//-------------------------------------------------------// Ditzy Doo Ventures Forth! -by Theobservantpilgrim- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Ponyville, The Biggest Small Town in Equestria //-------------------------------------------------------// Ponyville, The Biggest Small Town in Equestria When the dust settled the filly was set on the sidewalk, completely unharmed. A shadow fell over her and she became stunned out of fright yet again, until a masculine voice behind her said “You almost got crushed young filly! Are you alright?” She turned around, and noticed that there was a towering figure above her, with some kind of protrusion out of his head. What sort of monster was this, some beast who would consume the young and who’s presence darkens the very sun around its victims? No, for when the figure lowered its head, the light showed that the protrusion was the visor of some type of cap, and the shadow was no monster at all, but in the light it was revealed to be a pony. “Huh, must’ve shaken you up a bit, your eyes seem to be a bit wonky. Are you okay?” The adult asked. The filly understood little, and cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner, for she had learned little in the way of language besides the absolute basics, able to understand little and speak even less. “Where are your parents?” He asked again, and that she understood. As though the thought only then occurred to her, she began to search frantically, almost frightening the adult as it was made evident that even she did not know. She began to cry out, feelings beyond the understanding of such a young pegasus began to flood her, and he stepped back, afraid that he may have upset the filly. “Hush now, it’s alright.” He stated, mostly to himself. This gentle reassurance began to quiet the small filly, though she still whimpered with fear. “Look, we’ll just try and get you some help, okay?” He said, still taken slightly aback from notice her eyes still seemed to point in two very different directions. “Come on, follow me.” He said, turning around and gesturing for her to follow with his wing. It was then that she became elated, another pegasus, with some kind of wooden box on the side of his flank. Perhaps he will be able to help her find her way home! She got up, rather unsteadily, and trotted to his side. He was relieved to see this pleasant change of mood, and looked into the street to see shattered pink pieces of whatever the filly was near. He assumed it was simply some trash left by some careless pedestrian and he walked slowly into the town with no clear goal, but to any sort of authority. He tried to keep his pace slow enough so the filly would be able to follow, though it was quite a tricky feet in itself as the young one stumbled occasionally, though he was always quick to prevent her from falling down. They passed by an elaborately decorated baked goods store, which itself looked edible from the outside. Such astounding architecture was of little note to the stallion, but the aroma filled both of their nostrils. The filly began to slow down and then stare at the building, her hunger resurfacing and causing her to whimper. He took notice of this shortly when he sensed that she had fallen behind. He noticed that the filly began to move towards the door, pitifully attempting to open it. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” he asked. She replied by nodding her head weakly. He happily opened the door for her, and inside was nearly as astounding as the building outside. She moved inside, taking in all of her surroundings, when something caught her attention. The proprietor of the establishment had just set a tray of muffins down to cool on the counter, and this caught Ditzy’s attention most of all. The stallion watching her noticed her fascination with the treats on the counter and took notice of how the filly was ignoring all of the appetizing cakes and other confections and seemed fixated on what appeared to be such a rather humble pastry. He smiled and purchased one of the muffins for the young pony and set it down for her to eat, and eat she did. It took hardly a moment for her to consume the entire treat and it was clear she desired more, and he was still quite happy to oblige. While the filly was eating the muffin, the stallion attempted conversation with her. “My name’s Crafty Crate, what’s yours?” he asked. She finished the muffin shortly, and felt fulfilled, no longer hungry. Understanding what the large pegasus asked, she attempted desperately to say her name, but it was mostly unintelligible. “D-D…Di” was all that she was able to repeat, slightly frustrating him but then she took a deep breath began to elaborate on her name more clearly “D…Ditzy Doo.” She had finally managed to say. He sighed with relief, hoping that this may finally be able to aid his search for her parents. Still with the hope that she can speak, he continued “So Ditzy, where are your parents?” Unfortunately, this was beyond her ability to speak, and any further attempts at communication appeared to be garbled at best. He shook his head, knowing that this would bring them not much closer to searching for her parents. “Well anyway, I suppose we should get back to seeing about trying to find your parents. Come along.” He commanded, but in as gentle as he could manage. They left the building and he decided to go to one of the tallest buildings in town, which he correctly determined to be city hall. Crafty climbed the steps leading to the building, expecting the younger pegasus to follow after, though he overestimated this simple ability and the age of the filly and thus descended and aided in her ascent, gently encouraging her to climb up as well on her own with words of “Alright, up you go,” pausing periodically to remember her oddly chosen name before continuing with “Ditzy.” Once at the doors to city hall, he opened the fuchsia doors and entered with Ditzy in tow, entering into an office filled with the smell of freshly prepared paper heavy with ink. He set up a meeting with the appropriately named Mayor Mare, and sat awkwardly next to the young filly with crossed eyes, waiting to be called in to the office. Although he spent most of the trip trying not to pay attention to what may have been an illness inflicted on the filly, he could seldom help but to notice that the eyes stayed fixed in two separate directions. She noticed him watching her and looked at him with one eye while the other wandered in another direction, and she smiled. It was clear to him that she could see him quite well, and if it were an infliction of some sort it was not interfering with her. He returned the smile, an expression clearly not often seen on the rugged face. They were called in and both got up and proceeded into the mayor’s office. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Tale of Two Pegasi //-------------------------------------------------------// A Tale of Two Pegasi Mayor Mare was busy at her desk, glancing over papers that appeared as though some type of ancient script, even to the older pegasus, and it was clear that although she was quite a young pony, her mane was stained grey from stress. She looked up and although this were a chance not often felt, she lifted her head and talked at an erratic pace, slowing down gradually as she began to calm down. “Well hello sir and madam” she began, gesturing politely to Ditzy, “I am Mayor Mare, is there anything I may help you with?” As she caught her breath, regaining her composure, the elder pegasus spoke “Yes actually, I found this filly in the streets, she seems to be lost and I was hoping you’d be able to find her parents.” The mayor nodded “Do you know her name?” she inquired, and he replied with “Yes, her name is Ditzy Doo.” And upon hearing this, the mayor searched through one stack of papers, reading closely and attempting to find anything that may help the two. “Ditzy . . . Ditzy . . . I’m quite sorry but I don’t seem to have anything that could help you two.” Crafty looked down at Ditzy, apologetic. The younger pegasus looked up to him, only partly understanding what was going on. This exchange of worried looks touched the pony behind the desk and she began to speak more softly to Crafty “Sir, if I may have a word with you.” And she walked outside of the office, standing near the door. “Stay here.” Crafty told the filly and joined the pony outside. Mayor Mare closed the door and began to speak quietly, hoping not to alert the filly inside “Sir, we have no records of anyone with that name ever being in Ponyville. I can continue to look, but I don’t think I might find something except in Cloudsdale. I’ll do what I can to see about finding her parents, but until then I would like you to please take care of her.” The stallion became stunned at this prospect but before he could protest the mayor continued. “I know this might seem unusual, but she seems to trust you and it would be difficult for us to place her with anyone else. I ask you to please take her in with you.” This pleading did make him think, and he thought about the ramifications of what could come from his agreeing to this but he still did not fully desire to commit. “Ma’m, you have to understand, I don’t think that I’ll be able to take care of a filly, I don’t have any experience.” “Sir, I understand that, but how many parents do you think had previous experience raising children? You can certainly raise this filly.” “But what if her parents come by to pick her up?” “Then I’m sure they’ll be able to make sure she is well taken care of. But until then, I’m sure you’d make a great caregiver.” With evident uncertainty, he opened the door and peeked into the room and saw the little pegasus looking around at the room. Though they’ve been out there a while, she seemed to be almost pre-occupied taking in her surroundings. He closed the door and turned to the mayor, accepting that he could possibly go through with taking care of the filly. He nodded to the mayor, no words requiring exchange, and they both re-entered the room and the mayor returned to her position behind the desk. “I will handle the paperwork. Little filly, this stallion will watch you until your parents find you, meanwhile I will do everything I can to try and find them.” Ditzy paid attention to the mayor, not nodding but it was clear she understood at least in abstract terms what she was saying. The two left the building and embarked upon a journey to a better life for the both of them, a life filled with further tragedies and comedies, the adventures of childhood shaping and forming the joyful cross-eyed pegasus Derpy to be the well known mare whom we all love. Author's Note I am only vague sure that this is the only fanfiction featuring Crafty Crate. //-------------------------------------------------------// After the Beginning //-------------------------------------------------------// After the Beginning Every pony has a story. When a pony first comes into Equestria as a foal, it begins its adventure into a life ahead of itself, filled with tragedy and joy, with most of the actions unfolding before their very eyes. Every pony is unique, and while many may share similar attributes in their average lives, not a single one is an exact copy of another. This story begins with the tale of one specific pony’s life, after tragedy of being orphaned and left to fend for herself, blissfully unaware of what shall come ahead. This is the story, of Ditzy Doo, a gray coated, blonde mane pegasus, who was born with a peculiar cross-eyed look. The young pegasus stayed near the large tree, in the shade, sitting on the grass on the outskirts of a small town. Though the day was glorious with seldom a cloud in the sky, and with a spectacular view of the town, this filly had her attention on the bubbles being made, floating, and popping before her eyes. She was clearly very fixated on these, as she had missed what should be a monumental moment in any young pony’s life, the time in which a pony earns his or her cutie mark. She did glance at it, and recognized the familiar visage of bubbles, but did not seem to mind at all, and returned her attention quickly back to producing more of the incandescent orbs. What was it about these bubbles she found so fascinating? She dipped the pink wand in the dish of solution, waved it back and forth, and continued to watch as the spheres of water and soap rose and popped. But nevertheless, it is pleasant to see this pony enjoying herself despite her current situation. But such happiness eventually came to an end, for the solution in the bowl began to run out. When this finally happened, she dropped the pink bubble-wand and had begun to cry out as most young fillies would in a time of turmoil. She continued her cries, but they were left unheard, and soon enough she had stopped. She began to search frantically for any sign of any pony, but evidently found nothing. Ditzy continued to sit on the ground for a bit before picking up the bubble-wand, placing it inside the empty dish, and standing, beginning to walk towards the only source of civilization, the relatively quiet town of Ponyville. Ditzy continued to walk at a quickened pace towards the town, and with no surprise considering the further pangs the hunger set upon her, the need for somepony to aid her, and, assumingly, another source of solution so she may continue her work on making more bubbles. It took quite some time for her to arrive at the town, and with the low silence of the town was starting to be replaced with the rustling and talk of many ponies. Needless to say, the small pegasus was intimidated, not aided by a cart carrying a load of assorted vegetables rushing past her, nearly toppling over her small frame. Regardless, she still wandered about in the street, before becoming lost in a small crowd of ponies whom had begun to cross the street. To her they appeared as a group of colossi ponies, whose movement seemed to blend in almost perfectly. Out of fright, she dropped the dish and covered her head with her forelegs, shaking in fear, foolishly staying in the road. By the time the chattering ponies had crossed the road fully Ditzy continued to cower in the middle of the dirt path, without removing her hooves, which caused a few passerby’s to casually glance and take concern of the filly. Pity was bestowed upon her only through sight, but it seemed as though not a body would care to inquire as to why such a young pegasus would be left unattended in a busy town street. One bystander however did more than glance at the pegasus, for he took genuine concern for the small pony, and though he himself was a stranger to the town, he was sure of himself that a filly should have parents nearby. His stocky frame adorned with a pair of wings, his visor cap atop his rugged bearded face set him apart from the group of other ponies. Though clearly a stern taskmaster from the almost permanently set expression of his face he wore, he did demonstrate his attention most evidentially. He stepped out of a small crowd of ponies staring at the young filly in order to get a better look, and once away he saw very clearly that she had wings! He searched around for any other pegasi that may be her caretakers, but found nothing. He put a hoof out into the road, but retreated upon remembering that he was tasked to Ponyville for a specific reason and that he would do it. Even though he knew he was ignoring her plight, he was sure that a kind hearted local would know what to do with this situation. The crowd slowly began to disperse, but it was not long before cries of fear were heard, followed by a low tremble in the earth and the sound of galloping in the short distance. Coming along the streets were two foolish young ponies at odds, racing one another, who’s attention was paid fully to one another and who was ahead of whom, but not to the road. The young pegasus looked up briefly only to hide herself futilely yet again. In a state of fear, the filly was frozen in place, unable to move, desperately hoping to shield herself behind her weak hooves. The two ponies were most sure to trample the poor young creature, but in almost an instance a flash of tan passed the street, distracting the two and inadvertently causing them to tumble over one another.