Derpy soared through the skies, trying to finish up the last of her route. She located her next stop, and went in for a landing. Just before she got below the tree level, her eye slid out of place, distorting her vision, making it almost impossible to tell where she was going. Desperately attempting to land, she closed her eyes and curled up as best she could. She hit something hard and metallic, dropping her saddlebag, then hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She opened her eyes. Letters fell to the ground, scattering in the air. She turned her head side to side, looking around for her mailbag, then looked up and found it… on top of one of the meaner unicorns she had on her route. He growled, then launched into a furious tirade, yelling at her.

She retreated hastily, trying to hide her tears as she quickly gathered up the spilled mail, trying to find his, but they were all mixed up. And the more panicked she got, the harder it was for her to read the addresses. She always had trouble with them. The other mailponies back at the post office were kind, and they sorted the mail in her bag so that she could grab it without having to read each one. But whenever something like this happened, it took her a long time to figure out what the out-of-focus words were saying.

It didn’t help that she was being shouted at. She hated being shouted at, it made her want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world. She tried to focus her eyes, desperate to give him his letters and get away from him so she could cry in peace. But she couldn’t, not with all the yelling and the hurtful things he was saying. Each name felt like someone had punched her. Stupid. Klutz. Idiot. She tried and tried again in vain to figure out which of the dozens of envelopes she was looking for, when suddenly she heard it. The word.

Freak.

Sobbing, she couldn’t take it anymore. She stuffed all the letters back in her bag, spread her wings, and lifted off the ground, making her way back to the post office as fast as she could.

…Or at least, she would have. Just after she got off the ground, a blue aura surrounded her, and she slammed into the ground. “Where do you think you’re going?” snarled the forest-green stallion. “Do you think you can just leave without doing your job? I want my mail, and by law, you have to deliver it. Unless you want to be fined, or imprisoned. Actually, I would have no problem with that. Maybe then I’d get a mailpony that is actually competent.” He tossed his wheat-colored mane.

Derpy was crying, tears streaming down her face. She had to get away, had to make it stop, but she couldn’t move her body, couldn’t even move to wipe her nose, which was running and dripping into her mouth. Bile rose, but she tried her hardest to keep it down; if she threw up like this, she might suffocate. She was in complete panic, straining against the stallion’s magic, but she may as well tried to move a mountain.

He pulled her closer, angrily looking her in the eye. “You listen to me, you little freak. Nobody wants you around, with your messed-up eyes and the inability to do anything without breaking something, losing something, or causing problems for everypony.” He spat in her face. “You’re nothing but a nuisance and an idiot. You can’t do anything right, can you? I bet you can’t even read.” He shook his head. “How you even got your job is beyond me, but trust me when I say that that won’t be the case for long.”

He huffed, looking around his yard, surveying the damage. His mailbox had been snapped, the post in splinters, and the box had flown into some of his glass yard art, which was now no more than a mess of shards scattered about. Several priceless pieces, all handmade, now just a wreck.

Grinding his teeth, he turned back to Derpy, still trapped in midair where he was holding her. In a rage, he focused on the odd-eyed mailmare. Derpy grunted in pain as she felt pressure on all sides, squeezing her tightly. With a flare of his horn, he slammed her into a tree. She gasped in pain as she heard a loud snap from her front leg. Shutting his magic off, he smirked as he let her fall to the ground. The shock and the pain filled Derpy, her vision going white, until there was nothing but pain in her world. It seemed to last an eternity, but finally the white faded, leaving her with the out-of focus world.

She groaned, she was unable to move, but from pain rather than magic. The unicorn trotted over with a sadistic smile. “You’re gonna regret getting out of bed this morning, you little freak,” he said. He turned around, picking up his back hoof.

“..N-no-” she gasped.

He ignored her, driving his hoof into her face with the strongest kick he could. Her tears flowed over her cuts, stinging and adding to the pain. She whimpered, trying to form words, but she hurt too much to move. But she tried, oh she tried! Especially when she saw him raise his hoof again. She couldn’t stop him, so she closed her eyes tight and waited for it.

She saw stars, pain flaring, white taking over her vision. He smirked, drawing his hoof back once more. Derpy, unable to move, closed her eye and wished he would just kill her. She gave up, and she relaxed, accepting the inevitable. She waited for him to finish the deed.

A yell of fury sounded behind them, and she felt a rush of heat pass by her. A bright light shone through her eyelids, and she cautiously opened her good eye, trying to figure out what was happening. An off-white stallion with a vibrant, red-orange striped mane, was grappling with her attacker. Fire coated his hooves, and he shot bursts of flame from his horn. He reared up, slamming his flaming hooves into the green stallion, who snarled and backed up, trying to avoid the new threat. To Derpy’s shock, the fire-wielding stallion unfurled a pair of wings like she’d never seen before. They didn’t look like normal pony wings, and they were lined with a deep red that glowed brightly.

The stallion rushed forward, moving faster than even Rainbow Dash. His image flickered, like he wasn’t quite in sync with the world. With devastating speed, he slammed his opponent’s legs, like lightning, then leapt back and continued pummeling the cruel pony. As Derpy watched, she knew that there was something strange about the newcomer. After a few moments, she realized that his tail didn’t match his mane – his mane was red-orange striped, but his tail was red and blue.

The stallion flapped his wings, buffeting the cruel pony with wind and lifting himself into the air. He raised his head, charging up power. His horn began to glow with crimson light, and a low hum filled the air, steadily rising in pitch. His eyes were filled with pure hate for his target, and Derpy knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

As much as she wanted the green stallion to pay for what he’d done, she didn’t want him to die. She could never hate somepony that much. She struggled, opening her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a whisper. “Stop.”

Much to her surprise, he seemed to have heard her. His horn slowly dimmed, and the vibration in the air dissipated. He touched down on the ground, folding his wings, regarding the pony before him with disgust. He stood still for a few moments, then in a blur of motion, a thin flame sprouted from his front hoof, and he jumped forward, swiping at the stallion.

There was no blood or new mark on him, but defeated stallion cried out in pain and loss. Derpy couldn’t figure out what had happened, until she saw a bit of green on the ground. The fiery stallion had cut her attacker’s horn off. She would have gasped, if it didn't hurt so much.

With a snort, the victor turned from the wreck, facing Derpy. She panicked. Was he going to hurt her, too? A soft, orange glow enveloped her, not restraining her, but cradling her gently. “Hey,” he said, and she flinched. This was the first time he’d spoken, aside from the battle cry she’d first heard. His voice was soft, and a little higher-pitched than she’d expected. “It’s gonna be okay. Don’t worry.”

His soothing words were a lot nicer than the yelling from earlier. Her vision began to go dark, but the stallion kept talking. “It’s alright, I’ll keep you safe.” Just before she lost consciousness, she heard him say one last thing. “I promise.”

Author's Note

This is my first story. I am writing this (yes) with myself in it, but it's going to be a 3rd Person story.
I apologize in advance for any cliffhangers or periods of long absence I may leave you with, but I don't have all the time in the world, unfortunately. I'll do my best to keep publishing, though!
I have no idea whether this will go well or be a huge flop. If you're reading this, thanks, and have a muffin.
~SoDF

(9/29/16: Slightly edited, also giving spaces between paragraphs to help it read a little smoother.)