//------------------------------// // Chapter 66 // Story: Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Using his magic, Sumac adjusted his oversized safety goggles that covered his regular glasses. The past few days since returning to Ponyville had been a little weird, but having friends and family made things bearable. Things were crazy, chaotic even, and somehow, even with the attacks, the only thing that anypony could talk about was Princess Celestia’s and Princess Luna’s wedding, which was going to happen right on schedule. It was all a bit too much to take in, and Sumac was glad for a distraction, like right now. His mother, Trixie, was building a rocket. Oh, not a firework rocket, even though it sort of looked like one, oh no, she was making a rocket with a payload of high explosives and a big burny blast. Right now, she was mixing together potassium nitrate, a bit of ammonium nitrate, some sulphur, a bit of charcoal, some copper oxide, a dash of strontium chloride, some calcium nitrate, and then a mix of magnesium, aluminium, and titanium something-or-other that Sumac couldn’t quite remember. “Mom, where did you learn how to do this?” Sumac asked. It no longer felt strange to call Trixie ‘mom.’ “Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Trixie replied as she measured out some glittery powder while Twilight Sparkle watched. “I learned how to put on a show. Part of that was fireworks… both the magical type made by spells and the explosive type, made with chemical and alchemical ingredients.” Trixie leaned over, looked at Twilight, and then down at the table. “Where did I put those ground up dragon feces?” “Over here.” Twilight shoved a glass beaker over towards Trixie. “So you were taught how to use explosives? As a foal?” Sumac watched as his mother sifted some ground up Boomer turds into her mixture. “But… but… this is so dangerous.” The colt shook his head and then looked at Twilight, wondering if he might get to learn about explosives. “And now, a cannon fuse.” Trixie, scowling, began to assemble her rocket. It wasn’t wrapped in paper, like a firework, but was in a slender metallic tube. The wily mare worked with the utmost confidence, nothing on her shook or trembled, and she was fantastically calm for sitting in close proximity to enough explosives to obliterate her. Twilight was not so calm, and began to move away as Trixie completed her work. She conjured up some ear plugs, which she stuffed into Sumac’s ears, and then she conjured up another pair for herself. Twilight then lept over a pile of sandbags, landed on three legs, and then sat down next to Sumac. Humming to herself, Trixie mounted her fresh made rocket to the launcher and pointed it at the target; a giant pile of rubble and debris that used to be buildings. “Clear!” Trixie shouted, sending a number of bystanders and witnesses scurrying away. “Lulamoon Big Banger, Mark I.” More ponies hurried away and the unicorns nearby began raising shield spells, which was now a very popular spell to learn. It never hurt to be prepared. Sumac slipped Gosling’s guard helmet over his head and then looked over at Lemon Hearts, who was sitting quite a distance away. He waved at her and Boomer, then returned his attention to the launch in progress. Beside him, Twilight raised a shield and ducked as much of her body down behind the sandbags as she could. Trixie moved away from the launcher and she too, took cover behind the sandbags. Twilight opened up her shields just enough to allow Trixie to slip in. “Clear!” Trixie shouted again. “Stand back! We’re doing science!” Twilight’s warning was shouted to everypony in earshot. “Potentially life threatening science!” A few more souls lost their courage and took the opportunity to get further away. Many ponies were hunkered down behind garden walls, sandbags, anything that could be used for cover. Sumac wondered just how bad this was going to be. There was thick tension in the air and the smell of rotten eggs lingered in the nostrils. “Fire in the hole!” Trixie shouted, and then she lit the fuse with her magic. There was a brief hiss, a sputter, a burst of flames, and then an explosive boom, followed by an even bigger explosive boom, one that shook all of Ponyville to its foundations as it blossomed into a massive mushroom cloud. It all happened with such rapidity that Sumac couldn’t keep track of everything that had just taken place. All he could do, much like the ponies around him, was stare at the mushroom cloud, watching as the smoke and fire roiled. When the smoke and fire began to dissipate, Sumac saw that the rubble pile was gone. Stone, wood, bits of buildings, chunks of wrought iron, all of it was just gone. There was a crater in the ground now, a blackened scorched crater, and staring at it, Sumac was terrified. In a weak, wavering voice, he asked, “Where did the rubble pile go?” “It went away, Sumac,” Twilight replied with an awestruck expression upon her face, “it went away. The Great and Powerful Trixie made the rubble pile go away. We won’t be seeing it again. Ever.” Turning to Trixie, Twilight added, “That first boom was the rocket breaking the sound barrier. Most impressive, Miss Lulamoon.” “That wasn’t my best work.” Scowling, Trixie shook her head. “I haven’t done this in so long. That one was disappointing. Twilight, I promise I can do better, please, give me another chance. This was just a warm up.” “Trixie, I’m not sure that I want you to do better,” Twilight whispered in reply as her whole body trembled. “That was good enough, Miss Lulamoon.” “Given enough time, I can put a spell on those that will make them chase their target. It’s useful when coordinating a fireworks show and you want several fireworks to go off in close proximity to produce an effect. I can make them chase a harpy in much the same way I could make them chase another rocket.” Trixie pulled off her safety goggles, coughed a bit from the dust, and then rubbed her aching knee. “I’m not trying to brag or boast, but Princess Celestia did mention a few times that I was gifted with pyrotechnics. You should see my smoke bombs.” “You know what, Trixie?” Twilight looked Trixie right in her good eye. “That’s not bragging, not at all. From now on, you’ll be working a bit more with Moondancer, I think. I don’t have the nerves for this job.” Moondancer. Sumac said nothing, but he did wonder where her wings had gone. He had watched her become an alicorn, but now she was just a regular garden variety unicorn again. There was too much embarrassment at risk to ask about it, so Sumac just tried to pretend that it hadn’t happened. It was just better that way. It was with a good bit of curiousity that Sumac watched the courier pegasus land near Twilight. After a bit of a magical exchange, one could never be too careful with rogue changelings about, the courier gave Twilight a package and then flew away, heading off back towards Canterlot. More than just about anything, Sumac wanted to visit Canterlot, not to see the wedding of the princesses, although that might be nice, no, he wanted to visit the cemetery and the catacombs. Yawning, Sumac knew that he needed a nap, but he wasn’t in the mood to sleep. Nope, he didn’t need sleep. He had thoughts of falling to his death or being spanked to within an inch of his life to keep him awake. Oh sure, he had plenty of reassurance from the adults in his life that he wasn’t going to be spanked, but who could trust adults anyway? They changed their minds on a whim and did what was ‘good for you’ on a moment’s notice. After a bit of a look about, Sumac settled on watching Olive and Starlight sweeping the stairs of Twilight’s castle. They were both still in trouble, but it was hard to tell, as right now they were laughing together as they swept. He thought about Vinyl, his own master. She was very different from Starlight… and she didn’t like Starlight. Sumac was aware that Starlight had messed up, but he wished that ponies might be a bit more forgiving. He wondered what Vinyl might be doing. “Sumac, hey, Sumac!” Twilight’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and he watched as she approached, carrying a package in a telekinetic bubble. She was smiling, happy, and limping along on three legs, with one hind leg still in a cast. Unable to stop himself, Sumac thought about Castle Midnight and the little adventure that had been the start of all of this trouble. There was a poof and an envelope also appeared in Twilight’s magical grasp. “I have something for you,” Twilight said as she approached. She held up the package, wrapped in brown paper. “Under most circumstances, I’d have Pinkie Pie or Rarity wrap this for you, but everypony is kinda busy at the moment.” Blinking, Sumac wondered what the package might be. “Where is Boomer? She should be here… hey! Lemon Hearts! Miss Hearts! Get over here!” Twilight turned her head and watched as Lemon Hearts came wobbling over in a somewhat drunken manner. “Trixie, you too! Get over here, now!” “First things first, Sumac.” Twilight held up the envelope she had conjured. “Two essays. Both two thousand words. The first is from Starlight and is about raging superiourity complexes and how a few careless words can send the wrong message to a student. The second essay, which is fantastically written by the way, you should pay attention to the format and the structure, it is about how a master should not gloat over their apprentice’s misfortune. Starlight and I had fun writing them together. There was a lot of laughing and overall it was a very pleasant experience.” Unsure of how to respond, Sumac accepted the envelope, but didn’t open it. He would read them later. With a nod of thanks, he tucked the essays into his bookbag as Twilight set the larger package down between them. Ears perking, Sumac listened to Twilight grunt as she sat down. Even though Sumac had trouble expressing his thoughts and feelings, he was very, very thankful that Twilight was alive. The long fall had left him troubled, and the little colt didn’t know how to talk to Twilight about the experience they had shared, but he wanted to, he so very much wanted to. “Ooof, Trixie is glad for a break from reconstruction,” she said as she sat down. “Caulking windows is boring, but it is nice spending time with Lemon.” “Caulking windows is a lot nicer than being concussed.” Lemon Hearts sat down on the ground, blinked a few times, and then focused her eyes upon Sumac. “Trixie, at some point, we need to—” “I know, Lemon, but not right now.” Trixie placed a hoof upon Lemon Hearts to steady the swaying mare and then scooted a little closer. “We’ll talk about that later. Maybe tonight, during dinner or something.” “Okay, no more wasting time, open it up, Sumac.” Twilight, who seemed giddy, shoved the package closer to Sumac. Curious, Sumac wondered what Trixie and Lemon Hearts needed to talk to him about. He grabbed the package and using his telekinesis, he began tearing away the brown paper covering it, revealing brown cardboard beneath. Ripping away the paper, he went to work pulling away the tape that had sealed the cardboard box shut. Tilting his head, he pulled open the top flaps and found grey foam, which he pulled out and set down upon the ground. Sandwiched between foam, he found something made of brass and wood, something heavy. Concentrating, he pulled it out and lifted it up. It was like a picture frame—a display case, and he was looking at it from the wrong side. Being careful not to drop it, he flipped it over and discovered the front was glass. Inside, there were a few pieces of egg shell that he recognised right away. Overcome, his eyes began tearing up and he had trouble reading the words on the brass plaque. In a halting voice, he spoke the words, reading them through blurred, teary eyes. “Sumac Apple and Boomer, best friends forever.” Overcome, he set the display case down upon the pile of paper, pulled off his glasses, and then wiped his eyes with his foreleg as his barrel began hitching. Embarrassed, he didn’t want to cry in front of everypony, but his emotions had been so out of whack as of late. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to keep everything in. All he could think about was the fact that if this gift had come a few days sooner, it might have burned up along with the rest of his possessions, of which there weren’t many. “Sorry it took so long,” Twilight said in a somewhat husky voice filled with emotion. “But I felt that it had to be perfect. There is a pony in Canterlot that is very, very good at what he does. Looks like I owe him a big thank you.” “It’s gorgeous.” Lemon Hearts let out a gasp as Boomer lept from her horn. The little dragon landed near the pile of paper and the display case containing bits of her egg. Tilting her head, she placed one tiny clawed hand upon the glass, but did nothing to scratch it or cause damage. Her long tail swished from side to side and some of her frills began to stand up as she looked at the pieces of shell on the other side of the glass. Opening his eyes, Sumac saw Boomer’s reaction, which triggered the waterworks. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. Sumac knew that he loved her in ways that he couldn’t possibly explain and he thought about the scratches and lacerations he had endured upon the train. Sometimes, love hurt. He had a stinging reminder of that even now. With a gentle tap upon the glass, Boomer spoke her very first word. “Boom?” Gasping, leaning forwards, Twilight gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yes, Boomer, that is where you come from! That is your egg! I wish Spike was here to see this!” “She spoke!” Lemon Hearts grabbed Trixie and pulled the blue mare closer. “She said something! She can talk!” “Of course she can talk! Trixie raises both smart foals and smart dragons! Was there ever any doubt about my maternal abilities, both mammalian and reptilian?” “Boom?” Again, Boomer tapped upon the glass, but was mindful of her claws. Already overcome with emotion and crying, Sumac could do nothing to acknowledge the moment. He sat there in the dirt, stunned and shocked that his tiny companion had said her very first word, which just so happened to be her name. It was no wonder, she heard it enough, and Pebble kept repeating it when she was caring for the hatchling. “Boom boom?” With a fluid leap, Boomer launched herself and then landed upon Sumac’s horn. She cling to it, gripping it with her claws, and wrapped her long tail around his ear. “Boom. Boom boom boom, boom boom.” Cocking her head to one side, she asked, “Boom?” It was such a little thing, really, but it made Sumac feel better about everything.