It was perfect. It came out in complete and utter perfection, as if these same words had been uttered dozens and dozens and dozens of times before. It was said in a perfect pitch, a perfect sob, and a perfect tone. And it was an utter and complete perfect horror that filled Twilight Sparkle, as she watched the little mail pony frantically pick up the spilled postage all over the sidewalk. It was like a tiny explosion of well wishes and letters among get rich quick schemes, and hoof written love, scattered in little white squares all over the walkway towards her brand new castle. Twilight could only watch in silence as Derpy died a million deaths in front of her, and Twilight felt guilty for each and every single one.
She didn't mean to get so angry. No pony ever means to bubble over in a frothing pot of rage. Twilight was a brand new princess with a brand new castle in the middle of the town. She had a brand new life with brand new problems and brand new anxieties. The zoning board was breathing down her neck, there were meetings left and right to swear her into different branches of government, different dignitaries from different countries wanted to talk and all Twilight wanted to do was relax. She wanted to relax and bury her nose in a book for one evening, and just take a break from it all. She wasn't born or groomed to be a ruler, she wasn't raised to run a country. She was just a nerdy little girl with a love of learning.
So when her diligent mail mare had forgotten (for the third month in a row) to bring her ordered book to her door step, Twilight Sparkle finally snapped like a twig. She screamed. She raged and shouted, snapped and snarled, and when Derpy innocently opened up her mail bag and tried to offer Twilight a magazine, (someone else's magazine) just to calm her down, just to try and make amends, hoping it might be something similar to the book Twilight was looking for, Twilight slapped the mailbag clean off her shoulders and to the ground.
That's when Derpy broke down, eyes widening like a child's and tearing up when she realized just how angry she'd made Twilight Sparkle- the brand new Princess of friendship. What a screw up she had to be.
"I-I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to! I- I'll clean it up! I swear I will, please don't tell the post office, they said they'd fire me if I was late coming back one more time, and, and there are just so many numbers, and so many addresses and there's so much to remember! There are just so many letters, I-I mean there are too many letters on too many letters next to too many numbers, and sometimes I just can't see, and, I mean it's- it's hard to see and I can't, I- I just can't, and everything is blurry and I'm SORRY!" Derpy sobbed, dropping to her knees, scooping up what letters that were within arms reach. Twilight stood there, stunned. Frozen and fixated on the little mare that desperately apologized and frantically scooped mail into her little bag. For the love of- Derpy was acting like the spilled mail was her fault, even though Twilight was the one who knocked the mail bag off her shoulders. Derpy probably thought it was somehow her fault!
Dear Celestia, what had she done?
What was she supposed to say? To rectify this? To repair the mare that just broke down in front of her? True, her long sought after book tortured her existence with its absence. She'd spent nights eagerly anticipating reading the blots of shapely ink on pages. She'd been beside herself with joy when she received the personal letter from one of her favorite authors about the book and the correspondence that occurred afterwards. The book had been missing for the past three months, and she was absolutely positive it was the fault of this pegasus in front of her. Whenever there was a missing letter, a lost envelope, or a sought after package that hadn't arrived on time, every pony turned to Derpy. She was the culprit and the guilty regardless of whether or not she had anything to do with the problem. Everypony in town knew Derpy was to blame. The klutzy, cross-eyed mare who was always lost in space. The girl with the target painted on her forehead from birth. The little pony that got up every day, marched to the post office and worked her tail off until sunset. A victim forever and a day of a joke too cruel to speak of. The world spent its days laughing at her, as if her life were eternally funny. There were no hugs for this little pony- the bearer of the world's problems. Just jeers and sneers and snarls of a world too angry to see how much it hurt.
Twilight was a part of that world. The one that took things for granted like reading easily, or being able to memorize addresses, or fly in a straight line without bumping into anybody. How often did Derpy have to endure the snickers of ponies behind her back? How strong did she have to be to ignore the names called or the whispered torture of other children when she was younger? Twilight had torn her to shreds without even thinking about it. Crushed her and sent her to her knees with a well-timed slap and a few thoughtless words.
The book was nowhere closer to being read. It still sat somewhere in a dusty backroom in the post office. This action had not in any way assisted Twilight in receiving her book and instead, all that it had managed to accomplish was utterly shake the very foundation of a young girl doing her best in a cruel world.
The princess of friendship, and yet here she was learning like a newborn foal.
Twilight scooped Derpy into her forelegs in a fierce hug and squeezed as hard as she could. The ditzy mail mare squawked in shock, flinching at the contact the moment Twilight touched her. The type of flinch that screamed in volumes when a mare was used to being hit instead of hugged. Twilight winced and closed her eyes, squeezing the poor shuddering pony until she finally stopped shaking.
"Everything is going to be okay. You're okay. I promise, " She whispered quietly.
Derpy sniffled quietly, and pulled back, looking Twilight over for any hints of dishonesty. Satisfied when she couldn't find any, they embraced again, before Derpy stepped back, and resumed picking up her dropped mail- only to find Twilight had already done so, using her magic while they hugged.
"...Twilight...Y-You're smart...why am I different?" the little pegasus whimpered. Twilight shook her head with a gentle sigh, reaching out to pull Derpy gently against her frame once more.
"So you can show the world how to be a better place. So we can learn from you. So you can teach them. Teach us. Teach me. Show us how strong you are, so we can learn by example. That'd be my guess," Twilight whispered quietly, cupping the girl's cheeks to peer into her eyes with sincerity only a princess could muster. Blinking back a few tears, Derpy pulled out of the grasp, and slowly shook her head.
"T-Thank you. But I'm no leader, " she began, only to have Twilight shake her head.
"The greatest leaders in the world rarely know they're leading it," she whispered, reaching out to rest a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. Derpy shook her head again.
"But I screwed up. I'm a screw up. I forgot your book, I left it at the post office..." Derpy whimpered. Twilight shook her head firmly.
"Listen to me Derpy. You are not a screw up. You never have been and you never will be. And if anypony, EVER says that to you, they are LYING, Derpy. They are lying to your face and you never, EVER have to put up with that, okay? Okay Derpy? Don't you EVER take that from anypony! Not even me. What I did? What I said? That shouldn't have happened and I'm sorry. I screwed up, not you, alright? I'll make sure the post office doesn't fire you. Not over this. Not over me. Okay? And if that ever does happen, you come to me, alright?" Twilight cooed, squeezing her friend tightly in that reassuring embrace again. Derpy sniffled, reaching up to rub at her eyes with a hoof. Twilight smiled as best she could, hoping against hope this little pony believed her. That somehow she could make things right.
"But...if I'm not a screw up, then what am I?" She whimpered. Twilight took a deep breath and drew Derpy into a hug yet again, holding it and squeezing the other mare against her lovingly.
"Perfect. You're absolutely perfect,"
Author's Note
I've been on the other end of this. Working retail and customer service nets you some of the worst people in the world. The self entitled assholes, who think it's their right to treat you however they see fit because they forgot to pay the cable bill, but somehow it's your fault.
I've seen people reduced to tears because of souless monsters society makes us battle just to appease the same society that creates the souless monsters we endure.
http://harwicks-art.deviantart.com/art/Nopony-is-Perfect-519223805 is the artist of this peace. Yet another picture that inspired me to write. I hope they enjoy it.
When you find yourself getting mad at someone, because things aren't going your way, your project isn't getting done, or your enjoyment and satisfaction must be put on hold, take a moment to remember that just because they're in front of you, doesn't mean they deserve your wrath.
We're all each other's got. We have to make the most of it.
