Derpy Eyes and Rainbow Skies

by Pony Sigma

The Plan

Seven ponies and a dragon were gathered in Twilight Sparkle's library. Rarity lay on an embroidered cushion she had conjured up, and Twilight amidst a pile of books. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy sat on a soft blue blanket while Pinkie Pie skipped around the perimeter of the room. Sitting by a bookcase, Applejack and Derpy Hooves worked their way though a pile of apple muffins. Pinkie had brought the treats, of course: a basket of chocolate chip cookies covered with a checkered cloth, along with a bag of other sweets fresh from the bakery. Spike perched on the balcony munching a cookie, several doughnuts strung on his tail.

It had been Fluttershy's idea to gather the six friends. Rainbow Dash, deciding some advice from her closest friend could be helpful, had detoured to Fluttershy's cottage on the way back from Cloudsdale. It had been fairly easy to find the others; all had chosen to relax on the day off from work and so were available to talk.

“So what's goin' on that ya called us all here for, Twi?” Applejack asked through a mouthful of muffin.

“Well, it seems that some ponies aren't being very nice to Derpy Hooves,” Twilight replied, only to be interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

“ 'Not very nice,' Twilight? They were wrecking her house! That's gotta be, like, against the law or something!”

“That's the strange thing,” the unicorn said, “I did some research as soon as you told me what was going on. The law's not really clear on that.” A slim blue book with the image of a cloud next to a judge's gavel embossed on the cover drifted up from a jumble of other volumes. It opened midair and flipped through a couple pages.

“There's rules against theft and property destruction...but, well...”

“What's wrong, darling?” Rarity said when Twilight trailed off. Behind her, Pinkie Pie stopped jumping around and sat down to listen, pushing the white unicorn aside to get a place on the cushion. Rarity glared at her and shoved her away. The pink pony pouted and sat on the floor, snatching a cookie from the pile of snacks and eating it in one bite.

“Derpy's not a Cloudsdale resident,” Twilight said, “I don't think we could get anything done about this...”

“Oh, that's just great. Now what can we do, other than beating those jerks up?” Dash complained, standing up and shaking her feathers. Beside her, Fluttershy looked up with concern.

“Oh no! Don't do that!” Derpy squeaked, alarmed, dropping her muffin, “I don't want anypony to get hurt!”

“Calm down, dear, she doesn't really mean it, do you, Rainbow?” Rarity assured the pegasus, who sat back down again. Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Well I don't think we need to mess with no laws,” Applejack put in, “Hows about she just stay in town until her house is fixed? Ponies here at least try to be friendly.”

“Oh, yes!” Fluttershy agreed. “And it's much safer! I just can't stand the idea of little Dinky up there in the clouds! She could fall!” The sensitive yellow pegasus shivered at this thought and bunched up her blanket in her hooves.

“Those are good points,” Twilight began, looking at each of her friends who had spoken. “So-” She got no further.

Pinkie's left ear shot up and she gasped. “That means somepony's waiting for somepony else!” She jumped up, staring around the library, as if she'd find the cause of her Pinkie Sense among the books. Twilight sighed, but didn't object; she had long ago learned to accept the strange pink pony's erratic behavior.

“I need to pick Dinky up from school!” Derpy said. She stood up and started to leave.

“Can you come back here afterwards?” Twilight asked, “We should have something arranged by then.”

The departing pegasus looked back. “Okay!” she called.

Once she had left, Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash.

“I didn't really want to say this while Derpy was around, but why are you so intent on helping her, Rainbow? I thought you were annoyed by her.”

“Whudd'ya mean, Rarity?” Dash answered, indignant, “Of course I'll help her! Element of Loyalty, ya know?” She pounded the floor with a hoof. “I just wish those brats would get what's coming to them.”

“I think it's a wonderful thing you're doing!” Fluttershy praised her, standing up to nuzzle her friend. Dash returned the cuddle. This might be a simple matter for the yellow pegasus—her Element always guided her to help others, and that was all she wanted. Dash had other things to do than worry about clumsy Derpy all day. She had tricks to practice, clouds to clear! But just the thought of those bullies hurting anypony got her hackles up. She couldn't just ignore it.

“By the way,” Twilight asked, cutting short Dash's thoughts, “when did Flitter and Cloudchaser move to Cloudsdale?”

“When they decided Ponyville wasn't fashionable enough,” Dash snorted. She remembered; she'd had to hear the twins complaining nearly every day on weather patrol before they decided to move shortly after the rainwater tornado project. They'd also complained for days after the tornado about not breaking the record. Dash had been just happy that Fluttershy had worked up the courage to help.

Applejack had been looking thoughtful all through this exchange, ever since Derpy left. She stared at the pile of muffins, considering her thoughts.

“Twilight,” she said, looking up, “Why don't ya ask Derpy what she wants to do? Sure, she ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she can think for herself. She might do crazy stuff sometimes, like trying to get all those rampagin' rabbits to plant her garden for her-” some of the others rolled their eyes at the memory, “-but don't she deserve a say in all this?”

“We should consider her feelings,” Fluttershy agreed.

“But we can organize it so much better...” Twilight broke off the idea at a look from Applejack. She was silent for a moment. Finally, she spoke.

“You're right, Applejack,” she admitted, her ears drooping briefly.

“So we'll ask her when she gets back,” Applejack finished.

It wasn't long before Derpy returned, young Dinky bouncing along behind her. At the sight of the purple filly, Pinkie Pie jumped up to play, pulling a large red ball out of seemingly nowhere and launching it into the air with her nose. The little unicorn ran after the ball and bounced it off her horn back towards Pinkie.

“Derpy, dear, “ Rarity called, “we'd like to talk to you. Can you come over here, please? The-” she looked at Pinkie, deep in a game of bounce-the-ball with Dinky, and coughed “-children can play outside.”

Pinkie Pie looked up.

“Sure thing!” She led Dinky outside the library, where they continued their game.

“Now,” Rarity said as the door closed, shifting her position on her cushion to get more comfortable, “something must be done, of course, about this dreadful situation you're in!”

“We're thinking you might want to stay in Ponyville for the time being,” Twilight continued.

“I like Ponyville! Everypony's so nice and fun!” Derpy exclaimed.

“And Dinky could be near all her friends from school...” Fluttershy added.

“That's settled then,” Twilight said, pounding a hoof on a pile of books and succeeding in raising a cloud of dust. She sneezed, and Derpy laughed.

“Now the question is where's she gonna live,” Applejack reminded them.

“That's easy!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, who had somehow managed to get back inside without anypony noticing. Dinky sat beside her, eating a cookie. “She'll stay with one of us! And then she can help me at the bakery!” Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement, causing Derpy to do the same.

“Yes!” she squeaked, “I can make muffins and stay with my friends! Can I stay with you, Rainbow Dash? Because you're so awesome!”

Dash was shocked. “What? Me?” She hadn't expected that. Sure, Derpy often asked things without considering what the other pony thought, but never to Dash herself.

A moment later she registered the compliment. “Yeah, I am pretty cool, aren't I?” She flexed a muscle. Twilight brought a hoof to her face in exasperation.

“Well, Rainbow?” Rarity prompted.

Dash froze, moving her eyes back and forth from Derpy to each of her friends and back again.

“But I live in the sky!” she protested.

“Dash, sugarcube, it's a cloud,” Applejack said, “You can move it.”

“But...but that'll take a lot of effort! I'm busy!”

“Come on, Dashie, It'll be a really nice thing to do...” Fluttershy pleaded, looking to her friend.

They were right. It wouldn't really be too much hassle to move her cloud house closer to the ground, and Derpy really did seem to want to stay there... And if Fluttershy wanted it...

“Fine.” Dash sighed. “C'mon, Derpy, we'll get everything set up.” She gestured for Derpy and Dinky to follow her out of the library. She gave one last glance at her friends.

“Tomorrow, we're dealing with Cloudchaser and Flitter.” she promised, before taking wing towards her house at the edge of Ponyville.

Comments

[pegasister16]

Now officially 20% cooler

[OttOPilot]

awesome chapter dash and derpy

[Autum Breeze]

I think I'll like this story. Will read it when I can