It had been two weeks since Derpy was visited by Twilight and was awarded the Equestrian Pink Heart of Courage. More importantly, it was also when Twilight agreed to go out on a date with her.
Since then, Derpy had been eagerly waiting for her work schedule to calm down so that she and Twilight could plan their date. When the post office did finally return to normal, Derpy literally went to tell Twilight the good news right away; an action that got her a brief scolding from her boss, considering that it was still the middle of her shift. Nonetheless, Derpy was elated to find out that Twilight was not too busy, and they had scheduled their date a few days later.
Those next few days had been a whirl of emotions for Derpy. At first, a part of her still believed that she was living in some sort of long, elaborate dream. It seemed too good to be true that she was finally getting a chance to show her affection to the pony that she had been fawning over for the past few years. But as the fabled date drew near, she became more and more convinced that she was in not in any fantasy, and the reality was that she truly was going on a date with Twilight. A smile had been a permanent fixture on her face as she quite literally counted down the hours. It was going to be the best day ever.
And now that it was the day of the highly anticipated date, Derpy was having second thoughts about it going to be the best day ever.
It was late in the afternoon, and it was pleasantly warm with not a cloud in the sky nor a monster rampaging through the street. All in all, it was perfect for the upcoming date. However, Derpy's attention was a bit preoccupied to enjoy the good weather. Standing to the side of the small flight of stairs leading up to the front doors of the Castle of Friendship, she was nervously fidgeting in place and was rapidly breathing in and out, a few steps away from hyperventilating. Despite being an hour early from when she was supposed to pick up Twilight, Derpy lamented that it probably would not be enough time to bring her frayed nerves under control.
Taking a deep breath for the umpteenth time, Derpy checked her faint reflection in the crystalline walls of the castle. Twilight had told her not to worry about dressing up, but Derpy still wanted to look her best for Twilight. A lack of experience and products for this kind of thing, however, limited her options, and in the end, she had to keep things relatively simple. While her appearance was relatively the same at first glance, she had spent a long time meticulously brushing her mane and coat to make sure that not a single hair was out of place nor a speck of dirt was on her, leaving her looking better than ever. And yet, despite seeing no flaw in her preened form, it did little to help calm her down.
Breathe, Derpy. Just breathe and try not to think about messing this up. It’s not like she won’t stop being your friend if this date goes bad… r-right?
“Derpy!” a familiar voice suddenly cried out from the side.
“Gah!” Derpy leapt high into the air in fright, her wings shooting open and flapping wildly. Barely suppressing the urge to fly away, she looked back down to see Spike staring up at her with a raised eyebrow and a small cardboard box in his hands.
“S-Spike! Er, hi,” Derpy timidly greeted as she slowly descended to the dragon.
“Uh, hey, Derpy. You alright?” Spike asked, his eyebrow still quirked up.
“Never better!” Derpy answered, her voice cracking slightly, and she gave the dragon a wide smile. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve been trying to get your attention for like a minute before you finally responded, and when you did, you almost flew away in terror. Plus, that smile is creepy.”
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Derpy apologized, shrinking her smile into a sheepish one.
“Nervous about your date with Twilight, huh?”
Derpy winced. “Is it that obvious?”
“Well, you’re standing right next to the castle, your date is coming up, and you’re kind of freaking out the same way Twilight has been doing these past few days.”
“Yeah, sorry about… Wait, Twilight is panicking as well? You mean for our date?”
Spike nodded. “Yep.”
Derpy gulped and slowly asked, “Um, you wouldn’t happen to know if she’s worried about going on a date, or it’s because we’re going on a date?”
“Isn’t that the same…” Spike stopped to mull over the question again, soon following up with a chuckle. “Oh, I get it now. Don’t sweat it, Derpy. Twilight thinks you’re cool and all. She’s just all worked up because this is going to be her first real date.”
Derpy breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I was afraid that she was having second thoughts about me. Er, not that I’m glad that she’s panicking. How is she anyway?”
Spike shrugged. “Eh, it’s just one of her usual nervous breakdowns. She’ll get over it. No need to worry.”
“Uh, right… I’ll take your word for it,” Derpy said with a slow nod. Feeling a bit more at ease, she peered into the box Spike was holding, seeing it filled with various hair-brushes and manecare products.
“These are all Rarity’s things,” Spike preemptively answered Derpy’s question. “Twilight borrowed them to get ready for your date. I was on my way out to return them when I saw you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you,” Derpy hastily apologized.
“It’s cool. So, you’re actually pretty early, and I think that Twilight is still getting ready… probably. To be honest, I’ve been letting Starlight deal with Twilight’s craziness for the past few hours. Uh, don’t tell them about that though.”
Derpy giggled. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
“Cool. So, you wanna go inside to wait for Twilight?”
“Is that alright? I don’t want to be rude or anything.”
“It’s not like we weren’t expecting you, and Twilight would go ballistic if she found out that I made you wait outside for her. Just say that I let you in if anypony asks.”
“Oh, uh, alright then. Thanks, Spike.”
“No problem.” Spike took a moment to shift his claws to get a better grip on his cargo. “Anyway, I should get going and get these back to Rarity. I’ll see you later, Derpy, and I hope that you feel better in time for your date.”
“Me too, Spike. I really hope so too…” Derpy mumbled to herself as she waved goodbye to the dragon waddling down the road. Turning back around, she trotted up to the castle’s entrance, and although she froze at the door for a few moments, her desire to see this date through eventually overwhelmed her fear. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she let herself into her date’s home.
Despite having been inside of the Castle of Friendship a number of times, mostly for brief mail or muffin deliveries, Derpy still let out a small gasp of wonder as she walked into the foyer. The crystalline architecture was always a marvel to gaze upon, and the various tapestries, drapes, and decorative lights hanging on the walls only further enhanced the wondrous sight.
But Derpy was not here to admire the castle’s decor today. Looking around, she saw no sign of Twilight or anypony else. Going off of Spike’s words, she guessed that Twilight was in her room, still preparing for the date. Not wanting to pressure the alicorn into hurrying up nor be rude by wandering around by herself, Derpy elected to stay and wait in the foyer.
In truth, it was just an excuse to give herself more time to try and mentally prepare herself. Talking with Spike had been a minor distraction, but Derpy was now left alone with her thoughts and worries again. She could feel her hammering heart beating as though it was trying to leap out of her and hide itself in the corner. As time slowly ticked away, her attempts to try and calm herself down were met with little success.
Suddenly, her ears flicked up when she heard the hoofsteps of somepony wearing heavy, metal shoes. Zeroing in on the source of the noise, Derpy shifted her attention toward a side hallway in the back as the sound slowly grew louder. Eventually, the mystery pony emerged from the hallway, and Derpy’s breath hitched as she instantly recognized the newcomer.
It was none other than Tempest Shadow, the infamous unicorn that led the Storm King’s forces against Canterlot. It was also the same unicorn that risked her life to save Twilight and her friends from the Storm King. In all of the excitement, Derpy had forgotten that Twilight had brought Tempest back to Ponyville, taking the former commander under her wing.
Standing a head taller than the average pony and a stoic expression on her scarred face, Tempest radiated pure intimidation, and her toned body honed for combat only furthered her daunting appearance. She was also still clad in the battle armor that she had worn during the invasion, the only change being the removal of the Storm King’s insignias. Despite believing Twilight’s word on Tempest’s redemption, Derpy could not help but still feel uneasy around the unicorn with the broken horn.
It did not help that Tempest was heading right towards her, and Derpy gulped as the unicorn eyed her up and down with a piercing gaze.
“Derpy Hooves, I presume?” Tempest asked after a few seconds of scrutiny.
“Um, yes, Tempest… sir, no, uh, ma’am, um, Miss Tempest,” Derpy hastily replied.
“Just Tempest is fine.” Tempest’s gaze swept over Derpy again. “So, I finally get to meet the pegasus that prevented me from capturing Twilight, starting the chain of events that threw my carefully laid out plans in disarray.”
“Um, y-yes. I suppose that’s me,” Derpy replied with a nervous laugh, starting to worry that Tempest had developed a grudge against her for ruining her plans. “Um, no hard feelings?”
To Derpy’s surprise and immense relief, Tempest released a short snort of amusement before a small, but genuine, smile graced her face. “Relax. I am actually glad that you managed to foil my plans. I would’ve never had the chance to become friends with Twilight if I had captured her from the start. Being grateful for a failure is certainly an odd thing, but I strongly believe that my current situation is far better than what I would’ve ended up in had I succeeded. I owe Twilight a great deal for all that she has done for me, and I owe you a debt as well for giving her that chance by saving her from, well, me.”
Tempest bowed her head deeply. “Thank you, Derpy.”
“Oh, um, you’re welcome, Tempest,” Derpy replied, a blush appearing on her cheeks. Despite Twilight’s explanation, Derpy still felt a bit weird to know that she had played such a crucial role in saving Equestria. It felt even weirder that she was being praised by a former villain.
Tempest raised her head back up and cleared her throat. “I suppose that I should also apologize for turning you into a crystal statue… even if it wasn’t my intention.”
“That’s, um, alright, Tempest,” Derpy assured with an uneasy grin. “It’s no big deal. Besides, I kind of should be thanking you because, in a weird sort of way, you helped me ask Twilight out. You know, since she went to talk to me when she found that I saved her… from you…”
Tempest chuckled softly. “Twilight did say that you were quite the humble pony, and I see that she wasn’t exaggerating. Speaking of Twilight, I’m guessing that you are here to pick her up. Does she know that you’re here?”
“Er, no. Not really.”
“Then I’ll go tell her,” Tempest stated, promptly turning around to head for the stairs leading up to Twilight’s room.
“W-wait! Don’t!” Derpy cried, hastily flying in front of Tempest. Getting an inquisitive raised eyebrow from the unicorn, she then explained, “I, uh, don’t want to disturb her if she’s not ready yet.”
“You won’t. Last I heard, she’s been ready for your date for at least half an hour and has been anxiously waiting for your arrival.”
“Sh-she is?” Derpy gulped, her primary excuse for delaying the inevitable suddenly gone. “Oh, well, um, that’s alright. I am still pretty early, and, um, I don’t want to be rude or anything…”
“So you’re just going to wait here while Twilight waits for you?” Tempest asked flatly.
“Er…” One of Derpy’s eyes shifted left and right. “Yes?”
Tempest slowly blinked, staring stone-faced at Derpy.
“I, uh, really like looking at the foyer here?”
Tempest’s expression did not change at all, and yet, Derpy could somehow feel the unicorn’s gaze upon her intensify, staring right into her soul with a burning anger. She tried to look away from the judgemental stare, but one of Derpy’s eyes would keep on shifting to Tempest’s glare every few moments.
Finally, with a huge sigh, Derpy bowed her head in defeat and confessed, “Okay, okay… The truth is, I’m actually very nervous about this whole date thing.”
“Really now? I never would’ve guessed,” Tempest remarked dryly.
Derpy groaned. “First Spike and now you. Am I really that obvious?”
“Very,” Tempest bluntly answered, earning her another groan from Derpy. With a sigh of her own, Tempest glanced away and said in a lowered voice, “Perhaps… Perhaps you want to explain to me why you’re nervous? It might help you calm down. Twilight did mention that talking could help ponies in situations like this.”
“Well, I suppose that is—Wait, what?” Derpy’s head jerked up, her wide eyes fixed on Tempest. “You want to help me?”
Tempest shrugged. “I did say that I owe you a debt, so consider this a step toward repaying it. Though, I suggest that you hurry up and start talking before I change my mind.”
“Oh, uh, sure, okay. Thanks, Tempest.” Derpy took a deep breath to try and gather her thoughts. “Well, I guess the first thing that I could say is that I really like Twilight. Even before she was a princess, I’ve looked up to her. She’s done so much for everypony, even going on adventures to save Equestria. She’s smart and kind and caring and—”
“Yes, yes, I agree that Twilight is a great pony, but could we maybe get to the point?” Tempest interrupted. “We don’t exactly have all day.”
Derpy chuckled sheepishly. “Er, right. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m ecstatic about being able to go out with her, but at the same time…” She sighed as the worries that had hounded her all day crept up again. “I’m also scared. You see, I can be a ditz at times, and I’m afraid that I’m going to end up messing something up on our date. If anything like that happens, she might not want to have anything to do with me anymore.”
“I highly doubt that Twilight will not want to be your friend after one bad date,” Tempest said. “Consider all of the crimes that I have committed. I invaded Canterlot, imprisoned her, and even stole her magic, and yet, despite all of that, she still wants to be my friend. She’s a very forgiving and understanding pony.”
“I suppose that is true…” Derpy admitted. The thought of her favorite princess did put a small smile on her face.
“Great. So problem solved, right?”
Derpy shook her head. “I’m sorry, Tempest, but I wish it was that easy. Even if Twilight still wants to be my friend regardless of what happens, that doesn’t mean that I can’t still affect her. Accidents tend to happen more often when I’m involved, and I don’t want to embarrass Twilight, or worse, hurt her again.”
“Again?” Tempest inquired.
“It was a long time ago, but I, uh, dropped a flower pot on her head…” Derpy confessed sheepishly.
“That’s not too—”
“And an anvil…”
“Wait, what?”
“And a cart full of hay…”
“That’s not—”
“And a piano…”
Tempest remained silent after Derpy finished her list, and after a moment, she queried, “Is that everything?” Receiving a nod from the pegasus, Tempest then asked, “So what exactly happened?”
“I was helping out with a big delivery, and I might’ve forgotten to secure everything…” Derpy admitted. “Twilight was right below the carriage when… well, you get the idea…”
“I must admit, I didn’t expect to hear something quite like that,” Tempest stated.
“At least you now can see why I’m getting all worked up about this date.”
“Yes, I can…” Tempest was quiet for a few seconds, probably trying to think of the right words. Eventually, she shrugged, along with a defeated sigh. “Honestly, I’m not sure what to say.”
Derpy gave a weak smile to the unicorn. “It’s alright. I really do appreciate you trying though. Things are just… complicated.”
Tempest mulled over her thoughts for a few more seconds before refuting, “See, that’s one thing I’m not quite so sure about.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seems to me that you’re overthinking stuff. Just stop worrying and go on your date.”
“But it’s not that—”
“Did I say you had permission to speak?!” Tempest suddenly barked, causing Derpy to yelp.
“T-Tempest?” Derpy asked fearfully, slowly backing up from the glaring unicorn.
“And what’s with that sloppy stance? Stand up straight!”
Derpy reacted to Tempest’s commanding voice without thinking. She swiftly brought her legs together and stood up straight and still with her chin held up high in a pose that would make the Royal Guard proud.
“Better. Now, tell me, do you want to go on this date with Twilight?” Tempest asked firmly.
Derpy blinked at the abrupt question. “W-what?”
“I asked you a question!” Tempest barked, causing Derpy to yelp and stand up straight again. “Do you want to go on this date with Twilight?!”
“Um, y-yes, but—”
“No more buts!” Tempest rebuked sternly, punctuating her command with a stomp of her hoof. “All that I’m hearing from you is excuses! You either want this date with Twilight or you don’t! I might not know much about dating, but I do know that you cannot let anything get in the way of your goal. Indecision and hesitation will only cloud your vision and hold you back. If you don’t give it your all, then I assure you, something will go wrong on your date, so I suggest that you either buck up or just go home and stop wasting my time. Now, I’m going to ask you one more time: do you want to go on this date with Twilight?”
Derpy stared wide-eyed at Tempest’s ultimatum. With a gulp, she nodded and answered, “Um, yes.”
“Pathetic!” Tempest immediately rejected. “Nopony is going to believe a feeble answer like that! Give me an answer worthy of a princess!”
Derpy took a deep breath, and with more confidence, she repeated, “Yes.”
“Still not good enough! Say it like you mean it!”
“Yes!” Derpy cried out.
“Louder! Put your heart into it!”
“YEAH!” Derpy shouted, rising up on her hind legs as her forelegs rose into a flexing pose. “I’m going on my date with Twilight!”
“I suppose that shall do,” Tempest said, a faint smirk crossing her face. “By the way, you can relax now.”
Derpy blinked, just realizing that she was still standing in the awkward position, and promptly got back down on her hooves. “Um, right.”
“How do you feel now?”
“I feel…” Derpy blinked as she took a quick assessment of herself. “Better. How did you do that?”
“Getting the Storm King’s soldiers pumped up before a battle was not a rare thing for me to do,” Tempest explained. “You’d be surprised how effective some inspiring words followed by a bunch of shouting can be, especially for meatheads like them… Er… not that I’m implying that you’re a meathead. Also, sorry if I was harsh on you, but I believed that you needed a figurative slap in the face.”
“It’s alright. I think I needed something like that to get my head straightened out.” Derpy was still feeling a bit nervous, but Tempest’s pep talk had quelled it down to a much more manageable level. She gave the unicorn a wide smile and added, “Thank you so much, Tempest. I know that I’ve been a hooffull, and I’m glad that you stuck around to help me out.”
“Like I said, I’m paying back a debt I owe.” Tempest paused for a second. “Nonetheless, I am pleased that I was able to be of assistance. It’s good to know that some skills from my… previous occupation are useful for helping ponies. Twilight wants me to interact with others more, but idle conversation isn’t exactly one of my strengths.”
“I’m guessing that you’re still adjusting to your new life here in Ponyville.”
Tempest nodded. “Things are certainly… different than what I have been used to, but overall, it has been pleasant.”
“Have you made any other friends besides Twilight and the others?”
Tempest scoffed. “Not exactly. They have been very understanding with me. Other ponies, not so much.”
Derpy winced. “Oh… I… I’m sorry.”
“No need for that. I’m used to receiving the looks of scorn, and it’s not like I don’t deserve it,” Tempest explained in a nonchalant tone.
“But that’s the old you. I doubt that the Tempest from before would have helped a quirky mare with her nerves.”
“True, but one good deed does not erase a lifetime of bad ones,” Tempest pointed out. “Especially when some of those deeds could have doomed all of Equestria.”
“But… I mean… You…” Derpy tried to find a good rebuttal, but she sighed when she could not. “I suppose that’s true…” She then looked at Tempest with determination. “Still, what’s important is that you are trying to be a better pony now. Just give it some time. I’m sure that more ponies will get used to you and want to be your friend.”
“Twilight actually said the same thing. Still, I am in no rush to make more friends.” Tempest paused for a moment before adding, “Although, I suppose that it would be nice to be able to take a walk without ponies fleeing from me.”
“Well, here’s one pony that most certainly won’t be doing that sort of thing,” Derpy proclaimed, flashing a wide smile. “I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I did.”
“You? My friend?” Tempest asked with a raised eyebrow.
Derpy’s smile shrunk. “Um, yeah. I mean, if you want. If you don’t want to then that’s fine too…”
“No, I…” Tempest stopped to take a composing breath. “My apologies. I just didn’t expect us to be friends so soon.”
“Well, why not? We’re having a pretty good time just talking to each other, and I would like to get to know you more.” Derpy’s smile grew back to its former self, and she raised her forehoof toward Tempest. “So, do you want to be friends?”
Tempest smiled warmly and lightly tapped Derpy’s hoof with her own. “I would like that.”
Derpy’s grin grew even wider. Twilight would be so proud of her for making a new friend so quickly, especially one that had turned her into a crystal statue.
Stepping back from the hoof bump, Tempest stated, “So, it’s almost time for your date. I do hope that you weren’t lying about being better because I’m not letting you delay any longer.”
Derpy giggled. “I think that I can handle it now. Thanks again for helping me, Tempest. I do hope that we can spend some more time together.”
Tempest gave a nod of approval before turning around to head up the stairs, only to stop after a few steps. Turning her head slightly back to Derpy, she said, “Fizzlepop… Fizzlepop Berrytwist.”
Derpy tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that?”
“My real name, before I became Tempest Shadow. I figured that my friends should at least know that about me. And I would prefer it to stay between friends, for now.”
“Got it. Your secret is safe with me, Temp—er, Fizzlepop. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
Tempest flashed a brief smile at Derpy before resuming her trot up the stairs and into a hallway.
Derpy took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Meeting Tempest was a big surprise and admittedly a tad stressful, but she had quickly warmed up to the scarred unicorn and was glad to now count her as a friend. Despite the awkward introductions, Derpy enjoyed talking with Tempest and was also very grateful for the help in easing her nerves. Hopefully, she would be able to keep her composure for when she finally saw Twilight again.
“Hello, Derpy,” an all too familiar voice greeted, instantly snapping Derpy out of her thoughts, and she looked up to the pony descending the stairs.
Derpy’s breath hitched as she took in her date’s beauty. Just like she had done, Twilight had spent a good deal of time cleaning and grooming herself. The main difference was that the Princess of Friendship had changed her manestyle; her mane now curled upwards at the bottom, and a lock of hair looped toward her ear on the opposite side of her head. It gave her a more regal appearance, and for good reason, because Derpy had seen Twilight wear this exact same manestyle at her coronation ceremony.
“Hi, Twilight,” Derpy finally replied when her date stopped in front of her, just now realizing that she was smiling widely.
“How are you?”
“Fine! Fine. Super fine,” Derpy blurted out. She internally winced at her babbling. Despite everything that she had gone through with Tempest, Derpy felt her nerves start to act up again in the alicorn’s presence, but at least she was able to quash most of the creeping feeling. Taking a deep breath, she followed Tempest’s advice and tried to not overthink things, focusing on the first thing that came to her mind. “I, uh, really like your mane.”
Twilight perked up at the compliment. “Oh, thanks! Rarity helped me choose it. I wanted to keep things low-key, but she insisted that I had to do something for our date. The last time I wore this manestyle was a pretty special occasion, and I think that we can both agree that this date is also a special occasion.”
Even though Twilight probably did not mean to equate her coronation to their date, Derpy’s heart still felt a flutter of giddiness from Twilight considering that their date was special.
“So, it sounds like that you and Tempest really hit it off,” Twilight said. “She mentioned that she had a nice talk with you.”
Derpy nodded. “We did. Although, I have to admit, I was a bit scared when she first came up to me. That quickly changed when we started talking though, and we even became friends in the end.”
“That’s wonderful!” Twilight cheered, her smile growing bigger. “I’m actually relieved to hear that. A lot of ponies still avoid her, even after I’ve announced that she’s a changed pony. She’s had a rough life, and I really want to help her. Just curious, how long did you two get to talk with each other before Tempest went to get me?”
“I can’t exactly say for sure…” Derpy’s mouth scrunched up slightly as she tapped a forehoof on her chin in thought. “But Tempest came up to me not too long after Spike let me inside.”
Twilight’s smile dropped as she tilted her head in confusion. “Spike is still around? I thought that he went to Rarity’s to return her things.”
“Oh, he did. I met him just as he was leaving the castle, and before he left, he said that I could come inside to wait for you.”
“So, if you arrived when Spike left, then that means…” Twilight’s eyes slowly grew wider and wider with fear, and she eventually released a loud gasp. “Y-you’ve been waiting for me for more than half an hour?”
Derpy blinked, quickly running through the recent conversations in her head. With a slow nod, she replied, “Um, yes. I suppose that I did.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” a flustered Twilight apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you wait for so long!” She let out a loud groan as she fell to her haunches, burying her face into her forehooves. “We haven’t even started our date, and I’m already messing it up.”
“No, no, no, Twilight,” Derpy hastily assured, rushing forward to sit down in front of the moping alicorn. “You’re not messing up anything at all. I got here early, so you can’t blame yourself that I had to wait a bit.”
“But you were nice enough to come pick me up. Early or not, I should’ve been waiting for you at the door, especially since I was technically all ready about an hour ago.”
“Really, Twilight. It’s alright. I neglected to tell anypony I was here until Tempest saw me, and even if she hadn’t come around, I have no problem waiting for you. Besides, if I had not ended up waiting for you, I wouldn’t have got to talk and become friends with Tempest.”
Twilight let her forehooves drop and looked up at Derpy with a small smile. “That is quite the silver lining for having you wait. Befriending Tempest means a lot to me, and I’m sure that it means a lot to her as well.”
“So it’s more like a gold lining situation, huh?” Derpy joked.
Twilight giggled. “I suppose so…” She got back up on her hooves and closed her eyes. Raising a forehoof to her chest, she took a deep breath in and then slowly let the air out, her hoof stretching out in front of her as though she was pushing the released air away.
“I’m sorry for, as Spike and Rainbow would put it, spazzing out,” Twilight apologized, opening her eyes again and no longer looking as anxious. “I’ve been fretting over our date all day. It’s pretty much why I was still in my room as Starlight tried to help me calm down. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Spike left for Rarity’s just to get a break from me.
“I just want our date to go smoothly and not just because it’s your reward for saving me. I know that you’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, so I want to make this the best experience possible. And well…” Some red graced Twilight’s cheeks as she glanced away with a sheepish smile. “I really do want to see if it’s possible if we could be, um, more than friends.”
Derpy felt a blush of her own from Twilight’s words, but she quickly composed herself. “I’m glad to hear that. And… well… since you’re telling me all of this, I should tell you that I was super nervous as well.”
“Really?” Twilight said in surprise. “What did you do to deal with it because you seem quite calm and collected right now.”
“Tempest helped with that,” Derpy explained. “She tried talking to me at first, but when that didn’t work, she used… Well, in short, she went, uh, Commander Tempest on me and told me to ‘buck up and stop worrying’.”
Twilight chuckled softly. “An unconventional method, but as long as it helped.”
“It did… So much,” Derpy admitted. “To be honest, when Spike let me in, I think I was a few steps away from a mental breakdown. In fact, that’s why I didn’t announce that I arrived. I wanted some time to try and calm myself down. I was worried that I was going to mess up something on our date that would embarrass or even hurt you.”
Twilight frowned. “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking about the delivery accident again.”
Derpy chuckled nervously. “Yeah… I was. But before you say anything, yes, I know that you forgive me and all that. It still doesn’t change the fact that I felt terrible for hurting you, and well… I might’ve thought that I could screw up this date enough to make you not want to be friends anymore.”
“Derpy…” Twilight chided in a light, scolding tone. “What was the requirement that I made when we first agreed on our date?”
“Requirement? Oh, right, it was…” Derpy paused for a moment, and then with a groan, facehooved. “Oh yeah…”
“Say it out loud, Derpy,” Twilight instructed, much like how a teacher makes a student recite a lesson.
“That you would pay for everything on our date?” Derpy said with a sheepish grin.
Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement. “Okay, yes, I made that requirement as well, but I meant the other, more important one.”
Derpy sighed and dropped her gaze in shame. “That we would do our best to remain friends if things don’t work out between us… Sorry, Twilight. I guess that in all of the excitement, I kind of forgot about that. I really should’ve remembered something as crucial as that.”
“I didn’t do this to make you feel bad,” Twilight stated, her voice softening to her usual friendly self. “I did it to remind you about an important promise we made and to make sure that you don’t forget it again.”
Derpy looked back up at Twilight with a grateful smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
“I guess that we’ve both got pretty worked up over this date, huh?” Twilight pointed out.
“Yes, we did, but I guess that just shows how good of friends we are.”
“And how much we want this date to actually work out,” Twilight added, nodding in agreement. “So, um, I guess from the sounds of it, we’re ready for our date, huh?”
Derpy replied with a nod of her own. “Ready whenever you are.”
As they turned to exit the castle, Derpy felt a whirl of emotions. Despite a pang of anxiety flaring up, she could also feel eagerness, excitement, and happiness flow through her. Looking toward her date and receiving a smile in return, Derpy’s heart fluttered again. This was what she wanted: some time alone with Twilight to get to know her favorite princess better and possibly even take things further.
Despite having dealt with so much today, the night was just beginning, and it was going to be one she was going to remember forever.