//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: A Friend for Derpy Hooves 
// by Jimbo 
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She ran for as long as she could, even as the sunlight began to fade. The forest was already dim to begin with, and once the sun began to slide downwards, things only got darker - and colder. She couldn't stop the shivers from cascading over her every time she stopped running, so she did her best to keep on the move, jogging in place whenever she had to pause to find the hoof prints again. Lucky for her, it would seem Bright Eyes didn't want to fly the rest of the way, making her a great deal easier to track. Honey just hoped her luck held out long enough to find her friend. She didn't like the sound of spending the night in the Everfree Forest, especially not alone in the middle of winter.

Her hoofbeats became livelier when she found a small path worn into the underbrush, leading her even deeper into the rapidly-darkening forest. Logically, she knew she needed to stop and get out of there: she would do no good freezing to death out here in the middle of nowhere, especially since she was probably going in circles. But if she left, it meant Bright Eyes would be left out here alone, and she just couldn't let that happen. Despite the fact that Bright Eyes felt the cold far less than she did, she refused to leave her out here, for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

Honey Muffin came to a slow halt when something strange caught her eye, glimmering in the periphery of her vision. She slowly turned, hesitant to leave the path, then took off at a trot, counting her steps carefully so she could find her way back. But even as the sun set over the forest, a dim glow drew her forward into a small clearing of hard-packed earth.

A circle of white stones of varying sizes dominated the center of the circle, probably as wide across as Honey was long. The rocks were all various sizes, and seemed to glimmer in the fading sunlight, glowing gently under their own power. There was no other item in the circle; just the stones, pressed close enough that the seams were difficult to make out in spots. Even as she watched, a few small glow bugs ventured forward, wheeling over the circle in energetic patterns.

She forced herself to look away; it was not as difficult as it would have been only a few days earlier. These stones were unlike anything she'd ever studied, but compared to the task at hand, they were merely distractions. As she turned towards the path once more, she caught sight of another faint light in the distance. After squinting at it for a moment, she realized that the light didn't bob like a glow bug, and it was far too low to be the moon or stars. Hope nearly choking her, she took off at a blind gallop, driving herself through the prickly underbrush at breakneck speed, every muscle in her body seeming to protest. But the light seemed to get bigger and brighter with each step, and the superficial pains seemed to get weaker and weaker.

She learned to lift her hooves higher after she tripped over the first fallen tree, but that didn't keep her from falling when she reached the clearing. She went down surprisingly hard, considering there were no longer any brambles to trip her, but even before she landed she was propelling herself towards the light. As she got closer, she recognized the faint flickering as candlelight, streaming from a small, squarish window. She didn't dare slow down, afraid the light would disappear, but she had spent too much time in academia to avoid noticing her surroundings even as she ran. The clearing was larger than the one Bright Eyes' cabin had been built in, although the garden in front of the cottage was still overgrown and more jungle-y than anything she'd seen before. The cottage had even more moss growing on its sides, but as compared to the smaller cabin, this one almost looked better for it. It seemed to be returning to the forest as it sagged, in the tired way old houses do, but it still managed to hold itself together, and the light from within seemed to imply that it was still habitable.

With a cry of triumph and exhaustion, she kicked the front door open, landing heavily as she stared into the room.

This time, there was no crushing realization that she was alone; there were no weeds growing in the center of the ill-lit room, no hole in the ceiling to let in the moonlight. There were a handful of candles scattered throughout the low, long room, a packed-earth floor, and Bright Eyes sitting in front of the fire. Her expression shifted from surprise to wounded anger with surprising speed as she pulled herself upright, grey-blue ears pinning back against her mane as she regarded Honey Muffin with her good eye.

"What do you want." She stated flatly, and if Honey hadn't known her so well, she would have missed the reddening around her yellow eyes, just like the time she'd come home early after Snips had called her Derpy Hooves to her face.

Honey Muffin stood in the doorway, her heart pounding in her throat, her hooves seemingly locked in place. She wanted to run to her, but her hooves remained glued in place, and her words remained tangled in her throat.

Bright Eyes glared at her for a moment with her good eye, then looked back at the fire, something in her expression wilting. The sadness in the motion made Honey Muffin's heart twist, driving her forward a few steps.

"I- I didn't - I didn't mean to hurt you." Honey Muffin said suddenly, the words too loud in her ears after the quietness of the room.

Bright Eyes' yellow eyes, fairly glowing in the dim room, immediately snapped back to her, the anger rising in her expression once more. "Didn't mean to hurt me? You told Princess Celestia that I was - that I - there's nothing wrong with me." She insisted, struggling not to let the hurt show in her words.

"I know, I was wrong to write that. I was just looking at you as -"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Bright Eyes barked, her words uncharacteristically sharp, her eyes blazing. Honey Muffin's eyes widened a little in reply, and her stunned reaction only seemed to drive Bright Eyes onward. "Just because I didn't go to school in Canterlot doesn't mean I'm dumb. I'm not some child you have to babysit! I let you boss me around because -" And here some of the fire went out of her voice, the hurt returning to her glare. "Because I thought we were friends. Being bossy doesn't mean you're a bad friend. But a bad friend is someone who - who looks down on their friend."

Honey Muffin let the silence stretch out for a moment, finally speaking as Bright Eyes turned away to frown at the fire once more. "I'm sorry, Bright Eyes." She whispered, trying to swallow back the lump in her throat before continuing. "I - I was mean." She looked away when Bright Eyes looked back up at her, suddenly unable to meet her gaze. "I wanted to help. When I first got here, I should have just told Celestia that you weren't as bad as she thought, but -" She spoke in a bit of a rush, trying to get the words out as her sentences began to run into one another. "So I thought, if I could teach you to be normal, then, well, Celestia would think I was a great teacher, brilliant, and all of that. But that doesn't matter to me anymore, because - because after I got to know you, I realized that I didn't want to go back to Canterlot without you. You're the closest friend I've ever had, Bright. You're the first pony who hasn't called me bossy, or a know-it-all. You ... I dunno." She fell quiet, scuffing one hoof against the floor.

When Honey Muffin looked up again, Bright Eyes was a few steps closer, looking her over appraisingly. "Just because I'm not like you doesn't mean I'm not normal." She said, hurt still shining in her eyes.

"Well, you're - you're not like most other ponies though, either." Honey Muffin ventured, ears falling to half-mast when Bright Eyes frowned at her. "Sorry. I - I didn't mean - that was-"

"True." Bright Eyes murmured, frowning at her before she looked away, her eyes traveling around the room. This time, it seemed that the askew eye was more of a benefit, allowing her to take in more of the dim room at once. "You're right." She sighed gently, her eyes returning to the fireplace, gazing at the small objects on top of the mantle. "I'm not like other ponies. Neither was Mom."

When Bright Eyes went silent, Honey Muffin leaned forward a little, venturing softly, "Mom?"

Bright Eyes nodded slightly, her eyes slowly returning to the fireplace, more defeated than angry now. "Things were easier when it was just me and Mom." She murmured, her ears flattened in grief. "Mom never thought I was weird, Mom said ... she said I was her special little Bubble."

Bright Eyes stared into the fire, almost able to see her mom's face there. She had so many fond memories of her - of laughing with her as a filly, showing her all of their favorite places in the Everfree Forest, teaching her how to read and write. Just her and Mom, for almost all of her life, until a couple of winters ago when she -

She suddenly came back to herself when she felt a cold wave wash over her. But not just the cold shiver of a painful memory; this time, it was the sensation of a cold coat being pushed up against hers.

"I don't think you're weird." Honey Muffin whispered, keeping her head down as she pressed her side against hers, trying to comfort her. "I think you're the nicest, best pony I've ever met."

Bright Eyes glanced down at her, hesitating for a moment, then slowly spread her wing over the earth pony's tawny-gold coat. "I'm still mad at you." She whispered, her voice tight with tears as she drew Honey Muffin close.

"That's okay." Honey Muffin murmured, bringing her head up to nuzzle against her neck. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Bright Eyes returned softly, her body still against Honey Muffin's for a moment before she suddenly pulled away. Honey watched her go uncertainly, relaxing when she saw her return with a heavy, woolen blanket gripped firmly in her teeth. She staggered a little when Bright threw it over her, surprised at its weight.

"Bed's no god, all molded and moth-eaten." Bright Eyes stated simply, glancing at Honey Muffin for a moment before settling herself down onto the floor. Honey Muffin followed awkwardly, her body clumsy with cold, pressing close to Bright Eyes as she snuggled against her cold side under the blanket. "Better?" Bright asked, fumbling with the blankets, finally managing to spread her wing over Honey Muffin as the pair cuddled together.

"Much." Honey Muffin breathed, pressing close to her friend, basking in her warmth. She let the silence stretch out between them as Bright Eyes laid her head down, then finally spoke in a low voice. "Bright?"

"Mmm?"

"You'll tell me when you're not mad at me anymore, right?"

Bright Eyes was quiet for a moment, then looped one foreleg over Honey's middle, her touch gloriously warm after the cold forest. "Course."

"Thanks, Bright." Honey Muffin whispered, staring at the fire sleepily. She thought she would never be able to sleep, but she slipped off surprisingly quickly, snuggled warmly underneath their shared blanket.