The sun had not yet set. Shadows were long and distorted on the streets of Ponyville. A very determined unicorn strode through the town, with very little sense of distraction that seemed common to his kind. Every step seemed purposeful, his eyes scanning to and fro, occasionally glancing upward, as though he was looking for something.

“You there,” cried Bucky, calling out to a pegasus reclining lazily on a cloud.

“Me?” replied the pegasus, sounding a bit tired.

“Yeah, you, are you part of Derpy’s flock?” asked Bucky.

The pegasus stared down at Bucky, now fully awake, aware, and alert.

“Yeah, I remember you, you buzzed me and harassed me along with a bunch of other pegasi,” commented Bucky. “Where does Miss Derpy Hooves live? I really need to talk to her. It is really very important.” explained Bucky.

“Hmm, I dunno if I should tell you,” the pegasus said slowly.

“Hey, look here featherbrain, Derpy chased me first,” Bucky snapped. That certainly seemed to get the pegasus’ attention. It glared down at him, eyes wide.

Thunderlane rolled off of his cloud and glided down to the ground, staring at the unicorn during his entire descent. When Thunderlane landed, he spoke; “You’re braver than I thought you’d be. You have a lot of nerve calling me featherbrain. I like that. Derpy deserves somepony brave to look after her.”

Bucky heaved a sigh of relief.

“Come on you uptight screwhead, follow me,” invited Thunderlane, taking off at a brisk trot, laughing and chuckling as he did so.

“You be nice to her. If you hurt her, you will answer to all of us. We see all,” Thunderlane said, looking Bucky in the eye. “You hurt her foals, and you are hurting our foals. We look after our own,” Thunderlane added.

“I know, I get it, I understand,” said Bucky, nervously dancing on his hooves.

“And good luck. I think I might see why Derpy chased you,” Thunderlane said, smiling. He spread his wings wide, reared up on his hind legs, and then took off, kicking himself up into the air, his broad wings flapping quickly.

Bucky stared at the door. He saw lights on inside. The house was on the smaller side, but well cared for, the thatched roof in good repair, the walls had fresh whitewash, and the windows had curtains.

It certainly looked cozy and inviting. Bucky wasn’t sure what he was expecting.

Bucky swallowed a few times, took a deep breath, told his always lurking panic to take a flying buck at a rolling donut, and knocked upon the door.

After a few moments of waiting, she answered.

Bucky stood there stupidly, Derpy seemed very surprised to see him. Behind her, a purple unicorn filly stared at him wide eyed, a smile slowly spreading over her face.

“Oh hi,” gasped Derpy in surprise. “I uh, I wasn’t expecting you,” she added.

“I, uh, had to drop by and say hello. I went through a lot of trouble to arrive on your doorstep. Is now a good time to talk for a few minutes?” asked Bucky.

“Er, well, I have to give Dinky a bath and it is getting that time of night for little foals to be prepared for be- woah, wait, Sparkler what are you doing?” Derpy cried in surprise as the unicorn filly had planted both front hooves on her mother’s backside and was shoving her out the front door. Derpy was deposited outside, looking very surprised and confused. The door slammed shut.

“I’ll look after Dinky,” Sparkler offered, her tone almost teasing, from the other side of the door, a faint trace of a giggle in words.

“Sparkler, I am going to show somepony the photo album of foal pictures…” Derpy said, making a threat that only a mother could make.

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE!” cried Sparkler from indoors. There was a click as the door locked.

Derpy sighed, fluffed her wings, and then looked at Bucky. “The upstairs window is open to allow the evening breeze in,” said Derpy, looking sheepish and embarrassed. “I am actually a very good mother, most of the time my foals don’t get the drop on me, shove me outside, and lock the door behind me,” she added, grinning and pushing her mane out of her eyes with her extended wing.

Bucky stood there, not quite sure what to do next. He became painfully aware of two sets of eyes staring at him through a window. He felt his mouth go dry.

Derpy stared at him awkwardly, now also aware of two sets of eyes, having turned to look at whatever Bucky seemed to be staring at. “Really, I am a much better mother than however this might look right now,” she repeated, sounding worried.

“I am sure that you are a fine mother,” replied Bucky. “I mean, your daughter feels safe enough to shove you out the door, so it seems logical that you are kind and good to them,” explained Bucky.

Derpy began to make little embarrassed meeping sounds, her cheeks now as red as apples, her eyes scrunched closed, and her muzzle scrunched up as she chewed on her lip.

“I wanted to formally ask you out sometime. I am aware of your duties as a mother, and I refuse to allow that to become a problem. I’d like to be your friend, and maybe something more,” said Bucky, his voice cracking several times, and becoming a little high pitched at the end.

“D’aw,” gasped Derpy, now rubbing one foreleg against the other, kicking the dirt with her raised hoof. She shyly batted her eyes at Bucky, they were moistened slightly, glossy with dampness.

“Well?” asked Bucky expectantly.

“Dinky is having a birthday party this weekend, there is going to be a small celebration, Dinky doesn’t like big crowds, so there is only going to be a few ponies there. I’d like to have you there if you could make it,” Derpy said in flustered tones, her wings now fluttering excitedly as she squirmed.

Bucky glanced at the two sets of eyes staring at him. Dinky, who owned one of those pairs of eyes, was smiling at him. Both of Derpy’s foals were smiling at him. It made him feel nervous. Not only was he thinking about dating a mare, he was thinking about dating a mare with foals.

Panic sank in its fierce claws as he realised he had to win the approval of three hearts.

“I can be there,” replied Bucky, wheezing slightly.

“You alright?” Derpy asked, noticing the change almost immediately, her shy demeanor now gone, replaced by one of concern.

“Just a little panic. A personal problem. I have it under control, don’t worry,” explained Bucky, driving everything inward.

“A little panic?” asked Derpy, sounding concerned.

“Who wouldn’t panic dating such a beautiful mare?” returned Bucky, willing his breathing to return to normal.

“D’aw, you’re so sweet,” said Derpy bashfully, her blush returning. “So, Saturday?” asked Derpy, making little hoofy kicks with one foreleg.

“I work on Saturday but I get off at noon. Will that work?” replied Bucky, feeling a sudden fascination with Derpy’s hoofy kicks.

“That’d be fine,” answered Derpy, “what sort of work do you do, if you don’t mind me asking?” questioned Derpy.

“I work as an accountant for Mister Rich,” Bucky replied, “but I don’t plan on doing that forever.”

“Filthy Rich?” replied Derpy in surprise, her eyes opening wide, her ears perking up, her mane falling into her eyes as her ears shifted position.

“Yeah, that Mister Rich,” Bucky said, suddenly feeling very intrigued by Derpy’s mane covered eyes. Her wheat coloured mane framed her grey face beautifully. Somehow, her eyes didn’t seem like much of an issue, there were just too many other parts of her that were too distracting. Like all of her.

Bucky sighed, inhaling deeply. He hadn’t cast a spell to block out pheromones in hours. Hours. And now, the onslaught seemed almost overwhelming. He wasn’t used to dealing with this sort of distraction. He didn’t have a coping mechanism.

His panic growled fiercely, realising it was no longer the dominant mental force in his brain, and it kicked and screamed inside of his mind, wanting a return to the top of the heap.

Bucky was able to mostly ignore it, enjoying the moment.

“I deliver his mail,” said Derpy, who couldn’t help but notice that Bucky was staring at her, practically devouring her with his eyes. It was confusing. On one hoof, it was nice to know that she still had the goods. On the other hoof… Derpy suddenly realised she didn’t give a plucked feather about whatever was on the other hoof. Nopony had ever looked at her like this before. Not even Dinky’s father. It was intoxicating. Flattering. Derpy had to resist the urge to fan out her plumage and strut.

She wondered briefly if the unicorn would even react to various plumage displays. She made a mental note to find out someday, hopefully someday soon. Derpy had never really been in a position to display her plumage for somepony that truly appreciated it, not since Dinky’s dad. She hadn’t bothered trying for the pegasi she knew, not since she was younger and more brazen. Her male flock mates had made it clear; they loved her, but they did not love her. And she knew why, she understood all too well the practical concerns.

Poor distracted Bucky seemed far past the point of caring about practical concerns. Derpy felt his eyes staring at her and suddenly seemed very exposed and vulnerable. And she liked it.

“Mister Rich is an awful pony,” said Bucky offhoofedly. “He treats all of his employees like dirt. We’re not even ponies to him. We’re resources. Just a set of numbers to be accounted for.”

Derpy scowled. “That’s awful,” she muttered, distracted, thinking about her plumage and how badly her wings needed preening. She really hadn’t been taking care of herself as much as she could. She sighed internally, realising that she may have given up on life a little prematurely.

Bucky couldn’t help but notice the little beautiful details in Derpy’s wings. Each feather started out slightly darker in the middle, fading out to a lighter shade of grey along the edges of each feather. Her wings were all of the subtle colours of a stormcloud.

And they were beautiful.

Bucky was fascinated by storms. They represented release. Bucky didn’t share the common fear of thunder and lightning that so many ground dwelling ponies had. Storms were wild chaotic release, something that Bucky deeply desired within himself.

I am falling in love with a stormcloud, he thought to himself. Something unpredictable and dangerous. He had been struck by lightning, and this pegasus mare was responsible.

“One day, I am going to quit working for Mister Rich and work for myself. I want to brew beer. Start my own business. Working for Mister Rich is a good way to get skills in running a business,” said Bucky, painfully distracted.

“I have a friend named Berry Punch and she has a distillery,” Derpy mentioned upon hearing Bucky’s words. “Berry will be at the party on Saturday with Piña Colada, Dinky’s best friend and Berry Punch’s little sister. You should talk to her. I bet that she would hire you if you talked to her. It is rare to find a pony with hooch related talents.”

Bucky had to replay Derpy’s words several times in his head. He could have sworn he had heard the words “smooch related talents.” He inhaled deeply, feeling as though he needed air, taking in another dose of pheromones.

Derpy’s wings continued to flutter, with Derpy feeling hot and a little sweaty. Derpy had no idea that her wing fluttering was dispersing her elevated pheromone laden scent into the air and driving poor Bucky to distraction. Derpy had no notion whatsoever that there were major scent glands located in her wing joints, where her wings connected to her barrel, the hot and sweaty places that Derpy was currently feeling an itch in. Sweat flooded into her underwings, feeling hot, sticky, and itchy. Each flutter was causing little microscopic droplets to be dispersed into the air, to be inhaled by nearby ponies. Most of whom had been exposed to pheromones their whole lives and could selectively ignore the distracting scent unless choosing to focus their desire.

Poor Bucky had no such tolerances to the airborne assault. He had not spent his whole life working up a resistance. He had simply isolated himself from the problem. And now, it was a problem.

Biology was a harsh mistress, and she demanded compensation for being ignored so long. Punishment where punishment was due.

Bucky turned once again to the two faces peering at him through the window. “I look forward to meeting your girls on Saturday Miss Hooves. I shall see you then. I have had a very long day, and I need to be heading home.”

“Goodnight Bucky, I am looking forward to Saturday,” Derpy said, her voice a little husky. “I’ll show you the photo album full of Sparkler’s foal pictures,” she added in a loud voice.

There was a loud scream from within the house and Bucky could see Sparkler’s mouth opened wide in an “O” of terror as she screamed.

Bucky laughed.

Author's Notes:

And this is why this is going to be a long story.

Everything progresses so slowly as various bits of exposition have to take place, explaining why things are the way they are.

The world at large has its own viewpoints to express. Like pony biology and evolved traits for different species.

Have fun, have a laugh, leave a comment if you should so desire. The birthday party is coming soonish, I promise. Not the next chapter though.