Magic of the Heart

by Pegasus Rescue Brigade

Chapter 16

All was quiet.

Ditzy Doo slowly opened her eyes. Faint sunlight shone from behind the curtains; it couldn't have been long after dawn. Blearily, she looked around the bedroom at the inn; Breeze remained sound asleep beside her, and Watt twitched and muttered in his sleep in the next bed over. Cloudcover, however, wasn't present.

Ditzy rolled over, and was surprised to hear the crinkle of paper beneath her body when she did so. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she looked around for the source. A scroll was lying in the bed, sealed with the royal emblem of Equestria.

Where did this come from? she mouthed, turning it over in her hooves. It must have arrived by dragon mail sometime overnight...

The door to the bedroom flew open. Cloudcover stood on the other side, his expression grave.

"You three. Up. Hurry now."

Watt sprung up, going from a dead sleep to on his hooves and alert in a fraction of a second, the bed sheets clinging to the static in his fur. "Somethin' up, Cloudy?" he asked, kicking a hind leg several times to shake off the offending linens.

"To put it mildly," Cloudcover said, hurrying to the next bedroom door and knocking loudly. "Pip, Dinky, get up now, and all the rest of you too! Things just got a lot more complicated."

Tucking the still-unopened scroll under her wing, Ditzy trotted out to the main room of the suite. Dinky emerged from her room around the same time, yawning and rubbing one eye.

"Uncle Cloudcover, it's the crack of dawn..." Pipsqueak pointed out. "Is this really that urgent?"

"It's hard to imagine something more urgent, my boy," Cloudcover replied, beckoning to Dinky's friends, as well as Sparkler and Presto, as they all stepped from the bedrooms. "I went out this morning to pick up some breakfast for us, and immediately learned of the national emergency that unfolded late last night."

"An emergency?" Clarity asked, pushing her mane out of her eyes and fastening it in place with her hair clip. "What happened?"

Cloudcover threw a newspaper down on the table. Ditzy read the headline in shock.

Capital Under Seige: Unicorn Responsible for Disappearance of Princesses Magically Captures Canterlot

"The details in the article are muddled, at best," Cloudcover continued. "Very little is known about what actually happened, because nearly everypony that was in Canterlot at the time of the incident is still there, since the city is... well, see for yourself."

He threw open the curtains, letting in early morning sunlight. Hovering In the sky, far to the northwest, was a shining pink sphere, though it was so far away that it looked no bigger than a foal's birthday balloon.

"What... are we looking at, Cloudcover?" Breeze asked.

Cloudcover pulled a small spyglass from his bags and wordlessly passed it to the other stallion. Breeze focused on the far distant object for several seconds.

"Dear Celestia..." he breathed. "That... that's the whole city of Canterlot."

"Wait, what?" Ditzy gasped, grabbing the spyglass to look as well. With the aid of the magnification, there was no mistaking it; the outline of the castle and the rest of the city's bright white spires were visible inside the sphere.

"Huh, cool," said Flicker casually. "I'm assuming pony cities don't normally fly away?"

"Ok, hold the phone," Scuffle said, ignoring the nymph beside him. "So you're saying one unicorn somehow captured all four princesses and is holding an entire city miles up in the sky with her magic?"

"That can't be possible," Sparkler insisted. "I did plenty of study on the dynamics of magical energy during my Academy days. No one pony could cast, let alone maintain, a spell like that without some sort of outside power source."

"And she can't have captured all princesses," Ditzy added, lifting her wing to reveal the scroll. "I received this sometime overnight; it's got the royal seal on it, so it must be from Princess Twilight."

Cloudcover examined the scroll and looked rather surprised. "Ditzy, that's not from Princess Twilight," he said. "While they all look very similar, the princesses actually each have their own seal. The subtle details on that one indicate it's from... Princess Celestia."

Ditzy started. "B-but how's that possible?" she stammered. "Nopony's seen her in more than half a year!"

"Mom, just open it and find out!" Dinky urged. "It's got to have something to do with what's happening in Canterlot."

Ten ponies clustered around Ditzy as she carefully broke the seal. She unfurled the letter and began to read.

From the desk of Princess Celestia:

To Miss Dinky Doo and Mrs. Ditzy Doo

I pray that you never receive this. If you do, Equestria is in momentous peril.

As I am penning this letter, it is a cold day in November, approximately two days after the evil arch-mage Scorpio irreversibly transformed young Dinky into a wraith. However, you're likely reading this much, much later than that. This message will be sent not by the typical dragon mail, but by a spell that will cause it to remain undelivered and unmaterialized unless certain circumstances are met. If Dinky has graduated from the Academy by the time such circumstances arise, this message will be delivered directly to her; if she has not, it seems more appropriate that it will appear in Ditzy's possession instead.

First, I must apologize for not telling you two this when Dinky first became a wraith, but I felt there was more than enough weighing on both of your minds without me burdening you with the possibility of an event that may never occur. If you're reading these words, however, such an event has occurred, and it's time for you both to know my thoughts.

I think what surprised almost everypony the most on that day was that Dinky maintained her morality and genuine care for other ponies, even after dark magic consumed her body. But personally, what shocked me even more was the discovery that dark magic is tied to young Dinky's special talent, as her cutie mark indicates. A pony's cutie mark is already determined by the time they are born; it just takes a number of years for each foal to discover their talents so it can appear.

It is true that Dinky is the first known instance of the magic in a pony's heart surviving when beset by darkness, and that in itself is remarkable, but I can't help but feel that that trait wouldn't have manifested as Dinky's cutie mark unless it was inseparably tied to her destiny. She's not meant just to control dark magic, but to wield and use it for a greater purpose.

And the more I pondered this, the more I began to realize what that might mean. There is a possibility that sometime in the coming years, a situation, perhaps even a major crisis, may arise where Dinky's dark magic is the only solution. And the only scenario I can imagine where that is the case would be one where normal magic has failed, and Equestria's usual defenses have been defeated or rendered useless.

If the ability to wield dark magic for the betterment of all is truly Dinky's greatest talent... then someday, Equestria's last hope in a crisis may fall on the shoulders of her and those close to her.

I cannot stress the second part of that statement enough. As we all know, the bonds of friendship and the deep ties of family are some of the strongest magic there is. And having seen what I saw on the night of Scorpio's return, Dinky's loved ones are some of the most devoted and caring ponies I've met in my many, many years as ruler. So, if that hypothetical crisis does someday manifest, I'm not asking Dinky alone to save Equestria; I'm asking all those close to her as well. Ponies of all three races, from all walks of life, of different ages and experiences. Together, I believe you can do what even the princesses, or the Elements of Harmony, could not.

I'm holding back tears as I write this; it pains me to ask this of anypony, but even moreso to the two of you. You're not royalty, or part of the guard; you're civilians who I'm sure want nothing more but to try to live normal, happy lives, like most citizens of Equestria. But sometimes fate asks extraordinary things of ordinary ponies; I've just been left with the unfortunate task of putting that request into words.

If you've received this missive, I implore you both, and all those who care for you, to share your ideas and pool your strengths. Help Dinky unlock the full potential of the magic she now wields, and use every power at your disposal, magical or otherwise, to do what must be done.

There's one small bit of help I can offer: assuming Ditzy Doo is still working at Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, one of her coworkers is more than he seems. He should be able to connect you with ponies, organize your ideas into a plan of action, and gather more allies for your cause.

I now seal this letter in the hope that it will never be opened, but if it has, may the bonds you share hold firm no matter what they come up against.

~Princess Celestia

Even though there were eleven ponies packed into the relatively small room, there still wasn't the slightest sound after Ditzy finished reading. Slowly, all heads turned to look at Dinky, who had gone a bit pale.

"So uh... we're supposed to save Equestria using my dark magic, huh? Great," she said flatly.

"That's a tall order," Sparkler said, staring out the window at the distant floating city. "I mean, we can hardly just ignore Princess Celestia's wishes, but where do we even begin?"

"Maybe with that bit right at the end?" Presto offered. "Something about one of Ditzy's coworkers knowing more than he seems."

"Oh horseapples, is it me?" Watt fretted, trotting rapidly in place and looking around nervously. "Have I been burdened with Equestria's greatest secrets? Knowledge so ancient and secret that I don't even know I know it?"

Breeze shook his head. "No Watt, it's worse than that," he said, frowning. "Obviously Celestia must've been referring to Dr. Candyfloss. I always knew there was something more to that stallion, but... dead ponies tell no tales, after all."

Cloudcover anxiously cleared his throat. "Erm, actually Breeze my friend, she didn't mean Candyfloss..." he said hesitantly.

Ditzy focused both her eyes on the white pegasus, but Pipsqueak spoke up before she could.

"Wait, I see now," the pinto colt said. "You must know some national secret from back in your military days that can help us, right Uncle Cloudcover?"

Cloudcover sighed. "Bah, I was hoping I'd never have to reopen this chapter of my life, but if it's really what the princess wants..." he mumbled. "When I was a much younger stallion, I did serve the crown, as I've said before. What I've neglected to mention was that I did so not as a private among the ranks... but as a member of Celestia's personal corps of covert intelligence and operations."

"You were a spy!?" Ditzy asked incredulously.

"I was whatever the princess needed me to be," Cloudcover clarified. "But, when it was necessary... yes, I was. They don't call me Cloudcover for nothing."

"Ok, hold on," Breeze said, raising a forehoof to stop his friend. "I've known you for years and you've never once even hinted at this."

"I should hope not!" Cloudcover chuckled. "After all, even ex-members of such an organization are under the strictest orders to keep its existence completely secret unless otherwise directed by Celestia, though I suppose that letter is precisely such a direction. And the princess is right; like the rest of you, I don't know a thing about what sort of magic is currently holding Canterlot under siege, but I do have at least some idea of where to begin when it comes to organizing a large scale crisis response. That is, if everypony here is willing to help. Like the letter said, you're all civilians, except my nephew, so none of you are obligated to put yourselves at risk."

"If whoever captured the princesses and yanked an entire city out of the ground is trying to take over Equestria, we're all at risk," Sparkler pointed out. "And if Princess Celestia thinks the only way to hit this unicorn with something they won't see coming is to center the plan around Dinky's dark magic, so be it. Let me know how I can help."

Almost everypony else nodded in assent. Cloudcover looked satisfied. "Right then," he said. "First, we'll need to learn more about what we're up against, and for that, we'll have to get in touch with the current members of Celestia's secret service. They'll also be capable of offering some combat training. Breeze, Watt, I'd definitely like to send you two directly to the base to start on that step."

"What about you?" Watt asked, twitching uncertainly.

"I'm getting to that," Cloudcover replied. "We'll also need more allies, if possible; we're dealing with a magical threat, so if any of you know any more unicorns of particularly exceptional knowledge or strength, we should make an attempt to gather them for our cause. I would assume Sparkler and Presto can help us there."

The two unicorns looked at each other and nodded. "We have a few ideas," Sparkler answered.

"And finally," Cloudcover continued. "We'll need to give Dinky a chance to hone her dark magic skills. I know of a perfect, isolated spot for her to practice, and her friends probably have the most knowledge of dark magic of any of us save Dinky herself, so they can help. After I take them there, I'll join Breeze and Watt at the base."

"Makes sense," Ditzy chimed in. "Where is this secret spot you're taking us to?"

Cloudcover faltered. "Err... actually, Ditzy my dear, I was rather hoping you could go with Sparkler and Presto," he suggested. "As a former mailmare, your recently-demonstrated ability to track down particular ponies will be very valuable."

"Wha— no!" Ditzy cried, flaring her wings and stamping a hoof angrily. "I just spent days trying to track down Dinky before anypony else got to her, and now you want us to... to just split up again? Have you forgotten that half the nation still wants her dead?"

"But Mrs. Doo, we could really use your expertise," Presto piped up. "Not to mention, there's not a lot of assistance you could offer when it comes to dark magic..."

"I don't care," Ditzy said simply. "Dinky's still in a precarious situation, and now we don't even have one princess to try to set it right. If Celestia thinks Dinky's dark magic can help us, fine, but I'm sticking with her the whole way, and that's final."

"Mom..."

Ditzy turned her head as Dinky gently pushed her way past her friends and trotted up to her. Once face to face, the pegasus quickly noticed her daughter was now old enough to stand at eye level with her, so she puffed out her feathers a bit to appear more commanding.

"Let me guess, you're going to give me the whole speech about how you're not a little filly anymore and I need to let you go?" she asked, scrunching up her muzzle.

Dinky shook her head. "It's not like that, mom," she insisted. "You don't think I keep winding up in danger on purpose, do you? Or that I'm looking forward to this whole saving Equestria thing? I'm not; I'm just as uneasy as everypony else here."

"Then don't do it!" Ditzy suggested. "You heard Cloudcover; none of us have to do this."

"Then who will?" Dinky asked loudly, shaking her head in frustration. "Mom, all the princesses are gone. You told me last night that the Academy is closed. The Royal Guard apparently can't do a thing either, since most of them are in Canterlot, which is clearly still under siege. Whoever we're dealing with, they've got free reign to do just about anything they want to Equestria, and the magic to back up those aims. There's no heroes left to fix this, mom. There's just... us..."

The filly slumped back onto her haunches and looked at the floor. Ditzy bit her lip when she noticed a tear roll down her daughter's cheek.

"Listen," Dinky continued, wiping her eye. "I'd love to just hide here and wait for this to blow over as much as you would, but it's not gonna blow over on its own. I get that you're terrified something will happen to me. Honestly, I'm terrified something will happen to you, too. But if Princess Celestia thinks we're really Equestria's last hope... don't you think we ought to give it our best shot, no matter how long the odds are? Sure, it's gonna be really dangerous, but doing nothing will be even more so."

Ditzy felt her own eyes become wet. She sat down in front of Dinky and used both her forelegs and wings to cradle her daughter in a tight hug. "Y-you're right..." she whispered. "I... I guess we can go with Cloudcover's plan. Just promise me you'll stay safe, and be careful with that dark magic of yours, please?"

Dinky rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "I will," she replied, just as quietly. "I'll see you soon, mom. I promise."

The two ponies remained in that position for a few moments longer, before Ditzy reluctantly broke the hug. "Keep Dinky and the other safe on the way to their destination, Cloudcover," she pleaded.

Cloudcover saluted. "Like they were my own comrades-in-arms," he said with a nod.

Ditzy nodded in return, and gave Dinky a final sad smile before turning to Sparkler and Presto. "Alright you two, it's our job to gather some more allies, and you're the ones who know all the top-notch unicorns," she admitted. "So... where do we start?"

For Dinky and her friends, what followed was a few more days of foot travel, keeping hidden as they followed Cloudcover to an unknown destination. Upon reaching the nearest town that offered balloon rental, they took to the air, with Cloudcover tethered to the basket as he pulled the five friends along through the skies.

Dinky crossed her forelegs and rested her chin on them on the edge of the basket, staring out at Equestria far below. Drifting along at this altitude, she could see for many miles. Occasional cities and towns broke up the endless expanse of forests and plains. And now that they were nearing the coast, Canterlot was nothing more than a tiny pink speck floating in the blue sky.

"So Scuffle," Flicker giggled, breaking what had been several minutes of silence and flicking the tip of Honeydew's tail so it brushed the colt's nose. "Ever thought about joining the mile high club?"

Scuffle nervously shuffled across the crowded basket, putting Clarity between himself and the creature inhabiting his friend. "First of all, we're crammed in a small basket with three other ponies, and second, if I wasn't gonna humor you down there, what makes you think I would up here?"

Flicker shrugged casually and turned her attention elsewhere.

"So Pip, ever thought about join—"

"No," said Pip loudly, cutting her off.

"And if you keep it up, I'm gonna squish you like the bug you are the second we get you out of Honeydew's head," Dinky grumbled, glaring at their unwanted guest.

Flicker pouted and returned to staring out across the landscape and brooding.

"Forget her," Clarity urged. "Like you said, she's a bug. Turmoil in Equestria isn't her concern and she knows it."

"Which is just another reason we need to get Honeydew back!" Scuffle complained. "That dumb nymph's been holding her hostage for almost a week now."

Dinky's ears perked up. "A week? That reminds me..." she said. "Tonight would've been Nightmare Night, if things were still... y'know, normal. We would've been going to the Graduates' Ball at school."

"And judging by what I'm seeing here in Honeydew's memories," Flicker piped up without turning around, "Scuffle totally wanted to ask Honeydew to that event. Too bad she's too dense to see the signs, huh? Visually, she's seen him blushing and stuttering dozens of times, but there's nothing in the cognitive files in here to suggest she ever put two and two together and realized that meant anything."

Scuffle stared at the floor. "Just... shut up, Flicker, alright?" he asked, sounding more morose than actually angry.

Flicker turned Honeydew's head and stared at Scuffle with half-lidded eyed and a teasing smile. "I've never been good at that, but you could probably shut me up yourself with your—"

"Hey you five, we're nearly there!" Cloudcover called from somewhere in the sky up ahead, mercifully interrupting the conversation. "Have a look for yourselves!"

Dinky and her friends hurried to the other side of the basket, expecting to see a dense forest or remote mountain in which to hide. Instead, they saw nothing but endless waves stretching out to the horizon.

"Wait, we're going out to sea?" Dinky called over the rush of the high altitude winds.

"Yes, but not far!" Cloudcover replied. "You'll see in just a moment."

He turned slightly, beginning his descent as he pulled the balloon toward a large outcropping of rocks jutting from the surf, surrounded by barren, rocky islands. As they got closer , she began to make out something else there, blending in with the brown and grey and green of the wet stones.

Pipsqueak's eyes widened. "Uncle Cloudcover, is that a shipwreck?" he asked.

"A vessel once known as the Black Seahorse, to be exact," Cloudcover responded. "A famous Equestrian naval craft that was wrecked on the rocks there about fifty years ago. Everypony aboard was able to return to shore safely, but the ship was unsalvageable. It's sat here, abandoned but mostly intact, for decades."

The pegasus dove toward their destination, pulling the balloon with him until the basket bumped gently down on the deck. Dinky stepped out alongside her friends and took a look around.

The first thing she noticed was that the entire wreck was at a slight angle; the ship was moored on the rocks, which rose up in several great spires just to the left of the bow. The wood of the deck was damp from the sea spray and littered with shreds of seaweed and gull droppings, and barnacles caked the sides. One remaining mast stood upright, though there were only shreds of sail left attached to it, waving feebly in the wind.

Dinky glanced at Pip uncertainly, but the colt seemed quite satisfied. "Still seems good and strong," he commented, tapping a hoof. "The wood's not falling apart or anything. I reckon this was a fine vessel in its heyday."

Cloudcover nodded. "The lowest deck is flooded with seawater but the ship is raised up on the rocks enough that the deck directly below us is still dry and habitable," he explained. "There are several cabins there with intact beds you all can use there. We brought along enough food supplies from that last town to last almost two weeks, if you ration carefully. And the surrounding islands are all easily within teleport range, and are completely devoid of any life or pony made structure, so they'll be the perfect place for Dinky to test out dangerous magic however she pleases without a risk of harming anypony or damaging property."

Pipsqueak grinned. "Brilliant. This spot should do nicely."

"We'll take it from here," Clarity said with a determined nod. "Scuffle and I will work with Dinky to help her hone her powers."

"And maybe do something about this nymph situation, while we're at it..." Scuffle muttered, side-eyeing Flicker as she winked at him seductively.

"Right then, just use the balloon to return to shore when you're certain Dinky's abilities are at their best," Cloudcover instructed. "Even without a pegasus to guide it, the sea breezes will bring you inland. I've given Pip the location of the base where we'll all be meeting, so he can lead the way from there."

"Aye aye, Uncle Cloudcover," Pip said, giving the pegasus a nod.

"Oh, and Cloudcover?" Dinky asked before he could take off. "When you next see mom... let her know we got here safely and we're all just fine, okay?"

Cloudcover smiled compassionately. "I'll do that, Dinky," he answered. "Be safe now. Best of luck."

He galloped a few paces down the deck and launched into the air, quickly disappearing into the clouds. The five friends watched him go.

"So... now what?" Scuffle asked finally.

"Well, I've been a wraith for a long time now," Dinky said, disintegrating into smoke and changing into her intimidating true form. "It's time I learn how to fight like one."

Ditzy was a bit surprised that the trains were still running, but she supposed it made sense; with Canterlot under siege and growing terror spreading throughout the land, most ponies probably just wanted to get home to their families or loved ones before something even worse happened.

Ponyville was now visible up ahead, and given the town's proximity to Canterlot, the floating capital now hung in the sky nearby enough to clearly see the castle within the gleaming pink energy field. Ditzy stared up at it, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in her gut.

"By Celestia, look at that," Presto breathed, peering out the train window at the miles-wide crater on the mountain plateau where Canterlot had once sat. "The rock was simply torn apart. What kind of unimaginable power is that pony wielding?"

"There's a pony I know with enough knowledge of every field of magic that she might have at least a clue how that's possible," Sparkler pointed out. "She's definitely one pony we'll have to track down if we want to stand a chance."

The train slowly pulled into the station. "Ponyville," called the conductor. "End of the line, by the way, since Canterlot station is, uh... inaccessible right now..."

Ditzy, Sparkler, and Presto hopped off the train, and Ditzy quickly realized that Ponyville was a lot different now than it had been when she'd set out to search for Dinky. The streets were nearly empty, and what few ponies were out and about trotted along at a brisk pace, keeping to themselves and looking around nervously as if expecting whatever villain had attacked Canterlot to come after them next. The usual open market hadn't been set up that day at all, and many permanent businesses were closed.

"It's eerie..." Presto commented. "The town where we found Dinky was certainly on-edge after news spread about Canterlot too, but nothing like this."

"Maybe it's cause from here, the city's practically looming right over our heads?" Ditzy suggested, staring up at the capital uneasily.

"We need to stay focused," Sparkler said sternly. "Mrs. Doo, you said there's a pony here who has access to a catalog of addresses, right?"

"Right," Ditzy replied hesitantly, "but... I kind of doubt it'll be easy to convince her. It was hard enough last time."

"Can't hurt to try," Presto reminded her. "Unfortunately, Sparkler and I have no idea where our former classmates live. Without some assistance, I doubt we'll be able to find any of them."

Ditzy nodded. "I just hope my friend understand how urgent it is..."

She led the pair of unicorns through Ponyville, eventually arriving at an average looking home. A bright blue eye peeked between the curtains for a moment before the front door opened and an uncertain-looking yellow pegasus stepped out.

"Ditzy?"

"Hi Raindrops," Ditzy greeted, managing a smile.

Raindrops didn't return the expression. "Hi," she said, a little breathlessly. "Um, who are your friends?"

"Oh, you remember that pony Sparkler I was always talking about, right?" Ditzy asked. "I brought her, along with Presto, the stallion you helped us find."

Raindrops' pupils shrank considerably. "D-don't tell them it was me!" she wailed, hiding her face behind her wings and peeking out from between the feathers. "I told you, I'll lose my job if anypony find out about that..."

"It's alright, ma'am," Sparkler soothed. "We aren't going to say anything. And thank you for your help."

Raindrops slowly lowered her wings. "R-right, no problem," she stuttered. "Is that why you're here? Just to say thank you?"

Ditzy flinched. "Well, actually we were also hoping you could... help us again?" she asked meekly.

Raindrops ears drooped and she stared at Ditzy, aghast. "A-are you telling me some maniac has kidnapped the princesses and captured Canterlot and you're still trying to make shipping connections?" she asked, shaking her head.

"No, it's nothing like that!" Ditzy said quickly. "We're trying to help with the whole Canterlot situation."

"You should be helping yourself, Ditzy!" Raindrops cried, grabbing her by the shoulders. "What we need to do is steer clear of trouble until somepony fixes this, not dive headfirst into it!"

"There is nopony to fix it," Ditzy argued. "That's why we're trying!"

"There's always somepony to fix it," Raindrops scoffed. "Monsters and villains attack Equestria all the time, but heroes always win out. And the ponies who avoid becoming casualties in the time before that happens are the ones who stay hidden."

"But—"

"Forget it!" Raindrops snapped, her desperation suddenly overwhelmed by uncharacteristic anger. "Do what you want, but I'm not risking the one part of my life that's still normal for you! I'm not giving you any more addresses, so if that's all you're after, just go away."

Ditzy sighed. "Raindrops, please, you don't understand what's at stake. We really need—"

Raindrops backed into the house while Ditzy was still speaking and slammed the door. She appeared in the window one last time as she pulled the curtains shut, and then she was gone.

"Raindrops..." Ditzy murmured. "I know she's scared and upset like everypony else, but I've never known her to be so... hostile..."

"Now what?" Sparkler asked tersely. "Are you sure there's no other way to get some addresses?"

Ditzy scrunched up her snout, thinking. "Well, it's even less likely to work than this was, but maybe the ponies at Cloudsdale Mail and Freight can help us. It's not technically legal, but maybe given the crisis, they'll see reason and give us what we need. I don't suppose you two know a cloud-walking spell?"

Cloudsdale was hardly any more active than Ponyville. Although it was a bit further from Canterlot, its altitude offered an unnervingly good view of the city held prisoner within a bubble of magic just a short flight away.

Ditzy trotted down Nimbus Way, with her two companions following her along the cloudy street with the aid of their magic. The edifice of Cloudsdale Mail and Freight loomed just ahead. Uncertainly, she looked to her companions.

"You know they're never gonna give us the information, right?" she asked sadly.

"There's no other choice," Sparkler said simply. "If this doesn't work, we might just have to go to Cloudcover's base without any allies. I doubt they'll be happy about it, but I just don't know what else we can do."

"Let's at least go in and ask at the reception desk," Presto suggested.

Ditzy slowly pushed open the door. The same young receptionist she'd seen when she stopped by several months earlier sat behind the desk, only she didn't look nearly as chipper as last time. The young mare was on the phone, and looked more than a little exasperated. Ditzy could only hear one end of the conversation, but it was easy to work out the rest.

"Yes... yes sir, the mail is coming, it just... no, I don't know when. We're trying our best, but with the Canterlot crisis, a lot of ponies are too scared to even show up for work. Now please just... sir... sir, there's no need for behavior like that, please just... yeah?... oh yeah? Well you too, pal!"

The mare slammed the phone down and stormed right past Ditzy and the two unicorns. "I'm going on my break!" she snapped as the door swung shut behind her, leaving the trio standing alone in the lobby.

"Friendly place," Sparkler said dryly.

"Last time I was here, that mare was super bubbly and welcoming," Ditzy commented, scratching her head with a wingtip. "What is it with everypony today? Nothing bad's happened here in Ponyville, at least not yet..."

Sparkler trotted slowly forward and peered at the vacant reception desk. "Mrs. Doo..." she began, with a hard-to-read expression on her face. "When you worked here years ago, you knew where they kept those addresses we need, right?"

"Well, sure," Ditzy replied. "I was a mailmare, I had to know where I was delivering to."

Sparkler lit her horn, and the keys to the lift the employees used to travel up the building levitated off the desk. "So if nopony's gonna give us access to them..." she said slyly, "...maybe we should just go get them ourselves."

"Wha... sneak in and steal them?" Ditzy gasped. "We can't just break in! That's illegal!"

"So is asking Raindrops to do it for you," Sparkler deadpanned.

Ditzy stopped short. Her companion had a point.

"I'm afraid I'm with Sparkler on this one, Mrs. Doo," Presto interjected. "I don't condone breaking the law, but considering what's at stake... I'm sure it's what the princesses would want us to do."

"But we'd never be able to search the whole building without getting caught," Sparker added. "If you lead us right to the addresses, Mrs. Doo, we can get in, get what we need, and get out, and the plan will be back on track."

Ditzy bit her lip, weighing her options. Presto cleared his throat nervously.

"The receptionist could be back any moment, Mrs. Doo," he reminded her. "If we're going to do this, we need to act."

Ditzy nodded. "A-alright, let's go. Follow me."

She took the key from Sparkler and put it into the slot. The bars in front of the lift slid aside, and the three ponies piled in as quickly as they could.

"Sixth floor," Ditzy instructed, as Presto pushed the relevant button.

The rattling of the lift was the only sound breaking the uneasy quiet as the three ponies ascended several stories up the facility. The door opened into a long hallway with numerous bulletin boards covering the walls. Notes in various colors were tacked to each one, bearing information about deliveries and schedules.

Ditzy swiveled her ears, straining to hear any sound, but it seemed the hall was deserted for the moment. Motioning with a hoof, she crept down the hall, and the others followed.

"I guess that receptionist meant it when she said ponies aren't showing up to work," she whispered. "This floor's usually a lot busier, unless things have changed since I worked here."

As slowly as possible, she pushed open the fourth door on the right. Not daring to turn on the light and attract attention, she signaled Sparkler and Presto to dimly light their horns instead. The gentle glow of magic revealed almost a dozen file cabinets lining the room's walls.

"Here we are," Ditzy confirmed. "Every single registered mailing address in Equestria is listed in here."

"Alright, we'll try to be fast," Sparkler promised. "You stand guard, and Presto and I will copy the info for any pony we think could be helpful."

The two unicorns began to whisper among themselves, quickly rifling through drawer after drawer. Ditzy crept to the door and opened it just a crack, listening intently for the sound of anypony approaching.

In reality, she stood there in the dark for only minutes, but it seemed like hours. Unable to make out any of the hushed words her companions were exchanging, she was left with her own thoughts.

I sure hope whatever Dinky's doing right now is less stressful than this...

Ditzy jumped as the lift at the end of the hall began to move. "Somepony's coming!" she hissed. "We need to get out of here!"

"Just a second!" Sparkler replied, rifling through one of the drawers as fast as she could. "We just need one more, we can't leave without that one!"

Ditzy turned back to the door, watching the lift continue to move.

Please don't stop on our floor... Please don't stop on our floor...

The lift stopped on their floor.

Ditzy shut the door and retreated into the room. "We're gonna get caught!" she whimpered. "There's nowhere to hide in here. If that pony comes in here, we're toast!"

"We won't get caught," Sparkler whispered. "Stand against the wall, between the cabinets, and stay still."

"He'll still be able to see us from—"

"Just do it, Mrs. Doo!" Sparkler insisted, as she and Presto pressed themselves against the far wall of the room as well. "Hurry!"

Ditzy did as she was told. A second or two later, the door handle began to turn. She winced, waiting for the inevitable.

Her old boss, Mr. Brown, stepped into the room. He looked right at her... and then past her, scanning the cabinets. His gaze came to rest on the single drawer Sparkler had left open.

"Ugh, do these ponies live in a barn?" he asked aloud, stomping across the room and slamming the drawer shut. "Leave drawers open and the next thing you know, addresses are gonna go missing. They'll be getting an earful at the next department meeting, that's for sure."

He turned away. The tip of his wing came within inches of brushing against Ditzy's own feathers. Grumbling, he slunk out of the room and slammed the door.

"Why... didn't he react?" Ditzy asked. "He was right next to me. We basically made eye contact."

"Because he couldn't see you," said Sparkler calmly. "If you look down, you'll notice you can't see yourself either."

Curiously, Ditzy glanced down at her chest, or rather, where it should have been, but saw only empty air. She finally worked out what happened. "Invisibility spell, right?" she asked hesitantly.

"Right," Sparkler replied, smiling a little as she came back into view. "At least one of Dinky's friends is good with illusions, so I'm sure you've seen that before."

"And I doubt a delivery service in an all-pegasus city is keeping much of an eye out for unicorn magic," Presto added. "Now Sparkler, let's grab that last address and get out of here."

Sparkler pulled the drawer back open. After a few more seconds of searching, she found what she was looking for. "That's all of them," she announced. "Alright Presto, get us out of here."

Presto nodded, his horn already lighting up. "Brace for teleport, Mrs. Doo," he recommended.

Ditzy blinked. "Wait, brace for—"

Flash!

Ditzy suddenly experienced the familiar, unpleasant sensation of the world disappearing from beneath her hooves. She'd never been fond of it when being carried by Dinky's teleports, especially when she didn't have time to ready herself. An instant later, she found herself outside, and just a few inches above the ground. She pitched forward, barely keeping her footing.

"By Celestia's mane, I hate teleporting," she grumbled, shaking her whole body and stretching her wings to make sure everything felt normal. "A little more warning next time, maybe?"

"Sorry about that," Presto apologized. "We just figured it was best we get out of there as fast as possible, before anypony else had a chance to notice us."

Ditzy got her bearings, and realized the three of them were in fact standing safely out in the courtyard of Cloudsdale Mail and Freight. "I suppose that's better than trying to sneak out the way we came in," she admitted.

"And with six addresses to boot," Sparkler said proudly, waving the little packet of papers in her aura. "Let's head back to the train station in Ponyville and start rounding up some allies."

Ditzy let herself relax for the first time in what felt like hours. At least that's over, she thought, following her two teammates down the block. No more sneaking around or stealing things. All we have to do now is take a few train rides and talk to a few unicorns. With any luck, this'll be the easy part.

One full day and several frustrating house calls later, it was becoming clear to Ditzy that this wasn't the easy part.

"Uh, sorry Sparkler," a blue and green stallion named Fir Needles muttered, shifting his weight nervously from one side to the other as his former classmate stared him down. "I just really don't think it's a good idea to get wrapped up in something as serious as that."

"Fir, you wrote an entire thesis on barrier spells!" Sparkler argued. "I read it; it was fascinating. You had everything in there from the simplest shield charm to complex, highly-specific, multipurpose wards, and exactly how each one worked and what differentiated them! How in Tartarus are we supposed to get through that shield that's containing Canterlot without you?"

Fir winced. "Um, well, I'm flattered, really, that you put so much stock in my abilities," he mumbled. "But I mean, let's just say we do figure out how to get into Canterlot. Then what? There's a pony in there with the cunning to kidnap the princesses, and the power to lift a city out of the ground and hold it in the sky for days. I guess we're all gifted unicorns, but not that gifted. We'd probably get killed the moment we set hoof in that place."

"Maybe you can keep your distance, employ your talents only as they relate to the barrier, and let us handle the rest?" Presto suggested.

Fir Needles sighed. "Look, I-I'm just not down for this, okay?" he confessed. "Sorry to disappoint, but... find somepony else."

"But we need you!" Sparkler insisted. "Damn it, Fir, Equestria might be doomed if we don't do something and you're gonna just hide?"

The stallion flinched and backed off. "Sparkler, I'm not the pony for the job," he replied meekly. "Sorry, but I can't... I'm not... I'm sorry."

He retreated into his home and closed the door. Sparkler stamped a hoof and stormed away. Ditzy watched as Presto hurried to her side. "That may have been a bit... forceful," he said gently. "You know what they say about catching more flies with honey than vinegar."

"I was nice to the last three!" Sparkler huffed. "What is with these ponies? I get that Equestrian citizens as a whole aren't exactly known for their courage, but these are powerful unicorns we've been visiting, and they know it! Canterlot is under siege, the rest of Equestria could be next, and nopony but us gives a flying feather about it!"

Presto reached down and took hold of one of the mare's forehooves. "Sparkler..." he said softly.

Sparkler stared at the white-furred hoof holding her own. Her ears drooped and she looked away. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Guess I haven't quite kicked all my old habits. Being nasty won't help anypony."

"Exactly," Presto replied, squeezing her hoof a little tighter. "A lot of our potential allies have fallen through, but all we can do is keep trying. Even one or two extra ponies is better than none."

"There's still two more addresses," Ditzy reminded them, trotting closer to the duo. "All our friends are working hard right now on their parts of the plan; we can't give up until we've exhausted all our options, or we'll be letting them down."

Sparkler nodded slowly. "Well, I'm willing to give it a try, but we've already asked all four ponies that live within a few hours of Ponyville," she pointed out. "We'll need to take a much longer trip to visit the other two."

"We'll go to the far ends of Equestria if that's what it takes," Ditzy encouraged.

"Good, because we're gonna have to go practically that far," Sparkler continued, looking at one of her two remaining address cards. "Our next stop is at least a full day away by train. It's a cute little coastal town called Whinnychester."

Kaboom!

A boulder at least the size of a full grown pony was blown to bits by a single, powerful bolt of dark magic. Dinky squinted slightly as pebbles and dust rained down around her.

"Wow, that was a good one Dinky!" came Clarity's voice in her ear, courtesy of a neat little communication spell that allowed her to hear her friend's voice as if they were standing right next to each other, even though in reality, Clarity was standing on the deck of the shipwreck, at least two hundred pony-lengths away from the barren, rocky outcrop where she was practicing.

"Thanks," Dinky replied, her fangs poking out from behind her upper lip as she grinned. "I think I'm getting the hang of focusing the energy on one small spot. It's like the flow of a river; an amount of water moving through narrow waterway rushes along faster than that same amount of water would in a place where the banks are further apart. It seems like the smaller my spell's target area is, the more violent it is when it strikes."

"Dinks, I can see a big chunk of rock behind you that's like, at least the size of Princess Celestia," came Scuffle's voice in her other ear. "Charge the next one up as much as you can and hit it dead center with a real narrow focus, and let's see how much damage you do."

Dinky sucked in her breath and willed the darkness inside of her to surge forward as powerfully as she could. She lowered her head and scraped a hoof like a bull preparing to charge, errant sparks flying from her curved horn and leaving scorch marks on the barren earth below her.

Three... two... one...

The moment the spell separated itself from her horn, she could tell it was going to be a good one. When the black bolt reached the surface of the boulder, it was almost as if a bomb had gone off. The pressure wave pushed her whole body back, but she'd been expecting that; she planted her hooves so that she simply skidded backwards on the stone, rather than tumbling head-over-tail.

The blast flung huge chunks of stone in all directions, many of them splashing down beyond the edges of the island and disappearing beneath the surf. A few of them were hurled right at Dinky, but she simply cast a dark magical field around herself. Unlike a normal shield charm, which would have caused any projectiles to bounce off, the rocks that came in contact with the energy field were simply incinerated. Only a fine layer of ash made it through to the other side, encrusting parts of her coat with a layer of grey. When the dust cleared enough for her to get a good look at what she had done, the vast majority of the boulder was completely gone, the remaining piece of the base charred and coated in soot.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Scuffle cheered. "Man Dinks, just blowing stuff up isn't even good enough for you anymore. You obliterated that thing!"

It had been two days since Dinky and her friends arrived at the wreck of the Black Seahorse, and in that time, Dinky felt sure she'd spent more time in her wraith form than her pony one. The treacherous waters surrounding the wreck were full of jutting rocks and tiny, desolate islands, and Dinky had been using them exactly as Cloudcover had recommended; to hurl lethal spells around without fear of harming anypony. The deck of the ship was the highest ground for miles in any direction, so it was easy for her friends to watch her progress from a safe distance, without any obstructions blocking the view. She could make out Scuffle, Clarity, and Pip all huddled together near the ship's barnacle-encrusted railing, and Flicker sitting nearby, watching boredly with Honeydew's eyes.

Left with total freedom to experiment, Dinky couldn't help but marvel at her own destructiveness. She'd had a chance to cut loose before during Professor Surge's counterspell sessions, but she still needed to take some measure of caution, even there. Now that she had the chance to use dark magic with zero reservations for the very first time, she quickly discovered using it in that way was exactly how one brought out its true power.

In the back of her mind, though, she knew her practice wasn't the only reason she seemed to be getting stronger. After all, it was now the second of November: less than a week from Scorpio's Apex, the one day of the year where the influence of the Zodiac, sealed in the stars, allowed dark magic to be at its strongest.

But power alone isn't going to be enough, she thought darkly. The pony we're dealing with here clearly has no shortage of power of their own. I'm gonna need to learn some more tricks.

"Dinky, you okay?" Clarity asked through the communication spell.

"Just thinking about what to try next," Dinky replied. "Contrary to Scuffle's beliefs, I'm gonna need to do more than just blow stuff up."

"We've seen you use that dark lightning storm thing," Scuffle pointed out. "And I know I don't need to remind you about that nasty black fire you can conjure that can burn through stone."

"Yes, but I need something more subtle," Dinky countered. "Dark magic has to have more versatility than just destroying things. Princess Twilight once told me King Sombra used it to cause terrible visions of his victims' fears. Even though I'm not planning to use that particular spell, I know there's a whole lot of options I haven't discovered yet."

"Unfortunately, there's not exactly a book on this stuff," Clarity sighed. "Or if there is, it's in the Starswirl the Bearded wing in the Canterlot Archives, which is kinda... up in the sky with the rest of Canterlot right now."

"Can you like... channel your magic into things before converting it from basic energy into an attack?" Scuffle asked. "You mentioned enchanting something with it at school a while back, so clearly it's possible to put dark magic into things without destroying them."

"Only because I stabilized it with Scorpio's rune first," Dinky replied as she casually resumed blasting rocks with little bolts of darkness. "I've done next to nothing with dark enchantments so far, but I guess I could messing with those and see if I can come up with anything. Any other ideas, Scuffle?"

"Uh, he's gonna have to get back to you, Dinky..." Clarity said awkwardly.

Dinky glanced toward the ship and sighed. Having become disinterested with watching her training, Flicker was now circling Scuffle like a hungry shark, saying something Dinky couldn't hear from this distance and slowly swaying Honeydew's hips with each step.

"Alright, that's it," came Scuffle's voice. "Cease fire, Dinks. Clarity and I are comin' out there. I'll bring Pip too."

Dinky extinguished the malignant aura around her horn. A moment later, Clarity teleported next to her, followed quickly by a much bigger flash carrying Scuffle and a disoriented-looking Pipsqueak.

"I can't believe unicorns can get used to that," Pip grumbled, looking a little green. "Nearly lost my lunch there, but you three just pop from place to place willy-nilly."

"Sorry dude," Scuffle said. "We just really need to discuss that little nightmare hanging out in Honeydew's body."

Dinky looked back toward the ship. Flicker had her front legs up on the railing and was yelling in their direction, but the crashing of the waves drowned out any sound.

"She is getting pretty annoying, isn't she?" Dinky griped.

"Forget about Flicker herself, what about Honeydew?" Scuffle asked. "That little pest has been in her head for about a week now. What if the real Honeydew, like... atrophies or something because Flicker's keeping her dormant for so long?"

"Nymphs can do that?" Pipsqueak asked, alarmed.

"I'm pretty sure we'd know about it if they could," Clarity pointed out. "Honeydew insisted she was going to be fine right before Flicker took over. I don't think she's in any direct danger, but I agree that this has become a war of attrition. Flicker's not gonna leave until she gets it the attention she wants, and we're not gonna let her have it. Unless we come up with another solution, I don't see an end to this pattern any time soon."

"Not to mention, Honeydew's help would be really valuable when it comes to the dark magic stuff," Dinky chimed in. "Clarity, you're great with coming up with strategies, and Scuffle's got a lot of ideas for helping me increase spell power, but Honeydew's always been the best at approaching magic with a delicate, calculated hoof. If I want to refine my dark magic into spells that do anything other than destroy my surroundings, it'd be great to have her input."

"But what can we do?" Pipsqueak asked. "It's not as if we can reach in there and pull Flicker out ourselves."

Clarity's eyes widened. "Hold on Pip, you might be halfway onto something there," she realized. "Scuffle, you used a transformation spell during your duel with Tango Trot to make yourself gigantic for a little while. I don't suppose you'd also know how to make somepony really small?"

Dinky and Scuffle stood quietly in one of the unused cabins, waiting for Clarity and Pip to lead Flicker into their trap.

"You think this is gonna work, Dinks?" Scuffle asked under his breath.

"It's worth a shot," Dinky said with a shrug. "Flicker got in through Honeydew's ear. If I'm small enough to do the same, maybe I can get in there too and remove her myself."

"Try to get it done fast," Scuffle urged. "You know when she finds me down here it's gonna be her usual shtick. I don't know how many more times I can go through that."

"Why are you so scared of her, anyway?" Dinky asked. "I know it's uncomfortable to see Honeydew acting so... brazen, but Flicker can't use Honeydew's magic, and she's not nearly strong enough to physically overpower you. Why don't you just brush her off, like Pip does?"

Scuffle cringed. "Dinks, have you watched Flicker do what she does best? I mean really watched her?" he replied, looking at the floor. "She knows what she's doing, and she knows how well it works. Every single move she makes is carefully calculated to accentuate all the most physically attractive things about Honeydew."

"Um, yes," Dinky deadpanned. "That's what nymphs do."

"So there's no way this is a new scenario for her!" Scuffle exclaimed. "She knows I care about Honeydew, and she knows I don't want to take advantage of her, and she's trying anyway because experience has taught her that the combination of a hot host pony and the right words and actions makes her seriously tempting. She's probably broken the will of ponies like me before, even ones who knew the pony they were with was under her influence."

Dinky frowned. "Scuffle, I don't believe for one second that you'd ever betray Honeydew like that," she declared. "I've seen the way you put her first in almost every situation for years, with no expectation of anything other than her continued friendship. It's like I said when we were at the farm; I can tell you don't just think she's cute or have a little crush. You really love her, and I know that love will win out. That's how you feel too, isn't it?"

"I do!" Scuffle promised. "I can't even imagine treating Honeydew in any way she wouldn't want, but when Flicker walks up and flutters those lashes and flicks that tail and turns Honeydew's body in just the right way to show off those flanks I just wanna—"

"Of course you do," Dinky interrupted. "That's the normal reaction when you're really attracted to somepony; it's exactly what Flicker's going for, and like you said, she's good at it. But everypony has feelings like that. Just having those feelings is different than actually acting on them."

Scuffle turned away and leaned his head against the wall. "I know that," he said hoarsely. "That said... I don't know what Flicker's capable of. What if she has some kind of magic that eats away at the willpower of even the most morally upstanding ponies? Please just finish the job so I don't have to be scared that one of these days she'll find a way to make me lose control for just a minute and ruin everything..."

A few voices echoed in the hall outside the cabin. "They're coming," Dinky announced. "Time for your spell, Scuffle."

Scuffle gave himself a good shake and seemed to regain his composure. "Alright, hold still," he said, slate blue light encircling his horn. "Operation Shrinky Dinks is a go."

His aura surrounded Dinky. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any sensation at all. Even so, as the spell took effect, the tiny cabin seemed to quickly grow into a cavernous chamber so vast she couldn't even see the ceiling, and Scuffle quickly towered over her like a giant straight out of a foal's tale.

A levitation spell brought her up to eye level with Scuffle, though that was so much distance relative to her new size that it felt like being yanked straight to the top of a mountain in only a second or two. "You're about half an inch tall now," the colt whispered. "I'll get you into Honeydew's ear, but you're gonna have to handle the rest."

"Got it," Dinky replied, though her voice was so tiny she doubted Scuffle could hear it at all.

The voices in the hallway grew closer. "Scuffle's in that cabin?" Flicker asked. "Thanks, Clarity! You're a pal. I'm glad we're finally on the same page; let the boys give me the attention I want and you'll have Honeydew back in no time."

The two fillies turned the corner and stepped into the room, and Scuffle hurled Dinky forward with his magic. Her eyes watered as she rocketed through the air and fell squarely into Honeydew's ear canal. Flicker gasped and brought a gargantuan hoof to her ear, but Dinky was already on her hooves and fleeing deeper into the passage.

She could hear conversation continuing outside, but was no longer able to make out the words. At this point though, what was happening out there didn't matter. Her destination was up ahead.

A few inches down the passage, Dinky found herself blocked by the eardrum. A quick teleport placed her on the other side without issue, but she found herself wondering how Flicker had gotten through in the first place.

Flicker's tapped directly into Honeydew's nervous system, so I just need to get inside her skull, she thought. One more carefully placed teleport, and...

Dinky was transported inside the cranium, and her hooves immediately sank a tiny bit into softer ground. In wonder, she realized she was standing on the surface of her friend's brain.

The next thing she noticed was that the tiny space wasn't dark like she expected, but instead brightly lit with orange light. She quickly spotted the source of that light standing just a few inches away, though from her perspective, it was more half-a-dozen pony lengths.

"Well, look at this," came a grating, squeaky, and generally unappealing female voice from within the bright light. "Came to pay me a visit? I'm so flattered."

The glow dimmed enough that Dinky was finally able to get a look at the creature that it was radiating from. She had been expecting something with at least a passing similarity to a tiny changeling, but discovered something quite different. Flicker, from the waist up, looked more or less like a pony, except with no variation in fur color; her orange coat, frizzy orange mane, and bright orange eyes all matched.

Far more striking, however, was the other half of her body. Flicker's waist narrowed to a short but impossibly slender tube, connected to what looked more like the abdomen of a wasp than any remotely mammalian anatomy. The stinger, or whatever similar structure to it she had, was buried deep in the folds of Honeydew's grey matter.

"You unicorns sure are funny!" the nymph giggled, waving a few of the insect legs on her lower body in amusement. "I've been in plenty of ponies' heads before, but I don't think I've ever had somepony chase me in here!"

"I bet you've never had somepony chase you out, either," Dinky growled. "Let's fix that."

Flicker rolled her eyes. "Really? And just how do you plan to do that?" she asked.

"You've been watching me for days, Flicker. You know how powerful I am," Dinky warned, letting a dark aura begin to grow around her horn. "I'm not usually one to hurt others, but if you don't set Honeydew free, I might have to make an exception."

"Oi, are you stupid or something?" Flicker asked, alarmed. "Shut that off!"

Dinky let the magic disappear. "So you're gonna come quietly?" she asked.

"Of course not," Flicker snapped. "I just think I should point out before you try it that pony magic travels through the body via the nervous system. So if you cast dark magic while we're in Honeydew's brain, you're gonna taint her inner magic flow with it. I don't think you came in here with the intent to corrupt one of your best friends with darkness, did you?"

Dinky's eyes widened. The dark magic had been an empty threat, of course; she had no intent to actually attack the nymph with it, just scare her, but she still shuddered at how dangerously close she had come to contaminating Honeydew's magical reserves with traces of it.

"I don't need dark magic to deal with you," she retorted, refusing to show that she was shaken by her error. "There are hundreds of normal unicorns spells I can use without harming Honeydew at all; and you don't have the magic to fight back. What's stopping me from dragging you out of here right now with a simple levitation spell?"

Flicker shrugged. "Pretty much the same reason you don't wanna use the dark magic, I guess," she said casually. "You'll mess up your friend if you do."

Dinky raised an eyebrow. "Howso?"

"Dinky, Dinky, Dinky..." Flicker scolded, shaking her head. "I really thought you were smarter than this. Right now, as we speak, I am literally driving your friend like a vehicle. All her words and actions are my doing, and her consciousness and personality are being suppressed. Do you have any idea how intricately I must be tapped into her mind in order to do that?"

"So?"

"So think of it like a machine," Flicker continued. "If you open up a machine and rip out a hoofful of random wires, odds are something's gonna go wrong. In fact there's a pretty good chance something will go very wrong and the machine will stop working altogether. If you yank me outta here rather than letting me disconnect myself properly, who knows what could happen. You could permanently alter Honeydew's personality or, worst case scenario, she wouldn't wake up at all."

Dinky stiffened. "Y-you're bluffing."

Flicker yawned. "Well, go ahead and do what you came here to do then," she said boredly. "Sure, maybe Honeydew will be fine. Probably not, but I guess you're so desperate to get rid of me you're willing to take that chance, huh?"

Dinky was cornered, and she knew it. She truly had no idea if Flicker's claims were true, but they made a little too much sense to just dismiss. Hesitantly, she backed off a step or two.

"That's what I thought," Flicker said, grinning and putting a hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "As much as you wanna be the hero, you don't have many options here. If you want Honeydew back, get me off this rotten old ship, gimme some time to enjoy myself in the nearest town with a little help from Honeydew's feminine wiles, and when I'm good and satisfied you can have her back safe and sound. That's all it takes."

"It's not happening," Dinky growled.

"All the same to me," Flicker replied with another shrug. "I'll stay here and keep working on seducing Scuffle and your cute coltfriend. Either way, Honeydew's definitely too cute to waste the opportunity. I'm not leaving until I've had my fill of the most intense passions of stallions, when thoughts are dulled and attractions and desires reach their very peak."

Dinky scowled. "You disgust me."

"I really can't say I care," Flicker laughed. "Run along, now. Tell your friends the news."

Dinky gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do. Casting a final death glare at the nymph, she lit her horn and teleported away.

After discussion with her friends, the group came to an unfortunate consensus; there really was nothing they could do at this time that wouldn't risk harming Honeydew. There was no choice but to continue Dinky's dark magic training, and put up with their unwanted guest until the time came that they could get a professional's assistance.

That evening, after several more hours of practice, Dinky sat on the deck with Clarity and Pip, watching the sun set over the ocean. Flicker had presumably skulked off to the depths of the ship somewhere, and Scuffle was visible in the distance; he sat out on an algae-covered rock with his back to them, staring out at the sea and not reacting as waves coated him with salty spray.

"Poor guy," Clarity said, her voice heavy with pity. "He just wants his best friend back, and there's nothing we can do to make it happen."

"We all want Honeydew back," Dinky sighed. "But until this is all over, we might not be able to have her back. At least she's trapped on the ship; without magic, she can't go chasing after any stallions besides Scuffle and Pip."

"Which is fruitless, of course," Pipsqueak added. "Sadly, that doesn't seem to deter her."

Dinky saw Scuffle stand up and teleport off the rock. An instant later, he appeared right next to them. "Kay, status update, Dinks," he said stoically. "What's next as far as increasing your wraith abilities?"

"Scuffle, I've been trying to come up with something new all afternoon," Dinky mumbled. "But even with room to experiment, I essentially have to spellweave on the fly here. It took Honeydew months to create her own new spell, and she had access to written resources and professors in her field. I don't know how I'm gonna come up with any unique new dark magic on such short notice when I don't even have any experts⁠— or anypony with any experience at all⁠— to collaborate with. Even if the princesses weren't captured, Celestia and Twilight know far less about dark magic than I do."

"I know it sounds hopeless, but I guess you just have to try your best," Clarity admitted, nuzzling Dinky consolingly. "You are the expert in the field; nopony knows more about wielding and controlling dark magic than you except, y'know, Scorpio."

Scorpio...

Dinky was quiet for several seconds. She pursed her lips, thinking hard.

"Oh, I know that look," Pipsqueak groaned. "The next thing she says is always something pretty dodgy when that look comes out."

"What if..." Dinky began hesitantly, ignoring her coltfriend's comment, "...what if I could ask Scorpio? Scorpio's Apex is coming up, which not only means dark magic is stronger than usual... it also means Equestria's a little bit closer to the Realm of Stars than normal."

Now it was her friends' turn to be silent for a moment. "Okay, so, Dinks?" Scuffle began, his short tail flicking nervously behind him. "Having been your friend for a long time now, I hate to break it to you, but you have this kind of habit for coming up with crazy, dangerous, and generally really terrible ideas. So speaking with that context already in mind, I need you to understand that even for you, this is a really terrible idea."

"I'm not planning to release her!" Dinky defended. "I'm just wondering if maybe there's a way I can get myself into the Realm of Stars to⁠—"

Dinky felt herself surrounded by an aura and had her whole body jerked to the left so she was facing Clarity. She put her hooves on Dinky's shoulders, staring right into her eyes.

"Dinky, before this conversation goes any further, let me just briefly point out all the issues with this plan," she said sternly. "First of all, even if we could replicate the ritual to open a portal to the Realm of Stars, Antares said the fabric of space between the two planes was only thin enough to break through once every forty years. In case you've forgotten, this will be your fourth anniversary of becoming a wraith, so unless your plan is to lay low for the next thirty-six years, I think you're out of luck there."

"Well⁠—"

Clarity put a hoof on Dinky's lips. "I'm not done," she admonished. "Let's say you find a way to break that rule and get a portal open. You might remember that no physical being or object, not even a wraith, can exist within the Realm of Stars. Scorpio was in an incorporeal form when you accidentally released her; she needed to consume Antares' body to recreate one of her own. It's not going to do us much good if you learn the secrets of dark magic but no longer physically exist in Equestria."

"True..." Dinky admitted. "What if I⁠⁠—"

"But for the sake of the argument, let's assume you can solve those problems!" Clarity practically yelled, cutting Dinky off again. "Let's say you find a way to get both into and back out of the Realm of Stars unharmed. What makes you think that Scorpio, one of the purest evils Equestria has ever faced, would ever agree to help the very same wraith who cut her resurrection short and sealed her back in the stars for the rest of eternity!?"

"Gotta take your friends' side on this one, Dinky," Pip confessed. "I know we need to think outside the box, but the whole idea's iffy, and even if it worked, it's just so overwhelmingly dangerous..."

Dinky let out a long breath. "I guess you're right," she admitted. "That's a pretty extreme idea. I just don't know how I'm going to find a way to overpower whoever has captured Canterlot on my own..."

"We'll have time to work on that more tomorrow," Scuffle encouraged, patting her on the back. "For now, it's gettin' dark. Let's get some sleep so we can be up with the sun tomorrow to work on your spells some more."

"Agreed," Clarity said. "Come on everypony. Let's go below deck."

She and Scuffle made their way into the ship. Dinky continued to sit on the deck, and Pip remained still beside her. Together, they watched the last light fade, until only moonlight illuminated the ocean.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you love?" Pip asked calmly.

Dinky glanced at him, surprised. "The Scorpio idea?" she asked. "It's drastic. Really drastic. But if there was ever a situation that called for drastic measures, it'd be this one, right?"

Pip continued to watch the waves. He gently placed a bulky foreleg around her shoulders.

"Clarity made some good points," he pointed out.

"She did," Dinky agreed. "I also have at least a theory of how to get around two of them. I still doubt you'd want me to do it though."

"I don't," Pip said, nodding. "But I don't even know regular magic, let alone dark magic, so I can't exactly offer a better idea. I guess... you'll have to let your heart guide you to your next decision, Dinky."

Dinky gazed up at the stars forming the outline of Scorpio's constellation, now almost directly overhead, and said nothing more.

Scuffle woke with a start, though he couldn't say why.

The cabin was almost pitch black. There were no windows below deck, and the only light came from the tiny bit of moonlight shining through one or two knotholes in the wood. There wasn't even a sign of the glow of dawn yet; he assumed it had to be two or three in the morning. The muffled, rhythmic sound of waves came from outside.

Middle of the night... he thought drowsily. So what woke me up?

A rumble of thunder filled the air, making the colt's ears stand on end. Just a storm. Guess I'll get back to sleep.

Scuffle closed his eyes, listening to the distant sound of waves.

"Scuffle..."

Scuffle sat bolt upright as an almost hauntingly sweet voice called his name. "G-great, we got ghosts in this ratty old wreck now?" he asked under his breath, looking left and right and straining to see in the darkness.

Lightning flashed outside, illuminating a silhouette right at the foot of his bed. Scuffle gasped and scrambled backwards until he was pressed against the headboard, and quickly lit his horn.

The light didn't reveal a long-dead spirit; just a pink coated mare staring at him with bright orange eyes.

"Flicker!" he snarled as the nymph giggled at him. "How did you even get in here?"

"Picked the lock," the intruder replied matter-of-factly. "I may not have magic, but Honeydew's got great hooves. Delicate and dexterous. Soft, too! Wanna feel?"

"No," Scuffle lied. "I'm trying to sleep. Get out of here."

"I would, but I've been a little preoccupied all evening," Flicker replied, crossing her forelegs on the foot of the bed and resting her chin on them, gazing at Scuffle with half-lidded eyes. "You seemed awful down today, brooding out there on that rock when you found out Dinky couldn't get rid of me. It almost made me feel a little bad. I've been thinking about it all day, and I decided to do something nymphs almost never do; come here and cut you a deal."

"I'm not negotiating," said Scuffle flatly. "Give me Honeydew back."

"Not interested?" Flicker asked with a cute little pout as she turned to go. "Oh well. Pity you missed out on getting Honeydew back by morning..."

She made for the door. Scuffle watched her reach for the handle.

"Wait."

She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"...What's the deal?"

Flicker slowly turned and moved back to the foot of the bed. "Well, here's the thing," she said slowly, rearing up and placing her forehooves on the sheets. "This situation isn't getting us anywhere. I'm frustrated, you're frustrated, your friends are frustrated. Nopony's getting what they want. It's a stalemate."

"I've noticed," Scuffle said bitterly.

"Normally, a nymph would only leave when they're satisfied with the attention they've managed to get with the help of their host pony," Flicker continued. "And with a mare as alluring as Honeydew, it'd be quite a shame to waste the opportunity. But you four have me trapped on this boat anyway, and you and Pip have shown a remarkable amount of willpower compared to most stallions, so I've finally started considering that maybe I'll have to throw in the towel a little early this time."

Scuffle raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

Flicker hopped up so she was now standing fully on the bed, looming over Scuffle with Honeydew's slight frame. "Look, I know you don't want me to use Honeydew to run off and play with any old random stallion," she pointed out. "I also know you're hugely attracted to her, and I'm probably driving you crazy."

"J-just tell me what this deal you mentioned is!" Scuffle stuttered.

Flicker arched her back as she leaned down, stretching almost like a cat would. After a few moments of repositioning, she suddenly lowered the back end too, lying down on top of the colt with only the bed sheet separating them. Scuffle squirmed, but there was no way to back off; he was already against the headboard.

"Let's end this right now," Flicker suggested, her face just inches from Scuffle's. "I know you'll treat Honeydew with more care than any old stranger I might catch the eye of. You'll finally get to act on all those desires about this pony you've had to hold back for so long, I'll get to feast on those desires, and when we're done... I'll be on my way. I won't go off in search of more stallions like most nymphs do; give me what I want just once, and you get your friend back safe and sound, and everything that happens between now and then can stay just between us."

She inched forward. Scuffle shivered as the silky pink fur on her chest brushed against him. "I told you, I'm not... not d-doing anything like that to H-Honeydew," he managed.

Flicker frowned. "I thought you might say that..."

She didn't move from her position, but she broke eye contact for a few moments. Idly, she trailed the edge of a forehoof through the fluff on Scuffle's chest.

Her hooves really were soft.

"Let me tell you something I found here in Honeydew's mind," the nymph continued finally, ignoring Scuffle's blush and the way he fidgeted nervously under her weight. "I can see all her memories. All the nice things you've done for her, all the times you were there for her, I've viewed dozens of them. I can also see all the times it was blatantly obvious that you've fallen hard for her, even though she hasn't picked up on it."

Scuffle swallowed. "...And?"

"And while she values and appreciates your friendship... that's where her feelings stop," Flicker explained. "There's no romantic interest in you in here anywhere."

"That doesn't mean there couldn't be someday!" Scuffle argued.

Flicker snorted. "After all this time? All the years together?" she chuckled. "Deep down, do you really believe that?"

Scuffle was frozen, unable to respond. Flicker placed Honeydew's hoof under his chin and guided his head so he was looking into her eyes again.

"Scuffle, this isn't just your chance to get Honeydew back," she continued. "It's also your only chance to get to experience her more... intimately."

She leaned up so she was whispering directly into his ear.

"You don't really wanna pass that up... do you?"

"B-but... I..."

An electric jolt shot through Scuffle's body as Flicker delicately nuzzled his neck. His mind became a muddled whirlwind of emotions and sensations that threatened to overwhelm him.

Honeydew's mane smells so nice... her mane products smell just like fresh fruit...

Honeydew's fur is so soft... I can't believe a pony can be born with a coat this smooth...

Honeydew's voice is so beautiful... it sounds almost musical just to hear her say my name...

Flicker slowly lifted her head, gazing at Scuffle with half-lidded eyes, her long lashes fluttering at him and a sultry, inviting smile on her face.

And Honeydew's smile is so... so...

A tiny spark ignited in the back of Scuffle's mind. Something was off; it took him a moment to pinpoint what.

Honeydew... Honeydew has a gorgeous smile. It's innocent and sweet, and her eyes sparkle with joy whenever it crosses her face. She would... she would never smile like this. It's not her nature.

Honeydew is beautiful, yes, but she's also kind and sweet and respectful and modest...

...And this isn't Honeydew.

Everything seemed to change in an instant. The pleasant scent of the mare's mane suddenly seemed almost sickly sweet. Her fur seemed slick and textureless. Her quiet breaths, her affectionate little whimpers, suddenly sounded just as lecherous as the more logical part of him knew they were.

This isn't Honeydew!

With a flash of blue, a pressure wave burst from the young stallion's horn. Flicker squeaked in shock as she was catapulted into the air and landed upside down on the floor beyond the foot of the bed.

"What the heck was that for?" she asked indignantly, springing to her hooves.

"I'm not making any kind of deal with you, you little weasel," Scuffle snapped. "I can see now that Dinky was right to be confident in me. I care way too much about Honeydew's friendship to ever betray her, no matter how appealing you make it look. I don't care how much you try; you're not Honeydew, and that's what matters most to me! Get out of my cabin, now!"

Flicker smirked. "So that's how it is, is it?" she sneered. "You won't be able to hold out forever, but you know what? Fine. I'll let you sleep. But you're not getting your friend back anytime soon."

Scuffle lit his horn. "Cut the crap and get out," he warned. "And by the way, if you try a shtick like this on Pipsqueak, Dinky will kill you. You're not the brightest bug in the swarm, Flicker, but even you're smart enough not to piss off a wraith."

"Fine, I'm going," Flicker grumbled. "Pity we couldn't come to an agreement. Thanks for the snack, at any rate."

Scuffle raised an eyebrow. "Snack?"

"Well, duh!" Flicker laughed. "You may not be giving me what I really want, but you can't help the fact that you're really into Honeydew. You may be good at resisting, but those feelings still exist, whether you want them to or not, and I've been feeding on them each and every time! I hope your plan wasn't to starve me out of here or something; even with our current arrangement, you've been giving me more than enough to sustain me."

Scuffle grew furious. "Get out, or I'll get rid of you myself!" he yelled.

Ignoring his rage entirely, Flicker simply shrugged and opened the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she cast him one last teasing smile before shutting in behind her.

The moment she was gone, Scuffle groaned and fell backward onto the bed. Damn it! he mentally screamed, pummeling the bed with a hoof. How in Tartarus are we gonna get rid of that blasted bug!? She's never gonna give up; Honeydew's just too attractive for Flicker to pass her up!

He stared up at the wooden ceiling, his coat covered in a cold sweat. Slowly, another thought began to form.

Wait... Honeydew appeals to Flicker because she's the most attractive pony around. If that's why Flicker's so intent on staying put... I think I might just have an idea...

"So what exactly are they up to?" Pipsqueak asked, as he sat with Dinky on the deck the following morning.

"You got me," Dinky said with a shrug. "Scuffle said he had some kind of big idea, and he needed Clarity's help. No clue why they're insisting on secrecy though."

"Who cares?" Flicker chimed in, trotting over and sitting down on the other side of Pip. "Hey Dinky, wanna split some breakfast? I can't help but notice there's a meal right here between us that's big enough for two."

"Well, wherever they went, I hope they hurry up," Dinky continued, blatantly ignoring the nymph. "We need to get back to work on the dark magic stuff."

The door to the ship's interior flew open, and Clarity pranced out, looking quite excited. "Guess what, Dinky!" she called. "There's an acquaintance of ours here to help you with your training!"

Dinky cocked her head. "Wait, huh?" she asked. "We're a couple miles offshore on an abandoned shipwreck. Who could possibly be here?"

Clarity grinned. "Well, see for yourself!" she replied, beckoning to somepony within the ship. To Dinky's amazement, a new pony did in fact appear. But with just one glance, it was clear this was no average pony.

The new arrival was a unicorn mare, with a dazzlingly white coat, tinted with the faintest pale blue, like a paper-thin layer of ice on the surface of water. Her mane was a gentle, pale pink, and her yellow-orange eyes reminded Dinky of fresh, juicy fruit.

But the details of her coat and mane weren't what shocked Dinky; it was how unnaturally attractive the new mare was. Her figure was so utterly perfect by pony beauty standards that even Honeydew looked a bit gangly and disproportionate by comparison. Her coat reflected the morning sunlight in an appealing way, and every feature of her face⁠— from her expressive eyes to her smooth, full lips⁠— seemed to demand one's attention.

Dinky had always considered Honeydew to have won the genetic lottery as far as looks, but this pony was more than that; it was as if somepony had selected all the most perfect features from among Equestria's celebrities and models, and spliced them together into a single, overwhelmingly eye-catching mare.

Pipsqueak looked stunned. "Dinky, who is that?" he asked incredulously. "How did she get here? Do you know her?"

"I... I..." Dinky stammered, too taken aback to properly answer.

"What's wrong, Dinky?" the mare giggled, in a mellifluous voice that gave Dinky chills. "Don't you recognize your old friend Rosy Lace?"

"Rosy... Lace?"

At once, the memory came flooding back. In an instant, Dinky understood exactly who she was looking at, and exactly why she was there: a reason that had nothing to do with her dark magic training. The secret idea Scuffle and Clarity had mentioned earlier became immediately apparent, and she had to hold back a laugh of delight at her friends' brilliance.

Of course, she had to play along for it to work.

"Oh, Rosy!" she cooed. "Wow, it's been such a long time! You look great! How've you been?"

"Oh, just wonderful," Rosy replied, sauntering out of the hall and onto the deck. "I see you're keeping busy, though maybe not in the way you'd hoped with all this terrible Canterlot business going on."

"So you do know her," Pipsqueak commented. "A classmate, I guess?"

Dinky glanced discreetly over her shoulder and grinned. Flicker hadn't said a word since Rosy appeared; Honeydew's jaw hung open limply as she gaped at the newcomer. Dinky pretended not to know what had caught the nymph's attention.

"Flicker, what are you looking at?" Clarity asked, tilting her head.

"B-by the moon, that mare is perfect," Flicker stuttered. "Forget homely old Honeydew; there won't be a stallion in Equestria who will be able to turn down a pony like that one!"

"What do you mean?" Dinky asked, feigning ignorance.

Honeydew's body swayed on the spot. Her orange eyes rolled up into her head, and she passed out on the deck. An instant later, a tiny orange light shot out of her ear and made a beeline for Rosy Lace.

"Rosy, watch out!" Pipsqueak warned, quite sincerely since he wasn't in on the ruse. "She's going to—"

He was too slow. Flicker turned a little loop in midair and flitted right into Rosy's ear.

Rosy Lace, however, didn't lose consciousness and collapse. She didn't even flinch. Calmly, she set her horn aglow and withdrew a small glass jar from her saddlebag. Her aura, curiously, didn't match her yellowish eyes, but was instead a suspiciously familiar slate blue.

With a smug smile, the stunning young mare held the jar up to the ear Flicker had just entered.

"Three... two... one..."

There was a tiny, shrill scream. Flicker darted back out of Rosy's ear and directly into the waiting jar, which was quickly capped behind her. She bounced against the glass like a dizzy fly, crying out in horror and confusion in her teeny tiny voice.

"Rosy Lace is a... a... a stallion!"

"What!?" Pipsqueak gasped, as Dinky and Clarity finally burst into the laughter they'd been struggling to hold back. "But... no stallion could look like that! Most mares can't even hope to look like that!"

"Pip, let me tell you a little story," Dinky giggled, as Clarity continued to double over with mirth. "Way back in our first term, there was an incident where Scuffle ended up trapped in the fillies' residence tower. We didn't want to get in trouble, so we had to find a way to sneak him past Overseer Sparkler and all the other students. We ended up succeeding, using a combination of careful grooming and Clarity's illusions to disguise him as a filly named Rosy Lace!"

Dinky wished she could've had a photo of Pip's face as he made the connection. "Wait, so Rosy is really..."

"You better believe it, pal," Rosy replied, though now speaking with a noticeably male voice. "Clarity, I believe we're clear to remove the illusions now."

A red glow surrounded Clarity's horn, and the image of the beautiful young mare became hazy. Her stark white coat faded away, replaced with dull brown. Her perfect figure, just a complex trick of the light, was replaced by the broader build of a young stallion. Though his mane was still styled like a mare's and he was wearing a lot of makeup, it was now clearly Scuffle, not Rosy Lace, that stood before them.

"You double-crossers!" Flicker wailed, her shrill voice just barely audible as she threw herself fruitlessly against the lid of the jar that held her captive. "I want a redo! Give me Honeydew back!"

Scuffle tucked Flicker's jar into his bag, silencing her for the time being. "Now, was that a great plan, or what?" he asked proudly, while ruffling his mane back to normal and wiping all the makeup from his face.

"Scuffle, that was genius!" Dinky laughed. "If Flicker benefits from possessing attractive ponies, of course she wouldn't be able to resist a mare that cute!"

"I really hoped it would work," Clarity added. "We took a risk. If Flicker hadn't been so quick to act, she could've scanned through Honeydew's memories and figured out the truth. Fortunately, she decided to act fast so she didn't lose her chance."

"That was, um... quite a pony you put together, considering she was just an illusion," Pip said.

Scuffle smirked. "Yeah, I looked pretty hot," he snickered. "Go on, you can say it. There's no shame in it."

Pipsqueak frowned and quickly looked away, prompting another round of laughter from the girls.

"Ok, so obviously, you were able to look like that because Clarity is so much better at illusions than she was when we were foals," Dinky managed once she got a hold of herself, "but how did you do the voice? That was really convincing!"

Scuffle puffed out his chest. "Dinks, I spent most of the last term preparing to duel Tango Trot," he pointed out. "You stand a better chance in a duel if you know your enemy. I've been researching sound magic all year!"

"And thanks to Scuffle, we've taken care of our unwanted guest," Clarity announced relieved. "Which means..."

A small, feminine groan caught the attention of all four ponies. Dinky and her friends wheeled around as Honeydew stirred faintly on the deck. Slowly, her eyes opened, revealing irises that were restored to their original pale green.

"M-morning already?" she mumbled.

Poor Honeydew was taken by surprise as her excited friends galloped over and scooped her up in a group hug. "Honeydew, you're okay!" Dinky cheered.

"Of... of course I'm okay," Honeydew murmured, her voice confused and still a bit drowsy. "I was just napping and—"

She paused, blinking the last of the sleep out of her eyes. She squirmed her way out of her friends' grip and looked around.

"Um... why are we on a ship?" she asked weakly. "And when did Pipsqueak get here? Did I... miss something?"

"You could say that," Scuffle said, scraping a hoof on the wood uncertainly.

"Was I unconscious or something?" Honeydew asked, her voice laced with concern. "Last I remember, we were planning to set up camp in the swamp, and then the—"

Her eyes went wide. "Oh no, the wood nymph!" she gasped, scrambling away from her friends with a growing look of despair. "She got me, didn't she? Borrowed my body? Oh no, oh gosh, I don't even want to think about what I must've done..."

She dropped to the deck, covering her face with her forehooves and whimpering. Clarity instinctively stepped forward to comfort her, but Dinky stopped her and silently indicated Scuffle instead.

"Go on, man," she whispered. "Remember how helpful you were when Honeydew was upset about her family's attempt to attack us last week? You're the best at this."

"She's right," Clarity agreed, just as quietly. "When you speak from the heart, you always get through to her. Go on, reassure her!"

Scuffle nodded slowly. "Well, I'll try my best."

He trotted across the deck and sat down next to the the crying filly. Dinky waited, curious to see how he'd handle the situation.

"Dewey..." Scuffle whispered. "It's okay. It's over now."

"It's not okay..." Honeydew mumbled from behind her hooves. "I know what nymphs do, Scuffle. I've read plenty about them in Magical Biology textbooks. I know she made me act all lewd, to everypony. I feel gross just thinking about it..."

"Hey now, that's not quite accurate," Scuffle argued, rubbing her back gently with one hoof. "She may have been in your body, but she was the one acting lewd. Don't blame yourself for something you weren't even conscious for."

"Even so," Honeydew grumbled, "any nymph who takes control of a mare won't hesitate to do... unspeakable things with any stallion she comes across. I don't think I want to know what she used me to do."

"She didn't do anything!" Scuffle promised. "She tried... dozens of times in fact, but we kept her out of trouble the entire time."

Honeydew finally peeked out from behind her hooves. "They can be cunning, and very persuasive," she mumbled. "You... you were really able to keep her at bay?"

"The most she got away with was getting a little extra-cuddly with, uh... me," Scuffle admitted. "I didn't let her get any further than that. So the most you got while she was in control was an unexpected snuggle with a close friend. Hopefully... that's not the worst outcome?"

Although she looked away shyly, Honeydew managed an appreciative smile. "I hug you all the time anyway," she said, sounding slightly more upbeat. "If that's all she got away with, well, I don't mind."

Scuffle smiled. "C'mon, you didn't think we'd let some nymph mess with our friend, right?" he asked. "We care about you, Dewey. So we made sure everything turned out okay."

Honeydew sat up and turned to face the rest of her friends. "Sorry about all the trouble I caused," she said sheepishly. "Thank you all for taking care of me while I was, um, not myself."

"Any time, Honeydew," Clarity replied. "We've got the nymph captive in a jar now. What should we do with her?"

"Hold onto her until we can release her without putting ourselves at risk," Honeydew instructed. "Even after what she did, she's a sapient creature like us; I don't want to harm her."

The friends nodded in unison. "I think we can agree to that," Dinky replied with a nod. "Right now, though, we have some more urgent things to tend to."

"Yeah, I was... wondering about that," Honeydew said slowly, taking the time to examine her surroundings more closely. "I have no idea where we are, or why. Fill me in?"

"Well, after you got possessed, we made it to a town, where Mrs. Doo and her team found us thanks to Dinky's amulets and Sparkler's spell," Scuffle began.

"It seemed like everything was going to be okay," Clarity continued, "but then sometime overnight, some kind of maniac unicorn captured Princess Twilight, and used a spell none of us have ever seen to rip Canterlot out of the ground and hold it captive in the air."

"And we're out here on this ship because we got word from the princesses that my dark magic might be the only way to save everypony, so we went somewhere very isolated for me to safely practice it," Dinky finished.

Honeydew's pupils shrank slightly. "O-oh, is... is that all?" she asked, with an ironic half-smile. "Honestly, that's about what I expected. Another year, another adventure, another opportunity to show blatant disregard for life and limb. Par for the course, really."

Dinky put on a wry grin. "Aw, you know us so well," she joked.

Honeydew turned toward the mainland and squinted at Canterlot, which was little more than a tiny pink speck in the sky. "So, only the city is in that magical bubble, right?" she asked. "The Academy's around the other side of the mountain, so at least they're safe for now."

"Well, yes, but it doesn't really matter," Clarity replied. "The Academy closed several days ago. The students should've all made it safely home before this happened."

Honeydew froze. After a moment, she turned back to her friends, her expression panicked. "No, that's bad!" she insisted. "That means any students who live in Canterlot are probably trapped in there. Like... like Tango Trot!"

"She's right!" Dinky gasped. "It never even crossed my mind, but Tango did mention he lives in Canterlot!"

"Alright, don't panic," Scuffle urged. "Tango's insanely good at magic. Even if he is in there, I'm sure he's holding out just fine. And it's not like we're just gonna sit back and do nothing; I know you wanna help, but that's literally why we're here."

Honeydew nodded slowly and returned to Scuffle's side. "I know, but it's still scary," she mumbled. "The last time I talked to Tango was when he asked me out and I declined. I was going to focus on making sure he knew I still wanted to be his friend, but Dinky's wraith form was revealed just minutes later and we haven't seen him since. If something bad happens to him, I wouldn't want our last meeting to have ended with him resenting me."

"There's no way he resents you," Dinky assured her. "You two are close friends for lots of reasons. Even if you're not his fillyfriend, I'm sure he's more than happy to call you his friendly fellow biologist."

Honeydew chewed her lip and leaned against Scuffle's shoulder. "Hope so."

A minute of silence fell over the group. Honeydew turned again, staring once more at Canterlot as the sea breeze wafted through her mane.

"Honeydew," Clarity said finally, "can I ask you a personal question?"

Honeydew looked back toward her friend, surprised. "Um, sure," she answered.

"I'm really curious," Clarity ventured. "Tango Trot is friendly, charming, really handsome, and shares a lot of your interests. I completely respect that it's your decision to make, but why did you turn him down, anyway?"

Honeydew blinked. "Oh... let's see, how can I put it into words?"

Everypony waited as their friend collected her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

"I had a lot of fun spending time with Tango Trot this year," she admitted. "He's so smart, and all those hours we spent on my research seemed to fly by when we were collaborating. He really knew how to make me feel comfortable right away, too. Usually it takes me a while to warm up to new ponies. I always had a good time when we were together..."

"But..." Dinky prompted.

"But that's actually part of the problem," Honeydew admitted, smiling sadly. "Tango was there when I was in my element, like when we were working on research he knew I was passionate about, or when there was reason to celebrate, or even when it was a nice day with no responsibilities and there was time to just relax."

She sighed softly before continuing. "You've all met my family now," she reminded them. "I grew up in a difficult environment. I like to think I've improved a little over the years, but I still struggle with anxiety. Sometimes, even doing something perfectly normal feels... just wrong, somewhere deep inside, because my parents taught me that it was improper, and strictly enforced it. I'm still a little damaged I guess, and it's important to me to have friends who can accept that about me. So while Tango Trot is a great friend, and I really value him, he's... a fair-weather friend, I guess. He was always there when things were good, but if I were ever to have a coltfriend, I would need him to be a pony who knows what to do when things are bad. Somepony who can celebrate the happy times with me of course, but who has also seen the weird, nervous, uncertain side of me, and who knows what to do to comfort me, support me... build me up, even. I know I have issues, and I don't want to force them on anypony... but a pony who was familiar with them, knew how to help me work through them and... and love me in spite of them... that's the kind of pony I mean."

She looked down at the deck. Wordlessly, Dinky glanced at Scuffle, still sitting beside his timid friend. The colt fidgeted uncertainly. He shut his eyes. He clenched his teeth.

He spoke two words.

"...Like me?"

The whole world stopped, or at least it seemed like it to Dinky. Scuffle sat stone still, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, waiting. Dinky wasn't sure if she expected Honeydew to react dramatically, but at any rate, she didn't. The pink filly looked up, staring into the distance while she took a moment to consider Scuffle's question. After a few seconds, a faint blush crept across her snout, exposing the pale freckles that were usually invisible against her coat.

"...Actually Scuffle, a lot like you, now that you mention it..." she murmured, giving him a hesitant smile. "But come on, you're, well, you: a strong, confident adventure lover. An accomplished duelist! It's a nice thought, but it's okay, I know a pony like you probably wouldn't really wanna date a nervous, frail little biology geek like me."

Scuffle's eyes flew open. "N-now hang on, says who?" he asked. "We aren't that different, Dewey. I grew up in constant fear too, living in the big city with two nasty older brothers, and for the longest time, I thought my specialization in defensive magic made me weak. Heck, a lot of the time, I'm just as scared as you are about stuff."

"You're a lot better at hiding it," Honeydew pointed out.

"So?" Scuffle asked. "If anything, that's a bad thing. You don't try to hide your feelings, so it's easier for you to say what you mean, and get help from ponies when you really need it. I know I act like a hotshot, but you know there's a softer side in there, don'tcha?"

Honeydew giggled. "Well of course. I've known you long enough to know how sweet you can be."

"Right!" Scuffle affirmed, growing a bit louder. "So who says I'm only interested in fearless, headstrong ponies? Maybe I think it's really refreshing and disarming to spend time with somepony quiet and controlled like you! Maybe I love that you're so invested in your favorite subject; I'd call it passionate, not geeky! Maybe I don't care that you're not a battlemage, because since I surround myself with action and excitement all the time, I'm actually craving some gentleness from somepony close to me! Maybe if I wasn't such a damned coward, hiding behind my swagger all the time, I'd have been able to tell you earlier that I—"

He stopped suddenly. Dinky could tell that everything he had just said was only now actually registering in his mind. He glanced at Honeydew, who was staring at him, wide-eyed. At this point, it seemed, he had no choice but to finish the thought.

"...that I... you know, think you're g-great," he stuttered, his short tail flicking anxiously. "That as t-time went on, it occurred to me that y-you mean the world to me and... like, if you wanna do the whole dating thing, and you think I've got most of those qualities you wanted in a coltfriend... y'know. I'd be down. Up to you."

He turned away before she could answer, his gaze firmly fixed on the open sea. Nopony moved for a few moments.

Honeydew inched a bit nearer to the colt, until they were so close that their flanks brushed together. When Scuffle still didn't move, Honeydew leaned down carefully tucking her head under his jaw, taking care not to poke him with her horn. She closed her eyes as she snuggled into the fur there, a small smile on her face.

Scuffle went very, very red. "Dewey, w-what are you doin'?" he asked.

"Waiting for a hug," Honeydew replied calmly.

Scuffle blinked. With all the delicate care that Dinky had always seen him reserve only for interacting with Honeydew, he slowly wrapped a foreleg around the small of the young mare's back. She leaned in further, letting him support more of her weight. The two of them sat together, although they wore comically opposite expressions. Scuffle looked delighted, alarmed, and confused all at once, while Honeydew just appeared utterly content.

"It's funny," she said suddenly. "When we first met, I hated you. I considered dropping out of school just to get away from you. Now I can't imagine facing all this madness we get wrapped up in without you. You're always there when I need somepony, no matter how bad the situation is. Things really change."

"Y-yeah," Scuffle replied. "I guess they do."

Honeydew rested her cheek against his, and the two of them sat together for a few moments.

"So, um, if you don't mind them changing just a little bit more," she continued finally, peering up at him with big green eyes and a small, hopeful smile, "I think I'd really like to be your fillyfriend, Scuffle."

In eighteen years, Dinky couldn't remember ever seeing such a look of joy and relief on anypony's face as the one that crossed Scuffle's features. "I... um, yeah," he managed. "I'd really like that too."

Honeydew sat up straighter and nuzzled the surprised colt right on the nose. For a split second, he looked shocked, but that was quickly replaced with a bright smile as he returned the gesture.

"Let's give them a minute," Clarity whispered, smiling as she backed off quietly into the ship's interior.

Honeydew's ears perked up. "Oh! No, no, don't mind us," she insisted, blushing a little as she pulled herself free from Scuffle's grip and got back to her hooves. "Scuffle and I will have time to talk more later. I guess we should really get started on helping Dinky with her dark magic stuff some more. If it's up to us to save Tango Trot and all those other ponies, we better get busy."

She trotted into the ship, with just a little bit more spring in her step than usual. Clarity beamed as she and Pip disappeared inside as well, leaving Dinky and Scuffle alone on the deck.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Dinky teased, jabbing the colt in the side. "We may be fighting for the fate of Equestria, but hey, at least you got the girl. How do you feel?"

Scuffle didn't reply. Instead, he turned tail and galloped to the bow of the ship. Whooping and cheering incoherently, he reared up and fired a flurry of spells into the sky, which exploded into a sparkling display of pink, green, and white fireworks. When the colored lights finally faded, he turned around and made his way back toward the doorway.

"That answer your question, Dinks?" he laughed as he bounded inside.

Dinky didn't need to reply. Smiling, she followed the rest of her friends into the ship.

Warm, fuzzy feelings, as it turns out, aren't ideal when one is trying to cast powerful dark magic.

As happy as Dinky was for her friends' new relationship, her dreamy state of mind resulted in a less-than-impressive afternoon of training. Tired and disheartened, she joined the others for dinner in the ship's galley.

Because of the position of the wreck, the galley was on a bit of an angle, and one end of the room was submerged in about an inch of seawater. The five friends gathered around a table on the dry side. Dinky had managed to enchant an old, empty oil lantern so that it worked in much the same way as the Academy's illumination orbs, providing them with the glow of magical light whenever they gathered for meals.

"Ok, so what went well today, and what needs more work?" Pipsqueak asked as he divvied up that day's portion of their rations.

"Not much went well,"Dinky grumbled, scowling as she gnawed on the dried fruit on her plate. "Scorpio's Apex is three days away, and my magic is barely stronger than normal."

"You're destroying boulders twice your size with a single strike," Honeydew pointed out. "Isn't that enough power?"

Dinky shook her head. "You know who else can do that, and with normal unicorn magic?" she asked. "The princesses can. But whoever we're up against overpowered all the princesses."

"So, you need your spells to pack such a punch that you're stronger than the princesses?" Scuffle asked disbelievingly.

Dinky sighed. "No, what I need to be doing is finding more uses for dark magic. Ones our opponent won't be expecting. But we've been experimenting all day. Every time I try to cast a dark spell that should be more subtle..."

"...Something blows up," Scuffle finished.

"Right," Dinky answered bitterly. "I have the ability to use dark magic, but not the knowledge. And I'm not gonna be able to work out the secrets on my own. At least, not in the limited time we have. I really think we need to consider that backup plan."

Honeydew looked up from her dish. "Backup plan? I don't think I was around when we discussed that."

"You didn't miss much," Clarity grumbled. "Dinky wants to try to break into the Realm of Stars and learn a few tricks directly from Scorpio."

Honeydew swooned, and Scuffle quickly reached out with a forehoof to stop her from toppling into her food. "Um, just in case my opinion matters, I don't like that plan," she said weakly.

"Neither do I," said Clarity sternly. "But don't worry; I don't think such a thing is even possible."

Dinky's gaze flicked away nervously. "Well, actually, I've been giving it some thought the last day or two..." she admitted, wringing her forehooves anxiously. "I think I might have a couple of ideas..."

"Dinky, please, take a step back and think about this," Clarity pleaded. "You're talking about traveling to another plane of existence, to ask for help from the same being who turned you into a wraith in the first place, and then tried to kill you!"

"Clarity..." Pipsqueak interrupted. "I'm not especially chuffed about the extreme danger either, but maybe we should at least hear Dinky out?"

Clarity looked dumbfounded. "You're on her side now?"

"I'm not on anypony's side," Pip countered. "You have a point; this plan is madness. Absolutely daft in fact. But Dinky has a point too; just doing what we've been doing the last few days is a waste. Dinky, as she is now, doesn't have the strength or the skill to overpower somepony who defeated all the princesses. Our part of this joint mission to save Equestria was to help Dinky unlock the full potential of her dark magic. Do you have any better ideas on how to do that?"

Clarity winced. "Well..."

She trailed off. Pip nodded and turned back to his fillyfriend.

"Dinky, let's hear your idea on how this whole thing would work."

Dinky took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "Well, the first problem is getting to the Realm of Stars in the first place," she pointed out. "We simply don't have the means to open a gateway the way Antares did four years ago. But a convenient workaround might have fallen into our laps not too long ago. Do you remember the lesson we had in Professor Morningstar's class on teleport anchors?"

"I think so," Scuffle chimed in. "Is the thing where you imbue two different parts of the same object with magic, and then you can basically create a portal linking them. It lets you go much further than a normal teleport, and with less magic, yeah?"

"Right!" Dinky affirmed. "We might be able to use a similar concept to bypass the barrier between realms and get me into the Realm of Stars."

"We'd need one of the anchors to already be there," Honeydew pointed out, looking confused. "We have something like that?"

"We do," Dinky replied, gesturing toward the saddlebags sitting in the corner. "Somewhere in Clarity's bag is a little tuft of Scorpio's tail: the one we think Wishing Star put in my tail that caused the wraith incident at school. The rest of it, obviously, is in the Realm of Stars!"

"A cross-dimensional teleport anchor?" Clarity asked skeptically. "How do you know that'll even work?"

"I don't," Dinky deadpanned. "But I think it's worth a try."

"Alright, but what about the thing Clarity mentioned about your physical body getting destroyed if you were to go to the Realm of Stars?" Pipsqueak asked. "Do you actually have a viable way to get around that?"

Dinky fidgeted. "Erm, I might, but it's less straightforward than a teleport anchor, and a lot less safe," she said sheepishly. "Remember how I met Starswirl the Bearded while he was still in Limbo because I almost died sealing away Scorpio?"

"How could we forget?" Honeydew squeaked. "We were all terrified we'd lost you..."

"So obviously, even though my body was still physically here, I was also visiting Limbo," Dinky explained. "I think there might be a way to, um... to use dark magic to forcibly send an aspect of me to the Realm of Stars while my body remains here."

"You want to... detach your spirit from your body?" Clarity asked, raising an eyebrow. "They have a word for that, Dinky. It's called 'death'."

"That's not quite what I mean," Dinky said quickly. "I mean something more like... tether my consciousness to my body and cast it into a different realm without breaking the connection. Antares did it when he was posing as Sunbeam; he used it to mess with my dreams while neither being asleep himself nor putting his physical body into the dream realm."

"That's a little different, though," Scuffle added. "The dream realm is the 'closest' one of those outer realms, if you wanna use distance to describe it. Princess Luna slips in and out of there without any dark magic every day. And then Limbo... don't most ponies use that as basically a rest stop on the way to the afterlife?"

"Right, and the Realm of Stars is even beyond that," Dinky clarified. "It's like... the very last level of existence that's still linked to Equestria in some capacity. Go past there, and you're... well, dead. There's no coming back from there. But you can come back from the Realm of Stars, as Scorpio proved. I think I know how to recreate Antares' spell, and send a nonphysical aspect of my being in there."

"And what happens to physical you out here while that happens?" Pipsqueak questioned.

"I've been thinking about that..." Dinky confessed. "It depends exactly how this splitting spell works. If it takes my entire consciousness, my body will just lie here, asleep, until I get back. But it might take just the sapient, thinking part of me, which would leave the other half in a waking state, but operating purely on instinct."

Honeydew nearly dropped her cup of juice. "D-doesn't that mean that the moment you split, you'd leave behind a f-feral wraith that would pretty much instantly try to kill us?" she asked weakly.

Dinky bit her lip. "Well, I have a workaround for that possibility, too..."

Clarity rested her chin on her forehoof and gave Dinky an unamused look. "Of course you do."

"While we were still at school, I did some experimenting with dark enchantments," Dinky continued. "It would be easy enough to create a sort of trap for myself; a field created by several enchanted gems that restricts my movement and magic. That way, if the part of me that remains here in Equestria is awake and violent, it won't be able to move, let alone attack. Once I get back from the Realm of Stars, all you'd have to do is damage Scorpio's rune on each of the gems, and the trap would be disarmed and free me."

"I dunno if I should be relieved or concerned that you've given this this much thought," Scuffle commented.

"I'm no unicorn, but it seems to be a sensible plan," Pipsqueak admitted. "Other than actually dealing with Scorpio once you're in her realm, of course."

Dinky flattened her ears. "I'm gonna have to wing that part," she sighed. "But hey, Scorpio probably can't kill me if I don't have a body to kill, right? The other Zodiac in the Realm of Stars would probably have done her in by now if they could."

Pip glanced at the other ponies, all waiting for him to speak. "Listen, I recognize the gravity of this decision, but I think this might be the only option we've got on such short notice," he said finally. "Dinky seems to know what she's talking about, at least I think..."

"So let me just make sure I've got this clear," Clarity said, rising to her hooves. "You want to extract your consciousness, and use the weakened barrier between realms on Scorpio's Apex, in conjunction with a teleport anchor, fling it into the Realm of Stars, while your body remains here under enchanted security? And then once there, ask the creator of dark magic for some tips, and return by the same means?"

Dinky hesitated. "...Yes?"

Clarity groaned. "That's stupid. Let's do it."

"Wait, what?" Honeydew gasped, wheeling in her seat to look at Clarity. "We're going through with this? I thought you were trying to talk her out of it!"

"I was," Clarity grumbled. "But as much as I really didn't want to admit it, I think Dinky and Pip may be right; we don't really stand a chance if Dinky can't learn more about her own powers. This is a solid idea. A stupid, reckless, insane, solid idea."

"I got one question," Scuffle chimed in. "Since none of us wanna die, Dinky obviously needs to be restrained by the enchantments before she gets split. But if the enchanted restraints restrict her magic, how's she gonna cast the spell?"

"That's the one last... um, tiny detail..." Dinky mumbled, grimacing noticeably. "It's the part of the plan that scares me the most. Even more than facing Scorpio again. Scuffle's right; I can't cast the spell we need myself."

Clarity stiffened. "Dinky, you don't mean..."

Dinky let out a shaky breath. "If we're really gonna go through with this, there's only one way it can work as planned," she lamented. "Clarity, Honeydew, Scuffle, on just this one single occasion... you're going to need to cast dark magic."