The sweet summer air carried the fresh scent of blossoming apples from the fields below and flowed through Ditzy's tangled mane.The young pegasus was happily flying to one of her most favorite places; a clump of old, mossy vines hanging down like a hammock off of an oak tree on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Nopony knew of this place, which made it all the more amazing. A place to go where nopony else can see you. It fastinated her. Her smooth leather jacket was hurriedly tied around her waist, covering her colorful cutie mark, and her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, with her favorite pencil tucked safely behind her ear. As she was flying, she noticed a shadowy figure siting in her place. It turned out to be a young unicorn, wearing a rugged black and grey hoodie, playing mindlessly with a wooden set of drumsticks.
"Who in Luna's name are you?!" Dizty asked sarcastically. The stallion ignored her. She pulled out her glowing lime green hatchet and quickly flew down in front of him. "Let me ask that again. Who. Are. You." he leaned back slightly, but remained seemingly calm.
"Name's Shadow. Shadow Snare. Now, you tell me who the heck you are." he sneered. She held her hatchet closer to him.
"Ditzy Daydream. My name is Ditzy Daydream." she replied sternly. He began to laugh loudly.
"Ditzy?! Ha! You MUST be an idiot if your parents named you that! 'I know! Let's name her... Ditzy! She looks stupid, just like her old man!'" he said between laughs. Ditzy dropped her hatchet and back away slowly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"M-my dad... my dad doesn't l-live with m-me anym-more..." she whispered, fighting back her voice cracks. Shadow's cruel face melted into a guilty one. He set down his drumsticks and sat up.
"I'm... I didn't know... I mean-" he stuttered.
"It's cool. He... was cool too...he was never mean." an awkward silence floated around the branches of the tree. Shadow flicked his dark brown hair off of his muzzle. He picked up his drumsticks and slid over in the vines.
"You can sit with me... if you want." he said softly. She thought about this for a moment, then with slight caution, sat down. Ditzy opened her bright blue notebook, which seemed old and thoroughly used. Each page had a different, unique design of a cat, pony, or something unusual. "What are you drawing?" he asked curiously.
"Everything i can think of." she said, her voice sounding distant; she was obviously lost in thought. He stared at her notebook for a second longer, then returned to his drumsticks. He began drumming a rather bouncy rhythm, and Ditzy soon found herself tapping her navy blue pencil to the beat. After a few minutes, she turned to him and asked, "Are you a musician?"
"Sorta. I play, but not like in a band..." he said sadly. Ditzy thought for a second.
"You know... I can sing..." she mumbled.
"Really? Let's hear you!" his face suddenly lit up with excitement. She blushed.
"I'm not very good at it."
"Who cares? Just try!" he urged. Ditzy sighed.
"My life is brilliant. My life is pure. I saw an angel, of that I'm sure." she began. The soft, peaceful notes floated around the sky like butterflies. Shadow's jaw immediately dropped. "She smiled at me from across the sideway. She was with another man, but I won't no sleep all night, cause I got a plan." she continued. Shadow began to drum along on a near by branch. The rhythm was simple at first, then suddenly evolved into a simultaneous yet perfect accompaniment. "You're beautiful! You're beautiful! You're beautiful, it's true!" her voice got stronger as she moved along, each note more powerful than the last. As she sang, Shadow began to recognize the words, and started to sing along. The tree swayed with the sound of their voices, harmonizing together in perfect unison.
"And I don't know what to do... cause I'll never be with... you."
Ditzy gazed into the eyes of Shadow, almost lost in a trance. He seemed to be the same way. The silence towered over the joyful song that had so suddenly ended. Ditzy had never noticed how the evening light reflected so majestically in his dark eyes. He, and the whole moment, seemed like a dream. The way she felt about him immediately changed. He was no longer an enemy, or even an acquaintance. He was her friend.
Fireflies began to light up around them as dusk began to settle in. Shadow smiled awkwardly. "I... better go... will I ever see you again?" he looked concerned, as if he needed to see her once more.
"Meet me here, in the tree, tomorrow." Ditzy said softly. "Bring your drumsticks." Shadow nodded and hopped down from the tree.
"Until tomorrow." he tilted his head with respect. Ditzy did the same, and fluttered off to her home in Cloudsdale. When he was out of earshot, she did a rather loud squee of sheer excitement. She had made a new friend... who wasn't a mare! "Oh my gosh! What if... what he likes me?!" the thought made her squee again. She felt her heart practically leap out of her chest. I can NOT wait to tell Lunar Splash about all of this! She's gonna freak!" she danced around happily. Little did she know that Shadow was watching her, even though he couldn't hear her.
"What's she so happy about? Do she... like me?" he quietly asked himself. He felt his face turn red. "Of course not! A beautiful mare like that would never like a stallion like me!" he thought. He then realized that he called her "beautiful". " What?! I mean... she's beautiful and all... but..." he thought to himself for a moment."I guess the real question is... do I like her?"
