Chapter 7
Ditzy’s eyes seem to glaze over a second before she blinks rapidly. “Huh? What’dya say?”
You grab at your mane and just stop short of yanking it in frustration. “Ohhhh sweet sisters above... What punch bowl did you drink out of?” You hiss.
“Uhh... That one.” She says, pointing at one of the bowls. “I think.”
Ditzy tries to bring her drink to her mouth again, but you stop her short and yank it out of her grip.
Grabbing a hold of her and dragging the intoxicated mare to one of the back corners of the room, you sit her down and look her in the eye.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I mean you said the one on the right so I got the one on the left.”
You stared at Ditzy’s outstretched hoof in slack jawed horror.
No way. We couldn’t have screwed up. Not like this and not this bad.
You rub at your eyes and suppress the urge to groan. “Ditzy. Did you grab the one on my right or your right?”
“My right, ‘cause you were walking away from the front of the table and-”
“-And I spiked it while on other side, meaning I told you the wrong one and you’re currently under the effects of whatever this potion is now,” you mumble out with a groan. “I couldn’t have fucked this up harder if I tried.”
With your head in your hooves, you mentally kicked yourself. Could of asked Pinkie if there was anything in the punch. Could of made 100% sure Ditzy knew what bowl I meant. Could of-
You jump slightly as you feel a hoof on your back and look to see Ditzy giving you a warm smile. “Hey. Stop that. You couldn’t of known. I didn’t exactly give you much warning so, I’m just as much to blame.” She runs her hoof up and down your back, doing her best to comfort you. “Besides, it’s not that bad... Maybe the potion is just a dud, you know?”
“This... This isn’t you,” you say as you shy away from her hoof. “I mean, this really isn’t you. I... We gotta find Twilight. She’ll know what to do,” you say as you get to your hooves. “Maybe she’ll have an antidote or someth-”
“No.”
You look down to see Ditzy holding onto your hoof and staring at you with desperate eyes.
“I don’t want to go. Not yet, please.”
You let a long, tired sigh before sitting back down. “Ditzy... You’re not yourself right now. Please, we’ll-”
She holds your hoof tighter. “I understand we have a job to do but...There’s going to be a dance in a little bit. Please. Just one dance. That’s it. One dance and that’ll be it for the night.”
You could almost hear the demon and angel on your shoulders shouting at you right now.
She’s not herself, you said so! She needs to see Twilight. Maybe even a doctor! If something happens to her, it’ll be your fault because you didn’t act fast enough!
Oh come on, look at her. She looks like she’s about to start crying any second. Sure, she’s out of it at the moment, but we’re not taking her home to screw. What’s one dance going to hurt?
It’ll hurt her. And you’d never forgive herself.
She’s acting just a little drunk, she’s not bursting into flames. But fine, look into those eyes and tell her no. Just try. I dare you.
You open your mouth and stare into Ditzy’s eyes, those shimmering golden eyes of hers making every protest you were about to say die in your throat. “I-I... We...”
“Please... I just want one dance. Just one.”
Told you.
“...One dance,” you say in defeat as you sit back down. “If you start feeling sick or odd, then we’re leaving. Then afterwards, we’re going to see Twilight.”
Worse comes to worse, I can keep an eye on the crowd and do damage control if things get crazy. You glance over to Ditzy and feel everything freeze.
Ditzy’s smiling at you. And it’s a smile you’ve never seen before on her face. A smile that speaks volumes and leaves you dumbstruck.
Leaping laughing loving Luna. You know, she can be sweet when sh-
“Thank you,” she says with a whisper. “I really mean it.”
A lapse of silence between you two leaves you fidgeting in your chair awkwardly. “I’m... Gonna go get a drink. Something other than the punchbowl,” you add. “Is there anything you want?”
Ditzy looks up to you as you motion to the refreshment table and opens her mouth before closing. “No, it’s fine. Thank you, though.”
With a nod, you make your way across the party floor, weaving through ponies and catching bits and pieces of conversations.
“Did you see the new dress she...” “How’s work been? I’ve seen...”
“I’ve been doing better since the operation and...”
“Redheart are you okay?”
You perk up and glance over to a white earth pony brushing a lock of pink mane out of her hair. “Oh yeah, I’m fine... I’m more than fine Doctor Horse,” she says with a giggle. “I don’t why, I just feel... nice.”
“Oh, well that’s good,” the amber unicorn says. “I just-”
“I especially feel nice around you.”
Doctor Horse blanches. “N-Nurse? I, uh... This is highly forward of you... I mean, we’re colleagues, after all and, well...”
“We’re not at work right now,” Redheart says as she gets closer. “So don’t call me Nurse. Please, call me Red.”
Redheart was practically draping herself over the stammering unicorn and giving him what you could only describe as ‘bedroom eyes’. She knew exactly what she wanted.
Picking up the pace, you started scanning through the crowd and tried to figure out just what the altered potion was doing to everypony. Soon, you start being able to pick out what ponies were acting out.
No, it’s not a early heat thing, since it’s not just mares. That and this would be an orgy by now. With a heavy sigh, you look over the punch bowls and decide against the drinks there and instead grab a couple bottles of cola and the last shrimp cocktail.
And it’s not a love potion. It’s way too subtle. It’s gotta be some sort of attract-
“You know Davenport... I’ve never had the guts to say this before, but I’ve had it.”
You stop mid-stride and look over to see a teenage colt staring daggers at a stallion who’s starting to back up.
“Wh-What? Where’s this coming from Shady, what have I-”
“Shut up,” Shady says before throwing back his glass of punch. “You know what you’ve done. You won’t get a fucking dolly to offload your sofas and instead use me, your loyal worker to haul them around. Because of you, my back’s busted and I’m one more haul away from getting a slipped disc. Doctor said so.”
Shady jabs his hoof into Davenport’s shoulder with each word, pushing him back until he’s against the wall. “I’ve practically begged you to get one, but you’re too damned cheap! So you know what? I quit. It’s not worth it anymore.”
And with that, Shady storms towards the door leaving the group of ponies around you with slack jaws and wide eyes.
“What’s up with Shady?” A mare whispers to another. “I’ve never seen him act like that!”
“I know! He’s usually so soft spoken and quiet, that’s so unlike him...”
Well, we can pretend that wasn’t related at all. Or we can assume there’s more going on than just a weird love and or attraction potion.
Coming back to the table where you left Ditzy, her smile feeling a little bittersweet as you set down the drinks and food. As much as you loved that smile, you knew it wasn’t really hers.
And probably not really meant for me. Sitting down at the table, you look out to the crowd and start watching ponies, looking for some sign as to what was happening. Okay, maybe I’m thinking too narrow. Maybe it’s not a love potion, but something that’s affecting social s-
“Thank you.” Ditzy says as she takes her cola, snapping you from your thoughts. “You know, I told you a bit about myself not too long ago. Think you can do the same?”
“Well, I... The thing is, uh...”
Shit, lost my train of thought...
Letting out a long breath, you roll your shoulders. “There’s not much to talk about, really. You read my file, you know my story.”
“Not all the story,” Ditzy whispers as she leans in. “Things are missing here and there. Gaps.”
You give her another shrug. “Don’t know what to say. I didn’t write the file so I don’t know what’s in it.”
“Well, that’s for another time then I guess. Then what about the stallion himself? Tell me more about yourself. Tell me what you like to do for fun, what keeps you up at night or... maybe something you want to tell me you haven’t.”
You purse your lips and run a hoof down your face, wanting nothing more than to get up and away from this conversation. This ain’t gonna end well.
“Well... What I like to do? Drink, but that’s not good for me, I know. Sometimes though, I like to go out and stare at the night sky. Kinda relaxing if you do it on a warm summer night and wear bug spray,” you say with a dry laugh. Your smile disappears as you notice Ditzy hanging on to every word and remember the next question. “What keeps me up at night... Stress, I guess?”
“What are you stressed about?”
You let a deflated sigh and shrug. “A lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Stuff I’d rather not share,” you say before sinking into your chair. “As much as I’d love to, there’s just some stuff I don’t like to talk about.”
Ditzy gives you a bit of a huff. “What was it you said not too long ago? Something about not being able to trust me and telling you when something’s wrong?”
You grimace and let out a little laugh. Shit.
“Well... You got me there. Fair is fair, I guess.” You crack open your soda and take a deep drink before leaning in close to Ditzy and staring her in the eye. “I sometimes sit up at night, beating myself up over every mistake I’ve ever done, every wrong word I’ve ever said, just remembering shit from years, sometimes decades ago. Like... ‘how could I have been stupid?’.”
“We all have regrets. I regret a lot of things, but I don’t let them eat away at me like that,” Ditzy says solemnly. “You shouldn’t either.”
You can’t help but let out a little chuckle. “And why not?”
“A joker like you needs to keep smiling and laughing. We need more ponies in the world making everyone smile,” she says with a warm smile. After a long pause and a sigh, Ditzy leans in closer. “Probably why I’ve gotten so close to you so easily.”
You raise an eyebrow. “Come again?”
“Giggles. He was once Celestia’s court jester. He put on the best shows and knew just how to put a crowd in hysterics.” She lets out an uncharacteristic giggle and shakes her head. “Even worse at home. He’d make me laugh until it hurt some days. I’d have t-”
“Alright everypony! It’s time for the best part of the night! The slow dance!”
Whipping your head around, you see Pinkie Pie on the stage with an orchestra behind her preparing their instruments. You expected a dance, but not a slow dance.
What were you expecting? The Twist? You think before running a hoof down your face.
You weren’t the best dancer in the world and could make it look like you were dancing. But a dance with structure?
“Hey, uh, Ditzy? I don’t think this is the best idea, I can’t really slow dance that well and-”
“I’ll show you, it’s not that hard,” she says with a beaming smile. “If you can run an obstacle course, you can dance with me tonight.”
Reaching out, she grabs one of your hooves and leads you to the dance floor as the music starts to play. Soft, melodious, and something that sets a tone for the evening.
You feel yourself starting to sweat bullets as you get closer to Ditzy until you’re resting your head on her shoulder and she’s doing the same. A quick glance around and you smile slightly as you realize that so far, you were doing what everypony else was doing.
It isn’t until Ditzy starts moving that you start to panic internally so you force yourself to take a deep breath to steady yourself.
Okay, okay, just watch her hooves and do what she does. Isn’t that hard.
You keep your eyes glued to the ground and imitate Ditzy’s steps, smiling a little bit as you feel a bit more confident.
“Colonel...” Ditzy whispers into your ear. “You have to lead.”
You blink a few times and slow down just a tad. “Lead? Uhh... How exactly?”
Ditzy stops and pulls back slightly, giving you an odd look. “Do you not know anything about dancing?”
“Uh, yeah no.” You let out a nervous chuckle. “Always been told I’ve had four left hooves. Didn’t even dance at my own wedding.”
She stares at you with a look of shock and disbelief before taking a deep breath and nodding. “Alright... You’re learning to dance tonight.”
Taking up the previous position, Ditzy leans a bit harder into you and makes you step backwards a few steps. “You have to show your partner where you want them to go. You can’t just shove them, you need to guide them.”
You try to keep up the hoof movements and go where Ditzy wants you to, but more than once you find yourself stumbling.
“Ditzy, this isn’t working, I-”
“We learn to walk before we learn to run. You’re doing fine. And besides, every gentlecolt needs to know how to dance.”
You swallow the lump in your throat and focus on the dance itself, it getting a little easier and easier with each step. By the end of the first song, you’re the one leading and smiling like a colt who just learned to ride a bike.
“See?” Ditzy says as she nuzzles into your shoulder. “You’re a natural.”
“I-I-” Your entire face goes flush and you stumble a few steps. “Ditzy, please be careful. I’m having a hard time concentrating enough as it is.”
“What, you don’t like that?” She asks in a playful tone.
Exact opposite.
“Just ticklish.”
With a light ‘hmph’, Ditzy stops. “You’re no fun.”
“Well, I don’t want to fall all over you,” you say scrambling for the right words. “I’d rather give you a nice dance than falling all over you in a mess of tangled hooves.”
She doesn’t say anything, so you go back to focusing on the dance.
“You’re too good for me, you know that?”
You repress the urge to freeze up and keep dancing. “What do you mean?”
“So many things...” She says wistfully. “First, you jumped in with Thunderlane. And that’s before you even met me. You honestly cared about me and my well being. That’s more than anypony else can say in this town.”
“Ditzy, that’s not true. I’m sure ponies here-”
“-think of me as nothing more than a klutz. So when I get hurt, it’s nothing new and nothing to worry about.”
“But-”
“Then you gave me something I haven’t had in such a long time,” she continues, her voice growing quieter. “A friend. Colonel, I may be hard on you sometimes, but it’s because I care. Don’t ever think I dislike you. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“...Ditzy, please stop. This isn’t you. You wouldn’t be telling me this-”
With a heavy sigh, Ditzy shakes her head. “I wouldn’t be telling you this if I didn’t have the guts to. I just don’t care anymore. I need to say this, I need to ask this. I really, just... Can y-”
Music finishes and after a few seconds, Pinkie Pie hops onto the stage with a microphone.
“Well folks, that was the slow dance! Now, we got a few games we’re going to set up so if you could clear the floor we’ll have that ready in a jiffy! Afterwards, we got something a little faster for all you ponies to dance to so stay excited!”
You can’t help but let out a little sigh of relief. “Alright Ditzy. Let’s go and see Twilight and explain what’s going on.”
Ditzy opens her mouth, but slowly closes. “Alright. I did say one dance.”
“There’ll be other dances, don’t worry,” you say with a laugh as you walk towards the exit.
“With you?”
Your smile slowly falls before you shake your head. “I... I don’t know to be honest. Let’s just take this one step at a time, okay?”
Ditzy says nothing and you make your way to the punchbowl you spiked earlier, looking it over with grim resignation. “All this from one lousy drink,” you mutter under your breath. Reaching into your jacket, you pull your flask out for a final time tonight and fill it.
“Alright, let’s get to Twilight’s.”
You’re not three steps out the door before Ditzy speaks up.
“I... think I’ll go home, actually.”
“Are you sure?” You ask as you stop in your tracks. “I mean, it might be smart to-”
“She’ll suspect something, remember?” Ditzy asks flatly. “She’s like a bloodhound when somepony’s hiding something. Just... show her the flask, okay? She’ll be able to analyze it.”
You nod slowly. “Alright... Well, you take care then. And I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Actually, can you come to my place after you’re done at Twilight’s?”
“Uh, I guess I can. Is something wrong?”
Ditzy shakes her head. “No. Just please?”
You let out a sigh and relent. “Alright. I’ll be there.”
With that, Ditzy starts trotting down the road, leaving you alone and with the feeling of a stone in your stomach. When did everything get so complicated? You think as you sag your head.
*****************************************************************
You knock on the door loud enough for anypony inside to hear before stepping in. “Twilight? Are you there? The light’s on.”
Looking around, you see the unicorn in the corner of the room, rolling up a scroll as you step in. “Oh hi! How’d the party go?” She asks as she ties the scroll up.
“Uh, could of gone better to be honest... Gonna need you to look at something.”
Twilight nods before getting up and making her way up the stairs. “Give me a second to send this off, okay?”
You nod back and stand in the center of the library, shuffling in place and waiting. Walking over to the table Twilight was sitting at, you turn your head and start looking at what she was reading.
Only for your breath to catch in your throat.
‘The Draco-Equis War’ you read to yourself. Waged in the year 937 AB (After Banishment) was a bloody conflict between-
A woosh of fire and a grumble snaps you from your thoughts and you watch as Twilight barrels down the stairs and takes a defensive stance. Held in the air with a field of magic is another clay tablet like your first meeting, which Twilight promptly shatters.
And just like before, a wave of magic washes over you. This time however, your limbs feel heavy and it takes a monumental struggle just to lift a leg up. It’s like you’re up to your neck in concrete. “Twilight, what are you d-”
“Don’t. Move.” She says sharply, point her horn towards you. “You’d thought I’d write that comment off as nothing, didn’t you? There’s no way you could have been in the Draco-Equis war!”
“Twilight, please this is-”
“And I learned something from Ditzy’s child as well! She was sooo happy to talk about you and how great you are. And how you worked at the Manehattan 80! That restaurant has been closed 40 years! You would have been working there at the age of 7 years old if your story is true!” Twilight’s nostrils flare and she steps closer, her horn shining bright. “Now what did you do with the real operative, changeling?” She spits the last word and you could practically feel the heat emanating off of the spell she was channeling.
“I’ve sent a scroll to Princess Celestia informing her of what I’ve discovered and that I have you in possession. There will be a contingent of guards here soon.”
“I’m not a changeling! Twilight, listen to me! Please!”
Twilight’s gaze grows hard. “Do you really take me for an idiot? If you really were in the Draco-Equis war, you’d have to be over 100 years old.”
Ohh god... She knows. She just doesn’t realize. You swallow the lump in your throat and lower your head. Idiot. Thought she knew. Celestia’s student, they share everything. Guess she never told her.
You’re snapped out of your thoughts as Twilight’s horn grows brighter. Taking a deep breath, you nod slowly.
“I... I am,” you say weakly. “I’m 104. I was born in the year 920.”
She loses the spell, most likely from shock. “W...What?”
Twilight's hard visage falters and is replaced with that of one of confusion. “N-No, that’s impossible. That kind of age has only been seen a few times, but only in earth ponies... Never pegasi. And even then, you look like you’re in your late forties! It’s just impos-”
A loud pop makes both you and Twilight flinch. When you open your eyes, an alabaster scroll levitates between you and her, adorned with the royal seal.
In an instant, Twilight grabs the scroll and unfurls it, her eyes twitching through the lines as she reads it at breakneck speed.
She stands there, completely still before reading it once more and turning to you.
With a deep breath, she lights up her horn and the heavy feeling in your limbs disappears. “I’ve... been ordered to release you. And... there’s something here for you as well.”
Holding up the scroll, you skim through it while keeping a wary eye on Twilight.
Whatever bonds you hold him in, release them. He is not a changeling, nor your enemy. He is to be trusted. That is not advice, but an order my dear student.
My old friend, somehow you’ve gotten my student on your trail. I will not force you to regale her with your history, but it may be for the best for to hear from you and not learn from what she’ll find on file in Canterlot.
You fall back on your haunches and throw your head back. “Greeeeeat...” You say with a low groan. “Grab a seat, this is gonna take a while...”
Twilight blinks in confusion, but nods slowly before sitting back down in her chair and pushing her books to the side.
You keep quiet at first. Finally, after a few minutes of gathering your thoughts, you take the seat across from her.
“So... You’re really 104?”
You let your shoulders sag and nod. “...Yeah. Long story. So, sorry if I don’t go into too much detail and just give you important bits.”
********************************************************************
I really did join the military while still in High School. That was 937, if I remember correctly. I did it out of patriotic pride. My country needed me and I wanted to help. So, I went through basic training and was deployed. I fought a lot of dragons over the 6 years I was deployed, mostly serving as a distraction while they fired ballistas to get through that tough hide of their’s. I enjoyed everything about my life in the military. I lived, I laughed... Fell in love, too.
“You fell in love?”
Yeah. Hard. Fell in love with a mare by the name of Honeydew. Our company’s medic.
“Wait, Honeydew?!? As in, the ‘Medical Miracle Mare’ Honeydew?!? The one who we owe modern healing magic to?”
Yeah. That one. She wasn’t known by that title and was just a mare who had a special talent at healing ponies. Well, to make a long story short we got in our heads to get married after our tours of duty. Until then, we spent many nights in each other’s hooves. But what do they say about the best laid plans?
“...What happened?”
Tyrannius. Red Dragon of the High Dragon Council. We had no idea he was leading one of the hordes we were sent to fight against and walked right into it. I gave everything I got to buy my team some time to get out of there and retreat. Tyrannius picked me up and shook me like a rag doll when he got his claws around me. When they came back and found my body, they were surprised to find me in one piece. Even more so that I was still alive. So Honeydew, in a fit of blind panic and love shoved a lot of healing magic into me. A lot of healing magic. And I came back.
“You just came back? Like nothing ever happened?”
Oh yeah. I was just as surprised. And there it was, our happy ending. Tyrannius was defeated by Celestia a week later, I got a big shiny medal, and Honeydew and I got married. We even had three kids.
**************************************************************
You can’t help but feel yourself smile as you get lost down memory lane, staring into the middle distance as you remember everything.
The look on Honeydew’s face as she held our first foal. His first steps. School...
“What happened next?”
Your torn from your memories and thrust back into the present. “What happened?” You echo. “Well... We always thought that it was a miracle that there were no side-effects from that much magic getting pumped into my system. Turned out there were.”
Running a hoof through your mane, you sigh heavily. “It wasn’t that noticeable at first. I was strong and fit as ever when I turned thirty. Honeydew took on a sexy, mature sort of look after a while. Didn’t think much of it. It was obvious when I turned forty. We didn’t look like wife and husband anymore. We looked like mother and son.”
“Something happened to me. After a few trips to the hospital and a lot of tests, we found the answer. My biological clock had stopped ticking.”
Twilight’s eyes nearly bug out of her head. She opens her mouth to say something, but keeps quiet and leans forward.
“Whatever Honeydew did, she not only healed me, but preserved me. Twenty-some-odd years had passed and I looked the same I did on that fateful day.”
“And... How did Honeydew take it?”
“She... tried to accept it at first. She also tried to find a way to fix it. Neither panned out. When she turned fifty, she had a midlife crisis. Honeydew grew angry at me and I had no idea why at first. She wouldn’t tell me a damn thing and would just go off on one at the drop of a hat.”
Twilight brings a hoof to her mouth in a silent gasp. “She was... jealous. Wasn’t she?”
You nod solemnly. “Bingo. Here I was, ‘immune to the ravages of time’ as she put it, and she’s wasting away. I tried to make it work, but it wasn’t going well. When she turned sixty? We got a divorce. The kids were gone, they hardly spoke to us and two of them didn’t even know what was going on. We figured it was the smart thing to do.”
“But wait... You had this happen to you when you were, what, 22? 23? You look like you’re in your mid forties.”
“Yeah... I do. Doctors never stopped looking into my condition. Turns out? It wasn’t permanent. I’m getting old Twilight. I’m getting old fast.”
“H-How fast, how-”
“It started two years ago,” you say above a whisper. “I aged twenty years in the span of two.”
Twilight reels at the information and you can see in her eye that she knows what this means.
“Th-There’s gotta be some way to stop it. There must be a reason why the magic is failing now, you can’t just-”
You tense up before slamming your hoof down, making her jump. “Twilight, stop.” You say firmly. “Just stop. I know what you want to do and I appreciate the sentiment. Really, I do. But I don’t think there’s anything else the doctors or anypony else can do.” You stop and let out a little laugh. “Hell, when Celestia found out she started looking into it as well. She couldn’t find anything.”
“Even then, the doctors have a phylactery of my blood to experiment on all they want. I haven’t gotten a letter in a while about their progress, so part of me feels like they’ve given up.”
You lapse into silence before letting out a haggard breath. “And personally? So have I.”
Twilight’s jaw goes agape. “W-What?”
“I’m old Twilight. I’ve seen the world. I’ve lived a good life. I’ve done a lot. A lot of good. I’ve got another three, maybe four years in me if I’m lucky. I’ve made my peace. But this? I’m doing one last good thing for a friend before...”
You keep quiet and Twilight just looks at you, a mix of shock and pity painting her face as she processes everything she’s just heard. You stay like that for a few moments before getting to your hooves.
“I hope you’ll keep this between you and me. Not a lot of ponies know. Hell, I don’t even think Luna knows all of what I’ve told you.”
With a heavy sigh, Twilight nods. “I think it goes without saying I’ll keep it a secret. This is just a lot to take in.”
“Yeah. Sorry for dumping it all on you, but after that whole thing with the spell and you thinking I’m a changeling-”
“And I’m so sorry for that, I-”
“Oh come on, you felt there was something fishy going on and you acted. I don’t blame ya.” Twilight gives you a smile. “I gotta go now, I got... lots on my mind and someplace I gotta be.”
You start making for the door, but stop and slap your forehead. “Damnit! After all this drama and talk, I almost forgot what I came here for.” Reaching into your coat, you hold the flash out to Twilight.
“Pinkie mixed booze into the punch before I got there and the potion’s gone haywire. Do you know what it’s doing to ponies? I got a good idea, but I want a unicorn’s opinion.”
“What?!?” Grabbing the potion from your grasp, Twilight unscrews the top and lights her horn, magic snaking into it. “Alright, alright... Nothing destructive, that’s good... Not alteration potion anymore. It’s more of the illusion branch than anything.”
“Illusion? Like, what? It’s making ponies see things they aren’t or-”
“No, no. Illusion covers spells that affect the mind as well as senses. From the looks of it, it’s affecting desire. Not unlike Heart’s Desire, but nowhere near as harmful. If anything, it’s affecting what ponies want to do.”
You nod slowly and grimace. “Eeyup, figured as much. Nothing bad, though right?”
Twilight shakes her head. “If my initial analysis of the potion is correct, it’s actually ‘breaking down barriers’ if that makes any sense.”
“None at all.”
With a heavy sigh, Twilight sets the flask down. “Everypony has barriers that prevent them from doing what they truly desire. For instance, Spike would like to eat ice cream for every meal of the day. His common sense, now, tells him that this is a bad idea and he know I’d disapprove. If he were to take a sip of this, he’d happily eat that ice cream without caring for repercussions.”
The news hits you like a ton of bricks. “O...kay. So, let’s assume for a second somepony desires another pony and takes this potion. And normally, they’d have things like the fact they work together or have emotional baggage and they feel it may not be the best idea. It could... force them to go after that pony? Even if they might not be 100% on board with the idea?”
“Well... Possibly. But remember, this is all conjecture. I’d have to run some tests to get a full analysis of the effects. But remember, what is done is what the ingester truly wants.”
“Still could be something they might not truly need in their life, though...” You let out a sigh. “Alright, thanks Twilight. I want you to have a nice night. And get back to me when you got that, okay?”
Twilight nods. “I will. And... Thank you. For sharing that with me.”
You give her a bit of a wave and make your way to the door and out into the streets of Ponyville. As you stand there under the street lights, you can’t help but debate your next course of action.
Should I go see Ditzy like I said? Or just... leave her to sober up and talk to her in the morning?
And again, the devil and angel sit on your shoulder.
She wants to see you.
You owe it to her to make sure she’s alright.
Shaking your head, you start making your way towards Ditzy’s house. “Here goes nothing...”
*********************************************************
Standing at the front door, you bring your hoof up to knock.
“It’s open.”
You swallow the lump in your throat and push through the threshold. “Hey Ditzy... Feeling any better?” You call out cautiously.
Rounding the corner, you find Ditzy stepping out of the bathroom and towel drying her mane. “A little,” she says flatly. “Get held up?”
You roll your shoulders. “A bit. Twilight had a lot to ask me and wouldn’t let me leave until she got an answer,” you say casually. “So... What did you need?”
The tension in the air could be cut by a knife. You didn’t like that question and the possibilities it could open, but you couldn’t help but ask.
“A lot,” Ditzy says as she makes her way for the stairs. “Can you follow me?”
You bite your lip as she ascends and keep your eyes low. “Uh... Sure, I guess.”
What the hell is wrong with you? You’re tripping over yourself like a teen on prom night...
Following Ditzy up the stairs and through one of the doorways only to feel your heart accelerate like a jackhammer as you realize where you are.
You were in a bedroom.
Ditzy’s bedroom.
“Colonel... Take those clothes off.”
All the blood rushes to your face and you start to back up slightly. “D-Ditzy, please I’m not comfortable with this, especially in your current condition. I-”
“I don’t want to have sex with you, Colonel. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
Your jaw trembles slightly as Ditzy reaches out and undoes the buttons of your jacket, then your shirt before sliding them off. “It’s late. It’s time for bed. And... I’d like to you to join me.”
It’s a trick, she’s trying to get frisky and she’s going to do something she’s gonna be angry about in the morning and-
“No, no, Ditzy I can’t-”
“Please!”
You freeze as Ditzy grabs a hold of your shoulders and brings you in for a strong hug. “Please. You... You have no idea how lonely I’ve been... When everypony in town sees you like a walking disaster. Or like there’s nothing between your ears but air.”
You feel her grip grow tighter as she starts to sniffle aloud. “I’ve heard the whispers.”
“Why... Why don’t you just try to show them a bit of the mare you’ve shown me?” You ask above a whisper. “The strong, smart mare?”
“I’ve tried... Why do you think Thunderbolt attacked me when we first met?”
You feel your mouth open, but no words come out and you’re sure you look like a fish out of water.
“I... tried to point out something involving the sorting system, I don’t know what. I can’t remember,” she says with another sniffle. “And then he... He attacked me. Guess he didn’t like somepony like me looking smarter than him.”
Slowly, you reach your hooves around her and start to hold her back.
“And then... Well, you come along.” Ditzy continues with a laboured breath. “You’re the first true friend I’ve ever had. In a long time. And that’s why... I want you to join me.”
Letting go of you, Ditzy crawls into the bed and under the covers. She stares at you with her big, golden eyes and blinks back the tears as she holds the covers up. “Please?”
You couldn’t say no; not to those eyes and not to what you just heard.
Getting up, you slowly walk over to the bed and slip under the covers with your back to Ditzy. As soon as you settle yourself in, you feel her reach out and bring you in for a warm embrace.
“I hate waking up alone,” she abruptly says. “I hate waking up in this house, in this big bed, by myself. Cold and alone. So Colonel... Please just let me have this. Let me just have this one night of peace.”
You keep your mouth shut and lay perfectly still, concentrating on your breathing along with Ditzy’s.
This isn’t going to end well... You think as you stare at the bedroom door. This isn’t going to end well for anyone.
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aahh fuck.......
well there's a plot twist there or i need to reread this fic
6201118
It wasn't that obvious, but I did hint certain things at the first chapter, a long time ago.
I thought I gained your trust after all these years of service...” you pause for a moment before shooting her a glare. “And your friendship.”
“You did, old friend,” she says, almost sounding hurt.
And when you mention the Draco-Equis war to Twilight, she doesn't seem to believe you. That's when she did her research, then learned something from Dinky. I was hoping someone might of twigged.
I admit though, it seems like it was coming out of left field, but I wanted to hint there was something going on and not wave it in the reader's face and scream "THERE'S SOMETHING MORE GOING ON HERE!". In retrospect, maybe a few more hints might have been nice, but a scene involving Sweet Apple Acres and Granny Smith thinking she knows you was scrapped.
I do hope you enjoyed it though.
6201304 aaahhhh
Well just in case ima re read this later. Cuase im still kinda lost but i know what chu mean
Interesting. I figured he was old, but not quite that old, I was betting on late 50s–early 60s. The fact that his age is rapidly catching up with him to the point he’s gonna cark it in less than a decade gives me the impression that this is going to have a sad ending.
disbelief
she got an answer
You keep writing "could of" when you mean "could've," as in "could have."
Ah, an inhibition-lowering potion. This is going to be an interesting evening for a lot of ponies.
The truth comes out. Flare Chaser's age is catching up with him, and quite rapidly at that. I don't blame him for being resigned to his fate. Given what he's experienced, life has probably lost its luster. Even if Ditzy changes his mind, replicating the miracle that preserved him might not be possible.
I'm with Flare. This is not going to end well or happily... but that doesn't mean he shouldn't try to make it the best it can be.
"you are"
Sounds like fast acting alcohol to me.
This needs rewording, I can't think of a simple fix.
Maybe cause
heweisare going to be dead in 4 years.6232888
It's more... There's what you truly want and then there's what's best for you. I'll re-word stuff so it makes more sense, sorry about that ^.^;
6254501
As always, thank you Fourpony for finding those little things I keep missing.
6255915
Ah, I see. Want versus need. Very important distinction. I retract my facepalm.
6232888
Thar, fixed with what I originally meant and not my 3 AM word salad.
I got something planned. I have thoughts, I have musings, and a conundrum. Happy endings are something I do enjoy. I feel as though a story with a sad ending just leaves the reader wanting for more. I must see, however, if this goes the way I want it to.
6255915
No problem, you'll eventually see one of my comments on the last chapter of the Fluttershy story when I am able to finally get around to it.
Holy plot twist!
I could tell something was up, but I just chalked it up to being very busy in his early adult years. I'm excited to see where this goes; surely his love interest doesn't know. That sort of thing probably wouldn't be in the file.
6255968 I hope this story will be picked up soon as this is a great story and I'm also hoping for a chapter, if you'd like an editor I'd love to help out.