Special Delivery!by xRaymau5xChaptersThere and Back AgainHey Derpy!Everything Old is New AgainDreams and DashOpen to InterpretationThere and Back AgainPrologue A lot of ponies wondered where Derpy, the mailpony for Ponyville went. Someponies thought that she had been sent away, and others thought she had left; however, I know better. She was with me. I didn’t know Derpy before this story began. In fact, I didn’t know a lot of ponies. I was a shut in. I never liked to go outside. Except at night, because I loved the cool night winds and the darkness of night. It also fits my name. What’s my name? My name is Midnight Skies, and this is the story of how I met Derpy and the big adventure we went on to deliver a special package. Chapter 1: Hello My Name is Midnight Skies As a young Pegasus living in Cloudsdale, I had a lot to live up to as the younger brother of Soarin’. Yea, Soarin’, the WonderBolt, maybe you’ve heard of him. My parents always used to tell me, “You should be more like your brother,” but it wasn’t as easy as that. At my age, Soarin’ had blown past flight school, and was already set to become a WonderBolt. I was nowhere close to becoming a WonderBolt. Soarin’ was brave and charismatic; I on the other hand, was shy. For most of our colt days, Soarin’ and I were the best of friends. Being a WonderBolt was our dream as we grew up together. Soarin’, only a year or two older than me, was already a WonderBolt, and I looked up to him. I on the other hand, struggled through flight school. Don’t get me wrong, I am a great flyer (possibly even better than Soarin’). I’m just was not as brave as he was. By the time I had graduated flight school, Soarin’ had become a Wonderbolt, and was put on the same squad as Spitfire, one of his rivals at the Wonderbolt Academy, and another Pegasus named Echo Fleetfoot, who surprisingly was blind. I graduated as one of the lowest in the class, but not the lowest. The lowest belonged to a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane. She didn’t finish flight school. In fact, nopony knows what happened to her. Hey, at least I didn’t drop out. For my graduation, Soarin’ stopped by and gave me his Squad Leader pin from the Academy and a book about a famous Wonderbolt named NoseDive. After receiving the book, I read it almost a hundred times, taking in every detail of the book. NoseDive was a lot like me. He was shy and didn’t like a lot of attention. In order to get over his shyness, he started talking to everypony and tried out for a Cloudsdale Sports team. Sounds easy right? Not if you’re the younger brother of the youngest Pegasus to become a Wonderbolt. Everywhere I went, all everypony wanted to hear about was Soarin’. Soarin’ this, Soarin’ that. Nopony wanted to talk about anything else. After a while, I got tired of it all. I started going out less and less until the only time I left was to get a book from the library, or at nighttime to fly around unsolicited. Books and the night sky were my solace, and I didn’t like to leave them. Eventually, I began to write short stories about my dreams. My favorite story was one where I joined my brother as a Wonderbolt. Pleased with my story, I sent it to Soarin’, who wrote back and told me that that was the best story he’s read in a while, and suggested I had a knack for writing. Reading over my stories again, I realized that he was right. Soon, my cutie mark appeared, a book with a moon on it. I was pleased to have finally gotten my cutie mark, and when I showed my parents, they sounded happy, but they looked almost disappointed. Unbeknownst to them, I caught that disappointment, and it only further pushed me into my solitude. It was a long time before I went outside after that. Instead of flying, I began to sit on the steps of the SnowFlake memorial, wondering what it was I was supposed to do. I felt almost useless. Soarin’ began to feel bad for me, and tried to cheer me up by inviting me to the Grand Galloping Gala, then the Wonderbolt’s Derby, and even the royal wedding, but each time I declined. I didn’t want to show my face at any of those events. I just wanted to carry on with my life being a shut in. I continued to write my stories, but I soon ran out of material to write about. Then one night I decided I was going to fly again. Leaving the house with my notebook in my pack and Soarin’s pin on my coat, I walked to the SnowFlake memorial. I looked up at the statue and hoped that something great and amazing would happen to me. I pulled a bit from my pack and threw into the well. Now it was time to take into the skies. I spread my wings and I began to flap them. It took some time to stretch out my wings as I hadn’t flown for a long period of time in a while, but I got used to them pretty fast. I flew through the air going as fast as I could. If only Soarin’ could see how fast I was going. Then I decided to go into a nosedive like the Wonderbolt in my book. The speed and the wind running through my mane only propelled me to go faster. I loved every second of it. At the last second I pulled up, narrowly missing the ground. It would’ve been awesome, had I dodged out of the way of a lone gray Pegasus. I hit the Pegasus hard and I spun out of control, crashing into the trees and hitting the ground hard. The gray Pegasus landed somewhere near me. As I lost consciousness, I saw her stand up and stumble over to me… Author's Note First story, so don't hate, tolerate. Hey Derpy!Chapter 2: Mmmmm Pie.... “Midnight!” The yell pierced my ears as I shot awake. Where did it come from? “Midnight!” The yell came again, from behind me. I shot off in the direction of the yell. It was just on the top of a really big hill. I flew up as fast as I can only to find Soarin’ staring out into the distance. “Soarin’?” I asked with great confusion. Where am I, and why is Soarin’ here? The last thing I recalled was coming out of an epic nose dive and hitting something. Or somepony… “Soarin’, are you okay?” I asked my brother. He was trembling. Something definitely was wrong with him to be trembling. He pointed his hoof to the distance and just uttered “p-p-p-pie…” “Pie?” I asked looking towards where he was pointing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There at the foot of the hill, was the biggest pile of pies I had ever seen. My mouth started watering, and I could tell Soarin’ was having a hard time containing himself. Besides Soarin’ and I looking almost exactly the same (aside from the eyes and the way he styles his hair, which is the same as mine just styled up), we also shared the unconditional love of pie ( his favorite is apple and mine is blueberry). Soarin’ shot down the hill faster than I could blink. It took me a second to make my way down, but by then, Soarin’ was already digging into a pie. I followed suit and dug into the first pie that caught my eye. Blueberry. Awesome! I quickly finished that pie and moved onto the next. I bit into the pie expecting a rush of delicious blueberry-goodness, but instead was met with a nasty taste of citrus. I looked at Soarin’ and he shared my expression. He stared at me spitting out the chunks of the second pie. I slowly looked down and found a lemon pie sitting at my feet. Lemon pie. We both hate it. We appreciate that it’s pie, but we can’t stand the taste. I lifted my hooves into the air and let out a huge, “NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” I shot awake to the warm sun overhead. Morning already? I slowly stood up and felt a sharp pain on my head. I put my hoof to my head and rubbed it softly. I didn’t feel too injured from the crash. I looked at my pack on the ground next to me, opened it up and grabbed my notebook and quill. I wrote down what happened the night before and put my notebook back into my pack. Hmm. I’m missing my coat. I scanned around the opening in the forest. Good thing I didn’t hit any of these trees. Suddenly something caught my eye. Soarin’s pin! It was still attached to my coat. Then I noticed what my coat was sitting on. The grey Pegasus. I slowly made my way to the Pegasus. Oh no… I hope they’re okay. When I finally reached them I noticed that they were still breathing. That’s a good sign. I then began to slowly lift the coat. “BOOO!” “GAAAAHHH!” I let out as I fell back in surprise. “Yay I scared you!” said the grey Pegasus with a smile on their face. Well at least she’s not hurt. “Hey, what’s the matter with you?” I said feeling my face go hot. I couldn’t believe that it was a set up. There I was thinking they were hurt, but no. They were trying to scare me. “Sorry I couldn’t help myself” they said with a smile. Then they opened their eyes. I couldn’t help but flinch just a little bit. Their eyes were looking in two different directions. TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS! “Uh, are you okay?” I asked sheepishly. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” they replied with a smile. “Uh… just checking.” I could only assume and hope that their eyes weren’t my doing. Upon further inspection I realized that the grey Pegasus was a mare. Her muzzle was rounded compared to mine. I also noticed that her cutie mark was bubbles. Yes bubbles. What do bubbles mean? “My name is Derpy!” the grey Pegasus said with a huge smile. “Uh, I’m Midnight.” I replied. I started to feel uncomfortable with her. I mean come on, her eyes are all wacky and her name is Derpy! How do I even approach this? “How long were you waiting to scare me?” “Uh, only a couple of hours.” She said feeling embarrassed. “A COUPLE OF HOURS?!? HOW LONG WAS I OUT???” I shouted, probably a little louder than I should’ve. “Hmmmm. I don’t… remember…” she said with uncertainty. I couldn’t believe it. She had been waiting a couple hours before I woke up. That means there’s a possibility I’ve been out for a couple of days! Oh man, I gotta get home! “Okay, well it was nice meeting you Derpy. I have to go home now, so sorry and take care!” I turned around and began to fly away. “Wait! I need your help!” Derpy shouted. I felt bad that I crashed into her, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to help her. She hasn’t recognized me as Soarin’s younger brother, and I wanted to keep it that way. I wouldn’t be able to shake the guilt so I turned around and said, “Uh, okay, what did you need help with?” “Well…. Uh… I am a mailpony and I…. uh… lost my bag…” she explained with great remorse. “Where was the last place you saw it?” I asked. “Well, you see, I had it and then something flew past me and stole the bag. I flew after them, but they were too fast. I tried really hard to keep up but then I bumped into you.” “Hmm, I see. Sorry again.” I apologized. “It’s okay, I just don’t know what went wrong…” she replied. I hop- I didn’t say that! What? I didn’t say that. Derpy, when I agreed to let you help me with the story, I said not to butt in! Great, now I’m writing all this down. Ooops, my bad! It’s okay, just… Okay so where was I… Oh yea! I hoped she wasn’t gonna ask me what I thought she was, but I decided to ask anyways. “So what do you need me to do?” I asked. “Uhh, I need you to…. help me… get it back…” She said with an uncertain grin. OOOHHH NNNNOOO! That’s out of the question! I can’t help her! What would I even do? I wanted to help, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. I don’t even know this pony. What if this is a joke? What if she finds out who I am? What if it’s a dangerous journey? What if my parents notice i'm gone? “I’m sorry Derpy, I can’t do that. I gotta get home.” I turned around and began to fly away. “Wait! What do I tell the princess?” she shouted. It was enough to stop me dead in my tracks. Did she just say, “the princess”? “She gave me a package to deliver to Ponyville and said it was super duper important. I don’t want her to be mad…” She began to look down in shame. I still wanted to go home, but this package was from the princess… I didn’t want to help this Pegasus, but I didn’t want her to get in trouble… What if she banishes her? Or even worse, what if she sends her to the moon for 1,000 hours? I looked down. My mind was made up. I was going to go home. I looked down prepared to give Derpy the bad news, but then something caught my eye. Soarin’s pin. Instantly I began to think about Soarin’. What would Soarin do in this situation? Letting out a huge sigh, I turned to face the Pegasus and said, disdainfully, “Okay, which way did they go?” Author's Note I've written this chapter over and over and over again and I feel like I can't get it just right. This rewrite sounded a lot better than the rest so it'll be the one I go with. This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. Midnight is a very insecure pony, but I didn't want him to come off as a jerk. Derpy was a little bit easier, but still difficult all the same. I didn't want to make her too "derpy" to where it crippled her as a character. She's a main character so she needs to be able to be worked with. Hopefully to those who read this, they will understand this chapter, because the rest of the story is where everything begins. Everything Old is New AgainChapter 3: Yes, a trail Derpy was at the castle just a day before I met her. The princess had called upon her by name. She told her that she had a very important package that had to be delivered to Ponyville. Everyone at the castle was shocked. The princess had given the package to such a derpy pony. They could not help but question the princess’ sanity, but the princess had her mind made up. She wanted Derpy to deliver it. With the package in her pack, Derpy departed from the castle determined to deliver this package. Suddenly her stomach began to rumble. She was hungry. She slowly and loopily made her way to Donut Joe’s Bakery. Once inside, Derpy made her way to the muffin cabinets. “Derpy! Long time no see!” Donut Joe emerged from the backroom staring at Derpy. “Hi Donut Joe!” Derpy said to the baker with a smile and turned back to face the muffin cabinet. She could not decide between blueberry and banana nut. “On a delivery I see! Who’s the lucky winner?” “Oh, I have to deliver this package to Ponyville. The princess says it’s really important.” Derpy said never once taking her eyes off of the muffins. “The Princess?!?” Donut Joe couldn’t believe his ears. He began to wonder if the princess had lost her mind. Donut Joe knew Derpy since she was just a little filly. She had always gone into his shop and headed straight for the muffins. He knew she was a little off but he welcomed her all the same. She easily was his favorite customer, aside from the purple mare’s dragon assistant who loved his donuts. But he still couldn’t understand the decision to make Derpy in charge of such a huge delivery. “Derpy, do you think you can handle this? I mean, do you think you can deliver this package safely?” Joe asked concerned. Derpy turned to the baker and walked over to him this time. She had a furious expression on her face. Immediately he thought that he had offended her. “Derpy,” Joe began, “I-“ “I can’t decide which muffin I want.” Derpy said, cutting Joe off. Her face drooped and she began to tear up. “Why not get both?” Joe asked concered. “I only have enough bits for one.” She began to cry. “Uh… go ahead and get both. My treat.” Joe told her in an effort to cheer her up. Suddenly Derpy’s expression changed. She was no longer crying, but had a huge smile on her face. “Yay! Thank you so much!” She ran to the cabinet and waited for Joe to wrap them up for her. “Derpy, you becareful now, ya hear? This sounds like a huge delivery, so just head straight for Ponyville and deliver the package. Don’t make anymore stops.” Joe said to Derpy as he wrapped up her muffins. He wasn’t sure how much the Pegasus had heard, but he hoped that she understood what he said. He didn’t want something bad to happen to her. “Here you go.” He handed her the muffins. Derpy couldn’t contain her excitement. She grabbed the muffins and ran out the door. Joe watched her as she ran out. He was used to her doing that, but this time, he felt upset. Derpy left the bakery continuing on to the gates of canterlot. She was really happy that she had two muffins. She pulled one out and started eating one. Just thinking about them made her mouth water. The Guards at the gate watched as Derpy exited Canterlot eating her muffin. Little did Derpy know, that there was a cliff shortly following the gates and proceeded to walk straight off. The guards gasped in shock. They couldn’t believe she walked straight off, and before the guards that were pegasi took off to save her, Derpy flew back up flying in the direction towards Ponyville. The guards let out a sigh of relief. Derpy flew for half an hour before it started to get dark. She was halfway to Ponyville when something caught her eye. It was another Pegasus. The Pegasus flew at a blinding speed past Derpy. Worried that the Pegasus was in trouble, Derpy flew after them as fast as she could. She could almost see them in the distance. Suddenly something hit Derpy hard in the side, sending her spiraling downwards. As she struggled for control, a dark figure watched as she fell. In his hand was her delivery bag – and her muffin! Derpy quickly gained control and flew up towards the dark figure, but by the time she reached where they were, they were gone. Upset and about to cry, Derpy slowly descended to the ground. She stumbled a couple steps and fell on top of something. She stood up and noticed that it was the Pegasus she saw earlier. They were out cold. She pulled his pack off of his back and laid it on the ground next to him. An hour went by and Derpy still was waiting for the Pegasus to wake up. She began to nudge them. They weren’t moving. She began to wonder if they were ever going to wake up. Derpy reached for her muffin, but found that her bag was missing. She forgot she had lost it to the dark figure. Just then the Pegasus began to mumble something in his sleep. “Hello?” Derpy said hoping that the Pegasus was awake. “P-p-p-…” the Pegasus mumbled. “Paper.” Derpy finished what the Pegasus said. “P-p-p-…” “Pumpkin!” Derpy said, thinking it was a game. “P-p-p-i-…” “Pirate?” now Derpy was confused “P-p-p-i-i-…” “Pie!” Derpy shouted “Pie…” the Pegasus mumbled. Derpy, assuming she won a game, began to prance around saying, “Yay! I win!” She was very proud of herself. Once again she reached for her muffin, only to find that it was still gone. She was upset. Derpy laid down next to the Pegasus, pulling their coat over herself. It was a cold night, and she was very tired. ‘Hopefully I’ll find my muffin tomorrow’ she thought as she fell asleep. Derpy awoke to daylight just peeking over the trees. She began to get up when she realized that a hoof was around her. She looked at the Pegasus and found that he was snoring. She carefully got up and stretched her legs. The ground wasn’t as comfortable as her bed was, but at least she was able to stay warm. Derpy began to walk around the clearing and noticed that there was a stream nearby. She walked over to it and began to drink. Just then, an apple fell from the tree above her and landed square on her head. “OWWW!” Derpy yelled, falling into the stream. She began to rub her head and looked around. The apple that struck her was on the ground just a few feet from her. She picked it up and took a bite. ‘Delicious’ she thought. She flew up and picked an apple from the tree to give to the Pegasus. Upon returning to them, she noticed they were tossing and turning. She removed their coat and they began to mumble “Soarin’…. Soarin’” in their sleep. Just then she noticed the Wonderbolt pin. Derpy took a step back. ‘Are they a Wonderbolt?’ She walked a few feet away with the coat and began to look at the pin. She looked at the back and realized that there was a note. The note said, “To my little brother Midnight Skies, I believe in you little brother. One day, you and I will fly as a team on the Wonderbolts. Until that day, follow your dreams and never give up. Your Big Brother, Soarin’ Skies” Just as Derpy finished reading the note, the Pegasus screamed “NNN NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”. Scared out of her mind, she hid under the coat. She heard them get up and start walking over to her. ‘So, he’s a wonderbolt’s brother?’ she wondered. Suddenly, the coat began to lift. Derpy did the first thing she thought of… yelling “BOOOOOO!” Derpy finished her story and I put my pencil and paper away. She left out a lot of details about what happened so I had to wait till much later for her to tell me everything. This adventure was going to be a tricky one. First off, we have no idea which way the dark figure went and second- Something caught my eye in the bushes. I walked over to the bush and picked up an envelope. I looked farther into the forest and noticed a small wrapped object. I walked over to it while Derpy followed closely behind. I picked up the wrapped object and began to unwrap it. “A blueberry muffin?” I asked pulling off the rest of the wrapping. “Yay! You found it! Thank you so much!” Derpy said giving me a huge hug and taking the muffin from my hoof. “You’re welcome…” I said, my face growing hot. This must be the direction in which the dark figure went. “Hopefully they didn’t leave this trail on purpose, cause this could be false.” “A trail?” Derpy mumbled, chewing on the muffin. “Yes, a trail.” Author's Note I like this chapter. It was very interesting to write, and I feel I captured the spirit of Derpy, just a little bit. She comes off as naive and klutzy. Like I said, I don't want to cripple her as a character so she would be somewhat helpful rather than being a liability and a nuisance. Hopefully you like this chapter, because the best is still to come. Also I edited Midnight's eyes in chapter 2, making them gold if they already were not. I think it'd go better, seeing as he is strikingly similar to Soarin'. Dreams and DashChapter 4 I could not put my hoof on it, but there was something fishy about this trail. The mail was left in a straight line for another 15-20 feet. I bit into the apple that Derpy picked for me. It was surprisingly scrumptious. If I were correct, following the trail of mail would lead us straight to Tall Tale. I made a couple notes in my notebook then put it away. “Derpy, let’s get moving, if we want to catch this person, we’re going to have to follow the mail.” Derpy finished up her muffin before trotting over to me. “Okay!” she said very enthusiastically. We followed the direction the mail lead us in for a good hour and a half before sitting down to rest. We decided that walking was better as the winds from Smokey Mountain would blow us off course if we flew there. Besides, night had fallen. We wouldn’t get anywhere at night. “I’m going to fly up to see how far we have left.” I said to Derpy as I flew up into the air. Feeling the cool breeze of night in my mane again felt really nice. I looked out towards the right of Smokey Mountain and saw lights in the distance. Tall Tale. I had never been to Tall Tale, but I had read about it in a book called Equestrian Locale. In the book it talked about the major cities of Equestria. Everywhere from Canterlot to Ponyville was in the book. Tall Tale was located just outside of Vanhoover, and was home to Ponies and Griffons alike. I’ve never personally seen a griffon either. Griffons seldom visit Cloudsdale, but there’d been talk of one in the Junior Speedster Flight Camp the year I missed it. I wish I would’ve gone, but I always got sick at camp, so my mother had made me stay home. I slowly began to descend from the air, taking in the cool breeze one more time, before landing gently on the ground. I looked over to Derpy who began to for a place to sleep. I had always had a hard time falling asleep at night, but to my surprise, I slept soundly. I was in a city I had never seen before. The lights were very bright and there were many tall buildings. Oddly enough, everything had a gray tinge to it. I looked around at my surroundings and noticed many ponies walking the streets in slow motion. “Excuse me sir!” I said walking up to a gray stallion passing close by. He didn’t seem to realize that I was there and kept walking in the same direction. What in the hay was going on here? Suddenly I noticed a dark figure off in the distance moving at a regular speed. I would’ve brushed it off but then I realized it was huge and bulky, unlike everypony else. I began to follow it, keeping my distance and trying not to bump into the slow gray ponies. The figure took a look back and darted down an alley. Did they see me? I began to fly above the crowd following down the same alley as the figure. I could see them down below me running at a very fast pace. I was able to keep up with them due to my wings, but they didn’t seem to hear my flapping at all. Was I simply observing the dream and had no part in it? Or was the dark figure deaf? The figure reached the street and began to slow down as it reached a tavern called The Watering Hole. It knocked three times, the door opened, and the figure stepped inside. Hmm. I needed to get into the tavern. I couldn’t let the dark figure get away. I walked up to the door and knocked three times. On the other side of the door was complete silence. I waited for what felt like an eternity before I could hear the door unlocking. What awaited me on the other side? More dark figures? Monsters? Rainbows? The door opened and on the other side was a blindingly bright light. I opened my eyes to the blinding sun. I stood up looking to where Derpy was sleeping. I could see her chest rhythmically rise and fall. Still asleep. I began to stretch out my legs and my wings before taking a sip from my canteen. Looking up at the sky, I realized that it’s been a while since I had flown in the sun. I pulled back and shot off into the air, feeling the cool breeze from Smokey Mountain through my hair. It wasn’t as refreshing as the cool, nighttime breeze, but it still felt good. I looked towards the mountain and I noticed a gleam of light being reflected off of something in the distance. I squinted to see if I could get a better look. I still couldn’t make it out but it looked like it was getting closer. I flew down to Derpy to wake her up. She was muttering something about waffles when I shook her. “Derpy wake up. Something is heading this way.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her hooves as she slowly opened them. She looked and me and said, “Morning sleepyhead!” I gave her a confused look, but she didn’t seem to notice. Instead she began to stretch herself out. “Come on Derpy something’s coming this way.” I said as I took off into the air. I reached the spot I was at when I saw the light. Derpy literally almost knocked me out of the sky again when she finally caught up with me. I looked into the distance and noticed that the light was gone. Instead, a Pegasus pony was fast heading this way. Oh no… I know who this Pegasus is… She noticed we were here but she still didn’t slow down. SHE’S HEADING RIGHT FOR ME!!! I closed my eyes and braced for impact. “Hey Midnight! I see you’re still as cowardly as ever.” The sky-blue Pegasus said brushing her rainbow colored mane. I opened my eyes and glared at her. “You could’ve hit me you jerk!” I yelled at her. Rainbow Dash, the most obnoxious Pegasus from Cloudsdale to hit the skies. She graduated at the top of the class, and wasted no second bragging to me, who was at the bottom of the class, about it. “Come on, I’m the best flyer in Equestria, I would’ve never hit you.” She said rubbing the pin on her chest. Just now I realized what she was wearing. She was wearing a Wonderbolt’s Academy uniform with standard issue recruit-class goggles. The uniform wasn’t a complete flight suit, exposing most of the mare’s face, forehooves, and flank, but it still held great value. The goggles also aren’t as glorious as the Elite-class goggles, able to see through the roughest weather and the darkness of night, but it also was valuable. On her chest was the same pin I wore on my coat; the pin of a Squad Leader… Author's Note Been a while since my last chapter, so I put out what I have finished. It's been an interesting week with me kicking off two new channels at the same time, but I hadn't forgotten about the story. This chapter comes after The Wonderbolts Academy, but before Apple Family Reunion. I had a lot I wanted to include in this chapter, but I decided to cut it shorter as it would've dragged on for a while. The Rainbow Dash part will continue with the next chapter. Everything is coming together, I just have one character to introduce.... Open to InterpretationChapter 5 A squad leader?!? Rainbow Dash is a squad leader?!? “What’s the matter? Is my pin blinding you with its shininess? I’m sorry, it’s very shiny when it’s polished.” Rainbow Dash boasted. I felt my face grow hot. I can’t believe her! “Hey, shut up! I have one too!” I claimed, showing her Soarin’s. “Oh, did Soarin’ give you that?” How did she know? “Yea, it feels a lot better when you actually earn it!” “Hi Rainbow Dash!” Derpy interjected. Rainbow Dash looked at Derpy. “Oh, hey Derpy,” she said with a slight look of discomfort, “anyways, where you guys headed?” “We are on a mission from Princess Celestia.” I said cooly. “Hmm, that’s strange, I wonder why the Princess didn’t ask me.” Honestly, can she be any more annoying?!? She swooped down to our campsite and sat on the ground. Derpy and I followed her down. Without my eyes leaving the pin on her uniform, I asked, “So, whom did you annoy to get that pin.” “Oh, this bad boy? I earned it myself at the Wonderbolts Academy. Something, the bottom of the class will never do.” She said, giving me a wink. I am going to buck her in the face so hard… “Hey, I didn’t graduate at the bottom, that was that yellow Pegasus, Flutter-something.” I said as a feeble attempt to defend myself. “Fluttershy, but that’s different. She found out her special talent was taking care of animals, plus she wasn’t a strong flier to begin with. You on the other hand have no excuse.” You see, technically, she’s right. I have the capabilities to almost, if not, keep up with Soarin’. I guess I just don’t like the attention as much as some ponies want to hog it. Oh man, if only I would have pushed myself harder… I could easily leave this rainbow-maned jerk in the dust. “How bout a race then, egg-head?” I said with a smirk. She hates being called an Egg-Head. “Oh you are so ON!” She said shaking a hoof at me. Suddenly, her expression changed and she hung her head, “Aww shoot. I just remembered, I have to be home by tonight. AJ’s having something big at her house tomorrow and she needs help. Maybe some other time Midnight.” Oh sure, conveniently “AJ” needs help. Who in the hay is “AJ”? “I’ll catch you guys later. See ya Derpy! Later Skies.” She said taking off into the sky as a trail of rainbow followed her. It wasn’t fair. How could she be a squad leader? “Gosh, she is the most annoying Pegasus in the world!” I said, relieved of her presence. Behind me, I heard Derpy giggle. “What’s so Funny?” Tall Tale. We had finally made it to the small town. Where the thief was headed. We began to ask around town, asking if anypony had seen a mysterious figure in town recently. So far we had had no such luck. Everypony seemed to have been too busy to notice, while others could not recall seeing anyone who seemed out of the ordinary in the past day or so. I wrote every story we heard into my journal. I wanted to make sure we had everyone’s story straight. It took us a little over an hour to talk to everyone in town. Well, almost everyone. “Derpy, is that you?” said a strange voice from behind us. Both Derpy turned around to see a tan stallion with a tie. His cutie mark was an hourglass. “I see you’ve made a new friend.” A big smile appeared on Derpy’s face and she gave the mysteriously familiar stallion a hug. “How have you been? It’s been forever!” “Only a short while for me my dear. I assume you are on a delivery. Perhaps you can accompany me to my room. I’ve been in town for a few days, and I need some help packing.” The stallion explained to Derpy. “Excuse me sir, have I met you before?” I interjected. I’m sure I’ve seen this stallion somewhere before. “No, I believe-“ He stopped after shooting me a double take. He seemed almost frightened. Suddenly he became calm and finished with, “I believe you haven’t.” Strange. “Well if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way. Derpy will accompany you shortly.” He explained. The two of them began to walk away, then the stallion stopped, turned to me and asked, “I’m the Doctor by the way, what’s your name?” “Midnight.” I said confused. What the hay? Now we’re doing introductions? He hesitated before saying, “Nice to meet you Midnight. Goodbye!” He sort of winced as he said my name. Then the two continued walking in the same direction. I watched them as they turned the corner and were out of sight. “The Doctor”? Is that supposed to sound impressive? Okay, I’m on my own for now. I decided that it would be okay if I took the train to Van Hoover. The “Doctor” said Derpy would be along with me shortly, but- wait! He never said where she would meet me! I shook my hoof in the air. The train ride was only 5-10 minutes to Van Hoover. Thank Celestia they are so close together. Getting off of the train I noticed that a green stallion was arguing with the pony that sold tickets at the ticket booth. “What do you mean the ticket price went up? It says right there, “five bits”!” The green stallion argued. “Last ticket is seven bits. Take it or leave it.” The clerk insisted. “You can’t raise the price just because it’s the last ticket!” “I just did.” "Excuse me sir,” I interjected, addressing the clerk, “I believe that the price is three bits.” “WHAT?!? THREE… BITS?!?” The clerk burst out laughing. “And who are you to make such a stupendous claim?” “Excuse me, but I just so happen to be a Wonderbolt.” I said, showing off Soarin’s pin. “You wouldn’t want me to report you, would you?” “I- Oh, I’m sorry sir! No sir!” The pony said nervously. “Yes, three bits it is!” The clerk quickly gave the green stallion the last ticket, “Anything else sir?” “Hmm…” I put my hoof to my chin. “Take this stallion’s luggage to the VIP Sleeper Car, and maybe I’ll forget any of this happened.” “Y-y-yes sir!” The clerk ran out of the booth, picked up the stallion’s luggage, and shot in the direction of the car. “So, are you actually a Wonderbolt?” The green stallion asked me. “No.” With that, the stallion and I began to laugh. “Thanks anyways. Who are you then?” “Me? I’m Midnight Skies. I am the younger brother of Soarin’ Skies.” I explained. “Oh, okay. So you’re not completely wrong. The name’s Applesnack.” The stallion held out a hoof. I took the hoof and shook it. We began to exchange stories over the next ten minutes, talking about where we came from and why we were in Van Hoover. Applesnack was gathering supplies to build a house in Appaloosa, where he planned to work on the apple orchard. Suddenly, the train whistle began to blow. “ALL ABOARD WHO’S COMING ABOARD!” the conductor sounded. “Well that looks like me. Thank you again Midnight, I won’t forget it.” Applesnack said as he began to make his way to the train. “No problem.” I said waving to him “If you’re ever in Appaloosa, look me up!” “I will!” Applesnack disappeared into the crowd of ponies that were boarding the train. I sat down on the bench and took out my notebook. I filled in a page about Applesnack then closed the book. That won’t be a name I will forget. After leaving the train station, I began to walk down Mane Street in Van Hoover. Ponies were moving past me in all different directions. It was so busy I almost couldn’t move. I began to shuffle through when I saw it. I my jaw almost dropped to the floor. A chill ran down my neck. Everything seemed to grey, as I noticed the dark figure from my dream… Author's Note Before anyone says anything, yes, I did use Applesnack from Fallout Equestria. It's kind of a "love note", or whatever you call it, to Kkat, as I am a huge fan of the Fanfic; however, in this fanfic, he serves a different purpose. I loved the way that Kkat beautifully wove in the Applejack and Applesnack story. Applesnack being a mysterious character in the story, doesn't express his feelings, nor does he directly give his story. Instead, through flashbacks, you slowly begin to piece his story together and it is the most heartbreaking story arc I have ever read, only to meet with a tragic end. I wanted him to have a happy ending in this story. Does that mean he will get the girl, setting them in stone as star-crossed lovers? I don't know yet. I don't know. That being said, with this chapter, all the pieces are in place, and the story can begin...
There and Back AgainPrologue A lot of ponies wondered where Derpy, the mailpony for Ponyville went. Someponies thought that she had been sent away, and others thought she had left; however, I know better. She was with me. I didn’t know Derpy before this story began. In fact, I didn’t know a lot of ponies. I was a shut in. I never liked to go outside. Except at night, because I loved the cool night winds and the darkness of night. It also fits my name. What’s my name? My name is Midnight Skies, and this is the story of how I met Derpy and the big adventure we went on to deliver a special package. Chapter 1: Hello My Name is Midnight Skies As a young Pegasus living in Cloudsdale, I had a lot to live up to as the younger brother of Soarin’. Yea, Soarin’, the WonderBolt, maybe you’ve heard of him. My parents always used to tell me, “You should be more like your brother,” but it wasn’t as easy as that. At my age, Soarin’ had blown past flight school, and was already set to become a WonderBolt. I was nowhere close to becoming a WonderBolt. Soarin’ was brave and charismatic; I on the other hand, was shy. For most of our colt days, Soarin’ and I were the best of friends. Being a WonderBolt was our dream as we grew up together. Soarin’, only a year or two older than me, was already a WonderBolt, and I looked up to him. I on the other hand, struggled through flight school. Don’t get me wrong, I am a great flyer (possibly even better than Soarin’). I’m just was not as brave as he was. By the time I had graduated flight school, Soarin’ had become a Wonderbolt, and was put on the same squad as Spitfire, one of his rivals at the Wonderbolt Academy, and another Pegasus named Echo Fleetfoot, who surprisingly was blind. I graduated as one of the lowest in the class, but not the lowest. The lowest belonged to a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane. She didn’t finish flight school. In fact, nopony knows what happened to her. Hey, at least I didn’t drop out. For my graduation, Soarin’ stopped by and gave me his Squad Leader pin from the Academy and a book about a famous Wonderbolt named NoseDive. After receiving the book, I read it almost a hundred times, taking in every detail of the book. NoseDive was a lot like me. He was shy and didn’t like a lot of attention. In order to get over his shyness, he started talking to everypony and tried out for a Cloudsdale Sports team. Sounds easy right? Not if you’re the younger brother of the youngest Pegasus to become a Wonderbolt. Everywhere I went, all everypony wanted to hear about was Soarin’. Soarin’ this, Soarin’ that. Nopony wanted to talk about anything else. After a while, I got tired of it all. I started going out less and less until the only time I left was to get a book from the library, or at nighttime to fly around unsolicited. Books and the night sky were my solace, and I didn’t like to leave them. Eventually, I began to write short stories about my dreams. My favorite story was one where I joined my brother as a Wonderbolt. Pleased with my story, I sent it to Soarin’, who wrote back and told me that that was the best story he’s read in a while, and suggested I had a knack for writing. Reading over my stories again, I realized that he was right. Soon, my cutie mark appeared, a book with a moon on it. I was pleased to have finally gotten my cutie mark, and when I showed my parents, they sounded happy, but they looked almost disappointed. Unbeknownst to them, I caught that disappointment, and it only further pushed me into my solitude. It was a long time before I went outside after that. Instead of flying, I began to sit on the steps of the SnowFlake memorial, wondering what it was I was supposed to do. I felt almost useless. Soarin’ began to feel bad for me, and tried to cheer me up by inviting me to the Grand Galloping Gala, then the Wonderbolt’s Derby, and even the royal wedding, but each time I declined. I didn’t want to show my face at any of those events. I just wanted to carry on with my life being a shut in. I continued to write my stories, but I soon ran out of material to write about. Then one night I decided I was going to fly again. Leaving the house with my notebook in my pack and Soarin’s pin on my coat, I walked to the SnowFlake memorial. I looked up at the statue and hoped that something great and amazing would happen to me. I pulled a bit from my pack and threw into the well. Now it was time to take into the skies. I spread my wings and I began to flap them. It took some time to stretch out my wings as I hadn’t flown for a long period of time in a while, but I got used to them pretty fast. I flew through the air going as fast as I could. If only Soarin’ could see how fast I was going. Then I decided to go into a nosedive like the Wonderbolt in my book. The speed and the wind running through my mane only propelled me to go faster. I loved every second of it. At the last second I pulled up, narrowly missing the ground. It would’ve been awesome, had I dodged out of the way of a lone gray Pegasus. I hit the Pegasus hard and I spun out of control, crashing into the trees and hitting the ground hard. The gray Pegasus landed somewhere near me. As I lost consciousness, I saw her stand up and stumble over to me… Author's Note First story, so don't hate, tolerate.
Hey Derpy!Chapter 2: Mmmmm Pie.... “Midnight!” The yell pierced my ears as I shot awake. Where did it come from? “Midnight!” The yell came again, from behind me. I shot off in the direction of the yell. It was just on the top of a really big hill. I flew up as fast as I can only to find Soarin’ staring out into the distance. “Soarin’?” I asked with great confusion. Where am I, and why is Soarin’ here? The last thing I recalled was coming out of an epic nose dive and hitting something. Or somepony… “Soarin’, are you okay?” I asked my brother. He was trembling. Something definitely was wrong with him to be trembling. He pointed his hoof to the distance and just uttered “p-p-p-pie…” “Pie?” I asked looking towards where he was pointing. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There at the foot of the hill, was the biggest pile of pies I had ever seen. My mouth started watering, and I could tell Soarin’ was having a hard time containing himself. Besides Soarin’ and I looking almost exactly the same (aside from the eyes and the way he styles his hair, which is the same as mine just styled up), we also shared the unconditional love of pie ( his favorite is apple and mine is blueberry). Soarin’ shot down the hill faster than I could blink. It took me a second to make my way down, but by then, Soarin’ was already digging into a pie. I followed suit and dug into the first pie that caught my eye. Blueberry. Awesome! I quickly finished that pie and moved onto the next. I bit into the pie expecting a rush of delicious blueberry-goodness, but instead was met with a nasty taste of citrus. I looked at Soarin’ and he shared my expression. He stared at me spitting out the chunks of the second pie. I slowly looked down and found a lemon pie sitting at my feet. Lemon pie. We both hate it. We appreciate that it’s pie, but we can’t stand the taste. I lifted my hooves into the air and let out a huge, “NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” I shot awake to the warm sun overhead. Morning already? I slowly stood up and felt a sharp pain on my head. I put my hoof to my head and rubbed it softly. I didn’t feel too injured from the crash. I looked at my pack on the ground next to me, opened it up and grabbed my notebook and quill. I wrote down what happened the night before and put my notebook back into my pack. Hmm. I’m missing my coat. I scanned around the opening in the forest. Good thing I didn’t hit any of these trees. Suddenly something caught my eye. Soarin’s pin! It was still attached to my coat. Then I noticed what my coat was sitting on. The grey Pegasus. I slowly made my way to the Pegasus. Oh no… I hope they’re okay. When I finally reached them I noticed that they were still breathing. That’s a good sign. I then began to slowly lift the coat. “BOOO!” “GAAAAHHH!” I let out as I fell back in surprise. “Yay I scared you!” said the grey Pegasus with a smile on their face. Well at least she’s not hurt. “Hey, what’s the matter with you?” I said feeling my face go hot. I couldn’t believe that it was a set up. There I was thinking they were hurt, but no. They were trying to scare me. “Sorry I couldn’t help myself” they said with a smile. Then they opened their eyes. I couldn’t help but flinch just a little bit. Their eyes were looking in two different directions. TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS! “Uh, are you okay?” I asked sheepishly. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” they replied with a smile. “Uh… just checking.” I could only assume and hope that their eyes weren’t my doing. Upon further inspection I realized that the grey Pegasus was a mare. Her muzzle was rounded compared to mine. I also noticed that her cutie mark was bubbles. Yes bubbles. What do bubbles mean? “My name is Derpy!” the grey Pegasus said with a huge smile. “Uh, I’m Midnight.” I replied. I started to feel uncomfortable with her. I mean come on, her eyes are all wacky and her name is Derpy! How do I even approach this? “How long were you waiting to scare me?” “Uh, only a couple of hours.” She said feeling embarrassed. “A COUPLE OF HOURS?!? HOW LONG WAS I OUT???” I shouted, probably a little louder than I should’ve. “Hmmmm. I don’t… remember…” she said with uncertainty. I couldn’t believe it. She had been waiting a couple hours before I woke up. That means there’s a possibility I’ve been out for a couple of days! Oh man, I gotta get home! “Okay, well it was nice meeting you Derpy. I have to go home now, so sorry and take care!” I turned around and began to fly away. “Wait! I need your help!” Derpy shouted. I felt bad that I crashed into her, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to help her. She hasn’t recognized me as Soarin’s younger brother, and I wanted to keep it that way. I wouldn’t be able to shake the guilt so I turned around and said, “Uh, okay, what did you need help with?” “Well…. Uh… I am a mailpony and I…. uh… lost my bag…” she explained with great remorse. “Where was the last place you saw it?” I asked. “Well, you see, I had it and then something flew past me and stole the bag. I flew after them, but they were too fast. I tried really hard to keep up but then I bumped into you.” “Hmm, I see. Sorry again.” I apologized. “It’s okay, I just don’t know what went wrong…” she replied. I hop- I didn’t say that! What? I didn’t say that. Derpy, when I agreed to let you help me with the story, I said not to butt in! Great, now I’m writing all this down. Ooops, my bad! It’s okay, just… Okay so where was I… Oh yea! I hoped she wasn’t gonna ask me what I thought she was, but I decided to ask anyways. “So what do you need me to do?” I asked. “Uhh, I need you to…. help me… get it back…” She said with an uncertain grin. OOOHHH NNNNOOO! That’s out of the question! I can’t help her! What would I even do? I wanted to help, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. I don’t even know this pony. What if this is a joke? What if she finds out who I am? What if it’s a dangerous journey? What if my parents notice i'm gone? “I’m sorry Derpy, I can’t do that. I gotta get home.” I turned around and began to fly away. “Wait! What do I tell the princess?” she shouted. It was enough to stop me dead in my tracks. Did she just say, “the princess”? “She gave me a package to deliver to Ponyville and said it was super duper important. I don’t want her to be mad…” She began to look down in shame. I still wanted to go home, but this package was from the princess… I didn’t want to help this Pegasus, but I didn’t want her to get in trouble… What if she banishes her? Or even worse, what if she sends her to the moon for 1,000 hours? I looked down. My mind was made up. I was going to go home. I looked down prepared to give Derpy the bad news, but then something caught my eye. Soarin’s pin. Instantly I began to think about Soarin’. What would Soarin do in this situation? Letting out a huge sigh, I turned to face the Pegasus and said, disdainfully, “Okay, which way did they go?” Author's Note I've written this chapter over and over and over again and I feel like I can't get it just right. This rewrite sounded a lot better than the rest so it'll be the one I go with. This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. Midnight is a very insecure pony, but I didn't want him to come off as a jerk. Derpy was a little bit easier, but still difficult all the same. I didn't want to make her too "derpy" to where it crippled her as a character. She's a main character so she needs to be able to be worked with. Hopefully to those who read this, they will understand this chapter, because the rest of the story is where everything begins.
Everything Old is New AgainChapter 3: Yes, a trail Derpy was at the castle just a day before I met her. The princess had called upon her by name. She told her that she had a very important package that had to be delivered to Ponyville. Everyone at the castle was shocked. The princess had given the package to such a derpy pony. They could not help but question the princess’ sanity, but the princess had her mind made up. She wanted Derpy to deliver it. With the package in her pack, Derpy departed from the castle determined to deliver this package. Suddenly her stomach began to rumble. She was hungry. She slowly and loopily made her way to Donut Joe’s Bakery. Once inside, Derpy made her way to the muffin cabinets. “Derpy! Long time no see!” Donut Joe emerged from the backroom staring at Derpy. “Hi Donut Joe!” Derpy said to the baker with a smile and turned back to face the muffin cabinet. She could not decide between blueberry and banana nut. “On a delivery I see! Who’s the lucky winner?” “Oh, I have to deliver this package to Ponyville. The princess says it’s really important.” Derpy said never once taking her eyes off of the muffins. “The Princess?!?” Donut Joe couldn’t believe his ears. He began to wonder if the princess had lost her mind. Donut Joe knew Derpy since she was just a little filly. She had always gone into his shop and headed straight for the muffins. He knew she was a little off but he welcomed her all the same. She easily was his favorite customer, aside from the purple mare’s dragon assistant who loved his donuts. But he still couldn’t understand the decision to make Derpy in charge of such a huge delivery. “Derpy, do you think you can handle this? I mean, do you think you can deliver this package safely?” Joe asked concerned. Derpy turned to the baker and walked over to him this time. She had a furious expression on her face. Immediately he thought that he had offended her. “Derpy,” Joe began, “I-“ “I can’t decide which muffin I want.” Derpy said, cutting Joe off. Her face drooped and she began to tear up. “Why not get both?” Joe asked concered. “I only have enough bits for one.” She began to cry. “Uh… go ahead and get both. My treat.” Joe told her in an effort to cheer her up. Suddenly Derpy’s expression changed. She was no longer crying, but had a huge smile on her face. “Yay! Thank you so much!” She ran to the cabinet and waited for Joe to wrap them up for her. “Derpy, you becareful now, ya hear? This sounds like a huge delivery, so just head straight for Ponyville and deliver the package. Don’t make anymore stops.” Joe said to Derpy as he wrapped up her muffins. He wasn’t sure how much the Pegasus had heard, but he hoped that she understood what he said. He didn’t want something bad to happen to her. “Here you go.” He handed her the muffins. Derpy couldn’t contain her excitement. She grabbed the muffins and ran out the door. Joe watched her as she ran out. He was used to her doing that, but this time, he felt upset. Derpy left the bakery continuing on to the gates of canterlot. She was really happy that she had two muffins. She pulled one out and started eating one. Just thinking about them made her mouth water. The Guards at the gate watched as Derpy exited Canterlot eating her muffin. Little did Derpy know, that there was a cliff shortly following the gates and proceeded to walk straight off. The guards gasped in shock. They couldn’t believe she walked straight off, and before the guards that were pegasi took off to save her, Derpy flew back up flying in the direction towards Ponyville. The guards let out a sigh of relief. Derpy flew for half an hour before it started to get dark. She was halfway to Ponyville when something caught her eye. It was another Pegasus. The Pegasus flew at a blinding speed past Derpy. Worried that the Pegasus was in trouble, Derpy flew after them as fast as she could. She could almost see them in the distance. Suddenly something hit Derpy hard in the side, sending her spiraling downwards. As she struggled for control, a dark figure watched as she fell. In his hand was her delivery bag – and her muffin! Derpy quickly gained control and flew up towards the dark figure, but by the time she reached where they were, they were gone. Upset and about to cry, Derpy slowly descended to the ground. She stumbled a couple steps and fell on top of something. She stood up and noticed that it was the Pegasus she saw earlier. They were out cold. She pulled his pack off of his back and laid it on the ground next to him. An hour went by and Derpy still was waiting for the Pegasus to wake up. She began to nudge them. They weren’t moving. She began to wonder if they were ever going to wake up. Derpy reached for her muffin, but found that her bag was missing. She forgot she had lost it to the dark figure. Just then the Pegasus began to mumble something in his sleep. “Hello?” Derpy said hoping that the Pegasus was awake. “P-p-p-…” the Pegasus mumbled. “Paper.” Derpy finished what the Pegasus said. “P-p-p-…” “Pumpkin!” Derpy said, thinking it was a game. “P-p-p-i-…” “Pirate?” now Derpy was confused “P-p-p-i-i-…” “Pie!” Derpy shouted “Pie…” the Pegasus mumbled. Derpy, assuming she won a game, began to prance around saying, “Yay! I win!” She was very proud of herself. Once again she reached for her muffin, only to find that it was still gone. She was upset. Derpy laid down next to the Pegasus, pulling their coat over herself. It was a cold night, and she was very tired. ‘Hopefully I’ll find my muffin tomorrow’ she thought as she fell asleep. Derpy awoke to daylight just peeking over the trees. She began to get up when she realized that a hoof was around her. She looked at the Pegasus and found that he was snoring. She carefully got up and stretched her legs. The ground wasn’t as comfortable as her bed was, but at least she was able to stay warm. Derpy began to walk around the clearing and noticed that there was a stream nearby. She walked over to it and began to drink. Just then, an apple fell from the tree above her and landed square on her head. “OWWW!” Derpy yelled, falling into the stream. She began to rub her head and looked around. The apple that struck her was on the ground just a few feet from her. She picked it up and took a bite. ‘Delicious’ she thought. She flew up and picked an apple from the tree to give to the Pegasus. Upon returning to them, she noticed they were tossing and turning. She removed their coat and they began to mumble “Soarin’…. Soarin’” in their sleep. Just then she noticed the Wonderbolt pin. Derpy took a step back. ‘Are they a Wonderbolt?’ She walked a few feet away with the coat and began to look at the pin. She looked at the back and realized that there was a note. The note said, “To my little brother Midnight Skies, I believe in you little brother. One day, you and I will fly as a team on the Wonderbolts. Until that day, follow your dreams and never give up. Your Big Brother, Soarin’ Skies” Just as Derpy finished reading the note, the Pegasus screamed “NNN NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”. Scared out of her mind, she hid under the coat. She heard them get up and start walking over to her. ‘So, he’s a wonderbolt’s brother?’ she wondered. Suddenly, the coat began to lift. Derpy did the first thing she thought of… yelling “BOOOOOO!” Derpy finished her story and I put my pencil and paper away. She left out a lot of details about what happened so I had to wait till much later for her to tell me everything. This adventure was going to be a tricky one. First off, we have no idea which way the dark figure went and second- Something caught my eye in the bushes. I walked over to the bush and picked up an envelope. I looked farther into the forest and noticed a small wrapped object. I walked over to it while Derpy followed closely behind. I picked up the wrapped object and began to unwrap it. “A blueberry muffin?” I asked pulling off the rest of the wrapping. “Yay! You found it! Thank you so much!” Derpy said giving me a huge hug and taking the muffin from my hoof. “You’re welcome…” I said, my face growing hot. This must be the direction in which the dark figure went. “Hopefully they didn’t leave this trail on purpose, cause this could be false.” “A trail?” Derpy mumbled, chewing on the muffin. “Yes, a trail.” Author's Note I like this chapter. It was very interesting to write, and I feel I captured the spirit of Derpy, just a little bit. She comes off as naive and klutzy. Like I said, I don't want to cripple her as a character so she would be somewhat helpful rather than being a liability and a nuisance. Hopefully you like this chapter, because the best is still to come. Also I edited Midnight's eyes in chapter 2, making them gold if they already were not. I think it'd go better, seeing as he is strikingly similar to Soarin'.
Dreams and DashChapter 4 I could not put my hoof on it, but there was something fishy about this trail. The mail was left in a straight line for another 15-20 feet. I bit into the apple that Derpy picked for me. It was surprisingly scrumptious. If I were correct, following the trail of mail would lead us straight to Tall Tale. I made a couple notes in my notebook then put it away. “Derpy, let’s get moving, if we want to catch this person, we’re going to have to follow the mail.” Derpy finished up her muffin before trotting over to me. “Okay!” she said very enthusiastically. We followed the direction the mail lead us in for a good hour and a half before sitting down to rest. We decided that walking was better as the winds from Smokey Mountain would blow us off course if we flew there. Besides, night had fallen. We wouldn’t get anywhere at night. “I’m going to fly up to see how far we have left.” I said to Derpy as I flew up into the air. Feeling the cool breeze of night in my mane again felt really nice. I looked out towards the right of Smokey Mountain and saw lights in the distance. Tall Tale. I had never been to Tall Tale, but I had read about it in a book called Equestrian Locale. In the book it talked about the major cities of Equestria. Everywhere from Canterlot to Ponyville was in the book. Tall Tale was located just outside of Vanhoover, and was home to Ponies and Griffons alike. I’ve never personally seen a griffon either. Griffons seldom visit Cloudsdale, but there’d been talk of one in the Junior Speedster Flight Camp the year I missed it. I wish I would’ve gone, but I always got sick at camp, so my mother had made me stay home. I slowly began to descend from the air, taking in the cool breeze one more time, before landing gently on the ground. I looked over to Derpy who began to for a place to sleep. I had always had a hard time falling asleep at night, but to my surprise, I slept soundly. I was in a city I had never seen before. The lights were very bright and there were many tall buildings. Oddly enough, everything had a gray tinge to it. I looked around at my surroundings and noticed many ponies walking the streets in slow motion. “Excuse me sir!” I said walking up to a gray stallion passing close by. He didn’t seem to realize that I was there and kept walking in the same direction. What in the hay was going on here? Suddenly I noticed a dark figure off in the distance moving at a regular speed. I would’ve brushed it off but then I realized it was huge and bulky, unlike everypony else. I began to follow it, keeping my distance and trying not to bump into the slow gray ponies. The figure took a look back and darted down an alley. Did they see me? I began to fly above the crowd following down the same alley as the figure. I could see them down below me running at a very fast pace. I was able to keep up with them due to my wings, but they didn’t seem to hear my flapping at all. Was I simply observing the dream and had no part in it? Or was the dark figure deaf? The figure reached the street and began to slow down as it reached a tavern called The Watering Hole. It knocked three times, the door opened, and the figure stepped inside. Hmm. I needed to get into the tavern. I couldn’t let the dark figure get away. I walked up to the door and knocked three times. On the other side of the door was complete silence. I waited for what felt like an eternity before I could hear the door unlocking. What awaited me on the other side? More dark figures? Monsters? Rainbows? The door opened and on the other side was a blindingly bright light. I opened my eyes to the blinding sun. I stood up looking to where Derpy was sleeping. I could see her chest rhythmically rise and fall. Still asleep. I began to stretch out my legs and my wings before taking a sip from my canteen. Looking up at the sky, I realized that it’s been a while since I had flown in the sun. I pulled back and shot off into the air, feeling the cool breeze from Smokey Mountain through my hair. It wasn’t as refreshing as the cool, nighttime breeze, but it still felt good. I looked towards the mountain and I noticed a gleam of light being reflected off of something in the distance. I squinted to see if I could get a better look. I still couldn’t make it out but it looked like it was getting closer. I flew down to Derpy to wake her up. She was muttering something about waffles when I shook her. “Derpy wake up. Something is heading this way.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her hooves as she slowly opened them. She looked and me and said, “Morning sleepyhead!” I gave her a confused look, but she didn’t seem to notice. Instead she began to stretch herself out. “Come on Derpy something’s coming this way.” I said as I took off into the air. I reached the spot I was at when I saw the light. Derpy literally almost knocked me out of the sky again when she finally caught up with me. I looked into the distance and noticed that the light was gone. Instead, a Pegasus pony was fast heading this way. Oh no… I know who this Pegasus is… She noticed we were here but she still didn’t slow down. SHE’S HEADING RIGHT FOR ME!!! I closed my eyes and braced for impact. “Hey Midnight! I see you’re still as cowardly as ever.” The sky-blue Pegasus said brushing her rainbow colored mane. I opened my eyes and glared at her. “You could’ve hit me you jerk!” I yelled at her. Rainbow Dash, the most obnoxious Pegasus from Cloudsdale to hit the skies. She graduated at the top of the class, and wasted no second bragging to me, who was at the bottom of the class, about it. “Come on, I’m the best flyer in Equestria, I would’ve never hit you.” She said rubbing the pin on her chest. Just now I realized what she was wearing. She was wearing a Wonderbolt’s Academy uniform with standard issue recruit-class goggles. The uniform wasn’t a complete flight suit, exposing most of the mare’s face, forehooves, and flank, but it still held great value. The goggles also aren’t as glorious as the Elite-class goggles, able to see through the roughest weather and the darkness of night, but it also was valuable. On her chest was the same pin I wore on my coat; the pin of a Squad Leader… Author's Note Been a while since my last chapter, so I put out what I have finished. It's been an interesting week with me kicking off two new channels at the same time, but I hadn't forgotten about the story. This chapter comes after The Wonderbolts Academy, but before Apple Family Reunion. I had a lot I wanted to include in this chapter, but I decided to cut it shorter as it would've dragged on for a while. The Rainbow Dash part will continue with the next chapter. Everything is coming together, I just have one character to introduce....
Open to InterpretationChapter 5 A squad leader?!? Rainbow Dash is a squad leader?!? “What’s the matter? Is my pin blinding you with its shininess? I’m sorry, it’s very shiny when it’s polished.” Rainbow Dash boasted. I felt my face grow hot. I can’t believe her! “Hey, shut up! I have one too!” I claimed, showing her Soarin’s. “Oh, did Soarin’ give you that?” How did she know? “Yea, it feels a lot better when you actually earn it!” “Hi Rainbow Dash!” Derpy interjected. Rainbow Dash looked at Derpy. “Oh, hey Derpy,” she said with a slight look of discomfort, “anyways, where you guys headed?” “We are on a mission from Princess Celestia.” I said cooly. “Hmm, that’s strange, I wonder why the Princess didn’t ask me.” Honestly, can she be any more annoying?!? She swooped down to our campsite and sat on the ground. Derpy and I followed her down. Without my eyes leaving the pin on her uniform, I asked, “So, whom did you annoy to get that pin.” “Oh, this bad boy? I earned it myself at the Wonderbolts Academy. Something, the bottom of the class will never do.” She said, giving me a wink. I am going to buck her in the face so hard… “Hey, I didn’t graduate at the bottom, that was that yellow Pegasus, Flutter-something.” I said as a feeble attempt to defend myself. “Fluttershy, but that’s different. She found out her special talent was taking care of animals, plus she wasn’t a strong flier to begin with. You on the other hand have no excuse.” You see, technically, she’s right. I have the capabilities to almost, if not, keep up with Soarin’. I guess I just don’t like the attention as much as some ponies want to hog it. Oh man, if only I would have pushed myself harder… I could easily leave this rainbow-maned jerk in the dust. “How bout a race then, egg-head?” I said with a smirk. She hates being called an Egg-Head. “Oh you are so ON!” She said shaking a hoof at me. Suddenly, her expression changed and she hung her head, “Aww shoot. I just remembered, I have to be home by tonight. AJ’s having something big at her house tomorrow and she needs help. Maybe some other time Midnight.” Oh sure, conveniently “AJ” needs help. Who in the hay is “AJ”? “I’ll catch you guys later. See ya Derpy! Later Skies.” She said taking off into the sky as a trail of rainbow followed her. It wasn’t fair. How could she be a squad leader? “Gosh, she is the most annoying Pegasus in the world!” I said, relieved of her presence. Behind me, I heard Derpy giggle. “What’s so Funny?” Tall Tale. We had finally made it to the small town. Where the thief was headed. We began to ask around town, asking if anypony had seen a mysterious figure in town recently. So far we had had no such luck. Everypony seemed to have been too busy to notice, while others could not recall seeing anyone who seemed out of the ordinary in the past day or so. I wrote every story we heard into my journal. I wanted to make sure we had everyone’s story straight. It took us a little over an hour to talk to everyone in town. Well, almost everyone. “Derpy, is that you?” said a strange voice from behind us. Both Derpy turned around to see a tan stallion with a tie. His cutie mark was an hourglass. “I see you’ve made a new friend.” A big smile appeared on Derpy’s face and she gave the mysteriously familiar stallion a hug. “How have you been? It’s been forever!” “Only a short while for me my dear. I assume you are on a delivery. Perhaps you can accompany me to my room. I’ve been in town for a few days, and I need some help packing.” The stallion explained to Derpy. “Excuse me sir, have I met you before?” I interjected. I’m sure I’ve seen this stallion somewhere before. “No, I believe-“ He stopped after shooting me a double take. He seemed almost frightened. Suddenly he became calm and finished with, “I believe you haven’t.” Strange. “Well if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way. Derpy will accompany you shortly.” He explained. The two of them began to walk away, then the stallion stopped, turned to me and asked, “I’m the Doctor by the way, what’s your name?” “Midnight.” I said confused. What the hay? Now we’re doing introductions? He hesitated before saying, “Nice to meet you Midnight. Goodbye!” He sort of winced as he said my name. Then the two continued walking in the same direction. I watched them as they turned the corner and were out of sight. “The Doctor”? Is that supposed to sound impressive? Okay, I’m on my own for now. I decided that it would be okay if I took the train to Van Hoover. The “Doctor” said Derpy would be along with me shortly, but- wait! He never said where she would meet me! I shook my hoof in the air. The train ride was only 5-10 minutes to Van Hoover. Thank Celestia they are so close together. Getting off of the train I noticed that a green stallion was arguing with the pony that sold tickets at the ticket booth. “What do you mean the ticket price went up? It says right there, “five bits”!” The green stallion argued. “Last ticket is seven bits. Take it or leave it.” The clerk insisted. “You can’t raise the price just because it’s the last ticket!” “I just did.” "Excuse me sir,” I interjected, addressing the clerk, “I believe that the price is three bits.” “WHAT?!? THREE… BITS?!?” The clerk burst out laughing. “And who are you to make such a stupendous claim?” “Excuse me, but I just so happen to be a Wonderbolt.” I said, showing off Soarin’s pin. “You wouldn’t want me to report you, would you?” “I- Oh, I’m sorry sir! No sir!” The pony said nervously. “Yes, three bits it is!” The clerk quickly gave the green stallion the last ticket, “Anything else sir?” “Hmm…” I put my hoof to my chin. “Take this stallion’s luggage to the VIP Sleeper Car, and maybe I’ll forget any of this happened.” “Y-y-yes sir!” The clerk ran out of the booth, picked up the stallion’s luggage, and shot in the direction of the car. “So, are you actually a Wonderbolt?” The green stallion asked me. “No.” With that, the stallion and I began to laugh. “Thanks anyways. Who are you then?” “Me? I’m Midnight Skies. I am the younger brother of Soarin’ Skies.” I explained. “Oh, okay. So you’re not completely wrong. The name’s Applesnack.” The stallion held out a hoof. I took the hoof and shook it. We began to exchange stories over the next ten minutes, talking about where we came from and why we were in Van Hoover. Applesnack was gathering supplies to build a house in Appaloosa, where he planned to work on the apple orchard. Suddenly, the train whistle began to blow. “ALL ABOARD WHO’S COMING ABOARD!” the conductor sounded. “Well that looks like me. Thank you again Midnight, I won’t forget it.” Applesnack said as he began to make his way to the train. “No problem.” I said waving to him “If you’re ever in Appaloosa, look me up!” “I will!” Applesnack disappeared into the crowd of ponies that were boarding the train. I sat down on the bench and took out my notebook. I filled in a page about Applesnack then closed the book. That won’t be a name I will forget. After leaving the train station, I began to walk down Mane Street in Van Hoover. Ponies were moving past me in all different directions. It was so busy I almost couldn’t move. I began to shuffle through when I saw it. I my jaw almost dropped to the floor. A chill ran down my neck. Everything seemed to grey, as I noticed the dark figure from my dream… Author's Note Before anyone says anything, yes, I did use Applesnack from Fallout Equestria. It's kind of a "love note", or whatever you call it, to Kkat, as I am a huge fan of the Fanfic; however, in this fanfic, he serves a different purpose. I loved the way that Kkat beautifully wove in the Applejack and Applesnack story. Applesnack being a mysterious character in the story, doesn't express his feelings, nor does he directly give his story. Instead, through flashbacks, you slowly begin to piece his story together and it is the most heartbreaking story arc I have ever read, only to meet with a tragic end. I wanted him to have a happy ending in this story. Does that mean he will get the girl, setting them in stone as star-crossed lovers? I don't know yet. I don't know. That being said, with this chapter, all the pieces are in place, and the story can begin...
