Sunburst to the Rescue

by David Silver

59 - I Like You

A long line of unicorns jutted out of the castle. Just about any unicorn that felt they were not powerful 'enough' had responded.

"Trixie?" Twilight raised a brow at the showmare being among the number. "You've mastered at least a few advanced spells, or so Starlight informed me. Why would you think you may have a horn malfunction?"

Trixie brushed a hoof against her front softly. "Because Trixie is meant to be Great and Powerful, and she is sure she could be more of both of those. If there's even a small chance of that, she owes it to her fans to explore that opportunity. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "This is to cure a very specific condition. For sake of argument, and harmony, we'll go ahead and do an imaging. Please stay still." Her magic wrapped around Trixie as a sketch began to form, showing the interior of Trixie's horn. "We're looking for spurs, horny bumps on the inside of the horn that impede magic."

Trixie stuck out her tongue with a distasteful noise. "I would hope Trixie has none of those."

"I doubt you do," agreed Twilight before slapping up the drawing. "Perfectly healthy." It wasn't as precise as her own, but it was free of obvious deformations. "You have a future of unimpeded magic use ahead of you. Enjoy that blessing."

"She shall!" She stepped down from her chair and started for the door. "Good luck with... whatever this is."

The next pony wandered in. "Mister Cake, welcome." The day promised to be full of surprises. "Sit right here and we'll have a peek. This procedure will only work for a specific medical malady." It only occurred to her as her horn lit up that there was no horn hiding under his hat. He was an earth pony.

"Hello... Twilight." He glanced back. "I actually wanted you to make sure Pumpkin Cake was alright." He casually drew his daughter free from a saddlebag where she squealed with joy.

Twilight blinked owlishly. "Oh, certainly. You could have brought her to the hospital for a checkup, they know what to look for now, and can offer treatment if need be." She raised a hoof to gently pet Pumpkin's cheek. "Hello there. Now stay still for me."

She soon had a map of the little filly's horn, but she was also healthy. "So far so good, but the disease most often becomes noticeable when she becomes a yearling, thereabouts. Regular checkups at the hospital will detect and correct the issue."

"Thank you." He drew his daughter back, kissed her beside her horn, then tucked her right back in the bag she had come from. "You're doing good work."

Twilight waved as he departed, the next pony coming in. "This is going to take a while..."

---

Moon Dancer ran a brush held in her magic through her tail, curled and treated to look quite similar to Rarity's. She looked in the mirror, her lashes long and brows worked down to fine lines instead of the bushy messes she usually sported. Her mane was styled much like the tail, completing the look. All she was missing were the colors, and she opted to leave that be.

"My colors won't change... if he can't admire me with my normal colors... maybe it wasn't meant to be." She drew a figurative line in the sand that she would not back past. With a slow breath, she stood up and put her tools away. "I'm as ready as I will ever be."

She trot out of her room, the one she was borrowing from Twilight, and began dragon hunting. A brave and storied career, she'd read in books. Ponies that thought they could survive such battles, throwing themselves at huge dragons.

Her dragon would be much smaller, and less likely to burn her to a crisp, or bite her leg off. But he could bite her heart in half. Was that better? It was arguably worse, she decided. She had her own dragon to slay, but if it worked, the dragon would enjoy being defeated.

She spied her target, working on lunch in the kitchen. It appeared to be more than one pony's serving size. He was working to provide for all the ponies that lived in the castle. She smiled softly, considering it. He was a nice person, working to keep everyone happy and healthy. He deserved a little affection in return, and not just from Twilight, who was family.

Moon Dancer slipped in and approached Spike at a slow pace, unable to force herself to go any faster. "Did someone ask you to make lunch?"

"Huh? Nah." He hadn't turned around, so he had no idea she was done up. "If I don't remember, they might forget, and we don't want a bunch of super hungry ponies." He grabbed the serving platter and turned then. With a surprised yelp, he dropped it, but the platter did not reach the ground, held in Moon's magic. "Moon Dancer?" His cheeks had turned a cheery pink instantly.

She gently set the tray back on the counter. "That can wait a moment. Spike, I wish to speak with you. Is that alright?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." He worried his fingers together, looking her over, eyes darting from her mane to her tail and back again. "Did you... do something with your mane? Looking good."

Moon smiled at that. It was rare she was complimented on her appearance. "Thank you. I... did this, for you."

"For me?!" He hopped back, bumping into the counter he had just been working at.

Moon gently plucked him up and set him down in the open as she circled so she wasn't trapping him against the counter. "Spike, I have considered the pros and cons and I would like to date you. Are you open to attempting this relationship?"

Spike blinked slowly, like a deer caught in the headlights. Never had someone just... asked that so bluntly. Was that even allowed? Should he have tried that himself?

"It's alright if you are not," Moon addended. "I understand that you are still learning yourself, but if you allow me, I would be delighted to learn with you. I will attempt to support you as well as you have supported Twilight and the girls."

Spike slowly raised a finger. "Hold on a moment... Wait, let me get this right... You--" He waved at her wildly. "Want to date me?" He waved the same hand over himself.

"Is that so wrong?" Moon Dancer sat on her haunches and began to tap her hooves together. "You're brave. You're kind. You're smart. You're empathetic. You're great in the kitchen and you show sincere care about those around you."

Spike grabbed his tail and began to wring it nervously. "I... Uh... we're being totally honest right now, right?"

"Please." She nodded softly, her magic adjusting her glasses.

"I... used to have the biggest crush on you."

Moon's cheeks warmed. "You did?!"

"Uh... yeah..." He squeezed his tail for support. "You were kind of just like Twilight, but not, you know, Twilight, so... Oh sheesh I must sound stupid."

"No, there is a certain amount of logic to that." She raised a hoof to her chin. "It is not uncommon to be attracted to certain characteristics of role models of the preferred sex." Spike blinked owlishly at her. "It's normal," she repeated with a little smile. "Are you... not crushed anymore?"

"I... thought I was, you know, past it. I mean, we moved here." He waved grandly over Ponyville though it wasn't visible from inside the castle. "And then, you know, Rarity, and..." His eyes darted to her swaying Rarity tail. "Who... you've met?"

"She gave me some grooming tips." Moon reached a hoof forward. "Would you like to try dating? I promise to accept you as an equal as we both learn from the experience."

Spike's blush grew suddenly worse. "Um. I'd better get these out." He released his tail and moved to grab the platter. "Let me think about it!"

Moon did not stop him from fleeing, as much as some of her wanted to do just that. She was the larger pony, she reminded herself, the older pony. She had to respect his autonomy. If they started their relationship with her giving the orders, it would never work out in any healthy way.

Besides, he got enough of that with Twilight. She let out a small breath. That could have gone much worse than it had, she consoled herself silently. "Now is not the time to give up..."

---

Sunburst inclined an ear towards the hoity toity pony before him. "Nice to see you, Fancy Pants."

"Good to be seen, old chap." He smiled gently. "It's been some time since last you were in Canterlot. Good of you to be involved in such noble endeavors."

"Thank you, Sir. Let's take a peek." With a glowing horn, he got to sketching out the interior of his horn. Like Twilight, he was getting faster with practice, but he wasn't as fast as she was. Still, the two of them working was faster than her alone. "Have you had magical issues before?"

"That's hard to ascertain, I'm afraid. I never learned much in the way of magic, nor had need to." He kept himself still for the analyzing magic to work. "I'd rather know, and since you've kindly offered that opportunity, how could I refuse?"

"Excellently put." Sunburst pointed to the sketch of Fancy Pants' horn. There they were, spurs. "I wasn't... expecting that, but--"

"--Oh dear." He put a hoof to his mouth, peering at the sketch. "I trust from your reaction that this isn't what it should look like."

Sunburst pulled out a few other sketches of healthy ponies and set them up to compare. "The interior structures can take on quite a few different shapes, and that's normal, but the protrusions are what we aim to handle. They impede the flow of magic, and you have them. Would you be willing to work with us? It should cure you of it at the same time."

"Well, it's what I came here to do. What are the risks, if there are any?" He stroked at his chin with a hoof, studying the different drawings.

"It will require effort, and we will do our best to minimize any risks, but we can't assure safety, only maximize it. We, you, me, and any other ponies that are found, will have to raise the moon a few times under careful observation."

His monocle fell free from his face as he startled back. "Raise the moon?! My word... I know they used to do such things, but I never thought... Can we do that?" He pointed at his own sketch. "With this, in particular?"

Sunburst rubbed behind his head. "We'll give it our best shot. I'll be there, with you. Twilight and Starlight will be observing and ready to alleviate any complications."

"Good mare, Princess Twilight. Alright, if she's behind this, I feel confident enough. I'll arrange for local housing while you finish your examinations." He rose to his hooves. "Thank you, once more, for doing this. Very good." He dipped his head towards Sunburst and moved to trot from the room and summon the next in line.

Sunburst shook his head slowly. "Disease knows not social standing, I suppose..." He would have never guessed Fancy Pants of all ponies. The only stranger would have been one of the alicorn princesses, but they all worked their magic without issue.

"Oh, hello there little colt."

Snips smiled up at Sunburst looking quite nervous. "Look, um... my friend is really good at magic, but I can't hardly get nothing done... Am I broken?"

"You are not broken," quickly retorted Sunburst with a flare of emotions. "Whatever we find, you are not broken... You may have an issue, and we'll fix it, but you, as a pony, are fine."

Snips seemed a little more relaxed, and the examination could begin.

Author's Note:

That last moment, I felt that.

Moon Dancer makes her move, and it goes... alright?

The exams are on the way, sifting through ponies to assemble a team to work with Sunburst.

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Comments

[Emtu]

He would have have guessed Shining Pants of all ponies.

...what?

Edit: I know what you're trying to say, but this sentence is super mangled.

[Late_Night]

i'm gonna be honest with you, chief
i'm rather disliking the teasing of a non-sparity ship here
spike and rarity are meant to be together
i can't see anything else

[Scintor]

"Huh? Nah." He hadn't turned around, so he had no idea she was done up. "If I don't remember, they might forget, and we don't want a bunch of super hungry ponies." He grabbed the serving platter and turned then. With a surprised yelp, he dropped it, but the platter did not reach the GROWN, held in Moon's magic. "Moon Dancer?" His cheeks had turned a cheery pink instantly.

I think you meant ground.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Not surprising that they got so many applicants. What self-respecting unicorn wouldn't be interested in natural horn enhancement?

More recruits for lunar therapy, and... well, it wasn't a no. Still, Moon's dropped one heck of a conundrum on Spike. I can't help but think he's going to ask Rarity's permission to court somepony else.

In any case, a few typos slipped into the line:

Her magic wrapped around Trixiie as a sketch began to form

There's something beautifully ironic in having too many i's in the name of a pony who refuses to use first-person pronouns.

"Are you... not crushed anymore?"

"I... thought it was."

The second sentence doesn't quite follow the first. Something like "I didn't think I was" would work much better.

[David Silver]

9611306

9611362
Typos eradicated!

[David Silver]

9611321
I mean... the show may surprise me, but I doubt it. Sparity will never be acknowledged in canon as more than a one-sided thing.

[Sherlock Hooves]

Isn't it suppose to be Fancy Pants?

[David Silver]

9611405
Fixed and rephrased for clarity. Some awkwardness should be there. This is a very awkward moment.

[David Silver]

9611409
Fixed!

[Daremo]

It was rare she was complimented on her appearance.

One might even say, it's a Rarity.

[Booster Spice]

Good thing Trixie isnt running the sequencing, she would be charging admission if not for the scans themselves?

Spikes starting his collection?

[Daremo]

unicorns jut out - unicorns jutted out

He would have have guessed - He would never have guessed

[David Silver]

9611472
The typos are out in force today. x_x

[Dan]

Moondancer deserves all the love and affection a colt or drake can give.

[Late_Night]

9611407
i still don't like it, and i still advise a different course for the story
besides, this is supposed to be a story about twilight and sunburst

[ridingonapony]

Moondancer did pretty well, I think.

Fancy Pants! Good show, Mr. Silver!