"Derpy, pass me my wristband!" Ike yelled as he ran around his room, quick to get ready on this morning. Derpy grabbed Ike's spiked wristband with her mouth and tossed it to him. He caught it and snapped it on his wrist.

"Thanks, Derpy" he nodded. "I've gotta hurry, Eggman's up to something, I just know it. I can sense it. I'm the only one who can fight him with everyone else dealing with the other villains at the moment."

Derpy flew up next to him as he started to run to the door.

"Can I come with you?" the cross-eyed pegasus asked him.

Ike stopped and gave a nervous cough. He though back to the last time she tried to help him out, which resulted in injuries to the both of them. Trying not to sound like a jerk, he told her,

"Uh, I think it's best if you stay here for now. You can keep guard of the HQ just in case any of the villains try to sneak in".

Derpy's eyes fell as she said, "Oh, okay. No problem. I'll just wait here!", faking a smile.

Ike gave a slight nod to her and ran out to try to find Eggman. Derpy sat in the middle of the room, sad.

"I'll just wait here. Alone..." she whispered to herself. She thought for a few minutes, and then said to herself,

"Wait, I'm sure Ike is gonna need some help! There's no way he can handle Eggman all by himself! Don't worry, Ike! Derpy's coming!"

She took off flying out the door, but not before accidentally flying into the door itself. After crashing into it, she shook her head and said to herself,

"I meant to do that!"

Derpy flew around for about a half-hour, searching for any sign of Ike and Eggman. Soon enough, she saw Ike sparring with one of Eggman's large robots. Ike seemed to have the upper hand, but Derpy flew down, wanting to join Ike in the fight. Unfortunately for both of them, she couldn't stop herself in time and crashed right into Ike, knocking them both to the ground.

Seeing his opportunity to flee back to the villains' HQ, Eggman and his robot took off, while Eggman yelled back,

"Thanks for the distraction, cross-eyes!"

Derpy and Ike sat up, brushing themselves off.

"Oops, sorry Ike". Derpy said apologetically. Ike didn't say anything, he just stood up and started walking back to the heroes' place.

Derpy flew after him, asking why he wouldn't say anything, but Ike stayed silent all the way back until the two returned to the heroes' HQ. Finally, after Derpy questioned him again, Ike let out a deep sigh and told her,

"Look, Derpy. There was a reason I told you to stay here. I didn't want you to fight with me because I knew you would get in the way!"

Derpy backed up, shocked. Ike's voice began to get angrier in frustration.

"This is the fourth time this month you've let a villain escape. I didn't really mind it the first couple time, because I know how you're like, but this is just getting ridiculous! What is wrong with you? Why are you even on this team? Ever since I met you, you haven't done a single thing right! Why don't you just go away!"

Derpy stared at him with big, sad eyes. Her ears flopped down and tears started to form in her eyes as she slowly turned to walk away. Before she left, she said to him,

"Okay, Ike. If that's what you what me to do, then I'll do it. Maybe you're right. Maybe I never should've joined this team in the first place. I'm nothing but a screw-up!".

Ike said nothing and turned his back to her. Derpy looked to the ground sadly and walked out of the heroes' HQ. She stood outside for a few minutes, staring into the distance. Finally she thought to herself,

"Maybe the only way to get Ike to be my friend again is to make him proud. I know! I'll go find that Eggman and his stupid robot and defeat them myself! Yeah, then Ike will be so proud of me!"

She grabbed a pen and paper and began to write a letter. She placed the letter in Ike's room without him noticing, and then flew off into the sky and headed towards the villains' HQ to confront Eggman and his robot herself.

A while later, Ike searched the HQ for Derpy, but there was no sign of her. He soon came across Batman, who was working on the engine of his batmobile.

"Hey, Bruce," Ike asked him, "have you seen Derpy anywhere? I kinda blew up at her a little while ago and I feel awful about what I said, so I wanted to apologize. The only problem is that I can't find her anywhere!"

Batman wiped the engine oil off of his hands and said, "I think I saw her flying off somewhere earlier. I've got no idea where she could've gone, though".

Ike's eyes widened and he began to get nervous.

"Oh no. She shouldn't be out there alone! Who knows what the villains will do to her if they find her!"

Batman slammed the hood of the batmobile closed and started the engine with the press of a button.

"Hop in" he said. "This will help us find Derpy faster".

Ike nodded and jumped into the passenger seat of the batmobile. Batman shifted and put his foot to the accelerator, and they drove off though the door of the HQ's garage.

They drove fast for a few minutes until they finally came across where the villains' HQ was. They parked the batmobile and couldn't believe what they saw. Derpy was holding her own against Eggman's robot, and actually doing a pretty good job of defending herself. She dodged all the robots' attacks and laser blasts, and even landed a heavy blow to the robot's head with her hoof. The robot stumbled backwards and fell down, seemingly defeated.

Ike and Batman were speechless. They had never in a million years expected Derpy to be able to take down a powerful robot all by herself. Eggman, on the other hand, wasn't too happy. He walked over to the downed robot and kicked it in the head, saying,

"Get up, you pile of trash!"

Suddenly the robot came back online, but its eyes were now glowing red. It stood up and fired its gun at Eggman, which barely missed him.

"Uh oh" Eggman said. "It looks like this thing has a mind of its own now".

He turned to the three heroes and said, "Well, that's my cue to get out of here!"

He took off running and left the heroes to battle the robot. Ike and Batman immediately went after it, Ike blasting his energy and Batman using his assortment of weapons. Even Derpy joined in, flying around and kicking the robot again, but this time, none of their attacks did much damage.

Suddenly, the robot punched Ike and sent him flying back a few feet. Ike landed hard to the ground and was slow to sit up. The robot aimed its gun at him and was preparing to fire.

"Ike, look out!" Batman yelled.

The robot fired, but Derpy dove in front of the blast before it hit Ike. It hit her dead on in the chest, and she fell to the ground, fatally injured.

"No!" Ike screamed as he ran over to Derpy and held her in his arms. Derpy slowly looked up at him and asked weakly,

"Did I...make you proud Ike?"

Ike nodded, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Yes, Derpy, you've made me very proud. I'm sorry I ever yelled at you. None of this would've happened if I hadn't. I realize now that you belonged on this team all along, even if you're not the best fighter. You saved my life, Derpy. I owe you everything".

Derpy smiled and whispered, "I forgive you, Ike. And I couldn't let that robot hurt you, no matter what. Don't worry about me. I'm going to a better place now."

Ike shook his head.

"Don't say that, Derpy! You're going to be just fine!"

Derpy looked up at him one last time and said, "I love you, Ike."

Then she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh as her head fell limp in Ike's arms. Ike held her close, tears flowing. Batman walked over and put his hand on Ike's shoulder in sympathy.

After a few seconds, what was sadness then turned into anger. Ike laid Derpy on the ground and stood up, giving a death stare to the robot that had just killed his friend. The robot aimed its gun at Ike again, but before it had a chance to fire, Ike formed a huge amount of his energy aura around his hands. So much that it began to form in his eyes as well. Finally he let out a massive blast of energy that desintegrated the robot in one shot.

Ike fell to his knees, weakened by the amount of energy he had just used. He looked over at Derpy's lifeless body and whispered to himself,

"I'm so sorry, Derpy".

Soon later, Ike and Batman brought Derpy's body back to the heroes HQ. When the other heroes saw what happened, they were horrified and saddened at the loss of their friend. That night, they gave her a funeral, and buried her in an open field about a mile from the main town. Derpy was gone. She had sacrificed her own life to save Ike. Ike was aware of this fact and took her death the hardest.

As he sat in his room alone, he spotted a letter sitting on the stand next to his bed. He hadn't seen it earlier, but he picked it up and read it anyways. It was from Derpy. It was the letter she wrote before she left to find Eggman. As Ike read over it, he couldn't help but give a slight smile. Derpy had always been a better writer than a speaker.

It read, "Dear Ike, I'm writing to tell you that I'm going away for a little bit to find that meanie Eggman and his robot. I just want to make you proud of me. I wish I could be as wonderful and amazing as you. I wish I could do everything right, and made sure that everybody knew how greatly I adore you, and how greatly I've looked up to you. I wish I could be smart, and I wish I could fix these funny eyes of mine. But my greatest wish is better than all the others, and that's for a bright future for the hero I adore. So please don't cry my friend, don't worry about me. Just be the awesome hero I've always known you to be. The only thing I ask of you is this: please don't ever forget me. That way, our memories can last forever. I love you, Ike. Your friend forever, Derpy Hooves."

As soon as Ike finished reading he fell to his knees and burst out in tears.

All through the night Ike had nightmares about what had happened to Derpy. He woke early in the morning and got ready quickly. Without a word, he began to walk out the door of the HQ when Batman asked him where he was going.

Ike replied, "I'm going to get Derpy back. No matter what it takes".

Batman watched silently as Ike turned and continued to walk. Ike was content on bringing Derpy back to life.

"Don't worry, Derpy" Ike said to himself, "I'll bring you back. Somehow..."

To Be Continued...in The Great Cartoon Battle III