Chapter 11

Ponyville hadn't changed since she last visited it. It was such a quiet place compared to the larger cities like Manehattan and Fillydelphia. Scratch had often imagined herself living in those bustling cities but now that she thought about it Ponyville seemed more relaxing and away from the world’s troubles. She didn't even expect to be bothered a whole lot here since the six other famous ponies that resided in the town were rarely the center of paparazzi exploits.

Scratch heard Thyme sigh next to her. She turned towards him and frowned. “What’s wrong? Is the luggage to heavy?”

“It’s uh, just uh,” he stuttered, surprised that she heard his uncomfort so easily. “I can’t help but wonder why you dragged me along.”

“Because I like having a sexy stallion at my side as I walk through town to keep other stallions from constantly asking me out,” she said with a mix of humor and seriousness.

Thyme chuckled uneasily and River looked up at the mare with unamused eyes. Scratch started to walk without them and they followed after her.

“She lives in a little cottage on the edge of town,” the white mare said. “This is another reason why I brought you along. So you could help me find it.”

"Ah.” Thyme looked from side to side, searching for the building. “Are you sure that her home will fit all of us?”

“Her house was once an inn back when Ponyville was smaller.” Scratch sniffed the air momentarily, smelling some pleasant scent that the others couldn't notice before continuing. “She has plenty of room.”

“Oh okay.”

River watched other ponies pass them by and noticed other foals running merrily through the streets. She noticed three fillies a little younger than her sitting outside a ice cream parlor. They saw River watching them and they waved at her. The silent pegasi just stared at them until they disappeared when the trio rounded a corner.

“I think that’s it,” Thyme stated, pointing at a sturdy cottage beside the road heading out of town. “Wait, you have been leading us this way the entire time. How did-”

“I could smell blueberry muffins on the wind.” Scratch playfully elbowed the confused stallion. “So I guessed that it was her.”

She hurried towards the house and had Thyme knock on the door. The scent of baking muffins strong in the air. From inside they could hear two voices.

“Could you go see who it is Muffin.”

“Yes mommy.”

The door opened and a little, grey, unicorn filly looked up at them. Her expression changed from happiness to a level of joy that bewildered Thyme.

“Aunt Scratch!” The filly cheered. “Mom, they arrived early!”

“Hello Dinky.” Scratch booped her nose against the filly’s and she giggled.

Ditzy appeared in the doorway, a messy apron wrapped around her. She flew straight towards the white mare and crushed her in an ecstatic hug. Scratch’s glasses flew off and landed next to Dinky who picked them up and put them on.

“Ditzy!” Scratch coughed. “I can’t breath!”

“Sorry,” the excited mare released the unicorn and immediately turned to Thyme and River. “And you must be River and Thyme!”

“Yes I am,” Thyme said with a wide smile. “I am very happy to meet you.”

River just nodded. The young pegasi couldn't tear her gaze away from Ditzy’s crooked eyes.

“Come in, come in!” The grey mare turned and they followed her into the house.

“Has anyone seen my glasses?” Scratch asked.

“I have them.” Dinky gave the glasses back to the white mare.

“Make yourself comfortable. Muffins will be done in a few minutes.” Ditzy hurried back into the kitchen.

“Don’t let her kill you with the muffins,” Scratch warned as she plopped down on a sofa.

“Are they that bad?” Thyme hesitantly sat down next to her.

“Oh no. Far from it.” She leisurely lay her head on his shoulder. The weariness from the train ride finally hitting her.

“They are so good that you will eat them until you explode.”

“It’s true,” Dinky laughed.

Thyme chuckled. Dinky looked at the two older ponies with curious eyes. Thyme knew what she was going to ask before she did.

“Are you two together?” the grey filly asked innocently.

“No, we are not,” he quickly replied with a half smile. He looked down at Scratch expecting her to confirm what he had just said but the mare had fallen asleep and his leg was already going numb.

“At least I don’t think we are.”

The two lifelong friends sat alone on the cottage's front porch watching and listening to ponies walk by. The sun barely lingered over the distant hills and was soon to set. A large pan of muffins sat between them.

“So how has life been treating you?” Scratch asked. She lifted a muffin to her nose and breathed deep before taking a bite.

She became wrapped up in the flavor and didn't even notice that Ditzy had yet to reply. Scratch stopped eating and faced her friend.

“Something is wrong, isn't there?”

Ditzy took a deep breath. “I didn't want to talk about it when you were in such a good mood.”

“Ditzy?”

“I found out why my eyes are like this.”

Scratch waited patiently for her friend to continue.

“The doctor said it is a tumor in my brain.” The grey pegasus gave Scratch a crooked smile. “Don’t worry, it won’t get any worse than it is now.”

“Well that’s good.” Scratch was still confused as to why she was upset.

“Yep,” Ditzy sighed. “But the doctor said it’s genetic or something like that. For all I know there might be one starting to grow in Dinky’s brain.”

“Oh. But there still is a chance that there isn't one.” The muffin now had lost all appeal. Scratch laid it on the table next to her. “Ditzy, I always wanted to ask you this, and I hope I don’t make you even more upset, but who is Dinky’s father?”

Ditzy sat back in the seat and looked up at the sky. “I fell in love. I guess he didn't love me back. But everything worked out in the end. A stallion named Time Turner helps me with Dinky now. He is a nice pony who cares for us.”

“That’s kind of him.” Scratch smiled back at her.

“But no more about me.” Ditzy was eager to get the topic off of her. “Tell me about River and Thyme.”

“Oh, well Thyme is just my father’s butler but he is fun to patronize. There’s nothing between us.”

Ditzy raised an eyebrow in humored disbelief but said nothing.

“River is... she is hard to explain.” Scratch rubbed her forehead, trying to concentrate. For some reason, thinking about Thyme had been more of a distraction than she intended. “Well, it’s also hard to learn about her. She never speaks, and that is not an exaggeration. The doctor said it was the worst case of Selective Mutism she had ever seen.”

“That is terrible! The poor little filly!”

“Yeah.” Scratch was starting to feel depressed so she changed the topic. “So what is there to do in this town? Do they party much here?”

“Yep,” Ditzy giggled. “But nothing like the big city ponies do.”

“I bet I could change that.”

The front door opened and Thyme exited the building.

“Scratch and Ditzy,” he asked all the while acting like he was looking for something. “Has River passed through here any time recently?”

“I don’t think so,” the white unicorn replied.

Ditzy just shook her head.

“Is she missing?” Scratch stood and faced him.

“I believe so.” He let out a strained sigh. “She did this all the time back at your father’s house but she would never leave the property. She could get lost here, or worse.”

“I will look for her from the air.” Without waiting for a response Ditzy took off into the sky.

“I shall search for her in the town then.” Thyme turned to Scratch. “Wait here just in case she comes back before we do.”

“Okay.”

Thyme hurried away leaving the nervous mare on the porch. She sat back down and tried to calm herself but to no avail. Scratch grew even more anxious when she felt the air start to cool as the sun went down completely.

Nighttime was much more relaxing than the day River realized as she climbed a stack of boxes in an alleyway and sat down on top. She looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief. She rarely felt this free. Nopony was around so she didn't feel like dead weight whenever conversations were going on.

‘Seriously, what do they expect from me?’ River mentally huffed. ‘“Oh Anemone, you’ll be such a good little filly for your new mommy.” That is probably what they think. She is not my mom and she better not start acting like it.’

River got tired of sitting and pulled herself onto the roof above her. She carefully walked on the straw coverings and looked over the edge. She momentarily felt dizzy and stepped backwards. There was a sudden cracking sound as the ceiling gave way and River plummeted into the house. She regained her composure, looked around and found herself in somepony’s attic.

“What is going on!” A stallion came rushing into the room. He looked up at the hole and his mouth hinged open. “What the hay happened?”

River took this moment to hide behind a pile of boxes. The stallion examined the hole for several seconds, decided that it could wait until morning to fix and walked out of the room. The filly gave a sigh of relief and stood up. She prepared to climb out of the hole that she had fallen through but realized that her hat was missing. River quickly searched to dark room for it but to no avail.

The sound of the stallion returning with something to cover the hole forced the filly to give up her search and climb out of the house.

The screech of a window opening snapped Scratch from her panicked daze. Her heart leaped into her throat as she hurried to River’s bedroom. The mare pushed open the door just as the filly closed the window behind her.

“Where were you!” Scratch demanded. “I was worried the entire time!”

River just stared at her with a bland expression. A sarcastic comment forming in her mind. ‘Here, let me tell you. Oh wait, I can’t!’

They stood in silence for a few minutes, neither one moving. Scratch had no idea how to continue an argument with a pony she couldn't see nor talk to. River hoped that if she was silent the white unicorn would give up and just walk away.

‘What, am I not allowed to go outside?’

Scratch continued to stare in the direction she believed River to be. Her bright red eyes shimmering in the dim light. The image of the empty eyes glowing in the darkness increased River’s desire to have the mare leave. All the stress of her young life boiled together as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at the older pony. It hit Scratch in the face and the mare reeled backwards from the shock.

She stood in the doorway for a few seconds, too dumbfounded to act, before hurrying away. The filly momentarily felt happy that the mare was gone but it quickly disappeared when she heard Scratch crying in another room. The sound of her tears twisted her conscience into regret. So often had she heard other foals cry at the orphanage and the sound tore at her own sadness. The rest of the night River only felt sick.