A knock came to the door of a Vanhoover residence pulling Dimming Sparks from her sleep. She sat up in the bed with a heavy sigh, her mane decidedly more disheveled than usual. She moved to her mirror, groggily running a brush through the hair while her husband took care of business. It was probably just some of the same mail they always got. Bills, requests for Brightling's help with some odd thing. It's never for her, so why would today be any different?
“Sparks!” Brightling called from below. “You awake, dear?”
Sparks cocked an eyebrow, putting the brush aside. “I'm awake! What is it?”
“You got a letter!”
“From who?”
“You might wanna see for yourself!”
Sparks gave off a sleepily annoyed groan, trudging her way down the stairs. “What’s so important? It’s just the mail. Probably some fashion magazine trying to get me to subscri--” She trailed off mid-word, finding Brightling holding a scroll with a moon seal up to her. “Princess Luna?”
Sparks got off of the train in Canterlot, reading the letter she’d received for the fifteenth time. “Princess Luna needs my help? What in Equestria could she possibly need my help with?!”
“I dunno, but she was sure that it had to be you!” Called a familiar-ish young voice. Sparks looked around for the source, earning a laugh for her actions. “Up here!”
Sparks directed her emerald orbs upward, where a purple and green dragon hovered above her. It was at that point that things began to make sense. “You're Spike, right? Twilight's little dragon buddy?”
“I guess you could say that.” He stated, scratching his chin.
“So, why are you here, anyway?” The Unicorn inquired, wrapping him in her magic to pull him to the floor. “Princess Luna was the one that summoned me, not Twilight.”
Spike folded his wings and put his claws on his hips, looking sternly up at the mare. “So? Princess Luna is a friend of mine! Why wouldn't I do her a favor?”
“That's fair.” She affirmed, stowing the letter away. “I take it you're here to pick me up, then?”
“That's the idea.”
Sparks let a smile onto her face, taking as cordial of a bow as she could manage. “Well, then, I defer to the expert.”
The sternness of Spike's expression was quickly replaced with elation as his back straightened out. “Right this way, then!” He returned her bow, directing her out of the station.
The walk to the castle was largely uneventful. Spike gave Sparks what he referred to as a ‘local's tour of Canterlot’ as they went, giving her an interesting perspective of the city. Her main focus, however, lay on the task at hoof. Whatever the task in question was.
“So, you ready to see her?” The dragon asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“What?” She replied, taking a look around. They stood at the castle doors, Spike standing next to them with his claw extended for emphasis. Sparks looked up at the imposing entrance, swallowing a lump in her throat. Last time I talked to one of the Royal Sisters, I was getting chastised by Celestia for that Alicorn Amulet debacle… What the heck could they want from me now?
“I was asking if you’re ready to see the Princess!” He repeated.
“Oh! Yeah. I’m…” Another lump was formed and subsequently swallowed. “Ready!”
Spike nodded, opening the door and leading her in. They quickly found themselves in the throne room, where Princess Luna sat in front of her throne, looming down at the Unicorn with only the sternest of glares. “Dimming Sparks, yes?” The mare in question wordlessly nodded, prompting the Princess to reach her hoof out. “Approach.”
Sparks took tentative steps toward the throne, feeling her nerves tense up more with each clop of her hooves. She stopped just short of the ramp leading up, taking a good look at Luna's face. That is definitely not the face of somepony that wants to be friends…
“Do you know why I have called you here?” The Alicorn inquired.
“Your letter mentioned something about needing my help with something.” She pulled out the letter, showing it to the dark mare. “But it wasn't very specific. I don't really have any useful skills, so why would you, of all ponies, need me?”
Luna took a moment to consider her next words. With a soft, quiet breath, she rose to all fours. “You, Dimming Sparks, are exceptional at working with ponies on a mental level. You are able to supplant ideas into one's mind in order to get things done.”
Sparks’ eyes grew wide at the all-too-familiar summary, forcing her back a ways. “I mean, yeah, but… I've never done anything good with my abilities. All I can do is…” She paused for a moment, remembering all she'd done with a simple green flash of the eyes. “All I can do is cause pain...”
That little bit of remorse made Luna's features considerably softer. She looked away, opting to avoid eye contact. “That remains to be confirmed. If you can help in this task as I’ve been told, then we will know for certain.”
Sparks gave the Moon Princess a curious look, her resolve strengthened by the need for answers. “And who exactly told you that I’d be able to help?” She took a stomping step towards her. “And what the heck do you need my help with, anyway? I haven’t done anything to anypony in years, and now suddenly you want me to come out and start it all up like nothing happened?” She stepped up to her, bringing herself as close as she could. “So, Princess, how about some answers?”
And with that, the softness left Luna’s face. She gave a stomp in return, spreading her wings with a force that sent the Unicorn sliding back. She inhaled deeply, ready to give this mare a piece of her mind as a magenta flash appeared between them. A lilac hoof came out of the flash, pressing up against her muzzle. “Princess Luna, you promised you’d give her a chance.”
As the magic faded, Sparks looked at the source of the hoof. There stood Twilight, in her usual place between ponies at odds with each other. She cast a glance behind her, finding Boltsinger waving at her from the doorway. The sight of these two brought a plethora of answers with a sigh of pure annoyance, she looked to Twilight. “I should’ve known you two would be involved…”
Twilight turned to face her sister-in-law, offering a smile and a hoof. “Hi, Sparks. Thanks for coming.”
Sparks briefly bumped the hoof, looking sternly at her. “You know, you could have just sent the letter yourself. What is it you need me for, anyway?”
Luna cleared her throat, prompting Twilight to stand aside as she stepped forward. “‘Twas I who sent the letter because it is I who requires your assistance.” She waved Boltsinger forward, directing him to stand next to her. “I recently received a request from Boltsinger for aid in a particular endeavor, and it is proving to be more of a challenge than I had expected.”
“Okay. So what's this ‘endeavor’ supposed to be?” The gray mare wondered, looking to her brother-in-law.
Boltsinger scratched his mane with his wing, letting some uncertainty onto his face. “It’s a bit of a long story. You sure you wanna hear it all?”
Sparks rolled her eyes with her typical sigh, meeting the stallion’s gaze with a glare. “Yes, Bolt, I wanna hear it. I came all this way, I might as well hear what you’ve got to say.”
Boltsinger recoiled, returning his wing to its resting position. “Well, okay then.” He gave his muzzle a solid wing-slap, standing up straight. “So, when I had that burnout last year, I stumbled upon something inside my dream. It was like a hallway full of doors. Some of them were all electrified, and I couldn’t get through them. Couldn’t even touch them, really. I was able to get through one of them, though, and… Well…”
“Well?” Sparks repeated.
“It turned out to be a memory.” He continued. “And it makes me wonder if I could maybe unlock all of my fuzzier memories by getting through those electrified doors. Now that I’ve got a bunch more time on my hooves, I figured--”
Sparks held her hoof up to him. “Let me guess, you talked to Princess Luna about it since she’s a dreamwalker?” The Pegasus nodded, causing her to return her hoof to the floor. “So what does all of this have to do with me?”
“Our first several attempts have been thus far unsuccessful.” Luna stated, walking past the Unicorn towards the door. “It was after the last one that Twilight Sparkle suggested I seek assistance, and Boltsinger suggested you.”
“And we won’t be going in with just the four of us, either.” Twilight added, covering the door with her magic and opening it wide. In the entryway stood Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack, all making a steady approach. “We’re bringing in the team!”
Sparks looked at the friendly faces with a soft smirk, turning to greet the group. “Sure is a lot of ponies for just one stallion. You sure this isn’t too much?”
“Well, Starlight wanted ta come along, too, but she’s busy handlin’ things on the homefront.” Applejack informed her, gesturing her hoof behind her.
“Besides, Bolt has proven time and again that he’s not ‘just one stallion’.” Rarity affirmed, giving the stallion in question an approving nod as she passed.
“And the most important thing is that he’s our friend!” Pinkie declared, appearing from behind Sparks and speaking directly into her ear. “Plus, I’ve always wanted to see what it was like in there! It’s been so long since Princess Luna did a shared dream with everypony and it was so much fun the last time! We all got to be and do whatever we wanted and fight this mean monster that the Princess created! We even got all of Ponyville in on it!”
“So we're all gonna be going into Bolt's head.” Sparks looked around at the group, seeing a nod from the purple Princess. “Okay, then. But you never answered my question.” Her eyes stopped on Boltsinger. “What the heck do you need me for?”
Boltsinger let out one last preparatory sigh. “We were hoping you could, maybe, assist Luna in the aspect of… literally manipulating things so that those doors aren't so electrified.” He paused for a moment, as if reluctant to finish his statement. “Most likely using your magic.”
It was Sparks’ turn for a wide-eyed recoil. She stepped back further than any Alicorn could have sent her, leaving one hoof gingerly raised. “Wait, so you're not just asking me to go into your head, but you want me to deliberately mess with it? Literally editing the contents of your brain?”
“It's not too different from what you can normally do.” Twilight noted.
Sparks’ head snapped to eye the Princess of Friendship. “Yeah, and that thing I ‘normally do’ hasn't happened since before Oathsinger was born!” She let her head droop, slowly stepping back. “With what I tried to do, I don't deserve magic of any kind, let alone the evil power I ended up with.”
A hoof found its way onto her shoulder, providing a supportive warmth that pulled her attention upwards. “It's not the magic that matters, but the intent behind it.” Came a baritone voice. Sparks found the source of the hoof, seeing Boltsinger smiling at her like nothing had ever happened between them. “And if you feel the way you do now, then there's no way you could do any harm.”
“It’s true.” Twilight stated, stepping beside her spouse with a similar smile. “Even I’ve used magic that could have gone wrong, but I did it knowing that it would lead to a better future for everyone.”
The emerald-eyed Unicorn took a long look at the ponies before her. She’d gotten used to interacting with them over the years, so their friendliness wasn’t in question, but… This was the first time they’d ever shown such absolute faith in her. She didn’t know where this kind of faith had come from, but it felt genuine. “If it means that much to you… I’ll do what I can.”
From behind the smiling ponies, Luna came forward. “That is appreciated. We will begin tonight in a chamber I have prepared. Until then, you are free to do as you wish.”
Sparks rose to her full height once more and gave the group a nod of confirmation. “Yes, Your Highness.”
The afternoon that followed felt like a lifetime. Sparks found herself chatted up by all of Twilight's friends, save Fluttershy. They were nice enough, but it felt like they were taking steps to prepare her for the task ahead. I suppose not everypony is gonna have that much faith in me… She figured, listing her gaze up to the twilit sky. Celestia sure seemed to be taking her time lowering the sun that day. Almost as if she was reluctant for the night to begin.
But begin, it did. With the darkening of the sky and ascent of the moon, Sparks ventured to the room that Luna had set up. There were nine beds arranged in a circle around a dark blue cushion, with lavender hanging from the walls and only a select few candles lighting the area. The rest of the group slowly filed into the room, yawns escaping the lot of them.
“I dunno about you ponies, but I am beat!” Rainbow Dash declared, jumping into the air and plopping into a bed. “See you in my dreams!” She hit the bed with a kind of force that threw the blanket over her, falling instantly asleep.
Fluttershy sent her foalhood friend a smile, softly yawning into her hoof as she took the bed next to her. At the same time, a blur of pink cartwheels around the beds, jumping high enough to nearly touch the ceiling before landing on her own bed. Sparks rolled her eyes as the various ponies made their way under their respective covers, finally settling on her own as Twilight, Luna, Spike, and Boltsinger made their entrance. The stallion looked around at the beds, counting them with his wing. “So… Everyone gets their own bed?”
“Indeed.” Luna said, motioning to a nearby bed. “We have a task to accomplish tonight, and it would be more easily accomplished if some ponies weren't distracted by other bodies in the bed.”
Boltsinger gave off a defeated groan, climbing into the indicated bed and throwing the blanket over him. “Fine…”
Twilight giggled, taking her place and looking to Luna. “Don't mind him. He's just used to sharing.” She released a yawn into her wing, waving to Sparks as she lay down. “Good night.”
“Good night, Twilight.” The gray mare repeated. After a moment, she looked to the only other pony in the room that was still awake. “So, what's next?”
“Once you are asleep, I shall bring you all into Boltsinger's dream and we shall work from there.” The Princess explained, pointing her hoof at an uncomfortably stirring stallion. “I must warn you, though, that his mind is not a place for the faint of heart. You may see… something… that may unnerve you. But you cannot let it shake your resolve.”
A sudden laugh made its way out of Sparks as she laid back in her bed. “Thanks for the warning, Princess. But I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything in Bolt’s head that I’m not already familiar with.”
“Indeed. There should be nothing with which you are unfamiliar.” She confirmed, lighting her horn to send them all off to sleep. A soft serenity filled the room as the spell was complete, leaving the Alicorn alone with the silence. “Though it is not the unfamiliar that concerns me…” She closed her eyes, creating a line of white magic that flowed up the grooves in her horn. Rising into the air with no effort from her wings, she sent forth nine lines of the white light, each one resting on the head of a different sleeper. With one deep breath, she opened her eyes, which had become engulfed in the white light as the room around her turned pitch black.
“Oooooh! So spacious!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, holding her hoof over her eyes. The group stood in what looked like a whitish gray void on a black floor, nothing to be seen for miles.
“How the heck d'ya worry so much if it’s this empty in here?” Applejack wondered, turning to the stallion that was their host.
Boltsinger sent the Earth ponies a short glare at the comments. “It’s easy.” He informed them. “This isn’t what it normally looks like in here. I just thought I’d ease everyone into it, since there’s so many of you.” He closed his eyes for a moment, causing the ground around them to shake and shift. Slowly but surely, walls began to form, creating a darkened version of the halls in the Castle of Friendship.
“This is what your mind normally looks like?” Fluttershy asked, examining their surroundings with wide eyes.
Spike let out a chuckle, putting his claws on his hips. “You must’ve really settled into life in Ponyville if this is how you see things!”
“Indeed. It's quite the recreation.” Rarity affirmed, looking closely at one of the pillars. “Though I must say I'm not quite agreeing with the changes you've made to the decor. A touch of black can make or break an ensemble, but this much is simply… well, icky.”
Boltsinger scratched his mane, examining his surroundings with a nervous laugh. “Yeah, the black wasn't really my idea.”
Sparks walked up to her brother-in-law with a curious look on her face. “Not your idea? How is anything in here not your idea?”
Twilight and Luna recoiled a ways, glancing at one another before moving to the head of the group. The larger of the Alicorns turned to face them, spreading her wings regally. “Perhaps it is best if we begin.”
“Agreed!” Boltsinger shouted, raising his hoof and motioning down the hall. “Let’s get to those memories, shall we?” He trotted forward, letting out a laugh of false confidence.
The trek through the halls took almost no time at all, as if they were being willed to their destination as quickly as possible.They reached a corridor that felt unlike any they had seen before, filled with doors. As the stallion had described, the majority of the doors were coated in electricity. Sparks shot a look at one of the electrified doors, reaching her hoof toward the knob. “So this is what you were talking about, huh?” As her hoof came closer, a spark lashed out, forcing her to jerk back. “Ow! Looks like you've got some fight in you, after all, don't you, Bolt?” Boltsinger made to reply, but a shrill squeak pulled at his attention.
“Ooh! What’s in this one?” Pinkie inquired, hunched over in front of one of the uncharged doors. She lunged forward, just enough to wrap her forelock around the handle, and pulled. The moment the door was cracked, a torrent of laughter flowed forth from a number of foals. “Oh, I know what that means!”
“Um, Pinkie, that may not be--” Boltsinger started, reaching for the party animal. But it was too late. She began wiggling her rump like a cat ready to pounce, bounding in with a giddy giggle of her own. His hoof lingered for a moment, eventually falling to the floor as he let out a sigh. “Aaaaaaand she’s off.”
“Don’t worry so much.” Rainbow assured, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “She’ll be fine!” An excited squeak came out of the door, causing the Pegasi in front of it to jump. “But… I think I’ll go check on her, just in case.” She rose into the air, flying through the door after the party pony.
The rest of the gathering began to move on with Fluttershy at the rear. Her eyes wandered about the hall as she walked, catching a glimpse into the room her friends disappeared into. It led to a classroom she didn’t quite recognize, where approximately six foals were gathered around a single desk. She cocked her head to the side, unconsciously walking into the room to end up standing next to Rainbow Dash. “Is this… When he was in school?”
“Sure looks like it.” Rainbow confirmed, looking around the room.
The laughter in the room seemed to pale in comparison to the one question that repeated itself. “Where’s Bolt?” Pinkie asked, looking at one of the ponies. “Where’s Bolt?” She repeated, looming over another one. She repeated her search with nearly every foal in the room, finally landing on the one sitting at the desk the students had clustered around. There sat an orange-coated, blue-maned, purple-eyed Pegasus colt, doing his best to look away from his classmates and ate his lunch. “Aww…” She looked over to Rainbow and Fluttershy with sad eyes. “Are they laughing… at him? Why?”
“Come on, Pegasus! Flap your wings!” One colt teased.
“Aren’t you gonna fly for us?” Called a filly.
The young Boltsinger turned in his seat, lifting his wing in a failed attempt at hiding. “Just go away… please…”
Rainbow’s brow furrowed immensely at the memory before her. This was a behavior that she knew all too well. She had endured it when she was a filly, saved Fluttershy from it at flight school, and protected Scootaloo from it for years. It wasn’t right, but it happened, and it irked her to no end.
Another filly pounded his desk with her hooves, magically pulling his attention to her. “Come on, Pegasus! Fly!” She lit her horn, lifting herself into the air to float above Boltsinger while flapping her forelegs. “I can fly and I don’t even have wings! What’s your excuse, Pegasus?”
The mares in the memory all recoiled at the insult, forcing Rainbow Dash to grind her teeth and drag her hoof on the floor. “That’s it! I've had enough!” She stomped furiously toward the foals, clenching her teeth and snorting as a tug came at her tail. She stopped cold, looking back to see her tail in Fluttershy’s mouth. “What the heck are you doing, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy’s breathing was heavy as she held her friend back. She slowly opened her mouth, moving to stand between the cyan mare and the students. “There’s… there’s nothing…” She wiped the budding tears from her eyes, taking a staggering breath. “There’s nothing we can do, Rainbow Dash… It already happened…”
Rainbow’s jaw unclenched instantly. “But I can't just sit by! You know that better than anypony!”
Fluttershy gave a slow nod as Pinkie approached, putting a hoof on her back. “I know that, but… Can we just go?” She looked back at the teasing one more time with a wobble in her lower lip. “It was hard enough just knowing that it happened at all…”
Rainbow took a deep inhale, her sternness leaving her as she looked at her old friend’s misty eyes. “Okay… Let’s go.”
The trio made for the door, walking slowly so as to not rush their most sensitive friend. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy!” Pinkie began, putting her hoof around her. “Think of how he is now! Way past dealing with bullies like that!”
The yellow mare’s cheeks turned a mild shade of pink at the thought, bringing a smile to her face as they re-entered the hallway. “You’re right! Thank you, Pinkie Pie!” They shared in a hug, moving on to join their friends as the hallway grew blacker.
At the front of the group, Boltsinger looked around at the myriad doors. There were several to choose from, but he was uncertain of what lay behind them should Luna and Sparks succeed. He looked over to the ponies in question, trying to think of what to say as a faint laugh found its way into his ears. “Oh no…” He whispered, shooting a glance at the hall behind them. It had become more shadowed than before, with two tiny red dots visible from within. Okay… She's a ways off… Still, that can't have been a very good memory they saw if she's catching on! I guess we can only afford to do one. He hurriedly pointed his hoof to the closest of the electrified doors, waving the mares forward. “How about this one?”
“Whatever works for you, Bolt.” Sparks answered, approaching the door. “It's your mind, after all.”
Boltsinger stepped aside to let the mare do her work. “That's what I'm afraid of…” The red glow behind them flashed for a moment at the declaration, sending a chill down the stallion's spine.
“So how am I supposed to fix this, anyway?” Sparkes asked, examining the door.
Twilight looked over her sister-in-law's shoulder, finding a familiarity in the discharge that lashed out. “Well, the last time I saw a locked door in Bolt's head, I was the one that had to open it because of my connection with Bolt.” She turned to her spouse. “Bolt, do you think you could give it a shot?”
“I guess so.” He walked up next to Sparks, looking over at her. “Last time I tried this, I ended up getting shocked. This lightning pretty much has a mind of its own.”
Sparks cocked an eyebrow, smirking at the lightning in front of them. “And you wanted me to ‘change its mind’, huh?”
“You are really persuasive.”
Another annoyed sigh escaped the Unicorn as her horn lit up. “Don’t remind me…” Her magic extended out to touch the lightning, bringing a measure of strain to her expression.
Behind them, Spike stood next to Applejack and watched the ponies work. He had stuck close to Twilight during their time in their friend’s head, but a question was beginning to pop up in his own mind. “Hey Applejack, do you have any idea what it is we’re doing here?”
“Whaddaya mean?” She wondered.
“I mean I get why Princess Luna and Twilight and Sparks are all here, but why bring the rest of us along? We're not really doing anything!”
The farm mare put her hoof to her chin, pondering the question. “I remember when Bolt was explainin’ it, he said sumthin’ about needin’ backup. But I can’t fer the life o’ me remember why!”
Spike cocked an eyebrow, looking back to the working ponies. “Backup? What in Equestria would he need backup for?” As if to answer his question, a deep, sinister laugh permeated the walls around them, causing the dragon to jump into the air. He began flapping his wings, hovering in place as his eyes shot to every corner of the room. “What was that?!” He looked back down to the group, finding that everypony save Sparks was looking curiously up at him.
“What was what?” Rarity inquired.
Thinking on what he’d heard sent Spike’s body shaking. He crossed his arms, as if trying to keep himself warm. “That c-c-c-creepy laugh! W-w-was it one of you?”
“It wasn’t me.” The fashionista declared with a shake of her head. “And it certainly doesn’t sound like any of us. I thought it was just coming from one of those doors.”
The laugh sounded again, louder this time. Fluttershy let out a scream, diving into the center of the gathering while Luna and Twilight stood on either side, looking around suspiciously. “I know that laugh…” Twilight stated, flaring up her horn.
“Boltsinger!” Luna started, snapping her attention to the Pegasus. “You know what is to come! Hide Dimming Sparks and steel yourself!”
The busy mare’s horn immediately doused at the command. Sparks spun around to face the Alicorn, defiant confusion present in her eyes. “Wait, what?! You ask me here to help. You warn me that things in here might get hairy, and to ‘not let it shake my resolve’, but the exact moment something comes up you want me to hide?!” She stomped forward, putting her hoof squarely on the moon symbol on the Night Princess’ regalia. “What’s the deal, Princess? What don’t I know about?!”
“It is best you do not find out!” Luna proclaimed, rearing up and flaring her wings. “Boltsinger! Spike!” The boys dutifully nodded, Spike landing on Sparks’ back while Boltsinger opened the uncharged door closest to them. From there, Luna lit her horn, lifting the Unicorn and the dragon atop her and moving them the rest of the way into the room. Finally, she turned back around. The laughter had grown louder and more constant, with a pulsing coming from every step of hooves down the hall. The black dots were revealed to be a pair of fiery eyes belonging to a creature the royals in the room were all-too familiar with.
As the laughter finally stopped, Luna felt a tapping on her foreleg. She looked down at the source, seeing a shaking Fluttershy beneath her, hiding under her wings. “Um… Princess Luna… May I hide, too, please?”
Before the Princess could respond, an orange hoof came to Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Sorry, Fluttershy.” Boltsinger said, helping her up. “We need you for this.” He flared his wings, stepping to the front of the group. “All right, ladies, get ready!”
Sparks and Spike stood in a moving train car as the door closed behind them. The sway caused by the engine seemed to have a rhythm to it. One that did not go unnoticed by the sole passenger as he hummed a little tune to himself. “Where the heck are we?” Spike asked, fluttering off of Sparks’ back. He looked at the seats, coming to a landing next to a little orange Pegasus with a Cutie Mark of a microphone with a streak of lightning coiling around it. “Oh! This must be one of those memories!” He scratched his chin in contemplation, examining the young Boltsinger next to him. “I wonder which one…”
“I can’t wait to get home and tell Mom and Dad all about Ponyville!” The colt announced, looking happily out the window at the town they were set to arrive in. “I bet they’ll be so proud to know that I helped another pony get her Cutie Mark right after I got mine!” He lifted his wing, looking down at his own flank with excitement. “It felt so right, too! I hope I get to do it again someday!”
Sparks’ eyes widened as the train came to a stop. She fixed her gaze on the little colt as he sprang from his seat, landing on the floor and moving down the aisle. “This can’t be…” A chill rushed through her as the little Boltsinger walked straight through her, moving out the door. She turned around, reaching her hoof out pleadingly. “No, Bolt… Don’t go out there!”
Her words fell on deaf ears, as he was already on the platform. Spike walked up beside the mare, looking closely at her expression. “Hey, you okay?”
“I know this memory…” She told him, slowly walking out the door.
The pair walked and watched while the young Pegasus made his way into the main thoroughfare of Vanhoover. He was met with stares of confusion, curiosity, and most of all, contempt. But he didn’t care. He knew where he was headed. Where his family waited for him. He pranced forward a ways, stretching his wings before he finally gave a good flap so he could cut out the middle-mare that was the town.
“MONSTER!” Cried a familiar voice in the distance. The word pierced through him like a fine needle, making him forget to flap his wings and fall flat on his face. He picked himself up from the dirt, looking around for the source of the word.
“What? Where’s the monster?!” He queried, finding only the intense gazes of the townsponies. “Where’s the monster?”
“Right. There.” The voice informed him. Boltsinger found the source of the voice, where a gray hoof pointed aggressively at him. At the end of the foreleg was the furious face of a young Dimming Sparks. She stomped toward him, slowly and deliberately, until her hoof nearly touched his nose. “That’s the monster.”
Boltsinger’s hoof came over his heart, his face showing no end of uncertainty. “Me? What do you mean, Sparks? How can I be the monster?”
“Only monsters would do what you did!” The filly spat, causing the mare that bore witness to flinch. “And to your own family!”
“What did I do?” He wondered, rising to his hooves. All of the excitement from before had been erased, replaced with concern and panicked breathing. “What happened to them? Are they okay?”
“They’re in a coma, Bolt!” The small Sparks said, stomping her hoof. “And it’s your fault!” She jutted her head forward, flaring her horn as her face got within an inch of his. “Because of that thing that happened after the storm!”
Boltsinger’s eyes met those of the filly, flashing a shade of green as he recoiled. “You mean that lightning? But that’s just a thing with my Cutie Mark!”
“Ponies don’t shoot lightning at their families!” She shouted, sending another wave of guilt through her adult self. “But monsters? Oh, monsters are all too happy to! And then they just fly away for no reason!” She dug her hoof into the road, gritting her teeth. “Sound familiar?”
Boltsinger stepped back, his lip beginning to quiver. “B-b-but… But I… I didn’t have…”
“Get out, monster!” A mare in the distance shouted, making the colt’s ear twitch.
“We don’t want you here!” Cried a stallion, pulling his gaze to the voice.
As his eyes caught the stallion, a hard impact to his face sent him reeling. He looked around for what it might have been, finding a rock beneath him that wasn’t there before. The yelling of the townsponies grew louder and more constant as another impact struck him in the side, and another in the flank. He gave off a pained whinny as he reared up. With a quick spin, he galloped off the way he came.
“Bolt! Wait!” The older Sparks called, galloping after him. Even as a colt, he showed remarkable stamina for a Pegasus. He kept his gait at a gallop for longer than Sparks had expected, finally diving into an empty shack through the window.
Sparks came to a halt in front of the shack entrance, letting Spike catch up to her as she reached for the door. “Wow…” He began, looking back at the town. “That was… That was rough…” The Unicorn paid his comment no heed, stepping through the door like she was a ghost. The interior consisted of only a single, dusty room, and in the center, curled up on the floor, was Boltsinger.
“I’m sorry…” He said between staggered breaths. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry... “ The gray mare took a tentative step forward, unsure of whether or not she should reach for him. “I’m so, so sorry…!” Finally, the colt devolved into sobs, filling their ears with echoes of pure sadness.
Tendrils of black began to seep out of the crevices in the walls as Sparks’ rump hit the floor. She looked on at the little pony with her mouth hanging open, unaware of the happenings around her. The entire shack eventually gave way to the blackness, leaving the young occupants in the void as the only bits of color in sight. Finally, a charcoal hoof with glowing red cracks made contact with the young Pegasus.
“This was always one of my favorite memories.” Chided a tone that rang all-too-familiar in Sparks’ ears. The emerald-eyed mare shook her head free of the unintended trance, following the hoof to its source.
“Your favorite?” Spike repeated, turning aggressively to his companion in the memory. “How can something like this be your favorite? You saw what happened to--” The dragon’s words were muffled by a black tendril, holding him up to a fractured mare’s face.
“She’s not the one that said it, you little brat!” The creature yelled, holding Spike so as to look him in the eye. “It was me! Know the difference!”
Spike’s eyes grew wide with fear at the being that held him, making his entire body shake. Smoke came out from behind the tendril with a green light, but the creature just laughed, standing to her full height. At last, the dragon let out a muffled scream, disappearing in a burst of stardust. “SPIKE!” Sparks cried out, running to the spot he had stood.
“Oh, relax, Mom!” The creature dismissed, waving her hoof. “All he did was wake up! Just like any bad dream!”
Sparks slowly turned her head to face the thing in the void with her, sheer bewilderment making itself obvious in her eyes. “What did you call me?”
“Mom, of course.” The thing confirmed.
“Why?”
“Well, what else do you call the mare that created you?”
“What do you mean? I ‘created’ you?”
The creature stepped up to the pony, revealing that it was only slightly taller than she was, and mostly thanks to the blackness that veined out from the black amulet on its neck. “It’s simple, really. You put me in here when you told Bolt what you think of him all those years ago. And ever since, I’ve been that little voice in the back of his head, reminding him of just how worthless he really is!”
The bewilderment turned into terror as the creature’s explanation went on, only letting Sparks take a momentary breath. “So, you’re why he--”
“Only part of it. He reminds himself all the time, too.” It corrected with a smirk. “Actually, he’s been a bit more of a fighter, lately. He and his friends out there were doing an okay job holding their own against me. But I just couldn’t stop myself when I felt the raw negativity that was coming from this memory!” The creature put its hooves on Sparks’ shoulders, showing a fragmented fanged smile. “And I never would have expected to find you here!” Her face did the closest thing it could to lighting up as she let out a gasp. “Oh! Now that I think of it… Could you do me a favor and give little Bolt another good zap with that magic of yours? I’m sure you could make it happen! And it’d make things so easy for me!” She brought her face closer, trying to look as innocently pleading as possible.
All Sparks could do was let her jaw hang open. Her heart began to race, seeing the… thing… that she’d put inside of Boltsinger’s mind. Is this the only one? What about the others she’s used her influence on? That Zebra, the ponies of Vanhoover… What about Brightling? Her breathing picked up its pace, sending the world around her into a blur until everything faded to white.
With an ear-piercing scream, Dimming Sparks sat up in her bed. She was in a cold sweat, and the ponies around her were beginning to stir. One by one, they sat up, looking at the mare that woke them. “Sparks? What’s wrong?” Boltsinger asked, pulling off his blankets.
“I know about her…” She replied, taking slow breaths. “That… that thing…”
“So that’s where it went…” He said. He sat on the bed next to her, putting his wing on her shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to--”
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” She yelled, slapping his wing away. “I don’t deserve it!”
“Darling, what do you mean, you don’t deserve it?” Rarity inquired, standing on the other side of the bed. “He’s just trying to offer his support.”
“Yeah, well I don’t deserve support!” The gray mare exclaimed, retreating into herself. “How many…? How many monsters have I created just to get what I want?” She wrapped her forelegs around her knees, just barely looking over them at the ponies that were now circling her bed. “How many ponies did I hurt?” She buried her face in her knees. “I was right to never use my so-called ‘talents’ again… They’re just a blight on the world!”
“How are they a blight?” Twilight wondered, reaching for her sister-in-law. “They’re part of what makes you special!”
Sparks forcefully slapped the hoof away, glaring at the Princess of Friendship with misty eyes. “I DON’T WANNA BE ‘SPECIAL’!” She rose to her hooves, sending the glare to everyone that looked at her. “All my being ‘special’ has ever done is make everyone miserable!” She looked loathingly at her own flank, rubbing at it with all of her might. “All because of this stupid Cutie Mark!”
Boltsinger breathed a heavy sigh. “Sparks… I…”
“Save it!” She spat, jumping from the bed. “A monster like me doesn’t deserve your sympathy!” She jumped over the ponies around her, landing with a gallop that took her out the door, tears flying from her eyes as she went.
Pinkie looked to the doorway with a puzzled face. “Sounds like she needs to talk to Starlight about that spell she has that removes Cutie Marks and replaces them with those boring equals signs, am I right?” With that, half of the forelegs in the room rose up to meet their owners faces, the sound of galloping hooves still ringing in their ears.
The next morning, Starlight Glimmer sat in her office at the School of Friendship. She waited eagerly for the first student to come in, starting up a pot of hot empathy cocoa as she did so. The wait wasn’t long, though, as her door slowly creaked open to reveal a sorrowful-looking gray mare. “Sparks? What are you doing here?”
Sparks made her way to the couch, carefully sitting down and looking at the guidance counselor. “I… I just wanted to ask you a favor….”
“Okay. What do you need?”
“I overheard Pinkie saying that you have a way to remove Cutie Marks…” She started, turning more earnest in her expression. “Could you… maybe… take mine?”