Rainbow Dash looked at Derpy with an incredulous expression. “You’ve gotta be kidding me… You need another one?” Derpy looked back at Dash, one eye slightly askance. The look on Derpy’s face was one of sorrow over her actions, and Dash immediately regretted being cross with her.
“I’m sorry, Dashie…” Derpy said in her trademark voice. “I just want to appreciate what kindness you have to me, and well… they’re all just so comfortable. They're just made so well!”
This was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the minute, and Dash was starting to sweat. She knew somehow that she was supposed to be mad at Derpy, but how in the world could she be? This was Derpy she was talking about.
Dash smiled a bit as reminiscence took over her.
It was coming close to All Pony’s Eve, and the chill winter air was starting to creep in on Ponyville. Dash had recently ended a long-term relationship with Twilight Sparkle, and both of them were taking it rather harshly. Dash was lazing about on a cloud, like she normally did, when a pale grey face had popped up above her.
“Hey there, Dashie!”
Dash was startled by the newcomer, but quickly realized who it was and smiled slightly. “Hey, Derpy. What’s up?”
“You look sad…” Derpy replied. “Life gettin’ you down?” Dash could do nothing but nod. That was the truth, so concise and nutshell-y. Derpy shivered a bit in the cool air.
“Are you cold?” Dash asked, a bit concerned for her friend.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Derpy admitted, “but it’s ok. I lent my sweater to Applejack so she could keep warm during her apple-bucking. I’ll get it back when she’s done with it.”
“But Derpy…” Dash replied, “that could take awhile. She just started it, you know. What are you going to do until then?”
Derpy beamed a radiant smile. “I’ll be cold until then; that’s fine. I just wanted to help AJ out.” She shivered again. Dash was starting to get a bit uncomfortable; her Element of Harmony was starting to crop up again. Her loyalty was telling her that she needed to do something, and quickly. So she stretched and got up off the cloud.
“Tell you what,” Dash said, flitting around a bit, “you rest here on this cloud- it should be nice and warm, like I’ve been keeping it- and I’ll go and see if I can’t find something for you to keep warm in.”
“Oh, Dashie, you don’t have to do that… It’s fine, really.”
Dash shook her head. “If I can help you out, I’m going to. Now lay down and accept my kindness!”
Derpy laughed and settled onto the cloud. Dash could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. Here she was, Ditzy Doo, one of Dash’s oldest friends and- if Dash would even admit it to herself- the most awesome pony that she knew. She had to help out somehow. Then, it came to her in a flash.
“I’ll be back!” Dash called out. “Don’t go anywhere!” As Derpy snuggled closer into the cloud, Dash made a beeline straight to Rarity’s boutique. When she got there, the door was open.
“Rarity!” Dash called out. “You there?”
“Back here!” Rarity called out from her rear storage room. Dash flew in and landed, as Rarity was unpacking her newest shipment of cloth for her garments.
She looked up at Dash, smiling. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit today?”
Dash didn’t really know how to put this, so she just stated it as honestly as she could: “I need you to make something for Derpy so she can stay warm. She had to give her sweater-“
“To Applejack,” Rarity finished. “AJ stopped by earlier and showed it off to me. Apparently, she really likes it. She wanted me to tell Ditzy thank you, but I have no idea where to find her… Can you tell her?”
“Sure,” Dash replied. “So can you help her?”
Rarity looked down at the ground for a moment. “I really wish I could, Rainbow, but… I’ve got so much on my plate already. I mean, look at all this.” She gestured with her hoof to all the dresses that she had draped over mannequins. “The Royal Ball is in less than a month, and my boutique is supplying the dress for everyone who will be present! It’s going to be a huge boost to my business, but my, is it tiring work…”
She looked at Dash sympathetically. “I wish I could help you, I really do… But I simply cannot, at this point.”
Dash sighed. “That’s ok. I’ll find some other way.” She glanced around the shop one last time, and was about to fly out, when she noticed something bundled up in the corner of the room. “Hey, what’s that?”
Rarity looked over. “Oh, that? Someone requested that I knit them an enormous sock, and I made it for them, and well… they never came and picked it up. If you want it, you can have it; I have no use for it, really.”
Dash shrugged and shouldered the giant sock, flying away with it. She zoomed straight up to the cloud, where Derpy was resting peacefully. When she landed on the edge of the cloud, Derpy snapped awake.
“Oh, you’re back!” Derpy said with a smile. “Good to see you again… Hey, whatcha got there?”
“Well… I got this from Rarity. Maybe it can help keep you warm.” She showed her the giant sock.
Derpy’s eyes grew wider than Dash had ever seen them before, and- could it be?- they actually straightened out a little bit. “Oh wow!” Derpy exclaimed. “It’s a giant sock! I’ve always wanted one of those!”
Dash supposed she shouldn’t really be surprised- this was, after all, Derpy- but she couldn’t help but feel a bit of a shock. “You… have?”
“Yeah!” Derpy replied enthusiastically. “I saw one at a fashion show a few years back and ever since then, I’ve wanted one for my very own… I’ve never been able to afford one, though.” Derpy looked straight at Dash- well, not really straight. One eye was on Dash, the other was on something else off to the left. “Do you mean it? I can have this?”
Dash dumped the sock at Derpy’s feet. “It’s all yours,” she said with a smile.
Derpy squealed and knocked Dash over with a giant hug. When they were both on the ground, Derpy rested her head on Dash’s chest, causing Dash’s heart to once again skip a beat.
“Thank you…” Derpy whispered. “This is the greatest present anyone’s ever given me…”
Dash snapped out of her reverie as the present intruded on the past. Since that day, which was only about four or five months previous, Derpy had gone through three of those socks. She stayed in it constantly when she wasn’t flying around at work or just going out on the town, and thus they tended to become rather threadbare with a quickness.
And now, Derpy was wanting another one?
“I’ll see what I can do, Derpy, but I’m not sure if Rarity’s had the time to sew another one up for you. I’ll go check, though.” She touched foreheads with Derpy- that had become their symbol of showing affection for one another, as Dash was still very much a tomboy and thus not really used to the whole concept of kissing- and flew off.
A few minutes later, she came back with a load on her back. Derpy started jumping for joy. “Did you bring me one, Dashie?”
“All in good time,” Dash replied. She started unpacking some other things first; it looked to Derpy like the makings of a picnic. Meats and cheeses, pies from the Pie family bakery and candies from Bon Bon’s confectionery… Finally, the piece de resistance: Dash pulled out yet another gigantic sock, and Derpy squealed with delight. It reminded Dash irresistibly of the moment when she had given Derpy that very first sock. Dash smiled; her day couldn’t help but be brightened by the memory.
She tossed it over to Derpy, who immediately wriggled her way inside of it and snuggled down deep. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment. “It’s almost as good as snuggling with you, Dashie…” she murmured. A blush grew across Dash’s face.
“W-well, in any case, it’s time for lunch... Oh, and keep this one as intact as you can, okay? I don’t think Rarity is going to want to make any more for you after this one…” Derpy nodded and scooted the sock up a little bit so she could partake of the meal with Dash. They made their sandwiches and laid next to each other, sharing a comfortable lunch amongst lovers.
They had no idea that they were being watched, by two intently peering pairs of eyes.
Later that night, after Dash and Derpy had bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Derpy was sitting at her house, playing Rollerball with Dinky Doo. It was a simple game- all it involved was rolling a ball back and forth between each other- but it was their favorite game to play together, and they tried to play it every night. Dinky had just caught the ball and was about to roll it back to her when a knock could be heard at the door.
“Who is it, Ditzy?” Dinky asked.
Derpy shrugged. “Who knows? I haven’t answered the door yet.” Derpy got up and walked over to the door. “Aaw…” she heard behind her. “Keep playing with me…”
“I have to be polite,” Derpy replied. She opened the door with a smile. “Oh! Hi, Lyra. Hi, Bon Bon. What can I do for you all?”
The pair of ponies were standing outside, shivering a bit in the cool fall air. Bon Bon spoke first: “Hi, Derpy. So I was in the park earlier and I saw that awesome big sock that Rainbow Dash gave you, and well… I was wondering if it would be ok if Lyra and I tried it out for ourselves?”
Derpy was a bit confused. “Do you mean, like, by yourselves, or both of you in the sock at the same time? ‘Cause I don’t think both of you will fit at the same time.”
“I think we will,” Lyra said quietly. Derpy could somehow tell that this whole thing was Bon Bon’s idea, and somehow Lyra had gotten dragged along, probably due to her (very public) status as Bon Bon’s romantic partner.
Derpy thought for a second, then came to a conclusion. “Okay… what could it hurt? Just don’t stay in it for too long; Dinky and I are going to sleep soon.”
Bon Bon skipped into Derpy’s house, with Lyra following closely behind her. When they saw the sock, they both dove for it, and sure enough, after a little bit of wiggling around, both of them managed to fit into the sock. Derpy was impressed.
“Wow,” she said, “you were right. You both did fit in there.”
They both looked really comfortable in that sock, snuggled up close to each other. Derpy was having a hard time trying to figure out whether or not to ask them to get out of it, as like she said it was getting close to hers and Dinky’s bedtimes. Soon, though, her kind and giving side won out, and she walked into the living room where Dinky was at.
“Time for bed,” she said to her younger sister. “We’re sleeping in my bed tonight.”
Dinky looked positively crestfallen. “But… you promised me that we could sleep in the sock tonight…” She looked like she was about to cry.
Derpy kneeled in front of her. “I know that’s what I said… and I’m sorry I can’t go through with that… But what was I just telling you the other day?”
Dinky sighed. “It’s always better to allow someone else to fulfill their needs, than to fulfill yours and leave them out in the process.” Derpy smiled. By that recitation, she knew that Dinky would relent in a few seconds. Just as she thought, Dinky yawned. “Okay, Ditzy… Let’s go to sleep in your bed.”
The pair went up to their room, leaving Lyra and Bon Bon laying on the living room floor, snuggled up close in that giant sock, asleep and happier than they’d ever been before.
It was a few days later, when Derpy next saw Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t really through any fault of either of them; Derpy had had her hours increased at the mailmare’s office due to the large amount of mail traffic that was coming through in anticipation of Hearts and Hooves Day, and Rainbow Dash had been conscripted by Mayor Mare and Rarity to get all of the decorations together for the Hearts and Hooves Day parade, which was only two days away.
Neither of them had had a moment to themselves, really.
Finally, the two had managed to make a date, and at the expected time, Rainbow Dash flew out to the Cake’s bakery. She met Derpy inside, and after a quick touching of foreheads, they dug into their pies, which Mrs. Cake had already placed out for the both of them.
About halfway into her first slice, Dash began to notice that Derpy seemed a little bit distracted. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Everything going ok for you?”
Derpy sighed. “Not really… I haven’t gotten to use my sock in a few days, and I really miss it…”
Dash was confused. “Why haven’t you gotten to use it?” Derpy inhaled deeply, and recounted the story from the beginning: Lyra and Bon Bon seeing her and the sock in the park, them coming over the one night… She ended with, “And they’ve been over every night since then! Dinky and I haven’t had a moment to ourselves, to play Rollerball, and- well, I miss my sock…”
Rainbow Dash patted Derpy on the shoulder. “There, there… We’ll figure out something. Hey, you probably already know that Hearts and Hooves Day is coming up pretty soon, right?”
Derpy nodded. “With my work, that’s pretty much all I’ve been able to think about… Why, though?”
Dash grinned. “Oh, nothing. Just an idea that could get you your sock back…”
Derpy smiled widely. “Do you really think you can do that, Dashie?” Dash grinned.
“Of course, I can. All I need to do is to find someone who can knit… I don’t want to bother Rarity, but-“
Somepony cleared her throat behind the two of them. They turned to see Rarity behind them, smiling. “I think I know just the pony you need,” she said.
Day broke a few days later, on Hearts and Hooves Day. Derpy awoke slightly before Dash did; Derpy had spent the evening previous with Dash, and had eventually come home with her to spend the night. Naturally, good times were had by all.
Derpy stretched. This woke Dash up from the very last dregs of her sleep, and she yawned. “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Derpy…” she murmured, not really close to being awake yet.
Derpy nuzzled Dash’s cheek. “The same to you!” She got up and opened up the blinds, letting in some of the sunlight. “We’d better make it down to Ponyville soon; we don’t want to miss the parade, do we?” Dash shook her head, and got out of bed.
A few minutes later, they were in Ponyville. Dash was greeted by Pinkie Pie and Twilight, who invited Derpy and Dash to come sit with them- an invitation they gladly accepted. As they were walking over to where the grandstands were set up, suddenly two quick forms tackled Dash and Derpy to the ground. When the dust cleared, they were somewhat surprised to see who it was that had launched the sneak attack against them.
“Hi, Lyra! Hi, Bon Bon! What are y’all doing?”
Bon Bon was grinning like a maniac. “Derpy, you really shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for us, just for Hearts and Hooves Day… Not saying it isn’t appreciated, because it is, but it really wasn’t necessary.”
Derpy leaned in to Dash. “Um, Dashie… what are they talking about? I haven’t done or made them anything for Hearts and Hooves Day?”
In response, Lyra reached into her backpack and pulled out two large socks, different from the one that Derpy had at her house. They were color-coordinated to the two of them, and quite frankly it looked like Rarity had done a lot of work towards making them very unique socks.
“See?” Bon Bon said, still smiling widely. “You’re the best!” She hugged Derpy, then bounded off with Lyra to find seats. Derpy, at this point, was looking very much confused. Just then, Rarity walked up, with a smile on her face.
“Hey, Rarity,” Dash said, “I thought you told me you weren’t going to be up to making any more of those giant socks.”
“Well,” Rarity replied, “technically I did… but I figured these were for good causes, seeing as all we were trying to do was to get the two of them to stop using Ditzy’s sock all the time. It was no problem.”
Derpy smiled at Rarity. “Thanks so much… You’re a very special pony.” Before Rarity could even respond, Derpy and Dash flew up above the grandstands and settled themselves down on a fluffy cloud.
The last thing that Rarity saw before she glanced out at the parade grounds, was Derpy picking something large and cotton-y up off of the cloud and beginning to wriggle herself into it, being sure to leave enough room for Rainbow Dash to get in as well.
