I. A Bad Day
Ditzy Doo trudged dejectedly along the winding, dirt-strewn path that led back to Ponyville and home; a limp in one of her forelegs made her walk unevenly, and she had to take extra care not to stumble over the pebbles and bracken strewn around randomly. Assorted varieties of muck and grime coated her hooves up to her ankles, wet squelching sounds assaulting her ears every time she took a step. She had really grown to loathe these special deliveries to the outskirts because they had a nasty habit of always ending in the exact same way: with some form of calamity or other befalling her. At least it wasn’t all my own fault this time, she thought wryly. Ditzy knew that she had something of a reputation amongst her co-workers for being a klutz, but it wasn’t always of her own making. Sometimes, circumstances just piled up on her.
She stopped abruptly when she felt the swelling skin around her right eye begin to throb more painfully than before; Ditzy touched it gingerly with the tip of a hoof, and winced sharply as even that slight contact sent a stinging pain lancing through her head. There would be an almighty bruise there come the morning, and it was almost impossible to see out of the eye now. That said, with the setting of Helios, Celestia’s sun, there wasn’t much to look at, anyway. Tartarus, even when the road had been illuminated, there’d only been mud and scrubby bushes as far as the eye could see. All Ditzy wanted right now was a steaming mug of coffee in her hooves and a nice sit down on her favourite battered chair. She could almost smell it now, though it might’ve been a trick of the earthy, peaty aroma surrounding her.
Her grey coat and blonde mane were also saggy and dishevelled, dripping with briny water as she plodded gamely onwards thanks to her unfortunate accident; ordinarily, she could’ve made the journey back to Ponyville in a matter of mere minutes by flying, but the primary flight feathers of her wings had only gone and gotten themselves gummed with some kind of sticky sap after she’d hit that tree. The tree that very definitely hadn’t been there before! She’d then tried washing it out in a nearby lake, but that hadn’t helped. If anything, the silty water had made things even worse.
Now, Ditzy couldn’t even enjoy what little sights were there to be seen around her or the distant twinkling, welcoming lights of Ponyville; anger at the painful, wet and humiliating day that she’d been forced to endure because the mail service prided itself on delivering to every customer that had a viable address, even in the middle of nowhere, had very quickly given way to a far more familiar emotion: tiredness. All she wanted was for this day to be over. Tomorrow might not be any better, it might not even be any different, but at least it wouldn’t be today. It was a familiar feeling to her.
A river flowed alongside this part of the trail and she followed its fast-moving currents with her one good eye; Ditzy didn’t want to get too close to the slippery bank – one dunking per day was her limit – but something caught her attention a little further ahead, and some impulse was pushing her in its direction.
She wasn’t a fan of these sudden impulses; more often than not, they were more trouble than they were worth, but Ditzy found that she couldn’t help herself. She was careful to mind her step as the river broadened out into a small lake and the way became even more boggy. There was a dinky little stone bridge over the lake and sitting on one of its four thick columns was another pegasus pony. Even in the semi-darkness, her bright blue coat and polychromatic mane made her immediately identifiable. She was staring at the water with what could only be described as a vacant expression.
Uncertain as to whether or not she’d welcome an intrusion into her meditation or whatever it was meant to be, Ditzy called out a tentative, “Hello?” She might tell her to get lost, but at least it would be some sort of contact with another pony and Ditzy felt in her heart that she really needed it right now more than ever.
To her surprise, Rainbow Dash reacted instantly and waved at Ditzy. “Hi.”
Feeling both drained and defeated by the wearying events of the day, Ditzy asked, “I don’t want to disturb you, but would you mind if I just sit here for a minute? I promise I’ll be quiet.”
“I don’t mind at all,” replied Rainbow Dash airily, making an inviting gesture with a foreleg. “Come on up. There’s plenty of room.” She indicated with her eyes the empty space on the column beside her.
It should have been an easy hop, but Ditzy had forgotten that her wings weren’t usable right now, and she fell short. And not by a little either. She bellowed obscenities as she thrashed around in the hated water. She honestly felt, if she were to drown, she would be delighted. At least it’d all be over at last and she’d never have to make one of these awful journeys out of town again.
With a strength that one would not suspect lurked in a body so lithe, Rainbow Dash reached down, wrapped her forelegs around Ditzy’s slick body, then hoisted her out of the water and deposited her sopping wet form next to her on the column. “Don’t worry, I got ya.”
Taking a deep breath, mainly to stifle the sobs that were building up in her chest, Ditzy said, “Thanks.” Even without wings, any pegasus worth their salt ought to have made that jump. To her credit, Rainbow Dash wasn’t rubbing it in. She shook herself out, mindful of Rainbow Dash’s presence, and managed to wring the worst of it out.
“One of those days, huh?” asked Rainbow Dash, shooting her a sideways glance, an entirely unexpected note of empathy colouring her normally brassy voice. Appraising Ditzy quickly, she added, “That eye looks nasty.”
Ditzy sighed, catching sight of her worn-looking reflection in the glittering surface of the water below. “Yeah.”
A long moment of silence passed between them. Ditzy, just because she could stand it no longer, finally asked, “Um, can I ask you something?”
Avoiding the obvious joke, Rainbow Dash said, “Sure.”
“What is it that you’re doing out here exactly?”
Her bright cerise eyes looked up to the heavens. “Oh, I come out here to practice most nights. Ponies got sick of me pulling stunts around town while they were trying to sleep,” Rainbow Dash replied. She took in the amiable pleasantness of their surroundings for a moment before continuing, “Plus, it’s a nice place, you know? Peaceful. Gives me time to … think.” She smiled ruefully, shaking her head as if she’d just said something stupid. “How about you?”
“Delivery.”
“Ah.” A pause. “D’you want a hug?”
“What?” asked Ditzy, her one open eye going wide in surprise, not sure she’d properly heard what Rainbow Dash had said to her. You didn’t just ask random ponies to hug, did you?
Rainbow Dash shrugged, an amused but distant look on her face. “Hugs are nice. You look like you could use one right about now.”
“I think I’d like that,” Ditzy said slowly. She realised that there was something in Rainbow Dash’s demeanour – maybe her eyes, maybe the way she was sitting a bit too stiffly – that suggested she needed this as well.
One of Rainbow Dash’s wings stretched out and, somehow, was able to encompass Ditzy’s slender body entirely; despite the soft lushness of her feathers, the grip was strong and she allowed herself to relax into the embrace, sighing in a way that was almost contented. She closed her eye and listened. Other than the coursing river and a few chirping insects, all was silence. Even Rainbow Dash’s breathing seemed muted. None of these sounds were enough to prevent Ditzy from falling asleep, her head nuzzling tenderly into Rainbow Dash’s breast.
When she was finally stirred back into wakefulness, the remnants of some strange dream dying into embers as she did so, Ditzy had no idea whatsoever just how much time had passed, save that Selene, Luna’s moon, was now in the ascendancy. The swelling had forced her eye closed completely, but her leg at least felt a bit better. It couldn’t have been hours, could it? There’s no way Rainbow Dash … embarrassed, she realised that she was still leaning against Rainbow Dash’s breast. Had she been sitting there, stoic as a statue, the entire time without complaint? “Sorry,” she said lamely, her muzzle flashing scarlet. “I didn’t-”
“-It’s okay,” said Rainbow Dash genially, favouring her with a sympathetic smile. On impulse, she ruffled Ditzy’s unkempt mane as if she were a filly. The slightest of frowns crossed her muzzle. “Are you happy?”
“Huh?” asked the still-somnambulant Ditzy.
“You know, with life? Work? That kind of thing.”
Ditzy shrugged, accidentally brushing up against Rainbow Dash as she did so who didn’t seem to mind. If you want an honest answer, prepare to be here for a week! “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, like everypony else, I have occasional bad days – sometimes it’s because of my own clumsiness, sometimes not – but every day brings new possibilities, right, so you can’t spend all your time worrying about it.” She studied Rainbow Dash, who was looking out over the river with a distant, possibly melancholic, expression on her muzzle, and wondered. “Are you?”
Rainbow Dash’s own thoughts turned to her friends. The Wonderbolts. Scootaloo. All she’d seen and done since becoming an Element of Harmony, and going on so many adventures across Equestria and beyond. Who wouldn’t be happy with all that she’d achieved and still with enough years left on the clock to accomplish so much more, too? For the first time that night, there was a degree of hesitancy when she responded. “I suppose so.”
“Rainbow-”
“-No, I’m fine, really,” Rainbow Dash a little too hurriedly said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Like you said, everypony has their bad days, right? That’s when I come out here to think about … things.” With an abashed grin, she added in a low whisper, “Um, it wouldn’t be great for my awesome image if ponies heard me talking about stuff like this. Can you keep it a secret?”
With a tone of mock-offense, Ditzy said, “Mail-delivery is all about keeping everypony’s private and personal messages secure. Of course I can keep it a secret!”
“Thanks,” said Rainbow Dash sincerely.
“It’s-” Ditzy hesitated, unsure as to whether or not she should pursue this. She didn’t want Rainbow Dash becoming upset with her. That said, she didn’t not want to say something, then have to deal with a lifetime of guilt later.
“Hm?”
“It’s not the sort of thing that you’re supposed to hide, though, is it? I mean, feel perfectly free to tell me to shut up if I’m way off base here, but uh, if something were to happen to you, you don’t want your friends to say if only she’d come to us and told us that something was wrong, right?”
For a moment, Rainbow Dash considered this. She exhaled sharply, realising the truth of it. “You might have a point there.”
“Sorry,” she said quickly, “It’s none of my business. I should get going.” Ditzy disentangled herself as gracefully as she could manage – which wasn’t very – from the grasp of Rainbow Dash’s wing and bounded down from the column, landing with a soft plop on the bank of the river. She looked up to her and said, “Thanks for the hug. If you ever need anything-” Ponyville’s warming lights were so close, and with it the promise of hot coffee and a good night’s sleep “-well, you know where to find me.”
“Ditzy?” Rainbow Dash said eventually to her departing back.
“Yeah?” Ditzy turned to look at her.
“D’you mind if I walk with you? I, um, don’t want to be alone right now.”
With a sombre smile, Ditzy held out a hoof to Rainbow Dash and said, “No, I don’t mind at all.”