Derpy Daze

"Alright Derpy, it's just an old mare's tale, no need to work yourself up!" Despite her efforts to calm herself down, she was only working herself up. "Deep breaths... deep breaths. No need to start twilighting." (Princess Twilight's overreactions have become famous around Equestria, resulting in a new phrase called 'twilighting').

Calming down, albeit a difficult task, was one that Derpy accomplished after many deep breaths. She collected her satchel, her muffins, her hat, and she set her course for the door of the cabin. "In...... and out." With a loud bang she slammed the door open, clearly not expecting it to open so smoothly, and fluttered off the train.

"It's so pretty." Derpy had never been so close to the Foal Mountains. They glistened with the radiance of a gem covered in beautiful light green trees which harbored the cutest creatures anypony could imagine. "Too bad I can't just stay here." Hooves was completely flabbergasted. Besides the other passengers who were all just as amazed, there was no pony.

"Well here we go." She flapped her wings and began to take off with a goal in mind and a route planned.

A pink pegasus with a Hawaiian shirt and a big cowboy hat, remaniciant to that of applebuckers, hurriedly rushed over, "Oh I wouldn't do that If I were you, Lass. Wind be too strong up there, ya' wouldn't make it halfway over the ridge fore ya' crashed."

Derpy was desperate, and sometimes a fool, but she wasn't an absolute moron. She slowed her flaps and descended. Curious as to what the mare had to say, Derpy asked "Are ya' sure?"

"Oh absolutely. Says here in 'The Pegasus's Guide to the Equestrian Skys' that the wind up at flyin' hight is so strong that only 4 ponies have ever done it, and they was all Wonderbolts."

"Okay... I guess I'll just walk, does it say when I can fly again?"

"Let me check for ya'. Oh here it is, accordin' to my book ya' can start flyin' at the outskirts of the forest on the other side of the mountain. I'd reckon that's about and hour and a half if you're quick."

"Okily Dokily, thanks..."

"Lilly B."

"Thanks Lilly." Derpy trotted away with a shower of dust trailing behind her.

As the sun got slightly higher Derpy presumed that about an hour had passed and she would likely reach the summit before long. The trees passed by with an ominous feeling that something was changing other than the altitude.

"A sign? 'Beware all ye pony folk'... whatever that means, I don't like the sound of that, but I'm almost at the summit, soon I'll just be able to fly my way and be there in the nick of time." The birds didn't seem to mind the sign and kept on singing as nothing had happened. Almost ten minutes passed when she saw it, the part of her journey she dreaded most. She would have to go through Hollow Shades all on her own. Without wings.