Note: Okay... Judging by the fact that I got very little feedback, not many wanted that totally awesome ceramic model? Come on people! Don't make me go "Bambi eyes" on you. Anyway... moving on...

Flashbacks: Hearts and Picnics

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Ponyville Schoolhouse

Time: A year after the death of the Paradox

It was another bright day in Ponyville. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and birds twittered happily. There was a certain energy in the air that made everpony happy. This same energy was pulsing through the Ponyville schoolhouse.

"Okay dearies," exclaimed Cheerilee, "Do you all know what today is?"

"Hearts and Hooves day!" exclaimed everypony in the room.

Cheerilee nodded enthusiastically, "It is. Do you remember what Hearts and Hooves day is about?"

"Us and our special someponies!" yelled the classroom once more.

"That is correct!" said Cheerilee cheerfully, "Now, remember, this is about true love. You might want to keep that in mind this year, right, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo?"

There was a scattering of laughter and giggles from the classroom (mainly from Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara) and the Cutie Mark Crusaders blushed a bit.

Cheerilee gave them a wink and then said, "I hope you all enjoy the rest of the day!"

The classroom immediately erupted into noise as several conversations started up with the end of the school day.

"So, what are we going to do today, then?" said Scootaloo to the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they strolled away from the schoolhouse.

"Maybe we could try and find a special somepony for someone else again!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo pulled a face. "If I recall, we aren't too good at making matches."

"I know… but there is nothing else for us to do," whined Apple Bloom, "What else IS there to do?"

"You all could hang out with me, you know," exclaimed someone behind them.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped and turned around. It was Doxia.

"Hey! How are my favorite crusaders?!" said Doxia happily. He extended his arms and got onto his knees.

"Doxia!" shouted the CMC gleefully. The leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly.

On many occasions now over the past couple of months, Doxia had helped them on their crusades for Cutie Marks. Unlike the rest of Ponyville who usually laughed or simply humored them, Doxia took their ideas very seriously. He even once posed as a French Bon-Bon chef to distract Rarity so that Sweetie Belle could "borrow" some perfume. Doxia enjoyed it, and he energetically helped them without once having to use his powers (though it sometimes ended up with them having to push through sticky situations without leverage).

"So, what are you three talking about?" laughed Doxia as he set them down.

"Oh, we were just wondering what to do today," sighed Scootaloo, "Cheerilee made it very clear that we can't try pairing her up with a special somepony this year, so we don't know what to do!"

"Hmmmmm… Why don't you try playing pair princesses with somepony else, then?" mused Doxia, "I hear Mayor Mare has no date…"

"I don't think we are very good at that," sighed Scootaloo, "Whenever we do something like that, it ends in disaster."

"What is your definition of disaster?" said Doxia cheerfully, "You don't know how bad it can get until you try it!"

"We did. You were there," said Sweetie Belle flatly, "Remember last year with Twilight and Flaming Star?"

Doxia stared at the CMC for a moment in silence. Then he coughed and said, "Ummmmm… No. I don't remember that."

Apple Bloom trotted up and poked Doxia's knee accusingly, "Yes you do, mister! Yer were the one supposed to distract them!"

Doxia sighed. "Oh yeah. The giant flowerpot. In my defense, I looked like a really good sunflower. It brought out the color of my eyes… if anyone could see my eyes, that is."

"So, since that is out of the question, do you have any ideas as of what we can do?" asked Sweetie Belle.

Doxia shrugged. "Lol I dunno. Heh. I like that. I could say it faster and it could become its own word, like swag. Lolidunno. I like that."

There was another pause. Then Apple Bloom said, "Hey, Doxia… do YOU have a special somepony that yer goin' out with today?"

"Nope!" exclaimed Doxia, stretching, "I am totally unattached. I tried hitting on Rarity for a bit, but she just looked confused. God, I am terrible at dating."

"What… you never had a girlfriend?" pressed Scootaloo.

Doxia suddenly froze. He stood there, thinking, for a moment. Then he slowly sat down with his legs crossed. He beckoned for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to come closer. They scampered up to him and sat down, with Scootaloo on his right knee, Sweetie Belle on his left knee, and Apple Bloom at his feet.

"Well," said Doxia in a low voice, "I did have a girlfriend, her name was Allison."

"You DID?!" squealed Sweetie Belle happily. She grabbed Doxia in a hug. "I'm so happy! Did you get married?"

"Well? Do you see a god-like, stunning, female Dimensional Lord hanging about?" chuckled Doxia.

Scootaloo actually looked about for a moment just in case. Then she said, "Oh. No."

There was another pause, but this one was really long. Sweetie Belle was about to ask Doxia if he was okay when Doxia slowly said, "No. Sweetie Belle was right. I did get married."

Scootaloo blinked in confusion. "You did? But I don't see a god-like, stunning… Oh no."

Doxia sighed. "She died. A Maelstrom Agent put a hole in her head just mere hours before the Maelstrom itself fell."

"Oh, Doxia, I'm so sorry," sniffed Sweetie Belle, who felt really sad. She snuggled up close and clutched at Doxia. Doxia gently ran his fingers through her mane.

"Hey, it's okay kiddo," said Doxia, trying to lighten the mood once more, "I've had over 400 Billion years to get over it."

"Is there… is there anything we could do to help you?" queried Apple Bloom.

Doxia shook his head. "No. However, I guess I should be going now."

Doxia gently set Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo on the ground. Then he straightened up and shimmered into nothingness as he teleported away.

"Man, that's tough," sighed Scootaloo, "He's all alone on Hearts and Hooves day, with nothing but the memory of his wife to keep him happy."

"On Hearts and Hooves day, too," said Apple Bloom quietly to herself.

Then, suddenly, Sweetie Belle brightened up. "Girls," she said stoutly, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

Scootaloo brightened up as well. "Yeah! We could totally find Doxia a special somepony!"

"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.

"Come on, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Let's move out!" said Sweetie Belle dramatically.

The CMC trotted off into Ponyville. As they did so, they began to scan their environment.

"Who do you think Doxia would like?" said Scootaloo as she looked about.

"Oh, somepony smart, kind, loyal, funny, lovely, and perfect!" said Sweetie Belle with a little hop, skip, and jump.

"Wow. That's sounds like a regular Celestia," said Apple Bloom skeptically.

Sweetie Belle's eyes brightened. "That's it! We could get Celestia to be Doxia's special somepony!"

Scootaloo shook her head. "No. Remember them during the Grand Galloping Gala? They are like brother and sister, and from the stories Doxia told us, he's known her since she was born. In fact, he probably knows more about her than Luna does."

Sweetie Belle pulled a face. "Way to pour cold water on my ideas there, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo shrugged. "Doxia means a lot to me. If we are going to do this, we are going to do this right."

"That's right!" exclaimed Apple Bloom, "No tricks! No Spells! And NO love potions!"

Sweetie Belle pulled another face. "There goes my second idea."

While they continued to brainstorm, the CMC trotted off to Sweetie Belle's house. As they trotted up to Rarity's cottage, they saw Derpy dropping off some mail on the front door.

"Hello Derpy!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, "How are you today?"

"I'm just fine, thank you," replied Derpy happily, "Just dropping off some supplies from Manehattan for your sister. How are you?"

"We're okay," said Scootaloo for Sweetie Belle, "How is Hearts and Hooves day going for you?"

Derpy thought about it for a moment. Then she shrugged and spread her wings. "Okay, I guess. See you guys later!"

As Derpy flew away, Sweetie Belle had a last-chance idea. "Derpy!" she shouted up at the grey Pegasus, "Do you have a special somepony today?!"

"No!" shouted Derpy back as she continued to fly away, "Bye!"

Sweetie Belle rubbed her front hooves together almost maniacally, "There! Derpy is perfect!"

Apple Bloom blinked. "Derpy is perfect? Are ya sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle, "What do you think, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo rubbed her chin with an air of expertise. "Hmmmmmm… She is a really kind pony, and loves everyone, but is not as crazy as Pinkie Pie. I like it!"

"Excellent. Now all we need to do is figure out how to get them to be together…" continued Sweetie Belle, "It needs to be clever, well-designed, and original."

"The picnic idea again?" asked Apple Bloom bluntly.

"Undoubtedly," agreed Sweetie Belle immediately.

It took several hours of planning, but the CMC went at it with a will. Well, when I mean "went at it" I meant that they got Flutershy to make a basket of food, they got Applejack to make them the famous apple cider, and they got Flaming Star to ensure the location looked especially romantic.

"So… Is everything set?" said Sweetie Belle hopefully as she sat next to the perfect picnic setting.

Scootaloo nodded as she glanced about. The picnic was set up, the sky was still blue, and the nearby Everfree forest was as lush as ever. "Yep! Now, when are we going to stage 2?"

"Right now," replied Sweetie Belle promptly, "Apple Bloom is inviting Derpy to have a picnic with us right now. Good thinking, asking Mr. Cake to bake us some blueberry muffins."

Scootlaloo winked. "I still think it's a vicious stereotype, but if it works…"

"It will! It has to!" said Sweetie Belle, "Now, Doxia will be joining us as well. He will be here the exact same time, thinking he will be having a picnic with us as well. The moment Apple Bloom spots Derpy on the horizon, you go off to see if Doxia is coming as well. When we both know they are coming, we hide. Got it?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah. But… isn't this how that one Hearts and Hooves day went bad a couple of years ago with Cheerilee and Big Mac?"

Sweetie Belle pulled a face. "Maybe… but we're older now! We've got this one nailed!"

"I hope so," murmured Scootaloo. At this moment, Apple Bloom rushed onto the scene.

"Derpy is one her way here now!" she exclaimed, "How is Doxia doin'?"

Scootaloo pulled out a pair of powerful binoculars and looked through them. "He's strolling out of Sunset's house," she reported, "He's walking this way… he's stopped… Oh!"

Scootaloo started to wave. She then whispered out of the side of her mouth, "He's seen me! He's waving! You two go! I'll keep him occupied and then join you!"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded. The two then scampered off as Scootaloo continued to wave her hooves in exaggerated motions to beckon Doxia forward. After doing this routine a couple more times, she put the binoculars down and galloped off to her friends in a hiding spot in a range of bushes.

Sweetie Belle picked up another set of binoculars hidden in the bushes and looked through them.

"Here comes Doxia…" she whispered, "Now here comes Derpy…"

Up on the hill, Doxia was whistling as he glanced around. He loved every inch of spring. It was the best thing ever.

"Except when ponies are in their heat," he muttered, "I swear I will kill the idiot who thought of that word and concept in the first place."

He then chuckled and shrugged it off. He went back to whistling as he continued to climb the hill. As he reached the top, he saw the picnic. Realizing that it was probably for him and the CMC, he went over and sat down.

"Huh, weird," he muttered, looking at all the hearts and flowers adorning the scene. A minute later, Derpy arrived.

She too was looking about appreciatively as she trotted along. However, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed Doxia.

"O-oh…" she said. She had seen Doxia before, but she had rarely gotten the chance to talk to him. In fact, she still was a little scared of him.

"Derpy!" exclaimed Doxia, "So nice to see you! What are you doing here?"

"Apple Bloom invited me to a picnic here," she said, "She didn't tell me that there would be you… no offense."

"None taken," replied Doxia promptly, "And, if I may add, they said nothing about you being here as well. Rather confusing, but I am sure they can clarify these happenings when they get back, since it seems they are missing as of yet. Anyway… come! Sit down, we can wait for them together."

Derpy sat down and the two waited. After three minutes of silence, Doxia cleared his throat.

"Derpy, my dear gal, this is what is called a set-up," he said, chuckling, "I guess they wanted me to meet you."

"But why?" said Derpy, "They could have just asked."

There was another pause. "Hearts and Hooves day," they both said simultaneously.

"Well, I guess we might oblige them!" exclaimed Doxia. He plucked a fresh flower from a nearby bushel of flowers and gently placed it in Derpy's hair. Derpy blushed.

"For the lovely grey mare," laughed Doxia. He poured them two glasses of cider and handed one to her.

"Are you going to take off that helmet to drink that?" said Derpy as she sipped her drink.

"Nope!" exclaimed Doxia as he poured the whole thing over his head.

Derpy gasped, and then began to laugh. "How do you eat then?"

"Oh. I don't. I never have. Well… I haven't for as long as I can remember. Hmmmm… Yeah…"

Derpy cocked her head to one side. "That's unusual."

Doxia nodded. "It is, I suppose. But we are all special in one way. I have an affinity for sticking foodstuffs to my head, and you have that absolutely gorgeous misaligned vision thing."

Derpy blushed and looked down. "You think that?"

Doxia nodded his head vehemently. "Of COURSE I think it is pretty. That is just one more thing that makes you special. Of course it causes a little trouble with double vision, but that doesn't matter, it's who you are."

Derpy nodded. "I've told myself that a lot. I really have to accept myself for who I am."

Doxia poured himself another glass of cider and raised it in the air. "To Derpy, the special one," he said happily. Derpy raised her glass as well and they clinked them together. Derpy then drained her glass as Doxia poured his cup all over his head again.

"Tell me Doxia," said Derpy, now comfortable with the situation, "Why don't you ever take off that armor? I've only ever seen you wearing that stuff."

Doxia shook his head. "I just don't. I don't ever."

Derpy smiled. "But why?"

Doxia shrugged and smoothly switched the subject. "I don't know. Do you know? I'm sure you don't know. Is that Karenique Shampoo I smell? That is most certainly Karenique. Do you use that? I love that type."

Derpy laughed. She like Doxia, even though he was so blatantly trying to alter the flow of the conversation.

"You're avoiding the question," she said with a wink, "Come on. You can tell me! Oh… but you don't need to if that makes you uncomfortable."

"Oh, I'm fine with that. But I really like that brand of shampoo. It really softens-up hair strands. Can I touch your mane? Just for a second."

Derpy winked again. "I will let you if you take off the glove. I don't want that unknown metal plating running through my mane."

Doxia looked at Derpy quietly. It honestly looked like he was having a really big struggle with something is his mind. He looked at Derpy and then he looked at his hand. Then he looked at Derpy and then the hand again and then Derpy again. There was yet another pause as he contemplated the offer.

Finally he extended a hand. As he reached for her mane, the metallic gauntlets shimmered and slithered away from his fist like billions of tiny, interweaving metal snakes. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all crowded around the binoculars to watch, their mouths hanging open in astonishment.

Doxia's hand was colored like a human's. It was slightly tanned, and the skin was poreless and shiny. A strange aura surrounded his fist. Doxia looked at his own hand in shock for a moment. Then he laughed.

"OOOHHHH… So THAT is what my hand looks like! I was wondering about that!"

Derpy smiled and gently took Doxia's hand. She looked at it for a moment.

"See? No problem at all," she said with a smile, "You may touch my mane… if you would like."

Doxia reached forward and quickly ran his fingers through her hair. Then he withdrew and the metallic gauntlet covered his hand again swiftly like running water.

"Nice shampoo. That stuff really softens up the hair if I do say so myself," Doxia said happily. He then opened the basket and pulled out a couple of sandwiches.

"These were undoubtedly made by Fluttershy," said Doxia as he inspected them. "Weird… I thought there would be love potion in here somewhere."

Derpy looked up from the sandwich she was chomping on. "Er… what?"

"Oh, nothing," said Doxia quickly, "Tell me, do you think I should make my sandwich look like the Sydney Opera House, or the Big Ben Clock Tower?"

Derpy blinked. "I don't know. You tell me. Why?"

"Oh, I'm just looking for the perfect shape for my new hat!" chortled Doxia.

Derpy couldn't help but grin. "ANOTHER hat? You wear your sandwiches as well as your cider?"

Doxia nodded. "You betcha! They make BRILLIANT hats. You must try it sometime."

Derpy actually took her half-eaten sandwich and put it on her head.

She winked. "I don't feel the magic."

Doxia laughed. "You make me love you already, Derpy. But it takes years of sandwich hat-wearing to bring out the true magic. I'm joking. I have no legitimate reason for why I wear food on my head as opposed to eating it."

"Well? Then why don't you take off the helmet and eat it?"

Doxia shook his head and said, jovially, "One thing at a time, missy. I'm taking this slow."

Derpy nodded her head understandingly. "I see. Is there anything else weird that I might want to know?"

Doxia scratched the back of his head. "Oh, let me see… I don't eat. I don't sleep. I've never kissed someone. And I've never played Scrabble."

Derpy blinked. "You don't sleep?"

Doxia sighed. "Yeah. It's kinda weird, I know. But, hey! I just get more hours to have fun!"

"Sleeping does a whole lot more than that, you know," said Derpy kindly, "It also allows for reflection, rest of mind, and peace. And, if you are with someone else, it can be a whole lot more calming and happy."

Suddenly Derpy began to blush profusely. "I said that? Did I say that? What did I say?"

Doxia snorted. "I didn't hear anything. I blame Hearts and Hooves day. Well… I had a wonderful time Derpy."

Derpy smiled. "I had a wonderful time too!"

There was an awkward pause. Doxia then drew himself up and said, "No awkward pauses for me! The problem with most ponies – and I am mainly addressing Flaming Star here – is that they are too scared to end or finish something. I, on the other hand, never have that problem. Derpy, would you like to go to dinner with me next week? Then maybe we could go see a movie? How about Tuesday?"

Derpy's face fell. "Oh, yeah… I'm sorry. I'm busy that day."

Doxia shrugged. "Okay, cool. How about Wednesday?"

Derpy bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. Then she nodded her head. "Yeah. That will work."

Doxia nodded. "Okie Dokie Lokie! I will see you then! I know you are a busy mare, so I will let you fly off. I will pack things up here."

Derpy nodded. She spread her wings and prepared to take off. However, just before she did that she stopped and turned around. "Doxia," she said timidly, "I really liked hanging out with you today…"

Doxia laughed again jovially. "Aw shucks. Thanks! I enjoyed hanging out with you as well. Just steer clear of the friendzone. It sucks soooooo much."

Derpy blinked. "Huh?"

"I have NO idea what I am talking about," said Doxia, "I will see you next Wednesday!"

Derpy smiled, waved, and flew off.

Back in the bushes near the edge of the forest, Sweetie Belle was saying, "Derpy has spread her wings… She finished talking with Doxia and is now flying off!"

Apple Bloom could barely suppress a "squee!" of excitement. "It worked! Stuff me in a barrel and called me pickled! It worked!"

Sweetie Belle put down the binoculars and turned to face Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "It did! Now we just wait for Doxia to walk off, and I think we've done it! Great job, girls!"

"Yes… great job, Crusaders."

The CMC leapt and turned to find Doxia, looking down at them.

"O-o-oh! Doxia! We didn't see you there!" squeaked Sweetie Belle, "We were just… er… hanging out in the bushes… looking for… er…"

"Looking for birds eggs for Fluttershy!" interjected Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom nodded. "Um… yeah!"

Doxia sat down and chuckled. "The moment I saw the picnic, and my hearing detected your giggles, I knew you guys set it up."

Sweetie Belle looked down at her hooves, downcast, "You're not mad at us… are you? We saw how sad you were about your wife, Allison… and… and we just wanted to make you happy!"

Scootaloo stuck out her bottom lip, and Apple Bloom's face burned in shame.

Doxia sighed deep and long. Then he held out his arms, inviting hugs.

"No," he said as he hugged them tightly, "No, I'm not mad. But it isn't right to set ponies up like that, after all, that could have ended up ugly."

"But it didn't!" exclaimed Scootaloo, who was pressing her muzzle into Doxia's left shoulder plate.

Doxia nodded. "Ahhh yes… and that is the integral part. I will have to admit I was faking it for a bit, just to ensure Derpy was not hurt, but, in the end, I will have to admit I like her. But then again, I like most ponies of Ponyville. This specific dimension is awesome."

"But… do you love her?" prodded Sweetie Belle, looking up at his face.

Doxia chuckled again. "Well… no. There is a lot more to this than love. Yes, I did ask her out on a second date, but that is because I am interested. It is not every day that you meet a pony so young yet so wise. It usually takes decades, even millennia, to acquire the wisdom that reflects in her eyes. So… yes… you three did good."

The CMC leapt in the air for joy and then proceeded to perform their special CMC-specific high-five. They then looked at their flanks expectantly. They were still blank. They collectively pulled a face.

At the sight of their faces, Doxia burst out laughing. "Don't worry you three! A cupid cutie mark would have looked silly anyway. However, I owe you three now, and that is worth a whole lot. Now, tell me, would any of you like ice cream? It's on me… and since I am a Dimensional Lord, I am indescribably wealthy."

"Yay!" yelled the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Note: I will admit right now that this chapter only loosely ties into tomorrow's chapter. However, I really wanted to show the connection between the CMC and Doxia. Anyway, how about this? If you give me a review, I will give you a cookie! I know surfing the internet gives you plenty, but I am sure you guys want more. Deal?