Apropos of the Sinners

by SpitFlame

Introduction – Chapter II – Cluster Tale

Needless to say, Bronze Pocket was not a very inspiring father figure. His behaviour was what one might expect. Both his sons, Cluster Tale and Nova Steel, were set up for adoption by his servants—but what else could they do out of pity? They were taken in by a certain pegasus philanthropist, Flash Stream, who just so happened to derive from the Ballad Shines, that is, a distant relative of Stardust Gleam’s. Having returned from Manehattan, he caught wind of these colts, and in spite of his contempt for Bronze Pocket, he took them in under his wing, that is, to undertake their education.

In case you wish to know, Flash Stream, after having exchanged letters with Bronze Pocket, guessed at once that nopony could drag any money out of him even for the education of his own children; that he preferred to pour out in sentimentalities whenever the question was brought up, always fashioning some excuse or other out of thin air. Flash Stream took personal interest in the orphans; if there was anypony the brothers were indebted for their upbringing and education for much of their lives, it was to this Flash Stream, a most generous and humble stallion. He was even benign enough to store away some savings for the brothers, one thousand bits each, which eventually became two thousand with interest. But that is enough for those details.

When Flash Stream consulted Bronze Pocket for this decision, the latter, at first, had no clue what he was going on about, only to be reminded that his kids existed, and that they would only get in the way of his debaucheries. Then Bronze Pocket, thinking it over, decided that it was a good thing, and did not refuse him his formal consent to any proposition in regard to his children's education. He applauded Flash Stream’s sudden display of altruism, even at his own moral disadvantage; but when accused of faking his praise, Bronze Pocket did not rebut, had no need to, and only chuckled the accusation away.

At first Flash Stream offered a joint guardianship of sorts over the children, but Bronze Pocket vigorously refused, insisting on surrendering full custody to the former, signed the relevant documents, and eventually both Cluster Tale and Nova Steel were out of his mane for many years to come.

Cluster Tale positively excelled in magic, even for a unicorn, while Nova Steel, an earth pony, could not relate to him for obvious reasons, but on top of that he struggled in his schooling.

I will say that Cluster Tale grew up to be rather morose and reserved, but certainly not a pushover. At a very young age he came to the realization that he and his brother were not living in their own home, but on the charity and generosity of others, and that their father was a stallion whose name would only bring shame if brought up. Cluster Tale showed an absolutely brilliant aptitude for learning, and at a very young age if I remember correctly. I do not know exactly how, but at age twelve he parted from Flash Stream’s family, from the servants and his brother, after having saved up his earnings, and travelled abroad, passing on to one of those secondary schools, boarding with an experienced and celebrated teacher, and topping all his classes as the brightest and most ambitious.

But Flash Stream, while captivated by the idea that a genius should be trained by a teacher of genius, alas never did make any advanced provisions for payment, owing to inevitable formalities or some such; his unforeseen death four years later—where he fell ill and died in a coma—cut Cluster Tale’s independent education short, which put him in quite a pickle. But lo and behold, Princess Celestia herself, being the wisest in all the land, took heed of Cluster’s talent and, at the end of it all, personally requested him to attend her university for magically gifted unicorns in Canterlot; for years to come he did nothing but study. It must be noted in passing that the young colt never made any attempts to speak with his father, either due to his contempt for the libertine, or his common sense, or a combination of the two.

Cluster Tale was by no means despondent. He managed to find work for himself, even before Princess Celestia aided him. For nearly an entire year he worked full-time to keep himself fed, and on top of that he found the time to study. He didn't make very much at first—writing up twenty-word headlines for one bit an hour, running back and forth on deliveries—until at last he found a publisher who became so interested in his witty and original writings (may have been the headlines) that he offered to publish his first article. This alone went to show the colt’s practical superiority among his classmates, as well as his natural intellect. In addition, he was wise beyond his years, always capable of thinking for himself, and frequently asked for advice by ponies older than him.

In the final year of his education he succeeded in making a name for himself, that is, he attracted the attention of a wider circle of readers. Cluster Tale published several articles on a variety of topics, some he knew very little about (as his speciality was magic and science), but these nevertheless helped in boosting his reputation. One article revolved around a discussion of how our brains are naturally attuned to seek patterns of relations, acting as a psychological mechanism to abate the crisis of living between order and chaos. Or at least that is what Cluster Tale argued: too much order and we get bored; too much chaos and we panic, so we had to live in the middle.

But another article in particular was the tipping point: Cluster discussed how pony magic is extremely malleable in theory, where one could shape one's spells and aura to almost any task; and by achieving higher levels of power, such as that of Star Swirl the Bearded, it would be possible to increase said power by placing contractual limits on oneself. If you conjured a contract to only use spells on a specific day of the month, he had explained, then the potency of your magic would increase tenfold. But no unicorn alive was powerful enough to use these enhancements in any practical sense, to speak nothing of the fact that it was only possible in theory to begin with.

He was known to possess a certain way with words, that is, Cluster could argue circles around anypony on almost any topic, and do so with ease. Many groups considered him to be on their side, certainly mages, but also certain schools of philosophers.

“His pride is subtle,” some would remark when asked about Cluster Tale. Others would add, “He seems to care very little for money, and Princess Celestia herself respects him very much. He very much resembles an artist: he strives to impress himself rather than to impress others. The only difference is that, instead of art, his actions are based upon science and knowledge of magic." Many would conclude, "And if that weren't enough, he's also extremely handsome!”

Cluster Tale’s fateful visit back to his father’s abode in Ponyville—quite a number of years later when he was twenty-seven—came as a surprise, but, once more, I am starting to get ahead of myself.