Derpy's Bebop

Green. What struck Ditzy was how green the forest was, as leaves glistened in the dim light and morning dew dripped from the grass that grew all around. It was dark, but a few blades of light here and there pierced through the vast vaulted dome of branches above her, illuminating a cramped pathway that twisted deep into the woods.

The trail was just a few feet large furrow of dirt, battered and roughly plowed. It felt somewhat wrong to see that long brown line among that lush green, as if it was a cut running through the ground, a scar carved on the Everfree’s cheek. The weeds and bushes along its borders almost seemed to glare and sway towards the track, giving the mare the impression that if they could they would have uprooted themselves to attack her, engulfing that imperfection to re-establish its untainted, wild beauty.

The Everfree itself was anything but silent. She could hear animals slithering and buzzing all around her, a flap of wings, a faint roar in the distance followed by a scream from an unknown inhabitant of the forest. Ditzy tried not to hit her head against the lower branches and followed Blues closely, terrified.

(I knew this was a bad idea I just knew it but no, oh no “It’s fine I went there lots of times and I followed this trail a hundred times” Well guess what Blues, I don’t want to be an explorer with you! I like to fly above this god forsaken place not to walk inside it! Oh and the ground is so muddy! I want to go back. Please let me go back. What if something attacks us? I won’t be even able to fly away because of these damn thick leaves... seriously that’s a lot of trees I mean look at them all crooked and twisted are they made to scare ponies off? Oh god that tree is staring at me)

Hadn’t she trusted him completely she would have never even thought of entering that far into the woods. Even by knowing he wouldn’t take her to somewhere dangerous, it had took weeks to convince her in following him. It was broad day, but with the light filtered by the foliage, it almost looked like they were walking in a perpetual dusk. Her blue companion led the way with a steady pace, almost at ease in the untamed ambient. Every time she heard an unfamiliar sound, Blues told her what he thought had caused it; it was never something small and harmless, it always had to be either a manticore, a Grizzly bear, a timber wolf… the list went on and on. She just hoped he was either joking or that they were too far away to harm them. The mosquitoes were always around, even if knowing their name didn’t ease up her life in trying not to get bitten.

The scarce illumination had soon become a problem, so Blues had lit up one of the torches he had been carrying in his saddlebags both because the path had started becoming too dark for them to even see where they were putting their hooves and to scare any potential predators that could have been in the mood for pony flesh. Ditzy had always thought of being brave, but when she had seen that huge yellow-orange striped snake passing just in front of her she had refused to go any further. It had taken Blues half an hour to convince her to keep following him, in addition to all his persuasion.

There was a something so unfamiliar in that forest, so eerie that it made her shiver in fear. It wasn’t right. They shouldn’t have been there. The Everfree was a place ponies weren’t allowed to go; it belonged to the animals, to all those frightening creatures that inhabited the woods and obeyed no rule except for their own.

She had asked him what he had wanted to show her, but he had refused to answer. They had been walking for three hours in that green hell, probably the most dangerous area in hundreds of miles, instead of just flying over it to get where he wanted. The only reason he had given her was that it was a very important place for him where he used to go as a kid

(“You went HERE as a kid? Are you nuts?” “I told you. It’s just the appearance that scares ponies off, in reality it’s a really quiet and nice place. Well of course, if you keep your hooves where it’s charted and bring something to defend yourself. By the way pass me another torch, this one’s going to finish soon.”)

and no one except for him, since it was too deep into the forest, knew where it was or how to find it.

They had entered the forest from near the Acres, following the remnants of what used to be the ancient way that led to the castle of the celestial sisters, a few scattered milestones and a straight line of paved rocks that used to form a large road. Halfway through the old stone way Blues had moved a large ordinary bush, which much to her surprise revealed a newly plowed path. He had put the shrub back to its place and started walking, as Ditzy followed, entering deep inside the woods through a series of loops, curves, and straight lines one after another.

The forest wasn’t safe, but it always inspired Blues, it was so real. It showed what happened when ponies left a place by itself, letting it flourish. It was Dangerous. It was Primeval. It was Nature.

“Beautiful. Just… beautiful.” He muttered to himself, while looking at a purple flower with razor-like teeth in the middle and a scent so intense that almost dulled his sense of self preservation. He slowly inched to its center with its nose, inebriated, and moved it away quickly at the last second, chuckling nervously as the flower snapped its fangs and tried to move upwards to reach for him. Carnivore.

He knew Ditzy couldn't see the beauty inside the forest, just like him as a kid. He knew now that the Everfree put you to a test whenever you entered. If you had the courage to walk through it and understand the best way to get through a problem, she could give you access to priceless treasures: relics of ancient civilizations long past, plants that could save lives and beautiful wild landscapes. The woods could provide incredible prizes, but only because few dared to enter. Too many had died or had lost themselves in them, it wasn’t worth risking that much.

They didn’t talk much during the walk, but she always stayed near him and never left his side, terrified and somehow still a bit excited. It was something he had never revealed to anyone, he had told her. She was the first one, the only one he had trusted enough to share his secret with, even if she had hoped that it could have been at least in a more peaceful environment. What could it be? A rock shaped like a dragon? Maybe a tree that grew gemstones? The remains of an ancient pony civilization that could change Equestria’s history as they knew it? Maybe it was a nest of-

“We’re here.” Blues told her smiling. “Just a few more steps. It’s behind this bush.”

Ditzy looked around her and focused back on her surroundings. She must had been zoning out for more than usual, because the space between the trees was wider and finally leaving some space for the light to pass through. The sun rays lightened her mood, finally happy of leaving that tomb

(It’s the smell, this scent of decay, how can’t he feel it)

of rotten leaves and crooked trees.

“So you’re finally going to tell me what this secret is? Or why did we had to go all the way through that nightmarish landscape, risking to get eaten by God knows what?”

“Exactly,” He chuckled. “But I’d rather show you then just say it. I think it could be more… interesting to see the look on your face.” He grinned and walked through the bush.

She followed him rolling her eyes. Always over-theatrical, that colt. She walked through the leaves and was blinded by the mid-afternoon light.

Blues blinked for a few seconds, then covered his forehead with a hoof and waited for Ditzy to get through. The second she entered the wide area, he took her hoof in his, guiding the now almost blind mare to her surprise.

Ditzy felt herself being gently pulled forward. The soft green grass under her hooves and the warmth of the sun, an incredible change from the battered dirt of just a few seconds before, made her smile even though she couldn’t see anything. She took a deep breath of fresh air, guided by Blues’ hand, and after a whole minute of blinking she looked around, still smiling.

She was in a wide circular area, so full of colours she almost felt overwhelmed. Green, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange! It was a bright explosion of life all around her. Gardenias, lilies, petunias, sunflowers, daisies, marigolds, poppies, so many flowers all scattered in the grass she was afraid of stepping on them. The trees along the borders were still somewhat crooked and twisted, but she spotted some birch trees near them and …

Pears! Apples! Apricots, peaches, cherries! They were all scattered around without a precise order, except for a row of trees right in front of her that lead to a reddish-brown wooden hut, with two glass windows on each side, a white door leading invitingly inside. There was a small gust of wind, just enough to cool her and move the leaves and stalks gently, already shining in the warm summer sun. She turned her head right and saw a stream, a peaceful murmur of running water inviting her to jump in. She followed its trail with her eyes and saw a large natural pond, big enough to bathe and swim in, topped by a cascade coming down from small hill, rising from the ground for at least ten feet. The river from there continued its course back into the Everfree, watchfully guarded by the crooked trees.

She had no words to describe how beautiful it was. The flowers seemed to spring out of the ground, the fruits were ripe and some of them had already fallen off since they hadn’t been picked, the smell was strong and pleasant. To Ditzy this seemed the triumph of nature, but a more sympathetic one, like a tamed lion cub. She felt at home.

Blues was looking at her, smiling. “Well do you think this was worth walking?”

She stared at him. “No way. No, nah-huh. This isn’t real. Did I die? Blues, oh God! I knew it was a bad idea! How did it happen? Answer me!”

He stared at her for a couple seconds, then started laughing. She pinned him to the ground “Stop laughing and answer me!” Blues took a deep breath, or at least tried to. He was still chuckling, this was way too surreal.

“Oh boy.” he said between chuckles, trying to calm down a bit. “No you’re not dead, it’s not a painted curtain ... or an illusion or whatever you might think.” He covered his mouth with a hoof as he tried to suppress another wave of laughter, then craned his neck to kiss her nose “It’s real. There’s a reason why I kept this secret, you know.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled on the grass until he was on top of her, so he could get back on his own hooves. She remained there on the ground, looking up at the sky.

“No way… ” She whispered.

“Yes way.” He smiled and helped her get up, taking out some blades of grass from her hair. “Hey, it wasn’t always like this, especially when I came back last month. I had to clean the hut, dust off everything, take care of the weeds… you wouldn’t believe how many of those there were. So, I suppose you like it?”

She looked at him and in the blink of an eye she was among the clouds. Blues cocked his head but Ditzy reassured him yelling from where she was “Give me a couple minutes! Have a seat!”

He shrugged and lay down on the grass, looking upwards. She was trying to gather around some clouds, it seemed, but there weren’t many around. Slowly, she started shaping letters

(Is that an r? no wait it’s a b, that’s an e, okay... that looks like a...)

into a whole sentence.

“B-e-a-u-... oh Ditz, you didn’t have to write that down.” He said to himself, smiling.

Just as she finished the last letter, she nosedived down and landed in front of him. She looked at him and threw her hooves in the air, shouting. “I LOVE IT!” She quickly covered her mouth with her hooves, looking around “Can anyone hear us?”

“We’re at least twenty miles from anyone who can’t growl or hiss. I’d say no, but you can never be too sure.” He walked until the borders and then pretended to listen “Nothing here!” He walked to her again “We’re alone. That means...” He threw himself on her, wrapping his arms around her and rolling around in the flowery grass “Since you love so much pining me to the ground I might just do the same in return!”

“Help!” she laughed. “Police! Anyone! I’m being attacked by a mysterious colt!” She kissed him fully on the lips as they lay on the grass, watched only by the sun’s blinding eye.

***

“Cannon Ball!” Ditzy yelled out, before jumping into the pond. Blues covered his face from the splash, then swam around in what he used to call “his private pool”, looking at the mare trying to move her wet hair out of her eyes with her hooves, turning her head to find him.

“There you are!” She swam to him with a bit of difficulty.

(Is it because of her wings? Can she even swim? Nah she’ll be fine. It’s just that pegasi don’t usually swim. I think. Well, ponies aren’t usually good swimmers... oh who cares.)

He lay on his back and relaxed, feeling the hot sun on his face while being cooled by the water. He closed his eyes and then felt something poking his nose.

“Tag, you’re it.” Ditzy giggled. Blues opened an eye, looking at her with a lazy smile.

“You’re enjoying your stay in the garden?”

Ditzy quickly copied him and soon they were both floating in the river, lulled by the weak current. “If you mean this place, then God yes. This is paradise, Blues; I wish you had told me about it sooner. Oh and we can fly to here next time and it will be so much better than all that walking, because you know how the forest is scary and I can carry you I think, I carried even heavier-”

He closed his eyes and let his ears sink under the water, without paying much attention to what Ditzy was saying, nodding every now and then.

The background monologue stopped after a few minutes. He raised his head and looked around, trying to find her again. She was floating lazily on her back with her eyes closed and her wings spread. It almost seemed like she was sleeping. He grinned and slowly moved away from her, until he got distant enough to move freely without her noticing. He took a big breath and dived head first into the water, getting as deep as he could. He swam just under her, his eyes locked on his prey. He had to act quickly, he was running out of breath already. He swam upwards and, when he was almost to the surface, pinched her flank with his hooves, then overturned her.

He was still laughing when the angry mare got out of the pond, still shaking.

Ditzy took a few quick breaths in and looked at the blue colt, grinning like an idiot. She almost had a heart attack. One moment she was relaxing, feeling the sound of the waterfall in the distance, the other something big was moving under her, and she thought an animal had bitten her flank. A second later she was upside down and drinking river water, trying to flap her soaked wings madly to get out of the pond, thinking of what horrible creature she could have encountered.

(Blues! Oh my god where are y- wait. Is that... laughing?)

She looked at him until he started looking around nervously, then she grinned back. She shook herself and opened her wings, casting a shadow on the colt, now desperately trying to get out of the pond and swim away.

“Revenge!” she shouted. She darted to him and picked him up with her hooves just as he tried to dive inside again to save himself.

She flew upwards until she reached something around twenty feet from the ground, then looked down at him, grinning.

“Oh no. No... no!” He clung on to her.

“Oh yes. Payback is a bitch, Blues” She whispered, showing him a large smile. “Try to fall on your flank.” She dropped him down above the center of the lake, smiling.

He screamed and hit the water with a loud splash a few seconds later.

“Do it another time and I’ll make sure you fall from a cloud!” She flew down and sat on the ground, looking at him getting out of the river.

Blue walked to Ditzy and looked at her. He sighed, shook his head and sat next to her, rubbing his rump with a hoof.

“All good now?” he asked

“Now we’re even.” She told him, putting her head on his shoulder.

He sighed. “You’re crazy, you know that?” He scratched her ear as she cooed and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

She kissed his chin and stuck out her tongue. “We’re both a little crazy. Besides, you started it.”

He smiled. “Well, I’m crazy enough to stay with you... I guess you’re right.” He lay down on his back, as placed her head on his chest. He stroked her wet hair as the sun dried them, lazy minutes spent in the sun enjoying each other’s presence. Listening to his heart always had a soothing effect on her, though it made his beat faster.

“You know, I like to think of this place as my small refuge. I did a tremendous amount of work to get it like it is now, the first time I came here this was just a large round spot with weeds, the cascade, rocks, bushes and saplings growing here and there. I spent almost every weekend I had to make this place look like how you see it now, coming here Saturday morning and leaving only when the sun had already set and the moon was high. Sometimes even after that. My parents always asked me where I had been, but I never told them. I just left a message in the early morning telling them I’d be coming home very late and then I’d go into the Everfree.”

He looked upwards. The sun was slowly finishing its course; they had maybe two more hours of light. He stroked her hair distractedly, thinking. “Of course, I had to tell them sooner or later. My mother always tried to make me stay at home, but without much effort.” He chuckled. “I told my dad only after he threatened to handcuff me to the bed… and you know where he is now.”

Ditzy knew. She also knew how much he missed his father, ever after all those years. Cobalt had died when Blues around sixteen. Her mother had remarried another colt and they had both moved to Manehattan, but he never talked about them. She had been able to get him to tell her at least part of the story, though. Blues had moved again to his dad’s house as soon as he had turned eighteen, both because he wanted to get away from that big city

(Too many people and not enough friendly faces. I prefer Ponyville, it’s much quieter... also, all my friends lived here.)

and because he hated his new father, trying to make him forget about Cobalt, offering him a pale imitation of what he used to have. His dad had left the house to him in his will, for when he would be old enough to live on his own and finished school.

(He always wanted me to finish my studies. He had only finished junior high, you know, and after that he had to start working to bring extra money for his family. I guess it meant something for him if I did.)

Ditzy felt him tense at the memory, so she rubbed his chest. “Did he help you with this?”

He nodded and she felt his heartbeat slow down, relaxing under her. “We planted all these trees,” He chuckled and she felt his chest vibrate. “You should have seen the look on my mother’s face when he had told her how much we had spent for those! I swear, it almost looked like her head she was going to explode.”

She looked around. “So you’re telling me you brought all those here and he helped you plant them?”

“That and we dug to make the pool. Took us months but...”He beat his chest twice, another stronger vibration, like a drum hit. “We ain’t called earth ponies for nothing, you know.”

She smirked and poked his biceps. “Well then mister big and strong earth pony, who brought you flying for an hour from where you live to where you work?” She raised her hoof in the air. “Pegasi Power!”

“Stick to being adorable, it works better- Ow!” Ditzy struck him on his arm.

“Did you say something, dear?”

He looked at her and kissed her forehead “You’re lucky today. Big strong Blues won’t do no harm to his little grey sparrow.” She bit at his neck playfully, then put her cheek on his chest again. “So, trees and pool... I presume the shack’s his work too.”

“And here you’re wrong.” He smiled. “Did that myself, all of it, the only thing I asked my dad were the windows, because the bugs kept coming in... and don’t let me get started on when it started raining! It was a nightmare. It looks nice, eh?” He patted her head. “Come on, you’ve gotta see the inside.”

They got up and slowly walked to the shack, careful not to stomp on the flowers. Blues picked a poppy with his teeth and put it in Ditzy’s hair, so she ran to the stream again to see how it looked. She bucked a tree and catch two plum peaches, giving one to him; the fruit was soft and sweet, so delicious she almost ate it whole, although it had some dents and parts that were a bit brown. It wasn’t so appealing at the eye, but it tasted so good that she took another one just as she finished the first one, almost anxious to pick it.

He looked at Ditzy eating eagerly and smiled. “The fruit is one of the many things I love of this place. Doesn’t need any help in growing and tastes much better than anything else I’ve ever bought at the market.” He opened the door, the hinges squeaking just a bit. “Ladies first.”

“Why thank you, my loyal butler.” She cleaned her sticky hooves on the grass and chuckled, curtsying him with an invisible skirt.

Ditzy looked around. The shack seen from the inside was still small, but cozy. The furniture was poor, but there was everything a colt that wanted to stay there for just a short period of time could have needed. The bed was just under the window, on the right, and next to it a counter which held a set of candles and a box of matchsticks. There was a large brown cabinet at the foot of the bed, supposedly made of the same wood as the house itself, a tray inside holding some spoons, knives, forks, two glasses and a big chunk of soap to wash the dishes in the river.

(He really thought of everything, even blankets and towels...)

She closed back the cabinet and looked at the metal basket in front of it. “What do you use this for?” She asked Blues, just outside of the door.

He peeked in. “The butler usually puts fruit in it, milady.” He shot her a glance. “It’s a bowl, Ditz. What would I use it for, a Frisbee?”

“Ha-ha. You’d better hide, because I know how to do that!” She gestured throwing the bowl at him, as Blues ran outside covering his head.

He let her look inside as he tried to estimate how many hours of light they still had . He pointed his hoof right under the sun and above what he thought was the horizon, even though he couldn’t be sure, since the trees covered it. They probably had one more hour, at best.

“Ditz, grab those matches for me, please. And a torch, they’re in a chest under the bed.”

She got out and gave him what he had asked. “What do you need these for?” She asked him, as he checked how many there were left in his saddles.

He stopped rummaging and looked at her. “Remember when I told you I found this place just out of luck? This is just part of my secret. This was just an area I got through, near what I really came for in the Everfree. It’s half an hour walking and we can’t get there after sundown, so we have to get moving, okay?”

“It’s always mysteries with you. I swear, it’s like you hate being clear.” She huffed and stomped her hoof on the grass. He smiled. “If I had told you about this place, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as you did when you entered without any clues of where I was leading you. Same thing with this one. Come on, after the first one, this walk will be a piece of cake.” He walked to her again, as she tried to push him away, “It’s not gonna work again Blues, I want to know...”

“You’re awfully cute when you’re angry, you know?” he whispered in her ear.

She clenched her teeth again and stomped on the ground. “I want to know-” He nibbled on her ear. “I... ” She surrendered and relaxed.

“I just... can’t win with you, can I...” She bit her lip in pleasure, but quickly recollected herself and moved one foot away from him, grinning, still a bit flushed.“ So, didn’t we need to move? Come on, lead the way.”

He looked at her, mumbled something and then walked in the direction of the fall as Ditzy followed, snickering.

(I won this time! Oh it must burn...)

They both entered in a small passage in the woods, the water’s quiet roar quickly fading as they got deeper and deeper, following a path that was, much to her excitement, paved with smooth stones.

(“Did you do it?” “No.” “So it was your father?” “Neither.” “So who did it? Was it here already when you came by? It looks old. Why is it uphill? Where are we going?” “You can ask all you want, but I’m not telling you until we get there, now please, you sound like a broken record.”)

The road was narrow, but at least it wasn’t just dirt. Every now and then she could see remains of pillars and crumbled walls along its borders, covered with moss, which became more and more frequent as they followed the pathway. As the walls became taller, the forest slowly disappeared, until Ditzy found herself looking at a cracked ceiling just above them, dimly lit by the torch.

(A gallery?! This thing must be centuries old, maybe even a thousand years, what if it’s the remains of the old sister’s castle, no wait it’s too far away, but maybe it’s connected somehow, I don’t know oh my god! We’re somewhere no one has ever been for hundreds of years-)

Ditzy was still marveling at the ancient gallery when Blues pointed in front of him. “I told you it wouldn’t have been the same if I told you what you were going to see. You see that light? That’s the end of the hallway. Follow me, we don’t have much time before it starts.”

They walked under the archway that connected the corridor to the outside, entering the Royal sisters’ balcony.

The dying sun’s rays lighted up the cracked stone railing in front of her and beyond it the stunning view of the Everfree at sunset. The whole sky was on fire, a contrast of red yellow and orange, purple and soft pink, so many colours that it didn’t seem real. The clouds seemed to have been painted by a mad artist, changing their shades every minute. It was every colour and no colour at the same time. The forest under them turned from bright green to orange, gold, soft hues of yellow, melting and blending with the air itself. They were at least five or six stories high, embracing with their eyes the immensity of the wilderness as the star transfigured reality as they knew it.

After the sun had disappeared below the horizon, Ditzy finally came back to her senses, feeling tears streaking her cheeks. Blues didn’t say anything, he just nodded and smiled to her. There were no words to describe what they had witnessed, because they knew it was pointless. It was a sequence of images, of feelings they’d keep in their minds and hearts for all their lives. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Blues lighted up a torch, still dazed, then took Ditzy’s hoof in his and slowly walked back through the hallway, the walls slightly humming and glowing, leading the path, until they reached the waterfall again. The moon was already high in the sky by the time they had reached Blues’ house, the flowers faintly lit by the crescent moon. Blues planted some torches in the ground and they both entered the small wooden house.

“Blues.”

He simply looked at her, holding her in his arms in the small one-place bed.

“Can we come here in the weekends?”

He nodded. “I’d stay here all day if I could.”

“How did you find it?”

“I don’t even know, Ditz. That place... it almost called me there. I was seven at the time, lost myself in the woods following a bunny near the border. After it had ran away I wandered without knowing where I was and after hours, maybe a day, I found that glowing gallery. I was afraid, but at least there was light there, so followed it and... well, I stayed there for one day, feeling a peace and a bliss I had never felt before. It’s just as beautiful looking at them moon from there. After the sun had risen again I followed the stone way back and found the waterfall. I kept following the river until I got to another waterfall and from then I just walked straightuntil luckily I came out. I don't know what happened next, but I think I let myself go and fell down from exhaustion. Next thing I see after that is that I’m on my bed... my parents told me i was finally found in the outskirts of ponyville that day. I was lost for days in the woods, but I survived.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. “My parents were extremely worried; they had searched for me everywhere and had almost lost all hope of finding me. I thought I would never find a way to find that place again, but five years later, I felt it calling me again. I didn’t know the path, but it almost seemed as if someone was walking beside me and guiding me, Ditz. I saw it again, the same beautiful scenery, just as I remembered it and how we have seen it now. It hadn’t changed. After that, I followed the trail backwards and found myself near the acres. It’s magic, Ditz. Magic still working even after all those centuries.”

She kissed him fully on the lips. “It will be our secret, just like this place. And maybe I’ll help you plant some more trees around... I don’t know, I’ll buy a double bed, give a hand building a bigger shack... I just want to say thank you but I know thank you is not enough for what you’ve given me. Utter trust.” She wrapped both her arms around him, feeling his hair tickle his nose.

“Everything for my little sparrow.” He smiled and kissed her back, as the torches slowly burned outside.

“Everything.”