Recursion: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Doing the neighborly thing."

          Ditzy managed to stay with Twilight for the light meal. Carrot was nothing if not a wonderful host, but Ditzy could see something was wrong. Even Spike seemed to notice, and voiced his concern to Twilight. For whatever reason, Twilight verbalized that concern to Carrot Top.

          "Is it that obvious?" Carrot asked in a quavering voice, and was met by a trio of nods.

          "Sorry, I'm just really nervous how this will go. I've put everything I have into this little carrot farm. I'm running broke and I'm relying on the boost in business the Summer Sun Celebration will give to this place. If the sales pick up from the publicity, I can finally get some breathing room." She admitted with a nervous smile.

          "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that from me." Twilight answered with the first genuine smile Ditzy had seen from the unicorn all day, "The food was fantastic, and tops marks from me."

          "Thank you thank you!!" Carrot Top was a blur as she rushed over to Twilight, shaking her hoof with such intensity it almost knocked the unicorn over. Ditzy and Spike exchanged glances and stifled a giggle. Twilight tried to say something, but was being jostled around so much the words were lost. Carrot finally stopped, but Twilight's arm kept pumping until Spike moved to stop it.

          "D-don't mention it, but I really should get going." Twilight managed, and stumbled for the door.

          "Sure thing!" Carrot offered with a relieved smile, "Hope to hang out with you again real soon!" and Ditzy and Carrot watched Twilight leave, then looked at each other for a long moment.

          "Oh! My! GOD!!" Carrot finally gushed and hugged Ditzy in her exuberance, "She loved it! She really liked my food. I mean I was so worried, I thought she'd hate it. I just kept biting my hooves, so scared she was going to turn her nose up and head for Sweet Apple Acres. I've been trying so hard to make this little place work, I just HAD to make her stay and at least try it…."

          "The food was excellent Carrot." Ditzy managed with a smile, "And you're doing better then I did. I crashed into her in the town square. Hit a bad crosswind…."

          "Oh you didn't!!" Carrot laughed, "You are such a klutz." Ditzy stuck her tongue out at Carrot, which only seemed to make the other pony giggle harder.

          "Anyone home?" came a voice calling from the door, and Ditzy looked up. She recognized the voice but couldn't place it, even as Carrot moved to the door to nose it open.

          "Bon-Bon?" Carrot asked, surprised.

          "The one and only, dear!" the slightly heavy pony beamed as the door revealed her cream colored pelt, her deep blue hair hanging partially in her eyes, the pink streak flaring through it artistically, "I heard the new unicorn was out here, thought I'd try and catch up with her."

          "You just missed her." Carrot smiled.

          "She's probably going to check on the weather pony, then back home." Ditzy offered.

          "Oh no!! We'll have to move quickly then!"

          "Huh?" Came the intelligent response from both Ditzy and Carrot.

          "Lyra told me she was new in town." And she nudged the door open slightly wider, revealing the mint colored unicorn behind her, "I'm trying to get a bit of a home-warming party together for the filly. She should NOT spend a night like THIS alone, and we all know how it is being a new pony in a new town! I just COULDN'T leave her to sit all by herself! It's a HOLIDAY, the Summer Sun Celebration, and she's so far from any of her friends!"

          "Then we'll just have to be her friends." Carrot Top interjected with a broad smile.

          "Ditzy, go get Raindrops," Lyra ordered from behind Bon-Bon, immediately taking charge, "Carrot, you help my roommate and I. We've got plenty of food and drink to bring along, and we need your help."

          "Me?" Ditzy asked, even as Carrot trotted to the door.

          "Well who else can fly?" Lyra asked plainly, and Ditzy covered her face with a hoof.

          Within moments of Ditzy taking to the air she saw Raindrops. As expected, the laconic pony was sleeping soundly on a cloud. It was nearing sundown now, but all ponies were supposed to stay up tonight until dawn. Most of them would be at whatever party Pinkie Pie was throwing…. In fact she should be too. She still remembered the "original" version, having went to the party Pinkie Pie had literally invited the entire town to. That had been her first look at Twilight Sparkle.

          This time it looked like the party would be a little smaller. Just the 6 of them, 7 if you counted Spike. But if it stayed similar to the original version, Twilight would sit out the party. Odd behavior for the guest of honor, but Ditzy saw an opportunity in it. She doubted the unicorn filly had gotten any sleep the first time, and she doubted she'd get any this time either. Maybe she'd finally get a chance to talk to her privately, and maybe get everything sorted out one way or another.

          "Hey Raindrops." Ditzy nudged the other filly, flitting by the cloud she was sleeping on. The other pony only groaned and rolled over. "Raindrops!" she tried again, earning only a snore. "RAINDROPS!!" she all but shouted in her ear… and still the pegasus slept. Ditzy frowned and considered the pegasus for a long moment.

          "Ditzy? Is that you?" called a voice from below. A glance confirmed the owner as Twilight.

          "Hello again," Ditzy noted with a smile, "Just trying to wake up my friend here. She's a bit… okay she's VERY difficult to motivate sometimes."

          "So I see, but we need to make sure the skies are clear, and it's almost sundown!" Twilight called, a slight sense of panic in her voice as she motioned around to the smattering of clouds dotting the sky.

          "Stand back." Ditzy told the unicorn, and let her take a step or two, then swatted the cloud Raindrops was sleeping on with a hoof. The cloud poofed out of existence right under the yellow Pegasai, sending her tumbling end over end as she hurtled towards the ground. Twilight looked startled at the falling filly, but Ditzy just watched.

          Halfway down the yellow Pegasus flicked her wings wide and coasted in a lazy spiral to the ground, burning off the speed from the sudden descent. With seemingly great effort the yellow filly looked up at Ditzy, "You could have tried waking me up first." She groused.

          "I did."

          "She did." Spike confirmed.

          "You're that Twilight from earlier, right?" Raindrops asked, squinting at the unicorn as she landed on the ground.

          "Yes, I am. And YOU are assigned to clear the sky of clouds." Twilight answered back, trying her best to sound like she was in charge.

          "So?"

          "Does the sky look clear to YOU?" Raindrops, with great effort, lifted her head to scan the sky slowly and carefully.

          "Nope. Someone should get on that."

          "YOU need to get on that." Twilight answered crossly.

          "You did draw weather duty tonight Raindrops." Ditzy slid in with a smile, "C'mon, I'll give you a hand."

          "Alright, alright." Raindrops yawned and flew up to join her. It was actually quick work for the pair. Ditzy generally stayed clear of the weather workers due to her poor sense of direction, but like all Pegasai she could handle clouds when needed. Plus it gave her an excuse to swing close to her friend and give her the quick details of the "party" Bon-Bon had planned for Twilight. For the first time today she saw Raindrops smile and gave a quick nod as they wrapped up the sky.

          "Ta dah!" Ditzy offered as she came back, Raindrops lighting on the ground by Twilight.

          "Nothing to worry about." Raindrops yawned.

          "She just needs a bit of prodding sometimes." Ditzy offered with a conspiratorial wink as Twilight nodded.

          "Well, so long as it's done." And Twilight turned on a hoof and headed back for town, seemingly keen on making one last survey of town before heading back to her "home" in Ponyville.

          "C'mon Raindrops." Ditzy called to her friend, and the duo flew off in the other direction.

          In short order the two winged fillies found themselves packed into the library with the other trio of ponies, waiting for Twilight to come back from whatever she was doing. Ditzy herself didn't mind the dark, it let her wonder what in Celestia's name she was doing. Everything seemed fine when she did it, but now her stomach fell out from under her. She was in the same place in both versions of what her eyes saw. In each she was waiting in the dark for Twilight Sparkle to come home. Her "Original" version was corralled by Pinkie Pie along with almost the entire town. In the "current" version it was just 5 of them waiting on her to come home.

          But had things changed too much already? Ditzy couldn't help but wonder, and it sent her stomach twisting. This entire day had turned out completely different then it should have, and SHE'D HELPED!! That last part made scared her the most. What if it was HER fault that Twilight couldn't overcome Nightmare Moon? What if she screwed this chance up, and pushed things the wrong way? What if…??

          The 'what if's were turning her stomach into knots. She was almost relieved when the lights snapped on in both version of the events. She only had one thing she needed to do right now.

          "SURPRISE!!!!"