry at, but he had an idea. He decided to end the subject for now. “So the doctors said that even when you leave, you still need to be careful doing things for a bit. And if 

Though he tried his best to make his statement reasonable and calm, Derpy still frowned at the idea. As if he should have expected anything else. “I can take care of myself. I'm not some weak bitch who can't handle getting beat up,” Derpy growled under her breath, but audible enough for him to hear.

He just sighed, now able to take her temperamental statements; having been stuck with her for four days just had that effect. However, he refused to let her win her side of the argument. Her stubbornness was getting nowhere. His eyes traveled down to Dinky, solemnly smiling and watching her sister, and he got an idea. 

“Well, you won't be able to take care of Dinky while you're laid up. I could watch over her for the next few days until you can come home,” the Doctor said.

The unicorn filly beamed. “That's a great idea. 

Derpy grit her teeth. “Dinky can learn to take care of herself.”

“Do everything by herself?”

Derpy's hesitance spoke a million words. Then she massaged her head with another growl. “Ugh, fine.”

The Doctor nodded, but not before she asked something. “Why do you care?” Derpy asked with a grimace. Catching the earth stallion's confused expression, with an irritated groan, she added, “Why do you care about me and my sister so much?”

That stumped him. He couldn't respond immediately, because that was a really good question. He had to mull over that for a whole minute, much to Derpy's irritation. He could leave right now and let her handle herself like she wanted. She had other friends to help her and Dinky, as well, friends that knew her longer than he ever did. He still needed to find a place to stay, because he didn't want to just take the couch in Derpy's house. 

“I wish I knew,” he said.

Derpy said nothing. She just glowered at him for a good few moments, wondering what the hell that meant. However, for just a second, her hardened eyes grew soft, even though it left as quickly as it came. Her face scrunched, and she turned to her side, readjusting her blankets. “Whatever...” she mumbled. 

A nurse with light fur popped her green maned head into the room, then stepped in, glancing at the Doctor. “If you don't mind, our visiting hours are over. She's had an exhausting time, so needs her rest, as do you two. You can come back tomorrow, if you want,” advised the nurse in a sweet tone.

The two other ponies nodded. Dinky peeked up at Derpy, who had already fallen to sleep, her chest heaving lightly. She smiled at her sister and said, “Get better, Ditzy.” She kissed her cheek and walked away.

The Doctor stared at Derpy, whose face for once looked peaceful while in sleep's deep trace. He couldn't help but feel something pull his mouth up into a smile. His hoof lingered on hers for a few extra seconds before he left the room. 

Dinky watched the whole thing by the doorway. When he joined her in walking down the hallway, she asked, “You alright, Doctor? You look... funny.”

He couldn't imagine how he looked that seemed funny, though he certainly felt his cheeks burn. “I-I'm fine, Dinky.” He cleared his throat to compose himself. “Let's go home. She'll be fine soon. I know it.”

It took several days, but finally, the Doctor was informed that Derpy could be taken out, and that the doctors preferred that somepony help her home. Even though she did not know this, she did not rage when Doctor Whooves arrived to pick her up while Dinky was at school. 

However, that doesn't mean she accepted it so easily. "It's not like I'm crippled. I don't need a damn guide to take me home," she said to him with a snarl curling her lips down. 

They had already gone outside, and the only reason Derpy accepted the Doctor getting her out was because she hated the hospital and wanted more than anything to leave. However, even as she walked toward her house with him at her side, she detested the idea.

Stitches and wraps covered her back, with only small red spots of blood remaining from several days ago. Away from the wrappings, her wings were still out in the open as they walked to her place. Could she still fly? He couldn't be certain.

Other than the bandages on her back and a few remaining bruises, it looked as if she had barely been touched. Her eyes still burned with a temper of a manticore, an aura of irritation about her. She still looked like she would beat up anypony who messed with her, and he wouldn't be surprised that, as soon as they got home, she'd head to her bedroom for a smoke.

"They just want to make sure you get home alright. I'm just doing what they thought best," he tried to explain. While she tried to brave off her wounds, he doubted she could walk straight with ease and without feeling any sort of pain.

Sure enough, she sucked in a breath as a stab of pain dug into her back. She had to stop altogether to take a deep breath. Though her house was now in plain sight, that would have to wait a bit.

"Where does it still hurt? Your back?" he guessed, reaching out a hoof just in case.

She raised her own to stop his. "I'm fine... Damn it, I hope those three rot in hell."

He didn't need to know the names to know who she was talking about, or where they were now. He stared at her with a somber look and said, "Well, right now, they are in prison for beating you up so horribly, so you don't need to worry about them."

“Good,” she said with a glower in the direction of the library where the scene unfolded. They continue walking at a slow pace, slow for Derpy's sake. 

"We were all quite worried about you. Your sister, your friends, especially me," he said, not quite sure where especially came from—or where this new conversation began at all. At this point, he resigned on figuring out what his mind was coming up with. "But we shouldn't have," he went on, grinning. "You're a tough on, Derpy. You'll bounce back up."

Derpy nodded curtly. "Damn right. I won't let these injuries interfere with my work."

"Can you still fly? Your wings look pretty out of shape, too."

She waved a hoof to dismiss the topic, her house before their faces. “I got it handled, alright, Doc? Just let it the buck go,” she snapped in an exasperated tone.

Derpy used her keys to open the locked door, which he had locked when he left. She opened the door to her house, and she went in first, the Doctor following. He closed the door behind them with a gentle push.  

Stepping in however, Derpy had already found a reason to yell out at him.

"Hey! If you plan on staying here for a few days, the least you can do is clean your damn dishes," shouted Derpy with an angry gesture at the kitchen. 

The Doctor remembered breakfast, wincing as he recalled taking Dinky to school. They had gotten up late, so he hadn't thought to get the dishes done. He would have done them as soon as he got back, but he was told Derpy could get out soon, so he had completely forgotten about the kitchen. Noting Derpy's irritation, he told himself to never to that again.

But then something else came to him, his ears flickering into the air. "Pardon?" Did she just say... 

Staying here...

"I didn't speak a foreign language, did I, Doc?" Derpy remarked. Again, she pointed at the kitchen with a long grimace. "Clean up your own bucking mess."

"No, no, I-I got that. I just... did you say stay here?"

The Pegasus rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what's your point?”

"What made you change your mind, if I may ask?" the earth stallion asked.

She shrugged. "Hell if I know. I'm just trying to figure you out."

An eyebrow rose on Doctor Whooves' forehead. Of all the answers he anticipated, that was certainly not one of them. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've known me for, what, only a damn week? And you're so bucking nuts about helping me and my sister, it's almost pathetic." She let out a dark, abrupt laugh before continuing. "What's up with that, anyway?"

He smiled at her. "You and your sister took me in for the storm. I feel I should return the favor."

"Well, I hope your worth the extra weight in this house, cause if not," Derpy added, eyebrows narrowed, "I can easily kick your ass out of here. Got it?" 

Much to Derpy's anger, the Doctor chuckled, long used to her threats—which shouldn't have been done with as much ease as he did. "That's fair enough.”

Their eyes locked for the shortest second, blue irises meeting gold. Nothing was said, and their expressions were hard to distinguish. They were both interrupted by a door opening, revealing behind it a small unicorn filly.

The filly jumped upon seeing Derpy, running up to her and hugging her. "Ditzy!"

Derpy grinned with a low chuckle at Dinky as she slipped her sister from a surprisingly tight grasp. She took a few steps back. She smirked. "I'm heading upstairs. There's no smoking in the hospital, so I have been craving something to smoke for a while.” She disappeared upstairs, leaving her sister and Doctor Whooves to themselves.

They both just smiled at each other. 

*****

Derpy opened her golden eyes and yawned, moving the blue bed sheets and comforter she had on her body away from her. She grunted from a small pain in her side as she took a deep breath and exhaled out, looking at the tan colored clock that was suspended on the wall to her right. Seeing that was already one o’ clock p.m., she gritted her teeth and blinked.

With another yawn, she got up from the bed and by habit, grabbed a cigarette that lay on her brown oak nightstand to her right. Using her tail to grab a match, she lit it as well as the tip of her smoke. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled out her nose. With a sigh, she planted her four hooves onto her wooden floor and trotted towards her bedroom door.

She went into her bathroom and brushed her mane with a red brush with her tail, promising to brush her teeth later tonight. She went and urinated in the toilet before flushing it down with a hoof, washing her hooves and trotted out the bathroom. All the while, she still smoked her cigarette.

Walking down the stairs, Derpy saw Dinky and the Doctor praying over their breakfast. With a roll of her eyes, she trotted towards the fridge and, with her right wing, took out a carton of orange juice, which she drank without hesitation as the two finished with their prayer and looked at the older mare. She burped loudly, put the carton back and walked over to where her sister and guest sat.

She saw the Doctor had made cinnamon pancakes with blueberry syrup. She smiled, impressed that he could cook well. She took one last drag of her cigarette she had in her tail before putting it out on the green ashtray in front of her. She dug into her food, ignoring the Doctor’s angered glare and Dinky’s small frown as they quietly ate as well.

While they ate, Dinky kept having a smile on her snout, annoying Derpy to no end. She looked at her sister, her right eye set in a glare as her left went upwards.

“What, why are you so happy, Dinks? It’s just a normal day. Shouldn't you be in school?” she growled.

Dinky frowned, her eyes looking as if they were about to tear up. “You’re right, Ditzy. It’s Friday, but... you always let me have a day off of school on my birthday,” she whispered, earning widened eyes from her sister.

She almost spat out the orange juice the Doctor had given her. She had forgotten it was her little sister’s thirteen birthday; what kind of sister was she?

“Shit,” Derpy hissed to herself, mentally slapping herself in the face. She had never forgotten Dinky’s birthday, not once. Maybe she had been too absorbed in her own problems, especially with the pain she had been in, that her mind had slipped from one of the most important days of Dinky’s life.

The silence was so awkward not even a dragon destroying the house could snap them from it. Derpy rubbed her forehead with a hoof, having no clue what to say. The Doctor cleared his throat, not wanting for Dinky to cry or Derpy to snap at him.

“I… I think that it would be best if you would go upstairs, so your sister and I could talk about your party this afternoon, Dinks,” he said with a smile.

The filly’s face light up in surprise. “I’m getting a party?” she asked in a loud squeal, making the Doctor laugh and nod. She hugged both him and her sister, and without a word, ran up to her room.

Derpy sighed, glaring at him, a stare he was used to by now, even though it did unnerve him a bit still. “Great for telling her shit that may not even happen, Doc,” she spat.

The Doctor merely rolled his eyes. “Derpy, it’s perfectly understandable that you would not remember after you were horribly injured as you were-”

“Are you calling me weak, cherry boy? I’ll kick your ass right now to prove that I’m not-”

“You’re missing my point, Derpy. With everything that has been going on with you, it’s no wonder you forgot your sister’s birthday. Luckily for you, I took a few extra steps to ensure things would go smoothly, planned with the help of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, of course. Though for some strange reason, Rarity also insisted she help with the plan. The party will be today at four, as far as I know. I got-”

“You remembered not to get anything with coconut, right? Dinks is allergic to coconut. Her face swells up like an angry, red balloon. Damn, one time-”

“Derpy, focus alright? This is important. We need to get the party set up, and we can’t have Dinky finding out too soon about her surprise party, so I need you to stall her until it’s time. When I go up the stairs and say, “It’s a nice day out,” that will be your cue to bring her out, alright?” he advised.

Derpy smirked, a dark, evil smirk as though she had leverage over the stallion. “Stall her, huh? Hmmm… fine, I guess I can do that. Damn, you really thought ahead with this shit, hun Doc? How did you know it was my sister’s birthday anyway?”

“She said it ten times this week,” he deadpanned.

She facehoofed and sighed loudly. “Of course she did. Alright, I’ll do what I can, but no promises. Dinky can get really sneaky when she wants to; I taught her well,” Derpy bragged puffing put her chest a little as the Doctor facehoofed himself this time.

With that, the two parted ways, the Doctor to get the party set up while as Derpy went up the stairs. She was surprised the Doctor was really helping her sister out with something that really did not concerned him.

Maybe I really had misjudged the poor bastard. Never had a stallion help us out like he did. Could he honestly care about the two of us? If so… it’s kind of nice to be taken care of so well, not that I can’t do shit myself, she thought with a small smile before going into Dinky’s room and knocking on the door.

“Just a second,” Dinky yelled.

Derpy rolled her eyes and barged in, not caring what her little sister said. She saw the filly on her bed with her hind legs spread and her left hoof in between them. She yelped and quickly covered herself up with her red blanket.

“I said just a second Ditzy. What the buck?!” she shouted, her eyes narrowed in anger.

Derpy blinked in shock before a dark grin formed on her muzzle. “Well, well, well, so little Miss Prayer is not as innocent as I thought… of course, you’re old enough to have a bit of… fun.” She laughed as Dinky blushed, not making eye contact with her.

“So….who's the colt?” she asked before trotting into the room, closing the door behind her with a hoof.

Dinky looking at her older sibling in surprise. “Y…you mean you’re not shocked or surprised or embarrassed-”

“Girl, please, I've been doing the same thing when I was your age. There is not nothing in my life I have not seen or done,” she replied with a wink. She sat on the edge of Dinky’s bed, ignoring the smell of the younger mare’s odor.

“I… I would have thought-”

“Dinks, I’m your sister, not your mother. It’s natural for fillies your age to have…urges. So tell me again; who’s the colt? And how long you been doing this?” She smirked.

Dinky sighed. “It…I've been only doing it for a week, when I’m really… pent up,” she said embarrassingly. Derpy nodded, a bored expression on her face as she waited for Dinky to continue. “And the colt is…well, Rumble,” she whispered.

Derpy blinked in surprise. “Ah… Thunderlane’s brother. Can’t deny that their family is hard not to want to tackle to the ground and-”

“I’m not going to Tartarus for this… am I, Derpy?” Dinky interrupted, not wanting to know more about Derpy’s sexual experience for a lifetime.

Derpy only sighed loudly. She scowled, knowing how into church and prayer her little sister was, but having no clue how to answer, not giving a damn about Dinky’s Gods.

“I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t be forgiven, little sis. Long as you don’t travel down the darker path like I did, I think… the Gods will forgive you. Just, you know, keep your door lock when you need to… relieve stress and then pray for forgiveness afterwards. I’m sure even the Gods had to get rid of sexual tension,” Derpy answered as Dinky blushed.

There was an awkward silence between the two before Dinky asked what was on her mind.

“Would you… would you pray with me, to get rid of this guilt weighting on my soul?” she asked.

Derpy scowled. “You know me Dinks. I don’t do prayer, but if you want, I can give you the talk of the birds and the bees again,” she snickered.

Dinky shook her head and chuckled. “No, no I’m good. Last time you said that to me, I was seven and you ended it with, “And then the bird ripped the bee’s body in half with her beak.” How was that supposed to help me again?” she giggled, to which Derpy rolled her eyes.

“Kept you from getting into the more dirty stuff, that’s for sure. So yeah, do your thing. I’ll be right here waiting,” she said with a grin.

Dinky frowned, but then nodded and put her forehooves together before bowing her head and praying… loudly.

“Dear Celestia, I have sinned. I am sorry my Princess for performing an act that is not right in your eyes and I ask that you forgive me. My body is reacting in a way that is now unusual to me, and I pray that you please keep me from doing so again. And if it does happen and I have no control, I ask that you please forgive me and see your humble servant before you, serving you and the Gods until the day I die. Thank you, my lady. May the Gods forgive me, amen,” she ended, her face set in content. She sighed loudly and smiled at her sister, who only frowned.

Silence was all that the room held as Derpy took a deep breath with a loud huff. She wanted a smoke but was not sure if she wanted her sister’s room to have the odor her own room always held.

“It’s ok, I don’t mind if you smoke. My body has gotten used to the smell ever since I was seven. I don’t mind,” Dinky told her quietly. 

Derpy smirked and nodded before getting a cigarette from her left ear. She held it in and a match from her right as she lit the match on her side, igniting the tip and inhaling a large lungful of the nicotine before exhaling it out of her mouth with a loud breath of relief.

Dinky looked at the cigarette in her sister’s mouth as if she had never seen it before. After a moment, she asked quietly. “Can... can I have a drag?” 

Derpy shook her head. “One sin at a time, little mare. Clopping every once in a while I don’t care about, but this… nah. This I don’t want you to try… ever,” Derpy stated firmly.

Dinky nodded her head quickly, a bit afraid of her older sister.

“I don’t want you to be like me, Dinks. I have been through so much shit in my life that it’s not even funny. I had my first smoke when I was your age. Got into drugs when I was fifteen and became a complete and total mess when I was seventeen. Uncontrollable, untamed and just… heh, just a monster really. You knew that mom was always the one to go to church and take you along, while dad always stayed at the house and drank. Guess which life I chose? To be honest, as much as it annoys me, I’m glad you chose mom’s path. It makes you the more innocent of the two of us. So if I ever catch you drinking from my alcohol or trying to have a drag of my smokes, I’ll break your horn off with my bare hooves, got it?” she growled.

Dinky’s eyes widen and she nodded her head rapidly, knowing that Derpy was not joking. “So um… where is the Doctor?” she asked in a lower tone.

Derpy took another drag of her smoke and blew it out her nose with a shrug. “How should I know? I’m not his bucking babysitter. He can do whatever he wants for all I care long as he does not bring a mare into my house and sleep with her on my couch, otherwise I’ll snap both their necks and use them for firewood.” She replied with a grin as Dinky rolled her eyes.

“You know that tough mare act does not work on me, right?” she said.

Derpy snorted. “Damn, thought it would for a little while. Oh well.” She laughed making Dinky smile.

Then her face fell. “Ditzy, why is it when we visit mom and dad’s grave, you only talk to mom and put a white rose on her grave?” she wondered aloud, earning a scowl from her sister. 

She inhaled another drag before exhaling it out her mouth. “Because mom was the only one in our family I loved, Dinks. Thought you would have known that by now,” Derpy answered.

Dinky blinked before speaking, ignoring the smoke that Derpy had accidentally blown her way. “But Pastor Heartstrings always said that we are to love our family and friends, and forgive them for any wrong doing they may have done as the Gods will and forgive and love us, for we may-”

“Dinks, first of all, tell Lyra to cram it where the sun doesn’t shine. Second, I would never forgive dad for the shit he has done to any of us. He does not deserve it. You’re too young to know it, and with you, you’ll just look at all the good he has done for you, but he was a monster, a brute, nothing more than a piece of trash… and I became just like him growing up,” she whispered so quietly that Dinky almost did not hear her.

“That’s not true. You’re honest… a little too honest. And you’re caring, when you want to be, and-”

“Dinky, stop while you’re ahead. Let’s just….agree to disagree, ok?” she cut her off.

Dinky was quite for a few seconds before she nodded.

With a sigh, Derpy put out her cigarette in her hoof, wincing at the pain before she threw it away in her sister’s green trashcan, ignoring the many Wonderbolts posters all over her room, covering her blue wallpaper that had clouds all over. She looked at the cloak suspended above her wall to the left, seeing that the green clock read three thirty. She chuckled.

“Alright, bonding time is over, Little Muffin. Go take a shower, then head down stairs. Think the Doctor might have come back from his trip now,” Derpy said.

Dinky only nodded, removing her covers and turning to get off the bed, being sure to grab a tan colored towel. Derpy got up from her bed and trotted towards the door before stopping.

“And Dinky,” she called out, causing the filly to turn her head and look at her, confused. “Happy birthday.” She left the unicorn to herself.

Dinky blinked, tears in the corner of her eyes as she said softly. “She hasn't called me Little Muffin since I was seven.”

As Dinky went to take her shower, Derpy trotted down the stairs and scowled seeing all the guest in her house. This included Dinky’s best friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, as well as their sisters—or idol—and Rumble’s brother, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Thunderlane. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Lyra with her wife, Bon-Bon, and several more guest were with them as well as Dinky’s teacher, Miss Cheerlie with her coltfriend, Big Macintosh.

Derpy narrowed her eyes upon seeing Rarity and Lyra. She hated Rarity; she thought she was a bitch who flirted with every stallion in town and had her nose so deep up her own ass that she could not see pass her selfishness. However, she calmed a bit as she saw Fluttershy softly wrap an arm around the mare and knew that as much as she did not like her, for Fluttershy’s sake, she could tolerate her… unless she did something to hurt the mare. Then she would tear her horn off and shove it so far down her throat she would shit out blood. The thought made Derpy smile. She was about to think another dark thought for Lyra Heartstrings, but her mental picture was cut off as she saw the Doctor trot up to her with a large smile.

“Hey, thank you very much for keeping Dinky distracted while I got everything set up. It means a lot to me… so where is the birthday girl? And thought I told you to wait until I came up,” he asked with a chuckle.

Derpy explained that she was taking a shower and that she did tell him no promises.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What for? Didn’t she take one this morning?” he asked, making Derpy chuckle, saying not to worry about it.

As the Doctor blinked and nodded, Carrot Top trotted towards the two and smiled at Derpy. “Oh, it’s so good to see little Dinky be a teenager. She’s going to have a bit of a struggle with growing up, but we will be there every hoofstep of the way, right Derpy?” she said as Derpy rolled her eyes and merely grunted, causing Carrot Top to frown but not speak.

The Doctor ushered the two to their hiding spots. Derpy was about to punch the Doctor in the face for touching her flank with his head when she heard her sister trot down the steps slowly and hid.

Just as Dinky reached the last step and asked where Derpy was, they all came out yelling surprise,  causing the filly to jump in fright.

Derpy had a large grin on her face seeing her little sister jump for joy as she spotted her friends and everypony she knew, going towards her fellow Crusaders and hugging them. She blushed when Rumble hugged her, making Derpy smirk.

“And just to let you know, there is no alcohol in the party,” the Doctor muttered.

She rolled her eyes before punching him in the left shoulder with a hoof. “Don’t need it, Doc… but if you tell me I can’t smoke in my own house, I’ll throw you off a cliff,” she sneered, making him chuckle.

“Jeez, thanks, that’s how I always wanted to die,” he replied.

Derpy smiled before looking and seeing her sister have the time of her life with those she cared about, dancing with her friends and chatting with fellow reliable ponies making her sigh, ignoring the ponies who tried to chat with her before going out the back down to her house, making sure to grab her a cigarette and a single match. The Doctor followed her out.

“You know, you really outdid yourself, Doc. I’m impressed… thank you,” Derpy murmured and looked at the clouds in the blue sky above her.

The Doctor smiled. “Anytime, Derpy. I’m just helping a fellow friend out… I would have done the same for you,” he answered.

Derpy rolled her eyes. Then, turning her head to the right, she gave his cheek a soft kiss, making him blink in shock and surprise. She smirked, lighting a cigarette and inhaling deeply, watching as he held a hoof to his face and smiled.

“What….what was that-?”

“Don’t play stupid, Doctor Whooves. You know what it was for… guess you can say you deserve it… and you’re not so bad looking,” she answered, still with a somewhat snappish tone.

He grinned and quietly wrapped his left arm around her, making her freeze in shock before slowly leaning into the embrace. 

“You’re not pulling away. I’m impressed,” he whispered, receiving a chuckle from her.

“To be honest, I don’t really care. Besides, maybe it’s time I got a stallion back in my life,” she said quietly making him gasp. She sighed before punching him hard in the stomach.

He went to the ground wheezing as she rolled her eyes, inhaling the nicotine before exhaling it out her mouth.

“So I like you more than a friend and want to date you. But if you try to put a dress on me or sneak into my bed when I don’t approve of it, and I’ll throw you to the Timberwolves,” she threatened into his left ear as he coughed.

She gave him a gentle peck on his check again, turning around and walking back into the party, leaving the Doctor coughing in pain but with a smile gracing his face.

She really was not a soft, caring, gentle mare like many he knew, but that did not mean she did not care about him. Derpy was different, more than any mare he had ever met in his life, and though he might be able to persuade her to give up drinking, though knowing she would rather die than give up her cigarettes. He prayed to the Gods that maybe one day, Derpy would be the mare that would stay by his side for the rest of their days.

The Doctor got up and looked into the kitchen window to see her carrying Dinky around on her back, her cigarette still in her mouth as she laughed at something the filly said to her, which made him smile. Despite her faults, there was something about the mare that made him really want to be with her and one day, heal her heart from the sins that dwelled within her.