//------------------------------// // Heaven Must Be Just Like This // Story: Blonde Moments // by FamousLastWords //------------------------------// The wind blew through the trees, adding a welcoming tone of cool warmth to the beautiful sunlit park. Derpy brushed her mane out of her face so she could get a better glance at the dragon walking beside her. “So, then I said to her, ‘Twilight, that’s not a test tube, that’s Celestia!’” Spike burst out in laughter, followed by Derpy who did the same. “Oh my gosh, that’s so crazy!” Derpy said, trying to control herself. “How’d she respond to that?” Spike smirked. “Well, after Celestia reverted back from being turned into a gopher, Twilight immediately began working on an apology gift basket. However, Celestia eventually just laughed the whole thing off and chalked it up to magical mishap.” Spike shook his head and chuckled. “Twilight’s gotten a lot better about magical stuff since our days in Canterlot, but those times were always fun. A lot simpler, too.” “A lot simpler?” Derpy responded. “Oh yeah,” Spike replied. “You’d be amazed how relaxing life can be when you’re not consistently asked to save the world. These days, it’s dangerous business going out our front door, even.” “I can only imagine.” An awkward silence hung in the air as the two continued walking down the sidewalk. Spike tried to think of something to say to break the silence, but he found nothing to say. Luckily for him, Derpy decided to save the moment. “Do you miss it?” “Huh? Miss what?” “Those simpler times.” Derpy blinked once. “What was Twilight like before she came to Ponyville?” “Imagine the egghead she is now, but like, ten times worse.” She giggled. “Really?” “Celestia, it was bad. She’d rather talk to Smartypants than any colt or filly.” “Smartypants?” “Smartypants, Twilight’s old stuffed animal from when she was a kid. She grew out of it eventually, but that reclusive filly is still there if you look hard enough.” “Dinky loves her toys,” Derpy mumbled. “I bet she would’ve liked Twilight as a friend. She doesn’t have too many at school.” “That’s a shame,” Spike said. “She’s probably the sweetest filly I’ve met.” “Heh, that’s because you’ve only seen her on a good day,” Derpy said with a chuckle. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of trouble she’s caused for me.” “Oh? I can’t help but feel there’s a story here.” Derpy smiled and rolled her eyes. “So, one time a couple years back, I made the mistake of leaving my mailbag on the living room floor before going out to my route. I get back from taking a shower and I found letters all over the floor with crayon scribbled all over them! And of course, Dinky was sitting in the middle of it all, smiling like she was the happiest filly on Earth.” Spike tried to hold a serious face, but couldn’t help cracking a smile. “Oh man, how’d you deal with that mess?” Derpy shook her head. “Let’s just say there were a lot of confused ponies that day.” “Well, at least you have a story you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” Spike shrugged. “Awkward moments have a tendency to stick with us.” Spike’s mind couldn’t help but flash back to the scene of Derpy streaking out of the restaurant in tears. That memory sure wasn’t going anywhere. “So, outside of Twilight’s, umm, ‘egghead-ness,’ what was it like back then?” Spike scratched his head. “Before Ponyville? Well, things were definitely… different. It’s kinda hard to explain.” “Oh, I see,” Derpy said. “You don’t have to talk about it just for my sake.” “No, it’s cool.” Spike let out a deep breath. “Honestly, I really miss those days. A lot. Sure, Twilight was always going on about some new magic spell or book she read, and we didn’t have nearly as many friends as we have now, but it was nice. Things were a lot less stressful, that’s for sure. And, honestly, there was something kinda great about it being just me and Twilight. She’s really the closest thing to family I ever had. We didn’t really do much, but just the two of us hanging out at the library all day… we were happy.” Derpy nodded. “I know what you mean. I remember that me and Dinky… well, things were a lot different, to say the least.” Spike had to fight every immature bone in his body to poke and prod her for more of an explanation. But, of course, he remembered what happened last time. He’d simply have to ignore his curiosity for now. As Starlight said, she’d talk about it when she was ready. Spike was able to beat out the nagging desire for information and decided it was time to change the subject. “Speaking of different, any news on Dinky? I’m not sure if you had a chance to see her today or anything.” . “Oh, yeah, I stayed the night there last night. She actually seems to be  a lot more active and stuff, now. Doctors say that with any luck, she should be able to go home, soon.” “That’s great!” Spike said. “How soon is ‘soon’, exactly?” Derpy frowned. “I don’t really know, yet. I just, you know, keep hoping. Even with all the trouble she’s caused, I can’t wait for her to come back home.” Spike stopped and laid a claw on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’ll happen. I know it will.” The two continued meandering for a moment, this time a natural and comfortable silence between them. Bliss. Just the two of them enjoying the weather and each other’s company. It was nice. However, as he’s prone to do, for better or for worse, Spike had an idea. “So, Derpy?” “Yeah?” “Given how much we’re talking about the past and all that jazz, there’s something I want to show you real quick if you have the time.” The mare nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, sure! What is it?” Spike began walking toward a branching pathway leading away from the park. “You’ll see.” After a brief stroll through the dirt roads of Ponyville, they finally arrived at the desired destination. “Well, here we are.” Spike pointed his claw toward a small patch of grass and dirt in front of them. “Do you know where we are?” Derpy looked around. “Umm, downtown Ponyville?” “...Yes, but, more specifically, do you know what used to be here?” Derpy rubbed her chin but was unable to come up with anything. “I don’t really know. I guess I never paid attention, before.” “That’s okay. It wasn’t anything necessarily remarkable,” Spike said. “Unless, of course, it was your home.” Spike held out a claw, gesturing for Derpy’s hoof. Her eyes traveled to his outstretched palm for a moment before she gently placed a hoof in it. Spike led her off the pathway and onto the grassy area. Once they reached the center, he let go. Spike knelt down and ran a claw through the grass. He could still feel the soft dirt melding with the fresh blades of grass. He grabbed a handful of soil and stood up. “Golden Oaks Library used to be here, once upon a time. It’s been a few years now, so it doesn’t surprise me you don’t remember.” He opened up his call, letting the dirt slip through and return to the ground. “This is all that’s left of it. Some soil and grass.” Derpy looked around. It didn’t look like anything special off the bat, but then it hit her. “Oh yeah! I do remember. It was in a tree or something, right? I never really had time for reading, so I didn’t come around much.” She blushed and emmitted a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry, I get it,” the dragon responded. “After being around books so much, I kinda lost a passion for reading myself for a while. But, despite how unimpressive this may seem, this was my home when we first moved to Ponyville. For two or three years, I can’t remember exactly, me and Twilight lived here while we adjusted to life outside Canterlot.” Derpy nodded. “I remember when you two first came. Everyone was kinda worried at first if I remember correctly. A dragon and a student of Celestia coming to town. It was definitely new.” Spike released a quick laugh. “Oh yeah, we know. We were just as freaked out about the whole thing, too. Especially Twilight. Having to make friends after having her nose in a book for so long. It was definitely a change. But, all in all, it was a good thing.” “I imagine. Friends are always good to have around.” “Yeah, but it was something more than that. Before Twilight became a princess, it was just about making friends and fighting off the occasional foe. We were happy back then. Honestly, I think Twilight was a lot happier, too.” Derpy shook her head. “You don’t think she’s happy, now?” Spike shrugged. “I’m not really saying that. Things are just… different. But I guess that’s what time does, right? Changes things. And we just have to make do the best we can.” Derpy nodded. “I guess so. But, you have a lot of memories, don’t you? Good ones? Those kinda help us deal with change, too. Or at least that’s what I always thought.” Spike smiled and turned his attention away from the grass and back to Derpy. “You’re right. I guess that’s better than just dwelling on how things used to be.” Derpy beamed and nodded. “Yep!” She inched a few steps closer to Spike. “And that’s why it’s so important to keep making memories. That way, when things change in the future, we’ll be able to look back to now.” Spike mulled what she said. For someone who could be so goofy and unpredictable at times, she certainly had a fresh view of the world. It was special. After processing what she said, Spike had to be quick about responding. Standing under the sun, just the two of them, making memories… He’d read enough of Starlight’s cheesy romance novels to know that this was a ‘defining moment of a relationship.’ Granted, they weren’t really in a relationship, but if he ever wanted things to move that way, this was as good of a moment as any to get the ball rolling. “Well,” Spike said, eyes darting around the ground. “Let’s go ahead a make one right now.” He scanned his eyes around a bit more before locking onto his target. “Aha!” He bent over and plucked a flower off the ground. A soft-yellow daisy. “I hate picking the only flower that’s managed to grow here, but I couldn’t help noticing it matched your mane really well.” Derpy’s mouth opened ever so slightly as Spike gently brushed her mane back. Without a word, he tucked the flower into it, right behind her ear. A deep crimson flushed over her face. “There,” Spike said. “Now we have a memory here. Good thing, too. I’d rather not forget this if it’s all the same to you.” Derpy tried to hide her grin but to no avail. Instead, she just turned her attention to the ground. “Y-Yeah. Same here.” Spike could barely contain his excitement. That’s right, he did something good on a date once. Well, kind-of date. Whatever it was, it was going well, and that was good enough for him. Now to put the final touch on the afternoon. “So,” he spoke up. “I think that’s enough soul searching for one day. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe you’ve ever actually seen the castle, have you?” Derpy nodded. “Of course I’ve seen it, silly! I deliver mail there almost every day. Not to mention it’s visible from pretty much every corner of town.” Spike chuckled. Her simple way of thinking was positively adorable at times. “Okay, but that’s not what I meant. Have you ever been inside? Like, actually gotten to look around?” “Oh,” Derpy said. “No, I never have. I know Twilight has the occasional dance there and stuff, but I’ve never really had the chance to go.” “How about we change that?” Spike shifted his foot around on the ground. “If you’re not doing anything, would you be down to come over for dinner tonight? It’s Starlight’s turn to cook and she makes some mean soup. Not to mention it’d be a great chance to show you around a bit.” Derpy tapped her chin with a hoof. “I’d love to! Umm, what time should I come over?” “Well, it’ll take us a few hours to get everything ready and stuff, so how about 6 o’clock? That’ll give us both some time to do whatever.” Derpy bobbed her head. “Sounds like a plan! I guess we should leave now?” “I guess so,” Spike said. “But not quite yet. There is one more thing.” He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her neck in a quick hug. Was it awkward? Yes. Was it embarrassing? Probably. Did either of them care? Absolutely not. After Spike stepped away, they were both wearing the same color of red on their face. “I’ll see you later, Derpy,” Spike said, stumbling away. Derpy chuckled and walked the opposite direction. “Yeah, definitely. See you later, Spike. I can’t wait.” Spike, being lost in his own world of thought at this point, could only think of one thing on his way home. Starlight is gonna finally have to give me credit. I can’t wait to tell her about this.