Depths of Despair

by ShadowKirby

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Other
Length: 2336

The young pegasus Surprise lives a happy life, but all of that can change at the drop of a hat.

The cheerful young pegasus Surprise is a non-stop ball of joy. She spreads it wherever she goes, filling the modern day Ponyville with life and energy.
But even the happiest of ponies have a breaking point....and Surprise is no exception.

This story is an attempt to show a realistic decline into depression, and the struggle to climb back up out of it.

Published 2015-07-06 15:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-06 15:00:01 UTC

Modern Ponyville

I happily bounced through the hustle and bustle of the city of Ponyville, wings flapping rapidly in time with the tune I was humming. Atop my yellow curly mane was a basket of baked goods, which I was delivering to our very own Princess, Twilight Sparkle.

Hi, I'm Surprise, the daughter of the world renowned party thrower extraordinaire, Pinkie Pie!
Can you believe it? The most amazing pony ever is my MOM!

In fact, the baked goods that I was delivering happened to be made by her herself! She wanted the Princess to have a snack since she was always so busy that she often forgot to eat. Which is really silly. But since no one could resist my mom's baking, she was sure to stop and eat these delicious treats.

I waved hello to all the ponies I passed, even the ones I didn't know. After all, being friendly is the most important thing to do!

In no time I reached the large, sparkling, crystal castle that housed our city's very own alicorn princess. When I came across the metal gates put up to keep out the crazy ponies obsessed with meeting the Princess, I simply flew over them, keeping the basket balanced on my head with ease.

Flying around the building, I looked into each window until I came across the room she was in. Even if I was the one who tried to, I'm sure no one would be surprised by the fact she was in the study, writing on several scrolls at once with her magic. I pushed open the window and flew above her, grinning excitedly.

Surprising ponies is all about waiting for the perfect moment, and it helps to know the other pony really well so you can learn what makes them jump the most.

"SURPRISE!" I yelled from behind her, making her yelp and hop into the air, taking flight. I giggled uncontrollably as she took a deep breath and looked at me with a hint of anger while trying to calm her racing heart.

I knew she wasn't really angry. She'd Just laugh it off a moment later.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, smiling as she descended, landing in front of me.

"Hello, Surprise." She said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Hiya Princess Twilight! Look what I brought for you!" I nodded my head to make the basket fall off, which I caught the handle in my mouth with perfect timing, before leaning forwards to offer it to her.

Twilight levitated the basket out of my grip and towards herself, a weary look on her face. "You don't have to call me Princess, you know."

She always insisted I just call her by her first name, but I couldn't do that! She was one of the four great princesses! Everyone should call her princess!
Well, except for my mom. They've been best friends for forever, which is why I was even allowed to go talk to her.
That's so cool, right? I have the world's best mom AND I get to hang out with the princess!

Princess Twilight looked a bit older than as me, and she was taller, being an alicorn and all. My mom was starting to show some signs of getting old, but the princess still looked like a young adult. Apparently it's because alicorns are immortal. Mom says she knew the princess before she even became an alicorn, but I can't even imagine her not being one!

And I can't imagine Ponyville as a small town either. It's huge now, one of the main cities in Equestria, and only had the name 'Ponyville' still because the Princess refused to allow the name to change.

"Mom made those for you!" I said with a bright smile. "She said you gotta get off your plot and start having fun more often!"

She gave a small smile in response. "I wish i could, but there has been heaps of work for me to do the past few months. Some political squabbles between Manehatten and Fillydelphia have grown into mass rebellion, filled with strikes and..."

My mind blanked out as I listened to her ramble about politics and other boring stuff. Instead I hovered over to the basket she had put down on a stack of papers and picked up a cupcake, which I then proceeded to shove in Princess Twilight's face.
A good ol' Pinkie cupcake always solved whatever problem was on hoof!

"Mmmph!" her speech was cut off and she blinked, then quickly ate the cupcake, coughing and choking a bit. "Surprise! Don't do that!"

I lowered my ears and pouted. "But you were rambling again! And cupcakes are great for any situation!"

Princess Twilight wiped the crumbs off her face with the back of her hoof and then stared directly at me, making me squirm a bit. "Thank you, Surprise, for these snacks. And make sure to let your mother know I thank her too. But I need to work now, so please leave." She pointed a hoof at the door.

I sighed. "Okay, Princess Twilight..." I flew out the window instead of going through the door.

"Don't call me Princess!" I heard her yell out the window after me, before I was out of ear-shot and soaring through the clouds.

Flying through the clouds was one of the most fun things to do in the world. They're just so fluffy! Of course, flying in general is amazing. But I especially love flying through the clouds. If there's nopony around to have fun with, I usually fly through the clouds to pass the time. I'm an expert at making them into funny shapes!

At the moment though, I was flying through the clouds because I was heading towards Sweet Apple Acres, which was this old apple farm just outside Ponyville. Apparently it's one of the few places in Ponyville that hasn't change much over the years.

I turned ninety degrees to the right and aimed downwards, plummeting fast towards the red barn I saw far beneath me. I wasn't afraid; I had done this little stunt a hundred times, and had been taught well in the flight school I went to as a filly.

Thirty wings....twenty wings.... I noted how close I was to the ground, and when I was only ten wing spans away, I opened my wings wide and put my hooves out forwards, letting the air push against me to slow my descent as much as possible, before landing on my hooves and trotting forwards, using the momentum from my fall.

My speedy trot ended as I came up to the barn door, which I proceeded to knock rapidly on, and then flew up and pressed myself against the wooden wall above the door.

After a moment, a click was heard and the door swung open, the farm owner Applejack answering it.

"Hello?"

I grinned and fell down onto her back, grabbing the hat she always wore on her head. "Surprise!"

A yelp and jump followed, which flung me into the air. I giggled madly and righted myself with my wings, flapping slowly as I fell to the ground.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at me and my huge grin. "Consarnit, Surprise! I know it's your name, but ya gotta stop doin' that!"

I just laughed and apologized in response. "Sorry!"

I started bouncing on the spot. Sitting still was so hard to do. "Is Appletart here?" I asked in excitement.
Appletart was my best friend, and Applejack was her mom. She was a bit older than me, and wasn't as hyper, but she was still the bestest friend in the world!

"I think so. I heard somethin' 'bout her goin' into the orchard to try and harvest some apples. Silly filly is takin' my job....."

I said a thanks to Applejack and flew up into the air, hovering above the treetops, to see if I could spot my best friend. It didn't take me long to spot her, down in between two of the largest trees on the orchard, trying to get all the apples loose from the branches.

"SURPRIIIISE!" I yelled loudly as I flew down towards her. I knew that'd be the best way to startle her. Any other way, and she'd be too used to it!

Appletart yelled and dropped the apples she had just been picking up to put into baskets, before looking up at me and watching me descend to the earth. "Surprise...can't you just do that to everyone other than me?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Of course not, silly! It wouldn't make sense or be fair to not surprise everyone!"

Appletart groaned.

"Appletart, my Mom is baking now! Do ya wanna come with me to go eat all the food she makes?" I grinned and hovered close to her face, caused her to back up into the tree she was shaking earlier.

"I can't, Surprise. I need to get the apples off this section of the orchard before anyone else does!"

I pouted. "Whyyyy? Just let your family do it!"

Her eyes narrowed. "No! I don't need any help from them! I do things my way, not their way!"

I frowned. "That doesn't sound like a very good reason." She just shrugged in response.

"Fiiine....." I flapped my wings and flew away after waving goodbye.

Maybe it was for the best. After all, it meant more treats for me!

I swooped down and opened the door to my home, the bakery Sugarcube Corner, without even landing. A ringing of a bell was heard, indicating someone entered the building, and I grinned as I smelled the delicious aroma of cookies baking in the kitchen.

"I'm home!" I yelled cheerfully and flew into the kitchen in an instant, to see my Mom bouncing around, opening ovens and gathering ingredients. She seemed to always be able to make multiple snacks at once.

Looking up from her work, she grinned a huge shiny grin at me and said, "Back home already, Surprise? I guess you're here to eat all the cookies I make!" she giggled.

I blushed brightly, the red colour glaring on my snow white coat. "Of course not, Mom! I'm here to help!" I denied.

Her grin stayed just as large. "Well then, get over here and give me a hoof!"

I bounced over to her and started rolling cookie dough, and snuck a small bite of some every moment where it seemed Mom wasn't paying attention. After I was done I separated the dough and put it into small splotches, and made sure to eat one before putting the tray in the oven.

Later, a ton of smoke poured out of the oven when Mom opened it, making her cough a lot. I started flapping my wings rapidly to fan the smoke away, and put out the small fire that had started, before rushing over to her. "I'm sorry, Mom! I forget to check the cookies!" She grinned and rubbed the water out of her eyes that the smoke caused. "Don't worry about it! Mistakes happen all the time."

Before long, we had piles upon piles of baked goods ready. My mouth was watering at the sight and smell of the delicious treats, and my wings started fluttering uncontrollably, a bad habit of mine.

Mom giggled. "Surprise, don't go eating them all, we need these for deliveries tomorrow!"

I pouted and sagged my body downwards, making myself look as disappointed as possible.

As usual, it worked and Mom sighed, before laughing and taking a tray off the pile, giving it to me. "These are the cookies you happened to take bites out of the batter for. I made sure to save them for you."

I stared at her. "How did you know!?"

She simply giggled again, before patting my head. "That's one of Pinkie's many secrets, little one. You will learn them in time." Laughing at her way of speaking, she bounced behind the stack of trays and came back around with a dozen boxes on her head, that hadn't been there moments before. "Help me pack these for tomorrow's delivery, please!" She nodded them off her head and onto the floor.

I grinned and picked up one of the boxes, placing it down next to the trays. "Is that another one of your secrets you'll teach me?"

"Of course! I'll teach you everything you need to know to be the best party thrower ever!"

I picked up a tray of donuts and put it gently into the box. "I'll never be as good as you at it, Mom! You'll always be the best pony ever!" I tried to resist eating the food on the trays we were packing, and quickly ate one of the cookies for me to stop myself.

"Well, nopony stays around forever! Well, except for the princesses." she added in hindsight.

I stopped and looked at her. "I could never take your place, Mom! I could never be as amazing as you!"

"Of course not!" She said, smiling. "You're even more amazing than me!"

I blushed and closed the box, before grabbing tape and starting to seal it. We had this kind of conversation often, and it always went the same way. 'It shouldn't really matter,' I thought to myself 'She's not gonna leave me. She's too great to do that! I bet one of her Pinkie secrets lets her stay youthful and happy like this forever!'

As the last box was sealed up and placed in a corner for delivery tomorrow, She wiped her forehead with a forehoof. "Done!" She smiled at me with her smile that seemed to never disappear. "Well, Surprise, how would you like to head over to Twilight's castle? I bet we could pull off a super fantabulistic surprise party working together! It'll get her to take a break from that boring work for sure!"

I nodded enthusiastically, my wings fluttering again. I couldn't ask for anything more fun!