“C’mon Mum, we’re gonna be late!” Dinky groaned impatiently, watching her mother franticly try to prepare herself.
Ditzy just laughed. “Oh Dinky, I'm sorry, just one more minute?” With a loud sigh, Dinky levitated a muffin over to her and trotted over to the couch. Ditzy tried to manage a smile as she continued to brush her mane.
I hope I look well enough for the class, I should have remembered and woke up earlier! Ditzy sighed, fixing the stubborn mane. The faint memories the night before came to mind. She remembered Dinky saying something about her having to come to school with her, but she was far too tired at the time to understand.
She looked in the mirror and groaned, surrendering to the uncooperative hair. “Okay Dinky, are you ready?”
“Sure have Mum!”
“Good girl. Let’s go!” And with that, the two ponies headed off towards the school. The town was busy with life as usual, ponies crowded the streets and only slowed the two down. Dinky looked up at her mother and frowned. Ditzy thought of how easy it would be to simply fly over the bustle of life, but remembered her wingless daughter, sending a pang throughout her heart.
“I told you we were going to be late.” Dinky sighed, letting her gaze drop to the ground. Her young mind was troubled with the worry of being late to school.
“I'm sorry Dinky, but I'm sure Cheerilee will understand.” Ditzy frowned slightly as she looked past the crowd of ponies. The schoolyard was baren, apart from the few ponies passing by. Ditzy sighed again, hoping her words to stay true, and eventually the two closed the gap to the school and entered the building.
The room was alive with idle chatting and laughter. Ditzy was thankful they didn't decide to continue on without them, and with that thought, she caught Cheerilee's eyes widen as she saw the small family.
“Oh hi you two! I’m so glad that you finally made it Derpy… Er... I mean...” Cheerilee blushed as she realised what she had just said. Ditzy smiled, not letting the word bother her in the slightest. She had grown fond of the nickname.
“It’s alright Cheerilee, honestly, words are just words, and I’ve actually grown to like that name. Derpy Hooves... It’s got a ring to it, don’t you think?” The mare grinned widely, reassuring Cheerilee.
“Of course it does dear! It’s an absolutely fabulous name!” Ditzy smiled, happy to leave the mare in high spirits, but as she turned around she glanced over an elegant white unicorn, with three elegant diamonds for a cutie mark.
“Oh, hello there Rarity! Are you here with Sweetie Belle?” Ditzy asked, looking down to see her own proud filly beaming a smile back up to her.
“Of course I am dear! Mother and Father are awfully busy this week, so I’m filling in for them. How have you been darling? It's been so long since we've had a proper chance to talk.” Rarity smiled back at the happy pony, and in fact, everypony seemed to be smiling. Nopony really had to have an excuse to be happy on such a fine day.
“It has, hasn’t it? Dinky, why don’t you run along and play with Sweetie Belle for a while?” Ditzy smiled widely at the filly, whom returned the same generous cheer.
“Alright.” Dinky casually trotted over to the three fillies, infamous for their determination for their cutie marks. Rarity and Ditzy carried on with their honest and mundane conversation until Cheerilee quieted everypony down. Cheerilee beamed her usual smile and stood behind her desk.
“Now that everypony has arrived, I see no reason to delay any further. I believe that Dinky’s mother, Ditzy will be the first parent to speak to you all.” Cheerilee anouced as she sat down in her chair.
She had forgotten that it was her turn to present first. Nervously, Ditzy approached the front of the classroom where the many curious eyes fell upon her, not easing her nervousness in any way. Ditzy hadn't even the slightest clue what she would talk about. Almost everypony in town knew who she was, and what she did.
“Hello everypony, I’m Ditzy Doo, mother of Dinky Doo, and... I’m everypony’s mail mare, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve seen me before. I honestly don't know what else to tell everypony, I'm just as normal as everypony in this room.” She smiled proudly, finding the words far easier than she had feared. Ditzy even believed that with that, she would be done, but before she could take a single step away, a familiar, and just as annoying voice filled the otherwise quiet room.
“Normal? What kind of pony considers a clumsy and useless mare like you normal? Just look at her eyes!” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon erupted in laughter. Everypony else just glared at them intently . Everypony, except Ditzy.
“I admit, I can be clumsy at times, but I honestly try my best, flying is a bit... Harder for than most, and my eyes used to be just as normal as your own Silver Spoon. I even...” She trailed off into obscurity. Everyone had a look of surprise on their face as the words escaped her trailing thoughts.
“Whaddya mean they weren’t always like that?” Applebloom asked, announcing the question on everypony's mind.
Oh dear, I shouldn’t have said that... Ditzy looked about the room, all eyes were now locked on here if they weren't before. The attention worried her slightly. I suppose I knew the day would come...
“Hehe… Well, it’s a long story, and I’m sure we don’t have time for it, right Cheerilee?” She glanced over to Cheerilee, expecting a quick shake of her head, but was instead smiling vibrantly as her usual self.
“Oh, take all the time you need! I’d love to hear this story of yours. I think everypony would, right?” A loud shout of agreement could be heard around the room from parents and children alike.
“Well… I guess I could tell you.” Ditzy sighed, holding a smile, yet the very thought of the tale tightened her throat while the class erupted in cheers. Ditzy didn't let their odd curiosity upset her as she began to recollect the old, yet very clear memories.
"About eleven years ago, I called Canterlot home. I was the mail mare there as well, so I my duty was to drop off letters, postcards, you name it, to everypony in the city. I was even blessed with a few rare occasions where I delivered mail to Princess Celestia herself!" Ditzy's smile brightened, if that was even possible, when she saw the eyes light up across the room.
"I met every famous pony across Equestria, but there was one pony who stood out. A Pegasus named Soarin. You may know him now from the Wonderbolts."
Ditzy couldn't help but notice as Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide in a twist of excitement and disbelief.
"Soarin was just a young colt at the time, trying his very best to impress the best of the best. The day I gave that letter to him... The day his eyes lit up so brightly that it almost made me cry..."
"Wooooooow!" The symphony filled the room.
"Yes, with his initiation into the Wonderbolts I became good friends with Spitfire, Cloud Chaser, Misty, and every other member, but I didn't feel that same connection with any other pony as I did with Soarin. Soarin held a special place in my heart, even if I didn't know it at the time." Ditzy paused, looking down at the floor, trying to form the words. "I still love him to this day."
Cheerilee could swear that she saw a tear roll under Ditzy’s eye. The mare could see the pain in her words that were expertly disguised behind her cheerful smile. As curious as she was, she held her tongue, and let Ditzy continue uninterrupted.
"I... I don't remember when we officially became a pair, but I do know that we shared a bond so blatantly obvious, we didn't even need to remind ourselves that we loved each other." Ditzy's eyes lowered yet again. The memories were climbing to a point that she didn't want to remember, but it was something she had lived with for the longest time. What harm could come from sharing her story?
"Soarin and I," Ditzy continued, "We never left each other's side when we were together, but when we were separated because of work it always felt like another eternity we had to endure to be together again. We spent every moment of our free time together, and even to the point..." She stopped, fighting her tightening throat as it gripped her voice by each passing second.
"Well, there was a challenge, an odd one but it was out of the spirit of fun. I wanted to challenge the great Wonderbolt himself, and, had I known I'd regret that decision for the rest of my life, I never would have tried.
"It was a sunny afternoon, a peaceful, average day, and I remember looking into Soarin's eyes one last time before he said the words."
Ready, set... GO! Soarin's words echoed into her mind as she recalled the day. She blinked back tears and continued on.
"We launched ourselves into the clouds, testing the very threshold of our limits, and although I had spent the majority of my life in the air, I never truly had to race mail to anyone, this race was my very first test of speed, and one I did not want to give up easily. I wanted Soarin to see my determination and appreciation for his work, even... Even if it killed me..." Ditzy paused a final time before piecing the last bits of her story together. Her gaze had settled onto the floor, she hadn't the courage to lift it since her throat had tried to stop her from finishing the story.
"I couldn't keep up. I tried and tried, but Soarin was just too much for me to keep a pace with, and before I had known what I had gotten myself into, my wings failed. They fell limp and with the horrible realization that I would plumet that far from the sky, I didn't expect to live.
"I was so scared I think I passed out right there, otherwise the shock from the fall simply left me unconscious, because the next thing I could remember was the beeping of respirators and heart monitors. There were plenty of voices, but they filled my head all too quickly and all at once, but one voice stood out, and never left me.
"That is, until the time became too much to bear, and the voices stopped all together. I honestly thought it was the end, but with the grace of a miracle, I was given an option. Normal medication couldn't fix me and I was running out of time. The injuries were far too serious to repair on its own, so they resorted to a series of magical treatments. While the voice's sounded happy, and proud of my success, I could hear the worry in their work, and I soon found out why.
"The healing worked almost... too effectively, and the fractured bone structure in my wings joined at incorrect places, making them what they are today... They also said, the fall left me with a... permanent... concussion. Something they just didn't know how to mend." Ditzy couldn't ignore the dripping tears at this point, they covered her face and she tried desperately to hold back her sobs as she finished her heart wrenching story.
"I found that after they released me, I was kept in the hospital of this very town and with my injuries, I wouldn't be able to fly the same way again, and that meant I would never be able to find that colt who disappeared from my life after the accident..."
She didn't bother proving her ailments as she had a hard enough time speaking at the point, she simply couldn't press on and resorted to standing silently before the class they could only soak in her painful words.
"So, that's why I'm an awful flyer, and my eyes aren't quite normal. I apologize for any of the trouble it may have caused you, but I honestly can't do anything about it..."
Ditzy lifted her gaze, which was somewhat cleared of the troublesome tears, only to find every other pony's set of eyes welled up with, or already strained with tears.
"What... What happened to Soarin?" Sweetie Belle asked behind a throat clenched just as Ditzy's had been.
Ditzy flinched, not expecting the words, and she could only answer the honest question with an honest answer.
"I don't know..." The truth burned her throat, and only caused more tears to stray down her already tear soaked face.
Soarin looked towards knock on his door. His brow raised curiously, he certainly wasn't expecting anyone, especially at this time of the day.
"Coming!" He called out, scrambling to push open the door. "Yes?" He asked before noticing who it even was, and found himself staring face to face with a furious rainbow-maned Pegasus.
Authors Note: Well, I'm happy about the reception that this has, even when it was a one-shot. Now, I've turned this into a multi-chapter story now, so this chapter you are now reading i the edited version. It's much better, and I have my editor Charcoal Sketch to thank for it. Charcoal, you are the best bro!
Regrets Of A Time Long Since Gone
Soarin looked towards knock on his door. His brow raised curiously, he certainly wasn't expecting anyone, especially at this time of the day.
"Coming!" He called out, scrambling to push open the door. "Yes?" He asked before noticing who it even was, and found himself staring face to face with a furious rainbow-maned Pegasus.
"Rainbow Dash? What are you-"
"WHY?" The Pegasus interrupted, "Why did you leave Ditzy all alone?" Rainbow Dash felt her eyes become daggers as she failed to hold back her anger.
"Ditzy? Rainbow Dash, I don't know... Wait... Ditzy?" His eyes lit up as if Celestia herself was raising the sun into them. He hadn't heard that name in as long as he had remembered her immaculate face. He pushed past her, glancing left and right, desperately trying to find this mare. That is, until he realized the words she had said.
Why did you leave Ditzy all alone?
He felt his heart fall as quickly as it had leaped.
"Where is she? I haven't seen her since..." He was cut short by his own incredibly honest memories. He hadn't seen her since the accident.
"Since you left her on her death bed in the hospital! What were you thinking Soarin? She needed you! She loved you!"
Soarin's eyes widened in shock and fear. "She... told you that?"
"Yes..." Rainbow Dash held her temper, seeing the pain welling in the colt's wide eyes. Realizing his affliction she questioned as to whether or not she should continue, but pressed the information. "Did... She tell you she was pregnant at the time?"
Soarin to turn to stone. He felt like his whole had world turned upside down and kicked him in the teeth.
I have a child? Soarin's mind immediately spiraled around him, making him nauseous from her words and that sickening truth.
"I... I didn't..." Soarin began, but was interrupted by the other Pegasus's soft words.
"You didn't know... I figured. I've never heard of someone just leaving their loved one in a situation like that." Rainbow Dash lowered her gaze, rubbing her hoof into the soft clouds for a distraction.
"I felt terrible seeing her there. She could hardly even breathe on her own, and it was entirely my fault. If I had just been paying attention... Had I just glanced back to see her, I could have stopped it all.
"I spent two months with her, visiting every chance I could get, and I was the only one to visit. She was left in Ponyville after all, no one knew of her here, but... Eventually I just couldn't bear to look at her without my heart trying to rip itself out. The guilt was too much, and I had hoped she blamed me as much as I did, and I thought never seeing her again would be best for both of us.
"If I knew she was pregnant..." Soarin's words choked, the tears running down his cheeks vividly expressing his pain.
"Can you take me to her?"
"I could, but I can't guarantee she wants to even look at you." She finally asked.
I don't know if I can even look at myself anymore.
"I understand..." Soarin muttered under his fragile breath, that had now become ragged attempts for air.
Soarin landed outside a comfortable home. It seemed to follow a familiar scheme with the houses that surrounded it. He looked at the wooden door that separated him from the inside of the house. From Ditzy. He ripped his stare away and looked at the Pegasus who quietly coughed.
"You owe me for this Soarin."
"Yes, a thousand times yes, whatever you want! I cannot thank you enough!" His eagerness was hushed, as if he was afraid to alert the ponies inside to his presence, an with a sly grin she took off, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
His gaze didn't falter from the door, his heart thundering in his chest. He lifted his hoof and, with a small pause, knocked it against the door.
He listened as a kind voice lifted from inside and quiet trotting lead to the door creaking open.
He tried his best to smile, but only managed and awkward grin as he looked into the eyes of his beloved. He hadn't seen them since that day, and even though there was something, different, he would never forget those golden amber jewels.
"C-Come in..." She stumbled, pulling the door open completely to let the colt inside. Soarin stepped inside, trying his best to search for the proper words, but is mind only ended up blank, or, rather, filled with thoughts of joy from seeing her alive.
"Ditzy, I'm sorry." Soarin muttered, knowing the words would never be enough. Ditzy raised her head and locked eyes with his. They shared this moment for a few minutes, before Ditzy finally found the words that she had been searching for herself.
"Soarin... It's okay, I... I just... Where did you go?" Her eyes started to brim with tears. Somehow her words felt like lies, even though she had hardly lied to anyone in her entire life.
"Ditzy, I always have loved you, and what happened that night never changed that, but, I just felt guilty over what happened. I felt as if I hadn't protected you like I should have. I felt like a failure, and I still do. I made a mistake that I don't know if I can ever repair. I just can't believe that I was so stupid to do such a thing to you. If you don't... I understand, because I will never forgive myself for what I did." Soarin felt his heart fill with relief with the words out of him. He never thought he would be able to apologize for his actions that night.
Ditzy couldn't find the words to respond, she only stepped forward and embraced the gentle colt in a hug. A feeling she hadn't felt for years, and soaked in every minute of it. Soarin had missed her just as much as she had. That alone was reason enough to forgive him.
Soarin felt his cheeks burn into a blush as he remembered the feeling of the mare wrapped around him. His heart melted in happiness. He never would have believed she would forgive him for what he did.
She pulled away from the hug and kissed her lover, deeply and passionately, her memories not betraying her as he felt exactly the same.
Soarin felt his bliss settle once he realized the other situation of his absence.
"DITZY!" His scream surprised her as Soarin's face lit up. "Sorry but I completely forgot, I was so occupied with just meeting you that I forgot. Rainbow Dash said you were..." Soarin watched as the mare blushed, looking away.
"Yeah, I should have told you before hand, I guess I wanted it to be more of a surprise. I can't blame you for that." She smirked, looking back to see his smile.
"Still, I'm sorry, I missed so much of my own child's life." Soarin felt his words sting his own heart as they left him. He didn't quite realize just how cold his words sounded until he had said them.
"It's alright, honestly, I've been fine and so has Dinky."
Soarin smiled and kissed Ditzy on her forehead.
"Dinky huh? A beautiful name. It really does fit perfectly."
"I'm so glad that you're back Soarin. I missed you..." Ditzy found herself surprised, thinking back briefly on the day before, if she hadn't had a chance to share that story, she may have spent the rest of her life without seeing her beloved ever again.
"Me too Ditzy. I'm glad we're finally together."
The sun was falling on the warm summer day, and Dinky was walking home from school. Alone.
"Where is she? She hardly ever forgets to pick me up from school. Sure, she has a bad memory, but she never forgets to meet me after school." Dinky whispered to herself, letting her thoughts trail off as she walked the familiar path to her home.
Dinky looked up for a moment, mostly drawn by the unbearable aroma that surrounded Suger Cube Corner. The fragrance of freshly baked food taunted her hunger, and she felt her stomach growl in response. Dinky had waited for her mother for so long that she had forgotten that she hadn't eaten since noon. With a quick glance she noticed a familiar Pegasus sitting at one of the tables outside the bakery.
She approached the distracted Pegasus who seemed lost in thought, and gently tapped her on the shoulder. Dinky covered her ears in shock as a shriek filled the air and brought Rainbow Dash back down to Equestria. Dinky fought back tears as she laughed harder than she had ever before, trying to not upset the proud Pegasus. Seeing the fearless Pegasus scream like that was priceless. Dinky watched Rainbow Dash sigh in relief as she realized what had happened. Dinky giggled and smiled happily when she blushed in embarrassment as everypony around stared at her.
Dinky saw that Rainbow Dash was just about to explain herself when Pinkie Pie burst through the front door of the bakery. Dinky smiled at the ecstatic Pony and realized just how hungry she was now that the door sealing the smell of fresh baked goods was open.
“Hey Pinkie! Did you just bake cookies?” Dinky asked, licking her lips.
“Did I ever! You want some?” She practically yelled, bouncing in place as she usually did.
Dinky's eyes sparked into pure joy from her words. Pinkie Pie giggled and hopped into the building, setting out a plate full of newly baked chocolate chip cookies. Dinky couldn't believe Pinkie's generosity as she took a bite into the mixture of heaven. She felt her eyes roll back as the cookie filled her baren stomach.
“Dinky, where is your mom? Did she send you shopping?” Dinky couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie Pie's worry.
"Not quite..." Dinky started, feeling her heart sink a little from the truth returning to her mind. "She must have been busy, or had to deliver some extra mail, that's all..." Dinky tried to convince herself.
Rainbow Dash pushed through the door of the bakery, her eyes unsteadily lingering on the filly.
"Your mom was... She's at home." She answered in barely a whisper, and turned to leave.
"But why? Why didn't she meet me after school?" Dinky desperately wanted answers that should have been so simple. Rainbow Dash turned to Dinky to see her eyes wide with curiosity.
Dinky dropped the half-eaten cookie and sprinted off home, ignoring the surprised voices of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie behind her. She honestly did not know what to expect when she pushed through the front door of her home, but she certainly did not even consider her mother and a Wonderbolt in a lasting embrace.
What was this? Why is Soarin... In our home?
Dinky's eyes lit up with a thousand questions at once, none of them seemed to be any more helpful than the last. She looked at her mother who's eyes were filled with the same confusion as her own.
"Let me talk to her." Ditzy softly whispered to Soarin. The colt stepped back giving the two the space he thought they needed.
"Mum? Why is Soarin here? Do you know each other?" Dinky asked, her eyes not leaving the anxious Pegasus.
"Dinky... Do you remember what I told you about your father?" Ditzy's voice whispered just as before, the sweetest tone she could possibly manage. The thought of her lost father brought Dinky to tears. She had tried to overcome the pain, but she fell prey to her weakness of loss at the very mention of him.
"Why... Why would you say that? What does... Dad have to do with any of this?" Dinky's voice struggled, fighting back her closing throat. Then she realized just what she had said.
Do you remember what I told you about your father? "Told" not "What happened".
"Dinky, your father never died. I felt like I should protect you from the truth... I'm sorry Dinky, I... I didn't think this would ever happen." Ditzy murmured, glancing back to the colt. Dinky wiped the fresh tears from her eyes.
"What would happen?" Dinky asked, still confused from her mother's words.
"Dinky, I'm sorry too, I never meant to do this. I just didn't know..." The blue colt stepped forward, breaking the silence that lingered over him, and with his words Dinky pieced together the last of the puzzle. Without a word, Dinky turned and bolted out the door, letting her anger fuel her coursing adrenaline.
Dinky could not help the tears from falling to the damp grass below her. The blank tombstone before her felt colder than ever before, and she knew exactly why.
How could Soarin be my dad? Why would he even want to come back? Her thoughts continued to pursue her confusion, only upsetting her when she could not think of any answers on her own. I don't want him, and neither should Mum...
As if an act of Celestia herself, Dinky heard her mother's soft humming. Her melody from when she was just a foal, a goodnight song. The fond memories of her mother flooded over the painful thoughts. She focused on the one thing that she was sure was not a lie. Her mother loved her.
Ditzy sat beside the filly, noticing her tears begin to slow. "I'm sure you're wondering who's grave this is then... Well, I never knew my Father, just as I had said to you, but I would have given up anything just for a chance to know what that feels like. I'm glad your father came back to give you that chance for that feeling, and I hope you will give him the same chance that I'm willing to give to him." She watched her daughter as she wiped tears away and shuffled closer to her, leaning against her.
Dinky sighed, noticing the nearly engulfed sunset beyond the hill. "Yeah, I think... When you put it that way..." She sniffled, rubbing her cheek against her mother's leg for comfort. "I think I could give him a chance."
Yay! New chapter!
I reckon it turned out pretty well!
Big thanks to Charcoal Sketch, as usual, and some more thanks to all of you!
Because, why not?
