Repair and Deliver

by SleeplessScribe

Chapter 18: The Third Gift

Repair and Deliver
Story 6
Chapter 18: The Third Gift
By: SleeplessScribe

Dinky grabbed a hold of her mother and started rubbing her face all over her chest. “Yay! Momma can see! Momma can see!”

Dad gave me a rather rough pat on the back as he let out his big, gruff trademark laugh. “So, boy, how’d you do it?”

“Well, looking through all of those plans gave me an idea. Most of the parts in the Model T that rely on alignment use each other to stay aligned. Kind of like attaching two pendulums to each other so one is forced to be in sync with the other. I wanted to try making something that would line up Ditzy’s eyes by forcing the bad one to move with the good. The hard part was making something that would allow her to close her eyes and would also be small enough to be practical… as well as being something she wouldn’t be embarrassed to go out in public in.”

My sister poked her head between us with the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her. “That’s where I came in. I used magic to tether the small levers inside the frame of the glasses to the contacts. Whenever Ditzy moves one eye, the levers respond and put out enough force to keep her other eye lined up. Not only that, but the magic tethers allow Ditzy to blink and close her eyes without breaking! There’s even better news, though: this is only temporary. I think that after wearing those for a little while, you’ll be able to take them off without any problems.”

Soon I felt a pair of forelegs around my neck and only seconds after, a pair of lips pressing against my own. “Oh Torque! You’re the best! Oh….” The excited mare rubbed her cheek against mine, and I can’t say I wasn’t happy. “I love you, Torque.”

That statement right there reminded me of something big, and while I hated to do it, I gently pushed her off of me and turned to my family. “Guys, I know we haven’t been here that long, but there’s something huge I need to take care of back in Ponyville. You all understand right?”

Mom leaned forward and whispered something in my ear. “Yes, Mom, it actually is what you think it is this time.”

She nodded and patted my back, then lifted little Dinky onto said back. “I understand, sweetheart. Make sure to write more often, and always feel free to visit. And hey, behave yourself.”

“I always behave myself.”

Mom giggled as she kissed my forehead. “Good.”

Dad gave me another pat on the back, sporting a big grin. “I’m proud of you, Torque. I’m very proud.”

All that was left was my sister, who wrapped me in a hug tighter than a snake. “I hope those glasses work out! Try taking them off after two weeks and see if they helped!”

Ditzy smiled and gave Violet a hug as well. “I can’t thank you enough for this. Really, Violet, I’m so grateful.”

She chuckled and returned the hug. “You don’t need to, I’m happy to help.”

After whistling, Tucker got up off the floor and I got his leash on. I found myself again waving at ponies as I left a building. “Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Bye, Sis!”

They all waved back at us, shouting their own goodbyes as we left. Not long after we left, I found myself with two sets of forelegs around me as both Ditzy and Dinky gave me big hugs.

“Papa Torque is so cool! You actually fixed Momma’s eyes!”

Before I knew it, I was caught in a snuggle sandwich, and even Tucker rubbed his head against me. “Torque, this is the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too.” All I could do was smile and hold her. “I promised I would do it, and I don’t go back on promises. Though… I have a much better gift for you, but you’ll have to wait to see it.”

She let out a cute little whine as we started walking. “Aw, but I want it nooooooow.”

All three of us laughed as we made our way to the station, but the laughter turned to yawns as we boarded. Dinky took her usual spot against the big pooch, but the pegasus decided to stay awake and lean on me.

“I can barely even feel them. This is just… amazing.”

Trying to keep my secret just that was proving quite difficult. “Just wait, Ditzy. I’ve been preparing something for a while, and I finally feel certain about using it.”

Her ears perked up as she looked at me. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

I just shook my head. “Nope.”

“May I get a hint?”

“Nope.”

“Meanie.”

I flashed a proud smile. “Yep.”

She giggled and kissed me on the cheek. “You know, Torque, I think the thing that makes me even happier than having a stallion like you loving me is knowing Dinky doesn’t feel fatherless anymore. You should hear the way she talks about you; you’re like Supermane to her.”

“A sweet girl like her deserves good parents, and she already has half of what she deserves.”

We spent the rest of the train ride messing around and being silly, but when the ride was finally over, we were both ready to get some sleep. Ditzy’s home was our immediate goal, but I did tell her I had other things to do. Once we made sure Dinky was warm and cozy and Ditzy got herself situated, I wrote a few notes and left.

I posted the notes on all the buildings relevant to Ditzy and me that I could. The post office, the shop, a few houses, and I even decided to poke one on the town’s notice board. My last stop was Rarity’s, who answered the door almost immediately after I knocked.

“I’m going through with it.”

The unicorn smiled at me, setting a box about one and a half times as big as the box Ditzy’s glasses were in before me. I could help but smile as I opened it, knowing I’d be opening it again tomorrow. “Good luck, dear. I really hope things work out.”

I closed the box and returned it to her. “Me too. Say, would you mind coming to town square tomorrow? I want as many ponies as possible there, because I’ve finally done it.”

Her eyes widened, as did her grin. “Really? Oh, rest assured that I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, Rarity. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

That morning was just like any other, but unfortunately we still had to send Dinky to school. I really, really didn’t want to ask Cheerilee to take today off, which is odd considering the other important ponies I had asked to assemble in the town square. Heck, even Princess Twilight Sparkle came out. There wasn’t a very big crowd out, but I did see all of my coworkers, Air Mail, Rarity, Princess Twilight, Pinkie and the Cakes, Mayor Mare—of all ponies, and a few whose names I still had yet to learn.

Once we arrived at the town hall, Ditzy immediately spotted the crowd and nudged me. “Torque… why are all these ponies out here?”

I just grinned and kissed her cheek. “I want them all to watch you fly.”

She jumped up with a swishing tail. “Oh yeah! I never even thought about that, but… maybe I’ll actually be able to fly straight now!”

To be honest, I kind of regretted telling her that. I had wanted to announce my intentions to everyone, and point out her glasses, but that was nigh impossible with my marefriend up in the air. All heads turned up as they heard her squeal, watching her do near perfect loops around the roof of the town hall.

“I’m flying! I’m flying! I’m really flying!”

Her loops then turned into figure eights all the way from here to Sugar Cube Corner. Ditzy’s actions were met with loud cheers, clapping, and a whole bunch of questions. Amongst the sea of voices, I picked out my cousin’s and focused on it.

“Torque! How did you do it? Did you take her to a surgeon yesterday or something?”

“Nope! With some help from my sister, we made her a special pair of glasses that use the motion from one eye to keep the other aligned with it. There are a bunch of small levers in the frame of her glasses, and these levers are attached to conduits on the edges. These conduits, with the help of some magic from my sister, are tethered to contacts on her eyes that move with them, and then the contacts move, so do the conduits. Which means that whenever one eye moves, the other does immediately as well.”

“Are you serious?”

“That’s so cool!”

“I want to see!”

With everyone’s attention still on Ditzy, it was very easy for Rarity to make her way to me without being seen. “Do you have it?”

“I do.” I was going to call for her and ask her to come down, but I didn’t get the chance to because her lips met mine, and I was wrapped in a tight hug. This time her actions got a loud “Awww” from the crowd.

“Wait, there’s more!” Ditzy tilted her head as I pulled away from her. “Ditzy, our time together has been brief, but they’ve been the best weeks of my life. Our time together, under normal circumstances, would have been too brief for me to feel sure about this decision; but given what I’ve learned about you, your daughter, and myself in these past weeks, I know for a fact I’m ready to ask.”

All eyes aside from Rarity’s and my own widened as the unicorn passed me the box. Ditzy’s jaw dropped as I kneeled down and opened the box, revealing the golden pendant with the gleaming, diamond-shaped turquoise in the center. Tears started forming in her eyes as she looked at me, and she adorably hid her muzzle behind her wings.

“Ditzy Doo… will you marry me?”

The air was still and everything was silent. In fact, I was pretty sure everyone was actually holding their breath. Tears left streaks in her coat from her eyes down her cheeks as she stared at me, but after a moment she flung her wings and forelegs around me and really began to cry. It’s a really good thing Violet and I designed her glasses to be able to handle that kind of thing.

“Yes! Yes, Torque, I will! Oh, if only I could express what hearing those words means to me! Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

Immediately afterwards, everyone started clapping, stomping, and cheering again. Amongst the cheers, I heard quite a few “Congratulations” as well. Rarity waited until the mare had calmed down to get our attention, nodding to everyone else as a sign for them to go.

“If you would, please come with me, dear. I have something else I want you to see.”

She turned to the unicorn and stood up. I closed the box again and set it on my back, genuinely curious as to what the fashionista had in mind. However, as we neared her boutique an assumption grew in my mind, and my beliefs were soon validated.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a snowy dress that was just Ditzy’s size. There were many intricate designs woven into it all down the train, and they all formed one great picture. I couldn’t tell exactly what that picture was, but I’m no artist, so I probably just wasn’t seeing it. The holes Rarity had cut for her wings were even shaped like hearts, and she had put bows all around the area of the neck that would be right below her pendant. It was beautiful, and the pegasus fell to her knees and started crying again when she saw it.

“Oh Rarity… I love it! How long have you been planning this?”

“Quite a while, actually.” The unicorn brought a list to the both of us, tapping each line with a quill. “It wasn’t just me, either. All of my friends pitched in to help plan and work on each part of the wedding, and it was fairly easy considering we were the main planners for Princess Cadence’s wedding. Of course, there’s still quite a bit of planning to do, and obviously nothing has been finalized yet. We all made sure that nothing would be wasted should Torque decide to back out or if you were to say no; we haven’t bought anything or decided a location yet, and we’d like your input for all of that.”

Her gaze shifted from me to Rarity multiple times. Eventually she lunged at us both, hugging us with her wings and kissing me numerous times. “Torque! Rarity! You have no idea how happy I am right now! This… this really is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me!”

Rarity giggled and shook her head. “No, not yet. I’m sure the best thing that could ever happen to you will be the actual wedding.”

"Wedding! Torque, wedding! My wedding! I just... I can't—"

My lips met hers in a tender kiss as the unicorn politely escorted herself out of the room. "I love you too, Ditzy," I murmured before moving in for another kiss.

Her lips smiled into mine as the room faded around us.

Comments

[Ryan Shine]

BethrejreyhewgngbegnrntumdynyjweynwdgjryjjryjerymdehjgdnerhndhjwdnrtymetnturmdgjmyriNTHRNERYHWRYNRNNREYNERYJERYJRUJJYRJYRJJJYJJJRYTJRNJTRNTUJTUMETUMETMRTUMTUMTUMTRUMTEUMTUEMRTU RTUMETUMethers trumpet trjmBETH ERG EFH RTH DFH THE FDHNF DFHNDRNTH TRHT TR,,! OH MY GOSH! IM SCREAMING!!

[Booster Spice]

Yup, I might know how Pinkie and Discord, but you Know how Equestria.

I hope your wedding planning is advanced enough to have a whole sacrifical marquee for the CMC to destroy, as something always happens at Equestrian weddings.

Pinkie Pie for the Cakes

[Professor Donger]

VERILY LET WE DRINK AND MAKE MERRY

[DismantledAccount]

Hooray! Torque proposed! I would say finally, but a couple of weeks is a bit short of a timeframe to decide who you will be spending the rest of your life with...
But nonetheless hooray! (Proceeds to get excited.)

You know... somehow I can't find any typos in this chapter... I wonder why that could be.

3637530
I'm curious, is that overjoyed screaming? Or hateful screaming? Or maybe the "help I'm being mugged" scream?

[SleeplessScribe]

3640594 Well he did say that if it were anyone else, he would have taken a lot more time to decide.

I believe that a few weeks can be enough time if you're certain about your feelings for someone else.

[DarklightArk]

May Luna watch thy dreams, and bless thy nights for thou hath delevered happiness

[SleeplessScribe]

3640960 i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc414/Cardboard38/d0e_zps8af171be.gif

[DismantledAccount]

3640931
True, true.

[Romalisk]

You cannot imagine the grin that is starting to hurt my cheeks. It's scenes like these that make me glad I read these stories.