//------------------------------// // Accident by palaikai (Human/Hopeful) // Story: Derpy Eyes: A ManeDerp prompt tag collab // by TheMusicalBoy93 //------------------------------// Written by palaikai “Miss?” Ditzy reacted to the man's voice by tilting her head slightly, willing her woozy vision to focus on him. Rain and fog obscured the window, making it impossible to see the figure lurking beyond clearly. “Miss, are you all right?” His voice sounded strained, which wasn't all that unusual under the circumstances. As far as she could see, wrecked cars filled the road; horns were honking, irate drivers reprimanded each other, the injured cried. Ditzy continued to grip the steering wheel, her greyish hands turning white under the pressure, panting heavily. Something cold twisted in her stomach, and for a second she feared that she had sustained some injury beyond the minor bumps and bruises she'd received from being knocked around the tiny cabin. After a couple of moments and a series of deep breaths, some semblance of sanity was restored to her and she rolled down the window. “I'm fine, thank you,” she replied, shivering as the biting cold got in. Despite her reassurances, she couldn't stop shaking – not just because of the frigid temperature – and the urge to be violently ill overwhelmed her. The man looked at her curiously, perhaps noting how her skin had paled, or the one-handed death grip she was maintaining on the wheel. “There's a cafe that's just a short walk from here. Maybe you should call your folks or something?” Ditzy nodded. She didn't want to leave the car, but neither did she want to stay inside it. The accident had been a blur of wild colours, twisting shapes and discordant noise, caused by a mixture of terrible driving conditions and rush hour traffic. No one was really to blame for it, but all the same she felt responsible for all those vehicles she'd collided with while trying to get out of the way. Grabbing her jacket and bag, Ditzy exited her parents' battered car and took stock of the damage; both fenders were crumpled, the headlights smashed, and the bumper was hanging at a listless angle. It could've been so much worse, but that was small comfort to the girl as she trudged along the muddy path to the cafe. A few others were heading in the same direction. She tried not to think too much about how badly her body ached. Most of it was just down to shock, she guessed. The cafe was a haven of light and life, and Ditzy felt almost instantly better to be out of the cold; it was decorated in a retro-style that was all the rage out in the sticks, and she felt bad about the dirt she was dragging in on to the nice, clean check-pattern floor. Her blonde hair fell in ragged rat-tails, clinging to her face and neck, her blue shirt and green skirt were soaked-through, and she could no longer feel her hands. She sank gratefully into a maroon-coloured bench, closed her eyes and tried to relax. “Can I help you, sugarcube?” a waitress asked, taking quick note of Ditzy's bedraggled appearance and looking down at her sympathetically. “Oh, uh,” replied Ditzy, trying to force her scattered thoughts into some kind of cohesion. She had to force her chattering teeth to be still while she spoke. “Um, could I make a 'phone call?” “Sure. There's a 'phone just to the side of the cash register,” said the waitress. “Can I get you anything else?” “Er, a hot chocolate, please.” “Comin' right up.” After the waitress moved off to take someone else's order, Ditzy ambled over to the 'phone. Who do I call? Her parents were out of town on business, most of her friends were otherwise engaged due to the … her mental checklist came to an abrupt halt and she was just about to sit back down in defeat when another name sprang to mind. Quickly, she dialled the number before she lost her nerve. “Hello?” came a soft, sleepy voice. “Fluttershy, it's Ditzy. Um, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but uh, I've been in accident and I was wondering if you'd be able to … come over.” “Oh, dear,” said Fluttershy, empathy and concern radiating through the 'phone line. “Are you all right? Where are you?” “I'm fine,” replied Ditzy, the knot in her stomach abating somewhat at hearing the warmth of Fluttershy. If she wanted to, she could probably calm a storm with just a few sweet words. “Uh, I'm at this cafe just off route forty-two. It's near the interchange for Ponyville.” “Got it,” said Fluttershy. “I'll be there as soon as I can. Are you sure you're okay, though?” “I am. I'll see you in a bit.” Ditzy placed the 'phone back on the hook and let out a sigh. It had been a while since she'd seen Fluttershy on anything other than a professional basis; they had been good friends at school, but they'd drifted apart when their lives had taken them to very different places. It was barely twenty minutes later that Fluttershy arrived in that dinky little hybrid of hers; Ditzy didn't even wait for the girl with the light yellow skin and luxuriant pink hair to get through the door, instead she immediately embraced her at the threshold. Uncertainly, awkwardly, Fluttershy reciprocated, allowing Ditzy to sob into her shoulder. “What happened?” she asked, running a hand through her sodden blonde mane. Ditzy led her to the booth she had been waiting at, where two steaming hot chocolates sat next to what looked to be like a slice of home-made apple pie. She nudged one of the mugs over to Fluttershy and started talking hurriedly. “I, uh, there was a mix-up at the sorting office today. The manager insisted on blaming me, even though it wasn't my fault, and after work I just drove off without really paying attention to where I was going. It started raining and I couldn't see, and … the car just came out of nowhere! I did my best to get out of the way, but I ended up hitting several more.” With a shaky hand, she took her mug and sipped at the drink. Her belly couldn't even contemplate the apple pie at the moment, despite the rich cinnamon scent causing her taste buds to tingle in anticipation. Fluttershy listened sympathetically, wishing that there was more that she could do than just lending a supportive ear. “I'm sorry for what happened, but you shouldn't blame yourself. I don't think anyone was seriously hurt in the accident, and most of the cars that were able to were moving off by the time I arrived. As for work … you'll just have to make your manager listen to you when you say that what happened wasn't your fault.” “I wish I could be more like you,” Ditzy said. “Ever since you got with Rainbow Dash and the others, you've been more … confident, centred. Remember what you were like back in school? So shy that you couldn't even tell someone your name?” “I remember.” Fluttershy smiled at the memory, only for the first time realising how much she'd changed over the years thanks to the efforts of her friends. That timid person was still a part of her, but Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, all of them, had forced her to understand that if she wanted something in life she was going to have to take it. Her face darkened and she hesitantly looked at her old friend. “I left you behind.” “You didn't. It's what happens.” Ditzy wasn't at all sure she was masking her bitterness, but she didn't much care. “You meet new people, you lose track of the old ones.” “I didn't want to lose you,” said Fluttershy, unexpectedly angry at the accusation. “I tried to keep you in my life, tried to make time for you, but you were always off doing something else. We had nothing in common.” She forced herself to calm down; there was no point in dredging up all this nonsense from the past, especially not when she was here on a mission of mercy. “D'you need a lift home?” “I think the car'll be up to the journey,” Ditzy said quietly, annoyed at herself for berating her old friend the way she had. Fluttershy was out here at her request after all. “I just … needed someone to be here and I thought of you. Funny, huh?” There was no humour in her voice at all. “Yeah. Funny.” “Shall we go?” asked Ditzy. “Or d'you want to split the pie?” Fluttershy shook her head. “I'm good, thank you.” Together, they left the cafe and headed to Ditzy's car; Fluttershy winced at the damage, but Ditzy appeared to be correct in her assessment that it would at least make the trip home. “I really do appreciate you comin' all the way out here for me,” Ditzy said, lowering her head until she was hidden under a mass of blonde locks. “You're welcome,” said Fluttershy dismissively. “And I'm sorry for … well, I'm just sorry. For everything.” “Me, too. You're right. I should've been a better friend to you.” Without even realising she was doing it, Fluttershy's hand reached out to take Ditzy's. It was still cold, and she tried to impart some of her heat by rubbing the fingers gently with her own. “You were-” Fluttershy's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. “You were always really important to me, and I should've done better to let you know that.” Ditzy pulled away from Fluttershy's touch; not because she wanted to, but because it was stirring up a lot of old feelings that were probably best kept buried. “I should really get going,” she said under her breath. “I have to be up early for work in the morning. And I need to think about what I'm gonna say to my boss.” “Will you call me tomorrow, please?” asked Fluttershy, almost pleadingly. “I'd like a chance to properly catch up with you.” Soft yellow eyes met dazzling blue ones. It was a stare that was impossible to ignore. “I'd like that very much,” said Ditzy, and she meant it. Meeting Fluttershy again like this, after all this time, had inspired something within her; she wasn't one for believing in fate or anything like that, but perhaps there was more at work here than simply needing someone to talk to. “Tomorrow. After I sort things out at work. I promise.” Fluttershy smiled. “I look forward to it.” As Ditzy entered her car, she added, “Have a safe trip back.” Ditzy merely rolled her eyes and smiled her first genuine smile of the day. Maybe they could be friends again? Maybe … the way Fluttershy had taken her hand, there was the possibility that there could be more than just friendship in their future.