I had taken no more than a single tentative step into Sugarcube Corner when Sunny rushed up to me. "Candy! I'm so glad you're here. I was a little worried you might not show up."
I gave her a weak smile as my gaze flicked around the store. I had purposely shown up late in hopes of slipping in mostly unnoticed. Instead, Sunny's enthusiastic announcement of my arrival made several ponies look in my direction. "Um, yeah, sorry, I got delayed."
"It's fine, we've only just gotten started." Sunny turned towards one of the tables where a bunch of colts sat. My ears twitched when I saw Summer Wind among them. "Here, let me introduce you to a few of my friends."
My gaze fell on Summer. "But, um, I already know ..."
I trailed off when she simply turned and headed to the table. I managed not to sigh and followed. I glanced to the side and saw a familiar pony that I would rather be talking to. Scootaloo stood near Sunny's little brother, an excited little pegasus with a blue coat and bright yellow mane.
"Hey, guys," said Sunny as she reached the table. I trailed a few steps behind her. "This is my friend Candy Swirl who I told you about."
Summer Wind smiled. "We've met. Nice to see you again, Candy."
I forced a small smile and just nodded.
"Oh, yes, that's right, I remember Candy mentioning you," said Sunny.
"Hope she said good things about me," Summer said to the chuckles of his compatriots. I tried to join in, but my voice cracked, and I wound up just awkwardly clearing my throat.
Sunny smirked at him before pointing to another pegasus seated next to Summer, one with a sky-blue coat and darker blue mane. "This is Clear Skies." She pointed to the unicorn next to him with an orange coat and bright red mane. "Bright Flame, aaand ..." She jabbed a hoof towards the last, an earth pony with a gray coat and a brown mane. "Stronghoof, or just Strong for short."
Clear leaned back in his seat and casually stretched his wings. "Yo."
Bright smiled and nodded once. "Hi, there, Candy."
Strong leaned forward, leaning his head on a fore-hoof. His lips curled into something between a grin and a smirk. "Heya, Candy, how's it going?"
I opened my mouth to reply and hesitated. Strong was one of the colts who had passed me in the hall just before Sunny had invited me to this party. "Um, hi, all."
Sunny turned to me. "Why don't you take a seat, and I'll get us all something to drink."
My ears drew back slightly. "Er ..."
Sunny stepped closer and whispered, "Come on, Candy, it's okay. Just relax."
Easier said than done, but I nodded just the same. She smiled and headed off. My eyes followed her as Scootaloo looked in my direction. She smiled and waved a fore-hoof. I smiled and waved back.
"Candy?"
I flinched at Summer's voice and whipped my head towards the table. "Oh, um, sorry," I said sheepishly as I took a seat. "Just happened to spot a friend."
Clear cast a lazy glance in the same direction. "You know the little orange squirt?"
"Her name's Scootaloo," I said in a more curt voice than intended.
"Isn't she the one who can't fly yet?"
He had asked it in a rather casual voice, but I snapped out a reply anyway. "What difference does that make?"
Clear shrugged. "Nothing, really. Just commenting."
"Oh," I said in a small voice.
Clear yawned through his next sentence, "Hope she gets to fly soon."
Summer jabbed his friend in the side with his wing. "Seriously, Clear, if you were any more laid back, you'd fall over."
The others chuckled, and I managed a tiny smile. Clear just raised one corner of his mouth and shrugged again.
"Anyway, the kid is like blaze lightning on that scooter of hers," said Summer. "Surprised she doesn't have that as a cutie mark yet."
I glanced at Strong as Summer spoke. He still had his eyes fixed on me, and when Summer mentioned about a cutie mark, I swore I saw his gaze flick to my flank and linger there for a moment.
"Hey, um, Candy?" said Bright in a tentative voice. "Can I ask you something?"
I braced myself. "Sure."
"Sunny said you're taking Arcane Theorems. Is that true?"
"Um, yeah, why?"
He smiled. "That's kinda impressive."
"It is?"
"Yeah. Lots of unicorns don't mess with it. They just learn basic spells, or spells related to their talent, and don't bother with the academic stuff behind it."
"I guess I wanted to understand how things work rather than just memorizing runes and incantations," I said.
Bright nodded. "That's what I think, too."
I smiled slightly. "Are you taking it?"
"I took it last year," said Bright in a more relaxed voice. His smile widened. "Glad I did. I think it helped me get my cutie mark."
Strong snorted. "After nearly burning down the school."
Bright blushed hard. I wanted to glance at his cutie mark but I was still too worried about giving the wrong idea. It didn't help that Strong kept his eyes locked on me the whole time.
"Oh, knock it off, Strong," said Summer with a smirk. "It wasn't that bad."
"No worse than what Sunny did in chemistry?" I heard myself say.
Bright and Summer laughed, and Clear just grinned. I managed a more natural smile.
Sunny appeared moments later, levitating six ice cream sodas. "Oh, I can't leave any of you alone for even a few minutes before you start shamelessly gossiping about me!" she cried in mock-indignation as she set down the sodas before taking her seat, which mercifully interrupted Strong's gaze.
"Then stop doing silly things in class," said Strong.
Sunny rolled her eyes and pretended to "accidentally" spill his drink on his fur with a nudge of magic. I had to smirk at that.
"Maybe the class will help you, too, Candy," said Bright.
I looked at him. "Hmm?"
"With your cutie mark. Getting it, I mean."
Strong snorted. "Really, Bright, you've got all the subtlety of Tirek."
"Look who's talking," Summer quipped.
Bright's pupils shrank. "Well, I ... er ... sorry, Candy, I ..."
"There's nothing to be sorry about," I declared. "I don't mind talking about it at all."
That was mostly true. I just didn't want Bright to feel bad about having mentioned it. And, frankly, Stronghoof was getting on my nerves.
"Hey," said Clear, startling me. He had been so quiet he had all but faded into the background. He jabbed a wing towards me. "All this talk about cutie marks reminds me where I saw you before."
"Um, really?" I said.
One corner of his mouth rose. "Yeah. I've seen you hanging out with ..." He flicked a wing towards Scootaloo. "... the little squirt and her friends. What do they call themselves?"
I grinned slightly. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Bright smiled. "I think that's cool how they work together to get their cutie marks."
"Even if they do some crazy things to get them," said Sunny.
"Still, you gotta hoof it to them," said Summer. "They got a lot of determination."
"Can't fault 'em for that," Clear said as he stretched again. "Who knows? Maybe it'll actually work."
"I like them," said Bright. "And ... I sort of know how they feel."
My smiled widened. "Yeah, so do I, on both counts."
Bright turned to me. "So, um ... about your Arcane Theorems class ..."
I spent much of the rest of the party talking to Bright Flame, as he seemed to be the one I got along with best. I was glad I did for other reasons; despite being open to first year students, I learned from him that the class got really tough in the second half of the semester. Even the best magic students had trouble pulling off an "A." It didn't help matters that the instructor was Red Quill, the same instructor who had given me the aptitude tests and one of the toughest graders among the faculty.
I started to wonder if I'd need some help from Twilight.
By the time the party broke up, I had relaxed enough that I could ignore Stronghoof ogling me. "Candy, thank you so much for coming!" Sunny gushed as we headed away from the table.
I smiled. "Yeah, it turned out better than I thought it would."
"And now you know a few more ponies from school. I think this worked out great."
I nodded. "Thank you for doing this, it really helped."
"Um, Candy?" I heard Bright Flame call out from behind us. "Can you wait up a bit?"
Sunny gave me a knowing smile, and I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh, stop," I said softly.
"I know, I know, but just in case, I'll leave you two alone." Sunny winked and headed away.
I took a deep breath and turned to face Bright. "Sure, what's up?"
Bright stopped before me, leaving a respectful distance between us. "I just wanted to say, if you ever need help with that class, please let me know?"
I blinked. "Oh, um ..."
"I mean, I've helped tutor a few other ponies, too."
"You have?"
Bright smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I got the highest marks in that class last year. Oh, uh, I didn't mean that as boasting or that I think you'll do bad, I just--"
I rolled my eyes. "Bright, it's okay. Sounds like you should be proud you did so well."
Bright's smile widened. "Thanks, Candy. I'm really glad I met you. Sunny was right, you're a cool pony to be around."
I smiled as well. "Thank you."
"I'll see you around school, Candy. Take care."
"You, too."
I watched him go, and now I could take a better look at his cutie mark, though he had already discussed his special talent with me: a curling tongue of flame, symbolizing his skill at magically generating and controlling fire.
For once, I didn't worry so much that his gesture was a possible overture for dating me. Really, what if it was? I could handle a "study date." That was the pace I needed, something really slow that set no expectations. Right now he was a friend; anything else could wait.
I headed out of Sugarcube corner and spotted Scootaloo boarding her scooter. I was about to trot over to her when I heard a voice call out that made me flinch, "Heya, Candy, got a minute?"
I froze with one fore-hoof in the air as I snapped my head around and brought my gaze to bear on Stronghoof. "That depends," I said in a wary voice. "What's up?"
"You're new in town, right?" he said as he approached.
I slowly lowered my hoof. "Yeah, sorta. Why?"
He stopped a little closer to me than I preferred, but I didn't back away. "How about I take you on a tour of the town?"
"Um ..."
"Then after maybe we can stop at the cafe for some dinner? My treat."
I sighed. "Sorry, I'm flattered, but I'm not interested."
"You sure?"
This time, I did take a step back. "Yes, I'm sure."
As I stepped back, my side turned towards him slightly, and I caught him taking a blatant look at my flank before he said, "Hey, I can tell you a lot about this town that doesn't make the news."
I turned myself so he was forced to look at my face and no other part of me. "So?"
"So doesn't that sound like it might be interesting?"
"Not really, no."
Strong smirked. "Wow, I've heard you play hard to get, but this is ridiculous."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're assuming I'm trying to be 'got' in the first place."
Strong rolled his eyes and waved a hoof. "Look, I just want to take a pretty filly out on the town, that's all. Nothing more serious than that."
I backed up from him another few steps. "I'm sorry, but no."
"Are you really sure you won't--?" Strong started to say.
A sudden rush of wing interrupted him, and Summer Wind hovered between us. "Strong, you really are a good friend, but you sure as hay can be a pain in the flank sometimes."
Strong frowned. "What's it to you?"
"Candy told you 'no,'" Summer declared. "Back off."
Strong raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're not just pining for her yourself?"
"What I feel is none of your business. The point is, Candy is not used to your, ah, style."
I wanted to stomp my hoof in frustration at both of them. Instead, I seethed quietly until this was over.
Strong sighed. "All right. Yeah, sorry."
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."
Strong stepped around him and looked at me. I gave him a wary look as he said, "Hey, Candy, I'm sorry. I, uh, kinda get carried away sometimes when I see a pretty filly, you know?"
His voice certainly did sound more contrite, but my nerves were still raw. "No, I don't know. But, yeah, whatever. It's fine."
"Anyway, uh, see you around school," Strong murmured before he headed off.
Summer shook his head and watched Strong go before turning towards me. "Sorry about that. His tastes in fillies tends to run into the exotic."
I stared. "Exotic? Me? You're kidding, right?"
"Part of it has to do with you not having a cutie mark yet," said Summer.
"That makes me exotic??"
"Well, to him, anyway. And he probably heard you're from waaay out of town."
I frowned. "Wonderful."
"Try not to be too upset with him. He can be a nice guy when you get to know him."
I marched up to Summer. "Okay, fine. Now you answer me something."
Summer flinched, but remained hovering where he was. "Um, sure."
"Are you still holding out some sort of hope that I'll go out with you?"
He scratched his head. "Yeah, I still wouldn't mind going out with you. But like I was trying to tell Stronghoof, no means no. I'm not going to keep asking you."
"So then why did you intervene just now?" I demanded.
He blinked. "Why wouldn't I?"
I hesitated. Maybe I had misread his intentions, but I had to be sure. "I just don't want you thinking you have to protect me."
Summer paused. "Well ... I didn't mean it that way."
"Because as much as I appreciated you stepping in like that, you can't keep doing that for me. I have to stand on my own four hooves."
"I know that, but--"
"I just want to make sure you did this as a friend and not for any other reason."
Summer sighed but smiled. "Wow, you really know how to get to the heart of the matter, don't you?"
"I've had some practice."
"Let's put it this way," Summer said in a softer voice. "You're not the only pony trying to wrap their head around this whole dating thing."
I tilted my head. "Huh?"
Summer spread his fore-hooves. "I mean, sometimes I don't know what the hay I'm doing either." He threw a fore-hoof at the Castle of Friendship. "This place is like Friendship and Harmony Central, you'd think they could figure this out, too!"
I had to laugh at that.
"But, really, I just didn't want Strong to put his hoof too far into his mouth, you know?" said Summer. "I saw how he was looking at you at the party and thought he might get a little too pushy." He averted his eyes for a moment. "And ... okay, maybe there was kinda sorta a little of something else in my motivations. Just a tiny bit."
I gave him a level look and raised an eyebrow, hoping the gesture would be as effective on him as when Mom used it on me.
Summer shrank back a bit. "Candy, maybe you don't realize it, but, well, you are attractive, and I don't mean just the way you look. So, you're going to get ponies who are interested in you." Summer rolled his eyes. "And they're not all like Stronghoof."
"No, some of them fly and still hold out false hope."
"Ouch." Summer smirked faintly. "Eh, I deserved that."
I shook my head. "No, that was me being too hard on somepony again, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. The way you're so direct like that is one of the things I like about you. Other ponies like it, too, believe it or not."
I managed a small smile. "Don't get me wrong, Summer, I really do appreciate your help and your honesty. I just don't want you holding out for something I can't give you."
"I won't, I promise," said Summer. He suddenly chuckled.
I tilted my head. "What's so funny?"
"I think this is the best I've ever felt after being turned down."
I snorted. "I'll try to take that as a compliment."
Summer lifted a fore-hoof and gave me a hopeful look. "Still friends?"
My smile widened, and I bumped my fore-hoof against his. "Still friends."
Summer smiled. "Thanks, Candy. I'll see you around." He turned and flew off.
As I watched him fly away, Scootaloo approached me. "What was all that about?"
I turned and grinned at her. "I'll, uh, tell you when you're older."
Scootaloo frowned and scrunched up her muzzle. "Ick, that means it's girly romance stuff!"
I laughed. Well, maybe not quite romance, but close enough. "Yep, that's what it was. So I don't think you'd want to hear about it anyway."
"You got that right," said Scootaloo. "Ugh, I hope that stuff never happens to me."
I decided not to burst her bubble. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to you at the party."
She smiled. "No worries, Candy. Sweetie told me you were spending more time with ponies your own age. So long as you're making new friends, that's all that matters."
I smiled. "You got that right."
"Miss Swirl! Miss Swirl, please, a moment of your time!"
I sighed at the sound of hoof-beats thundering towards me as I headed back to the boutique, and I turned in time to see Doctor Whooves skid to a halt. "What is it, Doctor?"
Doctor Whooves took out a pocket-watch and gave it a frantic look before turning his attention back to me. "Might I beseech of you to tell me when the boutique will be open today? It is of utmost importance!"
"I wasn't planning on opening it at all today."
The Doctor snapped his watch closed and gasped. "You're not planning on ... I am afraid I do not understand."
"My mother is out of town for a while, and she didn't want me spending too much of my time at work."
He uttered a despairing sigh. "Great whickering stallions! This is a disaster of immense proportions!"
I glanced nervously at his watch. "Uh, this doesn't have to do with one of those timey-wimey things you tried to explain to me the other day, does it?"
"Oh, no, not at all, that would be easy!"
I nodded once. "Uh-huh. Right."
"Please, Miss Swirl, I beg of you," said the Doctor. "Might you make a small exception for me? This really is quite urgent."
Honestly, I had nothing better to do with the rest of the day. I had actually considered opening the shop anyway and deal with a minor dressing down from Mom later. "Does this have anything to do with Roseluck?"
His pupils shrank. "Dear Celestia, has the gossip already spread?!"
"Um, I didn't mean ..."
"Rumors and hearsay! Nothing more!"
I smirked. "I'll take that as a yes."
The Doctor blushed. "Er, well ...."
"And since you asked so nicely, I'll open the boutique for you."
Doctor Whooves put his watch away and smiled. "Jolly good, Miss Swirl! Thank you!"
I had him wait outside the front entrance, as I did not have the front door keys with me. I headed in the back way and unlocked it from within. "Now what's this all about, Doctor?"
"Ah, well," he said in a hesitant voice as he approached the counter. "It has something to do with the suit you patched for me."
"What about it?"
The Doctor glanced nervously to the side. "Well, it, ah, didn't quite come out as I had hoped."
I sighed and nodded. "I know."
His gaze snapped to mine. "You do?"
"It still looks obviously patched, right?"
"Please do not take this the wrong way, Miss Swirl," said Doctor Whooves. "But I was expecting ... ah ..."
"Magic?"
"To be blunt, yes," said the Doctor. "This is not meant to be a reflection on your skills as a seamstress, Miss Swirl, just--"
I held up a hoof. "No big deal. I understand."
"Just when I saw what miracle you had wrought with Miss Bon Bon's dress, I was sure that was your particular talent."
"I'm as mystified about it as you are," I said. "So what can I do for you?"
The Doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Despite how swimmingly things were going, we, um, got into a bit of a tiff the other day." He smiled. "I want to make it up to her by taking her out on the town, and I wish to impress upon her my perfect flair for style. Thus I need a replacement for the suit."
I cast a wary look at him. "Um, okay, but all I can do is take your measurements."
His smile faded. "Come again?"
"I'm not skilled enough to create a whole suit for you, it will have to wait until Mom gets back."
The Doctor's pupils shrank. "And when will that be?"
"Not sure. I got a letter from her this morning. She's getting more orders than anticipated for her new dress design."
Doctor Whooves threw up a fore-hoof. "Oh, no, what am I to do?! Roseluck leaves town for a few weeks to visit relatives starting tomorrow, and I don't want her going away upset with me!"
And I thought I was hopeless when it came to romance. I wanted to help him, but if I left it to just logic to determine what to say next, I'd never get anywhere. I instead felt a tug from my intuition and went with the first thing that entered my head. "Hey, um, let me ask you something."
The Doctor had pulled out his pocket-watch again and was staring at it. "Yes, of course."
"Remember the day of Matilda and Cranky's wedding?"
The Doctor looked towards me and smiled. "How could I not? It's where I met her."
"So you went even though you couldn't get your suit altered in time?"
He nodded. "Very true, but ... say, how did you know about--"
"Never mind!" I said quickly. "What did you do?"
"Well, I simply threw on this really long multicolored scarf," he said. "It was a bit tacky, but I had to have something!"
"So, okay, you wore the long ... multicolored ... uh ..."
The Doctor tilted his head. "Something the matter, Miss Swirl?"
Nope, not going there. "Nothing at all, Doctor. Anyway, did it matter to her that you weren't in the suit?"
He paused. "Well, no, actually."
"Did anyone else at the wedding care?"
"Come to think of it, not really," said Doctor Whooves. "Though there was that changeling chap who likely distracted some of the other ponies."
I considered for a moment. "You ever wear that suit at all?"
"Well, yes," The Doctor smiled. "Ah ... and Roseluck happened by and complimented me on it."
I grinned. "Oh, did she now?"
Doctor Whooves blushed. "Well, in a friendly way, I wish to emphasize!" He paused a long moment. "But ... she did invite me out to dinner."
"And ...?"
"We had a right lovely time," said the Doctor softly. "That sort of set the proverbial ball rolling, as it were."
"And did she care about the patch in the suit?"
He smiled. "She thought I looked rather dapper, actually."
"Then there's no problem," I declared. "Wear the suit as it is."
He blinked. "Are you sure, Miss Swirl?"
"Look, it's obvious Roseluck doesn't care about what you're necessarily wearing. She seems to care about you."
The Doctor snapped his pocket-watch closed. "Really?"
I sighed. "Okay, I'm not an expert on romance by any means, but--"
He blushed again. "Oh, b-but this may not necessarily--"
"Whatever it is, Doctor, friendship or romance, it doesn't matter." I thought back to how easily I had made friends with Bright Flame at the party. "What matters is she's accepted you as you are. All she cares about is you being with her. I mean, she may even appreciate you not putting on airs for her and just going with what's comfortable to wear."
Doctor Whooves averted his eyes for a moment. "Well, ah ... funny thing is, Miss Swirl, what we argued about was that I just might have a propensity for being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my own actions."
I faced-hoofed. "Seriously?"
"Please understand, Miss Swirl! I want everything to be just right!"
"But you just said she doesn't care if everything is perfect, especially if she accepted you in a suit that was patched!" I smirked. "Okay, now I can give you proper advice. I just made a new friend today without trying to be perfect or trying to impress him. Another pony had asked me out a few days ago and told me today it wasn't just how pretty I looked that attracted him. You don't need anything fancy if she likes you for who you are."
Doctor Whooves appeared to ponder this intensely for a few moments before banging a fore-hoof on the counter. "Great whickering stallions, you're right, Miss Swirl! Why did I not see that for myself?!"
I smirked. "One can only speculate."
He smiled. "I will do exactly as you said, Miss Swirl! I will proudly wear that suit and have the time of my life with her." He bolted from the counter and threw open the front door. "Now, I am off to apologize for my earlier behavior and ask her to dinner with me tonight, and I will do so with pride and confidence! Allons-y!" He galloped out the door.
Did he just say ...?
No. Still not going there.
I looked up from where I laid stretched out on my bed that evening, one of Mom's Shadow Spade novels open before me, when I heard soft hoof-falls approach my room. Sweetie Belle poked her head inside and said in a tentative voice, "Hey, um, Candy? You got a minute?"
"Sure thing." I slipped a bookmark in place and closed the book, levitating it back onto the shelf. "It's getting late anyway, I should be getting to bed soon." I sat up. "What's up?"
Sweetie trotted into the room and jumped up onto the bed, sitting down beside me. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about something."
"I did sense something's been on your mind for a while," I said softly.
"It started when Cherry left."
I gave her a wan smile. "I miss her, too."
Sweetie smiled faintly. "It's sorta more than that. Um, I told you about that thing coming up in a few weeks, right?"
I paused as I tried to recall it. She couldn't be talking about the next major holiday, as that would be Nightmare Night, which was still over a month away. "Oh, wait, yeah. The Sisterhooves Social, right?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. "I was planning on doing it with Rarity this year like I always do, but that was before she fostered you."
"I think I see where this is going. Sweetie, if you still want to to do it with Mom, go ahead."
Sweetie gave me a pained look. "Are you sure?"
I wrapped a fore-leg around her and gave her a quick hug. "I'm sure. Go for it."
Sweetie slowly smiled. "This is why I wish Cherry hadn't gone away. You two could've entered."
I tilted my head. "But we're not sisters. Maybe we were as close as sisters could be, but--"
Sweetie Belle waved a fore-hoof. "They're kinda lax about who can enter. Scootaloo doesn't have a sister, so Rainbow Dash will be doing the Social with her, even though they're not related. I just didn't want you to miss out."
I grinned. "It's okay, really. A city girl like me is not much for those kind of games anyway."
"You've been talking about cities a lot lately."
"I have?"
Sweetie nodded. "Too bad you couldn't go up to Canterlot with Rarity. I've been there, and it seems like a big place to me."
I supposed I had been bringing it up in my conversations lately. Perhaps Canterlot was considered a big city by pony standards, though I would bet if it were spread out, it could fit neatly inside the borough of Queens in New York with room left over.
"Do you miss it?" Sweetie asked. "The big city you grew up in on your world, that is."
I smiled faintly. "I suppose I still do, in a way. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy living with those I love and the friends I've made, but it's hard to forget what was so much a part of my life for so long."
"You just hadn't mentioned it very much until recently."
I thought on it for a moment. "I think I know why."
Sweetie gave me an interested look. "You do?"
I nodded, my smile widening. "For so long, my memories of that place were tied up in all the pain I felt over Cherry and my birth mother. But before all that started, I had a lot of good memories. Now that I've made my peace with all the bad stuff, it stopped overshadowing the good stuff. Does that make any sense?"
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Yeah, it does." She gave me a hug. "I'm so glad you feel better about everything."
My words to her harbored no hint of doubt, and I believed them wholeheartedly. Somehow, though, I felt a lingering twinge of ... something. I couldn't understand exactly what it was, just something still bothering me. It made little sense.
Sweetie Belle laid a hoof on mine. "Candy?"
I smiled. "No worries, I was just thinking. Let's get on to bed, it's getting late."
Sweetie nodded and hopped off the bed. "Good night, Candy."
"Good night, Sweetie."
I had a fanciful notion as I got ready for bed. Maybe I could work in Mom's new boutique during next summer when I was out of school. Maybe Canterlot would seem like a big city to me given what I've become accustomed to. Maybe that would satisfy whatever lingering desire for a more urban landscape that still tugged at me.
So many maybes.
I suddenly smiled as I left the bathroom. Despite my lingering troubled thoughts, a wave of good feeling came over me, as if I had just helped accomplish something important. What that could be remained uncertain, yet I simply knew something had happened, just as assuredly as I knew...
... that my horn was glowing.
My mouth dropped open, my hoof still on the light switch as the aura about my horn illuminated the otherwise dark room in a pale glow. I rushed back into the bathroom and stood before the mirror. As I raised a hoof to it, the glow subsided, and only moonlight remained.
I scrambled for the light switch and craned my neck, but my flank remained blank.
What had just happened? Did it have anything to do with Doctor Whooves and Roseluck? If only I could be there when the magic triggered! I had no recourse but to wait until I could talk to him again.
Even if I did find it had happened again, something was missing, something I couldn't quite grasp. Yet I never felt as close to understanding as I did at that moment.