In the End, You Are On Your Own (Together)
The others left in good spirits, one by one. Alula was the first; any time Twilight talked less about heroic deeds and more about all the fun she’d had shelving books lately, Alula’s face didn’t so much glaze over as ice over.
“Great,” she muttered, “another bookworm.”
Yet Twilight had at least persuaded her to take a book home, since this was a library after all. To everyone’s surprise – and Apple Bloom’s triumphant grin – Alula shyly slipped a book about princess dresses off the shelf and tried very hard to ignore the giggles around her.
“It’s warrior uniforms!” she shouted when they giggled a little too loudly.
Second was Odd Job, who tried slipping out without anyone seeing her and then nearly blushed herself to death when Twilight and Spike insisted on saying goodbye.
Next was Piña, who wanted a lock of Twilight’s hair. When nervously asked why by Twilight herself, Piña said she wanted to eat it.
“To get all the yummy magical goodness,” she said, nodding helpfully.
Twilight stamped out her book as hastily as politeness allowed. It was about ladybugs. She didn’t ask.
To Dinky’s slight annoyance, Apple Bloom hung back at the entrance. Her book had been an odd one: The Big Questions for Little Foals (Who Are You and What Do You Want?).
“What?” snapped Apple Bloom defensively. “Ah can take an interest too!”
“I didn’t say anything.” Dinky kept her gaze away from Apple Bloom. Any fiercer, and the red-and-yellow earth filly might catch fire.
Both of them hung back from the entrance, despite the beckoning blue of afternoon’s approach. Twilight and Spike stood to one side, the traditional place for Canterlot ponies to see their guests off correctly.
“Well, that was fun,” said Spike. He waved the key in a clawed hand. “And if you ever want to break in again, you know where this is kept.”
“Spike!” said Twilight.
“I’m just kidding, Twilight.”
“Uh huh. Just like you were kidding when you helped them sneak past me last night?”
Spike, Apple Bloom, and Dinky paused a little too long.
Unfortunately, whilst Spike and Dinky could keep themselves in check, Apple Bloom blurted out, “He didn’t help us! We snuck out on our own while he distracted you away from us! Spike didn’t know nothin’.”
By the time Spike slapped his own face, Apple Bloom realized what she’d just said.
“Oh, pony feathers…” she groaned. “Ah didn’t mean to lie! Spike meant well, honest! He coulda told ya, only he didn’t, and Ah’m happy he didn’t, but we didn’t mean anythin’ by it, Twi, honest we –”
Too late, Dinky elbowed her in the ribs to shut up.
Twilight had Judgement in her eyes again.
“You know,” she said, drawing out each word as though measuring it, “I would have expected better from Applejack’s sister when it comes to honesty.”
Apple Bloom slumped in defeat. “Ah’m sorry, Twilight.”
“I’ll let it go this one time,” continued Twilight – Apple Bloom’s hopeful eyes sparkled in turn – “but I won’t be able to ignore repeated offences in future. Ponies should practise what they preach, is that understood?”
“You got it, Twilight! Ah really am sorry.”
Dinky then struggled to remember if she herself had actually apologized at any point. Evidently, the same point crossed Twilight’s mind, because suspicion gave her an expectant look. Dinky shrank a little under the attention.
“I think Apple Bloom’s just a little confused,” said the imp in Dinky.
To her surprise, she saw Apple Bloom nod sadly. “A little. Ever since Applejack…”
Even more to her surprise, Dinky saw Twilight’s face soften considerably, almost becoming sisterly herself. “I understand.”
Apple Bloom looked up sharply. “You do?”
“Yes.” Twilight’s gaze nudged the book on Apple Bloom’s back. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask. I’ve studied lots of books and theories. Maybe there’s something I can give back to the community, for giving me so much?”
Sappiness detected, Dinky kept quiet and shuffled out of range. Part of being an imp was being slightly allergic to goodness, especially when it dribbled thick as syrup.
Apple Bloom smartened up and nodded – an almost perfect imitation of her big sister – and then hopped out into the day.
Which just left Dinky, who by now was fervently hoping the break-in wouldn’t be brought up again.
Oh, to heck with it. Amethyst would have attacked it head-on.
“Look, about last night –” Dinky began.
“Didn’t you want to take a book home with you?” Twilight said, surprisingly quickly.
It had occurred to Dinky, yes. It was just that there were times to obsess over books, and times to obsess over ponies, and today’s pony had been far more interesting than any amount of books. Taking one seemed kind of beside the point.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Dinky. She could tell Twilight had something on her mind, but she was in no rush. “Tomorrow? I can come back tomorrow and have a look.”
On her part, Dinky worried about the teatime with Twilight. She’d just had muffins with a hero, a saviour, a vanquisher of evil just like the ones from her stories… and it had seemed so ordinary. So familiar. So… so not-heroic. If she didn’t know who Twilight was, she might have thought the slightly awkward mare was just another Canterlot unicorn like Lemon Hearts. Or like Minuette, or Twinkleshine. Or…
“Hey, are you OK?” It was Spike. He’d been so quiet and off-to-the-side that Dinky almost forgot he was there.
And that he was a dragon. A big, dangerous, supposedly impossible creature: waddling around, serving tea, and smiling at ponies nicely. He was somehow mere background to someone like Twilight.
“Is it about what we talked about at tea?” said Twilight. Despite the stupidly vague words, Dinky picked up on the meaning at once.
“Not exactly,” she said. “It’s nice to have a hero around.”
Twilight had enough self-control to stop the blush, but not completely.
“But?” said Spike encouragingly. “There’s a ‘but’, isn’t there?”
“If it’s about last night,” said Twilight, stumbling over herself, “then don’t worry. I mean, no harm done, right? And I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson. Everyone learns in their own way, so who am I to judge?”
Dinky wished she could say what was on her mind. The thought seemed too big to just say. She had to keep turning it around until she found a way to push it out of her mouth and get rid of it, otherwise it’d get stuck in her head all day.
Something tumbled out, if only because the silence was getting unpleasant.
“Do you have a sister?” she said.
Twilight and Spike gave each other puzzled looks.
“I have an older brother?” offered Twilight in case this helped. “And Spike, in a way. Although he’s more like someone I took in and raised – Well, not me, of course, I was only a foal, and he was a dragon, and only Celestia knew the spells needed to take care of his fire outbursts, and really I was given him, but as a technicality, I mean, as part of the family –”
“No sisters, is the point she’s trying to make,” said Spike. Twilight sagged with relief.
“Yes, we have no sisters! Although Spike might, since I never found out much about his blood family ties, and no one at the school seemed to know where his egg exactly –”
“Why a sister, anyway?” said Spike, sparing Twilight again.
Dinky shrugged. “Oh, just asking. We have a Sisterhooves Social every fall. I just wondered if you wanted to try it.”
“Oh.” Twilight’s ears drooped at this. “I see.”
She’s new here, Dinky thought to herself. And I know what Canterlot can be like. Ponyville is a whole alien world compared to that. No, Canterlot is the alien world. Like a cold and lifeless moon.
“There’s the Running of the Leaves, though,” she piped up.
Twilight’s ears rose. “Oh?”
“That’s tons of fun. And there’s the Winter Wrap-Up we do here, but I’d read about that first. It’s different in Ponyville.”
“Oh, right.”
“Plus, you can’t miss the Summer Harvest Parade. Or the Nightmare Night coming up; they don’t celebrate that in Canterlot. Or one of Pinkie Pie’s birthday parties, ‘cause she has loads of them. Come to think of it, Ponyville celebrates a lot of stuff…”
“Then I’m sure I’ve got a lot of research to do,” said Twilight, brightening up. Learning to fit in and getting an excuse for more reading: Dinky might as well have handed her the keys to heaven.
She wasn’t the only one. Heroes inviting her to tea was confusing and exciting in ways Dinky didn’t understand, but Ponyville was Ponyville. Dinky could walk to the other side of the planet, and she’d still carry Ponyville with her. She laughed with Pinkie’s laughter, and worked hard like the farmers Golden Harvest and Applejack, and she thought flighty thoughts with Derpy in the sky, and she walked on solid ground alongside Amethyst, who could crush diamonds with her iron grip on reality.
The cottages might be small and old-fashioned, but that was just to fool and test the unwary, because inside, the hearts were bigger than one life could hold, big enough to share and still feel big, and always very much present, no matter where you’d take yourself.
Dinky didn’t know how to explain all this to Twilight. Too much to say. She just had to hope Twilight picked it up as she went along, though she seemed to have a pretty good starting point already.
So she settled for something a bit easier to understand.
“Maybe your next Summer Sun Celebration will be a lot better than this one,” said Dinky, as sweetly as she could manage.
Twilight’s giggle came welcome as ever. “I think that’s a pretty safe bet.”
“Did you ever read Sparky the Space Scout?” Dinky found herself blurting out; she’d seemed comfortable enough for a moment to do so, as if she’d known Twilight for years.
It was Spike who grimaced. “That corny old space comic?”
“That’s the one!” said Dinky happily.
“Bah, Crush Cauldron was way better than that lame spin-off. That one was all ‘PEW-PEW-PEW’ and epic space battles and destiny ghosts and laser force fields and cool stuff like that.”
“There’s that stuff in Sparky too.”
“Yeah, between all the dull stuff. Like, who cares if Sparky wants to find the ultimate question to everything? Get to the good stuff! And super-preachy, hello? I mean, why does every adventure have to end with a super-obvious moral, like ‘Be nice to those who are different’? Um, hello? Dragon in pony society? Why does this apply to me?”
“Hm…” Twilight rubbed her chin, and Dinky waited patiently despite Spike’s shaking, disbelieving head. “Sparky the Space Scout… that’d be the one with the scientific interest?”
“Uh huh.” Dinky beamed.
“And the ethical dilemmas in an easy-to-understand didactic style?”
“Uh huh!” Dinky beamed wider.
“Blending the traditional action-oriented approach of pulp fiction with more modern intellectual and emotional sensibilities?”
“It’s like we’re long-lost sisters ourselves!” Dinky’s beaming smile nearly became a crescent moon.
“Yeah, and wasn’t that a lame plot twist in Issue Number 53 –” began Spike.
“Spike!” said Twilight warningly. To Dinky, she added kindly, “He has different tastes in graphic novels than I do.”
“They’re ‘comics’, Twilight,” said Spike with wearying patience. “Not ‘graphic novels’.”
Stiffly, Twilight said, “You have your term, I have mine.”
Dinky willed the words to come. She could see now, looming into the sky, the reason why she’d brought the comics – or graphic novels – up at all.
“Well,” said Dinky hesitantly, “you ever read Issue Number 6?”
Twilight barely needed to think. “The one with the Moon Queen, yes.”
Both of them saw the spark of realization in each eye, as if a comet had surged past, heralding worse behind it, bracing them for impact.
If only it hadn’t been close to the middle of the day. Dinky wanted to look out and see stars twinkling in the sky, or better yet a full shot of the empty moon. Dramatic timing wasn’t the world’s strong point.
“Do you think Sparky ever gets scared,” she said, trying to walk around the real question, “whenever she faces stuff like that? Like, really scared, deep down?”
“Maybe,” Twilight answered a little too quickly. “But what choice does she have? It’s her moral duty to protect others. Even if she is a little scared. And that’s exactly what she will do.”
Dinky hadn’t realized she’d still strayed too close to the real question, and her mind backed off at once. It wasn’t lack of curiosity; any other day, Dinky would have asked as naturally as she probed into other ponies’ cupboards. It wasn’t even fear of offending anyone, certainly not Twilight. She sensed, at a later date, that it might be fun to poke and prod at Twilight a little bit. She was too much like Amethyst, in some respects. Stiff, dull, a little unimaginative and serious-minded. A little chaos might do her some good.
What could Dinky say? That she couldn’t read enough, go far enough, stare at the stars long enough to feel really satisfied? That she wanted to fly up there too, and look down and see everything, know everything? That the world was like a massive, delicious cake, so delicious and massive that no matter how fast Dinky ate, she’d never get to enjoy it all?
It felt worse because Dinky sensed, in her sister’s disapproving looks and her mother’s more puzzled ones, that she wasn’t supposed to think thoughts like this. Odd Job didn’t; there was too much going on at the farm. Alula didn’t; if she couldn’t kick or worship it, it meant nothing to her. Piña certainly didn’t; she seemed content in a baby book version of her own world, where everything was written in big, colourful letters and fairy tales kept going.
She’d never had anyone else to talk to about this.
And then out of the stars, out of the moon, a nightmare had come, and suddenly she was in the middle of a story with a hero. On top of that, a hero with brains. It was like running into Sparky at her local library.
Even now, she had no idea what to say.
Dinky realized Twilight and Spike were staring at her.
“I’m OK,” said Dinky, and to her horror heard a weak crack in her voice. She wiped her eyes quickly; they weren’t blurry, but they felt more moist than usual.
Twilight stepped forwards. “Is there anything I can do?” she said at once.
Deep down where no one would ever see, Dinky burst into tears. The rest of her snapped at it to be sensible.
“It’s nothing,” said Dinky, a little too panicky that time.
Twilight gave her a long, thoughtful look, then without looking away, said, “Spike, I think it’s safe to say your break’s over. Could you take care of the dishes, please?”
“Hm? What? Oh. Right.”
As if remembering something there and then, Twilight added, “I’ll join you in a little while.”
“Oh. Oh.” Spike glanced from Twilight to Dinky and back. “Uh, sure thing. Those dishes won’t wash themselves!”
Only when he left did Twilight sit down. It was such a defeated move that Dinky almost gaped.
“It’s weird,” admitted Twilight, smiling strangely, “but in a lot of ways, you remind me of… me.”
Dinky’s mouth hung open. It was as if Twilight had summoned the words right out of them, only turned back-to-front and shown up to Dinky’s broad eyes.
“When I was younger, I mean,” continued Twilight. She nodded at the door. “Those friends of yours?”
“Mm hm.” Dinky didn’t feel capable of saying much. No words left.
“I’ve been watching how you act around them. You seem to be… how can I put this…? Every inch the leader that they officially don’t have.”
Of course, that was a risk, thought Dinky. While I’m watching someone, maybe they’re watching me.
“Mm,” was her reliable answer to this.
“It’s like they’re all individuals with their own minds, and you know that they could lead if they wanted. Yet, they keep looking at you when something big comes along. It’s like you end up doing the big things for them. Not that that’s wrong, of course! I mean, you would anyway, of course you would. It’d be the right thing to do. But you wonder: does it always have to be you? Will it always have to be you? Every time? And what if you’re not ready? What if it fails just once? You understand what I’m trying to say? Don’t you?”
Again, “Mm” was about as much as Dinky could admit.
Twilight’s face fought not to collapse for a moment. “You’re very lucky to have made so many friends so young.”
Dinky didn’t respond except to nod. She got the impression Twilight was trying and not trying to say something else.
Just like me, thought Dinky.
Eventually, some words came to her aid: “I try my best.”
This seemed to break the trance. Twilight stood up again. Something far stronger came back to reinforce her muscles and bones, her whole stance, even the space around her.
“Well, as reasonably as we can, of course,” she said, sounding like a professor summing up. “Who can do more than their best, logically?”
“Oh, well, logically,” said Dinky. “Like when ponies say you should give 110% of yourself to something. You can’t give more than 100%. Because if you could give 110% of that, then that’d just be the true 100% of what you could really give. That’s just logic.”
They both relaxed, as if after some obstacle surmounted.
“It was really nice meeting you,” said Dinky. “Can I break in again tonight?”
Twilight’s face made some interesting contortions.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Dinky flapped her hoof placatingly. “How about I just come for another tea thing, and we pretend I stole something?”
Now Twilight’s face showed off a true contortionist’s trick: the half-twist of someone with a busy schedule, almost curled up on itself with the pressing weight of horrified guilt.
“Next week?” Dinky offered.
“Next month?” Dinky offered again, when the contortion didn’t stop.
Twilight shrugged helplessly. “I’m sure we can arrange something.”
“Well, it better be soon, or I might make an unarranged visit in the middle of the night.” Hastily, she added, “Kidding, kidding!”
Lurking at the back of her mind, though, the imp said: Oh, the fun we could have, tormenting Twilight so…
“I take it back,” Twilight said grimly. “Maybe we’re not so similar after all.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’ll surprise you?”
“Maybe I won’t be that easy to surprise, given my knowledge of pony psychology.”
Yes! She knows about psychology! And she knows the word “psychology”! Yes, yes, yes! “Maybe I’ll hold you to that, Professor. I’m a very surprising pony.”
That did it: she got a half-smile out of Twilight despite Twilight forcing it down. What was a little adventure without a little risk?
They parted, Dinky waving back, Twilight shaking her head but smiling at the same time before easing the door shut.
This particular summer’s afternoon, Dinky skipped out and about the streets of Ponyville. All during a school day too. She giggled at her latest subversive deed.
As she skipped home, feeling lighter than a pegasus in the air, she wondered if she could arrange a Sisterhooves meeting at Twilight’s library. They’d never held the meeting at a non-member’s home before, but that was the point of frontiers. So you could go where you hadn’t gone before, and possibly annoy someone whilst doing so.
For now, Dinky pretended she was Sparky pretending she was a filly with the most interesting life in Equestria and the best future yet to come. For once, it didn’t require much acting.
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Nice work, as always, loved it!
This was outstanding from start to finish, especially what wasn't said. Plus, one of the most unique takes on an early Apple Bloom I've ever seen. Thank you for a fantastic read.
Wow, this is really great. I love how you wrote everyone. I want to see more of this Dinky!
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10458823
Gotta admit I had a giggle at this first Celestia comment, because I was thinking, "Ha, he picked up on it now, but just wait till he gets to the later chapters."
10458794
I quite like the idea - which has been bouncing around my head recently - that many background ponies are distorted reflections of the main characters, in various ways. The Flower Trio are basically Fluttershy with less spine and more theatrics, Octavia Melody has parallels to Rarity when it comes to class and artistry, Golden Harvest's more sensible outlook is similar to Applejack's no-nonsense approach, Derpy and Minuette share Pinkie's overwhelming happiness and can be a bit weird in their own eccentricities, and so on.
It's not a foolproof theory and can be applied way too narrowly (e.g. Derpy's kind of happiness is very different from Pinkie's wackier style), but it made Dinky's interactions with Twilight that bit more delightfully ironic.
10458814
It's sort of like appreciating the power of the sea up close on a stormy beach or a wave-tossed boat, standing in awe, and then realizing you really haven't taken a course on oceanography yet. You appreciate the strength from experience, but you don't know the territory.
I love that you call her that. It's just facts.
10458834
This honestly surprises me. I didn't think it was unique in any way; for instance, it seemed natural to me to guess that she might have had the seeds of an identity crisis prior to Cheerilee's cutie mark lesson.
I don't suppose you could elaborate on that, perchance? Only it's not something I'd have thought about as much before you mentioned it.
Also, I am pleased to have given satisfaction.
Thank you for the grin-inducing comments.
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And I'd love to write more Dinky in the future. She was the result of several ideas I'd had coming together in my head for a while (years, in some cases), so it was a lot of fun (and relief, ha!) to let her run around on the page in earnest.
10459007
Well, I was just online with plenty of time to spare as I got the notification.
Say, if I may ask, ever thought of making a story with Dinky and Pip?
10459008
Fair enough. Just rarely happens to me that quickly, so it was a bit of a surprise.
Can't say it's been forefront on my mind; I never quite connected with Pipsqueak, even as a pirate, the same way I did with Dinky once I learned more about how the fandom had given her a life of her own.
I wouldn't mind writing more about the children of Ponyville, to be fair. In some ways, they're more fun than the grown-ups, especially when they're trying to figure stuff out or make stuff up. Just haven't given Pip much thought, to be honest.
10459012
Well, if you might need any suggestions of how to portray Pip, I could help you. While I am a fan of him and DInky being together, I always saw them as good friends.
Same when it comes to Rumble, long before the episode of him and Cutie marks. Don't get me wrong, I just find the male ponies should get equal attention
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Ah, now Rumble I have had some thoughts about, especially since Thunderlane is his brother (and, of course, the episode you mentioned helped shape his character too). And yes indeed, the stallions and colts could do with more attention. I realize I haven't written all that many fics about them myself, despite having some ideas for a while. Definitely worth looking into.
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INdeed! As I said, if you need suggestions of how to portray Pip, I could help you.
Rumble, I did make a story about him, back in 2016, long before said episode came up, so he doesn't care about his cutie mark.
Sorry, if I ramble, I just struggle with creating OCs, so I focused on the foals which family is know or easy to make, like Dinky with Derpy, with Time turner as a father for example. Though, I also managed to get up with something for Noi, or Tootsie
I'm going to partially mirror FOME's statement about Apple Bloom with my own: it's been a while since I've seen her this creatively balanced as a character this early into canon. Also gonna have to agree with your outlook of Equestria's foals, even if the adults have generally more headroom for creativity.
Dinky has really been growing on me over the years, and this story certainly helps her to be a great character. Seeing her and Twilight go at it later on in canon would be fun, right along with more Sisterhooves Sisters action. It's this kind of story that has me liking the schoolhouse crowd more than their parents and/or older siblings, to be honest. Reading more Dinky like this one or even a CSGU learning adventure with her would no doubt be fun if you wrote it.
10459007
Reminds me of another theory I've seen where Celestia deliberately engineered Ponyville as a wide pool of viable candidates for Element bearing. As many AUs have demonstrated, it didn't have to be those six.
As for Apple Bloom, at this point in her life, I usually see her as either a homebody or part of a two-pony social circle with Twist. She almost always seems assured that she'll be a farmer like her sister until Diamond Tiara, killer of innocence that she is, makes her self-conscious enough about her blank flank to try to rush the process. This presentation of Bloom openly confronting a growing identity crisis and being part of a group of friends she's outgrowing... I don't think I've seen either of these before. Especially not the conceit that they all met at an earlier Sisterhooves Social.
If you are looking at this story and trying to decide whether or not you should read it, I'll give you the answer. You should. On the surface it is a joyous romp through the simpler, more colourful days of foalhood, one that is sure to put a smile on your face if nothing else. Beneath are many more subtle but complex intricacies you can choose to appreciate, from a profound examination of season 1 episode 1 Twilight Sparkle's way of thinking, a hypothesis on how friendship might work on a molecular level, to what it means to not be a leader.
Oh, and it's got Dinky. How could you pass on a story featuring Dinky? You monster.
And when you're done, go read the rest of this author's stories, starting with this one. Trust me on this one.
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I'm not sure what you mean by this: do you mean fans can be more creative with the adult pony characters? That's my best interpretation at the moment.
Me too. The first time I used her in a fic was late 2016, and she wasn't really the focus. Loganberry's review of that fic in 2017 singled her out for special attention, though, and since then I've been intrigued enough by what he said to develop her character further. It was only then that I started appreciating her more.
I certainly would like to write more stories about her, and Twilight and the Sisterhooves too. Don't have any immediate plans, though: after a rough month, I'm taking a break, and in any case I got loads of other ideas I want to try. We'll just have to see.
What is a CSGU, by the way? I don't recognize the term and can't find anything on Google about it.
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Well, she did help found the town by donating the land to the Smith family. Probably not a coincidence it's the closest settlement to the ancient castle in the Everfree Forest, though at that stage I believe it'd probably be more Celestia hedging her bets than having a specific plan in mind.
Both perfectly plausible. Apple Bloom has a strong connection to her family, even if she isn't a typical apple farmer like her older siblings.
To be honest, I still have no idea how Twist fits into Apple Bloom's early life. I just feel sorry the poor thing became background soon after "Call of the Cutie" (I gather the main out-of-universe reason was because the voice actor couldn't continue the role, but still a shame they couldn't get a sound-a-like or something; Twist might have been a refreshing break from all the CMC-focused shenanigans).
Oh, the idea that they all knew each other had been bouncing around in my head for at least a couple of years. Might be interesting to depict how the older sisters get along, and/or how the introduction of Rarity-Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash-Scootaloo changes things.
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Ha, and a free sales pitch too! Could this get any better?
Seriously, I'm amazed and delighted you got so much out of this. I generally try to make a story work on multiple levels - I find it's incredibly satisfying when a fic comes together like that, at least at the writing stage - so seeing that speak to people just so makes me ineffably pleased. Thank you so much!
Kind of confused by this bit, though. I don't remember literally proposing that friendship is made out of molecules, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what the metaphor really means. Could you explain that for me?
To be fair, it took me years to take an interest in Dinky myself, so I won't blame anyone harshly for not yet seeing the light
.
Thanks again for such an enthusiastic comment. Comments like these are better than treasure to me.
(Not that I wouldn't say no to a donation, mind. 
)
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You almost understand - at times like these - why Discord, Master of Chaos, has so much fun.
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Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
10461642
Ah, right. I thought it was some Internet slang I hadn't bumped into yet. Thanks for clarifying!
10461635
Abbreviations tend to crop up a lot in this fandom, so it's kind of odd you hadn't seen it before now.
Now that I've stewed a bit, I can't help but hope for more Twilight vs Dinky. Their interactions could potentially get to be like a couple of masters of knowledge and skill duking it out. Add the fact that Twilight is a princess later in life, and there's potential for an epic series...
I’m curious what is the earliest story people can remember that portrays Dinky as the hyper-imaginative little adventurer?
The earliest I personally know of was her portrayal as “The Dink,” in The Silver Standard.
I’m pretty sure her other typical portrayal as the impossibly adorable queen of hugs is all Chengar Qordath. But who started this one?
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Au contraire: I find it quite likely. Quite apart from me not being a particularly active member in discussions and groups and so on, it's entirely possible I did stumble across it before now and just don't remember. I wouldn't put it past my memory, to be honest.
Ha! You make it sound like I published a pilot. Goodness me, there's a thought. If I had the ability to make a series, though...
10463367
I honestly couldn't say. I've more often come across "cute little Dinky" fics, which can get a tad repetitive in how they portray her. A hyper-imaginative little adventurer who's also cute as a button is more my speed.
10470127
The quality of Apple Bloom's and Dinky's character is probably where things would take off, honestly. I can see this actually leaking itself into the Crusaders' meetings, actually. Hmmm...
Do you need any unique representations of character growth? I have definitely read some fantastic development for a number of characters, so feel free to peruse my knowledge of stories.
10471273
Thanks, but not right now. After a rough month, I'm officially on break from writing, to say nothing of the list of other projects crowding my mind once I do get back into it. But it's kind of you to offer, and I won't say no to some advice later on.
10471288
Go ahead and do what you want; I'll be ready for more whenever.
10541770
Sorry about my delayed response. Just wasn't sure what to make of the comment.
Still not sure, if I'm being brutally honest.
This was a nice story and Dinky is like Twilight in some ways but there are also many differences.