Chapter 11
"I don't think anypony is here Scootaloo," whispered Apple Bloom as she crept along the hallway, hoping the floor wouldn't squeak beneath her. The young pony still felt terrible about being inside Derpy's small house without any permission. She didn't like the idea of Applejack going into her room with permission, let alone a different pony, almost a stranger, going into their house without permission. And if she wouldn't want a pony in her room, what right did she have to do this? It just didn't sit well with her at all.
And she was also very certain this was probably against some kind of town rule…
"Maybe, or maybe not," said Scootaloo, sticking her head out of the gloomy hallway and peeking into the kitchen. "There isn't anypony down here and that's for sure."
"Do you suppose anypony is upstairs?" asked Apple Bloom. She instantly regretted suggesting it- now she knew her friend would insist on going and checking around the floor above them too. That would probably greatly increase their chances of being found…and getting told off…and being scolded by Applejack…
"Well I guess there could be Apple Bloom," replied Scootaloo, confirming Apple Bloom's fears. "Good idea."
Apple Bloom was about to curse her luck when suddenly they heard a stomping on the floorboards high above them. It was an odd sound, sounding like a two legged stomp instead of the walk of a normal pony. And it was only in one place, almost directly above them. That certainly wasn't the sound of somepony just walking around normally, that was the sound of somepony stomping up and down in one pace. So what was going on?
Scootaloo peered over at her friend, before both ponies gazed up at the brightly painted ceiling above them, looking a shade gloomier in the current twilight of the room. A clump of dust promptly landed on top of Scootaloo's head, turning the unimpressed filly's mane a slight grey in places. She was perfectly still for a few seconds as her eyes peered upwards, just about seeing the start of a grey blob.
"Ewww, ewww it's in my mane," said Scootaloo shuddering slightly. "I think I have spiders in my mane!" she added, almost breaking out of whisper level. The stamping continued above, whoever was up there had not heard them, or was pretending very well. Or didn't care. Apple Bloom hoped it was the first one.
"I can't see any spiders," said Apple Bloom, brushing her friend's mane quickly. "I don't think you do Scootaloo."
"I really hope so," said Scootaloo shuddering slightly again. She shook her head, but only a tiny amount of the dust freed itself from her mane.
"Well…come on then," said Apple Bloom apprehensively, placing one hoof gently on the bottom step of the stairway. To her immense relief it didn't creak.
"What do we say if it is just Derpy up there and we see her?" asked Apple Bloom, quickly turning to her friend.
"Erm- how about we say how we were worried about her when she didn't answer the door…maybe," suggested Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom was set to reply about how that sounded like a good idea when she suddenly heard a sound that sent a shiver down her small spine. Scootaloo was frozen solid beside her as from above they heard the sound of somepony yelling and crying out. It was occasionally accompanied by a period of more fierce stomping.
Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo instantly recognized who was making those sounds.
"Rainbow Dash!" said Scootaloo, pushing past her friend and rushing up the stairs.
Not knowing what they would face, and not overly keen about finding out either, Apple Bloom nevertheless followed after Scootaloo, no longer caring about the faint creaks from the steps. She couldn't leave her friend after all.
"They've vanished!" said Sweetie Belle, the duo turning a corner to be greeted by an empty street.
"Nopony can just disappear- well sometimes I can teleport but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are not unicorns obviously so they can't do that," said Twilight.
"So where is everypony?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Well maybe they've gone inside, I know Derpy does apparently like to have visitors over at her house."
"Oh. Have you ever visited her Twilight?"
"No," said Twilight, sounding a little guilty as she replied. "No other pony I know ever wants to go, and if I went by myself I just wouldn't know what to say or what to bring and-,"
"Hey look Derpy's door is open," said Sweetie Belle, watching as a breeze caught the door and pushed it further open.
"Huh," said Twilight, finding herself slightly happy to have had her rambling interrupted.
Sweetie Belle suddenly gasped.
"What? What is it?" asked Twilight.
"We've been following Derpy all day- you don't think they went inside by themselves do you?" asked Sweetie Belle.
Twilight gave a faint disapproving 'hmmm' in reply.
"I hope not, but they might have."
Together they walked towards the open door, Sweetie Belle staying slightly behind the older pony. Twilight stuck her head through the open doorway and peered around inside. She was about to call out when she suddenly saw the back of Apple Bloom vanishing up the stairs. Twilight grumbled faintly to herself again.
"Come on Sweetie Belle let's go," said Twilight stepping inside.
"Are you sure? Won't we get in trouble too?"
"I need to lecture those two fillies," replied Twilight.
"Oh my."
Apple Bloom was surprised at how quickly Scootaloo climbed the steep stairs that faced her. By contrast Apple Bloom found it a little harder going, occasionally slipping on her way upstairs before finally joining her friend on the landing.
The noise was even louder now.
"Is-is she screaming?" asked an almost terrified sounding Scootaloo.
"I don't know Scootaloo, I don't know…"
For the briefest moment anger replaced the look of fear across Scootaloo's face before she ran down the hallway, Apple Bloom following behind her friend down the dusty hallway. She left just in time to avoid seeing Twilight Sparkle arrive at the top of the stairs behind her.
Scootaloo ran even faster as she got closer to the noise, even her little wings flittering up and down anxiously as she went. Apple Bloom had never seen her friend quite so agitated- or fast.
"Leave Rainbow Dash alone!" yelled out Scootaloo as she shoved the wooden door in front of her wide open with a butt from her head (she would feel the pain kick in a little while later).
"Yeah!" said Apple Bloom, following her friend as the door slammed against the wall, causing a framed photo to fall over on the nearest shelf. She suddenly came to a halt.
Apple Bloom's worried imagination had generated a whole host of fearful possibilities and predictions as she had ran up the stairs and along the hallway. A list of sights that might have greeted them behind the thin wooden door. However none of those worried thoughts matched the reality that had greeted her.
None of her thoughts could have anticipated something so silly.
"Wait, what?" asked Scootaloo, just as confused as her friend.
In front of them sat Rainbow Dash, restrained in a chair with a rope, hooves tied down. That had been one of the things Apple Bloom had been anticipating- but with more blood, or at least some kind of sharp thing. Or possibly Derpy standing over her looking crazy or scary. However Derpy instead looked perfectly normal, not dressed in any strange masks, not covered in blood and not practicing any type of strange magic. Though with her back largely to the duo, the two ponies could see that the grey pony merely held a large feather in her mouth.
She promptly dropped it in surprise as she heard the newcomers. Rainbow Dash looked over at the fillies with tears in her eyes- but tears of neither pain nor sadness.
In fact she had been trying to hold in a (slightly annoyed) laugh just as the door had opened.
"Huh?" asked Derpy turning to face the newcomers.
Apple Bloom didn't have time to respond, as it was her time to be startled:
"And just what are you doing my little ponies?" asked Twilight as she stood in the doorway, having followed behind the younger ponies. "You really have- wait what is going on in here?" she started as she noticed the strange situation.
Still surprised Derpy found herself glancing around at each of the sudden invaders- her house had never been this popular.
"She lied to make me go away- so I punished her," said Derpy after a brief moment of silence.
"Wait a minute this is a punishment?" asked Apple Bloom. Scootaloo was still glowering beside her.
"What do you mean?" asked Derpy, glancing from the fillies to Twilight and back to Apple Bloom. "What else would I do, I'm not crazy or anything!"
"I don't know about that," said Scootaloo. "Derpy would never do this."
"Maybe I would! Wait a minute- hey I just did didn't I!"
"Derpy, I think something happened to you," said Twilight, trying to adopt her most caring voice.
"No nothing happened, I'm fine," said Derpy, the faintest sign of tears in her eyes as she stepped backwards.
"We just want to help you Derpy."
"Hey I don't need any help, I'm one hundred and five percent fine," replied Derpy. She took another step backwards and this time one hoof landed upon the large feather she had dropped. Her eyes widened in surprise as the hoof slipped beneath her and she promptly smacked face down into the floor panels.
The last thing she heard was Sweetie Belle asking what was going on.
"Now there's the Derpy I know," said Rainbow Dash. "Now can somepony please untie me?"
Lying in the middle of the library, Derpy seemed oddly vulnerable, even after her earlier actions. Twilight stood over her with the three fillies close by, Rainbow Dash choosing to stand a bit further back.
At long last Twilight had got to use her books and had ended up trying out two spells to help Derpy- one for falls and one for magic induced personality change. Oddly the fall spell had been the complicated one.
"So what do we do now Twilight?" asked Apple Bloom as Derpy finally started to stir.
"Just wait and see for now. I mean in theory she should be perfectly fine now, we did do everything according to the books, but who knows," replied Twilight. "I guess books can be wrong…sometimes."
Derpy lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes as she yawned widely. The first signs looked good- her eyes had returned to normal.
Normal for Derpy.
"Owwwie my head," she said as she sat up and started to rub her head. "Wait why am I in the book house?"
"Derpy are you ok?" asked Apple Bloom, stepping towards the pony.
"Are you Derpy yet?" added Scootaloo.
"Not quite, my head is- oh my gosh!" she yelled out as she suddenly spotted Rainbow Dash, her exclamation making Apple Bloom jump back in surprise. She tried to make it look as though she hadn't been scared, but convinced no pony.
"I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash!" she said as she stood up.
"You remember what happened?" asked Twilight curiously.
"Yes- oh just what did I do today? I tied up Rainbow Dash, and I was a meanie to other ponies and- and I even stole something too!"
"It wasn't your fault Derpy, you had a bit of an unfortunate accident today. Rainbow Dash doesn't mind, do you?"
She had to give Rainbow Dash a stern stare, while Apple Bloom gave the grumpy pony a faint prod.
"Sure, of course I don't mind that you tied me up, tickled me when I couldn't get away and made me look silly in front of the fillies," said Rainbow Dash, taking to the air and crossing her arms in a humph.
"An accident?" asked the confused Derpy.
Looking faintly tearful Sweetie Belle took a step forwards, only for Scootaloo to step in front of her.
"It was my fault," said Scootaloo. "I tried to make something today and it went wrong and I'm sorry Derpy," she said as she bowed her head faintly.
"You three were just playing!" replied Derpy. "I remember that now- I got blinded for a moment and crashed didn't I? It isn't the first time I've crashed. And you didn't mean to do that, but I-I stole! What can I do?"
"Just be yourself Derpy," said Twilight.
"Yeah!" said the fillies in unison.
