Ditzys secret

Age: 24 This occurs 2 years after last chapter...

Cough Cough

I struggled to breathe as I made my way through the dark clouds of despair. I could faintly see a light on the other side of the storm, but a weight on my back seemed to pull me down to cold, unforgiving floor. My eyes glitched, both turning the wrong way and making me lose balance. I dropped to the floor, thinking that the torture would just never end. As if in slow motion I crawled on the hard, cold, merciless floor towards the now growing light. My wings where crushed by the weight on my back, and the dark smog was unforgiving, but finely I reached the light, only to find a barrier of glass in my way. I cried in despair, giving one final shove with my hooves, when the doors to freedom opened in my sight. Regaining my strength, I got up, gingerly stepping out of the post office. AKA my job.

The saddle bag full of mail sat on my back, and I took a look at the map showing my new mail rout. It was hard to tell, but it seemed that the rout went all the way to the west side of Ponyville, a place that I had never been. Seeing this as a chance to learn more about this town, I started trotting.

My first stop was at sugar cube corner as usual, where I would pick up my morning muffin. I walked in, prepared for a pink blob to tackle me into a hug as was usually done. To my surprise, nothing happened. I cautiously looked around the room, no pony in sight. I sighed and trotted to the front counter, dropping the mail in a pile. I turned around and went towards the door. Then the lights went out.

I froze, starting to worry that I had walked in when no pony was at the store, but I could have sworn that the open sign had been out. Quickly I made my way out the door, thankfully to be in the light again. I would just have to ask the Cakes why the electricity had turned off later.

Making my way down Mane Street, I began to drop off packages to the houses. The library, Lyra's home, and so on. As I went, ponies walking by would say hi, wave, or laugh at me as I stumbled every three steps. On that particular day, my eyes had been bothering me, so when I ran into a stallion on the way to my last stop, it was no surprise.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" I gasped, the heat of embarrassment rushing to my cheeks. The earth stallion was a little younger than me with a dark brown coat and red hair with false black streaks. His cutie mark was a picture of a heart being painted by a brush with red paint. He carried a saddle bag full of brushes and other paint supplies.

"That's okay. No harm done." He smiled. His blue eyes seemed to look into my soul and I cringed.

"My name is Brush heart, yours?" He smiled again, seeming a bit overly friendly. Did I know this stallion?

"Ditzy." When I said my name, the stallion seemed about to burst from excitement. He looked about to speak, but I cut in, not wanting to spend more time with the odd stranger then needed. After thinking a moment I remembered why he seemed so familiar.

"I know you! I got some of your mail in this bag!" I yanked out the last few letters in my bag and hurriedly tossed them at him. Before another word could be spoken, I galloped away.

As I walked into the house I sighed. Multiple complaints about ponies getting the wrong mail or the mail getting crumpled had already reached the post office by time I got back. The boss said one more slip up like that would cost me my job. Not to mention that I couldn’t get the thought of that strange stallion out of my head. For some reason I was sure I knew him, but just couldn’t put a hoof on it.

"Rain! I'm home!" I called out to the silent house, not gaining a reply. It was only 5:00 PM and I was usually the only pony home until ten at night. I trotted into the kitchen, grabbing an apple as I walked by. I grabbed a few things from a cabinet and continued back to set up a prank for Rain when she got home. There was a strange ere of silence about but I ignored it.

I could see no pony around so I stealthily snuck to mine and Rain's room. I hurried towards the bedroom door, but paused when I heard a stifled groan from Carrot tops room. Out of curiosity, I slightly opened the door and gasped.

There on the bed sat Carrot top, trapped by a unicorn stallion’s dark blue magic grip. Around her the stallion was tying a rope. I looked over the stallion quickly, not paying attention to details. He was a dark blue color with a black mane. He had what looked like a black mask over his face and his cutie mark was hidden by a sheath.  On the floor lay the dagger that belonged in that sheath, covered in blood. As soon as I saw this I looked back at Carrot top, now noticing the wound on her side.

Instinctually, my mind reached out to Carrot, but to no avail in my pony state. This was something that I did when I went hunting, right before I kill the animal; I send it happiness and calmness, so it doesn't die in fear. I really hoped that this would not be the case with Carrot.

She looked to the door, and to my dismay, let out a scream for me to help her. The unicorn stallion turned to me

and then....