//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Dress // Story: Autumn Nights // by AutumnHeart52413 //------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Dress Ditzy Doo was shocked to find how fresh and clean everything was inside, despite its rotting exterior. The front room was huge, bigger than one would think when looking from the outside. The place was lit by a large chandelier on the ceiling and other small candles placed on walls around the room next to pictures and statues, creating a warm, romantic glow. A wide staircase stood at the back, leading upwards a little before splitting to the sides, probably leading to other rooms. The creepiness from earlier evaporated at the sight of this elegant room. She could see Jackle’s entire body now. His tail was a little stubby, but not any less mystical then his mane. His cutiemark was an eerie crescent moon, red, like his eyes. Ditzy couldn’t help but wonder what that meant. On his head he wore a small black top hat, and a short fancy cape was behind his back. It sort of reminded her of a magician. “Why don’t you set your bag down on the table by the door?” Jackle suggested. “It must be a real bother having to carry that heavy thing all over the place.” She did so, but noticed the package lying lonesome on the other side of the door. “Aren’t you going to open your package?” she asked him. “I’ll get to it a later.” He answered “It would be rude to preoccupy myself when I have a guest over.” Ditzy nodded and followed Jackle. Jackle spoke about dinner as they started up the staircase. He described the dish as something “truly exquisite”. The food he talked about had long, fancy names that Ditzy had a bit of trouble understanding, but she just nodded along anyway. He seemed truly proud of himself, and she could sense a sliver of excitement in his voice. She also noticed just how nice this pony was. Twilight was wrong, She told herself. Come to think of it, this is probably the nicest stallion I’ve ever met. He hasn't even pointed out my eyes yet. “It should be ready at seven.” He concluded after they reached the final step. He studied Ditzy for a moment, then spoke, “It is, however, a custom of mine to be well dressed when dining with others.” “Oh…” She looked down at her bare body. Ponies didn't usually wear clothing, so it was no surprise she wouldn't wear any on a normal mail trip. “I…I didn't bring anything…” He smiled. “That’s alright.” He pointed a hoof to the staircase to the right. “I have a dress you can borrow in the hallway upstairs. Just go into the third door to your left.” She let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, ok then. Thank you.” “It’s not a problem. You can meet me in the dining hall when you are ready” He pointed a hoof to the left. “It’s the large room at the end of the hall, you can’t miss it.” Ditzy nodded, it didn’t seem too difficult. After a short farewell, they parted. The dull hallway stretched before her, and the candle light glowed just bright enough to see the dozens of doors. Almost all of them were closed and locked, forbidding this new stranger from intruding. She eventually found a free door and assumed this was the room Jackle had talked about. The door opened with a loud creak that echoed down the hall. It was completely dark inside. No of the candles were lit, so she felt around for something to light. She pawed at a few structures by the wall unsuccessfully before she ventured towards the middle of the room. Once her eyes adjusted to this new lighting, she could just barely make out a window on the wall in front of her. She began to walk over to it when something caught on her front hoof, causing her to trip and hit her head on something that felt like a bed post. “GAAH!” She cried as her head struck, and it began throbbing almost instantly. She raised her hoof to rub her forehead when a faint whisper sounded in her ear, turning her blood to ice. “Who are you, kid?” It asked her, and she thought she felt a faint hoof resting on her shoulder. It sounded mostly like a mare, but there was dryness in her voice, like she was sick. “She won’t even last the night.” Whispered a second, this one sounding like a young colt, but had the same raspy after-tone as the first. Ditzy was frozen in place, but her heart pumped as if it were on fire. Were these ghosts? Her mind raced with panicky questions that couldn't be answered. The female gave a short, hushed laugh, as if mocking her fear. The soft hoof left her shoulder, and the spell was broken. She bolted for the door before they could continue their torture. “Farewell, see you soon.” The colt-voice whispered as she left. She slammed the door behind her, and leaned on it to keep the voices from escaping. Her face showed pure terror. The deep gasps she made matched the volume of her violently thumping heart, and she slowly sank to the floor. As she sat at the foot of the door, her emotions began to kick back in. Oddly enough though, she felt like crying rather than screaming or cowering, the shock was just too much. What was she to do? Should she tell Jackle? Would he believe her? Should she run away? After a while, she calmed down enough get back up. What were they talking about anyway? She asked herself. What they said didn’t make much sense, and didn’t even feel real to her now. One thing was for certain, she was not going back into that room again. Was it real? She wondered. The events that had just transpired seemed to be growing fuzzy, and she now couldn’t remember what the first voice said. I did hit my head really hard. I could’ve easily imagined it. That thought soothed her somewhat. Something like that did, in fact, happen before on a mail route, though she couldn’t remember it that clearly. It didn’t happen…She concluded, it was just my imagination.Yet, despite this notion, she still couldn’t bring herself to return to that room. It was at this moment when she realized that she was on the right side of the hallway. Wait a sec… The realization crept in. Didn’t Jackle say that the correct room was on the left? She walked over to the door in front of her and, sure enough, the door was unlocked. She felt like smacking herself, but the trip from earlier had already done enough. She entered, but this time took a candle from the wall of the hallway to light the path. The candle had a flat bottom and a tip at the end so it was easy to carry in her mouth without burning herself. It was a small room, apparently only made for one pony. The candle she had was enough to light most of the area, so she sat it down on the dresser next to her. There wasn’t much inside, just a bed, a cabinet, and a dresser with a mirror. There was also an open window in the same spot on the wall as the other room, but this one was facing the moon, which shed light over the entire Everfree Forest. Ditzy walked over to the window to admire the view. The breeze was slow and pleasant, and when she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself siting on one of the clouds above. After a few moments of reminiscing, she opened her eyes and returned to the small room. I should probably get dressed, she reminded herself. Before she left, though, she caught sight of Ponyville in the distance. Twilight’s words returned to her one again, nagging more than before. She turned from the window with spite. How dare she just assume something like that. She scoffed. She walked over to the cabinet nearby. There was an assortment of old dresses inside, but after trying most of them on, she found that they were all too big. After much rummaging, she came across a small dress that was tucked away in the corner, and after putting it on, found that it was just the right size. She examined herself. The dress was mostly black, but it had a white on the collar and at the end of the sleeves. Underneath the collar was a small, red gem, a drop of blood on a white canvas. It was very old fashion, but was comfortable enough. It also came with a black veil, which she could easily tuck the ends behind her ears. She felt as if something were missing. Her eyes fell on a small jewelry box that stood close to her candle. Would Jackle mind if I used some of these as well? She wondered. She lifted the lid curiously. She at least wanted to take a peek. There were many jewels and chains inside, though most of them were too extravagant and flashy for her simple outfit. She did, however, find a pair of pearl earrings and a bracelet to match. She tried them on, and sure enough, they complemented the dress well. She admired herself in the mirror for a while. A smile appeared on her face, and she danced and twirled around in her outfit. How wonderful! She thought to herself. I really do look gorgeous. She stopped; this feeling of gleeful beauty had taken her by surprise. She realized that she’d never felt like this before, like she was actually attractive for once. Her wall eyes and clumsy behavior would usually set the stallions off, so she just gave up. This feeling she had, it felt wonderful. Perhaps this is what that fashion pony Rarity feels all the time! After a few more moments of glee, she composed herself and put away the dresses and jewelry she took out while searching for her ensemble. She walked over to the bed were she left the dresses after she tried them on. She gathered them all up at once, but found them all very heavy. It was only a matter of time before she stepped on the tail of one of them and tripped. The dresses fell to the floor in a mess around her hooves. Ditzy stumbled forward, and crashed into the base of the dresser. “Uhhh…” she moaned as the dresser wobbled behind her. She heard a metallic thud next to her, followed by a few snaps and clanks. She turned, and stared in horror at the broken jewelry box next to her. The lid was off of its hinges, and its contents were scattered about. One necklace was even cracked. “Oh no!” She gasped, and she frantically gathered the pieces. Damn it, Derpy, she scolded herself, using that harsh nickname as punishment. She put them all in the box and looked around for the lid, and found it on top of a folded, yellowed paper. "What is this?" She picked up the paper and opened it up. There was a note inside written in a thin, black ink. She wanted to read it, but the ring of a great grandfather clock interrupted her. It struck seven times, and Ditzy suddenly remembered the dinner. She clumsy set the lid back on the box and tucked it away at the end of the dresser. The note intrigued her, so she stuck it into a small pocket inside the dress. She threw the other dresses into the cabinet and ran out of the room. She didn’t want to be late.