More Than Meets The Eye

by Bandit Blue

Chapter 3

It was a Sunday morning. Dinky was out playing with her friends, so Ditzy made her way to Snowfall's. Ditzy took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After a couple of seconds she heard a voice shouting, "Coming!", after a few seconds the white stallion opened the door and was shocked to see who knocked. He snapped out of his shocked state but was still left a little woozy from the surprise. "Ditzy! Uh... Hey... Mail delivery?"

"No, no. No mail on sundays, right?" Ditzy told him with a little forced smile before averting her gaze to the ground and slowly brushing her left leg with her right hoof.

"Oh yeah, right. I forgot it was sunday for a second. So... what's up?" Snowfall had spent the last day almost entirely thinking about how angry he was at Dinky, the fact that another mare asked him out even inflated his ego, further feeding reasons for him to be angry at her. Usually he'd be quickly to blame himself, but this time he barely did anything wrong if anything at all, well, at least not to Dinky, he did make a Grown Stallion wet himself in public, and Limestone was proof of that. But still when face to face with her his anger seemed to dissipate at once, the mare that he supposedly knew and the one that screamed at him seemed completely different. And being a male he couldn't help but get lost in the beauty of the filly in his doorstep, even further lowering his guard.

"It's about yesterday, do you mind if I come in for a couple of minutes?" Snowfall knew the sheer destructive power this mare had either on accident and now on purpose, how could she make herself so adorable doing the most mundane things in one moment and bulldozing through his heart in another? At least he knew, or rather hoped that she wasn't there for more bulldozing, judging by her body language and tone.

"Uh... Sure, come in." Snowfall cleared the passage for Ditzy and she went inside to his living room. She found it very tidy, but lacking décor, charm and color. There were no pictures, paintings, plants, ornaments, just plain furniture and a few books on a single shelf, the books didn't even fill the entire shelf, some were stacked on top of each other and others leaned on the stacks. Snowfall closed the door behind her as she studied his living room. "Make yourself at home, can I get you some water or tea?" He was going to offer more, but he remembered what happened the last time he was about to offer her something a little out of the ordinary, so he decided to stop at the ordinary.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to take much of your time. I just came to... apologize for how I acted yesterday." Snowfall's eyes went wide for a second once more, he was getting a straight out apology? "Your friend came by yesterday and we talked for a while, it was-"

"Wait, my friend?"

"Yeah, Limestone."

"Oh, her, uh... I suppose we are somewhat friends, I guess. Wait, she went to your house?!"

"She did, she wasn't happy about the way I treated you and she talked some sense into me."

"I had no idea. I guess she did feel really bad for me yesterday, a lot more than I thought if she went to the house because of it. I didn't think there would be a day where a mare I barely knew, would’ve stood up for me." Snowfall gave an honest laugh at the news.

"Barely knew? She said you were friends." Ditzy's mood quickly started to change as her previous bashfulness started to turn into a serious expression. Snowfall took notice and was quickly to try to remedy the situation.

"We sorta are, but we only met yesterday after you left Sugarcube Corner. We talked for a bit then and uh... sorted a few things out."

"Oh... Wait, she asked you the same day you've met her?!?"

"H-How do you know about that?!" Snowfall's white cheeks shone red as he blushed heavily.

"She told me so, scumbag! You're aren't friends at all, she just has a crush on you!"

"Scumbag?! Why Am I-" Snowfall's anger came back as suddenly as it had left earlier. For a moment he had a devilish scowl on his face, but he quickly took a deep breath and held a neutral expression, he moved to take a seat on his couch as he continued his retort in a calm manner but with a stern tone. "As of now, Ditzy, she is a better friend to me that you ever were." While he sat on his couch, he kept his gaze still, away from Ditzy's direction. "And maybe she forgot to mention, I turned her down yesterday because the mare I like turned out to be a crazy brute and stomped my heart to the ground. Props to you by the way, on picking up I liked you, I thought I was being smooth, but then again I don't think I was ever smooth in my entire life. By Celestia, I shouldn't have turned Limestone down yesterday, if I didn't, she wouldn't have gone to your house yesterday and all three of us would probably be having a better morning. If that's all you had to say you can leave and be at peace, I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

It had been a few years since Ditzy had received such a cold shoulder. She broke a lot of stuff and made a lot of ponies angry on a weekly basis, but even the ones that got angry at her didn't make her feel like a villain. She broke stuff on accident, they understood that, she went along with "Derpy", because she felt it as other ponies at least understood she didn't break things on purpose, she wasn't a bad pony. But this wasn't Derpy, the loving klutz with a drifting eye, this was Ditzy Doo, the mare. No depth perception or daydreaming excuses this time, no hard wind throwing her off balance, no distraction in sight. She always felt bad when she broke things on accident, she had no idea breaking something on purpose would be so much worse. The feeling consumed her as she struggled to talk.

"I... I didn't mean to say that, I'm so sorry. Limestone was very kind to me yesterday I don't know why I got mad, I'm so sorry." Ditzy's sat on the floor as her eyes were tearing up and she started to struggle to wipe the tears away with the back of her hooves. Snowfall gazed at her and felt a little bad, but his anger didn't let up, he opened his mouth but was unable to talk. "I came here to say I was sorry for the way I treated you yesterday, I had no reason to distrust you and even then I could've just said no. I said horrible things, I'm sorry." Ditzy look at the floor as stream of tears fell down from her eyes, she covered them with with her hooves as she sobbed.

For a brief moment when she was again trying to wipe out the tears, she spotted a cloth near her face. She focused on it and saw the Stallion offering her a towel as he looked away. She carefully took the towel from his hoof, wiped her tears from her face and thanked him in a low voice, still gazing down. "You weren't all wrong." The stallion said in a sad tone.

"Huh?"

"Yesterday you called me rotten. You weren't wrong. You did have a reason not to trust me, you just didn't know it. Maybe you felt it. That's why it hurt much more than it should've, you were right, I knew you were."

"What... Why would you be rotten, you always been terribly kind to me, even now when-"

"I'm a criminal."

"What?!?" Ditzy fell backwards in surprise.

"The reason why I moved to Ponyville, it's because pretty much every pony there hates my guts. I never wanted it to be like that but one thing led to another, suddenly my life was in danger and next thing I knew I arrived here on a rainy day. I was crushed, lost and sad. Suddenly a mare approached me and asked me if I was alright, if I needed any help, I dismissed her and before she left she gave me a muffin. I wasn't able to see her face, I only saw her gray colt and heard her kind voice. I tried to get my act together and I realized that mare was at my door delivering my mail." Ditzy got up and beckoned away from the Stallion slowly.

"What did you do in Canterlot?" Ditzy was sure he was about to show his real form, a changeling. But he didn't, he simply kept talking.

"I was a blank flank for a long time, the ponies who didn't make fun of me, pretended I didn't exist. Except bad ponies in the Canterlot mafia, doesn't matter to them if you don't have a cutie mark or a leg, any extra hooves that they could use hate to control was good for them. I fit the bill perfectly. And to make things worse, I got my cutie mark when I was helping them with their finances." Derpy looked at his cutie mark for a second and then back at him.

"I thought... You were good at math."

"I'm okay at it, I'm great with money. So much so, I developed way more efficient ways to launder the money they extorted from other ponies, way better ways to hide their frauds, I tripled their profit. I went from a zero to hero, well, zero to villain."

"Why did you leave then?" Ditzy was still a little afraid of him but her anger was bulking up once more, he was a scumbag after all.

"I had to. Because of me, the Canterlot Court wasn't able to convict anypony on there. I made sure there were no traces, no evidences and the other guys made sure... There were not witnesses." Ditzy's eyes went wide as she stared at the stallion and kept slowly beckoning away towards the door. "Everypony knew who the blank flank turned mastermind was... Nopony knew who Snowfall was. They didn't knew how scared I was, they didn't care when I asked for help, they didn't mind that I could barely eat after seeing how they kept a pony's mouth shut just in case it knew something. To them I'll always be White Lines, the mobster, and now I honestly couldn't care less what those pricks in Canterlot think of me, they deserve pretty much every bad thing that's coming to them. But I'm not White Lines, I'm Snowfall Bliss. So I told them I was leaving, usually nopony gets to leave alive, but I made sure that If I gone down, they would all go down with me or worst. I was White Lines for the last time, so they'd remember what I was capable of."

Ditzy stood still, she was confused. She was no criminal but she related with Snowfall, she even came to think what would happen if she were born in Canterlot and not Ponyville, would've she gone the same path? Her thoughts were broken by stallion, talking once more.

"I wanted to come to Ponyville when I was still a blank flank, but I had no money and nopony wanted to employ a blank flank no matter how hard I promised to work. When I was able to come to Ponyville, I was lost, I didn't think there was redemption for me no matter what I did, even if I somehow found happiness I wouldn't deserve it. Until a mare in the rain gave me a muffin." After a few seconds of silence, Ditzy was able to talk.

"I... I-"

"Was right. I'm rotten... I'll always be."

"No, you're not."

"Pity now won't do much. You don't need to feel bad, Ditzy. I don't."

"I'm not and you're lying. If you didn't feel bad about being bad you'd still be in Canterlot and you wouldn't mind being rotten." Snowfall looked at her for the first time since her outburst, a little surprised by the mare's words.

"I... I-"

"Have a lot to atone for probably, but you're not rotten. You are trying to be better and you should keep trying, and you should do the right thing and turn yourself in."

"Ditzy, they'd kill me the first chance they get, inside or outside the prison, it wouldn't matter. And even if I hadn't prevented many convictions, they'd always find more stupid ponies like me to do their work for them. The Canterlot Elite that pretended I didn't exist, in the end, were literally the same ponies who run the organized crime and a few of them even worked on the Canterlot Court. I'm aware of my part in their crimes but I don't think I deserve the death penalty for it."

"Well... Don't they have... The protection of witnesses thing or something?"

"It's a gamble. Even if I manage to talk to Celestia herself before someone saw me in Canterlot, my new identity and location was going to be written somewhere, and it wouldn't be a stretch of imagination to think someone from the mafia would have access to it and an 'accident' killed me a couple of months after. The truth is, they only let me go because the boss liked me. I don't have evidence to put a fourth of them in jail and even if I did, it would matter. I'm a rotten fruit, Canterlot is a rotten tree."

"Well... You can't just commit crimes and get away with it, you have to atone for it somehow!"

"In Canterlot you can, depending on who you are. And I'm trying to atone for what I did... Every way I’m able to. Working for free, cleaning up the streets, helping ponies in need, heck, I even go play with sick foals in the hospital when I can, and hospitals really gross me out."

"A real Equestrian Hero..."

"I- I didn't say that, I said I'm trying to atone for what I did however I can."

"Yeah, sorry. I guess in your position there's not much you can do besides that, if Canterlot is as bad as you say at least and you're not just chickening out." After hearing this, Snowfall had an unamused look on his face. He moved to a table near the kitchen entrance, got an envelope and went to Ditzy. She recognized the package, it was the one she had given him yesterday.

"Yesterday, before you... uh... Spoke your mind about me, I was going to-"

"Ask me out on a date to see the Wonderbolts with you, I remember, sorry but the answer is still no. Not because you're rotten, I'm actually sorry for calling you that, but because I barely know you and you just told me you used to be a dangerous gangster."

"First of all, I never said I was a dangerous gangster, I was the financial chief for a criminal organization for a while, I was the money nerd to them, second of all, how could I ask you out on date to see the Wonderbolts, in Canterlot?"

"Uh... With a disguise?" Ditzy smirked with a blush.

"I wasn't going to ask you out, I was going to give you the tickets so you could take Ditzy."

"Well... It makes sense now but yesterday... Nevermind."

"Don't worry, I wasn't trying to buy you out like you said but I was trying to make you think I was cool, and kind or whatever. I was eventually going to ask you out if things went how I planned. But it's fine, I did what I did so in your place I wouldn't want to be with me either. But please take the tickets, I have no use for them and you and Dinky can have a fun day in Canterlot." Ditzy reluctantly took the tickets from Snowfall with a smile.

"Thanks, Snowfall. The truth is, I'm very defensive in the love department because like you, I was taken advantage of for things outside my control and my own naiveté, that's why I lashed out at you yesterday. I thought I was over it but I clearly wasn't, and Limestone had to point out to me how clear it was that I wasn't. I'm sure Dinky will love the gift." Ditzy went towards the door and opened it, preparing to leave.

"I hope you both do. I guess I'll see you around?"

"Why did you tell me all that?"

"Huh?"

"About your life, about Canterlot."

"I... am not sure, actually. I guess... I rather you hate me than to see you crying for me?" Snowfall blushed as he made a cheeky smile.

"You could've lied and taken advantage of me."

"I guess I could, huh?"

"But you didn't, you outed yourself completely and if you didn't I would've had no idea."

"Well, I suppose so. But I think I would eventually tell you about it if we ever got serious and all."

"I could use an honest stallion in my life I think, even if he has somewhat of a dark past." Snowfall blushed heavily as his mouth was faster than his brain for a moment.

"I also made a guy wet himself in fear yesterday!" Ditzy laughed at the embarrassed and tensed up stallion.

"Yeah, Limestone may have mentioned it yesterday."

"Jeez, I guess the only thing she didn't tell you is that used to be a dangerous gangster. Which by the way, you're the only pony in town who knows, if you could maybe keep it a secret until you find a way to fix things that'd be swell." Ditzy kept smiling, she was happy that Snowfall hadn't told Limestone about his life for some reason she couldn't quite figure out but it didn't matter, because for the first time she felt real confidence. She felt okay with a stallion fawning over her again.

"No problem, money Nerd. Next time you talk to me and maybe ask me on a date, I'll try not to snap at you. I might even say yes." Snowfall couldn't help but to blush and avert his gaze. Ditzy walked outside but before she could take off, Snowfall called for her.

"Hey, Ditzy!" She turned her head to look at him. "I always wanted to tell you this so I guess I'll do it now... You're beautiful, and so are your amazing golden amber eyes!"

"I know." Ditzy answered with a kind smile before taking off.

Author's Note:

I might write a sequel with a Ditzy route and one with a Limestone route. Time will tell.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

Nice work and and an interesting twist

!"Have a lot to atone for probably, buy you're not rotten. You are trying to be better and you should keep trying, and you should do the right thing and turn yourself in."

You mean but, right?

[Omegaweapon1000]

"No problem, money Nerd. Next time you talk to me and maybe ask me on a date, I'll try not to snap at you. I might even say eyes." Snowfall couldn't help but to blush and avert his gaze. Ditzy walked outside but before she could take off, Snowfall called for her.

Umm... excuse me?

[Bandit Blue]

10752505

10752615

Thanks, typos fixed!

[Bronycommander]

10752688
You're welcome

[Fresnor]

Only one or the other? Ditzy and Limestone seemed to like each other we'll enough.