Protecting Derpy Hooves

by TheElectroTigger

Rating: everyone
Tags: Tragedy, Slice of Life, Sad
Length: 12355

A foal witnesses a filly getting bullied and rushes to disperse the teasers. This action will change his, and her, life forever.

Foster, an Earth foal, has recently moved to Ponyville. Exploring the place, he sees Derpy Hooves, a Pegasus filly, being bullied. After breaking up the pestering, and several more focused on the strange filly, he realizes what he must do. He must protect Derpy Hooves.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-17 19:28:05 UTC

New Here

The sun's rays shot through the window and landed on a brown face. The recently relaxed face soon scrunched up in annoyance. He opened one eye and then the other. He opened them wider in fright when he realized he was in an unfamiliar setting. He shot up, looking around frantically. He sighed as he remembered where he was. It was his new house. He moved here only the night before and he could already remember his fit that night. Pleading for his mother not to make him leave. He liked his friends too much to go down without a fight. But as soon as he started the argument, it was over. He knew he wasn't going to convince his mother to not move. He would just have to deal with it. And here he was, dealing it. He wouldn't have to go to school yet, his mother still had to sign him up. So he had one free day. He swung his legs over the bed and heaved himself off. Only to land on his face. His bed at his "old" house was lower to the ground. There was gonna be a lot of getting used to in this house. He picked himself up off the ground and made his way to the bathroom. Upon entering he met a face, his own, in the mirror. He had a brown coat with a few freckles on his cheeks. His silver hair was always a mess. But it suit him well. Like an organized mess. His eyes were a strong, vibrant blue. He turned to find his toothbrush but something caught his eye. Well, I guess you could say a lack of something caught his eye. On his hip, there was supposed to be a sort of tattoo. Called a cutie mark, which was a representation of what your special talent was. And his was not there. He'd get it eventually, though, right? He didn't think he'd never get his cutie mark, but getting it soon would surely be nice. After he brushed his teeth, he made his way downstairs.

"Foster! Breakfast is ready!" this was said by his mother. Who must have awoken long before him, since he hadn't heard any doors open or close. He made his way down the stairs, making sure to jump the last two. Guided by the smell of waffles, he made his way to the kitchen. Standing by an oven was a Earth mare with a brown coat and purple mane. With eyes of green. She smiled and hugged him.

"Good morning, Foster! How are you?" She asked.

"I'm alright, still getting used to this place," Foster replied, smiling back to his mother. He didn't know a lot about his mother. He wanted to get to know her better, have her tell him jokes, or stories, but the situation never arose. And, unfortunately, now wasn't a good time either. Foster was hungry. So he made his way to the table and seated himself.

"Sorry to hear, but, will a hot plate of waffles coated in syrup help?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Foster answered by licking his lips. Taking his fork, stabbed one, two waffles and dropped them on the plate set for him. Holding a bottle of syrup, Foster's mom placed it on the table. Foster thanked her and began to pour it on the waffles. Taking the fork, again, he began to eat. The combination of the waffles and syrup warming his belly. Halfway through his meal, his mother grabbed his attention.

"Well, love, I gotta go sign you up for school. Don't groan. You'll have plenty of fun. Why don't you go look around, just lock the door when you leave." And with that, Foster's mother had departed.

Foster finished his breakfast and washed the plate and fork, placing in the sun to dry. He ran back up to his room and grabbed the key that was given to him the night before. Back down the stairs and out the door went Foster. Locking it behind him. Galloping, he made his way down the dirt path. Past all the looming trees. He made a mental note to climb these trees someday. He surveyed his area when he got to the end of the path. Technically, he lived just outside of Ponyville. He remembered this when he saw a sign saying 'Ponyville' and pointing to the right. He followed the direction of the sign and found himself on a cobblestone path. The path turned and he was greeted by several buildings and a few ponies. Each one talking to each other. Foster made his way through and thought about where he should go. His ears perked up as he listened to a new conversation from a pair of mares coming around the corner of a building.

"I just feel so bad for her, you know?" one said.

"Yeah, it's only the second day of the week and it's already happened four times," said the other. Intrigued, Foster walked in the direction that the two mares came from. He began to hear some sort of whimper, but it was muffled. He rounded the building to see a filly with her face buried in her hooves. From what Foster could see, she had a beautiful blonde mane with a gray coat. She also had no cutie mark. Around her was two stallions, and one mare. The stallion began to speak.

"Oh come on, blank flank, quit your crying," The mare also spoke.

"Let me see those eyes, blank flank. I'm in the mood to laugh," she said, the group all laughing. Foster ground his teeth. This mare was being bullied.

Silly Filly

Those two mares just walked away! They didn't even try to help her as far as I'm concerned, thought Foster. The taunting in front of him continued.

"I said, let me see those eyes, Derpy!" The filly shouted, grabbing the Derpy's blonde hair and yanking it up. Foster didn't know what he was gonna see, but when he did, he was indifferent to how he felt. He knew he wasn't disgusted or weirded out by it, but other than that, he was confused. Derpy's eyes were off centered. One was looking straight but the other was looking... at Foster. The trio laughed again at the sight of her eyes. The filly then yanked her hair down, causing Derpy's face to hit the ground.

"Hey! Get away from her," Foster shouted, running forward. All three of the teasers looked to Foster. Even Derpy lifted her head a little bit. Foster finally got a good look at them. The Unicorn filly had a gold and well styled mane with a white coat. Her eyes were purple. She had a cutie mark of a quilt. Foster assumed that she was some sort of designer. The Unicorn foal on her right had a green mane with a light blue coat. His eyes were the color of the grass. He had a cutie mark of a football helmet. That seemed pretty self explanatory to Foster. The Earth foal on the filly's left was big. He had visible muscles and stood with authority. The longer Foster stared at the behemoth, the more intimidated he got. This foal had a brown, gelled mane with a black coat. His eyes were a brilliant blue. His cutie mark was, surprisingly, a picture frame. Foster thought it would be a weight but he guessed this foal liked photography. He was the first to speak.

"Who are you?" he said with a sneer.

"I'm Foster, I just moved here," Foster answered back.

"Well, Foster, welcome to Ponyville. I'm Snapshot," he motioned to the filly, "this is Dezzy," he motioned to the other foal, "and this is White Night," Snapshot then held out his hoof, asking for it to be shook. Foster stared at it. Was this guy seriously trying to make friends with Foster after ridiculing Derpy? Foster slapped it away and the smile of Snapshot's face turned to a frown.

"Whatever, you're a blank flank, anyways. But, if you excuse us, we have business to attend to," Snapshot began to turn toward Derpy. Foster leapt to the side, now in between the trio and Derpy. Snapshot raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"Do you know her?" Dizzy asked.

"Don't have to, what you're doing is wrong," Foster said. He looked behind him at Derpy. How long had this sort of stuff been going on? Foster thought. As if she read his mind, she smiled a sad smile, and Foster turned back to the teasers.

"What do you have against her?" Foster asked. White Night stepped forward.

"Just look at her! Those stupid eyes and the gimpy way she moves, she's just so weird." Foster contemplated asking why that gives them the right to tease her, but he doubted they'd look at themselves so deeply.

"Look, kid, just leave, you're not gonna change a thing," Dezzy said, coming so close they were almost nose to nose. Foster looked her dead in the eyes and rotated his hooves, planting himself further in the ground. Dezzy sniffed.

"So be it, White, move him." White Night moved closer. Foster didn't doubt that they were bluffing. And Foster doubted he'd be able to take them on. Let alone White Night. He would either run and leave Derpy, or fight. Run. Fight. Run. Fight. He shut his eyes. He had to run.

He turned and grabbed Derpy's hoof. She looked up, frightened.

"RUN!" Foster shouted, pulling Derpy to a standing position. Still holding her hand, he took off through the bushes, Derpy stumbling from the unexpected pull. Behind them, White Night began to run, too. But Dezzy stopped him.

"It's not worth it. We'll get them later."

After their run, Foster and Derpy stopped after they couldn't run any more. They stopped in the market of Ponyville. Panting, Derpy turned to Foster.

"Who are you?" she asked. Foster regained his breath.

"I'm Foster, I just moved here," he answered.

"Do I know you?" she asked, closing one eye and widening the other.

"Haha, no... but I'd like to get to know you," Foster answered, holding out a hoof. Derpy looked at it, as if questioning its entire existence. She blinked and her eyes switched positions. One straight, the other now looking to the bottom right.

"I'm Derpy, nice to meet you," she said shaking Foster's hoof.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go, my mother's making lunch, find me sometime," Derpy said, turning to leave.

"Oh, and, thanks, Foster. Bye!" and with that, she was gone.

Contemplation

Derpy had left Foster to his thoughts. But what did Foster have to think? Well, for one, why did he choose to stop the teasing? Everybody else walked away, why didn't he? Did he have feelings for her? No, of course not. He just met her. Why? It must have been because it was wrong for that to happen to anypony. But that answer only left Foster hallow. It was right, but it didn't quite fit. Like a bag of chips not totally filled up. And you wonder where the missing chips are. But Foster wanted to find those chips. So he sat down at a nearby bench, and thought. He knew he would get in deep water with Dezzy, White Night, and Snapshot. Yet he consciously put himself in danger for that silly looking filly. They were ready to beat Foster up, for doing the right thing! He imagined himself if he hadn't ran. If he stood his ground. He'd probably be crunched up in a ball next to Derpy, while the trio laughed. Kicking him in the stomach here and there. They'd probably leave him there, too. Satisfied with their work. He pushed the scenario out of his mind. He didn't think it was very healthy to dwell on what could have happened. Back on topic, Foster thought, I need to narrow this down. What he been feeling when he first saw the bullying? Not fear, especially not happiness. Guilt? Did he save her out of guilt? That seemed pretty sad to him. Foster only saved her so he wouldn't be weighed down with the thought of not. No, that couldn't have been it. That's not the kind of child momma Foster raised. And he wouldn't turn in to that, either. So he pushed that thought away. Sorrow? No. Contempt? Celestia no. Foster became frustrated. He couldn't find an answer! This was gonna nag him the whole day. With a sigh of defeat, he got off the bench.

"Heeeellllooo!" the voice seemed agrivated. He looked around to see who it was. He followed the sound to find his mother, waving a hoof in his face.

"Welcome to the land of the living, love," his mom said. No matter what the situation, she always had something sarcastic to say. And Foster loved that.

"Oh, hey, mom. What's up?" Foster said.

"What's up? I've been trying to get your attention for a while, now! Don't you 'what's up' me," she said putting her hoof down after realizing it was still waving.

"What's got you thinkin' so deep?" She asked. Foster thought about telling her what has happened in the last half hour, but he refrained from doing so. What was he gonna tell her? 'Well, I saw people bullying a filly so I broke it up but not before I got threatened to be beaten up so I ran away with said filly and then we ended up here. She thanked me and left.' Actually, that sounded like a reasonable thing to say. But if she heard the part about him almost getting beat up, she'd nag him about who they were 'til she died. Hearing that your only child got threatened didn't sound like something she'd take lightly. And if he did tell her, she'd probably do Celestia knows what to them. And the guy who tatled did not sound like a good reputation for a new guy. What could he tell her? What explanation could fit for a kid like Foster being his age?

"Thinking about how I can get out of school," he said, satisfied with his choice. His mom actually seemed to be thinking about whether or not he was serious. I guess she decided not because she shook her head and smiled.

"I'll drag you there if I have to," she said with a wink. Then she laughed and gave Foster a noogie and put her arm around his neck.

"I love you, Foster. You know that, right?" she asked, kissing Foster on his head. Foster looked up at her and smiled.

"Like you have to ask. Of course I love you!" Foster said, hugging his mother.

School Time

Dinner, a sandwich with lettuce, two tomatoes, and cheese. This was on a plate in front of Foster. To the side, a glass of milk. Foster was ready to dig in, then the chair across from his pulled out, and replacing the vacant seat was his mother. She had the same meal as Foster. Foster took a bite, the crunch of the lettuce draining out the sound of his mother speaking. He stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"I said, I signed you up for school. You'll be taught by a Mrs. Dandy," she said.

"Will Derpy be in my class?" Foster said almost immediately after his mother finished.

"Does my Fosty Wosty have a crush on somepony?" she asked sarcastically. She reached across the table and booped Foster on the nose.

"No, mom," Foster said, laughing. He thought about what to say next. He contemplated telling her about Derpy but in a way that didn't reveal the events of the day.

"I met her while I was looking around," Foster said. Foster's mom winked.

"I don't know who's in your class. All I know is that you have to go to the school house we saw on the way here. Remember?" she said. Foster nodded, resuming the eating of his sandwich.

"Still, finish up, you need to get to sleep. School starts at eight," Foster's mom said.

"How long does it take to walk there?" Foster asked.

"Mmmm... about 10 minutes," she answered. Foster finished the sandwich and downed the milk. Foster's mom took the dishes and washed them. With a kiss and a goodnight from his mother, he was off to bed.

Blowing out the candle by his bed, he went to sleep.

Foster's mom snuck through the door. Laid out in the bed was her son. She raised her hoof and shook her son. His eyes opened and he groaned at the remeberance of the reason why he had been disrupted. He leaped off bed and went to the bathroom. He heard the door shut and assumed she had left. He brushed his teeth and contemplated brushing his hair. It was a new school, new people. He could change it for at least one day. He stared at himself in the mirror. He shook his head. Not today, Foster thought. He went down the stairs and met his mom.

"What time is it?" Foster questioned.

"Now, it's 7:37, so you have about 15 minutes to get there," she said. Foster's eyes widened.

"I have to go! I'll just take an apple and some cheese as breakfast," Foster said, grabbing the items he just listed. With a kiss goodbye, Foster left. Shouting behind him, was his mother.

"I'll pick you up after school!" Foster nodded and doubled his pace. He wanted to get there earlier so he can meet the teacher. He soon entered the market. He saw and heard ponies murmuring to each other. He found why when he heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"Foooooooster!" the voice said. Foster turned around and smiled. The voice was from the filly he met yesterday, the good one. It was Derpy. She was flying towards him. Foster's smile turned into a panicked frown as he saw that even though she got closer, her speed did not falter. Derpy collided with Foster with a thud. Foster hit the ground with thud. He opened his eyes, met with the smiling face of Derpy.

"Hehe, sorry about that. I just don't know what went wrong. Are you okay?" Derpy asked.

"Hahaha, yeah, I'm fine," Foster answered, laughing. Derpy started laughing, too. They laughed for a while before Derpy held out a hoof. Foster took it and picked himself up with her help.

"Here, want an apple?" Foster asked, holding out half of his breakfast. Derpy thanked him and took it. She took a bite.

"So, where are you going?" Derpy asked, walking now. Foster caught up with her.

"School, you going, too?" Foster asked. Derpy nervously looked around.

"Er... no, I'm not," she answered. Foster looked at her.

"Why not?" Foster asked.

"Well, I did. But my mom pulled me out," she answered. She was looking down. Foster thought he already knew the answer, but he feared it.

"Why?" Foster immediately regretted asking her.

"Well, honestly, I used to go to school at Cloudsdale, but... everyone bullied me, so she pulled me out and moved," she answered, looking at Foster. Foster frowned.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I'm really sorry," Foster said, embarrassed.

"It's okay, I'm not that ashamed of it," Derpy put her hoof on Foster's shoulder. Foster looked at Derpy.

"I'm not gonna let that happen, though. Why don't you tell your mom you want to go to school. You do, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I just don't wanna get bullied," Derpy said.

"Why don't you go tell your mom you want to go to school. Tell you think it's gonna be different, here. Because it is, missy. I won't let you get bullied," Foster said, pulling out the cheese and biting off parts.

"I'll go tell her. Thanks, Foster. You better be telling the truth," and with that, she lifted off in the direction she came from. Foster turned around started walking. Sweet Celestia, Foster thought, bullied so much she had to move? And her mother didn't even want to have her back to school! Maybe it's better if she stays there, maybe she's getting homeschooled. No, I promised her I'd protect her. But is that a promise I can keep? I will have to. I don't want to see her get bullied again, and even more, I don't want her to move again. And she even said she wanted to go back to school. Yes, I did the right thing. Foster then heard a shout, it sounded like a female's.

"Hey! Are you Foster? Hello!?!" Foster turned to see a mare standing in the doorway of a building. Further examining the building Foster found that it was the school house.

"Yeah, I'm Foster," Foster replied.

"You don't think you can skip school just by walking past it, do you?" she replied. Confused, Foster looked around. He realized that, while he was deep in thought, he walked right by the school. He turned around.

"No, ma'am," he replied.

"Well, the class doesn't start for another seven minutes, but I believe it's best to be early," the mare said. Foster made his way over to her.

"I'm Mrs. Dandy, and you are Foster," Mrs. Dandy said, stepping to the side, leaving space for Foster to walk through. Foster smiled and walked in the building. As he walked he thought. That's the second time I've been distracted by my thoughts, he thought. He felt a pinch of pain as he realized he had ran into one of the chairs, once again oblivious to his surroundings. Laughter erupted as the other children around him found joy in his pain and embarrassment. His cheeks flushed red and his eyes watered. He wasn't gonna cry, but embarrassment got to him. He sighed and took a seat. Already losing himself in thought.

It Won't Stop

The incident of Foster walking into the chair quickly subsided as the students found other things to please their short attention spans. Foster was sitting in the seat with the name tag of 'Foster.' He picked it up and examined it. It was made out of paper and the writing was written from, what looked like, a quill and ink. The writing was in cursive. This fancy writing always intrigued Foster. He always wanted to learn how to write like that. Maybe he would learn here. The thought of that made school's connotation less negative.

"Hey, look. It's Foster!" Dezzy said. Foster mentally groaned. The last person he wanted to see.

"Why hello, Dezzy. How are you?" Foster said. Almost immediately he feared he sounded sarcastic. The last thing he wanted to do was start an argument. School wasn't long away, maybe he could last until she had to sit down.

"Doing good, how's the derp?"  she asked obviously mocking Derpy. Foster controlled his emotions.

"Derpy is doing great. She'll even be coming here tomorrow," Foster said. Dezzy smiled.

"But, Foster, show and tell isn't 'til next week!" she said. Foster couldn't take it. It's one thing to insult her to her face, but it's even more sickening behind Derpy's back.

"What gives you the right to insult Derpy? She hasn't done anything to you. You only hate her because she's different. Well, welcome to society, Dezzy. Where not everypony has the same looks and personality. You can try and try and try to bring Derpy down. I won't let you," Foster didn't think anything he said even registered in Dezzy's self-centered mind. Where no opinion mattered except hers. She opened her mouth to respond, but Mrs. Dandy walked in.

"Take your seats, everypony. Class is about to begin!" Dezzy shut her mouth and walked away. Foster wondered if maybe something did get through to her, she did seem to stop and think for a while. The rest of class went on without a dispute.

"I'm just saying, if they want anypony to be in the Wonderbolts, they should lower their standards a bit. I heard that the current Wonderbolts barely made it on the team," Derpy said.

"You make a good point, but there not called the 'best flyers in Equestria' for nothing," Foster said. This conversation was taking place on the way to the school. Derpy had told Foster that when she told her mom she wanted to go back to school, she practically broken the door down on the way out.

"Have you ever thought about doing that?" Foster asked.

"Doing what?" Derpy asked back.

"Being a Wonderbolt, ever put any thought into it?" Foster said. Derpy placed a hoof on her chin.

"Yeah, I did. Once. But I don't think I'd make the team," she said, shrugging.

"What do you mean? It's your life, it's your right and responsibility to live it the way you want to, not somepony else's," Foster said. Derpy giggled.

"You sound like a poet." A poet. Maybe that's Foster's special talent.

"Maybe I am a poet, you don't know me," Foster said, jokingly. Derpy turned to Foster. By now Foster didn't even take time to look at the direction of her eyes.

"You're right! I don't know you. And that is a problem. At some point, me and you gotta share stories," Derpy said, nudging Foster's shoulder. Foster got nervous. He didn't know many stories. Half of his babyhood he forgot. And his mother never told him any stories. He guessed now would be a good time, seeing as how he would have to use them. By now the school was visible. Derpy began to slow her pace. Foster matched it.

"It's gonna be okay, these kids aren't the ones who teased you back at Cloudsdale. And if all goes wrong, I'll stop it before it gets bad," Foster said, trying his absolute hardest to sound reassuring.

"What do you mean 'if all goes wrong'? Are you saying it's gonna go wrong?" Derpy said frantically. Foster put a hoof on her shoulder.

"You're just scaring yourself, Derpy. I won't let anything happen," Foster emphasized his next words. "I promise." Derpy looked up at him and smiled.

"I trust you, Foster." And then they walked into the school. A new seat had been placed behind Foster's (as requested by Derpy). The name tag reading 'Derpy.'

"Good morning, Derpy. How are you this fine morning?" Mrs. Dandy asked.

"Oh, just great! It's great to be here," Derpy said, smiling. Mrs. Dandy turned to Foster.

"And how are you, Foster?" she asked. Foster said it was good and she left to organize the room. "Children! Take your seats!" The group of kids departed and occupied their assigned seats. The first half of the class went well for Derpy. She actively answered questions and proved herself to be rather bright. Then the bell rang for recess. Foster and Derpy went to sit down on a bench.

"So," Foster said, "how about those stories?"

"Oh! Did I ever tell you about the first time I ever went sledding?" Derpy asked. Foster shook his head. He thought about telling her she hasn't told him any stories so there's no need to begin like that, but that seemed like a dumb thing to say. "Well, after days and days and days of pleading my mommy and daddy to take me, they finally agreed. But not before buying enough winter clothes to drown me," Foster laughed at the image of a baby Derpy covered in clothes. "They bought me two hats, three socks, two pairs of mitts, two jackets, and three pants. But since we were in Cloudsdale we had to take a trip to the ground to do this."

"Do you know where the hill was?" Foster asked.

"I know it's somewhere north of here. But this hill was huge. At least it looked huge from the place I was standing," Derpy said, raising her hoof high in the air. "My father had a circular sled, and I remember my mom protesting, but my father said it was fine. I was super excited. My first sled ride. I should have assumed it would be a disaster." Foster raised a hoof.

"Wait, don't circular sleds, like, spin?" he asked. Derpy laughed.

"Heck yeah, they do. But I didn't know that. My daddy pushed me off and I could see my mommy clapping. But I could see her only because I had already turned around. So now I was going backwards." Foster laughed again. "But I keep turning, so now I had done a full rotation and I could hear my mom shouting. I had lost all sense of direction and I was screaming."

"Out of fear?" Foster asked.

"Nope. Out of joy! It was the most fun I'd had in my whole life, so far," she said, emphasizing 'most.'

"So what happened next?" Foster asked, fully intrigued.

"Well, by now I'm spinning kind of fast. And I'm being thrown around. And it's taking a lot of effort to stay hanging on. But I accidentally let go. And I'm thrown off. And now I'm tumbling down the hill, still laughing, and the sled is nowhere I can see. But, then again, everything I can see is a blur."

"What happened with your parents?" Foster asked.

"Well, when I finally stopped spinning I sat up and looked up the hill. My father was running down after me and I distracted him, I guess, and he slipped and fell. My mom walks down and attempts to get my daddy up. When he finally stands up he slips again, this time bringing down my mommy," Derpy begins to laugh. "And it still cracks me up! Anyways, that was the first and last time I went sled riding."

"That was a really good story," Foster said. Derpy fell silent. Foster raised his eyebrow.

"Now it's your turn to tell a story!" she said.

"Ummm..." Foster had nothing. But he was interupted by a voice.

"Is that how your eyes got like that, Derps?" Dezzy said. Foster stood up.

"Come on, Derpy. The swings are open," he and Derpy made his way to the swings, which were vacant.

"Maybe if you do it again it'll straighten em' out," Dezzy said, following them. Foster jumped off the swing.

"You did tell me you wanted to go on the slide," Foster said. Derpy's head was lowered. But he could see that her eyes were shut.

"Come on, Foster. Isn't your mom an optomitrist? Maybe she can make some classes for that cross-eyed dunce," Dezzy said. The salty twang on her voice did not soften the blow of the words on Derpy. She sniffed. Dezzy walked up to her. "You gonna cry... dunce?" Derpy turned around and took off in the sky, away from the school. Dezzy turned to Foster. She smiled.

"You... You... You evil... evil little-" Foster was cut off by Mrs. Dandy.

"Recess is over, come back inside!" Dezzy pointed her nose to the sky, like royalty, and walked towards the door.

"You can try and try and try to bring Derpy down. I won't let you," Dezzy said mimicking Foster's voice. Foster watched her in hatred. He noticed a blue glow on her horn and he felt a tug on his front legs. He looked down to see the same glow around them. The next thing he saw was the ground. She had used her magic to trip him.

Doubt

Foster picked himself up and turned around. He could still see the silhouette of Derpy flying away. Foster turned back to the school. Mrs. Dandy was beckoning him.

"Come one, Foster. We're going to learn how to write in cursive!" Of course. Now they were. Foster thought about going to Mrs. Dandy and leaving Derpy to her thoughts, but he wasn't gonna do that. He hated himself. He said he'd protect Derpy. Dezzy was right to trip him. Maybe he could ask her to do it again. Foster shook his head and ran away from the school. He could hear Mrs. Dandy yelling but he didn't care. He had to apologize to Derpy. He knew where she had flown, he could see her silhouette landing. Then she was vanished behind the tree line. Instead of heading for her, Foster took a hard left and left Ponyville. Now running to his house. He remembered Derpy told him she left for school so quickly she forgot to eat. Maybe that's how he could make it up to her. Foster searched through the house for something breakfasty. Lettuce? No. Bread? No. All this was either lunch of dinner. He'd have to pick something up. He grabbed the bits he earned from yard work and left. Now running through the market, looking for something to appease Derpy. After no luck, Foster found a pastry shop on the corner. Coincidently named 'Sugar Cube Corner.' He barged in and began to look. He found something he knew Derpy would love. She'd have to. He spent all of his money on it and rushed out, the dish in a paper bag. By now Mrs. Dandy would surely would have notified his mom of his ditch. He'd have to be quick. Foster looked around and found the spot where he had last seen Derpy. He sighed as he realized what cardinal direction he'd have to go. He set off, running as fast as his tiny legs could.

"Foster!" Foster jumped at the sudden shout of his name. He groaned as his expectations were met. It was his mother. She tried to cut him off but Foster needed to do this. He dodged her and kept running. But not before she shouted at him again. Foster mentally apologized to her. He won't hear the end of this. If only things were simpler. If only things were under better circumstances. He finally lost her as he entered a new area. He would have to rely on his memory and luck to find Derpy. Surrounded by trees, he saw an opening to his right. He hoped it was the right way. He burst through and was met with a huge hill. Sitting down next to him was Derpy. She jumped at the unexpected sight of him and Foster noticed she had been crying. Foster set the bag down next to her.

"You haven't had breakfast, yet, so I thought I'd... Look, I'm extremely sorry, Derpy. I promised I'd protect you. And I failed already." Foster looked away ashamed. Derpy sniffed.

"It's okay, you tried. And what Dezzy said wasn't even that bad. The bad part is how it piles on top of everyone else's comments," she said. Foster raised an eyebrow quizzically. And Derpy pointed up. Oh, yeah, Cloudsdale, Foster thought. Derpy's hunger got the best of her and she took a peak in the bag. She reached in and grabbed what Foster had spent all his bits on. Now in her hand was a muffin. She smiled. "Thank you so much, Foster," she said taking a bite. Her eyes widened.

"Is there something wrong?" Foster asked.

"No. It's just... this muffin tastes amazing!" Derpy took another bite. Closing her eyes in bliss. "Where'd you get this? It's so warm!" Foster smiled.

"This small place called 'Sugar Cube Corner.' The worker said they were fresh out of the oven."

"I've never heard of that place," Derpy said.

"It's a family pastry house," Foster said.

"I'm going there to get muffins from now on," Derpy said taking a third bite.

"Wait, shouldn't you be in school?" Derpy asked. Foster laughed nervously.

"Yeah... but I ran to come find you and say sorry. I even ran into my mom on the way." Derpy raised her eyebrows. She got up and hugged Foster, Foster returned the hug.

"Thank you, Foster. I feel a lot better now," she said letting go. "You should head back, now. You don't want to get in more trouble than you are in now." And with that Foster left. He walked back through the woods. How was he going to explain this to his mom? He wasn't going to rat out Dezzy. That would only make Derpy a bigger target. And if there's one thing children don't like, it's a snitch. Foster would just have to say he didn't want to go so he ditched. He'd just have to take the blame. He prepared himself for quite a scolding from his mother when he saw her frantically walking around. He assumed, by the way she was talking to everypony, it seemed like she was asking around if they had seen him. When her eyes met Foster, they weren't angry, they were worried.

"Oh, Foster, baby! There you are!" she said, running over. She hugged Foster. "I thought you got yourself lost!"

"I'm sorry, mom. I don't know what I was thinking," Foster lied. His mother let go and eyed him.

"You know there will be consequences, right?" Foster nodded, acting ashamed. "The teacher said you were going to have an hour of detention after school. And for me, you're on dish duty for the next four days." Foster nodded. His mom said that school was almost over and there was no point in going back for ten minutes. So they went home and Foster started on the dishes. He wanted to talk to Derpy, to ask he'd if she'll be coming to school tomorrow, but he couldn't. He was stuck in his house. He guessed he'd find out tomorrow.

Detention

Foster woke up, but not with a groan. Not this time. He jumped out of bed and brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, and threw himself out the door. The whole time he was walking he was looking up. Looking for Derpy. Foster had his doubts that she might come back to school. Foster didn't want her to not come back, but he didn't want her to come and get bullied. So he left the decision to Derpy. All through the night he was worried about her. Worried that she might never come to school again, worried that she had to move again, just worried. He kept telling himself:

"You'll find out, don't worry," Foster repeated to himself. He stopped as he realized he was about to run into the directional sign of Ponyville. Not today, he thought. Following the direction the sign pointed, he entered Ponyville. Lots of ponies already fussing about. One mare setting up an apple stand, another selling balloons, Ponyville was already alive. As he walked, Foster had passed up the point where he always met Derpy to walk to school. He looked up. No sign of his friend anywhere. He lowered his head and continued walking. He walked into the school once again worried. She wasn't coming. She had already been taken out. All because he didn't protect her. He felt awful. He wouldn't be surprised if she moved. He walked to his seat.

"Hey, Foster!" somepony said.

"Oh, hey, Derpy," Foster said taking his seat and letting his head slam on the desk. As soon as it went down it shot up. He turned around. And there she was. Same blonde mane, same gray coat, same smile. "Derpy! You're here!" Foster said throwing his arms up. Derpy's smile widened.

"Of course I am, silly," she said.

"I thought you... left?" Foster said, not knowing how to word it.

"It's gonna take a lot more to take this filly down," Derpy said, pounding her chest with her hoof twice. Foster laughed. He had completely misjudged her. No, he had underestimated her. Here he thought she'd quit after one or two critisizing remarks. But she was still here. Foster respected her.

"Glad you're here," Foster said. Mrs. Dandy called for attention.

"Okay children, be seated... in your own seats. Okay, today we are going to learn about the different kinds of ponies. Specifically, Earth ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. Will you raise your hoof if you are a... an Earth pony?" Foster raised his hand. About four others raised their hand, too. Mrs. Dandy continued the roll call of species. Now that Foster's worries of Derpy were disproved, he could think more clearly. Now he remebered what he had to do after school. He had detention. He wasn't angry about it. But he wasn't thrilled, either. He just didn't mind. He heard a shift behind him and he assumed Mrs. Dandy called for the Pegasi to raise their hooves. If there was anything he feared, it was recess. Where Dezzy had the chance to pick on Derpy. He had to think of something. How to avoid that situation. It wasn't until before recess had he figured out a plan. Between trying to think and also participate in class, he didn't have much time to think. But the idea he did come up with was sure to work. The bell rang and the kids piled out of the door to the playground area. Derpy and Foster walked out. Derpy turned toward the table they sat at yesterday.

"Hey, Derpy, let's sit somewhere different," Foster said, beckoning her over. He walked over to a different table. This one was almost next to the one Mrs. Dandy sat at recess to watch the children and grade their papers. Derpy nodded in understanding. They sat down Derpy began to tell stories. Foster swore he even saw Mrs. Dandy seem to listen sometimes. One of her ears twitching, or an eye looking at them. Foster looked around and saw Dezzy looking at them. Foster smiled and she sneered at him.

"This was a clever idea, Foster." Derpy said. Foster thanked her. "But my mouth is getting tired. And you haven't told me a single story!  Your turn is long overdue." Foster looked around. He remembered one story. One that his mother used to tell her when he'd have nightmares. But he didn't want to tell it. To anypony. Ever. That story was the most special thing he had. And he felt that if he shared it, it would lose it's meaning. It would be just another story. Foster decided to lie.

"I... don't know any stories," he said. Derpy raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing? Not even a single tale?" Foster now decided to tell the truth.

"Nope. Most of my babyhood I forgot, and my mom never tells me any stories," he said. Then the bell rang again. Derpy frowned.

"Well you gotta get some. It feels like I'm the only one contributing to this relationship," Derpy said sarcastically. Foster smiled and they walked together to the school. The rest of class went well. After it, Foster watched all the other fillies and foals walk away. He stayed. Mrs. Dandy turned to him. But not directly at him. First she looked at him. Then she looked behind him. Foster turned around confused. Only to be met with the nervously smiling face of Derpy.

"What are you doing here?" Foster asked. Derpy didn't give an answer.

"Foster, can you explain your actions from yesterday?" she asked. Foster fiddled with his hooves.

"I... um. No. Not really. I don't think is was thinking."

Mrs. Dandy looked surprised.

"And that is exactly why you are here. Always think before you act. Always!" Mrs. Dandy said, regaining her posure. "Foster, you are dismissed." Foster looked up, surprised. Mrs. Dandy walked over and leaned her head down to his. "Thank you for protecting her," she whispered. Foster's jaw dropped. Now he knew why Derpy had gone to school early. "I said, you are dismissed!" Foster got up and walked out. Derpy behind him.

"You told her?" he asked.

"Of course! I'm not gonna let you get in trouble just because Dezzy is mean. It's not fair!" Derpy said.

"Thank you, Derpy," Foster said. "So how is she gonna handle it?" Foster motioned to the school.

"She won't do anything to sell us out, but she will move Dezzy on the far left side of the room, us on the far right. And she'll keep an eye on us at recess. But she said 'anything besides that, I'll leave to Foster.'" Foster's jaw dropped again once Derpy finished speaking. The words replayed in his head 'anything besides that, I'll leave to Foster.' So now, not only did Derpy depend on him, so did his teacher. She obviously wants Derpy safe, else she wouldn't move us or watch us. Now he had two people to dissapoint. This made him nervous, but determined. He knew how it felt to let one person down, Derpy, he wouldn't let himself let two people down.

"Wait, my mom thinks I'm in detention right now. If I went home, she'd think I'd skipped," Foster said. Derpy shot up now flying around Foster.

"Oh! Oh! I know how to kill some time! Let's go to... Sugar Cube Corner!" She landed, but she was still hopping. Foster took a step forward. He put his mouth next to her ear.

"... race ya" he whispered. Then he took off. Running to the place. He heard Derpy laugh, then saw her shoot over him. Showing incredible speed. Foster knew he would lose, but that didn't matter. When he got to the corner he saw Derpy waiting.

"What took you so long?" she said, winking. She walked in and placed the exact number of bits it cost to buy a muffin. By the way she knew where the place was, and how she knew exactly how many bits a muffin cost, Foster guessed she had recently been here. His guess was proven as the worker knew her name. She got the muffin and left with Foster. As soon as she left she opened up the bag and took out a blueberry muffin.

"You want half?" she asked Foster. Foster shook his head.

"It's all yours," Foster declined.

"I insist, you deserve it," Foster didn't see Derpy budging in her offer.

"Are you sure?" Derpy nodded and split it in half, some pieces and crumbs falling to the ground. Foster picked them up and threw them away. He came back to get the half muffin. "Thanks, Derpy," he said, taking a bite. And together they sat down. Talking about whatever they wanted.

Gotta Go

For several weeks Derpy and Foster went without getting bullied. Mrs. Dandy moving them helped, and sitting next to Mrs. Dandy at recess also helped. They try to avoid Dezzy and her group. Fortunate for Derpy and Foster, Snap Shot and White Night had different class times than Dezzy. Outside of school, it was the same. Derpy and Foster did their best to avoid the trio. When they had no choice, they went into a public area. The group shed away every time. Not scared enough to not do it, but too scared to do it in public. Cowards. But as the weeks went on Derpy started to get a little distant. A little more every week. Foster began to get worried. Was something going on in her life that he didn't know about? He was quick to ask her. This was during recess.

"Derpy, is there something wrong? You've been acting distant," Foster asked her. She sighed.

"I really don't want to say this, but... in one week, I have to go," She said. Foster felt a pinch. His best friend was going to move. He knew it. He had let her and their teacher down. He had let her mother down, he let himself down. The pinch turned into a sting as he thought this. Foster tried to hide his emotions.

"W-Wh... Where are you... Where are you going?" Foster asked. Derpy looked down.

"I know what you are thinking. I'm not moving," Derpy said. Foster's face lit up. He sighed in relief. "But I still have to leave. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I didn't want to ruin our fun together. I guess waiting to tell you made it worse."

"So where are you going?" Foster asked. Derpy sighed.

"The one place where I never wanted to go back... Cloudsdale," Derpy said. Foster got worried. He wouldn't be able to keep her safe up in Cloudsdale. He learned in class that only Pegasi can naturally walk on clouds, though Unicorns can cast a spell on others to walk on clouds. He could find somepony to cast it on him, but he doubted they'd actually help him. He'd have to let Derpy go on her own. What if she got hurt? He couldn't be there.

"Will you be okay?" Foster asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm sure the ponies who bullied me have matured," Derpy said hopefully. Foster agreed.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Everything will be fine." One week. That's how long until she had to leave. "Wait, why are you going there?"

"Oh yeah, I'm going because I'm going to attend flight school," Derpy said. "I'm going to learn how to fly!"

"But you already know," Foster said.

"I figured some things on my own, but just the basics. As you remember, I'm not that good," Derpy said. Foster remembered the numerous times Derpy had crash landed. Sometimes into him.

"How long will you be there?" Foster asked, fearing the answer. Another sigh from Derpy confirmed his fear.

"About a month, but we can still write letters!" she said trying to be positive. Foster smiled, her positive words only brought him down. A week. How much can they cram into a week? Before he could think about it, the bell for recess's end rang. The rest of the week the two tried to stay together as much as they could. A lot of their time was spent in Sugar Cube Corner. Derpy tried and tried to get a story out of Foster, but it was in vain. He wanted to ask his mother, but she was too busy with her work. And, all too soon, Derpy's last day came. She said goodbye to her mother and father, and left to meet Foster at Sugar Cube Corner. It was closed since she had to leave at a late time.

"Hey, Foster! How are you?" Derpy asked. Foster smiled.

"I'm good, how about you?" Foster asked.

"I'm excited, when I get back, I'm gonna be a full grown mare!" she said. Foster laughed. He didn't want her to go. He wanted to grow up with her, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. But that was selfish. This wasn't his decision. It was hers. And she chose the right one.

"And I'm going to be a stallion," Foster said. "How did saying goodbye to your parents go?" Derpy laughed and rolled her eyes. But with them in opposite directions it was awkward looking.

"Well, my mom cried for almost 20 minutes. And my daddy and I had to coax her for 10. But my dad was proud of me. He might have shed a tear as I left, though. I don't know." Derpy sniffed. She choked up at the end of her sentence.

"Hey, hey... it's gonna be okay, you'll be back before you can spell Sugar Cube Corner," this made Derpy laugh. She leaned forward and hugged Foster.

"I don't know how I'm gonna do it! A whole month without you, or mommy, or daddy, or Sugar Cube Corner's muffins!" By now she was crying a silent cry. Foster caressed her mane. "And what if... w-what if they bully me?" Foster needed to say something. Anything to make her feel better.

"Look Derpy. Just know, the only reason ponies want to bring you down, is because you are above them. Remember that. Alright? You're better than them." Foster said. He must have said something right because she looked up and smiled. "See? That's the Derpy I know."

"Thanks, Foster. You're the best friend anypony could EVER have!" she hugged him again. Now it was Foster that was about to cry. But he wouldn't let himself.

"Well, you've got a balloon to catch. You gotta go," Foster watched her reluctantly let go.

"Yeah, you're right. I will write to you ever day. So you better expect some letters. And... Foster? Keep yourself busy," and with that she flew off. Foster now noticed that her flight was a little unprofessional, compared to others. Foster watched her until she was out of sight. Then he turned around and left. Keep yourself busy. How am I gonna do that? Foster thought to himself. Looks like another night of thought for him. He already missed her.

Keeping Busy

Foster opened the door to his house and let it shut behind him. He walked over to his couch and slumped down. Derpy was gone. Not forever, though. That fact kept Foster's spirits up as high as they could go. He should have stayed longer. He should have talked with Derpy more. He should have... Foster stopped himself. Thinking about what he should have done would not help. Derpy's last words ricocheted is his mind. Keep myself busy, how am I supposed to do that? Foster thought. He didn't see himself finding an answer anytime soon. Plus, he was tired. Instead, he got up and climbed the stairs. He knocked on his mother's door. Instead of saying 'come in,' she just hummed what it would sound like. Foster pushed it open. Sitting at a desk was his mother. She was wearing glasses with a pencil between her ear and head. She had two piles of papers. One smaller pile in front of her and a second, almost comically, larger pile to her left.

"What's going on, love?" she asked Foster, not looking up from her work. Foster internally sighed.

"Eh, nothing much. You?" he asked back. His mother shrugged.

"Just finishing up some work. There has been a lot of customers, lately. Speaking of, have you been eating carrots recently?" she turned to Foster. Determined not to have him lie. There was something about him ditching school that didn't seem right. Foster shook his head. "Well they're very good for your eyesight. Can you be a dear and grab some for you and me?" Foster nodded and did as he was asked. He got back up to her room to see that the piles of paper had switched. The larger in front of Foster's mom, the smaller to her left.

"Are you starting over?" Foster asked. His mother laughed nervously.

"Of course I am, turns out that, silly ol' me, did something wrong... on every. Paper." she laughed again. But it died away quickly. "Oh, you have the carrots. Good. Just split them, half for me and half for you. But, I'm really sorry to say, but I really need privacy because having to redo ALL these papers is putting me in a bad mood. I'll play with you later, though." Foster left and shut the door. He bit into a carrot and walked into his room and threw himself onto the bed. It had been long since he had so much time to spare. Tomorrow morning he have to find something to keep him busy. For a month. Since tomorrow was a weekend he would have the whole day. He fell asleep. But right before he slipped into unconsciousness his last thought was of what Derpy could be doing right now. Then he was out like the candle he forgot to blow out.

The balloon ride had been beautiful. Derpy got to see the sunset from a completely new point of view. She felt that this month was gonna be okay. There were a few other Pegasi in the balloon with her, making it rather cramped, but Derpy didn't mind. After all, she had this view to marvel at. The different shades of red, orange, and yellow were magnificent. The higher they went up, the longer it lasted. Derpy was lost until a thick white cloud blocked the sunset. She mentally sighed as she remembered the times when she and Foster watched the sunset together. Derpy shook her head. She kept acting like she'd never see him again. She decided that when she got to her room, the first thing she would do was write a letter to Foster. Her parents gave her a satchel after they decided they'd see her off as she got on the balloon instead of seeing her off as she left for the balloon. Anyways, inside the satchel was everything she'd need. Paper, quill, snacks, everything. Derpy wondered how they'd gotten it all to fit. A male Pegasi guided her and the others to a building made of clouds. It looked to be a hotel. Derpy had forgotten how soft clouds were. The Pegasus guided them through the doors and they were met with a female Pegasus. She introduced her name and what she was to them.

"I'm your dorm master. If you need anything, I'm here." The ponies had already been paired with roomates. Derpy's name was called last. She was paired up with a mare named Morning Mist. Derpy looked around to see who Morning Mist was, but everypony was talking to each other. The dorm master had them follow her through the building as she assigned them their rooms. Derpy was the second assignment. "Derpy and Morning Mist, room seven. You'll receive a letter at nine o'clock with each of your schedules and an extra just in case. Goodnight, girls." Derpy saw the door close and assumed that Morning Mist had already entered. She entered, too. Morning Mist had already set her bag down and took out a pillow. She placed it back inside as she saw a cloud pillow had already been placed on the bed. She assumed that one was more comfortable. Derpy placed her satchel down and put on a smile.

"Hello, Morning Mist, how are you?" Derpy said, trying to make a conversation with her new roomy. Morning Mist turned and looked to Derpy. Her eyes immediately shot to Derpy's bad eyes. Derpy's fears that her roommate was mean had been awoken. She didn't want to have to move rooms. But Morning Mist didn't make a comment.

"I'm fine. How 'bout you?" she asked.

"I'm alright, it was kinda hard to leave family and friends behind, though," Derpy said, once again thinking about Foster. Morning turned back to unloading her bag.

"It always is. I didn't go with being a shoulder for a few to cry on." Derpy got a good look at Morning Mist. She had a red mane and a yellow coat. Her eyes were yellow and she had a cutie mark of cloud with the sun poking out behind it. Out of the corner of Derpy's eye, she saw a white square slide under the door. She walked over to it and picked it up. It was labeled 'FLIGHT SCHOOL SCHEDULE.' Derpy ripped it open and looked inside. In it were four papers. Like the dorm master said, two for her, two for her roommate. She took out her two and handed the others to Morning Mist.

"Here's you schedule," Morning Mist thanked her and took the envelope. Retrieving her own two out and discarding the envelope. "Wait, can I have that envelope? I could use I to write to my friend," Morning Mist got the envelope and handed it back to Derpy. After unpacking Derpy took her quill and ink bottle, presealed, and sat down at the desk next to her bed. She opened the ink bottle and set the cap next to it. She dipped the quill into it and touched it to the envelope. She wrote:

Dear Foster,

It's me Derpy. I have already settled in and my roommate seems nice. I have lots of classes, each one covering a different aspect of flying. The beds here are extremely comfortable. I will take some cloud home to give you for sure, it's a miracle I'm able to get up after laying down. Anyways, I'd like to hear about what you've been doing, so be sure to write back. It'll be like I never left. See you, soon.

Your friend

Derpy.

She rushed out the door to find the dorm master. She found her in the lobby.

"A letter? Already? Somepony's popular, eh? Haha, I'll get it sent out no problem," and with that, Derpy slept soundly.

Kept Busy

Foster had fallen asleep to the thought of Derpy. And he woke up to the thought of her, too. He couldn't shake the feeling she was constantly in trouble. This must be what being a father is like, Foster thought. He swung himself out of bed. He was too drowsy to block the thoughts of Derpy.

"Why am I so worried about her?" he thought aloud. "There is no safer place for her to be!" Foster walked to his bathroom and brushed his teeth. This partially awoke him. But the thoughts kept coming. "She said she'd send letters, why haven't I gotten one yet? Ah! I'm being ridiculous! Listen, Foster. She is fine. She is busy. She-"

"-has sent you a letter," Foster whirled around to see his mother standing in the doorway. She still had glasses on but had terrible bags under her eyes. Foster wondered if she even slept. She smiled and handed him an envelope. "She wrote on the envelope."

"Thanks, mom. But don't sneak up on me like that!" Foster said. His mother only laughed and walked away. Foster turned it over looked at it. "This is an envelope from the flight school, why would she use it to write on? Doesn't matter." Foster read the letter twice. "I've got to write back!" Foster said as he ran into his mother's room, grabbed a quill and paper, and rushed back into his room and sat down at his desk. He lowered the quill to the paper but stopped right above the paper. What was he gonna write? Nothing had been going on recently, but he had to write something back. Foster was thinking harder than ever. He dropped the quill and ran downstairs. His mother was down there already.

"Hey, honey, how-" she began.

"Sorry, gotta go do something!" Foster interrupted her. He bursted out the door and ran down the dirt road. Turning right, he ran into the market. He didn't stop to listen to the campaign ideas of the sellers. He had somewhere to go. He found himself in front of a door all to familiar. He looked up and read the sign.

"Sugar Cube Corner," Foster said. He opened up the door and walked inside. The stallion at the counter looked surprised at Foster's arrival.

"A customer already? We opened up at least five minutes ago!" Foster walked up to the pony.

"Do you have a job available?" Once again the stallion seemed shocked.

"Uh... aren't you in school?" he asked.

"Yes, I could come by after it and work here. And also on weekends," Foster needed to get this job. It was the best thing he could think of.

"I don't think we can afford any more workers," the stallion said. Foster thought about what he could say. He didn't exactly need the bits. He was only doing this for Derpy. Derpy! He knew how he was gonna be paid.

"You don't have to pay me bits. All I ask is that I get one muffin every half week I work," Foster said. The stallion raised an eyebrow.

"You want one muffin every half week?" he asked, confused by Foster's offer.  Foster nodded.

"Yep, so on, let's say, Wednesday you give me a muffin and then another on Saturday. And I come here after school and on the weekends to work for four hours." Foster thought he gave a pretty fair bargain since he was only doing it for the muffins. He wasn't gonna eat them, he'd just store them away. Finally, he'd have something to surprise Derpy with. The worker thought this was a good offer.

"Alright, do your parents know about this?" he asked. Foster told him he'd be right back and rushed out the door. As he was running he wondered what he was going to do with the muffins. Would he send them to Derpy every half week? Or would he store them and wait until she got back? Foster assumed they would have her on a strict diet to help her fly, so he decided he'd just store them in the refrigerator. He burst back through his house. His mother was finishing up her breakfast.

"Mom, I just got a job at the Sugar Cube Corner and they're going to pay me with muffins which I will keep because I'm going to give them to Derpy and I need your approval so I can work there for four hours on the weekends and after school starting today." Somehow, after Foster said all that, his mom picked it all up.

"Sounds okay to me, I don't see why you can't, so go ahead," she said. Foster ran back to the pastry house. A mare had just walked out with a bag of something that smelled delicious. He opened the door and told the stallion it was okay with his mother. The worker walked into the back and pulled out an apron.

"Welcome to the Sugar Cube Corner Club, kid," he put the apron on the counter. On the front it read 'Sugar Cube Corner' in a fancy writing. "When a customer walks in the first thing you do is say 'welcome to Sugar Cube Corner.' If they want something from the display case, you wear these gloves to grab it. When they pay, make sure you count the money twice. And if they gave you more than the actual pastry costs, use your subtraction skills to give them the extra. If you need anything, just holler." The stallion walked into the back and pulled out a stool, he set it down behind the counter. He walked back again, this time staying there. Foster made his way around the counter and stood on the stool. Pretty soon he'd grow into a stallion and would be tall enough to see over the counter. He  was already at eye level with the counter. After four hours, Foster went home. He went back to the letter, everything still in place.

Dear Derpy,

I have recently got a job at Sugar Cube Corner. You're in for a surprise when you get back. Good to hear you're doing well, I'm glad your roommate isn't mean. I wish I could be there with you, but I can't. Just know, I'm rooting for you the whole way! Good luck with everything!

Your friend,

Foster

He ran outside and place the letter in the mail. Flicking the sign up. And that night, Foster slept soundly.

Class Begins

A loud, repetitive knock erupted from outside. Derpy opened her eyes and made an internal groan. She got out of bed and groggily walked to the door. She opened it up to see the dorm master. She had bags under her eyes but still seemed relatively awake.

"Good morning, students. Your first class starts in an hour. So I recommend getting ready. You both have your schedules, correct?" Derpy nodded. But to make sure, she looked over to her bed. And, as she thought, her schedule was laid on her drawer. "Good, then I'll leave you to your day, see you later," and then she walked away. Derpy rubbed her eyes and walked over to Morning Mist. She groaned as Derpy shook her. But she reluctantly got up and Derpy repeated what the dorm master had said. Morning Mist nodded in understandment and got up to situate herself. Derpy went over to her bed and picked up her schedule. She unfolded it and read what was written. Her first class began at seven o'clock. Each class was about a different aspect of flying. Her first class was about the anatomy of Pegasi. Her second class was about the history and future of flying, her third class was about the styles of flying, her fourth class was lunch. Next was physical education, in which she assumed she'd actually be flying. She read the names of the ponies that were going to teach her. She stopped when she read the teacher of her P.E. teacher. She recognized the name as a member of the Wonderbolts! Derpy rushed over to Morning Mist.

"Morning Mist, look at who is gonna teach you for P.E." Confused, Morning Mist did as she was asked. Her eyes widened as wide as they could sleepily go.

"A real Wonderbolt is going to teach us? Wow!" she looked at Derpy.

"Well, this one is retired, but that doesn't soften the blow of awesomeness!" Derpy said. Derpy turned around and looked back to her schedule. She looked out of the window and looked for the sun. It looked to be around six twenty. Derpy grabbed a towel and soap and walked into the bathroom. After she finished her shower, she exited the bathroom. She opened the door to see Morning Mist with a towel and soap.

"It's six thirty now, just so you know," she said. Derpy smiled and thanked her. Derpy assumed she wouldn't need to bring anything, since it was the first day. She assumed it would be a sort of "get to know the class" class. She ate breakfast and told Morning Mist she was gonna leave early. With goodbyes over with, Derpy made her way to the outside. She didn't remember this place from when she was younger, but then again, Cloudsdale is a big place. She probably lived farther away. She exited the cloud dorms and was met with a sign. It was a map upon further investigation. Derpy's classes would be held in the lecture hall. Which was next to the lunch room, which was next to the training field, which was next to a library.. These buildings weren't very tall, but they were wide. The four buildings surrounded the dorms, making the walks easier. Derpy pin pointed the lecture hall and made her way there. It was, like every other building, made of cloud. Derpy wondered how they got clouds to be compacted into one mass building. She assumed she'd learn. The doors were already propped open. They seemed welcoming. Derpy entered it to see a hallway. At the end of the hallway, it split into two other hallways. Derpy looked for doors. There was one door on each side of the hallway. She realized there were room numbers and below those, there were the teacher's names. Derpy walked up to one and stared at it. It read, Mr. Thunder. That wasn't her teacher. She looked to the door opposite of the other. Mr. Nimbus. Derpy smiled and walked in. The room before her was the exact length of the hallway. There were chairs made of clouds that got lower each time. It reminded Derpy of a stadium cut in half. At the bottom was a stage with a podium on the edge. There were a few ponies already sitting down. They turned around at the sound of the door opening and closing. They turned back when they realized it was nothing that concerned them. Derpy walked down and took a seat in the second row. There were two ponies next to her. They didn't seem to notice her. A bell rang and more ponies piled in. All of them Pegasi. The room was almost filled up when a Pegasus stallion walked up to the podium. He had brown hair and a yellow coat. His cutie mark was of a movie film. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and he was wearing a suit. Two holes cut for his wings.

"Hello, class. My name is Cumulo Nimbus. You may call me Mr. Nimbus. In this class you shall learn about what makes a Pegasus a Pegasus. If you would please reach under your seat you will find a paper to take notes on." Derpy froze. She didn't bring a pencil. She turned to the pony next to her.

"Do you have a pencil I could borrow?" She asked. The pony looked up at her and looked away almost immediately.

"Ummm... let me check... no, sorry," the filly said looking inside her bag. But the weird thing was, Derpy swore she had seen the tip of a pencil. But then again, she didn't look very closely. Derpy looked across from her to see a foal, he reached inside his bag and pulled out two pencils. He stared at them both and put one away. Derpy asked for his attention. "Uh, excuse me, may I borrow a pencil?" the foal looked up and stared at Derpy. He turned away and Derpy could hear a quiet laugh come from him. He turned back.

"Sorry, I gave my other one to my friend," he obviously lied. The sound of some pony clearing their throat caught Derpy's attention. She turned to see Mr. Nimbus staring at her.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Ms.?" he asked. Derpy looked around to see all eyes on her. Some ponies were laughing. Derpy turned red. She began to stutter.

"N-no, I... I was... w-was just," Derpy tried to speak but all she could think of was all of the eyes on her. For some reason the laughter grew louder, although she was certain it wasn't. Derpy's eyes watered in embarrassment.

"She doesn't have a pencil," Morning Mist said, saving Derpy. Derpy looked down, silently thanking Morning Mist.

"Ah, well, in that case, you can use mine," Mr. Nimbus said, walking to Derpy and handing her the pencil that was once behind his ear.

"Thank you," Derpy said, barely audible.

"Your welcome, Ms-"

"Derpy," Derpy finished. Mr. Nimbus returned to his podium.

"Now, let's begin with how many bones are in a single wing." Derpy began to write on her paper. What had just happened already brushed away. She wouldn't forget the way Morning Mist had helped her, though. No, definitely not.