//------------------------------// // Chapter 91 // Story: Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// Feeling a deep sense of loss and regret, Sumac thought about everything lost to the fire. His mother’s journals were a particularly painful loss, as they had been his primary means of learning about her. Now, if he wanted to know something, he had to go through the trouble of asking her. Off to the east, there was a faint hint of sunlight, but the mountains and hills blocked most of it. What little sunlight came through was blocked by the many trees, leaving everything around him in shadow. It was cold here in the early mornings as winter approached, but the trees were all in their own protective biomes and sheltered by powerful magic. Everything here was magic. The sound of Boomer crunching upon a crystal apple made Sumac’s ears perk, and he was happy that Boomer was happy. A flying fish went sailing through the air, carrying with it a bubble of water, which dribbled and watered the plants in the garden as the fish flew over. Sumac had been told that Caper and Dandelia both made new life, just like an artist makes new paintings, and Sumac was seeing their lifetimes of reckless experimentation in the flora and fauna all around him. Shivering, Sumac watched as an owlmeleon settled down upon a branch to go to bed after a long night. He didn’t know if it had a different name, he wasn’t even sure of what it was, but the owl changed colours to blend in with its surroundings. It’s feathers rippled with magic, almost like a changeling, or so Sumac guessed. “Apple?” Hearing Boomer say a new word, Sumac forgot everything around him as he focused upon his tiny companion. Watching, waiting, expecting Boomer to burst out with whole sentences at any second, Sumac was overcome with a happiness that chased away the darkness in his mind. “Apple…” “Yes, Boomer, apple. Aaaah pull.” “Boomer Apple.” Blinking her yellow eyes, Boomer stood up on her hind legs, flexed her front claws, and then pointed at herself with one extended tiny finger. “Boomer Apple?” It took a few seconds, but Sumac realised that she had inadvertently heard ‘Boomer Apple’ when he had said ‘Boomer, apple.’ He didn’t see any point in correcting her though. She could be Boomer Apple if she wanted to be. “Apple Boom.” Boomer looked puzzled as she tried to make a new sentence. “Apple Boomer. Boom Apple. Boom boom baboom?” “Boomer Apple.” Sumac reached out and touched Boomer with his hoof. Pulling his hoof back, he touched himself. “Sumac Apple.” “Soo-mac.” Boomer blinked and took a moment to process this new information. Her reptilian eyes showed a keen intelligence as she stared up at Sumac. “Soo-mac. Soo-mac. Boo-mac?” “Sumac.” Sumac tapped on his barrel with his hoof. The tiny dragon mimicked Sumac’s movements. “Boo-mac?” “No.” Sumac shook his head. “Boomer.” “Soo.” Boomer blinked, again processing this sound, and then said, “Boo.” She looked confused as she broke the words into their parts and she flexed her tiny fingers. “Mer. Mac.” “I wonder if I was like that.” Startled, Sumac looked around to see the intruder and Boomer took off leaping through the grass after dropping the remains of her crystal apple. Sumac saw Spike standing a few feet away, and Boomer, glad to see another dragon, began bouncing around him while puffing out her frills. “I can remember just about everything that has ever happened, that’s the advantage of dragon memory, but I have trouble remembering when I was really little.” Spike sat down in the grass and was beset by his admirer, who scurried all over Spike and caused him to giggle. “Spike, what are you to Twilight?” Sumac asked. “What do you mean?” Spike, tired of being tickled, pulled Boomer into his arms and held the wriggling hatching in a tender embrace. “You called her parents ‘mom and dad,’ so I started wondering,” Sumac replied. “Are you her brother?” Spike’s face contorted and his eyes narrowed. He looked down at Boomer, who had curled up, and then became lost in the moment, staring, just staring, and saying nothing. Sumac watched with great interest, and with a tiny yawn, Boomer started to drift off to sleep, having eaten too much and worn herself out. “It goes beyond that.” Spike’s voice was a smoky draconic whisper that was a little hissier than usual. “Since I’ve become penpals with Ember, I’ve been learning a bit more about dragons. The dragons have a word for it, but ponies don’t. I don’t know what the word is, because it can’t be written down, it has to be roared.” Spike looked up at Sumac and blinked a few times. “But if I knew the word and could say it, I would go around roaring it to let everypony know.” “And you can’t even try to put it into words?” Sumac asked. “It’s not a word, it’s a whole series of concepts.” Spike looked puzzled and he visibly struggled. “Dragons have large broods. Well, some. Many eggs are laid and every hatchling is technically brother and sister, but in such a large brood, when they happen, some hatchlings have a special bond that, uh, well… it kinda comes out as family within a family, but it is more than that, at least, that’s how Ember explained it. There is a lot of competition and rivalry among dragon siblings and as a species, most of us are jerks. These special bonds make sure that we survive into adulthood.” Looking troubled, Spike shook his head. “The biggest danger that dragons have when we’re little is each other. Only the strong survive. Twilight and I together, we’re strong. We have each other’s backs. I have powerful instincts that compel me to protect her. It’s complicated. I have no desire to eat her as a sibling. Being a dragon is complicated.” That was complicated. Sumac didn’t laugh, he didn’t make any jokes, and he didn’t say anything snarky. Spike had just bared his soul and Sumac wasn’t about to screw this moment up. Unsure of how to respond, Sumac did the only thing that he felt was right to do. “Thank you, Spike.” “Don’t mention it,” Spike replied, “and thanks for not being judgmental about it. The last pony I tried to talk to about this… it didn’t go well. She screamed and fainted.” That struck Sumac as being rather rude and he didn’t like it. The muscles on the back of his head tensed, becoming tight as his ears stood up to listen—the sounds that Boomer made while sleeping always intrigued him—and he watched as Spike cradled the smaller dragon. It was obvious from Spike’s actions that he cared for Boomer and her well-being. There was a question that Sumac longed to ask, but he didn’t want to hurt Spike’s feelings, and perhaps he was better off not knowing the answer. A dragon, like a pony, was more than the sum of their instincts. Shivering, Sumac sat by the fire after being outside for far too long. Ponyville was a good bit warmer because the sun shined on it, but Lulamoon Hollow already felt like it was in the throes of winter. As he sat there with his teeth clattering and chattering together, Dandelia threw a blanket around him. It was heavy, a little coarse, and already warmed. Half awake, Boomer had crawled into the fire and was now sound asleep again. The scent of spiced cider, sweet cocoa, and the lingering smell of breakfast filled the room. Ponies were gathered in groups and it was mostly quiet. Sumac couldn’t help but notice that Twilight was smiling and laughing. He also couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to have inherited some natural gift towards deceit from her parents, or perhaps they knew what was going on and they too, went along with the act. Sumac couldn’t tell up from down anymore. “So,” Sumac said as he looked Dandelia right in the eye. He could feel one of his moods coming on and he was just a teeny, tiny bit confrontational. It bothered him that Twilight was miserable. “Where do I fit into all of this? What happens with me?” “Whatever do you mean?” Dandelia asked. “I am my mother’s son, but she didn’t birth me. What becomes of me after all of this settles?” Sumac felt a deep sense of satisfaction when Dandelia began to squirm, and he couldn’t help but notice that every eye in the room was now focused upon him and his exchange with his grandmother. He could hear cups rattling on saucers as magic trembled. “Well, you are—ahem—adopted, so we can’t include you as family. Lulamoon Hollow is for the Lulamoons. You are welcome to live here, of course, should you desire to when you get older, but if you are wondering if you can be an heir, I am very, very sorry, but you will have to learn to live with disappointment.” The pendulum swung and once more, Sumac wasn’t too fond of his grandmother. There was something haughty about her voice, her mannerisms, and her entire demeanour. Yet, she was trying to be kind to him. She did seem sincere when she was nice. More than anything, Sumac just felt confused and just a little bit angry. “And that right there is why I am leaving the first chance I get.” Trixie’s voice was acidic and dripped with bile. “As soon as the will is read and everything is resolved, I am getting out of here, even if it means I have to walk home to Ponyville and I’m taking Sumac with me.” “I was trying to be diplomatic—” “YOU DIDN’T TRY VERY HARD!” Baring her teeth, Trixie glared daggers at her mother. “Dandy Lion, your words had a cruel bite to them.” Twilight Velvet’s words cut through the tension like a knife and Dandelia flinched as she heard them. “I’ve said it so many times, you never stop to think about how you sound to others. As your friend, I know that you mean well, but all too often, your words are careless.” “A trait I have no doubt passed along to my daughter.” Something about his grandmother’s words made Sumac boil over. The back of his neck was now hot enough to roast potatoes on and the heat in his ears was painful enough to bring tears to his eyes. Reaching out with his telekinesis, he snatched up a cup of cocoa, heated it to scalding in seconds, and then chucked it at Dandelia’s head with as much force as his rage could muster. Again, it was Twilight who prevented disaster. The cup halted, frozen in place, a mere inch or less from Dandelia’s face. Both of her now purple eyes crossed as she stared down at the cup and its scalding, steaming contents. As she sat there, staring in shock, Trixie had already pulled Sumac into a protective hug, fearing her own mother’s reprisal. There was a crackle and Trixie was gone. Looking infuriated, Princess Luna cast a fierce glance around the room and her eyes glittered with withheld anger. The corner of her left eye twitched and her left ear bobbed in time to her eye tics. The muscles in her neck rippled and her wings fluttered against her sides. As she opened her mouth, everypony in the room flinched, expecting her to begin shouting. “We cannot leave you alone for any length of time, can We?” Princess Luna’s quiet whisper was somehow even more terrifying than her shouting. Disappointment and anger made her eyes gleam in a manner almost maternal. “You”—she pointed at Dandelia—“We are most displeased with you and there will be words later. You have earned a lecture from your Matron.” Like a kicked foal, Dandelia wilted away from Princess Luna’s harsh glare. “It is Our belief that Twilight was foolish to save you. Perhaps a scalded muzzle might teach you some much needed humility.” “I’m sorry—” “Silence your tongue!” Princess Luna’s words carried with them the irresistible compulsion of magic and Dandelia’s mouth kept moving, but no words came out. “We spent most of the night last night, Our glorious, miraculous night, We might add, in the bowels of the royal archives and We are sickened by the actions of Arcturus, Our long distant son. Whatever good he might have accomplished, whatever stability, whatever glorious future he secured for this fiefdom, it is all left tainted by his actions and his vile, repulsive, disgusting acts! His love of slatterns and scullery maids has shredded any last vestiges of royal dignity from this family.” Shaking her head, Princess Luna added, “Your only redeeming qualities seem to be your unwavering loyalty to mine sister.” Shamed, Dandelia hung her head. “We shall go and extract Miss Lulamoon from her chambers so that the will might be read and so that We might leave this place. We feel soiled for having stood in this tower where so much vileness has taken place. We wish to be gone.” Ears drooping, mouths sagging, both Twilight Velvet and Night Light looked at Dandelia with pained expressions…