//------------------------------// // Heart Song // Story: We're Gonna Get There Soon // by Cranberry Muffin //------------------------------// “I won’t be leaving right away, not even for try-outs.” “…Why not?” The two young mares were still sitting in Princess Celestia’s skybox, huddled a little bit closer together than they had been before. At the realization that they would part ways if –when- Surprise accomplished her goal, they had fallen silent, each edging a bit nearer to the other until their sides were pressed together, one of Surprise’s snowy wings tucked securely around Derpy as if to shield her from the painful reality of the situation. Neither of them had cried, though both of them were on the verge. Derpy was sniffling, golden eyes brimming with tears ready to spill over, tears she was valiantly trying to hold back. Surprise didn’t look much better; her own eyes were glassy and red-rimmed. “They don’t let you try out before you graduate,” She explained, “and try-outs are always held right before the school term ends. They do it that way so they don’t get a lot of inexperienced flyers rushing off half-cocked, only to wind up hurting themselves. So I’ve got a whole year to train before I can even qualify to try out.” Derpy blinked, rolling that thought through her mind. She supposed it made sense, even though many others their age probably argued that it was stupid. “That’s good…right? You got time to get even better.” “I’m not too worried about training; I’ve kinda been doing that all my life.” Surprise leaned in, resting her head against Derpy’s shoulder, “And I want to hang out with you as much as I can, so I’m going to get a job with you.” All of this and more she’d already been considering; her parents had been after her for some time regarding her future. With graduation fast approaching they wanted her settled in the Weather Factory, a thought which bored her to tears. But for just a little while, until she could send in her application for Wonderbolt try-outs…And if it was with Derpy… “…” Derpy gaped at her, uncertain what to say. Surprise was talented and good at everything. Derpy’s own exit exam from school said she was destined for nothing greater than menial work at the weather factory. “…Why would you wanna work in shipping? You’re way better than that, Surprise! Even if the job is only for a little bit, you should be doing something more important.” Surprise lifted her head, her soft violet gaze meeting and holding that of one of Derpy’s golden eyes. She smiled, canting her head to the side, and leaned in to give her friend a gentle nudge. “Because you’re my best friend, silly filly. If I gotta go somewhere else later, I want to have an awesome time with you now.” Silence fell over them as they just looked at one another. Some unspoken words passed between them; after years of friendship, they didn’t always need to speak to have a conversation. Surprise understood Derpy’s excessive loneliness and feelings of inadequacy as if they were her own. And Derpy knew that Surprise –who was never alone- often felt isolated, simply because her family didn’t always understand or appreciate her exuberance. And they had explored everything together, all of their disappointments and joys growing up. They had figured out the world mostly on their own, with Surprise’s parents trying their best to aid the two young mares but ultimately too busy to do so, while Derpy’s just didn’t care. “I wish you were my sister.” Derpy finally said, the tears she’d managed to hold back spilling over. She hated crying in front of most other ponies –she’d done it so much as a filly and been laughed at for it often- but it didn’t matter, when it came to Surprise. She knew her friend would neither judge her nor call her a crybaby. “’Cause you’re the best…And I…” She snuffled, unable to force herself to continue, “…I…” “Nuh-uh,” Surprise tugged her close, giving her a hearty snuggle, “It’s way better this way. I’m not this close with my sisters.” Her voice sounded husky and un-Surprise-like, lacking in some of its usual liveliness and cheer, “And it’s more special like this…we picked each other. You came here, to that big empty house, to be my friend…And I waited outside your door because you needed me. We needed each other, and even if we’re away from each other and other ponies are annoyed with me because of my surprises or being mean to you ‘cause they just don’t get it…We still know what’s important. And no matter what happens, no matter where we are…We’re always gonna be together, in here.” She paused, pressing a gentle hoof against Derpy’s chest, “’Cause we’re heart sisters.” It was then that the world blurred, as Derpy began crying in earnest. She had always known that the day they parted ways would come sometime; that they would wind up heading in different directions. It didn’t matter how much of a dreamer she was and how many fantasies she’d had about things staying the same…She knew things would have to change sometime when they grew up, though it seemed Surprise had held out some hope everything would forever remain the same. Surprise had always been the more imaginative, flighty of the two. She was an incurable idealist who believed everything in life could and would be awesome. And she was crying just as hard as Derpy. As Celestia’s sun sank that day, it bathed the two young mares in a wash of golds and pinks. They were still in the Cloudiseum, still curled together and holding each other tight as they shared in each other’s fear and uncertainty about the future, attempting to comfort each other in the clumsy yet powerful way of the young. ~~ “I forgot until just the other day all about heart families,” Derpy smiled fondly at the memory, settling back on her haunches and looking again at Rumble, who grinned back at her, sudden understanding lighting his eyes. When he pressed one of his own small hooves against his heart, she nodded, letting her eyes slide shut. “Because I was so busy thinking about real families. ‘Cause the word ‘family’ is a tricky one and it always makes me think of my mom and dad and I don’t like to think about them.” At his desk, Rumble couldn’t stop smiling. He knew the story wasn’t done yet, but it kind of didn’t matter, because he knew where it would end up. Whatever had happened between the day Derpy and Surprise snuck into the Cloudiseum and the present day…It was what had lead Derpy there, to Ponyville and Rumble’s family. It was what lead her to her heart family. “But my mom and dad are just that…my mom and dad,” she continued, opening her eyes and glancing out the window in the general direction of Cloudsdale, her gaze unfocused and dreamy, “And even though they didn’t do so good with me, they still helped make me who I am and I wouldn’t be here at all without them. If it weren’t for my mom and dad moving us to the fancy house and ignoring me most of the time, I wouldn’t have ever met Surprise. And if I never met Surprise, I wouldn’t have ever come to Ponyville and found my heart family.” “Why did you come to Ponyville?” The little white unicorn next to Rumble piped up again, cheered at the thought that the two best friends hadn’t parted ways on bad terms, but still insatiably curious – Who left their home like that? What kind of pony just…ran away? Derpy stood, trotting over to the filly and looking at her with mock solemnity. She was a cute little thing –Derpy had seen her around before, with another older unicorn who’s name had suddenly flown her mind- with big, guileless eyes and a curly mane that reminded the grey mare of cotton candy. “Don’t worry,” she gave the unicorn a little pat on the head, earning an especially adorable smile in return, “I’m getting to that.” ~~ The year flew by quickly. Packing and Distribution was the worst possible part of the Weather Factory to work in. The hours were long, boring and always the same. The pegasi working that division were responsible for making sure clouds were loaded properly, full of the correct form of precipitation, which was hardly a difficult task for even the most simpleminded individuals. There was a huge difference, after all, between snowflakes and raindrops and their respective clouds. Even fog was different from a regular cloud, though most ponies were under the assumption it was simply a cloud low to the ground. Derpy understood the weather. Not on an academic, scientific level, but rather an instinctual one. All pegasi had some sort of connection to the weather, even if they found themselves diverging off onto another career path, and the grey mare was no different. She knew how to mix clouds just so to create an effective rain, how to craft beautifully unique snowflakes, how to blanket the countryside with fog…She just didn’t know how to explain any of those things to other ponies and therein lay part of the problem. Being unable to explain had cost her a better job – It was part of the qualification exam the Weather Bureau required of all its factory workers. Derpy had failed that portion of the exam, much to her parents’ disappointment, and was therefore stuck in the distribution center. Surprise, on the other hoof, had qualified for a much better position. She never said what, but had turned down the offer, insisting on taking one of the other open slots in Packing and Distribution. She didn’t plan on hanging around for very long, after all, so why keep the good jobs from somepony else? Besides, she had to look out for Derpy. Accidents were bound to happen; trouble seemed to follow the grey mare wherever she went. Surprise knew most of the misfortune that befell her friend was hardly her fault. A lot of it was stuff that just happened, because of whatever or because Derpy was a little clumsy, but Surprise knew that other ponies wouldn’t see it quite like that and Derpy would be picked on and teased just as much at work as she had been at school. And she wasn’t about to let that happen. Everypony seemed to somehow know who Derpy was, though her parents didn’t often talk about her with their friends. She was not quite what they had expected of their only foal, and she knew they were ashamed of her. And yet, somehow, pretty much the entire Weather Factory knew she was the daughter of the formidable Cloud Burst, head of the storm department – And they thusly expected a lot from her. Her boss was hard on her, demanding her to be an example for the rest of the department, and criticizing her every shortcoming. She knew her coworkers twittered about her behind her back, giggling when she did klutzy things, like trip over things or accidentally drench herself with a raincloud. And though she had not messed up a single order and her shipments always went out on time, her parents were still less than pleased and hypercritical of her performance, because they somehow always knew when she had any kind of small accident or slip-up. Some days, she dreaded going home, solely because she knew they would be there, waiting to pick at her about how the day had gone. It wouldn’t have been so bad if there had maybe been some acknowledgement of her accomplishments, instead of just her failures. The job, though mindless, was physically demanding and Derpy worked hard to make sure her orders were packed properly, the clouds were kept at the proper temperatures, each shipment was signed for and sent on its way with the proper delivery crew. She was no slouch and yet…She was still laughed at, still belittled. She didn’t understand why. Why was it so impossible for other ponies to look beyond her personal accidents and see how effective she was at her job? Sure, she sometimes stumbled or misjudged distances. And yes, she was prone to crash landings. And sometimes, she didn’t understand jokes or her gaze wandered or she unintentionally broke something. But why did those have to be the things that defined her; the things that everypony noticed? Everypony except Surprise. As much as she hated to see Surprise stifle herself and settle for working well below her capabilities, Derpy was exceedingly glad to have her friend there with her. Because even in such humdrum, boring surroundings, Surprise made everything bright and fun.