Magic of the Heart

by Pegasus Rescue Brigade

Chapter 20

This can't be happening!

Ditzy Doo tumbled through the air, whipped by the wind and surrounded by the terrified screams of not just her companions, but a whole population of ponies realizing that nothing but two miles of empty air lay between the falling city and the mountainside far below.

How could we have overlooked this? she wondered. We put so much time and effort into getting into Canterlot, and stopping the being holding it hostage... that we never considered what would happen when the spell on the city broke!

She beat her wings frantically, trying to get some lift, but it was no use; Canterlot itself was displacing a lot of air as it plummeted out of the sky. That air was flowing around the sides of the hunk of rock on which the metropolis sat, causing the airspace above the city to become an innavigable mess of conflicting air currents.

The earth ponies and unicorns, she knew, were no better off. Earth ponies had neither wings nor magic to try to escape their situation, and most of Equestria's unicorn residents weren't capable of teleportation spells. Even though all of the especially talented unicorns in her company were the exception, teleporting could only carry them so far. From their position, it wouldn't be possible to teleport beyond the city onto safe ground.

Ditzy heard yelling, but she couldn't even make out the speaker, let alone the words, over the noise of the rushing wind. There was no way to communicate, no way to stop what was happening, and no way to escape. The reality of her situation began to sink in.

We stopped Animosity. Equestria as a whole should recover, but everypony in Canterlot, including us... we're all going to die.

The last of the red storm vanished, and the pegasus was treated to a view of the colorful landscape, bathed in late autumn sunlight. It seemed unfair that such a beautiful morning was about to go down in Equestrian history as the day the capital city, and all of its residents, were lost.

Her coworkers. Her daughter. Ponies she had helped, and ponies who had helped her. And countless innocent citizens as well. Animosity's defeat had inadvertently doomed them all. She sobbed, but her tears were lost on the wind.

Half the distance between the city and the ground had already closed. Impact was only a mile away, and at this speed, crossing that distance wouldn't take long.

Or at least, it shouldn't have. But it was around that time that Canterlot's meteor-like descent mysteriously began to slow.

It was gradual at first. The speed of its plunge decreased by only a few percent. The ponies, however, continued to fall as gravity dictated, and the speed differential caused them to ever-so-slowly catch up to the ground beneath them. Bewildered, Ditzy felt her hooves touch down on the cobbles as lightly as if she'd just alighted after a flight. As the city was still hurtling downward alarmingly fast, she felt exceptionally light, as if she was just barely able to avoid floating away.

"Alright, so, maybe I'm wrong..." Watt began, carefully positioning himself to land upright as the last of the distance between his body and the streets of Canterlot dwindled to nothing, "...but I don't think this is how physics are supposed to work."

"Some outside force must be acting on Canterlot," Sparkler reasoned. "I would say there's no way magic would be strong enough to do something like that, but... well, Animosity already proved that wrong."

"Not to be a downer here, but this place is still dropping way too fast," Scuffle pointed out. "Maybe we're not freefalling anymore, but when Canterlot hits the mountainside, the impact's still gonna kill us."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Ditzy felt her stomach lurch, and her body suddenly felt heavier. A quick glance into the distance confirmed her suspicions; Canterlot's fall had slowed further.

"Magic or not, something is trying to save the city," Dinky pointed out.

Over the next half a minute, several more jarring changes in velocity occurred. Eventually, Canterlot was descending no more quickly than a rather fast-moving elevator.

"I don't believe it," Breeze said, taking a few experimental flaps and discovering that the wild winds had died down enough to allow for flight. "If it keeps moving at this speed all the way to the ground, most ponies will probably be okay!"

"Though that may or may not actually happen," Cloudcover added nervously, as the city shuddered and briefly dropped more quickly before slowing again to the controlled pace. "Whatever force is acting on Canterlot doesn't seem to be the most... stable."

Dinky spread her dark wings. "I'm gonna go investigate," she declared, taking to the air. "If there's any way I can help Canterlot touch down safely, I need to be there."

"I'm going too," Ditzy added quickly, pulling her vision-correcting helmet over her eyes. "The rest of you, take advantage of this! Tell the pegasi to evacuate while flight is still possible, and get as many earth ponies and unicorns as you can to open courtyards and plazas where nothing can collapse on them."

"You got it, Ditzy!" Watt chirped, racing off down the cobblestone road.

As the rest of her allies rushed deeper into the city, Ditzy flapped harder to catch up with the wraith already diving below the edge of the falling mass of earth.

"We need to find the unicorns we left out here!" Dinky called, scanning the landscape below. "Maybe they know what's going on."

Ditzy peered through her goggles and, much to her own surprise, actually managed to spot the small cluster of ponies before Dinky did. "There!" she replied, pointing.

Both ponies rocketed downward to the plain where five of their allies were standing. Presto rushed forward to greet them.

"Dinky! Mrs. Doo! Did... did you stop Wishing Star?"

"It's a long story, but the short answer is yes," Dinky replied.

"Is Clarity okay?" Lucid asked desperately, nervously eyeing the gash in Dinky's shoulder. "And all the others? Was anyone badly hurt?"

"Clarity's fine," Ditzy assured her. "Some of the others are hurt, but nopony's dead. But they're all still in danger! Do you know what's slowing Canterlot's descent?"

Uncomfortable expressions crossed the faces of the gathered ponies. "We... we do, yes," Tango Trot mumbled.

"Hold on a sec," Dinky muttered, furrowing her brow as she mentally counted the unicorns in front of her. "Presto, Lucid, Scorch, Frosty, Tango... but where's Dean Script?"

The uneasy looks of the others deepened. Avoiding eye contact, Presto nervously cleared his throat and pointed. Curious, Ditzy followed his gaze.

At the very center of the huge crater that had been left in the mountainside when Canterlot was ripped from the earth, a tiny golden light was flickering. When she squinted, Ditzy could just make out the outline of a pony standing there, though she was veiled in the shadow of the city looming overhead, sinking closer to the ground with each passing second.

"Spiral Script's keeping Canterlot from hitting the ground at full speed?" the pegasus realized. "That's great, but she's in the middle of the crater. Doesn't she realize if she stays there, she'll be..."

She trailed off as the dean's plan became apparent. It must've become apparent to Dinky, too, because the wraith was already off like a shot, rocketing toward the crater as fast as her magical wings could carry her. Panicking, Ditzy jetted after her.

"Dinky! Wait!"

Ignoring the cries of the group of unicorns urging them to come back, Ditzy followed her daughter into the oppressive shadow of Canterlot. Judging by current speed of its descent, she estimated there was about four minutes before it landed in the crater they were now flying into.

As they approached, they got a clearer view of Spiral Script. The elder unicorn stood at the deepest part of the crater, her stance wide and her legs shaking with strain. Her curly purple mane and thin ceremonial cloak both fluttered madly in the maelstrom of wind and magic surrounding her as she struggled to maintain the huge yellow aura around her horn. Her eyes were tightly shut and her coat was plastered with sweat.

"Dean Script!" Dinky cried out.

The dean forced one eye open. "D-Dinky, you imbecile, get out of here b-before it's too late," she stammered.

"How are you even doing this?" Dinky asked, ignoring the mare's instructions entirely. "You yourself said it was impossible to hold up the city."

The dean harrumphed. "What did you think those runes I asked you and Clarity to place around Canterlot were for?" she grunted. "I suppose I should be grateful you at least remembered to carve them, even if you've already forgotten. They provide an immense boost to the levitation spell I'm casting. Not enough to stop the city from falling. Far from it. But, Celestia willing, maybe I can slow it down just enough..."

"The runes..." Dinky repeated, thinking hard. "Wait, then this was the plan all along?"

"The contingency plan," Dean Script corrected. "The best c-case scenario would've been getting the p-pony who raised the city to safely lower it again, but I think we all knew the chances of that were v-virtually nil."

"That's why you were so vague about the purpose of the runes!" Ditzy realized. "You knew all along that if you let us know you planned to sacrifice yourself, we'd try to talk you out of it."

"And y-yet, here you are anyway," the dean muttered. "Honestly, Ditzy, I've come to expect this sort of b-behavior from your daughter, brash as she is, but you should know better. G-get out from under the city before you're crushed!"

"Are you sure there's no way to get all of us out safely?" Dinky cut in. "None of this mess was your fault! Why should you be the only one who has to pay for what happened? That's not fair!"

"Not fair?" Dean Script asked, focusing on keeping her voice steady to make sure Dinky understood the gravity of her message. "You should know plenty about dealing with unfairness, Dinky. Was it fair that your first year at the Academy was marred by Bright Spark's grudge against you? Was it fair that you were burdened with magic that everypony feared and you could neither understand nor control? Was it fair to any of us to have Equestria's fate suddenly placed on our shoulders these past few weeks? When things are unfair, we do what must be done to overcome them. Without my spell, Canterlot will hit the mountainside with incredible force. Most ponies will be killed on impact, and all the structures will crumble. If I try to keep up the spell while moving myself out of harm's way, I'll lose contact with the runes on the far side, causing the whole thing to tip sideways, which would be even more catastrophic. And I, for one, have no intention to let thousands of innocent civilians perish and watch Equestria's most iconic city be reduced to ruin when all of that can be saved for the price of a single life."

"But the Academy!" Dinky argued. "What will they do without their dean?"

"Find another, as they have for hundreds of years!" Dean Script hollered, glancing up at the ever-approaching underside of Canterlot in a panic. "Now stop this foolishness and go, you two! If you hurry, you can still escape!"

The pair of heroes exchanged a look. Ditzy knew in her heart that the dean was right, and though Dinky clearly didn't want to admit defeat, she could tell in her daughter's expression that she knew it too. The pegasus turned to Dean Script one last time.

"Thank you, Spiral Script," she said solemnly. "Thank you for everything you did for Dinky these past few years, and thank you for everything you're doing now. You once told me you'd do everything in your power to keep Canterlot and all your students safe, and I see you really meant it. We'll make sure the city you love doesn't forget what you did for it."

Dean Script nodded, but didn't respond, as she was focusing every ounce of her energy on the levitation spell. Ditzy looked up, and realized the rocky underside of Canterlot now dominated her entire range of vision.

"We need to go!"

Gravel rained down as Ditzy and Dinky flew together at maximum speed, rushing toward the ever-shrinking space between the lip of the crater and the edge of the descending city. The crater itself grew darker and darker as almost all sunlight was blocked out. Soon, the underside of Canterlot was just a hundred pony lengths above, then fifty, then twenty.

"Dean Script was right! We lingered too long!" Ditzy realized. "We're not gonna make it!"

"Yes we are!" Dinky insisted, suddenly changing course. "Brace yourself, mom!"

"Brace myself for what?"

Dinky zipped into position directly over her. In one fluid motion, the young wraith melted into smoke, then reformed into a unicorn. Now wingless, she dropped straight down, wrapping her forelegs around Ditzy as she did so and pinning her wings to her sides.

"Dinky! What—"

Flash!

Utterly disoriented, Ditzy had no idea what happened. All she knew was that suddenly, she was out in broad sunlight. As she fell through the air, it vaguely occurred to her that they must've been close enough to the edge of the crater for Dinky to teleport the rest of the way.

Half a second later, a violent wave of rushing wind, escaping from below, sent her tumbling through the air and landing roughly in the dry grass. A sound like nothing she'd ever imagined nearly deafened her, an impossibly great, echoing bang of rock on rock that hammered her eardrums and vibrated in her very bones. A cloud of dust half the height of the mountain was kicked into the air as Canterlot landed neatly in the vast indentation that had been left in its absence, and a shudder seemed to run through all of Equestria.

But the dust cleared. The sound faded. The morning sun shined on the towers of Canterlot, and all was still.

Twenty-four hours later...

Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns had one major advantage: it was not technically in Canterlot.

Situated on the other side of the mountain, the empty school hadn't been part of the land swept up by Animosity, and it had completely escaped any damage from Canterlot's fall. The castle wasn't nearly as tall as the one in Canterlot, but it was much, much broader, offering a huge amount of space for the relatively small number of students that typically inhabited it, and since classes had been suspended for the last several weeks, it quickly became the ideal hostel for the displaced citizens of the capital.

Minutes after the city landed, the princesses, freed from their prisons, had emerged from Canterlot castle, in utter disbelief to find their city still standing. Despite months of incarceration on the parts of Celestia and Cadance, they set right to work, organizing a massive effort to temporarily evacuate the city while structural damage was examined and repaired, and of course, getting the wounded into proper medical care.

Now, the Academy was jam-packed with most of Canterlot's population, inhabiting the halls and classrooms while their city was repaired.

Dinky made her way warily down one of the corridors. Despite her normal unicorn form, she received stares from almost everypony she passed. Nopony lashed out though; the princesses had made sure to speak with each and every pony as they first stepped onto Academy grounds that while the news that had spread across Equestria about a wraith walking among them was true, she was not to be feared. Ponies didn't trust wraiths, but they did trust their princesses, and Dinky was grateful for that.

There were bigger things to worry about than the attention of strangers anyway. Dinky trotted into the infirmary for the fourth or fifth time that day. Her own injury had already been treated the day before, as the thick bandages wrapped around her shoulder indicated. Most of the beds in the wing were mercifully empty; Dean's Script's sacrifice really had saved nearly everypony from harm. But one of the few beds that were occupied contained a certain pink filly that Dinky cared about very much.

Dinky spotted Clarity standing next to Honeydew's bed and hurriedly trotted over. "Scuffle finally took a break?" she asked.

"He sat here all night," Clarity replied. "I finally convinced him to go grab a bite in the main hall, but he'll probably be back in a few minutes."

Dinky nodded, watching Honeydew as she twitched in her sleep, rolling over so that her face lost in the long strands of her mane. "Did the nurse have anything new to say about her condition?" she asked finally.

"Only that all her life signs are still stable," Clarity sighed. "She's been moving in her sleep a little more, so hopefully soon she'll—"

She was cut off by a gentle, feminine groan. The two friends' attention snapped to the bed as Honeydew shifted, slowly uncurling her body beneath the sheets, and began to sit up. As consciousness slowly crept into her mind, her demeanor changed. She suddenly gasped and burrowed beneath the sheets, shaking slightly.

"...Honeydew?" Clarity asked as gently as possible.

The quivering stopped. "Cl-Clarity?" the pink filly whispered back from somewhere in the den of bed covers. "Wha... what's going on? A-are we hiding from Animosity?"

"Animosity's gone," Dinky soothed. "You were unconscious, but you're okay. We're at the Academy, and you're in the infirmary."

There was a long, long pause. Honeydew did not emerge from under the sheets. When she finally spoke again, her voice was heavy with confusion.

"...Then why is it so dark?"

Dinky glanced across the room. Early afternoon sunlight streamed in each of the tall windows. "Because you're under the sheets, I guess," she replied uncertainly. "Come out. It's safe, don't worry."

The shape beneath the sheets squirmed all about, and Honeydew finally pulled herself free. She sat fully upright, but the moment she pulled aside her lengthy mane, it became clear that not all was well.

Honeydew had no cuts or bruises. Her fur, while a bit messy, looked healthy. There was no damage to her horn, save for the chip in the back that far pre-dated the Animosity incident, and judging by the bedsheet now dangling in her aura, her magic seemed to be working fine.

But her eyes, previously a pale green like the first Spring growth, were misty and grey. She stared in one direction, her pupils failing to focus on either pony in front of her.

"Still dark," she admitted. "Is it nighttime?"

"Uh... hold that thought, Honeydew," Dinky said nervously.

"N-nurse?" Clarity called. "Something's up. Can you come take a look at Honeydew?"

The Academy nurse hurried over. She took one look at Honeydew's bewildered expression, and her face fell.

"I didn't... want to say anything," the mare admitted. "There was no sense scaring you two over something that might not even happen. But, well..."

Honeydew blinked her cloudy eyes. "What happened?" she asked, scratching her head. "Is... something wrong with me? I can't quite remember what happened after Animosity appeared..."

"Well, when Dinky and Clarity brought you in, you showed signs of very severe magical exhaustion. You'd drained your magical reserves so completely that you overtaxed your body to the point of losing consciousness," the nurse explained somberly. "Magic, as you know, is produced and channeled by a unicorn's nervous system, and converted into usable energy in the horn. In certain very extreme circumstances, when the stores of energy produced by your magic-generating organs have run dry, it's possible to draw out more energy, energy that isn't meant to be expended, and pull it up through your nerves and out your horn. This is, of course, not something that happens accidentally; you'll be met with increasingly extreme pain if you force it."

"So let's assume Honeydew did force it," Dinky pressed, glancing at her meek friend uncertainly. "What... happens then?"

"Well... it varies," the nurse admitted. "If you do that, you're taking energy meant to power your body and forcibly removing it. This can, in severe cases, um... short-circuit parts of the nervous system, which, depending on what metaphorical fuse blows first, could leave the pony in question with loss of feeling in certain body parts, disruption of motor control or magical ability, or even... impairment of senses. I'll have to do a full examination to be sure, but as far as I can tell... it seems the optical structures were the part of her nervous system that took the brunt of the damage. I'm afraid... Honeydew is blind."

Stunned, the bedridden filly held her forehooves up to her face, squinting hard. After several apparently fruitless seconds, she lowered them again, as her breathing slowly grew more frantic.

"I... but..."

The nurse placed a hoof gently on the filly's shoulder. "I'm sorry, dear," she sighed. "I have a few other ponies that need more urgent assistance, and then I'll investigate further. Sit tight, I'll be back."

She hurried away. Honeydew whimpered softly.

"Honeydew, it... it's okay..." Clarity comforted. "Maybe it's not as bad as the nurse thinks. Could you really have used so much magic that you burned out your nerves?"

"I'm trying to remember," Honeydew confessed, rubbing her scalp as her face scrunched up in thought. "I remember Wishing Star turning into Animosity, and then we ran away to place those runes, and then we found Inkwell, and after that..."

She paused, suddenly making a face like somepony had punched her in the gut. Her sightless eyes filled with tears.

"And the attack! And my spell! Oh Celestia, the spell... the spell didn't—"

Honeydew's voice cracked. "No! No!" she cried, falling onto her stomach and bawling into the sheets.

Dinky and Clarity rushed to her side. "Honeydew, calm down, please!" Dinky urged. "I know losing your vision is terrifying, but it's too early to—"

"I don't care about my Celestia-damned vision!" the pink filly screamed, using what Dinky was almost certain was the first cuss word to ever pass her friend's lips. "Don't you get it? I failed! I tried so hard, I used so much magic, but it wasn't enough!"

Clarity stepped back, aghast. "Honeydew, what are you talking about?" she asked desperately.

"The healing spell!" Honeydew wept. "I remember now! I poured everything I had into that spell. I drained all my energy... shorted out my eyes... and it just wasn't enough! I passed out! I failed! I couldn't save Scuffle!"

Dinky and Clarity exchanged a stunned look as Honeydew pressed her face into the bed, grasping at the covers with her hooves and sobbing inconsolably. Dinky opened her mouth to speak.

"But Honeydew—"

A red aura forced her mouth closed. She raised an eyebrow as Clarity leaned over to her.

"Don't just tell her!" the grey filly whispered, grinning. "Go find Scuffle! Let him do it!"

A smirk to match Clarity's quickly spread across Dinky's face as she processed that. She turned and sprinted from the room, almost certain that Honeydew didn't even notice her go.

Gotta find Scuffle as quickly as possible, she thought, once again ignoring the stares of ponies gathered in the halls. He's not gonna leave Honeydew for long, so he should be right around—

She turned a corner a little too fast and smacked right into another pony, bouncing off him and landing on her rear on the rug.

"Jeez, where's the fire, Dinks?"

Dinky looked up into the aqua eyes of Scuffle. He tilted his head slightly in response. Half a hayburger was clutched in his aura.

"You just gonna gawk at me or you gonna tell me why you're running through the castle like a bat outta Tartarus?" he asked finally. "The big crisis is over, Dinks. You can slow down a little."

"I was trying to find you," Dinky replied, getting to her hooves and dusting herself off.

"Well congrats, you did," the colt chuckled. "By the way, your mom's down in the main hall with her friends and Pip. She told me to bring you a snack. Got a couple muffins in my bag for you."

"There's no time for that!" Dinky asserted. "Come on, we have to get to the infirmary. Honeydew's awake!"

The hayburger hit the floor. "Why didn't you just lead with that?" Scuffle cried, already galloping down the hall.

Dinky lit her horn, urgently grabbing Scuffle's tail and yanking him back. The colt glared at her.

"What gives?" he growled.

"There's a few things you need to know first," Dinky said quickly. "Firstly, Honeydew did save your life with a healing spell."

Scuffle's eyes widened. "Then she's gotta be the literal best in the world at that," he finally managed. "Unicorns aren't supposed to be able to fix damage like that."

"You're right, they can't," Dinky agreed. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. Honeydew... drew energy out of herself to keep you alive, which is probably why your aura changed color. It wasn't without consequence to her body. Scuffle... she's gone blind."

Scuffle seemed to wither. He shook his head, his ears lying flat and tail drooping.

"That crazy filly... sh-she didn't have to..."

Dinky grabbed Scuffle by the shoulders and forced him to look up. "I'm not done," she insisted. "Honeydew's in there right now, absolutely beside herself with grief, not because she's lost her sight, but because she thinks you're dead. Clarity and I figured you were the right pony to tell her otherwise."

Despite the depressing news of Honeydew's fate, a hint of a smile appeared on Scuffle's face. "...Yeah," he said finally. "I think I can do that. She'll be relieved that she's got only one tragedy to deal with instead of two."

The pair of ponies peeked into the infirmary. Honeydew's frantic wailing had dissolved into quiet, hopeless sobbing. She'd crumpled the sheets into a wrinkled mass that she clutched between her forelegs as she lay balled-up in a fetal position.

Silently, Scuffle approached, wincing when the filly opened her eyes enough for him to get a glimpse of their hazy grey hue. Nevertheless, he smiled a bit as he sat down on the mattress beside her.

"G-go away, Clarity," Honeydew blubbered. "I don't want your comfort. Scuffle's g-gone, and it's my fault. Just leave me alone."

Scuffle stared at the distraught pony beside him. "I mean, I'm not Clarity, but I can still scram if that's what you want," he said finally.

Honeydew became so utterly still, Dinky would've mistaken her for a life-sized plush toy if she hadn't seen her moving a moment before. She sat up, her face painted with non-comprehension. Painstakingly slowly, she raised a forehoof, reaching helplessly into a world she could not see, until it came to rest on Scuffle's chest.

"S... Scuf...fle?"

She stayed in that position for a moment longer, her useless eyes facing the colt's general location, not daring to believe her ears.

Scuffle smirked. "'Sup Dewey?"

All at once, Honeydew quite literally threw her whole body weight at the pony across from her, knocking them both down. To Dinky's surprise and tremendous amusement, her lips were pressed firmly against his before they even hit the bed.

Scuffle's eyes went comically wide. His gaze flicked to Dinky and Clarity, but only for a second; that was about how long it took him to decide that sometimes there were more important things than keeping up appearances in front of his friends. His eyes slid closed as he wrapped his forelegs tightly around Honeydew, returning her kiss with equal fervor.

"I, uh... think we can let Scuffle take it from here," Clarity whispered, blushing slightly as she slowly backed up a few paces. "We should probably take a little break anyway."

Dinky nodded in agreement, watching Honeydew finally break the kiss and promptly bury her face in the fur on Scuffle's chest, crying once again, but this time not with sorrow. She clung to her coltfriend as if fearing he might dissolve into the aether if she let go. He held her almost as tightly, whispering comforting words to her that Dinky couldn't hear.

With a brief bit of magic, Clarity drew the curtain in front of Honeydew's bed closed. She silently made her way to the exit, and Dinky, unable to contain her smile, followed suit.

The castle was still abuzz with ponies discussing what had happened in Canterlot. Dinky stuck close to Clarity; if she was alone, she knew she'd almost certainly be accosted by ponies wanting to know the truth about her powers and the secret form hidden beneath her lilac coat. For a moment, she considered heading back to the residence towers, the one part of campus that was still reserved only for students, for some peace and quiet, but two familiar voices caught her attention instead.

"We have to find him! I haven't seen him since Canterlot fell. What if something happened to him?"

"We'd have heard about it if he got hurt, 'Bella. I'm sure he's fine."

Inkwell arrived at the top of one of the main stairwells, looking totally normal; the projection of Ophiuchus was nowhere to be seen. Portabella plodded up behind her, looking more than a little agitated, but hope crossed her face when she noticed the two older ponies nearby.

"Clarity!" the cream-colored filly called, rushing over. "Have you seen Top? I can't find him..."

"I haven't, but I know he's not hurt," Clarity assured her. "I've been in the infirmary a lot; he's not there."

To Dinky's surprise, Portabella looked downtrodden. "He's probably just avoiding me then," she sighed. "When we were trapped in Canterlot, we were at each other's throats almost the whole time. I wish I could've kept a level head like Inkwell did, but I just couldn't control myself. He probably hates me now."

"There's no way that's true," Inkwell contended. "You and Top were acting like that because Animosity's power affected your hearts. You're not mad at him anymore, so why would he be mad at you?"

Portabella looked down, her bouncy curls obscuring her sapphire eyes. "I'm... I'm not stupid, Inkwell," she muttered. "Top hangs around with us, but honestly... I think he's just humoring me. I can tell he doesn't like me near as much as I like him. He just puts up with it. Maybe what happened in Canterlot made him realize we're not compatible after all..."

"Cease these asinine utterances this very instant, Portabella," came an unmistakable voice.

Everypony looked up and spotted Top Percentile peering through the bars of a balcony overhead. He hurried down the stairs and joined the other four ponies.

"Top..." Portabella mumbled. "Look, I'm not just sorry for what happened in Canterlot. I'm really sorry for most of this year. I know I'm pushy and over-eager, and I was so caught up in how excited I was to have you around that it took a crisis for me to realize that you were just... along for the ride all this time. If you don't wanna hang out anymore, I understand."

Top raised an eyebrow. "Are you incognizant of the proclamation I enunciated from the veranda?" he asked. "Your hypothesis is both unfounded and fallacious."

Portabella stared at him blankly, a small frown on her face. The scrawny colt sighed, and took a moment to attempt to rephrase.

"Portabella, you're... mistaken. Yes, that's it," he said finally. "It's not you who should apologize for your deportment... excuse me, your behavior. If anything, I should."

Portabella cocked her head. "You? But why? Besides what happened to us in Canterlot, and that doesn't count."

Top levitated a cloth and quickly wiped his thick glasses. "I may be very perspicacious... err, astute... gah, I mean smart," he said finally, "but my social skills are... lacking. I haven't really had any true friends before this year, and certainly not any as... what's the word... deeply caring as you. I'm terribly poor at expressing my sentiments... sorry, my feelings, so I come off as cold, but... I do honestly enjoy, even crave, your company. Inkwell's as well."

Portabella's mouth hung open slightly. "You... you mean it?" she squeaked.

Top smiled hesitantly. "Come on now, would I lie to—"

He paused, considering how to finish his sentence.

"—to... to my fillyfriend?"

Dinky had never heard Top Percentile acknowledge the supposed relationship Portabella had often claimed they were in. Apparently, Portabella hadn't either, since she squealed so loudly that all the surrounding ponies instinctively jumped back, before pulling Top into a spine-crushing hug.

"P-Portabella!" the colt croaked, squirming feebly. "I must urgently entreaty the prompt cessation of your constriction of my respiratory enginery!"

"Gosh I love it when you talk like that," the stocky filly giggled as she released him and nuzzled his cheek. "C'mon Inkwell, let's go back to the student lounge and listen to Top say more sexy foreign things!"

"You two go," Inkwell chuckled, shooing them away with a forehoof. "I'll catch up after I talk to Dinky and Clarity."

Portabella nodded as she trotted away on three legs, using the fourth to clutch her little coltfriend to her side.

"I'm glad they're happy," the pinto filly said as the two of them disappeared down another hallway. "They might seem a little unusual, but they're both great friends."

"I can see that," Dinky chuckled.

"What about you, Inkwell?" Clarity asked. "Have you recovered from everything that happened in Canterlot?"

Inkwell shrugged. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna talked to me in private for over an hour this morning, so that was kind of draining," she admitted. "But I guess since I have the power to change how magic works across all of Equestria on a whim... it's kind of important that everypony's on the same page. It's sorta stressful, knowing what I can do now if I really want to, but Great-grandpa Ophi is helping me cope with it."

"He is?" Clarity asked, her eyebrows raised. "Did you summon him again today?"

Inkwell bit her lip. "Um, I don't actually need to," she admitted uncertainly. "Now that I've discovered my place as his heir, I can, um... hear him in my head. Only when I reach out to him, of course; he respects that I want to just be a normal filly, so he stays dormant, sleeping somewhere deep in my mind. If I call to him though, he answers, so I only have to summon him into Equestria if I need to use his power."

Dinky smiled, stepping forward and placing a hoof on Inkwell's shoulder. "Looks like you and I just became more alike," she pointed out. "Both of us have a power within us that's all but unknown to modern Equestria. I carry Scorpio's influence in my body, and you bear Ophiuchus's ancient power in yours. And you're right; it really can be scary when you have control over magic that not even the princesses can use or fully understand. Using it wisely is a big responsibility."

Inkwell shifted her weight and looked up nervously. "Do you... think I'll be able to handle it, Dinky?" she squeaked.

"After what I saw in Canterlot? I know you will," Dinky replied confidently. "You used your power, and even put yourself in harm's way, for the benefit of your friends and your world. Your heart's as strong as any of ours; I know it won't steer you wrong."

Inkwell beamed. "Well, that and the fact that my patron Zodiac is a little friendlier and more helpful than yours," she giggled.

Dinky smirked. "Yeah, see? You've got Ophiuchus instead of nasty old Scorpio! You'll be fine."

Inkwell turned to Clarity. "Oh, and thank you too, for everything you did this year!" she continued, rearing up to hug the Overseer. "You were always approachable, whenever we needed you, and you did everything you could to keep us safe when things got bad. I'm praying that next year's Overseer is even half the pony you are!"

Clarity wiped her eye, smiling broadly. "That means a lot, Inkwell," she said. "Dinky and I may be graduating soon, but I hope to hear from you next term. Make sure to write and tell me about what an amazing young mage you're turning into, okay? And if you ever need advice, I'm only a dragon-letter away."

Inkwell's smile grew brighter. "I will!" she promised. "But we're not done just yet; there's still the last two weeks of term, and Princess Celestia told me classes are starting up again next week, as soon as Canterlot's residents can go home. It'll be such a relief when things go back to normal!"

"It sure will," Clarity agreed. "Do your best, in the coming weeks and beyond. Dean Script would've wanted to see all her students flourish."

Inkwell nodded. "I'll tell 'Bella and Top to do the same," she promised. "Speaking of which, I should catch up with them. See you at the residence tower later!"

The two older fillies waved as she cantered off. Clarity turned to Dinky once she was gone.

"She may be young, but I think Ophiuchus's power is in the right hooves," she admitted. "That filly's going to grow into a great mare someday."

"Well, she had a great role model," Dinky chuckled, nudging her friend and watching her humbly look away to hide her smile. "What did you expect?"

Evening rolled around. Despite the crowds of citizens mulling about, Dinky and Clarity managed to find space to sit together with Pip and Lucid for dinner in the main hall. By the time they were finished, the sun was beginning to set. Dinky yearned for her bunk in the residence tower; she hadn't slept there in weeks now. First, however, she headed for the infirmary, curious if there had been any change in Honeydew's status.

As she lit her horn to open the door, it was pushed open from the inside instead, and Scuffle stepped out.

"Oh, Dinks, hey," he said, somewhat distractedly.

"Hey," Dinky parroted. "How's Honeydew?"

"Soft," said Scuffle without hesitation.

Dinky blinked slowly. "Soft?"

"Soft," Scuffle repeated. "Have you ever like... hugged her for an extended period? Fur isn't supposed to be that soft. It's crazy."

Dinky stifled a laugh. "I meant how is she doing, lover boy," she clarified, lightly bopping the colt on the nose.

"I-I knew that!" Scuffle insisted, rather unconvincingly. "Uh, the nurse checked her out. No doubt about it; her vision's fried. Totally gone. She's a little down, but not nearly as bad as I thought she might be. I even got her to smile and laugh a few times. I dunno, I think she's just overwhelmed by everything that's going on and the reality hasn't really sunk in yet."

Dinky smirked. "Or she's just in a good mood 'cause she spent all afternoon cozied up with her coltfriend," she goaded, flashing Scuffle a teasing smile. "I mean, if you and her were making out like that when we were standing right there, I can only imagine what happened after Clarity closed the curtain..."

Scuffle's cheeks quickly flushed and he snorted loudly. "Dinks, have I ever told you you're the worst?" he grumbled.

"Several times."

"Good. 'Cause you're the worst. It's an infirmary, not a private suite. Jeez."

As much as Dinky would've loved to fluster the poor colt further, she was interrupted by a commotion somewhere behind her. Two raucous male voices echoed down the corridor.

"The infirmary's this way, sod-for-brains!"

"I know which way it is! We both used to go to this school, you pinhead!"

"Wha... Scorch and Frosty?" Scuffle asked in alarm.

The twins rounded the corner, still arguing. When they spotted Dinky and Scuffle, they stopped. "Move it, Scuff," Frosty ordered.

"What the hay are you two still doing here?" Scuffle asked. "It's not like you're stuck here waiting for Canterlot to be livable. I thought you took the first train home to Fillydelphia!"

"We said move," Scorch commanded, grabbing Scuffle in his aura and pinning him to the wall so he could step by. "We got something to settle with a certain filly."

By the time the colt shook off Scorch's spell, the twins had already barged into the infirmary. Dinky and Scuffle raced in and found the pair of troublemakers heading for Honeydew's bed.

"Yo! You know Dinks can literally kill you two, right?" Scuffle snapped.

"Hold on. Let's see what they want," Dinky muttered. "If they're here for something malicious, we'll intervene."

"It's Scorch and Frosty!" Scuffle hissed. "Why wouldn't it be malicious?"

The twins arrived at Honeydew's bedside. Hearing their hoofsteps, she sat up, focusing her grey eyes on nothing in particular.

"Hello?" she asked softly. "Who's there?"

"Us. We need to chat, kid" Frosty replied, while Scorch grunted in assent.

Honeydew shrank a bit when she recognized the voices. "Oh... Frosty, Scorch, um... how can I help you?" she asked meekly.

"We heard this rumor," Scorch began, "that yesterday in Canterlot, our little bro, being the clumsy oaf that he is, did his best to get himself killed up there."

"And then we heard that you're in here because you went and messed yourself all up, just to save his sorry butt," Frosty continued. "We're always pullin' that little coward out of the jams he gets himself into, but nopony's ever been crazy enough to go an actually hurt themselves for his sake."

"But I guess you're nuts, cause you went and did it anyway, Celestia knows why," Scorch added. "And we got just one thing to say about that."

Honeydew winced. "And.. that is?"

A second passed. Then two.

At the same moment, the twins lit their horns, and Honeydew squeaked in shock as she was magically hoisted into the air and immediately sandwiched between the two brothers, who embraced her as they broke into the loudest, messiest sobbing Dinky had ever seen.

"Honeydew, how can we possibly thank you!?" Frosty wailed. "I don't know what we woulda done if Scuff had gone and died when we weren't even there to protect him!"

"He's a dork, but he's still our lil' bro, y'know?" Scorch blubbered as he hugged her tighter. "You didn't have to do nothin', but you went and lost your eyesight just to keep him breathin'! He's gotta be the luckiest stallion in this whole place if he's got a mare who cares about him that much!"

"So really, we owe you!" Frosty insisted. "What can we do for the pony who saved our brother?"

Honeydew struggled to find her voice. "...Can you... put me down, firstly?" she asked in a tiny voice.

In a flurry of magic, the product of two horns working in tandem, Honeydew's pillow was fluffed and her blankets were straightened. In a second, she was returned gently and carefully to bed."

"So, you're really going to try to repay me? You'll do whatever I ask?" she questioned.

"Anything! Name it!" Scorch promised.

Honeydew took a breath and smiled slightly as she spoke her request.

"Ok, then if you wouldn't mind, boys, can you... please stop bullying Scuffle all the time?"

Dinky turned silently to Scuffle. The colt's jaw dropped.

"If it wasn't for Scuffle, I'm the one who would've died," Honeydew explained. "He's a hero, and a caring companion, and a wonderful coltfriend too, and he never demands to be recognized for any of it. He's fought more than enough without having to fight his own family too. So if you really want to make me happy... maybe stop making him sad?"

The twins looked at each other in surprise, and then at their younger brother, still standing behind them with Dinky, before turning back to Honeydew. "You got it, kid!" Frosty affirmed. "Now that you mention it, I guess Scuff's had his hoof in saving the world at least twice now. Maybe our little bro doesn't need our 'tough love' to act like a real stallion anymore anyway."

Honeydew giggled as the twins, looking quite proud of themselves, marched past Scuffle and Dinky. Frosty gave his younger brother a brief pat on the head as they exited the room.

"D-Dewey..." Scuffle stammered once they were gone. "What... did you really just—"

"Uh huh!" Honeydew confirmed, looking pleased. "You've been at my side for years, helping me through all the scary stuff. So I wanted to sort of return the favor."

Scuffle managed a few more incoherent syllables, but failed to form any words.

"Oh! And Dinky," Honeydew continued, "there's nothing else they can do for me, so the nurse cleared me for release. Would it be too much trouble for you to guide me back to the residence tower? I think I might kind of have trouble getting there on my own."

"Absolutely," Dinky agreed, as the pink filly carefully slid out of bed. "Put a foreleg over my back, we'll go real slowly."

Honeydew did as she was told, but not before leaning over and (after a moment of searching) giving Scuffle a nuzzle and a peck on the cheek. The two fillies made their way out into the hall, leaving the still-stunned colt behind them.

The next day was a Saturday, and the time had come for those who were not students or staff of the Academy to head home. Canterlot was once again structurally sound, and in record time, thanks to the organization of the princesses and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers.

As for Ditzy Doo, she'd had quite enough of Canterlot for a while. After a brief goodbye to Dinky, who still had her final two weeks of school to attend, the four ponies from Equestria Speedy Shipping Services caught a train to Ponyville. Pipsqueak traveled with them, as well as Sparkler and Presto, who tagged along en route back to Trottowa.

"Goodness, it'll be nice to get back to business as usual after that nightmare," Cloudcover sighed, slumping slightly in his seat.

"Gotta admit though, in spite of the danger, it was wicked finding out my own uncle's a spy," Pip chuckled.

Cloudcover shook his head. "My boy, I'm hanging up my secret service hat for good this time; no more covert military operations for this stallion, thank you very much."

"Unfortunately, it seems you'll be forced into retirement at your other job, too," Breeze pointed out. "Equestria Speedy Shipping Services is out of funds. It's already mid-November; our lease on the office space is up at the end of the month, and we've been barely bringing in any profit since the summer. Even if we could scrounge up another month of money, we'd have nothing left for the rest of the upkeep. We stopped Wishing Star... err, Animosity, but I think she took our company down with her."

Ditzy frowned. "Animosity didn't even care that we happened to be the victims," she pointed out. "She was just capitalizing on the hate in the hearts of other ponies. So even though she did the dirty work, the reason we were targeted was because of—"

The door connecting the train cars slid open, and to everyone's surprise, a blue mare with a teal mane stepped into the aisle.

"—C-Cosmic Glow," Ditzy finished.

There was a moment of awkward silence. Glow bit her lip and stepped aside, allowing none other than Princess Luna to step into the car.

"Princess!" Presto piped up, stepping out of his seat to bow before the ruler. "We didn't know you were on board."

"Ah, if it isn't the ponies of the hour," Luna greeted, smiling politely. "I apologize; in all the commotion of the last two days, I haven't had time to give you all my sincerest thanks. My sister's trust in you all was well-placed. I shudder to think what would have become of Equestria without you all and young Dinky and her companions."

"Happy to help!" Watt chirped. "Though, uh, pardon me for wrenching the conversation in an entirely different direction, Princess Luna, but whatcha doing with Cosmo there?"

"I was escorting your... acquaintance here back to Ponyville," Luna explained, casting a disapproving glance at Glow, who continued to stay silent. "Perhaps it's good I found you all here, so you could be informed."

"You're just letting her go?" Breeze asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding hostile while addressing the princess.

"It wasn't my fault!" Glow replied, though the look Luna shot her made her wince. "Not... not all of it, anyway..."

Luna held up a dull, jagged piece of pinkish crystal in her aura. "A crystallized fragment of hatred," she explained. "Animosity was able to use these to cause hatred to override the conscience and reasoning of particularly hateful ponies, even before she grew strong enough that the effect began to spread through Equestria on its own. It seems Cosmic Glow and Bright Spark were both afflicted with these, but it wasn't immediately clear at what point their actions stopped being their own and started being Animosity's. My sister and I have each launched an investigation: she took the mare who once besmirched the name of her fine school, while I looked into the pony who once attempted to sabotage a particularly important social gathering of mine."

Glow winced again.

"However, after hours of careful cross-examination with the use of a powerful lie-detection spell, I have determined that Cosmic Glow's actions before being afflicted with the crystal, while cruel and deplorable, weren't illegal under the current letter of Equestrian law."

"As soon as I learned Wishing Star was responsible for Candyfloss's death, I immediately tried to break our partnership," Glow elaborated. "Unfortunately, by that point... I'd already played right into her trap."

"Though it infuriates me to do so," Luna continued, glaring at the mare beside her, "I do not have any grounds for the imprisonment or further punishment of Cosmic Glow, beyond fines already collected, so I must allow her to go free. She's no true criminal, but merely a sniveling little snake. If there is any grief her actions have caused you that might yet be reversed, please let me know."

"Actually, we were just talking about that," Ditzy admitted. "In order to gain power from Glow's vengeful desires, Animosity joined Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, which was already beginning to struggle once Celestia and Cadance disappeared, and began purposely rejecting assignments or sending out the wrong shippers. We're about to go out of business... unless you can fix that?"

"Done," said Luna without hesitation. "The Canterlot treasury will cover business expenses until the company is deemed fully operational again. This will allow you to focus on reforging client connections, and bringing a replacement staff member up to speed. It's hardly enough thanks for defeating that monstrosity that captured us, but it's a start."

The princess turned to Glow once again. "You're free to go," she said flatly. "If I were you, I would make certain this is the last time you find yourself on my bad side."

With a toss of her starry mane, Luna turned and trotted out of the train car. Glow remained, shifting her weight awkwardly as seven ponies stared back at her.

"I'll just... go..."

Before she could do so, Ditzy rose from her seat and began to trot over. Glow flinched slightly as she approached.

"How's your injury?" the pegasus asked.

"Huh?"

"Your injury," Ditzy repeated. "We fought in Canterlot. I'm pretty sure I broke something."

Glow frowned. "Patched up at Celestia's Academy," she answered, suspicious. "Why do you care?"

"Because I meant it when I said I didn't want to hurt you," Ditzy replied. "I don't like you, sure, but I'm not cruel."

Glow's gaze bored into Ditzy for several seconds. "I figured something out recently," she said suddenly. "Now that I have the hindsight that these dark few months have granted, I guess... you never really were lying, were you?"

That threw Ditzy for a loop. "Lying about what?" she asked.

"About all the competition between us," Glow snapped, as if it was obvious. "Or more accurately, the lack thereof. You weren't actively trying to cost me my job, to keep Breeze from me, to turn Sparkler against me... you were actually just minding your own business, huh?"

"I've been trying to make that clear for years, yes," Ditzy deadpanned.

A faraway look appeared in Glow's eyes. After several seconds, Ditzy waved a hoof in front of her face.

"Glow?"

"...Wow. I messed up," Glow mumbled.

A surprised murmur spread among the ponies still in their seats. Ditzy herself didn't know how to respond; she'd never heard Glow admit to being wrong before.

"Look," Glow grumbled, her frown returning. "I don't like you. You don't like me. We're not compatible ponies, and never were. But apparently I'm barking up the wrong tree. I'm not getting Breeze back, I'm not getting my job back, and believe me, I'm still angry... but taking it out on you isn't going to get me anywhere, because it seems you were never the problem. So... my mistake."

Watt leaned out from his seat. "Boy, Cosmo, if I didn't know better, I'd say that was almost some sort of apology!" he giggled.

"Shut up, Watt," Glow sighed, pushing the stallion out of the aisle.

All eyes remained on the blue unicorn as she began to make her way to the far end of the car, opposite the direction Luna had gone. When she arrived next to Sparkler and Presto's seats, she stopped. Mother and daughter's eyes, both the same deep purple, met for a moment.

"Sparkler," she said, emotionless.

"You confuse me," Sparkler replied, in an equally flat tone. "I've never seen anypony fail so utterly to practice what they preach. You raised me to avoid connecting with anypony at all, and yet all this misery that's befallen you is because you refused to let go of a relationship that ended over twenty years ago. You continued to pursue it, with increasingly ill intent toward everything and everypony that stood in your way. You should be thanking Mrs. Doo; she managed to find a way to save me before I sank as low as you. At least one of us gets to be happy."

Glow's gaze shifted to Presto. "This stallion's your old friend from your school years, then?" she asked. "Is he your coltfriend now?"

"We hadn't told anypony yet, but as of yesterday, yes," Sparkler answered, ignoring Ditzy's quiet squeak of surprise. "When we were reunited after the crisis, we realized we both felt that way.

Glow shrugged. "You run the risk of heartbreak someday, you know," she pointed out, her tone more informative than accusational.

"Maybe so," Sparkler agreed. "But I know now that, as much as that will hurt, ponies can recover and move on. You just chose not to. I'll take the chance of temporary anguish over the promise of permanent, stifling isolation. It's like everything you taught me was backwards; you pressured me to avoid bonding with anypony, while refusing to let your own heart heal from a broken bond. When actually, we both should've been doing the exact opposite all along, and encouraging those bonds to form, and doing what we can to move on when they are broken. Neither strategy is foolproof... but at least the second allows for the possibility of happiness, even if it's mixed with moments of pain. The first just leaves a pony miserable, damaged, and alone, whether or not they ever knew what friendship or love felt like."

Ditzy instinctively inched closer to Breeze, amazed at how much Sparkler's understanding of her own feelings had grown. But the young mare wasn't done, and her next statement was even more amazing.

"You've done a lot of things purely with revenge in mind," Sparkler continued, "but now that I've seen things from multiple perspectives, I realized something else. In spite of everything, I think you really were trying to do what was best for me, at least while I was still in school. You just had a terribly misguided idea of what that was."

Glow finally couldn't keep eye contact anymore. She stepped back, looking away.

"I..."

"I'm ready to move on, to make these decisions my way," Sparkler continued, not to be interrupted. "Things turned out really poorly, but they don't have to stay like that. Not for me, and not even for you. So I want you to know, regardless of what Mrs. Doo and the others might think... I forgive you."

The car went silent, save for the dull rumble of the train below their hooves. After a few moments, Glow looked up again, and lifted a forehoof, briefly indicating Presto.

"I hope... he makes you happy."

Before anypony could say anything further, Cosmic Glow turned and trotted briskly from the train car.

Ditzy and all the others stared, dumbfounded, at Sparkler. The young mare eventually turned away from the door and noticed their gazes.

"W-what?" she stammered. "I just told her the truth! Don't look at me like that."

"My word, I wonder if that actually got through to her," Cloudcover breathed.

"I think it certainly gave her something to think about," Breeze said, still looking to the door as if expecting Glow to return at any moment. "At least now it seems like you're ready to move on, Sparkler, even if she's not."

Presto softly nudged Sparkler and whispered something into her ear. The purple filly bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Not... not quite," she admitted. "There's one more thing to take care of first."

Rising to her hooves, Sparkler stepped carefully down the aisle until she arrived near the front, at the pair of seats where Ditzy and Breeze rested. She slowly sank to her haunches, looking a bit ashamed.

"Sparkler?" Ditzy asked gently.

"Not you," Sparkler grumbled, pointing to the stallion beside her. "Him."

Ditzy backed off slightly. Sparkler didn't look up, but she spoke directly to Breeze.

"It was... unfair of me, to treat you how I did at first," the filly mumbled. "In a way, I was just like mom; I discovered that life had been unkind to me, and I looked for somepony to pin it on. I can see clearly enough why you and mom split up, and honestly, I don't blame you, after how she's acted. And after learning just how low she stooped, I think I can believe that you honestly didn't know I'd ever been born. In the short time I've known you, you've already tried to be a better parent than mom ever did, and I wasn't willing to listen."

Breeze cast a shocked glance at Ditzy. Turning back to Sparkler, he tentatively placed a hoof on her shoulder. The purple filly spoke again.

"Autumn Breeze... um, dad... I'm sorry. Obviously it's much too late to ever really have a normal father-daughter dynamic.
I'm already an adult, living on my own. But even so, going forward... maybe we can be kind of like family is supposed to be?"

Breeze smiled sincerely. "I'd like that, Sparkler," he agreed. "And I think we might see plenty of each other in the future; even though you and I aren't especially well acquainted yet, you've gotten to know Ditzy pretty well. If you're visiting her, you'll probably be seeing me, too."

Sparkler took a slow breath. Although she only responded to Breeze with another nod, Ditzy could tell that she was hugely relieved. Presto trotted to the front of the car as she got back to her hooves.

"See? Told you it'd be fine," he chuckled.

"Congratulations, by the way. Both of you," Ditzy cheered. "I had a feeling you might end up together."

"It's a low-key thing," Sparkler said quickly. "We don't wanna make a big deal of it. We just, uh..."

"...Find a lot of fulfillment in each other's company," Presto finished confidently.

Sparkler smiled that rare smile that Ditzy so loved to see. "Yeah," she confirmed. "But let us figure that out for now. What about you two? Weren't you going to, you know, get married?"

"Oh, that's right!" Ditzy realized. "The shipping company looks like it's gonna make it after all, Dinky is safe, and Equestria is returning to normal. Seems like it's time to start planning the wedding again."

"About time, huh?" Breeze chuckled. "When do you think we should have it?"

Ditzy pondered for a moment. "Oh, I don't know, maybe... in a week?"

Breeze's eyes widened. "A week?" he asked disbelievingly. "We can't put anything too big together in just a week."

"We already did something big last time we tried," Ditzy said with a grin. "'Dunno about you, but personally, I wanna turn my fiancé into a husband before the next big disaster slows us down."

Breeze laughed. "You have a point. You'd better send a letter to Dinky as soon as we get to Ponyville, so she can arrange to come home next weekend."

"I'll write her, Mrs. Doo," Pipsqueak volunteered. "Even for just a small ceremony, you've still got enough on your plate for the next week."

"And Sparkler, Presto," Breeze added, "how do you feel about staying in Ponyville a little longer than expected? We'd love to have you both."

The two unicorns looked at one another. Presto smiled at Sparkler and nodded in assent.

"I think... we're not in a huge hurry to get back anyway," Sparkler chuckled.

"It's finally happening!" Watt cried, vibrating in his seat. "Aw Ditzy, Breeze, somewhere out there in another realm, ol' Dr. Candyfloss is thrilled to see that you made it through all this with your relationship as strong as ever!"

Ditzy looked out the window at the vast blue sky, imagining Dr. Candyfloss resting on a cloud and looking down at her with that mysterious, enigmatic smile of his.

"I'm sure he is, Watt," she agreed, smiling wistfully. "I'm sure he is."

The term resumed at Celestia's Academy. At the urging of the princesses, Professor Morningstar had stepped up to temporarily cover the dean's duties for the final two weeks, but he made it clear that he had no intention of taking the mantle of permanent head of the school. News of Spiral Script's passing left many students feeling morose, but as the professors often reminded them, the last thing Dean Script would've ever wanted would be for magical education to halt on her account.

Dinky, at least, had something to take her mind off the dean. Her mom's second attempt at a wedding was just days away, and she kept the thought in her mind to cheer her up as she prepared for final exams.

On Monday evening, Dinky arrived at the residence tower, inundated with study materials. She stepped into the suite to find Honeydew sprawled out on her bed, humming softly as she slowly moved a few books and pages across her bed with magic, using her forehooves to assure they were right where she wanted them.

"A... B... C..." the pink filly mumbled under her breath.

"Whatcha' up to?" Dinky asked, tossing her bag onto her bunk.

"Reading," replied Honeydew idly.

Dinky raised an eyebrow. "Without any sight?"

Honeydew giggled. "Professor Luster showed me a very easy enchantment I can place on a book that converts all the text to braille," she explained, slowly gliding a hoof over one of the pages. "Of course, that's not helpful until I learn to read braille, but I have to start somewhere, right?"

Dinky beamed. "You're doing a really great job taking this in stride," she complimented. "It's only been three days and you're already finding workarounds for your lost vision.

Honeydew considered that. "I guess I sort of am," she admitted. "I suppose that's because—"

With a red flash and a familiar "pop" of displaced air, Clarity materialized in the center of the room, interrupting the conversation. "Girls, guess what!" she shouted.

Honeydew nearly fell off her bed, startled by the unexpected yell. "W-what? Did something happen?" she squeaked.

"It sure did! Something awesome!" Clarity proclaimed. "The Overseers were just told to inform all the students that, in spite of everything that happened, our end-of-term event isn't cancelled. We're still having the Graduates' Ball!"

Dinky had almost completely forgotten about the ball for the fifth-term students. It had been at the forefront of her mind before her wraith form had been revealed to all the ponies around her, and everything since then had been chaos. She smiled at the thought of attending the party after all.

"Oh, that's right," Honeydew said vaguely. "Do you think Scuffle will want to go?"

Dinky snickered. "I can't think of many things in life Scuffle has wanted more than to go to that ball with you, Honeydew," she pointed out.

"You better write to Pip and tell him to clear his schedule too, Dinky," Clarity pointed out, "because the ball is later this week!"

Her unfinished conversation with Honeydew forgotten, Dinky grabbed a quill and began to pen an invite, elated that her graduating class was getting their proper sendoff after all."

The main hall was reserved for the first through fourth term students, who as always were having their Nightmare Night dance, albeit several weeks after the holiday in question. Clad in a simple but elegant pale yellow gown, Dinky made her way to the subterranean battle magic arena instead, which housed the Graduates' Ball. With Pip at her side, she stepped into the wide room, and looked around in wonder.

After five years of advanced magical education, it took a lot to impress Dinky, but this easily managed to do so. Other than its size, there was effectively no indication that this space was the battle magic arena at all. The stone floor was replaced with a rich purple carpet, and columns and arches reminiscent of Canterlot castle had been constructed around the edges of the room. Lanterns of many different colors, each carved with dramatically detailed images of graceful-looking unicorns, hung in the air, suspended with magic. One end of the room held a number of tables, decorated with ornate tablecloths and set with delicately folded napkins and golden dining-ware. At the other end was a dance floor, decorated with overhead banners in Academy colors. Live musicians played soothing, emotional melodies nearby. Everything seemed to sparkle in an alluring, yet comfortingly familiar way. The very air itself was so heavy with warm, welcoming unicorn magic that Dinky could feel it like a faint heartbeat in her horn.

"This is mad," Pip commented, looking equally stunned. "Every time I think I've seen it all..."

Dinky spotted Clarity at the far end of the room, near the buffet table. She hurried over, with Pip following behind.

Clarity saw them coming and waved. The grey filly wore a shiny, midnight blue dress that took Dinky by surprise. Clarity was generally into the simple and practical; Dinky wasn't aware she even owned something so elegant. Even her mane, usually only reined in by a single barrette, appeared to have been professionally styled.

"Dinky! Pip! Isn't this amazing?" she asked.

"I knew this was a formal party, but I had no idea it would be this refined," Dinky admitted. "They really go all out for the graduating seniors, huh?"

"To put it mildly," Clarity agreed. "Looks like more than half the ponies in our year are here so far. No sign of Scuffle and Honeydew yet though, and I also haven't seen—"

Strummmm~

Clack-a-clack!

Clarity smirked. "Never mind."

Dinky knew exactly what to expect as she turned toward the source of the sound. Tango Trot strode up to the trio, clad in an angelic white suit jacket that seemed to catch the light of the enchanted lanterns above. His date, who Dinky recognized as Seeker, the headstrong duelist from the battle magic semifinals, gave a brief wave of greeting as well.

"Girls, how simply lovely to see you both here tonight," the young stallion greeted, flashing a pearly smile that shone even more than his glossy suit. "When that terrible business in Canterlot was unfolding, I feared none of us would ever see this day. It's absolutely marvelous to gather with my classmates for a happy occasion once again."

"Great to see you too, Tango," Dinky replied.

"And Seeker, too," Clarity added, surprised. "You're Tango's date? Are you two, you know, a thing now?"

Seeker laughed, her green and blue ponytail swinging as she shook her head. "Hardly," she replied. "But I didn't have a date, and Tango's a good guy. Why not, you know?"

"Besides," Tango chuckled, "Seeker makes for good company. She treats me as a fellow student, instead of..."

He trailed off, and discreetly angled his head toward a group of five or six fillies in one corner of the room, who were clearly watching him from afar and giggling amongst themselves. "...like that," he finished flatly. "They're lovely, of course, but I prefer to spend the last big event of our academic career with a friend, rather than a fan."

The group of ponies began to gather some food from the lavish buffet. After a moment, Dinky couldn't help but notice that Seeker's gaze kept moving to her.

"Something up?" she asked uncertainly.

Seeker looked guilty. "Uh... sorry," she apologized. "I know you've probably gotten this a hundred times in the last couple days, but... wow. A wraith, huh?"

Dinky smiled a little guiltily. "Um, yeah," she admitted. "Don't worry. Like the princesses said, it's safe."

"I admit, I had also been meaning to ask," Tango confessed. "So... your other friends, they knew earlier than us, it seems?"

"Me, Honeydew, Scuffle, and Pip here have known since the beginning," Clarity chimed in. "I was actually there when it happened. That was four years ago."

"Feels like yesterday," Pip put in. "Scariest moment of my life. Up until this week, mind."

Tango Trot nodded. "Well, the secret's out, but it seems that hardly means a thing, wouldn't you say?" he asked. "A wraith who rescued the princesses and quite literally saved Equestria is hardly deserving of the public's ire. You may not be a unicorn, but you're as much a student, and friend, as anypony here."

Dinky's awkward grin was replaced with a much warmer smile. "Thanks, Tango. Considering what happened when my secret got revealed, it's a relief to hear ponies say that."

Suddenly, Clarity's head snapped up, and she urgently tugged on the sleeve of Dinky's dress. "Guys, look," she breathed, jabbing a forehoof toward the entryway.

Dinky turned to look in the direction she was pointing, and was immediately dumbstruck for two reasons. The first was because the pony who had just stepped through the great stone doorway was easily one of the most beautiful, eye-catching mares she'd ever seen.

The second was because it was Honeydew.

Honeydew was clad in a bewitching, pastel purple gown that draped perfectly over her flanks, accentuating her already impressive figure. The neckline and the ends of the sleeves were trimmed with bright white silk. Lush, live flowers in an array of colors decorated the trim, as well as the matching band in her hair, which held her mane in an elegant, complex chignon. Her tail was expertly braided, and the familiar silver band adorned with a star sapphire near the end was polished so it glinted in the light. A faint hint, just a touch, of makeup was on her face, only enough to enhance the natural beauty that was already there.

"Blimey. She's mighty bonny tonight," Pip muttered.

The room quieted slightly as many pairs of eyes were drawn to the new arrival. Honeydew took tiny steps, eventually stopping a few paces into the room. Scuffle, wearing a nicely pressed formal jacket and corsage, trotted in behind her, and gently took her hoof in his, leading the blind filly where she needed to go.

"Evening, all!" Scuffle called as the two of them got close. "Hey Dewey, it's Dinks, Clarity, Pip, and Tango."

Honeydew broke into a broad smile, her cloudy eyes not dampening the joy in her expression in the slightest. "Hi everypony," she greeted, carefully stepping forward and hugging each of her friends in turn. "Sorry we're late. It took me a while to walk over, but Scuffle helped a lot."

"Not a problem, my friend," Tango replied, forgoing the usual especially flashy smile in favor of a more average one, as it would be lost on Honeydew anyway. "I hear you've been doing wonderfully all week, despite your condition. I expected nothing less, of course; watching you develop Lifesense this year was proof enough that there aren't many ponies as determined to overcome the odds as you."

Honeydew purred softly at the praise. "Once I get reading and writing down, I'll be working on some new projects," she revealed. "We'll have graduated by then, but maybe I can send you my ideas for review?"

"I'd be quite disappointed if you didn't," Tango replied. "After this year, I can only imagine what you might discover next."

Clarity guided Honeydew over to the buffet to help her load her plate, and Pipsqueak joined them to get his own dinner. Seeker glanced over her shoulder and gave Tango a tap. "Come on, our seats are over there with Hibiscus and her date," she pointed out, as she used a microscopic ice spell to conjure a few ice cubes for her drink.

"Go on ahead, I'll be there in just a moment," Tango replied.

Seeker nodded as she trotted off to the other end of the dining area. Dinky, Scuffle, and Tango remained standing together.

"So..." the Overseer said, looking in Scuffle's direction and not quite meeting his gaze. "I've heard talk that, erm... our dearest Honeydew is your fillyfriend now, hm?"

"That's right," Scuffle replied, a little apprehensively. "What can I say? I guess I was the right pony for her. What of it?"

Tango glanced toward Honeydew, who was putting her dinner together with Clarity's help, before turning back to Scuffle. "There's just one thing I'd like to say on the topic," he admitted.

Scuffle raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...?"

Tango's icy blue eyes met Scuffle's directly. For once, the blue colt didn't have a showy smile on his face.

"Please... make her happy, okay?" he asked softly. "You're the pony who can do it, more so than anypony else. She's been through so much, and even now, is facing new challenges. Such a sweet mare deserves nothing but joy."

That was clearly not what Scuffle had been expecting. He could only blink at Tango, shocked.

"I want to apologize," Tango continued. "I confess, for some time there... I thought I was the obvious match for Honeydew. I only acted how I did because I thought I was, embarrassing as it is to admit... the good guy. The noble stallion saving her from, well, somepony who I thought didn't seem right for her at all. In light of the events of the past month, I see now that I was terribly wrong. I misjudged your care and loyalty. Above all else, I want her to be with a pony that will bring her true happiness, and I understand now that that pony is you. She knew it long before I did. So please... be the partner somepony like her deserves."

Scuffle finally found his voice. "Y-yeah, I can do that," he finally.

Appearing satisfied, Tango gave a nod and turned to go.

"Hey, w-wait!"

The Overseer froze, and slowly turned back around. "Yes?" he asked.

Scuffle smiled, and gave Tango a firm hoofshake. "Listen, I'm just her coltfriend, not her entire world," he pointed out. "The more good pals the better, right? If you really want her to be happy, make sure her treasured friend and research buddy stays in touch, too."

Tango's glowing smile re-emerged. "It's a deal, my friend," he laughed. "Now, I suppose I'd best not keep Seeker waiting. Scuffle, Dinky, have a wonderful evening."

With a lilting melody of acoustic guitar, and a final, echoing clatter of castanets, Tango trotted away.

"See?" said Dinky once he had gone. "Despite your rivalry, he's a good guy."

"If all he's trying to do is look out for Honeydew, he's certainly alright in my book," Scuffle agreed. "C'mon, let's go eat. I'm starved."

The soothing sounds and delicious smells of the Graduates' Ball filled the air. Dinky and her four closest friends sat around their table, having finished dinner and now starting on decadent desserts.

"So, Honeydew, I didn't get a chance to say it before, but you really look great tonight," Dinky complimented. "How did you do it? It must've been really difficult to do your mane when you can't see it. I haven't even seen you put it in that style before, so I know it's not muscle memory."

Honeydew blushed. "Thank you, but it's not my work," she admitted. "Scuffle did my hair and makeup."

"Scuffle did that!?" Clarity sputtered, practically choking on her mouthful of cake. "Wha... how? Since when does he know...?"

Dinky smirked. "Big tough Scuffle is a lot better at grooming than he likes to pretend, Clarity," she said teasingly.

Scuffle snorted loudly. "Sure Dinks, make fun of me for doing something nice for a pony I care about," he shot back. "Yeah, I spent about six hours this afternoon helping Dewey get ready. Lookin' at style magazines and testing out stuff in the mirror with her for ages. And you know what? I had a damn good time, and she looks great. You got a problem with that?"

"Oh, Dinky's just playing," Honeydew soothed, leaning against the colt and smiling contently.

"She's right," Dinky agreed. "Awesome work, Scuffle. I didn't know you had it in you."

Scuffle crossed his forelegs and looked quite proud of himself.

"It's really kind of just hitting me now," Clarity admitted, changing the subject. "This week's basically over. Next week is final exams, then graduation, and that's it. We'll have finished our time at Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns."

Dinky nodded. "It's time for the next chapter of our lives," she replied. "I don't know what's coming next, but I know I don't want to lose contact with any of you."

"We've saved the world together. Twice," Scuffle stated bluntly. "I don't think ponies who go through that together just 'fall out of contact'."

"I have to wonder what's coming next, though," Pipsqueak piped up. "As for me, I thought I was gonna have to start from scratch for a bit there. I did kind of... steal an airship, you know. Kind of a serious offense. Even though it was recovered after Canterlot fell, mostly undamaged save for the tethering ropes, I still was expecting the navy to issue a dishonorable discharge."

"That hardly seems fair," Dinky pouted. "You used it to try to save Equestria. Could they really kick you out for that?"

"The admiral tried," Pip chuckled, "but Celestia overturned that right quick. She made sure my buddy Scoville wasn't in any hot water, either. It'll be a while till the next time I'm on active duty though. I don't quite know yet what I'll do with the next few months."

Dinky shrugged. "Well, don't worry, none of the rest of us know what's gonna happen after our Academy life ends, either," she pointed out. "I'm sure we'll both find something."

"Actually..." Honeydew mumbled, "Scuffle and I... kind of have an announcement."

That caught the other ponies attention. Though she couldn't see, Honeydew appeared to feel their stares. She reddened slightly.

"Scuffle, why don't you tell them?" she squeaked.

"Dewey's parents are presumably still mad about bringing Dinky to their farm," Scuffle pointed out. "Even without us in tow, she's barely welcome there, and now that she can't see, she wouldn't be much help on the farm, either, and her parents certainly don't seem to be fans of offering hospitality for nothing. What's waiting for her back there can't really be considered a home anymore, you know?"

"Right," Clarity replied, nodding somberly. "I hadn't thought about that..."

"But here's the thing," Scuffle continued. "I'm not exactly from the best part of Fillydelphia, so after graduation, I was kinda lookin' to get away from my roots and go somewhere new too. One thing led to another, and uh... well, we've decided to move in together."

Dinky beamed. "Congratulations! That sounds perfect!" she cried. "Any idea where you two will go?"

"Well, obviously we were lookin' for a friendlier town then where we're both from," Scuffle explained. "Big cities are out; we want a smaller, less bustling place for Honeydew to learn to deal with her new disability. And of course, she wants to be close to nature, so her research can continue. Someplace with forests and fields and streams not far away, you know? And Honeydew came up with an idea."

Honeydew giggled softly. "We were thinking maybe... Ponyville?"

Dinky and Pip looked at each other, surprised. "That would be amazing!" Dinky replied. "We'd be able to see you two all the time!"

"We'll get the details ironed out after graduation," Scuffle promised. "Looks like we're gonna be neighbors, Dinks."

"And what about you, Clarity?" Pipsqueak asked. "Any future plans?"

The always-confident Clarity suddenly looked a little sheepish. "Well... I did kind of get some news this week that I haven't shared yet..." she admitted.

"Oh? Do tell," Honeydew prompted.

"Well, as you know, my dad owns a magical special effects company in Whinnychester called Mirage Effects," Clarity reminded them. "Lucid's been the vice president ever since her graduation, but now my dad's retiring, and it turns out he's giving the company to her. I got a letter from her yesterday... asking if I'd like to be her new VP."

There were several gasps. "Whoa, what an opportunity!" Scuffle remarked. "You'd get to work with illusions as a profession! You're gonna do it, right?"

"I'm... thinking about it," Clarity admitted, smiling weakly. "It'd be a big responsibility to pick up so suddenly..."

"The Student Overseer is worried about responsibility?" Dinky chuckled. "You'd be amazing, Clarity. You've got nothing to worry about."

Clarity looked away, smiling shyly. "I guess so, yeah."

The lights began to dim, and the musicians began to play a familiar slow dance melody. "Let's not worry about the future tonight," Clarity said quickly. "C'mon, it's time to dance!"

Pip stood and held out a forehoof to help Dinky to her seat, and the two of them made for the dance floor. Honeydew stayed glued to Scuffle's side as they carefully made their way around any obstacles in Honeydew's path. Clarity, who had chosen not to bring a date, leaned against the wall with a glass of cider in her aura and contently pony-watched.

"Let's take it a step at a time, love," Pip whispered. "I don't think I've ever really gone dancing. Four left hooves, you know."

"Slow dances are easy," Dinky promised, using magic to pull one of Pip's hefty forehooves up over her withers, and placing one of her own on his shoulder. "It'll be fine. Let's just relax and enjoy being together."

Pip nodded earnestly. "There hasn't been near enough of both of those things happening at once lately," he chuckled.

For a time, Dinky was able to focus on nothing but the gentle music and the feeling of Pip's body moving in time with hers. Contented, she rested her head on the opposite shoulder from where her hoof was. Just as she was closing her eyes to drink in the moment, the sound of hushed voices reached her. She swiveled an ear toward the source, and realized Scuffle and Honeydew were talking quietly while they danced together nearby.

"One, two... careful now, got your balance?" Scuffle asked.

"Mhm. As long as I hold onto you, I can do it just fine," Honeydew whispered back. "I trust you. You were always good at this."

"I was?"

Honeydew giggled softly. "Don't you remember? The Nightmare Night dance in our first term. We got picked to lead the dance. I was terrified, and then you... made it okay, somehow. And we were only just becoming good friends back then."

"Right," Scuffle muttered. "And this dance is a lot less terrifying I hope?"

"This dance is perfect," Honeydew cooed, nuzzling Scuffle a little. "I'm having a great night, thanks to you and all my friends."

There was a lapse in the conversation for a few moments. As Dinky watched discreetly through one slightly-open eye, Scuffle spoke up again.

"Honeydew... I don't get it."

Honeydew raised her head to look at him: now a functionally useless, but behaviorally ingrained gesture. "Don't get what?"

"You. This whole week," Scuffle replied, sighing. "There's no good time to bring it up, so I'm just gonna do it now. Dewey, you're the only one of us who came back from the battle with Animosity... y'know, not the same anymore. You can't see a thing, you're having to learn basic skills again, and there's some abilities you'll never be able to reclaim... but it seems like you're the happiest I've ever seen you. Why? I think most ponies would fall into terrible depression if they were robbed of an entire sense."

To Dinky's surprise, and presumably Scuffle's as well, Honeydew giggled a bit more. "Well, that's easy," she answered. "I should be dead. Animosity tried to kill me, and by all accounts she should have succeeded. And then you saved me."

Scuffle looked uncertain. "Well, yeah, I guess blindness is better than death, but I still don't think—"

"After you saved me, one of two things could've happened," Honeydew interrupted. "You could've died of your wounds that night... or I could've expended all my power to save you. Don't you see? Although I didn't know it at the time, I was given a choice. Surviving that night at all meant there were only two outcomes waiting for me: one without sight... and one without you. It was a pretty easy choice. I don't regret it, not even a little bit."

Dinky was certain she'd never seen Scuffle overcome with the kind of raw emotion that spread through him at that moment. Eyes wet and shaking slightly, he stopped moving with the music and pulled Honeydew into an embrace. She hugged back just as tightly. They stayed like that, holding one another, the picture of serenity.

"N-n-nopony's ever valued me like that before..." the colt choked out.

"Well, I do," Honeydew said simply. "Learning to live normally without my sight will be a challenge, but it's worth it... as long as you're there with me."

Their sincerity made Dinky feel appreciative for her own relationship. Happily, she lifted her head off Pip's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek, sighing happily as she felt his wide muzzle press into her neck in return.

"That's enough for now," she whispered to her coltfriend. "Let's go stand with Clarity. Honeydew and Scuffle can join us later."

Pip nodded. Delighted at how close two of her best friends had grown, Dinky left them to enjoy their dance as she and Pip trotted away.

The weekend came. Dinky and Clarity sat aboard the train as it rumbled along between the rolling hills between Canterlot and Ponyville. Honeydew, after much deliberation, had chosen to stay behind and miss the upcoming wedding, so she could adequately prepare for finals, and also have more time to work on her mobility and her braille skills. Scuffle, naturally, volunteered to stay as well, but both ponies had urged Dinky to give her mother the warmest of congratulations for them.

"I can't believe we're finally giving this another go!" Dinky chirped. "It's almost December; last time mom and Breeze tried to get married was over nine months ago, but better late than never, huh?"

"Yup," Clarity mumbled as she directed an unfocused gaze out the window.

Dinky put a foreleg around her friend's shoulders. "C'mon now, what's wrong?" she prompted. "You've been a little... off since right after the Graduates' Ball."

Clarity wrung her forehooves together nervously. "Uh... I've been thinking a lot about Lucid's offer to take me in at Mirage Effects," she admitted, staring at the floor. "And I think... I think I'm gonna say no."

"Really?" Dinky asked, surprised. "Why's that? Illusions are your very favorite type of magic, after all. I thought designing spectacular illusions for use at big, flashy events would be your dream job!"

"It is and it isn't," Clarity confessed. "It sounds fun, sure, but my dad and my sister have already kinda blazed the trail for me."

"Oh, I get it," Dinky cut in. "Is this like when we first started at the Academy? You're worried about living in Lucid's shadow again."

"Not quite," Clarity replied, holding tight to the seat at the train hit a large bump. "It's not that I think I can't be as good as she was, it's just that... Mirage Effects is already her thing. I want to do something that's my thing, instead of just being... uh, Lucid number two."

"Now that I can understand, Clarity," Dinky agreed. "Sound perfectly reasonable to me. So... what is your 'thing' then?"

Clarity smiled sadly. "I... don't know. That's why I've been a little anxious," she sighed. "Maybe I'll find my 'thing', but if I don't... well, I'll really have been a fool for passing up Lucid's opportunity, won't I?"

Dinky pursed her lips. She tried to think of something encouraging to say, but none came to mind.

"...I need to think about it some more," Clarity said finally. "Don't worry about me, Dinky. I'll be alright."

She returned to staring out the window. Silently, Dinky racked her brain, thinking about her friend and all the experiences they'd had together, going back to their first term. Clarity had so many talents besides illusions, but which of those talents was the way to her future?

And then, a thought. No, an idea. Perhaps even an answer to her friend's predicament.

But to convince Clarity of it, she'd have to wait for the right moment.

Hiding her grin, Dinky silently schemed as the train coasted toward Ponyville.

"I gotta admit," Raindrops said pensively, "I wasn't sure if we'd ever be doing this again."

Ditzy sat in front of the body-length mirror as Raindrops flitted around just above her head, carefully styling the mane of the bride-to-be. "We just needed some time to work things out," Ditzy assured her. "Things like... dealing with the presence of Breeze's unexpected adult daughter. And overcoming our differences concerning said daughter. And rescuing Dinky when the whole nation turned against her. And also saving the world I guess."

One of the bobby pins slid out of Raindrops' mouth as she shook her head. "You lead an exciting life these days, Ditzy Doo," she chuckled. "I'll stick with mail delivery, thanks."

Ditzy slid out of the chair and looked herself over. She felt a serious sense of déjà vu; the image that stared back at her in the mirror was almost exactly the same as it had been on Hearts and Hooves day, from the dress to the mane style to the anxious anticipation reflected in her eyes.

"You look great, Ditzy," Raindrops commented. "C'mon, no more waiting around! Get out there and get yourself a husband!"

She was right, Ditzy realized. It was finally time. She stepped out of the bride's room and entered the main room of the town hall. Breeze was waiting not far away, and he was at her side in seconds.

"Ready for this?" the stallion asked, placing his wing across her back.

"Ready?" Ditzy snickered. "I was ready in February. I think we've waited long enough!"

Music began to play, signaling the start of the ceremony, and the two pegasi began to move down the aisle.

The whole scene was very similar to the first wedding, but less grand in almost every way. The decorations weren't nearly as lavish, the musicians were fewer and humbler than before, and the audience gathered for the ceremony was but a fraction of the one from last time.

Ditzy didn't mind in the slightest. If today was meant to be about music, decoration, and throngs of celebrating ponies, she would've taken more than a week to organize the event. But in her mind, today wasn't about those things; it was about the love she felt for the pony right beside her.

The couple arrived at the altar. Mayor Mare met both their gazes for a moment. "Are we... expecting any interruptions this time?" she asked, just loud enough for them to hear.

Breeze shook his head. Mayor Mare smiled and raised her voice to address the crowd.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we come together today to join two of Ponyville's finest residents in the bond of matrimony. Ditzy and Breeze are not only lifelong Ponyville citizens, they are also among the heroes who so recently rescued our princesses and saved Canterlot from a terrible fate. We should all wish these noble ponies nothing but happiness in their future together."

The mayor paused as some of the assembled ponies applauded, before beginning with the wedding rites.

As she stood at the altar, Ditzy spotted the ponies whose attendance she really did treasure in the front row. Watt and Cloudcover watched with proud expressions from one side, while a beaming Dinky sat together with Clarity, Pip, Sparkler, and Presto on the other. Her friends and family were the ponies that really mattered. As long as they were here, then in Ditzy's eyes, this wedding was as grand as any other.

The actual marriage proceedings seemed to take no time at all. Soon, the mayor arrived at the critical part.

"It has come time for your vows, my little ponies," she informed them, glancing at the door one final time to make sure no more neigh-sayers were going to storm in. "Do you, Ditzy Doo, promise to cherish, love, and support this stallion, Autumn Breeze, through good times and bad, as long as you both shall live?"

Ditzy stared into Breeze's emerald eyes. Here, in front of her, was the pony who had shaped his life around her over the past six years. He'd taken her under his wing at Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, and been by her side for every adventure that followed. He'd been there to celebrate every new joy, and in contrast, he'd thrown himself into danger time and time again for both her and Dinky's sake. And she could tell by the way he was looking at her that he'd do it all again, as many times as it took.

Ditzy answered the mayor's question.

"I do."

The mayor repeated the question to Breeze. He responded in the same way, without hesitation.

Mayor mare smiled. "Wonderful," she replied. "Then by the power vested in me by the rulers of our great land of Equestria... I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The crescendo of music grew in time with the upwelling of joy within Ditzy. As cheers erupted from her loved ones seated below, she stepped forward into Breeze's embrace. Their wings and forelegs wrapped around each other as their lips met.

Seventeen years ago, a tragedy had robbed her of a husband, and Dinky of a father. For such a long time, it had seemed she was fated to walk the rest of the path of life alone. Now she understood, though; like the first shoot of green poking through barren soil, love could, and did, bloom anew.

Tears came to Ditzy's eyes as she held her husband close, never wanting to let go. After those seventeen long years, at last, she had a companion to walk that path with her again. Hopefully, one that would stay in stride beside her, all the way to its end.

"This," Clarity declared, "is good cake."

Dinky had to agree, but it was still funny to watch her friend eagerly load up her plate with a fourth slice of wedding cake.

It was after dark, but the wedding reception was still going strong. Dinky sipped her punch and looked on from a distance as various old friends from around Equestria continued to cluster around Ditzy and Breeze, offering their congratulations. She'd been keeping clear of the bigger crowds, particularly when they were composed of ponies she didn't really know; although the princesses had spread the word all across the land, she was still worried there might be an occasional guest who would be a bit put off by the presence of the wraith that had been all over the news a few weeks back. She was determined not to let any drama crop up, not here; this was her mom's special day, after all.

As Dinky scanned the reception, she spotted Sparkler, a bit aloof as usual, standing at the far end. For the first time all day, Presto didn't seem to be with her.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sparkler," she decided.

Clarity nodded as she wiped the icing from her muzzle. "Got it," she said. "I'll stay here and guard the cake."

Dinky chuckled as she left her friend behind for a bit. Sparkler gave her a single, silent nod as she approached.

"Hey."

"Hey," Sparkler repeated, setting aside the plate in her aura still littered with bits of dinner. "Don't mind me. Just waiting for Presto. He went to use the restroom."

"Mind if I hang out with you while you wait?"

"Feel free," the older filly replied.

The two unicorns stood together for a bit, watching the party from a distance. There wasn't much conversation, but Dinky hadn't really expected there to be. Eventually, though, Sparkler spoke up.

"Your mom looks really happy," she commented. "She deserves it, too. I don't know where I'd be now if she hadn't stepped in."

"Your dad looks just as thrilled," Dinky pointed out. "I've known Breeze longer than I've known you. He really is a great pony, you know? Must be where you get it from."

Sparkler smirked. "He's a better pony than me," she admitted. "But, well... I'm working on it. Having actual friends helps. This conversation we're having right now would've been excruciating for me a year ago. Now I'm just kinda... you know, having a chat with an old classmate and friend."

"Actually..." Dinky said slowly. "Friend isn't quite the right word now, is it?"

Sparkler looked at her uncertainly.

"I was giving it some thought," Dinky continued with a growing grin, "and suddenly I realized... my mom married your dad today."

Sparkler seemed to realize what Dinky was getting at. She didn't say it though, so Dinky finished the thought instead.

"Guess we're not just 'old classmates' anymore," she giggled. "Seems like you and I are sisters now, Sparkler. Stepsisters, anyway."

"Ah," Sparkler replied, closing her eyes. "Great. Now I'm related to the pony... no wait, the wraith, who turned my life upside down a couple years ago, and who somehow keeps getting me swept up in all these crazy adventures where the fate of Equestria is at stake."

Dinky bit her lip. But much to her relief, Sparkler's exasperated expression was quickly replaced with a teasing smirk.

"Y'know, for a dark magical entity, you're not half bad," she chuckled. "We got off to a rocky start, but actually... I think I could get used to having you around a little more often... sis."

Dinky beamed, and the smile only grew when Sparkler extended a foreleg, inviting her for a quick, but nonetheless pleasant, hug.

"Aw, look at you two, getting along!" came Presto's voice as the stallion reappeared from a nearby hall.

Sparkler rather quickly shoved Dinky back out of her personal bubble. "Hey Presto," she greeted. "Dinky was just pointing out that we're family now."

"Oh, that's right!" Presto realized. "And how lucky you are, Sparkler. I bet Celestia herself couldn't find a more talented duo than the two of you."

"Did I hear my name?" came an unmistakable voice.

All three ponies looked on in shock as Princess Celestia herself strode into the room, causing an immediate uproar among the reception guests. Sparkler looked at Dinky, bewildered.

"What is she doing here?" she hissed.

Dinky could only shrug, not taking her eyes off the princess.

"Good evening, everypony," Celestia greeted with a warm smile. "Word reached me that there was a wedding ceremony today for two of my subjects, both of whom were pivotal in securing the future of Canterlot just over a week ago. I was in the area on some other business and wanted to stop by to give Ditzy and Breeze my sincerest congratulations."

Dinky managed to spot her mom through the crowd, who looked nothing short of amazed. "Th-thank you, Princess Celestia," the pegasus stuttered.

"I love to see my subjects gathered together for joyous occasions like this one," Celestia continued, "and I really hate to interrupt the festivities, but... well, the business that brought me to Ponyville this evening concerns a few of the ponies in attendance. Could I possibly borrow Dinky Doo, Sparkler, and Presto for just a few minutes?"

"Wha... us?" Dinky stammered.

"Of course, princess," Sparkler replied, much more composed than Dinky was. "Come on you two."

Bewildered, Dinky tailed Sparkler and Presto as the three of them followed the princess away from the reception.

"I'm really sorry about interrupting your night," Celestia apologized again. "I've been dealing with something... troublesome the last few days, and I think you three are the ones to help me resolve the problem."

"Oh? And why us in particular?" Presto asked.

Celestia hesitated as she opened the door, letting in the cold night air. "Well... let's just step outside so you can see for yourselves," she sighed.

Dinky peered between her companions and out the door. In front of the building was Celestia's royal carriage, and waiting in the back seat was an old yellow unicorn with a straight grey mane and a magic-restricting ring on her horn.

Is that...

"Ah," Sparkler said, her upbeat mood completely gone. "Bright Spark."

Bright Spark winced. "Why... why Sparkler! Presto! How, erm, lovely to see you..."

Sparkler and Presto both remained silent. The ex-dean slowly turned her gaze to Celestia.

"Princess, how are these two related to my... situation?" she asked haltingly.

"Two?" Celestia asked. "Your eyes are failing you in your old age. There's another pony behind them, who I think will also want to have a few words with you."

Taking that as her cue, but still unsure exactly why, Dinky wormed her way between the two older ponies and stepped out into the night.

Bright Spark's pupils contracted and she made a somewhat hilarious attempt to scramble out the window of the carriage. "Princess, please!" the old mare begged. "I understand that I've committed a crime, but I beg you, don't throw me to that... that beast!"

Celestia ignored her, and turned to Dinky with a bit of an apologetic smile. "Dinky, I've been investigating Bright Spark's role in recent events over the past week," she explained, chuckling a little. "I've found her to be utterly unable to be convinced that you're a civil citizen of Equestria. It's... actually kind of funny."

"You still trust that vicious thing?" Bright Spark wailed. "Sure, I may have been under the effects of one of Animosity's crystals while I was in Canterlot, but I still remember what I saw there: bricks scorched, trees withered, entire towers blown to smithereens! That creature is—"

"—One of the heroes who put her life on the line for Equestria," Celestia finished loudly. "An upstanding citizen who puts true value in the ponies around her. Not a selfish coward like you."

"A ruse! A sham!" Bright Spark insisted. "Of course a wraith would destroy any competition; they lust for power and dominance, after all. With Animosity gone, she's one step closer to being unrivaled and taking our land by force."

Dinky laughed aloud, and heard her companions suppress a few giggles as well. "Alright, as funny as this is... why is Bright Spark here, princess?" she asked.

"I've been debating what to do with her," Celestia admitted. "Like Cosmic Glow, Bright Spark was crucial to Animosity's rise to power. Unlike Cosmic Glow, however, Bright Spark was willing to become criminally involved in those plans before her actions were controlled by a crystal of hate. When she arrived on Academy grounds, from which she was already banned for life, and conspired with Animosity to reveal your true form to everypony, she was still entirely in control of her actions."

"Wow," Presto put in. "I knew Bright Spark didn't exactly get along with Dinky and Sparkler, but..."

"Anyway, she's been charged with criminal trespassing and deliberate, life-threatening endangerment of other ponies," Celestia pointed out. "You three are some of the ponies whose lives were most directly affected by her over the years, so I felt you should be involved in helping me decide what to do with her."

"These three...?" Bright Spark whimpered. "Err, well... S-Sparkler, first of all, you realize of course that that duel we had in Canterlot recently... I was thoroughly under Animosity's control at that point..."

"Of course," Sparkler said flatly. "All is forgiven for what happened in Canterlot. It's the stuff that happened when I was one of your Overseers that I'm finding hard to ignore. You know, framing Dinky, blackmailing me..."

"I've already served my punishment for that!" the old mare said defensively. "Stripped of my title, thrown from the school... you were there! You remember!"

"Speaking of things we remember from that year," Presto added. "I can't help but remember how much stress you caused Sparkler that year. I don't like watching the ponies close to me get manipulated and forced into hopeless situations, Bright Spark."

Bright Spark helplessly rested her chin on the rim of the carriage window. "That's it then," she mumbled. "Two of you despise me, and the third... well, there's no reasoning with wraiths anyway. Princess, I beg of you, have mercy. Don't throw me to that monster like a piece of meat."

Celestia rolled her eyes. Dinky took a slow step forward.

"You honestly think I'm going to kill you, don't you?" she asked. "You can't even fathom that all the princesses, and the professors, and my friends and loved ones might be right. Do you understand how ludicrous that is? How many logical, well-respected ponies you're going against because you won't let go of your opinion of me?"

As she approached, Bright Spark ducked lower, trying to hide herself in the carriage. With a flash of magic, Dinky yanked the door open, and the elderly mare tumbled out onto the ground. Realizing there was no longer any barrier between then, the ex-dean looked like she was about to cry.

"All I wanted to do was go to school," Dinky said softly. "That's it. Just attend some classes and learn some magic. Nothing I ever did was done as a personal attack against you or what you stood for. But no, you were certain that just because the princesses overturned my rejected application, that meant I was there just to degrade and invalidate you. Then this year, you went on your little crusade to expose the 'monster' you discovered, even though I haven't endangered a single pony."

Bright Spark only whimpered, looking up at Dinky and shaking like a frightened filly as she lay in the road.

"You know something?" Dinky asked. "I don't hate you, Bright Spark. I pity you. You went from respected magical educator, to shamed, but free, citizen, to vengeful criminal, and you could've avoided all of it if you'd just minded your own business and run your school. This all happened because you just can't get it through your head that you might be wrong about me."

Bright Spark covered her face with her hooves. "...Don't hurt me..." she croaked.

"Dinky..." said Celestia gently. "I think I'll make it your call. In light of everything, what would you do with Bright Spark?"

Dinky stared at the pathetic pony lying at her hooves. Her mind was already made up.

"Just... let her go."

"What!?" Sparkler and Presto cried in unison.

"You heard me," said Dinky dully. "Ultimately, despite all her schemes, nopony got hurt. Unlike her, I don't want revenge for what she did. I just want her out of my life. Let her go, and send her to live in some town on the outskirts of the kingdom."

Celestia's horn flashed briefly, and the magic restrictor on Bright Spark's horn detached and fell to the street. The mare looked up at Dinky, absolutely bewildered.

"Y-you—"

"You know why I'm doing this?" Dinky asked. "It's because maybe it'll give you something to think about. Princess Celestia just told a wraith that she was in charge of your fate... and the wraith decided to set you free. Just remember that when you're living... wherever you end up. Now go."

Never taking her eyes off Dinky, Bright Spark slowly rose to her hooves. "I don't... I don't know what sort of cruel trick you're playing..." she stammered.

"It's not a trick!" Dinky insisted, stamping a forehoof. "For crying out loud, I've had enough of this! Enough of you! Go away before I change my mind!"

Bright Spark backed off a pace or two. "False hope. It must be," she muttered under her breath. "She wants to make me drop my guard, so the second I turn my back—"

Dinky angrily directed her body to melt away, becoming nothing more than amorphous smoke that solidified a moment later into her wraith form. She glared at Bright Spark, fangs bared and faux-wings spread.

"Get out of here!"

Bright Spark yelped and bolted, far faster than Dinky ever expected a mare of her age to be able to move. She never slowed down, disappearing a few moments later around the corner at the end of the street.

"At least that made her take the hint," Dinky grumbled as she morphed back to her typical unicorn form.

"Good riddance," Sparkler growled.

"That was surprisingly merciful, Dinky," Presto observed. "I'm not arguing with your decision, but after the hardships she's caused you, you had every right to want her to be imprisoned or something."

Dinky shook her head. "That'll just reinforce to her that she's right," she pointed out. "I want her to spend her few remaining years living with the fact that she might've been wrong after all."

"There's a good chance she's too stubborn to ever admit it, even to herself," Sparkler said, frowning.

Dinky shrugged. "I don't care. Just as long as she's stubborn far away from me. If she ever shows her face around here again, then by all means, lock her up."

Princess Celestia stared into the distance where the unicorn had vanished. "Bright Spark was one of my biggest mistakes," she admitted sadly. "She really did do her job well in her early years as dean, but as time went on... she changed. Her lofty station made her forget that other ponies might have useful insight that differed from hers."

"Dean Script was much better," Dinky said. "But, well... suffice to say, she won't be returning next term."

"No, she won't," Celestia agreed. "It's tragic to lose a pony like her, but life at the Academy must go on. Actually, that brings me to the other reason I stopped by today."

"Something concerning Dean Script?" Presto asked.

"Well, yes and no," Celestia replied. "Like Dinky just said, during her four short years in charge, Spiral Script was a wonderful dean. She cared deeply for her students and for Equestria, to the point of giving her life for Canterlot's sake. Besides that, she was an accomplished mage, well-versed in multiple subjects, and knew how to handle things logically without being unreasonably cold. I have to replace her for next term, and naturally, I want to find a pony who has all of those qualities. A pony who was a master of almost all subjects, besting even their fellow talented peers at the Academy. A pony who has both the reason and the compassion needed to make the right choice in difficult decisions. And most importantly, a pony who takes their responsibility to the ponies who rely on them seriously, doing whatever it takes to ensure both the safety and the academic and social growth of the students there."

"Obviously," Sparkler agreed. "But another Dean Script doesn't come along every day."

A glint appeared in Celestia's eye. "That's true," she agreed, smiling softly. "But one has come along today. And that is why I wanted to ask, Sparkler... if you'd be interested in taking up the mantle of dean of Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns."

Sparkler froze, her eyes locked on the princess. Her lips quivered for a moment as she tried to reply.

"H-huh?"

"I suppose it's a bit of a surprising question," Celestia chuckled. "You're twenty-four, which would make you the youngest dean in the last... oh, 250 years or so, but it's not like it's unprecedented or anything."

"Wait, why me?" Sparkler asked, looking at her friends in search of answers.

"Maybe because you were valedictorian of our year, and have a broader knowledge of magic than anypony I've met?" Presto suggested.

"Or because you, like Dean Script have gone way beyond what was expected of you for ponies like me, even when you didn't like them?" Dinky asked, grinning.

"I've heard nothing but good things from the ponies close to you," Celestia explained. "Perhaps you're still learning, but that can be said of anypony; life is a journey in which we all grow and improve, after all. From what I've seen, Sparkler, you've got the knowledge, the compassion, and the humble sense of duty that I'm looking for. So... what do you say?"

Sparkler sank slowly to her haunches, holding her head in her forehooves as she tried to process what was happening. "What about Presto?" she asked faintly. "We finally found each other again, and if I was dean, I'd have to move to Canterlot, but he works at the University of Trottowa—"

"—which has a satellite campus in Canterlot that it would be very easy to transfer him to, should you both be interested in that option," Celestia finished with a wink.

Presto sat beside his fillyfriend, placing a foreleg around her back. "What do you think?" he asked gently. "Shall we pack up and move to Canterlot?"

"Do it, Sparkler!" Dinky urged, bouncing up and down excitedly. "You'd be perfect for the role, I know you would!"

Sparkler slowly lifted her head away from her hooves. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were full of wonder. She looked, astounded, at the princess towering over her.

"Princess Celestia, I'd... I'd be honored," she stuttered. "I've dreamt of holding even the lowliest of ranks in the Academy's hallowed faculty, but to be its dean... I don't know what to say..."

"Well, you'll have a few months to think of the words," Celestia replied playfully. "The next term starts in March, as always. You've got the winter to prepare for your new office. Though admittedly, you and I have a lot to cover between now and then, while we get you ready."

"We can go right now!" Sparkler cried, springing to her hooves with the energy of a foal on Hearth's Warming. "The reception's nearly over; just give me a moment to say goodbye to my father and Mrs. Doo, and we can be on our way!"

Celestia nodded, and Sparkler turned, practically bounding back to the building. But after a few paces, she stopped abruptly, her hooves skidding on the dirt as she suddenly turned back around. With a little more self control, she hurried over to Dinky.

"Almost forgot to thank you, too," she said. "Dinky... none of this would be happening without you and your mom. You're the one who bust open the cage of isolation I'd locked myself in, and Mrs. Doo is the one who reached in and pulled me out of it when I was too afraid to step out on my own. And after you two helped me find the part of me I buried, Presto cultivated it until it bloomed anew. I owe you everything."

Dinky grinned. "Just pay it forward," she suggested. "Now you can help other ponies flourish just like you did. Hundreds of them, all looking up to their new role model at the Academy. That's what mom wants for you, and that's what I want, too."

"I've said it before," Sparkler said with a smirk, "but wraith or not, you're an unreasonably good pony sometimes, Dinky Doo. And for my sake, and a lot of other ponies as well, I sure am grateful for that."

"Just make sure you tell me about all your new experiences at the Academy, yeah?" Dinky asked.

Sparkler grinned and winked. "Can do, sis. Seeya later."

"Seeya later, Dean Sparkler!"

"Dean Sparkler," Sparkler repeated breathlessly as she and Presto made their way inside. "That's gonna take some getting used to..."

Dinky found herself grinning ear to ear as her new stepsister trotted away, toward an ever-brighter future.

The door to the employee lounge at Equestria Speedy Shipping Services creaked open, and Ditzy Doo quietly stepped in.

After everything that had happened, it was almost unnerving how normal everything looked. A fine layer of dust sat on most surfaces after a few weeks of disuse, but little enough that it could be swept away with a few flicks of the tail. The couches, the meeting table, the employee noticeboard... all was still dutifully in place, waiting to be used again.

"Well, we're back," Breeze said as he stepped in behind his wife. "Yesterday was amazing, but it'll be nice to take comfort in the familiar, too."

Yesterday truly had been amazing. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was joyous, and seeing Sparkler rush in, bursting with energy, to tell the newlyweds of the trust Celestia had placed in her was so heartwarming that it had brought a tear to Ditzy's eye. After a day like that, it seemed a little odd to return to the mundane.

Watt zipped in, spiffing up the room at breakneck speed, and in a few moments, everything was clean. "Ready for action!" he chirped, rearing up to place his forehooves on the table and wagging his tail excitedly.

"So, are we getting right down to business, then?" Cloudcover asked as he followed the other three shippers into the room. "It's Sunday, after all. Princess Luna's covered the immediate expenses; it's alright for us to take a little break."

"I want to start right away," Ditzy said firmly. "The love-struck ponies of Equestria have been without our services for too long. Dr. Candyfloss would want us to get back to it as soon as we can, and we can't open for business until we work out the staffing situation. I guess we'll have to cover the office in shifts again, while we look for a pony to take his place."

"Hopefully one that isn't secretly an incarnation of everything we work to prevent..." Breeze grumbled.

"How can we ever find a pony to take Dr. Candyfloss's place, though?" Watt whined.

Ditzy reached into her saddlebag and retrieved a weathered book. "With this," she announced. "By the time we got the journal of Dr. Candyfloss back from Wishing Star, things were already so much of a mess that we didn't get much time to examine it. There must be some sort of clues in here that can help us figure out how to run the company the right way. The doc wouldn't have left it to us otherwise."

There was a gentle knock at the door to the lounge, which took everypony by surprise. Somepony would've had to walk right past the front desk and up the stairs to reach that door, and considering the company was still closed, she couldn't think of many ponies who would do so.

"Strange. Who's that?" Cloudcover muttered. He pulled open the door, and much to Ditzy's relief, it was just Dinky and Clarity on the other side.

"Oh, hey girls," Ditzy greeted. "I thought you two were getting ready to go back to the Academy. Don't you final exams start tomorrow?"

"The train doesn't leave until tonight," Clarity explained. "We were going to start packing up, but Dinky wanted to drop by here first."

Her brow furrowed. "Though... she hasn't told me why," she added.

Dinky's eyes flashed mischievously. "I just wanted to come talk to the four of you about something," she said, as innocently as possible. "You all need to hire at least one pony to get Equestria Speedy Shipping Services running at full strength again, right?"

"We were just talking about that," Cloudcover admitted, nodding. "Even hiring another matchmaker would do for now, but if we want to reach the level of success we had in the past, we need to replace Dr. Candyfloss."

"Uh-huh," Dinky replied with a suspicious smile. "But that's difficult, since matchmaking special talents are incredibly rare, right?"

Breeze nodded. "You hit the nail on the head, kiddo," he admitted.

Dinky had clearly been trying to conceal her impish grin, but now it spread widely across her face. Triumphantly, she turned and jabbed Clarity's flank with a forehoof, indicating the image of a heart with a keyhole and key.

"So how about somepony who has a talent for seeing the true feelings that ponies keep locked up in their hearts? That sounds just as good."

"Wha... me!?" Clarity laughed. "Come on, get real Dinky. I don't know the first thing about matchmaking."

"Neither did anypony here when they started," Dinky giggled. "Mom, you told me this job isn't about having experience; it's about having the ability to both guide and understand others, working out what's in the heart of both the client and the target pony, so you can find a way to bring them together."

"That... that's a good point," Ditzy stuttered, slowly realizing how much sense Dinky's suggestion made. "Clarity's special talent does seem like it'd be useful on both fronts."

"Wait, are you both serious?" Clarity asked, shaking her head. "Isn't this kind of... out of nowhere?"

"No it's not. I thought of it on the train two days ago," Dinky confessed. "You were wondering what you would do if you turned down Lucid's offer at Mirage Effects. You wanted to do something only you could do, something that could show off your unique talents, not the ones you share with your sister. Why not this?"

"We certainly wouldn't have to fear another betrayal," Cloudcover pointed out. "Wishing Star was a stranger when she arrived, but Clarity has been Dinky's dearest friend for years. I know every one of us here trusts her completely."

"Hold on. Stop. Back up," Clarity demanded. "Breeze, Watt, Cloudcover, you're all actually considering this?"

"A trial run, at least!" Watt replied with an eager nod. "Maybe you'd be real good at it! Can't know for sure unless you try."

"Hypothetically, if I gave it a shot and decide I don't like it... would I be able to back out?" Clarity asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Breeze promised. "None of us are going to try to force you, but Dinky makes a compelling argument; a talent like yours doesn't come along every day, and only a pony with really great insight into the personalities of others would be able to do what Candyfloss used to."

"Hear that?" Dinky asked. "Mom, Breeze, Watt, Cloudcover... they're all willing to at least give you a chance. The only question now is... are you interested?"

Clarity shrank back slightly under the five pairs of expectant eyes. "I... I mean... I never even considered it before. I guess It would be amazing to feel like I was making a difference in ponies' lives..." she admitted, much more quietly than usual. "If I really am good at it, I'd be doing something special, something almost nopony else could do. But, well... I'm not sure. I just wouldn't know where to start."

Ditzy was surprised to see Clarity, one of the most headstrong ponies she knew, looking so uncertain. The pegasus glanced at the old book still sitting on the table nearby and slowly smiled.

"We have something that might be able to help you with that," she said, motioning for the filly to step forward. "Clarity, this is the journal of Dr. Candyfloss. It's not just a record of events. It's a compendium of his theories and philosophies on love and the workings of the hearts of ponies. If there's anywhere in Equestria that might hold some clues for you, it's in these pages. Would you like to take a look?"

With a nudge from Dinky, Clarity slowly walked across the room, glancing uncertainly between Ditzy and the journal.

"Can't hurt, I suppose," she said with a shrug.

Maybe it was because of some remnant of a memory of wielding magic with Ophiuchus's aid, or maybe it was just because of her years-long devotion to Candyfloss, but Ditzy felt a tingle run down her spine as Clarity reached for the book. There was a spark of magic in the air, and though there was no time to voice her thoughts, she knew something was about to happen.

And happen it did.

The very moment Clarity's hoof brushed the cover, the journal surged with silver light. The filly jerked back as if she'd burned herself on a hot stove. Moving on its own, the book flew open, flipping past entry after entry before coming to rest on the first blank page after the Doctor's last writings. Shimmering hornwriting began to fade into view on what was previously empty paper.

"Silver magic..." Cloudcover breathed. "My word... that was Dr. Candyfloss's aura."

Dinky reared up, kicking a forehoof in the air victoriously. "I told you guys that old unicorn must've been an enchanter!" she yelled. "Maybe there were no signs of it in his office, but there's been a spell on that book the whole time!"

"The last entry was the one telling us to 'beware the wishing star'," Breeze interjected. "Are you saying there was a hidden one written after that? And what caused the enchantment to trigger now?"

"The book probably has an answer," Ditzy pointed out. "Clarity, would you mind reading that aloud?"

Clarity slowly recovered from the shock. "S-sure," she answered, picking up the now inert journal. "Let's see..."

Final Entry:

I am ill.

Seriously ill, apparently. It doesn't seem like it as I pen these words, but... well, my visions are clear enough. My magic shows me what is to come whenever it pertains to the status of love in Equestria, whether it is good news or bad.

And I suppose the death of a pony who has spent most of his life as a matchmaker is one such event.

Although the vision of the threat to the hearts of Equestria I mentioned on the previous page is still not clear to me, I know it is coming. And I now know one thing more; my employees will be facing that threat without me.

In a way, I am lucky. Most ponies aren't warned when their demise is just days away. In this case, it is certainly a blessing; it will give me time to make certain the matchmakers of Equestria Speedy Shipping Services know how I would like them to proceed. Though I shall not tell them of my departure, as that would only serve to distract them. It is already clear that my fate is absolute; why give ponies the added stress of awaiting the end with me? I would much rather they focus on my lifelong mission than my personal well being. No, all I need to do is ask them to keep this company and its goals alive when the day comes that I am gone. No need to tell them that the day I speak of is later this week.

Perhaps I should be fearful. After all, the vision of the wishing star predicted many relationships brought to ruin. Friends, lovers, and companions of all kinds across this land are about to be tested like never before, as something or somepony tries to sever the bonds between them.

But I am not afraid. If there is one thing I have learned these many long years, it's that no matter how bleak things become, the magic in our hearts will always prevail. This crisis of the heart will be resolved. It will be overcome.

Speaking on a much smaller scale, Equestria Speedy Shipping Services itself will face its own great new challenge. After all, I have been here for every step of the journey, but now my matchmakers must continue that journey without me. I know the four of them do not feel they can take the helm in my stead, and I fear those who may try may not have intentions as pure as mine. So I've decided to conceal this final entry, until this journal falls into the hooves of a pony who has both the right talents and the strength of heart to successfully carry the mantle I must now lay down.

Ditzy Doo, Autumn Breeze, Cloudcover, Kilowatt Hour, if you ever get a chance to read this... do not cry for me. Although I am not physically present, I will never be gone from this place as long as you continue to nurture the fledgling love growing in the hearts of ponies. And to the pony who will someday take my place... all I can do is thank you for keeping the Magic of the Heart burning bright.

I cannot see the whole future, only the tiniest sliver. I do not know what will come to pass in the coming months, and what hardships those who joined me in my quest will face.

But I am certain of one thing, and it brings me such comfort that I can even march toward death unafraid. Equestria will weather the storm, and Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, borne by new, capable hooves, will live on.

That much I can see... with absolute clarity.

~Candyfloss

The room was silent.

"...Absolute... c-clarity," Clarity repeated, stumbling over the sound of her own name. "But... he... h-how did he—"

Breeze chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think that wording is a coincidence, either," he said. "Dr. Candyfloss was two steps ahead, as usual."

"He wrote this before Wishing Star ever set foot in this building," Watt pointed out. "Forget two steps; Candyfloss was so many steps ahead he'd have been halfway to Canterlot."

Dinky trotted up to Clarity, whose gaze was still fixed on the journal. "Well, there you go," she said, patting her friend on the back. "Even Dr. Candyfloss was on board with this idea. So now there's two options on the table, Clarity: vice president of Mirage Effects... or new manager of Equestria Speedy Shipping Services."

Clarity slowly turned to Ditzy as she closed the book. "Mrs. Doo, am I... really welcome?" she asked. "If I decide to give this a go... all four of you are okay with that?"

"There is one thing we all have in common, Clarity," Ditzy answered. "Each of us trusted Dr. Candyfloss's judgement unconditionally. If even he thinks you may make a good successor, we are absolutely willing to give it a try."

"And I know moving from Whinnychester is a huge distance," Dinky added, grinning, "but if you need a place to stay at first... we did just renovate the cottage last year. There's a spare bedroom now that could use an occupant."

Clarity chewed her lip as she thought it over. "I never really thought about using my special talent this way," she said slowly, "but you know... you all are right. Learning about the different expertise that each of you have as matchmakers, and pairing that up with clients based on their personalities and needs... that might be something I could be really good at. So if everypony's in agreement... then, well, why not! I accept!"

With a smile, Ditzy picked up the journal and passed in to Clarity. "That settles it then," she replied with a decisive nod. "You can start just after you graduate. Welcome to Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, Clarity."

"And welcome to the neighborhood, future resident," Dinky giggled. "Looks like graduation won't be splitting anypony up. You, me, Honeydew, and Scuffle are all going to be living in Ponyville!"

"Three cheers for Dr. Clarity!" Watt trumpeted, jumping up on the table.

"Doctor?" Clarity laughed. "I'm not a doctor, Watt..."

"Neither was Candyfloss!" Watt said with a wink. "And that never stopped him! Now cheer with me!"

"Hip, hip, hooray!"

Just that morning, Ditzy hadn't even imagined that a pony who might be able to fill the void Candyfloss had left would arrive so soon, and she certainly hadn't suspected that it could be her daughter's closest friend. But when it came to Candyfloss and the plans he wove, things just seemed to have a way of working out.

"Hip, hip, hooray!"

Ditzy looked around the room, and for the first time in a very long time, she realized everything was okay. The company was ready to take off again, her husband and other coworkers were all in agreement about what was coming next, Dinky was finally safe and sound, and even Sparkler, though she wasn't here at the moment, was on the fast track to success in both her career and her personal life.

A new chapter was beginning for Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, and maybe, just maybe, this one would be a bit less chaotic than the last.

Beaming, she joined the ponies around her in the cheer.

"Hip, hip, hooray!"

The whistle echoed off the walls of the cavern as the train pulled into the Academy's subterranean station.

"We're back," Dinky announced, stuffing her enchantment textbook into her saddlebag. "Get a lot of studying done on the ride back?"

"Not really," Clarity admitted. "What happened earlier is... kind of distracting. Dr. Candyfloss's journal said his message would only appear for a pony fit to fill his horseshoes. I sure hope he wasn't wrong."

"He's not," Dinky said firmly. "Clarity, you find the best in everypony and bring it out. From our first term, when you were the first of us to consider reaching out to Scuffle, all the way to this term, guiding Inkwell and her friends from their uncertain beginnings to becoming as strong of heart as anypony we know. You know what makes ponies tick, Clarity; mom's company needs a pony like that."

Clarity opened her mouth to reply as the pair of fillies stepped off the train, but the instant their hooves touched the ground, Scuffle galloped over at breakneck speed.

"Dinks! Clarity! Follow me, now!" he shouted.

Dinky blinked. "Just like that? No 'welcome back' or anything?" she asked, smirking.

Scuffle responded by grabbing both fillies in his aqua aura and beginning to drag them along. "I'm not kidding," he insisted. "You have to see this right away. Come on!"

"Alright, alright! Let us walk!" Clarity relented, squirming in the magic's grip.

Scuffle dropped them both and charged out of the station. Dinky had to sprint to keep up. A few seconds later, the trio emerged on the landing high on the cliffside overlooking the castle. Scuffle disappeared in a flash, skipping the long, winding path into the valley entirely, and reappearing far below. The pair of fillies followed suit with teleports of their own.

"Where are we going?" Dinky called as she struggled to keep pace.

"Around the side of the castle, near the forest!" Scuffle shouted back. "You'll see!"

Dinky cantered around one of the Academy's towers, and two ponies came into view, standing in the middle of the open lawn ahead. Even from a distance, it was easy to tell their identities: Honeydew and Professor Chestnut. A familiar glimmering grid of green, Honeydew's Lifesense, shone on the grass.

Scuffle finally ground to a halt. Dinky and Clarity stopped just at the edge of the grid. The moment Dinky's forehoof passed the border of the grid, Honeydew's head turned in her direction, her clouded eyes catching the late afternoon light.

"Dinky! Clarity! Hi!" she called, bounding in the fillies' direction.

"Honeydew, watch it!" Clarity called. "You're gonna run right into—"

To Dinky's surprise, Honeydew slowed and stopped just a pony length or so away, smiling warmly.

"—us?" Clarity finished, surprised. "Honeydew... how'd you know where to stop if you can't see us? Did you just go off sound, or...?"

Scuffle gave his fillyfriend a nudge. "C'mon, tell Dinks and Clarity what you just showed the professor," he urged.

"Tell us what?" Dinky asked.

"Honeydew, it seems, has learned more about the amazing spell she developed," Professor Chestnut explained. "It has even more uses than we originally realized."

"As if she wasn't impressive enough already," Cornelius quipped as he strutted along the brim of the professor's hat.

Honeydew smiled shyly. "Today, when I was practicing Lifesense, I discovered something... surprising," she admitted. "When I cast this spell, it allows my magic to connect with the inherent magic in any life inside the spell grid, remember?"

"Of course," Dinky said with a nod. "That's the whole point of the spell."

Honeydew nodded. "Do you remember when I did my proof-of-concept demonstration for Professor Chestnut?" she asked. "I followed an underground waterway by reading the hydration levels of everything in the grid."

"Yep," Clarity confirmed. "It was a stunning thing to see. What's that got to do with right now though?"

"Well," Honeydew continued, wiggling her slender frame like an excited puppy, "the spell doesn't just let me sense water content, of course. It reads the whole physical status of each organism: things like nutrition and health... and even, um, measurements like height and position, relative to the other life around them."

Dinky nodded slowly. "Okay..."

"The way my mind interprets that information..." Honeydew said slowly, "...I didn't really understand exactly what it was doing until I tried it today. Girls... I can see life. Not with my eyes, of course, but in my mind. The spell provides so much information that my brain builds a mental image of what my magic is 'looking' at."

"Wait!" Clarity gasped. "So that means, if you're outdoors, surrounded by plant life..."

"...I can tell where each and every living thing inside the grid is located!" Honeydew squealed excitedly. "Inside the castle, built of stone and items manufactured by ponies, I'm entirely blind, but out here, surrounded by life... I don't need eyes! I can see with my magic!"

Dinky staggered back a step. "W-what? Like, perfectly?"

Honeydew turned and cantered into the forest. Dinky watched, speechless, as the filly wove between trees and leapt over roots, never missing a step. Whether her eyes were open or closed made no difference. Honeydew began to laugh, obviously overcome with joy as she leapt over rocks and ducked under branches, the Lifesense grid bending around every surface around her.

"Try to picture the world around you, but remove all nonliving things from the view," Professor Chestnut explained as the group watched Honeydew demonstrate. "She can't 'see' rocks or streams with her spell, but she can see the grass around them, so she knows those black 'dead zones' in her mind's eye must be nonliving obstacles. To us, this field ends in a regal castle, but to her, beyond the edge of the grass is a towering wall of pure blackness. Which, from a navigation perspective at least, is just as good."

"Can you believe it?" Scuffle asked. "Lifesense isn't just the outcome of Honeydew's research. It's the tool that can almost give her her old life back!"

Honeydew cantered over, positively beaming. "Maybe I need to re-title my project, professor," she admitted as she affectionately leaned up against Scuffle. "This magic, it's more than just a way to tap into the hearts of the life around me, but a way to experience them all so clearly its almost like I'm looking right at them. This isn't Lifesense; this is Lifesight."

Dinky and Clarity rushed forward, and the two of them, along with Scuffle, pulled their cheerful friend into a group hug. "Honeydew, this is such great news!" Dinky exclaimed. "Even indoors, you'll be able to 'see' other ponies. Maybe it's not quite as good as having your sight, but getting around should be much easier."

"Even so," Professor Chestnut interjected, "there will still be some hurdles for her to clear. Sadly, I doubt she can surround herself with life all the time. And that is why I've got a little something for you that might help..."

Honeydew's ears perked up. "For me?" she asked, clambering out of the group hug and slowly approaching her mentor.

From her hefty bag, Professor Chestnut withdrew an intricately carved wooden staff about the length of Dinky's foreleg. The craftsmanship was incredible; tiny sculptures of leaves, birds, and woodland creatures covered its entire length. Honeydew, naturally, couldn't see what the professor was holding, so it was carefully placed in her hooves. She ran her frog along the carved wood, exploring the bumps and grooves.

"What's this?"

"When the professors learned of your blindness, we all pitched in to create a tool to make things a bit easier for you," Professor Chestnut explained. Most of the time when you're indoors, Lifesight won't be providing enough information for you to get around with ease, so we created this cane for you to scope out your surroundings with, so you can walk safely even when nopony is there to guide you. Professor Luster enchanted it to be quite thoroughly unbreakable, Professor Morningstar placed an illumination spell that allows it to glow in the dark, not for your sake but so other ponies can see you, and Professor Flux even added a simple transformation spell that softens the end when it comes in contact with solid objects, so you aren't constantly jarring yourself when it bumps against things."

Honeydew's sightless eyes widened. "All the professors did that for me?"

"Ah, I haven't even told you about the best part yet," Professor Chestnut chuckled. "If you ever lose your way, or find yourself unable to negotiate your surroundings, just tap the tiny carved bird at the top of the cane with your hoof three times..."

Honeydew did so. With a squawk and a puff of bright green feathers, Cornelius disappeared from the professor's sun hat, and reappeared, looking thoroughly disoriented, perched on Honeydew's horn.

"...and the summoning spell I added will send Cornelius to your aid," the Professor finished, laughing at her tiny companion's glare. "Just tap it three more times to send him back to me."

"Great," Cornelius griped. "Now I get to pop all over Equestria whenever the kid needs me. Wonderful."

Honeydew carefully transferred Cornelius to her forehoof and brought him down to be softly nuzzled. "And I'll keep a bit of birdseed in my bag to make sure you're appropriately rewarded for the trouble," she said sweetly.

Cornelius clacked his beak. "You're not half bad, kid, you know that?" he asked as he fluttered back to the professor's hat. "Better be the good quality stuff though. No fillers and junk."

"Professor, I really don't know what to say..." Honeydew squeaked, running her hoof down the cane again. "You didn't have to take the time to make this..."

"Think nothing of it, really," the professor insisted.

"Well, at least let me repay the favor. I have something for you, too!" Honeydew announced.

Professor Chestnut watched curiously as Honeydew withdrew a tiny glass jar from her bags, which contained a single, glowing orange light. "This is Flicker the wood nymph," she said proudly. "I noticed we didn't learn about wood nymphs in class, and after, um, learning first-hoof how problematic they can be, I thought you might like to have her, so you can teach ponies how to detect and avoid them."

"Oh my," Professor Chestnut breathed, taking the jar in her aura. "These creatures are quite rare, and very difficult to capture. I'll gladly add her to the creatures in my care, dear."

Honeydew giggled. "Hear that Flicker?" she asked. "You get to teach future students all about how to avoid getting possessed by a nymph!"

Flicker unleashed a lengthy string of tiny, high-pitched expletives as Professor Chestnut carefully tucked the jar away.

"Even though we're graduating, I betcha you Honeydew are gonna be keeping in contact for years to come, huh professor?" Scuffle asked.

"As if I'd stop talking with the most dedicated student of Magical Biology I've ever had," Professor Chestnut laughed as she turned to her student again. "So what if you can't see? That won't be stopping you, I'm sure. Lifesight is just the beginning of what you're going to accomplish, Honeydew."

Dinky noticed that although Honeydew's eyes were colorless and dull, her smile shone brighter than it had in years past. She trotted contently over to her friends.

"Want us to walk you back to the tower, Honeydew?" Clarity asked.

"I can get most of the way by myself," Honeydew replied proudly. "When we get there, let me try to get to our suite using the cane, ok?"

"You two go. Dinks and I will catch up in a minute," Scuffle told them.

As Clarity and Honeydew made for the residence towers, and Professor Chestnut returned to the castle, Dinky was left alone with the colt.

"What's up?"

Dinky could see in Scuffle's eyes that the colt had been doing some thinking. "Dinks, you remember what I said to you when we were at Honeydew's farm?" he asked quietly.

"The stuff about how Honeydew needs magic in order to really be who she is?"

"Yup," Scuffle replied. "That's even more true now. Don't get me wrong, I love magic, but if I suddenly had to choose between my sight and my spellcasting... I might've decided to let the magic go. But Honeydew? This is the good outcome for her. If things had gone just a bit differently that night in Canterlot, and she'd lost her ability to use her horn, instead of her ability to see... that would've been the real tragedy. All her passions, all her confidence, all the ways she interacts with the world around her... she needs her magic for that, way more than we do. You'd still be confident, loyal Dinky without your magic, and I'd still be..."

"A lovable oaf?" Dinky joked.

Scuffle smirked. "Well, yeah," he agreed. "But Honeydew? She'd be that weak and listless little thing that drifted through the doors of this academy five years ago. So I'm really glad things turned out how they did. She still has her magic. She still has the thing that gave her the chance to be what she is today."

"Magic played a big part," Dinky agreed. "But don't forget, her closest friend shaped her personality a little, too. She's come out of her shell because of you."

Scuffle blushed, and for once he didn't try to hide it. "Thanks, Dinky," he mumbled, smiling a bit. "Uh, we better go before it gets too dark."

Trotting side by side, the two long-time friends returned to the towers.

Final exams, Dinky discovered, weren't especially stressful when compared to being a fugitive hunted by most of the nation, or saving the capital from a near-unstoppable manifestation of hatred.

The final week of the term was mercifully uneventful, and Dinky passed the majority of her classes with B's or C's, excluding her A in Magical Combat and, naturally, an A+ in Advanced Enchantments. The days flew by, the term concluded, and the younger students returned to their home towns, leaving just the fifth-term ponies behind. In no time at all, it was morning on graduation day.

Throughout the day, the friends and family of the graduating class began to arrive on trains from Canterlot to attend the ceremony. Pipsqueak arrived on the very first one, leaving much of the day for him to spend with Dinky and her classmates.

On that cold late-November morning, the five friends retreated to the hideout beneath the tree, for what Dinky knew would be the very last time.

It was, in a word, peaceful. Clarity sat against the earthen wall, quietly paging through the journal of Dr. Candyfloss. Honeydew hummed softly as she practiced her braille, reading words aloud while Scuffle double-checked and let her know if she was correct. Dinky herself relaxed on her side on a blanket, snuggled against Pip to ward off the late-autumn cold.

"So, this is it," she said finally. "This little hollow has made a great hangout these last few years, huh?"

"Oh, that reminds me," Clarity said, glancing up from her book, "the day before the term ended, I removed the concealing spells and brought Inkwell and her friends down here. Might as well let some new ponies have their own secret hideout, right?"

"That was sweet of you," Dinky commented. "Our time at the Academy's about to end, but the best kind of endings are also new beginnings, if you ask me."

Clarity smiled. "There's a lot of those going around," she pointed out. "Next week, I'll be starting at Equestria Speedy Shipping Services, Scuffle and Honeydew are moving in together... oh, and Sparkler's about to be the new dean. Just a couple of weeks ago, I never would've thought things would turn out so well."

"What about you, Dinks? And Pip? Any plans?" Scuffle asked.

"Believe it or not, I'm fine with things staying just as they are," Pipsqueak admitted. "My next active navy duty starts in the Spring, though I might take a week to go see my buddy Scoville sometime before then. Never would've been able to commandeer that airship without his help."

"And let's be honest, my talents are so... unique that excitement won't stay away for long. It's just not gonna happen," Dinky chuckled. "I'm looking forward to a little vacation. The next big step, whatever it is, can come later. I've got loads of time."

Her smile slowly faded. "...Maybe a little too much time," she mumbled. "Uh, I know we've all been kind of ignoring the subject, but... I think it's pretty clear based on what we know of wraiths like Antares or King Sombra. Scorpio's probably right; I'm going to outlive you all. Not just by a little, either; by hundreds or maybe even thousands of years."

Dinky felt Pip's foreleg wrap around her midsection, pressing her back against him as they lay together. "Well, look at it this way, love," he suggested. "It's not like any time was stolen from us. With any luck, we'll all live out the next sixty or seventy years, just as we would have if you were a unicorn. You'll still get every minute of time with your friends and family that you would've had anyway. You're just getting some... bonus time on the end of that."

Dinky was quiet for a few moments. Slowly, Honeydew closed her book and turned to the young wraith.

"Dinky, are you still worried that dark magic might've damaged your heart?" she asked, as gently as possible.

"Well... I guess not," Dinky replied, once she thought about it. "Animosity did say that the strength of my heart was one of the things preventing her from making you all bend to her will."

"Not to mention the whole thing where we all shared our power so you and your mom could blast her right out of existence," Scuffle snickered. "You couldn't very well destroy Animosity with the power of your heart if you didn't have one, right?"

"But just in case there was still any doubt..." Honeydew interjected. "There's something you need to know. Earlier this year, I think I made a mistake."

Dinky raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"When I tried to use a life connection spell on you earlier this term, I couldn't sense your heart," Honeydew reiterated, sounding slightly ashamed. "I thought maybe that meant you didn't have one anymore. But now that I've learned to interpret that information differently via Lifesight, I realized I wasn't quite correct. Your dark magic is like... interference. It shows up in a life connection spell as something like radio static, blocking out any useful information that may be behind it."

"So what happens when you... tune out that interference?" Dinky asked hesitantly.

Honeydew smiled. "It's actually kind of funny; when I use Lifesight, I see every living thing crystal clear in my mind's eye... except you. You're super blurry," she admitted. "But just because you're blurry doesn't mean you're any less bright. Now that I've figured out how to peer through the veil of darkness around you, I can see and feel your heart, and it's just as vibrant and full of magic as it ever was, or maybe even stronger. Dark magic hasn't dampened or extinguished the magic in your heart, Dinky. Not even a little bit."

Dinky didn't reply for several moments, but anypony looking at her could clearly see the gears turning in her head.

"You know Honeydew, that gives me an idea," she said, as her cordial grin returned. "Because of everything that happened this term, Princess Celestia asked me to say a few words to our class at graduation. And I think I just figured out what I want to talk about."

"Speaking of graduation, we'd better get a move on," Clarity pointed out, rising to her hooves. "The ceremony starts in a few hours. We need to get ready."

As the rest of her friends stood, Dinky felt Pip nuzzle her behind the ear. "Feeling a bit more confident about what's in store for you someday, Dinky?" he whispered.

Dinky nodded. "I have some more to say but, well... you'll see at graduation."

Pip nodded. As the five ponies exited the hideout, Dinky gently coaxed the roots closed over the secret entrance. With a final, fond glance back, she turned away and made for the residence towers.

The conductor raised his baton. Somehow, that small motion quieted the chatter of the audience. The air was still, as if everypony was holding their breath.

Then the conductor brought his baton down, and from the orchestra's instruments came the first notes of a graduation march.

Dinky and her friends, clad in rich purple graduation gowns like the rest of their classmates, slowly processed down the center aisle of the main hall. Dinky watched the golden tassel dangle from the rim of her cap as she followed the line of ponies onto the stage. She glanced to one side, where Clarity gave her an encouraging smile, and then to the other, where Scuffle was carefully guiding Honeydew's every step so she could walk through the indoor environment without tripping or bumping into anything. She took her place between her friends in the lineup, and looked out at the audience.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," Princess Celestia called out, standing at a podium at the head of the group. "Thank you all for coming to show your support for these brilliant young mares and stallions. Please rise and welcome the ponies of the hour, this year's graduating class of Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns!"

The audience rose to stamp their hooves in applause, and Dinky got a good look at those in attendance.

Ponies from all over Equestria had showed up for the ceremony. Parents, siblings, and friends of many of her classmates filled the hall. She spotted Lucid, along with Clarity's mother and father, in the crowd, and even Scorch and Frosty sat quietly in the far corner. As expected, Honeydew's family was not in attendance, but Dinky was pretty sure the only ponies her friend really wanted to be at her graduation were the ones standing right next to her.

As she continued to scan the crowd, she spotted her mom, with her forehooves clasped tightly together and tears in the corners of her eyes, smiling up at her. Breeze, and even Watt and Cloudcover were in the audience as well, and beside them was Pipsqueak, who gave her a wink and a discreet wave.

On the other side of the room, there were two other ponies she hadn't expected to see, but whose presence definitely made sense: Sparkler and Presto. Despite Sparkler's upcoming significance to the future of the school, she had chosen to sit among the crowd rather than anywhere of prominence, but Dinky noticed the young mare was draped in a ceremonial robe almost exactly like the one Dean Script had always worn, and Bright Spark had so often neglected to.

"Normally at this time, I would defer to the dean to welcome the class, but sadly, that will not be possible this year," Celestia continued. "As most of you know, Dean Spiral Script willingly gave her life so Canterlot could avoid disaster. Our whole nation is forever in her debt, and I ask that you remember her, and what she gave freely to spare the lives of others. We've decided to erect a statue of her in her honor, exactly at the center of Canterlot, marking the place where she now sleeps deep beneath the rock."

The graduating class, and much of the audience, bowed their heads for a moment of silence. After a few seconds, Celestia spoke again.

"Dean Script would not want this to be a somber occasion," she reminded the assembly. "She would want to celebrate the unicorns who have successfully mastered some of the most difficult magic there is. When she prepared everything for graduation, apparently during my absence weeks ago, she both signed all the diplomas and penned a letter to be read in case, for any reason, she would be able to attend the ceremony. Let me read that to you now."

Curious, Dinky listened silently as Celestia unfolded the scroll.

My dear students,

If this letter is being read, some circumstance has made it so I cannot be with you today, for the culmination of your studies in magic. But as your dean, I owe you my parting words, and no matter what befalls me or the land we all share, as long as this academy still stands, those words will reach you.

This particular term has been marred by a crisis: namely, the disappearance of Princess Celestia and other princesses as well. I'm sure the circumstances have left many of you nervous or uncertain about what the future may hold.

Take comfort, young unicorns. Equestria has survived many crises before, and will continue to endure. Each year, Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns produces another batch of talented mages, whose knowledge and ability with magic have shaped Equestria into what it is now. Those unicorns' smarts and skills have been a shield, defending us from peril for hundreds of years. Those ponies have build a more prosperous tomorrow, and reinforced the unity that defines Equestrian culture.

Today, those unicorns are all of you.

Though I am not here in person, that must not change the impact of this day. Graduation is not about a stuffy, aging old educator, anyway; it's about you, and the understanding that this ceremony is much more than an ending to your education. It's a beginning; it's the very first step in the great things you will do with what you have learned here. I bid you my congratulations, I wish you well, and I know that, like every year, the unicorns who leave this academy now and go out into the world will only make the future even brighter.

~Dean Spiral Script

"Aww," Clarity whispered, wiping her eye. "Dean Script really did care about all of us like her own foals, didn't she?"

"I want you all to know that Dean Script was very proud of each of you," Celestia continued. "The fact that we've reached this day, and this celebration, means her sacrifice was not wasted. And knowing that, I'm sure she is content. I'd now like to ask all of you to be seated while we hear from a few students."

The class filed down the steps and took their seats in the rows reserved for them in the front of the room. The valedictorian, a pony Dinky had never really gotten to know, took the podium to give his speech.

The young stallion's oration was, in a word, standard. It was a well put together talk, sure, but Dinky found it hard to concentrate on it, knowing what would happen when he was through. She fidgeted nervously, rehearsing in her head one last time.

Ten minutes later, the valedictorian returned to his seat, and Celestia again stepped up to the podium. "Thank you," she said politely. "As is the usual custom, we will now hear from a member of the class who has overcome not just academic challenges, but other hardships as well, with the help of ponies they met at the academy. In light of the events of this year, I think the pony I've selected to say a few words is probably obvious. Please welcome our second student speaker, miss Dinky Doo."

At the mention of Dinky's name, the already quiet hall went utterly silent. She had expected as much. Slowly, she rose from her chair and climbed onto the stage.

"Hi everypony," she greeted as she placed her forehooves on the podium.

There were a few halfhearted waves, that were lost among the sea of nervous stares.

Dinky rolled her eyes. "Okay, look, let's get this part out of the way, because if we don't you're all gonna be too busy thinking about it to listen to anything I'm saying," she declared. "You've all heard the story from the princesses. Some of you have seen it with your own eyes. Yes, the rumors are true. Yes, I am a wraith."

With an effortless pulse of magic, Dinky shed her body and replaced it with her frightening alter-identity, her glowing eyes shining over the ponies in the front. There was a bit of commotion as ponies shifted, perhaps preparing to fight or flee, but when it became clear that Dinky remained standing calmly at the podium, making no aggressive gestures of any kind, most quickly quieted down again.

"There, see?" she asked, flashing a fanged smile. "Just like Princess Celestia said. Nothing to worry about. Though I bet you're wondering what dark magic has to do with friendships overcoming adversity."

Just as casually as the first time, she transformed again. The familiar unicorn that most ponies knew as Dinky Doo once again faced the crowd.

"This year was a little bit more stressful for me than it was for most of my classmates," she continued, chuckling darkly. "My true nature was supposed to be a secret, so when it was forcibly revealed, I was literally run out of the school. The adventure that followed was so harrowing that honestly, I still can't quite believe I'm standing here in one piece talking to you today. But I'm not here to talk about the action and danger; I'm here to talk about what I learned from it."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "For a while there, nopony was as scared of the creature that I've become as, well, me," she revealed. "Having powers thrust upon you, especially ones that are feared by ponies everywhere, is overwhelming. Couple that with the fact that it was believed until recently that wraiths are always evil, and that dark magic itself is so corrupting that even the most moral of ponies can't stand up to it. Believe me, I didn't want any of that! I didn't want the stigma that my powers carried, and I worried every day that one day the darkness would finally erode my conscience away, and I'd be just as wicked as the wraiths of ancient history. I grappled with that for months, afraid of what I might become if darkness was really swallowing up my heart."

"Then, disaster. I suddenly lost control of my powers in front of everypony. I learned later that ex-dean Bright Spark and ex-counselor Wishing Star were behind that, but at the time, I thought I'd reached the moment where the darkness had won. As I was chased away from the academy that day... I felt like I might've deserved it."

There were a few ashamed mumbles from some of her classmates below. She ignored them and continued.

"But you know what happened then? My friends came to my aid, even though it put them at great risk. My family scoured the country to find me before I found myself in harm's way. And after Canterlot was captured, some ponies even turned to me, trusted me, to use my abilities to help in rescuing the capital. And you know what? I was grateful for each and every one of them. I wanted to thank and appreciate those ponies for what they'd done for me, and I wanted to pay it forward and help the ponies who needed me, too. And it started to occur to me that, if I didn't have a heart anymore, then that really didn't make much sense."

"A lot happened to me when I was in Canterlot. I felt despair, believing I had lost a friend to senseless violence. I felt rage, furious at the entity who had so little regard for the lives of ponies. I felt hope and joy when ponies rushed to my rescue as well, and a deep sense of gratitude when I spoke to Dean Script for the last time. Canterlot is still standing today not because of a pony, or a wraith, or any sort of creature, acting alone. It's still standing because of the bonds of the heart that bring Equestria's citizens together. Because of teamwork, and trust, and selflessness. Because love and friendship can overcome any obstacle. And when I realized that, I knew it could overcome the influence of dark magic as well."

Glancing below, Dinky noticed the bright smiles of her closest friends. She mirrored them with one of her own as she brought her speech to its conclusion.

"Today, we are graduating from the greatest academy of magic in all the land. But although we're now seasoned enchanters, or brilliant illusionists, or master duelists, or whatever field has captured your interest these last five years, we have to remember that the greatest magic in Equestria is the one we already had within us before we ever stepped through these doors. The Magic of the Heart is the most powerful magic in Equestria, and the best part about it is that it burns bright in each and every one of us, whether you're a pegasus, a unicorn, an earth pony, a changeling... or even a wraith. Of all the lessons I learned here, I think that one is the most important, and I hope you do too. Because if we hone our skills with that magic... I know we, not just as a class, but as a kingdom, and as a whole race, can accomplish absolutely anything."

Dinky stepped down from the podium, and was surprised to hear the gathered crowd break into thunderous applause. A little self-conscious, she humbly returned to her seat. The noise only died down when Princess Celestia raised a forehoof to quiet it.

"Thank you, Dinky. That was wonderful," she said, nodding in approval. "And now, the crowning moment has come at last. It's time for our students to come to the stage and receive their diplomas!"

The orchestra began to play once again, and one by one, the students strode up the steps to receive the ornate scrolls from Princess Celestia. When Dinky's turn finally came, she accepted the scroll with a gracious nod, and slowly and reverently unfurled it, gazing in wonder at the golden print within.

"We did it!" Clarity whispered, overcome with emotion as she stared at her diploma. "Dinky, we really did it!"

When the last diploma was handed out, Celestia turned to the audience, and spoke in a commanding voice.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, I am honored to present to you this year's graduates of Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns!"

Two-hundred horns lit in unison, and two-hundred graduation caps were hurled high toward the vaulted ceiling as cheering erupted from graduates and loved ones alike. Out of the corner of her eye, Dinky spotted Honeydew stealing a quick kiss from Scuffle amid the commotion.

"Go forth now, all of you," Celestia said, grandly gesturing to the great front doors, "and show the world the talents you have honed within these walls."

Dinky marched outside, surrounded by her friends and all the other graduates still laughing and cheering and carrying on.

"What you said up there is true, Dinks!" Scuffle called, throwing a foreleg around Dinky in a congratulatory hug. "Scorpio may be right about your lifespan, but she's wrong about your heart!"

"You may be in for a long and eventful life, but with a heart like yours, think of all the good you can do in that time!" Honeydew sang, bouncing over and nuzzling Dinky joyfully.

"And someday, all those years later, when your time is up, that heart will be just as strong as ever!" Clarity assured her, as her most treasured friend leaned up against her. "And that means, when that distant day arrives... we'll all be just on the other side, waiting for you. Every one of us."

"I know you will," Dinky replied, wiping away a happy tear as she watched the horns of students all around her come alive with a whole rainbow of unique colors. "Friends like you come once in a lifetime. Even a lifetime like mine. It's easy to see our bond will hold strong, even across time and across realms, 'cause lucky for us... it's made of the most powerful magic there is."

The friends gathered into a group embrace, watching as unicorns all around them launched spells into the sky. Magnificent fireworks lit up the night, illuminating the way to a future full of new adventures.

And Dinky's heart, she now knew, would shine bright through each and every one.