Angelico's

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?

Confrontation, panic and consolation

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Confrontation, panic and consolation

I groaned as I became aware of the sun flooding in through my windows. Ugh, I hate mornings. I especially hate ones that disturb wonderful dreams of flying with my team by shining obnoxious sunlight on my face.
I was sprawled on my stomach in a most unladylike manner, blankets kicked to the bottom of the bed, sheets askew and tail splayed everywhere; though fortunately still keeping me decent. Not that it would have mattered, even if it hadn't, what with nopony else around.
Groaning in protest against the morning sun, I turned away and curled up with my back to the window, feeling the warmth against me. I dozed on my bed, enjoying the pleasant memories of last night and the faint scent of my...activities, before I'd fallen asleep. One eye drifted lazily open to look at my clock. Good, only twenty minutes until Lily said she'd be here to pick up her stuff.
Oh mother of...! Twenty minutes?!
I scrambled out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. Stupid! How could I sleep in so late?! Idiot!
Choice words were uttered as cold water from the shower cascaded over me, banishing all remnants of sleep and doing more to wake me up than any coffee could. Although I tried to keep them dry, some water managed to seep into the bandages on my wing, dampening them.
I finished up in the bathroom and started gathering Lily's things up from around the house. After about ten minutes of frantic careening around my house, trying to grab everything of hers I could see, I realised how silly I was being. Still trying to please her, even in breaking up.
Mentally chastising myself, I stopped and caught my breath. I'll be damned if I'm going to race around my house to clean up her freaking mess! She wants her stuff packed? She can damn well help pack it herself! My stomach growled; whether in assent of my thoughts, or rebellion at not having been full since dinner yesterday, I couldn't tell.
Fine, breakfast time. A salad would be good about now.
As I opened a cupboard to get a bowl to put the ingredients in, I spied a box of muffins on the shelf above them. Huh. I reached up with my good wing and pulled them down, turning over the box to read the front label. Chocolate chip, one of Derpy's favourites, according to our conversation last night. I smiled at the thought of the grey mare, her face all alight as she talked about her favourite food, lights from the dance-floor playing across her face.
Oh, sod it, one muffin wasn't going to destroy my training regimen. I opened the box, greeted by the smell of bread and chocolate; and slipped a muffin out, placing it on the side. I then put the box back and went about making my breakfast.
Shortly thereafter, as I was busy munching away, I heard a knock at the door. Sighing, I got down off my stool and made my way into the hall. I didn't want to deal with this, but at the same time, I just wanted it over with. Better to get it done now, than keep postponing it.
I reached the door and made sure my mane was in order. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and opened it, what I hoped was a stern expression on my face. On the other side, Lily Thread stood, gorgeous as ever. I suppose I ought to describe her.
Standing as tall as any other unicorn, though perhaps a little slimmer; her coat was a colour she called “greyish gamboge”, but I just called grey-beige. Her mane and tail were both a dark grey, with lighter highlights and her cutie-mark was a pair of drama masks; the ones that everypony knows, the happy and sad ones. Her eyes, the feature that initially caught my attention all those months ago, were a strong emerald. They almost seemed to glow with their own inner light, offering the illusion that they were perpetually shining out of her face. Of course, being a unicorn, she most likely had cast a spell to make them do exactly that. It would be just like her.
She also loved her clothes and today was no exception. Aside from the thin band of green metal she always wore around her neck, she was wearing some sort of pale-pink shirt, with lacy cuffs. Hanging from her ears were a pair of diamond ear-rings, the precious stones glinting in the morning sun.
Lily was normally loud, with an “in-your-face” attitude and would usually make sure everypony around knew of her arrival, long before they actually saw her. To be quite honest, I was surprised I hadn't heard her outside the door before now. Instead, today, she was simply stood quietly on the other side of the door; her green eyes not meeting mine. I'd never seen her like this before and my first instinct was to ask what was wrong. I suppressed it before it betrayed me. Instead, I simply gave a slight upward flick of my head.

“Hello,” I said. “I'm not finished packing yet. You can come in to help, but then you leave with your stuff.”

“I...” she started.

“Don't want to hear it, Lily. Start upstairs, I'll bring some boxes.” My wing rustled against my side, belying my irritation.

“O...ok.”

I stepped to one side, allowing her to move past me, her head hanging down slightly. What was with her today? I expected her to arrive all self-righteous, trying to cow me into taking her back or at least yell at me for not packing her things in time. Instead, she seemed...well, kinda normal. Like a completely different pony. Did she realise that she'd screwed up big this time, maybe? Or was she trying to guilt-trip me? Doesn't matter. She wasn't going to get her way this time. I went and fetched the boxes from under the stairs, where I'd tidied them away after Lily had moved in.
The next hour was spent with us silently moving around the house, packing things into boxes and avoiding each other's glances. When it was all done, I escorted Lily to the door, the boxes floating around her in her white magic. She turned as she stepped outside, seemingly about to say something, but she just stood there.

“What?” I asked tersely.

“I...I wanted to say...I...I'm sorry,” she said.

Apologising was extremely out of character for Lily. Woe be unto whomever suggested she was ever in the wrong! I knew it just had to be some sort of trick, probably a last ditch attempt to get me to relent. I snorted.

“Too late for that Lily, you're not getting me back that way. Hell, you're not getting me back at all. Not after what you accused me of.”

“I know, but it was wrong of me. It's not your fault.”

“Fault?” I asked, incredulity making its way into my voice. I raised an eyebrow to accompany my expression of annoyed surprise. What the hell was she playing at?

“Yeah,” she continued. “You can't help being the way you are. But...but I think I know somepony who can help. He-”

“Help?!” I shouted.

“Speesha, plea-”

“You don't call me that! Not now! Not ever! What do you mean, help?! You think I'm sick? Is that it?!” I was leaning forward now, my wing brushing the wall from being fully extended and I was practically nose to nose with Lily. All instinctual displays of anger, none of it conscious. For the first time ever since I knew her, I saw a glimmer of fear and concern in her eyes.

“You are sick, Fire, it's not normal! You need help!” She took a step forward, the fear in her eyes dissolving into defiance. Her hoof crossed the threshold of the door. I didn't back down, though she managed to counter-act my forward lean. We ended up in each other’s faces, one staring furiously into the other’s eyes.

“How dare you say that!” I yelled back, voice nearly cracking from both volume and the slivers of hurt her words were delivering to my heart. How could she, she, of all ponies, be saying such things?! Regular filly-fooling unicorns found it hard enough to get by on a day-to-day basis, let alone ones with her fame!

“How dare I?!” Lily shrieked, the sudden anger erasing her Canterlot accent. “How dare I?! You're the one who hid your damn diseased mind from me! You're the one who was sneaking around behind my back! You-”

“I was not! Not once!”

“Don't lie to me! All those times you left to “train” with Blaze and Soarin!”

“What?! That's ridiculous! Blaze is my sister for Celestia's sake! And Soarin's...Soarin...” I trailed off uncertainly. My wing curled, half-folding.

“What about Soarin?” she asked with a sneer.

“He...never mind about Soarin! This isn't about him!” My wing extended again, making a “flumpf” noise.

“Aha! I knew it! I knew something was going on!”

“No! You know I don't-”

“Don't lie to me!”

Before I could react, she punctuated “lie” with a backwards slap across my face with her hoof. Completely unprepared, I staggered back and tripped over the rug. I fell back on my haunches, hoof going to my cheek where she had struck me.

“You...you hit me...” I said, barely more than a whisper. I stared up at her, eyes wide with shock. Lily stood in the door, self-righteous anger contorting her features as she looked down at me.

“You're broken, Spitfire, and you need fixed. If you don't want my help doing that, then fine. But don't, ever, lie to me.”

Burning anger...no, rage, built up inside me.

“You hit me!” I half-screamed, half-hissed at her. My eyes narrowed, piercing her with the white-hot fury building inside me. She blanched at that, but realised her mistake too late. An angry Pegasus is not one to be messed with.

“Fire, wait, I'm sor-”

In one smooth movement, I planted my forehooves, braced my hind legs under me and launched myself towards her; using my wing to keep myself steady in the air. She squeaked in terror as I shot across the tiny gap, trying to back herself out of the door.
I only meant to scare her, to get her out the door and slam it in her face. Really, I did. Even when I'm seething with fury, I remain clear headed; analytical almost. Throughout my life; it's this ability that’s kept me from doing something awful if I get really angry.
But I was forced to watch as if in slow motion as Lily's hooves slipped on the door-jamb, preventing her from getting out of the way in time. My hoof connected squarely with her nose, eliciting a terrible crunching sound as it broke. I clearly felt the cartilage around her muzzle snap and shift under my hoof.
Lily screamed in pain and staggered back under the force of the unintentional punch, hoof flying to her muzzle. I could see blood leaking from under her hoof, running down her leg to drip onto the stone path running from my gate to my door; though at that moment, I didn't care much.

“AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK!” I bellowed out at her, finally slamming the door.

I turned and fell back against the door, tears rising unbidden and my hoof going to my mouth to stifle something that was a cross between a gasp and a sob.
Oh sweet Celestia! I broke her nose! I've never hit somepony like that before! Ohshi- Ohshi- Ohshi- What...was I going to be arrested by the city guard? No, no! My career would be destroyed! Nononononono, that's not going to happen, get it together Firrii!
Vaguely, I was aware of a wail on the other side of the door, presumably Lily discovering the extent of the damage done to her face.
It's her word against yours and even if they side with her you'll just get a fine and maybe a few weeks of bad press but the team will understand right at least Soarin will and Blaze is your sister so she'll stand by you and nothing too bad will come of it maybe you'll even get a reputation for taking no crap and that's always a boon for PR and popularity but what are you gonna do what are you gonna do what are you gonna do whatareyougonnadowhatareyougonnadowhatareyougonnadooooo...
I sank to the floor, resting on my chin with my eyes screwed shut and forehooves wrapped over the top of my head. I let out a small wail of my own, choked off by a single sob. I don't know how long I laid there, desperately trying to calm my racing thoughts; before they suddenly crystallised of their own accord: Derpy.
Get to Derpy. She'll listen. Get to Derpy. She'll understand. Get to Derpy. She'll be safe. Get to Derpy. She'll make the hurt stop. Get to Derpy.
I have no idea where this idea came from, or how I even thought a mare I'd just met the night before would even care about my problems, but it seemed the only clear choice. A strange calm descended over me.
I got to my hooves and raced through the kitchen, my wing catching on my salad bowl and nearly knocking it off the side. Bursting through the door of the small utility room I used as an office; I started rifling through the mess, looking for a clean piece of paper and a quill. Upon finding them, I dipped the quill in the inkwell and started writing:

“Derpy,

I know we only met last night and we barely know each other, but you made an offer for me to come visit you any time and I want to take you up on that. Right now. I hate to impose on you so soon, but I need this. Something's happened and I feel that you're the only one I can turn to right now. I promise I'll tell you everything when I get there, but for now, please, as soon as you get this, wait for me at Ponyville station; I'll be on the next train.

Spitfire.”

I folded the letter up and dashed back into the hall, grabbing my purse and hanging it around my neck. There was only one way to get this thing to Ponyville in time; I would have to find Soarin. Hopefully he was at his house, not far from here.
After quickly checking that Lily wasn't still around outside, I slipped out the door and raced up the street.

* * * * * *

The sun was warm and high in the sky as I approached Soarin's place. It was probably noon, or thereabout, not that I was in any condition to check. I felt cold, despite the heat of the day; as if I was wrapped in a sheet of ice. The fight with Lily had affected me more than I realised. I was shivering all over from fear and an adrenaline crash, not something I experience often.
As I walked up to the door, I was suddenly gripped by the unshakable fear that Soarin wasn't in and I would be stuck in Canterlot. I really didn't want to be in the city at that moment. What if Lily came back? What if she brought the guard with her? What if it wasn't the guard and instead, she brought some of those thugs she called bodyguards? What if...what if...what if...
Soarin's door opened suddenly, startling me. I hadn't even realised I'd knocked.

“Hey, Firrii,” said Soarin, the sun making his light-blue coat sparkle. “How's...Firrii? What's wrong? You look awful!”

“Foarfin!” I tried to say around the letter in my mouth. I took it out with my hoof and tried again. “Soarin! I need a really big favour of you, like, right now.”

“Right now, right now?” he asked.

“Yes, right now, right now.”

“What is it? You know I'm good for anything.”

“I need you to take this letter to Ponyville and deliver it to somepony.”

“You realise Canterlot has a postal service, yeah?” he said, grinning. My haggard expression was his only answer. “Firrii, you sure you're ok? I've never seen you like this before and...what happened to your face?!”

“No,” I answered, gritting my teeth. I didn't want to break down in front of him, or he'd never let me go and I had to find Derpy; but he deserved the truth. “No I'm not alright. I...she...things went bad with Lily this morning and...”

“She did this to you?!”

“Soarin, please, not so loud! I don't want another spectacle.” I glanced around uneasily, but nopony seemed to be around.

“Firrii, listen...”

“No, Soarin, please. Just get this letter to Ponyville for me. Please? I just need you to do that. Find a grey mare with a yellow mane and strange eyes and give her the letter. Her name's Derpy and I met her last night in Angelico's. Please, Soarin, please?” I proffered the letter to Soarin, who just looked at it. For one horrible moment, I thought he would refuse, but eventually he took it and stuffed it into his mane.

“A mare, Firrii? What's going on?” he demanded.

“It's...Soarin, I'll tell you everything later, ok? I can't...I mean, it's complicated...and I really don't want to go into it just now.”

“Alright, alright. Fine. I'll do this, but you owe me one, you damned silly fool.” He hugged me close with a hoof. “You sure you don't need anything else? That's a nasty looking bruise showing through your fur.”

“No. Thanks though Soar, you're a good friend.” I returned the hug briefly, though that strange calm that had descended on me in my house was preventing me from feeling anything other than the strange urge to find Derpy.

“Right, I'd better go tell Tint I'll be gone for a few hours, since he's here,” Soarin said. “How are you getting to Ponyville?”

“Train and I'd better hurry, I don't know when the next one is.”

“Then you'd best go. Go on, I'll make sure this “Derpy” gets your letter before you get there. Go, go!”

I nodded and with another “thank you”, I galloped away, heading for the train-station.

* * * * * *

The station was a lot further from Soarin's house than I thought. By the time I got there, I was completely out of breath and starting to sweat in the day's heat. I stood outside for a moment, chest burning as I gasped down giant lungfuls of air. My legs hurt from galloping on the hard surface of the streets, but once I'd recovered enough to move, I forced myself inside.
The interior of the train-station was a massive cacophony of announcements, ponies talking, food merchants peddling their wares for passengers to take on-board and the sounds of the engines themselves filtering in from the many platforms. A train's whistle sounded and the distinct “whump-whump-whump” of the wheels slipping could be heard over the rest of the din. Celestia, I hoped that wasn't the next train to Ponyville.
Hanging over the middle of the concourse was a board displaying all the arrival and departure times for the trains. A pair of unicorns were underneath it, manipulating the magical text and talking to the constant stream of porters telling them which trains had arrived and left.
I scanned the departures side of the board as the text flowed across its many rows:

Appleloosa X – 12:42 – Platform A – delayed.
Appleloosa (via Ponyville) – 12:45 – Platform F – departed. (Ponyfeathers!)
Baltimare – 12:40 – Platform E – departed.
Crystal Mtns. Junction – 12:56 – Platform D
Dodge City X – 12:39 – Platform B – departed.
Dodge City (via Ponyville) – 12:49 – departed. (Yatch'na!)
Fillydelphia – 13:13 – Platform C – cancelled. Please wait for more information.
Los Pegasus X – 12:52 – Platform H
Los Pegasus (via Ponyville) – 12:55 – Platform G

There! I could catch the train going to Los Pegasus! What was the time? I cast a glance around and spied a clock hanging over the ticket booths: 12:51. It would be leaving in a few minutes! I had to move quickly.
It seemed fortune decided to smile on me at that moment, as one of the closed ticket booths opened. I dashed over to it, startling the young stallion on the other side. I stated where I was going, asked for First Class and dropped a couple of bits into the rotating tray. He eyed me for a moment, but quickly set about tearing a ticket off a roll and stamping it with the proper information. After he dropped the ticket in the tray and spun it round, I grabbed it with my hoof, stuck it in my mane and cantered off to find the platform.
I made it just in time. The station was huge and no sooner had I gotten onto the right platform, than the last boarding call sounded. I darted onto the carriage just as the porters started closing the doors further down. I found an empty cabin and almost fell into my seat from exhaustion. Put me in the air and I can go for hours, but that really doesn't translate into running endurance.
The train's whistle went off and I felt the carriage jerk momentarily as the chain between it and the carriage in front went taut. Then the station started sliding past the window, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up speed. Soon, we'd left the station entirely and lower Canterlot was whispering past on the other side of the glass.
I relaxed momentarily. I was on my way. I'd done it. Lily was behind me and couldn't get to me.
An unsteady sigh escaped my lips, once again reminding me that I was still shaking like a leaf. I held a hoof up to my face and concentrated. Try as I might, I couldn't get it to keep still. I was just about to give up when everything went black. What...?
It took me almost a minute to realise that I hadn't gone blind, but that the train had passed inside Witherspeak, the tracks leading inside the mountain in order to descend down to the level of its destination. I could detect a slight lean as the train followed the curved tracks. How long had I been staring at my hoof like that? Was I losing time? There was no way the train was going that fast! Get it together, Spitfire! You were in a fight, not a freaking warzone!
A light appeared on the other side of the blind covering the door to the cabin and a knock came.

“Yes?” I asked, voice deadpan. I must be more drained than I realise. The door opened and a unicorn conductor stood, brandishing a small candle lamp in his magic, the purple glow shifting around it steadily.

“Just coming to turn on the lamp, miss,” he said, entering the cabin and turning to the gas fitting next to the door. His magic grew slightly brighter as he simultaneously lifted the lamp to the gas light and turned the valve to open the gas. The gas light instantly sprung to life, yellow flame quietly hissing. Bright light flooded the cabin, almost blinding me.

“As I'm here, miss, I might as well check your ticket.” He turned back to me, magic lifting a hole puncher from a pocket on his uniform. I fished my ticket out of my mane and handed it to him. He took it in his magic and examined it. While he did so, I asked him how long we'd be in the tunnel.

“Oh, another hour or so, I'd expect. The tracks run in a spiral inside the mountain, so we can't go too fast.” Apparently satisfied with the ticket, he punched a hole in it and handed it back to me. I took it and replaced it in my mane.

“Have a nice trip,” he said and left, closing the door behind him.

I curled up on the seat, facing toward the window, which offered nothing save a reflection of the cabin. The blackness outside it was absolute. Perhaps I should just close my eyes for a moment, I feel so tired and...
I yawned.
We're going to be in this tunnel for a while, so...
My eyes slipped closed.

* * * * * *

Bright light splashed across my face. What in the name of...?! I bolted awake, lifting myself up on my forehooves. The window was no longer black, Equestria's countryside speeding by, bright sunshine shining down on everything and through my window. I relaxed, realising I'd merely fallen asleep on the train and we'd emerged from out of the mountain.
At first, I was surprised that I'd managed to do so, given the morning's events; then I was surprised that I was feeling surprised. That nap must've done me some good. My emotions were calmer, though I was still shaken up; and the shaking had stopped...mostly. I reached behind me and turned off the gas lamp, extinguishing the small but bright flame.
I returned to looking out of the window and yawned. The plains around Witherspeak and Canterlot were quite picturesque. I could see why somepony would want to live out here. By now, the train had picked up some serious speed. Low bushes lined the track, cascading past the window in a single blur of dark green. Out in the fields, I could see expansive meadows, animals grazing and the occasional farm with fields of wheat and corn. At one point, even a river rolled by underneath.
I sat staring out of the window for quite some time, watching Equestria roll by; my tail twitching in agitation as my thoughts rattled around in my head.
How was I going to explain all this to Derpy? How would she react? Would she sympathise? Would she care? Had Soarin even made it to Ponyville yet? Was Derpy reading the letter right this moment? Did she remember what happened last night? Was she worried? Disinterested? Oh Celestia, what if she took it all as a prank? What if...what if she wasn't there when I arrived? These worries and more buzzed in my head like angry flies, refusing to leave me alone, driving me nuts.
Even though the train was travelling at a phenomenal speed, it was still a couple of hours before I became aware of something emerging from behind the forest that had been dominant in the view out of the window for some time now. I saw a small town with a tall clock tower on the outskirts and a large cylindrical structure could be seen rising above all the other buildings at its base, though I had no idea what it could be at this distance. The angle the train was on allowed me to see the tracks curving gently around towards the town. That must be Ponyville!
Suddenly, in the skies over the town, a massive flat rainbow bloomed out of nowhere. It spread rapidly across the sky, pushing any clouds it encountered ahead of it. Racing out of the centre and climbing was a rainbow streak, going impossibly fast. That could be none other than Ponyville's resident aspiring Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash. I hoped that she hadn't seen Soarin in the town and was showing off for him, as it could lead back to me and I wasn't in any state to deal with her. If the rainbow trail was indeed Rainbow Dash, then judging by her now downward curve, she was going to end up on the far side of town, away from me. Ugh, I sound like such a snob.
Ponyville was half hidden by the now slowing train, when the conductor came down the carriage, calling:

“Fifteen minutes to Ponyville! All passengers for Ponyville, disembark at the next stop!”

I waited as the train seemed to make the next fifteen minutes as excruciatingly slow as possible. It slowed to a crawl just outside the town and apparently inched its way to the platform; though in all reality it was probably no slower than it would normally be pulling into a station. Like in Canterlot, there was a sudden jerk, only this time it heralded the complete stop of the vehicle, rather than the departure. I got up and made my way into the corridor of the carriage and out to the door. I stepped out into the billowing steam.
The first thing that hit me as the steam cleared, was, compared to Canterlot, how Ponyville station seemed practically deserted; if you could call a single, covered platform attached to small hall a station. A few ponies were disembarking from the train, but not many and even fewer were waiting to board. Stepping out of one of the further carriages, a purple unicorn with a strange, star-shaped cutie-mark and odd violet and rose streaks through her deep blue mane caught my eye; but I didn't linger over her. I was looking for a completely different pony.
I scanned the platform, hoping for a pair of familiar yellow eyes to be staring back at me. What I got instead was the back of a pale yellow mane and next to it...Soarin? What was he still doing here? My fellow Wonderbolt had a pair of flight goggles on top of his head. He spotted me and waved me over.

“Firrii! Over here!”

Derpy's head snapped around at his voice and she beamed from ear to ear when she saw me, dancing on the spot and wings popping up in excitement. My heart skipped a beat at that, all my fears melting away as if they'd never existed in the first place. Similarly, the odd, cold calm that had me in its grip since that morning just disappeared. I tried to stop myself from breaking into a full on gallop to meet her and instead, calmly walk towards her; I managed a half-trot, half-canter instead. As I reached them, Derpy lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around me, wings fluttering back into place. I gratefully returned the hug.

“There you are!” she cried, letting go. “I got your letter. Soarin practically bowled me over when he found me. You take all the time you need and...oh! Your face! What did she do to you?”

“I'm fine, really. I've taken worse licks in training. You told her, I presume?” I said, turning to Soarin.

“She er...she made me,” he offered, grinning sheepishly. “Wouldn't let me leave otherwise.”

“I see. Wait, why are you waiting for me in the first place? Why aren't you on your way back to Canterlot?”

“I gave myself wing-sprain on the way over. Flying back now would probably put me out of action for a week.”

I nodded and turned back to Derpy, who was staring at me with some concern.

“That really is a nasty bruise,” she said. “At least let me get you home and put some ice on it?”

“Alright. I should explain everything to you anyway.”

We made our goodbyes to Soarin and left the platform, walking through the empty station. As we came out the other side, Ponyville was laid out before me. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was beautiful!
Thatched, two-storey cottages lined the stone streets, white walls shining bright in the afternoon sun. Every house had a wooden half door, all of which stood open in some fashion or other. Ponies went about their business, stood chatting in groups or just led around enjoying the sun. Fillies and colts could occasionally be seen darting about, playing and laughing. The street we were on ran straight to the tall building I'd seen from the train, which, now that I was closer, appeared to be some sort of civic building; banners and pennants hanging from its various tiers.

“It's the town hall,” Derpy said.

“Huh?”

“That,” she pointed with a hoof. “You were staring at it. It's our town hall. New ponies are quite often impressed with it.” She smiled and draped a wing over me, curling the tip to my shoulder; a protective gesture. I wanted to return it, but she was on the side with my broken wing.

“Now come on, let's get some ice on that jaw of yours.”

We walked a for a while, Derpy leading me down the streets like I had for her in Canterlot the night before. In fact, the entire situation was almost exactly mirrored, as I was now the one to stare about myself in fascination. The architecture was quaint, but solid; functional, yet aesthetically pleasing.

“It wasn't wing-sprain, by the way,” Derpy suddenly piped up.

“I'm sorry?” I asked.

“Soarin,” she replied. “He said he had wing-sprain, but he was telling a bit of a fib. He really just wanted to make sure you were ok. I think he likes you.”

“Oh. Ha, no. Soarin and I go a long way back, that's all. We're practically brother and sister. He cares about me, but not like that.”

“He seems a good friend.”

“He is.”

Derpy stopped walking and took her wing off my back. We'd stopped in one of the back streets of Ponyville, outside a cottage that looked much the same as any of the others, except for a picture of some bubbles right above the door.

“Here we are,” said Derpy. She smiled at me. “Come on in.”

As she walked past me to the door, I realised the picture above the door was an exact replica of her cutie-mark. I tried not to stare, having seen neither it, or anything like it before. I followed her into her house.
The first thing that hit me was the strong and wonderful smell of fresh baking. I inhaled the scent deeply, finding the lovely hint of cinnamon in amongst it. I found the tension flowing out of my muscles almost straight away, leaving me with the most delightful feeling of relaxation. It felt amazing after the day's events.
The room itself was open-plan, spacious and primarily made of wood; the floors, the supports and walls, the ceiling. To my left was an empty fireplace with a simple yellow rug in front of it and surrounded by cushions, a bookcase was propped against the wall to the left of that, filled with a modest collection. To my right was a rectangular dinner table with half a dozen chairs around it and a grandfather clock sat nearby; while in front of me a short space led to a door on the left, presumably the kitchen. Stairs lined the far wall, disappearing into the ceiling. Derpy appeared out of the door, carrying an ice-pack on a wing.

“Well don't just stand in the door, silly filly, sit down,” She said, gesturing to the cushions in front of the fireplace.

As I laid down on one of the cushions, she closed the front door before sitting on her haunches next to me. She proffered the ice-pack and I took it, pressing it against my jaw. It felt like bliss against my face, cooling down the area where Lily had hit me. I didn't realise just how much it had actually been hurting until then. I sighed.

“Now,” said Derpy, pulling a cushion closer and lying down on it herself. “Tell me what happened.”

So I did.

* * * * * *

An hour later, I'd finished. I told Derpy about me and Lily breaking up, how I'd been feeling for the past two weeks, how my decision to let it go coincided with our meeting in Angelico's, the fight just that morning and how my mind had latched onto her for some reason. As I'd relayed what Lily had said, I'd been unable to keep the tears from flowing and had ended up crying into Derpy's shoulder for a while. My face and her shoulder were now damp, though she didn't seem to mind. I discarded the now melted ice-pack while she looked at me for a minute, her face unreadable. She spoke.

“So...you weren't cheating on her?”

“No,” I replied. “Not once. I'd never go behind somepony's back.”

“I don't understand. Why would she think you were? Is she just always that suspicious?”

“I don't think her ego would let her contemplate it, normally.”

“Then what?”

“Derpy, I didn't tell you why she and I broke up. I...” Firrii, what are you doing? Stop it now, before you make an even bigger mess.

“Take your time. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to.”

I contemplated for a moment. On the one hoof, this is what had started all the trouble with Lily in the first place; on the other, here was this beautiful, sweet mare offering me a place to stay while all this blew over and I couldn't even bring myself to be completely honest with her.
Look at her, Firrii, look. Laid there, completely open and honest with you. Tail curled round herself and over her legs while she takes time out of her day to listen to your troubles. The least you can do is tell her the truth!
But...
Tell her!

“Derpy, I...”

“Hm?”

Tell her, damn you!

“I...the reason...the reason Lily and I broke up? Why she thought I was cheating on her? It's because...because...”

Don't you chicken out now!

“Because...?” she prompted.

“I...I fall in love with other ponies. I mean, more than one pony at a time.”

There, was that so hard?

'Shut up,' I directed at my conscience. It remained smugly silent. I hung my head in shame, waiting for the inevitable disgusted rebuttal from Derpy. Instead, I heard giggling. What?! I looked up and saw her covering her mouth with a hoof, mirth at her eyes.

“Oh,” she said through her giggling. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't find any of this funny, but that's it? That's why she dumped you? What an idiot! Oh sweetie, come here!” She got up and hugged me tight.
I was stunned. I mean, absolutely, completely and utterly stunned. I tried to think of something to say, but no words would come. None. Derpy stepped back.

“What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she asked, grinning.

“I...” I managed. “You...you're the first pony to not start yelling at me when I said that, or treat me as if I had some horrible disease.”

“What, really? So what if you're poly-amorous? It's not that big of a deal.”

“Poly...what now?”

“Poly-amorous. It just means you love more than one pony. Heh, I should know.”

“Huh? Why?” I asked. Her next few words blew me away and I shall never forget them as long as I live.

“Because I'm one too, silly filly.”

I said I was stunned before. What I felt now was something orders of magnitude above that. That moment is like a snapshot in my mind. The smell of cinnamon, the sound of the big clock by the table, Derpy's mane falling across her face, the feel of the air rushing down my throat as I inhaled...
Time seemed to snap back to its normal speed as relief hit me like a tidal wave. Relief, coupled with gratitude and a whole lot of...something I had to examine before I could say for sure. I crumpled down onto my cushion, fresh tears welling up. I covered my muzzle with my hooves and wept softly.

“Hey, oh hey, Spitfire!” I felt Derpy lay down next to me and lay her wing over me. “C'mere, I didn't mean to make you cry again.” I snuggled into her as I tried to get my crying under control. I smiled up at her through the tears, grateful to finally have somepony who understood.

“Tha...thank you, Derpy,” I managed through my hitching breaths.

“For what?”

“For this,” I said, finally getting my emotions back under control and vaguely waving my hoof in the air. “All my life I've been labelled a freak, or sick, or a monster; called names you wouldn't believe...you name it. Do you have any idea what it's like to go through life like that, then just have somepony say 'It's ok'?”

By way of reply, she stuck a hoof between her eyes. “Duh,” she uttered, but with a smile.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” I immediately felt bad for forgetting about her eyes. You idiot, Firrii.

“Don't worry about it. Yes, I know a bit about how it feels, I went through similar when I was younger. Some kids can be so cruel. But it is ok, you're perfectly normal and there's nothing wrong with being the way you are.” I felt her lips on my cheek as she kissed it, much like she had back in Canterlot. My heart almost gave out on the spot from the sudden, if not entirely unwelcome, contact.

“Why'd you do that?” I asked.

“You looked like you needed it.” She winked and stood up. “I've got to go check on my muffins. Feel free to use the bathroom upstairs if you want to freshen up. Oh! I've also got some make-up in my room, the one at the far end, but I don't know how good it'll be for that bruise. If, you know, you want to try and cover it up.”

I thanked her and stood up myself, drying what was left of my tears. A quick wash would do wonders. As Derpy turned, I flexed my good wing to stretch and I heard something hit the floor. I looked down, surprised.
Sitting on the floor, looking very squashed, was a chocolate chip muffin. It must have been the one I meant to have with my breakfast that morning. I reached down with my wing to pick it up.

“Where'd that come from?” asked Derpy.

“Er...I think it was part of my breakfast. I must have picked it up without realising it before I left.” I blushed, vaguely embarrassed.

“Good breakfast choice,” she giggled. “Here, let me have it. I'll get rid of it for you.” I passed it to her and headed for the stairs.

I headed up and quickly found the bathroom. Inside, I relieved myself and afterward, began to clean up a bit; first concentrating on the underside of my wing, where bits of muffin were caught in the feathers. I examined my jaw in the mirror over the sink. The bruise was visible under my fur quite obviously, stretching from my chin and curving up to my cheek, though there wasn't a whole lot I could do about it. No amount of make-up was going to cover that up. I splashed water over my face, being careful to avoid my bruise and called it a day. Heading downstairs, I followed the sounds of Derpy clattering about in her kitchen.
Inside, the grey mare was busy tidying away some baking trays into one of her cupboards. She closed the door and turned around. Upon seeing me, she gave a start before breaking into a warm smile.

“Oh! You made me jump,” she said. “Feel any better? I see you couldn't do much about the bruise.”

“A little,” I answered. I sniffed the air. “Mmm, those muffins smell great.” I eyed the still steaming treats, my stomach growling its appreciation. I remembered I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

“Hey, hooves off! Those are for after dinner,” Derpy laughed. “Here, let me get you something to tide you over until then.”

I sat at a stool and watched as she started busying herself with preparing me a snack. After a minute, she slid a plate of lettuce and apple slices in front of me, which I gladly tucked into.

“Thanks,” I said around a mouthful of leaves.

“No problem,” she replied, giggling.

I swallowed my mouthful before looking up at her again. “So, um...”

“Yeah?”

“Do...do you have a special somepony? Or more? If you don't mind my asking, that is,” I added quickly.

“After all you've told me today,” she answered, seating herself on the opposite side of the counter to me. “I think it would be pretty indecent of me to not answer a few of your questions.” Her wings gave a small twitch, subtly changing angle. She obviously liked my asking.

“Yes,” she started. “I do have a special somepony. Two, in fact. Both mares and I'm married to both of them, but due to outdated regional laws, only one is actually recognised by Ponyville law.”

“You're not governed by Canterlot?” I asked.

“Not as such, no. Obviously, we fall under the auspices of the Crown, but apart from the over-arching laws that every town and city in Equestria are expected to adhere to; we're pretty much allowed to do our own thing. The mayor sets most of the local laws,” She gave a quick flick of the hoof behind me, in what I assumed to be the direction of the town hall. “But only after extensive hearings and boring constituency meetings. As it stands, polygamous relationships aren't illegal, but the town will only recognise one actual marriage. Any others are just ignored.”

“That sounds...odd.”

“Eh, it's an inconvenience; but at the end of the day, I don't need the state to recognise whether or not I love somepony. I know I do, they know I do and that's all that matters to me.”

“That's the sanest thing I've heard all day,” I said, with a smirk.

“If only the rest of Equestria ran on such logic,” she commented with a nod.

“So tell me about these special someponies,” I said, pushing my now empty plate away. Now that I had reached her and had calmed down from the day's events, I was eager to learn more about this grey mare. “How did you meet each other?”

Derpy scooped up the plate in a wing and climbed down off her stool, walking over to her sink. She propped herself up on the side with her forelegs and used her wing to start running the water.

“Well,” she began. “First there's Rose. She and I met perhaps five years after I settled in Ponyville. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but...” She paused for a moment and, although she was at an angle to me, I could see her chewing her lip before she resumed speaking. “She was married to a stallion when we first met. He was an ass, to tell you the truth. He treated her pretty bad and not a week would go by without a new bruise showing up on her somewhere, or some excuse would be made for a sprained leg or broken tail.”

Almost reflexively, my hoof went to my jaw, feeling along the bruise there. Derpy’s wing-tip dipped into the water coming from the tap, before she grabbed the plug, inserting it into the bottom of the sink. She continued her story while waiting for sink to fill.

“For the longest time, we were just friends. I would give her support when his beatings got too bad, and take her someplace away from town when he got stinking drunk. Eventually, she started sleeping over here just to keep away from him.” Derpy sighed as she dumped some washing up liquid into the steaming water. “Then, about six months after she started using my spare room, he cornered her outside of town and...went berserk. She ended up in hospital and nearly died.”

“Oh, Celestia! That's horrible!” I cried.

“Yeah,” she answered, shutting off the tap with a wing and beginning to dump some plates that were stacked next to the sink, into the suds. “Tell me about it. I stayed with her every day she was there, keeping her company and looking after her. When she was well enough to leave, I took her home and nursed her the rest of the way back to health. It wasn't long after that, that we both realised we'd developed feelings for one another beyond our friendship.” Both wings disappeared into the suds now, as she began scrubbing the dishes with a cloth. “I'd never been particularly interested in stallions to begin with, but for Rose, it was quite a shock that she thought of another mare that way; it took her a lot of time to fully come to terms with it. We took it slow and a couple of years later, we'd gotten married. We've been happily so, ever since.”

Derpy turned her head to look at me, wings still in the sink, a concerned look on her face.

“Please don't tell her I said anything. She's still quite...delicate, mentally, when it comes to that subject. I think she might never get over it completely.”

It clearly meant a lot to her, so I nodded.

“Don't worry, my lips are sealed,” I assured her. “What happened to her husband?”

“Thank you,” she said, turning back to her dishes. “The way I hear it, word got back to Rose's brother in Canterlot about it. Before he came to see her in hospital, he paid a visit to the slime-ball and nopony's heard from the guy since. I've asked around and one or two ponies claim to have seen him running south as if all the creatures of Tartarus were after him, but that's about as much as I could ever find out. Whatever the case, he's not around anymore and that's all I care about.”

There was a gurgling sound as she pulled the plug from the sink, stepping back from it and wiping her wings dry on a towel hanging from the cupboard door underneath.
She sat down on the other side of the counter from me, silent for a moment. I almost wished I hadn't said anything, as she looked pretty upset and the mood was definitely uncomfortable. But then, without warning, she instantly brightened up; ears perking up once again and her wings making a shrugging motion.

“But enough about that,” she said. “There's still the matter of the other Mrs. Hooves.” She chuckled at that. Her ability to just break through a bad atmosphere amazed me; I really hadn't met anypony else like her.

“Do tell,” I pried, smiling and leaning my chin on my hooves. “Who is she?”

“Unlike Rose, she doesn't come from here in Ponyville. She was born in Baltimare, but her family moved to Canterlot when she was still a foal. She moved here about the same time Twilight Sparkle did.”

“Twilight Sparkle? Why do I know that name?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

“She's Princess Celestia's personal student, wouldn't you know? Lives right here in Ponyville, too. Helped stop a bunch of disasters over the years. She was at the reservoir when you came to oversee the tornado duty.”

I cast my mind back, back to dozens of Pegasi whipping through the air, stirring it into a frenzy. Winds lashed at me, loose debris flying around like razor sharp birds, ready to scratch and tear at a moments notice. But on the edge of the maelstrom, bravely clinging to the wind-speed scale, were a baby dragon and a lavender unicorn; her deep blue mane streaked with violet and rose. Suddenly, the unicorn was half-shrouded in steam as the train station forced its way to the front of my mind.

“Oh! I remember her!” I exclaimed. “Hey, she was on the same train as me today.”

“Oh goody! She's back!” Derpy exclaimed, almost bouncing in her seat, a happy grin across her face. Her wings flared outwards and flapped gently a couple of times, wafting the cinnamon scented air around.

“You seem happy,” I remarked, a sly grin slowly spreading across my face. “A potential future Mrs. Hooves, perhaps?”

Derpy's wings snapped shut and she stopped fidgeting on her stool. She looked down at the counter, cheeks flushing and a lop-sided, embarrassed grin of her own on her lips.

“Um...no. Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't really decided if I should approach her about it or not. Anyway,” she continued, looking back up at me with a cute “matter-of-fact” look on her face. “It doesn't matter, we're not talking about Twilight, we were talking about my other wife.”

“Hmm, yes,” I smiled at her. “Please, continue.”

“Her real name's Minuette, though she tells everypony to just call her Colgate. Apparently, there's some sort of toothpaste up there with similar colours to her coat and hair, so her friends started calling her that and the nickname sort of stuck.”

“I think I have that at home.”

“Ha! Well, don't make any jokes about it to her, she's heard 'em all,” she replied with a rueful smirk. “Anyway, all three of us met at the same time. Rose and I were at the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner; looking for a cake for her birthday when Colgate, who also happened to be there, struck up a conversation with us. If I remember rightly, her opening comment was about how she loved the treats there, but dreaded what it did to her teeth. Rose responded with how they always went straight to her backside and before any of us knew it, all three of us were in the park having a cake picnic.”

I raised an eyebrow, an amused look on my face.

“What?” Derpy asked, spreading her forelegs in consternation. “Hey, I'm not making this up, that's how it happened! It sounds corny, I know, but it's true.”

“Alright, alright,” I said, raising my hooves in mock-defence and smiling yet again that afternoon. “Go on.”

“Well, after that, we started seeing Colgate more and more. She would just appear, seemingly at random, wherever we were. At a party, at a show, going for a walk; you name it. Pretty soon, we started inviting her to things along with us. Rose in particular seemed to want her around and, well, she seemed a lot happier when she was, which made me happy.”

She shook her head wistfully.

“Looking back on it now, it was kind of obvious, but I didn't see at the time that Rose was becoming more and more taken with Colgate. She spent a lot of time talking to me about her and, as it turns out, she was spending an awful lot of time with her when she wasn't with me. Not like that,” she added quickly, catching my concerned look. “She wouldn't ever do something like that, but they spent a lot of time talking and getting to know each other.”

She glanced briefly at the clock above the window before continuing.

“A bit later down the road, maybe a year, Colgate turns up at our door; dead serious expression on her face, but clearly nervous as anything, asking to talk with me. By this point, both me and Rose were pretty close to her and she with us, so I let her in. Rose was laid down by the fire, and I remember this clearly; she looked up at Colgate as she walked in and nodded, a little smile dancing on her lips.”

“She knew something you didn’t?” I asked.

A smile appeared on her own lips, followed by a small giggle.

“Colgate was standing in between the cushions on the floor and turned around to face me as I followed her to the fire. As I reached her, she put a hoof to my chest and, I kid you not, planted this big kiss on my lips. Not off to the side, straight in the middle, right in front of Rose.”

“Really?!” I exclaimed in surprise, wings fluttering up briefly. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” she continued. “I have never been so scared in my life! Surprise or shock just didn't even have any room to register. All I could think was 'What's Rose going to do?! I don't want to lose her!'. I'd never even looked at or thought of Colgate in that way before and here she was, kissing me in front of my wife!”

“What happened next?”

“After she broke the kiss, she stood there blushing furiously, nervous smile and all. I just gaped at her. Rose was actually the first to say something, something along the lines of 'Aren't you going to say thank you?', at which point, she burst out laughing. Turned out that the two of them had been planning this for awhile. The idea was that Colgate would kiss me, so their next announcement wouldn't send my emotions into a tail-spin.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” I said.

“Quite the opposite actually, as it turns out,” she replied, inclining her head slightly. “We all sat down and Rose explained to me that Colgate really liked her, but liked me too. Now, I didn't know this at the time, but apparently, a lot of couples out in Baltimare are pretty much in open relationships and this attitude had been passed down to Colgate. Or, more accurately, she just simply hadn't been conditioned to think it was anything other than normal, like a Canterlot pony might.”

“Huh, I’ve never heard that either,” I said. Derpy nodded.

“Baltimareans just don’t talk about it with outsiders. It’s a cultural thing, I think. Anyway, it came down to it that Colgate wanted to be with both of us and, being closer to Rose, had broached the subject to her first. Rose, being the smart cookie she is and unsure of her own feelings, had suggested that she come over and we all talk about it.”

Derpy got down off of her stool and started fetching plates out of a cupboard, arranging them out on the counter furthest from me. I became aware of a smell I hadn't noticed before, hidden under the cinnamon as it was. A sweet smell, one bespoke of summer evenings and open fields. My host continued chattering away as she worked.

“And that's what we did. We talked over our feelings for each other, the possibilities, how things might work, etc. The basics of the situation were Colgate fancied both of us, Rose obviously loved me and I her, but Rose wanted to explore if she had any feelings for her new friend. I held no feelings one way or the other for Colgate, but after the kiss and learning that she was interested, my mind had started to turn over the issue.” She turned to me, shaking her head again, but smiling. “At the end of the day, it pretty much boiled down to Rose saying she wanted to see where being with Colgate would take her, but not wanting to lose me. She was dreadfully torn and was basically asking me to allow her to explore her horizons.”

Derpy paused a moment, head cocked to the side slightly, as if thinking.

“I think what ultimately made me say yes, was Rose's laugh after Colgate kissed me. It was a genuine laugh, filled with good humour and happiness. I hadn't heard her laugh like that since before she was in hospital. She was actually starting to be happy again and I didn't want to take that away from her, so I said we should take everything at a pace everypony was comfortable with and see where it went.”

She chuckled at that, wings rising and settling back so slightly it almost looked like a twitch.

“I think it's fair to say it went well, very quickly,” she said. “Turns out I really liked Colgate and having more than one special somepony. Although we couldn't get officially married, Colgate presented us each with a bracelet after about six months. Rose wears hers every day, along with the one I gave her, while I reserve mine for special occasions.”

“Wow,” I said, flabbergasted at the amount she could talk. “That's quite the pair of stories.”

“Quite the pair of mares to talk about,” she responded, turning to her oven.

She flipped a dial with one wing-tip and opened the door the other. The delicious smell of baked apples and cinnamon poured out, making my mouth water and my stomach growl. Derpy slipped a pair of oven-gloves on her hooves, reached in, and pulled out the best looking apple pie I've ever seen.

“Oh, that looks gorgeous!” I exclaimed, licking my lips. “Is that your dinner?”

“Our dinner, yes,” she corrected. “You're eating too, you know.” She winked at me as she placed the pie down on the side. “This was going to be for three, but I think I can stretch it to four.”

“Did you make it?”

“Oh, hay no! This is straight from Sweet Apple Acres, on the outskirts of town. They sell just about anything apple related these days, since young Applebloom got involved in the business. I just buy the pie and bake it, they do everything else.”

“So what do Rose and Colgate do?” I asked, for want of continuing my education in the life and times of Derpy.

“Well, they'll be here in a minute,” she answered, gesturing to a clock over the window with a hoof while her wing carefully manipulated a knife, cutting up the pie. “Why don't you ask them yourself?”

I thought that sounded like an excellent idea. I went to wait by the fireplace.

* * * * * *

After a few minutes, Derpy came through from the kitchen and joined me on the cushions, draping a wing over me. Since she was on my good side, I returned the gesture and pulled her a little closer. We sat in silence for a minute or two, just enjoying the contact and each other's body heat. After a moment, I felt her sit up and look at me.

“Firrii?” she asked. “I...I want to ask this before the others get here. I...”

“What is it?”

“Do...do you like me?”

“Yes, of course I do,” I answered.

“Good. I like you too. A lot. You made me feel special last night and well, uh, I think I want to get to know you more.”

“Yeah, same here.” I looked into Derpy's smiling face, her strange, yellow eyes shining out at me. Just then, a knock came at the door.

“Oh! That's them!” she exclaimed, hopping up onto her hooves; wings flaring up excitedly. I stood up and made sure I looked reasonably presentable. Derpy opened the door, revealing two mares on the other side.
One was a unicorn with a blue coat, bright blue eyes and a mane and tail that were dark blue on one side; grey on the other.
The other mare was an off-white earth pony with green eyes. Her mane and tail were also bi-coloured; dark pink, offset by a small, lighter streak. She broke into a big smile as the door opened.

“Hey hun!” she practically leapt at Derpy, forelegs wrapping around her neck. Now that she was inside, I could see a pair of bracelets around her left leg; one a plain silver band, the other a more ornate, almost floral affair in polished bronze. Her cutie-mark was a rose. No prizes for guessing who that was, then.

“Hey!” Derpy laughed, returning the hug and planting a solid kiss on Rose's lips. “You seem happy.”

“The flowers did extra well today. Summer always seems to boost sales. Oh,” she said, spotting me. “I didn't know we had a visitor today.”

“Collie, Rose, this is Spitfire,” Derpy said, gesturing my way. “She's from Canterlot and kind of a last minute visitation.”

The blue unicorn paused in the middle of using her magic to set down two small, wooden, heavy-looking boxes. I could just make out an hourglass cutie-mark on her flank.

“Wait,” she said in a strong Canterlottian accent. “Spitfire? The Spitfire?!”

Derpy nodded, grinning.

“Ditz, how in the hay did you meet her?!” she cried, dropping her boxes with an oddly metallic thump. One of them tipped open and spilled some bits over the floor. She was over to me in a flash, vigorously shaking my hoof.

“Collie...” Rose said, exasperatedly. She moved to pick up the bits.

“Colgate, pleased to meet'cha!” Colgate said, her mouth almost splitting her face in two, her smile was that wide.

“Oh yeah, I didn't mention,” Derpy piped up. “Collie's a pretty big fan of yours, too. I don't think she's missed a show for years.”

Colgate nodded, dancing excitedly on her hooves like a filly in a toyshop.

“My favourite was Canterlot '23,” she said. “That finale you did, where you all filtered around each other, getting closer and closer, then BOOM, broke apart as the fireworks started? Awesome!”

“Glad you liked it,” I said, smiling. “I don't think Misty Fly's too keen on doing it again though; one of the fireworks hit her wing and broke it.”

“Oh no!” Colgate gasped. “But she landed so perfectly!”

“Yeah, one of those strange things, I guess. She didn't even know it had happened until she tried to take her suit off afterwards.”

Rose walked over and offered a hoof, generous smile on her lips.

“How do you do, I'm Rose.” I shook her hoof.

“Pleased to meet you, Rose.”

“Right,” Derpy said. “Now that we've got the introductions out of the way; who's hungry?” Colgate let out a melodramatic groan.

“Ohhh, me! I haven't eaten since breakfast!”

“Get yourselves sat down then, girls, I'll get the food. You too, Spitfire.” Derpy headed back into the kitchen.

We all sat down at the table, Rose and Colgate opposite from me, while the chair at the end was left empty, presumably for Derpy. Said pony soon reappeared, with the pie from the oven on a plate, carried on her wing. She dished out a piece each and we all eagerly tucked into it, the only sounds audible in the room for the next few minutes being that of four ponies eating.
Afterwards, Derpy fetched the muffins and we all sat around the table, chatting and making small talk. I learned that Rose was a florist and sold flowers in Ponyville's main square; while Colgate was the town's resident dentist and a busy one at that.
Rose then asked what brought me to Ponyville. After a small pause and a glance between us, Derpy relayed the story of how we met the previous night and, looking to me briefly for permission, told how I came to be in Ponyville. Rose's face took on a slightly haunted expression when Derpy told them of my story of the fight, but she quickly covered it up. She offered her sympathies, saying she knew how I felt at the moment.

“Sooo...” Derpy started. “I said she could stay here as long as she needs. I hope neither of you will disagree?”

To my relief, and Derpy's, judging by her wing flutter, they both shook their heads.

“Nope,” said Colgate. “Even with her situation, it's still Spitfire! And she wants to stay at my place!” She let out a little squeal.

“Me neither,” this from Rose. “You know I'd never turn away somepony who needed help. Especially not one who's been treated like m...that.”

I caught the near slip, but chose to ignore it.

“Good,” nodded Derpy. “Erm, we only have two bedrooms, somepony's going to have to sleep downstairs.”

“That's fine,” I said. “I don't mind staying down here, I wouldn't want to put anypony out.”

“Nonsense,” she replied. “You're a guest and I'll not have any guest of mine sleeping out of a bed.”

“She can have my room,” Colgate said. “I'll sleep down here on the cushions.”

“Colgate, you don't have to...” I started. She held up a hoof.

“I insist. It's the least I can do.”

“I...if you're sure,” I said. “I don't want to inconvenience anypony.”

“It's fine, really. I mean, how often do I get a stunt-devil superstar asking to stay at my house?” She broke into an incredibly infectious grin.

“Not often enough, I bet,” I replied, grinning myself.

“Too right!” We all burst out laughing at that, giggles filling the room.

“Alright,” said Derpy, after we'd calmed down. “Thank you, Collie, that's settled that. So, who wants to try some of that Tall Tale vintage I bought awhile back?”

The three of us nodded in agreement and the rest of that evening was spent swapping tales, gossiping and getting pleasantly drunk on fragrant wine. By the time I climbed up to Colgate's bed, the day's earlier events seemed far away and I felt like a great weight had been taken from around my neck. I was safe from Lily and any potential retribution she might try to level my way; plus, I was in the company of three ponies who looked to be on the fast track to becoming three new friends.
As I curled up on the bed and sleep started to claim me, Derpy's words from earlier bubbled to the front of my mind; about liking me and getting to know me better.
Yes, the next few days were going to be interesting indeed.

I fell asleep with warm thoughts of a grey coat and yellow mane filling my mind; askance yellow eyes shining out, radiating hope and happiness.

Peace and happiness

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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

Firedance

by Idsertian

Angelico's

Confrontation, panic and consolation

Peace and happiness