A Cloudy Day
Written by BronyDerp117
Chapter One: Shattered
Derpy's life was great. She was married to the perfect stallion and she had a fun job, even if the pay wasn't the best. But nothing completed Derpy's life more than her little filly, Dinky Hooves. The happy family lived in a nice, decent sized house in Ponyville near Twilight's library. What else could a pony want in life? For Derpy, life was perfect. Until one tragic day. That one day where her life was flipped upside down and shattered. However, it was this that made Derpy realize just how special her little Dinky was.
The alarm clock blared in the dark room of Derpy Hooves' and Cloudy Skies' bedroom. The two ponies were wrapped in each other's hooves under the warm cotton blanket. The couple both opened their eyes at the same time. Cloudy's water blue eyes met the golden irises of Derpy's. They smiled at each other and shared a gentle kiss. This was the everyday routine. Wake up at five in the morning, share a 'good morning' kiss, and get out of bed. Derpy would start the coffee maker and begin making breakfast while Cloudy showered and got dressed into his Royal Guard armor. He would commute on the train all the way to Canterlot every day just so Derpy could stay in her home town. At five-thirty, Derpy would wake up Dinky so she could eat breakfast and say goodbye to her daddy in the mornings.
"I don't care what the other ponies say, you make the best fried potatoes in Equestria!" Cloudy would say this every morning before he left. He began saying it after Derpy came in second place for a local breakfast cooking competition. Applejack won first prize with her apple jam on toast with eggs on the side. After Cloudy finished his breakfast, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth before he left.
"Delicious breakfast as always Derpy. I gotta go now, love you." Cloudy said to his wife as he approached her at the front door.
Usually Derpy would just reply "love you too" and then plant a goodbye kiss on his lips. But today was different. Today was the first day in nearly a year where there was a real risk of danger happening at the castle. "Promise me you'll be careful honey." Derpy was very worried for her husband's safety. Today was the royal wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Royal Guard Captain Shining Armor, and a threat against Canterlot had been made.
Cloudy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry Derpy, everything will be fine." Cloudy began as he hugged his wife. "Nopony is stupid enough to attack the capital of the most powerful nation on the planet. Its just an idle threat." He reassured her.
Derpy let out a nervous groan. "I know, but I just can't help but worry. Promise me you'll be careful?" Derpy pulled away from the hug and stared at Cloudy with big, concern filled eyes. Those golden big, beautiful, deadly eyes.
"Alright, I promise." Cloudy promised as he pulled Derpy in for another kiss. "I'll see you tonight, love you." Cloudy let go of Derpy and turned to Dinky, who had been next to her mother the whole time. In one swift motion, he scooped the filly up and held her in his hooves as he did a three-sixty with her above his head in his hooves. He brought the filly down to his chest and gave her a tight hug. As she was giggling, Cloudy said to her, "And I love you too little Corny!"
"Daddy, you know I don't like being called that!" Dinky exclaimed. Cloudy knew 'corny' was the stupidest nickname a parent could give to his or her unicorn foal, which was exactly why he called Dinky that. Though he would never call her that while she was in the company of her friends. Cloudy and Derpy chuckled at Dinky's annoyance, and Cloudy tightened the hug.
"I love you too daddy." Dinky said to her father as he put her back down on the ground. Cloudy heard those five words every day, but they always brought the same feeling of blissful warmth in his chest no matter how many times Dinky had said it. After kissing Dinky on the cheek and doing to the same to Derpy, he left for the train station.
Derpy walked over to the window and watched her husband trot off to the train station, where a black train was waiting. She looked at her husband with concern.
Be safe Cloudy.
Derpy was pulled out of her thoughts by her daughter's cute little voice. "Are you okay mommy?" Derpy turned around and saw her clone-like daughter looking up at her with familiar golden big eyes. She smiled at the sight.
"I'm fine little muffin, I'm just a little worried for daddy is all. Come on, lets go finish breakfast and take you to Auntie Twilight's house so I can go to work." Derpy reassured her daughter with a motherly smile. Twilight had become Dinky's foal sitter and magic teacher in the last year. Today there was no school because of the big royal wedding, so Derpy would have to take Dinky to Twilight's while she delivered the mail. Twilight and Derpy had also become good friends in the last year. When Derpy would go to the library to pick up Dinky, Twilight and her would begin to talk and Dinky would resume playing with Spike or the Cutie Mark Crusaders, if they were there. Since Dinky was a blank flank herself, she happily joined the Cute Mark Crusaders when they offered her to join them. However, Derpy had forgotten Twilight's relation to the groom.
"But mommy, Auntie Twilight and her friends are in Canterlot for the wedding!" Dinky reminded her mother, who had completely forgotten Shining Armor was Twilight's brother.
"Oh, right. Um, is Noi and her sister on vacation this week or next week?" Derpy sheepishly asked her daughter. Noi is Dinky's best friend. She lives with her older sister, Golden Harvest, a few houses down the road from Derpy's home. Noi is in the same situation as Sweetie Belle, her parents had moved off somewhere and Noi's older sister took her in so she could stay in Ponyville with her friends.
"She said her vacation to Phillydelphia was cancelled. And Golden has today off." Dinky explained to her mother.
"Well, lets go see if Golden is awake yet, I need to be getting to work soon." Derpy and Dinky put their plates in the sink and made their way to the door. Derpy opened the door for her daughter, then followed after her. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, creating a gorgeous pink-ish orange sky, while they were walking down the empty street. The two ponies walked to the door of Noi's and Golden Harvest's house and Derpy let Dinky ring the bell.
From the other side of the door, the two ponies heard Golden's voice call out, "Coming!" After a few clicks from locks, the door opened and the orange maned mare stood at the door looking at Derpy and her daughter, who was a spitting image of her.
"Oh hello Derpy! Hey Dinks!" Golden Harvest was surprised to see her two friends at her door so early in the morning. "Do you need me to foal sit Dinky for you Derpy?"
"Hiya Golden! Yeah, Twilight is at the wedding and I have to work. It will only be a few hours." Derpy explained.
"Oh yeah! Shining Armor is Twilight's brother, right? Dinky can stay the night as well if she'd like to."
"Sounds great! Cloudy won't have a problem." Derpy nodded as Dinky began to jump up and down in cheer. Noi then appeared from the room behind Golden Harvest. "Ugh sis, who in Equestria are you-" Noi grumpily began, but she stopped when her and Dinky's eyes met. "HI DINKY!" Noi sprinted to Dinky with excitement, and Dinky did the same. They slammed into each other and started rolling on the floor, laughing. Derpy and Golden laughed.
"Well I have to go. Be good Dinky!" Derpy called after her daughter as she began to trot off.
"I will!" Dinky yelled back. Her and Noi looked at each other with equally huge smiles and hugged.
Derpy trotted down the street toward the post office. She walked through the double glass door, and punched in, early as usual, and started stuffing her saddle bags with the days mail. When all the mail was stuffed into her saddlebags, she left the office and began to deliver the mail to each house.
Derpy was just delivering the mail to the last house, when a huge black flash swept across the sky in a matter of seconds. The mailmare just assumed it was her eye condition messing with her, and she made a mental note to talk with her doctor about that. The mare flew back to the post office and punched out.
"Nice work Derpy! I think somepony might be getting a bonus sometime soon." Derpy's manager said to her with a wink.
"Thanks Mr. Mail!" Derpy thanked her manager as she suppressed a giggle. She always found it hilarious that her manager's name was Echo Mail. Derpy flew back to her home and went to the living room. Derpy landed on her favorite leather recliner and tuned the radio to the news station. She owned a television set, but she liked to simply lay back in her recliner and rest her eyes as she listened to radio. However, as Derpy laid back and closed her eyes, her eyes immediately shot open and she frantically hurried to turn on the TV.
On the television, every station was the exact same.
"Breaking News! The royal wedding in Canterlot has had a huge turn of events! The Changling Army has infiltrated the city after Princess Mi Amore Cadenza turned out to be the Changling Queen! The real Princess is being held hostage along with the Elements of Harmony, Princess Celestia, and Shining Armor. Luna is nowhere to be found. Now lets show some aerial footage of the battle between the Royal Guards and the changlings."
Derpy broke out into a heavy sweat, and a million and one thoughts raced through her mind, all of them revolving around one pony. Cloud Skies. Her eyes were glued to the footage of a group of six guards engaged in a brutal fight with ten changlings. However, it was not the group her eyes were glued to, but the grey unicorn stallion fighting on the edge of the group. Derpy's eyes did not leave her husband's figure as he fought. He shot various blasts of combat magic and commenced in multiple spear thrusts. However, Derpy noticed a small black figure creep up behind the stallion.
Derpy's face turned to that of horror, and she screamed at the top of lungs, praying that by some miracle Cloudy heard her, "CLOUDY BEHIND YOU!" Derpy's panicked shriek could be heard through all of Ponyville.
But her scream was useless. In a swift black streak, the unicorn stallion lifelessly collapsed to the ground. The TV immediately turned back to the news reporters. "My goodness..." The mare gasped in horror.
Derpy simply stared at her television, her expression frozen in absolute horror of what she just saw.
The blonde pegasus had just watched the killing of her husband.
