Chapter 1: Planning
Half an hour later, Twilight Sparkle arrived at Fluttershy's cottage to help clean up the mess, and to clean up Fluttershy's burn marks. After cleaning up the house, Twilight began to heal the last of the burn marks.
"Wow, so what happened exactly?" Said Twilight
"Well, you see, I…um, I had a dinner planned, and…um, I was startled by angel jumping out of nowhere, and I had shouted in surprise, and derpy jumped back knocking a candle over, lighting me on fire."
"Oh my god! Thank goodness Pinkie Pie came when she did,"
"Yeah" Fluttershy was still slightly offended on how Pinkie Pie knew she would be the one on fire
"Well, honestly, I'm not surprised at all. I mean it's just the way her eyes are always disproportionate"
"Um, Twilight,-"
"And also she's always crashing into things, I mean, how hard is it to see a wall 2 feet in front of you?"
"I really think you should-"
"Honestly, it's a miracle she hasn't faceplanted into the ground yet,"
"If you would just let me-"
"I mean she's just so stup-"
"SHE'S NOT STUPID!"
Twilight slightly gasped at the outbursts. Fluttershy never got her voice at that loud of a level.
"Twilight, she just has a lazy eye. She's not stupid, and I think she's very sweet."
"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't know you, wait a sec. Sweet? What do you mean by sweet?"
Fluttershy shied back, slightly embarrassed about her current feelings for the mail pony. She was having trouble figuring out how to explain it to Twilight
"Um, well, you see, I, uh, kind of have a…..date, tonight"
"A date? With, Derpy?"
The Pegasus nodded
"Oh, well, how sweet. I'm sure you'll have a great time"
Twilight quieted down a bit, feeling bad about her uncalled for comments about the mail pony. Fluttershy could sense the awkwardness, and felt bad. In order to relieve the tension, Fluttershy attempted to talk to Twilight. At first she didn't know what to talk about, but then she decided to tell Twilight about the kiss.
Fluttershy made a motion with her hooves showing she wanted Twilight to come in close. Once Twilight got close enough, she whispered in Twilights ear about how Derpy suddenly kissed her, and then flew away quickly.
She gasped. "No way! She kissed you?"
Fluttershy nodded again, this time she was smiling more, and her face had reddened.
"Wow, you really do care about her don't you"
"She just seems like such a nice pony"
"Well I hope everything goes well for you" Twilight smiled.
Fluttershy smiled at her. She had been imagining what the date would be like. She wondered what Derpy had in store for them tonight
Derpy Hooves flew away fast after that kiss.
"Oh my God, what was I thinking? What if she was embarrassed? What if she doesn't want to go out with me tonight? What if-"
So many questions ran through Derpy's Mind. While flying back to her house in cloudsdale, she began to calm down. Her nervousness quickly turned to excitement as she planned out what they would do tonight.
"Fancy dinner? No, too formal. Tunnel of love at the carnival? No too cheesy, and probably too dark. I wonder why it's so dark in those things. I mean, it's kind of hard to see the person you love when it's so dark."
Derpy had never been in the tunnel of love, but she had seen and heard about it on TV. She thought about why the Tunnel of love was so dark. Then it hit her.
"Ohhhhhhh."
Derpy blushed at the thought of kissing Fluttershy again. As brief as the last one was, she had really enjoyed it. She wondered if she would have the chance to kiss Fluttershy again, then she thought it best to delay those thoughts for later. As fun as they were, she had to get ready for the date.
Derpy walked into her apartment and put her mail bag away in the closet. She plugged her Mp3 player into her clock stereo and went into her bathroom to take a shower. As she washed her mane, she continued trying to plan out what she would do tonight.
"Should we go somewhere formal, or do something casual? Casual, definitely casual. Um, go to the movies maybe? I don't think there's anything too exciting out right now. Hmmmm, maybe go get some pizza? Yeah, maybe we can go to that new arcade place downtown in Ponyville that opened up a couple weeks go! Yeah that could work.
Derpy stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She stepped out and looked around her apartment, noticing it was kind of messy. She went around each room and put things back in their place. She went into her bedroom and made her bed. She looked into the corner of her room and smiled.
In that corner she had her stuffed animal collection. She had 29 stuffed animals. When she was a filly, and when some of the other ponies had made fun of her, either about her eyes, her crashing into things, or just her being stupid, she would go home and talk to her plushies. They were her only friends at the time.
She went over to her mirror and carefully brushed her mane, wondering if she should do any particular style with it.
"Should I braid it maybe? Nah, maybe a pony tail? Heh heh, pony tail, that's ironic. Ugh, focus Derpy. Should I just it lay down? Yeah, I'll just let it down.
Derpy never put it in a ponytail or a braid. She liked the way her hair looked down.
Derpy kept brushing for another few minutes then went towards the door. The clock read 5:45.
"Perfect. If I leave now, I can get to Fluttershy's cottage by 6:00"
Derpy double checked her apartment, and looked at her self in the mirror one more time. She then opened her door, and as she fought back the butterflies in her stomach, she took off towards Fluttershy's Cottage
Chapter 2: The First Date
Twilight had left shortly after Fluttershy had told her about the kiss. Even though Twilight had helped her clean up, she was worried the house might not appear presentable. She did a quick review of her cottage, and relaxed to see everything clean. She went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. As she washed her mane, she wondered what Derpy had planned for their date.
"Will she take me out for a formal dinner? No, probably not. It will probably be casual. Will she take me to the movies? I don't think so. There's not anything real exciting playing right now. Will we go through the tunnel of love at the carnival? No, probably not. Maybe she would think it's too embarrassing, or maybe too cheesy. Also it's really dark. Why is it so dark anyway? That makes it awfully hard to see the one you care about in there.
Fluttershy had never been in the tunnel of love, but she had seen and heard about it on TV. She thought about why the Tunnel of love was so dark. Then it hit her.
"Ohhhhhhh."
Fluttershy blushed at the thoughts of kissing Derpy Hooves again. When she had kissed her the first time, her wings had poofed out in excitement. Some of the other Pegasus ponies called it a "Wing-Boner" although she preferred to avoid that word since it sounded crude and inappropriate. Although after that kiss, her mind did wander to some curious thoughts with Derpy that would've earned her a very stern talking to from her parents if they had access to them. She wondered if she would ever get another chance to kiss Derpy tonight, but she decided it best to push off those thoughts for a later time.
Fluttershy got out of the shower and dried herself. She spent a few minutes brushing her mane, wanting it to look perfect for tonight. Suddenly she heard the door knock. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She rushed downstairs towards the door and opened. Her heart sank as she saw Pinkie Pie standing in the doorway with a basket of cupcakes.
"Hi there Fluttershy! Just wanted to bring these over to congratulate you on your date" Pinkie smiled boldly.
"Thank you Pinkie. That was kind of you."
Fluttershy put the cupcakes on the table next to the door. Just then, Derpy landed near the pathway to Fluttershy's house.
"Ooo! And it looks like I'm just in time! Hi Derpy!" Pinkie exclaimed. She waved sporadically towards Derpy, hoping to get her attention.
"Oh, hi pinkie pie. How's it going?"
"Oh it's going great, now that my bestest friend, and my other bestest friend our on their way to the best date EVER! Yay!" Pinkie shouted then giggled.
"Yeah, thanks" Said Derpy. Derpy knew that Pinkie Pie called her her "Bestest Friend" on a regular occasion, but they didn't really hang out at all, and Pinkie Pie called everyone her "Bestest Friend", so it didn't really mean much.
"Oh, that reminds me, I brought you two a basket of cupcakes for you to enjoy on your date!
"Oh, that's very kind of you, thanks Pinkie." Said derpy with a slight look of disappointment on her face.
"Whats wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie
"Oh nothing's wrong. It's just; I'm not really a cupcake person. They're a little too sugary for me. Personally I really like muffins." Derpy shyly smiled, hoping not to offend Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie gasped "Why Derpy Ditzy Do Hooves. That is straight up blasphemy! I am so disappointed in you! Hmmph" Pinkie pie left the area, her head high in the air, and her eyes closed.
"Sorry" Derpy called out.
"Don't worry about her Derpy." Explained Fluttershy. "She'll probably just forget about it all tomorrow. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I like muffins more then cupcakes too." Fluttershy smiled at her.
"Thanks Fluttershy" Smiled Derpy "I wonder how she knew my middle name?"
"You never told her?
"No. in fact I don't think we've ever shared a full conversation before"
Derpy had blushed at the mention of her full name. She had always held a small grudge for the name her parents gave her.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Fluttershy felt mad at herself. She always found herself apologizing for things that didn't need apologizing.
"It's ok" Said Derpy, not really sure why Fluttershy was apologizing. "So I was thinking we could head to that new pizza place downtown with the arcade. Does that sound ok to you?"
"That sounds great" Smiled Fluttershy
"Cool, do you want to walk or fly?" Asked Derpy
"We can walk"
"Ok" Smiled Derpy.
On the way to the restaurant, they talked about various topics such as common interests, birthdays, likes and dislikes, taste in music, and more. It was about a 20 minute walk to the Pizza place, which they learned was called "Luigi's Pizza and Games" They then lightly joked about how almost every other pizza place was called Luigi's. The more the ponies talked to each other, the more they started to like each other.
They stepped into the restaurant where a waitress showed them to a booth. Once they both ordered the pizza, Large Cheese since Fluttershy was a vegetarian; they went over and played some of the games. Derpy Hooves went over to a 2-D shooter game, since that didn't require a lot of depth perception. Fluttershy played the machine next to Derpy, which was a crane game. When Derpy finished the game she looked over towards Fluttershy, and noticed she had won a small stuffed bunny Rabbit.
"Hey you won! Congrats." Said Derpy
"Thanks." Fluttershy said. "Here, you can have it"
"Oh, are you sure?" said Derpy
"Yes, um, that is, if you really want it, cause if you don't then I can just-"
Derpy laughed lightly. "I'll take it. Thank you Fluttershy." Derpy smiled genuinely, greatly appreciating the gift.
"You're welcome" Blushed Fluttershy.
"Number 24" Shouted a worker pony.
"Oh, that's ours! I'll be right back." Exclaimed Derpy
"Ok" said Fluttershy. She began to walk back towards the table, feeling great that the date was going so well, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice.
"Fluttershy!" Shouted Rarity.
"Oh no" Fluttershy muttered to herself. "Hi Rarity, what are you doing here?"
"Oh I'm just here on business. The manager wanted me to make some new designs for these worker uniforms." Exclaimed Rarity
"That sounds nice" Said Fluttershy
"Oh, but enough about me. Why are you here?" Asked Rarity.
"I'm having dinner with Derpy Hooves" Explained Fluttershy
"Derpy Hooves? Why on earth are you having dinner with her?" Asked Rarity.
"Well, I'm kind of on a, date tonight" Responded Fluttershy.
Rarity Gasped. "Oh Fluttershy, that's so adorable. I mean, granted I never expected you be into other females, but nevertheless, it's so adorable!"
Fluttershy blushed. She knew that same-gender relationships were kind of a taboo topic, despite how commonly accepted they were in Ponyville. Derpy Hooves came back, carefully balancing the food tray in her mouth. On the tray, there was a large cheese pizza, a Diet coke, and a cherry coke. Derpy hooves tried to talk, but sounded muffled with the tray in her mouth.
"Food's here! Whoa" Derpy hooves had slipped on a small puddle of soda, causing her to slide and spill the food and drinks all over Rarity.
"Agggh! My fur coat!" Screamed Rarity
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Apologized Derpy. "I, I'll go get some paper towels.
Derpy ran for the ladies room to help clean up Rarity. On her way over she had accidentally run into a colt. The collision caused the colt to spill his grape soda in Derpy's mane.
"Ack, excuse me please" Apologized Derpy.
"Geez, what a loser" Said the Colt. His friend was next to him.
"Yeah, what a retard" They both started to laugh, and then they walked away.
Derpy had heard the mean comments the colts had made. She stayed still for a bit, trying her best not to turn back and yell at them, causing a scene. She walked into the bathroom, and looked quickly into the mirror, and noticed her mane had spilled grape soda in it. She thought quickly about washing herself, but then thought differently.
"No, Fluttershy's friend comes first." Thought Derpy.
Derpy ran and grabbed some paper towels. She went towards the sink and soaked them in water and soap. As she was getting the paper towels ready, she heard a couple of girls snickering and muttering under their breaths. She thought she heard the words "Stupid" and "Ridiculous, but she couldn't tell whether they were saying she was ridiculously stupid, or just stupidly ridiculous. Derpy decided to assume they meant both, and suddenly remembered the paper towels were soaked well enough.
Derpy ran out of the restroom, with the wet paper towels in her mouth, but as she went over towards the two, she realized that Fluttershy had already cleaned off most of her friend. She went over and offered some of the paper towel. Fluttershy kindly accepted and took one of the sheets and finished off the last of her spilt mess. They all moved out of the way so an employee could clean up the mess. Derpy apologized, but the waiter looked at her and assured her it was no big deal, but Derpy could clearly tell he was aggravated with having to clean up the mess.
"Well then" Said rarity as she cleared her throat. "Thank you Fluttershy. I must get going" "Good to see you Derpy Hooves, farewell" Rarity exited, attempting to control her frustration with Derpy for messing up her fur. Rarity turned and began to walk home to wash out her mane. After the ordeal, Derpy turned towards Fluttershy.
"So, uhhh"
"We should probably go" Said Fluttershy sadly.
"Oh, ok, sure" Said Derpy. Both of them left the restaurant walking quietly for a few minutes "Damn it! Why can't I do anything right?"
Derpy felt terrible. She had ruined the dinner, again, and she had annoyed two of Fluttershy's friends. Pinkie for the muffin thing, and Rarity for her fur.
Although she thought three, since she often saw Twilight Sparkle giving her funny looks, almost of pity. The two walked quietly for a few minutes when Fluttershy finally spoke up.
"I'm still kind of hungry." Said Fluttershy
"Yeah?" Responded Derpy
"We could go over to that corn dog stand in the park, to get some food, I mean, if you want to" Said Fluttershy.
Derpy smiled lightly. "Yeah, that sounds good" "Oh thank god, she doesn't hate me. Maybe I still have a chance! Ok, no more screw-ups Derpy."
The two walked down towards the park, and went up to the stand. Derpy had ordered a corn dog, while Fluttershy just asked for a to-go salad. The stand had recently started selling them so they could offer healthier choices. Then they walked over towards the pond and sat down near the edge of the water. They sat down in silence for a few minutes, when Fluttershy suddenly remembered something.
"Oh!" Shouted Fluttershy
"What is it?" Responded Derpy
"Wait here, I'll be right back"
Fluttershy zoomed away faster then she had ever flown before. Derpy sat there by the pond waiting. She had finished her corn dog when she started to worry if Fluttershy was coming back or not. Then out of nowhere, Fluttershy returned, and appeared to be out of breath from flying so fast.
"Here, I, I got this back for you, you um, left it at the restaurant." Wheezed Fluttershy.
"Oh my gosh!" Smiled Derpy
In Fluttershy's hoove was the stuffed bunny rabbit that she had won from the crane game. Derpy realized that she must've forgotten it at the restaurant after the mess she had made there.
"Thank you Fluttershy" Smiled Derpy
Derpy was glowing with happiness. Fluttershy actually took the time to fly all the way back to the restaurant to get back the stuffed bunny rabbit for her.
"You're welcome" Said Fluttershy, as her face reddened.
They both sat their by the edge of the bond, Derpy clutching the plushy tightly. They sat quietly for a few minutes until Derpy finally worked up the courage to speak.
"Fluttershy?"
"Yes, Derpy?"
"I want to apologize for ruining the date….again. Stuff like this always happens to me"
"Oh don't blame yourself, it was just an accident. Accident's happen right?"
"Well, yeah, but, they happen to me a lot. It's like wherever I go, I always end up finding
Someway to make myself look like a complete idiot." Derpy clutched the bunny tighter, and pulled it closer to her chest.
"I know what you mean."
"You do?"
"Oh yes." Fluttershy scooted closer to Derpy, lying against her side. "You might not know this about me, but when I was a filly, I was very shy.
Derpy already figured that, but didn't interrupt so she could listen to Fluttershy's story.
"When I was in flight school, a lot of ponies would laugh at me. I was really clumsy. Whenever I tried to fly I would usually end up only getting a foot off the ground, and usually I would end up falling down a few seconds after. Sometime, some of the meaner ponies would trip me in the halls or at lunch, and they would all laugh at me."
Derpy could definitely relate to all this. She went through the exact same experiences as Fluttershy did.
"But even though they kept picking on me, I never gave up hope. Because my parents told me that, one day, I'd find the one pony that would make every single day special to me, and it wouldn't matter what the other ponies did to me. I would always be happy, sharing my life, with the pony I love.
Derpy smiled at her, swooned by her words. She leaned into Fluttershy and rested, as they both stayed quiet by the pond.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was walking through the park. She enjoyed her nighttime walks in the park. At the end of a long day of studies, Twilight loved nothing more then peace and quiet, which was kind of ironic considering she worked in a library. She was walking along when she noticed Pinkie Pie looking at something in the distance.
"Hey Pinkie Pie! What's up-"
Pinkie Pie pounced on Twilight Sparkle, covering her mouth with her hoof.
"Shhhh! Are you crazy?" Whispered Pinkie Pie. "They'll here you"
Twilight slowly got up, and spoke quietly.
"Who'll hear me?"
"Derpy and Fluttershy of course! They're over there by the pond." Whispered pinkie pie
"Ummm, why are you spying on Fluttershy's date?"
"Well duh, it's cause I'm Curious!"
"Shouldn't you let them be?"
"Oh come on! Aren't you curious too?"
"I…you…but….uggh, scoot over"
Pinkie Pie budged slightly to make room for Twilight Sparkle.
Derpy and Fluttershy continued to sit quietly, when finally Derpy managed to break the silence.
"Fluttershy?"
"Yes Derpy?
"I'm still kinda hungry."
"Yeah, me too."
"Wanna go to the bakery to get some muffins?"
"Sure!" Smiled Fluttershy
Fluttershy and Derpy Both stood up and walked towards the bakery shop. They were open later then usual on Saturdays so they weren't worried about it being closed. Meanwhile Twilight and Pinkie watched as the two walked away.
"Aww man, they're leaving. I wonder where they're going." Said Pinkie Pie
Twilight couldn't help but smile at the two. They really did make an adorable couple. She was about to leave when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to see Applejack falling out of a tree behind them, and Rainbow Dash slowly landing down next to her.
"Oof! Ow!" Exclaimed Applejack
"Well if you weren't such a klutz, you would land better." Teased Rainbow Dash
"Well not everyone can have wings rainbow" Giggled Applejack
Rainbow Dash Giggled. "Come here you"
Rainbow Dash lent a hoove to Applejack to help get her off the ground. Applejack took the hoove in her own, and hoisted herself up, stealing a kiss from the Rainbow-mained pony as she did. The two giggled to themselves and began to leave, but as they did, they noticed Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie looking directly at them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash shyly smiled, embarrassed that they had been caught during one of their "Late-night snacks".
"Uhhhh guys?" Said Twilight Sparkle
"Um, well hey there Twilight. Fancy meetin you round these parts."
"It's a public park"
"Why yes it is!" Stated Applejack
"So uh, what are you guys doing here?"
"We were just uh-"
"Collecting Nuts!" Interrupted Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, we were collecting nuts….for winter…."
"Um, ok Rainbow Dash, 1, your not a squirrel, and 2, it's the middle of July."
"Never can start too early" Said rainbow dash, still giving an embarrassed smile.
Applejack facehoofed at Rainbow Dash's pathetic attempt of an excuse. She thought quickly of an exit strategy, and put it to action.
"Umm, hey Rainbow. I think you left some stuff at my house"
"What? No I didn't- oof!" Applejack elbowed Rainbow Dash's chest to get her to shut up. "Uhh, I mean, oh yeah, now I remember!" They started to leave when Rainbow Dash suddenly stopped. "Hey Applejack!"
"What?"
"Race ya!" Rainbow Dash took off, running towards Sweet Apple Acres.
"Oh no you don't" Applejack took off, closing in on Rainbow Dash, both ponies laughing along the way.
"Well. That was weird" Said Twilight Sparkle.
"Eh, not really. I spied on them last week" Said Pinkie Pie
"Note to self. Date outside of Ponyville." Thought Twilight
Fluttershy and Derpy walked back to Fluttershy's cottage as their date came to a close. As they finished off their chocolate chip muffins, they continued their talk of random topics. Fluttershy's cottage came into sight and Derpy felt a slight wave of depression, knowing her date was almost finished.
The two walked up to the front door as they said their goodbyes.
"Today was fun" said Derpy
"Yeah, I really enjoyed it." The two were quiet
"So…do you want to do this again sometime?" Asked Derpy
"Yes, I'd love to" Smiled Fluttershy
"Great, How about tomorrow?
"Tomorrow sounds good."
"Great….so I'll see you later then.
As Derpy turned around to leave, Fluttershy quickly grabbed Derpy and pulled closer to her. She closed the space between and leaned in to kiss her. Derpy, while shocked at first, quickly melted into the kiss. The two remained in place for what seemed like eternity, but in reality was only mere seconds. The two broke the kiss, their faces reddened.
"I love you Derpy" Said Fluttershy
Derpy, while momentarily stunned at Fluttershy'forwardness, was more then happy to express those same feelings.
"I love you too Fluttershy" Said Derpy
The two were quick to rejoin the kiss, this one lasting a bit longer then the previous one. After a few minutes, the two finally broke apart, and said their goodbyes.
"See you tomorrow Derpy" Smiled Fluttershy. She gave Derpy one last goodbye peck and turned towards her cottage.
"Later" Said a stunned Derpy.
Fluttershy went upstairs to her bedroom. She couldn't believe that she had made such a bold move on Derpy. It was an impulse she felt she couldn't control, but nevertheless, she was glad she did it.
She made her way upstairs, completely passing Angel, who was making rude remarks mocking her and Derpy, but Fluttershy didn't seem to notice, causing Angel to become disappointed. Fluttershy turned out the lights and crawled into bed, as she dreamt of a wonderful future, with the best mail pony in Ponyville. She closed her eyes and smiled as she thought of one word the entire night.
"Derpy"
Derpy turned around flying back to her apartment in Cloudsdale. She clutched her gift close to her heart, filled with joy that everything had gone so well (well, almost everything) And she was filled with the hope that things will only get better in the future.
When Derpy returned to her apartment, she realized her mane was still sticky from the spilt soda in it. She quickly went towards her bathroom and washed it out. After cleaning herself off, she picked up the small stuffed bunny rabbit, and took it to bed with her. She turned out the lights, and crawled in to bed, clutching the rabbit close to her heart. As she held on to the bunny, Fluttershy's words rang through her head.
"One day, I'd find the one pony that would make every single day special to me, and it wouldn't matter what the other ponies did to me. I would always be happy, sharing my life, with the pony I love."
She closed her eyes and smiled, letting those words ring through her head. As she thought about them, only one word came to her the entire night.
"Fluttershy"