I watched from behind the door to my private study as Derpy entered. I figured she’d come over on her day off. I was actually looking forward to it. My plan was to give her the rest and relaxation she deserved.
Spike called her away for a minute, like we planned, and she happily trotted towards him. I had to bite my lip as she came towards my hiding spot but Spike called her back. Then she left, and came back and left again. I hesitated a little longer in case she returned once more but after a few solid minutes I broke my cover.
“She’s gone,” Spike said with a slight tremor in his voice.
“Thanks Spike. I wanted to put this relaxation room together for her a few days ago but I just got too busy. What errand did you send her on?” I started gathering the pillows and cushions I set aside. Luckily Derpy had missed them.
“Oh, just something I also should have done before now…” Spike sighed and looked around like the world was going to jump on him.
“Nothing bad or dangerous I hope.” The plan was just to distract her for a half an hour, not send her on an adventure.
“I told her exactly where to go to find her.”
“Find who?”
“It’s not important, so this room of relaxation?” He looked around quickly, grabbing more cushions out of my magic.
“It’s something I talked to Fluttershy about. She recommended a lot of pillows so Derpy can’t fall and hurt herself, and a pony that knew aroma therapy for deeper relaxation. Then she helped me learn massage. I hope Derpy likes it.” I didn’t really know how she felt about massages, they never came up. I was certain she didn’t mind me touching her but would she be able to relax from my touch? I had to try.
“Wow, Twilight, you really went all out.” Spike grabbed some of the incense sticks that Treehugger gave me.
“She does the same for me every date we have. So I think it’s right I do the same.” It was actually kind of exciting to help her like this. It felt like the most ‘girlfriend’ thing I had done for her yet.
“She is pretty dedicated. You know, I wasn’t sure you two would hit it off. But you have been pretty happy these last couple of weeks.” He began arranging the pillows on the floor of my study while I hung the pictures of relaxing scenes around the room.
“Well, I guess you’re right. It is exciting to finally have a pony that is romantically interested in me. There are so many things to learn and grow from. It kind of reminds me of the early days when we first came to Ponyville. I didn’t know a thing about friendship but I learned a lot so quickly it was hard not to get that buzz of excitement. Nowadays friends have changed a little and the lessons aren’t as large or obvious. It’s like finding a new avenue of friendship I hadn’t been allowed to look at before.” I twirled a bit from the elation of exploration.
“Ha!”
“Ha?” The doubtful ‘ha’ slowed my decorative zeal.
“It’s not just because it’s new Twilight. I think you’re falling in love.” He looked at me with a huge doofy grin.
“Love?” Was that possible? Could you fall in love without being aware of it? I knew I cared a lot for Derpy, maybe more than a friend but did I love her? Well I didn’t care more about her than my friends, just in a different way. Was that love?
“Yup. You’re excited to see her, a little down when she leaves. Sometimes I swear you’re pacing by the door, hoping she’ll show up soon.” The grin widened and with it the piercing eyes of truth.
“I was just waiting for an important package that day. I just happened to know she was delivering it.” I placed the incense sticks around the room, placing protective plates under them. I knew her, she would find a way to set the room on fire if I wasn’t careful.
“Oh those super important books you ordered in the corner that you haven’t taken out of the box yet?” He pointed to the package that lay innocently in the corner, betraying all my feelings. Curse you box!
“Fine, I wanted to see her. Happy?” I stuck my nose in the air at the smug looking dragon.
“Yeah. I am. You deserve to fall in love and so does she.” Spike fluffed the pillows, making the pillowed floor more puffy.
“So do you Spike.” I was about to light the incense but then I thought it might be a little too early.
“We’ll see…” He muttered and looked pretty shaken. It was strange, normally a comment like that was met with ‘I don’t know about that’ or ‘I’ll find it when I’m ready.’ It made me wonder, had he found somepony?
“Well, all we have to do is wait for Deroy to return from her errand and surprise her with this massage.” I opened the door and sat patiently waiting until she returned.
An hour or two later I looked at Spike with a disapproving stare.
“It was supposed to be a short run! I told Derpy exactly where she would be!” Spike waved his hands futilely in the air, trying to protect himself from my gaze.
“She? She who?” Just what sort of errand did Spike send her on? If he sent her to somepony like Pinkie Pie then it could be even longer, maybe the rest of the day before she returned. The massage wouldn’t work then. Unless she spent the night.
Spike on the other hoof cowered. A strange mixture of red and purple filled his face and his eyes bugged out impossibly large. What had he done?
“Spike?”
“Ok! I finally decided to tell Gabby how I feel alright?! And Derpy suggested a letter which sounded cute and I had her deliver it. But I don’t know why she’s not back yet. Unless something happened, maybe Gabby freaked out and Derpy is calming her down? Or Derpy… got… lost…” His eyes got wider and his pupils became small points of awakening. He had asked the pony with no sense of direction to find somepony.
“Spike! This is bad! She could be anywhere!” I climbed out of the chair and rushed to the door.
“I’m sorry I was just too excited and nervous to think clearly.” Spike pattered after me his head in his hands.
“I have to find her before she gets to Yakyakastan or somewhere. I hope she’s ok. You stay here in case she comes back.” I prepared myself to scan every inch of Equestria for my missing girlfriend. It was probably something I should get used to doing knowing her.
“Sorry…” Spike cried as I opened the castle door. I felt a little piece of my heart break. He was just trying to tell the person he loved how he felt. I couldn’t blame him for not thinking clearly. I would have to have a talk with him when I got ba-
There was an eruption of feathers, squawking, pain and hooves as I stepped out. I had no idea what happened, except something big hit me and another thing landed on that. I couldn’t see. I could barely hear. All I could feel was a crushing weight on me and pain.
“Twilight! Are you ok?! Gabby? Derpy?!” Spike’s high pitched voice cut through the confusion. I could make out a fallen form on me that was a light gray and another gray form on top of that.
“Wha?” was I could manage before the wind was pushed out of me.
“Twilight?!” squawked the form on me. It must be Gabby or a really big chicken. If so then Derpy was on top of both of us. I couldn’t help but feel relief knowing she was safe.
“Twilight! Hi! I’ve been wanting to see you all day!” Derpy cried as she saw me.
“Spike! I have to tell you I feel the same way!” Gabby confessed, reaching her foreclaws out to the startled dragon. The weight shifted to her back to her back paws which were planted on my barrel.
“Really?!” Spike gasped as he reached his claws out to grasp hers. It looked like they were going to kiss, which would have been a touching moment if she wasn’t crushing the life out of me.
“Uuurk!” I finally managed, stopping the slow motion first physical connection the budding couple was about to make.
“Twilight!” Derpy shouted, reaching her hoof out to me. She was still perched on Gabby’s back and on top of her was… a squirrel?
“Oh! I think I should get off her,” the embarrassed griffin said, shifting finally off my barrel. It was immediately replaced with Derpy’s much lighter weight as my girlfriend jumped off the griffins back onto me. She immediately snuggled into my chest.
“Hi…” I croaked, trying not to let the intense pain show. I could breath a lot better but it felt like my flanks could use a long hot bath. Slowly and gingerly I rose to my hooves with Derpy’s help.
“I think you two could do with some alone time,” I suggested to Spike and Gabby. “Maybe a nice walk?”
“I’m not doing anything right now.” Gabby stared into Spike’s face, I didn’t want to think about the thoughts either of them were having. Spike might have gotten old enough to start dating but there were plenty of things I didn’t want to see or know about. I could remind him of being safe but Spike looked so nervous just standing there I figured it would be a while before we had to have that talk.
They walked off claw in claw towards the Sugarcube Corner and I figured Pinkie would spot them and keep an eye on them. Meanwhile I had my own plans with my own girlfriend to worry about.
Derpy finally rolled off me and I slowly got up. An uncomfortable twinge in my hindquarters caused me to nearly jump into the air. Luckily I didn’t, but I started to limp a little as I tried to escort my mate back inside.
“Twilight! You’re hurt!” She cried as I hobbled towards her. She rushed to my side and wrapped me with her wings.
“I’m not that hurt. Just a bruise. I think it’s from the crash.” I stretched the offending leg, then winced as it protested. Derpy wasn’t buying it.
“Climb on my back,” she commanded, and laid down. The squirrel on her back jumped off and scurried away. “Nutzo!”
“Nutzo?” I echoed as I begrudgingly straddled her and lowered myself onto her back. It was horribly awkward and suggestive but Derpy didn’t think in those terms.
“He’s the squirrel that saved me from the chicken snake in the forest, I think. It looked really mean. Then he jumped on my face and wouldn’t let go.” She slowly stood up, her legs shook slightly as both of us rose. I was a little worried about this chicken snake she mentioned.
“Wait..” suddenly it dawned on me. “Do you mean a cockatrice?! Those things are extremely dangerous! They can turn you to stone!”
“Oh... maybe that’s why he jumped on my face.”
“Sounds like a good squirrel,” I ventured, wrapping my front hooves around Derpy’s neck. I felt stupid being carried around like an invalid. It was just a bruise, I hoped.
She opened the door and started looking around the castle. “We need a soft place to put you down,” she muttered, “ooh look! There’s a pillow room! I didn’t know you had one of those.”
I looked where she pointed and noticed I left the door open to her surprise. I facehoofed. Of course I did. “Derpy that’s uh...”
“It’s perfect. You can rest and I can give you a nice massage! I’ve always wanted to do that.” The excited pegasus nearly dropped me a few times as she happily trotted towards the pillow room.
“No, Derpy this was for you.” I cried as she gently set me down on a pre-fluffed cushion. These things were really soft.
“What was?”
“This room. I made it for you.”
“You made me a pillow room!”
“Yes, but I was going to give you a massage. It’s your day off, you deserve some rest and pampering.” I crawled towards her as she froze in place.
“M-me?! I-I just do what I’m supposed to. That’s not any different from any other pony. Why do I deserve a massage? Why not somepony else?” She looked almost offended. I thought she would be happy to get some relaxation.
“No pony else is my girlfriend.” That hit home as my mare fell back in shock. Luckily she landed on a pillow. It was a good idea to line the room with pillows after all.
“But…but you’re the one that’s hurt. I should give you a massage.” She stared at the ceiling, clearly dazed, muttering to herself. I took the opportunity to crawl to her. My flank would be fine as long as I was sitting.
“Roll over on your back,” I said as I got into position. The idea of massaging her front was too much for me at that point.
“But I… but I… no. Twilight, you’re hurt. You’re the one that works so hard for everypony in the kingdom. You do so much. It’s not right. I should massage you for all you do. It’s all I can do to help.” She sat up and looked into my eyes, almost pleading for me to lay back down.
“But Derpy even ponies that support other ponies need support too. You can be pampered just as much as any pony.” I lightly placed my hooves on her shoulders, beginning the massage. I hoped she would relax into a more receptive mood.
Instead she placed her hooves on my shoulders as well. “Twilight, I want to be the one that takes care of you. No pony else does. Everypony helps me and takes care of me. I want to do that for you.”
I felt her hooves gently prod at my shoulder muscles. She knew what she was doing. I fought the urge to give in. I didn’t need the relationship to be all about me and my needs. I wanted her to feel just as important as she made me.
“Please Derpy, you can rest on your day off. You don’t need to cater to me.” I tried to massage her muscles in such a way to guide her back to the ground. If I could just get her to relax-
“You’re the one that needs it more than me. I won’t let you down. I learned how to give the best massages from Roseluck. I’ll show you I can.” She was getting a little more forceful and fighting my gentle guidance.
I don’t know exactly how it escalated but it did. What started as two ponies trying to convince the other to relax and get a nice massage became both of us rolling all over the place trying to pin the other. I couldn’t stop her. I couldn’t make her see that she needed this more than I. I couldn’t show her how I felt like she did for me.
“Oh my goodness!”
A voice from outside the pillow room stopped us both. Though we kept holding each other’s shoulders, we froze laying next to each other, panting.
“What is going on here?” A confused and concerned Fluttershy asked as she fully entered the room.
“She needs a massage—”“
“She won’t let me massage her—”
“Stop it you two,” the normally timid pony said with a lot more force than I expected. “You two love each other and you’re wrestling on the ground. Even if it is covered in pillows you could get hurt.”
“She is hurt,” Derpy cried, pointing at me.
“That’s why I’m here. Some strange squirrel from the Everfree Forest came up to me and told me Twilight’s hurt, come quickly.” The squirrel I saw on Derpy’s shoulder before appeared on Fluttershy’s.
“Now, you both know better than to wrestle each other when one of you is hurt.”
Slowly the hooves on each other’s shoulders retreated and a feeling of guilt and stupidity filled us both. Derpy got off of me and I winced as I sat up, the scolding mare stared at us both.
“Now, please explain this to me… if-if you don’t mind…” Her stern voice and stance crumpled as we separated. The two of us told our points of view as both the pegasus and squirrel nodded. Then she sighed as she placed a bowl of nuts in front of her furry companion.
“Derpy, I think your heart’s in the right place but remember how good it feels to make Twilight relax and enjoy herself? You should let Twilight feel that joy too.” Fluttershy placed a wing on the confused pegasus’s head. She nodded her eyes moving away from each other as she wrestled with the concept.
“And Twilight, I’m surprised at you. You’re hurt and she can’t relax if you try force. You have to coax her, maybe by letting her massage you first. Is that ok?” Fluttershy gave me a look that told me I should be the bigger mare. It wouldn’t hurt Derpy to give me a massage and it might help her relax.
“I’m sorry Twilight!” Derpy cried and rushed into my hooves. “I-I just wanted to help. You’re more important than anything to me and I just want you to be happy with me.”
I pulled her off my chest and looked into her tearing eyes. I stared into the depth of that hopeful soul. It looked back at me with worry and desire. Mostly a desire to be loved rather than … the other one.
“Derpy,” I said, my eyes meeting hers, “I want you to know that you’re just as important to me as I am to you. There are times I want to show you that. I don’t want you to feel you’re the only one in the relationship and I’m just catering to you. Er, I mean letting you.”
She opened her mouth a few times but nothing came out. Did I just tell her I loved her? She already told me she loved me and if she told her she was equally important… I think I did. I wasn’t hundred percent sure but it was the closest to love I have ever been. I wasn’t going to retract it now. Derpy decided to keep silent and buried her face in my chest once more.
“I’m glad you two are doing so well,” Fluttershy gushed with a reddened face. “I think you’re in good hooves Twilight. The squirrel said he wouldn’t mind staying with Derpy and helping out, she seems like she needs it. He just needs a name.”
“How about Nutzo?” Derpy said, looking at Fluttershy for approval. The animal enthusiast’s face dropped a bit but the squirrel shrugged and continued to eat.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to mind. Will you treat him well, give him nuts and plenty of love?” the soft spoken pegasus asked the one in my hooves.
“Nutzo will be the best kept squirrel ever!” Derpy exclaimed with glee.
“Good, take care of that injury, Twilight, and take care of each other.” Fluttershy left with a smile as Nutzo continued to scarf down nuts, leaving us alone again.
I was about to lay on the pillows for the massage when Derpy beat me to it. She looked a little nervous spreading her wings out flat on the pillows but gave me a happy smile. I couldn’t help but smile back, with a flash the incense lit and the soothing sounds of water running down a magic waterfall filled the room.
“Derpy?” I whispered in the pegasus’s ear. She had become like putty in my hooves as all the tension released. For somepony so carefree she had a lot of muscle knots. Maybe it was from constantly crashing into things.
“Hmmm… Twilight…” She curled her hooves around a large pillow and pulled it close. She must be dreaming. I couldn’t help watching her sleep, so peaceful and happy. I gently stroked her mane which produced a soft coo sound. It was adorable.
Did I really love her? Could I be happy with her by my side? I was happier now than I had been in a long time. Most of my friends wouldn’t let me do anything for them like this. Honestly massaging one of them might get awkward as well. But Derpy seemed to appreciate more than any pony I knew would. Perhaps that was her way of showing her love for me.
Nutzo wandered in after the massage ended and curled up next to my mare. They looked quite the pair. Shrugging, I joined them on the pillowed floor. This time I wrapped Derpy in my wings. It was exciting and comforting how much more natural it felt to curl up next to her now. If only it could continue like this.