Mailpony Rules

by Pyromanecer

Chapter 7: Final Celebration

Mailpony Rules

Chapter 7

"Aaaaand last one!" Tempest announced, dropping the paper onto the counter. Having just come back from his late-day deliveries, depositing his signed delivery confirmation forms left him smiling with a feeling of accomplishment. Ditzy, who had dropped off her forms just moments before, sat behind him, waiting patiently.

Boss swept the papers into a box using the same dismissive movements that Tempest had become familiar with over the past week. Forms 'properly' stored, the brown stallion looked up and almost gave the tiniest of smiles. "I guess it really is your last one, huh?" he stated, sitting straighter.

Tempest, who had been buckling his mailbag shut, glanced up. "Huh?"

"Well, you said you were staying for a week, right?"

"Yeah... Why?"

Boss looked at him strangely. "It's been a week, hasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Tempest's eyes widened. He was right; it had been seven days. Tempest had barely even noticed the time passing. He was now considered recuperated enough to fly back to Hayton.

Ditzy, sitting in earshot, also started. Quickly, she felt her surprise being replaced by sadness. She had gotten used to Tempest staying with her. Waking up to the stallion running around and playing with Dinky had become a welcome and enjoyable part of her morning. The idea of him leaving made her ears droop.

Tempest, realizing the silence had stretched on for too long, decided to say something.

"Huh..."

Higher brain functions cease to function properly under shock.

The brown stallion snorted, starting to clear the day's detritus from his desk. "So, when're you leaving?" he asked with his characteristic bluntness.

"Erm," Tempest hesitated, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Ditzy. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."

It was true. While, during the beginning of the week, Tempest had thought frequently of going home, those ideas had quickly been pushed to the back of his mind. Most of the stallion's time had been spent enjoying himself with Ditzy and Dinky. Now, all of the sudden, the deadline was sitting on his doorstep. The knowledge that he was to be off soon felt as sudden and jarring as crashing into a glass wall at Mach 2

Boss quickly finished his tidying and made to leave. "Well," he said, "If you ever stop by again, be sure to visit. You're not bad, rookie."

Absently, Tempest nodded. Turning to the exit, he was followed closely by a despondent-looking Ditzy. Nosing the door open, the stallion lead the way into the cool late-afternoon air.

Electing to walk home this time, the pegasi traveled in awkward silence, avoiding the other pony's eyes. Both felt a potent sense of sadness at Tempest's imminent departure. Similarly, both were hesitant to vocalize their feelings and break the quiet that had grown between them like a thick, amorphous weed.

Eventually, Ditzy decided play hedge-clipper. "So, I guess you're all better now, huh?" she hesitantly began, trying to keep the melancholy out of her voice.

Eager to dispel the uncomfortable air, Tempest nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, faking cheerfulness. "Time sure flew by quickly, huh?"

"It really did," the mare muttered, looking down. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "We should celebrate!"

"Good idea!" he concurred, getting genuinely excited. "What should we do?"

Ditzy 'hmm'd in thought, placing a hoof under her chin, quickly returning the appendage to its original purpose of walking. While one eye traced the path of a nearby squirrel, the other took note of the sun's position in the sky. "I think there's enough daylight left for a picnic," she suggested, nodding towards the celestial body.

Tempest stopped to clap his hooves together in excitement. "Perfect!" he exclaimed, thankful for something to take his mind off of his cloudy thoughts. "Where should we go?"

"How about the park?" the mare suggested. After Tempest agreed, she added. "Since it's for you, you should decide what to bring."

Tempest only had to think for a moment. "How about something from that big gingerbread building that smells really good?" He had noticed it while on his route one day, and had became entranced by it's strangely alluring aroma of cotton candy and explosions. "I assume they sell food?"

"That's Sugarcube Corner and, yes, they do," Ditzy replied, a small grin on her face. "They sell candy, pastries, and anything else you feel guilty about after eating."

"Sounds like my kind of place," the stallion quipped, licking his lips.

Ditzy quietly chuckled. "Probably. How about you go get Dinky and I'll get the food?"

"Deal!" agreed Tempest, giving a humorous salute. "See you there!" With that, he flew off, not realizing that he would have to carry the little unicorn-shaped explosive on his back.

Ditzy, for her part, watched the eager stallion flap off with a smile. As soon as he disappeared over a rooftop, however, she felt her gloomy feelings hit her like a wet, soggy mattress. Despite the fact that they were about to have a celebration, she couldn't shake the knowledge that the stallion would be leaving soon. Even though he had only been there for a little over a week, it felt like she had known him for years, and him leaving made her throat constrict.

The pegasus shook her head and pushed the dreary thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn't dwell on such things now; she had treats to buy! Turning, she headed off to Sugarcube Corner, mentally bracing herself for the imminent encounter with the only pony she knew that was more of a handful than her daughter: Pinkie Pie.

~~~

A couple hours and several delicious pastries later, the sun had set and the picnic basket was empty. Tempest and Ditzy were lying on the blanket the stallion had thought to grab while at the house, watching as Dinky burned off her sugar high by chasing fireflies and unintentionally leaving scorched hoofprints on the ground. The stallion was stretched out on the ground, his head resting on his front legs as he made sure that the little filly didn't accidentally set the entire world on fire. Next to him, Ditzy was simultaneously keeping one eye on her daughter and stargazing.

Satisfied that the planet was not in danger of immediate and cataclysmic conflagration, Tempest turned to look at the mare. "Thanks for doing all this," he said. "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, it's no problem," Ditzy replied, waving a hoof. "It's a nice night to have a picnic, and Dinky always loves-"

"No, I mean for everything," Tempest interrupted, sitting up. "Letting me stay at your house, helping me find a job, everything. I don't think I can ever repay you."

Ditzy felt herself blush at the praise. "It's nothing, really," she insisted. "Anypony would have done the same thing."

Tempest shook his head. "Not in Hayton they wouldn't. If somepony had found my lying on the streets in that city, I'd be lucky if they had gotten a doctor."

Ditzy was taken aback. "That's terrible."

The stallion chuckled. "Yeah, that's why I take so many traveling jobs. Ponies there aren't exactly the nice sort."

Suddenly, Ditzy's eyes lit up. "There's something we can do!" she exclaimed, beaming. "We could take a delivery job!"

Tempest looked confused. "What, together?"

"Yeah!" she continued, looking excited. "It's perfect! It'll be like a finale, and I can make sure you're ready to fly!" Lowering her voice, she added. "I trust Nurse Redheart with my life, but I'd still rather see for myself. It would be kind of dumb for you to leave and immediately get yourself injured again." To herself, she also admitted that she wanted to delay his departure as long as possible.

Tempest could feel himself warming to the idea. "Alright," he conceded, "Sounds like a good idea." Suddenly, he gave a devilish grin. "And it means that I get to watch you try to keep up."

Before Ditzy could give a witty retort, Dinky charged over and tackled the stallion to the ground. Hitting the ground with an 'oof,' Tempest watched as the filly hopped up and down on his chest, leaving small sooty hoofprints with every impact.

"OhmygoshyouguyshavetocomeoverandseeallthebugsIfound!" she rattled, vibrating from all the energy she had absorbed from the sweets. "TherewasabunchnearthisbushandwhenIwalkedbytheyalltookoffandnowtheresthisbigcloudanditssoamazing!" She punctuated this outburst with a high-pitched giggle, and then dashed off, leaving two stunned pegasi in her wake.

Slowly picking himself up off the ground, Tempest brushed off the ash imprints left on his chest. "How long until she crashes and it's safe to be near her again?"

Ditzy thought for a moment. "I'd say we probably have ten minutes before she collapses," she calculated, "Then we'll have to carry her home."

"I'll do it," Tempest offered. "I'm already covered in soot; a little more won't hurt."

~~~

"A bounty board job?"

Hesitantly, the brown stallion scratched his head. The 'bounty board,' an affectionate nickname for the table containing non-express delivery jobs, was filled with forms detailing long-distance commissions. While normally the board was left to be picked over by the distance specialists, there was no rule stating that the jobs were forbidden to anypony. In fact, many of the common route-workers occasionally took up one of the well-paying deliveries, whether for a change of pace or a sudden need for a boost in income. Of course, many of them came back from their little 'vacation' with sore wings and a great need for a nap, proclaiming their determination to never do anything like that again. Something that never failed to amuse the specialists.

Tempest nodded vigorously, while Ditzy more calmly answered. "Yes. For both of us."

The pegasus internally winced. Reorganizing schedules to account for for one missing pony on a delivery splurge was a hassle on its own; doing so for two would most certainly be a paperwork-flavored migraine. Still, he couldn't in all good conscience refuse; the pair seemed to really want the trip.

Boss sighed in resignation. "All right," he grumbled. "But you owe me one, Ditzy."

The mare smiled in appreciation. "Thanks, Boss!" she said cheerfully, trotting past him.

"Yeah, thanks!" Tempest added, close behind.

The stallion watched the two canter away for a moment, before turning back to his desk. Taking out a pen, he groaned inwardly. Might as well get started, he thought, preparing to drown himself in tapes of all shades of red.

"Now," began Tempest, peering closely at the list of available jobs, "Since we're both taking a job, we're going to need two packages to the same location."

Ditzy, sitting closely behind him, nodded. Since Tempest was the expert in this area, she was content to let him do the picking. Of course, she thought, If everything is that obvious, I could probably figure this out myself.

"We want something close by," the stallion continued, heedless of the mare's internal voice, "And nothing too heavy. After all, you're new to cross-nation flight, and we don't want you getting exhausted."

Ditzy grunted an affirmative. Still all very simple.

"Also, since it's early in the year, winds will tend to come more consistently from the east. Most urban or domestic pegasi won't notice, but since we're going to be flying for hours at a time over open country, it's a significant factor. I noticed you tend to favour your right wing pretty heavily, so we shouldn't go north, or you'll tire out much more quickly. If we can, we should find something to the west or south-west. That way, we can get a good tailwind and cut a few hours off our trip."

OK, much more complicated now. Subconsciously, Ditzy tucked her right wing tighter to her body. She had never noticed herself favouring it, but apparently it had been evident enough for Tempest to notice. Silently, she wondered if all long-haulers thought like this.

"I took the liberty of looking at a weather report earlier." Tempest added. "There's a cold front heading west from below us, so strait south is out. Judging by it's speed, though, it shouldn't get more than a few miles past where we are now, longitude wise." Tempest harrumphed and glared at the board. "All of that really limits our options."

Ditzy remained quietly seated. It was strange seeing Tempest being so professional. She never would have guessed that so much planning and calculating could go into delivering a package. They had covered the basics of long-distance in training, of course, but that had mostly been about pacing and maintaining manners in foreign places. This detail surpassed all of the knowledge that Ditzy had obtained and forgotten from all those years ago.

Briefly, she wondered if she should add something. No, she thought, he knows what he's doing.

As if he could hear her, Tempest looked over his shoulder. "Well, come on then," he insisted, Nodding towards the board. "You look too."

Hesitantly, Ditzy walked up. Keeping Tempest's suggestions in mind, she began examining the offerings. On each sheet of paper was the package's destination, weight, size, and the reward for delivery. Bigger, heavier packages to far-away places cost more to ship than small and light ones. Keeping this in mind, Ditzy immediately skipped over some of the ones that had high pay, quietly astonished at just how many bits some of them returned. No wonder most of the specialists she knew could afford to have so many vacations.

While scanning the listings, one of Ditzy's eyes alighted on a familiar name. Appleoosa.

"Hey," she said, tapping Tempest's shoulder, "How about this one?"

The stallion looked closely at the note. "Appleoosa," he muttered, mentally picturing it's location relative to Ponyville. He smiled. "South southwest. Perfect!" Turning back to the other jobs, he began scanning them quickly. "Now we just need to find another one headed there, and- Ah ha!"

Victoriously, he tore the paper from the board. Motioning for Ditzy to take the other one, he headed towards the doorway to the back room. Ripping off the sheet, Ditzy followed close behind.

Sitting at a desk piled high with forms, Sine Heer watched the pair approach with an expression of minor curiosity. As the two set their respective papers in front of him, however, his face lit up with a wide grin. Eagerly, he reached for his favorite quill, one that suspiciously resembled his cutie mark. He quickly skimmed the words on the pages, before looking back up.

Quill expertly held in the side of his mouth, he asked. "Going for a commission, eh? Both of you?" Two nods. "Alright then. First things first, we need to take care of some paperwork."

With a grin one might find on a foal in a sweets shop, Sine started filling out forms containing all manner of legal mumbo-jumbo. He crossed 't's, dotted 'i's, and wrote in dates with the efficiency and speed of a clockwork printing press. Pausing only occasionally to ask for clarification of a name or year, two identical piles of paper were quickly sorted out.

Setting his recently-finished work to the side, Sine Heer turned towards the ponies in front of him, looking at them much less fondly than his ink-and-tree-pulp friends. "Now, before I let you go, we have protocol to go over."

Tempest rolled his eyes. "I know," he grumbled. Ditzy, less familiar with this process, simply watched.

Sine cleared his throat, and then began speaking in a tone that showed tedious and meticulous memorization. "As mailponies, you have the important job of transporting goods across the land and beyond. That being, you are responsible for communications between ponies, and other creatures, of all kind. Your duties are paramount to maintaining relationships with others, from the mightiest of nations to the most common peasant. As such, the epitome of manners, politeness, and civility is expected of you. To make sure you are aware of what is required of you, you are now required to recite Mailpony Rules One, Two, Five, and Six."

Tempest, having gone through this every time he delivered something, was aptly prepared to answer by the time Sine finished his monotone monologue. Ditzy, however, was caught off guard by the sudden request for rule recitation. Fortunately for her, ingrained responses took over and she found herself speaking after only an almost impercievable hesitation.

"Rule One," the two began in unison, "Never lose your bags. They contain items that are the sole property of the recipient, and are to be guarded at all costs." Sine quickly checked off a box on a new form. "Rule Two, let nothing stop you. Your duty as couriers is sacred, and neither inclement weather, physical barriers, nor personal failings shall prevent you from completing your duty." Another scratch on paper, another irritated look from Tempest. "Rule Five, never divulge the contents of your bags. The objects in question are for, and only for, the recipient." Ditzy coughed, wishing for some water. "Rule Six, you are the links between places. On your heads rests the responsibility of maintaining connections, so act appropriately and be kind."

With several mouthfuls of memorized tenets out of the way, Sine checked off the last box with satisfaction. Placing the paper neatly on top of the pile of other, equally-mundane documents, he waved a hoof at Tempest and Ditzy.

"Taken care of," he said, already pulling out even more forms. "You can go now. Packages are in the back."

Tempest, needing no further invitation, eagerly left the dry stallion to drown himself in his beloved ink. Ditzy, grabbing both job forms, followed behind.

Catching up to him, Ditzy handed the now sheepish-looking stallion his paper. "Do you have to go through that every time you get a job?" she asked, watching as he put the sheet in his bag.

Tempest shrugged. "Depends on how much the forms guy likes you." Snorting disdainfully, he added. "Of course, judging by how dry that guy is, he'd probably make his wife submit everything in triplicate."

"Hey," Ditzy protested, "Sine isn't mean, he just... um..."

"Has a library stamp instead of a heart?" Tempest finished.

"...Fine. I'll give you that one."

~~~

"So, where are we taking Dinky?" Tempest asked, flapping alongside the cross-eyed mare.

Ditzy, the filly on her back waving her legs in the air like tree branches in a storm, raised her voice to be heard over the wind. "My niece Sparkler's house. Dinky is going to be staying there until we get back." She paused to chuckle slightly. "Even though they're cousins, you'd think they were sisters for how close they are."

The small unicorn clapped her hooves together in glee. "Yay! Sleepover at Sissy's house!"

Tempest laughed and reached over to ruffle Dinky's mane. "Just promise to not burn down her house, alright?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Ditzy assuaged. "Sparkler always puts away anything flammable when Dinky comes over."

Several minutes later, the group touched down outside of a small, well-kept hut. A cobbled path lead up to a quaint white door surrounded by a small, colorful garden. Trotting up to the porch, Ditzy rang the doorbell with her nose. As the door swung open, Dinky hopped off of her mother's back and onto the ground.

"Oh, you're right on time!" came a voice from inside. Quickly, the source of the sound stepped out into the sunlight, where it was revealed that the owner was a pink unicorn mare with a scruffy purple mane. As she stepped fully out into the light of day, the diamonds on her flank sparkled and shined just like real gems.

Smiling broadly in welcome, the mare wrapped Ditzy in a strong hug. "Hey there, Aunt D," she greeted, tight embrace causing the pegasus to cough.

Returning the hug, Ditzy managed to wheeze. "It's good to see you too, Sparkler."

Releasing Ditzy from her death grip (and returning to the mare her ability to breathe), Sparkler looked at the other pegasus present. Eyebrows furrowed, she cocked her head to the side as she tried to answer an unspoken question.

Huh, thought Tempest, Must run in the family.

"Rider, right?" asked Sparkler, looking him up and down. "Tempest Rider?" She held out her hoof, staring at him as if daring him to take it.

A bit confused by her attitude, Tempest nonetheless complied. Giving her hoof a firm shake, he nodded. "Right. Nice to meet you, Sparkler."

The mare raised an eyebrow at him, and set her leg back on the ground. Just as Tempest was wondering if there was something on his nose, she smiled. Turning to a now-recovered Ditzy, she spoke. "Confident. I like him."

Ditzy rolled one of her eyes at her niece. Before she could give a sarcastic reply about how relieved she was that Tempest had passed her inspection, however, Dinky bounded up to to the front of the group.

"Sissy, Sissy!" she squeaked, jumping up and down. "We're gonna have a sleepover!"

"Well, hello there, Runt," joked Sparkler, grabbing Dinky in a headlock and giving her a noogie, causing the filly to squeal in delight. "How's my favorite little pyromaniac doing? Explode anything good lately?"

"Uh-huh!" Dinky chirped. After Sparkler let her go, she sat down on her rump and cheerfully started counting off objects on her hooves. "There was a pencil, some marbles, my history textbook, a little tree, and one of Mama's drinking glasses!"

Sparkler whistled. "Wow. You're getting better at controlling that, huh? That's not half the amount of stuff as last time."

At this moment, Ditzy stepped forward. Taking Dinky's overnight bag off of her back, the mare passed it over to the small unicorn. "Sorry, Muffin," she said, "But we have to hurry. Why don't you go put your bag inside?"

Nodding, Dinky grabbed her pack. As she trotted inside, Ditzy turned to Sparkler. Making sure the filly was out of earshot, she whispered to the unicorn.

"I trust you've prepared?" she hissed.

Sparkler nodded. "Yep. I have three fire extinguishers at the ready and I put flame retardant spells on everything I could. Not even Dinky could burn this place down."

"Don't tempt fate," Ditzy warned. Raising her voice back to normal level, she continued. "And remember, no parties..."

Sparkler sighed in exasperation. "I know..."

"No playing 'Biggest Boom Wins,'"

"Spoilsport..." the unicorn grumbled, pawing at the wooden porch.

"And no stallions over."

"One time!" Sparkler protested. Turning to look at Tempest, she continued. "One time a stallion came over, and she never lets me forget it!"

"I remember him!" Dinky chimed, fate choosing that particular moment to let her waltz back into the conversation. "He had tight socks and a funny belt!"

The result on the conversation was immediate. Sparkler glared at her younger cousin, blushing furiously. Ditzy, face scrunched up, was struggling to contain her dredged-up anger. Tempest, meanwhile, was trying to prevent himself from chocking to death on his own laughter.

"I've told you before," Sparkler insisted, "I didn't invite him! It wasn't my fault!"

"Uh-huh..." growled Ditzy. This was obviously an argument they have had many times before.

"I'm serious!" the unicorn continued. "One of my friends must have ordered him and sent him over as a prank!"

"Then why do I keep seeing you with him?" asked Ditzy, seething.

At this, Sparkler immediately lost her aggressive posture. Rubbing the back of her head, she mumbled. "Because he's nice..."

Before Ditzy could respond, she felt Dinky nosing at her shins. Looking down, she saw her daughter staring back up at her with big, soulful eyes.

"Mama," the filly asked, "What's wrong?"

Ditzy bit her tongue and swallowed her anger. Sighing, she smiled at Dinky. "Nothing, Muffin. It's just grown-up talk."

Dinky, silently accepting this as an answer, moved on to a different question. "Mama, when are you coming back?"

Smiling, Ditzy bent down to nuzzle her daughter on the head. "We'll be back tomorrow. We're just going to Appleoosa."

Suddenly, Dinky wrapped her arms around Ditzy's neck. "Promise," she mumbled, burying her head in her mother's mane.

Ditzy was caught off guard by this sudden request, but nonetheless returned the filly's hug. "I promise, Dinky," she soothed.

Dropping down, Dinky gave a similar treatment to Tempest. Hanging from his neck like a living necklace, she said. "You too," she insisted.

Tempest, surprised, stumbled back a pace. Recovering quickly, he awkwardly patted the filly on the back. "Don't worry," he assuaged, "I'll make sure she gets back."

"Thanks!" chirped Dinky happily, displaying the jarring shift of tone that only the young or unstable are capable of. Skipping over to Sparkler, she headbutted her cousin in the chest. "C'mon, Sissy! It's almost time for lunch!"

As the filly trotted through the open door, three confused adults watched her. Sparkler, the first to recover, turned to look at the two baffled pegasi before her. Hesitantly, she spoke.

"Erm," she began, "Well then. See you tomorrow I guess. Safe trip." With that, she spun around and, with no small amount of trepidation, followed her smaller relative into the house.

Ditzy and Tempest stood on the porch for a good ten seconds more before the latter shrugged. Nudging Ditzy to wake her up, the stallion took to the air. Soon after, he heard the wing-beats of the mare come up beside him, and adjusted his pace accordingly.

The pair flew in silence for several minutes, sun burning bright above them as they made their way home. Ditzy seemed contemplative, one eye still trying to look back towards her niece's house. Seeing this, Tempest tapped her on the shoulder, bringing her mind back to the here-and-now.

"Hey," he asked, "You OK?"

Slowly, the mare nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It's just that Dinky doesn't usually act like that. I'm a little worried."

"Don't be," the stallion insisted. "You're her mother; she's just anxious about you being away. She loves you, after all."

Ditzy cracked a small smile. "You're probably right. Thanks."

"No problem," Tempest replied, grinning. Deciding to move to a different topic, he began. "So, your niece is dating a-"

Quickly, Ditzy threw a hoof in front of his mouth. Looking at him dangerously, she growled. "Not. Another. Word."

~~~

Comments

[Pyromanecer]

"Hey," said a voice in my head, "This chapter is too long, and your readers have waited a long time. You should split it in two."
Alright, I conceded, But this is the final time I take your advice, voice. The last time I listened to you, I ended up arrested.
"I said I was sorry!"

A bit of advice, don't listen to "Hot For Teacher" while looking at ponies in another tab. You will have disturbing images of Cheerilee that will never go away.

[cr4zy4zn]

Dinky knows aaaaallllllll

[DreadedCandiru2]

She's dating a goth?!

[NeverKnown]

118810 im not sure that's what he is Pfft Hahahah ....

[Silvertie]

118588
OOh, you monster. I have no idea what "Hot for Teacher" is, but damnit, you've just firmly cemented a disturbing image over the wonderful vision I had of a dysfunctional niece-aunt relationship that had a stripper-third-wheel and excessive combustion.

It is a good update, though.

[Pyromanecer]

You know, when I saw Sparkler with Dinky in Sisterhooves Social, I was like "Shit, how am I going to work that in?" Now though, I'm glad it happened. If I had made her stay with Carrot Top like I planned, I wouldn't have been able to make that stripper joke.
118985
Another brain ruined! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Allonsbro]

I am loving this. Please continue soon.

[Wheller]

Wouldn't Appleoosa be... west of Ponyville? and not east?

[Sympathetic Zombie]

118588 that made my night

[Pyromanecer]

...Well, I supposed I'll have to ignore the latest episode in terms of fanon for the moment. I should write faster so this doesn't happen.
122990
I get lost on the way to the bathroom; geography isn't my thing. That said, I'll probably change that when I stop being lazy for a few minutes.

[Delicious]

118588

Isn't that that one song by that one band... I'm terrible at remembering artists... Is it the one that goes I've got it made, soooooooo made. I'm hot for teacher...

118985

For some reason, I'm rolling in my seat right now. Maybe its the way you say "Dysfunctional niece-aunt relationship that had a stripper-third-wheel and excessive combustion."

[RealityCheck]

The Dinky/Pyromancer thing in the last two chapters seems to be entirely out of left field....

[Cytotoxin]

199892
Unicorns tend to have... focus in their magic.
Rarity, for example, tends to excel in geomancy. Trixie focuses in illusions. Twilight has aptitude for mad magic.

Given that Dinky does not have the cutie mark yet, it`s not a sure bet hers wouldn`t end up being a can of gasoline and burning match over it.
___
119726
Given who Ditzy Doo is, I don`t quite think that Sparkler dating a stripper is a particularly strange thing. Also, male stripper in a society that is predominantly nudist? That certainly takes some... aptitude, to say the least. From certain points of view, it`s not hard to see why a stallion stripper would be a desirable mate.

[RealityCheck]

202632

Yes, but my issue is a writing one, here---- it's still presented a bit late and completely out of left field. Several chapters in before it's really revealed that she has a "blows crap up" problem with her magic.

[Cytotoxin]

202919
You kinda doubleposted.

Also, as far as I can see, Dinky`s been hard at work suppressing this particular affinity. So the bit when she plays with ball and hoop and there`s a mention her problem is not physical control, but temperature control? Explains why pyrokinetic inclinations are not mentioned at first, and why they become more of an appearance as Dinky gets used to Tempest.

[Pyromanecer]

203853
202920
People arguing on my story. I think I just leveled up.

Anyways, I was always planning on having Dinky have something akin to fire-based problems, but there never really seemed to be a spot to fit it in. I didn't want to just dump it in the middle of a scene, because, frankly, the idea is amusing and doing so might cause it to be glossed over. When I was considering how to start that particular scene, I went down my little list of set gags and picked that one. It was supposed to be worth a little chuckle, a bit of a character trait, and maybe a few funny mental images. Evidently, people liked it, and latched onto it more than I thought they would.

[Cytotoxin]

203885

Well, there`s just something captivating about foalish pyromany. Like watching a trainwreck of gingerbread.