Peace and happiness
Days, as it turned out, was a bit of an underestimation. I ended up staying with Derpy, Rose and Colgate for quite some time. Weeks, in fact.
The morning after I arrived, I came down to find the other three just finishing breakfast. Derpy informed me that they'd spoken together, and that Rose and Colgate were fine with her getting to know me better. It set the tone for the rest of my time there, shifting gradually from recovery from the fight; to spending time with new friends and being wanted there.
The first week I was there was fairly uneventful. Most of my time was spent with Derpy. Being shown around Ponyville, meeting her friends, getting to know her better; that sort of thing.
Week two, I visited Ponyville's hospital. One of the doctors looked at my wing and announced that the bone was healed, but that I would need to go easy on it and I should stay off of it for another week at least. I was just glad to have the bandage off; I hadn't been able to preen that wing properly since I broke it. I also took to helping Rose out at her flower stall; a fact she was grateful for due to the lack of company, not to mention help, that otherwise pervaded her day. This further seemed to cement her growing opinion of me, leading to her recounting her past. I acted as I was hearing it all for the first time, lest I get Derpy in trouble. It was interesting to hear the tale from her perspective too; though it was virtually identical in all respects to that of her wife's telling.
On the third week, Soarin returned. I was actually in Ponyville's park, warming up for my first flight since breaking my wing, when he swooped down next to me. After exchanging pleased greetings with each other, he relayed the news that the rest of the team was getting concerned with my absence, wondering where I had been; particularly Blaze, my sister. He wanted to know what to tell them and when I was going to come back. I told him to tell them the truth; no way I was going to lie to them. As for coming back, I wasn't sure. Canterlot held little appeal for me anymore and I was becoming quite enamoured with Ponyville. I told him that I was starting to consider moving out there, but that I certainly wouldn't abandon the Wonderbolts, even if I did. He nodded in understanding.
He also bore news that Lily had been strangely quiet about what happened, not appearing in any of Canterlot's newspapers since I'd left; except for them starting to speculate that she'd somehow left Canterlot without anypony knowing. I told him I may have broken her nose and he reasoned that was probably why nopony had seen her.
I thanked him for the news and asked if he was up for a quick fly-about, but he declined, saying that he had a meeting to attend; a contract renewal with one of the big publicists for the team.
The rest of that week passed fairly uneventfully. I spent it rebuilding my flight strength, helping out Rose, going out with Derpy and spending time with all three of my new friends.
During the fourth week, I asked Derpy if she wanted us to become marefriends. I don't think I've seen anypony be that happy to be asked that question. She jumped for joy, wings fluttering before extending out in glee and wrapped her hooves around me, kissing me on the lips for the first time. We announced it to Rose and Colgate later that evening, after dinner. A minor celebration was held, involving plenty of cider; and I spent that night in the loving care of some grey hooves and wings.
It was also the week I bumped into Rainbow Dash. Or, more accurately, she bumped into me.
Derpy and I were spending some time together on one of her days off from the mail centre, taking a walk outside the town, when something bowled me over from the side. As I tumbled over, all I saw was a rainbow coloured blur.
Stunned for a moment, I shook my head, trying to clear it and make the colours in front of my nose resolve into something more detailed. When they did, I was face to face with a cutie-mark shaped like a cloud with a multi-coloured lightening bolt forking away from it.
I stood up and brushed myself off, looking up to see Rainbow Dash doing the same. She started to apologise, still not looking at me as she checked herself over for any injuries and smoothed down her rainbow coloured mane, her similarly coloured tail flicking bits of dirt out of itself. I cleared my throat, causing her to look round at me. Her eyes widened with shock and her wings shot skyward in surprise.
“Sp-sp-sp-Spitfire?!” she stammered out.
“That's my name, don't wear it out.” I replied, wry smile on my lips. Derpy walked up, asking if we were ok, amusement in her voice. I told her yes and she planted a kiss on my cheek, covering me with a wing. I repaid the gesture in kind.
“Oh, hello Rainbow,” she said. “What are you doing out here?”
“Derpy?! You...she...you're...but...” Rainbow seemed incapable of forming a full sentence.
“Whoa, slow down there Rainbow,” Derpy said, holding up a hoof to the cyan pegasus. “Take a breath, then try again.” Rainbow did so.
“Derpy!” she started. “Why didn't you tell me you know Spitfire, that she's in town and that you're marefriends with her?!”
“Because you never asked, she asked me to keep it quiet and it's none of your business,” she retorted sweetly. “Besides, now you know.”
“I...” she began. “That is...darn, I guess those are pretty good reasons. So, um, Spitfire, what are you doing here in Ponyville?”
“Taking a vacation,” I lied. “Canterlot's kinda getting to me at the moment and Ponyville's nice and quiet.”
“How long are you staying?”
“I don't know yet. I've been here a month already, but I kinda like it here. Plus, Derpy here's been more than a kind host to me.” I nuzzled the mare in question and she giggled.
“Oh, stop!” she said.
“Omigosh!” Rainbow cried out. “Spitfire living here?! In Ponyville?! That's too awesome! I mean, we've gotta find you a place to live, Pinkie'll want to throw you a party, too bad she's in Canterlot with Rarity and Fluttershy right now...”
“Rainbow,” I said, being the one to hold up a hoof to her this time. “I don't even know how long I'm going to be here yet and I'd appreciate you being discreet about my being here.”
“Oh...um, yeah sure! You can count on me! Discretion's my middle name!”
“You're called Rainbow “Discretion” Dash?” Derpy asked, barely containing her laughter.
“Heh...no,” Rainbow admitted. She mumbled something afterward.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I said, it's...” Again, she mumbled.
“Come again?” Derpy asked, leaning forward and flicking her ear with a hoof.
“It's Merriweather!” Rainbow cried out.
“That's a pretty name,” I said. She gave me a dour look. “What? It is.”
“Thanks...I guess. I always thought it was a bit...dorky. Erm, by the way, sorry for knocking you over, Spitfire. Latest trick didn't go quite right.”
“That's ok, it happens. Even I mess up from time to time. I broke my wing a few weeks ago, all healed now though.” I flapped my right wing for emphasis. “Hey, what's say I help you out with that trick sometime?”
“Really?!” Rainbow cried. “You mean it?”
“Yeah, sure. How about two days from now? Twelve o'clock in the park?”
“Hay yes! Thank you! I've gotta get some extra practice in, I'll see you then!”
With that, she sped off into the sky like a rainbow-streaked arrow, scattering loose dust and gravel in her wake. Derpy broke out into laughter. I looked at her quizzically.
“Rainbow Merriweather Dash?!” she gasped, barely able to breathe. “Oh, I hope none of the other ponies on the weather patrol catch wind of that, she'll never live it down!”
I just gazed levelly at her. She calmed down after a minute.
“Oh, spoilsport,” she grumbled. I just laughed. We walked on a bit in silence before Derpy spoke again.
“So you're thinking of moving to Ponyville?” she asked.
“Um...yeah, maybe,” I responded. “I haven't decided one way or the other yet. I was going to talk to you about it soon.”
“What if you decide not to? What then? What about us?”
“I...I don't know. I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead.” Dammit Firrii, don't go losing yourself your marefriend already! Don't be an idiot!
“Well then, I think I'd better do my best to convince you to stay. Follow me.” Without another word, she walked off. I set off after her.
It had been nearly a month, and still Derpy kept surprising me. Any other pony would probably have blown up in my face on the subject, but not her. I took it as a sign that she really wanted this to work between us. I'd certainly grown to love her over the past few weeks and she told me she felt the same, but I guess it ran deeper than I thought.
Before long, we found ourselves on the path to Sweet Apple Acres; apple trees surrounding us on both sides. I recognised where we were, having been out here on several occasions over the past few weeks to get food with Derpy.
Said mare stopped suddenly, putting her front hooves up on the fence at the side of the road. She inhaled audibly, testing the air.
“Yes, this is the spot,” she said.
“The spot?” I queried, confused. “It's just a road.”
“Not here, silly filly. C'mon, race you!” She grinned at me and her wings “whoomph'd” open. Using the fence as leverage, she catapulted herself into the trees, backdraft blowing my mane back gently.
“Oh, you are on!” I yelled after her, laughing. My own wings opened and I launched myself after her.
Although no match for my own speed, Derpy was surprisingly fast. I realised I'd never actually seen her properly flying since I'd arrived; she only really used her wings to help her reach high up places or to perform delicate tasks her hooves couldn't.
She weaved in and out of the trees expertly, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was following. Our laughter echoed around the orchard as we flitted in and out of the trees, flashes of grey and gold among the branches. I let her lead me to wherever it was we were going, hanging back as I took a moment to revel in the feeling of the wind across my face and in my mane, a great sensation for any pegasus and one that drives us to fly.
Derpy suddenly veered off to the right, diving into a thicket of bushes at the edge of the orchard. I quickly followed, landing just in front of the plants. I pushed my way through.
When I broke through to the other side, I saw I'd emerged into a clearing with a small pond to one side. Derpy was standing there, waiting for me. Her wings were tucked in at her side and she was breathing heavily, but she wore an eager smile on her face. The trees over us served as a fairly tight canopy, making it quite shady. Light streamed in from behind her, further serving to darken my view of her.
As I walked up to her, she stepped aside and raised a hoof, pointing out past her. I followed where she was pointing and what I saw took my breath away.
We were on a slight hill. Equestria rolled away from me for miles, green fields and meadows stretching out until they hit the mountains bordering the Unicorn Range in the Northwest, Cloudsdale and its rainbow streams just visible above the snow-covered peaks; and the Saddellian River flowing down from Witherspeak in the Northeast, the water curving away out of sight to the right and towards Ponyville, shining like a river of diamonds. I could just make out Canterlot clinging to the mountain, castle roof glinting in the mid-afternoon sun. I stood speechless for a moment, taking it all in.
“What do you think?” asked Derpy, moving up beside me.
“It's utterly magnificent,” I finally managed. “Even more so than the castle.”
“Oh, I don't know about that,” she giggled. “That was pretty amazing to see. Come on, let's lie down next to the pond.”
We settled down near the water, wings covering each other again for the umpteenth time since I'd arrived in the town. We stared out over the land, watching the clouds drift out from Cloudsdale; small specks that were the weather Pegasi, darting around them and moving them around. A constant stream of other specks were flowing in and out of the main body of the floating city; Pegasi travelling to and from Cloudsdale.
“It's so peaceful here,” I remarked. “How did you find it?”
“Oh, I don't remember,” she answered. “It was a long time ago. I think I was just exploring and stumbled on it. It's one of the places I used to bring Rose before we were married, you know, when you-know-who got too much for her.”
As I looked on, I glanced towards Witherspeak just in time to see a train emerge from the base of the mountain, billowing clouds of smoke and steam momentarily shrouding it from view before it burst out of them again. It quickly started to build up speed, following the gently curving tracks, carriages and caboose trundling obediently after it.
“It really is a wonderful place,” I said, watching the train slide out of sight behind the trees surrounding us. “It's beautiful, just like the rest of Ponyville. And you.”
I turned to look at Derpy and she was more beautiful in that moment than I had ever seen her up to that point. Her mane cascaded down her neck; bright, straw coloured hair contrasting strongly against her grey neck. Her mouth upturned in a cute smile, belying her pleasure at the compliment along with the small blush on her cheeks. Her ears perked forward either side of her forelock, ready for every word I uttered as if it were pure aural honey. The sunlight through the leaves above us dappled her entire body, creating patchworks of shifting light as the leaves moved in the slight breeze.
But most of all, her eyes. They always captivated me, those strange orbs with the yellow irises. Despite being clearly out of alignment, they never seemed to hinder her in any aspect of life; providing no barrier to navigation or precise tasks. Whether it was merely a cosmetic “defect” or she had simply gotten used to the effect produced; I hadn't even thought to ask.
They were always alive, though. Always seeming to glow, shifting subtly until they seemed to dance a tiny, un-knowable dance; one that said they knew every little thing about you, until she blinked and the cycle started again. Right now, I was utterly lost in them.
Just then, she leaned forward and planted her lips on mine. I returned the kiss passionately, our tongues dancing in each other's mouths. I wanted that moment to go on forever, but eventually Derpy broke away. She sighed contentedly, leaning her head against my neck, looking out over the view before us. I rested my head on hers, enjoying her closeness, her warmth and the vista.
“I love you,” she murmured after a moment.
“I love you too,” I replied quietly. She “hmm'd” in response.
“Will you stay?” she asked, not moving. “I'd love for you to stay here with me. Collie likes you too, as does Rose. She talks about you a lot when we're alone.”
I thought for a moment. Moving would be a major decision and a massive upheaval, but Ponyville was so much quieter and a really nice place to live. Getting to and from team practice and meeting up for events would be a lot more difficult if I did; requiring either regular train journeys or more even more training to avoid turning up tired from flying there. Ponyville didn't have much of a night-life, but then, I was beginning to tire of that now, anyway. What else...
Seriously, Firrii?! You have the most caring, most loving, most beautiful pony you've ever met, who wants you to move in with her, who doesn't care about your predilections, who, in fact, shares them; and you're debating the fact?!
I started at the sudden outburst from my conscience, surprised at its ferocity. It had a point though; what was I doing? I had the perfect opportunity to be free, to be myself and I was trying to rationalise it away! I mentally facehoofed. The decision was clear, I just had to have the confidence to go through with it. I lifted my head and looked down at Derpy and she looked up at me. A long moment passed between us where nothing was said.
“Yes,” I said eventually. “I'll stay. I love Ponyville, I love Rose and Collie and most of all...I love you. Very much. You're the first pony to not judge me for what I am, but just like me for who I am. That means the world to me.”
“Firrii...” she started, tears in her eyes and a happy smile on her face. I shushed her and placed a hoof on her lips. I leaned in and kissed her again. This time, I felt her wing over me flutter and move down, curling against my cutie-mark with a definite squeeze. I responded in kind, then pushed her gently onto her back. We spent the rest of the afternoon making the clearing very special to us.
Hey! I'm not telling everything, ok?
* * * * * *
That's pretty much the end of my tale. Later that evening, Derpy and I returned to her house. Rose and Colgate were already there and exchanged a knowing glance upon seeing the dirt and grass in our manes and coat. We announced my decision to stay in Ponyville, much to Colgate's apparent glee. Rose just smiled, but did give me a shy peck on the cheek as well.
After another week, I did return briefly to Canterlot, primarily to organise things with the other Wonderbolts. Blaze berated me in her typical fashion at first, giving me an earful for just rushing off without saying anything to her; which I dutifully bore as any sister would. She finished by hugging me and further telling me off for not coming to see her in the beginning.
I then told everypony about what had happened: What had happened with Lily, why I had run off to Ponyville and everything else surrounding that. They listened, they asked questions and I answered them as best I could. In the end, no one so much as raised an eyebrow over the whole thing, much to my relief. Soarin cracked a “when's the wedding” joke and nothing more was said on the issue; a reminder of why I have the best damn team of stunt-ponies in Equestria.
Before I left Canterlot, I grabbed a few things from my house and set about straightening the place out, as it was in a mess from when I'd left. I didn't plan on returning any time soon, but I wasn't about to sell it; I'd worked hard to get it. I decided to leave the key with Soarin, he was always complaining about how small his place was, he could look after mine while I wasn't there.
The months flew by. I lived and trained in Ponyville, while commuting to Canterlot for practices and events. It was hard, staying away for so long at a time, but I persevered, knowing I could bring something extra at the end of it back to Derpy; a gift for her, or money with which to help run the household. I took Rainbow Dash under my wing as my personal apprentice, a fact she was incredibly proud of.
Summer turned to Autumn, to Winter and into Spring again. I took part in the Winter Wrap-Up, a manual experience, which I enjoyed to the full.
A few weeks after that, Derpy and I married. Well, “married” insofar as I presented her with a pair of matching wedding-bands; one for me, one for her. Not wanting to out-do Rose or Colgate's bands to her; I opted for a simple, thin, silver band with a small ruby set into the middle. She loved it. While she kept to her “special occasions” policy, I took to wearing mine constantly. I even wore it on the outside of my suit during shows and that...that caused quite a stir with the media, definitely. There was much speculation about who I'd married and why weren't they ever seen, which I kept quiet about and so did the rest of the team. Eventually, the tabloids contented themselves with the story that I wore it for luck, rather than as a sign of eternal love; a misnomer I was happy to let them go on believing.
I heard rumours about Lily being seen in Manehattan, pursuing an acting career there, but I never paid much mind. The less I thought about her, the better I felt.
Two years passed and I'm still in the quiet little town. Not much has changed. A few new foals cavort in the streets, a few more houses extend the spread of the town, Mayor Mare has a few more wrinkles...
That said, there are some changes.
Rose and I now share wedding bands, having sealed the knot barely a few months after Derpy and myself. She's really a very sweet mare and quite outgoing, once you get past her timidity.
As for Colgate, it turns out she'd been saving up bits to see the world on. We hear from her every now and then, in letters dated weeks before they reach us, extolling the wonders of whatever land she was in at the time. According to her last letter, she was in the Griffin Kingdom, heading back towards Equestria, so perhaps we'll see her again soon.
Derpy approached Twilight Sparkle about a year ago and the two of them grew quite close, fairly quickly. She's a quirky mare, that Twilight, prone to bouts of hard study or experimentation, locked away in her basement. Confident in her own way, she's certainly a maestro when it comes to magic. Rose and I quite like her as well, so time will tell where things go in that regard.
Rainbow Dash is now part of the Wonderbolts and already well on her way to becoming their newest star. Surprisingly, she's not taken well to the life of stardom, often complaining to me of being accosted in the streets by fans and media alike whenever she sets hoof in Canterlot. I support her as best I can and give her tips on hiding her identity in public, which seem to be working somewhat.
I say “their” star, as I'm now no longer officially a part of the Wonderbolts. With Rainbow Dash's acceptance into the ranks, the team was getting far too big and I was starting to tire of the long commutes away from my two special someponies. I retired from the team, though I still hold a “consultancy” role in the team, meaning I still pull a pay-check from shows that use moves I designed. Soarin now leads the team and, I have to say, he's doing a pretty damn good job at it.
So what can somepony else take away from my little tale here? I guess the main moral of it is: Be yourself. Don't apologise for it and don't be afraid to rely on your friends. Certainly don't try and hide who you are and don't pretend to be somepony you're not; you won't be happy. I certainly wasn't.
Although I'm not flying like I want to anymore, I don't really mind. I help Rose run her flower stall, which is shaping up to be quite the successful little business. I live in a house full of love and laughter; and I have my two special someponies, whom I will love forever.
So this is for you, Rose and Derpy. I have cherished every moment of our time together and I hope we will have many more moments to share over the years. I am proud to know you and to call myself Speesha-Firrii Hoovaea.
Yes, I think that's a pretty good place to finish.
END