The doors to Princess Celestia’s private chambers slammed open with such great force that the marble walls cracked. Celestia sat bolt upright in her bed, looking around wildly. Her gaze quickly came to rest on Princess Luna.
“Sister!” Luna cried, her Royal Canterlot Voice at full volume. “Rise, and come quickly! Scorpio has vanished from the heavens!”
Before Celestia could even reply, Luna lifted her out of bed in a cloud of magic and placed her on her hooves. Still groggy, she followed her sister as quickly as she could to the balcony. Luna cast a foreleg skyward, as if Celestia wouldn’t know where to look.
“Behold! A crisis is upon us!”
Princess Celestia stared at the stars. She blinked once, twice, three times, and paused to rub her eyes.
“Um… Luna, all the stars are present, including those that make up Scorpio.”
“Of course they—” Luna started, before stopping short and doing a frantic double take. Sure enough, every star was in its place. Scorpio stood at the peak of the night sky, her individual stars glimmering brightly.
“B-but, but I… but just a moment ago, they… she…”
“Goodnight, Luna,” Celestia grumbled, returning to her bedchambers.
Luna remained on the balcony, scratching her head. “Sister, you know I would not joke about this on a night like tonight…” she said slowly, re-entering the chamber. “I swear to you, that constellation was not present just minutes ago.”
Celestia sat on the bed, rubbing her temples in frustration. “Luna, I understand that Scorpio’s Apex is a very stressful time, especially with dark magic having surfaced at the academy this year. But if anything was amiss at the school, we would have been informed.”
A royal guard poked his head through the doorway, ignoring the mostly destroyed doors. “My princesses, I bring grave news,” he said, stepping carefully over the splintered wood. “There’s been an incident, at the academy. The female student overseer is badly hurt, and two students are unaccounted for, one of them being the filly who caused the fire earlier this term.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. Luna gave her a simple glance that said “I told you so” better than any words could have.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Waaaah!”
Dinky sat bolt upright, her chest heaving. Slowly, the blind panic left her; she closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened just before.
She remembered Scorpio’s resurrection, and what the evil pony had turned her into. She remembered the fight, and then trying to close the portal… but then what? Had she succeeded?
Dinky opened her eyes again and realized she was no longer in the crystal cave. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere familiar at all. Looking around, she found herself in a small, dimly lit, wood-paneled room. The walls held a few old, tattered paintings that appeared to be cheap reprints of famous works of art. The only furnishing in the room was a low, padded bench, upon which she had been lying. Two plain wooden doors were on opposite walls.
Dinky looked down at herself, and was shocked to see her normal, pale purple coat, instead of the smoky black and violet she’d expected. Somehow, she looked like her old self again.
Something swung down right in front of her face, startling her. It took her a moment to realize it was a piece of paper that had been unceremoniously tacked to her forehead by use of her horn, which had shifted when she lowered her head. She tugged the bit of paper free and read the small message written on it in rather messy letters.
To my most welcomed guest,
When you find this note, I hope you are comfortable and feeling well. I found you lying outside when I went out to water the begonias, and figured you could use a warm, dry place to rest.
I’m sure you are eager to get on with whatever adventures you were in the middle of, and if you’d like to do so immediately, simply use the door behind you. It will take you outside, and I’m sure you’ll find your way to your destination after just a short trot.
However, I admit I don’t get very many visitors in a place like this. Travelers here are usually quite bent on completing their journey, and nopony ever has time to stop by. It would be nice to talk to somepony over a cup of tea. If you’re interested, come into my study before you make your way out. I daresay I may be able to answer a few of your questions about how you came to be here if you do. If you’ve no time to waste, though, I won’t begrudge you for simply going on your way.
Best regards,
The note had originally been signed, but Dinky’s horn had punctured that particular bit of it, leaving the signature unreadable.
I need to get out of here right away, she thought. Mom and Pip and the others might still be in danger!
She hopped up and made her way to the exit, but stopped just before turning the handle.
But maybe I shouldn’t just leave, she realized. I don’t know where I am, or what’s happened since I fought Scorpio. Maybe it would actually be better if I talk to the pony here, in case they can help me get home…
The author of the note seemed harmless enough. Deciding to take a chance, Dinky turned around and made her way to the opposite door. Unsure what to expect, she tugged it open and stepped into the room beyond.
The area beyond the doorway was much bigger than the tiny foyer. Made of the same wood paneling, the slanted roof made it seem like the inside of a small cabin. A few dusty but otherwise well kept tapestries and further paintings adorned the walls, although curiously, they all seemed to be from different eras. Dinky recognized the style of ancient pony societies only seen in history books, as well as pieces that were created in the last few years.
A simple stone hearth was built into the wall on the right, in which a fire crackled merrily. A pot of something (Dinky wasn’t sure what, but it smelled delicious) bubbled just above the flames.
On the far side of the room were several bookcases, stuffed full of various thick books. They showed the same pattern as the décor, oddly; books from a range of dates that put even the Canterlot library to shame were filed within.
Also against the far wall was an old, slightly uneven desk, littered with more books and scrolls. A high backed, red-padded chair, facing away from Dinky, was placed in front of it. Although the chair’s back obscured them, Dinky could hear quiet mumblings coming from somepony sitting in it. A stallion, it sounded like.
“E-excuse me,” she said quietly. “Sir? Can you help me?”
“Ah, you dropped by after all,” the voice replied. “Lovely, lovely. You were asleep for so long I was beginning to assume you’d decided to set off on your own.”
An aura of pale purple magic surrounded a kettle dangling near the fire. Obediently, it floated over a teacup placed on a small table, filling it with hot water. The kettle returned to its hook, and the tea made its way to Dinky, who accepted it in her own aura.
“Thank you,” she said, still more than a little confused as she sat on the carpet. “So… um… I’m afraid I’m not too sure what’s going on. Who are you, and where did you find me? Are my friends okay? Did we defeat Scorpio? How do I get back to them?”
The stallion laughed. “Slow down, kid!” he chuckled. “The danger’s passed. Just relax and drink your tea; I’ll answer everything I can.”
Admittedly, the tea was soothing. Dinky took a few sips as she sat facing the back of the stallion’s chair. “You know where to start better than I do,” she admitted, lowering her teacup.
“Well, let’s start with introductions,” her host suggested. “After all, we’ve met a few times already, but never once had the chance to be properly introduced. I know you who you are, Dinky, but you probably don’t have the same luxury.”
Dinky cocked her head. “We’ve met? Where?”
This elicited another chuckle from the stallion. “You don’t recognize my voice?” he asked, sounding slightly amused. “How many more times would I have had to chase that bothersome little wraith out of your dreams before you remembered me?”
Dinky made the connection instantly, and her jaw dropped. “Y-you’re the stallion that’s been saving me!” she gasped. “I’m sorry, I was so caught up in all the recent events that I didn’t even realize your voice was familiar. Thank you so much for what you’ve done for me, by the way.”
“It was nothing!” her host answered. “Lovely change of pace, actually.”
“So, who are you?” Dinky asked, now more curious than ever. “I didn’t know anypony other than Princess Luna and, apparently, wraiths could enter my dreams.”
“The art of dreamwalking isn’t inaccessible to unicorns that have the time to learn the complex spells required,” the stallion replied. “And trust me, I’ve had nothing but time. But enough about that; it’s high time I introduce myself.”
The large chair was suddenly surrounded with the soft purple aura. Slowly, it turned away from the desk so it faced Dinky, revealing the pony sitting in it.
Dinky took in his features, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. The stallion had a muted, blue-grey coat, and purple eyes that looked old but still quite alert. A messy, somewhat curly white mane and tail matched the voluminous white beard that dangled from his wrinkled chin. He wore a long, midnight blue cloak, and comically large wizard’s hat. Both garments were decorated with stars and moons, and adorned with more than a few bells, which jingled as he gave Dinky a welcoming nod.
“To answer your question from a moment ago,” the pony continued, ignoring Dinky’s disbelieving expression, “my name is Starswirl, although perhaps you’re more familiar with the name ‘Starswirl the Bearded’. We never got a chance to really chat, nor did you even get a look at me for that matter, when we were in your dreams, so it’s a pleasure to finally properly make your acquaintance.”
Starswirl ignored Dinky’s stunned silence entirely as he quietly sipped his tea. “A ‘nice to meet you, Mr. Starswirl’ is the usual customary reply,” he said finally with a hint of a smirk.
Dinky gathered herself. “S-sorry,” she stuttered. “But you… you’re… aren’t you supposed to be…”
She paused, trying to put the pieces together, and a look of horror washed over her face. “Oh Celestia, am I dead? Did I die back there in that cave?”
Starswirl chuckled. “That’s a reasonable first conclusion to come to,” he admitted, causing the bells on his hat to jingle as he nodded. “Quite fortunately for you, it’s incorrect. You are not dead. Neither am I, as a matter of fact. Not quite, anyway.”
His calm demeanor put Dinky at ease, at least somewhat. “I don’t understand,” she admitted, cocking her head. “If you’re the Starswirl the Bearded, shouldn’t you have, you know, passed on more than a millennium ago?”
“Quite right, quite right,” Starswirl admitted, nodding sagely. “I very much should have bitten the proverbial dust long ago. But I didn’t.”
He shook his head. “Oh, but I’m boring you with the details. You want the relevant information only, so you can get back to where you came from, I assume.”
Dinky was curious now. “I’ve got a few minutes. At least, I think.”
“Very well,” Starswirl replied immediately, as if he was fully aware Dinky would ask him to elaborate. “You see, I was a powerful user of magic in my heyday. One of the best, some might say. But like everypony else, I grew old and frail. It upset me, not because I feared death, but because there was so much yet to learn, so many magical secrets to unlock. In my lifetime, I’d only barely scratched the surface of what magic is really capable of, and I wanted more time to dig deeper. So, unbeknownst to anypony, including the princesses, I made a decision. A big decision.”
He paused to flick a wad of dust off the brim of his hat. Dinky could tell by the sparkle in his eye that he was enjoying keeping her in suspense.
“In my later years, I did a lot of experimentation travel to different realms of existence. I discovered a plane that separates the mortal world from the state of being most commonly referred to as the afterlife. The spirits of ponies who have passed must traverse it on their way to their final destination. It is an empty place, devoid of anything except ethereal forms not quite like Equestria nor quite like those in the life beyond. The changing landscape is impossible to map or properly navigate, yet ponies passing through always seem to get where they’re going.”
“Um… okay…” Dinky said slowly. “What does this plane have to do with you?”
“I planned to go there,” Starswirl said simply. “Empty as it is, it is the only place where a pony could continue to maintain a connection with Equestria, without being bound by Equestria’s mortal rules. In order to continue my studies over the eons, I tied my spirit to that plane. As a result, I will not be forced along into the afterlife… but I cannot return to Equestria either.”
Dinky seemed to understand the implication. “We’re on this plane now,” she realized. “Both of us.”
Starswirl nodded as his horn glowed. A section of the wooden wall suddenly vanished, leaving a wide window. Dinky stared through the glass and into a void of soft, swirling color. Or at least, that’s what was beyond the simple picket fence surrounding Starswirl’s yard.
“A funny thing, magic,” Starswirl commented. “I never would have expected it would be possible to bring inanimate objects to this place, but with a few decades of experimentation, I found a way. Turns out even this place is composed of some sort of particles, and some modified conjuring spells allowed me to whip up a few creature comforts. Now I have not only this little study of mine, but a small patch of land where I do some gardening when studying has tired me out.”
Dinky removed her gaze from the strange sight of the property floating in infinity. “Mr. Starswirl, this is all fascinating, but how did I get here?” she asked. “It sounds like, with the sole exception of you, only dead ponies come here.”
“’Dead ponies’ covers about ninety-nine percent of it,” Starswirl agreed. “In actuality, it’s more like ‘ponies whose spirit currently isn’t housed in their body.’ Ponies in comas and other such experiences wind up here, and eventually they wander either back to Equestria to resume their lives, or onwards to infinity. I guess time will tell which way you’ll be wandering, eh kid?”
The old stallion fell silent, and he and Dinky stared out the window into the void.
“Well, at least I know how I got here,” the filly said finally. “But there’s so much that still doesn’t make sense! How did you find out about me? How were you able to save me in my dreams? Did you know Scorpio or Antares? Did I succeed in sealing Scorpio away for good?”
“Easy, easy!” Starswirl replied, holding up a forehoof and gesturing for her to be quiet. “I can only answer one question at a time. What do you think I am, a wizard?”
Dinky blinked, and Starswirl quickly glanced at himself. “Don’t answer that,” he grumbled, pulling the brim of his hat a bit lower to hide his eyes for a moment. “I’ll try to help you make sense of all this. Where do you want to begin?”
Dinky returned to her seat on the carpet across from the stallion. “Well, for starters, I’m just one of the thousands of students to attend Celestia’s Academy in the time it has been around. You’re a millennia-old, ultra-powerful unicorn magical pioneer. How in Equestria did you end up keeping an eye on me in particular from this place?”
“Well, I should think that would be obvious,” he replied. “Like I said, I am able to view Equestria remotely from this place. Obviously, the thing that interests me most is the advancement of magic, and the best place to watch new discoveries unfold is the academy! By no means are you the first student of that academy I’ve watched from afar. Anypony that catches my interest, for good reason or for bad, I will occasionally observe.”
Dinky hung her head. “So… you started watching me because you found out I was using dark magic,” she said, slightly ashamed.
“Yes,” Starswirl replied. “Although, alas, not as early as I would have liked to. I witnessed the fire in the tower during one of my sessions watching the academy. It’s very unfortunate; if I’d caught you earlier, I may have been able to warn you in your dreams before Antares was able to corrupt you enough to create a way into them.”
“Still, I’m very grateful that you came to rescue me in my dreams, even if it wasn’t till later,” Dinky assured the old wizard. “I just can’t believe you really know magic that allows you to do that, especially since you were able to make your way into dreams that even Princess Luna couldn’t enter.”
Starswirl ran a hoof through the tangles in his beard. “Indeed, I was shocked myself when I was able to make that spell function,” he admitted. “What I’ve gathered, in centuries of research, is that dreams occur in an entire realm of their own: a plane of existence just like Equestria, or the realm we’re in now. Indeed, this place may as well be considered a dream, relative to Equestria itself.”
He waited a moment for Dinky to take this in before continuing. “What’s interesting, though, is that what we consider a realm of dreams is closer to this realm than Equestria is. In fact, it’s sort of situated between the two. That’s why dreams can cause physical changes to ponies in Equestria, such as increased heart rate, or feeling of relaxation and ease. And yes, that’s why exposure to dark magic in your dreams can cause you to use it in Equestria, as well.”
“So… since Equestria is ‘further’ from this place than the dream realm, is that why you can interact with dreams, but can only watch Equestria without interacting with it?”
Starswirl nodded excitedly. “Very perceptive, Dinky! They teach you well at that school, don’t they?”
Dinky blushed. “There’s something I still don’t understand, though,” she admitted. “Sunbe—… I mean, Antares was able to keep Princess Luna out of my dreams. Has your dreamwalking magic actually become more powerful than Princess Luna’s?”
Starswirl laughed. “Goodness, no!” he chortled, the bells on his hat jingling merrily. “The explanation is much simpler, actually.”
Dinky cocked her head. “How so?”
“Think of the dream world like a simple house,” Starswirl explained. “To enter it from Equestria is like walking in through the front door. But to enter from here is more along the lines of slipping in through a window or something. It was a route Antares did not know even existed, let alone knew how to close off.”
“That reminds me,” Dinky chimed in. “You apparently knew Sunbeam was really Antares. Did you know Scorpio and Antares when you were alive?”
“Scorpio was around long before my time,” Starswirl replied. “Antares, though, has been hiding in the dark corners of Equestria for millennia. I met him on my travels ages upon ages ago; the cunning little snake knew who I was, and tried to tempt me into the ways of dark magic. He failed, of course, but it’s a pity our duel took place in a remote wasteland; no history book will ever tell the tale of Starswirl besting the leader of the wraiths.”
Dinky beamed, which made Starswirl chuckle again. “That’s neither here nor there, though,” he said. “What matters tonight is the ultimate fate of Scorpio and Antares.”
“Antares is gone, isn’t he?” Dinky asked. “Scorpio’s magic consumed his body to rebuild her own.”
“A gruesome way to go,” Starswirl said with a nod. “And, I’m pleased to confirm, entirely in vain. Your quick thinking, great endurance, and surprisingly strong control of dark magic paid off; Scorpio is sealed back in the Realm of Stars.”
Dinky breathed a long sigh. “Everyone’s safe, then,” she said. “My family, my friends…”
She trailed off. Starswirl finished his tea and set the teacup aside, gazing at her curiously.
“Everyone except for you?” he asked.
Dinky nodded somberly. “Am I… am I really a wraith now?” she asked, her voice quavering. “Is my pony form gone for good, or can I restore it somehow?”
Starswirl’s expression was tough to read. “The answer to that is not as black and white as you may hope it is,” he explained. “Physically, there’s no denying it; your pony body is gone. Destroyed. You’ll be able to disguise yourself, as Antares did, but it will only hide what’s beneath.”
“So… why don’t I look like a wraith right now? Am I in disguise?”
Starswirl shook his head. “You are not. This is where that grey area comes in.”
For the first time since Dinky’s arrival, the stallion rose from his chair. He ambled slowly over to Dinky, his cloak trailing along the floor behind him.
“Scorpio was quite shocked when you stood up to her after your transformation, I assume,” he said as he arrived at Dinky’s side.
Dinky nodded. Well… yeah. She said I shouldn’t have been able to resist her command. That’s why I wondered if maybe I wasn’t a wraith after all.”
Starswirl lowered his head, till his muzzle was only inches from Dinky’s. “That’s because, at least in the sense that all modern magic has come to understand them, maybe you’re not,” he admitted.
Dinky raised an eyebrow. “You just said I was.”
“I said you were physically a wraith,” Starswirl corrected. “But it is essentially only your mind that is visiting this realm right now, and, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, it has manifested as your usual self, in appearance and personality.”
“But what does that mean?” Dinky asked, slightly frustrated.
“It means something very unexpected has happened,” Starswirl said, breaking into a mysterious smile. “Until this day, in one hundred percent of recorded cases, ponies that become wraiths have exhibited purely evil, selfish, and violent tendencies. But then again, in nearly as many cases, those ponies began their experimentation with dark magic willingly. They chose to set off down the path of darkness by themselves. The psychological effects of the magic just helped them along.”
Dinky made an attempt to reply, but Starswirl continued. “Ponies are not designed to wield dark magic. It affects them in negative ways; this is a simple physiological fact. As such, for thousands of years, dark magic has been considered inherently evil. I myself believed the very same, until just a few hours ago. But I suppose the concept of a wraith who managed to maintain her pony integrity was never considered by any magical scholar. Unlike a pony, your body is designed to wield dark magic. Wraiths have full control over it, and simply choose to use it for misdeeds.”
Dinky’s eyes widened. “So, while before, it was a burden to bear, a force threatening to control me…”
“…Now it’s a tool, with no more power over you than your normal magic,” Starswirl finished with a nod. “You’ve managed to break what was considered a fundamental law of magic today, Dinky; apparently, although you have to be a wraith to do so, it is possible to use dark magic for good. You just saved a lot of ponies’ lives with it.”
Dinky staggered as if the knowledge was a physical burden. “So, you’re saying, I’m still a wraith, but I’m a good wraith?”
“Precisely that,” the old mage replied. “You’ve got a mind sharp enough to understand the tricks the darkness tried to pull on you, and you’re of such strong moral fiber that nothing was able to make you stray from your values for long. Those qualities of you remain, even if your original body is gone.”
Dinky chuckled. “It’s funny when you put it that way,” she admitted, a nostalgic expression crossing her features. “There was this one line in my beginner’s magic guide that always stood out to me: Magic is limited only by the strength of the mind and the passion of the heart. I guess that advice holds true even more strongly than I thought.”
“And more than I thought, too, and I practically invented that phrase,” Starswirl laughed. “It’s been paraphrased a few times, sure, but the idea was mine.”
The filly grinned. “It seems like you’ve had an effect on my fate for even longer than I thought!” she said.
Dinky sat back and downed the rest of her tea. When she finished, she noticed Starswirl had returned to his chair and was sitting quite still and watching her intently. Even the bells on his hat and cloak were silent.
“What?” she asked finally, starting to grow slightly uncomfortable.
“Oh, pardon me,” Starswirl replied. “It’s just, if you wouldn’t mind, Dinky, this whole encounter has left me with a question of my own. Do you have another moment?”
“I can spare a few more minutes,” Dinky said. “I mean, it’s not every day a schoolfilly gets to talk to one of the biggest names in the history of modern magic.”
Starswirl nodded. “Truth be told, I’m very interested to know what you intend to do next. As positive as our discussion may have sounded, you must understand, you’ll likely be facing some new hardships as a result of what has happened to you this year. Have you begun to consider how you will move forward from here?”
Dinky thought about that for a second. “Well, in some ways, I already have,” she responded slowly. “My friends, my mom, my tutor… they all stood by me, even knowing I was a wraith, to help me fight off Scorpio. They’ve all been behind me throughout my entire fight with dark magic, and I don’t think any of them are planning to shy away now. No matter what the future holds, I won’t have to face it alone.”
Starswirl nodded slowly. “Alas, in my lifetime, I was often too consumed with my own studies to recognize the value of bonds with others,” he admitted sadly. “I have realized how much value they have through watching ponies like you, or like your tutor, who also holds the bonds of friendship in high regard.”
There was a pause. “Speaking of which…” he continued slowly, “your tutor, Twilight Sparkle, is quite a fan of mine, isn’t she?”
Dinky laughed. “That’s putting it mildly. I don’t think there’s a single pony in the history of Equestria, save for Princess Celestia, that she is more awed by.”
“Thought so,” Starswirl replied, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “She’d be pretty excited if I were to, say, have you convey a message to her for me?”
“Of course!” Dinky replied. “She’d be absolutely thrilled! Do you have a great magical secret to tell her?”
Starswirl grinned. “Tell Miss Twilight Sparkle that Starswirl the Bearded, father of the amniomorphic spell, first Grand High Mage of the royal court of Celestia, and age-old traveler of three planes, says… ‘hi’.”
Dinky blinked twice. “…That’s it? Hi?”
Starswirl laughed gleefully. “Oh, that ought to frustrate her something awful!” he chuckled. “You can rest assured, I’ll be watching from here, just to see her reaction.”
Dinky smirked. “You have a point. That will be pretty funny.”
Starswirl nodded. “After she’s done freaking out, then you can let her know that she’s on the right track to making some groundbreaking magical discoveries, and that I’m proud of her. Don’t tell her that until she’s done being annoyed at me, though.”
The filly laughed. “Got it.”
Both ponies continued to grin at the thought of Twilight’s reaction. After a few moments, Starswirl used his magic to turn his chair back to face his desk.
“Anywho, I’m sure you’re eager to get home,” he said. Head out the front door and keep walking. You’ll find your way in due time.”
Dinky nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Starswirl. It was a privilege to have this conversation with you.”
“Likewise,” Starswirl replied. “I’m sure you’ll be telling your friends that you met me when you get home, but if I had anypony to talk to up here, you can bet I’d be telling them all about my conversation with the filly who broke the law of dark magic’s exclusively negative uses.”
Dinky blushed. “I guess that’s true. Goodbye, and good luck with your studies.”
A hoof appeared from behind the chair as Starswirl waved goodbye. Dinky smiled and turned, trotting quietly out of the study. She opened the front door and, after a moment’s hesitation, stepped out and wandered into the endless expanse.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time passed. Dinky eventually realized she had no idea exactly how much time. Starswirl’s little home had long since disappeared from view, which struck her as strange, since the void she found herself trotting through was flat, without any features to obscure such a structure. Trusting in his advice, she continued to march straight ahead, assuming that sooner or later she would find her way back to Equestria.
An indeterminate amount of time later, something caught her eye. Even in the distance, she was sure it was the silhouette of another pony. Grateful to encounter anything other than the abstract expanse surrounding her, she began to make her way towards it.
The other pony seemed to notice her as well. It stopped, standing perfectly still for a few moments, and then, with what seemed to be an air of caution, began to make its way toward her.
It’s a colt, Dinky realized. He’s small; he can’t be much older than me.
But as she got close enough to make out the other pony’s features, she saw something she wasn’t expecting. The approaching pony had a very familiar appearance: a sunny yellow coat and an orange mane and tail. She stopped walking, assuming an apprehensive pose.
“Hello?” the colt called when he was within earshot.
Dinky stepped back uncertainly. “That better not be you in disguise, Antares!” she replied.
As soon as the wraith’s name left her mouth, the colt jumped, looking wildly around. “Antares!? Where!? Are you with him? Did you come to try to destroy me?”
The colt’s voice and demeanor were nothing like the Antares’ façade’s had been. Dinky’s eyes widened as she realized what that meant.
“I’m not with Antares,” she said decisively, making her way over until she finally arrived at the colt’s location. “In fact, Antares is dead. He won’t be bothering either of us.”
The colt continued to stare nervously at Dinky, but he didn’t flee as she came to stand in front of him.
Dinky cleared her throat. “Are you… Sunbeam?”
The colt nodded. “I… I am, but how do you know that? Did I know you? It’s been so long since the incident with the dark magic… at least, I think it has. It’s so hard to keep track of how long I’ve been wandering around here…”
“It’s a very long story,” Dinky admitted, grinning sheepishly. “But if what I’ve learned is correct, Antares was the one who taught you dark magic, right?”
“Yeah, and got me killed,” Sunbeam replied bitterly. “And now I’m stuck here, which is much worse than the dying was.”
Dinky raised an eyebrow. “You’re stuck? What do you mean?”
The colt sighed and hung his head. “The dark magic is like a prison,” he mumbled. “Every now and then as I search for a way out of this place, a bright light appears in the distance. I know it’s the way to move on, but every time I get near it, my dark magic kicks in, and it makes the light fade away. It’s happened hundreds… no, thousands of times…”
Sunbeam shivered, and Dinky realized he was holding back tears. She placed a forehoof on his back comfortingly, but he made no reply. After a moment, he collected himself and lifted his gaze, looking at her miserably.
“Walk with me?” she suggested gently. “I’d like to tell you a story about what has happened since your death. Maybe I can give you some insights into controlling dark magic that could help you.”
Sunbeam shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt…”
The colt fell into stride beside Dinky. As they walked, Dinky relayed the story of Antares’ meddling in her life. Sunbeam was irked to know that the wraith had been using his appearance, but what really shocked him was learning his death was an event from over forty years ago. As the tale went on, he became gradually more engaged, asking questions and even adding some input of his own to Dinky’s experiences.
“So now I’m a wraith, I guess, but it’s okay; I’ve learned to control the darkness, instead of letting it control me,” she said, reaching the end of the lengthy narrative. “Now I’ve just got to see if I can make the rest of Equestria understand that.”
“You’re so lucky,” Sunbeam said, sighing. “At least you’ll be able to leave this place.”
Dinky opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself when a flicker appeared in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see a bright light shimmering a short distance away.
There was a crackle, and Sunbeam groaned as a black aura crept its way into his horn. “There it goes again,” he mumbled.
Dinky watched the light begin to fade as a result of Sunbeam’s rogue spell. She stamped a hoof determinedly.
“Not this time!” she announced. “You can beat this!”
Sunbeam laughed bitterly. “I’m no hero like you, Dinky. Maybe you can overcome it, but I can’t. I’ve tried, more than a few times.”
“Then let me help!” she urged. “Work together with me, and you might have a chance!”
Sunbeam said nothing. Dinky glanced at the steadily fading light, and then frantically back at him. “Sunbeam! Please!”
The colt looked uncertain. “What do I have to do?”
Dinky lit her horn with her regular magic and leaned in, touching the tip to Sunbeam’s own. “This is the energy you need,” she said. “It’s still inside you, no matter how much dark magic you’ve used, and it’s powerful enough to push the darkness away!”
Sunbeam squirmed, but kept his horn against Dinky’s. “I can’t! I’m not… I’m not able to anymore…”
“Magic is limited only by the strength of the mind and the passion of the heart!” Dinky cried. “You know what to do. You know how to do it. You just need the conviction to make it happen!”
Sunbeam’s gaze met hers, and looking into his eyes, Dinky felt she could see a spark somewhere deep inside suddenly light. The colt cried out with effort as his dark aura shrank and finally flickered out, replacing itself with a soft blue one.
Immediately, the distant light grew brighter, becoming larger and larger until Dinky and Sunbeam were almost surrounded with near-blinding light. The filly laughed gleefully.
“You did it! I knew you could do it!”
Sunbeam looked awestruck, staring unafraid into the dazzling light before him. After a moment, he turned and extended a hoof to Dinky.
“Come with me,” he said. “Equestria doesn’t like wraiths. Not even nice ones like you. Just move on with me, and you won’t have to worry about it.”
Dinky shook her head. “Sorry, but no. My friends and family would be devastated if I died, and I’m not ready to leave them yet either.”
Sunbeam nodded. “I understand,” he said softly. “But thank you, Dinky. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope the path you choose from here will make you happy.”
Dinky nodded and waved as the light grew brighter and brighter, eventually engulfing Sunbeam completely. Knowing she had her own destination on the other end of the glow waiting for her, she trotted off in the direction she instinctively knew would lead her home, and vanished into the light.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“…condition is still unclear. Her vital signs have been holding stable, but are very low. It’s difficult to make any real estimates of where her condition will go.”
Dinky didn’t recognize the voice that was speaking, but she definitely recognized the one that replied.
“Just keep me up to date the moment anything changes. I can’t bear the suspense anymore. I can’t lose my Dinky…”
Mom?
Although her whole body felt like it was made of cement, Dinky shifted ever so slightly and opened one eye a bit. Through her bleary vision, she could make out a long room with a high, vaulted ceiling and tall windows through which morning sunlight was streaming. Nearby were the shapes of her mother and the pony that she now realized was the academy nurse. Neither was looking her way. Her mouth felt as if she hadn’t had water in weeks, but she managed to quietly call out.
“M-mom?”
Ditzy’s head snapped toward Dinky, and she rushed to the bedside. Dinky opened her other eye and blinked until her vision cleared a bit. Ditzy beamed, happy tears already forming in her misaligned eyes.
“Dinky! Thank goodness!” she cried, reaching forward to attempt to hug the filly. The nurse, however, quickly intervened, dragging Ditzy away.
“I know you’re eager, Mrs. Doo,” she began, “but please, control yourself. It’s not clear yet how badly your daughter is hurt.”
Dinky gingerly worked a few of her muscles and realized, oddly enough, that she didn’t hurt all that much at all. Which was strange, she noted, considering she’d been struck by an explosive shockwave and hurled against a solid wall of jagged crystal. Equally notable, she looked like herself again, not like a wraith.
“I-I’m not that messed up,” she said, turning her head toward the nurse. “Tired and stiff, but not in a whole lot of pain. I could use some water though.”
The nurse retreated to a small room nearby for some water. As she did, Ditzy flew to the main door of the infirmary and threw it open.
“Twilight! Dinky’s awake!”
Twilight Sparkle teleported into the room in a brilliant flash of purple. Frantically, she hurried over to Dinky’s bed, examining her as she would a laboratory specimen.
“Hi, Miss Twilight,” Dinky said softly.
Twilight looked incredibly worry-worn, but she smiled. “I’m glad you pulled through that,” she reported. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot you’re going to have to clear up with Princess Celestia and me, but for now, just rest.
The nurse returned with a glass of water, levitating it forward to help her patient drink.
“You don’t have to try to do that,” the filly mumbled, nudging the glass away with her nose. “Let me sit up so I can drink it properly.”
“Nonsense,” the nurse replied with a snort. “It’s a miracle that you’re even awake at all. In the condition you’re in, there’s no way you’ll be able to—”
Dinky pushed the bedcovers partway down her body and, although it took some effort, hauled herself into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard.
The nurse very nearly dropped the glass out of her aura. “O-okay then,” she said weakly, handing over the water. “Princess Celestia said to notify her if your condition became stable, so let me just make sure that is the case. I didn’t expect it to be so soon…”
Dinky took a long drink, sighing with relief as it wetted her parched throat. As soon as she was finished, the nurse began performing a series of simple physical tests and magical scans on the filly, testing movement, checking vital signs, and ensuring her magic was functioning properly and painlessly.
“Bizarre. Your condition is massively better than it was when you arrived a few hours ago,” the nurse mumbled. “I’m not sure what’s happening, but if you’re feeling passably well, I suppose I should summon the princess. Stay in bed please.”
Looking bewildered, the nurse trotted from the room.
She set the glass aside and spoke more clearly than before.
“Is everypony else okay?”
“Everypony that was in the cave is fine,” Ditzy assured her. Scorpio didn’t seriously hurt anypony, and Twilight shielded all of us from the blast, save for you.”
Dinky nodded. “What about Honeydew and Scuffle? Did they get back to the castle okay? And what about Sparkler?”
Ditzy leaned forward and nuzzled the concerned filly. “Your friends are in the next room. We didn’t want them crowded around you while you were trying to recover.”
“I’m feeling up to talking now, at least,” Dinky admitted. “May I see them?”
Ditzy looked to Twilight questioningly, and the purple unicorn shrugged. “I think that would be alright,” she said. “We need to keep an eye on you until Princess Celestia arrives though.”
“But don’t worry, we’ll step back so you can talk to your friends,” Ditzy added.
Dinky nodded, and the two mares turned and trotted to the infirmary doors. Twilight opened them a bit and poked her head outside.
“You kids can see Dinky now, but she’s resting, so keep it quiet and calm, okay?”
Twilight stepped back, and four foals entered the room. Leading the way was Clarity, who appeared to be applying a great deal of self-restraint to prevent herself from charging headlong to Dinky’s bedside. Pipsqueak trotted along behind her, with Honeydew and Scuffle, walking side by side, bringing up the rear.
The moment Clarity reached Dinky’s bed, she reared up and placed her forehooves on the sheets beside her friend. “Celestia’s mane, Dinky, you can’t scare us like that,” she said. “Right after the explosion, we thought for sure you wouldn’t pull through.”
“Clarity told us the whole story,” Honeydew confessed. “I was worried you wouldn’t be coming back, and then when your mom arrived with you draped over her back, I thought… I thought…”
Overcome by her usual anxieties, Honeydew trailed off. Scuffle shifted his weight, and looking uncertain, gave her an awkward pat on the back.
“So… how badly are you hurt?” Pipsqueak asked quietly. “Can you move?”
“It… really doesn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would,” Dinky admitted. “I guess I just got really lucky. I could have been hurt pretty badly.”
Pipsqueak looked relieved. Dinky glanced at the pendant around his neck, and then at her own.
“So now that we have more time, Pip, tell me, what exactly happened with the pendant?”
Pipsqueak lifted the accessory off of himself and stared at it, as if expecting to find more information. “I still have no idea why it did what it did, really,” he admitted. “It started glowing, but it wasn’t your magic coming from it. The light was purple: a warm, friendly sort of purple, not an evil one. As soon as I put the pendant on, it was like it…”
He paused for several seconds, tapping a hoof to his chin ponderously. “It was almost like I tapped into your emotions at that moment. I felt your fear, your frustration, your desperation… it was impossible to tell what was wrong or why, but I knew you were in grave danger.”
“That sounds like some sort of enchantment,” Clarity stated. “A powerful, complicated enchantment. I don’t know how to cast anything like that.”
“Neither do I,” Dinky admitted. “Maybe Miss Twilight or Professor Luster can help us figure out what happened.”
She paused as a thought occurred to her. “Speaking of ponies that are good with enchantments… is Sparkler okay?”
“The nurse said she’s gonna be alright,” Scuffle assured her. “It’s going to take her a while to recover from her injuries, but you didn’t do any kind of permanent damage with your dark magic, thankfully.”
“Once we got her back to the castle, they rushed her straight here. She’s in another wing of the infirmary now,” Honeydew explained. “The night only got more stressful from there, with the guards and the dean questioning us, and then the uproar when you were brought back…”
Dinky nodded soberly. “But you know, Honeydew, you look pretty good considering all that’s happened,” she pointed out. “I’ve definitely seen you more rattled over smaller things than this.”
Honeydew smiled shyly. “I suppose that’s because Scuffle tried his best to keep me calm,” she admitted, glancing at the colt beside her. “I feel the worst when I’m allowed to stew in my own worries, and he helped to distract me while we waited for you to wake up.”
Scuffle blushed. “Well, what was I supposed to do, let you sit there and worry yourself to death?” he huffed, looking away.
Dinky giggled. “You act tough, but you’re a good friend, Scuffle,” she said.
Scuffle glared and opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short as Honeydew leaned over and gave him an appreciative nuzzle. “Dinky’s right, thanks Scuffle,” she said sweetly, once again totally unaware of the blush rapidly crossing the colt’s face as she turned back to Dinky.
“It seems like things turned out okay,” Clarity began, “but… there was one casualty. I… I’m afraid we lost Trouble.”
Dinky winced as she recalled Trouble’s final moments. Honeydew and Scuffle appeared just as distraught at the news.
“What happened?” Honeydew whispered. “Did he… did he suffer, or did he just…?”
“He saved us,” Dinky declared. “I don’t know how he knew what to do, but he caught Scorpio off guard for just a second, and that was all we needed. We sealed her away again, but he fell into the portal with her. I don’t think he escaped, but even if he did… well, I don’t think he would have fared as well in the explosion as I did…”
The atmosphere grew somber around the grieving foals. Finally Clarity piped up.
“We need to appreciate what he did for us,” she said. “Maybe he was just paying us back for all the care and comfort we’ve given him this year. We shouldn’t dwell on losing him; we should thank him for giving himself up for our sake.”
The others nodded. “Everypony else made it through last night okay, right?” Scuffle asked.
“Well, not quite,” Clarity said, biting her lip. “Dinky, I don’t suppose you know why you don’t still look like a— err, like you did in the cave?”
“I… I’m not sure,” Dinky admitted. “I think maybe we should wait until Princess Celestia gets here before we talk about anything regarding that.”
“Did I hear my name?”
Princess Celestia trotted into the room, with the nurse at her side. At Celestia’s nod, the mare bowed and excused herself from the room.
“Good morning, Princess!” said Twilight, cantering forward and bowing before the monarch.
“Good morning, Twilight,” Celestia replied, albeit less enthusiastically. “Pardon me for skipping the small talk, but from what I’ve gathered so far, something very substantial occurred last night, and I’d like a full account now that the immediate danger has passed.”
She looked toward Dinky. The filly saw no anger in her eyes, so hesitantly, she spoke.
“It’s mostly my fault, Princess. The wraith Antares tricked me, and I almost put all of Equestria in danger.”
Celestia walked slowly to Dinky’s bedside. The four foals gathered around looked up at her, unsure what to do.
“Good morning, students,” the princess greeted, smiling at each of them in turn. “I know you all want to catch up with Dinky, but could you excuse us for a few moments? Twilight Sparkle, Ditzy Doo, and I need to talk with her alone for a bit.”
Clarity nodded. “Sure, Princess. We’ll wait outside.”
The group of visitors hurried out of the room. Clarity sent Dinky a glance that seemed to say ‘good luck’ before pulling the door shut.”
Celestia nodded, satisfied, and then turned to the recovering filly. “Now Dinky, please, begin at the beginning. What led you and your friends to sneak out last night?”
Dinky cleared her throat and began to tell the story, making sure not to leave out anything. After all, she thought, I’m already going to be in serious trouble. Trying to deceive a princess would only make things worse.
The princess listened silently until she reached the point where the explosion had closed the portal to the Realm of Stars. Before she could move on to the experiences she’d had in the other realm during her unconsciousness, Celestia spoke up.
“It’s certainly unfortunate that Antares was clever enough to instigate this whole sequence of events,” she began, “but what’s done is done. Now is not the time or place to debate guilt or decide punishments. What we do need to investigate immediately is what happened to you in that cave.”
Dinky flattened her ears against her head and looked away.
“Your story matches Twilight’s,” Celestia continued. “Scorpio overloaded your body with dark magic and turned you into a wraith. Yet, against all expectations, you stood your ground alongside your allies, instead of falling to the call of darkness.”
“I know, it makes no sense,” Twilight chimed in, sounding intrigued. “Dark magic can’t be used for good, can it? I mean, it’s a basic principle of the magical medium.”
Dinky frowned. “Miss Twilight, you saw it happen. Maybe there’s an exception to the rule?”
“Dinky makes a good point,” Celestia said. “Technically, dark magic can occasionally be used neutrally, as you and I used it in the crystal empire to unlock some of King Sombra’s secrets. It’s possible, since the spell in question had combat applications, that it’s a loophole. What confuses me, however, is why a wraith would ever use a dark spell for a non-malicious purpose.”
She paused, and then turned, giving Twilight a serious stare that made the bookish mare shrink back a bit. “Twilight, are you certain that what you witnessed was Dinky’s transformation into a wraith, and not some other dark spell?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” Twilight affirmed. “It matched all the textbook descriptions. I’m not entirely sure how Dinky reverted to her disguised form while unconscious, but there’s a wraith underneath.”
Dinky had no idea how she had returned to her original appearance either, but expected it had something to do with her state of mind while visiting the plane between realms. “I’m pretty sure Miss Twilight is right,” she admitted. “But I swear, I’m not evil! If I show you, do you promise not to, you know, attack me?”
“Unless you make an attempt to harm somepony in this room, you will be safe, even if you are a wraith,” Celestia assured her. “But please, show us if you can, so we can erase any doubt.”
Ditzy groaned. “Does she have to? Memories of last night are still fresh in my mind.”
Celestia smiled gently. “Mrs. Doo, if what you told me earlier is true, and Dinky has retained her original personality, then her change will be a physical one only.”
Ditzy pondered the princess’s words before nodding. “You’re right. She’s still my Dinky, whether she looks like a pony or not.”
The pegasus stepped forward and gave Dinky a delicate hug. “Show the princess what happened to you, okay?” she asked.
Dinky nodded slowly. “Okay…”
Cautiously, Dinky lit her horn, and allowed dark magic to replace her usual glow. It felt almost no different than her usual magic did. She barely had to urge the energy forward before it spread through her whole body.
Dinky’s frame rippled like smoke, and dark color spread across the hazy image. She felt her features melt painlessly away, revealing the form beneath. Just a moment later, she returned to a stable form, fully transformed into a dark-coated wraith. She cringed at the several apprehensive stares she received.
“So… I guess this is me now,” Dinky replied, cringing again at the sound of her own altered voice. “But I haven’t changed on the inside, honest!”
Princess Celestia seemed to be thinking hard about what to say or do next. She watched Dinky closely for a few moments, choosing her words.
“Princess?” Dinky asked nervously.
“Can you stand?” Celestia asked suddenly. “You seem as though you aren’t in much pain. Are you strong enough to get to your hooves?”
Carefully, Dinky slid off the side of the bed and managed to stand steady after a few moments of adjustment. “I can stand, but I’m not totally sure why,” she admitted. “I should have broken every bone in my body last night, even if I did manage to survive. Why is it that I just feel sore, but otherwise I’m uninjured?”
“I bet being a wraith actually had something to do with that,” Twilight gasped, a look of comprehension crossing her features. “As we just saw, wraiths can change into an amorphous state. It’s possible you instinctively ‘softened’ some of your features a moment before impact, leaving you a lot less wounded than you would have been otherwise.”
Dinky blinked. “So if I was still a pony, I’d be dead now?” she asked, shocked.
“I’d think that would be very likely, considering the circumstances,” Twilight admitted nodding. “I never thought I’d say it, but maybe you were lucky this happened to you.”
“See? Everything has an upside,” Ditzy announced. “If this is the way Dinky is now, I’m prepared to accept it and move forward. That’s all you can do.”
“It may not be that simple,” Twilight argued. “I mean, we still have to figure out if Dinky really has broken the laws of magic, or if this is some complicated ruse to try to—”
Ditzy swung herself around, her eyes shifting to a rare moment of focus as she glared at the mare. “Twilight, I know you’re a modern authority on magic, and one of the few ponies I’d trust with my daughter’s safety, but for once in your life you need to take something at face value, even if it doesn’t make sense,” she scolded.
“B-but—”
“Calm down, please,” the Princess urged, stepping between the mares. “You both have a point. As Twilight said, there has never been a good wraith before. But that doesn’t mean we can be sure of what’s happening here. We need further information before we can fully understand what Dinky has become.”
“What we really need is to find the difference between Dinky and all other wraiths,” Twilight deduced, tapping a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “If a law of magic has really been disproved here, there must be a reason why.”
“Um…” Dinky began, flicking her smoky tail nervously and causing flecks of darkness to float off it, “I know you might not believe me since I’m the suspect here, but I think I’ve got an explanation.”
“We’d be happy to hear it,” Celestia said. “Anything that could shed light on this strange event would be appreciated, no matter who it comes from.”
Dinky nodded. “Well, while I was unconscious, I met this pony…”
Princess Celestia, Twilight, and Ditzy listened silently as Dinky recounted her conversation with Starswirl the Bearded, and his theory that, since she had not given in to the temptations of dark magic during her corruption, her body had transformed while her mind had remained her own. She made sure to relay every detail she could remember; after all, if Starswirl’s logic couldn’t convince the ponies in front of her she was telling the truth, it wasn’t likely that anything could.
The trio of ponies stared wide-eyed as the little wraith finished her story. Celestia was the first to find her voice.
“There are a lot of sensible points there,” she admitted. “There haven’t been a great number of established wraiths in Equestria’s history, and those that were went seeking dark powers as ponies before they transformed. You, Dinky, were observed just yesterday as behaving like your normal self, save for your troubles with dark magic surges, but even then, you were trying to contain them, not increase them.”
Ditzy smirked. “There’s your key difference, Twilight. I told you Dinky wasn’t really evil.”
“Now hang on,” Twilight snorted. “I don’t want to antagonize Dinky any further than I have to, but how do we know Dinky didn’t turn to darkness somewhere along the line and had the sense to keep up her usual behavior to avert suspicion?”
Ditzy bristled and prepared another outburst, but Dinky calmly interjected first.
“Miss Twilight, Antares said that any wraith would gladly accept Scorpio’s return, since she’s their best bet for getting the positions of power they want.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“I sealed Scorpio back in the Realm of Stars,” Dinky continued, ignoring the interruption. “Doesn’t that speak for itself?”
Twilight paused, considered Dinky’s point, and then looked rather sheepish. “Well, yes, I suppose it does.”
“It does indeed,” Princess Celestia confirmed. “Given the information, we must make the assumption that Dinky is telling the truth.”
Twilight nodded, and opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped short. Gradually, her eyes widened, not stopping until they had reached near ridiculous proportions.
“I… I just realized…” she whispered. “If the explanation was true, that means… Dinky really did meet Starswirl the Bearded!”
Dinky grinned. “Yes I did!” she said, nodding excitedly. “And actually, he gave me a message to deliver directly to you, Miss Twilight.”
The news hit Twilight like a physical force. Shaking, she stepped closer to the tiny wraith, leaning down so as not to miss a single syllable of the clearly all-important message.
Trying desperately to stifle a giggle, Dinky moved her head beside her tutor’s ear. “Starswirl the Bearded,” she began, just above a whisper, “one of the most famous and powerful unicorns in history, says… ‘hi’.”
Twilight stood stone still for a very long moment, her gaze locked on an unremarkable point in the distance. Her voice cracked as she repeated the message.
“…Hi?”
Dinky giggled. “I’m pretty sure that was the reaction he was hoping for,” she admitted. “He’s probably laughing his flank off right now.”
Twilight only grew more frantic. “B-but, if he sent me a message at all, at least that means he knows I exist, right? W-which means he must think I’m at least sort of a notable unicorn, doesn’t he?”
Twilight began pacing the room, mumbling to herself. “It must be a secret code, yes, that’s it,” she said under her breath. “Obviously, there’s a deeper meaning hidden in this casual greeting: a message that he has sent for me to decipher. But what could it be? Is this a test? Is he trying to determine if I’m worthy of even attempting to follow in his glorious legacy?”
Celestia made her way over to Twilight and put a wing around her panicked student. “Twilight, I think it’s more likely it was simply a prank,” she laughed. “Starswirl did occasionally enjoy a laugh at other ponies’ expense.”
“He just wanted to see how worked up you’d get,” Dinky chuckled. “Now that he’s had his fun, I’m allowed to give you the rest of the message.”
Twilight darted out from beneath Celestia’s wing so quickly that the latter lost a few feathers. Within a second, she was inches from Dinky’s face again, waiting in reverent silence.
“Starswirl’s been keeping an eye on your studies,” Dinky told her. “He says you shouldn’t get discouraged, because you’re on your way to making some amazing magical breakthroughs. He’s proud of what you’ve accomplished, and what you will still accomplish.”
“He… he what?”
Twilight swayed and threatened to topple over entirely, avoiding doing so only because Dinky leaned against her side, supporting her. After a few seconds, she regained her balance and looked at Dinky, her eyes full of something besides her awe of Starswirl.
“I’m sorry,” she said abruptly, hanging her head. “My studies in friendship, like my studies in magic, are far from complete. I’ve been your tutor since you cast your very first spell; I should have been able to see that same eager student in you despite what’s happened. I’m sorry I was so suspicious.”
Dinky glanced at her own dark fur and the smoke trailing faintly from her tail. “It’s okay, Miss Twilight. If I encountered a pony— err, a wraith like me, I’d be initially suspicious too.”
“It’s also worth noting that, although Dinky is not evil, she is probably not entirely unchanged,” Princess Celestia warned. “During these past few months, Dinky, have you felt the influence of dark magic on your personality?”
Dinky nodded solemnly. “I, uh… I admit I’ve been making some more risky decisions, and my temper was shorter than I would have liked. The only pony I ended up hurting was Sparkler, but trust me, I’ll never let that happen again.”
Celestia nodded. “Although dark magic will not continue to conflict with your established personality, the damage done before you transformed may have some lasting effects. Please be wary of your temper and impulsiveness, as you may still find those qualities coming out now and then.”
“If anyone can keep them under control, it’s my Dinky,” Ditzy said, determined. “The wraith in her may have won the body, but the pony’s heart will always be stronger.”
Dinky shifted her weight shyly. “You’re not upset?” she asked tentatively. “I’ll try my best, but… I might not always be your sweet, innocent little muffin anymore.”
Ditzy chuckled. “If dark magic hadn’t done that to you, growing up probably would have, and you would’ve been a lot less apologetic about it,” she mare laughed, winking at her daughter. “Trust me, I’m just relieved that a little extra rebelliousness is all that’s going to be different about you.”
Dinky grinned, feeling her new fangs touch her lip as she did so. “On that note, can I put my pony appearance back on now?” she asked uncomfortably. “Even if this is what’s underneath, I’d rather not look like this if I don’t have to.”
“Of course,” Princess Celestia agreed. “You’ve already shown us all you need to show.”
Relieved, Dinky lit her horn and gave in to the strange sensation of melting away into smoke. By simply wiling it, she felt her more familiar filly frame reform. As soon as it did, though, Ditzy let out a gasp.
“Dinky! Your… your cutie mark!”
Shocked, Dinky craned her neck to peer at her flank. Upon it was a ring of tiny black and purple stars, surrounding a much bigger bright yellow star in the center.
“A pony fit to wield both types of magic,” Princess Celestia said, examining the mark with wonder. “Wielding darkness as a tool, while light remains in your heart. Truly, Equestria has never seen a pony like you, Dinky Doo.”
“And that means I probably haven’t faced the last of the unique challenges coming my way, huh?” Dinky asked.
Celestia nodded. “I’m afraid they’re only beginning, but after what has happened here, I think you’ll be able to overcome them.”
“Thanks,” Dinky replied, humbled by the princess’s confidence in her. “I’ll certainly do my best.”
The filly wobbled in place, sidestepping slightly to maintain her balance. “But can I start facing those challenges later? I’m still really tired…”
“Of course,” Celestia responded. “We have much more to discuss, but it can wait.”
“We’ll leave you to rest,” Ditzy said as she helped Dinky back into bed. “The nurse will be here if you need anything, okay?”
Dinky nodded. As Twilight and Celestia made their way out of the room, Ditzy stayed behind. Once Dinky was tucked snugly back into the covers, the mare leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
“You’re still my little muffin,” she whispered. “Smart, brave, and with a heart of gold. And even the most evil being in Equestrian history couldn’t change that.”
Dinky smiled, and then closed her eyes as her mother trotted from the room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That day was the last day of the term. Most of the ponies, finished with their exams, prepared for the year’s closing ceremonies, completely unaware of the near-catastrophe that had occurred the night before.
It was mid-afternoon. After a long nap, Dinky felt well enough to get up and wander around. After an extensive discussion on her condition with Celestia, the nurse gave her permission to return to her dormitory.
The halls of the castle were nearly deserted. It was to be expected, Dinky supposed, as most of the students were probably packing their bags, and the professors were preparing for the closing ceremony.
Dinky paused in the second floor hallway overlooking the castle’s entrance, where one whole wall was a wide window, gazing out over the grounds and observing the ponies going about their day as if nothing significant had happened. Late afternoon sun bathed the campus and painted the surrounding mountains with wondrous colors. With the weight of the previous day still hanging over her, Dinky found herself much more able to appreciate the sight than she had in the past. Lost in thought, she hardly noticed the sound of hoofsteps approaching. She did snap right to attention, however, when the approaching pony spoke.
“Well well, if it isn’t the academy’s own dark mage.”
It was Sparkler’s voice. Dinky spun to face the approaching overseer.
Sparkler walked with a mild limp. A few small bandages decorated her coat, likely covering the more severe cuts. Despite her battered appearance, her eyes were bright; she studied Dinky closely as she approached.
“S-Sparkler,” Dinky said nervously. “Um, I—”
“You disobeyed my commands and assaulted me with dark magic,” Sparkler said flatly. “If you’re going to try to explain it away as something else, good luck.”
Dinky shook her head. “No, I’m just very relieved that you’re okay,” she admitted. “And also, I’m sorry. You were right all along. While we had the right motivations, what we tried to do was outrageous, and almost put all of Equestria in danger. Worse still, I managed to hurt ponies I cared about, or put them in peril.”
The filly hung her head. “Last night, thanks to the influence of dark magic, I really was the troublemaker you kept making me out to be all year. I’m sorry…”
Sparkler said nothing. Dinky could feel the young mare’s gaze burning into her, but she didn’t dare meet it with her own. After a few seconds, Sparkler lit her horn, and for a moment Dinky feared the overseer was going to attack her. Instead, there was a feeling of movement against her chest, and she realized her pendant was being lifted from around her neck. Confused, she allowed it to be taken off.
Sparkler held the pendant in front of her face, staring at it as it dangled in her aura. “I’ve seen a few unfamiliar ponies around today,” she said, still examining the jewelry. “Some of them aren’t even unicorns. Did they come here last night, to help you?”
Dinky nodded. “Um… yes. How did you know?”
“I’ve been filled in on last night’s events,” Sparkler said simply. Her gaze never left the pendant. After a few seconds, when Dinky offered no further comment, she continued to speak.
“In a pony’s darkest hour, the one bound to them by the spell will be alerted,” she said finally. “It’s a difficult enchantment to cast, that’s for sure. But it looks like you ended up needing it after all, so I suppose it was worth the effort.”
Dinky’s jaw dropped when she realized what Sparkler meant. “You added the enchantment to my pendant that let Pipsqueak know I needed help?”
The overseer didn’t reply, but then again, she didn’t really need to. She lowered the pendant back to Dinky’s height, and the filly quickly slipped it back around her neck. The two ponies’ gazes finally met.
“Sparkler… what… what made you think—”
“Regardless of what all may have transpired this year between us, I am still your overseer, and I am responsible for your safety,” said Sparkler levelly. “I thought, considering your circumstances in the last few months, that an emergency backup plan might come in handy in case things turned very sour.”
“You saved my life,” Dinky breathed. “Actually, you probably saved all of Equestria. If Pip hadn’t brought the others along when he did…”
“Your friend wouldn’t have needed to do that if you’d just returned to the castle when I commanded you to, instead of trying to kill me with dark magic,” Sparkler grumbled.
Dinky winced. “I know. I insulted you. I hurt you. I thought I might have killed you. You can’t even imagine how much the guilt weighed on me. I’m so sorry…”
The filly lowered her head, expecting Sparkler to berate her further, or, at best, simply walk away. Instead, she felt the mare’s hoof come to rest gently on the back of her head.
“I know you’re sorry. And I forgive you.”
That was the very last thing Dinky had expected to hear. She froze, certain she’d misheard.
“Pardon me?”
“I forgive you,” Sparkler sighed. “Because I need to. Because it would be unfair of me not to. Because it’s time for a change.”
Dinky raised an eyebrow.
“Do you remember that night, when we had that little talk in my bedroom?” Sparkler asked.
Dinky nodded. Although it felt like much longer, only a few weeks had passed since then.
“That was when I enchanted your pendant,” Sparkler admitted. “Part of the reason was for your protection, yes, but it was also an experiment.”
“I’m still not sure what that has to do with you forgiving me,” Dinky said hesitantly, cocking her head.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said about allowing other ponies into my life,” Sparkler began, choosing her phrasing carefully. “I thought that if I used that enchantment, and you wound up in danger, I might get to learn the extent your loved ones would go to for you, and decide if it was worth it.”
“And what conclusion did you come to?” Dinky asked, wondering how a mind as analytical as Sparkler’s would interpret the events.
Sparkler seemed to be thinking hard as she spoke. “Not only did your friend come to your aid, he brought together an entire band of ponies close to you to attempt a rescue. Every one of them risked their lives, so I’ve been told, in order to bring you back here in one piece.”
Dinky nodded. “That’s right. Don’t you think letting ponies like that into your life is worth the perceived ‘risk’?”
Sparkler chewed her lip. “As I’ve said, my father wasn’t there for me like your family was,” she sighed. “I’ve never even met him. And my mother? She’s not the type who would stick her neck out for me if I found myself in the situation you were in.”
“Not all families are as close-knit as others, I guess,” Dinky admitted. “But I never said you would definitely be born into an ideal family, Sparkler. What you need to do is surround yourself with ponies that really do care deeply about you, even if you can’t start with your own parents.”
Sparkler cringed. “Where can I find ponies like that?” she asked hesitantly.
Dinky rolled her eyes. “One young stallion’s been trying to get your attention all year and you know it, Sparkler.”
There were a few long seconds of silence.
“I just need some time to think,” Sparkler admitted, shuffling a hoof on the carpet. “Maybe I could talk to Presto and…”
She trailed off, her brow furrowed as she stood lost in thought. Eventually, she looked back to Dinky and managed a weak smile.
“Anyway, like I said, you’re forgiven. I haven’t been being fair, and I’m sorry. Maybe… we can forgive each other?”
Dinky returned Sparkler’s hesitant smile with a much brighter one of her own. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”
Unfortunately, Dinky’s cheerfulness didn’t seem to lift Sparkler’s mood much. Something in the young mare’s eyes looked uneasy.
“Dinky…” she muttered, “you know that, as much as we’d both like to put everything that happened behind us, it can’t happen like that. I may not know the whole story, but I’ve at least heard the basics of what happened last night. And I’m sure you can put two and two together well enough to know that if I know about what happened… so does the dean.”
Dinky winced. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she’d known the dean would come up eventually, but she’d been managing not to think about it.
“Dinky, I wasn’t trying to trick you, last night in the courtyard,” Sparkler said, tossing her mane nervously. “What I said about the dean is true. She’s going to—”
“I’m going to what, Sparkler?”
With her head high and a haughty, victorious smile on her face, dean Bright Spark marched around the corner from a nearby corridor and trotted up to the pair of students. Sparkler shrank back like a mouse just cornered by a cat.
“I— I was just saying you were going to punish Dinky appropriately for the trouble she caused last night,” the overseer mewled.
“Quite right,” Bright Spark laughed, clearly delighted at the thought. “I hope you weren’t planning on getting out of an expulsion this time, Dinky. Leaving the school after dark is a punishable offence, deliberate use of dark magic despite prior warnings warrants expulsion in itself, and we won’t even go into the fact that you nearly doomed Equestria in the process. I’d go so far as to say you are the most delinquent student in the history of this academy!”
Dinky hunkered down so low she nearly touched the floor and said nothing.
“You don’t even try to argue,” Bright Spark chuckled, adjusting her glasses as her cackling threatened to toss them from her muzzle. “It’s for the best, trust me. Now come, we’re going directly to my office to fill out your expulsion papers again. And this time, my little pony, they aren’t going to be overruled.”
Bright Spark turned and began to trot merrily toward her office. Sparkler silently urged Dinky to follow, but the filly stood her ground. After a few moments, Bright Spark came to a halt and slowly turned around.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” she cooed, her voice dripping with fake politeness. “We’re going to my office. Please come along.”
“I’ve got a question,” Dinky said calmly, ignoring the dean’s order completely. “Did you really sink so low that you tried to blackmail Sparkler into helping get me expelled?”
The dean released a peal of laughter that echoed through the empty halls. “Now Dinky, whatever gave you such a ridiculous idea?” she asked. “Sparkler’s merely been keeping an eye on your, erm, exploits, we’ll call them. Any accusations of conspiracies or blackmail are utterly unfounded.”
To Dinky’s surprise, Sparkler, who had been silent since the dean initially addressed her, opened her mouth to reply, but Bright Spark cut her off before she could begin.
“Ah, ah, ah, Sparkler,” she scolded, waving a forehoof. “Everypony’s very tense lately, what with that incident last night. The last thing you’d want to do is say something that might be taken the wrong way now that the crisis has already passed. After all, you’re getting out of this scot-free; Dinky is the pony who will be punished. There’s no need for you to say anything, trust me.”
Sparkler blinked, and suddenly anger flashed across her face. “You still think I’m in on this awful little scheme!?” she snapped, her horn flaring angrily. “Dinky and I have fought with some major differences all term, but despite that, I couldn’t bring myself to do your dirty work for you, despite all your threats. If you’re going to expel Dinky for what she did, that’s understandable, but don’t you dare insinuate I actually participated in your attempt to frame her!”
Bright Spark crinkled her nose. “Finally grown a backbone, have you?” she grumbled. “Although, I suppose, it’s really not dangerous for you to speak out of line at this point.”
Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, you’re right. You have done nothing wrong. You’ve been doing your overseer job perfectly, and your contributions to trying to avert last night’s crisis have been noted by Princess Celestia. If I were to strip you of your overseer title on vague means now, it would arouse too much suspicion.”
She smirked at Sparkler and Dinky’s outraged expressions. “Besides,” she continued, “It doesn’t matter anyway. Dinky turned out to be fully capable of getting into trouble without your help. She’ll be expelled, and you’ll graduate with your highly reputable title intact. I’d say you got very lucky, Sparkler.”
“So you really were blackmailing her!” Dinky snarled.
“Of course I was!” Bright Spark hissed. “But so what? The only pony who would be able to do anything about it is Princess Celestia, and without any solid evidence, she has no reason to believe the testimony of two fillies. Especially when one of them is a delinquent about to be kicked out of this fine school.”
“Of course, admitting your crimes aloud is more than enough solid evidence,” came a disembodied voice.
Bright Spark nodded. “Well, of course, but Princess Celestia isn’t… here… to…”
She trailed off as it occurred to her that the voice of a pony not present had spoken, and her confusion turned to horror as she realized whose voice it was. Panicking, she backed against the wall as a rather large invisibility spell rippled through the air, dropping away to reveal a perfectly concealed Princess Celestia.
“Princess!” Dinky gasped, staring up at the monarch. “Were you following me?”
“Actually, I was following professor Spark,” Celestia admitted. “I just wanted to reassure myself that she was behaving as the dean should at the end of a term. I seem to have discovered otherwise.”
“P-p-princess Celestia, I’m sure this is all simply a huge m-misunderstanding…” Bright Spark stuttered. “A-anything you may have overheard was likely taken o-out of context. Perhaps you and I should adjourn so that I may properly explain—”
“No explanations are necessary, Bright Spark,” Celestia said, shaking her head sadly. “Throughout this term, your actions have been beginning to worry me, particularly when they included Dinky Doo. I tried to convince myself that everything was fine, considering you’ve given four decades of your life to this school, but I can see now that I was in error. I shudder to think how many students over these many years you’ve gotten away with mistreating the way you have Dinky.”
“But Princess, you must understand,” Bright Spark parried desperately, “while perhaps my methods were questionable, even outright unwholesome, I still only acted in the best interests of this school and everypony in it! I know Dinky’s still been using dark magic, and—”
“And was doing as well as she was physically able to keep it under control,” Celestia finished. “After the incident in the residence tower earlier this year, there have been no further situations in which other students were put in danger by her.”
“Yes, and we were very lucky!” Bright Spark insisted. “A pony continuing to wield dark magic here is unacceptable. I had to do something!”
“Then I would have appreciated you’d contacted me for a civil discussion of your opinions on the matter, rather than taking matters into your own hooves in such a way,” Celestia retorted.
Bright Spark’s lip curled angrily. “Pah! Like you would have listened,” she growled. “I know it’s customary to trust the princess’s decisions, but not when they needlessly overlook the most fundamental rules of my school.”
“This is not your school,” Princess Celestia answered loudly. “You’ve been given the privilege of leading my students in my absence, as has been the case with every dean for hundreds of years.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“And I can see it’s time for that privilege to be taken away,” Celestia continued, cutting the dean off. “Bright Spark, I am stripping you of your position as acting dean of Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns.”
Bright Spark scowled, tossing her silvery mane with an air of self importance. “Fine. Boot me out for cracking down on troublesome students. When the academy goes to seed, don’t come crying to me.”
“I think we’ll manage,” Celestia said crossly. “Now collect your things from your office; I don’t intend to allow you to host tonight’s closing ceremony.”
Muttering under her breath, the old mare turned and began to trot away. “At least there’s one silver lining,” she said as she receded down the hall. “I may be going down, but Dinky’s going with me. Regardless of what I did, her actions last night were definitely expulsion-worthy.”
“Maybe,” Princess Celestia said thoughtfully. “But… maybe not.”
Bright Spark stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the princess and the two fillies who had been silent for some time.
“Excuse me?”
“Since Dinky’s original dark magic incident, she has been doing everything possible to keep it under control, including reaching out to her friends and receiving help from Princess Luna,” Celestia said as the dean returned to the group of conversing ponies. “To the best of her ability, she has acted exactly as I would have recommended. Unfortunately, her recent decisions were skewed by the strong presence of dark magic in her. I can’t really consider them entirely her fault.”
“Just because the crisis has passed doesn’t mean her future decisions will be better!” Bright Spark exclaimed. “You’re acting as if the dark magic has simply left her system or something!”
“No, the dark magic is here to stay,” Dinky admitted. “But I’ve learned to control it now. It won’t be putting any more ponies in danger.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” Bright Spark snapped, before turning back to Celestia. “Princess, even if you believe that blatant lie, what if you’re wrong? What if Dinky continues to be a threat to everypony around her?”
“Then perhaps it is better to have her here for much of the year, surrounded by unicorns who can help her until she can fully control it, than to turn her loose in Equestria where she’d pose a greater threat to innocent, unsuspecting ponies.”
“You’re… you’re really not going to expel her!?” the dean roared, slamming her forehooves against the floor. “You’re allowing a criminal to inhabit our hallowed halls of magical education! Are you completely out of your mind!?”
Dinky immediately flattened her ears against her head, managing to do so just before Celestia broke into the Royal Canterlot voice.
“You’ve already been in a lot of trouble today, and now you have the gall to insult your princess? I will not tolerate this lack of respect!”
Celestia’s voice reached such a volume at the end of her sentence that the huge window overlooking the courtyard shattered, raining glass onto the fortunately empty grounds below. Bright Spark, who seemed to have shrunken considerably in the last few seconds, opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut short.
“It’s been years since I have encountered a pony with such a self-important, ill-mannered attitude as yours!” Celestia continued, her thunderous voice causing Bright Spark to step back defensively. “Leave this campus immediately. I will not have a pony like you around my students for one second longer!”
Assaulted by the force of Celestia’s voice, the former dean backpedaled further. Too far, everypony realized, when her hind hoof, without the window barrier to stop it, slipped off the edge of the stone floor and into midair.
For one second, a look of terror crossed the old unicorn’s face as she attempted to maintain her balance. An instant later, she cried out as she toppled backwards, plummeting toward the courtyard below.
Dinky and Sparkler were too stunned to react, but Celestia moved immediately, launching out into the air and lighting her horn. Bright Spark was cradled in the princess’s golden aura several pony lengths before she hit the ground, and was gently lowered to the courtyard below. As soon as she regained her footing, she threw herself on the ground before Celestia.
“Even a pony like you doesn’t deserve a fate like that,” Celestia said. “Now get up, and get out of here.”
Nodding shakily, Bright Spark got to her hooves and bolted down the path toward the train station, her tail rippling behind her as she disappeared as fast as her old hooves could carry her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So you’re not getting expelled?” Clarity gasped.
“None of us are!” Dinky announced, grinning at her friends’ relieved faces. “After the dean fled, Celestia told me I should go get ready for tonight’s closing ceremonies, and that I should let you three know that you’re all very good friends for trying to keep me safe when I most needed somepony to guide me.”
“That’s a relief,” Scuffle sighed, wiping his brow. “Even my brothers didn’t screw up bad enough to get kicked outta this place, but I really thought we had.”
Dinky, Clarity, Honeydew, and Scuffle were standing outside the residence towers, having their first real chance to catch up since the events of the night before. Their belongings were already packed; the train would be arriving to take everypony home about an hour after the closing ceremonies concluded. Ditzy, Pipsqueak, and the others had come by a short time earlier to ensure one final time that Dinky was no longer in any physical distress before heading home on an earlier train.
It feels so strange being back here, Dinky thought to herself, taking a deep breath of the autumn air as she trotted along beside her friends. It feels like years ago that I was able to take a normal stroll through campus like this, but really, it was just yesterday…
“Oh, Dinky and Clarity,” Honeydew chirped, snapping Dinky out of her thoughts, “congratulations on getting your cutie marks, by the way. Who would’ve thought you’d get them less than a day apart?”
Dinky grinned and stared at the ring of colored stars on her flank. “Thanks!” she giggled. “I don’t think either of us have had time to really think about them yet, now that you mention it. Things have been kind of hectic.”
Clarity nodded in agreement, showing off the design on her own flank. “I can’t wait to get home and show Lucid! She’s gonna flip!”
“I’m just excited about not getting called a blank flank anymore,” Dinky added. “All the fillies and colts back home are gonna see us in a different light now.”
“Eh, only the bullies will, really,” Scuffle chimed in. “I’ve had my cutie mark for a while, and trust me, only the ponies who know your flank better than they know you are gonna really change. Your friends… and enemies, for that matter, will treat you pretty much the same.”
“That’s… really insightful, Scuffle,” Clarity admitted.
Scuffle shrugged. “Ponies at home know me as ‘Scorch and Frosty’s little brother.’ Thanks to you guys, I managed to shake off that reputation here before it stuck. Now I just have to figure out how to do the same back in Fillydelphia.”
“You’re a better pony now than you were when the term started,” Dinky reminded him. “I’m sure everypony will be able to see that. Just make an effort to stay out of your brothers’ shadows and I’m sure ponies will reach out to you.”
Scuffle smiled. “Yeah. Thanks, Dinks.”
“Speaking of ponies changing for the better,” Clarity began, “what about Sparkler? You said you talked to her earlier. Did you finally get through to her?”
“I hope so,” Dinky admitted. “She needs somepony in her peer group to reach out to if she wants to get back on track.”
“I hope she talks to Presto before they go their separate ways,” Honeydew confided. “He seems to be the only pony around here who wants to do that for her.”
A thought occurred to Dinky, and she stopped walking. “Clarity, Honeydew, how about you two head to the castle; I wanna talk to Scuffle a second before the ceremony, so we’ll catch up.”
“No problem,” Clarity said, nodding. “Later, Dinky.”
“See you soon,” Honeydew added as the two fillies trotted away.
Dinky turned to face Scuffle, who had raised a curious eyebrow. “Something up?”
“Sparkler has some un-confessed feelings,” Dinky began. “Kind of like another pony I know. There’s only a few hours left in the term; are you going to, you know, talk to Honeydew about anything?”
Scuffle blushed and fixed his gaze firmly on the ground. “I can’t even try to pretend nothing’s going on anymore,” he admitted. “You and Clarity figured it out pretty quick; I do kinda, sorta maybe have a crush on Honeydew. But if she knew that, she might not react, uh, how I might hope she would.”
Dinky prepared a response, but Scuffle suddenly looked back up, meeting her gaze with a direct, sure-looking one of his own.
“Here’s the thing, Dinks. Honeydew is shy and timid. You know that just as well as I do. It takes a long time to earn her trust, and even longer to gain her affection.”
He paused to look toward the castle, and the now distant specks that were Clarity and Honeydew before continuing. “Look, Honeydew is still learning how to reach out to ponies around her, and I’m still learning a lot about how to treat friends myself. We’re both improving, but half a term isn’t enough for either of us to really develop those skills. We all still have four more years that we’re going to be together at this academy, so I just thought… maybe I should focus on developing strong friendships instead of rushing into something more than that.”
Dinky broke into a huge smile. “You know, you’re absolutely right,” she affirmed, giving Scuffle an ‘attaboy sort of pat on the back. “As soon as next term starts, you’ll be seeing all of us, including Honeydew, every day again anyway. Move at the pace you’re comfortable with. You’ve got loads of time.”
Scuffle nodded and smirked. “Well, I suppose there’s always the chance that Honeydew might figure it out for herself after a while.”
“I wouldn’t count on that!” Dinky laughed. “Now come on, it’s almost sunset. Let’s get down there before the ceremony starts.”
Full of admiration for Scuffle’s surprising maturity, Dinky broke into a brisk trot as she and her friend made their way into the castle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The main hall was packed. Every one of the academy’s students was in attendance, as well as every member of the staff. Dinky saw several of her professors, as well as Nester, talking quietly in their seats in the front row, with the rest of the academy’s professors close by.
Clarity had saved two open seats, allowing Dinky and Scuffle to settle in next to their friends. “Just in time,” Clarity said as they arrived. “The ceremony will be starting any minute.”
Dinky took her seat, pausing to gaze around the huge room. After just a year of study, the important magical figures depicted in the stained glass windows, formerly strangers to her, had almost all become household names. She paused, once again gazing at the glassy image of Starswirl the Bearded as she had when she first visited this place, and couldn’t help but smile.
The illumination orbs on the pedestals began to glow more brightly as the last rays of sunlight disappeared. Sensing something was about to happen, the murmuring crowd of students quieted.
Two twinkling balls of light, one yellow and one blue, suddenly flickered to life above the main stage. They grew larger and brighter, growing to several times a typical pony’s size before fading away, leaving Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing in their place.
“Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts!” Celestia welcomed. “It’s been an exciting and eventful term, but we once again find ourselves just a few hours from its end. So as always, it’s time for a ceremony to look back upon another wonderful year!”
“We have speeches prepared by a few select students and professors that we feel will best put this term into perspective,” Luna added. “Please listen and reminisce as your classmates reflect on a year gone by.”
One by one, various unicorns from different levels in their education and with different specialties took the stage, each one pausing to give a short talk about what they’d learned about magic, about themselves, and about the ponies around them during that year at the academy. It all felt so normal; Dinky found herself really appreciating the break from thinking about dark magic, wraiths, the fate of Equestria, and other serious topics.
For a few hours, the speeches continued. After nine or ten ponies had spoken, Princess Celestia returned to center stage.
“Before we conclude our ceremony for this evening,” she began, “we traditionally hear one final speech from the valedictorian of the graduating class. This year, interestingly, our valedictorian may have some additional insights of offer us, as she is also one of our overseers. We’d like to invite Miss Sparkler up to say a few words.”
There was a small wave of applause as Sparkler rose from elsewhere in the hall and made her way to the stage.
“Sparkler has the highest marks in her class?” Clarity asked aloud as the stomping began to die down. “I knew she was smart, but valedictorian?”
“Sparkler is really focused on her responsibilities as overseer,” Dinky pointed out. “It makes sense that she might be equally concerned about her grades. She’s one of the most dedicated ponies I’ve ever met when it comes to the things she considers important.”
Clarity nodded. “Which, up until now, has included everything except…”
“…making friends,” Dinky finished. “But maybe she’s ready to change that.”
“We’ll find out in a moment,” Honeydew whispered. “She’s about to speak.”
Sparkler arrived at the podium, ignoring the whispers that spread through the room about her physically battered appearance. She stared out over the assembled ponies with her usual serious demeanor. Then she began to speak.
“You’re probably expecting the usual valedictorian monologue,” she began, her voice level. “You’re bracing yourselves now for a lecture on the importance of applying yourselves, the impact of your school years on your future, and how careful study is time well spent. So here’s that bit; all of those things are true. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about something else.”
Dinky exchanged a surprised glance with her friends. Those topics were, in fact, exactly what she’d expected Sparkler’s speech to be about. Curiously, she listened to what the young mare had to say.
“This term has been an interesting one, I can’t deny that,” she continued. “For some ponies, it was probably much like any other, but for a few, it was a year that will have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. I am one of those ponies.”
Sparkler paused, evidently collecting her thoughts. “You’ve all noticed that I have kept a no-nonsense attitude while performing my duties as an overseer. When not focusing on my own studies, I’ve been offering help or providing discipline, as were my primary duties. I’ve held all the rules to be absolute; I did everything by the book and didn’t inject any of my personal opinions into any of my work. And as a result, I was viewed by the student body as exactly that which I presented myself as: just an overseer, not an individual. I won’t pretend that that wasn’t completely my fault.”
Several ponies in the audience nodded slowly as the overseer continued to speak. “But you know what?” she asked rhetorically. “I am an individual. I am not just a title, I’m a pony like every one of you. And I spent five years at this academy refusing to let anypony get to know that individual. And only very recently did one filly break through that layer of indifference I’ve surrounded myself in and find that pony underneath.”
Now it was Dinky’s friends’ turn to glance at her. She hardly noticed, focusing instead on hearing about what impact her actions had had on Sparkler.
“After that, the defenses I had built around myself and maintained for so long were lowered, and I was left to figure out if I could, or even wanted to, put them back up,” Sparkler admitted, her usual stern voice beginning to melt away and be replaced by a more thoughtful one. “For just a little while, I was able to see the world the way that filly saw it. The way, I’m sure, many of you see it: a world where the actions of the ponies around you can directly influence your own life, no matter how hard you may work to prevent it. And I started to realize that maybe, rejecting other ponies’ kindness to protect myself wasn’t protecting me from misery at all; I had just sunk too deeply into denial to recognize that, by pushing other ponies away, I was making myself more miserable than being hurt by another pony could’ve made me.”
More than a few ponies in the audience were wearing confused looks, tilting their heads curiously. After all, Dinky thought to herself, they didn’t know anything about this side of Sparkler until just now.
Sparkler seemed to be picking up on her listeners’ bewilderment as well. “What I want you to take away from this, though, isn’t anything about me,” she continued. “Rather, I’d like you all to take to heart a lesson that I just learned: one that I should’ve learned within days of arriving at the academy years ago. Instead, it became one I didn’t learn until my final weeks before graduation, and I pity anypony who has to wait as long to learn it as I did.”
The overseer took a long breath, steeling herself and speaking in a confident tone.
“Here at Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns, our primary goal is to study magic of all kinds. And study and practice can only teach us so much about it. Please, try not to forget, as I did, that the magic of friendship and family is a force that is just as significant. Without it, one cannot utilize magic to its true potential. I may be graduating with top marks, but I have so much more to learn than many of you. Give yourselves that head start, and I’m confident every one of you will reach new heights by the time you’re graduating.”
“Magic is limited only by the strength of the mind and the passion of the heart,” Dinky whispered, smiling at her friends. “It looks like Sparkler’s finally learning that lesson for herself.”
“Before I step down and let the ceremony conclude,” Sparkler said, “I’d like to thank two ponies who have helped me far more than I deserved. The first is the pony who put up with my unfair attitude to her all year. She persisted and managed to unearth a part of me I had long forgotten. But as she’s not a fifth-term student and I don’t want to have an effect on her reputation in the future here, I won’t mention her name. She knows who she is, though, and I want her to know how much I appreciate what she did, even if I seemed to hate her until very recently. Thank you.”
Dinky blushed.
“The other pony is perhaps even more important, for not giving up on me when everypony else long since had. For putting up with my cold attitude every day since we arrived at this place as foals. He deserves to be recognized for not giving up on friendship with ponies he could tell really needed it, even if those ponies refused to accept it like I did. So Presto, thank you for being a dedicated fellow overseer, and dedicated even more to helping ponies who needed you.”
There were a few moments of silence. Sparkler looked awkwardly around, scanning the crowd.
“Presto?”
“Err, I’m sorry, Sparkler,” said Celestia from the side of the room. “Presto was called away a few hours ago for a family emergency. I’m afraid he wasn’t able to attend the ceremony tonight.”
Sparkler blinked, her ears drooping slowly. “I…I see,” she said, surprisingly calmly. “My speech is concluded then. Have a wonderful break and a bright future, everypony.”
Looking a little shaken, Sparkler stepped off the stage and returned to her seat.
“Thank you for your closing speech, Sparkler,” Celestia said, returning to center stage. “I believe with that, we can consider this ceremony, and this term, over. To all our returning students, I look forward eagerly to seeing you next term for another year of magical study! Dean Bright Spark has, erm, respectfully accepted my suggestion that she retire, but I promise, we’ll have a new dean by the start of next term, who I hope will have only the best interests of each and every student of magic in mind. With that, good night, and safe travels to you all.”
Hundreds of hooves stamped the floor in applause and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna bowed and trotted from the stage. Dinky and her friends rose from their seats.
“Poor Sparkler,” Honeydew mumbled. “I hope she gets a chance to give Presto her message.”
Dinky considered trying to reach Sparkler to talk, but hundreds of assembled young ponies stood between her and the overseer, and the latter was already quickly making her way from the room.
“Come on, let’s go outside,” Clarity suggested. It’s a beautiful night for this late in the season; we might as well enjoy it for a few minutes before we head to the train.”
Dinky glanced over her shoulder once more and watched Sparkler disappear from the room, before nodding and following her friends.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A leaf twirled through the night air, coming to rest on Dinky’s nose. She brushed it aside, staring at the forest it came from, the bright yellow and red leaves visible even in the late evening dark.
“Think we can still use the hideout next year?” she asked, staring into the trees.
“I don’t see why not,” Scuffle answered, swishing his tail thoughtfully. “The only other pony who had any reason to believe it was there was Sparkler, and she won’t be around next year.”
“It won’t be quite the same without Trouble, though…” Honeydew mumbled, turning away from the forest and frowning at the memory. “Having him around always made it feel so homey. He was like our mascot.”
Dinky stared up at the stars, staring at the outline of Scorpio looking back down on her, and said nothing. After a few moments, she heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching behind her and her friends. She didn’t immediately turn to greet the guest, but jumped upon hearing the calm female voice.
“Thinking of the stars, are we, young ones?”
The four foals turned quickly to greet Princess Luna as the alicorn made her way into their midst. She acknowledged their brief bows with a nod, and then she too stared up at the stars.
“I admit I overheard your lamentations about your lost friend a few moments ago,” she said after a short silence. “Losing one who was close to you is difficult, be it a pony or another of Equestria’s creatures. Still, I urge you to remember that the fox’s sacrifice was not in vain.”
“I know that,” Dinky replied, nodding slowly. “I just wish I knew what happened to him. I hope he didn’t suffer. I’m not sure which side of the barrier he ended up on when the portal closed.”
To the foals’ surprise, Luna smiled. “Children, have you looked closely at the stars this night?” she asked. “Dinky, Scuffle, you should remember from Astronomy which constellation is directly overhead, right?”
“I don’t think any of us need to be reminded it’s Scorpio,” Dinky mumbled.
Luna nodded. “You would not have had any way of knowing, but when Scorpio was briefly released from her extra-dimensional prison, her constellation disappeared from the sky. Those stars have now returned, but as anypony as intimately familiar with the night sky as I would immediately notice, the features of the heavens are not quite the same.”
Dinky blinked, and she and her friends took a look at the sky. Something did look different, but the filly couldn’t determine what.
“Um, princess?” Scuffle asked hesitantly. “Our first-term astronomy class didn’t require we learn about every star or anything like that, so mind pointing the difference out to us?”
“Of course,” the princess answered. “It was immediately apparent to me that, when the constellation returned, there were more stars than there had been when it vanished. All of Scorpio’s stars have returned, but there are now some extras.”
“Why’s that?” Clarity asked.
“A small cluster of additional stars have appeared between Scorpio and Sagittarius,” Luna explained, pointing to a group of stars slightly to the east. “Can you see what shape they form?”
Dinky stared at the stars uncomprehendingly. “N…no?”
“Allow me to help,” Luna said with a small chuckle. “Observe.”
Luna’s horn glowed, and a series of glowing lines began to appear a few pony lengths overhead, illustrating a pattern created by the new stars. The glowing blue lines created an outline of a four-legged creature with pointed ears and a bushy tail.
The design hadn’t even fully formed yet when Dinky realized what was being drawn, judging by the gasps behind her, her friends were coming to a similar realization.
“Princess Luna… is that…?”
“It appears to be a fox:” Luna said, with a gleam in her eye, “a determined fox, pursuing Scorpio relentlessly through the heavens. Now, if you recall your lessons, anything that exists in the Realm of Stars appears as a constellation here. So if we’re seeing a fox chasing Scorpio in the night sky…”
“…it means Trouble is still out there somewhere,” Dinky finished, her eyes filling with tears. “He’s still alive, in the Realm of Stars.”
Luna nodded. “You may never see Trouble in person again, but at least you have the knowledge that he exists beyond our realm. And every autumn, you can simply look up at the stars, watching your friend shimmer over Equestrian nights as he pursues the evil pony that tried to hurt those who cared for him.”
“Is he safe there?” Honeydew asked. “Scorpio sounds really dangerous. Won’t she hurt him?”
“Beings in the Realm of Stars do not have a corporeal form,” Luna explained. “If you recall, Scorpio needed to consume the body of a wraith to return to this world. In the form that Trouble now exists, he should be invulnerable to any sort of attack.”
Clarity giggled. “I bet he can still annoy Scorpio, though, and if I know him, I’m sure he will!”
“Yes, I imagine Scorpio is less than pleased,” Luna laughed. “Not only was her plan that spanned several millennia foiled in a night, but now she has to gallop through the skies with Trouble close behind.”
Dinky felt a warm feeling as she stared at the stars, hoping that Trouble was looking right back at her and her friends from beyond space and time.
“Dinky Doo,” said Luna after a pause, “if you find yourself in need of advice about your new dark powers, I would like you to contact me. I don’t know much, but I may be able to help.”
“You would?” Dinky asked. “Was dark magic connected with your transformation into Nightmare Moon?”
“It was not,” Luna answered. “But… perhaps some of its moral ideas played a part.”
The princess hung her head. “I do not like to admit this, young ones, but… Scorpio and I were colleagues, nay, perhaps even something like friends, many, many ages ago. I found her discoveries intriguing at least, perhaps even revolutionary, at the time. Thank goodness my sister was wise enough to see through Scorpio’s temptations and urge me away from the mare before her darkness began to influence me; if she had not, I may have become something far worse than Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately, sometimes I fear I was little better than her; it was not dark magic but my own jealousy and self-importance that led me to let myself become that.”
“Yikes,” Scuffle said, flattening his ears. “Even so, at least you weren’t beyond redemption. Seems like Scorpio was just bad news wherever she went, huh?”
Luna shrugged. “She was extremely strong-willed. I think she could be considered a good pony, just opinionated and very passionate, before she began to develop dark magic. Dinky here is the first positive result of anything she has done since then.”
Dinky nodded. “I’ll be sure to send you a letter if I find anything about my new powers that concerns me,” she assured the monarch. “If you knew Scorpio, you probably know how she thinks, and that could be really useful.”
“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “Keep your true friends close, and refrain from using your dark powers recklessly; I’m sure you’ve already heard it many times today, but Equestria may not take kindly to a wraith, regardless of what’s in her heart.”
Dinky glanced at herself, as if expecting her wraith form to suddenly be showing. “I’m planning to keep my true form hidden most of the time. The average pony gets by without dark magic, so why can’t I?”
“At the same time, you shouldn’t completely ignore your gift,” Luna advised. “Dark magic is intricately linked with your special talent. It certainly may play a role in your destiny in the future. Just… use caution.”
Dinky nodded gravely. “True, but don’t worry; I’ve got my friends to keep me on the right track.”
Luna smiled. “That, my little pony, is the best thing you can do. Events around Equestria have been reinforcing the fact again and again in recent years that friendship is a force that can overcome almost any trial. I’m glad you have built such strong friendships in your time here.”
Dinky smiled and motioned for her friends. They trotted closer, and she pulled the three of them into a group hug, earning nearly identical “awws” from Clarity and Honeydew and an affectionate eye roll from Scuffle. Luna seemed pleased.
“For now, I will leave it at that,” the princess declared. “You four should make your way to the train soon; I will see all of you next term.”
Spreading her wings, Luna silently took flight, quickly disappearing into the night sky. The four foals watched her go.
“You three really will have my back in the years to come, right?” Dinky asked, stepping away from her friends’ embrace.
“Absolutely!” Clarity said eagerly. “We’ve gladly risked our lives for each other; nothing could break up this friendship!”
“I couldn’t imagine coming back here and not spending time with all of you,” Honeydew admitted softly.
“And you can bet with my brothers gone, I can be an even better pal next year!” Scuffle assured them.
Dinky blushed. “You three are the best,” she said, sniffling a bit. “Thanks. Really.”
“Don’t sweat it, Dinks,” Scuffle said, nudging the filly’s side. “Now get going. We should get to the train.”
“Um, hey, you four! Can you wait a second?”
From somewhere near the castle, a familiar purple pony came galloping in the direction of the four fillies.
“Hey Sparkler,” Dinky said as the overseer came to a halt in front of them. “Sorry about what happened at the ceremony. I hope you get a chance to talk to Presto.”
Sparkler waved a hoof. “I’ve got one more chance at graduation,” she said dismissively. “I won’t waste that one, I promise.”
The foals began to walk up the winding path to the train station. Sparkler tagged along, talking softly.
“By the way, I’m really sorry about any undue stress I put you four through,” she said sheepishly. “You were right, Dinky. It hurts to admit it, but since I wasn’t really thinking for myself, the dean was using me for her own aims. I was so convinced that I was right and you were wrong that I just… went with it for a while.”
“It’s all water under the bridge now,” Dinky said happily. “There was a lot of unusual stuff going on this year for both of us. It’s behind us now, so let’s move on as friends, okay?”
Dinky extended a hoof. Sparkler eyed it, vaguely surprised, and then gratefully shook it.
“Friends. If our paths cross again, hopefully we can be on the same side of any issue we face.”
“I’m sure we will,” Dinky assured her. “And I’m glad our involvement in your life helped you find some things about yourself you’d forgotten.”
Sparkler nodded solemnly. “I owe all of you a big thank you, really,” she admitted. “Dinky may have been the most direct influence, but all of you played your part.”
She turned to the other foals. “Clarity,” she began, “you’re a brilliant, passionate filly. I knew your sister, and in some ways you’re the same, but in many you’re very different. The academy is honored to have a chance to teach you both.”
Clarity blushed.
“Honeydew,” Sparkler continued, “I admire your willingness to do what you need to, even if you’re scared. Your friends are all, um, a bit brash at times, and that’s not a bad thing, but the point is, I wasn’t surprised when they stood up to me last night in the courtyard, but I was surprised when you did.”
Honeydew blinked. “You’re… praising me for helping duel you?”
“I’m praising you for going way out of your comfort zone for your friends,” Sparkler explained. “You’re yet another example of why I was wrong not to let other ponies affect my life. I can only hope one day I have a friend as dedicated as you are to your friends.”
Honeydew squeaked nervously, swishing her tail and smiling shyly.
“And Scuffle, I’ve been keeping an eye on you,” Sparkler added, turning to the colt. “It seemed like you were going to be a carbon copy of your brothers when this year began, but that hasn’t been the case for months now, has it? I want to thank you, very sincerely, for being a better pony than that. I know you won’t keep following bad examples; you’ve got the spirit of a good leader in you.”
Scuffle tried to act tough, puffing out his chest as if to say “of course I do.” His expression told a different story, though.
“So, to all of you, I want you to know that I won’t forget what I learned from ponies like you,” Sparkler said. “I hope you keep following your own example, cause the four of you have made it clear that with a fair amount of wit, a lot of heart, and a little bit of hocus pocus, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.”
The five ponies arrived at the mouth of the cave containing the train station. Sparkler nodded to each of the foals in turn.
“I’ll see you around,” she said softly. “Set an example for your classmates, you four. I expect to hear about great things from you.”
Dinky nodded. “Bye Sparkler. Good luck with everything.”
Sparkler nodded one final time, and then turned and trotted into the cave.
Dinky and her friends turned around, gazing at the castle in the valley below, its windows gleaming with magical light that wasn’t so different from the stars glittering above.
“We sure have a lot to live up to, huh?” Dinky asked quietly.
“We do,” Clarity admitted. “But we’ve got it handled. We’re only a year into our education, and we’ve already overpowered the creator of dark magic! Setting a good example and living up to a few ponies’ expectations should be easy-peasy after that.”
“And we’ve all got each other to support us whenever it gets tough,” Honeydew said contentedly, leaning softly against Scuffle.
Dinky smiled, letting her horn sparkle with its calm yellow glow. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Slate blue, pale green, and cinnamon red glows joined Dinky’s yellow. Horns lighting the way, the four foals descended into the cave and toward their next adventure.
THE END