Chapters The Exorcism of Derpy Hooves
The priest looked at the quiet house and sighed. He knew what was waiting for him inside would be intense and dreadful. The mare he was working on, Derpy Hooves, was in serious need of help. The priest had received a call earlier that week, telling him that Derpy's mother believed that what was going on with Derpy was nowhere near schizophrenia, like her neurologist thought, but a demonic presence had taken over her daughter.
This was the priest's 30th exorcism for Derpy and his last. Malnutrition-ed and Insomnia washed, Derpy died during the final exorcism that day. By then, the case was known all over Equestria, so the police arrived a few minutes after her death and took the priest and Derpy's mother into custody.
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Rainbow Dash stood before the jury, prosecuting the priest. She knew he was guilty..he murdered a friend of hers..abused that friend and let her die. He had to be brought to justice. "Look here," started Dash as she showed the jury a picture of a perfectly healthy Derpy Hooves. " Look at her..This is Derpy before this priest got a hold of her..and next, is a picture of her on her death bed." Dash put away the first picture of Derpy and pulled out another. Derpy was laying in her bed, scrawny and broken-looking. She had dark circles under her eyes ,burns, and cuts all over her body. The picture was pitiful, but it couldn't be helped.
The priest knew that he was an innocent colt..He would never hurt and neglect such a kind and weak soul. It was against his religion. He loved Derpy as if she were his own filly and couldn't bear the thought that he could do nothing to help her with her problem.
" Does the defense have their opening statement?" Asked Princess Celestia, standing in for Ponyville's sickened judge.
"Yes, Princess, we do" replied the priest's lawyer, Salem. " My client is a highly religious colt..He spent most of his time caring for the mentally challenged and homeless fillies. He had close relations with Mrs. Hooves' family.We have recorded evidence of Derpy Hooves' exorcism and witnesses to her drastic change. With further investigation, we will prove that this priest is innocent."
Rainbow Dash yelled "Further investigation!?!?! This doesn't need to be investigated!! Derpy suffered from mental disabilities such as schizophrenia!!! The Priest made her drop her medication and start a procedure that doesn't have any good effect on her! She died from not getting enough food and neglective care! NOT demonic possession, which isn't even scientifically possible!"
Celestia gave a nod, but said " I see your point Rainbow Dash, but I have to be fair and allow the defense to further investigate the incidents. They have 3 days to come up with good evidence and theory, until then, The Priest must remain in prison. Now, no further questions? Court dismissed." She banged her hoof on the desk in front of her, allowing everypony to leave the courtroom.
Later that day, Maple-Leaf, The Priest's Defense attorney arrived at his prison cell. She walked in slowly, staring at the young Priest's hurt and guilt-filled face. She sat by his side and stroked his mane. "We'll find you a way out of this, Pastor..There has to be a way."
The Priest sighed and looked at Maple. " Thank you so much for trying to help me with this, no matter how ridiculous it sounded, but just give up on me..There's no hope that the truth will be revealed..at least not believed."
"What is the truth, then?" asked Maple." Tell me the whole story up until the time of death." She sat in a chair across from The Priest and looked him in the eyes. "Start from the day you got that call."
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Derpy looked at her new college in awe. Most of the ponies she knew were so surprised that she got in, that they threw her a huge party with a whole lot of muffins! <3 She already settled into her room and got her first day of classes finished. Derpy threw down her school books, grabbed a muffins and plowed right into her bed.
The day had been rough because she saw things that made no sense to her. There were colts in black cloaks watching her closely all day. Everywhere she turned, she saw them. Derpy figured it was just her imagination and she had a wacky brain like her mom said she does. Though her momma didn't tell her directly, she over heard her talking to the doctor about her funny eyes and weird voice. Everyone seemed to love it about her, but she was very destructive.
Her eyes grew heavy as she ate the last bit of her muffin. Though she had no intention of sleeping, not yet anyways. She got up to turn some lights off and sat at her lamp-lit desk to finish her class work. The last question was simple: "What is the one thing you like that you'd wish you'd never have to share?" This answer was obvious of course "Muffins" is what she wrote.
She sighed loudly and grabbed yet another of her glorious muffins to eat. She finished this one in one big, sugary bite and lay on her bed. The day was weird and exciting for Derpy. She often wondered how she would be able to sleep that night with all the emotions swirling through her, making her dizzy. She was sad also when she had to quiet her mailing job for this..madness.
Finally, she let her eyes drift to the clock.. 3 a.m. She closed her eyes as she felt a slight chill in the air and smelled a sweet, but sour scent..the smell of death. She didn't know what it was, so she fell asleep soundly and innocently, awaiting the day she had tomorrow.
"Little did the poor mare know what was going to happen to her that night..It was all a part of "Their" plan..." The Priest said to Maple softly, gentle tears forming in the corners of his eyes.His eyes drifted to the picture of Derpy that he held in his hoof..
The Exorcism of Derpy Hooves
Derpy was sound asleep in her comfortable dorm-room bed, dreaming peacefully. The edge of her bed dipped in slightly by her feet without her noticing it. The pressure moved the blankets away from her upper body and pinned her to the bed. She opened her eyes to the discomfort of the pressure. She struggled to move, but she couldn't, her breath caught in her throat as something started to choke her.
She tried as hard as she could to scream, but no sound could escape. She wiggled and pushed against the unseen force, but was dragged to the floor where she twisted in unnatural and all directions. Finally, whatever had its hold on her, released and let her breathe. She jumped up and sprinted towards outside the building as fast as she could
Every pony she passed would smile at her, but then their smiling faces would warp and twist to evil. Their mouths stretched, their eyes turned to black, and their skin would turn grey and ashy. She found the nearest public phone and called her mother.
"M-Momma, i need you to come get me right now..." She whimpered into the phone. " I n-need help..please.." By this point she was crying and sobbing hysterically. Every pony's faces returned to normal, but Derpy still had a feeling of being watched. She knew now that her brain was more than a little messed up...
Derpy's mom came to get her several minutes later as the sun began to rise. She fell fast asleep on her way home, but she kept dreaming about these dark shadow people trying to get her. She did everything she could to get away from these shadows, but it wasn't enough. She was cornered by a centuries old church and taken by the shadows.
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"That was the dream that Derpy never woke up from. It was like a doorway for those demons to get to her." The priest told Maple in almost a whisper. " The next day is when her mother called me with no other than the belief of something demonic torturing her daughter. She told me that they'd been to doctors and specialists, saying that Derpy had a mental disease, but her mother, being a highly religious mare, knew that it was nowhere near what they'd thought."
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The Priest rushed to the Hooves' house after receiving a very urgent call from Derpy's mother. The fear and seriousness of the situation at hand made The priest's heart race. He had experience with this kind of thing, but never had he seen anything as severe..as over whelming as what he would come face to face with in this new case.
Even as he arrived at the house, he could sense the over-all chill and eeriness of the property. He stepped out of the carriage and looked at the house that his client resides in. It smelled of death..sickly sweet and rotten death. There were nests of bees and hornets on the side of it, even if it's in the middle of winter.
The priest heard a muffled moan come from inside the house, but it wasn't of pleasure..no, it was pain..pure, heart clenching pain. He now knew that this was no ordinary case of possession..it was different..way different. Most cases are just schizophrenics hurting themselves and making noises..Those are the ones that should be hospitalized, but this case...was far beyond mental.
He knocked on the door with his hoof and awaited Derpy's mother. She opened the door. With tear streaked eyes she allowed the Priest to enter the home. Inside the smell of death was stronger and breath taking. The sheer heaviness was enough to make the Priest want to run the other way, but instead, he trotted into Derpy's bedroom and nothing prepared him for what lay inside.
There she was..Broken and scratched..Derpy looked so pitiful. The Priest has never seen someone look so..indescribably stricken with fear. In less than a second, she wasn't Derpy anymore..but something entirely different from human. The Derpy he knew was beautiful and kind..This was no her..it was a monster. Her eyes were black as pitch and her pupils were abnormally dilated.
The Priest turned to Derpy's mother and said to her "I thank you for contacting me about this..I love you and Derpy, so I promise-- no I swear to you..I will help your daughter..No matter what will happen." Derpy's mother smiled and left the room. As he watched her mother leave the room, he made one solemn vow to Derpy and to himself. There will be no more demons. He WILL NOT let anything happen to this harmless child.
Derpy hissed at The priest as he took out his holy water and bible. She started blabbering and screaming, spewing spit out of the sides of her mouth. He knew that this was nothing like what he used to deal with..It was way different. He made that promise to Derpy's mother, but honestly, he didn't know how to handle a real..complete possession...
Would this go the same way as the others? No..it couldn't be the same.. He knew this was real..not some mental case of the overly-religious...Derpy still sputtered in her gibberish language and twisted in un-natural directions, screaming in her weird way.
"This is it.." Said The Priest as he opened the bible. "This is what i'm here for.." He turned to the page he should use and began to read..
The Exorcism of Derpy Hooves
Rainbow Dash finally fell onto her soft bed after a long day of prosecution and investigation. She would win this case for sure! Celestia was definitely on her side, she just knew it. That darned priest neglected Dash's friend and he needed to be brought to justice. Her eyes drifted to the clock and groaned at the time...3 a.m. She wondered why she'd stayed up so late, it wasn't like her to do that.
That night when she fell asleep, she had the dream that changed her perspective on everything..Maybe it changed her mind about The Priest...
The Priest stared out his cell's window and sighed. Oh how he longed to tell the court how innocent he was and how true Derpy's possession really was...He remembered clear as day what had happened the night before Derpy's death. The rain pouring down the windows and Derpy's words to him.
(The day before Derpy's death)
It was minutes before the next exorcism and The Priest's thoughts waned. He hated the thought that maybe there was no hope for this brave mare. Derpy had been through so much in the last few months, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her to the demon holding her in its snare. Though each passing second meant the demon was closer to Derpy's true-self, he'd spent it wasting time on such oppressive thoughts.
He went into her room and when he saw her tied to the bed posts, he almost cried. She was tied up to keep her from harming herself or others, especially over the past week. He began to read from the bible as he has done for 4 months now and made a cross out of holy water on her forehead. Some of what he was reading was Latin, he said " Genitus everto ex senior parvulus.Sarcalogos bids vos tergum ut abyssus ex unde diabolus has vindicatum vos. Is est non vestri domus! Licentia is parvulus of deus!" As he spoke these words, Derpy hissed and spat and screamed in the deepest of voices.
She finally spoke..in different voices..and different languages. The first voice was a man's and in German he said "Ich bin Fleischmann, der verdammte Priester!" I am Fleischmann, the damned priest! Another voice came in German aswell, yet another man. "Ich bin Hitler, die gefallene Sicht!" I am Hitler, the fallen vision! Then another came in Hebrew, another man, but with a lighthearted tone "אני קין, שליחו של אלוהים אבד .." I am Cain, God's lost messenger. Then a last voice came. A voice from which chiled The Priest to the bone, with darkness and morphed words from Latin "Et ego Lucifer est ... dator tenebrarum et obumbrata lucem!" And I am Lucifer...the bringer of darkness and shadowed light! "Jam puero hoc. Non stultus prolis ludum et aqua sancta potest eam liberam! Dimicatum proelio et ego Luciferius parta bello!" We already have taken this child. No foolish child's play and holy water can set her free! You fought the battle, but I, Lucifer have won the war!
The Priest stepped back from Derpy with a horrified expression..Lucifer?..Meaning Satan? It couldn't be..there's just no possible way! He knew this case was special, but he had no idea how to handle the workings of the Devil himself. He recognized these names from human history and religion. He knew that none of these people had a speck of good in their blackened hearts.
The priest continued to read from his bible..even though his world and the human world connected in Derpy, he tried is best to help with what he could. The words from the book flowed from his nervous lips as he watched the tortured mare twist and scream in the men's voices..and hers aswell.
The men's voices ceased, but hers still cried out for help. She finally flopped to the ground with exhaustion, no longer twisting. She sobbed silently and buried her face in her forelegs as The Priest trotted over to her and rested a hoof on her sagging shoulder.
"I know it's rough Derpy...I'm trying my best to help you through this..I can't do much and for that..I'm sorry" He said to her, breathless and pained with guilt.
She looked up at The Priest with tears in her eyes and wet cheeks..barely whispering the words, she said. " I can't be saved, Pastor....They already stole me...I just don't know what went wrong!!!" Her outburst echoed through her empty house and silenced The Priest. She wanted to give up so badly..the demons won..There is nothing else to be done, but let them take over her.
"And that's exactly what she did..." The Priest said to Maple. "The next day, she was no longer the Derpy I knew..She was a demon. I preformed the last exorcism and towards the end, it finally worked, but in return..it killed her" The Priest looked down at the ground as tears sprung up in his eyes. "She closed her eyes for the last time at exactly 3 a.m....and the ambulance and cops arrived to take us all away from that house.."
Maple looked at The Priest in sorrow..There was just no way that this colt could have murdered Derpy..He cared for the mare too much to let that happen. She knew that it hurt for him to even tell the story and to relive those painful memories, but she's glad he told her. She needed to know to help him stand out for his innocence. She had taken out her notebook and written down the story as he told it, to validate the evidence.
The Priest sighed quietly and pulled something out of his vest pocket. This was the very last piece of evidence that he could put out for Princess Celestia to prove the story's truth. He held the little black rectangle in his hoof for a few seconds, then set it down in Maple's hooves. "This is everything that can prove me innocent...take it and state my case. Even if it doesn't save me..it'll finally set Derpy's story free, even if no one believe's the truth."
Maple couldn't believe it..She had no idea that The Priest had this. She looked closely at the tiny tape recording of Derpy's exorcisms and smiled. The Priest would be safe...
The Exorcism of Derpy Hooves
Back to his own reverie, The Priest sheds a small tear, continuing to tell Maple his story "She was so young..Why would anyone hurt such a sweet child?"
[h/r]
As the police handcuffed The Priest and helped Derpy's mother, they were both shoved into the back of the cop car. The Priest took in a deep shuddering breath and looked back at the dark and empty home and the paramedics wheeling a gurney covered loosely with a thin, white sheet into the back of the ambulance. He stared intently at the house and into its one lonely window at the front.
His eyes focused on a pale grey figure standing there that faded as they drove down the single gravel road. He looked at Derpy's mother then down at his lap where a tape lay in his pocket. It was something he had to protect and Derpy's mother couldn't go back to that house.
The priest put his hoof on top of Maple's and pressed the tape harder into it. "Maple, protect this tape with your life. Tomorrow is another court day. Play this for them. Thank you so much for listening to my story but you must leave now an get plenty of sleep for tomorrow." He kisses Maple's cheek. " Good-bye."
Maple looks at The Priest with a concerned and confused hurt in her eyes. Silently, she trots out of the room and leaves The Priest behind her. She didn't know what he was planning but she knew that no matter what, he'd be proven innocent.
The Priest watched as Maple left his holding cell. Many times had he watched someone leave him but this is the only time that made his heart hurt. He knew what had to be done and he couldn't let this chance slip by. Derpy's story will be told, that's what's important to him. Through his time working with her, he had an attachment to both Derpy and Maple...Derpy as a daughter, who's father was missing and Maple, as a love..she's listened to him and believed him and it made his heart sing.
"I'm so sorry, Maple," He said out loud to himself as he put a crucifix haphazardly underneath the cot's thin matress. "Don't let me fail you too. Hopefully Rainbow Dash will see reason." The Priest layed down and looked up at the cracked, grey ceiling, watching the bugs circle around it hypnotically. All he had to do now was wait.
Rainbow Dash awoke from her dream with a jump. Her vision was all too clear. The way the ponies' faces looked, their shadowy forms closed in around Derpy. Dash wanted to cry, to sob the nightmare away, but no tears came. The irreversible memory of Derpy's horrified face was super-glued to Dash's brain.
Somehow she knew what to do. Her heart told her there was something missing. She knew exactly where to find it. The whole story wasn't told. She'd find the truth, but first, she had to find the Priest.
*bzzz*
That was his cue. The Priest had waited all night for this moment. Maple had the whole story in her delicate hooves, so The Priest could finally be at peace with the life he's lived.
The Priest heard hoof-steps come into the room and the Guard-Pegasi, Golden Star's, gruff voice. "Father, court's today. Sorry to wake ya up so early. That damn judge don't know what he's doin' puttin' the Priest, himself on trial. Shame, shame." Golden pulled out a pair of hoof-cuffs. "No matter. You have to come with me."
The Priest sat up solemnly with his eyes closed in deep thought. This was it. The Priest said a silent prayer to himself and made a cross over his chest with his hoof. "No. I will not go."
"No?" Golden replied." Court's mandatory, father. Now come quietly."
" I will not go." The Priest stood up promptly and bucked Golden Star against the cell wall.
The Priest stood on his hind legs and kicked the pegasi simultaneously. As they crashed to the floor, Priest galloped away, trampeling the guards as he did. He bolted out the door with nothing but freedom from this nightmare on his mind. "All is going as planned. Just a little more time."
"Stay strong," He said to himself, bursting through the prison's main exit. "You can't back out now." Siren's blared piercingly loud, making the Priest's heart beat faster, adrenaline pumping in his veins. A few hundred feet from an electrified fence, he heard the familiar crack crack crack of gunfire.
"There's no turning back." Was all the Priest thought as he charged toward the crackling metal." I can't go back now."
" Dear Celestia protect me!" The Priest bellowed out, launching his sleek, black body toward the high-voltage barbed wire fence. Pain flashed through him the moment his forelegs touched it. The electricity pounding in his veins brought painful tears to his eyes. Everything he was and everything he is now burned with every pulse of static and heat.
Now, with broken and blurred eyes, the Priest stared up toward the Heavens as 2 dark figures came to a stop in front of his pain-drowned body. The last thing he felt was the touch of a loving hoof closing his eyes as he folded into the dark. There's no turning back.
[h/r]
When Rainbow Dash arrived at the Priest's holding cell, the whole place was in chaos.. Ponies running this way and that, everypony barking orders at each other. "Quickly, the Priest is getting away!" or " Call the Royal Guard,. he's going for the fence!"
Dash's heart pounded wildly in her chest. Did she hear the Priest's name? Is he really making a run for it? WHY?! There's somethi- "Hurry! He's just outside the Main exit. Go! Go! Go!" The booming voice interrupted her thoughts, cutting her doubts short.
Dash rushed to the main exit door and watched, horrified as the Priest propelled himself into the electric fence. "No..This can't be happening." She said to herself, trotting toward the Priest's nearly still body.
Maple walked toward the Priest in anguish, not knowing that Dash was right behind her. Maple looked down at the Priest and closed his eyes gently as Priest's breathing slowed to a stop. He was gone for good...
