Ditzys secret

I drifted down into my lake, letting the cold water rush over my fur, changing it into a sleek skin that I swam in. my wings where not feathered, but smooth and clean. My body felt relaxed and peaceful under the water, but my soul and mind where a torrent of questions and loneliness. I swam deeper until I came to the small crevice in the rock where my old home was. Moss had overgrown, but I went in anyways. I just lay there for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts. How could I have known that trying to save my friends would result in such a terrible way?

Flashback...

I let my instinct take over, jumping into the fray. I landed in front of Raindrops with Ponet to my right and a stallion that I could vaguely remember being named painted heart on my left. Both stallions where intent on saving Rain from the attackers, and so was I. I opened my mind as far as I could, reach out to all the attackers, and I let out everything I could think of. I gave them a battle cry.

All the ponies seemed to stop for a moment, frozen in fear, but the onslaught soon continued. As ponies came, I grabbed them in my jaws, or I threw them with my tail. There were so many ponies coming to us but I kept fighting. I felt a sharp pang in my back and I spin around to see none other than Rainbow dash. I leapt at her, only to crash into the ground as she flew up into the air. I stood there and watched unmoving as she taunted me. I didn’t care, as long as she wasn’t trying to harm Raindrop.

I turned back to the fight but there was some pony missing. Raindrop was gone. I spun back to Rainbow, my anger rising. I don’t care if they take me to be dissected, or even if they just outright kill me, but no pony hurts my family.

"WHERE IS SHE!?!?!" I screamed at her. Rainbow looked down, a smug grin on her face. I jumped up, but couldn’t reach her.  I kept trying but to no avail. I could see that I was only wearing myself out.

"Come get me you freaking monster! I’m not scared of you." Rainbow shouted. I could feel my pulse speeding up as I got angry.

You should be scared of me. I reached into her mind. I searched through her mind, to witch I could feel her struggle. I reached into the darkest places of her mind and found her greatest fear and I pulled it to the top, overloading her mind with the though.

You’re just a failure.

She slowly deflated drifting down, down, down. Then I jumped and...

Snap!

Empty air. Something below me had yanked me down by my tail, and I didn’t like it. I was about to catch my prey and no pony could stop me.

I wheeled around snapping at the creature neck and earning another loud snap, only this time it was the snap of a neck instead of empty jaws. A scream of pain filled my mind and fear began to come from all directions. I looked down to the creature that had stopped me from jumping. It was a stallion around the age of fifteen. He had a green mane and a cyan coat, a bit darker than rainbow dashes.

With that thought I turned back to the cyan mare to see that she had left. I looked back down to the young stallion and then to the crowd where Ponet and the other stallion where still fighting. There ponies would pay and I would find Rain, no matter what the cost.

A sheet of red began to cover my vision and the salty taste of blood rolled through my mouth. It tasted good

A splash found its way to me as I lay in the crevice in my rock. I knew that it couldn’t be Marvin, and the only other explanation was a predator or an intruder. My body continued to lie in its relaxed position as my mind traveled upwards to the unwanted guest.

"Come Ditzy, you must eat, if you don’t your bones will grow thin and not have meat."

Leave me alone.

I didn’t want any pony to bother me. It had been almost two days and I preferred to stay and wallow in my self pity. It wasn't like I was short of water, and as for food I could just survive off of seaweed even though it was quite unfilling. I closed my eyes and tried to rest.

I snapped out of my daze, the red blur leaving my eyes. I could feel the presence of seven ponies inside the tree house library that I stood in front of. My mind was still numb from my sudden instinctual burn and I couldn’t discover who's minds where there. The door in front of me was wood. I looked down to see that the ground was dirt. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t help but only notice these obvious facts. I slowly close my eyes, my head continuing to thrum. My head.

My head.

My head.

My head...

SNAP

I opened my eyes to see the inside of the library. Where had the door gone? I shifted my eyes downwards, faintly shocked to see the door with a huge whole through it. Back in front of me, seven ponies stood, one tied up and the other six cowering in fear. Was that Rain tied up? I couldn't see her very well. I closed my eyes, trying to blink away the fogginess. I looked up again, but jumped back when I noticed how close to Rain I was all of a sudden. Had I moved? I didn’t think I had. I relaxed my jaw which had gone into a snarl, and lowered my thrashing tail. I could see a little clearer, but I thought that the blinking had helped, so I tried again. Now when I opened my eyes, I was standing directly in front of Rain, the ropes holding her now in my teeth. I ignored the sudden closeness, and continued to break the binds around my sister. When she was free she ran up to me and gave me a hug. Somehow the feel of her warm fur on my sleek skin calmed my nerves helping me to think again.

I stepped out of the hug, a huge grin on my face.

"Are you okay Rain? They didn’t hurt you, did they?" I let a frown draw down the sides of my face when I noticed her starting to stutter. Rain was never good at lying.

"What’s wrong?" I growled, unable to hold back my frustration and worry.

"I...Its nothing serious..." Rain whimpered. I looked her in the eye and was slightly surprised at what I saw. Rain was scared of me. I stepped back and raised my hoof to my head, closing my eyes. Why was my head hurting so much? I opened my mouth, trying to ask why she was scared, what did I do? But something got in my mouth. I opened my eyes in alarm, the thing in my mouth seeming to be yanking my jaw open. I wasn’t sure what scared me the most when I looked. The fact that I was about to bite Rains neck, or the fact that my body had moved without my even knowing. I pulled my head back, gasping at the blood running from her punctured skin.

"Rain!" I heard myself scream. I fell to the ground, my eyes tearing up. I was a monster.

I buried my face into my hooves, salty tears beginning to run down them. I couldn’t close my eyes, I couldn’t. I couldn’t.

A tap on my shoulder and a soft voice woke me from my wariness.

"Calm now child, every pony makes a mistake in their life, one they can’t fix. But even after that mistake every pony deserves a second chance." I could feel a light growing through my body, relaxing all my muscles. I didn’t want to look up; I didn’t deserve that second chance after what I had done.

"Your right. Every pony deserves a second chance, but I’m not a pony, am I? I’m a monster that should be locked up, or turned to stone." I was stunned by the gentle laugh that met my words.

"I would agree that a Mermare would be a beautiful addition to my statue garden, but I didn’t come here for that purpose."

I looked up finally, but was unprepared for the bright light that met my eyes.

"Celestia." The alicorn sat beside me, running her hoof through my mane as she tried to calm me. She held a royal look on her face, but her eyes glinted with sadness, loss, and a small hint of anger. I watched her stretch a wing over me, warming my body further. Her horn light and I felt the same sensation of memories as I did when twilight had cast the memory spell on me. I felt her look through my whole life up to this point. When finished She began to speak again, but this time only I could hear and her mouth stood still.

“I have three offers to make you. No matter the race, you are still living in Equestria, therefore under my rules and laws. And my laws state that because of your crimes of murder and attacking other citizens, you have two penalties, death or prison. The other choice would be less of a punishment for you. But if you do take the third choice what any of my other little ponies choose to do to you upon your choice, I will not interfere. "

I took the third choice and sat up, the princess standing above me. Her horn lowered to my head and a glow formed starting at my head and inching down to my hooves, slowly transformed me back into my pony form. Many gasps reached my now pony ears.

When the princess straightened, I stood and looked around. My eyes floated in different directions, but I was able to control them enough to see all other seven ponies in the room. Flutter shy had hid behind Rainbow while Rainbows own mouth fell open, Rarity had fainted, Applejack looked down and Twilight ran to the princess. Rain stood, looking at me, tears in her eyes. I would have to tell her my decision and about the past two hours events.

I woke with a start as a hoof wrapped around my midsection and pulled me upwards toward the surface. I struggled with all I had, but the stallion that held me seemed to be prepared for that and slipped a dog’s choke chain around my neck. It was so annoying! I screeched at them with my mind, but theirs seemed to be blocked. I didn't want to hurt anypony so I used a different kind of defense. I withdrew my mind from my body, making myself black out.

When I stepped outside, I couldn't help but fall to my knees and vomit at the gut reaching smell. Celestia led me down the road, bending to Check a pony every thirty yards or so. There were only three ponies dead so far and about ten wounded, when we came to the hospital front.

"This is nothing to be proud of, and it hurts me to see so many of my subjects hurt, but I do understand that they brought it upon themselves by striking the first move. Still, I would like you to help me now in searching the wounded and helping them. None of them will know you’re the mermare, so go." Celestia started on the closest pony, bending and checking their pulse with her magic glow. I cantered to the other side and started, going from one pony to the next in attempts to find survivors. Most of the ponies where just knocked cold, or couldn't get up. Only a few other than the nine of us where walking around.

I didn't remember my other two saviors until I finally came upon them, the two trying to help each other up.

"Ponet! Are you okay?!" I galloped over to him, tripping over ponies every few hooves. When I reached him and the other stallion I hugged Ponet a huge smile spreading across my face. He gently pushed me off, and I moved back, now noticing that he was still hurt, unlike me.

"I'll be fine Ditzy. A better question is are you okay?" I nodded my head. I quickly re-laid the story of the intruder and of Carrot being hurt, leaving out the messy parts of course.

"Then why didn't you ever tell me you had a brother?" I cocked my head in confusion. I was pretty sure I had told him about Fish, and even if I didn't, who told him now? Ponet motioned his head to the second stallion standing next to him. I looked at him, looking him over. The other day he had said that his name was Brush heart after I had run into him. At the moment his coco brown coat was crusted with blood (not all his own) and his finery red mane was a crazy mess all over his head. His cutie mark was a heart with a paintbrush in front of it. I looked into his eyes. They reminded me of Ponet's eyes somehow, if it was the fiery glow of an artist or a strong connection of love towards me, I couldn't tell, but I still wasn't sure if it was Fish or not.

"Show me your wings." The stallion looked taken aback a bit and a bit nervous, but he did. Seemingly out of nowhere on his back, a set of wings shot out, although they were obviously much too small for Pegasus wings.

"Now show me your horn."I looked him in the eyes again and they sparked, as if a dare had been challenged.

"Ditzy, quit being ridiculous. Only alicorns have both..." Ponet was cut off as I stuffed my hoof in his mouth and watched Brush heart bring up a hoof to his head. He gently rubbed a hoof through his mane a moment, as if he was trying to comb it out. When he was finished with that, he parted his fiery mane in the front, and sure enough, sticking out of his head was a horn, that could probably be mistaken with a big bump for its smallness.

Ponet gasped and I just stood there, too shocked to move. Was it really him finally?

"Brush! There you are lad. It’s about time we leave if you know what I mean. And what in Equestria happened here?!?! Don’t tell me Ponyville was attacked by nightmare moon again!" We all turned around to see a brown stallion talking so fast he could give Pinkie a run for her bits.

"My goodness you found her! That took longer than expected, and I guess that means you have to leave now , but will some pony tell me what happened?!" Something in my head something finally clicked and trotted up to Fish and gave him a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggg hug. He gasped at my strength and I was surprised when tears started running down my face.

(Tears have no changing effect because they are so salty)

It was a moment before his hooves wrapped around me too and we just stood there a minute. When we let go, I turned to Ponet and walked right up to him and kissed him smack on the lips. He just stood there stunned and I turned to the brown stallion.

"No hugging or kissing for me?" He grinned innocently.

"You’re that stallion in that weird blue box that asked me what time it was." His raised a hoof as if to protest a point, but I trotted right up to him and gave him a quick hug.

"Thank you." If he had never been there, I would never have met Rain, and without her I would be all alone.

"Sorry to ruin such a heartwarming moment amongst at least thirty injured ponies, but Brush, we have to go. Colgates waiting. It’s your choice if you come or not." The brown stallion then proceeded to leave, but before he turned I caught a glimpse of his face, now full of sadness.

Then Brush, my newfound brother, looked to me. He seemed to be pleading forgiveness in his face.

"Listen.. Theres this other pony that would be very disappointed if I didnt go..."

"Go on, have fun “I grinned and he smiled.

"I won’t be gone long, and I’ll be sure to visit often and bring souvenirs!" Brush heart galloped of after the stallion leaving me and Ponet alone.

I slowly opened my eyes, bright light stunning me momentarily. I could see the silhouettes of two figures standing over me.

I groaned slightly as I rolled onto my belly, putting my legs under me to get up. I had been under the water in my lake ever since the day of the attack, and I hadn’t seen anyone since. Guilt had caught up to me from hurting all those innocent bystanders, and the shock of finding my brother had hit me hard, as well as another shock.

"Are you done mopping in your tears, and ready to celebrate the trials of your future years?"

I looked to the other pony standing next to Zecora. It was of course a stallion with a golden mane and a sleek wet coat.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything Ditzy, but it’s going to be difficult leaving Ponyville behind you now that your, ah... Banished. And I don't think you should have to be lonely. Not to mention we aren't under Celestia’s control anymore, and can do whatever we please." He grinned evilly and I giggle at his smile.

"Yes, or more so, I do." I leaned over and kissed the stallion, wishing for it to never end.

"Save it for the wedding sweetheart!" We laughed and I followed Zecora to her house, Ponet by my side, and remembered the all too surprising moment from two days ago...

It was the morning after the attack and me and Ponet sat in a coffee shop. The town had fallen into quietness as ponies mourned for the five ponies that had been lost in the skirmish. I couldn't help but feel terrible, and yet annoyed at the same time. I was only acting in defend, and yet I thought death to great of a punishment.

"Cheer up Ditzy. The worlds not going to end and you where forgiven by none other than the princess herself." He groomed a hoof through my tangled mane, taking a sip of his coffee every once in a while.

"I just...can't. I need to tell you something Ponet. The, the princes gave me a choice, either I could go to prison, be...stoned, or I could leave. Be banished to the Everfree for ten years, and if I survive that long then I would be able to go back into the pony community. I don't hate the idea of going home, but it would mean leaving you, Rain, and me...I Just Can't!" I could feel hot tears running down my soft fur. Ponet kept his hoof on my shoulder, a look of pity on his face.

"You know we don't have to be alone. No pony does."

"I'm not a pony, nitwit. If you hadn't noticed, I'm a mermare who kills defenseless ponies...”

"They weren't defenseless..."

"WE'LL COMPARED TO ME THEY WERE!!!" My voice broke back into a hoarse whisper.

"They couldn't stop me, no pony could." I looked at my hooves planted firmly on the bar that we sat next to.

"You don't have to be alone." I looked back over to him. He smelt of oddly strong cologne, not the normal one that he usually wore. I watched his horn light up in its ominous purple glow that always seemed to let off a buzz of energy. He pulled a small box from his saddle bag. I took a sip of my coffee, savoring the taste...

"Will you marry me?"

Ppppppfffffffffffffffffffffffff!

I spit out my coffee right onto the now kneeling unicorn stallion.

"WHAT!!!???" I was so shocked, and when I noticed my outburst I was even more embarrassed.

"No?" Pontes ears dropped and he frowned momentarily before I jumped him, talent him into a bear hug.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!!" I was squeaking like a school filly. Ponet had an irresistible grin on his face.

A few claps and words of congratulations came from the other ponies that sat around the small shop.

After that I had rushed to Rains house to tell her the news, but was met with an empty house instead. No pony else that I knew seemed to be around,

So I galloped into the forest to tell Zicora's and Marvin.

“Marvin has left the living, no more friendship he will be giving." Zecora had replied sadly to my asking. That had instantly ruined my mood again and I left,

Back to my lake, without even thanks for the congratulations she gave me.

Now I stood by Ponet, deciding who to envite to our wedding. We would build a small house next to the lake, and we would make a memorial next to it in memory of Marvin. But who am I kidding? I was getting MARRIED!!! It was going to be the best day of my LIFE!!!