Chapter 16: A Walk in the Park
Repair and Deliver
Story 6
Chapter 16: A Walk in the Park
By: SleeplessScribe
Once everything was sorted out, we brought my long lost dog back home. Fluttershy was kind enough to give us a bag of food and a collar for him as well, though it was a bit of a hassle trying to find a collar that fit. Not only that, but she also gave us a leash to avoid having him run off again. Tucker was all too happy to be back, and he seemed even happier to have Dinky as well. When the big lab finally got his strength back, the two played all day while I helped Ditzy with her Saturday bake sale.
Not long after her bake sale ended, I got a letter from Mr. Fjord with those Model T papers. Dinky was napping on a Tucker pillow when I came in, and Ditzy was washing dishes and putting things from the sale away.
“Oh, what are those, Torque?”
“Uh huh.” Obviously I wasn’t paying as much attention to her as I should have been, because it literally took her looking over my shoulder to make me realize she was asking me something.
“Torque, what are all these?”
“Sorry, I must have zoned out. They’re schematics and blueprints for Fjord’s Model T. I think if I study them long enough, I’m bound to get an idea for something that can help your eyes. Of course, that’s not to say I’m going to cancel our trip tomorrow so I can spend all day doing that, but I plan on investing some time into brainstorming tonight.”
She sat down next to me, pushing the papers onto the table and setting her hooves over my own. “I’m fine with that, but please don’t let it take you over. I’ve lived like this for years, and while it would be wonderful to fly straight and have my old position back and do all the other things normal pegasi can do, remember that I can do without it."
I leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I’ll remember.”
“There’s one more thing, Torque.” Ditzy looked out the door and towards her napping daughter. “I love you. Dinky loves you. You—”
My marefriend didn’t need to say anything else. I hoped that holding my hoof to her lips was enough to clue her in, and she did stay silent once I withdrew it. She leaned herself forward and allowed me to pull her into a comforting, warm hug.
“Now that I think about it… how was last night?”
I heard her wings ruffle for an instant before she looked up at me. “Not as awkward as I thought it’d be. In fact, it felt nice to have somepony to snuggle with.”
“Yeah… it was nice. Really, it’s nice being with you regardless of where we are.”
She nuzzled up under my chin, but the sound that came out wasn’t exactly a giggle. The closest thing I could equate it to was a sigh, but it was perkier… if that makes any sense. “Aw, how sweet. You really are the best, Torque.”
As I thought about it some more, I stood up and tried to pull Ditzy with me. “Can we go into your room? I want to talk about something, but I don’t want Dinky to overhear us if she wakes up.”
The pegasus blinked once. “Of course….”
We trotted into her room and closed the door. I brought her to the bed, and we sat down together. “This is really hard on me. I love you both a lot, but I still question if I’m doing the right thing. I mean, there’s no guarantee all of this won’t blow up in our faces…. The idea that something may go wrong with us really scares me.”
As I fell onto the bed, Ditzy followed suit and rested her head on my chest. “That’s strange. I thought you were an incredible optimist. Where’s all that ‘glass half full’ talk, hm?”
“Oh, that’s not fair. Yes, I try to find the good in everything, but even I worry sometimes.”
She giggled a little and kissed me. “I know, I’m just messing with you. Take your time, Torque. Didn’t you ever read fairy tales when you were little? Love conquers all.”
With her words came clarity, and a peace that I really couldn’t describe. “You keep calling me the best, but you’re not bad yourself, Ditzy.”
“Oh, stop.”
To be honest, the rest of the day was… well, it was fun, but it wouldn’t make for a good story, and I am telling a story. When I wasn’t playing with Dinky and Tucker, I was with Ditzy playing a game, helping with dinner and dishes, or planning our zoo trip. When I wasn’t with Ditzy, I was brainstorming and sketching and coming up with possible ideas for another vision corrector.
As I thought, I began to think back to my sister. Not only did this prompt me to write a letter back home just detail how I was and mentioning that I’d be in Vanhoover tomorrow, but I also did get an idea. In reality, there were plenty of ways I could go about trying to realign Ditzy’s eyes. The problem was that most of them would look ridiculous. However, my sister wore glasses, and that image combined with a lot of the connecting parts that moved in sync with each other detailed in the blueprints gave me a big, big idea.
Immediately, I started drawing up sketches for it. If I could get a hold of the materials tomorrow, building it wouldn’t be a problem. The best part was that the time I’d need for it wouldn’t even cut into our zoo and picnic time! Oh, tomorrow was going to be great.
When I got up, both girls were already up, and Dinky was in the kitchen eating. “Good morning, Papa Torque!”
“Good morning, Dinky. Where’s your mom?”
The little unicorn pointed towards the door between here and the living room. “She’s taking a shower now. She said she wants to be ready to go as soon as possible! I’ve already gotten a bath and everything!”
“Well that’s good.”
She looked at me and then pushed a plate towards me. They looked like tarts, but I couldn’t tell what kind until I actually tasted them. I guess Ditzy remembered my mentioning of strawberries. “Papa Torque, can we take Big Tucker with us? It’s not fair if he has to stay here all by himself when we just got him.”
Good thing I remembered to get a leash. “Yes we can. You don’t see too many zoos that allow pets, but as long as they’re on a leash, they’re allowed in this one. The animals there don’t freak out, for whatever reason. I’m not sure if they’re trained that way or something, but yes, we can take him.”
It was an odd thing, but I think his leg may have just been hurting, because he wasn’t limping anymore. Either that or Dinky’s magic was much stronger than any of us thought. After a while, Ditzy walked in and wrapped a wing around each of us.
“Good morning! How’s breakfast?”
Had I not actually had a mouth full of food, I’d have answered immediately. “Amazing! You really do know how to cook.”
“Aw, thank you, Torque.” Once again, I was nearly knocked out by a kiss. Her kisses alone were enough to hack away at my sanity. However, she drew back and covered her nose. “Phew, Torque! Into the bathroom, now! You’d better wash off that stink if you want to go anywhere!”
I guess you can’t really smell yourself, so I had to go on what I was told. Either way, I planned to shower regardless. Once I was done, I poked my head through the door to see Ditzy packing bags into a big basket that she had strapped to saddle belt.
“Dinky, aren’t you excited?”
I didn’t even notice her giving Tucker belly rubs until she said something. “Uh huh! I can’t wait to see all the animals! There’s also the park. I’m sure Big Tucker will love it there!”
Ditzy’s ears twitched when her daughter brought him up. “Oh, that reminds me. We can’t forget to bring some treats for him, can we?”
The filly shook her head. “Nope!” After this, she reduced my dog to a pitiful mess of spoiledness via a double-hoofed tummy rub. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?”
Tucker never was shy, but seeing him like this was just sad. In a good way. If that… makes any sense. You could really tell just how rotten he was by the way he just soaked up all that love.
“Torque, quit snooping, I know you’re there!”
I poked my head around the corner and winked at Ditzy. “Well aren’t you a regular detective?”
She rolled her eyes as best she could. “Do you mind if I ask you a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Wash your hat.”
I tilted my head a bit. “My hat?”
She nodded in response. The pegasus was still rather invested in her picnic preparations, though. “Yes, your hat. No offense, but it smells. Like… really bad.”
I heard a giggle from behind me as well. “Haha, Papa Torque has a stinky hat! Ew!”
“Fine, if it’s really that big a deal.” It was obvious, at least I hoped, that I didn’t really mind. Though I was a bit confused as to where the laundry room was, as I was used to washing machines, whereas Ditzy only had a manual washboard. However, it was kind of a nice change. Getting to use my hooves for something that I had once had to just wait around for was oddly… cool. It was like I got to see the progress I was making. I really am weird if I find pleasure from manually washing a hat.
Once it was clean, I had to wait for it to dry. However, the waiting gave me an idea. Ditzy was finally finished making the food, and was brushing Tucker’s hair when I came in. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re doing something with Tucker!”
“Why’s that?”
“Do you mind if I take him for a walk with Dinky? I’m not about to put on a damp hat, so I need to do something while it dries. Besides, he probably needs to do some business anyway.”
“Oh, not at all! Just be careful you don’t lose Dinky!”
I chuckled a bit as I spotted the lab’s collar. “Don’t worry, I have my cute detector on… but it must not be working right. Where is she right now?”
“Here I am!” Before I knew it, I was assaulted by a small mass of adorable. Once again I found myself with a filly unicorn on my back as she climbed up. “I was cleaning my room and putting Mr. Wags to bed! He’s not feeling to good, so he needs some sleep.”
I tried not to chuckle again. It was cute how she treated him like a living thing, but a small part of me wondered if she realized he was just a toy. “Well, while he’s sleeping, would you like to take Tucker for a walk?”
“Oh! Oh! Can I walk him? Please?”
While those big, honey eyes were hard to say no to, this was a situation that called for it. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but he’d drag you across town. He is a strong dog, you know.”
She looked down, circling the floor with her hoof. “Aw, okay. Come on, Big Tucker! Do you want to go for a walk?”
The lab poked his head up, his tail wagging as Dinky called to him. Almost immediately, he hopped up and made his way over to the filly and let me latch the leash onto his collar. Dinky started rubbing him behind the ears, which resulted in his left hind leg starting to twitch. That was always a funny thing to watch.
When he finally calmed down, we took him outside and watched as other ponies turned their heads. I guess dogs Tucker’s size weren’t very common around here. Then again, Tucker was big for his age.
I have to admit, I got a little worried every time he jerked his head towards a squirrel or other small critter, but Dinky would always give him a soft bonk on the head and shake her own. “No, Big Tucker. No chasing.”
Thank Celestia I had Dinky with me. Keeping Tucker under control wasn’t exactly difficult, but she made it a lot easier. After a few minutes outside Tucker finally found a tree that was to his liking and took care of business.
“Good boy, Big Tucker!” The little filly gave him as big a hug as she could, prompting a loud bark from him. “Who’s a good doggie?” Again, he barked at Dinky’s affectionate loving. It really was a sweet sight.
“So Dinky, how does it feel to finally have a dog?”
She looked up at me with those pretty little eyes, her grin just as sweet. “It’s so so so so so great! I love Big Tucker! It’s not just that either… it’s just the feeling of finally having something you wanted for a really long time. You know what I mean, Papa Torque?”
Leaning forward, I softly patted her head. “I do know what you mean.”
It never occurred to me that we had actually gone a decent ways away from the house, and another thought crossed my mind as we turned around. “Say, Dinky… have you ever even seen your father?”
She paused for a moment, tapping her chin. Was there anything this child couldn’t make cute? I bet even her burps were adorable. “Not really. All I know is that he must have been a unicorn. In all honesty, I don’t care. Anypony mean enough to break a sweet pony like Momma’s heart is not a pony I want to meet. Oh, but you can be sure I’m gonna have a few words for him if we do meet.”
I drew back a little, letting out a small chuckle. “Well I’m glad I’m not him. I wouldn’t want to be on Super Dinky’s bad side.”
Dinky nodded and patted the lab again. “Super Dinky and her trusty steed, Big Tucker!”
This time it was an all-out laugh. “Now that’s really scary!”
“I’d teach him not to be mean anymore!”
“Atta girl!”
She paused again, walking closer to me and nudging my leg. “Papa Torque, do you love Momma?”
The question admittedly caught me off guard, but it’s not like I needed to think about the answer. “Yes, Dinky, I love her very much.”
The next one, however, threw me for a loop. “Do you love me?”
This one did take just a little bit of thought. However, I couldn’t really say no; how could you not love something so huggable? “I do, Dinky. You’re a sweet filly with a heart of gold, just like your mother.”
She leaned forward and wrapped both forelegs around on of mine, her smile capable of melting ice. “I wish you were my dad. That would be so much fun, wouldn’t it?”
I couldn’t help but return the affection. Little Dinky didn’t know it, but she was really tugging at my heart. “That would be fun. I’m sure we’d play and play all the time, and make cookies and draw pictures and all kinds of stuff.”
Once again I became the S.S. Torque with Captain Dinky on board. “Wee! That does sound like lots of fun! Papa Torque… why can’t you be my real papa?”
“Dinky! Torque! Are you ready?” Ditzy’s voice was always a welcome sound, but it was more beautiful now than ever before. “Everything’s packed, and I’m ready.”
Dinky started bouncing as she liked to do, hopping off of me and making a beeline for her mother. “I’m ready! Are we going? Are we going? Are we going?”
“Calm down, sweetie! Yes, we’re going as soon as Torque puts on his,” I didn’t even put it on, it was more so playfully thrust onto my head, “hat. There, now we can go.”
Unless Tucker suddenly sprouted hooves and learned to stand on his hind legs, the clapping I heard came from the little filly. Unfortunately, Ditzy’s little joke left me blind until I pulled my hat off of my eyes. Once I did, there was only one thing that worried me.
Thank Celestia they let dogs on the train.
During the entire trip, Dinky couldn’t contain herself. She continued asking questions about what kinds of animals were there, how big it was, if there were other ponies with dogs, if other ponies even brought their pets, and so much more. Sometimes I wondered if she was powered by sugar, because she was as hyper as she was sweet and loveable.
Then, as if finding my long lost dog wasn’t enough, I was gifted with another huge surprise once we got off the train.
“Surprise!”
Literally.
I jumped back, staring at all three ponies as Tucker barked at them. A loud gasp cut through the silence as the younger of the two mares rushed over to him, pouring about fifty tons of love onto him.
Ditzy tilted her head and nudged me. “Um… Torque? Are you okay?”
To be honest, I had no idea. The presence of these ponies was enough to make me feel a little awkward, but their silence made it even worse. “M-Mom? Dad? Sis? What are you all doing here?”
It was no surprise that my father cut in on my mother before she even got a chance to speak. That happened quite often, though I don’t think Ratchet actually realized he did it. “Well, when we got your letter, we were very eager to meet the lucky lady you caught. Not to mention the apparently irresistibly cute filly she had with her. And now we see you found Tucker after all this time, too!”
The pegasus’ ears perked up as she held a hoof out to him. “Oh, so you’re Torque’s family? I’m Ditzy Doo, and it’s wonderful to meet you!”
My father took her hoof, giving a single, strong shake. “Nice to meet you, Ditzy. My name’s Ratchet, and I’m sure you can tell that Torque’s my boy!”
As embarrassed as I was to have them here, it was nice to see the look on Ditzy’s face showing no signs of negative emotion. “Oh, it’s quite obvious. From that hair down to your cheerful attitude, you two are just alike!”
Next up was my mother, who greeted Ditzy with a warm hug. “Well, aren’t a pretty little thing? My name’s Rosemary, and I know it’s hard to tell, but I’m Torque’s mother.”
Ditzy smiled at her and hugged her again. “So, he got his eyes and his manners from you, then?”
My mother giggled, nudging dad and winking at him. “I like her already. So who’s the little one that Violet has apparently adopted already?”
Once she mentioned this, we all looked down to see my sister rubbing Tucker’s belly and tickling Dinky’s. Obviously, she was too busy to introduce herself, but her mother didn’t seem to have a problem doing it for her.
“That’s Dinky, my whole world. I assume that’s your sister, Torque?”
Violet’s ears twitched when she was mentioned. As she nearly fell trying to get back on all four hooves, I noticed something odd about her. “Oh, right! I’m Violet! Torque has told me a great deal about you.”
“Hey sis… where are your glasses?”
At once, she turned to me, sporting that close-eyed smile that she tended to show. “Oh, you noticed? Yeah, I finally worked up the courage to try contacts. They work really well, but once I master this vision spell I won’t need anything.”
“Wait… did you say vision spell?” You know, I actually wanted to say that myself, but hearing Ditzy say it before me was actually quite a surprise.
However, my sister seemed to catch her meaning immediately. “I’m sorry, Ditzy… it would do nothing to correct your vision. Don’t worry, though, my brother’s a genius in his own way. I’m positive he’ll figure something out.”
“Aha!”
Nearly everyone jumped back at my random exclamation. “Sorry… I just think Violet gave me an idea without even trying.”
Violet tilted her head some. “And that’s… good, right?”
“It is good. I do have to ask though… will you be joining us?”
My dad immediately began to shake his head. “While we’d love to, the shop is being remodeled. I’m going to be overseeing that. However, we would appreciate it if you’d come by this evening for dinner.”
I opened my mouth, but Ditzy’s wings started to flutter as she stepped in front of me. “We’d love to!”
Mom started clapping as my marefriend’s wings settled down. “Wonderful! We’ll see you there! It was nice meeting you, Ditzy!”
She waved at them as they started walking down the sidewalk. “It was nice meeting you too!”
I waited until I was sure they were out of earshot before letting out a sigh. “Well… that was awkward.”
Ditzy giggled and brushed my nose with her tail. “You’ve got a nice family. They’re very sweet.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Onward, trusty steed!” Both of us turned to Dinky, who was now on Tucker’s back as the dog made his way towards the city square. It took a moment for things to click in our heads, but afterwards we rushed towards her.
Ditzy grabbed a hold of her daughter while I secured Tucker’s leash, both of us breathing heavily from the slight panic. “Dinky! What on earth were you thinking?”
The little filly’s ears fell flat as she pursed her lip. “Sorry Momma… I thought it was fun.”
She picked up Dinky, twirling around with her for a little bit. “Please don’t do that again, you scared the daylights out of me.”
After Dinky nodded, I tapped both their shoulders and nudged my head forward. “Ready for the zoo?”
Immediately the little filly started clapping, bringing a smile to our faces again. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I can’t wait, let’s go, go, go!”
“Alright, settle down, sweetie. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
Luckily, the zoo wasn’t actually too far from where we were. Since it was so early, it was also nice and cool outside. In fact, about the only thing bad about our visit was the smell. Tucker was very well behaved, and Dinky pretty much squealed at everything we saw. There was even one point where she brought up something I should have done before we came.
We were walking through the area with all their birds, and when we came across the pink flamingos, Dinky trotted up to them with twinkling eyes. “Wow, pretty! Momma, did you bring a camera?”
Once I heard that, I half hit half tapped the ground with my hoof. “Aw man! I should have thought of that, a camera would’ve been great to have here.”
“Well, there’s always next time. I’m sure we’ll come back one day, right Torque?”
You know, sometimes I wish I had wings, as Ditzy made me feel kind of bad for putting hers around me when I had nothing with which to return the gesture. “Well, sure! I don’t see a reason not to.”
For about the third time today, Dinky was clapping and giggling like she had just been given her own candy store. I was honestly surprised her cuteness hadn’t given me a heart attack yet. “Well Dinky, where do you want to go next?”
“Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go see the monkeys!”
Ditzy giggled, lowering herself to allow the unicorn on her back for once. “Very well then, to the monkeys!”
“Yay! Monkeys! Ooh ooh! Aah aah!”
She was like that the entire time. It really surprised me how Dinky didn’t seem scared of anything, even the lions and tigers and bears. Oh my. Honestly, I think Tucker was a little jealous, as he would whine whenever Dinky started fawning over another animal.
Finally it got to the point where we had explored nearly every exhibit the place had, and Dinky was now sporting a cute new koala backpack, some new animal books, and a panda lunchbox. Ditzy and I both agree that the lunchbox was almost a necessity. As we made our way to the exit, the small unicorn tugged on her mother’s wing.
“Wait! What about the petting area?”
I nearly facehoofed when she brought that up. “Oh, you’re right! How could I have forgotten? You want to go pet some animals, Dinky?”
As always, she started bouncing around excitedly. “Yes please!” Tucker barked out as she said this, prompting both girls to start rubbing his head. “Aw, don’t worry Big Tucker. You’ll always get the most pets.”
He barked again as we turned around. The petting zoo was relatively close to the entrance, and there were many fenced in areas with critters of all sorts. Dinky immediately made her way to the rabbits, and they flocked to her like screws to a magnet. The filly didn’t even try to leave until she had patted every last one of them, and she even got to feed them.
Next, she decided to play with the pigs. Ditzy wasn’t too pleased with it, but at least Dinky didn’t get mud all over herself. As she looked around some more, she spotted foxes, but this time the cycle was broken. While most of them came to her, the smallest one of the bunch sat in the corner and didn’t even bother to move. When she saw this, the unicorn slowly walked over to it.
It growled a little, getting louder as Dinky reached out. I was really scared that it would bite her, but all it did was whine when she began to pet it. “There, there. Don’t be scared.”
A part of me wondered what exactly this fox’s problem was, but at the moment, I was more engrossed with just watching Dinky pet it. After a while, she finally stopped and came back to us. “Poor thing was just scared. It’s okay though, I made it all better!”
Out of curiosity I looked over to the pen again. That little fox had come to the fence, looking up at Dinky. However, it drew back a little when the filly turned to face it again. “Aw, still shy. What’s next?”
Ditzy giggled and lifted her daughter up. “The park. Sorry sweetie, but it’s just about lunch time. But don’t frown just yet! We have a surprise for you!”
Her little ears twitched when she heard this, and her eyes lit up when I revealed the kites I had managed to hide from her. “I got one for each of us! I got a bluejay, a robin, and a cardinal. Don’t you thinking flying kites will be fun?”
“Yeah! I can’t wait! Can I have the robin, Papa Torque?”
Somehow this filly always managed to make me chuckle. “Of course you can! But first we—”
Isn’t it funny how your stomach always seems to finish your “we need food” or “I’m hungry” sentences for you? It didn’t help that the growl was especially loud. Like, I think three or four ponies even turned their heads to me.
My marefriend giggled again and cutely pressed her nose against my cheek. “Point taken. Let’s all get to the park and have that picnic!”
I led them out of the zoo and down a few blocks to the huge park in the middle of the city. It was built fairly recently, but it came as a slight surprise that they still hadn’t named it. After a few minutes of looking around, all of us, Tucker included, agreed on a nice spot beneath a big oak tree. There was plenty of shade, and that made for a nice, cool spot to lay down and rest our legs as we got everything set up. I actually didn’t know that Ditzy had made tea, but I should have guessed since she loved making sweet things.
Once the blanket was spread out, we set down the bowl for Tucker and poured some food in that, leaving him to eat as we prepared our own food. Ditzy had made small peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into little triangles, her amazing banana nut muffins, a few sleeves of crackers, and some grilled cheese sandwiches too. Aw man, just the smell of those muffins was enough to put me in a daze, and it actually took Ditzy waving her hoof in my face to bring me back to earth.
“Hello? Torque, are you okay?”
After a quick shake of the head, I nodded, which probably wasn’t the best course of action since it probably confused the heck out of her. “I’m good, sorry. Those muffins just look and smell so good.”
She wagged her hoof in front of my face with a grin. “Ah, ah, ah, no muffins until you’ve had actual lunch.”
I heard Dinky giggle behind me as she pet on Tucker. “Hehe, Momma does that to me, too.”
“When did you make those grilled cheese sandwiches? I wasn’t in the shower that long, was I?”
Ditzy sat down and set plates out for us, setting up everything she had made on the blanket. “Oh, I started on them as soon as I finished breakfast. Go on and try one!”
I did as she said and chomped down on one of them. “Mmm, you even make the most basic of food taste better than normal! Ditzy, are you sure your special talent isn’t actually cooking?”
Her cheeks starting to redden as she circled the ground with her hoof. “Oh, stop! I’m not that good, I just enjoy cooking. Recipes are hard to read sometimes, though, and it takes some trial and error when I’m trying out something new before I get it completely right!”
She was laughing about it, but I really didn’t find it funny at all. The poor mare couldn’t even read without her crooked eyes messing her up. As I munched on my sandwich, I thought back to my friends at the shop. It just… baffled me how they could tell me to give up on fixing Ditzy’s eyes.
“Torque? Are you sure you’re alright? You really look like something’s bothering you.”
There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. “Ditzy, I just… it kind of upsets me how everyone I talk to is telling me not to bother with your eyes. They’re just such an obstacle for you, and it’s an obstacle that doesn’t have to be there. I know you’re not a machine, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fix you. I’m no doctor, but I know there has to be something I can create that will help.”
She reached over and brought me to her, leaning me against her chest. “Torque, you have to understand. If there truly is a way to restore my vision, it’s going to take either a lot of money, time, and effort, or a lot of money and risk. I guess some ponies don’t think it’s worth it, and to be honest, I don’t think it is either. These crooked eyes are something I’ve lived with for a long time, and I’ve learned to cope with them. Sure, I can’t read well or fly, but I get by, right? Maybe I can’t really look you in the eyes, but I still know how you feel.”
There was so much I wanted to say, but none of it really felt right. Besides, I would have gotten interrupted quite soon. “Not only that, but you’ve pretty much negated everything negative that my vision causes. The cost of living won’t be a problem now that we’re both under one roof, I’m much happier than I’ve ever been, and Dinky’s got a bunch of new friends now.”
“I guess you’re right.”
What she said next made up my mind. I had been a little back and forth on the idea for a while, but now I was sure. “Torque, we don’t need my eyes to be fixed, we need you.”
Before I said anything, I made sure Dinky was still distracted by either food or Tucker. After a long sigh, I looked up at the mare and tried to think of the right words. “Ditzy… do you think we’re meant for each other? Like, I know I’m kind of like a missing puzzle piece, but can you say for sure if we’d be able to get through anything together? I’ve been thinking about it and… it’s like, how do we know we’re not just putting each other on pedestals?”
I was honestly expecting a reaction much less calm than what I was met with. “Well… these things take time. We haven’t really been tested, but I do know this: nopony has ever made me feel as loved as you do. My family isn’t a shining example of support, but they have been good to me, just far outshined by you. Torque, I really wish you could stop worrying. To be quite honest with you, I feel like you’ve kind of forgotten your own mantra. Look on the bright side, remember?”
With a small laugh, I leaned up and kissed her cheek. “And here I thought I was the one cheering you up. Thanks, Ditzy.”
The mare giggled and teasingly poked a sandwich in my mouth. “Well, it’s not really fair if I don’t try to cheer you up from time to time, is it?”
Unfortunately, our little moment was interrupted, but what replaced it was almost as good. The sound resembled a squeaky, high-pitched sheep, and we both turned to see Dinky blushing a little.
“Heh heh… excuse me.” I knew she even had cute burps.
Ditzy reached over and rubbed her daughter’s head, finally decided to get some food for herself. To be honest, I was surprised that Tucker was sitting there instead of trying to take our food. He was normally such a beggar. I guess he was just tired from earlier and full from his recent meal.
Finally we got “permission” to have muffins, and they we probably the best part of lunch. Really, I could go on and on for hours about how delicious Ditzy’s baked goods were. When we were done, Dinky was all too excited to try flying her kite. Ditzy and I took turns holding Tucker’s leash, since he wanted to run with Dinky whenever she took her kite somewhere. The little filly’s laughter could’ve brought a smile to anyone’s face, and just watching her have fun was enough for me even when it was my turn to hold Tucker.
We flew the kites for what felt like hours before Ditzy and I started getting tired. For once since I met her, I think Dinky was actually getting a little tired too. Having to shake Dinky’s kite out of a tree twice probably didn’t help. To help ourselves kind of level out, we took a slow walk through the park. It was very relaxing, but Dinky still managed to stay hyped up by pointing out and naming all of the animals we saw. I have to say, the cool breeze combined with the gorgeous green grass and lively trees really pulled me away from the real world for most of the walk. By the time we were done, the sun was just starting to go down, but I couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive about what was to come.
As we packed up and left the park, I felt the mare nudge me. “Torque, what’s on your mind this time?”
It felt really mean, but it was the truth. “I’m kinda… embarrassed to bring you to my parents’ house. I don’t know why, I just felt so awkward when they met us on the train station.”
“Duh! They’re your parents, it’s their job to mess with you. Besides, I like your family, they seem really nice.”
“Well they are, but it’s just awkward like I said. There’s just something about my parents knowing I’m in a relationship that makes me go ‘Please don’t bring it up. Please don’t bring it up. Please don’t bring it up.’ in my head. You know?”
She leaned to the side and rested her head on me. “Just calm down. Everything will be fine, Torque.”
I stopped for a moment, remembering the little deep breath trick Luna had taught me. “Yeah. It’s just my family, and they’re not that goofy. And you already said you like them. Yeah. What’s there to worry about?”
Ditzy smiled and kissed my cheek. “That’s the spirit. Come on, let’s go.”
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*but
*or
You need a comma before "Papa".
delete
It sounds more normal that way.
No. Bad.
You could use many different words or phrases here. "pb&j" looks very poor, especially "&". The best fix would be to spell it out or use "sandwich".
*cheep(?)
*squeak(?)
Personal comment:
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh snap.
Torque... Are you just asking for trouble?
3580949 About that last one: no, he meant Dinky sounded like she was baaaaaaaaaaaaaing, but squeaky.
And that third one is meant to be read quickly, which is why I didn't put a comma in.
So you are going for the wipers, with an offset? or will the noninear mean the ackerman?
Oh well, onwards, onwards, to the fa,mi,leeee.
3580972
I see. To indicate speed you could use:
“Good-morning-Papa-Torque!” (Something I do frequently when writing Pinkie Pie.)
Or what I would recommend for this particular sentence:
“Good morning, Papa Torque!” she said quickly and excitedly. (It doesn't have to be exactly that, but you get the idea)
You can use other ways besides incorrect grammar to describe how a character speaks.
3581155 Oh yeah? Well... you're not my mom! ...I think.... wat.
3581177
Uhhhhhhhh...
3581198 Sorry. Too much eggnog. I'm going to bed.
3581209
But I though you were the Sleepless Scribe?
3581219 I write so much that getting 5 hours of sleep is unusual for me. It's not like I never sleep.
3493042 I just thought of Beat now, but no, that's not a cap. It's a beanie.