That day and many days to follow were days like any other. Another month went by... then another. Derpy and Cloudfire went to work each day, made their Bits, then either went out or stayed in at the Hooves' residence. They started seeing even more of each other and Cloudfire spent just a few more nights at her house...

"But it's too hot tonight for me to stay under the covers tonight, Cloudfire!" Derpy whined one hot evening.

It was a good 75 degrees... unusual for the cool season.

"Okay, then." Said Cloudfire, firmly. "If you won't, I will."

It was one toasty, sleepless night for the poor ivory Earth Pony, and Derpy wasn't exactly happy he was coveirng himself up either. Beyond kissing they really hadn't done much. Both had... strong feelings for each other, and the blankets in Derpy's bed were just one way of... detouring the exploration of such feelings.

Cloudfire was debating discussing his feelings with Derpy, but one day... she came to him.

It was a lonely day for Derpy as she sat by herself in the Sugar Cube Corner. She'd forgotten her favorite bow at home, but today... she didn't really care all that much.

Cloudfire was off doing yet another favor for his landlord, so she found herself enjoying an ice cream soda at a private table... to say she was "enjoying" it would be implying that she was in a good mood to begin with. She was upset and certainly no good at hiding it. She felt that Cloudfire... simply didn't want to snuggle with her at night. She though about how to talk it over with him, slowly nursing her ice cream soda... she was no good at this type of thinking, it just made her mad. She was mad and sad at the same time, and that ice cream soda certainly wasn't going to cheer her up, even if it came with diamonds.

It was Pinkie Pie's day off from the Corner, but that didn't keep her and her friends from using her favorite place for their celebration. It was the end of Zap Apple harvesting, and it had gone extremely well. All of the Mane 6 were there, along with Spike and Gummy... Derpy was off in the corner of the Corner, alone.

Apple Jack approached with Pinkie Pie:

"Come on, Sugarcube..." She said, with a smile. "This is a party and you're invited!"

"Turn that frown upside down and join us!" Pipped in the joyous Pinkie Pie.

"I don't feel like it..." Said Derpy, not looking back at the two. "I think I'm gunna go home soon..."

"Anything the matter, hun?"

"Nothing..." Derpy looked at her hooves. "It's nothing."

Pinkie and AJ looked at each other.

"Okay, Derpy..." Said Apple Jack. "Hoping whatever's on your mind doesn't amount to a hill of beans... leaving the offer on the table to come and join us."

Derpy looked at Apple Jack, a tear welling in her eye:

"Thank you."

Again, Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other... then slowly trotted back to their party.

It seemed as though they were going to leave Derpy alone to sort things out on her own. They were actually whispering to each other... perhaps a different pony or group of ponies could find out something more and help their little grey friend.

Rarity approached with Twilight, also sensing something was a miss.

"Derpy, how are you doing today?" Asked Twilight.

"I'm okay." She said, not looking up.

"Darling, where is your lovely bow?"

"On my bureau..." She replied.

"You look kind of sad today, Derpy," Said Twilight. "Anything we can do to cheer you up?"

"No..." Derpy said, quietly adding, "not unless you can get Cloudfire to snuggle with me at night..."

"What?" Asked Twilight.

"I don't want to talk about it... you girls will just laugh at me."

"Derpy, we're your friends!" Said Rarity. "There's nothing you could possibly say that would make us laugh at you..."

"Okay... I'll tell you. He's been spending the night sometimes and we cuddle, but only with blankets between us.... I really wanna snuggle with him, without those hot, itchy blankets... okay?"

"Is that why you're so upset?" Asked Rarity. "That he insists on covers between you two when he spends the night? What a Gentlepony to not use every moment in bed to his own advantage!"

"Yeah... hey, what do you mean?"

"Derpy..." Said Twilight, holding back a chuckle. "You do know what some grown-up Special Someponies do at night after they've been together as long as you two have?"

"You mean..." Derpy gulped, falling silent.

"Carnal relations." Said Rarity, with a bashful smile.

"Many get intimate, they make love..." added Twilight. "Maybe talking to him about that would be a good first st-"

"But wait! I heard through the grape vine that you and..." Rarity stopped herself after a glare from Twilight, who had heard the same thing and wanted to keep them out of it. "Never mind what I've heard. Rumors are just that... icky, nasty rumors."

"What did you hear?" Asked Derpy.

The two unicorns looked at each other.

"Just level with her," said Twilight, sighing. "She trusted us. We should trust her."

"You're right! Well, I'd heard that...that you and he were already at past point." Said Rarity, hesitantly adding, "I didn't know whether or not to believe it, and I was perfectly fine if these rumors were true, but... it seems they're not."

"They're not." Said Derpy, rolling her eyes.

"Why not talk to him about it?" Rarity asked, going along with what Twilight had started to say earlier. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"We'll be getting together later tonight..." Derpy took a hard squigg of her ice cream soda, finishing it completely. With a focused look in her eyes, she added, "We gotta talk... I'm gunna just do it tonight."

"Good for you!" Said Twilight.

"Yes! And don't let the rumors get you down... ponies do love to gossip."

Derpy then got up from her stool, scowling at first. Rarity and Twilight looked at each other as she passed them with a determined look on her face.

"I really feel like dancing now..." Derpy said, looking back at them as she sauntered up to the jukebox where the tunes were coming from.

"Come on, everypony!" Said Pinkie, dancing beside Derpy. "Let's party!"

Derpy, along with everypony else, proceeded to shake her groove thang to the beat... the party lasted several hours and by the end Derpy's mood was much better.

By the end, she was no longer scowling. It was also almost time for her to see her Special Somepony, but first she had to shop.

Derpy went out to the markets being her normal bubbly self. She hummed quietly and bothered no pony while she shopped for Cloudfire and her family... it was always fun to visit the markets!

Even though she was dreading later that night, there was a spring in her step once again. She hadn't quite decided how she was going to talk to Cloudfire about the whole snuggling thing... and following the conversation with Twilight and Rarity, she realized she had bigger fish to fry. She was no dummy. She figured, when the time came she'd just look him in the eye and ask him the first thing that came to mind... yeah, that'd work. Cloudfire doesn't lie! She was happy thinking about that...

"I can't imagine what he sees in her," said a hushed voice said in the distance while Derpy was eyeing some Kiwi. "But they kiss and everything..."

Derpy froze when she heard that.... turning slowly in the direction of the pony who said it.

She noticed two ponies close together... they had mean eyes and were looking at each other with these weird smiles on their faces which made Derpy feel really funny.

"Yeah," said one of the two ponies in a hushed voice. "I can't -oh."

They both turned to Derpy, still smiling.

"Hi Derpy," they said to her together, in a sing-songy way. "How are you?"

"How do you know my name? I don't know either of you..."

"Well... see you and that Cloudfire stallion together." Said the one who was first talking. "We know things like this."

"Cloudfire's nice." Replied Derpy, going back to her Kiwi selection. "I gotta be home soon."

"Yes, you do that!" Said the other one.

Derpy tried to ignore them, moving on to another table.

"What a stupid, wall-eyed..." She heard another pony whisper.

She ignored it.

"I can't believe he's actually going down on that..." A teenage stallion whispered to his friends.

"What a retard!" His crony added.

"I think it's about time she got a Special Somepony..." Whispered an understanding sounding voice. "She's probably quite grateful that somepony finally took her! Have you seen where he lives? It's a dump!"

This had been going on for months and it would have been completely missed had Rarity not pointed it out. These weren't just rumors... they were callous, petty stabs at the two of them. Derpy tried to pretend she didn't hear them, as she did before when she was a little filly, but their words started to grate on her. Everywhere she went she saw one or two ponies with that same nasty smile looking right at her as if she and Cloudfire were a joke...

After shopping, she trotted home... in a bad mood, yet again.

The wall-eyed Pegasus pony opened the door to her house, set the groceries on the floor... and started to cry.

"What's wrong, Derpy?" Asked her father, who had been sitting in the chair by the stairs.

"Ponies are saying awful things about me and Cloudfire, dad!"

"I've heard," he said, soothingly. "I knew this day would come, Derpy... tell me everything you've heard, if you think it will make you feel better."

So Derpy unloaded every petty insult and back-stabbing remark she'd heard at the market and on the way home. Even next door she saw one cruel smile staring at her on a neighbor's face she hardly even knew.

"Ponies are going to talk, Derpy," he said, hugging her. "They just don't understand. I don't think those awful things about you two... in fact, I think he's one of the best things that's ever happened to you!"

"You really do, Daddy?" Asked Derpy, looking up at her old man.

"You'd better believe it, daughter of mine."

Mr. Hooves and Derpy had a long, serious talk about Cloudfire and their relationship... all aspects of it. Derpy was in tears because she didn't want to talk about this stuff with anypony... even her family.

"But I thought you and Mommy wanted me to wait until marriage, Daddy!" Derpy cried. "That's what you've said to me since I knew about this stuff..."

"Of course we want you to wait until you're married, Derpy," replied her father. "But I can tell you two love each other very much, and I can't control what you do... It's best you at least love him nowadays, and you don't need to prove that to me." He chuckled. "Twenty years ago, when this was frowned upon... your mother and I went down a similar path, but you already know all that."

"Yeah."

He wiped the tears from her eyes:

"Just... don't to anything rash. For me?"

Derpy nodded.

"I don't think he's going to do anything to hurt you..." said her father, turning towards the kitchen. "Now, how 'bout you bring those groceries into the kitchen? Me and mom will make dinner for you two. Go neaten yourself up and play in the yard with Dinky... he's liable to be here within the hour. You don't want to worry him."

Derpy did as she was told, going up to her room and getting the ribbon from the top of her shelf. She put it back in her mane, then opened her locket and looked at the picture of the two of them together and happy, smiling... with tears still in her eyes.

"I love you, Cloudfire."