| Bubbles | |
|---|---|
 cover image on Equestria Daily
| |
| Date published | March 8, 2011 |
| Words | ~2500 |
| Status | Complete |
| Type/genre | Sad |
| Featuring | Derpy Hooves |
Bubbles is a short story that chronicles the childhood of Derpy Hooves. Its author is uncredited, or anonymous - according to the Equestria Daily post where it was shared. The owner of the Google document the story can be read on is "Vcyrusvale", or V. Cyrus Vale.
Style[]
"Bubbles" is written in the third person, but narrated exclusively from the perspective of a young Derpy Hooves. It uses the historical present, repetition, short sentences and a limited vocabulary to imitate the mindset of a child.
Plot and characters[]
The 2500-word story consists of a series of vignettes narrating either typical or notable events in the life of Derpy Hooves, a generally cheerful but slow, clumsy, and possibly mentally challenged pegasus pony. For instance, one paragraph tells of an eventually unsuccessful attempt at sending Derpy to school, which ends with her messing herself.
Her father appears to be a loving parent but is often absent because he has to go to work during the day. Derpy's mother is a more unsympathetic character, shouting at her, calling her "retard", and slapping her around; she regularly takes what appear to be anti-depressant drugs. It is insinuated that she may have attempted to kill Derpy by feeding her a poisoned muffin.
The story's ending is ambiguous: in the final vignette, Derpy's mother takes her to the countryside, where she sits the young pony under a tree and shows her how to blow bubbles using a bowl of soap water she brought along. Derpy enjoys this activity greatly, so much so that she does not notice her mother leave. It is implied that Derpy has been abandoned.
Derivative works[]
The story has inspired numerous other fanworks, like fan art and alternate endings such as Raindrops and Cloudbubbles and Learn to Fly. A notable derivative work is the reading/adaptation Rainbow Dash Presents: Bubbles.