//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Hocus Pocus // by Pegasus Rescue Brigade //------------------------------// Dinky made her way up the numerous staircases in the residence tower, oblivious to the fillies talking and laughing in the dorms she passed as she reflected on everything that had happened that day. She trotted into her room and was startled as Clarity immediately leapt forward, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You’re back!” she announced, clearly delighted. She glanced back at Honeydew smugly. “See, Honeydew? I told you she was fine. You can stop worrying that Scuffle mortally wounded her now.” Honeydew breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on her bed. “I’m glad you’re safe, Dinky,” she said breathlessly. Clarity turned back to Dinky and removed her hooves from her friend’s shoulders. “Well?” the grey filly asked eagerly. “What happened? Did you get in trouble?” “Detention,” said Dinky bluntly, her tail drooping slightly. “It could have been worse, I guess. Honestly, it’s not the detention that I’m worried about right now…” “Oh, right, the duel!” Clarity exclaimed. “How do you think Scuffle learned to use that gravity manipulation spell?” Dinky blinked. “That’s not what I was going to say, but that’s a good question,” she admitted. “My tutor told me something about gravity spells a few months ago. They’re not horribly complicated, at least as I understand it, but they’re probably above our level.” “What’s even stranger is that Scuffle could hardly even conjure a proper fireball,” Clarity added, “so I wasn’t expecting him to succeed. That spell really came out of nowhere.” Dinky rubbed her bruised underside and winced. “I noticed.” “Oh, you did get hurt?” asked Honeydew from her position on the bed, her eyes full of concern. “It’s nothing, Honeydew,” Dinky assured her. “I’m gonna be a little sore for a couple days, but at least nothing’s broken.” Honeydew stuck out her tongue. “You still got hurt though,” she grumbled. “Scuffle seems to prefer to settle all matters with aggression. He’s nothing but bad news.” “Actually,” said Dinky, smiling, “at least one good thing came out of all this.” Her horn lit up and her magic unfastened her saddlebag, and an all-too-familiar book floated out. Clarity gasped. She and Honeydew ogled the book as if Dinky had just pulled a long-lost treasure out of her bag. “You got it back!?” the grey filly asked. “But how? I don’t think anypony can really say you ‘won’ your duel with Scuffle.” Dinky shrugged. “Actually, he gave it back to me while Sparkler was telling the dean what we’d been up to. He said something about how the magic in it was for little foals, and it wasn’t even worth holding on to.” She flipped aimlessly through the guidebook. “He has a point, I guess. The stuff in here is pretty basic, but I still find it useful now and then.” Clarity rubbed her chin. “Why would he give it back, though?” she asked thoughtfully. “I thought he took it from you just for the sake of taking it, not because he actually intended to use it.” Again, Dinky shrugged. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it,” she admitted. “That does seem unlike Scuffle.” “You don’t think he suddenly felt bad about taking it, do you?” Clarity asked. Dinky snorted. “Him? Nah. If anything, maybe has was just impressed that I actually stood up to him, and decided to give me a little prize for entertaining him.” “The more important question is,” Honeydew cut in, “do you think he’ll leave us alone now?” “It’s hard to tell,” Clarity answered. “Dinky didn’t beat him in the duel, so he might still think we’re just weaklings. Heck, some of the other colts avoid him whenever they can; I think it might take more than what Dinky did tonight to make him take us seriously.” Honeydew rolled onto her back and said nothing, but her expression betrayed her exasperation. “Anyway, Scuffle’s not who I wanted to talk about,” said Dinky urgently. “The real shock was what the dean said.” Clarity’s ears perked up. “Oh? What happened with the dean?” “She… doesn’t like me, I think,” Dinky admitted, shrugging absently. “She told Scuffle and I that we had both made poor first impressions, and that she already had reasons to keep an eye on both of us. She kind of expected Scuffle to misbehave, because of his brothers and all, but I couldn’t figure out why she was biased against me until right before I left.” Dinky’s gaze fell. “She thinks I’m under-qualified to study here. The Princess gave me permission, but I guess the dean thinks I might not have learned enough in those few months.” Clarity chuckled. “Well, coming from the filly who sometimes forgets to use magic to open doors…” Dinky stamped a hoof. “It’s not funny!” she insisted, sounding angry but looking more along the lines of worried. “What if… what if she’s right?” Clarity’s teasing smirk melted away instantly. “Don’t say that!” she commanded, wrapping a comforting foreleg around Dinky’s neck. “We both know you have plenty of talent. You’re just not used to using magic for all your everyday activities yet.” “You haven’t had any trouble with classes so far,” Honeydew added, hopping down from her bed. “Once I showed you how, you had no trouble opening those flowers in Magical Biology.” “Yeah, and most first-term students don’t know those awesome defensive spells you used in the duel!” Clarity pointed out, her excitement building. “There’s no way you’re under-qualified!” Dinky managed a smile. “Well, I can’t feel too bad about myself with you two supporting me, can I?” “That’s the spirit!” Clarity laughed, pulling both her friends into a group hug. “We’re not gonna let Scuffle or the dean get us down! The three of us are a team, and we’re going to have a great year! Right?” “Right!” Dinky said, empowered by her friend’s boundless optimism. “Right,” Honeydew echoed, somewhat more softly, but still forcefully when compared to her usual tone. “Good,” said Clarity, breaking the friends’ huddle. “Now, let’s hit the hay. I’m beat.” Dinky laughed and trotted to her bunk. Her friend shut off the light, and the three fillies, exhausted from their eventful day, quickly fell fast asleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Dinky!” The whisper was almost completely inaudible, yet somehow still full of urgency. Honeydew seemed to have a talent for that. Dinky strained to open her tired eyes. She rolled over and tried to focus on the pony standing at her bedside, despite the dim light. Her sleep-addled mind almost failed to recognize Honeydew, since the pink filly hadn’t yet had time to put her mane back into its usual style. Dinky realized Honeydew’s hair was usually very tightly tied; without the buns in her mane or braid in her tail, it was clear that she had enough hair to give even Clarity’s shaggy mane a run for its money. “What’s wrong, Honeydew?” Dinky moaned. “It’s so early…” “Your detention is at six in the morning, isn’t it?” Honeydew asked. “That’s in half an hour. You’d better get up.” Dinky rubbed her eyes and staggered out of bed, knocking over a suitcase with a loud thump. Clarity stirred at the sound, but she simply shifted position and continued her muffled snoring. “Clarity sleeps like a rock,” Honeydew observed. Dinky had to hold a hoof to her snout to prevent herself from giggling too loudly. Both fillies walked to the panoramic window and looked out over the grounds. The sky was mottled with oranges and pinks, as the sun was just about to appear over the horizon. “So you always get up at sunrise?” Dinky asked. Honeydew nodded. “Early morning is a good time to work the fields, before it gets too hot. We always woke up around this time at home.” “Well, it’s really pretty, I’ll give it that,” Dinky observed. Honeydew cleared her throat. “It is, but… you don’t really have time to dawdle, Dinky. You don’t want to miss detention and wind up in more trouble, do you?” “Oh. Right.” Dinky washed up, brushed her mane, and tossed her saddlebag over her back. It really didn’t do as much as she’d hoped to hide the fact that she was still terribly tired. “Alright. Bye Honeydew,” she said softly. “Good luck,” the shy filly replied as she began to tie up her mane. “Watch out for Scuffle.” Dinky nodded. “Bye Clarity,” she called, a little more loudly. Clarity mumbled something unintelligible and continued sleeping. Dinky grinned and trotted out of the dorm. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The castle was very quiet in the early morning. Dinky’s hoofsteps were muffled by the carpet as she headed toward the assigned room where she would serve her detention. Apparently, it was to be held in a small classroom on the second floor usually used to teach a high-level elective subject called “Energy Transfer Thermodynamics of Unicorn Magic”. Dinky had heard the class mentioned in passing earlier in the week. She asked Sparkler what it was, to which the older unicorn had bluntly replied, “Math.” Dinky rounded a corner and approached the room, but stopped and frowned as Scuffle appeared from the other direction. He caught sight of her and grinned evilly. “Aw, hey, Dinky Doofus,” he chided. “Ready for detention?” Dinky rolled her eyes. “Cute insult,” she replied. “I bet you were up all night thinking of that one.” Scuffle raised an eyebrow at Dinky’s comment. “I’d watch it if I were you,” he said. “Professor Lumen, the Magic Thermodynamics teacher, is in charge of detention today. The guy looks like he’s a couple centuries old; there’s no way he’ll notice if anypony happens to… misbehave a little.” Dinky peered into the room. Just as Scuffle had said, an elderly stallion sat at the desk. His coat was white, and his scraggly bluish mane had mostly given way to grey. Bushy eyebrows almost obscured his eyes. “He looks a lot like Professor Flux…” Dinky observed. “Well, duh,” Scuffle mumbled. “He’s Flux’s father, dimwit.” The colt snickered. “Dimwit Doo. Man, your name is so easy to turn into an insult!” For an instant, Dinky considered giving Scuffle a swift buck in the ribs. Rather than sink to his level, she simply walked past him and seated herself at one of the desks. The colt followed, planting himself nearer to her than she would have liked, considering there were only about six students in the room. Professor Lumen cleared his throat, brushed his mane out of his eyes, and slowly stood up. “This is detention,” he said curtly. “According to the note the dean sent me, all of you are here for fighting-related incidents. So everypony can go ahead and take out a sheet of paper and write ‘I will not pick fights’ over and over for the next two hours.” The elderly pony yawned and staggered back to his chair. “Oh, and no talking,” he added as he slouched into the seat. Dinky sighed, levitated a quill and a piece of paper out of her saddlebag, and began scribbling the sentence over and over again. The room was almost silent, except for the sound of a few other quills doing the same. Dinky glanced at the professor, but his bushy eyebrows and slumped position made it impossible to tell if he was paying attention. After a few moments, she chanced staring at him for a longer time, but he didn’t respond. A crumpled piece of paper, thrown from somewhere, landed on the corner of Dinky’s desk. She immediately glanced at Scuffle. The colt seemed to be minding his own business, but Dinky could tell he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. Cautiously, Dinky unfolded the wadded paper and smoothed it with a hoof. Two words were written on it in large, messy hoofwriting. Brace yourself. Dinky had barely processed the meaning of the note when her head suddenly dropped to the desk. She managed to resist the unseen force just enough to prevent a painful collision with the wooden surface, but she couldn’t lift her head back to its normal position. She turned and glared at Scuffle, whose wily grin was just as much evidence as the slate blue magic surrounding his horn that she was once again under the effects of his gravity spell. A few of the other students looked on with casual interest, but kept quiet. Dinky instinctively readied a counterspell, but stopped an instant before casting it. After all, the magic cancelling wave was a huge, bright, and obvious display. Scuffle might be able to get away with a bit of silent gravity manipulation, but she’d surely be caught if she tried to use a spell to deactivate it. Grumbling, Dinky placed her front hooves against her desk and forced herself upright. She struggled against the pressure of the colt’s spell for a few seconds and realized it was basically impossible to lift her quill with a hoof, as she needed both of them just to keep herself from falling back to the desk. Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any to start learning to use a quill with magic. A familiar golden glow surrounded Dinky’s horn, and she lifted her quill and cautiously lowered the tip toward the paper. I… will… not… pick… fights. Dinky stared at the “sentence” on the page. Or, perhaps more accurately, the illegible scrawl that was supposed to be a sentence. She gritted her teeth; the magical force Scuffle was applying to her wasn’t making it any easier to concentrate. This can’t possibly go on for too long, she thought to herself. Professor Lumen will look up eventually to make sure everypony is behaving, won’t he? Professor Lumen gave a loud snore, answering Dinky’s question. She sighed and tried once again to manipulate the quill with magic. This is going to be a loooong detention… --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a little after eight in the morning when Dinky trudged back into her dorm room. Clarity and Honeydew were awake. Both of them were lying on the bench in front of the window, discussing their plans for the weekend, but both of them quieted when they noticed Dinky had arrived. “Hey, Dinky,” Clarity greeted. “You’re looking a little worn out. Was detention rough?” “It would have been just fine,” Dinky answered, “but the professor wasn’t exactly the most attentive pony, so I had to put up with Scuffle’s stupid gravity spell for two hours.” She rubbed her neck. “I have a feeling I’m gonna be sore later. So much for thinking he might leave us alone, huh?” she asked. “I guess so,” Clarity answered. “It’s just disappointing. After what you said about him last night, I was really hoping we were going to find some good in him. But whatever it was that possessed him to return your book last night, it’s not there anymore.” Honeydew trotted over and gently nuzzled her exhausted friend. “I vote we just keep our distance from him,” she said. “Scuffle’s not in very many of our classes. We can avoid him, can’t we?” “I guess,” Dinky said. “I don’t want to spend all my time keeping an eye out for Scuffle, though. There’s got to be a way to make him stop bothering us.” “Uh, sorry to change the topic, Dinky, but maybe you should worry about that later,” Clarity said slowly. “Weren’t you going to go home to Ponyville today?” Dinky nodded. “Yeah, it’s Saturday. Why?” “Because the train leaves in fifteen minutes,” Clarity responded. Dinky blinked. “But… but I thought I had until nine-thirty!” she sputtered. “That was what the schedule I had at home said!” Clarity shook her head. “You also thought the Academy was in Canterlot, remember?” the grey filly asked. “The train departs from Canterlot station at nine-thirty, but first it has to get there and give the passengers some time to board or exit, so it has to leave from here at eight-thirty instead.” Dinky gasped and began prancing in place, panicked. “Can I still make it to the station on time?” she asked frantically. “Maybe,” Clarity said, “but you’d better move your tail if you want to have a chance!” Dinky yanked her suitcase from under her bunk, and within a few seconds, the room had become a flurry of floating objects magically making their way to its interior. The filly grabbed only the essentials for an overnight stay at home, and shut the suitcase with a loud snap. “Sorry girls, it looks like we’ll have to continue this discussion later!” she called as she made for the door. “See you tomorrow night!” “Bye!” Honeydew called. “And run, Dinky! It’s a long way up the path to the train station!” Clarity added. Dinky raced down the steps of the tower and burst out into the sunlight. She made her way down the ramp and into the castle, and a few minutes later, emerged onto the front lawn. She rushed past the ornate hedges, gazing up at the zigzagging pathway leading to the cavern concealing the train station with dread. It’s gotta be more than a mile to walk all the way up there! she thought. I’ll never make it in— Dinky’s thoughts were cut off as she tripped over a loose stone, her already bruised underside falling against the hard path. Her suitcase, jarred from her magic’s grip, vaulted through the air before hitting the dirt and spilling its contents everywhere. Dinky gritted her teeth and waited for her chest to stop throbbing, then stood up and began to toss her things back into her suitcase as quickly as she could, knowing full well that her chances of making the train were now virtually nil. “Hey, d’you need some help?” asked a concerned voice. Dinky looked up and spotted a white pony with a nearly black mane and soft brown eyes coming toward her. She recognized the older unicorn immediately; it was Presto, the colts’ overseer. “That looked like quite a fall,” Presto said as he arrived next to the filly. “What’s the big hurry?” “I was trying to get to the train,” Dinky explained, snapping her suitcase shut again. “It’s leaving in just a few minutes, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it now.” Presto glanced at a clock on one of the castle’s towers. “Oh jeez, you’re right,” he admitted. “You’ve got about five minutes.” He looked at Dinky. “Want some help? I can still get you there in time.” “You can?” Dinky asked. “How?” “We’ll teleport,” Presto answered simply. “You’re a first-term student, so I’m guessing you’ve never teleported before, right?” Dinky shook her head. “Well it’s a bit disorienting the first few times, but it’s a lot faster than walking up this whole path,” Presto said. “Would you like me to take you?” “That would be nice,” Dinky admitted. “I did promise my mom I’d be home today, so I need to get to the train somehow.” Presto nodded. “Right, I’ll get us up there in a jiffy, then!” he said. “Just stand still and I’ll do the rest.” Dinky hardly knew Presto, but he was her last hope of catching the train, so she grabbed her bag and stood next to him. A faintly brown aura formed on Presto’s horn, spread across his whole body, and then seeped over Dinky as well. For a few moments, nothing happened, but just as Dinky was about to ask if something was wrong, a bright flash filled her vision. For a moment, Dinky felt as if the ground was ripped away from beneath her, and her stomach turned as she was filled with the sensation of falling. Before she could even open her mouth to cry out however, the ground gently met her hooves and the blinding light around her cleared. A dark passageway was carved into the rock before her, and after a moment, Dinky realized it was the tunnel that housed the train. She turned around and found herself looking over the railing at the castle far below. “There. That saves a little time, doesn’t it?” Presto asked, smiling. “Y-yeah,” Dinky managed, shaking her head to clear away the lingering sensation. “Thanks.” “Don’t mention it!” Presto said. “Just get down there and get on the train before it leaves.” Presto lit his horn and disappeared in another flash. Dinky looked at the path below and watched him reappear an instant later and trot off toward the castle. Then she took off down the tunnel toward the train. A minute later, Dinky climbed into the train car, noting that it was much, much emptier than it had been on the way to the academy. The conductor closed the door behind her a moment later, and the train slowly began its journey away from the school. Dinky slumped in her seat and uttered an exhausted sigh. She acknowledged that if Presto hadn’t come to her rescue, she would likely still be scampering up the winding path to the cave at the mountaintop right now. Presto seems a whole lot friendlier than Sparkler, Dinky realized. I wonder what it is that makes that filly so uptight? Dinky settled herself in for the long ride through Canterlot station and back to Ponyville. The combined weight of her early rising that morning, two hours of enduring Scuffle’s gravity spells, and the desperate dash to the train station all seemed to weigh on her at once, and in just a few minutes she’d fallen asleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Ponyville Station!” Dinky was lucky the conductor’s voice was loud, or she would have missed her stop. She was startled awake by the announcement that the train had arrived back at her home town. She quickly grabbed her suitcase and hopped off the train, smiling at the familiar station. “There she is!” Dinky heard two sets of hooves knocking rapidly against the floor behind her. She barely had time to turn around before Twist and Pipsqueak scooped her up in a hug. “Hi guys,” Dinky laughed. “It’s only been a couple days, you know. Did you miss me that much?” “We’re just excited to see you, that’s all!” Twist said. “We wanna hear about your first week at your new school!” “Can she at least say hi to her mother first?” Ditzy Doo asked with amusement as she trotted over to stand next to the three foals. “Hi, mom!” Dinky greeted, prying herself free from her friends and craning her neck to nuzzle her mother. “Did you get my letter?” “I did,” Ditzy said with a laugh. “The darn thing materialized out of thin air while I was at work. It startled me a little to be honest.” “Materialized?” Pipsqueak asked, as his and Twist’s expressions were filled with interest. “Does that mean you sent it by dragon mail?” Dinky nodded. “Yeah, the Academy has its own dragon, and a lot of other neat stuff. Let’s go to my house and I’ll tell you guys all about it.” “Before we do that,” Ditzy interjected, “we should probably go see Miss Twilight. She’s going to be busy with an assignment from the Princess later, and she wants to hear about what you learned during your first week, so I think it would be best if we go talk to her now.” “Oh, alright,” Dinky agreed. “Twist, Pip, I’ll talk to you guys tonight at dinner, ok?” “Aye aye, captain,” said Pipsqueak playfully, holding up a hoof in salute. “See you a little later.” Dinky waved to her friends and then hopped on her mother’s back for the quick flight to the Ponyville library. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dinky opened the door and peeked cautiously into the library. Twilight Sparkle was seated with her back to the door, immersed in a book as usual. Spike poked her flank with a claw. “Twilight, we have a guest.” Twilight turned around, and smiled when she saw her student. “Hello, Dinky,” she called. “I see you made it through your first week. How was it?” Dinky searched for the right word. “It was kind of… overwhelming, I suppose,” she admitted. “I made two new friends and learned plenty of new magic, of course. It’s just going to take a while to get used to studying there. It’s a lot more unpredictable than going to school here in Ponyville.” “I’d imagine so!” Twilight laughed. “I lived in Canterlot as a filly, and even that seemed a bit dull compared to the Academy.” She smiled. “So tell me, what did you learn in your first week?” “Actually, Miss Twilight,” Dinky said, looking at the floor, “can I ask a question before we discuss all that?” “Sure,” Twilight replied. Dinky hesitated. She broke eye contact with Twilight and opted instead to watch Spike fight fruitlessly with the strap of his little pink apron. “Um… I know you said Bright Spark was the dean when you attended the Academy, and she still is,” she said slowly, “but I was just wondering… what did you think of her?” Twilight shrugged. “I never had a problem with her. She would usually just appear at events and spend the rest of her time holed up in her office. I wasn’t exactly a filly prone to troublemaking, so I didn’t see her much.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Why do you ask?” Dinky chewed her lip. “Um… no reason,” she mumbled. “She just seems a little, I dunno… strict?” “Well, she is in charge of discipline,” Twilight pointed out. “Just stay out of trouble if you don’t want to deal with her.” Dinky wasn’t sure if she should tell Twilight about what Bright Spark had really said, for fear that Twilight would tell Celestia, who would speak with Bright Spark, who in turn would be even angrier with Dinky. The filly decided to steer away from the topic. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Miss Twilight. Now, let’s talk about magic.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dinky and Twilight spent the rest of the afternoon together, discussing all the topics Dinky had covered during her first week and doing a bit of additional practice. Twilight had been particularly surprised to hear about Nester, but as usual, she was totally trusting of Princess Celestia’s judgement. The sun was already setting by the time Dinky arrived home. She pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by a tantalizing smell. “Hi, honey,” Ditzy greeted. “Dinner’s almost ready, and your friends are coming by to eat with us.” Dinky’s mouth watered as she noticed all of her favorite dishes on the stove; if there was one thing even the splendor of the Academy couldn’t outdo, it was Ditzy Doo’s home cooking. Twist and Pipsqueak arrived a few minutes later, and soon the four ponies were talking about the week as they shared a pot of Ditzy’s vegetable stew. “So Dinky,” Twist said between mouthfuls, “everypony in Miss Cheerilee’s class misses you. Class didn’t feel quite the same this week without you.” “And so Twist and I thought of something,” Pipsqueak continued. “Maybe you could write letters for the class, and we’ll share them for you! Then everypony will get to hear about what’s happening at your new school!” Dinky laughed. “I’d have to summarize, then. So much happened to me this week that I could write a whole book about it!” “I’m sure you’ve got your hooves full adjusting to living at the Academy, too,” Twist guessed. “Have you made any new friends yet?” “Two!” Dinky said, beaming. “One of them is energetic and knows a lot about magic already, and the other is a little shy, but once she warms up, she’s very sweet.” “Think they’ll ever come to Ponyville to visit?” Pipsqueak asked. “Yeah, I’d love to meet any friends my little muffin has made,” Ditzy giggled. Dinky swallowed her food. “I’m sure they’ll come and visit eventually,” she said. “Give them some time; they’re getting used to life at the Academy too, you know.” “That’s true,” Twist said as she finished the last of the meal on her plate. “Well, come on, Dinky! Let’s go play for a while! This is your only day to spend at home, and we can’t waste it!” “I’ll be right there,” Dinky called as her friends galloped out into the yard. She used her magic to poke a fork into the last of her meal, and noticed her mother looking at her with a distant expression. She knew what was on her mom’s mind. “So, how was your week, mom?” she asked delicately. “I hope you didn’t worry about me too much…” Ditzy smiled. “Oh, I did alright,” she said weakly. “Breeze helped me calm down when I got a little anxious.” The pegasus sighed and gave her wings a few thoughtful flaps. “I’ve been assured that the Academy is a safe place. It’s just a little unnerving to know that my little filly is so far away for most of the week, but I know it’s what’s best. I just need to keep reminding myself that you’re… growing up…” Ditzy sniffled a bit, but her smile remained. “Just remember, even when you’re halfway across the country, if you need any help, send me a letter and I’ll drop everything to come to you. The princesses themselves couldn’t keep me away from my Dinky if she needs me.” Dinky stepped around the table and hugged her mom. “I know they couldn’t, mom. That’s why you’re the best mom in Equestria.” Ditzy said nothing, opting instead to enjoy the moment. “Go out and play with your friends,” the mare said finally. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean up what’s left of dinner.” Dinky beamed. “Thanks, mom! See you in a bit!” The filly trotted out the front door and scurried over to join Twist and Pipsqueak under the big tree in her yard. “Your mom is such a good cook,” Pipsqueak remarked, licking his lips. “My mom’s vegetable stew tastes like gruel.” Dinky laughed. “Don’t let her hear you say that, Pip.” “So whatcha’ wanna play?” Twist asked. “Did you learn any new games from your friends at the Academy?” Dinky shook her head. “We’ve been a little too busy to play games,” she said, “and even if we weren’t, you guys would probably need to be unicorns to play them!” “Well, that’s out,” Pipsqueak said. “Wanna just play tag or something?” “I will if you promise not to tag anypony with a flying tackle,” Dinky giggled. “I’m still getting over a little injury from school this week.” Twist and Pip’s expressions became concerned. “You got hurt?” Twist asked with worry. “Just a little bruise,” Dinky said. “I didn’t wanna say this at dinner because I knew it would only make my mom worry, but my new friends and I have had a little trouble with a bully. He and I got into a little magic duel yesterday—” “A duel?” Twist asked incredulously. “Wow, Dinky, it sounds like you’re getting your fair share of excitement at that school.” Dinky nodded. “Right now I’m just hoping that bully will leave us alone if we just avoid him.” Pipsqueak grinned. “Want me to come up there and teach him a thing or two?” he asked slyly, pretending to feel the muscles in his foreleg. Dinky snorted. “Pip, I’m pretty sure he could wreck you even without magic,” she snickered, poking at her friend’s petite frame. “They don’t call you Pipsqueak for nothing, you know.” Pipsqueak blushed, but he laughed along with Dinky and Twist. “Don’t worry, the professors and older students won’t let him do anything really dangerous,” Dinky said. “He’s just an annoyance right now.” “Well, you’re the smartest pony I know,” Twist said. “If you can’t beat him, just outwit him! I know you can; we outwitted your mom last summer with that whole spy mission with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Outsmarting a big dumb colt should be easy.” Dinky smirked. “We’ll see about that. But enough talk about bullies; let’s play before it gets too late.” “Oh, we’ll play,” Pipsqueak said. “On one condition.” He leaned forward and lightly tapped Dinky on the forehead with a hoof. “You’re it!” Pipsqueak and Twist took off running, and Dinky gave chase, laughing. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before Dinky knew it, it was Sunday, and early in the afternoon, she found herself on the way back to the Academy, expecting to arrive just before sunset. The train hissed and shuddered before stopping in its usual spot in the dark, subterranean station. Dinky hopped out of the car and followed the rest of the students out of the tunnel. The sun was on its way down as Dinky made her way down the long, winding path leading back to the castle. For a moment, she wished she could just teleport past it, like she had done with Presto’s aid just a few days before. But it was a pleasant evening, and this time, she was in no hurry. After some time, Dinky and the other students reached the bottom of the ramp and began to trot along the straight path leading to the castle. Dinky eyed the hedges shaped like alicorns lining the path and realized she hadn’t seen Princess Celestia since the opening ceremony. For a moment, she wished the princess wasn’t always so busy; if she was around, Bright Spark wouldn’t have to be in charge in her stead. Suddenly, Dinky’s thoughts were interrupted by a strange sensation. She stopped walking, looking around curiously. The other students paid her no more than a glance as they passed by and made their way to the castle. Dinky trotted off the path a few steps and stared toward the forest at the edge of campus. For some reason, she found herself gripped with the overwhelming feeling that something was lurking just out of sight, watching her. It seemed a silly notion; most of the ponies had already retreated into the castle for the night, and the few animals that did live in the forest usually didn’t pay ponies any heed. Even so, she decided to take a look. After all, there were still a few minutes before ponies were required to be inside for the night. The filly crossed the grass and approached the tree line. The strange sense didn’t go away. “Hello?” she called. The spring breeze rustled some leaves, but the forest gave no reply. Dinky pushed past a few bushes and made her way into the forest. She shivered as the remaining sunlight was blocked by the cool shade of the trees. “Hello?” she called again, louder. Silence was the only answer she received. Suddenly, Dinky realized why that was so uncanny. She and her friends had sat at the forest’s edge several times during the past week, and each time, the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing had filled the air. But this evening, there was no sound at all, save for the faint rustle of leaves. Dinky stood still for a few more seconds before turning to go. As she wheeled around to face the castle again, she stopped short. Two pupil-less blue eyes peered from a bush a few pony lengths away. They met Dinky’s gaze and continued to stare, unblinking. Professor Chestnut had assured Dinky’s Magical Biology class that there was nothing dangerous living in the Academy forest, so Dinky was more intrigued than worried by the presence watching her. It made no further move, however. It simply continued to stare. “…Hello?” Dinky asked finally. The eyes flickered and disappeared. The bush rustled faintly, and Dinky caught a glimpse of something making its way into the forest away from her, but the shroud of branches blocked too much of the remaining light for her to make out what it was. The shape moved startlingly fast, snaking around the natural obstacles, until it had disappeared from view. I wonder what that was, Dinky thought to herself. Maybe I’ll ask Professor Chestnut about it in class this week. Noticing that the last minutes of daylight were rapidly fading, Dinky decided this was a mystery for another time. She pushed her way through the bushes and rushed back to the castle. From far away, a pair of blue, unblinking eyes watched her go.