There's a First Time for Everything
The little filly's alarm did not ring on that morning. It lay upturned on the ground, having fallen from her nearby nightstand, and buried under a small mountain of colourful plush toys and dolls.
The sun's bright morning light did not crawl across the floor to illuminate her face. Celestia’s shiny beacon did little against the thick vibrant drapes that had been closed the night before.
Her mother did not lovingly call out to the filly in an attempt to awaken her. In fact, the rest of the house was quiet, almost eerily so, in the still dawn.
Instead, Dinky Hooves found herself on the floor of her messy room, surrounded on all sides by heaps and piles of toys. The objects lining the walls of the room were mementos of the only life she had ever known. There were dolls of the Wonderbolts; creatures both fanciful and scary molded from a variety of materials; and of course, countless hoof-stitched plushies of every shape and size. All of those were piled further away from the filly, however. Nearby were more recently played-with things: bouncing balls big and small, little blocks built into a replica of the house she sat in, and a stack of Rubik's cubes, carefully aligned into the crude shape of a familiar pony.
Yet even these were of no importance to her any longer. At her hooves were the objects of a life she had only dreamed of. She stared wonderingly at the pile of lovingly organized books, neatly stacked papers, and brand new pens. Finally, her dream was coming true!
With a spark from her horn, the supplies floated into the air and deposited themselves into the open maw of her saddlebags with a satisfying clatter.
“And that’s that!” she exclaimed, giggling as only an overly-excited filly can at her simple accomplishment.
Bending over, the filly scooped up her bags and tossed them onto her back, a deep breath of air exploding out of her lungs as the weight bore down on her. Oh gosh, this is heavy! she thought before forcing herself back up, knees tapping together under the strain.
Her horn glowed a faint golden hue, emulated by the lapels of her saddlebags before they whipped open. Twisting her neck around, Dinky looked in and sighed. Well, I guess I don’t really need to bring all of the textbooks and all of the reference books on the same day... Her horn’s glow redoubling, the filly removed half a dozen thick books from within the bag, and sent them flying across the room to fit snugly into her well-packed shelves.
She huffed, content that her bags now weighed less than herself. The filly stomped her hooves in excitement, unable to quell the rising tide of pure glee threatening to overwhelm her as she crossed her room.
The door to her room opened up under a single push of her abilities, allowing her to get halfway out of the room before freezing. “Oh no!” she whispered, spinning around in a flurry of fumbling hooves.
Wide-eyed, the filly scoured her room, gaze jumping from the polka-dot tapestry, to her study desk, to her unmade bed, before it settled on what she sought. She sighed in relief. On the very edge of her bed, flipped upside-down, was a stuffed raven. The pitiful plush stared back at her with a twisted button eye.
“I’m sorry, Lenore!” she cried out as she sped across the room, absentmindedly avoiding the piles of toys and detritus dotting her floor as she reached the plush in record time. Scooping the stuffed bird up with her forehooves, the filly gave it a tight hug, squishing the googly-eyed creature to her chest. “I almost forgot to say bye.” Pushing it away, she held it at hooves’ length.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back,” she told her silent companion. “And maybe I’ll make some other friends! We won’t be alone anymore!”
One of the raven’s button eyes rolled to one side, looking in the direction opposite the other. Just like Mommy! the filly thought before depositing the stuffed animal on her bed and turning, both ears perking at the faint creaking of their old linoleum floor.
Through their tiny house, a very distinct and incredibly familiar voice sounded, one that dripped with motherly enthusiasm. “Wake up, my little pastry; it’s your big day!”
Dinky beamed, her cheeks puffing out until it began to hurt, before trotting across her room and into their living room.
Her mother was there, the grey pegasus raising a groggy eyebrow to her daughter as the filly pranced across the spartan room and into their tiny kitchen, beelining for the front door. “Bye, Mommy, I’ll see you later,” she said half a second before reaching the door.
“Dinky Doo Hooves,” her mother said, the simple pronunciation of her name carrying all the sting of a nest’s worth of wasps. Oh, horseapples.
Dinky obediently sat down, her flank thumping on the floor as she smiled nonchalantly at her mother. “Yes, Mommy?” she asked, batting her puppy eyes at the grey pegasus.
As usual, the look had little effect on her mother’s hardened heart. “Just where do you think you’re going?” Derpy asked in return, her wings beating behind her even as she picked up a steaming cup of coffee from the dingy kitchen table and took a sip.
“Why, I’m heading off to school; think nothing of it.” Her smile was starting to strain. This won’t end well.
“I thought we had talked about this, my muffin; we’re going to walk together. It’s your first day and I want to be there.” Dinky opened her mouth to protest, but as usual, her mother was faster. “And I won’t hear any ‘but Mommy’s’ about this.”
Pouting, Dinky averted her eyes and slumped her shoulders, stewing within herself. But I don’t want to be with Mommy. I want to go alone, like all the other kids...
Derpy reached out with her wing and grabbed a brown paper bag from the table before tossing it to Dinky. In a flash, the filly caught the object and lowered it to the ground, blinking at it. “Your lunch,” her mother answered before she could ask. “I can’t leave my little filly with an empty stomach on her first day,” she said, sharing a private smile with her daughter. “Now, care to explain how you got up so fast?”
Dinky shrugged, her good mood returning almost instantly. I still get to go, at least, she conceded. “Well, I sorta couldn’t sleep at all last night. So, I stayed up and studied instead.”
Her mother moved about the kitchen, opening the oven to let the thick aroma of fresh muffins escape before fluttering over to the counter and wiping it with an old rag, the oven’s door sliding shut behind her. “So, you looked over your textbooks?”
And studied them, read them twice and researched everything thoroughly. “Yeah.”
Derpy slipped on a pair of hoof-mitts and flew back to the oven with an anticipating grin. Opening it and reaching in, the mare pulled out a tray full of steaming-hot muffins that she expertly tossed onto the table before assaulting it with a spatula. In seconds, each and every one of the muffins was out of the tray and placed in a perfect pyramid of gooey, mouth-watering goodness.
She wiped a tear from her eye. “All right, that’s it for supper!” Derpy exclaimed, tossing the mitts aside. “Should we get going?”
With a single high-pitched squeal of joy, the filly slammed the door open and whizzed out, followed by a sighing pegasus.
Dinky had stopped right outside her house, staring at the entire world with a new enthusiasm and wealth of emotion that was almost new to her.
The flowers swaying in the breeze seemed to wave 'hello' to her as she hopped jovially down the path. The long, winding road connecting them to Ponyville felt like it was a strut away from their cottage. The clouds floating by appeared to be extra puffy and the toys left in her yard looked overjoyed at their mistress leaving. After all, she had announced the departure to them months and months ago.
Freedom, she thought. The single word described the wondrous emotion welling inside her perfectly. Now, for the first time ever, she would be free to have her own real friends, go to a real school, and have real adventures.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, the filly bent her legs and vaulted forwards, only to be brought back to the ground by the firm hoof of her mother. “Dinky?”
“Yes, Mommy?”
“We’re going together, right?” Dinky nodded, looking deep into the yellow eyes of her mother. “Well, we can’t go together if my little muffin charges ahead like that. Stay by my side and take it slow, all right?”
But... Oh, all right. “Yes, Mommy...” she said, a clear note of disappointment in her childish voice.
Derpy tousled her daughter's mane and fluttered by her, grinning over her shoulder before waving her head towards the long path. “Come on, Muffin; we’ll be late if we don’t get going. You don’t want to make a bad impression on your first day.”
“Right!” Dinky exclaimed, refusing to let her good mood be abated as she set off at a trot. The gray pegasus shook her head, smiling as she followed her daughter and marveled at the little filly's infectious enthusiasm.
The path between their house and Ponyville was nothing special, just a gravel road that had been laid along the edge of a soft hill. Along its borders, wild fall flowers were in full bloom, trying to get as much as they could out of the soon-to-be-dwindling sunlight. It was on this path that Dinky and Derpy trod, one taking slow and mature steps, the other flying through the air with the occasional beat of her grey wings.
“I get to go to school; I get to go to school!” the filly sang in an undertone as she marched ahead, her mind an absolute cornucopia of thoughts, ideas, and imaginings.
I wonder if the teacher’s nice? How many friends will I make? Did I bring my pen? Oh! I should bring Lenore with me next time! What will Mommy use: the straight route, or the curved one? The first is simpler, but the latter cuts an entire minute off thanks to morning traffic and congestion of the town centre. Not to mention the probability of meeting somepony Mommy knows is cut by eight percent.
At the same time, both ponies reached the end of the path and the beginning of the town proper, announced to them by the presence of half a dozen thatch-roofed homes set in a haphazard line. The roads of Ponyville rang of homeliness and simplicity, every detail making the filly feel safe and secure as she trotted along.
They traversed the quiet town, only meeting friendly birds that chirped through the sky around them or early rising ponies that waved hello in passing, always answered by the filly’s enthusiastic reply.
“Dinky,” her mother began, a few warning bells going off within the filly’s mind. “Look, I know we’ve talked about this before, but if ever you encounter a bull—”
“I know, Mommy. If I see a bully, I should ignore them, then, as quickly as I can, find an adult and tell them about it until I see Mommy again,” she recited from fresh memories. “We went over it.” Again, and again, and again...
Derpy Hooves looked down at her little girl, a twinkle of pride flashing in her eyes, one that did little to conceal the fear and abuse beneath. “Still, Dinky, I want you to be careful. You’re the smartest little filly I know, and you’re very special, but I don’t want other mean little ponies to use that against you.”
She shouldn’t worry so much, Dinky thought as they made good time through the town. I’m not that weak; I’ll be the best filly to ever go through Ponyville elementary school, and I’ll make hundreds of friends! I’ll never be alone again.
This isn’t like last Spring. I’m not the same naive little filly anymore.
“And don’t forget to study,” her mother went on as they arrived at a fork in the road. Without pause, Dinky stuck to the left route, trotting around the back of the Town Hall to avoid the busy square.
The filly ignored her mother, focusing rather on the new sights and smells around her, from the bustling street corners where ponies gathered to gossip, to the quiet houses marked by a cheerful dignity permeating every garden and entryway.
Somepony, somewhere, was baking an apple pie, the smell of it whispering through the air and tempting any and all with only the faintest wisps before fading into obscurity.
Along the sidewalks and running through the centre of the road were other colts and fillies. All of them were heading towards the far end of town with school bags bouncing on their backs and lunch pails wobbling from side to side. Oh, the other students! My future classmates! Dinky thought as she resisted the urge to bolt ahead and greet them. It wouldn’t be very tactful.
The sight of so many ponies her age, all of them running for the same objective with varying levels of glee and excitement, sent a tingle down the filly’s spine. I want to be like them, she thought longingly, her trot increasing without notice.
Her mother kept pace, giggling under her breath at Dinky’s contagious excitement.
If the map was accurate, Dinky thought as they approached the final corner, the school should be— The filly stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as they realized that the object of her dreams, one she had looked at with envy many times before, was now within her grasp.
Ponyville Elementary rose out of the ground, a shining beacon of education, friendship, and hope. Pastel pinks and soft whites covered its entire wooden surface, most of which was trimmed with elegant yet welcoming scroll work. Atop it all was a simple steeple hiding a shiny brass bell, one that quietly rested in eager anticipation of being rung.
Dinky began to prance on the spot, impatiently waiting for her mother to gently coast forwards to her side. Her young eyes slipped from her mother to the foals entering the grounds around the school. Instantly, she recognized some from her few jaunts into the town.
In the shade of a tall tree, a white unicorn filly was leaning against a scrawny-looking pegasus with his wing wrapped around her, both sharing a moment of tenderness. Near the entrance, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were giggling at a joke only they understood.
Out of the town proper, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom raced one another, red-faced as they finally slowed to a stop while the earth pony loudly proclaimed her victory.
Where are all the moms and dads? the filly wondered as she looked over the sea of foals, noticing children of every age and size, but not one adult. Don’t tell me my mom’s the only one! The filly looked over her shoulder at her mother, her discerning eyes locking onto every little fault she found, from the stains on her coat, to the familiar way her eyes roamed about, to the dopey smile that had always been a comfort to her.
Biting her lower lip, the filly approached her mother, feeling her face redden at every step. “Okay, Mommy, thanks for bringing me. I’ll be back later, all right?” she asked as she smiled up to Derpy. Please go back; please go back....
“Come on now, my little muffin, we’re almost there. Let me at least see you get into the school.” Without any further argument, Derpy slipped by her filly and headed for the school as she folded her wings to her sides and carried on, head held tall as only a proud parent could.
Dinky began to gnaw at her lower lip, searching desperately for a way out, but found no solace in the simple homes and tiny packs of foals running free, only potential problems.
Finally deciding herself, Dinky charged after her mother and out of the wall of homes on the town’s edge. I have to stop her somehow; otherwise, all the others are going to laugh at me! she concluded as she redoubled her efforts, hooves beating at the ground with a thundering rhythm.
Three roads led to the school, each one going through a different block of houses and each one intersecting at roughly the same place to become a single path. Along that long path were trees, shrubs, and the occasional flower-bed filled with fall perennials, all places where the foals of Ponyville could play and talk and have as much fun as they could between sessions of grueling schoolwork.
It was at the edge of that path that Derpy stopped, turned around, and smiled patiently at her daughter as the filly caught up, panting from the sudden sprint. “Hurry up, my muffin. I have to talk to Miss Cheerilee!”
No! I can’t have her be that close to the others. “Mommy, wait, I want to—” Dinky began to say. It was the tiniest of stones that stopped her. Merely a pebble large enough and smooth enough to make the filly trip.
For the briefest of seconds, the filly was airborne, her body bent forwards and above the ground as she seemed to take flight. Air whistled past her ears as her mane fluttered behind her, loosened by the flight.
Gravity took hold of her, pulling her down and towards the hard sidewalk.
With a hard oomph, Dinky crashed into the pavement, her rump lifting into the air and her saddlebag sliding along her back as the lapels opened and dumped the bag’s contents across the ground.
Not exactly the impression I wanted to make, she thought with a groan, a light cascade of pain rippling through her before she thumped back down unto her hind hooves and shakily stood up.
A pair of hooves held onto her, helping her stand and keep steady. “Are you okay?” somepony that was definitely not her mother asked.
Blinking back a face-full of tears, Dinky looked into a pair of compassion-filled eyes, purple ones that seemed to bite right into her soul and suck out anything intelligent she could possibly have said.
“Where’s my Mommy?” she squeaked. After a moment's inspection, she saw the mare she sought was far ahead, talking to a dark stallion and a smiling Miss Cheerilee on the edge of the school ground. The three adults formed a triangle as they shared in a quick and mundane conversation right in the centre of the winding path.
The colt blinked, then smiled kindly before letting go to land on all fours. “Are you okay?” he asked again, a twinge of worry marring his grey features.
Dinky Hooves broke eye contact, regaining a bit of herself. Is that... “I’m okay, yeah,” she said before sitting back down. It was at that moment that her saddlebags slid back into position with a whoosh and a thump, the sound hollow and empty.
The tears that had appeared in her big, globe-like eyes refused to leave as she looked across the ground. Each and every one of her precious books had been strewn across the path and lawn ahead of her, new pencils and books mixing with blades of grass and dirt. Worse yet, a few foals had stopped to stare at the spectacle, some heads poking out from behind trees and bushes to add to the chorus of laughter.
Jumping forwards, Dinky Hooves summoned up her power and lifted a few books from off the ground, only for her magic to fail with a sob as the books tumbled back onto the dirt. No...
Immediately, the colt bent down to help her, his long thin wings scooping up his fellow student’s things. Oh gosh, he’s actually helping me too, she thought, blinking away a fresh wave of tears. “This is so embarrassing,” she murmured under her breath, sniffling back a wad of snot.
The colt deposited her things in a neat pile at her hooves. “It’s not too bad. Trust me, my first day was far worse,” he said. The colt extended his hoof and a warm greeting. “My name’s Rumble.”
I know. You’re the most popular pony, ever. Blushing madly, the filly extended her own trembling hoof and they shook. “I-I’m Dinky Doo Hooves... but most call me Dinky. Except for my Mommy; she calls me Muffin.” Oh Celestia, I’m so stupid. Did I really say that? Her blush deepened, reaching critical mass.
As Rumble opened his mouth to speak, Dinky cringed, fully expecting a harsh insult. “My brother calls me Widdle Wee, as in, Widdle Wee Wumble; I guess you got the better end.” He chuckled. “So, are you new here?” he asked.
“W-well I.... Yeah, I am new, sorta.” He didn’t laugh at me? she wondered, blinking at the colt and seeing him in a new light, one that glowed and radiated with a comforting warmth.
“Cool! Always good to have some more friends, right?”
The filly’s ears perked and she inadvertently leaned towards him. Friends?
For a brief moment, the colt looked to his side and down the path heading to the school, before a dazzling smile crossed his face. “Oh, that’s my brother,” he said, pointing behind her.
Turning, Dinky looked up to a black pegasus, one who smiled over her head to Rumble. “Oi, kid, what’s this mess you made here? I leave for a second and look at this!” he said, giggling at the scene.
Derpy charged past the stallion before skidding to a halt inches away from Dinky’s face. “Are you okay? Are you injured? Do you need a new kidney?” she asked, poking her daughter all over with the affections of an overbearing mother. “Who did this to you?” She turned her attention to Rumble, glaring at the colt. “Is it him? Should I beat him?”
“No, Mommy! I just tripped on a rock or something,” Dinky said as she jumped to the defense of the colt. Oh, please, make it so my mom doesn’t kill the only friend I’ve ever made. It was then that her mother decided to crush her with a bear hug, ripping the air out of the filly’s lungs. “Mommy,” she squeaked. “You’re embarrassing me...”
Her mother let go, just in time for the stallion to sit at their side, a crumpled brown bag in his mouth. “I think this is yours?” he asked, dropping it at Dinky’s hooves. Half of an absolutely ruined muffin rolled out. “Ohh, a muffin!” he exclaimed, looking at the pitiful pastry. “Those are the best!” Derpy’s entire face lit up as she stared at the stallion appraisingly as he went on. “Much better than those filthy cupcake things, blergh.” He stuck his tongue out and cringed.
Rumble laughed, then gestured to the stallion. “Dinky, Miss Hooves, this is my big brother, Thunderlane.”
He, he was brought to school, too? Dinky wondered as the two males maneuvered and sat side by side, the older’s wing stretching over his little brother to bring him into a side-hug.
“Nice to meet you, Mister Thunderlane,” Derpy said, nodding at the pony even as she blinked at him in a way Dinky found odd. Her mother’s eyes leapt to the stallion, then did a little jumpy thing
“And you as well, Miss Hooves!” he exclaimed, a hoof absently raising up to his brother’s head to give him a ruffle. “Right, well, I’ll be off,” he said as he turned to his brother, his tall mohawk of cerulean hair waving as he bent down. “Now, what did I tell you, bro?”
Rumble smiled, a gesture filled with confidence and a simple adoration for the older stallion. “I have to believe in myself and do the best I can!”
“That’s it! And what if you can’t?”
“Then I believe in the you that believes in me!” the colt replied seconds before his brother crushed him with a hug.
Derpy and Dinky both felt something within themselves snap.
The colt waved goodbye at his brother as the dark stallion bent down, hopped into the air, and with a single powerful stroke of his wings, took off. Derpy stared up to the creature as he soared higher and higher until he became but a speck against the sun. Finally, the mother blinked and looked down at her daughter shyly putting her things back into her saddlebags with the aid of the helpful colt.
“All right, Dinky, I, uh.... Mommy has to go,” Derpy Hooves said, smiling sheepishly at her daughter.
Is she okay? Dinky wondered, her attention split between her mother, and the very kind and incredibly cute colt not a hoof length away from her. The filly found herself blinking, slack-jawed at the spot where her mother had been moments before.
She immediately abandoned the colt and her bag in favour of spinning in a tight circle, searching everywhere for her mom.
Few foals dotted the nearby streets, and any that were left were charging towards the schoolhouse with desperate abandon. The great remainder of colts and fillies were congregated in the yard, playing, talking, and trading stories of what had happened over the summer vacations. But, as was the case moments before, there were no adults in sight, not even her mother.
I’m... alone? Dinky realised with a sinking sense of dread.
Rumble trotted to her side and dropped her full saddlebags with an grunt. “Whoa, these are heavy. Oh, and if you still need a lunch....” He pointed to his own saddlebags. “I might have something we can share.”
“Oh, um,” Dinky began, still very much in shock. “Thanks.”
With that, the colt smiled at her, spun around, and galloped to the school, shouting out to some foals that immediately replied with heartening cheers.
Dinky grabbed her saddlebags and slipped them on, her ears perked and eyes wide as every single thing around her screamed danger, from the sound of hooves on pavement, to the whipping of the wind on a flag, to the distant shouts of foals.
The world seemed, not to shrink, but to grow immense to the filly who was now free, free to be harmed, to lose, to be assaulted by the hundreds of dangers lurking in every corner.
She shook her head, trying to banish the fears with logic and reasoning. Come on, it’s nothing. I’m just going to school, she thought as she began to make her way down the path once more, trees and shrubs passing on her either side.
Hundreds of foals do this everyday; there’s nothing to be afraid of. Dinky moved on, noticing almost every single one of the foals already waiting by the school. I was super excited about this, and I won’t let a single pony get in between myself and my best day ever.
The filly huffed, and stomped at the dry ground, before prancing forwards, looking a lot braver than she felt.
From behind one of the many bushes along the path, two ponies emerged, ponies that had lived in the nightmares of the filly for a long, long time.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon quickly and efficiently blocked her path, allowing her no access to the road leading to the school. “Hello, Dinky,” Diamond Tiara began.
Almost immediately, Silver Spoon laughed, the grating sound filling the air with a malevolent tension broken up by snorts. “What's wrong, D.T.? Can’t find an insult for her stupid name?”
Her companion, the pink filly shrugged. “No, not really. It’s already a pretty bad name,” she said, addressing her friend as if Dinky was not there at all.
Okay, Dinky, don’t panic. Mommy talked about this, she repeated to herself even as her hooves began to shiver. Step one, find an adult.
There were none.
The grey, glasses-wearing filly’s laughter only grew in strength as she nodded in agreement. “You’re right, it’s such a... a stupid name!” Finally, Silver Spoon looked at Dinky, a deep loathing flashing in her eyes. “I bet your mom’s the one who called you that; she doesn’t seem all that smart, either.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and Dinky’s lower lip began to tremble. St-step two... ignore the... ignore the meanies...
Diamond Tiara sprang forwards, taking the filly by surprise as she let out a squeak and jumped back. The pony leaned forwards, peering into Dinky’s face. “Look! I think her eyes are crossed weird, too! She must be just like her mommy: a freak.” The filly snapped her hoof out, shoving Dinky backwards and pushing her to the ground.
Dinky sobbed, “Mommy’s not stupid,” she said weakly, the third step popping into her mind. Step three: find Mommy.
“Aww, look at her,” Silver Spoon said, false compassion dripping off of her tongue like honey. “She looks so sad.... Maybe she forgot to put her diapers on this morning? Or, or did she wake up on the wrong side of the crib?”
Diamond Tiara snickered, then rounded on Dinky once more. “Look at you! You’re scum; I don’t even know why you come here. Do they even allow little things like you here? Isn’t there an age limit? And intelligence limit? I mean, you look pretty darn stupid for our school.... I guess you of all ponies really need an education.” Just as the filly took a deep breath of air to continue, the school’s bell rang.
Three loud and clear tones filled the air and resonated through their bones. “Heh, saved by the bell, huh, Stinky Dinky?”
Both fillies laughed at their own crude humour as they spun around and marched to the school, hoofsteps crunching on the gravel path as they marched away.
Dinky lay there, mind spinning circles as the stinging insults refused to abate, repeating themselves again and again within her, hurting her each and every time.
Foals ran, screamed, and shouted as they raced to class, all of them creating a chorus of joyful sounds, a joy Dinky could not join in, one she felt she would never be able to join.
She was alone.
Sniffling to herself and trying to quell the raging inferno of fear, anger and uncertainty, the filly looked behind her, then to the school.
She was in the middle, the long path stretching out an equal distance on both ends. One half went home and to the quiet, safe, but lonely life therein. The other was a life of adventure, of hardship, but one where she could make true friends.
A single sob escaped her as one feeling, one she did not expect, came to the surface:
indecision.
What’s Mommy going to say? I wanted to go to school so bad, and now... now... she was right. School’s a hard place. Dinky shivered as a cold wind rustled around the trees and stole their dying leaves, bringing with it a hint of the winter to come. But home is so.... It’s so sad
Again, the filly looked at the school, blinking through tears until she could finally focus on the building. It’s... it’s so normal, she thought, seeing the place in a new light, one that stripped it of its magic.
The gaudily-painted walls were just that: wooden walls with a coat of paint. The gentle scrollwork and homely feel were nothing but decorations and a trick of the mind. Even the laughter and chattering of the foals within sounded hollow. Fake.
One of the windows opened and Rumble leaned out of it, clutching the edge as he fired a beaming smile her way. “Come on, Dinky! You’ll be late!”
I’ll be late...
This is my first day of school. It’s supposed to be special. Not sad, not... not a nightmare like this. Shaking her head, the filly gathered as much confidence and conviction as she could muster and moved towards the school, one halting hoofstep after another.
Gently, and feeling as if her whole world was just one massive fragile mess, the filly made her way to the school. Around the building was a hedge of flowers and grass, broken only by the three steps leading into the classroom proper. The doors were wide open and welcoming, and the voices of a restless class flooded out of them.
She crossed the yard, avoiding discarded balls and the occasional trinket, until she reached the first step and placed a hoof on it as she raised her head away from the ground.
Above her was a reddish-pink mare, one wearing a deep motherly smile as she looked down at her. “Hello, you must be Dinky Hooves,” the mare said. “Come on in, sweetheart.” The teacher backed away, still smiling as she turned her attention to the class.
Shyly, Dinky took another step and slipped into the school, sighing as she crossed the threshold. This isn’t what I thought it would be. Not at all.
Every eye was on her as she entered the classroom, watching her as she stared back with wide eyes, a very large part of her mind hoping she didn’t look like she felt. No! Ignore them. Pretend they’re not there, she told herself as she trotted into the room, straightening her back as much as she could.
“Everypony,” Miss Cheerilee began, “this is Dinky Hooves. She’s our other new student this year. Aren’t we lucky! Two new friends to play with!” the teacher exclaimed, gesturing between Dinky and another foal, this one taller with a deep blue coat. Acting on instinct, Dinky walked to the other filly’s side and sat down, the full weight of the impending judgement of her peers weighing down on her..
Miss Cheerilee began to talk, but rather than giving her attention to each and every word like she had promised herself she would, Dinky focused on everything but the students. From the walls covered in arts and crafts projects from years gone by, to the beautiful sky beyond the enclosing walls. It was smaller than she had imagined.
“Dinky?” Cheerilee said, snapping the filly out of her reverie. As she jumped, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara laughed. “Would you tell us a little about yourself?”
“Oh, um, I guess I could...”
A few more giggled under their breath, gaining the first exasperated look from the teacher that year.
“Well, I live in Ponyville, and I sorta like reading and writing. And I really like playing on my own...” she said, voice squeaking under the gaze of her peers. "Oh! And I really, really want to make friends!” she said with renewed enthusiasm, perhaps louder than she should have.
Silver Spoon rolled her eyes, a gesture mimicked by Diamond Tiara.
“That’s great, Dinky. And you, Archer? Do you have anything you like?” The teacher shifted her
attention to the blue filly.
The filly coughed and, casting one smiling glance to Dinky, began. “Hi, my name’s Archer, but some foals call me the ‘Blue Bolt’. I really love firing the bow and arrow; it’s even on my flanks,” she said, turning to show her cutie mark that was, to nopony’s surprise, a bow and arrow. “I am new to Ponyville. We just moved in this week, so I’m really looking forwards to having an awesome time with the lot of you!”
At the head of the class, Miss Cheerilee made her way around her surprisingly clean desk and sat on her wheeled chair. “All right, class, I want you to be nice to your new friends!” Then, addressing Dinky and the blue filly, she said in a whisper, “You two can find yourselves a seat. Class is about to begin.”
Dinky nodded, then turned, facing what seemed to her as a wall of dangers created by the desks and ponies within. In the very first row, there was an empty seat, one right beside Silver Spoon. The filly reached over and tapped the bench, smiling mischievously the entire time. I-I don't want to sit there...
Archer trotted ahead, placing herself between Dinky and the cruel bullies with three steps. “Hey, you’re new too, right?” she asked. “So, want to sit together? We could become friends; I’m sure of it!”
Dinky blinked at the fellow filly, her eyes once again filling with unwanted tears as her lower lip trembled. Th-that’s all I ever wanted... “I-I...”
Archer smirked at her, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Come on, there are a few places in the back; I’m sure of it!”
Dinky followed the other filly, passing three rows of desks and the promising glare of Silver Spoon before they finally reached the far back of the room.
There, both fillies found two empty desks crammed into a corner of the room beside a bookshelf as tall as they were. Smiling over her shoulder, Archer slipped out of her saddlebags, tossed them to the side of her desk, then hopped onto the bench, her gaze going to the front of the class, then to Dinky who had yet to move. “Are you okay?” she asked under her breath.
Dinly blinked. “Oh, yeah... I’ve just been dreaming about this for a long time,” she said, earning herself a perplexed look from her new friend even as something, something she couldn’t quite name, welled up within her.
She looked at the wooden seat, eyes roaming over the knots and scratches engraved on it, then at the desk with the scuffs of a thousand books and enough gum stuck underneath to feed a family of four. This is what I wanted, she thought as she finally moved to the bench, climbing onto it gingerly before dropping her sack to the ground. It’s perfect. She beamed, giggling in a low voice even as her cheeks puffed and forced her to squint. From her vantage point, the filly could see across the sea of heads that were her fellow students.
Student. I’m a student! she thought, a burst of pride rattling in her chest.
At the very front of the class, behind her tall and imposing oak desk, Miss Cheerilee examined an attendance sheet, coughed gently, then looked at the children. “Okay, students,” she began before being interrupted by Dinky’s gleeful squee. “Let’s start off the year with something fun!”
The teacher skipped around her desk, picking up a stack of papers as she did so. Every foal sat on the edge of their seats, wide-eyed and eagerly awaiting to see what the teacher would hoof over to them. She stopped in front of the foremost row, her last thumping hoofstep ringing across the class filled with a restrained excitement.
“Some of you will recall that I asked everypony should study over the summer vacation?”
A dozen ponies groaned. “In hopes that you did study, I prepared a little test for you all!” Miss Cheerilee said, her voice rising in pitch and excitement.
The entire class grumbled, sighed, and moaned, all but Dinky Hooves, whose ears perked and whose smile only grew larger as she stood up on her bench. Oh, sweet! I’ve never had a test before!
"Isn't this cool?" she whispered to Archer from the corner of her mouth, her anticipation and excitement filling each word.
The filly blinked at her, raising one eyebrow. “You think getting a test is cool?” she whispered back.
Miss Cheerilee began to pass the sheets out, allowing the foals to give a copy to their neighbour in an orderly fashion. “Well, yeah,” Dinky replied. “It’s a test! You get to see how good you are compared to others in the class, and the teacher then rewards you based on how hard you worked.”
Archer shrugged, then looked at the oncoming sheets doubtfully. “Uh-huh, I never really liked them myself.”
The pony in front of Dinky, one she vaguely recognized as Apple Bloom, passed the last test back, allowing the eager filly to take it with a single swipe, crumpling the page on her desk as she immediately began to drink in the information. Oh, this is going to be easy! Mommy and I did all of this years ago!
“Okay class, you can begin,” Miss Cheerilee said, rousing another chorus of groans.
On her part, Dinky tore through her saddle bags, levitated out a pen, and started as quickly as she could, reading through the questions and answering them at a breathtaking speed. The scribbling of her pen on paper filled her ears and that of her neighbours as they, for their part, only scratched the page occasionally, and sporadically.
Hmm, this must be a warm-up quiz, Dinky thought as she reached the last few questions, because this is really easy.
A few moments more and the filly was finished with the bulk of the test, and had only to look over her writing to cross her T’s, and draw smiley faces over the I’s. All done. With a contented huff, she looked up at the multitude of curved backs of foals still bent over their work as thick beads of sweat blossomed and fell as if they were going out of style.
Now what? Should I just go bring it to Miss Cheerilee? But, nopony else is done, and I’ll have to walk down the aisle, and they’ll be looking at me, an—
The teacher looked away from the opened book on her table to the class. “Just bring your tests to the front whenever you’re done,” she said before snickering and returning to her book.
Dinky swallowed hard, feeling both the colour and warmth draining out of her as she looked at the seemingly enormous distance between herself and the teacher’s desk. Okay, Dinky, it’s not that hard. You’ve walked longer distances before. This shouldn’t be that hard, she thought as she slipped out of the desk.
Immediately, a few of her classmates looked over their shoulders at her, curiosity and an inkling of envy flashing in their eyes, as Dinky began to make her journey across the classroom.
Her hoof falls, quiet as they were, rang through the room, sounding like the clack of thunder to the filly’s ears. Keeping her blushing head low, Dinky finally walked out of the rows of desks and slid into place in front of the Teacher, her test hanging limply from her muzzle. Oh no, I bet they’re all watching me, she thought, feeling the fictional eyes of the other foals burning her back.
She coughed, the sound too loud yet serving its purpose as the teacher looked up from her book, slapped it shut, and slid it under her desk, allowing Dinky only a tiny moment to read the title: Arcane Erotica for Unicorns: A Beginner's Guide.
“Is something wrong, Dinky?” the teacher asked, her smile strained on the edge. “Do you have a hard time with one of the questions?”
Dinky shook her head. “Well, no, miss. I’m finished.”
She blinked. “The test?”
Was there something else we were supposed to finish? “Um, well, yeah.” Dinky leaned forwards and slipped the sheet onto the desk, facing the teacher.
Miss Cheerilee grabbed it and slid it towards herself while her free hoof found her trusty red pen. “How about I correct this right now? Then, maybe you can try again? It’ll up the chances on your side.”
Dinky blushed and nodded. Wow, she’s really nice. I thought I was bothering her. Maybe I can help her, too?
Humming to herself, Cheerilee started marking Dinky’s test, only to stop her singing after the first few questions.
The filly, for her part, began hopping from hoof to hoof as she sweated madly, anxious to hear the results.
Cheerilee glanced through her eyebrows at Dinky, then back to the test, frowning at the paper as she continued marking it. “Okay... I’m done,” she said, her usually chipper voice filled to the brim with an odd sort of confusion and uncertainty.
“Did I do... good?” Dinky asked, her eyes growing wide and watery.
Rather than answering, the teacher turned the test around, and slid it across the desk, allowing Dinky to read the results: A+.
The filly blinked, gasping in awe and glee at the scribbled mark. “Oh, thank you, miss! This is great! I’ll have to show Mommy!”
A few students behind her snickered.
Miss Cheerilee waved at the test on the table, opened her mouth, shut it, then finally spoke. “That, that was impressive, Dinky.... How exactly did you know the answer to that last question?”
The filly beamed, glad to be able to answer. “You mean the date, location, and circumstances of the birth of Starswirl the Bearded?” She shrugged. “The answer’s on page Two-Eight-Zero of our textbook, on the footnote that references back to The Historic Account of the Equestrian Plains and Surrounding Areas, by Lauren Farce. My Mommy picked it up at the library for me.” Dinky laughed. “I almost thought it was a trick question, but the answer’s easy to remember and I doubt you’d ever try to trick your students.”
The teacher answered with a blink and a small nod. “I would never...” She coughed. “I guess you can go back to your seat and... uh... sit?”
“Thank you, Miss Cheerilee!” Dinky said with a quick whisper before she began to turn. She froze and faced the teacher once more. “But, um, well... Miss Cheerilee?”
The teacher, who was reaching under her desk for her book, froze. “Yes, Dinky?”
“You use letters for grading?” she asked, levitating the test onto the desk as proof.
Miss Cheerilee nodded. “Yes, I always have.”
“Aren’t you afraid it’s not accurate?”
The mare sighed, touching a hoof to her forehead even as she muttered a “I’m going to regret this” under her breath. “Why isn’t it accurate, Dinky?”
“Well, to begin with, you most likely go from the letter A to F, meaning there are six letters. And you mark with a plus, minus, or nothing, meaning there are now eighteen possible grades a student can receive. That also means each grade represents a five point five-five-five repeating percentile.”
Miss Cheerilee stared at the filly, face contorted with a mixture of awe and confusion. “Okay...”
“Well, if I’m to receive an A-plus, I won’t know whether I got one hundred on the test, or ninety-four point five. In my opinion, it’s better to just mark the test on a percentage basis.” Dinky smiled at the teacher. There, I think that might help her, she thought while Miss Cheerilee reached out, grabbed her test, and wrote something on it before hoofing it back.
Dinky blinked at her new mark: Ninety-four point five.
Maybe she didn’t want my help after all... Smiling sheepishly at the teacher, Dinky discreetly folded her test and floated it to her side before turning around. This time, when she faced the class, all eyes were focused on their desks, making for a much, much easier image to cope with.
She pushed ahead, smiling with a contagious and unstoppable glee as she walked in between the rows.
A hoof struck out and grabbed onto Dinky’s shoulder.
The filly stopped, and looking up, gazed into Silver Spoon’s eyes, eyes filled with loathing, cruelty, and something else, something that caught Dinky by surprise. She’s afraid?
“Help me,” the filly whispered, gesturing at her test. The sheet was covered in senseless scribbles and little drawings, but little to do with the questions themselves.
Dinky looked at her nemesis, the filly that hardly an hour ago was taunting and laughing at her. She paused, questioning herself and weighing the pros and the cons.
“I’m sorry, Silver Spoon, my Mommy said cheating is wrong,” Dinky said loud and clear, her voice carrying across the room on the backs of a dozen giggles.
Silver Spoon whipped her hoof back to her side and glared through her blush. “You’ll pay for this, Stinky Dinky,” she vehemently spat.
Doing her best to still the trembling of her hooves and walk with a straight back, Dinky returned to her seat and slipped into it.
She was content to just watch, gazing across the classroom and at the backs of all the students working hard on their tests; that was, after all, what she had been dreaming of, what she wanted ever since her mommy had visited the little schoolhouse to talk to Miss Cheerilee about her own homeschooling a few years back.
The sight of the classroom filled with smiling faces, the smell of books, and the sound of the teacher expertly doing her work as her students watched in wonder. It was then that she decided that this is where she wanted to be: in a place surrounded by friends.
No, she just wanted to have a friend.
Slowly, Dinky strayed over to Rumble, following him as he hopped out of his bench and charged to the front of the class, filled with confidence about his work.
With ease and efficiency, Miss Cheerilee marked the page and hoofed it back to the colt before he thanked her, spun around, and galloped back to his friends, proudly flashing his mark of eighty-two.
Wow, he did really good. I guess he’s smart and has a lot of friends... and I guess he’s sort of cute, too.
Instantly, the filly’s face reddened and she turned away from the colt as if by reflex before pausing. Why did I do that?
At her side, Archer stood on shaky legs, tucking her test beneath a wing as she joined the long line of foals forming in front of the teacher’s desk. Dinky followed her progress for a moment as her mind still ran circles around her previous reaction.
That was weird, she thought. All I did was look at him, and think about how nice and good-looking he is, and... She felt warm within, confused, scared, but terribly warm. She was surprised to find it wasn't a terrible feeling.
The swirl of confusion continued, even as the rest of the students got up, had their tests marked, and returned to their seats. It’s only when she noticed Archer sitting down stiffly in her seat that Dinky snapped out of her reverie, having come to no accurate reasoning for her body’s reaction.
Just as the filly leaned over to talk to Archer, Miss Cheerilee stood up and addressed the class. “Okay, everypony, I’m quite proud with a lot of you, but some, and you know who you are, need to study a little bit more for the next test!” she chimed, smiling sympathetically at a few blushing faces.
“So, how about we all take a short pause and eat our lunches early today!” The entire class cheered, even Dinky joining in the celebration before following the lead of her classmates and diving into her bag, only to pull out the crushed remains of her lunch. Oh, right.
With a sigh, Dinky pushed her lunch back into the very bottom of her saddlebags and sat back up. It’s okay, I can go a day without a lunch, she thought, even as her stomach gurgled in reproach to her decision.
“Didn’t you bring something to eat?”
Turning, DinKy looked at Archer, and the blue filly looked back, a confident smile on her lips as she reached into her own lunch pail, pulled out a slightly-squashed hay sandwich, and broke it in half. “Here,” she said, hoofing half over.
Dinky stared at it, perplexed by the motion. Is she... is she trying to share? I thought only ponies that were friends do that.... A piece of mustard-covered hay slipped out from between the bread and splattered on the ground.
“Oi, come on, it won’t get any tastier if you stare at it.” Archer shoved the sandwich forwards and Dinky gingerly laid out her hooves and grabbed hold of it, tears springing to her eyes as she chomped into it.
Archer stared at her, wide-eyed, as Dinky chewed, swallowed, and finally gulped the lunch down, crying the entire time. “Are you okay?”
Dinky nodded, tasting the salty tears as they slid into her mouth. “I’m okay,” she squeaked.
“Are ya certain?”
Again, the little purple-grey filly nodded. “It’s just... nopony ever shared anything with me before...”
Reaching a hoof to the back of her head, Archer scratched at the nape of her neck. “Oh, well, that’s no fun, I guess.” The filly turned and took a bite out of her own lunch, bits of hay staining her coat as she looked around the class. “We can be friends, if you wan—“
“Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes!” Dinky exclaimed, hind legs kicking out excitedly. “Thank you so much! We’ll be the best friends ever, and we’ll play together, and share things, and talk, and do our homework together! We’ll be the best friends, ever!”
Archer rolled her eyes, but wore a reluctant smirk as she did so. “All right, how about we start with enduring each other over lunch?”
Class flew in a blur to Dinky, from the teacher’s simple, yet incredibly entertaining lessons; to the quick and dirty notes they had to take; and even the one too-short group activity they got to partake in, one Dinky spent smiling at her partner.
In the end, Miss Cheerilee wiped the sweat of the long day’s work off of her brow, glanced at the wall-mounted clock, and gave them her most resplendent smile yet. “Okay, children, it’s finally over,” she said with an evident aire of relief.
As one, the foals cheered and immediately got to work packing things back into their backpacks.
All but Dinky.
Archer poked at her. “Oi, what are you waiting for?” she asked as she shrugged into her saddlebags and fluttered her wings experimentally, making sure they were free.
Dinky sighed, wandering the classroom with her eyes as the other foals ran out with joyful giggling and laughter. “I didn’t want it to end.”
“Ah, don’t worry, it’ll start again tomorrow morning... and the next... and the next...”
Dinky’s ears perked up and a shadow of a grin crossed her features. “That’s right! In eighteen hours!” she began, tossing her saddlebags onto her back. “We’ll all be right back here!”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Miss Cheerilee and Archer moaned at the same time.
Leading the way for her friend, Dinky marched past the rows of chairs crowding the stiflingly warm classroom and to the doors. Fresh air whispered into the building, filled with the aroma of dying leaves, sweaty foals, and the last living moments of the yellowing grass.
She paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder at the room cast in a hundred shadows and a thousand good wishes. With a smile, she thought, I’ll be back.
“Will you move your fat rump?” Archer whined, tapping her hoof on the wooden floor.
Giggling, the filly hopped out of the way and landed at the base of the steps before looking at the blue pegasus who followed. Today was a good day.
Archer paused in the doorway, allowing the wind to play with her mane. I made a friend.
“Do you want to stay and play a bit?” the blue pegasus asked.
“I can’t; Mommy will be worried if I stay. I’d best be going.”
Archer shrugged her wings and fluttered by her, calling out an “I’ll see you tomorrow” before she joined the vast majority of students in the playground.
In that playground were Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara, both of them laughing at a few colts. Maybe I made a mistake.
The giddy shouting of foals grabbed her attention and brought it to the playing field. There, Rumble was leading the chase in a game of tag, all the others gladly obeying his rule. Something in her warmed up once more. And maybe I got something very special.
A Sequel to:
Edited by:
Hope you enjoy it, next chapter when I come back from my vacation!
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FUCK TO THE MOTHERFUCKIN' YES
here we go
First thing I thought of with the chapter title.
1982085 This.
Of Rumbling Dinks
[in a forced voice] HMMM… I WONDER WHO THIS INCLUDES?
Might read it later. I like these kinds of stories.
(Joke) Alt. Title: Let's Get Ready To Pair Rumble! 2: Roling With The Dink
Forget that one book; sell this!
I want new chapter already.
Lenore is the best possible name for a raven plushie.
congrats on the feature! must be a new record... 3 hours? honestly, if that doesnt say anything about your writing, i dont know what does!
Anyways, this is a great story, looks like you put a lot of time into it raven!
Faved
Read the bedraggled raven plushie. 'Heh, Lenore.' Read it was named Lenore.
Really liking this so far, Dinky is a great character and I love it when authors explore her. That sounds wrong. Anyhoo, did I catch a Gurren Lagann reference perhaps? And dat mooolteee-pass, indeed.
Looking forward to more greatness. Hopefully I won't feel the need to brutally beat featherweight so much in this one.
1982922
An error?
Well, if there's only one in 9K words it's a good ratio... still, what is it? I must assault it with proper orthography.
1982976
Ah!
Consider it fixed! And thanks for the spot.
Bucking hell. When I first read the title, I read it as "Of Rumbling Dicks". There's been too many clopfics in the featured box lately...
Moar
plz 
Sooo... Thunderlane is Kamina?
1983127
Pretty much.
1983134 Huh. Anyway, I actually have a question now that I think of it. What's up with Cheerilee? Inappropriate reading material and a downer attitude about her classes? That's odd. Admittedly I haven't read the other story yet so it might just be jarring out of context but it just struck me as an out of left field interpretation of the character.
I'm curious as to the notion behind her interpretation in this series. It's not bad, just having some trouble fitting it in my headspace.
1983142
She's like a real teacher. Or at least, the teacher's I had.
And the reading material's a nod to the previous story, she confiscated that book from Snips and Snails. They had a biology project based on the research they did therein.
Dinky feels like a mini Twilight Sparkle... hmm.. not sure if like her yet. Rumble, I like him. Kid's got the smooth moves, and I did sense I possible Thunderlane x Derpy shipping snuck in? I think I did. Also, isn't Archer a blue earth pony filly?
images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110825191910/mlp/images/thumb/e/ee/Archer1.png/150px-Archer1.png
1983166
She's a pegasus once in a while.
I want her to be a pegasus.
She's a pegasus.
Guess I have an obligation to favorite this... :)
1983218
Of course you don't!
But you know, your cover-art...
With an opening chapter title like that...
It's official- you're a legend.
Insta-sequel! Starring Dinkie!?!
WOOOO!!
1983166So THAT'S Scootablue's real name, Archer. Thanks!
Thunder-lane is the Equestrian Kamina(and Rumble, the Equestrian Simon)?
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxcv6eO1k71qk4wxd.gif
Do I detect a Pink Floyd reference?
I love background characters getting attention, but Dinky seems too much like a miniature Twilight.
Alright, so I think you hinted at it, but just to be sure (there are quite a few number of white fillies, after all) that one couple you mentioned was Sweetie and Feathers, so this does happen after Of Challenges and Kisses right?
I'm just thinking that wouldn't Rumble remember Dinky as the filly that stole that one time?
1983637
Yeah, that's them.
They should have a 'slightly' bigger role in the future.
And yes, this is set after the events of OCaK, the Fall of the same year.
>Romance/comedy tags
>Dinky and rumble as char-tags.
i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/742/sweetjesus.jpg
static2.fjcdn.com/comments/Yes+Classic+rage+comics.+Where+there+s+only+one+rage-face.+In+_2b725d770bdbf3b6c88e2ec69b0e55f2.jpg
I'm all giddy that you're doing a good job with this story.
And also, dat DinKy caps'd friggin crazy.
Dinky x Rumble?
Go on...
how did i not see this in my notifications!
An interesting start. Now, knowing your other fics, we'll need to wait a month or so for the next chapter. Ah well, it's always worth the wait at least.
Another of your foal love stories? Insta-fave!
Okay, who wants to get in line, and have DT and SS in place of this passenger?
1982364 Man, you and your alternate/suggested titles!!!
You seem to be everywhere with them!!
It's a great start for a sequel. Also, there are some typos but they're no biggie. Featherweight X Sweetie Belle background scene WOOHOO!!!1!
1983170
This made me laugh, I don't know why, but it did.
1984387 Oh hell yes xD
Edit: Featured? Already? Hell yes! xD
Apart from one error with a capital letter in the middle of the name:
"Turning, DinKy looked at Archer"
The story looks okay so far, will there be any time skipping involved (aka moving a few years ahead when dinky is older) or not?
Any way good job with the first chapter, I hope to see if you can keep the quality up!
Bye for now
- xgenmine
Very sweet start. Also was that a Kamina reference? Anyway, I look forward to more.
Oh my, this is fantastic from start to finish! So beautifully written and so entertaining as well. And I'm loving your super-intelligent-yet-super-naive Dinky!
I could practically hear the choir singing in the background at this point. XD
"Should i beat him?"
OH CELESTIA!! MY SIDES!!!
I'm just going to put this here
i.imgur.com/iXao6nQ.png
Fantastic story and a lovely writing style. Faved and adding to my "read later" list to analyse in detail.
"Believe in the you that believes in me" oh Celestia that was perfect.
1985643
Thank you!
But credit goes to Fred, he mentioned that bit (I was going for another Gurran reference)