Chapter 16
“Dinky? Are you alright? Are you dead?”
They were the first words Dinky heard after the ringing in her ears ceased. She sat up, shaking her head to try to clear the veil of white that clouded her vision. “What happened?” she asked frantically. “What happened to Scuffle? And to Honeydew?”
“I don’t know,” Clarity replied in the same worried tone. “I can’t see a thing.”
Dinky rubbed her eyes with her forehooves, and a few bleary shapes came into view. She carefully stood, squinting to make them out as the white light that filled the woods faded.
Much of the battlefield was in ruins. Scorch and Frosty’s entire half of the arena was now a crater, the grass and soil blasted completely away by the force of the explosion. The branches of the surrounding trees were battered and broken, with leaves either stripped away or shredded by the harsh elements.
Two large, gnarled roots remained standing at the center of the crater, terribly blackened but still defiantly upright despite the carnage around them. Scorch and Frosty hung limply in the damaged prisons, their coats singed in some places and frostbitten in others.
Scuffle was standing just beyond the lip of the crater. The colt was covered in dirt and ash and panting hard. Shaking violently, he looked like he was about to collapse. His horn still glowed brightly, and Dinky only had to glance behind him to see why.
A shimmering blue dome, made of so many layers of magic that it was totally opaque, stood on the battlefield, undamaged despite the devastation around it. As the last of the light from the blast faded and the smoke cleared, Scuffle gradually decreased the power of his spell. The dome shed its layers one by one, and soon, a silhouette became visible inside. A few seconds later, the shield dropped away completely, revealing a cowering but entirely unharmed Honeydew.
Nopony moved for several seconds. After a moment of silence, Honeydew cautiously opened one eye and lowered the forehoof she’d been using to shield her face. Confused, she looked around at the decimated battlefield and her worn-out duel partner.
“W…what?” she managed.
Scuffle sent her a brief smile, and then turned and made his way toward his brothers, motioning for his friends to follow. Dinky cautiously stepped onto the rubble-strewn battlefield and followed him, with Clarity and Honeydew trailing closely behind.
“Are they okay?” Dinky asked once she caught up.
Scuffle stepped into the crater and put his forelegs on the side of the root. Cautiously, he poked at Frosty, and then held an ear next to his brother’s mouth.
“Well, he’s breathing,” the colt said, wiping his brow. “Unconscious, but breathing.”
Clarity sighed, relieved. “That’s good. I hate to think how much trouble we’d be in if, well, you know…”
“Why do you think I aimed at the ground instead of either of them?” Scuffle asked, sinking back down to all fours. “They’re jerks, but they’re my brothers. I don’t wanna kill them, just teach ‘em a lesson they won’t forget.”
“I should point out that we’re probably still in a lot of trouble, even if they’re okay,” Dinky said nervously. “There’s no way no one at the Academy saw or heard that blast. One of the overseers will probably be here any second.”
Scuffle blinked, and suddenly looked quite guilty. “Yeah, now that I think about it, I probably put us all in hot water,” he admitted, scraping a hoof on the charred soil sheepishly. “Especially you, Dinks. The dean’s gonna kick you out of here faster than the Wonderbolts can fly.”
As if on cue, voices sounded from somewhere in the trees. Sparkler’s was prominent among them, barking out commands to the ponies with her.
For a moment, the foals stood in silence, waiting for the inevitable. After a moment, Clarity jumped suddenly, as if startled, and then motioned for her friends to come closer.
“I’m going to try something,” she said quietly. “Stay very close and move slowly.”
Before anypony could object, the grey filly lit her horn and squeezed her eyes shut. A shimmering sort of haze surrounded the four young ponies for a moment. As the light of the spell began to fade, so did the colors of their bodies. Dinky watched with delight as she and her friends became translucent, and soon, disappeared entirely.
Barely a moment later, Sparkler burst into the clearing, skidded to a halt, and looked around the wreckage in shock. A number of older students arrived behind her, looking equally bewildered.
“Hold onto each other,” Clarity said in the barest whisper, “and be as quiet as possible. We’re going to sneak away and go to the hideout until they leave.”
Dinky couldn’t see any of her companions, but it only took a moment for her hoof to touch somepony’s coat. Creeping along at a snail’s pace, she hardly dared to breathe as she and her friends inched away from the clearing, silently hoping that Clarity’s magic would hold out until they had moved safely away from the investigating ponies.
Soon, the thick late-summer foliage made it so the clearing was no longer visible to the foals. Clarity dropped her spell and then led the way to the little hollow beneath the tree. As soon as they were safely inside, Scuffle groaned and slumped to the floor.
“Are you alright?” Dinky asked, her voice laced with concern as she sat down by Scuffle.
“More or less,” Scuffle grunted. “I was more concerned about getting us caught than I am about a few cuts and bruises. Your invisibility spells are getting better, Clarity.”
Clarity waved a forehoof. “Thanks for the compliment, but we’re still probably gonna wind up getting caught,” she pointed out. “Once your brothers wake up, they’ll probably snitch on us.”
“No they won’t,” said Scuffle simply.
Dinky and Clarity’s expressions were equally surprised. “Why’s that?” Dinky asked.
“Simple,” Scuffle said, rolling onto his back to examine a scrape on one of his forelegs. “As much as Scorch and Frosty might want to get us in trouble, they’re far more concerned with protecting their pride. You realize that if they want to tell us off, they have to admit that two first-term foals beat them in a duel?”
Clarity snorted. “Those two would sooner tear off their own horns,” she chuckled.
“Exactly,” Scuffle said, rolling back onto his stomach. “What they’re going to do is come up with some lie about practicing a brand new type of battle magic that was more powerful than they expected. Then they’ll get to brag to their idiotic friends about how they blew everything up, rather than admitting we had anything to do with it.”
He rolled his eyes. “They’ll be the talk of the school again, of course,” he grumbled. “They’ve got cool magic. Of course they get all the glory.”
“Excuse me?” Dinky asked, surprised at what she was hearing. “Are you still hung up on the whole ‘offensive magic is better than defensive’ thing?”
“Wel—”
“You do realize you and Honeydew just defeated Scorch and Frosty using nothing but defensive spells, right?” Dinky continued, cutting him off.
Scuffle opened his mouth to reply, but paused and considered Dinky’s words. He blinked, surprised.
“Alright, alright, you have a point,” he admitted, smirking. “I guess those spells aren’t all that worthless after all. Still though, Honeydew’s help was critical. Thanks Honeydew.”
There was no response.
“Honeydew?”
The three foals looked curiously at Honeydew, who was standing quite still and staring into space.
“Honeydew, are you okay?” Clarity asked. "You haven't said a word since the duel ended."
Honeydew blinked, stirred from her stupor at being addressed directly. Stumbling slightly, she moved toward her friends.
“Honeydew?” Dinky asked again, growing concerned. “Are you alright? Do you need to lie down or something?”
Honeydew responded by gently nudging Dinky out of the way. She continued forward until she stood in front of Scuffle, who had risen to his hooves.
“Hey,” Scuffle said awkwardly. “Uh… told you I wouldn’t let you get hurt there.”
He paused. “You are fine… right?”
Honeydew still did not speak. Her brow furrowed and she chewed her lip, avoiding eye contact with the pony in front of her.
“Uh…” Scuffle continued, growing increasingly uncomfortable, “so does that mean you are or you’re not or—”
And then Honeydew reared up, threw her forelegs around the colt, and began sobbing into his shoulder. Scuffle stiffened, his expression panicked.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Honeydew inhaled sharply, trying to hold back another sob. “I just… you just… oh Scuffle, I’m sorry…”
Honeydew resumed sobbing while Scuffle, looking bewildered, gently patted her. “Sorry for what?” he asked after a minute.
“For… everything!” Honeydew wailed. “Just look at you! You’re hurt and it’s my fault and you’re not even mad at me and I’m a terrible friend!”
Scuffle’s eyes widened. “We’re friends?” he asked disbelievingly. “But you said we were ‘polite acquaintances’.”
Honeydew fell silent. She quickly backed off and stared at the ground, shuffling a hoof shyly.
“That is what I said,” she murmured. “It was because, well… because I didn’t trust you. I admit it. Even after what I said to you when we were in Whinnychester, I’ve just been quietly waiting, thinking the day was coming where you’d reveal you’d only been hanging out with us for your own gain, somehow. But now you went and stood up to your brothers, the only ponies whose opinion I thought you did care about, just to protect Dinky and Clarity and me. Now I’m just feeling guilty that I didn’t realize you were sincere any earlier…”
The filly squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the sobs to subside. Scuffle hesitated a moment longer, and glanced at Dinky and Clarity, who simultaneously responded with helpless shrugs.
“It’s… not that big a deal, Honeydew,” he said slowly. “You don’t have to be upset. I’m not mad or anything. In fact I’m surprised Dinky and Clarity didn’t do the same thing you did. I was kind of a pain in the flank earlier this term.”
Scuffle’s attempts to comfort Honeydew only seemed to distress her further. She shuddered and took a step back, still facing the dirt floor.
The colt snorted and trotted brusquely forward, closing the gap between himself and the crying filly. She did not acknowledge him directly, but she seemed to shrink down as if cowering in fear.
“Honeydew, come on,” he said again.
A whimper was the only reply.
Scuffle’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. Maybe this will help.”
The colt stretched out a forehoof, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then pulled Honeydew into a firm hug. The filly’s tear-filled eyes flew open and she blinked in shock.
For several seconds, nopony moved. From Dinky’s perspective, Honeydew appeared to be deciding what to do next. After what felt like an eternity but was in reality only a few moments, she slowly closed her eyes again and returned the embrace.
“Th-thanks,” she managed, hiccupping away the last few sobs. “Is… is it too late to accept your offer for friendship for real this time?”
Scuffle shook his head, giving Honeydew a genuine smile. “Of course not. Does this mean you trust me for real this time?”
“Mhmm,” Honeydew replied as she wiped her eyes with the side of a hoof.
Scuffle’s smile was replaced by his usual smirk. “Which means I can call you Dewey again, right?”
Honeydew pouted at the mention of the nickname, but a moment later, the miffed expression was replaced with a giggle. “Aw, alright, fine,” she conceded, grinning and swishing her tail. “I guess I don’t mind that as much as I acted like I did.”
The filly turned back to Dinky and Clarity. “Do you think it’s safe to head back to the Academy now?” she asked, cocking her head slightly.
“I think so,” Dinky decided. “Come on, let’s go get dinner. It’s been a long day.”
Dinky and Clarity led the way out of the hollow. Honeydew sent Scuffle a small, grateful smile before trotting along after her friends.
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Scuffle’s predictions had been correct. The next day, the whole school was abuzz with stories of Scorch and Frosty’s super spell, and how they and they alone had been responsible for turning part of the forest into a smoldering crater. Both colts had been given daily detention for the remainder of the term, which, of course, they both wore as a badge of honor rather than viewed as a punishment.
October arrived, and chillier weather came with it. With Scorpio’s Apex little more than a month away, Dinky began to feel more confident than Sunbeam’s plans had failed. Without the dark enchantments constantly plaguing her, Dinky found it fairly easy to resist the impulse to cast dark spells. Scuffle and Honeydew’s friendship seemed to be genuine for the first time as well, and Dinky reveled in the dissolution of tension in the group, assuming her friends were doing the same.
As the last month of term drew closer, it seemed everyone and everything was looking up, with the exception of one small, furry, orange creature in the fillies’ dormitory.
“Is he looking any better?” Honeydew asked as Dinky gently petted the fox’s head.
Dinky shook her head, her tail drooping sadly. “If anything he’s getting slowly worse. I don’t know what else to do for him. I sent Clarity out to—”
Dinky was cut off as the dormitory door swung open and Clarity entered, carrying a small box in her aura. “I brought some food,” she announced. “I couldn’t gather too much since it was almost curfew, but I got enough. Mostly just berries stuff, but I did find a bird’s nest on the edge of the forest. Trouble likes eggs, right?”
“Of course,” Honeydew replied, peering into Clarity’s box. “I’ve gathered them for him before. He seems to think they’re quite a treat.”
“Just bring ‘em over here, Clarity,” Dinky said, gesturing toward herself. “And don’t forget to close the door. We don’t want Sparkler to see—”
“Want me to see what?”
Dinky jumped and quickly positioned herself between Trouble’s small bed and the door. Clarity and Honeydew rushed to her sides, forming a living barrier concealing the fox from view as Sparkler appeared in the doorway.
“I heard my name,” Sparkler grumbled, eyeing the fillies suspiciously. “Are you three up to no good again?”
The fillies shook their heads in unison. “We were just, uh, planning something,” Dinky said quickly. “An… an enchantment!”
“Yeah, and we want to keep it a secret until it’s done,” Clarity added. “We want the effect to be a surprise and, you know, since you’re such a master of enchantments and all, you’d figure out how it works before we could finish if we showed you now.”
Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “What about you?” she asked, looking at Honeydew. “Are you in on this little project?”
Honeydew failed to make eye contact, but she nodded. Sparkler’s eyes narrowed but she did not move.
“Alright, just stay out of trouble,” she said slowly, giving her tail an agitated flick. “I’m not sure I entirely trust you three…”
She turned to go. Before she could take a step, Trouble sneezed.
Sparkler froze. Slowly, she turned back and glared at the three very nervous looking fillies.
“Move.”
Dinky blinked. “Pardon me?”
“Get up,” Sparkler commanded. “All three of you. Now.”
Biting her lip, Dinky slowly rose to her hooves. Trying not to look too ashamed, she trotted slowly toward Sparkler, with her friends following behind. Sparkler strode past them and stared into the cardboard box. She was quiet for a long moment.
“I’d ask you why you’re keeping a fox in your room,” she began acidly, “but I’m not sure I need to. There’s no loophole in the school rules under any circumstances that would allow you to keep a wild animal in your dormitory.”
Purple magic surrounded the box. Sparkler lifted it into the air with Trouble still inside and marched angrily toward the door.
“Sparkler, wait,” Clarity urged.
“You three are in for it this time,” Sparkler sneered, ignoring the younger filly. “I’m taking this filthy creature back outside where he belongs, and then you three are coming with me to pay the dean a little visit. I imagine she won’t be pleased, especially with Dinky, who’s been in more than her share of trouble this term.”
“But—”
“Wait here,” Sparkler commanded, her voice rising. “Disobey and you’ll all be in even bigger trouble.”
The overseer stormed off down the stairs. Dinky and her friends exchanged a shocked glance.
“Now what?” Honeydew asked, shivering.
“I’m going to stop her,” Dinky said suddenly, snorting and trotting out into the hallway.
“Dinky, no!” Clarity pleaded. “Sparkler said—”
“I know what she said,” Dinky replied, “but the dean’s ready to expel me for the smallest infraction. I’ve already got nothing to lose, and Trouble needs my help. You two should stay here, but I’m gonna follow Sparkler.”
Clarity pondered this for a moment, then slowly nodded. “I guess you have a point…” she admitted. “Honeydew and I will wait here.”
“Um… good luck,” Honeydew added.
“Thanks. I think I’m gonna need it,” Dinky replied. Wasting no more time, she galloped down the stairs after the overseer.
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Dinky scrambled into the tower lounge just as Sparkler was about to exit.
“Wait! Sparkler!”
The older filly halted and glared at Dinky. “I told you to stay in your room!” she snarled.
Dinky defiantly returned the glare. “Not this time. I need to talk to you.”
“And I have nothing to say to you!” Sparkler snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t even be here. You shouldn’t have returned after the dark magic incident. The dean says Princess Celestia doesn’t blame you, but this time, you are breaking the rules, and you know it. Do you deny that?”
“No, I don’t.”
Sparkler opened her mouth to snap back, but nothing came out. She closed it again, surprised.
“Wait, you don’t?”
“No,” Dinky repeated. “We had a reason for what we did of course, but yes, we were breaking the rules. I can at least tell you why though, if you just let me explain—”
“I’m not interested in anything you have to say!” Sparkler snapped back. “I’m going to the dean and getting you shipped out of here on the first train home.”
She glanced at Trouble’s box and scowled. “Or I will, as soon as I toss this filthy critter out in the woods where he belongs.”
“No!” Dinky insisted. “He needs us! He’s really sick. We’re just trying to take care of him!”
“I don’t care,” Sparkler huffed, turning up her nose as she opened the door with magic.
Dinky felt her face contort into a snarl. “So you’re going to leave him out there to die just because he can’t stay in the residence tower? Can’t you find some other safe place for him?”
Sparkler turned away, ignoring Dinky as she prepared to step outside.
“Well fine!” Dinky snapped, growing angrier. “Go ahead, toss him out and ignore him. You don’t care about him, just like you don’t care about any of the students you’re supposed to look after. You just suck up to the dean because you don’t give a flying feather about anypony but yourself!”
Sparkler froze a step away from the door, and suddenly slammed it so hard Dinky swore the whole stone tower shook on its foundation. Slowly, she turned, and the younger filly was startled by her expression. There was a fire in Sparkler’s eyes unlike anything she’d ever seen.
“Don’t you ever say that to me again,” the overseer hissed, advancing toward Dinky and setting Trouble’s box aside. “I saved your miserable little life from your own deadly spell a few months ago. As an overseer, I will stand firm against rule breakers, troublemakers, and even threats to my sanity like you and your friends, but I will not tolerate that kind of insult to my character!”
Dinky recoiled, caught for a moment as her own fury battled her instinct to cower before Sparkler’s wrath. She glimpsed Trouble, struggling to roll over in the box behind the overseer, and her anger won out.
“Why not?” she shot back. “You’ve never given me an ounce of respect! Why should I give you any?”
Sparkler’s horn flared, casting shadows that danced and writhed like demons on the walls of the lounge. “You want to know why?” she roared. “You will keep your mouth shut because… because…”
Dinky was too caught up in her rage to back off. “Because why?” she taunted, half expecting Sparkler to blast her with magic.
“Because… because you might be right.”
It was not the answer Dinky had expected. Sparkler’s magic fizzled and died, and with it, something else seemed to wither inside the young mare. Her tail drooped, her shoulders slumped, and the fiery light faded from her eyes.
“W-what?” Dinky stuttered.
Sparkler said nothing. Trudging along with her head held so low that it nearly scraped the ground, she disappeared into her bedroom, gently pulling the door shut behind her. It didn’t latch properly, but no move was made to correct that.
An oppressive silence fell over the room. All the aggression had drained from Dinky in barely an instant, replaced with confusion and shock. The filly glanced back and forth between Trouble’s box and Sparkler’s door. After briefly making sure Trouble was still safe and comfortable, she carefully opened the door to the older filly’s room.
Sparkler was lying in her bed, her head pressed face-down in the pillow. Periodically, she twitched, convulsing with what Dinky could only assume were muted sobs.
“Sparkler?”
Sparkler lifted her head, making no attempt to hide her tears. “Now what? You win. Go away. I don’t… I don’t want to deal with you anymore…”
There was no malice in the overseer’s voice. Her speaking was strained, and her gaze, Dinky thought, was like that of an animal that feared being struck. Compassion and regret welled up in the younger filly.
I… I actually hurt her…
“Sparkler, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “You’re right, maybe I—”
“Please,” Sparkler choked out. “Go away, just go. I… I need to think…”
Dinky hesitated. “Do you wanna talk?” she asked quietly. “There won’t be any accusations. No anger, no arguing. I’ve spent all year trying to understand you, and now it seems like you might be trying to understand yourself. Maybe you could clear things up for both of us.”
Sparkler hiccupped and wiped her eyes, looking at Dinky skeptically. “M-maybe…” she conceded. “Close the door though.”
Dinky shut the door and then climbed onto the bed next to her overseer.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Sparkler said, in barely more than a whisper. “Everything you do gets under my skin. I don’t think half of it is even intentional, honestly. Why, of all ponies, was it a filly like you who figured out how to break me?”
“I don’t understand,” Dinky admitted. “I have been in a lot of trouble this term, but why do you take it as personal attack when I don’t get expelled? All I have to go on it something you said months ago about how everything works out for me and not you. What makes you think that?”
Sparkler gave Dinky a blank expression. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve gotten pretty lucky this term. Anypony else would have been out of here long ago.”
“True,” said Dinky, “but why does that make you jealous? I haven’t been having good things happen to me. I’ve just been avoiding bad ones. Is that somehow better than your term has been?”
Sparkler’s chin dropped to the pillow. “That’s better than my whole life has been,” she grumbled, turning away.
“How so?”
Sparkler groaned. She looked at Dinky again, knitting her brow. Finally, she heaved a long sigh.
“I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
“Well, some part of you must know why,” Dinky pressed. “There’s got to be a reason you shut everypony out all the time.”
Sparkler cringed. “There is. But you’re the last pony I’d have thought I’d even tell that story to.”
Dinky rubbed one forehoof against the other shyly, staring at the bed sheets. “Well, I—”
“But I’ll tell you anyway,” Sparkler interrupted, “if only to get you to leave me alone.”
She sat up and scowled. “Knowing you, you’ll find a way to use it to make things worse for me, though.”
“I won’t!” Dinky insisted. “If I actually know how I’m upsetting you, I can try not to do it anymore.”
“Whatever,” Sparkler mumbled. “It’s simple. Keeping to myself is the only way to protect my vulnerabilities. Nopony can hurt or upset me if they have no way to target my weaknesses.”
She sighed. “Well, nopony except you, apparently…”
Dinky blinked. “You… you cut yourself off from everypony because you’re worried anypony who gets to know you will just take advantage of it? That’s a terrible way to live!”
Sparkler glared at Dinky. “I thought you said ‘no accusations’,” she growled back.
Dinky gasped softly, covering her mouth with her forehooves. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’ll just listen.”
Sparkler narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand why I do it, anyway,” she continued. “My mother’s been through what I’m trying to avoid. She trusted somepony. She let him into her life. And then he left before I was born.”
She looked away. “I never knew my father,” she whispered. “All I knew was a mother hurt in a way she could never recover from. She’s always told me the only way to be happy is to protect myself like this, so nopony would be able to step into my life and then shatter it from the inside.”
Sparkler’s melancholy seemed to only be growing as she spoke. “That’s why I reacted how I did to what you said,” she managed, wiping her watery eyes. “To call me self-centered is to compare me to my father, and I can’t… I can’t become him. I do everything I can to keep ponies like him away from me, even if it means keeping everypony else away as well…”
The overseer trailed off and said nothing for some time. Dinky decided to chance speaking again.
“I know how hard it can be.”
Sparkler grunted, lifting her face out of the pillow for a moment. “No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” Dinky insisted. “My dad died when I was an infant. My mom’s spent years putting all her time and effort into supporting me, and I had to learn all my magic from a tutor because he wasn’t there to teach me. I know firsthoof how hard it is.”
Sparkler’s mouth hung open a bit. “Really?”
Dinky nodded. “Sometimes you act like you’re the only pony who’s dealt with hardship, so… I thought you should know.”
There was something in Sparkler’s expression Dinky had never seen before, but she couldn’t tell what it was. “I see,” the overseer mumbled. “You usually seem… pretty happy, all things considered.”
Dinky nodded. “Maybe closing yourself off from everypony is one solution, but it’s probably not the best one, and it’s certainly not the only one,” she began. “My friend Honeydew, for example, was scared of everypony when she first arrived here. She didn't want to open up to Clarity and me at first, but if she hadn't, she might have spent the whole year by herself, keeping away from crowds and hiding in her room whenever she could. She knows even better than me that it's hard to take that step, but it can be worth it. After all, I can’t help but notice that your defense against being miserable is, well… making you pretty miserable.”
Sparkler continued to stare dully at Dinky, her chin still against the sheets. “Nope, I’m fine,” she grumbled. “Everything’s peachy, except when you’re around.”
Dinky shook her head. “Maybe you don’t mind blocking most ponies out, but I’ve been getting the feeling there’s one pony you’d really like in your life. And I think I finally understand it. You’ve only been pushing him away because you feel like you have to.”
Sparkler paled. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dinky opened her mouth, but Sparkler covered it with a hoof. “That’s enough,” she said, sounding firm but surprisingly unaggressive. “I don’t want to talk about Pr… um, about him…”
Dinky nodded as Sparkler took her hoof away. “Well then, let me just say something of my own” she said softly. “I know it won’t mean much to you, but I think having ponies you’re close to is worth the risk.”
Sparkler said nothing, so Dinky continued. “In the short time I’ve been here at the Academy, I’ve made some amazing friends, and I have some back at home that are just as special to me.”
She removed the diamond pendant from around her neck. “I made this earlier in the term,” she explained. “It’s enchanted so that it interacts with the one my best friend back in Ponyville has.”
Sparkler looked intrigued. “May I see?” she asked, extending a forehoof.
Dinky placed the pendant in Sparkler’s hoof. “Just think about it,” she suggested. “If life is this hard on you, maybe your mom’s not right after all. Maybe you should try opening up, even if just to a few ponies.”
“You’re starting to sound like you’re babying me,” Sparkler said bitterly. “You’ve given your advice. I’ll be deciding by myself whether you’ve got a point, or if you’re just crazy.”
The overseer tapped the tip of her hoof against Dinky’s pendant, irritated. “Listen,” she continued. “I’ll cut you a deal this time. The dean doesn’t have to know what happened with that fox.”
Dinky’s eyes widened. “Really?” she gasped, getting to her hooves and wagging her tail excitedly. “So does this mean you and I can… sorta start fresh?”
“No,” Sparkler deadpanned. “And you still need to take the fox somewhere other than this tower. It’s dangerous to keep it here, and I’ll be the one in trouble if anypony were to find out I let it slide. I don’t care what you do with it, but it can’t stay.”
“But—”
“Go upstairs and get your friends,” Sparkler commanded. “You don’t have to leave the thing to die if you can find another solution, but it’s not staying here. That’s final.”
Dinky’s ears drooped. “Yes, Sparkler. I’ll be right back.”
Sparkler watched as the filly darted from the room. She sighed to herself and looked down, realizing Dinky had left the pendant in her hoof.
It’s enchanted so that it interacts with the one my best friend back in Ponyville has…
Sparkler listened closely, but the sound of Dinky’s hoofsteps had already vanished as she made her way up the stairs.
Should I…?
Sparkler looked left and right, as if expecting somepony to be watching, even in the privacy of her bedroom. Her horn glowed, and the pendant was lifted into the air and surrounded with purple light. The diamond in the center shone brilliantly violet for a few seconds, and then the light vanished, leaving the accessory looking exactly as it had.
Sparkler smirked to herself. Just in case…
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With her pendant back around her neck and her friends trotting closely behind, Dinky made her way slowly towards the forest, carefully holding Trouble’s makeshift bed level in her aura.
“So Sparkler actually didn’t try to get you expelled?” Clarity asked, astonished.
Dinky shook her head. “No, she uh… well…”
The filly paused. “It's kinda private. I'll, uh, tell you a little about it later..."
“But… what do we do with Trouble now?” Honeydew asked softly.
“That’s what we need to figure out,” Dinky said. “We can’t keep him in the dorm anymore, and I’m not sure how long he’ll last back out here.”
“Maybe we can ask Scuffle to smuggle him into his dorm!” Clarity suggested. “Presto seems a lot less suspicious; maybe we’d be able to hide him there.”
“That sounds a little risky,” Honeydew said. “If Presto did find Trouble, and word got back to Sparkler, we’d be in more trouble.”
“Not to mention Trouble’s probably better off out here than in Scuffle’s hooves,” Dinky joked, earning a chuckle from her friends.
The three fillies trotted into the forest and made their way to the hideout. Clarity lit the illumination orb and Dinky set Trouble’s box in the spot where the fox usually preferred to rest. He lifted his head and glanced around briefly, gave a little squeak of recognition, and lay back down again.
“We can’t just leave him here, can we?” Honeydew asked.
“For tonight, we have to,” Dinky admitted. “It’s after curfew. Sparkler’s waiting for us at the entrance and if we aren’t back in a few minutes she’ll come looking.”
“But… but…” Honeydew stammered, searching for a counterargument.
Clarity nuzzled Honeydew softly. “We’ll figure something out tomorrow. Trouble can manage a night without us. We gave him a meal and some blankets, now the best thing to do is let him rest here.”
Honeydew sighed, nodding. “And… maybe the fresh air will do him some good anyway,” she added, although it didn’t sound like she was particularly confident in what she was saying.
“Exactly!” Clarity affirmed. “Don’t let it worry you too much.”
Dinky trotted over and petted Trouble gently. The fox feebly rolled over, gazing up at the filly affectionately despite his poor condition.
“Don’t worry,” Dinky said quietly. “We’ll find a way to help you soon. I promise.”
The purple filly extinguished the light and followed her friends out of the hollow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The walls of the strange room were tinted with blue, just as before. Mist poured down the walls and rippled across the floor. Dinky stood alone in the silence.
“This again?” she asked aloud, sounding more exasperated than concerned. “It’s been a while since you tried this one, Sunbeam. It’s not going to work.”
The filly cast the beam of light from her horn around the cave, searching. “Princess Luna!” she called. “Sunbeam’s trying to mess with me again. Take care of that, please.”
Dinky waited, expecting Luna to appear in the darkness just as she always did. For a moment, all she heard was the sound of her voice echoing into the distance.
And Dinky waited. And waited. But Luna did not appear.
“Princess Luna?” she asked again, uncertain. “Hello? Are you here?”
“I’m afraid the princess isn’t available this evening, no she is not,” came a voice. “But fortunately, Dinky, I’m here to keep you company.”
A blurry but familiar figure appeared at the limit of Dinky’s vision. Dinky instinctively took a few steps back, but her backside collided with a wall within just a few paces. Trying to regain her compsure, or at least fake it, she stood still and faced her foe, knowing if she appeared intimidated, it would only serve to delight him.
“Now isn’t this an interesting encounter,” Sunbeam said, approaching Dinky very slowly. “Clearly, you’re dreaming again, exploring the strange crevasses of your own mind, yet dear Luna is not here to stand guard, no she is not. It was unwise of her to leave her post; why, any old troublemaking pony could sneak in and wreak havoc with her gone, yes they could.”
“Luna’s kept you from getting to me in my dreams plenty of times before,” Dinky said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “I’m sure she’s just running late, that’s all.”
Subeam laughed softly. “I admire your confidence, yes I do, but I can assure you, this time Luna will not be coming to your aid.”
“How do you know?” Dinky asked. “Luna can watch my dreams. What reason do I have to believe you could enter this one without her noticing?”
Sunbeam chuckled. “It’s so entertaining watching you think your plans are foolproof,” he mused. “Even Princess Luna is not infallible. Once you enlisted her help in watching over you, all I had to do was find a way to… cloud her vision.”
“How’d you do that?”
“I’m glad you asked, yes I am,” Sunbeam replied, sounding genuinely pleased. “As you’ve already guessed, the dark energy that taints you is the anchor I use to exert my power over you.”
“So?” Dinky asked, her nervously twitching tail betraying her unconcerned expression. “Even if I am corrupted enough that you can break into my dreams, it doesn’t explain why Princess Luna can’t just kick you out again.”
“Princess Luna can’t do a thing if she can’t sense your dream,” Sunbeam said, grinning. “At the time you told her of your concerns, your mind was still pure enough that Luna was able to easily see inside, yes she was, and know when to intervene and remove threats like me. I was powerless to use the dream intrusion method to get to you with her standing guard, yes I was, so I turned my attention to that problem first.”
Dinky pondered this for a second. Her eyes widened. “The dark enchantments…” she mumbled. “Each time I got close to one of those, it affected me, didn’t it?”
“Quite right!” Sunbeam said gleefully. “Surely you realized, especially when you were foolish enough to touch one, that that was their purpose. Such traps are minor and inefficient, yes they are, so I had to set quite a few of them over a considerable length of time. Of course, you eventually found a way to disarm them, and for that I have to give you credit, yes I do. But by that time, the damage had been done. Or at least, most of it had.”
Dinky raised an eyebrow. “Most of it?”
Sunbeam suddenly lurched forward, and Dinky cried out and shielded herself with a forehoof. The colt backed off again, laughing, and Dinky blushed upon realizing she’d fallen for the feint.
“You still weren’t quite ready for me to visit you here again,” Sunbeam said once he had ceased his chuckling. “I had to wait a little while. Now that Scorpio’s Apex is less than a month away, your corruption is intensifying, yes it is.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Dinky lied, trying to buy more time in case Luna might still arrive. “It’s been easy to prevent myself from outbursts of dark magic. If this is as bad as it gets, you might as well give up on this plan of yours, Sunbeam.”
Rather than frustrated, Sunbeam looked amused. “If this was as bad as it gets, do you really think I’d be here tonight?” he asked. “I was simply waiting for the right moment, yes I was, and tonight is that moment. Although you may not be aware of it during your waking hours, the darkness building inside you has become hearty and strong, yes it has. So much so that if, say, Princess Luna were to glance into your dreams, all she’d see is a shroud of black. She’d assume you were peacefully in a dreamless sleep, yes she would, and go about her business.”
He leaned closer, swishing his tail as his nose approached Dinky’s. “And now that she’s out of the way, nopony will stop me from doing what I came here to do…”
Dinky broke her stance and launched a punch at Sunbeam’s nose, just as she had in her last encounter with him, but her hoof had hardly left the ground before he was halfway across the room. She hadn’t even seen him move.
“Forget it, Dinky,” Sunbeam laughed. “That may work in the waking world, but in this place, I am the one in control, yes I am.”
Dinky quickly moved away from the wall she was backed against now that she had some space, eyeing Sunbeam warily and moving away each time he made to approach her.
“You’re wasting your time,” Sunbeam said finally, examining a hoof in mock-boredom. “You know you’re powerless to escape, yes you do. And you know that nopony is coming to your rescue. If you don’t give up on this little game of yours, I’m going to grow bored and end it myself, yes I am.”
“Oh really?” Dinky asked defiantly. “You’re bluffing. You can’t do anything to corrupt me if I don’t make myself vulnerable by tapping into my magic!”
Sunbeam blinked, looking genuinely confused. “You seriously think that’s how this works?” he asked, dumbfounded. “I’ve merely been biding my time to see if you had some more substantial means of escaping or fighting back, yes I have. If your whole plan is simply to keep your magic dormant, I’ll tend to the problem myself, yes I will.”
Dinky froze. “You can do that?”
Sunbeam scoffed. “It’s almost pitiful that you thought I couldn’t. But oh well. On with the show.”
Sunbeam’s horn shimmered and lit up with dark magic. To Dinky’s dismay, she felt a sensation rather like somepony had tied a rope around her skull and was trying to extract it through her horn. Her composure slipped away immediately as the feeling quickly became alarmingly painful. The filly cried out, sinking to the ground and clutching her head.
“Stop… please…” she whimpered, forcing a watery eye open to look imploringly at Sunbeam.
“You know how to make it stop,” the colt replied indifferently. “Relieve the pressure, or the pain will only get worse.”
Sobbing, Dinky focused through the pain and created a spark within her horn. It was as if a dam burst inside her head; the magic went black instantly and spilled out, building up repeatedly and firing off in periodic bursts that ricocheted off the uneven walls.
Sunbeam stood, watching silently. “Just give in,” he said, his voice oddly soothing. “You can’t turn back, no you cannot. Slip into the darkness.”
“Why do you want this?” Dinky croaked. “How does it help you to corrupt me?”
Sunbeam smiled, and again, seemed almost friendly. “Because I need your help, Dinky Doo. I need another wraith, and soon, yes I do. You’re going to be that wraith. The day is approaching when you’ll see why.”
Sunbeam’s horn glowed brighter, and Dinky found herself unable to resist shooting forth dark magic with even greater intensity. She closed her eyes, defeated and terrified.
Suddenly, a deafening blast reverberated through the room, followed by a pained grunt from Sunbeam. Dinky’s eyes shot open as she felt the pressure in her head vanish.
“Princess Luna?” Better late than never I suppose.
The filly tried to see the pony in front of her, but her vision was still clouded with purple mist and flooded with tears. All she could tell was that the new pony that had attacked Sunbeam wasn’t Princess Luna at all; it was a stallion.
“You again!” Sunbeam roared. “The darkness keeps the princess out, yes it does! Why doesn’t it stop you?”
“Dinky, listen to me,” said the stallion, ignoring Sunbeam completely. “You can get out of this. You can wake yourself up.”
Dinky recognized the voice. It was the same stallion who had rescued her the first time Sunbeam had entered her dreams. “How do I do that?” she asked, still trying and failing to clear her vision.
“Forget I’m here,” the voice replied. “Forget Sunbeam’s here, too. I’ll take care of him. Picture yourself in your bed, wrapped in your covers, safe in your tower at school.”
“But—”
“He’s in your mind, kid!” the stallion said again. “You can beat him, but you gotta take back control of what’s yours. Even his magic can’t keep you from doing that if you can just focus!”
Dinky gave up on trying to see the stallion through the chaos and her own blurred vision. She closed her eyes, and did her best to ignore Sunbeam’s cries of anger and the sounds of battle around her, as well as the now dulled pounding in her head.
I’m in bed. I’m under the covers. This is my dream, not his dungeon. Focus and everything will be just—
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“…fine…” Dinky mumbled, opening her eyes. Silence surrounded her, broken occasionally by Clarity’s familiar snoring.
Dinky smelled something strange. She glanced at her pillow, and cringed when she saw the fabric had been blackened, no doubt by another fit of dark magic she’d had while asleep. Exhausted and disoriented, the filly flipped the pillow over, hiding the damaged part, and placed her head back down, Sunbeam’s screams and the stallion’s voice still echoing in her mind.
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“You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine, Honeydew.”
“N-no, I don’t think you are, Dinky…”
Dinky sighed and glanced at her reflection in a window as she and Honeydew made their way to class. Her mane was disheveled, her posture drooped, and the dark circles under her eyes did nothing to help her image.
“I just… didn’t sleep well,” she mumbled. “Bad dreams.”
“Mm,” Honeydew responded, not looking convinced. “You gonna be okay for Magical Biology class?”
“I’ll be fine.”
The fillies walked in silence for a few minutes. As they neared the classroom, Honeydew unexpectedly turned down a narrow hall, away from their destination.
“Where are you going?” Dinky asked.
Honeydew looked away and swished her tail shyly. “Um… come here please, Dinky.”
Dinky paused, furrowing her brow as other students trotted around her towards the classroom. After a moment, she stepped aside into the unoccupied hall with Honeydew.
“Everything okay?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s dark magic again, isn’t it?” Honeydew said levelly, staring at her friend with concern.
“I… how’d you know?”
“You look more than just tired,” Honeydew admitted. “You look… worn. Like you’ve been struggling. Why didn’t you tell Clarity and me?”
“There’s no point in me making you two worry more,” Dinky replied. “I’m going to talk to Princess Luna again tonight to figure out how to handle this. Just… don’t let yourself get too upset. The princess will help me keep it under control."
Honeydew sighed and nodded. “Just don’t let it get out of hand,” she advised, nuzzling Dinky gently. “Scorpio’s zodiac period is almost here. You have to be careful.”
“I’m doing my best,” Dinky said, returning the gesture. “Now come on, we’re going to be late.”
The fillies trotted into the classroom, and immediately Dinky noticed something different. The garden of exotic plants along the room’s glass wall was obscured by a number of cages and containers, holding a host of chattering creatures from the forest. Cornelius fluttered from cage to cage, trying to quiet the cacophony.
Professor Chestnut entered from a side door. The mare was wearing a vest that nicely complimented her wide sun hat.
“There you are!” Cornelius squawked, darting over to take his usual spot on the brim of the mare’s hat. “I’ve been trying to get these uncultured vermin of yours to quiet down so you can teach.”
The professor smiled softly. “Don’t worry, Cornelius. The animals will quiet down once we give them some attention.”
“Oh yeah, the animals,” Cornelius said ponderously. “Yeah, they’ve been noisy too.”
Professor Chestnut rolled her eyes and trotted to the front of the room.
“Good morning!” she called, speaking loudly over the din of the animals. “As I’m sure most of you have already deduced, today we’re doing something a little different. For most of the term, our studies have focused on spells and potions relating to plants. We’ve still only scratched the surface of that subject, but now that there’s barely a month left in the term, I think it’s only fair we take an introductory look at animals, too.”
“For whatever reason, the professor doesn’t seem to think I’m the pinnacle of all animal specimens,” Cornelius complained, “so we rounded up this flea-bitten pack of critters instead.”
Professor Chestnut ignored him and continued. “Although animals are wildly different than plants, in order to involve them in our magic effectively, we must begin the same way we did with plants: by forming a connection with them.”
“Yeah, most of ‘em are too dumb to talk, so you gotta use that wacky mind-link stuff you unicorns do,” Cornelius clarified.
“Now, most animals aren’t as intelligent as Cornelius,” Professor Chestnut continued, earning a pleased nod from the bird, “but they are still capable of learning and innovating and even forming the basis of culture. They are close enough to ponies that all three pony races can become quite proficient at connecting with them. As we’re all unicorns here, our first choice for doing so is, of course, a spell.”
Dinky glanced at Honeydew. The pink filly was paying close attention to the professor’s words, hurriedly scribbling down everything she said. It occurred to Dinky that Honeydew’s background and special talent had given her a head start in magic with plants, but when it came to animals, she was just as new to the subject as Dinky.
“To your left, we have a collection of animals and birds I’ve gathered from the grounds,” the professor said, wandering over to the group of enclosures. “Much like on the first day of class, your task will be to form a connection with a specimen. You probably won’t be able to command an animal to do what you want, nor should you do that, but forming that magical mental connection is essential in establishing cooperation with an animal. All other animal related magic stems from there.”
“Now get your furry backsides over here so we can assign you an animal partner,” Cornelius commanded.
The students all stood. Honeydew gave Dinky a nudge. The purple filly looked at her curiously.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner,” Honeydew whispered. “Stay behind after class; you and I need to talk to Professor Chestnut about something.”
Dinky glanced at the animals again and realized what Honeydew meant. She nodded briefly, and the fillies trotted forward to begin their practice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Professor.”
“Yes Cornelius?”
“Your favorite student is here.”
Professor Chestnut turned around, and blinked in surprise when she realized Honeydew and Dinky were behind her.
“Oh, Honeydew, you really must learn to speak up!” the mare laughed. “I didn’t even realize you’d stayed behind.”
“That’s okay, professor,” Honeydew replied. “Dinky and I just had a question for you.”
Professor Chestnut chuckled. “My lessons by themselves are never enough for you, are they, Honeydew?” she laughed. “What is it you’d like to know?”
“Well, I know we’ve only just begun to study animals,” Honeydew began, “but I was wondering if you know of any healing spells for them.”
Cornelius gave a low whistle. Professor Chestnut looked surprised.
“Well, it depends. What do you need such a spell for?”
“There’s a fox in the forest who’s very sick,” Dinky explained. “I know it’s unusual, but he’s friendly, and we want to help him before he gets worse.”
“Can you help him?” Honeydew pleaded.
The professor tapped a hoof to her chin. “Well, I would, but there’s one little problem,” she admitted. “Healing spells are often… complicated.”
“You’re a professor, though,” Dinky pointed out. “You’d be one of the few ponies that can do complicated spells, right?”
“Brilliant deduction, kid,” Cornelius mumbled.
Professor Chestnut shook her head. “I’m afraid you don’t understand what I mean by complicated,” she replied. “In order for powerful healing spells to work properly, the caster and the patient have to have a special connection.”
“Can’t you just magically connect with the animal, like you showed us today?” Honeydew asked, cocking her head.
“That’s only part of it,” the mare answered. “The connection I’m talking about is more significant; there has to be a deep trust and caring between the caster and the patient. This fox may have seen me once or twice, but it would probably be skittish around me at best. I’m afraid any healing spell I cast on it would do nearly nothing.”
Dinky frowned, ears drooping. “Well, thanks anyway. Maybe we’ll find another way to—”
“Dinky,” Honeydew interrupted, being more direct than usual, “maybe you can cast the spell. Trouble seems to trust you a lot.”
“You could try,” Professor Chestnut agreed. “I’ll show you how to do the spell, but actually replicating it properly will be up to you.”
Dinky lit her horn. “I’m ready!” she announced. “Show me what I need to do.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next afternoon, Dinky, Clarity, Honeydew, and Scuffle climbed down the earthen tunnel into their hideout. Trouble rolled over in his box when the illumination orb was lit, looking up at the foals with cloudy eyes.
“Hey Trouble,” Clarity said softly, trotting over and stroking the fox behind the ears. “We’re here to help you.”
Scuffle peeked into the box. He furrowed his brow when he saw how bony and unkempt Trouble had become. “Hey, Dinks,” he commented, “no pressure or anything, but you might be this poor guy’s last chance.”
“Don’t make her nervous,” Honeydew scolded, poking Scuffle with her nose to nudge him away from the box.
Dinky stepped forward, and Trouble squirmed on his tiny blanket upon seeing her.
“I guess this one’s up to you, Dinky,” Clarity said, brushing a loose strand of her mane out of her eyes.
“I think she can do it,” Honeydew said optimistically. “Professor Chestnut clearly explained what needs to be done, and worked with Dinky for quite a while on practicing it.”
Clarity smirked. “Dinky has always been good at picking up on new spells very quickly…”
“Alright, stay quiet,” Dinky instructed. “I’m going to give it a try.”
Clarity stepped back to join Honeydew and Scuffle, and Dinky focused on the sick fox staring up at her. She closed her eyes and flattened her ears against her head, trying to block out any outward sensations, and then lit her horn.
Silence fell. Dinky could soon sense the energy of the ponies behind her, but she focused instead on the flicker of consciousness that clearly belonged to Trouble, and reached out to it.
The filly felt her mind touch Trouble’s. The fox seemed to sense her arrival and tensed up, trying to shut her out.
“Trouble, it’s me,” she mumbled, refusing to break the connection. “I’m here to help. Please try to relax.”
Dinky doubted her words meant anything to the fox, but she sent the same message in pure feeling through her spell. Gradually, Trouble allowed the filly’s mind access to his. As she strengthened the bond, though, waves of weakness and pain radiated from Trouble’s psyche, nearly breaking her concentration.
Boy, you’re not doing well at all, are you? she thought. Let me see if I can fix that.
Dinky tried to call forth healing magic as Professor Chestnut had shown her, but was unable to bring it into her horn. Trouble remained too wary.
Trouble, come on! she urged wordlessly. I can make you better, but you’ve got to trust me. You’ve got to let me in!
Trouble’s feelings of apprehension didn’t waver. Soon, the exertion of the failing spell and the manifestation of Trouble’s illness that Dinky felt through the mind link grew to be too much. Sighing, she was forced to break the connection.
“What’s wrong?” Honeydew asked as the light around Dinky’s horn went out.
“Trouble’s still wary,” Dinky explained. “I can’t convince him to let my magic bind with him deeply enough to perform the spell.”
“Can’t you just give it another go?” Scuffle asked, tapping a hoof impatiently.
“The spell uses way too much magic for that,” Clarity pointed out.
Dinky demonstrated Clarity’s point by sinking back onto her haunches, breathing hard. “I’ll just have to come back and try again tomorrow,” she announced between panting breaths. “I can help Trouble. I just need him to let me.”
Clarity nodded and trotted over to place a hoof on Dinky’s shoulder. “Come on,” she said softly. “Let’s go for now. You need to get your strength back before class.”
Dinky nodded and stood up. The other foals trotted up the passage, and Dinky and Trouble locked eyes one more time before the former turned to join her friends.
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A lone leaf, one of the first to be affected by autumn’s touch, spiraled to the forest floor, and was promptly crushed under a small yellow hoof. The pony it belonged to looked skyward, examining the stars. His lips curled into a grin.
“Scorpio.”
It was the twenty-third of October. Although numbers like that were meaningless to Sunbeam. All that mattered was that, starting tonight, Scorpio was the dominant zodiac.
Every living thing, including the grass and trees concealing Sunbeam, seemed to shudder and shy away as the colt’s horn burst to life with churning black and purple light, brighter and more powerful than it had been all year. Something inky black and wispy, almost like smoke but somehow much darker, billowed around the base of his hooves and rolled off the tip of his horn and tail. Similar wisps, colored bright purple instead, surrounded his eyes.
“Scorpio once again aids me in my magic, yes she does!” Sunbeam announced triumphantly to no one in particular. “The time is coming for the final phase to be put into action!”
He looked to the residence towers, where the lights of a few illumination orbs still flickered in the windows. “Dinky Doo has no doubt spoken with the princess again to keep me from her dreams, yes she has. Unfortunately for her, she has no idea how strong I have become now that Scorpio’s Apex is drawing near, nor does she know the true strength of the darkness growing inside her.”
He chuckled. “A fortnight from now, if not sooner, she’ll have already joined me. And with her help, I will be able to bring about the deepest, purest darkness, yes I will. I shall unleash power the likes of which Equestria hasn’t seen for millennia!”
He chuckled, not taking his eyes of the residence tower. “But first, I must make sure young Dinky cannot resist the temptation of the evil within her, yes I must.”
He stepped backward, melting into the darkness of the forest. “Enjoy what time you have left, Dinky Doo,” he muttered. “By Scorpio’s Apex, you too will serve Scorpio’s dark purpose…”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was a soft knock at the door.
“Come in,” Bright Spark called.
She didn’t look up from her paperwork, but she heard the sound of the office door opening, followed by soft hoofsteps on the plush carpet.
“You… wanted to see me, Professor Spark?”
“Hello Sparkler,” the dean said calmly. “Why don’t you take a seat. We’ll talk in a moment.”
Sparkler silently placed herself in one of the seats. For several minutes, the dean ignored her completely. When the mare finished her paperwork, she gently set it aside and met Sparkler’s gaze. She stared for a few moments, eventually causing Sparkler to fidget.
“Ma’am?”
“Sparkler, we need to have a short discussion,” Bright Spark said. “There are a few things about your performance as overseer I would like to go over with you.”
Sparkler’s breath caught in her throat. “Have I done something wrong?”
The dean chuckled mirthlessly. “Oh, don’t worry. This has nothing to do with what you’ve done. It’s more related to what you haven’t done.”
She leaned forward. “Tell me, Sparkler, do you have anything to report regarding Miss Dinky Doo?”
Sparkler’s mind moved immediately to the conversation Dinky had had with Princess Luna that she’d overheard. Dark magic was still part of the picture, and it was possible the dean didn’t even know.
“Well, actually, Dinky has…”
Sparkler paused, suddenly remembering another, more recent conversation. A conversation where the same filly had shown her that maybe she wasn’t just a lucky troublemaker. In fact, maybe she was one of the only ponies who really understood anything about Sparkler at all.
Sparkler cleared her throat. “…Dinky has done nothing of note since we last talked, Professor.”
“I see,” Bright Spark replied. “That’s what I thought.”
“You did?”
The dean’s fake smile began to fade. “Now, Sparkler, I seem to remember a conversation some time ago between you and me. You were going to keep an eye on Miss Doo, and perhaps… help her along, since she’ll inevitably find herself involved in another expulsion-worthy incident soon. Yet since that time, I haven’t heard much about Dinky’s exploits.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I thought we were on the same page about this, Sparkler.”
“We are!” Sparkler said hurriedly. “I just… haven’t found an opportune moment yet…”
Her tone betrayed her lack of conviction to her words. Bright Spark frowned. “You sound hesitant,” she said, tapping the tip of a quill against her desk. “Do you have a differing opinion?”
Sparkler squirmed. “Well, I’m more just confused. I know Dinky has caused trouble, but so have a lot of students. Is there a reason you ha—, err, are especially concerned with her?”
The dean was quiet for several seconds. “Initially, I was merely annoyed that Dinky was permitted to attend the Academy without my consent, but that’s no longer the major issue. What made me certain that she must be removed was not her dark magic incident, but her excuse for it.”
“You mean the story about a colt named Sunbeam?”
Bright Spark scowled. “I don’t know where she found that name,” the mare hissed. “The castle and grounds have been patrolled for months now, and there’s still not a single shred of evidence that Sunbeam is here, save Dinky’s continued insisting that he is. And of course he wouldn’t be. He’s dead.”
“But you said he was a real pony, right?”
“Forty years ago, Sunbeam was a first-term student,” Bright Spark continued. “I had just begun my time as dean. I remember the colt like it was yesterday; he was adventurous and intelligent, much like Dinky is.”
“What happened to him?” Sparkler asked nervously.
“I’m getting to that,” the dean replied snappily. “You see, in my first year here, I was not quite the same pony I am today. I was still enamored with the ideas of experimentation and discovery in all fields of magic, and I encouraged my students to do the same. Everypony was free to roam the castle and grounds at any hour, and there were plenty of private spaces and access to vast amounts of knowledge, which allowed the most gifted students to study and practice magic way above their level with ease.”
“That sounds like a good idea, really…” Sparkler said carefully.
“Good in theory. Flawed in practice,” replied Bright Spark. “I was too happy-go-lucky. I gave students too much freedom, and too little supervision. Had I been older and wiser, I might have realized that it was only a matter of time until one of them got into something he shouldn’t have.”
Sparkler groaned. “Dark magic again?”
“He thought he could control it,” the dean muttered. “Thank goodness some professors were nearby to save his friends. Sunbeam himself was destroyed by his own spell. Quite brutally, as a matter of fact. I nearly lost my position as dean over allowing it to happen.”
“So, you’re just trying to prevent Dinky meeting the same fate?” Sparkler asked.
The dean cackled. “Oh, heavens no! Sunbeam was a problem for me because it was partially my fault. In Dinky’s case, I don’t know where she learned dark magic, but it certainly wasn’t from anypony or anything at this school! The princess knows it, too, which is why I wasn’t punished for Dinky’s incident.”
Sparkler blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“Dinky Doo must go because she had the gall to drag the low point of my career back into the limelight!” Bright Spark yelled. “Princess Celestia is too kind to say anything, but I know she remembers. Each time Sunbeam is mentioned, her thoughts go back to that year decades ago.”
Sparkler chewed her lip. “Ma’am, I’m as unsure as you are on the topic of how Dinky learned about Sunbeam in the first place, but I’m fairly certain she’s unaware that he’s a stain on your career…”
“I don’t care!” the dean roared, throwing her forehooves in the air so violently that the papers on her desk took off, scattering around the office. “She’s an arrogant nuisance, faking innocence while she continues to make me look bad. I don’t need a student like that at this school. I’m getting rid of her!”
Bright Spark paused for a few moments to catch her breath. She adjusted her glasses and gave Sparkler a level stare. “And you’re going to help me as planned… right?”
Sparkler looked uncomfortable. “Well, I—”
“I’m sure you’ll say yes,” the dean said, her tone suddenly sickly-sweet. “After all, you’ve got yourself to think about here too.”
Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Pardon me?”
“Well, it’s the end of your prestigious final year at Celestia’s Academy,” the dean continued. “You’ve held a high position as an overseer, something that will be notable on your record and be incredibly useful in your future, I’m sure. It would be such a pity if, right before your graduation, you were accused of failure to properly follow the dean’s instructions and stripped of that title. Why, you’d leave the school after your graduation in absolute shame, and I think neither of us wants that to happen, right?”
Sparkler blanched.
The dean’s toothy fake grin returned. “We understand each other, right, Sparkler?” she said sweetly.
Sparkler nodded slowly, staring at the floor.
“Excellent,” the dean said. “The term ends in three weeks. I expect to hear from you soon.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“Good. You’re excused. Goodnight, Sparkler.”
“...Good night, Professor…”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Oh snap! Crap, now i have to go back and reread the whole thing; I don't remember what was going on! Better reread Shipping and Handling for good measure...
That dean is a paranoid, self centered, arrogant, cruel... Pony. That's the nicest way I can put it. So the stallion ISN'T Luna, interesting, it'd be hilarious if it was Discord who was only doing it because he doesn't like dark magic and because trolling bad guys is the only kind of trolling he can really do short of a repeat of Three's a Crowd, which reminds me, Twi is still a unicorn here, so this is before Magical Mystery Cure, but is it after Keep Calm and Flutter On?
So that's the Dean's excuse? He thinks Dinky's trying to make him look bad?! Well, he obviously should've been stripped of his title during the Sunbeam incident! He's allowed it to taint his vision of a student.
Insert obligatory IT'S ALIVE comment here.
Also....... I LOVE THIS AND I WANT MORE OF THIS!
Fire that headmaster mate. She make the school look bad
What the Bouncing Blood-stained BUCK?! I'd point out that assumption that Dinky's rubbing your face in an event that happened long before she was even born is both incredibly vain and completely off-the-rails bonkers, but there are people out there who probably think like that.
...and I think I know who the Mystery Stallion is. If I'm right though I'mma going to squee so much :3
-Angel of Team Angelfang
Good to see you still alive, man.
Once more, the dean hits a little distressingly close to home compared to some very real college pen-pushers. I only wish this kind of self-serving crap was limited to fiction.
Here's hoping Sparkler goes over Bright's head. Celestia was clearly aware of the dean's less reasonable side, and maybe an account from somepony higher up the student body's pecking order will be enough to act on.
Why do I have the feeling that the mystery stallion is Dinky's dad?
4896192
You and I think alike. That IS probably her father coming to kick flank and take names.
4896267 Because being dead is so overrated right?
4895922
Yeah, the dean's logic is kind of imperfect, but that's intentional. It should be clear by now that she's a little dangerously unstable.
All these people wondering and speculating about the mystery stallion, too! You'll find out who it is eventually...
ScuffleDew is now canon
Ooooh.... Celestia not gonna like dis when she finds out~
"Princess Luna?"
"Ah! Miss Sparkler, you are Dinky's overseerer, yes?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful! Is she not a wonderful student? So inquisitive."
"..."
"Anyway, what do you want?"
"The Dean is blackmailing me to kick Dinky out of the school because it turns out she is incredibly petty."
". . .Cover thine ears. We are about to become very loud."
o.<
Now, why do I get the feeling there's more to that incident with Sunbeam than the Dean is letting on? I just hope Sparkler realises that she's off her trolley and has the sense to say something for her own sake as much as Dinky's because there is no way that it's going to end well for the Dean. I've got a nasty feeling I know what she did to Dinky's necklace however, I just hope it doesn't do more damage than she realises.
I just can't figure out what Sunbeam's up to though... and what his goal actually is...
The dean is a coward, fol, and not worth an ounce of (expletive). Rather than try and help Dinky out and make up for the mistakes of the past, all that's done is an attempt to throw it under the rug.
News flash the world doesn't revolve around any individuals least of all you. Not to mention it is your job as an educator to help your students, not protect your position.
You are among the lowest of scum and I will enjoy it when the wheel of karma runs you over.
It is high time for Sparkler to roll over on the Dean, she's a nutcase who has no business having any authority over children.
I'm curious how the Trouble subplot is going to interact with the overall Sunbeam/dark magic plot, seems like both are coming due at the same time and that's probably not a coincidence.
4896796
I think the dean is betting on the fact that she can simply deny this accusation if Sparkler tells on her. Celestia knows the dean isn't the best pony, but she has done 40 years of service to the school and been (mostly) good about it. Celestia might believe her over a student's word.
4897015 if I had to guess, two wraiths at the height of dark magic's power, two princesses in a school for unicorns...
What do you think sparkler did to the necklace? I figured she either put a locator or a listening spell on it...
4897015
I'm really interested to hear what you think the spell Sparkler placed on the pendant does.
I'm not confirming or denying anything you say, of course, but tell me anyway! I'm curious.
hmm... yeah princess luna isn't going to be enough they have a shade so they need the anthesis of a shade, a kirin or a bird of paradise maybe.
I think the mystery stallion is Dinky's dad, but that's just me. I love this story! I'm so glad it got an update. I was starting to give up hope!
4897482 4897495 I can't be certain, but I suspect she might have disconnected the necklace from it's pair. The issue with that will be when Sunbeam starts to make his move, as Dinky will be further isolated from ponies that will help her resist corruption from Dark Magic. The enchantment lets their holders know if one is thinking of the other right? But if the spell Sparkler used is blocking it then Dinky's going to think Pipsqueak's not thinking about her...which considering how Dark magic works could be bad.
Inv4, the stallion is her ... crap I don't want to spoil it. The stallion is *highlight the text* dinky's father. Yes? No? Maybe?
Oh, and that dean is exactly the kind of pony Sparkler was trying to protect herself from, and Sparkler knows it now. If it weren't for the blackmail, that girl would totally be on Dink's side already. Now I'm not saying I want her dead...but would she be a much better candidate for corruption and wraithifying? And then make her eat nuclear rainbows? Which would trap her inside that other evil mayors flying toupee for 1000 years, only to escape, be reformed by an absurdly cute pony (who then turns into a bat and breaks the internet), and then makes a deal with
DarkseidTirek, and not getting a throne even when the slapstick comic-relief guy gets one? Something like that?Ok now that just sounds silly. Like there's any cartoon who would do such a thing...
4897446 There's definately something funny about that fox. I had wondered if Trouble's got something to do with Sunbeam...of if he IS Sunbeam in some way...
So... Sunbeam 'sploded, somehow still staying spectrally stationary, subsequently spooking schoolfillies, whilst Scorpio apexes?
Sparkler, Sparkler please, talk to Celestia, or Luna...
Or a physiatrist, you have issues. Solverble, understandably issues. That can be solved. By talking. To somepony.
4897478
Have you been employed before? If a worker reports their boss blackmailing them by threatening withholding benefits/awards the worker has earned, it's enough to warrant a serious investigation. Just the accusation would be extremely damaging.
4897401 Not to mention, you should be wondering how it is that Dinky, a first year student, knows anything about Sunbeam if he's "dead". Maybe he's not quite as "dead" you thought.
Goddang I love this story so much! Also.... solverble. . . That irks me for some reason. . .
4896796 Definately.
4899156
Yeah, I am employed, I know that's how it works in reality.
Don't worry, just check out the remaining few chapters when they appear and you'll see what happens with the whole blackmail mess.
You know, before Guardians of the Galaxy, I kind of read this in a gruff voice. Now...it is so being read as Rocket Racoon
Any way, so many things are happening that have me excited, the stallion Dinky, the Dean, and the lossening of Sparkler's heart. Oh, I cannot wait for what happens next!!
Wow, Celestia and Luna, you really know how to monitor things.
(the sarcasm in Alondro's voice is so thick and heavy it collapses space-time and forms a singularity)
If a dean first ADMITTED to me her motivations for deliberately harassing a student, then THREATENED me if I didn't help her... oh yeah, I would be having myself some sweet, delicious, creative revenge.
Cartoonish. Sure, dark magic, whatever; a cartoonish villain is just boring. But the Dean is a worse character for just being a narcissistic loony.
*GASP* *SHOCK* *HORROR!* After 5 millennia- er I mean 5 years... no 5 months we finally see the next chapter! :D Admittedly I still enjoyed it but please don't take as long for the next one I nearly closed the screen thinking I had miss read this chapters existence... still good work anyway mate keep it up! :)
4897620 wait,i'm not alone on this theory...AWSOME!!!!!!!! i hope i'm wrong about it,though,i realy like that fox!!!!!!!!
4896435 thank you!!!!!!!!finally,someone else supports this ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4903592 Not entirely impossible, but not sure if it's the most likely explaination. Maybe she had family that had something to do with Dark Magic...
4904835 I'm thinking that Sunbeam may have been using Trouble in some way to survive, which would explain his sudden decline in health.
To be honest it's the Dean who is interesting me more and more.
It wasn't until I re-read some of the chapters that it hit me: how did Sunbeam (presumably a first term colt himself) learn so much dark magic in the first place? One logical answer is simple and explains why the Dean reacted to Dinky's identification of Sunbean in the way she did - it may have been her that taught it to him in the first place! Of course now he's resurfaced and clearly using Dark Magic the Dean obviously would be anxious that Celestia's going to figure it out.
4897495
I'm going to guess Dark Magic detector.
4900518
Let's think creatively!
media.tumblr.com/04c75bd4938acf0e6cec0c26981d0644/tumblr_inline_nadroz2KV31rbwza0.jpg
4895504
And the problem is?
4895740
I blame the dark magic.
4898010
Supposedly...
4899267
It turns out he is only "mostly dead".
4906716
Green is not a creative colour!
4907780
So.... since a good amount of this site is green, Fimfic is not a creative site?
someone is getting fired also I have a sneaking suspicion that the stallion is Dinky's dad's ghost
Pegasus Rescue Brigade!
Reading this latest chapter of your Fanfiction just made my day. It's totally amazing. You have this natural ability to write in a way so that the reader gets drawn in. I am so looking forward to future chapters of this fanfiction. It along with Shipping & Handling still stands as two of the finest pony fictions I've read so far. Just keep doing whatever you're doing and this story will end on a real high note :-)
//DekkoDePony!
The dean is setting herself up for some massive karmic backlash more so than she already was!
I love it! >:)
Oh, that bitch.
Also, I suspect that Trouble will die before Dinky can help him. The pain of the loss will be an opening for Sunbeam...
Oh for the love of, Princess Celestia, when you approved Bright Spark to be the dean for your magic school, did it occur to you to perform a background check to make sure she wasn't PURE EVIL?
4907780 The color inflagrante is VERY creative!