//------------------------------// // Fright in Everfree // Story: Dinky and Derpy's Big Adventure // by Echo 27 //------------------------------// The sky was a dull, rainy gray as the bubble-marked mailmare and her daughter moved further inland, away from the coastline they had been dwelling on for the past few days. With only one full day of vacation time left on Derpy’s schedule it was time for the pair to finally return home. The melancholy sky fit the mood perfectly. Ever since they had left Vanhoover Derpy had stuck to the coastline, trying to do what she could to avoid larger groups of ponies wherever they went. Despite her unwillingness to do so, Dinky had talked her into visiting Las Pegasus and taking a look at Applewood. It was now one of the biggest regrets in her career as a mother, for Las Pegasus had been nothing short of decadent, the ponies who lived there crude and cruel. Derpy had been the subject of near-constant taunting during their short stint in the city and she was quite sure that some of the things Dinky had seen were likely illegal. They had taken a moment to peer into Whinny World through the outer gates, but were unable to go in. “Why can’t we, Mommy?” Dinky had asked sadly, the very picture of dejection with her ears flat and eyes as big as saucers. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we just can’t afford it,” Derpy had answered, feeling stung by her own words. Dinky sighed and began to walk away from the steel gates surrounding the park, where the cries of children’s laughter could be easily heard. “OK, Mommy,” she had replied dully, trotting away slowly. Derpy walked slowly behind her, willing herself not to scream aloud in frustration. She worked harder than any other mailpony in Ponyville, spent more time on the clock, and still couldn’t afford even a simple pair of cheap tickets for her and her daughter for Whinny World. It was the place of dreams for a young filly, and no doubt she had heard stories from her schoolmates about their trips to the place. Odds were that’d be the closest littly Dinky would ever get to actually visiting the place herself. She deserves better than this, Derpy thought furiously, hot tears of anger threatening to burst from her eyes. She deserves better than what she’s been given. A day later, and much worse weather than what they had encountered during their time in Las Pegasus, Derpy felt absolutely miserable. Though she still believed that bringing Dinky out into Equestria for a vacation was the right decision, she felt torn at her own heart, frustrated by all that had gone wrong during their journey. The fight with Stormchaser, their meeting with Bluegrass, Vanhoover… she knew the time was coming soon. Despite all the fury and pain she had endured at the Cosmic Gardens, she knew that Crystal Clear and the others were right. Dinky was of age now, where she could handle the truth. It wasn’t her fault that her mother was terrified to tell it, after all. “Mommy? Did you hear that?” Dinky asked anxiously, breaking through the muddled confusion of her mother. “What was that, Dinky?” Derpy asked. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening-” A second later and she didn’t need to. A quaking boom of thunder rattled the cross-eyed pegasus to the bones, and not far in the distance, a bolt of lightning struck the ground with devastating power. It was much, much too close and they were two small ponies out in the middle of a large clearing underneath a strong storm. “Mommy!” Dinky cried out, rushing to her mother’s side and hopping on her back. “Mommy, that was really close!” “I know, dear, hold on!” Derpy replied, looking around desperately for cover. Come on, something- there! Off in the distance, a grove of trees -she shook her head to adjust her vision- no, a forest stood, offering shelter from the furious squall that was threatening to assault them. “Hold tight, Dinky!” she cried and dashed across the fields as fast as her legs would carry her. Rain began to fall from the sky like a million bee stings, pelting their skin like needles. Derpy brought her eyes to a squint in an attempt to focus them hoping to keep her path from becoming crooked. Hail began to drop from the angry skies above and Dinky gave a squeal of pain as the ice balls struck her. “We’re almost there, Dinky, hold on!” Derpy yelled, pushing her pain-wracked legs to greater speeds, doing her best to ignore that her body was being assaulted from every direction- Leaves smacked softly across Derpy’s face for a few moments before she realized she was inside the forest. In fact, she didn’t even stop until a large branch left a red weal across her right eye, immediately causing it to swell shut. Dinky went flying from her mother’s back as her mode of transportation came to an unexpected halt. She tumbled across the dry forest floor for a moment before being stopped by a gnarled oak tree, where she gave a squeak of pain as she lay there on her head, looking shocked that she was suddenly on the ground. She righted herself immediately and came over to her mother, who was rubbing her forehead in an attempt to soothe the harsh bruise. “Mommy, Mommy, are you alright?” Dinky asked anxiously. Derpy, feeling it was very strange that her daughter was fussing over her, got back to her feet and managed a painful smile, trying to ignore the fact that her right eye was still stinging. “I’m alright, dear, don’t you worry,” she answered. “Are you OK? Are you hurt anywhere?” “I’m fine, I guess,” Dinky replied. “Why did you stop?” “A certain branch told me to,” Derpy responded, shaking her head and peering around. “Where are we?” Dinky looked about at the old trees and hardy vegetation that surrounded them on all sides. The place looked ancient, untouched by ponies’ hooves. The whole vista had the aura of an untouched wildness untamed by civilization. It was very familiar… “Mommy, we’re in the Everfree Forest!” Dinky exclaimed. “The Everfree Forest..?” Derpy let her mind wander to her own experiences with the place, the occurrences few and far between. The last time she had even seen any creature that came from it had been months ago when that pack of Timberwolves had swept through Ponyville- Derpy stood stock-still as the reality of their situation began to overtake her. The weather above her had not changed, leaving them with little visibility in the murky woods. No matter what they did, they would be in danger. As she recalled that strange visitor had said, “The wolves roam wherever the darkness allows them to. The only thing they fear is sunlight. If the light isn’t there, then there is no place they will not hunt.” “Dinky, sweetheart, follow me as quick as you can,” Derpy said quickly, keeping her voice soft so as not to attract attention. “Why, Mommy?” “Ssh!” Derpy replied quickly, muffling her daughter’s words with her wings. “Not a word until we’re clear of the forest, do you understand me? You must not say a word.” Dinky nodded solemnly, understanding that this was a time to be serious and obey her mother’s instructions. “Good, now stay close to me and follow my lead. Remember, not a sound.” The two ponies walked along in silence, doing their best to avoid sticks and branches as they wove their way through the labyrinthine maze of wood, vine, and rock. It was as if the very forest was set against them and their quest for safety, Derpy thought wryly. It seemed as if the more Derpy avoided her fate, the worse things seemed to become. A branch snapped somewhere to their right. Cursing her swollen eye (and her overall vision in general), Derpy swung her head so as to see the disturbance. Though she wouldn’t swear to it, she thought she saw a glimmer of those emerald eyes, and smell the fetid stink of its breath. It’s almost on top of us, she thought. Beckoned to her mother by the smallest movement of her wings, Dinky crept slowly towards her mother and underneath her right wing, hidden out of sight. Derpy crouched low to the ground, doing her best to disappear from sight. The sounds of a deep, guttural growl reached her ears and she forced herself not to quiver in fear, lest she rattled the foliage around her and alert the beast to their whereabouts. The clack of wooden pawsteps was too close for comfort, the deep rumbling of its strong body terrifyingly near. It seemed to last for an eternity until finally the creature moved away, its smell becoming more and more faint. “Alright, Dinky, let’s keep moving,” Derpy whispered in her little filly’s ear, slowly folding her wings back and rising to her hooves. Together, the two of them moved on as quietly and as quickly as they could. For several minutes they journeyed on in relative peace. The sounds of ordinary wildlife occasionally met their ears, but nothing that suggested the stalkings of a predator. “I think we’re alright now, Dinky,” Derpy said lowly, “but don’t say anything yet just in case, OK?” A sudden flash of light from above and a bolt of lightning blazed before them, striking a tall, knotted maple and blowing it to pieces. “GET DOWN!” Derpy screamed and she dove to cover her daughter from the onslaught of wood and bark that was assaulting her back, piercing her coat and into her skin. A creaking noise to her left caught her attention and she saw, to her horror, a moss-covered tree falling straight towards them. Kicking Dinky into the underbrush, Derpy braced herself for the death blow. A great Crash! met her ears and she felt a heavy weight suddenly across her back legs, but she found herself, miraculously, alive. She took a few short, sudden breaths before she opened her good eye and saw that though she was most certainly alive, she was not without injury. Cuts covered her body in swathes, each one deep red and oozing blood. A thick, heavy branch about as wide as she was lay across her back legs, and she found herself tangled in a myriad of vines. Getting out of this would be no easy task. “Dinky? Dinky!” She coughed. “I’m here, Mommy,” Dinky replied miserably, limping her way over to her mother’s side. “You kicked me,” she said accusingly. “I didn’t want you to get hurt by this tree, sweetie,” Derpy gasped. She had attempted to adjust her legs and release them from the tree’s grip, but instead had made it fall harder onto her right hoof. “Dinky, do you think you can lift this branch off my legs? I can’t move.” “I’ll try, Mommy,” Dinky replied, and closed her eyes in concentration. A bright yellow glow emanating from her tiny horn, surrounding the thick trunk. Beads of sweat formed around the young pony’s brow but she didn’t relent- even now, Derpy could feel the weight beginning to lessen. Slowly, slowly, now! Derpy slid her legs from out beneath the tree just as Dinky gave out, letting the heavy object fall to the ground. The small unicorn fell to the ground beside her mother, both of them panting in exhaustion. “That’s my girl,” Derpy said proudly, ignoring the lump of a bruise she had on her right leg. “You’re so strong.” “Thank you, Mommy,” Dinky replied. “Do you want help with those vines?” “If you can bite through them, sure,” Derpy replied, trying to get to her feet. The snapping of a branch brought them to a standstill. Derpy’s heart began to pound in her already pain-filled chest as she slowly pulled her gaze towards the sound. Off in the distance, in the deep blackness of the forest, were a pair of emerald-green eyes. A vile, overpowering odor reached her nostrils just as the sound of vicious snarls met her ears. A streak of moonlight tore through a small opening in the canopy, revealing a massive Timberwolf staring right at them, licking its chops in pleasure at its find. Derpy’s mind began to fill with panic. Every instinct in her screamed at her to move, to run away, to free herself from her binds and escape into the sky. But her maternal instinct kept her from her fear, if only for a moment. She had to act now. “Dinky, you need to go, now,” she commanded, feeling her daughter begin to creep backwards slowly. “Dinky, you need to go now. Now, run! RUN!” The little unicorn raced away from the clearing as fast as her little legs would carry her, leaving her mother behind as the Timberwolf decided to forgo the younger prey in favor of an already captured, easily overcome item. Derpy struggled against the vines with every ounce of strength she could muster, trying to find a way to cut through and break free. The Timberwolf crept closer and closer, baring its sharp teeth as its snarls grew ever louder. All around the clearing, Derpy could see new pairs of emerald eyes coming to life, all of them waiting for the finishing blow before beginning their feast. “No, No! NO!” Derpy screamed. Dinky ran, not knowing which way was which. To her, it didn’t matter where she went in this darkness, for every direction was the same: blackness. She felt her hooves bump into a hard stone and she stumbled head over hooves into the dirt once more, her forward momentum causing her to crash painfully into the earth. This one hurt more than the last one, and that one had even included barreling into a tree. “Ow!” she squealed aloud. She immediately shushed herself, remembering her mother’s orders: keep quiet until they were free of the forest. She felt sick at the thought of her mother, remembering that it was, in fact, her idea to go on this adventure in the first place! And now look- she was stuck somewhere in the Everfree Forest and she had run away to leave her mom fighting off a big bad Timberwolf! This was all her fault! Tears began to drip down her face as she sat there in the dirt, misery and fear overtaking her. No! She shook herself forcefully, trying to gain some semblance of self-control. She was strong, she knew it! After all, she had just lifted a big heavy tree! She can get out of here and go find help. Zecora, that nice zebra she had met once or twice before, lived somewhere in the forest. Maybe she could go find her! Dinky set off at a hustling pace, hoping it was the right direction. Maybe, if she got lucky, she’d run into Zecora sooner rather than later. On and on she went, venturing deeper and deeper into the forest. Beams of moonlight began to creep through the canopy more and more as she ventured along, leaving Dinky to wonder if she was coming to the edge of the forest. She certainly hoped so. Wait, she thought to herself. Doesn’t Miss Zecora live DEEP in the forest, and not on the edge? That was what Princess Twilight told me, once. She turned back around and headed into the dark of the forest, a sense of desperation beginning to consume her small frame. She began to sing to herself softly, remembering a short little lullaby her mother had taught her since she was very young. It was a nursery rhyme, but it made her feel more confident here in the nasty, ugly woods. Maybe she’d find Mommy soon, and everything would be alright- Whoa, that stinks! Dinky thought disgustedly, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Wait, I’ve smelled that before- Oh no! Dinky whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a huge, hulking Timberwolf, its mouth agape in preparation to clutch her tiny head and take a deep bite. She gave a high-pitched scream of terror and bolted, running as fast as she possibly could. The Timberwolf gave chase behind her, howling in devilish glee. The powerful beast easily overtook the small filly and gnashed its teeth at Dinky’s hooves, causing her to stumble and lose her footing. “Stop that! That’s not fair, you big mean Timberwolf!” She shrieked. “MOMMY!” A hard, deep smack of weight struck her right hoof as the wolf’s head slammed into her and she took one last, great tumble before coming to a halt. She looked up and saw she was backed up against a large boulder, blocking her from escape. Standing before her was the Timberwolf, eyeing her in vicious satisfaction at his easy catch. Dinky began to cry, trying to cause some magic to flow out of her horn and at her assailant, attempting to summon the powerful magic she had seen Princess Twilight do once before- but nothing! She had used it all on helping Mommy! “MOMMY! HELP ME!” Dinky screamed- The Timberwolf gave one last great howl of triumph and prepared to leap onto its prey- “NOT MY DAUGHTER!” came a bellowing roar, and out from the deep of the forest came Derpy, racing not towards Dinky, but straight towards the imposing Timberwolf- The wolf didn’t stand a chance. Derpy crashed through it and dismantled with the pure force of her speed, killing it instantly. Without stopping, she grabbed Dinky with her hooves and held on tight, racing away from the scene as howls began to surround them from all sides. “Close your eyes, Dinky! Close your eyes!” Derpy ordered but the small unicorn filly was overtaken with terror, and she screamed aloud as she saw almost a dozen wolves barreling towards them at top speed, their jaws hanging open, waiting to just get a little closer and take one strong bite- Derpy pushed through the foliage, ignoring every strike of pain, every whip across her face, every little thing that blocked her, flying like she had never flown before, perhaps faster than even Rainbow Dash had ever done- A hard, thick branch broke into splinters and Derpy came crashing to the ground in an open clearing, breaking free from the forest at last. Her lungs burst and she collapsed to the ground, her hooves dropping her daughter. I can’t do it, I can’t do it, she panicked. The wolves will take us because I can’t do it. Dinky shook her head and peered around. There wasn’t much to see, as it seemed the entire area had been overtaken by mist. The rain had stopped, and the sky was now dotted with the stars of an early evening. The wolves! She looked towards the forest’s edge and saw pair upon pair of emerald eyes watching her in deep disappointment. They gave a few more snarls before retreating back into the depths of Everfree, disappearing from sight. “They’re gone! Mommy, they’re gone!” Dinky yelled. “Dinky! Derpy barreled over to her daughter as she ignored the numerous cuts she had gained on her hell-bent flight. She grabbed hold of her little child and brought her into a bone-crushing hug. “Dinky, are you alright? Did they hurt you?” “No…” Dinky, answered. All the pain and terror she had just endured in a few short minutes overtook her and she began to cry into her mother’s chest. “Sh, sh, it’s alright, now, it’s alright,” Derpy said soothingly, dotting her daughter’s forehead with gentle kisses. “It’s alright, they’re all gone, they’re gone and we’re safe. You’re going to be OK. You’ve been such a brave girl, and it’s going to be alright.” Derpy wait patiently until Dinky regained control before looking down at her and giving her a warm smile. Dinky, tears streaking her flushed cheeks, returned with a watery smile of her own. “Why didn’t they chase after us, Mommy?” Derpy’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m not sure, sweetheart. In fact, where are we..?” The mist did nothing to aid her damaged vision, as her right eye was still swollen, but it took little more than a glance for her heart to sink like a stone. A nearby sculpture of stone rose above the forest canopy, depicting an armor-clad soldier with a spear in hoof. A long row of gravestones lay nearby, the marble polished and obviously well-cared for. Derpy recognized this place. She had come here long, long ago, for a ceremony that had been too painful for words. Every year since she had tried to convince herself to return, to visit a place that held someone she loved more than life itself, but had never dared to. A place that her daughter had never known of, until now. Not here, she begged, anywhere but here.