When They Were Young: Derpy’s Card
Excited.
That was the one word that would describe the small grey pegasus filly with a blond mane known as Derpy. She walked down the store aisle at her mother’s side with a smile nopony could miss, humming a tune that was just as joyful as her mood.
Her mother, a white pegasus with a chocolate brown mane, was pushing a cart, grabbing the groceries she needed as she walked through the store aisles. She had finally gotten to the last thing she needed to get, a loaf of bread. After placing the bread in the cart she looked down at her daughter, smiling happily at the cute little filly’s humming.
“Derpy, ”she said.
Derpy stopped her humming and looked up to her mother, her left eye looking right at her mother while the other was looking down at the floor. “Ya momma,” She said with a smile.
“It’s time to get your Hearts and Hooves cards for scho-.”
“YEAH!” Derpy shouted as she bolted down the aisle, knowing exactly where the cards were in the store.
“Derpy! Wait!” her mother shouted, concerned and worried filled her voice.
Derpy didn’t react to her mother's words as she ran through the store, anticipation and excitement had overtaken the fillies mind as she raced through the aisle. However things are never that simple with little Derpy. The world around her began to change as some of her surroundings started to become closer, while others looked further away because her walleyed eyes. Yet she pressed on, now zig-zagging down the aisles thinking she was going straight.
As she came to the end of the aisle she took a hard turn right as the cards she wanted were in the next aisle over. However as she took the turn the distorted images her eyes were giving her finally got the best of her. She lost her balance from misplacing her hoof on the turn causing the little filly to fall forward and roll, right into the store shelves that held the boxes of Hearts and Hooves Day cards. The boxes fell off the shelf from the little filly’s impact and covered little Derpy.
“Derpy!” Derpy’s mother shouted as she came running up to the pile of boxes, “Derpy are you ok?”
The boxes began to shift and turn, then suddenly from the top of the pile popped out Derpy’s head with one of the boxes in her mouth and a smile on her face. She began to mumble something excitedly but with the box in her mouth, nothing she was trying to say was understandable.
“Derpy, box.” Her mother said, the concern giving way to annoyance, while holding out her hoof to catch the box of cards. Derpy understood exactly what her mother wanted and spat the box out, her mother catching it.
“I want those ones!” Derpy said again with much excitement.
Her mother looked at the box of Hearts and Hooves cards and raised an eyebrow before looking back down at her daughter, who was smiling and giddy as most excited foals can be before taking her attention back to the box. It was, like all the other’s, red with a picture of the theme the cards followed were inside. This one had a light tan colored unicorn holding a saber of blue light in his magic, while another unicorn was behind him in menacing black armor that covered his body completely and holding the same kind of saber but his was red.
“Luchorse’s Star Wars, why am I not surprised,” Her mother sighed.
“Um momma…”
“What dear.”
“I’m stuck.”
Derpy’s mother just gave Derpy a deadpan look as the filly acted like she was struggling to get out from under the boxes. The performance wasn’t even convincing as some of the boxes easily slid off the pile onto the store floor. It even stopped other ponies that were shopping to stop and watch the filly’s fake struggle.
“Derpy… you have till I get back with the cart to get this cleaned up and back on the shelves or YOU are going to tell your father that you ran in the store and caused a mess.”
Derpy froze, and looked wide eyed with fear at her mother, and in a rare moment both eyes aligned as terror began to course through the fillies body. Her father was a good caring pony that loved his family, there was no doubt of that, however he believed the belt across the butt was proper punishment for misbehaving foals.
“You… you wouldn’t… make me... would you?” Derpy said in a shaky voice.
“I’ll be right back,” and with that her mother disappeared to the other aisle to get her cart.
“No no no no no no no no no,” Derpy said as she bursted from the pile of boxes. Not taking the chance of getting in trouble with her father, she began to pick up the boxes with speeds that would rival the Wonderbolts. Within a minute the floor was cleared and the boxes of cards were put back on the shelf. Derpy placing the last box as her mother came back around the corner with the cart.
Her mother took a quick look over the shelves making sure Derpy had done what she was supposed to. Satisfied that Derpy had done what she did she looked down at her daughter and smiled. Derpy stood there looking up at her mother, a forced smile on her face hoping she wouldn't have to tell her father.
“Is it good enough?” Derpy asked.
“It’s fine, now lets go home. You have cards to fill out.”
“I still got to get a card ready for,” Derpy said as she looked over a list of her classmates ,“Noteworthy, Big Macintosh, Carmel. Then for the special card!”
It was evening now, yet that didn’t stop little Derpy from getting ready for her school’s Hearts and Hooves day celebration. Though the holiday was meant for more… mature ponies, it didn’t stop the little foals from celebrating it in their own way. They would pass decorated cards with one another right before class would start, yet save one special one that had a piece of chocolate with it that would go to the foal they had a crush on.
Derpy had just gotten the last three cards signed and was moving on to her special card. It was different from the others to say the least. For starters it was bigger than the others, as it was meant to fit into an envelope. Its design was also much more meaningful than the other carda being its picture wasn’t just some scene from star wars with a romantic one-liner going with it. This card was a light shade of pink with a deep red heart in the middle, in the heart was a shadowed outline of a mare and stallion, face to face just inches apart, and underneath it it read…
“Will you be my special somepony?” Derpy read aloud she then opened it, thinking about the colt who’s name she was going to sign in it.
“Derpy,” her mother called as she entered Derpy’s room, “Time for bed.”
Her mother’s sudden entrance startled Derpy and she immediately threw herself onto her desk, using her body to hide her card. Her face flush from embarrassment as she didn’t want her mother to know who the “lucky colt” was.
“Don’t Look!”
“Derpy, there is no shame in telling me who you have a crush on.” her mother teased.
“N..n..no!” Derpy shuddered as she shook her head as her face turned a darker shade of red from embarrassment.
Her mother just let out a sigh of defeat and was about to leave the room when a thought crossed her mind. Derpy wasn’t like most fillies, even without her walled-eyes, as Derpy’s interest in toys and entertainment was more colt like then filly. On Derpy’s wall hung a Star Wars poster with the hero, Luke Skytrotter, fighting off Pegasi Tie Fighters. Where most fillies would have a doll house, Derpy had a book shelf stuffed with comics and graphic novels that she had bought with her allowance or were given to her from her father. If her eyes would have allowed it, she would be playing hoofball at school with the colts in her class. In short Derpy was a bit of a tomcolt and her mother just had to ask a question, one that she was afraid of what the answer could be.
“Derpy… your crush is a colt… right?”
“Hu,” Derpy said looking at her mother cocking an eyebrow in confusion.
“The card is for a colt right… not a filly?”
Mother and daughter locked eyes, and a pregnant silence hung in the air. Derpy’s just stared at her mother with a blank expression as she didn’t fully grasp what her mother just asked. Her mother just starred, the silence making her worry grow even more. Then after a minute of silence, Derpy’s eyes went wide with realization.
“EWWWWWWW!” Derpy shouted as she shook her head violently, trying to get the thought of liking a filly that way out of her head. Her mother let out a sigh of relief.
“How could you even think of something that gross?!” Derpy shouted at her mother.
“Well….” her mother said, “your interests are very… colt like.”
“Manega and anieghme are not just for colts. Daddy said so,” Derpy replied
“I bet your father also says that about hoofball and cloud wrestling too?”
“Every time we watch it on the T.V. together,” Derpy replied with a smile. Her mother just face hoofed.
“Anyway…. It’s late, time for bed.”
“But momma, I still have my special card to fill out,” Derpy whined as she turned her attention back to the card on her desk.
“You can finish it in the morning, before school. Right now it's bed time.”
“But-”
“One…”
“It’s the last card i-”
“Two...”
“Ok,” Derpy pouted.
She got off her chair and walked over to her bed and climbed up. As she got on top her bed, She quickly disappeared under the blankets, her head and forelegs popping out by her pillows. Snuggled in her hooves was her favorite sleeping companion, a grey plush gargoyle she named Vault.
“I’m ready,” Derpy said.
Her mother leaned over and gave Derpy a quick kiss on the forehead, “Good night my little filly. Sweet dreams.”
Her mother left the room, turning off the light as she left. Derpy looked at her desk one last time before closing her eyes.
“Don’t forget, Derpy,” she whispered to herself before letting sleep overtake her.
Derpy awoke the next morning with the warmth of the morning sun upon her face. Sluggishly she lifted herself from her blanket, stretching as she yawned. She then rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her forehooves before looking at her clock. It was blinking 12:00… at some point in the night the power had gone out.
Derpy blinked at the clock at first till realization of the time hit her, and hit her it did. Like a flash of lightning derpy was out of her bed and to her saddle bags, making sure she had everything ready for school, and the special event that was planned for the day. She grabbed all the small signed Star Wars cards along with her special card and stuffed them into her bag.
“MOM! WHAT TIME IS IT?” Derpy yelled as she ran out of her room and down to the kitchen.
Her mother didn’t answer, likely still asleep as well with the alarm clocks not working. Derpy couldn’t wait. School could have already started by now and she did not want to miss the Heart and Hooves card exchange… mainly for him.
He was one of the few colts that made her heart flutter in class. He was shier than most colts but he was always polite in class and had even helped Derpy with homework every so often. And like Derpy, he too was a pegasus. His coat was a charcoal black with a light cyan colored mane which Derpy found oddly attractive.
She walked out the front door of her house ready to race to school. Why the power went out was quickly answered by the sight of water puddles all over the roads and walkways, a sure sign that rain was scheduled, maybe even a storm. Derpy was beginning to regret not listening to the weekly weather schedules with her mother now.
“Alright Derpy,” she said as she took in a deep breath, “You can do this. It’s only a mile. You can make it there... safely.”
Then she took off, first at a steady jog before turning into a full blown run.
Five minutes later Derpy had arrived at the school, ramming right into the wall next to the door. She thought she was clear but her wall-eyes did not perceive things correctly at the speed she was running. The fact that she made it to the school at all was a miracle in itself. Not ten seconds after leaving and she was already swerving and zig-zagging down the road. She ran into every puddle thinking she was avoiding them, nearly hit lamp posts that were alongside the road along with other ponies who were out doing their business. Then she hit the wall of the school with a loud thump, causing every pony to turn their head in the direction of the thump.
“Ouchy!” Derpy shouted as she recoiled from the wall.
“You ok, little one?” a stallion asked from behind.
Derpy turned to see a red stallion with a black mane facing her. She immediately recognized him being the head of Sweet Apple Acres and the only pony Derpy knew that could see while his eyes were shut, Fuji Crisp. At his side were his two foals, Applejack and Big Macintosh who were ready for school as well.
Derpy’s fear of being late melted away at the site of the Apple siblings. Fuji Crisp always made sure they arrived early to school ever since Big Macintosh was caught playing hooky. Most days they were always the first to show up to the school house.
“Oh, umm… ” Derpy began rubbing the back of her head as embarrassment could clearly be heard in her voice. “I’m fine Mr. Fuji. I just didn’t want to be late is all.”
“That’s good, wish my boy had your enthusiasm, maybe then he would be good at math,” Fuji said then looked down at his own children. “You two be good now. Granny is making fritters this evening.”
The trio went into the school. Along the side of the room were empty baskets, each with the students name on it and a smaller basket that hung from the handles. The class had prepared them a day in advanced and set them out so they would be ready in the morning.
Derpy set her saddle bags on her desk and took out her cards. One by one she placed her smaller cards into each basket, skipping Thunderlane’s as she was saving it for last. As she was placing the cards, more of her classmates began to show up and do the same.
“Ohh please, please say yes.” Derpy whispered to herself as she placed the special card for Thunderlane into his small basket, then took her set at her desk.
She was done before anyone else being the first in class. She waited at her desk patiently while the rest of the foals finished. It wouldn’t be until first recess till they could look at their baskets, but it didn’t stop them from seeing who had how many cards. She gave the baskets one last glance before class started. Her eyes went wide when a startling revelation had unfolded. One the little filly didn’t even think about.
In Thunderlane’s smaller basket… was another card.
Recess had finally come and the foals ran off to their baskets. Derpy however just waited at her desk, waiting and watching. Her eyes fixed on Thunderlane.
Thunderlane took his baskets to his desk, and dumped the smaller cards out. He took each one up and looked at them, saving some for the artwork and pitching the rest. Then he got to the smaller basket. He looked somewhat surprised to get a card at all let alone two.
“Lets see what fillies like me.” he said as he pulled out the cards, Derpy straining her ears to hear him.
He opened the first card, and it was Derpy’s. Her eyes grew big as she watched him open it and a smile of hope came to her.
“Hu…”
His words sent a splinter of dread into Derpy. Did he not feel the same way? Was the tomcolt admitting her feelings in a way strange? Did he like someone else?
“Why would somepony not sign their card.”
It was none of those things. It was simply her forgetting to sign. She broke a little inside, raging at herself for forgetting something that important. She was lost in thought, trying to find a solution. She could try going up to him face to face, but that was too bold. Maybe take the card back, sign it and return it, no she was clearly not stealthy enough for something like that.
“She… she really likes me.” Thunderlane said.
His words broke Derpy from her trance, and what she saw broke her heart. Thunderlane was looking at the second card, his face as red as a tomato with blush. It was clear he felt the same way about the filly that gave him that card.
Derpy then looked down at her smaller basket. Her eyes began to water at what she saw in the basket…
Nothing.
She folded her hooves over her face, silently crying at her desk while the rest of the class went about their recess, going to the other that gave them a special card.
Derpy had been in a daze like state since first recess, barely able to keep focus on class. Soon lunch recess came where the foals would eat their lunch and go outside to play. For Derpy it was like throwing salt into an open wound. In the rush she was in to get to school in time she also forgot her lunch. While the rest of the foals ate their lunch, Derpy snuck outside to wallow in her pain while no one was looking...
Or so she thought.
She sat herself on a bench by the playground, looking down at one of the puddles left from last nights rain. She saw her reflection in the water. She didn’t know what to do now, everything was so… unfamiliar to her. What she was was depressed.
“Here,” came the voice of a colt.
She looked up and saw someone she did not expect. He wasn't Thunderlane, but a stranger. He was a unicorn that had a white coat and blond mane.
“It isn't much but you should have a little something,” he said handing out a muffin to her.
“Thank you but,” Derpy said and she took the muffin, “who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m Blueblood and I’m new actually, umm...mom wanted me to come to school here for a while. Said the Canterlot schools may be a bad influence on me. I start tomorrow but I wanted to see what my class looked like. A lot smaller then I thought it would be.”
Derpy listened and nibbled at the muffin as Blueblood spoke. She didn’t really care at first being to depressed.
“I saw you walk out without eating and looking all sad. Ant...I mean mom would say ‘it's always good to try and cheer up a pony when their down,’ and you look down.”
“Its not fair!” Derpy shouted.
Blueblood taking a few surprised steps back at the sudden outburst.
“Its not my fault!.. it’s not my fault. I… I…” Derpy began to openly cry, “I just don’t know what went wrong. Everything was set, ready to go… then it all fell apart.”
“Umm…”
“So why don’t you leave and find a filly to be your special somepony. One that isn’t all geeky and wall-eyed.”
“Umm… ok.”
Derpy just closed her eyes, and cried some more. Even if he was new the fact that he would leave so easily and quickly gave her another emotional jab to the heart.
“Alright, I’ll start with you. What is your name,” Blueblood said.
Derpy looked up, surprised to see Blueblood still in front of her.
“What?”
“Well, you said to find a filly to be my special somepony. But I got to get to know the filly first so I’ll start with you.”
Derpy blinked at first not sure what to make of the colt.
“Derpy,” she answered.
“Ok Derpy, you said you were a little ‘geeky’, what do you mean?”
“It’s what my dad calls it, mom calls it being a ‘tomcolt’. I like things most colts like. Like Hoofball and manega.”
Blueblood’s ears perked at the word “manega”
“Have you read any of that new one, Fairy Tail?”
“No,” Derpy answered, “but I hear it is good. I have lots of the older ones like Trigun, and CowColt Bebop.”
“Trigun, is the manega better than the anieghme? I've been told it is.”
“Lots, Oh have you seen Black Cat?”
“YES! It’s one of my favorites! I even went as Sven last Nightmare Night!”
“Really!?”
“Yeah, it was fun. Hey you are sounding a lot better.”
“He, I guess I do,” Derpy replied sounding much more livelier than she did before. “Um… sorry I yelled at you before... and thanks for the muffin,” she said eating at the muffin some more.
“I was wondering, since im new and don’t know anypony,” Blueblood said, “will you be my friend?”
“Well...” Derpy said before taking the final bit of the muffin, “You like manega and gave me a very tasty muffin. So why not.”
Blueblood looked up at Derpy, a look of surprise about him “Re… Really?”
“Sure, you seem like a nice colt.”
“I… Thank you!” Blueblood shouted, then lept up and embraced Derpy in a hug.
Derpy said nothing, but felt something inside her. It was similar to the same flutter she would get when thinking about Thunderlane. This however was different. It wasn’t just a fluttery feeling in her chest but a warmth as well, and she liked it. She then gave Blueblood a hug back in return.
The two were unaware that the other foals had finished their lunches and had come out to play. Most of them ignored Derpy and Blueblood, eager to play their games. However there was a few foals that took notice of the two.
“No fair, how did Derpy get to the new colt before us, and he looks so dreamy, Its not fair I say!” protested Rarity.
“Oh, but they do look like a wonderful pair. Who knows, maybe they are meant for each other,” replied Fluttershy.
“I’m with Shy on this one Rarity,” Applejack said before looking up to her brother, ”What about you Big Mac. You think Derpy and the new colt look like a pair?”
“Eeyup.”
