So once again the day is saved. Literally. In this case, by that new unicorn who came into Ponyville and fought Nightmare Moon, the nightmare that would never end (until it did).
They say this unicorn is strange. They say she's a princess and a witch, who lurks in dark libraries and tames mighty dragons.
Well, Dinky knows that's bunkum, but who cares? She's never turned down a quest, not with her Sisterhooves Sisters in tow.
What a team they are too: Odd Job, carrot-farming sister and cosmic punching bag; Apple Bloom, who's got the heart of an apple (and the imagination to match); Alula, the pegasus who couldn't be more pegasus if she tried (harder); and Piña Colada, who's what you get as a sort of add-on if you seek out Berry Punch's beverages.
Together, they will bravely and nobly discuss over drinks what to do about this new hero in their midst, and see if they can fit her into their usual playtime. After all, it wouldn't be much of a quest if it wasn't dangerous. Twilight will just have to take her chances.
Nice work, as always, loved it!
Out of all the leaders the Sisterhooves Sisters didn't have, Dinky was one of the best.
It's always a joy to meet a kindred spirit... though it can be hard to believe you've found one.
Some very valuable early lessons for Twilight. She really didn't know the first thing about friendship back then.
Well, maybe the first thing. The Elements can attest to that. The second thing, not so much. But that's where Best Filly comes in.
... I was joking with that earlier Celestia comment. Sometimes this filly's too smart for her own good.
And I'm honestly not sure if I'm talking about Dinky or Twilight.
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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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Ah, right. I thought it was some Internet slang I hadn't bumped into yet. Thanks for clarifying!
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Go ahead and do what you want; I'll be ready for more whenever.
This is perhaps the realest example of childish naivety so far.
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Sorry about my delayed response. Just wasn't sure what to make of the comment.
Still not sure, if I'm being brutally honest.
I like this kid. :)
And excellent job working Princess Erroria in there.
Never seen Cheerilee as the previous librarian before, that's neat. :)
This is a nice stroy already and those fillies are going to cause Twilight and Spike a lot of headaches. Mostly Twilight who's still awake reading.
This was a nice story and Dinky is like Twilight in some ways but there are also many differences.