//-------------------------------------------------------// Derpy's Pond -by Betty_Starlight- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Derpy's Pond //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note This is NOT a canon Trixie Interviews story and none of these events will ever be brought up in the main story itself. This takes place between chapters 6 and 7 and is a brief adventure between Cozy Glow and Derpy Hooves in order to illustrate some important things to somepony very special to me… I know he’s had a thing for me for some time now and I’m truly sorry it took me this long to do something about it… *Ponies aren’t designed to have their hooves behind their back. Please remember this! **This seems to be a common issue between me and the other person? It’s not that I don’t care. In fact, if I didn’t care, this probably wouldn’t be so hard? ***There’s quite a bit of pain in my past and I really don’t like to think about it… **** This is actually an allusion to Friedrich Nietzsche, The Advantage and Disadvantage of a History for Life. A book on philosophy that I once read Derpy's Pond There’s a knock on Trixie’s door and Cozy Glow being home alone, decides to open it to see a grey Pegasus pony with a wall eyed stare staring at her. “Uh, didn’t you deliver the mail 3 hours ago?” Cozy says. Derpy begins to speak nervously as she says, “Um, hi Cozy! I heard you were unfrozen and was wondering if you want to go for a fly with me?” She then scratches the back of her head with her right forehoof. Cozy squints and asks Derpy, “Um, why are you asking me this? You’re the mail pony here. It just seems odd?” Derpy stammers out, “Well my therapist said I needed to start talking with and interacting with other ponies and um, I only ever see you talking with Trixie and Starshine and I thought that maybe…” She trails off as she’s talking before Cozy then just says, “So you decided to hit up the retired supervillain because you knew nopony else would be interested and I’d be an easy target huh?” Derpy then looks at the floor and says, “Well gosh! It sounds so dark and sinister when you say it like that Cozy? I just wanted to go for a fly with somepony…” Cozy then looks down and says, “Um, okay I’m sorry Derpy… I’m just so cynical that I guess uh, never mind! Sure! Let’s go for a fly!” She looks up at Derpy, smiles, and fluffs her wings before trotting outside and using her forehooves to shut the door and then stares at Derpy as she says, “Okay I guess I’m ready? Yeah Trixie will be gone until she gets off work later and I think we have two or maybe two and a half hours? There’s some kind of administrative thing going on at the school right now…” Derpy smiles and says, “Oh that’s fine Cozy! She won’t be flying with us anyway! Let’s go!” Derpy takes off before a somewhat reluctant Cozy Glow takes off with her wings to follow. Derpy flies out West of Ponyville as Cozy follows, catches up, and says, “Hey my wings aren’t that big you know?” Derpy then smiles at Cozy and says, “Sorry Cozy! It’s just that well, I never showed anypony this place before and I wanted you to see!” Cozy looks ahead in flight and says, “We’re heading towards the White Tail Woods?” Derpy says, “That’s right Cozy! What I want to show you is in there!” Cozy has a slightly irritated frown before she silently says to herself, “Well it’s still better than being bored at Trixie’s house?” They fly over a heavily wooded area when Derpy notices something out of the corner of her eye. She then smiles and flies further to the right. Cozy notices this and changes her course as well. Cozy then asks Derpy, “How far away is this thing anyway? I’m getting kinda tired!” Derpy then starts to descend as she lands into what looks like a canyon ravine with a waterfall that suddenly appears in Cozy’s view out of nowhere. Cozy then descends into the ravine to land by the grey Pegasus who is now perched on the side of the cliff there. Cozy then huffs and says, “Golly! This place sure is out of the way huh?” Derpy smiles and says, “Look Cozy Glow! Check out the waterfall and the pond and everything! Isn’t this place amazing?” Cozy then catches her breath and turns around to see everything and she says, “Wow! This place is pretty neat! But uh, why are you showing me this?” Derpy looks down and says, “Because I’ve seen you around and thought you needed a friend? I mean, I’ve seen you with Trixie at the café earlier and the malt shop and you never seem happy?” Cozy then squints suspiciously at Derpy as she asks, “So? Why do you care?” Derpy smiles and says, “Well I thought you needed a new friend!” Cozy then stares at Derpy annoyed and says, “That’s probably the best answer I’m ever gonna get huh? Okay fine! I’ll be your “friend” or whatever! Um, was there something on your mind Derpy? I mean, I remember I used to get the mail from you back when I worked at the school, but I don’t think we’ve ever really talked?” Derpy scratches the back of her head with her right front hoof again and says, “Well uh…” Cozy then sighs and says, “Okay look! It’s obvious you wanted to talk with me about something, otherwise you wouldn’t have brought me out here to the middle of nowhere. I don’t think it’s just the scenery Derpy…” Derpy then says, “Well yeah…” Cozy then continues, “And lemme guess! You don’t see me interacting with many ponies and so you thought it would be safe to tell me this secret of yours. Am I right?” Derpy then says, “Well it’s just that you were out there and needed a friend anyway and my therapist told me to open up more and uh…” Cozy then just holds her hoof up to stop the grey Pegasus from talking as she says, “You know what? Forget the details! What’s on your mind Derpy? What did you want to talk about?” Derpy sighs and says, “Okay fine! You see, there’s this stallion… He’s really nice and he’s made songs for me and plays them for me and he seems very sweet and caring but um…” Cozy then looks perplexed as she asks, “But what Derpy?” Derpy stammers out, “I don’t know how I feel about him! I mean, I want to give him a chance! I really do! But after everything I’ve done and been through, it’s just hard? I mean, I don’t want to hurt him or make him think he’s unappreciated. But I just don’t know how to talk with him?” Cozy then widens her eyes as she says, “I’m ten years old Derpy… Why in Equestria would you be asking me for relationship advice?” Derpy then looks down and says, “Oh uh, okay… I’m sorry… I’ll just fly back now…” She then turns around and starts to spread her wings as Cozy then says, “No wait! Okay! So there’s a stallion who likes you? I mean, he wouldn’t be making songs for you and talking sweetly to you if he wasn’t interested in love, right?” Derpy then puts her wings back, turns around, and says, “Um well, yeah! That makes sense!” Cozy then smiles and says, “Right! And you said you want to give him a chance right?” Derpy smiles back at her and says, “Well yeah, but..” Cozy then tilts her head and asks, “But what Derpy?” Derpy finally just blurts out, “Other ponies were mean to me and I don’t know how I can trust anypony ever again!” Cozy is then taken aback as she says, “Golly! Um, was there something other ponies did to you that you wanted to talk about or?” Derpy then looks at the ground and sighs and says, “No… Never mind… It’s okay…” She then sits down on the cliff face and gazes out at the waterfall. Cozy then trots over to Derpy and says, “Um, are you okay Derpy?” Derpy stares off at the pond bleakly and says, “It’s hard to trust ponies when not all of them are nice… I like him and I want to give him a chance… I want to love him… But…” Cozy then frowns at Derpy and says, “But what Derpy?” Derpy sighs and says, “But I don’t want to get hurt again…” Cozy sighs and says, “Well you know, you’ll never know if he’s good or bad until you give him a chance right?” Derpy then says, “Yeah, I guess you’re right Cozy Glow? I mean, I don’t know what sort of pony he is right? I gotta at least see what he does I think?” Cozy then fluffs her wings and says, “Um, right! So I guess you’re just gonna have to give him a little bit of room and see how he acts huh? Uh, are you okay Derpy?” Derpy sighs and says, “Yeah I think so? I just don’t know what to say to him either? I think I want him to like me, but it’s not easy you know?” Cozy plots herself down next to Derpy and says, “Golly! And I thought the politics of being a little filly were complicated!” Derpy then says, “Sometimes I think it would be better if we all just stayed that way you know? Little and having toys and playing? I mean, what’s wrong with having fun?” Cozy looks over at Derpy and says, “Well why don’t you just have fun with him then?” Derpy looks over at Cozy and says, “Well yeah! I mean, why think of things that just make it more confusing right?” Cozy then smiles and says, “Right!” Derpy says, “Thanks for talking with me Cozy. You know I don’t really talk to many ponies and I get lonely sometimes…” Cozy looks down and says, “Yeah! Tell me all about it!” Derpy smiles and says, “Well it’s not so bad once you get used to it? Uh, hey! Let me show you something!” Derpy takes off and flies to the upper cliff section next to the waterfall and then she says, “Yeah you can make yourself go really fast with your wings if you move them back like this.” She then arches her wings back at a 35 degree angle Cozy is guessing before then saying, “and you can even control the direction you fall when you jump off!” She then dives right off the cliff into the pond below and she angles her wings so that she starts to plummet very fast and she crashes into the water below with tremendous force and causes a giant splash of water as Cozy stares in awe. Cozy then says, “Golly that was a big splash Derpy! I didn’t know you could do that?” Derpy then comes up, spits out some water from her snout, smiles at Cozy, and says, “Yeah it’s really fun! You should dive off the cliff and try to use your wings like that?” Cozy frowns and says, “Yeah uh, aero-physics or whatever right? Hang on Derpy!” She then takes off and slowly flies up to the cliff. She then nervously stares down the cliff at the pond below with a smiling Derpy in it. She then thinks to herself, “Um, I don’t know? Is this really a good idea? Then again, Derpy did it and she looks fine? Besides that, when am I gonna be here again?” She then gulps and thinks to herself, “Okay fine! I’ll do it!” Derpy shouts from below, “Are you okay Cozy Glow? You’ve been up there a long time?” Cozy shouts back, “Yeah I’m fine Derpy! Just uh, gimme a sec!” She then trots back to the cliff wall before running up and jumping off in a low arc to begin falling towards the pond below. She spreads her wings like Derpy told her to do and feels the wind brushing against her mane as she starts to accelerate. “AAAAAHHHH!!!!” She screams as she flies towards the water and hits it giving off a slightly smaller splash than Derpy did before her. Cozy comes to the surface and spits some water out of her mouth before she looks at Derpy with her mane now wet and disheveled from it’s usual curls and says to her, “Uh, hey Derpy? Is my hair bow still there?” Derpy looks at Cozy and says, “Yeah Cozy Glow! You still have your hair ribbon although it’s not straight anymore?” Cozy just says, “That’s fine Derpy! I just needed to know if I’ll need another one later! So hey! When did this stallion friend of yours start to let you know he was interested in you?” Derpy looks down and says, “Well gosh! I’m not sure? Uh, I think it’s been maybe 3 years?” Cozy then looks astonished as she says, “Y-years? Why in Equestria did you wait this long to do something about it?” Derpy looks back up at Cozy in the pond where they’re swimming together and says, “Well I guess it has been awhile? I just never know what to say to him! I don’t want him to think that I don’t like him and I don’t want him to not like me? But well, I feel trapped?” Cozy then looks at Derpy curiously and asks her, “What do you mean trapped?” Derpy says, “Well I think I want him to like me? I just don’t know what to say or do though?” Cozy just sighs and says, “Um, you said it yourself. Why make things more confusing? Just go hang out and be with this stallion and see what happens. You know, you probably don’t need anything else?” Derpy scratches the back of her head with her left forehoof while in the pond and says, “Oh yeah Cozy! There I go again! Making things confusing!” She then giggles. Cozy smiles and says, “Happens to me all the time!” Derpy smiles and says, “Yeah! Hey! Look at this!” And she begins to swim straight forward under the water and twists her body and wings underneath. Cozy Glow can see the grey form moving through the water like some sort of strange torpedo and gawks at her with her mouth open. Derpy surfaces on the other side of the pond and says, “Pretty neat huh?” Cozy says, “Yeah that is really cool Derpy! So what are you gonna do with this stallion anyway?” Derpy frowns and says, “Well gosh! I don’t really know Cozy? I guess I should think of something?” Cozy looks up and then down at Derpy before saying, “You know what? Don’t worry about it!” And she then starts to do a breaststroke through the water as Derpy watches and says, “I never learned how to swim like that? I always just paddled with my hooves.” Cozy smiles and says, “Well I did learn a few things before I turned evil you know?” Derpy smiles and says, “Yeah hey you’re pretty neat Cozy Glow!” Cozy then says, “Well golly! Then again, not everypony is an adorable former evil doer huh?” As she begins to backstroke from the sides as her little pony body won’t allow her hooves to go behind her. * Derpy looks down and says, “No it’s not just that Cozy Glow. I don’t really talk to anypony for very long…” Cozy then stops swimming mid-stroke and props herself up in the water as her now soaking mane falls down around her shoulders and then says, “Why not Derpy?” Derpy scratches the back of her head with her front left hoof and says, “I just never know what to say to anypony you know? I mean, it’s easy when I’m just bringing them their mail. I just tell them I brought them a letter or a package and that’s it. But actually talking with other ponies is hard because I just don’t know what to say?” ** Cozy then says, “I guess it’s not easy for everypony for everypony huh?” Cozy’s face then slowly turns to a frown as she then says, “Well I guess I know what I gotta do now?” She then swims over to a bewildered looking Derpy and hugs her as she then says, “It’s okay if you don’t always know what to say Derpy. The important thing is that the other pony knows that you care!” Derpy smiles and says, “Gosh! I really didn’t expect you to hug me Cozy?” She then paddles harder and Cozy notices this before letting her out of her embrace and saying, “Oh right! We’re swimming! Not the best place for long hugs huh?” Derpy smiles and says, “Uh, yeah I don’t think so either?” Cozy then starts to swim with her breaststroke to the shore of the pond on the other side of the waterfall as she says, “Well it’s getting pretty late Derpy. I uh, think I need to head back now? I guess you’ll just fly off to wherever you need to be?” Derpy then says, “Yeah Cozy Glow! I gotta go home now too I think?” Cozy then trots up onto the shore as Derpy starts to paddle towards her and she shakes off as she then says, “Well I guess I’ll see you later Derpy? Probably when you deliver the mail tomorrow huh?” Derpy smiles as she huffs and slowly trots towards Cozy while saying, “Yeah Cozy! I usually get to your house around 11!” Cozy Glow then says, “Well you’d think I’d know that?” Derpy then says, “Oh yeah! You’re there too!” Cozy giggles and says, “Yeah! You know, you’re actually more fun than most ponies think you are?” Derpy then shirks and says, “Uh, thanks Cozy Glow! You’re pretty nice for an evil villain you know that?” Cozy then ruffles her wings and says, “You know what? I’m gonna take that as a compliment! I mean, I did try to do bad things earlier?” Derpy then says, “Yeah you tried to take over the School of Friendship and use it to conquer Equestria! Oh! And then you teamed up with Tirek and Chrysalis and did other bad stuff with a magical bell right? I remember the librarian telling me about what you did…” Cozy then stares at Derpy with a wide eyed look as her auburn pupils begin to shrink and her mouth gets tiny… Derpy can only stare at this change in Cozy’s face with confusion as Cozy then reaches out with her right forehoof and touches it to Derpy’s nose and she then loudly says, “BOOP!” Derpy then twitches her nose and says, “Hey! Y-you booped me Cozy!” Cozy then ruffles her wings and says, “Yeah that’s something I do sometimes whenever somepony talks too much about my past…” Derpy then says, “I guess you don’t like that? Yeah that makes sense I think? There’s bad stuff there right Cozy?” Cozy then looks down and says, “Yeah lots of bad things… I uh, would rather not be reminded or think about it too much you know? It um, kinda hurts…” *** Derpy then looks down with her wall eyed stare and says, “Gosh Cozy! I’m sorry… I’ll try not to talk about it anymore okay?” Cozy smiles at Derpy and says, “Thanks Derpy! Okay I need to get going!” She then waves goodbye to the gray Pegasus with her right wing before turning around and taking off to fly back East towards Ponyville. The pink Pegasus is deep in thought as she flies back, “Golly! It sure seems odd that Derpy would be talking to me about this? I’m not sure I’d know what to say either?” She sees the clock tower as she flies back into town towards the Northwest end where she now lives and sees that it says 2:15. She then says to herself, “Well I got maybe an hour before uh, mom gets home?” She then opens the front door with her forehooves and trots in before using her hooves to close it like before and then trots into the room. She then hears a familiar voice from her left say, “You look like a drowned rat Cozy Glow!” Cozy stares off to her left to see a familiar purple unicorn filly smiling at her. Cozy then says, “Yeah I went swimming!” Cozy then trots up to Starshine and hugs her. She then pulls back and then says, “Yeah Derpy was talking to me about this stallion that likes her…” Starshine then has a confused look on her face as she asks, “Uh, that’s odd? Why you Cozy?” Cozy then says, “Well for one thing, I don’t really talk to many other ponies and I guess she knew it would be safe with me? Yeah he’s really nice to her and has made music for her and talks sweet to her and Derpy just doesn’t know what to do about it?” Starshine then stares wide eyed at Cozy Glow and says, “Uh, what do you mean? He seems nice enough?” Cozy then sighs and says, “Yeah, but Derpy has trust issues because well, I guess she’s had some bad relationships in the past?” Starshine then says, “Sometimes, remembering the past isn’t a good idea? I dunno? I’m trying to be philosophical here, but…” **** Cozy then stares at Starshine and says, “Golly! That’s pretty deep! Maybe remembering the past isn’t always such a good thing huh? It can make you timid to try new things. Sometimes, things that might be worth it?”