The Heart of a Healer

by beyondthegrave

Alone in the Dark

Mystic forcefully pushed himself away from the table and jumped off the chair, making its old legs creak against the wooden floorboards, the impact resulting in a thud when he landed. Before Sunny could react, she saw his tail bristling in the air, and heard the loud echo of his small hoofsteps when he disappeared down the hallway.

Sunny dejectedly sighed, stood up, placed their bowls into the sink, and turned the water on. She took hold of a sponge and scrubbed Mystic’s bowl clean, watching as the white lather formed with the addition of the dish soap. Momentarily, she caught a glimpse of a light blue coloration in the froth and shook her head, dismissing it as tiredness. Sunny vigorously rinsed out the other bowl and attempted to find a moment of serenity in the mundanity of the chore. But, her body stiffened, and her mind wouldn’t allow her the refuge from a recurring fear.

It was letters at first, then, words. Terrible, cold, clinical words she wished she never read. The words formed into sentences, and the memory resurfaced, like the bubbles that gathered on their used dishes. Sunny remembered how she treated Firelight after she insisted they confront the Dean immediately about that horrible correspondence they received about a month ago.

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Dear Mr. Dawn and Mrs. Daze,

We are writing to inform you of an incident that your son was involved in on a scheduled semester-end research trip at the Canterlot Archives. The entire nature of which is not yet known to us, but our preliminary analysis suggests a misfire of a self-invoked form of invisibility magic. Per our procedures, an investigational report has been filed with the Department of Health and Safety to establish the cause fully.

Dean Primrose will be available to discuss the details after reviewing the full report.

Regards,
The Office of Equine Resources

“Again, I apologize but without having read the full report I can’t be certain. Statistically, he is unlikely to have been under serious harm. I assure you Mrs. Daze, the school takes every precaution to prevent danger,” the dean said flatly, keeping herself relaxed in the face of the troubled parents.

“I think we’ve heard enough. Thanks for your time, Ms. Primrose. We need to discuss this matter further now,” Sunny smiled politely and looked expectantly at Firelight.

“I… agree. Please, if you don’t mind,” Firelight forced out a smile of his own and briefly glanced with concern at his wife.

“Of course. I will remain here, at your service,” the dean nodded, thanked them cordially, and opened the door behind them.

“Sunny, what’s going on? Don’t you think we should wait for the report?” Firelight asked hesistantly once they exited the dean’s office. “Oh, what more would that tell us? Some trivial data analysis that they skewed?” Firelight looked down and saw her hooves shake in irritation. He reached his forehoof out to comfort her, but Sunny took a step back, and he dropped it to the ground. “Sun, I know you’re upset but,” he began.

“Don’t Sun me. But what, exactly? Do I need to remind you of the effects that such an advanced spell could have had on him?!” Sunny furrowed her brow and jutted her chin out, speaking with veiled condescension.

“No, I..” Firelight said but stopped himself, anger rising from beneath at her demeaning tone. “W-why are you doing that?" Firelight said, raising his voice. “Using that tone with me? I don’t appreciate you acting like I’m not taking this situation seriously.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t if you weren’t picking sides!” Sunny shouted.

“P-picking sides?” Firelight said softly, flabbergasted. “I’m trying to think rationally and you’re accusing me of what, disloyalty? Sunny, I am on your side, but I’m just trying to give them some reasonable doubt. You need to—I mean, we need to think about what’s...”

“Reasonable doubt?!” Sunny said irately, cutting him off. “We’re talking about the safety of our son!” she said, on the verge of tears. Sunny was always the fiery type, but after Mystic’s birth, that rapidly intensified when she became his mother. “Please… believe me,” she begged and hung her head low.

Firelight’s chest hurt at the sight of her luscious green eyes welling up with tears. He tentatively raised his hoof and placed it around her shoulders. She let him, and pushed her head into the crest of his neck.

“Of course I believe you.. W-what should we do?” Firelight asked his distressed wife. “I-I-I want to withdraw him a-a-nd I want to move away from Canterlot. You know I've never liked this town, and.. I-I don’t wan’t to raise him here anymore,” Sunny said between sniffles.

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Sunny had apologized for her outburst, and after having a few more lengthy discussions with Firelight, her mind felt at ease, but she still felt lingering doubt—especially now. Sunny had never heard Mystic sound so suspicious. The way he ran off in anger tore her up inside, but she felt vindicated by Firelight’s approval. In her heart, Sunny believed she was right.. she hoped that, in time, he would understand the protection they had aimed to give. After all, since they met in highschool, Firelight’s unwavering love and support always gave her the strength she needed to believe in her convictions.

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Back then, Sunny embodied the dorky nerdy stereotype, wearing a thick set of taped glasses and often forgot to brush her yellow mane, leaving it frizzed and unkempt. Sunny naively thought that all of her studying would earn the popular kids’ respect and that they’d appreciate her intellect. But, she misjudged them, only realizing later in life that ‘stupendous Sunny’ was an insult they used when she blurted out answers in class.

Firelight, on the other hoof, was a far more shy and sensitive pony in his youth. He clung to his parents longer than most foals, only socializing when they made him. Over time, he improved but still preferred spending his spare time on solo pursuits like journaling and board games. In his sophomore year, his parents bought him a gym pass, urging him to give the communal activity a chance so that he might meet ponies and stop him from coming straight home.

He was initially nervous but ended up enjoying the camaraderie he received from the other stallions. He also liked how the exercise regimens they recommended gave him a toned physique, and after months of strength-building, something happened he thought never would: mares started to notice and comment on how striking the muscles under his dark blue coat were. Their attention gave him confidence, although he was always intrigued by the eccentricity of one particular green-eyed pink-coated unicorn.

Whether it was a bad habit or not, Firelight found it amusing whenever she interrupted the lessons with her own theories and admired her willingness to push back. He wanted to introduce himself, but his timid nature swayed his method, and he decided to slip her a note about a problem he was working on. Luckily for him, she wrote back. However, he didn’t account for the teacher intercepting the note he passed back and giving them both detention.

Firelight cursed himself; his lack of foresight got him and the mare he liked into trouble. Now, she probably didn’t want to talk to him. When the afternoon came, he took his seat in the classroom, feeling defeated, but remembered some advice he received in the gym: ‘mares like humor.’ Firelight anxiously twirled a piece of paper on his desk and considered it. Eventually, the amber mare walked in and sat down a few seats away from him.

Firelight’s heart skipped a beat and he shuffled over to the desk next to her. Sunny was oblivious though, quietly working on some overdue assignments when she heard Firelight whisper. “Psst. Psst. Hey,” he called to her repeatedly. “Listen, you and me, we have a problem,” he said with false frustration laced into his voice.

Sunny’s heart sank, and she kept her head low to the desk, peeking up for possible exits. She had no intention of confronting some lowbrow stallion. She stayed put for the time being, still hoping he would leave her alone.

“You can ignore me all you want, but you’re the one who got me stuck here,” Firelight said plainly, trying to stay calm. Sunny pivoted her head to look at him, annoyance plastered all over her face, and he involuntarily began tapping his hooves on the ground. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know.. you.. Wait, I do know you..” Sunny’s voice trailed off when she saw the azure unicorn.

“Y-You passed a note to me!” she said accusatorily. “Yeah, and you passed one back,” he said quickly, biting his tongue. “So, I say, it’s your fault I’m here,” he said and began to laugh awkwardly under his breath.

“Something funny about that?” Sunny hissed, not understanding his change in mood. Firelight asked her a question of his own will, and she replied, trying to be helpful. “Yeah, actually, cause it didn’t even make sense..” he said reservedly.

“OH! I’m sorry my answer wasn’t up to your standards! Next time I’ll...” Sunny said, trying her best not to yell, making a couple of other ponies look over their shoulders at the two of them. Sunny shut her mouth and fumed.

“H-hold on! T-That’s not what I meant. I-if you had let me finish, I was going to say that it.. d-didn’t make sense to me. I was uh.. laughing at myself for not getting it,” he said earnestly.

Sunny looked down and blushed, “Oh, I see. It’s okay,” she said reassuringly.

“You’re really smart,” Firelight added absentmindedly, then swore under his breath for making that dumb comment. “Um, to be honest.. I-I wanted t-to talk to you.. That w-was my grand plan.. Not, uh, a-ccuse you of anything..” Firelight’s mind went blank as he stuttered repeatedly, embarrassed.

“It's totally cool. Don't worry about it. What's your name?” Sunny called out gently, hoping to win him back. The question he asked her was interesting, to say the least.

“Firelight Dawn,” Firelight choked out, his face covered by the greyish locks of his mane. “But uhm you can c-call me Firelight.”

“Firelight, huh? I’m Sunny Daze, like with a Z and an E,” Sunny said and giggled cutely, “Call me Sunny.” Firelight turned his head and connected his eyes with hers, not realizing a whole minute had gone by without him responding.

Wanting to break the silence and give him a hint, she pointed a hoof at the loose paper on his desk, stomach fluttering a bit at his intense violet eyes. “Hey.. well, I could help you with your report if you’d like,” Sunny said eagerly.

“Yeah, t-thanks, that’d be nice,” Firelight chuckled and grinned. “Yes!”, he cheered internally.

The last couple of weeks flew by for the two of them as they quickly became best friends, bonding over their initial misunderstanding. Neither of their parents objected to them dating; Sunny’s parents, being the traditional sort, hoped she’d find a nice handsome stallion to settle down with, and Firelight’s, were simply glad to see him happy. After the matter of informing their parents had been settled, Firelight introduced Sunny to a secluded grassy meadow, where, in the past, he reflected in solitary.

Under a blanket of stars, they discussed everything together, with only the cosmos as their witness. Sunny fell in love with the place, and Firelight as a result. They spent many long summer evenings there, sharing jokes about their geeky interests.

For Firelight, it was the stars, and Sunny became enraptured by his astrological insights and passionate musings on ancient literary heroes in the constellations. They decided, over the course of the summer, they would attend the same university and figure everything out later. After they graduated, the azure stallion and vibrant pink mare found themselves making wedding vows on those same gentle grasses six months later.

Two years after that, Sunny was a smiling mother, holding a precious blue unicorn colt in her hooves and Firelight his steadfast father.

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In the present, Mystic had a lot on his mind. He sweated nervously as he passed by a familiar portrait on the wall near his bedroom and glanced up at it, beginning to reminisce. Him and Sunny were standing on the well-manicured grounds of a preschool. It was Mystic's first day of kindergarten, and the wind that day had been exceptionally strong, making their manes blow around in silly directions and—it didn’t matter, it felt bittersweet now.

Mystic shook his head at the fond memory and paced in circles, then back and forth, gathering his feelings. He suspected Sunny was keeping something from him and was tired of being left in the dark. Despite the love he had for her, trusting her word was testing his patience. He craved his father’s wisdom and racked his brain for an insightful memory. Suddenly, he remembered another photo, one he often overlooked. It was hung at the end of the hallway, and Mystic approached the small table the photo stood on with determination. Intently focused on its details, he studied the photo and tried to remember everything.

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It was a frigid winter afternoon about five years ago, and Mystic had just turned six the previous day. Firelight promised, for his birthday, to take him sledding when the wind chill wasn’t sub-zero.

“C’mon, mom! Dad told me he had a really cool hill he wanted to show me!” a younger Mystic whined childishly. Firelight laughed at his son’s eagerness and winked at him. “Oh, are you sure, dear?” Sunny said cautiously, looking for a hint of reluctance in Firelight’s violet eyes. “Don’t worry, he’s tough, he can handle a little cold,” Firelight beamed and leaned over to kiss Sunny on the cheek.

Sunny gave him a peck back and considered Mystic’s cute pouty face; it was also something about her husband’s confidence, a part of himself he’d developed since they met all those years ago, is what made her relent.

“Oh, alright boys! Why don’t you hold your sleds up and I’ll take your picture?” Sunny smiled and Mystic’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“You’re the best, mom!” Mystic pulled his little blue sled up in front of him and held it in his hooves. Firelight kneeled down to Mystic's face level and left his sled in a state of levitation. “Oh you two look adorable. Stay right there! Let me grab the camera,” Sunny said happily before galloping into another room.

After Sunny was gone, Mystic whispered excitedly in Firelight’s ear, “Is it really the biggest hill in Canterlot?” Firelight leaned in and whispered back, “Something like that,” he said, eyebrows raised, and Mystic giggled.

“Hey, you guys know I can hear you, right?” Sunny said as she walked back into the small alcove. “Sharing secrets are we?” she said in a mock mistrusting tone. In reality, Sunny knew the hill wasn’t all that big, but Mystic didn’t know that.

“Never, dear,” Firelight stood up and brushed a hoof over some curls in her upper mane. In response, Sunny squinted and gave him a knowing look.

“Mystic here was just telling me how great you are at giving hugs, but, I think, he was a little embarrassed,” Firelight grinned mischievously, and Mystic’s body tensed up. “H-hey, I-I never said that!” he complained. Sunny faked a pouty face, similar to Mystic’s earlier one, “Oh.. so you don’t like my hugs anymore?”

Mystic’s face screwed up at her sad tone, and dropped his sled. “N-no, I-I-I do Mom,” he said, with a lump in his throat.

Firelight and Sunny exchanged a worried glance as Mystic tried his hardest to blink away tears. Sunny knelt down and stroked his forehead, feeling a little guilty she had provoked him in the first place, “I know, sweetie, I know. I didn’t mean it,” she reassured him. Firelight smiled, “We’re sorry Mystic,” they said in unison, in response, Mystic sniffled and nodded.

“It’s okay. I forgive you,” Mystic smiled meekly but still appeared confused. “We just wanted to teach you the value of honesty,” Sunny said and smiled. “But I-I.. you said something that wasn’t true,” Mystic looked towards his parents in frustration, who were twice his size, and waited for their explanation.

Sunny turned her head and nodded, subtly signaling to Firelight that she could handle his question. “Mystic, sometimes ponies don’t always say what they mean when they joke around. Do you understand?” she asked patiently, waiting for his reply. “I-I think so. But I-I.. I just didn’t find it funny,” he said, downtrodden and disappointed with himself.

“Oh honey, no, it’s our fault, don’t feel bad,” Sunny smiled and lifted his sled up, “Don’t worry. In due time, you’ll understand. Okay? Anyways, enough of that though, you’ve got some sledding to do.”

To reinforce her point, she leaned in to embrace him and accidentally pressed the sled up against Mystic’s body, “Owie! Wait, mom..”, he said in discomfort. “Sorry! ..Again,” Sunny retreated from her hug, looking a little worried. “I’m fine mom. It was just the sled,” Mystic laughed.

“Alright, come on, Sunny. I think the message has been received!” Firelight said as he tapped her shoulder. Sunny stood up and coughed. “I suppose you’re right.. Hold on! Before you go, can you guys pose for the picture again?”

Firelight and Mystic happily agreed to pose for a photo to commemorate their day of sledding. As they left their home, Mystic and Firelight waved goodbye to Sunny as they headed out into the wintry streets of Canterlot.

“Mystic, wait,” Firelight commanded, and he obeyed. Firelight noticed Mystic still struggled with manipulating small objects like zippers on his coat, and decided to help him out. “Dad! I could have done that,” Mystic groaned. “I know you could have, without a doubt.” Firelight said as he patted him on the back, “Sometime this week, heh. Mystic, I just.. I know you. You want to be all grown up, right?” Firelight took Mystic by the hoof and kneeled, getting down to speak with him on his level.

Mystic stopped in his tracks and began to stutter, stunned at his father’s vast perceptiveness. He knew his father was about to say something important when he did that. “I-I-I.. N-no.. Well.. It’s.. I..” he mumbled out. “I.. I just want.. to be like you,” he said while looking into his father’s intense stare, breaking eye contact a few times.

Firelight sighed. He didn’t want to fully acknowledge or give credence to the idea that Mystic should be just like him.

“Mystic, all you need to do now is be yourself. In the moment. And, even I ask for help when I’m having trouble with something,” Firelight said firmly, looking directly into his eyes. “How can I show that though..?” he thought. He glanced around and saw a mare holding some shopping bags with a foal trailing close to her side, walking past them, “Perfect.”

“Miss, one moment if you don’t mind. My son and I were wondering if you could point us in the direction of Sundown Park?” he called out, with his hoof raised to draw her attention.

The ochre mare smiled and slowed her stride to stop and talk with them, “Sure thing! All you need to do is make a left at the intersection and head towards the history museum. It’s a little past that, I believe,” she said smiling. “Awesome. Thanks so much!” Firelight said graciously. “No problem! C’mon now, Dusk,” The mare said to her foal as she trotted off.

“Wait, you told me you know.. Uh knew.. where to go,” Mystic asked, confused. “Hm. Yeah, I did say that. I guess your memory’s just better than mine,” Firelight chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair, making him giggle. Firelight hoped that meant his example would stick with him.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you lead us there?” Firelight proposed.

Mystic nodded eagerly. “Okay!” he exclaimed and took a step forward.

The two set off again and made their way past the snow-dusted golden domes and arches of the regal townhomes rising majestically over them. As they continued their stroll, ponies from ornate storefronts tried to flag down potential customers for their wares, mostly specials on hot cider and soup for the day. The towering spires of the royal castle also glinted in the distance, and Mystic wondered what it’d be like to live as its rulers. “Hey, Dad, what do you think it’s like? To be a princess, I mean?” he asked curiously.

“Good question. Let’s see, from what I’ve gathered, they aren’t too different from you and me,” Firelight said, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Huh? Wait, you really think so?” Mystic had seen Equestria’s rulers a couple of times, but they always presented themselves with an ineffable sense of eloquence and regal stoicism.

"Yeah.. In fact, I heard Celestia herself has a bit of a sweet tooth. One time, I heard she even ate a barrel full of her favorite candies.. by herself,” he said, as his mind attached itself to another thought as he stared at the castle.

Mystic shoved his hoof into his Firelight’s side, snapping his attention back to his son. “No way! You made that up!” Mystic laughed. “Hah. I’m being serious, buddy,” Firelight said, lightly shoving him back.

After some more light banter, they approached the frozen icicle-encrusted gate surrounding the hilly park. Mystic took one look at the hill, which to him, seemed to tower above the neighboring slopes, and gasped. “Woah, is that where we’re headed?” he said excitedly. “You bet!” Firelight said, guiding him through a thick accumulation of snow, passing the odd pony building a snowmare or sledding down the less extreme slopes.

Firelight and Mystic stood there momentarily at the base of the steep hill. Gazing upwards, they admired the crystalline reflection of the ice-laden grass that tapered off near the top. Occasionally, gusts of wind blew around the slope, creating a shiny white monument out of the mound.

“Okay, you ready?” Mystic said, getting antsy. Firelight sensed this and replied quickly, “Yep,” he said and turned his head to face his son. “By the way, I have something special I want you to try!” Firelight said with giddiness.

“Ooh what is it? I’m soo ready,” Mystic said, smiling. Firelight narrowed his eyes, attempting to create an air of tension.

“Mystic, it’s time.. I taught you.. how to teleport,” Firelight drew out his words, wanting to rile his son up.

“Woah.. you think I’m ready?” Mystic said, eyes wide, in awe. “Oh, absolutely! It’s actually not as hard as they say,” Firelight said and patted his Mystic on the head. “I-it’s not?” Mystic knew his father was a magic expert, so he knew he must be telling the truth.

“The trick is visualization, my friend. In other words, you use your imagination, like most spells. You see yourself in your current place, that’s A. Then, you see yourself in a new place, let’s call that B. Hey, are you following me?”

Firelight saw Mystic’s face go blank, causing him to worry and rethink his explanation. After a minute though, Mystic’s mind registered all of the details. “Place A.. and B.. Okay, like the alphabet?”

“Yes, exactly! Well, sort of, those are just names for the places you teleport to. Not the actual places,” Firelight said, trying to redirect the conversation. “Ok.. so.. well if they are names, then where are the places?” Mystic said.

“Excellent question. I’ll show you!” Firelight lit up his horn, and was instantly enveloped in a blaze of electric purple light. He finished his demonstration by reappearing at the hill's summit and then back at Mystic’s side. “Ta-da!” Firelight shouted.

“Oh my gosh. Dad that was amazing! But I don’t know if—” Mystic’s self-doubt kicking in. “C’mon, I thought you were my little soldier.” Firelight suspected he might try to back down. It reminded him of himself. “I-I am!” Mystic said, puffing out his chest.

“I knew I wasn’t mistaken. So, first things first, close your eyes,” Firelight instructed and placed his hooves on his shoulders. “Remember, I’m right here, you can do this,” Firelight said in a measured, encouraging tone. “Focus, son. Focus on where you want to go.”

Mystic followed Firelight’s instructions, shut his eyes, and tried to ignore the wind that picked up and was now howling around them. Mystic shivered, and his teeth chattered, but he did everything he could to stay focused in the moment. He gathered his waning strength and visualized the peak of the hill, being on top of it, on top of the world. He was happy there, his father was proud of him, until a gust of wind knocked him off.

“Mystic?!” Firelight shouted in terror as he ran up to him.

Mystic had phased out successfully but didn’t land on his hooves at the top of the hill. Instead, he teleported in the air above the hill and fell, somersaulting and rolling uncontrollably down the icy incline. By the time Firelight got to him, Mystic had slammed his head onto a patch of ice, giving himself a concussion.

“D-daddy.. I.. I’m.. s..sor..” Mystic began to say, but between buckets of frozen sludgy water, the words came out as choked cries. “Oh gosh, Mystic! What have I done?” Firelight said, horrified, as his son slipped out of consciousness. Firelight knew from Mystic’s near comatose state that he had accidentally forced him to use all of his magic reserves, meaning in these conditions, Mystic only had minutes before hypothermia kicked in.

Consumed with panic and guilt, Firelight frantically tried to revive his unconscious son by placing his horn near Mystic’s, transferring some of his energy to him directly. He was careless and foolish in assuming that the bitter cold would have little impact on Mystic’s magic reserves. Not only that, he had gravely overestimated Mystic's abilities.

It was a reckless error, and he was certain Sunny wouldn’t forgive him if she found out.