When I'm Old and Grey: Chapter Three

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Lao Tzu

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NOTE: I worked VERY hard on this and the others chapters, if you could PLEASE rate, follow, track or spread this, I would be the happiest pony in the world! <3

NOTE 2: I've ever-so-slightly rewritten everything to make the chapters longer, and you MAY notice a missing part in the previous chapter! That is OK! Nothing is wrong :) just continue reading as you normally would, but now ignore the part that I have removed! <3

"It's been too long Twilight. It's been three days." Applejack spoke in a worried tone to the purple pony, jittery and nervous, "What if something happened to him? What if he's hurt."

"I know Applejack!" Twilight said back Sympathetically, "But what can we do? If we go up after him we might, uh, get lost like him too!"

Twilight was trying to avoid the words 'die' or 'freeze' out of respect for her friend and partly because she didn't want to consider the idea herself. Big Macintosh had left for the mountains three days ago, with enough food packed for two, and a sleeping bag. Now, the air was getting colder down in Ponyville, and Twilight could only wonder how cold it was on the mountaintop.

"We can get others ta help us can't we?" Applejack asked tentatively, not sure if it would make things better or worse for Big Mac than things already were (although considering the life-threatening circumstances, anything might be better than things already were).

"We don't want to spread the idea that he has a secret love, ponies might get suspicious." Twilight responded thoughtfully, "Although we could tell them he was getting it for a dying Aunt or sick grandparent right?"

"Hah!" Applejack let out an exasperated laugh, "What Grandparent? This is Ponyville! Everypony knows everypony! Besides, Ah'm Applejack! Ah can't lie worth a gem-dogs behind!"

"Is it possible that we can let the rest of the group in on this?" Twilight said, thinking of ways she could work around this new development without harming a sensitive situation, "I mean, we wouldn't have to tell them anything really."

"Well as long as they don't start asking me questions Ah can't answer, Ah'm okay with that." Applejack said, hurriedly trying to get Twilight to help her with this problem, "Now can we PLEASE get on with this? Ah don't know if Mac is okay 'er not!"

"Yes yes! But first one question..." Twilight started, an inquisitive look on her face, "Who is this lucky little mare anyways?"

Applejack shook her head,

"Nuh uh, I ain't tellin' you that!" She said with a snort and a stomp of her foot, Twilight let it rest for now.

As they walked from the library to gather the help of the others, Applejack was worried not only for her brother, but for poor Derpy, who had no doubt noticed his absence by now. Applejack wondered if she should talk to the small pony before she became too grief-stricken.

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Derpy felt that something was wrong. Deep inside her heart she felt that familiar feeling of uneasiness and worry, threatening to overtake her as she continued her daily rounds. Over the past three days her worry had increased significantly. She hadn't seen Big Macintosh since that last night he slept with her.

The first night it wasn't so strange, Big Mac had often skipped being with her because he was too busy and she figured she could survive one night. But even as she lay in her bed, the covers wrapped around her comfortably after a long day, she missed the warmth and love that was always present when he was near. When he was around she felt safe, sheltered from the world that so obviously hated her. She missed him, but not unbearably so.

But now, three days later, she was near heartbroken.

Derpy waited each night, until Luna's great moon rested high in the sky, throwing a glow over everything, but still he didn't come to the door.

He had never been gone this long, and fear ate away at her nerves and her heart. As she galloped along, her heart pounded not from her deliveries, but from fear of the worst.

Was this his gentle way of saying goodbye? Was their time together finished and through with? Was this going to just be a "fling" that some other ponies talked about?

Was he mad? Did she do something to him by accident? Did she fail to say goodbye? Or to show enough emotion? Was this her fault?

Tears almost came to her eyes as she thought of the idea that it might be over, but she galloped on, refusing to let her fears or emotions destroy her perfectly good work day. Although, if she we're being honest with herself, she would realize that any day spent without him was a ruined day.

She pressed forward, maintaining her speed as she delivered a small package to Sugercube Corner. Spotting it up ahead, she grabbed the small parcel from her right pouch and prepared to drop it off. Just as she was about to begin her deceleration, she felt a familiar feeling.

The feeling of falling.

As her hoof caught on a rock she was propelled forward violently, tumbling for several meters and nearly ramming her skull into the building herself. As she sat there, her body aching from the pain of the fall, she felt tears of desperation well up inside her, trying to force their way out.

She sat their for a couple moments as ponies passed by, not paying any heed to her at all, and tried to press her emotions back down, where they couldn't hurt her. Not today. Not when she was so vulnerable. As she stood, she grabbed the package in her hooves from nearby and entered the bakery.

"Uh, delivery for the Cakes!?" She called out, noticing that the main room was empty, "Anyone here?"

Suddenly a pink blur exploded through her vision as Pinky Pie attacked her, knocking her to the ground.

"Derpy!" She screamed in delight, "I'm so glad you have the package!"

Derpy fought back the sore feeling in her heart and laughed a little, cherishing Pinkie's energetic personality.

"Of course Pinkiee!" she said, holding her words like she usually did, "I alwayyss get the job done!"

Pinkie Pie helped her up, laughing and smiling,

"of course you do!" She said happily, then paused, looking to the corner of her head and putting a hoof under her mouth, "Except for that time you accidentally shipped my package to Canterlot..."

As she saw Derpy's smile vanish, she quickly backtracked.

"BUT me and Twilight had A LOT of fun trying to track it down again!" She said, still her genuine smile plastered on her face.

But Derpy's smile didn't come back, in fact, she felt worse now than ever. Suddenly she felt her emotions come up again like fizz from a bottle. She just couldn't hold it anymore and she figured to herself 'Who better to let it out to than Pinkie Pie?'.

Moments after Pinkie backtracked and tried to make Derpy feel better, she slowly began to sniffle, breaking down into her most emotional state.

As Derpy's tears began to flow freely from her face, pinkie pie began to grow nervous and worried.

"I'm so sorry Derpy..." she started, trying to console the obviously hurting pony, "I'm so so so so so sorry..."

"No I'M sorryy Pinkie..." Derpy said bluntly too her, "I just keep messing stuff uuup!"

Pinkie Pie was panicked. She hated it when someone was crying, even someone as...strange...as Derpy.

"Derpy! I can get you cake! Do you need cake?!" She said, trying desperately to get Derpy to stop crying. She didn't understand the proper protocol for calm and consoling actions yet, so she went into action doing the things she knew best.

When Derpy looked up from the now wet ground, Pinkie had gathered balloons from around the shop, bundling them up into a massive bouquet and was handing them to Derpy with her mouth.

"Ahpey Derpy?" She said, a mouth full of balloons, affecting her speech.

Derpy let out a small pitiful grin, but the ears quickly drowned it out.

"Pinkie Pie..." She said with sadness still flooding her voice, "Do you know how to hug? A proper hug?"

Derpy put her head back down, expecting the hyper pony to continue with her hyper parade of gifts and giggles, but within seconds she felt her heart lighten as she experienced the soft feel of a mares forelegs around her.

"Yes..." she heard the small sound escape Pinkie's lips.

As Derpy returned the gesture, wrapping her forelegs around Pinkie respectively, she felt the need to get something off her chest. Something that had been eating at her for quite a while, and annoying her that she couldn't tell anypony.

"Pinkie Pie, can I tell youu something?" she started, not really sure where to begin.

Pinkie lightened up a bit, pulling back from the hug slightly and looking at Derpy snout to snout.

"Anytime Derpy," Pinkie spoke while she smiled in a supportive way, "I'm here to listen!"

Derpy was unsure whether Pinkie was a reliable confidant or she would tell everyone in town.

"Promiiise you wont tell anyone?" She asked slowly, "Pinkie Promise?"

Pinkie recited the Pinkie Promise and nodded.

"Yes!" She said confidently, "I promise you that!"

Derpy felt slightly more ready to go on, but still wasn't completely sure.

"It'ss about a stallion-" She started, but before she could finish, Pinkie pie cut her off.

"Ooooooh, DRAMA!" Pinkie said with foreshadowing and emphasis.

Derpy glared at her for a moment, tears still in her eyes.

"Okay! Sorry!" Pinkie apologized as she gave the classic "Lips Zipped" signal.

Derpy continued.

"Well, I like this stallllion, a lot... and he likes me back, a lot..." Derpy started, feeling nervous. She usually didn't spill her feelings to anyone but Big Macintosh, but as she continued telling Pinkie about this magnificent stallion, using words such as "dashing" "loving" "caring" and other words ill-fitting to Big Mac except when they knew him like Derpy or Applejack did. She told her about how she longed for him to be near, and how when he was gone it seemed like time was going by at half the speed that it usually was. She told her about how he would come over nearly every night, just to hold her and be near her.

She told her about how all the other ponies made fun of her, but how this mystery stallion was always there for her, no matter how mean the others were. He nuzzled her in all the right ways, sending her heart soaring to the heights of the stars when he was around. She told her that he didn't talk much, and how his actions meant more than words ever could. She felt less clumsy around him, like she could rule the world and not make a mistake.

As she reached the end of her story, she told her about how things had been getting worse lately, and how even though ponies were meaner than ever and she couldn't seem to change that, Big Mac could, even just for one night. As the conflicts and insults got worse and worse, she missed him more and more. He was her anchor, her land line to this world. Without him, she would have left it a long time ago.

"And... Even though I wait up for him at night... I haven't seen him in three days." Derpy said as she was almost finished, "I'm getting very worried... I mean, what if hes gonna break up with me? Or he just decided to leave!"

Pinkie Pie seemed almost happy as she whispered something.

"That's...so...adorable..." her eyes were bright, but looked almost teary, "Whats his name?"

She paused, scared of what she would say.

"Um..." she began to freeze up, but she quickly worked through it. She trusted Pinkie.

"Big Macintosh..." Derpy quietly whispered.

Pinkies mouth dropped.

"Big Macintosh?" She inquired, awestruck, "THE Big Macintosh? Applejacks BIG BROTHER!?"

Derpy nodded slowly, eyes to the ground.As soon as she moved her head, signalling a positive response, Pinkie Pie cried out in joy, her wavy curly mane bouncing up and down as she did.

"OH CELESTIA!" Pinkie screamed out in joy, "YOU AND BIG MAC ARE IN LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE-"

She was abruptly cut off by Derpy's hoof over her mouth,

"Shut up Pinkie!" She said with a scared tone, "Don't let anyone hear you! And its not love!"

Pinkie was taken aback,

"Why?" She asked innocently, obviously confused as to why she couldn't spread the good news, "You guys would be SO cute together! I would throw you a massive party and even-"

"Because I'm afraid they'll make fun of him tooo!" Derpy cut her off, quickly explaining the situation.

"Oooooh," Pinkie said in an understanding way, making the whole action quite dramatic, "I guess that makes a little bit of sense."

Derpy felt good finally having told someone other than Big Mac about what was going on, but that didn't change the nagging in the back of her mind. Where was he? Did he hate her now? What did she do wrong?

Feeling old emotions bubble up inside her, she hurriedly tried to enlist Pinkie Pie's help.

"Do you know where he is?" Derpy asked nervously, almost afraid of the answer. However, knowing was ALWAYS better than not knowing.

"Well the last I saw of him was-" Pinkie began, but was stopped quickly as a very flustered Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash busted through the front door, each wearing a slightly alarmed look.

Before anyone could stop her, Twilight belted out her proposition.

"Pinkie Pie you need to come with us because we need to find out if bi-" She paused as she spotted Derpy and Pinkie Pie, both with red eyes having some sort of intimate moment, "Are we interrupting something...?"

Applejack took a place beside Twilight,

"What in tarnation is going on in here Sugercube?" She said, addressing Pinkie Pie, who now had both hooves covering her mouth dramatically to stop her from screaming everything Derpy had just said. She looked like she was having trouble.

"Well now we have to tell her!" Rainbow Dash said frustratedly, landing down to Twilight's left.

"Tell who what?" Derpy asked, trying to seem like things were normal and not at all out of place. Her heart sunk as she saw each one of the ponies look at each other nervously. Suddenly Twilight and Rainbow Dash pushed Applejack forward against her will, somehow automatically electing her to say what was to be said next.

"Ya..." Applejack started, her hoof scratching the back of her mane, "About that..."

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Welp! 1:30 Am and ready to go to bed! Tell me about any spelling errors you find (bearing in mind that Derpy's speech is only spelled wrong to give you that hint as to when she does her classic Derpy speak!) and I hope you enjoyed it.

Just a bit uneventful, but it sets the next chapter up nicely!

I might come back and polish this up ever-so-nicely if I have time tomorrow, but most likely I will be writing the next chapter!

Anyways! Criticism is ALWAYS appreciated, and without it, I would be nowhere! So please! Don't tolerate this, CRITICIZE!

(-Sentence Structure -Plausibility of Conversations -Realism, etc)

So, off to bed now! Just thought I would let you guys have this before I left :)

Love you guys <3