Derp on Over the Rainbow

Chapters

I. A Blast from the Past
II. That's Just the way Love is
III. Reminiscence
IV. I Just Don't Know What Went Wrong...
V. Home is Where the Heart Lies
VI. A Change of Plans

I. A Blast from the Past

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Today was a typical Friday. After work at Cloudsdale Mail and Freight, I decided to come straight home to my amazing daughter Dinky, who's doing really well at taking care of herself when I'm not home. I feel so bad that I'm at work most of the day. I really wish I could spend more quality mother-daughter time with Dinky.

Dinky really is the best daughter a mother could ask for. She's talented, loving, she has a hilarious sense of humor, and she really is a beautiful little filly. And no, I'm not just saying that because she's my daughter.

Anyways, after Dinky showed me what she learned from Twilight Sparkle today, who is teaching her basic magic, we had dinner and she went straight to bed. The poor dear was so tired from her magic lessons.

I decided to lay on the couch and watch some television, which is when I found you, my old journal! I thought I had lost you ages ago. I saw that I hadn't written anything to you in so long, so I decided to start writing again.

That reminds me! I'm getting much better at writing now. It's still a bit hard when I'm seeing two things at once, but I'm really improving! I can write within the margins without messing up now. Oh, Rainbow Dash would be so proud!

Oh, and that reminds me of another thing. I bumped into Rainbow earlier today on my way home - literally. I was flying down from Cloudsdale and saw her talking to her friend Flitter, and I could have sworn I was out of her way. That's when I flew right into her. We smashed into a cloud and I landed on top of her. At first she looked a bit flustered, then she realized it was me and laughed.

"Hey Derpy!" she said. "Just get off work?"

"Yea," I said, getting off of her and helping her up. "I was just heading home. Sorry I bumped into you." I blushed and tried to hide it with my mane, without much success.

"Oh, it's okay. Flitter and I-" Before she could finish her sentence, Flitter butted in.

"Who's this?" Flitter asked, attracting my attention. "And what's with her eyes?"

I know I should be used to hearing that, but every time somepony comments on my eyes, it hurts. A lot. Just because I'm a little different doesn't mean I'm not like other ponies. But I tried to ignore that. I knew that Flitter was only naturally curious.

I thought it was kind of cute when Rainbow Dash defended me, though. She said, "This is my best friend, Derpy. I don't see anything wrong with her eyes. There must be something wrong with your eyes if you think something's wrong with her."

I think she went a little far, though. That was a tiny bit mean. Flitter looked offended. "I was just asking," she said. "No need to be rude about it. I never said there was anything wrong with her eyes."

I decided to apologize for Rainbow. "She didn't mean it. She was just defending me is all. My eyes are like this because I had an accident a few years ago and they got all messed up. I like the change, though. It makes me unique." I smiled, trying to calm down Rainbow Dash as well as keep a friendly atmosphere.

Flitter frowned at me and said, "I see. Anyways, me and Rainbow Dash are a bit busy, so we'll catch you later!" She turned to Rainbow and waved a hoof at her. Rainbow left my side and flew over to Flitter.

"I'll see you later, Derpy. Have a good day. Tell Dinky I said hi!" With that said, she waved goodbye and flew away with Flitter. That's when I turned and flew home with no further accidents.

Now, I know that Rainbow defending me like that might sound a bit crazy. I mean, Rainbow doesn't usually get that defensive unless she's really offended.

Well, me and Rainbow have an interesting past. I wasn't exactly telling the truth when I told Flitter my eyes were crossed because of an accident. I mean, they were, but it wasn't an accident I had.

Does that make sense? I'm not sure if it does. How about I just tell you? Yea, that sounds like a good idea!

Okay, first, I'll tell you of the story of how me and Rainbow Dash first met.

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It was about eighteen years ago, when I was just a few years older than Dinky is now. Me and Rainbow Dash used to be neighbors up in Cloudsdale. We lived in a large neighborhood, and not many ponies had children, so we were never outside.

Anyways, this was all before either of us had gotten our cutie marks. Not sure if that's important or not. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

I lived with my aunt back then. My parents had died the previous year in a horrible flying accident. My aunt wasn't really the nicest of ponies. Or at least that's what I thought when I was a filly. I understand now that she just had a few problems and couldn't deal with them.

One day she came home drunk. I mean, she did all the time, but this time it was worse. She had literally crawled the entire half mile from the bar back home and was crying intensely. To this day I still don't know what had happened to her, and I never will.

But that's besides the point. We had a horrible argument, and things almost got physical. She threatened to throw me out and I yelled at her and ran out. I didn't get very far, though. I had only made it a block before I noticed a group of large stallions following me.

Now, keep in mind that I was only a little filly. I didn't know any better.

I turned around and asked them what they wanted. That's when everything went wrong. One of them jumped on me and pinned me to the ground (well... the cloud) so that I couldn't fly away. It's still painful thinking of what they did next... I'm not going to go into detail. Let's just say that such things should never happen to such a young filly.

That's when Rainbow Dash showed up. I knew for a fact that the entire neighborhood heard my screams. But most ponies were too scared to act out back then. This wasn't the first time this 'gang' had done such a thing. Rainbow had a lot of guts standing up to them.

She flew at top speed and knocked right into the stallion on top of me, knocking him over. She immediately grabbed me and flew away as fast as she could. They quickly followed, of course. I was too weak to fly myself, so Rainbow had to carry me, which really dragged her down. That didn't do much to her speed, though. She was fast, even as a filly.

I'm not sure exactly how she out-flew four full grown stallions. I passed out almost right after Rainbow rescued me. All I remember next was waking up in a strange house surrounded by three ponies. I couldn't make out any details; my eyesight was a bit hazy. I remember listening to them then passing out again.

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And that's the story of how me and Rainbow met. We started hanging out a lot after that day. Thankfully, she never mentioned that night ever again. Me, her, and Fluttershy were the best of friends as fillies. I don't see them much now, mainly because of work.

I think I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, journal. Hm... You know what? I'm going to give you a name. How about... Amico? That means 'Friend' in my mother's native tongue, Italian. So yea, goodnight Amico. I'll be sure to write to you tomorrow.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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II. That's Just the way Love is

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Hey Amico. Sorry if I haven't written to you as much as I said I would. I've just been a bit busy with work and stuff. It's almost midnight right now and Dinky is over at her friend Twist's house. I like Twist. She's a good friend to my little muffin, and a good influence. Unlike those three fillies that call themselves the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'. I mean, they're good fillies and all, it's just that I don't want Dinky joining in on their crazy antics.

Anyways, this week was rather dull. I didn't get to see Rainbow Dash at all because she had to go help with the weather in Phillydelphia, and I couldn't see her in between deliveries. I sound rather obsessive, don't I? I really don't mean to be. That happens a lot in love, doesn't it? One pony loves another and can't ever think about anything else, while the other is completely in the dark.

Hmm... I don't think I mentioned that the last time I wrote to you. Hold on, let me check. Nope, I sure didn't. Well then, this is awkward... Okay, so yes, I'm madly in love with Rainbow Dash. It must be weird for me to just say that outright. Especially after all that I wrote last time.

Oh, I know! I could tell you about the time I fell for Rainbow. It's actually quite an interesting story. It is in my opinion, anyways. Let me go get a muffin before I start writing.

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So, this is the story of how I fell in love with the stunning Rainbow Dash. (That sounds silly.)

It was three years ago on a cloudy September morning. Dinky was only five, so I had to get her a foalsitter while I went to work, and Lyra, her usual foalsitter, was sick. So, I decided to call up my friend Roseluck. Thankfully, she was off work that day.

I'm pretty sure that's not important, but I felt like writing it in here anyways.

After Roseluck arrived, I hurriedly flew to work. I knew I was already late. My boss was furious at me that day. He kept telling me about how I was always getting to work late and how many accidents I had caused over the year that I had been there. I tried telling him that it wasn't my fault, but he wouldn't listen to me.

After he gave me a huge lecture, he just sent me home for the day. Most ponies would have been ecstatic. I'm not most ponies, though. I begged and pleaded for him to let me work. I needed that job... But again, he refused and sent me home. I was just lucky that he wasn't firing me.

Instead of going home, I went to find a lone cloud to sit and think on. I'm not sure how long I sat there. Not too long, I'm sure. I'm also not sure when Rainbow Dash got there, but when I next looked up, she was there.

Now, before I tell you this next part, I have to explain something to you. Me and Rainbow had become the best of friends in our eighteen years of friendship. We had created a new kind of trust. Neither of us kept secrets from one another. I knew everything about her, and she knew everything about me. We were more than friends, now that I think about it.

When I looked up, Rainbow must have seen the hurt in my eyes, because she immediately hugged me and kissed me on the cheek in a friendly manner.

"Hey Ditzy," she said. Keep in mind that this was before I got my nickname, 'Derpy'. "Something bothering you?"

"Yea," I said, returning the embrace. "Crafty got onto me for being late for work... again." I sighed, breaking the hug. "Then he told me to take the day off. He didn't fire me, though," I added when Rainbow Dash looked at me with a concerned expression. "I just... don't know anymore, Dash. I'm really thinking about quitting. Crafty always tells me how bad I'm doing... The whole company would be better off without me..."

I had let my head hang about halfway into my little speech. Rainbow put a hoof on my chin and pulled my head back up. She had a sincere smile on her face. "Don't say that, Ditzy. You know you should never quit, ever, no matter what! Come on, that's like your motto. You can't just quit your job because of something your boss said. Don't let him get to you. And you know what? That company would be worse off without you. Ya know why? Because you have character. I've been to your office. I've seen the boring ponies that work there. Without you, they wouldn't know how to live. Sure, they make fun of you. Sure, none of them really respect you. But you wanna know why? Because they wish they were as cool as you."

I'll never forget what she did for me that day. Sure, it wasn't the nicest thing ever, but it got me a raise and more respect from Crafty. After I had went home, she went to Cloudsdale Mail and Freight and had a long talk with my boss. I don't know what exactly they talked about, but I do know it scared the buck out of Crafty.

That night, I sat in bed and thought about what Rainbow had said, and what she had done for me. I didn't just fall in love with her right then, of course, but my feelings for her did grow. My love for her became stronger and stronger with each passing day.

And that's the story of how I, Ditzy Doo, fell in love with the amazing Rainbow Dash.

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Well, I guess that's all I have for you tonight, Amico. It's nearly three in the morning, so I should get some sleep. Goodnight. Is it weird saying goodnight to a journal? I don't know. Well, what's written can't be unwritten.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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I can't sleep... It's almost five in the morning... I don't know why, but I just can't sleep when Dinky is gone. It makes the house feel so empty, and I feel so alone. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to go find my sleeping pills. Talk to you later, Amico.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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III. Reminiscence

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Hello again Amico. I'm off work today and I have nothing better to do, so I decided to write to you. Not sure what I should write about, though. There really isn't much that I can write about.

Well, one thing I'm excited about is that Dinky is finally coming back home. She's been over at Twist's for about three days now. I can't wait to hear what fun things they did. Dinky always summarizes her trips to Twist's house. They always seem to find some fun thing to do. I guess that comes with being young.

I remember when I was her age. Ah, the fun things me, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy did as little fillies. I remember this one time, before my eyes got messed up, when we pulled a prank on our flight instructor during Flight School. It was hilarious!

This is how it went: Me and Fluttershy were distracting the instructor, Papermoon, with a new trick we had learned. Rainbow Dash had caught a stray thundercloud earlier that day and had snuck it behind Papermoon. As he was congratulating me and Fluttershy, Rainbow bucked the thundercloud and ZAP! Papermoon had a sore flank for weeks!

I remember Fluttershy feeling bad for him after that, too. She was never one for pranks. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Fluttershy is still fun to be around, and was when she was younger.

While I'm on the topic of Fluttershy, I must admit that I spent more time with her than Rainbow Dash before the accident. That's probably because after Rainbow got her cutie mark, she was quite famous among the pegasi. And the fact that Fluttershy started to hang out more on the ground after that also might have something to do with it.

I liked the ground when I was young. Mostly because it was something new and alien to me. I mean, I had spent my entire life in the clouds until Fluttershy invited me to come down to the ground with her one day.

That was a very interesting day. Fluttershy came knocking on my door on a particularly bright day. Notice how I said my door. My aunt had died a few months before Rainbow and Flutters (That's my nickname for her) got their cutie marks. I owned the house, but didn't live alone. My neighbors, whom I would always go to when my Aunt was drunk, took care of me then.

Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked again. Flutters came over to my house and explained to me the wonders of the ground. I was a bit sketchy at first. I mean, the ground wasn't exactly something we young fillies were used to yet. But after much persuasion on Fluttershy's part, I agreed to come along.

It didn't take very long for us to get to the ground. Flutters landed near a thick tree by a river. This was later hollowed out and is now her home.

I admit that I was a bit scared of the ground at first. I hovered a few feet above the ground for a little while. Flutters didn't seem to mind. She introduced me to her animal friends and gave me a little tour of the area around where her house now is. I don't remember when I overcame my fear of the ground, but halfway through her tour, I found myself walking rather than flying.

I grew very fond of the ground after that day. It was just so.... different. Me and Flutters spent a lot of time on the ground. We never really went anywhere but that one spot. I mean, we were still pretty young. We didn't risk exploring. Or rather, I didn't because Fluttershy never wanted to.

Another great moment I had as a filly was when I myself got my cutie mark. This happened after the accident. A lot of ponies ask me what my special talent is. I understand them not understanding, though. 'I mean, what kind of talent has anything to do with bubbles?' you might ask. Well, I'll tell you.

My special talent isn't really much of a talent, really. You see, my cutie mark is a stream of seven bubbles. They symbolize what I am. If you were to explain to somepony what a bubble is, they wouldn't understand. Bubbles are a wonder of nature. Kind of like me! I'm different than most ponies. I'm... special.

That's what my special talent is: being special. Like I said, it isn't much of a talent. But it makes me proud to be.... well, me! Anyways, let me tell you the story of how I actually got my cutie mark.

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It had been about a week after the accident that changed my eyes. I had to stay at the hospital for a while because it was hard coping with crossed eyes. But like I said before, that's a story for another time.

Well, after I had learned to at least walk straight, my doctor let me take walks into Ponyville (where the hospital was). I made the mistake of walking straight through the town square, where most ponies hung out. Many ponies saw me and immediately stopped what they were doing.

They all stared at me like I was some freak. Some of the more immature ponies even made fun of me. I'll be honest here. Most of the time, I ended up running back to the hospital and crying my eyes out.

This went on for about a month. I had to keep going back to the hospital for check-ups and such, but I had already bought my own house on the outskirts of Ponyville, where I live now. I was a bit paranoid back then, and didn't want to show my face in Cloudsdale. I had already gotten used to the taunts some ponies still threw at me. I decided they were just doing so because it's how some ponies deal with difference.

But one day, this one pony's comment really got to me. It was totally uncalled for and rude in every way.

I was minding my own business, shopping for ingredients for a new muffin recipe I had come across, when I ran right into a stallion named Filthy Rich. I hadn't seen him because I was looking in my saddlebag with one eye while the other was focused on the ground.

When I bumped into him, he fell over and I tripped, falling right on top of him. I was nice about it. I got up, helped him up, and apologized like ten times. He looked at me like I was some kind of animal the entire time. He looked at with a disgusted face and said, "Don't touch me, you peasant! Do you know who I am? I am the richest pony in Ponyville! I do not need some cross-eyed freak getting in my way!"

He then pushed me out of his way and continued walking like the whole ordeal had never occurred. It didn't affect me right away, but when I got home, I lied in bed and thought about it. I didn't get any sleep that night.

The next morning I stayed home and thought about it some more. Filthy had called me a cross-eyed freak and a peasant. He thought he was better than me because he was rich and he had straight eyes. He had called me special. Was that what I was destined to be? 'Special'? Not the special in a good way, but special as in different... Special as in mentally different...

It made me cry knowing that other ponies thought of me that way. But then I had an epiphany. No, that's not the right word. I suddenly realized something. So yea, I had an epiphany. I realized that I was special, and there wasn't anything I could do to change that. I would be special for as long as I lived, and I was proud of that. I realized that being special was what I was good at.

That's when it arrived. My cutie mark. After so much time. I was quite old to be a blank flank, mostly because I never knew what I was good at. But when my cutie mark appeared, I wasn't ecstatic like most ponies are when they get theirs. I was proud. Proud to be who I am.

And to this day, I am proud to be special. I'm proud to be the ditsy pony I am. I'm proud to be.... Derpy.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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IV. I Just Don't Know What Went Wrong...

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Hey there Amico. I am completely humiliated. I don't think I've ever felt so stupid in my life. I ran into Rainbow Dash again yesterday... But it wasn't all that pleasant.

Here's how it went...

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The entire town was cheering on Applejack and wishing her good luck for the rodeo in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash was setting up a banner at City Hall and asked me to help. I was so excited that I started to get bouncy (I bounce when I get excited). Little did I know, I was on an active thundercloud. So, when I started bouncing, I…kind of destroyed the roof to City Hall.

I started getting worried. Every now and then Rainbow Dash would look up at me, then the roof, and sigh. I kept thinking that she was getting annoyed by me trying to ‘help’ her. That quickly went away when she saw the worried look on my face. She sensed my worry and smiled at me, trying to make me feel better, I guess. She has a pretty smile.

I tried to stand still and not get in the way anymore. I even tried to get rid of the thundercloud I had. Boy, was that a bad idea. I accidently sent a lightning bolt straight at Rainbow Dash! She was able to dodge it, but it still singed her tail.

She flew up to me and told me to ‘be careful’, but not in a rude tone or anything. That’s another thing I really like about her; she can tolerate my clumsiness more than other ponies can. Like the time I told you about Filthy Rich. I remember the last Winter Wrap Up day, when I accidently flew north to get the southern birds. All the other ponies got annoyed at me, but Rainbow Dash stood up for me and told them it was an honest mistake, even though I do it almost every year.

I don’t know why, but recently I’ve been getting more and more nervous when I’m around her. When she came up to me and told me to ‘be careful’ I started to get nervous.

I didn’t know what to do so I started bouncing on the cloud again (I also get bouncy when I get nervous). "I just don’t know what went wrong," I said in my most innocent voice. I ended up electrocuting myself.

So after I finally did get rid of the cloud, I took a look at the banner and decorations she put up around City Hall. They looked good, so I thought maybe I could say something nice. I said, "Nice work, Rainbow Dash!"

Yet again, I did something clumsy: flying backwards and not looking where I was going. I ended up hitting one of the pillars on the building with my rump and breaking it. It fell over and Rainbow tried to catch it. She did, but it ended up being too heavy for her, and she ended up falling through the floorboards.

I immediately flew down to check on her. Luckily she didn’t look hurt, but I still wanted to make sure. I looked down and asked, "You okay, Rainbow Dash? Anything I can do to help?"

By then, I’m pretty sure Rainbow had gotten annoyed with me. It was understandable, since I did almost kill her... twice.

She flew up to me and said, "No! Nothing! In the name of Celestia, just sit there and do nothing!" I obeyed and sat down on the wooden floor. Apparently the floorboards were pretty unstable, because I ended up breaking them and falling through. As a reflex, I grabbed Rainbow and pulled her under with me. I don't know why I didn't just open my wings and fly out.

This next part was so embarrassing. She ended up landing on top of me at the bottom of the hole. I blushed and tried to apologize. Lucky for me she got off quickly and I was able to look away while saying, "Oops, my bad." Then I apologized like a hundred times to her. She said it was okay and that she was sorry for yelling at me.

After that, we flew out of the hole and inspected the damage. It wasn't pretty, and all of it was my fault. Rainbow, being the sweet pony she is, didn't blame me. I wanted to do my best to help, but I knew it would take a lot of money to fix the broken roof and floor. And both me and Rainbow Dash know that I don't have much money to spare.

I'm not entirely sure why, but Rainbow actually got mad at herself instead of me. She said that the whole thing was her fault, and that she was going to take responsibility for it. I didn't want her to do that, and I argued with her the whole way to the Mayor's office.

When we got there, Rainbow told me to go home and leave it to her to fix the mess I had made. I've never seen her so angry before. Before I left, she explained to me why she didn't want me taking the blame.

Her exact words were: "Listen, Ditzy... You and me both know that you're not in the best position financially. To put it bluntly, you're poor. And you have a child to take care of. You need all the money you can get. And there's going to be a pretty big fine for destroying half of city hall."

I tried to protest, but she wouldn't let me. She told me to go home, then walked into the mayor's office. Not wanting to be any more trouble, I obeyed and walked home. I decided not to fly. I didn't want to cause any more damage.

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When I got home, Dinky was still in school. I was glad too, because I didn't do anything but sulk for the next hour or so. I just hated the fact that Rainbow Dash took the fall for me. I felt like a foal. I knew I didn't have money to fix the city hall, and if I had taken the blame like I should have, me and my muffin would be living on the streets. I know I should be grateful, but... I don't know.

Anyways, when Dinky got home, I immediately felt better. She really knows how to make a pony feel better. To be completely honest, I think that may just be her special talent. I guess we'll just have to wait and see, huh Amico?

Later on, me and Dinky made muffins. It cheered me up for a little while. We ate some, then I read her a story. I don't know what it is about foals and stories, but she was out like a light. I took her to her room and tucked her in. She seemed so peaceful. Then again, most ponies do look at peace when asleep.

I went into my bedroom after that and lied in bed. I don't know what triggered it, but suddenly I realized how lonely I am. I live in a small house away from Ponyville. I only have a few real friends. I mean, even most of the ponies at work don't ever talk to me. And to top it all off, I'm a single mother. Not like that was my choice, either...

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Dinky is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Even if I never meant to have a foal...

You know what that means, don't you Amico? When I think of something, I can't help but talk about it. Or, in this case, write about it.

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Only one other pony knows that I never meant to have Dinky. And, of course, that pony is Rainbow Dash. Not even Fluttershy knows. She, along with everypony else, believes that Dinky's father left me after her birth. But that's not the case...

It all happened about nine years ago, when I was nineteen years old. Rainbow Dash invited me to come to a club with her and her friend Candy Mane. Wanting to get out of the house, I agreed to tag along. Little did I know the trouble I was getting myself into.

I met up with Rainbow and Candy at Sugarcube Corner, where we were picking up another of Rainbow's friends, who at the last second decided to come. Her name was Pinkie Pie, and I never liked her much. I mean, there was nothing wrong with her, but she was just so excitable. She reminded me of a foal who's had too much sugar.

Anyways, after we picked her up, we went straight to the club, the name of which I don't remember. It was a long walk, so we all had to deal with Pinkie along the way. Me most of all. She continued to ask me about my eyes, and I never got a chance to talk back because she apparently couldn't keep her mouth shut.

The walk was only thirty minutes, but it felt like hours. What with Pinkie talking the whole way and Candy bitching about it. And man can that pony whine.

The first time I realized I made a mistake was when I saw the club. Or rather, when I heard the club. The music could be heard from almost a block away. The club was amazingly packed for such a small place.

When we arrived, we immediately lost Pinkie Pie. Rainbow found her later talking with the disk jockey, a white unicorn with an electric blue mane. We decided to leave her be and find ourselves a table. I was too young to drink, and so was Rainbow Dash. But Candy wasn't, and she was friends with the manager. So she somehow hooked Rainbow Dash up, and even offered to hook me up with a drink. I, of course, said no. I didn't drink, and I still don't.

Long story short, both Candy and Rainbow ended up getting drunk. They left me alone at the table and decided to go dance on the crowded dance floor. That's when I decided to leave. That was also the second time I realized I shouldn't have come.

On my way out, I noticed Rainbow and Candy sitting at the bar of the club. It took me a while before I realized that they were making out. I was furious. Not at them, but at myself for allowing myself to become angry. I mean, it wasn't like me and Rainbow Dash were dating or anything. And it's not like she made me go to that stupid club.

I ran out of the club, not caring who saw me, or who I ran into. And I ended up running into quite a lot of ponies, not because of my eyes, but because I wasn't watching where I was going. I ran until I couldn't hear the club anymore. I ran until I couldn't feel my legs anymore. I ran until I was out of breath.

After I couldn't run anymore, I sat down in what I thought to be an empty alley and cried. I cried because I let my best friend get drunk when she wasn't even old enough to be legally drinking. I cried because I was stupid enough to go to a club. I cried because the love of my life, the mare I had had a crush on since we were little, was making out with a mare I didn't even know. (Sorry about the repetitiveness. I couldn't think of a better way to write it.)

It took me a while to notice I wasn't alone. I looked up to see three stallions, one of which looked familiar for some reason. The smallest, a tan stallion with rain blue eyes and mane, walked up to me and asked, "Hey there, miss. You seem a little down. Is everything all right?"

His voice was so sweet, and he looked so nice. Without thinking about it, I told him why I had been crying. It was a stupid thing to do, I admit: talking to a complete stranger that I had just met in an alley.

After I had told my story, the same stallion said in a sweet tone, "How about I take you over to my place? Maybe I could make you feel better."

Maybe it was because I was emotionally unstable, or maybe it was his charm that made me go with him. Either way, I was stupid to do so. He whispered something to the two bigger stallions, and they walked off, leaving me and him in the empty alley. He then helped me up and told me to go on ahead, another stupid thing I shouldn't have done.

The minute I had my back turned, he knocked me out cold. When I woke up, I couldn't see nor speak. There was a gag in my mouth and a blindfold over my eyes, and my hooves were tied up as well, but I was too scared to notice. I had no idea where I was or why I was there.

I could sense many other ponies in the room. More like smell them. I didn't know it then, but there were ten other stallions in the room, including the three I saw in the alley before. I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened next. If not, then I'm leaving you in the dark, because I'd rather not think about it.

After they were done with me, they simply left me there. After about three hours, somepony finally found me and took me to the hospital.

Four months later I found out I was pregnant. You can imagine how I felt. I was angry that some total stranger got me pregnant. And it could have been any of them. I didn't want to keep Dinky at first... I mean, I never meant to have a foal.

But then I thought about it... And I wondered what would happen to the foal if I didn't keep it. I didn't exactly know what, but either way, I decided to keep Dinky and raise her. It was hard at first. I had little money, and I was always off at work, so I barely ever saw her in her early years.

I'm just glad she's never asked about her father. She seems happy with it just being me and her. Then again, that's probably because she was raised that way.

But yea, that's the story of Dinky's dad... Not a very nice story, but oh well. Not everypony has a perfect life. I'm just glad to have a perfect daughter.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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V. Home is Where the Heart Lies

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Ciao, Amico. (That means 'Hello, friend' in Italian.) It seems like forever since I last wrote to you, even if it has been only a week. And lemme tell you, a lot has happened in this small amount of time. Some things good, some things bad, but everything has been interesting.

You remember how I told you that Rainbow Dash took the blame for the destruction of the town hall? Well, that caused a whole spiral of bad events. And like always, I shall tell you exactly what happened.

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Well, when Rainbow told the mayor about the destruction, everypony expected to use the money from the rodeo for the repairs. But to everypony's surprise, Applejack didn't get any prize money. So that meant that Rainbow Dash had to pay for the repairs to the roof, floor, and sides of the building. Even she didn't have that much money.

So, in order to pay for the damage, Rainbow Dash had to sell her home... How horrible that must have been... Rainbow Dash has lived in that house for as long as I can remember. That house was handed down to her from her parents. To have to sell the only home you've ever known must have been terrible...

I'm getting sidetracked. I just really feel bad for her, ya know? I mean, she's my best friend. What kind of friend wouldn't feel bad?

I didn't know she lost her home until about three days after she actually did. For some reason she avoided me during that time. Probably because she didn't want me to worry and blame myself, which I did and still do.

After I found out, I immediately went to find her. Apparently, in those three days, she quite literally lived on a cloud. When I asked why, she said she didn't want to trouble any of her friends. I thought that was ridiculous.

So, I told her to come and stay at my house until she could afford to live somewhere on her own. I didn't ask. I demanded. My exact words were, "Rainbow Dash, you don't need to be living like some homeless scum. I have a guest room at my house, and you will be living there until you can get back on your own hooves."

She just looked at me, dumbfounded. I guess she didn't expect me to do something like that. Either way, after that, she followed me to my house, and I showed her to my guest room. She was skeptical about living with me at first, but after the first day, she got used to it.

The next day, we looked in the paper for a job for her. We had no luck. So, I confronted Crafty, my boss. Luckily enough, he thought Rainbow would be perfect for a mailmare. So now not only does Rainbow live with me, she works with me too.

Even if it's not necessarily a good thing, it's nice seeing Rainbow Dash all day. She seems to have gotten over the fact that she lost her home and all her money. Like she always says, 'Shit happens, and sometimes, you can't do anything to help it.'

It still must be hard on her, though... I don't know what I'd do if I lost my home and the little money I had. I can't even imagine what would happen to me and my muffin...

Anyways, yea, seeing Rainbow is cool. It's weird that she's already better then me at my own job, but I always knew I wasn't the best mailmare in Equestria. Heck, I might as well be the worst. But at least Crafty lets me keep my job. Probably because he knows how hard it is to be a single parent.

Rainbow Dash is a really sweet mare... Every night, before we all go to bed, she thanks me... Thanks me for giving her a home, food, a job, love... It nearly makes me cry every time. Not because it makes me sad or anything, but because it makes me the happiest pegasus in all of Equestria. Just knowing that the love of my life appreciates me like that is great.

It's funny how perfect Rainbow Dash is for me... I might not be the best for her, but she would make my life perfect... She's great with Dinky. Whenever Rainbow is off work and Dinky home from school, they always have fun together. Dinky was just telling me the other day about how Rainbow Dash was her best friend. It was the cutest thing. Rainbow Dash is also the only pony who really respects me. She looks to me as an equal, as if there was nothing abnormal about me.

Sorry if this is a bit of a short entry, Amico. Actually, it's really short. But hey, after Rainbow Dash started working with me, I've had a little bit more time off, which leaves me with a bit of free time. And I don't want to spend all that time writing in a journal now, do I? I like spending time with my daughter, and that's exactly what I'm about to go do.

Until next time, Amico.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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VI. A Change of Plans

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Dear mommy,

I found your journal on the floor and thought I'd write you something for when you get back home. (I promise I won't read anything, I know how much you like your privacy.) You're the best mommy in the world and I love you. I never really get to tell you this much, but I still am really happy that you got Ms. Twilight to give me these magic lessons. Today I learned how to write with my magic! It's real useful. Ms. Twilight says I need to work on my literature, which I guess is true, since I still am just in grade school. One more thing I really wanted to ask you since I know you and Rainbow Dash will be off work all next week is if we could all go somewhere fun. Somewhere we could all three be alone and have bunches of fun together! I know a place we could go that Twist says doesn't cost too much. It's like a family fun kind of camp that has different activities every day and it's open every Monday to Friday, and I thought it would be perfect for me you and Rainbow Dash! I was gonna ask you yesterday, but I was too shy, which is why I just wrote it here instead. Anyways, I have to go with Lyra to the store and she says when we get back, you'll be home, so I'll talk to you then, mommy! I love you!

Your loving daughter,

Dinky Doo

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My muffin is just so sweet. She's growing up so fast. Are all kids like that? I wish Dinky could just stay young forever. So sweet and innocent. Just like me when I was just a little foal.

I talked to Dinky when she got back from the store with Lyra, and this family fun camp she tells me about sounds like a great idea. Even Rainbow Dash agrees that it would be a fun thing to do. Well, at first, she didn't think it would be best for herself to go, which I thought was ridiculous. I told her she was just as much family to me as Dinky was, who was by my side giving Rainbow her best puppy-dog eyes.

I think that in the end, Dinky was the one that convinced Rainbow to come along with us. She told me to please leave the room so that they could talk privately. I was a bit confused, but I obeyed and they were in that room talking for another few minutes. I'm not sure what was said, but when they both came out Dinky had the cutest look of triumph on her face.

Now I just can't wait until next week. Tomorrow I have to check the place out and reserve a place for us for next week. Spending a whole five days together with Rainbow and Dinky will be great, regardless of what we do.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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So the place Dinky told me about is called The Ponyville Family Center. Every Monday through Friday, they have this camp where families will go to do fun activities and the like, just as my muffin told me. Thankfully, it doesn't cost much. A membership at the family center costs 13 bits for two parents and a foal. Granted, Rainbow Dash is only posing as a parent for the week. Because, you know. It's a family camp, and Rainbow Dash couldn't go with us if she wasn't family.

Oh, Rainbow just got home from work. She worked a bit later than I did today. I'll have to go and discuss this with her. Talk to you in a little bit, Amico.

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Well, Rainbow kind of agrees with the idea. She says to give her another day to think about it. I know she must want to go with us, otherwise she would've already said no.

The reason she says it would be weird is because almost everyone in Ponyville knows her, and they all know she doesn't have a partner of any sorts, and certainly not a daughter. So going to a family camp with her 'wife' and 'daughter' would be a little... odd. Rainbow Dash argued that she could pose as maybe a sister or aunt or other family member, but that just wouldn't work.

And don't get me wrong, I completely agree with her argument, but... I don't know. Her going to this camp would be so much to me and Dinky. And after the week was over, she wouldn't have to pose anymore. Nothing would change...

Guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if Rainbow will go along with it.

Oh, goodness me! It's past 5:30! ( In case you didn't know, that's muffin time. ) Time to get baking.

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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Hey, Amico. Thought I would write to you again before going to bed, just to pass the time. Dinky is passed out on the couch, and Rainbow Dash just went into her room, so I'm assuming she's going to sleep as well.

It feels nice tonight. I think I'll go sit on the porch and watch the lights of Ponyville go out. I'll write back to you in a minute once I've gotten out there and made myself comfortable.

The breeze is nice. Better than the hot weather we've been getting recently. Living in a house secluded from town is nice. You can see every single star clear as day.

Six hundred and twenty-four. That's how many I can count in tonight's sky. I think it's time to get to sleep. I'm going to take Dinky to her bed, then crawl into my own. I think I'll leave my window open tonight..

Your dear friend,

Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo

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Author's Note

It's been 354 days since I've written a chapter in this story, so sorry if it's really sloppy and short. Better chapters shall be written in the future.