//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Tale of Twitchums McButternubs // by neutralmilk //------------------------------// The Tale of Twitchums McButternubs Chapter 3 aka "The Party" Twitchums laid awake the whole night thinking about the party. Applejack snuggled at his right, wrapping her hooves tighter around his waist. Rainbow Dash snored lightly; her mane messed up from turning in her sleep. He looked at the two mares and smiled. What a pimp. His mind turned back to the idea of seeing Ditzy for the first time since the “incident.” She seemed happy with her husband and foal. She still had derp eyes, but was living a normal, happy life. Something Twitchums McButternubs could never provide for her. Not with his badass lifestyle. He could feel his eye beginning to twitch involuntarily. He remembered the rage he felt when he saw Ditzy’s husband… “Woah there, lover boy. Your eye’s `ah getting twitchy again. Try to relax.” Applejack was awake now, gently rubbing Twitchums’ shoulders. Rainbow was still asleep, a small drop of drool hanging from her lip. “I’m sorry Applejack. It’s just this overly dramatic back story takes a lot out of me. Every time I think about Ditzy…” He trailed off, staring into the darkness of the room. “It’s ok now. When y’all see her tomorrow just act natural. Ah’m sure she’ll be excited to see ya.” With a small kiss, Applejack had returned Twitchums to his precarious sleep. The day proceeded similar to the day before. Applejack, Big Mac and Twitchums worked in the orchard bucking apples from trees while Rainbow Dash lazily napped on clouds. At some point she flew into town and cleared the sky preparing for the arrival of Princess Celestia who had expressed interest in meeting another alicorn. When the sun started setting, Twitchums began his walk to Ponyville; Applejack and Rainbow Dash at either side. Big Macintosh didn’t go because he wasn’t invited (loser). He waved them off and went back inside the farmhouse to watch Apple Bloom and her two friends for the remainder of the evening. The walk went by smoothly; conversation was kept at a minimum between the three ponies. Twitchums had no desire to talk. Anxiousness flowed through his body whenever he thought about seeing Ditzy tonight. It’s just a party… he thought to himself. I’m being welcomed and that’s it. Deep down, however, he knew that much more was going to happen than everyone expected. And that’s not just because the author told him what would happen. “Surprise!” Everypony in the room shouted when Twitchums entered. They had visited Sugarcube Corner and saw that it was empty. In their confusion, Applejack suggested they check the library and ask their friend Twilight where the party was. A pink pony hopped over to Rainbow Dash and Twitchums, hugging them both with randomly extendable front legs. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” She shouted excitedly to Twitchums who smiled at her uneasily. “Are you surprised or what?!” He nodded and pushed himself out of the hug. So far, Ditzy was nowhere to be seen. He sighed with relief and followed Pinkie, Applejack and his fiancé to meet their friends. Pinkie babbled incessantly, while not actually relaying any message; truly a feat to behold. Twitchums found this the best opportunity to study the friends he had just met. First was Twilight Sparkle, a brainy purple unicorn that stared at Twitchums with wondering eyes. Next to her stood a shy pegasus by the name of Fluttershy. When he was introduced to her, she cowered in fear and squeaked her name quietly. This led him to Rarity: a stunning white unicorn with an eye for fashion. She had apologized for Fluttershy’s shyness and then introduced herself. Twitchums took it upon himself to bow politely, making her blush and giggle. The party was a massive success. He met many different ponies from Ponyville, most of which took an instant liking to him. Even better, Ditzy was nowhere to be found! Suddenly, the sound of trumpets came from outside the library. Twilight Sparkle hushed the party and galloped to the door, opening it wide. A large red carpet rolled in from the outside and in walked the elegant Princess Celestia, Godess of the Sun. She cantered regally toward Twitchums, all other ponies bowing as she passed them. One tripped as he bowed, sending a ripple of gasps and whispers around the library. She stopped suddenly and stared at the stallion that lay on the floor. A look of pure hatred rose to her face as she changed direction toward him. He cowered and began to sweat. “Gotcha.” She said to the stallion. A kind smile appeared on her face, wiping the evil look away. She lent a hoof out and picked her subject back up to his hooves. “What did I say about formality?” She said to all the ponies in the room. The music started back up as quickly as it had stopped and the party resumed. Princess Celestia introduced herself to Twitchums who gratefully took her hoof and shook it. The two shot the breeze, leaving Twilight and her friends to do what they pleased. After an hour or so, she handed Twitchums a scroll that granted him access to the Canterlot Castle. “I expect to see you in my castle in two days.” She gave Twitchums a friendly smile, and turned to leave. “It’s incredibly important.” She said over her shoulder. Princess Celestia left the party and boarded a chariot carried by several royal gurads. After she had departed, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. “Twitchums is that you?” A gray pegasus trotted over to him, a wide smile across her lips. Twitchums felt his stomach drop. “Oh… Hey Ditzy.” She smiled wider when he called her by her real name. “Been a while, huh?” “Too long.” Ditzy replied. “Twitchums, I know you may not forgive me, but I’m sorry about moving away and everything.” Her smile had faded now. “I wanted to come by tonight and see if we could try to be friends again. You meant the world to me when I was younger and would hate to lose you forever.” Twitchums stood before her, sadness welling deep inside. He felt a twitch in his eye. “Twitchums are you ok?” Ditzy reached a hoof out to him. He winced when she touched his face. She blushed and turned away quickly, hiding a smile from him. His heart began to race as the memories of Flight School came to him once again. He remembered how sad he was when she moved away. He remembered running away to find her. He remembered finally seeing her in Fillydelphia and meeting her husband. He remembered the sound of the screams of the ponies he slaughtered thanks to his twitching eye… “Ditzy, it’s been great but I gotta go.” He brushed her hoof away from him and walked away, leaving her standing alone. She frowned, knowing that what had happened was entirely her fault. She had loved him in the past but left so he could have a chance to live a normal life. She wasn’t happy with her marriage and when it collapsed had tried looking for Twitchums herself. She sighed and walked to the exit. Her time at the party had come to an end. Suddenly her face derped and she had an urge to eat a muffin. She squealed in excitement at the idea and darted from the library. Meanwhile Twitchums walked to the roof of the library. He sat on his flank and surveyed the vast land that stretched before him. While he was in love with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the precarious relationship they were in wasn’t enough to prevent the pain of seeing Ditzy. “Twitchums? You up here?” Pinkie Pie’s voice called out to him from the base of the steps leading to the roof. “Yeah. Come on up.” The pink pony hopped up the steps and landed next to him. “I’m really sorry about what happened with Derpy.” She said kindly to the wounded alicorn. He was taken aback. “What? How’d you know about that?” “Oh it’s easy! I read what the author wrote!” She cried out happily, hopping into the air. “The author?! You mean that I’m not the only one that knows he exists?” Pinkie Pie looked at him happily. “So you don’t think I’m crazy? You’re not chalking this up to ‘just being Pinkie Pie’?” She had tears forming in her eyes at the idea that someone not only believed her, but understood her tribulations. “Thank you so much.” They sat underneath the stars and stared into the horizon. “Twichtums, you’re the only pony that’s experienced the same things I had. You’re special.” She nuzzled against him and smiled. Something about that smile warmed his insides immensely. He couldn’t help but put a wing around her, as they spent the remainder of the party staring at the stars dotting the deep blue sky.