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Speed.

Glorious speed. There was nothing that compared to the exhilarating, invigorating, unbelievable feeling of speed. The wind, the vertigo, the landscape flying by. All of it left a feeling of excitement that could not be matched.

Rainbow Dash reveled in the amazing sensations of speed. As she flew around the outskirts of Ponyville, she was overcome with incredible feelings that only such high speed flying could give her. Truly, the pegasus was not completely happy unless she was going fast.

With her limbs stretched out and her body angled for minimum wind resistance, she beat her wings as hard as she could, propelling her forward and slowly accelerating her velocity. Tears flew from her eyes as wind whipped at her face, but she gritted her teeth and grinned, pushing herself forward even more. Her heart beat quickly and excitement was coursing through her body.

The fields were now behind her and the center of Ponyville was rapidly approaching. She smirked and directed herself directly towards the small village. Thoughts flew through her mind as buildings rapidly approached.

Speed is useless without control, but control that hampers speed is cause to fail. Without perfect balance under your wings, you may as well be a snail.

The town hall tower, the tallest structure in Ponyville, was approaching quickly. Dash flew straight towards it fearlessly. Beating her wings, she maintained her speed. The tower grew closer and closer. Butterflies began fluttering around in Dash's stomach, but she ignored them effortlessly. She continued her advance. She was seconds away from impact.

Finally, at the last possible moment, she began banking to the right. Her speed unaffected, she pulled herself away from the tower and began rocketing off to the side. Not hesitating for a second, she immediately switched to a left bank, which she used to begin spiraling around the tower. Grinning, she let loose a chuckle.

She circled the tower once, twice, thrice. Again and again and again, fast enough that she would have created a tornado had the tower not been there. Vertigo threatened to send her into a dizzy stupor but Dash fought against the disorienting motion. She focused on pushing herself to continue flying and not slowing down.

After nearly 50 high-speed laps around the tower, she chose a random moment to straighten out, which sent her flying away from the structure as if she'd been fired from a gigantic slingshot. Her eyes quickly scanned her new flight path for obstacles. She found the large tree that housed Ponyville's library approaching fast and smirked again. "Perfect..."

Dash rocketed towards the library, aiming just barely off to the side. Before her were the leafy branches of the tree, and just below those was the library's balcony. The space between was just barely taller than two ponies high. Dash didn't let this deter her in the least.

Utilizing her well-trained reflexes to the fullest, she dipped precisely the right amount in altitude and flew through the opening, avoiding contact with all obstacles. Before her, a low-hanging branch appeared, but she darted above it. Another branch threatened to end her flight, but she avoided that one as well. Before long, she was flying away from the tree, completely unscathed.

"Ha! Take that!" she shouted gleefully into the air.

Adrenaline pumping, she scanned ahead of her to spot more potential obstacles. She was getting close to the park on one side, where she could zigzag around trees and structures. Or, in the other direction, there was the Everfree Forest. It was always exciting in there. Ahead of her was a curving street with a few alleyways. The only occupant was a single pony, a mare, who wasn't likely to get in the way. She was busy...

..._Wait a minute._The mare was bending down, tending to something on the ground. Flowers perhaps, or maybe she'd dropped something. She was facing directly away from Dash, giving the pegasus a clear, unobstructed view of her rear-end. Dash's eyes widened and her cheeks grew rosy. Though it seemed impossible a moment ago, her heart began to beat faster.

"Whoa..."

It was a moment before Dash was able to summon the discipline to wrench her eyes off of the pony unintentionally giving her a show. When her eyes returned to the front, her stomach dropped like a stone.

A medium-sized grey house filled her vision, too wide for her to be able to swerve around on either side at this velocity. It was seconds away from her, leaving her only enough time to quickly shout, "INCOMING!!"

And then the world exploded.

***

Dash groaned as the world slowly came into focus. Her head was throbbing and her whole body ached. She coughed as she inhaled dust, sounds of things falling over reaching her ears.

"Ugghhh..." she moaned, holding a hoof to her head. Dash was made of real strong stuff, and this wasn't her first time crashing into something at high speed. It wasn't even her first time this month. Still, it had been a fairly violent crash, and her aching head was not hesitant to remind her.

She shakily got to her hooves, pouring her remaining strength into standing up. Once she had accomplished that, she stretched out all four of her legs, both her wings, her neck, her back and her tail.Good, she thought, Nothing broken... The dust was beginning to settle, but it didn't reveal much more to her than lots of broken wood.

"My house!!"

Dash turned towards the sound of the shrill, horrified cry. Through the thinning dust cloud, she saw a very distraught pegasus standing in a doorway that contained a door attached by only one hinge. Her jaw hung limp as she stared at the scene before her with shocked, skewed eyes.

"Hi Derpy..." Dash uttered sheepishly, offering an embarrassed smile. She continued speaking as she turned her head back around to survey the damage she'd caused. "Sorry, I kinda lost control and- Oh, dear Celestia..."

The extent of the damage made Dash do a double-take. There was a huge, gaping hole in the wall of the room, offering a clear view of the afternoon setting outside. A wall stud was cleaved in half, the top half hanging inwards and the bottom half nowhere to be seen. The paneling of the wall was torn off and was now laying in shattered pieces along the floor.

Between Dash and the hole in the wall, a bed stood before her, its frame broken nearly in half. A dresser to the right was knocked over and cracked. Papers, framed pictures and various knickknacks littered the floor. A chilly spring breeze was blowing in.

"Ohhh wow..." Dash muttered. Behind her, she could hear Derpy's heavy, shocked breathing. Dash's ears drooped as she returned her gaze to the distraught owner of the now-damaged house. "Derpy, I am_so_ sorry..."

"My...my room! It's ruined! There's a big hole in the wall now!" the grey mare exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, and I lost control, and I...Ugh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...I...I..."

Derpy wasn't looking at her. She merely fell to her haunches and continued staring at the devastation that had consumed her room in utter shock.

Dash hung her head. "I am such an idiot...Derpy, seriously...I'm really sorry! I really didn't mean to...to...well, punch a hole through your house..."

"Wh...I..." Derpy muttered, fumbling over what to say next, "I...I just got back from dropping Dinky off at the train station and...and I come home to this?!"

Shame and guilt were filling Dash's mind, leaving a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. She felt incredibly awkward in front of Derpy right now and couldn't think of anything appropriate to say.

"Wha...What am I supposed to do?!"

"I...I, um..." Dash said, stepping towards the other pony, "I'll make this up to you. Okay? It's my fault, so...I'll fix this." She glanced away and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she spoke.

Derpy finally turned to look at Dash. Her misaligned eyes did not show anger or judgment. They were full of worry and anxiety.

Dash was instantly hit with a wave of pity and even more guilt as the distraught pegasus gazed at her. Her frown grew heavier. "I...really screwed up here, didn't I...?"

Derpy was on the verge of tears. "I..."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't cry, Derpy. If there's anything I can't stand, it's to see a girl cry."

Derpy sniffled.

Dash tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it was incredibly difficult. A heavy feeling of responsibility was consuming her, and the more she looked at the pony she had just victimized, the more her shame turned into resolve.

"Come on," she said, stepping forward and offering a hoof to Derpy, "Let's get out of here. Let's go find somepony who can help."

Derpy stared at the hoof for a few seconds. "But..."

"Let's go, already. C'mon...I..." She paused and sighed. "I want to make this right."

Derpy gave another sniffle before accepting Dash's hoof and letting herself be pulled up. "O- Okay..."

The two carefully made their way through the doorway and out of Derpy's house, the rest of which was thankfully undamaged. Once out the front door, they found a fairly large crowd of onlookers gathered around the property, all wearing worried expressions.

"Oh, look!" one of them shouted, "They're both okay!" At this, the crowd let up a relieved cheer.

Dash scanned the crowd. It mostly consisted of ponies who had happened to be passing by when she'd crashed. Only one stood out to her; a pony that was currently trotting up to the pair.

"Are you two all right?" Twilight Sparkle asked, extremely concerned, "What happened?"

Dash sighed and lowered her head. "I goofed..." she muttered.

"You went right through the wall?!"

Dash merely nodded.

"But you're both okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. I've just got a few bruises..."

Twilight sighed. "Well, that's the important thing." She then turned her gaze to Derpy, who was simply staring blankly at the ground, still in shock. "Right, Derpy?"

She said nothing in response, making Dash frown even more.

Twilight turned back to Dash and asked, "How did this happen?"

Dash rubbed her forehoof with the other and cast her glance away. "I...Well, I lost control. I couldn't pull away fast enough and I crashed..." Her cheeks were rosy, her embarrassment not difficult to discern.

"Oh dear..."

"I...I mean...Well..." Dash stuttered, "Ugh...Twilight? This is...well, it's kinda all my fault and I need to make things right, but...I'm not sure where to start."

The unicorn turned her head up in thought. "Well, let's see...I guess the first thing we could do is to go find a contractor and see if we can hire somepony to get this fixed."

Dash finally picked up her gaze, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go do that...and Derpy?" she said, turning to look at the other pegasus. Derpy gazed back with worried eyes and Dash sighed. "I'm...going to pay for everything, okay?" she said, though she was frowning while doing do, "This'll totally be on me."

Derpy turned to her. "R- really...?"

Dash nodded. She was definitely not comfortable being in her current position. Dash was used to doing whatever she wanted to do and usually wasn't the first pony in line to do charity work. Not only that, but the feelings of guilt and responsibility she was experiencing felt sour and made her incredibly uncomfortable. It was a moment of inferiority, something that Dash absolutely dreaded.

This was not helped by the fact that the pony she had wronged just happened to be Derpy. Dash didn't really have anything against Derpy; she certainly didn't hate or even dislike the pegasus. However, Derpy's clumsiness was something Dash was all too familiar with. The two had met in a midair collision a few too many times. Derpy's usual bubbly, overly-upbeat personality was also something that Dash found annoying an unpleasant. Though she wouldn't admit it to anypony, she preferred to spend as little time in the wall-eyed mare's presence as possible.

Shrugging and trying to act nonchalant, she said, "Meh, it's not a big deal, really...Being a weather pony pays pretty well, y'know. I can afford it."

Twilight spoke up. "That's very generous of you, Rainbow."

Dash nodded. "It's the least I could do, I guess."

"But..." Derpy spoke up, her voice gaining volume, "My house has a big hole in it right now! And there's all these ponies around. What if...what if somepony steals something?"

"Oh! I can handle that," Twilight declared. Without a single word more, she trotted away, through what remained of the gathered crowd, and stood before Derpy's front gate. "Please step away from the house!" she shouted as loud as she could.

After that, she lit up her horn with an aura of purple magic. She closed her eyes and concentrated, letting the glow build brighter and brighter. After about a half a minute of charging, she finally released her magic into the air. Before the crowd, a translucent purple dome of magical energy began to form around the house, burying into the ground and cutting off all access.

Smiling, Twilight trotted back over to the two pegasi. "That'll keep ponies out for the next couple of hours."

"Whoa..." Dash muttered, impressed, "Nice job, Twilight..."

"Thank you!"

Derpy was staring at the shimmering dome in wonder. "Wooow..." she murmured, "It's so sparkly!"

Something about the way Derpy had spoken in such childlike wonder made Dash cringe a bit. "Heh," she muttered, "Yeah...But don't worry about anything. Twilight's magic is A-rank. An ursa major wouldn't get through there."

Derpy turned back to the other two ponies, staring at them with her mismatched eyes, before finally showing a small smile. "Thanks..." she said quietly.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go find somepony to fix this!"

***

"We can begin work on da house tamarrah, and judgin' by what my boys saw out dere, we should be done da work in about t'ree days."

The three ponies were in the office of a muscular brown stallion with a tan mane, a stubbly beard, and a stony gaze. He wore a black cap on his head and hadn't smiled once the entire time they had been there. Mr. Brown had been recommended by several ponies on the street for being a reliable contractor and was said to be the best in the business. Still, though, his cold stare was making the group uncomfortable. Derpy was slunk back and seemed to be trying to make herself smaller.

The meeting had gone well, nonetheless. He had sent out some of his workers to survey the damage, and based on their report, a rough estimate had been drawn up and his services were officially hired.

"Though be aware dat both the price and completion time are all subject ta change once we start workin'. It was hard to see through dat big purple bubble ya had set up dere."

"Heh, yeah..." Dash muttered, feeling uncomfortable in this stallion's presence. There were a scarce few things in the universe that scared Dash, but something about this stallion was making her feel uneasy, and she couldn't really explain it. "So, are we good to go then? Do you need anything else from us?"

"Uhh, lessee...Ya paid yer advance, we signed da contract and da waiver...Nope, yer good. We'll letcha know when construction's complete."

"Great!" Twilight spoke, "Well, thanks a lot, Mr. Brown. It was a pleasure doing business with you."

The three bid farewell to the stallion and exited his business. Soon, they found themselves standing back out on the streets of Ponyville.

"I'm glad that's over..." Dash muttered, "That guy was kinda...I dunno..."

"Mhm..." Twilight nodded, "But everypony says that he's the one to talk to if you need construction to be done."

Derpy was letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"You all right there, Derpy?" Twilight asked her, "You hardly said a whole word the whole time. You looked pretty nervous."

Derpy splayed her ears and looked to the ground embarrassed. "Uhh...well...I used to work for him..."

"Oh really?"

She nodded. "He also runs a delivery company on the side...I was one of his movers. But, um...I got fired for doing something..." her voice trailed off into mumbles.

"Oh dear. What happened?"

Derpy fidgeted before quietly replying, "I kinda dropped an anvil on somepony..."

Dash fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Twilight appeared lost in thought. "An...anvil...?"

"But, uh..." Derpy interjected, trying to change the subject, "Thanks a lot for helping me with all of this, you two! Especially you, Dash! Thanks for paying for it." She gazed off to the side. "I probably wouldn't have been able to afford it..." she muttered.

Dash exhaled. "Don't mention it. It was my fault, and I did everything I could to fix it. If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Derpy gave a small smile. "Well, it _was_an accident and all...but since we got everything straightened out, it's just sort of an...annoying thing now, instead of a really bad thing."

"Mhm..." Dash mumbled mechanically, glancing off in another direction. Truth be told, she was itching to end this whole situation and move on with her life. Her debt had been paid and she had pretty much been forgiven, so all she wanted to do now was bid Derpy good day, good luck, and goodbye.

"So, have we got everything all worked out?" Twilight asked.

"Ummm..." Derpy's eyes skewed off further than usual as she though hard about the question. "Well, yeah, I guess. I just need to figure out...where I'm gonna sleep for the next couple days."

Twilight gasped. "Oh my gosh! How could I have forgotten about that?! That was your bedroom, wasn't it? You've got nowhere to stay!"

Derpy nodded, glancing to the ground. "I'm...not sure what I'm gonna do."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight said, reassuring her, "We'll help you figure it out. Right Dash?"

Dash was distracted. She started slightly upon hearing her name. "Huh? What?"

"We need to come up with a place for Derpy to stay while her house is being fixed."

"Mhm..." Derpy mumbled quietly, "I don't really...have any friends or anything who could let me stay..."

"Oh..." Dash said, "Uhh...Well, can't she stay with you, Twilight?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "No, she can't stay at the library. It's a library. It's got one bedroom and a kitchen." She shook her head. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm gonna do with Spike once he outgrows that little bed of his..."

"Uhhh..." Dash muttered, glancing around, "Well, there's always the Ponyville Motel."

"Dash!" Twilight said in a scolding tone, "Come on!"

"What?" Dash indignantly replied, turning to look at the unicorn. Twilight's gaze was disapproving, and it only took a moment for Dash to realize what she was implying. "What, you want her to stay with_me_?"

"Why not? You've got that big cloudy house that could probably fit five ponies."

Dash took a step back and shifted her gaze nervously. "Yeah, but..."

"And come on now, Dash. You owe her at least this much."

Dash turned to Derpy, who was sitting before her and looking quite vulnerable. The sight of the grey pegasus brought to mind images of things falling over and breaking, and the squeaky, overly-innocent sound of Derpy's voice rang mercilessly in her ears. She wracked her brain, desperately trying to think of an excuse or a way out. Twilight continued to stare at her expectantly. Derpy merely gazed at her, waiting as the events unfolded.

"I..."

Her brain came up empty. She sighed.

"All right, fine. Derpy...can stay with me."

"Yaaaaaay!!!" The grey mare's cheer was loud and sudden, causing Dash to wince. Before she could even process Derpy's quick change in emotion, she found herself gripped in a tight, suffocating hug. "Thank you, thank you! Oh, thank you so much, Dash! This is gonna be so fun! I haven't been in a cloud house in forever!"

"Er...yeah," Dash said, gasping for air, "No...no problem..."

"This'll be just like a sleepover!! Only better!"

Dash sighed inwardly. This...is not going to be fun...

***

The afternoon was beginning to draw to a close as the two pegasi approached Dash's impressive cloud home. They'd stopped briefly at Derpy's house to grab some of her essentials, and the grey mare now carried with her a green saddlebag with a muffin-shaped clasp on it.

At the time, Dash had been marveling about how long she'd seen Derpy go today without falling over or knocking something down. No sooner had the thought entered her mind than the clumsy mare walked straight into an end table in her house, knocking over a vase full of flowers.

Dash had been about to facehoof, not caring if Derpy saw, but she stopped herself when she saw the mare's distraught expression, deciding not to add insult to injury.

Presently, Dash alighted at the entryway of her front door. Moments later, Derpy landed next to her, lost her footing, and faceplanted into the clouds below her. Dash sighed. "Well, we're here..." she said, retrieving the key from beneath her welcome mat and unlocking the door.

Derpy picked herself up and gazed at the front exterior of the house. "Wooww..." she marveled, "This is amazing...How much did this cost?!"

"Nothing. I built it myself."

Derpy did a double-take. "You what?! No way! How long did that take?"

Dash shrugged. "It started out small and I've just been adding to it whenever I get some free time."

"That...wow, Rainbow Dash...That is really impressive!"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Dash's lips. "Heh...thanks. Come on in, make yourself comfortable, I guess."

Smiling brightly, Derpy took the invitation and stepped into Dash's house. She gazed at the interior. It was built with regular plaster and wood walls, with flooring and a ceiling like one would find in an average, ground-based house. In a few places, the cloud exterior inched through, adding an artistic flare wherever it did.

Derpy giggled. "It looks funny. It's like a house on the ground just floated up into the sky. If you didn't see it from the outside, you'd think you were on the ground."

"Mhm, I guess..." Dash muttered, not really paying attention. "So, uhh...the guest room is up the stairs and at the end of the left hall. There's a bathroom over there and also to the right of your room."

"Oh! Okay, thanks!" Derpy said with a smile, "I'll go put my stuff there."

As Derpy trotted over to the stairs, Dash headed towards the kitchen feeling a bit hungry. Before she could even set foot in the kitchen, however, a loud crash and a yelp of pain came from the main room. Dash quickly about-faced and returned to the stairs.

She found Derpy laying on her back at the foot of the stairs, her mismatched eyes rolling in her head. Her saddlebags lay to her side, thankfully still tightly clasped shut. As Derpy gave a small moan, she held her hoof up to her head, rubbing it tenderly.

"What happened?" Dash asked in concern.

Derpy rolled over, shaking her head. "Oooh...I- I think I missed a step...I was halfway up and I fell down."

"Oh...Are you okay?"

She was still rubbing her head. "Ah...Yeah, I think so...I've had worse falls." She turned and glanced to the stairs. "I don't...do very well on stairs. I can't see them right and sometimes it's hard to tell where to put my hooves." She turned back and gave Dash a sheepish look. "That's why I live in a one-story house..."

"Oh..." Dash gave her a perplexed look. "Why didn't you just fly up? I never use the stairs...I don't even know why I have them..."

Derpy's face grew crimson as she stared at the ground. "Umm..." she muttered meekly, "I don't...usually...fly indoors. 'Cus, y'know, that...never ends well."

Dash furrowed her brow. This pegasus gets more and more pathetic every minute. She shook her head, brushing away such rude thoughts.

Derpy was still rubbing her forehead and wincing. "Ow..." she said in a barely audible voice.

Dash suppressed a sigh, trying not to get frustrated in front of the incredibly clumsy pony. "Well, c'mon. Get up. I'll help you up the stairs."

"Th-thanks, Dash," Derpy said, carefully getting up on her hooves.

"You shoulda just asked me to help you in the first place."

"I know, but...I...I thought I could do it."

Derpy once again began to ascend the stairs. Dash followed behind, carrying her saddlebags and keeping close to catch her if she slipped again.

"You really just need to watch more carefully..." Dash said bluntly.

It made Derpy frown. "I'm sorry," she said forlornly, "I...I try my hardest..."

Dash was about to retort again when, a few steps away from the top, the grey mare misplaced her hoof again and began to tumble. However, Dash was there at her side with her lightning-fast reflexes, holding onto her and steadying her.

Derpy took a moment to get over the minor shock and catch her breath. "Whoa...Th-thanks, Dash..." She turned to Dash and gave her a warm, sincere smile.

"I..." Dash paused, inexplicably tongue-twisted, "Uh...No problem."

They made it to the top of the stairs without further incident. Dash led Derpy to her room; a lingering thought in the back of her mind told her she'd probably get lost on her own. They stepped into the small guest room, which was simply furnished with a medium-sized bed, an empty dresser and an empty closet. There was a single window on the far wall.

Dash tossed Derpy's saddlebags onto the bed and turned to the other mare. "Well, here we are. I hope this is okay, it's the only other bed I've got."

Derpy smiled. "It's just fine! Thank you so much for this, Dash!"

Before Dash realized what was happening, she was being swept up in another tight hug from the grey mare. Her eyes shot open in surprise and her hooves flailed in confusion. "Wah! Hey, careful!"

"I know the crash wasn't your fault, so thank you for everything! I dunno what I would've done if you hadn't done all this to help me."

Dash glanced around, feeling incredibly awkward. "Uhhh, yeah...Don't mention it." She sat still and waited for the hug to end. When it didn't, she began patting Derpy on the back. "Oookay. Thanks for the hug, Derpy."

Derpy finally released her hooves and sat back on her haunches, smiling brightly.

"I'll, uh..." Dash said, flustered, "I'll let you get settled then..." Without even waiting for a response, Dash turned and exited the room, quickly trotting back down the hallway. It was around that point she was vaguely aware of her wings stiffly spread out above her.

***

Dash had retreated to her own room while Derpy settled in to hers. She didn't want to stray far because she knew she'd have to help the clumsy mare back down the stairs again. She'd spent the next half hour sitting in her room, idly reading a Wonderbolts magazine.

Eventually, Dash heard a knock on her open door. "Knock knock," came Derpy's voice, "Can I come in?"

Dash looked up. "Sure, I guess."

Smiling, she trotted into the room and sat on the floor, facing Dash who was on the bed. "Whatcha reading?"

Dash shrugged and tossed the magazine aside. "Nothin'. Old news," she said. Dash faced the pony before her that was currently her guest. For a minute, neither said anything, and Dash could feel awkwardness creeping in.

"Um," she stammered, trying to start a conversation, "So, Derpy...I guess we can...um...talk?"

Derpy chuckled. "I can see that I'm making you a little uncomfortable...Sorry."

Dash raised her eyebrows. "Oh! No, I...uh...yeah, a bit. Heh..." She glanced off to the side uneasily.

Derpy simply smiled. "That's okay, though! You're the host and I'm the guest, so you can ask me anything you want to know!"

"Oh, okay..." Dash said, thinking about what to ask, "I guess...I don't really know much about you." She was already fully aware of this fact, and wasn't ignorant to the reason why. Still, though, if Derpy was willing to tell more about herself, she didn't mind learning a little bit.

"Umm...let's see," she said, trying to think of a good starting point. When her thoughts became jumbled, she decided to focus on what she already knew about the mare. Only two things came to her mind. She knew that Derpy was Ponyville's mailmare, and...

"Oh! You have a daughter, don't you?"

The mere mention of her daughter made Derpy's whole face brighten and her eyes sparkle. "Yes I do. I have an adorable little unicorn filly named Dinky."

"That's nice. I think you said you were dropping her off at the train station?"

Derpy nodded. "Yeah, she's spending two weeks at a magic camp in Canterlot. She's gonna be learning basic magic in a fun, child-friendly environment...At least, that's what the brochure said." She chuckled.

"Oh, well that's cool. And it's lucky too, I guess, so she doesn't have to stay with us too. That might get a little crowded."

"Heehee, yeah. She's gonna have so much fun..." Her gaze softened a bit. "But I am gonna miss her a whole lot..."

"All right, cool," Dash continued, "What about her dad?"

Derpy's face immediately fell into a frown and began staring at the ground. Dash instantly realized she'd said the wrong thing.

"Oh...Oh no, Derpy, I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have-"

"No, no," Derpy cut her off, "It's okay. You didn't know. I'm sorry, it's just...It's still kinda hard for me."

Dash was frowning guiltily. "Derpy, if you don't wanna talk about it, it's fine."

Derpy sighed. "Let's just say...he's not around anymore...and leave it at that."

Dash nodded solemnly. "All right, fair enough." She quickly set her mind to work, trying frantically to come up with a new topic of conversation to bring the mood back up to happier level. "Ummm..." she faltered, "I guess, uh...You're the mailmare, right?"

A smile returned to Derpy's lips, small at first. "Yeah...I've been doing that for a couple of years now." Her smile grew. "It's one thing I'm really, really good at. The mail's never late when Derpy's on the job. Heh...I might crash into the trees a few times, but rest assured, I will get you your mail on time."

"Heh...All right, cool!" There was silence for a while as Dash struggled to think of anything else to say. Derpy gazed back at her with her mismatched eyes. Dash found herself looking at them, studying them. She had never really given Derpy's eyes much thought before, but now she wanted to know why they were off-center like that.

Of course, Dash restrained herself from asking such an insensitive question. Still, though, the mare's golden eyes set her mind running. Were they always like this? Can they be fixed? Was she in an accident or something?

"It's a medical condition."

Dash blinked. "Huh? Wha?"

Derpy was giving her an understanding look. "You were staring at my eyes."

Dash's cheeks grew rosy. "Oh. Erm, sorry...I didn't mean to stare."

The other pony shook her head. "It's okay. Lots of ponies stare because they don't want to just ask. I could tell you wanted to."

Dash shuffled uncomfortably.

"I was born this way. They said there was just something wrong with the way they lined up or something. I don't remember, it uses a lot of big words. But it's just a condition I have to live with. I've learned to see through the double-vision I get, and if I try really hard, I can get them to line up for a little bit."

"Wow..." Dash murmured, looking at her eyes again.

Derpy smiled softly. "They can't fix it, they say...but I don't know if I even want it to be fixed. My eyes are what make me special...They make me unique. To get rid of them would be like...like getting rid of my cutie mark."

Dash's eyes trailed down to Derpy's bubble cutie mark, wondering what it meant. Before she could ask, or realize that she was staring at the mare's flanks, the two were interrupted by a very loud rumble originating from Dash's stomach.

Dash put her hoof over her tummy and chuckled. "I'm kinda hungry...I haven't eaten since I crash-landed. Let's eat something."

The wall-eyed mare was instantly on her hooves. "Ooh! Ooh! Yeah! I'll make you something absolutely delicious!"

Dash arched an eyebrow. "Make me something? You mean cook?"

Derpy giggled. "Well, duh."

"Oh. I was just gonna make a sandwich or somethin'...You know how to cook?"

"I know a thing or two..." Derpy said in a sing-song voice, "But tonight I'm gonna cook you my specialty. You're gonna love it!" She trotted over to the door and called over her shoulder, "Come help me back downstairs and then relax on the couch! It won't take very long!"

"Oh, um...all right," Dash replied, getting to her hooves. A home-cooked meal? Dash hadn't had one of those in ages. It was no secret that Dash had absolutely no culinary skills whatsoever. Dinners that weren't ordered from pizza places or fast-food establishments consisted of whatever simple things she could find hiding in her kitchen.

"Well, uh...thanks, Derpy! That's very generous of you."

"Heehee! Don't thank me yet! Wait until after you've tasted them..."

***

Once downstairs, Dash had been told to sit in the living room and wait until dinner was ready. She'd reluctantly agreed after much pleading from Derpy, and spent the next 25 minutes sitting on her couch, reading from a Daring Do book and trying to ignore the fairly loud sounds she could hear from the kitchen. She'd given up on enquiring about them after her third "What was that?" was met with a "Don't worry!" She'd once tried sneaking a peek into the kitchen, but Derpy had caught her in the act and promptly returned her to the couch.

Dash wasn't sure whether or not to be frustrated with this silly game Derpy was playing with her. In the end, her growling stomach and the fact that a guest was willing to make her home-cooked food convinced her to be patient.

Just as she finished a chapter in her book, Dash heard the ding of her oven. A few minutes later, she heard Derpy exiting the kitchen and trotting over to the dinner table. "They're ready!" she called out in a melodic voice. Dash put a bookmark in her novel and glanced up.

On the table, sitting arranged perfectly in a bowl, was a batch of amazing-looking muffins. Even before she got close, Dash could tell that they were exceptionally made. They were a perfect golden-brown, formed in just the right shape. As she stood up and got closer, she was able to smell them, and the scent was amazing.

"Muffins...?" she murmured through her hazed mind, distracted by the delicious confections. Though her stomach growled loudly at the mere sight of them, and though they looked so amazingly perfect, one question found its way into her head. "...Muffins for dinner?"

Derpy giggled. "Well, sure! They're healthy, they're sweet, they're the perfect treat! They go great with fruit!"

"Heh, I guess...Those look really good..." Her mouth was watering. She was losing restraint; she wanted to dive onto the table and gobble up every one.

"Muffins are my specialty. Everypony says that I'm the best muffin-maker in town. I just looove muffins so much. They're amazing! The bestest food ever!" Derpy trotted over and pulled back one of the chairs. "Come on! Dig in."

Dash didn't need further persuasion. She quickly sat herself down, waited for Derpy to take her seat, and then reached forward and grabbed a muffin. She held the warm confection up to her mouth and took a bite.

It was delicious.

It was much more than delicious. "It's...amazing..." It was, without a doubt, the best muffin Dash had ever eaten in her entire life. It was warm, soft and flaky. It was a little sweet, and it made her taste buds sing praises. Even before she had finished chewing her first bite, she was already craving more.

Derpy merely smiled and watched the other pegasus enjoy her cooking. "It's good, huh?" Dash nodded and Derpy laughed. "I'm glad you like them, Dash."

Dash took another bite, and then spread some butter on the rest of it. The butter only magnified the amazing taste. "This...This is the best dinner...I've ever had."

Derpy was happily munching on a muffin of her own. "Mmmm...Nothing in the whole wide world beats a good muffin."

"This is incredible. I had no idea you were such an amazing cook!"

"Heh...Well, I dunno about 'Amazing'..."

"No, really! These are perfect! They're super, super good! And...and you made them for us...I..." Dash paused. "Thank you, Derpy." Dash smiled sincerely, a warm feeling overcoming her that had nothing to do with the warm muffins.

Derpy smiled in return. "Oh, it was nothing Dash. Making muffins makes me happy, and so does seeing ponies enjoying them!"

"This was...really nice of you..." Dash was still smiling as she bit into her second muffin. They had spent less than a day in each others' company and already she was beginning to see that Derpy was more than a bubbly, clumsy ditz. She was starting to realize that there was a kind, generous pony underneath.

"Mmmmmmm...." Dash couldn't help but vocalize how amazing she found the taste to be. "Oh my gosh! I've gotta try one with some zap apple jam! I think I still have a jar left in the kitchen!" she said, leaping up from her chair.

Derpy was on her hooves instantly, dashing in front to intercept her. "Uhh, sit down, Dash! Don't worry! I'll get the jam for you. You just sit right there," she said quickly, ending with an awkward chuckle. Her mismatched eyes swiveled nervously between Dash and the kitchen entryway.

Dash raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no, it's no problem. It's easier for me to get it than to explain to you where I hide it," she said, easily stepping around the mare, "I keep it out of sight because sometimes Scootaloo comes over, and that filly always eats_all_ of my zap apple jam. I-"

She trailed off, her jaw hanging limp below her. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared at the sight before her. A few sputtering noises of utter disbelief escaped from her throat, but nothing more. She stood frozen in the entryway as she stared at the kitchen, Derpy trotting up beside her ashamedly.

The kitchen was an absolute mess. Flour, batter and all manner of ingredients covered pretty much every visible surface of the kitchen there was. At least half a dozen eggs lay splattered on the counter or the floor. Utensils and packaging lay strewn about in utter disarray and, for some reason, there was a fork embedded in the roof.

Dash slowly turned to look at the guilty mare, who stood beside her wearing a sheepish smile. "Umm...I was hoping you wouldn't see..."

"What...wh..." Dash muttered before taking a deep breath and shouting, "What happened?!"

Derpy winced from her shouting, splaying her ears back.

"What?! Did you bring a damn tornado through here?!" Dash was fuming. She stared lividly at the clumsy, oafish mare, fire in her eyes.Ditzy pony... Scathing thoughts ran through her mind. Clumsy idiot...Stupid moron... "I mean, look at this place!"

"Dash...Dash, wait-"

"How in Equestria did you manage to make it so filthy?!"

"Dash, please! I was hoping you wouldn't see it so that I'd have a chance to clean it up first..."

"I-" Dash cut off her next scolding shout and tilted her head. "What?"

Derpy stared at the floor. "I'm sorry. I did my best, but...well, the kitchen tends to get dirty when I use it."

Dash rolled her eyes. I never should have let her in the kitchen...I never should have let her in my house_!_

"But..." Derpy continued, gazing up at Dash with remorseful eyes. "But, I always clean up after. Always! Even if it takes forever, I don't leave until the kitchen is sparkling clean. A-And I tried extra, extra hard not to break anything today."

Dash's harsh gaze softened. "Really...?"

Derpy nodded. "I was gonna spend as long as it took to make your kitchen look good, and you wouldn't have to do anything. I'll do all the work." She put on a small smile and said, "I just really wanted to make muffins for you...'cus I knew how happy they'd make you."

Dash turned and looked at the disaster zone that used to be her kitchen, then turned back and looked at the mare before her, pleading for forgiveness. "You_really_ made a mess, Derpy..." she said in a neutral tone.

"I know..." the dejected pegasus said.

Dash continued staring at Derpy, who was frowning and gazing up at her. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to keep yelling at this stupid, clumsy pony who had made a total mess of her kitchen. She wanted this crazy, wall-eyed mare out of her house. Instead, she just sighed and looked away.

"Umm...You can look at it this way," she heard Derpy's voice, "Nothing broke. Nothing got ruined. Nothing really _bad_happened. And, hey! You don't have to do any work at all and your kitchen's gonna end up back to normal." Dash offered Derpy a sideways glance. "So really," the grey mare continued, "it's kinda funny!"

The wreckage met the proud blue pegasus' eyes. The utter mess left by a single, ridiculously clumsy pony who had trouble telling up from down. The mess that she herself could never possibly hope to achieve. The mess that had taken over_her_ kitchen in her house.

And she laughed. It started as a small chuckle, but before long Dash was laughing loudly, shutting her eyes and smiling widely as she was consumed with hilarity. Soon Derpy's laughing joined hers, and the two mares' chortles filled the room. Eventually, Dash was laughing so hard that she had to sit down, slamming her hoof on the ground as she struggled to contain herself.

The two laughed together for a couple minutes, both finding themselves completely overcome with hilarity. Eventually, Dash and Derpy began to calm down, catching their breath and panting. Dash turned to Derpy and couldn't stop smiling.

"Derpy?"

"Uh huh?"

"You are one crazy mare!"

Derpy giggled. "Well gee, I've never heard that one before."

Dash chuckled at her sarcastic remark. "Ahh," she sighed in contentment, "Come on. Let's grab some brooms."

"What do you mean? Dash, I said I'd clean it all up myself!"

Dash shrugged. "Eh, that'd just make me feel terrible. Like I'm taking advantage of you or something. C'mon, you don't wanna do all this work alone, do you?"

"But Dash..." Derpy was frowning with concern.

"Don't worry about it, Derpy!" Dash replied reassuringly, "I don't mind. Honest."

Derpy continued frowning at Dash for a few moments, but as she gazed into Dash's sincere expression, she began to smile. "O-okay...Thank you..."

As the grey mare trotted towards the closet to fetch some cleaning supplies, Dash watched her from where she stood. "Heh..." she said to herself, "She's all right after all..."

***

Cleaning the kitchen had taken the two ponies well into the evening, and soon after they had finished, it was time for bed. The two had turned the grueling task into a fun activity by talking to each other the whole time, telling about their lives, their likes and their dislikes. Over the course of a few hours, the two had really gotten to know one another.

"You poured a rain cloud on her, then tried to dry her with a tornado?! Ahaha! Dash, that's really funny!"

"She got straight-A's? Wow, that's impressive."

"Yeah, I've seen you flying and doing tricks. You're really amazing, Dash. I'll be really surprised if you're not a Wonderbolt very soon."

"I didn't think anypony noticed that lightning bolt-shaped cloud I'd made. But you saw it? Awesome!"

"Some ponies like to call me...'Equestria's Greatest Mother'. I think it's silly, I mean...I just do my best to make sure she's happy."

With each passing minute, Dash was more and more upset with herself for not making friends with Derpy sooner. Turns out she was very kind, really funny, and shared a lot of interests with Dash. She was still very clumsy, bumping into things and dropping things, but it wasn't long before Dash stopped caring.

They were presently in the guest room, with Dash standing in the doorway and Derpy trotting towards the bed.

"I hope that bed's comfy enough. It's a little old..."

Derpy gave a quick flap of her wings and hopped onto the bed, falling onto it with a pomf. "Heehee, it's just fine, Dash."

Dash smiled. "All right," she said before yawning. "Mm, it's getting late, so I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Okay, Dash!!"

"If you need anything, just come get me, okay? Just knock on my door."

"O-okay..." Derpy said with a small smile, "Goodnight!"

"G'night, Derpy." With that, Dash turned and trotted out of the room, closing the door behind her. She trotted the short distance to her own room and entered, also shutting the door. Yawning again, she crossed the dark room and climbed into her bed, snuggling herself beneath the warm covers.

The early night sky was outside her window, casting barely any light into her room. She sighed, getting herself comfortable and laying her head on the pillow. It had been a wild day, but things had turned out for the better in the end. Dash knew in her mind that she had made a new friend today.

She smiled, thinking of Derpy. The mare may have been clumsy, but she was a very enjoyable pony to be around. The bubbly, overly-happy personality that Dash had initially disliked had grown on her very fast, and she found the pegasus' laughter to be extremely infectious. She could always find something to laugh and smile about.

She was also very kind and generous, offering to help whenever she could. Derpy put others' happiness before her own, and that was something Dash admired. She was very pretty too. Her eyes, though misaligned, were a shining golden colour, and her mane was frizzy and care-free. She had an adorable face and cute little ears. Her wings were absolutely gorgeous, and her shapely form was amazing. Earlier, when Derpy had bent over to pick up the broom, Dash had caught a clear view of her...

A thick, red blush covered Dash's face. Shaking her head and pushing those thoughts out of her head, she rolled over on her side and fell fast asleep.

***

Dash was awoken later some time in the middle of the night. Her dream quite suddenly cut off, she groaned lightly and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep. She couldn't. There was a noise of some sort.

Blearily opening her eyes, she tried to focus her ears and listen for the sound that had awoken her. She shook her head, her scruffy bed-mane falling over her face. She yawned before sitting herself upright in the bed, swiveling her ears to try to hear the sound.

It was crying. It was the sound of somepony wailing.

Frowning, Dash immediately hopped out of bed. Shaking off her remaining fatigue, she carefully stepped through the darkness and exited her room. In the hallway, it was clear that the cries were coming from the room occupied by the only other pony in the house.

She stepped up to Derpy's door. She could hear the distraught mare's weeping clearly now, and it instantly began to tear at her heart. She raised her hoof and knocked lightly on the door. "Derpy?" she called, "Are...you okay?"

She heard Derpy sniffle. "Dash...?" came a quavering response.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

"O-okay..."

Dash opened the door and gazed into the darkened room. She was barely able to see the silhouette of Derpy, sitting up at the top of her bed, her head hanging low. Dash reached out her hoof and hit a switch on the wall. Two lanterns that were hanging from the ceiling were lit ablaze, casting the room in a warm orange glow.

Derpy sat on her bed, not looking at her visitor, and crying her eyes out. Dash, her heart aching at the sight, quickly trotted over. "Hey, hey, c'mon...What's the matter?" she asked soothingly.

"I-I'm sorry, Dash..." Derpy said in a quiet, miserable tone, "Di-did I wake you up...?"

"Well, yeah, but forget about that. Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry..." Derpy repeated, "I'll just go back to sleep..."

"Derpy, come on..."

The distraught mare took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but instead was hit with another powerful wave of sadness and her crying returned twofold. Dash couldn't take it any more. She couldn't stand to see Derpy crying like this.

Derpy gasped as she felt something soft and warm lay across her shoulders. She turned to Dash with teary eyes to see that Dash was hugging her with her wing. She sniffled and sat there while the other mare embraced her.

For a while, Dash said nothing. She just held her wing comfortingly across the distressed mare, letting the simple, warm contact calm her down.

Eventually, Derpy's tears subsided, and she simply sat on the bed, staring silently at the sheets below her. "I'm," she hiccupped, "I'm sorry about-"

"Derpy, c'mon. Stop apologizing," Dash interjected, though with a calming voice, "Just tell me what's wrong."

"I-it's nothing, I-"

"Derpy, remember...I said if you need anything, you could just let me know."

The grey mare sat in silence for a few moments, and then took a deep breath. "I...I had a dream..."

"A dream? Really?" Dash blurted out, involuntary thoughts of a little foal afraid of the boogeypony assaulting her brain. She shooed them away and asked, "What kind of dream?"

Derpy lowered her ears and turned her head away. "Um...A sad one..."

"Ohh..." Dash shifted a little closer, still hugging the mare with her wing, "Do you wanna talk about it, or...?"

She didn't respond, though Dash could tell she was on the verge of crying again.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine...but, y'know, it might help."

Derpy gave a wistful sigh. She spoke in a low tone, "I was...I was dreaming about...Dinky's father."

Dash's eyes widened, but she held her tongue and let Derpy speak.

"I dreamt about our past. I dreamt that we had fallen in love again, and everything was so perfect...just like it used to be. Then...and then, I dreamt about...when he left me...and it was like going through Tartarus all over again. All that sadness and hopelessness I felt back then...it all came back.

"But...but the worst part was...I dreamt that Dinky didn't love me anymore. I dreamt that she loved him and wanted to leave me too. I...She looked at me, and she had this horrible, hate-filled look on her face...and then she just turned and walked away..."

Derpy was beginning to cry again. Tears were freely flowing from her eyes and she was trembling. "It...It felt so real, and I..." She sniffled and gasped, unable to talk properly. "And...I just..."

"Derpy," Dash said in a quiet, gentle voice, "Shhhh...Please don't cry again. I hate to see you cry."

The other pegasus rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "It just made me so..."

"I know, I know," Dash cooed, giving her a warm squeeze with her wing, "but it's okay. It was just a dream..."

Derpy gave a little moan, trying to hold back more weeping.

"You're here with me now. Everything's okay."

Once again, Derpy slowly began to calm down. "Th-thanks, Dash..." she said quietly, "It happened so long ago, and I try to forget about it...but sometimes I can't..."

There was another moment of silence, and then Derpy continued to speak, "We...We fell in love. He was so amazing. I couldn't think straight when he was around. He was so funny and he always made me smile. He was so handsome. I loved everything about him. We were so happy together...

"And...and then I found out that I was pregnant. I...I was so scared, and I didn't know what I was gonna do. When I found out, he was out of town visiting his parents, so I sent him a letter telling him...

"And I never saw him again...I never heard from him. He completely disappeared, and he left me by myself...all alone."

Dash gazed at Derpy after hearing her emotional story. "Wow..." she breathed, shaking her head lightly. "I...I had no idea..."

"It was the worst moment of my whole life...and it took me months until I stopped crying every day. I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't eat...it was horrible. And...having that dream just brought all of those feelings back..."

"Oh, I can imagine..." Dash said, "I mean...I think I can. I've never gone through something like that, so..." Dash frowned, her words not coming out right. "But hey! You have a daughter now who loves you very much."

Derpy nodded.

"And dreaming about Dinky leaving you? Pfffft...Forget that. Never gonna happen!" Dash gave a worried smile, trying to bring the grey pegasus' spirits up. "Trust me. Any kid would be an idiot to give up a mom like you. Now, I don't know a lot about your daughter, but I know for sure she's not an idiot."

A small smile appeared on Derpy's lips. "Y-yeah...She's pretty smart for her age."

Dash's own smile grew. "So don't worry about it! Dreams are weird, anyway. I had one once where Scootaloo turned into a chicken. I was like_Whaa..._"

Derpy didn't respond to that, and she was still trembling lightly.

"Do you want a hug?"

Derpy turned her gaze up and looked at Dash, her skewed, golden eyes sparkling in the glow of the lanterns. "Huh?"

Dash removed her wing from Derpy's back and held out her hooves invitingly. "C'mon, a hug'll make you feel better."

The grey pony paused for a few moments, then leaned in and hugged the other pegasus tightly. Dash smiled and held her close, stroking her back and mane comfortingly. Derpy just held the other pony tight and didn't let go.

When the embrace ended, Derpy leaned back and gazed at Dash, smiling. "Thank you, Dash. I...I think I needed that."

Dash chuckled and gazed off to the side. "Heh, yeah. Just don't...tell anypony, okay? I kinda have a reputation around here."

Derpy gave a little laugh. "Okay."

"I mean..." Dash continued, looking back, "I hardly ever cry. But I still do sometimes...everypony does. And what always makes me feel better is a hug."

The other mare nodded. "You're right...It does really help."

"And like I said before: I hate to see a girl cry."

Derpy's smile faded and she gazed downward. "Um..." she muttered, "I just...I mean...I wonder sometimes..."

"About what?"

"Well...Ever since...ever since him, I haven't really...you know, tried to meet another stallion or anything."

Dash blushed, but she wasn't sure why.

"I've just been too afraid, I think. I see another stallion, and for a moment I think about meeting him and asking him out and getting to know him." Derpy paused and frowned. "But then I remember what happened last time and...I-I'm too afraid to try."

"Well, I...uh..."

Derpy turned and looked her straight in the eyes. "Do...Do you think I can ever find love?"

Dash's blush intensified. "Uhhh..."

"Is there some stallion out there somewhere who's going to love me and stay with me...?"

Dash gazed into Derpy's sparkling, golden eyes that were looking at her with an anxious, worried expression. Her messy, blonde mane hung over her face, tussled up from her wild dreams. The mare's mouth hung in a small frown that made Dash's heart ache. She wanted to see a smile instead.

She was beautiful. Dash couldn't deny it, even if she wanted to. She smiled warmly and reached a hoof forward, brushing the stray strands of mane out of Derpy's face. "Maybe you've been looking in the wrong places, Derpy."

"Huh? Wh-what do you mean?"

Dash's hoof continued to gently caress down the side of Derpy's face. "Love can come from anywhere. Sometimes...it can surprise you."

The pegasus' tender caresses were giving Derpy a light, rosy blush.

The hoof continued downward, softly moving across Derpy's chin and continuing until it came to rest right above her chest. "Just listen to your heart," Dash said, leaning in slightly and giving a warm smile.

Derpy was silent for a few moments. Only the sounds of their breathing could be heard. "I...I..." she muttered eventually.

"Derpy?" Dash said in a gentle voice, "Has anypony ever told you...that you're beautiful?"

The grey mare's eyes widened and her blush intensified. "Wh-what? I...Well, I dunno...I don't think so..." She gazed downward. "Why would they? I'm not beautiful..."

Dash used her hoof to gently draw Derpy's face back up to eye-level. "Yes you are. You're a wonderful, beautiful pony."

"But...but my eyes-"

"I think you have amazing eyes. They sparkle like Celestia's golden sun."

Derpy didn't respond. She could only stare.

"I get the feeling that not enough ponies tell you this," Dash continued, "so I'm gonna tell you now. You're an incredible pony. You're kind, you're funny, you're very generous...and you're beautiful."

"Dash..."

"I envy your daughter. It must be amazing to have a mother like you. I bet she's the happiest foal in all of Equestria."

"..."

"Derpy, I think you're very special. I don't want you to put yourself down because...because you're amazing."

The two sat in silence, gazing at each other. Both were blushing heavily. For a while, Derpy seemed to be lost in thought, or lost in Dash's eyes. She didn't move or respond in any way.

Then, she began to lean forwards. She closed her eyes and opened her lips, tilting herself towards the pony sitting across from her. Dash, heart fluttering, closed her eyes too and leaned forward to meet her in the middle.

The two ponies' lips met and they shared a kiss. It began slow and simple, but soon their tongues met and began to play with one another. It grew more and more passionate, with Dash taking the initiative and pushing her tongue forward into Derpy's mouth. She explored the other mare's mouth as much as she could, before retreating and letting Derpy's tongue enter hers hesitantly. The two moaned lightly as they enjoyed the kiss.

The kiss ended and both moved back, panting. They gazed at each other in silence for a moment. Derpy's face was almost beet-red.

"I...Wow..." she muttered.

Dash smiled brightly at the flustered mare.

"I dunno why I...I mean...I'm not a fillyfooler, but...At least I don't think I am...I mean..."

Dash chuckled. "Calm down, Derpy. I thought that was amazing. How did you like it?"

"Ummm," Derpy paused, "I guess...it felt good."

The bed creaked as Dash shifted her position closer to Derpy. She nuzzled the grey mare's cheek affectionately.

Derpy smiled nervously as she was nuzzled. "I guess...I mean, that was the nicest thing anypony's ever said to me...in my whole life. It just made me so happy."

"Mmm, I was only telling you the truth, Derpy."

Derpy's nervousness began to ebb away and her smile became more genuine. "I think I started to realize...how great you are, Dash..."

Dash gave Derpy a lick on the cheek, intensifying her blush even more.

"But...but, Dash..."

"Shhhhh..." Dash soothed, caressing the mare's cheek with her hoof, "Just relax..." Dash began to draw her hoof down, sliding it across Derpy's shoulders and then her chest. She could feel the mare's quick heartbeat.

Derpy said nothing, but her eyes were wide and she was panting.

Dash leaned in, kissing Derpy's cheek and then moving to kiss her lips again. She moaned softly as she found the grey pegasus' tongue again. Dash's hoof slid further down, rubbing along her belly.

Derpy broke the kiss and gasped. "Hah...Dash..." she panted, her breath hot and heavy, "Dash...Wha..."

"I think you're a very attractive mare, Derpy..." Dash breathed, almost whispering into her ear. Her hoof drifted further down, making Derpy gasp out. "You're amazing, so I'm gonna make you_feel_ amazing."

Dash's hoof began to brush against Derpy's slit, gently rubbing around the opening in a somewhat teasing manner. Derpy gasped loudly. "D-Dash!!" she exclaimed, her face fully blushing.

Already, Dash could feel her hoof getting moist. She began to lightly rub her hoof between the mare's lips, feeling how wet they were getting. "Mmm, you're enjoying this already, aren't you?"

Derpy didn't respond. Her eyes were unfocused - more so than usual - and she was breathing heavily, her tongue hanging out.

"You're so wet down there..." she purred, sliding her hoof in a little further and continuing her rubbing motions. Derpy began to softly moan.

Then, Dash removed her hoof, licking her lips. After a moment, Derpy turned to give her an odd look, but the mare was no longer at eye-level beside her. Derpy looked down to find Dash laying before her, placing her head between her legs. "Dash...? Wh...What are you...?"

"If you taste even half as good as your muffins..." Dash used her front hooves to carefully ease Derpy onto her back, laying her on the pillows. She then gently pushed Derpy's legs open, revealing her moist slit. She licked her lips again, drawing her head in closer and inhaling the mare's scent. It briefly clouded her mind, stoking the heat between her own legs.

She glanced up to gaze at Derpy, smiling. Derpy was giving her an anxious look that was also clouded with arousal, her front hooves hanging adorably in the air. She then returned her attention to the warm, wet opening before her and dove in.

Dash drew her tongue along the length of Derpy's lower lips, eliciting a loud gasp of pleasure from the mare. On the next lick, she pushed her tongue in between ever so slightly. With every lick, she pushed her tongue deeper and deeper into Derpy's pussy.

The mare's taste was amazing. It was so sweet and pleasing, and Dash immediately wanted more. As her tongue explored deeper into the mare's slit, she licked at as much of her juices as she could. She moaned, the taste driving her wild.

Derpy was moaning too, crying out in ecstasy as Dash worked at her pussy, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. She shuddered with desire, all second thoughts erased from her mind. All she knew now was that she didn't want to stop feeling Dash's tongue inside of her.

Dash pushed her tongue in deeper, striving to taste more and to feel as much of the mare's pussy as she could. Her own arousal was growing but she ignored it, focusing on pleasing the other mare.

Derpy arched her back, thrusting her hips forward, as if trying to drive Dash' tongue in even further. She gasped and made cute little vocalizations of pleasure, her eyes shut tight and her cheeks bright crimson. "Aaah, Dash...That feels...amazing!"

The cerulean mare pulled her tongue out, drawing it along Derpy's walls slowly as she did. She felt Derpy shiver with pleasure and smirked before moving up slightly and licking at the exposed bud at the top of her pussy.

"Aah...AAH!!" Derpy cried out loudly.

Dash licked around the mare's clit a few times, before closing her lips around it and sucking lightly, teasing it with the tip of her tongue as she did. This nearly sent Derpy into convulsions. The mare shivered and shuddered from untold pleasures, her front hooves twitching and trembling along the bedspread beside her.

"Aahhh!! Dash!! Ohh!!" Derpy was moaning and shouting loudly. Dash continued pleasuring her clit with her mouth, teasing it and stimulating it as much as she could. Then she returned her mouth to Derpy's opening, driving her tongue in. She also raised her hoof up and used it to rub at the mare's clit while she did.

"Dash!" Derpy cried out, "I'm gonna...I'm gonna...!!"

She didn't get to finish her sentence. Instead, she threw her head back onto the pillow, crying out as she came. Dash was met with a torrent of sweet, delicious juices, and she used her tongue to lap up as much of it as she could. Derpy shivered while her orgasm coursed through her body, rendering her breathless.

Dash gave a happy moan of satisfaction, climbing up on top of Derpy and resting on her stomach, facing her. She leaned in and gave Derpy another passionate kiss, sharing the mare's own taste with her. Derpy moaned into the kiss, her eyes glazed over with pleasure.

"Hah..." Dash breathed after the kiss, "How...was that?"

Derpy panted and struggled to talk through her breathlessness. "A...amazing..."

Dash gave her another loving nuzzle. "Mmm, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I...I never...wow..." Derpy was finally catching her breath, "Dash...that felt so incredible..."

Dash fixed her with a sultry gaze. "Yeah, In fact...maybe I could get a turn now."

Derpy blushed fiercely and her eyes widened. "I- You mean me? Doing...? I- I ca- I mean-"

Her momentary panic was silenced by a quick kiss on the lips from Dash.

"But..." she mumbled, "I've never done anything like this before...I- I don't..."

"Don't worry," Dash said reassuringly, "You'll do just fine."

Derpy glanced anxiously down Dash's body, staring between her legs, then looked back up. The cerulean mare's caring, comforting rosy eyes met her. "O-okay..." she said, smiling shyly, "But please...don't get mad if I do it wrong."

Dash couldn't help but snicker. "I'm not gonna get mad at you, Derpy. Trust me, you'll do fine," she said, leaning back onto the covers behind her. Dash sprawled out on her back, her wings stiff and extended beneath her. She spread her hind legs, proudly exposing her swollen, needy pussy.

The blush on Derpy's face intensified again, and she was vaguely aware that her own wings were stiff and on display behind her as well. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and then lay down before the other pegasus, placing her head between Dash's thighs.

Dash was getting turned on just seeing Derpy in this position. Her tail flicked excitedly. Derpy glanced up and gave her an adorable, hesitant glance. She smiled and gave a nod as if to say,Go ahead and do whatever you want.

Derpy then leaned in and gave a lick up the center of Dash's lips, sending shivers through her. Dash gave a happy-sounding moan to encourage the other mare, who started to part her folds with her tongue.

"Mmm...aah..." Dash was making positive noises, mostly for the sake of Derpy. She had a feeling that quietness might make her think she was doing something wrong. "That's good...Deeper..."

Derpy closed her eyes and gave a small moan, pushing her tongue deeper into the cerulean mare and flicking it about, rubbing it against all surfaces. "Aahh...Do I taste good, Derpy?"

"Mhmm..." Dash could barely hear Derpy say. She could definitely detect a hint of arousal in the mare's voice.

Dash was starting to shiver with pleasure as she felt Derpy's tongue slide deeper inside of her. It brushed against all of her inner walls, stimulating her and sending electric sensations up her spine. "Ohh, yess... Yes, you're doing so good, Derpy..."

Dash reached her hoof forward and placed it gently on the back of Derpy's head. The grey mare opened her eyes and gave Dash a questioning look, but Dash just smiled and moaned. "In...In and out, Derpy..."

Taking Dash's instructions, Derpy began to move her tongue in and out of her pussy, making her moan louder. "Aahh...Aaaahhh..." She tried to control herself from bucking her hips into Derpy's face. "Oh, Goddess..."

Dash nearly screamed as Derpy moved her tongue up and began to lick across her clit. "_Aah!_Ah, yes!! Right there!" Dash had to give Derpy props for learning from their earlier experience. She was stimulating Dash's clit in much the same way Dash had stimulated hers.

"Ohh...I'm close..." Dash was panting heavily, sweating hard. She could feel pressure building between her legs, and all the pleasure she was feeling from Derpy's tongue was pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

Dash's legs began to rise up and close together, an uncontrollable habit of hers that tended to happen when she got close to orgasm. Derpy, her surroundings closing in on her head, took the initiative and used both of her forehooves to push Dash's legs down and apart.

Dash stared down, seeing Derpy holding her legs down and licking into her pussy. It was a hot, incredibly arousing sight. She panted. She cried out. She gave a little push on the back of Derpy's head.

"I'm cumming!!"

Dash gave a long moan and threw her head back as her orgasm shook her entire body, her pussy tightening and clenching around Derpy's tongue. She felt liquid leaking out, dribbling into Derpy's mouth and onto her face. She panted with her tongue lolling out, trying to catch her breath. As she did, she gazed down at Derpy.

Derpy was also panting with her tongue out. Dash's juices covered her mouth and tongue, dripping out and onto the bedspread. After a moment, she closed her mouth and gulped, swallowing it all.

A moment later, Derpy fell onto her back, laying panting on the bed. Dash, catching her breath after her climax, rolled over and crawled over to the other mare, positioning herself on top of her. She gazed into Derpy's glazed wall-eyes.

"That was amazing, Derpy..." she whispered, "That felt absolutely incredible."

"Ruh...really...?" Derpy panted.

Dash nodded. She then leaned in and gave Derpy another passionate kiss. She swirled her tongue around the mare's mouth, tasting her own juices. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the kiss, moaning quietly. She could feel Derpy's hooves reach up and embrace her, and the warm closeness of the grey pony's body below her, their fur brushing against each other, felt so comforting and soothing.

It felt right.

The kiss ended and Dash was left staring into the blushing face of Derpy below her. "Derpy..." she said softly.

"Y-yeah, Dash?"

Dash paused, carefully considering if she really wanted to say these next words. She didn't have to consider for long. "I think I love you."

Derpy's eyes widened with surprise. For a moment, she was silent. She seemed to be processing this revelation; considering how to respond. She gazed up at Dash with a curious, contemplating gaze.

And then she smiled. "I...I love you too..." She blushed furiously and brought her forehooves up to her mouth adorably.

Dash's heart did backflips. She beamed brightly and gave the mare a warm, loving nuzzle.

"I...I..." Derpy fumbled over her words, "You're not like other ponies, Dash...There's something loving, caring and special about you..."

"You're so adorable, and you're so sweet and kind," Dash said, continuing to nuzzle her, "I just love everything about you."

Derpy gazed at her warmly. "Yeah...I wasn't really sure, but I guess I realized...well, it doesn't matter if you're another mare." She giggled. "What's the difference?"

Dash laughed at that. "Exactly. You wanted somepony to love you and, well, now you have me."

A huge smile found it's way onto Derpy's face and she hugged Dash tightly. "You have no idea...how much it means to hear you say that you love me. I love you, Dash. You're amazing."

"You're amazing too."

Dash leaned in and gave Derpy another kiss, this one more loving than passionate. The two savoured the moment and simply enjoyed being together with one another. All the woes of the world, all the previous events, were forgotten as the two shared this loving moment.

A shift of their bodies made Dash's pussy move and brush against Derpy's. It made the grey mare gasp and moan out, her wings twitching slightly.

Dash laughed lightheartedly at her reaction. "C'mere you," she said before darting her tongue into Derpy's mouth and kissing her more passionately.

***

"Oh! 'Ey, Miss Hooves! Over 'ere!"

Derpy, out on the streets of Ponyville delivering mail, turned her head and gazed in the direction she'd heard her name called. "Oh...Uh, hello Mr. Brown..."

The burly pegasus trotted over to her, grinning. "Glad I ran inta ya. Listen, I got good news. My boys have been workin' dere flanks off and we finished da work on your house ahead of schedule. It's all done and ready for ya."

Though a moment ago, she had been nervous by Mr. Brown's presence, she was now smiling and joyful. "Oh, really? Good! That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, dat's no problem. Listen, we'll send ya the final bill in the mail, so...heh, I suppose you'll definitely get it."

Derpy giggled. "Yeah. Well hey, thanks for telling me. It's been a long day of work and I finally get to go relax. It's nice to have a bit of good news as well."

Brown nodded and smiled at the mare. "Well, it was a pleasure doin' business wit ya."

Derpy reached up and took off her mailmare's cap, placing it in her now-empty saddlebags. She shook her golden mane, letting it fall into its natural place after being under the hat all day. "Thank you too, Mr. Brown! Well, I'll see you around! Bye!" She waved to him, and then turned and took off into the sky. She smiled as she began to depart.

"Uhhh, miss?" Brown's voice called after her.

Derpy stopped her flight and turned back to him, hovering in place.

"Your...uh, home is dat-a-way." he said, raising his hoof to point in the opposite direction from which Derpy was travelling. "I thought yous said you was goin' home to relax."

Derpy gave a lighthearted, bubbly giggle and smiled at him. "I am going to go relax...but I'm not going home. Right now...I have somewhere better to be..."

With a wink and another wave, Derpy took off.