//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The Tale of a Cross-eyed Mare 
// by Cheezy805 
//------------------------------//

Tale of a Cross-eyed Mare

‘Derpy, hahah! Look at her eyes!’ shouted the grey colt. 
‘Yeah, hahaha, she can’t see straight!’ slurred his tall friend. Sticks was a little bit slow. Sticks and Stones had gathered another crowd around Ditzy Doo and were making fun of her again. She was almost used to it, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never avoid the torment.
Ditzy had been born on the land to a Pegasus and an earth-pony. Because her father wasn’t a Pegasus, her parents both lived in Ponyville. She went to school like a normal filly, but the problem was that she wasn’t a normal filly. She had a problem that doctors called ‘lazy-eye’. Her left eye wouldn’t react as well to movement as her right, and so she would often be seen looking in two different directions at the same time. Ditzy was almost always made fun of for it.
‘Can’t you leave me alone?’ Ditzy asked, her mismatched eyes filling with tears.
‘Oh, look, we made her cry! With her eyes that messed up, I’m surprised she can! Hahaha,’ Stones said to the crowd. When nopony laughed, he and Sticks turns around and glared. The crowd immediately forced a laugh. They were scared of the two colts, not only because they were the bullies, but because their parents were just as bad. If they told anyone about Sticks and Stones, their parents would probably go and yell at the young children.
When nopony came forward against the laughter, Ditzy had had enough. She turned and ran as fast as her hooves would carry her away from the laughing bullies, and the laughter of the meaner ponies in the crowd. Before she came anywhere near the edge of the park, she ran flat into a sapling. It hit her right between the eyes, in her blind spot, and after bending forward, it launched her back a couple of feet in a comical fashion. 
She kept running away from the renewed laughter of the crowd, and ran right through Ponyville. She bumped into ponies here and there, much to their objection, but continued running. She crossed the town in a scant 10 minutes and ran straight into the forest on the other side. The grown-ups always told her not to go in there, but she knew her way around, and in another two minutes she found herself in a small clearing.
She sat down on a log that she had moved next to a tree for comfort and began to cry harder. 
Why can’t they just leave me alone? I never wanted to be this way! It’s not my fault my eyes are different, I can’t help it! Oh, why do they have to be so mean? She thought.
After a while of self-wallowing, she heard a stick break and suddenly went dead silent. Experience told her that the creatures of the forest liked to play with little fillies, but only before eating them. She had barely escaped once, and didn’t want to be found a second time. She quietly slipped down behind the log and began to back away, before tripping over a rock she hadn’t seen.
‘Ahh!’ she squealed. 
‘Hey, it’s alright, I won’t hurt you’ said a high, but obviously male voice. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, offering a hoof.
Ditzy looked up and saw the silhouette of a young unicorn colt. He appeared to have a dark brown coat, but it was hard to tell when he was standing in front of the setting sun.
She stared sceptically for a moment. She had been offered a hoof up before, only to be tripped and pushed over again. One look at the smile on his face said that he wouldn’t do anything like that, though. She took his hoof and lifted herself back up again.
With the light from the sun no longer being behind him, she noticed that his coat was actually a light brown, but his mane and tail were dark brown and sticking up in all directions in spikes.
‘You’re, uh… Ditzy, right?’ he asked
‘Y-yes… Most people don’t call me that, though…’ she mumbled, looking down.
‘I promise I won’t make fun of you. That was really mean of those bullies earlier. I know you can’t help being a little… well… different. I mean, we all are in little ways, but some people are just more different than others.’ He said. 
‘Yeah… well, what makes you different?’ she asked him
‘Me? I do all I can to help people. I really don’t like Sticks and Stones. They’re bullies, and big meany-heads! They always make fun of my mane. It’s not my fault it won’t sit flat.’ he said, pouting and trying in vain to pat it down..
Ditzy giggled, ‘Well, I like your mane. It looks nice. Thanks, by the way…’ 
‘Thanks? What for?’
‘For not saying anything about my eyes... it just makes me feel bad when people do, and almost everyone does. So what’s your name?’ she asked.
‘My name’s Zeddicus. Call me Zedd. Yeah, I get picked on a bit because it’s an unusual name.’ he said.
‘I think it’s a pretty name!’ she said, then immediately regretted it. Colts names weren’t “pretty”…
‘Haha, thanks’ he said, blushing a bit. ‘Come on, let’s go back to town. It’s nearly dark’.
Ditzy nodded to her new friend and began to walk close beside him. They made their way back to the trail and kept talking.
‘So, I’ve only been here for about a year. My mum’s a unicorn and my dad’s an earth pony. I have to admit; sometimes I wish I didn’t have this horn. I can’t use my magic yet, and it just gets in the way of hats, but I guess you have to put up with some things, whether or not you want to.’
Ditzy knew this all too well. Both her parents had eyes that faced in the right directions, but her dad always had to wear glasses. They worked hard to put her through school and provide school, but her dad always had trouble working with his own eye condition. His eyesight was terrible, no matter what the town optometrist tried. 
‘So where did you live before?’ asked Ditzy
‘I used to live in Fillydelphia, but I was born in Manehattan. What about you? Did you always live in Ponyville?’
‘I have for as long as I can remember. My mummy said that she lived in Cloudsdale until she met daddy, but I’ve never been there. I think I’ve seen you somewhere before… do you go to my school?’
‘There’s only one school in Ponyville, silly! Yes, I do, but I usually hide. I’ve always been picked on… that’s why I try to be nice to everyone. I know what it’s like when people are mean to you, and I don’t like it, so I’m nice to anyone who’s nice to me. Stop!’ he shouter suddenly
Ditzy flinched, and dropped to the ground. A moment later, when she looked around, she saw another sapling right in front of her. He had stopped her from walking into it.
‘Oh, thanks…’ she said, blushing. ‘It’s really hard to see things if they’re not a bit off to the side of my sight.’
‘It’s alright. That’s what friends are for, isn’t it?’
‘F-friends?’ she asked, her eyes lighting up, then she jumped on him. ‘Oh, I’ve never had a friend before!’ she basically shouted, then realised how embarrassing a thing to say that was. ‘I-I mean, um… oh, I’m so ditzy!’
‘Haha, it’s okay! I haven’t really had a friend before, either… come on; we’re nearly out of the forest.’ He said, returning to his hooves.
They continued to swap information about their lives and interests until Ditzy eventually completely stopped and looked around.
‘Huh? What’s up?’ asked Zedd
‘Nothing, I just lost track of where we are… my sense of direction is terrible’ she said, ‘my house is just around the corner.’
‘Well, I can lead us around, then! I live just over there’ he said, motioning with a hoof to a house across the other side of Mane Street.
‘Wait, you didn’t say that earlier. What if I lived all the way across the other side of Ponyville?’ she asked.
‘Oh, don’t worry. I like walking with you. You’re nice, and I know my around anyway; it’s not like anypony would care if I got home a little late,’ he said.
She thought about that last comment for a moment; then disregarded it. ‘Well, thanks for walking me home. I don’t know how long I would have stayed there if you hadn’t come along… I think I stayed there for two days once’ she said.
‘That’s okay. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Ditzy! I can’t wait! We’ll be able to walk to school together, too, since we both live around here’ he said with a grin.
‘Hey, I didn’t think of that, yeah! See you tomorrow, Zedd’ she said, also grinning.
When he began to walk across the street to his house, she turned and walked down the side street to her house. When she reached the front door, she opened it and ran into the kitchen, where her mum was already cooking dinner. Her dad was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper.
‘Mummy, daddy, guess what!’ she said excitedly
‘What is it, dear?’ asked her mother in a sweet voice, turning to look at her daughter. She cared for Dinky more than anything in the world, and her husband felt the same.
‘Sounds like someone had big news,’ said her father from behind the newspaper. He lowered it, and winked at her from behind his glasses.
‘I made a friend! I made a real friend! His name is Zedd and he lives just across Mane Street and he goes to school with me and he’s brown and he’s a unicorn and he’s really nice!’ she said, pausing to take a breath.
‘That’s great!’ said her mother, glancing to her husband. They had only been discussing that problem a few minutes ago. They had been worried about Ditzy. The teachers had relayed reports of bullying to them, and that she would always try to hide from the other ponies because they would make fun of her eyes. Ditzy had been slowly becoming more and more sad as time progressed, and they were about ready to send her to a different school, or home school her, if it would make her happier.
‘We’re so glad to hear you made a friend. Maybe I can meet him while I walk you to school tomorrow, eh?’ said her father.
‘Now, that’s Ditzy’s choice if she wants to make it’ said her mother, fearing that he was an imaginary friend.
‘No, I’m sure he’d like to meet you. He said that we could walk to school together tomorrow!’ said Ditzy, excitedly. 
‘Well, that sounds great,’ he said. Ditzy seemed determined that he was real, and considering that she wanted to introduce Zedd to her father, he was convinced that she wasn’t imagining him. ‘I look forward to it’
‘Well how about you tell us more about him over dinner?’ said her mother, turning from the stove with several plates of food balanced on her back.
‘Give me a hoof, won’t you Pine?’ she said to her husband. He was named Pine Nettle, and had grown to become a logger. He was bigger than the average stallion, and below his dark brown fur and green mane, he had bulging muscles, and had a cutie mark shaped like an axe.
Ditzy’s mother was a skinny mare. She had golden eyes and mane, and a light blue-gray coat which seemed to run among the mares in the family. Her name was Spring Dew, and she had a fluffy cirrus cloud on her flank. She wasn’t the strongest flier on the Weather Patrol, but she had wings sensitive enough that she could sense weather changes seemingly before they even happened.
‘Sure thing, Spring’ he said with a chuckle at his rhyme, then folded his newspaper and stretched to place it on the bench behind him. When he’d dropped the newspaper down, he reached and took a plate in each hoof, placing one in front of himself and the other in front of Ditzy while Spring bumped her flank to the table and slid her own plate down.
As soon as they were all seated, Ditzy fanned her wings a few times to cool her dinner, and then began to talk all about Zedd.
---
‘Daddy, daddy, wake up! It’s time to go to school!’ shouted the overexcited filly, jumping on the foot of her parent’s bed. 
‘Really? You can’t give me five more minutes?’ he asked, sleepily.
‘No, you’ve already had ten!’ she said, frustrated.
He racked his brain trying to remember if she was telling the truth. I definitely remember her trying to wake me up more than once… Alright, fine. ‘Okay, I’m getting up’ he said, sitting up. Spring had already left to do the daily weather forecast for the town. I had to go to work today, anyway, he thought to himself.
After a quick breakfast of cereal and milk, they left the house; Pine bearing a toolbox on one flank, and a saddlebag balanced in weight with a thick résumé and cover letter, along with lunch in a box, and a sheathed hatchet; and Ditzy bearing saddlebags with lunch on one side, and simple English and maths homework on the other.
They barely made it four strides down Mane Street before Ditzy heard a familiar, friendly voice calling out to her. She looked across the street and saw Zedd weaving between early morning goers to get to Ditzy.
‘Hi, Zedd!’ she said, excited to see her new friend again. ‘This is my daddy’ she said, already by Zedd’s side, and turning to look to her father.
‘Nice to meet you, Zedd. My name’s Pine,’ he said, offering a hoof.
Unsure of how exactly to act while being treated like a stallion, he shook the adult’s hoof and muttered ‘I’m Zedd’ without thinking.
Ditzy giggled at the embarrassed look on Zedd’s face and turned to walk to school. After a moment, Zedd glanced to Pine, who beckoned forward with his hoof, and ran to catch up with Ditzy.
Well, I’m truly happy for her. I honestly thought we would have to send her to a different school… Spring will be over the moon with happiness, he thought to himself. He figured that he’d let them have their privacy, so he turned to take a walk before going to his job interview, before seeing Spring descending to him from the sky. Perfect, I can tell her now, he thought, sitting and watching her perfectly-shaped silhouette descending from the East in the early-morning glow.
---
‘Daddy seemed to like you’ said Ditzy when Zedd had slowed to walk next to her.
‘Yeah, I guess I didn’t make much of an impression’ he said, shyly rubbing his mane with a hoof, then missed a step and fell flat on his face.
Ditzy laughed loudly, drawing concerned looks from passers-by. After having her laugh, she offered him a hoof, which he took with one hoof, and used the other to cover his blushing red face.
‘Oh, come on, Zedd, it’s not that embarrassing. You look like that Apple kid… Macintosh, I think?’
He blushed a bit harder, but removed his other hoof from his face. ‘No way, I can’t be that red’ he said.
‘Sure, sure’ she said; then continued walking. She had noticed that her father had stopped following them and gone off on his own way. Even without looking around, she had a way of knowing things. Barely anything got past Ditzy, except the odd object in her path. But then again, they usually didn’t get past her, but ended up smacking her in the face.
---
One year later
---
The day had gone by quickly, but also slowly. She had a math test that she had been studying for. It was a huge test, too. It would determine who would go into the high class in high-school, and who would go down to the lower classes. She was looking forward for the day to end, so it was going slowly; but the test seemed to fly past, and it seemed to take less time to answer each question on the test than it did to read them. She had only just finished the last question when the bell rang for lunch.
After passing up her test, Ditzy skipped to her saddlebag in her locker and grabbed her lunch. She was in a good mood for the first time in months. The assignment she had handed up in the first lesson was marked before recess with an A, and she thought she should at least get a B on the math test. 
Zedd had agreed to meet her out at the canteen at lunch, so she took a bite of her sandwich and began to skip down the hall and towards the school yard.
Barely half a step out the door, her hoof caught on something and she pitched forward, tumbling down five solid steps, hitting every one of them on the way down. The first thing she registered after stopping was pain, and she began to cry. Her nose hurt badly. It was the first thing to hit the ground.
After a moment, she noticed laughter. She opened her eyes and saw Sticks and Stones at the top of the stairs through her tears.
‘You’re right, she is clumsy! She can’t even watch out for somepony else’s hoof in her path. Well, Derpy, I think someone owes someone else an apology.’ said Stones sardonically from the top of the stairs.
She continued to cry in relative silence, every so often with a sob escaping her lips. She wiped the tears from her muzzle and noticed a spot of blood. Her nose was bleeding! She had been injured, and everypony was staring at her. She had done this… Stones didn’t trip her, she had walked into his hoof, and everypony was judging her… but she was bleeding!
She tried to stand and keep going to the canteen. If she could get to Zedd, he would reassure her that she was in the right. When she stood, she promptly fell back down again and gave a small gasp of pain. Her ankle had twisted at some point on the way down, too.
‘Come on, you idiot! What are you waiting for?’ he said, expecting her to give in.
‘She’s obviously waiting for her apology’ called Zedd from the crowd. The ponies that had crowded the scene parted to let Zedd through. He trotted up to Ditzy’s side and upon seeing her blood; he turned to Sticks and Stones and shouted ‘Well, go on! Where’s her apology?’
They both fell over roaring with laughter. After their laughter subsided to chuckling, Sticks turned to Stones and said ‘You know, I think he’s serious’.
‘Yeah, I think he is, too. Well, you know what happens to ponies who demand things of us? They end up in the nurse’s office. Get it?’ he said, turning back to Zedd
‘The only reason I’ll be in the nurses office is because they’ll be removing my hoof from your rear-end!’ Zedd shouted up the stairs.
Stones suddenly scowled, and leapt. Before anyone could see what was going on, Sticks was holding Zedd down while Stones stood above, preparing to hit him.
‘Do you want to take that back before it’s too late, you blank-flank idiot?’
Zedd stared for a moment. They’re going to hurt me no matter what I do. Good. They’ll leave Ditzy alone…. he glanced to Ditzy, and she looked at him with something between fear and awe. He managed a weak smile in her direction, then turned back to Stones.
‘I’ll take it back the day you stop being such a bully. Look at this all! You’ve just hurt somepony, and when someone came to help, you try to hurt him, too! I think you’re nothing but a-‘
His next words were cut off by a hoof to the jaw.
‘Gah!’ muttered Zedd, stifling a shout. There were tears in his eyes, but he kept a determined expression. This was for Ditzy. If he could distract them, they would leave her alone.
Stones ended up hitting him twice more, once to the face and once to the gut, before being picked up in a grey glow.
‘What do you think you’re DOING’ bellowed a grey unicorn stallion. He wasn’t just anyone, he was the PE teacher; Stones’ father.
Sticks immediately dropped Zedd and bolted. It was to no avail, as the teacher caught him, too, in the grey glow.
‘Both of you are coming to the principal’s office directly. Stones, no dinner tonight and you’re grounded for a month. Sticks, I’ll speak to your father. Now you’ he said, turning to Zedd, ‘You don’t look too bad, but you should probably go to the nurse’s office. Take her with you.’ He said, motioning to Ditzy.
With that, he turned and marched back through the double doors, levitating two panicked-looking colts behind him.
Zedd moved over to Ditzy. The crowd continued to stare in awe as the colt showed no sign of pain after being hit. The hits weren’t hard, but he was still sporting a fat lip and bleeding.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked her quietly.
‘Your lip… you… thank you’ she said, tears of gratitude streaming down her face. ‘Oh, Zedd…’
‘Ditzy, seriously. We should get you looked at. You’re bleeding!’
‘So are you’
‘Well let’s go, then!’ he said, laughing a bit
‘Oh, right… my ankle is sore… I think it might be twisted…’ she said
She motioned her rear left hoof. Zedd lowered his neck for Ditzy to put a hoof over, and lifted her to her hooves. Together they climbed the stairs and limped down the hall to the nurses office.
When they reached the nurses office, Zedd opened the door and helped Ditzy through. It was only a small room with a bed on one side and a desk on the other. There were pictures all over the walls to try and make it look less dull, along with a clock and calendar.
The nurse turned in her chair to see who was entering and gasped when she saw them.
‘Ditzy! Oh, what happened this time? You didn’t run into something again did you? Take a seat on the bed. And, err, Zedd? What happened to you?’ she asked, moving to the cupboard.
‘Ditzy was tripped. She didn’t fall. She has a twisted ankle and I don’t know if it’s just a bloody nose or if it’s broken’ said Zedd quickly.
‘What about you?’
‘It’s just a sore lip. Help Ditzy first,’ he said.
She eyed him for a moment then moved to get a bandage and a splint for Ditzy’s ankle. 
The two friends left the nurse’s office. She had told them that they could both go home early. They headed to each other’s lockers, Ditzy no longer needing support to walk, and left with their saddlebags. Zedd insisted on taking Ditzy’s bag and, after a short argument, she allowed him to. She was secretly grateful, but that was beside the point.
As they walked along Mane Street, Ditzy suddenly spoke.
‘Thank you, Zedd. If you hadn’t been there then they would probably have done that to me…’ she said. ‘Even so, I wish it didn’t have to happen to you.’
‘Please, it’s nothing. If I hadn’t been there, and something else had happened, I would never have forgiven myself. You’re my best friend, and I’ll always be there for you,’ he said.
She looked at him for a moment then lightly kissed him. He was struck dumb. He’d known her for a year, but they were only friends! ‘Ditzy… what…?’ he muttered in a daze.
‘I’m kissing your lip better. What did you think I was doing?’ she said with a wink.
He stared into her eyes for a moment. Despite being misaligned, their gold colour made them the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen… how had it taken him a year to notice?
She kept walking, and he had to struggle a bit to catch up, despite her limp and slower-than-normal pace.
‘She told me to go home and rest, but I feel like something sweet. I got my pocket-money yesterday, so how about we go to the sweet shop?’ she asked.
‘Yeah… sure…’ Zedd responded, still somewhat dazed. 
They made their way to the local bakery. It was owned by a couple with the last name ‘Cake’. When they entered, Mrs. Cake immediately rushed over to greet them.
‘Well, hello Miss Doo! What are my favourite two customers doing out of school at this hour, and *gasp* what happened to your ankle! Oh, dearie, take a seat, right over here’ she said, ushering Ditzy over to a seat near the window. Zedd followed and sat next to her.
‘The school bullies decided to trip Ditzy and I decided to intervene. It ended better than I thought it would, Stones is grounded. I just wish I could have stopped them from hurting Ditzy’ he said, looking dejected. 
‘You should have seen him! He was so brave. I don’t want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up! Well, anyway, we were let out early, so I thought of coming here. A good muffin always cheers me up, and who makes the best ones?’ she said, flattering Mrs. Cake.
‘Oh, thank you, dearie. You can have a free one for all the trouble you went to. No, I insist! You deserve more than that for being so brave, but I don’t think you’d let me give you anything more’ she said, turning and going to the counter.
‘Zedd, do you remember what they did? One of them held you down for the other. They’re scared of you! You aren’t exactly small for your age, and they think that if they hurt me, they’ll be too popular for you to go after them. They might actually leave me alone for a while, now, after what you did today.’
‘Yeah, but still… your ankle…’
‘It could have been worse. At least my nose isn’t broken! But it is still a bit sore…’ she said, crossing her eyes more than normal to look at it.
Zedd leant across and kissed her lightly on the nose. Ditzy was a little surprised, but something stirred inside her. Her chest tightened and she felt a slight shortness of breath. If there wasn’t a chair back behind her, her wings would be slowly extending.
‘Payback’ said Zedd, grinning, and Ditzy began to feel her cheeks burn.
Mrs Cake came back over with two plates, a blueberry muffin on each. She put them down on the table and pushed them to either pony. ‘Not a word from me, I promise’ she said with a wink, then returned to her counter and wiped it of any loose crumbs.
They both began to eat their muffins and talk about anything and everything, as they so often did. They both felt that the other was the only pony in their lives that they could tell anything to, but they put that down to being best friends.
After an hour, young ponies began to fill the shop, some with their parents.
A young pink pony came over to them and said ‘Nice work today, Zedd! You’re the only one who’s ever stood up to those big bully meanie-pants’s. But they don’t wear pants so maybe they’re big meanie-flanks? Meanie-‘
‘Thanks, Pinkie, we get it.’ Said Zedd. Pinkie was new to town, and after moving from a rock farm somewhere to the south, she moved in with the Cakes. They were happy to have her, as she made a nice friend for their daughter.
‘Oh, yeah, okay. But it was just so cool! I can’t believe you stood up to them’ she said, taking a seat. ‘Even Rainbow Dash would be impressed with that’.
‘Who’s Rainbow Dash?’ asked Ditzy
‘Oh, right, she still lives in Cloudsdale’ replied Pinkie.
‘Uhh… yeah… hey, isn’t that Rarity?’ said Ditzy, pointing out the window.
‘Oh my goodness, yes it is! I need to talk to her! Thank you for reminding me, I’ll be sure to talk to you later, okay?’ she said, then turned and ran out the door without waiting for a response.
Zedd laughed as Rarity noticed the pink pony and began to rush down a side street, quickly followed by the hyperactive pony.
They big good day to Mrs. Cake and left toward Ditzy’s house. Zedd insisted on walking her home, and she didn’t want to say no.
When they arrived at her door, she invited him in. the day was still young, so why not? He entered the house with her, and she called out to her parents.
‘Mom, dad, I’m home! Zedd’s here with me.’
‘Okay, honey’ came the reply from her father somewhere upstairs.
‘Do you want a drink?’ she asked him
‘No thanks. Take a seat, seriously. You need to rest.’ He said, leading her to the lounge chair. 
‘Okay, fine, Mr. Worry-wart’ she said. When she sat down, she subconsciously let out a breath of tension she hadn’t noticed was there.
‘Better?’ 
‘Much.’
Zedd sat down next to hear and leant up against her. He was happy enough to just sit there for all time and never move again. After a few minutes, Pine came in through the door to the lounge room.
‘Hey Zedd. Not interrupting anything; am I?’ he asked.
Zedd quickly leant up off Ditzy and said ‘Err, no, sir. Nothing. Hello. I, uh…’
‘At ease, soldier. I’ve told you before to call me Pine’ he said, then laughed.
‘Yes… Pine… sorry.’
‘Oh, Ditzy, what happened to your ankle? You didn’t fall down the stairs again, did you?’ he asked showing concern behind his glasses.
‘No… I didn’t trip…’ she said.
‘She was tripped.’ Zedd corrected.
‘What!’ shouted Pine. ‘Who did it? I’ll wring their neck!’
‘I think that’s taken care of,’ said Zedd, ‘it was Sticks and Stones again. When I stepped in to help, they held me down and stated hitting me, then Stones’s dad caught them. Maybe he’ll finally believe those stories he’s always gotten about them being bullies.’ He said.
‘Good. He might teach them some discipline. I have to thank you, Zedd, for stepping in. I think I might have something in the medicine cabinet for that split lip if you want it. Also remember that you’re always welcome here. Why don’t you stay for dinner tonight?’
‘Uh, sure,’ he said. ‘My lip’s fine, but I’d be happy to have dinner here. I’ll just tell my parents.’
‘You know where the phone is’ he said, moving back upstairs to tell Spring what had happened.
Zedd reluctantly got up and moved away from Ditzy to the hallway, where he picked up the phone. He pretended to dial a number, and spoke to himself as though he was talking to someone else on the other end of the phone.
He went back to join Ditzy on the lounge chair.
‘So everything’s fine?’ she asked sleepily.
‘Yeah, I can stay for dinner. I don’t think they’d care if I told them or not, anyway’ he said.
Ditzy had never met his parents, but from what he’d said about them, they didn’t seem to realise they had a son. He stayed over for dinner almost once a fortnight, and had even stayed over for the night a few times when he was younger. Spring had put a stop to that as soon as he had started to mature and, despite thinking this was unfair, he decided to go along with it and stay on their good side.
As he felt her familiar warmth on his side, he suddenly realised that at some point they had become more than friends. When, he didn’t know, but now that he thought back on it, it hadn’t simply been that day… whether or not they wanted to accept it, their relationship had changed, and they couldn’t simply remain friends for long.
Without voicing any of this, Zedd crawled up closer to Ditzy and noticed she was asleep. Her body healing must have taken a fair toll on her normal energy.
Ditzy stretched a wing out across Zedd, and within a few minutes he was asleep.
‘They look so cute’ whispered Spring from the doorway.
‘I must have missed it. She just seemed to become so mature one day… she couldn’t have chosen a better person to be with’ Pine whispered back.
The parents let them sleep for now. There was a time to wake them, but that didn’t have to come yet.
Ditzy cracked an eye open. Her parents quietly moved from the doorway and vanished from sight. She looked across to the young stallion lying against her and smiled. She gently nuzzled him and returned to lying comfortably, warmed by his body heat; comforted with her wing across his back.