//------------------------------// // Angelico's // Story: Firedance // by Idsertian //------------------------------// Angelico's “I don't know Soarin, I'm just so sick and tired of it all now. Every time it's the same and I just can't be bothered anymore.” I looked up at Soarin from across our table in Angelico's, one of Canterlot's premier nightclubs. On the upper floor where we were sat, the floor pulsed with the beat coming from the dance floor below, but being a VIP area we could at least hear ourselves talk up here. The place was dark, lit primarily by the candles at each table. The floor, walls and ceiling were done up in a pleasing royal purple; both the booth seats and floor upholstered in velvet. Other ponies were dotted around, seated at tables, enjoying their drinks and each other's company. “You can't stay single forever, Firrii,” my fellow Wonderbolt said, using the correct Cloudsdalian pronunciation of my name. He leaned back against the booth and gave me an appraising look. “Sooner or later, you've gotta find somepony.” “Don't you rather think that's up to me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Oh, don't be difficult, you know what I mean. The others are too polite to say it, but you've been moping ever since you broke up with you-know-who a couple of weeks ago.” The “you-know-who” Soarin was referring to was none other than my now ex-marefriend; Lily Thread. Although you wouldn't have guessed it from her name, she was an actress and so was prone to...melodrama. Of course, she was also vain and self-centred, part of the reason we split. Not the whole reason, your understand, just part of it. I looked back down to my drink. “I am not moping, Soarin. I'm just tired of opening myself up to somepony, only to be tossed away like some rotten dish-rag. Not to mention I can't fly with my wing in this damn bandage.” I gestured with a hoof to the offending appendage. I had broken it in practice the day after breaking up with Lily. “Well, if you weren't moping so much, perhaps you wouldn't have forgotten to check your altitude before trying to pull off that triple-twist. Even foals fresh into flight school know to do that.” I shot him a fierce glance before I realised he was joking. I shrugged. He was right, in a way. I suppose I had been moping. I'd sort of liked Lily, even if she could be a little thoughtless sometimes. I resolved that tonight, I was going to stop and have a good time. I downed my drink in one and stood up. “I'm going downstairs to dance for a bit, then I'm going to head home. I've got to clean Lily's stuff out in the morning before she gets there to pick it up. Care to join me?” “Nah, I'm gonna wait for Tint to show up. I'm taking him to that art gallery over on Crown Street.” I rolled my eyes good naturedly, said goodnight to Soarin and made my way downstairs. Tint and Soarin had been inseparable since they'd met a few months ago. The former was a pretty decent artist and even had some paintings in Canterlot Castle, apparently. He seemed a good sort and Soarin liked him, though I wondered if it would last. Soarin's turnover of relationships was almost as high as mine. I reached the bottom of the stairs and pushed through the door into the main area of the nightclub. While nothing creates a rush quite like that of a screaming crowd, Canterlot's night-life was a close approximation. Renowned in the clubbing scene for partying long and hard, Angelico's was in full swing as I stepped out through the VIP door. The music was loud and the lights strobed; turning my golden coat many different hues and the smells of alcohol and sweating ponies were strong in the air. Truly, this was a different place to all those stuffy garden parties and balls. It was more than that, though. It felt...alive. Of course, Cloudsdale's clubs partied even harder and were quite a spectacle, to boot; but grounded as I was, Angelico's would have to do. Not that I minded. The strong beat was already working its magic on me. My head was bobbing in time to the music and my hooves itched to be on the dance-floor, so I made my way through the crowds to the area in front of the DJ's deck. A white unicorn wearing a pair of purple-shaded goggles was operating, one hoof pressing her headphones to her ear, the other working various parts of the deck. I smiled as I recognised Vinyl Scratch, the pony who'd scored the backing tracks for dozens of Wonderbolts shows. I raised a hoof and waved to her, getting a brief wave and a gesture to the record stack nearby in response. She wanted to know if I was requesting a song. I shook my head, but made it clear that I wanted the music cranked up a notch. She nodded and the music got a bit louder. The music built to a crescendo and dropped massively as I eased my way into a free spot on the dance-floor and cut loose. Yep, a good dance was just what I needed... * * * * * * An hour later and I stepped off the dance-floor, heading for the bar. I was covered in sweat, breathing hard and my wing ached where I'd bumped into somepony, but I felt good. I concentrated on the feelings of good exercise and adrenaline coursing through me, using them to force myself to forget Lily for the time being and just have a good time. I slipped into a gap at the bar and ordered a drink. Once it came, I grasped it in one hoof, turned around and leant against the bar, standing on my hind legs. I took in the club around me as I slowly sipped the contents of my glass: The dance-floor; almost its own creature, the ponies sat at tables having shouted conversations and bopping to the music, the bouncers ejecting some troublemaker, the throbbing floor, the mixture of smells now tinged with slightly more alcohol than before, the grey mare looking at me from the other end of the bar...oh, hello. What have we here? Grey coat, yellow mane and I'm willing to bet the tail is the same, yellow eyes...now those are some odd eyes. One iris is higher than the other and closer to the bridge of the nose, definitely an unusual feature to say the least. Wait a minute...I've seen her before, but where? No matter, it'll come to me. Hmm, she's still staring at me, perhaps she's recognised me? No, that look on her face says she can't quite place me. I raised my glass in her direction and the mare blushed and looked away. Oh? Bashful? Or just embarrassed to be caught staring? I think I should find out. I quickly finished my drink and sauntered down the bar towards the grey mare. I could see her tail sticking out from the line of ponies and yes, it was indeed the same pale yellow as her mane. Her cutie-mark was rather indistinct, being almost the same colour as the flank it adorned. In the strobing light, I couldn't quite make out what it was; some sort of circular pattern, or group of circles. A pair of wings were folded up neatly against her sides. Judging by their neatness, they'd recently been preened. I stopped behind the strange mare and gently tapped her shoulder. She turned around rather quickly, almost startling me and I found myself looking into those pale yellow eyes again. She gave me a polite, if slightly embarrassed, smile. “Hey there,” I shouted, straining to be heard over the music. “I noticed you looking at me from the bar. Most ponies here don't spare me a second glance, so tell me: What got your attention?” The grey mare gestured to her ears and shook her head. Deciding communication was pointless this close to the dance-floor, I looked around and spotted a table nearer the door that would be quieter. I pointed to it and made a “follow me” gesture. The other mare nodded, getting up from her stool and dropping a couple of bits onto the bar. We headed over to the table and sat down opposite each other. Once we were comfortable, she turned to me and said: “I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear you over the music.” Her voice had a strange quality to it, like she was taking great care over her words before speaking. I attributed it to drink, though she didn't seem particularly tipsy. “Yeah, Vinyl can really crank up the volume when she gets going,” I replied. “So, what were you trying to say before?” “Oh, I was just saying I noticed you looking at me and asked what it was that caught your eye, since almost everypony here knows me and doesn't pay me much mind.” “Yeah, sorry about that. I don't normally stare, but the light caught your mane and then I saw your face and couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen you before. I hope I didn't offend you?” “Nah, it's fine,” I said, some of my showpony bravado making itself known. “If I was the kind of pony that was offended by being stared at, I wouldn't be doing what I do for a living.” “And what do you do, miss...?” I smiled playfully. “You first.” The other mare grinned back. I had a feeling I was fast making a new friend. “Of course! I forget my manners sometimes. I'm Ditzy Hooves, but please, just call me Derpy. Everyone else does, on account of my eyes.” She stuck out her hoof and I shook it briefly; noticing a slight ruffling of feathers. She must’ve been happy about meeting a new friend. “Well, Derpy, I can't say as I'm surprised that you feel you know my face. It is, after all, plastered all over Equestria; though it's usually half hidden behind a pair of goggles. I am Speesha-Firrii, otherwise known as Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. Pleased to meet you.” I felt my own smile spread into a grin as recognition dawned on Derpy's face. She went slack-jawed for a moment, utterly stunned as her brain processed what I'd just said. This lasted for a few seconds before she broke into a grin herself, one I was slightly worried would shear her face clean in half. “Oh my...wow!” she exclaimed, almost breathless. “I've been to so many of your shows, but I never thought I'd ever actually meet you! Especially not in a nightclub! I'm so sorry, you're right, I didn't recognise you without your flight suit and goggles.” I laughed good naturedly. “It's fine, most ponies don't. We spend so much time wrapped up in those suits that a lot of ponies don't recognise us straight away.” “I can imagine,” Derpy sipped her drink through the straw in the glass. “So what brings you to Canterlot?” “Well, mostly it's my home away from home. I love Cloudsdale and all, but it can get a bit...hectic. The real reason though, is this.” I indicated my right wing, wrapped in its bandages. Derpy winced visibly and her own wings fluttered in sympathy. “Oh, that's terrible! Is it bad?” “Nah. Doctor said it'd be healed in a week, maybe two. In the meantime, I'm stuck here in Canterlot. What about you? Do you live here too? Or are you just visiting?” “I'm just visiting, sort of. I'm supposed to be working, but I've already done everything I need to, so I'm taking the opportunity to look around Canterlot. I don't get to come here very often.” “Really? What do you do?” I asked. I was slightly surprised to find myself genuinely interested to know. For some reason, I wanted to know as much as possible about this friendly mare whom I'd only just met. “I work as a mailmare for Ponyville Central Post,” she replied, looking slightly sheepish. “I was making the weekly delivery run from there to here.” “Ponyville?” I mused. Suddenly, it clicked into place. I'd been assigned to oversee Ponyville's tornado duty a few years ago. It had almost ended in disaster, but for the efforts of its team leader and a rather shy yellow Pegasus. Derpy had been one of the Pegasi attending the job; out of breath by the end, but clearly proud of a job well done. “Is something wrong?” Derpy asked, looking worried. “Nope,” I said, with a smile. “I was just remembering the last time I was in Ponyville. It was your town's turn for tornado duty and I was assigned to oversee the operation, do you remember?” Derpy's face screwed up slightly as she cast her mind back. “Oh yes, that's right! I was utterly exhausted that day, I've never flown so hard in my life!” “Yeah, you looked pretty out of breath by the time you were all done. Got the job done, though.” “We did, but I think Rainbow Dash was a bit disappointed we didn't beat Fillydelphia's record.” “You know Rainbow?” I asked. “Sort of. We sometimes end up working together around the town, usually on weather duty. Why?” “Oh, no reason. She's a good kid and a pretty good flier too. Very eager to join the Wonderbolts.” “I know, it's her life's dream. It's almost all she ever talks about. Is she good enough to get in, do you think?” “Until she's old enough to audition, there's no way of telling; but for what it's worth, I think she probably will.” Derpy nodded sagely, as if there had never been any doubt and her question had merely been a formality. Our conversation went on for awhile, floating from one subject to another. The latest Canterlot gossip (such as the rumour that relations between Princess Cadence and Princess Celestia had cooled, possibly the result of an argument over trading levies between Equestria and the Crystal Empire), life in Ponyville, being a Wonderbolt, the best kind of muffin (never thought I'd be discussing that one in a nightclub) and many other topics besides. Derpy's depiction of life Ponyville intrigued me. It sounded peaceful and laid back, almost idyllic. I'd be lying if I said it didn't sound attractive; after all, living the high-life of a celebrity can get tiring after awhile. Yeah, I know, that might sound strange, but it's true. Parties, after-parties, autographs, shows, touring...it gets to you after awhile. Sometimes, you just want to curl up in a dark, quiet corner and let it slip away for a bit. It'd be nice to be able to live in a place where no-one cares or knows who you are, being able to live like a normal pony again...I shook my head as I realised Derpy was asking me something. “Sorry? I didn't catch that,” I said. “I said how did you hurt your wing? If you don't mind me asking,” she replied. I groaned inwardly and cast my eyes down to the table. I'd been hoping to avoid that topic. 'Now now, Firrii, no moping,' Soarin's voice piped up in my head. 'Up yours,' my own mind replied, testily. I looked back up at Derpy. “I uh...I crashed out during practice a couple of weeks ago. Schoolfilly mistake, really. Everypony knows you check your altitude before you attempt something like a triple-twist. I would've done too, but I...was distracted,” I finished, lamely. “What by? Was somepony making faces?” Derpy asked, with a giggle and a smile. I could tell she wasn't teasing though, just genuinely trying to make light of the situation. I laughed back, good naturedly. After all, it was sort of funny, making such a stupid mistake. “No, nothing like that. I...I'd broken up with my marefriend the day before. I was pretty torn up about it, thought we'd been pretty close. Close enough for her to know...certain things about me, anyway. Turns out I was wrong.” Derpy looked at me for a moment, mental gears clearly turning and trying to work out what to say. I fretted internally for a moment, worried that she was going to be weirded out by what I'd said. 'That was dumb, Firrii,' my mind lectured me. 'You don't even know what attitudes Ponyville has to ponies like you. She might be one of those anti-filly fooling types, or think that you're out to take advantage of her, or-' I silenced my mind's insecure rambling, as Derpy set her glass down and looked serious for a moment. “That is absolutely awful,” she said. “I know this isn't Ponyville, but back home, we don't judge a pony on things they can't help or don't have control over. If this mare, whoever she is, can't get past some aspect of your personality, then I say forget about her.” She leaned forward and placed a hoof over mine. I felt a bit surprised and confused, this certainly wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Derpy continued: “You are who you are and you shouldn't make apologies for that. It's up to everypony else to accept you for who you are, not for you to try and fit into their ideas of what you should be.” She glanced down at our hooves touching and immediately withdrew, looking away with a blush reddening her cheeks. I did the same. We sat without speaking for a moment, the music of the club trying vainly to fill the awkward silence. Derpy piped up first: “I...I'm sorry about that,” she said. She smiled awkwardly at me, her wings shifting nervously. “I get...quite passionate about that subject. I used to get bullied a lot because of my eyes as a filly. I shouldn't say such things to somepony I've just met.” “It's fine, really,” I answered, smiling. “It's nice to hear somepony saying something kind and meaning it, without me having to prompt them. I think I needed to hear somepony say that to me, I kinda feel better.” “Don't the other Wonderbolts support you?” “Oh yeah! Of course they do, Soarin most of all, but never quite as...well said as that. Thank you.” “You're welcome.” I decided to change the subject, if for no other reason than to avoid another awkward silence. “You know,” I said. “You make Ponyville sound pretty awesome. It sounds like a great place to live.” “It really is,” she replied. “I've never been happier anywhere else. I...left Cloudsdale when I was young. I was always bullied about my eyes and my parents...let's just say they thought they had more pressing engagements than their own daughter.” “I'm sorry.” “Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago. Anyway, I messed up landing and smashed a wing, kind of like you, I guess. I also banged my head pretty hard and really messed myself up. The next thing I know, I was waking up in Ponyville hospital. Apparently, I'd been found lying in the road just outside the town, wing bent all crooked and a big gash in my head. They kept me in for a few days, then sent me on my way, wing all bandaged up. After that, I just sort of hung around the town and made myself available for whatever jobs were going. Eventually, I was hired by the mail office and settled down. Never did find out who rescued me, though. The hospital staff said they wished to remain anonymous.” “Sounds like you had a rough time of it,” I said. The sudden outpouring of Derpy's life story had me on the back-hoof and I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I guess she thought she owed me a story after I told her about myself and Lily. “Eh,” Derpy shrugged. “I know some who've had it worse. Ponyville more than makes up for it, though. Everyone there is really nice and I have more than enough friends to get by.” She went to take another sip of her drink, but almost immediately looked back up, an idea clearly having struck her. “Hey, you should visit sometime! I'd be more than happy to give you a room and show you around the place. And I know Rainbow Dash would just about kill to meet you again. Ha! Imagine her face when she realises her mailmare knows the Spitfire!” I was taken aback by the sudden offer, but her grin was irresistible. “Maybe I will,” I said, after recovering from a brief fit of laughter at the thought of Rainbow's possible expression. “It would certainly make a nice change of pace.” Derpy's face lit up, her tail swishing and her wings actually flapping a couple of times as she leaned in to sip her straw; clearly happy at my acceptance of her offer. We sat in silence some more, though it was noticeably less awkward than before. Vinyl was playing one of her older tracks on the deck, sending the crowd into a frenzy of dance and assorted cheers. Derpy sat, seemingly entranced by the spectacle of light, sound and bodies moving in rhythm. I watched her for a moment; noticing the slight bob of her head to the beat, her wings fluttering each time the stage lasers flickered over her, the brief flashes of her tail above the rim of the table as she swung it to and fro with the music...wait. Was I seriously checking her out? This mare whom I'd only just met? Who, being as sweet as she was, likely had a special somepony of her own? Dammit, Firrii! Stop it! This is how you end up in trouble! I realised that this was probably due to the amount I'd had to drink. It wasn't enough that I'd do something stupid, but the ideas were already forming. I decided to leave before those ideas progressed into stumbling, slurred words with the help of yet more drink. I glanced at the clock over the bar for precedence and was semi-relieved to find that it was registering nearly three in the morning. Hey yeah, I sound like a terrible pony when I say it like this, but I didn't want to risk hurting my newly found friend. I downed the rest of my drink and stood up. “I'd better hit the hay, my ex is coming round in the morning to get her stuff.” Derpy looked up at me, then over to the bar's clock before nodding. “I need to get some sleep too, my train back to Ponyville leaves early.” She took the straw from her drink, drained the glass and got to her hooves, though a little less steadily than me. “Woo,” she said. “Not used to drinking quite this much.” We headed for the door. * * * * * * Outside, the cold night air of Canterlot was simultaneously refreshing after the heat of the nightclub, but sharp for the exact same reason. Fortunately, Cloudsdale bred sturdy Pegasi and the temperature bothered neither myself nor Derpy. Either that, or the booze was having its effect. Canterlot was located halfway up the side of Witherspeak Mountain, making the air of the city similar to my old home; but for the constant breeze. Pegasi constantly manipulated the weather around Cloudsdale to keep the wind calm, but Canterlot had no such benefit. The thermals coming from the ground below met the chilled air falling from above and created a constant wind that varied from mildly chilly in the summer, to freezing in the winter; requiring everypony to wrap up as if in Stalliongrad. At the moment however, it was a starry summer's night and the wind was at its comparative warmest. I took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling it fill my lugs and clear my head slightly. I turned to Derpy, who was staring out over the vista of Lower Cantlerlot before us. Before I could say anything, she spoke: “I've never seen it like this before. Ponyville's all on the same level, but Canterlot...wow. It's like it's made from threads of light.” I took a moment to look out over the view. It was nothing special to me, having seen it from this angle and many more countless times over, but to Derpy it must have been magnificent. Streets were gossamer thin lines of light, while buildings were mostly dark with the occasional spots of yellow marking some nocturnal pony. An idea struck me. “Hey, if you like that, you'll love this! Follow me!” I trotted off playfully, looking back to make sure Derpy was following. She looked at me quizzically for a moment, then followed. I trotted through the streets and back alleys from memory, getting more excited as I neared my destination. I quickened my pace, breaking into a canter, eager to show Derpy possibly the most majestic sight in the entire city. I broke out into a small courtyard in the older part of the mid-level of Canterlot, where a lot of the more historic residences were. Ivy grew on some of them, lending an even more cultured feel to the place. A fountain burbled quietly in the middle of the courtyard and I stopped next to it, waiting as Derpy trotted over, slightly out of breath. “Here we are!” I said, grinning broadly. “A...a fountain?” Derpy wheezed, trying to catch her breath. “No, silly. That!” I pointed with a hoof to my right. She followed my gesture and my heart fluttered like a high-school filly when she gasped and her face registered what I was pointing at. Leading away from the courtyard, a large street headed straight up the incline carved out of the mountain millennia ago by hard-working Earth ponies. It was lined with residences until it curved away to the left, where we couldn't see it anymore; but it afforded a clear view of what was at the top: Canterlot Castle. Home of the Royal Sisters and the place from where all of Equestria was ruled. Torches lit the towers, the battlements and the walls in spots of light; shaped into cones by the wind-guards fitted to the holders. I'd discovered this view a number of years back, when I first joined the Wonderbolts. We'd had a good show and gone out to party, but I'd gotten lost and found myself here, with the castle lit up as it was now. It instantly became my favourite spot to be alone at night when I was in the city. It had looked utterly captivating then and Derpy's face reflected that now. She was staring at it wide-eyed and was slack-jawed for the second time that evening. “Sweet Celestia!” she finally uttered. “It...it's...beautiful!” “Told you you'd like it,” I said, the grin never leaving my face. “Like it? I love it! It...I always wanted to see the castle at night like this! Oh, thank you Spitfire! This is perfect!” She threw her forelegs around my neck and hugged me tight. Surprised, it took me a second before I returned the gesture, feeling her soft yellow mane cushion my leg. “Hey...well, um, you're welcome...” I stammered, completely thrown off by the sudden, but not unwelcome, breach of personal space. When Derpy drew back, her strange, wayward eyes glistened with tears barely hanging onto her lids. “Oh, look at me!” she said, voice thick with emotion. “I always get like this after I've had a few to drink, sorry. But this is really great, really! I...wow! That's just...” I suppressed a giggle. Hell, I nearly burst out laughing due to the sudden switch from emotional Derpy to speechless Derpy. “What?” she asked, seeing me covering my mouth. “Oh, nothing!” I replied, after recovering. I smiled at her. “Come here, let's just soak in the view for a minute.” She nodded and stepped over to me. Without thinking, my good wing spread out to cover her and shield her from the cold. I don't know why I did it, I just did. The thing about Pegasus wings is, they're like a whole other...not language, exactly, but they speak. Like tails, the movements can mean different things and even bigger actions, like flaring or sweeping gestures can mean something. Covering somepony with one is a sign of trust; and not just the regular “I trust you not to drop a brick on my head” kind. But Derpy...Derpy didn't even bat an eyelid, she just settled her own wing on my back without looking away from the castle. I later asked her why she did this, getting a strange smile and my own answer as a response: It felt right. After a while staring at the castle, the chill of the night air started to set in and I felt a shiver make its way through me. I looked over at my new, grey friend and asked her: “It's getting cold now, want to leave?” “Yeah, even Cloudsdale was warmer than this.” She yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Guess the night's finally caught up with me, too.” She looked around for a moment, then turned to me, confusion on her face: “Uh, where do I live?” Both of us burst out laughing at this statement, the sounds of our slightly tipsy merriment echoing off the stone buildings around us. After we recovered, I asked her about her hotel, which at least gave me a direction to head in. We started off back the way we had come, wings still over each others' backs and walking close together to share warmth. Sometime along the way, I became aware of a slight pressure over the cutie-mark on my right flank. After a moment, I realised it was Derpy's wing-tip. Was...was she making a move? Or had her wing simply slipped and she wasn't paying attention? I cast a glance her way, hoping to catch her out somehow. I needn't have bothered being so subtle. She was busy staring at the buildings we were passing, evidently soaking in the history of the place. Whether it was the drink or hormones that made me do what I did next, I'll never know. I moved my own wing down slightly, mimicking her position and gave a gentle squeeze. It took a moment to register through the cold and the drink, but eventually she turned to me, looking confused. “What...?” she started, but was silenced by a brief nod of my head and an amused smirk on my face. Following my indication, she looked behind us, gasped and the biggest blush I've ever seen bloomed on her cheeks. “Omigosh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't...I didn't...” she stammered. She wouldn't meet my gaze and I felt her try to move her wing away. I quickly pressed my own wing against hers, pinning it halfway down and feeling her soft feathers pressing gently against me. “Hey,” I said softly. She looked up at me, worry plastered over her face like a billboard. “I wasn't complaining.” I leaned in and briefly nuzzled her neck; a show of reassurance, rather than one of amorousness. I waited for her to decide what to do, watching her face as her eyes cast down to the ground (well, one of them, anyway) and she turned over my words in her head. She seemed to come to a decision pretty quickly; her wing slipping back across my spine to curl against my side once more, though not as low as it had been. “I'm glad,” she said, with a smile that seemed almost shy. The rest of our journey was undertaken in silence, save for the clip-clop of our hooves on the cobbled streets. Our wings were wrapped firmly around each other, keeping each other warm and making the other feel more comfortable. The feathers on Derpy's wing were soft, almost downy and felt absolutely heavenly against my own coverts on the underside of my wing. I wanted the sensation to last forever, but eventually we ended up outside the door of the hotel she was staying at. A recently constructed building, judging by the red brick façade; it boasted a three-star rating from the Royal Board of Inn Standards. “Last stop, Derpy's hotel,” I joked. She giggled and slipped her wing from around me and walked towards the door. Before passing through, she turned back to me and spoke. “I had a great time tonight, Spitfire. I never dreamed of meeting you and I really didn't think you'd do something as wonderful as tonight if I had. Thank you.” She leaned towards me and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. I stood stunned as she walked backwards to the door. “I meant what I said earlier, too,” She said, holding my gaze. “Come visit sometime. It'll be fun.” I just nodded dumbly, goofy grin plastered over my face, as she walked inside the hotel and disappeared. I raised a hoof to my cheek and rubbed the spot she'd kissed. Was this really happening? Had I instead just drunk myself into a stupor and, in fact, was right now drunkly dreaming under a table in Angelico's? I gave my bad wing a tap and the shot of pain confirmed that, no, this wasn't a dream; but that, yes, I had somehow met a new mare and practically wooed her in one night. I started walking home, contemplating how such a thing could have happened, adrenaline and excitement banishing the muddying effects of alcohol from my mind. Was I just that good at seduction? Was Derpy just easy? No, that's a horrible thought Firrii, of course not. You barely know her though. I gently smacked the side of my head to break the traitorous thought train. Was...was it...ugh, fate? No, I've never believed in that. Coincidence, yes. Things happen in tandem, but not even Celestia herself could force me to do anything; let alone some non-entity like “fate”. I was at my house in fairly short order and made my way past my gate, up the path through my door and inside. I leaned against the inside of the door as I closed it, sighing deeply and contentedly; despite what I had to face tomorrow. It was safe to say I was taken with Derpy. The strange grey mare from Ponyville was good company; sweet, polite, clearly concerned with those around her, not to mention good looking with a plot to die for... As I climbed the stairs to my room, I wondered if everypony in Ponyville was as wonderful as she was...or as good looking. I got to the top of the stairs and walked past my bathroom, catching sight of my reflection in the large mirror over the sink. Golden coat, two-tone golden mane and tail, strong back and legs, slim barrel, proud stance, classic Cloudsdalian face with golden eyes. My cutie-mark is often the subject of curious questioning when somepony sees it for the first time; which is reasonable, given its abstract nature. Cutie-marks being intricately tied to the very nature of a pony, I knew exactly what it was the instant it appeared: A phoenix in flight. The bird itself represents my graceful form during flight, while the flames signify my passion for the things and ponies I love. A different kind of passion, however, was now making itself known inside me and had been building steadily since leaving Derpy at the hotel. The constant thoughts of her rattling around inside my head weren't helping any, either. I made my way into my bedroom... ...where I'm stopping for now, because hey, what goes on in there is private and a girl's gotta have some secrets, right?