Exam Jitters

by GrassAndClouds2

In Which Ditzy and Dinky Kick Some Clouds

"Alright! I found something! Give me a hoof!"

Scootaloo cheered in joy as the other foals ran to the shovels and began digging around Scootaloo's hoof, hoping at last that they'd discovered the Secret Stash where (an eager Snails had told them at recess) Bonbon was said to store all of her extra-good candy. Pipsqueak was the most eager, attacking the dirt and mud with an impressive amount of energy. Snips and Snails seemed to be having more fun getting dirty than actually digging, but they did pick up shovels and get to work a few moments later. Sweetie Belle, for her part, dug more slowly. "I dunno... Rarity won't like having to give me another bath..."

"Oh, who cares? Rarity's such a stick in the mud," said Scootaloo.

"No, she hates sticks and mud." Sweetie Belle frowned. "Oh well. If she's giving me a bath, she's not dragging me to another boring 'opera' concert with ponies that don't even sing in Equestrian. I mean, it could be the greatest love song ever, but I don't know what any of the words mean! And I don't think my sister does either."

"Maybe it's a code," said Snails as he dug. "Maybe they're trying to tell something that they don't want spies to overhear."

"Yeah!" said Snips. "That's the only reason it could be!"

Dinky poked the dirt and said nothing. She hadn't said much over the past few days. The world seemed to be... well, gray. Gray as her Momma's coat, although not nearly as warm or loving as she usually was.

"Hey, Dinky, what's wrong?" asked Pipsqueak. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you've been real quiet these past couple days," said Scootaloo. "What's up?"

"Nothing..."

"It can't be nothing," said Sweetie Belle. "Nothing wouldn't be making you so sad."

"You shouldn't be sad," added Snips. "Being sad isn't fun. I was sad last week and I couldn't even taste the yummy-ness of the ice cream sundae I got from Sugar Cube Corner!"

"What's wrong, Dinky?" repeated Pipsqueak.

Dinky sighed. "You know about Sharpwhinny Academy?"

"Yeah, that's why Twist and Apple Bloom couldn't be here," said Scootaloo. "I guess Twist qualified to take some really tough test, and Apple Bloom was helping her get ready. Apparently, the more apples you eat the better you do on tests." She blinked. "I didn't know that, but it'd explain my grades in... uh, everything. I don't eat many apples, see..."

"What about shrimp?" asked Snails. "I know Trixie eats shrimp, and I heard griffins think that fish are good for your head!"

"Ew. I wouldn't want to eat a fish. They're all slimy and yucky." Scootaloo stuck her tongue out. "And everypony knows how weird Trixie's diet is. She'd eat slugs if they sold them. In fact--"

Sweetie Belle cut Scootaloo off. "Um, Dinky? Did you not qualify for the test?"

"No, I did, but I'm not taking it." Dinky rolled onto her back. "I wanted to, but..."

"Then why not?"

"Momma doesn't want me to. And I need to listen to Momma." Dinky turned away from the others. "Cause she's the best Momma in the world and she's a good pony and she saved the world and..."

Digging for treasure was forgotten as the rest of the foals went to sit by, and comfort, Dinky. "Parents do weird things sometimes," Snails said. "Like when my Mom said I could only keep one goliath beatle. But Raindrops says they usually know what they're talking about."

"Yeah, maybe she has a good reason for you not taking it," offered Pipsqueak. "Maybe she's afraid you wouldn't like Sharpwhinny because you'd have to study too much."

"I heard if you study too much your head falls off," said Snips. "That's why I never study. You know, just in case."

Dinky smiled a little. "Thanks. I mean, I'm sure she does have a good reason. It's just... I dunno..." She was young, and could not express in words the unfairness of what had happened. She knew, dimly, that it was not right that her mother had indicated the correct choice, but left her to be the one to actually make it -- disclaiming all responsibility, and putting the onus on her to give up on her ambition. She knew that it was wrong that it was her mother's choice, but it was she, Dinky, who would take the blame and responsibility for it. She could not state her problem, but she felt it nonetheless. "I wish it was different."

"Maybe it is," said Scootaloo, looking up.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother's coming." Scootaloo pointed a wing. "Really fast. In fact -- look out!"

Foals scattered as Ditzy crashed into the ground. Dinky hopped to her hooves. "Are you okay, Momma?"

"I'm fine, dearie," said Ditzy as she crawled out of the new crater. "Ow..." She shook her head. "Did you all bury something? It felt like there was something hard under there--"

"Let's dig it up!" yelled Scootaloo, grinning. "Thanks, Miss Doo!" She attacked the new crater with renewed vigor, most of the other foals hurrying to help. "We'll be rich! Rich in CANDY!"

Dinky looked at her mother. "Hi, Momma," she said. Her voice was very quiet. "Do you want me to go home now?"

"No, not really..." Ditzy trailed off. "Muffin, I want to talk to you."

Dinky looked confused. "But... we are talking."

"Privately." Ditzy inclined her head. "Just over this hill."

A confused Dinky said a quick goodbye to Scootaloo and the others, then followed her mother. "Are you okay, Momma? You look sad."

"I've just been... thinking. And talking with some friends." Ditzy sat down on her flank and brought Dinky forwards so the little foal was sitting in front of her. "Muffin, your mother needs you to do something very important for her, okay?"

"Um... okay?" Dinky blinked. "What is it?"

"I need you to answer some questions honestly," said Ditzy. "As if I wasn't here." She gently embraced her daughter. "Can you do that?"

"...yes?"

Ditzy nodded to herself. This is it... I need to do this. I need to do this for Dinky. It's the right thing to do. "Do you want to take the Sharpwhinny Academy entrance exam, Dinky?"

Dinky's response was immediate. "No, Momma! I already said--"

Ditzy cut her daughter off by enveloping her in a tight hug. "Dinky... this is very important. I need you answer honestly. Do you want to take the exam?"

Dinky said nothing for several moments. "But... but Momma... what if my answer hurts you?"

"It won't."

"Yes it will--"

"Dinky, I'm an adult mare." She hugged Dinky again. "I won't be hurt unless you lie to me. Please answer me honestly." Her voice quavered. "This is... this is really important... can't you do this, Dinky? Please?" I haven't lost your trust already, have I? Please let that not be the case...

Dinky seemed to understand what her mother was thinking. "Then... then yes." Her voice was quiet but firm. "I think it'd be a lot of fun to try it, and even if I didn't get in, just to take it and compete against the smartest foals..."

Ditzy let out a long breath. "And, if you pass the test, would you want to go to the Academy in Manehattan?"

"... uh-huh." Dinky's voice was little more than a whisper. "Just to try it out... if I liked it, I could stay longer..." She frowned. "It sounds like so much fun, Momma. All kinds of really smart foals and really smart teachers, and I could learn about everything! And they have big libraries, and really neat athletic fields, and all kinds of games and lots and lots of things to do. And Miss Twilight was saying that they go on class trips all over Equestria, and even to other places on the continent! It sounds like I'd have a great time, and I'd get to do all kinds of things I want to do that I can't do here..." She trailed off. "I mean..."

"Then you should take the test."

Ditzy hugged her daughter, who seemed stunned at the statement. The mailmare's voice was strong and steady, and she knew as she spoke that she was saying the right thing. She took a moment to gather herself, then continued. "Take the test, Muffin, and if you qualify, attend the Academy. I'll support you every step of the way."

"But you'll be sad!" It was almost a cry. Dinky buried her face in her mother's barrel. "You'll be so sad! I don't want to hurt you, Momma! I want to be a really good pony, and no good pony would hurt their Momma!"

"I won't be sad--"

"Yes you will!" insisted Dinky. "You'll be sad and scared! I know it!"

"I..." Ditzy sighed. "Maybe a little, yes. But I have some amazing friends, Dinky... they'll help me. They'll make sure I don't get too sad or scared, and that I'm always acting with your best interests in mind. You shouldn't need to worry about me, dear. I'm your mother... it's my job to look out for you. It's your job to grow into the great pony I know you can be."

"But I don't want you to be even a little sad," insisted Dinky. "That's not what a knight would do."

"You're not a knight yet. Knights help other ponies." Ditzy bit her lip. "I am a knight, dearie. I want to help you grow into the spectacularly wonderful pony I know you can be. Now, if I let you hurt yourself and give up on your goals because of me... that'd be backwards." She turned her daughter around so they were looking each other in the eyes. "Do you trust me, Muffin? Do you think I'm a good knight?"

Dinky nodded vigorously.

"Then let me do my job. Let me help you in any way I can to grow up as great as you can be." Ditzy shut her eyes for a moment. "My friends will help me through the rough spots. But... if you give up on your dreams for my sake... then I'll have failed completely." She shook her head. "I can't fail... not here. Not with you."

Dinky was silent for a few moments. "Do you really mean it, Momma? You want me to take the test?"

"If you want to take it, then yes -- I want you to try." Ditzy took a deep, shuddering breath. "That is what I want."

"Then..."

Dinky was silent for a few moments, and Ditzy tensed inside. If Dinky repeated that she'd rather not take the test, it was over. She would have lost her daughter's trust and faith, possibly forever. Dinky would be making decisions based, not on what she wanted, but what she thought her weak, fragile mother would want. Please no... please, no...

"Then I want to take the test, Momma."

Ditzy realized that she was hugging her daughter only after she had already grasped her closely. She then realized that she was crying. "Thank you," she whispered. "Dinky... you're the best daughter in the world..."

The two remained locked in an embrace for several more seconds.

Dinky spoke first. "Um, isn't the test soon? Maybe we should hurry..."

Ditzy looked up and gasped -- there were less than fifteen minutes until noon. "Right. Let's get you back to town as quick as possible."

Dinky ran back over the hill to shout a quick goodbye to her friends. Scootaloo offered to take her back to town on her scooter, but Dinky turned her down. "I want to go with my Momma!" she chirped. Already she seemed like her usual eager self. "But thanks anyway!"

Ditzy hurried over and knelt down. "On my back, Muffin," she said. "We can still make it."

In moments, the two were in the air.

***

The minutes raced by.

Ditzy beat her wings as hard as she could, driving for city hall, but it was rough going. She was already tired from her hurried flight out to the fields, and Dinky's added weight was sapping her strength. She forced herself to continue, but she couldn't deny the obvious strain.

Dinky's legs were clamped tightly around her barrel. "Yay!" she cheered. "I love pegasus rides!"

"I love you," said Ditzy. Come on... it's almost noon! I've got to hurry!

Then she felt a searing pain in one wing as she strained something. She had not flown like this in far too long. She had sprinted, it was true, when Dinky had been abducted by the mob -- and perhaps during a few other combat situations -- but none of that was for anything approaching this amount of distance. It was just too much for her. "Augh!"

"Momma! Are you okay!? Dinky gasped.

Ditzy grunted a weak affirmative, but her wing flared in pain as she tried to move it. She found herself quickly sinking, and used her good wing to steer just well enough that they hit a nearby cloud instead of crashing into the ground. "Sorry... no... keep going..."

"I'll help!" said Dinky immediately.

"How?"

And then the cloud began to inch forwards.

Confused, Ditzy tilted her head back to see that Dinky had dipped her legs into the thicker cloud and was paddling furiously, as if paddling on a kickboard. The cloud was indeed beginning to move forwards. "I'm helping!" she cheered.

Ditzy grinned and began to kick herself, her powerful legs propelling them forwards. She steered with her good wing and aimed at town hall. "We're going to make it, Muffin," she promised. "Don't worry."

"I'm not! Wheee!" She continued to kick.

Ditzy kept going, moving as fast as she could. A few more minutes... come on...

***

Had anypony been in the upper floor of town hall at that time, standing somewhere near one of the rear offices, they would have heard a panicked shout.

And then they would have seen a cloud crash through the building and spill into the corridor.

"Oww..." Ditzy shook herself off as she got to her hooves. "Muffin! Are you okay?"

Dinky popped her head out of the cloud and the debris. "That was FUN!" she yelled. "Let's do it again after the test!" She bounced into the air. "Can I ask Twilight to cast a spell on me to help me walk on clouds?"

Ditzy looked at the broken wall. "Um... we'll see, dear," she said. "Now, don't you have a test to go to?"

"Oh, right! See you later Momma! Love you!" Dinky kissed her mother on the nose, then scurried off.

Ditzy disentangled herself from the wreckage. Guess I'll be working a few extra shifts to get this fixed up, she thought. Well, it's worth it. I made it. Dinky's going to take the test, and if she gets in, I'll let her go. Her stomach still twinged with worry at that thought, but Ditzy knew how to push past that. She knew that, while she might worry and fret, she'd have her friends to keep her sane. I'll do right by her.

Distantly, she heard chatter. It sounded like her friends, and she realized that the 'Ask An Element' ceremony would be going on during the test. I guess I could go to that... could probably say a few things about balancing being a hero with raising a daughter. She smiled. Besides, I need to pay Cheerilee and Trixie back for them breaking me out of my behavior... maybe I'll field some of the tough questions.

Smiling, she trotted away.

***

Dinky Doo scampered into the testing room. "i'm not to late, am I?" she gasped as she ran in. "I'm on time, right?"

"Barely," sniffed the proctor. He was a tall and thin pony with a tan coat, an orange mane, and a pocketwatch cutie mark. "Take your seat. The test will begin in forty-eight seconds."

Dinky scurried around and found her seat. She was sandwiched between the other two Ponyville applicants -- Twist, who gave her a quick highhoof, and Silver Spoon, who sniffed and muttered something about letting blank flanks apply for prestigious schools. Dinky was feeling too good to be mad at her, though, so she just ignored it. I'm going to make Momma proud!

"Good luck!" whispered Twist. "Wouldn't it be fun if all three of us got in?"

"Yeah! Ponyville foals in Manehattan! We could start our own club!" Dinky giggled. "That'd be fun!"

The proctor raised his voice. "At the mark, you will pick up the pencils in front of you, turn your papers over, and begin," said the proctor. "Three... two... one... GO!"

And Dinky began.

***

Trixie sighed as she sat at the table. "I feel stupid," she whispered to Cheerilee.

"Why? You go on stage all the time."

"As a magician! Not a..." Trixie looked at her placard. "Not as a role model for young foals on how to grow up into a proper mare."

"Proper? You?" whispered Lyra. "I think there might have been a few wires crossed there."

"Har har. I'll have you know I can be very proper when the situation calls for it. Why, back when I was studying politics under Luna I frequently attended Court meetings that included the highest officials in the land!"

"Would that include the one in which you melted an ice palace?" asked a grumpy Raindrops. She didn't seem to like being on stage any better than Trixie was.

"That happened once!" Trixie frowned. "Melt one ice palace and nopony ever lets you forget it--"

"I'm here! I'm here!" said Ditzy, hurrying up to the stage. She smiled a little as she approached. "Sorry I'm late," she called to Mayor Scrolls and the other officials. "But I'm here now."

"And Dinky?" asked Trixie, immediately.

"She's taking the test." Ditzy bowed her head. "Cheerilee, Trixie... thank you." She embraced them both. Cheerilee grinned, while Trixie blushed furiously.

"Thank you for what?" asked Carrot Top. "Did you two help Dinky study for it?"

"We'll explain later," said Trixie. "Um... let us go? Please?"

Ditzy did so as Mayor Scrolls introduced them. "Thank you," she repeated. "I'll make it up to you later. I promise."

"If she qualifies," said Cheerilee, "What are you going to tell Dinky?"

"That she can go, or not, as she pleases. That it's up to her. And..." Ditzy smiled. "That her mother will support her, however she decides."

"That's a good answer."

"I know. Two very special friends taught it to me."

The questions were beginning -- most seeming to be directed at Trixie, and relating to various embarassments such as the ice palace melting -- and Ditzy settled into her seat. However you decide, Muffin, I will support you. she thought. However you decide.

Comments

[Panda Hat]

D'awwww I LOVE the cloud part it was so cute

[Talon and Thorn]

Awwww, Ditzy really is the best mother ever, totally selfless.

I love how you write foals the conversation while digging was great.

[Nodikus]

Really Sweet.
But I'm curious what the other foals found now.

[punzil504]

I was posting this song in another discussion, and thought about how well it fits the Ditzy/Dinky dynamic in most universes... granted, in the Lunaverse, Ditzy is the Element of Kindness (and thus a hero to all of Equestria), but in most iterations, she's just Mommy.

[youtube=1_uMQTw7v2g]

[Zap Apple Smash]

Yay for right decisions

This was a great chapter that hit all the right notes. While I'm not sure if Dinky would have already start to realise the unfairness of Ditzy's actions instead of still believe that all that matter was doing right by her mother, I found the interaction between the two to be really heart warming.

Look forward to seeing how this ends

[LeviTheBossGuy]

y u no make chapter

[Whiteeyes]

50 bits says Dinky doesn't qualify and ll that worrying was for nothing. 1% pass rate and all that.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Yay, Ditzy!

[TheGreatEater]

A few errors near the last section.

3014488

The greatest candy Score of all time. Even beating the haul gotten during whatever L!Verse has for Nightmare Night.