This was it.
One eye drifted over to the right, over to where the gorgeous sunset bathed everything in a soft, gentle glow. Over to where a huge crowd of her friends stood, every one of them smiling up at her. Over to where Lyra and Bon Bon stood, leaning against one another, their lips trembling but not trying to shake away their warm beams. Over to where her dear mother sat, one hoof dabbing her eyes, the other pressed against the mouth that Derpy knew was curled in the same proud smile that it had been all day every day for nearly a week. Over to where that nice pony who’d made her pretty dress for today—Rarity!—stood, smiling and not noticing the thin lines of black running beneath her eyes, and Spike rested against one of her forelegs with little love-hearts in his eyes. Over to where Pinkie Pie stood, one hoof hovering over the plunger on a big blue cannon that she’d insisted on bringing, shining her huge grin over the crowd of ponies. Over to where her precious little Muffin sat, looking for all Equestria like the little princess that she was in her purple dress and with those flowers in her mane, grinning so hard it made Derpy want to pinch her adorable little cheeks and bounce happily with her.
But she couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. Because of what her other eye rested on, and what she didn’t allow it to waver from.
The smile that had brightened her days more than Princess Celestia ever could with her sunrises, or even if she were to declare that muffins should grow on trees. The hooves that cuddled her close every night, warming her heart better than the thickest of blankets and soothing her every fear. The eyes that danced with joy the moment they spotted her, and would never be cruel or nasty. The stallion who lifted her up further than her wings could ever hope to carry her, who was the perfect daddy for her Little Muffin, and who purely, simply, truly, loved her.
Doctor Whooves. Her stud muffin.
“And Miss Derpy Hooves, do you take Doctor Whooves to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
Yes, her stud muffin had not always tasted as sweet as the fluttery feeling in her heart had first told her he would. Sometimes he would raise his voice, and her hooves would go all jittery and clumsy and just make everything worse. Sometimes he would be gone for as long as a whole day, and she would feel a big part of herself go with him and she wouldn’t be able to calm herself down until she’d eaten a muffin and her Little Muffin had reminded her that he’d be back soon anyway.
But those times were few and far between, like the tiniest of little seeds had somehow got put into the muffin mix. It wasn’t enough to take away the warmth that she felt from his presence. It wasn’t enough to take away all the nice things that he had ever done for her, like helping her to chase away the clouds and let her see that she truly was loved in Ponyville. It wasn’t enough to take away those gentle words of apology and the most sincere of smiles. It wasn’t enough to take away all those times when she, he and Dinky had run around together in the park, or played board games, or cuddled up with one another by the fire with cocoa and marshmallows and muffins.
Her other eye came back to focus on him, but for some reason everything stayed a little bit blurry. She had made many mistakes in her life, but now, right at this moment, she had never been more sure of anything.
“I do.”
“Thank you, everypony!” Derpy chirped, waving a hoof in huge arcs that made him shake slightly. The few ponies that remained at the reception waved back, and a certain pink blur rushed to the door.
“You’re welcome, Derpy!” called out Pinkie, returning the gesture, before a white unicorn appeared at her side in the doorway.
“Now go and enjoy your wedding night, darling,” Rarity added, eyes glinting.
Whooves felt his own widen, and a gasp whistled through his teeth. He— their daughter was right next to them!
But any more of the light anger was smothered by a pair of wonderfully warm legs pulling him into a gentle hug, and a soft cheek caressing the back of his neck. “But I’m already enjoying it,” whispered Derpy. He could hear her smile.
A renewed strength flowed from his ears and down to the tips of his weary hooves, banishing the niggling aches.
“Goodbye, everypony!” he called out, and trotted off down the street. Dinky bounced along by his side, Derpy still cuddled him from atop his back. There was no way he could have wished for this day to end better.
“Did you have fun today, Dinky?” asked Derpy, and he felt her lean closer to he— their filly. He looked back at her, just as the widest, most adorable smile dawned across her face. He was sure the dim street got just a little bit clearer.
“Did I?” Her eyes twinkled brighter than the stars above. “This was the best day ever!” She leapt up and hugged her mother.
Whooves scuffed his hoof on the ground, but kept things steady. It didn’t help that years of eating muffins with or as nearly every meal meant that his wife wasn’t quite as… lithe as perhaps a pony who did as much flying as her could be. But that was nothing compared to his heart melting into a helpless puddle, as everything but the sight of the two most precious ponies in the world faded from view.
Yes, this truly was a perfect day.
He struggled to pull his eyes away from them, but he did so in time to see their house was mere yards away now. He smiled again, looking at the simple, thatched-roof building. For more than two years he had already called this house “home”, but, tonight, looking at it with Derpy and Dinky on his back and the golden bracelet snugly wrapped around his leg, it somehow seemed more than that.
It was where they were beginning the rest of their lives. Together.
He nosed open the door, stooping slightly to make sure that they all passed under it, before pushing it closed again with his hind leg. With a faint toing, Dinky hopped down to the floor, the sounds of her hooves muffled by a big yawn.
Derpy giggled. “I think it’s time we all went to bed,” she chirped. Whooves looked back as she ran a hoof through their filly’s golden mane, prompting a smile from her. “Nighty-night, Muffin!”
“Night, Mommy,” Dinky whispered, before turning her huge, golden eyes onto him. “Night… Daddy…”
His chest squeezed.
He had carried Derpy all the way back from the reception and barely stumbled once. After all, it was a stallion’s duty to carry his new wife across the threshold, and for Derpy he would move Equestria itself. And he would be able to do it with no trouble at all. Definitely. But hearing that sweet, little voice say that sweet, little word…
For the first time, he came close to dropping the precious mare atop his back.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he murmured, lowering his head to gently nuzzle her, but being caught off-guard as she clamped herself to his forelegs and squeezed, which was exactly what his chest did again as he caught sight of her smile.
Suddenly, there was a quiet flutter of wings, and a most-definitely-very-light weight simply floated away. He watched as Derpy calmly glided down to the floor, landing with the quietest of clip-clops. He couldn’t help but smile again. Before they had gotten close to one another, it would be safe to assume that the nearby vase would have been history had she tried that.
“Sleep tight, Dinky,” Derpy cooed, wrapping a foreleg around he— their filly and softly rubbing her nose along her forehead.
He watched with her as the little grey unicorn trotted into her bedroom, her hooves bouncing with just a little more spring than even her usual energy could give her. Whooves sighed, before the most wonderful mare in the world pressed her side against his. A gentle warmth stirred from deep within him, flowing out to meet and dance with the much brighter light of hers.
“I can’t believe we’re here, honey,” he whispered, blinking rapidly. He nuzzled her cheek.
“Me neither!” she chirped, reaching over him and pulling him into one of those effortlessly lovely cuddles of hers. He could feel both of their hearts beating. Together. “Just think,” she continued, “from now on, I’ll be Missus Derpy Whooves!”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and he caressed her cheek again. That was one of the many, many reasons why he loved this wonderful mare. Be it with her smile, or her chirpy voice that was more beautiful music to his ears than the song of any birds, or just by the pure joy that she simply glowed with, she could make any day seem so much brighter.
It hadn’t always been like that. When he had first met her, her face would smile but she wouldn’t, her own happiness shrouded by a fog that he swirled into being from the most callous of words. From the way that many ponies just ignored what was being said to her, and allowed the fog to grow denser, more putrid, and more difficult to penetrate when she was away from her daughter.
But when he had helped her pick her way through that fog and to watch it fall away…
Her brilliant beam alone had made it all worthwhile.
He sighed quietly, and leant against her. “I love you, Derpy.”
A soft kiss caressed his cheek. “I love you too, Doctor.”
They stayed leaning against one another for a while, but it didn’t seem like that. Time lost all meaning for Whooves. For this moment, and for however long it lasted, he was content to simply let the world around fall away, and to feel the quiet, calm beat of the pure heart that belonged to the mare he loved.
It was her doing, too, that ended that moment.
“Shouldn’t we be going somewhere?” she asked, pulling her head away. Whooves spotted the cheekiness that was almost pulling her smile into a smirk, and felt a rather more roaring fire flare from somewhere in his body. Somewhere lower down than before.
“Yes,” he said, resisting the urge to pull at his tie. The fact that he was still firmly enclosed within his suit was not helping that heat problem. “It’s been a long day, no matter how lovely it was.” Their lips met briefly, though it could never have been long enough. “We should both get some sleep.”
Now she was definitely smirking, and he was sure her eyebrow rose just that little bit before she trotted off towards the bedroom. He couldn’t stop his hooves from following her down the hall.
As he walked, he found himself, for the first time all day, or even week, consciously looking away from his wife. Looking away from what was directly in front of him. The very shapely, very pleasing something that bounced merrily the whole way to the bedroom and did nothing to douse the furnace that blazed within him.
He felt dirty. Who was he to think of himself as a gentlecolt when this was what apparently most excited him about his wife? When he was married to the Derpy, who always put her child’s needs before her own, and did everything she could to make sure Dinky got the best possible start in life. When he was married to Derpy, who threw herself through several mail-routes a day. When he was married to Derpy, who would always greet the ponies that she met on her route with one of those smiles that could melt ice-cream in a heartbeat. When he was married to Derpy, who would always be on hoof with an innocent bit of fun, her tinkling laugh tickling both his funny-bone and his heartstrings.
But, as he spotted her lying on her side with a hoof propping up her head, draping herself over the comforter, those arguments just faded into a stunned silence. Her mane that glowed a gentle gold more stunning than any sunrise. Her infectious little smile. The way her dress flowed gently over her soft fur, drawing his eyes to her sumptuous curves…
There was no way to deny it. Derpy was a knee-weakening-ly, stunningly, achingly beautiful mare.
And those eyes…
Some ponies called them a bit silly.
Some called them cute.
A select few that for some reason nopony wanted to talk to any more called them unpleasant things.
But Whooves…
Sometimes they would be gentle, and their golden pools would ripple softly like a babbling brook, ready to fill the hearts of those around her with warmth. Sometimes they would glint and crackle with tiny sparks of mischief, ready to pull chuckles out of him when he would least expect it. Sometimes they would simply shine, lighting up everything around her and making the whole world look just that little bit more vibrant.
But now, they took on a whole different quality. Both focused on him, they smouldered under lowly-hanging eyelids.
She smirked. “Why don’t you come put your muffin in my oven…”
It was silly. It was goofy. But it was said under those eyes, and in her most sultry of tones that resonated with just the right timbre to tickle his fancy.
All he could do was flick the door closed with his tail before his hooves carried him too close to her…
Darkness.
That was all that Dinky could see, having just been torn away from her sunshine-filled dreams as her eyes flung open. She blinked a couple of times, and the blurry shapes that crowded around her bed slowly faded back into what they actually were. Her wardrobe, where she had carefully folded and hung up her pretty dress from the wedding. Her desk, where she had tried to write a nice speech for the reception, but she couldn’t stop herself from leaving after three lines to draw a big picture of herself, Mommy and Doc— Daddy, in a big purple heart that everypony seemed to love anyway.
She yawned and smiled, but as she felt something fuzzy inside her mouth it faded a little. As fun as Pinkie Pie’s reception had been, there were never enough glasses near the punchbowl, and Mommy had let her eat as much cake as she’d wanted because tonight was such a special night.
She sighed. It scratched and whistled against the back of her throat. She wanted so much to just taste some cool, refreshing water, but it was so snuggly and warm and comfortable in her bed, and… and…
It can’t be that cold, can it? She was making it sound like her hooves would freeze if she left them uncovered. In the middle of summer.
She lifted a hoof out from under her duvet, waving it about in the darkness before her. Sure enough, the air was just a little bit cool, in a way that would feel nice and relaxing after a long run in the park.
Shaking her head for being such a silly-filly, she hopped out of bed, landing with a soft poof on the carpet. Something felt tight in her neck for a moment, before she gave a little stretch and it all went away. She trotted over to the door and slipped past it.
As she walked through the dim hallway, eyes darting around to make sure she didn’t bump into any of the picture frames and drawings that Mommy kept all around the house, she couldn’t help but feel as though her hooves were sticking to the floor. As though her legs weighed a ton each. As though she was holding her petal basket again, but with each of the pink flakes replaced with a pebble.
She couldn’t help but giggle quietly. Mommy and Daddy really had been right when they said it had been a long day. Even so, if she was quick it wouldn’t be long before she was curled up aga—
Wait. That giggle wasn’t hers.
Her ears perked and her eyes flicked around even though they weren’t much when it was this dark. Something not very nice at all started to pinch its way up her back, and she-
There it was again. It was a light, chirpy sound, tinkling over from the other end of the hall. In sounded like…
She tilted her head, scrunching her muzzle. Mommy?
Didn’t Daddy say that they were going to bed? But that was definitely him making that noise just now.
An eyebrow rising, she trotted closer and closer to their bedroom door. Every so often, the little clip-clops of her hooves would be covered by little squeaks, or giggles, or chuckles, or, weirdest of all, what sounded like Daddy was clearing his throat. Loudly.
As she got closer, she could hear little whispers of what they were saying.
“Mmm…” whispered Mommy, through a quiet giggle, “I love your muffin, honey. It’s so sweet!”
Daddy gave a quiet chuckle, and there was a little wet squeak that sounded like they were kissing. “It’s nothing compared to you, Derpy.”
Scootaloo would have probably retched at that, but Dinky couldn’t help but smile and feel herself go a little light. Aww… they’re making muffins together!
Only her Mommy would think to celebrate by making muffins!
It sounded like Daddy had a little cough again, but it was Mommy who whispered next. “I still don’t know how you did that… thing, with the banana…”
Yep. They were making banana muffins!
“Well,” Daddy murmured, “you said you wanted something special for tonight.”
They both chuckled quietly, and Dinky felt that warm, snug feeling wrap her up in a big hug again. Daddy was always so nice to Mommy. Cuddling her when she felt sad, making her bounce with joy, and, now, baking muffins with her all through the night.
They were perfect for each other.
“I love you, my little sweetie-pie.”
“And I love you, my big stud muffin.”
She heard them kiss again.
DING!
Mommy gasped, and a rapid set of clip-clops followed it. “Yay!” she cheered. “Muffin’s done!”
“Shh, Derpy…” murmured Daddy, over the sound of a chomp, “don’t want to wake Dinky up, sweetie.”
The was a gulp. “Oops.” Mommy giggled, but much quieter this time. “I guess not.”
That was enough to remind Dinky of just how heavy her eyelids felt, and that she had three yawns brewing, just waiting to be released.
Her mouth as dry as ever, she trotted back down the hallway, seeking out the room where she’d meant to go in the first place. Even though it still felt as though her hooves were being rooted to the floor, each step felt just that little bit lighter. And why wouldn’t they be? Mommy was happy, Daddy was happy, and she was happy.
They were a family. And they were always going to be together.
Her smile spread just that little bit further as her hooves felt their way from hard wood to soft, cool linoleum. She heard Mommy’s voice float over to her one last, quiet time.
“Mmm… tangy.”