//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Visitor // Story: Autumn Nights // by AutumnHeart52413 //------------------------------// Chapter 2: The Visitor Ditzy starred at the dark, saggy manor before her. The sun had disappeared by now, so the full moon was now her only source of light. The air around her was crisp, more so than it should be this early in the season. Leaves littered the unkempt front lawn, and she began to wonder if the house was abandoned. The Everfree Forest was always a scary place, and not many wanted to visit. Ditzy didn’t want to stay longer than she had to. It only took her about an hour or so to find the place, and didn’t run into much trouble. Her only problem was the illusion of danger that welcomed her once she first stepped hoof in the forest. That alone made her want to turn and quit, but she didn’t want to let Twilight down so she swallowed her fears and followed through with her task. She slowly walked up to the building with growing caution as the leaves crunched beneath her hooves. The wind nipped at her skin though her fur, setting her teeth on edge. It wisped though the trees around her, as if it wanted to hide a creature that was stocking her. “GRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!” A loud moan sounded out of the blue. She jumped several feet in the air. She spun about in horror in search of the origin….but found nothing. It sounded again, but much quieter, and she gazed down at her stomach to find it rumbling impatiently. She let out a sigh of both relief and annoyance having realized that she'd been so wrapped up in Twilight’s quest that she forgot to eat supper. She put her hunger aside and proceeded to the house. "You can eat later", she scolded herself. "Quit being so jumpy." She arrived at the porch to find that the wood was very old. It looked like the wooden planks used to be a bluish color, but were mostly grey now. They gave an agonizing creak with each step, and threatened to completely collapse underneath her. She set the box down at the foot of the door and turned to leave when a familiar feeling stopped her. She couldn't just leave the package there to fend for itself. What if the owner never got to it? What if something came over and stole it? She needed to make sure that this pony got his package. This was a lesson she learned one time when she left Mr. and Mrs. Cakes’ super important special ingredient to sit at the door of Sugar Cube Corner. Apparently, some other baker stole it before the Cakes could retrieve it, so the bakery went without it’s special Lemon Muffin Surprise for several months. “Ponies not presented their prescribed packages properly leads to problems” Her boss had told her. She lifted a hoof to knock on the door when Twilight’s words returned to her. She knew she shouldn't talk to this pony, but at the same time, she knew that it was important for this pony to get his mail from the princess. She decided to ignore Twilight’s warning and knocked on the door. How could Twilight know if this was a bad pony without even seeing his face anyway? Her knocks echoed through the house, but a response never came. The wind picked up once again behind her, causing the leaves to jump up and dance around in the air. After a few moments she banged the door again, a bit harder this time, but was greeted with the same silence. Ditzy began to wonder if she got the wrong house. Maybe there was another old, creaky manor out in the Everfree Forest with a weird spell casted on it giving refuge to some equally old pony, she wondered doubtfully but optimistically. She picked the package back up and turned to begin her search. She got to the steps leading off the porch when she heard the door creek open behind her. She spun back around to see a white muzzle and hoof peek out from behind the door. “Umm…H-hello….” She greeted nervously. “A-are you the resident here?” The door creaked open a little more, and she could see most of the pony now. He appeared to be quite young, Ditzy noticed with some surprise, probably a little older than herself. His snow-white coat shone in the moon light, and complemented his silver mane. He was beautiful, but he stared at her with dark, red, unsettling eyes. “Yes, I am,” He replied. His voice was deep, but smooth and somewhat soothing. She placed the package back on the ground and pushed it over. “This package is for you.” He gazed at the package indifferently for a few moments, and then turned back to Ditzy. She stared back with a stiff smile on her face. They stood for several moments in an awkward silence as the breeze picked back up behind them. His admiring gaze felt less sinister, but Ditzy still kept her guard up. Then, without taking his eyes off of her, he pulled the package to him with a powdery hoof and kicked it inside. After a few more moments under his uncomfortable gaze, Ditzy broke the silence with a short, cramped laugh. “Well….I’d better head out now…” She spoke, and the other pony’s trance was broken once she turned to leave. “Wait!” He called. When she turned, his face felt more welcoming than before. “What is your name?” He asked. This caught Ditzy a bit off guard. A voice in her head nagged at her, warning her not to talk to him, but now that she was seeing more of him, he didn't seem half bad. “My name is Ditzy Doo.” She answered, and his face seemed to light up a bit. “Why hello, miss Ditzy Doo. It is wonderful to have you here. My name is Jackle.” Any awkwardness or uncertainty from before was absent in his voice, and his greeting was entirely heart-felt. “Would you care to join me for supper? I haven’t had a visitor in so long.” “Supper? Well, umm…I’m not all that hungry…. but…” She began, but her stomach interrupted her with an audible growl of protest. She was, in fact, absolutely starving. The mere mention of food at this time was enough to make her do anything. “Actually, I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while.” “Excellent!” He exclaimed. “Do come in then!” He was elated to finally have some sort of guest in his home. Maybe, just this one visit, might be enough to pull him back from his terrible state.