-Fillydelphia the night of

Ditzy and Ditty had been sitting at the bar for a while talking. The subject jumped from school, to friends, to family, to striving to find a job and earning money for one's independence.

"....So I dropped out of the university." Ditty finished his story of his time at college.

"But your voice, you sound good." Ditzy said taking the shot of gin Ditty had set down in front of him. She downed it followed by a swig from the glass of water to chase it.

She had been casually taking Ditty's shots when he was distracted in an effort to keep him from getting more drunk. So far it had been working.

"But every audition, every try out, I would lose the part to someone better." Ditty said running a hoof through his mane, completely oblivious his shot glass was again empty.

"There's will always someone better." She said giving him a nuzzle. "It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Besides is the lead in the Broadway show the only thing you're hoping to do with your music? You could do many other things, write music or teach voice lessons."

Ditty gave a chuckle.

"You know the way you say it, it sounds like I just galloped towards my one goal with blinders on. Like an idiot I was not thinking about the many different ways I could have done it, or taken advantage of the other things around me."

"Oh, I didn't mean-" Ditzy started putting a hoof around him.

"No, you're right!" He said defiantly. "I've been focusing too much on trying to make it to the top that I totally lost track of what I was doing right here and right now."

Ditty lifted the bottle of gin to fill his shot glass but stopped and set it down.

"I wasn't a bad student, I just was not the best. And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that. My problem was at first sign of failure I would just run away. Well not anymore! I'm gonna find a realistic goal and go for it!"

Ditty pushed the shot glass away from him.

"And I know how it's gonna happen. I'm gonna take that money I've been saving up to go to Manehattan to try for Broadway again and put it towards going back to college and get my degree."

He turned to her with a serious smile and looked deep in to her eyes.

Ditzy realized her eyes had rolled out again, but Ditty didn't look at all bothered by it at all. In fact she felt as if he was looking past them and looking directly in to her.

"I wouldn't have believed in myself if you hadn't said it." He continued. "You really helped me realize that just then... I could... I can...."

His words were lost because suddenly their lips were locked in a deep kiss. They passionately held together for a few moments and then quickly pulled back.

Ditzy coughed and quickly took another drink from the glass of water, followed by Ditty who swished it around his mouth before he swallowed.

"Gin is not the best drink for kissing." He said looking at the bottle with a sick look.

"No it is not." Ditzy gave another cough and shook her head. "The kiss was really nice, honestly. But that after taste of the alcohol burned."

Ditty gave a look like he just then had an idea and called the bartender over.

"This last call you know? The bar is closing soon." The bartender said to him.

"Mighty fine good sir, mighty fine." Ditty retorted. "Me and this wonderful lady here would like a bottle of red wine to take up to my room."

Ditty glanced back at Ditzy with a look of affection.

"You can say no and I won't make you stay if you want to leave. But if you don't, I would like continue talking. And possibly get to know you better." He said moving a stray hair from her mane away out of her face.

"And what do you mean exactly when you say get to know?" Ditzy asked feeling only slightly suspicious.

"Well for starters, I want to hear how you got your cutie mark."

Ditzy felt her cheeks flush as she beamed at him. He stepped down from his barstool and held out a hoof to help her off hers.

-present day

Ditzy Doo flew alongside the moving truck. Raindrops, a fellow delivery pegasus, flew with her while their boss Big Pete was drove the truck.

"This is our last delivery for today." Raindrops called out to her. "We get this done and we can go home."

"Sounds good to me." She responded. "How many pieces?"

"No more than fifteen total, a few clothing boxes, one or two fragiles, a disassembled bed, and a couple of instruments in cases."

"So we should be in and out quickly." Ditzy nodded as Pete took the truck in to a dive towards their delivery location.

The two landed next to the truck in front of a small single floor town house. Pete got out and walked up to the door with his clipboard. He knocked on the door.

"PDS!" he called out.

A purple unicorn with a microphone and stars on his flank answered the door. Ditzy felt like a trapdoor had just given out below her. She was not expecting to see Ditty so soon.

Upon a closer look at him her heart give a slight jump like it did when sat the bar those many years ago. This was the first time she has seen Ditty up close since that night. He looked slightly different, he was a bit thinner, his mane was cut shorter, and his brown eyes looked an even more deeper brown, it was almost a chocolate, when they were not reddened from liquor.

"Yes? Oh wonderful. Where do I need to sign?" Ditty asked looking down at the clipboard.

Pete pointed and the where on the clipboard he needed to signed.

"Everything in order?" He asked Pete giving a quick pen stroke and handed him back the clipboard.

Pete glanced at the sheet.

"All set. Where would you like your things sir?" Pete said gesturing him around to the back of the truck.

Ditzy took those brief moments as Ditty walked around the other end of the truck away from her to gather her wits.

'OK' She thought briefly. 'Moment of truth, does he recognize me?'

She walked around with Raindrops just as Pete opened the tailgate.

"Let's see." Ditty said looking at the boxes and cases. "I can take care of the instrument cases. The bed frame and mattress can go in to the bedroom to the left, and you can just leave the boxes in the front room."

"You sure you don't want help with the music cases?" Pete asked climbing in to the truck.

"Do your bosses cut your pay if a unicorn volunteers to help unload deliveries with his magic?" Ditty asked.

"Nope." Pete replied.

"Then please take advantage of delivering to a unicorn who is volunteering." Ditty grinned lighting his horn floating all the cases out of the truck.

"A stallion after my own heart." Pete joked. "You heard him ladies! Let's get started."

Ditty turned around face to face with Ditzy having now just realized she and Raindrops were standing behind him.

"Oh, hello! Didn't realize there were more ponies helping. This shouldn't take long then."

Ditty, floating the instrument cases, walked past the two of them without giving them a second glance.

'He doesn't recognize me.'

Ditzy felt a strange feeling wash over her as she climbed in to the truck. She couldn't describe it at first. She was finally able to put her hoof on it by the time she started handing boxes down to Raindrops, she felt betrayed.

The two of them had shared one of the most intimate of moments two ponies could ever have, and here this stallion was glancing over her like she was nothing. Like she some no name pony in the background.

For a brief moment she felt an urge to fly out of the truck and punch him in the face the same way Berry Punch did to that stallion in the pub seven years ago.

'But I don't want him to know. I don't want him to ask questions. Isn't this for the better?' A voice in her head spoke breaking the impulse. 'I can just do my job like nothing is wrong and leave. He won't be none the wiser.'

Ditzy picked up the bundle of frames on one end as Pete picked up the other and the two of them walked in to the house.

The town house was small and somewhat shoddy. Already she could see that Ditty had a tool box open in one corner where it looked like he had been making some repairs to the ceiling.

She and Pete carried the frames in to a small bed room where a dresser with a mirror sat against one wall and a sleeping bag had laid rolled out near the other.

"Just set it down right in the middle of the room. I'll put it together myself." Ditty called out from the other room as he set down all his instruments.

They set down the bundle and Pete immediately trotted out of the room. Ditzy dusted of her hooves and wings as she took a moment to get a better look around the room.

On the dresser sat a steamer trunk half full. Next to it was a framed monochrome photograph. Ditzy's curiosity got the better of her and she walked up to it to take a closer look at it.

In the picture was a young pegasus with a garland of flowers for a cutie mark, she was offering a plate of cookies to a little unicorn colt. The colt was no doubt Ditty when he was younger. Ditzy guessed the pegasus was most likely was his mother. Ditty in the picture looked like he was floating in the air, he must have hopping up and down in excitement the way little fouls do when the picture had been taken.

One part of the picture caught Ditzy's eye and held her attention, it was the look of joy on little Ditty's face, Ditzy had seen it before. She'd seen that look every evening when she came home from work. The colt in the picture had an expression that held an uncanny resemblance to her little girl Dinky.

Ditzy felt her heart ache as she was suddenly speechless at her touching discovery. The moment was interrupted when she heard a thump from the next room.

"I got it. I got it." Ditty called as Ditzy saw the mattress being floated in by a purple glow of magic.

She quickly moved aside to make space as he walked past.

Raindrops called out from the other room.

"That's the last of the boxes."

Ditty set the mattress down on the empty floor next to the frame pieces.

"And that takes care of that." He said jollily turning to Ditzy.

"Do you need me for anything else?" Ditzy asked Ditty plainly, focusing on keeping both her eyes to locked straight at him.

"Nope." He said quite content. "Thanks again. Your timing couldn't been better, my back has been aching from sleeping on just the floor. I'm looking forward to sleeping on a real bed tonight."

"That's good to hear sir." Ditzy said formally and turned and left the room.

Ditzy kept to herself as she flew back to the office. This behavior was nothing new for her colleagues, Ditzy was typically the quiet one at work. Most ponies let her be on the account that her 'derp' expression naturally gave the outward appearance of being content. She clocked out and flew back home.

Ditzy walked in to her cozy home and found Dinky sitting on the floor of the living room with Daddy Doo playing a game.

"Mommy's home!" Dinky said looking up her mother.

"Hey!" Her father called getting up to greet her.

"Hi Dad." Ditzy said with exhaustive sigh. She gave her wings a few casual flaps, stretched them out and then gave him a hug.

"How was work?" He asked as he stepped out of the way so Dinky could greet her mother.

"A bit longer than I had wanted it to be. I'm glad tomorrow I'm scheduled back to letter duty."

Dinky walked up to her mother her eyes as big as sand dollars.

"Special kiss?" She asked.

"Special kiss." Ditzy smiled back at her and lower her head to hers.

Dinky reached her little horn out and touched it to her mother's forehead. There was a tiny flash where it touched and for the smallest of a milliseconds Ditzy felt the presence if her daughter's love and affection appear in her thoughts.

"And a normal one for special reasons." She said placing kiss on her cheek. "I was thinking about spaghetti and okra for dinner. How about you?"

"With garlic bread?" Dinky asked trotting towards the kitchen.

"Go check the pantry to see if we have any more of that yummy baguette bread left over from last night?" Ditzy called to her as she looked over to father who was putting on his hard hat and coat.

"You're not gonna stay for dinner?" Ditzy asked him sadly.

"I'm sorry my little weepy wings. I need to head out. I'm working third shift at the weather factory tonight." Her father gave her a nuzzle.

"Sweet heart." Ditzy called in to the kitchen. "Come give Grandpa a hug and kiss before he leaves."

"Awww!" Dinky cried as she came back in to the room. "Grandpa don't go."

"I'm sorry my little pony. Grandpa needs to go make the rainbows." He said reaching down and giving the little filly a squeeze.

"I wish I could give you a special kiss with my horn before you go." She said sadly to her grandfather.

"Well that's what makes it special. It can only be done between you and your Mommy. It just means grandpa needs to give twice as many of his own to make up for it." He said then covered the side of her face with an assortment of playful kisses.

Dinky squealed with delight from her grandfather and gave him a kiss back on his nose.

"Grandpa will come see you again. Promise!" He said opening the door.

"Have a safe flight back to Cloudsdale. Careful of the northern gale, it's been picking up lately." Ditzy called out to her father.

Daddy Doo stepped out in to the street, stretched out his wings and with four massive flaps shot off towards the skies.

Ditzy closed the door and followed Dinky in to the kitchen. She felt her mind wondering back to the photo she saw in Ditty's room. She imagined the little colt having the same kinds of good byes with his mother before she flew off to the factory. Cloudsdale was not that far way from Ponyville, only about an hour flight, forty five minutes on a calm day. It still would have meant Dinky's mother would have to get up early if she worked days, or leave her little son in the afternoon to work nights.

She wondered if Ditty unicorn kissed his mother when she got home.

'Of course he did.' A voice in her head responded. 'It's instinct, Dinky first kissed you with her horn when you were still nursing her.'

She remembered that day well. It happened when she finished a feeding her and was putting her down to sleep. She placed the little newborn in her crib and pulled a blanket over her when Dinky's horn just lightly glanced her head and spark.

Ditzy looked down at her in surprise while the same time the nurse who had been her midwife was watching across the room started laughing joyously.

"A unicorn kiss!" The nurse said. "It is a basic reaction in all young unicorns. It's a combination of instinct and magic that connects them with their parents. How does she feel? What did you sense in your thoughts when she touched you?"

"She feels....full." Ditzy said already realizing the entire sensation had already passed away.

Ditzy turned on the stove and placed the pot of water on top of it. She ran a hoof through her Dinky's mane while she washed the okra in the sink.

"We had a new teacher in school today Mama." She said looking up at her.

"Oh really." Ditzy said not surprised but interested in what her daughter had to say.

"He's really nice! He's a unicorn and he told us his mother had wings just like you. He also gave Starchaser a detention for using magic in class."

Ditzy felt emotional last when the subject of Ditty came up in front of Cheerilee, but hearing her daughter talk about him now as just another teacher seemed not bother her.

'This is OK.' She thought very calmly to herself. 'I can live with this. He seemed to have become a better pony, like he said he would. Maybe in time we can get to know each other again and work things out.'

"He sounds like a good teacher." She responded.

"I heard Apple Bloom say he's in love with Miss Cheerilee."

Ditzy blinked a couple of times.

"And what do you think would make Apple Bloom say that?" She asked calmly.

"She says she saw Mr. Hooves staring at Cheerilee the same way her older brother stares at other mares." Dinky said turning around to get silverware out of one of the drawers.

Ditzy gave a silent gasp turned away from her daughter who was still occupied with setting up dinner.

"Watch the pot sweetheart. Mommy needs to use the bathroom."

Ditzy stepped in to the bathroom across the hall, shut and locked the door behind her. She turned on the faucet on full and finally let out a sob in to the sink.