//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: An Unexpected Turn of Events // by BlackMuffin //------------------------------// Ditzy woke up with a start, whimpering a little as her injured wings put themselves into an uncomfortable position in her sleep. She rolled off the couch and landed on the floor with a thud, having a hard time breathing as she tried to push herself back up. After quite a bit of effort she succeeded, and sleep didn't seem too appealing to her anymore. Slowly, she found the front door and walked into the moonlit Sweet Apple Acres, the soft light barely illuminating the snow-covered fields in front of her. The grey mare took a deep breath and smiled at the scent of snow. There was a particular smell about winter that she liked along with the blue glow all the snow gave off during the morning. "Strange to see ya up so early." Ditzy squeaked and turned around, facing the stallion who had startled her. His eyes had widened a bit at her reaction. "Sorry, ah din't mean ta scare ya. You're the mailmare, Ditzy, right?" "Yes...I am." Ditzy said flatly and turned around, walking into the snow without looking back. She hated stallions; their strange sense of false superiority made her gag. They always seemed to do whatever they wanted, and they ranted all the time about 'equal rights' or whatnot. They were so stuck up that they would even pretend to love a mare, leaving her at the last second, sometimes even leaving her with a foal. "They make mares suffer simply because they think they're better. Equestria is a mare's nation, stallions have no authority in my mind." She began muttering the list of insults out loud, unbeknownst to herself. "Hey, look, ah'm sorry if ah scared ya more than I thought, but can ya at least not ignore me?" What the hell did he think he was doing? Ditzy looked away from the stallion with a huff, walking ahead as Big Macintosh looked at her with his head cocked sideways and a look of worry creased his brow. Did I say somethin' wrong? Big Mac wondered to himself. He grunted, cursing himself for his lack of knowledge about mares, and walked back to the house. While he was climbing the stairs on his way to his bedroom, he saw his sister Applebloom looking up at him while rubbing her tired eyes. "Big Mac, what are ya doin' up so early? It's not even two in tha mornin' yet..." she yawned and rested her head against her brother's foreleg. "Ah just needed a walk is all. Git on back to bed now, you've got school tomorrow." Big Macintosh nudged the filly's head a little, turning her around before she walked back into her room. He continued down the hallway, reaching his door. Walking into his room, he closed the door behind him and walked back into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. ... "Big Macintosh, have ya seen that nice filly anywhere? She wasn't on the couch when I woke up." Granny Smith questioned the stallion as he walked into the kitchen with a zombie-like gait. "Nope." he said flatly while taking a box of cereal from the pantry. "Why are ya up so early? Ah haven't even started on breakfast yet," the old mare continued while Big Macintosh took a bowl out of a cabinet and a milk carton from the fridge, "Speaking of breakfast, ya don't need to make some for yerself, sonny. I'm startin' right now." "I'm just hungry already is all." Big Macintosh poured the cereal and milk into the bowl, took out a spoon from a drawer, and walked over to the table, staring into his bowl. He did not eat for a while. Breakfast was almost ready when he actually started eating an hour later. "Hiya Big Mac! Mornin' Granny Smith!" an orange mare that seemed to be about the same age as Ditzy walked downstairs. She had an orange coat much like Big Macintosh's mane, and her blonde mane was hanging loosely around her shoulders. "What are ya doin' up so early, big brother? This is the first time you've been up before me on a Sunday." "Ah know." Big Macintosh said in between spoonfuls of cereal. "Somethin' botherin' ya?" she asked as her smile faded a little. Before Big Mac could answer, the front door could be heard opening and closing as a familiar pegasus walked in. "Hi everypony!" a cheery voice called out as a bit of a stumble could be heard before a wall-eyed pegasus poked her head into the kitchen. "Hiya Ditzy." Big Mac smiled at the mare who only huffed at his greeting. "Wait, you're Ditzy Doo the mailmare?" Applejack's eyes widened. The pegasus nodded as Applejack continued, "What the hay are we keepin' ya here for? Don't ya have a daughter ta take care of? We have ta get ya back to Ponyville right away! As much as I'd like ta keep ya here until you're all better, you've got responsibilities ta take care of!" "How did you know I have a daugh--" Ditzy started. "Ponyville is a two hour walk from here. Most pegasi can't walk that far, sis." Big Macintosh cut her off in his usual stoic tone. Sometimes she wondered how he could keep such an emotionless tone at times. "Your brother's right, dear. Also, it seems her right wing's dislocated. The way it's sticking out can't be good for her balance!" Granny Smith added. It was true; Ditzy's right wing was stuck in an angled position, the tip sticking out at a twenty-degree angle from her side. That explained why she was struggling to walk into the house. "No, no, I want to walk back, I'll be fine," Ditzy spoke up with a bit of a cracked tone, "I'm a strong mare, I can do this!" She looked up with a face on the verge of tears, "I can't bear the thought of Dinky not knowing I'm alright!" "Alright, if that's what ya want," Big Mac stood up, "That's what you'll get. But you're not goin' alone." "I don't need your help." Ditzy snorted and looked away from the stallion. Applejack leaned in next to Big Macintosh and whispered, "Did somethin' happen between you two?" "Ah don't know," Big Macintosh shrugged, "She's been like that since last night." "What the hay do you mean last night?!" Applejack stared at her brother, dumbfounded. Big Macintosh's eyes widened at the implication, "No, no no! Not like that! Ah heard Ditzy step outside last night and I went to see her. She just shrugged me off like that." Applejack started to worry about the grey mare. Something wasn't right about her suddenly disliking Big Macintosh. "Hold yer humans," Granny Smith intervened, "Ah'm sorry dear but Big Macintosh will have to come along with ya. We don't want y'all ta collapse on the way back or somethin'. If you're set on headin' back to Ponyville ah won't stop y'all but you're not goin' alone." Ditzy wanted to object, but disagreeing with an elder was a bad idea. Especially a matriarch. There was no point saying anything against it so she settled for grunting and rolling her eyes...although it looked more like her eyes were twitching rather than rolling. "Sorry sugarcube, but that's how it's gotta go. Can't have ya goin' alone if we don't know for sure you're okay." Applejack added, much to Ditzy's dismay. Was she honestly expected to be left alone with this stallion? Who knows what he'd try to do to her when they were out on the road, miles from either the acres or Ponyville? "I am not leaving with just him! One of you have to come along as well!" Ditzy stomped her hoof, affirming her case with a grunt and a pout. "Either yer leavin' with 'im or you're not goin' anywhere until you're better, and that won't happen before the snow clears. Either ya wait until you're better or you're leavin' with Big." Applejack assented her position. "Why can't you come along instead of him? Why can't he just stay here?" Ditzy's voice cracked a little from her frustration. "Ah can't leave because of work, today's a Sunday. Big Macintosh and I alternate on Sundays, and Granny Smith isn't in tha best shape ta walk ya all the way to Ponyville, if you know what Ah mean." "Can't you just make Big Macintosh work today?" Ditzy was getting exasperated at the mare's stubbornness. "Of course not!" Applejack grimaced, "Breakin' tha traditional order is by no means acceptable." Ditzy looked at Applejack, then at Big Macintosh, and then back to Applejack. She sighed in frustration while stomping her hooves, making the biggest show as she could like a filly throwing a temper tandrum. Big Macintosh and Applejack sat unimpressed. After a while of trying to stare them down, Ditzy sighed and sat down, actually starting to decide what would be the best choice. On one hoof, if she stayed at the farm with these three strangers, she would be safe for the winter and would be able to fly back once she made a full recovery. Unfortunately, this meant leaving Dinky alone. And that just wasn't an option at all. On the other hoof, she could go with the big red stallion, entrust herself to him, and follow him to Ponyville. It would be about a three-day walk. It would be difficult for a pegasus like her who hardly ever walked, but it would have to be done if she wanted to get back home before the snow cleared. Of course, you can never trust being alone with a stallion you don't know in the middle of nowhere. Ditzy just sat there, her snout scrunched up into what looked like a concentrating look while her eyes drifted off more and more. While she was truly in a serious debate with herself, on the outside, she looked just plain silly to Granny Smith and Applejack. Big Macintosh found it kind of cute. "Eh, Ditzy, what exactly are ya doin'?" Applejack spoke first. Ditzy's look vanished and she looked a bit surprised that somepony had broken her train of thought. She got another 'determined' look on her face (in this case, her snout scrunching up again) before she got up and declared her decision. "I'm going with Big Macintosh." She then proceeded to trip on empty space and fall face first on the wooden floor. ... "Ow..." Ditzy held her snout in her hooves while sitting on a rock by the trail she and Big Macintosh were walking. Her nose had broken when her mind blanked out and caused her to fall forwards directly on her face. After a bit of bandaging, she was good to go, although sometimes the pain surged again and made her stop. Big Macintosh patiently waited for the mare's pain to pass, helping her up afterwards. She resisted at first, but after a while she decided that it wouldn't be the end of the world to accept his help once in a while. "Ya alright Ditzy?" Big Macintosh asked again. It seemed routine now; Ditzy's nose started hurting, Big Macintosh would ask if she was alright, she would sit there for a while, Big Macintosh would help her up, they would keep going, lather, rinse, repeat. "Just hold on a sec..." she muttered for the tenth time that day. "Ah brought some aspirin in case your nose would swell; take a pill or two, it should keep the pain away for about two hours." Big Macintosh hoofed over two white pills, which Ditzy graciously took. "Thanks," she said after swallowing, "I appreciate it." "We should stay here for the night. Timberwolves don't obey the borders of the Everfree durin' the nighttime." Big Macintosh dropped his saddlebags, pulling out a tent and two bedrolls before he was stopped by Ditzy. "Wait a minute, don't think I'm going to stay inside the same tent as a stallion." she said as she started searching through his bags for another tent. "Ah don't have another tent, and Ah promise Ah won't do anythin' fishy," Big Macintosh put up a hoof to his chest, "Cross mah heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Big Macintosh finished off the gesture by pushing his hoof against his closed right eye, topped off with a smile. Nopony broke a Pinkie Promise. Ditzy was convinced that Big Macintosh meant what he said...but she wasn't sure if she could trust him yet with anything else. She made a mental note to take anything he said that didn't involve promises with a grain of salt. Well, then again, his sister was the element of honesty... "Tent's all set up. Ah'll get a fire goin', y'all just sit 'ere and wait for me while Ah get the firewood." Big Macintosh walked into the underbrush, and before long he was gone from sight. Ditzy sat in front of the tent, a stick in her mouth while she traced random things into the dirt: letters, hieroglyphs, kanji, whatever she could think of. She felt depressed, but most of all bored. She felt like she was useless. "What am I doing, feeling useless?" she asked herself out loud, "It's not like he'd want my help..." She sat for a while in the same place, not really moving or thinking. She decided after a while that she would just get up and try to find Big Macintosh. He hadn't come back in a while, and Ditzy wanted to check up on his progress. As she was getting up, she heard a rustle behind her. Then some scratching and snarls. Ditzy froze. She wasn't sure what she just heard. Timberwolves didn't live outside the Everfree, and they were miles away from the border of that gods-forsaken forest. However, when she dared to turn around, her eyes grew wide. Three timberwolves were crawling out of the bush, creeping up on her with drool dripping from their snarling jaws. Ditzy could smell their rancid breath; the smell of dead creatures and sap filled her nostrils and almost made her gag. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't let her. All she could do was stand there, staring dumbly at the three wolves as they surrounded her. Ditzy's breath quickened and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The wolves smelled her fear, and she swore she could see them smile through their oversized fangs. A few tears welled up as she gritted her teeth and started whimpering. Panic was overtaking every fiber of her body as the wolves slowly closed in around her cowering form. "RAH!" Ditzy opened her eyes as she heard a sharp snap. Instead of a timberwolf in front of her, a certain red stallion had broken the spine of one of the creatures that was about to attack her. Beside her, the two timberwolves that were previously intent on devouring her had started yipping and scampering away with their tails between their legs. Big Macintosh just stood there, watching them with his normal bored look. Neither of them said anything for a long time. Ditzy just stared at him while he watched the last trace of the wolves fade away into the undergrowth as they scampered back to their dens. "Dear Celestia, ya alright Ditzy?" Big Mac immediately changed his mood, running over to Ditzy who was still shivering on the ground. Ditzy didn't answer, she just lay there in a ball, not daring to peek up. Big Macintosh tried again, "Ditzy, the wolves are gone, 's'just me, now." Ditzy finally looked up with tear-stained eyes. Instead of seeing a timberwolf faking the stallion's voice, ready to eat her face clean off as soon as she looked up, she saw the still-faced pony who had been gone for at least the past hour. A pile of wood was lying near the edges of the track, presumably from Big Mac's earlier quest for some firewood. "Ya alright?" Big Macintosh asked quietly. Ditzy just nodded her head a little, a few sobs escaping. "D'ya think we should keep goin'?" Ditzy shook her head silently. "Just stay with me..." she said, the sound barely reaching Mac's ears. "'Right, ah'll just bring ya back over to the tent." Ditzy squealed as she felt herself being hoisted up onto the large stallion's back. She didn't fight it. She just felt his warm pelt and slowly beating heart as he carried her over to the camp without a sound. Ditzy hadn't realized that she had strayed from the camp before being attacked by the wolves, but she didn't care, either. She buried her face inside Big Macintosh's fur and fell asleep almost instantly, the tears on her face drying up as a contented smile cleared her face.