“You should also remember what your friend from school taught you... What was her name again, Derpy?” my father paused, trying to remember.
“Well, her actual name is Ditzy, but everypony has been calling her that way for so long that almost nopony remembers her real name. I think it’s kinda mean of them. It’s not like her eyes are her fault...” I started to get a little bit angry.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to...” he apologized.
“Yeah, I know. She felt very bad because of it.” I interrupted him.
“Anyway, what she taught you is almost as valuable as anything both of us did.”
Memories began to once again flood my mind.

“Hey, Ditzy.”
“Oh, hello there, Fire Trail.”
“What are you doing out here?” I asked. I found her quite far from the school, in the forest.
“N-nothing,” she hesitated.
“Come on. You know I’m not like the others. I’m your friend, you can tell me. It’s not like I’m gonna laugh at you.”
The slightly frightened look on her face started to melt away. I looked into her eyes – one returned my look, and the other one’s sight wandered somewhere in the skies. I always found that cute. Her golden eyes, her quiet nature, her smile, however rare it was. She was special, in her own way. Despite what others thought, she was not “stupid” or “weird”. She was just a little bit different. Just like I was. And I was one of the few that liked her kind of special. I was her only friend.
“I was playing with my bubble rod. I love the sight of the bubbles...” she paused for a moment, looking for the right expression. “...dancing. That’s the right word.” she said and blushed slightly.
“Can I watch?” I asked.
“You don’t think it’s silly?” she asked in a slight surprise, her eyes coming together – a rare occasion.
“No, why would I?”
She looked lost in her own thoughts for a moment, her eyes drifting apart again. I could not resist and walked close to her.
“Derp.” I said, smiled at her and lightly nuzzled her neck. I was the only one who could say that without sending her running away with tears in her eyes.
She didn't say anything; just backed away a little, smiled at me and then picked up her bubble rod and began to perform her own special kind of magic.
The bubbles floated... no, danced around her, as she flew here and there, the bubbles following her.
“I learned quite a lot from them...” she said distantly.
“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.
“The bubbles... how they dance, it’s all about little changes in the wind, in the streams of air, in their temperature, in the air pressure. I have been doing this for so long that I started to use all these things to help me in my flight. It’s easier, less exhausting and even more pleasant.
“And beautiful,” I said to myself. Her flight really looked different from the style of other pegasi... she was floating through the air almost effortlessly, where others struggled to keep their speed and direction. They forced themselves through the air currents where she used them to her advantage. And she looked beautiful while doing it. Dancing, just like the bubbles.
I jumped into the air and joined her in her dance. Mine was a lot clumsier, of course, but I picked it up really fast. I was a fast learner – I had to be, to keep up with things my mother taught me.
“You seem to be really good at this. It took me very long time to begin mimicking their movements,” she complimented with a hint of admiration in her voice.
“Heh, thanks. I learn pretty fast. And... flying is my life’s purpose. I am always looking for ways to improve myself."
“I wish I could be a little bit more like you.” she said, sinking in her thoughts once again and landing on the grass.
I landed before her, looking into her eyes.
“Why would you want that?”
“Y – you are a great flier. Everypony respects you. Nopony thinks y – you are stupid.” she started to stutter a bit.
“Oh, come on. I’m not that good,” I protested, a blush rising to my cheeks.
“Besides... why would anyone think you are stupid?” I added.
“I guess there really is no reason. It’s just... them,” she said after a while, still deep in her thoughts.
“Yeah. There always will be some stupid meanie who needs to prove his... whatever he wants to prove to himself and picks on the quiet ones who don’t fight back,” I said, my voice growing annoyed over this injustice.
“I’m started to get used to it.” she whispered, with sadness in her voice.
“I don’t want that.” I found myself saying before I could think about what am I actually saying.
“Why?” she looked quizzicaly at me with both eyes.
I blushed slightly, not really knowing what to say.
“I care about you. I like you... the way you are.” I muttered, looking into the ground.
“That’s very kind of you. I... never had anypony tell me that.”
She began to close the distance between us.
I did not have the slightest idea what should I do.
I just looked into her eyes, which were for once focused at the same point – the point being my mouth.
We both began closing our eyes, slightly leaning forward, when...

“DERRRRP!”

Both of us jumped few feet into the air with the shock.
“Ah, ponyfeathers.” I cursed silently.
“Aww, what do we have here? The best flier in our class fooling around with Derpy Hooves?”
Ditzy’s eyes went each in their own direction again, along with tears rising to them. I looked at the two unicorns who just ruined the moment. Sticks and Stones. Two bullies, whose target was, you guessed it, Ditzy. They harrassed her from the first day of school, not a day passed by without them insulting her, with her ocassionally not being able to take it anymore and running away from school, crying. I tried my best to protect her from them, but I couldn’t follow her everywhere.
“I think it’s my decision who I spend my time with,” I retorted coldly.
“Come on, her? You were actually going to kiss HER?” Sticks started laughing out loud.
I stepped in front of Ditzy, so that she could hide behind me.
“Yes, I was. How is that your business?”
Both of them started approaching me slowly.
“Who would WANT to have anything with this retard?” snorted Stones through laughter.
I heard a quiet sob behind me. Sticks and Stones were almost in a hoof’s reach.
“One more word about her and I am not responsible for what happens,” I gasped through my clenched teeth.
“Aw, what are you gonna do about it, step aside and let her derp at us?” Sticks said in a quiet, mocking voice.
The sobbing behind me changed to full-scale crying, and that’s when I completely lost it.
Faster then I ever imagined I could do that, I focused the largest part of my magic I ever managed to grab and, instead of sending it to my wings like every time I did that, moved it to my right hoof. And that hoof made contact with Sticks’s jaw in a split second. The sheer force of impact sent him flying and crashing heavily into one of the trees with an audible crack of the wood. Stones immediately began to back off, but it was too late. In a second I was next to him, and this time a buck of my magic-enhanced hind legs did the work. I heard one of his ribs snapping and then a loud CRUNCH from the tree he landed in. I collapsed on the ground immediately after, the exertion being greater then ever. All I heard was several frightened sobs and weak Ditzy’s voice asking me “Are you alright?”
I simply nodded.
“I’m more worried about them,” I grinned.
“H – how c – could you do that?” she asked, still looking at me with fear in her eyes.
“I was sick of them bullying you, and they clearly wanted to start a fight. So I took the liberty of the first strike,” I said and smiled at her.
She said nothing, she just laid down next to me instead, resting her head on my neck.
I don’t know how long we lay there like that, but we were interrupted by painful groans from both sides, with some really dirty curses being thrown at us.
“I see you two anywhere NEAR her one more time, I’m not gonna hold back!” I shouted at them as they hobbled away as fast as they could.
“And you might want to consider spending less time with each other, people are starting to think you two are colt-cuddlers.” I added mockingly before they disappeared from my view.
“Adding insult to the injury,” A thought shot through my head and I snickered.
“Y – you were holding b – b – back?” the fear in Ditzy’s voice returned.
“No, not really. I threw in everything I had. I just wanted to make sure they won’t bother you ever again,” I returned, smiling.
“Thank you...” she whispered into my ear.
After I recovered myself, we continued our dance with the bubbles, with me grasping progressively more and more of her technique.
But the kiss was never completed...

I snapped back to reality when my mother shook me. We arrived to Cloudsdale.