As Derpy and Silver walked to school together, Derpy couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She had been training for a week, and now, it was time to show what she was capable of doing. She had done really well in her practices, but that was with Silver pretending to be Rain. This was the real deal. The show stopper. It was do or die of embarrassment. It was going to be a lot harder with the real Rain being right in front of her, dealing out her usual dose of insults. Derpy was sure of this. But with all the nervousness that she had inside her, she also couldn't help but feel a little anxious as well. This was her chance to take a stand for herself with no one else around to help her. It was still going to be difficult converting frustration to kindness and making fun of oneself, but not altogether impossible, Silver proved that. As they neared the doors, Derpy continually went over the tips Silver gave her over and over in her head. "Kill with kindness! Make fun of yourself! Embrace your disability! I just don't know what went wrong!"
"You ok?" Silver asked. Derpy snapped out of her trance and noticed that she was sweating a little.
"Yeah," she said, wiping her forehead. "Just a little nervous."
"Don't you worry!" Silver smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you do what you've been doing in training, then this should be a walk in the park for you!" Derpy smiled. It was nice to have him cheering her on. As soon as they had gone into the classroom, Derpy noticed Rain at the back of the class. Derpy had been hoping to get in one more practice round before the real thing, but there was no time. "This is it," Silver whispered. "The big one! I'll be right here if you need me."
"You're not coming with me?" Derpy asked nervously.
"You know Rain won't make fun of you if I'm around," Silver replied as he sat down at the seat. "Don't worry. Just remember what we went over, walk over there with confidence, and let her have it!"
Derpy swallowed hard. "A-alright," she stuttered as she started over towards Rain.
"Oh wait!" Silver suddenly said. "One more thing!" Derpy looked back to hear what he had to say, but instead, he took her hand and leaned her towards him as if to tell her a secret. When Derpy's head was about an inch from Silver's, he quickly leaned over and gave Derpy a small peck on her cheek. At that point, Derpy's mind started spinning. Her nervousness was replaced with complete and utter bliss. She quickly straightened up and looked around. Nobody noticed. She looked back at Silver, her hand upon her cheek and her face blushing furiously. "For good luck," he smiled back.
At that point, that kiss was just what Derpy needed, because her confidence went through the roof. Derpy sucked in a breath and walked back towards her desk. As she neared it, just like clockwork, Rain stopped in front of her with her smug grin. "Well well! If it isn't the Klutz of the Clouds!"
"Uh...hi Rain," Derpy replied. "Nice...morning huh?" Derpy looked back at Silver nervously and he gave her a thumbs up.
"It was, until I had to look at your silly eyes," Rain said. "I mean, I don't know how you live with yourself looking like that." She laughed out loud as some others around murmured loudly. Derpy hastily thought of a good comeback.
"Very carefully!" she responded with a smile. Rain stopped laughing immediately and looked at Derpy both shocked and confused. Once she saw Rain's expression, Derpy became more confident and happily continued, "I mean, it's a bit hard sometimes, but I just go with the flow."
"Yeah...well..." Rain stuttered, trying to regain her smug composure, "I would just hate it if I knew I was going to trip over my own feet everyday. In fact, I bet you've already made a fool out of yourself." More murmurs came from around the room.
"Actually, yes," Derpy happily answered, once again stunning Rain and the class. "I was getting out of bed this morning and literally FELL out of bed. I just don't know what went wrong!" Derpy chuckled as Rain just stared. By now, the entire class was watching the two pegasus-girls go at it, and no one knew what was coming next. Silver just watched with a big smile on his face as Derpy was able to retort with a happy attitude.
Rain continued to stammer, thinking of something witty to say, but all that came out was, "You're ugly and stupid!"
Derpy was surprised. Normally, Rain was more clever than that with her insults, but she must've been really desperate to get under her skin if she used an insult like that, but all it did was show Derpy, and the rest of the class, that she was losing this battle. It just made Derpy more confident. "I suppose I could bring my grades up some more," Derpy replied happily, "and I didn't wear any makeup today. Then again, I don't really wear makeup. Never really liked the stuff, but it works for you Rain. You look really pretty. Are YOU wearing makeup?"
The whole class started murmuring even more. No one had ever heard Derpy happily make fun of herself OR compliment Rain before. As the rest of the class stared on, Silver started to lightly chuckle as he tried to contain his full laughter. As for Rain, she was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to comeback from that. All she did was stammer and try to start an insult, like, "Well...you're...and...your..." Finally, she grunted, "Whatever, loser," and stomped back to her own desk finally defeated. The rest of the class stared at Derpy like she had just slain a dragon or something. Derpy looked happily at Silver who smiled big and gave an even bigger thumbs up. Derpy was in pure bliss, and couldn't stop smiling. At that point, Mr. Aero entered the classroom and the lesson began.
After class, Derpy met up with Silver in the hall.
"Way to go Derpy!" Silver happily said as he gave her a congratulatory hug, "You did great! How do you feel?"
"I feel...AMAZING!" Derpy said with a smile. "I feel like I could fly 100 miles per hour! I've never felt so...bubbly in a while!"
"That's great!" Silver responded as he placed her hand on her shoulder. Just as they were about to go to their next class, they were stopped by Rainbow Dash, one of the school's star athletes.
"Hey Derpy!" Rainbow said. "I saw what went down between you and Rain! You were so awesome!"
"Thanks Rainbow," Derpy said, blushing a little.
"Hey, you and Silver wanna sit with some of us at lunch?" Rainbow asked.
Derpy's eyes went wide and her ears perked up a bit. No one had ever asked her to sit with them for lunch before. Derpy looked excitedly at Silver, who nodded, and turned back to Rainbow. "Sure."
"Cool," Rainbow smiled as she turned to leave. "See you then."
As she zoomed off down the hall, Derpy looked happily at Silver. "I think this new attitude of mine is paying off!"
"Looks like!" Silver chuckled as he and Derpy walked to their next class.
"So...what happens now?" Derpy asked.
Silver smiled as he replied, "Now...change will take a turn for the better!
And it DID change for the better! After that day, something happened in Derpy's once depressing life. The new hope that sparked when Silver first defended her had started to grow even more rapidly than before. Not only did more people start talking to Derpy, but they even invited her to sit with them at lunch and join them in groups for making projects. Not only that, but Rain was never able to bother her after that. Though she tried harder than before, Rain could not break Derpy. Making fun of herself and showing happiness and kindness really worked for her, because Rain couldn't get a single hit on her, and after a while, she quit trying altogether. Through the combination of more friends and no more harassment, that bubbly attitude that once was so small within Derpy grew more and more, and Derpy showed more of it every day. As Derpy would walk down the halls, she would be greeted by more and more people, and each time, she would respond with an even more happier, "Hello." After a few weeks, Derpy was showing the full blast of her bubbly attitude, and it made others smile. One particular day, Derpy and Silver were walking down the halls when they heard a familiar voice, "You really ought to watch where you're going Cluttershy!" The two knew who it was immediately as they hurried around the corner to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was Rain, now snapping at timid little Fluttershy for accidentally bumping into her.
"I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said in her sweet and soft voice. "I was distracted a-a-and I didn't see you..."
"That was obvious," Rain snapped. "What were you thinking about? How the only friends you have are animals because you're so ugly?" Fluttershy backed away slowly as a tear started to form in her eyes. Silver stepped forward to say something, but someone else beat him to it.
"Ah c'mon Rain," Derpy said, walking forward. "Leave her alone."
Rain turned around and sneered at her. "Stay out of this Derp-face, or you're next."
"Why do you do this Rain?" Derpy asked sincerely. "You bring others down to build yourself up? What's the point? Others know you are already beautiful on the outside, so why don't you try being beautiful on the inside too? Like Fluttershy." Rain stared at Derpy, trying to think of something to say, but as usual, she just huffed in anger and stomped off. Derpy went over to a weeping Fluttershy. "You ok?"
"Yeah," Fluttershy responded as she wiped her eyes. Derpy wrapped her in a comforting hug.
"Don't let anyone tell you that you're not pretty, cause it's not true," Derpy said in her ear. "Just keep your chin up and remember to be joyful, no matter how hard it may seem! And don't forget that you have a friend in me."
"Ok," Fluttershy said with a smile as she broke the hug. "Thanks Derpy!" She then gathered her books and continued down the hall. Derpy turned back to Silver who had a big smile on his face. Nothing needed to be said about it. And with that, the two continued down toward their class.
News spread quickly of Derpy standing up for Fluttershy, and everyone was both touched and amazed. It didn't stop there though. Whenever Derpy and Silver saw a saddened face, they did their best to lift their spirits and give them encouragement, and it worked. Pretty soon, the classmates were going to the two just to brighten their own days, and Derpy and Silver couldn't be happier. When December hit, an announcement was made to the students. It was during first period, where Derpy and Silver had class together, when the principal's voice came over the intercom.
"Attention students! The nominations for the student awards have been chosen, elected by you." Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened intently. "For 'Most Athletic', the nominees are Rainbow Dash, Thunderlane, and Blossomforth." The students clapped a little for Rainbow and Blossom, who were in the class. "The nominees for 'Best Smile' are Flitter and Silverspeed'." Another round of clapping. "The 'nominee' for 'Most Popular' is Rain Storm." Rain stood up and gave a homecoming wave with a smile to match as the class applauded. The principal continued with a few more award nominees until the last one sounded through. "And finally, the nominees for 'Most Likely to Brighten Your Day' are...Derpy and Silver Lining. That is all."
An even louder applause broke loose as the class cheered for Derpy and Silver. The applause was even louder than Rain's. Silver sat there with a humble smile on his face, while Derpy was in complete shock. She had NEVER been nominated for ANYTHING before, and now she, the once very depressing loner, was in the runnings for "Most Likely to Brighten Your Day." And the best part was that she knew that Silver deserved it just as much, nay, even more than her. Derpy glanced over at Rain to see that she was just as shocked, possibly even more, than she was. She then turned back to the front of the class with a scowl on her face. If you looked close enough, you could see a hint of green rising up in her face. After class, Derpy and Silver talked about the award as they walked to their next class.
"I isn't fair for just ONE of us to get the award," Silver said, "so let's make an agreement that whoever gets it, splits it with the latter."
"You're on!" Derpy replied happily as they shook hands in agreement.
Whatever the case was, it seemed that the nomination for the award made Derpy even more popular than before. She found herself talking to so many classmates, wanting to meet her and spend time with her, and she was willing to try and talk to all of them. Though through all the friends that she was starting to form, Derpy didn't, for a second, forget her best friend. That's what Silver was to her. He wasn't just another friend, he was her best friend, and she knew Silver felt the same way. Even with the growing popularity, Derpy never decreased her time with him. They still sat together at lunch, walked to classes together, and walked each other home. Nothing could break those two apart.
As the days grew shorter and the snow began to fall, winter break was around before anyone knew it. The students were really excited for this, because for where there was winter, there was Hearth's Warming Eve, everybody's favorite holiday. A time when songs were sung, beautiful decorations were displayed, and families came together to join in merriment and gift giving. Normally, Derpy would expect another year alone with no family or friends, but this year couldn't have been more different. After finding out that Derpy spent the holiday alone, Silver immediately invited her to stay with him for the day. Derpy couldn't have said yes any faster. The two spent the day before putting up decorations, playing in the snow, singing their favorite carols, and all of the above. It was the best holiday Derpy ever had, and it wasn't even the real day yet. On the morning of Hearth's Warming, the two pegasi zoomed to Silver's living room where they had each placed a brightly-wrapped gift under the small tree. Silver's gift was wrapped in shiny silver paper (what else) with a nice red ribbon around it, while Derpy's was sky blue paper with little snowmen on it. The two quickly grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and sat down by the tree to exchange their gifts.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Silver!" Derpy smiled as she handed the shiny box to Silver. He took it with a smile and started to tear the paper off. When he got to the cardboard box underneath, he opened that as well and looked inside. A big smile spread across his face as he reached in the box and pulled out a bright yellow sweatshirt with his own cutie mark on the front.
"Derpy! This is awesome!" Silver said. "How did you get this?"
"I went to a young unicorn seamstress in Ponyville," Derpy replied. "It was no big deal."
"Thanks," Silver said happily as he reached for his own gift to Derpy. "Here you go!" Derpy took the gift. It was a bit small, but it was long; about the length of a drinking straw. Derpy looked up at Silver, gave a small smile, and tore into the paper. It didn't take long for her to get to a black box that opened on its side. Derpy slowly opened it, and when she saw what was inside, her mouth fell open in awe. Inside was a gold necklace with little sapphire gems around it and a front gem the size of a marble that was carved into the shape of a blueberry muffin. Derpy couldn't help but tear up a bit as she took it out and examined it closer.
"Oh Silver," she said in amazement. "It's beautiful! I love it!"
"I'm glad," he replied. "I went to this customizable jeweler and he gave me a good bargain on it. Wanna try it on?" Derpy nodded as they both stood up and went to the mirror by the door. Derpy turned to face the mirror as Silver stood behind her reached his arm in front to portray the necklace. As he fastened the chain with his hand and teeth, very skillfully, Derpy couldn't help but pick up a delightful scent coming from Silver. It was like a combination of pine needles and vanilla, and it made her nostrils flare in a good way. Normally, Derpy didn't notice how Silver smelled, but with him right behind her, she couldn't help but pick up on the scent. It felt good to smell him. Her mind began to daze as Derpy took another breath, taking in the wonderful smell, but soon snapped out of it as he spoke. "There. Let's see you."
Derpy slowly turned around to face Silver. When she looked up, she almost jumped. Silver was closer than she thought, and when she looked into his eyes, Derpy couldn't help but notice that they were also a shade of yellow. Derpy never focused enough to notice them, but knowing that she wasn't the only one with yellow eyes made Derpy blush. She also noticed that in the light, Silver looked quite, well, handsome. Derpy had always thought of him as decent-looking, but now, he just looked amazing. His silver hair that barely made it down to his ears, his nice waistline, some nice muscle tone...
"Hey Derpy! Are you alright?"
Derpy snapped back out of her trance and looked back at Silver. "Yeah I'm fine. I love my gift! Thank you."
"No problem Derpy," Silver replied with a soft grin. "Happy Hearth's Warming." He then reached out his arm and the two embraced in a nice hug. Derpy sighed dreamily as she leaned her head on his chest. His embrace felt so warm and comforting that she didn't want to let him go. She just wanted to stay locked in his arm for the rest of her life, not having anything to worry about, because all she needed was right with her. Derpy's heart was going about a mile a minute as she felt herself blushing. What was going on with her? She had never felt this way around Silver before, but something was different. Was it possible? Through all the times they've spent together and the heartaches that he helped her with, was she finally figuring it out? It took all this time and a holiday to know for sure, but as Derpy stood there with Silver's arm around her, she realized something new. Something that she couldn't deny after all the signs.
Derpy had feelings for Silver.