//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Magic of the Heart 
// by Pegasus Rescue Brigade 
//------------------------------//

"Yes, you heard that right," Mayor Mare said gravely as she addressed the startled crowd of Ponyville citizens.  "According to Princess Luna's decree, Princess Celestia was last seen last night.  According to the accounts of both her sister and the royal guards, there was nothing about her behavior to indicate that anything was amiss.  But when Luna retired from her night shift and prepared for the coming of the sun, it did not rise.  And nopony has seen or heard anything of Princess Celestia since.  Luna, of course, tried every means at her disposal to contact her before sending this message, but felt it was necessary to inform the nation when it became apparent that her elder sister was truly absent."

Ditzy exchanged a speechless glance with Breeze.  Worried murmurs spread throughout the crowd.  The three sisters who ran the flower shop appeared on the verge of fainting in horror.

"Now, Princess Luna has strongly urged the citizens of Equestria not to panic," Mayor Mare continued, moving lower on the long scroll she was holding.  "She is capable of taking over most of Celestia's duties, including raising the sun, while the disappearance is investigated.  Princess Twilight Sparkle will be assisting with the remaining responsibilities as well, and Princess Cadance will offer whatever aid she can, though she must remain in the Crystal Empire for now.  I would like to stress that at this time there is no evidence that Princess Celestia is in any danger, and there may in fact be a perfectly reasonable explanation, so everypony is encouraged to continue to go about their day-to-day business until further information becomes available.  Thank you."

The clamor in the crowd grew as Mayor Mare stepped down from the podium.  Breeze tossed his mane nervously.  "Has anything like this ever happened before?" he asked.

"Last time Princess Celestia vanished, she'd been taken captive by Nightmare Moon," Ditzy reminded him.  "But since Princess Luna seems to be the one trying to keep the nation calm, that's clearly not what's happened this time."

Breeze sighed.  "I guess all we can do for now is trust the other princesses to find out what's really going on," he relented.

Ditzy nodded.  "Do you think Dinky's heard the news?" she asked.

"Dinky is a student at Princess Celestia's own school," Breeze pointed out.  "She was probably the first to know, honestly."

There was a short silence as the two pegasi began to walk slowly away from the noise of the crowd.  Ditzy glanced up at Breeze dolefully.

"These haven't been the best couple of months, have they?" she asked.  "First Glow reappeared... then we lost Candyfloss... now Princess Celestia?"

Breeze gently stroked her mane with his hoof.  "We'll get through it," he reminded her again.  "You've still got me, Watt, Cloudcover, and Wishing Star by your side.  And Dinky is happy and healthy and safe with her friends.  Things could be a lot worse."

Ditzy let a small giggle escape, and she leaned over and kissed her fiancé briefly.  "You're right, as usual," she said with a lopsided smile.  "Let's just do what Mayor Mare said, and keep moving forward.  I'll see you at work on Monday, alright?"

"Of course," Breeze assured her as he took to the air.  "See you then, Ditzy!"

"Bye!" the mare called as Breeze zipped up and into the clouds.

The sun was beginning to set, so Ditzy made her way quickly to the market to pick up some extra vegetables for dinner.  With a fresh bunch of carrots tucked safely in her saddlebag, she prepared to take to the air, but just an instant before she did so, somepony caught her eye.

Slinking along past some of the market stalls, clearly trying to keep as inconspicuous as possible, was a pink and purple unicorn.  A unicorn Ditzy had last scene two months earlier, on the day of her cancelled wedding.

"Sparkler..." she mouthed.

She couldn't pass the chance up.  She and Breeze had been trying to locate the cautious unicorn for weeks.  As quietly as possible, she cantered across the plaza and fell into step a few paces behind her.  Once they'd cleared the bustle of the market, she spoke up.

"Hey, um, Sparkler?"

Sparkler tensed.  Slowly, she looked over her shoulder.  Ditzy felt the young mare's violet eyes boring into her.

"You're... Dinky Doo's mother," she said finally, raising an eyebrow.  "The pegasus from that wedding... right?"

"Right," Ditzy confirmed.  "Sparkler, I wanted to—"

"Listen," said Sparkler coldly, cutting Ditzy off.  "I'm sorry my mother crashed your wedding, but complaining to me about it isn't going to help.  I'm perfectly aware she has all the charm as a clump of pond scum, and is about as easy to reason with as a swarm of angry flashbees, but that's not my fault, okay?  Leave me alone."

Ditzy just blinked, taken aback.  She quickly tried to find her voice as the unicorn began to walk away.

"That... that's not what I'm here about at all," she stammered.

Sparkler stopped.  "So what do you want?" she grumbled, not looking back.

"I don't think I can really sum that up in one sentence," Ditzy admitted, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.  "I want to talk to you.  You were dragged into the mess Glow made against your will, but that doesn't mean everypony involved in it is against you.  I just want to know more about you, in case I can help."

Sparkler glowered.  "I don't need your help, Mrs. Doo.  I'm an adult; I can take care of myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't," Ditzy assured her.  "But Dinky speaks so highly of you.  I may not know you, but I don't want you to struggle with something we might be able to fix when Dinky says you deserve better."

"Dinky would say that, wouldn't she?" Sparkler asked dully.  "She's like that.  A little ball of sunshine.  When she's not defying authority, causing trouble, or, you know, resurrecting ancient evils."

Ditzy chuckled, which seemed to surprise Sparkler quite a bit.  "Yeah, I can tell you got to know her really well during the year you two spent at the Academy together," she remarked.  "But I know even you're aware that all those imperfections stem from a very real desire to do good."

Sparkler pursed her lips.  "Mrs. Doo, what's your point?" she huffed.  "Dinky may be a good kid at heart, but Dinky has nothing to do with me growing up with a missing father and a mother who just wants to use me as a playing piece in her game of revenge.  Honestly, neither do you, for that matter.  If anything, I'd say you're the innocent bystander who got wrapped up in the mess my mother made, not me.  I was always a part of it, whether I liked it or not."

"And you didn't deserve that," Ditzy said firmly.  "Now you're living in hiding in some Ponyville apartment, slinking out to the market at sunset to make sure your mother doesn't find you.  Nopony should have to deal with the situation you're in."

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Sparkler growled, growing more heated.  "I have no friends, Mrs. Doo.  Dinky tried to help me with that, but she got to me too late.  By the time I was ready to open up, I was all out of time.  And it's not as if I can turn to family for help, since they're the problem.  I'll deal with it myself like I always do, because nopony will help."

Ditzy shrugged.  "I will."

Sparkler froze, and looked at the pegasus, baffled.

"But why?" she asked, shaking her head like Ditzy was speaking nonsense.  "My mom's plan backfired.  All you have to do to put this whole mess behind you for good is walk away.  So why won't you?"

"Because if I walk away, and don't help, an innocent unicorn has to deal with the struggle by herself," Ditzy said simply.  "I won't just turn a blind eye to that."

The shock and annoyance in Sparkler's eyes dissipated as her usual stoic stare took its place.  "I can see where your daughter gets it..." she mumbled.  "Fine then.  What is it you actually want from me?"

"For now, just come back to my place," Ditzy suggested.  "I just want to talk to you.  To learn more about this situation, about your mother, and about you.  We could probably both use some company to distract ourselves from this whole situation with Princess Celestia, anyway."

Sparkler narrowed her eyes.  "Will my fa— err, will Autumn Breeze be there?" she asked.  "Because I won't face him.  Not now."

Ditzy shook her head.  "No Breeze, and no Dinky either.  Just you and me, and a hot meal, if you want some."

Sparkler sighed.  "Fine.  You win," she said curtly.  "Lead the way."





Ditzy hummed to herself as she sashayed around the kitchen, gathering vegetables to slice up and pausing occasionally to stir a pot of rich, bubbling broth.  Sparkler sat at the kitchen table in stupefying silence.  Ditzy chanced a glance at her guest every few moments, but the unicorn seemed content to just stare at the far wall with a tiny frown on her face.

"I made a honey glaze for the carrots," Ditzy said, trying to coax Sparkler to speak.  "It's a bit sweet though.  Would you like some or should I leave it off your share?"

"I don't care," Sparkler grunted.  "This is your meal, and I'm not a picky eater anyway."

Ditzy shrugged and drizzled just a bit of glaze on the carrots and placed them in front of Sparkler, followed by a leafy salad and a small dish of hot stew, full of potatoes and spices.  She watched in satisfaction as the young mare's nose twitched involuntarily and her gaze drifted to the food.

"Don't be shy," Ditzy said genially.  "Eat as much as you want."

A purple aura surrounded one of the spoons.  Sparkler ate a few spoonfuls of stew, and Ditzy watched with delight as the unicorn obviously struggled to prevent a bit of a smile from forming on her face.

"It's, um, very well made, Mrs. Doo," she commented, slicing a piece of carrot and bringing it to her mouth.  "I can see why Dinky is so healthy and vibrant if she grew up on cooking like this."

The two ponies sat quietly for a bit, enjoying the meal.  Ditzy watched Sparkler's body language carefully.  As she expected, her guest seemed to be growing just a bit more relaxed.  That had been the plan all along, of course; in Ditzy's experience, a home-cooked meal was a surefire way to put ponies at ease.

"So Sparkler," she finally ventured, "I can't say I really know too much about the year you and Dinky were both attending the Academy.  I know you were her Overseer at the time, and of course I know she, um..."

"She attacked me with dark magic when I tried to keep her safe," Sparkler said.  "You don't have to tread so lightly around the topic, Mrs. Doo.  I understand Dinky wasn't quite in her right mind that night, what with Scorpio's influence muddling her thoughts.  We've already talked it through, and I've forgiven her."

Ditzy smiled.  "That's great.  She didn't permanently hurt you, right?."

"I recovered in time," Sparkler said.  "It's Dinky herself who could've been permanently hurt that night.  She could've easily been killed, or worse, turned into one of those terrible, twisted wraiths, the minions of Scorpio."

A part of Ditzy wanted to tell Sparkler that Dinky did in fact become a wraith, but she held her tongue.  "Yeah, Dinky sure got lucky that night," she said, looking to change the topic.

"She did, although I imagine her luck would've run out without me," Sparkler said quietly as she took another forkful of salad.

Ditzy flattened an ear quizzically.  "What do you mean?"

"Oh, maybe you don't know," Sparkler realized.  "After all, this was years ago, and I wouldn't have been anything more than a name to you back then, even if Dinky did tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Sparkler's lips pursed a bit as she recalled a difficult memory.  "Remember when Dinky was briefly expelled for starting a dark magical fire in her residence tower?" she asked.  "That fire was very serious.  It most likely would've consumed much of the building, and ended the lives of many ponies inside."

Ditzy cringed.  "I heard," she said gravely.  "But she did say nopony was ultimately hurt."

"Nopony was hurt because I was able to deploy a counterspell fast enough," Sparkler grumbled.

Ditzy gasped and her fork clattered to the table.  "Wait, you⁠—"

"Dinky and two of her friends were right there in the room where it began," Sparkler interrupted.  "Even if other ponies escaped, I can say with certainty that Dinky, Clarity, and Honeydew would all have perished that day if left to their own devices."

The tone in which she said it was entirely matter-of-fact.  Sparkler didn't seem at all smug, or seeking validation, yet the information she had relayed immediately placed her in a whole new light in Ditzy's eyes.

"You... saved her life?"

Sparkler snorted.  "Twice, if you want to be accurate," she said flatly.  "I was also the pony who added an enchantment to that pendant she wears.  I'm a little hazy on the details since I was unconscious for most of that evening, but I understand Dinky's little coltfriend gathered up you and a team of allies to rush to her aid when Scorpio was reborn.  I knew that filly had a habit of getting into trouble, so I'd placed that spell there as an emergency contingency plan."

Ditzy nearly choked on her food.  "I... Sparkler I... had no idea.  Dinky probably told me at some point, but I never drew the connection that she was talking about you."

Sparkler shrugged.  "I was the Overseer that year," she said, as if that somehow made the news less important.  "It was my job to keep the students safe."

Ditzy found herself quite unable to process her emotions.  She wanted, first and foremost, to leap up and hug the dour unicorn in front of her, but she knew that wouldn't be appreciated at all.  Every expression of thanks in the world went through her head, but none of them seemed remotely significant enough to be appropriate.

This pony, right in front of me, this grumpy, miserable young unicorn... is the reason my daughter is still alive.

Sparkler clearly must have noticed the mental fireworks going on in Ditzy's head just by her expression.  "Mrs. Doo, are you okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I... y-yes, Sparkler, I'm fine, I just... h-how can I even thank you?" Ditzy sputtered.  "I never expected to meet the pony who was the reason Dinky made it through that run-in with dark magic..."

Sparkler shrugged dismissively again.  "There's nothing to repay," she insisted.  "Like I said, it was my job to keep the students in my care safe.  That's part of what an Overseer does.  You don't owe me anything for doing what I was supposed to do."

The cynical, black-and-white way Sparkler saw the world continued to surprise Ditzy.  I can see why Dinky claimed to have such a hard time getting through to this pony... she thought.  Growing up with Glow has stunted her so much, she can't even see the value in her own actions.

"Anyway, thanks for the meal," Sparkler said dully, levitating all her dishes into the kitchen sink.  "Was there something else you wanted to talk about, or should I get going?"

"Please stay," Ditzy urged, almost too quickly.  "Thank you for telling me about Dinky, but I want to know about you."

Sparkler frowned.  "What is there to know about me?" she asked.  "I'm a unicorn with a whole lot of intelligence and magical ability, but that's about it.  I know you didn't bring me here to tell you about spells you can't even use."

There was a short silence.  Ditzy looked at her guest pleadingly.

"Sparkler, I understand this is a lot to ask, but... can you tell me about growing up with, um, your mom?" she asked hesitantly.  "I think if I knew what your life has been like, I could empathize a bit more."

Sparkler glowered.  "That's a pretty big request coming from a mare who's basically a stranger," she pointed out, sliding her chair back to prepare to stand.

"I know," Ditzy sighed.  "I won't force you.  I just honestly think I could help.  I know you've been through a lot, and I just want to understand you.  And maybe if we talk it out... you'll start to understand yourself a little more, too."

Sparkler went totally still, her eyes staring at an unremarkable fixed point in space.  She didn't move for several seconds.

"Sparkler?" Ditzy asked finally.

"That's... just what she said to me too," Sparkler whispered, quivering.

"Huh?"

"One night, when the friction between Dinky and myself reached its boiling point, right when I thought I couldn't bear to be around that filly even one second longer... she said something just like that," Sparkler croaked.  "She just wanted to talk.  She just wanted to understand.  She wanted me to understand too..."

Ditzy didn't know how to respond to that.  She waited.

"Mrs. Doo, some of the stories you're asking me to recall are... painful," Sparkler confessed, wincing.  "But at the same time, you're the only pony who's cared since... well, since Dinky.  I guess we can talk for a little bit longer."

Ditzy rose to her hooves.  "How about we go sit in the parlor for that," she suggested.  "I'll take care of the dishes later."

Sparkler nodded rather mechanically and slowly followed Ditzy to the adjacent room.  The two mares sat together on the couch.

"I don't know how you do it," Sparkler mumbled.  "You and Dinky both.  What is it about you ponies that makes me feel like I can trust you with things I'd never tell anypony?"

Ditzy gently placed a forehoof on the unicorn's shoulder.  "I promise I'm just here to listen," she said soothingly.  "Tell me whatever you feel comfortable talking about."

"Oh, I won't be talking," Sparkler deadpanned.  "There's a better option than talking.  The same option I used last time I spoke with Dinky: a memory spell."

Ditzy had grown quite used to being exposed to magic in the last four years, so she agreed without too much concern.  "Alright.  How does that work?"

"I want you to know what's about to happen before I begin," Sparkler answered, meeting Ditzy's gaze.  "Memory spells are an illusion that has been internalized within the mind of the recipient pony.  You will find yourself standing in my memories, watching them play out before you, but you will be unable to interact with anything or anypony you see there."

"So I just take anything that happens in stride and watch?" Ditzy asked.

"There's a bit more to it than just watching," Sparkler admitted.  "The pony receiving the memory won't just see it, they'll experience it.  That means any spikes in emotion that I may have felt during that moment, you will also feel as you watch it play out.  I want your permission before I proceed, because you may feel quite a strong impact on your thoughts and feelings during the course of the spell."

Ditzy nodded gravely.  "I'll be okay," she promised.  "I'm ready, Sparkler.  Show me what you want me to see."

Purple energy began to shimmer around Sparkler's horn.  "Stay very still," she instructed.  "Oh, and brace yourself for what's about to happen."

Ditzy waited motionless as Sparkler gradually leaned forward, until the tip of her horn lightly rested against the middle of Ditzy's forehead.  The violet aura grew brighter, filling the mare's vision, and causing the walls, the furniture, even Sparkler, who was just inches away, to blur and fade until nothing was left but a void of shimmering light.





Ditzy blinked a few times.  Her vision was never quite right, but now, it seemed worse than usual.  The town she found herself in was unfamiliar, but that wasn't the issue.  Everything was just a tiny bit... off.  Distances seemed to change the longer she looked at them, and the angles of the architecture seemed uneven.  It was as if her whole perspective was slightly askew.

This must be where Sparkler grew up, she realized.  Now the question is, where is Sparkler herself?

"Mama!  Can we get cupcakes?  I'm hungry!"

Ditzy turned toward the sound of the tiny voice and nearly jumped back in surprise as she spotted a strangely translucent but unmistakable blue unicorn trotting right toward her.  She stepped quickly out of the way, and Glow trotted on by her without so much as a glance.

Walking in step just behind her was the clear source of the voice.  A tiny filly that couldn't have been more than five or six trotted along in her mother's shadow.  Her flank didn't bear any cutie mark, and her mane was longer and messier than Ditzy was used to seeing it, but her bright pink coat and vibrant purple eyes were more than enough identification.

"Mama!" Sparkler insisted.  "There's a bakery right over there!  Can we get cupcakes, pleeeeease?"

"We're busy right now, Sparkler," Glow replied, not even glancing back at her filly.  "Maybe later."

Sparkler pouted.  "But mama, I want a snack!" she whined.  "We always have so many errands.  Why can't we stop for snacks?"

Glow's trot slowed.  She turned around and stared down at little Sparkler, who continued to gaze up at her hopefully.  Softly, she patted the filly on the head.  Sparkler cooed delightedly and leaned into the touch, like a puppy being petted.

"Sparkler, honey, remember what you're going to be when you grow up?" the mare asked.

Sparkler's eyes lit up.  "I'm gonna be the most powerfulest unicorn in all of Equestria!" she announced proudly, grinning ear to ear.

"That's right," Glow confirmed.  "You've been practicing a lot, right?"

Sparkler glanced around for a moment.  Spotting three smooth rocks on the side of the path, she lit her horn and lifted them up, spinning the three of them around each other in circles.

Ditzy's eyes widened a bit.  Sparkler was adept at levitation at that age?  Dinky was more than twice as old before she used any magic at all...

"See, mama?" Sparkler asked.  "I'm real good at magic.  I'll be the best in no time!"

"You'll only be the best if you keep focusing on practice, Sparkler," Glow warned, giving little acknowledgement to her filly's feat of skill.  "And good focus comes from being responsible.  So I want you to show me you can focus while we finish our errands, okay?"

Sparkler sighed and let the rocks drop back into the path.  "Okay..."

Glow nodded curtly and turned to go.  Sparkler followed at a much slower pace.  Once her mother was just around the next corner, she lit her horn again.  A single cupcake quickly floated through the open window of the bakery and into the filly's waiting forehooves.  Glancing left and right nervously, she wolfed the pastry down in two or three bites and then sprinted down the alley after Glow.

Ditzy reflected on the scene a bit as the world changed around her.  A moment later, she was standing in a small, sparsely decorated home.  The image of Cosmic Glow was once again present, standing in the kitchen, preparing a very bland-looking soup.  Sparkler sat at the table, paging slowly through a comic book.  She was a bit bigger now; Ditzy wagered she filly was around eight or nine.  She looked happy enough, but her unrestrained joy from the first memory was now replaced with what seemed like more of a cautious hopefulness.

"Sparkler, you should put the comics away..." Glow grumbled.  "You've got schoolwork to get done, don't you?"

Sparkler sighed.  "Just another few minutes, mama?" she asked.  "Everypony at school always talks about the newest issue of Power Ponies each time one comes out.  If I don't finish it now, they'll spoil it."

Glow didn't look pleased, but she relented.  "Fine.  Five more minutes."

Sparkler grinned and returned to reading.  The scene lapsed into silence for a bit.

"So mama, speaking of the ponies in my class," Sparkler piped up once she'd finished the last page and pushed the comic aside, "remember when it was family day at school?"

Glow rolled her eyes, though Sparkler didn't seem to notice.  "That was just last week.  Of course I remember."

"All the ponies in my class brought their moms and dads, and sometimes their grandparents or aunts and uncles!  I've never seen so many ponies at once."

"I know, dear, I was there."

Quiet filled the room again.  Ditzy could almost see the wheels in Sparkler's head turning.  Eventually, she spoke up.

"Mama, how come I don't have a dad like the other ponies?"

Ditzy watched every muscle in Glow's body tense.  The aura around the spoon that had been stirring the soup was extinguished, leaving it untended in the pot.

"You have a dad, Sparkler," she responded, her voice dripping with contempt, "but he's gone."

Sparkler thought about that.  "Is he dead?" she asked finally, seeming more curious than upset.

"No," Glow deadpanned.  "He just doesn't want to be here with us."

Sparkler tapped a forehoof to her chin.  "But... Sea Swirl said her dad loves her very much.  He tells her every day when he picks her up from school.  If my dad is like that, why isn't he here?"

Glow snorted.  "Where did you get the idea that your dad is like that?" she questioned.  "Your dad abandoned us.  He doesn't love me, and he certainly doesn't love you."

Sparkler looked at the floor.  "Oh..."

Ditzy, shocked at Glow's stark announcement, felt a growing emptiness inside her.  Although she knew she couldn't interact with the scene before her, just standing by made her feel insufficient and weak.  After a moment, she caught sight of young Sparkler's expression, and realized the was experiencing the filly's feelings.

"Sparkler, listen," said Glow sternly.  "Your father isn't worth a second thought.  You're going to be better than him.  You're going to be a powerful unicorn.  And you're going to prove you can do it by yourself, because as your father has shown us, you can't always rely on other ponies to be there for you."

Sparkler sniffed.  "I'd give up being a powerful unicorn if I could have the kind of dad Sea Swirl does..." she mumbled.  "It's not fair.  I didn't get to choose."

Glow stamped a hoof.  "Sparkler, I don't want to hear any more of this," she warned.  "Life isn't fair.  Life's going to hurt sometimes, and you need to learn how to fight back.  Your dad isn't coming back, but you're going to show everypony that you can be smart and strong and successful and ready to face the world, even without him, right?"

Sparkler slumped a bit, resting her chin on the table.  "Right," she sighed.

"Good," Glow said, turning her attention back to dinner.  "Get that schoolwork out.  You've got work to do."





Ditzy waited for the next scene to take shape, feeling physically ill at the thought of what she'd just seen.  Dinky grew up without a father, but she never seemed to mind... she mused.  Maybe Sparkler wouldn't have struggled so much either if the matter wasn't handled like that was...

The memories took shape again.  The same home appeared that Ditzy had seen just moments before, but the change in the image of Sparkler was dramatic.  The filly looked to be about twelve now.  The three teal gems displayed on her flank in the present now also decorated it here, and her mane was cut in the shorter, neater style that Ditzy was more familiar with.  She looked much like present-day Sparkler in miniature... with the single exception of her expression, which seemed to hold just a little more emotion than the flat, indifferent one the present-day Sparkler often wore.  Ditzy frowned; that hopeful light in the filly's eyes was growing visibly fainter with each new memory.

The door to the small home was flung wide, and Glow strutted inside with her head held high.  Sparkler looked up from whatever she'd been reading, staring at her mother curiously.  Glow trotted up to her and, with a flourish, placed a scroll bearing the royal seal down on the table in front of her.

"What's that?" Sparkler asked.

Glow laughed haughtily.  "You, my dear, have been formally accepted to Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns," she declared.  "Ha, as if there was ever any chance you wouldn't be."

Sparkler's eyes widened.  "So I really was good enough, huh?" she asked, a flicker of excitement lighting up her features.

"Sparkler, you're more adept at magic than most adult unicorns, including me," Glow pointed out.  "You were barely ten years old when you got your cutie mark, and for something as complicated as enchantments, no less.  At that point it was almost a given; we just had to wait until you were old enough to apply."

The filly gazed at the letter reverently.  "I guess I'll get to learn a lot of new magic," she realized, smiling slightly.  "And I'll get to see new places, and meet a lot of new ponies."

"Well, yes, I suppose," Glow said, sitting down next to her filly.  "But don't let the experience distract you too much.  The other foals at that school might not be as dedicated as you are.  Some ponies will spend their free time goofing off, and those ponies won't end up as magic experts like you will."

Sparkler nodded slowly.  "I'll study hard and follow all the rules," she promised.

Glow nodded.  "And what else are you going to remember while you're there."

The filly winced a bit.  "That... other ponies might not be on my side," she mumbled.  "If I rely too much on others, they might... fail me, in the long run."

Glow noticed the hesitation in her daughter's words.  "Sparkler," she said softly.  "I know you don't like it, but it's the truth.  I'm only trying to protect you, you know.  Why take unnecessary risks, right?"

"I s'pose," Sparkler admitted.  "I'll be careful, mom."

"I know you will," Glow said as she trotted from the room.  "You're going to be great Sparkler, because you'll know better than to give other ponies a chance to pull you down with them."

As Sparkler turned back to her book, the world around her melted away into a void of color once again.  Even as she disappeared, though, Ditzy could feel her pangs of disappointment and uncertainty clear as day.

After a few moments, the swirling, abstract memories formed a new environment, and this time, Ditzy recognized it.  She was standing on a well-kept pathway, lined with statues and hedges, leading to a tremendous, sprawling castle.

Celestia's Academy, she realized.  I figured this is what I'd see next.

"Whoa..." came a small voice.

Ditzy looked down and realized Sparkler was standing right next to her, peering up at the castle just like she was.  "So this is the Academy..." the filly muttered to herself.  "I wonder what the opening ceremony will be like..."

The filly trotted slowly toward the great front doors of the castle, all by herself in contrast to the groups of foals together all around her.  Just before she reached the archway, the sudden sound of ripping fabric was heard.  The seam of one of Sparkler's saddlebags gave way, spilling school supplies all over the path.

"Horseapples," Sparkler grumbled, picking up a few of her quills with magic.  "I don't know if I can fit all this in the other bag..."

"Hey, need some help?"

Sparkler looked up, and Ditzy turned to see a bright white colt with a nearly black mane and tail bounding toward them.  He skidded to a halt and quickly scooped up the remaining supplies before they could blow away.

"Thanks," Sparkler mumbled.  "My stupid bag broke."

The colt immediately dropped his own saddlebags and began rummaging inside.  "I think I have a spare tote or something in here somewhere," came his muffled voice from within the pack.  "You can borrow it until you can replace your bag... ah, here we go!"

Looking triumphant, the colt produced a small but sturdy tote bag from the depths of his belongings.  There was an image on the side of a top hat and magic wand; this prompted Ditzy to glance at his flank, which bore the same emblem.  It wasn't surprising; many ponies, especially foals, liked to get their cutie mark printed on saddlebags, clothing, or other belongings.

Sparkler gratefully packed the contents of her blown-out bag into the borrowed tote.  "Thanks," she said, smiling a little.  "I'll return it as soon as I can, okay?"

"Pssh, no rush," the colt chuckled.  "I figure you need it more than me right now."

He extended a forehoof.  "The name's Presto, by the way," he greeted.  "Is this your first time here too?"

"Yeah," Sparkler admitted, carrying Presto's tote against the side of her body in place of her saddlebag.  "Um, I'm Sparkler.  So... hi."

Ditzy wanted to smile at the Sparkler's adorably awkward greeting, but she knew it was a result of the filly's sheltered upbringing and lack of friends.  Fortunately, Presto didn't seem to mind.

"Sparkler, huh?" he asked.  "Are you by yourself?  We could go to the opening ceremony together, if you want."

Sparkler turned her head away and lifted one forehoof a bit.  "Oh, um, I figured I'd just... go alone..." she mumbled.  "I'm used to being by myself."

"No problem," Presto said casually.  "We're in a whole new place.  It's a lot to get used to.  Come find me though, if you wanna hang out!  You seem like good company."

The colt gave his reserved acquaintance a very genuine smile and a wave, and then began to trot toward the castle.  Sparkler stared after him, flicking her tail uncertainly.

"Maybe having somepony around wouldn't be so bad..." she whispered once he was out of earshot.  "Just a temporary partner, so I have somepony to talk with until I get used to academy life, of course.  I can get by by myself, though.  It's not like I have to rely on him for anything, so I'm sure even mom would think it's ok..."

The filly hesitated for a few seconds, debating, but her temptation won out.  Trying to hide her smile, she dashed forward.

"Actually, Presto, wait up!"





For the first time, Ditzy found herself smiling a bit as she stood patiently in the vortex of color that filled the space between each memory.  However, her mood turned south very quickly when the next scene took shape.  She was back in Cosmic Glow's kitchen, and the two ponies in front of her were not happy.

"Mom, it's just one weekend!  For a festival!  It's not like we have plans that week anyway."

"Absolutely not!"

"I don't get it!" Sparkler cried, throwing her forehooves up in frustration.  "You've let me go to festivals plenty of times before.  What's wrong with this one?"

Glow sneered.  "It isn't that you want to go.  It's who you want to go with."

Sparkler scowled.  "What do you have against Presto!?" she asked, upset.  "He's nice!  I've known him for almost half a term and he hasn't said one mean thing to me!  And it's not like I'm relying on him to guide me or keep me safe; I mean, we're the same age, and I'm a more powerful mage than he is anyway."

"The problem, Sparkler," Glow hissed, lifting the filly up in her aura and bringing their faces just inches apart, "is that you and that colt are getting much too close.  You're letting him in, and for now, everything seems fine.  But as time passes, you'll share more and more with him.  If you keep this up, soon you'll want to celebrate with him whenever you're happy.  You'll seek his comfort when you're feeling sad.  He'll become the pony automatically turn to whenever you're in need of an opinion, or need to solve a problem."

Sparkler cast a magic-cancelling shockwave, forcing her mother to drop her.  She glared up at the mare angrily.

"And what's wrong with all that?  I'm starting to think maybe that's all not so bad!"

Glow gave Sparkler such a grave look that even Ditzy felt threatened.  "Sparkler..." she growled, "before you even realize it, that pony will have buried his hooks in all your emotions.  He won't just be a figure in your life; he'll become a part of you.  But one day, just when you can't imagine your life without your friend, somepony else will suddenly catch his attention.  He'll leave... and he'll take that big part of you that you willingly gave away with him."

Sparkler looked outraged.  "Presto would never do that!"

"He can and he will!" Glow roared.  "Friends may seem nice in the short term, Sparkler, but in truth, they're nothing but a liability!  When you let somepony into your life, when you let them affect your emotions, fuel your interests, and influence your decisions, you're placing your weak point in their hooves!  And the moment they decide you're not the best thing in their life, they'll yank that part of you away.  Then they'll turn up their nose, without a care for the damaged, hollow shell of a pony they've left in their wake."

Ditzy finally lost her composure as Sparkler's despair surged through her.  She lunged forward, making an attempt to grab Glow by the tail and haul her away, to tell poor Sparkler that this was all nonsense, that friendships didn't have to end like that.  But her hooves passed right through; Glow was only an image, destined to play out the past, and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Sparkler's eyes were full of tears now.  "But—"

"Sparkler," Glow said, more softly, the convincingly gentle tone in her voice putting Ditzy even more on edge, "I'm not telling you this to hurt you.  In fact, it's the opposite.  I know what it's like to give a part of you away... and lose it, all at once.  And because of that, you came into the world with a part of you already missing.  You grew up without a father.  Can you imagine what it was like to lose him?  The pony I laughed with, cried with, shared everything with... gone.  I'm only doing this, Sparkler, because I don't want that to happen to you.  I care about you, and I know first-hoof how much the world can hurt.  If you just listen to me... you won't have to experience the feeling of having a big piece of your life ripped away."

Sparkler sobbed and sank to the floor with her face pressed against her crossed forelegs.  "Mom, it's... it's so hard to face everything alone..." came her muffled voice.

"Relying on somepony to help you face it, and then losing them, is far harder," Glow said darkly.  "Sparkler, you must be strong.  You don't have to completely ignore Presto, but you have to keep any interactions with him strictly related to your schoolwork or other responsibilities.  Anything more, and you're setting yourself up for agony in the future."

"Well... maybe we could—"

"Enough, Sparkler," Glow commanded.  "No more of this foolishness, with Presto or anypony else.  Don't leave yourself vulnerable, and someday, when ponies around you have experienced such loss and you're doing just fine, you'll thank me.  Is that clear?"

Sparkler's sobbing grew weaker and more pathetic, but she managed to croak out a reply.

"I... I w-won't let him in... I'll keep myself safe... I p-promise..."





Ditzy's tears dripped off her face and disappeared into the aether.  She didn't want to see any more, but the memories continued to come, one after another.  They grew faster and faster, until some of them were only a few seconds long, but the theme was always the same.

"Sparkler!  Wanna take the train to Canterlot with me this weekend?"

"Sorry, Presto.  Maybe some other time."

"Hey Sparkler.  A couple of us are gonna meet in the student lounge for some board games.  Wanna join?"

"I can't, Presto.  I have too much to do."

"Sparkler, uh... wanna grab lunch?"

"No, Presto.  Just... leave me alone please."

Finally, a memory came into view that fully formed, one that was longer than a three-second snippet of conversation.  Sparkler sat alone on a train bound for Canterlot.  She looked to be about eighteen, and when Ditzy spotted papers in the young mare's aura detailing Overseer duties, she realized this memory must have been from just before Sparkler and Dinky had first met.

"Sparkler."

The mare looked up.  Presto stood in the doorway.  Like her, he'd grown quite a bit over the course of the memories, but he still had the same harmless, welcoming expression in his eyes, though they looked a bit sadder than Ditzy remembered.

"Presto," Sparkler deadpanned.

"So, who would've thought, huh?" the colt asked, sitting beside her on the bench and swishing his black tail slowly.  "You and me are this year's Student Overseers."

"Seems that way."

There was a short pause.  Presto, undeterred, spoke up.

"I'm looking forward to working with you."

Sparkler didn't visually react, but Ditzy felt a slight pang of complex emotion, way down in the depths of her belly.  Sparkler was feeling something, a mix of sadness and slight, fond longing perhaps, but it was buried beneath so many layers of hardened indifference that it was distressingly easy to ignore.

"We'll do what we need to for the other students," she said levelly.  "We're partners, but our service is to Dean Bright Spark, not to each other."

Presto's gentle smile faltered for a moment.  Sparkler continued to ignore him and read through her instructions.

"Sparkler, I was thinking," Presto began tentatively.  "Maybe it'll be really nice to partner up on some things this year.  It'll be like... like old times, y'know?  We're not quite as close as we were as foals.  Maybe this is our chance to rebuild some bonds?"

That spark of emotion, even fainter than before, stirred within Ditzy.  Sparkler glanced at Presto, her expression completely stoic.  "We'll see," she said unconvincingly.

Presto, legendarily patient, smiled again.  "Yeah," he replied.  "I've got to go check on some of the foals in the other train cars.  See you soon, okay?"

"Mhmm."

Presto trotted out.  Sparkler watched him go.  For just a moment, her expression wavered.  She clenched her teeth.  A tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the carpet.

And then it was gone, forced beneath a layer of indifference like everything else.  Nopony, it seemed, would ever dig deep enough to reach that delicate, vital part of her that Glow had so strongly urged her to conceal.  She was protected.  She was safe.  She was in control.

...And she was alone.





The world came rushing back.  Not hazy images of the past, but the hard, clear lines and colors of the present.  Ditzy blinked several times and sniffled, staring down at the tear stains on the front of her coat and the couch cushion below.  Shaking, she looked up at the miserable mare sitting across from her.

"Sparkler..."

Sparkler scowled.  "Are you satisfied, Mrs. Doo?" she asked bitterly, not bothering to hide the streaks her own tears had left on her cheeks.  "Was that what you wanted to see?"

Ditzy couldn't muster up a reply.  She choked back a few more sobs and tried to reach for Sparkler, desperate to offer some small semblance of comfort.  The young mare batted her hoof away.

"Don't.  You can't help.  At least not like that."

Ditzy took a long, slow breath.  "So... so that's what Glow shaped you into," she said slowly.  "What changed?"

Sparkler sighed.  "Simple.  Just minutes after that last memory... I met Dinky Doo.  And for most of that year, I hated her."

"Because... because she was the first pony to find a way to dig down to everything you were suppressing, wasn't she?" Ditzy asked, her voice quavering.

"Exactly," said Sparkler flatly.  "In a way, I really owe her a lot.  She was the pony who finally showed me the real value of developing close bonds with others."

"So... if Dinky got through to you, why are you still so..."

She couldn't think of a polite way to end that sentence.  Sparkler sighed again.

"Mrs. Doo, what your daughter did was finally show me just how... how damaged I really am," she admitted, looking morose.  "Mom did exactly what she set out to do.  She brainwashed me, and made me believe she was right about friendships and relationships with other ponies.  Dinky opened my eyes to the truth, but by that time, our days at the Academy together were at an end.  What she wasn't able to do was help me find a way to heal, now that I've finally accepted I need one.  In the three years since, I've been just as isolated as I was before, but now I'm aware of it, and it..."

Her composure began to crumble.  She stifled a sob.

"And it hurts, Mrs. Doo.  It really hurts..."

Sparkler squeezed her eyes shut tightly and turned away.  Ditzy spoke up once more, as gently as she could.

"Sparkler... do you want to change?"

Sparkler nodded slowly.  "I do, but you might have noticed, I'm a bitter, cynical, and generally mean pony.  Even if I want to grow close to somepony, nopony would ever want me around."

Ditzy smiled a bit.  "Well... it seems like Presto sees the good in you," she pointed out.  "I think he was actually quite enamored with the part of you that you tried to keep hidden."

"I have no idea where Presto is," Sparkler said dully.  "We last saw each other not long before we graduated.  I don't know where he lives, or anything about his life, and even if I could somehow find him, I doubt he'd be too interested if a mare he hasn't seen in three years suddenly reappeared."

"Or maybe he would," Ditzy argued.  "And maybe he's just the pony you need to unearth the part of you that's buried so deep.  So... would you like to find out?"

Sparkler glanced back at Ditzy, raising an eyebrow.  "What are you saying?"

Ditzy's smile grew larger.  "I work for an organization called Equestria Speedy Shipping Services," she explained.  "It's a service with the sole purpose of bringing ponies together, and helping to forge the bonds of love or friendship.  With my help, maybe we can reunite you with your long-lost friend... and, if we're lucky, maybe with a bond like the one you shared as foals, or even stronger..."

Sparkler quivered.  "Do you... really think you can find him?"

"I can certainly try," Ditzy replied.  "But first I need you to give me the chance."

She held out her hoof.  "So, deal?"

Shakily, Sparkler took the mare's hoof, her blank, indifferent expression betrayed by just the faintest glimmer of hope.

"A-alright, Mrs. Doo.  Let's give it a try."





"Alright Dinks, let's go over all the details of Clarity's combat profile one more time."

Dinky rolled her eyes.  "Sure Scuffle," she chuckled.  "Lay it on me."

Despite Princess Celestia's disappearance, life went on at the academy.  Dean Script covered most of the duties anyway, and any head mare duties that Celestia would've performed had been swiftly taken up by Luna instead.  Scuffle's worries about the developing situation with Honeydew and Tango Trot had led him to pour even more effort than usual into anything that had to do with battle magic.  And since the day of Dinky and Clarity's upcoming duel had finally arrived, he had plenty to talk about.

"Okay, so, in sheer spell power, Clarity's weaker than you, even without your dark magic," Scuffle reminded her.  "Your damage-dealing spells hurt more, and your shields are way sturdier.  In a match of brute force, you'd be the clear winner."

Dinky nodded.  "We both know brute force is not gonna be Clarity's first choice," she pointed out.

"Definitely not," Scuffle agreed, nodding sagely.  "Clarity will do anything she can to confuse, disorient, and weaken you, striking only when there's an opportunity, with spells meant to wear you down over time.  On the topic of offense, she prefers lightning-based spells; they don't pack the wallop of some other attacks, but they're very fast and sting like crazy." 

"I'm not as worried about enduring her attacks as I am about actually hitting her with any of my own," Dinky confessed. 

Scuffle nodded.  "I sure hope you have something in mind for countering illusions, because she might honestly be the most talented student in the entire school in that specific field.  You're gonna need to get really creative to get around them, but if you can, getting the win will be a piece of cake."

"I've got a few ideas..." Dinky revealed, smirking slightly.  "Anything else I need to watch out for?"

"You're each allowed one enchanted item or potion," Scuffle continued.  "I have no idea what sort of charm Clarity is packing, but you can bet it's something meant to counter your magical strengths.  Not to mention, Clarity's mastered teleporting; you're good at it, but she's nearly perfect.  Try not to end up playing cat and mouse with her."

"Noted," Dinky said.  "And I'm guessing you gave Clarity a rundown of my strengths and weaknesses at some point too, right?"

"I certainly did," said Scuffle proudly.  "Now you two better put on a great show.  Some of these first round duels have been awesome, but other ones have been pathetic."

"Like yours?" Dinky asked.

Scuffle rolled his eyes.  "I mean, obviously I was gonna win, but it would've been fun if Veggie Kebab had put up some sort of decent fight," he groaned.  "But I guess it doesn't matter.  Now I'm one step closer to beating down Tango Trot."

Dinky sighed.  "Well, let's just worry about my duel for today," she suggested.  "We can focus on that mess later."

Dinky and Scuffle arrived at the battle magic classroom.  Clarity and Tango Trot were already seated; after all, there was still a normal lecture to get through before the duel.  Dinky slid onto her spot on the bench and gave Clarity a slightly nervous smile.

"Good morning, students!" Professor Surge called as he trotted in.  "I know you're all eager to get to today's duel like usual, but I think today's lesson might keep your attention easily enough.  Today, we're going to learn about one of the trickiest types of battle magic: counterspells."

Scuffle rubbed his forehooves together.  "Could always use a few more of those in the arsenal," he mumbled.

"Now, many of you probably already know several counterspells," Surge continued.  "But just for the sake of it, can somepony please define them for me?"

Tango Trot raised a hoof.  "A counterspell is a type of defensive battle magic that can negate, or even reverse, the effects of an offensive spell," he said, smiling politely.

"Exactly," Professor Surge replied, pointing a hoof at the colt in affirmation.  "Magical shields and the like are defensive, but they're not counterspells.  Used with the right timing, counterspells won't block your opponents's attack, they'll cancel it entirely, or even turn it against them.  These are the spells that make for truly interesting and intense duels."

He scanned the crowd of ponies for a moment.  "Scuffle, step down here for a moment," he suggested.  "I want you to help me demonstrate."

Scuffle grinned and disappeared in a flash, reappearing on the arena floor next to Surge a moment later.  "What spell are we demonstrating?" he asked.

"I seem to recall one of your older brothers has quite an affinity for fire magic," the professor chuckled.  "And you once showed me your creative way of dealing with such spells.  How about we show the class?"

Scuffle laughed.  "Sure thing!" he agreed.  "No need to hold back with the spell.  It's not like Scorch holds back when he does it."

Professor Surge waited until Scuffle was in position, and then conjured a powerful fireball on the tip of his horn.  Dinky could feel the heat even from up in the stands, but Scuffle faced the attack with a wholly placid air.  The professor loosed the attack, and Scuffle reacted immediately.  A sharp cone of light burst from his horn, penetrating the blazing sphere and blowing it into a dozen tiny tongues of flame that were thrown back at their caster.  Professor Surge whipped his head up as his horn lit a second time, conjuring a powerful wind that extinguished them all before they reached him.  There were several impressed gasps from the crowd.

Dinky grinned.  She'd seen Scuffle use that very same spell when defending Honeydew from his older brothers years ago.

"What you just witnessed was an offensive spell, turned around by a counterspell, and then negated by a second counterspell," Surge explained.  "Attack volleys like these must be planned and executed almost immediately in a duel situation, and learning to do so is sure to put anypony on track to become an accomplished duelist."

"They're also useful for defending yourself from older brothers who sling spells at you just for kicks," Scuffle laughed as he returned to his seat.

"Now, pair up as usual, and take your textbooks with you into the practice area," the professor instructed.  "By the end of class, I want each of you to execute at least three of the counterspells described in there.  This week's duel starts in about an hour, so get to work!"





"C'mon, Dinks, you gotta react faster!"

Scuffle conjured another jet of water and launched it at Dinky.  As fast as she could, she lit her horn and swung her head with all the force she could muster.  A golden, crescent-shaped blade of light burst from her horn, flew forward through the air and sliced Scuffle's attack in two.  The droplets of water fell harmlessly on either side of her while she remained dry.  She grinned.

"There ya go!" Scuffle cheered.  "That's a heck of a counter, Dinky.  If you can get it fired off that fast every time you use it, you'll be able to neutralize most elemental spells."

"Students, please return to your seats!" Professor Surge bellowed across the magical chaos filling the room.  "The assignment is over, but before you go, it's time as usual for this week's duel.  First, let's open up the doors and let in our audience."

With a flicker of the professor's magic, the doors to the classroom were thrown wide, and a number of excited students of all ages trotted in.  Among them, of course, was a delicate pink filly, who smiled when she spotted all her friends gathered together.

"Hello everypony," Honeydew greeted as she joined Dinky and the others.

"How lovely to see you, Honeydew," Tango Trot replied, flashing his dazzling smile.

"Hey Dewey," Scuffle added, firmly positioning himself next to Honeydew before the other colt could.  "Ready to cheer Dinks and Clarity on?"

"Um, mostly," Honeydew replied with a nervous smile.  "First, though..."

She trotted up to Dinky and Clarity, wedging herself between them and giving them each a brief nuzzle.  "Dinky, Clarity, be careful, okay?" she asked, frowning slightly.  "I don't want either of you to get hurt..."

"We'll be fine, Honeydew," Clarity reassured her, stroking her friend's long mane for a moment.

"It's just some friendly competition," Dinky added.  "It'll be fun. If you get nervous, I'm sure Scuffle and Tango will help."

Honeydew glanced fondly at the two colts.  "That's true," she said with a nod.  

"Oh, before you sit down," Dinky said quickly, "can you take care of this for me until after the duel?"

She slipped her diamond pendant off her neck and pressed it into Honeydew's waiting forehoof.  Clarity undid the clasp of her enchanted barrette and passed it to her as well.

"I'll keep them safe," Honeydew promised.  "Good luck you two!  I'll be cheering for both of you!"

The pink filly climbed into the stands with her other friends.  Now that the audience had gathered, Professor Surge lit his horn again to close the doors.

"Wait!"

Three young foals barreled into the room just before the doors closed.  Dinky immediately recognized Inkwell, who had arrived at full sprint and was now skidding to a halt.  Portabella galloped along behind her, and Top Percentile, looking quite winded, brought up the rear.

"Is... is this where Overseer Clarity's duel is?" Inkwell asked the professor between gasps for breath.

"Her presence here lends credence to that hypothesis," Top Percentile said, pointing at Clarity, who was standing just a few pony-lengths away.

"Hi Inkwell!" Clarity greeted.  "I didn't realize you wanted to see the duel."

"Well, technically, I'm not the biggest battle magic fan," Inkwell admitted, shuffling a hoof.  "But there's no way I'd miss your match!  You've got so much cool magic, I'm sure you'll win in no time!"

"Are you sure?" asked Portabella slyly.  "That Dinky Doo looks like she knows her stuff too.  I think it's gonna be close."

"Wanna bet?" Inkwell challenged.  "I'll wager four bits that Clarity will make short work of—"

"Pardon my obtrusion..." Top Percentile said loudly, "But this argumentative palaver appears to be impeding the commencement of our upperclassmen's scheduled fracas.  We should adjourn to the stands forthwith."

"Top, this is no time to distract me by being incredibly hot," Portabella complained.  "Me and Inkwell are making a bet.  Woo me with your sexy foreign speech later."

"Kids, if you could continue this conversation from the stands..." Professor Surge asked awkwardly.  "We need to make room down here for the duel."

Inkwell and the other foals hurried out of the way.  Dinky smirked at her friend.

"You've got a fan club, huh?" she giggled.

"I guess I do," Clarity admitted, returning the playful expression.  "Looks like I'll just have to beat you so they'll be satisfied."

Both fillies laughed.  Clarity stepped a bit closer so only Dinky could hear her.

"So, no hard feelings no matter how this goes, right?" she asked, smiling weakly.

"Of course not!" Dinky affirmed.  "You're my best friend, Clarity.  Give it all you've got, and I will too.  Our friendship is stronger than any spell either of us can produce."

"Please get to your starting positions, girls!" Professor Surge called as the last of the audience settled into place.  "It's time to begin."

Dinky strode to one end of the arena and turned to face the opposite side.  Clarity took her position at the other end, pausing momentarily to clip a different barrette into her hair: a silver one with a small emerald affixed to it.  What enchantment it held, Dinky could only guess.  Grinning, she quickly fastened a small jeweled ring to the base of her horn, containing a carefully selected enchantment of her own.

"Welcome to the seventh match of the battle magic tournament's first round!" Professor Surge called to the audience.  "Today, we have a duel between Dinky Doo and our own Student Overseer, Clarity.  The winner of this match will earn a place in the tournament quarterfinals.  In this duel, physical contact is forbidden; only magic will be used.  As always, don't worry about doing physical damage to the arena, as the room is enchanted to repair any defacement once the match concludes.  The duel is over when one competitor either forfeits by casting a spell at the forfeit signal on the scoreboard, or is knocked unconscious.  Competitors, are you both clear on the rules?"

"Yes sir," Clarity called.

"Me too," Dinky added.

"Very well," Surge said with a smile.  "Then get ready, and..."

There was a second of tense silence.  Dinky widened her stance and let golden magic engulf her horn.  Clarity giggled as her cinnamon red aura came to life as well.

"Duel!"

And Clarity was gone.  Dinky had expected it, but it happened so instantaneously that it still managed to catch her off guard.  There was no rippling of outlines or fading of colors; her opponent simply disappeared from view in the blink of an eye.  There were several gasps of surprise from the crowd.

"Well, your invisibility spell sure has gotten better over the years," Dinky called out, refusing to show any sign of intimidation as she slowly, carefully scanned the arena.  "But this is a huge, vaulted room, Clarity.  Sound travels really well in here.  As soon as you move or try to cast a spell, I'll have at least a rough idea of where you are."

"Tut tut, Dinky," came Clarity's voice, playfully mocking.  "You didn't think I'd forget to account for that, did you?"

Dinky staggered backward, looking wildly around.  Clarity's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, as if the filly was simultaneously standing in multiple positions all around her, including in the air above.

"H-how are you doing that?" she asked, stunned.

"It sure is a fun little enchantment, isn't it?" Clarity asked delightedly.  "Ponies can tell the direction of sound because of an incredibly small delay between when sound waves reach one ear and when they reach the other.  The brain translates this delay into directional information."

Dinky blinked.  "Do you seriously mean to tell me—"

"A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an incredibly esoteric enchantment in an old book," Clarity continued, sounding more smug by the second.  "It splits any sound waves I produce into two different sets moving at slightly different speeds, so that the sound reaches both your ears at exactly the same time.  Which means, of course, you have no idea where the sound is coming from!"

A small bolt of red lightning suddenly struck Dinky square in the butt.  She squeaked in surprise and whirled around as Clarity's excited giggle came from all corners of the room.

"Go on Dinky, I dare you to find me now!"

Another bolt of reddish lightning struck Dinky in the side.  She returned a bolt of her own in the direction it had come from, but it sailed harmlessly through the air and struck the far wall.  There was the familiar 'pop' of a teleport spell, followed immediately by Clarity's next bolt as it struck one of her legs from an entirely different direction.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" Dinky announced, loosing one of her favorite spells, a brilliant yellow shockwave that could cancel out continuous spells like illusions, at least momentarily.  Clarity did indeed reappear as the wave washed over her, but she'd clearly been ready for that; the moment she came into view, she launched her next attack.  Dinky, who needed a second or two to recover after each use of the wide-area magical burst, couldn't defend.  The bolt left another small scorch mark on her fur.  By the time she had a chance to retaliate with an attack of her own, Clarity was already blending back into her surroundings.

"You've been using that spell since I met you, Dinky," she sang, clearly fully aware that she'd quickly gained the upper hoof.  "You gonna have to be more creative than that."

Dinky quickly surrounded herself in a dome of magic, shielding her from any incoming attacks while she thought frantically about how to proceed.  Clarity flickered into view again and wasted no time assaulting the barrier with dozens of rapid attacks.  Unlike Scuffle, Dinky's shields weren't strong enough to hold Clarity off indefinitely; she only had a minute or so to figure out what to do.

I can't use my enchantment just yet, she thought.  That spell is gonna be what turns this duel around, but it's useless until just the right moment...

One of Clarity's bolts punched a hole through Dinky's weakening shield.  She leaned up against one side of the dome to stay clear of the exposed spot.

I guess it's time to put today's lesson to good use, she realized.  I can't hit her with my own spells, so I'll just have to counter hers!

Dinky teleported, reappearing behind Clarity and finally managing to land a single magical strike before her opponent also vanished in a flash, moving to the opposite end of the battlefield in the blink of an eye.  "Lucky shot!" she called.  "Easy enough to correct for, though.  I won't drop my illusions just because you're hiding under a shield next time."

Clarity vanished once again.  This time, Dinky prowled the battlefield warily, keeping her horn lit but making no attempt to force Clarity back into view.  After a few seconds, another red bolt suddenly appeared from thin air, hurtling toward her.

Dinky kept her cool.  With a swift flash of her horn, a small, square wall of magic appeared in front of her.  Clarity's bolt struck it and immediately rebounded back in the direction in had come from.  Dinky chuckled with satisfaction as she heard her invisible friend squeal upon being struck with her own spell.

"Those are pretty easy to reflect, you know," Dinky taunted.  "I need to react fast, but you might need a different attack if you don't want most of your spells thrown back at you."

"I could use a different attack," came Clarity's disembodied voice.  "But I have a better idea."

Another bolt rocketed toward Dinky.  It seemed exactly the same as the last one, so she quickly deployed her reflecting counterspell.  This time, though, the lightning passed through the reflector like it wasn't even there.  Equally confusing was the fact that when it struck Dinky's chest, she didn't feel it at all.  Rather, the spell's stinging effects manifested on her rear end.

"W-wait, how did you—"

"I mirrored your vision," Clarity said with a very matter-of-fact tone.  "Only yours, of course.  The audience just saw you attempt to block a spell by shielding in the entirely opposite direction."

The next red bolt was on its way almost as soon as its caster had finished speaking.  Dinky saw it coming from her left, so she quickly cast her reflector on her right.  The illusory attack appeared to strike her left side, but rather than bounce it back at Clarity on the right, she felt the strike hit home on her chest.  She grunted and staggered, trying to shake off the stinging sensation.

"What, you thought I could only flip your sight 180 degrees?" her invisible foe asked, laughing.  "C'mon, Dinky, this isn't even a hard illusion.  You had to have known I could manipulate the directions however I choose."

It was becoming clear to Dinky just how extensive Clarity's knowledge of illusions really was.  Her whole body was beginning to ache from all of the attacks that had hit their mark, and yet Clarity herself remained protected by her network of spells.

If I don't activate my enchantment soon, Clarity's going to win, she thought desperately.  I just need to get close enough for it to affect her...

Clarity conjured yet another bolt.  it appeared to be coming from Dinky's left, but she suspected that too was an illusion.  She leapt toward the image, and heard the real spell glance off the stone floor to her right.

To my right! she realized.  Clarity's enchantment can mask the direction of sounds she makes herself, but I can still tell the direction of sounds once her spells have been cast and are no longer under her control!  That gives me an idea...

Dinky cast another shield.  As expected, Clarity set to work hammering at it with a volley of spells, and due to her illusions, they appeared to be coming from many different parts of the battlefield at once.

"Buying time isn't going to win this for you, Dinky," Clarity jeered.  "It takes me a bit, but I can knock even your best shield down eventually!"

Dinky didn't reply.  Instead, she closed her eyes, ignoring the flashes of red light from all directions.  Her ears stood straight up, listening carefully to the clatter against the shield.  The sound of Clarity firing off the spells was impossible to track, but the sound of them knocking against the shield was clearly in front of her and slightly to the left.

Without warning, Dinky teleported as close to Clarity's presumed location as she possibly could.  She was nearly certain her opponent was no more than a pony-length away, which meant the time to act was now.  Before Clarity could react, Dinky's horn surged, lighting up the enchanted horn ring she was wearing.  There was a brief, blight flash and a loud electrical sound.  A second later, Clarity teleported to the opposite end of the battlefield and dropped her various illusions, looking at Dinky curiously.

"What was that?" she asked.  "If it was supposed to be some kind of attack, it didn't connect.  I'm fine."

Dinky smirked.  "I just deployed my enchantment, that's all," she casually called back.  "Bet you're wondering what it does, huh?"

"It doesn't matter what it does if you still can't hit me!" Clarity declared, readying another bolt.  Dinky watched with a calm, smug smile as the red lightning was fired toward her.  Long before it reached her, it began to change course, looping around until it shot back at the pony who had produced it.  Clarity had no time to conjure a shield, defending herself with a foreleg instead, the only thing preventing the spell from striking her right in the head.  She shook the afflicted hoof to stave off the stinging pain.

"Did you... redirect it?" she asked, bewildered.

"I didn't do a thing," Dinky chuckled.  "Unfortunately for you, my enchantment, when activated, magnetizes anything metal for a certain distance around me.  Naturally, lightning will be drawn towards magnetized metal items, such as..."

"...My barrette," Clarity finished, her eyes widening

Dinky giggled.  "So Clarity, do you wanna ditch the sound direction masking enchantment, or would you rather continue hitting yourself with your own spells?" she asked.

Clarity scowled and yanked the silver clip from her mane, throwing it well out of bounds where it wouldn't affect the fight.  She gave her head a toss to shake aside the bright blue curls that immediately fell in front of her eye.  "Honestly, Dinky, that's exactly the kind of clever move I was hoping you were gonna pull out before this ended," she admitted.  "I knew I wasn't gonna beat you that easily."

"You're not gonna beat me at all, now that I can track you while you're invisible," Dinky chuckled.

Clarity grinned darkly.  "Who said invisibility was my entire strategy?" she asked, lighting her horn.  "I'm far from a one-trick pony, Dinky, you know that.  Let's see how you react when I pull out the really fancy stuff!"

"That wasn't the fancy stuff?" Dinky asked skeptically.

The cone of light on Clarity's horn grew as a powerful spell began to take shape.  "You might remember this one, Dinky," she confessed.  "Sparkler used it against us when we dueled her years ago.  Of course, while Sparkler was brilliant, her specialty wasn't illusions, so you might find my take on the spell a little more challenging to cope with."

Dinky didn't wait around to give her opponent the chance.  She lowered her head and loosed a wide laser that screamed through the air toward her foe.  Clarity teleported out of the way in a flash of red light an instant before it struck.

But it was not just one Clarity that reappeared.  It was not two, or even four.  In a series of teleportation flashes, ten identical ponies surrounded Dinky.  There was a tremendous cheer from the audience, including one delighted whoop that clearly came from Inkwell.

Dinky's pupils shrank as she looked around in horror.  "How... how in Equestria are you maintaining that!?" she blurted.  "The concentration you'd need to keep that many convincing copies active at once is..."

"Isn't it amazing?" one of the Clarity doubles asked.  "There's almost no limit to what magic can do if you have a sharp enough mind."

"And the willingness to practice," another Clarity added.

"And the drive to keep improving yourself," a third chimed in.

"Nine of us are just very convincing holograms," yet another Clarity admitted.  "But which of us is the real Clarity, hm?  I don't think you're gonna last long enough to find out!"

The sound of electricity filled the air as red bolts charged up around the horns of each of the doubles.  Only one of them would actually be able to hurt Dinky, of course, but she wasn't about to wait around for that.  She sprinted away, and an instant later, the air was full of lightning bolts coming from all directions.

It became clear very quickly that if she didn't devise a counter-strategy in the next few moments, Dinky was done for.  Frantically, she leapt over some spells and ducked under other, occasionally attempting to block, only to find the spell she was blocking was a harmless illusion.  Somehow, though, the real Clarity's bolts seemed to hit their mark over and over again.  Dinky's nerves screamed in protest as the painful, electrical sting gnawed at every inch of her body.  But no matter where she ran, there was always a Clarity waiting, and no matter which she attacked, she only seemed to be able to strike the illusions.  Even when she used a magic-cancelling shockwave to wipe some of the copies away, new ones simply replaced them an instant later, so the number never decreased.

"It's over, Dinky," one of the Clarity doubles said.

"I don't want to have to knock you out with all these spells," another one added.

"Just accept the loss with dignity and forfeit," still another suggested.  "As long as I have my illusions, I'm untouchable."

As long as I have my illusions...

A thought came to Dinky.  A crazy thought that might not even work, but a thought nonetheless.  There was one final, last-ditch strategy she could try; one so bold, even Clarity wouldn't see it coming.

The hum of energy filled the air as Dinky charged up a tremendous spell in her horn.  Dozens of lightning bolts continued to fly at her, a few of which were real ones that further singed her coat and made her flinch, but she refused to break her concentration.  She reared up and slammed her forehooves down as she released the most powerful spell she could muster.

The deafening bang of a sonic boom shook the entire chamber.  A massive pressure wave radiated out from Dinky's horn, spreading to every corner of the room.  Another huge sound, this time of shattering glass, followed an instant later.  Every last one of the dozens of illumination orbs lighting the giant, vaulted arena exploded into smithereens, plunging the battlefield, and the rest of the room for that matter, into total darkness.  Dinky heard gasps of shock and confusion from the crowd.

Dinky lit her horn as faintly as possible, casting a wavering yellow glow across part of the arena.  Clarity stood in the darkness just at the edge of her sight, staring at her speechlessly.

"Funny thing about your illusions, Clarity," Dinky said smugly.  "They're really clever constructs of light, but if you don't have enough light to work with, they won't do you much good, will they?"

Clarity desperately lit her horn.  One or two doubles came back into view, but in the dim light of her horn, they flickered and wavered.  They certainly couldn't pass as the real Clarity.  The grey filly flattened her ears against her head as the meager illusions faded away.

"...Uh-oh."

Dinky fired a brilliant golden beam directly at her friend.  Clarity, with no other option, produced a cinnamon red one of her own.  The two opposing beams met in midair, crackling and sending red and yellow sparks flying in all directions.  In a matter of seconds though, Dinky's attack began to push Clarity's back.  Try as she might, the red laser grew smaller and smaller as the yellow overpowered it.  Dinky caught a glance of the panicked look in Clarity's eyes before the opposing beam met her horn.

"Gah!"

The blast of energy threw Clarity into the air for a moment.  She hit the stone floor on her side and rolled once or twice, the tip of her horn and some of her mane singed by Dinky's spell.  Dinky rushed forward, her horn already flaring to launch her next assault.

"Stop, stop!"

Dinky skidded to a halt.  She waited, her horn casting long shadows in the darkness, as Clarity grunted and slowly got to her hooves.  In spite of everything, the grey filly smiled gently.

"That's enough," she breathed, her legs shaking slightly.  "You got me, Dinky.  You win."

Clarity slowly turned to the scoreboard, casting a faint magical light of its own.  Soft red light began to flow around her horn again, and she shot a small beam of energy at the signal in the center of the scoreboard.  A buzzer sounded, and Clarity's face slowly faded away from the magical display, while Dinky's portrait migrated inward to the second bracket.

"The match is over!" boomed Professor Surge from somewhere in the darkness.  "It was a close one, but it looks like Dinky Doo is advancing to the quarterfinals!"

With the duel concluded, the massive enchantment on the arena took effect.  The thousands of shards of glass Dinky had created rose into the air in unison, forming back into the orbs they had come from.  In a few seconds, all the damage caused by the duel was reversed, and the room was once again brightly lit.  Ponies began to climb from the stands to head to their next class, or to hang around and talk.

"Girls, the nurse is standing by near the classroom doors as always," Professor Surge pointed out.  "You both look a bit battered; go get that fixed up."

Clarity nodded shuffled over to the nurse.  Dinky followed beside her, eager to have the scrapes and burns from Clarity's spells magically healed up as well.

"Just close your eyes and focus on absorbing the spell, dear," the school nurse said sweetly.

Dinky complied, and sighed with relief as she felt a wave of rejuvenation enter her horn and spread throughout her body.  A moment later, she watched with amusement as Clarity, smiling serenely, received the same treatment.

"So, you okay?" she asked once her friend opened her eyes.

"I'm fine," Clarity giggled, pulling her into a tight hug.  "That was fantastic, Dinky.  You're a brilliant duelist."

Before Dinky could even reply, the pair was surrounded by their clamoring friends, all with various reactions to what they'd just witnessed.

"Dinks, that was insane!" Scuffle yelled, giving her a congratulatory slap on the back.  "It looked like you were toast for a while there, but you turned that around real fast."

"And nearly gave me a heart attack when you shattered all the lights," Honeydew mumbled as she returned her friends' jewelry.  "Every day I'm more certain that I made the right decision to not take this class."

"Oh, and hard luck, Clarity my friend," Tango Trot consoled, giving her the typical pearly grin.  "Your performance was outstanding in spite of the outcome.  I fear I may have lost, had I been your first opponent."

Three foals squeezed into the circle of ponies.  "Clarity, what happened?" Inkwell asked, pouting.  "You were just about to win, and then—"

"—And then Dinky both outsmarted and outfought me, and you should congratulate her for it," Clarity finished as she clipped her usual gold barrette back into her mane.  "I lost, but I lost with dignity to a pony who beat me fair and square.  If I was going to be eliminated from the tournament, that's just how I wanted it to happen."

Inkwell nodded sheepishly, making her braids sway a bit, before turning to Dinky.  "I didn't mean to give you so little credit," she confessed.  "I'm a really big fan of Clarity, but your magic is amazing too.  You were fun to watch."

Dinky beamed.  "Thanks, Inkwell.  I'm glad you enjoyed the show."

"That part where you exploded the lights was the coolest!" Portabella declared.  "Clarity's out of the tournament, but I wanna come back and watch your next duel."

"Your adroitness is nearly unprecedented," Top Percentile added quietly.

"By the way, Inkwell," Portabella continued, waggling her eyebrows at the other filly.  "I believe you owe me my winnings?"

Inkwell sighed and levitated four bits from her saddlebags, which Portabella snatched out of the air.  "Thank you very much!" she chirped.  "C'mon, Top.  Let's get milkshakes, on me."

"But the enzymatic activity in my jejunum is insufficient to adequately process lactose," Top argued.  "Thus, I would suffer a most vexatious adverse reaction if I partook of such indulgences."

"I'm going to assume that translates to 'make mine strawberry, please'," Portabella said, already dragging the skinny colt out of the hall.

"I should follow them," Inkwell decided.  "See you soon!"

She cantered from the hall, and most of the other ponies filed out as well.  Dinky made her way for the door, planning to join her friends for lunch.

"Hold on, Dinky!  I'd like to talk for a moment, privately, if you can spare the time."

Dinky turned and saw Professor Surge beckoning to her.  She gave her friends a quick wave before trotting over to him.

"What's up?"

"Well, first of all, my congratulations.  That was one of the most impressive duels of the term so far," Surge admitted.  "Keep that up, and you'll certainly be one of the big contenders to win the whole thing."

"I'm sure gonna try," Dinky promised.  "Battle magic definitely isn't for everypony, but I think it's a lot of fun.  I guess I'm just the scrappy type."

"I guess so," the professor chuckled.  "But actually, Dinky, it's not your duel I want to talk about.  It's something more related to the topic we covered in class today: counterspells."

Dinky tilted her head slightly.  "Oh?"

Professor Surge took a deep breath and seemed to ponder where to begin.  "Dinky, as I'm sure you're aware, all the professors here are also magical researchers and extremely talented mages in their respective fields," he started.  "I, of course, am one of the most renowned unicorn battlemages of modern Equestria.  We all have our favorite spells, though, and counterspells have always been the part of battle magic that has interested me most.  I work on developing new ones almost every term, and I've got something quite special in mind this time.  And well, I was hoping I could ask for your aid in my research."

Dinky's expression scrunched up with confusion.  "I mean, that sounds really interesting, but why me specifically?  If you need a student's input on battle magic, why not somepony who lives and breathes the subject, like Scuffle?"

The professor shifted his weight uncomfortably.  "No, I'm afraid Scuffle won't do..." he admitted, a twinge of nervousness in his voice.  "You see Dinky, battle magic research isn't just to allow for more spectacular duels.  It's to provide unicorns with as many defenses as possible, against all types of magic that may be used against them.  And naturally, unicorn scholars over the centuries have developed thousands of these counterspells to negate almost any sort of magic a unicorn can produce.  Only... only one particular topic is... sorely lacking, in that respect."

Dinky blinked.  "Are you... implying what I think you are?" she asked.

Surge sighed.  "Because of the— oh, how should I put it— the difficult circumstances surrounding it, our knowledge of counterspells to negate dark magic is extremely bare-bones.  There's simply been no way to do empirical research; unicorns can't risk using it in academic scenarios, since doing so will gradually corrupt them.  And wraiths are far too savage and diabolical to reason with at all, let alone to use in controlled magical experimentation.

Noticing Dinky's expression, he coughed.  "Excuse me, I meant most wraiths.  I might even go so far as to say 'all but one'."

Dinky glanced over her shoulder to make absolutely sure that nopony else was in the room.  "So, you want me to lend you my, um, talents so that you can perform counterspell research that, until now, has been impossible?" she asked in a low voice.

"Think of the benefit it could have for future generations of unicorns!" Professor Surge said excitedly.  "When dark magic does rear its head in our land again, far fewer ponies would be harmed before the situation is defused if we could just develop a consistent defense against dark spells."

His voice dropped even lower, till he was speaking in barely more than a whisper.  "You hide it very well, but the dean says you can use very extensive dark powers with ease, right?"

Dinky winked at Professor Surge,  grinning at his startled reaction when she opened her eye to reveal a glowing yellow pupil surrounded by darkness, with a wisp of violet mist snaking off it into the air.  "You could say that," she chuckled as she quickly restored their normal appearance.  "I'm intrigued, professor, but I'm also more than a little hesitant.  After all, the only reason I learned dark magic in the first place was because I fell for the ploy of a pony claiming it was for 'research'.  So before I decide, you and I should talk to the dean about this.  I want several ponies to be aware of the circumstances if I'm really going to be using dark magic at school."

"I absolutely agree," Surge said, gazing at Dinky as if trying to see the creature beneath her unicorn disguise.  "Meet me at Spiral Script's office tonight at sunset, and we'll work out all the details."





Evening sunlight filled the halls with a warm orange glow as Dinky trotted to the dean's office.  She stepped into the antechamber and waited for Professor Surge to arrive.

The tiny, bare room was one she'd occupied more than she would've liked in her first term.  She noted with satisfaction that the new dean had long since replaced Bright Spark's ugly paisley-patterned wallpaper with a mural of Canterlot.

A minute later, the door swung open and Professor Surge entered, smiling when he spotted her.  "Ready, Dinky?" he asked.  "Dean Script is expecting us."

Dinky nodded and knocked gently on the door to the office.  It opened from inside by magic, revealing the dean in conversation with the new guidance counselor, Wishing Star.

"Ah, professor, and young miss Dinky Doo," the dean greeted, nodding to each visitor in turn.  "Your timing is excellent; I was just filling our newest staff member in on Dinky's special magical status."

Wishing Star looked at Dinky and gradually tilted her head.  "This is the filly who's really a... what was it?  A wraith?" she asked.  "Could've fooled me."

"That's the point," Dinky snickered.  "It's a little hard to blend in if ponies have a reason to believe I'm not just a unicorn."

The counselor nodded, the jewels on her headband glittering in the evening sun.  "Anywho, I don't think I've met you till just now," she realized, extending a hoof.  "I know you know already, but I'm Wishing Star.  Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Dinky replied, shaking the mare's hoof.  "And I'm surprised; most ponies don't really take the whole wraith thing in stride so quickly when they find out."

Wishing Star attempted to reply, but the dean spoke first.  "Wishing Star is quite qualified to be a counselor, but her background in unicorn history and magic is not as extensive as most ponies at this academy," she explained.

Wishing Star smiled sheepishly.  "You got me there," she confessed.  "I didn't attend this academy as a foal.  The average first term student probably knows more magic than I do.  I can't say I really know much about what a wraith is, but I guess if I did, I'd be more surprised?"

"The issue is simply that wraiths have the potential to be incredibly dangerous," Spiral Script explained.  "Our Dinky here, though, has not shown any sign of improper use of her powers in years, which is why we're even discussing Professor Surge's proposal at all."

She turned to the professor, who waited quietly for her to address him.  "Professor Surge, if you could explain this research in detail for me, that would help things along."

Dinky stood by while Professor Surge gave the dean a similar spiel to the one he'd given her a few hours earlier.  Spiral Script remained silent, occasionally giving a slow nod, until he was finished.

"So what do you think, ma'am?" the professor asked.  "This is a huge opportunity to learn to further defend the citizens of Equestria.  With Princess Celestia's recent disappearance, any manner of threat could be just around the corner.  We can't pass up this chance to learn about dark magic in an environment that, for once, isn't life threatening, right?"

"That depends," Spiral Script replied, tapping a hoof on her desk thoughtfully.  "Dinky Doo is the one who will be providing the magic.  She's the only one of us who has, or ever will have, significant experience wielding it.  She'll understand if this idea of yours is feasible far better than either of us will, so it will be up to her."

All eyes focused on Dinky.  She glanced between the three ponies and shrugged.

"I'm willing to try," she told them.  "I just want to make sure it's safe.  The last thing I'd want to do is hurt somepony."

"Then you shall be in charge of approving all research proceedings," Spiral Script said simply.

Professor Surge blinked.  "Err, but ma'am, what if there's something critical to our study that Dinky rejects?"

"Than that topic shall be rejected," the dean said sternly, making it clear with her expression that this was an unwavering rule.  "Understand, professor, that on the topic of dark magic, young miss Dinky is currently the absolute authority on the subject in all of Equestria.  Despite your skills with battle magic, it's foolish to presume that you know the limits of dark magic better than a creature that has it running through her body at all times.  If this research is to proceed, we will meet all of Dinky's procedural demands, and if we cannot, we will cancel the project.  Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal clear," the professor replied.  "Dinky, do you have any requirements we need to meet before any testing can begin?"

"Several," Dinky admitted.  "First of all, we need a place to practice where there is absolutely no chance of being witnessed by a pony who isn't aware of my secret."

"The battle magic classroom is a big enough space for it, and repairs itself when damaged," Surge pointed out.  "We'll lock the door mechanically, provide additional locking with magic, and even add enchantments that drive other ponies away from the room, if that's what it takes."

"Second, I want at least one other member of staff there besides you," Dinky continued.  "It's not that I don't trust you, but if something does go wrong for any reason, there needs to be another pony there to help in case of an emergency."

"I will be personally attending all of these sessions," Spiral Script declared  "If the professor becomes too... passionate in his desires to develop these counterspells, I'll be there to remind him that he is very much not the one calling the shots in this project."

Professor Surge cringed a bit.  "No need to worry, ma'am," he assured her.  "I'll do everything as Dinky wants it."

"Can I come too?" Wishing Star suddenly chimed in.  "I think it would be a good chance to learn more about magic I don't understand yet, as well as an opportunity to get to know one of the students closely."

"I should think that would be fine, if Dinky approves," Spiral Script said, idly smoothing a wrinkle in her ceremonial cloak.

Dinky was quick to answer.  "More ponies will be safer anyway.  You're welcome to join us, Wishing Star."

The orange mare smiled.  "Glad to hear it.  Anything else we need to know?"

"One last thing," Dinky said.  "To be completely honest, I can get a little... feisty.  And dark magic can sometimes magnify that just a bit.  There are three students here who are aware of my secret, and they know how to reign me in if I start getting a little reckless.  I don't expect it to be an issue in our training sessions, but just to put my mind at ease, I want either Clarity, Scuffle, or Honeydew to attend each session.  As long as one of them is there, I'll feel a lot better about all this."

"Done," Spiral Script replied immediately.  "If we have a session planned, and none of those three ponies can make time to attend, we will cancel that date without any further question."

Dinky nodded.  "If you can make all that happen... then I think I can lend a little dark magic in the name of making Equestria a safer place," she said with a small smile.

"Thank you, Dinky," Surge breathed, relieved.  "Let's all meet next week on Thursday to begin."

"Professor Surge and I are going to discuss some of the goals of the research a bit further," Spiral Script added.  "For now, Dinky, Wishing Star, you're excused."

"See you later, professors," Dinky called as she trotted from the office.  She stepped out into the corridor with counselor Wishing Star close behind her.

"So hey, Dinky," Wishing Star piped up before they parted ways, "thanks again for letting me join in on this project.  I wanna do the best I can for all the students here, but this place is newer to me than it is to most of them.  I feel like contributing to students' lives, especially helping with some of the trickier parts of it like this one, is a good way to get started."

"I'm glad you're interested," Dinky replied.  "If Dean Script trusts you, than so do I.  Just remember not to say anything about my dark magic to anypony that isn't academy staff."

Wishing Star moved a forehoof across her mouth.  "My lips are sealed," she promised.  "Dean Script made that very clear."

Dinky smiled.  "Then I think we'll be fast friends," she said.  "Keep this good attitude up and you'll be one of the students' favorites in no time."

Wishing Star blushed a bit.  "You're really welcoming," she giggled.  "You almost remind me of a pony I work with at my other job.  She's a sweet, big-hearted mare just like you."

"She's probably not secretly a dark magical abomination, though," Dinky joked.

Wishing Star snickered.  "No, I guess not," she laughed.  "But that reminds me, I should get going.  My shift here is almost over, and I need to be at my other job first thing in the morning.  I'll see you next week, okay?"

The two unicorns waved goodbye, and Dinky set off for the residence tower, her mind buzzing with thoughts about how to finally put her dark powers to good use.





In the middle of the night, in the foothills somewhere between Ponyville and Canterlot, Cosmic Glow trotted warily along an unmarked dirt road.  She continually glanced back, as if paranoid she was being followed.  For the ninth or tenth time that night, she pulled out the note that had been tacked to her door, with a pink shard of crystal still puncturing the top of the paper, and read it again.



It is finally time for us to meet, and discuss the plan to get revenge on Ditzy Doo.

Meet me at this address tonight, under the cover of darkness.



The address was provided below, and as Glow looked up, she spotted a small, run-down old home at the location in question.  It sat by itself along the road, far from any true settlement.

As Glow approached, she spotted another figure making her way along the path, coming from the direction of Canterlot.  Squinting, she was able to make out an aging, yellow-coated mare with a pair of tiny spectacles.  Cautiously, the two ponies approached one another.

"Are you... the one who sent the notes?" Glow asked once she stood before the much older mare.

The yellow unicorn furrowed her brow.  "I was just about to ask you the same question..." she said hesitantly.  "I've been receiving communications from somepony regarding... well, I'd rather not say if you're not the right pony."

Glow smirked.  "Let me guess.  You're seeking revenge against Ditzy Doo too?"

The other mare blinked.  "Err... almost," she admitted.  "You've not got the name quite right though.  The pony that I so despise is Dinky Doo."

Glow's eyes widened.  "Dinky Doo is Ditzy's horrible little daughter," she remembered.  "It seems, thought the specifics differ, we have one thing in common: a grudge against the Doo family."

The older mare smirked.  "It seems so.  It appears we've both accepted help from the same pony, whoever they are."

Glow extended  hoof.  "Cosmic Glow," she introduced.  "Dinky's mother, Ditzy Doo, stole away the stallion I cared for and cost me my job."

"Bright Spark," the second mare replied, shaking Glow's hoof.  "I was once dean of the prestigious Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns, until that troublemaker Dinky Doo wound up getting Celestia to boot me out for trying to keep her in line."

Glow raised an eyebrow.  "Dean of the Academy?" she asked.  "Did you know a pony named Sparkler?"

Bright Spark sighed wistfully.  "Truly a model Overseer," she mused.  "She was one of my favorite students, until that foul Dinky Doo convinced her to disobey me."

Glow smirked.  "Well, Sparkler is my daughter, so on that account, I can definitely relate."

Bright Spark's eyes widened.  "My, Cosmic Glow, every second I'm more convinced that you and I will get along quite well," she chuckled darkly.  "Now that I think about it, I'd like to teach Dinky's mother a lesson for using royal favors to get her ill-behaved daughter into my school in the first place."

"And Ditzy's daughter certainly played a role in ruining my life, too," Glow admitted.  "I think we can agree that Ditzy and Dinky Doo need to be put in their place."

"I wholeheartedly concur," Bright Spark assented, nodding.  "But one thing still confuses me.  If you're here for revenge on Ditzy, and I'm here to make sure Dinky receives her retribution... then who contacted us both?  Is there another pony who wants to give the Doo family what's coming to them?"

Glow indicated the decrepit house on the side of the road.  "I think the answer might be in there," she pointed out.

Bright Spark lit her horn.  "I assume you have no idea what to expect either?" she asked.

"Not a clue," Glow confessed as she fired up her own magical aura.  "Let's go in together.  Will you have my back?"

"Of course," Bright Spark chuckled.  "Any enemy of Dinky's is a friend of mine."

Horns at the ready, the two unicorns carefully stepped inside the old home.  There was no light inside, and most of the furniture looked dusty and unused, as if the place was abandoned for some time.  Somewhere in the blackness, there was a faint shuffle of somepony moving.

"Hello?" Glow called into the darkness.  "Are you the pony who delivered those notes?"

"Are you going to help us deal with Ditzy and Dinky Doo?" Bright Spark added.

There was a pause, followed by the sound of soft hoofsteps approaching.  "Ah, you're both right on time," a calm, sweet-sounding female voice replied.  "I'm so happy to finally meet the ponies who want to bring Ditzy and Dinky down a peg.  I'm just so glad I can help with that."

The two unicorns stood silently as the pony in the darkness finally stepped into the combined light of their horns.  She was quite a pretty unicorn mare, with a well-styled, two-toned mane and cheery orange coat.  The dim magical light glinted off the many gemstones adorning her headband.

"Cosmic Glow, Bright Spark, a pleasure to finally meet you both," she mare said sweetly.  "My name... is Wishing Star."