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Lyra's Human 2: Derpy's Human

by pjabrony

Chapter 113: 109: On the Calenderp

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Derpy was used to seeing Karyn in many different position when she entered the apartment. Sometimes she would be preparing breakfast; or just having finished it and cleaning the dishes, Derpy’s share either left on the table or kept warm in the oven. Sometimes she would be in the bathroom brushing her teeth, since even though her changeling powers could make them appear as bright as any magazine cover celebrity, they would still be stained in reality. Or yet again Derpy might find her still asleep, in which case she would do her best to keep quiet and rise in her own time.

What she wasn’t used to was seeing Karyn at her writing desk, her head slumped down staring at her computer. If she was at the desk, it would be turned toward somewhere else, with her fingers idly flitting over the keys. That day, though, she was facing the screen full on.

Because of her inexperience seeing Karyn at that position, Derpy didn’t know if she should call attention to herself or not. If Karyn was in really intense concentration, she might not have heard Derpy appear, and so she was worried about startling her by saying anything. Since Derpy herself hated to be startled, she didn’t want to do it to her friend.

She thought about giving a soft cough when she spotted, to Karyn’s right and just in the field of her peripheral vision, the scroll that contained the list of ponies who wanted to visit Earth. Tiptoeing to the side, she took it in hoof and slid it out. Once she unfurled it, Karyn finally looked up.

“Hey, Derpy. Did you bring a guest?”

“Not with me. I was going to look at the list and see who’s next.”

Karyn blew a raspberry and faced the screen again. “I don’t think I’m going to have the time for one today. It’s finals week.”

“Oh. Of course that’s important. How’s it coming along?”

“It’s coming. I’m not behind in my study schedule, but I had to include today on it. They even gave us a study day last week that I used. I’ve been working my tail off.”

Derpy looked beneath her chair. “You don’t have a tail. I think you must have worked it off a long time before you met me.”

“Thanks. I needed a laugh.”

“Have you been using all the study techniques that Twilight taught you?”

“I have.” She reached to the side of the desk and took out a red binder. “I’ve even been budgeting my time. I got the projects done ahead of time so I can focus on the tests. One I could e-mail, but this one I have to deliver in class on Thursday. In fact, that’s all I have to do. Walk in, give this to the professor, and walk out.”

“Then you could use the rest of the time to study.”

“No, that’ll be the last class for the semester. And the year. I can use the rest of the three hours to goof off.”

Derpy took the report over to the bed and flipped through it. While Karyn went back to studying, Derpy examined the report. She clearly couldn’t tell if the details were accurate or not, but she could see that it was professionally laid out and could also check for spelling mistakes. Careful not to damage it, she made her way through.

“It looks good to me! If your studying matches the effort you put into this, you’ll pass all your tests for sure.”

“I hope to do more than pass. I wouldn’t mind having an impressive grade point average to show perspective employers.”

“I guess that does matter for the complicated stuff you do. That’s why I’m so proud of you. I didn’t have to take any tests to be a mailmare.”

“Yeah, Derpy. I guess you didn’t.” Karyn sighed and went back to the computer. “Maybe I should go into postal delivery.”

“Hey, Karyn. What’s wrong? Wait, I know. You’ve got to be stressed with all the studying you’re doing. Even if you’re using the study techniques, you’re probably not relaxing enough. I should get you some stuff to chill you out again.”

“No, no.” She stood up and flipped the laptop down. “I have been relaxing and doing stress relieving tactics. This runs deeper.”

“Come talk to me about it.” Derpy patted the bed and Karyn joined her. Looking back and forth from the computer to the pegasus and, for the first time that day, smiled.

“This goes back to something that I said, well, I guess about a year ago. That was the last summer that I was going to have off. Now I’ve got to really plan on what I’m going to do this summer. I could do some retail job like I have in previous years, or I could do an internship in IT. But that means I won’t get paid, or if I do it’ll be less than what I would get otherwise. Long term it would be better, but short term, I don’t know how I’d get through next year without the savings that a job this summer would be. And whatever I do, it means I’m not going to get to have fun the way I have every summer since I was a little girl.

“So, yeah, there’s nothing to be done. I’m just getting old.”

Derpy laughed at that. “You’re too young to be feeling old. Actually, it’s not funny. You should be happy. One way or another, your life will change for the better.”

“It will, but it’s still change, and that’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Well, don’t be afraid, because I’ll be there to get you through whatever comes.”

Karyn turned back to the computer. “Thanks. Well, let me get back to work.”

She moved her gaze from the screen to a paper notebook. Derpy wondered if she had taken the notes in paper because the professor wouldn’t let computers into the class, or if Karyn preferred it. She opened her mouth to ask, but thought that, if Karyn was deep in concentration, she wouldn’t want to break her focus.

In pursuit of this aim, Derpy tried to be as quiet as possible, even to the point of holding her breath. It seemed quieter than even the normal quiet with no sounds except the laptop’s fan. When the refrigerator’s compressor kicked on a moment later, Derpy was so surprised that she let out the breath that she was holding.

There was no clock in the room, and Derpy realized that Karyn wouldn’t need one since if she was at the computer she had the one in the lower right hand corner, and anywhere else she could reach for her phone. Wondering what time it was, she contemplated flying into the bedroom to look at the alarm clock she knew was there, or trying to surreptitiously peek over Karyn’s shoulder.

There was no getting around it; Derpy was bored. She considered taking a nap, but decided against it on two points. First, she feared that even though Karyn was busy, sleeping in her room might be considered a slight. Also, though she had no confirmation, Derpy was told that she snored.

Still being quiet, she shuffled off her saddlebag and decided to reorganize the spells. Half of them she didn’t even use, and so she put them on the lower side. Then she decided that that was harder to reach anyway, and put them on top. After that, she changed her mind once more and put them all back the way they started.

This wasn’t right. There was no need to do this. If Karyn didn’t want her there, if she was too busy, then it was up to Derpy to admit it and just say goodbye. She got on her hooves and approached the desk, but, before she could speak, Karyn did.

“I’m sorry, I really am. I’m being no fun today, and I’ve been sitting here studying because I know that if I stopped and played with you I’d be even less fun, because I’d be too worried about how I should be here studying.

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I really can’t spend the day with you. I never thought that being with a pony wouldn’t trump anything else I could do, but it has. I’m sorry.”

Derpy gave a wan smile. “No, I’m sorry too. I should have said something sooner. I could tell that I was pressuring you, and I shouldn’t be. This is just the next stage in our friendship. If we can be so comfortable around each other that we don’t have to be around each other, then we’ve got to be good friends for sure.”

“I like that. I promise next week will be different.”

Derpy strapped on the saddlebag and gave Karyn a hug. By the time she activated the spell, Karyn was already back at her computer.

As she flew home, something was nagging at the back of Derpy’s mind, but she couldn’t place it. No, two things were nagging, and every time she thought that she had a handle on one, the other one would come up.

Well, it didn’t matter. She would go home and have a relaxing day while Karyn sat and studied…

That was it.

Whatever Derpy had said about leaving, she hadn’t really felt it. She didn’t want to be in Equestria, she wanted to be back on Earth with Karyn, taking a drive or visiting a fair or just swapping stories. And if their interpretation of how the universe-hopping spell worked was correct, that meant that Karyn, and all of Earth, would be frozen in time until she returned.

Once she came to that realization, the other thought hit her. Whatever was wrong with Karyn, she had not gotten it out of her. It couldn’t have just been the passage of time or her loaded study schedule. Something was wrong, and she had been derelict in her duties as a friend in not finding it out.

“Curse my slow brain!” she said as she landed. “I should have realized all that and stayed. Now when I go back she’s going to think that I’m still being rude!”

No, she could not just go back. That would bring all the same problems. She needed to go back with something that would help. Again she regretted not staying long enough to find out what was really wrong with Karyn. The only superficial problem she had complained about was not being able to have the fun summers like she had in years prior. Derpy agreed that was a shame. Could they even find time to go back to the park where she had found Muffinhead?

That was it, she thought. It could be her way back. She threw open the door, tossed her saddlebag on the couch in a departure from her usual fastidiousness, and flew up to Dinky’s room. There she found some of the supplies she had used in school before heading off to Celestia’s Academy. Derpy took some pieces of construction paper and a pack of crayons.

Dinky’s desk was too small to work on, so Derpy brought the paper and crayons down to the kitchen table. With her tongue sticking out to one side, she first drew some careful lines and labeled the whole project at the top. Then she put one of the crayons to her mouth and thought.

“It’s got to be all the best…there’s no reason to hold anything back.”

She made some notes on a regular piece of paper, looked again, nodded, and wrote. She took her time, confident in the knowledge that Karyn was waiting for her, frozen at her desk.

At last she was satisfied. She retrieved her saddlebag and placed the paper gingerly inside. She flew slower and with more precision than she usually did. None of the letters she carried were as precious as this.

Taking a deep breath, she appeared back on Earth. Sure enough, Karyn was facing the desk just returning to studying. She must have heard the double sound of Derpy leaving and returning, so she rotated in her chair.

“I’m sorry,” Derpy said, “I couldn’t really leave, not for the week. I’ll just have to wait until you’re done.”

“All right. If you want to go out or something, I’ll trust you. You know enough about Earth to take care of yourself.”

“Actually, I brought this…” She started to go for her project, but decided that it wasn’t the right time. “I think I’ll stay here a bit longer. I’ll be as quiet as I can be.”

Derpy got on the bed and relaxed. Karyn would take her time, and Derpy would let her. It was all right now. The project in the saddlebag gave her comfort, like a talisman that would ward off boredom. This time, as she lay on the bed, she could watch Karyn and keep still without making a sound. The ambient noise didn’t reach her. In a state of total concentration, she stared, hoping to transfer some of her focus to the friend who needed it more.

She could almost follow the course of study, even if she didn’t understand the material. Karyn was proceeding through notes at a pace; she wasn’t cramming. Derpy approved. She could see, by Karyn’s shoulders which weren’t slumped, that she was confident. This was just necessary work.

She reached for a notebook and it fell to the floor. Quick as she could, Karyn slid her chair to the side and put a hand on it. She was faster than Derpy, who had just begun to get off the bed to help. For a moment, their eyes met.

A conversation was held in that glance. Karyn’s eyes said, “Please, I understand, you can’t go, but just don’t pressure me. I promise that as soon as I can, I’ll be with you” and Derpy’s said, “I know, and I’m waiting for you. You need to do this for yourself, and I want to give you your time” and Karyn said, “All right, if you’re going to be a good friend, I’ll trust you.”

Karyn got the notebook and returned it to the desk. With the back of her head pointed at Derpy, she stretched her arms and her neck, and then dove back in.

It took fully another hour, but during that time Derpy held still and made no sound. The time flew by, even if it dragged for Karyn. She tried to speed things up as best she could, but when she did, she found that the chapter reviews and mock tests she was taking gave her lower grades. That would never do in the real thing. So she plodded through the book and her notes.

At last she carefully closed her laptop, folding the screen down until the latches clicked into their notches. Taking out the frustration that she didn’t want to put into the delicate piece of electronics, she slammed her textbook shut, then flipped it in the air and caught it, dropping it down to the side of her desk to complete a trilogy of thuds.

“I officially declare my studying…complete.”

“You’re done? You finished the book?”

Karyn scratched the back of her head, but with more confidence than usually accompanied this gesture. “I made it to the end and then went back for more. But there comes a point at which trying to shove more information in is counterproductive. I’m convinced that I’ve reached that point. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like what I have done got lodged in the folds of my brain, but now everything is sliding off. So I’m going into these tests with what I have and no more.”

“I’m not sure that makes sense, but I’ll go with it.”

“So show me this thing?”

In the midst of her quiet enjoyment, Derpy had forgotten what had effected it. “What thing?”

“You said, when you came back, that you ‘brought this’ and then cut yourself off. I want to see what you brought.”

“I guess your brain really is holding onto information if you remembered that.”

Karyn laughed, more from the release of tension than from humor. “I was thinking of it though a lot of the studying, using it as an incentive to keep going, like some people do with a snack or something.”

“Do you want a snack?”

“No, I was having them while I was studying to keep my energy up.”

And, as though that part of the conversation was concluded, Derpy got out the construction paper. “What you were saying about this being your last summer when you’re not working got to me. So as I see it you have eight weeks off. If you’re going to make the most of them, you’ll need to budget out your time for doing awesome things. I made you a calendar.”

She flipped the paper with her hooves and Karyn took a look. She had drawn in the lines for the days in dark blue crayon on the lighter blue paper, and the box for Wednesday was a good deal smaller than the other boxes, as though she had started from each end and not known where to meet in the middle. It had also been a struggle to fit the word “Wednesday” at the top, and it crawled along the side, changing from horizontal to vertical and back.

At random points on the paper, Derpy had drawn stick figures of a pony in gray with yellow hair, and a human in flesh tone also with yellow hair. Both of them had smiles on their faces.

Saturday and Sunday Derpy had spent the most time on. Every other Saturday the picture was a bed with a few blonde hairs sticking out that just said, “Sleep in.” The Sundays of course were the ones she had spent the most time on, and each week had an activity.

Karyn saw through the paper the faint lines of more crayon drawing. She flipped it over to find the next month there. The paper was thick enough that none of the marks had bled through.

“This is…amazing. You put a lot of effort into this, I can tell.”

“Now that I actually look at it, it’s kind of immature. Dinky could probably do better.”

“Dinky has the advantage of a horn. No, if it looks simple, that’s better for what it is. Something made with love.” She turned back to the first page and perused it again, this time looking at the actual events that Derpy had planned. “Ooh, definitely got to do that…might not be able to do that that day…that will depend on weather, but it looks like if it does rain, you’ve got a couple of days on either side to play with it…”

Derpy watched her pore over each day. All the intensity and focus that Karyn had shown while studying now gave way to playful amusement as she pointed to various squares with a pen. “So, you happy now?”

“Yes. I think that this has been a productive day, and that can be just as good as a fun day where we just play all day. I’m ready for my tests—as ready as I’m going to be—and I’m also ready for the summer that comes after them. So long as I pass my tests, otherwise I’ll be stuck in a class for summer, and I’ll have had to pay for that, meaning even more on my loans…”

“Hey! No negativity! If you don’t pass your tests after all that work, then the college has to do some reevaluation of its testing standards, because it means even Twilight couldn’t pass them.”

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Karyn dug in her desk and found some thumbtacks, aiming to put the calendar on the wall. “No, on second thought I shouldn’t. I don’t want to put holes in Gayle’s wall, and I honestly don’t even want to put them in the paper.”

“Good idea. Besides, the term’s almost over so it’ll be time to go home.”

“Yeah.” She let the paper flit down to the desk, saving it only when one of the random breaths of wind threatened to take it all the way to the floor. “Thanks, Derpy, for coming back.”

“Thanks for having me.”

Derpy left for home, this time confident that time would move on Earth and that Karyn was free to continue her week and get to her tests. Once more she flew lazily and once more she landed. This time, though, she took off her saddlebag and hung it from the hook in the closet as she always did. Only then did she look around.

“Well, I convinced myself for long enough to leave, but I know that I missed it. Karyn’s upset about something, and it goes beyond her tests or her summer. She doesn’t want to tell me, and maybe I shouldn’t pry. On the other hoof, if it gets worse, then it won’t be good. All I know is that if she doesn’t fix it, then nothing on that calendar will make a difference. Derpy, you’ve got to do what you can. And it starts next Sunday.”

Author's Notes:

But for us, it starts next Wednesday!

Derpy laughed, and it was a good feeling. “How are you doing?”

“Good, good…or did you mean on the tests?”

“I didn’t mean that, but I’ll be happy to hear about them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I must look a fright now,” she said when she had at last calmed down. “I should magic myself back to what I should look like.”

“Why don’t you go into the bathroom and wash up proper instead?”

“That sounds like a good idea. Thanks again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Of course, but we can’t do that. Can we? Do you have a spell for that?”

“No. Didn’t you hear me say, ‘if only there were a way”? Karyn might have responded, perhaps questionins Derpy’s rare linguistic ability, but Derpy didn’t pay attention. She was hard at work thinking. Just because there wasn’t a magical way to provide Karyn with more information didn’t mean there wasn’t a practical way. It might be that she and Karyn relied a little too much on magic, but she put that thought aside for later.


Plus, when you come back for that chapter, there will be a Special Announcement!

Next Chapter: 110: A Time to Every Derpouse Under Heaven Estimated time remaining: 13 Hours, 55 Minutes
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