An early mistake

*Knock, knock, knock*

Derpy jerked awake, blinking her eyes and trying to focus. What was that? She listened closely, straining to hear any sort of noise, but all she could here was the subtle chirping of early morning birds. She glanced at the clock; 5:19??? Who would be up at such an hour? Surely no one. She nestled back in back, curling into a snug ball under the blankets, and was just falling back into a deep slumber when-

*Knock knock knock*

Derpy jerked awake and fumbled for the light switch. She swiped at the wall a few times, then finally managed to hit the switch, and a seemingly blinding light filled her eyes. She shook her head experimentally, then stumbled out into the hallway. She yanked a throw out from under the sleeping Brick, who tumbled to the floor, and wrapped it about her torso, shivering as she clumsily made her way to the front door.

"Knockity knock knock!"

A high pitched voice called from behind the wooden barrier, followed by more knocking.

"I'm coming! I'm coming..." Derpy grumbled as she fiddled with the door knob for a moment, and finally managed to get it open. With a creak, the door swung wide, revealing a bright pink mare with a cotton candy like mane.

"Pinkie pie? What are you-"

Pinkie sprung forward, and a small confetti launcher behind her popped loudly, making Derpy squeak in surprise. "Wakey wakey! Come on sleepy head, we're having a party!!!"

Derpy tilted her head in confusion. "A party? But why?"

Pinkie giggled, straightening the party hat that perched upon her fluffy mane. "Why a welcoming party, du-uh!"

Derpy shook her head. Pinkie Pie was worse than her.  "I hate to ruin your party Pinkie, but you already threw me a party... 2 years ago."

Pinkie glared at her in an I'm-not-really-mad-at-you sort of fashion that only Pinkie Pie could pull off. "Not for you silly billy, for Dragon Fly!!! Now come on! Get ready, and meet us at Sugar cube corner by seven ooooooooclock!"

Dragon Fly, the pony she had met yesterday? Yes, she had thought she'd never seen him before.

With that, The pink mare disappeared with no trace she had ever been there, save for the glittering confetti. Derpy simply shook her head once more and turned to the ferret glaring daggers at her from the floor. Brick snatched the blanket from her, wrapping himself in it and curling into a tight little ball once again. She sighed and wandered back into the illuminated bedroom, frowning at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Her mane was disheveled, and her eyes still had a half closed, sleepy look about them. How the heck did Pinkie ever wake this early anyway? She grabbed a brush from the counter and began attacking her hair. It took a while, but she managed to get all the knots out and her mane back in order. She then went to the bathroom, washed her face, and returned to her bedroom, glancing at the clock. 6:30, she had a little time.

Derpy glanced through her wardrobe, trying to decide if she wanted to wear anything as she considered Dragon Fly. The pony had stayed with her the entirety of that night, blue eyes echoing through her mind, and filling her dreams. She couldn't stop thinking about him.  A pony who had never met her wouldn't have seen her mistakes right? If she could just keep herself out of trouble- Deep in thought, Derpy accidently bumped into a table, spilling a glass of water. She groaned and dashed to the kitchen, grabbing a towel to soak up the water. I had better be careful today... She looked up from cleaning the spilled water to check the time.  6:52... Better get a move on.

Derpy tossed the wet towel on her counter top and snatched a violet scarf from the dresser, tying it 'round her neck as she hurried out the door. The morning sun felt nice on her face as Derpy trotted through the town to Sugarcube corner. The streets were empty and quiet, and Derpy assumed everyone was at the party. Sure enough, as she approached the Cakes shop, she could hear the muffled noise of ponies laughing and shouting. Derpy opened the door, and Pinkie Pie greeted her, "Derpy! You’re here!" She turned to the crowd, grinning, "Hey everypony! Last pony’s here, now I can go get Dragon Fly!" The ponies cheered, and Pinkie bounced out the door while the room hummed with excitement.

Derpy managed to navigate through the crowd and make her way to the buffet, where several ponies gathered, chatting among themselves and nibbling on the delicious party treats the cakes had prepared. The ponies gave Derpy space as she approached, backing away to avoid anything that might be knocked over. Derpy looked hopefully at Bon Bon and Lyra, but when they saw her, the quickly made their way to the pin-the-tail-on-the-pony game. Derpy sighed and took a plate in her mouth, filling it with the muffins she knew Pinkie had supplied with her in mind.

Suddenly, a cute little grayish filly bounced up to her, smiling. "Derpy!!" She cried, giving her older sister a hug, while Sparkler followed close behind. Derpy smiled, her spirits lifting. She embraced her youngest sister warmly. "Hey Dink, Sparkler." The Purple pony nodded uncomfortably. While Derpy and Dinky Doo had been born much like their mother, Sparkler had taken after their father, a solemn pony who spent most of his days at the office. "Hello Derpy Hooves, it's nice to see you again." Sparkler turned to her smaller sister, "Eh, Dinky, let's, let's go play charades with Berry Punch!" Sparkler dragged her sister away, and Dinky waved. "Bye Derpy!!!"

Derpy sighed and waved back, turning back to her plate of muffins, and was about to take a big bite when Lily popped her head in the door and shrieked; "THEY'RE COMING!!! THEY'RE COMING!!!" Everypony dived for cover, under tables, behind curtains, and Derpy placed herself behind a box of balloons. The sound of held in giggled spread around the room as the muffled noises of Pinkie and Dragon Fly approached.

"Okay! It's right in here!"

Pinkie Pie opened the door, leaned in, and gave everypony a wink. She then pushed Dragon Fly inside.

SURPRISE!!!

Dragon Fly stared in bewilderment as ponies surrounded him, welcoming him and throwing confetti at him. Dragon Fly recovered from his shock and grinned, laughing and thanking pinkie pie profusely. He was soon swept away by a crowd, and Derpy was left behind. She frowned slightly, hoping she would get a chance to talk to him before this was over.

Derpy had spent the last hour trying to talk to Dragon Fly, but every time he was carried away by someone else. She was getting frustrated and tired, when all of a sudden; she noted Flutter Shy walking away from Dragon Fly, right as Pinkie Pie called out, “HEY EVERYPONY! Any one up for some Chimmy Cherry Changa!?” The ponies all cheered and stampeded towards the kitchen before the delicious cherry concoction was gone, giving Derpy the perfect chance to pull Dragon aside. She gestured to him, calling; “Hey Dragon Fly! Over here!” As he approached, Derpy grinned nervously, and it now occurred to her she had no idea where to start.

“Eh, hello. Hey, aren’t you that pony I ran into in the park?”

Derpy blushed furiously as the embarrassing memories came back.

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Eh, so, uh, where are you from?” It was obviously a failed attempt to start a conversation, but Dragon Fly just smiled and played along.

“Oh, I lived a bunch of places, but my last home was in Canterlot. I’ve been looking for the perfect place to settle down, and Canterlot was far too crowded. Nothing has suited me so far, but this town is off to a promising start.” Derpy smiled and stepped forward, moving with the line for Pinkies pastries. So far, so good. “I moved here from Cloudsdale two years ago. I caused too much- er, just liked the idea of living on the ground better. Don’t get me wrong though, I love flying.” Derpy’s heart twisted inside her chest as she carried on a casual conversation with the handsome stallion, she felt like she was off to a great start, then it happened.

“Excuse me,”

Colgate was trying to get by with a piece of Chimmy Cherry Changa, and Derpy tried to be polite and move out of her way, but when she stepped back, she accidently bumped into another pony, sloshing the glass of punch in her hoof. “Oh! I’m sorry!” She tried to move again, but tripped over another ponies hoof, and was sent flying. She shrieked and tumbled into the punch table knocking the table over with a loud crash. Juice went flying, soaking several ponies as the table flipped on top of Derpy. There was a terrible moment of silence; a few shocked gasps, then, giggling.

Derpy poked her nose out from under the heavy pink table cloth, and looked straight up into the face of Dragon Fly. The pale stallion had a hoof over his mouth, and his cheeks were flushed as he tried to contain his laughter. The giggling grew louder as Derpy tried to untangle herself from the table cloth. Soon every pony was chortling, and tears began to well up in Derpy’s eyes. She freed herself from the table cloth and stood up with shaky hooves, and scanned the faces around her. Every pony was laughing. Laughing at her. The first tear fell, and she turned and dashed out the door, unable to take the cruel laughter any longer.

Derpy galloped hard and fast, trying to get away from the terrible noise, though it seemed to stay with her, echoing in her mind as she ran blindly. Tears blurred her vision as her instinct guided her home, away the party and her embarrassment. She burst through her door, slamming it behind her and running to her bedroom, flopping on her bed and shedding tears freely. She had done it again, found a way to ruin a perfectly good party, and embarrass her self in front of all of Ponyville, including Dragon Fly. Brick appeared next to her squeaking softly and nuzzling her nose as she sobbed into the covers. Derpy sniffed and sat up, taking Brick into her lap and stroking him. Pull yourself together Derp, we have to fix this. Derpy nodded to herself. She had to do something about her clumsiness. She couldn’t live like this any longer. But what could she do? Derpy thought for a long moment, and a sudden inspiration came to her.

Twilight.