My Little Pony: Sparkling Harmony

by Captain_Cosmos

Episode 14: Acceptance

Celestia’s sun grazed Ponyville with it’s warmth as the town slowly rose to face the day. In one house, with a shattered bedroom window, Sparkler slowly roused awake, tossing and turning in her bed. “No. Stay back. No. No! NO!!!” Sparkler’s eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, breathing heavily. She whipped her head around. Momentarily confused. “What? What happened?” Her eyes fell on the shatter window and she raised an eyebrow. “What happened?” Her eyes slowly widened as the events of the previous night came back to her. I...I remember losing control of my magic...and then when that magic dampening ring burst, I got out of here as fast as I could...and then the next thing I know, I’m here? How did I get back here? She focused on what happened the previous night, trying to remember what happened after she fled. Eventually, she came to remember a voice, and a pair of forelegs wrapped around her...that she couldn’t place with anypony she knew. Somepony was talking last night....no! her irises shrank to near invisibility as she came to the horrifying conclusion. Her secret was out!

At that moment, Sparkler heard her door open. In her shock, she instinctively dived for the covers and pulled them over her head to prevent anypony from seeing her exposed. She soon heard a familiar voice. “Squawk! Sparkler. Relax. It’s just me. Squawk!”

Sparkler peaked her head out and saw Flappy land at the foot of the bed, giving her a reassuring smile. She gave a weak smile back. “Flappy. You scared me.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Sorry about that. How’re you feeling? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “I feel alright? But Flappy...I think my secret’s out! I remember somepony talking to me last night, and it wasn’t you!”

Flappy sighed and nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. It wasn’t me. When my singing failed to calm you down. I knew there was only one thing left to do. Squawk!”

Sparkler’s irises shrank as she realized what Flappy had done. “W-Who did you get?”

“The only other pony you know that has both wings and a horn.” Sparkler froze as that voice reached her ears. She recognized it as her voice. She slowly turned her head, and her Irises shrank to near invisibility when she saw TWILIGHT SPARKLE standing at the door.

She jumped before yanking the covers over her once again, too scared to face the princess. “Eep! Please don’t shun me! Please! I was gonna tell you eventually! I’m sorry!” She squeaked out shakily.

Twilight and Flappy exchanged looks of concern as Twilight slowly started moving towards the bed. She spoke in a calm non threatening tone. “Sparkler. It’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise.”

Flappy nodded as he used his wing to carefully lift the cover so he could see Sparkler’s face. “Squawk! Sparkler, she saw the wings. You can’t hide from her now. It’s ok. She wants to help you. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded as she stopped beside the bed. “I just want to talk Sparkler. You don't have to worry.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Nopony said a word, and then...Flappy and Twilight heard quiet sobbing coming from under the covers. Flappy flapped his wings and took hold of the covers. He slowly pulled them back to reveal Sparkler with her eyes covered with her forelegs, sobbing uncontrollably.

Twilight hopped onto the bed in front of the cowering Sparkler, laying down on her haunches to be more at her level. “Hey. You ok?”

It took a second, but Sparkler responded in between sobs. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I...I’ve been trying to bring myself to tell you for weeks now. But I was always too scared. P-Please don’t stop being my friend!” Her sobbing increased as she buried her head in her legs and refused to look up.

Seeing Sparkler like this was like a dagger piercing Twilight’s heart. She never would’ve guessed that Sparkler, a pony who she had known as confident, positive, and happy, had been hiding her true self out of fear of being shunned. And to know that her past had driven her to do so didn’t help. Without knowing what else to do, Twilight reached out with her hooves and wrapped them around Sparkler. Pulling her close.

Sparkler felt hooves wrap around her and pull her against Twilight’s body and tensed up. Confusion plagued her mind. W-what’s she doing? Why hasn’t she laughed at me yet? Sparkler unexpectedly got her answer when Twilight broke the silence. “Sparkler, I’ll never stop being your friend. It doesn’t matter if you have wings or a horn. You’re still my friend and that won’t change just because you’re an Alicorn.”

Sparkler let out a quiet gasp as she gazed up at Twilight in astonishment. She had long feared that were anypony to discover her true identity, they would shun her and she would’ve been branded the outcast again with Flappy remaining as her only friend, and here was a pony, a PRINCESS at that, saying that she didn’t CARE that she was...wait, did she just call her an...Alicorn? Sparkler momentarily forgot about everything as the inquiry left her mouth. “W-What did you just call me?”

Twilight gave off a warm smile as Sparkler slowly sat up out of her grip. “Having both wings and a horn. That’s called being an Alicorn Sparkler.”

Flappy nodded as he giggled. “Squawk! The horn and wing combo actually has an official name. Heh. Who knew. Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You never knew that?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nopony could figure out what I was. I had the horn of a Unicorn, the wings of a Pegasus, and apparently the strength of an Earth Pony, but none of the medical experts we talked to could figure out what I was. So I just started dubbing it the Horn and Wing Combo. I don’t even know where the wings could’ve come from, there aren’t any Pegasi in my family tree.” She sighed. “That...that really doesn’t bother you?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not so much bothers me as it does intrigues me.” She giggled before continuing. “Sparkler, I know you had a rough time growing up. But you don’t need to worry. It’s different here.”

Sparkler flinched a tad. “You know about that?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I told her about everything, the egg pelting, the name calling, all except that which shan’t ever be brought up. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded, and pulled Sparkler in for another hug. “Sparkler. What your schoolmates did to you was downright horrible. And you have every right to be hesitant to show the real you. But I promise, Ponyville’s welcoming to all creatures. You can be yourself here.”

Sparkler felt tears coming again. “I...I just don’t want to be branded as the outcast again. It hurts.”

Twilight tightened her grip on Sparkler. “You won’t. I know for a fact that at the very least our friends won’t turn you away. They’ll accept you.”

For the first time since waking up, Sparkler put on a genuine smile as she returned the hug. “Thank you Twilight. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you for being able to show this side of you.” They fell into silence as they just stayed like that.

Flappy smiled as he sighed in content. At last. He was glad that Sparkler was finally beginning to open up about her true nature. And we finally have a NAME for what she is. Hehe. he snickered at that thought. He suspected Twilight knew more about the horn and wing combo, and a name was definitely a start.

After a few minutes, the sound of grumbling broke the silence. Everypony frowned and Twilight and Sparkler broke the hug. They raised eyebrows when the grumbling was heard again. Flappy’s eyes widened as he realized it was him. He chuckled as he flapped his wings and launched into the air. “Squawk! Hehe. That was my stomach. Time for breakfast! Squawk!” He rocketed out the door.

Twilight and Sparkler watched him go and chuckled, hopping off the bed. “Is it still morning? Doesn’t feel like it.”

Sparkler chuckled. “You can join us for breakfast. Or do you have stuff to do today?”

Twilight chuckled. “I can stay for breakfast.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Alright. I’m glad actually. Because now my mind’s burning with questions about Alicorns.”

Twilight chuckled. “I just can’t believe you didn’t at least know what it is you were.”

Sparkler giggled and shrugged. “After a few years I just accepted calling it the Horn and Wing combo. Though Alicorn rolls off the tongue easier.” That got both alicorns giggling. After a second, Sparkler sighed. “Hey Twi? You think maybe we could keep this between us? I...I’m not quite ready to come out to everypony yet...”

Twilight nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me Sparkler. And when you are ready, I’ll be right there with you. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded, and then frowned when a high pitched voice echoed through the room. ”FOREVER!”

Sparkler and Twilight looked around the room. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“That was Pinkie Pie. One of her many unexplainable antics. Also, I am getting SUCH an I-told-you-so from her.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Today you join Pinkie and Discord in the very few that know my true identity.”

Twilight gasped as they started for the door. “Discord?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. Apparently he was eavesdropping on me and Flappy one day. As if Pinkie’s antics weren’t enough of a secret security risk.” They chuckled as they made their way down the stairs. Sparkler let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding all morning. Finally, Twilight knows, and we’re still friends... With that in mind, her confidence gained a massive boost. If Twilight accepted her, that meant that she could rationally believe that so would Ponyville. This won’t be school in Saddle Arabia all over again. I CAN be myself. She managed to tell herself, for the first time since she moved to Ponyville.

To be continued...

Author's Note:

AT LAST! TWILIGHT AND SPARKLER HAD THEIR LONG AWAITED TALK!

Now all Sparkler needs to do is build up enough confidence to tell everypony else.

so while she does that, WHAT'S NEXT FOR OUR HEROINE AND HER PARROT SIDEKICK ?

Don't be shy. Anything's possible in Ponyville!

Comments

[Captain_Cosmos]

posted ch 14 without a title. whoops.

i fixed it

[Bronycommander]

Well. a alicorn born naturally by non alicorns is quite fascinating. I just hope that didn't backfire on you

[Captain_Cosmos]

10772656
It won't

[MatTheBook]

Sparkler shook her head. “Nopony could figure out what I was. I had the horn of a Unicorn, the wings of a Pegasus, and apparently the strength of an Earth Pony, but none of the medical experts we talked to could figure out what I was. So I just started dubbing it the Horn and Wing Combo. I don’t even know where the wings could’ve come from, there aren’t any Pegasi in my family tree.” She sighed. “That...that really doesn’t bother you?”

Wait then what about the visit of Saddle Arabia in..... Season 4?
10443426

[FlameRose-MLP-FiM]

Thanks, Twilight.