> Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals
>  by kudzuhaiku
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ponyville. A village of ponies. An almost perfect place with an almost perfect blue sky and in this almost perfect place there was a far from perfect foal being stalked by a long, terrible monster that was as far from perfect as anything could get. The long, noodle-like beast slunk towards its prey, its long body looping, its tail swishing from side to side, and a wide, terrible, toothy grin split its overlong muzzle. One single fang protruded from the monster’s lip.

“Why Sumac Apple… such a serious pony!” Discord said as he descended upon the foal in question. “Where other foals are off having fun on this glorious day, you are hanging out in the cemetery. Trying to dig up a friend?” 

Sumac, who stood near a headstone, gave the draconequus an annoyed look. He raised his eyebrow and cleared his throat. “I like it here. It’s quiet. There is a lot of history to be found here. It’s all written on the stones.” 

“What sort of foal comes to a cemetery and pulls weeds on a lovely day like this?” Discord floated just a few inches above a headstone and looked down upon Sumac Apple. “I tell you, Sumac, ponies will talk. This is not normal behaviour.” Discord’s tone was teasing and there was faint laughter in his words. 

“I don’t care.” Sumac sort of shrugged and looked down at his pile of pulled weeds. “I needed the magic practice and this place needs looking after. This is a special place.” 

Discord’s head bobbed up and down as he listened and when Sumac was finished speaking, Discord ramped up his teasing. “You know, I think I know the real reason you came here…” The draconequus saw Sumac’s eyes narrow and his grin grew ever larger. “Pebble Pie. She confuses you, doesn’t she?” 

“None of your beeswax!” Sumac let out a little huff and then, he turned and stood in brave defiance of Discord. “Go away and leave me alone!” 

“So much confusion,” Discord said in a knowing voice and as he spoke, his smile vanished. The draconequus came a little closer to Sumac. “You know, Sumac, this is my fault.” 

The little colt inhaled so hard that there was a faint whistle from his nostrils. Sumac shook his head, trying to get his wheat coloured mane out of his eyes. He looked up at Discord, his jaw clenched, and even though Sumac knew it was foolish to do so, he felt the need to ask why. 

“How is this confusion your fault?” Sumac’s green eyes narrowed into thin slits. Not only did this make him look tougher, or so Sumac felt, but it allowed him to see a little better. It was hard, sometimes, to see the details on things. 

Reaching up with his talons, Discord began to stroke his chin. “Well, you see, it was a long time ago, back before the days when I was reformed. A very long time ago indeed. The ponies, male and female, lived in harmony and really, really liked one another. Little colts absolutely adored little fillies and all was right in the world. It was kinda gross, really, as I am sure you will agree.” 

Sumac backed a step away from Discord as a peculiar sensation crawled up his spine like a centipede. He didn’t like Discord very much. So far, every encounter with the draconequus had left him unsettled, disturbed, and Sumac found that he had trouble sleeping after his chance meetings with Discord. The things Discord said caused him to lay awake in bed at night thinking, rather than sleeping. 

“So, being the Spirit of Disharmony that I was, I might have sort of sabotaged the ponies as a bit of a joke.” The tip of one of Discord’s talon-fingers scratched his chin. “Using my most powerful magic, I cast a spell that made it impossible for the sexes to understand one another. Mares became a total mystery to stallions. Little fillies became oh so gross and disgusting to little colts. Stallions became an unknowable headache for mares. And colts… colts became little snips and snails and puppy dog tails to little fillies. I fear ponykind hasn’t been the same since.” 

Sumac, who had some trouble taking in everything that had just been said, took another step back from Discord. “I don’t believe you. You… you lie. Applejack warned me about you!” 

“Ah, but I did you a favour,” Discord said with a dismissive wave of his lion’s paw. 

“How is this a favour?” Sumac asked in a squeaky voice.

“The great unknown. The mystery of it all. By making mares complete unknowns, I’ve made them better. Now, one has to study them to appreciate them. The mystery that a mare is… that is what makes her special. That sense of confusion and wanting to understand… I’ve actually improved love, I think. It’s better this way. You know, I should ask Cadance about it and see what she thinks.” 

Staring up at Discord, Sumac’s eyes opened a little wider and the colt shook his head. “Even if you did do it, and I don’t believe that you did, you should put it back. If you are reformed like you say you are, you should fix what you broke. You’re bad!” 

The draconequus heaved a sigh, reached down with his tail, and brushed some dirt off of a tombstone. His talons flexed and his wings flapped even though there was no need for them to do so. Lifting his head, Discord turned and looked at a trilling bird off in the distance. 

After a moment of quiet reflection, Discord turned to Sumac and said, “You like Pebble because you don’t understand her. That is what makes her special to you. She’s the most fascinating pony you’ve ever met. Nothing about her makes sense. If I were to fix things, as you say, she would cease to be interesting to you. She would no longer be special. In this particular instance, confusion makes everything all the sweeter, does it not? The chaos is like chocolate chips in a cookie, little bittersweet morsels that make everything better. Your whole relationship with Pebble is defined by your total lack of understanding of her. She is an object of study, and as such, she holds your attention.” 

“Shut up!” Sumac snapped. “You don’t know anything! Stop messing with my head and go away, Discord!” As Sumac raised his head, his mane tumbled down and covered his eyes. His lower lip protruded and he huffed, trying to blow it out of his eyes as he glared up at Discord with a defiant gleam in his now covered eyes. 

“I know that Pebble is in trouble right now—” 

“What?” Sumac’s anger shifted to panic. 

“She’s in the park and Olive has found her. Poor little Pebble is too sweet to fight back.” Discord reached down with his lion’s paw and brushed Sumac’s mane from his eyes. “This little spat isn’t my fault, I assure you. You ponies get into enough trouble on your own.” 

“Pebble is in trouble?” Sumac’s head turned and looked in the direction of the park, which was quite some distance away. 

“Oh, she’s about to be. Olive is spoiling for a fight and right now, I do believe that Olive is planning her approach.” 

“Gotta go!” Sumac shouted as he bolted. 

As Sumac ran away, the Lord of Chaos waved goodbye, and then, wasting no time, Discord began putting all of the pulled weeds back into ground, trying to restore the cemetery’s spooky ambiance, which was hard to maintain without weeds and neglect. 



 

Hooves clattering, Sumac galloped along the path that led into the park. He couldn’t figure out why Pebble would be here, she hated the park. She didn’t like being around other ponies. The only thing he could figure out was that perhaps, Pinkie Pie had made Pebble go and play in the park. 

Sumac was little, but he was fast. Years of walking the many roads of Equestria had given him a body of lean muscle and he was far more fit than most foals his age. He went streaking past Bon Bon, almost bowling into her, but he did not stop to apologise. He had to find Pebble and Olive. 

Olive was, perhaps, the worst pony that Sumac knew. She was bigger than him, older by a few years, smarter than him by far, and she was an awful, awful pony. She was big, mean, and green. She was bossy, loud, and a terrible bully that seemed to get away with everything. Sumac hated her more than anything. 

As he came tearing around the fountain, he saw them. Pebble was sitting in the grass, trying to read a book, and Olive was standing near Pebble with a cruel, horrible smile upon her face. Sumac hit the brakes and he approached, breathless, his sides heaving. 

“Dork!” Olive said to Pebble. “Such an ugly shade of brown… you know what else is brown? I’ll give you a guess… sometimes it’s full of corn—” 

“Shut up!” Sumac came to a skidding halt on the grass and almost fell over. He bared his teeth at Olive and he could feel his neck growing hotter. Pebble had problems responding like other ponies, she was like her mother, Maud. But Pebble had feelings, even if she had trouble showing them, and she could be hurt. 

“Sumac Apple...” Olive said as she turned to look at Sumac. 

Something about the way she said ‘Apple’ made Sumac’s neck feel even hotter. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to make himself look as big as possible as he stared up at the dull green unicorn filly with a pink mane. He bared his teeth and tried to remember all of Trixie’s lessons for dealing with unpleasant wildlife. 

“Look Pebble, your knight in stupid armor has come to protect you.” Olive let out a snort of derision, shook her head, and laughed. Staring at Sumac, Olive said, “I was just telling your filly friend that she doesn’t belong in a school for the gifted. She belongs in a school for soft head—” 

“Shut up, Olive!” Sumac snapped. “Shut up or else!” 

“Or else what?” Olive’s mocking grin grew wide. “Are you gonna tell on me?” Olive asked in a baby talk voice. “Are you going to be a tattletale, Sumac Apple? Nopony likes a tattletale.” 

“Just go away and leave us alone!” Sumac demanded as he felt the corner of his eye twitching. 

“You know, Sumac, there is just one thing I can’t understand about you and Pebble… she’s not your sister, Sumac Apple.” Olive let out a shrill, nasal laugh and stared at Sumac, daring him to respond. 

It took a moment, but Sumac began to understand the insult given to him. He was young, but he was smart, and it slowly percolated through his brain and the implications of what was being said were painful to think about. He began to have a glimmer of understanding on why Olive said the word ‘Apple’ with so much derision. He thought of Big Mac and Applejack. He felt his blood boiling in his guts and he felt far too hot. 

“I’ve heard it said that the real reason why Applejack’s husband left was because Hidden Rose and Ambrosia Apple weren’t his—” 

“Shut up!” Sumac shouted. 

“—but were actually Big Mac’s. The whole town is laughing about it, Sumac—” 

As Sumac screamed, his voice broke, becoming shrill and squeaky. He didn’t notice, nor was he embarrassed by it, because he was too busy launching himself at Olive. She had gone too far and this time, he was going to let her have it, and he didn’t care what sort of trouble he was going to get into. 

Sumac never reached Olive. Something grabbed him, immobilising him, and he felt himself being pulled away. There was a muffled cry as Olive was snatched by a pegasus, lifted, and carried away. Sumac kicked and struggled, deep in the throes of his temper tantrum, and he let out a pained scream as he watched Olive being spirited away to safety. 

There was a pink blur in his vision near Pebble and for a moment, Sumac was certain he could hear Pinkie Pie, but the thudding, thumping heart that he had in each of his ears made it difficult to hear anything. He kicked and thrashed, then began sobbing, overwhelmed by his anger, his emotion, everything that had happened had caused him to come to a boil. 

The world went dark as something was slipped over his eyes and there were soothing whispers in his ears that he couldn’t hear. Sumac let out a bleating cry as he was carried away, unable to see, and he wailed as his temper tantrum continued to make his body spasm. 

It was difficult to be so young and filled with so much rage. 



 

Sumac was resting on something soft, some kind of cushion. He felt a cold wet cloth being placed on the back of his neck. It was soothing and the cold wetness felt good against his fevered skin. The blinders over his eyes were whisked away and he was blinded, dazzled by the sudden light, and as he squeezed his eyes shut, a cold damp cloth was placed over his face. 

Shuddering, Sumac felt more sobs coming. He had worn himself out for a bit on the way to wherever he was right now, but he felt painful convulsions in his stomach that let him know that more tears were coming. 

A cool, damp cloth was placed over his snotty nose and he felt his muzzle being cleaned. Somepony was gently rubbing away all of the mucus. Sumac felt the sobs creeping up his throat now, it hurt, it was like lumps too big to swallow trying to work their way up out of his stomach. The pain, too intense to bear, only made the need to cry even worse. 

“Sumac, you’re safe,” a soft voice said. “My name is Lemon Hearts… I’m going to be one of your teachers.” There was a pause and Sumac felt the cloth around his muzzle get pulled away. “Trixie asked me to help you if there was trouble and so here I am.” Sumac’s ear twitched as the soft words were spoken into it. 

It was almost too much to bear. Sumac’s whole body was racked with pain and he felt as though he was burning. He curled up into a fetal position on whatever it was he was laying upon and bawled his eyes out, not caring that he was having a meltdown in front of a stranger. 

“There there, it’s okay, Sumac Apple. Just let it out… let it all out.” 

Sumac felt the wet cloth on his neck get pulled away, it had gone warm against his rage fevered skin, and a moment later, he sort of heard the sounds of water over his own sobs and the roar in his own ears. The cloth was returned to his neck and it was cold, frigid even, and it felt so good. 

“Sumac, I’m sure if your mother could be here right now, she would be,” Lemon Hearts said in a soothing voice, “but she has to work. You’re such a big, smart colt. I’m sure you understand.” 

Shuddering, still sobbing, Sumac felt something touch his side. He was being stroked. It felt good and the soft touch helped him to relax. He felt the cloth pulled from his eyes, which he kept squeezed shut to avoid sudden bright light, and after a few moments, the cloth was returned. The cold on his face helped make the painful ache in his body go away. 

“Temper tantrums are awful things to go through, aren’t they? It feels like your body is betraying you. It’s so hard to be so angry. Just try to breathe, Sumac, and you’ll feel better in a bit. When you do feel better, I’ll get you some juice, okay?” 

At that moment, Sumac decided that he liked Lemon Hearts. She was a good pony. Her voice was soft, soothing, and made the dull ache inside of his head go away. She was still stroking him. Best of all, she hadn’t tried to shame him for having a temper tantrum. 

“I know what it is like to be so angry and have tantrums. I was bullied in school.” Lemon Hearts’ voice softened a bit as she continued, “I went to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I was smart, but I wasn’t that smart. I was just gifted enough to get my hoof in the door. In a regular school, I might have been one of the smartest foals in the class, but there, I felt like I was one of the stupidest foals in the school and I was teased so much.” 

Hiccuping, Sumac tried to take a few deep breaths so he could calm down. 

“I had a few friends though that helped to make it better,” Lemon Hearts said as she continued to rub Sumac’s still convulsing body. “But I was a very angry little filly. It didn’t take much for me to have a meltdown, and there were some very mean foals who took advantage of this. They knew just what to say, just what to do, they knew just what buttons to hit to make me have a meltdown and cause me to have a tantrum. It was very, very hard for me.” 

It took a moment, but Sumac found his voice. His throat was dry, scratchy, and it was difficult to talk. “Trixie. She did it to you, didn’t she?” Sumac, unable to see, heard a sigh. 

“Trixie warned me that you were smart,” Lemon Hearts said in reply. “Yes, Trixie was one of my tormentors.” 

“So why are you helping me?” Sumac asked. 

“Because, Trixie Lulamoon gave me a sincere and heartfelt apology. She and I talked… we did it on that day when you were out on Sweet Apple Acres. We sorted out all of our old differences.” Lemon Hearts coughed and cleared her throat. “What sold me that she had changed was how she talked about you. Do you know how much you are loved, little Sumac Apple?” 

Unable to reply, Sumac hiccuped and then clutched his heaving stomach. 

“Trixie, my former tormentor, was a completely different pony. She tried to make amends. Not long after Trixie and I made up, Twilight shows up and we all had a very pleasant time with one another.”

The cloth covering his face was pulled away and Sumac squinted his eyes, bracing for the light. After a moment, he realised that the room had been dimmed, the curtains drawn. He was in a mostly unfurnished living room. There were a few boxes, a beat up couch, and not much else. He was laying on a cushion on the floor, and Lemon Hearts was sitting beside him. The kitchen was visible from where he lay, the kitchen and the living room being one large shared space. 

Once again, his muzzle was cleaned, this time with the wet cloth that had been pulled off his eyes. When the snot was cleared away, Lemon Hearts patted his cheek and gave him a smile. Sumac, who still felt miserable, somehow managed to find it within himself to smile back. The cloth was tossed into the sink. 

“Discord is such a helpful sort,” Lemon Hearts said in a low voice. “He showed up and said that there was about to be some real trouble in the park. It’s nice knowing that he has been reformed.” 

Saying nothing, Sumac did not respond. He didn’t feel like saying or doing anything that required feeling. His stomach hurt and his whole body ached. He looked up and studied Lemon Hearts’ face. She was yellow, so very sunny yellow, had a blue mane, and her eyes were the colour of raspberry syrup. She was kind looking and there was a good natured twinkle in her eye. 

“There is a lesson to be learned from all of this… Trixie changed and I forgave her. Discord has worked very hard to redeem himself and earn our trust.” Lemon Hearts paused for a moment and looked into Sumac’s green eyes. “And one day, Olive might have a change of heart. She’s going to need somepony to forgive her.” 

Sumac scowled, finding Lemon Hearts’ words to be a bit too sour for his tastes. His muzzle crinkled and he pulled his head back. Ears drooping, he gave a sullen shake of his head. Olive was a horrible pony and he had no desire to forgive her. 

Reaching down, Lemon Hearts stroked Sumac’s cheek. “You have such an expressive, adorable little face. I could just kiss you all over but that would probably embarrass you. Maybe even to death. Wouldn’t that be awful? Want some juice? I have a few banana nut muffins in the breadbox. There’s no milk though.” 

Blinking, Sumac took in everything that had just been said. His drooping ears lifted and then pinned back against his skull. Why did so many mares say that he was so adorable and that they wanted to kiss him? He didn’t understand this need to kiss things that were ‘cute.’ He didn’t much care for being babied, but he wasn’t big enough to make it stop. It seemed that all he could do was endure it. 

“Excited for school to start?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

That was quite a question. Sumac gave it some careful consideration, now distracted from his previous troubles. Lemon Hearts was going to be one of his teachers. He liked her, he liked her a lot. As he lay there thinking, the cloth was pulled from his neck and tossed into the sink. He didn’t feel so hot and miserable now. 

After a few long moments, Sumac nodded. “I’m kinda excited for school.” 

“And I’m excited to have you as a student,” Lemon Hearts replied as she stroked one of Sumac’s ears. “Twilight hired me as a teacher. I’ve never done teaching before. I used to be an event planner in Canterlot and I was in a band with a pony named Pepperdance. The uh, career in music didn’t exactly work out and there were a few disastrous gigs as a wedding singer. Those, uh, were bad enough that it hurt my business as an event planner. So… I’m starting over… in Ponyville.” 

Sumac blinked and continued to look into Lemon Hearts’ eyes. 

“Oh dear, Trixie wasn’t kidding when she said you were the quiet, serious sort. Want some juice?” Lemon Hearts stood up, shook her backside to fluff out her tail, and then extended one front leg out to Sumac. 

Reaching out, Sumac gripped Lemon Hearts’ front leg with his fetlock, pulled himself up, and stood up beside her. “Thank you.” Sumac took a deep breath, shuddered yet again, and tried to ignore the dull ache that permeated his whole body. 

As he started to follow Lemon Hearts over to the kitchen area, there was a knock upon the door. Startled, Sumac’s muscles tensed hard enough to cause him to squeak. He turned and stared at the door. 

“Excuse me, dear,” Lemon Hearts said as she moved towards the door. After a few steps, there was another knock. “I’m coming!” 

Fearful, worried, Sumac began backing away. What if Olive’s parents were outside? What if he was in trouble for losing his temper? He felt his stomach clench tight and for a moment, Sumac was certain that he was going to be sick. There was no place to hide. 

Lemon Hearts pulled the door open and then let out a happy sounding squeal. “Twilight Sparkle! Do come in! I was just looking after a guest, but I can look after one more.” 

“Thank you,” Twilight replied as she stepped inside. The regal alicorn smiled at Sumac. “Just the colt I was looking for. I understand there was an altercation in the park? Are you okay? You look a little worked up. Sumac?” 

Sumac stood there, his stomach churning, and he stared at Twilight. He was dead meat and he knew it. Twilight knew about the park. She was here because he was in hot water. She was probably here to get his confession. Sumac gulped, felt his knees wobble, and then he decided it would be best to just admit to everything he had done wrong. 

But the words did not leave his mouth, they never had a chance. Instead, the contents of his stomach, his partially digested breakfast decided to make an appearance, and Sumac threw up all over the floor, splattering his front legs as well. 



 

“Poor little dear is high strung,” Lemon Hearts said as she scrubbed Sumac’s face with a hot washcloth. She had to use her magic to hold the squirming colt and she looked over at Twilight. “He was just recovering when you arrived. Olive got him worked up in the park.” 

“So I heard,” Twilight replied as she cleaned up the mess on the floor. “Sumac, I have something that I think will make you feel better. Once all of this is sorted out and we have you fixed up, can you come with me?” 

“Why?” Sumac asked in a muffled voice as his muzzle was scrubbed. “Is Pebble okay?” 

“As far as I know, Pebble is with Pinkie, and Pinkie Pie knows how to read Pebble’s moods like a book… so yes, I would say that Pebble is okay,” Twilight replied. 

“Sorry I barfed on the floor.” Sumac’s ears drooped in shame as he spoke and he had trouble meeting Lemon Hearts’ eyes. He could feel every muscle in his body twitching and he felt miserable. His stomach hurt, his mouth felt dry and tasted bad. He had something of a headache coming on. 

“So, Sumac, do you think you can come with me? Your mother will be there… she’s waiting for us.” Twilight gave Sumac a gentle smile. “I have something that will make this bad day seem better.” 

“What?” Sumac asked as Lemon Hearts tossed the soiled washcloth into the sink. 

“It’s a surprise,” Twilight replied. “Hey, let’s get you something to drink and see if we can’t make you feel better. But we have to hurry… time grows ever shorter.” 



 

Princess Twilight Sparkle’s crystal castle loomed large and made Sumac feel even smaller than he was. He scooted closer to Twilight, brushing up against her hind leg, and as he moved, he felt another rush of nausea. He didn’t feel good. 

“Are you sure I’m not in trouble?” Sumac asked. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Twilight replied. “As for Olive, she will be reprimanded. Sumac, she has a lot of potential, just like you. She’s smart, gifted, capable, she just needs some time to mature and there are some behavioural issues that she needs to work on.” 

Sumac said nothing in reply. He just let out a pained whimper. 

“I know it is very, very difficult, but you need to be patient with her if you can. I know she can be awful, but she just needs a chance to blossom.” Twilight turned her head and looked back at the colt walking beside her left rear leg. 

“Weeds blossom too, but smart ponies pull them out of their gardens before they choke out the vegetables,” Sumac replied. 

Twilight snorted and then struggled to swallow a laugh, her sides heaved with her efforts. She took a few deep breaths, bit her lip for a moment, and then looked away from Sumac, shaking her head. 

“What’s so funny?” Sumac asked. 

“Oh, nothing.” Twilight continued to shake her head as her sides heaved. 

Sumac wanted to tell Twilight what Olive had said, but he was unable make the words happen. Just thinking about them made him feel sick again. He wobbled for a moment, took a deep breath, and then steadied himself out. 

Together, they went up the steps leading to the massive double doors to Twilight’s castle, which was now also Princess Twilight Sparkle’s School for Fantastic Foals. As they neared the doors, Sumac wondered how Trixie was doing. Being a librarian was a whole lot easier on her legs than pulling a wagon. 



 

For once, Sumac didn’t resist when Trixie squeezed him. He squeezed her back, glad to see her, and being close to her, he almost started to cry again. He sniffled a bit, sucked in a deep breath, and tried to be a grown up. But he didn’t let go… no, he clung to Trixie’s neck, having a secret satisfaction for being a colt. 

“Spike, how is she?” Twilight Sparkle sat down upon the floor as Spike brought a basket into the room, clutching the handle in his claws. 

“I think she’s ready to come out,” Spike replied, flashing Twilight a joyful smile. 

“Sumac Apple,” Twilight began, “I have brought you here today to present you with a unique opportunity.” 

Sumac, still in Trixie’s embrace, turned to look at Twilight. 

“Being such a serious, responsible little colt, I thought you’d be perfect. I thought you could use a friend.” As Twilight spoke, Spike peeled back a blanket and revealed an egg sitting in the basket. “I thought that you might appreciate having a special friend… a special companion.” 

“What is it?” Sumac asked. 

“A pygmy dragon egg,” Twilight replied. 

Sumac’s head swiveled and he turned to look at the egg. A pet? No, not a pet. Spike wasn’t a pet. Spike was so much more than a pet. Staring at the egg, Sumac realised that he wasn’t old enough to be a parent. So what would he be? 

“Twilight, why me?” Sumac glanced at the smiling alicorn sitting on the floor. 

“Because, Twilight thought that you could use a special friend… you don’t exactly fit in with most other foals your own age, and Twilight knows what that is like,” Trixie replied before Twilight could say anything. 

“What would I be to it?” Sumac asked. 

“What do you mean?” Twilight replied. 

“I’m too young to be a parent.” Sumac shook his head and didn’t know what else to say. 

“In time, you will have to define your own relationship together, just like Spike and I have.” Twilight looked at Spike, smiled, and then turned to look back at Sumac. “This is a chance for some real growth and development for you, Sumac.” 

Spike, eyes glimmering, scooted over to Twilight, threw his short forelegs around Twilight’s neck, and gave her a hug. He remained there, clinging to her in much the same manner that Sumac was clinging to Trixie. 

“Trixie thought that looking after a little baby dragon might help you define your relationship with her. You know, sort everything out and get a feeling for being a family together. Think of this as a learning experience.” Twilight turned her gentle eyes upon Trixie and gave the mare holding Sumac a nod. 

Blinking, Sumac slipped away from Trixie and approached the low table where the basket was sitting. He could hear something from within the egg. His ears perked as he heard little mewling peeps. 

“How will I feed it?” Sumac asked as he approached. “Don’t dragons need gems? We’re poor… she’ll be eating the sorts of things that could buy us a house...” Sumac’s words trailed off as he watched the egg with wide, staring eyes. 

“You’ll get them,” Twilight replied, “Spike is looking forward to sharing. This is a big moment for him too.” Twilight gave the dragon clinging to her a squeeze. “She’s a pygmy tree dragon. Mostly, she’ll eat bugs, mice, little things. Fluttershy will be able to tell you all about her.” 

The egg, sitting in the basket, rocked back and forth a little. Sumac could see a crack in it. Entranced, he drew closer until his nose touched the egg. Something smelled a little bit like rotten eggs and woodsmoke. He felt like sneezing. All of the worries and stress from the events that happened earlier melted away, and all thoughts of what Olive had said were forgotten. He took a deep, calm breath and sat down, his ears perking straight up as he did so. 

“You are going to have a very special friend,” Twilight said as she hugged Spike closer. “Spike and I are trusting you with a lot of responsibility. I know that you will not let us down. Sumac, do you accept?” 

There was no reply. Sumac was entranced. He sat with his nose touching the egg, he could feel the gentle warmth radiating from the egg and it calmed him. Everything felt right in the world. Everything was good and some faint spark of happiness ignited deep within Sumac. 

There are moments in life that are magical, and they have nothing to do with spells or unicorns. The egg was moving. The hard gemstone like shell was glowing with a faint light. The dragon egg itself was a valuable, precious stone, but that wasn’t even counting the magical value of said egg for unscrupulous alchemists and potion makers. 

The egg was a living thing, a living thing made of some kind of crystalline gemstone or something; Sumac had no experience with anything quite like it, except for perhaps a geode. The eggshell was smooth against the fleshy pad of his snoot, like fine polished granite. 

This day had started out like any other day, had become one of the worst days in Sumac’s young life, and now… at this moment, this was quite possibly the best day of his young life. Transfixed, he stared at the egg almost cross eyed, his little brows knitted together in concentration. 

“How do I take care of her?” Sumac breathed. 

Twilight, still squeezing Spike, wiped something from her eye with her wing. She looked down at Spike, then over at Trixie, and then Twilight turned her attention back to Sumac. The small study in which they were sitting was growing warm and filling with a smokey ambiance. 

“What will I be to her? How big will she get? How do I keep her happy? How do I make her love me? How do I do what is right for her? I’m a pony, not a dragon… I don’t understand why you chose me.” Sumac’s ears leaned forwards over his face. Little crinkles appeared on his muzzle and his eyes narrowed. “Mama?” 

Trixie choked, the emotion of the moment overcoming her. Sumac didn’t always call her ‘Mama’ or ‘Mom” just yet, more often than not, he called her ‘Trixie.’ She began to sniffle a little and her eyes glimmered with tears. 

“Sumac?” 

“Mama, what was it like for you when you took me in?” Sumac asked. 

“Well, Sumac, as you know,” Trixie replied, “it took me some time to adjust. But once I opened my heart to you, you became very dear to me.” Trixie scrubbed her eyes with her foreleg, shifted her weight, and winced when her knee popped. 

“Love knows no species,” Twilight said in a low voice. “Tarnished Teapot and Maud Pie know a dragon named Gorgonzola and Gorgonzola the dragoness has a pegasus filly named Grey Owl. Tarnish and Maud rescued Grey Owl from giant spiders and they returned her to her mother.” 

Sumac’s ears twitched when the egg popped. A long crack appeared and a curl of smoke rose up. He jerked his head back for a moment, his eyes going wide, and then, after calming down, he resumed his vigil, pressing his nose against the egg. The egg itself was tiny, not much larger than a goose egg. 

“What are all the sparkly things on the eggshell?” Sumac asked.

After clearing her throat, Twilight replied, “The mother dragon eats a lot of gems and minerals before laying her eggs. A dragon’s eggshell is made out of an amalgam of precious stones; diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, anything and everything the mother can find to eat. The little glittery bits are crushed gemstones left undigested that the mother passes along to her hatchling. Upon hatching, a dragon eats its first meal, its eggshell.” 

Nodding, Sumac continued to stare at the eggshell. “It’s a girl?” 

“Yes,” Spike replied, “Twilight did some magic.” 

“How big will she get? Sumac lifted up one hoof and placed the soft part of his frog against the eggshell. 

“Oh, when she’s full grown, she’ll be about pony sized, maybe. Depends. Some tree dragons are larger, others are smaller. She’s a different kind of dragon than Spike is.” Twilight felt Spike slip free of her embrace and she watched as the little dragon waddled over to the table to sit with Sumac. 

Another crack appeared in the eggshell and Sumac’s ears pinned back against his skull as more smoke curled out of the new fissure. He reached out a foreleg, wrapped it around Spike, and pulled the dragon, who was about the same size as he was, just a little closer so they could share the moment. 

“Twilight?” 

“Yes, Spike?” 

“Why did Princess Celestia have my egg and why did you have to cast a spell to open it?” Spike asked. 

Twilight’s mouth dropped open and she gave Spike, Sumac, and the egg a blank stare for a moment. “It was so I could pass a test… the entry test… there was a binding seal on your egg, Spike.” 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know, Spike, I’m sorry… I’ve never given it much thought,” Twilight replied. 

Beside Sumac, Spike’s eyes narrowed and it was clear that the little dragon was concentrating. Spike turned to look at Sumac, and then returned his focus on the egg. The little dragon sighed, a wisp of smoke escaping his nose, and his tiny fingers and claws clenched into fists for a moment. 

“I’m glad that you hatched my egg, Twilight.” Spike leaned over against Sumac and watched as another crack appeared in the egg. “I’m a lucky dragon… and she’s gonna be a lucky dragon too.” 

“Why do ponies have dragon eggs?” Sumac asked. 

“Later, Sumac, I’ll tell you a story about how this egg came into my possession,” Twilight replied. “As for Spike’s egg, I don’t know.” 

Ears splaying out sideways, Sumac eyed the egg, his mind filling up with so many questions. He wondered if the dragon would be happier with other dragons. He wondered if Spike would be happier with other dragons. Then again, Spike had grown up with Twilight and he was happy—but then again, Spike was happy because he had grown up with ponies. Sumac’s mind struggled with the thoughts his brain was trying to make. They were far too big, far too complicated, they were far beyond what he was capable of. 

A dragon could be happy when raised by ponies, and thinking of the previous conversation, it seemed that ponies could be happy when raised by dragons. Maybe. Sumac knew nothing about Grey Owl. Sumac turned to look at Trixie, the mare that chose to be his mother. She had adopted him, formally, and she was his mother in every way that mattered. 

A piece of the shell flaked away and a tiny clawed hand poked out. Sumac saw little fingers, three of them, and a thumb. It was covered in gooey slime and the little fingers flexed. Beside him, Sumac heard Spike say, “She just punched her way out.” 

Sumac nodded. The tiny little hand was orange, with tiny brown claws. More cracks appeared and the shell opened. Smoke and slime poured from the opening as it grew ever larger. A second later, Sumac saw the face that changed his life. 

The hatchling’s head pushed its way free of the egg. She was small, delicate, she had a stubby neck that would one day be long. Her head was shaped like an arrowhead. Her scales were mostly orange, with a few yellow scales here and there, and she had two little horn buds growing just behind her curious, yellow eyes. She blinked as she looked at Sumac, trying to clear the slime away. She pulled a leg free, a foreleg, and Sumac was curious about what he was seeing. 

Her foreleg had a membrane connecting it to her body, a thin transparent membrane, almost like a batwing or perhaps a flying squirrel. She was looking at him and there was something intelligent glittering in her gleaming yellow eyes. She coughed, spat out a glob of goo, and then, before Sumac had a chance to react, she shot out of her eggshell. 

Her tiny claws tickle-prickled his face as she latched onto his muzzle and began climbing. She was slimy, slick, gooey, and Sumac was drenched in dragon egg goop. She was tiny, thin, slight of body, and her tail was easily three times the length of her torso. Her underbelly was a pale yellow and she had thin membranes that stretched from her front legs to her hind legs, very much like a flying squirrel. 

She scurried up his face in an instant and letting out a little cry, she wrapped her tiny body around his horn, her tiny claws clinging to the stubby growth protruding from his forehead. Her long tail wrapped around his right ear and Sumac could feel slime dripping down his face and neck. 

In that moment, overcome with joy, Sumac laughed. The troubles from earlier were forgotten completely. He went cross eyed and tried to focus upon the little lizard clinging to his horn, a blissful grin blessing his face. 

Sumac was almost startled by Trixie’s touch when he felt her pressing against him. He hadn’t even been aware that she had come over. More than anything, he wanted to share this moment of happiness with her. Spike too… everypony, really. At this moment, Sumac wanted everypony to feel the happiness that he was feeling. 

There was a flash of a camera and it took Sumac a moment to realise that Twilight had snapped his picture. He was still trying to look up at the little dragon clinging to his horn. She seemed happy up there and Sumac decided to leave her where she was. 

“What do I name her?” Sumac asked. 

“Well,” Twilight replied with a huff, “I was really little when I named Spike—” 

“Hey!” Spike interrupted, looking over at Twilight. He raised his claw and he pointed at her. “I have an awesome name. Spike is a great name for a dragon.” 

“Somepony is going to a need a bath,” Trixie said as she gave Sumac a nudge. “And I suspect a little dragon is going to need a bath as well.” 

“Ugh,” Sumac whined, his ears drooping. Everything was ruined. He didn’t care that he was slimy and gooey. It wasn’t that bad. Sumac however, was too happy to sulk for long. He perked up right away. “She’s perfect.” 

“I said the same thing about Spike,” Twilight said, looking misty eyed. “He was so amazing… so little. And he used his tail as a pacifier… it was so cute.” 

Spike let out a grunt, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. He tried to look gruff for a moment, but failed. He got up from where he was sitting beside Sumac, and returned to Twilight to give her a hug. 

“What about eating?” Sumac asked. 

“Give her a little while, she just hatched.” Twilight gave Spike a squeeze. “We’ll save just a little piece of her egg so you can have a momento. I still have a little piece of Spike’s egg. It’s one of the few things I really care about… I’ve never been one for possessions.” 

“Thank you, Twilight… for everything… you’ve given me a mother, you’ve given us a home, and now, you’ve given me a new friend. I was having the worst day ever and you made it better.” A tear rolled down Sumac’s slimy cheek. “It means a lot to me.” 

“You’re welcome,” Twilight replied. “Just be good to her. Be the good, kind, compassionate pony that I know you can be.” 

“I can do that.” Sumac, looking up, felt more tears coming. Happy tears. He couldn’t wait to show Pebble. This would make her feel better. Or better yet, showing Pebble some of the egg shell; Pebble would love that, even if she didn’t show it. Turning, he wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s foreleg and gave her a hug. 

Sumac couldn’t wait to show his friend his new friend, and he hoped that they could be friends together. He had a moment of worry for Pebble and hoped that she was alright. He clung to Trixie and as he did so, Sumac Apple closed his eyes and counted his many blessings. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	For some, home was a nice little house, or perhaps a cosy stone cottage, for others, it was a gleaming crystal castle that stood out in sharp contrast against the town where it was located. For Sumac Apple and Trixie Lulamoon, home was a vardo; a type of wagon made to live in, a home on wheels. This one had two beds that folded down from the walls, storage space, a pile of cushions in one end, and there was a large, beautifully crafted apple tree on the door, the end result of Big McIntosh’s creative abilities. 

The wagon was still shiny and new, having just been made. There was a simple outdoor kitchen off to one side, a barrel for holding water, and a canvas awning covered a small sitting area and the makeshift kitchen. 

Trixie Lulamoon was sitting under the awning at a small, portable wooden folding table, hard at work slicing potatoes. There was a glass of lemonade sitting upon the table, a luxury that she enjoyed a great deal. She now had enough money to buy sugar and fresh lemons; the sour drink was an indulgence worth having. As she sat slicing potatoes, she kept an eye on two little foals and one little dragon sitting in the grass together a short distance away. 

One foal, small, brown of pelt and violet of mane and tail, was wearing a green smock. The other foal, fresh out of a bath, had a pelt of cream and had a distinctive wheat coloured mane. The dragon, who had also been bathed, was mostly orange with hints of yellow. 

Trixie Lulamoon, slicing potatoes, was a very happy pony. 



 

“Pinkie Pie is incompetent and stupid,” Pebble said as she sat back on her haunches and folded her forelegs over her barrel. She sat with her eyes focused upon the dragon clinging to Sumac’s horn. 

“Aw, Pebble, don’t say that,” Sumac replied as he cringed. He worried that Trixie might hear and if she did, she would be upset. There had been enough trouble today between the bullying and the bath. Sumac was done with trouble for today. 

“And don’t even get me started on my parents… they’re stupid too.” After speaking, Pebble’s lower lip protruded ever so slightly, which was as much emotion as she could muster, just about the end of her expressiveness. She took a deep breath and continued, “I can’t believe they ditched me so they could try again for a better foal.” 

“Hey, Pebble, that’s not what happened and you know it.” Sumac felt a heaviness bearing down upon his withers and it made it hard to breath. “Your parents love you. You just need a better school… they left you with Pinkie because she’s family.” 

“Yes… Pinkie… who is an idiot.” Pebble let out a snort. 

“Pinkie isn’t an idiot,” Sumac said, shaking his head and hoping this conversation wouldn’t get him in trouble. 

“Oh, go out and get some sunshine. All foals love sunshine. The sun is good for you. Sunburn? What do you mean, sunburn? Oh, you’ll be just fine, stop complaining. Now go to the park and have fun.” Pebble’s voice was a monotonous steady drone and she only paused to draw breath. “Don’t worry about bullies, just ignore them and they will go away, I promise. You’re making this into a bigger problem than it really is. Oh, will you stop complaining about the sun, nopony likes a whiner—” 

“Okay, Pebble, you’ve made your point.” Sumac held up one hoof and shook his head. “But that doesn’t make her an idiot and you’re kinda mean for saying so.” 

“And she was kind of mean and stupid for sending me out of the house out into the dreadful daylight where Olive could come along and torment me.” Pebble blinked, shook her head, and then sighed. “I don’t want to live with her. She’s awful. She’s annoying. I don’t like her. She doesn’t respect my personal space or my privacy or anything.” 

“But she’s your family and she loves you.” Sumac’s voice was a little squeaky and wavered a bit. “And family is important. It’s better to have somepony that loves you even if they mess up than nopony that loves you.” As Sumac spoke, he glanced over at Trixie, and after staring in her direction for a moment, he looked back at Pebble. 

“Everything was perfect. I had my Mama, and I had my Papa, and we were happy most of the time and there was the rock farm and now, I don’t have any of that. It’s all gone. My parents have ditched me… probably because Pinkie Pie was right. I complain too much and nopony loves a whiner.” Pebble fell silent, closed her eyes, and went as still as a stone. 

It took Sumac a moment, but he realised that this was probably as close as Pebble came to crying, from what little bit he knew about her. He scooted through the grass and pressed up against her side, trying to comfort her, even though it was really weird and doing so made him feel gross and icky all over. 

A moment later, he felt her forelegs slip around his neck and squeeze him. He could feel her breathing, it was heavy, deep breaths going in and out in an irregular way, she was shuddering, her barrel hitching. She was crying, in her own way. There were no tears, no sobbing, no sounds, nothing at all but her hitching barrel to tell him that something was wrong. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Pebble,” Sumac whispered, feeling a little bit squirmy and a whole lot embarrassed from being hugged by Pebble. Ponies were going to talk and there was going to be a whole lot more teasing about Pebble being his filly friend. Sumac sighed in resignation; Pebble needed him right now and he was just going to have to endure the razzing. A part of him was glad that he had just had a bath. He didn’t want to be stinky around Pebble for reasons that he didn’t understand. Normally, he wasn’t bothered by being stinky. 

Sumac felt the dragon resting upon the top of his head move around. She was now dry, smooth, leathery, her scales were smooth and sleek feeling. She was small and slight, weighed almost nothing, and her movements tickled him. He struggled not to laugh as Pebble clung to him. 

The little hatchling let out a trumpeting screech and launched herself from Sumac’s horn. He watched as she lept, his heart in his throat, and there was this weird sense of worry that she would fall and hurt herself. But she didn’t fall and she didn’t hurt herself. She landed in the grass with a muffled whump and then scurried away, her long tail swishing from side to side in what appeared to be a boneless serpentine manner. 

She was so tiny, her body was so thin and slight. She had come out of an egg the size of those laid by a goose. She had eaten quite a bit of her egg and some of it had been set aside for her to eat later. A tiny piece of it was still with Twilight, who had promised that she was going to do something special with it. 

As Sumac sat watching his pygmy dragon, Pebble turned her head and had a look as well, her forelegs still around Sumac’s neck. The pair of foals watched as the dragon ran around in circles in the grass. 

“What’s she doing?” Sumac asked. 

“I have no idea,” Pebble replied. The filly sniffled just a tiny bit, took a deep breath, and pulled away from Sumac. She paused mid action, her hoof still lingering on Sumac’s neck, she patted him, and then pulled her hoof away as she scooted back away from her comforter. 

The little hatchling hiked up her tail, let out a squeak, grunted, and then stomped her right rear leg. She let out a trilling cry and scooted away, then turned around, her yellow eyes flashing. She had left behind what appeared to be little glittering rocks in the grass. 

“She pooped,” Sumac said in a low whisper. 

“Looks like rocks.” Pebble leaned forwards and tried to get a better look. 

Rearing up, the hatchling lifted up her head, stood on her hind legs while using her tail for balance, puffed up her tiny chest by inhaling, and then, with a raspy whoosh, she breathed fire upon her own leavings. 

There was a sound like super loud firecrackers. Each little pellet popped and exploded with a brilliant crack, and each explosive burst caused Sumac and Pebble’s ears to twitch. Pebble pulled her head back, her eyes were wide, and without thinking about it, she reached out and grabbed Sumac’s front leg. She squeezed it in her fetlock as she watched with wide eyed wonder as the hatchling detonated its own leavings. 

“She poops firecrackers!” Sumac exclaimed in excitement. “Did you see that? She poops firecrackers! Everything about dragons is awesome!” 

The hatchling, satisfied that her job was done, scurried through the grass, over to Sumac, climbed up his leg, which caused the colt to start giggling, grabbed his neck, clung to his mane, and pulled her tiny body back up to Sumac’s horn, her favourite perch. 

“My little boomer made a boom boom!” Sumac squirmed as he laughed, the hatchling’s tail still tickling his neck and his ear. Sumac was so busy laughing that he didn’t even notice that Pebble was still holding his foreleg, nor did he notice when she pulled away. 

“What exploded?” Trixie asked. 

Sumac looked up at his worried mother, a broad grin still on his face. “She went poop and burned it with her fire and it exploded! She made a boom boom!” 

“Oh.” After a moment, Trixie began to smile as she began to think about all of the ways a little dragon was the ideal companion for a colt. It was good to see Sumac smiling and happy, he was often far too serious and stuffy. 

“Boomer is a good name for a dragon,” Pebble said in a low voice. 

“Oh, I dunno about that.” Trixie, still smiling, looked at the little hatchling that was clinging to Sumac’s horn. 

“Spike likes the name that Twilight gave him.” Sumac went cross eyed as he tried to look up at his own stubby horn. “I like Boomer.” 

Trixie sighed, shook her head, and made peace with the idea that there was now a little she dragon with the name of Boomer. She looked at Pebble, who was staring at Sumac, and then looked at Sumac, who had a goofy look on his face. She laughed, shook her head again, and then turned tail so she could return to slicing potatoes for dinner. 

“You like the name I came up with?” Pebble asked as Trixie walked away. 

“I sure do,” Sumac replied. 

The little filly was silent and still for a moment as she looked into Sumac’s eyes. “Thank you.” There was a pause and she took a deep breath. “That makes me feel better. Sumac, do you think you can share your dragon with me?” 

The little colt froze and his crossed eyes uncrossed as he focused upon Pebble. He gazed into her brilliant blue eyes and felt something go crawling up and down his spine. He swallowed and tried to make his brain work, but his senses had just stepped out for a five minute break. 

“I don’t want to keep her, or take her away from you. She belongs with you. But I like her… and I like you… and I thought that maybe this is something we could do together. Maybe I need to focus on something other than my horrible parents abandoning me.” Pebble blinked, reached up with her foreleg, and brushed her straight, limp mane away from her face. “We could be… like… friends… who… raise her together.” 

Sumac gulped and tried not to panic. Ponies would talk about that. Or sing that stupid song about him and Pebble sitting in a tree and giving each other disgusting kisses. On the other hoof, Pebble was hurting and right now, she probably really needed a friend. She was in a bad spot. She felt as though her parents didn’t love her and she was really a very unhappy foal right now. Surely he could deal with a little discomfort so she could be happy, right? 

He tried to think about what Big Mac might do. What would Big Mac say about two foals teaming up to raise a dragon together? Sumac didn’t know. He couldn’t even imagine Big Mac trying to give him advice about this. Blinking, Sumac realised that he needed to say something, and soon, otherwise, he was going to hurt Pebble’s feelings. She had feelings and they were important to him for reasons he could not understand or explain. 

“I think that would be great, Pebble,” Sumac said in a low voice. “There are bound to be times that I can’t have her with me. I need somepony I can trust to look after her. You are the only pony I know that is smart enough to understand how important and how serious this is. I can trust you.” 

Pebble blinked a few times, her long eyelashes clinging together for a moment with each opening and closing of her eyes. “Thank you, Sumac Apple.” 

For a moment, it looked as though Pebble was about to say something else, but she remained silent. Sumac, who had become serious and solemn once again, looked at the filly and gave her a nod. “Twilight gave her to me to help me make friends. Maybe, if we both take care of her, we can both make friends together.” 

The filly did not reply, but stared at Sumac. After a moment of thought, she nodded her head in agreement. She then crept a little closer to Sumac, took a deep breath, relaxed, and then made herself comfortable in the grass. 

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Sumac asked. 

Pebble nodded. “I don’t want to go home back to Pinkie Pie just yet. I don’t want her grabbing me and squeezing me and hugging me and trying to force me to feel better. I can’t deal with her right now. I need quiet time and Pinkie Pie can’t be quiet.” 

Letting out a sigh, Sumac tried to think of a useful, meaningful response, but couldn’t. He felt bad for Pebble but did not know how to help her. Pinkie Pie could be a little hard to handle sometimes, but the pink pony meant well. It was clear that Pebble was loved, but Sumac didn’t know how to get her to see that and make peace with it. He glanced up at Boomer, and saw that she was already asleep. Baby dragons slept a lot. 

Today had been the biggest day in young Sumac’s life; perhaps the most important day of his life. He had hit the bottom with his rage and soared to the highest peak with his happiness. He had one friend that he really cared about, even if he didn’t understand her. A precious gift had been given to him, a gift that he knew would change his life. He thought about how Trixie was always going on about his potential. Perhaps Boomer would help bring out his potential. Boomer had already brought him and Pebble a little closer. Deciding to raise a dragon together was a special kind of close. Sumac didn’t know how to define it, but he knew it was special, something to be treasured. 

“Heya, Pebs,” Sumac said. 

“Don’t call me Pebs,” Pebble replied. 

“I just wanted to say…” Sumac swallowed and found that his mouth had suddenly gone dry. He cleared his throat and willed the rest of his words to come forth. “I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you. You helped me out and you saved me and without you I could have never got into school or realised my potential and I owe you so much and I’m really glad we’re friends and I’ll always be there for you if you need me and I can’t seem to stop talking because I feel really stupid right now and it feels like there is no way to end this without looking dumb and I just can’t seem to—” 

Placing her hoof upon Sumac’s lips, Pebble silenced the blabbering colt. She looked into his eyes and in a flat monotone, said two words. “Thank you.” 

When Pebble pulled her hoof away, Sumac let out a sigh of relief and remained silent. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Yawning, Sumac realised that he was pinned beneath one of Trixie’s legs. He could feel the rise and fall of her barrel against his back. He was warm, oh so very warm in bed with his adoptive mother. He yawned again, still trying to wake up, and did his best not to feel icked out about the situation. He had gone to sleep in his own bed, but at some point during the night, Trixie had grabbed him, foalnapped him, and pulled him into bed with her. 

One of her legs was draped over his side and his head was resting upon Trixie’s other foreleg. He opened his bleary eyes, looked around, and could just make out Boomer above them. She was hanging by her tail from one of the wooden struts they used to hang lamps from. 

It was a little chilly in the wagon, a reminder that fall, and then winter, was on its way. The ancient beat up stove from the old wagon had been installed in this one, and that old stove did nothing to hold back the winter chill. Trixie had hopes of getting them into a house before winter set in, but Sumac, even as young as he was, understood that houses were expensive. 

For now, they lived down by the river on a Crown funded camp site. 

Sumac wiggled a bit, Trixie’s foreleg draped over his ribs was heavy and it was going to take some real effort to escape. He felt Trixie shift behind him and then her embrace tightened, causing Sumac to go still. 

“Don’t leave me,” Trixie murmured in a half awake voice. “Stay… stay with Trixie. The chill makes my joints ache and you are very warm.” 

Outside, Sumac could hear birds chirping. The day was already getting started. Life was happening. The little colt felt a keen sense of excitement when thinking about the new day. He had Boomer to keep him company, and he had plans to rescue Pebble, get her out and away from her aunt Pinkie, and then together, they could while away the day. 

“School is going to be starting soon… are you excited?” Trixie asked. 

“Just a few more days,” Sumac replied. 

“Twilight is giving me more work to help me out… I’ll be a librarian assistant trainee and a teacher’s assistant trainee. I might be able to get us a house, but it will be late fall or early winter.” Trixie yawned and let out a low, drawn out whine as she did so. “Today, you need to visit Fluttershy. Remember that, Sumac. If you get in trouble or need help, go to Lemon Hearts. And Sumac, my curious little darling…” 

“Yes?” Sumac replied to show that he was paying attention. 

“Try to get some study time in. Just so you can get into the habit of studying for school. It will make the transition easier for you. I’m worried, Sumac, about you going to a regular school. There is a lot more structure involved and you’re not used to that.” 

Above them, Boomer let out a smoky yawn followed by a shrill trilling sound that made both ponies’ ears twitch. Her gleaming yellow eyes focused upon the two ponies snuggling below her and she watched them with rapt attention. 

Sumac gave thought to everything that Trixie had just said. It seemed easy enough. Go out, rescue Pebble from Pinkie Pie, wander over yonder to Fluttershy’s cottage, get a lesson in pygmy tree dragons, which Sumac noted could count as study time, he would be learning something after all, and then do whatever felt right to do for a while. Come afternoon or so, he would need to scrounge up lunch, which might mean a trip out to Sweet Apple Acres, he could take Pebble with him, and after lunch, he could ask Pebble to teach him how to study better or something and while away the afternoon. 

He added one more thing to his mental agenda. Avoid Olive at all costs. Olive was big, mean, and green. 

“Sumac, has anypony given you any grief about who you are?” Trixie asked in a low, worried whisper. 

There was no reply, not right away. Sumac lay in the bed, held in Trixie’s embrace, enjoying the feeling of being warm, secure, and comfortable. He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and after a moment, he replied, “No. The only pony that is mean to me is Olive. Most ponies actually want to be nice to me because I’m Flam’s colt. They feel bad for me. Feel bad for us.” 

Beside Sumac, Trixie Lulamoon let out a huge sigh of maternal relief. 

“I do get told I’m nothing like my father or my mother though.” Sumac squirmed in Trixie’s warm, velvety embrace. “Ponies tell me my father was talkative and loud and I’m quiet and serious. My mother was mean, or so I’m told. I really don’t remember very much about them. I do remember my father singing, I think. I don’t know.” Sumac paused, was quiet for a moment, and then asked, “What happened, exactly?” 

Trixie cleared her throat, gave Sumac a squeeze, and not satisfied with the squeeze, she pulled him as close as possible. She kissed him, right on the top of his head, just behind one of his little twitchy ears, and then tried to think of the best way to answer. 

“I don’t know everything that happened,” Trixie began, “but I do know that Flam expressed an interest in reformation. Flam brokered a deal and he sold his brother out. Flam was granted leniency in exchange for testifying against his own brother. I don’t know what happened between them, some say the brothers argued. After everything that went down, Flam was a model citizen. He and Belladonna settled down together and Flam Apple appeared to be doing all of the right things.” 

There was a bit of a pause as Trixie stopped to take a deep breath, so she could continue, “They came to Ponyville and Flam opened up a real estate business. Something called a timeshare or something. I don’t really understand it. But for ponies that couldn’t afford a nice vacation home on the beach, Flam had a way. Ponies could share it through this timeshare program. Flam made a lot of money on real estate and he started to say that anypony could get rich quick through his system of real estate investment. It all seemed legal, at least at first. Flam had a few accomplices that did get rich. Something about a pyramid scheme or something, I don’t understand, but the bits were all funneled upwards and the system promised that even very poor ponies would be able to buy in to help finance the purchases of new houses and properties and then everypony would get a share of the profits.” 

“So it was a scam?” Sumac asked. 

“Yes it was,” Trixie replied, “And Applejack kept trying to tell ponies it was a scam. Nopony believed her. Until it got out that it was, in fact, a scam. A lot of ponies here in Ponyville got duped. Flam was in a lot of trouble. A whole lot of trouble. The bad kind of trouble. He had the authorities after him, and Flam, being a smart pony, eluded them. So Princess Luna sent her agents to find him.” 

Sumac lay still and quiet in Trixie’s embrace, waiting for her to continue. 

“Sumac, honey, you have to understand, you don’t run from the agents. Many have tried and none have ever succeeded. They’re not like regular ponies. They’re different than us. They’re—” 

“Bat ponies?” Sumac blurted out, trying to be helpful. 

“Yes, Sumac, but you must never call them that. They’re ponies bred with dragons, or so I’ve heard through rumours. They’re called Wardens… and I had two Wardens named Wormwood and Grimes come and speak with me. We had a long chat and they sorted me out and I’ve never done anything wrong since.” Trixie trembled enough to cause the bed to shake and she gave Sumac an enduring, lingering squeeze. “Sumac, honey, you only ever get one warning from the Wardens… live a good life, be honest, and don’t cause trouble.” 

Sumac could hear the fear in Trixie’s voice and truth be told, something about it scared him as well. 

“It’s good that you are such a quiet, serious colt that never causes trouble.” Trixie kissed Sumac again, and then once more for good measure. “I’d like to think I had something to do with that. I love you so very much, Sumac Apple.” 

“I love you too,” Sumac replied in a low whisper, feeling a bit embarrassed and squirmy. 

“I gotta go to work. Apples for breakfast?” Trixie let go of Sumac so he could crawl out of the bed. 

“I like apples!” Sumac replied in a chirpy voice. 

“Of course you do, you’re an Apple.” 



 

The early morning streets of Ponyville were busy. Vendors were setting up in the market. Vegetable sellers were pulling their carts into town. Sumac weaved his way through traffic with ease. Boomer was wrapped around his horn and a pair of battered, threadbare brown canvas saddlebags hung at his sides. Boomer watched everything around her with wide, curious yellow eyes, occasionally making odd, trumpeting honking sounds that Sumac thought were similar to swan sounds. 

At least Sumac had a horn to help him through traffic. 

As he wove his way through the market area, heading for Sugarcube Corner, Sumac saw something so intriguing that he had to stop and investigate. There was a pegasus with a griffon cub. Now, Sumac did not know why a pegasus had a griffon cub, but he knew there was a story there, and he was far too curious to keep walking. He glanced in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, where Pebble awaited, and then over in the direction where the pegasus and the tiny griffon were walking together. 

Curiousity won out, as it always did for Sumac. He cut through the crowd, slipping through a forest of legs, a sea of carts, and the calls of vendors already set up and hawking their wares. 

As Sumac drew nearer, he paused for a moment to try and have a look without looking. He didn’t want to be rude, but he had never seen a griffon up close before. And a pegasus with a griffon cub? That was just too interesting. Sumac was going to have to risk being rude. 

Overcome with burning curiousity, Sumac cleared his throat as he followed behind the pair, and then said in a loud voice, “Hi. My name is Sumac Apple. And I’ve never seen a griffon before.” 

Much to Sumac’s surprise, the pegasus mare stopped in her tracks. He saw her smile at him, and he felt relieved. As she turned around, the griffoness cub ducked beneath her and hid in her legs, something that Sumac did himself quite often with Trixie. 

“Such a curious, polite little colt… look, Silver Lining, you have an admirer, I think,” the pegasus mare said as she looked down at Sumac. As she spoke, the tiny griffoness cub grabbed ahold of one foreleg and clung to it. “My name is Gloomy August and this is my little Silver Lining. It is so very nice to meet you. And you… you have a dragon!” 

“Her name is Boomer,” Sumac said, saying nothing about how the little pygmy dragon had earned her name. “Hello, Silver Lining.” 

The shy little griffon pressed her face into her mother’s leg, let out a shrill peep, but did nothing else to reply. 

“She’s very shy. And a little lonesome I think,” Gloomy August said to Sumac. “She doesn’t have a lot of friends. A lot of parents seem to think she’s dangerous or something. Does she look dangerous to you? Look at the poor little dear… she’s smart though. She’s going to be going to Twilight’s special school.” 

“I’m going to Twilight’s school,” Sumac said as he tried to peer at Silver Lining, who was making faint ‘meep meep’ sounds from behind her mother’s leg. 

“I was just taking her to her cubsitters, so I can go to work. I’m sorry, we can’t stay and talk for very long. If you want to see another griffon, you should meet Rowanne. Rowanne doesn’t say much, but Garnet Targe will talk your ears off. Garnet is a nice pony. They both cubsit for me. Silver Lining doesn’t like being left alone, not at all.” 

Overwhelmed by all of the information, Sumac just nodded in the most polite manner he could muster. He wasn’t aware that there were griffons in Ponyville, and a part of him was just dying to know why Gloomy was the mother of a griffon. 

“Silver Lining, can you say hello?” Gloomy asked. 

“No, Mama.” The little griffoness shook her head as she spoke. 

“Um, where would I meet Rowanne and Garnet?” Sumac looked up at the pegasus. 

“Oh!” Gloomy gasped. “Silly me… I’m sorry, I have clouds for brains.” The dark grey pegasus reached up and brushed away her dull purple mane from her eyes. “They both live near Fluttershy in a little cottage. They came to Ponyville as little wee ones and Fluttershy gave them a job and they had a nice little cottage built for them and oh, they are the nicest ponies… uh, well pony and griffon you will ever meet.” 

The dark grey pegasus looked startled all of a sudden. “I’m gonna be late! I gotta go, sorry. I hope to meet you again, Sumac Apple.” The mare looked down at the cub hiding behind her legs. “Sorry Silver, but we need to fly. We have to hurry—” 

“No!” The cub shook her head and her tiny wings fluttered. 

“She’s scared of heights,” Gloomy said in an absentminded voice. The pegasus scooped up the griffon in her forelegs, gave her a hug, and then took off, her wings flapping as she rose. “Goodbye Sumac! I do hope that you and Silver can be friends!” 

Standing there, looking up, Sumac watched as Gloomy August flew away, and little Silver Lining wailed like a siren as they flew through the air. Right away, he decided that he liked Gloomy. She was nice. She had to be nice, she was a griffon’s mama, and Sumac assumed that doing such a thing took a special level of nice. Going cross eyed, he looked up at the pygmy dragon clinging to his horn. Just like it took a special level of nice to look after an orphaned dragon. 

He wondered if he could meet Rowanne and Garnet if he went out and visited Fluttershy today. Or perhaps see Silver Lining again. It might be nice. Sumac stared in the direction where Gloomy had flown off and as he did so, a large fly went buzzing past his head. 

There was a flash of purple as Boomer’s tongue shot out of her mouth. Her sticky tongue slammed into the fly like a runaway wagon, and  the fly, helpless, stuck to Boomer’s tongue, was slurped into Boomer’s waiting open mouth. Sumac could hear the buzzing of the fly’s wings, and then the soft crunch of the fly being eaten. 

He stood in open mouthed awe, having just witnessed something awesome. 

Boomer’s tongue seemed impossibly long, Sumac didn’t know how long, but she had just lassoed a fly with it… or something. He didn’t know how it worked, and it all happened so fast that he really didn’t have time to see it. 

“That was amazing, Boomer,” Sumac said in an awestricken voice. 

Turning around, Sumac headed off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner once again, so he could meet up with Pebble and continue his awesome day. He couldn’t wait to tell her all about his morning, that he had met a griffon with a pegasus mother, and that Boomer could lasso bugs with her tongue. 
	
	
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The inside of Sugarcube Corner smelled good. A little too good. Sumac found his mouth watering and he desperately wanted some of the sweet treats. But he had no bits and there was no way he was about to ask for a freebie. As he stood there, his stomach growling, he felt the keen sting of being impoverished. 

Much to Sumac’s alarm, a pink pony approached. Sumac took a step backwards, wondering if he could still make a break for it, but realised that Pinkie Pie was a much faster pony than he was. He also realised that she looked sad. Upon this realisation, his muscles went limp and he stood there, looking up at a saddened Pinkie Pie, which was a miserable sight indeed.

“Hiya, Sumac.” Pinkie Pie sat down upon the floor next to the little colt. She wrapped a foreleg over Sumac’s withers and pulled him closer to her. She gave him a friendly squeeze and then heaved a forlorn sigh. 

“Hi.” Sumac shivered at his own nervous reply. It was far too squeaky and shrill. He hated the sound of his own voice. He felt bad for Pinkie Pie but he didn’t know how to comfort her. He really didn’t understand Pinkie Pie. 

“Pebble is upstairs, brushing her teeth and her mane.” Pinkie heaved another sigh. “I messed up, Sumac… I messed up. Nothing seems to be working. She’s so much like her mother, but she’s also not like her mother. I can deal with Maud. I can cheer Maud up. I know all of the right things to do to make Maud happy. But Pebble… I keep messing up and I think she hates me.” 

Sumac took a deep breath, not quite sure what to say or do. “She’s really unhappy—” 

“I know!” Pinkie Pie shuddered and pulled Sumac closer. “I know… it’s awful. She thinks that her parents don’t love her anymore and she feels betrayed and then I had to go and screw up and make everything worse and I was just trying to get her out of her room so she would stop sulking. At least, I think she’s sulking. She acts a bit like Maud when Maud sulks. Most ponies can’t tell when Maud is sulking. But I can, and it is really awful when she does. Maud was sulking when she left Ponyville because Pebble said she hated her and never wanted to see her again.” 

Boomer shifted on Sumac’s horn and he felt her tail slithering around his ear. His body jerked from the unexpected tickle, but to his credit, he did not laugh. He twisted his head around and looked up at Pinkie, who was sitting beside him. He sat down with a muted plop and tried to think about what to say. He didn’t have a lot of experience in comforting sad ponies, only Trixie. 

“I even tried sitting down and talking to her like an adult, because that is what Tarnish does when she’s upset, but that only made it worse. I think. I don’t really know.” Pinkie Pie shook her head and when she blinked her eyes, they shimmered with tears. 

As Sumac sat listening to Pinkie Pie pour her heart out to him, he saw her ears perk. Pinkie jerked her head up, sniffled, blinked away a few tears, coughed, and then a forced smile appeared upon her face. Sumac could tell that it was a fake smile, the sort of smile that adults had when they didn’t want to look sad or angry. The sort of smile that could infuriate most foals that knew how to spot a fake. Smart foals. Gifted foals. Foals like Pebble. 

“She’s coming,” Pinkie Pie’s voice sounded a bit alarmed and she let go of Sumac, “just try to be her friend, thank you so much Sumac Apple. I’ve prepared a few treats for the two of you to take with you and there is a gemstone for Boomer.” 

Blinking, Sumac realised he hadn’t told Pinkie about Boomer or her name. Somehow, Pinkie had mystified him. Everything she did defied logic or explanation. There was no understanding it. Sumac felt his skin crawl. He liked understanding things. He liked having things make sense. He was skeptical of anything and everything he didn’t understand, and he didn’t understand Pinkie, not in the slightest. 

He saw Pebble on the stairs. She was wearing a blue smock that had white polka dots on it. She was also wearing a blue sun hat that had a white band. A well made set of saddlebags, sized to her proportions, hung at her sides. As she came down the stairs, he noticed that she looked at everything in the room but Pinkie Pie. Observing this, Sumac could not help but feel even worse for Pinkie. It had to be awful to be Pinkie. 

Pinkie vanished in a pink blur, speeding off into the kitchen, and then returned a few seconds later, carrying a package in her teeth. She stuffed the package into Sumac’s saddlebags, gave Sumac a gentle nudge on his right front leg, and then she was gone, leaving behind the scent of spicy, sugary goodness. 

“Ready to go?” Pebble asked in a flat voice. 

Sumac nodded, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want his voice to squeak. 

“Good, we’re leaving.” Pebble cast a glance around the room, turned her head, looked in the direction of the door Pinkie Pie had disappeared through, and then returned her gaze to Sumac. “Hi, Boomer, how are you?” 

The hatchling made no reply and Sumac made ready to follow Pebble as she turned to exit out of the door. He too, cast a glance at the door that Pinkie had vanished through. He knew there was a problem, but he had no idea how to fix it. It was an adult sized problem and just thinking about it made Sumac feel small, useless, and helpless. 



 

As he and Pebble walked together, Sumac kept an eye out for anything green and mean. Sumac strolled with the experienced gait of a long distance walker. During his short life, he had walked hundreds, maybe thousands of miles. He moved with a smooth, fluid grace, his head turning from side to side as he kept an eye out for danger, something he did when he walked across the length and breadth of Equestria with Trixie. 

As much as he had wanted a sweet treat in Sugarcube Corner, they were now sitting in his small saddlebags, forgotten. He was too worried about Pebble, Pinkie Pie, and spotting something mean and green. Fluttershy’s cottage was outside of town and was a fair walk from Sugarcube Corner, which was almost smack dab in the middle of town. 

“Sumac Apple, is that you?” 

Sumac froze, three legs on the ground, and his right front hoof still raised. He turned his head towards the sound of the voice. He saw an earth pony mare that he did not know. She was a faint shade of blue and had a darker blue mane. She had blue eyes the colour of lake ice. She was very, very blue. 

“Sumac, I think I recognise you by your description,” the mare said, a worried look upon her face. “If only I could have just a moment of your time, please?” 

Something brushed up against his side and Sumac realised that Pebble was pressing up against him. Adults could be trusted—most of the time. But this adult knew his name and he didn’t know hers. He blinked and stared at the strange mare. 

“My name is Sapphire Gin,” the mare said, introducing herself. For a brief moment, her face pinched with worry. “I am Olive’s mother… now wait, before you run off, please, please give me a chance to speak!” 

Sumac braced his legs for a quick escape. Beside him, Pebble let out a snort. 

“I wanted to apologise for Olive… she’s very, very troubled… Vermouth and I, we’re trying very hard to set her straight. I understand that she had behaved poorly towards you. I believe that is Pebble there with you. I really am sorry.” The mare drooped and her ears fell down beside her face. 

Relaxing a little, Sumac wondered what else the mare might have to say. His ears perked forwards and he tried to look as though he was interested, or at least paying attention. He felt Boomer squirming on top of his head. 

“Olive is very difficult to control. Vermouth and I, we are earth ponies… she is a unicorn. She’s smarter than us and she knows it. She flaunts how smart she is. She bullies us as well.” Sapphire Gin shook her head. “We hoped that getting her enrolled in Twilight’s school would get her straightened out. She made a very good presentation about magic… I don’t understand any of it.” 

For the second time today, Sumac saw a mare on the verge of tears and he didn’t know how to help them. He blinked, confused, not knowing what to say. She was speaking to him in a very adult manner, perhaps because she knew that he was smart, or perhaps she was accustomed to speaking to Olive in a such a way, because Olive was smart. 

“Anyhow, I feel really bad that Olive treats you so badly. I wanted to know if there is anything I could do to make up for it… I mean that… I don’t know what I can do, but I want to apologise.” Sapphire Gin gave the two foals a sad smile. 

“Apology accepted,” Pebble said in a dull, flat monotone. “You seem like a nice mare. I’m sorry that Olive treats you so poorly.” 

“Why, thank you,” Sapphire Gin replied as she started to sniffle. “Other ponies don’t seem to understand what it is like to be bullied by your own foal… they keep telling us to put our hoof down.” Sapphire’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “She has powerful magic… she scares us. She’s threatened us with horrible things if she doesn’t get her way. We’re just earth ponies. We don’t know how to deal with her.” 

Sumac watched as other ponies passed and tried to think about what to say. It was wrong to use your magic to intimidate or threaten others. Trixie had taught him that. He knew a little bit about Trixie and her encounter with the alicorn amulet, but he didn’t know specifics. He just knew that she had made it very, very clear that the only time she might consider spanking him until he couldn’t sit down was if he used his magic to intimidate or harm others. 

The idea of a spanking didn’t exactly appeal to Sumac, so he remained on his best behaviour. He wasn’t very skilled at magic anyway and he didn’t like hurting others. He still felt bad for biting Trixie. He thought about how he had launched himself at Olive and felt shame creeping over him. He had wanted to hurt her while lost in the depths of his temper tantrum. He let out a tiny sigh and felt disappointed with himself. 

“Sumac, say something,” Pebble whispered, “I think she’s waiting for you to say something.” 

Gulping, put on the spot, Sumac felt his mouth go dry. He didn’t know what to say and he stared at the mare that was the mother of the one pony that Sumac couldn’t stand. What did one say to the mother of the pony you didn’t like? 

“Sumac is a little shy and quiet,” Pebble said in her most apologetic monotone, which sounded exactly like anything and everything else she said. Flat as week old soda in an open bottle. 

“He looks like a very serious looking little colt,” Sapphire remarked as she took a step forwards. “Twilight tells me that both of you are quite gifted.” 

“Why does everypony say that I’m such a serious looking little colt?” Sumac asked, finally saying something. 

“Because you are,” Pebble deadpanned in reply. “I need to find shade. I can feel the sun burning through my smock.” 

“We should probably get going,” Sumac said, glad for an excuse to leave. “It was nice to meet you, Sapphire Gin.” 

“Thank you for giving me a chance to talk to you.” Sapphire Gin’s sad smile brightened a bit. “I feel a little better having made an apology.” 

Not knowing what else to do, Sumac lifted up his hoof, waved, and then watched as Olive’s mother took off at a trot. He heard her sniffling and wished that he had said more or had perhaps done more to make her feel better. He also wished that he had somehow made Pinkie Pie feel better. It was very difficult to be so small and not know what to do to fix things and make them right. 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Why, Sumac Apple, such a serious little pony,” Discord said in a voice that almost couldn’t contain his faint, wheezing laughter. “And Pebble Pie. How are you, Pebble?” 

“Discord,” Pebble replied as she looked up. She gave a very polite nod and stared upwards from beneath the brim of her sunhat. 

“Why does everypony keep saying that?” Sumac asked. 

“Sumac, Sumac, Sumac…” Discord’s words came out as three huffs and he lowered his head down. “Look at you. You walk around with that serious face. Also, you are beige. From hoof to ear.” 

“I am not!” Sumac punctuated his reply with an indignant snort, while wondering if he really was beige. His coat was a pale cream colour and his mane was kind of on the light side. 

“I like beige,” Pebble said in a flat voice as she glanced over at Sumac. “Greys, browns, beiges. Some colours are just painful to look at. Not everything needs to look like a rainbow.” 

Sumac sat down so hard that Boomer let out a worried honk. Sumac watched as Discord’s eyebrow arched and the little colt realised that the draconequus was probably laughing it up on the inside. He wasn’t beige. He was cream coloured. If somepony wanted to be creative, he might be considered a very light shade of caramel perhaps, with the right artistic eye. His pelt was kind of the same colour as sand. Well, some sand. Plain old sensible sand, not that fancy black sand that he had seen during his travels. 

“A pygmy tree dragon.” Discord settled down to the ground, his tail and hind legs coming to rest against the soil. He stroked his chin. “I haven’t seen one of you in a while. You’re becoming endangered.” 

“What?” Sumac blinked a few times, trying to take in Discord’s words. “She’s in danger?” 

“Well….” Discord stretched the word out so it lingered in the air for several long seconds. “You ponies are silly creatures. You cut down the forests. You build cities and settlements in places with no regards for who or what lives there. And pygmy tree dragons need room to roam. It’s getting harder and harder for them to do so. Their forests keep shrinking. Ponies make for rude neighbors, really. I don’t know how I manage.” 

Sumac’s eyes narrowed. 

“The pygmy tree dragons either need to find new forests, or, give up their way of life and learn to live with ponies in civilisation. Some pygmy dragons already do this. Manehattan and Fillydelphia both have dragon populations.” Discord reached up and rubbed his chin. “I do believe that a pygmy dragon raised around ponies would have a much easier time of adjustment though.” Discord extended his talons, reached down, and booped Boomer on the nose. 

In response, Boomer let out a honk that echoed through the trees and caused a flock of birds to flee in panic. 

Discord clapped his talons and his paw together. “I could not have said it better with any clever words of mine!” A manic grin appeared upon the draconequus’ face. “Do try to look after the beige one. He’s going to be a real stick in the mud. Try to make him have fun.” 

“We should be going,” Pebble said to Discord. “Fluttershy is expecting us.” 

“Oh, I was there,” Discord replied. “Starlight Glimmer is there with her. There’s another stick in the mud pony.” Discord shuddered. “No sense of humour, that one. Sumac, I bet you and her will get along famously.” 

“Daddy’s magic made Starlight’s magic go all wonky and she caused an outbreak of the cutie pox.” Pebble shook her head. “Lots of ponies had extra cutie marks. It was a mess. It was all Twilight’s fault. She was trying to study his magic and why it works the way it does.” 

“Pebble Pie, your father is a menace.” Discord drew himself up to his full height. 

Standing up, Sumac eyed Discord, then looked at Pebble as his mind filled with millions of questions that he wanted to ask. But the little curious colt said nothing, asked nothing. He just looked at Pebble and waited to get moving. He was eager to go. He wasn’t comfortable around Discord. 

“Don’t tease me, Discord, or Papa will null you.” Pebble’s deadpan threat carried no feeling, no emotion, no nothing. “You know what happens if he comes near you. You are unstable magic. He will make you behave.” 

Raising his forelegs, Discord made a bipedal gesture of surrender. “Now now, no need for threats. I was just stating the popular public opinion. No need to get huffy puffy.” Snapping his talons, Discord vanished, leaving two foals and one baby pygmy dragon sitting all alone. 

Pebble sighed. “We should get moving.” 



 

As the two foals crested the hill, a cottage came into view. It was a bit ramshackle, but cosy looking. It was surrounded by smaller buildings, such as chicken coops, sheds, and pens for animals. A large bear was lounging in a patch of shade under a tree, he appeared to be dozing. A large eagle with a bandaged wing was sitting on a wooden perch next to a kite, who was also bandaged. Sumac could see the white bandages standing out in sharp contrast to everything else. This was a sanctuary and animals did not fight here. 

In the middle of it all was a sunny yellow pegasus and a pale purple pinkish unicorn mare. Both of them were trying to help some kind of dog like creature, or so it appeared, Sumac had trouble making out the details no matter how hard he squinted. 

“Looks like somebody met up with a porcupine,” Pebble said as she walked beside Sumac, the brim of her hat bouncing with every step. 

“You can see that from here?” Sumac asked. 

“You can’t?” Pebble asked. “It isn’t that far away.” 

Sumac let out a groan but did not reply as he began to realise that there was something wrong with his eyes. He blinked a few times, squinted, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not focus on the two mares and the dog like creature. 

“You need glasses,” Pebble said in a matter-of-fact monotone. 

“No I don’t,” was Sumac’s hasty reply. 

“Yes you do.” 

“No I don’t.” Sumac swallowed and felt a rising feeling of anger. “Can’t afford glasses. We need a house before winter.” 

Pebble stopped, turned her head, and leveled her cool stare upon her companion. “You need glasses. I can help you.” 

“I don’t want help—” 

“You shut up,” Pebble demanded, cutting Sumac off. “I’ll talk to Pinkie Pie.” The filly paused, blinked, and her tail swished. “Or I might be able to ask my aunt Octavia and my aunt Scratchy for help.” Reaching out her hoof, Pebble booped Sumac on the nose. “You need to stop being so proud, Sumac Apple. Trixie was also proud and kept running away when other ponies tried to help her.” 

“I don’t understand Trixie,” Sumac said as he and Pebble resumed walking. “She took the bits she could get for caring for me, but refused other forms of help. It’s confusing.” Sumac’s hooves caused little puffs of dust to rise from the road with each step. 

As the foals drew closer, they were noticed. The pale purple pink pony lifted up a hoof and waved, while the yellow pegasus extended a wing. Something about the warm, friendly greeting made Sumac feel good. It was nice to be welcomed, to be wanted, to have others happy to see you. It was nice to settle in, to live in one place. Sumac missed the road, but having ponies excited to see you more than made up for it. The serious looking little colt smiled as he approached, touched by the warm greeting. 



 

“Sumac, this is Starlight Glimmer,” Fluttershy said as she made an introduction. “Starlight, this is Sumac.” Fluttershy paused, her wings fluttered, and then she began to gush. “Oh look at him, he’s so adorable, and such a serious looking little colt—” 

The dog like creature, now free of quills, loped off, whimpering. 

“Ugh.” Sumac bit down on his lip to keep from being rude. Fluttershy was already squealing as she came over to him and Boomer began to make a trilling sound. Sumac felt himself being hugged and then Pebble was being squished against him as Fluttershy hugged them both together. 

“Hello, Sumac,” Starlight said in a warm, cheerful voice. “Twilight and I have spoken about you. I’m going to be one of your instructors when school starts.” Starlight turned her gaze upon Pebble and her smile broadened. “Hello again Pebble. How are you?” 

“Abandoned and orphaned,” Pebble replied in monotone. 

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Starlight said to Pebble in a gentle voice. “You are a very gifted little filly. Sacrifices have to be made. You want to be educated like your mother, don’t you?” 

Pebble Pie made no response. She pulled away from Fluttershy and Sumac, went over to a shady spot beneath a tree, and sat down. She let out a huff, took off her hat, laid it down in the grass, and sat with her ears drooping to the sides of her face. 

Fluttershy let go of Sumac and gave Starlight a worried sidelong glance. Sumac noticed this, the look shared between the two mares, and then he peered over at Pebble. He suspected that if it were any other foal, that foal would be crying right about now. 

But, from what Sumac knew about Pebble, she wasn’t like other foals. She didn’t cry. He didn’t know why, but he had been sat down and given a talking to. He felt bad for her and he didn’t know what to do. He looked at Fluttershy and much to his surprise, the yellow pegasus gave him a faint, solemn nod, then made a gesture in Pebble’s direction. 

There was a flurry of motion on top of Sumac’s head as Boomer lept, her long tail streaming out behind her. She landed on Starlight’s horn, and the startled unicorn mare let out a cry as the hatchling began to make herself at home. 

Sumac used this opportunity to go over, sit down next to Pebble, and then he looked at her, but did not know what to say. It had to be tough for Pebble, Sumac realised. She acted so very much like a little adult in miniature, but she was still a foal. Ponies probably expected her to deal with things like an adult, or so Sumac reckoned. Because she didn’t respond or show much in the way of emotions, very much like her mother, the little colt came to the conclusion that most ponies probably just made assumptions about what Pebble was feeling without actually knowing. And since most of the time, Pebble seemed okay, Sumac deduced that most adults just assumed that Pebble was okay. 

“Thank you,” Pebble said in a low voice. 

“For what?” Sumac asked. 

“For sitting with me,” Pebble replied. 

“Oh.” Sumac couldn’t think of anything else to say and he felt rather useless. He sat there, watching as Fluttershy fawned over Boomer, who was coiled around Starlight’s horn. 

“You are my only friend, Sumac. Nopony else my age even tries to understand me or tries to be friends with me. I’m difficult and they’re stupid.” 

Nodding, Sumac sat in silence, listening. He was good at that. He could listen and pay attention; he maintained eye contact and did his best to show interest. Trixie had told him it took a special type of pony to be a listener, good listeners were hard to find. Being a good listener would make him special. He had even asked Big Mac about it, and Big Mac had confirmed everything that Trixie had told him. Big Mac was the quiet sort who was good at listening. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that everypony else is stupid.” Pebble’s eyes narrowed a bit and she shook her head. “That makes me no better than Olive. Now I feel even worse. I just can’t seem to get anything right.” Pebble let heave a sigh and shook her head again. “I’m mean. I’ve been mean to you, I was mean to Pinkie, and I was mean to my Mama. I’m an awful pony.” 

“We all have bad days.” Sumac scooted a little closer to Pebble.

“Sometimes, I don’t want to be smart. I just want to be happy. I don’t want to think about my academic career.” Pebble drew in a deep breath and then continued, “Sometimes I feel silly and I do want to go and play with other foals, but then I start thinking about how smart I am and I think that I’ll say something that they’ll not understand and then I’ll be called an egghead and in my mind I’ll think about all of the things that will go wrong and at the end of it all, after I’ve thought about all of these stupid scenarios that might happen, I’ll convince myself that it just isn’t worth it and then I’ll go and read something so I can do something productive with my time.” 

Sumac blinked and tried to take everything Pebble had just said in. He was smart, but he wasn’t that smart, and he had trouble understanding everything that had just been blurted out in what was perhaps the longest run on sentence he had heard in his life. 

“I’m so starved for attention,” Pebble admitted in a flat voice. “I love my mother and father so much. They understand me. And I want their attention so much… and I’ve been very selfish with them. I love them… I love my mother and I love my father and when they’re both paying me attention everything is good. But when they start loving each other and getting all moony eyed, I feel left out and I hate them. I hate them so much because they’re the only ponies that get me and I feel left out and I can’t get any attention from them when they’re all moony eyed and making kissy faces at one another. I am such an unhappy foal and I don’t know how to fix what is wrong with me.” 

That is a little deep, Sumac thought to himself. He was in over his head now and he had some trouble keeping up with everything coming out of Pebble’s mouth. He was feeling the pressure—she was pouring her heart out to him and trusting him to listen. He was listening, but he wasn’t sure he was understanding. He felt a little bit of fear creeping up in his mind, the fear of letting Pebble down. She was baring her heart to him and he didn’t know what to do. 

Looking over at Fluttershy and Starlight, he saw Starlight whispering something into Fluttershy’s ear. Could they hear everything being said? They weren’t that far away. If they could hear, maybe they could help Pebble. If not, well, Sumac wasn’t sure what to do, but he knew that he had to help Pebble somehow. She was his friend. 

“You could play with me,” Sumac said, hoping he wouldn’t sound stupid. “I mean, I don’t get along too well with other foals my age and nopony asks me to play with them, and even my cousins, Hidden Rose and Ambrosia, even though they like me, they think I’m a little strange.” 

“We don’t fit in,” Pebble replied. 

“I didn’t grow up with other foals.” Sumac sighed and shook his head. “I don’t understand all of the rules to the silly games that others play and I don’t know their songs and I get confused by things like ‘bases’ and ‘no tag backs’ and rather than try to understand, I just walk away and don’t bother.” 

Looking into Pebble’s eyes, Sumac realised that something had changed. Something was different. He didn’t know what it was, but he wasn’t afraid to look into her eyes and mean it. He didn’t feel like turning away. He still felt squirmy inside, but he could handle being squirmy. 

“We should go and learn about Boomer. Hopefully, Boomer won’t grow up thinking we’re both insufferable eggheads.” Pebble Pie reached out one hoof, leaned over, and patted Sumac. 



 

Unable to help himself, Sumac giggled as Boomer looped herself around his horn. He could feel her little claws and her tail on his skin, which caused him to feel shivers up and down his spine. She was chewing on a big fat bug of some kind as she returned to her usual perch. 

“Do you have any questions, Sumac?” Fluttershy asked. 

Ears perking, Sumac tried to think of a question. At any other moment, he might have had a million questions, but now that he was on the spot, his brain went blank. He blinked a few times and a smile lingered upon his lips as Boomer chewed her bug with great gusto. 

“Pygmy tree dragons aren’t like other dragons and they’re not actually dragons, but drakes. They’re very smart and mostly friendly. In the wild, they have been known to help ponies in trouble. Some talk in the wild, others don’t.” Fluttershy focused upon Boomer and watched as the hatchling wrapped her tail around Sumac’s left ear. “They are the natural enemy of the giant leaping spider and the big giant spiders are known to prey upon the pygmy tree dragon. The pygmy tree dragons use their flames to burn away spiderwebs and free themselves from the spider’s clutches. They will also eat the giant spiders if given a chance. You might think a dragon, even a little dragon would be more than a match for a giant spider, but you’d be wrong. Those big spiders have developed special fangs that will punch through tough scales and they have special venom that paralyses dragons. They’ve been fighting for a long, long time and are evenly matched.” 

“So Trixie and I will never have to worry about spiders in our wagon ever again?” As Sumac spoke, he heard Starlight Glimmer giggle. 

“No, Sumac,” Fluttershy replied, “Boomer will be extra vigilant about keeping spiders of all kinds away from where she nests. If she sees a spider, even a cute, harmless little spider, she will hunt it down, catch it, and eat it.” 

“Neat!” Sumac’s enthusiasm could not be contained. Having had some encounters with some rather large and dangerous spiders, he was glad to have an ally in the war against the eight legged, hairy menace. He and Trixie had once been ambushed by giant spiders on the road and he had almost been gobbled by a giant hairy face leaping spider. 

Almost laughing, Sumac knew what to bring up. “Boomer poops firecrackers.” 

Fluttershy’s face went pink and Starlight Glimmer began to chortle. Sumac, grinning, looked over at Pebble and hoped that she was feeling a little better. She seemed alert and was paying attention. 

“Yeah, about that,” Starlight said as she took over for a very embarrassed and flustered Fluttershy. “Dragons of all types, from big to little, have high concentrations of ammonium nitrate in their droppings. There are other volatile chemicals as well, dragons are blessed with an amazing digestive system that doubles as an alchemical still. They ferment various chemicals in their long hind guts. Dragon poo is natural dynamite. Dragons will drop their dung down into the cracks and crags of rocks and then breathe fire down into the crevice so they can blow apart big chunks of stone. They then pick through the rubble looking for gems or stones with high concentrations of ore or minerals.” Starlight Glimmer paused for a moment, focused upon Sumac, and drew in a deep breath. 

“Dragon dung is very, very valuable. Even small pieces will fetch a good amount of bits. Alchemists use it for all kinds of things and it is most useful to farmers. Burying it in the ground will fertilise the soil and make it perfect for growing almost anything. An enterprising young colt could collect dragon droppings, stick them in a container, store them very carefully and make a lot of bits.” 

“Tree dragons will drop their pellets down into a rotten tree and then blow the old rotten tree apart so they can get to all of the delicious beetle grubs and other bugs in the tree.” Fluttershy’s head bobbed as she spoke and it was clear that nature was a fascinating subject for her. “By doing this, they clear away old dead trees and make room for new trees to start growing. Tree dragons help to manage the forest and keep it healthy, which is why we must protect them.” 

“Discord said they are endangered,” Pebble said to Fluttershy. 

“Oh, they are. The wild populations are getting fewer and fewer. They need a lot of room and the forests keep getting smaller.” Fluttershy’s expression changed to one of sadness and she shook her head. “Not all changes and progress are for the better. Sure, it might benefit us, but others suffer for our progress.” 

Sumac, who was focused on making bits, lifted his head and his eyebrow arched. “A container of dragon dung could be pretty dangerous, but it is possible to sell it?” The colt began to chew his lip for a moment and began to wonder how valuable dragon poop was. He looked at Starlight, then at Fluttershy, and finally, he glanced at Pebble. Boomer was going to poop a whole lot. It occurred to Sumac that Boomer was pooping bits. But for poop to come out, stuff had to keep going in. His smile turned upside down and became a frown. 

“Winter is coming… how will Boomer get bugs?” Sumac asked. 

“Oh, not to worry, I farm bugs,” Fluttershy replied. “A lot of my patients need to eat and bugs are good for them. Especially my avian friends who come to me for help.” 

“And she can eat other things too, right?” Sumac crossed his eyes and looked up at his horn, where Boomer was perched. She had her eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping. 

“Well, dragons can eat anything, Spike certainly does, but they do need certain things to stay healthy. If Boomer ate nothing but cookies and ice cream, she would get very, very sick. But yes, it is safe to feed her almost anything and tree dragons love the sweet taste of fruit. You might want to keep an eye on her around Applejack’s apples. She’ll probably try and keep eating until she almost pops. Dragons are naturally greedy and will just keep eating as much as they can if you let them. Especially when they are small and don’t know any better. Twilight told me stories about Spike.” 

“Embarrassing stories,” Starlight Glimmer added. 

“So she’ll like apples?” Sumac’s eyes focused upon Fluttershy once more. 

“Oh, no doubt, she’ll love apples.” Fluttershy’s head turned when the bear napping under the tree let out a grunt. “Oh bother, I think I’ll need to look after Hugo. He’ll be waking up soon. Poor dear has been constipated. I told him not to go to the dump and eat garbage.” 

“Feel free to stay for a while longer,” Starlight offered. 

Sumac nodded and looked over at the bear. “Where are Rowanne and Garnet?” 

“Oh, those two? They’re cub sitting. They’re around here somewhere.” Starlight’s eyes narrowed and she had a look around. “Silver Lining is an adorable little scamp and she likes to go off and hide somewhere. Poor Rowanne and Garnet get frantic sometimes trying to find her.” 

This looked like a nice enough place to hang out and surely, Olive would not come here. Sumac looked at Pebble and noticed that she was watching some chickens strutting around the yard. He looked up at Boomer, who was sleeping. Yes, this place would be an ideal place to spend some time. 

“Thank you for having us,” Pebble said to Fluttershy and Starlight. “And thank you for the lesson about Boomer.” 

“Oh, we’ll talk some more,” Starlight offered in reply, “just make yourselves at home and have a look around. Just… watch out for Hugo. He’s bound to be stinky…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“How is it that they don’t see her?” Sumac said in a conspiratorial whisper to his friend and boon companion, Pebble. The little colt shook his head, blinked, and took a bite of his apple cinnamon muffin, feeling a little confused, a little bewildered, and not quite believing what he was seeing. 

Little Silver Lining was hiding in plain sight among the chickens. The little griffoness cub was standing on her front legs somehow, her body was squished up against itself, her hind legs were tucked away and hidden beneath her wings. Her tail was curled up against her backside and only the feathered tuft protruded, giving her the appearance of tail feathers. She bobbed her head back and forth while clucking like a chicken, somehow escaping the watchful gaze of Rowanne and Garnet Targe. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Garnet said in a loud, clear voice as she stood near Silver Lining, who clucked in reply. 

Still undecided about the situation, Sumac decided that this had to be one of the most amazing things he had ever seen. The little griffon cub really did almost look like a chicken, lost among the other chickens. He took another bite of his muffin and felt Pebble lean up against him. Well, that was a little icky but he wasn’t going to let that ruin the moment. 

Rowanne was much larger than Silver Lining and quite interesting. Another griffon living among ponies. Rowanne seemed gentle, was kind to animals, and Fluttershy seemed to be fond of her. Sumac wondered what she ate and there were a million questions to be asked. 

As for Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer, the two of them were helping a turtle with a cracked shell, applying some kind of smelly, goopy alchemical agent that would seal the crack and allow the turtle to heal. Sumac, still eating his muffin, thought this kind of life was marvelous. Helping others, helping nature, and trying to do good. He gobbled down the last bite and began licking sticky crumbs from his lips. 

Trixie often asked him what he wanted to do with his life, if he had any idea yet of what he thought might be nice to do as a grown up. Sumac of course, being so young, had no idea, but the world, his world, was full of possibilities. Helping nature was one of those possibilities. He liked graveyards and begged Trixie into letting him visit them when they had lived on the road. He had seen a number of famous bone yards and quite a few common burial sites. 

He really wanted to see Canterlot’s graveyard, the Necropolis. There would be all sorts of stories and neat things to read on the stones, if he was lucky a caretaker could be found so he could ask about local lore, and looking after a graveyard seemed like it would be a fun occupation if he could get it. 

Looking over at Pebble, Sumac asked the little filly sitting beside him, “Do you want to come with me to the graveyard?” 

Pebble Pie blinked twice. “What?” 

“The graveyard. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s a nice place to visit and there are all kinds of interesting rocks and there are nice shade trees. It isn’t creepy at all and there is nothing scary there. It’s really a very nice place.” Sumac gave Pebble a hopeful smile. 

“I dunno…” Pebble shook her head and wiped her muzzle with her foreleg. 

“It’s not like the park, the park is noisy and awful and full of ponies. The graveyard is really nice, I promise.” Sumac felt Pebble shift against him and then she pulled away. Right away, cool air hit Sumac where Pebble had been pressed up against him. “Just think of it as a quiet bedroom. Be respectful of the sleepers and everything will be okay.” 

“Alright, I’ll come with you, but if I get creeped out, we’re going.” Pebble blinked a few times in rapid succession and shook her head. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. What would my father say I wonder?” 

Shrugging, Sumac didn’t know. He cast a final glance at Silver Lining, who was still hiding in plain sight as a chicken. He smiled, then looked up at a sleeping Boomer, thought about how much baby dragons slept, and then grabbed his saddlebags. 

It was time to continue his perfect day. 



 


Pebble sat beneath a large tree that provided a tremendous amount of shade, reading a book, and Sumac lifted his head to check on her. She seemed content enough and didn’t seem too creeped out. She had protested a bit when they had first arrived, but now didn’t seem bothered. 

Moving about, Sumac cleaned off tombstones, pulled weeds, and continued his work. It allowed him to exercise his magic, something he needed to do. Standing near the corner fence, Sumac dropped down an apple seed and then covered it up with dirt. He saved every apple seed he came across and buried them whenever he had the chance in places he felt needed apple trees. It was a strange compulsion of his, a need, an action that he performed that satisfied some desire deep within him. 

Satisfied that the apple seed was happily tucked away into the dirt, Sumac tossed a few weeds over the old, somewhat rusty wrought iron fence and then headed off for the next patch of weeds. 

He went to work, tugging and pulling, using his feeble telekinesis to yank weeds out of the ground, trying to free headstones, many of which were choked with unwanted and unwelcomed wild growth. This cemetery hadn’t been looked after in a long, long while. 

“Sumac Apple.” 

The deep baritone almost caused Sumac to jump out of his skin and he let out a shrill, startled cry. Turning about, his horn glowing with a green light that matched his eyes, he saw Big Mac. He let out a wheeze of relief and then took a few deep breaths as he tried to stop his heart from pounding within his barrel. 

“I had a pegasus come and tell me that you were digging in the cemetery, Sumac.” 

“I was cleaning up a bit and planting apple seeds,” Sumac replied, now feeling worried that Big Mac might be angry with him. He didn’t want Big Mac angry with him, that would be the worst thing ever. Letting down or otherwise disappointing Big Mac was too awful to even think about. 

“Planting apple seeds? Here?” Big Mac’s eyes narrowed and he let out a snort as he chewed on the long stalk of hay protruding from his lips. 

“Well, there are a lot of Apples buried here and no apple trees… it’s wrong… it just is.” Sumac sat down, his ears drooping, and he let out a worried sigh. He wasn’t sure what Big Mac was feeling right now. 

“Hmm.” Big Mac’s jaw clenched. 

Sumac glanced over at Pebble and then let out a small, worried whine. He really didn’t want Big Mac upset with him. He looked down at his own front hooves, suddenly feeling very, very small and miserable. All four of his tiny little hooves could fit into just one of Big Mac’s hoofprints. 

“Come over yonder,” Big Mac said to Sumac in a low voice. 

Popping up onto his hooves, Sumac moved right away, doing as he was told. He followed Big Mac over into another part of the cemetery, glancing over his shoulder at Pebble, who was still reading. Sumac, feeling very uncertain of himself, wondered just how much trouble he was in. 

Much to his surprise, Big Mac sat down next to two headstones that stood beside one another. There were a few weeds, but the stones didn’t appear to be too old. The grass around them was a little tall and Sumac noticed that both headstones had an apple carved into the stone. 

Blinking, he was able to read two names on the tombstones. The first was McIntosh, the second was Clementine. He watched as Big Mac reached out and touched the stone marked ‘Clementine.’ It was a soft, tender touch, and he could see the big stallion’s eyes glimmering. 

“You know, I think they would appreciate having an apple tree right about here,” Big Mac said as he pointed at the patch of ground between the stones. “Dig a little hole and plant one.” 

Doing as he was told, Sumac dug out a little hole with his magic, fished out an apple seed from his saddlebags, and dropped it down into the hole. Just as he was about to push the dirt back into the hole, Big Mac surprised him by doing it himself. He watched as Big Mac pressed his hoof down onto the freshly broken black dirt, packing it down upon the seed. Ears perking, Sumac could hear Big Mac sniffling. 

He looked at the tombstones, then up at Mac, and then back at the headstones. Then, it hit him. He understood what he was looking at. He understood who was buried here. Sumac felt even smaller and even more foalish as he stood near Big Mac, who was now sniffling and breathing hard even though he hadn’t been doing much in the way of physical effort. 

Stumbling, Sumac managed to scoot himself over closer to Big Mac and then wrapped one of his forelegs around one of Big Mac’s forelegs. He clung to the much larger pony, feeling very emotional and a little confused by the fact that the much bigger stallion, the very model of masculinity for Sumac, was now almost crying. Sumac wasn’t sure what to think or feel. 

“Eeyup, I miss ‘em.” Big Mac sat down in the grass and pulled Sumac closer. 

Listening to Big Mac’s strained, heavy breathing, Sumac resolved to clean this place up and make it look nice, no matter how hard it was or how much work it took. If Big Mac could build a wagon for him and Trixie, then Sumac could handle a little hard work. 

Glancing around, Sumac saw Pebble coming closer, the brim of her hat bobbing with every step she took. He felt Boomer’s steady breathing and knew that the baby dragon was still asleep. The cemetery was quiet, save for the sounds of breathing. 

Pebble sat down a few inches away from Sumac, looked up at Big Mac, and then turned her head so she could look at the headstones. The little filly’s barrel expanded, she held her breath for a moment, and then let everything out with a sigh. Turning her head once more, she looked over at Big Mac. 

“I know what it is like to miss your parents,” Pebble said in a flat voice devoid of feeling or emotion. 

“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded. 

“I don’t miss my parents,” Sumac said in a low voice, worried that he might offend, “but I really didn’t know them. I just know that they’re gone from me. At least I have Trixie… and the Apples.” 

Nodding, Big Mac gave Sumac a gentle, careful squeeze. The big red stallion sighed and stared at the two headstones. He blinked a few times, chewed on his stalk of hay, and letting go another sigh, he gave Sumac another affectionate squeeze. 

Sumac, with no words needing to be said, understood that he was loved, wanted, needed. After all the time spent on the road, he had come home. Sweet Apple Acres was home, the Apples were family, and this was the place where he would put down some much needed roots so he could grow. 

“School is gonna be starting soon. Real soon.” Big Mac’s voice was husky. “Now, we’ve had a few unicorns in the Apple family…” Big Mac’s voice trailed off as he realised that the less said about the other unicorns in the Apple family, the better. “We have one very special unicorn in the Apple family right now. We ain’t ever had no unicorns go off to Princess Celestia’s fancy school and make us proud. Sumac, you getting into Twilight’s school is a big deal for all of us Apples. You’re representing us. We’re all rooting for you. We need for you to show the world that us Apples can do anything we work hard at, including being smart and using magic.” 

“I’m not that magical.” Sumac shook his head. 

“Maybe you haven’t grown enough. No matter. You’re smart… so you work hard at being smart. We Apples work hard at everything we do. We never go halfway. We put all of ourselves into everything we do. Now, my sister, Applejack, she might have once bragged about not learning a thing, but if I ever catch you slacking off on your studies and not learning, you won’t like what’ll happen next.” Big Mac’s voice was low, steady, and quiet. 

Sumac nodded, understanding that Big Mac wasn’t kidding around. Besides, he would rather die than let Big Mac down. He wanted to be like the big red stallion. Big Mac was everything an Apple, and more importantly, a stallion should be. Sumac knew he had some big shoes to fill. 

“I talked with Twilight… and she mentioned something about intellectual laziness… and if I catch you doing that, if I hear about you doing that, I am going to do my level best to give you a lesson in the value of hard work, be it physical or intellectual. Am I understood?” Big Mac’s green eyes focused on Sumac and his brows furrowed. 

“Yes sir,” Sumac replied in a voice squeakier than a door hinge needing oil. Sumac let out a worried squeak, cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. He looked up at his role model and tried to sound as grown up as possible. “I’m not gonna let you down. I’m gonna prove that I’m a good Apple and that I’m not like my father.” 

The big red stallion nodded. “I already know that you won’t let us down.” 

“You don’t need to worry,” Pebble interjected in a monotonous voice, “I’ll keep him straight.” 

“Well, I’m right glad to hear that,” Big Mac replied, a faint, almost sad smile spreading over his lips as he glanced at the two headstones. He recalled his own father talking to him about the value of hard work, being honest, and giving it your all. He wished that his father was here to meet Sumac, and his mother as well. “Applejack was making ice cream when I left. Who's hungry?” 

Sumac glanced at Pebble and then back up at Big Mac. A trip out to Sweet Apple Acres sounded ideal. He nodded and wondered what sort of ice cream Applejack had made. He watched as Big Mac stood up and felt much smaller in the big stallion’s shadow. 

Big Mac, recalling his father’s own words, began to recite them as they made ready to leave. “An Apple is forthright, honest, hardworking, and true…” 
	
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Much to Sumac’s surprise, there was nothing apple related in the ice cream. It was watermelon flavoured, a simple, sweet and creamy treat with big, juicy tidbits of frozen watermelon. He sat in the kitchen, doing his best to avoid brain freeze, which would make him drop his spoon from his telekinesis and embarrass himself. One simply did not drop their spoon if one was a unicorn. Poor telekinesis was bad form. 

The kitchen had the blinds drawn, which made it cool and dark. Applejack was eating in near silence, she looked a little tired, but she was smiling. Hidden Rose and Ambrosia had eaten their ice cream before Sumac and Pebble had arrived and were now having a mid afternoon nap with Granny Smith. Apple Bloom was working on a windmill that would generate electricity and power the cider press she was working on. 

It was, without a doubt, an ideal afternoon, or was until Pebble opened her mouth. 

“Sumac needs glasses,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice. “I think he’s nearsighted.”

“Do not!” Sumac almost dropped his spoon and it took all of his effort to keep levitating it. “Am not!” He stared at Pebble in disbelief, wondering why she had betrayed him. He felt embarrassed, he felt awkward, and maybe even a little angry that she had brought it up. It was bad enough that he was an egghead, but the fact that he needed glasses—he wasn’t sure if his Apple cousins would understand. He had a strange fear of being shunned for being weaker, for being lesser, for having less than perfect eyes. He already felt inadequate. He couldn’t applebuck a tree to save his life and all of his insecurities bubbled up within him. 

His spoon clattered to the table and Sumac let out a pained groan as he realised that he was now a failure as a unicorn. He slumped down in his chair, folded his forelegs over his barrel, and began sulking. Dropping his spoon was almost unbearable. He was glad that Trixie wasn’t here. At least earth ponies didn’t understand or comprehend what he had just done. 

“What in tarnation has come over you, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked as one eyebrow elevated into a graceful arch. Reaching over, she prodded Sumac with her hoof. “Ya look like ya done bit into a sour apple. Don’t be like that.” 

Sumac’s lower lip protruded into a pout. Now he was being lectured. And this had been a perfect day up to this point. His ears splayed out sideways and he avoided looking at Applejack, keeping his green eyes focused upon the half eaten bowl of watermelon ice cream in front of him. He did, however, manage a brief glare at his betrayer, who was still eating her ice cream and showing no signs of remorse. 

Boomer let out a smoky belch and continued to snooze on Sumac’s horn.

“Shucks… glasses… why are you so upset, Sumac Apple?” Applejack asked. 

“Because he’s poor and doesn’t want to ask for help. Trixie is scrimping and saving for a house. Sumac doesn’t want to cause a problem.” Pebble took a quick bite, swallowed, and then looked Applejack in the eye. “I was going to talk to Pinkie, but I thought that you should know too. He can’t do his best in school if he can’t see.” 

“I can see just fine,” Sumac grumbled as he glowered at Pebble. 

“Nuts and gum.” Applejack brushed her mane out of her eyes, blinked once, and then looked over at her brother. “Mac?” 

“Eeyup?” 

“We can cover this, right?” Applejack asked, looking a little worried. 

“Eeyup.” Big Mac paused and looked down at his bowl of ice cream. “Won’t be a problem at all.” 

“Well, a’ight then. We just need to make an appointment and get him to the eye doctor and we need to do it before school starts.” Applejack rubbed her chin and became thoughtful. “I bet I could get a walk in today. We might have to wait a while, but I’m thinking we could get a walk in. That first day of school needs to be perfect.” 

Sumac sighed, realising that he was doomed. He pondered escape, but realised that Applejack would just lasso him, truss him up, and drag him to the eye doctor. Escape wasn’t an option. He felt the hot sting of tears burning his eyes and he just knew that Olive was going to make fun of him for being a four eyed dork. The eyeglasses would probably be whatever Applejack could afford, which Sumac worried would be something cheap, which would make him look even worse. But it wasn’t like he could just refuse her help or complain about whatever pair of glasses he was given; it would make him look like an ungrateful cuss. Ungrateful cusses were just about the worst thing ever. Applejack said awful things about ungrateful cusses. 

Having worked himself into a tizzy, Sumac reached a point where he didn’t even want to go to school. He wanted to crawl under the table and die. It was bad enough to be poor, it was bad enough to be humiliated by Olive, but to have something that was going to paint an enormous bullseye on him, something right on his face, that was almost too much to bear. 

“Sumac, you look upset,” Pebble deadpanned. 

So distraught was Sumac that he couldn’t even reply. He just glared at Pebble, his eyes shimmering with tears that he struggled to hold back as he imagined the harassment he would be getting. He could almost hear Olive’s voice even now. He felt his neck grow hot and it was getting harder to breathe. He thought about how he had launched himself at Olive, intent on giving her a good thrashing, and now, on top of everything else, he felt ashamed. He was acting like such a foal at the moment, and he knew it. 

But for whatever reason, he couldn’t make it stop. He had long passed the emotional point of no return. It wasn’t a tantrum, but it was a meltdown and he was powerless to prevent it from happening. When the first hot, salty tears began to fall, Sumac, infuriated with himself for not being able to hold everything in, began bawling and bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. 

“Aw, shucks,” Applejack said as she began to pull Sumac from his chair. 

He kicked and struggled, not wanting to be comforted, not wanting to be held, but Applejack was much, much stronger than he was and larger as well. She overpowered him with ease, pulled him into her embrace, and sat in her chair, holding him in her forelegs as everything bottled up inside of him came pouring out. 

“Just let it all out, Sugarcube… I know it’s rough and there’s no shame in just letting it all out. There there.” After speaking, Applejack stroked Sumac’s neck and pressed his face into her neck. 

Boomer, who awoke with a smoky snort, let out a worried honk, then a shrill trilling sound, and then climbed up on top of Applejack’s head, so that she could have a higher perch. She clung to one of Applejack’s fuzzy ears and her tiny fingers clenched Applejack’s mane for grip. 

“Aw, Mac, he’s just like how you used to be as a colt,” Applejack said to her brother. 

Sighing, turning a little redder, Big Mac nodded and pushed his bowl of ice cream away. “Eeyup.” The big stallion sighed again and shook his head. “I’d keep everything all bottled up until there was no more room and then everything would come spilling out at the worst time.” 

“How did you make it better?” Pebble asked as she too, pushed away her now empty ice cream bowl. 

“I went to my sister and she’d help me,” Big Mac replied in a low voice, sounding just a little embarrassed. “She’d hug me and talk to me and whisper in my ear and she’d make everything better.” Blinking, Big Mac looked over at his sister, Applejack, and saw that she was whispering into Sumac’s ear, hugging him, and doing her best to make Sumac feel better. 

Big Mac felt another case of the sniffles coming on. The only thing keeping his sniffles in check was how silly Applejack looked with a dragon sitting on top of her head. Still, there was a powerful urge welling up inside of Big Mac. 

Unable to cope with his own rising emotions, he reached out, and with blinding speed he grabbed Pebble, snatching her from her chair, swept her up, and held the tiny filly close to him as if she was a small doll. 

Pebble’s face had a blank expression as Big Mac gave her an affectionate nuzzle. She blinked, sighed, and resigned herself to her fate. The little filly thought about having a sibling, a brother or a sister, and after a moment of thought, realised that she did not like the idea, not at all. She didn’t want to go to a sibling to feel better, she wanted her mother or her father. Especially her father. He always knew just what to do, where to kiss her, when to hug her, he knew all of the right things to do and when to do them, just like he knew what to do to help her mother. Miserable, Pebble went limp in Big Mac’s embrace. 

“After you cry this out, you and I are going to walk to town, the walk will make ya feel better, ya know, and we’re going to see what we can do about getting you some glasses. Everything’ll be okay, Sumac, I promise. We Apples look after our own.” Applejack gave Sumac a firm squeeze and then settled in to wait for the storm to wear itself out. 



 

Feeling more than a little ashamed of himself, Sumac Apple followed along after the kind orange mare, staying almost on top of her fetlocks as she trotted ahead. Boomer was riding on Applejack’s hat, now wide awake, alert, and perky. Behind him, Pebble followed, her mood unknown, as he could not figure out what she was feeling from her blank expression. 

He was still feeling sulky and unsettled, but he did nothing to protest his fate, accepting that he was going to get a pair of glasses and that was going to be it. He accepted the fact that Olive was going to make his life miserable. He accepted the fact that this was going to make Trixie sad because she wasn’t able to do this for him. He knew that Trixie was going to take this hard. He hoped that she wouldn’t cry in her sleep again, because in the close confines of the wagon, he couldn’t bear to listen. 

But he understood that this was necessary. He needed every advantage in school. Good eyesight was an advantage. He was just going to have to look like a dork and work extra hard so he could make everypony proud. Being praised for good grades would make everything worth it. 

Sighing, Sumac could see a giant pair of eyeglasses sticking up from the roof of the building up ahead and off to the right. The building was kind of small, had a big picture window in the front, and while he could see almost everything else just fine, he realised that he had trouble seeing the text on the window. He had thought that this was normal, that text was just hard to read from a distance, but apparently, he was wrong. 

Following Applejack, Sumac summoned up all of his courage that he could muster. 



 

“You look scared.” 

Sumac looked over at the filly speaking to him. She was sitting in a chair beside him. She was almost a mare. She was a silvery grey colour, wearing glasses, and she seemed nice enough. He glanced over at Applejack, who was talking to the receptionist, and Boomer was still perched on her hat. 

“It’s just an eye exam. No reason to be scared. It’s not so bad.” The filly’s voice was calm, kind, and gentle. 

“He has other worries,” Pebble said in a flat voice. 

“Oh.” The silver grey filly nodded in a knowing manner. “Worried about being teased?” 

Scowling, Sumac nodded. 

“Try not to worry about it. When somepony teases you, it is usually because they feel insecure about themselves.” The silver grey filly sighed, blinked, and then gave Sumac a friendly pat. “I used to be a very insecure filly… I worried far too much about what others thought about me.” 

Sumac looked up at the filly, and saw that she looked a little sad. 

“I made some mistakes. But I learned something important.” 

“What’s that?” Pebble asked. 

“It’s never too late to go back and make things right,” the older filly replied as she smiled. “Cheer up… I think a pair of glasses will make you look handsome. Well, one day anyway—” 

“Why not now?” Sumac asked. He felt the older filly touch his cheek and lift his head and he found himself looking into her eyes. 

“Well, for right now, you are far too cute to be handsome.” The filly began to giggle and the corners of her eyes crinkled in merriment as she filled the waiting room with joyful laughter. 

Ugh. Sumac hated being cute. 

“If a little filly teases you, it is probably because she likes you. We do that, even though it makes no sense. We’re silly like that.” The filly, still grinning, was trying very hard to make Sumac smile and feel better. 

And truth be told, Sumac did feel better. 

The door opened and a mare wearing pink eyeglasses poked her head out into the waiting room. She coughed, cleared her throat, and then said, “Silver Spoon, the doctor will see you now. Please come with me.” 

“I gotta go, Cutie,” the filly said as she stood up. “Try not to worry so much. Everything will be okay, I promise.” 

Unable to help himself, Sumac smiled, now feeling just a little bit better. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sitting on a cushioned chair that wasn’t very cushioned, Applejack waited while Sumac saw the doctor. Boomer was clinging to her hat, which she thought was a little cute and she didn’t mind. The waiting room was empty, save for her and Pebble. As for Pebble, the little filly was miserable. There were no outward signs, but Applejack knew. 

Leaning over, she prodded the little filly in the side, then lowered her head down closer to Pebble’s ear. “You know, you’ve been moping a whole lot. It’s starting to get tiresome.” Much to Applejack’s surprise, she saw Pebble turn and look at her through narrowed eyes. Shocked, startled by Pebble’s actual reaction, Applejack felt a vague sense of unease. Something had to be pretty bad to get Pebble, who was too much like her mother, to react. 

“My parents have abandoned me. Just how am I supposed to feel exactly?” Pebble asked in a voice that held no emotion or warmth. 

“Is that really what you think?” Applejack’s graceful eyebrow lifted and a quizzical expression appeared upon her face. “Do you really think that your parents have abandoned you? Is that it?” 

Pebble nodded. 

“Shucks.” Applejack blinked and shook her head. “You know, sometimes, it’s easy to forget that you’re still a foal, but in moments like these, a pony can get a stern reminder.” Applejack reached up and scratched her neck with her hoof. “You’re such a silly filly.” 

“I am not.” Pebble’s dry retort had no emotion or feeling. 

“Look here, youngin, I’m gonna set you straight. I’m gonna speak to you like an adult, ‘cause you’ll appreciate that. Let’s just get this out into the open, your parents did not abandon you—” 

“They did so,” Pebble insisted. 

Taking a deep breath, Applejack summoned both her patience and her honesty. She wanted to say, “Did not” but knew that would just lead to an up and down seesaw argument. She had to handle this with care, delicacy, and tact. She blinked, took another deep breath, and reminded herself that she was dealing with a filly that had some adult mannerisms, but was still a little filly with a tender, fragile heart. 

“Pebble Pie, your parents love you and did not abandon you. They needed some time with each other. Now, I know for a fact that they go off and work for months at a time and leave you on the rock farm with your grandparents and you’ve never had a problem with that—” 

“They want to replace me. I’m an awful foal. I’m mean. I say mean things. I do bad things. I’d want to replace me too.” Pebble slumped over in her chair and her ears drooped down to the sides of her face. 

Undaunted, Applejack continued. “Pebble Pie… your parents are very, very involved with one another. They have this powerful love and even all these years later, they’re still romancing each other. They dance with each other every chance they get. They have a love like out of some storybook and several years ago, they decided that they had enough love between them to share it with another pony.” Applejack cleared her throat. “You came along. Tarnish grew up a bit when you were born. He was so madly in love with you. He bragged about you and how perfect you were. He drove everypony nuts… he was always talking about you and how much he loved you.” 

Pebble blinked and stared up at Applejack. 

“Now, your mother, she’s not one for showing emotions, but it was obvious to those who knew her best that she loved you. She changed a bit after you were born. Pinkie was the one who noticed it the most. She said your mother developed a few soft edges.” Applejack shook her head. “I’ll admit, I had trouble seeing what Pinkie was talking about, but I trust that Pinkie was right. Your mother and father adored you and you became a big part of their storybook romance. You were their ever after, as Twilight called it.” 

Impassive, unresponsive, Pebble made no reply. 

“Every now and then though, adults need time to themselves. Time just for them. Time to keep their romance kindled. Keep those fires burning. They need private time… for smoochin’ and what not. You know, that stuff you don’t want to see or know about. And that is what Tarnish and Maud are doing right now, this minute. They’re having their… shucks, I don’t know… seventh… eighth… maybe ninth honeymoon?” Applejack reached up and rubbed her chin as she shook her head. “I don’t rightly know. They’re off having themselves a bit of whirlwind romance and when they’re done doing what they’re doing and there’s a new addition on the way, they’re coming back to Ponyville to settle in for a while. Maud said she plans to settle in for over a year—” 

“They don’t need another foal. They have me.” Pebble’s voice was low and quiet. 

“Pebble… consarnit, you really are a foal…” Applejack’s words trailed off and she felt a growing tightness in her barrel. The kind, honest mare took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and looked into Pebble’s eyes. She then said, “Pebble Pie, you have to understand, the world is more than just you. While your parents love you a great deal and look after your needs, they have their own needs, wants, and desires. Maud has had a hankering for another foal for a couple of years now, and they’ve waited a good long while because of you. Your mother delayed her hopes and dreams just so you could be happy—” 

“She did that for me?” Pebble’s eyes widened a bit and her ears perked up. 

“Yes, Sugarcube, she did that for you. She’s had this itch for a while now and she put it off until she felt the time was right. Do you know how awful it is to want something so bad but have to wait for it? Like Hearth’s Warming Eve presents… you want ‘em, but no amount of bellyachin’ will make Hearth’s Warming show up faster.” Applejack saw Pebble blink and something happened; some expression was briefly visible on the foal’s face. 

“She really does love me,” Pebble said in a low whisper. 

“Of course she does, you silly filly. Sometimes, I worry your head is full of rocks.” Applejack sucked in a deep breath and began to feel a bit hopeful that this could work out. Pebble seemed to be coming to some understanding about the situation. All it took was the honest, blunt approach, something that Applejack knew that she was good at. Sometimes, it took kind words, like what Fluttershy did—and sometimes, you had to bludgeon something with the truth.

Applejack looked around the waiting room, glanced at the clock on the wall, eyed the magazines, and looked out the picture window. She sighed, shook her head, and then smiled just a little. “Your mother loves you so much that she wants to share a special gift with you. Something she’s got to make herself. It takes time, love, and some effort. Now, see, that’s the thing with families. They grow. And when they grow, there isn’t less love to go around, but more. This is something I know all about, seeing as how I have Big Mac and Apple Bloom… and there’s also Granny Smith, Hidden Rose, and Ambrosia. Our family has grown a good bit, but we love each other even more now because there’s more love to go around.” 

“So I’m not being replaced?” Pebble asked in a small voice. 

“Shucks, no. I didn’t replace Big Mac. Apple Bloom didn’t replace me. But I’ll admit, I had some problems for a while being the middle foal. I have to be honest about that. There was a time in my life when I thought I was invisible.” Applejack gave Pebble a sheepish grin. 

“When they left, it felt like they were leaving forever. It hurt so much. It wasn’t like the other times they said goodbye and left me on the rock farm. I didn’t feel wanted anymore.” Pebble leaned over in her seat, trying to get a little closer to Applejack. 

Reaching out her foreleg, Applejack draped it around Pebble’s withers and rubbed the little filly’s back. The poor thing probably needed a good cry, but Applejack knew that wasn’t going to happen. She felt an odd mix of pity and admiration for Pebble. So tough, so stony, so flinty, but also so brittle, so fragile. Such a tender heart—just like her mother, Maud. 

“I said such awful things. Mean things. I was angry and I said some things I shouldn’t have said. I think maybe I’ve convinced myself that I wasn’t wanted so I could punish myself.” Pebble’s ears drooped again and the little filly’s head dropped so she could stare down at her front hooves. 

And this is why she needs to go to a fancy school, Applejack thought to herself. 

“I’ve been a brat. I think I owe a number of ponies an apology.” Pebble closed her eyes and sighed. “Thank you, Applejack.”

“Aw, shucks, don’t mention it. Somepony had to sit down and straighten you out.” Applejack smiled, feeling good about the situation. Maybe Pebble could cheer up now… well, whatever passed as being cheerful for Pebble. It wasn’t like she smiled or did much of anything to show she was happy.

“They didn’t mention how long they would be gone,” Pebble said to Applejack. “I guess I just assumed they were gone for good. I was miserable. I’m still miserable.” 

“Well, Sugarlump, making a foal takes time and a lot of effort. Sometimes, it takes a long time, other times, it just sort of happens by accident, and other times, you go about foal making and it happens right away. Did your mother ever talk to you about how you came along?” Applejack looked down at Pebble, hopeful that if she could get the foal talking, she might feel better. 

“Her and Daddy encountered a chaos vortex. Daddy became a force of nature. Mama says that she and Daddy banged rocks together until a little Pebble flaked off.” Pebble’s cheeks darkened a bit as she spoke. “That isn’t how foals are made. She lied to me. I read about it in a book. My mother wasn’t honest.” 

Unable to help herself, Applejack laughed. “We used to tell ‘Bloom that Mama applebucked her right out of an apple tree. We even pointed out the tree she fell from. She believed it for the longest time, and that tree is still special to her. She goes there sometimes to talk to Ma and Pa when she’s troubled.” 

Blinking, Pebble tried to take in everything that was being said. 

As Applejack was thinking of what else to say, the door opened and the eye doctor’s assistant came out. She smiled, stepped forwards, and allowed the door to shut behind her. She approached, still smiling, and gave Applejack a nod. 

“Well?” Applejack asked. 

“Little Sumac has rather severe astigmatism. He can see shapes, outlines, things like that, but details and letters are difficult for him to focus on. Corrective eyewear will fix the problem. The doctor is finishing up now and talking to Sumac. He’s going to have some trouble seeing after the eye exam and will need somepony to look after him.” 

Applejack glanced down at Pebble and then back at the doctor’s assistant. 

“Thanks to the marvelous age we live in, we can get a pair of glasses on his muzzle today, if you would like. The sooner he starts wearing them, the better.” The mare smiled and stood there, waiting for Applejack to respond. 

“I think we’ll do that… could I start looking at the frames you have available?” Applejack asked. 

“Oh, sure thing… we have a wide variety and a huge selection in stock,” the doctor’s assistant replied. “I’m positive that you’ll find something that will make you happy.” 



 

Almost blind, Sumac stumbled over his own hooves and tumbled into Applejack’s hind leg. Pebble caught him and set him straight before he could pitch over onto the floor. He couldn’t remember the name of his eye condition, but he had just learned that his eyes were light sensitive. Unsteady, he wrapped his foreleg around Applejack’s hind leg and held on. 

Applejack was looking at eyeglass frames and Sumac hoped that she picked something nice. He couldn’t see much of anything, just blurry outlines, smeared shapes, and blotches of light and darkness. He heard her snort and clung a little tighter to her leg as she took a few steps. 

“Consarnit,” Applejack grumbled. 

“Is something wrong?” the fitting assistant asked. 

“Yes, there is in fact, something wrong,” Applejack replied. “These so called budget frames look just plain awful. Look, Sumac Apple is going to Princess Twilight’s fancy school and we Apples have a whole lot riding on this… don’t y’all have something that doesn’t quite look so eggheaded? I mean, those horn rim glasses… those are just about the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m pretty sure that Rarity would faint if she saw Sumac wearing those. When she recovered she’d kick my tail three ways to next week for putting them on his face.” Applejack paused and tilted her head, almost as if she could hear somepony whining. 

The fitting assistant took a deep breath and then nodded, something that Sumac did not see. He clung to Applejack’s leg and felt Pebble brush up against his side. His ears perked when he heard Applejack suck in a deep breath. 

“And those… those are just about the ugliest things I’ve ever seen… big square black frames. Those are awful. I mean, those are really bad. Those are something you’d make a foal wear as punishment. I won’t do that to Sumac. Eenope.” 

For a moment, Applejack sounded a lot like Big Mac, or so Sumac thought. 

“Well, we do have a signature series inspired by Trenderhoof—” 

“EENOPE.” 

Clinging to Applejack’s leg, Sumac wondered what the deal was with Trenderhoof.

“We also have the classics collection. Timeless styles that never go out of fashion.” 

“Let’s have a look at those.” 

“I must warn you, they are made from exceptional materials and they are quite expensive—” 

“I don’t care,” Applejack said, her earth pony stubbornness creeping into her voice. 

Sumac heard something rattle, there was the clunk of wood, the creak of hinges, and then he heard Applejack take a deep breath. He wondered what she was seeing. He certainly couldn’t see anything. 

“Now, keep in mind, Sumac is going to be wearing lenses that are somewhat darkened and will grow even darker when he is out in the sunlight.” 

“Eeyup.” Applejack moved forwards, mindful of the colt hanging on to her leg. “Those… how about those?” 

Sumac squirmed, wondering if he was doomed. He hoped and prayed that Applejack wasn’t getting him something totally hideous. He had to trust in Applejack’s goodness, kindness, and earth pony sensibility. He hoped it would all be okay. 

“Those are tea shades, a timeless design from yesteryear. They come in black enamel, matte black, silver, and gold. They are perfect for a sensible, intellectual look.” 

“I wanna see ‘em on his face,” Applejack said. 

Sumac let go of Applejack’s leg and allowed himself to be led along. He felt the assistant touch him, a soft touch on his neck, and then something was placed upon his face. The glasses felt light on his muzzle. He blinked, trying to see, but only could make out a vague blur. 

“He’s handsome.” 

Sumac froze at the sound of Pebble’s voice and he felt his heart come creeping up into his neck. His tail swished around his hind legs and he wondered what possessed Pebble to say what she had just said.

“Eeyup, he’s handsome alright. We Apple’s is a good lookin’ bunch. And humble too.” 

Now, Sumac felt himself blushing after hearing Applejack. He hoped that they were being honest and not just saying what they said to make him feel better. He wanted to believe. He needed things to be okay because he was blind at the moment and didn’t have much of a say. 

“What colour would you recommend?” Applejack asked. 

“Either black or silver… for contrast,” the mare replied. 

“Pebble?”

“Silver.” Pebble’s voice sounded quite firm on the issue. 

“We’ll take silver,” Applejack said. “How long till they are finished?” 

“An hour, two at most. You could come back and pick them up. We’ll give Sumac a final fitting and everything should be just perfect.” 

“That’ll do.” 

Sumac could hardly believe his luck. So far, so good, but he didn’t know what he would look like. He felt the frames pulled off of his face and for a moment, he could smell the mare’s perfume. She smelled like vanilla and strawberries, which was rather pleasant. 

“Try to keep Sumac out of direct sunlight for the rest of the day. The doctor said he was a very brave colt and brave little colts deserve a reward for being so brave.” 

“Eeyup, I get it. The air puff thing right into the eyeball freaks a lot of foals out.” Applejack’s voice held a faint trace of laughter. “I know I didn’t like it.”

“It was scary,” Sumac admitted. “So were the eye drops. They burned.” No sooner had he spoken than he felt Pebble hugging him. He felt weird and squirmy all over as she squeezed him. 

“I got the burning eye drops too… I didn’t like those at all but at least I had my Daddy to make me feel better. You didn’t have anypony.” Pebble gave Sumac a hard enough to squeeze to cause the colt to wheeze. 

“Thanks a whole lot,” Applejack said to the fitting assistant. 

“Oh, don’t mention it,” the mare replied. “He’s going to be a little looker in those glasses.” 

“Yeah, he is.” There was a long pause from Applejack and then she said, “While I’m here, I suppose I should set up appointments for Hidden Rose and Ambrosia…” 
	
	
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Unable to see very well, Sumac followed after his friend and trusted companion, Pebble. Much to his surprise, his glasses got much darker when he was outside, which was good, because the light was a little painful right now. 

Applejack was leading them to Sugarcube Corner, where they were to stay until Trixie was done working, and then Pebble would walk him home. Applejack had to be getting back to Sweet Apple Acres. Cider season would be here soon and everything was about to get real busy. 

Ponyville sounded busy, but Sumac really couldn’t see what was going on. He could smell though, and everything smelled good. Sugarcube Corner wasn’t too far away, he could smell popcorn, he could smell the heady aroma of coffee, the delicate scent of tea, and the smell of fresh baked bread permeated the air. Ponies had a grain rich diet; breads, rolls, and baked goods made up a majority of their meals. 

Sumac felt his stomach rumble, it had been a long day. He hadn’t quite got everything on his list of things to do done, but that was okay. There was always tomorrow. He began to wonder if he could get something to eat when he went to Sugarcube Corner. He didn’t like having to ask for anything, but he wasn’t about to complain if a free meal came his way. 

Boomer was curled up around his horn again, and she was currently wide awake. He could hear the sounds of her breathing, smell the faint smell of smoke, and she sometimes made an excited trilling sound. At some point, when he had been seeing the eye doctor, either Applejack or Pebble had fed Boomer her gemstone that Pinkie Pie had given her. 

As Sumac trotted along after Pebble, he thought about school. He thought about Lemon Hearts and was excited to have her as a teacher. He thought about living in one place, here in Ponyville, an idea that still seemed strange and more than a little weird to him. He was used to moving around, going from place to place, and in his short life, he had walked thousands of miles, traveling from coast to coast, and very likely he had seen more of Equestria than most adults. Sumac worried that living here and seeing the same thing day after day would get boring. Life on the road allowed you to see something new every day. New climates, new terrain, new towns, new cities, there was always something new just over the horizon. 

Trixie had told him to focus on other things, like making friends, getting to know friends, his schoolwork, getting to know the Apples, and studying magic. She assured him that he would adjust and there would be something new to do every day, but it was up to him to go looking for it. 

“Sumac…” 

The little colt was jolted from his thoughts and he almost bumped into Pebble, who had come to a stop. He blinked, peering at her through his new glasses, and tried to make her fuzzy, blurry outline focus. He blinked again and again, but his vision did not clear. Not yet. 

“Sumac, there is something I must do but I need your help,” Pebble said. 

“Oh?” Sumac, still blinking, did not realise that he looked very much like an owl with his round glasses, and had he been in the company of any other foal right now, they would very likely be laughing at his bleary eyed blinking. 

“It’s very personal and private and it’s going to be embarrassing, but I really need you to be there with me ‘cause I’m too scared to go and do it by myself.” Pebble’s voice was low and flat as she spoke, and she glanced over at Applejack, who now stood at the door to Sugarcube Corner. 

“You know, Pebble, you are a big filly and you can go to the potty all by yourself,” Sumac said in a soft whisper, with no trace of laughter in his voice. 

Pebble, whose brown cheeks somehow darkened and turned an odd shade of purple, stared wide eyed at Sumac. “No…” She shook her head, squirmed in an almost unnoticeable way, shook her head again, and her tail swished around her hind legs. “Sumac… no… what is wrong with little colts? It’s nothing like that. I need to apologise to Pinkie Pie and I need you there with me.” 

“Well, why didn’t you say that to begin with?” Sumac asked as Pebble began to walk towards the door. He followed after her, almost stumbled, and Boomer let out a worried swan-like honk. “It sounded like you needed to pee or something.” 

“Colts,” Pebble deadpanned in a huff. 

“Well, you talked about being embarrassed—” 

“Emotional embarrassment…I don’t even know how you… ugh, little colts… how did you… why did you… ugh, you must have applesauce for brains.” Pebble rolled her eyes as she approached the door where Applejack stood. She let out a frustrated sigh and her eyes narrowed. 

“Maybe.” Sumac assumed that Pebble was just giving him some good natured teasing. It was hard to tell, because she didn’t sound angry or funny, she just sounded like… well, she sounded like she always sounded, like Pebble. But she was his friend, so he just assumed that she was funny and not mean or antagonistic when she said that he had applesauce for brains. 

“You two are so sweet together,” Applejack said as she pulled Pebble in for a kiss. She pressed her lips against Pebble’s cheek, kissed the filly, and gave her an affectionate pat. Reaching out, she grabbed Sumac and hauled him in. 

Sumac felt Applejack hug him, and then he felt her kiss him on the side of his muzzle. Lips were almost touching! He squirmed, taking emergency evasive maneuvers. He wiggled, but Applejack was bigger and stronger by far. There was another kiss, this one even more dangerously close than the last, and he heard Applejack chuckle. 

Remembering his manners, Sumac said something that needed to be said. “Thank you for your help, Applejack. Thank you for the glasses.” 

“Aw, shucks, it ain’t nothing. Needed to be done. I just hope you like how they look. I think they look good on you and I’m real glad that I found something that makes you look handsome.” Applejack gave Sumac another squeeze. “You know, we need to get you a hat or something. Or maybe a nice bow to put in your mane—”

“Aaaaaapplejack…” Sumac wanted to melt into an embarrassed puddle. He glanced over at Pebble, whom he could not see very well, and wondered if she thought this was funny. At least when Applejack teased him it wasn’t hurtful or mean teasing. 

“Hats make for responsible ponies,” Applejack said in a low voice. “That’s what my Pa said. A hat is something you have to keep track of. You have to care for it. A pony with a hat can be trusted, because the hat shows they can keep track of things.” 

“But I have Boomer and she likes being on my horn.” Sumac looked up at Applejack and if he squinted just right, he could make out her green eyes looking down at him. 

“True ‘nuff.” Applejack heaved a sigh and shook her head. “Well, Big Mac and I will just have to find another way to make a responsible pony out of you, Sumac Apple.” Applejack paused and smacked her lips together. “I just remembered something. You ain’t the first pony with the name of Sumac in this family.” 

“I’m not?” Sumac asked, feeling intrigued. 

“Eenope.” Applejack smiled. “I did a little digging. There was a Sumac Heartwood and he was married to a Cara Cara Orange. We have a cousin named Holly Heartwood who lives in Manehattan. She’s a firefighter and a big ol’ hero. We write each other letters. I’ve been trying to contact all the extended family and distant cousins cause I’m trying to construct an Apple family tree.” 

“Huh.” Sumac leaned up against Applejack, no longer caring that she had tried to smooch him on the mouth. For some reason, hearing this made Sumac feel better about his name. He didn’t feel so out of place. It was strange, having a name like Sumac Apple. 

“Sumac, there is a lot riding on you going to school and doing well. You’re a very grown up little colt, so I’m gonna say this plain. This is a big deal for us Apples. Apple Bloom is getting ready to start taking university classes through some remote school here in Ponyville that gets materials from Canterlot. We Apples made a name for ourselves a long time ago, but to have somepony going to university… or somepony that has the potential to be a super smart wizard someday… that’s a real big deal for us all. We’re all behind you. We want you to succeed and we’ll do anything to help you do that.” 

“Thank you, Applejack,” Sumac said, feeling very small but also very loved. He wasn’t very magical, or so he thought, but it felt good to have somepony that believed in him. 

“Sumac is smart, but he doesn’t have an earth pony work ethic when he studies.” Pebble, who stood beside Sumac, looked up at Applejack. “I’ll do my best to help him.” 

“Well I appreciate that, Pebble,” Applejack replied. “You don’t go easy on him now, ya hear?” 

“Okay.” Pebble nodded in agreement. 

“I gots to go,” Applejack said in a voice filled with regret. “I’d like to drop in and say hello to everypony, but if I do that, I’ll be here for another hour. So I’d best be going. I love you, Sumac Apple. You take care and you mind your mother.” 

“I will,” Sumac replied, “and thank you again for the glasses.” 

This time, when Applejack kissed Sumac, she scored one right on the lips. 



 

There was no sign of Pumpkin or Pound in Sugarcube Corner. It was the afternoon lull and there weren’t very many customers in the lobby. The many ovens made it a little warm inside, but it wasn’t too bad. Sumac sniffed as Pebble led him along and he followed her through the doors out of the customer area and into the living area. 

Sumac felt a fan blowing on him as he moved though what he guessed was a living room. He heard the sound of hooves and then he heard Pebble take a deep breath. He tensed when he saw a flash of pink. There was a dreadful moment of absolute silence, and then… 

“Pebble… I’m so sorry—” 

“No, Aunt Pinkie, I’m sorry—” 

“No, Pebby Poops, I’m sorrier… your mother wanted me and you to have a special relationship just like she and I have a special relationship… I’m one of the few ponies that gets Maud, who understands her, and I love her so much and I love you so much because you’re a little part of her, but you’re also different than she is, there is a lot of Tarnish in you too, and I didn’t take that into account”—Pinkie sucked in a huge deep breath—“and I made a mess of things because I just assumed that you and I would get along because Maud and I get along and Tarnish is like a brother to me and we get along great and I was just so stupid because I made these assumptions but I didn’t think about you being your own pony and looking back on everything, I can see all the mistakes I made and I feel so bad and I don’t know how to fix things and now I am babbling because I’m so scared and nervous and I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to stay with me because I made such a big mess of things—” 

“Auntie Pinkie,” Pebble said in a firm voice, cutting off her babbling aunt, “I made mistakes too. I made things very difficult for you. I said bad things. I called you stupid and I shouldn’t have done that and then I talked down to you to belittle you and I made a mess of things too.”

Sumac, still tensed, wondered what was about to happen next. He stood there, feeling awkward, but determined to stick this out. Pebble needed him. He was her emotional support. He didn’t know how he was helping her exactly, but he was needed here with her. 

“Sometimes, I am stupid. I dropped out of school and became a party pony. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in doing what I think is right that I hurt the feelings of others. I make bad assumptions, just like I assumed that you and I would get along because you’re kinda like Maud.” Pinkie Pie sat down on the floor with a thump and her ears drooped. 

“And sometimes, I’m bossy, mean, and I treat others poorly,” Pebble said, pouring her heart out. “There is more I want to say but I can’t say it without sounding like I am bragging about my intelligence.” The little filly slumped and sat down, looking defeated. 

“I guess we’re both sorry,” Pinkie Pie said. 

“You called me ‘Pebby Poops.’ My Daddy calls me that.” Pebble looked up at Pinkie with wide, unblinking eyes. 

“Are you angry? I can’t tell…” Pinkie gave Pebble a hopeful glance. 

“No.” Pebble scooted a little closer to her aunt. “I’m not angry.” 

“Well, that’s a start. We’ve made a mess of things, Pebby Poops.” Pinkie Pie sighed and then a half-hearted giggle escaped, which sounded almost like a hiccup. “Do you know why Tarnish calls you Pebby Poops?” 

Sumac heard Pebble sigh. 

“No.” 

“It’s a funny story. You were a foal. Tarnish was left all alone with you for the very first time, with no help, and no other family members around to guide him. He was so proud. He was certain he was going to do everything just perfect.” Pinkie Pie smiled, wiped her eyes, and then pulled Pebble closer. “But you were like your mother. You didn’t cry as a foal. You just sat there, quiet as a stone, and because of this, Tarnish thought everything was okay. So he left you in your crib as he did his work.” 

“Daddy gets distracted easily. He lacks focus.” Pebble leaned up against her aunt, glad to be close to Pinkie.

“Tarnish lost track of time and you never made a sound. He came back and he found you in quite a state. He was still trying to clean you up when Maud, Marble, and Limestone came home. He was so embarrassed. After everything was cleaned up and you had a bath, he called you his sweet little ‘Pebby Poops’ and everypony had a good laugh about it.” 

Unable to stop himself, Sumac began to giggle. 

“Oh sure, laugh about my neglect,” Pebble deadpanned. 

“He was so in love with you… he carried you around with him everywhere he went, bragging about you, showing you off, he drove everypony nuts. He wanted to show everypony what he had made. He bragged about making the perfect Pie from the finest ingredients. It got to the point where ponies would suddenly find that they had something important to do or somewhere they needed to be when they saw Tarnish coming. He finally calmed down, but it took him a while.” 

“Mama says that Daddy is a sedimental softie.” Pebble’s words had a perfect flat delivery and there could be no doubt that she had inherited her mother’s sense of humour. 

“If we’re going to keep talking,” Pinkie Pie said as she wiped her nose with her foreleg, “we should do it over milk and cookies. Come on, follow me, the cookies should still be warm…” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Tomorrow, school starts,” Trixie said as she lifted up a fresh green apple and began to slice it with an old, worn out paring knife. She sat down the slices in front of her and gave the colt a smile. “How are your eyes over there, Shades?” 

Lifting his head, Sumac looked up and gazed at Trixie through his glasses. She was now in perfect focus. He wasn’t sure what to think; he had always assumed that his vision was normal, but now, everything looked so different. His somewhat darkened lenses did make him look like he was wearing sunglasses and a few ponies had commented. Without realising it, he was staring at his adoptive mother in silence and it had slipped his mind to make a reply. 

“Never mind what other ponies might think or say, Sumac. I think your glasses make you look handsome.” Trixie transferred several apple slices over to Sumac’s bowl, plopped in a thick blob of steaming oatmeal, and with a smile of pride, she added honey to the bowl along with a dollop of butter. It was nice being able to eat oatmeal with the extras. “Are you excited about school?” 

“Yeah,” Sumac replied while nodding his head. “Twilight’s school has been going on for a while.” Sumac watched as a bowl of oatmeal was sat down in front of him and he heard Boomer let out a low trilling sound. 

“Yes it has, but now, it is official.” Trixie held out a slice of apple to Boomer, who snatched it in her tiny claws and then began to devour it. “Twilight started to deal with exceptional students who needed something that a regular school didn’t have. Over the years, she’s picked up a number of students. Now, the official school is opening and you will be attending.” 

“But she had the school before,” Sumac said as he lifted up his spoon. He crammed far too large a bite into his mouth as Boomer gobbled up her apple slice. He chewed, but only for a moment, gulped down the food in his mouth, smacked his lips, and lifted up another bite in his spoon, but did not eat it. “She’s been doing the school for a while now. Why the big deal now?” Sumac crammed in his spoonful of oatmeal with a slurp and watched as Trixie ate her oatmeal. 

“Because now, it is official,” Trixie replied. 

“I don’t get it,” Sumac said around a mouthful of food. 

Trixie shrugged, but said nothing and Boomer used her tongue to snatch a bit of apple off of Sumac’s spoon, filching a bite before he could eat it. Anything the dragon hatchling could snatch before Sumac could cram it into his mouth was fair game. It was amusing to watch, to say the very least, as Boomer hung from Sumac’s horn and poached the tastiest bits in clever, calculated strikes. Sumac, of course, did not mind. 

With a fluttering of wings, a white pegasus in golden armor landed not too far away. There was a clatter as Trixie dropped her spoon upon the small folding wooden table she and Sumac were having breakfast on. Nearby, the river burbled. 

“Sorry to disturb your meal, but Princess Celestia is coming to have a word with you,” the white pegasus in the golden armor said, bowing his head as he spoke. 

“I’ve been good,” Trixie said in a frightened squeak. She shook her head, her eyes wide with growing terror. “I’ve been good. I haven’t caused any problems.” Horn glowing, Trixie lifted Sumac from where he was sitting and pulled him close to her. “I’ve worked so hard to be good… why is she coming?” 

No sooner than Trixie had spoken, there was the flutter of wings and a sky chariot descended over the treetops. The worried mare let out a squeal of terror, held Sumac even closer, crushing him to her, and she watched the approaching vehicle with wide, terror filled eyes. 

“I’ve worked so hard to be good,” Trixie murmured as the sky chariot landed. 

More pegasi filled the camp area where Trixie had parked her wagon. The sound of wings and the clank of armor filled the air. The birds in the trees had gone silent and many had flown away. 

“Sumac, something has gone wrong… Sumac, I love you so much… I hope this will get sorted out and I don’t know what has gone wrong, but I love you… you should go to the Apples—” Trixie’s terrified babbling was cut short as she began to gibber in fear, her whole body shaking. 

She was huge. That was all that Sumac could think. The white alicorn that approached was massive. She towered over both him and Trixie. She was white, regal, and pretty. He felt Trixie shaking with fear. He was shaking too, but he was also angry. He didn’t want his mother taken away. With a yelp, he slipped free from Trixie’s constrictive embrace, took a few stiff legged steps, and then stood in bold defiance between Princess Celestia and his adoptive mother. His mouth went dry as his horn ignited. Sumac became very, very aware that every royal guard, about a dozen or so, was now looking at him. 

He very nearly soiled himself. 

“Oh my goodness,” Princess Celestia said in a low voice, “somepony is exceptionally brave. Hello little one. I came to have a word with your mother, if you don’t mind.” The tall white alicorn lowered her head down as much as she could so she could be closer to Sumac’s eye level. 

Sumac tried to say something, but the only thing that came out was an embarrassing squeak. His teeth clicked together as his mouth snapped shut. He stared up, wide eyed, trying to keep his knees from wobbling. He felt his guts churning and clenching into knots. The big white alicorn was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen, but somehow, he continued to stand in courageous defiance. 

“Sumac Apple, get over here!” Trixie cried out in a shrill voice. “Please, forgive him, I don’t know what gets into him sometimes.” Trixie pulled Sumac back into her embrace and planted a fierce, maternal kiss on his right ear, never once taking her eyes off of Princess Celestia. “Why are you here? I’ve kept my end of the deal and I’ve been a very good pony. Please, please don’t take me away from Sumac.” 

“It was never my intention to do so,” Princess Celestia replied in a low voice. “I came here for other reasons.” 

“Like what?” Trixie asked, looking guarded as she heaped as much affection upon Sumac as she could, not knowing if this might be the last time she saw him. 

“I came here to ask your forgiveness.” Princess Celestia’s words struck Trixie like a hurled stone. 

Trixie’s mouth fell open and the mare sat in stupefied silence, unable to speak, unable to respond, unable to process what had just come out of Princess Celestia’s mouth. One foreleg wrapped around Sumac’s barrel popped and Trixie didn’t even notice the pain that accompanied the cracking, creaky joint. 

“You were one of my students,” Princess Celestia began, “and like so many of my students, I had such high hopes for you. I worked so very hard to reach you. I lost sleep as I tried to think of different ways to help you. I was heartbroken as I watched you slip away, but I had to allow you to make your own choices… even if they were bad ones. I tried to prepare you for life as much as I could. But in the end, I felt as though I had failed you. You chose a very difficult path through life.” 

Trixie nodded, it was all she could do to respond. 

“I cannot help but feel that if I had tried harder, if somehow I had reached you, if somehow I had made some connection with you, things might have been better for you. Better than this.” Princess Celestia lifted a foreleg and made a gesture at the wagon, the river, and the campsite. 

“I did this to myself,” Trixie said in a raspy, cracking squeak. 

Blinking, looking sad, the corners of her mouth curling downwards in a grimace of pain, Princess Celestia nodded. “I have been watching you for quite a long time now. You have had a very long and difficult road to recovery. You have had to endure much hardship as you laboured to redeem yourself. Now that you have come around, I have come here to ask you for your forgiveness.” 

“But there is nothing to forgive,” Trixie squeaked. 

“I disagree. Your full potential was never discovered and that is my fault. I should have done more—” 

“No,” Trixie said, interrupting Princess Celestia while shaking her head. “No, no no! I am the pony I am now because of my experiences. I made bad choices. The Great and Powerful Trixie did this to herself… she caused all of this heartache and sorrow. I did it! But I’ve learned from it and I’m a better pony for having gone through it. I learned all of the things I was too proud to learn in your school or too stupid to have paid attention to. I would not change who I am right now. Now, I get to teach Sumac how to be a good pony and try to make certain he does not make the mistakes and bad choices I made.” 

Princess Celestia’s lips pressed into a straight line and she stared at the cowering blue mare that was clutching a small cream coloured colt in her forelegs. Her ears leaned forwards as she blinked and then she lifted her head up high. 

“I made bad choices, but I stick by them. They have made me wise, I have become learned, I have gained knowledge that only comes through suffering and hardship.” Trixie rubbed Sumac’s neck and she bravely looked up into Princess Celestia’s eyes. “The fault is entirely my own.” 

“The final lesson is always the hardest and most difficult.” A pained expression crossed over Princess Celestia’s face. “Trixie Lulamoon, for your life experiences, for your wisdom, for your personal growth, I do hereby list you among the graduates from my school for gifted unicorns.” A wooden scroll case popped into existence above Princess Celestia’s horn and she held it aloft in her magic. 

“Did I just graduate?” Trixie blinked and looked quite confused. 

“It is never too late for self improvement and growth,” Princess Celestia replied. “This is a moment of personal triumph for me. I cannot stand the feeling of shame that clings to me when one of my students stumble. I am very, very pleased and proud to give you your diploma.” Bowing her head slightly, Princess Celestia lowered the wooden scroll case down to Trixie. “It is never too late to do good. It is never too late to make things right. Remember that, both of you.” 

Trixie accepted the wooden scroll case with a nod and a confused blink. She set it down on the table next to her bowl of oatmeal, unopened, and then continued to stare upwards at the alicorn standing before her. 

“As for you”—Princess Celestia leveled her gaze upon Sumac and a faint smile crept over her muzzle—“you are one brave little colt. Such exceptional bravery. Twilight boasts about you, you know. I would love to lure you away from Twilight and have you attend my school.” 

“I have a friend here,” Sumac replied in a tense squeak. “Pebble is an earth pony. She couldn’t go to your school. I’d rather stay here.” 

“Brave and loyal as well.” The suggestion of a smile became an actual grin. “You would make for a wonderful member of the guard, Sumac Apple. I understand that not only are you a clever little pony, but Twilight says you have exceptional skills in the magical arts. Is there nothing I can do to lure you away to come and study with me? I could make sure that you and your devoted mother would have a pleasant, comfortable house to live in in Canterlot.” 

Sumac blinked a few times, trying to corral his fear so he could engage his mind. He stared up at the Princess of the Sun with wide, curious eyes. “If you bribed me to come to your school and I accepted, wouldn’t that mean I would be unfit to be a guard? Accepting a bribe is bad and if I accepted a bribe now, it would mean I might accept a bribe later and compromise your safety.” 

“Ooooh… my…” Princess Celestia gasped as she blinked in surprise. “Twilight did try to warn me, but I can see that I did not take her words to heart.” Celestia, still grinning, lowered her head. “Well then, Sumac Apple, I shall be watching over you with some interest. I shall now expect great things from you, seeing as how you are brave, loyal, and honest. I would very much like to have an Apple among my royal guard.” 

Sumac retreated into Trixie’s embrace and stared up at Princess Celestia through now narrowed eyes, feeling afraid, but not knowing why. He supposed it had something to do with being watched and having something expected from him. 

“I must be going. Twilight is expecting me for tea. She is going to be insufferably smug after having won the wager we had between us.” Princess Celestia’s eyebrow arched. “Congratulations, Trixie, for your achievement… and know this… I expect good things from you. Your work is just beginning. I have such high hopes for you. Motherhood is the most noble of all professions and I can see that you are doing well. Do not stray from the path of goodness.” 

Trixie gulped, tried to respond, let out a squeak, and then just nodded. 

“As for you, Sumac Apple, keep in touch with me.” Princess Celestia’s voice was both stern and kind. She lowered her head once more, stepped forwards, and stood almost nose to nose with Sumac, close enough that she could feel him breathing. “Boomer is adorable… I shall have some gems sent to you. This is not a bribe, of course, but I would appreciate if you considered becoming a guard as your profession.” Eyes gleaming with mirth, Celestia beamed. 

“Thank you,” Sumac breathed. 

“Think nothing of it,” Princess Celestia replied. “And now, I must be going…” 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Smiling, Sumac followed along behind Trixie as she walked to work, not wanting to be separated from her just yet. He walked with a bounce in his step, happy, feeling content about life. Sure, the morning had been a little scary so far, but things had worked out and now Trixie seemed both proud and happy. 

The day seemed a little brighter, the sun a little shinier, everything somehow seemed a little better. Trixie had her diploma; she had graduated from school. Sumac knew how important that was, or at least he had an inkling. Trixie certainly seemed to take an enormous amount of pride in it. 

“Trixie?” 

“Yeah, Sumac?” 

Sumac took a moment to consider his words before he spoke as he followed along behind his adoptive mother. His brows furrowed and his face became serious, though he still had something of a smile. He saw Trixie looking back at him, her head turned just enough so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. 

“Are you going to settle down now and get married? What are we going to do?” 

Trixie’s response was unexpected. She tossed her head back and laughed. Sumac, confused, tilted his head to one side and stared at his adoptive mother with one eye narrowed and one eye wide, with his ears tilted forwards. 

“Sumac, darling, I already have the stallion I need in my life. Sure, he’s a little tiny, but he’s also adorable and he does an admirable job of keeping my bed warm. He also compliments me on my cooking. I’m perfectly happy with how life is.” 

Not knowing how to respond, Sumac just stared at Trixie as he followed along, not sure how he felt about what she had said. Something felt wrong about it, something was off. “But I… but you… but us…. but we—”

“That’s a lot of buts, Sumac.” Trixie sighed and then let out a muffled, subdued giggle. “My little colt has an interest in buts, I see.” 

The colt fell silent and he felt his cheeks grow as warm as cherry red coals. He picked up the pace so he could walk a little closer to Trixie, at her side rather than behind her. A full body blush spread from his cheeks, down his neck, over his withers, and down his sides. 

“Sumac, darling, I don’t want life to become complicated. If somepony shows an interest, I might think about it, but I am not going to go and look for love. There is just too much to be done, too much work to do, I need to get us a house, which should be easier now with my diploma. I need to get myself a few promotions. I need to make sure you are well provided for so you can have all of the advantages I can give you so you will have a good life and your talent isn’t wasted. The Great and Powerful Trixie has plans and those plans do not include looking for love.” 

“But a father could help provide for me,” Sumac said in what he hoped was a voice that hid his embarrassment. 

“Sumac, my little apple slice, that is no reason to go and find a stallion to settle down with,” Trixie replied as she shook her head. “There has to be better reasons to go looking, like love or the desire to be happy.” 

“Well, there is that too… but”—Sumac cringed at the word he just said; he gritted his teeth together for a moment as his face darkened and he felt his neck grow warmer as Trixie giggled—“everything would sort itself out after the fact.”

“Maybe, Sumac, but I’m happy with how things are right now. I have you and that’s enough. I have a decent job that is about to get better. We have a place to live. I’m fixing everything that I messed up in my life one mistake at a time. For now, things are good.” 

“Okay.” The little colt pulled a little closer to Trixie, walking nearer to her side, but not close enough to be under hoof. As he walked, the cooling breeze felt good on his neck, which had grown far too warm. 

“So when are you and Pebble going to settle down and tie the knot?” Trixie asked in a perfect deadpan. “That would make me happy. She’s kinda cute. And those little dresses she wears… adorable.” 

What little coolness Sumac felt from the breeze on his neck vanished. He very nearly stumbled and Boomer let out a worried, sleepy snort as she awoke halfway and then drifted back off again as he recovered. Sumac could not even work up enough spit to make a reply and his mouth felt as dry as desert sand. His knees wobbled. His cream coloured pelt took on a noticeable pink tint that went from ear to hoof. 

This was fair—as terrible as it was, it was fair. Sumac had just suggested that Trixie get married and settle down. Turnabout was fair play. In the future, Sumac was going to have to be a bit more careful when he brought up this subject, if he ever brought it up ever again. 

Trixie laughed and Sumac dutifully followed along, staring at the ground as he walked. 



 

Starlight Glimmer almost bounced down the stairs that led to the massive double doors that were the entrance to Twilight’s castle. The mare was smiling, happy looking, and she ignored the royal guard that lined the steps as she descended. 

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Starlight said as she drew nearer. “Twilight is busy with Princess Celestia. Twilight is just a teensy weensy bit nervous about school tomorrow. Princess Celestia is helping to sort her out.” 

“Oh my,” Trixie replied. 

“As for you,” Starlight said in a smooth, confident voice, “you do not work today. Twilight has given you the day off to spend it with Sumac. Make the most of this time together. Have fun. See that Sumac has a good day so he’ll be in top form when school starts tomorrow.” 

Trixie nodded. 

“Also, in light of your new piece of parchment, you have been promoted. Twilight wants you as a personal research assistant as well as a teacher’s aid. I’m going to be your new boss and I wanted to take this moment to say congratulations!” 

Mouth hanging open, Trixie went still. She stared at Starlight Glimmer, her eyes wide, unable to reply. After a moment, she shut her mouth and then managed to blink once. Her nostrils flared and then she sat down. She pulled Sumac to her and began to stroke his neck, but failed to take notice how warm it was at the moment. 

“The title research assistant is a bit of a misnomer… Twilight has a circle of very close associates that she trusts to deal with day to day dealings. We solve problems, sort out issues, deal with complicated socio-political issues, and things of that nature. We deal with the day to day hard work of practical rulership. We have to be skilled at everything. We have to stay on top of the local news. We have to have a good understanding of the local issues. We have to know local opinions. There is a vast amount of information that we have to consume, digest, parse, and then present to Twilight so she can make informed decisions. Now that you have your diploma, Twilight and I both feel that you qualify to do this sort of work. As the new intern, prepare to be overworked for a while. Twilight feels that the best way to prepare somepony for this job is to toss them into the deep end and trust that they can swim. I agree.” 

“I don’t know what to say…” Trixie shook her head and blinked a few times, her eyes shimmering with tears. 

Starlight Glimmer smiled. “You don’t need to say anything. Just go out and celebrate with Sumac. Have a good day.” Starlight took a step closer and her grin broadened. “As for you, Sumac, Princess Celestia told us a very funny story.” 

“She did?” Sumac asked. 

“She did.” Starlight nodded. 

“You think she’d be smarter than trying to bribe me,” Sumac said in a low, serious voice. He adjusted his glasses with his telekinesis and watched as Starlight’s cheeks bulged. The mare was chortling and little snorts escaped even though she made a valiant effort to hold them in. Sumac wasn’t sure what was so funny. “Just seems counterproductive, that’s all.” He felt Trixie squeeze him and his ears perked when she snorted. Starlight’s face darkened and he wondered what was so funny. 

“Go on, go and have a nice day.” Starlight raised her hoof and gestured at the town of Ponyville all around them. She smiled, then laughed, and then looked at both Trixie and Sumac. “I shall see you both tomorrow.” 



 

Sumac waited, wondering what Trixie was going to do with the day. He was excited, happy, he was filled with joy and could not stop grinning. School started tomorrow and so did Trixie’s new job. It sounded like an important job. 

“You see, Sumac, this is why you need friends. When something good happens, you’ll have somepony you can share the good news with.” Trixie stood beaming, her eyes twinkling with happiness, and there was a new spring in her step. 

Sumac’s ears perked at Trixie’s words and he considered them carefully. Boomer let out a smokey sneeze and Sumac felt a tickle in his own nose, but he somehow managed to hold everything in. He looked up at the dragon perched on his horn. She seemed a little bigger today, or perhaps it was his imagination. She looked sleepy—she spent a lot of time snoozing, which is what baby dragons did best. 

“I wonder if Lemon Hearts is home… I’ve just got to tell somepony!” 



 

“Trixie… Sumac… so happy to see you… just the ponies I wanted to see!” 

Lemon Hearts’ kindness was infectious and Sumac was glad to see the lemony yellow mare. He bounced over in an almost uncharacteristic fit of happiness, flung himself at Lemon Hearts’ front legs, and gave her a hug, wrapping his foreleg around her right front leg. He felt himself swept up in a crushing hug and he relished the moment, rather than feel embarrassed about it. He liked Lemon Hearts. 

“Lemon… I just graduated… I didn’t think it was possible after all these years but Princess Celestia paid me a visit and I just found out that I’ve been promoted and everything is wonderful!” 

“I know,” Lemon Hearts replied. 

“You know?” Trixie’s eyebrow arched in confusion. 

“Princess Celestia had me interviewed. She knew that I was one of the fillies that you had some trouble with. She was surprised that we were friends. I spoke with Raven, Princess Celestia’s agent. We had lunch together.” Lemon Hearts let go of Sumac, went straight for Trixie, and gave her a fierce hug. “Twilight also asked me a bunch of questions too. I kinda figured that something was up. I’m so happy for you, Trixie!” 

“I’m so happy for me too!” Trixie wrapped her forelegs around Lemon Hearts’ neck and squeezed with everything she had. “I don’t know what to do with myself right now… I’m not used to being this happy.” 

Sumac watched as the two mares continued to squeeze each other silly. He was still grinning and everything was wonderful. He wasn’t sure how this day could get any better. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet and already this was shaping up to be an even better day than finding out that he had been accepted into Twilight’s school. 

“Trixie, I’m really glad that you are here… I need to ask you something. I was going to come and find you today so we could discuss an important issue.” Lemon Hearts pulled away from Trixie and sat almost snoot to snoot with her. 

“Is something wrong?” Trixie asked, worried. 

“Not yet,” Lemon Hearts replied, shaking her head and giving Trixie a reassuring smile. “I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew when I purchased this house of mine. I can keep making the payments, but it is going to strain my budget something awful.” 

“Oh?” One of Trixie’s eyebrows raised. 

“Trixie, there is a spare bedroom. It isn’t very big… the house isn’t very big actually, just two little bedrooms, a cosy room that is both the living room and the kitchen, and there is a little fenced in garden in the back.” 

“What are you asking?” Trixie asked in a low voice that creaked with emotion. 

“It might be nice to live with a friend. The second bedroom is upstairs. It’s a little cramped and it is a strange space because of the angle of the roof, but I think you and Sumac could be happy up there.” 

Sumac watched as Trixie blinked, holding her eyes closed for a second. When she opened them once more, they were filled with tears. Sumac felt his own eyes growing misty. He sat there, feeling quite overwhelmed, unable to believe his good fortune. 

“We could park your wagon in the back. It would give little Sumac his own private space if he needed it. The furnace needs fixing before the winter and that’s going to be expensive. I didn’t know it was broken when I bought the house. The house needs a little work and I can’t get everything done by myself.” Lemon Hearts reached out with her foreleg and patted Trixie on the neck. “What do you say?” 

“Oh, this is wonderful… I don’t know how to thank you.” Trixie’s lower lip quivered as she spoke and without warning, she yanked Lemon Hearts in for another crushing hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

“I’ll help you get settled in and we’ll move everything today, if you’d like,” Lemon Hearts said to Trixie as she squeezed back. “Sumac will have a home to come home to on his first day of school… we’ll all be able to come home together tomorrow and it will be wonderful!” 

“Yes it will!” Trixie agreed in a voice that squeaked with excitement. “I’ll be able to give Sumac a bath in a proper bathtub and everything will be wonderful and he’ll be able to bathe every day and I won’t feel guilty any more for dunking him into cold river water!” 

“What?” Sumac blinked in alarm. “What? No…” Sumac shook his head, wondering how things had just taken a turn for the worst so quickly. Scowling, he let out a sigh and began to sulk. Things had just gone horribly wrong somehow. 

“No more stinky colt,” Lemon Hearts said in a voice that did nothing to contain her giggling. 

“I know, it’ll be great,” Trixie replied. “He’s so soft and snuggly after a bath.” 

Sitting on his haunches, Sumac let out an exasperated groan and wondered how he was going to survive. This was going to be awful. Not only was Trixie probably going to actually bathe him every day, but she was going to brush him too and she was probably going to use the flowery scented soap and with the flowery scented soap, he was going to be teased in school. His lips pressed together and his mouth formed a pinched straight line. 

This was shaping up to be the worst day ever. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Moving everything was a simple affair that involved pulling the wagon to a new location—in this instance, Lemon Hearts’ back garden, which had a gate just wide enough to fit the wagon through. The fence was tall, made of greying wood, and covered in ivy. The back garden had a tree in one corner, herbs were planted around the cool shade of the tree, there was a patch of mint, and an ideal place to park the wagon beneath the overhang of the roof, which covered most of the wagon from the rain and the sun. 

One could go from the back door to the wagon without getting too wet if it was raining. 

Upstairs, the room took some getting used to. For Sumac, he could only describe it as being triangle shaped. With the angle of the roof forming the walls, the room was tall in the middle and short on both sides. One would have to be careful getting out of bed, lest one bonk their head. There were no beds however; their only beds were fold down shelves in the wagon with a thin, insulated mattress to help fight the cold. There was one tiny bathroom which Sumac understood was going to be a future battlefield. He would not go quietly. 

He had already seen the kitchen and the living room, back when Lemon Hearts had taken him home to clean him up and make him feel better. The house was cosy and Sumac thought it was ideal. It was absolutely huge when compared to the wagon. 

When Lemon Hearts and Trixie both settled upon a battered sofa to take a break and giggle with one another, Sumac Apple found his way down the stairs and into the dark, spooky cellar. 



 

With the light on, the cellar wasn’t very spooky. It was a little cobwebby, which might be the reason why Boomer was suddenly awake, alert, and aware. The little hatchlings bright yellow eyes darted around the cellar looking for her most hated foe, spiders. Sumac found it quite amusing. 

He eyed the furnace, which needed fixing. What Lemon Hearts didn’t know was, he and Trixie were tinkerers, fixers of things both magical and mundane. Sumac had grown up fixing all kinds of things and he had learned a great deal from Trixie. Sumac could fix everything from clocks to arcanotech zuchinni slicers. 

The furnace was old and ran on gas. Gritting his teeth, he ignited his horn and heard Boomer let out a honk. She didn’t seem bothered by his magic, only startled sometimes. After looking around, Sumac located the gas line and with a great deal of effort, he turned the gas off for his own safety. He had actually helped Trixie fix a furnace almost like this one quite some time ago. 

Using his telekinesis, he undid the screws which held the access plate in place. He pulled off the metal plate, set it down, and shone his horn into the access cubby. As he suspected, it was filthy, filled with cobwebs and dust bunnies. Sumac had learned from his last encounter with a furnace like this one how finicky the ignition switch was. He turned the breaker off, killing all power to the furnace, and then began cleaning out the ignition system, which was caked with dust, dirt, filth, old spiderwebs, and dessicated mouse remains that the spiders had eaten. Sumac shivered at the thought of having one’s insides slurped out. 

He picked, poked, and prodded, trying to clean out the ignition, knowing what had happened. No doubt, Lemon Hearts had tried to turn on the furnace to see if it would work, the ignition system had kicked on, the accumulated filth had made it short out, and now the fuse was blown. Sumac was certain that if he cleaned everything up, replaced the fuse, and gave it a try, the furnace would work. 

Cleaning it out though was the real problem. The spiders had made a real mess. Boomer let out an annoyed honk as Sumac tried to deal with the mess of webbing. Without warning, Boomer breathed out a gout of flame, a tiny well controlled burst, which burned away most of the debris in the access cubby. Boomer breathed again, and then again, little poofs of fire that burned away the webbing, dust, and dirt. 

“Thank you, Boomer,” Sumac said in a low voice as he continued working, his face now blackened with soot and ash. 

He could see the ignition coil. It was a little electric spike that protruded over a pilot light. The spike was caked with enough dirt to grow potatoes. Any electrical arc produced would just be shorted out by everything. Sumac went to work cleaning it and as he did so, Boomer went scurrying off of his horn and down to the floor, hunting her hated prey. 

When the spike was cleaned, Sumac opened up another access panel, this one behind a hinged door. Inside, there were three fuses, big clunky things made of copper and glass. The first fuse was black and melted. Sumac spotted the problem right away and knew why the furnace was no longer working. He pulled the fuse out and then began looking around for a fresh fuse, hoping that there were a few still stored away down here. 

He spotted a cabinet beneath a sink and went over to investigate. There were a few drawers, the cabinet, and an open storage cubby filled with a few tools, including a screwdriver that would have fit the screws on the access panel he had pulled off. 

Boomer let out a tiny, but fierce roar as she pounced upon a spider the size of a cherry tomato. Sumac, who had turned to look, watched in horror as Boomer clawed the spider a few times, scorched it with fire, and then began ripping the spider’s legs off. Then, after trumpeting with triumph, Boomer began gobbling down her eight legged meal one hairy leg at a time. 

“Ew…” Sumac shook his head and stuck out his tongue in disgust when Boomer popped the spider’s big hairy abdomen like a grape and then began nipping off bite sized pieces. 

He looked in the cabinet under the sink and found cleaning supplies. He let out a huff of disappointment and began looking in the drawers as Boomer continued to enjoy her meal. The top drawer had rags and old towels. The second drawer held more tools. The third drawer held a box of fuses, which was just what Sumac needed. 

After pulling it out of the box, he held it up over his head in triumph, then giggled as he realised that both he and Boomer had been victorious. He shoved in the fresh fuse, kicked in tight with his hoof, flipped the switch for the electrical system, turned on the gas, and then, when everything was done, he banged the ignition switch and hoped that he would not blow himself up. 

As he watched, the electric spike arced and ignited the gas. A blue flame sprang to life, raced along the gas runner, and then with a shudder, the furnace sprang to life with a whoosh. It was a little noisy, lots of little pieces were no doubt loose, but it worked. The inside filled with a rosy glow and already warmth was creeping out of the old, battered contraption. 

It was warm enough and the furnace really wasn’t needed, so he hit the kill switch. The furnace died with a shudder and a metallic groan. Satisfied, Sumac did a little more cleaning in the access cubby, using his telekinesis to knock out any remaining bits of debris. As he cleaned, he heard hooves on the stairs. 

“Sumac? Sumac, is everything okay?” 

Lemon Hearts’ voice sounded worried. 

“Sumac, did you fix this by yourself?” 

Trixie’s voice held an unmistakable amount of pride and Sumac beamed. 

“You fixed the furnace?” Lemon Hearts stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking confused. “The repair pony said it would cost hundreds of bits to get this thing fixed!” 

Lemon Hearts sounded a little angry and Sumac blinked as he realised that he and Trixie hadn’t been charging nearly enough. He let out a startled giggle as Boomer climbed up his leg, up his side, scurried up his neck, and perched upon his horn once more. 

“What was wrong?” Trixie asked. 

“The ignition system was gunky and it blew a fuse. I cleaned everything and put a new fuse in and now it works just fine. It was full of webs, dust, and mouse bones.” Sumac sat down upon the floor and grinned at the two mares. “It was an easy fix. Lemon Hearts, if you would like, I could show you how to fix it yourself if it happens again. You probably blew the fuse when you tried to turn it on to see if it worked.” 

Lemon Hearts gave Trixie a sidelong glance which lingered for several long seconds, and then returned her gaze to Sumac. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the colt and something that was almost a smile spread over her muzzle. 

“Such a clever little colt,” she said in a low voice. “Trixie, did you teach him how to do this?” 

Nodding, Trixie replied, “That’s how we made our living. As tinkers. He has some natural talent when it comes to machinery. He just knows how stuff works. You should watch him sometime, he’s amazing when he works.” 

“Flim and Flam both were natural mechanists. They built all kinds of automated machinery and steam powered contraptions. It’s a shame they didn’t stick with their mechanical talents.” Lemon Hearts shook her head. “But little Sumac here… Sumac, if you’ve inherited your father’s natural mechanical aptitude, you are going to have a bright future.”

“Really?” Sumac’s head tilted off to one side. 

Lemon Hearts nodded. “Yeah… yeah you will.” 

“Trixie predicts your future will involve a bath and a thorough scrubbing… you are covered in grime and soot… yucko—” 

“NOOOOO!” 

It just wasn’t fair… Sumac had just fixed the furnace and this was the thanks that he got? There was nowhere to run, both mares blocked the stairs, and there was nothing he could do. The little colt slumped in defeat and let out a forlorn sigh of submission. 

Why did bad things happen to good ponies? Sumac really wanted to know. 



 

The bath wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, but Sumac would never admit it. Being in a hot bath was a whole lot nicer than being in a cold bath, bathing in the river and getting a bucket of cold river water dumped over one’s head to be rinsed off. Of course, Sumac now smelled like a field of wildflowers and he wasn’t too pleased about that. 

At least this time, no soap had ended up in his eyes, and that was great. 

Boomer, who was perched on the back of a chair, gave Trixie wounded looks of betrayal. She too, had been scrubbed in the tub. She had been covered in little bristly hairs, bits of gorey spider remains, and was also a bit sooty. Poor Boomer had been dunked, just like Sumac had been dunked, and both of them had been miserable together. 

Boomer was clearly a gentle creature, which left Sumac curious. She had claws, she had sharp teeth, she could breathe fire, but she had done nothing to hurt anypony or fight back when she was getting bathed, even though she could have. She could have nipped or even scorched Trixie, but had not. Was Boomer just naturally gentle? Docile? Was she just well mannered? How did she know how to behave? Clearly, Boomer was smart. She wasn’t a dumb lizard, she was a thinking, feeling creature that had an emerging personality. 

Being a thinking, feeling creature, Sumac understood that he had to be mindful of her needs. The comb being run through his mane hit a tangle and Sumac’s whole body tensed as he winced in pain. He felt Trixie pause for a moment and then he heard her say, “Sorry.” 

Sumac wondered if Trixie had come to the same conclusion when he was still a tiny foal. Had she come to understand that he too, was a thinking, feeling creature? He knew that she had gone through some adjustment when she had first become his caretaker. Sumac wondered if he thought about Trixie’s feelings and needs enough, or if he was a bad colt and didn’t think about them as often as he should. 

“Lemon Hearts wants to go out and have a nice lunch with us. It’s going to be wonderful having lunch with such a handsome, clean little colt,” Trixie said in a voice that did not do enough to contain her teasing tone. “I think you’ll need a mane trim soon, but not today.” 

Sumac, who was rather enjoying being brushed and combed, but would never admit it, squirmed in his chair to offer token resistance. Boomer still looked wounded and stared at Trixie with wide, almost unblinking eyes. Sumac wondered if Boomer resented smelling like flowers. 

“I’m so very proud of you. You did good, kiddo. You and I are having a pretty good day, aren’t we? This is nice. Sometimes, a pony just needs a good day to happen. It’s easy to get worn down and feel down in the dumps.” Trixie dropped her head and kissed Sumac on the ear. She felt him shiver from her touch and it made her giggle just a bit. 

Sumac, unable to help himself, overcome with warm, fuzzy feelings, smiled. 
	
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a strange thing to realise that he wanted to be with Pebble. Sumac, feeling unsettled, reflected upon this as he waited for his lunch to be brought to him. It wasn’t that he wanted to ditch Trixie and Lemon Hearts; no, he just wished that Pebble was here with them, having lunch. Using his telekinesis, he lifted up a savoury garlic breadstick and began nibbling. 

Tomorrow was the first day of school. He was looking forward to it, but he also had his worries. He knew that Olive would be in a different class; she was older after all, but the chance of running into her was high. She was big, mean, and green; the very thought of her caused him to have fits of worry. A part of him still wanted to see if he could take her in a fight; Sumac was ashamed to even think about it, but no matter how he tried to banish it from his mind, the thought continued to linger like an unwelcome guest. 

“It was very grown up of you to order the grilled portobello bisque,” Lemon Hearts said to Sumac in a prim, proper voice, the sort of voice one used in fine dining establishments. “Most foals your age would have ordered off of the foal’s menu and would have got the textured vegetable protein nuggets with macaroni and cheese.” 

“Blech.” Sumac shuddered at the mention of the dreaded nuggets. He hated them. He had tried them once at a hayburger restaurant. They had been quite vile, rubbery, and just plain gross. Once he recovered from hearing Lemon Hearts mention the nuggets, he beamed, feeling very grown up and responsible. 

“Sumac can be an adventurous eater. He once took part in a contest eating hot chili peppers.” Trixie glanced across the table at her colt and then her eyes returned to Lemon Hearts. “He scored fourth place. Got a ribbon. Also won twenty bits. I think he held on just for the bits.” 

“Oh my.” Lemon Hearts, who had been looking at Trixie, turned towards Sumac. “You poor dear… I can’t imagine the consequences of such a thing.” 

“He sat in the river for hours…” Trixie smiled at the memory but said nothing else about it. She reached over and brushed her hoof along Sumac’s foreleg, a gentle caress to show that she cared. “I was proud of him. He brought in the bits. He’s my little provider.” 

Sumac felt a rosy warmth in his cheeks and he slouched down on the padded bench. He felt Boomer adjust her position as she clung to his horn, snoozing, and he continued to gnaw on his breadstick as he waited for his lunch. 

“Sumac inherited more than his father’s mechanical aptitude,” Trixie said in a soft voice of maternal pride. “He has his father’s sense of showmanship… at least, there are times when he displays it. Flam Apple was a very smart pony. He had exceptional intelligence—too bad he wasn’t smart enough to realise that you only get one chance to make things right.” Trixie, having said her aside, let out a sigh and shook her head. “Sumac has his father’s knack for making bits. You’d be surprised, Lemon Hearts, but little Sumac here has a downright uncanny business sense already for a colt his age.” 

“Oh my,” Lemon Hearts replied as she levitated a breadstick to gnaw upon. 

“But he has shown none of his father’s greed.” Trixie cast a sidelong glance at Sumac and then stared down at her water glass with a thousand yard stare. “I don’t want to boast or anything, or act self important, but I’d like to think that I had something to do with that.” 

“You taught me to be a good colt,” Sumac said around a mouthful of mooshed breadstick. “And I must be doing something right if Twilight trusted me with Boomer. Olive certainly didn’t get a dragon to look after.” Sumac swallowed his food and scowled. What Olive needed was to be taken down a few pegs. 

“I still need to work on your table manners though.” Trixie began to chortle as she relaxed a little bit, seeing and knowing that her comment was well received and not taken as self-aggrandising. She reached over, brushing Sumac’s mane away from his face, careful not to disturb the sleeping hatchling that was still no doubt digesting a fine meal of spider and recovering from a bath. 

“Can I say something a little blunt?” Lemon Hearts asked Trixie. 

“Sure, why not?” Trixie turned towards her friend and waited. 

“It’s strange, funny even, to see you with Sumac. When I remember how you were in school and when I see you now, it’s kinda shocking.” Lemon Hearts gave Trixie a gentle smile and shook her head. “I’m not holding your past against you, it’s just, you’ve changed.” 

Sumac took another bite of his breadstick and stared at the two mares he shared the table with. This was an adult conversation, something he was comfortable with, he spent a lot of time with adults, but this felt wrong to intrude upon. 

“I was Olive.” Trixie began sniggering, but also tried to keep it down so she wouldn’t disturb the other guests in the restaurant. “Oh, I was such a horrible, wretched little filly. And everypony called me—” 

“Bossy Blue,” both mares said together and then began giggling in unison.

Trixie leaned over against Lemon Hearts and patted her friend upon the foreleg. “I didn’t know you’d end up being my friend. I’m sorry we were enemies.” 

Blinking, Sumac took everything said in. Trixie was Olive. That was quite a thought. He detested Olive and the idea of being friends with her when he was older unnerved him. A part of him didn’t want Olive to get better—he didn’t want to be friends with her. He wanted to keep on disliking her. Feeling just a little ashamed, Sumac ate the last section of breadstick while staring down at his placemat as both Trixie and Lemon Hearts continued to giggle together. It was wrong to feel this way and he knew it. 

This was how otherwise good ponies went bad… 

He adjusted his glasses, wiped his muzzle with his fancy cloth napkin, then glanced over at his adoptive mother and Lemon Hearts. He liked seeing Trixie happy. She deserved to be happy. He began to think that it was going to be nice living with Lemon Hearts. It would be sort of like having two moms, but he tried not to think about that too much. He could learn more magic with a second unicorn around. 

He knew that he had magical talent, but he didn’t know how much magical talent. It was difficult to trust adults on this issue; adults wanted to encourage him, boost his self esteem, make him feel better, they wanted him to believe in himself. He knew that he was above average, at least, he had been told that he was, but he didn’t know how far above the average he was. In the back of his mind, he wanted to be magical enough to be a wizard, not just another unicorn with a few spells. He wanted to be magical enough to become an apprentice, to become somepony’s pupil. Of course, he knew that he wasn’t magical enough to become Princess Twilight Sparkle’s personal student, or any of the other princesses for that matter, but he hoped that somepony would take notice of him. 

Trixie had done much for his magical education, she had been his teacher, but now, as his mother… well, a little unicorn just wasn’t his mother’s apprentice. Nopony would take anything you did with any sort of seriousness. That was a good way to be laughed at. He needed a Master or a Mistress. He needed to get noticed. 

He also needed a cutie mark—something indicating some skill in magic would be wonderful. 

Sumac felt torn; he worried about his cutie mark. He wanted something that would show that he had skill in magic, that his destiny was to be magical—but he also wanted something to show that he was an Apple. It was a conundrum. His ears perked as Lemon Hearts whispered something to Trixie and then both of them continued to giggle while looking at him. To be magical or to be marked as an Apple? If he had to choose… Sumac sighed when he knew that he would rather be marked as an Apple. He was going to have to give up a promising future in the magical arts. 

Looking up, he saw the waiter coming, bearing a tray piled high with food. 



 

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Sumac Apple waited for his eyes to adjust after being in the dark theatre for so long. He heard Boomer let out a sleepy, smoky yawn, followed by an adorable, tiny snort. He stepped aside so he wouldn’t block the exit and stood blinking behind his darkened glasses. 

The movie was something for grownups, a romance flick. There had been lots of over the top dialogue, far too much kissing, (even one kiss was one kiss too many) and a syrupy, sappy end where the noble guardspony gave up his place in the guard to become a stay at home father while the mare continued to dominate the business world with her canned chili company. 

There was sure to be a sequel; the idea of a bumbling stay at home dad (and a former guardspony no less) with a foal was considered comedy gold. He would no doubt endure all manner of horrible humiliation, failure, and would be an incompetent caretaker. Because stallions were idiots when it came to looking after foals. Sumac grunted in annoyance as he thought about it and wondered what Big Mac would have to say about the issue. 

At least Trixie and Lemon Hearts had enjoyed themselves. Sumac wasn’t about to let out even a single peep of complaint. Trixie deserved a nice day, and no doubt, Big Mac would approve of Sumac being so grown up about the issue. 

“You know, Sumac could use a better bookbag. I have a lot of bits saved up… I’d like for Sumac to go to school on his first day and not look like a ragamuffin.” Trixie, who also stood blinking as her eyes adjusted to the out of doors, reached out and prodded Sumac on the backside. “He could use some school supplies.” 

“Shopping is always fun,” Lemon Hearts said in an agreeable voice. “Fall is coming. I know for a fact that Twilight has field trips to Canterlot planned. It’ll be cold at the higher elevations.” 

“Sumac will need a jacket. Something better than the ratty old collection of scraps I keep patching—” 

“Hey, I like my jacket.” Sumac turned and looked up at Trixie. “I like it because you keep fixing it. Nopony else has a jacket like it.” 

“Sumac, kiddo, it hardly even fits you anymore. It might not even fit you now. When you wore it last spring, you kept ripping it when you moved. It was far too tight.” Trixie sat down and watched as several ponies exiting the theatre went past. “You’ve grown, Sumac. You’re getting so big for your age—” 

“I’m five,” Sumac retorted, “and I’m scrawny. I’ve seen other colts that are five and they’re bigger than me.” 

A patient smile appeared in Trixie’s lips as she leaned forwards. She raised one hoof, extended it, and booped Sumac on the nose, causing him to go cross eyed. A nearby gopher clutched his chest, let out a grunt, and fell over, stunned at the sight of the maternal boop. 

“We should go to Jaycee Pony’s Department Store,” Lemon Hearts said, offering up a suggestion. “They’re having a sale. We can get Sumac a few things Trixie, and we can get you a few nice things as well. You deserve to treat yourself.” 

“But I—” 

“No buts!” Lemon Hearts snapped as she stomped her hoof. “No buts, no buts, no buts—” 

“Unless you want some papercuts!” both mares finished together, reciting a rhyme from their days in school together. They both began to giggle again. 

The two of them sure did giggle a lot together, Sumac noticed. And they kept looking at each other, staring at one another in a funny, happy way. It was nice seeing Trixie happy. He sighed; knowing that a trip to the department store was a forgone conclusion. They would drag him around the store for hours, make him try stuff on and make him look at the things they were going to try on, he just knew it. At the end of it all, he suspected that he would come out smelling like flowery, girly perfume. The world was a horrendous place and life just wasn’t fair, not at all. 

This was going to be awful, he just knew it. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hunched over his breakfast, Sumac thought about the big day he was about to have. He was well rested; new beds had been purchased, soft, comfortable beds that were so much better than the thin mattresses they slept on in the wagon. He was still clean from yesterday. He had new bookbags, a new coat, and a pen and pencil box. 

Just as he got a spoonful of granola to his lips, a long purple tongue zipped down and snatched the largest nugget. Sumac said nothing and showed no reaction—he just dipped his spoon into his bowl again. He was a little worried about having Boomer in school with him, but Twilight insisted that Boomer be brought with him to school. 

As he raised his spoon again, there was another burst of purple and more granola was stolen. This time, Sumac giggled. His giggling caused Trixie and Lemon Hearts, who were also eating breakfast, to start giggling. 

“She’s going to be like your annoying baby sister,” Lemon Hearts said to Sumac. 

Sumac shrugged, looked thoughtful for a moment, and scooped up more granola. “She’s not annoying.” He shook his head and then looked up, trying to see the hatchling perched upon his horn. 

“How goes the poop collection?” Trixie asked. 

“I have some saved up in a big metal coffee can. She’s already figured out not to burn them. She waits for me to pick them up.” Sumac managed to get the spoon into his mouth this time and he crunched down upon his somewhat soggy granola. He nommed his food a few times, swallowed, and then continued, “She doesn’t make a mess in the house, either. She’ll start tugging on my ears and trying to let me know she needs to go. She’s smart.” 

“Of course she is. Spike is just about as smart as Twilight when he puts his mind to things. It’s getting Spike to focus that is the real trick. Twilight thinks that dragons think differently than ponies do. Different thought processes.” Lemon Hearts set down her spoon upon the table and lifted her bowl so she could drink the milk that was left over. “A different way of thinking.” 

“Isn’t a brain just a brain?” Sumac, who had his curiousity aroused, took another bite and never took his eyes off of Lemon Hearts.  

“Different biology. Different creatures. Ponies are carbon based lifeforms, while dragons are sulfur based lifeforms. While both have brains, they are very different. From what little I know, dragons have more advanced memories and memory retrieval. Ponies have situational awareness and advanced sensory awareness, it is the reason why we have such large eyes for our size. We survived, evolved, and adapted because our situational awareness and sensory awareness kept us alive and kept us alert against predators.” 

“And the big dragons didn’t have predators, so their brains grew differently,” Sumac said. 

“Correct.” Lemon Hearts looked pleased as she began to drink the milk out of her bowl. 

“Since dragons live for such a long time, it became important for them to keep track of all the stuff they know, the stuff they remember.” Sumac scooped up more granola, gobbled it, and was thoughtful as he chewed. 

Lemon Hearts nodded as she continued to drink, while Trixie just looked proud and impressed. Sumac, feeling good about himself, was rather looking forwards to school, but he was also scared, nervous, and apprehensive. He knew going into this that he was facing what Trixie called an uphill challenge. Sumac had a wagon to tow and a long hill ahead of him. He was smart, that much was certain, but he was a little behind in his placement scores. His reading was fine, but his other practical educational skills were lacking, such as arithmetic. He did well in geography, but his writing skills left a little to be desired. 

After setting her bowl down upon the table, Lemon Hearts said, “Today is a half day. School will let out at noon. So if you are having trouble, just make it through the morning and everything will be okay.” 

“Alright,” Sumac replied around a mouthful of granola, dribbling a little milk down his chin as he spoke. 

“As for tomorrow…” Lemon Hearts paused for a moment and wiped her own face, then continued, “Twilight plans to run things a little differently. The mornings will be structured, traditional learning, while the afternoons will be a time of free learning. Students will be allowed to do as they please, within reason, and encouraged to find special talents, skills, and abilities. Many new cutie marks are expected.” 

“Sumac is a little young to be worrying about that.” Trixie gave Lemon Hearts an apprehensive smile and then looked at Sumac. “No pressure, right Sumac?” 

“Uh…” Sumac wasn’t sure how to reply. There was plenty of pressure. 

“Cutie marks can happen at any time… yearlings get them, foals get them, and sometimes, ponies make it to adulthood before getting one.” Levitating a napkin, Lemon Hearts began wiping Sumac’s face. 

“How does that happen?” Trixie asked, looking surprised. 

“Oh, it just happened to somepony I know,” Lemon Hearts replied to Trixie, “a cousin, he went into the guard blank, not knowing what else to do with his life, and he had a helmet cutie mark within a week. He was meant to be in the guard.” 

“Oh.” Trixie blinked a few times and shook her head. “I suppose there are a lot of things that a pony might not be exposed to until they are an adult. That must be traumatising not knowing what your purpose or your destiny is when everypony around you knows theirs.” 

Shrugging, Lemon Hearts replied, “It happens.” 

“We need to hurry up and get going.” Trixie pointed her hoof at Sumac. “Finish that up, kiddo, we need to go soon.” 



 

Twilight’s castle loomed large, and somehow, it seemed far more intimidating today. So far, Trixie had kept her promise not to embarrass him in front of his schoolmates and Sumac was grateful. The colt stood at the base of the stairs and looked up. Others were already going up the stairs, all sizes, all ages, but Sumac spotted a few ponies that were about his age. Lemon Hearts stood beside him, and he felt a gentle nudge to get him moving. 

There was no sign of Pebble. This would be a lot easier with Pebble. Sumac didn’t know why, but it would. He gulped, his mouth feeling dry, and wondered where she was. Sumac did fine around adults, but for whatever reason, he froze up around foals his own age. 

A couple of the students were crying. That was awful and Sumac couldn’t think of much that could be more embarrassing than crying on the first day of school. Hearing a commotion, he turned his head, ignoring Lemon Hearts’ gentle nudge, and saw that not all students were going along in a quiet, calm fashion. 

Some resisted. 

He saw a pony he knew, Gloomy, and poor Gloomy had her work cut out for her. The pegasus mare was having to drag Silver Lining along the ground, and the little griffoness cub dug her claws in and pleaded with her mother, begging to be let go. Sumac swallowed and felt another nudge against his backside, but he did not respond. Stiff legged, he remained rooted to the spot and refused to budge. 

He was about to be trapped inside of a castle with Olive… 

At that moment of profound realisation, Sumac wanted to go home. Or better still, hit the road, leave Ponyville, and never return. He began to wonder how many foals resisted going to school because of Olive. Probably all of them. She was that bad. Sumac shuddered and then let out a yelp of shock as he was dragged along by Lemon Hearts. Trixie had vanished, no doubt so she could check in for work. Sumac’s lower lip protruded in a pout as he was pulled along in Lemon Hearts’ magic. 

“Mama, nooooooo!” Silver Lining wailed as she too, was dragged to her doom. 

Hanging from Sumac’s horn, Boomer let out a sleepy snort of protest at all of the commotion around her. How was a baby dragon supposed to get any sleep with all of this hubbub? She let out a frustrated honk and then curled into a ball around Sumac’s horn, hiding her head inside of her flight membranes. 

Knowing that he was about to be dragged up the stairs, Sumac decided that he didn’t want to be embarrassed or shamed. Cringing, he made his own way up the stairs and felt Lemon Hearts let go of him. Silver Lining’s plaintive wails echoed in his ears, and he could hear Gloomy’s grunting. 

Somepony was going to have a rough first day of school. 



 

Stepping into the classroom, Sumac saw Pebble. He felt relief go flooding through him and he hurried over to where she was sitting. He sat down beside her, claiming a pillow that was hexagonal, bright yellow, and covered in little blue squares. A part of him wanted to hug Pebble, he was that relieved to see her, but he kept his hugs to himself and behaved. 

There were a bunch of foals that Sumac didn’t know. The classroom wasn’t too full, it wasn’t very large, and it didn’t look like any other classroom that Sumac had ever seen. There were no desks, but there was a blackboard and a lectern. 

The door to the classroom opened and Gloomy dragged Silver Lining into the classroom. The griffoness cub was silent now, wide eyed, terrified, she was frozen with fear and made no effort to resist. Sumac watched as Gloomy sat down in the corner on a cushion and pulled the cub close, trying to comfort her. The need to hug Pebble, to find some comfort, grew stronger. 

There was a collective gasp as Twilight appeared in the doorway. She was wearing her reading glasses and her mane was drawn up into a schoolmarm’s bun. Using her wing, she nudged a skittish looking unicorn colt forwards and into the classroom. 

“Go on, Cinnamon, it’ll be fine,” Twilight said to the colt. 

The colt bolted for the door and Twilight caught him. Nopony laughed. There wasn’t even a single giggle. Just silence. The tension in the room made it difficult for Sumac to breathe. Sumac’s shallow breathing somehow made all of the sounds in the room stand out in sharp contrast. He could hear the breathing of his fellow students. The rustle of bookbags. He could hear the poor colt’s hooves scraping over the floor as Twilight wrangled him. 

“Go and sit with her,” Twilight said in a low, soothing whisper as she pointed at Gloomy. “She’ll help… Gloomy is a good sort when she isn’t making it rain on ponies.” Twilight gave the pegasus in the corner a wry smile as Gloomy patted the cushion beside her, while holding on to Silver Lining with her other foreleg. 

Sumac stopped breathing for a moment as he waited to see what the poor colt would do. He watched as Twilight gave him another nudge, and then, Cinnamon, the skittish colt, he took off with deliberate slowness towards Gloomy. Sumac sucked in some air and sighed with relief. 

Twilight stepped through the door and vanished. 



 

“Hello class, my name is Lemon Hearts, and I am going to be one of your teachers. I understand that some of you are having a hard time, so we’re going to take this slow and we’re all going to be quiet and we’ll get through this together.” The lemony yellow mare smiled at her class. 

She sat down upon a cushion, joining the almost circle shape that the students had formed, and gave Gloomy a little nod of support before she continued, “All of you are new to this program. Today, we’re going to have some question and answer time and we’re not going to worry about schoolwork stuff. Does anypony have any questions?” 

Pebble raised her hoof. 

“Pebble, you may ask your question,” Lemon Hearts said, acknowledging the filly. 

“Why am I here?” Pebble asked. “I can’t learn anything here in this class. I’ve already completed the primary school curriculum. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to accomplish here.” 

“Pebble, you are here not as a student, but as a teacher,” Lemon Hearts replied. 

“I don’t follow, Miss Hearts.” Pebble stared at her teacher and waited. 

“Your friend, Sumac, he had non-traditional schooling. He needs some help catching up. Twilight wanted you to learn by teaching. You’re going to get Sumac all caught up.” 

Pebble sat still for a moment, and then the most horrible thing happened. The most awful, horrible, hideous thing happened. She smiled. But she didn’t smile like other foals, no, her smile was the most terrifying thing that Sumac had ever seen. Pebble smiled like a cragodile. The corners of her mouth pulled back, revealing perfect square teeth, and a strange gleam filled Pebble’s eyes. 

Sumac whimpered and wanted his mama. He didn’t like this at all. 

So Pebble could show emotions, she could react if the right situation presented itself. Sumac wished that he was somewhere far, far away. Sumac shivered, turned away from Pebble, and looked at Lemon Hearts as he raised his foreleg. 

“I need to go potty!” Sumac blurted out, and without waiting for permission, he took off lickety split, his hooves clattering over the floor. In moments, he was gone, leaving behind a room full of bewildered, confused classmates. 
	
	
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day already felt longer than it should be. Minutes seemed to crawl by, feeling more like hours. It seemed as though the clock refused to move at all for unnaturally long periods of time. Through it all, Sumac tried to endure, though his classmates seemed to have a much easier time of it. 

There was Tempest Dancer, who kept talking about how much her parents liked to play in the mud. Sumac wasn’t quite sure what to think about her. A pegasus, she was quiet, she was delicate upon her hooves, and she was just a little bit bossy. Not that all pegasi were bossy—no, just most of them. 

Flint was a pegasus colt with odd wings who couldn’t fly, and Tinder, a unicorn, was his brother. Both of them had cutie marks and something known as symbiotic magic. Lemon Hearts had spoken about it to the class, and mentioned how Twilight Sparkle wanted to understand strange magic. 

Strawberry Hearts, (no relation to Lemon Hearts) was a quiet, somewhat shy unicorn filly. She was gifted with strong magic and could create puffs of perfumed air, which most of the time turned out to be strawberry scented, filling the classroom with a delightful smell, except for the time when it had been rotten egg scented. She was still learning to control her magic. She was rather good at opening windows with her telekinesis. 

In the corner, Cinnamon Fire lurked, saying very little. The little colt kept apologising for being a nuisance or being in the way. He didn’t stray very far from Gloomy, who had stuck around to help. Alas, poor Gloomy was going to need a team of trained surgeons to remove Silver Lining, who clung to her leg and refused to let go. 

The class was small, but Lemon Hearts had promised that it would grow larger soon. More students were coming, but had not arrived yet. The first years for Twilight’s school were few in number, which made things easier for everypony. Sumac knew he would be quite uncomfortable if the class was any larger. Based on Silver Lining’s reaction, she would be a gibbering wreck if there were more students. 



 

Following after his fellow students, Sumac was enjoying the tour of the parts of the castle set aside to serve as the school. There were other students out and about. The crowds made Sumac a little nervous, but staying near Pebble helped. She too, had some problems with crowds. 

In the hallways, there were banners that read, “Friendship is Magic,” and “A Stranger Is Just a Friend You Don’t Know Yet.” Sumac was having a bit of trouble reconciling that notion. There was stranger danger, that is to say that strangers could be dangerous and one had to be cautious, but it seemed that strangers could also be friends. Which was it? It seemed conflicting. 

They toured the laboratories, the classrooms, there were multiple libraries, media rooms, a music hall, a specimen hall, a solarium and a greenhouse. This was a wondrous place; already Sumac had seen things that he wanted to see again, like an indoor snowstorm, and the specimen hall, which had all kinds of neat live animals, many of which defied description. 

Walking past a room with an open door, Sumac could see a whole bunch of blue flowers inside, all of them under glass. It took a moment to realise that he was looking at poison joke. Seeing the dangerous blue flowers made his skin shiver. 

“Class, keep up as we go into the auditorium,” Lemon Hearts said to her students. “Remember to stay together as a group as we’re seated.” 

Following Gloomy, Sumac filed into the auditorium, which he found was far too crowded for his tastes. He felt a twinge of panic, but then Pebble brushed up against him. He knew that she didn’t like crowds either. Most of his other classmates seemed to pay no mind as they filed in, but Gloomy had to shove both Cinnamon and Silver Lining into the room. 

Mercifully, their seats were in the left rear corner, and for this, Sumac was thankful. 



 

Twilight Sparkle moved across the stage and Spike waddled after her, clutching a microphone in his claws. The auditorium was darkened, save for the well lit stage. Twilight and Spike stood in an island of light. A smiling unicorn mare stood off to one side, and Sumac recognised her as Twilight Velvet, Twilight Sparkle’s mother. 

Twilight Velvet was a nice pony. She had taken Sumac out to lunch one day and had asked him a whole bunch of questions, like if he was happy, if there was anything he wanted, how he felt about Trixie being his mother, and even asking if he would be happier if he had a sibling or two. He suspected that it had more to do with her doing her job than being nice, but she was nice. 

As Sumac sat watching, Applejack could be seen on the stage for a brief moment, stepping out from the side and giving Twilight a nod. Perhaps when this was over, he could go and visit the Apples, so he could tell them all about his first day. 

“Are we ready?” Twilight asked. 

“Yeah, are we ready, already?” Spike also asked, his words causing many of the ponies in the auditorium to chuckle. The dragon looked out on the crowd and smiled. “I tell ya, if I wasn’t here, nothing would get done.” 

“That’s subjectively true,” Twilight said, nodding her head in agreement. 

“Twilight, we’re good,” Rarity said as she stuck her head out from the side of the stage, the same side where Applejack had just appeared a moment before. 

“Welcome, everypony,” Twilight said in a booming voice that was now amplified. Spike stood near her front legs and held the microphone as Twilight spoke. “This is a momentous day. I didn’t think this would ever become official. I would like to thank a few ponies, if you don’t mind.” 

The crowd did not object. 

“First off, I would like to thank Princess Celestia. She was, and still is, my teacher. Without her, none of this would be possible. She taught me to dream, to hope for extraordinary things, and I hope I can pass that lesson on to you. With hard work, dreams are possible.” 

Another spotlight focused on Twilight and the stage around her somehow grew darker. 

“I would like to thank my friends, for being here with me every step of the way. I would like to thank them all by name, but the list would be very, very long, and we would be here all day. But all of you know who you are and none of this would be possible without you.” 

“Applejack, darling, stop playing with the lights!” a disembodied voice said. 

The auditorium filled with the sounds of laughter and Twilight smiled as she glanced off stage. Spike, holding the microphone in his left claws, covered his mouth with his right claws. He chortled, his whole body wiggling with his uncontained mirth. 

“Consarnit, Rarity, how did we end up with a live microphone? Turn it off! This is Twilight’s big day!” 

The spotlight changed colour and Twilight was bathed in a green glow. 

“That is not a sound switch! Oh, of all the worst things that could happen, this is the worst possible thing ever!” 

“Oh, go faint on a couch somewhere, Rares!” 

With a screech of feedback, the sound died and the spotlight on Twilight was turned back to a warm, illuminating yellow white. Twilight had a wide grin upon her face as the audience continued to have a good laugh. 

Even Twilight’s mother was chuckling. 

“And this is why you ask friends to help you… the memories alone make everything worth it,” Twilight said to the audience. She cleared her throat. “So where was I… oh, right, I was thanking the ponies that made this possible. I would like to thank all of you for being here. Because of you, this is possible. My school would be nothing without students. We’re still small, but we’re growing!” 

Twilight lifted the microphone out of Spike’s grasp and held it up before her. “I would also like to thank my own student, Starlight. Thank you, Starlight. You’ve worked so hard to make this possible.” 

The spotlight moved and shone down upon a pony in the audience. The pony sitting in the front row waved, and then the spotlight was returned to Twilight. Turning her head, Twilight looked at her mother. 

“I’d like to thank my mother… she’s been a huge help…” Twilight fell silent, her eyes glimmering with the promise of tears. “There are so many ponies that I would like to thank by name, but there isn’t time.” Twilight cleared her throat and then smiled. “So, without further ado, we’re going to watch a little film to help all of you get oriented. Once we’re done here, I think we’ll let out early for today. I’m hearing a lot of reports of frazzled nerves and first day jitters.” 

There was a cheer from the crowd as the stage darkened. The spotlight faded, leaving Twilight in the dark, and two heavy purple brocade curtains covered in stars pulled away to reveal a movie screen. 

With a flicker, the projector came to life and the film began to play. 



 

Sumac hadn’t seen many movies, but there had been a few. He was having trouble keeping up with everything being said, it was hard to hear in the auditorium, the music was a bit too loud and the sounds of everypony else around him drowned out the dialogue. 

But the film was pretty easy to follow. Starlight Glimmer was being followed around with a camera as she worked through her rehabilitation and earned the forgiveness of the many ponies she had hurt. The film chronicled her hard work in Our Town as she struggled to make amends and make friends with those she had brought so much harm to. 

Friendship made anything possible, even forgiveness during trying circumstances. Several times, Starlight seemed humiliated, which had to have been made worse by having everything caught on camera. She endured anger, hostility, even horrible insults, heated words spoken in anger. She bore it all with a sense of humility and a bent neck. 

Sumac felt his barrel hitching when he watched one of the ponies that Starlight had wronged give Starlight a hug. He thought about Trixie and now had a better understanding of what it must be like for her. Throughout the film, Twilight remained at Starlight’s side, offering support, doing what friends do. 

It was a powerful lesson. No matter how much a pony had wronged you, it was possible to forgive them and be their friend. Sumac felt Pebble lean up against him and he was thankful for her closeness. 

He watched as Starlight had a full blown meltdown on the screen and begged for the camera to be turned off. She lay on the ground, down in the dust and the dirt, weeping, a public spectacle for all to see. While Twilight sat with her and tried to reassure her, a white earth pony came over. He sat down and after a few terse, tense words, he pulled Starlight up into a hug and held her. Starlight’s many tears had made the ground a bit muddy and the earth pony’s white pelt became soiled. He didn’t seem to mind. He held Starlight as she wailed, patting her upon the back and neck, trying to comfort her as others passed around them, seemingly indifferent to her suffering. 

Through it all, Sumac watched, his eyes sometimes tearing over, and he did his best to listen. Interviews, confessions, apologies, Starlight keeping a journal of her struggle on film, her long conversations and confessions spoken into a camera. Others in Our Town also had private moments with the camera, revealing their thoughts, their feelings, and sometimes their anger with what Starlight had done. But there were hopeful moments, happy moments, moments when ponies offered encouragement and shared their hope that Starlight could get better. 

By rehabilitating Starlight, Twilight had created a powerful message of friendship. Watching the film left Sumac stunned, drained, he was left in a profound emotional state, and he was not alone. Many of his fellow students were crying. Ponies in the audience held each other. No doubt, friendships were forming, or being strengthened, as was no doubt Twilight’s intention with the film. 



 

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Sumac blinked, his eyes stinging, and waited for his dark glasses to darken a little more. Pebble stood beside him, her face stony, but Sumac knew that she had to be feeling something, even if she didn’t show it. 

Gloomy stood, stretching her wings and her back. Silver Lining was hiding beneath her, clinging to Gloomy’s legs. The dark, dull grey pegasus mare moved closer to Sumac and Pebble, keeping watch as more students went streaming past, spilling out into Ponyville now that the first day of school was over. 

“That movie was something,” Gloomy said in a low voice. “A real tearjerker. I do hope that Twilight has forgiven me.” 

“What did you do?” Pebble asked. 

“When I went on my adventure, I had Twilight banish me. I made a cloud widdle on her.” Gloomy smiled and her gaze focused upon some nonexistent distant point. “I’m sure that Twilight has forgiven me, but I suppose I had better double check to make sure. I’ll have to do it when she’s not so busy.” 

“Sumac Apple.” Applejack appeared out of nowhere and set upon poor Sumac without a moment of hesitation, scooping him up so she could hug and squeeze him. She settled back on her haunches while gripping Sumac in her forelegs, ignoring his squirms and his struggles. “Have a nice first day of school?” Applejack looked over at Pebble. “Pebble, I hope you don’t mind if I snuggle your beau.”

The filly’s chocolate-brown face took on a deep purple tone and she blinked at Applejack. Pebble said nothing, but she did stare, her eyes narrowed, and after a few seconds, her ears pinned back against her head. Pebble shook her head. “Colts are icky and he’s smelly. He’s not my beau.” 

“Oh, you say that now,” Applejack replied in teasing tones as Gloomy began to giggle, “but just give it time, Pebble Pie.” 

“No.” Sitting on her haunches, Pebble folded her forelegs over her barrel and gazed up in defiance. 

Sumac, unable to get free, stopped squirming, his ears drooping down in embarrassment. Was he smelly? There wasn’t a whole lot he could do at the moment, seeing as he was trapped in Applejack’s embrace. He was hungry, he was thirsty, and his emotions were all shook up from the film. He didn’t want to think about Pebble in that way, it was deeesgusting. He was still coming to terms with just having her as a friend. 

“Come on, both of you, let’s go home and have lunch.” Applejack turned and looked at Gloomy. “Good day, Gloomy. I sure could use a little extra rain if you could swing it. The autumn vegetables are looking a little dry, if’n you know what I mean.” 

“I’ll see what I can do, Applejack,” Gloomy replied. “Tootles, Sumac and Pebble.” 

And with that, Gloomy scooped up Silver Lining and flew away, the little griffoness cub wailing in protest, not happy at all about flying with her mother. She screeched in protest, but she also waved goodbye to Sumac, Pebble, and Applejack. 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lunch was a plate piled high with apple butter sandwiches made on fresh baked bread. Sumac couldn’t get enough of them, he loved apple butter, finding it to be one of the sweetest, most delicious substances that a pony could cram into their mouth. 

The kitchen was dim, cool, and quiet. Hidden Rose and Ambrosia were off at their own first day of school, and they did not get a half day like Sumac and Pebble had. Applejack’s hat lay upon the table, down near the end, and she gobbled down her own sandwiches with gusto. 

“Big Mac and I gotta get us some work done,” Applejack said after she swallowed her last bite of sandwich. “Cider season is coming up, there’s chores to be done, and a pump that needs fixin’—”

“I can fix the pump,” Sumac said to Applejack. 

“Nope.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Nope.” She shook her head. “Rose and Ambrose didn’t get a half a day of school and you ain’t either. Your book bag is full of schoolbooks and you have a full afternoon of quiet. Gabby ol’ Granny Smith is off visiting friends in town.” 

Sumac slumped over, dejected, and Boomer began attacking his plate with her tongue so she could eat the sweet, tasty crumbs. He glanced over at Pebble and wondered how she felt about this. She was probably going to enjoy this, because she was so very weird. 

“I gots me lots of work to do,” Applejack said as she stretched her neck, tilting her head to one side and then to the other. “It was fun helping Twilight, but now I’m behind. Pebble Pie, don’t let Sumac slack off. I already know about the arrangement that was made. You keep him on task, he’s a unicorn, so he’s bound to be squirrely.” Applejack smiled, reached out, and patted Pebble. 

“Don’t worry, I take my duties very seriously,” Pebble said in a flat deadpan devoid of feeling. “I have a list of my responsibilities in my bag and a checklist of books I’m supposed to check out from the library. I’m positive that I can wing it without the books for a while.” 

Hearing Pebble’s words, Sumac’s ears drooped. He was doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed. There was a surplus of doom available to him. The colt heaved a sigh and resigned himself to his fate. He watched as Boomer lapped up some apple butter on his plate with her long purple tongue. When his plate was clean, Boomer began licking his face with her rough, sandpaper textured tongue, and her breath was hot and smokey. He didn’t giggle, not even once. 

“Cheer up, Sumac… it won’t be so bad.” Applejack pulled on her hat, rose from her chair, and gave herself a shake. “Consarnit, I told Big Mac it was lunchtime and the durn fool still ain’t come in… I’m gonna go and give him a piece of my mind!” 

And with that, Applejack was gone. 



 

Hunched over his math textbook, Sumac tried to make sense of what he was looking at. It was gibberish, all of it was gibberish. The only consolation for his misery was Pebble. She was a fantastic teacher. While Trixie had been a good teacher, at least with what she had taught him, Pebble was a better teacher. 

Pebble was patient, she was calm, she remained cool, she never showed any sign of frustration, she never raised her voice, and she didn’t seem bothered by having to explain things over and over again so that Sumac might puzzle them out so he could understand them. As for Pebble’s part, she seemed to be enjoying herself, but Sumac couldn’t tell. She knew when to help and more importantly, she knew when to leave him be so he could figure it out for himself. 

Everything was going so well, and then, arithmetic happened. Sumac had no concept of any of this stuff. Fractions were a mystery to him. He had never learned about them before, and he couldn’t make sense of anything in his textbook, nor could he understand what Pebble was telling him. 

“Sumac… it’s really very simple. Think of it as an apple—” 

“Okay.” Sumac nodded as he looked up from his book. He heard a low, sleepy snort near his ear, but he ignored the distraction. “I understand apples.”

“Okay Sumac, to make this simple, imagine if you had two apples and you cut them into eight pieces. Each piece would be one eighth. Right?” Pebble’s ears leaned forwards as she spoke and she brushed up against Sumac as she tried to get him to understand. 

“Okay… two apples, eight pieces, so that would be sixteen pieces.” 

“Correct. Now imagine if you took five pieces from the first apple and seven pieces from the second apple, how much apple would you have?” Pebble blinked and waited. 

“Um, twelve?” Sumac replied. 

“No… it’s a fraction. You have five eighths from one apple and seven eighths from another.” Pebble’s brilliant blue eyes showed no signs of anger or frustration, only resolve. She had the patience of a stone. 

“I don’t understand these fancy mathematics,” Sumac grumbled. “The answer should be twelve.” 

“Sumac, if you cut an apple in half, you have a half an apple. But if you put the two halves together, you get one apple even though there were two pieces.” Pebble waited for her reasonable explanation to sink in. 

“So… one and one isn’t always two?” Sumac asked, confused. 

“No.” Pebble reached out and patted Sumac’s foreleg. “You’re making progress.” 

“I feel stupid.” Sumac scowled and shoved his math textbook away as he pulled his other foreleg away from Pebble. She was getting touchy touchy again. She always got so touchy. And sometimes grabby. She was a touchy feely pony. 

“You’re not stupid, you’re just uneducated,” Pebble said to Sumac. 

Sumac dared his brain to begin working and tried to internalise the concept that one plus one didn’t always equal two. Sometimes it equaled one, it seemed. His brain balked at the very notion. But one piece of apple and another piece of apple did make for a whole apple, so he supposed it came down to how those pieces were shaped. Perhaps. 

“If you have seven out of eight pieces from one apple and five out of eight pieces from the second apple, and you assembled them together for form a whole apple, how much apple would you have?” 

“What?” Sumac blinked and then his eyes crossed as he derped. 

Pebble sighed and tried again. “Imagine you have one red apple and one green apple. You cut them both into eight pieces. Now, you take five pieces from the green apple and seven pieces from the red apple, and you put them together. How much apple do you have?” 

“I eat the pieces to avoid the question—” 

“Sumac.” Pebble blinked. “Please try.” 

“Okay, fine.” Sumac rolled his eyes and tried to think about red and green apple pieces. He became distracted and thought about apple pie. Apple brown betties. Apple cobbler. Apple strudel. Apple turnovers. Delicious apple-peño jelly, an Appleloosan favourite.

Just thinking about the sweet, spicy taste of apple-peño jelly made his mouth water. 

“Great, I have a drooling idiot as a student,” Pebble said. “Colts are so gross.” 

“Hey!” Sumac licked his lips and did his best to look wounded as he pulled away from Pebble. “I got distracted… okay? I’m sorry. Just gimme a minute and I’ll try again.” 

This time, Sumac focused and tried to imagine two apples in his head, cut into pieces. It was a difficult thing to try and visualise. He was a little distracted because Pebble had called him an ‘idiot,’ but he sort of deserved it. Pebble was doing a good job as a teacher, but he was doing a lousy job as a student. This presented an even worse problem—if he became somepony’s apprentice, what if he was a lousy apprentice? What if he couldn’t pay attention to his magic lessons? 

The thought was quite worrisome indeed. It was something to think about. It was important for a pony to pay attention to the task at hoof. This was quite a conundrum. Reaching up, Sumac scratched his chin with his hoof as his brow furrowed. 

“I smell smoke,” Pebble said, and she wasn’t talking about Boomer. She slumped over in her chair and sighed while she waited for Sumac to process his fancy apple mathematics. She looked up at Boomer, who was curled around Sumac’s horn and had her head buried in his mane. Pebble, also distracted, had a funny mental image of a full grown Boomer trying to catch a ride on Sumac’s horn and smooshing him. 

It was quite amusing. 

The back door opened, and Applejack entered into the kitchen. 



 

Sumac had nothing to say while Pebble explained his inability to grasp fancy mathematics. He had sat in silence as she had explained the apple problem to Applejack. He had nothing to say for himself, no defense he could offer, and he knew better than to say how stupid he was around Applejack. She would lecture him, and he didn’t want to be lectured by Applejack. 

Or Big Mac for that matter. 

He sat in his chair, feeling Applejack’s green eyes, which mirrored his own, burning into him. She looked thoughtful. Not angry, or disappointed, or upset, or bothered, or anything else, just thoughtful. He was curious about what she was thinking. 

“I think he’s having trouble paying attention,” Pebble said to Applejack. 

“Shucks, maybe what he needs is a quick pick me up,” Applejack replied. She got up and crossed the kitchen in a few light, quick steps, her mane and tail bouncing. She pulled open the cupboard, stuck her head inside, and began to rummage around. 

“I have just the thing,” Applejack said as she emerged with a jar balanced on her muzzle. The jar glowed with a strange rainbow light. “We dip into this stuff when the workload gets heavy. Nothing picks up an Apple quite like zap apple jam. It works a trick on any pony, but for some reason, it’s always had a special effect upon us Apples.” 

Applejack returned to the table, sat down, and then twisted the jar open with her fetlock. The kitchen filled with the scent of ozone, causing Boomer to wake up and sneeze. Applejack picked up a spoon from off of the table, stabbed it into the jar, and spooned out an enormous spoonful of the strange, rainbow coloured apple jam. 

Then, without warning, she jammed the spoon that was full of jam into Sumac’s mouth. For a moment, nothing happened, but then Sumac’s eyes became pinpricks. His horn glowed. Boomer let out a frightened honk, lept down to the table, then scurried away with a whimper. 

The colt shuddered, his whole body spasming, and then he sat up in his chair, ramrod straight. Sumac smacked his lips and said, “One and a half apples!” 



 

In a moment of perfect understanding, everything now made sense. Sumac flipped open his textbook and looked at the math problems in the fractions chapter. He read the text, taking it all in with ease, and he understood. But it wasn’t enough to just read it. No. He picked up his pencil, but that wasn’t enough. A shiver went through him as he pulled a few more of the pencils out of his bag. 

Armed with four pencils, he went to work arranging papers so he could work with maximum efficiency. His brain burned with strange understanding and his eyes watered. He was unaware of Applejack or Pebble. On one paper, he began scribbling out addition for fractions, adding everything up. On another page, he scrawled out subtraction for fractions. On the third page, he began working on multiplication with fractions, now understanding in perfect clarity how to do what needed to be done after reading the instructions in the book. On the fourth page, he worked on division with fractions. 

His work was flawless… he could remember every problem for every quiz after looking at the pages just once. His pencils all moved at once with spooky unity. Mathematical problems began to appear on the four pieces of paper as if by magic. 

Sumac never stopped to consider how taxing it was on his telekinesis to be using four pencils at once, writing on four pieces of paper. Four pencils weren’t even straining his magical abilities. His body shook and trembled as he tore through his school assignments. 



 

“Pebble, darling…” 

“Yes?” 

“I’m gonna go and get Twilight Sparkle… I’ll be right back as soon as I can, okay?” 

Pebble nodded and continued to watch as Sumac kept working. She dared not move. Her chair was suspended high in the air, along with the table and pretty much everything else in the kitchen. She watched as Applejack jumped down and landed with ease upon her hooves. Pebble didn’t like heights, she liked keeping her hooves on the ground. Being this high up unnerved her. She could jump down too, but the thought was terrifying. She liked having her hooves planted on something solid, either the ground or something connected to the ground. She jumped down from high places all the time, but those high places were well anchored to the earth. On those rare occasions were her daddy picked her up with his magic, she almost widdled herself. Thankfully, her daddy was very loving and very understanding of her fear. 

“Applejack…” 

“Yeah, Pebble?” 

“Help me down, please… I’m scared,” Pebble said as an uncharacteristic whine crept into her voice. “I’m so scared that I can’t move. Please get me down. Please get me down.” 

Rearing up on her hind legs, Applejack placed her front hooves against Pebble’s sides, lifted her, and then eased her down to the floor. She had known Pebble for a long, long time. Since birth. And while Pebble was a lot like her mother Maud, she had moments where emotion showed through, like now, when Pebble went shooting off for the bathroom. 

Sumac was still hyper-focused upon his schoolwork. Applejack ducked as a chair floated by her head. She scooted beneath the floating table, which was solid wood and had to weigh at least two hundred pounds. Sumac was floating it like a feather. The ease with which he was holding everything up while he did his schoolwork made Applejack’s nethers clench tight. Sumac was floating himself as he sat in his chair. 

She slipped out the back door and took off at a run to fetch Twilight Sparkle. 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle found a very different scene than the one that Applejack had first described to her. The kitchen was in shambles. Things were broken and smashed. The big table lay on its side. Pebble and Sumac were in the corner, with Pebble holding Sumac up. The colt was drooling and his eyes were vacant. Pencils, papers, and books lay scattered about the floor. 

Twilight moved forwards, her magic righting everything and repairing the various broken objects. Starlight Glimmer moved at her side, and then, with a cry, Trixie shot past, running for Sumac. 

“What happened?” Trixie asked as she came to a skidding halt on the floor and almost crashed into Pebble and Sumac. She sat down and pulled both foals close, then began nosing Sumac, her expression one of terror.

Twilight waited, very curious about all of this. 

“The magic wore off and he went stupid,” Pebble replied, looking up at Trixie. “He’s really, really stupid. I think his IQ slipped below the ambient room temperature.” 

Applejack, who stood in the doorway, didn’t move, but stared as Twilight continued to set the kitchen straight. Her face was pinched with worry and she pushed her hat back on her head. “Twilight, what do you think happened? He went all smart and now look at ‘im.” 

“I don’t know.” Twilight lowered her head down and looked at Sumac. He gazed back up at her with a dopey, affectionate expression, a stupid happy grin upon his face. His chin was shiny with drool. 

“Sumac, can you say something?” Trixie asked. 

A very confused expression crossed over Sumac’s face, like a cloud passing in front of the sun. He squirmed, craning his head around, and looked up at his mother. “Heh… Mom.” His voice sounded… thick. 

Starlight Glimmer let out a startled squeal as Boomer went climbing up her leg, up her neck, and then perched upon her horn. The hatchling let out a worried honk and looked down at Sumac. Starlight, not knowing what to do, stood there, cross eyed, looking up at the tiny dragon clinging to her horn.

“Pebble, you were here to observe… what do you think happened?” Twilight asked. 

The filly did not reply right away. She appeared to be deep in thought and Trixie rubbed her side. Deep furrows appeared in her brows and she pulled Sumac a little closer to her so that she could look into his eyes. 

“If I was to guess, I would say that his stupidity is proportional to the temporary intelligence he gained. The zap apple jam wore off and now, he’s a dim witted dullard.” Pebble blinked and gave Sumac a gentle shake. “His IQ dropped sharply while Applejack was away.” 

“Apple?” Sumac asked in a low, slow sounding voice. 

“He also has a cutie mark now,” Pebble said to Twilight as she turned Sumac in her embrace, revealing his side to Twilight. 

Looking down, Twilight saw a most peculiar cutie mark. There was a zap apple on his hip and it was surrounded by nine little rainbow coloured lightning bolts shooting out in all directions from around it. As she stared at it, the rainbow pattern seemed to shimmer and move. She blinked and the pattern went still. As she studied it, it appeared to start moving again, almost wavering, like heat rising up off of the road, it had a hypnotic effect. She shook her head and turned away. Whatever it was, it had to be an optical illusion. 

“Sumac, kiddo, snap out of it,” Trixie said, whispering into Sumac’s ear. 

“Zapple snapple,” Sumac mumbled in reply. 

“Trixie, I’m positive that this state is temporary and will wear off.” Twilight sat down upon the floor, placed her hoof beneath Sumac’s slobbery chin, lifted his head, and looked into his eyes. The colt was suffering from some kind of magical mental retardation, but he didn’t appear to be hurt. He was smiling and appeared to be happy.

“Pebble soft!” Sumac blurted out, spraying his words upon the face of Twilight. 

Reaching up, Twilight wiped her face and gave Sumac an understanding nod. “Yes, Pebble is very soft and snuggly. Do you like Pebble? Is she your friend?” 

“Pebble… fuzzy!” Sumac’s ears stood up to show his simple-minded enthusiasm. 

Wiping spittle from her face again, Twilight gave Sumac a smile. “Yes she is!” 

“Twilight… do something to help Sumac, please,” Trixie said in a pleading voice as Applejack sat down beside her on the floor. 

“I think this will wear off.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she became thoughtful. “It would be helpful if we understood what was going on. I wish I could have seen Sumac in his state of heightened awareness.” 

“We could give him more jam,” Pebble suggested in a flat voice. “Just a tiny taste. He’ll get smart again, but then he’ll crash. I don’t know if it is a good idea though.” 

“Hmm.” Twilight lifted her gaze and looked into Trixie’s eyes. She saw fear, worry, and concern. As she stared at Trixie, she saw Trixie nod. For a moment, Twilight admired Trixie’s bravery. To understand this, some risk was involved. They were dealing with unknown magic. 

Twilight realised that she was dealing with another unicorn that had unique magic, deviant magic, magic that she did not understand. Tarnish had been the first, she had met others as well, and now, Sumac. Twilight’s lips pressed into a tight, pinched line. She turned her head and looked at Starlight Glimmer, another unicorn with deviant magic that fell far outside of what was known and understood about unicorn thaumaturgy. 

Ears perking, Twilight thought about Sumac’s hypothesis. Unicorn magic seemed to be evolving, changing, and adapting, and in a stroke of serendipitous fortune, Sumac himself turned out to be one of the magical deviations. She needed to see it in action, she needed to know more, she needed to study it. 

When Twilight lifted up the jar of zap apple jam, Boomer let out a fearful honk of warning, then lept from Starlight’s horn down to the floor. She scurried off, her tail flapping around behind her, and disappeared into the living room with a yelp of fright.

“I wonder what’s gotten into her?” Applejack asked. 

Twilight picked up a spoon, then held it and the jar aloft. She dipped it into the jar and scooped out a smidgen of zap apple jam, just a tiny smear on the tip. She held it up to her nose, sniffed it, eyed it, and then, with shocking swiftness, she slipped the spoon into Pebble’s mouth, offering no warning. 

The filly shuddered and shook. Her eyes went wide, she took a deep breath, and then let fly with a horrendous, resonant, gurgling, uvula waggling belch that caused Twilight’s mane to blow back from her face and would have made Spike jealous had he been here to witness it. Ears ringing from the sound, Twilight noted that Pebble seemed fine, if a little gassy. 

She dipped the spoon again and this time, she held it out to Trixie. Hesitant, Trixie took the offered bite of zap apple jam. Not much of consequence happened, other than a few stray sparks shooting from Trixie’s horn. Trixie shrugged and smacked her lips. 

So far, everything seemed fine. The jar of zap apple jam seemed to be perfectly normal, and had no ill effects upon those who consumed it. Twilight had no hesitation at all when she dipped the spoon back into the jar and then took a taste. 

Delicious zap apple jam. It was like drinking a cup of coffee or drinking a sugary soda. Twilight didn’t feel peculiar at all. It was just a little pick-me-up. Twilight dipped the spoon again, held it up, and looked at the rainbow coloured smear on the tip. It was barely even magical. She had trouble understanding how it could have affected Sumac the way it did. 

Shrugging, Twilight slipped the spoon in between Sumac’s lips. There was a terrified muffled honk of alarm from the living room and then the world went weird for Twilight Sparkle… 



 

Twilight Sparkle found herself to be four alicorns strong again. She took a step backwards and her hoof smashed through the kitchen floor. She could feel a growing magical pressure in her horn. She heard cries of alarm coming from all around her. She was powerful, too powerful, and she was dangerous. 

Shrieking in terror, Trixie blew a hole through the ceiling. Her horn glowed with a terrifying intensity. Starlight Glimmer was struggling to hold back her own magical surge and had raised a shield around herself. 

In the living room, Boomer was wailing like an alarm klaxon. 

Twilight could sense the source of the disturbance; it was Sumac. Somehow, Sumac was doing this. He was glowing. His eyes blazed with fierce intelligence. The world around Twilight lurched and it felt as though there was an earthquake. She was four alicorns strong again and memories of her battle with Tirek flashed through her mind. She was having trouble containing her magic. It wanted out. She gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate. She had experience in dealing with this sort of thing. Trixie let out another cry as she let go with another blast that ripped open the ceiling.

She had to get Sumac out of here before the house was wrecked. She needed to get Sumac away from the others. She slipped her magical influence around him and then teleported away, trying to prevent herself from surging. As Twilight slipped into the aether, she felt her control slipping. Touching Sumac with her magic had been a mistake…



 

With a thunderous crash, Twilight appeared in the orchard, holding Sumac overhead. She was more than four alicorns strong—right now, if Tirek was here, she knew that she could give him the beat down he deserved and then some. For Twilight, every step was an earthquake, every breath was a hurricane waiting to happen, and she didn’t even want to know what might take place if she flapped her wings. 

Gritting her teeth, Twilight could not hold back. Some of her magic slipped out. A burst of chaotic energy tore free and struck a group of apple trees. Right away, the trees began growing, changing, warping, becoming something else. The apples became oversized. The wood gnarled. The trees became giants. New fruits sprouted, cherries, plums, oranges, pears, and avocados were all visible on the branches. The ground shuddered as the trees continued their explosive growth. 

So much power… Twilight almost felt drunk with it. Her brain buzzed like a beehive. She felt smarter, more confident, her mind raced to understand her power, her new abilities. Her new intelligence offered her insight into everything taking place even as her magic threatened to destroy the very fabric of reality all around her. 

Twilight Sparkle had tasted the sweet nectar of godhood and found it to her liking. 

Then, much to her surprise, her power was gone. Her knees wobbled and she struggled to stand. She felt a little weak, a bit unsteady, and a whole lot hungry. She didn’t feel particularly stupid or anything, but she noticed that her thoughts lacked the clarity and seeming intelligence she had just experienced. She looked at Sumac. 

He was sitting in the grass, looking stupid happy once again, a dull expression upon his face. Twilight, in shock, tried to take stock of everything that had just happened, and couldn’t. She sat down in the grass and shook her head, which caused her ears to flop around. The unbelievable power she had just felt was now gone and a part of her wanted it back. 

Sumac took off after a butterfly, laughing like a simpleminded loon. 

Twilight sucked in wind and tried to process everything that had just taken place. Sumac was some kind of supercharger—some kind of magical amplifier fueled by zap apple jam. Twilight looked at the trees around her and watched as an avocado plopped down to the ground. She tried not to think about what Discord might be like if exposed to Sumac during a supercharged state. 

Life became complicated as Twilight gathered her thoughts. Sumac was powerful and dangerous. She watched as he pronked in the grass, laughing with simpleminded glee. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that what Sumac could bring out of others was powerful and dangerous. Testing needed to be done. This was something that needed to be understood. Twilight was going to have to find a way to understand this, to measure it, a means to make sense of everything. 

She had no idea what she was dealing with. As Sumac continued to pronk, Twilight Sparkle felt a headache coming on. 
	
	
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As nice as it was to be held by Trixie, for reasons he could not explain, Sumac wanted to be with Big Mac. The big red stallion was sitting in the grass, staring at the new additions to the orchard, his green eyes wide. Sumac was still having a little trouble thinking, but for the most part, he had recovered his mind. He slipped free of Trixie’s grip and gamboled over to Big Mac on wobbling legs. He crashed into Big Mac’s forelegs and then locked on to the left one with a death grip. 

Big Mac, of course, said nothing as Sumac clung to him. Sumac, feeling bad for what he had done, gave Trixie an apologetic glance. He saw the blue mare that was now his adoptive mother get up, stretch her creaky knees, and come over to where Big Mac was sitting, then sit down. He was glad that she wasn’t angry and he didn’t know why he wanted to be with Big Mac at the moment. He just felt very confused, scared, and out of sorts. 

For whatever reason, Big Mac made it a little easier to deal with. 

“Twilight and Starlight done got the house fixed,” Applejack said as she came over and stood beside her brother. “I’m gonna go and get Hidden Rose and Ambrosia from school. Big Mac, you just keep lookin’ after Li’l Mac, he looks spooked.” 

Sumac’s ears stood up. Li’l Mac? He blinked as he registered the name. Big Mac was McIntosh and Sumac wasn’t a type of apple. His mind felt sludgy as he tried to process the words in his mind, trying to make sense of the connection. Perhaps he wasn’t as recovered as he thought.

“He looks confused, best to keep an eye on him,” Applejack said as she took off at a trot. “I have to go and fetch my fillies from the schoolhouse. I’ll be back. Maybe. The gals’ll probably talk my ears off about the first day of school.” 

“I’m sorry about the orchard.” Sumac redoubled his grip on Big Mac’s leg. 

“You didn’t do it.” Trixie reached out and rubbed Sumac’s back. 

“But Twilight did it and it was because of me.” Sumac closed his eyes and rested his head against Big Mac’s leg. Sumac could remember the incident quite well, both of them. He had gone through much of his math textbook in a frenzy, writing out whole pages of mathematical equations. He couldn’t remember how to do them now though. Then came the crash and his mind fell down. Then along came Twilight. 

“I like cherries,” Big Mac said in a low, almost embarrassed voice. “Nice in fruit salad.” 

The three ponies all turned their heads as Pebble approached, walking with Boomer sitting on her back, clinging to Pebble’s dress. Boomer appeared to be frightened. When Pebble was close, Boomer lept from Pebble’s back to Trixie’s neck, clinging to her mane, and then scrambled up to Trixie’s horn. She stared down at Sumac with what could only be described as a look of disapproval. 

“Everything is back in order,” Pebble said as she sat down in the grass. “I think Twilight is scared though. She wouldn’t admit to it when I asked her. She told me to go outside so she and Starlight could talk about grownup stuff. I think Twilight needs a hug.” 

Hearing this, Sumac let out a whimper. He didn’t feel good about this at all. He couldn’t even begin to understand everything that was going on, but he knew that it was life changing. He had an apple cutie mark, but at the moment, he wasn’t so sure that he wanted it. Perhaps Starlight could remove it. He didn’t dare say that outloud though. He had only heard a few stories, eavesdropping on conversations, and he knew that he would get in big, big trouble if he revealed that he had been eavesdropping. 

The sort of trouble that might get a brush across his backside, and not in a nice, combing sort of way. Trixie had never actually spanked him, she had never needed to do so, but Sumac was worried that if he ever crossed the line, she might. So he kept an eye on that line and made certain to never cross it. 



 

Feeling a little mopey, Sumac listened as Trixie, Lemon Hearts, Twilight Sparkle, and Starlight Glimmer talked downstairs. Now at home and sitting in the room that he and Trixie shared, Sumac was torn between a need to listen and the knowledge that he was once again, eavesdropping. 

He felt a tug on his ear and looked up. At least Boomer had decided to trust him again. He saw her yellow eyes blink and she let out a trilling sound. There was another impatient tug upon his ear. Sumac wondered when Twilight would return the piece of eggshell that had been kept. 

“Do you want some food?” Sumac asked. “I have a gemstone for you.” 

Boomer made no reply, but waited. Sumac crossed the room, went to a wooden trunk, opened it, climbed over the edge, almost fell inside, and retrieved his box of valuables. The lid creaked as it opened. Inside was a collection of things that Sumac treasured, including a green gemstone. He lifted it in his telekinesis, his horn sparking, and held it up for Boomer, who took it with a happy whine. 

Something about her reminded Sumac of a squirrel as she took the green gem and held it in her front claws. Perched on his horn, she began nipping off pieces of the narrow gem, and Sumac wondered how she was able to bite through something so hard. Boomer was a greedy gobbler and appeared to have been starving. 

“I wonder what they’re going to do to with me,” Sumac said as he sat down upon the wooden floor. “Boomer, I’m scared.” 

The dragon hatchling paused mid-bite, twisted her head around, and looked Sumac in the eye. He looked at her upside down face and watched as she blinked. He saw… something in her eyes. Understanding perhaps? There was some feeling, some emotion. The hatchling let out a smokey belch and then resumed eating, making quick nips on the gem and then crunching the delicious treat. 

“Twilight thinks I’m dangerous and Starlight thinks that other ponies might try to foalnap me. What do I do, Boomer?” Sumac watched Boomer as she kept eating, knowing that he would not get a response from her, but still hoping for one anyway. He couldn’t wait for her to start talking. “I bet the foalnappers would be somepony like my father. He’s bad. I don’t want to be a bad pony and I don’t want to be dangerous.” 

Sumac closed the wooden trunk and then began pacing. “They’re all down there talking about me and they expect me not to listen somehow. They’re just down there talking about this and I’m all alone up here.” 

“I know, and that’s wrong.” 

Sumac froze. He hadn’t heard anypony on the stairs. He felt cold prickles on his neck as he turned his head to look at Starlight Glimmer. She stood in the doorway to the stairs, and something about her looked worried. 

“I thought maybe you could use a friend,” Starlight said as she took a single step forward. “You have an amazing talent that benefits others. Something unique and special. And everypony is arguing over what to do with you. Somepony should have been thinking about your feelings in all of this. I’m sorry.” Starlight sat down on the floor and tapped the wooden planks beside her, inviting Sumac to come over. 

Hesitant, Sumac studied Starlight, not quite sure of what to make of her. She had been bad once, real bad, just about as bad as a pony could be. What if she decided to be bad again? What if she foalnapped him and decided to do awful things? He had no way of stopping her. He swallowed and felt his insides clench up. The only option he had was to trust her and trust in Twilight. 

He went over, crossing the room, never taking his eyes off of Starlight, and sat down about a yard away in front of her. Her eyes seemed… sad somehow. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. 

“I had a friend that showed amazing magical talent… and he was taken away.” Starlight let out a sigh and shook her head. “I used that as an excuse for what I did, a cheap justification… look, what I’m trying to say is, I’m sympathetic to what you’re going through. You’re probably scared to death that you’re going to be taken away from Trixie.” 

Sumac nodded. 

“Fear is a dangerous thing, Sumac. Fear clouds your mind and poisons your thoughts and as a pony that lived in fear, I gotta say, right now, I am worried about you. I know what fear can motivate a pony to do. Fear does something to our minds… it makes us do awful things and we justify it any way we can because fear is so difficult to deal with.” 

Eyes narrowing, Sumac gave thought to Starlight’s words, and then gave voice to his thoughts. “Are you worried that if I’m scared, I’ll go down a dark path?” 

“Yes.” Starlight nodded. “I know what it did to me. Fear is an awful, awful thing, Sumac, and once you give into it, once you become desperate, you will find yourself doing things that normally, you would never do.” Starlight slumped and her ears drooped. “You’ll do things that you’ll regret later, should you get a second chance to regret them.” 

“What’s going to happen to me?” Sumac asked. 

“Twilight wants to send you to Canterlot. She thinks you’ll be safer there. The Royal Pony Sisters protect the city, and there is the guard to protect you as well. You’ll be a valuable asset to the princesses.” Starlight sighed, blinked, and then her eyes became sorrowful. 

Sumac saw her take a deep breath and her brows furrowed. 

“I worry about who is going to protect us from you, if we do this.” 

The words hit Sumac like a slap. He blinked, trying to take them in, trying to understand them. His mouth fell open and he shook his head. He felt a painful jerk inside of his barrel and his heart started to race. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. 

“Sumac, you have one really good friend and that’s Pebble. Here, you’ll have a somewhat normal life, with somewhat normal ponies, living in a somewhat normal town. Even if things become complicated trying to protect you. I’m worried that if you are shipped off to Canterlot, you’ll become afraid. Bitter. Alone. I’m worried that you’ll feel cheated because of everything being taken away from you.” Starlight sucked in a wheezing breath and her ears stood up straight. “Sumac, these are the things that make good ponies go bad in the worst way. I know this from experience. I’m scared, Sumac, because I don’t want you to slip into the darkness like I did. When you get afraid, when you feel angry, when you feel cheated, it becomes so easy to do bad things. You take little steps into darkness and with each step, it becomes easier and easier. Before long, you’ll find that you are capable of anything, and not in a good way.” 

Opening his eyes, Sumac’s vision was a little blurry with tears, and as his vision cleared, he realised that he and Starlight weren’t alone. Twilight was standing behind Starlight on the stairs. He gulped, feeling fearful, as he was unable to read Twilight’s expression. 

“I suppose sending him to Canterlot is no longer an option,” Twilight said in a low voice as she made her presence known. Her hooves made no sound as she climbed the last few steps, made her way into the room, and sat down beside Starlight. 

Sumac could see that Starlight was crying and she turned her face away from Twilight, trying to hide herself from Twilight’s eyes. He knew that something was going on, but he didn’t understand it, it was beyond him. He heard the sounds of Boomer crunching on her gemstone and he watched as Twilight tried to comfort Starlight. 

“I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, I should have asked my pupil about her opinion on this. It sounds like she has a lot to say.” Twilight reached over and gave Starlight a nudge. 

Sniffling, Starlight wiped her nose with her foreleg, but did not turn to look at Twilight. Sumac, not knowing what to do, what to say, or how to react, continued to sit there with a bewildered and sad look upon his face. He was trapped in a very adult situation with no means of escape. He didn’t understand how pride could affect adults. The two mares were blocking the stairs, wholly and completely. 

“Trixie is downstairs with Lemon Hearts, fixing a late supper,” Twilight said to Sumac. “Sumac, I’d like to hear what you have to say about all of this. I bet Starlight has given you a lot to think about and I’m hoping that you listened to her. Starlight has a lot to say and she has a lot of understanding and insight about why we do what we do. Do you have anything you’d like to say, Sumac?” 

Stumped, Sumac shook his head, not knowing how to even begin replying to Twilight. 
	
	
> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You know, Sumac, you don’t have to go today. Twilight already said that if you feel unsettled, you can just stay at home today. Really, it’s okay. You had a pretty momentous day yesterday.”

“You said that before we left the house,” Sumac said to Trixie as they both stood on the stairs to Twilight’s castle. “I’m fine, really. I don’t feel stupid anymore. And I want to be in class. I want to feel normal again.” 

“Such a brave little colt,” Trixie replied. 

“No I’m not.” Sumac’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid to be by myself. I’ll start thinking and won’t be able to stop and then I’ll be upset and scared and I just want to be with Pebble for some reason and I—” Sumac was silenced with a light tap on his nose from Trixie’s hoof. He looked up at her and saw a faint smile upon her muzzle. 

“Have a good day in school. I need to get going. There is a big important meeting that I have to be there for. School starts in a half an hour. Are you going to be okay?” Trixie pulled her hoof away and her ears perked forwards over her eyes in concern. 

“It’s about me, isn’t it?” Sumac asked. 

Trixie looked around, to the left and to the right, then when she looked back at Sumac, she nodded. “Yes, yes it is. And other things. Twilight works very hard to keep Ponyville safe, secure, and happy. Trixie is now one of the ponies that helps to make everything happen… and Trixie needs to go and do her job.” 

“I understand.” Sumac sat down upon the steps leading up to the massive double doors. “I’ll just sit here and wait for Pebble, I guess. Go on, don’t be late.” 

Pausing for a moment, Trixie lowered her head, kissed Sumac on the cheek, paused again, and planted a quick kiss on Boomer, who was sound asleep. Then, Trixie was gone, making her way up the stairs with an unusual spryness. 

Sitting on the stairs, Sumac watched as ponies went by. The mornings were a busy time, many ponies were on their way to the market for both buying and selling. Pegasi flew overhead, shouting orders to one another. There was a mid-morning thunderstorm scheduled to provide rain and clean the air. 

Sumac was just smart enough to understand that he was in a pickle. A real dilemma. He was in an honest to goodness mess. A zap apple jam mess. He had wanted a cutie mark for magic and he had wanted a cutie mark that marked him as an Apple. He had exactly what he had wanted and now, he found that he wasn’t so happy about it. Trixie had once warned him about getting what he wanted, life had a funny way of making you regret it. She had wanted power beyond measure and had ended up with the alicorn amulet. Things had not gone well. 

There were a million questions to be asked, such as, where did his magic come from? Sumac knew that magic came from ley lines and magic, according to his own hypothesis, appeared to be a finite resource. There was only so much available ambient magic around him and others at any given time, and the extra magic had to come from somewhere. Extra magic didn’t just appear. The colt struggled with thoughts just outside the borders of his comprehension. 

A squawk disrupted Sumac’s thoughts. He blinked and peered around through his darkened lenses. Silver Lining was being dragged to school by Gloomy. The good natured pegasus was smiling a patient, maternal smile as she dragged the cub along, the smile of mothers everywhere who had their patience tested on an hourly basis. 

“Look, Silver Lining, you have a friend… Sumac can look after you… baby, I have to go to work, there’s a thunderstorm that I’m responsible for creating,” Gloomy said to Silver Lining. “He’ll keep you safe.” 

“He will?” Silver Lining’s voice was a little screechy and full of fear. 

Sumac blinked. He would? He didn’t recall being asked or agreeing to such a thing. 

“Yes he will,” Gloomy said, “I’m sure he won’t mind.” 

Before Sumac had a chance to say anything or even react, there was a blur of motion and then he found that he was being crushed by something fuzzy and feathery. He squirmed, trying to wiggle free, but Silver Lining had already latched onto him with a fearful death grip, the same fearful death grip that she clung to her mother with. It was like somepony had crossed a cat and a chicken and then made it very, very affectionate. 

“Thanks, Sumac… you’re a lifesaver!” Gloomy reached up and rubbed an ear with her foreleg, then waved with her right wing. “She’s very affectionate.” 

“Gaaah! Girls are gross!” Sumac wiggled and tried to get free, but Silver Lining was far stronger than she looked. He could feel her rubbing herself up against him. Also, the griffoness cub was purring, which for some reason, really weirded Sumac out. 

“You smell good,” Silver Lining said as Gloomy spread her wings and flew away. “Like flowers. Bugs like flowers and I eat bugs and so I like flowers.” 

“You and Boomer have something in common,” Sumac said as he struggled to get free from Silver Lining. A quiet voice in the back of his mind told him that he was being illogical and silly. Boomer was a girl and hung out on his horn without issue. Sumac didn’t much care for the logical part of his mind and reminded the voice in the back of his head that Boomer also pooped firecrackers and was awesome. 

Stymied by Sumac’s perfect mental repartee, the voice agreed and fell silent. 

“You know, you seemed fine out at Fluttershy’s place,” Sumac said to his inseparable companion as he tried to get free.

“That’s a safe place,” Silver Lining replied as she redoubled her grip and held on. “Mama found out I have something called separation anxiety and I need safe places.” 

“I’m not a safe pony.” Sumac gave up and went still. When he did so, he found that Silver Lining’s grip eased up a bit. “I just got my cutie mark and I can’t talk about it, but my life just got dangerous.” 

“Then we must stick together!” Silver Lining’s voice sounded a little frantic. “We’re safer together than apart. I have claws but I’m not s'posed to use them. Mommy said I’m not supposed to listen to Wormy when he talks about how good it is to have sharp claws.” 

“Wormy?” Sumac twisted his head around to look Silver Lining in the eye. 

“Wormy is Mama’s special somepony,” Silver Lining replied. “He’s safe and he’s kind and he bought me a scratching post covered in rope just to be nice.” 

Trying to relax, Sumac went as still as possible with the hopes that Silver Lining might relax a little more. He suspected that if he stopped trying to pry her off, she might relax enough to let go and be happy just sitting close to him. But he didn’t know how she was going to act in the classroom. Somehow, the classroom was going to have to become a safe place. 

“The two of you are adorable,” a flat, monotonous voice said. 

Turning his head, his ears on fire, a rosy blush forming on his cheeks, Sumac looked in the direction from which the voice had come. He saw Pebble and she was wearing a pale green dress that contrasted well with her chocolate brown pelt. The quiet voice in the back of his mind suggested that Pebble was pretty, a suggestion that Sumac ignored. He decided that he was no longer speaking to himself any longer, as the quiet voice had nothing good to say. His mouth went dry and he swallowed. He said the only thing he could think of to explain this to Pebble, without even understanding why he felt the need to explain. 

“Silver Lining needed a safe place.” 

“So, Silver Lining, how do you do that chicken disguise?” Pebble asked. 

“I dunno.” Silver Lining shrugged using her wings. 

Sumac spotted something big, mean, and green moving through the crowd of ponies. The nervous colt licked his lips and then said to his companions, “Hey, let’s go inside… Olive is coming.” 





Sumac watched as Tinder tossed down his pencil in frustration and felt like doing the same. Pebble made no response, made no show of anger, she was the same as she always was. Pebble was very much like, well, a pebble. She was just there and she didn’t cause much of a disturbance. Beside him, Cinnamon Fire stared down at his paper with a dull, blank expression and on his other side, Silver Lining clung to his leg with her talons. 

“Fractions are hard,” Tinder said in a voice that sounded quite grumpy. He blew his dark brown mane out of his eyes and rolled his pencil back and forth using his magic. 

“Everypony else gets them but us,” Cinnamon mumbled. “My brain hurts.” 

“I hate my brother so much right now,” Tinder said. “Flint can go suck eggs. I’m a unicorn, I’m supposed to be smart. He’s a pegasus and he’s supposed to be an airhead.” 

“Tinder, that’s not nice at all.” Pebble’s dry monotone was soft, gentle even, but Tinder’s ears drooped from her rebuke. Pebble had slipped into the role of a teacher a little too well. “Earth ponies are supposed to be numbskulls. Do you have any idea how smart my mother is?” 

Ears down, eyes wide and sad, Tinder looked quite ashamed of himself. The unicorn colt let out a sigh and rested his front hooves upon the edge of the round table. He pulled his pencil close, lifted it, and went back to doing his schoolwork. 

“You know, Pebble, you can be a little snobby sometimes, you could pass as a unicorn.” As Sumac spoke, he turned to look at Pebble and when he did, he didn’t like what he saw. Her face held no expression, but there was something about her eyes that unnerved him. With a jerk of his head, he looked away and then he too, went back to doing his schoolwork. 

Leaning over, Silver Lining whispered into Sumac’s ear without moving her beak, “Sumac, don’t be a dumdum. That’s not how you talk to your special somepony.” 

Sumac sucked in wind to fill his lungs with so much force that there was a wheezing whistle. He opened his mouth to say something, oh yes, he was going to say something, he was going to let it all out, he was going to set the record straight, and he was going to explain to Silver Lining just how wrong she was. He leveled his stern gaze upon his companion, ready to let her have it and— 

“That’s enough talking over there,” Lemon Hearts said in a firm voice. “If there is to be any talking, it had better be about fractions.” 

Frustrated beyond belief, Sumac choked down his words and pressed his lips together into a tight, pinched line. He didn’t dare glance over at Pebble, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Worst of all, Silver Lining was still clinging to him. He wanted to jerk his leg away from her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, as that would be mean. And if Sumac was going to be mean to somepony, it was going to be Olive, because she deserved it. 

Unable to do anything, Sumac sat and stewed in his own angry frustrations. 



 

Nervous, frogs sweating, Sumac stepped out into the hallway and looked up at Starlight Glimmer. He saw her smile, but it was a nervous smile. Something about it unsettled him. When she started to walk, he followed. 

The pair walked in silence together, with Sumac wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say. He had so many questions, or he thought he did, he had them earlier, but his brain wasn’t cooperating right now, as he couldn’t remember a single one. Perhaps cutting off the quiet voice in the back of his mind was a bad idea. 

After a long walk and a few turns, Starlight stopped at a door and pushed it open. Sumac peered around the edge of the doorway and saw Twilight. She was wearing her reading glasses and was surrounded by papers, books, and scroll tubes. Spike was busy writing something. 

When Starlight nudged him through the door, Sumac let out a startled cry, which made Twilight look up from her work. Spike stopped his writing and set down his quill in the ink pot sitting beside his paper. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” Sumac asked. 

“Nothing,” Twilight replied. 

“Nothing?” Sumac tilted his head off to one side and stared at the alicorn headmistress in wide eyed befuddlement. 

“Starlight and I had a long, long talk about this.” Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Starlight for a moment, then back to Sumac. “After much discussion, she reminded me how friendships can change the fate of a nation, and even the world.” 

“I don’t understand.” Sumac stood there, confused, and he felt Starlight drape a foreleg over his withers. “So I am being kept here in Ponyville because of Pebble?” 

“Sumac… Starlight tried to alter the future by changing the past. She tried to prevent my own friendships from happening. She reminded me of that last night. We also discussed how she felt losing her only friend. After giving it a lot of thought and careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that my apprentice, Starlight, was right about one thing.” 

“And that is?” Sumac asked, wondering what Twilight might say. 

“Friendships happen for a reason.” Twilight pulled off her glasses and set them down in front of her on top of a book. “If they are disrupted, bad things can happen. But if they are nurtured, cultivated, made to grow, those friendships can affect and influence so many lives in so many ways that we cannot even begin to comprehend all of the ripples that travel outwards.” 

“Ripples?” Not understanding, Sumac’s ears splayed out sideways on his head. 

“It’s a metaphor, sorry.” Twilight gave Sumac an apologetic glance. “If you drop a rock into a pond, it causes ripples. Drop more rocks, and you get more ripples. Everything overlaps and effects can be felt across the whole pond. Everything is connected and everything affects everything else. ” 

Nodding, Sumac sort of understood. He was fond of skipping stones over the water. Trixie had spent a lot of time teaching him how to do it, with both magic and holding the rock in his fetlock. 

“Together, Starlight and I decided that it would be worth the risks. You need your friends and your friends need you.” Twilight lifted her glasses back up and slipped them over her nose. “Now go eat lunch. The cafeteria is serving creamed corn and baked cheese sandwiches today. Try not to worry about things.” 

Sumac nodded and began to back out of the door, slipping out from beneath Starlight’s leg, but was stopped by Starlight Glimmer. He looked up at her and she down at him, and Sumac saw her barrel expand as she took a deep breath. 

“Before you go, I have a special assignment for you,” Starlight said. 

“What?” Sumac asked, feeling a bit put out by the idea of all of this ending with a special assignment. 

“I want an essay on what Pebble means to you as friend,” Starlight replied. 

He felt his legs go stiff and a sudden muscle cramp at the base of his skull made his neck ache. “Do I have to?” 

“Yes, yes you do.” Starlight smiled and booped Sumac on the nose. “Now, go have lunch. That essay had better be five hundred words or more.” 

“But I—” 

“No arguing.” Starlight gave Sumac a gentle nudge. 

“But you—” 

“That sounds like an argument.” Starlight’s brows furrowed as Twilight chuckled. 

“But that’s not—”

“Fair?” Starlight asked, cutting Sumac off and putting an end to his whining. 

“Yeah!” Sumac blurted out in reply. 

“I’ll take another five hundred word essay on all the ways your life isn’t fair, Sumac Apple.” Starlight’s smile vanished. “When life isn’t fair, it should be documented and registered with the proper authorities. We don’t want rampant unfairness destroying some colt’s life, that would be terrible.” 

Realising that he was fighting a losing battle, Sumac retreated before he spent the rest of his life writing essays for Starlight Glimmer. He scowled as he backed away and glared at Starlight. There was a ghost of a smile on her muzzle. Life just wasn’t fair, not at all. 
	
	
> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac had no idea what to do with his afternoon, but he knew he had to find something before somepony made the decision for him. He was free to do almost anything, but there was so much to that it was overwhelming. There were trades to learn, crafts, practical skills, help with homework, and so much of it was appealing. 

He glanced over at Pebble, who had Silver Lining clinging to her. The cub was calming down a bit, but still held on to Pebble with a stubborn, tenacious grip. He blinked. So many rooms, so many promising activities, so many interesting things. Just so long as he didn’t run into Olive. 

He realised, with some sadness, that Pebble and Silver Lining were leaving him. He watched as Pebble headed off to the area for homework help, dragging Silver Lining behind her, no doubt to help others with their homework. Reaching up and rubbing his ear, Sumac realised that Pebble would make for a good, or even great teacher someday. How Twilight had known about Pebble’s talent was a mystery to Sumac. 

“Overwhelmed?” 

Ears drooping, Sumac turned his head and gave the pony addressing him a guilty glance. He didn’t know this pony. She had thick, heavy looking glasses and she had… well, she had eyebrows. But not just any eyebrows, she had an eyebrow. Sumac nodded. 

“You’ve never been part of a traditional academic setting. Trixie taught you as you went from place to place. You picked up folklore, local histories, and had a tour of some of Equestria’s most interesting and remote libraries. You’ve been to both coasts, to the north and to the south, and you’ve picked up the sort of education that more ponies should have.” 

Tilting his head, Sumac looked up at the teacher speaking to him. He didn’t know her, but she seemed to know him. She was wearing a frumpy looking sweater that was covered in chalk dust and lint. She seemed kind, but also a little distracted. 

“Confirmed genius, with both a naturalistic and existential intelligence.” 

“I don’t understand what that means,” Sumac said to the strange pony. 

“There are arguably nine types of intelligence, at least that is the accepted number, with naturalistic and existential being two accepted types. Others include spatial, interpersonal, kinesthetic, intra-personal, logical-mathematical, linguistic, and musical.” 

“You never told me your name,” Sumac said, trying to be as respectful as possible as he did so. “I don’t understand what naturalistic or existential intelligence means.” 

“Naturalistic intelligence is an understanding of nature, such as plants, animals and a sensitivity to the world around you. Being in tune to the weather, the conditions, and the terrain around you. It makes you a seasoned traveller.” There was a pause, a sniffle, and then, “Also, my name is Moondancer. Yours is Sumac Apple.” 

“And exist—existent—” 

“Existential?” Moondancer said to Sumac. 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s deep thinking. It is the ability for critical reasoning as well as dealing with abstracts. The really brainy stuff that stumps most ponies. Why are we here, what is our purpose, if I do this, what will happen, what is the point of life, all those questions that have plagued us since the beginning.” Moondancer sat down, reached out with her foreleg, and pulled Sumac closer. She draped her foreleg over his withers, took a deep breath, and smiled. 

Sumac could smell coffee, chalk dust, and the scent of old wool. He felt like sneezing. “What is critical reasoning?” 

“Critical reasoning is the intellectual discipline of picking apart concepts, applying what you know, analysing what is present, synthesising what is available, evaluating your observations, and then relying upon your experiences, reflections, your reasoning, and then trying to make sense of everything as a whole once you reconstruct it.” 

“Okay.” Sumac blinked. He understood nothing of what had been said. He felt a little sheepish—for somepony who was supposed to be smart, he didn’t have a clue about anything that Moondancer had just said. He did know that he liked to go off somewhere quiet and have a good think, except when he was upset, and then his brain would turn against him and he couldn’t stop thinking, even when he wanted to. Getting hit in the head with a shovel would probably make more sense than everything that Moondancer had just said. 

“You have above average magical abilities as well,” Moondancer continued, “and with your intelligence, while you might not be the most powerful wizard, there is no doubt that you’ll probably have an understanding of magic one day that most ponies would die for.” 

“Because of how I brain is how I made my hypothesis?” Sumac asked. 

Moondancer giggle-snorted, her whole body shook with laughter. “Yeah kid, you have a special type of braining that is going to give you understanding into things… amazing understandings.” Moondancer paused to compose herself, snorted a few more times, and gave Sumac a squeeze. “Sometimes, Sumac, it is more important to understand how and why magic works, or how a spell operates, than being able to cast the spell. Being able to use magic and being able to understand magic is two very different things.” 

Yawning, Boomer woke up, blinked a few times, and then looked up at Moondancer. She tilted her head to one side, then the other, belched out some smoke, curled up around Sumac’s horn, and went back to sleep. 

“Can I make a recommendation?” Moondancer asked. 

“Sure,” Sumac said. 

“Take some archery courses,” Moondancer said. 

“Why would I want to do that?” Sumac asked. He shook his head. “Archery and sports is super boring. I’d rather be reading. I like reading.” 

“Ah, I can see why you might think that, but you would be wrong.” Moondancer gave Sumac another affectionate squeeze. “Archery will give you understanding. You’ll be able to study cause and effect. With your naturalistic intelligence, you’ll observe things like the wind and the effect it will have upon your arrows. You’ll gain understanding into movement, why things happen the way they do. You’ll gain an appreciation for motion, for subtlety. How tiny motions with your magic can drastically alter how an arrow flies. You’ll be able to observe how and why an arrow does what it does, and make minute changes with each pull of the bow. Learning archery will flex your brain muscles and teach you magical discipline.” 

“Really?” Sumac looked up at Moondancer with wide eyes, and looked a bit like an owl with his round glasses. “Why not just learn magic?” 

“Because any unicorn can cast the basic spells, but very few unicorns have an understanding of them, how they work, why they do what they do, and how to utilise them in new and creative ways,” Moondancer replied. 

“So learning archery will really teach me more about magic?” Sumac blinked, trying to understand what was being said. 

“More than that,” Moondancer replied, “learning archery will teach you how to use your mind and your specific types of intelligence. Trust me, once you start doing it, a whole bunch of stuff will become clear.” 

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” Sumac felt Moondancer’s foreleg slip over his withers and she stood up. He looked up at her, watching, studying her face, and he saw her smile down at him. He decided that he liked Moondancer, frumpy sweaters and all. 

“Come on, let’s go. Let’s get you signed up for afternoon archery courses, Sumac Apple.” 



 

The afternoon sun was bright and the grass was still a bit squishy from the thunderstorm earlier. In the field behind Twilight’s castle, an archer’s green had been set up. Bales of hay had bullseyes on them. There were a few students out here, but not many. Most of the foals attending Twilight’s school were a bit like Sumac, thinking archery and sports were boring. 

“My name is Mister Tweed and I will be your instructor,” a kind looking unicorn stallion said to Sumac. He turned sideways and pointed to his cutie mark, which was a drawn bow with a glowing arrow. “As you can see, I have the proper qualifications. I’ve trained champions for the Equestria Games!” 

As Sumac stood staring, Moondancer departed, leaving him alone, and she went off to look after other students who had not yet found their way. 

“We were just discussing some basic safety,” Mister Tweed said to Sumac. “Now, sit down and pay attention, we don’t want anypony getting shot by a stray arrow.” Mister Tweed smiled and gestured at the bows. “How many of you have ever used one of these before?” 



 

Sumac lost track of time and was unaware that most of the afternoon had passed, or that it was almost time to go home. He hadn’t hit anything yet, all of his arrows had gone astray, none of them even reached the hay bale yet, but he kept trying. He was enjoying himself a great deal, and his intense focus on his task allowed him to clear his mind. Intense concentration gave him focus. 

“Find the center,” Mister Tweed said to his students. “If your telekinetic grasp is even an inch too high or an inch too low, the bow will not fire properly. So find your center. Balance the bow. Learn to hold it steady. Learn to keep a firm grasp on the bow as you draw back the bow string so the bow doesn’t wobble. If the bow wobbles, even just a little, your arrow will not fly true.” 

Taking his teacher’s advice, Sumac closed his eyes and held his bow in the middle. Instead of having it straight up and down, he turned it sideways and held it. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his bow was leaning over to the left. He adjusted his magical grip and then the bow leaned over to the right. He kept moving the telekinetic bubble that he held the bow with until the bow leveled out, balanced on a telekinetic bubble the size of an apple. 

He had found the center and had done it on his own. He had figured it out. He kept the bow sideways, lifted an arrow, nocked it, and drew back the bow string. The bow wobbled a bit and Sumac stuck his tongue out as he concentrated, trying to steady it. When the bow was still, he sighted it, and then let go, hoping for the best. 

He hit the hay bale in the top right corner. He bounced in place, a celebratory pronk, he was happy, ecstatic, it was the first time an arrow had flown far enough to even reach the hay bales. So now, he had distance, he just needed to work on his aim. 

“Very good, Mister Apple,” Mister Tweed said. 

Holding his bow before him, Sumac took a moment to think about everything he had learned up to this point. He found the bow’s center, he focused upon the balance, and when he nocked an arrow, he fought to keep everything steady as he drew it back. His telekinesis needed more practice, he realised. The fault wasn’t in the bow or the arrow, but in himself. He held the bow up before his eyes, at eye level, straining to level it out, and he tugged back on the bow string even harder. There was a tremble in the bow and Sumac held his breath as he struggled to make his telekinesis compensate. 

He let fly and the arrow went streaking for the target. For a moment, he was certain that he was going to hit the hay bale again, but he was wrong. The arrow soared over the hay bales and kept going. Sumac heard a whistle from behind him. 

“Impressive distance,” Mister Tweed said to Sumac. “Most impressive. Your aim however, is lacking, Mister Apple.” The teacher let out a good natured chuckle. 

Sumac had angled the bow up too high. He knew that after he spent a moment analysing what had gone wrong. He had it at the same angle he had before with his previous arrow, and it had arced through the air and hit the hay bale, but this arrow had more force behind it because he had pulled back on the string a bit more. He thought about what Moondancer had said about cause and effect. 

“Time to wrap everything up,” Mister Tweed announced. “We meet three times a week. I will make archers out of you if it kills me or leaves me looking like a porcupine, I swear it. I see some real potential here with you lot. Nice work.” 

Beaming, unable to contain his happiness, Sumac Apple knew he had found a subject meant just for him. He flexed his bow a bit, watched as the other students fired off their arrows, and made a mental note to go and thank Moondancer. How she had known about him liking archery, he had no idea, but he was thankful that she had made him try it. Afternoon archery was going to be the best class ever. 
	
> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Distracted, Sumac Apple thought of nothing but archery as he walked Pebble back home to Sugarcube Corner. He thought of all of the ways he could improve his shots. He had balanced the bow, finding the very center, but he had not done the same with the string, to find out if he was drawing from the dead middle. His brain was on fire with a new obsession and he tried to think of creative solutions and new ways to use his magic to aid him in his new quest to make a perfect shot. 

“I think I have another friend,” Pebble said in a low voice to Sumac after poking him to get his attention. She came to a stop and waited for Sumac to respond. 

“Oh?” Sumac also came to a stop and tried to shove his growing mania about archery into the very back of his mind. Pebble deserved his attention and Sumac knew from experience that nothing felt quite as bad as needing to talk to somepony and not having their attention. 

“Silver Lining and I get along well. She’s a little clingy, but I don’t think she can help it.” 

“Yeah.” Sumac nodded to show that he was, in fact, paying attention. 

“Sumac?” 

“What?” 

“I think I like being a tutor. I had a very fulfilling day today and I learned a lot.” 

“That’s great, Pebble.” 

“But I need your help,” Pebble said as her gaze dropped down and she stared at her front hooves. “I’m stuck and I don’t know what to do.” 

“What’s wrong, Pebble?” Sumac sat down at the edge of the road where he and Pebble had been walking. 

“How do I not be snobby?” Pebble asked, just blurting out exactly what was wrong and holding nothing back. “I haven’t had a lot of interaction with ponies my own age and I keep doing it, even without meaning to do so. It’s bothering me that I keep doing it by accident. I hurt somepony’s feelings today, and it is really, really bothering me. I tried to apologise, but they didn’t want to talk to me, and then I couldn’t help them. And I wanted to help them. I didn’t mean to act superiour.” 

As Pebble sat down beside him, Sumac took a deep breath. He wasn’t quite sure what to say or do. His thoughts of archery were gone now, he had a far more pressing issue, a friendship conundrum. He realised that this was probably what Twilight Sparkle wanted from Pebble, a realisation of her problems followed by her trying to fix them. Pebble was scary smart, far, far smarter than he was for sure, and both of them had one thing in common. Neither got along with foals their own age. It was intimidating to even stand in Pebble’s shadow and annoying to deal with a filly that knew a little bit about everything. 

“I don’t know,” Sumac said as he shook his head. “I’m stumped. But if it makes you feel any better, I think you’re a great teacher. You’ve been good to me and I’ll admit, I was scared at first, because I know how you can be and then there was that weird smile of yours—” 

“I was really happy and I had trouble showing it,” Pebble said, cutting Sumac off. “Daddy says that while I have a lot of my mother in me, I have some of my grandfather too. Grandaddy has trouble with his emotions, which is where my mother gets it from, but he’s opened up a lot after he had a family and grew older. It’s hard for us, because we have to hold back so much.” 

“Hold back so much?” Sumac asked, not understanding.

“We’re strong,” Pebble replied, “so very strong. And we can’t afford to get upset or lose our temper. We can’t afford to get too excited. We have to stay calm and focused because the world around us is made of glass and so are ponies and glass breaks.” 

After listening to what Pebble had to say, Sumac gulped. He didn’t quite understand what it was that she was saying, but he had the general idea. He heard Pebble sniffling and he looked over. He couldn’t see any expression that he understood upon her face, but, she was sniffling and her ears were drooping. 

“When I was little, I got excited when Daddy tickled me. I broke a bunch of his ribs. I didn’t mean to. But now, when he tickles me, he’s always scared and he holds himself back from me. I can tell. I still feel bad. I don’t understand how my mama does it.” 

“Does what?” Sumac asked, not certain if he wanted to know the answer. 

“Not kill him,” Pebble replied. 

Sumac’s own ears drooped and deep furrows appeared upon his brow. He leaned a little closer to Pebble, knowing that she was in pain even if she didn’t show it, and he wanted to do something to make her feel better. 

“How am I supposed to reach out to other ponies?” The distraught filly shook her head and pawed at the ground with her hoof. “I’m too smart and I’m too strong. The world is too fragile and other ponies are too stupid. It’s frustrating and sometimes, I just want to let go and start smashing stuff. I want to rage and throw stuff and crush things and hurl rocks until all the anger is gone.” 

Hating himself, disgusted by own actions, Sumac scooted closer to Pebble, wrapped a foreleg over her withers, and gave her a sidelong hug. He could feel her heart thudding against her ribs, an indicator of her emotional state. He could feel the tension in her muscles and a part of him began to feel fear. Pebble was a dangerous creature. Pebble was a dangerous, terrifying creature. And she needed a friend. He gave her an apprehensive squeeze. 

Belching out smoke, Boomer lept from Sumac’s head and landed on top of Pebble’s. She clung to the filly’s mane, grabbed an ear with her prehensile tail, and held on. Pebble’s eyes rolled upwards as she tried to look up at the dragon sitting on her head. 

“There is such a burden to being exceptional,” Pebble said to Sumac. “You have to hold everything back. Not just your strength, but your mind as well, because if you sound too smart, ponies think you’re being snobby or stuck up or acting like a know-it-all. I hate being the way I am. I wish I was just normal. I hate being me.” 

“Yeah, but Pebble, you’re stuck being you.” Sumac leaned a little closer and rested himself against Pebble. “Like it or not, you are what you are. That can’t be changed. The best you can do is make the most of it. Life isn’t fair… and Starlight is making me write a five hundred word essay about it because I said that life wasn’t fair.” 

“That’s not fair,” Pebble said in a huff, showing some faint reaction. “Not fair at all.” 

“I know, I’m kinda upset about it, but there isn’t anything I can do.” 

“I can help you,” Pebble said to Sumac. “I can help you crank out a five hundred word essay in no time. That’s easy. My mother and father give me five thousand word essays to write whenever I say the words ‘I’m bored.’ I’ve stopped saying that I’m bored.” 

“I also have a five hundred word essay on what you mean to me as a friend.” Sumac’s words hung in the air for a moment as Boomer began making a nest in Pebble’s mane. “Also from Starlight.” 

“I can help with that, too. It’ll give me something to do and keep my mind off of my troubles. I hate being bored.” Pebble glanced upwards again at the dragon hatchling on her head. “She’s making a nest.” 

“She is,” Sumac agreed. “Five thousand word essays?” 

“The number kept going up until they found something that would keep me busy for a few hours. Grandma and Grandaddy would also give me essays if I said I was bored, and so would my aunts, Limestone and Marble. It’s a conspiracy. I should be allowed to say I’m bored whenever I feel like it without reprisal. It’s not fair.” 

“That sounds awful.” Sumac pulled away from Pebble, who seemed to be feeling a little better. He flexed his foreleg, gave it a wiggle, and then used it to scratch his cheek. “We’re foals. We should have rights. But we don’t. It’s not fair that we get in trouble for saying it’s not fair.” 

Nodding, Pebble agreed. “That’s going in the essay. We should have a right to protest our conditions. We have feelings and adults should respect them. And they wonder why we don’t always want to tell them what is wrong. When we do tell them what is wrong, that they are being unfair or that we are bored, we get punished. So when we go silent and say nothing about our condition or how we are feeling, they get all worked up and demand to know what is going on.” Pebble blinked a few times and shook her head. “And when I tell them what is wrong, that I am bored to death, I get punished after being made to answer their queries. That’s patently unfair and adults that do that deserve a kick in the plot.” 

“Yeah!” Sumac’s head bobbed up and down as he expressed his enthusiasm. “And adults that give baths when they’re not wanted—” 

Moving with startling swiftness, Pebble placed her hoof over Sumac’s mouth, silencing him. “Sumac, that’s strictly necessary. Other ponies have to live around you, and you’re a stinky colt. Lately, you’ve been smelling a whole lot nicer. Just take a bath and shut up about it.” 

Wounded, Sumac stared at his companion through narrowed eyes, and then he pushed Pebble’s hoof away from his mouth. He let out an indignant whinny, then a wicker of protest. He opened his mouth to say something, but Pebble jammed her hoof back in front of his mouth. 

“Face it, Sumac, colts are just naturally smelly. You can’t help it, might as well make peace with it.” Having said what needed to be said, Pebble pulled her hoof away and then patted Sumac on the cheek. “Come on, let’s go do those essays. We can have snacks.” 

“Do I really smell that bad?” Sumac asked, feeling a little bit of self doubt now that Pebble had said something. 

“I dunno, do I come across as being really snobby and stuck up?” Pebble replied with a question. 

After thinking about Pebble’s response, Sumac decided that a change of subject was in order. “We should go take care of those essays.” 

“Yes, yes we should,” Pebble agreed. 



 

“Hmph, the two of you look grumpy,” Pinkie Pie said as she put down a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Reaching over the table, she grabbed Sumac’s face and began stretching it in all directions like taffy. “Nope, can’t seem to fix the grumpy.” She pulled and tugged, showing no mercy, causing Sumac to make all sorts of ridiculous faces. 

Slapping at Pinkie’s forelegs with his own, Sumac broke free and pulled away. He glared at Pinkie Pie through narrowed eyes and his lower lip protruded. He heard laughter and knew that Pumpkin and Pound were laughing at him. It was awful when older foals laughed at you, and Sumac wanted to crawl under the table and die. 

“Lots of homework?” Pinkie asked. 

“Just some short essays,” Pebble replied as she sat staring at her aunt. 

“Oh… essays…” Pinkie nodded her head and gave an understanding wink. “See Pebble, all those times you said you were bored are paying off. You’re the essay master!” 

Glowering, Pebble slumped down beside Sumac and glared daggers at Pinkie. She picked up a sandwich, her eyes never leaving her aunt, and began to eat it, nibbling on the edges. Pebble ate her crusts first and sometimes ignored the middle. The crusts were the best and most tastiest part, at least in Pebble’s humble opinion.

Laughing, Pinkie Pie pronked off and vanished through the batwing doors into the kitchen, leaving both Sumac and Pebble alone. Boomer climbed down from her nest on Pebble’s head, balanced on Pebble’s muzzle, and began nipping off bites from Pebble’s sandwich. 

“Ew, dragon germs,” Pebble said in deadpan. 

Boomer, nipping past the bread, discovered peanut butter. Her tiny mouth was gummed shut as she struggled to chew and a dribble of grape jelly ran down her chin. She smacked her lips, her tail lashed from side to side, and her bright eyes glittered as she enjoyed the sugary rush of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

“Dragon germs,” Pebble said as she stared down at her sandwich that she held in her hooves. She watched as Boomer struggled to eat the blob of peanut butter in her mouth. “Sumac, do you think she’ll be able to swallow this?” 

“Somepony needs milk!” Pinkie Pie said as she exploded through the door. She descended upon the table like a pink blur, moving like a whirlwind, and when everything was said and done, there were two big glasses of milk, a glass pitcher of milk, and a platter of cookies.

Before either Pebble or Sumac had a chance to say thank you, the pink blur was gone, having vanished back into the kitchen. The batwing doors swung on their hinges, evidence of Pinkie’s passing. 

Boomer lept down from Pebble’s muzzle, scampered over the table, wrapped her body around Pebble’s glass of milk, and stuck her snout down into the white liquid. She slurped up a drink to help with the peanut butter gumming up her mouth. 

“Dragon germs in my milk,” Pebble said as she turned to look at Sumac. “Your familiar is a menace.” 

“My what?” Sumac asked. 

“Your familiar.” 

“I don’t follow,” Sumac replied. 

“Never mind. First I have to deal with a smelly colt and now, dragon germs. My parents sent me to Ponyville and my life is all kinds of messed up.” Pebble sighed, rolled her eyes, and continued eating her sandwich, now served with a side of dragon germs. She bit off the crusts, working her way around her sandwich, and watched as Boomer submerged her whole head into the glass of milk. 

“Life just isn’t fair,” Sumac said to his companion. Having said what was on his mind, he too began to gobble down his sandwich, taking huge bites, and then was bogged down when the peanut butter got stuck to the roof of his mouth. He sat in his chair, trying to get the goopy peanut buttery mess free with his tongue, his mouth hanging open and showing the whole world his efforts, his valiant struggle with the peanut butter monster, the bane of foals everywhere. 

Beside him, Pebble shook her head and rolled her eyes. Colts. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Armed with his essays, and what he hoped was unwavering courage, Sumac Apple returned to Twilight’s castle with two things on his mind. The first, confront Starlight Glimmer, give her the essays, and maybe come up with something witty to say, and the second, find Trixie so that he could walk home with her. It was getting about that time. 

He strode up the stairs with as much confidence as he could muster, his hooves clattering over the glittering, crystalline surface. Boomer was awake, no doubt with a sugar rush, and he could feel her tail wrapped around his ear. She had snatched a flying bug of some sort on the walk over, which was awesome. 

As Sumac approached the enormous double doors, one of them opened. Sumac peered into the darkened entrance, the shadows were long in the dim light. A lone figure stepped out. Sumac paused when he saw Starlight. 

“Sumac Apple… truth be told, I was expecting you,” Starlight said to Sumac. 

“I finished those essays… including the one about life not being fair.” Feeling brave, Sumac looked Starlight in the eye. He didn’t give her the stinkeye though, he wasn’t quite brave enough to do that. 

“Pebble helped you.” 

“Of course she did. She understands how unfair life is.” Sumac raised an eyebrow. He had spent a long time practicing this very thing in the mirror. Trixie’s mirror. It was Trixie who had taught him. Without meaning to, his lower lip protruded as he stared at Starlight. 

The mare smiled, pulled the door shut behind her, and then sat down on the landing. She patted the spot beside her with her hoof, an inviting gesture for Sumac to come and sit beside her. “Come and sit with me, Sumac.” 

Still glowering, Sumac did as he was told. He sat down beside Starlight and he felt her foreleg slide over his withers. She pulled him closer, which he resisted a bit, but then gave in. She was trying to be nice and he supposed that counted for something. 

“Pebble must be a very special friend,” Starlight said in a soft voice to Sumac. 

“Is this going to be a special somepony talk?” Sumac asked. 

“No.” 

“Good.”

There was a low chuckle from Starlight and she gave Sumac a warm squeeze. “There is a lesson to be learned in all of this. Would you like to know what it is?” Starlight looked down at the colt beside her. 

Giving Starlight a sidelong and upwards glance, Sumac nodded. 

“A pony can have all sorts of friends in their life,” Starlight began, “but it takes a very special sort of friend indeed to help another pony with an essay. Especially a boring essay. You are very lucky to have a friend like that.” 

Saying nothing, Sumac considered Starlight’s words. His eyes dropped and he stared down his muzzle at his own front hooves. There was a great deal of truth in what Starlight had to say. Pebble didn’t have to help him, but she did. Thinking about it made him feel squirmy. 

“Life isn’t fair, Sumac, but you know that already. Perhaps you know it more than most. There’s a lot of spoiled, coddled foals and their idea of what isn’t fair is ridiculous. Life isn’t fair at all. And this is why it is important to have friends… I sort of figured that when I gave you the essay assignments that you’d go to Pebble for help. Which is what I wanted you to do. While life might not be fair, we can have friends that can make things better. Special friends, who will stick with us through thick and thin, good or bad, and even when it comes time to write out some boring old essay.” Starlight gave Sumac another squeeze. 

“Having Pebble as a friend confuses me,” Sumac admitted. 

“How so?” Starlight asked. 

“Well, she’s a filly for one thing,” Sumac replied. 

“Sumac, as you grow older, you’ll find that your opinion on that will change.” Starlight chuckled again, causing her whole body to shake. “When I was little, my very bestest friend in the whole wide world was a colt. Sure, he had cooties, but I forgave him for that. We’re still very dear friends, even now.” 

“It’s awkward and hard.” 

“Why?” 

“I dunno.” Sumac shrugged beneath Starlight’s foreleg. “It just is.” 

“Do fillies confuse you?” Starlight asked. 

“Yes.” Sumac nodded to show emphasis. 

After taking a deep breath, Starlight blew a loud, long, lingering raspberry, her bright orange tongue flapping everywhere. Sumac, who tried to remain serious, let out a small, reluctant laugh. After her tongue was slurped back in, Starlight joined Sumac in his laughter. 

Taking a deep breath, Starlight became serious. “One day, you’ll feel different. You’ll see Pebble in a new and special way. Or it might not be Pebble. It might be some other filly. But, if you and Pebble are close enough, you might have a very special sort of filly friend that you can talk to about other fillies. She might be able to help you, give you advice, tell you what to say, and what to do. Or it might not be a filly. You may find that somepony else catches your eye.” 

“Like who?” Sumac asked. 

“Maybe a colt,” Starlight replied. 

“Hmm.” 

“You’re not disgusted, that’s good. It shows you have an open mind.” Starlight turned her head and looked down at the colt beside her. “Hey, look at you, being all thoughtful.” She gave Sumac a little hug. “You do look a little confused though, but that’s okay. Tell you what…” 

“What?” Sumac looked up. 

“You get one free pass next time you’re in trouble with me. But just one. Okay?” 

“Thanks.” Sumac smiled, a warm genuine smile. 

Behind the two of them, the door opened, and hooves could be heard upon the landing. Sumac felt somepony sit down beside him, he turned, looked up, and saw Trixie. He heard more hooves and saw a flash of yellow. Lemon Hearts sat down on the other side of Trixie. 

“Ready to go home, kiddo?” Trixie glanced up from Sumac and looked at Starlight. “Did you get your essays?” 

“No, but I’m about to,” Starlight replied. “Sumac and I were just having a talk.” 

“Eh, he looks pretty happy, must have been a nice talk.” Trixie looked down at Sumac again. “Hello, Boomer. You look wide awake.” 

“She ate a mess of peanut butter.” Sumac looked upward at the hatchling clinging to his horn. “She had trouble chewing… it was funny to watch.” 

“Is that so?” An amused grin spread over Trixie’s muzzle and then she let out a cry of surprise when Boomer lept from Sumac’s horn to her own. She looked upwards, almost cross eyed, trying to watch as Boomer began to make herself at home. 

“We never did decide what position you fill in our little family, Boomer.” Trixie let out a giggle and her body shook with laughter as Boomer made herself at home. She looked down at Sumac after he poked her with his hoof. 

“Pebble called her my familiar,” Sumac said to Trixie. “I didn’t understand it.” 

“Oh dear… well, I suppose that might be somewhat true in the very loosest sense of the word, but Boomer is so much more.” Trixie took a deep breath. “Some unicorns bond with certain animals, cats, dogs, owls, things like that, and it is a special bond. It goes beyond being a pet. They share feelings, enhanced senses… the bond between them isn’t fully understood, it is some kind of primal magic, and one that needs study. I suppose that it could be viewed as a type of friendship magic.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder how much Twilight knows about it.” 

“Twilight has a familiar,” Starlight said. 

“Her owl.” Lemon Hearts leaned into the conversation. “And Princess Luna has a familiar named Tiberius. He’s an opossum. The familiar bond has done something to him, because he is far, far older than any opossum has a right to be and a whole lot smarter, too.” 

“Now that I think about it, Owlowiscious hasn’t aged a day since I’ve known him,” Starlight said as her face scrunched up into one of serious consideration. “Can a dragon be a familiar? I… well…” She fell silent and shook her head. 

“Familiar carries with it a weighted meaning.” Lemon Hearts looked at Boomer. “It might be possible for a unicorn to develop a familial bond with a dragon, but I think a dragon would be so much more than just a garden variety familiar.” 

“Boomer certainly knew when trouble was starting… she split when Twilight gave Sumac more zap apple jam.” Trixie’s expression mirrored Starlight’s. “So what happens if a unicorn develops a familial bond with a dragon? Why hasn’t Twilight developed one with Spike? Or has she, and nopony has noticed?” 

“Does anypony else think that Tiberius is super creepy? He brought me a scroll from Princess Luna one night. I still don’t know how he got down to Ponyville from Canterlot. And his eyes… his eyes were all weird and white and kinda glowed.” Starlight shivered and shook her head hard enough to make her ears flap. 

“That’s kinda creepy,” Lemon Hearts agreed, her ears drooping. “But Princess Luna is kinda creepy to begin with. Why should her familiar be any different? I mean, she’s nice and all, but something about her scares me.” She cleared her throat, gave herself a shake, and then she turned to Sumac. “Give Starlight her essays. I want to get home and cook dinner. I’m starving and I want waffles.” 

“Waffles?” Trixie turned to look at Lemon Hearts. 

“I’m a responsible adult, I can eat whatever I’d like. And that includes waffles. With lots of whip cream and fruit. Fruit is good for you. It’s healthy. And we should eat more of it. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

Nodding, her ears bobbing as she laughed, Trixie turned to look at Starlight. “We really must be going…” 



 

Not far from Lemon Hearts’ house, Trixie came to a halt when she spotted Cinnamon Fire, one of Sumac’s classmates. She turned to look at Lemon Hearts, her eyebrow raised, and then turned her head so she could look at the colt again. He was sitting on the steps of a house, looking forlorn. 

Remembering all of the times that she had been helped, Trixie was moved to compassion. She made her way up the cobblestone path to the steps where the colt was sitting, a warm smile upon her muzzle. 

“Hiya… I know you,” Trixie said in a low voice. 

Standing beside Lemon Hearts, Sumac watched, wondering what was up. He glanced up at the mare beside him, his worry causing the corners of his mouth to droop a bit, and then looked over where Trixie was standing. 

“Is something wrong?” Trixie asked. 

The colt did not answer, but sat there, shifting from side to side, looking apprehensive about saying anything. He looked up at Trixie with wide, fearful eyes. Trixie took another step closer, and then, her knees popping, she sat down in the soft grass. 

“He forgot to leave the key,” Cinnamon said to Trixie. “He gets busy sometimes, I’m sure he didn’t mean it.” 

“He?” Trixie asked. “Your father, I’m guessing?” 

“Yeah… he’ll only be gone for tonight… he has business that he has to look after. He’s very busy.” Cinnamon gave Trixie a fearful, worried smile. “Please don’t tell him that I told you. He’ll be angry. He’s always angry. I think his business makes him angry.” 

Scowling, Trixie turned her head to look at Lemon Hearts, then turned back around to look at Cinnamon. She sat there with a very sour look upon her face, her ears drooping, and her tail swished around in the grass behind her. 

“So you are just going to sit out on the steps and wait?” Trixie leaned forwards and her ears perked, then angled over her eyes. “What about dinner? A place to sleep?” 

“Well… I…” Cinnamon blinked a few times, then shrugged. He had nothing more to say and sat there in silence, his eyes wide while they glimmered with emotion. His ears drooped and then his face fell as he stared down at his own front hooves. 

“Do you like waffles?” Trixie asked. 

Cinnamon looked up from his hooves. “Oh, I couldn’t… I’m not supposed to go off with strangers.” 

“Well, you can’t stay here,” Trixie replied. 

Nervous, Cinnamon began to stammer, “But I… but if he… if he finds out that I—” 

“There is no way Trixie is leaving you on the steps overnight and that is all there is to it.” Standing up, Trixie kicked out her right hind leg to stretch her knee, then her left. Her tail swished around her legs as she let out a whinny of annoyance. “Trixie has been on her hooves all day and is tired. She wants to go home so she can be comfortable. You are delaying her.” 

“I’m sorry—” 

“Don’t be sorry, come home with me and have waffles.” 

“Okay.” 

“We’ll find a spot for you to sleep,” Lemon Hearts called out. “It’ll be great… like a sleepover… I’ll get a fire going in the back garden and we’ll make s’mores.” 

“There is the wagon,” Sumac suggested in a low whisper to the mare beside him. 

“And also the couch,” Lemon Hearts replied as she gave Sumac a nudge. 

“I didn’t think of that.” Sumac blinked and gave the yellow mare beside him a sheepish grin, which faded after a few seconds. “What if his dad gets angry?” 

“We’ll deal with that if it happens.” Lemon Hearts watched as Trixie coaxed Cinnamon off of the steps. “Sumac, try not to worry about it. Poor little guy, he looks scared. Let’s just focus on making sure he has a nice night and he’s comfortable, okay?” 

“Okay.” Sumac nodded, then turned and watched as Cinnamon followed after Trixie. As he watched, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was some kind of friendship lesson to be learned in all of this, and if so, what would both Twilight and Starlight have to say about it? 
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 23
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Was it a nice night for you?” Sumac asked Cinnamon, who seemed rather relaxed as he sat beside him on the steps to Twilight’s castle. The morning was a bit cooler than usual, or it felt that way to Sumac. Autumn drew ever nearer, and while it was not yet cold, it was clear that the long, extended summer was now over. 

Cinnamon nodded, but said nothing. Something that was almost a smile was on his face, he sat facing the sun, his eyes squinting, and the faint breeze blew through his mane. His ears twitched with every sound he heard as ponies moved through the town to go to the market, but he didn’t appear to be as jumpy as usual. 

“It’s Wednesday,” Sumac said, trying to start a conversation. “There will be magic lessons this morning and archery for me this afternoon. I can’t wait for archery.” The colt smiled and thought of spending a few pleasant hours trying to learn a new skill. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays were going to be great days. Mondays and Fridays, well, Sumac wasn’t so sure about those yet. Friday was good because that was the last day of school for the week, so it wasn’t too bad, but he wasn’t sure what he would do on Friday afternoons. As for Mondays… who liked Mondays? Nopony, that’s who. 

There was no reply from Cinnamon, who seemed to enjoy sunning himself. 

It seemed that Cinnamon was the quiet sort, so Sumac gave up. It was probably just nice for him to have somepony to sit with, so Sumac allowed himself to be content with that. What Cinnamon needed was a friend and little Sumac was beginning to understand his purpose here at Twilight’s school. Exceptional foals sometimes had exceptional problems, Sumac knew that he most certainly did, and this was a place to help with those problems. Or something. Sumac was still a little fuzzy on the whole thing, but he tried to understand. 



 

Hunched over his desk, Sumac kept to himself, stayed silent, and kept his eyes focused on his textbook, worried that he might attract the attention of Olive. She was sitting in the front of the class, close to the teacher, and sure enough, she was a smug know-it-all. Beside him, Strawberry Hearts was also slumped over her textbook, trying to understand the lesson. 

Cinnamon was chewing on his pencil, lost in thought, he was half-in and half-out of his book, alternating between reading and looking up at the chalkboard. Sitting between Cinnamon and Sumac, Tinder stared up at the chalkboard with a dull, vacant stare, understanding nothing. 

Behind Tinder, a green filly named Gentle Melody took aim with a plastic straw and fired a spitball right at Tinder’s tender ear. There was a muffled yelp from Tinder, who reached up and rubbed his tender ear with his hoof. The teacher, a mare named Miss Weathervane, turned her head and gave the entire class a stern glare, as she did not know what was going on, but knew there was trouble. 

When the teacher turned away to continue writing on the chalkboard, Gentle Melody took aim once more, took a deep breath, and fired. This time, she got Tinder’s other ear, and before Tinder could even turn around, the straw had vanished. She gave the colt in front of her a sweet smile as he glared at her, rubbing both of his ears, and she batted her eyelashes at him. 

Tinder it seemed, was playing with a different sort of fire, one he did not yet understand, and it was no less dangerous. Scowling, his lip curled away from his teeth in a snarl, he turned his back to the filly behind him, and he tried to rub away the stinging sensation in his ears. 

“Okay class, who can tell me the source of all magic?” Miss Weathervane asked. 

Blinking, Sumac looked around the classroom. He knew the answer to this question. Nopony else seemed to be raising a hoof or making any sort of effort to be called upon. He glanced at Olive, expecting her to answer, but she was absorbed in her textbook. 

Moving with some hesitation, Sumac raised his left front hoof a little. 

“Wonderful, Sumac, could you enlighten us?” Miss Weathervane gave Sumac a broad smile of approval as she stood in front of the chalkboard. 

Feeling nervous, he cleared his throat, and then Sumac said, “Magic comes from ley lines. It’s a finite resource, meaning there is only so much of it available to use at any given time. It rises up from the ground and spreads through the air and water. Some ley line intersections are dangerous.” 

“Correct.” Miss Weathervane gave Sumac a nod and looked around at the rest of the class. “And can anypony tell me the names of the two ponies who are most knowledgeable about ley lines and their features?” 

Nopony raised their hoof. Sumac suspected that he knew, he had a hunch, because he had met them, but he wasn’t one hundred percent certain that they were, in fact, the most knowledgeable ponies on this subject. 

The teacher let out a sigh and set down her chalk on the tray. “The foremost authorities on ley lines are Tarnished Teapot and Maud Pie. Their hard work and study have revolutionised our knowledge base and what we know about magic. Maud in particular has shown us that rocks act as batteries, storing up magic and releasing it in a slow, steady flow that makes it safer for all of us, and Tarnished Teapot has shown that certain plants, poison joke in particular, are nature’s way of regulating dangerous levels of magic and filtering it so it is less dangerous to living things. There is a vast, amazing magical ecosystem that we are only now beginning to understand and appreciate, thanks to the hard work of those two, who have dedicated their lives to studying and understanding this subject.” 

Sumac could not help but wonder where his magic came from. Did he act as a battery? Was he storing up magic right now and did zap apples help him release it? He had questions, big questions, but not the sort of questions he could ask in this class. 

“While this is a class dedicated to the study of unicorn magic, all ponies have magic. The earth ponies and the pegasi have their own special magic and they too, draw power from the ley lines, but not in the same way that we do. Much of their magic is passive, for the most part, though there are exceptions.” The teacher cleared her throat and focused her gaze upon Sumac. “You there, you are friends with Pebble Pie… she has the extraordinary ability to make rocks talk. Have you seen this?” 

Sumac, who had in fact, seen a demonstration of Pebble’s magic, nodded. Rocks didn’t have much to say and they were kind of stupid, all things considered. The stone that Pebble had spoken to had been rather antagonistic. It led to a conversation where Pebble had accused him of flirting with her and Pebble’s admission that she hated rocks. 

“And you,” Miss Weathervane said to Tinder, “your brother, Flint, has strange wings that we are still trying to understand. He can’t fly with them, but he can create fire.” 

“And then there is Pinkie Pie,” Sumac blurted out without permission to talk. 

“Yes,” Miss Weathervane replied, and then paused for a moment before continuing, “there is Pinkie Pie. She is quite exceptional, but all of the Pie sisters have shown signs of unusual magic. The rock farm they grew up on is an unusual place, it is a nexus intersection with an impressive, but not too dangerous, amount of magical radiation.” 

Looking at the teacher, Olive raised her hoof and waited. When Miss Weathervane nodded, Olive asked, “Why is it that earth ponies are more resistant to dangerous background magical radiation?” 

“We don’t know,” Miss Weathervane replied, shaking her head and frowing. “It is a great mystery. It is being studied and many believe that it is just because earth ponies are naturally hardier than the other tribes. For others, folk wisdom is not enough and there are those who seek real answers. But for now, we don’t know. Everything is speculation.” 

Without raising her hoof, Strawberry Hearts said, “Since ponies control the environment, it seems we also can control the distribution of magic. Since magic comes up from the ley lines and seeps into rocks and water and stuff…” The filly paused for a moment to think and her muzzle scrunched. “Pegasus ponies manage the rain and I wonder if the pegasi think about where they draw their water from. Some water is more magical than other water, and I wonder if anypony is taking this into account.” 

Miss Weathervane adjusted her reading glasses and nodded. “Actually, we are. This is a recent realisation of this problem. After the eruption of Mount Maud several years ago, the Ghastly Gorge is no longer used as a water collection point, and the Froggy Bottom Bogg as well. The magic levels in the water are unstable, hazardous even, and we are still trying to understand what will happen to the Froggy Bottom Bogg and the surrounding environment. One of Equestria’s largest and most important aquifers lies under the Froggy Bottom. It’s scary, not knowing how this will affect our future.” 

“How do we fix this?” Tinder asked. 

“We have to learn how to live with nature and magic without disturbing it too much. Mount Maud is an unusual case study. We’re learning more and more that while we ponies have a huge influence on nature, we do regulate the weather and the seasons, there is a lot that is beyond our control. We’re agents in a much larger system and we’re not in as much control as we think we are. There is still so much we don’t understand. We don’t know how to fix this, not yet, but effort is being made to understand it.” Miss Weathervane glanced up at the clock and smiled. “It is almost lunch time. I’m glad we had this discussion. I like to have students who are eager to learn and ask questions. Before class is dismissed, I have an assignment for each of you. I want you to come up with one question, a good question, about magical environmentalism, and when this class meets up again, we’ll take turns asking questions and discussing them. Sound good?” 

Most of the class nodded, but there were a few groans. 

Miss Weathervane pulled off her glasses, folded them, and placed them into a wooden case. She snapped the lid shut and tucked the case into her bag. “Class is dismissed. Have a nice lunch and keep asking questions about the world around you!” 



 

“Hey, you!” 

Sumac froze, terrified and paralysed with fear. He gulped, and then his eyes darted around, trying to see if there was a teacher or an adult somewhere nearby. For whatever reason, Olive had decided to mess with him. He felt his mouth go dry. 

“I see you’ve finally decided to join the rest of us and get a cutie mark. Good job, loser.” 

Olive moved in front of him and Sumac looked up. She was quite a bit bigger than he was, well over a head taller, she had far more muscle, more mass, more bulk. She wasn’t fat, not at all, she had it all. Brawns and brain. She was built like an earth pony. He found himself hating her and recalled how she had tormented Pebble. He also thought about Olive’s awful insinuation about Applejack and Big Mac. 

“You know, for an Apple, you’re actually pretty smart. I hate to say it, loser, but I was impressed today,” Olive said to Sumac. 

Eyes narrowing, Sumac was gaining his nerve as his anger simmered. His fear was retreating, replaced by slow burning rage. Already, he was wondering if he could give Olive the sound thrashing that she deserved. Maybe with some zap apple jam… 

“I was thinking, since you’re so smart, that you should help me with my homework. My parents don’t know anything about magic, and I’m sure you wouldn’t mind doing my homework for me—” 

“Get stuffed, Olive.” Sumac was rather surprised by the words that he had just said. He felt his jaw clench. He had no idea where those words came from, they had just slipped out. He couldn’t help but feel that his mouth had just betrayed him.

“What did you say to me, you little scrub?” Olive asked as she invaded Sumac’s personal space. 

“Are you as deaf as you are ugly?” Sumac replied. 

Olive drew herself up to her full height and towered over Sumac. She glared down at him, her eyes gleaming with what could only be described as amused anger. She lifted up her left front hoof, reached out, and gave Sumac a hard shove. 

“You have a smart mouth.” Olive gave Sumac a second shove, and a cruel laugh slipped from her lips. “You’re a funny little colt, did you know that?” 

“With how you look, you could be mistaken for a funny looking colt,” Sumac said as other foals began to gather around he and Olive. 

“Oh, you are funny,” Olive said as she gave Sumac a hard shove yet again. The amused look of anger was gone, and now there was only anger. Her eyes narrowed as her horn ignited. “I’m a filly!” 

“I bet the doctor had to check twice, no, three times, just to make sure.” Sumac felt a rush of adrenaline and he felt jittery all over. He had struck a nerve and he knew it. Olive was no doubt insecure about her looks, as fillies tended to be. 

“You scrawny little turd sniffer, I should pound you into the floor!” 

“There’s a reason you are an only foal… I bet your parents were too scared to try again!” 

The corner of her eye twitching, Olive bellowed with rage, and she was unable to form any sort of comprehensible words. She grabbed Sumac in her telekinesis, twisted him around, slammed him down to the floor, and twisted his forelegs up behind his back. She began to apply cruel pressure, and the foals who had gathered to watch did nothing, frozen in fear. 

Olive applied enough pressure that something in Sumac’s right foreleg popped, an awful sound, and he cried out, gibbering in pain. She applied slow, steady pressure, and ground her teeth together, the corner of her eye still twitching from her rage. 

“Beg for mercy,” Olive demanded in a gruff voice. 

“No!” Sumac’s voice was a pained, shrill squeal.

“Beg for mercy, loser!” Olive applied more pressure and there was another pop, this time from Sumac’s left front leg. Her ears twitched and she giggled in sadistic glee as Sumac cried out once more. 

Sumac, reduced to tears, was unable to even talk at this point. He was certain that his front legs were going to be twisted right out of their sockets at any minute. Stars swam in his vision. 

“I had to do this to my father to teach him why he can’t punish me or tell me what to do,” Olive said in a low growl into Sumac’s ear as she stood over him. “He had to learn who was in charge… and so do you… now say mercy!” 

Humiliated, Sumac yelped, but even if he wanted to say something, he couldn’t. The pain was just too much. He squirmed, writhing in agony, and he realised that at any moment now, he was going to wet himself—the pain was that bad. 

“That’s enough.” 

Sumac felt the pressure increase even more for a second, and then it was gone. He whimpered when he was let go and he lay on the ground, unable to move, and unable to see because of all the tears clouding his vision. 

“Olive, I want you in my office, now.” Twilight’s voice was cold and had no emotion. No anger, nothing at all. It was cold and devoid of any feeling. “Don’t even think of defying me. Now go. Not one word… not one single word. Follow Starlight and do as you are told.” 

Blubbering in pain, Sumac curled up, or tried to, but he had trouble moving his forelegs. It was agony just trying to unkink himself. He felt a soft, gentle touch upon him, and then he was lifted in magic. 

“Hang on, Sumac, let’s get you to the infirmary,” Twilight said in a soft voice as she pulled Sumac closer to her. “Try not to move too much. Just be still. Everything will be okay, I promise.” 

As Twilight carried him away, Sumac, unable to hold it in, let everything out, and his bawling echoed through the hallways. Perhaps antagonising the bully had been a bad idea. His whole body burned with pain, shame, and humiliation. He wanted to go home and he wasn’t certain how he was going to be able to face his classmates after this. 

More than anything, he wanted Trixie to comfort him… 
	
> Chapter 24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Where is Boomer? Is Boomer okay? Where is she?” Trixie’s voice bordered on frantic worry and she pranced in place beside the cushion where Sumac had been laid down. She looked at Twilight, her eyes wide with fear, and repeated herself. “Where is Boomer?” 

“Boomer is fine,” Twilight  replied in a soft voice. “She’s with Pebble. Sumac left Boomer with Pebble because Pebble had a cooking class and Sumac was hoping that Boomer would get a chance to eat. Everything is fine.” 

Trixie let out a sigh of relief, but her near frantic state of worry persisted. She stared at Twilight and her wide eyes narrowed. “How could you let this happen?” Trixie blinked and shook her head. “Why?” 

Caught off guard, Twilight took a step backwards and without thinking, she replied, “Sometimes things happen. You’ve been there yourself. Think back to the alicorn amulet before you say anything else about Olive.” 

For a moment, anger glittered in Trixie’s eyes, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by sadness and resignation. Her ears drooped, her face fell, and the corners of her mouth curled downwards. Her back slumped and her tail tucked between her hind legs. 

“I wasn’t trying to be unkind,” Twilight said in an apologetic voice, “but I was trying to make you—you know what, never mind what I was trying to get you to see. Take the afternoon off, with pay. Look after Sumac. The nurse said he’ll be fine, but both shoulders have been hyper-extended. He’ll need to stay off his legs for a few days. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and deal with Olive now that I know that Sumac is okay.” 

“Twilight…” 

Hearing her name, Twilight paused in the doorway and turned her head to look at Trixie. She waited and watched as different expressions crossed over Trixie’s face. Anger, gratitude, fear, sadness, too many to keep track of. 

“Thank you, Twilight.” Trixie’s voice was raspy and a bit choked with emotion. 

“Don’t mention it,” Twilight replied as she exited. 



 

Her mind filled with memories that she did not wish to recall, Trixie pulled Sumac a little closer to her. He’d been given something to drink that made him a little woozy and had lessened his pain. He remained in the infirmary for observation. While Sumac appeared to be okay, the nurse wanted to make sure.

“Sumac, we need to have a little chat about you antagonising Olive.” 

The only reply from Sumac was a low, lingering groan. Trixie rubbed her chin against his ear, hoping to make him feel better, and herself as well. She also hoped to let him know that she wasn’t angry and that she still loved him. 

She pressed her nose against his ear and inhaled. She felt his ear twitch against her snoot and his scent filled her nostrils. Even though she resisted, her mind took her back to another time, a time when she was helpless, and she thought about her rescuers. The memory made her right front leg ache. Kindness had saved her, had kept her warm, had kept her safe. She thought of Tarnish and Maud, fond thoughts, and pleasant memories. 

The infirmary was empty at the moment. It was a circular room, with broad cushions on the floor, perfect for a foal with tummy troubles or a headache to lay down upon. The overhead lights were dim, easy on the eyes, and the whole room had an atmosphere that seemed conducive to drowsiness. 

The drowsy atmosphere vanished when a tall, serpentine figure burst through the door. Discord stood in the middle of the circular room, a rare look of worry upon his face. He looked down at Trixie and Sumac, squinting, his ears twitching. He reached down to grab Sumac, but Trixie would not let go. Stymied, Discord did the only thing he could do. He lifted up Trixie too, and cradled both her and Sumac in his forelegs. 

“I came when I heard what happened!” Discord said in a manic voice. 

“Discord, what are you doing?” Trixie’s voice was one of exhausted exasperation. 

“I was worried,” Discord replied, sounding a bit miffed. He drew himself up to his full height and looked down at Trixie, who he cradled in his careful, protective embrace. “That Olive is a menace! Really… they’ll let anypony into this town… even the known troublemakers! What fools!” 

“Discord…” Trixie rolled her eyes and redoubled her grip on Sumac. “Why are you here? Really?” 

“Well,” Discord replied, and then paused so he could collect his thoughts and try again. “Sumac has a terrible, terrible, negligent father and being the kind, generous, loyal, honest, funny, and even magical reformed draconequus that I am, I took it upon myself to be a good male role model for Sumac. He needs one, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Trixie’s lips pressed into a straight line and she glared up at Discord. After several seconds, she said, “Yes, I agree, he needs a good male role model—” 

And she was about to say that Sumac had a good male role model—Big Mac—but the words never had a chance to leave her mouth. Stunned, she suddenly found herself in pearly white wedding dress, Discord was wearing an obnoxious plaid tuxedo, and Sumac was wearing a rather nice looking dark blue blazer and with a dark purple tie. 

“Discord!” Trixie snapped. “What is going on?” 

“You agreed!” Discord shouted in a gleeful voice. “You agreed that Sumac needed a good male role model and I’m more than willing to be his father! I mean, I’m not in love with you, not at all, but that doesn’t matter because we’ll stay together for his sake. We’ll say that we love one another and we’ll have nice breakfasts together, and pleasant dinners, and we’ll be a family and he’ll have the role models he needs to become the pony he is meant to be. Who knows, maybe someday, we’ll learn to love one another for realsies!” 

“Discord, the Great and Powerful Trixie is not marrying you.” She shook her head and glared her disapproval at the draconequus who was still holding her. “Look, I just want a quiet moment with my son, is that too much to ask?” 

Lowering his head, Discord used his tail to tip back the tall stovepipe hat he was wearing. “I did this for you as well… that brain of yours… it went to dark places, right? I bet this brings back memories for you… to be helpless… at the mercy of another… I bet it pains you.” 

Blinking, Trixie squirmed as she held on to Sumac, who let out a confused moan. She shook, her whole body trembled, and she stared up into Discord’s red and yellow eyes, not understanding why he would do this. 

The wedding dress vanished, as did Discord’s tuxedo, and Sumac’s dashing blazer. Trixie then found herself back down upon the cushion, and Discord was sitting beside her on the floor. His concern looked… genuine. She didn’t know how to respond. 

“I like Sumac… he’s my friend and fellow agent of chaos,” Discord said in a strange, saccharine voice. He reached out his talons and poked the colt on his cutie mark, a zap apple with nine rainbow coloured lightning bolts arcing off in different directions. “He is one of the most interesting ponies I know. I can have conversations with him. Not-boring conversations.” Blinking, Discord jerked his head back and a crazed smile appeared upon his face. “Plus, I look forward to the trouble he will cause.” 

Sighing, Trixie looked up at the draconequus and felt a strange feeling of kinship with him. She gave him her kindest smile, reached out her front hoof, and touched his lion’s paw. “Discord, I’m flattered that you would be willing to marry me to help Sumac. But why don’t you just try and be his friend?” 

“He gets annoyed with me,” Discord replied. “I figured if I was his father, I would have the authority I needed to make him listen to me.” 

Biting her lip, Trixie snorted, and then, very much against her will, she smiled. She couldn’t help herself. The draconequus’ logic made sense in a way, a very distorted, disturbing, troublesome way. 

“He seems a little out of it,” Discord said, commenting upon Sumac’s condition. 

“They made him drink something… he’s drugged,” Trixie replied. For a moment, Trixie had the most amusing thought that Sumac would probably be a good influence on Discord. She smiled, but said nothing of her thoughts. She decided to make Discord feel better, since he tried to make her feel better. “You know, between you and Big Mac, I think that Sumac is set in the good male role models department.” 

“Maybe…” Discord grinned while rubbing his talons and his paw together. “But do you think that Big Mac would say yes to marrying me? He was rather attractive in a dress!” 



 

Now alone with Sumac, Trixie thought about her encounter with Discord, Sumac’s encounter with Olive, and her own encounter with diamond dogs. She thought of Tarnish and Maud, two ponies that she should treat better, but didn’t. She still felt guilty for sneaking off and running away from them when they were only trying to help her. Pride was a terrible thing, a dreadful thing, pride had almost been her undoing. 

And it was during this moment of reflection that the infirmary door opened yet again. A chocolate brown filly with a violet mane entered. She was wearing something that Trixie couldn’t decide if it was a smock or a dress. It was white, covered in fresh stains, and had dark blue piping on the sleeves. Perched on the filly’s head was Boomer, who looked as though she had been dipped in batter and rolled in breadcrumbs. 

“Hello Pebble,” Trixie said and then patted the cushion with her hoof to invite Pebble over. 

“How is he?” Pebble stood near the door, unmoving, and worry could be heard in her voice. It was faint, soft, muted, but detectable. Her blue eyes glittered with anxiety. 

Looking at Pebble reminded Trixie of Tarnish. Tarnish would also be a great male role model for Sumac. She made a mental note to have a conversation with him when he returned to Ponyville. Pebble’s hooves were muffled as she walked over the thick carpet on the floor to where Trixie and Sumac were laying together. 

She climbed up onto the cushion, crawled closer to Sumac, and settled in beside him. Boomer scurried over to Sumac’s head, where she lingered for a moment, and then with a cry, she lept to the top of Trixie’s head, wrapped around her horn, and went still, her bright yellow eyes focused upon Sumac. 

“I think he’ll be okay,” Trixie said to Pebble, hoping to put the filly’s mind at ease. 

“I understand that he roasted Olive.” 

Scowling, Trixie didn’t acknowledge Pebble on this one. She was disappointed with Sumac about this issue and he was going to get a stern talking to. She looked into the filly’s eyes and tried to read Pebble’s feelings on the issue, but couldn’t make anything out. 

Pebble reached out her hoof, poked Sumac on the neck, and shook her head. “You’re an idiot. She’s twice your size and has dangerous magic. What were you thinking?” Pebble blinked, and for a moment, she resembled her mother. 

“Uuurgh,” Sumac replied. 

To place emphasis on her displeasure, Pebble established a boop-loop, that is to say, she poked Sumac on the snoot with her hoof over and over while she scowled at him. Her mouth contorted into an annoyed pucker and her lower lip protruded. Like her mother, Pebble was patient and dedicated. She could do this forever. 

Trixie realised the value of settling down. Sumac had friends now. She had friends. Sumac had ponies—and a draconequus—that cared about him. And she did too. She felt something ignite deep within her barrel and it blazed, filling her with warmth. 

“Do you think he’s learned his lesson?” Trixie asked as the boop-loop continued. 

“No.” Pebble’s words held stony conviction as her hoof poked Sumac’s snoot with metronome timing. The little filly’s brows furrowed and her ears angled forwards as she continued. 

“Pebble, would you like to come home with me and help me look after Sumac? We could stop by and ask Pinkie on the way home. I could use your help. I think Sumac needs his best friend.” 

The unending boop-loop kept going as Pebble replied, “I can help out. Pound and Pumpkin get on my nerves. It’ll be nice to get away from them. Pumpkin likes to grab me so Pound can punch me.” 

“That’s awful,” Trixie said in alarm. 

“The adults say they’re just playing. I can’t punch him back. I’d break him…” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 25
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a difficult transition to go from a hoofloose and fancy free spirit that wandered everywhere to a responsible, ‘I’ve got this covered’ mother whose life was filled with a constant stream of never ending worry. For Trixie, the transition was still happening. For her, stress and complications were dealt with by running away, but she couldn’t run. Not anymore. If it was just her, she might run, but it was no longer just her. There was Sumac—and Boomer as well. Boomer had a worrying amount of personality and self awareness, two things that scared Trixie, and the knowledge that she was responsible for another life scared her to death. 

More than anything else, she wished that Tarnish and Maud were here. They would know how to fix things. They would know how to make everything right. They would know all of the right things to do. But Tarnish and Maud were not here. Instead, Trixie had to settle for Pebble, which was still somehow comforting in a most peculiar way. She was an odd mix of both her mother and her father. 

Feeling frantic with worry, she looked at Sumac, who was propped up with pillows on the couch. His eyes were glassy, but he seemed a little more coherent than earlier. Beside him, Pebble was reading a book, and Boomer was perched on top of the couch. 

Trixie had trouble even being angry properly. She wanted to be angry with Olive, that would make everything easy. But Olive, as bad as she was, was some mother’s foal, she had worried, scared parents, and with that thought, all Trixie could think about was how troubled Sapphire Gin and Vermouth must be. She was certain that this was all part of some terrible plan by Twilight Sparkle to make her aware of the troubles of the ponies around her and make her have some sort of social consciousness. 

It bothered her that she was going to have a stern conversation with Sumac about his own part in this. It didn’t feel very fair, but doing the right thing didn’t always feel fair. She seemed to recall that Tarnish, or perhaps Maud had once said that. Life wasn’t fair… it wasn’t fair to Tarnish or Maud that they had to put themselves into danger, go into a camp full of dangerous diamond dogs, and rescue a waylaid traveller who had been in dire straits, but they had done it. 

It also wasn’t very fair that said waylaid traveller had slipped off in the night, no doubt leaving her rescuers to worry about her. Trixie felt a painful stab of guilt, an actual physical sensation, and it went right through her right front leg, the leg that had been full of gangrene and rot. 

There were things that Trixie had to make right. It scared her and she didn’t know how to begin, but she had to try. She looked over at Sumac and knew that she had to do it for him. She owed him that. She had to be a good example. 

She felt another pony brush up against her side, looked over, and saw Lemon Hearts. Her eyes, the same colour as raspberry jam, were reflective in the current light and Trixie could see herself in them. After staring for a moment, Trixie felt warmth blossoming in her cheeks and she looked away, returning her gaze to the foals sitting on the couch. A smile spread over her muzzle and she heard a little snort from Lemon Hearts. 

“You have competition,” Lemon Hearts said in a teasing voice. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Trixie replied. 

“You aren’t the only mare in Sumac’s life… you have competition in the form of a little chocolate brown filly—” 

“That’s not competition,” Trixie retorted as she shook her head, “she’s… well, she’s a helper. Maybe she can help keep him straight when I’m not around.” 

“That’s a funny way of looking at it.” 

“How so?” 

“Usually, little fillies are a mother’s nightmare. They exist to take their precious colts away and rob them of their sweet innocence.” There was a giggle from Lemon Hearts. “Or sometimes they steal a daughter. I’m not one to judge.” 

Eyes narrowing, Trixie shook her head. “Little colts are just as capable of swiping innocence.” Trixie watched as Pebble held her book out so Sumac could look at a picture. “One day, Sumac is going to start noticing fillies and everything will be all over, I suppose. Our special relationship will be gone and his heart will belong to another.” 

“Don’t take it so hard,” Lemon Hearts said to Trixie in a low, soft, whispery voice. “You still have plenty of time. He’s still sweet, and little, and will cuddle with you in the bed.” A low chuckle could be heard coming from the mare. 

“It seemed like only yesterday I met him… where did the years go?” Trixie asked. 

As Trixie stood there, thinking back upon those happy years, she heard a loud thud followed by the sound of shattering glass that made her ears perk. Her head jerked upwards and she began to look around, trying to peer out the windows. She heard shouting, then whimpering, and more shouting. She heard the word ‘sniveling’ and knew there was something wrong. 

“Stay with Sumac!” Trixie commanded Pebble as she headed for the front door. 

Trixie moved with surprising swiftness, her knees popping, and she flinched when a particularly loud crackle came from her right front leg. It didn’t slow her down though. Lemon Hearts moved with her, her horn glowing, and it was Lemon Hearts who jerked the door open so both of them could go outside to find out what was going wrong. 



 

Many of the neighbors were out and Trixie had trouble trying to determine the source of the commotion. She looked around, up and down the street, and that was when she saw it. Cinnamon Fire was running right for her, his eyes wide with terror, and behind him, hot on his heels, was his father. Trixie blinked. The little colt was limping, favouring his left hind leg. His nose was bloodied. Trixie blinked again and when her eyes opened, there was a terrible rushing sound in her ears. 

“How dare you!” After she spat out the words, she gritted her teeth. Her aching knees somehow made her anger and her rage even worse, making it difficult to concentrate. “How dare you hurt somepony so small and so helpless!” The past and the present began to swirl together for Trixie, and she could feel her old hurts, her injuries. She felt every blow, every unkind cuff from the diamond dogs, and the intrusion of the past upon the present made her dizzy. 

There was more shouting from the neighbors around them and Cinnamon went running past Trixie, yelping, whimpering, and something about the sounds triggered something deep within the mare who had an unfortunate moment of her past catching up to her. Trixie, who for the most part, tried to be the Humble and Penitent Trixie, boiled over. 

Baring her teeth, her ears perking, her horn glowing, she became the Furious and Ferocious Trixie. Moving on reflex, she ripped a mailbox out of the ground from beside her, yanking it up post and all, and then with a terrible but terrific gonging sound, she brought the mailbox down upon the charging stallion’s head. 

He dropped to the ground, unmoving, limp, and unresponsive. 

Not done, Trixie lifted the mailbox up high into the air, and it quivered over the body of the prone stallion. Her whole body trembled with rage, so much so that her teeth were clattering together, even though she was trying to grind them against each other.

“Trixie… it’s over and done with… don’t do it… please… there’ll be trouble if you do it…” Lemon Hearts’ words were pleading, she begged for Trixie to come to her senses. “Look, whatever bad things happened to you, he didn’t do them. He did something awful and he’ll pay for it… but you need to step away.” 

The mailbox, which was dented and misshapen, was tossed away. It landed with a clatter upon the cobblestones, skittered over the road, and came to a skidding halt when it collided with the fence. 

“Attagirl,” Lemon Hearts’ said to Trixie as she scooped up Cinnamon. “We need to have you looked at, little guy. Is it okay if I help you?” Lemon Hearts held the colt up to eye level and began to examine him. 

“He lost his temper,” Cinnamon said in a whimpering, shrill whisper. “He lost his temper…” 

Lemon Hearts, frozen, unsure of what to do at the moment, eyed Trixie, who was still frozen and unmoving. Her ears twitched, her horn was still glowing, and the corners of her eyes had violent tics. “Trixie… go inside… go inside and be with Sumac—” 

An explosion of brilliant magenta light interrupted Lemon Hearts and there was a blinding flash. Blinking, Lemon Hearts tried to clear her vision, but she didn’t need to see to know who had just arrived. The booming voice gave her away. 

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?” Twilight demanded seconds after she materialised. 

Taking everything in, Twilight looked at the dented mailbox, the stallion laid low in the street, the ponies, who all looked a little spooked, and one Trixie Lulamoon, who did not appear to be spooked. In fact, of the many emotions that Trixie seemed to be experiencing, fear was not one of them. Sensing the greatest danger present, Twilight moved to Trixie’s side. 

“Hey, you… you okay? Trixie… can you say something?” Twilight’s voice was every bit as soft as it had been hard and flinty just a few seconds ago. She reached out a wing and caressed Trixie’s neck. “Hey… I’m guessing you did that. Good work. It’s over now… you can calm down…”

As Twilight cajoled Trixie, her horn went dim. Closing her eyes, Trixie collapsed against Twilight and let out a grief stricken, pained sob as her knees buckled. Twilight caught her, lifted her, and held her up. The alicorn looked at the stallion sprawled in the road and then after much looking around, she saw that Lemon Hearts was holding Cinnamon. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. 

Today had been one of those days. 



 

“What’s going to happen?” Lemon Hearts asked as Twilight Sparkle stood looking down at Sumac. “And what are we to do with Cinnamon?” 

Twilight Sparkle lifted her head, then turned to face Lemon Hearts. “A Warden is coming down from Canterlot.” As Twilight spoke, there was a whimper from Trixie. “Do you mind keeping him for a night? Just until we can figure out what to do? I know it’s a lot to ask—” 

“It’s not much to ask,” Trixie said in a wavering, reedy voice. 

“I’ll take him to the hospital,” Twilight said as she asserted control over the situation. “We need to have him looked at. Lemon Hearts, I need for you to keep an eye on Trixie. I’m worried. I’m asking you this in an official capacity. Do you understand?” 

“Yes I do,” Lemon Hearts replied, nodding her head. 

Turning her head, Twilight looked Trixie in the eye. “You are not in trouble, so don’t worry. Your efforts to subdue him are commendable.” Twilight’s eyebrow lifted a bit and she appeared as though she was about to say something else, but she didn’t. 

“This has been quite a day.” Pebble’s monotonous voice caused Twilight to turn her head. “First Olive, now this.” The little filly blinked, squirmed in her seat, adjusted her dress, and then reached out to touch Sumac. “One finds themselves asking why these things happen and why more wasn’t done to prevent them.” 

“Because we try to believe in the good in ponies,” Twilight replied with a great deal of patience. “Because we try to give them a chance to turn their lives around. It isn’t perfect… and sometimes, things go wrong, they do… but they sometimes also go right… like Trixie here. She was given a chance to straighten out, and because of that, she was in the right place at the right time to save Cinnamon.” 

“I don’t see Olive saving anypony any time soon.” Pebble folded her forelegs over her barrel and gave Twilight an unyielding stare. “And Cinnamon had to pay for his father’s second chances.” 

“I’ll be the first to admit that there are problems. I am making reforms, but it takes time, it’s not easy to make changes. The system resists changing. A lot of the laws are old, outdated, and from another time, another era. For every great failure, there are also great successes, like Starlight. She is now a powerful force for good.” Twilight once again focused her gaze upon Trixie. “And Sumac has a mother that loves him… when the system works, it works well.” 

“But when it breaks, it does so spectacularly.” Pebble let out a dejected sigh, grabbed Sumac around the neck, and pulled him closer as he let out a few muffled whimpers of protest. “Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why can’t there ever be easy answers?” The little filly scowled and her ears drooped. “Life is unfair and complicated.” 

Twilight nodded. “Yeah it is, Pebble, yeah it is…” 
	
> Chapter 26
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Unable to sit still, Trixie paced back and forth in the living room, sometimes pausing to look over at Sumac and Pebble. Sitting over at the kitchen table, Lemon Hearts held a steaming cup of lemongrass tea aloft with her telekinesis. The left corner of Trixie’s mouth twitched and her left ear bounced up and down in time to her facial tics. 

The soft, monotonous sound of Pebble’s voice as she read about Daring Do was soothing to everypony in the room. Sumac was half awake, half dozing, his eyelids appeared heavy, hard to keep open, and Boomer was playing with strands of his mane, running her tiny fingers through them like a comb. 

“She’s been gone a long time,” Trixie said, her voice nothing more than a hushed whisper. “I hope he’s okay… I hope he’s okay… I’m so worried… I stopped it… I stopped it…” 

Taking a sip of her tea, Lemon Hearts peered at Trixie over the top of her cup, a worried expression on her face. Pebble had gone silent and was looking at Trixie. Even Sumac, drugged as he was, had somehow managed to turn his head and look at the distressed mare pacing the floor. 

“I couldn’t stop what happened to me… when I got sick… they just kept beating me and saying I was lazy… I couldn’t make it stop… I couldn’t save myself… but I made it stop for somepony else… I made it stop… I made the hurting stop… I—”

“Trixie,” Lemon Hearts said to her friend as she set her teacup down upon the table, “come over here to me.” 

A low whine could be heard coming from Trixie as she went over to where Lemon Hearts was sitting. She stood beside Lemon Hearts’ chair and seemed surprised when the lemony yellow mare wrapped her forelegs around her neck. For a moment, Trixie resisted, trying to pull away, but Lemon Hearts had a good, strong grip, and she would not be denied. After a moment, Trixie relented and sank into the reassuring embrace of her friend. Lemon Hearts placed her lips close to Trixie’s ear and made a shushing noise to silence Trixie’s faint whimpering. With a crackle, Trixie’s knees buckled and she sat down on her haunches, her tail spilling out onto the floor behind her. 

Lemon Hearts tightened her embrace around Trixie’s neck and drew the suffering mare’s head close to her barrel, over her heart, and held her. Lemon Hearts closed her eyes and her ears went limp as she stroked Trixie’s neck, going from crest to withers with a slow, lingering touch.

“It’s been, what, five years, and you’ve still got all of this bottled up inside of you?” Lemon Hearts’ ticklish words were whispered into one velvet, twitching ear, as she had her head angled downwards. “You did good today… you didn’t give into your rage. I’m proud of you. It’s easy for the abused to become the abuser.” 

Turning her head, Pebble looked at Sumac, and a myriad of wrinkles appeared upon her tiny brow. She appeared to be concentrating, thoughtful, and after a moment of silent contemplation, she reached out so she could touch Sumac’s cheek. 

As she did so, there was a knock upon the door, a heavy, thudding knock. 

Letting go of Trixie, Lemon Hearts bounced out of her chair, landed on her hooves, and made her way to the door. She paused for a moment, used her magic to straighten out her mane so she would be presentable, and then pulled the door open. 

There was a wordless cry from Trixie, followed by the shrill shriek of, “WARDEN!” In a flash, Trixie went streaking off, running for the bathroom door. She entered and slammed the door behind her. The sound of her hooves clattering on the tile filled the room.

A tall, imposing figure pushed his way inside. He wasn’t wearing armor, but a well fitted suit jacket. Black wraparound sunglasses covered his eyes. A somewhat battered trilby hat sat upon his head, sitting at a rakish angle. 

“Hello,” he said in a low rumble, “my name is Warden Wormwood. You may call me Wormwood. I am here to learn more about the… incident.” As he spoke, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. 

“Hello Mister Wormwood—” 

“Just Wormwood.” The big bat-winged pegasus grinned, revealing pearlescent white fangs. He shut the front door behind him as he took a few steps into the room and had a look around. He paused when he saw the two foals and a hatchling on the couch. Extending his wing, he pinched his trilby in between his clawed thumb and his central knuckle on his wing, then tipped his hat to Pebble with a slight bow of his head. “Hello again, Pebble.” 

“Hiya Wormy,” Pebble replied. “Scare anypony to death yet today?” 

“Pebble, darling, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” Lemon Hearts shot Pebble a glance, her eyes pleading with the foal, begging for good behaviour. She turned to Wormwood and gave him an apprehensive smile. 

“Oh, it’s okay. Pebble and I know one another. I know her father and her mother.” The big, brutish pegasus inhaled and his sides expanded like bellows. “You wouldn’t happen to know a way to lure Trixie out of the bathroom, would you?” 

“I might,” Lemon Hearts replied. “How is Cinnamon? And what about his father?” 

“The colt will be fine, he had to have his hip reset and put back into its socket. As for the colt’s father… he’s in custody.” Wormwood shook his head and let out a thunderous, rumbling sigh. 

“Is it really important to speak to Trixie?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

The big brute nodded. “To both of you. I need to see what you saw. We need to understand intent. To see him as others saw him. Since you and Trixie were directly involved, I need to peek inside of your head.” 

“I see.” Lemon Hearts sounded a little bit confused. 

“Crime scene reconstruction.” Wormwood eyed the bathroom door. “Trixie… you’ve been a good pony… you have nothing to fear from me. You’ve stayed in the light, and those in the light have nothing to fear.” 

The bathroom door opened and after a second, Trixie’s head poked out. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Her cheeks were stained with tears. She trembled and shook as she stared at Wormwood. 

“Come out, little pony…” Wormwood’s baritone voice was soft, reassuring, and almost hypnotic. “You’ve paid for what you’ve done and now you do your penance. It isn’t my job to scare you, or to punish you, but I am a shepherd here to protect you, little one. Come here to me.” 

Mewling with fear, Trixie stepped out of the bathroom, her tail tucked between her legs, her ears drooping, and when she walked she dragged her hooves over the floor. She walked with her head low, her posture submissive, and her spine sagged in the middle. 

Curious, Lemon Hearts watched as Warden Wormwood pulled off his glasses. His eyes were slitted, draconic, not at all like a pony’s eyes. She felt her blood run cold and she shivered. 

“Come, let me see what took place…” Wormwood’s voice was hypnotic, kind, and reassuring. Hearing it made Lemon Hearts feel sleepy. Her eyelids grew heavy and her ears felt as though they were made out of lead. She felt like she wanted to take a nap. She watched as the Warden lowered his head down to peer into Trixie’s eyes. Lemon Hearts felt a dull sense of detached worry when Trixie’s eyes swirled with white motes of light and her body stiffened. 

“All of this is very troubling,” Wormwood said as his own amber eyes glowed with a strange inner light. “You’ve grown, changed, you’ve embraced the light since our last meeting. This is good. You’ve rejected the darkness, but you were tempted by it today. The voice of another turned you back. You’ve grown so very much.” 

“It hurts,” Trixie said in a strange, wavering voice as she was held in Wormwood’s thrall. 

“I know it does, little one. It is like a splinter in the mind.” The Warden sat down upon the floor, made himself comfortable, and extended one wing. He wrapped it around Trixie’s neck, pulled her closer, and held her in a tender embrace. “Let me see if I can pull out that sliver for you… there it is… I can smooth this over, make this better.” He lowered his head and his snoot bumped up against Trixie’s. 

At his touch, Trixie broke into sobs, body wracking sobs, and she threw her forelegs around his neck. She blinked a few times, the strange motes of light cleared from her eyes, and she buried her face against Wormwood’s shaggy neck. 

“I am a shepherd, here to comfort the sheep,” Wormwood whispered. He gave Trixie a gentle squeeze, holding her, cradling her body with his wings while she wept. “Through pain and misfortune, you finally know what you have done to others, the pain that you have caused, and you are truly penitent.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Trixie wailed. 

“I know you are, I have looked into your mind and found honesty.” Wormwood extended his other wing and made a gesture to Lemon Hearts. Almost as if she was compelled by some unseen force, she came forward and was also embraced by Wormwood. 

When his eyes met hers, the world vanished. She thought about all of the awful things she had done in her life, but being a creature of simple, unabashed goodness, there wasn't much to think about. She had lied a bit as a foal, stolen some candy, and one time, she had illegally parked a wagon. Feeling guilty beyond measure, she squirmed a bit in Wormwood’s embrace. The images of what had happened earlier today flickered in her mind, like a movie on a silver screen. She saw details that she herself hadn’t noticed when the actual events had taken place. She saw the difference between Trixie and her neighbors. 

The neighbors were all terrified. Several looked as though they wanted to help, but the wide eyed looks of terror made it easy to see why nopony got involved. Unicorn magic was terrifying and Cinnamon’s father could have unleashed a great deal of destruction. Lemon Hearts saw it all with perfect clarity. The fear, the panic, and the terror. While most ponies retreated, watching, wanting to help but unable to deal with their own fear, Trixie had charged forwards. Lemon Hearts realised that her own fear had held her back. 

It was in this dreamlike stupour that Lemon Hearts realised that not all ponies were the same. Some shied away from danger, others ran towards it without reservation. The herd had a tendency to want to run, while certain individuals that had been broken off from the herd for whatever reason tended to want to fight. Individuality was terrifying and Lemon Hearts didn’t like it, not one bit. Trixie was a stronger pony than her by far, even in her broken, fragile state. 

Blinking, Lemon Hearts found herself staring up at Wormwood. She had trouble piecing together what had just happened. She felt like she was waking up in the dentist’s chair, groggy, out of sorts, and a bit disoriented. Wormwood’s touch was gentle, soothing even, and she felt sheltered in his embrace in a way that she had never felt with any other stallion, or pony for that matter. He was a wall of living flesh that would protect her from anything, anything at all, he would fight and die to keep her safe. Much like Trixie, she found herself becoming emotional without understanding why, and tears began to flow down her cheeks in a steady trickle. 

I know your secret, Wormwood’s voice said deep within Lemon Hearts’ mind. Be gentle and cautious, for she is not yet healed. She has scars that you can’t see. Friendship and acceptance are difficult concepts for her, as she does not yet feel worthy of love. She is still consumed by her own guilt. Be patient with her. 

Lemon Hearts shook her head, startled by the intrusion in her mind. She craned her head and looked up at Wormwood. She inhaled, smelling him, he smelled like sandalwood and something citrusy. She realised that she was pressed up against Trixie. She felt Wormwood retreating, backing away from them, and she watched as he stood up. 

The big brute of a pegasus turned around, headed for the couch, and then stood before it. He lowered his head. “No, Pebble, I haven’t scared anypony to death today, but the day’s not over yet.” He grinned, revealing fangs, and then let out a groan when Pebble rolled her eyes. 

“You don’t scare my mother and you don’t scare me, either.” Pebble stared up at the much larger pony with her ears angled over her eyes. 

“Only those who dabble in darkness have reason to fear me,” Wormwood replied. 

“Mother is going to have to have a talk with Father about his dark dabblings, if that’s the case.” 

“Your father is plagued by temptation, like so many others. He does a remarkable job of resisting, but he thinks about it. And that is bad enough. Thoughts are dangerous. A thought leads to action. And an action, once taken, cannot be undone. Your father is right to fear me, as he also fears his dark thoughts. His fear will keep him honest and true.” 

Blinking, Pebble turned her head so she could look at Sumac. He was too drugged to have much of a response to anything and stared at Wormwood through half open eyes. Pebble could see the fear though, it bubbled up to the surface like a hot spring. 

“Yes, he has the darkness within him,” Wormwood said in a low whisper to Pebble. “The seeds of darkness are already there. He walks in shadow. His rage, his anger, his bitterness, his feelings of resentment, they all plague him.” Wormwood blinked his slitted eyes, pulled out his wraparound glasses from his jacket pocket, and slid them onto his face. “One good friend can save him from the darkness… it worked for your father. Your mother is more than a stone, a rock… she is an anchor, a foundation. She is a sturdy place for your father to make a stand and feel secure. She is his retreat when he feels the darkness will consume him. You would be wise to learn from your parents, Pebble Pie.” 

“Learn what?” Pebble asked. 

Wormwood let out a gruff growl. “In time, you’ll know. The strongest earth ponies can carry the heaviest loads. You, Pebble Pie, have your mother’s strength. Use it wisely.” Wormwood nodded his head, adjusted his hat, and straightened his lapels. “I must be going. I must go tell a father that he will never be seeing his son again. I have an unpleasant evening ahead of me.” 

“Wormwood?” Trixie’s voice was weak, raspy sounding, and little more than a whisper. 

“Yes?” 

“Thank you… I mean that… thank you.”

Bowing his head, Wormwood replied, “You’re welcome.” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 27
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There was something lumpy between Sumac’s head and his pillow. It took him a few sleepy and confused seconds to figure out that it was his mane. He slid his head around against his pillowcase, trying to smooth his mane out to get rid of the lumps. As he did this, he felt two forelegs grab him and pull him closer. 

A moment later, there was a somewhat damp snuffle against his ear, then a kiss. He didn’t mind. He was hurting, it was more than soreness, he was groggy and had a headache. He had trouble remembering last night and a good part of yesterday afternoon. 

“I’ve been so worried about you,” Trixie said in a low whisper and her lips tickled Sumac’s ear, causing it to twitch. “Kiddo, I know you must be hurting. How about I help you get to the bathroom, then get you some breakfast, and then I’ll get you some pain medicine… does that sound good?” 

“Thirsty,” Sumac croaked, and it hurt to speak. He didn’t bother trying to say anything else. His mouth was dry, too dry, so dry that his tongue felt as though it would crack open if he kept moving it. 

“I know… the pain medicine will make you thirsty.” There was another kiss followed by a gentle squeeze. “You’ll be okay though. Pebble is downstairs, and Cinnamon was brought here a little after midnight. He’s pretty messed up too.” 

Sumac blinked a few times and even his eyes felt dry. He could feel his eyelids scraping over his eyeballs. He wanted a drink more than anything else in the whole wide world. He coughed, then wished that he hadn’t, as the scratchy feeling in his throat was agonising. He had a feeling that it was going to be a rough morning. 



 

Sitting at the table, Sumac leaned against the edge and rested his forelegs on either side of his plate. He had already guzzled down two glasses of apple juice and was working on a third. He hadn’t said much of anything to Pebble or Cinnamon. 

Cinnamon’s hind leg was wrapped in a bandage and secured against his body to keep it immobilised. The colt looked miserable, he looked as miserable as Sumac felt, which was pretty miserable. Even in his current state, Sumac felt bad for Cinnamon. He didn’t know what was going on, he had trouble remembering the events of yesterday. 

Sitting on the edge of the table near Pebble, Boomer begged the filly for food, which Pebble provided. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, Pebble was the only foal present that didn’t look like a miserable lump. She was still wearing her nightgown. 

“What took so long for them to bring Cinnamon to us?” Pebble asked. 

Looking up from a cup of breakfast tea, Lemon Hearts addressed the question that Pebble had asked. “He stayed in the hospital for a while for observation, and then nice Warden Wormwood visited him and they had a talk.” She looked over at the colt sitting across the table from her. “Somepony from foal services will be by today to check in on him.” 

“I like Wormwood,” Cinnamon said in a groggy voice. “He was nice to me and brought me a bottle of Celestia~Cola. He said it was his favourite and I liked it too.”

Somewhat bleary eyed, it had been a long night for Trixie, the blue mare nodded her head. “I think I’ve come to like Wormwood. It’s strange, I was so scared of him, but last night… last night, he showed me how others see me.” She looked over at Sumac, her eyes distant, and it took several long seconds before she continued, “He gave me the proof that I’ve been craving… needing… that others think of me as a good pony. I know it sounds silly, but I worry so much about how others see me… if they’ve noticed that I’ve changed. If they can see that I’m trying to do good. And he showed me… he showed me what others think… they think that I’m a good mother and somehow, that makes everything better.” 

“A good mother, a good friend, and a good mare,” Lemon Hearts said as she turned her head to look Trixie in the eye. “I suppose we all need a little convincing of our own goodness from time to time.” 

“Yeah.” Trixie slumped down on the couch, there was no room for her at the table, lifted up her teacup, and took of sip of breakfast tea. 

Even in his groggy, disoriented state, Sumac could sense that something was different about Trixie. Something had changed. Something had happened, but what it was, he didn’t know. Last night was a blur. He had a vague memory of a ginormous bat winged pegasus visiting them. 

Using his telekinesis, he slipped his straw between his lips and kept drinking. As he slurped down more apple juice, he lifted up a thick, sticky piece of pancake, tearing it off, and held it out for Boomer, who let out a happy trilling sound when she saw it. Sumac was hungry, but he wasn’t sure if he could swallow something doughy and sticky, like pancakes, but he didn’t say anything. He would try to do so in a bit, once he had more to drink. 

Grabbing the bite of food in her fingers, Boomer’s maw opened wide and she crammed the entire sticky lump right in, then her tongue darted out to lick her fingers. When she swallowed, the big lump could be seen sliding down her narrow neck. 

Taking a more direct approach, Boomer, who was still hungry, opened her mouth wide, gave Sumac the saddest eyes she could muster, and then pointed down her gullet with her finger as her tail swished behind her. Her pantomime couldn’t make it any clearer—she was hungry and wanted more food. Sumac rewarded her by tearing off a huge chunk of his pancakes, which lay steaming on the plate in front of him. 

“She’s smart,” Lemon Hearts said as she watched Boomer eating. 

“I can’t wait until she talks.” Pebble pushed her now empty plate away and rested her front hooves upon the edge of the table. “Thank you.” 

“Oh, you’re very welcome, Pebble,” Lemon Hearts replied. “Oh goodness, I need to get to work. Trixie… good luck looking after the little ones.” Eyes narrowing, a sly smile spread over Lemon Hearts’ face. “Say, Trixie… tell me… how do you feel about looking after a houseful of foals?” 

Not knowing what to say, Trixie shrugged, but said nothing in return. 



 

Looking up from her book, Trixie stared at the front door. Somepony was knocking. She blinked, startled, and realised that time had slipped away from her while she had been studying magic. She rose from her chair, her knees creaking, and winced when her bad leg popped. 

She glanced over at the couch, where the three foals sat, Sumac appeared to be half asleep, Cinnamon was awake but glassy eyed, and Pebble was reading to the both of them in a low, monotonous voice that sounded an awful lot like her mother’s. 

Horn glowing, she pulled open the front door, then stood with her mouth agape, rather surprised by who she saw. Trixie took a step back away from the door, making room for her guests to enter, and she said, “Hello Twilight Velvet. I’m surprised to see you here.” 

“Previous directors spent too much time behind a desk. I’m trying to remedy that.” Twilight Velvet stepped inside, moved out of the way, and then turned her head to look at Trixie as Wormwood entered and stood beside her. “Twilight told me to tell you that you’re getting paid for today, Miss Lulamoon.” 

“Oh.” Trixie backed away, tilted her head back, and looked up at Wormwood. “Good morning, Wormwood. Something tells me you haven’t had much sleep.” 

“No.” Wormwood grinned and then adjusted his dark glasses. 

“Poor guy.” Trixie clucked her tongue. “It’s nice seeing you, Wormwood, don’t get the wrong idea, but why are you here?”

“He’s my trainee,” Twilight Velvet replied. 

“What?” Trixie did a double take. “What?” 

“Warden Wormwood is set to retire in just a few weeks.” Twilight Velvet grinned. “He’ll be joining foal services as a social worker and foal fetcher.” 

“Oh, Trixie sees…” 

Moving past Trixie, Twilight Velvet  made a beeline for the couch. She smiled at the foals, a warm, sincere, loving smile, and then sat down on the floor in front of them as Pebble closed her book. She cleared her throat, made herself comfortable, and then looked Cinnamon in the eye. 

“It’s good that you have your friends with you,” she said in a smooth, soothing voice. “I have some good news for you, Cinnamon. Now, I know that everything is scary right now and there is a lot to go through during this transition, but everything will be okay. You have your friends, you have nice ponies like Trixie and Lemon Hearts who are willing to help you, and best of all, you have a family member coming to look after you.” 

The colt blinked, looking surprised. “But my father said that my family didn’t want anything to do with me.” Cinnamon looked confused and a bit hurt as he spoke. 

Hearing the colt’s words, Twilight Velvet’s smile vanished. “That’s not true. Your father’s family didn’t want anything to do with him, but they’ve been worried about you. Now, they can’t all come out here and look after you, and I don’t think that you want to go and live with them, because you have friends here and you worked very hard to get into Twilight’s school.” 

Cinnamon nodded. 

“You have an aunt, your father’s younger sister… she’s a little young, but she’s at that age when she wants to leave home and make her way in the world. She’s agreed to come to Ponyville, live in your father’s house, and look after you. She’s dying to get to know you.” 

“Really?” Cinnamon’s eyes went wide. 

“Really.” Twilight Velvet’s head bobbed up and down. “Her name is Cassia and she’s taking a train right now. She’ll be here late tonight.” The older mare lowered her head until she was down at Cinnamon’s eye level. “Cinnamon, your father, he won’t be coming back. I think you know this already, as Wormwood spoke to you last night. Your father is sick… he’s very, very sick. The alcohol has made him ill. He’s going to be going away so he can get better, but once he’s better, he’s not going to be allowed to come and see you until you are an adult. When you are an adult, you can make a choice to see him, if you would like, or you can just move on with your life. I know this is going to be very, very difficult for you, but you have friends who will help you. And you will have Wormwood to talk to, if you feel troubled. He’s going to be posted here in Ponyville.” 

Moving into the kitchen, Trixie began to prepare tea for her guests, all while watching Twilight Velvet interact with Cinnamon. There was something very maternal about the whole thing, and she hoped that she might pick up or learn something from Twilight’s mother. After all, Twilight Velvet had raised two ponies that had become royalty, so she had to have exceptional motherhood skills, or so Trixie reasoned. 

Cinnamon, who had something of a smile on his face, turned and looked at Pebble. “I have an aunt that wants to meet me.” 

“I have aunts. You’ll like having one. It’s like having a spare mother around and they usually say yes when your mother says no, because they want to be your friend, rather than your parent.” Pebble’s head swiveled and she looked at Twilight Velvet. She didn’t say anything, but she just stared at the middle aged mare with a peculiar expression upon her face. 

“Indeed.” Twilight Velvet chuckled a bit, then returned her attention to Cinnamon. “Now, I need you to be a very good little colt. Cassia is scared to death. She’s never lived on her own before, this is her first time leaving home. She desperately wants to prove to the world that she is all grown up. She also wants to meet you. She’s only heard stories about you. So I need for you to be the very best colt that you can be to make her life easier while she adjusts. Can you do that for me?” 

“Yeah.” Cinnamon nodded, then turned and looked up Wormwood. “If she gets scared, can she go to you for help?” 

The big brute of a pegasus nodded, then sniffed as the fragrant scent of tea filled the air. He smiled, revealing his fangs, cleared his throat, and then Wormwood said, “I’ll be checking up on you twice a week. I’m going to make sure you keep your room clean. I’m on to you, Mister.” 

A fearful expression crept over Cinnamon’s face and he gulped. 

“I’d keep your room clean,” Twilight Velvet suggested. “Cleaning up after yourself would probably help Cassia adjust to being your caretaker. Think you can do that?” 

Turning to look at Twilight Velvet, Cinnamon nodded. “I can keep my room clean and I can do dishes too.” 

“Good.” Twilight Velvet smiled. “You know, I think everything is going to be fine…” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 28
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The worst part of this whole mess was that Sumac was unable to walk on his own. He could not put any of his weight on either foreleg, meaning he was dependent on somepony else for everything, including trips to the bathroom, which was embarrassing. There was no point in complaining about it though. As he had learned from Starlight, life was unfair, but at least he was lucky enough to have friends to get him through the rough spots. 

He was feeling hungry, it was a persistent hunger that did not go away no matter how much he ate. His senses felt dulled, he was sleepy, but he also felt jittery in a strange way. He suspected it was the pain relieving medicine that was making him feel so peculiar. 

Cinnamon was napping—no doubt, he was affected by the pain relieving drink as well—and the little colt drooled all over his forelegs, where his head rested. Trixie was sitting in a chair, reading a book about magic, lost in her own thoughts. Pebble too, was reading, as she was wont to do. Sumac wasn’t up for much and he just sort of stared at the wall, thinking about all of the things he wished he had said to Olive. He was far more clever in hindsight. He had all kinds of witty things to say, biting quips, and sarcastic jabs. 

Sumac’s disconnected brain drifted and he found himself thinking of Pebble. She was nice, she smelled good, and something about her was… pretty. Yes, pretty. Pebble was pretty in a plain sort of way, sort of like how a carnation or a daisy was pretty in their own way, even though they were no rose. Pebble wore dresses to protect her sun sensitive skin and there was something about her dresses that Sumac liked. He wondered how much laundry had to be done because of her dress wearing. She was a pleasing chocolate brown colour, dark chocolate, dark, dark chocolate, the good stuff, the stuff that made you feel light headed when you peeled off the wrapper. 

Yes indeed, Pebble looked good enough to eat. 

Now disgusted with himself, Sumac tried to push the unwanted thoughts out of his brain as strong feelings of revulsion made him shudder. Another thought entered his brain unbidden—he had never seen Pebble’s cutie mark. He knew that she had one, but he had never seen it. It was always covered by her dress. 

For a moment, his addled brain thought about asking Pebble to pull up her dress so he could check out her cutie mark, but then he thought better of it. He didn’t want to be slapped. No, asking a filly to pull up her dress so you could have a look at her cutie mark was something that you did later, when you were older. At some point, he was certain he would see her cutie mark, he just wasn’t sure when. 

Three heavy thumps upon the door jolted Sumac from his thoughts and he realised that he had been staring at Pebble this whole time. He turned away, feeling guilty, and not knowing why. He heard the sound of hooves on the floor and saw that Trixie was about to answer the door. One ear drooped and the other just sort stayed where it was when Sumac tried to make his ears perk up. 

When the door was pulled open, Sumac heard a familiar voice say, “I can’t stay long, I’m real busy, but I dropped by to have a word with Sumac.” 

“Good… you should have a word with Sumac,” Trixie replied as Big Mac stepped through the door. 

Big Mac was very, very big, and Sumac felt very, very small. Smaller than usual. As Big Mac approached, he found that he could not look the big stallion in the eye. Guilt and shame consumed him and he did not like the look of disapproval he saw on Big Mac’s face. Ears now drooping, he stared down at the floor. 

“You a’right?” Big Mac asked. 

When he tried to speak, Sumac’s throat went dry and his words came out in a squeak. “I’ve been better.” 

“Word got to me about what you did,” Big Mac said in a soft voice that was almost a whisper. The big red pony paused for a moment and began to chew his lower lip as he blinked his green eyes. He appeared to be thinking. 

“Quick, Sumac, look miserable,” Pebble whispered into Sumac’s ear. 

He didn’t need to look miserable. He was miserable. He could feel it. Shame and misery burned through him and he felt his eyes watering as he stared down at the floor. He felt his barrel hitching and it made his shoulders ache. He didn’t want to cry—not in front of Big Mac. That would make everything worse. In fact, that would pretty much be the worst thing in the whole wide world, crying in front of Big Mac. Sumac sucked everything in and tried to hold it together. 

“You did wrong.” Big Mac’s words made Sumac flinch. “You did wrong and I think you know it. I heard about what you did. Now, I know all about Olive. She’s a bad one. But she’s also a filly and you, you’re not just a colt, but you’re also an Apple. For shame, Sumac Apple.” 

Stinging tears threatened to escape and Sumac squeezed his eyes shut. 

“There is no excuse for what you did.” Big Mac’s voice softened a bit more and dropped in volume. “You’re little… I get that. But what we do when we’re little plants the seeds for how we grow. Do you really want to be known as a sarcastic smart mouth that treats the mare folk poorly?” 

“No.” Sumac shook his head. 

“Look me in the eye and say that,” Big Mac said. 

It seemed impossible to lift his head and open his eyes. When he started to open his eyes, a few tears slipped out, and he squeezed his eyes closed right away. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath, licked the roof of his mouth with his tongue hoping to moisten his mouth a bit, and wondered how he was going to do this. 

He felt a soft touch on his neck and he knew it was Pebble. He found his strength. He opened his eyes and allowed the tears to slip down his cheeks, and after a bit of a struggle, he managed to look up at Big Mac, who was looking down at him. He found it difficult to look into those green eyes that matched his own. 

“I did wrong… it felt good to cut her down and say mean things, but it was wrong.” 

“Is ya sorry?” Big Mac’s eyes narrowed and he lowered his head a bit.  

“Yes I am,” Sumac replied. 

“No matter how awful she is, she’s still a filly.” Big Mac’s stern expression became something a little softer, but not by much. “Be the good pony we all know you can be.” 

“Okay.” 

“Well then, I think this has been dealt with. There’s nothing left to say and I think you’ve been punished enough.” Big Mac glanced over at Trixie and waited for some sign of agreement. When Trixie nodded, he continued, “Remember who you are, Sumac Apple. Our name means something. Your father tarnished our good name. He dragged it through the mud and he made us all look bad. You don’t understand it yet, but if you go around with a smart mouth, other ponies are going to think that you’re turning out like your father, and you don’t want that. Hold yourself accountable. Do good.” 

“Yes sir.” Sumac managed to nod his head. The tears flowing down his cheeks seemed to relieve some of the pressure and he felt better, even though it bothered him to be crying in front of Big Mac. It just felt wrong. 

“Applejack wanted to give you a darn good hiding,” Big Mac said to Sumac. “It’s gonna take her a while to cool off. I promised to come over and give you a stern talking to. She’s gotta scratch her mad spot and get over it.” 

“I won’t do it again,” Sumac promised. 

“Good.” Big Mac gave the colt a half smile. “I need to be going. Next time, you treat a lady like a lady, even if she isn’t acting like one.” 

“Okay.” Sumac sniffled and worried about the boogers now clogging up his nose. 

“Goodbye, Sumac.” Big Mac turned his head. “Pebble, do try to keep him straightened out, okay?” 

“I am trying,” Pebble replied. 

“Well, just don’t give up. I need to be going.” And having said what needed to be said, Big Mac turned about, headed for the door, bowed his head to Trixie as he passed, flicked his tail, and then was gone, whistling as he walked out the door. 

Trixie shut the door, turned her head, looked at Sumac, and then began to walk across the room. When she reached the couch, she lowered her head, kissed him on his ear, and then nosed him against the back of his head. 

“I’ll get you some tissues,” she said.



 

Lost in his own thoughts, Sumac brooded in silence. Olive was going to be a lot more difficult to deal with if he couldn’t unleash his pent up snark against her. It was wrong, and he knew it. He felt better after having let it all out. Trixie had sat on the couch with him and he had himself a good cry. 

“I feel like a dope,” Sumac said aloud, sharing how he felt about himself. 

“Admitting to the problem is always a good first step,” Pebble replied. 

In her chair, Trixie chortled. 

Turning his head, he stared at his friend, trying to think of something to say, and then he thought better of it. Running his mouth wasn’t going to help anything. One ear twitched as he held back the sarcastic reply he longed to let go of. He didn’t want Applejack to give him a hiding or for Big Mac to have another talk with him. Truth be told, between the two options, he’d rather deal with Applejack than face a disappointed Big Mac again. 

“I miss my parents,” Pebble said as she closed her eyes. “I miss my grandparents. All of them. I wish Pinny would come back to Ponyville.” 

“Where is she?” Trixie asked. 

“She’s off in Las Pegasus at some bowling tournament.” Pebble let out a sigh and opened her eyes. “I hope she wins. This is how she makes her bits. She has bills to pay. I don’t understand why she doesn’t take a more stable job.” 

“Some ponies stick to doing what they love.” Trixie’s muzzle scrunched and the mare lost herself in contemplation. She sat, silent, her eyes far away and distant, and then after a long moment of silence, she said, “Just because a pony loves something, or is even good at something, it doesn’t mean that they’ll succeed at something or be able to make a living from it. If Pinny can make a living at bowling, if she can do what she loves, she’s very lucky.” 

“I suppose she is.” Pebble glanced over at Sumac, then back at Trixie. “My parents love what they do. I guess they’re really lucky.” 

“They are,” Trixie replied, “they’re very lucky.” 

“Are you ever going to settle down and get married?” Pebble asked, being as blunt as her mother could be. 

Trixie blinked in shock and stared at the filly, but made no reply. She sat in her chair, her eyes locked on Pebble, and one ear quivered. She lifted one foreleg, reached up, and scratched her chest, right on the front of her barrel, and the faint sound of her hoof sliding over her pelt could be heard. 

“You’ve settled down,” Pebble said to Trixie, “the rest should be easy. Isn’t that what adults do when they’ve grown up and they settle down? Get married?” 

“Some do.” Trixie squirmed in her seat, shifting from one side to another, then back again. “For others, marriage was never really part of their plans. Falling in love is complicated. Well, it can be. It’s easy to fall in love, ponies do it all the time, but getting somepony to love you back, that’s tricky.” 

“My aunt Pinkie won’t settle down. She’s in love, and everypony talks about it, my grandmother Cloudy grumbles about it all the time, but Pinkie won’t settle down because she got hurt once. I really don’t understand what happened.” 

Sumac took notice. For once, Pebble was clueless about something. For all of her seemingly adult ways, this was something she had nothing to say about, no smart know-it-all comment, she had nothing. His ears perked as he waited for more to be said. 

“I don’t understand marriage,” Pebble said in a voice that held a hint of emotion. “Grandfather says that aunt Limestone is married to her job. Does she love her job? She always seems so stressed out about it. She gets mad sometimes and goes and smashes rocks. It doesn’t seem like a happy marriage.” 

“Pebble, honey, sometimes, sometimes when a pony says something like being married to their job, it’s just a metaphor—” 

“Why not speak plainly and just be done with it?” Pebble demanded. “It’s stupid.” 

“It is what it is.” Trixie shrugged. 

“But why do ponies do it?” Pebble asked. “Why can’t they just be in love or whatever and live together? Why marry?” 

“Tax reasons,” Trixie sighed, not understanding the big deal herself. “Pebble, I don’t know why ponies get married. They just do. I don’t know how the whole tradition even started. It’s just there. We’ve been doing it for so long that we’ve sort of forgotten why we do it. It’s just something that happens.” 

“But why so much pressure to do it?” 

“I suppose ponies expect other ponies to do it.” 

“That’s not a good reason to do anything.” 

“I agree.” 

Sumac waited for more to be said, but nothing seemed forthcoming. Pebble remained quiet and so did Trixie. After a few minutes, Trixie picked up her book and began reading. After a few more minutes, Pebble did the same, a scowl still on her face. 

Bored, distracted, Sumac slipped off, his brain drifting to other subjects, like wondering what Pebble’s cutie mark looked like and what she might look like without her dress. He closed his eyes, tried to imagine it, and before he realised what was going on, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 29
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Sumac awoke, his mouth was dry and his eyes felt sticky. He could hear voices, ponies were talking around him. It sounded like adults… and Pebble. He yawned and forced his eyes open. He couldn’t see anything at first, his eyes were full of crud, and he struggled to see again. 

The talking stopped and Sumac felt something wiping his face and eyes. A tissue. Some tissues? He couldn’t be sure. When he could see again, he saw Trixie smiling at him. He smiled back and wished that he had some water. Before he could say anything about being thirsty, a juice box with a bright yellow straw was tucked between his front legs. 

“You have a visitor,” Trixie said in a soft voice as she continued to smile. 

Before he took a sip of some much needed juice, Sumac looked around. He saw Pebble, Cinnamon, and then, much to his alarm, he saw Applejack. Before he got the hiding that he knew that he deserved, he slipped the straw between his lips and started drinking. 

“We’re going to step outside into the backyard so the two of you can talk,” Trixie said as she scooped up Cinnamon in her magic. “Come on, you two. Let’s go and sit in the sun for a while.” 

Sumac watched them go, they left out of the kitchen door, and he was certain that his impending doom drew nearer. He was groggy and had trouble thinking. Applejack didn’t seem angry, but he kept thinking about what Big Mac had said. 

He lifted his head away from his juice box and asked, “Are you here to give me a hiding?” 

Applejack’s response was not what Sumac expected. She chuckled. One ear tried to stand up, but failed, and his other ear just sort of stuck out sideways. He blinked a few times and his eyes still felt crusty. He watched as Applejack came over and sat down on the couch beside him. He resisted a bit when she embraced him, but then gave up. She was bigger and stronger by far. When she began stroking his back, he melted.He leaned up against her, now feeling safe. 

“Big Mac said you wanted to give me a hiding,” Sumac said in a low voice. 

“Sumac… I’ll be honest, I did,” Applejack replied, “but then I scratched my mad spot and got over it. Sumac… sometimes… how do I put this… sometimes, adults say things they don’t necessarily mean. They get angry, or frustrated, and when they get like this, they say stuff. They don’t always mean it. Sometimes, they’re just blowing off steam, sayin’ stuff just to be sayin’ it.” 

Turning his head, Sumac looked up at Applejack and waited. 

“Sumac Apple, sometimes adults ain’t always right.” Applejack inhaled, held it for a moment, and then let everything out in a huff. Then she took another deep breath and continued, “There, I said it. I was honest. Adults ain’t always right. Sometimes, they do bad things for good reasons. Sometimes they do good things for bad reasons. And sometimes… sometimes, they just do something wrong.” 

“So I’ve noticed.” 

One of Applejack’s eyebrows arched at Sumac’s words. “Do you think you’ve done something that deserves a hiding? Be honest.” 

Squirming like a worm in an apple, Sumac didn’t want to answer this question. He felt Applejack give him a reassuring squeeze. He decided to trust her. “Yeah I did. I ran my mouth and I knew it was wrong even as I was doing it. But it felt good.” 

“A long time ago, Big Mac and I had to set Apple Bloom straight. She had bullies to deal with too. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. They’re all friends now though. Close friends. Friends that would do anything for one another. And do you want to know why that is?” 

Curious, Sumac nodded. “Why?” 

“Because Apple Bloom learned to be a better pony and not run her mouth. She has a whole lot of sass all bottled up inside of her. And she’s smart too… smart enough that she knows what to say to make somepony hurt.” Applejack paused and appeared as though she was chewing on a sour apple. “Now, if Apple Bloom had kept running her mouth, being all sassy and snarky, she mighta had the satisfaction of cutting Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon down to size… and it mighta felt good when she was doing it, but it would be at the expense of the friendship they now have. ‘Bloom had to learn to take the high road and be a better pony… just like you do.” 

“But Olive is the worst—” Sumac was silenced by Applejack placing one hoof over his mouth. Frustrated, he blew a raspberry against her hoof and glared up at her with a petulant stare. 

“Big Mac gave you some advice… he and I talked. He told me that you cried and you were sorry… he told you not to fight against Olive ‘cause she’s a filly.” Applejack sucked in a deep breath, shook her head, and then her muzzled crinkled. “Big Mac was right, but for the wrong reasons. Sumac, Big Mac has some old fashioned notions. It’s complicated. When Pa died, Big Mac didn’t have nopony to turn to, nopony to go to, and he had to do what was right. He dropped out of school to take care of the farm and he tried to act like Pa did. He took everything he remembered Pa saying on how to be a good pony and then Big Mac laid it out like fence rails, straight and true, and he followed it. He ain’t one to deviate from Pa’s teachings, ‘cause that’s how he honours Pa’s memory.” 

There was a long pause and Applejack pulled her hoof away from Sumac’s mouth. 

“Big Mac is not a learned pony. And if’n the truth be told, I ain’t either. But I am a bit more worldly. I’ve seen a few things and I’ve been around. And I’ll tell you the same thing. You shouldn’t fight Olive. You shouldn’t be running your mouth. And it isn’t just because she’s a filly and you’re a colt, though that should be a part of it, because there is something to be said for good manners. There is a time and place for that.” 

Sumac waited, his ear that was sticking out sideways twitching. 

“Sumac, you’re a smart little feller. Scary smart. Now, Apple Bloom, she’s smarter than Big Mac and I are… she’s gone off to university and she’s gonna make a good life for herself, but she’s gotta work for it. And she’s gotta work hard for it. But you… you… you’re gonna get a free pass through life if’n you play your cards right. You’ll have access to all of the best schools, you’ll have a fine education, several good jobs will prolly be just offered to you and you’ll have to pick and choose what you want.” 

To show that he was listening, Sumac nodded. 

“But you know how you can ruin that? By having a smart mouth, that’s how. If you get a reputation as a troublemaker, if you start sounding all slick tongued like your father, ponies are going to get the wrong idea about you. Those doors of opportunity are gonna slam in your face and that free pass you were lucky enough to get is gonna blow away in an ill wind… do you understand? And both Big Mac and I are real scared about that happening. Real, real scared. Big Mac has been up late at night pacing the floor ‘cause of you. You deserve better, Sumac Apple.” 

Before answering, Sumac thought about everything Applejack had said. He had something of an understanding, but it was a lot to think about in his current state. He stared into her eyes and saw both worry and kindness. She was still stroking his back and he could feel her foreleg going back and forth over his spine. It was soothing and somehow eased the pain in his shoulders. 

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Sumac said, “she demanded that I do her homework.” 

“Sumac Apple, consarnit, being polite and not running your mouth doesn’t mean you have to let yourself be walked all over. Just say ‘no’ and then walk away, or at least do your best to try. There’s a lot at stake here… I know you’re a colt, and I know thinking about all of this adult stuff is hard, but you have a future that you need to do your part to look after. It’s rough, it’s tough, and I know it ain’t fair, but you gotta. More is expected out of you because you are capable of so much more.” 

Sumac’s ear gave up the struggle and drooped, joining the other one that was limp against his face. He felt a weight bearing down upon him, something that felt as though it was pushing his body down into the couch cushions, and it wasn’t Applejack. He also felt himself being pulled closer to her, and he rested his head against her neck. He could feel her jaw come to rest on top of his head. 

And then, out of the blue, without understanding or knowing why, Sumac felt like crying. That crushing weight was heavy on him, it bore down upon him, grew heavier, and it felt as though it was trying to squeeze the tears out. He struggled to hold them back, but he could feel the sting. He could feel his nose becoming snotty and it was getting harder to breathe. He shuddered and wondered when the floodgates would open. 

“You… I love you like you was one of my own,” Applejack said as she squeezed. “Ambrosia and Hidden Rose, they’re nothing but trouble and I’ve said I was gonna give them a hidin’ too when I was at the end of my rope. And some days, I lose my temper and I’ve shouted at them. But I ain’t ever stopped loving them.” 

Wiggling, Sumac managed to get the straw in his juicebox between his lips. The cold, sweet apple juice eased the sore dryness in his throat. He lay there, secure in Applejack’s embrace, keeping his eyes squeezed shut, hoping not to cry while he sipped his juice. 

The pair sat in silence, Applejack squeezing Sumac without hurting him, and Sumac sipping his juice. Applejack stroked Sumac’s back and nuzzled the top of his head with her muzzle, tousling his mane. 

The straw slipped from between Sumac’s lips and he angled his head so that he could get more of Applejack’s affections. Her tenderness and kindness soothed his hurt, made him feel better, but he still felt like he was going to cry. He heard her wickering and could feel the vibrations coming from deep within her barrel. 

“Sumac, there’s a tough lesson to be learned. Adults ain’t perfect, life isn’t fair, and sometimes, no matter how well we behave, we still end up in trouble. Sometimes, stuff just happens no matter what we do.” Applejack closed her eyes and inhaled, drawing in Sumac’s scent. “No matter what though, you have family to turn to when things get hard. We’ll never stop lovin’ you.” 

“Even if I deserve a hiding?” Sumac asked. 

“Sumac, if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t get worked up enough to say something like that.” Applejack was quiet for a moment and then added, “I want what’s best for you. I’m sorry that things are tough and that there’s prolly a whole bunch of stuff you don’t understand.” 

“It felt good to say bad things.” Sumac opened up his eyes and felt a few tears escaping. “I wanted to make her hurt and that was the only way I could do it. I really hate her, I do.” 

“She’s a messed up little filly,” Applejack said to Sumac, breathing her words into his ear, causing it to quiver and twitch. “One day, she might turn herself around, or she might not. But I think if she has a few ponies that try to treat her with kindness and respect, there’s a better chance of her getting straightened out.” 

“But she’s so mean…” 

“She is, Sumac… and I’ve seen Fluttershy deal with some of the meanest critters around using kindness. But it ain’t easy. I don’t know how she does it, to be honest. I don’t know if I could do what she does. Me, I’m a fighter.” 

“So Apple Bloom had bullies to deal with and now she is friends with them.” Sumac struggled to find more words to say, and all that he managed to get out was, “How did that happen?” 

“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon made better choices. They were rotten little cusses when they were little, they loved to torment Apple Bloom and her friends. A lot of ponies still hate them. It’s rough on them. Now, I ain’t gonna say they deserve it, but they did sorta bring it on themselves. They’re trying to do right though and I’m real proud of Apple Bloom for being their friend. Anypony can be a friend when it’s easy, but it takes a special kind of strength to be a friend when its hard.” 

“With Olive, it’s impossible.” 

“Sumac, one day, that might change.” Applejack’s brows furrowed. “You know, she might be mean to you because she likes you. Sometimes, fillies are like that—” 

“Applejack, don’t tease!” 

“Hey, she might be your future sweetheart—” 

“Applejack!” 

“Just sayin’ she might be the love of your life, waiting to happen—” 

“No teasin’!” 

“So you need to be nice to her, even if she’s being a snotty brat—” 

“Don’t say it!” Sumac said in a, shrill, squeaky, pleading voice. 

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Applejack said to Sumac. 

“I’d rather be with Pebble!” 

After blurting out his words, Sumac froze. He sat there, blinking, horrified by his mouth’s betrayal. He wanted to crawl beneath the sofa and die. That was the problem with words, once they were said, there was no way of unsaying them. 

“Ah hah! I knew it!” Applejack crowed. “You sly little colt… you are sweet on her, aren’t you?” 

“No!” 

“I think you are—” 

“I ain’t!” 

“You is!” 

“Ugh!” 

Chuckling, Applejack gave Sumac a squeeze. “One day, you’ll see things in a different way. One day, you might be friends with Olive. If you treat her right, she might remember you as the one pony who tried to be nice to her when she was young and difficult. A friend like that can be good to have.” 

Blinking, Sumac gave Applejack a sullen stare. 

“I think you could use a little sun… how about we go outside and sit with the others?” 

Wary, Sumac eyed Applejack, expecting treachery. He wondered where his glasses were. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to sit in the sun, but when the he thought about it, the warmth on his shoulders would probably feel good. 

“You could sit with Pebble, you two are so cute together—” 

“AAAAAAAAARGH!” 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A few days had passed and tomorrow, on Monday, or Luna’s Day, Sumac hoped to go to school. He was was still having some trouble walking, but he was getting around, even if he was a little slow. He was bored out of his gourd—so much so that he wanted to be back in school. 

Cinnamon was getting settled in with his aunt and were frequent guests as Cassia didn’t know how to cook, or do much of anything, really. Lemon Hearts and Trixie both were glad to help, and Cassia was an attentive listener who did well when following instructions. 

Over the past few days, Sumac had taken apart the furnace and had put it back together with no squeaks, no clattering, no thumping, or banging. New rubber washers, seals, tight screws, and well turned nuts and bolts had given the ancient contraption new life. But with the job now done, there was nothing to do, no distractions, nothing to keep Sumac occupied. 

Which made the knock on the door quite a welcome event… 



 

“We’re having a little get together,” Big Mac said as he stood in the doorway, looking down at Trixie. “And y’all are invited. I’ll carry Sumac.” 

“Oh.” Trixie blinked a few times, looked at Lemon Hearts, and then back up at Big Mac. “Are you sure I won’t be a bother? Is this a family get together?” 

“You’re Sumac’s mother, that makes you family.” Big Mac chewed on the stalk of hay sticking out of the corner of his mouth for a moment. “And no, you won’t be a bother. Just a gathering of friends for a bit of a break before cider season takes over our lives.” 

Before Trixie had a chance to say anything, Lemon Hearts said to Big Mac, “We’d love to come. I think Sumac needs to get out of the house for a bit. He’s going stir crazy.” 

Saying nothing, Big Mac nodded. 

“Well, I suppose we can go—” 

“Excellent, Trixie, let’s get moving,” Lemon Hearts said as she gave a sidelong bump to Trixie. “Grab Sumac and we’ll get going right away. I need to be out and doing something. I wonder if it is still warm enough to swim…” 

“Eeyup.” 

“Great!” Lemon Hearts flicked her tail against Trixie’s leg to get her attention, as it appeared that Trixie had shut down. When that failed, and Trixie continued to stand and stare wide eyed, Lemon Hearts took a more direct approach and gave her a shove. “Let’s get a move on, Miss Lulamoon, stop gummin’ up the works!” 



 

Sweet Apple Acres was an ideal place for a small gathering of friends, as Big Mac had called it. Twilight was there, having a well deserved break, and she had brought Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had shown up, hoping that cider season had come early. And much to Sumac’s surprise and relief, Pebble was there with Pinkie Pie. 

Rarity was absent, because as Applejack had pointed out, ‘Rarity was married to her career.’ The words caused quite some confusion for Sumac, who had said nothing about it, but kept thinking and wondering both how and why somepony could be married to their job. 

Hidden Rose and Ambrosia Apple both played together with Spike, kicking a ball back and forth, while Pebble sat with Sumac under a red and white striped awning. Fluttershy had gone off to check on the bats in the orchard. Granny Smith was indoors with Pinkie Pie, cooking. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were engaged in a heated game of horseshoes. Twilight was forced into being a referee for Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Lemon Hearts and Trixie were sitting under a tree together, talking about something, Sumac couldn’t make out what it was. Boomer was prowling through the grass and hunting for bugs. 

All in all, it was a pleasant time. 



 

Enjoying the breeze, Sumac was starting to feel a little bit drowsy. He yawned, which caused Pebble to yawn, and then, while Pebble was yawning, Big Mac came over and sat down beside him. Craning his head, Sumac looked up at the big pony and then was overcome with curiousity. 

“Big Mac, what was it like for you, losing your dad?” 

The big red stallion appeared startled for a moment. He sat there, blinking, looking confused, out of sorts, and somewhat pained. Pebble, sensing that something was wrong, leaned over, wrapped her forelegs around one of Big Mac’s forelegs, and rested her head against him. 

“In a way, I’ve lost my dad too,” Sumac said in a low voice as he looked over to where Trixie was sitting. “Sometimes, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be. Or what I’m supposed to do. It’s scary sometimes… how did you get through it?” 

“I…” Big Mac’s voice faltered, cracked, and he fell silent. He looked down at Pebble, who was clinging to his leg. He tried again. “I… well, I…” After failing again, Big Mac blinked, shook his head, and his ears went limp against the sides of his face. 

“It’s okay,” Pebble said as she looked up. “It’s okay to cry. I once stepped on my Daddy in a delicate place while he was in the bed and he cried.” 

Big Mac blinked a few times and stared at Pebble in astonishment before saying to Sumac, “I… I would stand in front of a mirror and try to repeat everything my Pa ever said to me so I’d remember it all and not forget.” The big stallion fell silent and looked thoughtful. “All of his advice, all of his wisdom, all of the things he said were right and wrong, I tried to remember them all. I tried to make them stick. I couldn’t remember everything…” The big stallion’s voice trailed off and cracked. 

“I really don’t remember too much about my father.” Sumac’s half closed eyes glittered with some inner emotion for a moment before he continued, “I just know that he was bad. Real bad. I don’t even have his words to go by, and even if I did, I doubt that he said anything worth remembering.” Sumac watched as Boomer approached, it seemed that she was done hunting for bugs, and he squirmed when he felt the prickle of her claws as she climbed up his leg. She scurried up his neck, tugging on his mane, and resumed her usual spot, perched on his horn. She felt a bit heavier than usual, perhaps because she had a successful hunt. 

“Sumac… I have something that you might want to see,” Big Mac said in a voice that was little more than a scratchy whisper. “Something from your father. It’ll help you remember him, and it might give you something to feel good about.” 

“I’ll help you get up, Sumac,” Pebble offered as Big Mac stood up. 

“Follow me… Sumac, if you need to be carried…” Big Mac waited. 

When Sumac didn’t respond, Pebble did it for him, nodding her head. She watched as Big Mac lowered himself down, and then, using her strength, she shoved Sumac onto Big Mac’s back so he could be carried to wherever it was that they were going. 



 

The door opened with a faint creak. Rays of sunlight shining through gaps in the boards illuminated motes of dust. The smell of old hay made Sumac want to sneeze. He waited for his glasses to lighten up a bit so he could see. It was dark inside of the old barn and some giant looming shape towered over him, Big Mac, and Pebble. 

There were pipes… and was that a smokestack? It looked like a locomotive. Part of it was covered in a tarp. Blinking, Sumac wished that his eyes would hurry up and adjust. Big Mac kneeled down and Sumac was pulled off of his back by Pebble, who helped him stand up. He wobbled a bit, but managed to take a few steps forwards, ignoring the ache in his shoulders. Big Mac stood back up and flexed his knees a few times. 

“The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy Six Thousand,” Big Mac said in a low voice. “It was found abandoned in a barn down near Appleloosa. A lot of it had been stripped off and scrapped. It was recovered during the investigation. It was given to us ‘cause nopony else knew what to do with it.” 

Wide eyed, and no longer feeling sleepy, Sumac stared. 

“You father was a genius.” Big Mac stood near the contraption, staring it at it, his eyes darting from detail to detail, and then he looked down at Sumac. “Your father was one of those ponies that could have changed the world for the better, but chose to do wrong and be bad instead.” Lifting his head, he looked up at the old, battered looking machine once more. “I suppose this is yours, if you want it. Pulling it apart might teach you a thing or two. I can’t make heads nor tails of it.” 

“You could still learn something from your father,” Pebble suggested in her own helpful way. “Aside from learning what not to do.” She looked at the fantastical contraption and held Sumac up as he leaned against her. 

Overwhelmed, Sumac had no idea how to respond, what to say, what to do, so he just stood there, almost unmoving, staring up at the dilapidated, rusting old hulk. Seeing it fanned the flames of his imagination, it gave him ideas, it filled him with both a sense of wonder and curiousity. There were bits and bobs of brass that stood out in sharp contrast to the half rotten wood and rusted pieces of metal. The wheels had bowed and appeared to be in danger of collapse. 

Even Boomer was staring up at the old wreck and she made quizzical chirping sounds. 

“Sumac, Applejack and I have been talking.” Big Mac gave Sumac a gentle nudge to get his attention. “We want you to do good for the sake of doing good, and not for being afraid of being punished. If you do good, if you mind that smart mouth of yours, I’ll help you get tools and we’ll set you up a workshop. You did a fine job of helping me with Trixie’s wagon. You have talent.” 

Turning his head, Sumac looked up at Big Mac. 

“You ain’t gotta be perfect, you just have to do your best. You’ll be honest enough to let me and Applejack know when you’ve done your best, won’t you?” Big Mac’s face was stern, but kind. 

After a moment of thought, Sumac nodded. 

“Good enough.” Big Mac looked over at the old steam powered contraption, shook his head, and snorted, sending motes of dust flying through the scattered rays of sunlight in a crazy dance. “Let’s get out of here. I think lunch is probably done and I’m hungry.” 



 

Lunch was only lunch in the loosest sense of the word. There was pie, apple brown betties could be had, apple turnovers, apple tarts, other apple treats, and Pinkie Pie had made something called confetti ice cream that was a riot of colours and flavours. Sumac didn’t say much while he was eating, he was too busy stuffing his face, but Pebble and Spike had an animated conversation about if it was right to eat rocks because Pebble could make them talk. It was too much for Sumac to keep up with. 

Perhaps because Sumac was so quiet, Twilight, who was sitting beside him, turned her attention upon him. She wiped her face, turned, leaned over, and then asked, “How are you doing, Sumac? How are you holding up? Feeling a little better?” 

There was a moment where the conversations around the large table quieted or died completely. Sumac became aware that the others were looking at him, waiting for some kind of reply, hoping for some response. He swallowed and then felt a growing sense of nervousness, not wanting to be the center of attention at the moment. 

“I’m doing okay,” Sumac replied, hoping that what he said would be enough to appease Twilight’s need to know. To spare himself from further responses, he crammed most of an apple brown betty into his mouth and began chewing. He hoped that Twilight would not start talking about school and Olive. He felt a growing sense of anxiety. School was fine, Sumac could deal with that, but talking about school and Olive together… ugh. 

“I believe Big Mac showed you something.” Twilight’s voice was hesitant and there was a bit of worry that could be heard by anypony paying attention. She turned and glanced over at Big Mac. “There was some discussion about when it would be right to show you, but it seems that Big Mac went ahead and did it.” A warm smile spread over Twilight’s muzzle and she returned her attention back to Sumac. “Sumac, everypony is curious to see if you’ve inherited your father’s talent. There is something called ancestral memory… certain families of ponies have skillsets and or knowledge that seems to flow through their bloodlines. I for one am very much wanting to know if you inherited your father’s natural mechanical aptitude.” 

“Because natural mechanical aptitude and a desire to do good could benefit society,” Lemon Hearts said as she butted into the conversation. “You fixed the furnace, which was amazing, and Big Mac says that you were pretty helpful with the wagon.” 

“And that’s kind of the point of my school.” Twilight’s smile vanished and she became quite serious and studious looking. “How can exceptional ponies with remarkable gifts benefit society as a whole? It is why we focus on integration and friendship. If we all get along, if we can all work together, if we all cooperate, more can be accomplished. If we squabble, bicker, and fight, it creates friction that impedes progress. We do so much that holds us all back.” 

Still chewing, Sumac just gave Twilight a blank stare, not fully understanding what it was that she was saying. He had a somewhat basic grasp of the idea, but he was certain that there was a lot more too it than he was getting. 

“The way forward and making progress depends upon figuring out how to make exceptional individuals work together as a satisfying whole, without taking away or otherwise restricting what makes them special. Special ponies tend to be a little eccentric, and sometimes, this disturbs the herd dynamic. Ponies become naturally skittish around those that are different. We really can’t help this, it is part of our psychological foundation, but we can condition ourselves to do better. At least, I believe this and so does Princess Cadance.” Twilight poked her now half melted ice cream with her spoon and then looked around the table, meeting the eyes of any pony that looked back at her. 

“It’s why you’re trying to fix whatever is wrong with Olive, isn’t it?” Pebble spoke in her mother’s monotone and showed no sign of any emotion or feeling. “There is no arguing that she is exceptional and she probably has a lot to offer society, but in her current state, she is a detriment to everypony around her. Finding a way to allow her to express what makes her special while keeping others feeling safe and secure around her is probably almost impossible.” 

“Thank you for that astute observation, Pebble,” Twilight replied. “Yeah… it is a problem, I’ll admit. She’s an extreme case, but extreme cases don’t mean that we’re wrong, it just means that were dealing with the exception rather than the standard.” 

Sumac could not help but notice that the other ponies at the table looked almost as confused as he felt. It was almost as if Pebble and Twilight were speaking a different language. 

“I’m bored,” Ambrosia announced in a matter-of-fact voice. “I’d rather go outside and play rather than keep eating and listen to this. Booooring.” 

“Ambrosia Apple, so help me… I’ll…” Applejack’s brows beetled as she stared at her daughter. “You try a mother’s patience something awful, you little scamp.” 

“I know, don’t care,” Ambrosia let out a giggle and then realised that nopony was laughing. She had gone too far and the expression that appeared upon her face showed it. She slumped down in her chair, her laughter and smile vanishing. “Sorry.” 

“I’m sorry, Twi,” Applejack said, offering a heartfelt apology. “I don’t know what gets into her sometimes… I just don’t.” 

Twilight, focusing on her friend, smiled and replied, “Seems to me that she has an honest streak a mile wide and she needs to learn how to express it better. I wonder where she gets that from?” 

Rolling her eyes, Applejack let out an exasperated sigh of defeat and then laughed. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 31
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Put me down, I want to walk the rest of the way… put me down, put me down!” 

“Sumac Apple, have you lost your applebucking mind?” Trixie paused in place and stared at the stairs leading up to the massive double doors. “Sumac, you can barely walk and there is no way you could make it up those stairs—” 

“But I don’t want the others to see you carrying me,” Sumac whined. 

“Trixie understands pride, kiddo. Deal with it.” Saying nothing else, she mounted the stairs and began to make her way up, ignoring the wordless whining being done by Sumac. He didn’t whine very often, so she was inclined to let him get away with this little incident without consequences. 

At the top of the landing, she took a moment to catch her breath. Her right front knee was killing her. It throbbed with its own heartbeat. The pain made her stop and think about Tarnished Teapot. He was the reason she still had her leg at all. She felt a strong rush of gratitude and wondered if she would ever work up enough courage to thank him properly. There were so many things she wanted to say, but just couldn’t seem to find the words. 

She resolved to do better and make things right the next time she saw him. It was time to swallow her own pride and be a good role model for Sumac. She wasn’t his master any longer, and he wasn’t her apprentice. She was his mother and he was her son. That was a serious change in their relationship. She knew that he would have to find a new master, such was the way of unicorns, and she hoped that she wouldn’t be too jealous and clingy. 

Maybe Tarnish wouldn’t mind an apprentice. Trixie stood there on the landing thinking about it, and then was horrified by the idea of Sumac’s amplification magic and Tarnish’s poison joke magic interacting. It was the worst idea ever in the long history of bad ideas. 

“I wonder where Pebble is?” Trixie asked, thinking aloud. 

“No sign of Silver Lining either.” 

Trixie looked around and watched as other students made their way up the stairs. She needed to get to work and Sumac needed to get to class, which would be starting soon. Lemon Hearts had left early for work. She sighed, then turned to face the enormous double doors. It was time to take Sumac to class. Once he was there, he could sit in one spot more or less for a few hours and hopefully Pebble or somepony would be there to help him along if he needed it. 



 

As Trixie went through the door, Sumac squirmed. He didn’t want his classmates to see him like this. As they entered the classroom, something was off. Sumac noticed a large white sheet of paper that had been painted and assaulted with glitter. It said, “Welcome back!” 

He stared at it wide eyed as Trixie lifted him and lowered him down to the ground. 

“Welcome back, Sumac!” Silver Lining said in a low, shy voice as she clung to Pebble. 

Before he could reply, Sumac felt himself grabbed in the warm tingle of magic—he almost panicked, the memory of being twisted into a pretzel by Olive was still fresh—but it was just Strawberry Hearts trying to be helpful. He made himself relax. As he was getting settled into his seat, Silver Lining grabbed him and then clung to him. He didn’t mind. Something about her fuzzy, feathery body was reassuring and made him feel better. 

“I gotta go, kiddo. Have a good day.” Trixie waved her hoof, and then, with a smile, she was gone. 

Clearing her throat, Lemon Hearts got the attention of the class and said, “Okay, settle down, settle in, and get yourselves situated. Today, we have a special lesson planned. We’re going to talk about some recent events.” She looked over into the corner where Cinnamon was and then her eyes traveled around the room, looking at each and every student. “This is going to be a very serious talk, so I expect all of you to be on your best behaviour and paying attention, okay?” 



 

Try as he might, Sumac could not stop squirming. The words being said made him feel uncomfortable. He kept glancing over at Cinnamon and feeling a terrible sadness. His fellow students also seemed uncomfortable and could not sit still, with the exception of Pebble. Sumac had no doubt that she was uncomfortable too, she just wasn’t showing it. 

“So class, keep that in mind, no matter what, it is never okay for an adult to hurt you. If one of the adults in your life is hurting you, be it your parent or some other family member, you can come and get help. Speak to me or to Twilight or any of your teachers.” 

Blinking, Sumac blurted out before he even had a chance to think about it, “Applejack said she wanted to give me a hiding… is that wrong?” 

The classroom was filled with a dreadful silence. 

Lemon Hearts had a very sour expression upon her face. She stared at Sumac, her raspberry coloured eyes glittering with emotion, and she drew in a deep breath as she tried to think about what to say. 

“Well, this got complicated, I’m not sure what to say right now,” Lemon Hearts admitted. “There are occasions where discipline needs to happen and there is a big difference between loving correction and violent abuse.” Lemon Hearts coughed and one ear began a nervous twitch. “My mother used to spank me with a brush. It didn’t happen often and I can honestly say that when it did happen, I had done something pretty bad. My mother didn’t really hurt me… but it stung enough that I thought long and hard before I did something I knew was wrong.” 

“But is it wrong to be spanked?” Flint asked. 

“Hey, what about when my egghead brother slugs me? Is that abuse?” Tinder gave his sibling a nervous glance and shied away. 

“Don’t you dare!” Lemon Hearts focused her commanding stare upon Flint, who was about to give his brother a punch. 

“Aaw…” Flint crossed his forelegs over his barrel and slumped down into his seat for a good sulk. His lower lip protruded and the little pegasus glared at his teacher. 

“I don’t know how to answer that,” Lemon Hearts admitted. “Parents have a right to discipline their foals how they see fit, provided it doesn’t cross the line into abuse. I’m sorry, class. I feel like I’ve failed you. I don’t know the answer. I don’t know what constitutes abuse...” 

Watching an adult be so honest made Sumac feel better, and he thought about what Applejack had said, about adults not always being right. Lemon Hearts was struggling, her mouth kept opening and her lips kept moving, but no words were coming out. 

“I don’t want to tell you that sometimes you need to be disciplined and then have you be abused, without knowing the difference between the two, and suffering in silence. On the other hoof, I’m not sure that I want to see the authorities get involved over a simple swat on the backside. There will be very real consequences for your parents or other adults if the authorities get involved. If any of you were to be petty, you could bring grievous harm to your parents or loved ones with accusations, especially false ones. I’m starting to wonder if we should be having this conversation… I’m not sure I’m qualified to be the one trying to tell you about this stuff or telling you what to do. I am feeling very nervous and uncertain right now, class.” 

After looking around at her classmates, Strawberry Hearts found the courage to speak. “Don’t be scared, teacher. Maybe this is the right conversation to be having. Admitting that you don’t know… but I think talking about it is still important.” The little filly cleared her throat. “What Cinnamon’s father did was bad… Cinnamon was hurt real bad and had to go to the hospital. I think that’s abuse.” 

“Yes it is,” Lemon Hearts replied, “but it never should have reached that point.” 

The clock on the wall said that it was now nine forty five. It felt as though lunch was a small forever away. Sumac stared at it, wishing that he could make the time pass faster. This conversation made him feel uncomfortable and he didn’t like it, not at all. 

“This one time, me and my big sister Bright Hope held down my brother, Storm Blitz, and we made him drink soap because we wanted to see if he could burp soap bubbles and when my mama found out, she slapped me and Bright Hope all over with her wings and it stung a whole lot and Storm Blitz kept burping and farting bubbles and Daddy wouldn’t stop laughing and Mama was so angry and then she started slapping him for laughing—” 

“Tempest Dancer…” 

“Yes?” The little pegasus filly sucked in a deep breath to recover after spilling out all those words. 

“Are you telling the truth?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

“Yup.” Tempest Dancer nodded and gave her teacher a wide-eyed look of innocence. 

“I… I don’t even know what to say…” Behind her desk, Lemon Hearts stared at the filly with narrow-eyed disbelief. 

“The bubbles were brown and foamy and had shiny rainbow colours and kept squirting out—” 

“Tempest!” Lemon Hearts cringed. “Not another word!” 

“Okay, sorry.” The little filly ducked down in her seat and a morose look of shame settled over her face. “And it smelled real bad, too,” she added in a hushed whisper. 

Exasperated, Lemon Hearts smacked her desk with her hoof and rolled her eyes as her students giggled, groaned, and moaned. She stared at Tempest Dancer for a while, then her expression softened a bit. She shook her head, wondered how any group of siblings survived to adulthood, and then rested both of her forelegs upon her desk. 

Clinging to Sumac’s horn, Boomer let out a bored sounding yawn, then belched out a little curl of smoke. Sumac, who couldn’t stop giggling, hoped that Lemon Hearts wouldn’t be angry with him. He had to go home and live with her. He did all he could to try and stop the giggles and be on his best behaviour. There were drawbacks to living with your teacher. 





“You know, Boomer, I’m not sure what we learned this morning.” As Sumac spoke, he held out a celery stalk to the hatchling. He felt out out of sorts, confused, and he wasn’t sure what to think of everything that had been said about abuse and bullying this morning. 

With a snort, Boomer shoved away the celery stalk and her tail lashed from side to side. She made it very clear that she wasn’t about to eat celery. She tapped her claws upon the table and waited for something better. 

“Yeah, I don’t like celery a whole lot either.” Sumac flicked the offending vegetable over onto Pebble’s lunch tray without looking over to see her response. “The stringy bits get caught between my teeth and it tastes funny. Yuck.” 

Head bobbing, Boomer let out a shrill chirp of agreement. 

Beside Sumac, there was a loud crunch as Pebble began to gnaw upon some celery. He let out a sigh, looked down at his carrot sticks, and didn’t feel like eating them. He liked carrots, raw carrots, he liked the crunchiness and the sweetness. The discussion of the morning weighed down upon his mind, leaving him thoughtful and out of sorts. 

“Life is complicated,” Sumac said to Boomer. “So many things seem like a good idea at first, but when you really think about them, well… it’s not that they’re bad ideas, not always, but they can be a lot more difficult than you expected.” 

Ignoring Sumac, Boomer eyed the small square of sponge cake on his lunch tray. Lifting her head, she gave Sumac a hopeful look and pointed with one of her claws, showing an extraordinary level of intelligence. 

Watching as Boomer begged, Sumac lifted up the sponge cake in his telekinesis, broke off a corner, and gave it to Boomer. The little dragoness wasted no time and crammed it into her mouth. She then began licking her fingers and claws, trying to get every last sticky crumb. 

“Sumac, might I have a word with you?” 

Starlight Glimmer’s voice made Sumac sit up and pay attention. He looked up and saw her, she was getting ready to sit down across the table from him. She was smiling, but looked serious. He wondered what was up and the sound of Pebble destroying the celery was distracting. 

“Sumac, I wanted to talk to you about what happened,” Starlight said in gentle tones. 

He leveled his gaze upon her and gave a nod, but didn’t say anything. 

“After much discussion, we’re going to allow Olive back into school, but she is going to be under constant supervision.” Starlight inhaled, her barrel expanded, and then her cheeks puffed out as she let everything she held in out in a slow huff. “To facilitate this, it was decided that Olive is going to become my apprentice—” 

“WHAT?” Sumac’s squeaky voice caused several students to turn and look in his direction. 

“ —so that it will be easier for me to monitor her behaviour and correct her when necessary.” Starlight’s ears drooped and she slumped over the table. “I’m sorry if this upsets you, Sumac.”

“It’s like she’s being rewarded for what she did!” Sumac snapped. 

“No, she isn’t,” Starlight replied, shaking her head. “I—” 

“This isn’t fair at all!” Sumac almost shoved his tray away from him, but Boomer was in the way. He held in his anger and gave Starlight a fierce glare. He didn’t feel like talking anymore. He felt like shouting. Or crying. He didn’t want to cry in front of his fellow students. 

“I have a lot of experience in dealing with anger and rage,” Starlight said, trying to explain. “Having been there myself. Twilight seems to think I might be able to help Olive in a way that others might not, because I’ve been a pretty bad pony.” 

Unable to say anything, Sumac scowled. He wanted to throw stuff at Starlight. He wanted to scream about how unfair this was. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to cry. There was so much he wanted to do… he even wanted to cuss. A whole lot. He had traveled a great deal and he knew some colourful words. The sort of words that might get his mouth washed out with soap. 

“I think Sumac might have planned to ask if he could become your apprentice at some point,” Pebble said in a calm monotone. 

“Really?” Starlight looked surprised. 

“What? I… Pebble… how… you…” Sumac stammered, unable to form a sentence. 

“You might not’ve even realised it yet, Sumac, but I do think you would have.” Pebble offered Boomer her last bite of sponge cake. “You like Starlight.” 

“I… I… you… I…” Sumac sat there, sputtering, unable to say anything. 

“Sumac, is this true? Are we friends?” Starlight’s expression looked… desperate. “I know a lot of foals here… but I don’t think I’m friends with any of them. I’m trying, but it is so hard to reach out to them… to understand them...” 

“I guess we are,” Sumac said as he stared down at the table and focused upon his lunch tray. 

“But I made you write essays.” Starlight looked confused. 

“I didn’t mind!” Sumac snapped in a very cross and confused sounding voice. 

“He learned something from them.” Pebble scooped up Boomer and began to snuggle the little stuffed dragon in her forelegs. She rubbed her muzzle along Boomer’s bulging sides, while ignoring Sumac’s angry theatrics. 

“Well, that makes me feel even worse about this.” Starlight began to sniffle. “I find Olive a detestable little snot, but I don’t have a lot of choice in this matter. There’s a job and it must be done.” 

“That’s not fair to you.” Sumac’s anger vanished and he lifted his head so that he might look at Starlight. “That’s not fair at all.” 

“Life isn’t fair, Sumac, you of all ponies should understand that.” Starlight reached up with her foreleg and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sumac. Had I choice, I would have been glad to take you on as my apprentice. But I have to do what is necessary.” 

Looking glum, Sumac nodded. “I understand.” 

“It’s gonna be hard to be friends with me because Olive will almost always be with me.” 

Sumac felt a growing lump in his throat and the need to cry was growing stronger. Starlight herself was right on the verge of tears and that didn’t make things any easier. As the little colt sat there, trying to hold everything together, his left ear twitched, bobbing up and down. 

“I don’t care how hard it is, I’ll find a way. Isn’t that what friends do?” Sumac reached up with his foreleg and rubbed his eyes with a vigorous motion. 

“You’d do that for me? Even with Olive in between us?” Starlight’s sniffles increased and she gave Sumac a quivering smile. She wiped her nose with her foreleg and then a single tear rolled down her cheeks. “It’s hard making friends with foals… I never know what to talk about and so many of them are scared of me. I never thought this would happen and Twilight said that it would if I was patient and waited.” 

“You should try to be Olive’s friend, even if she is a snot.” Sumac looked away from Starlight and his gaze fell back down to his tray. 

“We do have a lot in common,” Starlight replied, shaking her head. “It’s going to be so hard… but knowing that I have a friend who cares will make it easier.” 

“Sheesh, you give a foal an essay and life goes topsy turvy,” Pebble deadpanned. 

“Oh hush, Pebble, you have too much of your mother’s dry snark.” As Starlight continued to sniffle, she smiled at Pebble. “Are you my friend too? Because your mother is snarkiest to those she holds dear.” 

“Of course,” Pebble replied, “I am my mother’s foal.” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 32
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Distracted by his own thoughts, Sumac thought about Starlight’s predicament. Being a Monday, he didn’t have archery, and he had muddled through the afternoon without knowing what to do. He had settled on attending a friendship lecture with Spike as the speaker, but he hadn’t listened to it very well, which made him feel bad. He just had too much going on inside of his head to pay much attention, but he tried, because he liked Spike. 

Now, he was just waiting for Lemon Hearts and Trixie to finish up so he could go home. He was tired, he was sore, and his shoulders ached from hobbling around. Still, he found that he enjoyed school, even if he didn’t understand everything and struggled with fractions. 

He thought about the road. While he enjoyed school well enough, and living in a house was pleasant, he missed his nomadic life. He adjusted his glasses, thought about the long days of walking beside Trixie as she pulled the wagon, and then after thinking about it for a time, he decided it was better this way. Trixie had been hurting herself to keep pulling the wagon along. He liked it here, he liked having friends. He liked having Silver Lining clinging to him, or listening to Flint and Tinder bickering, and he liked how sometimes Strawberry Hearts’ magic went wrong… terribly wrong. He was glad to know Cinnamon. He liked being to able to talk to Pebble. All of this had meaning for him now and he wasn’t sure if he would ever give it up. 

He sat in a comfortable chair with his book bag beside him, waiting, trying to pass the time. Boomer was napping, which she did a lot of, and there wasn’t anypony else around. Sumac was all by himself, alone with his thoughts. Thoughts about grown ups sometimes being wrong, or maybe not knowing what they are doing, or that sometimes grown ups cried and that they had the same sort of feelings that foals did, but had to be more responsible about how they managed them. He thought about life not being fair—and it wasn’t—but no matter how unfair life was, friends could make it better. Starlight seemed to feel better knowing that she had a friend. 

It occurred to Sumac that the real magic of friendship wasn’t the power to blast monsters with the Elements of Harmony, it was the ability to soothe the ache of how life hurt you, when things were wrong, or weren’t fair, or adults made mistakes, or abuse happened, or bullying took place. Friendship made these things bearable, and that was a pretty special magic. Friendship made it easier for Starlight to do a job that she didn’t want to do. Friendship made Sumac want to return to school, even though it was here at school where he had been both bullied and humiliated by Olive. It was his friendships that made him want to be a better pony, because the idea of letting his friends down bothered him on some deep fundamental level that he had trouble comprehending. 

So consumed by his thoughts, he did not see a purple pony princess approaching… 



 

“Hello… how are you feeling?” Twilight smiled, a warm, loving smile that somehow made the room brighter. It was an effect that could not be explained, but it could be noticed. She lowered her head and, acting very much like her mentor, she looked into Sumac’s eyes, trying to see through his darkened lenses. “Trixie will be done soon. She has a project that she feels passionate about. She likes her job.” 

“That’s good,” Sumac replied, not knowing what else to say. 

“Starlight and I had a long talk.” Twilight drew in a deep breath and her wings fluttered against her sides. “A very long talk, and it was about you, Sumac Apple. Do you know what we talked about?” 

He was tempted to say Olive, but bit back that response. “Friendship?” 

“Correct.” Twilight nodded her head. “We talked about friendship.” 

“Did you have trouble making friends with foals?” Sumac asked. 

There was no reply from Twilight. Instead, she sat down in the chair beside Sumac, made herself comfortable, leaned over, and looked at Boomer. Then, she said, “Yes I did. Foals were little… and I was so big and grown up. Or I thought I was. It was hard for me. I was still having trouble just making friends with adults. But then I had a realisation that changed my life for the better.” 

“What was it?” Sumac looked up at Twilight with genuine interest glittering in his eyes.

“I thought about Cadance… she was older… and far more grown up than I was. She was my friend. She did it somehow and I realised that I could do it too. So I started to mentor some foals, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We became friends… very close friends, and it just sort of happened. Before that point, when I was having trouble, I realised that I was just trying too hard.” 

“Was Starlight trying too hard?” Sumac felt the question needed to be asked. 

“Maybe.” Twilight let out a soft sigh and then her eyes began to wander around the room. She returned her attention to Sumac, drew in a deep breath, and then shook her head. “Starlight still has so much to learn… and so far to go. It’s been very, very hard on her. But every friend she finds makes it a little easier for her. Ponies like you make the difference.” 

“Ponies don’t like her.” Sumac looked up at Twilight and felt the need to say more, but he wasn’t sure what. Unable to express himself and say what he wanted to say, he chose to remain silent. 

“Yes, there are ponies that still don’t like her, don’t trust her, and don’t want anything to do with her. And it hurts her. She made enemies. She hurt a lot of ponies. Sadly, there are ponies that I know and love a great deal that refuse to forgive her, and it hurts me. I wish some of my friends would do better… but I understand that some very complicated things happened. I hope that time, and maybe a few wise words from me, might make things better.” 

“Just more of life being unfair,” Sumac remarked. 

“Perhaps,” Twilight replied. “By the way, I haven’t forgotten about Boomer’s special piece of shell… I’m sorry for the long wait, but it will be worth it, I promise.” 

“I can wait.” 

“Thank you, Sumac.” 

“Starlight and Olive are going to end up having a lot in common,” Sumac said, his brows furrowing. “Ponies aren’t going to want to forgive Olive if she ever comes around and does better. She’s gonna be hated and nopony is gonna wanna be her friend.” 

“That is my fear, Sumac… that is my fear. And if that happens, I am afraid that it will only push her back into darker, more dangerous places.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I am hoping that Starlight and Olive can become friends with each other. They have a lot in common… so much they could talk about and learn from one another.” 

“Do you think Starlight might stumble back into darker and more dangerous places?” 

Twilight did not respond right away. She sat there, her eyes darting back and forth, her left ear twitching up and down, and there was a faint rustle of feathers as the muscles in her wings tensed and clenched. Her mouth opened, but no words came out, and then her mouth closed. After a few more failed attempts, she managed to say, “She might, Sumac. She might. I’ll admit to the possibility. I would be lying if I tried to say that the darkness has been purged from her. It hasn’t. She wants to get better though, she has a sincere desire for that. She has a better chance of recovery and doing good if ponies like you try to be her friend. Olive too. I believe that sometimes, the failure of the individual is an indicator of the failure of their peers as well, an outlook that Princess Cadance shared with me.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“We’re herd animals, Sumac… and sometimes, as herd animals, we shun a fellow herd member and maybe we try to push them out of the herd because we don’t like them, or don’t want to forgive them, and maybe, just maybe, we impede their reintegration back into the herd by turning others against them and holding grudges that influence what other herd members think.” 

“That… that’s… that… that’s awful,” Sumac stammered, trying to put his feelings into words and failing. “I never thought of it that way… I wouldn’t want to do that… that’s not fair, especially if somepony is really trying to do better. That’s just mean.” 

“It’s why Trixie stayed on the road. She worried about rejection.” 

Hearing these words, Sumac slumped down in his chair and thought about everything being said. He had the first real glimmer of just how complicated his feelings about Olive really were. If he really wanted to get revenge against her, he could ruin her life if she ever decided to turn things around. He could turn others against her. He could sow the seeds of hatred and distrust. He could use sympathy for what happened to him to make others think she wasn’t sincere. He could make others doubt her. Little Sumac, a colt, had a very grown up realisation, and it made him feel very small and insecure. He could make her suffer, he could make her hurt, he could continue to punish her, and it would be all the more painful if it happened when she had a sincere desire to get better, to do good, to turn things around. 

Sumac hoped that he wasn’t that petty. 

Just the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. 

Not only could he be a friend, but he could be an enemy as well. He had the power to make another pony’s life worse. It was a dizzying thought and Sumac wasn’t too happy about this realisation. He worried that he might be tempted in a moment of anger to make her suffer or hurt. He felt the pressure of tears building up and hated how emotional he was. It was hard being a foal sometimes. 

And then, a second realisation hit—this information, this knowledge would always be there. He couldn’t go back to how he was just a few minutes ago, before this knowledge had infected his brain. He was stuck with his crushing realisation and it would be forever with him. He knew that he would be forever questioning another pony’s motivations and worrying about this very issue. 

“Ugh, my brain! Why does it gotta be like this! I hate being smart!” Unable to hold it back any longer, Sumac began bawling, overcome with all of the emotions bubbling up inside of him. “I hate it! I hate it! I don’t want to be smart! It sucks! SUCKS!” 

Horn glowing, Twilight plucked Sumac from out of his chair and plopped him down beside her. She wrapped a wing around him, pulled him close, and then wrapped a foreleg around him too for good measure to comfort him as he sobbed. 

Boomer awoke, let out a worried trilling sound, and then began tugging on Sumac’s ear in an attempt to communicate her sense of concern. The little hatching looked frantic, she was only half awake, and it was obvious she was scared. Sumac was her world, and something was wrong with her world. Her world had sprung a leak and was shaking. 

When ear tugging didn’t work, Boomer grabbed a hank of Twilight’s mane, scurried up Twilight’s neck, and then perched upon Twilight’s horn. She let out a worried honk and then took a more defensive posture, willing to protect if she couldn’t make the leaking stop. Her head bobbed up and down to show that she meant business. She might be tiny, but she was every bit as ferocious as her kin that were hundreds of times her size. 

“Sheesh, Sparkle, leave a foal alone with you, and you make them cry.” 

Lifting her head, Twilight saw the suggestion of a smile upon Trixie’s face. 

“My poor kiddo… he’s so emotional… I worry sometimes.” 

“Yeah, he’s having a moment,” Twilight said, “we had a very serious talk.” 

“And by talk, you mean you did whatever you did to make a little foal cry,” Trixie replied as she sat down in the chair that Sumac had been sitting in. “Hey, kiddo, what gives?” Reaching over, she prodded Sumac. 

Sumac hiccuped in response, but failed to put anything into words. He leaned against Twilight, buried his face against her, and then continued to let everything out. It hurt too much to try and hold it in. 

After getting comfortable in her chair, Trixie let out a weary sigh. She leaned over and looked at Twilight. “That’s the thing with foals, they leak. I learned that on the very first day with Sumac. If one end wasn’t leaking, the other end was. Both ends make noise, some pleasant, some not so pleasant.” 

“Well, there must be some good to them,” Twilight replied, “ponies keep having them.” 

“Oh, they are very pleasant to snuggle with and make for excellent bed warmers.” Trixie let out a low, soft chuckle. 

“I see.” Twilight rubbed Sumac’s back with her foreleg, trying to soothe him. 

Hearing the idle chatter of the adults was calming. It let Sumac know that everything was mostly okay. He drew in a deep, shuddering breath, and then continued to let it all out, hoping that Trixie and Twilight would keep talking. They were two voices that he trusted and he needed to hear them.  
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 33
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The thoughts and new awareness in Sumac’s mind were heavy and difficult to bear. He sat on the couch, knowing that he had homework to do, but he was far too distracted to even make the attempt. In his mind, Sumac had discovered the concept of evil. It wasn’t terrible monsters, or unicorns using dark magic, or nefarious villains bent on destruction—no, it wasn’t any of these things. Evil was something far more simple, something far more tangible, and something far more prevalent in the world around him—a lack of benevolence. 

Twilight had helped him understand what was possibly the most dangerous evil of all. She even had a word for it, a word she had spent several long and uncomfortable minutes explaining—apathy. The Princess of Friendship had given him a lesson about apathy, something she had told him that she considered one of her greatest foes. 

Being a little scrapper, he had offered to help her fight it, but now, at home, he realised that he had no idea where to even begin to fight such a thing. He felt foolish and a little bit stupid for having said something. But he did intend to fight. Perhaps Twilight would teach him what to do if he approached her and asked how, in some subtle manner. He didn’t want to look stupid, because looking stupid was embarrassing beyond measure, and unbearable. 

Crossing his eyes, he looked up at Boomer, who seemed to be content to hang from his horn and groom herself. She was picking crumbs and bits of debris out of her scales with her claw, then flicking them away. 

“Boomer…” 

The hatchling paused her grooming and twisted her head around to an unnatural angle. Sumac was able to look her in the eye. Her tiny eyes glittered with what he knew to be intelligence. 

“You have it easy, Boomer… you don’t know the difference between right and wrong yet.” Sumac squirmed in his seat and studied Boomer’s face as she looked at him. “When you do, the world becomes complicated.” He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “Or maybe it doesn’t for some ponies. Maybe they learn the difference between right and wrong and they don’t care. Maybe they can’t be bothered. Maybe they don’t think that the little things that they do that are bad aren’t such a big deal and so they just don’t care. But little things add up to big things.” Sumac’s brows creased into deep, wizened furrows. “It’s like eating unripened green apples, Boomer… you can eat one, and you might get away with it. You can eat two, and you might get away with it. But if you keep eating unripe green apples…” 

The colt paused for dramatic effect, something he had learned from Trixie. 

“Sooner or later, you’re gonna get the green apple splatters.” 

Boomer let out a trilling sound, puffed out her frills, and then, wasting no time, she returned to grooming herself. Sumac let out a flustered grunt. Boomer didn’t seem to understand how devastating the green apple splatters could be. 

“Sumac, be ready to go,” Trixie called out. “We’re going to the Ponyville Pickle Palace!” 

A scowl crossed Sumac’s muzzle and one ear drooped. “But I don’t want to go…  my legs hurt—” 

“Kiddo, you’re going. You’ll be in a cart so you don’t need to walk.” 

Knowing it was pointless to argue, he settled into a silent sulk. He wasn’t in the mood to go to the Ponyville Pickle Palace, whatever that was. He wanted to stay at home and have a good think—or better still, go to the cemetery, where it was quiet and peaceful. But he didn’t think he could walk that far. 

Without realising it, his lower lip protruded quite a bit as he pouted. “Don’t wanna go to no Ponyville Pickle Palace…” 



 

The Ponyville Pickle Palace, as it was known, was down near the river. As its name suggested, it sold pickled goods of all kinds. Anything and everything that could be pickled was sold here, and it sold supplies for pickling. As they approached the large, ornate, brass decorated double doors, the smell of salty brine was thick in the air. It made Sumac think of the ocean. He had seen the oceans a number of times, on both the east coast and the west coast, after having walked the length and breadth of Equestria several times over. 

The river was low in its bed, a mere trickle after a long, hot summer. Sumac, sitting in the cart, watched the river flow. Lemon Hearts had borrowed the cart from somepony. It was a small thing, compared to a full sized wagon,  two wheeled, and it had a squeaky, annoying axle that needed greasing. Lemon Hearts was pulling the cart, but she wasn’t very good at it. Her stops were sudden, jolting him, and she didn’t seem to know how to take off in a smooth manner either. 

“Hmm, Trixie Lulamoon, Lemon Hearts, and a little bump on a log with a pouty lip!” 

“Hello, Discord,” Trixie said as she began to chuckle. 

Turning his head, Sumac looked away from the river and up at the towering draconequus. He wasn’t sure if he was in the mood for Discord’s shenanigans. There was something about Discord’s grin that gave Sumac cause for alarm. The tall serpentine figure floated past Lemon Hearts and Trixie, then hovered before Sumac. 

“You look bitterly bummed out, Sumac Apple.” 

“That’s one way of putting it,” Sumac replied. 

Discord’s leering grin grew ever wider. He clapped his paw and his talons together as his eyes glittered with mischief. “I think a distraction is in order… I can never pass up the chance to have a chat with a sour looking Apple.” The tall, floating figure paused. “You look so very much like Applejack when you make that face. The family resemblance is so startling!” 

Sumac’s brows furrowed and behind his darkened glasses, his eyes narrowed. It didn’t help matters at all that Trixie and Lemon Hearts were both laughing. Sumac just wanted some quiet so he could process everything in his head. Was that so much to ask for? He didn’t want to be at the Ponyville Pickle Palace, and he wasn’t in the mood to be harassed by Discord. 

“Tell me, Sumac Apple, which weighs more… a pound of bricks, or a pound of feathers?” Discord leaned forwards, getting a little closer to Sumac, and his ears waggled in anticipation of an answer. 

Before saying anything, Sumac though about the question, suspecting a trick. And it was a trick. “Hey… a pound is a pound… a pound of feathers is no different than a pound of bricks. Everypony knows that.” His ears pivoted forwards. 

“No difference, eh?” Discord leaned back, reclining on the nothingness below him. He began to stroke his chin with his talons. “Very well then… Sumac, which would you rather be hit by? A pound of bricks, or a pound of feathers?” 

Sumac’s mind went blank as his mouth dropped open. It took him a moment to recover his senses and there was a click as his teeth clacked together. Boomer let out a shrill trilling sound and snorted smoke at Discord. 

“A pound is a pound, Sumac…” 

“I’d rather be hit by the pound of feathers.” Sumac, feeling a little confused, wasn’t certain what Discord was driving at. The troubles plaguing his mind had fled from him. Now, he was trying to understand what was going on. 

“But there is no difference. A pound is a pound. Why should it matter?” Discord’s grin vanished.

“A pound of feathers won’t hurt as much as a pound of bricks,” Sumac replied. 

“But they’re both a pound—” 

“But the feathers are a soft pound while the bricks are a hard pound.” Sumac drew in a deep breath and tried to bolster his mental defenses against confusion and chaos. All unnecessary thoughts were jettisoned in favour of marshalling better defenses against the Herald of Chaos. He even ignored Boomer, who was bobbing up and down on his horn, making squeaky honking noises at Discord. 

“So, not all pounds are equal?” 

“B-b-but-but…” Sumac stammered, “it has nothing to do with being equal, and everything to do with… with… with, uh, um… uh—” 

“Perception?” Trixie said, being helpful and coming to Sumac’s rescue. 

“Yeah!” Sumac nodded. “Yeah.” He nodded again. “Yeah… maybe?” He blinked, no longer so sure. “Getting hit with a feather pillow isn’t so bad, but getting hit by a brick hurts. Bricks are hard—” 

“I should say so,” Discord said, interrupting Sumac with a casual, dismissive wave of his paw. “So… would a pound of bricks have more emotional weight?” 

“I…”—Sumac’s mouth moved as he tried to make words come out—“don’t know!” His ears pinned back against his skull. “How would one even weigh emotions anyhow? They’re not tangible—” 

“Ah, but there is where you are wrong,” Discord said, interrupting again. 

“How?” Sumac demanded. 

“Easy.” Discord grinned once again. “Friendship is magic. Which means it is a measureable, tangible force that can be observed and studied.” Discord’s eyebrows bounced up and down and he let out a chuckle. “So, tell me, Sumac Apple… which weighs more… a pound of bricks, a pound of feathers, or a pound of friendship?” 

“I… don’t… know…” Sumac felt himself start sweating. 

“Which would you rather be hit by?” Discord’s tail swooshed and swished from side to side. “Having been hit by the full force of friendship, I can tell you, it’s heavy stuff… so, again I ask, which would you rather be hit by?” 

Sumac never got his chance to answer. Boomer, perhaps sensing Sumac’s distress, belched a gout of flame at Discord, setting the elder draconic creature’s eyebrows on fire. Discord let out a worried cry, patted the flames out with his paw, and then gave both Sumac and Boomer a displeased glare while his eyebrows smouldered. Trixie and Lemon Hearts began to giggle together. 

“Young lady, that was rude! So very rude!” Discord continued to pat out his flaming eyebrows as he glared at the tiny hatchling. “No respect for the older generation I see. That is not how one wins a debate! Setting your opponent on fire is dirty pool!” 

Her tail lashing from side to side, Boomer sucked in a deep breath and held it in a threatening manner, her cheeks bulging as her head swayed in a circular motion. Smoke curled from her nostrils. She growled, making a valiant attempt to sound menacing. 

“So that’s how it’s going to be!” Discord let out a harrumph and just as Boomer belched out another gout of flame, he snapped his talons and vanished. His voice remained behind however to get the final word. “Contemplate a pound of friendship, Sumac Apple! It weighs as much as five tons of flax!” 

“Eh, getting his eyebrows set on fire serves him right,” Lemon Hearts said as Trixie laughed. 



 

A whole bunch of barrels all stood stacked atop one another, forming an impressive sight. Sumac, whose nostrils flared from the briny smell, looked up at the sign hanging over them. He stared at the sign for a moment, fought back the urge to sneeze, and then asked, “What’s a gross?” 

“One hundred and forty four,” Lemon Hearts replied as she lifted up two of the small barrels and set them down into the cart with Sumac. 

“We need two hundred and eighty eight pickled eggs?” Sumac blinked and scooted out of the way, shuffling to the very back of the cart. 

“Well, think about it, Sumac… there are three of us living in the house.” Lemon Hearts looked over her shoulder at Sumac, giving him a patient smile. “If each of us eats two pickled eggs a day, how many days will one barrel of pickled eggs last?” 

“A math lesson? Now? After Discord just messed with my head?” Sumac’s voice was a low whine and he started feeling sulky again. He let out an annoyed huff and tried to do the complicated arithmetic in his head. 

Trixie wandered off, looking at jars of pickled okra. 

“If we each eat two eggs a day and there are three of us and there is one barrel of pickled eggs…” Sumac closed his eyes and tried to visualise a sheet of paper inside of his head to help him figure this out. 

Lemon Hearts waited. 

“Uh, twenty four days?” Sumac opened his eyes. 

“Very good.” Lemon Hearts looked pleased. “So, what if we eat more than two eggs each or have guests over? How long do you think a gross of pickled eggs will last?” 

Eyes widening, Sumac had a moment of understanding. “Less than a month.” 

“Sometimes, Sumac, things might seem very large, or something might appear to be much more than it is, but, if you look at it, if you break it down, you sometimes find that what we see isn’t as large or as much as we first thought.” Lemon Hearts turned her head and looked over at Trixie. 

“My perspectives feel all jumbled,” Sumac said to Lemon Hearts. “I find myself doubting if a pound is really a pound and things that seem large aren’t nearly enough when you examine them. Life got confusing all of a sudden.” 

Lemon Hearts nodded. “Yeah, there are a lot of things in life that don’t make sense.” The yellow mare stared over at Trixie, let out a wistful sigh, and then, after turning her head to look at Sumac, she said, “Wait ‘till you get older, Sumac… a lot of things will become a lot more complicated and confusing.” 

As Sumac sat watching, a contemplative expression upon his face, Lemon Hearts returned her stare to Trixie, who was eating a sample of pickled okra. Lemon Hearts’ ears drooped for a moment, her smile looked sad for a second, but then her ears stood back up, pivoting forwards as they did so, and her sunny smile broke through the sadness that had become like clouds crossing over her face. 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 34
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The cart was getting full and Sumac had very little room left for himself. Not everything here was pickled, some things were canned. Canned things came in a glass jar. Shouldn’t they be called jarred? Sumac wasn’t sure, but he suspected that something was wrong with the world. So many of the names were screwed up. 

Barrels of pickled eggs, jars of pickled okra, vegetables in jars, jars of jam and fruit preserves, everything was stuff that would last, and there was a lot of it. Looking at it all, Sumac got the strange feeling that perhaps, something was amiss… or maybe, ponies just liked to plan ahead. 

Ahead of him, there was a massive glass jar of pickled kumquats that had little pink things floating in amongst the orange blobs. He wasn’t sure if he found it appetising or not. The jar was so big that Sumac could have fit himself inside of it, and even screwed on the lid. He shivered when he thought about a pickled pony, left inside of a jar for forever. 

As he sat in the cart, shivering, he realised that had a pretty good idea for a story. A tragic maternal figure, a mother that lost her foal, who wanted to keep other little foals safe, secure, and happy forever. So she would pickle them and leave them in jars, preserving them forever. His skin crawled as he thought about it, and when he could take the macabre thoughts no more, he shoved them from his mind. His spine tingled as he sat there blinking, creeped out by his own morbid story idea. 

Or, he could write about the pickle seller… a pony that sold pickled foals to an ogre… perfectly pickled pony foals, crunchy and delicious. He imagined the lip smacking and the slurping and how the ogre would lick its chops... Sumac felt the fine hairs of his back standing up and once more, he made himself stop thinking about creepy writing ideas. He was going to give himself bad dreams again if he kept this up. 

He turned his head to say something to Trixie, but the words never came out because a pickle went in. Not just any pickle… for a moment, Sumac was worried that he would swallow his face. He writhed and shuddered in the cart, his mouth going dry as sand and then flooding with saliva. The hinge of his jaw ached and he struggled to deal with the pickle that Trixie had slipped him. 

“Oh, he’s all puckered up!” 

Then, horror of horrors, Trixie, his mother, kissed him right on the lips. In public. Mortified, reeling from the super sour pickle that threatened to make his face implode, Sumac sunk down into the cart, his ears burning, and his face ablaze with embarrassment. Sumac was certain that it was, indeed, possible to die from embarrassment, and he was pretty sure that he was about to do so at any second. Ponies had seen! He was sure of it! Full lip on lip action, the worst thing in the world, even worse than getting a bath. 

Crunching up the briny gherkin in his mouth, Sumac glowered at Trixie, who shook with laughter. Ears drooping, his muzzle wrinkled and crinkled from puckering, Sumac did his best to glare at the mare who had raised him, protected him, and looked after his every need. 

“He’s so adorable when he’s like this… you’re right Trixie, he really is like a grumpy old stallion trapped in the body of a colt. Look at him! We should pinch his cheeks!” 

Lemon Hearts’ words made Sumac’s ears blaze with so much ferocious heat that it hurt, it actually hurt. His gherkin chewed, he swallowed, then turning his head, he turned his grumpy stare upon Lemon Hearts, and gave her a good glowering. 

“I’ve never seen such an adorable grumpy face… it makes my lemony little heart hurt! It’s killing me!” Lemon Hearts began to laugh so hard that it caused the cart to shake. Glass jars and barrels clunked and clinked together as her tail wagged with laughter. She turned away, her sides hitching as she guffawed. “Oh my little lemony heart!” 

“When he was still a yearling, he had a grumpy scowl that could scare off a bugbear,” Trixie said. 

Having recovered himself a bit, Sumac protested his situation. “I did not!” 

“You most certainly did!” Trixie’s sides heaved as she struggled for air and she chortled. 

Sumac’s ears stuck out ramrod straight from the sides of his head. Even Boomer seemed to be laughing at him. He let out a resigned sigh, hating that his dignity was being whacked upon like a piñata. He sat in the cart and plotted terrible revenge. He knew what he would do… he would eat a whole mess of pickled eggs, and then get all cuddly… no, no, that would never do. That would involve cuddling with the enemy. He rested his front hooves on the side of the wooden cart and stewed in his own juices. 

Or pickled, as the case may be. 





The strong scent of brine filled the house. Lemon Hearts and Trixie moved about the kitchen, putting things away. There was a lot of food brought home from the Ponyville Pickle Palace. The cupboards grew crowded, the shelves were stocked, and the tiny nook of a pantry was filled. Very little, if anything, required refrigeration. 

“There we go… just in case there are hard times,” Lemon Hearts said. 

“Hard times?” Sumac asked from where he was sitting on the couch. 

“Yes. Just in case there are hard times. Try not to worry, Sumac. Twilight protects Ponyville. It just never hurts to be prepared, that’s all.” 

Something about her words didn’t sit well with Sumac. It sounded as though there was some big grown up problem that was being kept from him. He hated that. He hated being made to feel like a foal. Even though he was a foal. He was a smart foal and he wanted to understand things. 

“What’s this about hard times?” Sumac asked again. 

“Sumac”—as Lemon Hearts spoke, she lifted up an orange from the fruit bowl—“did you ever learn why oranges are called the fruits of friendship?” 

“No.” The colts eyes narrowed behind his glasses. He knew when a distraction was being offered. He was curious however, and allowed himself to be distracted. 

“Oranges have peels. It is quite difficult for an earth pony or a pegasus pony to peel an orange. The orange pith is quite bitter and it is hard to peel it with your mouth. Unicorns can peel an orange in seconds.” 

“Yeah we can.” The distraction worked. Sumac pondered the ease with which he could peel an orange. 

“As the story goes, one day, a pegasus pony and a unicorn pony, both of whom were guards, were having lunch together.” Lemon Hearts smiled and her ears stood up, attentive and twitchy. “And the pegasus pony asked the unicorn pony to peel his orange for him.” 

“I see…” 

“And the unicorn replied, ‘Sure, what are friends for?’ And so, he peeled the pegasus pony’s orange for him. It seemed that Princess Celestia heard about the story, no doubt somepony told her about the camaraderie among her guards, and she had the pegasus pony and the unicorn pony brought before her.” 

The distraction worked a little too well. Sumac was now brimming with curiousity about this subject. He loved history and oral traditions. He listened with rapt attention, no longer thinking about the looming threat of hard times. 

“Princess Celestia was impressed by their friendship. This was way back in the day when tribal unity was still new and all of the little kinks were being ironed out. Unicorns were still pretty persnickety about doing things for others, even though their magic made so many of life’s tasks so much easier. Princess Celestia was impressed that a unicorn would do such a mundane task for a friend.” 

“Oh… neat.” 

“She declared that oranges were the fruit of friendship and this story has been told ever since.” Lemon Hearts smiled at Sumac. “So… Sumac, you should totally peel an orange for Pebble, or any of your friends who aren’t unicorns. It’s easy for us, and it really is no trouble.” 

“Okay.” Sumac nodded. It seemed reasonable. He had learned how to apply his telekinesis better by peeling oranges and bananas, when Trixie could afford them or trade labour for them. Lemon Hearts was peering at him in a most peculiar way. 

“Unity is very important right now,” Lemon Hearts said in a low voice. “We have to stick together. We are strongest when we are together. There are no hard times that friendship cannot overcome.” The lemony mare smiled. “Hey, Trixie, want to stick to me?” 

After a moment’s pause, Lemon Hearts turned as red as a tomato. “I mean, stick together with me!” She spent a moment blabbering in a wordless manner, growing redder and redder. 

Looking at Trixie, Sumac saw that her face was red too. She had a strange look upon her face. Both mares were flustered, and all because of a little flub. Mares were silly creatures, and Sumac didn’t even pretend to understand them. 



 

The dark sacred night was full of stars. Sumac longed to be in the cemetery on a night like this. It wasn’t dark or spooky, no, it was quiet, pleasant, and wonderful. He could pull weeds in the moonlight, he could sit and have a good think, he could just have the quiet time that he so desperately needed. 

Looking out the window, Sumac stared up at Luna’s moon. He found that he much prefered the lesser light of the night. It didn’t sting or strain his eyes. He watched the stars twinkle and thought about them being such precious things. The stars in the sky were much like the stars of the silver screen. They didn’t work, they didn’t toil, they did nothing but be stared at, admired, watched from afar. 

It was not a life that Sumac wanted. He didn’t know what he wanted. He thought about being an inventor, or a great wizard, or a great wizard inventor. He knew that he had the right stuff to do it. He understood that he was far more magical than the average unicorn. He was like Trixie, who knew a dizzying number of spells, where most unicorns were content to learn a few. 

His potential was like the night sky, endless and without boundaries. 

A crash from outside distracted him from his reverie. Turning his head, he saw that Trixie was so startled that she had almost dropped her glass of icewater. Her eyes were narrowed and flinty looking. The glass was set down upon the table and Trixie got up. Following her example, Lemon Hearts did as well. 

As the two mares headed for the back door, Sumac hobbled along, his horn glowing, ready to zap whatever was lurking outside. 



 

“Don’t you move, or I’ll summon Twilight,” Trixie said in a flat voice that meant business. 

“There is a spell that can summon a Twilight Sparkle?” a voice replied. 

“We’re screwed if that’s true,” another voice said.

It was dark and it was hard to see the details of the ponies. Sumac sat down in the grass that was damp with the nighttime dew so he could relieve the pressure on his front legs. One of the ponies was trying to help another pony pull what appeared to be a clay flower pot off of his hoof. 

“Who are you and what are you doing?” Trixie demanded. 

“We were trying to avoid being seen,” one of the ponies replied. 

“You there, behind the fence, come out or I’ll give ya such a zapping—” Lemon Hearts’ words trailed off as a massive draconic pegasus stepped out from behind the fence. She stood there with her mouth hanging open. 

And beside her, Trixie began backing up as she said, “Oh… oh, we’re sorry… we would have only zapped you just a little… just to defend ourselves. We didn’t know that this was Warden business.” 

“Hush? A Warden?” One of the ponies, an earth pony, began laughing. 

“Hush, stop scarifying the ladies. They’s good lookin’.” 

“I beg your pardon?” Confused and a bit bewildered, Trixie shook her head as Lemon Hearts pressed up against her. “Who are you?” 

“We can still summon a Twilight Sparkle,” Lemon Hearts said in the most threatening voice she could muster, which wasn’t very scary at all. Lemon Hearts was far too sweet. 

“Hang on fellas, I gots this!” A dark pegasus stumbled forwards, a flowerpot still stuck on his hoof. “I am Gosling the Incredibly Handsome.” The pegasus’ words were somewhat slurred. “Hotspur and Hush are my loyal royal guards… and Seville… well, Seville, he’s my buddy!” 

“And just what are you doing, running about in the dark and acting like loons?” Trixie demanded. 

The pegasus’ ears drooped from the scolding. “I had no say in the matter, Ma’am.” 

“What?” Trixie took one very aggressive step forwards. 

“She’s cute when she’s angry,” the other pegasus said in a thick Broncs accent. 

“Shut up, Hotspur, you’ll get us turned into toads or something!” Gosling gave Trixie a wide supplicating grin. 

“You shut up, Your Royal Pain in the Plot… both of those mares is smokin’!” 

Trixie’s stony face held no expression. “Explain yourselves at once, or face the wrath of a freshly summoned Twilight Sparkle.” 

Sumac just wanted to know what was going on, so he waited and watched. This was kind of funny, all things considered. The pegasus with the flowerpot stuck on his hoof was a smooth one. But the older pegasus… the other pegasus… Sumac was certain that if that older pegasus flirted with his mother one more time, just one more time, Sumac was going to have to zap him. 

“We foalnapped the future prince on Princess Luna’s orders,” the older pegasus explained. We were supposed to show him a good time. Throw a bachelour party. In secret. Somehow.” The pegasus hiccupped. “No going to clubs though. So we came to Ponyville for an adventure!” 

“You brought the future prince here, of all places, without adequate protection?” Trixie’s jaw muscles clenched.

“We have protection,” the earth pony replied. “We has a Hush.” 

“Gosling stepped in a flowerpot that somepony left out by the back fence.” The older pegasus stepped forwards. “Hey, ladies, my name is Hotspur. And yous, yous is good lookin’.” 

“Hey, Hotspur, I’d lay off the sweet talk,” Gosling said to his companion, “I think the little colt right there is about to let you have it for flirting with his mom. Moms?” 

Both mares blushed a dusky red in the dark night. 

“Ladies, my apologies, we’ve had a few drinks,” Gosling said in an apologetic voice. “We honestly just wanted something to do. It’s been stressful, with everything that’s going on. Hotspur had this stupid idea that if we wandered around, we’d find a party to crash, but nopony is partying here in Ponyville.” 

“No, most of us are quiet, decent sorts.” Trixie’s eyebrow arched. 

“Ladies—” 

“Mister, flirt with my mother just one more time,” Sumac warned, “just one more time… I dare you.” 

Hotspur grinned, his wings flapped at his sides, and he looked over at Sumac. “Yous got a future in the guard… yous is brave.”

“We can’t have you stumbling around Ponyville in the dark,” Lemon Hearts said to the four stallions. Her lips pursed as she thought about what to do. “We could light a campfire in the back yard and make s'mores.”

“Hey, that sounds kinda nice, actually.” Gosling turned to Hotspur. “You’d better behave yourself, ya mug!” 

“I love s’mores.” Seville had a hopeful look upon his face. 

“Flirt with my mother and I’ll stuff a burning hot s’more right down your ear hole.” 

Trixie turned to look at her colt. “Sumac—” 

“I mean it, I will.” Sumac scowled at the older pegasus. 

“Hey, he’s got guts… I like this kid.” Hotspur’s wings twitched at his sides. “We could use more like him in the guard. That’s right kid, don’t take no crap from nopony! Even me, heh heh heh!” 

“Hey, you broads is real nice for putting up with our shenanigans. That’s real nice of yous.” Gosling bowed his head. “I’m gonna make sure that yous nice broads get some extra special wedding invitations. The good seats. To make up for my friend here, who’s a mug, for us just kind of stumbling through your backyard. And for yous nice ladies offering to be nice to us.”

“And for not summoning a Twilight Sparkle,” Seville added. 

Lemon Hearts began to snicker and Trixie chuckled as well. 

“The future prince is a mug—” 

Whirling about, Trixie shouted, “Sumac, don’t talk like a hoodlum!” 
	
> Chapter 35
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Pebble entered the classroom, there was something different about her. She looked happy. Sumac couldn’t say how or why she looked happy, but she did. Perhaps it was how she walked, how she moved, or maybe it was something about her face. But no mistake, something about her radiated happiness. 

As Pebble crossed the room to come and sit with him, Sumac thought of happy times. Making s’mores last night was a happy time. The future prince and his friends were likeable sorts; well, except for Hotspur. Sumac did not like Hotspur, not at all. But, Hotspur was a soldier, and Sumac did his best to respect soldiers—the issue left him feeling conflicted. 

He felt Silver Lining brush up against him as Pebble sat down. Silver seemed to be doing just a little better as of late, or perhaps it was Sumac’s imagination. She also seemed to be close friends with Cinnamon, and helped the colt out whenever the need arose. 

“You look happy,” Sumac said to Pebble as she got settled, and as he spoke, Strawberry Hearts nodded her head in agreement. So, it was true, Pebble was happy and others could see it as well. 

“I am happy,” Pebble replied, her voice filled with uncharacteristic emotion. 

“What’s going on?” Sumac asked in a low voice. 

Turning her head, Pebble looked at Sumac, then angled her head up to look at Boomer. “My grandmother, Pinny, came home. She’s been with my mother and my father this whole time, and not bowling, as I had thought.” Pebble’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “There seems to be something she isn’t telling me, but I didn’t press the issue. She told me that my mother and father would be coming to Ponyville soon, along with Octavia and Vinyl.” 

“Oh.” Sumac’s head bobbed up and down, and above him, Boomer mimicked his movements as she clung to his horn. 

“Pinny wants to meet you, Sumac. I think she plans to tease us.” Pebble’s cheeks darkened somewhat and her ears sagged. “She can’t believe that I made a friend, and a colt no less. She said I made a big leap, the biggest leap a filly can make, and that is having her first colt as a friend. Pinny is a very silly pony if she thinks I am hung up on gender barriers.” 

“What’s a gender barrier?” Strawberry Hearts asked. 

Tinder, hearing the discussion, leaned over and offered his opinion. “The gender barrier is the mutual disgust that all little fillies and colts feel for one another. It keeps us from touching our peepees together too soon and making more fillies and colts, ‘cause that is what happens when you touch peepees.”

Flint, the smarter of the brothers, facehoofed and let out a groan of pain as he listened to his brother’s words. 

Seeing that everypony was staring at him, Tinder, in a very confused voice, asked, “What?” 

“Stunning.” Pebble blinked her eyes. “Simply stunning. I think I just felt several brain cells die.” 

“I think I did too,” Strawberry Hearts added. 

After another groan, Flint shook his head. “I can’t believe he managed to say ‘peepees’ twice and not bust out giggling.” 

“What’d I do wrong?” Tinder demanded. The confused little unicorn colt looked around the room at his peers. 

Rolling her eyes, Tempest Dancer sighed one word, “Boys,” she huffed. 

“Colts are kinda gross though.” Pebble glanced over at Sumac and something in her eyes gleamed. “They’re smelly and silly and talk about”—the filly took a deep breath as if she was preparing herself for some monumental task—“peepees. And this is why little fillies play with little fillies and little colts play with little colts.” 

“Except you play with Sumac.” Tinder blinked a few times. “Well, sorta. I’ve never actually seen you playing. But you spend time with Sumac.” The still confused unicorn colt let out a shrug and a sigh. “Now that I think about it, Sumac is a lot like you. Neither one of you play much. You’re both so serious and act like grown ups.” 

Flint, rubbing his head as if it was aching, turned and addressed his twin brother. “Tinder, it’s obvious that they didn’t spend a lot of time around other foals. Adults don’t play tag or do silly stuff. They’re not like us because they grew up differently.” 

An intense look of concentration appeared on Tinder’s face and his brow furrowed. “We didn’t have a lot of other foals around. You scared them away with your eggheadedness and because of you I got teased a lot for having an egghead brother.” 

Looking guilty, Flint nodded. “Yeah, but we have each other. We played with each other. Pebble probably helped her mother and father do research and stuff.” 

“I did,” Pebble admitted. 

Squirming in his seat, Flint looked away from his brother. “Tinder, while I might tease you for being stupid, you’re not that stupid. You’re kinda an egghead too. There’s a reason why you’re in a school for the gifted.” 

“Even if you say peepee.” Strawberry Hearts began to giggle and she covered her muzzle with her hoof. As she giggled, Cinnamon and Silver Lining joined her. 

“The maturity levels in this room have plummeted. Sharply.” Pebble rolled her eyes and then let out a groan when Flint started laughing as well. Somehow, Pebble managed to look disappointed when Sumac started to chortle. 

“Okay, class, let’s get started,” Lemon Hearts said as she stood in the doorway. 



 

Archery. Sumac had so longed to return to archery. He sat on the grass in the sun, having a wonderful time as Mister Tweed explained some basics. It felt like it had been a small forever since he had last tried archery. He listened with rapt attention as Mister Tweed talked about balance, recovery, and patience. A good archer waited for their shot. 

“—and a better archer will use magic to aid their shot,” Mister Tweed said to his students. “While it is viewed as cheating in competition, it is seen as necessary in times of war and crisis. I am of course, talking about a targeting spell. A unicorn archer can reach out with their minds, touch their targets, and leave behind a patch of magic that an arrow that is also enchanted will seek out.” 

The patient old pony paced around, eyeing his students. “Of course, this targeting spell… it is useful for far more than archery. With some creative thinking, it can be used to make all sorts of things in life easier. Having good aim is useful for all sorts of things.” 

“I can think of a use,” Sumac said. 

“Can you, Mister Apple? Do tell.” Mister Tweed stood waiting. 

“When I put something back together after taking it apart, sometimes, the screws can be a little fiddly. Getting them lined up with their holes can be hard, especially when you can’t see what you are doing.” 

“Very good, Mister Apple.” Mister Tweed arched an eyebrow. 

Feeling euphoric from his teacher’s praise, Sumac’s mind began to wander a bit, thinking of other applications for a targeting spell. A seamstress might use one to make certain their needle always hit just the right spot so they could make perfect stitches. A painter might use the spell to make sure that they put a dollop of paint in just right spot. 

“—right then, time for practice. I want to see arrows in those haybales!” 



 

“Time flies like an arrow,” Sumac said to himself in a low voice, “fruit flies like a banana…” 

He hadn’t hit a single target this session, but he was getting pretty good at hitting the haybale. Learning how to arc his arrows was the most difficult part. Overall, he was excited about his performance and somewhat disappointed that school was now over. 

Hearing voices, he turned and saw the tallest mare he had ever seen, not counting Princess Celestia. She was tall. Tall. She was all legs and it was amazing just how much she looked like Mister Teapot. Beside her, a little filly struggled to keep up with her long legged strides. 

Boomer’s head popped up out of the grass and she watched the approaching ponies. 

“Sumac,” Pebble called out, “this is my grandmother, Pinny Lane.” 

“Hello Sumac, I’ve heard so much about you.” A wide, toothy grin appeared on Pinny Lane’s face. She slowed as she approached and ducked her head down, bowing her long neck. She was wearing a long, flowing dress that almost looked like one of Pebble’s. 

Being just five years old and quite small, Sumac was stupefied by Pinny’s mind boggling height. She was almost princess sized, skinny, a creature made of legs and long skinny bits. Sumac himself was a skinny, scrawny sort, and seeing Pinny, he wondered how he might be as an adult. He hoped that he would be tall. 

“Sumac, say something.” Pebble, now beside Sumac, gave him a poke. 

“Something,” Sumac replied, causing Pebble to roll her eyes. 

“Oh my, you’re just precious!” Pinny Lane’s voice was shrill with excitement. 

That did it. That snapped Sumac out of his stupification. He blinked, got himself together, and his ears angled forwards over his eyes. He knew he needed to say something, but what should he say? He decided to keep it simple. “Hi.” 

“Well then,” Pinny replied, “how do you do?” Her face was now stern looking, serious, and she stood looking down her nose at Sumac. After several seconds of maintaining the facade, she burst out laughing. 

It took him a moment to realise that Pinny was having a go at him and that she was a very silly pony. He decided that he liked her. She seemed kind and nice. She also seemed to be waiting for more words, perhaps even a conversation. 

“Pebble is my best friend,” Sumac said, keeping his eyes on Pinny. There was no way he could look at Pebble when he said that. If he saw her blushing, he might start stammering and stuttering, and he hated doing that. 

“So I’ve heard.” Pinny sat down down in the grass and began smoothing out her dress. When Boomer approached, Pinny watched the little hatching with a curious eye, but made no move to startle her. She glanced over at Sumac. “I am so relieved that my little Pebble has made a friend. She is so dependent upon the company of her parents, especially her Daddy—”

“Pinny…” Pebble whined. 

“—and of course, Tarnish is all too happy to dote on her, he has spoiled her, he has.” 

“This is not the perfect meeting that I had daydreamed about,” Pebble deadpanned. 

“It’s not entirely Tarnish’s fault,” Pinny said, explaining, and ignoring Pebble’s mortified reaction. “Like some fathers do, he fell in love with Pebble the first time he met her. He became very protective and grumpy. He used to get up at all hours of the night so he could check on her and make sure she was breathing. And Pebble…” Pinny turned her gaze on her granddaughter.

Pebble stared off at Mister Tweed, who was plucking arrows out of haybales. 

“Little Pebble exploited her father ruthlessly.” Pinny’s smile became a teasing one. 

“Not at all the perfect meeting I daydreamed about.” Pebble refused to turn around and kept watching Mister Tweed instead. 

“I see.” Sumac looked over at Pebble, then back to Pinny. 

“Pebble told me that she thinks you’re funny, but you strike me as being a serious little colt.” As Pinny spoke, Pebble let heave an embarrassed sigh. “I also heard an impressive story about how you stood up to a bully… Pebble says you are very brave.” 

“I guess I am.” Sumac made a feeble shrug, which made his shoulders ache. 

“Tell me, Sumac, what would you like to do this afternoon?” Pinny’s eyes gleamed with kindness as she looked down at Sumac. “Trixie asked me to look after you. She’s going to be busy for a few hours extra. Is there anything that you would like to do?” 

Sumac could only think of one thing he wanted to do, and he blurted it out right away. “I’d love to go and visit the cemetery!” 

Pinny looked both shocked and surprised. “Oh.” 

“Can we go?” Pebble asked. 

“You want… you want to go to the cemetery, Pebble?” Pinny’s eyebrow arched. 

“Sumac likes going there. It’s nice, it’s calm, and its quiet.” Pebble turned around and looked her grandmother in the eye. 

There was uncertainty on Pinny’s face, Sumac could see it. The living tended to avoid the dead, and Sumac wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was one of those things he would understand when he was older. He didn’t know what to say or how to justify his behaviour. He felt his mouth go dry. 

“I don’t understand it, but I can see that it is important to the two of you,” Pinny said in a kind voice. “I was hoping that I could take you two bowling, but we can go the cemetery. Perhaps a little quiet time and reflection would do all of us some good.”
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 36
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The cemetery was a magical place of quiet and calm that Sumac needed in his life. The transition was difficult, he didn’t know how to talk about it, or even what words to say, but going from a life of wandering place to place to settling down in one spot left him feeling unsettled. He sat in the grass, pulling weeds from around the tombstones with his telekinesis. 

Nearby, Pebble followed after Boomer, as the little hatchling ran around hunting for bugs to gobble. Sumac watched them both, delighting in being idle, and having the freedom to allow his mind to wander. 

“This isn’t what I expected,” Pinny Lane said to Sumac in a low voice. “There’s some spooky-ooky types who like to hang out in cemeteries. They dye themselves black and act all depressed. They moan about how unfair life is and they hang out in graveyards to be all edgy.” 

“I’ve heard about them, but never met them,” Sumac replied. “Trixie brought me to graveyards to teach me a sense of history. Sometimes, the stones have warnings, stories, and sometimes, they’re just meaningful I suppose.” 

Sumac looked up from where he was sitting, squinting behind his darkened glasses in the late afternoon sun, and as he looked around him, he noticed that there was no pigeon poop on any of the statues in the cemetery. He smiled and thought of Discord. Sure, the draconequus kept putting the weeds back, but it seemed that Discord was respectful in his own way. 

Or maybe, he just hated pigeons. 

“Here’s one, Boomer,” Pebble said to the hatchling. 

Sumac watched as Pinny turned her head to watch. He saw something in her expression, some look, it was something he had seen before, he had seen it on Trixie’s face. Seeing it made him feel funny, kind of awkward, as if he was witnessing something special and private. He felt his cheeks grow warm. 

“My mother, Trixie, she makes that face,” Sumac said in a low whisper to Pinny. 

“Oh does she?” A warm smile spread over Pinny’s muzzle. “She must love you a great deal. I was just thinking about a special moment with Pebble.” The older mare took a deep breath, sighed, and her ears drooped down, coming to rest against her face. 

“What?” Sumac asked, wanting to know. 

“Oh, it’s embarrassing and mooshy—” 

“That’s okay.” Sumac looked up, hopeful. 

“Pebble had just figured out the walking thing, hitting that stage when she was good at it and didn’t stumble anymore. She was an independent little cuss and she didn’t want any help from nopony, ‘cept her daddy. Sometimes, I think she’d stumble on purpose just to make him freak out and come running over.” Pinny’s eyes moistened. “Anyhow, one day, she came toddling up to me, she had her ears up, and she came over and sniffed my leg. Afterwards, she closed her eyes and rubbed her face up against my leg, and there… there was… there was just something about her little face… how happy she was.” 

“Huh.” 

“It’s funny… but that was the moment that I knew that I was her grandmother, as funny as it sounds. Sure, I was there when she was born, and I helped Tarnish change a few diapers, and I spent so much time with her… but that moment… there was something special about that moment. Something about… about knowing that I made her happy and she liked being around me. It… it’s more than that though… more than being her grandmother.” Pinny began to sniffle. 

“What’s wrong?” Sumac asked. 

“Oh, old regrets. Mistakes were made with Tarnish. Things happened… things I regret and still wish I could go back and fix somehow. Things I missed out on.” Pinny continued to sniffle and her smile had a sad quiver to it. 

“So, by being a good grandmother to Pebble, you think you can make things up to Tarnish?” Sumac looked up at Pinny and saw an ear twitch as he spoke. He saw some reaction on her face, the corners of her mouth jerked, first down into a frown, then up, back into a smile. 

“Not to Tarnish, no.” Pinny drew in a shuddering breath, then reached up and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. “No, to myself. Tarnish forgives me. He’s such a good natured sort. It’s not anypony’s fault, really. But I still sometimes feel bad and I feel the need to make up for it.” 

Hearing Pinny’s words, Sumac felt a dreadful tightness in his barrel. He thought about his own parents. He wondered if they would ever feel a need to make up for everything that had happened. Probably not. For a moment, he felt like crying, but he drove the feeling away by thinking about Trixie. She was his mother now, and she did right by him. Oh, sure, she had tried to leave him, but even then, she was trying to do right by him, she just didn’t understand what she was doing and needed some help to sort things out. 

“Thinking about somepony that you love?” Pinny asked in a knowing voice. 

Nodding, he replied, “Mama.” 

“You saved your mother, you know.” Pinny reached out one long gangly leg, placed it over the small of Sumac’s back, and pulled him a little closer. “I only knew Trixie a little. Tarnish kept rescuing her, you know. He rescued her from the diamond dogs, he found her again when she was down and out, and then there was that time that he and Maud saved her from an angry mob that wanted to burn her as a witch.” 

“What?” Sumac’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” 

“I’m being serious.” Pinny looked down at Sumac. “She had gone exploring in some old ruin in the south, no doubt trying to find something that would help her become great and powerful—” 

“She did that sometimes.” Sumac nodded in understanding. 

“She soaked up a whole bunch of bad magic and she didn’t know it. She became ill, fled the ruins, and took refuge in a little farming community.” Pinny’s brows furrowed as she dredged up the old memory. “Every time she used her magic, it caused gremlins, mephits, and quasits to appear.” 

“All of those are types of imps,” Sumac said, recalling what little he knew. 

“An angry mob of superstitious earth ponies descended upon Trixie and when she tried to defend herself, even more imps appeared and soon, the entire town was under siege. The earth ponies were convinced that if they burned poor Trixie, the rampaging army of imps would go away.” 

“That sounds pretty bad.” As Sumac spoke, he felt a shivery sensation in his spine. He didn’t like this story. It was scary, in the worst sort of way. He himself had encountered overly superstitious earth ponies who didn’t much care for him or Trixie, because they were unicorns. 

“Tarnish, who was in the area, he had been battling with monsters from deeper within those dangerous ruins, he and Maud went to the town to find supplies and recover. There was a whole troupe of adventurers with them. There was Hachikō, the diamond dog who roams the land, righting wrongs, there was Cranberry the Monster Wrangler, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch were there, Daring Do had been there to fight the monsters, but she had to go off and take care of something else, and Rainbow Dash had tagged along, hoping that something awesome would happen.” 

“A town full of ponies trying to burn Trixie as a witch isn’t very awesome.” A deep crease of concentration appeared on Sumac’s forehead. “That’s not awesome at all. So they saved her? She couldn’t defend herself?” 

“Trixie was sick from the bad magic. All she could do was cast a fireproofing spell on herself, but not much else. She figured out that it was her magic that was causing the imps. Tarnish found her tied up in the bonfire and she was happy to see him. Octavia gave the villagers a good scolding, Tarnish got Trixie purged of bad magic, and much to everypony’s relief, there was a happy ending to this tale.” 

“I hope the villagers got more than a lecture.” Sumac’s lower lip protruded and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. “Those ponies were jerks.” 

“From what I understand, Princess Twilight Sparkle went down there and gave them all a stern talking to. Didn’t do much good from what I hear. They were not impressed by alicorns and refused to even acknowledge that she was their princess.” 

Sumac’s eyes went wide and he sat there in stunned shock. He blinked, once, twice, then a third time. He sucked in a deep breath, indignant, and then began to sputter as he couldn’t say anything coherent. His ears pitched forwards in an aggressive manner and he fell silent as his face contorted into an unpleasant scowl. 

“A big fan of the princess, I take it,” Pinny remarked as she rubbed Sumac’s back, trying to get him to calm down. “She’s been good to you, I know. She tries to do right by everypony, but she has a special place in her heart for ponies like Trixie and Starlight. She’s a good pony, and I don’t care what other ponies say.” 

Still silent, Sumac stewed. 

“We’re living in interesting times, Sumac Apple. A lot of ponies aren’t too keen about the princesses. There’s been some trouble, but I think it is blowing over. Those ponies up there in Canterlot know what they are doing, and ponies are calming down… for the most part.” Pinny paused for a moment and shook her head. “Still, there is a growing divide that needs to be acknowledged. There is a growing number of ponies that believe that we don’t need the princesses anymore.” 

Pinny’s head lifted and she looked over at Pebble. The little filly was off in a far corner of the cemetery and she appeared to be having a conversation with an old, weather worn headstone while Boomer continued to explore in the tall grass.

Looking up, Sumac’s anger melted away when he saw that Pinny had that look upon her face again. He leaned against her and looked over at Pebble, then heaved a sigh. He thought about Trixie, he thought about Pebble, he thought about Lemon Hearts and all of the ponies (and one griffon) that were in his life. 

“Pebble is like my best friend,” Sumac blurted out, feeling the need to tell somepony. “She’s my first friend my own age. And I don’t understand her and sometimes she’s irritating and other times she’s annoying, and sometimes, well, sometimes she is really stuck up, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s my friend and I don’t know what I would do if she wasn’t there.” 

He felt Pinny give him a tender squeeze. 

“Sometimes, I don’t know how to talk to her… she’s smarter than I am by a whole bunch and I’m scared that she’ll think I’m stupid. Or immature. Like in class today when we talked about peepees. I laughed because it was funny, but Pebble didn’t laugh because she didn’t think it was funny at all and she seemed disappointed that I laughed.” 

“Talking about peepees? In class? What are they teaching you in that school?” Pinny asked, sounding alarmed and worried. 

“Well, we talked about gender barrier and Tinder said that the gender barrier…” The colt’s words trailed off and he took a moment to collect his thoughts. “You talked to Pebble about the gender barrier and she brought it up, which is why we were talking about it, and anyways, Tinder said that he thought that the gender barrier was the yucko feeling that little fillies and little colts have towards one another that keeps them from touching peepees and making more foals—” 

“Oh my…” Pinny began to snortle-chortle and tried to hold it in. 

“—and Pebble complained that she could feel her brain cells dying and that the maturity level just dropped and then she brought up the fact that little colts are smelly and silly and we talk about peepees—” 

Pinny Lane began snerking and she struggled to keep from laughing. 

“—and I felt really bad when Pebble seemed disappointed with me for laughing. I mean, it was funny, but she just gave me this look. And I felt real bad for letting her down. Like… like I failed her as a friend.” 

“I can’t believe I am about to say this to the little colt that likes my granddaughter…” Pinny Lane sucked in a deep breath and fought to hold back her giggles so that she might continue. “Sumac Apple, you need to keep talking to Pebble about silly stuff like peepees. She’s entirely too serious and wrapped up in her own thoughts. She’s trapped inside of her own head. Tarnish does it sometimes… oh, he doesn’t talk about peepees, but he can be a very silly pony, and Pebble gets immensely frustrated with him when he won’t be serious—” 

“You want me to do what?” Sumac blinked in astonishment. 

“I want you to just be yourself and try not to worry if Pebble is disappointed with you.” Pinny let heave a sigh and a broad smile spread over her muzzle. “Pebble sometimes needs to be poked and prodded and taken from her comfort zone, at least, that is what Marble says. Marble would know, with all those psychology books she reads.” 

“But why?” Sumac asked. 

“Pebble needs to understand that the world won’t always meet her on her terms, and that sometimes, she is going to have to deal with things she doesn’t like.” Pinny sighed again. “And I think that is a lesson best learned with a friend, somepony that will help her work through it.” 

“I… don’t understand.” Sumac, confused, looked over at Pebble, then up at Pinny. “Would I be helping her?” 

“Yes.” 

“Well… okay… if you say so… I suppose I could tease Pebble just a little bit… but not too much… if it is for her own good. I’ll give it some thought and see what I can do.” 

“Sumac, you’re the best sort of friend that a little filly like Pebble could hope for.” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 37
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sitting at the table, Sumac watched as Trixie and Lemon Hearts chopped up vegetables and tossed them into a salad. It had been a long day, but he wasn’t tired. He felt rather anxious—though not unsettled; it was more of a need to be active after sitting around for so long and doing nothing. Being in the cemetery had allowed him to clear his head and he was feeling better about everything. 

Boomer lay sprawled out in the fruit bowl, napping after gorging herself on bugs. Trixie was cutting cucumbers while Lemon Hearts was chopping some red cabbage. Wanting to be helpful, he began shucking peas, which earned him a smile of appreciation from Trixie. 

“Sumac,” Lemon Hearts began, sounding hesitant, “Sumac, Twilight will be by later so that she might talk with you. You’re not in trouble, but it is going to be a very serious and grown up sort of talk. So please, be on your best behaviour.” 

One eyebrow arched. Sumac, an observant little foal, couldn’t help but notice that Lemon Hearts was speaking to him like… well, like she was his mother. At least, he thought so. He glanced at Trixie, then at Lemon Hearts. There was something weird going on, but he couldn’t put his hoof on what it was. Something weird had been going on for a while. 

There was a snort from Boomer, who rolled over and curled up around an orange. 

While some foals didn’t like eating their vegetables, Sumac wasn’t one of them. Fresh veggies, good fresh veggies, were a treat. Salads were a rare treat when he and Trixie were on the road, but they seemed a little more common now. Everything was better now. They had nice beds, and a house to live in, and they were fixing a salad for dinner. Life was just about perfect. 

All activity ceased when there was a knock on the front door. Sumac watched as Lemon Hearts went to answer. Trixie put down the knife she was chopping with and wiped her face with her foreleg. She then tossed back her head to get her mane out of her eyes. 

“Or, Twilight might get here early,” Trixie said as she tried to straighten herself out. 

When Lemon Hearts pulled the door open, a pegasus was revealed. He stood grinning, his eyes wide, and he held a piece of paper in his wing. Blinking, Lemon Hearts conjured up a bit, gave it to the pegasus, and accepted the piece of paper. 

“Thank you,” Lemon Hearts said as she closed the door. She looked at the paper, then looked up at Trixie. “It’s for you, Trixie.” 

“Huh?” Trixie moved through the kitchen, her bad leg stiff and a bit creaky. She took the paper from Lemon Hearts, unfolded it, and began reading. Her eyes went wide and after a moment, she lifted her head from the paper, looking panicked. “Oh no…” 

“What’s wrong, Trixie?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

There was no reply from Trixie, who stood there, looking stunned and panicked. After a full minute or so of saying nothing, she dropped  the paper and hurried off to the bathroom, tears streaming down her cheeks. The bathroom door shut with a slam and a few seconds later, the sounds of sobbing could be heard. 

“Did somepony die?” Lemon Hearts looked over at Sumac, her expression one of worry. She then looked at the piece of paper. She walked over to where it lay and stared down at it, biting her lip, as if she wasn’t sure if she should pick it up and look. 

“Trixie?” Lemon Hearts looked over at the bathroom door. 

Snorting, Boomer wiggled around, then snuggled up with a banana. 

Lifting the paper, Lemon Hearts did not look at it. She folded it back up and placed it upon the table. She looked at it, wanting to know what it said that had upset Trixie so, but resisted the urge. She walked over to where the bathroom door was, and stood there, ears drooping, not sure what to do. 

Sumac did not share Lemon Hearts’ sense of respect for Trixie’s privacy. He picked up the paper, unfolded it, and began to read it. It was a telegram, and he could see the dashes and dots. Below it, he saw the translation message.

Trixie, you finally settled down long enough in one place for me to find you. I’ll be coming for a visit. We need to talk. Dandelia Lion Lulamoon. 

He didn’t know who that was, but they had the last name Lulamoon. He squirmed in his seat, feeling a growing sense of worry. He folded up the paper and put it back down upon the table. He glanced over at the bathroom door and saw that Lemon Hearts looked as though she was hurt. 

It occurred to Sumac that Lemon Hearts had to be very close to Trixie as a friend for her to look so hurt and upset. Close friends. Best friends. They had put the issues of their foalhoods behind them, forgiven one another, and were now the very bestest of friends. Something about this resonated in his mind and he thought about his private lesson with Twilight about forgiveness. 

“Trixie, please don’t cry!” Lemon Hearts begged. “Come out and talk to me. Maybe I can help you? Let me hug you and make you feel better!” 

The bathroom door did not open. Lemon Hearts stood with her cheek and ear pressed up against the door, looking miserable, and her barrel was hitching. Sumac knew by looking at her that she would be crying soon. Mares were silly creatures, if one started crying, then most of the time, they all started crying. At some point, he was going to have to write a survival guide for living in the house with two of them. The little colt let heave a sigh and wondered how Big Mac might fix this situation. 

He dropped down out of his chair, winced as pain shot through his front legs and shoulders, then went over to be with Lemon Hearts. He walked over, head-bumped her, and then sat down. She snatched him up almost right away, sitting down, and circling a foreleg around him. As Sumac was being squeezed, he suffered the most peculiar and worrisome thought; was he stinky? He shoved the unwelcomed worry from his mind and allowed Lemon Hearts to hold him as she sniffled.

Turning his head, he tried opening the bathroom door, but it was locked. Trixie had locked herself in. Squinting, Sumac’s tongue popped out of his mouth as he concentrated. He reached inside of the lock with his mind, feeling around, and getting an idea of how the locking mechanism worked. In no time at all, he understood the basic mechanics of it, and he sprung the lock. As he did so, he realised that he could have just flipped the latch from the inside. He pulled the door open. 

Trixie, looking both surprised and a bit miffed, was sitting on the toilet, tears streaming down her cheeks, and staring through the now open door. She wiped her snotty nose with her foreleg. Her lower lip quivered as she looked at Sumac and Lemon Hearts. 

“I’m so proud of you, Sumac,” Trixie murmured in a voice that was a whine of pain. “You picked your first lock…” Her barrel began to hitch harder and a soggy smile spread over Trixie’s muzzle. She slid off of the toilet, her hooves clicked on the cold tile floor, and she came over to where Lemon Hearts and Sumac were sitting. She sat down with them, and felt herself snatched by Lemon Hearts. 

Poor Sumac found himself sandwiched between the two of them, but he dared not complain. Big Mac wouldn’t complain in this situation, he didn’t think. No, Big Mac would remain silent and bear it. Sumac wasn’t sure if he would remain silent, but he would bear it. 

“Trix, I don’t know if you should be proud of him for picking the lock,” Lemon Hearts said to Trixie in a shuddering voice. 

“Nonsense,” Trixie replied as she leaned against Sumac and Lemon Hearts. “A mother… a mother should be proud of her foal’s accomplishments and celebrate them—” 

“Yeah, but lock picking,” Lemon Hearts said, butting in with an insistent tone. 

“But he brought us together,” Trixie argued as a few more tears spilled down her cheeks. 

Silly creatures. Sumac squirmed and tried to ignore the fact that it felt like it was raining indoors. He had no intention of picking a lock and doing something bad, but he didn’t say anything. Now didn’t seem like the time. Besides, he was smooshed, and saying something would involve somehow getting his head unsmooshed from between Lemon Hearts and Trixie, something easier said than done. 

“Who’s the telegram from, Trixie?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

After a long silence, Trixie replied, “My mother.” 

With his ear pressed against Trixie’s chest, he could hear her heart thumping. So, he had a grandmother too, it seemed. He wiggled, trying to free himself just enough so that he might hear better, and maybe breath a little air that wasn’t all perfumed and floral scented. 

“Is this why you are proud of Sumac picking the lock?” Lemon Hearts pulled away just a little bit so she could look Trixie in the eyes. “You and your mother, you had a falling out, didn’t you?” 

“We sure did.” No other words seemed forthcoming after these. 

“She didn’t approve of you picking locks?” 

“Don’t be a tease, Lemon.” 

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to make ya laugh.” 

Sumac poked out his head and said, “We should finish dinner. We can talk while we’re eating.” 



 

Trixie was rinsing out the sink and Lemon Hearts was putting the dishes back in the cupboard when there was a knock upon the door. Seeing that they were busy, it was Sumac who got up to answer. He crossed the room, limping a bit, but managing to walk well enough. 

Standing near the door, he pulled it open. He saw Twilight and Starlight standing outside. Before Twilight had a chance to say anything, Starlight scooted past her, scooped up Sumac with her telekinesis, and began to twirl him around in the air, giving him a pegasus pony ride with her magic. 

“Hi!” Starlight said in an overly-excited voice. 

Reeling from the exuberant greeting, Sumac nodded and did his best to hold down his dinner. As his head arced past Twilight, he saw her smiling. If Starlight kept shaking him and whirling him around, he was going to burp… or worse. He was feeling a whole lot of pressure in his other end. 

As suddenly as it started, the pegasus pony ride was over and Sumac found himself on the floor, dizzy, and looking up at Twilight. He blinked a few times, then waved, as he wasn’t sure if it was safe to say hello when one was holding back a lurking dragon belch. 

“Hi,” Twilight said as she shut the door behind her. “I came by so we could all have a talk. There is something very important and very serious that I need to talk to you about, Sumac Apple.” 

Sumac nodded, still feeling the lurking dragon belch. 

“Good… let’s all get started right away. There’s a lot to discuss!” Twilight grinned as she spoke and her wings fluttered against her sides. She lifted her head, looked around, and asked, “Where’s Boomer?” 

“Sleeping in the fruitbowl,” Lemon Hearts replied. 

“Oh.” Twilight blinked. “They sleep a lot, don’t they?” 

Sumac, Trixie, and Lemon Hearts all nodded together. 

“Well, like I said, let’s get started…” 



 

Looking up at Twilight Sparkle, Sumac nibbled on the edge of a pecan sandie. Starlight had brought cookies, and even though he was full from dinner, he ate one. Starlight had made them with Spike, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Plus, the cookie was delicious, and who would turn down free cookies? 

“Sumac, I have to say right up front, I want to ask you to do something dangerous,” Twilight said as her smile vanished. “Trixie and I have done a lot of talking. You’ve been in some dangerous situations before and you handled yourself well.” 

“And while the situation might be dangerous, Twilight has a plan to keep you safe,” Starlight said around a mouthful of cookie. As she spoke, she sprayed cookie crumbs everywhere. She ignored the look that Twilight gave her, raised eyebrow and all. 

“Sumac, I need your amplification magic.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Zecora has given me a tincture made from zap apples. It’s concentrated, but not as strong as the jam. I think it will make things a bit easier to control.” 

“Why do you need my magic?” Sumac asked. 

Twilight did not reply, but gnawed her lip instead. She squirmed where she was sitting, shifting from one side to another. After some time spent in thought, she said, “Sumac, you can’t talk about this… to anypony. Even Pebble.” 

“Okay.” Sumac nodded. “Honest Apple.” 

“Sumac, there is a place called Midnight Castle, and I have a plan to return to it.” Twilight squirmed some more, then settled down. She drew in a deep breath, glanced at Starlight, then returned her attention to Sumac. “About a year or so ago, I discovered the lost ruin of Midnight Castle. I’d been doing some scrying, trying to discern the location of a powerful artifact. A couple of powerful artifacts, actually.” 

Twilight looked away and her eyes fell upon the window, where the last bit of daylight shone through. “It is a place that doesn’t want to be found. It has powerful guardians. It took all of my magic to even pierce the magical veils that protect it. It exists within a haunted wood so terrible that all but the very bravest will run away.” 

“It’s spooky,” Starlight said, eyes wide and gleaming, while nodding her head. 

“I assembled a group of very powerful adventurers,” Twilight continued. “Tarnish joined me, but not Maud. She was involved with something else. Cranberry was found and recruited, she was fighting ice trolls in the frozen north. Hachikō the diamond dog was found, he was in the far south, with Daring Do, fighting with the minions of Doctor Caballeron. We helped clear that up so he was free to join us. A changeling named Stinkbug and his companion, Celaeno the Harpy, they were found in Manehattan, hunting down monsters that lived deep within the sewer.” 

“Yuck!” Sumac snatched up another pecan sandie. 

“Oh, Stinkbug smells worse than anything in the sewer… but… he’s nice.” Starlight’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder how he’s doing? It’s been awhile since we’ve seen him, Twilight.” 

“Yes it has,” Twilight replied, nodding her head. She sighed, then continued, “We were a seasoned party of skilled adventurers. We handled the woods rather well… Stinkbug managed to outstink a couple of undead shamblers—”

“You know you smell bad when you can make a zombie puke,” Starlight said in an absentminded whisper. “Never thought I’d see the day when some undead rotters ran away while clutching their noses and moaning about something smelling bad.” 

Hearing this, Sumac wasn’t sure if he should laugh or not. 

“We had to fight a whole bunch of slimes and jellies.” Twilight turned her head to look at Sumac. “When we finally reached the gates of Castle Midnight, we thought the worst was over. But it wasn’t. The woods were just a warm up. We hardly made it through the gate before the real fighting began. We made it past the first of the guardians, defeating it, but then we had to retreat. My magic just wasn’t strong enough.” 

“And so that’s why you need me,” Sumac said, understanding all too well. “You need me to make your magic stronger.” 

“Not just me,” Twilight said to Sumac. “I plan to take Starlight and Trixie when I go back as well.” 

Sumac looked over at Trixie, then back at Twilight. “Why take Trixie?” 

“For the same reason I’m taking Starlight,” Twilight replied. “Trixie and Starlight have experience with using magic for combat. Fighting magic. They’ve both been in situations that the average unicorn hasn’t. And with you along, both of them will be a whole lot stronger… hopefully, together, we’ll be strong enough to face the guardians, get past them, and get the artifacts I need.”

“Why do you need them? What are they?” Sumac gave Twilight a look of wide-eyed wonder. 

“Sumac, I don’t know if I should tell you—” 

“Twilight, if he is responsible enough to help you, then he is responsible enough to know. He has a right to know what he is getting into, and what is at stake.” Starlight gave Twilight a flinty stare, then looked over at Trixie, as if hoping for some support. 

There was a sigh from Twilight, who slumped over. She looked weary now, as if she was very, very tired and hadn’t slept in a while. Twilight rubbed her neck with her hoof, then nodded, and looked Sumac in the eye. “Sumac, a long time ago, there was a necromancer named Grogar. He was very powerful. He was such a terrible being that almost everything that was known about him was destroyed, just because he was so awful.” 

“That sounds stupid,” Sumac said. He saw Twilight nod in agreement. 

“Some very foolish ponies tried to be rid of his very memory. It’s hampering our efforts now. Grogar has revived himself as a shade. His harpy minions gather and gain strength. He’s trying to recover some ancient artifacts to aid him. Tarnish destroyed his crown, the Gravekeeper’s Circlet. Made the sorcerous old goat really angry. Grogar has threatened to personally obliterate Tarnish.” 

“Who hasn’t threatened to personally obliterate Tarnished Teapot? It’s practically become a pastime for evil beings.  I mean, he’s made so many enemies, even more enemies than I have, and I have a lot… of… enemies…” Starlight fell silent as Twilight glared at her with one raised eyebrow. She made a zipping motion across her muzzle with her hoof. 

Twilight took another deep breath and returned her attention to Sumac. “Grogar’s shadow grows long and dangerous. He has much influence and if he revives himself fully, he will be the single greatest threat that the world could possibly face. There are things at Castle Midnight that might help him. I’m afraid that I’m not the only one who has powerful adventurers working for me and helping me. We can’t let the treasures of Castle Midnight be taken by the enemy.” 

“I’ll do it.” As Sumac spoke, he heard Trixie make a sharp inhale. He avoided looking at her, worried what he might see. He focused on Twilight. “When do we go? How do we get there?” 

“Well, the sooner the better,” Twilight replied. “I created a portal gem to Castle Midnight, but I can’t power it alone… I need something to boost my magical strength. It will take us to the front gates. We can avoid the horrible spooky undead infested woods.” 

“Then what?” Sumac asked. 

“Well, we go further into the castle and I’ll battle the guardians,” Twilight replied. “I’ve done some scrying, so I have an idea of what to expect. If things go wrong, I can activate the portal gem and get all of us out of there in a jiffy.” 

“Twilight, when did you plan to go?” Trixie, who had a worried expression on her face, looked at Twilight. 

“Well, I dunno.” Twilight shrugged. “I mean, you’ve been helping me plan this, so I don’t know if you have more plans. Trixie, I couldn’t have done this without you and Starlight. Ponies will probably never know it, but you two might’ve helped to save us all.” 

“And now we have Sumac getting involved,” Trixie said. 

“Hey, nopony could have known that his magic talent would be so useful. When we got started, his talent hadn’t even manifested yet.” Starlight lowered her voice. “It’s good that his talent is what it is, because Twilight was going to try and use the alicorn amulet, and I don’t like that idea.” 

“Nopony liked that idea,” Trixie said to Starlight. “But sometimes, we have to resort to desperate measures to get things done.” 

“Magic is growing weaker, just as Sumac’s hypothesis shows.” Starlight let out a low cough and cleared her throat. “Grogar is poisoning magic again, just like he did last time. If he corrupts enough of it, it will leave all of us weakened and give him the magical boost he needs to revive himself.” Starlight turned to look at Sumac. “Sumac, you don’t know it yet, but you provided a very important piece to a very big puzzle that has been plaguing us for a long, long time.” 

“I suspected that Grogar is corrupting magic,” Twilight said, offering an explanation. “Sumac, your hypothesis shows that the enormous number of unicorns spreads the available magic and leaves it a bit thin, like too little butter on too much toast. Grogar is corrupting the magic though, redirecting it, making it difficult, if not impossible for unicorns to use it. All of the unicorns are growing weaker while he grows stronger. At some point, the scales will tip, unicorn magic will be almost non-existent, and, no doubt, Grogar will have enough magic to revive himself. We won’t be able to fight back at that point.” 

Sumac’s mind reeled as he struggled to understand what Twilight was saying. 

“Princess Celestia has given some thought to your hypothesis, Sumac. She thinks that Grogar has planned for this. If he would have started corrupting magic again a thousand years ago, when unicorn magic was strong, they would have noticed when their magic got weak. So, Princess Celestia thinks that Grogar has been biding his time, waiting for the population to grow, and for the available magic to thin out and grow weak, as there are too many unicorns tapping into it. Since what little magic that is available is so weak, it is far more difficult to notice that the magic is being corrupted and siphoned off.” 

Blinking, Sumac had a hard time keeping up, but he did his best. 

“Unicorns can’t draw upon the tainted magic without their magic getting all wonky,” Starlight said, “well, not unless you are Tarnish. It’s another reason why Grogar hates him. Tarnish and his poison joke filters out Grogar’s terrible taint, leaving magic clean and unicorn friendly again.” 

“And Grogar needs tainted magic to revive himself,” Twilight added. “Poison joke is his bane… his anathema. Grogar is the poison and Tarnish is the antidote.” Twilight paused, blinked, and shook her head. “We’re dealing with a very large puzzle here, and we can only see a few pieces at a time. Your hypothesis made a number of things a whole lot clearer.” 

“It was just a guess—” 

“Sumac, everything happens for a reason,” Starlight said. “You listened to a gut feeling and because of that, we have a better chance of fighting back.” 

“So, uh, when do we leave?” Sumac asked. 

“Well, I don’t know, but hopefully soon—” 

“Why not tonight?” Sumac, blinking, sat waiting for an answer or an excuse. 

“Could we do it tonight?” Twilight asked. 

Starlight shrugged and looked over at Trixie. Trixie looked at Sumac, then at Twilight, then at Starlight, and then glanced at Lemon Hearts, who was silent. Trixie gave a slow, reluctant nod. With Trixie’s approval, Starlight nodded, and a grin of anticipation spread over her muzzle. 

Looking worried, Twilight nodded. “Well then, I guess we should be ready to leave in an hour or two…” 
	
	
> Chapter 38
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A faint prickle of fear annoyed Sumac. He ignored it, or did his best at trying. He had been in danger before, real danger, and Trixie had kept him safe. He knew that something had changed for Trixie, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Before having him around, she found herself in trouble often and Tarnished Teapot had rescued her more than she cared to admit, or so it seemed. 

After having him around though, Trixie became a fearsome wizard. Trouble still found her, found both of them, but Trixie dealt with it. Perhaps she avoided mortal peril, or perhaps something had made her more powerful and she wasn’t revealing what it was. He knew that Trixie knew magic though, and she had taught him quite a bit. She had taught him more than spells, but also the how and the why. The nuts and bolts of magic. The mechanics behind it. The science that drove it. 

Their relationship was a confusing thing now. She was his mother and no longer his master. He was no longer her apprentice. Unicorn tradition held that unicorn foals found masters outside of their own households and that parents did not keep their offspring as apprentices. Masters had to be tough on their apprentices and a parent might be soft out of a sense of love. 

He could hear Twilight and Trixie talking, whispering to one another. No doubt, they were talking about adult stuff. Sumac tried not to listen, but he couldn’t help himself. Twilight was talking about how she would focus on keeping most of her magic focused on a shield around him, bleeding off her excess magic and making it easier to control. Trixie had experience in working with magical amplifiers and not making her horn explode, and Trixie was giving Twilight some last minute advice. 

Starlight was humming to herself, she didn’t seem bothered by this at all, and she stared out of the window, smiling. If she was afraid, she was great at hiding it. Sumac took a moment to think about the spells he knew and wondered if they would help in the coming fight. Clover the Clever’s Cudgel was a magical attack that smacked something with a glowing aetherial construct club that left behind painful magical slivers that lasted for hours. Trixie had been proud of him when he had learned that spell. It was a weak attack spell, but there were many adult unicorns that never learned it. 


Princess Platinum’s Prismatic Lights dazzled the eyes of the enemy, confusing them, sometimes blinding them, and sometimes causing them to attack one another if it was cast on a group. It was another low level attack spell and Sumac didn’t think it would be very useful on the sort of things they would be fighting. 

Celestial Fire was a magical fire that would cause a foe to burn with rainbow coloured flames. The flames didn’t hurt, but they did confuse, disorient, and sometimes blind something. The flames also made enemies much easier to hit in the dark and made dangerous enemies with invisibility visible. Sumac decided that this might be useful if they were fighting spectral undead. They could turn invisible, or so he had heard. 

Trixie hadn’t allowed him to learn any dangerous spells. He knew that she knew them. He had watched her lob a fireball once and torch a whole mob of pony eating spiders. There had been a great big whoosh and all of the spiders were on fire. The smell of burning hair had filled the air and he had almost been sick because of it. Trixie prided herself on her fireball spell, which she said was bigger, better, and burnier than most. Trixie was the burniest burninator there ever was.

Well, maybe. She wasn’t an alicorn. But she did have a mean fireball spell. 

After thinking about his options, Sumac was bothered by his magical repertoire; there wasn’t much to pick from. He was five years old now… and… and… and he had to be the stallion in both Trixie and Lemon Hearts’ life. He had duties, obligations, he needed to start learning more magic right away. He needed a new master. He glanced at Starlight and felt a pang of regret. He liked her, but she had other duties. She had to straighten out Olive so that Olive could be a better pony. And when Olive was a better pony, Sumac would finish straightening her out as best he could. He didn’t know how he was going to do this, but do it he would. There was a lot at stake. 

But there was another female in his life that needed him. He scooped up Boomer from out of the fruit bowl where she was napping. He watched as she let out a sleepy yawn and he held her right in front of his nose. He was responsible for her, Twilight was trusting him, and he had to make certain that he did right by her. He glance to the left, then glanced to right, trying to see if anypony was looking. 

Twilight and Trixie were still talking. Starlight was staring out the window. Lemon Hearts stood near Trixie, looking worried and sad. Poor Lemon Hearts didn’t seem happy about this. He had another look around to double check that nopony was watching. 

“I gotta go and do something dangerous. Something top secret. Be good for Lemon Hearts, okay?” After whispering these words, Sumac, who was nervous about this sort of thing, puckered up, leaned in his head, and gave Boomer an affectionate smooch right on top of her tiny, scaly head. 

“OH MY GOSH, THAT WAS THE MOST ADORABLE THING EVER!” Starlight danced around as she shouted and her hooves clattered on the floor. 

“How… how did you see?” Sumac squeaked as his ears drooped in embarrassment. 

“Oh, I have a spell that gives me eyes in the back of my head,” Starlight replied without a moment’s hesitation. “I saw you making shifty eyes all around the room and I knew something was up. And then you kissed her! It was so adorable!” She let out a squeal and pranced around on her hooves again. “Twilight kisses Spike on those rare occasions she can catch him by surprise and when she thinks nopony is looking.” 

Twilight let out an indignant snort while rolling her eyes, but she said nothing. Beside her, Trixie and Lemon Hearts began sniggering. Starlight ignored Twilight and continued to gush over what she had seen as Sumac set Boomer down upon the table. Sumac felt his cheeks burning and his ears felt as though they might catch on fire. Now on the table, Boomer let out another yawn, this one smokey, and then tried to rub away the kiss with her tiny little hands, looking disgusted as she did so. 

Trying to look very grown up and serious, Sumac turned to speak to Lemon Hearts. “She usually poops in the morning and at night. She’ll have to go later. She’ll let you know. Please reward her for not setting her poops on fire and exploding them.” 

“I will,” Lemon Hearts promised as the corners of her mouth kept jerking upwards into a smile, which she kept trying to hide. 

“I am ready to go,” Sumac announced, “so we can leave at any time.” 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Starlight Glimmer said, “So adorable! It hurts, Twilight, it hurts! I want a foal of my own!” 



 

Twilight fiddled with the portal gem, examining it, and no doubt making a few last minute adjustments. On the table was a bottle of zap apple tincture, which a sleepy Boomer kept poking with her claw. With each touch of her claw, the strange liquid in the bottle pulsed with rainbow light, creating a dazzling illuminated display upon the walls and ceiling. 

In an open space, Trixie was flexing her knees and trying to get the kinks out of her bad leg. She had taken a few pills, which worried Sumac, she only took pills when she had to and she hated doing it. Tearing his eyes away from Trixie, he turned to look at Starlight Glimmer. 

“So you want to have a foal?” he asked. 

“Yes,” she replied, then paused. After a moment of indecision, she shook her head. “No.” 

“Well, do you or don’t you?” Sumac sat down upon the floor and looked up at her. 

“Sumac, that’s hard to answer.” 

“No it isn’t.” Sumac’s brows furrowed and several wrinkles appeared upon his brow just below his stubby horn. “You either do or you don’t. Do you have a special somepony?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, Sumac…” 

“Again, do you or don’t you?” 

“He’s special, and we’re friends, but… but I don’t know where we stand. He means a lot to me. I haven’t said anything to him because I don’t want to risk our friendship. But I like him. He’s a powerful wizard.”

“Powerful magic, eh?” Sumac nodded. “It makes sense that you would like somepony like you.” 

“Well, no, actually,” Starlight said as a confused look settled over her face. “He’s the most powerful unicorn I know, he really is a powerful wizard, but he doesn’t do much magic.” 

“What?” Sumac tilted his head off to one side and one ear drooped own. 

“He’s a very powerful wizard, but his actual magic skills are lacking.” Starlight, nervous, licked her lips, her orange tongue flashing into view for but a second. “But he knows more about magic than just about anypony I know. In my own opinion, I would say that he and Twilight are tied, but Twilight might disagree with me. He knows esoteric stuff… stuff the common wizard wouldn’t know. He’s very good at what he does and Princess Cadance made him the Court Wizard.” 

Sumac realised that there was a lesson to be learned here. Knowledge of magic and using magic were two different things, and both could make one a good wizard. 

“I miss him, Sumac… I stay so busy… I feel guilty for not keeping in touch, and then, because I feel guilty, I don’t talk to him because I feel so ashamed. And then I feel even worse for not talking to him for so long, and it just gets worse.” Starlight hung her head. “Don’t fall into that trap, Sumac. It’s awful.” 

“Maybe talk to him and tell him you feel guilty. Explain why.” Sumac thought about what he had said for a moment and then added, “And apologise. I find that I can get away with almost anything if I apologise and really mean it.” 

“I wish it was that simple.” Starlight let out a sigh. “Sumac, something terrible lurks in the shadows. Something awful. We’re all very busy trying to fight it in our own way, and he is too. The Crystal Empire has records that Equestria doesn’t. On top of that, Equestria is having some troubles at the moment, which makes us weak and makes it easier for our enemies to exploit us.” 

“If we’re stronger together, why do you keep yourself apart from the pony that might be your special somepony?” Sumac opened up his mouth to say more, but the words never got out. Starlight grabbed him and began squishing him. He felt her trembling, she shuddered against him, and he knew that she was hurting. Feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed, he realised that Starlight was trying not to cry. 

What would Big Mac do in this situation? Well, that seemed obvious. Sumac sat there and let himself be held, even though it was mighty uncomfortable. He was needed. He ignored a slight feeling of annoyance and accepted the fact that he was going to have to adjust his glasses, or even clean them. Sometimes, glasses just got in the way. The sooner he got over it, the better. 

“Okay, time to pony up,” Twilight said as she held the portal gem aloft. “Sumac, I am going to give you one drop of tincture to power you up and we’ll see how that goes. If more power is necessary, I’ll give you a second drop. Okay?” 

Starlight let go of him and he gave Twilight a nod. 

“We’ll be travelling by ley line… the portal gem will pull us into the aether and we’ll travel along the veils of magic. I’ve done this before and I’ll admit, it’s a little uncomfortable. Not painful, just unpleasant. So be ready.” The blue gem held in Twilight’s magic twinkled and began to emit sparks. 

Starlight elbowed Sumac. “Not even Princess Celestia can do this. This is a new type of magic and only Twilight can do it. But she’s right though, it’s not exactly pleasant.” 

“Okay, Sumac,” Twilight said as she held up a dropper filled with rainbow liquid. 

He opened his mouth and waited for the drop to hit his tongue. When it did, his whole body shook and he convulsed for a few seconds. Sumac could feel his face muscles jerking and twitching. The tincture was sour and electric. He felt stronger, smarter, he felt energised and awake. He felt more aware, more alert. He looked up at Twilight, whose whole body blazed with aetherfire. Magical energy crackled along her wings and sparks arced from her horn. Her hooves glowed with shimmering purple flames that stung the eyes. 

“So much power,” Twilight growled, “but this time I have more control. It feels like the time I fought Lord Tirek.” She sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth, then added, “A second drop might be too much.” 

“Ready to go?” Trixie asked as sparks spilled from her horn. 

“I think we are,” Starlight replied. She too, was spurting out excess magic from the tip of her horn. 

“Hang on!” Twilight cried. “We have a long way to go! Stand together and I’ll pull us in!” 

All around Sumac, reality warped, twisted, and then popped like a soap bubble… 
	
	
> Chapter 39
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Darkness. Everything was shrouded in darkness. The light seemed thin and weak somehow. Sumac was still trying to recover, his insides felt scrambled like eggs and he was almost certain that his brain was down in his left front hoof. In this moment, he hated Starlight just a little tiny bit, as she seemed unaffected by their travel, and was bouncing about as she had a look around. 

He hovered in the air, surrounded by a magenta coloured shield bubble that rippled and fizzled with strong magic. Twilight had a direct magical tether to him and it seemed to have a two way affect—Sumac could feel her magic coursing through him, and from it, he somehow gained a better understanding of how shield spells worked. 

In the distance, something let out a blood curdling shriek and Sumac almost lost his nerve right then and there. All of the spooky stories he had read in books hadn’t prepared him for this as well as he had hoped. He was now living through a spooky story, and awful things happened in those books that Trixie was sometimes concerned about him reading, like the one about the angry revenant that went around slurping eyeballs out of sockets because his own eyes had been stolen (by his apprentice no less!) and then the ponies who had their eyeballs slurped out came back as zombies with a hunger for brains. Which didn’t make sense to Sumac, who thought it would be more fitting if they had an insatiable hunger for eyeballs, like the revenant. 

“This place is scary,” Sumac said in a low whisper, fearful of having his eyeballs slurped. 

“This place is cursed,” Starlight replied with no trace of fear in her voice. “Many battles were fought here, and now, all those who fell here continue to battle, cursed to keep fighting. Twilight says that those that die here looking for the treasures are also cursed and will be forced to fight forever—” 

“Starlight, shut up!” Twilight snapped at her assistant. 

“Shutting up now.” Starlight fell silent. 

Too late, Sumac was already shivering with fear. He heard screams, the ring of steel on steel, and the explosive crackle of magic. He realised that he was hearing the sounds of battles long past, echoes of violence from long ago. He didn’t want to fight forever. To fall here was to meet a terrible fate. He trusted that Twilight knew what she was doing. 

“When we push ahead, we’ll be attacked by undead spectres. They hate us because we’re still living and warm. Starlight and I have spells to counter the fear generated by the undead, and Trixie knows a hex reversal that will protect us from the unearthly cold they generate. Sumac, no matter how scary it might seem, I promise, you are safe.” Twilight lifted Sumac up and looked him in the eye. “I mean it, you’ll be safe. Just trust in us, okay?” 

“Can they be killed or destroyed?” Sumac asked. He wondered how Trixie knew how to reverse a hex and thought about asking, but now was not the time. 

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “They can be obliterated for a short time, but they will rise again. That is the nature of this place.” 

“Time to be great and powerful,” Trixie breathed, more to herself than anypony else. “I’m doing this to give Sumac and others a better, brighter future, and not for myself… not for my own glory, but for the benefit of others...” 

Starlight too, was collecting herself. Her lips moved, but Sumac heard no words. Pale white flames flickered along Starlight’s body and she blazed with a silver glow. The flames lept from her to Twilight, then burned along the magical tether, and surrounded his shield bubble. The flames then lept to Trixie, surrounding her. 

A glowing sphere manifested near Trixie’s head, it looked like a tiny miniature sun, and it began to orbit around her. It cast a soothing yellow-orange light into the darkness, and Sumac felt warmth blossoming in his bones, it was like being outside on a sunny day. 

“I wish Moondancer was here with Trixie and I,” Starlight whispered to Twilight, “we three are the most powerful unicorns of our age… and having you and Sumac with us, we could wreck this place—” 

“Starlight, keep your aggression in check, it will be our undoing.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she stared down her student. “I left Moondancer behind to protect Ponyville just in case one of our many enemies decides to make an attempt in my absence. We aren’t here for the sake of battle, we are here to retrieve some artifacts so that we might protect others.” 

“Yes, of course, my Master.” Starlight bowed her head. “My apologies, Master, I had a momentary lapse of judgment, I will not allow it to happen again.” 

Almost entranced by the exchange, Sumac hung on every word, enraptured by the relationship between Master and Apprentice. He wanted that for himself and right now, at this moment, he felt a keen sense of longing for it. He also took notice that Moondancer was powerful, she was powerful enough that Twilight trusted her to protect Ponyville, and he stored that little tidbit away for later. His now enhanced intelligence allowed his keen mind to begin plotting and scheming. 

“Let us begin,” Twilight said as she pushed open a rotten looking door. “Stay together!” 



 

The central courtyard was a dreadful place. It seemed to change size even as Sumac looked at it, growing bigger, then shrinking, and it was filled with all manner of ghastly undead. Spectral undead, cadaverous undead, and skeletal undead, he saw them all. They had been fighting one another, doing whatever it was that they did when there were no living around, but now, they all banded together, finding common ground in their seething hatred of living flesh. 

It was Trixie who lobbed the first spell. At first, Sumac thought it was going to be a fireball, but he was both shocked and surprised by the wall of flame that lept up in front of Trixie. The wall of flame became a wave of flame, falling over, roiling like liquid, and then it rushed forwards, spilling ahead, a tsunami of fire. It was quite wide and it crashed into the undead like an incoming tide, burning them, setting them ablaze, and causing their rotted corpses to fly apart like dolls lost to the fury of a foal having a tantrum. 

And what strange corpses they were. Sumac saw all kinds. Centaurs, ponies, griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs, so many had been drawn here to this place, and so many had died, giving this place what it needed, immortal defenders to protect the secrets buried within. 

The wave of fire crashed against the stone wall at the far side of the courtyard and the way was almost cleared. Twilight started forwards, before the undead could recover, heading for a door ahead. She moved with purpose, as if she knew the way to go. As they moved together, Starlight picked off a few stragglers that got too close, shooting them with a silver beam that shimmered like moonlight. 

As Sumac looked on in horror, many of the shambling corpses began to pull themselves together, some of them still on fire, and several began to rise. He didn’t like it, not at all, and even with the spell that protected him from magical fear, he was still afraid. He understood that the spell only protected him from magical fear and that the fear he was feeling was his own fear—the only way to be rid of it was to stop being such a scared little foal. 

Twilight pulled the door open and the group hurried through, the undead clawing at their heels… 



 

An impossibly long hallway loomed before them. Starlight had the lead, Twilight followed after her with Sumac in tow, and Trixie brought up the rear. There was no door behind them, it had vanished as soon as it was closed. Overhead, a high stone ceiling loomed above them, covered in slime and lichens. 

“I think Princess Luna might have used this place in a few bad dreams,” Twilight said as she had a look around. There wasn’t much to see and Twilight shook her head. “I thought we’d be in the labyrinth when we went through the door, but instead, we got sent to this place.” 

“Twilight, trust in your skills. If your scrying says that past that door is the labyrinth, then we are in the labyrinth. We just need to figure out how to get past this endless hallway.” Starlight kicked at the wall and then began to study the stone construction all around her. 

“We seem to be safe at the moment.” Sumac too, had himself a look around. “We’re all alone here.” 

“For now,” Trixie replied. 

“Hey, what’s this?” Starlight stood up on her hind legs and began to examine a rusted iron sconce on the wall. She rested her two front hooves against the stone. “This has an odd dweomer of magic about it.” She touched it with her telekinesis and said, “Hey, it turns!” 

Something went wrong, because when Starlight tried to turn the iron wall sconce, it didn’t move, but the hallway did. The whole hallway began to angle, and instead of stretching out in front of them, it became a hill threatening to dump them downwards, and it grew steeper, and steeper, until… 

It became a bottomless pit beneath them and an endless shaft above them. The group fell for only a moment, Starlight levitated herself with her magic and Twilight hovered with her wings, while holding Trixie in a bubble of levitation. The rusty iron sconce appeared unmoved and was still pointing in the same direction.

“Well, that was neat,” Starlight said in a cheerful, chipper voice that caused Twilight’s eyebrows to do some impressive gymnastics. “The sconce doesn’t move, but the hallway does.” 

“What a stunning observation!” Twilight snapped. 

“Oh, Twilight, don’t be such a grumplepuss—” 

“I’ll show you grumplepuss!” Twilight’s lip curled back in a snarl. “We almost got dumped down into an endless shaft! Be mindful of what you do and how it might affect others!” 

“I’m positive that it’s an illusion,” Starlight replied, still smiling. “We would have hit something sooner or later. Besides, we’re fine.” Without warning, Starlight plunged down, off to have a look at what the hallway, now a bottomless pit, had to offer. 

Sumac observed that falling was a whole lot easier than walking. Starlight was conserving energy by allowing herself to fall, and was saving her strength. She came to a stop far below them, and he had trouble making out what she was doing. 

“There is a big patch of illusion here, I think there is a door, but I don’t know how to open it,” Starlight said from down below. “I wish Tarnish was here, he’s good at seeing through illusions with that second sight astral viewing thing he does.” 

“If Tarnish was here, you two would be doing nothing but fighting!” Twilight swooped down with sudden alacrity to join Starlight. “I swear, I can’t leave the two of you alone for even a minute—” 

“He doesn’t like me,” Starlight said, interrupting Twilight, her voice becoming a whine. 

Twilight came to a sudden stop and Sumac felt his stomach lurch. He watched as she began to examine the wall, touching it, and studying the stones. He wondered why Tarnish didn’t like Starlight, and thought about asking, but then he decided that now was a good time to keep quiet. The adults seemed tense and silly questions might get him a scolding. 

“This is perplexing.” Twilight’s brows furrowed and she shook her head. “There is illusion here, but there isn’t a door. I don’t understand—” 

“The Great and Powerful Trixie shall show you!” Turning about in Twilight’s levitation magic, Trixie poked at the wall on the other side of the bottomless shaft opposite to where Starlight and Twilight were looking and her hoof went right through the stone. “It’s a projection spell, you nattering boobs! This is basic illusion! Didn’t you pay attention in school?” 

“I never did well in illusions,” Twilight admitted. “It was never real enough. I like dealing with tangibles, not untruths and projected lies.” 

As Twilight spoke, Trixie rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking disgusted. Sumac was getting an eyeful and an earful on how adults acted, and he wasn’t sure what to think. Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie were all very different ponies in this situation, away from the school. If they were students, they would get stood in a corner and maybe have to write essays on better behaviour. 

“Illusion is the most powerful of all of the schools of magic.” Trixie’s eyebrow arched and she gave both Twilight and Starlight a haughty look. 

“Nope.” Starlight shook her head. “Destruction is the way to go.” 

“Both of you are wrong!” Twilight floated between Starlight and Trixie. “Divination is the true path to power… because knowledge is power. We must know the unknowable if we wish to have strength.” 

“Only an egghead would say that.” Starlight rolled her eyes and let out a whinny. 

“We agree, Starlight.” Trixie shook her head and looked at Twilight. 

“By the way, you are going to have to show me how you cast that flame wave,” Starlight said to Trixie. “That was impressive, most impressive.” 

“Enough!” Twilight snapped. “I swear, this is like herding cats! We have a job to do! Sumac, I’m going to give you another drop of tincture and then we’re going to go through that door to see what lies beyond.” 

Sumac was eager to see what was beyond the door… 
	
	
> Chapter 40
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Always go right,” Starlight Glimmer said in a mocking singsong voice. “Always go right and follow the wall and it will lead you out of a maze. I’ve had experiences with mazes, Discord put me in one—”

“Normally it works!” Twilight snapped. 

Starlight shook her head with enough force to make her ears flop around. “Yeah, but the walls keep moving—” 

“We don’t know that for certain. We’ve failed to gather empirical evidence!” Twilight paused mid-step to glare at her student. 

“Because something keeps removing the markers from the walls,” Trixie said. 

Sumac, wrapped in a cocoon of protective magic, thought the adults all needed a timeout and he wondered if he could get away with giving them one. They were safe at the moment, nothing had attacked them since coming into the labyrinth, and he was feeling bored and more than a bit irritated. He decided to intervene. 

“Starlight?” he asked. 

“Yeah, what is it, Sumac?” she replied. 

“Starlight, you said that your special somepony was one of the most powerful wizards you know.” 

“Yeah I did, Sumac.” 

“But a little while ago, you said that you, Moondancer, and Trixie are the most powerful unicorns of our age.” 

Starlight’s ears drooped. “Yeah, I said that too.” 

“Mister Teapot is supposed to be a powerful unicorn.” 

Starlight inhaled with so much force that there was a whistling sound. “Tarnish is a druid. That’s different. Plus, he uses zebra hoodoo and minotaurian stitch magic and Tarnish, well, Tarnish cheats…” A deep scowl of resentment settled over Starlight’s face. 

Twilight began moving again and Sumac angled his focused stare upon Starlight Glimmer. “So… is your special somepony powerful or not? Or was everything you said about his knowledge of magic making him powerful just a load of horseapples—” 

“Sumac Apple!” Trixie turned tail and gave Sumac a disapproving glare of maternal fury. 

Ignoring Trixie, Sumac waited, staring at Starlight, and watching her squirm. She turned away from him and stared ahead, but Sumac continued to give her the business, knowing that she had eyes in the back of her head. Ahead, there was a fork in the passageway. 

“I got too caught up in my own destructive power once again,” Starlight admitted in a huffy, almost foalish voice. “Even if Moondancer was here, it is unlikely that she’d do much. She’s a powerhouse, but she never uses more power than actually needed to finish a task. She’s all about the conservation of energy. Trixie and I know a lot of destructive magic and it feels good to let it out. The pony that I’d like to have as my special somepony…” she paused before she continued, “and ponies like Tarnish, they’re powerful too. And I shouldn’t’ve said what I said. My apologies, Sumac.” 

“I think you owe me an essay,” Sumac said in a low voice. 

Starlight’s jaw fell open and she turned her head to look at the colt. 

“What?” She blinked in astonishment. 

“I think so too,” Twilight agreed. “Two thousand words should be suitable.” 

“You’re only doing this because we argued!” Starlight’s accusation came out as a petulant whine. 

“Maybe.” Twilight grinned. “How about writing two thousand word essay on why it is wrong to nurture a raging superiourity complex and how careless words can send a damaging message to a student.” As she spoke, she chuckled. 

“Twilight, you owe me an essay too.” Sumac cringed, fearful of reprisal or retaliation, and then added, “A master should not gloat over their apprentice’s misfortune. What sort of message is that sending me? Is this a lesson you want me to learn?”

As Twilight began to grumble, Trixie said, “Twilight, I told you he was smart. Didn’t I warn you that if you slipped up, he’d nail you for it?” 

“You did,” Twilight mumbled as she glared over her shoulder at Sumac, whom she carried behind her. “Fine, Starlight and I both will work on two thousand word essays together.” As she spoke, her ears drooped and her tail sagged in shame

“We’ve walked the length of Ponyville several times. I know that we have to be crossing over the same places over and over again, even if something is removing our marks. We need to figure out something else, otherwise, we’ll be doing this forever.” Trixie let out a cough and cleared her throat. “My leg is holding up well though, better than I thought it would.” 

“I have an idea.” Twilight stopped and stood blinking. “I am going to see if I can tap into the elemental plane of shadow… Luna’s been teaching me a few spells… if I can, these walls won’t be here and I’ll be able to see what’s really around me. Might give me a better idea of what is going on here, or how to escape.” 

“I had a fascinating discussion with Princess Luna about shadow magic… she theorised that shadow magic is actually earth pony magic and it is how earth ponies jaunt.” Starlight turned her head to look at a rusting, crumbling iron sconce on the wall. 

“What’s jaunting?” Sumac asked. 

“It is how Pinkie Pie can step behind a tree and then pop out of a cupboard a second later,” Trixie replied. 

“So, like unicorn winking?” Sumac looked at his mother. 

“Similar, but a very different method. We unicorns harness the aether all around us and bind it to our wills.” Trixie drew in a deep breath. “Earth ponies and pegasi have more passive magic, for the most part. When jaunting, an earth pony can step behind something and reappear someplace else.” 

“Hold on, I’m going to try it,” Twilight said as she closed her eyes. “Here we go!” 



 

Something had gone horribly wrong. Twilight had gone dim for a moment, becoming a little less than real, and then she had become solid again. All around them, the walls were melting like candle wax, distorting, and collapsing. Sumac could feel his heart thumping in his barrel. There was a distant roar that did nothing to make him feel better. 

The walls became sludge and dribbled through cracks in the floor, vanishing, and revealing that they were in a room. Sumac had no idea of how big it was, as the light did not show the distant walls, but he could see a single corner not too far from them and a rough ceiling overhead. 

The floor shook and heavy thuds could be heard. Something was coming and Sumac braced himself. There was another roar and Trixie let out a worried cry as Starlight began to power up her horn. Meanwhile, Twilight was trying to recover from stepping into the shadow realm, she looked confused, disoriented, and a bit dazed. 

When Sumac saw what had roared, he screamed with so much force that his voice cracked. A massive golem lumbered towards them, stomping along on two enormous feet. It was bipedal and had no real features, no face, it had no fingers, just two big arms that ended in blunt lumps. Starlight Glimmer turned her head, pointed her horn, and blasted it. 

Nothing happened. 

The magical lance of fire just vanished as it struck the golem. 

Starlight tried again, this time firing a crackling stream of lightning, and it had the same effect. It vanished, leaving the golem unharmed. Starlight, a powerful practitioner of magic, who now had no means to defend herself, screamed. 

Trixie winked, vanishing and reappearing someplace else with a bright flash of light. A shimmering shield bubble sprang up around her and she withheld her magical attacks, knowing it would be a waste of energy. 

“It’s a null golem!” Twilight shrieked. “We can’t fight this with magic!” 

“We need a very strong earth pony to kick it to death!” Starlight cried as she retreated, backing away, her ears drooping. Without magic, Starlight was nothing—and she knew it. 

“Wait, I’m part earth pony now!” Twilight’s wings flared out from her sides. “Trixie! Starlight! Take Sumac and stay away as much as possible! A null golem will smash right through your shields!” 

Sumac found himself being lifted in Trixie’s magic and he was yanked away from Twilight, who took to the air. The room was quite large, big enough to fly in, large enough for the tall walls of the labyrinth. Now airborne, Twilight swooped around the golem’s featureless head, trying to distract it. 

The golem gleamed with a metallic sheen and Sumac guessed that it was made of iron. The iron somehow moved as though it was a liquid, such was the power of magic. Terrified, almost paralysed with fear, Sumac somehow managed to marvel at the amazing construct as it took a swipe at Twilight. 

“I feel stronger and faster than I usually am… I guess I never really pay attention to the physical parts of myself,” Twilight said as she ducked beneath the golem’s arm. She bucked out her hind legs and kicked the golem in the head, causing cracks to appear. 

Cracks that did not heal or close themselves. 

“I’ve never fought something immune to magic!” Starlight cried as she moved near Trixie. “I don’t like this, not at all… I’m powerless without magic! I don’t like this feeling! I’m… I’m… I’m scared!” 

Twilight flew in circles around the golem’s head, punching and kicking. The alicorn struck with surprising force, causing cracks and splits to appear. The terrible monster was taking damage. She managed to kick at an arm, bucking her hind hooves outwards as it passed, and she scored a glancing blow that left a long, forked crack near the shoulder area. 

“Don’t let it hurt Sumac… I can’t keep him safe… I can’t keep him safe! I can’t keep my friend safe! He’s one of the few ponies that like me! What do I do?” Starlight stood shivering near Trixie, her eyes wide with terror and moist with tears. “I’ve never been helpless before! What do I do?”

Front legs pistoning, Twilight unleashed a flurry of blows upon the golem, bearing down with the full force of her amplified earth pony strength. Each blow caused the metal golem to ring like a bell, and a series of cracks began to run down from the creature’s head, down its neck, and into its torso. 

Wiggling in the air, Sumac maneuvered himself around and put his forelegs around Starlight’s neck, trying to comfort her as Twilight pounded the golem into submission while dodging its clumsy attacks. The two mares huddled in the corner, helpless, depending entirely upon Twilight to protect them and defeat this terrible foe. 

A large section of the creature’s head crumbled and fell away, the brittle iron coming undone. Twilight continued her relentless assault, focusing on the damaged places. The sound of her hooves striking the golem caused echoes that were almost deafening as they pealed through the room.

But Twilight was a little too focused. As she kept up her piledriver assault, the golem clipped her as she struck a fatal blow. The creature crumbled even as its arm smashed into Twilight’s backside and sent her flying through the air. She smacked into the wall with a wet splat, bounced, and hit the floor. She came skidding to a halt in a heap as the golem collapsed. 

Starlight, now hysterical, let out a terrified shriek. 



 

Sumac had trouble looking at Twilight, as seeing her made him want to cry. She wasn’t moving and Trixie was sitting on the floor beside her. Twilight’s right hind leg was twisted and jutting out at an unnatural angle just below her hock. He felt his ears twitching with every one of Twilight’s pained cries. 

He clung to Starlight’s leg and didn’t know what to do. Neither one of them did. Starlight, powerless in this situation, was bawling, and so was he. Sumac wanted to go home, he hated this place, he was scared, and he wanted to be at home, in bed with Trixie, with a blanket over his head. 

“Twilight, I know a spell that will help… it’s a bone setting spell and it leaves behind a temporary binding around the bone that lasts for a few hours.” Trixie stroked Twilight's neck, trying to comfort her. “It should do until we can get you to a hospital.” 

“Where’d you learn a spell like that?” Twilight asked as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop sobbing. 

“From Tarnish,” Trixie replied, “it is one of the few bits of unicorn magic that he’s good at. He lives such a dangerous life, I’m sure he’s had lots of practice.” 

Nodding, Twilight choked back a sob. “Do it.” 

“Twilight, it hurts… it does nothing to dull the pain. It’s bad, Twilight, real bad.” Trixie rubbed Twilight’s neck some more and her horn began to glow. She turned to Starlight, nodded, and then returned her attention to Twilight. 

As Sumac watched in wide-eyed terror, Twilight’s shattered leg began to jerk and flop around. He saw Twilight’s mouth open and she began to pound on the floor with her two front hooves. He couldn’t hear anything and as he felt Starlight squeezing him, he realised that she was blocking the sound. She was saving him from the terrible sound. At that moment, she was more than his friend, he loved her, he loved her in much the same way he loved Trixie. 

Twilight’s lumpy and misshapen leg ground against itself as the two shattered ends of bone tried to match up with one another like two puzzle pieces. Sumac couldn’t bear to watch. He turned and pressed his face against Starlight’s neck, causing his glasses to mash into his cheeks and eyebrows. 

Castle Midnight was the worst place in the world and he wanted to go home… 
	
	
	
> Chapter 41
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle was panting with pain, and Sumac Apple was terrified. He wanted to go home, but he said nothing. He understood that something important was going on here, something big, and he was a part of it. A glowing magical binding had formed around Twilight’s leg, securing the broken bone in place. She stood on three legs, wobbling around a bit, and Starlight did her best to steady her teacher and best friend. 

The little colt understood that things were dire and could, in fact, get worse. 

Shivering, he leaned against Trixie, who was resting after casting the difficult spell, and looked over at the remains of the null golem. It was a terrible foe and after having watched the battle, Sumac had a new appreciation for both pegasi and earth ponies. There was a lesson to be learned here, there was more to life than magic. Twilight was at her best when she remembered that she was three ponies in one. He made a mental note to show a bit of appreciation to Pebble for being his friend. He could peel her oranges for her as a token of friendship. 

“Twilight, can you keep going?” Starlight asked in a hushed whisper. 

“Of course,” Twilight replied, her voice sounding strained, “it’s just a broken leg. My magic still works. We can still do what we set out to do. I just… I just need a moment to pull myself together, that’s all.” 

“Yes, we must do what is best for others, even at the cost of ourselves.” Starlight bowed her head to Twilight and then nodded. “I remember my lessons and think of them fondly. With great power comes great expectations to use them for the benefit of others.” 

“It sounds like you are saying that for Sumac’s benefit,” Trixie remarked as she gave her shivering colt a warm squeeze. “Oh, and by the way, Twilight, I’ll be expecting hazard pay for this.” 

Much to Sumac’s surprise, Twilight began laughing, a pained, strained sound of mirth. 

“I bet that was also said for Sumac’s benefit,” Starlight said to Trixie. She looked Sumac in the eye. “Always ask for hazard pay when the job becomes dangerous, Sumac.” 

“We should get moving.” Twilight moved around on three legs, testing her balance, and she flapped her wings a few times to remain upright when she wobbled. “The labyrinth was all just an elaborate illusion—” 

“A powerful one too,” Starlight said, interrupting. “There is an archway over there. I can’t see what’s beyond it because it’s dark. I think it’s the way out. We should investigate it and then figure out what to do next.” 





The archway held two staircases, one going up, one going down. The stairs going up ended in a sealed door covered in frost, and something about the door was spooky-scary. Sumac hoped that they would not choose the sealed door. The stairs going down had an open door, and Sumac guessed that the null golem had come from down that way, had charged up the stairs, and attacked them. The way down was not so scary as the sealed door covered in frost. 

Twilight, leading the way on three legs, chose down, much to Sumac’s relief. They passed through the open door and found themselves in a dungeon. Cells could be seen on each side of a long hallway, and Sumac saw bones littering the floor of the nearby cells. One of the cells was open, the door ajar, and Sumac felt tingles running up and down his spine as he thought about being locked away in a cell until he starved to death and became one of the permanent guests of this horrific castle of terrors. 

“The golem must have served as a jailer,” Starlight said as she peered into one of the cells. “My guess is, if something was powerful enough to cheat its way out of the labyrinth, the golem was sent to fetch them, subdue them, and drag them here, to this place.” 

“That wasn’t cheating,” Twilight mumbled under her breath, “that was just an intelligent application of magic to circumvent the security measures posed by the labyrinth.” 

The four of them kept moving, traveling together down the long hallway. It turned at a sharp angle, and the cells further down the hallway were larger, meant for bigger creatures. There were all manner of bones in the cells, old bones, dusty bones, and much to Sumac’s horror, fresh bones, bones that still had shreds of meat and skin on them. 

He wondered how many treasure seekers had been drawn to this place and had died here. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he would die here. He didn’t say anything, choosing to be brave, and he reminded himself that this was important. If being so scared that he was about to wet himself was part of being a hero, then he would bear it. 

The long corridor ended in a massive set of double doors. Sumac began to get a peculiar feeling—not fear, not terror, but creeping dread. Suddenly, the doors up the stairs covered in frost seemed like a good idea, and he longed to return to them. 

“I gotta go pee!” Sumac blurted out, not caring how embarrassing it might be. 

“You can go in the corner,” Trixie replied in a soft, sympathetic and maternal voice. “We won’t look and I’ll muffle the sound for you.” 

Twilight, looking at the double doors, nodded. “After you go, we’ll keep moving…” 



 

The double doors opened and beyond was a natural underground grotto. Glowing fungi lined the walls and the sounds of water dripping could be heard. Something smelled terrible down here, something rotten and foul. Sumac didn’t like it, not one bit. 

“Maud would love this place,” Twilight said in an absentminded voice as she hobbled along on three legs. 

Starlight moved ahead, passing Twilight, and taking the lead. She walked with her head high, her horn ignited, and her watchful eyes darted from side to side. Twilight followed, carrying Sumac in a protective bubble. Trixie brought up the rear, limping on a little on her bad leg, and she too, watched everything around her. 

On the other side of the grotto, three openings presented themselves, and peering through them, Sumac saw bones. Lots of bones. This was an ossuary. He had seen ossuaries before, and they never bothered him, but this one did. This was a place full of spooks, spectres, and undead. The last place he wanted to be was the place where the dead came to rest. 

Unable to stop himself, Sumac let out a whimper. 

There were three entrances into the vast catacombs beneath Castle Midnight, and all of them were chock full of bones. Bones filled the cubbies carved into the walls. A decorative mosaic made of skulls could be seen. Three ways, three doorways, and none of them seemed like a good idea. 

“That’s a lot of bones,” Starlight said in a matter-of-fact voice. “If any of you start moving, I swear, I’ll roll your bones—” 

“Starlight!” Twilight snapped. “This isn’t the time for jokes!” 

Saying nothing else, Starlight stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at Twilight. She ignored Twilight’s huff of annoyance, and then made her way into the center passage, the one with the mosaic of skulls. The bones gleamed in a weird way from the light cast by her horn. Sumac wasn’t pleased with this turn of events, not at all, and he was so scared that he couldn’t even laugh about the fact that Starlight had stuck out her tongue in a foalish act of defiance. 

Under most circumstances, Sumac would have been fascinated by being in a catacomb, he had been in some neat ones, and he wanted to visit the famous catacombs of Canterlot. But these catacombs, these catacombs, they weren’t interesting. Or neat. Or fascinating. 

“Some of these are human bones,” Twilight whispered, “I wonder if it’s true—” 

“What’s true?” Starlight asked as she kept an eye out for any danger. 

“I found an old book… a really old book. It had preservation spells keeping it intact...” Twilight glanced at a strange looking skull and shook her head. “The book talked about an ancient witch named Hydia. She was a human, a terrible hag, a truly awful creature.” 

“So.. humans, like beyond the mirror?” Starlight turned her head around and glanced over her shoulder at Twilight. 

“Yeah,” Twilight replied. “Hydia was a horrid witch and the book said that she learned of a way to cross between worlds. She would go to the other world and find children, bratty, horrible, disrespectful children, and she would lure them away with promises of cakes, candies, sweet treats, and a magical land of enchantment with no adults to tell them what to do. The book said she brought them here, to this world, and she kept them as slaves. She used her magic to bind them and make them do her bidding.” 

“Ugh.” Starlight shook her head in disgust and kept going. “Thank goodness she’s gone.” 

“Uh, Starlight…” Twilight cleared her throat. “That’s a matter of some debate. Some scholars suggest that she’s still around… her current form is debatable, but it is said that she is still around and some think she works to resurrect You-Know-Who.” 

“That’s pretty repugnant.” Trixie’s voice had a cold, unfamiliar sounding edge to it. “Even bratty foals don’t deserve to be stolen away from their parents and kept as slaves.” As she spoke, Trixie glanced at an unfamiliar looking skull. A look of intense anger and sadness made her eyes glitter and the sound of her teeth grinding together could be heard over the clattering of hooves on stone. 

“These bones are so well preserved,” Starlight said as she passed. 

No sooner had Starlight spoken than the well preserved bones began to rattle, then move. There was a clatter as bones began to spill out of holes in the walls, rattle all over the floor, and then began to assemble themselves into misshapen horrors. Griffon bones mixed with human bones, centuar bones mixed with minotaur bones, pony bones mixed with diamond dog bones, and everything scrambled together to produce indescribable combinations. 

“NOPE!” Starlight let fly with a ray of disruption and a beam of silvery light shot from her horn. It struck a skeleton and it flew apart, the bones glittering and gleaming from her magic. “NO!” She shot again, and again, and then again. “NO!” 

Already, the first bones she shot were moving and reassembling themselves once more. She kept zapping, shooting at anything that got too close, all while still trying to move forward. Twilight hobbled along behind her, and Trixie got in on the action. She let fly with powerful bolts of telekinetic force, which smashed the bones apart. 

“NOPE!” Starlight aimed her horn and fired at a skeleton that was so mixed that it was indescribable. Intense magical energies crackled throughout the room all around her. “I had enough of you boneheads the last time Twilight and I went off on an adventure together! I will not be boned by the likes of you!” 

“Are you still mad about that?” Twilight asked as she redoubled her shield efforts around Sumac. 

“You wanted to study the reanimation magic and you used me as bait!” Starlight shouted as she blasted the path ahead clear. “Oh, go on Starlight, it will be fine! Oh, go on Starlight, it’s just a few bones! It will advance knowledge, Starlight!” 

“Starlight, it sounds like you still have a bone in your craw—”

“Trixie! Don’t you start!” Twilight cried out. 

“Twilight wanted me to kick them apart so she could study them without magical interference or influence!” Focusing her anger, Starlight blasted a mismatched skeleton into a pile of bones and then kicked the pile, scattering it as she forged ahead. “I still have the memory of the minotaur’s boney finger going down inside of my ear when he grabbed me and tried to debone me!” 

Sumac, surrounded by what could only be described as chaos, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Overall, the bones didn’t seem very dangerous, but they were still creepy. Bones shouldn’t move and he worried that he would spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder when he was in a cemetery or a catacomb. 

“But we learned so much!” Twilight said as she wobbled after Starlight. 

“They tried to stick their boney fingers into my various orifices and peel me like an orange!” Starlight zapped a skeleton that got too close and then picked up Twilight, as Twilight was moving far too slow. She dropped Twilight on her back and then resumed blasting apart skeletons, which kept reanimating. 

Peel her like an orange? Pure nightmare fuel! Sumac shivered and wondered when that might show up to plague his bad dreams. Seeing a skeleton that was way too close for comfort, Sumac blasted its skull off of its shoulders with a telekinetic pulse. 

The skeleton, now headless, stood there clutching at its neck stump with two mismatched arms, while stomping two different sorts of feet on the stone floor. Trixie finished it off with a powerful pulse of magic, smashing it into a wall, and then she fired upon other targets. 

“Hey!” Starlight shouted. “There’s a bright light ahead and some kind big weird statue! I think I see the way out of this place!” 

Shuddering, Sumac took aim at another skeleton and blasted its head off. He wanted to go home, he wanted to leave this place and go to someplace skeleton free. He wanted to be in bed, with Trixie, and he wanted her to use that spell that she knew that would keep the pillow cool all night, because a cool pillow was soothing against his cheek. He wanted to be piled beneath warm blankets in a cool room, because breathing in cool or even chilly air while buried beneath warm blankets was the best thing ever. 

He wanted to be home… 
	
	
	
> Chapter 42
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The skeletal marauders would not come into the light, because if they did, it would ignite them with glittering, silvery flames, which made them run away. The light came from an ornate brass lantern, and the lantern was held by a tall, imposing statue, who held the lantern in one hand and a sword in the other. 

“It’s a human,” Twilight said as the group huddled around the statue. 

Beside the statue, there was a pegasus pony rearing up on its hind legs and striking a heroic pose. The statue itself was wearing armor, it looked like plated mail that had been shaped for the human body. The statue had a helmet that was shaped like a unicorn’s head and it had a long spiral horn. It was covered in lichen and slime, but the statue was still in good condition. The brass lantern it held seemed untouched by time. 

A few of the skeletons tested the boundaries, but then ran off when the light burned them. Starlight took a few potshots at them as they ran away. All three of the catacomb tunnels led to this place, and she eyed all three doorways as Twilight took a much needed rest. 

“There’s a plaque here,” Trixie said as she cleared away some cobwebs with her hoof. 

Twilight, unconcerned about the undead, lowered her head to have a look and set Sumac down on the ground beside her. She looked at the sign, her eyes squinting, and after a moment of trying to read it, she shook her head. Sumac too, looked at the strange letters, but could not read them. 

There was a crackle as Starlight fried a skeleton that lingered just outside the edge of the light. She laughed a bit and then resumed her watch to keep the others safe. Meanwhile, Twilight had conjured up a pair of glasses, which she placed on her muzzle and then adjusted so that she might see better. 

Clearing her throat, she read the sign. “Megan and Firefly, best friends until the very end. All the known world shall mourn their passing.” Twilight lifted her head and looked up at the statue of Megan, and then over at Firefly. She let out a soft, sad sigh as Starlight zapped another lurker. “I should ask Princess Celestia what she knows about this.” 

“You know, Twilight, I ran into a broken statue similar to this one.” Trixie glanced over at Starlight, who was goading the skeletons to come into the light for a little playtime. “I didn’t know what it was. Its in the ruins in the middle of the Shattered Wood.” 

“I remember travelling through the Shattered Wood.” Sumac turned away from the curious statues and looked at his mother. “I wanted to see those ruins and you told me no. You said they were haunted.” 

“They are,” Trixie admitted, “and I had to keep you safe. Those ruins are dangerous, but the woods themselves are mostly harmless.” 

Squinting through her glasses, Twilight nodded. “Starlight, you and I need to plan a visit to the Shattered Wood so I can compare the two statues and see if there are any similarities.” She then paused, and after a second added, “Also, we should see if we can make the Shattered Wood a little safer somehow.” 

Sumac, who had never seen anything like the statue of Megan before, stared up at it. She was tall, much taller than a pony, and she was an imposing figure in her armor, even if her statue was covered in filth. He sat back on his haunches, reached up, and placed his hoof upon her armored knee. Much to his surprise, the stone was warm against his frogs, as though it had been sitting in the sun. 

Twilight’s glasses vanished with a shower of glittery dust. 

“I don’t see another way out of this place,” Trixie said as she looked at the three entrances. “Only the tunnels leading back into the catacombs. We’ve hit a dead end.” Catching her own pun, she snorted and let out a weary sounding laugh. “Heh, dead end.” 

The statue grew even warmer and Sumac pulled his hoof away. He felt a strange tingle of magic all around him, it drove away the chill in the air, and then, as he watched, a swirl of rainbow light shimmered around the brass lantern. They were no longer alone in the chamber, two new figures had joined them. 

One was a spectral pegasus and the other was the tall, imposing human. Sumac didn’t feel afraid, in fact, he felt quite the opposite. He was relieved to see them. He heard Twilight gasp and Starlight mumbled something about a spirit speaking spell, but he didn’t catch everything she said. He was far too entranced by what he saw. 

The tall human figure, Megan as she was called, took a few steps, kneeled down, extended her hand and one finger—then Sumac felt a soft boop upon his nose. His body flooded with a strange warmth and strength. The pegasus, Firefly, smiled at him, her eyes were bright and merry, even though she was long dead. 

Megan stood up, held out her arm, and pointed at the brass lantern her statue was holding. She gestured at Sumac, then at the lantern, and then pointed at him. It was clear that she wanted him to take the lantern. Kneeling once more, she held out her hand, laid it upon Sumac’s head, and tousled his mane. As she pulled away, she gave a tug on his ear, and then she was gone. Vanished. She and Firefly were no more. 

“Take it, Sumac,” Twilight whispered, her eyes wide and blazing with curiousity. 

Using his telekinesis, he pulled the lantern from the statue’s hand. It came away with ease, he didn’t have to strain at all, it was as if the ancient stone fingers relaxed their grip and let go. The lantern blazed with a fierce light and now, held in Sumac’s magic, it offered warmth as well. It was like standing next to a blazing fire and the chill in the air vanished. 

He held aloft Megan’s lantern, basking in its warmth. It felt as though the sun was shining upon him now, and he was no longer afraid. Sumac peered at the lantern, taking note of the many little details, and he saw that it was three sided. On one side, there was the silhouette of an earth pony, on another side, one of a pegasus pony, and on the last, a unicorn. Light blazed from the three ponies, coming from whatever was inside of the lantern. 

There was a dreadful sound, the sound of stone scraping against stone, and the statue began to slide away, revealing a staircase hidden beneath. Twilight peered down as the statue slid away, and then scooted away as a few dinner plate sized spiders fled the area. 

“We’re close,” Twilight said to the others, “we’re real close. I can feel that we are close to one of the items we are looking for. We should go down the stairs. I’m not sure what’s down there, but it seems to be the way forwards.” She lifted her head and looked at Sumac. “You shine your light into the darkness, Sumac. The lantern was no doubt given to you for a reason. It isn’t one of the treasures we came for, but it is clearly a powerful artifact. Be responsible with it.” 

Sumac gave Twilight a solemn nod. 

A foul smell wafted up from the hidden staircase leading down. Trixie joined Twilight in looking down the steps, trying to see into the darkness. Try as they might, Trixie and Twilight’s horn light couldn’t pierce the blackness, and Sumac realised the purpose of the lantern. It would give light and warmth where no other light would shine. 

“I’ll put up some barriers to give us time to escape,” Starlight said to the others. “I wonder if the statue will close the opening after we go down. I wonder what’s down there…” 

“Oh, no doubt, all manner of unpleasantness,” Trixie deadpanned. 

“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine and hope,” Starlight replied. 

“Try going into a deep, dark hole with Tarnish and Maud sometime.” Twilight shuddered and her whole body shook. “They start telling horror stories about all of the deep dark holes they have been in—” 

“Ah, but they go in together, and that’s kinda romantic,” Starlight said, interrupting Twilight. “You know, Twilight, we should invite Sunburst to come with us on one of our expeditions! If we can keep Sumac safe, we can keep him safe, and he might appreciate having a chance to study something interesting up close—” 

“I’ll not be a third wheel on your date,” Twilight grumbled as she flicked her tail. 

“Trixie, carry Twilight down the stairs and I’ll seal up these entrances with wards.” Starlight looked at Sumac, then at Twilight, and then at Trixie. “I’ll only be a minute and I have to make certain that we are not followed. The skeletal dead aren’t a big threat, but we don’t need them following us and causing problems if we have to fight a big threat.” 



 

The stairs were narrow and treacherous. Trixie’s legs weren’t the steadiest and her knees creaked as she made her way down, holding Twilight and Sumac aloft. The staircase was circular, with each stair being a thin, narrow triangle, making the stairs all the more hazardous. A putrid stench came up from below and the lantern, which Sumac held high, was the only thing that pushed back the darkness. 

“Hello?” Trixie said as she made her way down, her nervousness apparent in her voice. “Hello? I’m armed with a supercharged alicorn and my son... trust me, you don’t want none of this. The Great and Powerful Trixie is in no mood to be messed with… my knee hurts and I want some tea and this makes me crabby. You would not like the Great and Powerful Trixie if she was crabby.” 

The stairs ended and became a passage that angled downwards. Trixie took a few hesitant steps, paused, tried to peer ahead into the blackness, and then decided that this was a good spot to wait for Starlight Glimmer. She set Twilight down, who stood on three legs, and took a bit of a break, flexing her bad knee so she could get the kink out. 

“That lantern has powerful ward magic,” Twilight said to Sumac in a low, breathy whisper. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s holding back the darkness and the cold. We’d be blind and freezing without it.”

“I’m not scared anymore.” Sumac looked Twilight in the eye. “I was real scared. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I was, and I wanted to go home. But I feel better now. I can keep going.” 

“Sumac, you shouldn’t be ashamed for feeling scared. Even I get scared, and Starlight does too, even though she’d never admit it.” Twilight gave Sumac a reassuring smile. “Plus, you’re a brave little colt. Trixie told me about how you stood between her and Princess Celestia when the princess came and paid you a visit.” Twilight paused and took a deep breath, then continued, “What you are feeling here is magical fear. I have spells to protect against it, powerful spells, but a little bit of the magical fear will always get through. You have to be a very brave little colt to have handled it so well.” 

Hearing these words, Sumac felt better and some of his shame fled from him. 

The sound of hooves could be heard on the steps and Starlight could be heard grumbling as she made her way down the dark and treacherous steps. She must have stumbled a little, because there was a clattering sound, and then no sound at all. Starlight came floating into the light, held aloft by her own magic. 

“Those stairs are not up to code!” she snapped in a cross voice. “A pony could fall and break their neck or a leg!” 

“Um, that might be the idea, Starlight,” Twilight replied. 

Starlight stopped, still suspended in midair, and sniffed. She shuddered, made a face, and stuck her tongue out. “Blech! Smells worse than Rainbow Dash after she drinks one of those protein and whey shakes that she insists she needs for her workouts!” 

Twilight did not respond, not right away, but after a moment, she nodded her head. “Yeah, those are pretty bad. Sometimes, I think she drinks them just so she can have a good laugh about the consequences.” 

Hearing all of this, Sumac could not help himself, he began to giggle as the group got ready to keep going. 



 

The passage was slick with half frozen slime. Trixie was forced to stop and cast an ever so useful traction spell upon her hooves, and Starlight did the same. Every now and then, the passage had openings in the ceiling above them, no doubt shafts that dumped some poor, unfortunate soul down here into the black depths. 

There were no bones here, no bodies, not much of anything. Whatever might have fallen down here must have gone down, down into the very blackest depths of this dreadful place of no light. As they walked, Twilight gave them all a lesson about Castle Midnight, telling them that it had been a place for both good and evil. Many battles had been fought here, and the castle had changed owners many times. Now, the creepy old castle was its own master and no one owned it. Castle Midnight had a life of its own, drawing in the very best and the bravest, those who survived the woods around it, and then claiming them in some horrible manner or another. 

Castle Midnight was a monster that devoured all who came to claim its secrets. 

Unaware, Twilight and the others drew nearer to the very worst of Castle Midnight’s occupants… the very source of the darkness and the cold down in the black depths. The lantern was both a blessing and a curse. It kept away the fear and the cold, it drove back the darkness, but it also kept the companions from feeling the dreadful evil they drew ever closer to with each and every step.
	
> Chapter 43
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There was a moment of worry as Sumac swallowed more of the zap apple tincture. He looked into Twilight’s eyes, and doing so, he saw pain, fear, and worry. This was taking a toll on her, no doubt. He felt his stomach gurgle a bit and he wished that he had something to eat. This was taking a toll on him too, all of this passive magic he was doing was draining him. 

He didn’t dare complain though. This wasn’t the time for whining and complaining. Twilight had a broken leg and he had a few gurgles in his tummy. Nope, it wasn’t worth bringing it up. If Twilight could suffer, so could he. He did wonder what Big Mac might do in this situation and the thinking part of his brain was glad for a distraction. 

“We’re close,” Twilight said, “it feels like we’re right on top of it. We’ve been close for a while… ever since we found the statue of Megan and Firefly. I think what we are looking for is just beyond that door.” As she spoke, she turned her head and looked at the rust free iron doors that barred their way. “Sumac, do you feel it?” 

Sumac nodded. He felt it alright. Something terrible lurked behind the door. He wasn’t afraid, but all six of his own senses were reacting to whatever was beyond. Having been tethered to Twilight now for quite some time, his understanding of magic was growing beyond his level of comprehension. He had a better understanding of shield spells, of fear wards, his brain burned with new knowledge. But more than anything, his magic sense had grown. He had trouble dealing with his profound new strength. It was, like any other of his senses, easy to become overwhelmed, such as a strong, bitter taste or a wretched, eye watering stench. 

“We would have never made it this far without that lantern,” Starlight said to the others. “I’m not sure that Twilight could dispel the fear that is being generated. Whatever lies beyond, it’s powerful.” 

“Are we going to have to fight it?” Sumac asked. 

“Probably,” Starlight replied in a voice that didn’t sound too worried or concerned. 

If Starlight wasn’t concerned, then Sumac figured he shouldn’t be concerned either, but it was no simple matter to tell his brain to stop worrying. The mind tended to worry even when told not to. He glanced at the door, then at his lantern. The warm glow of the lantern made him feel better. It was like carrying sunlight around with him. 

It would be okay. 

Castle Midnight might be filled with darkness, but Sumac brought the day with him. Distracted, he began to study the lantern while the others prepared. There were some ornamental brass knobs on it, a switch, and a cover that slid in place. He wondered what the knobs did, he was overwhelmed with curiousity, but now was not the time to experiment. They all needed the lantern to shine, and he didn’t want to mess anything up or make it go dark. 

“Think the door will open?” Trixie asked in a hushed whisper. 

“Of course it will,” Twilight replied in a soft voice. “Whatever lies beyond wants us to come. I think by now, after all this time, we are expected.” 

“That’s not creepy at all.” Trixie let out a little snort and then smoothed back her mane. 

“Well, let’s go in there and give whatever is waiting on us the business.” Starlight gave herself a shake and then brushed off some cobwebs from her haunches. She flicked her tail, trying to be rid of the dust and filth of this place, and then looked at Sumac. “Don’t worry Sumac, we’re professionals.” 

“Professional whats?” Sumac asked with wide-eyed innocence. 

“Why, doing whatever it is that we do,” Starlight replied with a wink. “Let’s go.” 



 

The doors opened without effort and the ancient hinges, which somehow hadn’t rusted, let out a moaning creak that made Sumac’s ears stand up in alarm. It was loud, too loud, and the door was announcing their presence. He found that he hated the door just a little bit. Was it too much to ask that the hench-whatevers of evil do a little basic maintenance on the place? 

It smacked of laziness, which Sumac loathed. Something about it bothered him on some deep, fundamental level, and he supposed it was because he was an Apple. The right sort of Apple. He tried not to think about his father, but his brain was buzzy and his thoughts were racing. 

This was the reason why good was always triumphant; they performed basic maintenance and kept things in good working order. He held his lantern aloft and tried to peer ahead into the darkness. The sphere of light offered by the lantern ended in a rather abrupt manner and there was only impenetrable darkness ahead. 

Starlight led the way, her horn blazing, charged up and ready to go. Trixie followed along, carrying Twilight in her magic. Twilight, supercharged, kept a protective bubble around Sumac and carried him. The magical tether connecting them crackled. 

A new understanding lept into Sumac’s mind, a profound new understanding about shield spells. Without knowing or understanding how he was doing it, he felt his magic surge and join with Twilight’s magic, a strange new symbiosis. Twilight’s magenta shield bubble changed, it fizzled and crackled with overcharged arcane energy, and became the shape of an apple. A zap apple. Rainbow light flickered through the shield and static crackled over its surface. 

Somehow, Sumac knew he wasn’t capable of making a shield like this, it was just his magic interacting with Twilight’s. Already, his buzzy brain began to wonder what would happen if his magic joined with the magic of others and what new spell effects might come from it. That was his purpose, to enhance others, to amplify them and make them better. Twilight’s innate understanding of magic coursed through his brain as his bond with her grew stronger, their magic intermingling. That was also a part of his magic, a little give and take, by amplifying others, he gained some of their understanding of magic. His heightened intelligence began to think of the possibilities that could come from this. 

And Twilight’s innate understanding of magic knew what this was, and its purpose. 

Sorcery. 

Not sorcery as it had come to be known, magic, or a practitioner of magic, but sorcery. One who did impressive, powerful magic and did so without learning, one who absorbed the knowledge of magic from those around them. 

His thoughts were interrupted as the darkness all around them retreated, and sickly green light blazed from eldritch fire all around. Blinking, Sumac was not prepared for what he saw, not at all, and he let out a shrill cry that would be a source of cringeworthy embarrassment for weeks to come. 



 

A terrifying skeletal dragon stood before them, its body burning with diseased looking green flames. Spectral shackles bound the dragon, securing all four legs to the ground. An uncountable number of bones lay all around it. 

The dragon wasted no time, it opened up its mouth and breathed. Sumac was certain that he was about to discover what toast felt like. Much to his surprise, the air didn’t grow hot, but cold. Even with the lantern, it grew absolutely frigid. Sumac could see his breath as the freezing dragonbreath crackled against the shield around him. 

The shield which was now around all of the others as well. The three mares stood huddled together as the freezing blue fire blazed all around them, sucking the heat from the air. The zap apple charged shield held—Sumac somehow knew it that it was doing more than blocking the hostile magic, it was absorbing it, but it would only last so long. He felt himself growing tired, this was draining him in a most terrible way. 

When the flames died down, Starlight’s horn blazed with aetherial fire as she began weaving spells, powerful spells, Sumac could sense them, feel them, she was drawing from him as well and he found his mind tapping into her understanding. Where Twilight had finesse, her magic had poise, Starlight was all about brute force. Twilight was a nudge to make a pony stumble, while Starlight was a buck to the face. 

She let rip and a fierce blast of silvery light impacted the skeletal dragon. Sumac understood the magic at work now, disruption magic, and he gained some insight into its very nature as it conflicted with necromantic energies. The two magics were the different sides of the same coin and Sumac had some vague new insight into their workings. When disruption magic encountered necromantic magic, it was like trying to drive two magnets together and encountering the invisible forces that pushed them apart. 

How many drops had Twilight given him? He couldn’t recall. 

Several wing bones were torn free from the dragon and it let out a roar. Starlight was already powering up another attack, and Trixie was weaving some complicated spell. Sumac tuned into it, Trixie was drawing from him, and his mind swam with difficult to understand concepts. Trixie was going to cast a spell that would lower the undead dragon’s magical resistance, making it vulnerable to Starlight’s attacks. 

The entire cavern shook and the ground beneath them shuddered. That was when Sumac saw them; cadaverous undead. They were gooey, somewhat preserved, and they began to shamble right at him to defend their dragon master. Creatures of all types had fallen down into these bleak, black depths, had died, and were now minions of the terrible evil that was Castle Midnight. 

Trixie, having cast her lower resistance spell, now let go with a few waves of flame, which ignited the gooey zombies and set them ablaze while pushing them back. Terrified, Sumac tried to close his eyes, but he couldn’t look away. He willed the lantern to glow brighter, to push back the undead, and much to his surprise, the lantern responded. 

Brilliant light flared from the three sides. A pegasus, an earth pony, and a unicorn shaped beam of light all blazed in three different directions, forming outlines on the nearby walls. These outlines sprang to life, beings of light and warmth. The unicorn began firing off lances of light from its horn, the earth pony went into the mob kicking, and the pegasus took to the air, and it shone like the sun. It flew circles around the dragon’s head, harassing the terrible undead beast. 

The dragon, incensed, blasted out a gout of necromantic cold fire. It struck the flying pegasus made of light, who then exploded in a blaze of intense heat. The blast bowled several of the gooey undead from their feet (or hooves as the case may be) and the undead dragon took damage as well. 

The pegasus was gone, but its companions battled on. 

Starlight let fly another beam of disruption, this time striking the dragon in the ribcage. Bones flew away, crumbling into dust, and the dragon’s left foreleg was torn free by the blast. She focused on the dragon while Trixie worked to deal with the minions. Sumac was surprised by how well they worked together. There was skill here, and it was fascinating to watch as it happened. 

The dragon breathed again, this time aiming for the earth pony made of light. The freezing flames hit the illuminated being and there was a massive explosion again as the two magical opposites cancelled each other out. The force of the blast was too much for Sumac’s enhanced shield and the brilliant rainbow bands that infused Twilight’s shield spell vanished. 

Meanwhile, Twilight seemed even more supercharged by the magical absorption. While Sumac’s spell enhancement might be gone, her own shield seemed stronger than ever. Twilight glowed, infused with the massive influx of magic she had gained from the explosion. Her eyes burned with white brilliance and wisps of pure thaumaturgic energy arced along her feathers. Even her hooves radiated shimmering waves of magic that warped the air around them like heat rising from stone on a summer day. 

Were Twilight not so focused on defense, there was no doubt that she could obliterate the skeletal dragon in a single blast. She was calm, focused, she kept her breathing regulated, never doubting, never wavering in her belief that she could keep others safe. 

“At least it isn’t a dracolich,” Starlight said as she let go of another spell. 

The undead dragon was in real trouble now. Big pieces of it fell away with each of Starlight’s shots. One of the spectral shackles had vanished when the leg had been torn free. Starlight, who had noticed this, focused on the legs. The unicorn made of light exploded, brought down by the horde of undead. The resulting explosion destroyed many of the zombies and Trixie rained fire down upon the survivors. 

Sumac didn’t know what a dracolich was, and he didn’t want to find out. 

One of Starlight’s blasts impacted with the undead dragon’s spine and there was an explosion of chaotic magical energy. Everything shook and the cadaverous undead exploded, spewing rot and filth everywhere. The dragon began to crumble and the last spectral shackle holding it in place faded away. Aetherfire crackled, fizzled, and popped. There was a blinding, bewildering display of light and then, Sumac went blind. 



 

Blinking, Sumac tried to focus his vision. There was now too much light. He squinted and could see the cavern around him. There were no more zombies, no more dragon, but there was something. Standing on a raised stone platform, the place where the spectral shackles had been anchored, was a glowing spectral pony. 

An earth pony, by the looks of it. 

“Thank you,” the spectral form said in a soft voice. “You’ve freed me… I don’t know how you did it, but you did. I thought I would be that way forever.” 

Sumac’s ears stood up. Something about that voice, it rang in his ears. It called to him like nothing else, and he didn’t know why. He kept blinking, trying to clear his vision, and he attempted to focus on the spectral pony. She was… orange and there was something about her that was familiar. 

“You were the dragon?” Starlight asked in a bewildered voice. 

“I see you have Megan’s lantern,” the spectral orange earth pony said. “She promised that she would save me when Hydia grabbed me. I kind of lost hope after the years rolled by.” 

“What happened?” Starlight asked. 

The earth pony ghost yawned. “I’m so sleepy… and I get silly when I’m sleepy. I’ve missed being a silly pony.” She yawned again, smacked her lips, and then added, “I knew Megan and Firefly would find a way to save me.” 

And then, she was gone. As she vanished, Sumac noticed her cutie mark. Five apples. He felt a crushing weight in his barrel and at that moment, more than anything, he wanted to start bawling. That pony, whomever she was, was an Apple. A distant cousin of his. And she had endured a terrible fate. 

“She was the dragon? How? I don’t understand.” Starlight, confused, stood there shaking her head as she stared at the ash pile that had been an undead dragon and an army of zombies just a few moments ago. 

“We have company.” 

As Twilight spoke, a new figure appeared in the cavernous crypt. Turning, Sumac saw it. Some kind of bipedal cat creature. She didn’t appear to be alive. She was hideous, rotting, bones were visible and patches of her fur had fallen away. She wasn’t gooey though, no, she was dried out like a dehydrated apricot. 

“I feel I must thank you for destroying the null golem,” the creature said as she stood with her skeletal claws held out before her. “And for getting rid of the guardian. It will make my task so much easier.” 

“Catrina,” Twilight said in a voice filled with contempt. “I’m surprised to see you. I heard that Tarnish, Maud, Daring Do, and Cranberry dusted you.” 

The undead cat creature hissed and spat. “They destroyed but one phylactery. I have others.” 

“I see,” Twilight replied, “well then, we’ll have to fix that. I’ll be sure to let them know.” 

“When I claim the Rainbow of Darkness for my master, they will learn the error of their ways.” Catrina’s claws began to glow and her rotten tail swished from side to side. Some of the tattered rags around her body fell away, revealing more diseased, dessicated flesh. 

“Why are you helping him?” Trixie asked. “What do you hope to gain?” 

“He had promised to make me beautiful once more… he is far more powerful than I. And when he is resurrected, I shall once again be the most beautiful creature in all the land.” 

“Lady,” Sumac said in a flat deadpan, “there is no known force of magic that could make you beautiful again. It’s a lost cause.” 

For a moment, it was possible to have heard a pin drop in the room. The very worst sort of silence manifested, murderous silence. Catrina’s rotten eyes narrowed and focused on Sumac, and her claws flexed. Then, she let out a wordless yowl and attacked. 

Powerful magic ripped into Twilight’s shields and Sumac feared that they would not hold. Black lightning bolts flew from Catrina’s claws and a dreadful aura of purple light blazed around her. Starlight fired off a bolt of disruption, but it did nothing. 

“YOU WILL DIE!” Catrina shrieked, her voice cracking from pain and fury.

The black lightning was doing something to Twilight’s shields, Sumac could feel them weakening. Twilight was straining to keep them up. Trixie brought up a shield as well, and then began to work on another spell. Starlight kept firing off beams of silver light, but her attacks did nothing. 

“We have to go,” Twilight said in a strained voice. 

“NO!” Starlight snapped. “We’re so close! If we leave now, she’ll get the artifact!” 

“I promised to keep Sumac safe.” Twilight’s voice was one of utter calm. “If we stay, he will be in danger—” 

“But we can take her if you use your magic to fight!” Starlight shouted. 

“If I use my magic to fight, I can’t keep Sumac safe.” Twilight took a deep breath and a pained expression crossed her face as more black lightning surged through her shields. “Starlight, your friend is in very real danger.” 

“You’re right.” Starlight blinked a few times and her eyes glimmered with tears. She ceased her own attacks and raised a glowing barrier to help hold off Catrina’s black lightning. 

With Starlight and Trixie both contributing to the shield, Twilight pulled out the portal gem from her saddlebags so that she could activate it. Catrina yowled with rage and frustration, she spat and she cursed. Black lightning streamed from one hand and now, a blue flame crackled from her other, and it made the shield spell spit and sizzle. 

Sumac hoped that the shields would hold. He could feel them growing weaker. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the zap apple shield to manifest again. He squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what might happen next. Once again, his mouth had gotten him into trouble, and his friends too. 

“I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE WHELP!” 

As Catrina spoke, Sumac felt reality warping all around him as the portal gem activated… 
	
	
	
> Chapter 44
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lemon Hearts’ living room sprang into existence around him and Sumac felt his stomach doing flippity flops. He heard a cry and as his vision faded in and out, he saw Lemon Hearts charging right at him. He braced for impact, but it never happened. Instead, she plowed into Trixie and clung to her. Trixie, still recovering from the trip, sat there with wide eyes, confused by the lemony yellow mare clinging to her. 

A woozy looking Twilight staggered around on three legs, a pained expression on her face. Beside her, Starlight stood, looking worried, angry, and perhaps a bit sad, but it was hard to tell. Sumac sat down and tried to get his head to stop spinning. He was starving now, Twilight had drawn a lot out of him for the trip back. He was tired, hungry, and oh so very thirsty. Parched. 

“I thought I lost you,” Lemon Hearts murmured, “I thought I lost my very bestest friend.” 

Just as Sumac was about to say something, Twilight beat him to it. 

“We’re still close to the artifact… how?” Twilight shook her head, trying to clear it, then she turned and looked at the lantern. “Of course! How could I be so stupid! Sumac! May I please see your lantern?” 

Seeing no reason to say no, he nodded. He watched as Twilight picked the lantern up off of the floor and held it up in front of her face. The light was gone now, the lantern had gone dark. Starlight came over and stood beside Twilight, looking curious while Lemon Hearts continued squeezing the stuffing out of Trixie, who was too fatigued to protest. 

“What do we have here?” Twilight asked as she undid some latches that held the bottom of the lantern in place. The bottom of the lantern separated from the upper half, revealing a base and a bracket. In the bracket, there was what appeared to be a half of a pendent, but it was broken. The hinge appeared to be sheared off, leaving behind jagged, broken metal of some sort. 

Twilight’s eyes went wide as she stared at the lantern base. Beneath the bracket, a piece of black string was wrapped around the central stalk that was the base of the bracket. Looking at the string made Sumac feel queasy and nauseous. In his current state, he feared it wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge, and he turned away from the hideous, stomach turning string. 

“A broken locket and some string,” Starlight grumbled. 

“No,” Twilight whispered in reply, “No, this is one half of the Rainbow of Light and the drawstring of the Rainbow of Darkness.” 

Starlight’s horn glowed. “That string is—” 

“Don’t touch it!” Twilight snapped. “You mustn’t touch it!” She shook her head and glared at Starlight. To keep everything safe, Twilight hastily reassembled the lantern and secured the bottom back to the top. “This is a clever creation, using what was left of the Rainbow of Light to keep this part of the Rainbow of Darkness in check. If you touch them, the consequences could be catastrophic.” 

“Well then…” Starlight, rebuked, shrank back from Twilight. “Grab the lantern and let’s go. We need to get you to a hospital.” 

“No.” Twilight’s lone syllable carried with it the gravitas of rule. “No, I will not be stealing Sumac’s lantern.” She set the lantern down upon the floor and looked at Sumac. “Sumac, I trusted you with Boomer and I haven’t been disappointed. Megan gave you this lantern for a reason, so this is going to stay with you. Do be careful.” 

Sumac nodded and as he tried to say something, a yawn slipped out. 

Her eyes narrowing, Twilight cast her gaze upon the lantern for a moment, then looked over at Lemon Hearts and Trixie, still engaged in the sort of hug that only the very best of friends might give one another. Well, Lemon Hearts anyway, Trixie just sort of sat there with a blank stare, not knowing what to do or why the lemony yellow mare was still squeezing her while rubbing her cheek against her neck, at least by the looks of things as Twilight saw them. 

“She was worried about you, Trixie,” Twilight said in a soft voice. “Friends do that.” She cleared her throat. “I trust both of you to keep Sumac safe, and by keeping him safe, the lantern will be safe as well. We’re going to have to step up our game though… Sumac made a powerful enemy this night—” 

Just as Twilight spoke, Pinkie Pie came bursting through the front door in a shower of confetti, holding a cake aloft over her head with her front hooves. Twilight didn’t look surprised at all, Starlight let out a groan, and Sumac just sat there with his brain melting at the sight of Pinkie Pie charging towards him, cake raised up high. 

“Sumac Apple! You’ve made an arch-nemesis! A sworn enemy! Something that hates you more than anything!” Pinkie Pie bounded across the living room, bouncing with every step, and she set the cake down on the floor in front of Sumac. “This is a very important moment in your life, Sumac Apple!” 

“I don’t know what is going on.” Sumac looked up at Pinkie and his muzzle crinkled with confusion. 

“Well, I started a tradition back when Tarnish made his first sworn enemy, his arch-nemesis, and then Maud got one, and not long after that, Limestone got one, and I got one, and these moments seem super important, like a birthday or an anniversary, so I started celebrating the occasion!” Pinkie Pie paused, her head tilted back, and she looked up towards the ceiling. “You know, I never knew that there were evil geologists. Maud’s nemesis, she’s not a nice pony. Not at all. I’ve met her and she’s a real pain in the neck! Boring too. She and Maud glare at one another and do funny things with their eyebrows.” 

Tilting his head, Sumac looked at the cake. The pink frosting was tempting. He was starving. Under most circumstances, Sumac was thoughtful, well mannered, and well behaved. All of that was cast aside though, as he plunged his muzzle into the cake and began gobbling. It was a confetti cake, with bright bits on the inside and delicious, sugary pink frosting. Famished, he devoured the cake and wished he had a glass of milk. 

“Catrina is a wily and dangerous foe,” Twilight continued, “she’s obsessed with her own beauty. She is vain to the point of it being a weakness.” She paused, let out a sigh, and watched as Sumac ravaged the cake. “She’s also an all powerful demi-lich and to be quite honest, I don’t think I could have beaten her. We would’ve had to destroy her phylactery to take her out, and I doubt she had one there with her. She would have destroyed us, most likely.” 

“So, I’m guessing she came into the castle, made it to the labyrinth, tried to cheat, was captured by the null golem jailer, and tossed into one of those cells, which no doubt, had null iron to keep powerful magical prisoners in place.” Starlight, using her magic, stole a dollop of frosting from Sumac’s cake and ate it. She licked her lips, looked at Twilight, and added, “She might have stayed locked away forever and a day if we had not come along.” 

“Somepony needs milk!” Pinkie Pie went pronking off to the fridge, her tail twitching. 

“I… didn’t think of that, I mean, I didn’t think about how difficult it was to take down a demi-lich,” Starlight admitted as she bowed her head. “I am sorry. Once again, I let my aggression get the better of me. You are right, Twilight. She would have wore us down and then taken what she wanted from us, but only after doing awful things to Sumac because of what he said.” 

“What’s a demi-lich?” Sumac asked with his mouth full. He smacked his lips and licked away frosting from his snoot as Pinkie Pie set a glass of milk down on the floor beside him. 

“Never you mind what a demi-lich is!” Trixie replied in a very firm voice as she attempted to wiggle free from Lemon Hearts, who was still squeezing the stuffing out of her. “Lemon Hearts, stop telling me how brave I am and let me go! The Great and Powerful Trixie has a great and powerful need to visit the little fillies room!” 

“Twilight, we need to get you to the hospital and then I’ll throw you a ‘I broke my leg again!’ party.” Pinkie Pie, even though her eyes were merry, had a worried look upon her face. Turning her head, she watched as Trixie, now free from the prison that was Lemon Hearts’ embrace, went to the restroom. 

When the door was shut, Pinkie turned to Twilight and asked in a low whisper, “She’s never been in love before, has she?” 

Eyes darting to the bathroom door, Twilight shook her head but said nothing. She glanced over at Lemon Hearts, then back at Pinkie, who was looking unusually thoughtful. She then looked at Starlight, who was oblivious and studying the lantern. 

“Is it that obvious?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

Pinkie and Twilight nodded. 

“It’s just a little crush, that’s all.” Lemon Hearts’ voice was little more than a spoken breath. 

“We should be going,” Pinkie Pie said as she gave Twilight a nudge. “Say ‘good morning—’” 

“Morning?” Twilight’s eyebrow arched. 

“It’s about five in the morning, silly!” Pinkie Pie stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. “It’s too early to say goodnight!” 



 

Sumac’s head felt full of sludge. He struggled in the chasm that existed between sleep and wakefulness, it was difficult to cross the gap. His whole body ached and his mind resisted leaving the dreaming realm. He had pleasant dreams, wonderful dreams, but he had trouble remembering what they were. 

The scent of food cooking tugged him over the vast chasm, he opened his eyes and sniffed. He was in his bed, alone, and his mouth felt as though it was filled with sand. His eyes were crusted over with eye boogers and there was a dull ache in his stomach. His brain protested at all of the effort and it felt difficult to even think. 

The blanket was pulled back and Sumac turned his head. He saw Trixie, he was glad to see her, and he managed a sleepy, though somewhat dimwitted smile. He reached out his forelegs for a hug and lay there waiting. He did not have to wait long. He got the hug that he wanted, a gentle squeeze, and a kiss as well. He felt himself lifted out of the bed and held aloft. 

“Kiddo, your face is gross.” 

“Gross.” Sumac nodded. 

“I’m gonna toss you in the tub.” 

“Okay.” Sumac gave his mother a simpleton’s smile. 

“Bother. I had hoped that you would sleep off the stupid phase. At least this will make bath time easier.” Trixie let out a soft sigh then smiled at Sumac. “I was just sitting here watching you sleep while Lemon Hearts fixed lunch.” 

“Lunch?” Sumac gave Trixie a hopeful look. 

“Pumpkin ravioli and glazed carrots.” 

“Mmm.” 

Trixie sniffed, then her nostrils crinkled. “We’ll need to do laundry. The bedding smells like a corpse. And so do you. Ugh. I spent the last hour scrubbing the stench of Castle Midnight off of me and now I can really smell it on you, kiddo.” 

“Stench.” Sumac blinked a few times then giggled. “Stinky.” 

“I can’t stand to see you like this, kiddo, it bothers me that we did this to you.” 



 

Sitting in a chair, Sumac watched with a dull, vacant stare as Boomer scampered across the table. He was clean, smelled of flowers, and Trixie had trimmed his mane. It was nice. He was clean and fresh feeling, he smelled good, and everything was wonderful. 

His head was also mostly empty. 

Boomer smacked a plump, purple grape, sending it rolling over the table, and then hurried after it. She pounced on it, flexed her claws, and then savaged the poor grape, ripping open its tender, thin flesh so she could slurp down its juices. An ever growing purple-blue puddle grew around the grape as Boomer made certain her prey was dead, stabbing it with her claws as she bit it. 

“Tree dragons are actually a subspecies of wyvern,” Lemon Hearts said in a conversational voice as she began to clean away the lunch dishes. “And this one is a savage hunter. Look at her going to town on that poor grape.” 

“It never stood a chance,” Trixie said as she lifted up a teacup. “Sumac? You okay?” 

“Grape!” Sumac watched as Boomer slurped up the blood, er, juice of her victim. 

As Lemon Hearts cleared away the last of the dishes, she set down an enormous bowl of ice cream in front of Sumac, then wiped his face with a clean cloth, trying to scrub away the sticky carrot glaze. As she did so, Trixie looked up from her teacup with a miserable expression. 

“He’s not even squirming or fighting back,” Trixie said in a low whisper. “I hate this.” 

“You want him to misbehave?” Lemon Hearts asked in astonishment. 

“Yes!” Trixie set down her teacup and tea sloshed out on the table. “Sumac is at his best when he fights back. He’s at his best when he questions everything and demands a reason for something! I want him to struggle, to fight, to reason, I want him to think and challenge everything I teach him… and I can’t bear to see him like this.” 

Not at all bothered by Trixie’s outburst, Sumac lifted up his spoon and began eating ice cream as his mother fumed beside him. When Boomer came over, he held out his spoon, offering her some ice cream, even though dairy products gave baby dragons terrible gas. The consequences were out of reach of his current mental state and he paid them no mind. 

“I trimmed his mane and he didn’t even bat an eye.” Trixie slumped over the table and let out a mournful sigh. 

“You want Sumac to fight back?” Lemon Hearts asked. 

“Yes,” Trixie mumbled, “I raised him to take care of himself and be independent. I raised him to be a scrapper. Even though it's been a headache.” Looking up, she watched as Lemon Hearts sat back down at the table. 

Lemon Hearts cleared her throat, let out a polite little cough, and said, “So, you’ve raised him to be like you…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 45
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac, having recovered some of himself, sat in the middle of the living room floor with his nose in a book. Reading and concentration were still a little difficult, but he could do so with some effort. The book had a simple one word title—Imagination!—and was a primer for magical theory written for little aspiring unicorns who would one day become wizards. 

Beside him, Boomer slept, sprawled on her back on a small, square cushion. Her thin, slight torso rose and fell with every breath and her tail twitched as she dreamed. Things were beginning to feel normal again, not just in his head, but in his life as well. Sure, he had gone off to visit an evil castle and he had borne witness to an army of the undead while making a sworn enemy, but he was home now. Lemon Hearts’ house was home. The wagon was parked in the back yard. He had his own bed upstairs. He was happy here, and this was home. 

In the kitchen, both Lemon Hearts and Trixie were assembling a window garden rack, a vertical garden that fit in the window. The plan was to grow herbs and small vegetables, like radishes and cucumbers through the winter. Sumac could hear both of them talking about shortages of various things and he heard mention that this would be a lean winter for many. 

He wasn’t too concerned. He and Trixie survived lean times. His whole foalhood was nothing but lean times. He was used to eating lots of root vegetables and simple foods. For him, not much would change, but he supposed that it would be difficult for others who were used to nicer things. 

The calm was interrupted by a knock on the door. Lemon Hearts lifted her head and so did Trixie. Sumac too, turned to look at the door and he closed his book. It was Lemon Hearts who hurried over to the door and pulled it open. 

Much to Sumac’s surprise, Moondancer stood in the doorway. She nodded at Lemon Hearts, saying nothing, and stepped inside. There was something about Moondancer’s expression that made Sumac feel a little worried. He looked at her and she looked at him and nopony said anything, right up to the point where it began to feel awkward. 

“Lemongrass tea,” Moondancer said to Lemon Hearts, breaking the silence. 

“Right away, Boss!” Lemon Hearts sprang away at Moondancer’s command, off to make tea, her hooves clattering over the floor and her fluffy tail streaming out behind her as she shot Trixie a worried look. 

“Sumac Apple, Twilight sent me.” Moondancer took a few steps into the room until she was near Sumac, then sat down on the floor beside him. She glanced at Boomer, adjusted her glasses, and then focused her full attention on Sumac. “There are things we need to understand and Twilight wants to make absolutely certain that you are okay after the events of last night.” 

“I’m fine. I just have a little headache, that’s all.” Sumac, having seen Moondancer adjusting her glasses, felt the need to fix his own, so he did. As he did that, he watched as Moondancer’s eyebrow furrowed. She looked worried and he didn’t know how to reassure her. He began to suspect that he was about to be poked and prodded, because Moondancer seemed more like a curious doctor at the moment. 

“How is Twilight?” Trixie asked. 

“She’s fine,” Moondancer replied in a brusque manner. She returned her attention to Sumac and cleared her throat. “Sumac, Twilight asked me to use a mild hypnosis spell to help you remember everything and sort everything out. She shared some insight with you because of your magic, and she suspects that you’ve tapped into some of her knowledge as well.” 

“I think I did,” Sumac admitted. 

“Do I have your permission to use magic to help you remember?” Moondancer asked. 

After glancing over at Trixie for a moment to see how she was reacting, Sumac looked up at Moondancer and nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind.” 

“This is a very mild spell. It will clear away clutter and distraction. It will make your thoughts clear and all of the right words will just spring to your lips without effort. It is a divination spell that offers clarity of mind. It has no side effects or lingering aftereffects.” Moondancer reached up with her hoof and began to brush away some lint and stray purple hairs on her sweater. “Any questions?” 

“Nope.” Sumac waited, not sure what to expect. He heard water running in the kitchen. 

“Good. We shall begin. When I am finished with the spell, I shall say the words, ‘gorilla cookie’ and you will fall into a perfect state of clarity, Sumac Apple. Do you understand?” 

Feeling somewhat excited about all of this, Sumac nodded. He wondered what a gorilla cookie was. In a box of circus crackers, there were no gorillas. His brain, now functioning, began to think all sorts of thoughts about what a gorilla cookie might be, what it might look like, and even what it might taste like. 

Moondancer’s horn glowed and filled the living room with a brilliant light. “Gorilla cookie.” 

Right away, Sumac’s mind went blank. All thoughts of gorilla cookies vanished, all of his curiousity was suspended, and he found himself in a perfect state of focus. He stared into Moondancer’s eyes and noticed that her glasses were dirty, speckled with spots, but he was not distracted by it in the slightest. 

“First things first, Sumac. Twilight knows that you drew from her knowledge. Do you know what you are? Do you understand your magic and it’s purpose? Do you know the name for what you are?” Moondancer stared back into Sumac’s bright green eyes. 

“Sorcerer,” Sumac replied in a low voice. 

“Hmm.” Moondancer pulled out a notepad from her bookbag and began to scribble something down with a battered looking pencil that had seen better days. “Correct.” She leaned down a little bit until she was almost snoot to snoot with the colt. “There hasn’t been a known sorcerer for about four hundred years or so, Sumac. Each of them are a little different, but the effect is the same. They give power to those around them and gain magical knowledge as they do so. Your gift of sorcery is triggered by zap apples.” 

“Yes.” Sumac nodded. 

“Last night, you gained quite an education. No doubt, you have all sorts of stuff floating around in your mind.” Moondancer’s voice was filled with concern. “Twilight, Starlight, and I are all worried about what might have been left behind when Catrina tapped into your power.” 

Thinking was effortless, Sumac didn’t have to dredge the depths of his mind at all to answer. “Catrina was using a chain lightning spell powered by dark magic and she also used a disintegration spell. She was drawing power off of me. I didn’t realise it then, but I realise it now. She was strong, too strong, and me being there with Twilight and the others put everypony in danger.” 

“Well, that’s a matter of debate,” Moondancer said in a somewhat dismissive voice. “Had you not been there, the mission would have been a spectacular failure. Catrina drawing off of your power was unexpected and Twilight didn’t anticipate that enemies in close quarters would also benefit from your gift.” Moondancer paused, then asked, “Do you understand the nature of dark magic?” 

“It is fueled by rage, by hatred, by bad things. Catrina focused upon all of her bad feelings and her hatred of me to overcharge her spells with dark magic.” Sumac let his mind work for a moment as he chewed on his lip, then continued, “My encounter with Catrina left behind a bunch of things in my mind, dark things. I don’t like them.” 

Moondancer’s ears drooped. “That’s what I was afraid of, and Twilight too.” Eyes narrowing, she lifted up a front hoof and began to scratch her chin. “Sumac, I am one of the few ponies allowed to study dark magic and hexes, so that we might understand them better. I am trying to build up a core group of spells that can be used to defend one’s self against hexes, curses, and dark magic. The work is slow going.”

“And you want me to help you.” Sumac did not look away. 

“Just an hour a day is all I ask—” 

“I have archery classes in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.” 

“Of course.” Moondancer smiled. “We’ll do it in the hour just before lunch. Now, to make things perfectly clear, we’re not going to be doing dark magic, you and I. We’re going to use our imaginations to see if we can make counterspells, counterhexes, and countercurses.” 

“Okay.” Sumac’s brain suppressed his excitement and pushed away the distraction. 

“On Mondays and Fridays though, we’re going to use the zap apple tincture, so that you can tap into my magic and by extension, my magical understanding, and I’ll be able tap into yours. Just Mondays and Fridays though, we wouldn’t want you messing up in archery.” 

Sumac looked over at Trixie and saw something on her face. Was it pride? It might be. He was too focused on Moondancer to think about it too much. He looked up at Moondancer and saw kindness on her face. 

“Sumac?” 

“Yes?” 

“What do you remember about the chain lightning?” Moondancer asked. 

“Everything,” Sumac replied. Feeling the need to say more, the words lept up onto his tongue and were ready. “I understand the thinking that makes it happen, the flow, but I don’t understand how it works, only that it works.” 

Head bobbing up and down, Moondancer’s ears flopped about. “Yep, that’s how sorcerers function, from what I understand. They can mimic what is required to make a spell happen, even if they don’t fully understand the underlying mechanics of the spell being cast. Twilight has a touch of sorcery about her, if she watches a spell being cast, she can pick up on it pretty fast, like Rarity’s gem finding spell, but Twilight is not a true sorcerer. It is merely an aspect of having a talent for magic.” 

Lemon Hearts set down a saucer and a teacup beside Moondancer, then pranced away. 

“Sumac, can you show me the lightning spell?” Moondancer asked. “Without the dark magic aspect, of course.” 

“It’s dangerous.” Sumac’s eyes narrowed. “I might hurt you or others.” 

“Oh, you can’t hurt me.” Moondancer grinned. “Trust me, I came prepared. Show me, Sumac. Just a little demonstration. Just a little bit of lightning, surely you can do that, even without the tincture.” 

Looking up, Sumac knew that he could. His mind was clear and the knowledge of how to send out streams of crackling lightning formed in his mind like a pleasant, wonderful daydream. He closed his eyes and focused on the thoughts as they coalesced into a spell. He drew upon the aether and he felt himself charging up with arcane energy. He opened his eyes and saw that there was a glowing bubble around both him and Moondancer. Filled with power, he felt his mane stand up and static crackled in his tail. 

As the first streams of arcing electricity lept from his horn, powerful cancellation magic flew from Moondancer’s horn. The spells collided with a terrific amount of energy, there was an almost deafening crackle-pop brought on by the aetherfire burning, and then the most miraculous thing happened. 

Sumac’s lightning bolts turned into butterflies, which circled around him and Moondancer. The lightning died with a fizzle and a few sparks lept from Sumac’s horn. His mane was a frightful mess that stuck out in every direction. Little curls of smoke rose from his horn tip. While his magic was impressive, he was in awe of Moondancer’s ability. She had turned crackling electric death into butterflies, one of which popped like a soap bubble as he watched. 

“I have a knack for counterspells,” Moondancer said in a low voice to Sumac. “That seems to be my gift. I can’t be sure. I don’t actually know what my true talent is, but Twilight and I both agree it is linked to magic.” 

The protective magic sphere melted away and Sumac drew in a deep breath. Right away, he understood the implications of what was being said. Time spent with Moondancer would give him an amazing knowledge of counterspells. He was being offered an opportunity of a lifetime. 

“Now, Sumac, I am going to say the magic words once more, and when I do, the spell will be broken and you will be a normal colt once again.” 

Hearing these words, Sumac nodded in reply. 

“Gorilla cookie…” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 46
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac could feel the eyes of his classmates upon him as he took his seat. He knew he wasn’t supposed to say anything, but he felt that he owed them some sort of explanation. He blinked, not knowing what to do, and then turned to look at Pebble, who was staring at him. He saw her lean over towards him and he braced himself for an interrogation. 

“Don’t you say a word,” Pebble said in a low voice. “I don’t know what happened, but Aunt Pinkie had a talk with me. You have to keep a secret.” Tilting her head, Pebble looked upwards. “Hi, Boomer.” 

Casting a sidelong glance, Sumac saw Lemon Hearts. She was watching him, perhaps waiting to see what he might do. The muscles in his neck tensed and his frogs felt sweaty. He wasn’t expecting the pressure to be so strong. He found himself in an awkward situation, keeping something from his friends. How could he explain his absence? 

“Be calm, take a deep breath, and think about something else,” Pebble suggested. 

Taking Pebble’s advice, Sumac took a deep breath, crossed his eyes, and looked up at Boomer. The hatchling seemed happy to be back in school, but she also looked sleepy. There was a bulge in her narrow body from breakfast. 

“Okay, class, listen up. Separate into your groups. By now, you know the routine. Begin your studies…” Lemon Hearts gave the class a warm smile and waited for her students to comply. “Pebble, your study group should focus on math skills today, we still need to get them up to speed.” 

Brows furrowing, Sumac let out a grunt. He had gone to Castle Midnight, he had faced the horrors within, he had witnessed an army of undead, and he had watched a battle with an undead dragon that was actually a pony. Now, he was back with his most hated enemy, fractions. When faced with the frustration that was headache inducing mathematics, Sumac decided that he would rather face the terror of Castle Midnight again. 

As his fellow study group gathered around, Sumac wondered if he would do it again. If Twilight asked him to follow along on some expedition to some forgotten, dusty place, would he do it again? His own answer surprised him. Probably. He glanced over at Pebble and wondered what sort of adventures she might have gone on with her parents. If only he could talk with her about this, he could share ideas, exchange information, he might understand how to feel, what to do, how to deal with everything. 

But he had to remain silent. 

Bearing the burden of trust, Sumac opened up his math textbook and made ready to do battle with his most hated, contemptible foe. It really was no better or worse than Castle Midnight, what it came down to was being patient and waiting it out. In time, he realised that he would sort this out and everything would be okay. 

However, between this time and that time, there would be a lot of mane pulling. 



 

Moondancer’s private study was a cramped place that kind of smelled. Sumac sniffed and tried to sort out the funk invading his nostrils. There was mildew or something like it, exotic ingredients for alchemy, he caught a whiff of cat food, and there was something worse, much worse. Sumac’s eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the stink. 

Curled up in a pillow and blanket lined basket, Sumac saw what he thought was a cat. But as Moondancer drew nearer, the creature moved. It was black and white, it yawned, and spread it wings. Sumac recoiled in disgust when he saw what it was—a winged skunk. He backed up and his behind bumped into the door. 

“Don’t mind Fluttercup, she’s harmless,” Moondancer said as her pet rubbed up against her legs. “Hi, Fluttercup! Did you miss Mommy? Who is Mommy’s little stinker… you are!” 

It was just an hour out of his day… an hour trapped in a small, cramped study with Moondancer and Fluttercup. Just an hour. He could make it through this if he tried. Sumac swallowed, tried to hold his breath, and then realised the futility of such an act. Instead, he drew in a deep breath, filling his nostrils. He almost gagged.

Moondancer sat down in a large, somewhat ratty looking overstuffed chair, and Fluttercup settled in beside her. The winged skunk began preening her wings while rubbing her poofy, fluffy tail against Moondancer. The skunk’s wings were feathered and looked like the wings of a crow, or a raven. 

“Have a seat, Sumac,” Moondancer said as she gestured to a chair. 

Doing as he was told, he sat down in the chair. It was low backed, wide, and appeared to be stained with some kind of red jelly of some sort. The stain seemed recent, as it was still a little tacky. The chair was comfortable though, and the arms of the chair were just the right height to sprawl out, rest one’s head, and get comfortable, which Sumac did not do. 

But he was tempted. 

Stroking her skunk, Moondancer smiled and asked, “Do you have any questions, Sumac?” 

Nodding, Sumac replied, “What is the Rainbow of Darkness?” 

Pursing her lips together, Moondancer reached up, brushed a few stray strands of her forelock out of her face, adjusted her glasses, and then gave Fluttercup a pat upon the head. A thoughtful, contemplative expression crept over Moondancer’s face, and one ear twitched as she thought about how to reply to Sumac’s inquiry. 

“It is an ancient artifact… a small sack that contains elemental darkness. Some say that it is a gateway to the elemental plane of darkness, but that is unknown and uncertain. What is known is that not much is known. It’s full powers and abilities remain a mystery, but one thing it can do is turn ponies into dragons. Some have even said that the Rainbow of Darkness is the origins of dragonkind in this world.” 

Silent, Sumac decided that now was a good time to be quiet, listen, and pay attention. 

“The dragons are obedient to the owner of the Rainbow of Darkness, and will do anything and everything the owner says.” Moondancer’s thick brows furrowed. “The Rainbow of Darkness can be used to create an unstoppable army, and that is the danger it poses. Earth ponies become ground based dragons, pegasi become flying dragons, and unicorns… unicorns become dragons adept at destructive magics. Nopony knows what becomes of alicorns, but I have a hypothesis.” 

That sounded pretty bad. Sumac’s mind reeled at the implications. An army of dragons swooping down on a city like Ponyville and attacking it seemed as though it would be a very bad thing indeed. Or some terrible evil villain unleashing the Rainbow of Darkness upon a city like Manehattan, which had millions of ponies living there. Instant army of dragons. The little colt felt a cold prickle of fear creeping up his spine and he shivered. He then thought of something much worse. 

“Moondancer?” 

“Yes, Sumac?” 

“I have this idea, and it scares me just a little. I have a question.” 

“Ask, Sumac.” 

“What if the Rainbow of Darkness was used on changelings?” 

Moondancer closed her eyes, let out a sigh, and sank back into her chair. “I asked Twilight that very same question.” She opened her eyes and looked at Sumac. “Would you get a dragon that could look like anything… Twilight was very disturbed.” 

Sumac nodded, the little colt found it difficult to breathe in his current state, and his brain teased him with all sorts of awful ideas. As bad as this was, he had to know. “Moondancer? What is your hypothesis on alicorns? What becomes of them?” 

“It is my belief that they become something like a draconequus,” Moondancer replied in a low whisper. “I can’t prove it, of course. It is just an idea, Sumac. I could be wrong.” She used the edge of her hoof to scratch behind Fluttercup’s ears and Moondancer’s stare was now half focused upon a bookshelf. 

“So, the Rainbow of Darkness takes whatever a pony is and what they do, and twists it into a dragon.” Sumac let that thought sink in and he looked up at Boomer, who was coiled around his horn. “If dragons come from ponies, could it be reversed? What if some magic took a dragon and turned them back into a pony?” 

“Twilight is investigating that possibility right now. It is one of our many projects. It is why Twilight keeps an army of scholars that study obscure magic.” Moondancer let out a cough, cleared her throat, coughed again, and then horked out a hairy piece of lint, which she held in her magic and examined. “Hmph,” she grunted as she tossed it aside. 

“Would that mean that dragons would disappear?” Sumac asked. 

“We don’t know,” Moondancer admitted. “Maybe some of them, if they fit into a specific archetype. Some of the winged dragons might become pegasi, and so on. No doubt, it would be very alarming to the dragon population, which is why Twilight is trying to reassure the Dragon Lady Ember.” 

“So this is complicated.” 

“Very much so.” 

Sumac didn’t know what to say, but he knew that he was in over his head. “Moondancer?” 

“Yes, curious one?” 

“About Trixie, my mother… what is her role in all of this?” Sumac asked, not knowing if he would get an answer. 

“Trixie is a fountain of lore. She knows all kinds of obscure things, locations, events, things of importance. Her travels have allowed her to soak up an encyclopaedic knowledge of obscura. She is a walking book, a wealth of information. She also has experience with evil artifacts, which has been quite helpful. Officially, she is part of city administration, but unofficially, she works for me, in the skunkworks.” 

“Oh.” Sumac squirmed in his seat, now filled with so many more questions. He was seized with an idea, and he looked into Moondancer’s eyes. He had an opportunity here. He was already Moondancer’s student. He felt his mouth go dry and he took a deep breath, preparing himself for a tough question. 

“Moondancer…” 

“Yes, Sumac?” 

“Since I am already your student, will you be my Master?” 

Much to Sumac’s horror and consternation, several long seconds passed. The seconds turned into what he was certain was a full minute. Moondancer was just sitting there, silent, and a growing fear of rejection filled Sumac’s mind. The silence felt suffocating. 

“I would love to do that, Sumac,” Moondancer replied, ending the painful, awkward silence, “but I could not give you the attention that you deserve. I am the department head of the skunkworks. I have far too many duties as it is. It is all I can do just to squeeze out one hour a day for you, when you deserve so much more.” 

“I understand.” Sumac felt the sharp sting of rejection, but he somehow dealt with it. “I am grateful for the hour that we have together.” 

“Sumac, you would make a wonderful apprentice.” Moondancer’s voice was solemn, serious, and gentle. “You are going to make somepony ridiculously proud and happy. Don’t get discouraged just because I had to say no. You are worthy… but I can’t be the one to be your Master. I would imagine that it is very complicated for you now that Trixie has become your mother.” 

“Just a little,” Sumac admitted. 

“Relationships shift and change over time. Very little remains constant in life.” Moondancer lifted up Fluttercup and held her in the crook of her foreleg. She nuzzled her pet with her muzzle, and her eyes were sad as she looked over at Sumac. “Any more questions before we begin today’s lesson?” 

At that moment, Sumac hated circumstance. Moondancer asked the same questions that he did. They shared some of the same thoughts. Had similar reactions. Looking at Moondancer in her chair, he saw what he might become as a grown up. He saw a pony with remarkable similarities to himself, it was as if everything was a perfect fit, and circumstance kept it from happening. A bitter sense of disappointment welled up inside of him, and Sumac wished that he knew how to express what he was feeling. 

His bitterness became anger and Sumac’s mind reminded him of one terrible fact: life wasn’t fair. He wasn’t angry at Moondancer, he realised, he was just angry. At the situation? Perhaps. Maybe he was angry that life wasn’t fair. He thought about the essay he had written for Starlight Glimmer, and then he had the most peculiar reaction. He felt better. There was something almost like a realisation—he became aware of the fact that the essay was a turning point in his life. Starlight had helped him grow up a little. She had done him a favour. 

“No more questions,” Sumac said to Moondancer, “I’m ready to begin.” 

“Okay,” Moondancer replied, “for our very first lesson, I am going to explain in detail what hexes, curses, and dark magic are. And you, being a very trustworthy colt, are not going to breathe a word of this to any of your friends, companions, or classmates.” 

“Honest Apple.” Sumac sat up in his chair and tried to look as grown up as possible. 

“Very good, my student…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 47
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There was a sense of urgency to his archery now, a powerful need to do it right, so that he might better protect others. Looking at his target, he saw that many of his arrows had hit the hay bale, but only one arrow had hit his target. It was there, along the edge, poking out of the outer circle. One good hit today… so tomorrow, he had to make it two. Some of his classmates were doing better than he was, but he didn’t let it worry him. Sumac dismissed it and chalked it up to not having an archery cutie mark. He would just have to get better the Apple way—hard work, and lots of it. 

That was going to be his approach to life. Magic? Hard work. Archery? Hard work. Everything could be made better with hard work. From what little bit that Sumac knew about his father, Flam, he knew that his father had always tried to take the easy way. He avoided hard work. His father avoided effort. And because of this, Flam was no longer a free pony. Sumac felt as though he had learned from his father’s mistakes. 

Looking around, he saw his instructor, Mister Tweed, off talking to a filly that looked as though she needed a pep talk. Sumac smiled, he had given himself a pep talk. He was feeling pretty good about, well, everything. Okay, he had a minor setback this morning when Moondancer had told him that she couldn’t be his Master, but that was okay. Everything was fine. He would find a Master, it just took some hard work, and then everything would be as awesome as Rainbow Dash. 

“Sumac Apple…”

The voice was big, deep, and booming. His concentration broken, Sumac dropped his bow in the grass. A smile spread over his face and as he turned around, his tail was almost wagging from happiness. His sore front shoulders went unnoticed as he turned himself around. 

“Hi, Big Mac, I was uh, just, uh, doing some hard work.” 

Squinting, Big Mac eyed the haybale many yards distant, then looked down at Sumac. “Eeyup.” The big red stallion eased himself down to his haunches and sat down in the grass, looking both calm and relaxed. He let out a contented sigh and said, “I wanted to talk with you.” 

“What?” Sumac sat down in the grass as well, his small face eager. He hardly even noticed when Mister Tweed came by and collected the bow. He stared up at his role model with a look of absolute adoration in his eyes, and worshipful respect. 

“Where is Boomer?” Big Mac asked. 

“With Pebble, in her cooking class,” Sumac replied. 

“I see.” Big Mac settled in and made himself a bit more comfortable, enjoying his chance to sit down and relax a bit in the grass. “I don’t know what happened, and I don’t want to know what happened, but I know that you helped Twilight.” 

“I did.” Sumac nodded and felt a growing sense of pride welling up inside of him. 

“Well, good job.” Big Mac took a deep breath and appeared to struggle for the right words to say. The breeze whipped his mane around his face and he took a moment to adjust the ever present wooden yoke around his neck. “Applejack has always been a key part of Twilight’s many successes. We Apples have something most ponies lack, common sense. Horse sense. When Twilight and her friends go off on some adventure, it’s always Applejack that brings along the common sense. She’s the trustworthy and reliable one.” 

“Oh?” Sumac leaned forwards, hanging on every wonderful word. 

“Yes, and I’d like to think that all of us Apples can serve Twilight in that capacity, including you.” Big Mac lowered his head and looked into Sumac’s green eyes. “As time goes on, Twilight might call on you more and more. It’s good that she can call upon us Apples when she needs the job done right. And I’m real proud that she can call on you, Sumac Apple.” 

Eyes watering, Sumac nodded, and then with a fierce motion, he rubbed his face, trying to make his eyes stop watering. There was dust in the air, it was messing with his eyes and making him sniffle. He wished that it would go away. 

“Ya did good. I gotta go. Lots to do right now, but Applejack and I both wanted you to know that we’re proud.” Big Mac rose, gave himself a shake, and then stood there as Sumac also stood up. He gave the little colt beside him a nudge with one large hoof. “Work hard, be dependable, and be reliable.” 

“Eeyup.” Sumac gave a nod. 

“Be nice to the mare-folk and they’ll be real nice to you right back.” Big Mac’s eyebrows rose as he spoke, and then eased back down. He looked like he was about to say more, but didn’t. 

“Eeyup.” Sumac nodded again. 

Big Mac’s eyes narrowed as he lowered his head, and when he spoke again this time, his voice was almost a whisper. “And if trouble comes, and something tries to hurt your friends, and the situation is lookin’ real bad…”

“Yeah?” Sumac looked up at Big Mac, wondering what was about to be said. 

“You beat them down. You make applesauce out of them. It’s the Apple Family way.” 

“Okay!” Sumac was the very voice of youthful enthusiasm. 

“And Sumac…” 

“Yeah?” 

“About the mare-folk…” 

“Hmm?” Sumac’s ears darkened as he blushed. 

“If you ever have… you know… questions, you can come to me. You know, because talking to Trixie could be… well, talking to your mama about that stuff can be rough. And you don’t want to talk to Granny Smith about it, trust me. She’ll tell you things. Strange things.”

The older stallion and the younger colt both stood there in awkward silence, unable to look at one another. Big Mac looked skywards, and Sumac found the grass to be mighty interesting. Big Mac looked a little redder somehow. 

“Applejack said she’d wring my neck if I didn’t have a talk with you about that, so, we talked, and I gotta go.” Big Mac gave Sumac another nudge. “Be good.” 

“Good talk,” Sumac replied, his voice squeaky. “Great talk.” 

And with that, a very embarrassed looking Big Mac departed, leaving behind one very embarrassed looking Sumac Apple. Sumac, who didn’t even watch Big Mac go, focused on the grass and all of the interesting things that could be found if one paid attention hard enough. Sumac of course, put a lot of hard work into paying attention. 



 

Sitting in the grass, enjoying the cool breeze, Sumac watched as Pebble drew nearer. It was time to wait on Trixie and Lemon Hearts. He was feeling great about himself, about life, he was riding a high. The little colt felt accomplished. He watched with some interest as Pebble’s dress fluttered in the breeze. He had never really noticed it before, but brown could be a pretty colour. Sure, it was earthy and simple, but a lot of good things in life were brown. 

When Pebble sat down beside him, Sumac asked, “You know Pebble, I’ve never seen your cutie mark.” 

Pebble froze, her eyes were wide and she became quite stiff. The tip of one ear quivered. She did not turn to look at Sumac, she just sat there, her breathing shallow, and Boomer tugged on her mane, wondering what was wrong. 

“You want to see me without my dress?” Pebble asked in a fearful, scratchy whisper. 

“Well, I… no, I just wanted—” 

“You want to see me naked?” This question was little more than Pebble’s panicked breathing, which seemed ragged and quick. 

“NO!” Sumac recoiled and shook his head, his cheeks blazing. “No, no! Nothing like that, I was just curious about your cutie mark, that’s all. I’m sorry… let’s just pretend this never happened.” 

Pebble nodded, but she did not look at Sumac. She hunched over in the grass and didn’t react when Boomer lept from her head over to Sumac’s horn. “It’s a lump of rock. Grey. Smooth. My mother says I’m a chip off of her block. I suppose I am.” 

“You know, I’m naked.” Sumac wasn’t sure what prompted him to state the obvious, but he did. He could hear Pebble’s breathing. Boomer was hugging his horn and life, which had been perfect just mere moments ago, was now confusing and weird. He had just learned something profound about his friend, and it confused him a great deal. 

“The clothes make the problem worse.” Pebble’s voice was soft, but flat. “It’s a solution that makes the problem worse.” The little filly’s lip protruded and she shook her head, causing her violet mane to tumble down around her face, framing it. “I’ll sunburn in seconds because I have a thin pelt. It’s very fine and silky. But wearing dresses…” her voice trailed off and she poked the grass with her hoof. “The dresses rub off more of my pelt and leave it very thin in places.” 

“Oh.” Not knowing what else to say, Sumac looked off towards Twilight’s castle. 

“Wearing the dresses and clothes all of the time has left me with an awareness of being naked. It scares me. I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea of it. I don’t like the idea of being naked and other ponies seeing what my dresses cover.” 

There was something in Sumac’s head, but it was too complex to put into words. Pebble had done something that made her different, and now that she was different, if she tried to be normal, she felt out of place. It made her feel vulnerable and exposed. Turning his head, he looked at his friend and thought about telling her that she was weird. He decided against it though, as she was upset enough as it was. 

“My daddy, he said that my cutie mark could be private if I wanted it to be private, and I didn’t have to show anypony if I didn’t want to. He said that I had a right to keep it covered if it made me happy. He said it was my body and my rules.” Pebble shifted, squirmed in the grass, and mindful of her dress, she scooted over to where Sumac was. Sighing, she leaned up against him, and sat pressed up against his side. 

Sumac, with Pebble pressed up against him, turned to look at her, surprised by this behaviour. She was warm, almost too warm, he had been enjoying the coolness of the day, but he didn’t push her away. He supposed that he could deal with being a little too warm on one side. Sniffing, he discovered that Pebble smelled sugary and spicy. He closed his eyes and inhaled, rather enjoying the experience. 

“Daddy gets a lot of funny ideas from my auntie Octavia. Marble says that Octavia has made him more aware, but I don’t know what this means. I don’t know what he’s aware of. I haven’t figured it out yet., and I don’t want to ask because I don’t want to look stupid. Auntie Marble also says that my daddy grew up isolated and that he was an empty vessel, ready to be filled with ideas. She also says that my daddy was lucky that he found good friends to fill him up with good ideas.” 

These words made Sumac start to think. Was he a vessel, ready to be filled with ideas? 

“I haven’t even figured out my family yet and already, they’re trying to change things. I hate it. I hate it so much and it is so frustrating. I want my daddy to stay just the way he is, and my mamma, I want her to stay just like she is, and I don’t want anything changing, but things do keep changing, and I wish that we were all a lot more like rocks.” 

Blinking, Sumac was startled by Pebble’s sudden outburst, and so was Boomer. 

“I want my daddy to love me and my momma to love me and I want to be right where I’ve always been, in between them, where I’m happy!” Pebble’s breathing became heavier and her voice more ragged. “We were happy together! Everything was perfect. I used to sleep right in between them and everything felt right in the world.” She began to sniffle a little bit and moisture could be seen in her vivid blue eyes. “But then they started kicking me out. Said they needed some time alone as adults. They needed their bed without me in it. They sent me away. They threw me out. And when I have a little brother or a little sister, I just know that my replacement will be sleeping in the bed with them. In between them. Right where I used to be!” 

Much to Sumac’s alarm, Pebble was crying. He didn’t know what to do. Confused, a little scared, and hoping that he wouldn’t make everything worse, he slipped his foreleg over her withers. He felt a stab of pain in his shoulder joint, but he ignored it. 

“I hate them!” Pebble shrieked, her voice rising in pitch and volume. “I hate them!” She broke away from Sumac, shrugging him off, and then shoving him aside. As he fell over into the grass, she rose to her hooves, and stomped off. 

“Pebble, wait, where are you going?” Sumac asked. 

“I’m doing what my aunt Pinkie did… hitting the road,” Pebble replied, her voice squeaky and husky with rage. 

Not knowing what to do, Sumac felt torn. He didn’t know the right thing to do in this situation. His friend needed him, but she was running away, and he had a feeling that what she was doing was wrong. She was upset and just needed time to calm down. He knew that she needed help, but he couldn’t go and get help at the moment, because it didn’t feel right to abandon her. 

“Wait, I’m coming with you.” Limping a bit, he followed after her, and was relieved when she didn’t say no. He knew all about the dangers of the road, and he figured that he could keep Pebble safe, at least until she calmed down and he could talk some reason into her. He could fix this. 

The pressure had become too great and Pebble had erupted, very much like a volcano. She needed him, and Sumac knew this. He hoped that his mother wouldn’t kill him, as he very much hoped to see what Pebble’s cutie mark looked like one day. 
	
	
> Chapter 48
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Following along after Pebble, Sumac ignored his aching shoulders. She was troubled, upset, and he didn’t know what to do. As he stumbled along behind her, he began piecing everything together, at least, as much as he could. Most of the time, Pebble was very grown up and serious, she said ‘mother’ and ‘father.’ But earlier, she had said ‘mamma’ and ‘daddy.’ 

It dawned upon him that these were clues, indicators of Pebble’s real moods. When she was calm, or at least under control, she acted very grown up, she was very prim and proper. But when something was bothering her, like now, the… oh, what was it? Sumac tried to recall the right word as he thought about it. After a few moments of thought, his brain offered up a suggestion. 

Facade? 

Yep, that was it. When Pebble got emotional or something was bothering her, her well practiced facade began to show some cracks. There were warning signs that the volcano was getting ready to vent some steam… or erupt, as it had. Perhaps more importantly, Pebble was still a foal, with all of the fears, all of the insecurities, and all of the troubles that a little foal could have. 

He thought back on his many conversations with Pebble and tried to recall times that her speech had changed, but he couldn’t recall any instances at the moment, try as he might. Feeling troubled, he was scared, afraid, he was doing something that would get him punished. 

“Pebble…” 

No response. 

“Pebble,” he said again. 

Still no response. 

“Pebble, please, slow down. This hurts real bad.” 

Hearing these words, Pebble stopped with such an abruptness that Sumac bumped into her backside, bounced, and took a tumble. The colt lay on the ground, panting, in pain, and his green eyes glittered with fear. Pebble turned about and peered off back in the direction of Ponyville, which was no longer visible. They had walked for well over an hour, deep into the Whitetail Woods. 

“We’ll need a camp,” Pebble said in a voice filled with calm. She sounded like her usual monotonous self. “I don’t know what to do about dinner, I’m sorry.” 

Boomer, who didn’t seem pleased with this situation, let out a worried, smoky hiss. 

“It should be someplace open, like a clearing,” Sumac suggested. 

“Why?” Pebble turned her head and looked at Sumac. “The trees offer protection.” 

“I like seeing stars. If I can’t have dinner, at least I can look at the stars.” 

Pebble’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t reply, not right away. She stood there, thinking, and after a few seconds, she nodded. “That seems reasonable. Distractions are good. After you’ve rested a bit, we’ll keep going until we find a suitable clearing with a good view of the sky.” 

“We have to keep going?” Sumac whined. 

“We’ve committed ourselves to this. Going back now would be embarrassing and we’d be punished.” Pebble’s ears drooped. “I’m big enough to look after myself. Everything will be fine.” 

Still whimpering, Sumac wondered if he had committed a spankable offense. Even worse, who? Trixie might use a brush to paddle him, and if she held it in her fetlock, that might not be too bad, but if she used magic… ouch! Applejack might get involved though… or Big Mac. Gulping, Sumac began sweating as he lay on the ground, fearful of his immediate future. 

No doubt about it, he was about to become the Plotless Colt, a tragic figure, a colt with his bum paddled right off, leaving him with no backside. Just thinking about it made him feel like crying. Or worse, he might get dragged to the middle of the town and Trixie and Applejack might sell tickets to ponies so that they could come and paddle his backside. He imagined a very long line developing, one that looped around buildings and houses, and Applejack and Trixie might become very wealthy. Big Mac might even turn it into a roadshow, hauling him around, collecting bits, selling tickets, and inviting ponies to come and paddle the rotten colt. Behold, the Plotless Wonder! In his mind’s eye he pictured Big Mac wearing a very fancy top hat and shuddered. 

Could a pony get a cutie mark in spanking? Sumac didn’t even know who to ask about this. The Alicorn Princess of Spanking was just too terrible a thought and he let out a whine of fear, unable to deal with the places where his imagination went. 

“Come on, Sumac, lean on me and I’ll help you along…” 



 

It was getting dark now. Sumac, sitting on a large, flat rock, watched as Pebble set up camp. There wasn’t much to set up. They had no tent, they had no dinner, but they would soon have a campfire. Pebble went over to a very large boulder half buried in the ground, stood there for a moment examining it, and then she stood up on her hind legs. 

Sumac wondered what she was doing. She was just standing there, staring at the rock, not moving, and she had a very sleepy looking expression upon her face. But the sleepy expression vanished, replaced by anger, which simmered a bit and became rage. Pebble was absolutely terrifying to look at. She trembled, her muscles quivering, and her beautiful face contorted into something unpleasant. 

“YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!” Pebble let out her super-scary scream as she rammed her right front hoof into the half buried boulder. There was a terrific crack on impact and it shattered, becoming almost a half dozen chunks of rock. Still enraged, she began kicking the shattered bits over to where she wanted to start a fire, and formed a ring with them, pounding them into the ground. 

In the entirety of his life, Sumac could not recall ever feeling more terrified. Castle Midnight paled in comparison to this. He had a quiet moment of terror when he realised what would happen if Pebble lost her temper and got into a fight with Olive. Earth ponies, well, some earth ponies, were scary. Real scary. Pebble, if she got mad enough, could punch Olive and send her to the moon. Or, punch Olive and turn her into unicorn salsa. Or would Olive be a tapenade? 

He decided right then and there that if he was going to ever ask her to see her cutie mark, he was going to be very, very polite about it and on his very best behaviour. Being punched into unicorn salsa didn’t sound like it would be very pleasant. Not at all. He couldn’t even imagine what it might feel like. He had no wish to become Sumac Applesauce. 

“I have to treat the entire world like it is made of spun sugar candy,” Pebble said in a soft voice. “My mother and I both. The whole world is this big fragile place and I have to hold everything in. But I can I feel myself slipping sometimes. I don’t know how my mother does what she does. I don’t understand how she just holds everything in. I don’t understand how she holds back the rage that is always there!” The filly’s voice rose in volume. 

“Um…” 

“Sometimes, I just want to let it all out.” 

It took a dedicated effort on Sumac’s part not to wet himself. His overactive imagination showed him Pebble wrecking Ponyville. He thought about everything that Pebble had said, what she had told him, and what he was seeing in his mind, thanks to his overactive imagination. 

“Just let it all go and hold nothing back…” Pebble cracked her front fetlocks and the corner of her mouth twitched. “My mother can punch a rock with so much force that it generates enough heat to turn the place of impact into a liquid state.” 

Shivering, Sumac waited for this to blow over. Pebble seemed to be having another eruption. He hoped that, this too, would pass. 

“My mother can move with enough speed and force that she causes sonoluminescence. She can generate temperatures that have to be measured in kelvins. Somehow, she just holds everything in and I don’t know how she does it. She has the rage but she never shows it.” 

“Um, maybe she wanted to leave behind a world for you to grow up in?” Sumac cringed and hoped that Pebble wouldn’t direct her outburst at him. 

There was no reply from Pebble, no words, she hunched over the fire pit and a scowl of concentration appeared upon her face. The muscles in her jaw clenched. For a second, her whole body trembled, and then she went still. In a soft, still voice, she said, “We should get a fire started.” 

“Okay.” This was something he could do. He had lit a lot of fires. Sumac concentrated for a few seconds, his horn glowed, and then there was a poof of flame from the pile of wood. Waiting, he watched as the flame flickered, it grew, and began to devour the fuel that it had been offered. He could see the flames reflected in Pebble’s eyes. She looked kinda scary. 

“I don’t know where the rage comes from. It’s just there.” Pebble’s voice was soft, almost timid sounding now. “It’s always there, in the back of my mind, and sometimes I just get hung up on stuff. Sometimes I get hung up on stuff that I think I’m okay with, but I’m not.” 

“That’s okay, Pebble, I think that happens to all of us. Just most of us don’t have super earth pony strength.” Sumac cleared his throat and held out his foreleg. “Come over here and sit with me.”

With an unreadable expression, Pebble did. She came over and sat down on the rock with Sumac, then leaned up against him. She let out a sigh, closed her eyes, and began to take deep breaths. Sumac sat there, his heart pounding in his barrel, sitting next to a filly that could turn him into unicorn salsa, or applesauce, as the case may be. 

“I got teased in my cooking class.” Pebble’s monotonous confession was just loud enough to be heard over the crackling of the campfire. “They teased me and they laughed at me. Why do such stupid words have to hurt so much? Why do I let it bother me? Why do I care what they think? I don’t get it… am I that weak and stupid? Some kind of mental… cripple? Why is it so hard to ignore it?”  

“Pebble, I don’t think you’re stupid at all.” 

“I want things to go back to how they were. I want to sleep between my parents again. I want things to go back to a time when I was happy and the rage was easier to deal with.” Pebble’s barrel began hitching and she let out a few sniffles. 

“You can’t stay little forever.” Sumac’s voice was almost a whisper. “You have to grow up sometime. The world is a rough place. The world is not a safe place. You’re going to get hurt. Things are going to hurt you. And somehow, all that anger is gonna have to be held in somehow.” 

“I know,” Pebble replied, her voice now almost a whine, “I know, I know, but I’m having trouble dealing with it. I don’t want things to change. I don’t even know if I want to be here… the only thing that’s made me stay so far is you.” 

Bowing his head, Sumac wished that the smoke from the fire wouldn’t blow in his face. It was making his eyes water, it was hard to breathe, and his nose was starting to run. It was awful, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. 

“I really like you, Sumac.” 

The smoke was unbearable and Sumac struggled. There were two fires now as his vision blurred over, which somehow doubled the smoke as well, and made it very, very difficult for him to be the big, strong colt that Pebble needed. He coughed and could feel the rubbery, lumpy texture of a big slimy booger in his throat. There was nothing he could do. He had to sit here, stuck, with a booger caught in this throat. It wasn’t like he could just hawk it up or grind it out while he sat here with Pebble. He could feel his sinuses draining down into his gullet and it left him with a queasy sensation. 

“I like you so much that I get jealous when you are with other ponies… or Silver Lining.” 

Frogs sweating, Sumac thought about the implications of Pebble’s confession. 

“You sit and you listen and you actually listen because I can tell by your face that you are listening and thinking, and I can talk to you and tell you things and the rage inside quiets down a bit. It’s nice. It quiets down… but it never goes away.” 

“I uh, well, you, uh, we, um… us”—Sumac stopped stammering when he felt something soft, somewhat damp, and velvety press up against his cheek, just below his glasses—“what?” It took him several long seconds to realise that Pebble had just kissed him on the cheek. He felt his brain melt into goo and then it trickled down his neckhole, where it left a funny, warm fuzzy-wuzzy feeling in his stomach. 

“I’m really glad I got to see that!” Pinkie Pie burst into view and sat down beside Pebble and Sumac. “I brought marshmallows. Mind if I join you?” 

Pebble did not respond and her face turned a very, very dark shade of brown in the firelight. She squirmed, but did not look at her aunt Pinkie. Instead, she rubbed some dirt off of her dress and pretended as though Pinkie wasn’t there. 

“Twilight is circling overhead, waiting for me to give her a signal.” Pinkie leaned over a little bit and set the sack of marshmallows down upon upon the ground. “Some smart pony built a campfire in the middle of a clearing where searching pegasi might see—” 

“Sumac… you…” Pebble facehoofed when she realised that she had been outsmarted. 

“We thought that we’d give you some time to have a friendship moment and sort everything out,” Pinkie explained in a chipper, cheerful voice. “I’ve been listening for quite a while. Pebble, I’m sorry that you got teased, but running away isn’t the answer.” 

“I know,” Pebble replied, her ears drooping. 

“Am I in trouble?” Sumac asked, still trying to recover himself and his liquified brain. 

“Trixie is the one that told us to look for the campfire. She trusted you to be sensible, once we figured out that you two had run away together. She’s at home, waiting for you. She didn’t see the point in coming along because her leg hurt and she knows that you know how to take care of yourself in a scrap. She was real proud about that. She bragged about it.” Smiling, Pinkie Pie picked up the sack of marshmallows and tore it open with her teeth. 

“So what happens now?” Pebble asked. 

“Well,” Pinkie Pie replied after she spat out the bit of plastic from the marshmallow sack she had torn off, “I give Twilight the signal and then we have marshmallows. I’d expect a bit of a lecture from Twilight, but probably nothing too serious.” 

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Pebble slumped down and avoided looking at Pinkie, her face still a much darker brown than usual. She opened her mouth, ready to say more, but Pinkie butted in before Pebble could get any words out. 

“Teasing hurts.” Pinkie’s face became unusually serious. “It hurts real bad. I’m sorry that it happened, Pebble. Now I’m kinda hurt, because you didn’t come to me. I’m trying so hard, Pebble, I really wanna be your friend.” 

“I’m sorry.” Pebble’s face drooped. 

“It’s okay.” Pinkie Pie smiled at her niece and then made a waving gesture up at the sky. “Hey, while we’re here together, maybe you can talk to me and tell me about everything that’s happened. Right up to and including that kiss.” Pinkie Pie winked at Pebble. “Just wait till I tell your parents!” 

A strange muffled sound came out of Pebble’s mouth and her face turned the same shade as a cup of black coffee left in a dark room. She snuffled a bit, squirmed, and then got up from where she sat beside Sumac. Saying nothing, she launched herself at her aunt Pinkie, and threw her forelegs around the pink pony’s neck. She squeezed, and let out a shuddering sob of relief. 

A second later, Twilight landed on three legs, and Sumac let out his own gasp of relief. 
	
	
> Chapter 49
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Glad to be home, Sumac opened up the front door as he heard wings flapping behind him. Twilight had dropped him off at home, carrying him, and speaking to him of a number of things. As the door opened, he licked his sticky muzzle. He was still hungry, very much so, and the marshmallows had only served to whet his appetite. 

Standing in the doorway, he saw Trixie and Lemon Hearts on the couch together. Neither of them got up, but both of them looked at him. Both were smiling. Trixie patted the couch, the spot just between her and Lemon Hearts, and Sumac felt relief flooding over him. 

“Kiddo… come over here. Sit with me.” Trixie continued to pat the spot on the couch next to her. “Did you have a nice adventure?” 

Upon hearing the question, Sumac nodded. He felt Boomer bobbing on his horn. She had eaten too many marshmallows, and was now comatose. She seemed to be having some trouble holding on as she slept, which wasn’t normal. He closed the door behind him, smiled, and limped over to the couch. 

He was spared from having to climb up, Trixie lifted him, and set him down next to her. Feeling affectionate, but not too affectionate, he sat there, waiting for Trixie to make her move, knowing that sooner or later, she was going to cuddle the stuffing out of him. It was obvious that she was in one of those moods. 

“I hope I didn’t worry you too much,” Sumac said to Trixie, his voice soft. “Pebble really needed a friend. I knew it was wrong to go with her, but I felt that it would be more wrong to let her go off by herself. Twilight talked with me on the way home about choosing between two wrongs…” 

“Kiddo, sometimes, it happens.” Trixie’s voice was calm and full of understanding. 

“I did manage to trick Pebble into setting up a campfire in the open.” A look of guilt crept over his face. “I feel a little bad, tricking her. She’s my friend… and… uh…”—Sumac squirmed, not sure what to say next— “she really likes me. She likes me a lot.” 

“Oh.” Lemon Hearts let out a faint giggle.

“Pebble isn’t as grown up as she wants others to think.” 

“Finally figured that out, have you Sumac?” Trixie leaned over. “So, how much does she like you?” 

“A gentlecolt never tells—” 

“She kissed you!” Lemon Hearts let out a squeal and bounced in place on the couch. 

“I never said that!” Sumac squeaked, his voice cracking from embarrassment. 

“If she kissed you, you must have done something to deserve it.” Trixie let out a satisfied, but tired sounding sigh. “And it’s your business if you did get smooched. I won’t make this awkward. You deserve a break.” 

“Pebble got teased. It bothered her. It hurt her. Made her angry.” As Sumac spoke, he became aware of the fact that he was about to be cuddled. Trixie had made her move. She had a foreleg around him now, and pulled him closer. He did nothing to resist. She had, after all, just given him a break, and spared him some merciless teasing. 

“We found out about the teasing.” Lemon Hearts stopped bouncing and looked sad. “We tried to piece everything together. Trixie insisted that you were too sensible to run away for no good reason.” As Lemon Hearts spoke, she lifted Boomer from Sumac’s horn, levitating the comatose baby dragon, which she then took into her forelegs and cuddled. “Wow, she’s fat.” 

“She ate marshmallows.” Sumac let out a little giggle as Trixie’s lips tickled his ear. A second later, he felt her kiss him, and it gave him the tickly warm fuzzies. Closing his eyes, Sumac inhaled, and he could smell Trixie as she lavished her affection upon him. She smelled like bubble gum, like lightning, she smelled like ink, the smell of old books, and the sneezy scent of chalk dust. She smelled like happiness to Sumac, and he was grateful to be home. 

“Kiddo, I love you so much,” Trixie said in a muffled whisper as she mumbled into Sumac’s ear, causing it to twitch. “Everything I do, I do it so you’ll have a good future. I’m saving the world for you, Sumac.” 

Eyes still closed, he inhaled again. 

“Today at work, Twilight asked me if I wanted to be an alicorn… that’s the sort of stuff we talk about at work. Just pie in the sky stuff.” 

“And what did you tell her?” Sumac asked, feeling both hungry and drowsy. 

“I told her that I was fine with being the pony I was. I didn’t need to be an alicorn. I told her that you were my wings, Sumac, and that you’ve already lifted me up to wonderful places. You’ve made me a better pony.” 

The chalk dust in Trixie’s pelt made Sumac’s eyes water and caused him to sniffle. Stupid chalk dust. It seemed to be affecting Lemon Hearts too, as Sumac could hear her sniffling. There was a snort in his ear, which made him shiver, and he realised that the chalk dust had claimed Trixie too. Stupid, stupid chalk dust. He gripped Trixie’s leg and pressed his head against her, knocking his glasses askew. He didn’t care. They could be straightened out later. 

“Kiddo, you owe me for saving this world.” Trixie’s voice was under assault from the chalk dust, it sounded gritty and strained. “I’ve hit that stage of motherhood where I have some dreams about grandfoals. Twilight Velvet tells me that it is perfectly natural. She said having hopes and dreams is good and that I should have aspirations.” 

“Ick, no.” Sumac opened up his eyes. 

“Oh, no big hurry. Give it time.” Trixie gave Sumac a reassuring squeeze. She let out a wheezy laugh and then kissed Sumac on the ear once more. Feeling that a cuddle just wasn’t enough, she lifted him up and began squeezing him in her forelegs, crushing him against her barrel. 

Sumac offered no resistance. 

“The first place we checked,” Lemon Hearts said as she cradled Boomer, “was the cemetery. I must confess, it was just a little odd to go checking the cemetery for two missing foals. When you weren’t there, I started to panic, but Trixie was all calm and none of us could figure out why she was so calm, and I started freaking out, and Twilight got a little anxious, and Trixie was just as cool as a cucumber.” 

“Sumac, what do you do if a bad pony or something awful tries to grab you?” Trixie asked. 

“I run away,” Sumac replied. 

“And what do you do if you can’t run away?” Trixie’s voice was a soft, calm whisper. 

Letting out a little cough, Sumac cleared his throat before he replied, “I set them on fire or I pick something up and smash them in the face with it. Maybe stab something into their eyes.” 

“That’s right.” Trixie closed her eyes and pressed her muzzle into Sumac’s ear. 

“That’s horrendous.” Lemon Hearts shook her head, her eyes were wide and fearful. “That’s awful… I can’t even… I… ugh.” She closed her eyes, her ears drooped, and she clung to Boomer, as if hoping for some comfort. “I can’t stand violence. I’m not a violent pony. I can’t even stomach the thought of using my magic to hurt something.”

“I’ve been hurt by others…” Trixie gave Sumac a powerful squeeze. “But let’s not talk about that. All I have left to say is, I’ve raised Sumac to look after himself. That is why I can leave him alone and trust that he is safe. He’s a smart colt. He’s canny. And he’s fast.” 

“Every mom thinks their colt is fast.” Sumac squirmed in Trixie’s embrace, turning his body around, and he found a comfortable position where he could rest his head in the crook of her neck. He snuggled up against her, now more drowsy than hungry. The scruffle of her chest was soft, warm, and oh so nice to cuddle against. He yawned and did nothing to hold it back. 

“I’ve often wondered about that.” Lemon Hearts scooted a little closer to Trixie on the couch. “I mean, he’s five. And he was left free to wander around Ponyville. I got to thinking about that and it occurred to me that most mothers would be freaking out.” 

“I’m not most mothers,” Trixie deadpanned. 

“No, you’re kinda cute, for a single mom.” 

Sumac’s eyes flew open wide at Lemon Heart’s words and his whole body stiffened. 

“Lemon, we talked about this!” 

“Oops!” Lemon Hearts let out a squeak of worry and froze in terror. 

“Talked about what?” Sumac asked. 

“Never you mind,” Trixie replied. 

“Pebble kissed me on the cheek and said that she liked me. She really liked me.” 

“Kiddo, you don’t play fair.” 

“You taught me not to play fair. You said the game of life is rigged. You said cheating was fine, so long as nopony got hurt.” 

“Kiddo, you’re spilling out some of our secrets—” 

“So what?” Sumac felt his mother go still. 

“I’m not ready for this,” Trixie whispered. 

There was a long tense moment accompanied by an awkward silence. Sumac lay cradled in his mother’s forelegs, his head still resting against the crook of her neck. He could feel her heart thumping against his cheek and ear. He could feel her trembling. He could feel the heat in her bad knee, it was much hotter than the rest of her leg. 

“I’m so sorry, it slipped.” Lemon Hearts squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. 

“What happened?” Sumac’s eyes were now half closed and he waited, wondering if Trixie would talk. Something had happened. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but it involved Lemon Hearts and his mother being flirty. 

“Just like Pebble, Lemon Hearts revealed that she liked me.” 

“Uh huh.” Sumac kept waiting. 

“Sumac, Lemon is into other mares. Do you understand that? Does it bother you? Does that make you uncomfortable?” 

“Why would it make me uncomfortable?” As Sumac spoke, he heard a gasp from Lemon Hearts, and thought it sounded like one of relief. 

“I didn’t know how you might take it, and I didn’t want you in a situation where you were uncomfortable. Lemon and I… we both want you to be happy.” Trixie glanced over at the mare on the couch beside her. 

“What about your happiness?” Sumac rubbed his muzzle against the base of Trixie’s throat and felt her suck in a deep breath. Lifting a foreleg, his shoulder aching and burning, he stroked his mother’s neck with his fetlock. 

“I don’t know what I want,” Trixie confessed. “I’ve never really been in love before. The Great and Powerful Trixie lived with a Great and Powerful loneliness. The only pony that I have ever even been remotely attracted to was Tarnished Teapot, and that’s only because he rescued me.” 

“Over and over,” Lemon Hearts said in helpful, chirpy voice. 

Raising an eyebrow, Trixie glanced over at the lemony yellow mare beside her. “Yeah. Over and over.” 

“He’s nice like that.” 

“He sure is.” Trixie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Always running around, saving ponies, going into dark, dangerous places and saving the weak and the stupid—” 

“Hey, be nice, Miss Lulamoon, or else!” Lemon Hearts’ lower lip protruded and she gave Trixie a harsh glare of disapproval. “I dunno, I don’t find him all that attractive, but Maud sure is cute in a subdued sort of way.” 

“Ugh.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Sumac, I haven’t figured out what I’m into, and I didn’t want to get involved in a relationship and create a mess that might make life hard for you. I mean, what if it didn’t work? What if I’m not into mares? What if everything goes wrong and Lemon and I aren’t happy, and if we aren’t happy, then where do you and I live… we’re guests here, and I didn’t want to make things complicated.” 

“But what if you are happy?” Sumac wasn’t sure what was so complicated. 

“But I—” 

“But what?” Waiting, Sumac wanted to know what his mother had to say about this. 

“I told you so, Miss Lulamoon. Didn’t I try to tell you?” Lemon Hearts’ voice held a teasing tone. “He’s a sweetie. You didn’t raise him to be a judgmental oaf.” 

“Lemon, I never really had a chance to even talk to Sumac about, well, you know.” 

“Being gay?” Lemon Hearts scooted a little closer to Trixie. 

“No… just… the physical parts of love in general and how complicated it can be.” 

“Well, now you have a chance to open up some dialogue about it. You can talk to him about it while I go and fix him a nice dinner before he nods off into lalaland.” Lemon Hearts smiled, and then, before Trixie could react or protest, the bold lemony mare leaned over and planted a quick peck on Trixie’s cheek. 

Sumac heard his mother’s heart going thumpity-thump and felt it against his face. 

“I don’t know how to talk about it. I’ve never been in love. Other than Tarnish, I’ve never even been attracted to another pony. I don’t know what I like or what I’m into. For too long, I was the Great and Powerful Trixie, and I sacrificed much of myself upon the altar of self improvement.” 

“Do you like the colour yellow?” Sumac felt Trixie’s whole body grow warm, and her neck became quite hot. A moment later, she was sweating. He could feel her shaking, trembling, and for a second, he worried that she might drop him. “Good news, Lemon Hearts, I think she likes the colour yellow.” 

“Yay?” Lemon Hearts bounced up onto her hooves to go and fix dinner, and she carried Boomer in her magic. “Just think about how nice it would be to have two mothers, Sumac. Wouldn’t that be great? I could make you cookies and teach you all about being gay, so you can be a more understanding pony. You could make Trixie proud. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Smiling, Lemon Hearts plopped Boomer into the fruitbowl, which made a perfect bed for her. 

“Yeah, it would.” 

Ears drooping, Trixie slumped over and settled into a mope, still cuddling Sumac. “Woe is me, my own son has turned against me, turned by the charms of the yellow lemony one...” 
	
> Chapter 50
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lemon Hearts was in a great mood this morning and Sumac knew why. Really, really liking another pony tended to put one in a good mood. He too, was in a great mood. He liked Pebble. A lot. Even if he was embarrassed by the whole thing and had some trouble expressing it. Pebble was something more than his best friend, but he wasn’t sure what. 

“Sumac, Pebble, both of you have some special mail,” Lemon Hearts said as she levitated over two bright pink envelopes. She bounced up and down in her seat behind her desk, looking quite pleased with herself, and humming as she smiled a very happy looking smile. 

Using his own telekinesis, Sumac accepted the envelope, wondering what it might be. It was very, very pink, Pinkie Pie, the pink party pony pink, it was pink perfection, perfumed, sniffing it made him dizzy and he wanted to giggle. It had his name on it in flowing, looping letters and a wax seal. Pebble had one just like it. Licking his lips, he glanced around, and realised that class hadn’t started just yet. A few students had not yet arrived. He saw Silver Lining and Cinnamon Fire both looking at him, both curious, no doubt wanting to know what the letter was. 

He didn’t break the wax seal, it was too pretty, he used his telekinesis to tear open the top edge of the heavy paper envelope, being as careful as he could be. A cloud of perfume tickled his nose. It was a sweet smell, like roses, but there was something else. Something… wonderful and Sumac had no way to describe it, but it was a smell that the young colt would forever associate with love and romance. 

Hunched over, he pulled out the paper, one ear twitching in concentration, and Boomer snored out little wisps of smoke as she snoozed wrapped around his horn. The paper was heavy, ivory coloured, and had little bits of glitter pressed into its fine fibres. Unfolding it, he saw luxurious, silky looking black ink, the best kind of ink, the kind of ink that both he and Trixie longed for and pined over when they were in some store together. The ink they had never bought seeing as how they had been far too poor. 

Dear Sumac Apple, son of Trixie Lulamoon, Sumac read. He blinked. 

Congratulations, Sumac Apple! You have discovered the joys of tender romance and your first love. You have a special somepony! ♡ This is a momentous step in your development as a young colt and a very special time in your life. I have sent you this letter as an invitation to the Crystal Empire Academy Prep School, my school for gifted foals, so that you might better explore the arts of romance. Poetry, painting, music, confectionery and culinary arts, drama, theatre, we have a little bit of everything. Here, we celebrate love and life, and we would love to have both you and Pebble join us! 

Squinting, Sumac felt his face growing warm, and wondered how Princess Cadance knew. He glanced over at Pebble and saw that her face was turning a much darker shade of brown again. He did his best to act as though nothing was wrong as he looked at the letter one final time. 

With much love, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

How did she know? Pebble wasn’t his special somepony. Was she? They liked each other. That was it. She had smooched him on the cheek. No, this was some kind of mistake, some kind of joke, a prank. He had tricked Pebble, he had duped her and laid out a long con just like Trixie had taught him how to do, and you didn’t trick your special somepony. He stuffed the letter back into its envelope and then slid the envelope into his book bag. Princess Cadance was… she was… Princess Cadance was a nosy pony! And she made assumptions, too! 

Why, Princess Cadance… she was a busybody. 

Staring straight ahead, Sumac avoided looking at his classmates. He didn’t want to look at their curious faces, he didn’t want to invite questions or conversations, he wanted class to start and he didn’t want to think about this any more. Pebble wasn’t his special somepony. That was preposterous. They were just friends. Close friends. Close friends who liked one another. Close friends that now had a kiss between them. 

Staring at Lemon Hearts, he realised that she and his mother, Trixie, were also friends. Close friends. Close friends who liked one another. Close friends that now had a kiss between them. The colt groaned and found that he could no longer even look at Lemon Hearts. She was entirely too happy. All this thinking made his brain hurt, and school hadn’t even started yet. 

He wanted to raise his foreleg and ask if he could go home, if he could be excused, as his brain was full. It was no different than asking to be excused from the table, really, and Sumac had no desire to engage in intellectual gluttony. There had been enough thinking already today, and now it was time to excuse himself. 

Sumac’s thinking was interrupted by a bell clanging. It was quite loud, you couldn’t ignore it, and Lemon Hearts looked quite alarmed. She blinked a few times, startled, and then Sumac saw her react. She lept up from her chair, headed for the door, and then with a turn of her head, she stopped in the doorway. 

“None of you move,” she said in a firm voice, “all of you are to wait right here and somepony will be along shortly to give you further instructions.” 

And then, she was gone. She stepped through the door and then Lemon Hearts closed it behind her. The bell continued to ring and the classroom was filled with the murmurs of hushed, worried voices. Silver Lining gripped her tail. Strawberry Hearts had to be scared because the room now smelled unpleasant. 

Outside the door, the sounds of hooves could be heard in the hall. Sumac looked around, not sure what was going on, and then there was a very loud sound, a boom. A boom was never a good thing to hear. It made the entire class jump and some of them shrieked in foalish terror, Sumac among them. 

The door banged open and Moondancer entered the room, looking disheveled and angry. Twilight was right behind her, hobbling along on three legs. A bright pink cast was on her broken leg, and it was covered in hundreds of signatures. Twilight pushed Moondancer aside with her wing, and looked at Sumac. 

“We need to get you to safety, Sumac.” Twilight said in a voice that wasn’t very calm. 

“I’m coming.” Pebble lept up from her seat and was at Sumac’s side in an instant. 

“Good idea.” Moondancer’s voice was brusque. “Both of you, move, now. No time to explain.” The terse mare paused and then looked at the other members of the class. “The rest of you will be safe here. Do not worry, somepony will be along to gather you up and take all of you to the central hall.” 

Sumac didn’t even get a chance to say anything, he was jerked out of his chair by Twilight’s magic. He barely had time to grab his bookbag. Both he and Pebble were wrapped in one very impressive looking shield bubble. 

There was another loud explosion and this one made Twilight’s castle shudder. As Sumac was being carried out the door, other teachers had arrived to deal with his classmates. He waved goodbye, not knowing what was happening, and he wondered if there was some way that he could help out in this crisis. 



 

“She should have been back already,” Twilight snapped. “Where is Trixie and Lemon Hearts? Both of them are skilled teleporters. I’ve tested them thoroughly to deal with emergencies just like this one.” The alicorn gave her wings a nervous flap and looked at Moondancer. 

Moondancer’s horn lit up for a moment and she scowled. “I can’t teleport.” 

“Oh bother.” Twilight’s voice was soft and held a trace of fear. “Come, Moondancer, we must go and acquire the lantern.” 

“Twilight, that is tactically dangerous. They will most certainly be trying to acquire the lantern. They will attempt to acquire Sumac there if he is present. This is a bad idea with terrible statistical odds—” 

“I don’t care!” Twilight snapped. 

Sumac had no idea what was going on. 

“Very well. Let us go and acquire the lantern.” 

Fearful, Sumac watched as Moondancer sprouted wings and became an alicorn. He gasped in awe, overcome from the situation, and then Twilight threw open the large double doors to her castle. Outside was a terrible sight that made his mouth drop open. There was fire, there was smoke, things were on fire, and screams could be heard. 

Twilight took to the air with a flap of her wings, and Moondancer followed. Below and above them was chaos. The skies were filled with some sort of terrible goat headed bird creatures and similar creatures that had bird bodies but dog heads. They were attacking Ponyville. An army was attacking Ponyville. In front of Twilight’s castle, Sumac caught a glimpse of Starlight Glimmer and Olive. The pair of them were defending a group of ponies trying to make their way to the castle for safety. 

“We have to save them!” Sumac shouted as he pointed at a group of ponies fleeing the terrors in the skies. He feared that Starlight and Olive might not be enough, even though Olive was pretty darn mean. A little teeny, tiny part of him hoped that Olive would be okay. She was the telekinetic brute. He hoped that she could take care of herself. 

“Priorities,” Twilight replied, and she said nothing else. 

Anger overcame Sumac’s fear and something deep inside of him boiled over. Moondancer and Twilight were blasting anything that came too close. He was worried for Trixie and Lemon Hearts. He was worried for his fellow students. Sumac was worried for Ponyville. This was his home. And he was unable to do anything about what was going on. 

Unbeknownst to him, his magic manifested as a reaction to this crisis. His special spell, the spell unique to him as a unicorn, a not-very-nice spell—the Zap Apple Zinger. It had come to him before in times of trouble, his magic, but now, it came upon him full force and came bursting out of his mouth in a loud, clarion voice. 

“HEY! HOW MANY VARIETIES OF UGLIES HAD TO BREED BEFORE YOU CAME ALONG?” 

The goat headed birds and the dog headed birds in the immediate area ceased their assault upon the ponies below and dozens upon dozens of heads all turned to look at Sumac. Fury was seen in every eye, the Zap Apple Zinger induced feelings of absolute sensate rage in the listener. 

“Twilight, trouble!” Moondancer warned. 

“I BET WHEN YOU WERE BORN THE DOCTOR SLAPPED YOUR MAMA! I KNOW I WOULD!” 

“Sumac Apple!” Pebble snapped, “that’s just rude!” 

The entire flock of monsters in the area suffered fits of apoplectic rage and every one of them all moved to intercept Twilight so that they could reach Sumac. It was clear by the look on their faces that they intended to rip Sumac to shreds and maybe even devour him. 

From there, things got worse. Something truly unpleasant bubbled within Sumac and then a stream of the most awful things anypony could say came pouring from his lips in a fluid, neverending flow. Sumac heard the most vile profanities, words beyond his own imagination, and he could not make them stop. Beside him, Pebble burst into tears, and clamped her front hooves over her ears in a vain attempt to save herself from the river of filthy vulgarities spewing from Sumac’s mouth like an open sewer main geysering out contents too putrid to describe. 

Moondancer’s glasses fogged over from the words Sumac was saying, making it difficult to see. Twilight’s mouth hung open and she had turned a new shade of purple, a shade of purple that was so impossible and so improbable that it’s full purpleosity could only be seen by mantis shrimps and creatures capable of seeing into advanced light spectrums. 

And somehow, even more garbage spewed from Sumac’s mouth as he experienced a magic surge brought about by stress and rage. All around him, the furious mob gathered, claws and teeth bared, and they rushed at Twilight, who raised a shield. Boomer, now awake, plugged her fingers into her ears and squeezed her eyes shut to ward off the verbal assault. 

Enraged, the goat headed bird monsters turned about and presented their backsides to Twilight. In one very gross display, they shot out eggs in a volley, and when these eggs collided with Twilight’s shield, they exploded with terrific force, creating flames and a sulphurous stench. It was a vile act, done by the most vile of all enemies. 

The harpy, the ancient enemy of ponykind. 

“HEY, YOU DIRTY BIRDY! I BET YOU PLUCK YOUR MOTHER!” 

One harpy, driven to a point beyond rage, a fantastic point of berserk insanity, turned upon one of her fellow sisters and attacked. In moments, the infectious berserker rage spread to others, and then, the entire mob was attacking each other, both the harpies and the raptorians, the dog headed bird creatures. 

The airborne fracas turned into absolute brutal chaos, something that even the Lord of Chaos himself might have envied, had he been present, but he and Fluttershy were off visiting Treehugger. The harpies and the raptorians ripped into one another, and Twilight was able to pull away from the frenzied hullaballoo that Sumac had created with his Zap Apple Zingers. She left behind an an airborne melee filled with vile explosions, yelps of pain, and fire. So much fire.

“SO LONG, MOTHERPLUCKERS, SMELL YA LATER!” 



 

When Twilight swooped down over the outskirts of Ponyville, Sumac saw the house where he lived. There was a battle here, still in progress. He squinted through the smoke, several of the houses were on fire, and down below, surrounded on all sides, he saw his mother. He let out a worried cry upon seeing her, and he hoped that Twilight would go and rescue her. Trixie was in a real bad spot, and she stood over the body of Lemon Hearts, who was on the ground and wasn’t moving. 

All Sumac could do was cry. His magic, what little he had, had been spent in the surge. He felt weak and all hope just drained out of his body at the terrible sight. Lemon wasn’t moving at all. Green flames blazed and Sumac saw changelings. He had never seen them before, but he knew what they were by description. 

Below, Trixie’s magic was great, and it was powerful. She lifted up a buckboard wagon in her telekinesis and then smashed into a group of changelings, knocking them out of the air. She was standing her ground, defending Lemon Hearts, who had fallen. From out of the smoke and the ruin, Cassia stepped into view, Cinnamon’s aunt and caretaker. She began setting the swarm circling over her head on fire. 

Much to Sumac’s relief, Moondancer broke away to go and help Trixie, bringing some much needed air support. Meanwhile, Twilight hovered over the roof of the house. Using her magic, she blasted a hole in the roof, exposing the attic bedroom. The lantern was recovered, and without a word, Twilight made good on her escape. 

She shot straight up with terrific speed. Pebble began screaming and Sumac remembered that Pebble didn’t like being lifted off of the ground, so all of this had to be awful for her. Twilight was gaining altitude at an amazing rate, flapping her wings, and leaving behind the danger below. Sumac watched as his mother became smaller and smaller. He let out a gasping sob and hoped that she would be safe. 

Twilight smashed through the cloudbank, climbing ever higher, and Sumac could see all of Ponyville now. It looked tiny. Some of it was on fire. Twilight’s castle was under siege. Everything below them kept getting smaller and smaller, the details harder and harder to see. The air up here was thin and difficult to breathe if one wasn’t a pegasus. 

When Twilight came to a sudden halt, Sumac looked around, trying to find out why. He heard a crackle and then a fizzling sound. A group of the dog headed bird monsters appeared, coming down through the clouds above them. 

“Just as predicted,” one of them said as he pointed some kind wand or rod at Twilight. 

The air was filled with a glittering light show. Twilight raised a shield, but within seconds of it appearing, it was popped like a soap bubble by one of the beams of bright red light that came out of the strange wands that some of the dog headed bird monsters had. Sumac and Pebble were still held in Twilight’s telekinesis, but were no longer shielded. Twilight zapped one, she held nothing back, and the dog headed bird monster just vanished. A few feathers began to drift down to the ground that was far, far below. She dodged the incoming blasts, trying to raise her shields, but the moment she formed them, they were dispelled again. 

Letting out a fierce cry, Twilight fired off another spell and somehow managed to raise a shield bubble around Pebble and Sumac right as one of her attackers fired off his rod. The two bolts of magic collided about a yard away from Twilight’s face with explosive force. There was a deafening thud as the spells detonated. The shield bubble around Pebble and Sumac popped. Twilight’s telekinetic field also vanished. 

Much to Sumac’s terror, the ground was now rushing up to meet him. He looked at Twilight, who was limp, and she was falling too, but at a slower pace, due to her wings offering some drag. He looked at Pebble and he could see the terror in her eyes, but just barely, as his own eyes were watering from the wind. All of their attackers were also unconscious from the blast. 

How many miles below was the ground? Sumac didn’t know. Boomer was clinging to his horn and letting out fearful honking sounds. He looked up at Twilight and shouted, “Wake up!” 

But Twilight did not respond. Her face was burnt and blackened. Not knowing what else to do, Sumac held out his foreleg to Pebble, and then grabbed her in his feeble telekinesis. His magic had been drained during his outburst. He pulled her in, drawing her close, and he held her hoof in his. He could see the tears being torn away from her cheeks, and they flew upwards in the wind, like very confused raindrops. 

“I didn’t think it would end this way,” Sumac said. 

Pebble did not reply. 

“We don’t have much time left.” Sumac, his eyes blurring over from the wind and tears, looked into Pebble’s face, trying to burn as much of it as he could into his memory. “Pebble Pie, will you be my special somepony?” He gave her hoof a reassuring squeeze as he held it in his fetlock. 

Much to his relief, she nodded. 

“Do you think it will hurt?” Sumac asked. 

Pebble shook her head. “If it does, we won’t feel it for long. We’re too high up, Sumac. Physics is going to be cruel to us.” 

Her words were not reassuring. Sumac wanted to start screaming, but that would disrupt these last few precious moments he had. “Pebble, you are the weirdest filly I know. You’re my best friend. If things have to end this way, I’m glad I’m with you.” 

The ground was getting closer now and details could be seen below. 

“Sumac Apple, you have a potty mouth.” 

His ears flapping in the wind, Sumac nodded. He sure did. He gave Pebble’s hoof another squeeze. He didn’t want everything to end this way, but life wasn’t fair. He could now see ponies in the streets below, they looked tiny. He didn’t have much time left and Pebble had to know how special she was to him. It was time to do the most adult, most grown up thing he could do before he splattered into the ground below. 

Squinting, he pulled Pebble closer and somehow managed to smoosh his lips into hers. They only touched for a moment, but it was enough. He had kissed a filly and now, he was going to die. He was determined to face his end with as much bravery as he could muster, which wasn’t very much. He began to blubber. 

“I was just kissed by a potty mouth. I feel the need to brush my teeth.” Pebble too, began to weep, and her whole body shook. “It won’t hurt much Sumac, if we feel anything at all. Just be brave.” 

“I’m sorry, Boomer. I don’t know if you can save yourself.” Sumac went cross eyed and looked up at the dragon hatchling clinging to his horn. “You might be able to glide and make a safe landing if you jumped away now.”

But Boomer did not leap away. She redoubled her grip and closed her eyes. 

The ground was close now. Sumac figured that he had seconds left. Summoning whatever was left of his courage, he made his move to give Pebble one final kiss, pulling her closer. The kiss didn’t happen. Something slammed into Sumac with enough force to almost leave him blind. There was a sucking sensation in his guts as he was jerked upwards against gravity. He heard a stunned cry from Pebble. 

Everything became a confused, disoriented jumble as Sumac’s brains were scrambled by the conflicting gravitational forces his body was suddenly subjected to. He blacked out for a time and when he came to, he was being crushed against a limp purple pony. He willed his limbs to work, but he felt too heavy. He wanted to hug Twilight and he cried out with relief. 

“I AM THE MOST AWESOME PONY ALIVE!” 

Confused, befuddled, Sumac tried to make sense of his situation. For a second, he was certain he was going to black out again. He feared that his insides would all go squirting out of his backside at any second now. Inside, he felt a pain that was unique and new, something he had never experienced before, but he didn’t care, he was alive. 

He was alive and there was a strong sky blue foreleg squeezing his ribs with enough force that he feared that they would break. Not that he cared. Sumac was alive. He struggled to get his bearings and he saw the ground below him. It was close, real close, and before he could figure out what was going on, he was torn free from his rescuer. 

Blinking, he found himself with another blue pony, one who was sobbing. Right away, he wrapped his forelegs around her neck and crushed her. He had never been more happy to have his mother hug him. The world around him continued to fall into chaos, but Sumac didn’t care. Not knowing how else to express his affection, or his gratitude for still being alive, he began kissing his mother’s neck. 

“I don’t know how you did it, Rainbow Dash.” 

“Eh, it was easy. I’m just awesome like that. We’ve got trouble, Moonie.” 

“Yes we do. Twilight, can you hear me?” 

Much to Sumac’s relief, he heard Twilight’s voice. It was muffled, it was weak, but she was alive and talking. Sort of. He clung to Trixie’s neck, but pulled his head away so that he could try to look at Twilight, he needed to see that she was alright. 

“Never… encountered… magic like that before.” Twilight rubbed her head. “Some kind of shield breaker. Some kind of antimagic. I don’t know.” 

“What do we do now, Twilight?” Moondancer asked. 

“Plan C,” Twilight replied. 

When Twilight spoke, Sumac felt himself being pulled away from Trixie’s neck. He fought back, refusing to let go, but Trixie just peeled him away. He felt his head turned and he found himself looking into her eyes. One ear was… ugh, it made him queasy to look at it, but look he did. He felt her nose touch his and his heart pounded in his barrel with so much force that it hurt. 

“Sumac Apple, I love you,” Trixie said in husky voice. 

“I love you back,” Sumac replied. 

“You need to go—” 

“What? No! Let me stay! I can help! Gimme some zap apple jam or something!” 

“Sumac, please, don’t make this hard on me,” Trixie begged, her voice pleading. 

“NO!” Sumac felt himself being torn away. He struggled, he kicked, and he fought back against the magic that held him. He let out a wordless wail of defiance, but he never took his eyes off of Trixie’s. “Mama, no, please, let me stay and help!” 

There was a flare of magic as Moondancer pulled a portal gem out from her sweater. Something nearby exploded and Rainbow Dash let out a startled yelp. Sumac continued to look at his mother, but he worried and wondered about Lemon Hearts. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she alive. He wanted to ask, but his throat felt too tight as he choked back his sobs. 

The lantern was stuffed into his forelegs and he gripped it, hugging it to him. He felt Pebble slammed into him. In their panic, the adults were not as gentle as they might have been under normal circumstances. All around them were screams and shouts. The air was filled with thick smoke. He felt Pebble’s forelegs slip around his neck. 

Twilight’s horn now had a fierce glow and the portal gem began to shine. 

“Sumac Apple, you are my son, and I love you. Don’t you ever forget that. Be brave, Sumac.” 

Hearing these words, Sumac started to protest, but something was tugging on him. He struggled to speak, but no words would come. Pebble’s grip around him grew tighter and he heard her let out a whimper. Still holding the lantern in one foreleg, he reached out with the other, hoping to touch his mother one last time, fearing that he might never see her again. 

But she was out of reach, and he could feel the portal gem’s magic tugging on him. He let out a bleating cry, a wail of protest, but it was no use. The world around him was already starting to fade. He felt a crushing sensation all over his body, and Boomer let out a terrified honk. 

“Sumac… I love you so much…” 

And then, the voice was gone and Sumac was torn away. 
	
	
> Chapter 51
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It took several moments for Sumac’s vision to clear, but when it did, Sumac found himself looking at a giant purple pumpkin that was the size of a house. On top of everything else that had just taken place, it was a bit too much to take in. He just sat there, clutching his lantern, staring at the enormous purple pumpkin with wide, almost almost unblinking eyes. Pebble was still clinging to his neck and Boomer was right where she belonged. 

“I’m home,” Pebble said in a low voice, and her words did not register with Sumac. 

Aside from the pumpkin, there were other giant vegetables, some big rocks, many little rocks, and the dirt that Sumac found himself sitting in was fine, coarse, and gritty. Not far away, there was a good sized patch of poison joke. Sumac’s blank stare fell upon the blue flowers and the little colt said nothing as he just sat there in the dirt. 

“I’m home and we’re safe,” Pebble said to Sumac. 

Sumac didn’t feel safe. No, he had just fallen several miles out of the sky and his mother was nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was nopony. He and Pebble were alone. He tried to remember all of the things he was supposed to do in times of trouble, but he had trouble recalling Trixie’s list of instructions. 

“Aunt Mub-Mub!” 

For a second, Sumac thought that Pebble was going to let go of him, but she didn’t. She did the opposite. She doubled down upon her grip and squeezed him so hard that for a blink of an eye, he saw two ponies approaching. The pony, she looked worried, fearful, and she hurried over. 

“Pebble… Pebble… oh… oh my… things must be bad for you to be sent here… oh no.” 

Now, more confused than terrified, Sumac asked, “Where am I and who are you?” 

The mare didn’t stop. She came right up, plopped down in the strange dirt, and then Sumac found himself swept right up with Pebble in a squeeze. Boomer sneezed from the strange dust and then let out a worried sounding honk. Sumac felt very much like letting out his own honk, as Boomer seemed to have some idea of how to cope with this situation. 

“My name,” the mare began, “is Marble, and I am Pebble’s Aunt Mub-Mub. This is the Pie Family Rock Farm and Research Facility.” The mare spoke in a soft, calm voice that was quite soothing and her overall demeanour was just what two terrified foals needed. 

“We’ll need to get you a cup of tea,” she continued, “so that the poison joke doesn’t bother you. It is what allows stuff to grow here.” 

“And the big purple pumpkin?” Sumac asked. 

“Oh, we’ve imported ash from Mount Maud. It’s very magical. We grow food here, alchemical ingredients, and Limestone has been trying some pottery made from the stuff when she’s got a bit of free time.” As Marble spoke, Pebble was rubbing her face against her aunt’s foreleg. 

“Are we safe?” Sumac craned his head around to look at Marble. 

“Oh, this is the safest place in Equestria,” Marble replied without hesitation. “You’ll find that your magic doesn’t work here. Magic in general doesn’t work here and we like it that way. As for keeping safe, the plants protect us. They do Tarnish’s bidding. We have needler cacti, stranglesnatch, and quite a number of carnivorous plants that can be a little cantankerous. But don’t worry, you’ll be safe.” Marble drew in a deep breath, nosed Pebble, and then asked, “So, Pebble, are you going to introduce me?” 

“Oh. Oops.” Pebble was starting to sound a bit more like her usual self again. “This is Sumac Apple. He’s my best friend.” 

“Hello, Sumac Apple, I’m really very happy to meet you.” 

“Hi.” 

“And that’s Boomer.” 

“Oh, she’s adorable. I was wondering about her.” 

The soft sound of Marble’s affectionate and warm voice was doing a number on Sumac. His heart was no longer thrashing against his ribs. It was a little easier to breathe. He was thirsty, his mouth was dry, and he felt a headache coming on. But, he was safe and Marble’s voice was lulling him into a calm. His brain was still garbled though and he wanted his mother. He wanted to cry and scream about it, there was a tantrum in there somewhere, but he didn’t have the energy left to make it happen. 

“Sumac had a magic surge and needs help,” Pebble said in a very matter-of-fact voice. “He also has a potty mouth.” 

“Oh… oh, oh dear, we can’t have that. Don’t let Cloudy catch you swearing.” Marble gave Pebble and Sumac one last squeeze, then let them go. “Come on, both of you, let’s go to the house. Follow me.” 

Much to Sumac’s surprise, Pebble took his lantern from him. She grabbed the brass ring at the top in her teeth, stepped away, and stood there, waiting, holding the lantern. He got to his hooves, almost lost his balance, and was kept from falling over by Marble, who braced his side with her foreleg. A tear rolled down his cheek and he wished that he was back in Ponyville. 



 

The kitchen was warm and sweet smelling. Sumac sat in a chair and tried to hold still while a mare named Cloudy Quartz fawned over him. She was gentle, but also worried, and she checked his eyes, looked him over for injuries, and something about everything she did made Sumac feel better, even if it annoyed him somewhat. 

“Where is Iggy?” Pebble asked. 

“Igneous is off with Sonneur. They’ll be back.” Cloudy pulled away from Sumac and began checking over Pebble again. As she looked over Pebble, she said to Sumac, “Drink, colt, you’re dehydrated. Your brains are no doubt scrambled.” 

“My telekinesis doesn’t work,” Sumac whined. 

Cloudy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Use your hooves like the rest of us, or, if your hooves are too shaky, just slurp up the tea out of your cup. I don’t mind. I understand.” 

Feeling a bit bothered by his total lack of magic, Sumac did as he was told, bowed his head down, and began lapping up the tea out of his cup. It had been sweetened with honey and there was a lot of milk, leaving it luke-warm. The tea, much to his surprise, was quite good, and not at all what he expected poison joke tea to be. Relaxing a little, he slurped down more tea while Boomer watched everything that was going on. 

“We almost died.” Pebble looked up into her grandmother’s eyes. “We were several miles up in the sky when we were attacked and then we fell back down. It was a long way to fall. We had time to talk about it and say stuff. Rainbow Dash saved us.” When Pebble was done speaking, she grabbed up a block of rock hard fudge and then crammed it into her mouth, whole. 

Cloudy’s legs trembled for a moment, and then, looking a little sweaty, Cloudy stumbled into a chair and sat down. The old mare looked at Marble, let out a soft whinny, and then shook her head. Without warning, Cloudy leaned over and kissed Pebble, then sat in her chair and tried to compose herself, her eyes watering. She placed a hoof over her mouth, perhaps to hide her expression from the foals at the table, and then just sat there, staring at her granddaughter. 

“Such a cute little lizard,” Marble said. 

Turning about, standing on the table, Boomer inflated as much as she could and then let out a smoky snort as she stared at Marble. Her tail lashed from side to side and she sucked in even more air, trying to be a big intimidating dragon. 

“Marble, I think you’ve offended the fire breathing chuckwalla,” Cloudy remarked. 

“Oh, I didn’t mean to.” Cringing, Marble shook her head, picked up some grapes from the bowl of fruit in the middle of the table, near the lantern, and pushed them towards Boomer as a peace offering. Marble smiled, a soft smile if ever there was one, and then watched as Boomer gobbled down a grape. 

In the middle of the kitchen table, between a bowl of fruit and a platter of pie, sat the lantern, and as Sumac lapped up his tea, he glanced at it. It had caused no small amount of trouble. The young colt supposed it was worth it, but he was having some trouble taking everything in. Everything in his life was a mess right now, and all because of the lantern. 

No, not just his life, but everypony’s. All of Ponyville had suffered. Sumac’s addled brain had trouble dealing with the realisation that lingered upon the edge of his thoughts. This was beyond him. He had only a small part in this, as he was the… he was, well, he was the lantern bearer, for the lack of a better term. 

“Sumac?” Pebble asked. 

Distracted, Sumac did not respond. 

“Sumac Apple, are we still special someponies?” Pebble’s voice was timid sounding, worried and shy. She sounded a lot like her Aunt Mub-Mub in moments like these. 

Jerked from his thoughts, Sumac looked over at Pebble, shocked and surprised. “Why would you even ask?” 

“Well, because we were falling, and we both thought we were going to die, and I thought maybe we were just trying to comfort one another and—” 

“Nothing has changed.” Sumac slumped over and he was certain that he saw something almost like a smile on Cloudy’s muzzle. His little brows furrowed and he avoided looking at Cloudy. Marble too, as she was blushing and making no effort to hide her smile. 

Across the table, Pebble let out a soft sigh of relief. Her face had turned a shade of coffee brown as she ate another block of rock hard fudge and she too, avoided looking at her grandmother and her aunt. She sat there, chewing, turning browner and browner, like a cake, or in this case, a pie, left in the oven.

Feeling a bit better, if a bit awkward, Sumac pulled his plate of pie closer to him. He didn’t know what sort of pie it was, and he didn’t care. It was purple, purple pie. It had some sort of purple puree. He thought of the purple pumpkin outside and eyeballed his pie. He couldn’t use a fork, there was no fork for him on the table so it didn’t matter, so he just nipped off a bite. 

It was pretty good. And Sumac would probably enjoy it even more if he wasn’t in such a miserable state. His body needed food though, it screamed for food, and he attacked his pie with ravenous need. As he ate, Cloudy cut off another slice of pie and slipped it onto his plate. She tucked the pie knife back into the pie and then sat there looking at Sumac with a raised eyebrow. 

“Special someponies, huh—” 

“Mama, don’t tease,” Marble said in as firm of a voice that the shy pony could muster towards her own mother. Marble leaned over and gave her mother a hopeful look with sad, soulful eyes. The edge of Marble’s eye twitched just a little, and the corners of her mouth tugged downwards. 

“I wasn’t going to tease them,” Cloudy said as she turned away from Marble. “I just… I just don’t know where the time went, that’s all. First, Maud brought Tarnish home with her, and then… then you and Sonneur eloped, and don’t you think for even a moment that I’ve forgotten about that, my little filly—” 

“We didn’t want to cause a commotion or a fuss.” Marble retreated away from her mother. 

Shaking her head, Cloudy sighed. “Pebble was born… everything seemed perfect. Pebble went off to school… I wasn’t happy about that, but I knew it was best for Pebble. And now… now…” Cloudy’s words trailed off and she took a moment to straighten out her glasses by tugging on the little ornate chain that hung from them. “Pebble comes home from school with a special somepony and something has tried to kill her.” 

“It’s my fault.” Sumac lifted up his head from his pie, licked his lips, and looked at Cloudy. “This is all my fault.” 

“How is this your fault?” both Pebble and Cloudy asked together, at the same time. 

“I made an arch-nemesis.” Sumac squirmed in his chair and found that he could no longer look at the others, so he stared down at his purple pie and licked his purple lips. “I ran my mouth and it got me into trouble, just like Applejack said it would. I made Catrina angry. I made her hate me. Pinkie Pie even threw me a party to celebrate the fact that I had a nemesis. Pinkie Pie said it, Catrina hates me more than anything. So this is my fault. Pebble and I almost died and Ponyville was attacked and it is all my fault.” 

There was a prolonged moment of silence at the table and Cloudy just sat there staring at Sumac. At least a dozen different expressions in the span of just a few seconds caused her face to contort in odd ways. At the end of it all, Cloudy could say nothing. Reaching out her forelegs, she snatched Sumac out of his chair and crushed the little colt to her barrel. 

In the embrace of a kind stranger, Sumac found comfort. Much to his dismay, he found himself tearing up again, and then, he was crying. He felt his glasses being taken off of his face and he heard them set down upon the table with the soft sound of metal on wood. 

“Tarnish made a nemesis too.” Marble’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “It is why our rock farm is now the way it is. Tarnish made a powerful enemy, an enemy that swore that if he couldn’t get Tarnish, then he would get Tarnish’s foals, and his foals’ foals, and he swore that Tarnish’s offspring would never know peace.” 

“Yup.” Pebble slumped over the table and rested her chin upon the edge. Her lips were stained with fudge and there was a tiny sliver of peanut on her snoot. 

“Who?” Sumac asked as he allowed himself to be cradled by Cloudy. He was being babied, but he didn’t mind. Even though he would never admit to it, he needed this. 

“Never mind who.” Cloudy gave Sumac a squeeze. “You’ve suffered enough. Just know that you are safe right now and that is all that matters. Now, after I’ve held you for a bit, you’re going to finish your pie, have a little more to drink, and then I think that both you and Pebble need a nap. And I don’t want no lip, either.” 

Feeling warm, safe, and secure, Sumac wasn’t in the mood to give no lip. A nap sounded pleasant, but he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He was too worried about Trixie and Lemon Hearts. Cloudy was stroking the back of his neck, smoothing out his unruly mane, and it made him feel better. 

Left undefended, Sumac’s half eaten pie was fair game. Boomer made her move to investigate the peculiar purple pie. The tiny fire breathing chuckwalla edged closer and closer, her claws at the ready to subdue her purple prey. 

“Will you take a nap with me?” Pebble asked Marble. “I need my Aunt Mub-Mub.” 

“Of course, dear.” Marble smiled the sort of smile that makes everything right in the world. “Once Sumac is done eating, I’ll get both of you cleaned up and then we’ll all take a nice nap together. Pebble, your face looks sticky.” 

Shrugging, Pebble replied, “Don’t care.” The little filly let out a sigh and then deflated. “I wish my mama and my daddy were here…” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 52
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Even though Sumac was sleepy, he didn’t want to have a nap and he didn’t know how to protest it. Well, part of him wanted to have a nap, but the other part of him—the other part of him was worried about Lemon Hearts and Trixie. He was worried about Ponyville. He was still shook up about everything that had happened. 

“Pebble needs to change,” Marble said in a soft voice. “She’s modest and likes her privacy.”

“I’ll leave.” Sumac took a few steps towards the door and stopped when Marble got in his way. He looked up at her, confused, not certain what was expected of him. She had a very gentle looking smile upon her face and kindness was in her eyes. 

“You don’t need to be separated right now. Pebble is on the verge of panic. How about you just turn around, face the corner, and close your eyes real tight? Can you do that? Are you a gentlecolt?” 

Swallowing, Sumac nodded. He could do that. He turned around once more, headed for the corner of the room, planted his nose in it, and then closed his eyes. He heard hooves on the floor, the soft rustle of fabric, there was a grunt from Pebble, and then he heard Marble say, “Okay.” 

But he didn’t move, nor did he open his eyes. For all he knew, Marble might have been speaking to Pebble, not him, and there was no clear indicator that it was fine for him to open his eyes and turn around. Closing his eyes was doing him in though. He could feel it, it was like being a yearling all over again, he needed a nap. A yawn escaped his lips. 

“Sumac, come to bed.” 

Turning around, he opened his eyes. Pebble was already on the bed and Marble stood beside it. He blinked, feeling sleepy, and his body was heavy. He had eaten a lot and drank some tea. He looked around at the room and saw that Boomer had coiled herself around the ring on top of the lantern, and he had a passing thought about dragon greed. Boomer had herself a very valuable treasure. 

“This is my mother’s old room,” Pebble said as Sumac crossed the room. “Now, it is the guest room. Sometimes, my father’s students stay here and they sleep in this room.” 

“Students?” Sumac stood at the edge of the bed and looked up. 

“Oh, Tarnish is the Professor of Voracious and Horrendous Flora at Baltimare Downs University. His students sometimes come here to study the unusual plants that we have. They help out on the farm and most of them are very nice.” Marble helped Sumac climb up into the bed and then shoved him over to make room for herself. 

The bed let out a creak as Marble eased herself onto it and Sumac wasn’t quite sure what to do. He sat there, not sure of what was expected of him. Pebble had on a nice looking nightgown, it was flannel, pink, a little faded, and covered in little yellow ducklings. Marble flopped down and pulled Pebble close, then patted the bed close to her. 

“Come here, lay down, and I’ll cover you up.” 

Before he had a chance to respond, Sumac was grabbed by Marble, who hooked a foreleg around him. He was yanked over and he was startled by Marble’s strength. Pebble was already curled up against Marble’s chest and had her head resting on Marble’s other foreleg. The sleepy little filly let out a squeaky yawn. He found himself squished against Marble’s side and then a light blanket was pulled over him, covering his head. 

Sometimes, sometimes a pony needed some blinders to help them calm down. 

“I’m worried about Trixie,” Sumac said in a low whisper from beneath the blanket. “My mom… and Lemon Hearts. She wasn’t moving when I saw her last.” 

“I know it has to be difficult.” Marble’s dulcet voice was a soothing murmur. “But you are safe here and nothing can hurt you.” The quiet mare fell silent for a moment and then she began humming to herself, a soft sleepy sounding lullabye. 

“If something does happen to Trixie…”—beneath the blanket, Sumac began wiggling around—“who will take care of me? Where will I go? Where will I stay?” 

“Sumac,” Marble began to say. 

“No!” Sumac’s voice cracked and became squeaky. “I need to know these things. I’m so scared.” Hearing his own whimpering made him feel ashamed and he pressed his face into Marble’s side, seeking comfort. “I can’t… I can’t imagine a life without her.” He thought back to a time not long ago when he had bit her and was overcome with foalish guilt. Then, without meaning to do so, he stumbled into Pebble’s headspace, and he had a sudden understanding of what it had to be like for her having to deal with her parents not being around. It was awful and it gave him a new appreciation for her pain.

Feeling a light touch, he moved his head around and in the dim dark beneath the blanket, he could make out Pebble, she was looking at him, her head now resting upon Marble’s other foreleg and she had turned to see him. Her hoof was resting upon the side of his face. She pulled away for a second, and then her hoof came to rest upon his snoot. 

“Boop.” 

Beside him, Marble drew in a deep breath and Sumac just lay there, not knowing how to respond, with Pebble’s hoof resting upon his nose. For reasons he could not comprehend or understand, it made him feel better. One ear flickered against the blanket pulled over him and Sumac felt himself calming down just a little bit. 

After a few precious moments, Pebble pulled her hoof away, snuggled up against Marble, closed her eyes, and then went still. Sumac lay there, consumed with worry, but also filled with a powerful need to close his eyes. Marble was warm and quite soft. 

Without meaning to do so, Sumac dozed off. 



 

Falling. He had dreamed about falling. Feeling sweaty, a bit too warm, and a bit panicked, Sumac awoke. Marble and Pebble both were sound asleep. Moving with a great deal of caution, Sumac extracted himself from the dark beneath the blanket. He poked his head out and had a look around. Ears perking, he listened for sounds. Like an earthworm, he wiggled out from beneath the blanket and landed upon the floor with as much stealth as he could muster. 

Pebble and Marble were still asleep. Good. He let out a little huff of relief and looked over at where Boomer was. She was looking back at him. Before he could respond or react, Boomer lept, spread out all four of her legs along with her wing membranes, and then landed upon his horn. She situated herself and then began messing up Sumac’s mane, pulling and tugging, giving him a new mane style. 

His glasses were beside the lantern on top of the wooden cabinet. Staring at them, he could not summon the magic he needed to put them on. His horn sparked and fizzled, but nothing happened. In a way, this was comforting. If he couldn’t do magic, that meant that others wouldn’t be able to do magic either—but no doubt, the earth ponies still had their earth pony strength. Pebble smashing a boulder was still fresh in his memory. Turning his head, Sumac felt a new fondness for Pebble and for Marble as well. But that didn’t help him put on his glasses. 

Rearing up, he stood on his hind legs and tried to get his glasses with his hooves. Earth ponies had to do it somehow. He was clumsy and he managed to knock his glasses around on top of the cabinet. He almost knocked over the lantern. Frustrated, he placed his nose on the edge of the cabinet and tried to slide his glasses onto his face, but all he managed to do was stab himself in the eye. Tears welled up and he was on the verge of crying in frustration when Boomer saved him. 

The smart little dragon figured out that Sumac was helpless and with her little clawed hands, she grabbed his glasses, which were quite big compared to her small body, and she was able to maneuver them onto Sumac’s face without stabbing him in the eye. 

“Thanks Boomer,” Sumac whispered, “you’re the greatest.”

Making a faint trilling sound, Boomer reached down and gave Sumac’s forelock an affectionate tug. Trying to keep his hooves quiet on the wooden floor, Sumac crept for the door. He knew a spell to make his hooves quiet, it was difficult but he could cast it… sometimes. Trixie had taught him stealth—sometimes, the best way to deal with monsters was running away from them and not fighting them. Life cheated and sometimes, one had to cheat right back. Trixie had made that clear, but then she had also laid down rules on when it was okay to cheat and when it wasn’t. 

It took a little effort, but he got the door open. The bathroom was right next door to this room, and that was where he was headed. After that, he wasn’t sure what he would do, but he didn’t want to come back to bed. He was awake now, for good or for ill. Maybe, if he was lucky, Cloudy would feed him again. 



 

Wary, making cautious, tiny foal-steps, Sumac made his way down the hall. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be up after his nap. He pressed up against the wall, and very much like a small cat, he slunk down the hallway towards the living room. Upon reaching the living room, he stopped, stuck his head around the corner, and had himself a look. 

Sitting in a chair was the gruffest, crankiest, flintiest looking stallion that Sumac had ever seen. He also had the biggest, bushiest, stallioniest sideburns that Sumac had ever laid eyes upon. Swallowing, Sumac stood there, frozen, not knowing what to say at the moment. The old grumpy looking stallion was looking right at him. His eyes looked hard, like granite. 

“Son…” 

“Sir?” Sumac, panicking, tried to remember all of the good manners that Trixie had tried to teach him. He hadn’t paid as much attention as he should have. He saw the old stallion's eyebrow raising, and Sumac felt his heart leap into his throat. The old pony was scary. 

“Son, you have a lizard on your head.” 

Blinking, frozen in place, traumatised by the day, Sumac’s brain shut down. Unable to process the situation, he stood there, leaning against the wall, peering around the corner at the old pony who sat in a chair. Try as he might, he could not think of anything to say in response. He couldn’t even correct the old stallion by saying that Boomer was a pygmy tree dragon, a type of wyvern, and not a lizard. 

“Cloudy… Cloudy!” The old pony threw back his head. “Cloudy, another sarsaparilla is needed!” 

“Keep your hat on, Igneous!” a voice called out from the kitchen. 

“Not in the house.” Igneous leveled his gaze upon Sumac once more. “Come over here and have a seat, son.” He pointed at the couch. “My name’s Igneous. You may call me Igneous. Come on over here, son, and don’t be shy.” 

The old pony sounded gruff. He seemed to recall that Trixie had told him some stories about Igneous, but he couldn’t remember very much, other than Igneous was mean. More than a little frightened, Sumac hurried across the room and climbed up on the couch where Igneous had told him to sit. The last thing he wanted was the gruff old stallion upset with him.

As Sumac got himself comfortable, Cloudy strolled into the room with an opened bottle of sarsaparilla balanced upon her nose. Sumac got himself an eyeful of the earth pony way. When she reached the small table beside the couch where he sat, Cloudy lifted the bottle from her nose, holding it in her fetlock, and she sat it down upon the table, on top of a lace doily. 

“Thank you,” Sumac said, trying to sound as polite as possible, mindful of how gruff Igneous looked. The glass bottle was frosty and little wisps of near frozen vapour rose up from the opening. 

Turning about, Cloudy faced her husband and narrowed her eyes. “Igneous, if you tease this poor colt about being Pebble’s special somepony, so help me, I will make you rue the day you married me. Rue, I tell you!” 

“Fine, Cloudy, take all of the fun out of it.” Igneous’ voice was scratchy and gritty. 

There was love here, Sumac realised, but it was a confusing sort of love, a rough and tumble sort of love. It didn’t make much sense to him, but he could appreciate it for what it was. Reaching out, he was able to grip the bottle in his fetlock. Lifting it, he took a sip, and then shuddered, having never had sarsaparilla like this before. It was strong. It left him feeling light headed and woozy. 

Cloudy walked away, her tail swishing, and her nose up in the air. Sumac, holding his bottle, watched her go as he listened to Igneous chuckling. When Cloudy was gone back into the kitchen, he returned his attention to Igneous, the gruff and grumpy looking earth pony. Clutching his bottle, he held it close and watched Igneous’ every move. 

“It makes sense that Pebble’s best friend would be a unicorn. She takes after her mother, she does. Now, to be honest, there was a time when I might’ve frowned upon such a thing, but after seeing how happy Tarnish has made Maud, well, I have to say, I’m glad that Pebble has her mother’s sensibilities.” Igneous leaned back in his chair and made himself comfortable. 

Wide-eyed, Sumac stared at Igneous, but said nothing. Thirsty, he took another drink from his bottle of sarsaparilla, then shuddered. It was good, but it was strong. There was a hint of medicinal flavour, at least a flavour that Sumac associated with medicine. 

“Pebble loves her daddy, he’s a unicorn, and to be honest… I love her daddy too. Tarnish is like a son to me.” Igneous leveled his stern, unyielding gaze upon Sumac. “Just so you know, you’re safe, son, and you can relax a little. The security on this farm has already been tested quite a number of times and has been found to be quite effective. As for you and me, I’m already sharing my sarsaparilla supply with you, and I don’t do that with everypony.” 

Sumac watched as the old pony took a drink and he tried to think of something to say. He didn’t know what he and Igneous had in common. This was the pony that his mother didn’t like? Maybe his mother had made a mistake—sure, Igneous was a little rough, but Sumac decided that he liked him. 

Unbeknownst to him, Sumac had discovered another male role model. 

“So, son, tell me about your lizard.” 

“Her name is Boomer,” Sumac replied, relaxing a little. “She’s a dragon.” 

“Dragons are just big lizards.” Igneous narrowed his eyes and peered at Boomer. “Is she a pet?” 

“No, sir, she is not a pet.” Sumac found himself engaged and his many worries faded from  his mind. “She’s like… well, she’s like… she’s like a family member. Like my little sister. I have to feed her, look after her, care for her, and I have to be real responsible. Pebble and I both care for her. Together.” 

“A colt your age… being responsible for all of that… hmm…” Igneous’ lips pressed into a straight line. “Not many colts I know could be that responsible for their little sisters, even though they should be. Colts these days are lazy good for nothings. Rotten little cusses, the lot of them. I hope that Maud has a colt, so he can be raised right. I’d be glad to have a hoof in that. With any luck, that colt’ll turn out like Tarnish.” 

Was that a compliment? Sumac didn’t know. He took a drink from his bottle and kept an eye on Igneous’ face, trying to read his expressions. Clearing his throat, Sumac said, “Sir, Trixie, uh, um, my mother, she uh, she raised me to be responsible.” 

“Did she now?” Igneous’ voice sounded even more scratchy and rough than usual. “Call me Igneous, son.” The gruff old pony tipped back his bottle and took a long pull. After swallowing, he squinted at Sumac. “It’s nice to have somepony I can drink with. Tarnish is away and Sonneur, well, Sonneur eloped and robbed me of a chance to see my daugher married.” 

“He’s rotten!” Cloudy shouted from the kitchen. “So rotten!” 

“Maud got married in Ponyville.” Igneous sounded a bit sad as he spoke. “Marble was too shy to cause a fuss and she didn’t want ponies to fret over her and have to plan a wedding. She ran off and got Doc Hedge to hitch her with Sonneur.” 

“You should forgive him,” Sumac suggested, feeling a bit fearful to say such a thing. 

“Oh, I have, I have,” Igneous replied. “But I haven’t told him that yet. I want to see him sweat for a while longer—” 

“A good while longer!” Cloudy cried from her kitchen. 

Nodding, Igneous let out a snort and took a drink. Something almost like a smile appeared on Igneous’ muzzle, and he looked at Sumac. “You don’t look like a shirker or a disappointer, son.” 

“I try not to be.” Sumac felt a little awkward as his voice was a lot squeakier than he wanted it to be. He found himself relaxing, even with all of the troubles on his mind. He liked Igneous. He liked the old stallion quite a bit. “Where is Sonneur now?” 

“He’s with his father.” Igneous blinked a few times. “Sonneur helps his father with the funerary business. He’s probably going to be a mortician just like his dad.” 

“Mortician?” Sumac asked, intrigued. 

“A mortician is a special sort of farmer, son,” Igneous replied. “He plants the dead. Well, sometimes they do. Sometimes a pony is cremated. A mortician is more than that though, they… well…” The old stallion reached up and scratched his chin. “They also help families say goodbye to their loved ones. They help a family during a time of grief and they make everything easier. They smooth everything out so the family can grieve and not have to worry about all the complications.” 

Sumac had a moment where he was totally and completely overwhelmed. It took him a few seconds before his brain calmed down enough to say anything. “That sounds like something I might be interested in.”

“Son?” Igneous arched an eyebrow. 

“I love cemeteries, they’re my happy place.” Sumac panicked, wondering if he had said the wrong thing, and he looked into Igneous’ eyes, trying to find signs of displeasure. The old pony was staring at him, both eyes narrowed, and there were wrinkles on his muzzle. 

“Son, that is a respectable business… an honourable one.” Igneous raised his bottle in an honest salute. “If you really are interested, more power to you. Not enough ponies to do that job. It takes a special sort of pony indeed.” The gruff old stallion gave Sumac a nod. “If cemeteries make you happy, that’s a fine thing, and don’t let nopony tell you no different. We should all spend a little time among the stones, remembering those who came before us.” 

Sumac felt stunned from Igneous’ sincere encouragement. The troubles in his mind retreated a little tiny bit and he felt better. If he didn’t know better, why, it seemed that Igneous liked him—and he found that he liked Igneous. The old stallion didn’t strike Sumac as the sort of pony who said nice things for the sake of saying nice things. Kind words had to be earned. 

Cloudy’s voice came drifting out of the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready soon!” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 53
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac Apple didn’t think that a night could be so long. He hadn’t slept well at all, he kept having bad dreams about falling, and Pebble had them too. It had been a miserable night and it was shaping up to be a miserable dawn. Half of the sky was a dark blue, Princess Luna blue, and the other half was all rosy pinks, brilliant golds, vivid oranges, and all of the colours of the dawn.  

To make matters worse, Sumac knew he was being rotten. He was sulky, he was pouty, and he might have been a little mouthy too. He was cracking under the pressure, he was a lone Apple stuck in a cider squeezer—at any moment now, the pressure would prove to be too much and all of his juices would come a squirtin’ out. ‘Cause that’s what happens to Apples when you squeeze ‘em. 

His thoughts felt slow, kludgy, almost as if he was thinking with a drawl. 

There was a lot to look at. Giant purple pumpkins, gargantuan vegetables, cabbages as big as buckboard wagons, carrots the size of logs, all of it was due to some magic ash from some volcano and the neutralising power of poison joke. He was a unicorn with no magic, stuck on a farm with giant vegetables. He felt a growing sense of irritation, and with it came the need to grumble. 

When he saw something coming, Sumac almost lost his mind. Two somethings coming. Both tall, both walked on hind legs, and both dressed in colourful clothing. Blinking, Sumac tilted his head off to one side and stared at the approaching pair. They were… 

“Long Ears! Kabuki! Am I glad to see you!” Cloudy almost skipped with happiness and she was spry for her advancing age. “Has there been any word? Any message? Any news?” 

“Twilight has talked with us through Minori’s mirror,” one of the diamond dogs said, the male. “There is little news, but I will share what I know from the mirror network. Reinforcements came down from Canterlot. Future Prince Gosling lead a group called the Broncs Bruisers and they bore the brunt of pushing the enemy out of Ponyville. They suffered heavy casualties.” The diamond dog paused for a moment, bowed his head, and pressed his paws together in front of his chest. 

“And?” Igneous had joined Cloudy, and he stood beside her. 

“Sparkle’s Spartans were able to regroup and recover. Many of Princess Luna’s heavy shock troops came down to reinforce Gosling and his Broncs Bruisers. By noon, Princess Celestia herself took the field along with her Immortal Solars. They have pushed the enemy south and continue to pursue them with the intent of destroying them or driving them out of Equestria.” 

“Mirror network?” Sumac began to feel a little hope. 

“Won’t work here,” Igneous said in a stern voice. “Too much magical interference. The total lack of harnessable magic is what keeps all of us safe here. We’ve had to make a few sacrifices.” 

“What does ‘casualties’ mean?” Sumac looked around at the adults and the two diamond dogs. 

“It means injuries or deaths,” the white faced diamond dog said. 

Feeling angry and sad, Sumac stared down at the ground, not knowing what to say or do. Was Lemon Hearts a casualty? He felt a soft touch beneath his chin and he found that his head was being lifted up. He looked into the eyes of the white faced black diamond dog. 

“My name is Kabuki. Twilight Sparkle told me to make sure that you get your archery lessons. Look, I brought my bow.” She hiked her thumb at the bow and the arrows that hung from her back. “This is my brother, Long Ears.” 

“My magic won’t work so I can’t use a bow.” Sumac felt a growing sense of resentment about not having his magic. He also began to wonder how Twilight had sent him here if magic didn’t work. Then again, she sent him here and his trip terminated here, perhaps magic wasn’t needed, perhaps he stopped because there was no magic here. Just thinking about it made his head hurt. 

“Then we shall take you someplace where your magic does work.” The diamond dog, Long Ears, he spoke with a chuckle and a smile could be seen upon his face. 

“I don’t know if that is wise.” Cloudy took a step forward. 

“The lantern is to remain here, where it cannot be sensed. Sumac is to come with us. Pebble may come along if she so desires.” 

“Pebble is in the bath, with Boomer.” Igneous’ face wrinkled with worry. 

“I am sorry, but we are under very firm instructions to spend time with Sumac and make certain that he has his archery lessons.” Kabuki bowed her head and then added, “Forgive me, Wise One, I would never be insolent and disrespect my elders on purpose.” 

“No, no you wouldn’t.” Still looking worried, Igneous bowed his own head towards Kabuki, then once more at Long Ears. “Fine, you have a few hours. Be gentle on the colt, he’s had himself an ordeal and he hasn’t slept well. I mean it.” Igneous narrowed his eyes. “I know how you two are. That… bushido code of yours. Sumac wasn’t raised in a place full of screaming jump-all-over-the-place sword slicing ninjas. He’s not the martial type.” 

“Wise One, we are to be samurai, not ninja.” Long Ears reached up and smoothed back his ears, which were bound together with a ribbon and hung down behind his head. 

“Ninjas? Like in the comic books?” Sumac’s own natural curiousity won out. 

Kabuki let out a long sigh and she shook her head. “We are not sneak-thief ninja. We are to be samurai, defenders of our clan, once we are old enough. My brother still has not earned a proper sword.” 

“Oh, sure, embarrass me, sister.” 

“You make it easy, brother.” 

“Both of you!” Cloudy snapped. “Don’t make me stand the two of you in a corner again!” 

“It is time for us to make a graceful retreat.” Kabuki took a step backwards, her eyes locked on Cloudy. “I have archery lessons to instruct and no desire to be strapped to a plow and given earth pony strength training.” 

“The Wise One and the Wiser One have spoken.” Long Ears reached out and before Sumac had a chance to protest, he snatched up the colt and then retreated, following his sister’s lead. “First lesson, Sumac Apple… always know when to retreat gracefully. This is a battle that cannot be won. We face insurmountable odds. Alicorns themselves could not win this battle.” 

Too confused to say anything, Sumac allowed himself to be carried away. 



 

As much as Sumac loved archery, his heart just wasn’t into it. He sat there, staring, looking at the hay bales that had been set up in some farmer’s field. His magic was working again, and that was gone. Kabuki was standing nearby, her long, slender arms folded across her chest, and her white ears bobbed in the light wind. 

Some distance away, Long Ears was going through a complicated series of motions with an iron sword that glinted dull grey in the early morning light. Sumac turned and watched him for a time. The diamond dog made the same series of movements, over and over, never breaking routine. 

“I can’t,” Sumac whined. “I just can’t. I’m too upset.” 

“Now is the time that you must.” Kabuki hunkered down and then smoothed out her colourful patchwork tunic. “If being upset prevents you from doing archery, what purpose does it serve? How will you defend others? How will you save Pebble?” 

Sputtering, almost enraged, Sumac sat there, his lips flapping, spitting in response. He couldn’t even form the words for a reasonable reply. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a moment to try and calm down. Somewhere, there was a temper tantrum lurking, and Sumac feared it. 

“You must be ready to take up your bow in all moods, happy, sad, or angry. You must not let tears cloud your vision. You must not let rage ruin your aim. You must seek balance and control your anger, lest you cause another disturbance with your foul, septic tongue.” Reaching out, Kabuki patted the colt on the back of the neck. 

For a second, Sumac was tempted to show Kabuki just what his mouth could do. 

“Good, anger is good.” Kabuki reached out and gave Sumac’s cheek a light, painless slap. “Anger is a gift. Anger is neither a positive nor negative emotion. Anger is a primary emotion. Anger gives motivation, and it is what we do with that motivation that determines if our anger becomes a positive or a negative thing.” 

Sumac blinked. 

“Rage and anger might have lead my brother down a dangerous and dark path, but now, his anger is tempered with a desire to do good. He lets the anger of his memories give him motivation to improve himself, to push himself, to keep going when the fight is hard, if not impossible. His anger motivates him to make things right. Anger is a force like any other, such as artistry, it must be guided, given direction, and allowed to flow in a controlled, creative way. When used properly, anger can be a force for good.” 

Kabuki lifted Sumac up on his hooves and turned him towards the hay bales with the targets on them. “Now, you have a problem with your temper, Sumac Apple, and it manifested in the form of a river of vulgarity. You should keep your words sweet, should you ever have to eat them.” 

It was all a little too much. Sumac felt like tossing himself down in the dirt and pitching a fit. He was mad fit to burst. His body trembled with rage and his face felt too hot. They had come to his home, to his school, and they had attacked him, his mother, and his friends. They had even attacked Olive, and he was pretty upset about that. His mouth went dry and Sumac could feel the corner of his eye twitching. The tantrum loomed like a thunderhead. 

Kabuki held out her bow to him and Sumac eyed it, not knowing what to do next. He was stewing with rage and he felt like crying again, but he didn’t want to do it in front of strangers. Inside of his neck there was a burning batch of coals. A tiny wisp of blue-black smoke curled up from the tip of his horn. 

“Anger is a gift,” Kabuki whispered in his ear, and then her paw slapped his backside. 

The slap didn’t hurt so much as it startled him. It wasn’t painful, but it infuriated him even more. His tiny nostrils flaring, he snatched the bow, nocked an arrow, drew back, and fired. He missed. Repeating the process, he fired again, and missed. This time, he didn’t even hit a hay bale. 

Again, Kabuki whispered in his ear, “Anger is a gift. It gives us courage to face the injustices of the world. I know your anger, Sumac Apple.” 

This time, when Sumac drew back on the bow, sparks of lightning traveled along his bow string and his arrow. Baring his teeth, he fired. There was a thunderclap that almost deafened him and his mane stood up on end. The arrow flew true, imbued with all of Sumac’s rage. It struck the edge of the paper target, just outside the outer printed circle. 

Snarling, he nocked another arrow, drew back, found his balance, and fired again. This time his arrow hit the outer printed ring. The arrow smoked and the air stunk of ozone. Blood pounded in his ears and throbbed through his neck. He could feel it squirting through his body. Grinding his teeth, he readied another arrow, and thought, anger is a gift. 

Much to his shock, his arrow struck the middle printed circle. There were five circles printed on the paper, and he had hit the middle one. His rage vanished. His anger evapourated. He stood there, staring, his mouth open, with Kabuki’s bow still held in his telekinesis. This was his finest shot ever. A sense of accomplishment replaced his seething rage. 

“Again!” Kabuki demanded and she slapped the colt across the backside once more. 

With a now well practiced, fluid motion, Sumac nocked an arrow, pulled back, aimed, and let go. The arrow wobbled a bit as it departed from the bow, the shaft moving like waves on the water. It was only then that Sumac realised how heavy Kabuki’s bow was and how much effort it took to pull back. He touched the arrow with his magic as it flew, smoothing it out, relaxing the wobble, and with his mind still on the arrow, he guided it to its target. 

It plunked into the middle ring once more, down and to the left of where the previous arrow had lodged. Shock and astonishment stymied Sumac’s brain. The bow fell from his telekinetic grasp, but Kabuki grabbed it before it hit the ground. Smiling, she sat down on the grass beside Sumac. 

“This is how you defend others. You put aside your tears and you harness your anger. Look, Sumac Apple, at what you have done with your anger. Had those been harpies, you would have hit them, I think.” 

“What do you know of harpies?” Sumac asked. 

Kabuki's smile became a frown. “Foul creatures. Abominations. Not natural.” 

“The same could be said for any monsters.” Sumac sat down in the grass and began taking deep breaths to calm down. 

“Harpies are unnatural creatures. There are no males for their species. A long time ago, Grogar the Necromancer learned how to harness the Rainbow of Darkness. He stole phoenix eggs and he placed them into the black sack that was the Rainbow of Darkness. The darkness inside the bag corrupted the eggs, made them wrong. Harpies hatched from those corrupted eggs. The phoenix fire turned into the explosive eggs that harpies shoot from their backside. What was once pure and beautiful became foul and obscene.” 

Sumac could remember the explosive eggs all too well. He shuddered. Somehow, Twilight had kept him and Pebble safe from the deadly barrage of explosive rotten eggs that had been fired from the harpies’ posteriours. 

“There were an awful lot of harpies in Ponyville,” Sumac said, his voice now soft and almost calm. He thought about the implications. If harpies were not born, then that must mean… the thought chilled him to the bone and he shivered. His front shoulders ached a bit and he felt shaky from almost having a tantrum. 

“Come, Sumac Apple. For every arrow you land within the rings of the target, I will answer one question of yours. Let us see if we can make you focus.” Kabuki reached out, placed her paw on the back of Sumac’s neck, and smoothed out his mane. “I will make you earn your answers.” 

“Okay,” Sumac replied, offering a nod to Kabuki. “But if I hit the bullseye, I expect a bunch of freebies…” 
	
	
> Chapter 54
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The back door closed behind Sumac and he found himself in the kitchen. Long Ears and Kabuki had fled the area, worried about being caught and put to work. As for Sumac himself, he was in good spirits. All things considered, he felt pretty good about things. He was tired, he was thirsty, he was hungry, but he was in a pretty decent mood, even with everything that was going on. 

“Did you come home a warrior?” Pebble asked. 

In reply, Sumac made a feeble shrug, then went over to the kitchen table and sat down. He was a bit more tired than he thought and it felt good to sit down and lean against the table’s edge. In front of him were treats, boxes, packages, mailing labels, more stuff than he could take in and comprehend. 

“Where is Boomer?” Sumac looked around, but did not find her. 

Pebble lifted her foreleg and pointed up. Tilting his head back, Sumac looked up and saw all kinds of dried plants hanging from the thick beams that supported the ceiling. Hanging from a wooden peg that held a collection of strung up garlic bulbs, he saw Boomer, sound asleep. She was doing her part, Boomer, keeping the garlic safe. 

Everypony had to do their part. 

“Hit any bullseyes?” Pebble’s ears perked up, waiting for a reply. 

“Nope.” Sumac’s reply was cheerful. “But I’m okay with that. Kabuki got me to focus and I kept hitting the target, but never the bullseye. She taught me that anger is a gift.” 

“No it isn’t.” Pebble shook her head and there was a curious grunt from her grandmother, who stood near the stove. “Anger is a destructive force that I have to hold back at all costs.” 

Cloudy, who stepped away from the stove, carried over a teacup sitting on a saucer held in her teeth. She set it down in front of Sumac, gave him an affectionate pat, and then returned to her work. Ponies needed treats, and these treats didn’t make themselves. 

“Wrong, Pebble. Rage is a destructive force and it is what happens when anger and potential are left to sour.” 

“What?” Pebble sat there, blinking her eyes, and she folded her front hooves together on the table in front of her. 

“Kabuki said that anger isn’t right or wrong. It isn’t good or bad. It’s a… it’s…” Sumac struggled to remember what he had been taught. “P-something?” 

“Primary?” Cloudy turned down the burner on her stove and clapped a lid on a pot. 

“That’s it!” Sumac bounced in his chair. “Primary emotion. Anger is a primary emotion. It’s different than rage, which is a secondary emotion. Primary emotions are never positive or negative, they exist to act as a foundation for other emotions and feelings. Anger has to be harnessed and made good, or else it will turn into rage.” 

“I like you best when you are smart.” Pebble’s face turned a somewhat darker shade of brown. 

“Kabuki gave me an earful. I don’t know what to think. So much of what I was taught was wrong. And it feels wrong too. When she talked, it was like… it was like opening a window and feeling a nice breeze. Everything made sense. I knew that what she was saying was true, but I don’t know how I knew it.” Sumac’s brow furrowed and he continued, “I feel a lot better now, I really do. I’m still upset, but I’m dealing with it. I’m worried, but I’m dealing with it. Kabuki told me to be grateful for what I currently have in any situation, and we talked about that, and I have all of you, and I was so angry and worried that I didn’t take that into consideration and I am really, really sorry. I was so wrapped up in my own bad thoughts that I almost missed out on making new friends. I’m sorry.” 

“This world just keeps getting more confusing.” Cloudy’s words were a soft mumble. “It’s like having Maud around all over again. Scary smart little five year olds.” She let out a faint whinny, turned from her stove, and looked over at the foals at the table. “All is forgiven. These are trying times for everypony.” 

After nodding, Sumac took a drink of his tea by sticking his muzzle down into it and slurping some up. He could see Pebble fidgeting in her seat and there was something about her face… distress? Sumac wasn’t sure, but something was wrong. Would Pebble spit it out or would he have to drag it out of her? 

No words seemed forthcoming. Pebble picked up a toffee covered blue popcorn ball and began to devour it. Sumac had never seen blue popcorn before, this didn’t look dyed. It was blue. He had never seen a purple pumpkin either. 

“Ew.” 

“What’s wrong Marble?” Cloudy asked.

Standing in the doorway, Marble’s nose crinkled. “Stinky colt.” 

Tea dripped from Sumac’s muzzle as he lifted his head away from his cup. He became aware of the fact that everypony was staring at him. There was an awkward moment of realisation and he saw Pebble nodding. He was stinky? He had taken a bath the day before the invasion… which was now… a couple of days ago? 

“I’m washing you, Mister.” Marble’s voice was soft, delicate, but also dangerous sounding, as if she was daring him to be defiant. “I’m going to make you cute and fluffy again, so help me.” 

“I’ll cooperate.” Sumac hunched over his tea and gave Pebble a sour look. 

“Well, Marble has certainly become more assertive.” Cloudy stepped away from her stove and began to examine some treats cooling on the counter. “Those courses with Iron Will seemed to have sorted her right out.” 

“That was funny.” Pebble, holding her popcorn ball, had something almost resembling a smile upon her face. 

“What was funny?” Sumac asked. 

“Iron Will mistook my mother for being a wishy washy pushover because she was quiet and didn’t say much.” Pebble smiled, and it was a disturbing sight indeed. Her eyes glittered, and not in a good way. One ear twitched and then she took a bite of her popcorn ball. 

“What happened?” Sumac found that he wanted to know. 

“Oh, we don’t speak of that. Bad things happened. Iron Will learned about quiet assertiveness. I learned how to speak up and be more assertive when I was trying to get both Maud and Limestone to stop.” Marble’s face darkened and she blushed for a time. “I had to raise my voice quite a bit. I became unruly.” 

“She grabbed the microphone and shouted so loud that ponies were deaf for days.” 

“Pebble, how could you?” Marble looked betrayed. 

“I couldn’t hear anything for a week.” Pebble took another bite of her popcorn ball and sat there, staring at her aunt. After swallowing, she continued, “It took another month for my ears to stop ringing and my father walked around shouting for a whole moon.” 

“Igneous too,” Cloudy added. “I was the smart one. I stayed home. There is something to be said about a mare staying at home in her kitchen where she belongs—” 

“Mama, that’s sexist,” Marble protested, “and not a good message for Pebble or Sumac.” 

“Not if a mare wants to stay in her kitchen, where she is in charge and runs her own business.” Cloudy narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “The princesses themselves would not challenge me in my kitchen. This is my domain.” 

Sumac, stuck trying to take all of this in, came to one conclusion: the Pies were silly ponies. They were a big herd of silly ponies. He thought about Trixie, and Lemon Hearts, and then he thought about the nice, quiet little house where they all lived. Quiet. 

“If Sumac told me to stay in the kitchen, I think I’d be okay with that,” Pebble said in between bites. “I like cooking. I just wish I was better at it. I got teased about it.” 

“See?” Cloudy pointed a hoof at her granddaughter and Marble let out an indignant snort. Cloudy, perhaps realising Pebble’s distress, turned to look at the little filly. “Pebble, dear, you don’t have a cutie mark that involves cooking. If you want to be good at it, you’ll have to go about it the hard way, with a lot of hard work. I do just fine and my business is booming.” 

“I don’t want to tell anypony to stay in the kitchen.” Confused, Sumac wondered just what he was in the middle of. No wonder Pebble was so weird. This whole family… he didn’t know how to take it all in. These ponies were beyond his understanding. Discord would be right at home here. 

“Pebble, you can’t just let Sumac tell you what to do.” Marble shook her head. 

“Why not?” Pebble demanded. “I tell him what to do. Fair is fair.” 

Cheeks bulging, Marble bit back an angry retort and then just stood there, her ears twitching. After a moment, Marble blurted out, “Mama, this is all your fault. You and Daddy, you both boss each other around and pretend that you’re all gruff and everything and now Pebble thinks this is normal behaviour for a loving couple.” 

Arching an eyebrow, Cloudy replied, “It most certainly is.” 

“Ugh, Mama, no it’s not!” Marble stomped her hoof and then in a fit of near foalish defiance, she crossed her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and blew a raspberry at her mother. 

Fearful, Sumac stared into Pebble’s eyes, and for one terrifying second, he saw his own future. Perhaps getting involved with Pie family fillies was a bad idea, and maybe there should be a warning about it. There were lots of sensible families out there, with quiet, sensible fillies, a big wide world. But none of them were Pebble. 

“Marble Pie, I will take you over my lap—” 

“And spank me?” Marble’s eyes went wide. “That’s wrong too.” 

“Every one of my foals turned out to be fine examples and upstanding citizens, and all of them were spanked, including you, Marble. Tell me where you found your sense of right and wrong.” 

“Grammy also spanked my daddy once. I was little and I don’t remember it.” Pebble finished off her popcorn ball and wiped her muzzle. 

Eyes blazing with fury, Cloudy shook her head. “Tarnish started to go down the wrong path. Got visited by Wardens. Got lectured by the princesses, both of them. Something had to be done… something had to set him straight… something had to make him follow the honest earth pony way.” 

“Grammy paddled him with a big wooden spoon and set him straight.” 

Sumac began to fear for his own backside. There were a lot of wooden spoons in this kitchen. Big ones. Real big ones. They were everywhere. Metal spoons too. And spatulas. There were a lot of spatulas. The kitchen was an armory of spankery. His gaze fell upon a big breadboard used to slide loaves in and out of the oven. 

“Both of the princesses watched with bowed heads.” Marble lapsed into recollection and half closed her eyes. “Princess Luna called it an intervention and Princess Celestia said that if a pony doesn’t fear the decrees of alicorns then at least he should fear his mother.” 

What sort of messed up world was this? Sumac thought to himself. 

“Tarnish has kept on the straight and narrow way.” Cloudy pushed her glasses up on her nose and adjusted them. “He will never, ever, under any circumstances go astray ever again. I love my son and I will not see him slip off into darkness.” 

“That was a very emotional day,” Marble whispered. 

Turning around, Cloudy faced her stove and said nothing else, but the sounds of sniffling could be heard. Stunned, Sumac sat in silence, and Pebble eyed another popcorn ball. He didn’t know what to think, what to say, or even what he felt about everything he had just heard. 

“I love my son so much.” Cloudy, still sniffling, turned off the stove and pulled a pan off of the still warm burner. “He made a mistake and—” 

“And it was better for you to punish him than to have him taken somewhere to be sorted out by other means,” Marble said, sparing her mother the words. “Come on, Sumac, finish your tea. You need a bath.” 

Sumac wasn’t certain how this series of events had led up to this moment. 



 

The bathwater was hot, but not too hot. Sumac was in a tub that was almost big enough for him to swim in, a massive old wrought iron tub covered in yellow-white enamel. The scrubbing brush moved up and down against his back, and it was soothing. Leaning over, Sumac rested his chin upon the cool edge of the tub. 

Some kind of oil had been poured into the tub and the steam that rose up from the water made his eyes sting just a little bit. He turned a bit as the brush scrubbed against his ribs. The brush had hard, stiff bristles and it had hurt him when Marble had started, but now, the bristles had softened a bit in the water and it felt good. 

“What did Tarnish do? What happened?” He heard Marble groan and worried that he might have upset her. 

The brush kept scrubbing, moving with long swift strokes that made his bathwater churn and make more suds. Marble held the handle in her fetlock with practiced ease. Sumac was impressed by how well she handled it, how dextrous her grip was. The brush moved up closer to his neck and she began to move it in shorter, more controlled strokes. 

“Tarnish… made a mistake. And that is all I am comfortable with saying.” 

“He had to be punished?” Sumac asked. 

“Yes.” Marble’s voice was a soft, breathy whisper. “He did something that demanded punishment. We were all very scared for him and his future. Options were discussed, some of them unpleasant. Even Tarnish agreed that he had to face the consequences of what he had done.” 

“So… Cloudy spanked him?” 

Marble let out a pained sounding sigh. “Igneous said that if somepony had to punish Tarnish, then it needed to be somepony who loved him. Sumac… it’s complicated. When you punish somepony, it isn’t about pain, or making them suffer, it is about making them never wanting to do again what caused them to be punished.” 

Closing his eyes, his chin still resting on the edge of the tub, Sumac replied, “I’m not sure I understand.” 

“Punishment is the sort of experience that is so traumatic that it makes you not want to experience said trauma again, so you avoid doing what caused it.” Marble went to work on the other side of Sumac’s neck. 

“So, the spanking set him straight?” Sumac wasn’t sure he understood. 

“No,” Marble replied. 

“Well then, what did?” 

“Cloudy having to punish him.” Marble’s voice became a soft squeak. “I guess it was never about the spanking, but Cloudy was heartbroken. She had to suffer in the most awful way. She had to take the burden of punishing Tarnish on her own shoulders. She had to suffer and Tarnish had to watch what it did to her. It was pretty awful. She cried for days and wouldn’t come out of her room. She couldn’t work. As a mother, she had to do something terrible to her son, but she saved him.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“Tarnish had to take a portion of suffering proportional to what he had done wrong. And he did wrong. A clear message had to be sent that what he had done was not okay and would not be tolerated. A lot of really terrible things were discussed to punish him. Bad things. Awful things. Things that made everypony cry, including Princess Celestia.” 

Sumac thought of Trixie and how she had been in trouble. She too, had crossed that line. 

“In the end, Cloudy spanking him was determined to be adequate punishment. Tarnish understood how his actions could affect others, especially those that loved him. I suppose that things worked out for the best, even if I don’t agree with them.” 

“When I’ve done wrong, sometimes, Trixie gives me this look. Like she’s real disappointed with me. It’s awful. When she was my teacher and I was her apprentice, she’d do it when I did poorly on my lessons.” Sumac felt his stomach muscles tighten at the memory. “Sometimes though, she’d do something even worse. She’d ask herself, ‘what’d I do wrong?’ and it was the most terrible thing ever.” 

“Mmm hmm. I know how that is.” Marble nodded and kept scrubbing. 

“Right and wrong are so hard. The world is so complicated. I can’t make sense of it.” Sumac’s ears drooped and he turned his head so that it was his cheek resting upon the cool edge of the tub. “Trixie taught me to do the least amount of harm that I could while keeping myself alive. Other ponies tell me other things. Right is right and wrong and is wrong. But then there are those moments when everything gets all messed up, like when I had to con Pebble. I wanted to help her. She was running away and that was stupid. She was being stupid and doing stupid things. And it was wrong of me to trick my best friend, but I had to do it. Twilight gave me a long talk about choosing which wrong to do and nothing makes sense anymore.” 

“The common pony doesn’t suffer too much with right and wrong,” Marble said in a low voice as she kept scrubbing. “They make simple choices and live with simple consequences.” Marble picked up a pitcher sitting near the tub, dipped it down into the water, and then poured it over Sumac’s head. “For this family though. we’ve had to struggle with extraordinary issues involving right and wrong. We’ve fought, and we’ve battled, and we’ve cried a whole lot, and we’ve laughed together too… but… but the struggle has changed our thinking. Changed who we are as ponies. I suppose it started with Pinkie Pie, who became the Element of Laughter. Maud and Tarnish became rangers and so much more. Limestone started business after business, but found no satisfaction in anything until she started working with Treehugger. As for myself, I’ve kept my nose in my psychology books and I’ve tried to keep us all from falling apart.” 

Hearing Marble’s words made Sumac worry about Trixie. 

“As for Pebble, she’s had things try to kill her. That was part of the decision to send her to Ponyville to be with Twilight. We’ve had attacks on this farm. Bad things have happened to us because we’ve struggled to do the right thing. Trouble comes to those who do right, Sumac Apple. It’s awful, but it’s true.” Marble squirted some shampoo into Sumac’s mane and then scrubbed his head with the brush. 

Sumac squeezed his eyes shut to keep suds from getting into them. 

“Poor little Pebble. She’s not like other foals. She has a lot of her mother in her. Making things even more complicated, I think that Pebble pushes others away without even knowing it, because she knows that she is a target and that she remains in danger. It’s a subconscious act on her part, I think.” 

“If I could, I would protect her, but I’m little and I need protecting.” 

“And I would guess that sometimes, that makes you angry, being so small and helpless.” 

“Yes,” Sumac replied, being honest. 

“Sumac, I’m helpless too, if that makes you feel any better.” 

“But… but… but you’re an adult…” Unable to help himself, Sumac yawned. 

Marble let out a soft, sad sounding laugh. “A long time ago, before we had the protection that we have now, our farm was attacked. We had enemies. A lot of bad things happened, Sumac, and I froze. I had a meltdown. Limestone was bleeding, there were spells flying everywhere, and I couldn’t do anything. I just laid down on the ground, curled up, and started crying. My father had to save me… he came over with his pickaxe and he… well, you never mind what he did.” The mare drew in a shuddering breath. “My point is, there is no shame in being helpless and needing others to save you. That’s the good thing about having friends and family, they will save you. And you shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed about it. I help my family in other ways. I’m the sticky caramel coating that keeps all of us nuts held together.” 

When Sumac did not reply, Marble gave the colt a soft prod with the brush, only to discover that he was sound asleep. 
	
> Chapter 55
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The dream. The bad dream about falling. Sumac feared that this dreadful dream would become a regular occurrence as he sat up in the bed. The room was a little too warm, a little too stuffy. It needed a window opened. As he wiped away the sleepy from his eyes, the little colt realised just how fluffy he was. What had Marble done to him? He had been conditioned! He could feel the luxurious silkiness of his pelt against his skin. 

His glasses were on top of the cabinet, next to the lantern, with a lot of squinting he could make them out, but there was no sign of Boomer. It was going to be a challenge to get them on. Before having glasses, he couldn’t remember his eyes being this bad, but maybe it was a perspective thing. He didn’t have to work on focusing on things either, he could just see with his glasses. 

Were Trixie and Lemon Hearts okay? Sumac wished that he had an answer. Just thinking about it made him feel like crying. Not wanting his face to get messy, he slipped out of bed and faced the troublesome task of getting his glasses on his face. This was a good place for him to be, and he was determined to make the most of his time here. 



 

When Sumac stepped into the living room, he paused. Igneous was reading a paper. Cloudy was sitting on the couch and drinking a cup of tea. No sign of Marble and Pebble. He stood there, half in and half out of the hallway, blinking, and eyeballing the adults. 

“Hello, sleepyhead,” Igneous said without looking up from his newspaper. “And before you ask, there is lots of news, but no news about your mother.” 

There was a clink as Cloudy set down her teacup onto a saucer sitting on a wooden table, slipped off of the sofa, and moved into the kitchen. Sumac, instead of sitting on the couch, sat down upon a sunny patch of floor in front of a window. There was a hiss from the kitchen, and a moment later, Cloudy returned with a bottle of soda, but not sarsaparilla. 

When she set it down on the floor in front of him, he saw that it was a bottle of Celestia~Cola. Cloudy returned to her seat on the couch, sat down, and smiled. Thirsty, Sumac took a drink, and then, still holding his bottle, he looked up at Igneous.

“What’s in the news?” Sumac asked. 

“Our future prince is in some trouble,” Igneous replied.

“Oh?” This was intriguing. 

“He wasn’t supposed to leave Canterlot, but he did anyway—” 

“Oh, that was just the princesses being clever.” 

“What, Cloudy?” Igneous’ newspaper crinkled as he peered over the top of it at his wife. 

“Foal psychology.” Cloudy held her teacup between her hooves. “Clearly, the princesses wanted an opportunity to have our future prince be a hero. So they told him to stay in Canterlot and don’t move. Naturally, being a hotheaded colt, he does the exact opposite. He gathers up a loyal army of fellow Manehattanites, goes charging down the mountain, and gets some valuable leadership experience.” 

“The mares in this family,” Igneous grumbled. 

“I met Gosling. We had s'mores together. He was nice.” Sumac turned himself a little so more of the sun was shining on his back. “He was in Ponyville and he was stumbling through our back garden.” 

“You didn’t meet him by accident then,” Cloudy said. “Did he have one of those big nighttime pegasi with him?” 

“Hush.” Sumac’s head bobbed up and down. 

“The princesses, all of them, are busybodies. They meddle in everything. They’re scary smart, and leave very little to chance. They hedge their bets, and there is no doubt, Gosling was supposed to meet you.” 

As Cloudy spoke, Sumac thought about his letter from Princess Cadance. Somehow, she had known. She had known that he and Pebble were going to be special someponies. Somehow, Princess Cadance had known before he had known. He had a lurking suspicion that the letters weren’t about the kiss shared between him and Pebble the night before, or liking each other, no, Princess Cadance somehow knew the future. 

“The big scary nighttime pegasi do Princess Luna’s bidding, though some of them do Princess Celestia’s work. If Gosling met you, it’s because you are an asset, colt.” 

“Asset?” Sumac asked. 

“Cloudy…” Igneous’ voice was firm. 

“He’s bound to know sooner or later,” Cloudy said. “Asset. Pony of interest. When Princess Twilight Sparkle decided that our farm was a good place to send foals in an emergency, she sent out some of her agents to have a long talk with us. There are several ‘assets’ that might end up here. Moon Rose, of Canterlot. Chalcedony, of the Crystal Empire. There is you, of course, and Pebble, because she can talk to rocks.” 

Brows furrowed, his bottle gripped tight in his fetlock, Sumac took a drink. 

“You deserve the truth, Sumac.” Cloudy’s voice was now soft and reassuring. “You aren’t the most magical little unicorn, from what I understand, but you are a sorcerer. You make others magical and that makes you an asset. Assets are watched over and there is a network of dedicated protectors loyal to the Crown that has been created to help them.” 

Hearing all of this made Sumac feel better. He took another drink. Talking to the rocks had to be a far more important talent than he realised and his curiousity about Pebble grew. Looking up, he saw Igneous staring at his wife with one gruff eye squinted. There was tension here, Cloudy had done something that Igneous was irked about, and Sumac wasn’t sure what was about to happen next. 

“The mares in this family.” Igneous let out a snort. “Serves me right for marrying you, Cloudy Quartz. I find myself liking one mare that is too smart for her own good and I end up with a whole houseful of them for my trouble. Life has a funny way of giving a pony exactly what they deserve.” 

“And I’m drop dead gorgeous, too.” Leaning over, Cloudy gave her husband a wink. 

“But you never gave me a colt like I asked.” Igneous shook his head and then disappeared behind his newspaper once more. 

Cloudy’s pleased smile soured and became a scowl. She glared at her husband through his newspaper, with deep creases across her brow and wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Her nostrils flared and the corners of her mouth twitched. “Igneous, you are a cad.” 

“A cad with four daughters,” the gruff old stallion replied in a dry voice. 

Was this how married ponies were supposed to act? Sumac watched, a little worried, not sure what was funny and what was serious. He took a drink and waited to see what would happen next. 

“Two of my daughters that I so lovingly created, with you, I might add, brought you home two fine sons that you love a great deal.” 

Igneous’ newspaper dropped like a curtain. “I want one like that one. Little. A colt that I can teach my caddish ways and then there’ll be two of us demanding that you bring us something from your kitchen.” 

“Oh, you sir, are impossible.” Cloudy tossed back her head and rolled her eyes. 

“We’re stuck with two sons.” Igneous raised his paper again. “We’ll never have another.”

“And why do you say that, Igneous?” 

“After the conniption fit that you had when Marble eloped, Limestone and Pinkie are under way too much pressure for a perfect wedding. Limestone is too smart to go anywhere near that ticking time bomb, and Pinkie, well, Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie. Not much can be done with my little Pinkie Pie.” 

“Maud had a civil service in Ponyville and my precious little Marble ran off like some lovesick filly to Doc Hedge. It was right after Limestone came home with that puppy.”

“I liked that puppy,” Igneous remarked as he settled in to read more of his newspaper. 

Cloudy’s flinty expression softened and something like a smile spread over her muzzle. 

“Of course, we still might secure ourselves one last son,” Igneous said in a low, scratchy whisper. “I wonder what Trixie will take in trade—” 

“Igneous!” 

Much to his own surprise, Sumac found himself laughing. 

“Think about it Cloudy, offer enough of that fudge of yours, and he could be ours.” 

“Igneous…” 

“Or better still, we could go to Princess Celestia and put in a petition for an arranged marriage—” 

What?! 

“Igneous!” 

“The laws are still on the books, might as well take advantage of them. Somepony has to.” The old stallion let out a chuckle from behind his paper. “You’d finally get that wedding you wanted, and the Royal Guard would step in if any of the parties involved tried to skip out.”

Feeling a little nervous, Sumac took a sip of his soda while Cloudy glared at her husband. Igneous… well, Igneous was… there was no two ways about it, Igneous was a pony to look out for and be careful of. Igneous was a teaser. Sumac couldn’t even imagine how Trixie might react to such a thing. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. He didn’t know how Trixie would react. Trixie had taught him the art of the deal. The smooth talk. She had even taught him the Swindler’s Cant, the smooth words and expressions that put pressure on a pony to agree with the deal. A smart pony would take this deal and be glad. A smart pony would know just how good of a deal they were getting. You’re a smart pony, ain’t’cha? 

Sumac’s overactive imagination began to get the best of him. His brain showed him all sorts of awful images of being sold off to work on a rock farm, never to have magic again, and always at risk of stabbing himself in the eye when he put on his glasses. It was awful, just awful. 

“Oh, look, Igneous, I think he’s daydreaming about that arranged marriage with Pebble.” 

Sumac blushed so hard that his glasses fogged over and his mouth went dry. He felt his dock clench and the muscles in his back pulled tight as the two adults began laughing. He tried to laugh as well, but his mouth was too dry, and all that came out was a squeak. Lifting his bottle, he took a sip of Celestia~Cola and kept a wary eye on Cloudy. She was just as bad as Igneous.

The moment of mirth was interrupted by a thunderclap. Sumac very nearly jumped out of his skin and his overactive imagination fled from him as he panicked. He almost dropped his bottle too, but regained his grip at the last second. 

Both Igneous and Cloudy looked at one another and said, “Visitors.” 

“Visitors?” Sumac asked, now frightened and worried. 

“Sit still, colt,” Igneous instructed in a firm, flinty voice. “That was a portal gem, and you made the same sound when you arrived, so it has to be somepony that Twilight sent.” 

Hearing these words, Sumac’s heart lept up into his throat. Cloudy put down her teacup and got up off of the couch, her ears perking as she tried to listen. Sumac had trouble sitting still. What if a portal gem was stolen? What if Igneous was wrong? Cloudy moved off to the kitchen and for one ridiculous moment, Sumac wondered if she was getting a spoon to fend off unwelcome guests. 

He heard a squeal from outside and knew that it was Pebble. Fearful of dropping it, Sumac put down his bottle and tried to keep himself from shaking. He heard the opening of the back door, and the sound of voices, he heard Cloudy and Marble speaking, but could not make out what was being said. 

“I need my son…”

Sumac knew that voice too well. His stomach lurched and he almost barfed up the soda that he had been drinking. He was paralysed now, and unable to move. Hooves could be heard on the floor and Sumac felt tears streaming out of the corners of his eyes. 

When he saw her, Sumac let out a sob of relief. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, one ear was bandaged and she was wearing an eyepatch. She had been scorched a bit, she was limping real bad on her bad leg, but she was alive, and everything was wonderful. 

“Kiddo… I’m so sorry…” 

As Trixie spoke, Lemon Hearts staggered into view and leaned up against Trixie.

“Kiddo, I hope you can forgive me… that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Trixie’s voice sounded strangled. “I had to pick between you and doing my job. I had to trust in others to keep you safe… and it killed me. I’m so sorry.” 

Limping, Trixie moved with a pained slowness towards Sumac. Lemon Hearts, left without Trixie to lean on, leaned up against the doorframe instead. The living room was filled with the scent of fire, of smoke, and burned hair. 

“Your eye…” Sumac breathed the words and was still unable to move. 

“Harpy egg exploded a little too close to my face. I got blinded. I’ll be okay, though.” 

“Mama…” 

“Kiddo…” Trixie sat down on the floor with a muffled plop and swept Sumac up using her good front leg. “I feel so bad… I had to send you away. I almost turned away from my responsibilities to come with you. It broke my heart.” 

“Trixie Lulamoon—” 

“What, Igneous?” Trixie snapped. “Really, now of all times? Do you need to get your digs in?” 

Sumac, who had his forelegs around Trixie’s neck, could hear the animosity in his mother’s words. He could feel her trembling, he could feel her heart racing. She was angry. He squeezed her neck a little tighter and hoped that this wouldn’t turn ugly. 

“Miss Lulamoon, I said quite a number of bad things about you. Terrible things.” 

“Sure did,” Trixie replied as she squeezed Sumac a little tighter, “and now you plan to say a few more about me, in front of my son? Want to drive that pickaxe home, Igneous? ” 

“I take back every awful thing I said and I beg your forgiveness. A parent’s measure is found in their foals, and you, Miss Lulamoon, have raised a fine son. I’d be proud to call him my own.” 

Sumac felt his mother shudder, and then he heard a sob. Her embrace tightened as she started to cry. He closed his eyes, his own tears streaming down his cheeks, and then he felt another warm body press up against him. When he cracked his eyes open, he saw yellow. 

“That’s the nicest thing that anypony has ever said about me,” Trixie said as she sobbed, “and it came from the pony that I thought hated me the most.” 

Sandwiched between two mares, Sumac could feel tears dripping down on top of his head. Lemon Hearts was warm against him, she smelled like a disaster, but he didn’t care. She was alive and he needed to hear her voice. 

“You okay, Lemon?” Sumac managed to say, choking out the words. 

“I took a changeling stun spell right to my kisser,” Lemon Hearts replied, and her words were somewhat slurred. “I fell and hit my head. I got concussed. Trixie saved me. Trixie saved a lot of ponies.” The lemony yellow mare sniffled, coughed, and cleared her throat. “Once I was safe, Trixie lead a charge to assist Gosling’s air support. She kissed me goodbye and that was the last I saw of her for quite a time. This was a lot worse than the invasion of Canterlot. This was bad. Oh, I was so scared for both of you.” 

Wiggling around, he let go of Trixie’s neck and Sumac turned enough so that he could embrace Lemon Hearts. The pain of not knowing was over, it was finally over. His family, such as it was, was okay. 

“We don’t have much time,” Trixie said in a low voice. “We have to catch a train. It’s gonna roll through Rock Haven and it isn’t going to stop. Reinforcements are on the train and I’m gonna teleport us all onto the train so it can keep rolling.” 

“You’re gonna teleport us onto a moving train?” Sumac asked. 

“Yup.” Trixie wrapped her good foreleg around Lemon Hearts and gave a squeeze, squishing Sumac between them. “Ponyville is safe, well, safe enough. There is still a lot of fighting in the south, but we’re winning. Twilight and Princess Luna’s planning has paid off. We thrashed them.” 

“Planning is all fine and good,” Igneous said in a low, solemn voice, “but it is the soldiers that carry the war. Credit where credit is due, Miss Lulamoon.” 

“I suppose I am a soldier now.” Trixie’s voice was little more than a whisper. “I am one of Sparkle’s Spartans, and I made a difference.” 

“I’m a Spartan too, and I got a concussion.” With a feeble giggle, Lemon Hearts managed to slip one of her own forelegs around Trixie’s neck and steadied herself. “I do better in civil service and administration.” 

“We need to get moving.” Trixie’s voice was commanding. “It’s gonna be a long walk to the train station and I’m slow—” 

“I’ll give ya a ride,” Igneous offered. “I’ll have you there in no time.” 

“Thank you, Igneous.” Trixie sniffled a bit. “Pebble, your father will be on that train, and your mom too. From what I understand, Octavia and Vinyl Scratch will be on the train as well. Vinyl is finally well enough to travel.” 

“What happened?” Pebble asked. 

There was a low groan from Trixie. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“What happened?” 

“That little conflict that happened in Manehattan a while back, when Mister Mariner tried to sink the nation, Vinyl was there when everything went down. You’ll find out all about it, I’m sure. Try not to worry, Pebble.” 

“What happened?” This time, there was an edge of anger to Pebble’s voice. 

“I don’t know,” Trixie replied. “But I know that she’s okay and that she is on the train.” 

“Pebble Pie, don’t be rude.” Igneous’ voice had a tone of paternal command. “We need to get all of you to the train station. Come on, all of you, get moving. We all have our part to do and I need to get you to the train station. Let’s go. Make sure you grab everything and don’t forget the lantern.” 

“Igneous…” 

“Yes, Miss Lulamoon?” 

“Thank you, Igneous, and you too, Cloudy.” 

“Bah, I’m too old to fight, but I can foalsit.” Igneous’ voice was even gruffer than usual. “‘Twasn’t a chore at all. You raised a fine son. Now, everypony say your goodbyes, we don’t have time to waste.”
	
	
	
> Chapter 56
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The wagon rocked from side to side as it was pulled down the dusty road by Igneous. Trixie, who only had one eye at the moment, kept it on the sky, and she never stopped looking around for even a second, refusing to be distracted by Sumac. Lemon Hearts was leaning up against a sack of grain that sat wedged to the headboard of the wagon. Her lemony complexion looked a little green as the wagon rumbled over the rutted road. 

Boomer, awake and alert, was sitting on top of Pebble’s head, following Trixie’s lead and watching the skies, her sharp eyes glittering in what was left of the sunlight. Pebble had returned to being Pebble, at least for the moment, and she was reading a book about something called quantum entanglement, which Sumac had made the mistake of asking Pebble to explain. The resulting words that spewed from Pebble’s mouth made his brain hurt and left him feeling stupid. 

Looking around, Sumac noticed tall figures along the sides of the road, out in the fields, sprinting alongside the wagon as it traveled. Some had bows, some had swords, some had spears, and others had axes. Diamond dogs. Sumac understood that they were friends, not foes, and offered a little extra protection. 

All of this for some lantern. It really all came down to the lantern. The little black piece of string in there would allow for control of an unstoppable army that could destroy all the world, and with it, perhaps the only means of stopping it. Sumac held the lantern in his magic, studying it, trying to understand it. Quite by accident, he found latches that would allow the pony plates to be moved around. The earth pony plate, the pegasus plate, and the unicorn plate could all be moved to one side of the lantern, facing forward, and the shape of all three ponies together formed an alicorn, a majestic silhouette of an alicorn in a regal, commanding pose. 

With the three plates all locked together, other plates seemed to spring into existence to fill the open gaps where the pony plates had been, trapping in the light and only allowing it to shine out of the alicorn shaped silhouette. The lantern, transformed, wasn’t lit up at the moment, perhaps because it knew that it wasn’t needed. 

Squinting, Sumac peered inside, peeping through the alicorn shaped opening, trying to view the Rainbow of Light secured inside of the heart of the lantern. The lantern was filled with shadows though, making it hard to see. His vision was obscured and Sumac soon grew frustrated. He pressed his muzzle up against the lantern and tried to peer inside. 

There was a brief flash of light that almost caused him to drop the lantern. Almost blind, he sat there, blinking, trying to see again. He had to squint to be able to see anything, and from what he could tell, no one seemed to have noticed that the lantern had flashed him. The world around him looked weird, there were strange colours in his vision, shimmering motes of light—

And there was Pebble. 

Pebble looked a little weird. 

No, Pebble looked a whole lot weird. 

For one thing, there was two of her. Little Pebble, and Big Pebble. The larger of the two Pebbles was spectral, ghostly, and wreathed in flames. She also had a horn and large, powerful looking wings at her sides. Her face was stern looking, solemn, and serious. She was also, at least in Sumac’s eyes, quite pretty. 

The others still looked the same. Trixie was Trixie, Lemon Hearts was Lemon Hearts, Igneous was Igneous, but there were two Pebbles. He looked down at himself and around himself, and saw nothing out of place. There wasn’t two of him. 

Then, as he blinked, Sumac’s vision cleared and the ghostly apparition of the second Pebble was gone, leaving behind the little Pebble that he liked. What had the lantern shown him? Was this the future? One possible future? Pebble’s destiny? Almost right away, Sumac began to feel some worry. If this was Pebble’s future, her destiny, what part did he have in it? Maybe he didn’t. He was above average, he understood that, but he was outshined by others, like Olive. Even Strawberry Hearts, his classmate, showed more magical aptitude than he did. 

The lantern made one thing very clear though. 

Pebble was special… and he wasn’t. 

He didn’t know how to feel about that. Setting down the lantern, Sumac looked over at Trixie, who was watching the sky with a keen interest. During his vision, whatever it was, Trixie too, was just a pony. But Trixie was also a hero. A fighter. A pony that did the right thing. She was also his mother. After a few moments of thought, Sumac realised that this didn’t change his plans. He could still become a powerful wizard through hard work and effort, and he could be happy being above average or even being exceptional. 

Whatever the case may be, he wasn’t one of the chosen ones, even if he was an ‘asset.’ 



 

Now, it seemed, was Lemon Hearts’ turn to watch the skies. She and Igneous had taken over sky watching duty once they had reached the train station, and Trixie now had her good eye closed. She appeared to be deep in concentration and Sumac knew that she was attuning herself to cast a complex spell. He was curious as to why there was no zap apple tincture, as having a magical boost would certainly make things easier. 

As for Sumac himself, he was doing his own part to keep the skies clear. If any big black flies came near, the sort of flies that loved to bite pony flesh, he zapped them with a lightning bolt to keep them from biting his mother and disrupting her concentration. Some of the bigger, meaner flies took two or more zaps, and Sumac was getting quite good with his aim, even though he would never boast about it. Trixie had told him that boasting was wrong and that she would be very disappointed with him if he became a braggart. 

“It’s nice to have a personal bug zapper,” Pebble deadpanned. “I hate horsefly bites.” 

Groaning, Igneous flexed one of his hind legs but never took his eyes from the skies. Sumac, who was all to aware of these sorts of behaviours because of Trixie, wondered what a lifetime of hard work had done to Igneous. Trixie wasn’t all that old, but years of abuse and pulling a wagon had wrecked her body. Igneous was still pretty spry and got around well, while Trixie… well, it was probably for the best that Trixie had settled down and had stopped pulling their wagon from town to town. 

“The train is coming. Say your goodbyes.” Trixie did not open her eyes as she spoke. 

Igneous, still looking upwards said, “Pebble Pie, you be a good pony.” 

“If it suits me,” was Pebble’s monotonous reply. 

“That’s my filly.” Igneous’ voice was a little gruffer than usual. “Sumac Apple, you’ll be getting the papers for the arranged marriage in just a few weeks.” 

Cheeks burning, Sumac’s head whipped around to look at Igneous. He worried about his mother’s concentration being broken. She needed to be able to concentrate. When Sumac looked over at Pebble, he saw that she was now a much darker chocolate brown and squirming where she sat. 

“Boomer, be a good little lizard.” Igneous took a deep breath. “As for you, Miss Lulamoon, I wish you the very best of luck. Miss Hearts seems like a real firebrand.” 

Blinking, Lemon Hearts let out a drunken sounding giggle. 

It was then that Sumac saw it—the train. He could see it in the distance. This train didn’t have the gingerbread livery common on so many Equestrian trains, or the sleek Crystal Empire style that Shining Armor and Cadance so loved. No, this train, was scary. It was dull grey, almost black. It wasn’t very long and it didn’t look like it had windows, just some narrow slits along the sides. 

What was this thing? 

As it drew nearer, Sumac saw that there was something else on the train, something that scared him a great deal. In a squeaky voice, he remarked, “That’s not a party cannon.” 

Igneous, who was squinting and had his hoof over his eyes so he could see better, nodded. “That’s a turret gun. Things must be bad if Princess Celestia is allowing for those to be seen again. It’s been years since I saw one last.” 

“You’ve seen one before?” Sumac asked. 

“In a museum.” Igneous shook his head and let out a weary sounding sigh. “Guns, tanks, rockets, cannons, all part of our past. Looks like they’ll be in our future now, too.” 

Scowling, Sumac didn’t like thinking about this. 

“Things must be real bad if we’ve dug those out of storage.” Igneous shook his head and then turned to look at Sumac. “Son, you are going to grow up in interesting times. You and Pebble stick together, you hear me? You can keep each other safe. Earth ponies and unicorns made good partners in times of trouble.” 

“Yes sir.” Sumac gave Igneous a solemn nod. 

The train lumbered along the tracks, scary looking and intimidating. The locomotive was wedge-shaped and covered in heavy armor plating. There was no smokestack, no place of weakness, the smoke poured out of grills along the sides, making it look like a smiling dragon muzzle. The cars had no windows and weren’t rectangles, but were more cylinder shaped. 

Sumac understood why the train couldn’t stop. It would be too heavy. It was like an overloaded wagon, it would take forever for the train to get moving again if it came to a stop. It chuffed through the countryside, spewing black smoke, and Sumac could feel it coming. Everything was rattling as the behemoth approached. 

“Everypony around me,” Trixie commanded. “Come close. I can feel the signal I’m supposed to lock onto.” 

“Goodbye, Igneous,” Sumac said as he hurried over to his mother’s side. 

“Goodbye, son,” Igneous replied. 

“Goodbye, Grumps.” Pebble waved at her grandfather.

From the top of Pebble’s head, Boomer waved. Lemon Hearts almost fell over, but managed to stumble closer to Trixie. Using his telekinesis, Sumac tried to steady her, but Lemon Hearts was just too heavy for him to lift. Wobbling a bit, Lemon Hearts managed to wave goodbye to Igneous just as Trixie’s horn began to glow. 

“Send more fudge,” Pebble said in a very calm voice as Trixie’s magic began to crackle. “Tell Aunt Mub-Mub that I love her.” 

Sumac didn’t get to hear Igneous’ reply. There was a loud fizzle, followed by a thunderclap. His mane was standing on end and he could feel static coursing through his over-conditioned and super fluffy pelt. There was an almost painful pressure inside of his ears and his vision fuzzed over. 

The world around him exploded with light… 



 

Sumac slammed down upon a hard metal floor with enough force that it made his teeth clap together. It hurt a little, well, maybe more than a little, but he somehow didn’t cry out. He fell over and rolled into Lemon Hearts, who fell over and landed on top of him, smooshing him. He could hear muffled groans and moans all around him, and then he heard Pebble’s voice. 

“Daddy!” 

Unable to see, Sumac was able to hear hooves stomping over heavy metal. There was quite a clatter, a happy sound of laughter, and then there was shrieking, which echoed against the metal floor and walls in the most awful way. 

“Pebby Poops, I’m sorry, I forgot that you don’t like to be lifted!” 

Struggling, Sumac tried to get out from beneath Lemon Hearts. He wiggled and kicked, but Lemon hadn’t recovered enough to have all of her senses. Left with no other option, he raised his voice a little. “We fell… we fell a long way… Twilight got hurt and we were several miles up in the air and we fell down.” As he spoke, he could hear Pebble sobbing and knew that she had gone from being fine to being a mess again. 

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know…” 

With a powerful jerk, Sumac was yanked out from beneath Lemon Hearts. He sat up and looked around while he sucked in a few deep breaths. There were a lot of ponies here, a whole lot of ponies. He could see Tarnish, whom he knew, and Maud, whom he also knew. There were two mares that he didn’t know, but he could guess who they were. One was Octavia, and Sumac had listened to a few of her records. The other had to be Vinyl Scratch. Pebble was completely swallowed up by her family. 

Twilight Velvet stood close by, and Sumac realised that it was she who had pulled him free. Beside her was a dark blue stallion who had a kind smile. As he sat there, trying to check out his surroundings, Twilight Velvet began to examine him, and he did nothing to stop her as she checked him over. 

Some distance away, Sumac saw more familiar faces. Gosling was staring out of a narrow slit that served as a window. There was the big enormous lunar pegasi known as Hush. Seville was sitting beside Hotspur, and all of these four were wearing armor, but it wasn’t the usual golden armor, no. This looked heavier, thicker, and looked quite battered, as if it had recently seen some violence. 

“Sumac, are you okay?” Twilight Velvet asked in a soft voice. “You got a little smooshed.” 

“I’m fine,” Sumac replied, “is Lemon okay?” 

Twilight Velvet shook her head. “I don’t think she is—”

As the kind older mare spoke, Lemon Hearts barfed. Sumac turned his head just in time to see it. Trixie was beside her, holding Lemon Hearts around her neck, and was using her magic to keep poor Lemon’s mane out of her face as she spewed. 

“I think the teleportation and the rocking motion of the train is too much for the poor dear.” Twilight Velvet clucked her tongue and then began digging through her bags with her magic, as if she was looking for something. 

“Are you here to protect assets?” Sumac asked. He saw Twilight Velvet’s face wrinkle as a scowl appeared upon her muzzle. 

“I’m here to protect two foals who are very dear to me,” the middle aged mare replied. “All foals are precious to me, which is why I championed the cause of reform. But yes, you are assets, as much as it pains me to admit it.” 

Turning his head, Sumac looked over at Hush. “Did Princess Luna make you trick Gosling into meeting me?” 

Right away, Gosling reacted. He turned to look at his friend, and asked, “What’s this?” 

Hush, true to his name, did not reply. 

“Hey, yous holding out on me, Hush?” Gosling reached out and prodded the much larger pegasus. “What’s going on here?” 

Hush, worried looking, shook his head. 

“Don’t lie to me, Hush!” 

“Gosling, sit down and shuddup.” Hotspur grabbed Gosling by the neck and yanked him backwards. “It was me, okay? I set up the meeting in Ponyville. You were supposed to meet Sumac and get to know him so that he would trust you in times of trouble.” 

“The princesses, they’s skeevy.” Gosling’s eyes narrowed. “Always with the tricks and the manipulations… ugh!” 

“That’s enough, all of you,” Twilight Velvet commanded, and as she spoke, all four of the ponies she addressed saluted. She turned and faced Sumac again. “If things go wrong, Sumac, you and your lantern will go with Hotspur and Gosling. Pebble will go with Hush. There will be no arguing, no complaining, and no refusal to go.” 

Sumac nodded. Twilight Velvet meant business. 

“The rest of us will remain on this train and make sure that the two of you make it away safely.” Twilight Velvet looked over at Lemon Hearts, who was still spewing, and held out a small glass bottle to Trixie. “This will help the motion sickness and the nausea. Two drops down each ear.” 

Nodding, Trixie accepted the bottle and went to work trying to get Lemon Hearts sorted out. Sumac, who didn’t know what to feel, say or do, sat on the floor trying to make sense of things. He looked over at Pebble, who was being hugged by both of her parents, and wished that somepony was hugging him. The sour smell of vomit made his nose crinkle. 

“Sumac, come over here and sit with us,” Seville said as he patted the hard metal bench beside him. “Bring your lantern and your dragon.” 

Turning his head, Sumac looked up at Twilight Velvet, wondering if it was okay. He saw her give a faint nod, and when she did so, he grabbed the lantern and realised that Boomer was already sitting on top of his head. He had lost track of her during the commotion. 

It was going to be a long ride home. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 57
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac sat on the hard bench with his back against the wall and Seville was sitting beside him. Across from him, Twilight Velvet and her husband sat. Night Light seemed nice enough. Trixie was sitting on the floor with Lemon Hearts, who was still puking. Pebble had her entire family piled around her. Sumac looked down at his lantern, no longer certain about his feelings for it, and then looked over at Twilight Velvet, who was working on a crossword puzzle book. 

“Mrs. Velvet?” Sumac asked. 

“Yes?” she replied from behind her puzzle book. “Speak up a little, dear, there is a lot of noise.” 

“Mrs. Velvet, do you know anything about destiny?” Sumac watched as the crossword puzzle book fell away from Mrs. Velvet’s face. 

“A fair bit, actually.” Twilight Velvet put her crossword puzzle book away, stuffing it into her bag. She slipped away her pen, leaned forwards just a little on the bench, and looked Sumac in the eye. “What do you wish to know?” 

“Do we have a choice in anything?” As Sumac spoke, he became aware of the fact that Gosling was looking at him. So was Seville. He felt nervous, with all of these eyes on him, and he began to wonder if he was being foolish. He looked into Mrs. Velvet’s face and saw some deep wrinkles form across her brow, making her look very, very serious. 

“Sumac Apple,” she began, “to help pass the time, I shall tell you a story.” Twilight Velvet slipped a foreleg through her husband’s foreleg and she pulled him closer. “Once upon a time, there was a precocious little filly with a gift for magic, and she was without a doubt, the cleverest little filly in all of Canterlot.” 

Sumac nodded and knew that it had to be Twilight. 

“Now, this little filly, she had a talent for magic. And not just any magic, but impressive magic. The kind of magic that could change the world. A lot of pressure was placed on her to be the very best sort of pony that she could be. You see, she had a powerful destiny. She had the stars, you see, it all came down to the stars, and she found out about it quite by accident, or perhaps because destiny pointed her in the right direction. You see, the stars would aid in the escape of one locked away for so very long…” 

Ears perked, Sumac listened, intrigued. 

“It became obvious early on that she was the chosen one.” Twilight Velvet let out a soft sigh and leaned up against her husband. “Being such a smart filly, she figured it out. The great riddle, the great mystery, she understood and she knew.” 

Twilight has always been a smart one, Sumac thought to himself. 

“But, this little filly… she had other plans. By the time she was about your age, her heart belonged to another. Oh, she didn’t know it at the time, but she was very, very attached to her best friend. They were inseparable. And Princess Celestia spent so much time separating them as they grew older. Oh, she’d find them snogging in the library, or snogging in the astronomy tower, or snogging beneath the stairs.” 

What? Sumac’s muzzle crinkled as he tried to make sense of what was being said. 

“Eventually, that little filly grew up enough to realise that she had to make a choice. She could be the chosen one that the world had been waiting for… or she could follow her own dreams. And she had such dreams. Simple dreams, perhaps to some, but they were her dreams, and she placed a great deal of importance in them.” 

A little at a time, Sumac began to realise that this wasn’t about Twilight Sparkle, but rather, Twilight Velvet. The stars of her cutie mark were visible from where he sat. He glanced over at Night Light and saw a pleasant smile on the older stallion’s face. 

“That filly, she pushed destiny aside and she followed after what she wanted. She chose love, she chose to start a family, she chose home and hearth, because, why not? And destiny, like a river flowing, kept going. It seemed to be in no big hurry. This filly became a mare, she birthed one son who was ripe with promise, and he too, had the stars. There was much discussion if he might also be the one. But then, a little filly was born. And she was a real pain in the neck.” 

A giggle escaped Sumac and he found that he couldn’t hold them back as they came out in a flood.

“She turned her parents into potted plants. She made a real mess of her entrance exam. But, she was the one. She chose to embrace magic, wholly and completely, with no other distractions. And destiny rewarded that. All of the pieces fell into place.” Twilight Velvet smiled a kind smile and gave her husband a nudge. “Now, you may or may not have a destiny of importance, but in the end, that doesn’t matter. You have to meet destiny halfway. You have to want it. Early on, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted and I stuck with that. I wanted to spend my life with my best friend, Night Light. Destiny made a few corrections and moved on.” 

“If I were to ask you some questions, would you give me honest answers?” Sumac asked as he thought about everything that Velvet had just said. 

“If I chose to give you an answer, it would be honest,” Twilight Velvet replied. 

“Princess Celestia has been watching me for a long time.” 

“That is not a question.” 

“But she has. And then I got my cutie mark and I became a sorcerer. I have the power to make others powerful.” Sumac cleared his throat. “What does Princess Celestia want from me? Why am I an asset? What is expected from me?” 

Twilight Velvet’s face wrinkled and her ears leaned forwards over her eyes. She sat there for a time, staring at Sumac, and she squeezed her husband’s foreleg with her own. “Princess Celestia would very much like to see you go into the guard. I know that she has discussed how much more powerful her Immortal Solars might be if they had a sorcerer among their number. She has thought of many ways to harness your unique and powerful gift.” 

Shrewd cunning glittered in Sumac’s eyes. “And what does Twilight Sparkle want from me?” 

“In time, Twilight Sparkle hopes that you will learn enough to become Moondancer’s protégé and become a powerful asset for Moondancer’s secret division, which I know that you are aware of.” Twilight Velvet glanced at her husband for a moment, then added, “Your destiny is open ended, you could do any of these things. You could have greatness.” 

“And what about Princess Cadance, the busybody?” As Sumac spoke, he heard Gosling chortling. 

“Kid, you have no idea,” Gosling quipped. 

“Princess Cadance wants you to help her spread the magic of love. She believes that you could greatly amplify the power of the Crystal Heart, and all those connected to it.” 

“So, Princess Celestia wants me for war, Twilight wants me for scholarly stuff, and Princess Cadance—”

“The busybody,” Gosling added. 

“—wants me for love.” Sumac dropped his head and stared down at the floor. “Does it even matter what I want?” 

“Sure it does, kid.” Seville leaned over and nudged Sumac. “I got a cutie mark in juice squeezing. It’s an orange press. But I chose something different. Because I am a colossal idiot, for some reason, I chose to become a reporter, and now, everything tries to kill me. I am just another orange to squeeze.” 

“And he makes a mean glass of fresh squeezed juice.” Gosling socked his friend on an his armor and there was a sound like a bell ringing. “Me, I just want to look pretty and I just sort of let life happen.” 

“Sumac Apple, what is it that you want?” Twilight Velvet asked. She held up her hoof and cleared her throat before Sumac could answer. “Normally, most five year olds would not take this question very seriously, as five year olds tend to be flighty and full of daydreams, but you, you are no ordinary five year old.” 

Flattered, Sumac felt his cheeks go warm and the corners of his mouth were pulled upwards as little crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes. “I like cemeteries and I’m curious about being a mortician.” Sumac wiggled in his seat, feeling awkward. He thought about Pebble and her book about quantum entanglement. He was above average, but he wasn’t exceptional, not like her. “I might want to tinker a bit and fix things. I don’t know. I know that I am a smooth talker, and while Trixie has taught me a lot, I think I get a lot of it from my father, Flam. I was thinking that a smooth talker might be able to make ponies feel better if they were grieving. I don’t have to be a swindler or a con artist.” 

“I think those are very noble aspirations,” Night Light said as he nodded his head. 

“If you work in your happy place, then it isn’t such a pain in the neck,” Seville said, and beside Seville, Gosling nodded. 

“What’s that say about me if my happy place is the battlefield?” Hotspur pulled off his helmet and set it down upon the bench beside him. “I keep others safe. I put my body on the line so they don’t have to.” 

“Every pony has a place where they belong. For some, they get to pick the place where they are happy. For others, it is thrust upon them, but they learn to be happy there over time.” Twilight Velvet smiled and gave her husband’s foreleg another squeeze. “Sumac, no doubt, you could learn to be happy in the guard, or as a scholar with Twilight, or serving as one of Cadance’s many social workers. You have the gifts required to make any of those options work for you. But, but… you also have the option to chose for yourself. Not everypony gets that option, but you do.” 

For Sumac, Twilight Velvet’s words were comforting. Using his magic, he pulled Boomer from his horn and then embraced her in his forelegs. He gave her a hug and then just sat there, holding her, with his chin resting against her head. He felt a lot better about, well, everything. Twilight Velvet was talking to Gosling about something, but he didn’t pay attention to what was being said, as he was now lost in his own thoughts. 

Boomer yawned and Sumac found himself doing the same. The train rocked back and forth, side to side, swaying to and fro. While he found it rather soothing, poor Lemon Hearts was having a very different experience. He started to wonder why she had come along, but then he stopped. He already knew why she had come along. Family stuck together. Or friends, as the case may be. Laying on a cold metal floor puking was probably better than laying in a hospital bed worrying and wondering if those you cared about were okay. He made a mental note to be extra nice to Lemon and to let her know that he cared. 

Lifting his eyes, but not his head, he glanced at Twilight Velvet. She could have been the one. She might have been like Twilight Sparkle, her daughter. Twilight Velvet might have been an alicorn by now, a powerful princess working hard to ensure Equestria’s future. She had chosen to be a mother. He thought about Cloudy and her kitchen. Nopony had forced Cloudy into her kitchen, it was her choice to be there, and she found happiness there. These mares had made choices. 

There was a lesson to be learned here, and it was a meaningful one. He might have become the lantern bearer, he might be a sorcerer, and he might have become an asset, but he could still choose to be ordinary. This made him feel better. Turning his head, he glanced over at Pebble, and wondered what her future held, and what she might chose. She might have greatness… or, like Twilight Velvet, she might choose something else—Pebble might choose to be a cook, a baker, somepony like her grandmother, Cloudy. And Pebble’s greatness, whatever it might be, might be passed along to her foals. 

In the back of Sumac’s mind, a little voice suggested their foals. He supposed that he had to entertain that possibility. He looked at Night Light, then back at Twilight Velvet. In the face of a powerful destiny, of potentially becoming the Element of Magic, Twilight Velvet chose… love. 

This made him think of Princess Cadance. (The busybody.) Was perhaps, love the greater destiny? The higher calling? Some very big thoughts rattled around inside of his head. Twilight Velvet might have become the Element of Magic, but if she had, would there have been a Twilight Sparkle and a Shining Armor? He thought about it for a time, and then thought about the Elements of Harmony. None of them seemed to be particularly blessed in love. As far as he knew, only Applejack had married, and that had fallen apart. Their responsibilities and lives kept them busy. 

The thought pained him. If Twilight Velvet had followed destiny, if she had made the choice to answer the call, the world might not have Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle. No, Twilight Velvet had waited, she chose love, she chose to love and to spend all that time snogging Night Light—and—love had rewarded her. She was blessed with two foals, both of whom had changed the world. 

Sumac recalled his conversation with Moondancer about the sort of intelligence he had, but he could not recall what she had said, only that he was gifted with understanding. He needed to ask her about that again. The last that he had saw her, she had turned herself into an alicorn. Was she a princess now? The princess of what? For some reason, skunks came to mind. Skunks and musty old sweaters. 

The world was a very confusing sort of place when one was five years old. 

Sumac was just about to ask more questions when the door to another car crashed open with a clang. A unicorn wearing heavy armor stomped though and Sumac felt his blood run cold. He squeezed Boomer and feared that everything was about to go upside down. 

“We have incoming. Enemy sighted,” the unicorn reported. 

“How many?” Twilight Velvet asked. 

“We don’t know,” the unicorn replied, shaking his head. “Well over a hundred.” 

Night Light let out a sigh and banged his head against the wall behind him. “We didn’t anticipate that many. Our escape plans were made with a far smaller number in mind. Where could they have been hiding around here?” 

“Might have been another long range teleport, like Ponyville.” The unicorn stood there, as if waiting for further instructions. 

“We’ll play it by ear.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was cool and calm. “Let us see if we can wear down their numbers a bit with the turret on top of the train. Tarnish, if worst comes to worst, I want you to summon a storm. The train should survive it, but our enemies will not.” 

“Of course, Mrs. Velvet.” 

Twilight Velvet raised her voice to a more commanding tone. “Everypony brace yourselves… we have incoming.” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 58
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When the first of the harpy eggs detonated against the sides of the train, Sumac almost lost his mind from fear. Protective barriers slid shut over the slits that served as windows. In seconds, the barrage started in earnest and the sound was deafening. The walls of the train car, which were several inches thick steel plates, dented and buckled from the explosions. 

Sumac was pulled away from the walls, he was yanked from the bench and thrown down to the floor. Much to his surprise, he found himself in Gosling’s embrace, Gosling, who was quite calm given the situation. The metal of Gosling’s armor was cool and comforting against Sumac’s pelt. As the train was being hammered, Sumac felt something cold and hard being pressed against his head. 

Gosling’s helmet was far too big for him, and had no hole for his horn. No, wait, it did. Sumac felt the metal give and make an opening. As the helmet settled into place on his noggin, it shrank, becoming a perfect size for his head. Clutching Boomer, Sumac looked up at the pony who had given up his helmet. 

“Kid, we’re in for one wild ride,” Gosling said with a smile. “I have bad luck with trains. I need to stop taking them. You let one pegasus from the inner city ride a train and suddenly, the whole nation just falls apart!” 

The train rocked from side to side even more so than usual. The walls were now dimpled and dented. More eggs exploded and made a terrific din. Hearing terrified whimpers, Sumac looked over and saw that Octavia had her hooves pressed to her ears. He wanted to go to Pebble, but she was buried beneath her parents. Fearing for his life, he clung to Gosling and wished that the harpy egg shelling would stop. 

“I sent a message to Celestia for help!” Tarnish shouted. “She said to hang on, help is coming! We just need to hang on!” 

The whole train shuddered and Sumac heard a rat-a-tat-tat sound. It was somehow even louder than the exploding harpy eggs. The rat-a-tat-tat noise became a never-ending mechanical stutter and the whole train creaked with metal fatigue. There was so much noise that Sumac’s ears were ringing, filled with invisible bells whose chiming did not ease up. 

“Get on a train with Gosling, Princess Luna said!” Seville shouted as he grabbed Gosling and held on. “It’ll be fine, Princess Luna promised, everything will be fine! This time it will be different! You have nothing to worry about!” 

“Well, so far, we ain’t dead yet,” Gosling yelled back over the explosive ruckus. 

“I’M NEVER GETTING ON A TRAIN WITH YOU AGAIN!” Seville shook his head and his eyes were glassy with fear. “I can’t even take pictures! We don’t want Sumac’s face being too visible to others!” 

Looking very calm, Twilight Velvet unwrapped a piece of hard toffee candy and popped it into her mouth. She pulled out her crossword puzzle book, a pen, and then went to work, looking for hidden words to circle. 

“Mrs. Velvet, how can you be so calm?” Seville asked, shouting to be heard over the detonating harpy eggs that slammed into the train. 

“Princess Celestia is sending help,” Twilight Velvet replied. “A pony should trust their princesses. Now, Seville, be a dear and set a good example for Sumac.” 

The whole of the world had gone mad. Sumac felt Boomer squirming against him, she was scared too, and her tiny sharp claws dug into his flesh. No doubt, when this was over, he would have some scratches, scrapes, and lacerations. She couldn’t help it and Sumac couldn’t bring himself to be angry at her. 

“Night Light, darling, is that teleportation reversal ward of yours holding?” Twilight Velvet asked in a voice silky with confidence. 

The dark blue stallion nodded. He sat on the floor beside his wife, looking every bit as calm as she was. Sumac could not figure out why some ponies were so calm, like Gosling, Twilight Velvet, and Night Light. The rat-a-tat-tat sound continued, but now seemed muted somehow, everything seemed muted now, as if it was muffled. The ringing sound in Sumac’s ears had grown louder. 

“Tele-whatsit?” Gosling asked. 

“Teleportation reversal ward,” Nightlight responded in a cheerful sounding voice. “Anything trying to teleport into the train will find themselves in the blazing fires of the locomotive. One wonders if one could run a train on harpies and changelings.” 

For once in his life, Sumac found himself in a position where he didn’t want to ask questions. He glanced over at Trixie and Lemon Hearts. Both were clinging to one another and Lemon was still spewing her guts out, whatever was left of them. He felt read bad for her, being as bad off as she was. When this was over, if this ended with him alive, he was going to be at her beck and call. 

A pegasus wearing heavy plated armor came stomping into the train car, stopped, and said, “A dragon just appeared overhead!” 

“Help has arrived,” Twilight Velvet announced in a calm, demure voice. 

“Dragons can’t teleport!” The soldier’s wings twitched against his armored sides. 

“They most certainly can.” Twilight Velvet looked up from her crossword puzzle book and clucked her tongue. “If Princess Celestia so wishes to teleport you, you teleport. She can move the sun by thinking about it and she can teleport a three hundred and forty thousand pound dragon if the situation requires it. That is why she is Princess Celestia, She Who Sits On High, and She of the Great and Burning Glory. Now, go and calm down, and be thankful that your princess sent help.” 

The soldier nodded, licked his lips, and then vanished through the door. 

“I’m gonna kiss me some of that Great and Burning Glory—” 

“Gosling, darling, be a good colt and don’t talk that way in front of the foals.”

“Yes Mrs. Velvet, my bad.” 

There was a terrible roar that was somehow louder than the never-ending rat-a-tat-tat and the explosive shelling of the harpy eggs. The roar was so loud that it was inside of Sumac’s head, and it hurt a great deal. He was about to say something when Twilight Velvet’s horn glowed and then, all sound was muffled. 

There was another roar, and then things got hot. The train gave a violent lurch and the screeching of metal joined the cacophony of sounds. It was like an oven in the train car, and it kept getting hotter. Sumac let out a panicked scream when he saw the ceiling above him begin to ripple. 

“Oh dear, I don’t think Gorgonzola knows what her flames are doing to the train.” Twilight Velvet stuffed her book away and her pen as well. Her horn glowed and then her voice was everywhere all at once. “TAKE EMERGENCY MEASURES NOW! SHIELD SPELLS AND COOLING SPELLS! GIVE THEM ALL YOU GOT OR ELSE THIS TRAIN WILL MELT LIKE BUTTER ON CELESTIA’S BACK!” 

“Help me! Somepony please hold Lemon so I can do what needs to be done!” 

It was Seville that responded to Trixie’s request, and he staggered over to where both Trixie and Lemon Hearts were. He flopped down to the floor and held Lemon while Trixie got up. Wobbling a bit on her bad leg, Trixie joined Night Light and Twilight Velvet, who were already together. Vinyl Scratch extracted herself from a the pile of ponies she was buried under and she too, made her way to the others. 

Lemon Hearts tried to get up to help, but Seville pulled her back down. 

Four immensely powerful unicorns came together, standing in the middle of the car, facing one another. Twilight Velvet’s horn glowed with a fierce intensity and the whole train car was filled with a powerful thrumming that made Sumac’s teeth vibrate in his jaw. The inside of the train car began to frost over and ice crept up the walls and over the ceiling. Night Light’s horn was set ablaze and a powerful shield spell lined the train car, pushing upwards where the ceiling was starting to buckle and melt. 

Trixie and Vinyl both added their magic to the group effort and then the four unicorns just stood there, unmoving, eyes closed, all of them locked into deep concentration. Even with the powerful magic, it was still hot in here. The ice melted and steamed even as new ice formed to replace it. Sumac could see waves of heat shimmering from the walls. 

“Kid, it’s gonna be okay,” Gosling said in a reassuring voice. “Do you know why?” 

“Why?” Sumac asked, grateful for the distraction. Gosling’s voice was muffled, but he could make it out. 

“Because I’m pretty,” Gosling replied in a cocky voice as Hotspur groaned. 

“I don’t see how being pretty will save us.” Sumac narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He looked up in time to see Hush rolling his eyes. 

“Well, see, I’m pretty and Princess Celestia wants to have pretty little foals with me. I’m an asset. She wants the best lookin’ foals, and who can blame her? I’m so good lookin’ she sent her dragon friend to save me.” Gosling gave a comforting squeeze to the little foal he was holding. 

Sumac rolled his green eyes so hard that he almost pulled a muscle. He liked Gosling, but the pegasus was a little full of himself. Sumac looked up at the pegasus holding him, and then realised what a risk that Gosling was taking by not wearing his helmet. He had nothing to protect his head, his face, his good looks. If something bad happened, Gosling was vulnerable. 

Gosling, the pretty pegasus, had put his good looks on the line. His fine features were at risk. While Sumac didn’t understand all of it, there was just too much going on right now to have a good think, he realised that there was more to his pegasus protector than just good looks. Of course, there had to be. Princess Celestia wouldn’t marry a pony just for his good looks, would she? 

The ceiling continued to ripple and sag. The train lurched so hard that for a moment, Sumac was certain that it was going to derail. It had leaned over so far to one side that Sumac had started to slide over the smooth metal floor. At the moment of no return, when he was certain that the train would fall over, something slammed into it and set it back on the rails. At the moment of impact, there were a few screams in the train car, Sumac among them.

Blinking, sweating, almost soaked, Sumac realised that the explosive bombardment upon the train had ceased. He could still hear explosions outside, but the incendiary harpy eggs were no longer hitting the train, as far as he could tell. Sweat poured into his eyes and stung them. He was no longer clean, conditioned, and super fluffy. 

“Pray with me, Sumac—” 

“What?” Sumac squirmed in Gosling’s embrace, confused. 

“It’s a first tribes thing.” Hotspur leaned over and wrapped a foreleg around Gosling. “Just be respectful and go along with it, Sumac.” 

“Okay.” Sumac just sat there and didn’t know what to do. He was roasting, sweating, cooking inside of a rolling iron oven and being held by a pretty, pretty pegasus who wanted to pray. Well, it probably couldn’t hurt anything. What did he have to lose?

“Close your eyes,” Gosling whispered, and somehow, it was heard over the horrible din. 

Doing as he was told, Sumac closed his eyes and felt Hotspur lean up against him. He was secure in a fortress made of fine fighting pegasi, wearing the best armor a soldier could hope for. There were four unicorns holding back the wrath of dragonfire. 

“Oh beloved alicorns up on high,” Gosling began in a low voice, “hear my prayer. Today, as with many other days, we faced our deaths, but you intervened. You heard our cries for help and sent a trusted protector. Once again, you have preserved us, and once again, we are obligated to prove ourselves worthy of you.” 

A strange feeling of utter calm overcame Sumac. It no longer mattered that the train might be melting, or that there was a fierce battle outside. The sound of Gosling’s voice was soothing, so soothing that Sumac almost felt sleepy. 

“We can’t even begin to imagine the many things you do to keep all of us safe. You love us all and desire our prosperity. Thank you, oh gracious alicorns up on high, for preserving your loyal and dedicated protectors, and giving us another precious day to serve you and protect that which you hold dear. With my last breath I shall serve you. Sun and Moon preserve us, Friendship guide us, and let Love sanctify us.” 

When Gosling fell silent, Sumac kept his eyes shut and took deep breaths. He felt better, but he couldn’t say or explain why. All fear had fled from him, his terror now gone. This was, for Sumac, an entirely new experience, and there was some strange magic present that he could feel, but not explain. 

Opening his eyes, Sumac said, “I feel funny.” 

“Yeah kid, I did too the first time Gosling did that. The first tribes, they worshipped the alicorns. I’s startin’ to think they knews something that the rest of us schmucks didn’t.” Hotspur’s armor creaked as he gave Gosling a hug. “Maybe they was right.” 

“The dragonfire is gone,” Twilight Velvet said in voice filled with relief. 

“We’ve been cleansed in fire and found worthy,” Gosling whispered as he gave Sumac another squeeze. “Everything is gonna be fine now, kid.” 

For some reason, Sumac believed what Gosling said. Everything was going to be fine. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 59
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	At long last, Sumac felt the train slowing. It was over, it was finally over. His head felt heavy, he was still wearing Gosling’s helmet, but it was fatigue that made his body feel like lead. Beside him, Lemon Hearts lay in a heap on the floor, no longer throwing up, but miserable. Sighing, he leaned against Trixie and said the only thing that came to mind. 

“It’ll be nice to go home.” 

As he spoke, he felt Trixie stiffen. Sumac turned his head and looked up at her. Her bandaged face scrunched and wrinkled as she looked down at him. Sumac felt a new heaviness in his heart and his ears perked as he waited to hear what Trixie had to say, his heart sinking down, down into his bowels. He already had an idea of what had happened. 

“The house is gone,” Trixie said, her voice hitching. “It… it… there was a big battle just after we sent you away… the harpies shelled it.” 

“Oh.” Sumac was too weary to say much else. 

“Come and stay with us.” Tarnish’s words were both loud and kind. “That is, if our house is still standing. We, we being the four of us, we just bought a house located in the north of Ponyville—”

“No, Tarnish.” 

“Trixie Lulamoon, for once, would you just let me save you without a lot of headache or hassle? I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life trying to be your friend and you keep giving me the brush off.” Tarnish sounded more than a little annoyed. 

Letting out a pained whine, Trixie closed her good eye and shook her head. “Tarnish, it’s not that simple… we’ll be fine. Twilight has given us a room in the castle until a new house can be built for us.” 

“I guess you lost your new wagon, too,” Tarnish said, his voice a pained whisper. 

“Yes, Tarnish, it burned to ash, just like everything else.” 

“I’m sorry.” Tarnish shook his head. “Please… please, come and stay with us. I like you, Trixie, and I just want to be your friend.” 

“Trixie finds you attractive.” Lemon Hearts’ words were a slurred drawl. 

“Lemon Hearts!” Trixie squeaked. “How could you?” 

“Um, concussion?” Lemon curled up even tighter and let out a pained groan.

Tarnish chuckled and the sound made an echo inside of the armored train car. “Trixie, that doesn’t stop us from being friends. Friends can find one another attractive. Why, Maud and myself, we crossed that bridge with Octavia and Vinyl a long time ago. We were honest with one another and told one another how we felt. Our friendship survived.” 

“No, Tarnish, I can’t impose. We’ll be fine.” Trixie opened up her eye and her head hung down from fatigue. The sound of her swallowing could be heard throughout the train car and she did it several times. Her barrel hitched up and down a bit, but she somehow kept her composure. 

“I have only ever wanted to be your friend,” Tarnish said. “You and I, we’re not so different. We found ourselves on the road and we have so much in common. Trixie, why can’t you just let somepony help you?” 

“I let Lemon Hearts help me.” Trixie shook her head and gripped Sumac. 

Feeling torn, Sumac didn’t know what to say. He wanted to stay with Tarnish, but he didn’t dare say anything. Trixie was already having a hard time and he didn’t want to make things worse. Pebble was giving him a strange look. Turning his head, he looked at Twilight Velvet, but she appeared to be resting and was silent. Trixie, his mother, still had some pride, and Sumac, even at the tender age he was, understood that it was not a good pride. He turned to Pebble once more, pleading in silence for her help. 

“Tarnish, I appreciate your offer, I really do,” Trixie began, “but I think Lemon Hearts and I will be fine for a while in Twilight’s castle. We both work there and Sumac goes to school there. I’ll feel safer within those walls.”

“I understand.” Tarnish gave a solemn nod of his head. “But, you are coming to stay with me as my guest during the winter break. No excuses. I can make you feel safe too, just give me a chance.” 

“Tarnish, I—” 

“Trixie Lulamoon, bring Lemon Hearts and Sumac and come and share a bed with us.” Octavia smiled. “It is a quaint Trottingham tradition.” 

“Very well, I accept.” Trixie clutched Sumac and crushed him to her. “We’ll come and stay with you during the winter break. By then, hopefully, things will have calmed down.” Lifting her head, she looked over at Tarnish and the ponies around him. “So, I guess you are settling in for a spell in Ponyville?” 

“Maud is taking a teaching position for a time with Twilight. So is Octavia. Vinyl still needs time to recover.” Tarnish looked at the mares around him, and both Maud and Octavia nodded their heads. “In Manehattan, Octavia had an IVF procedure done… and Maud and I… well, she’s expecting. We bought the house because we needed a spot to stay for about a year. ” 

Gasping, Trixie covered her mouth with her hoof. She stared at Tarnish with her good eye, then looked at Maud. Sumac did the same, but then he also focused on Pebble, who seemed to have no reaction whatsoever. 

“Aside from my family and those I love being comfortable, I needed a spot close to the Everfree. Baltimare Downs University has requested that I do a survey and a study of the flora found there. Tree Hugger has graciously funded the project, and Limestone will be working as my liaison. I, uh, still need some research assistants, actually. The Everfree is a scary place and so far, nopony has agreed to work with me.” 

“Daring Do will be along in the spring and there will be a big dig around the old Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.” Octavia reached out and stroked Pebble’s ears. There was a loud screech and Octavia pulled Pebble closer to her. “We’re stopping, I think.” 

The train gave a powerful lurch and Sumac would have toppled over had Trixie not been holding him. The metallic screech grew louder and the whole train shuddered. The smell of hot metal filled Sumac’s nose, which competed with the sweaty, smoky aroma, and the stench of cooked vomit. 

“I’m beat, kid,” Gosling said as he scratched his neck with his hoof. “Looks like you are too. Look, I hate to break it to you, but your watch is just starting. When yous get home, when yous get a room yous call home, yous got two fine looking mares to look after. I think the yellow one will be fine, but she’s gonna need a caretaker, somepony like you. As for the blue one—” 

“Gosling, be careful, the blue one is dangerous,” Twilight Velvet warned. 

“—the blue one is gonna need a lot of hugs and somepony telling her what a great mom she is.” Gosling smoothed back his sweaty, clumped mane and gave his head a shake. “Yous got obligations, kid. Ain’t no rest for us good lookin’ stalliony types.” 

Looking Gosling in the eye, Sumac gave the pegasus a solemn, serious nod. In his embrace, Boomer squirmed, let out a fitful, muted honk, and went still. Gosling might have sounded a little silly, but Sumac took his words with all due seriousness. Colt though he might be, he was the male in both Trixie and Lemon Hearts’ life. It was time to step up. 

“I want out of this tin can.” Hotspur reached out, slugged Gosling on his backplate, and there was a noisy clang. “And I want away from yous, ‘cause ya stink, ya mug, nyuck nyuck nyuck.” 

“Oy, a wise feather.” Reaching out, Gosling straight-legged Hotspur and clipped him on his helmeted head. 

“Why yous… goose-brained good for nuttin’ princess kisser!” Hotspur gave his friend a shove and Gosling bounced off of Hush, right back into Hotspur, who punched him again. “Why, I oughta punch yous in your princess kissing mouth!” 

Annoyed, Hush reached out one wing and slapped Hotspur across the muzzle. 

“Good for nuttin’ double crosser!” Hotspur lifted up his armored hoof and shook it at Hush in a threatening manner. “Why I oughta…” 

Unable to stop himself, Sumac giggled and he could feel his mother shaking with silent laughter. From over in Tarnish’s direction, he heard more laughter, a soft, cultured laugh that was unmistakably Trottingham in origin and sounded a little nasal. 

“Oh please, not this again.” Night Light rolled his eyes. “Will the four of you just act normal for once? The last time this happened you dragged poor Princess Celestia into it and she ended up slapping all of you. A pie was thrown at dinner, for crying out loud.”

“We’re not normal ponies, we’re morons,” Seville replied in a cheerful voice. 

“I’m not a moron, ya numbskull!” Hotspur reached over and slapped Seville on the back of his helmeted head with his armored hoof.

“Hey, that’s tribalist!” Seville reached over and with his earth pony strength, he retaliated. He slapped Hotspur so hard that Hotspur’s helmeted head bonked into Gosling’s unprotected and unhelmeted head. There was a hollow sounding conk upon impact and Gosling let out a very goose-like honk of righteous indignation.

“Yous lousy good for nuttin’ dimwits! Ya rattled my brain box, ya mugs!” Gosling raised his wing and started to extend it, but Twilight Velvet clearing her throat stopped him. 

“You stick out your primary to make an obscene gesture in front of these foals, and I will pluck it out.” She cleared her throat again. “Now, will you four please behave? You were all doing so well, before this lapse of maturity.” 

“I’ll deal wit’ yous mugs later.” Gosling gave his friends a dark look and his lower lip protruded in a pout. After a few seconds, his dark look vanished and Gosling started laughing, big belly laughs that echoed through the train car. 

Sumac smiled. These were the heroes that Equestria both needed and deserved. 



 

With a moue of disgust, Twilight Velvet shook her head at the door that refused to open. It had melted a bit and had become misshapen, thus refusing to budge. She let out a soft whinny of annoyance, stepped aside, and said, “Hush, do be a dear and open this for me, please? It is being obstinate, and I don’t have the patience left to deal with obstinate.” 

Hush moved in front of the door, lifted up one front hoof, and gave it a good punch. It clanged, but did not open. The big brute of a lunar pegasus let out a bellow, lifted his front hoof once more, and this time, he put some feeling into it. The door, several inches thick and made from tempered steel, was never made to endure the angry bashings of a draconic pegasus. 

It was ripped clean off of its hinges and fell down into the dirt outside. Being the gentlepony that he was, he then stepped aside and allowed Twilight Velvet to exit the car. He even bowed his head as she departed, and he was rewarded with an appreciative smile. It was all Hush needed, as Hush was a simple pony, with simple needs. 

“Why, thank you, Hush, you are such a dear… if only you had better friends.” As she stepped down, Twilight Velvet winked. 



 

Stepping off of the train, Sumac looked up and saw the stars. He took a few more steps to be out of the way, and then froze, still looking up. He was thankful to see the stars. Hearing the clank of metal, Sumac looked for the source and saw something that took his breath away. Wide eyed, he stared at Princess Celestia. 

She was wearing heavy black armor, very much like the armor that the soldiers on the train were wearing. She was big, intimidating, and a massive hammer floated in the air beside her. The hammer’s head was as big as a barrel and looking at it made Sumac feel very, very small. As for Princess Celestia herself, she no longer looked thin and delicate, her armor made her appear massive, bulky, and dangerous. 

The little colt was overcome with a sense of reverence. He fell down before the armored alicorn and closed his eyes. Clinging to his horn, Boomer let out a honk. Sumac, who went still, tried to think of something to say to Princess Celestia, who stood there, towering over him, and looking down at him. She was no longer just a princess to him, she was an armored goddess who answered prayers and sent help to those in need. 

“I am DONE wearing this armor!” Gosling shouted as he stomped away. 

Disoriented, confused, Sumac lifted his head. Much of Ponyville was in ruins. Princess Celestia was still standing before him, looking magnificent. Gosling was tearing away and kicking off his armor, cursing and mumbling the entire time. Looking up at Celestia, he saw that she was looking over at Gosling. 

There was a splash as Gosling threw himself into a nearby pond. The pegasus submerged for a moment, and then exploded up out of the water. He threw his head back, his soaked mane was flung back from his head, and a thousand water droplets sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight. Sumac could hear gasps from all around him, including one from Princess Celestia herself. 

“A mare can only be so gay,” Lemon Hearts said in a muffled, muted voice. 

“Lemon!” Trixie’s voice sounded embarrassed. 

“Miss Lulamoon, look at that. No harm in looking. Hubba hubba!” 

“Lemon…” 

“I’m concussed, so I have an excuse to act weird. He’s pretty, Miss Lulamoon, like you are pretty.” 

“You think I’m pretty?” 

Sumac didn’t see what the big deal was or why everypony was now looking at Gosling, who was swimming around in the pond, looking like some ugly duckling. He looked at the train and saw that much of it was melted. Parts of it sagged and were misshapen. The grey metal was now blackened and sooty. 

Turning his head, that was when he saw the dragon. As big as a castle, the dragon had landed in a safe spot a fair distance away. Seeing the dragon, Sumac felt tiny, like a bug. While most ponies were staring at Gosling and making a big deal, Sumac stared at the dragon that had saved him from the harpies. 

“Welcome home, Sumac Apple. I am quite relieved that you are safe, and I am very happy to see you.” Princess Celestia’s voice held the warmth of the sun. “That is Gorgonzola over there, and she is a close friend of mine. We have tea together.” 

How was that even possible? Craning his head around, he stared up at Celestia in astonishment. Shoving all of his confusion and his jumbled thoughts out of his brain, Sumac’s eyes narrowed as he now stared up at Princess Celestia. 

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Please?” 

“Oh.” The princess sounded surprised. “Questions?” 

“Please?” 

“Very well, Sumac Apple, Lantern Bearer. Ask me your questions.”

Emboldened, Sumac addressed his monarch. “Was it you that threw a pie at dinner?” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 60
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Well, at the time,” Celestia replied, “Night Light was being a stick in the mud.” The princess smiled and it was like the sun shining at midnight. Her horn flashed for a moment and a barrier appeared around both her and Sumac. Still beaming, she gave Sumac a nod and a wink. 

“You… you’re teasing me.” 

“Perhaps.” 

Sumac, following Trixie’s advice, prepared himself for more questions. Always start off with something silly or meaningless to disarm a pony, and then move in with the hard stuff. A pony, especially a five year old, could throw another pony off of their mental balance with the right questions. Sumac wanted answers. Everypony, his mother included, were all looking at Gosling as he paddled around in the pond. 

“We prayed to you and I felt strange. Why?” Sumac stared upwards at his monarch, his eyes blinking behind his smudged, dirty glasses. Clinging to his horn, Boomer yawned. Sumac forced his brain to calm down and collect itself so he could ask the right questions and not look stupid. He hated looking stupid. 

“Oh dear…” Princess Celestia shook her head. “That’s been happening more and more lately, and it seems to be centered around Gosling. My most sincere apologies, Sumac, but I fear that I do not have an answer as to what is going on. It is a mystery to me.” 

Squinting, Sumac tried to figure out if the princess had lied to him. She seemed honest, but it was hard to tell. He didn’t want to come right out and accuse her of lying, but he desperately wanted the truth. The moment of prayer had been a life changer for him, and he wanted to make sense of it. 

“Honest Apple?” Sumac asked, invoking the most sacred oath he knew. 

“Oh!” Celestia looked startled. She yanked her helmet off of her head and it drifted beside her, near the hammer. “Oh, you went there, did you?” Snorting, she lowered her head down until her lips were almost touching Sumac’s ear, which twitched and fidgeted as she breathed on it. After taking a deep breath, she whispered, “I am an Apple too. Honest Apple.” 

Mouth falling open, Sumac’s legs wobbled as he looked up at his princess. She wasn’t lying. His brain went on red alert, trying to figure out how that worked and what to do about this new knowledge. “Are you… are you my grandmother?” 

Lifting her head, Celestia drew herself up to her full height. She looked left, then she looked right, as if she was checking to see who might have been around, and then she returned her attention to Sumac. She lowered her head once more and kept going, right up to the point where her snoot bumped into Sumac’s. 

“Boop!” Celestia’s whisper was a little theatrical. “I love to boop my distant grandfoals.” 

“Are you teasing me again?” Sumac asked in a reverent, whispering voice. 

“Oh, many, many times have I contributed to the Apple bloodline,” Celestia replied, her muzzle just inches from Sumac’s. “Their connection to the sun allows them to grow the best apples, and they get just a little bit of my strength, too.” Celestia let out an almost foalish sounding giggle and shook her head. “But these aren’t the questions you wanted to ask me, Sumac Apple. I do believe you are trying to disarm me. Trixie taught you well.” 

Blushing, Sumac turned away and looked down at the ground as his glasses once again fogged over. He felt a little outsmarted, but he wasn’t about to give up. He had one very important question that he had to ask. Summoning his courage, he looked up and stared Princess Celestia in the eye. 

“What do you know of destiny?” 

“The lantern awakened you.” 

“How did you know?” Confused, Sumac tried to make sense of things, and had a glimmer of understanding that he was in over his head. Now, the question remained, and he was stuck not knowing if Celestia would tease him and avoid answering, or if she would tell him, but do so in a way that he didn’t understand it. 

“I felt a ripple in the astral realms, and it was focused upon you. For a time, you had a form of second sight. You saw the world as I see the world.” Reaching out with her wing, Celestia touched Sumac’s cheek. “What you saw troubled you, yes? Filled you with questions?”

“Yes,” Sumac admitted. 

“You saw too small a picture”—Celestia once again touched her snoot to Sumac’s—“without understanding what it was that you were seeing. That’s dangerous, Sumac Apple. It can twist and distort the views of one not ready to take in what they saw. You have hurt yourself, without even realising injury and I suppose it falls upon me to try and patch up your booboos.” 

“I’m hurt?” Sumac didn’t understand, not at all. 

“Your perceptions have forever been altered, and not in the best of ways. Given time, it could retard your growth.” Celestia’s voice was loving, gentle, and kind. “You saw something you were not ready to see, without knowing the context. Now, your concept of ordinary and extraordinary have been forever changed.” 

“I saw Pebble as an alicorn.” 

“I know.”

“You know?” 

“Of course I know.” 

“So what does it mean? What is destiny?” 

“Destiny is a seed… an apple seed. Given the right conditions, it grows and becomes something magnificent. Not every seed that is planted grows, but some do. Many do. But some grow up to become something special.” 

“Like a zap apple tree?” Sumac asked, trying to understand. “They’re different than an apple tree.” 

“That works for our purposes,” Celestia replied, her brows furrowing. “Maybe.” 

“Keep going,” Sumac begged. 

“Destiny is a funny and complex thing, but it all comes down to living up to your potential. All of it. Let me show you something, Sumac Apple, but you must never speak of this.” 

“Honest Apple!” 

“Yes, Sumac, Honest Apple. Invoke the ancient magic that I have instilled in your kind, for that magic comes from me… I was once the Element of Honesty, you know. Now, take a deep breath…” 

Doing as he was told, he sucked in wind, waited, and blinked his eyes. Celestia’s horn touched his, with Boomer lifting up her leg so that Celestia might make contact. He felt a spark and he felt Boomer wiggle, as she too felt the magic. There was a brief instant of pain just behind his eyes, almost like an ice cream headache. He recovered, and blinked again… 

And the world was a very different place. He felt his head being turned by some outside force, and he found himself looking at Pebble. Once again, he saw the alicorn Pebble as well as the regular Pebble, but he also saw—Maud. She too, had an alicorn aspect. Octavia also had an alicorn doppleganger. 

The world came into sharp focus, and Sumac saw lots of ponies who were hidden alicorns all around him. Gosling had an alicorn aspect. Ponies Sumac didn’t know had them, pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. Mister Cake, who was pulling a wagon behind him, had one. The world was full of hidden alicorns, perhaps just waiting to happen. Sumac didn’t understand any of it. His eyes found Twilight Velvet and sure enough, she too, had an alicorn aspect. 

Most peculiar of all, was Trixie, who hadn’t had wings when he had looked at her earlier this very day. He stared at his mother, feeling befuddled and confused. What was going on? Why had she changed? What had changed her? Why was she different now? A million questions rose up in his mind and threatened to overwhelm him. 

“Trixie had an awakening upon the train. She began to believe. Oh, she knew that she had potential, but on the train ride home, she began to believe in earnest.” Celestia’s lips brushed up against Sumac’s ear as she spoke and it quivered at her touch. 

Sumac took everything in, trying to comprehend how he now saw the world. His mother had changed, which meant that… he could change. He did not yet have an alicorn aspect of his own, but he could, later. The thought humbled him. 

As he tried to process what he was seeing, his gaze fell upon Tarnish. Now, Sumac didn’t know Tarnish all that well, but he knew that Tarnish was a hero. Tarnish was brave, Sumac had heard stories. Sure, Tarnish had been in trouble, but being in trouble didn’t stop one from having potential, did it? 

“Your thoughts are very troubled,” Celestia whispered. “They concern me. For being so young, you have such a meaningful understanding of the world around you. No, Tarnish is not held back because he got himself into trouble. No… Tarnish’s trouble is his self confidence, which is made of glass. It holds him back more than anything. Mister Teakettle can be very, very brave for others, but when it comes to himself, he quite easily succumbs to his fear.” 

“Octavia… what makes her so special?” Sumac asked, changing the subject, and feeling as though he had invaded something very private and personal about Tarnish. 

“Inspiration.” Celestia breathed the word. “She does not shy away from anything. Good, bad, pleasure, suffering, she embraces it all and allows every fibre of her being to experience it She takes those experiences, internalises them, and makes them beautiful. That is where her music comes from. More than that, she inspires others. So many find themselves and their own potential through her music. So many come to terms with who and what they are by listening to the music that she creates. Aside from that, Octavia’s inspiration has saved the lives of so many.” 

“Saved their lives?” Sumac blinked and tilted his head as he looked at Octavia, who seemed to be comforting Pebble at the moment. 

“Many, many suicides have been prevented by her music. She has no idea. But many have found the inspiration to keep living after tragic, painful events. Octavia has embraced her inspiration, and by doing so, she has changed the lives of those around her. It is not enough to embrace what makes you special for your own benefit.” 

“And what of Pebble?” Sumac asked. 

“Sumac, while I know that you would never intentionally break your promise to remain silent about this, she is your friend. Secrets tend to slip out among friends. I am sorry, little one, but Pebble must remain a mystery to you.” Using her wing, Celestia stroked Sumac’s cheek. “I will tell you this one thing though, she realised her potential on the day that she met you. You brought out the very best in her, Sumac Apple, and that is, perhaps, the single greatest act that a best friend can do for another.” 

Eyes watering, Sumac wasn’t sure if he wanted to start crying again. He had already cried far too much today, and yesterday. “What about Maud?” 

“Maud is The Rock.” Celestia nodded her head. “She is The Rock for so many, Tarnish first and foremost, but also for her friends, her family, and those closest to her. She has realised her potential and she has embraced it. It defines her existence and she knows who, and what, she is. And if you let her, she will be The Rock for you as well. Your life will be greatly improved if you give her a chance to be your friend.” 

“There is so many.” Sumac felt very small and tiny as he looked at the world around him with now opened eyes. “There are just so many. Mister Cake… he’s… I can’t even imagine what it might be, but it must be something wonderful. We all have… we all have this greatness in us… and… and… I guess… we just… have to… believe in ourselves?” 

“That’s part of it, Sumac Apple. Now, I think you’ve seen enough. I bet that you are one tired little foal and it is way past your bedtime—” 

“No, I don’t want to sleep!” Sumac’s entire mood shifted and he became panicked. “Bad dreams… falling… no… no… I don’t want to sleep!” 

Letting out a sad sigh, Celestia pressed her lips to Sumac’s ear and kissed him. “Little Sumac, as long as you cling to this fear, you will be held back. It will stunt your growth and keep you from what you are meant to be.” 

“But I fell! It wasn’t my fault! The ground was rushing up and everything was just…” Sumac’s words trailed off. He shook his head. “I don’t want to dream about it again.” 

“Sumac Apple… I shall ask you one question… what good are wings to those afraid to fly?” 

“But Pebble has realised her potential and she’s terrified of leaving the ground!” Sumac’s emotions whiplashed once more and this time, instead of sadness, he felt rage. “That’s not FAIR! IT’S NOT FAIR!” He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold back the flood of tears that he knew were coming. 

Ashamed, his neck on fire and his guts churning, Sumac was unable to hold it back. Everything boiled out and he let out a foalish wail of agony. As he collapsed within himself and began sobbing, he felt himself lifted in magic that felt like warm sunshine against his body. Filled with bitterness, seething with rage, Sumac bawled and let everything out in a flood. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 61
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A ten thousand word essay for having a potty mouth felt a little excessive, but there wasn’t much Sumac could do about it. He scratched away with a dull pencil, distracted, unable to keep track of how many words he had thus far. Only a few hundred, maybe, and he knew he was off to a terrible start. Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Ponyville, had threatened to wash out his mouth with a special poo-flavoured soap made just for potty mouths. How much worse could his life become? 

Frustrated and unable to find the words to keep going, Sumac threw down his pencil and shoved his paper away from him. Twilight’s castle didn’t have a dungeon, no, it had a detention wing. Scowling, he looked up at the blackboard where he had written the words, “I am a rotten colt with a rotten potty mouth and I can’t do fractions” one hundred times. 

There were no windows in the detention wing, just oversized classrooms with enormous blackboards and overhead lights that burned his eyeballs. This was a miserable experience. Not only did he have detention, but he also had to wear a black leg band with the words, “Detention Dweller” in bright red lettering for all to see. 

There was a creak as the door opened and Sumac lifted up his head. Perhaps Headmistress Twilight might have some mercy for him, but he doubted it. He had committed the unforgivable sin, he had used magical curses. Hexes, curses, jinxes, all bad business and forbidden. Of course, Sumac had used magical curses in the form of curse words, thus casting an unforgivable spell, and all of Ponyville had witnessed it. Curses were made by intent, Sumac knew this, he was an apt pupil, and his potty mouth was more than just swearing, he had used curse words, dark magic funneled through his mouth and unleashed upon his enemies.

Two pegasi wearing armor appeared, and Sumac knew them both. Hotspur and future prince Gosling stood just inside of the door, both glaring, and Sumac tried to swallow the dry lump in his throat. Twilight’s detention guards were a bit scary looking, and they were armed with wooden yardsticks. Yardsticks. 

“Sumac Apple, you have slacked off on your essay, come with us,” Hotspur commanded. 

Fearful, Sumac did as he was told. He slipped out of the desk, down to the floor, and dragging his hooves, he went over to where the pair of pegasi stood. They stepped aside and both extended a wing to point at the door. Doing as he was bid, Sumac went for the door, and as he did so, he felt a yardstick come down right on his plot in a painful, stinging blow. 

“$#@&!” Everything around Sumac smoked from his blurted expletive, including the ears of the guardsponies escorting him to his fate. Just as he was about to apologise, the yardstick landed again, crisscrossing the welt left behind by the first blow. “@$$!” 

Whimpering, Sumac tried to stop the terrible, curse words from leaving his mouth. Turning his head around, he could see that the tips of Gosling’s ears were on fire, like two burning candles, and the stench of burning hair filled the room. Knowing his backside was in mortal peril, Sumac Apple got moving, not wanting another blow to land. He hurried through the door and bit down on his own tongue to keep his magic from escaping him. 

Hotspur’s armored hooves rang out like death knells on the tile floor and his voice was the voice of doom. “Sumac Apple, you have brought this terrible fate upon yourself. May Celestia have mercy upon your soul…” 



 

Sumac Apple had hot crossed buns. Searing welts rose from his flesh and the very fires of Tartarus burned within his lumpy, now lopsided backside. He walked down the hall with his head hung low, and every now and then, he would get another whack across his backside with a yardstick from Hotspur or Gosling. Ahead of him, two double doors opened and Sumac could see into the main hall. 

It seemed as though everypony he knew was there, waiting for him. He stood in the doorway, unmoving, and then yelped when he felt a yardstick add a fresh welt to his backside, which was now lumpier than Trixie’s oatmeal. Whimpering, Sumac continued forwards, feeling ashamed, and not wanting to meet the eyes of those whom he had disappointed. 

Ahead of him, Pebble awaited. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and a crown of daisies. She looked disappointed too and Sumac could only stare into her eyes for a second before having to look away. As he walked down the aisle, Cloudy brought an enormous wooden spoon down right on his zap apple cutie mark. He lept away, his lower lip quaking, and let out a bleating cry of pain. 

“Sumac Apple, you channeled dark magic!” Princess Celestia stood upon the raised dais where Pebble waited. “You knowingly used curses, focusing said dark magic into words of power, and you unleashed a reeking evil into the air of Ponyville! What do you have to say for yourself?” 

Taking a deep breath, Sumac prepared to apologise. Or, as Applejack might say, apple-ogise. He stood at the base of the dais, at the foot of the stairs, looking up at the almighty princess who seemed to be a bit peeved with him. He swallowed, fearing for his life and his backside. Luna had spent a thousand years on the moon. Discord had spent a thousand years as a statue. Sumac couldn’t even begin to imagine how his punishment might fit his crime. 

Not far away, Princess Luna looked very cross, and she was holding a boat oar. Everypony he knew had brought something to spank him with. Paddles, breadboards, boat oars, spoons, spatulas, Sumac shuddered, blinked, and looked up at Princess Celestia. He licked his lips, glanced at Pebble, and then back at the princess. Twilight stood beside Celestia, and she was holding a big black book titled, ‘DETENTION.’ 

Opening his mouth, only one word came out, and what a terrible word it was. “&@@&%!” 

Everypony present flinched at such a vulgar, reprehensible utterance. Trixie and Lemon Hearts both hissed and shook their heads, disappointed. Igneous hefted his pickaxe handle. There was a stinging blow across his backside and Sumac saw that it was Cloudy who had once more paddled his bum. Nearby, Tarnished Teapot was rubbing his own buns and wincing in sympathy.

“Well, Princess Celestia, what shall we do with the little warlock?” Moondancer asked. 

“Arranged marriage,” Princess Celestia replied. “Bring the condemned forwards.” 

Before Sumac could protest, a bit was popped into his mouth and a bridle with blinders was slipped over his head. He felt several agonising blows land against his backside, which now felt as hot as the sun. With a yank, he was pulled forwards, up the stairs, towards his bored looking bride. The bit in his mouth had a terrible metallic, somewhat soapy flavor. 

As he was made to stand beside Pebble, one more indignity was visited upon him. Pebble pulled a big wooden spoon from out of nowhere, and, without saying a word, she brought it down across his buns in a blow so fierce that Sumac almost chomped through the bit in his mouth. 

“Awwanged mawwage,” Celestia said in voice that was quite odd to Sumac’s ears. “Mawwage is wot bwings us togwether, twooday. Awwanged mawwage is a bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dweam—” 

There was a pause as the monarch with a speech impediment took a deep breath. 

“—and wuv, twoo wuv, will fowwow you fowevwa… so tweasah your wuv—” 

“Can we skip to the end and get right down to the paddling?” Granny Smith demanded. “I has me a hankerin’ for some spankerin’! It’s the secret as to how I stay so young and spry! I paddle the dickens right out of Apple Bloom when she’s sassy!” The old green mare let out a riotous laugh.

“Pwebble?” Princess Celestia looked down at the chocolate brown filly wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t want him.” The entire great hall filled with gasps as Pebble shook her head. “He has a potty mouth. I will not marry Prince Turd Tongue the Terrible.” Rolling her eyes, Pebble gave Sumac a shove to get him away from her. “I will not kiss Lord Latrine Lips.”

Sumac fell over from the forceful shove and then fell right through the floor. He was in the sky again, miles up in the air, and Ponyville was a city of teeny, tiny ants far below him. As he plummeted to his death, he realised that arranged marriage and spanking were preferable to his current fate. Detention was a welcome punishment. 

His glowing red buns burned like a second sun, rivaling Celestia’s own miasma of burning plasma. Legs flailing, Sumac fell down to the ground below, screaming through the bit still in his mouth, and wishing that he was back in detention. He was sorry for slacking off on his essay, he was so very sorry, and he wished that he could take it all back. 



 

Blinking, Sumac awoke, sandwiched between two mares. His buns felt fine, but his head didn’t. He tried to recollect everything that had happened and then wished that he didn’t remember anything at all. He had thrown a tantrum in front of Princess Celestia, was carried away, and then had thrown another tantrum when he was thrown into the tub with both Trixie and Lemon Hearts. The little colt only had hazy, half-aware memories of kicking and screaming between the two of them as they scrubbed him. 

After the bath, in the new room they shared, Sumac had let go of his temper again when Trixie had pulled him into the bed with her. There were only two beds in this cramped little room and Lemon Hearts, after a moment of shy hesitation, had crawled into the bed with him and Trixie, and then she had tried to help comfort him. Sumac had no memory of even falling asleep, just Lemon Hearts murmuring to him and stroking his ears while whispering for him to calm down. 

Sumac took stock of his surroundings. Trixie and Lemon were lying almost snoot to snoot, and he was in between them, caught up in a tangle of legs. He would never, ever, under any circumstances, ever admit to this, but this was nice. Like a fuzzy little parsnip poking up out of the furrowed garden rows, Sumac popped up from between the two mares, and moving with as much care as he could muster, he made good his escape. 

Sliding off of the edge of the bed, he landed on the floor and had a look around, using his horn for light. Boomer was wrapped around Lemon’s horn at the moment, and she was sound asleep. His lantern sat on the small wooden table beside the bed. Beside it was Gosling’s guard helmet, which was still a size to fit Sumac. Making almost no noise, Sumac made his way to the door, needing to get out of this stuffy room so he could get some fresh air. 



 

Twilight Sparkle had a big castle and the interior changed to what was needed. With much of Ponyville a ruin, Twilight’s castle had rearranged itself into a shelter for those displaced, forming many rooms, bathrooms, and places to gather. Sumac found himself in a kitchenette, which also had a little dining area. He was not alone during this early morning hour just before the dawn—he found Starlight Glimmer and Olive in the dining area. 

“Hi.” Sumac stood in the entryway, uncertain of how to respond to seeing Olive. She was staring at him with tired looking eyes and Sumac looked over at Starlight, as if hoping for some kind of reassurance. “I saw you in the battle, just before I left.” 

“Yeah.” Olive wiggled in her seat and her ears folded back. The big, mean and green filly looked over at Starlight, then back at Sumac. “My master and I are in a great deal of trouble because of that, actually.” 

“You’re in trouble?” Sumac asked. 

“Well,” Olive replied, “Starlight is in trouble, but I have chosen to share her punishment with her.” As Olive spoke, Starlight gave a nod. “She’s in trouble because she allowed me to go into danger with her. Even though everything turned out fine and I helped to make a difference in the fight, she’s still in trouble.” 

“Yep.” Starlight’s lips made a popping sound to punctuate her lone word. 

“I made a hundred pairs of scissors come to life and then I went after the harpies’ wings,” Olive boasted in a very casual voice, as if she was announcing the time. “I finally got a chance to push my telekinesis to its very limits and nopony did anything to hold me back. It felt good.” Olive shuddered as she said the last word. 

“That’s good.” Sumac didn’t know what else to say. 

“Sumac…” 

Hearing his name and hearing a strange tone in Olive’s voice, the little colt looked at the pony he had once thought his enemy. She looked troubled, fearful even, and she squirmed like she was sitting on a live coal. Starlight, leaning forwards, looked anxious. 

“Sumac, I wanted to say I’m sorry.” 

“I forgive you.” 

Confused, Olive blinked a few times, then shook her head. “Just like that, ‘I forgive you?’ I don’t get it. Aren’t you going to make me work for it? Don’t you hate me? Aren’t you angry?” 

Shrugging, Sumac repeated himself. “I forgive you.” 

“Why? I hurt you! I said crude, insulting things! I was mean and bossy!” 

Nodding, Sumac replied, “Yeah. You did.” 

“I don’t understand. Is this a trick?” Olive’s eyes narrowed. 

“I told you, Olive. Didn’t I tell you?” 

Focused on Sumac, Olive ignored her mentor. “I don’t understand you.” 

“I don’t understand you either, but that doesn’t stop me from forgiving you.” 

“But why? I was terrible… I want you to hate me! It would make me feel better! I want you to—” 

“Olive, that’s enough,” Starlight commanded in a voice that left no room for argument. 

Pouting, looking petulant, Olive turned a withering gaze upon her teacher and mentor. Tears glimmered in the filly’s eyes and her ears trembled as her lower lip quivered. Her barrel hitched up and down, but Olive did not burst into tears, she somehow held it all in. 

Still stiff and not fully awake, Sumac sat down in the chair across the table from Olive. He needed more sleep, he had only slept a few hours, he couldn’t remember when he had a full night’s sleep last, he had been surviving on short naps. He watched as Olive had a silent contest of wills with Starlight Glimmer. 

When Olive looked away, Starlight let out a sigh and said, “Olive, I think if you tried real hard, that Sumac might allow you to be his friend. It would do you a world of good. Do you hear me?” 

“Yes, Master, I hear you.” Olive bowed her head, then turned to face Sumac. “I can’t promise I’ll be a very good friend. I’m still trying to sort things out. I made some mistakes, and I’m sorry.” 

“I can be your friend, but only on one condition.” As Sumac spoke, he saw Starlight raise an eyebrow in concern, but he ignored her and kept going. “Starlight is my friend. I like her. You respect her and you treat her nice. So long as that happens, you and I will be friends.” Sumac took a moment to allow everything to sink in, then added, “I wanted to have Starlight as my Master, but she had to work to sort you out. So you be nice.” 

Olive, her ears drooping and looking very confused, nodded. “I can’t promise that I will, but I can promise that I will try.” 

“Well then, I can’t promise that I will be your friend, but I can promise that I will try.” Sumac managed to make something almost like a smile happen upon his muzzle. He heard a hesitant laugh from Olive and he relaxed just a little bit. “If you try hard enough, I might even talk to Pebble about her being nice to you.” 

Blushing, her ears perking, Olive managed a sincere smile. “I’d like that…” 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 62
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac Apple looked out on Ponyville as the dawn continued its grand and glorious rise. The southern half of town was damaged, the northern half was intact. The invaders had come from the south, so what he saw made sense to Sumac. He sat on the steps of Twilight’s castle, trying to put the pieces together, as he felt that his own life was in ruins. 

Gorgonzola the dragon flew overhead, moving timber, stone, and other supplies from place to place. Princess Celestia, still in armor, moved from place to place, assembling houses. Using her magic, she would lift whole timbers, planks, boards, nails, stone blocks, mortar, along with other bits and bobs, then press everything into a basic frame for a house, which could be finished by others. 

Sumac knew from listening to others that Princess Luna was still in the south, fighting a fierce battle as she drove what was left of the enemy back. Everypony was doing their part. He saw Seville, who was taking pictures of Princess Celestia, both Twilight Velvet and Night Light were helping with construction, using magic to make short work of monumental tasks, and he was pretty sure that he saw Gosling flying in circles around Gorgonzola. Olive and Starlight Glimmer moved from place to place, picking up and removing rubble. Olive really was a telekinetic brute, Sumac saw undeniable proof of that now as she worked. With ease, she picked things up that it would take several normal adult unicorns as a group working together to lift. 

Olive seemed happy—at least, she was smiling as she worked. 

Sumac, five years old, was told to stay out of the way and don’t be underhoof. So, he sat on the stairs, watching the world go by, trying to make sense of what his life, and the lives of others, had become. He wished that he had somepony to talk to. Lemon Hearts was getting some much needed rest, and so was Trixie. The little colt shuddered as he remembered seeing his mother’s face without the bandage just before he was tossed into the tub. No eyelashes, no pelt, and blisters everywhere, including her eyelid. Trixie’s eye had been taped shut, so the eyelid could heal. She had reassured him though that her vision would return. 

“You look sad and that makes me sad.” 

Pinkie Pie, did indeed, sound sad. Sumac turned his head to look at her as she sat down beside him. Pinkie was a little sooty, her mane seemed a bit droopy, and she looked tired. At least her blue eyes still twinkled with some great inner joy. Sumac leaned up against her and was grateful to have somepony close. 

“Where’s Boomer?” Pinkie asked. 

“She wouldn’t leave Lemon. She hissed a bit and sucked in a lot of air to make herself look big and scary.” 

“Ayup, that sounds about right, dragons are super loyal to those they call family. I know that if I’m in trouble, I can always count on Spike. He’s like a second cousin thrice removed… or something. He got beat up a bit in the battle, but he’s fine.” Pinkie Pie let out a huff and shook her head. “Those harpies are meanies. They made me load my party cannon and take part in a live fire exercise.” 

“What? What happened?” 

“That,” Pinkie Pie replied as she pointed to a half demolished building. “My improvised explosives I cooked up in the Cake’s kitchen worked out a whole lot better than I thought they would. Coffee creamer is super flammable and so are harpies.” 

Sumac felt his mouth go dry and he just sat there, not knowing how to respond.

“Those raptorians aren’t very nice either,” Pinkie added as she tapped her chin with her hoof. She sat there, her hoof still tapping, and with a slow turn of her head, she looked at Sumac. “Somepony needs you, Sumac.” 

“I can’t go anywhere,” Sumac said. 

“Oh, I’ve already asked permission for you. Trixie said I can take you anywhere I wanted, just so long as it was safe.” Pinkie Pie reached out and slipped a foreleg over Sumac’s withers. “Pebble says that she has a plan to make you feel all better.” 

Now Sumac felt nervous. He watched as Princess Celestia magicked another house together, producing a frame and basic walls. When had she slept last? He felt exhausted and he needed sleep himself. But he wasn’t about to go to sleep again. Nope. The dreams were nasty. Maybe he could take up a coffee habit. Pinkie was soft against him—she smelled a little like smoke as well as frosting—and Sumac was grateful to rest his head up against her. 

The colt offered no protest when Pinkie Pie picked him up and set him on her back. He slid into place and Pinkie Pie stood up on the stairs. Leaning forwards, he hugged her neck and rested his chin on top of her curly head. There was something about Pinkie Pie. Sure, there were times when she got on his nerves, scared him, or freaked him out, but moments like this one made up for it. 

“You’ve done so much for Pebble, and you don’t even know it. You’ve been a true, true friend, Sumac. And now, she wants to do something nice for you. She told me about it and while I don’t understand all of it, I think she has a good idea.” Pinkie Pie made her way down the stairs, mindful of her passenger. When she hit flat ground, she took off at a smooth gait and said, “Best friends can change the world, Sumac, you must never, ever forget that.” 

“I’ll do my best—” 

“Never ever forget that!” 

“Okay,” Sumac replied, no longer feeling equine, but sheepish. 



 

The house on the outskirts of the north end of town looked a bit rundown. It was also ugly, but Sumac didn’t dare say anything. The middle part of it was stone, like a small castle or something, and then it had a whole bunch of wings and a tower sticking off of it. The tower was a short, squat, wooden affair with a sagging wooden shingle roof. This place looked like a good wind would knock most of it down, with the exception of the stone block section. 

The front gates were laying on the ground and Pinkie walked right over them, mindful not to trip. She walked up to the front doors, opened them, walked inside, and Sumac found that they were in a tiny entry room with more doors ahead. He had never seen an entryway like this one. Pinkie pushed through the second doors and Sumac was slapped in the face by the scent of both coffee and tea. Breakfast was cooking. 

Pinkie passed through a living room with no furniture and into another room that was empty. Then there was a long hallway that was made of stone, which opened up into a small but neat looking foyer, which led out to a greenhouse made of mostly broken glass panels. Sitting in the foyer, was Pebble, who looked a little sleepy. 

“Hi, Sumac,” Pebble deadpanned. 

Slipping off of Pinkie’s back, Sumac hit the stone floor and his hooves clattered. As he was getting his balance, Pinkie Pie went pronking off, whistling to herself. For a moment, he watched her go, and then he gave his attention to Pebble, whom he scooted closer to. Even though he didn’t say it, he wouldn’t say it, he was happy to see her. 

“Home needs a little work, but I like it here. We also need furniture. And a roof in some places. And windows. The greenhouse isn’t much to look at either.” Pebble let heave a sigh of compressed ennui. “I had trouble sleeping last night. I kept waking up from bad dreams. After a while, I just gave up, went to someplace nice, and had myself a good think. And I had a good idea.” 

“And that is?” Sumac asked. 

“Vinyl Scratch,” Pebble replied. 

“What?”

“Vinyl isn’t well. Something really bad happened to her and nopony told me. I’m kinda angry but I’m too happy to have everypony back to be that angry about it.” Pebble slumped over and let out another sigh. “Vinyl was in Manehattan when the trouble happened. She got involved in the fighting and her and Princess Luna had a big tall building thrown at them. Princess Luna saved my aunt Vinyl, but she still had her back broken and she was paralysed—” 

“That’s horrible!” Sumac blurted out. 

Pebble nodded. “Thankfully, the Stiff Upper Lip Society has a few healers around and it took all of them working together, but they put Vinyl back together. She’s not quite the same as she was and I’m worried. Vinyl is supposed to be happy and prankish and annoying and right now, she is none of those things. I think she’s in pain, but she won’t tell me. But, I have a cunning plan.” 

“For what?” Sumac’s ears stood up as he posed his question. 

“I think I know how to make Vinyl happy again and how to help my best friend with something I don’t understand, but I know it is important to you as a unicorn.” Pebble leaned over, placed her muzzle just a few inches away from Sumac, waggled her eyebrows, and said, “You are going to ask Vinyl to be your master.” 

“What?” Sumac was running out of whats to say and he knew it. 

“Now, Vinyl is mute, but she can communicate. You just have to pay attention. If you don’t pay attention, she’ll get annoyed and she’ll get your attention the hard way. She’s sensitive about not being listened to.” Pebble’s eyebrows went still and she pulled away from Sumac. “This will work out great. I’ll get to spend more time with you, you will have a master, Vinyl will be happier, and more importantly, Vinyl can also help keep you safe.” 

Brows furrowing, Sumac considered Pebble’s many words. 

“Did you like my grandparent’s farm?” Pebble asked. 

“Yeah.” Sumac nodded, still thinking about what Pebble had said. He looked over at Pebble and noticed a little curl in her forelock, and even though he would never, ever, under any circumstance say it out loud, he thought that it made her look kinda nice. Pretty even. Pebble might have been a plain looking brown, but Sumac was beige, as Discord had pointed out. 

“Are you about to kiss me or something?” 

“What?” Sumac scrambled away from Pebble. “No!” 

“Well, you were staring into my eyes—” 

“No I wasn’t, I was looking at your curl—oh snot.” Flustered, Sumac sat there, turning a shade of apple red. There was no good way to explain what he had been doing. Pebble was sitting there, blinking her eyes, and for some reason, Sumac thought that she looked vulnerable, but he couldn’t say why. 

“Do you like my curl?” Pebble leaned forwards a bit. “Aunt Pinkie, when she’s happy, her mane curls. And my mother, when she’s happy, her mane curls. And when I convinced Pinkie to go and get you and bring you to me, Pinkie said I had a little curl show up and ask politely to stay. She’s a very silly pony.” Pebble’s face turned a somewhat darker shade of brown. “Pinkie tortured me and tickled me and she extracted a confession out of me that you make me happy.” 

Sumac’s left ear twitched and so did his left eyelid. “Wait, you’re ticklish?” 

“Meep!” Pebble was on her hooves in a fraction of a second and giving Sumac a wary looking stare. “You keep to yourself, Sumac Apple. No touchy touchy.” 

“Aww.” The corner of Sumac’s mouth twitched and it took effort not to smile. “You know, Pebble, we’re not like other foals. We don’t play. We don’t run around. We don’t act silly.” 

“And we’re better for it,” Pebble deadpanned. 

“But we should play around. We should break the rules and run around indoors.” He saw Pebble tensing as he spoke. “We should horseplay and we should tickle—” 

“No, that’s not necessary.” Pebble shook her head and gave Sumac a very stern look. 

“We almost got killed. We were almost murdered. Who knows, something might try to kill us again, and I think I would feel bad if I didn’t at least try to play with you.” As he spoke, he could see Pebble’s nostrils flaring. 

When his horn flared, Pebble made a startling sound. She didn’t laugh. 

“Eeeeee—” 

When Sumac gave her a tickle along the ribs, the sound changed in pitch and volume. 

“—EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” 

Pebble took off like a fuzzy brown cannonball wearing a bright yellow dress and Sumac took off after her, limping a little on his sore front legs. Unknown to either of them, Pebble’s forelock curled up just a little bit more as her hooves clattered over the stone floor. 

For the first time in their relationship, the pair of them acted their age. 
	
> Chapter 63
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Pebble reached the kitchen, her father grabbed her with his foreleg and hauled her into his embrace like a sack of potatoes. She pulled away, resisting for a moment, perhaps out of embarrassment in front of Sumac, but then relented and rested her head against her father’s neck. Sumac just stood there on wobbly front legs, looking around, and taking everything in. 

Pinkie Pie was sitting with Pinny Lane and both of them were doing a crossword puzzle. Octavia, sitting on a cushion on the floor, had a cup of tea held between her hooves. Vinyl was laying on her side with her head propped up on a pillow, sprawled out in a somewhat sunny patch in front of a window. Maud was busy examining the stone floor with keen interest. Sumac felt out of place for some reason and he did not know why.

Lifting her head, Maud asked, “Hey, Sumac, want some relationship advice?” 

“Um…” Sumac responded, “sure? I guess… maybe?” 

Maud, in deadpan, reassured Sumac that everything was okay. “Sumac, this goes for any sort of relationship, so don’t get skittish.” Maud turned to look at Pebble and Tarnish, then focused on Sumac once again. “The real trick of making a relationship work is figuring out how to motivate the other pony into giving you what you want from them without changing who or what they are. Who and what they are form the reason you started a relationship in the first place. Octavia said that was a heavy thing to lay down on a five year old, but Pebble understood it, so I think you can too.” 

Sumac realised this was general relationship advice and wasn’t just about Pebble. He sat down, his brain buzzing, and thought about what Maud had said. A cascade of thoughts filled his mind and for a moment, he forgot why he and Pebble had come to the kitchen. 

“In this group of friends and family, we don’t dumb anything down,” Octavia said, her lips little more than a half an inch from her teacup. “We’re all a bunch of sodding intellectuals and most of us, including Pebble, become downright grumpy if we talk down to one another or say something prattish.” 

Sumac didn’t know what ‘prattish’ meant, but he could guess. In the oven, something smelled wonderful. Maud returned to studying the floor and Sumac had himself a good look around the ancient kitchen. No doubt, Boomer could find a feast of spiders here. In the back of his mind, he thought about the idea that Pebble had sprung upon him. Something on the stove made a flatulent sound as it simmered and Sumac’s stomach growled.

“I hear that you got hurt,” Sumac said to Vinyl, trying to break the ice, and not knowing how to talk to a mute pony. “What happened?” 

“Oh, Vinyl had a building dropped on her. A large building. Princess Luna took the brunt of it… it was very bad, Sumac.” Octavia gazed at the colt over the edge of her teacup. “Vinyl had her back broken just past her front legs. She almost died.” 

“And you got better?” Sumac asked. “You got healed?” 

“Well,” Octavia began, “the healers saved her life, but they really didn’t make her better. She could sort of twitch her legs, but she couldn’t stand on them. She couldn’t feel them at all. She couldn’t feel anything.” 

Brows furrowing, Sumac tried to put the pieces together. “So how are you moving now?” 

“Tarnish.” Octavia let out a sigh as her teacup trembled and she almost sloshed some tea. “Tarnish and his hoodoo effigies and his magic stitches. He could never get them working before, but he got them working for Vinyl. Every day, she gets a little bit better, but it’s slow going.” 

Turning his head, Sumac looked over at Tarnish, who was still holding Pebble. 

“I practice zebra hoodoo and other forms of magic, like minotaur stitch magic. I couldn’t ever get them to work together before. I tried so many times. I still don’t know how I made it work. Intent, I suppose, or force of will. I don’t understand it and neither do the zebras.” Tarnish’s forelegs wrapped a little tighter around Pebble. “I love Vinyl… I mean, as a friend. As a very close and dear friend. And seeing her the way she was… it almost killed me.” 

With a screech of chalk on slate, Vinyl wrote something and held it up for all to see. I got better. The slate floated down to the floor and was set down with a clatter. Vinyl let out a sigh and cast a soulful, emotional gaze in Tarnish’s general direction. 

“I thought that maybe I’d have to go with Daring Do to visit that healing spring off deep in that dreadful jungle again. That last trip we made almost killed both of us and Rainbow Dash. Ahuizotl had that stupid wand that shot shrink rays out of one end and growth rays out of the other… ugh, that was not a nice trip.” 

Eyes wide, Sumac just stared at Tarnish with his mouth hanging open. 

“Quick, somepony close Sumac’s mouth before he eats a bug. There are spiders everywhere.” When nopony did anything, Maud got up, went to where Sumac was sitting, grabbed him, and then pulled him over to where she had been sitting. She sat down and pulled the colt close, making certain that his mouth was closed. 

Now holding Sumac, Maud just sat there, squeezing him, and looking down at the myriad of cracks in the stone floor of the kitchen. Sumac, who under most circumstances, would be trying to escape, made no attempt to do so. It was comforting to be held and there was something about it that made him feel better. 

“I’d like to have a colt,” Octavia said in an absentminded voice, “and with luck, I will.” 

Octavia’s words did not register with Sumac, who was thinking about spiders, Ahuizotl, and whatever cinnamony scented goodness was baking in the oven. He wasn’t even thinking about the question he was supposed to ask Vinyl. Sumac couldn’t think of a more safe place to be than with Maud, sitting with her on her cushion. 

“This is going to be like having twins,” Pinny said as she circled something with her pencil. Lifting her head, the unicorn looked at Pinkie Pie. “Is your Pinkie feeling kicking in yet?” 

“Nope!” was Pinkie’s chirpy, chipper reply. 

“Nuts.” Pinny let out an annoyed huff and continued to look for more words to circle. 

It didn’t take long for Sumac’s thoughts to turn towards other things, like Trixie, Lemon Hearts, and Moondancer, who was now an alicorn of some sort. As he sat there in Maud’s embrace, Sumac suffered a mild freak out over a pony suddenly sprouting wings like that. As his brain chewed on the issue, Sumac realised that flying would be a great skill. Starlight Glimmer could self levitate—she could fly. She had flown while under the influence of his sorcerous amplification, which meant that somewhere in his mind, he had an understanding of how to do it. Maybe? He didn’t know for sure. 

Not falling to his death was high on his list of priorities. 

Looking over at Pebble, Sumac knew that was also on her list of priorities, giving them something in common. His left ear twitched as Tarnish whispered something into Pebble’s ear, he tried to hear it without meaning to do so, and he watched as her ear flickered from her father’s words. Pebble’s face grew darker and she let out a low pitched squeal. Sumac watched as she pushed her father’s face away from her ear, and a strange expression was on her face. 

“Father, no, I will not be moving to the Crystal Empire with Sumac to attend school.” 

“Why not?” Tarnish asked. “It would be safe. Well, safer. There is the occasional yeti up there, ice trolls, ice orcs, and other things, but it is for the most part, harpy free. I know that you could punch an ice orc to death, Pebby Poops.” 

“No.” Pebble folded her forelegs over her barrel and looked very much like her mother. She stared up at her father with half closed eyes and her mouth pinched into a fine, crinkled line. To make things even more clear, she shook her head to express her feelings on the subject. “And no trying to charm me either, I’m onto you. Mother and I discuss your tricks.” 

“That’s not fair,” Tarnish retorted. 

Life wasn’t fair, Sumac thought to himself. 

“Tarnish and I discuss your tricks,” Maud deadpanned. “You’re our little lump of chocolate tyranny, but don’t worry, we love you. We figure that you’ll grow out of your jealousy over us being together.” 

Pebble’s head whipped around and she looked at her mother, her eyes wide, and her nostrils flaring. The filly remained shocked for a few moments, then her eyes narrowed and she continued to glare at her mother with her forelegs folded over her barrel as her father held her. She drew in a deep breath, her barrel expanding, and then she let it all out in loud, pouty huff. 

“Maud, I don’t know about this—” 

“Tarnish, we were told to confront the problem and drag it into the open.” Maud gave Sumac a reassuring squeeze, then added, “Pebble can’t continue being the little dictator that runs our lives. We don’t need to ask her permission to do things. You agonised over our decision to go off and have a foal without seeking Pebble’s explicit approval. That’s not healthy.” 

“I should have a say in these things. They affect me.” Pebble’s voice was low and sulky. 

“You have a right to express an opinion,” Octavia said in a soft voice, “but you are a foal. You are not in charge, I’m sorry. And you’ve reduced your father to an anxious mess by playing upon his ever so fragile confidence.” 

“I didn’t mean to do that.” Pebble looked at Octavia and then up at her father. 

“I dunno,” Tarnish whispered, “a part of me thinks that you did.” 

“If I did, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Pebble replied in a hushed whisper. 

“I can accept that.” Bowing his head, Tarnish kissed Pebble on the nose. “Now, about you and Sumac being special someponies, do I get a say in the matter? No one asked me my opinion on the issue. I feel like I should have a say. You didn’t ask me before you did it. Do you even care about my feelings? Somepony should have asked me how I felt.” 

Pebble grumbled, realising what she had done, and reaching up with her hoof, she booped her father on the nose. “Okay, this feels awful. Is this what I’ve been doing to you and Mother?” 

Tarnish nodded but said nothing. 

“Oh crappity crap, this feels terrible—” 

“PEBBLE!” Pinny, Pinkie Pie and Octavia all said together. 

“Be quiet, I am having a moment of internal awakening and self actualisation and your shouting is making it difficult for me to figure out what I am feeling.” Pebble closed her eyes and buried her face into her father’s neck. Pebble’s barrel began hitching a bit, almost as if she was about to start crying. 

“Crap isn’t a bad word.” Sheepish, worried about reprisal, Sumac looked around the room. “I mean, Trixie says it all the time, usually to avoid saying worse words.” Clearing his throat, emboldened, the colt lifted his head up and his ears stood erect. “I know the difference… I said some bad words. Some real bad words and I had a magic surge through my mouth and I made some harpies go berserk and try to kill everypony and each other and whole bunches of them tried to kill me because of what I said. I cursed so bad that I offended a harpy. What does that say about me?” 

The kitchen was filled with a stunned silence that lasted for what felt like a very long time. The silence was interrupted by wheezing, and when Sumac turned his head, he saw that Vinyl had her eyes squeezed shut. She was clutching her sides and a faint raspy wheezing could be heard. Her hind legs made feeble kicks and her stomach muscles quivered. 

“She’s laughing,” Octavia breathed. “Oh crap, I am so relieved to hear that sound!” 

“Yep, that’s the sound of Vinyl laughing. Sumac can be a funny little guy, usually when he’s trying to be serious.” Pinkie Pie pronked away from the crossword puzzle book she shared with Pinny, bounced across the room, and flopped down upon Vinyl’s cushion with her. Pinkie began hugging the albino unicorn and squeezing her, holding Vinyl as she laughed. 

Lifting a foreleg, Vinyl clung to Pinkie as she laughed, and it was obvious to all that saw her that she was in pain. The laughter was hurting her. Sumac, whose brain told him that he had an opportunity, slipped free of Maud’s gentle embrace and went over to Vinyl’s side. He sat down near Pinkie and Vinyl, and then looked Vinyl in the eye from where he sat, about a foot away from her head. 

Clearing his throat, Sumac summoned his courage. “Vinyl Scratch, will you be my master?” 

The laughter came to an abrupt halt. There was a gasp from Octavia, and another one from Tarnish. Pinkie cranked her head around to stare at Sumac. Pinny put down her pencil. As Sumac sat there, waiting for an answer, something dinged.

“Cinnamon buns are done!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she lept up from off of the floor. “Woohoo! Hot and sticky cinnamon buns! Now it’s time to squirt those buns full of frosting!” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 64
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Suffering from sweaty frogs, Sumac sat there, waiting, aware that almost every pony present was staring at him, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who had pulled the cinnamon buns from the oven and was now fanning them with a newspaper to get them to cool off a bit. Vinyl was just staring at him. He didn’t know her very well and he trusted Pebble that this was a good idea. 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Octavia said in a low voice filled with concern. “Vinyl, this is a lot of responsibility… this isn’t something you can just play around at and then give up on when you get bored.” 

Looking angry and annoyed, Vinyl lifted up her chalk and began writing on the floor, it seemed that her slate wasn’t going to be large enough. Her nostrils flared as she wrote and both of her front legs made feeble twitches. Sumac was forced to get out of the way to give her enough room to write. 

You owe me an apology! You seem to think that I am responsible enough to become a parent, because it is something that YOU wanted, I was hesitant to agree to it, but I allowed you to talk me into it, because it made you happy. But being a mentor? Being a teacher? Being a master? A proud unicorn tradition? I’m not responsible enough for that? You can just bite me! 

The room filled with an uncomfortable tension and Sumac felt bad for bringing this about. He looked over at Octavia, who was slumped over and looked very ashamed. Pinny Lane had her lips pursed together into a tight pucker of anger or annoyance. Tarnish was holding Pebble, and he looked just a little stunned. Maud had no readable expression. Pinkie was still fanning her buns to cool them off. 

Sumac, whose emotions were running a little off kilter as of late, felt tears stinging his eyes. At this moment, right now, he didn’t want to be here anymore. Ignoring the dull ache in his shoulders, he got up and headed for the door as Pebble said something that he could not hear to her father. The little colt never made it to the doorway of the kitchen, something grabbed him by the tail and dragged him back, causing his hooves to scrape over the crude stone floor. 

Much to his surprise, he found himself on Vinyl’s cushion and she was trying to hug him. Her movements were slow, jerky, and pained. She was still staring at Octavia with a heated glare and Sumac allowed himself to be held, fearing that trying to resist Vinyl might hurt her somehow. She seemed fragile and it scared him. 

“I messed up,” Octavia admitted, bowing her head. 

“You sure did,” Maud agreed. 

“I didn’t think my words through and now I find myself in a very bad situation.” Octavia’s voice was hitching and she couldn’t meet the gaze of anypony around her. “I find myself wanting to make excuses for what I’ve done, but as I think about them, I realise how insulting they might sound. So I am left with nothing to do but apologise.” 

As Sumac sat there with Vinyl, the words on the floor vanished into a cloud of chalk dust. 

“I offer my most humble apology.” Octavia lifted her head and looked over at Vinyl. “I messed up. You have every right to be upset with me right now. Even worse, I spoiled this moment for Sumac as well, and I was wrong for doing so. I don’t know what came over me.” 

Vinyl’s chalk began scratching out words on the floor once more. In the past, I have been irresponsible. I have started things and got bored with them. I’ll admit to that. Like my hobby of model trains. Or building ships in bottles. Or wanting to become a steam engine mechanic when I got burned out on music. But I never got bored of you. 

Blinking away tears, Octavia nodded and then wiped her eyes with her foreleg. 

I accept your apology, but you owe me. We’ll discuss my terms later, when we are by ourselves. Vinyl Scratch struggled to sit up a bit more on her cushion and she winced with pain. She wrote down even more words on the floor, not caring about graffiti. As for you, Sumac, I look forward to making your life miserable. 

“Really?” Sumac wasn’t sure what to feel, but feeling alarmed was a good start. 

Vinyl nodded and offered a pained smile. 

Sumac was about to say more when knocking was heard. He lapsed into silence and sat there with Vinyl as Maud got up to answer the door. Vinyl was doing something with his mane, but he didn’t mind. She seemed to be shaping it into a mohawk, something that was certain to get Trixie’s dander up. There were faint voices in the other room, but Sumac couldn’t make them out. The sound of clopping hooves filled the air as Octavia tried to compose herself. 

A second later, an orange blur moved through the kitchen and a somewhat battered Stetson fell down to the stone floor, causing a cloud of chalk dust to rise. Sumac hardly had time to even react as Applejack grabbed him and pulled him out of Vinyl’’s embrace. For a moment, Sumac was certain that he was about to be crushed by the over-emotional earth pony, but was then surprised by her gentleness. 

“I was so scared!” Applejack closed her eyes and began crying on the inside, but a few tears somehow escaped to the outside. “Rainbow just keeps bragging about how awesome she is and how she saved you. For once, I just don’t have the heart to tell her to shut up and stop bragging.”

“I was almost applesauce,” Sumac whispered as Applejack squeezed him. 

“Don’t say that!” Applejack sounded angry and scared all at once. 

“Is Big Mac okay? What about Hidden Rose and Ambrosia? How is Granny Smith?” 

“We’re all fine.” Applejack sniffled a bit and rubbed one foreleg up and down Sumac’s spine. “Granny Smith is looking after my girls and Big Mac is helping to clean up. I was too, but then I found out that you were here and I had to see that you were okay with my own eyes.” 

“Hiya Applejack, wanna stay for breakfast? Apple cinnamon oatmeal and cinnamon buns!” Pinkie Pie, still fanning her hot, steaming buns, turned her head to look at Applejack. With a mock-whisper and an eyebrow waggle, Pinkie Pie said to Applejack, “Somepony has a special somepony!” 

“Say what?” Applejack’s sniffles ceased and her brilliant green eyes went wide. With a slow movement, her head angled downward and she looked right into Sumac’s eyes. She blinked a few times, then asked, “And what do you have to say about this, Cousin?” 

“As Pebble and I were falling to our deaths, I asked her if she wanted to be my special somepony.” Sumac’s voice was a hushed, hard to hear whisper. When Applejack’s snoot pressed into his, he added, “I found myself a sensible earth pony.” 

“Well, I don’t know about sensible.” A relieved grin spread over Applejack’s features, making her cheeks bulge into the bottoms of her eyes. Turning her head, Applejack looked over at Pebble, who was hiding her face against her father’s neck. After a moment, she returned her attention to Sumac, and their snoots bumped again. Applejack began giggling and she gave Sumac a happy squeeze. “I can’t stay long. Too much work to do. Ponyville needs me. I’ll let Mac and the others know that you are okay and that you have a special somepony.” 

Sumac let out a groan as Applejack released him. 

“Pinkie, I’d love to stay for breakfast, but there is just too much work to be done. It’s fall, it gets cold at night, and cider season is upon us. There just ain’t enough hours in my day.” Applejack collected her hat, dusted it off, and set it back upon her head. “Y’all keep him safe, ya hear?” 

“We’ll do our best,” Maud replied, “but who keeps him safe from Pebble? She’s a menace.” 

“I gots to go.” Applejack, laughing, snorting, and tossing her head around, strolled out of the kitchen, off to return to work. “Goodbye, y’all, and welcome back to Ponyville. Mind the mess!” 

And with that, Applejack was gone. 



 

There was a visible, rotund bulge in Sumac’s stomach and he knew that he had eaten too much. His muzzle was sticky and he was too full to care. It was a struggle to even breathe. As much as he had eaten, Pebble had eaten even more, but her mother, Maud, destroyed her breakfast in a ravenous frenzy and was now looking around for more food. 

“The grocery bill is going to be astronomical with two hungry and pregnant earth ponies,” Pinny Lane muttered as she wiped her own muzzle. 

“I’m in the mood for pumpkin,” Maud deadpanned. 

“Like pie?” Tarnish asked. 

“No, just a pumpkin.” Maud blinked a few times and then eyed her husband’s still unfinished meal. She licked her lips and then just sat there, looking hungry. 

It was a good thing that Pinkie Pie had more buns cooking in the oven, or so Sumac thought. Far too full and overwhelmed, he had trouble dealing with social moments centered around mealtime. He and Trixie made for a very small family and he felt out of place during times like these, or mealtimes with the Apples. 

Feeling troubled, Sumac thought about all of the food purchased at the Ponyville Pickle Palace. It was gone now. The wagon, his books, what few possessions he had were now gone. This was supposed to be a happy time and he felt guilty for feeling both sad and put out. He did his best to hide it and just stared down at the floor as he tried to hold it all in. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Pebble asked as she sat down beside Sumac. 

“Nothing.” Sumac didn’t raise his head or look at Pebble. 

“Don’t be like that.” Pebble’s voice was soft and held just a hint of emotion. 

Aware that he was once more the center of attention, Sumac squirmed where he sat and then blinked a few times. His glasses were dirty and needed cleaning. It felt as though the floodgates were going to open at any time and Sumac wasn’t sure if he was going to start crying or have a tantrum. For now, the beast, its nature unknown, was lurking. 

“Everything is gone,” Sumac said in a low voice. “It’s all burnt up. I didn’t have much to start with, but it is all gone. The wagon, our house, my books, my collection of tombstone rubbings, it all went up in smoke. Big Mac and I built that wagon.” 

“No… no… no… I don’t wanna cry anymore!” Without warning, Pinkie Pie shot off in a pink blur, leaving behind a faint pink outline that lasted for a fraction of a second, and then dissipated. She was gone, out of earshot, off to sort herself out in private. 

“I think somepony needs his mother.” Maud, her muzzle still sticky from the remains of Tarnish’s cinnamon bun, looked over at Sumac and Pebble. 

“I’ll take him home,” Octavia offered. 

Vinyl tapped on her barrel with her hoof to indicate that she was coming too. 

“I’ll get the little two wheeled cart set up to carry Vinyl.” Pinny looked around the kitchen and with a sad sounding sigh, she added, “As much as I want to spend time with you all, my community needs me. My magic might be useful.” 

“Ponyville keeps getting wrecked.” Tarnish looked down at Maud, who had her face in his bowl of oatmeal. With a soft, loving touch, he stroked her neck. “I say this knowing that I have been responsible for wrecking it.” 

“A few times,” Octavia said in a somewhat sarcastic voice. 

“Accidental.” Tarnish held up his hoof and made a dismissive gesture in Octavia’s direction. “And one of those times, it was Pinkie’s fault, she dropped the punchbowl. I hope she’s okay. One of us should check on her.” 

“In time,” Maud replied with her mouth full. “If we did it now, she’d scream at us to get out. She’s a little moody.” 

Raising her eyebrows, Octavia nodded. “We’re all a little moody.”

“Yes, but we are moody together.” Pinny let heave a sigh, then got up to get the cart ready. She ambled her way out of the kitchen, her long skinny legs moving in short steps. 

“I’m coming with you.” Pebble did not even bother to ask for permission, but just made her desires known. “I’m worried about you, Sumac. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem even moodier than normal, and that’s understandable. I don’t know how to help you, but I can be with you.” 

“Thanks, Pebble.” 

“Thanks for calling me a sensible earth pony, Sumac.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Sumac punctuated his words with an exhausted yawn as he fought to keep his head from drooping. Sleeping, even napping, was a terrible idea. He had no idea what he might dream of next and he didn’t wish to find out, either. 

“I’ll be going too. I need to speak with Princess Celestia and I think she needs to speak to me.” Tarnish patted Maud on the neck again as she licked his oatmeal bowl clean. “Plus, I need to say thank you to Gorgonzola. I wonder if Grey Owl is around?” 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 65
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sitting in a small two wheeled cart stuffed between Vinyl Scratch and Pebble, Sumac Apple watched as the ponies of Ponyville worked to put everything back in order. It was, for him, a defining moment in his young life. He had seen an enemy come out of nowhere, assault the very town in which he lived, burn and raze at least half of the town down to the very ground, and now, the ponies of the community were coming together to help one another. 

Something about this caused young Sumac’s heart to swell with pride. It made him stronger, it made him grow. While the attack had been quite demoralising to him so far, watching the ponies of Ponyville come together nursed his tender spirit and restored a fiery courage to his heart. 

Vinyl was sitting on a pile of cushions to shield her body from the bumps and jostles of the two wheeled cart. Octavia pulled the cart with slow caution, not wanting to hit the bumps, ruts, and debris in the road with any sort of speed, which in turn might cause harm to Vinyl. Beside Octavia, Tarnish walked with a slowed gait so he would not pull ahead. Sumac could not help but notice that Octavia paid attention to the road while Tarnish paid attention to the sky. 

Nearby, a group of pegasus ponies lifted up a heavy wooden beam and moved it into place. Once it was in place, a group of earth ponies armed with mallets began pounding wooden pegs, securing the wooden beam to the structure. On the ground, a much older unicorn filly that Sumac did not know levitated the wooden pegs into place for the earth ponies. For Sumac, it was a stunning display of unity, of togetherness. 

Lifting his hoof, Sumac waved at a wagon passing in the other direction, a wagon pulled by a pony that Sumac knew as Mister Rich. The wagon was loaded down with stone blocks, wooden beams, and bags of cement. For Sumac, home was now a place rather than a stop upon the road. Home was a fixed location that didn’t change. Home was Ponyville. 

Ahead, Princess Celestia loomed large next to a newly constructed building, and Sumac watched as Tarnish veered off to go and talk to her. 



 

The big white alicorn looked tired, there could be no doubt of that. She still wore her armor and the parts of her that were visible were filthy. Somehow, she still looked regal, even covered in soot and grime, with her pelt matted from sweat. Sumac had trouble meeting her gaze, seeing as how he threw a tantrum the last time they spoke. 

“Mister Teakettle.” Celestia took a bit of a breather from her tasks and gave Tarnish her full attention. “And how are you on this fine morn?” 

Tarnish, who was almost tall enough to stare at Celestia eye to snoot brought himself up to his full height. “Worried about you and thinking that you need a break. You okay, Princess?” 

“Call me Celestia, if you please.” 

“Well, you do keep calling me Mister Teakettle.” 

“Well, you look like a Mister Teakettle. You can’t fault me for calling it as I see it.” 

At this point, Sumac realised that Princess Celestia and Tarnish were very silly ponies. 

“Vinyl Scratch here has taken on an apprentice,” Tarnish said, trying to be conversational. “He’s sitting next to her in the wagon. I think we’re all in big trouble.” The tall, chocolate brown stallion began to chuckle, which turned into a nervous laugh when he saw that Celestia wasn’t laughing. 

In fact, Celestia looked quite worried, and it made Sumac feel alarmed. 

“I take it that you don’t approve.” Tarnish appeared to be studying Celestia’s face, looking for some indicator of emotion. Ears perking, Tarnish took a far more aggressive stance and took a step closer to Celestia. “If you don’t approve, just come right out and say it.” 

“I never said that I do not approve.” Celestia, whose face had become a passive mask, stood her ground and did not back away from Tarnish, who now stood mere inches from her. 

“Tell me, do you blame Vinyl for what I did?” 

Sumac heard a sharp inhale from both Octavia and Vinyl. 

“No, Tarnish, I blame you for what you did.” Celestia remained impassive. 

“I’m not so sure.” Tarnish’s ears pitched forwards and his eyes narrowed. “You know, sometimes, I think that you do. I also think that Twilight blames her too. Why can’t you just talk to me and be honest with me? Why not just tell me the truth? After everything I’ve done for you… after everything that we’ve gone through together, you still can’t be open with me.” 

Much to Sumac’s growing worry, guards were coming over now and he could feel the tension in his spine, pushing down on him and making him feel weaker. After seeing and witnessing powerful moments of unity, Sumac did not want to see two old friends start fighting. 

“I don’t get you sometimes, Princess. Why can’t you just be direct? Why can’t you just have an opinion? Just spit it out! The rest of us have opinions and you can too! Look, I get it, I really do… Vinyl takes a very different approach to magic and what she does is considered outside of the realms of safe, acceptable wizardry. I’ve been there when the lectures happened. And I really do think that you blame Vinyl for what I did!” 

“Tarnish—” 

“What did Tarnish do?” Sumac asked, interrupting Princess Celestia, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the brewing argument. The little colt was all too aware of how close the guards were now. 

“I did something bad, something evil,” Tarnish replied, his ears drooping as he took a step backwards from Celestia. “I made a mistake that I don’t think I’ll ever live down.” 

“I don’t see it that way.” Celestia’s voice was flat and emotionless. 

Sumac, confused, felt Vinyl leaning up against him, and he supported her bulk with Pebble’s help. 

Tarnish, uncertain, stared at Celestia and his ears drooped even more. He took another step backwards and then another. He stopped when he bumped into Octavia. The guard did nothing to stand down or relax and the tension remained high. Sumac realised that princesses could not have squabbles like normal ponies, the guards got involved. 

“Tarnish, you made a mistake when you were overcome with a desire to do good. I know you and I know your heart. You had the best of intentions, which made everything that happened all the more tragic. You made a decision that you should not have made and you took an issue into your own hooves that you should not have. You did however, allow the darkness that lingers in your heart to affect your judgment. You made a mistake that cannot be corrected. Even worse, you made this mistake after you were warned that you were heading down a dark and dangerous path.” 

Sighing, Celestia shook her head. “I do not blame Vinyl. I do not agree with Vinyl’s approach to magic, it troubles me, and I will confess, sometimes it frightens me a little how powerful she has become by using her… how shall we say, unique approach to magic. That said, even though I do not agree with her methods, I trust that she will do the right thing, because so far, she has not given me a reason not to trust her. If anything, Vinyl should be credited with keeping you from slipping even further into darkness than you did. She was, after all, the one that stopped you.” 

Reaching out a wing, Celestia touched Tarnish on the cheek for a moment, then wiped away a tear that had slipped out. “Mister Teapot, you are still my friend and you have my trust once more. You have paid for your mistake and you now live with a sincere desire to do better. You know the dangers of good intentions and what an overwhelming desire to do good can do to your judgment when mixed with feelings of rage and frustration. I do not think you will go astray from the light ever again. And I trust in Vinyl to keep you on the straight and narrow, even if her methods for magic are peculiar.” 

While all of this seemed nice and the squabble seemed to be over, Sumac still didn’t know what Tarnish had done. Frustrated, he thought about saying something, but decided that he didn’t want to ruin the moment. He wondered what it was about Vinyl’s methods of magic that bothered Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. 

“Congratulations, Sumac Apple, once more you find yourself in the company of a worthy master. First Trixie Lulamoon, and now Vinyl Scratch, both of whom were once my students.” Princess Celestia pushed past Tarnish and came over to the cart. Lowering her head, she nosed Vinyl, a soft, tender touch, and then stood there looking at Vinyl. “Tell me, Vinyl, how are you feeling? Are you getting better? I am assuming that it was you that gave Sumac a mohawk. Do you know what his mother will do to him? Or to you, for that matter?” 

There was near-silent, wheezing laughter from Vinyl, who leaned forwards and pressed her muzzle against Celestia’s. With an almost geriatric slowness, the albino unicorn raised her forelegs up and then managed to get them around Celestia’s neck, with just a little bit of help from the alicorn. 

With her neck held in Vinyl’s embrace, Celestia whispered, “I need you to make Sumac strong. Trying times are ahead. Things are going to get worse. This attempt was only the beginning, I fear. Keep him safe, Vinyl, just as you have kept others that I hold near and dear to my heart safe.” 

When Celestia pulled away, Vinyl nodded. After a moment, Celestia turned around and before Tarnish could react, she pulled him into a wing-hug, almost causing him to vanish from view behind dirty, sooty feathers. Startled, perhaps even spooked, Tarnish froze, but Celestia just overpowered him and drew him closer. After a long embrace, she planted a soft, affectionate kiss upon his cheek, then pulled away. 

“Thank you, Celestia.” Tarnish’s ears were pinned back against his skull. 

“Think nothing of it, Mister Teapot,” Celestia replied. 

After a few seconds of contemplation, Sumac wondered if this was a friendship lesson. Past hurts, even if forgiven, seemed to linger and the only way to deal with them was to drag them all out again, no matter how painful they might be. It gave him a lot to think about and he glanced at Pebble, who was silent beside him. 

Sumac wanted to be with his mother. 

“Octavia, go on without me,” Tarnish said in a soft voice, “there is still much to discuss…” 



 

Closing his eyes, Sumac rested his head against Trixie, glad to see her and feel her against him. Boomer was still clinging to Lemon Hearts’ horn and was now making happy sounding trilling sounds. Octavia worked to make Vinyl comfortable, propping her up with cushions and making sure that Vinyl’s spine was supported. Pebble made for a very useful wedge, also useful in helping to hold Vinyl up.

“So, my son asked you to be his master,” Trixie said in a muted whisper as she pulled Sumac closer. She focused upon Vinyl with her one available eye and after a few seconds of staring, she nodded. “I approve. I think he will have much to learn from you.” 

Vinyl nodded. 

“This is a big moment for any little unicorn,” Trixie said in a happy-sad voice. “Well, for those of us who wish to answer the call of greatness. We step away from our parents and we find another who will mentor us in the ways of magic. We have done this since time immemorial. From these bonds, greatness comes, such as Star Swirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever.” 

“Or The Great and Powerful Trixie and her apprentice, Sumac Apple.” Octavia, sitting down beside Vinyl, smiled. 

“I became his mother.” Trixie’s voice sounded fearful and a bit squeaky. “It brought a different set of challenges and a new relationship between us. I am thankful that we have what we have. Now I get to feel this wonderful sense of pride that is so overwhelming… and I am glad that Sumac has found another master. You know, for a time, I worried that I might be jealous or petty.” 

Trixie was warm, soft, fuzzy, and smelled of floral scented soap. Sumac yawned and fought the urge to sleep. He didn’t want to sleep, knowing that bad dreams were waiting. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop his head from nodding. The sound of Boomer singing her silly song was somehow soothing, it made everything right in the world. 

“We all now have a common goal,” Trixie said, “and that is to keep Sumac safe. It isn’t just the lantern, Catrina wants him, and she wants him alive. Twilight has… interrogated a few prisoners and she’s learned quite a bit. In a way, I am rather proud of the fact that he has so thoroughly unhinged our enemy.” 

Half awake, Sumac giggled. 

“Hush, you!” Trixie gave Sumac a squeeze and then looked over at Vinyl. “Perhaps the best thing you could teach him, is how to be quiet. Twilight says those magical insults of his could be disastrous. They need to be controlled.”

“Did I use dark magic?” Sumac asked. There was no reply, just silence. Sumac felt Trixie’s breathing quicken and he squirmed against her, feeling the velvety cling of her pelt against his own. “I did, didn’t I? I had a dream about it. I was punished for having a potty mouth and using dark magic.” 

“Diarrhea mouth,” Pebble deadpanned as she turned away. 

“Nopony plans to punish you, Sumac.” Trixie’s voice was flat, calm, and reassuring. “Dark magic happens. Twilight could tell you an amusing story about her friend Rarity using dark magic. But with your magical insults, you need to be very, very careful about what you say, how you say it, and what you feel when those words come out of your mouth.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sumac promised. 

“That is all we ask from you,” Trixie replied as she gave Sumac a snuggle. “Well Vinyl, I hope you are up for a talk. There is much we need to discuss and there are things you need to know…” 
	
> Chapter 66
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Using his magic, Sumac adjusted his oversized safety goggles that covered his regular glasses. The past few days since returning to Ponyville had been a little weird, but having friends and family made things bearable. Things were crazy, chaotic even, and somehow, even with the attacks, the only thing that anypony could talk about was Princess Celestia’s and Princess Luna’s wedding, which was going to happen right on schedule. It was all a bit too much to take in, and Sumac was glad for a distraction, like right now. 


His mother, Trixie, was building a rocket. Oh, not a firework rocket, even though it sort of looked like one, oh no, she was making a rocket with a payload of high explosives and a big burny blast. Right now, she was mixing together potassium nitrate, a bit of ammonium nitrate, some sulphur, a bit of charcoal, some copper oxide, a dash of strontium chloride, some calcium nitrate, and then a mix of magnesium, aluminium, and titanium something-or-other that Sumac couldn’t quite remember. 


“Mom, where did you learn how to do this?” Sumac asked. It no longer felt strange to call Trixie ‘mom.’ 


“Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Trixie replied as she measured out some glittery powder while Twilight Sparkle watched. “I learned how to put on a show. Part of that was fireworks… both the magical type made by spells and the explosive type, made with chemical and alchemical ingredients.” Trixie leaned over, looked at Twilight, and then down at the table. “Where did I put those ground up dragon feces?” 


“Over here.” Twilight shoved a glass beaker over towards Trixie. 


“So you were taught how to use explosives? As a foal?” Sumac watched as his mother sifted some ground up Boomer turds into her mixture. “But… but… this is so dangerous.” The colt shook his head and then looked at Twilight, wondering if he might get to learn about explosives. 


“And now, a cannon fuse.” Trixie, scowling, began to assemble her rocket. It wasn’t wrapped in paper, like a firework, but was in a slender metallic tube. The wily mare worked with the utmost confidence, nothing on her shook or trembled, and she was fantastically calm for sitting in close proximity to enough explosives to obliterate her. 


Twilight was not so calm, and began to move away as Trixie completed her work. She conjured up some ear plugs, which she stuffed into Sumac’s ears, and then she conjured up another pair for herself. Twilight then lept over a pile of sandbags, landed on three legs, and then sat down next to Sumac. 


Humming to herself, Trixie mounted her fresh made rocket to the launcher and pointed it at the target; a giant pile of rubble and debris that used to be buildings. “Clear!” Trixie shouted, sending a number of bystanders and witnesses scurrying away. “Lulamoon Big Banger, Mark I.” More ponies hurried away and the unicorns nearby began raising shield spells, which was now a very popular spell to learn. 


It never hurt to be prepared. Sumac slipped Gosling’s guard helmet over his head and then looked over at Lemon Hearts, who was sitting quite a distance away. He waved at her and Boomer, then returned his attention to the launch in progress. Beside him, Twilight raised a shield and ducked as much of her body down behind the sandbags as she could. Trixie moved away from the launcher and she too, took cover behind the sandbags. Twilight opened up her shields just enough to allow Trixie to slip in. 


“Clear!” Trixie shouted again. 


“Stand back! We’re doing science!” Twilight’s warning was shouted to everypony in earshot. “Potentially life threatening science!” 


A few more souls lost their courage and took the opportunity to get further away. Many ponies were hunkered down behind garden walls, sandbags, anything that could be used for cover. Sumac wondered just how bad this was going to be. There was thick tension in the air and the smell of rotten eggs lingered in the nostrils. 


“Fire in the hole!” Trixie shouted, and then she lit the fuse with her magic. 


There was a brief hiss, a sputter, a burst of flames, and then an explosive boom, followed by an even bigger explosive boom, one that shook all of Ponyville to its foundations as it blossomed into a massive mushroom cloud. It all happened with such rapidity that Sumac couldn’t keep track of everything that had just taken place. All he could do, much like the ponies around him, was stare at the mushroom cloud, watching as the smoke and fire roiled. 


When the smoke and fire began to dissipate, Sumac saw that the rubble pile was gone. Stone, wood, bits of buildings, chunks of wrought iron, all of it was just gone. There was a crater in the ground now, a blackened scorched crater, and staring at it, Sumac was terrified. In a weak, wavering voice, he asked, “Where did the rubble pile go?” 


“It went away, Sumac,” Twilight replied with an awestruck expression upon her face, “it went away. The Great and Powerful Trixie made the rubble pile go away. We won’t be seeing it again. Ever.” Turning to Trixie, Twilight added, “That first boom was the rocket breaking the sound barrier. Most impressive, Miss Lulamoon.” 


“That wasn’t my best work.” Scowling, Trixie shook her head. “I haven’t done this in so long. That one was disappointing. Twilight, I promise I can do better, please, give me another chance. This was just a warm up.” 


“Trixie, I’m not sure that I want you to do better,” Twilight whispered in reply as her whole body trembled. “That was good enough, Miss Lulamoon.” 


“Given enough time, I can put a spell on those that will make them chase their target. It’s useful when coordinating a fireworks show and you want several fireworks to go off in close proximity to produce an effect. I can make them chase a harpy in much the same way I could make them chase another rocket.” Trixie pulled off her safety goggles, coughed a bit from the dust, and then rubbed her aching knee. “I’m not trying to brag or boast, but Princess Celestia did mention a few times that I was gifted with pyrotechnics. You should see my smoke bombs.” 


“You know what, Trixie?” Twilight looked Trixie right in her good eye. “That’s not bragging, not at all. From now on, you’ll be working a bit more with Moondancer, I think. I don’t have the nerves for this job.” 


Moondancer. Sumac said nothing, but he did wonder where her wings had gone. He had watched her become an alicorn, but now she was just a regular garden variety unicorn again. There was too much embarrassment at risk to ask about it, so Sumac just tried to pretend that it hadn’t happened. It was just better that way. 




 


It was with a good bit of curiousity that Sumac watched the courier pegasus land near Twilight. After a bit of a magical exchange, one could never be too careful with rogue changelings about, the courier gave Twilight a package and then flew away, heading off back towards Canterlot. More than just about anything, Sumac wanted to visit Canterlot, not to see the wedding of the princesses, although that might be nice, no, he wanted to visit the cemetery and the catacombs. 


Yawning, Sumac knew that he needed a nap, but he wasn’t in the mood to sleep. Nope, he didn’t need sleep. He had thoughts of falling to his death or being spanked to within an inch of his life to keep him awake. Oh sure, he had plenty of reassurance from the adults in his life that he wasn’t going to be spanked, but who could trust adults anyway? They changed their minds on a whim and did what was ‘good for you’ on a moment’s notice. 


After a bit of a look about, Sumac settled on watching Olive and Starlight sweeping the stairs of Twilight’s castle. They were both still in trouble, but it was hard to tell, as right now they were laughing together as they swept. He thought about Vinyl, his own master. She was very different from Starlight… and she didn’t like Starlight. Sumac was aware that Starlight had messed up, but he wished that ponies might be a bit more forgiving. 


He wondered what Vinyl might be doing. 


“Sumac, hey, Sumac!” 


Twilight’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and he watched as she approached, carrying a package in a telekinetic bubble. She was smiling, happy, and limping along on three legs, with one hind leg still in a cast. Unable to stop himself, Sumac thought about Castle Midnight and the little adventure that had been the start of all of this trouble. 


There was a poof and an envelope also appeared in Twilight’s magical grasp. 


“I have something for you,” Twilight said as she approached. She held up the package, wrapped in brown paper. “Under most circumstances, I’d have Pinkie Pie or Rarity wrap this for you, but everypony is kinda busy at the moment.” 


Blinking, Sumac wondered what the package might be. 


“Where is Boomer? She should be here… hey! Lemon Hearts! Miss Hearts! Get over here!” Twilight turned her head and watched as Lemon Hearts came wobbling over in a somewhat drunken manner. “Trixie, you too! Get over here, now!” 


“First things first, Sumac.” Twilight held up the envelope she had conjured. “Two essays. Both two thousand words. The first is from Starlight and is about raging superiourity complexes and how a few careless words can send the wrong message to a student. The second essay, which is fantastically written by the way, you should pay attention to the format and the structure, it is about how a master should not gloat over their apprentice’s misfortune. Starlight and I had fun writing them together. There was a lot of laughing and overall it was a very pleasant experience.” 


Unsure of how to respond, Sumac accepted the envelope, but didn’t open it. He would read them later. With a nod of thanks, he tucked the essays into his bookbag as Twilight set the larger package down between them. Ears perking, Sumac listened to Twilight grunt as she sat down. Even though Sumac had trouble expressing his thoughts and feelings, he was very, very thankful that Twilight was alive. The long fall had left him troubled, and the little colt didn’t know how to talk to Twilight about the experience they had shared, but he wanted to, he so very much wanted to. 


“Ooof, Trixie is glad for a break from reconstruction,” she said as she sat down. “Caulking windows is boring, but it is nice spending time with Lemon.” 


“Caulking windows is a lot nicer than being concussed.” Lemon Hearts sat down on the ground, blinked a few times, and then focused her eyes upon Sumac. “Trixie, at some point, we need to—” 


“I know, Lemon, but not right now.” Trixie placed a hoof upon Lemon Hearts to steady the swaying mare and then scooted a little closer. “We’ll talk about that later. Maybe tonight, during dinner or something.” 


“Okay, no more wasting time, open it up, Sumac.” Twilight, who seemed giddy, shoved the package closer to Sumac. 


Curious, Sumac wondered what Trixie and Lemon Hearts needed to talk to him about. He grabbed the package and using his telekinesis, he began tearing away the brown paper covering it, revealing brown cardboard beneath. Ripping away the paper, he went to work pulling away the tape that had sealed the cardboard box shut. Tilting his head, he pulled open the top flaps and found grey foam, which he pulled out and set down upon the ground. 


Sandwiched between foam, he found something made of brass and wood, something heavy. Concentrating, he pulled it out and lifted it up. It was like a picture frame—a display case, and he was looking at it from the wrong side. Being careful not to drop it, he flipped it over and discovered the front was glass. 


Inside, there were a few pieces of egg shell that he recognised right away. Overcome, his eyes began tearing up and he had trouble reading the words on the brass plaque. In a halting voice, he spoke the words, reading them through blurred, teary eyes. “Sumac Apple and Boomer, best friends forever.” 


Overcome, he set the display case down upon the pile of paper, pulled off his glasses, and then wiped his eyes with his foreleg as his barrel began hitching. Embarrassed, he didn’t want to cry in front of everypony, but his emotions had been so out of whack as of late. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to keep everything in. All he could think about was the fact that if this gift had come a few days sooner, it might have burned up along with the rest of his possessions, of which there weren’t many. 


“Sorry it took so long,” Twilight said in a somewhat husky voice filled with emotion. “But I felt that it had to be perfect. There is a pony in Canterlot that is very, very good at what he does. Looks like I owe him a big thank you.” 


“It’s gorgeous.” Lemon Hearts let out a gasp as Boomer lept from her horn.


The little dragon landed near the pile of paper and the display case containing  bits of her egg. Tilting her head, she placed one tiny clawed hand upon the glass, but did nothing to scratch it or cause damage. Her long tail swished from side to side and some of her frills began to stand up as she looked at the pieces of shell on the other side of the glass. 


Opening his eyes, Sumac saw Boomer’s reaction, which triggered the waterworks. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. Sumac knew that he loved her in ways that he couldn’t possibly explain and he thought about the scratches and lacerations he had endured upon the train. Sometimes, love hurt. He had a stinging reminder of that even now. 


With a gentle tap upon the glass, Boomer spoke her very first word. “Boom?” 


Gasping, leaning forwards, Twilight gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yes, Boomer, that is where you come from! That is your egg! I wish Spike was here to see this!” 


“She spoke!” Lemon Hearts grabbed Trixie and pulled the blue mare closer. “She said something! She can talk!” 


“Of course she can talk! Trixie raises both smart foals and smart dragons! Was there ever any doubt about my maternal abilities, both mammalian and reptilian?” 


“Boom?” Again, Boomer tapped upon the glass, but was mindful of her claws. 


Already overcome with emotion and crying, Sumac could do nothing to acknowledge the moment. He sat there in the dirt, stunned and shocked that his tiny companion had said her very first word, which just so happened to be her name. It was no wonder, she heard it enough, and Pebble kept repeating it when she was caring for the hatchling. 


“Boom boom?” With a fluid leap, Boomer launched herself and then landed upon Sumac’s horn. She cling to it, gripping it with her claws, and wrapped her long tail around his ear. “Boom. Boom boom boom, boom boom.” Cocking her head to one side, she asked, “Boom?” 


It was such a little thing, really, but it made Sumac feel better about everything. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 67
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dinner was savoury cracked barley drowned in a creamy brown gravy. The small dining area had a couple of ponies packed into it, but Sumac, Lemon Hearts, and Trixie all had a small table in the corner to themselves. It was quiet, which was odd. Sumac expected a lot more noise from having a few ponies packed into a small, cosy space, but that was not the case. After some thought about the issue, he decided that it was the way it was because the ponies had to be tired. 


Something was up, of that Sumac was positive. Trixie and Lemon Hearts were avoiding his questions. He was intrigued by whatever hadn’t happened earlier and his mother’s remark that it would be discussed at dinner. Sitting up as tall as possible in his seat, Sumac was able to peer over the edge of his bowl and look in. Barley, bits of celery, slivers of carrot, other things that he did not recognise, and the stink of garlic. Sniffing a few times, he found that he liked how it smelled. 


“Boom?” Boomer asked as she too, peered down into the bowl. 


“No Boomer, not boom,” Sumac replied. 


“Not boom.” Boomer took a moment to think about this development, this new line of reasoning that there was boom and not boom. Clinging to Sumac’s horn, Boomer bonelessly twisted her head around and looked over at Lemon Hearts. “Not boom,” she announced in a very matter-of-fact voice. 


“Ugh, Boomer, your head is twisted completely around and you are looking at me upside down… that’s so creepy!” Lemon Hearts shivered, closed her eyes, then opened them as she shook her head. 


Boomer twisted her head some more, doing a full three hundred and sixty degree rotation, and then a little more as she tilted her head off to one side. Blinking, she asked, “Not boom?” 


“Oooh! Stop that! My skin is crawling!” Lemon Hearts turned away and then gave herself a hug as she tried to deal with her revulsion. “That’s unnatural!” 


Unconcerned with unnatural, Boomer twisted her head back around in the proper direction, looked down into Sumac’s bowl, and then blinked a few times as she targeted her prey. A second later, her long tongue flicked out and she caught herself a piece of barley, which she slurped up like a bug. 


Sumac paid it very little attention. He still wanted to know what his mother and Lemon Hearts weren’t talking about. Armed with his spoon, he began to eat his dinner, but he paid very little attention to what he was eating. Something was up—his intuition told him as much—and he wanted some answers. 


“Tomorrow, we board a train and we’re going to Canterlot,” Trixie announced as she stirred her dinner in her bowl. “I’ve been informed that Prince Gosling has made arrangements and has a place for us to stay. Tomorrow, we’ll have a nice day doing whatever, and then the day after, we’ll be guests at the wedding.” 


“Oh, and Pebble will be joining us tomorrow on the train, along with Vinyl and Octavia,” Lemon Hearts added. “I don’t know what’s up with Tarnish and Maud, but they will be joining us in Canterlot. They’ve been added to the security detail. Maybe they’re getting a debriefing or something?” Confused, Lemon hunched over her bowl, picked up her spoon, and then gave her bowl a vacant stare. 


“If there is any kind of shenanigans during the wedding, I feel sorry for whoever does it.” Trixie blew on her steaming bowl a few times, blinked, and shook her head. “Changelings, harpies, raptorians, those silly bumble creatures, all of them will be no match for the security detail.” 


“Speaking of the security detail…” Lemon Hearts leaned forwards a little more. “I think Sumac might feel a little more secure if we told him—” 


“Lemon.” Trixie put her spoon down in her bowl and left it there. 


Sumac could feel the tension, but he didn’t stop eating. He was too hungry, and if he didn’t eat, Boomer would eat it all. She was snatching bits and bites with his every spoonful. He glanced over at Lemon, then looked over at Trixie. Both mares were staring at one another and seemed to be having a contest of wills. 


“Miss Lulamoon, you can’t avoid the issue.” Lemon Hearts’ voice was a low whisper so she would not draw the attention of others around her. The last thing she wanted was to cause a scene during dinner. “It’s not fair to Sumac… something could happen at any time.” 


Sighing, Trixie gave a nod of defeat. “You’re right, Lemon.” Trixie leaned back in her chair, turned her head to give Sumac a direct look, and then she said, “Sumac Apple, with the recent conflict, I had to make a really tough decision about something very difficult for me and I guess it is time that we talk about it.” 


“Are you and Lemon getting married?” Sumac asked as one of his eyebrows raised. “If you are, that’s totally okay. The colt stared into his mother’s mortified face and he watched as she turned a dark, dusky shade of purple that sort of made her look like Twilight Sparkle. 


“No,” Trixie squeaked, “we are not getting married. We are, uh, well, the uh, um…” The flustered mare put an end to her stammering by going quiet. 


“Well why not?” Sumac asked. 


“What do you mean why not?” Lemon Hearts reached out and touched Sumac with her hoof. 


“Exactly what I just said.” Sumac looked over at Lemon, who still had a hoof on him. “You’ve thrown up all over her during the train ride and you are still friends, plus, for the past few nights, both of you have slept in the same bed together. Isn’t that what married ponies do? You even take baths together… and by the way, I’m not getting in the tub with the two of you again. It’s weird for me and I don’t like it.” 


Now it was Lemon Hearts’ turn to have a furious blush. The vivid pink mixed with her yellow to produce a sunrise orange. She pulled her hoof away, made a squeaking sound, and then just sat there in silence, unable to refute Sumac’s unassailable fortress of foalish logic. Lemon tried looking at Trixie, but that was a huge mistake. When their gazes met, Lemon let out a shrill squeak and looked away. 


Sumac kept shoveling down his dinner, which was almost already gone. 


“Sumac, in the event of my untimely demise, you will need a guardian,” Trixie said in a hesitant, somewhat halting voice. It seemed as though she hung on her every word and the corners of her mouth twitched as she spoke. Her ears perked forwards and she leaned a little closer to Sumac. “You will need a parent. This has been agonising for me to deal with and I couldn’t have done it without Lemon’s help.” 


“Oh.” Sumac swallowed, even though his mouth was empty at the moment. He felt a lump, as though his food was coming back up and he didn’t like thinking about this at all. “I see.” His appetite vanished and he let Boomer finish off what was left in his bowl. 


“If something happens to me…” Trixie’s voice trailed off and she was unable to continue. 


Lemon Hearts, courageous, picked up where Trixie had left off. “If something happens to Trixie, I will be your guardian pro tempore.” The lemony yellow mare paused, cleared her throat, and gave Sumac a brave, but quivering smile as her eyes misted over. “I will have partial custody of you… Applejack and Big Mac will have partial custody as well. You’ll have some time to make a decision with whom you wish to stay with, and nopony will be upset or angry with you when you decide. We all just want what is best for you and we want you to be happy.” 


“How do I make a decision like that?” Sumac felt his control slipping and he didn’t like it. “Making me pick between ponies that I love… I don’t like it at all—” 


“Sumac, a provision was made that you don’t have to choose if you do not wish to do so,” Lemon said, cutting in on Sumac’s words with a few soothing words of her own. “Custody can be shared and we can take turns with you. It was Big Mac that said it might be best that way. Applejack seemed to think that the decision should just be made for you if you couldn’t decide, but Big Mac disagreed.” 


Mollified, Sumac fell silent, but he didn’t feel much better. He sat there, staring, and paid no attention to Boomer, who slipped down from his horn and perched on the edge of his bowl, so she could drink the gravy left in the bottom of the bowl. Folding his forelegs, he rested them on the table and then just sat there, gobsmacked and unresponsive. 


“You are very dear to me, Sumac,” Lemon Hearts confessed in a vulnerable whisper. “You and Trixie both are very, very dear to me. Even if Trixie isn’t gay, I’m never letting go of her as my friend because I’ll hold on to her and keep her in any way that I can… and you too.” 


“It took a bit of begging and wrangling.” Trixie picked up her spoon and then begin to stir the contents of her bowl. “Twilight stepped in and made it possible… I’m not married to Lemon but Applejack and Big Mac both have direct blood ties. We all came to an agreement because we want what is best for you.” 


Nodding, Sumac managed to say, “I appreciate that.” He didn’t know what else to say, however, and then lapsed back into silence as he tried to think about what Lemon Hearts meant to him. The idea of losing Trixie caused him to feel queasy. Sumac realised that it was too warm in this tiny little dining area off of the kitchenette. He needed air and he needed it now. 


“Sumac, you look like you don’t feel good.” Trixie, an observant maternal type, gave Sumac a nudge with her hoof. “Go and get yourself some air, Sumac. But don’t go too far. Be careful. When Lemon and I are done, we’ll come looking for you and maybe we can spend some time together.” 


“Okay…” 




 


Alone in the room that he shared with Trixie and Lemon Hearts, Sumac took a deep, calming breath. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of losing his mother. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt when he thought about biting her when she had tried to leave. Feeling the sting of tears, he made himself think of something else. 


His gaze came to rest upon the lantern, which sat on a little table between the two beds. Glad for a distraction, he went over, climbed up onto the bed, sat down, and lifted the ancient artifact in his magic. Filled with idle curiousity, he began moving the plates around once more, sliding them all back into their original positions until he had an earth pony, a pegasus pony, and a unicorn. He studied the outlines that faced out in each direction. Beneath the unicorn, there was a small triangle that pointed up. After a bit of fiddling about, Sumac found the means to twist the base of the lantern and much to his surprise, the triangle could be rotated around so that it pointed to each of the different tribes represented on the lantern. 


Fascinated, he rotated the triangle, which he guessed was some sort of indicator, over to the earth pony silhouette. It clicked into place and nothing happened. Sumac fiddled with a few knobs, but nothing else revealed itself. Squinting, he peered into the earth pony shaped opening and tried to see inside of the lantern. 


Nothing. 


His lantern had an earth pony setting and he didn’t know what it did. Maybe it only worked for earth ponies? He needed Pebble to help him experiment. Holding the lantern up to his face, still peering inside, his nose brushed up against the shutter latch that closed the earth pony panel. 


There was a brilliant flash of light, just like a camera, and then Sumac’s magic went away. The lantern tumbled down to the bed and bounced a few times as Sumac tried to figure out what was up with his magic. His horn didn’t seem to be doing anything. Worried, he lept down down from the bed, or tried to, so he could go and get some help. His little leap launched him across the room and into the wall. Raising his forelegs, he kept his face from smashing into the wall, which he bounced off of. With a cry, he fell down onto the other bed and landed with a plop. Panicked, he tried to roll over, his hind leg kicked the wall, and this sent him flying. 


He shot off of the bed, smacked the back of his skull against the wooden table between the beds, and then landed upon the floor with a thump. Already, he could feel a goose egg lump rising up just behind his ears, turning him into a two-hornicorn. Groaning, Sumac tried to lay very still as he thought about his situation. After a few seconds, he realised that he had no magic and he was too strong. Way too strong. He was a juggernaut of strength.


Every little movement was brutish and overpowered. 


So this is what it was like to be an earth pony. He wondered how Pebble hadn’t wrecked the world yet. Movement was too risky and Sumac could feel something wet and sticky in his mane. Too afraid to move, Sumac did the only thing a colt in his situation could do when faced with a crisis such as this. 


He cried out for his mother and begged for help. 
	
> Chapter 68
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Moondancer, do you have the lantern?” Twilight Sparkle’s voice was cool, calm, and collected. She sat on a plush, overstuffed cushion and her cast was now covered in a collection of colourful ribbons. 


“Sure do,” Moondancer replied, holding up the lantern as she came into the room. 


“Wonderful.” Twilight snatched the lantern out of Moondancer’s magic and then focused all of her attention upon Sumac. “How are you feeling, Sumac? Has the effect worn off? Do you have your magic back? Do you notice any other side effects?” 


Sumac took a moment to focus upon himself. He felt a tickle of magic in his horn, which he lit up. He had magic again, and that was good. Cautious, he wiggled his legs and didn’t go flying across the room. Super strength seemed to be gone. After a few more test-wiggles, he looked up at Twilight. 


“Everything seems to be fine,” Sumac reported. As he spoke, he heard a sigh of relief from Trixie and Lemon Hearts. Great. Now there was two of them. Already, his brain was laying the foundation for thinking about Lemon Hearts as his mother. 


“Time for a bit of unscheduled science. Spike, be ready to take notes!” Twilight began to examine the lantern with an eager, if somewhat haphazard grin upon her face. “Also, I need some tea. Celestial Glory please, honey, a sliver of crystallised ginger, and a bit of heavy cream.” 


With a noticeable wobble, Lemon Hearts took off to prepare her boss’ tea. 


“So, Twilight, what did you have in mind?” Moondancer asked. 


Holding up the lantern, Twilight pointed it at Moondancer. “Hold still and don’t move. I think I am about to try the pegasus setting!” Twilight stuck out her tongue and tweaked the shutter latch with her magic. 


Before Moondancer could protest, the lantern flashed and Moondancer let out a spooked gasp as wings appeared upon her sides. In a bit of a tizzy, Moondancer began flapping her wings and she ran around in a narrow circle as she panicked. 


“Twilight! This isn’t anything at all like a wing spell! This feels totally different! I don’t have magic! The feeling of the air on my wings is really weird!” Moondancer came to a halt and then stared at Twilight. After a few seconds, Moondancer’s face darkened and her glasses steamed up a bit. 


“Moondancer, what is wrong?” Twilight asked. 


“I can’t say,” Moondancer replied, “it’s embarrassing.” 


“Say it anyway… for science.” Twilight gave her underling a reassuring smile. 


“Your wings are very pretty and I find them attractive and I can’t figure out why!” Moondancer blurted out. As she spoke, her own flapping wings snapped out and went rigid. “Oh my stars! What is happening to me! My wings won’t move! Is this what pegasus ponies have to go through every single day? You just see a pretty pair of wings and this happens? This is unbearable! No wonder Rainbow Dash acts so brain dead!” 


Sniggering, Spike wrote down every word that Moondancer had said—for science. 


“Oooh… check out my wingspan… it’s kinda impressive!” Fascinated by her own wings, Moondancer let out a wolf-whistle and shuffled around on her hooves. “For some reason, I want to find a body of water, start bathing, and then call attention to myself so everypony can watch me. Twilight, there is something wrong with me!”


“How illuminating…” Twilight snorted and then let out a giggle. “The lantern”—she giggled a bit more and had to fight to keep her composure—“did the same thing to you that it did to Sumac. A physical change that exaggerates the features of the selected tribe. This is very fascinating. The wing spell, if it is anything like Sumac’s earth pony transformation, is worthless for flying because it will wear off in about ten minutes.” 


“Then what is the point?” Trixie asked. 


Still giggling, Twilight replied, “That’s obvious. The lantern wishes to illuminate others on what it is like to be a certain tribe of pony. Sumac experienced superiour grade earth pony strength and Moondancer has found out what it is like to be Rainbow Dash.” 


“But why?” Trixie’s head tilted off to one side and she gave Twilight her best quizzical expression. 


Twilight gave a shrug. “Perspective?” 


Sumac, who had a sore head, got the joke that Twilight was making and he groaned. He had perspective alright. If he had even a fraction of the strength that Pebble had… well, he didn’t know how she did it. How did she not destroy everything she touched? How was she able to hug him and not kill him? Or other ponies for that matter? And how did she sneeze without leaving behind a ruined house or an unthinkable body count? As he thought about these things, more questioned formed… like… 


How did earth ponies poot?


The stomach muscle contractions and the following expulsion of air would cause hurricane force winds if it wasn’t controlled. Sumac, even with his overactive imagination, had trouble trying to make sense of his new world view. Pebble had to live a very, very stressful life, holding everything back the way she did. 


Sumac vowed to be a better friend and be more supportive of Pebble before she exploded. One day, she would just burst from holding everything back. She would detonate like one of Trixie’s rockets and all that would be left would probably be her hooves and maybe some scraps from her dress. And then, he would be sad and alone. 


“Twilight, a part of me hates you just a little tiny bit for having larger wings than I do. I can’t figure why though, but I can feel the resentment… it’s illogical and stupid!” Moondancer looked a little distressed as she folded her wings against her sides, now having relaxed enough to do so. “Also, I am distressingly concerned with being pretty, fast, and nimble.” 


Spike appeared to be having trouble writing and with each snort of laughter, smoke curled out of his nose. If he snorted too hard, or worse, coughed, he might set his notes on fire. Moondancer wasn’t making it easy for him and neither was Twilight. The struggle was real and never ending. 


Holding aloft a mug so large that it was comical, Lemon Hearts returned. The steaming mug she held overhead smelled of ginger and Celestial Glory tea. Lemon Hearts’ front legs seemed sorted out, but her back legs were somewhat out of synch with her front ones, causing her to walk in a somewhat diagonal manner as she approached Twilight. 


“Some tea for you, Boss.” Somehow, Lemon Hearts didn’t spill a drop as she passed the enormous mug along to Twilight. “You know, Boss… there is a warning on the Celestial Glory tea tin that ponies with an excitable nature shouldn’t drink it—” 


“What are you insinuating, Lemon?” Twilight’s eyebrow arched and her nostrils flared. 


“Oh, nothing, Boss, nothing at all… just never mind. I think it’s my concussion talking.” Smiling, Lemon Hearts backed away, her back legs still moving out of synch with her front legs. “Silly Lemon, she got her head bonked and now she say crazy things… crazy.” 


Unable to help himself, Spike burst out laughing, coughed out a gout of flame, and set his notes on fire. They burnt to a crisp in an instant and then were gone, sent off to Princess Celestia. Every word that had been said, every observation, every one of his own snide observations, including his snide remark about Prince Gosling and the pegasus pony’s inner struggle to be pretty, fast, and nimble. 


“Uh oh,” Spike grumbled as he realised that he was stewed. 




 


Far away, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia, who was getting ready for her wedding, was quite surprised by the unexpected delivery. She caught it before it hit the floor, held it up, read it, and then began to snicker as her eyes glanced over Spike’s looping scrawl. Unable to hold it back, the big white mare began to chuckle. 


Looking up from a pile of paperwork, Gosling asked, “What’s so funny?” 


Smirking, Celestia replied, “Here, why don’t you read it and find out, Prince Peacock?” 




 


Moondancer, now wingless, seemed to be recovering from her ordeal. Lemon Hearts had been sent to fetch another cup of tea, which Moondancer now sipped as she collected her thoughts on her newfound perspective. The bespectacled mare was now quiet, calm, and maybe just a little out of sorts. 


Spike, looking fretful, sat in the corner, re-writing what he could remember of his notes. Spike’s excellent memory allowed him to recall most of it, but he left out his own comical asides. Curled up beside Spike was Boomer, who had slipped into a full belly coma and was now unresponsive. 


For the most part, Sumac was okay. He had split open the back of his head a little bit, it wasn’t bad. There was now a scab in his mane and he knew that Trixie would attempt to scrub it out later. He wasn’t looking forward to that, not at all. Quiet and now rather calm himself, he watched as Twilight studied the lantern while sipping her tea. 


The sudden change of view, going from being a unicorn to experiencing life as an earth pony, had left Sumac a little shaken. He had no doubt that Moondancer was experiencing something similar. It was one thing to have wings, but it was something else entirely to become something else, something foreign and weird. Even though he was very young, Sumac now had an understanding that would change his life. 


The lantern had illuminated him, as Twilight might say, and he wondered what it might be like to be an alicorn. He now had a way to find out, but he didn’t think he was ready for the experience, as he was still too shook up from being an earth pony. The lantern had certainly shed some light upon the subject and this was a lesson that Sumac would not soon forget. In fact, Sumac began to think that this was a lesson that everypony in Twilight’s school needed to learn. 


Thinking about weddings, marriage, and love, Sumac asked, “Twilight, have you ever been in love?” 


Twilight did not respond right away. She sat there, holding her enormous mug of tea in her telekinesis, and she stared at Sumac through half-closed eyes as one ear twitched. She sighed, causing both ears to flop a bit, and then after more of a delay, she replied, “Yes, Sumac, I have been in love.” 


“They don’t seem to be around.” Sumac hoped that his observation would not cause Twilight to become upset. For some reason, he thought about Pebble, then he thought about Lemon Hearts and Trixie. His reflections made him feel somber. Feeling worried, he added, “I don’t mean to be a pain in the neck, if I am…” 


There was a long sigh that slipped from Twilight, and her lips made a flatulent sound. “Sumac, not all love works out. Sometimes, fate… destiny… whatever you want to call it, it throws you the love of your life in the form of a school sweetheart and everything just sort of falls into place. Your best friend becomes the love of your life and everything is perfect.” 


“What happened?” Sumac asked, all too aware that he was dealing with a dangerous, maybe even painful subject. 


“Sumac, sometimes… sometimes love has nothing to do with destiny.” Twilight took a sip of tea, shuddered, and then her ears drooped, as did the corners of her mouth. “Sometimes, love is just a feeling. Infatuation. A very painful crush. You feel something for somepony, but they do not return your feelings.” 


“I’m sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to make you hurt.” Sumac hoped that his apology would smooth things over. It was the foalish hopes of every colt and filly that had made an adult hurt somehow, and then had felt guilty about it. 


“Oh, I’ve gotten better about it. I’ve even learned to be happy for this pony that I loved. I grew up. I matured. I got past being selfish and because I loved them, I wanted what was best for them. I wanted them to be happy. So I let go.” Twilight let heave another sigh and nopony else in the room said anything. 


“I bet that was rough,” Sumac said in a low voice, now wishing that he hadn’t brought it up. 


“It was,” Twilight admitted. “This pony that I held a great deal of affection for, they married somepony else. I was bitter for a time, angry even, but now my heart has healed. I loved this pony so much that I was willing to allow my love to cool into a very warm friendship, just so I could continue to be with them. I see it as one of my most important friendship lessons. To be honest, now that I think about it, the whole experience has made me a better pony, a better princess, and a better friend.” 


Turning his head, Sumac looked over at Trixie and Lemon Hearts. He hoped that whatever happened between the two of them, that they would somehow remain friends, no matter what. A part of him rather liked the idea of calling Lemon Hearts ‘Mom’ quite a bit—even though he would never admit to it. But if her and Trixie were to drift apart, it would be painful. Too painful. 


Perhaps, this was the reason why Applejack had said what she said, he wondered. 


“What about you, Sumac? Do you think you are in love?” Twilight gave Sumac a gentle smile and there was no hint of teasing in her voice. 


“I have no idea,” Sumac replied without a moment of hesitation. “All I know is… Pebble is my best friend and I am a better pony for having met her. I would do just about anything for her. I keep thinking about how both of us fell… and I can’t help but feel that we didn’t have enough time together. It makes every moment together now much more important.” 


As Sumac spoke, he heard both Lemon and Trixie sniffling, which made him feel self-conscious. The back of his neck was alive with prickles and he felt his ears twitching as his cheeks grew warm. 


“Like you, Twilight, I think the experience has left me a better pony…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 69
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac could not help but notice that there were some similarities between him and Vinyl, the most noticeable one being that they both wore dark glasses, and for similar reasons. She was quiet, though not by choice, and he was quiet, because he liked to listen and pay attention to the world around him. He was looking forward to the train ride and getting to know Vinyl. 


Pebble was wearing something that was indubitably fall coloured. She had on a muted orange dress with dark brown trim that matched her natural pelt colour. The long part of her violet mane had been pulled back into a Fancy braid that was snug against the crest of her neck. Something about her drew Sumac’s attention and he could not help but look at her, sneaking glances when he was certain that she wasn’t paying attention. 


It was impossible not to be nervous about the train ride, as the last one had been exciting to say the very least. Sumac was all too aware that there was a very real danger to him—a threat—and he was also aware that Pebble had grown up with the very sort of danger that he now found himself in. She had made it to five, which was pretty good so far, but he took no comfort in that fact. 


Yawning, Sumac felt tired and a bit cranky, as he had not slept well and was still plagued by dreams of falling. The dreams of spanking were there too, which bothered him a great deal, as he had been thinking about his behaviour as of late and had determined that he hadn’t done much to deserve a spanking. He had stuck out his tongue and blown a raspberry at Lemon last night, but he was almost certain that doing that didn’t warrant a spanking. 


Lemon Hearts had grabbed his tongue with her magic and didn’t let go for quite some time, much to Trixie’s amusement. Sumac didn’t think it was so funny, but what did he know? He was five and he couldn’t figure out half of the things that adults found funny. 


“Kiddo, you seem distracted.” Trixie reached out with her hoof and poked Sumac in the ribs. “Quick, explain to me the difference between chemistry and alchemy… one, two, three, go!” 


Put on the spot with a blitz-quiz, Sumac emptied his mind of all of his complicated musings and focused upon Trixie’s question. He dredged up the relevant facts that he needed, cleared his throat, and then replied, “Chemical reactions are mundane and are non-magical. An example of this is mixing baking soda and vinegar—you get a harmless reaction that fizzes.” He gulped in a deep breath, pushed his glasses up his nose with his magic, and continued, “Alchemical reactions are magical ones, such as what happens when you combine skunk nuts, whistler leaves, and pony’s ear leaves, which when exposed to electrical shock, makes a powerful stink elixir that causes queasiness and vomiting.” 


“Wait, you taught him that?” Octavia turned an incredulous stare upon Trixie her eyebrow arched in concern as her ears pitched forwards. 


“I sure did,” Trixie replied without so much as a second’s hesitation. “It got him curious about alchemy and chemistry, because what foal doesn’t want to know more about causing a big stink?” 


“I don’t know very much yet.” Sumac’s ears drooped as Octavia turned her very serious looking stare upon him. “I just know some of the basics that I need to know and it will help me have a head start in school.” 


“Vinyl Scratch… don’t you dare.” Eyes narrowed, Octavia leveled her stern gaze upon the unicorn beside her. When Vinyl paid her no attention, Octavia poked her mate a few times. “I mean it. We don’t want another incident like the last one involving something incredibly smelly.” 


“The skunk cactus,” Pebble said to Sumac in a flat, emotionless deadpan, “Octavia said we are to never speak of it, but she’s the one that usually brings it up.” 


“Skunk cactus?” Sumac asked, ignoring Octavia, who was now rolling her eyes at what Pebble had said.


“My father and Vinyl were working on transmuting new species of plants and they modified a needler cactus to have skunk glands. Octavia walked into the lab at the worst possible moment and it went off indoors when she startled my father and he dropped his teacup. My mother ran through a stone wall to get away from the stink and she plowed into Grandpa, who also got a big whiff. It was awful.” 


“Oh look, here comes the train!” Lemon Hearts announced in an ebullient, perky voice. 




 


Stuffed into a seat with Vinyl, Sumac had a look around the coach car. This was a somewhat nicer car than the standard commuter car with wooden benches. The well cushioned seats were wide, comfortable, and could be folded back into something that was almost a bed so that a pony could get comfortable. The windows had blinds to keep out the sun, if that was wanted. There was a little cabin made for four that seated all of them and gave them privacy, which Sumac appreciated. 


Without warning, Sumac had a slate held up in front of his face. Do you like music? 


After giving it a moment’s thought, he nodded. “I like music, but I don’t know much about it. On the road with Trixie, I listened to a lot of songs around campfires.” He saw Vinyl press her lips together and he wondered what she was thinking. After a bit of struggle on her part, Sumac felt her foreleg slip around around him, and he watched as she wiped away her words. 


Do you like Triple-Dog-Dare candies? 


Sumac paused, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed. He looked at Trixie, who was talking to Lemon, and then he stared down at his own front hooves as he squirmed in his seat. “I’ve never had any. We were too poor. A single box cost more than Trixie and I lived on for several months… I think. I dunno, I never actually asked because she felt bad when she couldn’t buy something.” He felt the leg draped over his withers give him a feeble squeeze. 


Hearing a rattle, Sumac looked up and saw that Vinyl had a box of said candies, and she was shaking them. Blinking, awe-stricken, he stared at the colourful cardboard box filled with the most dreadful candies in existence, at least that is what the box boasted in bright red letters. 


I love these things, but they are no fun eating them alone. Octavia won’t eat them with me. Vinyl looked serious for a moment as she studied Sumac’s face, and then she gave him a warm smile. I triple dog dare you to eat one. 


Ears perking, Sumac sat there in his seat, staring at Vinyl’s slate and the box of candies in question. He had heard stories about them, some scary, some amusing, and he had always wanted to try them. There was always something unpleasant about them, some of them came in awful flavours, usually two or more, but sometimes, they had side effects. You might get a really great tasting candy, but it might also turn your pelt some obnoxious colour. 


Sumac felt a prickle of fear as Vinyl tore the box open. There was no way of knowing what you were getting. As the cardboard package was torn open, Pebble leveled her gaze upon the box and so did Octavia. Pebble’s orange tongue darted out and she licked her lips. 


“Oh no,” Octavia groaned. 


With her magic, Vinyl pulled out a candy and held it up before Sumac. This one was purple and orange, but the colours were a lie. They were no indicator of flavour or side effect, at least from what little he knew about them. He had long dreamed of this moment, as did many foals. Nervous, a little timid, he plucked the candy from Vinyl’s magic and held it up to his muzzle. It smelled sweet and not at all threatening. 


“Triple dog dare,” Pebble deadpanned. “Do it, you big scaredy foal.” 


Now, both Trixie and Lemon were watching, wide-eyed and curious. 


His frogs sweating, Sumac studied the candy, which gave off a noticeable magical aura. Everypony was looking at him, waiting, and the pressure was on. The worst part of Triple-Dog-Dare candies was not knowing what was about to happen. He licked his lips, which felt far too dry, and then he placed the candy into his mouth. 


At first, nothing happened. It was sweet, rather good, and Sumac liked it. He began to wonder if perhaps he had gotten lucky and got one of the good ones, but then the flavour began to change and Sumac almost swallowed his own face. This particular candy was flavoured with blazing hot cinnamon and black licorice, which was a vile and horrendous combination. 


“BLARGH!” Sumac’s body gave a violent shudder and he struggled to breathe. The blazing hot cinnamon didn’t bother him at all, he liked spicy stuff, but the cinnamon mixed with black licorice was a concoction mixed up in Tartarus. In his mouth, the candy was slow to melt and he didn’t dare spit it out, as it was far too expensive. Left with no other option, he was forced to wait it out and endure the confectionary torture. 


Still holding the box in her magic, Vinyl held it out to Pebble and shook it. One of the candies came floating up out of the box, a green and pink one. Needing no further prompting, Pebble opened up her mouth, waited, and Vinyl flicked the candy onto her tongue. 


A second later, Pebble made a very strange face. Reaching out with her forelegs, she grabbed Octavia’s foreleg and squeezed it with a ferocious hug. “Oh, it’s so bad… I think it is mango and toothpaste.” 


“That’s nothing,” Sumac said as he once more shuddered with revulsion, “mine is fiery cinnamon and black licorice.” 


“Eww! That’s just nasty!” Octavia pulled Pebble a little closer and gave the filly a loving squeeze. “You brought this upon yourself, Pebble, now you finish it.” 


Lemon Hearts, looking disgusted, tilted her head to one side and stared at the box of questionable candies. “When I was in school, Twinkleshine and Moondancer both agreed to eat one of those. Twinkle… she kept farting and it sounded like bells ringing. Moondancer on the other hoof, she was magically honest for about an hour and couldn’t hold anything back. It got weird. Twilight extracted information from her to gain a better understanding of magical theory.” 


“That’s a very Twilight thing to do,” Trixie remarked, “she could have found out all of Moondancer’s secrets, but instead she went after Moondancer’s encyclopaedic knowledge.” 


“Oh, I pulled a few secrets out of Moonie.” A somewhat evil smirk spread over Lemon Hearts’ muzzle. “Oh, the things that school fillies think are secrets.” 


Prodding Lemon with her hoof, Trixie said, “I triple dog dare you to eat one of those candies.” 


The smirk on Lemon Hearts’ face vanished and was replaced with a panicked expression. She turned to Trixie and almost bumped snoots with her. “I’ll only do it if you will.” 


Sumac now saw panic on his mother’s face. Distracted, he made a terrible mistake. He crunched down upon the hard candy to finish it off. The flavour that oozed out of the vile confection defied all description, it was the very essence of cinnamony black licorice and then some. As tears rolled down his cheeks, he crunched up his candy a few more times and then swallowed, regretting every second of it. 


Being the horrible pony that she was, Vinyl held up the box for both Trixie and Lemon Hearts. She gave it a shake, rattling the candies, and waited for the two mares to pony up. Lemon Hearts looked at Trixie and Trixie looked back at Lemon Hearths. A faint wrinkle appeared on Lemon Hearts’ muzzle, and her ears leaned forwards. 


“I think Miss Lulamoon is a chicken.” 


“Am not!” There was a flare of magic as Trixie pulled a candy from the colourful cardboard box and she waited as Lemon Hearts pulled out her own torturous confection. When Lemon Hearts had her candy ready, Trixie popped hers into her mouth as Lemon Hearts did the same. 


“AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaieee!” Lemon Hearts squealed. “Ugh, I think mine is fishhead flavour… ewww! Fishheads and lemon curd! NOOOOO!” 


“Mine tastes just fine.” Trixie smacked her lips and smiled. “It’s a little sour, I think it is tart cherry.” Looking very smug, Trixie stuck her tongue out to blow a raspberry at Lemon— 


And that was when Sumac noticed there was something wrong. His mother’s tongue was blackish-green, dried out looking, and covered in a bunch of grody squirming maggots. He almost gagged and beside him, Pebble did gag, and so did Octavia. But poor Lemon, she shrieked. 


“ZOMBIE TONGUE! EWW!” 


Trixie’s one good eye looked down at her muzzle, which scrunched, and she studied her tongue. After about five seconds, Trixie let out a wordless scream, then grabbed Lemon Hearts, seeking comfort from her lemony companion. Lemon Hearts jerked away from Trixie and tried to shoo the zombie tongued menace away from her. 


Vinyl wheezed with silent laughter at the chaos that she had caused. 


“I triple dog dare you to eat one,” Sumac said to Vinyl as he tried not to think about his mother’s horrible zombie tongue. He stared up at Vinyl and raised an eyebrow as Lemon Hearts continued to squeal in terror.


Shrugging, Vinyl popped a candy into her mouth in a very nonchalant manner. She smacked her lips a few times, smiled, and then sucked on the hard candy while looking very smug. Feeling a keen sense of disappointment, Sumac realised that Vinyl had gotten lucky. She seemed to have gotten one of the good ones. But then again, so had Trixie. Perhaps the symptoms just hadn’t manifested yet. 


As Sumac waited for something to happen, he heard quacking, as if there was now a flock of ducks in their cabin. Ears perking, he paused and tried to figure out what was going on. Again, he heard a quacking sound, and Vinyl looked a bit alarmed. The seat he was sitting on vibrated with each series of quacks and it took a few moments for Sumac to put the pieces together. 


A foul stench wafted up and slapped Sumac in the face. Again, there was more quacking as the seat that he sat on with Vinyl vibrated, and the smell grew worse. His lip curling back from his teeth in disgust, he scrambled out of the chair with Vinyl, climbed over the arm, and into the seat with Pebble and Octavia. Almost falling to the floor, Octavia and Pebble grabbed him and pulled him close as once more, a flock of ducks could be heard quacking. 


Looking up at Octavia’s confused face, Sumac said, “Vinyl Scratch is farting ducks!” 
	
> Chapter 70
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Stepping off of the train, Sumac saw a lot of guards on the platform. His front legs were a little stiff but getting better, and he got out of the way so others could exit the train car. Trixie moved and covered him, stepping over him, and standing over him. Peering out from between her front legs, he took in the view. With the wedding coming up, security was everywhere. 


And Sumac found himself in the middle of it all. The realisation that some of this security was here for him unnerved him. Trixie and Twilight had given him a little talk that the wedding would create crowds, and crowds represented danger. As Sumac stood there looking about, the wall of armor parted and Gosling revealed himself. 


Smiling, Sumac was happy to see him, so he lifted up a hoof and waved. 


“There is a carriage waiting to take us to where we’re going,” Gosling said as his eyes darted around. “Tensions are a little high right now, so you must forgive me if I am abrupt. We need to get all of you off of the platform and into the carriage right away.” 


Ears perking, Sumac heard the quacking of ducks. It seemed that Gosling did as well and the pegasus looked around with one raised eyebrow. When the ducks quacked again, Sumac looked up as Gosling looked down at him and Sumac could see the hint of a smile hiding upon Gosling’s muzzle. 


“Oh, I get it… somepony has to tease me about my cutie mark. Fine.” As Gosling spoke, Trixie and Sumac both began to laugh. “That’s right, yuck it up for the rubber duck.” As if on cue, there was more quacking and Gosling rolled his eyes. 


“Begging your pardon,” Octavia began, “but my companion is suffering some peculiar magical side effects.” She looked at Gosling, then at Vinyl, and then back at Gosling. “My apologies.” 


“So… how does a mute pony quack?” Gosling asked as he gave Vinyl an incredulous stare mixed with a doubtful raised eyebrow. 


In reply, there was a lone single quack, then Vinyl made a feeble effort to hike up her tail, releasing a cacophony quacks, which sounded like a whole flock of ducks flying out of her backside. Lemon Hearts was overcome by the giggles, which she tried to swallow, but they came out as snorting gigglets, which were a bit like piglets, but didn’t have the stink or the oink. 


“Eh, unicorns.” Nonplussed, Gosling backed away from the group and made a gesture. “Go on, get into the carriage and make sure you keep a window down so the ducks can escape.” He flapped his wings as he let out a hesitant laugh. “Ladies, after you.” 




 


The carriage rocked from side to side as it made its way down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot. Outside, Sumac could hear the heavy shod hooves of the guard and the whistle of strong wind. Canterlot it seemed, was blustery and the wind carried with it a hint of magic. Sumac suspected that something was up with the wind, but he didn’t ask. 


Far more interesting than the wind was the unicorn that Gosling had introduced named Fox Populi, somepony that Vinyl Scratch already knew and the two of them had exchanged a hug. Fox was, for the most part, fox-like, with an orange pelt that had hints of white. What drew Sumac’s attention the most though was that Fox had swords. Bright, shiny swords, one short, one long. 


“We thought about putting you into the Lord Mayor’s Manse, but Luna insisted that it was a bad idea even though Celestia said it would be just fine. I took Luna’s side on the issue as I trust her intuition a great deal.” Gosling paused for a moment and used his wing to rub his chin. “I suppose I ended that argument before it got heated,” he mumbled to himself, distracted. 


Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the matter at hoof. 


“Fox here is a member of Lucerna Perpetuum,” Gosling said in a soft voice, “as some of you already know.” Gosling lifted his head and focused his stare upon Vinyl Scratch. “You’ll have to forgive me as I am just now starting to learn about all of these secret societies. Anyhow, Fox has offered to keep you as guests in their headquarters here in Canterlot.” 


“What is.. Lucer… uh…” Sumac, unable to repeat the words, hoped that somepony would explain what was going on. 


Clearing her throat, Octavia held up her hoof. She waited for a moment, looking at Vinyl, and then she explained, “Lucerna Perpetuum is an ancient order dedicated to keeping the lights on in Equestria. The name means ‘the candle unending’ or something to that effect, and their symbol is a burning candle. Many of their members can be found in libraries, archives, and places of knowledge. They are everywhere and many ponies have developed crackpot conspiracy theories about them. Most of those conspiracies were created by the order itself.” 


“Hey!” Trixie turned her head and looked over at Octavia. “The old Ponyville library where Twilight lived… it had a burning candle on the door.” 


“Yes it did,” Fox replied in a soft whisper. “It was one of our places. We are saddened by its loss.” A smirky smile appeared upon the wily stallion’s face and his eyes swept over the passengers in the carriage. “A few years ago, we formed an alliance with the new druid order… specifically, with the agents of Selene and their herald.” His eyes fell upon Vinyl Scratch for a moment, and then he looked right at Sumac. “We were very surprised to discover that she had taken an apprentice.” 


Curious, Sumac turned to look at Vinyl and discovered that she was staring right at him, which made him feel squirmy. He had the feeling that he had stumbled his way into something beyond his understanding and now, he had a lot of catching up to do. After a bit of mental gymnastics, Sumac had the curious revelation that he was being watched over, how else had Fox known that Vinyl had taken him as an apprentice. 


“You must excuse me, you two beautiful ladies,” Fox said in a sly, slithery voice to Lemon Hearts and Trixie, “but I fear that the two of you are about to be inducted into our order. You already know too much and hey, we now have a vested interest in helping you.” 


“And what about me?” Sumac asked. 


“At some point, we need to discuss your future,” Fox replied. “Your master is the Herald of Selene, which places you in a peculiar position and we would very much like to know—” Fox fell silent as Vinyl raised her hoof and he stared at her for a moment. “Ah, I must ask forgiveness… I got carried away. I did not mean to start my interrogation so soon.” Leaning back in his seat, Fox began to chuckle. 


“There are too many secret societies,” Gosling muttered. 


“I grew up in a secret society and they have kept me safe.” Pebble’s piercing gaze focused upon Gosling. “This particular secret society is the very backbone of Equestria and you’d better not say anything bad about it. I’m still alive because of them. I exist because they have protected me.” 


“Hey! Hey… I’m sorry I brought it up.” Gosling held out a wing as he tried to appease Pebble. “It just makes me uncomfortable, that’s all. Plus, it is really, really weird to know that two popular musicians live secret lives in secret societies. That’s plural. Societies.” 


“If the darkness comes and swallows the land, it will take art with it… art is the very essence of free expression. It is the language of the soul. Art, music, all of those things that make a society truly great, these things will be the very first things to go if the lights of our great society go out. Art, music, free expression, all of these things are beacons of hope. They provide sustenance to the equine spirit… no, not just us, but all of us. Gosling… you’re supposed to be the cultured sort, tell me, how much more miserable would your existence have been in the inner city without museums, without theatre, without musicals and plays?” Octavia’s eyes narrowed and she waited for an answer. 


Sumac, who had paid attention to Princess Celestia, knew that Octavia’s talent was inspiration, and he was feeling it right now. Her words settled into his mind like a ton of bricks and his brain struggled to understand everything she had said and how it applied to him. 


“I might not have turned out the way I did,” Gosling replied in a soft whisper, “and I certainly would not be where I am right now.” 


“One burning candle can be used to light other candles,” Fox said as he cocked one white eyebrow. “And so long as one candle keeps burning, we will endure… we will survive. It is better to light a candle than it is to curse the darkness.” 


Distracted, Sumac retreated into his own headspace so he could think about everything being said. He leaned up against Trixie and thought about how everything had turned topsy turvy since going to Castle Midnight. That had been a dark place. Things had certainly been a little dark since going there and recovering the lantern. 


Perhaps it was time to let his light shine. 




 


Tilting his head back, Sumac looked up at the octogonal tower. It was rather big, but it wasn’t the tallest tower in Canterlot. The stone was a subdued shade of grey with black and shiny speckles in it. The windows, if they could be called that, were narrow slits that were sort of keyhole shaped. At the top of the tower was a copper roof that had long since turned green. 


“You’ll be safe and comfortable here,” Gosling said to everypony gathered around. 


Trixie, who turned to face Gosling, cleared her throat and focused her uninjured eye upon him. “A word or two with you if I may.” 


“Of course.” Gosling bowed his head in a well practiced courtly manner. 


“Trixie has a nagging suspicion that something else is going on here.” Nostrils flaring, Trixie’s eye narrowed and her ears angled over her face in an aggressive manner. “It strikes me as odd that Sumac and Pebble are to be kept together at all costs. In fact, everything about this arrangement rubs me wrong. I don’t mind going along with whatever has been planned, but I demand to know what is really going on.” 


Drawing himself up to his full height, Gosling’s own eyes narrowed from Trixie’s accusations. He glanced at Fox, who nodded, and then Gosling returned his attention to Trixie. Sumac, sensing the tension, moved closer to his mother and pressed up against her leg, needing to feel her, needing her silent reassurance that he was safe. 


“This is more than a wedding,” Gosling admitted and he glanced once at Vinyl before he returned his attention to Trixie and continued. He took a deep breath and looked Trixie in the eye. “The wedding, and by extension, Sumac and Pebble, are bait. A lot of the guests aren’t your common garden variety socialites. I am just finding out about this myself and I don’t know everything that is going on. Nopony knows all of the details of what is going on, at least I don’t think. The info has been compartmentalised. I know that Vinyl knows, at least, I was told that she knows a fair bit, as some of this was her plan.” 


Sneaky. Sumac looked over over at his master and felt a new sense of appreciation. 


“Tarnish has that weird second sight astral vision thing that he does where he can see a pony’s soul. Princess Celestia is hoping that the immense crowds will draw in some of our enemies and Tarnish will be able to spot them. If there are wedding crashers… we’ll be ready for them.” Gosling’s ears pinned back against his skull and he gave Trixie an apologetic glance. “We’ve done everything we can to make certain that Sumac will stay as safe as possible.” 


Trixie looked down at Pebble, who looked up at her, and then over at Octavia and Vinyl. She said nothing, but studied them for a time, then she looked at Gosling. After a few seconds, she looked down at Pebble once more and she sighed. 


“You get used to it,” Pebble deadpanned. “I don’t even bother asking. I just assume everything is normal and fine. I stay happier that way.” 


“I suppose you would know.” Trixie angled her head down and looked at Sumac, who was peeking up from between her front legs. “Kiddo, we’re in quite a mess… how do you feel about it?” 


“Eh, I feel fine,” Sumac said, lying through his teeth. He felt guilty about it right away and he could feel his stomach muscles knotting up. He had to be brave though and give his mother one less thing to worry about. The guilt caused a physical ache—he had just lied—and in his mind, that was worthy of a spanking. 


“You’re a brave one,” Trixie whispered. “How about we go and visit the cemetery here like you’ve been pestering me about for years?”


“I’d like that.” Sumac had some trouble meeting his mother’s gaze. 


“I wanna go.” Pebble shuffled a little closer to where Sumac and Trixie stood. 


“We’ll get settled here, have some lunch, and then we’ll go and visit the cemetery, though I’m not sure why a foal would want to do that.” Octavia moved to stand over Pebble and her eyes darted around, looking for any sign of danger that might be lurking. 


“There will be guards all around you, but you won’t even know they are there.” Gosling made a gesture at Fox. “He’ll be with you though. If there is a problem, you are to follow his instructions. Got that?” Gosling looked down at Pebble and Sumac. 


Sumac nodded and Pebble did the same. 


“I’m starving,” Lemon Hearts said to Fox, “what’s for lunch?” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 71
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The inside of the tower was palatial and Sumac had never seen anything quite like it. The walls were covered in dark woods that gleamed with a near mirror finish. He could see his own reflection in the floor. The walls had brass fixtures that held flickering flames and there was a delicious smell that overwhelmed his senses. 


There was also a dark blue stallion that stood at the base of the stairs to greet them. He seemed familiar to Sumac, but the little colt couldn’t quite remember when he had seen or met the middle aged unicorn. He came to a halting stop and stared upwards at the somewhat tall, regal looking unicorn stallion. Trixie bumped into him, having only one eye available made her depth perception tricky, but she did not stumble. 


“Welcome, esteemed visitors, my name is Night Light and I do hope that you will enjoy your stay here.” The respectable middle aged unicorn bowed his head and gave the group a handsome smile. “You must forgive me, as I will not be able to stay very long. These are busy times… equinity and the preservation of life demand an enormous sacrifice of time.” 


Fox, who now stood beside Sumac, bowed his head, then turned to look back at the others. He smiled, winked one eye, then gave a sauve nod to Trixie and Lemon Hearts. “I am always a little nervous when my boss shows up to make certain that everything is perfect.” 


“I know the feeling,” Lemon Hearts replied. She blinked a few times, looked at Night Light, then back at Fox. “I work as a school teacher and I’m not too worried about messing that up, but when one of my bosses tells me to fetch a cup of tea, it always fills me with terror. What if I served a bad cup of tea? That would be mortifying… it gives me bad dreams at night.” 


“Oh, I would be quite pleased to drink your tea, I suspect,” Fox said in a voice as smooth and slick as silk rubbing against itself. 


“Flirt with my mother again,” Sumac said in a low whisper as his eyes narrowed, “I dare you.” 


“Sumac!” Trixie planted a soft kick against Sumac’s rump with her foreleg, which was more than a warning nudge than anything else. 


“What?” Eyes still narrowed, Sumac turned to face Trixie, but also glanced over at Fox, not wanting to take his eyes off of the sly unicorn. 


“My apologies, I am a shameless flirt, but I mean nothing by it.” Fox bowed his head and gave Sumac a charismatic smile. 


“And I’m cute, little, and fuzzy… it won’t stop me from pulling out your teeth one by one—”


“Sumac!” Trixie stomped her hoof against the floor. “What in Celestia’s green pastures has gotten into you? Do I need to find a corner to stand you in? This isn’t like you at all!” The corner of Trixie’s unbandaged eye began twitching and her tail swished around her hind legs. 


Scowling, cranky from a lack of sleep, Sumac’s lower lip protruded as he turned to face Trixie once more. “You and Lemon are together. I’m not going to let somepony else come along and ruin it.” 


“I think…”—with a few smooth steps, Night Light came forward and stood beside Sumac— “that there is a little colt in need of some lunch. Goodness, my little Shining Armor was so protective of his mother, but when he was peckish or cranky, it manifested as outright aggression.” Brows furrowing, Night Light glanced over at Fox. “Be more mindful of your words, Fox, or else I do believe this colt here will try to take a piece of you. A Fox’s tail makes for a magnificent trophy.” 


“Ugh, Trixie is embarrassed and mortified.” 


“I don’t think Sumac did anything wrong,” Pebble said as she stepped forwards. 


“Pebble, darling, stay out of this.” Octavia also stepped forwards and she stood beside Pebble. “Dearie, please be good.” 


“No.” Pebble turned her stony stare upon Octavia and her ears leaned forwards. “I will not just stand here and let Sumac get into trouble when he’s done nothing wrong. Fox was being a creep—” 


“Pebble!” Octavia’s muzzle crinkled. “What has gotten into you?” 


Clearing his throat, Night Light’s expression became stern, but gentle. “I suggest that we just let it go before emotions and tensions get the better of us. Fox spoke out of turn and this genteel young colt stepped up to defend the honour of the mares that he is obligated to care for.” 


“I’ve never had a gentlepony step in to defend my honour.” Lemon Hearts began blushing and her hooves shuffled against the floor. “Thank you, Sumac.” As she spoke, Trixie rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, which Lemon Hearts ignored. Stepping away from Trixie, Lemon Hearts moved over to where Sumac was, bent her neck, and kissed Sumac on the ear. Lifting her head only a little, with her lips just inches from Sumac’s ear, she whispered, “Next time, leave out the threats of bodily harm, if you please, and everything will be just fine.” 


After blinking a few times, Sumac gave a reluctant nod of his head and agreed. “Okay.” 


“Good. Now that the drama has blown over, we can go upstairs to have lunch.” Smiling, Night Light gestured at the stairs. “Ladies first… we would not wish to upset young master Sumac once again…” 







Staring down at his half eaten meal, Sumac felt far too warm. The back of his neck was hot, blazing, and his face felt like he was holding it over a fire. He could feel the pressure of tears between his eyes and his nose, which made him uncomfortable and squirmy. He was having some trouble enjoying his pumpkin curry with chickpeas and rice, which he liked, but was just too upset to eat. 


The need to have a good cry manifested as a powerful shudder that caused his teeth to click together and he almost bit his tongue. Not only were there some tears demanding to be let out, but Sumac was holding back a yawn as well. He knew that he was on thin ice already and he didn’t want to do anything else that might jeapordise his trip to the cemetery. 


“So, if I might ask, why would a young colt want to go to the graveyard?” Fox leaned over his plate and focused his attention upon Sumac, hoping to engage the colt in some good natured conversation. 


Squinting at Fox, Sumac did not reply. 


Letting out a weary sigh, Trixie did her best to salvage the situation. “I don’t have the best reputation in a lot of places. A lot of towns and villages weren’t too happy to see me. A pony like myself gets turned away from the town, but nopony turns anypony away from a cemetery. He and I would take shelter there… we’d rest. It was our safe place, because it was close enough to the town that the dangers of the wild would stay away for the most part.” 


“Fascinating,” Fox replied. 


“Sumac began taking rubbings of the headstones, the neat ones that told a story or gave some history. He had quite a collection”—Trixie paused and her barrel hitched as though she was hiccuping—“he had so many of them and they were so precious to him… we lost them in the fire.” 


A single tear escaped and Sumac feared that the levee would break at any moment now, now that there was a leak. He thought about his lost collection, but he didn’t want to think about it. Once again, he stared down at his plate, miserable, and wishing that he was alone so that he could cry in peace. 


“That is a senseless tragedy.” Fox’s words were sincere and sad sounding. “Night Light, we have a surplus of scroll tubes that are fireproof and protected from the elements. Certainly we could spare a few, right?” 


“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly accept—” 


“Pardon me, Miss Lulamoon,” Night Light said in a soft, gentle voice as he raised his hoof to silence her. “We have them by the hundreds and they fill our closets. We use them in the transport of our dispatches. A few of them would be more than enough to hold a sizeable collection of rubbings for Sumac. A hobby that preserves history is to be encouraged.” 


Lower lip protruding, Sumac turned his sorrowful expression upon Trixie and hit her with everything he had. “Please? I know I’ve been rotten and I don’t deserve it, but please? Please?” 


“Now now, Miss Lulamoon, I would very much like to make a peace offering. I have offended the young lad with my careless words and I would like to make it up to him.” Fox bowed his head and folded his front hooves together in front of him. “Also, Night Light is correct… the preservation of history is an exceptional hobby and should be encouraged.” 


“Very well,” Trixie replied, relenting and turning away from Sumac, as she could not bear to look at his sad little face. “Sumac shall accept your peace offering and he will behave himself without further incident. At least, he better.” 


Slumping down in his chair, Sumac almost vanished below the edge of the table. Boomer, who was sleepy, took this opportunity to slither from his horn and crawl onto the table. Yawning, half awake, she began to investigate the pumpkin curry, which was about as orange as she was. Leaning over Sumac’s plate, she started sniffing the food to see if there was anything she might like. 


“I miss having a baby dragon about,” Night Light remarked as he watched Boomer. “So much curiousity. And they can be so smart. For a time, Spike was a faster learner than Twilight. It unnerved her a great deal how easy it was for him to memorise entire books. She had to work very hard to keep up with him. I can honestly say that Twilight was a better student because she had Spike around for competition.” 


“Hmm.” Trixie’s head swiveled around and she cast a thoughtful gaze upon Sumac, who was still huddled down in his chair, looking miserable. 


Pulling off his glasses, Sumac rubbed his eyes with his foreleg, then, not satisfied, rubbed them again. He put his glasses back on, sat up a bit, and watched as Boomer picked out chick peas from the curry. His neck and face felt like it was being roasted over an open flame and the pressure in his sinuses was now unbearable. 


“Excuse me.” Octavia wiped her mouth with a napkin, smiled, and pushed her seat back from the table. She stepped away from the table, came around to where Sumac was sitting, and without even saying anything, she pulled him from his chair with her foreleg, causing him to plop down to the floor. With her foreleg, she steadied him and kept him from falling over. 


Then, still silent, she herded him away from the table and towards the stairs. 




 


“It’s miserable being an introvert sometimes,” Octavia said as she wiped Sumac’s face with a cool, wet cloth she had pulled out of a cupboard. 


The wooden toilet seat lid was cool and rather comforting against Sumac’s backside. He had his eyes closed while Octavia wiped his face and scrubbed away the tears streaming down his cheeks, cheeks that burned with embarrassment and shame from being in this awkward position. It felt weird to be in an opulent bathroom with somepony that he didn’t know very well. The bathroom was a private place where private things happened. 


“Sometimes, everything just piles up and you need a good cry, but it feels so awkward to try and step out of a social situation, because you don’t want to call attention to yourself. It only makes the problem worse and you are stuck being miserable.” 


The little colt wondered how it was that Octavia knew exactly what he was feeling. 


“Vinyl, she’s extroverted, but she is very attentive to my needs. She’s clever. When she sees that I am having a hard time or that I am overwhelmed, she’ll cause a scene or do something utterly silly so that I might escape without calling attention to myself. Now blow.” 


Feeling some tissue held up against his nose, Sumac blew a few times. The tissue was pulled away and then he felt a hot, wet cloth scrubbing his snoot. Opening his eyes, he looked at Octavia, who was sitting on the floor before him. After a few seconds of thoughtful consideration, he decided that he liked Octavia, and he thought she was a nice pony. 


“You and Pebble can be introverts together. In fact, I suspect that the three of us will get along quite well. We can all be together and enjoy the quiet.” She paused, made a few final wipes, then continued, “Now, we are going to go and have a nice time this afternoon, and you are going to try and wear yourself out a bit, if you can, because I think you need a nap. Do you agree?” 


Sumac nodded, but he didn’t feel like saying anything. 


“Very good. Sit here for a few minutes and pull yourself together. I’ll sit here with you. In fact, I feel that I need a little time as well, as I had horrible anxiety because I felt as though I was causing a scene when I pulled you out of the dining room. It was quite stressful and I kept worrying about what others thought of me. ” 


Reaching out his left foreleg, he placed his hoof upon Octavia’s neck, then just sat there on the toilet seat lid, quiet, and thankful for this reprieve. 


“When you think you are ready, just let me know and we shall return to the others. There is no pressure. Take as much time as you need and do not worry about me growing impatient. I understand and I wish that somepony had done this for me when I was little.” 


“Thank you,” Sumac croaked. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 72
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There were some who thought that the Canterlot cemetery and its catacombs were a spooky place, but Sumac wasn’t among their number. In a noisy, bustling city, this place was an island of calm and quiet. It was located on the lowest level of Canterlot, below the residential areas, snug up against the Canterhorn Peak itself. The catacombs were dug into the mountains and there was an inviting open gate that beckoned visitors to come and explore. 


With the wedding of the century happening tomorrow, the cemetery was the last place that anypony wanted to be, and that suited Sumac just fine. He didn’t mind that the place was deserted. Once past the gate, he roamed the headstones with Pebble just behind him, looking for anything that might be interesting. There were graves in the ground and above ground crypts, all of which formed a special little city of its own, complete with buildings and neighborhoods. 


It wasn’t long until he found just what he was looking for, a headstone covered in copious words. It was in places just like this that he had learned to read and honed his skill to what it was now. Sitting down in the grass, he made himself comfortable and settled in for a read as Pebble sat down beside him. 


Captain Resplendent Valour was a father of eight that raised five fine stallions and three excellent mares, all of whom served in the guard, just as their father did. Two of his sons and one of his daughters met their end before he did. He also outlived his wife, also a member of the guard, and her name was Liberty Sparks. Blinking, Sumac took it all in. The tiny shoe by Resplendent Valour’s name marked him as an earth pony, while the tiny horn symbol by Liberty Sparks’ name showed that she was a unicorn. Looking about, he found her grave right next to her husband’s, or rather, he found a memorial marker, an indicator that there had been no body to bury. 


With a solemn nod, he acknowledged the sacrifices that had been made as he pulled out a sheet of paper and a charcoal rod. Holding these up in the air, he used his magic to clean up the headstone a bit, cleaning away a bit of moss, some bird droppings, and some caked on filth. A clean stone made for a better rubbing. Placing the paper over the headstone, he held it in place with his magic and began rubbing with the charcoal. Soon enough, he had a fine example of a rubbing, which he rolled up and slid inside of a fireproofed scroll tube. 


It was the first of his new collection, and something that he treasured. 


Sighing, he pulled away a few weeds from around the headstone and then he smiled, feeling satisfied with what he had done. He had a piece of history, the headstone looked a little better, and the area around it was a little tidier. He looked around to see what the adults were up to and squinted in their direction. Vinyl was sitting on the edge of a blanket under a parasol with Octavia beside her. Trixie and Lemon Hearts were unpacking their bags, pulling out books and other things. Unicorns brought civilisation with them wherever they went, or so Sumac had been told. 


Fox was prowling about the edges of the cemetery, along with other guards. 


Turning about, Sumac faced Pebble, who seemed fascinated by the headstones, and after a moment of staring at her, she turned to face him. Still a little cranky, still feeling out of sorts, feeling afraid, insecure, and exhausted, looking into Pebble’s eyes made him feel better. 


“Thank you, Pebble.” 


“For what?” 


“For introducing me to Octavia and Vinyl.” 


“Oh.” Pebble made a slow blink. “Octavia had a long talk with me about that. She said it was good for my character development to so thoughtfully think about another pony’s needs and desires, then trying to figure out how to do what was good for them. I’ll confess, I’m selfish and too focused upon myself and my own desires.” 


Blinking, Sumac had no idea how to respond. Sometimes, Pebble said things that went right over his head, like now. She was weird, but he liked her. A warm fuzzy feeling prickled the back of his neck and his ears stood up as he became aware of the fact that he was staring into Pebble’s eyes. 


Picking up his gear, Sumac moved on, off to find another headstone. He didn’t have to go very far and Pebble was right behind him. Ears perking, he heard laughter from where the adults were sitting and he could hear Lemon Hearts mention Boomer’s name. The little dragon had eaten too much curry and was now in a food coma while she digested her gluttonous indulgence. 


As he traipsed about, he thought about Night Light’s explanation that Boomer’s constant eating and subsequent napping was fueling her brain development. Soon, like Spike, she would have an explosion of intelligence and would test the patience of everypony around her by asking a million questions about everything. 


With a sigh, he plopped himself down in front of a promising headstone. It was large, well decorated, and covered in words. Here lies Stubby Tailwind, brought down one piece at a time. What followed was a list of injuries and losses that Stubby endured while in the guard. An ear, an eye, the other ear, his right front leg, his left wing, and then after all of that, he was cloven in half by a diamond dog while defending a settlement of farmers. Humming to himself, Sumac cleaned up Stubby’s headstone, using his telekinesis to peel away moss, lichen, and dirt. He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, pressed it to the stone, held it in place with his magic, and using his charcoal, he made a rubbing, capturing Stubby’s story on paper. A pony like Stubby deserved to be remembered. 


“Ouch,” Pebble remarked in a very matter-of-fact way. “Stubby had a rough life.” 


“Yeah, but I don’t think he ever gave up. He died in service, which meant that he was still in the guard after losing a leg and a wing and his other bits.” With great care, Sumac rolled up the rubbing and slid it into the scroll tube with the other. 


“Some ponies just don’t know when to quit.” After a moment, Pebble added, “I meant that as a compliment. I would never disrespect Stubby or ponies like him. Not after what my father has gone through. He’s not a soldier, but he fights the good fight.” 


“Trixie is a member of Sparkle’s Spartans… I don’t even understand what that means exactly, but I am proud of her.” Sumac began to look around for other promising headstones. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a hero. I’m too emotional and I get too worked up by just about everything.” 


“I think you are selling yourself short,” Pebble replied. “Emotions can be controlled. Dealt with. But I think I’m the last pony to be talking about that, as I have a temper problem. I don’t know what I want to be. I like cooking, but I also like teaching. I mean, I really like teaching. It’s satisfying.” 


“It’s funny… I have something in common with Lemon. She’s not cut out to be a hero either. In a way, it kinda makes me feel better. I dunno.” Sumac shrugged and continued to look around as the warm autumn sunshine shone down upon him. 


“You’re five,” Pebble deadpanned. “A lot can happen as you grow up. Give it some time and don’t sell yourself short.” Reaching out her hoof, she poked Sumac in the back. “That said, if adventure and heroism really isn’t your thing, that’s fine too. Just don’t sell yourself short.” 


“What does that even mean?” Sumac asked. 


After thinking about it for a moment, Pebble shrugged. “I have no idea. But Octavia, my mother, and my father all say it to each other and to me. Most of the time, it is said to my father when he’s having one of his moments.” 


“It’s funny, Pebble, thinking about your father having problems. I mean, he’s supposed to be this great brave hero. This grand adventurer. He goes off and does amazing things with Daring Do.” Sumac once more found himself looking into Pebble’s eyes and he felt his neck growing warm again, but not from anger. He couldn’t help but think that Pebble looked soft and he wanted to touch her. 


“I don’t know what to make of it either.” Pebble blinked a few times and then turned away from Sumac as her cheeks darkened a bit. Reaching up with her foreleg, she rubbed her muzzle with the side of her fetlock and then put her hoof back down upon the ground. “My father, he really doesn’t think about himself from what my mother says, which is why we have to look after him. She had a long talk with me just the other day. I can’t prey upon his insecurity anymore, even unintentionally. I haven’t figured it all out just yet.” 


“I think Trixie has some confidence issues, but I also think she is getting better.” Turning his head about, Sumac gazed at his mother, watching as she laughed with Lemon. It made him happy to see them laughing together. He wanted both of them to be happy and he wanted to be happy with them. “Pebble, I don’t remember what it is was like having both a mother and a father around. I’m having a harder and harder time remembering Flam and Belladonna, my parents. Every day, my memories of them fade a little more. I’m not sure, but I think I want a family again.” 


Pebble didn’t reply, but sat there staring at the adults with Sumac. 







As the carriage rumbled down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot, Vinyl Scratch held up her somewhat battered and abused slate, which she had written a few words on in orange chalk. She pushed it in front of Fox’s face and made a few mute grunts to emphasise her pressing need. 


We need to stop at a toy store. 


Raising an eyebrow, Fox studied the mute mare for a moment, then looked over at Pebble and Sumac. After a few seconds, he opened the side window, leaned his head out, and then said something to the guards about stopping at a toy store. He then pulled his head back inside, closed the window, and smiled at Vinyl, but did so without being flirty. 


“Vinyl, why a toy store? Can’t you buy stuff for your pranks at another time?” Octavia gave a nudge to Vinyl with her elbow and her muzzle crinkled in concern. Turning to face Fox, who sat across from her, she said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Fox, sometimes, she gets into a certain mood and she just cannot be reasoned with. She probably wants sneezy powder, fart lozenges, or more crazy candies.” 


Reaching out one hoof and moving like an old mare, Vinyl booped Octavia on the nose. She then held up her slate, which had the following written upon it. Later, you’re going to wear the clown nose and the rainbow wig with that polkadotted bow tie. 


“Vinyl…” Octavia rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing it was no use to scold her mate. Her cheeks darkened and then she whispered, “I left that in Ponyville.” 


Which is why we must stop at the toy store, Vinyl wrote on her slate, her chalk squealing. 


The carriage filled with the sound of Octavia’s tittering, and she was joined by Lemon. Sumac, feeling awkward, didn’t even want to think about what was going on as he squirmed in his seat and did his best to avoid looking at Pebble. It was better not to think about it. 




 


The very first thing that Sumac saw when he entered the toy store was a steam powered train that puffed out black clouds of soot. He froze up in the doorway and didn’t move. With a gentle nudge, it was Lemon that moved him out of the way and uncorked the entry. Now, he stood near the door, just staring with wide eyes. He hadn’t been in too many toy stores too often, as extreme poverty didn’t allow for much in the way of consumeristic free-for-alls in a toy store. 


It was difficult to take everything in. Sumac just stood there, stupefied, and unable to move. His attention focused on a Twilight Sparkle doll that wet itself after you gave it a bottle. Standing there, blinking, he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. Princess Twilight Sparkle, the box made it clear that she was a princess, she even had a crown and everything, drinking a bottle and wetting herself. Sumac was at a total loss for words to say for Princess Pee-Pee Twilight Sparkle. 


Hey, go and pick out a stuffy to help you sleep better. Vinyl’s slate appeared right in front of his face and Sumac blinked several times while he stared at it, reading the words that had been written upon it. He didn’t know how to respond to this either. He didn’t need a stuffy. Colts didn’t play with dolls. Brows furrowing, Sumac took a step back from the slate. 


“No, I don’t think I need one. I’m not some baby foal. I’m not a scaredy cat.” 


The words on Vinyl’s slate were wiped away and replaced with the following. Do I need to knock the stupid out of you? 


Shocked, Sumac looked up from the words and peered at Vinyl’s face. He was unable to see through her dark glasses and he had trouble telling if she was joking or serious. “What?” 


More words were scribbled in a hurry. I mean it, I will get you when you least expect it. A big pillow right to the kisser should knock some of the stupid right out of you. Don’t know what to do about the rest of it though. 


Wide eyes narrowing, Sumac stared at the small fine print all crammed onto the small slate. Something told him that this was no idle threat, that Vinyl would wait until his guard was down and then she would lay waste to him. She was sneaky, he had seen far too much evidence of that. Now looking up again, he considered his position and thought about the fact that he might need to humour her to get out of this. But… he wasn’t some baby foal and he didn’t need a stuffy. 


“She’ll do it, Sumac. She’ll knock the stupid right out of you. She did it to me once. I haven’t been stupid since.” Pebble’s expression was unreadable and her blank stare was piercing. “She got Daddy once too. She made a pillow tornado indoors and he couldn’t run away from it. She got him. Daddy didn’t get the message though, and he continues to be stupid now and again.” 


Octavia was sniggering and Sumac stood there, silent, not knowing what to say. 


Pick out a stuffy, my apprentice, or face my wrath. Holding up her slate, Vinyl’s mouth was a thin, tight pressed line. The albino unicorn loomed over Sumac, menacing him, and waited for him to comply with her instructions. To get him moving, she wiped away the words on her slate and then drew a pillow slamming into a unicorn stick pony. A large jagged edged chunk labeled ‘stupid’ flew out of the stick unicorn’s head and then Vinyl drew a storm cloud with lightning bolts that was raining pillows.


“I need to find a filly’s room!” Lemon Hearts, laughing like a loon, took off through the toy store, scattering other ponies before her as she headed towards the back. 


“Fine, I’ll do it,” Sumac said as he worried about his brain becoming dislodged and shooting out of his ear. He glanced around and spotted a display of princess plushies. There were also bears, bunnies, stuffed farm animals, and even stuffed monsters. But the princess plushies caught his attention. 


Dejected, ears down and tail sagging, he slumped over to the princess display to have a better look. He might be five years old, but he didn’t need a stuffy to sleep with, he didn’t need a night light, and he wasn’t scared of the dark because he had a horn that could make light. Lifting his head up high, he was just able to get his chin over the edge of the wooden bin where the princess plushies were all piled up. 


He spotted a Celestia with a messy mane and a regal smile stitched into her muzzle. Seeing it made him think of the real Princess Celestia. She wanted him to join the guard so her own soldiers would be stronger. Thinking about this gave him pause and he stared at stuffy Celestia’s stitched smile. Now, he found something menacing about it and looking at it gave him the creeps. The toy had an odd quality to it that unnerved him. Perhaps it was the button eyes. 


Maybe a bear might be better. 


Stuffed Twilight Sparkle seemed to be popular as there were very few of them left in the bin. He liked Twilight, but he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to sleep with her. Besides, if he got in trouble again, which seemed likely with how his moods had been, he would have to write an essay, which would be impossible with stuffy Twilight Sparkle watching him. 


He turned a cross, accusing stare upon stuffy Luna, suspecting that it was she who was giving him bad dreams involving falling and hot crossed buns. With an absent minded twitch of his ears, he rubbed his backside with his hoof as he thought about Granny Smith and her hankering for some spankering. Nope, he didn’t want a Luna stuffy in bed with him, as she would no doubt make everything worse. 


Which left… Princess Busybody herself. His gaze fell upon a Cadance stuffy looking up at him. Cadance alone didn’t seem to have sinister ulteriour motives involving him, the worst she had done was spy on him somehow. Head turning, he looked over at Trixie, then back at Cadance. He really wanted Trixie to find love and be happy. Yes, Cadance was the patron princess of special someponies and for Sumac, that suited him just fine. 


“Go on, Sumac, make a choice. I’ll keep Vinyl from teasing you and we’ll all support your choice of princess.” Octavia sidled up closer to Sumac and waited for him to choose. 


“Twilight Sparkle is a good choice for a princess,” Trixie said, “but the fact that she is my boss may influence my decision.” 


“Princess Luna knows what it is like to have a temper.” Pebble’s words were somewhat cryptic and she didn’t elaborate. Rearing up onto her hind legs, Pebble plucked a Luna plushie out, held it in the crook of her right foreleg, and then stroked Luna’s mane with her left fetlock. “I feel silly and out of place asking for a toy, but may I?” 


“Of course, Pebble,” Octavia replied in a soft voice. “I think we’d all feel better if you’d act like a foal sometimes.” 


Feeling more than a little self conscious, Sumac plucked the pink pony princess from the display bin. At least dark blue was a masculine colour. A powerful tickle-prickle crept up his neck and he shivered, almost dropping Cadance back into the bin. 


Oh great, now we need to keep him away from Pebble for sure. Vinyl held up her slate and she shook with silent laughter. 


“Vinyl, stop that!” Octavia demanded. “Look at him, this is very awkward for him.” 


With a snort of annoyance, Vinyl focused her bespectacled stare upon Octavia. There was some sort of silent exchange that Sumac was aware of, but he didn’t know what was being said. Vinyl wiped her slate clean and then poked Octavia on the nose with a piece of orange chalk, leaving behind a dusty smudge. 


Then, in a hurry, she scribbled out a few words on her slate, which she held out for Sumac to see. You made a fine choice, don’t sweat it. Keep in mind that I am a silly pony. Now, come on, help me shop for prank supplies for the wedding.


“Vinyl…” Octavia whined, “must you be so awful?”
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 73
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Kiddo, did you have a nice day?” Trixie leaned over the bed where Sumac lay and kissed him on his ear. Her lips lingered there for a moment as she inhaled, drawing in his scent, and she treasured the few precious seconds she had to bond with him. 


“Yeah.” 


Smiling, she pulled the blanket up over Sumac’s body. “Try to get a little sleep. I think a nap would do you good. It was very nice of Vinyl to get you a stuffed Cadance doll.” 


There was a hint of a blush upon Sumac’s cheeks as Trixie spoke these words. He did not respond, but laid there with his head upon the pillow. The bed was soft, it had to be the nicest bed that he had ever been in, and the pillow was like resting one’s head upon a cloud. He imagined that this is what it felt like for napping pegasus ponies. 


“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said ‘doll’ I suppose.” Trixie leaned against the bed, lifted Sumac’s foreleg with her magic, and then slipped Cadance into his embrace. She dropped his leg and then tucked the blankets around him. 


“What happened with you and your mother?” Sumac asked as he fought to hold back a yawn. 


Nostrils flaring, Trixie sat down upon the floor beside the bed and stared at the wall. Her mouth opened as if she was about to speak, but nothing came out. After a few seconds, she closed her mouth, shook her head, and her ears drooped. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried again and had this to say. 


“We stopped talking. Things were already strained between us and I dropped out of school. That caused a lot of problems between me, her, and her father, my grandfather. The Lulamoon name has a proud and storied history to it. My mother had me out of wedlock and that caused a lot of strain between her and her father. She lived and breathed for his approval, hoping to get back into his good graces again…” Trixie’s voice trailed off and she continued to stare at the wall.


“But what happened?” Sumac asked. 


“The Pathetic and Worthless Trixie dropped out of school.” Trixie closed her good eye, reached out with her foreleg, and grabbed Sumac’s leg in her fetlock. “That is what he called me. Every day I heard it from him. I was my mother’s failure. I was the ruination of the good name ‘Lulamoon.’ And when I dropped out of school, Caper Lulamoon lost his mind. He and my mother fought and I decided to leave. I hit the road and I didn’t look back. My mother hired agents to try and capture me to bring me back home. Eventually, that stopped and she gave up on me.” 


“So, on the road, you tried to become great and powerful?” Sumac looked up into his mother’s face and saw pain. He watched her eye open, her head turned, and she looked at him. The corners of her mouth twitched and one ear flopped up and down a bit. 


“I didn’t want to be pathetic and worthless. I had this plan to become the Great and Powerful Trixie and then I was going to go home, bust down his door, and I was going to show him what I was capable of. I was going to make him pay for every single time that he called me ‘The Pathetic and Worthless Trixie.’ Caper Lulamoon is one of the most powerful wizards of our era and I wanted to crush him in a duel. But all that changed. Now, I just don’t care.” 


“What made everything change?” Sumac asked. 


“You,” Trixie replied in a muted whisper. “You made it all go away.” 


“I think you’ve become great and powerful.” Sumac looked up at the mare that he called his mother. “So just how powerful is Caper, anyway?” 


“Caper is one of the few unicorns capable of slowing time down to a crawl… but now is not the time to discuss this. You need some sleep and I am aware of your tactics to avoid naptime.” She pulled her hoof away from Sumac, releasing his leg, and then she booped him on the nose with a light tap. “You’ll probably be meeting my mother soon enough, but I doubt that Caper will have anything to do with either of us. Honestly, I’d rather not have you meet him. He’s an awful pony and if he said something mean to you—well, the old plan for revenge might spring back to life and that would be terrible.” 


The most dreadful thing happened, a yawn escaped, and Sumac was startled by its ferocity. It was so sudden and so powerful that his ears popped. His mother’s shadow fell over him and he felt her kissing him on the snoot. Breathing in, he could smell her, she smelled like floral soap, tea, and the faint scent of mint. 


“If you can’t sleep, I’m going to give you some tea that might help you. We want you well rested for the wedding tomorrow.” Trixie pulled away from Sumac and smiled. “Kiddo, I love you.” 


“Mom, I love you too…” 




 


Groggy, Sumac awoke holding his Cadance stuffy. He couldn’t remember if he had dreamed or not. A powerful feeling of thirst left his mouth dry and there was an empty ache in his stomach. His body felt stiff, too stiff, and it kind of hurt to move. But move he did, as there was a powerful motivation to do so. 


He needed to pee. 


With a flick of magic, he turned on the lamp beside the bed, which filled his tiny room with light, banishing the darkness. After a few fumbles, he got his glasses onto his face. With no one around to watch him, he picked up Cadance, gave her a final parting squeeze, and then placed her upon his pillow. He didn’t know if she had helped him sleep better, but it never hurt to be thankful. 


Sitting up in bed, he looked around. His room was almost pie shaped and his bed was against the wall that was the widest part. Looking out his narrow slit of window, he saw that it was dark. How long had he slept? He flopped out of bed and almost did a face-plant. Grumbling, he forced his stiff body to behave and he found his balance as he stumbled for the door. 




 


Stiff legged, his front shoulders aching just a bit, Sumac paused and looked up at the ornate cuckoo clock on the wall. It was just a little past four—in the morning. He had been put down for a nap at about four in the afternoon. He blinked a few times as he stared up at the clock, and then he turned his head to look at the two other unicorns in the dining area. 


“Good morning,” Fox said in a subdued and tired sounding voice. 


“Morning,” Sumac replied. As he spoke, he saw Vinyl waving at him. 


“Vinyl awoke because of back pain. I awoke because of some troubling dreams involving candles being blown out. Tell me, Sumac, what brings you down here at this unalicornly hour of the morning?” Fox regarded Sumac with one arched white eyebrow. 


“My nap ended.” Sumac stood at the base of the stairs, blinking and studying Fox. 


“Well then, I do declare, I have somehow failed to grasp the obvious.” Fox made a come-hither gesture with his hoof, inviting Sumac to come and sit down with them. “Come on over here and sit with us. We have tea and biscuits to help us while away these last few dark hours.” 


At that moment, Sumac decided that he was wrong about Fox. He liked Fox. Smacking his lips, Sumac went over to the table, pulled out a tall chair, scrambled up into the chair, and then leaned against the ornate edge of the table. As he got himself situated, a glass of juice was poured, some cookies, which Fox had called biscuits were put on a plate, and Vinyl poured him some tea. 


Feeling as though he might die from thirst, he drank the juice first. Lifting the short glass, he gulped it down and discovered that it was pineapple juice. It wasn’t delicious, refreshing apple juice, but it would have to do. When his glass was empty, he set it down, and as he got himself a cookie, Fox filled up his juice glass once more. 


“This cookie is weird,” Sumac said as he examined it. Sniffing it, he decided that it smelled good, but he didn’t recognise much about it. 


“The recipe comes from far away Windia. Those are nankhatai biscuits. They’re a kind of shortbread, but spicy.” Fox leaned back in his chair and gave Sumac a nod. “I brought the recipe back with me after I traveled there.” 


Curious, Sumac focused his attention upon the curious unicorn. “What’s it like in Windia?” 


“Dying,” Fox replied in a nonchalant voice, “everything is dying.” 


“What? Why?” Sumac lifted up his juice glass again. 


“The war.” Fox placed his hooves upon the table and focused his intense, piercing stare upon Sumac. “Tell me, young master Sumac, do you understand how valuable earth ponies are?” 


“My best friend is an earth pony.” As Sumac replied, he was aware that Vinyl was watching him, which made him feel nervous for some reason. There was reason to suspect that he was being studied. 


“Well, in Windia, two factions of diamond dogs began warring over a matter of faith and religion. The elephants got involved with one side and things went downhill. Many of the ponies began to flee the sub-continent and have gone elsewhere, to more peaceful places, like the Grittish Isles and Equestria. With not enough earth ponies around, the land has begun to die in places, the rich dirt has turned to dust, and the threat of famine has become very, very real. Princess Celestia sent me over there to investigate the phenomenon.” 


“Wait, so if there are no earth ponies around, the land begins to die?” Sumac set down his juice glass and almost sloshed some of it out and onto the table. He stared at Fox as his brain tried to process this information. 


“Does this shock you, Sumac?” Fox’s ears, which were orange on the outside but white on the inside, angled forwards over his face. “You have only lived in Equestria and have seen the rich and plenty that we have here. Griffonstone is a wasteland… their never ending bickering and the occasional predation of ponies has driven our kind out of their land. The ground has died without the hooves of earth ponies to nurture it. The rains are rare and the weather is chaotic without pegasi to shepherd the clouds. Every place that we equines are driven from, the land begins to die.” 


For Sumac, this was a stunning revelation. 


“Lucerna Perpetuum has been studying this phenomenon for a long time.” Fox looked over at Vinyl and then returned his attention to Sumac. “We have theories and guesses as to why this is happening. The world wasn’t always like this. The phenomenon began after the time of the windigos when much of the world froze over. Something changed, but we don’t know what, how, or why. That was why I went to Windia, so that the phenomenon could be studied.” 


Fascinated beyond measure, Sumac crammed a whole cookie into his mouth and began to chew. 


Vinyl’s chalk squealed as she wrote down some words on her slate and when she was finished, she held it up for Sumac to read. 


Tarnish and his druids are desperate to find a way to reverse this. I am too. This affects us all. All life is connected in ways we do not yet understand. 


“World peace isn’t just a dream, it is a necessity,” Fox said in a low voice as Sumac chewed his cookie. “Earth ponies must be allowed to roam peacefully and in safety, without molestation or fear of predation. Other kingdoms are only now beginning to take notice and acknowledge the problem, like Griffonstone.” 


After swallowing his cookie, Sumac asked, “Can I help? Can I join? I want to do my part.” 


Grinning, Vinyl nodded, and she looked very pleased with what Sumac had said.


“This is why Twilight Sparkle’s school exists.” Fox poured himself a bit more tea, added some honey, and then slipped in a slice of crystalised lemon. “It is a heuristic study of friendship and harmony. The nuts and bolts of it. Friendship isn’t just magic, but survival. You see, Sumac, Twilight Sparkle has taken it upon herself to figure out why this is happening and how to reverse it. Friendship is necessary for a harmonious coexistence. And students such as yourself, well, you represent our bright and glorious future.” 


Unable to respond in a meaningful way, Sumac jammed a whole cookie into his mouth again and began to chew. By going to school, he was saving the world. Going to school was easy. All he had to do was just show up and he was doing his part. But that wasn’t enough and he wanted a bit more active role in everything. 


Feeling better about just about everything, Sumac was looking forward to being Vinyl’s apprentice.
	
> Chapter 74
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Outside of the carriage, Sumac could hear quite a commotion. They had slowed a bit and were now in heavy traffic just outside of the castle. For the most part, Sumac was quite calm and not too worried about much of anything. He felt better after a good sleep and was ready for the events of what was sure to be a long day. 


There was, however, a lingering feeling of excitement; Sumac had been sworn in as a member to a secret society in a ceremony that felt very grown up. He and Vinyl had worn voluminous black cloaks together and, using their magic in unison, both had held a burning candle to light another, a symbolic act of keeping the light alive. His cloak had been a little too big and he had almost tripped over it, but that was okay. After the ceremony, he had been given a small, slim spellbook filled with various light spells for him to practice with. 


He had learned that a wizard skilled with light spells was called an ‘auroramancer.’ 


It was too early to tell what sort of magic he might be good at, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it would be lightning focused. His cutie mark, his zap apple, had nine little lightning bolts radiating out from around it. Electricity was a useful talent to have, as one could power all manner of fantastical devices, zap horseflies, and recharge batteries back to working condition. 


With the carriage slowed to a crawl, Sumac realised that he and the others might be stuck here for a while. He looked over at Fox, eyeballed Fox’s swords, and thought about asking a question just to get some conversation going to help pass the time. Clearing his throat, Sumac dismissed his momentary feeling of apprehension about asking a question. 


“So what’s with the swords?” Sumac asked with a voice that revealed only minimal hesitation. 


Fox’s brows furrowed and deep grooves manifested upon his forehead below his horn. Tilting his head, he turned to face Sumac, patted the hilt of his sword with his hoof, and then replied, “There are foes who will resist magic. Terrible foes.” As Fox spoke, Octavia reached up and began to rub her throat. His eyes darted to look at her for a moment and there was a passing expression of concern upon his face before he returned his attention to Sumac. “There are foes that will resist your spells, ignore them even, and your telekinesis will fail to grip them. Attempts to shove them away from you will prove futile and they will keep coming.” 


Shuddering, Vinyl nodded, but of course she didn’t say anything. 


Sumac thought about the golem that Twilight had battled in Midnight Castle. A sword might of helped, but Sumac wondered how sharp a sword might have to be to cut through a golem. In the back of his mind, he gained further appreciation for his archery lessons. A wizard had to be practical. 


“Swords are also useful for magical energy conservation,” Fox added. “It takes only a minimal amount of drain to heft a sword and if necessary, I can swing them for hours. And I have. Spells tend to wear me a little faster than I like, so I have a very reserved fighting style.” 


“A sword seems reasonable,” Lemon Hearts remarked, “but I don’t think I could ever use one.” 


“When I was a filly, I watched a martial display of staff fighters. Unicorns trained to use staves as weapons, not as magical focusing devices. They were deadly and fierce. I was impressed. My grandfather, Caper, he was not impressed and said the need for a weapon was foolish. A unicorn survived on wit and magic.” Sighing, Trixie leaned over on Lemon a little more and shook her head. “Had I kept a sword or some manner of practical weapon, I might not have ended up in some of the messes I found myself in. I wish I hadn’t been so taken with the romantic notion of surviving by wit and magic. It’s stupid.” 


“Indeed.” Fox’s eyebrows relaxed and the deep grooves upon his forehead vanished. 


The carriage gave a lurch and then came to a complete halt. Fox opened the window, leaned his head out, and had a look around. Sumac, in a rather sedate mood, wasn’t worried. He turned to Pebble, smiled at her, and then he looked up at Boomer, who was wrapped around his horn. The little dragon was maybe one third awake, or so Sumac reckoned. She seemed to be too sleepy to be half awake. Fox had fed her a shard of sapphire for breakfast. 


“The two of you,” Fox began as he gestured at Sumac and Pebble, “will have your own balcony seats. I understand that there will be a fine view from up there and you will have to share the space with a camera. After much discussion, Mister Teapot put his hoof down and demanded that the both of you be kept away from the crowd.” 


Pebble let out a contented sigh. “My Daddy loves me.” 


“I don’t like crowds either,” Sumac said. “I remember that dinner we had. Your mother said she had to drag you around on her leg.” 


Mortified, Pebble gazed at Sumac for several long seconds, then replied, “So did yours, as I recall.” 


“Don’t get snarky, you two, or else we’ll make you kiss and make up.” Reaching out, Trixie gave Pebble an affectionate pat and she winked at Sumac. 


Wide-eyed, Pebble stared at Trixie, trying to gauge Trixie’s terrible, horrible, awful, no good threat. After a few seconds, she blinked once, twice, and after the third time, her eyes narrowed as she determined that the threat was real. Trixie Lulamoon was in charge and the threat was real. Pebble had no recourse but to behave herself. 


“She looks so much like her father when he’s doing threat assessment,” Octavia remarked in an absentminded and bored manner. “Sometimes, I swear, you can see the gears in Tarnish’s head turning. Quite amusing, actually. Except when it isn’t. ‘Hey, it’s a good idea to go charging into the hydra infested Froggy Bottom Bogg.’” Octavia lifted up a front leg and waved it around in a rallying gesture, as if she was encouraging a group to charge. 


Vinyl nodded and cringed. 


There was a creak from the rear axle when the carriage started moving again and it took off at a snail’s pace. If this kept up, they would miss the wedding by about a week, or so Sumac guessed. He didn’t mind though, as he was having a nice time in the carriage. When it seemed that there was no story about the Froggy Bottom Bogg forthcoming, Sumac let out a soft sigh. A story would help pass the time, at least, and might be exciting.


“I have a question about Lucerna Perpetuum.” Sumac turned his head and looked Fox in the eye as the carriage rattled over the cobblestones. 


Saying nothing, Fox nodded. 


“I know that the lights have to be kept on, but what do we do, exactly?” Sumac asked. As he spoke, he took a moment to adjust his glasses, which had gone a little askew and slid down his nose. 


Tapping his chin with his white hoof, Fox’s eyes went squinty as he mulled Sumac’s question. One ear stood up, the other drooped, and the fox-like pony’s face flashed an expression of cunning for a brief second as the wheels inside of his head turned over a suitable answer for Sumac’s inquiry. 


“You let one pony fall and they might all fall down, just like dominoes. So many lives are interconnected in so many ways. Sometimes, all it takes is one bad day to undo a pony.” Fox paused, thought a little longer, and then continued, “You let one pony fall down into the darkness and the darkness becomes emboldened. The darkness comes and claims another. We try to lift ponies up, we try to give them hope… we make the darkness work to claim even one life. You allow the darkness to claim but a single life, and then, like an ungrateful cur made welcome, it comes to claim another, as one is never enough.” 


“So we help others?” As Sumac asked his question, he felt Lemon Hearts pull him closer to her. “What is it that we do?” 


“As one black day can be enough to do undo a pony, one good deed can be enough to save them.” Fox leaned back in his seat and tapped his hoof against his chin once more. “One never knows when a pony is about to slip through the cracks. Something as simple as buying a down on their luck pony a sandwich might be enough to convince them that others still care. It might be the act that breaks up an awful day that has gone horribly wrong. By lifting up those who have fallen, we keep the lights on. We try to inspire others to be better, to do better, to be charitable, to be kind, to be the embodiment of the Elements of Harmony.” 


Lemon Hearts, squeezing Sumac, said, “Generousity, kindness, honesty, loyalty, laughter—” 


“And magic,” Trixie finished. 


“Grogar, he favours other traits. Deceit, cruelty, treachery, despair, and greed...” Fox blinked a few times, shook his head, and glanced over at Vinyl before he finished, “Twilight has found magic in friendship. Grogar has found special magic as well, in apathy.” 


“What about hate?” Lemon asked. 


“Hatred implies that you care about somepony or something enough to muster emotion towards them,” Fox replied. “Apathy means that you care nothing about them at all, which is far, far worse.” 


“So we fight against apathy, when ponies just stop caring altogether.” Sumac snuggled up a little closer to Lemon Hearts and was glad to have her so close. “A bad day or something that really hurts them can make them stop caring about stuff. I’ve felt that way.” 


“For us equines, apathy is far, far worse than most realise,” Octavia said in a soft and soothing, almost silky voice. “It means that our herd structure has broken down. Our instincts, our motivations, the very things that drive us and inspire us, when we succumb to apathy, it means that we’ve lost the very thing that makes us equines, the very core of our beings. In one of Twilight’s books, she discusses how Discord drove her to apathy and broke her heart when she thought that she had lost her friends.” 


Pebble, who had been listening, let out a sigh, then turned to Trixie, scooted over a bit, and cuddled up against Trixie’s side. She said nothing, but there was a vague troubled expression upon her face, as if perhaps she had made some jarring self-realisation. 


“So Twilight’s school for friendship studies, it helps with the things that keep us together, like those things that make up the Elements of Harmony. Twilight is…” Sumac struggled as his brain tried to tackle a concept that was a little out of his reach. “Twilight is… she is…” Unable to turn his thoughts into words, he gave up and fell silent. 


The conversation gave Sumac a lot to think about. 




 


The castle was a hectic, hurried place and Sumac was afraid that he might get stepped on or kicked. He slipped under Trixie, hiding amongst her legs, and making it impossible for Trixie to move with any sort of speed. When he was grabbed by magic, he let out a yelp as he was lifted and then he found himself placed on Trixie’s back. 


At least he wasn’t in danger of being stepped on. 


There were guards everywhere, bunches of them, and Sumac caught a glimpse of Tarnish and Maud among their number. Maud was wearing armor and she made for an absolutely intimidating figure encased in some weird orange metal. 


“Mother is wearing her centaur steel armor,” Pebble remarked in a matter-of-fact sort of way. “I was there with her when she found it in the ruin. So was Octavia.” Lifting a hoof, Pebble waved at her parents as the group continued to hurry away. 


“It didn’t fit me very well, not like it fit her,” Octavia said as they maneuvered through the sea of bodies. “It pinched me something awful in all of the wrong places. Maud is really, really lucky that it fit her, because that armor can’t be reworked.” 


“If trouble comes, it is going to go bad for them.” Sumac relaxed a little and clung to Trixie’s back as he watched a group of guardsponies march together as a single unit in perfect lockstep. The sight was impressive and for a brief second, Sumac entertained the idea of joining the guard. He was distracted, however, by the weapons they carried, which were lashed to their backs. “Hey, Mom, those spears look funny.” 


“Kiddo, those aren’t spears,” Trixie replied. “Those are bayoneted rifles. The Royal Musketeers have been called back into service.” 


“But those aren’t muskets.” Fox grinned and waved at the passing soldiers. “Nothing quite like sharp eyed pegasus ponies and griffons to keep invaders at a safe distance. Ex Ignis Amicitiae!” 


One guard, a young pegasus not armed with a rifle, whipped out a wing in salute to Fox, gave a nod, and replied, “Ex Ignis Amicitiae!” 


Bedazzled by military pageantry, Sumac sat on his mother’s back and just took it all in. He had no clue what had just been said and he was too overwhelmed to ask. His world was changing and he couldn’t make sense of it. The turret gun on the train had surprised him, but now, seeing shiny, gleaming rifles strapped to the backs of pegasus ponies, he saw evidence of just how much the world had changed. 


The old expression ‘fast as a bullet’ had always just been a phrase for Sumac and he had never seen a bullet fired. He had never even seen a gun before. Now, the world that he had grown up in was a scary, unknown place, a strange place, a place that he did not know. 


It seemed that there was no end to the surprises today, as he saw Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance. They weren’t wearing frilly princess gowns, no, both were wearing the black, intimidating armor that Sumac had seen on the train ride and worn by Princess Celestia in Ponyville. There was nothing dainty or pretty about Princess Cadance now. She was a hulking juggernaut of alicorn might. Her black armor and what little pink of her pelt that could be seen was a terrifying sight. Even more curious, Twilight didn’t seem to have a broken leg anymore, and Sumac very much wanted to know both how and why. 


If uninvited guests came to the wedding, they would be in a for a world of trouble and hurt. 


Sumac pitied them. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 75
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Princess Cadance was quite large—much larger than Sumac had expected her to be—and seeing her in pony was startling. Even sitting on his mother’s back, she towered over him and with her terrifying black armor, Sumac could not help but feel a little awestruck. He swallowed, blinked, and then just sat there, staring. 


“Hello there, Sumac. Did you get my invitation?” Upon Cadance’s face was a beautiful, beaming smile that made the corners of her eyes crinkle. Her rounded cheeks pressed up against her helmet and glittery sparkles could be seen floating around her horn. 


“I slept with you last night.” Mere seconds after uttering the words, Sumac knew that he had goofed. His face became a volcano ready to erupt and his neck blazed like an out of control forest fire as his mouth went dry. A squeak that only diamond dogs could hear slipped from his lips as his throat tightened. Any nearby lunar pegasi probably heard his cry of distress and he expected them to show up at any second.


As Twilight began tittering, Cadance replied, “Well, I certainly hope that I was soft and squeezable. Did I help you sleep better? Twilight tells me that your sleep has been troubled. I’ve been worried. Do you think that, perhaps, you might need a little therapy? You’ve endured some trauma.” 


“I’m managing,” Sumac squeaked and his voice almost sounded as though he had sucked in a helium balloon. “If I need help, I’ll ask. Thank you for your invitation, but I want to stay where I am.” 


Cadance’s look of disappointment was both real and sincere. She stood with her head held high, blinking, and her smile was now gone. “Stay safe, Sumac Apple. Twilight and I have much to do. You and I shall speak again, but at a later time.” 


“Okay.” Sumac felt a little guilty for making a princess look so disappointed. “It’s complicated, Princess Cadance… I’m sorry. I couldn’t come north without my best friend Pebble… and I don’t want to leave Trixie and Lemon behind. I am just now starting to feel like I have a family—” 


“I understand.” Cadance clucked her tongue and with a soft touch of her wing, she shushed Sumac by placing her primaries over his mouth. “You don’t need to be sorry and you don’t need to apologise. All you need to do is be happy, because you are special and you deserve that.” 


“You know, Cadance, I think you’ve made it your mission to tell every foal that they are special,” Twilight said as she moved closer. “I can remember you saying that to me.” 


“Yes,” Cadance replied, “I have.” Reaching out her wing, she touched Pebble as well. “You too, are special. Keep Sumac safe, Pebble. I think by doing so, you will learn the same lesson as your mother.” 


“What lesson is that?” Pebble asked from where she sat on Octavia’s back. 


“I think you’ll figure it out when the time is right.” Cadance’s beautiful smile returned and she beamed at Pebble. “The discovery is a lesson unto itself.” 


“If you get a chance to speak to my mother, tell her I love her.” Pebble blinked once and gave Cadance a piercing stare. “And my father as well.” 


“I’ll do that,” Cadance promised. 




 


The balcony was a tiny affair, a private little ledge meant for the princesses so that they could look down upon the great hall and not be swallowed up in the crowd. It didn’t take Sumac long to realise that the balcony had a view of the whole proceedings that was to die for. The sitting audience would see the wedding from the tail end while he would be seeing the ceremony from the head end. 


Ponies and others were still being seated. There were some smaller dragons in attendance, some diamond dogs, a few minotaurs, a gaggle of griffons, one manticore, which alarmed Sumac a great deal, and a host of other creatures. Wedding crashers faced the possibility of being eaten, though he doubted that the princesses would allow the guests to eat the invaders. But his imagination was overactive and refused to listen to reason, so he was treated to some delightful mental imagery.


Cautious, he peered over the rail and felt a bit of vertigo. Okay, so peering over the rail was a bad idea. He wasn’t that high up, but looking down sure did make him feel dizzy. He backed away from the rail, clambered up into his cushioned chair, and got comfortable. The chair was just about the nicest chair ever and he felt like a king. 


Feeling like a king was rather nice, so he leaned over, prodded Pebble, and in a low whisper, he said to her, “You can be my queen.” Alas, his words were said without giving thought to how they might be taken out of context, as he had not told Pebble that he was feeling like a king. 


Pebble took it well—she turned a dark, dark shade of purple brown and then squirmed in her seat as she refused to even look at Sumac. Beaming, Sumac tried to look as regal as possible while he looked down upon the few ponies already seated in the audience. Beside him, Trixie and Lemon Hearts both started snickering. Beside Pebble, Octavia and Vinyl exchanged a glance and a smile. 


Using her magic, Vinyl opened up the bags that Octavia had brought in and pulled out her own camera, which she then set up and focused upon the dais down below. The camera, black, silvery, and sleek, was a movie camera and just about the best camera that bits could buy. 


“It’s good to be the king,” Sumac announced, getting into the mood of it. 


“The king is not well protected,” Trixie said as she lifted Sumac out of his chair. 


The colt let out a worried cry, fearful that something terrible was about to happen, and sure enough, something terrible did happen. He felt Trixie’s muzzle press up against his neck, which caused tingles up and down his spine, and then he felt her inhale through her nose. Oh no. 


The loud honking raspberry against his throat made him want to leap away, but then he remembered that he was on a balcony. Leaping away might mean flying over the rail, and that would be bad. She got him twice more and Sumac was powerless to do anything about it. Betrayed, zerberted, Sumac allowed Trixie to hold him while he made a sour face in protest. 


Boomer, who didn’t appreciate the commotion, lept over to Lemon Hearts’ horn, curled up, and went still. She yawned once, blinked a few times, then, with a sigh, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Her little tummy was still bulging from her enormous (for her) breakfast. 


Laughing, Trixie eased Sumac back down into his seat, brushed his mane out of his eyes, and then gave him an affectionate pat upon the withers. He was just about to say something when the door behind him opened and Fox stepped onto the balcony.


“My apologies, but I must borrow Octavia and Vinyl for a time,” Fox said in an apologetic voice. “There is nothing wrong, so don’t worry, but there is a minor musical emergency.” 


Looking annoyed, Vinyl gestured at the camera that she had just finished setting up and then glared at Fox, who shrank away from Vinyl’s irate stare. She snorted a few times and then made a very rude gesture with her hoof that made Octavia gasp. Sumac, an observant sort, filed away the hoof gesture in his mental filing cabinet and resolved to pull it out later at another time. 


“We need a cellist,” Fox explained, “apparently, the stallion scheduled to play ate some bad spinach dip at a party last night. There is no way he could play right now. We’re also having some pretty severe electrical issues with the sound system and we need an experienced sound engineer to fix some sibilance issues, along with some reverberation and distortion.” 


“I’m tempted to just say no and see what happens,” Octavia said in a huffy voice. 


“Today is Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s special day.” Pebble turned her cool stare upon Octavia. “Their wedding might be crashed by monsters. They have enough to worry about. Cut them a break.” 


“Fine!” Octavia whined and she let out a frustrated huff. She bowed her head down, kissed Pebble, and then turned to face Fox. “Bad spinach you say? How dreadful.” 




 


Sitting in her chair, Pebble looked over at Sumac and felt a twinge of nervousness as she looked at him. Looking at him always made her feel a little nervous for some reason, and she could feel little twitches in her muscles, little twitches that were impossible for others to notice because she held them back. If she failed to hold them back, the twitches might turn into kicks, and those would be noticed. Those would be impossible to ignore. It seemed like every day, she got a little stronger and it was a little harder to hold everything back. 


A part of her felt like crying but she didn’t know why, and another part of her felt like screaming. Anxiety and emotion flooded her mind, clouded her perception, and left a tight feeling in her chest. Knowing that Sumac would listen to her, she opened up her mouth to say something, but the words she wanted say, the erudite, well spoken, meaningful words, they didn’t happen. Her foalish body betrayed her and she just blurted out some words that made her cringe even as she said them.


“I hate marriage and weddings are stupid.” 


Right away, she regretted her sudden outburst, but she could do nothing to take it back. Hunched over in her chair, she felt the sting of tears and a dull ache in her sinuses. More than anything, she wanted to take the words back but it was too late. Staring down at the floor, she didn’t dare turn to look at Sumac, Trixie, or Lemon Hearts. Deep down inside, something hurt, but she couldn’t tell if it was mental or physical that was the cause. 


“Pebble Pie, what has gotten into—” 


“Mom, don’t.” Sumac’s words held a surprising amount of authority for a five year old. “Pebble, is something bothering you? You know you can talk to me, right? Because we’re friends, and friends talk. Like we did around the fire.” 


“Miss Lulamoon, maybe we should let Sumac see what he can do,” Lemon Hearts suggested. 


Pebble, feeling ashamed and hurt, couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend. A shudder made her shake and she hugged her forelegs to her barrel. She squeezed herself, but there was no comfort to be had in her self hug. The pressure in her skull increased and she knew that if this continued, she would get one of her migraines again—then she would need to get out of the light and go lay down. 


“Pebble?” Sumac’s voice sounded worried to Pebble’s ears. 


“Marriage is stupid and I don’t see the point,” Pebble blurted out, once more betrayed by her own mouth and her foalish outburst. An intense feeling of self loathing crashed over her like a wave and she squeezed herself even tighter, so much so that she made her own ribs ache. “Why do ponies even bother with it?” 


“Because, it is a tradition.” Trixie’s voice was gentle now, but it brought Pebble no comfort. “It’s just something that ponies do. They marry and start a family.” 


“That’s not a good reason.” Pebble could almost hear the petulant whine in her voice, but she knew from experience that others would only hear a flat deadpan. She wanted to scream, she thought about it, but she held it all in. She had to hold it all in. “It’s just plain stupid. If a bunch of ponies jump off a bridge because of tradition, would you do it? Traditions are no reason to do anything. It’s just stupid peer pressure to make you conform.” 


“Pebble, what is really bothering you?” Sumac asked. 


“Everything!” Now there was a bit of volume to Pebble’s voice, she could feel it and hear it. “I can’t even figure out my own family. Octavia is going to have a foal and it is my father’s. It feels wrong… everything feels wrong. They’re not married and that bothers me. I can’t make sense of what we are. I’m scared and worried that something will happen and they will stop being friends and Octavia will go away and my father is going to lose one of his foals and it will crush him and hurt him and I’ll be losing my little sister or brother, whatever it turns out to be.” 


As Pebble took a few deep, heaving breaths, she heard a gasp from somepony, but she wasn’t sure who. She closed her eyes, gritted and ground her teeth together, and shook her head from side to side. 


“They didn’t even consult me or ask me how I feel about it. They didn’t stop to think about how this might mess up my life. Nopony bothered to ask me what I think. And I hate them for the mess they’ve created and I hate them because I’m confused and I hate them because now I feel stupid and I can’t figure anything out.” 


As she struggled to hold everything back, she felt Sumac climbing into her chair with her. Grunting, she resisted his embrace and pulled away. His touch, his affection, it was too confusing right now, but she was mindful of her strength and did nothing that might hurt him by accident. As her rage seethed inside of her, she gritted and ground her teeth again, which produced a dreadful sound as bits of her enamel chipped off. She would have to go to the dentist again and she could feel the horrible sensation of chipped teeth banging together in her mouth. Each touch, each tap of one tooth against another, each new chip and flake was electric and caused aching chills to run up and down her spine. 


“I don’t ever want Octavia or Vinyl going away and I have no way of knowing if they’ll stay together… I don’t know if we are a family or not. I hate not knowing and I just wish sometimes that they would fight and hate each other and everypony just walk away and get it over with so that I could stop worrying about it.” 


With a soft touch, she felt one of Sumac’s forelegs wrap around her withers, and mindful of how sore and tender his shoulders still were, she did not move or jerk away, fearing that she might hurt him. His touch brought comfort and that confused her a great deal. Her current emotional state couldn’t deal with the state of overload and much to her shame and embarrassment, she began crying. 


It felt awful in the worst way, even worse than grinding chipped teeth together. 


“I want them to stay together but I can’t stand not knowing,” Pebble whined as her throat constricted. “And I hate that marriage is necessary to show commitment… I just want them to stay together so we can be a family and I wish that marriage wasn’t needed to hold everything together.” 


When she felt Sumac tugging on her, she relented and allowed herself to be pulled close to him. The tension in her body caused her to be as stiff as a statue. In that moment, Pebble had something of a feminine awakening, a decidedly female feeling, an undeniable feeling of femininity as Sumac held her and she leaned against him. Something about it was reassuring, comforting—because of that, she hated it, it confused her and felt like weakness. She also hated and resented Sumac just a little bit at that moment, as she felt that he had intruded upon her stolid independence. More self loathing flowed through her as she realised the fact that she liked being held and that she needed him during this moment, which disgusted her. She was filled with feelings of revulsion and shame that galled her and shook her to her very core. 


But that didn’t stop her from hugging him, which she did, she clung to him as tight as she dared and she didn’t let go. He was breathing in her ear, which tickled, and made her even more overstimulated. Closing her eyes, she shut out the light and embraced the sightless darkness. Clutching Sumac, she slowed her breathing and followed through with every trick she knew to calm down. 


“I hate marriage,” Pebble mumbled, and then she went silent. 
	
> Chapter 76
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Remaining very quiet, Sumac held Pebble while Lemon wiped her face with a few moist towelettes brought by a guard. It was awkward, it was strange, and Pebble’s body was far too warm against his own, which made him uncomfortable. He wanted to be cool and airy again, he was getting far too hot, but he didn’t dare let go. Some things you just had to endure, he supposed, even if they were hot, made your already sore shoulders ache, and made you uncomfortable. It was probably the worst part about being close to another pony, it was easy to get too hot and being this warm made Sumac cranky and frustrated. 


Below, the great hall was filling up. The many benches were being filled with guests. Pegasus ponies made themselves comfortable in the vaulted rafters overhead. Sumac wondered how many of them were guards just not wearing their armor. Also, up in the rafters was a most peculiar sight, there was a changeling and a harpy. Sumac didn’t know who they were and he wondered why they were there. It was obvious they were guests, but he wanted to know how they had come to be guests and why. 


There were a surprising number of dragons present, dragons that were about the size that Boomer might be when she was all grown up. Almost pony sized. He gave Pebble a squeeze and wondered what a grown up Boomer might be like. Some of the dragons looked fierce; they were all teeth, spines, and claws. 


Amidst the chaos down below, Sumac saw Spike running about and the little dragon appeared to be a frantic mess. He had no clue what Spike was doing, but it was no doubt something important, as Spike was carrying a clipboard and a pen. Twilight Sparkle’s Number One Assistant took off at a waddling run and vanished from view, disappearing through a door. 


Looking about, he saw Vinyl Scratch walking up the wall, moving with slow, shuffling steps as she followed some wires. Still holding Pebble, he leaned forwards a bit to have a better look, as it wasn’t every day that you saw a pony walking up a wall as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He felt Pebble shudder and then she began to pull away from him. A part of him was relieved, as he could now cool off and have his own space, but he felt guilty for feeling that way. 


“How much longer?” Pebble asked. 


“Your guess is as good as mine,” Trixie replied. 


“Hey, I see Twinkleshine and Minuette.” Lemon Hearts vanished the somewhat snotty moist towelettes and let out a sniff. “I wonder how Twinklestinkle is doing—” 


“Twinklestinkle?” Sumac craned his head around to look at Lemon Hearts and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he made little snorts of repressed laughter. 


“Oh,” Lemon Hearts replied, “she had an accident involving trimethylamine in chemistry class. She stunk like rotting fish for about a month. It was eye watering.” The lemony yellow mare’s head bobbed up and down as she relived the memory and her nostrils shrank as her muzzle crinkled. “She was given an assignment to magic the stink away, but she kept failing at it. She did manage to make the stink worse somehow. She and Twilight both took a crack at it and hoo-wee, it was bad.” 


“I remember that.” Trixie smiled as she reminisced about her school days. “Winter was setting in and we had to keep the windows open. Everypony froze.” 


“Enduring hardship builds character,” Lemon Hearts said as she made a very serious face. “This is a blessing in disguise. One day, you’ll look back upon this time in your life and you’ll be thankful that it happened.” Lemon Hearts sighed, smiled, and gave Trixie a nudge. “School was a riot.” 


“It sounds more like a disaster.” Pebble sniffled a bit, but sounded a bit more like her usual self. Looking down, she saw her rumpled dress, sighed, tried to smooth it out, and then gave up. She eased back into her chair and leaned up against Sumac’s side, as there was just enough room for the two of them. 


The double doors to the great hall were pulled open wide and a flood of guests began pouring in. Sumac watched them, his ears perked, and he kept an eye on Vinyl, who was standing on the wall. The scent of fantastic food filled the air and he realised that he was hungry. Something seemed to be happening though, but it wasn’t the big moment that he, and others, were waiting for. 


“I’m hungry,” Sumac said to Trixie. 


“We’ll eat later,” Trixie replied. 


“But I’m hungry now.” Sumac was back to being too warm again with Pebble leaning up against him, and now, parts of him were getting sweaty. He wondered if he would start getting stinky. “I ate breakfast too early before the sun was even up and it has to be close to noon now. I’m gonna die.” 


Rolling her eyes, Trixie shook her head and let out a snort. 


“If I die, it will be all your fault and ponies will call you a bad mother.” Something that was almost a smile was on Sumac’s lips. “I’ll shrivel up and become a pony prune. Hey, Pebble, are my ribs sticking out?” 


“Yes,” Pebble replied in deadpan. “But that’s because you are a skinny little stringbean and not because you’re starving.” 


“Aw, hey, that wasn’t nice.” Doing his best to look wounded, Sumac tried to look as sad and pathetic as possible. Feeling even sweatier, he squirmed away from Pebble now that he had a good reason to do so and wondered how much whining he could get away with before he got into real trouble. He was hungry and he reasoned that there had to be food somewhere. 


Guests by the hundreds now poured into the great hall and began to fill the benches. Pegasus ponies flew up into the ornate rafters. Vinyl was doing something to a junction box. And Sumac, starving, sweaty, and wanting a bit more room to spread out in, had an awful idea. Overcome with a curious playful feeling, he leaned his head closer to Pebble and placed his lips close to her ear. 


“I’m hungry enough to resort to cannibalism and you look like you’re fudge-fed.” 


There was a shrill squeal from Pebble, who moved with surprising alacrity. She scrambled over the cushioned arm of the chair, lept from the highest point, cartwheeled, and landed a few chairs over with a plop. Turning her head, she glared at Sumac and shook her hoof at him. Both Trixie and Lemon Hearts started snickering, with Lemon leaning up against Trixie. 


“I see Trottingham, I see Fancy, I see Pebble’s underpantsies.” 


“Sumac Apple!” Trixie, her mouth agape, stared down at Sumac with an expression of shock, awe, and amusement. 


Now sitting by herself, Pebble sank down in her chair as her face turned a shade of coffee, served black with no cream. “You didn’t see anything.” With her front hooves, she began smoothing out her rumpled dress once more, and never once took her eyes off of Sumac. 


“Polkadots,” Sumac whispered. 


Pebble’s eyes narrowed into almost paper thin slits, but she didn’t say anything. 


Ignoring Pebble’s piercing gaze, Sumac turned to look at his mother. “I’m starving…” 




 


Something seemed like it was about to happen, as Sumac could hear music. His stomach was growling now, ferocious growls, and he knew that Trixie could hear it, because she kept looking at him every time it happened. The hunger, his hunger, could not be denied. The crowd down below murmured—thousands of muted voices all speaking at once—and it was growing warmer in the great hall. 


“Mom, I’m starving. If this keeps up, I’ll be forced to eat Pebble.” 


“Sumac, stop… just… stop.” Trixie fought to hold back her smile. “You don’t realise what you are saying—” 


“Pebble looks more and more like a big lump of chocolate with each passing second.” 


“Meep!” 


“Oooh, Prince Shining Armor looks amazing and so does Prince Blueblood.” Lemon Hearts leaned forwards in her chair and peered over the balcony rail. After a few moments, she scooted her chair forwards, closer to the rail, so she could have a better view. “There is a buncha stuff in the newspapers about how Shining Armor should be made an alicorn for his service to Equestria. There’s like a really big debate about it. I think he should.” 


“If service alone qualified a pony, then Tarnish should have been made an alicorn a long time ago,” Trixie responded as she too, scooted her chair forwards so she could have a better view. “It has to be something extraordinary, otherwise, ascendency would lose its meaning.” 


“Yeah, but Shining Armor has poured his entire existence into serving our nation.” Lemon Hearts peered down over the rail and watched as Shining Armor took his position upon the dais. “If a pony ever deserved it, it’s him.” 


“If we go by deserving, what about Twilight’s mother? Or her father? Or Tarnish for that matter? Twilight Velvet is shaking everything up. Night Light, well, we both know about Night Light. And Tarnish restored the ancient druidic order.” Trixie rested her forelegs upon the railing and looked down at the ponies below. Prince Blueblood cut a dashing figure in his tuxedo, and her eyes lingered upon him. “Once we go by deserving, we start down a slippery slope where it could be argued that just about anypony could deserve it.” 


“Eh, maybe you’re right, but Shining Armor definitely deserves it,” Lemon Hearts replied as she conceded to Trixie’s point. 


Trixie nodded. “I agree, he does.” 


Sumac, who had listened to everything, realised that something of an argument had just taken place, but it was an argument with no anger, no hard feelings, and both sides seemed happy with one another now that it was over. Curious, he mulled over the words that had been said and tried to figure out how he felt about the issue. Overall, he was impressed by the civilised argument between Trixie and Lemon Hearts. He hoped that he could follow their example and he glanced over at Pebble, who was now climbing back over the seats to get closer to him. 


She sat down in the chair next to him and gave him a wary stare. He smiled at her and then returned to watching as the events below continued to unfold. He thought about alicorn aspects, the hidden alicorn potential that so many ponies had, and wondered what the world might be like if everypony who had an alicorn aspect about them became an alicorn. 


No doubt, the world would become a very different place. 







Emerging from a side door on the right, Princess Celestia stepped out into the open wearing a muted pink dress that was trimmed in all of the colours of the dawn. There were gasps and as Sumac tried to get a better look, Vinyl’s camera was surrounded by a glittery glow, then turned on. Over on the left, Princess Luna stepped out and she was wearing a muted purple dress that complimented Princess Celestia’s dress, and Princess Luna’s gown was trimmed in all of the colours of a sunset. 


There was a big white earth pony mare that had a sunflower cutie mark that walked with Princess Celestia and a big dark blue earth pony mare that walked with Princess Luna. The four ponies could have all been sisters, for how much they all looked like. An older green earth pony covered in scars approached the dais and he bowed to both of the sisters. 


“Chesty, did you come to give us away on our wedding day?” 


Sumac, ears perking, strained to listen to the conversation going on just below him. 


“No,” the old stallion replied, “I came to party and I hope that the party crashers arrive soon. I brought party favours.” 


Staring down from the balcony, Sumac struggled to see the old pony’s cutie mark. It almost looked like a stick of dynamite, but he couldn’t be sure. What sort of pony got a stick of dynamite as a cutie mark, and what did a pony have to do to discover that their special talent was explosives? Turning his head, he looked at Trixie for a second, and then back down at the old stallion that Princess Celestia had called ‘Chesty.’ 


Sumac hoped that the wedding would hurry up. He was starving and the anticipation was killing him. There was a soft touch and he realised that Pebble had taken his fetlock into her own. There was a squeeze and he turned to look at her. She was still blushing a bit and looked kind of flustered. 


Just as Sumac turned to look at the Royal Pony Sisters once more, Gosling entered the hall… 
	
	
	
> Chapter 77
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Gosling was wearing his military doublet, which was festooned with the symbols of his rank, his laurels, and his accolades. Sumac had no idea what any of it meant, but he knew that it was shiny and it looked pretty. He also knew that if given a chance, Boomer would probably eat most of it as a snack. Just behind Gosling was a ruddy red pegasus stallion, Hotspur, and the towering behemoth known as Hush. Sumac felt excited upon seeing them and he leaned forwards in his chair. 


He wanted to know how they had made a tuxedo big enough to fit Hush. 


Something peculiar was happening to the pegasus ponies in the great hall. Quite a few of them seemed to be having difficulty with their wings. On the benches, in the rafters, pegasus ponies everywhere fluttered a bit, and then one by one, many of them had their wings spring out from their sides and go ramrod straight. Sumac watched, curious, and didn’t understand what was going on. Mares, stallions, they all had the most curious wing problem and it seemed to be spreading from pegasus pony to pegasus pony like a contagious disease. 


“Homina homina… this Lemon needs a little squeezin’—”


“Lemon, hush!” Trixie, blushing a shade of mauve, gave Lemon Hearts a sideways glance. “I swear, you should change your name to Lemon Zest. You just want to be squeezed, don’t you Lemon?” 


“Are you offering?” Lemon Hearts asked as she began to titter. With no warning, she wrapped her forelegs around Trixie’s neck, hauled her in, and kissed her on the cheek. As she pulled away, she whispered the words, “I am the juiciest little citrus fruit there is and don’t you forget that.” 


Squirming in his seat, Sumac felt too warm and too awkward. His ears felt like they were on fire and when he glanced over at Pebble, he discovered that she was giving him a curious look. After clearing his throat, Sumac worked up enough nerve to say something and he looked over at Trixie. “I think Lemon’s concussion is bothering her.” 


“No it ain’t,” Lemon confessed, “I kept saying that so I could get away with acting like a silly pony. I’ve been just fine for days. I just like acting silly and I wanted an excuse. Everypony has been so uptight and serious lately. It’s been a real drag.” 


Sumac came to the conclusion that Lemon was both sneaky and treacherous. Eyes narrowing behind his rounded lenses, he resolved that he needed to keep an eye on her, just like he needed to keep an eye on Vinyl. In the back of his mind, young Sumac began to suspect that every mare and filly was treacherous. 


“Lemon, you are terrible,” Trixie said as she turned a wary eye upon the mare sitting beside her. 


Below, the music swelled as Gosling strutted up the isle. Red faced, ears burning, cheeks on fire, Sumac ignored Lemon and Trixie and focused upon the scene below. With the music and the roar of the crowd, Sumac couldn’t hear much of anything, but he could see that things were being said. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were standing with Prince Blueblood, who stood on the edge of the dais. 


In the front row, sitting on the edge of the aisle, a stark white pegasus mare was weeping into her hooves. Sumac felt bad for her and his heart went out to her, even though he didn’t know who she was. Seeing the emotions of others had a powerful effect upon him and he wondered if this had something to do with the introvert thing that Octavia had discussed with him. 


The music swelled and Sumac, who was closer to the rafters where the speakers were, thought that perhaps, it was just a little too loud. He couldn’t even see the orchestra from where he was sitting, they were off in an alcove that extended off of the great hall. He was startled when Pebble grabbed his foreleg and squeezed him. He turned to look at her, and then his head dropped down to look at his fetlock, which was held in Pebble’s fetlock. 


Raising his head, he realised that Pebble was still upset. It was hard to tell, but he had a feeling that something was wrong. No doubt, she was still upset about marriage. Her grip was strong and Sumac, who liked his own space, wanted to pull his hoof away, but didn’t. He could endure a bit of suffering if he had to. 


The old green earth pony with what looked like a stick of dynamite for a cutie mark, the one named ‘Chesty’ now had a foreleg draped over Gosling’s neck and the two appeared to be talking as Princess Luna laughed. Luna was wearing a crown of white roses upon her head that stood out in sharp contrast against her dark blue pelt. Sumac wasn’t sure when the crown of roses had been placed upon her head. Princess Celestia had a crown of roses too, but her roses were a dark navy blue, which was just about the same colour as Princess Luna’s pelt. 


“—perhaps I’ll make you the Prince of Ponyville—” 


Sumac could not make out who had said it, but Princess Twilight’s response was immediate and Sumac heard her say, “Ponyville is mine, go and get your own demesne!” There was a lot of laughter from down below and he felt Pebble’s grip upon his fetlock grow tighter. 


“What if something or somepony crashes the wedding?” Pebble asked.


Turning his head, Sumac looked Pebble in the eye. 


“She’s pregnant with my sibling. What if something happens? After all of this buildup and stress and worry involving my sibling, I don’t think I can stomach the idea of something happening. I’m freaking out over here and I think I’m coming undone.” 


It took Sumac a moment to piece together everything Pebble had said, as it seemed as though she was speaking her thoughts directly. She was, of course, referring to her mother, and stating what was on her mind without explaining the important bits to him. One had to pay attention with Pebble. 


“We shouldn’t be here. Me, you, we shouldn’t be here. Neither should my mother or Octavia. How do I keep my siblings safe? How do I keep you safe?” Pebble jammed her right hoof into her mouth and began chewing on it with such ferocity that she gnawed pieces of it off, all while redoubling her grip on Sumac with her other foreleg. 


There seemed to be no helping it, he was going to end up hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. He pulled Pebble over, gripping her fetlock with his own, and she clambered over the arm of the chair to get close to him. He could see that she was trembling and so he pulled her close to comfort her. All of her stoic calm seemed to have departed from her and Sumac didn’t know what to do. 


Pebble pulled away her now gnawed upon and rough edged hoof. “How do I keep you safe? How do I keep you with me? What do I do if you go away or something happens? What if I can’t keep you safe? What if we stop being friends? What if we argue? How do we stay together? How does anypony stay together? What promises or assurances do any of us have? I can’t bear the thought of not having you around. I don’t want Octavia or Vinyl leaving. How can we all stay together—” 


“Pebble!” Sumac gave a hard jerk on Pebble’s foreleg, which he still had a grip on, and he felt a stabbing ache go shooting through his shoulder. He bit down upon his lip to keep from crying out, pulled his fetlock free from her grip, and then put his forelegs around her. As he did so, his chair got pulled closer to the balcony rail where Trixie and Lemon Hearts were sitting. 


Pebble’s forelegs closed around his body with all of the gentleness of an over-eager bear trap. Now, not only was he too hot and sweaty, he was also having a hard time breathing. But Pebble had quieted down and was no longer chewing on her hoof, so he counted it as a victory. Not knowing what else to do, he gave his best friend a hug and hoped that she would sort herself out. 


“I am worried, dear sister, do you need to step away and take some time to compose yourself? Do we need to pause the wedding?” 


Ears straining Sumac had trouble making out what was being said. 


“Wedding? Haha!” Princess Luna’s laughter overcame the sound suffocating murmur of the assembled crowd. “We do not see this as a wedding, but as a friendship ceremony! We are promising a lifetime of togetherness to Our best friend and this is nothing to be nervous about! Nothing at all! Hahahaha! Huzzah! —Urp!—” 


From where he sat, Sumac could see Princess Celestia squinting at her sister. A friendship ceremony? Princess Luna seemed a little off—she looked a bit twitchy and nervous. It seemed that Pebble wasn’t the only one stressing out about the wedding. Pebble was breathing on him, it was hot, it was moist, and he did his best to ignore it so that he wouldn’t be annoyed by it. It was something that he had to bear so that he could be a good friend to Pebble, because right now, she needed a good friend, and good friends didn’t get annoyed by being breathed upon. 


“Gosling is Our best friend and most trusted confidant—for a husband, that is more than enough.” Princess Luna shuffled around, looked up at her sister, and then scooted over closer to Gosling. Extending a wing, she placed it over Gosling’s back, and waited. 


Sumac was certain that something was up with Princess Luna, just as there was something up with Pebble. Both of them were troubled and it seemed both of them were relying upon their friend to see them through these difficult times. The little colt looked over at Twilight, whose smiling face was framed by her helmet. He still wanted to know why her leg wasn’t broken anymore. 


“You know, Celestia, this seems fitting somehow, as it was you that married Cadance and I.” 


“One of my most treasured memories, Shining Armor.” 


Once more, the floodgates opened and Pebble began crying right into Sumac’s ear. Hungry, hot, and now even more annoyed, Sumac wondered just how much more he could endure. He was feeling cranky, tired, and his hind legs were getting cramped from sitting in one spot for so long. He hated to admit it, but the wedding kind of sucked. 


“It’s so beautiful,” Pebble sobbed into Sumac’s ear as she squeezed him hard enough to make his eyes bulge in their sockets and a little whistling wheeze escaped his lips. “They’re two best friends promising to stay together forever.” 


Something about how Pebble said ‘forever’ made Sumac nervous. 


Shining Armor’s voice drifted up from below. “And do you, Gosling, son of Sleet, take both of these mares into your care and safe keeping?” 


Ears perking, Sumac strained to hear a reply over the sound of Pebble’s crying. After a few seconds, he heard Gosling say, “Yeah I do.” Poor Gosling sounded nervous and scared. Sumac could hear his voice cracking and that was embarrassing when it happened. 


“Then I, Shining Armor, Emperor of The Crystal Empire, Prince of Equestria, and Lord Protector of the Northern Reaches, do hereby bind you together. Let nothing tear asunder this union that I have blessed, lest they feel the wrath of the Crystal Empire fall upon them. Traditionally, this covenant is sealed with a kiss, which you may do so now.” 


As Sumac tried to watch the kisses happen, he felt Pebble’s wet, snotty snoot press into the fuzzy spot just below his ear. He sat there, blinking, slow to register the fact that he had just been kissed. The roar of the crowd was deafening and made his ears hurt. It was impossible to hear anything, but, Sumac was able to sort of see that a crown was being placed upon Gosling’s head. 


Overwhelmed, overstimulated, Sumac found himself clinging to Pebble just as much as she was clinging to him. He was seeing a new prince get crowned and for the first time in who knows how long, the Royal Pony Sisters had a husband, which all of the adults said was a sign of healing between the pair. Sumac himself didn’t know what to make of it, but the adults were all making a big deal about it. 


Everything about this moment seemed triumphant, the emotion, the music, the roar of the crowd, Sumac now understood why the wedding had taken place. If he was feeling this, if his own spirit was soaring, then so must everypony elses’. The seeds of patriotism sprouted in Sumac’s heart and sent forth tender shoots into his soul. Overcome with feeling, he gripped Pebble in a very take charge sort of way and then pressed his snoot into the corner of her mouth, kissing her, a lingering kiss that lasted for several seconds. 


As he pulled away, he saw that Lemon Hearts was doing the same, pulling away after a quick peck upon Trixie. His heart thudded in his barrel as he turned his head and looked Pebble in the eye. He felt tears coming, which was weird, because he was happy. He no longer minded the hot, sweaty, humid and moist feeling of Pebble pressed up against him. 


“No matter what happens, I promise, we’ll stay friends,” Sumac said to her in a voice raised so he could be heard over the crowd. “If we fight or argue, we’ll apologise and make things right. Best friends… forever.” 


Smiling, tears streaming down her cheeks, Pebble nodded, opened her mouth to say something, and then after a sharp, sudden inhale, Pebble sneezed all over Sumac’s face… 
	
> Chapter 78
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Trixie scrubbed his face, Sumac couldn’t help but think that girls were just a little bit gross. He felt justified for having these thoughts after having survived a point blank shot to the face from Pebble’s snot cannon. Snot shot. It was like getting one’s face covered in gunky, gooey, drippy pizza cheese. Thinking about it made Sumac shudder with revulsion. 


“So, this is what it is like being a parent?” Lemon Hearts, who was scrubbing Pebble’s face, glanced over at Trixie. “Just think… ponies have foals on purpose. I’m not sure it’s wise—” 


“Lemon…” Trixie’s lone word was also an exasperated sigh and she rolled her eyes. 


“But boogers, Miss Lulamoon, boogers. Boogers everywhere.” Lemon Hearts made a gesture with her foreleg to emphasise ‘everywhere.’ When Sumac started to giggle, Lemon Hearts smiled. “I’m starving. I wonder what will be on the buffet. I wonder what the smaller, private party will be like. I’m a ponies pony and I like being around other ponies, but a crowd that big scares me and I’ve been a little jumpy lately and sudden loud noises kinda freak me out.” 


Closing her eyes, now that Lemon was done blabbering, Pebble began to speak and she too, just blurted out everything on that was on her mind. “I’m not like my mother. I pretended to be like my mother because it felt right and ponies seemed to expect it from me. I just held everything in because it felt like the right thing to do but now that my life is turning upside down I can’t seem to hold everything in any longer and I don’t think I’m like my mother, at least not enough, but I think I might be more like my grandfather Igneous, but I don’t know, and it feels like I don’t know who I am any more. I keep having these outbursts and I don’t like it. I liked myself more when I was a little version of my mother.” 


Stunned, Lemon Hearts sat there blinking, and she pulled the wet wipe away from Pebble’s face. Lemon, being the gentle hearted and wise sort, leaned in closer to Pebble and asked, “What’s wrong with just being you? Why can’t you just be Pebble?” 


“Because,” Pebble whispered, and then she did not further elaborate. 


“That’s not much of a reason.” Lemon’s eyes narrowed and she got so close to Pebble that their snoots touched. Her ears leaned forwards as Lemon lifted up one foreleg and wrapped it around the little filly sitting on the washroom counter. “You know, Pebble, you can talk to me about anything. All of us. I think it is safe to say that we’re close enough to be like family at this point.” 


“I…” Pebble’s voice broke and she let out a squeak. She swallowed, then tried again. “I idolise my mother and I want to be just like her. I’ve spent every minute of my short life trying to be just like her because it felt like the right thing to do. I’m like her… I have all of this strength and rage and intelligence and I don’t know how to deal with it, but she does, so I thought if I did everything that she did, that everything would sort itself out and everything would be okay.” 


“But it isn’t working any more, is it?” Lemon’s eyes glimmered with emotion and she gave Pebble a reassuring half hug. 


“Ever since I met Sumac, I wanted to be more…” Pebble admitted, and then she closed her eyes. She ducked her head down, sniffled a bit, then went silent and still. 


Sumac, having listened to everything, thought about what Princess Celestia had said, about Pebble finding her alicorn aspect when she had met him. It now made sense, Pebble had some sort of inner awakening and now she was having trouble. It also made a lot more sense on why Pinkie Pie had a hard time reading Pebble, at least, for Sumac in his mind, this made sense. Pebble was trying to be a pony that she wasn’t, and this no doubt confused all of Pinkie’s senses. 


He thought about everything that Pinkie Pie had said, it lingered in his mind in a jumbled, confusing tangle. “I messed up, Sumac… I messed up. Nothing seems to be working. She’s so much like her mother, but she’s also not like her mother. I can deal with Maud. I can cheer Maud up. I know all of the right things to do to make Maud happy. But Pebble… I keep messing up and I think she hates me.” Sumac, whose intelligence was geared towards thinking about these things, understood at that moment what had gone wrong. 


If Pebble had been acting like Pebble, Pinkie Pie would most likely be able to straighten her out and make her feel better. Instead, with Pebble acting just like her mother, Pinkie had done all of the things she would do to make Maud feel better. For Sumac, the realisation was stunning, and he was just a little stupefied by his own ability to reason. 


“Pebble, I don’t think you’re like Igneous or like your mother.” Trixie’s voice was the soft, warm voice of motherhood. “I think you share some stuff in common with them, but you are you. Trust me, if you try to be somepony that you are not, you are going to be really unhappy and lonesome.” 


“How did you find yourself?” Pebble asked as she opened her eyes and looked up at Trixie. 


Eyes narrowing, Trixie looked at Sumac, who was lost in thought. “Twilight helped me. I guess a lot of ponies helped me. I was plotted against. Sumac… well, Sumac’s needs became more important than my own and everything I wasn’t just sort of faded away. I had to make sure that he was fed, that he was safe, and that I could provide for him. I suppose I sorted myself out on my own, as I walked the many roads of Equestria. Pulling a wagon leaves a lot of time for thinking.” 


“Okay, enough moping.” Lemon Hearts lifted her head high and her ears stood up. “We’re going to party… quietly and calmly. Party respectfully. And we’re gonna eat lunch. Lots of lunch. Because there is a buffet and that means we get to eat as much as we can. Now, who’s with me?” 


“I am!” Sumac’s outburst was loud enough to make Trixie’s ears pivot towards him. 


“I guess I am,” Pebble deadpanned. 


“That’ll have to do, I suppose.” Lemon raised an eyebrow at Pebble’s lack of enthusiasm. “Also, Miss Lulamoon, I expect at least one dance. Slow. No groping!” 




 


The crowd was manageable for Sumac, but he still had a bit of hesitation. There were a number of guards here in this smaller, more private area. He looked around the room and saw a few ponies that he knew, like Rarity, who had welcomed him and Trixie when he had come to Twilight’s school seeking entrance. Fluttershy was here as well and she looked quite nervous. 


“Want to sit down? I’ll get you a plate.” Trixie looked down at Sumac and waited for a response. “I see our table in the corner over there. Go on, go have a seat.” With her hoof, she gave Sumac a gentle nudge on his backside. 


Sumac, content with the plan, went over to the table with Pebble right behind him. He darted through the crowd and headed for the nice corner. Corners were good. Corners kept the crowd manageable. Corners were great. A large griffon stepped out of the way and Sumac had a clear shot to the table. When he was safe in the corner, he sat down upon a plush cushion and smiled at Pebble, who sat down beside him. 


“I’ve met that changeling and that harpy,” Pebble said in a low whisper as she pointed to another corner. “I was a yearling. Daddy came up with a poison joke potion to help him with his stink problem. It doesn’t always work. But when it does, he sort of smells like roses.” 


“Who are they?” Sumac asked. 


“Stinkbug and… nuts, I can never remember her name. She’s nice. They’re both Daddy’s friends and they were my foalsitter once when I was little. We were staying at our apartment in Manehattan and my Mama and my Daddy went dancing. Stinkbug and his harpy friend looked after me. She read me a story and Stinkbug tried to fix dinner. He wasn’t very good at it, but I ate it anyway, because he’s sensitive. It doesn’t take much to hurt his feelings.” 


“Oh.” Squinting, Sumac studied the pair, not sure what to make of them. Changelings had feelings. He supposed that made sense, living things had feelings, but Sumac had always heard changelings spoken about in a bad way. They were the enemy, after all. Except when they weren’t. He wasn’t sure how to think about this, or how to feel about it, so he remained silent and gave it some thought. 


“Do you think something changes when you are married?” Pebble asked. She looked at Sumac with a curious glint in her eyes. “Do things feel different? Is there a noticeable change? When two ponies are special someponies it doesn’t feel all that different, it just feels like friendship, whatever it is that friendship feels like. If nothing changes between ponies, if there is no special feeling, if you still feel like friends, then why bother with marriage?” 


Silence seemed like the only appropriate response and Sumac hunched over the table as he rested his forelegs upon the edge of the white tablecloth. He made the assumption that Pebble was thinking out loud and that his input wasn’t needed. The dream of being forced to marry Pebble and her rejection of him was still fresh in his mind. 


“It just seems stupid to take a perfectly good friendship and make it complicated with marriage—MEEP!” 


Pebble was ticklish on her ribs, just behind her front legs, and Sumac knew this from experience. All it took was a little touch of magic in just the right place to get a reaction. He sat on his cushion, watching as Pebble clutched herself, hugged herself, and tried to squirm away from the ticklish sensation. After a few more tickles, he relented and then let out a sigh. He was starving. 


“That’s not nice, Sumac Apple.” Pebble let out a sniff and made a dismissive gesture with her hoof. “You need to act your age.” 


“I just did,” Sumac replied, “and I can do it again.” 


“You’re awful.” 


“I know.” 


Pebble’s cheeks darkened. 




 


Eyes wide, Sumac let out a gasp when his plate was set down in front of him. It was piled high with food of all kinds, but Sumac ignored most of it and kept his eyes on the prize. The important stuff. Trixie had brought him everything he needed for the most awesome meal in the world. When she sat down beside him, Sumac gave her an appreciative smile.


“Go on, Sumac, do that thing you do. I’m sure that Lemon and Pebble will love to see it.” 


Wasting no time, Sumac went to work. He had slices of thick, crusty bread, pats of butter, some pale white cheese, and a little paper cup full of rainbow sprinkles. Everything in life was perfect, wonderful, and good. Lifting up two slices of bread, he smeared some pats of butter on both sides, which was tricky, but he managed to do it without making a mess. He placed a single slice of cheese on the slice of buttered bread, sprinkled some rainbow sprinkles onto the cheese, placed another slice of cheese on top of that, trapping the sprinkles in the middle, and then added the the top slice of buttered bread. 


Squinting, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, Sumac summoned up some searing heat. The buttered bread began to brown and the cheese began to melt, which made for a wonderful smell. In moments, Sumac’s magic turned the bread and cheese into grilled cheese, but not just any grilled cheese. 


Rainbow grilled cheese. 


He tore the sandwich in half, revealing that the melted rainbow sprinkles had turned the cheese into something with riotous colours. Just as he was about to take a bite, Pebble smacked her lips and Sumac could feel her eyes boring into his very soul. 


“That looks good,” Pebble remarked as she stared at Sumac. 


Blinking, Sumac wasn’t certain what had just happened, but there was some strange compulsion at work here. Confused, a bit baffled, he dropped the two halves of his rainbow grilled cheese onto Pebble’s plate, sighed, and then picked up the ingredients to make another. As he did so, Lemon Hearts leaned forwards over the edge of the table. 


“I want one,” she said to Sumac in a very straight forward sort of way. “That’s the most amazing thing ever. I think that you deserve to become the alicorn of grilled cheese sandwiches.” 


Blushing, Sumac went to work, fixing Lemon a rainbow grilled cheese. 
	
> Chapter 79
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Throughout the revelry, Sumac could not help but wonder where Discord was. It seemed that the Lord of Chaos had not been invited to the wedding, and even more interesting, the Lord of Chaos had not crashed the wedding. From what little Sumac knew about Discord, he was prone to do these sorts of things. Lemon Hearts and Trixie were dancing together, and looking at them made Sumac blush. It also distracted him from his thoughts about Discord’s absence. 


“Hello, you two,” Octavia said as she slid into a chair beside Sumac. 


Turning his head, he saw that Octavia looked sweaty and disheveled, but happy. He smiled at her, then turned once more to look at Trixie and Lemon. There was no doubt that he had eaten too much and now, he wanted a nap. Maybe. Or just a quiet place to lay down for a spell. 


“They look so happy together,” Sumac remarked as Trixie and Lemon Hearts danced. “I hope that they get married and have a happily ever after.” 


“Sumac… darling…” Octavia’s voice sounded hesitant. 


“Yeah?” Feeling worried without knowing why, Sumac glanced over at Octavia, who looked as though she was sitting on red hot coals. When she would not meet his gaze, his sense of worry doubled. 


“Sumac, love, I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Octavia whispered in a low, pained and strained voice. 


“Why?” Sumac turned in his seat and he felt Pebble’s hoof on his back, a light, reassuring touch. 


“This is a very delicate issue and I don’t know what to say.” Octavia’s eyes narrowed and her barrel expanded as she took a deep breath. “Sumac, dearie, ponies who are gay… well, most of us have this sense—we can tell when another pony is gay, or isn’t. Mine is pretty good, certainly better than Vinyl’s, and Vinyl thinks it is because I am an earth pony and we have finer attuned senses…” Her words trailed off and she turned her attention to the couple on the dance floor. 


“Wouldn’t Lemon know?” Sumac asked, his words little more than spoken breath. 


“Sumac, when you are in the throes of a heavy crush, or are infatuated, you ignore your senses. It’s happened to me. It’s happened to Vinyl. You so sincerely want things to work and you’ll go to any lengths to make it happen.” A bittersweet sad smile spread over Octavia’s muzzle. “When I was little, I surprised one of my best friends with a kiss. She wasn’t into that sort of thing, and thankfully, we remained friends. She was very understanding. But I had convinced myself that she was the love of my life.” 


“I see.” Sumac sighed, slumped down against the table, and rested his head against the hard edge. “Shouldn’t we warn them? Tell them? Shouldn’t we tell them?” 


“No,” Octavia replied after a prolonged silence. “No, Trixie needs to find out who and what she is. Lemon Hearts strikes me as being an extraordinarily good pony. I am almost certain that their friendship will survive this… maybe even be made stronger from this. Just be there for both of them, Sumac. Be supportive and good, but don’t say anything. Just be you.” 


“What if everything goes wrong?” Sumac’s ears sagged down against the sides of his face. “I like Lemon. What if she stops being my mother’s friend? What if she stops loving me?” 


“I could be wrong,” Octavia said, trying to offer a little comfort. “Maybe she just hasn’t come out of her shell yet. She might still come around if given enough time. Things might change.” 


Sumac’s left ear twitched and he let out a sigh. He appreciated Octavia’s attempts to make him feel better, and he did, in fact, feel better. Love, attraction, appeal, he didn’t understand these things. When he touched Pebble, or they bumped snoots, he didn’t hear birds chirping or any of the other things that ponies claimed they felt or heard. Pebble was, for all intents and purposes, his very best friend and his emotional understanding didn’t allow him to feel much beyond that. 


He certainly didn’t understand the serious complexities of love, like being gay. Being gay made friendship complicated it seemed, because you might like a friend, and a friend might like you just a little more in return. Friendship was a complicated, hazardous place to venture—it certainly was for Pebble, who seemed to be having a hard time making sense of the world around her. Sumac felt bad for her and he had no idea how to make it better for her, or himself for that matter. He wished that he had some answers, some understanding. 


“Where is Vinyl?” Sumac asked. 


“She got pulled into a room with the princesses and a bunch of other important ponies,” Octavia replied. “Maud and Tarnish too. But not me. I’m just a cello player.” An amused smile spread over Octavia’s muzzle and her eyes, almost hidden under her heavy bangs, glittered with glee as the tip of her orange tongue poked out from between her lips. 


“Everypony seems so happy,” Pebble remarked. “There was a big battle and Ponyville got attacked. Some big trouble happened. Vinyl got smooshed. Yet everypony seems so happy. It doesn’t make sense to me.” 


“Yes, there was trouble, there were a number of major battles and not just in Ponyville, one very wealthy industrialist tried to bring down the monarchy with a temper tantrum, these have been indeed, troubling times, Pebble. But that is exactly why ponies are happy and celebrating. The monarchy, our government, the Crown, it is resilient and triumphant. The poor are starting to hope that things will get better for them now that corporate interests are being torn apart. Changes are happening, changes for the better. A whole bunch of everyday heroes have fought to hold Equestria together.” 


“Like you and Vinyl?” Pebble stared at Octavia with wide, curious eyes. 


“Mostly Vinyl for the rougher parts,” Octavia replied. “She was there in the thick of it when everything went down in Manehattan. It was terrifying. I begged her to get out of the city… but she wouldn’t. She had a high rise dropped on her for her troubles. Princess Luna too.” 


“How did Princess Luna not get smooshed?” Sumac asked. 


Octavia blinked a few times. “Alicorns are very sturdy. Alicorns like Princess Luna are almost unbreakable.” 


“Prince Gosling… he’s going to help bring about more changes, isn’t he?” Pebble, still bright eyed and curious, now focused all of her attention upon Octavia. 


“Prince Gosling, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Cadance are heading government reform. I don’t know the plan, but Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have tasked them with making things better.” 


Octavia was about to say more, but paused as a group of guards approached the table. She looked up at them and wiped her sweaty mane out of her face while waiting for them to say something. On the dance floor, Trixie and Lemon Hearts were also interrupted by guards. Sumac began to worry that something was up. 


“All of you are needed at once,” one of the guards, a unicorn, said. “We have instructions to bring you to the map room.” 


“Oh bother,” Octavia mumbled. 


Sumac wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but he was certain that he was about to find out. He was full, tired, and just a bit cranky. He let out a huff, sat up, and scooped a comatose baby dragon off of the table, where she had fallen asleep in a pile of bread rolls. There was a smoky snort of protest and she writhed, her belly full, in Sumac’s levitational field. 




 


The map room was exactly what it sounded like—it was a room with a giant map of Equestria on the floor, a mosaic made from what had to be millions of tiny colourful pieces. Sumac was in total awe of it and stood on the edge of the western shores of Equestria trying to take it all in. The room was full of ponies that Sumac did not know, but also a lot of ponies that he did know. 


Tarnish was here, along with Maud, the princesses, all of them, a few princes, Night Light and Twilight Velvet stood near where Twilight Sparkle stood, and Vinyl was crossing the room to come over to where Sumac stood. Vinyl looked a little irritated and Sumac wondered what had made his master cross. 


“The Council of Canterlot has convened,” Princess Celestia said in a soft voice that still somehow carried through the large room. “We are gathered to discuss the lantern.” 


“You know,” Lemon Hearts remarked as she lifted her head high, “most ponies would be celebrating their wedding just after having it.” 


“Lemon, hush, I don’t think we’re part of this council.” Trixie gave Lemon a gentle kick in the leg, followed by a full body bump. 


“Nopony silences the Squeezable and Juicy Lemon!” 


“Um, she’s had a bit too much sparkling cider… I’m sorry.” Trixie gave the room an apologetic glance. 


There was a low chuckle from both Princess Luna and Prince Gosling, who found Lemon Hearts’ outburst quite amusing. This chuckle spread to others and became a giggle, then Princess Celestia’s composure slipped and she too, began to titter. The merriment and the mirth of the wedding bled over into the council, which caused Sumac to relax just a little bit. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. 


“When life gives you Lemon,” Prince Gosling whispered to Princess Luna, and there was more snickering. 


“Twilight Sparkle has a Lemon aid,” Princess Luna replied to Prince Gosling. 


Hearing Princess Luna’s pun, Twilight’s laughter ceased and she facehoofed. Standing nearby, Princess Celestia’s look of mischief intensified and her square white teeth were visible in her smile. Princess Cadance cringed and let out a groan as she shook her head, then gave her husband, Prince Shining Armor, a look of contempt when he started to giggle in a most foalish manner. 


“Unbelieveable,” Prince Blueblood muttered. “I am surrounded by foals.” 


“Oh, shut up, Blueblood.” Raven’s eyebrow arched and she took a step closer to Prince Blueblood. 


With an unexpected suddenness, Princess Cadance broke away from the others, crossed the room, and stepped over to where Sumac stood upon the western shore of Equestria. She was still smiling, but her eyes were serious and stern. Her ears pivoted forwards as she drew nearer, and then she lowered her head. 


“Forgive me, I was distracted and I did not notice before, but you are in pain.” There was no trace of doubt in Princess Cadance’s voice as she stood near Sumac and looked down at him. She took a deep breath and her horn emitted a warm pink glow that reflected in the eyes of everypony present. “Let me heal you”—she lifted her gaze and looked at Trixie—“and you as well.” 


“Cadance, dear, be careful, this makes you weary—” 


“Auntie…” Princess Cadance’s eyes darted over towards Celestia, who had spoken. “I mended Twilight’s leg and I was just fine.” 


“Shining, go to her side,” Princess Celestia commanded, and Prince Shining Armor, a dutiful sort, hurried over to where his wife stood, ready to catch her if she swooned.


“What’s gonna happen?” Sumac asked as Trixie embraced him from behind. He felt one foreleg wrap around him in a protective hug. “Will it hurt?” 


“No.” Princess Cadance shook her head. “Now is not the time for fear or doubt, but love. For this to work, I need you to focus on love, Sumac Apple. You as well, Trixie Lulamoon. Both of you, think about your love. For each other, for the other ponies in your life, let it fill your mind.” 


“Can you heal Vinyl?” Sumac asked, not thinking of himself at the moment. 


“I have made the attempt,” replied Princess Cadance. “I was able to help a little, to ease her pain, but I am still learning this magic, which is new to me. If anypony can heal Vinyl, it will be Tarnish, as his love for her is the strongest. He only needs to believe in himself. His magical potential is only now being fully realised. He is capable of so much more than he gives himself credit for.” 


Over where he stood, Tarnished Teapot shuffled on his hooves, sniffled a bit, and turned away. Maud bumped her armored body into him and then looked up at him, giving him a sleepy stare from beneath the open visor of her helmet. After being distracted by this, Sumac returned his attention to the pink alicorn standing before him. 


“Don’t worry, Sumac. She healed me and I turned out just fine,” Prince Gosling said, trying to be reassuring. 


“Okay.” Sumac nodded and he felt Trixie squeeze him. He could see a look of intense concentration upon her face and he remained quiet, as he did not wish to disrupt her. Magic took focus and as a unicorn, he knew that. Alicorn magic probably took a lot more focus. Remembering that he too, was supposed to focus, he started to think about the warm fuzzy feelings that he got when Trixie hugged him. 


The world began to feel a little peculiar and Sumac felt light headed. There was a sense of pressure in the root of his horn, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He felt Trixie’s leg twitch and then he had the curious sensation of being lighter. There was a deep thrum that made the floor vibrate and Sumac’s vision fuzzed over as he began to feel an intense warmth in his shoulders. 


“I need more magic,” Cadance murmured, “more love.” 


“All I have to give and more,” Shining Armor whispered in reply. 


There was a flash of pink and then Sumac went blind. Blue, white, and purple splotches danced in his vision, and then everything went pink. It was all he could see. There was no longer any sense of gravity and he felt himself floating up from the floor, which caused him to panic. 


“Ah, there we go, a mother’s love.” Princess Cadance’s voice, no longer a soft murmur, rang out like a bell. “Begone, pain and suffering! Flee from my subjects!” 


The world around Sumac was a pink explosion and he had no way of knowing what was going on. The pain in his shoulders was gone, replaced by intense warmth and a delightful tension, that feeling that he had when his body decided that he needed a good run. Just as the feeling reached its peak, Sumac felt Trixie grab him once more, and she crushed him against her. 


Sumac could not help but notice that the grip of her front legs was stronger… 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 80
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The pain, for the most part, was gone. Sumac wasn’t sure if he still hurt or if he suffered from the memory of pain. He took a few steps and it wasn’t long until he fell back into his old walk, his long stride that he had developed following Trixie all over Equestria. For a foal, he moved with startling quickness and speed. After walking in a circle, he tried a test pronk, liked what he felt, and then pronked around a bit more. 


“Cadance?” Princess Celestia asked in a concerned voice. 


“I’m fine,” Princess Cadance replied. “Miss Lulamoon?” 


“Much better.” Trixie’s voice was one of awe and disbelief. “There is still a little catch, a twinge in my bad leg, but it isn’t unbearable. Trixie does not know what to think of such magic.” 


Sumac became aware that ponies were staring at him, so he calmed down, ceased his pronking, and used his ‘indoor manners.’ Trixie was still testing out her legs and Sumac noticed that Cadance was giving him a curious stare, so he stared back up at her, trying to be polite and giving her his attention. 


“It didn’t seem to affect your vision,” Princess Cadance said in a somewhat distracted way as her brows furrowed. “I still do not know how this magic works or why it does what it does.” 


“It should be explored at another time.” Princess Luna lifted her head, cleared her throat, and added, “The lantern is a pressing concern and should be discussed while we are all together. Consensus and opinion are needed. What do we do with the artifact?” 


Realising that things were about to become serious, Sumac went to Trixie, sat down, and pulled her now-mended foreleg around him. He felt Pebble brush up against him and with a sidelong glance to his left, he saw her for a moment before returning his eyes to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. His back muscles twitched with nervousness, but he wasn’t scared. At least, he wasn’t too scared. From the corner of his eye, he saw Prince Gosling move forward. 


“I know absolutely nothing about magical artifacts.” Prince Gosling extended one wing, gave it a stretch, and then began to rub his chin with the underside of his central wing knuckle. “I have no opinion on the lantern, but I am concerned for Sumac. I will support no move that goes against his wishes. A foal he might be, but he is a potential future servant for the Crown. I will do nothing that might jeopardise our mutual good standing. I support his opinion and his feelings.” 


“I find myself in agreement with Gosling.” Twilight took a step forward and then looked around the room. The armor she was wearing clanked with her every movement and her eyes somehow seemed larger with her face framed by her helmet. “Sumac has been swept up in these recent events. He clearly has a role to play and destiny has called to him. I do not wish for him to feel powerless and helpless, which is why I gave him keeping of the lantern.” 


“Due to a lack of knowledge, I have no opinion to offer,” Prince Blueblood said. “I am most curious as to what our resident artifact destroyer, Tarnished Teapot has to say about the issue.” 


When the entire room turned its attention upon him, Tarnish took a step backwards and cleared his throat. It was clear that he didn’t like being the center of attention. A deep crease appeared above his brows and he shook his head as he stood there thinking. He raised his hoof in a gesture indicating that he was about to say something, but that he also needed just a moment longer to organise his thoughts. 


“I too, have no opinion to offer,” he said at last. “If you need me to cut the lantern in half with Flamingo, I will. I’ll take it to the Druid’s Grove and neutralise whatever hostile magic might come leaking out of the drawstring to the Rainbow of Darkness.” 


“We need to be more decisive—” 


“Miss Yearling, calmly if you will.” Princess Celestia gave a nod of her head to the pegasus pony that was speaking.


Adjusting her glasses, the pegasus mare turned a sour sneer upon Princess Celestia, her nostrils flared, and then she began to look around the room as if she was seeking support. She drew in a deep breath, then continued, “We should take the safe bet. We can even compromise, if that makes everypony happy. Give the foal the Rainbow of Light fragment, but we should destroy the drawstring to the Rainbow of Darkness.” 


“I agree with Miss Yearling,” Night Light said as he came forwards. “We have a chance to destroy a powerful artifact of evil, something capable of snuffing the light from the known world. We should end it, now, and we could all rest a little bit better at night.” 


Twilight Velvet, who looked a little annoyed with her husband, let out a snort of disgust. “It needs to be studied! Some good might still come from it! We shouldn’t be rash or hasty!” 


“Good cannot come from evil!” Night Light turned and gave his wife a stern glare. 


“You don’t know that for certain!” Twilight Velvet snapped. “I demand the empirical evidence that backs up your assertion!” 


“Fine then, I retract my statement, but not my stance on the issue.” Night Light tossed his head back and then gave his wife a sullen stare. “This is an artifact that has plagued our kind for far too long and we now have the means to remove it from the world. Tarnished Teapot can safely destroy artifacts without life altering or life ending consequences. He is not immortal. We have a window of opportunity to destroy it, absorb and repurpose its hostile magic, and free the world from its evil presence.” 


“You do have a point,” Twilight Velvet admitted in a reluctant manner. “In the event of Tarnish’s passing, we would no longer have a safe means to dispose of the evil artifact. Cutting it would release all kinds of destructive magic.” 


After clearing her throat, Princess Luna made an interjection. “Once more, I, Princess Luna, do repeat my claim that Tarnished Teapot be given some means of extending his life, as he is a unique asset—”


“No! I don’t want to live longer and I am perfectly happy being a unicorn!” Tarnish began backing away from Princess Luna and shook his head. 


“You are an asset to the Empire, an irreplaceable asset!” Princess Luna turned her stern gaze upon Tarnish. “This isn’t about what thou might wish, but what is best for others and the greater good! You have an obligation to your fellow equines!” 


“Tarnish’s choices are his own, no matter how foolish and stupid they might be—” 


“Oh, you can get stuffed, Miss Yearling!” Tarnish’s eyes narrowed and his lip curled back into a vicious sneer. “You wouldn’t even be here to voice your opinions without me and my choices!” 


“You are a horrid brute!” Miss Yearling snapped. “We reason with our enemies, or we try to outwit them. We try to rise above them… but you… you…”—she shuddered in revulsion—“you stabbed Ahuizotl and then tried to feed him to his own crocodiles!” 


“He had it coming!” Tarnish bellowed as he drew himself up to his full impressive height and glowered at the much smaller pegasus mare wearing a frumpy cloche. 


“There must be professional respect and courtesy, even with our rivals!” Miss Yearling pulled off her glasses and then gave Tarnish a fierce stare, a stare that promised bodily harm and plenty of it. 


“Tarnish was very polite when he stabbed Ahuizotl.” Maud’s deadpan interjection caused the room to go silent. “And he apologised for feeding Ahuizotl to his own crocodiles, even as he did it. That fulfills the obligation for good conduct among professional rivals.” She turned to face her husband. “Using his own electric eels against him was rather cruel though. I’m still very disappointed with you.” 


Miffed, Miss Yearling let out a snort, put her glasses back on, and turned away. 


“Aw, come on, Maud, don’t be like that,” Tarnish whispered. “Besides, you sorta suggested the eels—” 


“I was joking,” Maud retorted in a flat voice. “That much should have been obvious.” 


“How was I supposed to know?” Tarnish arched one eyebrow and stared Maud in the eye. “It can be very hard to tell sometimes with you. I can’t be held responsible for the indignities suffered by electric eels.” 


Blinking, Sumac began to wonder just what it was that adventurers did when they left home. All the more reason to avoid becoming an adventurer. The rules sounded complicated and… electric eels? His ears perked when he heard the sound of Princess Celestia clearing her throat. 


“We need to return to the issue at hoof.” Princess Celestia’s stare was rather maternal. “No more foalish outbursts from either one of you or I’ll send you both to friendship kindergarten.” 


“She started it!” Tarnish snapped. 


“Friendship kindergarten!” Princess Celestia repeated, this time raising her voice. “I am sick of the both of you bickering! I will have Twilight stand both of you in the corner with dunce caps!” 


Flapping her wings to get attention, Twilight walked into the center of the room as she scowled at Tarnish and Miss Yearling. “Sumac, what is your opinion on this matter?” 


“Why does it matter what I think?” Sumac replied. “I’m a colt. You’re grown ups.” 


“Sumac, you have been touched by the lantern.” Princess Celestia moved to stand beside Twilight, who stood over Canterlot on the map on the floor. “It has changed you… opened your eyes. It has given you insight.” 


“But it could do that for anypony that messes with it.” Sumac, feeling very small and insecure, pressed himself up against Trixie. “I didn’t ask for this to happen. It just sort of happened. I went to Castle Midnight and then everything just sort of went wrong.” 


“The enemy has become desperate,” Prince Blueblood said to Sumac. “Tarnish destroyed his crown. That made things complicated. Twilight has recovered several bells, which we are still investigating. Right now, there is a rush to grab any artifacts that might be of use to them, the most important of which is the Rainbow of Darkness. With the drawstring, he will be able to create vast armies of minions that will be totally and completely dedicated to him and his whims.” 


Fearful, Sumac’s lower lip protruded a bit as he gave thought to Prince Blueblood’s words. A tiny piece of string could end the world, a tiny piece of string that was found in his lantern. That piece of string, when combined with the Rainbow of Light, had given him understanding and insight. 


“Twilight should be allowed to study the lantern.” Sumac looked up at Twilight, then at Princess Celestia, and then he looked around the room. “I don’t know much about good or evil, but I know that the lantern has shown me things that have made me a better pony.” As Sumac spoke, prince Gosling crossed the room and then stood near where Sumac sat with his mother, Trixie. 


Eyes narrowing, Gosling let out a snort, then said, “We should respect his wishes. There is some division on this issue, and that’s fine, everypony is allowed their own opinion. I don’t know diddly squiddly about the lantern, but I know an awful lot about having your feelings and opinions respected. I’ll not have Sumac growing up and hating me. We have enough ponies resentful of the Crown.” 


“I stand in agreement with Gosling.” Prince Blueblood looked around the room and his brows furrowed. “I feel as though our future hinges upon this moment.” After a few seconds of chewing upon his lip, the prince added, “Also, no more treating Tarnish as an asset, rather than a pony. It bothers me on some fundamental level and I don’t like it.” 


Princess Luna, saying nothing, rolled her eyes and let out a snort. 


Turning to the mute unicorn, Princess Celestia asked Vinyl, “Surely you have something to say on this issue. He is your apprentice and as such, I would like to know your opinion.” Turning her head about, Princess Celestia looked at Trixie. “And your opinion as well, Miss Lulamoon.” 


“Go on, Mom.” Craning his head, Sumac looked up at his mother’s chin, which was above him. He felt Trixie squirm and her foreleg grew tight around him. “Set a good example for me and be honest,” he whispered. 


Put on the spot, Trixie ears drooped and her eyes went wide. A low nasal whine could be heard, then Trixie’s ears rose, pivoted forwards, and angled out over her face. The worry wrinkles in the corners of her eyes became more pronounced and a deep crevice crossed her brows. After blinking a few times, she opened her mouth to speak and licked her lips to prepare herself. 


“Trixie thinks the drawstring for the Rainbow of Darkness should be destroyed.” The mare’s words were little more than a murmur. “Trixie remembers what the Alicorn Amulet did to her. Evil tends to manifest in desirable ways.” 


Closing his eyes, Sumac wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s foreleg, which was held around him. He rubbed his cheek against her and was thankful that she had said what she had said. It took courage to say what you felt sometimes. After a moment, he opened his eyes and found Lemon Hearts looking at him with a strange gleam in her raspberry coloured irises. 


“Evil sometimes comes in a way that makes you justify using it,” Trixie continued, “and I would beware of any feelings of necessity.” 


In total silence, Lemon Hearts wrapped a foreleg around Trixie’s neck and the two mares embraced in a warm hug as Sumac thought about his mother’s words. Keeping the lantern did feel necessary and now, for the first time, Sumac was afraid, truly afraid. Trixie’s words made for an undeniable sort of sense. Trixie was the pony that might know the most about this very sort of thing. 


Holding up her slate, Vinyl flashed her horn a few times to get everypony’s attention. Opinion is divided. Before this becomes something bitter, maybe we should go back to partying.


Closing her eyes, Princess Celestia nodded her head, as it seemed there would be no consensus, at least not today. 
	
> Chapter 81
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Yawning, Sumac realised that there was still a lot of party left. He followed after Trixie and Lemon, shuffling along as they returned to the smaller, more private room. His brain was buzzy, full of thoughts, and more than anything, he wanted a quiet place to go so he could have a nice think. Pebble, beside him, had a strange little smile upon her face, which unnerved him just a little. He liked seeing her happy, but she needed some practice in showing it. 


“Miss Yearling is Daring Do,” Pebble said as they walked together. 


“What?” Sumac turned his head to look at his boon companion as they walked. “What? No… Miss Yearling was wearing glasses. Daring Do wears a one of those weird, um, uh—”


“Pith helmets.” Pebble ignored Sumac’s floundering and continued, “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but she and Daddy are good friends, and along with Rainbow Dash, they’ve done a lot of work recovering important and dangerous artifacts. In the Daring Do novels, Rainbow Dash is Crown Agent Crash and Daddy is Crown Agent Cocoa.” 


“Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?” 


“Really.” 


Sumac had trouble processing that. He wasn’t as well versed on the Daring Do novels as he might like, but he knew a few things. Crown Agent Crash was the international spy that nopony could catch, a slippery pony, and her fast thinking always seemed to save them at the last minute. Crown Agent Cocoa was the cautious one, the perfect foil for both Daring Do and Crash. He was always drinking tea, which was needed for a chronic medical condition, a terrible life-threatening cough. Cocoa was the no nonsense one when it came to trouble, and carried a bullwhip to keep the savage denizens of the jungles in line. 


“I need to read more Daring Do novels,” Sumac remarked.


“Borrow mine,” Pebble offered. 




 


Holding Boomer in his forelegs, Sumac watched as Trixie, Lemon Hearts, Octavia, and Vinyl all took turns dancing together. He wasn’t bored in the slightest, as he had plenty of things to occupy his mind. Boomer was half awake and seemed content to be pony watching. If there was going to be an attack upon the wedding, Sumac figured that they had better hurry up, as it felt as though things were winding down. 


Or maybe it was just him. He sort of needed a nap, even though he refused to admit it. 


With another yawn, he turned to watch Stinkbug, who was giving a demonstration of changeling magic. With a green flash, Stinkbug turned into all sorts of things, including a dinner fork lying upon the floor. After yet another flash, the changeling turned into a drinking glass. The display was both enlightening as well as unnerving, as changelings could literally be anywhere, hiding as anything. 


Just as he was about to yawn again, Sumac caught a whiff of something, and it wasn’t just him. All around him, other ponies were sniffing as the scent of roses faded and was replaced with something else… something… bad. Sumac had once stood outside of a paper mill, and while that was pretty bad, this was somehow worse. 


“GAH! THE STENCH!” a mare cried as she fled the room with her eyes and nose streaming. 


“I don’t smell anything bad,” Stinkbug’s harpy companion said in loud voice. 


“I’m sorry, I think my potion wore off!” Stinkbug shouted as he tried to appease the crowd.


Much to Sumac’s horror, Boomer was drooling. A long thin ribbon of drool dangled down and the little dragon was sniffing the foul smelling air with great interest. For the colt, the smell progressively grew worse, gaining strength and intensity. The stink was a living thing, a powerful malevolent force that Sumac could feel trying to force its way into his nostrils. His magic sense tingled with ferocious intensity and made the root of his horn feel like it was cold and full of throbbing tiny hearts. Beside him, Pebble was moaning and clutching her face. 


“Hang on!” a mare shouted. “I got this!” 


“Save us, Twinkleshine!” Lemon Hearts cried out. 


Holding her head high, Twinkleshine began to cast her spell, her stink banishing spell. For a second, the stink seemed to subside and the scent of roses returned to the air, but it was only for a second—then the stink returned with a nightmarish second coming. There was a stampede as the close quarter survivors all tried to make it to the door before the queasiness turned into something else. The stench was merciless and Sumac was positive that his face was melting. 


“Way to go, TWINKLESTINKLE!” A glowing bubble of raspberry coloured magic appeared around Lemon Hearts’ head, a protective shield bubble that protected her from the nostril violating stench. 


Beside Lemon Hearts, Trixie gagged and stuck out her tongue as Octavia and Vinyl fled the room in a hurry. 


“AAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAH! The skunky funk is coming from me now! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!” Twinkleshine ran around in a circle with a harpy flying around over her head. 


“Celaeno, go and find Tarnish!” Stinkbug cried. 


“But you smell sooooo good!” Celaeno replied as she circled overhead. “Besides, who cares what others think? Opinion is all relative, right?” 


“The Great and Powerful Trixie—hurgle-gurgle—is about to have a Great and Powerful spew!” 


“I don’t smell anything,” Lemon Hearts announced from the stink-free safety of her magical head bubble. “I can’t believe this spell worked. It’s amazing! Sometimes, as a unicorn, I surprise myself. Do you think this is why Twilight hired me? This is pretty impressive! I’m awesome in a crisis! Wow, this rush of self confidence is great!” 


Sumac looked over at Pebble, who didn’t look well. In fact, Pebble looked like how he felt, and Sumac didn’t feel good at all. He set Boomer down upon the table and tried to stop his head from spinning. Pebble was gagging and Sumac knew that the two of them were in trouble, real trouble, but he was somewhat better off than she was at the moment. 


It was time to be a hero. 


Now with four good legs, Sumac was more like his usual self. Using his magic, he pulled Pebble onto his back, only to discover that she was far, far heavier than he anticipated. Pebble weighed a ton, but his survival instincts told him not to say a word about Pebble’s weight. Survival instincts had to be listened to if one wanted to live. With his magic, he snatched Boomer off of the table, and then he took off towards the door on wobbly knees. 


Just as he was about to slip out the door, Sumac was forced to stop, as Princess Luna appeared in the doorway. She stood there, sniffing, her nostrils flaring, and the corner of her eye twitched in a frightful manner. Sumac looked up at the majestic Princess of the Night and he understood why ponies were afraid of her. She was cold, austere, and had a terrible, wonderful beauty. When her eyebrow arched, he felt like throwing himself down upon the ground and groveling. 


“Götterdämmerung,” Princess Luna whispered. “Dieser Gestank…” 


Fearful, not knowing what Princess Luna had just said, Sumac asked, “Have you come to save us?” 


“Ja, mein Fohlen.” Holding her head up high, Princess Luna’s horn flared with a brilliant indigo light and then she strode into the room with her wings flared out from her sides. She moved to the center of the room and then cast a spell. 


Sumac felt his magic sense almost go haywire. There was a strange, almost painful pressure behind his eyes and then the smell went away, banished by powerful alicorn magic. He stood there in awe of what he had just witnessed, and he could feel Pebble clinging to his back. Blinking, he watched as Princess Luna approached Stinkbug. 


“Art thou well, mine subject?” Princess Luna lowered her head and looked Stinkbug in the eye. “Another draught of reversal is needed it seems.” 


“They never quite work the way they should,” Stinkbug said to Princess Luna in a sheepish voice. 


“Such is the nature of poison joke.” Princess Luna extended her wing, touched the much smaller changeling, and then with a turn of her head, she looked around the room. “We give Our thanks to all present, for remaining civil and kind. Thou hast mine appreciation.” 


Turning about, Princess Luna made her way back to the door, then stopped to look at Sumac once more. Pebble scrambled off of Sumac’s back and then stood beside him as the Night Princess scrutinised the colt. Boomer, clinging to Sumac’s horn, lifted her head to get a better look at Princess Luna. 


“A dragon.” Princess Luna’s eyes narrowed and she got a better look at Boomer. “It would please Us a great deal, colt, if you would wait right here until Our return. My return. There is something I wish to do.” 


“Okay.” Sumac nodded and as he did so, Boomer’s head bobbed up and down. 


“We shall only be gone a moment.” Princess Luna bowed her head, then took off at a brisk trot, exiting the room, and leaving behind a group of stunned witnesses and onlookers. 


The murmur of voices filled Sumac’s ears as the ponies in the room began to talk. He glanced at Pebble, who had recovered, and then had a look around, but he didn’t move from where he stood. There had to be a word for everything that had just happened, but Sumac didn’t know what it might be. Had he a better vocabulary, he might say that everything that had taken place was surreal. Such was the hazard of living in a world filled with magic.


“I don’t stink anymore,” Twinkleshine announced to anypony that might be listening. 


Sumac’s brain was already picking apart everything that happened and most of his mental focus went to his realisation that his magic sense was growing stronger. It was a sign that he was growing up and that his magic was growing stronger, or so he thought. Memories of his education floated around in his thoughts, the knowledge that ponies had six established senses, with special ponies sometimes having extraordinary sensory perception, or extra senses, such as Pinkie Sense, earth pony sense, pegasus pony senses, and specialised unicorn senses. 


With these thoughts came the realisation of why Princess Cadance and Princess Luna seldom used magic—the assault on his senses had been overwhelming. Princess Luna’s spell had almost scrambled his brain and had made his magic sense go bonkers. It had caused him physical pain. Princess Luna had immense power and Sumac could not help but compare it to the times when Twilight used her magic. 


The colt concluded that Twilight had a long way to go before she matched Princess Luna or Princess Celestia for raw magical output. His brain, the helpful organ that it was, brought to memory Princess Cadance’s healing spell. That had overwhelmed him, but it hadn’t caused him pain. The Princess of Love was powerful though, no doubt. 


If he really wanted to gain the perspective of an alicorn, to know no limits, he knew that he had a way. The lantern. The strength of an earth pony had been unsettling, upsetting even. Learning how Pebble had to face the world had been a real eye opener for him. But to be an alicorn—to have the strength of an earth pony and all of the magic of a unicorn, plus more… not to mention the powers of a pegasus, which Sumac could not even begin to comprehend. 


Pegasus ponies were a real unknown for Sumac. At least earth ponies lived on the ground, just like unicorns. There was something in common. A shared perspective. Blinking, he watched Trixie and Lemon Hearts dancing together. At some point, Octavia and Vinyl had returned, and both of them looked sweaty and messy. 


Why were they so sweaty? Maybe it was hot in other rooms, Sumac didn’t know. 


Turning his head to look around, Sumac was quite startled and let out a cry when he saw Princess Celestia standing right next to him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed her. Somehow, the big alicorn had snuck up on him. Also, she had a bird sitting on her horn, a big bright orange bird. 


“Seville, you do have one of those instant cameras, don’t you?” Princess Celestia asked. 


The yellow-orange earth pony nodded and adjusted his neck mount, affixing a camera to the brace. Sumac, wide-eyed and bewildered, looked up at Princess Luna. Something rather horrid clung to her horn, it looked old, ancient, and Sumac could not help but think that whatever it was, it had become a lich at some point long ago. 


“Ooh, I think the light is bothering my precious Tibbles,” Princess Luna said to her sister. 


Hanging from Luna’s horn, the withered, leathery opossum yawned, stretched, and then went back to sleep. Sumac felt Boomer shift and the dragon struck a pose, realising that she was in fine company. Sumac could not help but feel that the princesses looked just a little bit silly with their pets on their horns, and by extension, he began to wonder how other ponies saw him. 


“Philomena, do you think we should form a club?” Princess Celestia asked the phoenix roosting on her horn. 


The phoenix fluffed out, let out a peep, and then began rubbing her face against the tip of Princess Celestia’s horn as she cooed. The princess had a very long horn and Philomena had a lot of room to move about. By comparison, Sumac’s horn was stubby, although he had been told that his horn was quite long for his age. 


Every colt wanted to hear that their horn was longer than usual for their age. 


“Hey, what’s going on over here?” Twinkleshine, whose stink removal spell had failed in a most spectacular manner, stood just a few feet away, looking at the royal sisters with wide, curious eyes. 


“We are the ponies whose horns have become habitats,” Princess Celestia replied. “Now, Sumac, come closer so we can get you into the frame. You are rather… short.” 


An indignant snort shot out of Sumac’s nostrils, he narrowed his eyes, and he squinted up at the much larger princess. “I’m five,” he protested, “six come spring. I’m not short, I’m just little!” 


“Thou hast been corrected, dear sister.” There was a merry look of mischief in Princess Luna’s eye. She shuffled around on her hooves, impatient, and Tibbles, as she called her pet, swung from her horn like a pendulum. An observant pony, Princess Luna noticed that she had an admirer in the form of Pebble, and she turned a cool stare upon the little earth pony filly. 


While Sumac scowled up at Princess Celestia for her social faux pas, Pebble had a far more worshipful expression for Princess Luna. Some distance away, on the dance floor, Octavia swung Vinyl around with careful, mindful movements in a beautiful, if somewhat sweaty bipedal waltz. Ponies who paid attention might have noticed that Vinyl’s hind hooves never touched the floor, and Octavia carried her every step of the dance. 


“Come here to me, Sumac, and let me stand you upon the table.” Using her magic, Princess Celestia lifted the small colt from the floor and then plopped him down upon the table beside her. “Now, stand up straight. That’s right. Neck out, head up, and those short little legs of yours need to be straight. Look alive.” 


“Oooh, see how he scowls, dear sister.” Princess Luna’s voice was teasing. “If only all of Our guard were so ferocious.” 


Lowering her head, Princess Celestia placed her muzzle next to Sumac’s ear. “Enjoy this time of your life, when you are little, when you are short. This is a precious time for you, and it will be over far too soon. Every little colt, every little filly, in times of trouble, they run to hide beneath their mother. Foals do this without thinking, running and taking shelter in their safe place. But one day… one day…”—she made a dramatic pause and shook her head—“one day they go to hide beneath their mother and discover that they no longer fit.” 


Sumac’s scowl melted away as Princess Celestia disarmed him. A blank expression replaced it, and Sumac craned his head around to look at Trixie. He thought of all of the times that he had gone beneath her, seeking shelter. Times when he was scared. Wanting to be out of the freezing rain. Those moments when there had been real danger. One day, his safe place would no longer be there for him, and the thought made the wheels inside of his head start turning. 


It occurred to him that Princess Celestia had just taught him a much needed lesson. 


The tip of Princess Celestia’s snoot tickled Sumac’s ear and caused it to twitch. “One day Sumac, you are going to have some little ones of your own… and when they seek shelter beneath you, you will think of this day, of this time, of this moment, and you will be thankful for the time that you had when you were little. You will be thankful for having Trixie in your life, because let’s face it, Flam and Belladonna were not ideal parents for you. You will look back, and even with the troubles, the tribulations, you will look back and see that this was the happiest time of your life, and with renewed perspective, you will treasure giving your own foals safety and you will be thankful to be their shelter.” 


“That’s… that is… uh… um… that is a lot to think about,” Sumac stammered in an almost inaudible whisper. He thought about Trixie and wondered how much time he had left. A teeny, tiny voice in the back of his mind suggested that he make every moment matter. He was also in awe that Princess Celestia had just laid his soul bare with just words. 


“Now, let’s take a picture.” Princess Celestia turned to face the camera while Philomena bobbed up and down upon her horn. 


The two sisters stood close together and the larger, older sister placed her wing upon the back of the smaller, younger sister. Sumac, standing on the table, shuffled a little closer, then stood up as straight and tall as possible. He was present in body, but his mind was busy thinking about how much of his foalhood he had left. Every precious second mattered and he intended to make the most of it. When this photo was over, he planned to ask Pebble to dance with him, even though he knew nothing about dancing. 


“Tibbles, do wake up and at least make the attempt to look as though you are alive.” For a moment, Princess Luna’s eyes crossed as she looked at the marsupial hanging from her horn. After a few seconds, when it appeared as though Tiberius couldn’t be bothered with appearing alive, the Night Princess let out a frustrated snort. 


“Ready,” Seville said in a soft voice, “steady… and say, ‘string cheese sneeze.’” 


Just as Sumac started to laugh, Seville snapped a picture. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 82
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	His green eyes flashing with emotion behind his tea shades, Sumac Apple studied the photograph of himself, the sisters, a baby dragon, a phoenix, and what was sure to be an undead possum. Try as he might, he could not hold back his feelings, which threatened to overwhelm him. With a sniffle, he looked up at Princess Celestia and for a moment, he watched as Philomena preened herself while sitting upon the white alicorn’s horn. 


“What if this burns up?” Sumac asked in a low voice that held a timid quaver. 


For a moment, Princess Celestia froze in place and the only part of her that moved was her blinking eyes. She did not seem to breathe, even her flowing ethereal mane and tail seemed to almost go still, and on her horn, Philomena paused mid-feather in her preening to look at Sumac with wide, avian eyes. 


“I don’t know if I want to keep anything if I can’t keep it safe somehow.” Sumac, still standing upon the edge of the table, sat down. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be an ungrateful sort. Thank you, all the same.” 


“It can be very difficult to accept loss.” Princess Celestia’s words were soft and somehow maternal. “If something ever happens, come to me and I will make sure that you have a replacement photo from the Royal Archives. That photo is just to hold you over until Seville can get his photographs developed, and then I shall send you one in a fireproofed frame.” 


“Thank you.” Sumac sniffled a bit until he felt the sniffles pass, and then he beamed up at the regal alicorn that towered over his diminutive frame. “Thank you for not making me feel like a whiny crybaby.” The colt’s ears stood up and Boomer reached out to grab one so she could give it a playful tug. 


Lowering her head, Princess Celestia’s eyes darted around the room, and then she gave Sumac a soft kiss upon his cheek. As she pulled away, she said in a low whisper, “I think my work here is done. You should ask Pebble for a dance. I have other guests that I must entertain.” 


Blushing, his ears burning, he nodded and Sumac looked up at his monarch as he felt a fierce love for her. He raised one small hoof, held it out, and waved as Princess Celestia pulled away. While he had no interest in being a soldier, a teeny, tiny fire burned within his breast, a fervent flame of devotion for the alicorn princess that had been so kind to him. 


As the two sisters made ready to leave, Sumac had one final thing to say. “Princess Luna… thank you for taking notice of me and making me feel special. When you’re my size, it is easy to feel ignored and forgotten.” 


Pausing, Princess Luna turned to look back at Sumac. Looking flustered, it soon became apparent that the Princess of the Night didn’t know what to say in return. Turning about, she now stood facing Sumac, one eye wide, one eye half-open as her ears performed various feats of dexterity. Unable to respond with words, she reached out with one wing, and using her primaries, she stroked Sumac’s cheek. 


Then, turning back around in silence, Princess Luna prepared to leave. 




 


Lifting up a plastic cup shaped like a wide-mouthed goldfish whose tail was folded around to form a handle of sorts, Sumac took a long drink of bright red-orange punch. He smacked his lips, licked them, and then drank a little bit more. It felt both funny and strange to place his lips on fish lips, even if they were fake plastic ones. With every drink, he was kissing a fish while he tried to work up his courage. 


Sumac couldn’t dance. This was a problem. This was a big problem, the sort of problem that could stymie a five year old colt. With a wary stare, he watched as Lemon Hearts led Trixie around the dance floor in a slow and cautious step dance, trying to learn what he could through observation. He wished that Vinyl and Octavia were still dancing, but Vinyl needed rest and she looked as though she was in great pain. Sumac felt bad for her, but there was nothing that he could do. 


With a sigh, he focused his attention on Pebble, which caused his mouth to go dry. He took another drink, which didn’t help much, and inside of his barrel his heart thumped out a funky rumba as it tried to climb up into his throat. He was nervous, sweaty, his frogs felt wet and sticky… was this what attraction was? If so, he didn’t like it, not one bit. 


Taking another drink of punch, Sumac tried to think about how to approach this situation. He didn’t have a father around, so he couldn’t see how this was handled. All he really had was Lemon Hearts and Trixie as his best examples, and he honestly didn’t know how Big Mac might handle this situation. This was complicated and you had to approach it in just the right way. 


For Sumac, who could be bold to the point of outright aggression, he decided to take a direct approach. 


“Pebble.” Sumac held out his foreleg and made a come-hither gesture. 


“Yes, Sumac?” Pebble’s head swiveled to look at her boon friend and companion. 


“Get over here. You’re going to dance with me.” For a moment, Sumac was almost certain that he was going to swallow his tongue, which now dried out like an apricot left in the sun. He hated apricots, which were almost as bad as pears. No self respecting Apple would ever be caught eating pears. 


“Meep!” Pebble’s face turned a dark chocolate brown as she froze in place. 


Foreleg out, Sumac clopped his hoof on the table three times to let Pebble know that he meant business. Males were supposed to take charge, right? Lemon Hearts took charge and made Trixie dance. Maybe it was supposed to be the female who took charge? He didn’t know. Lifting his punch glass in his telekinesis, he took one final drink to wet his parched whistle. 


Setting down his punch cup, he slid out of his chair, down onto the floor, and went over to where Pebble sat. Reaching up with his foreleg, he grasped her fetlock in his and then pulled her from her seat, ignoring her meeps of protest. When she plopped down onto the floor with him, he made it clear that he meant business. 


“Pebble, I have tickle magic and I know how to use it. Now come dance with me.” 


“Meep!” 


Walking on three legs with Pebble in tow, Sumac headed for the dance floor, feeling as though he might throw up at any moment. He gave her fetlock a squeeze and got another ‘Meep!’ for his troubles. On the edge of the dance floor where the adults whirled around, he stopped and then looked at Pebble. 


“I don’t know how to dance,” Sumac admitted, realising that there was a major flaw in his plan. Some of the dances he could see looked complicated, tricky, and some of them appeared to take a lot of effort. There was a half huff, half sigh, and Sumac thought about an expression he had once heard: ‘In for a bit, in for a pound.’ He didn’t know what it meant, but it sounded like it was suitable for the sort of trouble he found himself in.


Before he had a chance to say anything, Pebble reared up to take a bipedal stance and Sumac found himself being snatched. The filly holding him was strong, strong enough to crush him. He wobbled on his hind legs and it felt as though his heart was going to explode out of his chest. Pebble was hugging him and their bellies were touching. For Sumac, this was weird. 


“I’ve been getting dance lessons since I was a yearling,” Pebble remarked in a casual tone. “It is a Pie family tradition. All of my aunts and my mother all dance. Grandmother was very insistent that I follow the tradition.” 


With a crushing grip, Pebble pulled Sumac close, wrapping one foreleg around his middle, and she redoubled her grip around his fetlock. “Follow my lead and be careful.” 


Then, without warning, Sumac was flung around by Pebble. Clinging to his horn, Boomer let out an awkward honk of protest, but then settled down a bit when he recovered his balance. Walking on two legs was super weird, but he managed. He could feel Pebble’s heart beating against his ribs and he wondered if she could feel the same. 


As he stumbled around, he made the mistake of looking into Pebble’s blue eyes. At that moment, he froze up for a second and Pebble was forced to haul him around. He felt something, something profound and powerful, it was like the first time he managed to cast a light spell, then had the heady rush that came with the knowledge that he was a unicorn and he had magic. 


There was a little more curl to her mane than usual, a lot more curl, and her cheeks had a dark chocolate blush to them. It was quite difficult to breathe all of a sudden, and Sumac wasn’t sure if Pebble squeezing him was the cause. He was sweaty, nervous, and his stomach was doing flip-flops as his hind legs fought to keep him balanced. 


Looking into her eyes, Sumac found himself under some spell, some terrible spell, and he was unable to look away. Pebble moved with a fluid grace that Sumac was far too young to appreciate as he stumbled around to keep up with her. Her dress swished and swirled around his legs, tickling him, teasing him, and distracting him. 


“Stop being so stiff,” Pebble said as her foreleg pressed tight against Sumac’s spine. “Flow like water and you will find your balance. Move with me.” 


“Okay.” Sumac tried to relax a little, but it was difficult. “How does an adult teach a foal to dance? The size difference…” 


“It’s tricky.” Pebble moved backward, off to the right, forward, off to the left, and then backwards once more. “You need a partner. My mother had her sisters, but I am an only foal. I’ve spent a lot of time dancing by myself in front of a mirror, but I’ve never really had a partner who matched me for size.” 


“I’m your first?” Sumac asked and he saw that his words caused Pebble’s blush to intensify. Not only that, but he felt his own cheeks spontaneously combust and catch fire. No doubt, right now, marshmallows could be roasted over his face and he was thankful that Boomer was fireproof. 


“You’re my first,” Pebble admitted in a rather squeaky voice. “I’ve danced with my father, but he’s big and he just swings me around the room. He’s too tall.” 


Mindful of his hind hooves, Sumac maneuvered around, trying to match Pebble’s steps without looking down, which was far more difficult than he imagined. Pebble’s dresses hid a secret; Pebble was quite thick and stocky—she might even be chubby. He gave her a squeeze and discovered that she had a wonderful bit of cushion around her ribs. She was warm, she was soft, and Sumac’s brain had a moment of awakening when he realised that he liked her plump, inviting softness. 


With Pebble being soft and squeezable, Sumac became a bit self-conscious about his own body—he was thin, maybe too thin, and bony. From what little he could remember about his father, Flam was a tall, thin sort and he had a mustache. A genuine sense of worry crept into the back of his mind and he wondered if perhaps he was a little too thin. 


“Am I too thin?” he whispered. 


“It’s nothing a little more fudge won’t fix,” Pebble replied, also whispering. “You grew up poor, Sumac, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s no real trouble though, I like you just the way you are.” 


“Thank you, Pebble.” 


“Do you think I’m fat?” Pebble asked in a breathy, fearful whisper. “I get teased about it sometimes… I worry all the time, and when I worry, I eat more. Being around my aunt Pinkie doesn’t help at all.” 


“It’s nice being able to squeeze you,” Sumac replied as he tightened his grip around Pebble’s middle. “I like you just the way you are.” 


“You’re being honest.” Pebble blinked a few times, inhaled as she shuddered, and then her ears pinned back against her head. “I really, really like you.” 


“Pebble, I like you too…” Sumac’s words trailed off and he sucked in a deep breath. “I like you a lot.” 
	
> Chapter 83
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	And so, after many hours of celebration, eating, drinking, and dancing, the revelry came to an end, at least for two tuckered out little foals and one little dragon. One worn out little colt, one tired little filly, plus one comatose little dragon all shared an overstuffed chair together and, as the day transitioned into evening, they were sound asleep together. 


Standing near them was an earth pony mare with a sappy smile, an albino unicorn with a wry grin, one lemony yellow mare who was ridiculously happy, and one blue unicorn mare who leaned upon the lemony one. All of the four looked worn out, exhausted, and the albino mare looked particularly bad off. 


Shuffling around, the four mares all went to sit down at a nearby table, leaving the two foals and one dragon to snooze together. As each of the four got comfortable, easing into their seats and some leaning up against the table, a pearlescent mare approached the table with a broad smile that caused her cheeks to bulge. 


“Hiyas,” she said to the group as she drew near. “Do you mind if I sit down?” 


“Have a seat, Twinkleshine,” Lemon Hearts replied as she waved a hoof in a manner most inviting. “How ya been? How’s your love life?” 


As she sat down, Twinkleshine’s smile became somewhat troubled. “Look, I know that my troubles in love are a topic of much discussion in our little group—Lemon, were you about to tease me? ‘Cause it felt like it.” 


“No.” Lemon Hearts shook her head, blinked, and looked Twinkleshine in the eye. “I only brought it up because I’m kinda in love myself and I just wanted to have a reason to talk about it, that’s all.” 


Sighing, Twinkleshine gave her dear old friend a nod, then replied, “Well, I found out why every single relationship I’ve been in has failed.” She paused, then shook her head. “No, no, failed doesn’t cover it. More like exploded in my face. I found out why everything has gone wrong.” 


“And why is that?” Octavia asked, looking concerned as Vinyl levitated over cups of punch for all of them to drink and set them down upon the table. 


“I got a little therapy from one of Princess Cadance’s specialists.” Twinkleshine appeared hesitant and she looked around the table, meeting the eyes of each mare present. “This is still really hard for me to say, but I’m gay and I’m really confused about it. I messed up, I really messed up, I spent too much time listening to my mother and my father about continuing our strong family bloodline and I kept seeing my relationships as a means to an end just so I could get married and continue the bloodline and make my parents happy because I feel so pressured and obligated.” 


“Oh dear,” Octavia gasped. She reached up with her right foreleg and began to rub her temple, making little kneading circles with her hoof. 


“And it appears as though I keep sabotaging my relationships to save myself.” Twinkleshine slumped down in her chair, smacked her lips, and then picked up the punch cup that Vinyl had set down in front of her. “There are so few unicorns with real power these days. My family retains a strong bloodline. Princess Celestia can boast about how many of us serve her as her guards. We’re one of the few families that still has some real magical oomph and my parents keep lecturing me about my ‘duty to Equestria’ and my mother keeps telling me just to lie back and think of Equestria and oh my goodness… they are horrid sometimes.” 


“Oh, I know all about that.” Trixie lifted up her own punch glass. “Being a Lulamoon is no easy feat. It’s all magic this and magic that and there is so much expected from…” Sighing, Trixie’s words trailed off into nothingness and she shook her head for a time before she added, “You know what, I hate talking about it.” 


“Yeah… I don’t wanna sound whiny, but ponies really don’t know what it is like for us.” Twinkleshine looked into Trixie’s eyes and there was some deep, meaningful, unspoken exchange between the two of them. After several seconds, Twinkleshine looked away and her eyes settled upon the tablecloth. “You’ve changed, Trixie. I remember you in school. I couldn’t stand you because you bullied Lemon Hearts.” 


Hearing these words, Trixie cringed and she too, stared down at the table, her eyes settling upon her punch cup, which she took between her front hooves. Lemon Hearts, leaning over, touched Trixie upon the withers, and then the lemony one looked over at one of her oldest friends from her days in school. 


“All is forgiven though, because now, now it looks like you make her happy and Lemon Hearts of all ponies deserves to be happy.” There was a low chuckle from Twinkleshine and she added, “She finally got those temper tantrums of hers under control.” 


“Now that you’ve figured out that you’re gay, what’s next?” Lemon Hearts asked, her raspberry coloured eyes flashing and curious. 


Rolling her eyes, Twinkleshine pursed her lips together and made a flatulent sound as she exhaled. She tapped her front hooves upon the edge of the table, looked around, and then she looked Lemon Hearts in the eye. “I’ve made too many messes here in Canterlot. I can’t even walk down the street without looking into the eyes of somepony whose heart I’ve broken. Makes things difficult. Staying with my parents feels impossible because they won’t stop pressuring me. Twilight has offered me a job in Ponyville, so… I think I’ll take that. I like Ponyville and the time that I have spent there has always been nice.”

“It’ll feel good to have most of the old gang together.” Lemon Hearts sucked in a deep breath, held it for a time, and then let it out nice and slow. “Twinklestinkle—”


There was a snort from Twinkleshine. 


“—you always were our heavy hitter, though now that Moonie has grown up and studied a bit, she’s become quite scary” Lemon Hearts’ eyes narrowed. “No matter… we need you. Things are more dangerous than you realise, Twinkleshine. We need the gang back together.” 


“All of you teased me and called me a ‘medieval unicorn.’ Give me one good reason why I should help you.” Twinkleshine began chortling and she folded her forelegs over her barrel as she peered over her punch cup at Lemon Hearts. 


Turning to look at Trixie, Lemon Hearts leaned over and in a low voice she said, “One time, Twinkle brought a two sided battle axe thingy to fencing class and challenged our teacher, Mister Carbuncle to a duel. She really is positively medieval.” 


Sighing, Trixie glanced over at Sumac, who was sound asleep in the chair with Pebble. A weary smile spread over her muzzle and her gaze lingered upon him for a little longer before she gave Lemon Hearts a sidelong glance. For a second, it seemed as though Trixie was about to say something to her companion, but then she changed her mind at the last minute. Sometimes, silence said more than words could say.


“Sometimes, I wonder what happened to us,” Twinkleshine said. 


“What do you mean, Twinkle?” Lemon Hearts asked.


“We used to be so close… inseparable. Then we drifted apart. Then we came back together for a time. Now, we’ve drifted apart again. I miss things… how they were. Everything feels so jumbled now. We live in different places. We have careers… Lyra Heartstrings can’t even talk about her new job, other than to say that she works for the Crown and that everything she does is now top secret. Minuette stays busy as an oral surgeon and she is always on call. How does friendship survive when friends drift apart?” 


The happy gleam slipped from Lemon Hearts’ eyes and she sat there in her chair, looking a bit put out as she deflated. Her eyelids sagged and her ears drooped as the corners of her mouth were drawn down by the fierce forces of emotional gravity. She lifted up a cup of punch, took a sip, and after several seconds of intense thought, she squirmed in her seat as she shrugged. “Twilight was able to reconcile with Moonie and we all managed to get back together. We can do that again. We grew up, Twinkle, we stopped being school fillies and had to deal with real life. Not all of us were blessed with wealthy parents and Canterlot is a really expensive city to live in.” 


Scowling, Twinkleshine let out a snort. 


Across the table, Vinyl leaned back in her seat, frowning, anticipating pain, and when she settled against the cushioned seat back, she let out a sigh of relief as she got comfortable. The seat back was straight, tall, and well cushioned, which was just what she needed. She lifted up her cup of punch, took a drink, and then let out another contented sigh. 


“Twinkle, Trixie and I will be getting a house soon… ours kinda got destroyed. Come and stay with us for a while. It’ll be fun.” Lemon Hearts’ voice held an uncharacteristic seriousness to it and her happy-go-lucky demeanour seemed to have stepped out for coffee. “We can all be friends and do silly filly stuff. We can give each other hooficures and giggle and gossip. You can be our heavy hitter again and help us keep Sumac safe. Trixie is a heavy hitter too, but I’m not, and I’m worried that I might not be able to keep Sumac from harm. I didn’t last long in a fight.” 


Raising an eyebrow, Trixie gave Lemon Hearts a sidelong glance. 


“I’ll give it some thought,” Twinkleshine replied. 


“You know, Lemon”—Octavia raised her hoof to her chin as she sat there, looking at Lemon, her eyes narrowed and a thoughtful expression was upon her face—“I always tend to think of myself as the most useless pony in a scrap. Tarnish, Maud, Vinyl and I have gone into some dangerous places together. Some very bad things have happened. Over time, and having dealt with some very real frustration, I have learned my place among our little group. Tarnish, Maud, and Vinyl do the fighting and they’re quite good at… rather excellent actually… but when the fighting is done, when the violence is over, that is the time that I shine. Tarnish is usually a jittery pile of nerves, Maud doesn’t look like it, but she too, is a wreck, and Vinyl… well, Vinyl’s last fight was pretty bad. You can see how she is now. Lemon, dearie… what I am trying to say is, the heavy hitters need a heavy petter when the fighting is done.” 


Eyes shimmering, Lemon Hearts gulped, then nodded in acknowledgment of Octavia’s words. Beside Octavia, Vinyl reached out her foreleg and grabbed Octavia’s fetlock in her own. Trixie, seeing this gesture, copied it; she grabbed Lemon by the fetlock and gave the lemony yellow mare a squeeze. 


“This is like… real serious, ain’t it?” Twinkleshine, now serious, leaned forwards and rested her forelegs upon the edge of the table. 


“Catrina wants to kill Sumac and she’s been tasked with recovering the lantern. It was she who teleported an entire army onto the outskirts of Ponyville. She might even get bold enough to come to Ponyville herself.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed into dangerous looking slits. “If she comes, we’ll be ready for her. Ponyville has protectors.” 


Turning her head, Twinkleshine looked over at the two foals sound asleep in an overstuffed chair together. A faint, almost unseen magical field glimmered around them, a simple sound blocking spell cast by Lemon Hearts. She stared for several long seconds and then took a drink from her punch cup. As she set her cup back down, she glanced over at Lemon Hearts and said, “You know what, I’m in. You have my axe. It’s a family heirloom.” 


“Thanks,” both Lemon Hearts and Trixie said at the same time. 


Eyeing her cup, Twinkleshine concentrated for a second, her horn glowed, and a single ice cube made of punch appeared inside of her glass. Distracted, she squinted down into her drink and let out a sigh. “This feels like school all over again… when we were older… when graduation seemed like it might be possible after so many years of study. Do you remember those days, Lemon?” 


“I remember a lot of rumours,” Lemon replied. 


Twinkleshine began tracing a circle upon the white tablecloth with her hoof. “Well, I remember those times… talk of vampires everywhere… dark shadows come to life… the wilds between the cities became terrible places. Monster attacks were at an all time high. All those abductions were taking place and ponies kept talking about changelings being everywhere.” 


“Now that you mention it, things do feel similar.” Lemon Hearts emptied her punch cup and then set it down upon the table. Lifting a napkin up from the holder in the center of the table, she folded it into a swan and set it down beside her cup. “We were going to form an adventuring company. Go out and stake a vampire. Find some changelings. We were young and had such big plans.” 


“Whatever happened to our plans?” Twinkleshine asked. 


“Twilight got sent to Ponyville,” Lemon replied. “Princess Celestia broke up our happy little clique. Moonie became a recluse. Minuette perfected her plan to become a millionaire by age forty. Lyra joined a band that sang about peace and free love and I think she caught some kinda lice after love gone wrong. I got all sensible and decided to play it safe, because vampires scare the cheese doodles right outa me. You put away your axe and tried to find somepony to settle down with so you could marry.” 


“Huh.” Looking dejected, Twinkleshine plopped her chin down onto both of her front hooves and supported her head with her elbows against the table. “Growing up has not been kind, not in the slightest.” 


“Sparkle’s Spartans are all about the common unicorn making a difference. One unicorn might not seem like much, but we are legion. Our kind once moved the sun, as Twilight is so quick to remind us. We need to come out of our towers, our libraries, and our dusty dens of study so that we might once again defend the world.” Trixie’s eyebrow arched and her ears pivoted forwards. “Sumac is my son and I will give him a better world than I had.” 


The pearlescent white mare nodded in agreement. “I don’t need a reason to fight, just an excuse!” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 84
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When one is miserable, life seems to slow to a crawl and each day seems to last forever. When one is happy, the opposite became true; the days now seemed to go by in a blur. Sumac was happy, very much so. There was this renewed sense of feeling good, this infectious feeling that seemed to spread from pony to pony, moving its way through the herd. The symptoms were beaming smiles, bright eyes, and perked ears. 


In the wee hours of the morning, when everything was calm and still, when ponies were still asleep, when Twilight’s castle had not yet woken up, Sumac prowled through the hallways and made his way to the little kitchenette and dining area where he ate his meals. He moved with stealth and silence, as he had a top secret mission that he did not wish interrupted. There was a plan, an idea, the need for reckless experimentation in his thumping unicorn heart. 


Beginning one’s day with adventure was always a fine way to start. 


The kitchenette was dark and deserted; a relief for young Sumac, who had such grand plans. With only his horn to light his way, he moved about the kitchen, free to do as he pleased, and as a unicorn, the kitchen was his to plunder. Nothing was out of reach, nothing was forbidden, everything was his for the taking. Being a unicorn was just about the most awesome thing ever, because magic allowed one to reach the really good things up on top of the highest shelves. 


Looking up, Sumac’s orange tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated upon the many bags of potato crisps. It took a few attempts, but he found what he was looking for; salt and vinegar with the delightful taste of tarragon and dill. What was tarragon? He didn’t know, but he did know that dill went into pickles. He levitated down the bag of salt and vinegar chips, checked the kitchen to make certain that he was alone, and thought about the mares in his life. 


Trixie and Lemon Hearts were at the very core of his current existence and he couldn’t imagine not having them around. Big Mac had told him to treasure them both, and Sumac took that advice to heart. Octavia was the repairer of his often damaged calm, she had a knack for driving away the looming temper tantrums before they happened and was his primary teacher for ‘introversion,’ i.e., how to understand what was going on and why, before it became a big deal.


Vinyl Scratch was now teaching him the secrets of the universe and how to be a chill individual, as she called it. So far, for the most part, most of his lessons over the past week were all about hauling old records from her old house to the new one and then organising her music collection. Apprentices had to start somewhere, Sumac supposed. 


And now, there was Twinkleshine, also known as Twinklestinkle. Her transmutation spells were prone to failure, but her ability to enchant and her knowledge of advanced magics left Sumac stupefied. Over the past week, Twinkleshine and Trixie had argued over every major magical theorem in existence and it was he who had benefited most from their often heated (but friendly) exchanges. Sumac began to understand just how much magic Trixie understood. 


Holding the bag of crisps aloft, Sumac examined his prize. He still wasn’t sure what tarragon was, but it was about to be part of a balanced breakfast. Feeling rather grown up, he fetched a bowl, which he knew he had to wash, a spoon, again, something he had better wash when he was done if he knew what was good for him, and then he went to get the milk. 


He was going to answer the most important question in the known universe, the query that lingered in his mind, and it wasn’t ‘what was Pebble thinking?’ That question had no answer and Sumac had made peace with that, just as Big Mac had recommended. Some things, some things a colt was better off not knowing. Some mysteries had to remain unfathomable. Mares, and by extension, fillies, were one of those things. 


Pausing, Sumac looked around to see if he was discovered. Already, he was honing his instincts to practice science in secret. Some science was reckless, scary, and it was better to keep it to yourself until you had a result to share, lest some thick-headed and unimaginative dolt called you a crackpot. Nothing killed a science mood like some unenlightened dolt calling you a crackpot and lecturing you. Find a bathroom, find a closet, find an empty room, so one could slip off and practice a little science for five minutes before one was discovered and invariably stopped before somepony got hurt or something exploded. 


Science explosions were the best part of science; things had to explode, that was how one knew that one was finished with science, at least for the moment. Explosions were a result. Not always the most desirable result, but science had to have some manner of climax, otherwise, there was no return for the time invested in making science happen. 


There was a soft thump that made Sumac’s ears stand up when he put the milk on the table. His eyes darted around, as if he expected to be caught at any moment and lectured for his reckless breakfast experimentation. Tearing open the bag of crisps, he poured its contents into the bowl, had another look around the kitchenette-slash-dining area, and took a deep breath. 


The scent of salty vinegar assailed his nostrils, making them flare. 


In the pale green light that emanated from his horn, Sumac’s eyes had a manic gleam behind his well polished eyeglasses. He was on the verge of a great discovery, something that would revolutionise breakfast as the world knew it. Potato crisp cereal. He clambered up into a chair, hunched over the table, armed himself with a spoon, and poured some wholesome whole milk over his bowl full of potato crisps. 


He stirred the contents of his bowl a bit, cereal was only good if everything was properly saturated with milk. There was some unknown ratio that he hadn’t yet figured out, some sweet spot that cereal had to have to make it satisfying. A curious reaction was happening in his bowl as he stirred. His milk was growing thicker, more viscous. Curiouser and curiouser. His milk now had a gravy like consistency in his bowl. Fascinating. 


The scent of vinegar was strong and it made his mouth water. 


Trembling, Sumac was excited, almost too excited to think with any sort of clarity. There was a crunch as he stabbed his spoon into his bowl. With a great deal of care, he dredged up a spoonful of potato crisps and thick, almost gloppy milk. Holding his spoon in his magic, he eyeballed his first bite. 


With the reckless abandon that comes with youth, he opened his mouth wide and stuffed his spoon between his lips. There was a crunch and Sumac swished the contents of his mouth around. He chewed a bit more and then much to his horror, his round, peg-like teeth smashed a lump of congealed milk. The colt gagged. 


Science had betrayed him!


The taste in his mouth was quite unlike anything he had expected, it clung to the inside of his cheeks, the roof of his mouth, it saturated his tongue, it crept down his throat, somehow, he could taste it in his nose and his eyes burned as tears began to flow. Much to his own dismay, he chewed a few times, then swallowed. 


It wasn’t quite what he had expected. He scooped up another spoonful, sniffed it, and tried to think of why his cereal had turned into the leavings of some offended and enraged elder entity from beyond the void. With the masochism known only by the very curious and intellectually dense, Sumac Apple the unicorn colt took another bite of the salt and vinegar potato crisp cereal. 


It was somehow worse than the first. 


A low whine slipped from his lips as he chewed, trying to understand the horror in his mouth. Little chewy clumps of milk squished and squirted between his teeth. It dawned upon Sumac that vinegar and milk didn’t go together, not at all, it was clearly some violation of the natural order, and now, Sumac feared that Tarnish Teapot might come after him for creating some foul abomination of nature. 


Somehow, he managed to swallow, shuddering as he did so. 


The overhead light clicked on and Sumac was quite startled. He let out a cry and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sudden, unexpected light. Somepony else was now awake and he strained to see who it was. Somepony else was now in the kitchen with him. All of his muscles tensed with panic and he put his spoon down into the sludge of his failed experiment. 


“Sumac Apple…” 


There was the voice of another mare in his life—Starlight Glimmer. Cringing, his ears drooped as she approached the table, sniffing. She came closer, closer, she crossed the room with such slowness, almost as if she knew that she had caught him in the act of something dreadful, like grave robbing. Her breathing was heavy, each sniff was a death knell of doom. 


“Sumac Apple… what have you done? Ewww!” 


A little belch escaped as his stomach tried to figure out what to do with the gasses caused by decomposing curdled milk and partially chewed salt and vinegar potato crisps. With the belch came a terrible, terrible taste, and an even worse smell, a cloying stench that lingered in his sinuses. Starlight Glimmer was now about a foot away, her eyebrow arched, staring at him. 


“Oh by the alicorns, did the milk turn already?” Starlight asked. 


Sumac opened up his mouth to reply, but the only thing that came out was a ferocious, draconic belch that made his bowl and spoon rattle upon the table. A face-peeling stench came up with the belch, and the sour, wretched taste in Sumac’s mouth intensified. His whole body shuddered and he began to drool even as his mouth felt like it was going dry, his tongue shrivelling up like old leather. Eyes watering, Sumac squirmed in discomfort as he felt his nether regions clench in anticipation of what was coming. 


“Sumac, say something… I’m worried! Are you dying? If you die, Twilight will kill me!” 


As Sumac tried to respond, the curdled contents of his stomach came rushing up, shot out in a hot, sour geyser, and splashed all over Starlight Glimmer’s face, neck, and barrel. His whole body recoiled from the force of his vomiting, causing his glasses to slide off of his muzzle, and they fell into his bowl of nightmare-fuel cereal with a gloppy-plop, splashing the contents of his bowl all over the table.


Sumac was about to learn a valuable lesson in science; for every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction. Starlight Glimmer’s sides were heaving and she gagged as her eyes rolled back into her head. Sumac braced himself, closed his eyes, and prepared for the inevitable consequences of breakfast science gone wrong. 




 


Curled into a miserable ball, Sumac waited for the shudders to pass and he hoped that he wasn’t about to dry heave again. The infirmary smelled medicinal and the scent of disinfectant lingered in the air, but it was not enough to overpower the stench of curdled, ruint milk in Sumac’s nostrils. He was still a little damp from being showered and the evaporating moisture from his pelt left him feeling cool, which was wonderful. 


The little colt felt empty, hollowed out inside, and he had no doubts that Starlight Glimmer, who lay in a bed just a few feet away, must also feel the same. Hearing a low moan from her direction, he cursed his own stupidity and wondered how friendship could survive an exchange of vomiting. No doubt, Twilight would want to ask questions. 


“Sumac, really, what were you thinking?” Trixie asked in a sleepy, half awake voice. 


All the colt could do was belch and then hope that more heaves were not coming. As his mouth flooded with drool, his body clenched with revulsion. He felt his head being lifted and a cold metal bedpan was pressed up against his muzzle as the first of the dry heaves wracked his body. Drool and bile poured out of the corner of Sumac’s mouth as his stomach continued to try and purge itself of his vile breakfast. 


Stroking her son’s neck, Trixie Lulamoon let out a sigh. “Such a brave, curious little colt. I’m proud of you, little guy, even if everything turned out wrong. There you go, sick it up and let it out.” 


The soothing sound of Trixie’s voice made things a little better, but the dry heaves were unbearable. Sumac closed his eyes as more drool and bile oozed out and he wondered when this would end. Had he learned something? He sure had. When the consequences of his poor decisions manifested, he knew that his mother would be there for him. 


Somehow, that made everything worth it. 
	
> Chapter 85
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Foals were resilient—they had remarkable recovery rates—but even by the usual foalish standards, Sumac stood out. Young as he might be, he had walked the length and breadth of Equestria several times over already. He was a rough and ready survivor made hard by a life on the road. Other than some sore stomach muscles, he was fine from his morning misadventure. 


His attention was focused upon three mares, who were all discussing him. Moondancer, who was to work with him on defensive magic studies, Vinyl Scratch, his master, and Twinkleshine, who had taken a keen interest in his instruction. It appeared that Twinkleshine was going to be the new dueling instructor and would teach swordplay in addition to offering magical instruction to the students in the school.


He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, he was only half-listening, but there seemed to be some debate. Vinyl appeared frustrated as her slate could only have so many words on it at once. Moondancer was listening though and waiting for Vinyl to communicate her thoughts, at least, it seemed to be that way. 


Bored and unwilling to keep sitting in one spot while doing nothing, Sumac made a bold decision. After a bit of mental calculation on his odds, he decided to slip away. He spilled out of his chair, cast a final glance at the trio of mares discussing whatever it was that they were discussing, he took the opportunity to sneak away, keeping his head down and maintaining a low profile. 


It was almost too easy. 




 


While some foals might have taken the opportunity to play after sneaking away, Sumac intended to study and he already had something in mind as he shut the door behind him. He looked around the room where he, Trixie, and Lemon Hearts now lived. Princess Cadance stood upon his bed and her mane was a little bit messy. It needed to be brushed. On his bedside table, there was a picture of three silly ponies who had creatures perched upon their horns. It was a treasured keepsake. 


Sumac didn’t think that he would get in trouble. School wasn’t exactly in session, but it wasn’t exactly out of session either, even after all this time. Classes were going on, but many students were missing, having gone to other places while reconstruction happened. It was a time of transition and Sumac wanted things to go back to how they were. He liked having a routine to follow, except for those times when he didn’t. 


Drawing in a deep breath, it was time to get down to business, the same business that he had been practicing in secret for the past few days. He tried to clear his mind of clutter, organise his thoughts, and get focused. For a time, his eyes lingered upon the lantern. Twilight was about to do a whole bunch of tests soon, and he was to be an observer. 


But that was a distraction. 


Flexing his mental muscles, he wrapped a bed in a telekinetic bubble, strained, and lifted. He had it about three inches up off of the floor and he could feel his whole body tensing as sweat began to bead up in the places where his legs connected to his body. He was no Olive, but lifting a whole bed was pretty good. He set it down, rested, and then once more, he lifted the bed and held it aloft, trying to get warmed up for what he really planned to do. 


The bed went down with a heavy thump and the colt cringed, worried that somepony might come and investigate the sound. This wasn’t the greatest hiding place, if somepony wanted to find him, they would come here looking for him first. A thought about Boomer crossed the back of his mind, the little dragon was with Pebble in one of her cooking classes. Having Boomer around gave Pebble confidence and helped her deal with the stress of having a class with foals that kept bullying her, even though they weren’t supposed to. 


Anxious, he thought about Starlight Glimmer. She was the reason why he was here, doing what he was doing. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his own body in a telekinetic bubble and then tried to lift himself up off of the floor. He strained, confused, a little bit angry, and tried to pull himself up into the air. It didn’t make sense, he could lift up the bed with relative ease, but trying to lift his own body off of the ground felt impossible. 


Perhaps what he needed was some zap apple jam, or zap apple tincture, or maybe just a whole fresh zap apple. The other day, he had lifted Lemon Hearts up off of the floor, so he knew that he could lift a pony, so why couldn’t he lift himself? Nothing about this made sense. Why couldn’t he lift his own hooves up off of the floor? 


Now a little angry, he focused some of his telekinesis upon the floor and tried to push himself upwards, away from the planet, but some terrible, horrible, unknown force kept his hooves planted on the rug beneath him. How did Starlight Glimmer do it? His annoyance and frustration grew until it hit a breaking point. 


“Fudge,” he muttered as his telekinesis fizzled out. 


Maybe it was the rug? He stepped off of the rug, reached out with his mind, and lifted the rug up off of the floor. The rug seemed normal, mundane, and his magic sense detected nothing. The rug, held in a bright green glow, was now about six inches up off of the floor. On a whim, Sumac decided to see if he could step on it, just to observe the outcome of whatever happened.


Lifting his right front hoof, he pressed it against the edge of the rug, which was stiff as a board from his telekinesis. It was as unyielding as a stone. Much to his shock and surprise, what he stepped on was as sturdy and as stable as a stair. Not believing what he was experiencing, he put a bit more weight upon his hoof and tried to press down. The rug did not budge. 


This was confusing to say the very least. Coming to the conclusion that he did not understand magic as much as he thought he did, he clambered up onto the rug, which remained about six inches in the air, hovering above the floor. Why? he thought to himself. How? He was now floating, suspended in the air, standing on a rug held in his telekinesis. When he tried to lift his own body, he had failed too many times to keep track of, but as of right now, he was in direct defiance of gravity. 


For Sumac, this development was unexpected. 


So, he couldn’t lift himself off of the ground, but he could lift a rug off of the ground and stand upon that. He willed the rug to rise a little and it did, it did so with startling ease. He was now at least a foot off of the ground. He licked his lips and tried to make sense of his situation. Could he make the rug fly while he was on it? 


There was only one way to find out. He willed the rug to move forwards, towards the wall at the other end of the room. The rug did exactly as he willed it, it took off at blinding speeds, shooting out from beneath him, and Sumac tumbled off the back end of the rug as the rug zoomed towards the wall. Dumped onto the floor from the considerable height of about a foot, Sumac landed on the back of his head with a meaty thump. 


“SON OF A BISCUIT EATER!” he swore as stars filled his vision. He writhed on the floor, his four legs kicking as blinding pain jolted up and down his spine. He could feel something wet and sticky creeping through his mane on the back of his head. Woozy, he had trouble trying to sit up, so he allowed himself to continue laying on the floor for a little longer. 


Angry enough to grit his teeth, the frustrated colt tried to think of words to express his discomfort. His green eyes blazed with fury even as they glazed over from pain. “Oh… squirty… squishy… squashy alicorn farts!” He rubbed the back of his own neck, and then, after some struggle, he managed to sit up as his vision went in and out of focus.


Glaring daggers at the rug that had betrayed him, he knew that he needed to go and get some help. 




 


For the second time this day, Sumac found himself back in the infirmary. Sullen, he tried to ignore his throbbing skull and the stabbing sensation in his neck. The pain medication was just starting to work and the local anesthetic had created a numb place where the nurse had stapled his scalp back together. 


“Now, you say that you slipped on the rug,” Moondancer said in a manner most incredulous. She stood beside the bed where Sumac was sitting, looking a bit annoyed, but more worried than anything else. 


Fighting back the urge to lose his temper, Sumac nodded, but didn’t say anything. Talking would be his undoing. If he said that he was trying to figure out how to fly, they might forbid him from doing it, and that would be the end of it. He didn’t want to lie, either, as he was an Apple. So, his only real option was to say as little as possible. 


“Look here, you little stinker, I know there is something you’re not telling me, and I have ways of making you talk.” Twinkleshine’s eyes narrowed in a menacing way as she shoved Moondancer aside and moved closer to the bed. “Don’t you dare lie to me. I have ways of knowing.” 


Standing about a yard away, Vinyl nodded and looked annoyed. 


“I was moving the rug and I stumbled.” This was technically correct, the best kind of correct, and factually true. So far, he was still an Honest Apple and had not committed a spankable, punishable offense, or so he hoped. “I got bored because you three were standing around gabbing rather than teaching me.” His curt words got him a stern glare from all three mares present and he wondered if, perhaps, he had gone too far. Trying to shift the blame away from himself hadn’t quite worked out as planned.


“You have a two inch long gash in the back of your head and six staples.” Moondancer gave Sumac an accusing stare through her thick soda-bottle lenses. “Barring extraordinary bad luck, this is not an injury consistent with tripping over a rug.” 


Silence was Sumac’s ally. He folded his forelegs over his barrel and settled into stony silence. Moondancer was making assumptions as to what happened, and he felt no need to correct her. He was going to let her make all the assumptions that she wanted. Keeping the details scarce worked out in his favour. 


There was an annoyed sigh from Vinyl, who stepped forwards. She pulled off her glasses, squinted in the bright lights of the infirmary, and gave Sumac the sort of stare that only a mute unicorn master annoyed with her apprentice could give. Sumac didn’t like it, not one bit, and he squirmed on the bed. It was pretty awful and he felt guilty. 


After what felt like hours, Vinyl relented. She lifted up her slate and began writing on it with some bright pink chalk. There were a few squeaks as she scribbled out many small words, Okay, you win, tough guy. Since you’re so tough, you get a magic lesson. With a headache. 


Scowling, Sumac accepted his fate. His head hurt something awful, but it was better than trying to explain what had happened. Vinyl would probably go soft on him, he was counting on that, so he stowed away his crabby scowl and tried to look a little bit nicer as Twinkleshine continued to glare at him. 


“Can I get something to drink first?” Sumac asked. 


Vinyl nodded, cleared her slate, and began writing more words, which she held up when she was finished. And maybe a little snack too. Not to worry, I’ll be gentle. 


Sumac let out a sigh of relief, releasing a deep breath that he hadn’t realised that he was holding. Of course Vinyl would be gentle, she was his master and he was supposed to trust her. He watched as she wrote down more words. 


Our lesson will be about concentration while distracted or in pain. 


Blinking, Sumac found that he liked the sound of that. It sounded like a good lesson to learn. Vinyl was in pain and he had yet to see her magic fizzle. He glanced at Twinkleshine, who had relaxed a bit, and then he looked at Moondancer, who looked apprehensive. 


“I don’t know what happened,” Moondancer said to Sumac in a low voice, “and I guess you’re not going to spill the beans. In the future… try to be a bit more careful, okay? We’re only upset because we care about you, right Twinkleshine?” 


Put on the spot, Twinkleshine’s ears drooped. “Right.” 


“I was careless,” Sumac admitted, and he heard all three of the mares present inhale. “I promise I’ll try to be a bit more careful in the future.” 


Twinkleshine, still a bit miffed, nodded. “I’m gonna hold you to that promise, Sumac.” She took a deep breath and then the volume of her voice dropped as she added, “And later, I’m probably just going to hold you. You scared me and I don’t like it. I’m new to all of this and I’m freaking out over here.” 


“I’m sorry.” Sumac rubbed his neck and looked down at the bedspread, feeling more than a little ashamed of himself. 


“Yeah, well, you better be,” Twinkleshine replied. “Let’s get out of here, the smell of antiseptic makes me wanna sneeze…” 
	
> Chapter 86
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You’ve had quite an adventurous day, Sumac.” Hearing these words, Sumac’s gaze fell from his mother down to his plate and Boomer let out a startled honk of surprise as his head shifted. The worried colt wasn’t sure if these words had a double meaning, if perhaps he had screwed up, or if she was disappointed with him. 


“How’s your head?” Lemon Hearts asked. 


“It doesn’t hurt much,” Sumac replied. Squirming in his seat, it was time to turn the tables and turn the focus away from him, before Trixie or Lemon wanted to know what had happened. If he had to go through his whole spiel again, they might pry his secrets out of him. “So, what were you up to today? I was in the infirmary getting my head stapled and you weren’t there.” 


“I can’t talk about it.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed and her head tilted off to the right. “You devious little scamp… you just tried to redirect me and catch me off guard. Now I know that you were up to no good earlier.” 


Gulping, Sumac knew that he had messed up. He stared down at his mashed potatoes and the creamy pepper gravy smothering them. Beside his mashed potatoes was a wheat ‘meat’ steak, a chunk of seitan. Textured wheat gluten. While many ponies like it, Sumac wasn’t one of them. The mouth feel it had gave him the shivers. 


“I’m not going to lecture you,” Trixie said to Sumac in a voice that held the suggestion of a chuckle, “but I am going to tell you to be more careful. No doubt, you were trying to experiment a bit. I’m thinking that it was a come to life spell on the rug, and the rug then kicked your fuzzy little butt when you failed to control it. That’s gotta be embarrassing, so I’ll just leave it be.” 


Arching an eyebrow, Sumac gave his mother a glare. It wasn’t lying, not exactly, not at all, he was just letting her believe what she wanted to believe, and he wasn’t going to discourage her otherwise. He couldn’t stop her from reaching her own conclusions. Ears angling over his face, he poured on the convincing charisma and was rewarded with a snort. 


“Your little face tells me everything I want to know.” Trixie held out her fork and pointed it at Sumac. “I know that little colts like to experiment in private, but I’m putting my hoof down. No more come to life spells without an adult present. Am I clear?” 


Sumac’s sullen expression intensified. 


“Am I clear?” Trixie’s fork stabbed the air in Sumac’s general direction.


Allowing his ears to droop in a subdued and submissive manner, Sumac nodded. “I solemnly swear that I will not practice come to life spells without an adult present.” He sank down in his chair and tried not to feel guilty. He wasn’t lying and he wanted to believe that this wasn’t too dishonest. Trixie had come to her own conclusions, so this was her fault. He was innocent. There was no sense in self-incrimination. 


“I was about his age when I had a come to life spell go bad.” Lemon Hearts blinked her raspberry coloured eyes at Sumac, then turned to look at Trixie. “I was trying to enchant my book to turn its pages as I read them, but my spell missed and enchanted the table. It ran around the room chasing after me and kept kicking me on my adorable little rear end.” 


“Hmm, I think I would’ve liked to have seen that—”


“Trixie!” Lemon Hearts waved a spoonful of mashed potatoes in a threatening manner. “I was traumatised! It hurt! It was super-embarrassing!” 


“Such is the life of the unicorn growing up.” 


Trixie, Lemon Hearts, and Sumac all turned to face the new voice that had intruded upon their conversation. Lemon Hearts looked perplexed, Sumac was confused, and poor Trixie, she looked terrified at the sight of her own mother, who now stood at the edge of the table. The tension in the air became so thick that it could be cut with a knife. 


“Cat have your tongue, Trixie?” 


“Mother…” Trixie shrank back in her seat. “I knew you would be coming, but I still didn’t expect to see you.” 


The golden orange mare with the aristocratic air turned and focused her attention upon Sumac. She stared at him, her eyebrow arching, and her ears pivoted around until facing forward. Sumac, who stared right back, did so in an absolutely fearless manner, as he wasn’t so sure that he liked this strange mare sizing him up. 


“Lemon, Sumac, this is Lady Dandelia Lion Lulamoon—” 


“Oh, just call me Dandy Lion. I never did abide by that name, too much of a mouthful.” She took a step closer to Sumac, but paused when Trixie tensed up. The tension grew ever thicker when mother and daughter engaged in a staring match, with Dandelia Lion Lulamoon using her great height to her advantage over Trixie. “I demand to know what is going on here.” 


“Look here, Lady Lulamoon, you’re not in your tower!” Trixie’s words were spat out with noticeable venom. “You’re not in charge here, and I’m not going to let you mess with my son’s head.” 


“Son?” The older Lulamoon blinked and her smile vanished. “Oh, so the rumours are true. Oh my—” 


“Oh, shut up!” Trixie was out of her seat in a hot second and with a few steps, she was right up in her mother’s face. “Don’t you even start with the guilt or the shame! I think you’ll be surprised at what I’m capable of now!” 


“Trixie, do calm down,” Dandelia said to her daughter in a dismissive voice. “I came here to make peace, not to cause problems.” 


“Well, for somepony wanting to make peace, you’re kinda acting as though you’re suffering a cranial-rectal inversion.” Lemon Hearts focused a stony, dead-eyed stare upon Trixie’s mother. “I’ve only known you for a few minutes, but already I don’t much care for you.” 


“Very well then, please, allow me to try again.” The haughty quality to Dandelia’s voice diminished, but did not vanish entirely. Her eyes, however, were pleading and betrayed her overconfident expression. “I’m still putting the pieces together and I came to make things right. Please, give me a chance?” 


“Why should I?” Trixie snapped as she poked her mother in the chest with her hoof. 


“Because, I made some mistakes and I know that. I want to make them right.” Dandelia stood her ground against her daughter’s advances. “Because I’d like to meet my grandson—” 


“Horseapples!” Baring her teeth, Trixie stabbed her hoof into her mother’s chest again. 


Glancing around the dining area, Lemon Hearts took notice of all of the eyes now focused upon them. “Uh, maybe we should go someplace private to sort this out.” 


“They’re just commoners, let them stare at their betters.” Dandelia rolled her eyes and let out a snort. “They clearly don’t know any better. Blank stares are sign of poor breeding.” 


“Talking out of one’s ass, is that a sign of poor breeding or just an unfortunate mutation?” Sumac asked. 


Ears twitching, Dandelia Lion Lulamoon turned and glowered at Sumac, and the colt did not turn away from the withering stare of the elder Lulamoon. Shoving her mother away, Trixie placed herself between Sumac and Dandelia, her horn now glowing with a fierce light. 


“Just give me a reason,” Trixie growled. 


“That’s enough!” Twilight’s commanding voice echoed through the kitchenette and dining area. “That’s quite enough!” Twilight strode forwards, her eyes worried and fearful. “Lady Lulamoon, while Trixie is dangerous enough, you are not prepared for what Sumac will do to you if he becomes riled. You will mind your tongue in my home, or face expulsion.” 


Cowed, Lady Lulamoon bowed her head and submitted to Twilight’s authority. A pony had to respect their betters, after all. 


“Now, all of you, you will go into a quiet, private place and sort out your differences. Trixie, you will give your mother a chance to make things right. Lady Lulamoon, you will respect your daughter, or so help me, I will banish you from Ponyville and the surrounding environs.” Twilight focused a flinty stare upon Sumac and took a step forwards. “You… you will control your mouth before an incident is caused. The last thing that anypony needs is somepony as powerful as Lady Lulamoon going berserk in a crowded castle.” 


“Sorry, Twilight.” Sumac bowed his head and stared down at his uneaten wheat ‘meat,’ thankful that he wasn’t going to have to eat it. 


“I will silence you, if necessary.” Twilight’s aggressive posture relaxed a bit, but her stare remained focused upon Sumac. “Please understand, I want you safe, Sumac, and you have not yet learned to control your magic.” 


“I understand.” Sumac gave Twilight a nod of acknowledgment. 


“Now, come with me and I will escort you to a place where you can sort out your differences.” Twilight made a gesture with her wing and her fierce expression softened. “Leave your dishes, I will have them taken care of. Lemon Hearts, I want you to go as well, so Trixie and Sumac can have some support. Keep Sumac subdued, Lemon. Make that a priority.” 


“Yeah, Boss, I gotcha. Keep the castle from being exploded.” 


Twilight shook her wing at the entryway. “Now move!” 




 


As Twilight shut the door, Trixie sized her mother up with a critical eye. The elder Lulamoon’s cool demeanour was now gone and she looked shaken. Sumac, herded over to a short sofa by Lemon Hearts, kept his eye on the golden orange mare with the sunflower cutie mark. Lemon Hearts, the dutiful mare that she was, sat down upon the sofa with Sumac. 


“I know all of your tricks,” Trixie said to her mother in a hissy, angry voice. “Lemon, Sumac, keep an eye on her eyes, they change colour with her mood.” 


“I’ll admit that I might’ve made a mistake.” Dandelia took a step backwards and her ears drooped down into a more submissive position. “Many mistakes were made. That’s why I’m here. I did wrong by you, my daughter.” 


“This is just some ploy to get me to come home!” Trixie, trembling, kept her gaze focused upon her mother and she did not let down her guard. “This is all just some clever ruse to get me to go home so that Caper has somepony other than you to abuse and talk down to!” 


“Beatrix Lion Lulamoon,” Dandelia said, shocking her daughter into silence by using her full name, “Caper is dead. That is why I am here. I am trying to make things right.” 


“Caper is dead?” All of Trixie’s bluster vanished and she began backing away from her mother, wary of any attempts on her mother’s part to hug her. She shook her head in disbelief. “No, this is a trick, a lie… you just want me to return home and he’ll be there, alive, waiting for me… no… no… no!” Trixie stomped her hoof down upon the floor and her expression turned fierce. 


“Arcturus Capella Lion Lulamoon is no more.” Dandelia’s face became grim and solemn. “Trixie, I will not lie to you. I do need for you to return to Lulamoon Hollow. Caper is gone, sealed away in the family crypt—” 


“No!” Trixie’s eyes were now glassy with tears and her backside bumped into the wall as she ran out of room to keep retreating. “No, you’re lying! Lies come easy for you!” 


“Trixie, I don’t think she’s lying—” 


“Shut up, Lemon! You don’t know what she’s capable of!” 


“Trixie”—Lemon Hearts’ voice was one of soothing calm—“I don’t think she’d lie to you about something like this.” 


“Why would I need to return home?” Trixie demanded as she blinked away tears. 


Dandelia cleared her throat, lifted her head high, and then in a clear, bold voice she replied, “Caper watched you for the longest time. He watched you on the road. I had no idea that he was doing this, please believe me when I tell you this, I wish I had known, as I had spent so much time worrying, but he kept it from me.” 


“I don’t believe you!” Trixie snapped in a shrill voice. 


“Caper had a change of heart at some point… he never even told me. He continued to shame me for what I did, not a day passed when he didn’t take the chance to remind me of the shame I brought on our family for what I did—” 


“Yet you stayed! I left! You could have left!” Trixie bared her teeth and stomped her hoof again. 


“Trixie, let me finish,” Dandelia begged. “Caper had a change of heart that he never told me about. At some point, I don’t know when, he had you recognised as one of his legal heirs, and he granted you all of the titles, ranks, and privileges as befits a pony of noble birth. Trixie, Lulamoon Hollow is now ours, and we need to figure out what to do with the fiefdom now that Caper is gone.” 


Trixie opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She stood there, wobbling, her mouth hanging open, staring at her mother with both shock and disbelief. Overcome with the emotional gravity of the situation, Trixie, born as Beatrix Lion Lulamoon, did what any proper unicorn of noble breeding might do. 


She fainted. 
	
> Chapter 87
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



 

⇺Twilight Sparkle and the Return to Lulamoon Hollow⇻



 


Upon Dandy Lion’s face was a mother’s sincere worry. Lemon Hearts, who had initially gotten in the way of the elder Lulamoon, now stepped aside to let Trixie’s mother get close and look after her daughter, but Sumac remained defensive, aggressive even. Perched on Sumac’s horn, a half awake and cranky dragon gave Dandelia a baleful glare. 


“We have not met under the best circumstances,” Dandelia said to Sumac as she lifted Trixie’s limp body from the floor. “This is not how I imagined this meeting, not at all. I wanted us to be happy now that the mean old tyrant is dead.” 


“Tyrant?” Lemon looked confused, bewildered even. 


“Look,” the elder Lulamoon drew in a deep breath, pausing before she continued, “I love my father, but he was a terrible pony. An awful pony. I couldn’t just leave him, he was my father. And after his stroke…” Dandelia fell silent, her barrel heaving, and she dumped Trixie down upon the soft, well cushioned sofa. “I cannot excuse what I did, but Trixie expected me to choose between her and my father, which I just couldn’t do. She ran away.” 


“I’m sure it’s complicated,” Lemon Hearts replied in a voice that held both sympathy and understanding. 


“You have no idea.” Dandelia looked afraid, real fear, and her eyes changed from light green to pale grey. “All of this, it is my fault. I made this mess and I don’t know how to fix it.” A look of sincere regret spread over Dandelia’s face. “Kiddo, I’ve failed you.” 


“Huh?” Sumac, ears perking, stared up at Trixie’s mother. 


“Kiddo… it has been a very, very long time since I have called her that. It would… it would”—Dandelia’s barrel began to shudder as she spoke—“it would cheer her up after Caper had one of his fits.” 


Sumac, whom Trixie called ‘Kiddo,’ said nothing and remained silent. 


“Everything is going to come out. There’s going to be scandal. I don’t know how my father found out, but he did. He was immensely powerful, as far as unicorns go. I was a fool to think I would be able to hide anything from him.” Lifting up a foreleg, Dandelia stroked her daughter’s neck. “And poor Trixie is going to suffer most of all. I wish I could save her from what I know is about to happen.” 


Shaking her head, Lemon Hearts gave the elder Lulamoon a nudge. “What’s going on?” 


“Secrets do not stay buried,” Dandelia replied as she turned to look at Lemon Hearts. 


“I have already been in contact with Princess Celestia just before I came here.” Dandelia closed her eyes, shook her head, and took a deep breath. As she let it out, she said, “I couldn’t bear to tell Twilight, before I came to you, I tried, and couldn’t.” Trixie’s mother tilted her head to a poised, regal angle, and looked down at Sumac. “You are her son, are you not? I’ve tried to learn a little bit about you, but I had ponies show up at my door and warn me that it was not wise to keep asking questions. I can sense your power, little one.” 


“Trixie adopted Sumac, so don’t you get any ideas.” Lemon Hearts’ voice was kind, but firm and unyielding. “And no, before you say anything, no, I do not trust you, but for Trixie’s sake, I will be nice to you.” Lemon drew herself up to her full height, but she was still a full head shorter than Dandelia. “Just who are you ponies, anyhow, and why the smug attitudes?” 


“You mean that you don’t know?” Dandelia’s mouth fell open and she shook her head in disbelief. “Has our family fallen this far down? Have we inherited Princess Luna’s curse to be forgotten?” 


“What does Princess Luna have to do with it?” Sumac asked. 


“Why, we Lulamoons are the sons and daughters of Prince Pollux, the son of Princess Luna. We are his recognised heirs and children of the Lunar Court. House Lulamoon is of the Court of Lions. We’re more than just mere nobles, we’re royalty.” 


“Royalty that lives out of a wagon and has a bad knee,” Sumac remarked. “But I think Princess Cadance fixed the knee. And we don’t live in a wagon any more. Uh, I’m not sure, but I don’t think it meant very much to Trixie.”


“It’s complicated.” Dandelia let out a sigh. “Trixie was not recognised as a formal heir. It’s all my fault and now, with Caper gone, it is time to set things right somehow. I don’t know how to fix everything though, and everything is about to become very, very complicated.” 


Just as Dandelia said the word ‘complicated,’ the door banged open and Twilight Sparkle stormed into the room, looking more than just a little frantic. She stood just inside of the door, wide-eyed, with her ears twitching. She stood staring at Dandelia and Trixie, who was passed out on the couch. 


“Why did I just get a formal legal summons to the Court of Lions from Princess Celestia?” Twilight demanded as the corner of her eye began to tic. “Right now, everything is all up in the air, I have so much to plan for and so much to do, and as if I didn’t have enough stress, I get a legal summons to the Court of Lions. Why? What sort of political maneuvering is this?” 


Dandelia, who was taller than Twilight, stood there in a regal pose, but said nothing. 


“I want answers!” Twilight barked. 


“In time, you will have them,” Dandelia replied. “We must travel to Lulamoon Hollow. It is just north of the Canterhorn, in the shadow of the great city of Canterlot, a place forever in shadow.” She paused, then smiled just a little bit. “There are no trains that go there. Caper had a chance to have a rail line to the Hollow, but he steadfastly refused. He couldn’t stand trains.” 


“Forever in shadow?” Sumac brushed up against Lemon’s legs and shook his head. “Sounds creepy.” 


“The Canterhorn blocks most of the sun in Lulamoon Hollow. At high noon, when the sun is overhead and shining down from a southern angle, the Canterhorn keeps Lulamoon Hollow almost as dark as night.” 


“Oh.” Sumac blinked. This didn’t sound so bad at all. 


“It won’t take us long to be there, I have a portal gem ready to go and a hundred mile jump is nothing.” Twilight made an impatient stomp of her hoof. “Trixie will just have to wake up in a different place. We’re going. Now.” 


“Twilight… Boss… maybe we—” 


“Now!” 


“Right, Boss!” Lemon Hearts’ barrel puffed out and she turned a stern glare to Dandelia. “Before you even think of bossing me around, Miss High and Mighty, Princess Twilight Sparkle pays my salary and I have sworn fealty to her. I’m not your servant!” 


“I have to fetch Spike before we go. Be ready, I shall return shortly and then we can get down to the bottom of this.” Twilight let out a frustrated huff and then vanished in a flash of magenta light. 


Sumac, who had returned to his usual laid back state, looked up at Dandelia. “So, uh, are you my grandmother and do you have a collection of wooden spoons?” 


“Spoons?” Dandelia looked confused and she shook her head. Her lips puckered into a confused, somewhat annoyed moue. She blinked a few times, then replied, “Yes, colt, I am your grandmother. You may call me Grandy Lion, if you wish.” The mare’s puckered lips smoothed out in a wry, self satisfied smile as Lemon Hearts groaned from the pun. “Are you ready for a trip, little one?” 




 


More than just about anything else, Sumac hated traveling by portal gem. Shorter distances weren’t bad, but they were still very much unpleasant. The pressure in his ears was painful and he yawned as he tried to get his ears to pop. As his vision cleared, he saw a patch of brilliant glowing blue flowers that illuminated the night. 


All around him, there was magic. A flying fish passed by his head and it had a bubble of water held all around it as it floated by. Blinking, he watched as it headed for a nearby pond. He had never seen a flying fish that had brought its own water along before. Arc bats swooped overhead, shocking insects with bolts of lightning. The colt’s mouth fell open and he sat in silence, overwhelmed. 


In the distance, an ivory white tower with glowing windows rose up and just looking at it made Sumac’s magic sense tingle in the most alarming way. Everything here was touched by magic, right down to the strange blue grass that Sumac found himself sitting on. Another flying fish went floating by and its water bubble reflected the many sources of light all around. 


“This place,” Twilight gasped, overcome by what she saw. 


“Welcome to my humble home.” Dandelia bowed her head, gave herself a shake, and then seemed fine, unaffected by portal gem travel. She prodded Sumac with her hoof and said, “You may feed your dragon familiar the crystal apples that grow on the tree near the servant’s quarters, over there.” 


Sumac was too overwhelmed to respond. 


“Mom… Dad… why are you here?” Twilight asked as she saw two very familiar ponies approaching. Just as she was about to say something else, the flapping of wings silenced her and she stood there, staring as Princess Luna landed. 


“Twi, what are Mom and Dad doing here?” Spike asked. 


“I don’t know, Spike, I just don’t know.” 


Lemon Hearts, quick to recover, was the only one who thought to greet Princess Luna. She rose, wobbled around a bit, and waved at the regal Princess of the Night. “Hiya, Princess. Shouldn’t you be enjoying your honeymoon?” 


“Oh, We have enjoyed it a great deal, but We received a legal summons from the Court of Lions and We were called to act as a Royal Magistrate.” Princess Luna folded her wings, turned about, and she looked Dandelia in the eye. “We are told that We are the oldest surviving member of this family. What is going on here and why have We been summoned, distant daughter of mine?” 


“We are the sons and daughters of Prince Pollux, your son,” Dandelia replied in a soft voice. “We are the recognised heirs, a bloodline that leads back to you. I beg your forgiveness, my Matron, as I made a foolish mistake in my youth that has lead all of us here, to this place, to this moment, and my father, Arcturus Capella Lion Lulamoon, discovered my treachery.” 


“Lulamoon.” Princess Luna mouthed the word and her ears flickered and twitched. 


“It was once Lunamoon, but during a civil war, in which we stayed loyal to Princess Celestia, we had to go into hiding. Many of us were brave and did not wish to hide too much.” Dandelia bowed her proud head as Princess Luna stared at her. “We paid for our bravery as many of us were hunted down and killed. Very few of us survived. Our numbers are quite few now. In fact, my daughter and I are the last. There are no other legitimate heirs.” 


A pained expression crossed over Princess Luna’s face as Night Light and Twilight Velvet joined their daughter. The three of them sat down in the grass together and Twilight Sparkle pulled Spike close to her so that she might hold him during this solemn moment. Lemon Hearts clutched at Trixie, who was just now starting to come to. 


“Confess your sins, distant daughter of mine,” Princess Luna commanded. 


Dandelia collapsed like a stricken foal and prostrated herself in the grass before Princess Luna. “I was a wicked little filly that tried to deceive her father. I lied and then compounded my lie with more lies. I asked my dearest friend to keep a secret that she should have never had to keep. My daughter suffered for my wickedness and now, my actions have brought us all here, to Lulamoon Hollow.” 


“What’s going on?” Trixie asked as she tried to get her bearings. 


“We suspect that a more detailed confession is in order.” Princess Luna reached out and prodded the mare grovelling before her with a silver shod hoof. “Get up, We are proud and We do not grovel.” The night blue alicorn’s voice was almost cold and held no emotion. “For now, perhaps it would be best to go indoors and perhaps have tea. Miss Lulamoon the younger looks disoriented.” 


“Dandelia…” Twilight Velvet’s eyes had tears streaming from them. “As your friend, I’d like for you to remember that I begged you to just be honest about this. I was there for you then, and I’ll be here for you now.” 


“I am with you as well,” Night Light added, “just as I was with you back then, old friend. We’ll face this together.” 


“What’s going on?” Twilight demanded. 


Princess Luna, her face stern and serious replied, “We suspect that We are about to find out…” 
	
> Chapter 88
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The tower was a place of miraculous wonder for Sumac, who adored seeing his mother’s foalhood home. There were no stairs to be found anywhere; unicorns were expected to wink from one place to another. For those who couldn’t wink, like many of the servants, there were magical rugs placed beneath holes in the ceiling that would shoot a pony upwards in a powerful whoosh of air, which Sumac didn’t like at all. Getting down required leaping through the hole in the floor and hoping that the rug would catch you. 


The tower was also enormous on the inside, far, far larger than it should be. For Sumac, it was overwhelming. His magic sense was so overburdened that he had trouble focusing on anything and everything around him. Having grown up in a wagon, it was quite a shock to see how well off unicorns lived, and he concluded that Twilight had to have been well off because none of this seemed new to her, or her parents for that matter. 


He wished that Pebble was here with him, but he knew that she would freak out while travelling from floor to floor, Sumac had no idea just how many floors there were. While she might not like the gust of the air lift system, Sumac knew that there were plenty of things here that she would love. The little colt figured out almost right away that with his above average magical ability, all of this wonder was available to him, should he want it. His eyes had been opened to an entirely new world, something that he hadn’t even known about it existing. He had traveled all over Equestria, but he had never seen anything quite like this. 


Sumac was suddenly very curious about Twilight’s upbringing in Canterlot. And Twinkleshine. Astonished, filled with wonder, the little colt had awakened to his culture as a unicorn, and he was dying to know more. He needed to know more. Most peculiar of all, he was already starting to feel at home here in this place, even as the shock of seeing it for the first time lingered. 


“Welcome to my humble home,” Dandelia said to everypony. “We lost most of our fortune after the civil war, and what little we have left, well, Caper was very, very insistent that the ponies living in our demesne are well cared for and looked after. Caper, for all of his faults, was a decent pony who believed that the poorest residents of a fiefdom said the most about it.” 


This was poor? Sumac looked around him, focusing upon each clock, the silver and gold candlesticks, the paintings on the wall, the furniture, this was wealth beyond measure. His magic sense, the fickle thing it was though, detected many repair spells on the furniture. After learning from Big Mac just how bad off the old wagon had been, Sumac had trained himself to observe such things. Already, the little colt was noticing that things weren’t quite what they seemed in this place. 


Looking subdued, her ears drooping, Dandelia tried to smile but failed. A sour scowl spread over her muzzle and she shook her head. “Caper was a tyrant, but a benevolent one, at least to the ponies living in his demesne. To his own family though…” 


As Dandelia’s words trailed off, Trixie picked up what her mother was saying. “He treated his family worse than dirt. The Pathetic and Worthless Trixie has come home.”


Angry, Sumac kicked his mother in the leg, right in the bony spot just above the fetlock. “Don’t say that!” 


“Ow!” Trixie sidestepped away from the colt beside her and looked down with shocked dismay. “That hurt! A gentle kick isn’t so bad, but that one had oomph to it!” She rubbed her sore leg with another not-sore leg. 


“Sorry.” Sumac’s ears drooped and he assumed a more apologetic posture. “Just… don’t say that, okay? I don’t like it. It makes me angry and I don’t want to have a temper tantrum. Octavia says that I need to blow off steam before it builds up into an explosion.” Sullen, feeling guilty, Sumac dropped his head and stared at the fantastic designs woven into the carpet. 


Letting out a shrill squeak, Sumac felt himself being snatched up into a fierce hug. Trixie was sitting down on the floor with him and squeezing the life out of him while rubbing her cheek against his neck. He resisted for a short time, but knew the situation to be hopeless, so he went limp and just allowed it to happen, even though there were far too many ponies watching. 


The hug, however pleasant, became rather awkward when Trixie’s mother, Dandelia joined in. Sumac felt Trixie go stiff, rigid, and she became unmoving. He found himself sandwiched between them, and he worried for his mother, as she didn’t seem to be taking this well. His fear and apprehension caused him to tense up and go stiff as well. 


“I named you ‘Beatrix’ because in the old tongue, it means ‘she who makes happy.’ You made me happy. I loved you so much… you were so very dear to me and I’m so sorry that things turned out the way they did.” Dandelia’s voice cracked several times as she spoke. “I hope that, in time, you will forgive me.” 


Almost as if the other ponies in the room around them didn’t exist, Trixie asked, “What made Caper change his mind?” 


“All Caper cared about was good breeding and bloodlines,” Dandelia murmured in a soft, difficult to hear voice. “He found out who your father was, but I don’t know for certain if that is what caused his change of heart. He developed a keen interest in you as he approached his end.” 


With a rough shove of her hoof, Trixie sent her mother flying away and Dandelia tumbled over onto her back, landing in an undignified heap with her legs askew. Grabbing Sumac in one foreleg, Trixie rose and began to back away on three legs, retreating to where Lemon Hearts stood. Her lip curled back into a snarl and with her teeth bared, she shouted, “Liar! You were always such a liar! I learned a truth detection spell! And when that failed, I learned how to cast non-detection spells and I knew that you were shielding yourself from my magic! And I knew that you were lying, because you had something to hide! YOU’VE KNOWN WHO MY FATHER WAS ALL ALONG!” 


Trixie’s horn flared and a bolt of searing energy shot through the room. As fast as it was, Twilight was somehow faster. With a flicker of magic, she nullified Trixie’s incendiary bolt and turned it into a harmless shower of sparks. She strode away from her parents and moved between Trixie and her mother, where she struck a commanding pose, her head held high. 


“Trixie, please, as your friend, I’m begging you not to do anything foolish… that spell might’ve been fatal. Do you really want Sumac to watch you maim or even kill your own mother?” Twilight took a step towards Trixie and held out her hoof. “I know you’re hurting, and I know this is hard, but whatever it was that she and Caper did to you, it isn’t worth throwing your own life away. Think of Sumac and what he means to you.”


“I am!” Trixie shrieked. “I am thinking of Sumac! I don’t want her getting her hooks into him and manipulating him with her sob stories and tales of woe! I am protecting him from her LIES!” 


Getting up on her hooves, Dandelia let out a moan and then said, “I deserved that, and yes, I lied. I had a secret to protect.” 


Eyes glittering, Princess Luna stood near a tall water clock in total silence. 


“Whatever there is to be had here, I’m not sure it’s worth it.” Lemon Hearts pressed up against Trixie’s side. “Trixie, love, if you want to go, you just say the word and we’ll make it happen somehow.” 


“Such is the cost of secrets and treachery.” Having finally said something, Princess Luna’s eyes narrowed and she continued to study events as they unfolded. “Dandelia, distant daughter of mine, We do believe that you have been using magic to keep Us out of your dreaming mind. How come We do not yet know these terrible secrets?” 


Vindicated, Trixie let out a crow of triumph with one shouted word, “LIAR!” 


Night Light, moving forward to stand with his daughter, Twilight, shook his head and looked sad as he came to a stop beside her. “I don’t think this will wait for tea or even a table. Dandelia, this needs to come out now, because if you don’t, I will.” 


“Nighty, darling, you have a terrible temper when you are emotional.” Twilight Velvet approached her husband, looking concerned. “That vein in your forehead is already standing out, and your eyes are bloodshot. I can be objective through this crisis.” 


Looking at Twilight Velvet, Sumac saw an awful lot of Twilight Sparkle. 


Retreating to a couch, Dandelia sat down, conjured up a hanky, and then began to wipe her face as the tears she could no longer hold in began to fall. She blinked a few times, her eyes, having turned a bright crimson with her mood, were also glassy with pain and tears. She gestured at Twilight Velvet with her hoof, closed her eyes, and waited for the worst to happen. 


“Dandelia was my friend in school,” Twilight Velvet began. “Almost from day one. She knew my secrets. She was my roommate. When we were homesick and lonesome, we slept in the same bed together. We were fast friends.” 


Twilight, her head turning with a mechanical slowness, stared at her mother with wide eyes as her mother continued speaking. 


“Night Light was also my best friend, and the three of us made for a wonderful trio. We were inseparable. We grew up together. Dandelia knew that I was in love with Nighty even before I realised it. She developed faster than I did. When the three of us reached a certain age, we did things. We experimented a bit, but it was innocent.” 


With a pained expression, Night Light turned to look at Dandelia, who had her eyes closed and was crying into her hanky. Saying nothing, he moved over to where she was and sat down beside her, while Twilight stood there in shock. 


“Dandelia figured out that she was asexual pretty early on,” Twilight Velvet said in a low voice that bubbled with phlegm and emotion. “It was quite a shock to her, as she had a responsibility to produce heirs for the Lulamoon lineage. It broke her… she tried to kill herself… she drank poison. Night Light found her and due to his quick thinking and knowledge of alchemy, he made an antidote and then forced her to drink it. He put it down her nose and she was pretty upset with him for a while. We didn’t tell anypony, and this was the first of our many lies.” Twilight Velvet hung her head as a tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto the floor. 


“Princess Celestia suspected that something had happened,” Night Light explained, “but we assured her that everything was fine. We lied to her face.” 


Sumac, clinging to his mother’s leg, sat there in stunned silence. 


“Then Dandelia found out that Caper was petitioning for an arranged marriage.” Twilight Velvet shook her head and her ears drooped. “That caused suicide attempt number two. There would be more, later, and each time it was either me or Nighty who saved Dandelia.” 


“We took turns keeping watch over her,” Night Light added. 


Twilight Sparkle sat down with a muffled “WHUMP!” 


“The lies certainly got easier with time,” Twilight Velvet admitted. “For all of us. Eventually, I came up with a plan. I traveled to Ponyville, went to a farming supply depot, and bought an inseminator kit for livestock. I brought it back to Canterlot and sprung my idea on Dandelia. Much to my surprise, she was open to it. It… it… it made her happy. She was relieved more than anything.” Stammering a bit, Twilight Velvet began to snuffle.


Reaching out, Night Light pulled Dandelia into a warm, loving embrace as she wept. 


“The three of us snuck off together and as a group, we made a pact. We decided that some lies had to be told for the greater good, so that Dandelia could be happy. We were young and idealistic, so this seemed like a good idea. After making our pact, We uh, gathered the material we needed for the insemination kit and we all made a conscious decision that we were doing the right thing. The first attempt didn’t work, neither did the second, and that old saying about the third time being the charm, that’s not true at all. Night Light had to work a little alchemy and on the fifth attempt, we were successful. We found out after a few weeks.” 


Twilight Sparkle, too stunned to respond in any other way, let out a whimper. 


Her mother, Twilight Velvet, continued with her confession. “We were happy. We were having a foal together. We felt good about it, and Dandelia’s suicidal impulses just vanished. She was the happiest that she had been in years. We had to prepare though, and that meant breaking into the advanced magical section in the library. We had to learn advanced spells to protect our secret. One does not just fool a pony like Caper, he was practically an alicorn in the body of a unicorn. Caper was capable of lighting up the stars and we three thought that we could outsmart him.” 


“He found us out though, it seems,” Night Light remarked as he held Dandelia. 


Blinking, Twilight Velvet shook her head as more tears fell. “We worked on a very convincing story with Dandelia, we rehearsed the conversations, we practiced the magic on one another, we spent weeks on preparations so that she could tell her father that she had done a little experimenting in school with a few colts and that she didn’t know who the father was.” 


“We thought that we had everything figured out.” Night Light sighed and the corners of his mouth sagged. “Looking back on it, we were pretty stupid. Everything went wrong. Caper was furious that Dandelia was having a foal out of wedlock… he was supposed to be happy that he had an heir, but that was not the case.”


“And Trixie suffered.” Twilight Velvet, with a heartbroken expression, looked into Trixie’s eyes. “We wanted to tell you. So many times, we wanted to tell you. We plotted and we planned and we tried to do what we could for you. I never stopped worrying about you… sometimes, it feels like I’m your mother too, as I was there and helped make you. We loved each other so much and you came about because of that.” 


“We became the very ponies that we are today because of how much we plotted and planned just to make sure that Dandelia was happy. Everything we did was for friendship. We didn’t know it would go this far, or this wrong, and for that, we’re sorry.” Night Light bowed his head, closed his eyes, and squeezed Dandelia. 


“I don’t know what to say,” Trixie whispered. 


Twilight, whirling about as her wings shot out from her sides, launched herself at Trixie to tackle the unsuspecting mare. “I have a sister!” Twilight shouted as she careened through the air. “All this time, we’ve been sisters! It was sibling rivalry that made us fight!” 


A second later, a rambunctious over-excited alicorn slammed into her sibling and laid her flat… 
	
> Chapter 89
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Half sister.” Trixie squirmed in Twilight’s over-eager embrace and managed to free Sumac, who was smart enough to scurry away. “Half!” 


“You are not a half a pony!” Twilight retorted. 


“But I am your half sister, it seems.” 


“I don’t do anything halfway.” Twilight redoubled her efforts to pull Trixie closer. 


“Go away! Equinal space! Now!” 


“Nope!” 


“Ugh, now you are even more of a pest!” 


Twilight, looking wounded at being called a pest, did the only thing she could do with her recalcitrant sibling. She pulled Trixie into a headlock, blew a raspberry as she stuck out her orange tongue, and then proceeded to give Trixie a Great and Powerful Noogie, oblivious to the dumbfounded stares from the other ponies in the room. 


“Stop that! I am the Big Sister! That means I’m in charge! I’m older!” 


“BSBFF!” Twilight closed her eyes, ceased her relentless noogie, and pulled Trixie close again. Twilight was only all too happy to relent and she wrapped her wings around Trixie as well. 


Sitting down upon the floor, Twilight Velvet shook her head, blinked a few times, snuffled back some snot lurking in her nose, and then watched as Twilight continued to dominate Trixie into submission. “This is not the reaction I expected. To be honest, I don’t know what I expected.” 


“Be warned, rivalry between sisters can be dramatic and intense.” Princess Luna’s words fell upon the room like a falling anvil, which brought with it a devastating explosion of silence. The Princess of the Night stood there, looking both solemn and worried, as if fearing what this revelation might bring about. She looked about the room, focusing in particular on Night Light, Twilight Velvet, and Dandelia. “No doubt, your actions are what drove you to become the ponies that you are today, but this layer upon layer of dishonesty concerns Us. These are wounds that will take time to heal.” 


Dandelia, who had a soggy, tear and snot soaked face, tried to clean herself up with her sodden hanky, but failed. With a flick of magic, she vanished it and summoned another, this one fresh and new. As she began to wipe her face, she shared what was on her mind. “There is still the matter of the will and there are some documents that will only reveal themselves to Trixie. There is also something for you, Night Light.” 


Looking weary, Night Light let out a sigh. “Can it wait till morning?” 


Nodding, Dandelia replied, “Of course.” 


Spike, after an apprehensive look around, went over to where Twilight and Trixie sat together and plopped down close to Twilight. He scooted closer, then closer, and after grabbing Twilight, he pulled himself in and sat with the two mares. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against Twilight’s side, then let out a smoky sigh of satisfaction that curled up from his nose, which caused Trixie to sneeze. 


“Achitchitchitcha!” 


“You sneeze like a dork,” Twilight remarked. 


Glowering in a way that only a big sister could, Trixie said nothing in reply. 


“We shall return in the morning.” Before anypony could protest, Princess Luna just vanished and was gone in a cloud of glittering aethereal particles that drifted down to the floor like falling, swirling snowflakes. While it was said that Princess Celestia knew how to make an entrance, it was Princess Luna that knew how to make an exit. 


The entire room was now silent and somber. 




 


Sitting on a bed that smelled a little old and musty, Sumac tried to quiet and calm his mind. It had been a tumultuous evening and now it was a tumultuous bedtime. He didn’t have his Princess Cadance stuffy, and even though he was too ashamed to say it aloud, he worried that he might have nightmares without her. As odd as it was, she helped. 


The door to the palatial room opened without a knock and Dandelia stuck her head into the room. “I just wanted to say goodnight.” When she wasn’t rebuked, she took a few cautious steps into the room, looked at her daughter, and then looked at her grandson with a sad, longing expression. 


Prodding his mother with his hoof, Sumac whispered, “You know, she went through a lot of trouble to have you. You should give her a chance to make things right.” 


“Sumac—” 


“Does it feel good when somepony holds your past against you?” Sumac asked. 


“Sumac, it isn’t that simple—” 


“Well, does it?” Sumac waited for a reply. 


Hanging her head, Trixie made a muted confession. “No.” 


Taking a risk, Dandelia came further into the room, climbed up onto the end of the bed, and sat down. “We have Apples here in Lulamoon Hollow. They grow the dusk apples and they’re just as troublesome. Caper adored them.” 


“Dusk apples?” Sumac asked. 


“They grow best in the dark,” Dandelia replied as she made herself comfortable. “They’re dark purple, indigo, or dark blue, and if a pony eats one, the apple allows them to see in the dark. Lulamoon Hollow is the only place in Equestria where these apples grow.”


For some reason, Sumac thought about Pebble and her aversion to the sunlight. She sunburned all too easily and he realised that this would be a great place for her, living in the shadow of the mighty Canterhorn. The sunlight bothered him too, because of his astigmatism. Laying on his pillow, Boomer yawned in her sleep, then curled up into a new position. 


A piercing howl rent the night and Sumac let out a startled yelp as he clung to his mother’s leg. Trixie shushed him, stroked his neck, and as he held on to her, shivering, he heard Dandelia say, “It’s just the moon wolves welcoming the rising moon, if you stay here long enough, you’ll get used to them. They’re the guardians of this place and they protect ponies. They’re quite friendly, but during the daytime, they are little more than insubstantial phantoms, should you see them.” 


“I remember them,” Trixie said as she closed her eyes and began reminiscing. “I can remember playing tag with them. I used to feel so safe with them around, like nothing in the world could hurt me. I have missed that feeling of safety.” 


“When Caper was a colt, he lived with the pack for a time, even sleeping in their dens. They were his puppies and he loved them a great deal.” Dandelia sighed, a forlorn sound, and she shook her head. “He was a horrible, wretched pony, and yet somehow, I miss him.”


“Mother…” Trixie’s voice was a spoken whisper and her eyes shimmered with tears. “I was wrong to demand that you choose between us. I can see that now. For whatever it is worth, I am sorry.” 


“I am too.” Dandelia eased herself down onto the bed and got comfortable in a pony-loaf position. “He was my father. For all of his faults, he was my father. He was a terrible, terrible pony, cruel, heartless, a tyrant, but he was my father. I wanted to run away with you, really, I did, but he was all I had left of my mother.” 


“I wish I could have met her.” Trixie, holding Sumac, had a tear roll down the bridge of her muzzle, towards the tip of her nose. 


“She was his second cousin and she absolutely hated him.” Dandelia’s eyes glazed over. “But she was loyal and devoted in her own way. She understood the value of the Lulamoon name and she gave him an heir.” 


Feeling a little icked out, Sumac tried not think about them being cousins. Instead he asked, “What happened to her?” 


“She suffered from hemophilia,” Dandelia replied in a low, soft whisper. “Almost died having me. She had quite a number of close calls. And when I announced that I was pregnant, she couldn’t bear the shame.” 


Trixie, whose lower lip began to tremble, looked into her mother’s now faded blue eyes. “Caper blamed you, didn’t he?” 


Closing her eyes, Dandelia nodded, but remained silent. 


Somewhat confused, Sumac wasn’t sure what was going on, or what had happened, but he tried to put the pieces together. After a few moments of intense thought, he didn’t like the picture this puzzle was forming. “You know, to me, it sounds as though Caper wanted to make sure that you two hated each other and were ashamed of each other. He doesn’t sound very nice. Why would he want a mother and daughter to hate each other?” 


Eyes still closed, Dandelia replied, “To punish me. That’s what I think, anyway.” 


“So why did you stay with him?” Sumac asked. 


“Sumac, it’s complicated,” Trixie replied. 


“It’s so horrible…” Sumac shook his head and he felt tears welling up in his eyes. “He was so awful and now the both of you hate each other, which is probably what he wanted. He’s dead now, but he’s still making the two of you do as he wants. He died and now we’re here and you and Trixie are fighting and hating each other.” 


Sumac had hope that if Caper could manipulate them apart, maybe he could manipulate them back together. It didn’t feel wrong, not exactly, but it didn’t feel honest either. It felt like something that Applejack would give him the stinkeye over and maybe even have a long talk about over apple brown betties. The tears, which were real, he did nothing to hold them back and allowed them to fall with the hope that they would bring Trixie and her mother together. 


The colt wondered what Lemon was doing. The last that he had seen of her, she was serving tea to Twilight Velvet, Twilight Sparkle, and Night Light. He had almost bonked his head getting whooshed from one floor to the next because he had gotten scared and moved when the wind lifted him. 


“He’s really quite good at what he does,” Dandelia said to Trixie. “I suppose you had something to do with that.”


“I did,” Trixie replied, and then she coughed to get the phlegm out of her throat. “Twilight says that he gets his silver tongue from his father and I’ve been tasked with making certain that he uses it for good. Just about every word he utters has the weight of magic with it.” 


Cheeks burning, Sumac had nothing to say in his own defense.


“A cheeky little colt with a magical silver tongue, raised by a Lulamoon,” Dandelia deadpanned. “I’m not sure that the world is ready. And you were allowed to keep him?” 


“I was tricked!” Trixie gave Sumac a squeeze and looked down at the colt she called her own. “I thought it was my bright idea, but as it turns out, I got played. It was all a ploy to get me straightened out, to make me honest and respectable.” 


“Fascinating.” Opening her eyes, Dandelia looked at Sumac and studied him. “Charisma magic, advanced intelligence fueled by magic no doubt, and a sorcerer as well. Any one of those things is useful, but to have such a powerful combination… Sumac, you are one very lucky colt.” 


Not understanding everything that was said, Sumac just sat there and stared at his grandmother through the darkened lenses of his glasses. He couldn’t help but feel that he was being sized up though, and he wasn’t entirely certain that he liked the way that Dandelia was looking at him. Her eyes had a peculiar gleam to them that he could only describe as ‘hungry.’ 


“Twilight is positive that his intelligence is magic related. He knows things that he shouldn’t know. He is preternaturally intelligent and has a direct connection to the aether. Twilight suspects that he was able to come up with his own hypothesis about the state of magic because of his link with magic.” Trixie pulled Sumac a little closer and gave her mother a knowing stare. “He is free to make his own decisions, Mother. I want to make that very, very clear. If I think for even a moment that you’re trying to influence him or steer him in a direction you want him to go, our little truce, as nice as it is, is over.” 


At that moment, Sumac realised that he was in over his head and that he was foolish for thinking he could somehow manipulate these two mares. Trixie was squeezing him hard enough that it almost hurt, and it percolated through his brain that his mother was terrified as well as trying to protect him. Did he really need protection from Dandelia? 


Maybe. 


“Very well, I surrender now.” Dandelia let out a resigned sigh. “I don’t want my only grandson hating me. Honestly, I would like for us to be a family, if such a thing were possible. I shall endeavour to be as honest as possible with the two of you.” 


“What do you think, Sumac? Is she being honest?” Trixie relaxed her embrace just a little bit and Sumac was able to suck in a much needed deep breath. 


“Something about her makes me suspicious,” Sumac replied, being honest himself.


“To be completely honest and straightforward,” Dandelia said to Sumac in a dry, flat voice, “I was thinking about how much of an asset you might be to Lulamoon interests as a career politician. With the proper education and coaching, you could take Canterlot by storm. The world could be yours for the taking.” 


“I don’t want the world.” Sumac wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s left front leg and peered at his grandmother, no longer certain that he liked her. Something about her left him feeling uneasy now, the casual way that she just mentioned exactly what she wanted from him. 


“It’s not for my own selfish interests,” Dandelia said with a sniff. “It’s just, for the past few decades, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, and I have all been plotting to make the world a better place… we learned oh so very much during our time together in school…” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 90
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The kitchen was dark, but not deserted. Sumac peered through the gloom, trying to see who was there in the dark, and saw a tall winged figure. That narrowed things down. He blinked, thirsty and feeling a bit disoriented from having a nightmare. As it turned out, stuffy Princess Cadance was a bit more necessary than he thought. 


He approached Twilight with slow hesitation, his eyes locked up on her, and he could see that she was watching him. There was a feeling of being self conscious lurking in his mind, but he couldn’t say why he felt that way. There was no point in asking if Twilight couldn’t sleep, as the answer was obvious. The how and the why, however, those were the things worth pursuing and Sumac was certain that he could talk it out of her. It wasn’t to satisfy his own curiousity, oh no, Twilight looked troubled and he wanted to help her. This was a selfless, altruistic act on his part. 


“You don’t look happy,” Sumac remarked as he climbed up into a high backed chair and then got situated at the table. Using his magic, he got himself a glass of water, which he chilled, and then set down in front of himself. 


“You don’t look sleepy,” Twilight replied, stating the obvious in return. 


“Princess Twilight Snarkle.” Sumac lifted up his glass of water and took a drink as Twilight let out a few snorts of reluctant laughter. Setting his glass down, he studied Twilight the same way he studied any pony, and he did nothing to hide it, as Twilight also seemed to be sizing him up. For whatever reason, one word came to mind when he looked at Twilight, and that word was distraught. Daring Do had been ravaged by grief when she had found the ruins ransacked, looted, and she was distraught. The book painted a pretty good picture of what distraught was. Daring Do, Crown Agent Crash, and Crown Agent Cocoa had then hunted down those responsible, and many, many mooks had been injured that day. He took another drink and Twilight did the same. 


“You seemed pretty happy earlier,” Sumac whispered, his words still somehow filling the dim kitchen and dining area. “You even teased my mom and you laughed. Were you being just as dishonest as your parents?” 


“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” Twilight asked and as she made a few, rapid angry blinks at Sumac. The hardness in her face eased just a tiny bit and she added, “I did what I did for the benefit of my parents. I behaved like a princess… more or less. I accepted the situation with grace and aplomb, and I kept all of my own feelings stuffed inside. At that moment, I couldn’t exactly accuse my father of cheating on my mother, because that wasn’t what happened, but the thought stayed in my mind. Mind you, I could have exploded right then and there, and everypony would have accepted it, but I know that everypony present would resent me for it later. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and a certain level of decorum is demanded from me. Stars, I was happy when Luna finally went away and I could breathe again.”


“I know how you feel.” Sumac, emboldened, looked Twilight in the eye as he spoke. 


“How in the world could you possibly know how I feel?” Twilight demanded. 


Eyes narrowing, Sumac bit back an angry retort, knowing that his barbs carried magic. Twilight was upset, and not herself. Sucking in a deep breath, Sumac held his anger in check. “Because, I know what it is like to have everypony expect something from you. I’ve barely even had time to come to terms with my own talent, my own cutie mark, I’ve hardly even had the time to learn about it and what it does, and everypony expects something from me. Ponies keep trying to hijack whatever my destiny is.” 


Twilight’s ears drooped. 


“Even you.” Sumac rested both of his front hooves against the edge of the table. “I meet my grandmother for the first time and even with everything else going on, all of the hurt and bad stuff, she’s plotting about how I could be a career politician. You want me as a research battery. Princess Celestia wants me as a war machine. I don’t know what Princess Luna wants, but I know she wants something, and I’m positive I’ll find out about it soon enough. Discord wants me to cause chaos. Even Applejack and Big Mac want something from me… I have to uphold the Apple reputation and live down my father’s shame… and everything SUCKS!” 


The force of Sumac’s words caused Twilight to jerk her head back.


“So yeah, I sorta understand what it is like to hold everything in and not have a temper tantrum, even when you really want to,” Sumac finished. Lifting his glass, he took a drink. Sumac’s eyes took on a furious, half-awake glaze and his ears pinned back against his skull. “I think you have it a lot easier though. Me, I’ve gotta be worried about being punished if I upset the wrong ponies. I have nightmares about falling and being spanked. I just had one. I have to hold all of this in, hold all of this back, and I’m not even allowed to complain about my situation without one of the adults around me lecturing me and telling me I need to behave. I can’t even run my mouth to blow off steam! You, you’re allowed to do whatever you want, even if you did lose your temper, you don’t have to worry about being spanked or stood in a corner.” 


“It’s not going to be easy.” Twilight, her eyes darting around the room, tried to shift the conversation away from anger. “I have to somehow make peace with all of this without hurting Trixie’s feelings. I have to make her feel loved, welcomed, and accepted, because that is what Is expected of me. Plus”—Twilight’s shifty eyes now focused upon Sumac—“Trixie really is a dear, dear friend, and I would never want to hurt her intentionally. It’s not like I can just shove her away from me while I try to figure all of this out. Now, I feel obligated to keep her closer to me than ever. I can’t even imagine what this is doing to her.” 


“She’s gonna act like everything is fine,” Sumac replied, “and then cry about it when she thinks nopony is looking. But… it’s harder now, because we’re not on the road, and she can’t get away from me and everypony else for equinal space. I’d find her sometimes, crying when she thought she was alone. It always confused me because I didn’t know what to do or how to fix it. I hated seeing it.” 


“Nopony wants to see their mother cry.” Twilight hunched over and her gaze dropped down to the table. 


“And that’s why you grabbed my mother and made all nice, to keep your mother from crying and feeling bad.” 


“Yup.” Twilight let heave a mighty sigh. “Twilight, the dutiful daughter that lives up to her mother’s expectations. Twilight, the dutiful sister, who had to just accept her brother’s wedding after being told about it at the last minute. Twilight, who always has some emergency just dumped on her and is expected to behave a certain way without complaint, and to always act with grace and dignity. Twilight, who sometimes senses when things are wrong, and even with my record for sensing trouble, gets lectured for blowing things out of proportion, finding tempests in teapots, and making mountains out of molehills.” 


Sumac, who didn’t understand everything being said, did understand that Twilight was bitter about it. 


“I can’t help but feel that there is a lot more to be said about this whole situation,” Twilight muttered as her eyes narrowed, “But I don’t think the whole truth is going to come out. So I’m stuck just accepting everything how it is, no matter if I like it or not. Tomorrow, in the morning, I’ll smile at breakfast and pretend that everything is wonderful. I’ll be the Twilight everypony expects me to be. It’ll only be hard at first, but if I keep doing it long enough, it becomes routine. That’s the trick, Sumac. That is how you survive a lifetime of others having high expectations of you.” 


“And what about your expectations of me?” Sumac slumped down in his chair. “If I follow your advice, you’ll know that I’m just leading you on and telling you what you want to hear.”


“You know what, Sumac, what do you want?” Twilight asked point blank. “What direction do you want your life to go?” 


Put on the spot, Sumac had no snarky reply, no youthful sarcasm, he had no angry retorts. With everything stripped away, all he had was honesty. “I think I’d like to learn more about becoming a mortician. I’d like to learn about the funerary sciences.” 


Closing her eyes, Twilight let out a long overblown sigh. “See, Sumac,” she said as she opened her eyes, “when you say something like that, I am under instruction to divert you away from such trivial choices. I have a long complicated list of instructions all about you, and when you come up with an interest like funerary sciences, I am supposed to give you an inspiring talk about the greater good… about the obligation that you have to exploit your own talent to its greatest possible potential. I’m supposed to give you a long inspiring speech about how precious you are, how valuable you are, and how certain interests are just throwing your remarkable talent away. I am supposed to stroke your ego. I am tasked with making certain that you reach the pinnacle of what you are capable of, and then convince you that it was what you wanted all along.” 


In silence, Sumac stewed, but he appreciated Twilight’s honesty. 


“And all I can think about every time I look at that horrid list of how to adjust your priorities is how I wanted to grow up and be a librarian in Canterlot.” Twilight sat there, blinking, and looking deflated. “But no student of Princess Celestia ever grows up to be a librarian in Canterlot. Nope. But I came close. I was the librarian of Ponyville for a time, and I was happy.” 


Realising that he was privy to Twilight’s regrets, Sumac suddenly felt very small and insecure. Princesses had princess sized regrets, and he couldn’t imagine living under the crushing burden of such a thing. 


Twilight’s eyes narrowed and now, her voice took on a low growl as she spoke. “You know what, Sumac, if you want to learn more about being a mortician and getting a feel for the funerary sciences, I am going to make that happen. Damn the consequences.” 


Taken aback, worried, even fearful about Twilight’s sudden change of demeanour, Sumac squirmed in his seat. “Why? Why would you do that? Won’t that cause you and the other princesses to fight?” 


“Yep.” Twilight sat there with her lower lip now protruding. “But it doesn’t matter. What matters is, you’re smart enough to know that you are being shafted, and I’m having some troubles with my conscience over the issue.” 


In the back of his mind, his thoughts tumbled about and Sumac knew that some kind of reciprocation was necessary. Twilight was sticking her own neck out for him. She was trying to be his friend, at the risk of her own standing with her other friends and associates. He had trouble taking it all in, understanding the sheer scope of it, but he knew that Twilight was about to be in trouble. Big trouble. 


“Twilight…” 


“Yes, Sumac?” 


“If you ever need my abilities as a sorcerer, I’ll be glad to help. It’s only fair that we help each other. This means a lot to me. I don’t even know if this is what I’ll end up doing with my life, but I want the chance to learn. I like having the option open. Who knows, maybe I’ll find it’s super boring and I’ll want to become a hero someday.” 


Outside, wolves howled. 


“When the others wake up, and they will soon, we’ll have to continue to pretend that everything is normal, Sumac. I’ll have to pretend that everything is fine and that I feel good about everything, and you’ll have to pretend that you’re okay with the fact everypony wants to take advantage of you. I wish I could make things better for the both of us, but the best I can do is slip you a few books. For now, it’s best to continue acting as though you don’t have any focused interests or goals in life. If we can give others the appearance that you’re still open to fulfilling their desires, things will go easier on both of us.” 


“I understand, Twilight.” 


“And that bothers me,” Twilight admitted with a whispered confession. “I think that’s why I feel so guilty. You do understand, and you’re just stuck living with it. Just like I am.” 


“Twilight?” 


“Yes?” 


“I have a question. A tough one that I’ve been wanting to ask for a while.” 


“Go ahead.” Twilight was starting to think that a tough question was just what she needed right now. 


“Starlight Glimmer can take cutie marks away, leaving ponies plain and unremarkable. You cast a spell and caused all of your friends cutie marks to switch with each other.” Sumac drew in a deep breath and gave some serious thought to his next words before he said them. He felt his frogs go sweaty. 


“We know that cutie marks can be manipulated.” Sumac sat there, blinking, troubled by what was on his mind, his next horrendous hypothesis. “The evidence of cutie mark manipulation is pretty easy to see at this point. We know it exists. So, Twilight, what happens if a pony comes along that can shape destiny by using magic to give a pony a cutie mark and thus take control of that pony and their future?” 


Twilight’s mouth fell open. 


“If cutie marks can be switched or taken away, that means that destiny is mutable, right?” Sumac tapped his hooves on the edge of the table and stared at his glass of water. “What if somepony figures this out and begins to manipulate the future? Would we even know what was going on? After I asked a bunch of ponies about destiny, I started thinking about all of this and it’s left me troubled. I think about it when I’m laying in bed and can’t sleep.” 


“Sumac, I don’t even know what to say…” 
	
> Chapter 91
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Feeling a deep sense of loss and regret, Sumac thought about everything lost to the fire. His mother’s journals were a particularly painful loss, as they had been his primary means of learning about her. Now, if he wanted to know something, he had to go through the trouble of asking her. Off to the east, there was a faint hint of sunlight, but the mountains and hills blocked most of it. What little sunlight came through was blocked by the many trees, leaving everything around him in shadow. 


It was cold here in the early mornings as winter approached, but the trees were all in their own protective biomes and sheltered by powerful magic. Everything here was magic. The sound of Boomer crunching upon a crystal apple made Sumac’s ears perk, and he was happy that Boomer was happy.


A flying fish went sailing through the air, carrying with it a bubble of water, which dribbled and watered the plants in the garden as the fish flew over. Sumac had been told that Caper and Dandelia both made new life, just like an artist makes new paintings, and Sumac was seeing their lifetimes of reckless experimentation in the flora and fauna all around him. 


Shivering, Sumac watched as an owlmeleon settled down upon a branch to go to bed after a long night. He didn’t know if it had a different name, he wasn’t even sure of what it was, but the owl changed colours to blend in with its surroundings. It’s feathers rippled with magic, almost like a changeling, or so Sumac guessed. 


“Apple?” 


Hearing Boomer say a new word, Sumac forgot everything around him as he focused upon his tiny companion. Watching, waiting, expecting Boomer to burst out with whole sentences at any second, Sumac was overcome with a happiness that chased away the darkness in his mind. 


“Apple…” 


“Yes, Boomer, apple. Aaaah pull.” 


“Boomer Apple.” Blinking her yellow eyes, Boomer stood up on her hind legs, flexed her front claws, and then pointed at herself with one extended tiny finger. “Boomer Apple?” 


It took a few seconds, but Sumac realised that she had inadvertently heard ‘Boomer Apple’ when he had said ‘Boomer, apple.’ He didn’t see any point in correcting her though. She could be Boomer Apple if she wanted to be. 


“Apple Boom.” Boomer looked puzzled as she tried to make a new sentence. “Apple Boomer. Boom Apple. Boom boom baboom?” 


“Boomer Apple.” Sumac reached out and touched Boomer with his hoof. Pulling his hoof back, he touched himself. “Sumac Apple.” 


“Soo-mac.” Boomer blinked and took a moment to process this new information. Her reptilian eyes showed a keen intelligence as she stared up at Sumac. “Soo-mac. Soo-mac. Boo-mac?” 


“Sumac.” Sumac tapped on his barrel with his hoof. 


The tiny dragon mimicked Sumac’s movements. “Boo-mac?” 


“No.” Sumac shook his head. “Boomer.” 


“Soo.” Boomer blinked, again processing this sound, and then said, “Boo.” She looked confused as she broke the words into their parts and she flexed her tiny fingers. “Mer. Mac.” 


“I wonder if I was like that.” 


Startled, Sumac looked around to see the intruder and Boomer took off leaping through the grass after dropping the remains of her crystal apple. Sumac saw Spike standing a few feet away, and Boomer, glad to see another dragon, began bouncing around him while puffing out her frills. 


“I can remember just about everything that has ever happened, that’s the advantage of dragon memory, but I have trouble remembering when I was really little.” Spike sat down in the grass and was beset by his admirer, who scurried all over Spike and caused him to giggle. 


“Spike, what are you to Twilight?” Sumac asked. 


“What do you mean?” Spike, tired of being tickled, pulled Boomer into his arms and held the wriggling hatching in a tender embrace. 


“You called her parents ‘mom and dad,’ so I started wondering,” Sumac replied. “Are you her brother?” 


Spike’s face contorted and his eyes narrowed. He looked down at Boomer, who had curled up, and then became lost in the moment, staring, just staring, and saying nothing. Sumac watched with great interest, and with a tiny yawn, Boomer started to drift off to sleep, having eaten too much and worn herself out. 


“It goes beyond that.” Spike’s voice was a smoky draconic whisper that was a little hissier than usual. “Since I’ve become penpals with Ember, I’ve been learning a bit more about dragons. The dragons have a word for it, but ponies don’t. I don’t know what the word is, because it can’t be written down, it has to be roared.” Spike looked up at Sumac and blinked a few times. “But if I knew the word and could say it, I would go around roaring it to let everypony know.” 


“And you can’t even try to put it into words?” Sumac asked. 


“It’s not a word, it’s a whole series of concepts.” Spike looked puzzled and he visibly struggled. “Dragons have large broods. Well, some. Many eggs are laid and every hatchling is technically brother and sister, but in such a large brood, when they happen, some hatchlings have a special bond that, uh, well… it kinda comes out as family within a family, but it is more than that, at least, that’s how Ember explained it. There is a lot of competition and rivalry among dragon siblings and as a species, most of us are jerks. These special bonds make sure that we survive into adulthood.” Looking troubled, Spike shook his head. “The biggest danger that dragons have when we’re little is each other. Only the strong survive. Twilight and I together, we’re strong. We have each other’s backs. I have powerful instincts that compel me to protect her. It’s complicated. I have no desire to eat her as a sibling. Being a dragon is complicated.” 


That was complicated. Sumac didn’t laugh, he didn’t make any jokes, and he didn’t say anything snarky. Spike had just bared his soul and Sumac wasn’t about to screw this moment up. Unsure of how to respond, Sumac did the only thing that he felt was right to do. 


“Thank you, Spike.” 


“Don’t mention it,” Spike replied, “and thanks for not being judgmental about it. The last pony I tried to talk to about this… it didn’t go well. She screamed and fainted.” 


That struck Sumac as being rather rude and he didn’t like it. The muscles on the back of his head tensed, becoming tight as his ears stood up to listen—the sounds that Boomer made while sleeping always intrigued him—and he watched as Spike cradled the smaller dragon. It was obvious from Spike’s actions that he cared for Boomer and her well-being. There was a question that Sumac longed to ask, but he didn’t want to hurt Spike’s feelings, and perhaps he was better off not knowing the answer. 


A dragon, like a pony, was more than the sum of their instincts. 




 


Shivering, Sumac sat by the fire after being outside for far too long. Ponyville was a good bit warmer because the sun shined on it, but Lulamoon Hollow already felt like it was in the throes of winter. As he sat there with his teeth clattering and chattering together, Dandelia threw a blanket around him. It was heavy, a little coarse, and already warmed. 


Half awake, Boomer had crawled into the fire and was now sound asleep again. 


The scent of spiced cider, sweet cocoa, and the lingering smell of breakfast filled the room. Ponies were gathered in groups and it was mostly quiet. Sumac couldn’t help but notice that Twilight was smiling and laughing. He also couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to have inherited some natural gift towards deceit from her parents, or perhaps they knew what was going on and they too, went along with the act. Sumac couldn’t tell up from down anymore. 


“So,” Sumac said as he looked Dandelia right in the eye. He could feel one of his moods coming on and he was just a teeny, tiny bit confrontational. It bothered him that Twilight was miserable. “Where do I fit into all of this? What happens with me?” 


“Whatever do you mean?” Dandelia asked. 


“I am my mother’s son, but she didn’t birth me. What becomes of me after all of this settles?” Sumac felt a deep sense of satisfaction when Dandelia began to squirm, and he couldn’t help but notice that every eye in the room was now focused upon him and his exchange with his grandmother. He could hear cups rattling on saucers as magic trembled. 


“Well, you are—ahem—adopted, so we can’t include you as family. Lulamoon Hollow is for the Lulamoons. You are welcome to live here, of course, should you desire to when you get older, but if you are wondering if you can be an heir, I am very, very sorry, but you will have to learn to live with disappointment.” 


The pendulum swung and once more, Sumac wasn’t too fond of his grandmother. There was something haughty about her voice, her mannerisms, and her entire demeanour. Yet, she was trying to be kind to him. She did seem sincere when she was nice. More than anything, Sumac just felt confused and just a little bit angry. 


“And that right there is why I am leaving the first chance I get.” Trixie’s voice was acidic and dripped with bile. “As soon as the will is read and everything is resolved, I am getting out of here, even if it means I have to walk home to Ponyville and I’m taking Sumac with me.” 


“I was trying to be diplomatic—” 


“YOU DIDN’T TRY VERY HARD!” Baring her teeth, Trixie glared daggers at her mother. 


“Dandy Lion, your words had a cruel bite to them.” Twilight Velvet’s words cut through the tension like a knife and Dandelia flinched as she heard them. “I’ve said it so many times, you never stop to think about how you sound to others. As your friend, I know that you mean well, but all too often, your words are careless.” 


“A trait I have no doubt passed along to my daughter.” 


Something about his grandmother’s words made Sumac boil over. The back of his neck was now hot enough to roast potatoes on and the heat in his ears was painful enough to bring tears to his eyes. Reaching out with his telekinesis, he snatched up a cup of cocoa, heated it to scalding in seconds, and then chucked it at Dandelia’s head with as much force as his rage could muster. 


Again, it was Twilight who prevented disaster. The cup halted, frozen in place, a mere inch or less from Dandelia’s face. Both of her now purple eyes crossed as she stared down at the cup and its scalding, steaming contents. As she sat there, staring in shock, Trixie had already pulled Sumac into a protective hug, fearing her own mother’s reprisal. 


There was a crackle and Trixie was gone. 




 


Looking infuriated, Princess Luna cast a fierce glance around the room and her eyes glittered with withheld anger. The corner of her left eye twitched and her left ear bobbed in time to her eye tics. The muscles in her neck rippled and her wings fluttered against her sides. As she opened her mouth, everypony in the room flinched, expecting her to begin shouting. 


“We cannot leave you alone for any length of time, can We?” Princess Luna’s quiet whisper was somehow even more terrifying than her shouting. Disappointment and anger made her eyes gleam in a manner almost maternal. “You”—she pointed at Dandelia—“We are most displeased with you and there will be words later. You have earned a lecture from your Matron.” 


Like a kicked foal, Dandelia wilted away from Princess Luna’s harsh glare. 


“It is Our belief that Twilight was foolish to save you. Perhaps a scalded muzzle might teach you some much needed humility.” 


“I’m sorry—” 


“Silence your tongue!” Princess Luna’s words carried with them the irresistible compulsion of magic and Dandelia’s mouth kept moving, but no words came out. “We spent most of the night last night, Our glorious, miraculous night, We might add, in the bowels of the royal archives and We are sickened by the actions of Arcturus, Our long distant son. Whatever good he might have accomplished, whatever stability, whatever glorious future he secured for this fiefdom, it is all left tainted by his actions and his vile, repulsive, disgusting acts! His love of slatterns and scullery maids has shredded any last vestiges of royal dignity from this family.” 


Shaking her head, Princess Luna added, “Your only redeeming qualities seem to be your unwavering loyalty to mine sister.” 


Shamed, Dandelia hung her head. 


“We shall go and extract Miss Lulamoon from her chambers so that the will might be read and so that We might leave this place. We feel soiled for having stood in this tower where so much vileness has taken place. We wish to be gone.” 


Ears drooping, mouths sagging, both Twilight Velvet and Night Light looked at Dandelia with pained expressions… 
	
> Chapter 92
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With cautious hesitation, Twilight Sparkle crept closer to Princess Luna, who stood staring at the door of the room that Sumac had slept in. Trixie had locked herself inside and Princess Luna was trying to gently extract her, but Trixie refused to budge and the Princess of the Night was losing her patience. 


Clearing her throat, Twilight then tried to moisten her mouth enough to speak. Her current emotional state made things difficult, she felt a whole maelstrom of emotions, some of which she was unable to identify. More than anything, she wanted to be angry, but she could not figure out at whom she should be angry. What Twilight needed was her friends, but they weren’t here. 


What she did have was a sister, but Twilight didn’t know what to feel about that. 


“Luna… a word with you if I may… princess to princess.” 


With a regal arch of her eyebrow, Luna turned her head to face Twilight. There was no haughty expression, no arrogance, no real expression of anything really, and she looked into Twilight’s eyes to acknowledge her. With quiet patience, Luna waited for Twilight to figure out whatever it was that she wanted to say. 


“Go and prepare for the reading of the will and whatever that entails,” Twilight said, hoping that her words sounded like a suggestion rather than an order. What was needed, more than anything else, was calm. “Sometimes, Luna, you can be a little overbearing, even if you don’t mean to be, and I think that Trixie needs some quiet reassurance… from a sister.” 


With a reserved nod of acknowledgment, Luna replied, “We do agree. Sometimes, We do make a situation worse with Our overbearing nature. Perhaps you can do what We cannot.” 


Shocked and a little surprised, Twilight couldn’t help but comment on the changes she observed in Luna. “You seem a little—” 


“Calmer?” Luna asked. 


“Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “And your speech—” 


“We are closer to Our sister now than We have been since Our return. We are starting to feel the oneness that We had thought lost. Gosling has done much to bring Us together.” With another bow of her head, Luna stepped aside and gestured at the door with her wing. “We wish you luck, Twilight.” 


Blinking, Twilight thought about the answer that wasn’t an answer. She studied Luna for a short time as the alicorn retreated, and then, with a smile, Luna plunged through a hole in the floor. It took Twilight several seconds to realise that even with the current crisis, Luna now possessed a genuine happiness. 


Somehow, that made everything better. 


Lifting her hoof, Twilight knocked upon the door. 


“Go away.” 


“Trixie, can we please talk?” 


“No.” 


“Can we please have a sister to sister talk?” 


After a long wait, “...No.” 


“Can a little sister come and talk to her bigger sister?” 


Again, there was a long pause. “No. Sumac told me how you really feel.” 


Grimacing, Twilight stood outside of the door, mouthing terrible curses that she would probably scold other ponies for saying. Of course Sumac wouldn’t keep secrets from his mother and Twilight appreciated his loyalty while resenting his honesty. After a few minutes of seething, she reminded herself that she was angry with the situation, and not with Sumac. 


“Trixie, please—” 


“I have in my possession a bottle of zap apple tincture. That door opens and somepony is getting a faceful of hurt.” 


Stepping back from the door, Twilight hoped that Trixie was bluffing. After using the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie had a much higher degree of control over strong magic than most ponies. It took several seconds of contemplation, but Twilight realised that she was at an impasse. She wasn’t about to pick a fight with Trixie, not now, and with the recent revelation, not ever. 


It was time for a different approach. “Sumac, may I please come in?” 


There was no audible response and Twilight couldn’t hear any talking at all on the other side of the door, but she was certain that a discussion was taking place. With nothing else to do, Twilight waited and battled her growing feelings of impatience. She thought about Luna’s cool, calm demeanour, and if Luna could do it, Twilight reasoned that she could too. 


“What do you hope to gain by entering?” Sumac asked through the door. 


Brows furrowing, Twilight had to wonder if his response was coached or if Sumac had come up with it himself. She couldn’t tell. He was smart with an I.Q. boosted through magical means, much like Pebble and so many of her other students. Distracted, Twilight had an internal debate on whether or not Sumac had come up with his question himself. 


“I can’t make things better,” Twilight said, thinking about Applejack for some reason. Honesty was, no doubt, her best approach. “I probably can’t smooth things out, either. But I am really worried about the both of you, I’m scared, and I want to know that you’re okay.” 


“She’s telling the truth.” Sumac’s voice was faint coming through the door. 


“Well, of course I’m telling the truth.” Twilight couldn’t help but feel just a little bit offended. 


“I just taught Sumac the inventite veritatem spell. He’s a quick study. I doubt anypony will ever lie to him ever again, not without him knowing.” Trixie’s voice sounded flat and exhausted, she also sounded as though she had been crying. 


There was a click from the door and Twilight, casting her gaze down, stared at the door handle. Before opening the door, Twilight stopped for a moment and opened her mouth to say, “That’s a pretty advanced spell. I’m impressed that Sumac was able to learn it.” 


A little honest flattery never hurt anypony, Twilight thought to herself as she pushed open the door. 




 


Pulling the door shut behind her, Twilight looked at the two ponies and one dragon all huddled together on the bed. Her mind drifted, she thought of Lemon Hearts and all of Lemon’s worry. After a few seconds, her eyes focused upon the bottle of zap apple tincture held in a secure magical bubble beside Trixie’s head. It remained for just a second, just long enough for Twilight to see it, and then it vanished. 


“Trixie, I really hope that you won’t punish Sumac for what he did.” 


“I have no intention of doing that,” Trixie replied. “I told him that I’m proud of him.” 


The words made Twilight’s tongue go dry. While she had hoped that Trixie hadn’t punished Sumac for a momentary outburst of anger, she hadn’t expected Trixie to be proud of him. Twilight’s memory dredged up files of conversations in the past, and she recalled that Trixie had done this before, that she was proud of Sumac for just about anything and everything he did, and after a few seconds of thinking, Twilight now understood why. 


Trixie was being a good mother, the sort of mother that she herself had wanted. For Twilight, it was a stunning revelation, and she gained a new appreciation for Trixie. A little voice in the back of Twilight’s mind suggested that the silence was getting awkward and that she needed to say something before the quiet became an unbreakable force of oppression. 


“Trixie, I really am grateful to have you as my friend, and I just need a little time to come to terms with the fact that you are my sister,” Twilight said, feeling self conscious about her words. 


“Truth,” both Sumac and Trixie said together. 


And now, Twilight realised why. 


“It really doesn’t change anything.” Twilight squirmed and found an interesting picture on the wall to look at. “I treat all of my close friends like sisters… or brothers, I suppose. We’ve all laughed and cried together, been happy and suffered together. I honestly can’t see them as anything but sisters… or brothers, as the case may be.” 


“Truth,” Sumac and Trixie said in unison. 


“I wish you two would stop that, it’s super creepy.” Twilight returned her attention to the pair and instead of feeling angry, she tried to be sympathetic. Trixie had endured a terrible life and Sumac was all too aware that everypony wanted something from him. “Look, right now, I have nothing to gain by lying to either of you, I value your friendship too much and I’m too scared about losing it as it is. I’m terrified that all of this is going to change things between us in a bad way.” 


Again, both Trixie and Sumac said together, “Truth.” 


Letting out an annoyed huff, Twilight’s cheeks bulged and her ears drooped down against her face. She was going to have to sort this out, somehow. “Okay, fine, keep doing what you’re doing, but keep it to yourselves. Sumac, I was honest with you this morning and that should mean something.” She could feel Sumac’s eyes piercing into her as she awaited his response. 


“It does. That’s why I told my mom to let you in and give you a chance… as her sister. She didn’t want to let you in and so I made a deal with her.” 


The words felt like a slap for some reason, but Twilight could not say why. She bit back an angry retort, wondering where it came from and why she had one ready. She took a deep, calming breath, just as Cadance had taught her to do. After taking a moment to calm herself, Twilight reminded herself why she was here. 


“The reading of the will,” Twilight began, “will happen soon. Dandelia has been silenced. Princess Luna has worked to create a safe space for the two of you. As Matron of House Lulamoon and the Court of Lions, Princess Luna plans to offer Sumac reparations for the insults and poor treatment he has suffered as a guest in the House of Lulamoon. She is both disturbed and mortified by Dandelia’s behaviour.” 


“Spoken a bit too much like a princess, but at least you are telling the truth.” Reaching out, Trixie patted the bed. “Come and sit with us. Sumac went through a lot of trouble to convince me to let his aunt in so she could talk.” 


The words hit Twilight like the gentle caress of a flying cinder block. 


Now, she felt even worse for what she had done and her manipulations of Sumac. She blinked to relieve the stinging pressure she felt in her eyes and blinked away the excess moisture she could now feel. Dragging her hooves over the floor, she crossed the small room, lept up onto the bed, and then settled down in the pony-loaf position where Dandelia had lain the night before. 


“I don’t know how I feel about about Dandelia being my grandmother, I’m still willing to give her a chance I suppose, because I’ve learned how important it is to forgive ponies”—Sumac paused and looked Twilight right in the eye in the fearless sort of way that only foals could seem to do—“and while it is going to take me a long time to sort all of that out, the silver lining in this stinky situation is that I have you as my aunt. Sort of.” 


Still blinking away tears, Twilight nodded. 


Sniffling, Trixie wiped her own eyes with her foreleg. “Some good has come out of this, I suppose. I’ve come to a better understanding of what Sumac means to me. I think I also understand my mother a little more, but it’s hard. I don’t want to have to choose between my own mother and my son and right now, I feel like I’m being torn apart.” 


“I can’t even imagine what you are feeling,” Twilight said, and she waited for both Trixie and Sumac to say, “Truth.” After several seconds, no such proclamation seemed forthcoming and Twilight was able to relax a little. 


“Even though I hate her, a part of me still loves her,” Trixie confessed, “but I think that my own forgiveness and my own long walk to redemption has made me sympathetic. Maybe just a little bit.” Sniffling, Trixie gave Sumac a squeeze. “Still, if it came right down to it and I had to chose, it would be Sumac. It wouldn’t be easy though, and to be completely honest, I know it would break my heart.” 


“So, are you going to give your mother a chance to make up for what she’s done?” Twilight asked. 


“She can do so from a distance,” Trixie replied as a certain fierceness crept into her raspy voice. “It will be on my terms, by my rules of engagement, with me being in charge. If she wants forgiveness, she can meet my reasonable demands and earn it, just like I had to earn it.” 


“That seems fair.” Twilight wiped her own eyes, and then folded her wing back against her side, careful to not snag her primaries upon the bed. “You’ve come a long ways, Trixie.” 


“I know.” Trixie’s acknowledgment was a humble utterance. 


“Let’s do whatever it is that we have to do, because I wanna go home.” Sumac looked down at the quilt he was sitting on. “I miss Pebble and Octavia. They help keep me calm. I wanna do magic with Vinyl and I wanna study in school. I just want things to go back to how they were.” 


“Me too, Sumac, me too.” Twilight let out a sigh and looked at Trixie. “Let’s go and get this over with. I have your back, and I’ll always have your back.” 


“Truth,” Sumac and Trixie said together. 
	
> Chapter 93
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle didn’t like the feel in the room, not at all. Caper’s study had a terrible feeling of oppression in it, a sense of wrongness in the very air, but this was the place that Princess Luna wanted the will read. Princess Luna sat behind Caper’s massive mahogany desk in silence, her expression unreadable. The desk itself was a horror of design, on each end there was an earth pony with their heads bowed in submission, and the top of the desk rested upon their backs. Try as she might, Twilight Sparkle could not remember a time in her life when she was offended by a mere object. The desk conflicted with everything she had heard about Caper and how well off his subjects were. 


She had the most dreadful thought and sat there wondering if Caper’s well off subjects was something done for show. It was impossible to know, as Caper was dead. Reaching out her foreleg, she wrapped it around Sumac and gave him a reassuring pat upon the neck, as he seemed uncomfortable as well. 


The sound of Twilight Velvet’s voice, her mother’s voice, made Twilight’s ears perk. Her mother was wearing reading glasses and Twilight heard her mother say, “We have come together for the reading of the will of one Arcturus Capella Lion Lulamoon. Princess Luna has requested that I act as her estate lawyer and I have agreed. Are there any objections?” 


Tensing, Twilight waited, wondering if any might object. She wasn’t sure why anypony might object, but tensions were high now. Even though she was a princess, Twilight realised that she didn’t know how any of this worked, she was ignorant of this whole process. Her own family were nobles, wealthy, well off, they were entitled to certain rights, privileges, and such, but also had certain obligations, demands, and conditions that could be placed upon them at any time. Such was the life of a noble. 


But Dandelia was royalty by birth. This bothered Twilight more than she cared to admit, but she couldn’t say why. Something about this flew in the face of the equality that Twilight believed in. Sure, the nobles had special rights, but they also had more expected of them. So it balanced out, right? Feeling troubled, Twilight desperately wanted to know what sort of checks and balances Dandelia had for what had to be an impressive list of privileges. 


“Very well.” Twilight Velvet adjusted her reading glasses and let out a sigh. “We shall continue. In brief summation, the will states that all of Lulamoon Hollow, including the peasants, the villeins, the crafters, the debtors, tenants, servants, and the serfs of the land are to go to Dandelia Lion Lulamoon. Princess Luna has demanded that a consensus be taken of the residents of the demesne to determine their happiness and will to stay.” 


“I have a question,” Sumac asked. 


Twilight felt her heart leap up into her throat and she was thankful for Sumac’s bravery. She glanced over at Trixie, who sat on the other side of Sumac, and saw pride in her eyes. Expectant, Twilight waited, her ears perked as she hoped that Sumac would ask a good question. 


“Go ahead, Sumac.” Twilight Velvet’s words were patient and gracious. 


“What’s the difference between a peasant and a serf?” 


Hearing these words, Twilight felt giddy that Sumac was disrupting everything with his foalish curiousity. She wondered how her mother might explain these outdated and, Twilight felt, unwanted social divisions. 


“Sumac, a peasant has some land, but they typically don’t own it. They rent it from the landowner, in this case, the Lulamoons. Most of their earnings go to the landowner and some of it is redistributed back among the peasants, according to their needs.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was emotionless and flat, without feeling, the voice of a educator teaching about an unpleasant subject. “Serfs on the other hoof, they own no land and have no holdings. They work on the demesne wherever they are needed, and the land renting peasants can use them as labour. They exist to serve the land, the peasants, the crafters, and the local lord. The local lord provides for these homeless, landless serfs, protects them, and sees that most basic needs are attended to.” 


Twilight, who had her own demesne, Ponyville, she felt that she was far more progressive and her residents were free ponies. She gave them almost total freedom to go about their lives, their business, and she did very little to restrict them. What few restrictions there were ensured that everypony was safe, happy, and secure. Some freedoms had to be restrained, held back, no one wanted mad scientists to start robbing graves for example. Some ponies just took it too far when given too much freedom. 


Nodding, Sumac said nothing else. 


“After his demise, Caper wanted his demesne, one of the last functioning true fiefdoms left in Equestria, to be set up as a historical preserve, in perpetuity. The details of the arrangement will need to be sorted out at a later time.” Twilight Velvet looked over at Princess Luna and peered at her through her reading glasses. “As the Matron of this family, this of course, falls to you.” 


With a faint but regal nod of her head, Princess Luna acknowledged Twilight Velvet’s words. 


“Beatrix Lion Lulamoon, you may open your portion of the will. It will open for nopony else but you and I have not yet read its contents. Please do so now.” Twilight Velvet made a gesture with her hoof at Trixie. 


Trixie opened the sealed scroll tube with a touch of her horn and Twilight could see that her eyes were still red and weepy. Twilight watched as Trixie pulled the scroll out, waiting, wondering what the scroll said. The fine parchment paper crackled with strong magic, and Twilight knew that nopony but Trixie could read it, it would be invisible to anypony else that tried. No doubt, the scroll could also defend itself against persistent attempts to read it. 


By all accounts, Caper was powerful. 


Feeling a growing sense of concern, Twilight watched as Trixie’s barrel began to hitch as she read. It was difficult to watch her friend suffer and Twilight wondered if Caper had left some insults in his final missive to his granddaughter. Trixie’s eyes went from left to right as she read each line of the parchment and Twilight felt a growing, unwanted tension. 


“It’s very complicated,” Trixie said at last. 


“You can do it.” Lemon Hearts gave her dear friend a pat. 


“Caper acknowledges me as his heir, now that I’ve stopped acting like a snotty showmare and have settled down.” Trixie’s voice was hoarse, raspy, and full of phlegm. “It states that I am a worthy mare of noble breeding and it acknowledges Night Light as my father.” 


There was a gasp from Night Light.


“But there’s more,” Trixie said in a hesitant voice, “conditions. There are a lot of conditions. Caper has launched a posthumous paternity suit against Night Light, which will be activated upon the reading of this will, and the lump sum of damages for failing to care for his out of wedlock daughter is to be collected, accounted for, and then I am supposed to give it to a charitable agency that aids widows and orphans. It actually says ‘widows and orphans.’ And there are more conditions as well.” 


“Caper was always a complex pony.” Twilight Velvet let out a sigh, glanced over at Dandelia, and then looked at Trixie. “Never have I ever met a pony that had such a capacity for both cruelty and kindness. He was like two sides of a coin.” 


Hearing Twilight Velvet’s words, Princess Luna choked. She sat there, all too aware that the entire room was staring at her, and she said nothing. Instead, she averted her gaze and looked down at a wind up clock sitting on Caper’s desk, trying to avoid the stares of the ponies gathered around her. 


“Trixie, do continue,” Twilight Velvet commanded. 


“The final condition is that I carry on the Lulamoon name somehow.” Trixie took a deep breath. “I’m not obligated to marry, Caper made that clear in his writing, he actually states that through my hardship and suffering, I have earned my place, my standing, and my independence as a mare. He says I am entitled to produce an heir in the same way that my deceitful, lying mother did”—she paused and looked up—“his words, not mine. But to receive my full inheritance I must produce at least one heir. It states that I am also free to just walk away.” 


“Oh.” Lemon Hearts looked a little stunned. “I suppose you’ll walk away—” 


“No.” Trixie’s monosyllabic utterance was hard spoken. “No, I’ve spent my entire life running away and trying to flee my past. If Caper is willing to make peace with me from beyond the grave, I am willing to oblige.” 


“Am I going to have a little brother or a sister?” Sumac asked. 


“Someday.” Trixie let out a sigh, looked at Lemon Hearts, and then turned to face Sumac. “Of course you’ll have some say in this, but don’t be like Pebble and think you’re in charge.” 


“I’ll be good, I promise. Honest Apple.” 


“So, I need to find a unicorn of reputable breeding that Princess Luna approves of as worthwhile stock.” Trixie’s eyes, either half open or half closed, depending upon if one was a glass is half full or glass is half empty type, remained upon Sumac. “I will also ask your opinion, Sumac.” 


Sitting off in a corner, Dandelia hung her head and remained in silence. 


“Lemon Hearts… we’re kinda in a relationship.” Trixie took a deep breath and looked Lemon Hearts in the eye. “I won’t do anything that might shake things up between us and I need to know where you stand on all of this.” Trixie’s ears drooped, then rose a little, then fell, and then rose as a hopeful look spread over her face that was as slow as the rising sun. 


“Don’t you dare throw this away because of me.” Lemon Hearts’ eyes were fierce, but also full of adoration. “I’m okay with a foal. I love them, I love them all, and having one from you would be wonderful. I just want Sumac okay with it. I don’t want him feeling like he’s being replaced. That would bug me. But he’s a pretty laid back little guy and I’m hoping he’ll be okay with this.” 


“We’ll talk more later.” Trixie gave Lemon a reassuring smile. “You, me, and Sumac.” 


“Yes, there is the matter of Sumac Apple.” Twilight Velvet cleared her throat and focused upon Sumac. “Princess Luna feels that you have been poorly treated and that you have been wronged during your stay here. She is mortified and embarrassed that her distant descendent treated you in a manner that Princess Luna feels does not befit a Lulamoon.” 


Sumac sat up straight and his ears stood up. On his horn, Boomer yawned, stretched her tail, and then went back to sleep, all without ever opening her eyes. Licking his lips, Sumac squirmed. Beside him, Twilight Sparkle leaned over a little and patted him on the neck as she looked at her mother. 


“I don’t need anything.” 


Hunching over the desk, Princess Luna stared at Sumac with wide, hopeful eyes. 


Her papers rustling, Twilight Velvet peered down at the parchment she held in her magic. “To Sumac Apple, Princess Luna offers one square acre of land that is adjacent to the Lulamoon cemetery. It is to be bequeathed to him and his future family, so that they might always have a home here.” 


“Would that make me a peasant here?” Sumac asked as he first looked at Twilight Velvet and then at Princess Luna. 


“No, Sumac, that would make you a landowner within this demesne.” Twilight Velvet looked over at Dandelia, who was now stewing in silence, a horrid scowl upon her face as she did nothing to hide her feelings on the matter. “It would make you a landed member of the gentry, which is a very big responsibility.” 


“It would also mean that your foals, when you have them, will always have a place here, as family.” Trixie bowed her head to Princess Luna and said, “Thank you for giving me a chance to keep my family together. Sumac is, now and forever, my son, and I want to provide for him.” 


“So, by having land here, it means I have to have foals to pass the land on to, and they have to have foals too.” Sumac reached out and he grabbed Twilight’s leg, then gave it a tug. “Twilight, should I do this? Or is this just a ploy to make me feel obligated?” 


Twilight, shocked by Sumac’s canniness, burst into a grin. “I do believe that Princess Luna is trying to curry a little favour with you.” Still grinning, and with a glance at the Princess of the Night, Twilight continued, “Yet, Princess Luna is no doubt being sincere and has other reasons for what she is doing. The Apples are a very influential family all over Equestria, and with this demesne being established as a historical preserve, the Apples who live here will no doubt appreciate a member of the gentry that is loyal to their interests. I suspect that Princess Luna might be trying to placate them and assure them.” 


“As a Lulamoon with a vested interest in the future of this demesne, I have to say that I approve of this arrangement.” There was a look of smug satisfaction upon Trixie’s face as she looked at her own mother, who appeared to be devastated by what was being done. 


Clearing her throat a few times, Twilight Velvet said, “Well then, I do believe that just about wraps things up—” 


“Hold,” Princess Luna commanded. “We have some final conditions to impart.” Lifting her head high, Princess Luna focused her stern, maternal gaze upon Dandelia Lion Lulamoon. “You, Dandelia, you are very much like a hostage that has fallen in love with their captor. While you can see Caper’s wrongs, you do not condemn them with your heart. You share in his wickedness, even if you do not realise it.” 


Dandelia withered under Princess Luna’s gaze, and stared down at the floor. 


“You need help, healing. You have a sickness of the mind.” The hardness in Princess Luna’s face melted away and her expression softened. “Like Us, you need help to become well again. We have also been held hostage by a great evil. We are sympathetic to your pain, your suffering, for We have endured much in the bonds of Our own captor. We too, have been tortured into madness, so much so that our judgment has become impaired in certain matters.” 


The entire room was now in pained silence while Princess Luna paused. 


A single tear rolled down Princess Luna’s cheek as she looked at her distant daughter. “It seems that this family is cursed and kept from happiness. We wish to help you, and to this end, We place a final condition. For you to keep ownership upon this demesne, you will receive help from Princess Cadance and her army of therapists, just as We have done. If you refuse to do this, you forfeit everything, and We shall give this demesne to Beatrix Lion Lulamoon, who is well upon the road to recovery and wellness.” 


Twilight struggled to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. 


“We need an answer now,” Princess Luna said to Dandelia. “Will you bow your proud neck or will you pass this fiefdom to a more deserving heir?” 


Ears drooping, looking crushed and fragile, Dandelia let out a wail of anguish as she considered Princess Luna’s ultimatum. It seemed that her voice had returned. Night Light rose from where he was sitting and went to Dandelia’s side. He touched her, but she jerked away. Since it seemed that he could not comfort her, he stood beside her chair. 


“You do not have the luxury of time.” Princess Luna’s voice was now hard again. “We need to resolve this will now. I will have your decision now or I will make the decision for you.” 


“Fine, I will take your help!” Dandelia spat. 


“You will keep a civil tone or We will silence your insufferable tongue yet again!” Princess Luna rose, her eyes blazing with fury, and she smashed one front hoof down upon the wooden desk. 


Being made only of wood, it shattered, becoming a pile of debris and splinters. The fury of the Night Princess reduced it to smithereens, leaving little behind. Princess Luna stepped over the heap of ruined wood, moved Twilight, Sumac, Trixie, and Lemon Hearts aside, and she crossed the room to where Dandelia was sitting. 


“Do not make Us regret Our moment of sympathy!” Drawing herself up to her full magnificient height, Princess Luna towered over Dandelia, who cowered in her chair. “Begone from Our sight! You are henceforth banished to your bedchambers until such a time that you can offer a sincere apology to all that are present here! BEGONE!” 


And with that, Dandelia vanished from view. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 94
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lulamoon Hollow. So far, Sumac had mixed feelings about his time in this place, he was in love with the land, he found it enchanting, beautiful, but as for Dandelia, his feelings were even more mixed up about her. He knew, in no small part due to Twilight’s teachings upon the subject, that Dandelia was a pony in need of love and forgiveness. Like Olive, Dandelia was a wounded soul in need of help. It would be easy to hate her and contribute to the problem, doing so might make him feel better, and he was ashamed to admit that he felt this way, but liking her felt like an impossible task. 


The cemetery was a fantastic place shrouded in shadow. Some might call it spooky, but Sumac found that it was a calm, peaceful place of rest, it was his sanctuary, and like the dead, he took shelter here. He could hear the soft, muted sound of Lemon Hearts murmuring something to Trixie, but try as he might, he could not make out what was being said. 


On the distant edge of the cemetery, a pair of eyes watched them, and Sumac was aware of his observer. A young draconic pegasus, a lunar pegasus, one of Princess Luna’s pegasus ponies, she stood at the edge of the boneyard with a small, bloodied lump between her front hooves. Seeing it gave Sumac the shivers and spooked him far more than the cemetery did, but he understood that the draconic pegasus ponies of the night had to eat. 


As he stood there, watching her, she picked up her kill with her teeth, spread her wings, and took off in silent flight. She was big, as far as ponies went, but small, as far as her kind went, and he guessed that she was a foal, but he couldn’t guess her age. She was pretty, he supposed, in her own terrifying way, a creature of teeth and terror. 


“Since when did they start living here?” Trixie asked Princess Luna, who walked just a few feet away. 


“Caper invited them to stay here, free of rent.” Princess Luna came to a halt and focused her attention upon the mausoleum in the center of the cemetery. “All that he asked of them was that they eat the pests that ravage the gardens, a task that their kind will most joyously do. We of course, will continue Caper’s offer to them, as this is a good sanctuary for them.” 


“It really is dark here,” Twilight Sparkle remarked. “The Canterhorn is blocking the sun right now, but I suppose that is no surprise.” In a strange mood, Twilight fell back upon the one thing that always brought comfort, facts and figures. “Of course, we’re located at the base of a mountain that rises over a mile straight up and it acts like a sundial. We’re in the sweet spot where there is always some degree of shadow from the giant sundial, leaving this place in near perpetual  darkness.” 


“Twilight, does it bother you that your parents are such close friends with Dandelia, and even now, they work to comfort her?” Princess Luna’s head turned away from the mausoleum and she focused a blank but piercing stare upon Twilight. 


“I suppose love can make a pony blind,” Twilight replied with an almost non-committal shrug. “Of course it bothers me… that mare is a horrible tribalist, a classist, and she represents everything that is wrong with the old system. I’ll be honest, I can’t even begin to understand how my mother and my father are friends with her. It kind of bothers me that as the Princess of Friendship, I don’t even want to understand how their relationship works, but I think that says a lot about the state of my biases. It leaves me troubled.” 


“Your mother, and your father, they have something that We envy and wish that We had more of.” Princess Luna’s wings fluttered against her sides and she turned her gaze down to the short, clipped grass on which she now stood. 


“And what’s that?” Twilight asked. 


Lifting her head, Princess Luna looked into Twilight Sparkle’s eyes once more. “Compassion.” 


Defensive, Twilight let out a snort. “I have compassion to spare!” Twilight shuffled on her hooves, her expression clouded over, and she began to look troubled. “I have compassion… I do… I’m the Princess of Friendship and that implies a certain level of compassion…” 


“Nopony accused you of not having compassion.” Princess Luna’s statement hung in the air like an anvil for a few seconds, and then crashed into Twilight Sparkle, who was left stunned from the impact. As the Princess of the Night stood watching, Twilight was almost reduced to a foal-like state, muttering to herself, and trying to make sense of her own behaviour. 


“That desk was so offensive and every word that came out of her mouth was insulting and that look of hatred that she gave Sumac and everything about her just irks me and rubs me the wrong way—oh stars, I’m trying to justify my own behaviour, aren’t I?” 


Princess Luna, Trixie, and Lemon Hearts all nodded. 


Sumac had a sneaking suspicion that both he and Twilight would leave this place as better ponies, if also somewhat more troubled. A change had come over his mother as well, something was different about her, but try as he might, he couldn’t put his hoof upon what it was, only that she was different somehow. 


As Trixie approached the mausoleum and the entrance to the below-ground crypts, Sumac felt his magic sense tingle in a manner most alarming. He almost cried out, panicked, worried, for a second he thought they were under attack, and as he stood there, trying to regain his senses, a tall, powerful looking figure appeared near the entrance to the mausoleum. 


It was a unicorn, a giant, with a powerful build, a long, brawny, muscular neck, and what had to be the longest horn that Sumac had ever seen upon a unicorn. It took Sumac several panicked moments to realise that he was looking at an illusion that was being projected. He scrambled from where he stood and rushed over to be closer to his mother, or mothers, as the case might be. 


“Beatrix… Trixie Lulamoon. At long last, you are great and powerful… you have ceased behaving like the whiny little disappointment that you were and you have at last embraced your true potential. You have walked a long and difficult road, a literal long and difficult road to get where you are right now. And I doubt that you would be where you are right now without me motivating you and goading you into greatness. I offer no apologies for anything I have done, you were worthless and weak, as is common for bastards and foals born out of wedlock.” 


The projected image flickered and Trixie stared at it with a hard, flinty look in her eye. 


“By standing here now, having come to this place, having endured the reading of my will, for listening to my words right now, you have proven yourself worthy of your inheritance. You are a Lulamoon, but unlike your soft, worthless, and weak mother, you have earned your standing. Earned! Just produce an heir, that is all I ask, and carry on the greatness that is the Lulamoon name.” 


Again, the image paused before it continued, “Troubled times are coming. I have seen the face of our enemy, our real enemy. He and I sized each other up, and I found him lacking. Crush him beneath you before he causes an uprising amongst the peasantry. Give a good accounting of yourself, Beatrix Lion Lulamoon, and never once show your back to our enemies, as Equestria has many. Destroy them and make them respect their betters. Show no mercy. Break their backs. If one peasant revolts, they will become emboldened. Smash our enemies and break their will. Make them grovel, it is for their own good. The peasantry, they don’t understand what we protect them from. They’re like willful foals that resist their parents, without ever knowing the danger their parents hold at bay. Save them from themselves, Beatrix, and make me proud.” 


Tears were now streaming down Trixie’s cheeks and Twilight moved to comfort her friend, her own troubles forgotten. Sumac brushed up against his mother’s leg, bothered by what he had heard. The little colt wanted to know which enemy Caper had seen face to face. 


“Beatrix… Trixie Lulamoon. At long last, you are great and powerful… you have ceased behaving like the whiny little disappointment—” 


Trixie took a step backwards, away from the mausoleum, the words went silent and the projection vanished. After a few sniffles, she continued backing away, with Lemon Hearts, Twilight, and Sumac all moving with her. The herd moved as one. Lemon Hearts looked disturbed, her raspberry eyes were glassy with tears that she struggled to hold back, while Twilight was concerned, worried for her friend. 


“Caper knew much and protected us from much, We suspect.” Princess Luna pulled the door to the mausoleum shut and it flashed for a second with her magic as she sealed it, protecting it from intrusion. “It is difficult to reconcile such a pony…” Her words trailed off and the Princess of the Night stood silent. 


“I have a question,” Sumac asked. 


“Go ahead, Sumac.” Trixie’s voice had a noticeable tremble to it, but it was clear that she longed for a distraction. 


“So, Caper died a while back, and just about the time that we went to Castle Midnight, you became a lot more powerful.” Sumac felt something niggling the back of his mind. “I’ve felt it, noticed it, and surely you’ve noticed it as well.” 


Twilight’s lips pressed together and became a thin, puckered line. 


“Magic is a finite resource,” Sumac continued, “and just after Caper’s passing, your own power grows by leaps and bounds. It’s been growing. Do you think there is a connection?” 


“I don’t know, Sumac, I just don’t know.” Trixie sat down in the grass, shivered from the cold, and pulled Sumac close. 


“That would imply that magic has a will of its own, which is reasonable I suppose, as something has to determine cutie marks and such.” Twilight’s eyes flashed with keen intelligence. “That would also imply that magic is reserving some of itself for those most capable of using it, holding itself back in reserve for the most worthy, or most capable vessels. Sumac, your hypothesis continues to grow ever more troubling.” 


“There are now two Lulamoons.” Lemon Hearts sat down beside Trixie. “That’s it, just two. By all accounts, Dandelia is also a powerful unicorn, but I wouldn’t know. Trixie on the other hoof, Twilight, because of the project, we’ve seen just how much power Trixie has brought to bear. Sumac is right, she’s getting stronger. Just think about it. And, she teleported us onto a moving train and we didn’t end up all scrambled or turned into goo. I’m not the smartest pony around, but I know my magical physics… what Trixie did was exceedingly difficult, even with help from inside the train.” 


“So, if this theory holds water, if there was just one Lulamoon, say, Trixie, she would become exponentially more powerful if she, um, ‘inherited’ her mother’s magic and was the last Lulamoon alive.” Twilight gave Trixie an apologetic pat and then fell into awkward silence. 


“But then we have to assume that magic has a reason for what it is doing, and if magic has a reason, we can deduce that magic has a plan. It has a will, a goal, an end result that it has in mind.” Lemon Hearts’ eyes focused on some nonexistent point up above her and her lower lip protruded as she slipped into deep thought. “If there is some outside force of will involved, what makes Trixie special? Why her? Why certain unicorns? What makes her different?” 


“A direct connection to Our bloodline,” Princess Luna said as she joined the conversation. “There are many within Our bloodline.” The blue alicorn’s eyes focused upon Twilight Sparkle for a time, and then she looked at Trixie. “Clearly that has something to do with it, but what?” 


“Caper was one of the most powerful unicorns alive. He was capable of slowing time in a radius around him.” Trixie took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then let it out as she said, “Once, when I was little, I watched him as he purposely tipped over a glass of water. He did something, the world went all wrong and all of the clocks began chiming throughout the house. The water flowed back into the glass and the glass set itself back upright. To this day, I still don’t know if he used his magic to put on a good show, or if he actually reversed time in a local area.” 


“He had an uncanny knack for foresight and planning.” Princess Luna glanced over the mausoleum for a second, and then returned her gaze to the group sitting in the grass. “Mine sister, Celestia, she told me that she suspected that Caper was capable of seeing timelines as they unfolded, that he would peer ahead to see the most likely outcome, and then he would hedge his bets. But Celestia could not prove that he was doing this. She claimed that Caper was as mysterious and as secretive as an oyster.” 


“Caper could light the stars,” Trixie said in a wistful voice. 


“We are possessed with an idea.” Princess Luna, moving with a swiftness born from inspiration, moved over to where Trixie sat. “Tell Us, Trixie, have you ever lit the stars?” 


“I’ve tried,” Trixie confessed. 


“Tonight,” Princess Luna said to Trixie, “Tonight all of us will test Sumac’s hypothesis. With Caper gone, we shall see if you can light the stars. It might tell us much.” She lifted her head high and a proud smile spread over Luna’s lips. “Be ready, for tonight, you will prove yourself as one of Our worthy descendants. We have a good feeling about this…” 
	
> Chapter 95
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Princess Luna was gone, with the promise to return this evening. Unsettled and unsure, Twilight was unable to collect her own thoughts to sort out everything inside of her own head. Caper’s very existence bothered her more than she cared to admit, Sumac’s hypothesis kept growing new branches, and because of this, Trixie seemed to be inheriting more than just part ownership to a demesne. Could it be possible that Trixie had inherited magic? Family magic? 


Family magic was certainly possible. The Pie family had Pie senses, Pinkie Pie had her Pinkie Sense, Maud Pie had her Maud Sense, so a common theme of magic could be continued through a family. Sumac was another fine example, as he had inherited his father’s ability for magic influenced speech. 


“Twilight?” 


Snapped from her reverie, Twilight looked down at Sumac. “What do you need, Sumac?” She watched him squirm and shuffle, then felt just a little bit afraid. He was going to ask one of those questions, she just knew it. She could feel the muscles in the back of her neck tensing in anticipation. Is this what she had done to her own mother? Twilight made a mental note to have a word with her mother and maybe, just maybe, offer an apology. 


“Who was the enemy that Caper was talking about?” 


Twilight’s tension peaked. How was she supposed to answer this? She knew, of course, but how did one explain this to a foal? A smart foal, who would no doubt ask questions and would  be unhappy with a simple answer. Or worse, offended if he felt that she was speaking down to him. She looked down at the curious little sorcerer and began to weigh her options. 


“He was talking about a pony by the name of Mister Mariner.” Twilight felt her mouth and throat go dry. The less said about this the better, but she had to give Sumac enough to satisfy his curiousity. “Recently, Mister Mariner caused a lot of problems for Equestria, and drastic steps were taken to quell what was an open rebellion.” 


“So, the peasants had to be put down?” 


“No, Sumac!” Flabbergasted, Twilight tried to think of what to say next, but came up with nothing. Twilight was all too aware about how this might sound, she was a princess, and it felt as though anything she said might sound bad. Real bad. Put on the spot, Twilight didn’t know how to deal with this situation. Twilight tried not to think about how many backs had broken, how many monopolies had been broken up, how many dangerous fortunes had been seized, and how the wealthy industrialists of Equestria now cowered in fear of the Crown, whom they had dared to threaten. Twilight wasn’t even wearing her crown, but she could feel the weight of it now, bearing down upon her head, threatening to snap her neck if she tried to hold her head up in too proud a manner. 


Mister Mariner had not been alone with his uprising. 


Twilight herself had been the one to suggest that his fortune be taken before he caused his act of rebellion, that he had grown too wealthy, too powerful, he was far too much a risk to everything she held dear. Was she just another entitled noble striking down a peasant that didn’t know their place? The thought appalled her and Twilight felt troubled. 


“I suppose this is complicated?” Sumac asked. 


“Yes, Sumac, it is very, very complicated, and I really don’t know how to explain it to you. Not just you, but anypony and everypony. I still haven’t sorted it out for myself.” Twilight felt her scalp tighten in a most uncomfortable way. Was this true? Or was she just avoiding the issue? It was impossible to tell, as Twilight couldn’t figure out what it was that she was feeling about this. 


A tiny voice in the back of Twilight’s mind suggested that Caper had the right of it. 


Feeling disgusted with the situation and herself, she focused all of her attention upon Sumac. “How would you like a magic lesson? Advanced magic. Potentially dangerous stuff. We’ll have fun together and maybe blow off a little steam. You can get to know me as your aunt.” 


“Okay.” Sumac appeared eager, but also disappointed. 


Twilight hated seeing the disappointment in his face. 




 


Even in the darkness of Lulamoon Hollow, Trixie had sunshine. Her eyes lingered upon Lemon Hearts’ sunny yellow pelt for a time, and then she looked into the lemony yellow mare’s eyes. Such wonderful, expressive eyes. Lemon had been her friend, then something a little more than a friend, and now, Trixie wasn’t sure what they had, but she treasured it. It was a deep and abiding friendship, but also so much more. 


Lemon Hearts was engaged with watching Twilight and Sumac. Spells flew fast and furious, there were pops and bangs, flashes and explosions of glittery magic, and it appeared as though both Sumac and Twilight were having a good time. Trixie watched the animated expressions upon Lemon’s face, the twitching ears, the rapid eye blinks of excitement, Trixie was thoroughly enjoying Lemon Hearts’ enjoyment. 


“Can we talk?” 


Trixie flinched at the sound of Night Light’s gentle baritone. She had been expecting this, waiting for it to happen, and fearing it a great deal. Trixie would rather be rescued by Tarnished Teapot again and suffer that indignity again rather than face the conversation that was about to happen. Being tormented by diamond dogs would be preferable to this. A Great and Powerful cringe wracked Trixie’s whole body. 


While Trixie sat there, frozen, Twilight was bombarding Sumac with magic, which he tried to shield himself from. 


“Do you want me to go?” Lemon Hearts asked. 


“No!” Trixie squeaked. 


Fearful, terrified, Trixie felt her whole body go rigid as Night Light moved closer to her. What was he doing? She needed space! Unable to move, unable to flee, she looked into Night Light’s eyes as a gibber of terror slipped out from between her lips. He was getting closer, too close for comfort now, and his dark amber eyes almost seemed luminous in the perpetual shadows of Lulamoon Hollow. 


When he touched her, Trixie felt what could only be described as an electric shock. She let out a shrill cry and was powerless to resist Night Light as he sat down in the grass, wrapped his forelegs around her, and pulled her closer. What strange magic was he using to keep her paralysed? Never in her life had Trixie wanted to run more than at that moment, but her legs wouldn’t do anything. 


The hug was very warm and Trixie’s panic was very real. 


When his foreleg wrapped around her neck and tightened, Trixie whimpered, but still couldn’t move. Overcome with fear, crushed by the gravity of her own emotions, she went limp against Night Light as her barrel began hitching. 


“I’ve waited so long to do this,” Night Light whispered into Trixie’s ear. “I wanted to be there with you when you were born, but Caper was there, and we had to keep our arrangement hidden. But I watched you grow up from afar and there were so many times I wanted to be with you. Just like this.” 


“She has trouble being loved on, sometimes.” Lemon Hearts, who sat very close, spoke with a hushed whisper. “She’s really scared right now.” 


“I know, Miss Hearts,” Night Light replied, “I know.” 


“I’m kinda good at loving others, even if they have trouble being loved.” Lemon Hearts reached out her foreleg and placed her hoof upon Trixie’s back. The effect was immediate, Trixie calmed a bit, and Lemon Hearts smiled. “I am the Cuddly and Lovable Lemon Hearts, she with the three hearts cutie mark. I can love a pony three times as much as normal.” 


“I have a fillyfriend.” Trixie’s voice was muffled and difficult to hear. “I don’t think my mother likes her, but I hope you approve.” 


Stroking Trixie’s neck, Night Light nodded. “She’s very pretty. You’ve done well for yourself. I would hold on to that one.” 


A nervous, hesitant giggle slipped out of Trixie, and she relaxed a little bit more. She settled a bit on her haunches, lifted a foreleg, and she touched Night Light with the top of her fetlock. Closing her eyes, Trixie let go and allowed herself to be swept away by the moment as she took shelter in Night Light’s paternal embrace. 


“This is nice,” Trixie murmured, and then she went silent. 


“Trixie… I do hope that, in time, you will forgive your mother.” Night Light’s words were soft spoken, fearful, and his eyes looked troubled. “I still see her as she was, and not as what she’s become. I wish… I wish that you could see her as I see her, back when she was young, back before Caper completely crushed her spirit. She was a vibrant soul, she laughed a lot, and she was always pestering Twilight Velvet to come and play. She wasn’t like us, not in the slightest, she didn’t have to work hard to get good grades to assure her future… she was the future Lady of Lulamoon Hollow.” 


Snuffling, Trixie did not reply. 


“I suppose I am blind, because I still love her a great deal,” Night Light confessed. 


“I think I understand.” Trixie’s voice was shrill, yet somehow husky, and burbled with thick phlegm. “I let Lemon get away with all kinds of sass.” 


In the distance, Sumac surprised Twilight with some crackling lightning. 


With a gesture, Night Light lured Lemon closer, and then a three way hug happened. Lemon snuggled up against Trixie’s side and rubbed her velvety cheek against the corner of Trixie’s jaw. Lemon sighed, a happy sound, closed her eyes, and melted against Trixie. Surrounded in a confusing embrace, the floodgates opened for Trixie and she wept in near silence, tears streaming down her cheeks as an all consuming sense of acceptance overtook her. 


“You’re mine now,” Night Light said in a voice filled with gravel. “You’re mine and I’m never letting go of you. We can be a family so you can be happy. And when your mother gets better, we’ll let her in and we can be a family together, all of us, and we can make up for lost time.” Night Light redoubled his grip and pulled Trixie closer. “But your mother has to get better first. I don’t want her hurting you, because I fear I might grow to hate her.” 


“Don’t give up on her,” Trixie begged, “I want us to be family again!” 




 


Her magic fizzling, Twilight looked down at Sumac, who was breathless, dizzy looking, and just a little sweaty. With her wing, she steadied him to keep him from falling over into the grass, and watched as he turned his head to have a better look at his mother. Twilight too, turned her head to have a better look at her family. Her hind legs folding at the hocks, she sat down in the grass and made herself comfortable. 


With her wing, she pulled Sumac to her side, brushed his pale wheat coloured mane out of his face, and then gave him an affectionate pat. Twilight let out a deep sigh that was starting to build up, and then with a tilt of her head, she looked down at Sumac. 


“I think your mother is happy.” 


“I dunno.” Sumac’s words held doubt. “Her mother made her pretty unhappy and some bad stuff has happened here.” 


“Yeah, but some good things have happened here too,” Twilight replied. “Trixie met her father here, and call it a hunch, but I think she likes him, and he likes her.” Twilight, who had a bad case of the warm fuzzies, pulled Sumac closer and treasured the feeling of him against her side. “He’s a pretty good dad, all things considered, and Flurry Heart tells me that he’s a pretty good grandfather.” 


“Your mom and dad, this is why they were on the train that brought me home, isn’t it?” 


“Not much gets by you, does it Sumac?” Twilight, somewhat astonished, thought about Sumac’s father, Flam. While Flam was a smart one, a certified genius, Flam was also a pony with devious cunning and wicked wit. Sumac was shaping up to be his father’s equal, which worried Twilight just a teeny, tiny bit. 


“And your mother, when she was there to help back when Trixie and I first came to town for the entrance exam—all of the pieces start to fit together as I think about them. I know my mother was being tricked into getting herself straightened out. But a lot of things make more sense now in hindsight.” Sumac took off his glasses and then began to clean the lenses from the crusted sweat droplets with a simple cantrip. 


“Parents tend to worry about their foals,” Twilight replied. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Well, the good ones anyway. Sumac, you have a vast, expansive family if you want it. All you have to do is put down roots and grow. You’ll have the Apples, but also the Pies… and all of this… I don’t know how to put it all together just yet.” 


“That’s really what I want, you know. Family. I didn’t realise it until just a little while ago, just after the wedding. I started seeing Lemon as more than just a friend. I don’t know how to put down roots, it’s hard, because I’ve spent so much time uprooted.” 


“You’re just a little Apple seed in search of a fine patch of dirt,” Twilight said, doing her best to mimic Applejack’s drawl. “For much of my family, we put down roots in Canterlot. We have a nice tower there and we’ve been there for centuries. For me, I chose to put roots down in Ponyville. That’s my home. For me and my friends, most of us anyway, our roots have grown together in the same patch of dirt, and I suppose that makes us family. You… you have a nice little acre of land here in this place, and you could put down roots here. I’m thinking that you and Pebble could snuggle your roots together—” 


“Twilight!” 


“—and be happy.” Reaching out, grinning, Twilight booped the colt on the nose. “You still have a lot of time to think about it, so don’t be in a hurry.” She took a great sense of delight in the ruddy blush of colour that could be seen on Sumac’s cheeks. “Pebble’s in a hurry to put down roots, you know, she writes—”


“Twilight!” 


“—your name down in her schoolbooks with a bunch of froopy, scroopy, loopy heart shaped scribbles!” 


“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! YOU’RE A HORRIBLE AUNT!” 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 96
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	For Twilight Sparkle, the stars were impossible things, beautiful and out of reach. Night had fallen like a shroud, a welcomed, comforting shroud, and Twilight was pleased to see that they had all come together. Even Dandelia was here, off a distance away with Twilight Velvet. Princess Luna, who had just returned, looked very much like a nervous conductor. It was time for the stars to shine and the night sky was empty. 


“Why do the stars have to be lit?” Sumac asked as he sat down at Princess Luna’s front hooves. “The stars are always there, right? Why can’t we see them? I’m dying to know.” 


Much to Twilight’s surprise, Princess Luna began to chuckle, a big full body laugh that filled the surrounding area with the sounds of princessly mirth. The Princess of the Night was happy, Twilight realised, and why shouldn’t she be? Blinking, Twilight felt her eyes watering, and the corners of her mouth twitched as her own happy smile was besieged with her emotions. 


“The stars are always shining, but you do not always see them.” Princess Luna’s reply was cryptic, and she seemed to enjoy saying it. She stood before Sumac, looking down at him and the dragon perched upon his horn. “The real power in the Lulamoon bloodline is their keen ability for illusion, a subset of the dream magic that We possess. It is a rare and powerful magic.” 


There was a sniff from Trixie, a familiar and haughty sounding sniff. “I tried to tell you, Twilight, illusion magic is far, far superiour.” 


Grinning, Twilight said nothing in reply, but she gave Trixie a warm, affectionate glance for just a second, and then returned her attention to Princess Luna. 


“But why?” Sumac asked. 


“Each star has its own magic signature… the stars are magic, but that is a complicated and involved lesson. In brief, the shining of the stars is important here. The light comes here to where we are in the form of thaumaton charged photons. These have their own charge, their own frequency, and our planet, it too, has its own frequency and magical charge. The starlight collides with the thaumasphere, the magically charged upper layers of the atmosphere.” 


Princess Luna paused to make sure that everypony had kept up with her. She looked around, smiling, and then returned her sharp, keen gaze to Sumac, who was staring up at her with a fierce, unwavering intensity. 


“The starlight, with its own magical frequency, hits the thaumasphere, which also has its own magical frequency, and the light is scattered in all directions, leaving everything looking dark. The starlight magic falls like rain upon our planet, leaving behind its own special magic, which contributes to the overall magical balance that we need for life to continue to function.” 


Tearing her eyes away from the joyful looking Alicorn of the Night, Twilight craned her head and looked upwards. Above, the unseen stars were shining, and the starlight was refracting everywhere. It was there, but it needed focusing to be seen from the ground. Twilight’s keen mind began filling in the gaps, the science withheld from Princess Luna’s words. 


“To make the stars shine, one only needs the most powerful and capable ability for illusion. Starlight carries dream magic, the very thing We need to perform our great task. With but a thought, We can fill the night sky with the illusion of stars, using the very magic that the stars themselves have to offer. Every pony that lives on the ground, or in the clouds, when they look up, they will all see the same illusion, the refocusing of starlight back into a visible form that can be seen by the eye.” 


“I think I understand about half of that.” Sumac tilted his head back and looked up at the stars. “So the stars are always there, always shining, and it is utility magic that makes them visible again. With the same sort of magic, if one could make light visible, one could also make light invisible, making the sun appear to go dark.” 


Fearful, Twilight snapped her head down and looked into Princess Luna’s face, waiting for signs of trouble, of anger, of hurt, but she saw none of these things. Luna’s smile never wavered and her happiness didn’t falter. If anything, Luna looked impressed. 


“Correct. It is possible to have a warm, pleasant night, where the sun gives its life giving heat to the world, but no visible light pierces the shroud of night. It is a simple matter of diffusing the sun’s own thaumaton charged photons and scattering them in the thaumasphere. The sun would continue to move around the world, providing heat and life, but it would not be seen until the illusion was dispelled.” 


“So Caper’s ability to light the stars, that was just illusion magic, the absolute pinnacle of illusion magic.” Trixie, sitting in the grass, looked thoughtful and perhaps just a little absent minded as she reminisced about the past. 


“The ability to manipulate dream magic is no small thing. Caper had but a mere fraction of what We are capable of. In the past, mine own offspring were gifted in magic and illusion… more so than the offspring of mine sister, Celestia. It has become a sort of good natured competition and perhaps, one day, We shall begin again.” 


And with Princess Luna’s words, Twilight knew the truth of it. Princess Celestia had needed the Elements of Harmony to level the playing field and to stand a chance against Princess Luna’s magics. In Luna’s words, other wisdom could be found, she spoke without bitterness, without anger, she spoke without regret. Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she focused upon Luna’s face. The Princess of the Night was getting better, of this there could be no doubt. Curious, Twilight wanted to know how Gosling fit into all of this, Gosling and his mysterious rubber ducky cutie mark… Gosling and the irrepressible happiness that he seemed to bring everywhere he went. 


Gosling needed to be lured into a proper laboratory and studied. With extreme science. 


“Twilight, come close and sit with your sister,” Princess Luna said in a low voice that was almost a whisper. Luna too, sat down in the grass, then began removing her crown and regalia. She tossed them into the grass in an almost careless way. “Twilight Velvet, Dandelia, come and sit with us. Dandelia, keep your tongue civil.” 


Excited, trembling, Twilight moved closer to Trixie, but wondered why Luna was having them all gather. A rough circle formed, with Sumac trapped in the middle, and excitement, like magic, crackled in the air all around him. Twilight could feel the latent magical energies of this place thrumming through her teeth. 


Dandelia, red-eyed and a little weepy, ended up between Trixie and Twilight Velvet. She looked hesitant, unsure, there was something on her face that was not often seen—fear. Perhaps sensing her mother’s discomfort, Trixie reached out and gave her mother a brief, gentle touch. The unspoken communication seemed to have a profound effect, Dandelia’s ears drooped a little, but she seemed a little more comfortable. 


“We wish that Shining Armor was here to join us,” Luna said, her voice now casual and relaxed. “Perhaps later… no matter. Gather round, so that we might touch the stars.” 


“What? How?” Twilight, confused, shook her head. “I’m not a Lulamoon.” 


“Twilight, darling, don’t be dense,” Twilight Velvet said. 


“Mom!” Blinking, the left corner of her mouth twitching, Twilight was galled by the sound of Trixie’s laughter. “Did I miss something?” 


Twilight Velvet looked into her daughter’s eyes with an intense, piercing stare. “The stars will aid in her escape.” The cryptic words were spoken in a flat, feelingless deadpan. Twilight Velvet then pointed at her own cutie mark and gave her daughter an expectant, pointed stare. 


The revelation hit Twilight the younger like a freight train loaded down with anvils and bricks. There was an actual physical sensation that felt as though the wind was knocked out of her lungs, and she struggled to breathe. Gasping, Twilight thought about her cutie mark, her own stars, and then she felt Luna’s eyes upon her. In that moment, she knew. 


“For all of you, with the exception of Sumac of course, there is the potential to light the stars. Trixie, Dandelia, you are the recognised portion of my bloodline.” Luna paused and went silent as she focused upon Twilight Velvet. “Many, many years ago, Vega Lion Lulamoon fell madly in love with a brilliant minded commoner, an astronomer that loved the stars. It caused quite a scandal and no end of controversy. A duel was fought to restore honour to the family, Vega and his brother, Alphard, they battled it out to determine who was wrong, and who was right.” 


Twilight listened with rapt attention. 


“Vega won of course, he thrashed his brother with magic and steel. His victory was costly. He had won, but had also lost. His rank, title, and everything he was, all of it was stripped from him. One might think this to be an unhappy ending, but this is where the story starts. Vega, a very vigorous member of mine bloodline, of whom We are most proud, he gave his wife fourteen foals, nine of which survived into adulthood.”


At the mention of fourteen foals, every mare present blushed and their cheeks darkened as they squirmed.


“Vega, now called Ignis Amor, was the pony—” 


“Who kicked off the entire romance period of the latter era,” Twilight Sparkle blurted out, interrupting Luna. “He wore a mask because he had been horribly burned, but his wife still loved him. Ignis Amor was the champion of romantic love and it is because of him that we ponies today marry for love. An entire new era happened because of him!” 


Nodding, Luna smiled. “Yes.” 


“And we’re related?” Twilight asked as she looked at Trixie. 


Again, Luna nodded. 


“So that makes us related.” Twilight went still and silent as her brain overloaded. 


“And the stars aided me in mine escape, freeing me from Nightmare Moon.” Luna’s words were a subdued whisper and she closed her eyes for a second as her emotion overtook her. “I was redeemed and made whole by mine own offspring, and what colourful, interesting lives they had. I thought I would be happier not knowing, but We… but I, was mistaken.” 


Twilight Velvet had the most fantastic smirk upon her face as she looked at her daughter. 


Sumac, rubbing his neck with the back of his fetlock, sat in the middle of the circle of mares, looking thoughtful and contemplative. On his horn, Boomer appeared to be half awake, and her glittering, curious yellow eyes went from pony to pony as she studied the world around her, taking everything in, and trying to learn from it. A short distance away, Lemon Hearts and Night Light were speaking together in hushed whispers, so the circle would not be interrupted. 


“And now, we gather together as one family...” Luna’s words were husky and there was a faint crack in her voice as she spoke the word ‘family.’ She looked around her at the ponies gathered in the circle, ponies so very much like her. “Just as I once did with mine own offspring so long ago… and it has been such a very long time since I last foaled…” Luna’s words trailed off and she let out a bittersweet sigh before she was able to continue, “But as it was long ago… gather close, my precious ones, and I shall teach you how to light the stars.” 


A single tear rolled down Luna’s cheek as she smiled. 


Twilight Sparkle felt an immense amount of magic building, it was like a rumble within the earth, but then she became aware of other magic, not the magic that came from the ley lines, but the magic that rained down from above, the magic from the stars, she felt it as it permeated her being. The first time awareness of something new felt very much like the first time she had successfully cast a spell, Twilight’s eyes betrayed her, and tears began to trickle down from the wrinkled corners where her eyelids met. 


“I’m feeling kinda weird!” Trixie’s words were a worried, almost foalish whine. 


“It is just the sensation of new magic, do not be afraid.” Luna’s maternal voice held warmth and wonder. “Who else feels it?” 


“I do,” Twilight replied. 


Trembling, Trixie nodded. “I feel it.” 


“I feel nothing,” Dandelia confessed. 


Twilight Velvet, who had her eyes closed, whispered the words, “I feel peculiar.” 


“Dandelia, clear your troubled mind and think only of the stars,” Luna commanded. “Remember that I love you and that you are worthy.” 


In the middle of the circle, surrounded by magical giants, Sumac cowered, overcome by his magic sense. Unable to speak, hardly able to move, he sat in one spot, transfixed, trying to deal with sensation overload as his sorcerer’s magic sense tuned into something new, and discovered another source of magic that it could tap into. Such was the nature of a sorcerer—infinite adaptation to any readily available source of magic. Unknown to those who formed the circle, Sumac was changing, being reshaped, repurposed by the raw magical energies being focused. 


“I feel something!” Dandelia’s voice was excited, happy, almost foalish, and she let out a squeal. 


“Now, pay attention, my precious ones, and I shall light the first star this night, so that you might know how it is done. Attune to my magic and listen to the lullabye of the stars.” As Luna spoke, the circle of mares gathered with her shivered and trembled. 


The ear of every mare present perked and several gasped. Fuzzy ears now twitched in time to the music that few could hear. The chorus of billions of stars, each with its own voice, each with its own resonant frequency, each star unique. So swept up in the moment were the gathered mares that they didn’t notice that Sumac also appeared to be hearing something. 


The colt’s mouth fell open and he murmured the words, “Black star, come come again,” as he swayed in time to music that only he could hear, terrible music, the choir of those who lived beyond the stars. There were terrible, unspeakable things beyond the stars, the banished entities of old, the devourers of civilisation—and Sumac’s magic sense had felt their magic intermingled with the magic of starlight. 


With a jerk, Twilight felt the intrusion, but it was Luna who reacted. A glittering blue shield sprang into existence around the group as Luna lept to her hooves, spread her wings, and let out a fierce cry. Now cut off from the magic of the stars, Sumac’s eyes rolled back into his head and he fell over into a limp heap. 


Trixie screamed. 
	
> Chapter 97
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Her heart caught in her throat, her breath going in and out in almost overheated pants, Twilight Sparkle stood by, helpless as Princess Luna continued her examination. For the lack of anything better to do, Twilight pulled Trixie closer, and the two of them huddled together, worried, fearful, and impatient. 


Pushing herself away from Twilight Velvet, huffing just a little, Dandelia moved forwards until she was inches away from Princess Luna. She stood there, hesitant, but also resolute. “Allow me.” 


Eyebrow arching, Princess Luna stepped back, bowed her head, and got out of the way. As the princess retreated, Dandelia took over and right away she placed her ear upon Sumac’s barrel. She listened for a moment, her horn glowing, and the colour of her magic changed to match the ever-changing colour of her eyes, which could not make up their mind which colour they wanted to be at the moment. 


“Give me room!” Dandelia snapped. “I’m feeling too pressured! I need space!” 


Twilight, who understood, pulled Trixie back with her, but Trixie did not want to go, and it took some effort. Twilight felt immense magical power being brought to bear, mental magic, illusion magic, and much to her fear and surprise, mind control magic. Something tingled in the very air of Lulamoon Hollow, and then, Trixie screamed again. 


Dandelia’s eyes blazed with the forbidden fires of dark magic. A dreadful purple-green mist drifted away from her eyes, which were still changing colour, hideous, unpleasant colours, like blood red, bruise green, and bile yellow. Much to Twilight’s surprise, Princess Luna remained impassive and did not seem concerned, or even surprised. The overall effect of the situation as a whole was disconcerting. 


The dark magic vanished with a crackle and Dandelia lifted her head, her teeth gritted, and there was a fierce, ferocious gleam in her eyes as she engaged whatever held Sumac ensorceled. A container popped into existence near Dandelia’s head, which she opened, and began pouring the contents onto the grass around Sumac. 


Twilight realised that it was salt, which left her curious and filled with a million questions, such as, ‘why salt?’ Just looking at Dandelia made Twilight’s eyes burn, and she realised that she was looking at what had to be forbidden magic of a questionable nature. How had Dandelia learned this? Where had she learned this? 


Conjuring a pin, Dandelia pricked her own frog, drawing blood, and then she pricked Sumac’s frog to draw his blood. With fine, precise magical control, she collected both blood droplets, merged them together, and then flicked the blood onto the salt circle. A noxious green mist rose from where the blood splattered, and Princess Luna took another step backwards. 


“What is she doing?” Twilight asked. 


“What we’ve all done to hide our lies,” Twilight Velvet responded. “She’s trying to conceal Sumac and make him non-detectable. Or at least harder to detect.” 


“I don’t understand.” Twilight looked at her mother with wide, pleading eyes. 


“No, you wouldn’t.” Twilight Velvet turned away from her daughter, looking hurt. “You’re far too honest and lies do not come natural to you. Now hush, and let Dandy Lion do her work.” 


With a nod, Twilight let the issue drop, but there would be questions later. She watched Dandelia with a keen eye as the canny older mare continued her task. Many spells flew and Twilight couldn’t tell what half of them were, they were new to her and unknown. Many made her skin crawl. This was powerful illusion magic, the magic of deceit, of lies. 


“Fetch me a dusk apple, do it now! I can’t seem to conjure one of the slippery little things!” 


Night Light darted off to fetch the apple that Dandelia needed, and the spells continued. Twilight looked over at Trixie, who was watching everything, fearful, panicked, and panting. Sitting down in the grass, Twilight pulled her friend down with her, and then wrapped a wing around her. The shadows all around them seemed like living things now, they moved in unnatural ways, dancing, flickering, animated in odd, peculiar ways. Twilight could see things moving in the corners of her eyes, but when she went to look at them, they were gone. 


Coming to a skidding halt, Night Light returned with a dusk apple, which Dandelia snatched up in her telekinesis. The apple was crushed, the pulp and juice collected, held, and then some strange magic happened. The resulting liquid was poured into Sumac’s mouth, which caused a strange reaction; Sumac became transparent, see through, and had a strange, dusky glow to him. 


Dandelia had turned him into a shade. 


The curious reaction was temporary though, as Sumac became solid and real again. The dusky glow persisted though, and Twilight could feel all of the hair along her neck and spine standing up. The air around her was permeated with wrongness. Princess Luna lowered her head as Sumac began to stir, and the salt circle around Sumac ignited. It burned away with vile, sickly looking green flames that burned the eye to look at them. 


Dandelia retreated, stumbled, and was caught by Night Light, who lowered her down into the grass. With her magic, Princess Luna lifted Sumac up into the air and held him, looking at his face, watching him for hopeful signs as he woke up. 


The colt yawned, and Twilight had to restrain Trixie to keep her from lunging forwards. 


“I heard a most wonderful song,” Sumac said as he stretched and then yawned once more. “It was like a lullaby. There was some creepy music at first, but then there was good music that made it go away. What happened?” 


“You were dreaming… did you see who was singing to you?” Princess Luna asked. 


“A shadow,” Sumac replied, “he was just a shadow. He had a nice voice, and he sang to me. His outline was like a goat. He made the other shadows go away and he was kind.” 


Princess Luna’s lips puckered into a tight, pinched line. 


“He sang so sweetly… it made me want to sleep. It felt good.” Sumac shook his head, yawned, and then looked Luna in the eye. “Was I dreaming?” 


“Yes, Sumac, it was just a dream.” Princess Luna’s voice was a flat deadpan. 


“I’m tired, and I want to go back to sleep. It’s late.” 


Turning to look at Trixie for a moment, Princess Luna then returned her attention to Sumac and there was no trace of emotion or expression upon her face. “Come Trixie, and let us take this one to bed. I wish to sing to him a real lullaby, because I cannot be upstaged by some fantastical, bleating goat.” 


Trixie was only all too happy to go. 




 


Unsettled, uncertain, Twilight stared at her parents, who were fretting over Dandelia. The funny thing was, Dandelia looked older somehow, as if she had aged. She looked weary, tired, and exhausted. Black circles were visible beneath Dandelia’s eyes, which were also sunken. 


“Drink this tea,” Twilight Velvet said to Dandelia, “it’ll help.” 


Twilight wanted to know what was going on, but now didn’t seem to be the time for answers. Hearing the sound of hooves, Twilight turned to see Princess Luna entering the dining area, but Trixie was absent. Twilight knew where Trixie had to be. Of course, Luna looked cool as a cucumber, and something about her placid expression made Twilight furious. 


“What did you do, Dandelia?” Princess Luna asked. 


Night Light stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at Luna. “We’ve hid ourselves from the watchful eyes of alicorns and many others with a great degree of success, so hiding ourselves from an eldritch goat isn’t much different.” 


“So you have,” Luna deadpanned. “Caper still found out though.” 


With a sour expression, Night Light snorted, but said nothing in return. 


“It was him, wasn’t it?” Twilight Velvet’s voice was worried and panicky. “The same dark force that attacked Tarnished Teapot—twice—and has sought to dominate the minds of many. He’s in the dream realm now?” 


“He has been for quite some time.” Luna’s words held no trace of emotion or warmth. 


“I suppose there is a plan of some sort in place?” Dandelia asked as she hunched over her teacup. 


“There has been for a very long time,” Twilight replied. “I would say more, but you know, Crown secrets and all.” 


“I’m guessing that Princess Celestia foresaw this coming, or at least had some precognitive foreknowledge about this situation.” Anger flashed in Dandelia’s exhausted eyes and she focused a hard, prideful stare upon Twilight. “This disgusting little goat has dared to lay magic upon my grandson… we Lulamoons have killed for less.” 


“Mine sister did indeed, see this coming, along with Twilight Velvet, who has a canny knack for discerning the tangled weave of destiny.” Princess Luna sat down upon a low to the ground cushioned stool and made herself comfortable as Lemon Hearts fetched a cup of tea for her. She offered Lemon a nod of thanks and continued, “After much debate, it was determined that Trixie would be an ideal guardian and protector. There was much subterfuge and carefully chosen words said. We exploited the ruse that many might be angry with Sumac for the sins of his father and mother. Trixie’s travelling about allowed for a certain level of equine incognito.” 


“Still, Sumac being a sorcerer was a surprise to us, and we weren’t expecting that.” Twilight watched as Lemon Hearts sat down beside her and set down two plates with slices of chocolate cake, one of which Twilight took. “Thanks, Lemon.” 


“Don’t mention it.” 


“The plan has held though, and Sumac has come to know his many protectors. He met Lemon Hearts early on, just as expected. She stepped in right after a confrontation with Olive, and exploited the situation to earn Sumac’s trust.” 


“Don’t say exploit, I don’t like it, it makes me feel guilty.” 


“Sorry, Lemon.” 


“Look, I love Sumac. I love Trixie a great deal. I know what is expected of me, and a part of me feels bad for all of this high-level trickery. I don’t want to exploit Sumac or take advantage of him in any way. I have no desire to exploit him as a sorcerer. And when you carelessly say that I exploited the situation, it stabs me right in my heart, Twilight.” 


“Look, Lemon, I said I was sorry, okay?” Twilight’s ears drooped. “It was a poor choice of words. There was an ideal situation and you did all of the right things during your first meeting to gain Sumac’s implicit trust in you.” 


“That’s better.” Lemon Hearts squinted at Twilight for a few seconds, then took a bite of chocolate cake. She licked chocolate frosting from her lips, and with a mouthful of cake, she added, “I’m too honest of a pony for all of this sneaky stuff.” 


“I knew a sorceress once,” Luna said in a soft voice as she began to tell a story. “By the time I had come to meet her, life had been fantastically cruel to her. I understand that she was bright, some even said clever, but she wasn’t that way when I met her. The wizard that had come into her ownership did bad things to her, like so many others, but he didn’t need her mind, just her sorcerous talent.” 


A funerary silence fell over the room. 


“He was mad with power and he fought to keep her when I and my guard arrived to make him answer for his many crimes. We captured him, alive, and we put him through a very public trial. When everything was said and done, I collected his head with my axe. I struck with such force and such terrific anger that I clove the stump in two. In the end, the feeble minded mare was left with Clover the Clever, who was very kind and gentle with her.” 


There was an audible gulp from Twilight. 


“Sorcerers are powerful assets,” Luna continued. “While they typically have some power on their own, their real talent lies in making others stronger. Word about Sumac will spread, the secret is out, and more and more will rush to exploit him, as is always the case with sorcerers. Some will come with good intentions, and others, like Grogar, they will care nothing for Sumac’s mind, or his charm, or his great wit, they will only want the power he has to offer. His free will, it will be an obstacle to those who wish to control him, and many will seek to remove it so that he might be controlled.” 


“I will do what I can from this place,” Dandelia said. “I have many resources here and I am now the Lady of Lulamoon Hollow. Give me free reign to use whatever magic I see fit, and I will aid the Crown in whatever way I can. We Lulamoons have always been loyal, always.” 


Luna’s eyebrow arched. “We shall talk later, Dandelia.” 


Shaking her head, Lemon Hearts licked her lips again and said, “I can’t help but feel that things are only going to get worse from here. I’m glad we have Twinkleshine now to help us. I just wish I wasn’t so useless in a fight.” 


“Just keep Trixie and Sumac’s spirits up,” Twilight replied, “and keep doing whatever it is that you are doing to keep them happy, because I think it’s working.” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 98
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The kitchen was quiet, deserted, and everypony had gone to bed, save one who was troubled. Princess Luna had returned to Canterlot and Twilight Sparkle was alone in the kitchen, unable to sleep, her mind filled with far too many thoughts. Events were spiraling out of control, even as things seemed to be getting better. Ponyville had been attacked. Much of Equestria was still in shambles from the actions of Mister Mariner. There was a sorcerer to look after. 


And now this. 


Sighing, Twilight looked down at the scroll laying on the table in front of her. Spike had coughed it up a few hours ago and the contents frightened Twilight a great deal. Still in a state of disbelief and shock, Twilight lifted up the parchment scroll and read it again, her eyes lingering upon Celestia’s fine, looping script, and she was somewhat comforted by the familiar sight. 


There has been a prison break. Catrina is believed to be responsible. Many dangerous criminals have escaped, including Flim, Flam, and Belladonna. Tell Trixie, as she needs to know, but do not tell Sumac, as he does not need to worry. This information is to be kept from him at all costs. C.


Rolling up the scroll, Twilight set it down upon the table. She had worried about this happening, and she had insisted that the prison in question get more guards, but as Twilight thought about it, if Catrina was responsible, more guards wouldn’t have done much good. Most of the active guard had gone to the southern expanses to deal with harpy incursions. 


There just wasn’t enough protection to go around, and now it seemed, the enemy had found some much needed reinforcements, just as she had anticipated. An entire prison of dangerous unicorns, now emptied of its hazardous residents. The job of doing good just became a little bit more difficult, and Twilight found it taxing to lift her flagging spirit on her own. She needed her friends and their reassurance. She found herself missing Pinkie Pie’s laughter the most at this moment.


Twilight found it funny how she had once second guessed so many of Celestia’s choices, wondering why her mentor made the choices she did, many decisions that Twilight had felt were foolish. Now, now she understood. After learning many hard lessons, Twilight now had a far greater appreciation for Celestia’s caution, wisdom, and optimism. More and more, Twilight found her own methods coming into alignment with Celestia’s, but she also had her own sense for doing things. 


Sitting in the dim, dark kitchen, Twilight realised that she was becoming the leader that her mentor had hoped that she would be. She thought of her many successes, and also of some of her biggest failures, such as banishing Tarnish. Looking back, it seemed so obvious that she was under the influence, but everything was clearer when viewed with hindsight. She had owned her mistake though, made it right, she had grown, and now, Tarnish was one of her closest allies, one of her most valued associates, one of her strongest supporters, and a fast friend. If there was trouble, he was there, right along with the rest of her friends. 


If only she could get Tarnish and Starlight to stop bickering. Twilight honestly did not understand why those two just couldn’t let things go and deal with one another for the sake of the greater good. There was too much at stake for squabbling and bickering. It was frustrating having to deal with the two of them and their constant, never ending feud. 


Again, Twilight had more appreciation for her mentor, who no doubt had to deal with many petty squabbles amongst her favoured movers and shakers. How Celestia managed to do it with so much grace and aplomb mystified Twilight. She crushed the scroll down into a tiny wad, and then vanished it with her magic. 


“Twilight?” 


The sorcerer himself. Twilight’s ears perked up and she looked at Sumac, who stood in the entryway. His glasses were askew, his mane was messy, and he shivered, no doubt feeling the cold after being in a warm bed. He was cute in the way that all foals were cute, and oh so very vulnerable. 


“I had bad dreams… falling… I’m thirsty.” 


Twilight responded with effortless ease. Her magic pulled out two glasses, she fetched some milk from the fridge, and there was chocolate powder in the cupboard. A spoon was pulled from a drawer, and everything was set down on the table in front of her. She began making chocolate milk and thought of Discord. 


“Can I have something to eat?” 


In silence, Twilight pulled out the remains of the chocolate cake, two plates, and two forks. Cake had everything a growing foal needed; grains, eggs, complex proteins, complex carbohydrates, it was perfect, or so Twilight’s sense of logic told her. There was about a third of the cake left and Twilight cut that third in half so she could split it with Sumac. She watched as Sumac climbed up into the chair across from her. He was so little, so fragile looking. As far as five year olds went, Sumac was on the smaller side, and Trixie had said that he was a runner, even with his short, stumpy legs. 


She began making chocolate milk and was all too aware of the fact that Sumac was watching her every move. He was curious, too curious, he in fact, had a dangerous level of curiousity typically not found in most ponies, a curiousity aided by bravery. Ponies, by and large, tended to investigate things in groups, approaching the unknown as a unified whole. But not Sumac. 


No, he was like a dangerous subset of ponies that Twilight knew, individuals, independent thinkers that had abandoned herd-think to make their own observations, ponies like Maud Pie. Maud had later been joined by Tarnish, and Tarnish was an individual due to circumstance, not necessarily by choice. A.K. Yearling was quite solitary in nature, but she had discovered the value of companionship with Tarnish and Rainbow Dash. Vinyl Scratch had eschewed traditional thought and value regarding magic, and was forging her own way, uncertain as it was. 


Vinyl was creating a whole new school of thought as far as magic went, with her emotive evocations. Vinyl used music to alter her mood, she used her mood to alter her magic, and she used her magic to alter her music. Twilight wanted to know more, but there just hadn’t been time to ask. 


“You’re quiet.” 


Twilight blinked as she pulled the spoon out of the glass of chocolate milk and passed it to Sumac, along with a slice of cake. “I suppose I am, Sumac. How are you feeling? I’ve been worried. That was quite a scare, earlier.” 


“I feel fine,” Sumac replied as he accepted his food and drink, “thank you.” 


Feeling a strange new sense of affection, Twilight watched as the colt sipped his chocolate milk, being careful not to spill any. He was so cautious, so careful… he was mindful. Sumac was expressive, thoughtful, and kind, when he wasn’t being aggressive. These were all things that mattered a great deal to Twilight, they were meaningful things, treasured things—they were things that she would miss if they were somehow stolen away from Sumac. 


Twilight thought of Luna’s story about the sorceress and felt her anger kindle with an uncomfortable heat. The bases of her ears burned and the underside of her wings felt a bit too warm for comfort. Sumac was more than a battery, more than a mere focusing device, Sumac was… her nephew. Well, in a sense. He was her half-sister’s adopted son, but her nephew if one just swept away the confusing complications. 


“How’s your head, Sumac? Where you bumped it when you fell?” 


“Itchy.” Sumac licked the chocolate milk from his upper lip and armed himself with a long, silver fork so that he might eat his cake. 


Twilight, who noticed things, who had a tendency to catalogue everything she observed, could not help but notice that he held his fork off to his left side with his telekinesis. It was one of his many quirks that she found so endearing, so meaningful. It was like Fluttershy’s soft smile, Rainbow Dash’s scratchy voice, or Rarity’s constant craving for theatrical drama. Pinkie Pie had her laughter and her irrepressible cheerfulness without end. 


And then there was Applejack and her wisdom. Twilight knew that she depended on that a great deal. Applejack had sensible, practical solutions, and could see things in a way that Twilight just couldn’t. Applejack covered Twilight’s blindspots. It had been Applejack who had come up with so much of the plan involving Sumac. 


“Ready to go home, Sumac?” 


“Yeah.” Sumac nodded. “I miss Pebble.” He crammed a forkful of chocolate cake into his mouth and began chewing, his little cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. 


As she watched him eating, Twilight realised that she wanted to watch him grow. She wanted to see him develop, she wanted to know how he turned out. Meeting him, getting to know him, it was like reading the first book in a series. She had to know how his story turned out. A growing sense of worry plagued the back of her mind. 


It was at that moment that Twilight truly understood a small part of what it meant to be Celestia—she got to see how so many stories ended. She got to read a book, to watch a life, from beginning to end. She got to see the many plot twists, unknowns, and shocking turnabouts. Sumac was a very precious book to her… and Twilight knew that in turn, she was a very precious book to her mentor, Celestia. She understood now more than ever why Celestia had such a vested interest in helping so many. 


If the book ended too soon, the story was over. That was it. Each life was a story that could only be read once, and after that, all one had left was the memories of the story itself. Every life, every story, was sacred. Twilight felt her body begin to tremble as the full weight of her revelation settled into her mind. 


There were so many important questions… would Sumac end up with Pebble? What career would he choose? What kind of big brother might he be? Would he live long enough to have all of these questions resolved. Twilight’s worry became a frantic, caged animal in the back of her mind, and she thought to herself, Am I having a Celestia moment? 


“I’ll be taking you home soon,” Twilight said to Sumac, “and you’ll be able to see Pebble. School will continue. The routine will resume and everything will be fine. Moondancer is looking forwards to spending time with you and I know that Vinyl has some plans for you.” 


“One time,” Sumac said to Twilight after he swallowed, “Trixie and I were travelling on the road. We were heading north, going up along the west coast.” Sumac paused, took a drink of chocolate milk, swallowed, and continued, “One day, a feral storm blew in off of the ocean, and there was lots of lightning, and everything got real scary. I don’t remember how old I was.” 


Filled with anticipation, Twilight waited, as she loved a good story. 


“The lightning hit the trees and in no time at all, everything was on fire. All around us, the woods were burning, the wild animals were all running, trying to get away, and everything got real scary. I started crying, because I thought I was gonna die. I didn’t want to burn to death. It was hot and real hard to breathe.” 


Twilight could feel sweat trickling down the back of her scalp. 


“And Trixie told me that everything would be okay, because she was the Great and Powerful Trixie. She cast a spell on me, on the wagon, and on herself. She had to carry me, because I was so scared that I couldn’t keep walking. Somehow, we walked through the flames, and we did not burn. I can remember being in the middle of the fire as it burned on both sides of the road. I can remember the fire touching me, but not burning me.” 


“That sounds pretty scary, Sumac.” 


“It was hot, it was miserable, it was awful, but everything was okay. We walked through the fire and we didn’t burn… because she really was the Great and Powerful Trixie. She kept telling me that everything was going to be okay and that I would be fine.” Sumac, ears drooping, took another drink of chocolate milk. 


Twilight waited, wondering if Sumac was going somewhere with this. 


“Right now, it feels like it did back then,” Sumac said, continuing, “everything's on fire, everything is scary, it feels like I couldn’t possibly get through everything that is going on.” The colt paused and licked the edge of his glass of chocolate milk, cleaning away a few fat droplets. “I’m probably going to get really scared at some point, and then I’ll have to be carried. But there is one thing I know that makes everything a little better.” 


“And what’s that, Sumac?” 


“I have a Great and Powerful Mama.” 
	
> Chapter 99
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





And now we return to the main story in progress…



 


As Sumac Apple struggled to recover from long distance teleportation, his woozy mind informed him that they had never had a chance to light the stars together. Dizzy, his vision blurred over, he heard many hooves and a number of voices all talking at once. Too many voices all at once, and he couldn’t make out what was being said. Neither could Twilight, it seemed. 


“Just hold on!” Twilight commanded. 


The voices fell silent and Sumac blinked to clear his vision. He heard Boomer let out a yawn, and he supposed that sleeping through a portal gem jump had to make things easier. As his legs wobbled, he felt Lemon Hearts steady him, and he was thankful. All in all, Sumac prefered walking, or maybe the train. 


“Twilight, there are some major emergencies that need to be dealt with… now.” Moondancer placed a firm emphasis upon the word ‘now’ that was unmistakable. “You left without much warning on an unscheduled trip and now we have multiple situations.” 


“Stuff just happens, Moondancer… besides, how bad could things be? I was only gone a few days.” Twilight scowled and shook her head. “It’s like everything falls apart if I’m not here to run things, or something.” 


“One of the many unintended consequences of Starlight Glimmer’s equality movement has arrived in the flesh, begging for our help. Twilight, you need to come right away—” 


Moondancer’s words were cut off as she, Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, and several others just vanished. Sumac, curious, wondered what was going on. He looked around and found that Trixie was gone too, leaving him alone with Lemon Hearts, who let out a sigh. As he looked up, he gave her an expectant look, wondering if she was about to say something. 


“When they need a cup of tea, they’ll summon me,” she said to Sumac with a smile. “It feels like crisis mode has become the norm. Now that it is the norm, I’m kinda scared of what an actual crisis might be like. I’m going to take a shower, you, don’t wander off. I’ll take you to see Pebble in just a bit.” 


“So now I have to be watched?” Sumac asked. 


“Well,” Lemon replied, “uh, I don’t know for certain. I wasn’t any given specific instructions on what to do. I hope you’re not upset.” 


“Seems fair.” Sumac shrugged and then was surprised when Boomer lept from his horn to Lemon’s. “I think Boomer wants a shower.” 


“You know, Sumac, you might want to think about one yourself. Just saying. Be mindful of that stapled spot on your head though. If Trixie has to bathe you, you’re gonna smell girly.” Lemon Hearts waited, perhaps to let her words sink in, and she smiled. “We’ve talked, she and I, and we’re going to go out and shop for the girliest liquid soaps we can find and we’re gonna wash you until you start washing yourself. I thought I’d give you a heads up.” 


Sumac felt his blood run cold as he listened to Lemon Hearts’ words of pure, premeditated evil. Ears drooping, he looked up at Lemon, wondering how anypony who claimed to love somepony else could do such a horrible, awful act. It was as incomprehensible as it was terrible. 


“Now, remember, lots of shampoo and when you’re done, rinse well, and then use lots of conditioner. If you don’t condition, you’ll get tangles and mats in your pelt, and that makes it harder to brush. Mats are most common in your leg pits and places where your pelt rubs against itself, and as a colt, you need to pay special attention to this advice, hint hint.” 


Gulping, Sumac quailed from Lemon’s advice and took a few steps backwards. Lemon was clearly having mom-thoughts, and this unnerved him. He didn’t like this development at all. She was thinking about him as a colt and telling him what to do. Overwhelmed, Sumac’s brain attempted a disconnect and he suffered from a case of the stupids, as any five year old was wont to do. 


“Oh please,” Lemon Hearts said as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t stand there looking at me like that. I’ve scrubbed you all over and I’ve been there with Trixie as she’s scrubbed you all over—” 


Sumac began to scream in an internal fashion.


“—so I don’t understand what the big deal is. Bathing is best done together, it’s a good way to socialise, build trust, and honestly, Sumac, it is no different than swimming together or walking outside in a rainstorm together, if showering is your thing.” 


The internal screaming intensified a great deal.


“Such a silly colt… now, go and shower!” 







“Hmm, that’s a handsome colt in the mirror.” Sumac stood on his hind legs, balanced atop a stool, leaning against a sink, which was cold against his belly. He admired his green eyes and he blinked a few times at himself, wondering if perhaps his eyelashes were a little too long. His cream coloured pelt seemed a little darker, or maybe it was just because he was wet. 


He couldn’t help but think that his coat colour was almost the same colour as Apple Bloom’s, and his mane and tail was almost a perfect match with Applejack’s. He could see the family resemblance. And in no way was he beige, as Discord had suggested. 


As he began to brush his teeth, he thought about how difficult this had been for him just a year ago. His telekinesis was getting better, stronger, and a good deal more accurate. His telekinesis wasn’t his biggest concern though; his magic sense was getting stronger too, perhaps a bit too strong, and it had reached the point where he was starting to worry. 


Even now he could feel it, a buzzy sensation, Twilight’s castle was magic, and while the feeling wasn’t unpleasant, Sumac knew that it would become annoying after a while. It wasn’t like this before going to Lulamoon Hollow. Sumac realised that his magic was maturing, or at least beginning the long journey of doing so. As he brushed his teeth, he thought about all of the different types of maturity that he would have to face in his life; emotional, magical, physical, and that really icky maturity that lead to the ability to make foals of his own. One day, he was going to want to touch Pebble in a very grown up sort of way and he was going to want her to touch him back. Ick. He wasn’t looking forward to any form of maturity, at least, not at the moment. 


Mouth still full of foam, he began shaping his mane, sweeping it upward, and using a bit of magic that Vinyl had taught him. After a few attempts, he had himself a passable mohawk, which would survive right to the point where Trixie saw it. Lemon thought it was ‘cute,’ which it wasn’t, not at all, it was ‘rugged’ and ‘tough.’ Trixie would smooth it out the moment she saw it though, because she wanted him to look ‘respectable.’ 


It was his mane and he felt that he should have a say in how it looked. 


As he began spitting out his toothpaste suds, he wondered if he could change his mane colour in the same way that Vinyl changed hers… 




 


Holding his waxed cardboard juice box, Sumac stared up at Twinkleshine, trying to read her face, and she looked down at him. She had seemed a little surprised that he had said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when asking for a drink. The colt wasn’t quite sure how to take that, maybe she wasn’t expecting that from him, or maybe she had been around some rude ponies. It was hard to tell. 


“You are free to roam during the daylight hours,” Twinkleshine said to Sumac. “Stay in the open and don’t go wandering out of town. The cemetery is allowed, of course. If you suspect trouble, call for help.” 


Sumac nodded as he slurped his apple juice through the narrow little straw that he had between his lips. He was glad that things were almost normal. As he sat there, looking up at Twinkleshine, he watched as her horn ignited and then he felt a curious sensation along his scalp. In all of about three seconds, he had a smoothed out mane, slicked back between his ears, and perfect, no doubt, by Twinkleshine’s standards. 


“Looked like your mane hadn’t been combed at all. What a mess. You need to comb that when you get out of the shower. With the way it was sticking up, ponies might’ve started calling you Cock-A-Doodle-Doo the Rooster. You’re a unicorn, Sumac, and simple grooming isn’t hard for us. We don’t need to brush our pelts or comb our manes… we just need a basic cantrip. It’s so simple that it isn’t considered a real spell. Where other ponies can take hours to get well groomed, or have to go to the spa, we can be done in mere moments.” 


Slurp. Sometimes it was better to stay silent. 


“We unicorns have an obligation to help others. Our magic makes so many common tasks and chores easier. There are so many things that we can do with no real effort on our parts, but it would take a pegasus pony or an earth pony a serious investment in time and energy. As unicorns, we also have an obligation to respect the earth pony way, if requested, and we must never push our magic upon others in such a way that they are left diminished.” 


It was right then and there that Sumac realised that Twinkleshine had something different to teach him than magic. He was certain there was a word for it, but he didn’t know what that word was. She was teaching him that though, whatever it was. 


“The worst thing that a unicorn can do, Sumac, is hoard their magic and only use it for themselves. It is intolerable and unconscionable. If unicorns start doing that again, I have no doubts that the windigos will come back, or something worse.” Twinkleshine’s tail began swishing around and her eyes narrowed. “Never be lazy with your magic, Sumac, or there will be words between us.” 


“Right.” Sumac blinked a few times and then decided that Twinkleshine was not a good pony, she was a great pony, and he liked her. She had her head screwed on right and her advice felt right to him. “I’ll listen to what you have to say, and follow any advice you have to offer, Twinkleshine, but you also have to teach me magic.” 


“Fair enough.” Twinkleshine gave Sumac a nod. “I specialise in pacification spells and I really started training hard after the changeling invasion. I was caught off guard once… and never again will I allow that to happen. I’ll be happy to start teaching you. I think you can be trusted to learn a few dangerous spells, given your situation.” 


Intrigued, Sumac nodded. “I’m gonna go see Pebble… thanks!” 




 


Ponyville was already returning to normal. Many houses had been rebuilt, magic had hurried up the process a whole lot, they only needed some finishing and some furnishing to be livable. Overhead, the weather team was doing cloudbusting drills, training to tackle any dangerous feral storms that might come blowing in. The air was cold, there was a real nip now, and autumn was transitioning into winter. 


Near Sugarcube Corner, he spotted Wormwood, Gloomy, and Silver Lining as they were going in the door. He veered away from the crowd and cut around the back of Sugarcube Corner, avoiding the traffic. It felt good to be out and about again, walking, and seeing the world. Directly overhead, a pegasus mare flew with two small foals just behind her, and Sumac smiled as he watched the flight lesson in progress. 


Around the fountain, a group of foals were pronking as they played together. Sumac watched them as they passed, and he felt conflicted. A part of him wanted to play as well, but he also wanted to see Pebble. Social interactions had rules, rituals, there were hidden complexities, and Sumac didn’t know them. A faint feeling of anxiety hovered upon the edge of Sumac’s consciousness as he thought about how difficult it was to go and play with other foals his own age. 


Octavia called it introversion and had told him that he cared more about the rules, situations, and the social interactions than the others did—they just wanted play. The thought was difficult to understand for him. To play, to engage, to interact without knowing the rules, without knowing what was acceptable… it was unnerving to even think about and Sumac wanted nothing to do with it.


Yet, he found that he still wanted to play, which puzzled him.
> Chapter 100
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There seemed to be some kind of commotion at the timeworn house at the edge of town, and Sumac could hear raised voices as he approached. He picked up his pace, kept his eyes peeled, and wondered if there was danger. Ears perking, he tried to hear what was being said, trying to get some sense of what was going on—and then he heard the sounds of laughter. 


“Bad puppy!” 


“Tarnish, that is not a puppy.” 


Coming around the hedge, Sumac saw it, and his mouth dropped open in terror. The biggest timber wolf he had ever seen, it was enormous, and it seemed to have blue poison joke flowers growing inside of him. Right away, his brain began an urgent telegraph to his legs, sending pulses through his nerves, and telling him that it was time to run. 


“Grrrr, no! Bad puppy!” Tarnish shouted. 


“BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” 


When the timber wolf the size of a grizzly bear lunged at him, Sumac scrammed. His legs, though short, moved with incredible speed, and the little colt took off like one of his mother’s rockets that could make things go away. Heart thumping, legs pumping, Sumac ran as though there was a ginormous grizzly bear sized timber wolf just behind him. 


“Grrrr! How could you!” Pebble cried. 


There was real panic in Tarnish’s voice as he took off at a gallop after Grrrr. “Princess Celestia is going to have Cloudy work me over with a spoon again and it’ll be your fault, Grrrr! This is why I don’t let you out to play!” 


Sumac didn’t get very far, he was snatched up in some bright blue magic and wrapped in a shield bubble. He found himself staring at Pinny, who looked a little out of sorts, and who could blame her? There was a elephantanic sized timber wolf on the loose. Pinny’s eyes were narrowed and she looked dangerous as she raised her hoof and pointed. 


“BAD!” As Pinny barked out the word, Grrrr came to a skidding halt in front of her, trying not to run her over and make things worse on himself. “FOR SHAME!” The words dropped the monstrous plant creature as if he had been poleaxed, and he rolled over to show the dominant mare his belly in supplication. 


“You done messed up, Grrrr!” Tarnish too, came to a skidding halt on the gravel-strewn road and there was something that was almost a smile upon his face. There was a flash of light, Grrrr vanished, and in his place there was a curious looking ball of roots. With an apologetic nod, Tarnish tried to appease his mother. “Sorry.” 


“I never get to play with my puppy.” Sighing, Pebble sat down in the sparse grass, which had started turning brown. 


“Pebble, I’m sorry, baby.” Tarnish slumped and his ears drooped. 


“He’s a menace—” 


“Mother, don’t say that.” 


“Pebble, don’t sass your mother.” 


“Octavia, my mother sasses me.” 


“Well, she had to squeeze your big head out of her backside, so she’s earned that right.” 


“Well, how do I earn the right to sass her back?” 


“Pebble, squeeze a big Pebble-sized head out of your backside—” 


“Mother… ugh.” 


“—when you are older, of course. Otherwise, Daddy and Iggy will have fits.” 


“Hi, Sumac.” Pinny gave Sumac a little tickle with her magic, and the colt let out an involuntary giggle. Smiling, Pinny put Sumac down, dusted him off, and straightened out his glasses for him. “We were just having a talk about how our family is going to grow in the future and Pebble got a little upset that she doesn’t have a say in things and so Tarnish thought it would be a brilliant idea to let Pebble play with Grrrr to make her feel better.” 


“I see.” Sumac stood there, trying to still his thumping heart. 


“We were trying to explain to Pebble about the finer points of the wonder and magic that is the creation of life, and that ponies can love one another without loving one another.” Octavia looked down at Pebble, then up at Tarnish. “And I suppose, in a sense, we were trying to sort out our family situation to make Pebble feel better.” 


“Did I come at a bad time?” Sumac asked. 


“I missed you,” Pebble blurted out, and right away she began to blush a darker shade of chocolate. She went silent, aware that every adult present was staring at her, and she began to squirm where she sat. “Stop looking at me, I can feel your eyes.” 


“You know, sometimes, this family needs to step back and think about just how weird they are.” Pinny shook her head, went forwards, scooped up Pebble, and before Pebble could protest or freak out about being lifted, plopped Pebble down upon her back. She did the same to Sumac, dropping him just behind Pebble, and then turned to face both Tarnish and Maud. “We’re going bowling. Which is normal.” 


Saying nothing else, the extremely long legged mare strode away with the two foals on her back, whistling as she departed. She moved with an easy grace, having effortless strides, and she did nothing to jostle Sumac or Pebble. Pebble, turning around just a bit, waved goodbye to her parents and Octavia. 


“I demand that somepony explain to me what normal is.” Maud blinked once, and with a slow turn of her head, she looked at her husband. “Or maybe you can tell me just how weird I am. Pebble is going off with her grandmother. We finally have some time for ourselves. Come on, Tarnish, tell me how weird I am, in detail.” 


“Well, to start with, you want me to tell you just how weird you are,” Tarnish began. 




 


The bowling alley had a bit of a crowd, but it wasn’t too bad. It was dark in here, but also well lit, at least in some spots, it was noisy, but also quiet, and the smell of delicious food teased Sumac’s nose. Much to his surprise, Pinny didn’t have to pay anything, and many ponies waved at her. In the back of his mind, Sumac began to worry just a little tiny bit, because he had never bowled before. 


“Oh look, bumpers,” Pebble said as they approached a lane. 


“What?” Sumac looked around, not sure what to expect. 


“Bumpers. Inflatable bumpers to keep the ball from falling into the gutter.” 


Oh. Sumac looked at what Pebble was pointing it, the blue tubes along each side of the bowling lane. He was so distracted that he became a little startled when Pinny plopped him down into a shiny, slick plastic chair, and then Pebble was dropped beside him. Saying nothing, Pebble hugged him from the side, and gave him a squeeze. 


“No score, we’re just bowling for fun. Pebble, show him how it’s done with your own special style.” Pinny sat down and levitated over three bowling balls. She gave Pebble a blue one, kept a green one for herself, and offered a bright pink one to Sumac, which she then plunked down in the ball return. 


With remarkable enthusiasm, Pebble lept from her chair, bounced around on two legs a bit, and lifted up the bright blue ball from the ball return. Then, much to Sumac’s surprise, she balanced the bowling ball on the top of her muzzle, along her nasal bridge. She pranced forwards, keeping the ball balanced, and then with a toss of her head, she sent the ball rolling down the lane in slow motion with a dramatic, thunderous sound. 


Sumac waited, filled with anticipation, not knowing what was going to happen next as the ball crept down the lane towards the pins. After several long seconds, there was a crash as the ball collided with the first pin in the triangle and plowed through the rest. When it was all said and done, most of the pins were knocked down, but two pins on the left and one pin on the right remained. 


“Pebble, you have to be the most consistent bowler I have ever seen,” Pinny said, offering sincere praise. “It’s always the same pins with every shot. Watch, Sumac, those two pins on the left are going down and Pebble always leaves the pin on the right standing up.” 


The automated return spat out Pebble’s ball, she reared up on two legs, retrieved it, balanced it upon her nose again, and then sent it rolling down the alley, heading towards the two pins in an unerring manner. Once again, Sumac waited, watching, intrigued by what he saw. He also found something appealing about Pebble’s sense of balance, how she moved on two legs or four, and the way she could balance what looked like a heavy bowling ball on her muzzle. 


Crack! The two pins went down and Pinny began clopping her hooves together. 


“Your turn, Sumac. You’re allowed to use your magic to send the ball down the lane, but you have to let go. No spells to guide the ball. Play fair. Or I won’t buy you any food.” Pinny smiled and made an encouraging gesture with her hoof for Sumac to get up and bowl. “Don’t be nervous, shy, or scared. Just try it, and Pebble and I will help you get better.” 


As Sumac hopped down, Pebble climbed up. He went to the automated return, lifted up the bright pink ball with soft pink swirls, and pointed himself at the pins, which were now reset. He was certain that he could send the ball hurling down the lane like a cannonball, but he didn’t think that was a good idea. Not knowing how much force to apply was a fascinating problem, and it engaged his mind, as he realised that this was a good way to fine-tune his telekinesis. 


With a grunt of effort, he lobbed the ball, which arced a bit too high and made a loud BONK as it crashed into the lane. Sumac cringed, squeezing one eye shut, but squinting out of the other to see what was going to happen next. The ball veered to the right a bit as it thundered down the lane, producing a terrific sound that Sumac found that he liked. Something about it was exciting. 


It grazed the first pin, causing it to wobble a bit before it tipped over, and then knocked over the pins along the outer edge. He saw five lights flash and filled with a dreadful sense of apprehension, he then turned to face Pinny, so that he might see her reaction. Much to his relief, he saw that she was smiling, there was a merry twinkle in her eye, and she seemed pleased. 


He stood there, now wide-eyed and jubilant.


“Not bad, you knocked down five pins total. One, three, six, ten, and nine.” Pinny’s head bobbed and her smile broadened. “You did just fine, Sumac.” She turned her attention to Pebble and asked, “Didn’t he, Pebble?” 


Pebble nodded. 


There was a loud clunk from the automated return and Sumac saw that his bright pink ball was back from its long and fascinating journey to wherever it went beyond the wall behind the pins. Sumac imagined that it had to be a very magical place back there, a hidden land full of wonder and marvellous mechanical contraptions. 


Grinning, he tried again and this time, aimed a little more to the left. He also didn’t lob his ball in such a high arc, but shoved it more in the direction of where he wanted it to go. There was a delightful crash, then more rolling thunder, the sound of the big, heavy bowling ball on polished wood, and then there was a terrific crash as it slammed into the pins with a solid impact. 


He knocked down two pins. Feeling a little disappointed, Sumac wondered what he had done wrong. Turning about, he faced Pinny, hoping for some advice. Nervous, he pranced around on his hooves while Pinny studied the situation with a critical eye. Pinny was a bowler pony, so she had to be some kind of an expert, surely she would have something useful to say. 


“Four and seven down, and somehow you missed number two. Weird stuff happens in bowling. Not a bad first attempt.” Pinny got up so that she could take her turn, and with a gentle nudge, she pushed Sumac out of the way, eager for her own chance. She patted the colt on the rump to hurry him to his chair. 


Sumac, confused, waited for the explanation on what he had done wrong, and how to fix it, but it didn’t seem forthcoming. Some kind of criticism of some sort, or even a stern critique, but there was nothing. Just a kind pat on the hind end and nothing. This felt wrong, Sumac needed understanding, he needed it explained to him, he needed to know the mechanics of how this worked, just like he needed to understand all of the important stuff about magic so he could be a better wizard. 


But there was nothing. Confused, he saw that Pebble was holding out her foreleg to help him climb up into his chair. He took it, grateful for the assistance, and she pulled him up with her earth pony strength. There was something about Pebble, something different, something off, and Sumac realised after a detailed analysis of the situation, what it was. 


Pebble was happy. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 101
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Several days later…



 


All around him, Sumac could not help but feel a growing sense of panic, but he didn’t understand what was going on. School had resumed and everypony was busy trying to act as though everything was normal, and that might have worked on most foals, but Sumac was not most foals. The worry, the panic, the fear, it left behind short nerves and even shorter tempers. Things had been so harried and frantic that he hadn’t even been getting his lessons with Moondancer, and that was one of the many ways that Sumac knew that something was wrong. 


There were rumours all around the castle that Twilight was hiding an alicorn—a male alicorn no less—and when Sumac asked about it, he was either ignored or told to be quiet about it. Sumac, who felt the tension building, felt as though everything was going to pop soon, like a blister filled with too much pus. 


It was late afternoon, with the day’s classes over, and Sumac was watching Spike playing with Boomer, trying to teach her new words and bribing her with gem flakes. Sumac was feeling sulky, a little out of sorts, and somewhere down in the depths, a temper tantrum was lurking, just waiting for an excuse to be let out. 


Pebble was there with him, her nose buried in a large, heavy looking cookbook, Pastries For Perfectionists. Sumac was aware that Pebble had returned to wanting to be a chef when she grew up, and she didn’t care that she didn’t have a cooking cutie mark. Neither did her grandmother, who made the world’s most delicious rock hard fudge. 


“Everypony is so busy,” Sumac said, giving voice to his feelings. “Even Vinyl. It’s like nopony has time for me anymore. I only see Lemon because she’s my teacher in the mornings and then she’s gone all afternoon and then if I’m lucky I see her at night before bed.” 


“That’s just how it is,” Pebble replied, her nose still buried in her book. “My father is right there with them while they’re doing whatever it is they are doing. I know he is getting fed up with being around Starlight. He can’t stand her.” Turning a page, Pebble continued committing the book to memory, reading each line several times until it stuck. 


“Nopony will tell me what Starlight did that was so bad. I know that she messed up…” Sumac reached up, scratched his neck, and looked over at Spike. “But she’s helping Olive and Olive isn’t so bad now. Plus, I like Starlight.” 


“I like you, so there is no accounting for tastes,” Pebble deadpanned. 


Eyebrow arching, Sumac wasn’t sure if he liked this new Pebble, this new Pebble that showed her feelings a little more, this new Pebble that zinged him. Staring at her made him forget what he was thinking, and instead, he started to think about the softness of her body, the way her ears moved, and her distinctive chocolate colour. 


No other pony save her father had it. 


He really liked Pebble’s ears. They were dark chocolate on the outside, but on the inside, while still chocolate on the edge, there was a hint of pinkish-brown that could be seen, but you had to be looking for it. It was easier to see when one was closer. Getting closer was the difficult part, as Sumac needed some sort of excuse or justification for doing so. 


“Ahuizotl,” Boomer said as Spike held up a flash card. 


“Slowly making our way through the alphabet.” Spike waved the card around in front of Boomer’s face, trying to make sure that she remembered. “Ahuizotl… say it again.” 


“Ahuizotl.” When Spike held out a gem flake, Boomer snatched it out of his claws and gobbled it down. 


Watching as Boomer ate her well deserved reward, Sumac, who was feeling rather bored, allowed different thoughts to tumble around in his brain, hoping that something worth talking about would surface. Behind his glasses, his green eyes were vacant, he was still unsettled, and the temper tantrum sent up a few bubbles to let Sumac know that it was just waiting for a reason. 


“Pebble, now that we’re special someponies, can we talk about anything?” 


“I suppose,” Pebble replied, hesitant and still absorbed in her book. 


“So… anything…” Sumac drew in a deep breath and said his next words with great care. “Pebble, I was wondering, do you ever get that weird feeling in your butt when it feels like you’re going to need to poop, but you’re not going to need to poop right away, but the feeling is there, and it makes you worried, and you don’t really want to go off and do anything because poop is coming soon and your butt feels weird?” 


“Poop?” Boomer asked, her tail slashing at the air. 


“No,” Spike shook his head as he replied, “no, we haven’t reached that part of the alphabet yet.” 


Closing her book, Pebble inhaled, held it, let it out in a slow, methodical manner, inhaled again, held it, and then let it out as she said, “Stunning… just stunning. Sumac, you have an I.Q. that is twice that of room temperature… and this is the sort of brilliant stuff you have to say.” 


“That doesn’t answer my question.” Squirming in his seat, Sumac waited, hoping that Pebble would indulge him. 


Closing her eyes, Pebble began to rub her temple with one hoof and in a low whisper she replied, “Yes, Sumac, I do feel that way sometimes. I think many ponies do. It feels like soreness and it hurts to sit down.” 


“Yep.” Sumac nodded. 


“You know, Sumac, I spoke out of turn.” 


“You did?” 


“I did.” 


“How?” 


“You put into words a common, shared experience that I think everypony goes through and it gives us all something in common that we can relate to. We don’t want to leave the house when there is poop coming. We just want to be left alone so we can wait for it to happen.” Opening her eyes, Pebble looked at Sumac and she drank him in as she stared at him. “I was being snobby again, wasn’t I?” 


“Maybe just a little.” Sumac, like any colt who had a very pretty filly staring at him, began to wiggle in his seat and found a reason to look away. After a few furtive glances around the room, he looked at Boomer and felt a warm, brotherly sense of affection for her that was enjoyable and safe, compared to what he felt when he looked at Pebble when she was looking back at him. 


Just as Sumac was about to say more, the door to the room opened and Twilight came bursting in, followed by Trixie, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, Vinyl, Moondancer, and some unicorn that Sumac didn’t know. There were far too many eyes on him at the moment, and he began to feel uncomfortable. 


“Sumac, I am in need of your powers as a sorcerer.” Twilight turned to look at Pebble and said, “You as well, Pebble. I have need of your talent.” Twilight, fidgeting in place, looking very tired but also very nervous, licked her lips and gave her back half a shake. “A lot is going on right now. I assure you that the two of you will be very, very safe, and that no harm or danger will be present. I don’t want another repeat of Castle Midnight if I can help it.” 


“No danger?” Sumac felt relieved, but also very worried, and his stomach began doing flip flops. He was supposed to have been kept safe in Castle Midnight, but things had gone sideways in a hurry. Then again, he made it home unharmed. 


“What needs to be done?” Pebble asked, getting right down to business. 


“I need Sumac’s sorcerous talent to power up your ability to talk to rocks,” Twilight replied as the corner of her eye twitched in a most alarming manner. “We’ve found a vault. Centaur steel. Something we’ve been looking for might be inside of it. I want you to ask the stone chamber what the passphrase is for the vault door, so that we might open it.” 


“And what’s inside?” Pebble’s eyes narrowed. 


“We think it might be a Moochick artifact, but we’re not sure which one. Some very old records hint that his staff might be located in the vault we’ve found, and if that’s the case, we need to get it before Catrina does. And we need to move now. Now that the vault location is known, it is only a matter of time before Catrina also knows about it. She finds out about everything we do and we’re not sure how or why. It is like she has ears everywhere, but that shouldn’t be possible.” 


“That’s pretty smart.” Pebble’s eyes locked onto Twilight’s and fierce determination could be seen upon the filly’s face. “Using my talent to find out an old passphrase and using Sumac’s magic to make it stronger and more focused. Rocks have secrets, but they tend to be too stupid to say much of anything.” 


“I’ll do it,” Sumac said to Twilight, “but there is something I want.” 


“And that is?” Twilight asked. 


“Are you really hiding an alicorn in your castle?” Even as he spoke, he could see the corner of Twilight’s eye twitching and her whole body jerked. The colt’s natural curiousity burned like a flame, so much so that it almost scorched him. It wasn’t enough to know he wanted to see as well. There was so much that could be learned by seeing. 


Twilight looked around at her advisors, meeting their eyes each in turn, and her eyes lingered the longest on Moondancer. The two seemed to be engaged in some silent communication, there was eyebrow raising, an amazing sight with Moondancer, there were squints, flared nostrils, and for Twilight, wing flaps. 


After much silence, Moondancer revealed much by saying, “Twilight, he was going to find out anyway… you wanted to use his talent to examine our guest.” 


The corners of her mouth jerking up and down, Twilight turned away from Moondancer and looked down at Sumac where he was sitting. “There is something that looks like an alicorn in my castle. He came to me for help and he is currently my guest. He’s very, very sick, Sumac, and I want to help him. And yes”—Twilight gave Moondancer a sidelong glance—“I was going to ask you to help me.” 


“I’ll go,” Sumac said, and as he spoke there was a relieved huff from both Trixie and Lemon Hearts. 


“I’m going too,” Twinkleshine said in a gruff voice. 


“That’s not necessary—” 


“Twilight, as Sumac and Pebble’s security advisor, I decide what is necessary.” 


“But the vault is safe. Cleared out.” Twilight turned her whole body to face her friend. 


“And if Catrina comes, we’re going to have a fight on our hooves. It’s my job to buy you time if that happens so that you can make a clean escape.” Twinkleshine gave Twilight a grim, smirking smile. “Come on, Twi… we both know that in the long run, Sumac and Pebble’s lives are more important than mine. This goes beyond friendship.” 


Twilight’s reply sounded very strained. “You’re a good friend, Twinkleshine. I was a fool to neglect you for so long.” Her face still twitching, Twilight looked around at her friends, and then her expression became one of extreme fatigue “I need the rest of you to stay here, keep an eye on Ponyville, and look after our guest. See that he is comfortable. Lemon, he likes you, see if you can make him feel better.” 


“Can do, Boss.” Lemon Hearts made a clumsy attempt at a salute and smiled. “I’ll give him the tea treatment, Boss.” 


“Very good, Lemon.” Twilight nodded in approval. “Trixie, Moondancer, while I am gone, the two of you are in charge. I like the way the two of you run things. Vinyl, keep trying to figure out how Catrina is listening to everything we do. This is of the utmost importance.” 


“Trixie and I will keep everything running smooth as silk, Boss.” Moondancer looked at Trixie, smiled in a manner most reassuring, and then looked at Twilight once more. “Ponyville will be as you left it, barring uncontrollable circumstances.” 


“Twinkleshine, fetch your axe, and then you’re with me.” Twilight looked at her faithful assistant. “Spike, you just keep doing what you’re doing. Boomer is going to need a dragonsitter.” 


“Right.” Spike raised his claws in salute. 


“Pebble, Sumac, be ready to go. We’re leaving in just a few minutes.” Twilight let out a weary, exhausted sounding sigh. “Thank you so much, both of you, for making this easier on me. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I owe both of you a big favour.” 


“Uh, Boss…” 


“Yes Lemon?” 


“The zap apple tincture, Boss… don’t forget it.” 


“Lemon…” 


“Yes, Boss?” 


“Would you please be a dear and go and fetch some zap apple tincture for me?” 


“Sure thing, Boss!” 


And with that, Lemon Hearts pronked out of the room, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 102
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	By the feel of it, this had to be the longest portal gem jump ever. Sumac, his mind ablaze with a dose of zap apple tincture, began to sort through relevant data even as he felt as though he might puke at any second. He now knew how a piece of fruit in a milkshake sucked through a straw felt. Clawed hands grabbed him, which made him panic at first, but they were gentle and there to help. 


Sumac looked up and saw a large, pudgy dragon looking down at him. The dragon was maybe two yardsticks tall, but Sumac, in his disoriented and panicked state, thought it looked much, much larger. There was all too much to take in; Twinkleshine’s enormous silver axe, the long distance jump with its ill effects, and a dragon. Sumac went limp and almost tossed his cookies. 


“We’ve kept the site secure, Princess Twilight,” A gravel-filled, raspy voice said. 


“And we’ve checked, it’s safe and secure from end to end,” another voice added. “We’ve removed any dangerous automatons. It’s amazing that they’re still functioning after all these years. Just watch out for the steam generators, those are still functioning and there are some leaks.” 


“You’ve been very helpful.” Twilight somehow managed to pull herself together even as her companions were still recovering. Twilight, who hadn’t slept in a while, who was in dire need of rest, Twilight somehow managed to keep going, and going. 


“Dragon Lady Ember sends her regards.” 


Pebble, also held by a very helpful dragon, shook her head and tried to pull herself together. She gagged a bit, coughed, wiggled all four of her legs around, and then said, “This date has started off a bit rough.” 


“Date?” Twinkleshine asked. 


“Sumac and I have been on several,” Pebble replied. 


“We have?” Sumac had another log added to the fire and now his brain was in danger of overheating. “I-I-I don’t recall going on a date.” 


“Boys,” Pebble breathed as she pulled herself together. “This is clearly a date and Twilight and Twinkleshine are our chaperones.” 


“I—” Sumac’s mouth closed and his teeth clicked together. At this point, it was better to remain silent. He couldn’t think of anything in recent memory that might be considered a date, nothing at all, but he was almost certain that Pebble would bring up their first date at some point, and without knowing what it was, Sumac knew that he was doomed. 


Life just wasn’t fair sometimes. 


With a somewhat rough but affectionate pat on the back, Sumac was put down on the ground once more and given a nudge to keep him upright. Twinkleshine’s glittering axe hovered in the air nearby and Twilight was looking at a cave entrance in the side of a mountain. They were all standing on a ledge, which Sumac discovered was several hundred feet up from the ground below. Terrified of heights, he backed into Twinkleshine and clung to her leg, seeking reassurance. All of a sudden, he liked Twinkleshine a whole lot, she was a fantastic pony, and her leg was really soft. 


“Want an escort to the vault?” one of the dragons asked, a female by the sound of her voice. 


“If you wouldn’t mind,” Twilight replied. 


“Groovy. My name is Char-Lotta. You can call me Char. I am one of Dragon Lady Ember’s assistants.” Char smiled, revealing black, jagged teeth, and the aquamarine dragoness folded her wings behind her back in preparation for going underground. “Ember is thinking of sending me to Canterlot to be a diplomat because I’m pony-curious. Know any nice stallions I might be able to get a date with?” 


“I’m sorry, no.” Twilight shook her head while looking bewildered, and even in her disoriented state, she acted like a polite, soft-spoken princess. “I’m sure you’ll be able to find somepony who is dragon-curious though.” 


“Far out.” Char gestured at the cave entrance. “Like, let’s go spelunking. There’s some neat stuff in here that I think you’ll really dig seeing.” 




 


The cave opened up into a passage that had been smashed into and the rubble was still strewn about. The little colt was careful to step over the rocks and he paused when he saw the pile of scrap metal on the floor. That had to be an automaton, he had read about them in a book and his enhanced intelligence put two and two together right away. The remains had been slashed and smashed into junk. He gulped as he looked at it. 


Lights flickered, strange lights that burned in globes along the walls. The passage went in two directions, and the group went to the left. As he began to follow, Sumac wondered what was off to the right. On the walls, on the ceiling, conduits crackled and some leaked steam, which he was mindful of, as he did not wish to be scalded. 


“The automated factory down in the bottom of this place is still running thousands of years later,” Char said as she lead the way. “The supplies ran out, it just needs some kind of liquid metal in the reservoirs, but the automated machinery is still trying to stamp out mass produced helmets, armor plates, and spearheads. It’s pretty amazing. Ember plans to study it so we can industrialise and make stuff of our own.” 


“What is this place?” Twinkleshine asked. 


“A place to wait out the end of the world, from what we’ve been able to gather,” Char replied as she dropped down to all fours to avoid hitting her head. “Some of the old machinery is starting to break down, there is an automated potion making machine of some sort and the steam valve broke. I think we’ll be able to fix it. There are research labs here and down in the depths there is an old orrery and planetarium that shows a big black star.” 


Twilight choked and began coughing as she stumbled down the hallway. 


There were more automatons on the floor and Sumac was worried that one of their shiny metal hands might try to grab his legs as he stepped over them. He stayed close to Pebble and Twinkleshine, fearful, not trusting the junk on the floor to stay still. A severed metal head with green crystal eyes stared up at him as he passed, and the little colt shivered. 


“Like, Princess Twilight, there is an automaton making factory down below, it’s still running, but it like, ran out of supplies like metal, gemstones, and stuff. You might want to have a look at it sometime. Dragon Lady Ember says it still has magic to power up automatons. We fought with hundreds of those things down below and we had to slag them. They don’t taste good if you eat them.” 


The group came to a halt in a four way intersection and Char went to the right. This hallway showed signs of terrible violence, the walls were blackened, there was metal junk all over the floor, and most of the lights had been shattered, which made Sumac sad. His brain was smart enough to tell him that some of these lights had burned for thousands of years, they were made to last, and recent violence had made them go dark forever. He doubted that this sort of technology existed anymore, and once it was gone, it was gone. 


“My father really hates automatons,” Pebble remarked as they made their way down the hall. “I’ve heard him talking about them. He’s killed a lot of them and I know that one of them tried to choke Octavia to death once. Nopony will talk to me or tell me stories about what happened though. I’m stuck eavesdropping.” 


“Pebble, your father bravely went into a very dark place, and with your mother, Octavia, and Vinyl, they put an end to a great evil. Maybe when you’re older they’ll tell you more.” Twilight had to step around a pile of bodies stacked up like cordwood and the darkened gemstone eyes held no light in them. 


The hallway opened up a bit into an artificial gallery, a kind of nexus were several hallways came together. There were words written on the wall, words that Sumac could not read or understand, and arrows pointing in various directions. Jacked up on zap apple tincture, he was observant enough to notice that Twilight was staring at the signs with strange words in a strange language, and Sumac suspected that Twilight knew how to read them. It was a hunch, but it was a strong one. 


Char was now walking on two legs again, and she did so with relative ease. Sumac marvelled at how she moved, her grace, her balance, the way that her tail acted as a counterbalance to allow her to remain upright. Twilight’s horn ignited, filling the vast gallery with more light, and the alicorn came to an abrupt halt. 


Craning his head back, Sumac looked up to see whatever it was that had made Twilight stop with such suddenness. Above him, there was an enormous mural on the ceiling, made with thousands and thousands of tiny tiles. There was a massive centaur, black, kind of scary looking, but Sumac couldn’t say why he was scary looking. Both of his hands were held up and floating just above the palm of his right hand was an alicorn wreathed in fire, or maybe magic. Above the left hand was a black starburst shape, highly stylised, and it trailed fire as though it was coming down from the heavens. 


Strange, unreadable words could be made out over the centaur’s head and in the centaur’s eyes, Sumac discovered that there were tiny versions of the alicorn and the black star. The mural on the ceiling was perhaps the greatest thing that Sumac had ever seen, and he had to sit down, as he could no longer keep standing. He felt Pebble press up against him and without thinking about it, he grabbed her fetlock with his own. 


“They knew so much,” Twilight whispered, “and tried so hard to prepare.” 


“What’s with the black star, Twilight?” Twinkleshine asked. 


“It was an engine of corruption, like a plague-ridden body catapulted over a city wall to cause contagion during a siege,” Twilight replied in a hushed, almost reverent whisper. “It brought with it the corruption of all things… it was processed, rendered, and made into a crown for Grogar. Tarnish destroyed the crown and removed the black star from the world, but the corruption remains.” 


“Right… the whole poison joke thing.” Twinkleshine grabbed both Sumac and Pebble with her foreleg and pulled them closer to her as she sat down. 


“The shadow the falling star cast upon our world as it descended went bad and coalesced into a form of malignant, sentient evil.” Twilight, who had the attention of everyone present, shared a bit of what she knew. “That shadow developed its own will, of a sort, and would become the Rainbow of Darkness. I learned of this only recently. There is a lot we don’t know. And this might not even be true, but it feels true to me.” 


“There is like, so much at stake.” Char’s tail coiled up around her as she too, looked overhead. “Ember is like, super worried, because she likes living and she has big plans for our future. All of this is like, such a buzzkill and she gets super-moody about it. Torch never had plans for our future… he was like, all stupid and stuff, and did whatever.” 


“If Grogar wins, none of us has a future.” Twinkleshine gave both Pebble and Sumac a squeeze. “Everything we know will be smothered in darkness and die. We can’t let that happen.” 


“I won’t let that happen,” Twilight said, her voice now fierce and gritty. “I gave Tirek the beatdown he deserved and Grogar will be no different. I have powerful friends now… heroes have gathered… Equestria has capable protectors. We have to win… we have to. There is just too much at stake. If we lose, the world goes dark.” 


Sumac felt Pebble clinging to him and he was thankful for Twinkleshine’s embrace. Above him, the centaur no longer looked scary, not at all, but sad, as if he was perhaps uncertain about the future. In one hand, he held all of his hopes and dreams, and in the other, death and destruction, both of which were reflected in his eyes, the window to his soul.


Perhaps he was wrong, but Sumac felt as though the centaur was offering the viewer a choice; in one hand, life, in the other, death. A keen and curious notion filled his mind and he thought about the alicorns he knew, how they acted, how they were, and after thinking about this for a time, he peeled his eyes away from the mural above to have a look at Twilight, who had tears running down her cheeks. She looked so very tired and Sumac felt bad for her. 


“We have to keep fighting until we win,” Twilight whispered as the light from her horn dimmed. 
	
> Chapter 103
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	They were going down, deeper and deeper into the mountain, round and round a circular ramp into the depths. Sumac was beginning to feel claustrophobic, but he didn’t say anything, as it didn’t feel right to complain. Pebble didn’t seem bothered by it, but she was also an earth pony. The air was stale down here, and something smelled bad. One of the air vents they passed was covered in strange, glowing fungal growths that shone with an unhealthy, diseased looking bioluminescence. 


Sumac couldn’t help but notice that Twinkleshine’s axe also glowed, it was hard to see in well lit areas, but in dim or darker areas, a faint silvery glow was noticeable and when Sumac focused upon the weapon of almost comical size, it made his magic sense tingle. The double bitted axe was two crescent moons mounted on a haft, with the curved parts of the moon against the shaft and the pointy bits facing outward. It was a terrifying weapon and Sumac hoped that he would never see it in use. 


Heads would roll in all directions. 


“Like, I love little ponies, especially the young, they’re all fuzzy and stuff… and I just want to pick them up and squeeze them and hug them and stroke them and squish them ‘till they pop…” 


Gulping, Sumac tried to pull the reins back on his imagination, but it was too late and his brain treated him to a nighttime horror show review. In the end, when he popped, his head went shooting off like a bottlerocket. The colt shivered and tried not to think about how dark and spooky it was, or that he was trapped underground with a very huggy dragon filled with what was sure to be murderous affection. 


“Mammals are amazing… they like... have hair… and mammary glands… and they’re like all soft and stuff, and they die if they are dipped into lava. They’re so fragile and weak… and I like feeling all big and protective when I’m around them. Protecting little squishy, hairy things… it’s like, hoarding without all of the greed and unpleasantness and that weird little ache that you get in your soul that makes you mean and what to chomp things. Chomping things is like, so rude and I once had to punch Garble right in the snoot because he chomped my tail.”  


And now, as they descended down the circular ramp, Sumac imagined himself being boiled alive in lava, which wasn’t very pleasant. He now understood the appeal when other foals played that silly, stupid game, ‘the floor is lava!’ The game didn’t make much sense, as if the floor was lava hot enough to melt a foal, it would also melt couches, tables, chairs, and other things you tried to stand on. The entire game was stupid and meaningless, but he could appreciate the fear of lava. 


Char exited off of the downward spiraling ramp and into a broad hallway that much to Sumac’s surprise had railroad tracks on one side of it. The tracks came to a stop near the doorway to the ramp and they were about a foot and a half wide. This place had indoor railroads and that blew Sumac’s mind. 


About a hundred paces down the hallway, they found the railcars, which looked like minecarts, sort of. Sumac, overcome with curiousity and jacked up on zap apple tincture, hurried ahead, breaking away from the group. Twinkleshine matched his pace and Sumac clambered onto the mini train. 


“Sumac, we’re in a hurry,” Twinkleshine said in a patient voice. 


“Just a minute,” Sumac replied, “this is neat.” 


The colt found a panel, basic controls, a few levers, and off to one side, he found a lightning bolt emblem just below a dusty glass compartment. He opened the glass cover, curious, to have a look inside, and found a horn ring connected to a dusty, cobwebby old conduit. It didn’t take him long to figure out that the train had a means for backup power. 


But would it work? 


“Get in,” Sumac said to the others. 


“Sumac, we don’t have time to pretend to ride the train.” Twilight’s expression was one of mild amusement. 


“Fine, don’t get in, and I’ll take off without you,” Sumac muttered. 


Pebble was the first to get onto the train, and she climbed into the small car just behind Sumac. Twinkleshine, after looking at Twilight, lept into the car with Pebble and settled in beside the filly. Twinkleshine put her axe into the seats just behind her and Pebble, stowing it away for safety. Char, moving on all fours, was too big to fit into the small seats of the car, so she sprawled over several of the cars, laying atop them. 


As Sumac began to slip the horn ring over his horn, Twilight, wings fluttering, jumped in just a few cars behind Pebble and Twinkleshine. Sumac looked at the controls, which all had pictographs under the dust. One lever had an arrow facing forwards or backwards, which Sumac assumed controlled which direction the train went on the tracks. One lever had a smiling centaur face at the top and a frowning centaur face at the bottom, and it seemed reasonable to assume that was the throttle; why else would a centaur be smiling? 


“I need more go juice.” Sumac paused in what he was doing, turned his head, and looked at Twilight. He waited, then the bottle of glorious tincture was pulled out and passed to him. He pulled out the stopper, sniffed it, and then drank perhaps a little more than he needed, before he stoppered it up again and passed it back to Twilight. 


Jittering, his mind racing, a manic grin on his muzzle, Sumac slipped the horn ring on. The smell of ozone filled the air and Twilight let out a whinny of alarm. The scent of electricity and hot, burning dust threatened to make everypony (and one dragon) sneeze. Sumac jammed the lever to determine direction forwards and then hit the lever with the smiling centaur, moving it about a third of the way up. 


Nothing happened. There was a hot smell and the screech of machinery, but other than that, nothing else happened. The tiny train thrummed with power, vibrating, and Sumac could feel his brain bouncing inside of his skull as his intelligence went into overdrive. 


“Hold on,” Char said and she stuck one leg out of the train. With her claws, she dug into the floor and pushed forwards on the train. There was a screech, the ringing sound of metal scraping against metal, and then with a lurch, the train began moving after thousands of years of sitting in the same spot. 


“How is this even possible?” Twilight asked in disbelief as they began to pick up speed. 


“Well, the automatons continued to work and the factories below continued to work and the air ventilation system is still pumping in air, all of that still works, so it was a reasonable assumption.” Sumac marvelled at how smart his own voice sounded. 


The train, free again to move, began to shake off the misuse of ages, it shook off dust, it self lubricated with oil still left in the reserves, and the ancient arcano-electrical motors sorted themselves out little by little, until… there was a roaring whoosh and the train took off like a bullet down the dim, dark corridor. 


Twilight’s screams echoed through the hallway, Char bellowed with laughter as she clung to the train for dear life, Twinkleshine grabbed Pebble in a protective embrace, Pebble held on to Twinkleshine, and Sumac… mad laughter poured out of Sumac’s mouth and terrified his companions. Jacked up on zap apple tincture, the colt was now a high voltage battery with a crazed intellect immune to fear. 


This was bad. 


Grinning, Sumac slammed the lever towards the smiling centaur, setting it to run at full-tilt-boogie. The sudden acceleration peeled his lips back from his mouth and his muzzle flapped like a windsock in a hurricane as Princess Twilight Sparkle became the Queen of Screams. 


“We’re all going to die,” Pebble announced in what sounded like a rather worried deadpan. “And if we live, Sumac is going to die, because I’m going to kill him. I am positive that nopony will object.” 


“Never, ever again is Sumac allowed around machinery!” Twinkleshine shouted as she gripped Pebble and squeezed. “NEVER EVER AGAIN!” 


The train went around a banked curve and Char let out a delighted squeal, then shrieked in glee. The corridor was a blur, a smear of colour and dim lights as they zoomed forth into the darkness, and Twilight’s screams were never ending. Twilight, who liked being in control, had none of it at the moment, and this was worse than going off on some adventure with Rainbow Dash, Tarnish, and Daring Do.


His vision blurry, Sumac saw a button above what appeared to be a horn or a trumpet, and he jammed it down with his hoof. A siren began to blare, and a flashing, flickering yellow light flashed around him as they continued to rocket down the hall. Twilight’s screams and the siren made a rather discordant sound that added to the atmosphere of insanity that Sumac had brought about in the deep dark. 


Sumac wondered if the zap apple tincture could cause hallucinations, because the smiling centaur on the acceleration lever now looked worried, scared even. Something about the eyes—the smile was still there, but it was a rictus of fear, or so Sumac thought. His magic attuned to the machine he was connected to and he began to have a basic understanding of how it all worked. 


“We need to stop,” Char announced as she giggled. 


Disappointed, Sumac threw the lever down to the frowning centaur and there was a screech of metal. The train jerked as it slowed, and Sumac had to hold on to keep from smacking face-first into the controls. The smell of superheated metal made his nose tingle, and the stench of ozone oversaturated the air. As the train came to a screeching halt, showers of sparks flew out from around the wheels and Sumac turned off the siren. 


The train slid to a halt with a squeal of cherry red metal on cherry red metal. Smoke curled up from beneath the train and there was an unpleasant, acrid burning smell that made Char sneeze out a shower of glowing sparks. Twilight let out one final scream of terror, then covering her mouth with her hoof, she hiccuped.


Panting in fright, Twinkleshine lept out of the train, carrying Pebble with her and she grabbed her axe. She moved away from the hot, smoking metal, her eyes on Sumac, and she said, “You awful, awful little scapegrace! You just wait till I tell your mother!” 


“No use,” Twilight wheezed, “she’ll just be proud of him.” Twilight, soaked with sweat, flung herself from the train and then moved to stand beside Twinkleshine, who had set a panting Pebble upon the ground. “Sumac… you and I… we’re going to have a long talk when we get home. As your aunt, it falls upon me to set you straight—” Twilight paused as Pebble spewed on the floor. 


“Pebble, honey, are you okay?” Twinkleshine asked as she patted Pebble’s back. 


Wiping her mouth, Pebble shuddered, belched, and then looking up at Twinkleshine, she replied, “Can we do that again?” 




 


Jerking about, Sumac Apple was tweaked on zap apple tincture. He understood so much now as he walked down the hallway just behind Twilight, watching as her tail swished from side to side like a pendulum. So many things made sense and his brain was abuzz with new understandings… understandings that would all fade away soon enough. That particular bit of knowledge troubled him. 


“Hey, Twilight, you know how I went off with Big Mac the other day and I helped out on Sweet Apple Acres?” Sumac did not wait for a reply, he just kept going, blurting out everything in his mind. “I got to thinking… I was thinking… I was thinking about how Tarnish and his family is, all of them, and how they’ve made something together, and I kept thinking, why can’t Trixie and I do the same with the Apples? We could all live together and Big Mac could be my role model… like a dad… and we could all be happy together. I guess it would mean having to deal with Ambrosia and Hidden Rose, they’re bratty, but I think I could manage… I think if I had some help, we could make the pieces fit together… make them… yeah make all of the pieces fit together… if the pieces didn’t want to fit, we could get Cadance to make us all love one another and then the pieces would fit and everything will be fine… fine...” 


Twinkleshine gave Twilight a worried look as she scooped up Sumac’s twitchy little body and held him in her magic. Now silent, Sumac continued to babble inside of a soundproofed bubble, but nopony could hear him. Pebble, walking beside Twilight, looked up at the alicorn in alarm. An intense look of concentration was on Twinkleshine’s face as she worked to keep her magic smoothed out. 


“It’s amazing that you have this much control, Twinkleshine,” Twilight said to her friend. 


“I’ve always been prone to surging,” Twinkleshine replied. “It was you that taught me how to control my magic when it is on the bleeding edge. I never would have graduated school otherwise. My parents were so worried that they would have to have me nullified somehow.” 


“I didn’t know…” Twilight’s eyes flashed with sympathy and she continued, “I just wanted to help you, I didn’t know it was that bad.” 


“Well, it’s not the sort of thing anypony talks about… I had to wear a magic throttler just to go to bed and not set my room on fire or have a surge while I slept. You gave me control, Twilight, and you pretty much saved me as a unicorn.” Twinkleshine smiled and looked at Sumac, who was still babbling inside of his bubble, his eyes gleaming with manic intensity. 


“My father gets surges sometimes,” Pebble said, interjecting herself into the very adult conversation. “Sometimes, it’s not so bad, and everything is fine, but sometimes… poison joke explodes everywhere and weird stuff happens, trees get up and go running off, and entirely new types of plants spontaneously manifest. When this happens, we all have to pitch in and nurse him back to health. It’s scary, watching a unicorn surge.” 


“My aunt, she like, gets like, hay fever, and then she can’t stop sneezing.” Char paused outside of a door and looked at the others. “We’re here. The vault is in a research lab through this door. Mind the mess, I think something bad happened…” 
	
> Chapter 104
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The entire world was a jittery mess, and Sumac couldn’t figure out why everything wouldn’t stop vibrating. His mouth had trouble keeping up with his thoughts and when he tried to speak, he stammered and was unable to express himself. He had so many things to say, so many thoughts to express, so many good ideas, great ideas, brilliant ideas that needed expressing.


All of these thoughts crashed together when he saw the centaur bones on the floor. Some were broken, he noticed, they looked as though they had been smashed, and the skull had a jagged hole in it. That didn’t look good, that didn’t look good at all, and Sumac began squirming. He would rather ride the train again rather than look at broken centaur bones. 


“I wonder what happened,” Twilight said as she began to study the bones on the floor. “Do you think the automatons turned on him for some reason? Another centaur? Something else? I wonder what killed him… and why didn’t the automatons do something with his bones? They’re supposed to clean up around here.” 


“We, like, found more bones in other places. By now, these bones should be dust, but they’re not. It’s like, all weird and stuff, and Dragon Lady Ember doesn’t like it.” Char reached out her hand and poked at a leg bone with her curved claw. 


“M-m-m-mmm-m-mmmagic won’t let them rot away,” Sumac stammered, expending great effort to be able to speak. “P-p-puh-preservation mmm-magic to keep alive, d-d-doesn’t realise b-b-bones are d-dead.” 


“How do you know this?” Twilight asked. 


“I w-w-w-wah-want t-t-t-t-to tell you s-s-ssso much.” 


“Nod for yes and shake your head for no,” Twilight instructed. “Is your magic feeling putting strange knowledge into your head?” 


Sumac nodded. 


“As a sorcerer, you’re picking up on the magic in this place, aren’t you?” 


Again, Sumac nodded. 


“Your mechanical aptitude with the train… it’s because it has arcanotech, right?” 


Several seconds passed as Sumac parsed Twilight’s question, then he nodded. 


“Can you sense centaur magic specifically?” 


Eyes widening, Sumac’s head bobbed up and down in an over-enthusiastic manner. 


Twilight, who had her own attunement to magic, looked around the ruined research lab, her lower lip protruding, and her eyes focused upon the banks of crystals in the corners, along with the the crystalline conduits, which ran down into the floor. These were artificial ley lines, sources of synthesised magic, and with her brows furrowing, she peered down at Sumac, who jerked and spasmed in an unpleasant way. 


“Sumac, as a sorcerer, your magic sense soaks in everything and gives you a sense of attunement, right? You have an intrinsic knowledge of spells and magic in this state, an intimate understanding… it’s like reading a book, right? But with magic.” 


The colt’s blinking eyes were out of synch as he stood there, thinking about Twilight’s words, and after a few moments, he nodded as one ear went into a spastic pivot, going round and round. 


“Twinkleshine… go back out to the train and fetch me that horn ring that Sumac used to power up the train. I have an idea.” Twilight frowned and looked over at the crystals in the corner. “Sumac, even if you don’t remember everything, it’s all stored in your mind and could be retrieved later, right?” As Twilight spoke, Twinkleshine hurried off to obey her commands. 


Face twitching as though he was suffering a palsy, Sumac gave Twilight a nod. 


Her face puckered into an an intense scowl of concentration, Twilight thought about Moondancer’s gorilla cookie clarity of mind spell. Her own understanding of magic was immense right now with Sumac’s amplification and influence. Once more, she looked over at the crystal pylons in the corner of the lab, and then down at the bones of the long dead centaur on the floor. 


Following Twilight’s example, Sumac looked over at the crystal pylons and understood what Twilight was planning. A cascade of thoughts was set off in his mind, almost overloading his thought processes. He understood and he knew. He waited for Twilight to look at him once more, and when she did, he nodded. Twilight looked surprised for a brief second, then she too, began nodding. 


Twinkleshine returned, bearing the horn ring and a length of crystalline conduit cable, which Twilight snatched right away. Moving with frantic energy, Twilight hurried over to the crystal pylons in the corner, studied them for a moment, and with a blast from her horn, she blew open a hole in the base where the crystalline conduits in the floor grew like roots from the crystal pylons. 


Understanding what Twilight intended to do, Sumac went over to join her as she spliced the frayed crystalline fibres from the horn ring into the damaged crystalline conduit fibres. As she worked, the fibres began to heal together from the touch of her magic, forming a viable connection that grew with amazing rapidity. 


When she was done, Twilight pulled out the bottle of zap apple tincture, and, looking grim in a very profound way, she held it up in front of Sumac’s nose. “I won’t make you do this,” Twilight said to Sumac, “but we have so much to gain. I don’t even know if this will work for certain, but I think we both have a good idea that it might.” 


“Twilight, no!” Twinkleshine stood rigid as she realised what was about to happen and Pebble grabbed onto her leg. “Twilight, you’ll scramble his brains!” Scowling, Twinkleshine started forwards, dragging Pebble along with her. 


“F-f-f-f-ffff-for t-t-t-the gr-gr-grrreater good,” Sumac stammered as he took the bottle of zap apple tincture from Twilight. As he pulled out the stopper, Twilight raised a shield around them to prevent any interference from Twinkleshine. “I und-und-under-st-stand.” 


And without further ado, Sumac drank down the entire bottle of zap apple tincture. A faint rainbow glow could be seen around his body, a shimmering sheen of the entire visible light spectrum. Aetherfire crackled along his horn, along his ears, and began to manifest as magical static all over his body. With his telekinesis, Sumac slipped the horn ring over his horn… 


And all of Tartarus broke loose. The crystal pylons, which had been dim, now glowed with inner light, which pulsed and throbbed. The conduits in the floor powered up and the artificial ley lines came online, radiating power once more. The crystal pylons, a storage device for ideas, for memories, for magic, had a direct interface to Sumac’s brain. 


The knowledge of centuries, of eras, of aeons began to pour in, causing Sumac to convulse in a frightful manner, his teeth chattering together, and his eyes rolled back into his head as his body writhed. A low rumble came from beneath the floor, and everything got a terrific shake. Dust sprinkled down from the ceiling like snowflakes. 


For Sumac, the world went weird and he saw dancing spectres all around him. No, not spectres, memories given life through illusion. A kind looking centaur teaching a classroom full of little pony foals. A grand city under siege by shadows and cadaverous looking enemies. A stern looking centaur having a discussion with a flighty looking alicorn colt. It was like reading thousands and thousands of books all at once, which was too much to take in. 


With the same suddenness as it had started with, it was over. With a sound like ringing bells, the crystal pylons exploded, bursting into fine, glittering dust. Sumac sat there like a lump, unable to move, unable to speak; when his eyes rolled back into view once more, they were out of focus and pointing in different directions. 


Twilight lifted the colt up from the floor, it was difficult to use her magic now, she was on the bleeding edge of surging. She looked at Pebble and Twinkleshine, then said, “Let’s get that vault opened up and get out of here.”


“Twilight, that was reckless,” Twinkleshine snapped. 


“Like, that was far out.” Char headed for a doorway in the back of the room, walking on two legs, and her tail swished around behind her. “The vault is right through here...” 




 


Pebble, though worried, realised that the situation was in hoof. She didn’t understand what had happened, not exactly, but she did understand that she felt smarter, so much smarter, and she was strong now, maybe even stronger than her mother, which scared her a teensy-weensy bit, because her mother was strong. 


The little filly, wearing a dirty, smudged dress, thought about every conversation she had ever had with her mother on how not to destroy the world. Those had been important conversations, meaningful exchanges, and meant even more now as Pebble tried to hold everything back. No doubt, with a good, solid punch, she could reduce something to its constituent atoms. Just walking across the floor took all of her focus, all of her concentration, and without even being aware of it, Pebble really had become her mother, complete with her own ennui-exuding deadpan expression and a blank, sleepy stare. 


On the far wall was a familiar sight. Bright orange centaur steel. A round door could be seen embedded in the wall. Pebble knew that it was more than a door; no doubt, the centaur steel vault was a round sphere, impregnable, impossible to open. She looked up at Twinkleshine, who was scowling at Twilight, and wished that Twinkleshine would relax. 


Needing no instruction, Pebble knew what needed to be done as she knocked upon the floor a few times with her hoof, and she could feel her magic surging through her, making her even stronger. She had to be so very careful. If she knocked too hard, she would shatter the stone she stood on. She could see all of the places where it would fracture, all of the shatter-points, all of the fragile places within the stone invisible to most. 


“Hey, rock, we need to talk,” Pebble said to the stone all around her. 


“That’s Mister Rock to you, munchkin.” 


Pebble sighed, hating the stone just a little. “Fine. Mister Rock, we came to ask you a question. We need to get into that vault over there. We know it opens with a passphrase. Surely you’ve heard the passphrase being spoken at some point.” 


“I have,” the rock replied, “many times.” 


“Would you please tell me what it is?” Pebble asked. 


“That presents a conflict of interest,” the rock said, and there was a sound very much like sighing that came from all around. “Things are put into a vault to be kept safe.” 


“If you don’t tell me, the world might end.” Pebble’s deadpan words sounded exactly like her mother’s. “We have a good idea of what is in there. We’re trying to stop Grogar. We need artifacts and weapons.” 


“Well, I know the passphrase, but you’ll have to live with disappointment.” 


Again, Pebble sighed and while sighing, she thought about punching the floor with maybe one one-hundredth of her strength just to see what might happen. 


“The vault is empty. Just before this facility was sealed off to ward off the coming catastrophe, the contents of the vault were all taken and moved to another facility. I don’t know which one. Maybe try Black Sands, they mentioned that place a lot in the panic that took place here.” 


“Thank you, Mister Rock, you’ve been very helpful.” 


“You’re welcome, little filly.” 


“I don’t suppose you know where Black Sands might be?” Pebble asked. 


“No, I’m sorry,” the rock replied, sounding apologetic. “The only thing I know about Black Sands is that they were going to sink the island back into the sea after they hid a bunch of stuff there. The Director spoke about it a lot.” 


“Thank you again, Mister Rock.” Pebble sat down upon the floor and tried not to think about how her bum was now touching a stranger she was having a conversation with. “Say, Mister Rock, do you know what was studied here?” 


“The centaurs were perfecting their ability to draw magic out of others, merge them together to form new magics, and then put that new magic into something else. They did a lot of alicorn research here for the new and improved apocalypse-proofed alicorns. They drew the magic out of earth ponies, pegasus ponies, and unicorn ponies, refined it into a state of near perfection, and then put it into the very first alicorn volunteers.” 


Pebble could hear the sounds of Twilight and Twinkleshine’s heavy breathing. 


“The magic of phoenixes was also extracted here and was highly refined for the celestial machinery management project. I can only assume that it must’ve worked, because all of you are alive and here to talk to me. The sun was scheduled to break and then begin dying.” 


“That’s… animancy…” Twinkleshine looked troubled as she shook her head, and then she looked over at Twilight. “Soul splicing. Making soul-chimeras. Twilight, this is what the Ascendancy is trying to do.” 


“Oh, ponies weren’t allowed to practice animancy. The centaurs forbade it. That’s one of the things that started this mess. The centaurs had some of their students turn on them… what a mess.”


“What mess, Mister Rock?” Pebble asked. 


“Never mind, cute little Miss, you don’t need to know,” the rock replied. 


“But it might help us,” Pebble argued. 


“That’s what those naughty students said before they wrecked everything. Animancy is the power to create gods and even the centaurs admitted that it was a mistake to tamper with it. No new gods need to be made and the last batch were very troublesome.” 


“But they made apocalypse-proofed alicorns?” Pebble tried very hard to understand what was going on. “Surely some good has come out of it.” 


The rock did not reply, and it dawned on Pebble that the stone was done speaking to her. Rather than be petulant and sulky, she caressed the floor and smiled. “Thank you again, Mister Rock. You’ve been very helpful. It was very kind of you to talk to us and to help us with our problem. We’ll be going now, and we won’t bother you anymore.” 


There was no response. 


“Twilight, we should be going. We need to get Sumac home. I don’t think he’s well.” Pebble drew in a deep breath, caressed the stone floor once more, and stood up. She gave her bum a shake to get the dust off, and flicked her tail. “Goodbye, Mister Rock, it was nice meeting you. I don’t meet many nice rocks.” 


And with that, Pebble was ready to go. 
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 105
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Heaving a sigh, Trixie Lulamoon wiped the drool from Sumac’s chin and felt a little peeved with Twilight. She had hoped that when Sumac had woken up from sleep that all would be fine, but that wasn’t the case. Her colt was still stupid as a box of rocks, but at least he was also very affectionate and loving, offering hugs and slobbery kisses. 

“Sumac?” 

“Hurr?” 

“Who’s Mama’s special colt?” 

Lemon stopped brushing her mane and looked at Sumac, waiting. 

Sumac looked baffled and his unfocused eyes looked around the room, perhaps looking for Mama’s special colt. He sat on the bed, his chin shiny with drool, unable to comprehend Trixie’s simple question. Wickering, Trixie waved her hoof in front of Sumac’s face to get his attention, and then she booped his nose. 

“You are!” 

The colt’s green eyes brightened and a smile made a slow journey across his muzzle as he realised that he was Mama’s special colt. “Durr?” 

“Well, he’s talking again—” 

“Lemon…” 

“Well, that was a very expressive sound, whatever that was. You could make out that it was a question.” Lemon Hearts reached out her hoof, poked Sumac in the tummy, and a worried smile appeared upon her face as the colt began giggling while shying away from her ticklish touch. “Guess who loves you?” 

Again, Sumac looked mystified by the sudden question, and his giggling paused as he struggled to comprehend what Lemon had just asked. His eyes glazed over and went out of focus as he stared up at the two mares. “Uh…” 

“I do!” Lemon shouted. 

This sudden and unexpected revelation was too much for Sumac, who went cross eyed and fell over onto his back, with all four legs sticking up into the air. After that, he didn’t move very much at all, and Trixie turned her head to look over at Lemon Hearts with one eyebrow arched in concern. 

“I think you blew his mind, Lemon.” 

“Same thing happened when I tried playing peek-a-boo with him earlier when he just woke up.” Lemon let out a sigh and shook her head. “My little fella has an epic case of the stupids.” She looked down at Sumac, who lay on his back, still having not recovered from her proclamation of love. 

There was a knock on the door and both mares turned to look. It was Trixie who pulled the door open, and beyond, there was a familiar purple face that looked very, very worried. She shuffled on her hooves, her ears rose and fell, and she tried to get a better look at the colt lying on the bed. 

“You have a lotta nerve, Twilight…” Trixie bit on her lip for a moment to hold back an angry flood, and she thought of far better words to say. “I’m telling our father.” Twilight reacted as though she had been slapped and Trixie held a secret sense of satisfaction as she watched. Twilight was squirming now, standing on three legs and rubbing one front leg with the other, which made Trixie feel better for some reason. 

“Well, don’t just stand there, come in so we can thump on you properly,” Lemon said to Twilight. She patted the bed in an inviting manner. 

“Any sign of improvement at all?” Twilight asked. 

“Not much,” Trixie replied and then she began gnawing on her lip again. 

“He made a choice—” 

“And if a foal decides to play with fire, you stop them before they burn the house down, not after!” Lemon snapped, reacting with uncharacteristic anger. She lept from the bed, landed on her hooves with a clatter, and went to the doorway where Twilight stood. “Look, I listened very carefully to what you had to say last night, and I can sorta understand why you and Sumac did this, but I don’t have to like it and I don’t have to be super-happy Lemon Hearts! You’ve made me all Lemon Sour and now I have half a mind to put a little lemon juice right in your eye!” 

“That seems fair,” Twilight whispered. 

Moving with a startling swiftness, Lemon Hearts threw herself at Twilight and embraced her in a fierce, aggressive hug, throwing her forelegs around Twilight’s neck. It took Twilight several long seconds to recover, but recover she did, and she wrapped a foreleg around Lemon in return. A moment later, perhaps as an afterthought, she also wrapped her wings around the angry but affectionate lemony yellow mare. 

“I’ve been in contact with Princess Luna.” Closing her eyes, Twilight gave Lemon a squeeze. “She’s going to start extracting information from Sumac’s mind while he sleeps. There is a lot to recover, and Luna says that even if Sumac lives a very long life, we will not recover all of it. There is just too much there.” 

“Still having trouble wrapping my mind around this,” Lemon replied. 

“Imagine going into a library with millions and millions of books, and none of them have been marked, sorted, or organised. Sumac’s mind is now that library.” Twilight let go of Lemon as the mare pulled away, and then looked into Lemon’s confused eyes. “The only way to know what each book has is to read each and every one. Princess Luna can extract the information, she can take out the books one by one, but she is going to spend thousands of years sorting through everything we’ve recovered. We’re still going to lose a lot of it, as Sumac won’t live long enough for her to retrieve everything.” 

Sliding off of the bed, Trixie stood and looked at Twilight, still feeling angry, but also worried and sympathetic. She crossed the room, shoved Lemon aside, glared at Twilight for a time, and then embraced her just as Lemon had. “I’m proud of him,” Trixie confessed in a whisper. “But I am also very angry. With both of you!” 

“Moving the books out one by one…” Lemon murmured to herself. 

“Lemon and I need to go to work. Who is going to watch Sumac?” Trixie let go of Twilight, stepped back, bumped into Lemon, and gave Twilight a stern-but-loving stare. 

“Twinkleshine has volunteered.” Twilight scratched behind her ear with her wing. “You know, she’s pretty scary when she’s angry. I was really relieved that she put that axe of hers away before she started to chase me around.” Twilight looked over at the bed where Sumac still lay, flat on his back with his legs sticking up into the air. 

“At least we didn’t come away empty-hoofed,” Trixie said, trying to find the good in the situation. 



 

Something maternal lurked in Twinkleshine, but she would never admit it. Turning her head, she looked back at the little colt following her as she walked over the grass turned brown by autumn. Sumac stumbled into her leg and Boomer appeared to be trying to steer him along by tugging on his ears. 

Recovering from his collision, Sumac sat down, his head tilted back, and he murmured one word. “Blue.” 

“Sky, Sumac.” Twinkleshine helped the colt get back up onto his hooves again. She was certain that a good walk would help sort him out. Equines needed to walk. They had to walk. Their digestion was dependent upon walking, which aided in hindgut fermentation, walking kept the blood flowing, equines were a species evolved to walk.

“White?” Sumac touched Twinkleshine’s leg. 

“Yes, I am white.” Twinkleshine nodded and then took off again, giving Sumac a tug with her magic to get him moving again. 

“Lizard!” Sumac shouted as he looked up at his own horn. 

Snorting, two tiny curls of smoke shot out of Boomer’s nose and the dragon did her best to look annoyed even as she yawned. Boomer was in dire need of a nap, but Sumac was too stupid to be left to his own devices. The dragon let out a honk of frustration and did her best to get Sumac to walk in a straight line. Finding that the ears didn’t work, she dangled down from Sumac’s horn and grabbed the corners of his mouth in her tiny little hands, mindful of her claws. 

Much better. 

Tugging on Sumac’s muzzle as though it was made of taffy, or perhaps silly putty, Boomer found that she had much more control if she tugged on the corners of his mouth. Steering equines was difficult, but she was managing, even in her sleepy, dull-minded state. 

Everything was going pretty good until Sumac came to a sudden halt and sat down. Boomer sneezed fire in frustration, nothing she did could get the back end of the sitting equine moving, even when she pinched a tender nostril.

Stopping, Twinkleshine said, “Come along, Sumac.” 

Sumac shook his head and then looked up. 

“Don’t you tell me no, you adorable little fuzzball. Don’t make me get the ‘nope rope’ to lead you along. Bad foals get the ‘nope rope’ if they don’t listen!” Disheartened, Twinkleshine stared at the colt, who didn’t seem bothered at all by her threats. He just wasn’t smart enough to be intimidated. “Sumac, do you want an apple?” 

“Aaawpul!” Boomer was still tugging on his lips, trying to get him to move. 

“Come along with me and you will get an apple. A green one, to match your eyes.” 

“AAAWPUL!” Sumac was now up on his hooves and running in a circle, chasing his own tail as Boomer yanked on the corners of his mouth, trying to steer him into a straight line. “Leezard! Aaawpul! Face taffy!” The colt came to a careening halt, then shook his head, trying to dislodge Boomer, who had to hold on for dear life during the impromptu rodeo. 

“That was almost a sentence!” Twinkleshine raised her front hoof and pumped it into the air. “Woohoo! We have cognitive processes!” 

“That wasn’t much of a sentence by any standard.” 

“Discord.” Twinkleshine looked up at the looming figure that towered over her and Sumac. “Been a while. Where have you been?” 

Looking down at Sumac, Discord folded his talons and his paw behind his back to watch the rodeo taking place, delighting in Boomer’s struggles after having his eyebrows burned off by the fearless little upstart. “I was trying to find a nice gift for Twilight to let her know that I cared. Went into a centaur vault. Things got a little crazy and I was trapped for a while.” 

“You got trapped?” Twinkleshine looked up at Discord in disbelief. 

“Pesky centaurs used nullwood in the construction of many of their vaults. I was caught unawares.” 

“How did you escape?” Twinkleshine asked. 

“Sumac looks a little… off.” Discord snapped his talons and a bright green apple manifested in his claws. He then held out the fruit to the colt, who was being steered around by a grumpy looking baby pygmy tree dragon who was clearly in need of a nap. 

Seeing the apple, Sumac came to a skidding halt, chomped down upon the apple and several of Discord’s talon-fingers. Discord let out a howl, let go of the apple, Sumac let go of Discord’s fingers, and then caught the apple before it hit the grass. Sitting down, the colt, holding his prize between his front hooves, began to eat it with gusto. 

“There was an incident and Twilight exposed Sumac to an unparalleled amount of danger. He drank too much tincture and then downloaded the contents of a crystal pylon to his brain. I don’t fully understand it. Now he’s burned out.” Twinkleshine sat down in the grass beside Sumac and watched as Boomer stole bites of apple, her head darting in and nipping off succulent bits. 

“I am feeling a most peculiar feeling,” Discord announced, “and no, I don’t like it. Not at all. This feeling is unpleasant. I feel it sometimes around Fluttershy… what is this awful feeling and why is it happening to me?” 

“Are you having a friendship moment?” Twinkleshine asked. 

“Don’t mock me!” Discord bellowed as he caused another apple to manifest. He waved his paw at the tiny, insignificant pony mare beside him, and then scowled when she gave him a knowing look. How infuriating! Driven to distraction, Discord came down to the ground, lifted Sumac in his talons, and offered him the fresh apple with his paw. 

The colt began gnawing on the fresh apple and Discord sat there, on the ground like a common pony, holding the colt in his talons. “Why would any sane or rational being do this to themselves? This feeling is awful. You do this to yourselves intentionally? And all of you call me mad!” 

“He’s your friend, isn’t he?” Twinkleshine asked, her tone serious and not at all mocking. 

“I have grown very fond of the chaos that he causes,” Discord confessed as he held Sumac. “I… I would miss that chaos if it stopped suddenly. He’s not like the rest of you… well… most of you. His curiousity and his questioning… it makes him different. He makes all of you so uncomfortable and I do so enjoy watching all of you little ponies squirm as you try to sort out the existential crises that he causes you to experience.” 

Twinkleshine scooted closer, held out her hoof, and placed it on Discord with a soft, gentle touch. She stroked him a few times, and then the Lord of Chaos reacted… 

“Don’t touch me!” Discord snapped as his eyes flashed a dangerous shade of deep, dark red. Unhoof me this instant!” Snarling, his tail uncoiling, Discord plopped Sumac down into the grass with surprising gentleness even as his rage boiled over. “I’ll not have this affront to my sensibilities!” And with that, Discord vanished with a snap from his tail tuft. 

Sumac, his apple half-eaten, began to sniffle, wondering where his friend went, and then lacking the means to express his deep and abiding pain, the colt began sobbing as his half-eaten apple fell out of his hooves and into the grass. He let out a shrieking wail as he threw his head back and his terrible tantrum manifested like a typhoon springing out of a jack-in-the-box to surprise the unaware and unwary. 

Twinkleshine, who had no idea what had just happened, scooped Sumac up and began trying to comfort him, but had no idea of what to do or how to make the tantrum stop. Frustrated, confused, clutching Sumac to her barrel, she too began to sob as the feeling of being utterly powerless in this situation took over her mind. 

Boomer, having reached the very end of what she could endure, began honking over and over, letting the whole world know that she had suffered enough and was in dire need of assistance. Honking, letting out cry after cry, she clung to Sumac’s face while pleading for help the only way she knew how. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 106
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was difficult, painful even, to think. Any sort of cogitation made Sumac’s head ache and feel swimmy. His horn hurt something fierce, like the time when he had unicorn flu and couldn’t stop discharging everywhere. He rubbed his temple with his hoof and watched as Vinyl Scratch teetered around the kitchen. Vinyl, who was getting better after having a high rise dropped on her, was smiling and had something that was almost a spring in her step. 

“Vinyl, really, I’m not sure one of your hangover cures will help…” Tarnish, sitting on a short wooden stool, shook his head and watched as Vinyl moved from cupboard to cupboard, fetching various objects. Sighing, Tarnish looked over at Twinkleshine, who was drinking a soothing cup of Celestial Glory tea while trying to pull herself together.

Passed out in the fruitbowl, sound asleep, was Boomer. 

“It’s weird having the house to ourselves, with Octavia and Maud working. You’d think that they would have learned not to leave the two of us alone together by now.” With something that was almost a smile, Tarnish continued his work, mixing various ingredients together in a bowl so that he could make a gourmet saltlick. 

Having gathered everything, Vinyl went to work, dumping everything into the Stealth-Mixer model 7880, which was, perhaps the single greatest invention ever made by ponies. It was a blender fused with arcanotech that made it completely and utterly silent, for those mornings when the screeching whine of a blender might drive one to suicide. The blender was so successful that it was being cited as the reason in the recent population uptick that was noticed by the census board. 

“Pebble tells me that she had a wonderful time and really enjoyed her date with you,” Tarnish said to Sumac in a low whisper, unable to resist teasing the colt. “She really enjoyed the train ride of death.” 

Sumac groaned and rubbed his head. 

“Pebble has something in common with her mother,” Tarnish mused, “you’d never know it, but Maud is a thrillseeker through and through. She tends to do her best when things get exciting and I guess I do too. Might explain why we work so well together. Now, Pebble, she’s not so different, she complains when things start to get exciting, just like her mother does, but when things are actually exciting, both of them really start to enjoy themselves.” 

The sight of Vinyl Scratch dropping in a small, shriveled, dried out serrano pepper into the blender put Sumac’s teeth on edge. Whatever sort of strange alchemy was about to take place made him worry just a little bit. He looked over at Twinkleshine, and noticed that her mood had improved a good bit, she was smiling now, and looked a bit happier. 

“No remember,” Sumac said, struggling to get the words out. There was some kind of weird disconnection between his mind and his mouth, and had he been more intelligent, he might have realised that his specialised magic, which affected his speech, was still scrambled. “No remember what went in head.” 

“Vinyl, Daring Do, and I once had to battle a centaur crystal pylon,” Tarnish remarked as he stirred the contents of his bowl with a soft edged spatula. “It had gone mad, as centaur technology tends to do, and it wanted our brains. Was convinced that we were experiments run amok and that we needed to be processed so it could discover what had gone wrong with us.” 

It was at this point that Vinyl made a very visible shudder. 

“Ran into a new type of automaton, the vivisector model. Lots of arms. Many buzzsaws. Tools for scooping bits out. Probes of all kinds.” Tarnish let out a bored sounding sigh. “The pylon was responsible for the storage of information. I can’t help but wonder what sort of knowledge was lost when we junked it.” As Tarnish spoke, the Stealth-Mixer model 7880 turned its contents into a fine puree. 

Vinyl lifted up the blender, pulled off the top, fetched a glass with her magic, poured in the red, frothy mixture, and slipped a celery stalk into the glass as a garnish. With a pleasant, but somewhat worried smile, she set the glass down in front of Sumac, who was more than just a little bit wary as he eyed it. 

Curiousity got the better of Sumac, who began to wonder, what could it hurt? With his foreleg, he pulled the glass closer, grabbed it in his fetlock, and then guzzled down the contents of the glass, not smart enough to think of things like self preservation or the harm this might bring to his sanity. 

The first gulp made his throat clench, as if his very tonsils had all formed a union, voted, and decided, “NOPE!” His spine made every attempt it could to disconnect his brain stem from his brain to cut off the signal, to end the comprehension of what was going on, and there was a embittered war for consciousness. His stomach, before the drink even reached it, it had just heard about current goings on from the neighborhood gossip, and it tried to flee out of his backside even as the terrible invader oozed down his throat. Sumac experienced the perplexing sensation of his liver trying to swim away from the general area of his stomach, trying to shove his intestines aside as it made its way south. 

“Any second now, the dragon bulbroot is going to take effect,” Tarnish said, almost sighing out the words as he watched with a look of casual amusement on his face. 

The overpowering taste of Worcestershire sauce, yeast extract, and what Sumac was certain was rotten-hoofed frog-cheese filled his mouth, along with a dreadful burning sensation. The colt belched and sent out a six foot long cone of blue-green flame, which brought with it the stench of rotten eggs and fishy cat food. 

Twinkleshine, sipping her tea, raised an eyebrow in concern. 

Sumac belched again, sending out more flames, grimaced, and shuddered from the awful, indescribable taste. Snot dribbled from his nose in long, runny, yellow-greenish ribbons, and fishy smelling tears trickled from his eyes. He sat there, looking very much like he was caught in a sneeze; his mouth open, his eyes wide, all of his features twitching, and the stench of burning hair rose up from him even though he wasn’t on fire or singed in the slightest. 

“Oh YUCK!” 

“Feel better?” Twinkleshine asked as her teacup hovered near her lips. 

“I wanna die,” Sumac replied as his skull threatened to implode. 

“Well dang,” Tarnish said as he turned to look at Vinyl. “It worked. How did you do that?” 

Vinyl shrugged and gave Tarnish a blank stare as she began wiping Sumac’s muzzle. 

“I have to go to a funeral in a bit. Want to come with me?” 

Still looking at Tarnish, Vinyl shrugged again. 

“I promised Fluttershy I would go and that I would bring guests.” Tarnish slipped some cling wrap over his bowl of salt lick fixings and then left it be so it could cure for a while. “Angel Bunny died again and poor Flutters is in need of comfort.” 

“Again?” Twinkleshine put down her teacup. “What are you saying?” 

Tarnish nodded. “You know, rabbits don’t live forever.” 

“My mouth tastes bad and I wanna spit my tongue out.” Sumac shuddered, felt as though he might burp for a moment, and he thought better of it, fearing more flames. Still shuddering, Sumac was caught by surprise when Vinyl kissed him on the cheek. He glanced at her, feeling grateful for what she had done, and he decided not to make a big deal about it. It was time to act a little more grown up with his reactions to being touched by mares… or fillies, in the case of Pebble. 

His mind still felt slow and kludgy, the colt licked his lips and decided that he was thirsty. Before he even had a chance to say anything, a small waxed cardboard carton of apple and white grape juice was set down in front of him, and the little plastic straw was stabbed into the tiny foil covered hole. Unable to make his magic work, he had to pick it up in his fetlock and hold it the hard way, which was embarassing. No unicorn wanted to be without magic. As he sat there, drinking, he likened the sensation to somepony watching while he was trying to use the bathroom—it was just plain uncomfortable. 

Sipping his juice, Sumac wondered what a rabbit’s funeral might be like. 



 

Winter’s chill hung heavy in the autumn air as Sumac looked around Fluttershy’s yard. Rowanne and Garnet stood like some sort of honour guard near a tiny casket. Fluttershy was sniffling and looked distraught as she clung to a tiny little yearling named Knick-Knack, whom she was foalsitting. As it turned out, Fluttershy did a lot of foalsitting, and Sumac wondered if perhaps she wanted some of her own. 

Not far away, Tarnish dug a small, narrow, but also deep grave with a spade, scooping out black dirt and placing it into a pile beside the hole. Vinyl sat on a blanket spread over the grass, holding a parasol over head to keep sheltered from the sun. Twinkleshine sat beside her and Boomer was curled around her horn. Between the two mares there was a basket filled with a blanket. 

“Knacky, letting go is hard,” Fluttershy murmured to the foal in her care. “It is so very hard to let go, but that is the natural order of things.” 

Reflecting upon these words, Sumac thought about how they applied to him, but his mind was still having some trouble thinking. He thought about Caper’s funeral, he thought of Dandelia, and then much to his own surprise, he found himself hoping that she was feeling better. Troubled as she might be, as difficult as it might be to do, Sumac found himself wanting to get to know his adoptive grandmother. With a solemn glance, he watched as Fluttershy wept, mourning the loss of her companion and friend, a rabbit. 

The world felt as though it was a somewhat better place because of ponies like Fluttershy. The yellow pony and her kindness had a profound affect upon all those she came into contact with, and Sumac was feeling it now. With as troubled as the world was, with everything going wrong, with Grogar lurking in the shadows and Catrina wanting to kill him, it was reassuring to know that somepony still believed that all life was precious. Kindness still meant something and the life of even one little rabbit had value. 

For Sumac, it restored his spirit, and he felt better. 

Such was the effect that the Elements of Harmony had upon those around them. 

“It’s a lovely coffin, Fluttershy,” Tarnish said as he speared the spade into the dirt pile. 

“Thank you,” she squeaked as she began to sniffle. Fluttershy managed to smile somehow, her lips quivering, and her ears fell down upon the sides of her face. “Big McIntosh made it for me. He’s made several now. He made the first one when he was still a colt. He’s getting older.” As tears began to trickle down, Fluttershy’s breathing became raspy as her throat filled with phlegm. 

With a nod to Garnet and Rowanne, Tarnish lifted up the tiny coffin, holding it level, so as to not disturb the precious contents inside. Moving with slow caution, he levitated it over to where he stood, and after getting a nod from Fluttershy to continue, he placed it down into the grave he had just dug. 

“Letting go is hard,” Fluttershy said again as she gave the tiny yearling she was holding a squeeze. “Keeping him would have been harder. He was tired, and cranky, and his joints hurt him all the time, and with winter coming, he just wasn’t happy. Letting go was hard, and putting him down was even harder.” 

Sumac felt a bad case of the sniffles coming on, and there was a dreadful pressure behind his eyes as Tarnish put the first scoop of black dirt back into the grave. There was a row of graves here, all in a row, and each them had a tiny little headstone. The newest one was untouched by weather or age, and somepony had leaned a wreath of flowers against it. 

More black dirt was put back into the grave, and Tarnish’s jaw was set into a grim expression. It didn’t take him long to fill the grave, and then he began to pack the dirt down. As he tended to the grave, Fluttershy went over to the basket between the two mares, Vinyl and Twinkleshine, and little Knick-Knack followed along behind her. 

The yellow mare sat down, lifted up the somewhat wadded blanket, reached inside the basket, and pulled out a little fuzzy baby bunny, which she held to her barrel and cradled in a warm, maternal embrace. Knick-Knack sat down beside her and looked at the little bundle of fuzz that Fluttershy held, and the little yearling filly smiled though her own tears. 

“Hello Angel Bunny,” Fluttershy said to the tiny rabbit that she held, “I think that you and I are going to be friends…” 
	
> Chapter 107
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was almost a relief to be alone. It was the late afternoon, closer to supper than it was to lunch, and Sumac had the room to himself, save for Boomer, who was snuggling with his Princess Cadance plush toy. It was time to pick up where he had last left off—trying to figure out the secret of flight, a worthy goal if ever there was one. There had been a few attempts since his last, but getting time all alone was rare. 

With his telekinesis, he raised the rug, took a deep breath, and stepped up. Getting this far was easy. He could levitate the rug and then stand on it, an action that still made no sense, it was still unknown to him how this could happen. Now, he was a bit better prepared, he had a spell that would lock his hooves onto the rug and prevent him from slipping. 

It was a complex spell for any unicorn, much less a five year old. After a few attempts, Sumac realised that he needed help. He stepped off of the rug, lowered it to the floor, and began to contemplate a little risk management. What sort of trouble was he willing to get into? Quite a lot, in fact. Reaching out with his mind, it was time to try a little conjuration. 

A unicorn wasn’t supposed to steal things with conjuration, but the zap apple tincture that Twilight had stored away nearby had to be for him, right? He could sense it, feel it, he wanted it. There was a powerful need for more intelligence, more magic, he needed more power. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he tried to pull the bottle of tincture through the aether, to his location, so that he might drink it. 

It was tougher than he thought and he began to wonder if perhaps Twilight had foreseen him trying get a bottle of zap apple tincture. Frustrated, he pulled harder, harder, and then, with a crackle, a glass bottle appeared. Sumac held it in his magic, and then sighed. Inside, there was no delicious, delightful tincture, no, there was just a rolled up piece of paper. 

Unstoppering the glass bottle, Sumac slid the piece of paper out, unrolled it, and gave it a read. 

I’m not sure how you’ve managed to be reading this, but you had better believe we’re going to have a long talk about it. Also, your mother wants you to know that she is proud of you, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am going to turn you into a toad, or possibly a stoat. Your loving aunt, Twilight. 

Cringing, almost panicking, Sumac rolled up the note, stuffed it into the glass bottle, replaced the stopper, and then tried to reverse conjure it back to its previous location. It vanished after a few seconds, but he wasn’t quite sure where it went. He was going to have to check the dictionary or the encyclopedia, as he didn’t know what a stoat was. It was probably something that Fluttershy would love to hug to death. 

Sighing, the colt let out everything in a huff. 

He was on his own, for now. Returning his attention to the rug, he concentrated upon his own hooves, trying to make them clingy. There was a whiff of ozone, the feeling of too much pressure, a near instant headache, and then he felt the magic flowing through his hooves, which now stuck to the floor like magnets stuck to metal. 

There was a tiny pain in the base of his horn when he levitated the rug again, but he managed. Sometimes, magic hurt a bit and so long as his nose wasn’t bleeding, he was fine. Eyeballing the rug, he stepped up, and then immediately went down as the rug sank down to the floor. Frustrated, the colt did the only thing he could do in this situation. 

“Oh ffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuudge nuggets!” 

Opening one eye, Boomer glared at Sumac while the air around him sizzled from his near profanity. 

So, the rug did not float, it did not defy gravity when he tried to stand on it using a spell to make his hooves grippy. It just sank down to the ground, ruining his dreams for flight. Sumac was aware of cancellation and interference. That was how magic combat worked, some spells cancelled out one another for a variety of reasons, such as harmonic resonance or thaumaton polarisation, things he was aware of, but didn’t understand. Magical interference was a complex problem and there were unicorns that made careers for themselves trying to understand it. 

After stepping off of the rug, it floated again. Sumac could only make educated assumptions at this point, and he guessed that the grip spell on his hooves was transferring to the rug, anchoring it to the ground so that he wouldn’t slip on the rug, fall down, and go boom. Scowling, the colt stared at the levitating rug and wished that he understood the complexities of magic better. 

Still, this was a success, of sorts. He had no lumps on his skull and no need for more staples, or stitches. On the other hoof, if Twilight discovered the missing bottle of tincture, and she would discover it, she was Twilight Sparkle after all, Sumac realised that he might discover what a stoat was the hard way. He was certain that he could sweet talk Twilight into forgiving him now that she was his aunt, sort of. 

His ears perked as he heard a click from the door, which opened without a knock, and Twinkleshine stuck her head in. “Whatcha doing?” she asked as she stood in the doorway. 

“N-n-nuttin’,” Sumac stammered in reply. 

Twinkleshine’s eyes narrowed. “Wow, you’re really bad at this. You want me to step back outside, close the door, come back in, and then we can try this again?” 

“Maybe?” Sumac looked over at the mare, caught off guard and bewildered. 

“Let’s get one thing straight, Sumac,” Twinkleshine said in a low, dangerous sounding whisper. “If you are going to be up to no good, and you are clearly up to no good, it is in my better interests to make sure that you know what you are doing and to make sure you do it better—”

“What?” Sumac whined, confused. 

“Twilight wants me to protect you.” Twinkleshine let out a sniff. “While I am fine with that, I’d rather have you be able to protect yourself. Now I can smell the ozone in here, and with your garbled response, you were clearly practicing some dangerous magic. So cut the act and let’s go. Grab Boomer, we’re going to have a lesson, you little apple imp.” 



 

Staring upwards, just like so many other ponies around him, Sumac watched the falling snow. This was no winter storm brought by pegasus ponies, no, this was a feral snowstorm that had just blown in. It was too warm to stick, but the falling snow was pretty, if perhaps a bit worrying. Sumac could hear many, many murmured mentions as well as exclamations of the word ‘windigo’ all around him. 

The unscheduled snowstorm brought panic and wonder to Ponyville. 

Sumac wasn’t like the other ponies around him, as he did not panic. Having grown up on the road, in the wilds, he was used to feral weather. Feral storms were a common danger. He had thought for certain that he was going to die in a forest fire caused by a feral storm. Feral snow wasn’t so different from feral rain, wind, or hail. 

Even though he said nothing, Sumac found the level of panic in the ponies around him ridiculous. Had these ponies never walked the roads? Been beyond the city limits of Ponyville? Hadn’t they ventured out into the unsheltered world? When he heard Discord’s name mentioned, he snorted, feeling angry, and he turned to look at Twinkleshine, who was staring skywards. 

“This scares me,” Twinkleshine admitted in a low whisper to Sumac, “and I don’t know why.” 

“It’s just a wild storm.” Sumac sat down on the dead brown grass and Boomer, hanging from his horn, swiped at the falling flakes. “They happen a lot away from the cities. You get used to them.” 

“Oh, I don’t think I could ever get used to them,” Twinkleshine confessed, shaking her head. “I grew up in Canterlot. Sure, we get wind and cold snaps, but the weather there is regulated. Ponyville too.” The mare shivered even though it really wasn’t cold enough to cause it. “Potentially destructive forces have to be regulated, held in check, and rogue elements have to be battled so that us little ponies don’t die. It’s like that big storm that blew in a few years ago off of the west coast and Princess Luna had to go and do battle with it.” 

Not knowing why, Sumac began to feel quite isolated—apart—he felt apart, separated, he felt as if there was now a gap between him and Twinkleshine, and he hated that gap, because he liked Twinkleshine. She was scared, scared like a foal was scared of the dark, but she was The Heavy, the hard hitter, the medieval unicorn, and as The Heavy, the hard hitter, the medieval unicorn, she was supposed to be a fearless protector. 

“It’ll be the end of us all, Roseluck!” 

Sumac’s ears perked. 

“Run! Run! Get inside, Lily!” 

“Hurry, Daisy!” 

The sound of clopping, clattering hooves filled Sumac’s ears as mass panic spread through the herd. For some reason, snowflakes were every bit as terrifying as a harpy attack, and Sumac sort of understood why. He grunted when Twinkleshine grabbed him and began squeezing him. At least she wasn’t running away, but she was scared, so scared. The gap widened and with it came more understanding that he was not like the others, he was different from the herd, and it was far more than just introversion, the stunning new understanding of life and living given to him by Octavia. 

And it wasn’t just him—no—by extension, it was also Trixie. They were the wanderers, the roamers, they had walked the roads of Equestria, they had lived outside of society; it was only now that Sumac was beginning to understand the profound difference, and the consequences of that difference—he would never be normal. He clung to Twinkleshine’s leg, not understanding why he needed to cling to her, but the gap that now stood between them seemed impossible to cross. 

Even as he held on to her leg, squeezing it, he felt cut off from her, separate, different. The panicking ponies of Ponyville feared the snow might be their undoing, but for Sumac, it was his undoing, and now he was facing an existential crisis that he had trouble comprehending. All manner of thoughts filtered through his mind, a million questions, such as wondering if this was why Trixie had trouble finding, and being, in love. 

This knowledge expanded in his mind, blooming like an unwanted, bitter flower, a terrible weed that had grown in his budding garden of self-awareness and ideology. He thought of Applejack and her failed marriage. The colt shuddered as a vast, unknown, and potentially unhappy future presented itself. The Elements of Harmony had all stepped outside of the herd, and while they had friends, none of them had what one might call ‘normal lives.’ 

“I’m scared, Twinkleshine,” Sumac whispered. 

“Of the snow?” replied Twinkleshine, her voice scratchy and catching in her throat. 

“No. Not the snow.” When faced with the daunting task of trying to put his thoughts and feelings into words, Sumac’s brain balked, then shut down. The cold he felt wasn’t from the feral winter weather and somehow managed to sneak past Twinkleshine’s warm, velvet-smooth embrace. 

“Poor little guy, I’ll save you.” Some of Twinkleshine’s bravery returned, spurred on by her sense of duty. “Let’s forget that lesson and go have cocoa instead.” 

Sumac went cross eyed as he watched a fluffy snowflake land upon his nose. It melted almost right away, and the little colt listened to the sounds of the Ponyville marketplace being evacuated. He felt himself lifted by Twinkleshine and then he was plopped upon her back. She took off at a hurried trot, and Sumac could tell that she was holding back a full blown panicked run. Even now, she was clinging to her dignity, she was one of the noble unicorns of Canterlot, she had her pride, but she was on the very verge of losing it. 

Such was life in Ponyville. The sight of one out of place snowflake or a visiting zebra was enough to spook the herd. Breathing deep, Sumac buried his face into Twinkleshine’s pink silken mane and let heave a sigh, not liking this newfound feeling of isolation. Was this part of what had driven Trixie to wander the roads? 

He didn’t know, but wanted to talk to her about it. Maybe later, over supper. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 108
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You!” Twilight said in an exaggerated princessly voice. “Stop right there!” She drew herself up to her full height, trying to make herself look as tall as possible, puffed out her barrel, and looked down her muzzle at Sumac, who was now frozen. “I know what you did.” As she spoke, her eyes narrowed. 

“Yeah, I did it,” Sumac admitted as his thoughts about the snow outside retreated from his mind. He knew exactly what he had done, and he wasn’t too surprised that Twilight knew about it as well. She just wouldn’t be Twilight without these sorts of surprises, and looking back on it in hindsight, Sumac felt rather stupid. 

“I had some very mild wards protecting the zap apple tincture. I am actually surprised that you did what you did. I expected you to do it, but I didn’t expect you to do it now. I scheduled this conversation about a year from now. So begins the game.” 

“Game?” Sumac asked. 

“Oh, you are bound to do it again, so each time I’m going to make the wards a little bit harder, so you will have to put in a little more effort. And who knows… you might get a little a surprise if you keep trying… but don’t expect me to make it easy for you.” Twilight’s mouth opened and she began to chuckle hard enough to cause her feathers to fluff out. 

“I’m not in trouble?” 

“Goodness no.” Twilight wiped the corners of her eyes with her foreleg, let heave a satisfied sigh, and relaxed her posture into something a bit more casual. “Anyhow, I was just on my way outside to look at the snow. Trixie is in your room. She’s had a very trying day, you should go and see if you can make her feel better.” 

“Come on, Sumac, let’s go and check up on Trixie,” Twinkleshine said as she gave the colt a nudge to get him moving. 

“See you, Twilight.” Sumac looked up at Twilight’s smiling face one last time, then moved ahead at Twinkleshine’s urging, eager to see his mother. The colt forgot his previous troubles outside, his deep thinking, and even though he would never, ever admit it, he was looking forwards to a bit of a hug with Trixie, or maybe, just maybe, a bit of a snuggle. 



 

Trixie was just a little softer than usual. Oh, Sumac would never say that she was getting fat, but she had rounded out a little, was softer in a number of places, and wasn’t quite so bony. Lemon Hearts seemed to agree, because when he and Twinkleshine had come in, he had found both of them on the bed together, spooning and talking. 

“Don’t go,” Lemon Hearts said as Twinkleshine approached the door. “Stay here… with us.” 

“I don’t know…” Twinkleshine sounded hesitant. 

“There’s another bed right over there if you don’t feel like joining us.” Lemon Hearts made a gesture with her hoof at the empty bed. “Besides, we need to talk. All of us.” 

“We do?” Twinkleshine asked as she moved towards the empty bed. 

“Tomorrow we’re going to a wedding.” Lemon Hearts watched as Twinkleshine bounced onto the empty bed and got settled. “Wormwood and Gloomy are finally getting hitched after a few delays. We’re invited and we can bring a friend, so Trixie and I thought that we should bring you. It’s a come as you are affair and is in no way formal.” 

“Before you even ask, Sumac, Pebble will be there. Silver Lining gave her an invitation, she told me all about it earlier when I saw her and Lemon in the hall.” Trixie yawned, closed her eyes, and rested her head on Sumac, who she held in her forelegs. “This feels good, you know? I mean, being settled in like this. I know our home got ruined, but we have this room and we have each other and we have our friends.” 

“Friends,” Boomer repeated as she uncoiled herself from Sumac’s horn. She yawned, stretched a bit, then scampered up Trixie’s face, climbing right up, and she did a little chin up on Trixie’s horn, stepping on Trixie’s nose on her way up. Her long tail, which had gotten longer, whipped around until it hit Trixie’s ear and then it began to wrap around that as if it had a mind of its own. 

“I had a look at our new house,” Lemon Hearts said to everypony. “It just needs a little wiring and some plumbing and we’ll be able to move in. It’s right on the spot of the old one and this one is a little different. There is a larger upstairs, two bathrooms, a somewhat bigger kitchen, a dining area, and there is a cellar.” 

Sumac thought that sounded nice, wondered if he would have the upstairs to himself, and was glad to hear about a second bathroom so he wouldn’t have to share. Or maybe he could move down into the cellar, spiders lived down in the cellar, and Boomer would have plenty to eat. Plus, he could conduct experiments in the cellar. 

“The upstairs is just one big room and there are two bedrooms on the ground floor.” Lemon Hearts turned to look at Twinkleshine, her expression both soulful and hopeful. “I know you’re still trying to figure everything out, Twinkle, but Trixie and I both want you to be with us. Our invitation is open and so is our bedroom door. Sharing a bed is a quaint Trottingham tradition.” 

“Are we a family now?” Sumac asked. 

“I don’t know,” Trixie replied, sounding sleepy. “I think I’d like for us to be. Lemon Hearts and I are still trying to sort out what we have between us. It’s tricky when you don’t know much about yourself.” 

Sumac realised that he was no longer in the shallow end of the swimming hole, but the deep end. This was the territory of adult conversation, the domain of grownups, and he wondered how much say he had on everything. Not that he needed or wanted much of a say, not as much as Pebble seemed to want, but it would be nice to be listened to. 

As Trixie’s forelegs wrapped a little tighter around him, Sumac thought of his conversation with Octavia, and Octavia’s doubts about Trixie being gay. Octavia had her doubts, but had admitted she might be wrong. He also thought about what Octavia had said about not telling Trixie, and how important it was for her and Lemon Hearts to figure this out on their own. 

There was love there, Sumac could both feel it and see it, the way they touched, the way they looked at one another, the occasional flirting that left him flustered when he witnessed it. He began to wonder if two ponies could be in love but not quite fit with one another. There was a word for it, Sumac was certain of it, but he couldn’t think of what the word he wanted was. 

“What does it mean to be special someponies?” Sumac asked, thinking aloud, his mind wandering from subject to subject, and thinking of Pebble somewhere deep in the back of his mind. 

“Oh, love is like destiny. Fate guides you to the one you love and when you find them, things just fit together. Most of them, when you find a special somepony, you settle down with them, get married, and have a nice life.” Lemon Hearts nestled up a little closer to Trixie as she spoke and there was a curious gleam in her eye. 

“I don’t think I agree.” 

Lemon’s eyebrow arched. “Twinkle?” 

“I’ve had quite a few special someponies… I was really in love with them,” Twinkleshine confessed in an embarrassed voice. “But it all went wrong. The love was there, but with me being gay and all… the physical aspect didn’t quite work out… at all. My heart kept getting broken, and I kept breaking the hearts of others. But I was so certain that they were the one.” 

“Oh.” Lemon’s utterance was little more than a meek gasp. 

“I suppose there is a certain romantic notion to linking love and fate together, both of them are aspects of harmony and we are creatures of harmony, but If that is the case, I’ve had fate and love do me wrong. All my failed relationships… all the hurt… and now, I can’t even figure out who or what I am anymore.” 

Hearing what Twinkleshine had to say, Sumac thought it sounded pretty awful. He began to wonder about his relationship with Pebble, what it meant now, what it might mean in the long run, and if she was his special somepony, was she the one? It would be nice to know, so that way he could stop worrying and wondering, he could just allow life to happen and never have to give serious thought to it ever again. He could just let it all happen with no worry or fuss on his part.

“Figuring yourself out is hard,” Trixie whispered. “I was just starting to get myself sorted out, and now, I am Lady Lulamoon. I was just starting to get comfortable with who I am… who I was… but now, everything is different and everything feels so uncertain. Dandy and I are the last.” Trixie hesitated, shaking her head, and then continued, “And I can’t even begin to figure out the relationship between me and my mother. I’m still trying to figure Lemon out.” 

“It doesn’t sound like life gets any easier,” Sumac began, “I mean, I’m five and everything seems too complex and listening to all of you talk, it sounds like life just gets harder—” Sumac’s words were cut off with an abrupt end as his magic sense made him shiver-shudder. It was an alarming sensation, it made his horn tingle and his teeth felt electric. 

“Sumac?” Trixie asked. 

“M-m-m-magic sense,” Sumac stammered. 

Twinkleshine flew off of the bed, yanked the door open, and ran out into the hall, leaving Trixie, Lemon, Sumac, and Boomer in the room together. Sumac’s magic sense continued to go haywire and his whole body jerked from the now unpleasant sensations coursing through him. The colt grabbed Trixie’s leg, gritted his teeth, and hoped that the feeling would pass soon. 



 

Sumac came into Twilight’s chambers just in time to see himself, but not himself. He froze as he stared at himself, knowing that he was seeing himself. He was taller, older, had a mustache, and there was a crazy amount of magic radiating off of himself. Little Sumac tried to swallow the lump in his throat when his older self smiled down at him. 

“Hello tiny little me!” older Sumac said to himself as he waved. 

Things only got crazier. There were two Starlight Glimmers in the room, one much older, an older version of Trixie stood beside her, and one very beat up looking Twilight Sparkle stood in their midst. The just fine Twilight Sparkle stood looking at herself, a little confused, a little perplexed, and she began to nod her head. 

“This has happened to me before,” Twilight remarked, “this is not the first time I’ve met myself. So, now that Sumac is here, what is going on?” 

“Time is limited,” the older, battered looking Twilight replied. “Starlight and I, we’re using Sumac’s sorcery to come here and talk to you.” 

“And you’re from the future?” Twilight asked. 

Older Twilight nodded. “One possible future, and one I hope that can be changed. The Ascendency gets ahold of the lantern… Sumac’s lantern. They use it to figure out what they are doing wrong when they make alicorns. Tarnished Teapot recovers the lantern at great risk to himself, cursing most of the upper ranks of the Ascendency with his poison joke magic. They were quite powerless against him during his surprise attack, they weren't prepared with an antidote for poison joke and the sheer ferocity of the Heliophant. Tarnish cut the drawstring with Flamingo and the lantern was destroyed.” 

“You mustn’t allow this to happen!” future Starlight shouted, and the older Trixie nodded her head. “I used Sumac’s magic to fracture the timeline, our timeline, at least I think I did. It cost us the cutie mark map, and I hope it’s worth it.” 

“What happened?” Twilight asked. 

Older Twilight shuddered. “Grogar took down most of the Ascendency while they were still crippled from the poison joke curse, he killed them, stuffed them into the Rainbow of Darkness bag, and revived them as an army of undead draconequus spawns that he had no control over. We no longer have the lantern to hold back the armies of undead. I think we’ve lost. No matter what, you must not destroy the lantern! It’s risky keeping it, but we’ve seen the future without it… we’re out of time and we must be going.” 

“No, wait,” Starlight said as she stared at herself, “is there nothing more you can tell us?” 

Future Starlight began to look dim and motes of light danced around her body. “Keeping the lantern safe won’t be as hard as keeping Sumac safe. The Ascendency will come for him and they will keep coming. Prepare yourselves—” 

With a crackle, future Starlight was gone, and so was everypony else. Sumac stood there, staring at where his older self had stood, wide-eyed and bewildered. Fear crept through him, cold chills ran up and down his spine, and with a slow turn of his head, he looked up at Twilight as it dawned upon him that he was in very real danger. 

“It is as I suspected,” Twilight said as Sumac stared at her. “At least, I think it is. I think the lantern uses the power of the drawstring to control the undead and keep them away. There is so much to learn and so little time available. There are just so many demands upon my time… there just aren’t enough hours in the day.” 

“What do we do?” Trixie asked. 

“What we’ve been doing,” Twilight replied. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 109
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The late fall day was glorious, but a bit cool. After being cooped up in school for half of the day, Sumac was glad to be out and rather happy about going to the wedding, but he had a lot on his mind. Curious events had taken place as of late, and Sumac was left reflecting upon them and their impact upon him. 

Time travel, for one. 

He was aware that Starlight had tried to tamper with Equestria’s timeline, but she had ultimately failed. Twilight had gone back in time to try and warn herself—he had a vague awareness of that—but what neither of them had at the time was a sorcerer, a means for more power to make the impossible possible. 

It was enough to drive the five year old colt to distraction. 

Beside him, Pebble walked with a smooth, steady gait, balancing a package of delicious treats on her back, her contribution to the potluck meal at the wedding. She had made them herself and Sumac guessed that she had to be quite proud of them, even if she didn’t show it. The autumn sun shone down through the bare, almost leafless trees and left Pebble dappled in a dazzling array of golden motes of light which stood out in sharp contrast against her dark, muted turquoise dress. 

It too, was enough to leave the colt distracted. 

This moment of normalcy was almost perfect, this moment of calm between the chaotic events that kept happening. Sumac was a little nervous, worried about crowds and being around strangers, something that was always stressful, but he was managing. He did however, wish that Octavia was here so that he would have somepony to retreat with if things became a bit too overwhelming. 

“Pretty!” 

Hearing this made Sumac stop, and he angled his eyes to look up at Boomer. “What’s pretty, Boomer?” 

“That!” Extending one tiny clawed finger, Boomer pointed at a poncho hanging in a store window. 

It was an equine poncho, with a hole in one end of the blanket, rather than in the middle, as it was for bipeds, with the length of it designed in such a way that it was draped over a pony’s back. Sumac studied it, trying to see why Boomer thought it was pretty, and after a few moments, Sumac too, thought it was pretty. The poncho was a pale brown and covered with a colourful, stylised sun pattern that would sit in the middle of a pony’s back when worn. The sun cast out rainbow coloured rays that radiated out like spokes in a wagon wheel. 

The colours and design were quite similar to Sumac’s cutie mark, a zap apple with nine lightning bolts extending out in all directions. The design was unusual, odd even for a place like Ponyville, but would have been right at home in Equestria’s south and southwest. 

Squinting one eye, Twinkleshine pulled up alongside Sumac and came to a halt. She too, began to study the poncho with the critical eye of a Canterlot pony. Boomer, quite taken, lept from Sumac’s horn to Twinkleshine’s, then began tugging on the mare’s ears. 

“It’s a bit big for you, Boomer,” Twinkleshine said after a few ear tugs, “but I do think it will fit Sumac. What do you say, Sumac? Want a poncho? Winter is coming and it might be nice to have something warm to wrap up in.” 

Sumac did not reply, but stared at the poncho, thinking about things like money, and his utter lack of it. Boomer didn’t ask for much, she didn’t respond to much other than comic books, which, thanks to Spike, she now had a habit of reading. It was unusual to see Boomer become so animated about anything. 

Perhaps reading Sumac’s mind, or just knowing his thoughts, Twinkleshine said to the colt, “It’s not a matter of money and that poncho is a steal at fifty silver bits. Whatcha say?”

“Owning stuff is hard,” Sumac replied, his voice low and difficult to hear. “It hurts to lose it when something bad happens, and bad things happen. They’ve happened to me.” The colt punctuated his weary words with a sigh. 

Twinkleshine nodded. “I understand. You’re still recovering from everything that happened and I bet everything still stings a bit. Look, Sumac, in life, some bad things are going to happen and we shouldn’t deprive ourselves of nice things because of a fear that we might lose them.” 

“Want!” Boomer chirped, making her feelings known. “Want blanket!” 

“I suppose it will make Boomer happy…” Sumac wasn’t sure if he was accepting the situation or just trying to convince himself to accept it as a gift. “Maybe give her a nice place to sit.” 

Pebble, who had been pacing around, waiting, continued to pace and wait. 

Twinkleshine made an impatient huff, gestured with her hoof, and tossed her head at the door to the shop. “Come on, Sumac, let’s see how you look in it…”



 

Sumac was a bit small and the poncho was a bit big, but nothing dragged on the ground or hung too far down. It was nice and he liked it, but Boomer liked it a whole lot more. She was sitting on his back at the moment, gripping the poncho with her claws, sitting in the middle of the stylised sun. 

Twinkleshine was bringing up the rear, with Lemon Hearts and Trixie leading the way. Sumac supposed that he had something in common with Pebble now, as he had a family that wasn’t the standard family, that is to say, it wasn’t well defined. For Pebble, her parents, Tarnish and Maud, they lived in the same house as Octavia and Vinyl, and they were all close friends that existed as a family, but those lines were blurred and confusing. Pebble was going to have a half-sibling through Octavia, but Octavia and Tarnish were just very close friends, and this was where Sumac himself became a bit confused and he agreed with Pebble—there needed to be some assurance that they would stay together and exist as a family. 

Marriage. Sumac knew how Pebble felt about the subject, and yet again, they were going to a wedding at the Ponyville Grange Hall. Would she have another meltdown? Would she cry? Sumac’s mouth went dry with worry and he started licking his lips. He thought about the fact that he had a mustache when he was older. He had missed a golden opportunity to ask himself if he and Pebble were together in the future, and what he had chosen to do with his life. Or maybe he was better off not knowing, because, marriage, and everything to do with it, was icky. 

Of course, if he was married, if being the operative qualifier, he could tell Pebble what to do and he could make her show him her cutie mark, at least, that was how Sumac assumed that marriage worked. It was basically permission to be bossy with one another and not get in trouble for it. There was probably more to it than that though, as that didn’t seem like a very compelling reason to get married. Sumac knew that more compelling reasons had to exist, but they were too gross to even think about. 

Ick. 

Double ick. 

Triple ick. 



 

The Ponyville Grange Hall existed on the edge of town, in the north and east. It was a solid building made of stone, long, rectangular, and in an emergency, like, say, a harpy attack, the citizens of Ponyville were supposed to take shelter in here. This was the place where farmers did their business, merchants set fair prices, and community events took place here, like weddings, dances, and sometimes funerals. 

The building was built by earth ponies, which meant that it was stone blocks stacked atop one another and secured into place with mortar. Unicorns tended to take blocks of stone and just shape them into whatever was needed, well, unicorns with stone shaping abilities. Sumac had seen some excellent examples of both earth pony and unicorn construction in his travels, and he found that he liked both, while Trixie tended to favour unicorn construction, because she liked smooth structures free of lines. 

Sumac felt a little nervous as they approached the door, the building was of a good size and he didn’t know how many ponies might be packed inside. For a second, he had a terrifying vision of the entire place packed wall to wall, like how the royal wedding was. He suffered a moment of hesitation as his imagination made him panic, and he came to an abrupt halt, causing Twinkleshine to bump into his backside with her foreleg. 

“Hey, what gives?” she demanded in a good natured voice. 

Shaking his head, Sumac wasn’t sure how to respond to her question and he turned to look at her as she walked around him. Ahead, Trixie and Lemon had stopped and Lemon was preparing her camera as she chatted with Trixie. The colt became aware that Pebble was staring at him and he let out a little nervous cough to clear his throat. The pressure to say something was getting intense, which made it even harder speak. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Don’t get worked up,” Twinkleshine said to Sumac. “Are you having a Sumac moment?” 

The colt nodded, as he was indeed, having a Sumac moment. 

“Take a deep breath,” Twinkleshine commanded, and she looked pleased when Sumac did as she told him. Smiling now, she continued, “Take another deep breath,” and nodded when Sumac did as she requested. “Now, remind yourself, everything is going to be fine, because Twinkleshine is here to protect you.” 

Sumac gulped in a few lungfuls of cool autumn air and nodded. 

“I am going to sing to you the Twinkleshine Protection Song, and you’re going to feel better, okay?” 

The colt nodded. 

“Twinkle Twinkle’s little axe, good for giving forty whacks—” 

Upon hearing this, Sumac began to giggle. 

“—held above my head so high, gonna chop you in the eye—” 

More laughter came from Sumac, whose overactive imagination now found something else to think about. 

“—when the glorious axe comes right down, little Twinkle goes to town—” 

At this point, Pebble rolled her eyes and snorted. 

“—it does no good to scream in dread, when little Twinkle comes for your head—” 

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Pebble deadpanned in a very matter-of-fact monotone. 

“Hey, it’s a work in progress!” Twinkle, fighting back a smile, gave Sumac a nudge. “At least he liked it.” 

“Sumac thinks poop jokes are funny.” Pebble’s statement hit Sumac like a slap and the colt stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock. “There are moments when he has all of the maturity of a five year old.” Having said what she needed to say, Pebble waited with a blank expression. 

It took all of about ten seconds before Sumac began to chortle and Twinkleshine lifted up one front hoof, extended it, and pointed at Pebble. She shook her hoof as she bit her lip, chewing on it, and Sumac was now laughing so hard that Boomer was having to struggle to hold on. 

“You’re a funny little filly,” Twinkleshine said to Pebble. 

“I get it from my mother,” was Pebble’s deadpan response to Twinkleshine’s assertion. 

The doors to the grange hall opened and a small figure darted out, bouncing and flapping in excitement. That small figure turned out to be Silver Lining, and the little griffoness couldn’t contain her happiness as she came careening over to where Sumac and Pebble were standing. She came to a skidding halt, digging her claws into the dirt of the road, and then just stood there, wide-eyed, vibrating with excitement. 

“I’m going to have a Daddy,” she announced. 

Pebble, still stony, nodded. “I have one of those. They can be a real pain in the neck.” 

Silver Lining took this in stride. “I know, but Wormy isn’t that bad.” 

The griffoness, unable to contain her affection, lept upon Sumac and wrapped her forelegs around his neck in an over-enthusiastic hug. She began squeezing and Sumac’s eyes bulged behind his round teashades. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Silver Lining murmured into the general direction of Sumac’s ear. “This is the happiest day of my life and I’m so glad that I have friends to share it with, thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

Still being griffonhandled, Sumac nodded as he endured Silver Lining’s affections. “You’re welcome.” As he spoke, there was a bright flash and Sumac knew that his picture had just been taken. 

“Come inside, we’ll be starting soon.” Silver Lining’s happiness faded away, but only for a brief second. “Not many guests showed up, but that’s okay. You’re here and that makes me happy! Come inside so I can introduce you to Hachikō, he’s really nice and I think you’ll like him!” 

“Hachikō?” Sumac asked, somewhat confused by the name. 

“He’s a diamond dog and he’s visiting along with Picklesworth and Gleamgood, Mama’s old friends. You’ll like them, but Picklesworth is a little grumpy. They were there when I hatched!” 

“Oh…” What else could be said. Sumac, who was just a little embarrassed that his picture had just been taken with Silver Lining hanging off of him, was glad when the griffoness pulled away and let go of him. 

“Come inside!” 
	
> Chapter 110
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Ponyville Grange Hall was filled with flowers, a few tables covered in food, and not many guests, which caused Sumac to let out a huff of relief. There was music playing, military sounding music, and hearing it inspired Sumac’s budding sense of patriotism. There were quite a number of draconic nocturnal pegasus ponies here, which made sense, as one of their own was getting married. 

Sumac realised that some of the food might have had a face at some point, and he thought of the nocturnal pegasus pony he had seen in Lulamoon Hollow, eating her meal. It was then that Sumac understood why there weren’t as many guests here as one might expect. These thoughts gave the young colt pause; that was the real difference between him and Silver Lining, but it was no reason not to be friends, and it stood to reason that, if he could be friends with her, then he could be friends with others like her. 

And just like that, the issue of eating meat became a non-issue for Sumac. 

“There’s Hachikō,” Silver Lining said as she pointed one clawed talon-finger. “He’s talking to Wormwood right now. Mommy keeps interesting friends. Gleamgood is a crystal pony, isn’t that amazing? I’ve seen him glow and he’s pretty special. Picklesworth is off by himself it looks like, but that’s sorta what he does.” 

Nodding, Sumac understood going off by oneself and he couldn’t help but notice how animated Silver Lining was. Around strangers, the little griffoness was clingy and scared, but around those she knew, she was warm, affectionate, and quite social. The colt wondered what Octavia had to say about this and if there was another lesson in introversion to be had. Thanks to Octavia’s teaching, Sumac understood so much more about himself, and this led to him feeling more comfortable in his own skin. 

“After I hatched, I almost nipped off Hachikō’s finger,” Silver Lining whispered as she shared her embarrassing secret with Sumac and Pebble. “I don’t remember it, but he kept holding it out to me and saying, ‘look at the wiggly worm’ and I guess I thought it was a worm and I nipped him. Now, he tells that story every chance he gets. It is one of the rare things that makes Picklesworth laugh.” 

“That’s actually funny.” Pebble looked around, eyed an open spot on a nearby table, and then took off to unload her selection of tasty treats. 

Behind her, Sumac followed, and Silver Lining walked alongside Sumac, her tail swishing from side to side and sometimes stroking Sumac as they walked. On the other side of the table, the wall caught Sumac’s eye, and he froze in place to have a better look, so that he might take it all in just a little bit better. 

A mural of the four princesses of Equestria and what they represented was on the wall. Princess Celestia, looking wise and serene, had her sun. Princess Luna, who had the suggestion of a smile upon her muzzle, she had her moon. Princess Cadance had a pink heart—but it was Twilight’s depiction that gave Sumac pause. 

“What’s that?” he asked as he looked at the pink flames that surrounded Twilight’s side-profile portrait. 

“That’s hearthfire,” Pebble replied as she slid her treats onto the table, “the symbolic representation of friendship. Don’t you pay attention to the reason for Hearth’s Warming?” 

“Not really, no.” Sumac, taken aback a bit, give Pebble a sidelong glance. “Trixie and I were poor. We didn’t do much for Hearth’s Warming… we didn’t talk about it… we just had a nice day together and that was it.”

Pebble’s eyes widened and the filly somehow managed to look quite alarmed. “It’s my favourite holiday and my mother loves it too… it’s not about presents and stuff to us, but about friendship and togetherness. Mother, she’s been in some dark and dangerous situations and she says it was friendship that got her through. It’s a pretty big deal for her and she’s really made me aware of the importance of the real meaning of Hearth’s Warming. Looks like you’re due for a lesson, Sumac. I’m going to make sure that you have a nice holiday this year and I’m telling my mother.” 

Not knowing what to say, Sumac just stood there and he looked back up at the pink flames wreathed around Twilight. He became aware of the fact that Silver Lining was pressed up against his side and the back of his mind began to think about what it meant to be friends with the griffoness. 

“Princess Cadance was there when I hatched,” Silver Lining whispered as she looked up at the wall. Her feathers and her fur fluffed out and she looked thoughtful, her head tilting off to one side. “Friendship is a fine and good thing, but I’m here because a pegasus pony loved an egg.” 

Feeling a tug on his tail, Sumac turned around… 



 

Vinyl Scratch, as it turned out, loved to crash weddings and do the music. It was a thing she did, and she had done it for Gloomy and Wormwood, offering to be a disc jockey for the couple and refusing to take payment. Music made marriage groovy, or so Vinyl believed, and the start of every good marriage was a good wedding. Vinyl understood her sworn duty in life, and that was to help newlywed couples boogie down on what should be the happiest day of their lives. 

Sumac, much to his surprise, was plopped down in a chair beside Vinyl, and he had a very different view of the room now. He watched the record spinning round and round on the turntable, his head bobbing up and down, and he pulled off his new poncho because he was starting to get too warm. 

Today, I am putting you to work. 

Blinking, Sumac looked at the words written in chalk on Vinyl’s slate. After taking a moment to consider these words, Sumac discovered that he was okay with that—being behind the turntables was better than being out in the crowd, small though it might be. Pebble was staring at him and Vinyl, her eyes half open or maybe half closed, and Silver Lining was looking at the music list, touching different titles with the tip of her claw as she read the words. 

“He’s going to need a name,” Pebble suggested and as she spoke, Vinyl’s head bobbed up and down. 

“A name?” Sumac eyed Boomer, who was making herself comfortable on top of his folded up poncho. 

“Vinyl is DJ Pon-3.” Pebble sat down on the floor beside Sumac’s chair and her ears perked at the sound of laughter from the other end of the room. “Vinyl, who got you set up here?” 

Scribbling on her slate, Vinyl wrote out her reply and then held it up. Tarnish did, but he couldn’t stay. Druid business. 

Hearing this, Sumac wondered what sort of druid business, but he didn’t ask, as he was content to remain curious. Looking out at the crowd, which had grown a bit, Sumac saw Rainbow Dash strutting around and he wondered if Pinkie Pie might crash the party. Trixie was chatting with Wormwood and she showed no signs of fear being around him now. Lemon Hearts looked as though she was teasing Twinkleshine while walking in circles around her, the colt couldn’t say why it looked like teasing, it just did. 

While yawning and looking disinterested, Vinyl mohawked Sumac’s mane and with a flash of magic, she turned his pale, unremarkable mane into a riotous rainbow of colour with every hue that could be found in his zap apple cutie mark. Grinning, she made a few adjustments and then looked over to where Trixie was, looking just a bit worried about being caught. 

Lifting up her slate, Vinyl jotted down just a few more words, then held it up for Sumac to see. Don’t let the music stop. Smiling, she set down her slate, picked up a camera, and hobbled off to take photographs, leaving Sumac alone to pony up at the turntable. The colt watched his master go and noticed that she was indeed, getting better with each passing day. 

In the back of his mind, some meaningful thoughts about how time makes things better almost came up to the surface of his consciousness, they were close enough for Sumac to almost have a profound realisation, but Sumac became distracted by the fact that the album on the turntable was about to end. 

Without panicking, he selected another album, something random out of a rugged plastic bin, and he placed it upon the second turntable. He queued that up and had it ready to go by the time the first album ended. When the first album was done, he pulled it from the turntable, slid it back into the empty sleeve sitting upon the table, and slipped that back into the bin of albums as the second album began to play. 

“All around the world, same song… all around the world, same song… ” 

The music was a little strange and Sumac’s eyebrow raised just a little as he looked at the spinning record. He hadn’t heard anything quite like it, it was entirely alien to him. Not just him, he realised, lots of ponies in the room had tilted heads as they listened to the strange, funky beat. One of the big lunar mares began dancing, shuffling around at first, but then really getting into the groove of it. 

“I’m not supposed to tell anypony, but Vinyl Scratch collects records from other whens and wheres.” Pebble whispered just loud enough for Sumac to hear. “It’s her hobby. You’re bound to find out sometime. That record we’re hearing, it’s not from Equestria, or anywhere on this world.” 

“How did she get it?” Sumac asked. 

Shrugging, Pebble shook her head. Saying nothing, she got up and wandered off, leaving Sumac alone at the turntables, hidden behind a bunker of plastic bins inside of a fortress of grooviness. Left to himself, Sumac began to examine the records and noticed that quite a few of them had non-descript cardboard sleeves with written words to mark them. Again, his eyebrow arched—the little colt wasn’t stupid—and he began to suspect that a record from another when or where would be easy to spot if the cover was a dead giveaway. 

He pulled a record with a plain brown cardboard cover and placed it on the spare turntable, preparing it for when the current album was done playing. The song playing was electrifying and it had a profound effect upon the crowd. It had an effect upon Sumac as well, and his small head bobbed along in time to the funky beat. 

Even Boomer had delayed her nap and was listening with her frills and spines sticking out in all directions, her head bobbing up and down in time with Sumac’s as she sat atop his folded poncho. Instead of talking, ponies were dancing and in the center of it all, Rainbow Dash was boogying down like a mad mare. She was doing something with her wings that made Sumac feel funny and confused to watch. 

Pebble returned, bearing a little bright coloured paper plate in her teeth that was loaded down with treats. It sagged a little from the weight of the goodies piled upon it and Pebble let out a sigh of relief when she put it down upon the table. Offering no apologies, she shoved Sumac over in his chair as she climbed up and sat down beside him. There was just enough room for two, but only if they were squished together. 

When the song came to an end, Sumac allowed the other record to begin to play. He had this handled, he had this down, he was in control, he was the DJ and he was what he played. Feeling a little peckish, he lifted up a treat—failing to notice Pebble’s twitching ear and the anxious way her nostrils flared.

Taking a bite, he was shocked. Quite literally—a faint electric current made his mouth tingle in a pleasant way and the scent of ozone crept up the back of his nose from his throat. The candy he was eating had a chocolate shell and had some sort of berries inside of it. When he popped the little berries between his broad, flat teeth, he received a shiver-inducing shock of electric current. 

“Is it good?” There was a soft waver to Pebble’s voice and she pressed up against Sumac while placing her hoof against his barrel, waiting on some response. “It’s a stormberry bon bon. I experimented.” 

“I like it.” Sumac took another bite and could feel static crackling around his ears. 

“They’re a new species of plant, my father discovered them in the druid’s grove one day. The bushes can be deadly, but once picked, the berries lose their powerful charge and all that is left is a little tingle.” 

After eating a bit more, Sumac nodded and licked his lips. “These are amazing.” 

“Thank you…” Pebble’s voice trembled a bit and she pulled her hoof away from Sumac’s barrel. “I worked so very hard on them, and I’m glad you like them.” Pebble’s face turned a darker shade of chocolate and she looked away from Sumac. “Here comes Vinyl. I wonder when the wedding will start?” 
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 111
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hachikō seemed so very large and Sumac felt so very small. From where he was sitting, the colt looked up at the diamond dog, having to tilt his head back quite a ways. The diamond dog was holding Silver Lining in his arms and stroking her neck with his broad, well calloused paw. There was a bond here, an old one, and Sumac likened it to butting into an ongoing conversation; any new bond of familiarity happened while intruding on the one already in place. 

He wasn’t sure why he thought that, but think it he did. There was a certain level of awkwardness in meeting a friend’s old friend, but Sumac didn’t understand why. Perhaps he was having an introvert moment and overthinking everything involved. Octavia had warned him that most ponies, and for that matter, most others, didn’t share his quirks. His issues, his problems, they existed within his own headspace. 

“Sumac, Pebble, this is Hachikō,” Silver Lining said, making an introduction. “Hachikō, this is Sumac and Pebble, my friends from school. My friends from school don’t seem to mind that I’m a griffon.” 

“Wait, ponies mind that you are a griffon?” Pebble asked. 

“Well, most,” Silver Lining replied, “but not a lot of my fellow students.” 

“I wonder why that is...” Pebble, squished in a chair beside Sumac, looked thoughtful. 

“Why what is?” Silver Lining’s head turned to one side as she waited for Pebble’s answer.

“Sumac and I, we’re different. A lot of the foals in Twilight’s school are different. We think different, we act different, but I don’t want to just say that it is just because we’re smarter. It’s more than that.” 

“I have a problem with acceptance,” Hachikō remarked. “Many ponies are afraid of me, and for good reason. Much of my kind are not to be trusted.” The diamond dog mused on the issue for a moment, his face becoming wizened, and the grey patches around his eyes became far more pronounced as his wrinkles multiplied. “In my experience, ponies seldom ask why, but rather, go with what they know. Diamond dogs are dangerous and griffons are jerks. Changing these perceptions might be dangerous, maybe even fatal. It is better to go with the safe assumption.” 

Vinyl’s head bobbed up and down and it wasn’t from the music.

“But Silver Lining is little and harmless,” Sumac argued. 

“She still bears the stigma of her species,” Hachikō countered. 

“I know what stigma means.” Sumac’s lips pressed into a straight, pinched line. “Trixie and I had to deal with it on the road. There is a stigma that belongs to ponies that live in wagons and roam the countryside. Many times, we weren’t trusted and we were asked to move along. It’s part of why we stayed in the cemeteries.” 

“Already you are wiser than most your age.” Hachikō bowed his head, then, bending over, he placed Silver Lining down upon the floor. He patted her on the head as she scrambled off to go and be with her mother, her claws scratching and scrabbling over the stone floor. The diamond dog watched her go for a time, he sighed, and then he shook his head. 

“Something wrong?” Pebble asked, cottoning on to the fact that something felt off. 

“Nothing is wrong,” Hachikō replied, still shaking his head. “Time passes and my life grows ever shorter. I now have more years behind me than ahead, I think. I have watched her grow… When she is grown up, I will be very old, or maybe dead. I do not live a safe life.” The diamond dog sighed again. “I used to believe that the worst indignity that I could suffer was to die of old age. Now, as I grow older, as the battles become harder, as I have to rely more upon cunning and guile rather than power, I find that I want to die of old age, but I am now afraid of dying alone. I fear I have become unreasonable in my silver years.” The old diamond dog’s shoulders heaved up and down as he chuckled. “Enough about me, we have a wedding to celebrate…” 



 

Now sitting on a wooden bench worn smooth with age, Sumac watched as the bride and groom took their places. Gloomy had a crown of autumn wildflowers upon her head, Sumac wondered where she had got them and how they had survived the recent cold snap. The pony officiating the wedding was an old green earth pony, he looked a bit withered, and Sumac couldn’t be quite certain, but it appeared that the old green earth pony had a stick of dynamite for a cutie mark. 

How did a pony get a stick of dynamite as a cutie mark? 

Sumac could only assume that most of the guests who did show had to be in the guard; many were nocturnal pegasus ponies, some were regular pegasus ponies, and one guest was a massive pink pegasus pony who sat near the front beside a big blue earth pony. The enormous pink pegasus let out a honk and big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as the blue earth pony beside her tried to comfort her. 

“I need some bourbon,” the old, withered green earth pony said, his voice scratchy. “I need something to smooth out my old throat.” 

“Hey, somepony fetch Chesty McPuller some bourbon!” a big lunar mare barked. 

Hooves clattered as a young adult unicorn scrambled to do the big mare’s bidding and Sumac guessed that the young unicorn was perhaps a private, or some low ranking member of the guard, hoping to curry some favour. There was an eager grin on his face and he looked pleased to be able to help out the old earth pony, whom Sumac figured was important, and somehow a bit familiar as well. 

A rather large glass tumbler was fetched, it was filled with a few ice cubes, and then poured full to brimming with bourbon, a ridiculous amount—Sumac was five years old and even he knew that there was enough booze in that big glass tumbler to completely smash a pony. The glass was brought to the old green pony, who grabbed it in his fetlock, and then the glass was emptied down in just a few gulps. 

Sumac, a tiny colt he might be, was impressed. 

“That’s better.” Chesty’s voice was now as smooth as silk spread over a fine layer of gravel. “Wormwood, you found you a looker, how’d an ugly mug such as yourself manage to get her to say yes?” 

“She asked me,” Wormwood replied as the room filled with laughter. 

“How much hooch did that take, I wonder?” Chesty remarked as he chortled. 

“Not as much as it’s gonna take to get through the honeymoon!” somepony in the crowd shouted and then there was uproarious, bawdy laughter. 

“Mom?” Sumac whispered. 

“What?” Trixie asked as she leaned over a bit. 

“Mom, I can’t but wonder, how are they are going to make foals?” 

“Sumac!” Trixie turned to look at her colt as Lemon and Twinkleshine both began to snigger. 

“Well, I can’t help but notice that Wormwood’s—”

“Sumac!” 

“—neck—” 

Trixie let out a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes. 

“ —is bigger than Gloomy’s body. He’s enormous—” 

“Sumac…” 

“ —and if they try to make foals, I don’t think Gloomy will ever be able to sit down ever again.” 

“Sumac Apple!” Trixie’s muzzle scrunched up and crinkled as she gave her son a stern look of disapproval. 

Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were clinging to one another as they howled with laughter, and several of the nearby guests were guffawing as well. Pebble meanwhile had turned a darker shade of chocolate brown, almost a coffee, and she was staring at the mural on the wall, ignoring everything being said and done around her. Not far away, the big pink pegasus and the big blue earth pony had turned around to look, and both were sniggering. 

“Sumac, just how much do you know about this subject matter?” Trixie asked in a low, embarrassed voice. 

“Well, I’ve watched cows doing it and plenty of other wild animals,” Sumac replied, squirming in his seat. “I don’t fully understand it, but I have a pretty good idea—” 

“That’s enough of that!” Trixie poked Sumac with her hoof, drew in a deep breath, and then let it out in a long, slow sigh of resignation before she continued, “Sumac, a marriage or any sort of relationship of that nature is supposed to be about trust and not hurting your partner—” 

“Foaling hurts.” Sumac adjusted his glasses, which had just mysteriously fogged over. 

“Some hurts cannot be avoided,” Trixie said, clarifying her argument as Pebble squirmed on the bench beside Sumac. “You know, Sumac, there are times when I wish I had foaled you. You’re that special to me. Why, you’re the Apple of my eye...” 

Oh. Redirection. Sumac was all too aware of how this game was played. She had just changed the subject and now Sumac wasn’t sure what to say next. Trixie was, perhaps, a bit too good at this game. He decided, after a few seconds of calm ponderance, to let the issue go. Instead, he focused his attention on Gloomy and Wormwood, who stood beside one another, and Silver Lining, who was sitting on the floor beside her mother’s hind hooves. 

Saying nothing, Sumac lifted up his right front leg, scooted a little closer to Trixie, and wrapped it around her left front leg. It was strange, how things worked out, but he wouldn’t have them any other way. His ears perked as the wedding actually started, but he had trouble hearing what was being said. 

It was funny how a promise could bind two ponies together, well, two of anything really, or even two or more. Once that promise was made, it was binding and it bound those who loved another together. The words had a special magic all their own, and for Sumac, magic words had a special meaning due to his talent, his own unique magic that involved words. 

At that moment, more than anything, Sumac wanted the budding relationship between Trixie and Lemon Hearts to work. He wanted them to maybe say their own special magic words to one another someday, and perhaps even Twinkleshine as well, because he liked her, but he didn’t fully understand the full nuance of adult relationships. 

Perhaps that is what Pebble needed—reassurance—the magic spoken words that would assure her that everything would be okay and that her family, such as it was, would stay together. He had thought about this before, but thought even more about it now. Words held meaning, had weight, had power, and so many of the rituals in society were based around the exchange of words. 

A deal made. A bargain struck. The promise of love. Turning his head, Sumac looked over at Vinyl and the young, naive colt began to understand just how difficult it was to be mute, to not have a voice, to not be able to engage in social rituals that involved the exchange of words, and there were so many social rituals that had words. 

With a sigh, a deep feeling of empathy blossomed within Sumac’s breast as he had his profound revelation and he clutched his mother’s leg just a little tighter. The crowd had hushed now and it was quiet, so quiet, quiet enough for him to hear some of Wormwood’s vows to Gloomy, something about cherishing her as his greatest treasure. 

There was a soft, muted squeak as Sumac came to the realisation that adoption and marriage were the events that had shaped his young life. His own adoption, Trixie’s sworn promise to look after him, to love him, to keep him, to be his mother—then there was the royal wedding of the two sisters, something that he knew had been a profound experience for him. All of these experiences involved spoken words. 

It wasn’t in Twilight’s school where he had learned his greatest lessons, but he had learned his greatest lessons because he had gone to Twilight’s school—choosing to settle down and be adopted. His cheeks and ears burned as tears began to pour down his muzzle, but he wasn’t crying because of the wedding, no, he was crying because of the emotions caused by his thoughts. He felt unsettled though, knowing that any who saw him in this state would think he was crying because of the wedding. 

There was nothing that could be done about it. 

Lifting his head a little higher, Sumac tried to get a better view, and did so just in time to watch as Wormwood and Gloomy kissed one another, sealing the deal so to speak. The kiss didn’t end—no—in fact, it just kept going and going and Sumac turned away, his face still burning and his ears still on fire, but now even more so. 

A cheer rose from the crowd and turning his head, Sumac caught sight of Pebble, who was staring at him. He watched her, uncertain of her intent or why she was staring at him in such a way, and then much to his horror, she started getting closer, closer, and then even closer until she was deep inside of his personal space. Freezing in place, he could feel Pebble breathing on him, and he could feel a cloud of butterflies in his stomach, no, not butterflies, there was a swarm of bats in his tummy, he was certain of it, and then something dreadful happened. 

Pebble wiped away his tears using the sleeve of her dress and then kissed him on the cheek. 
	
> Chapter 112
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Wake up, sleepyhead, you have to go to class.” Hearing Trixie’s voice, Sumac squirmed in the bed, his head full of hazy memories of the wedding that lasted forever. Nocturnal pegasus ponies liked to party all night and Sumac had stayed up way past his bedtime. Squeezing his eyes shut, he chose to ignore what had been said to him and he drifted back into sleep, sandwiched between two warm, fuzzy bodies. 

On the verge of sleep, he thought about singing karaoke with Lemon Hearts—that had been embarrassing like nothing else and she had dragged him in front of a crowd to sing. Here she comes now sayin’ pony pony… shoot ‘em down turn around come on pony. Hey, she give me love and I feel all right now... come on you gotta toss and turn and feel alright, yeah, I feel alright… It didn’t help matters none that Lemon Hearts was singing to Trixie of all ponies, which gave Sumac the willies. Something about the song just felt wrong to sing, especially in regards to his own mother of all ponies. 

It didn’t matter that the song had ended with a thunderous ovation, hooting, hollering, hoof stomping, and cheering. It was just too embarrassing to even think about and now, on the verge of sleep, Sumac was kept from slipping back into slumber because of the cringe inducing thoughts of what had happened. 

There were times when the young colt hated his brain. 

It was warm here, squished between two bodies and beneath the blankets. It was the sort of warmth that made one drowsy—it was ideal for sleep—and it made it difficult to get out of the bed. Under most circumstances, with even a hint of consciousness, Sumac would have gone shooting out from between Lemon Hearts and Trixie and would have departed, lickety split, off to recover his dignity.

But he was sleepy. 

Being sleepy made it difficult to think about how embarrassing it was to snuggle in bed with your parents, how awkward it was to be sandwiched between the two ponies that loved you most. Somepony, Sumac wasn’t sure who, was silky-soft and was delightful to snuggle against, there was a pleasant, fuzzy friction that caused little crackles of static electricity and the scent of floral soap made lingering on the abyss of sleep rather pleasant. 

“Kiddo, wake up.” 

This got a snort from Sumac, who failed to make a verbal response.

He had asked Vinyl Scratch how she managed to get records from other worlds and she had answered him. There was a little shop in Canterlot, the very same shop where his mother, Trixie, had purchased the alicorn amulet, and this shop specialised in relics of all types. Vinyl had promised to take him there someday. 

Had poor Sumac been awake, he might have been aware that there was trouble lurking, and that trouble came in the form of Lemon Hearts, who had a sort of sleepy looking mischievous expression upon her face. Not quite awake, Sumac felt a muzzle press against his neck and he wiggled a bit as he didn’t want to be kissed and her breath was a bit tickly against his sensitive skin. 

There was a sudden loud flatulent sound and Sumac’s eyes flew open as Lemon Hearts blew a raspberry against his neck. Trixie howled with laughter as Sumac kicked his way free from between her and Lemon Hearts, he shot out from beneath the blanket, and landed on the floor with such a clatter that it awoke Boomer, who let out a smoky snort of annoyance. 

Clinging to one another, Trixie and Lemon Hearts giggled and laughed as Twinkleshine, who was sleeping in the second bed just a few feet away, let out a groan of annoyance. Now standing in the middle of the room and wide awake, Sumac let out a grumpy grunt as he flicked his tail. Saying nothing, he departed from the room, as he needed to visit the little colt’s room. 



 

Something that was almost a headache lurked just behind Sumac’s eyes and all morning long, his magic sense had been acting wonky. It was getting stronger, his magic sense, and he had noticed in class that just being around his fellow unicorns when they did simple tasks like writing now set it off, which it didn’t do before. 

Somewhere in Twilight’s castle, strong magic was being used, and Sumac wanted away from it. He needed a break from the peculiar sensation that being around magic caused. Class had ended early, as Lemon Hearts was called away to attend to something, and now there was independent study, which Sumac didn’t mind. Pebble had gone off to her cooking class and Silver Lining had been coaxed away to attend flying instruction.

The silence of the study hall was disturbed by the door opening and the sound of hooves. Starlight Glimmer entered and Olive was right behind her, following in an obedient, meek manner. Olive had changed a bit and Sumac didn’t mind her now. Starlight Glimmer was the pony he wanted to see though, and he was thankful that he had a chance to catch her. 

“Hey, Starlight? Can I ask a few questions? Out in the hallway?” 

“Sure, I can spare a moment, I just dropped in to make certain that everypony was studying,” Starlight replied as she cast a cursory glance around the room to satisfy the task she had been given. Raising an eyebrow, she seemed happy enough with what she saw and she gave Sumac her full attention. “Come, let’s have a chat, shall we?” 



 

Looking up, Sumac could not read the expression on Starlight’s face. He had told her everything about his attempts at flight and for a time, he was worried that both Olive and Starlight would laugh at him, but neither did. Olive actually seemed interested in what he had tried, even though he had failed, and she looked puzzled when he explained his difficulty in getting the rug off of the ground when he made his hooves stick to it. 

“Sumac, I don’t know how to tell you this, but how I fly isn’t as simple as it looks,” Starlight said, sounding hesitant. “Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t want you to think I’m boasting, and I don’t want to tell you that you can’t do it, but chances are, you’ll not be able to do it the way I do it, but that doesn’t mean you should give up.” 

“So how do you do it?” Sumac asked, being direct. 

“Well, first, I cancel out the effect of gravity upon my body, which is quite difficult, most unicorns can only do it when surging, but I can control when it happens, and then I use telekinesis to push myself around where I want to go.” 

Hearing this, Sumac deflated, knowing that he was licked. He looked at Olive, who was looking up at Starlight with an almost worshipful expression of adoration. Sumac wondered, was Starlight Olive’s first friend? He didn’t dare ask, but he was curious. He sat down on the floor of the hallway, his ears drooping, and he let out a forlorn sigh. 

“Sumac, Don’t give up just yet,” Starlight said to the sad looking colt. “You have a knack with electricity… my advice to you is to study physics. Get Pebble to help you, as she already has a pretty good understanding of it. In particular, study magnetism. Master that and you will have more power than you can comprehend.” 

“Magnetism?” Sumac asked, not understanding. 

“With the power of magnetism, Princess Celestia moves the sun. She can bend light by generating powerful magnetic fields, and I’m almost ninety nine point ninety nine percent certain that she can make herself invisible without using illusion spells, by simply bending light away from her body. Being able to manipulate magnetic fields allows a pony to do, well, all kinds of things. I’m not electrically aligned myself, but I wish I was.” 

Intrigued, Sumac’s eyebrow arched. 

“Once you can manipulate electromagnetic fields, you’ll be able to levitate ferromagnetic objects without telekinesis, you might even be able to levitate yourself and fly.” Starlight’s eyes narrowed and her lips puckered. “By generating magnetic fields around ferromagnetic objects, you’d be able to create electricity, which in turn would superheat said object, and if the temperature got hot enough, which it should for you, you should be able to instantly liquefy things like steel and iron, and then using electromagnetic fields, you’d be able to shape it like clay, or animate it with a come to life spell and use it as a golem.” 

Sumac’s mouth fell open. 

“Generate magnetic fields strong enough, and you’d start smashing atoms together, causing them to fuse. The resulting energy release would be devastating to anything around it, and the subsequent radiation bursts would be quite harmful to life. Also, the equine brain and pretty much every brain uses electrical currents, you’d be able to scramble the minds of others with strong electrical pulses and maybe even take over their bodies, which are operated by those electrical pulses sent out by the brain.” 

Now it was Olive’s mouth that was hanging open. 

“To do any of this, you’d need a pretty solid understanding of physics and magical theory. Power comes to those who understand… even unicorns that might seem to have weak magic are capable of so much more, if only they understood how the natural world works around them.” Starlight looked around the hallway, her eyes darting left and right, and then she looked Sumac in the eye. Now whispering, she said to him, “I’m not as powerful as many ponies think I am, but I understand physics and a number of other natural sciences. Because I’ve learned how to manipulate the natural world around me, I appear to be far more powerful than I really am. There is nothing stopping you from doing the same, Sumac. Power comes to those who seize understanding.” 

Again, Starlight’s eyes darted from side to side as she checked to see if any other ponies had shown up at an inopportune moment to hear what she had to say. She shifted on her hooves, her tail flicked a few times, and then she lowered her head to be a bit more eye level with Sumac. “You have shown to have somewhat above average magical talent, Sumac, but who wants to only be somewhat above average? What’s the glory in only being somewhat above mediocre? Who revels in only being slightly better than your peers?” 

Ears perking, Sumac was a bit startled by Starlight’s sudden change in demeanour. 

“There is no glory in being somewhat above average, Sumac, none at all.” Starlight shook her head and now her voice was little more than a whisper. “With understanding and knowledge, you have a chance to become extraordinary. Power, Sumac… power. As a sorcerer, everypony is going to want to control you, and if you want to have any control over your own life, you’re going to need power. You can be somewhat above average, or you can be in control and have power. Should your enemies try to dominate you or steal you away from those that love you, there is only one thing that can save you.” 

“Friendship?” Sumac asked, breathing the word. 

“No, silly,” Starlight replied as she smiled, “but that helps and shouldn’t be neglected. Olive, what will save him?” 

“Power.” Olive gave a worshipful look to her master and her head bobbed up and down. “Brute force. When words fail and friendship is not enough, there is always brute force to fall back upon, and if you can’t reason with your enemies through kindness and clever words, you can always make them kneel before you in submission after you crush them and break their spirit.” 

“That’s right, Olive.” Starlight cast a smirking glance to her student and then her face became serious. “The only thing better than being friends with somepony is protecting them. It’s addictive, Sumac… I get it now. The power to dominate others pales in comparison to the power to save others, and that’s what I’ve been teaching Olive.” 

“I have a lot to think about.” Sumac did indeed, have a lot to think about, and his brain was buzzing from everything that had been said. His plans for flight were now forgotten, at least for now, and he had far more pressing matters on his mind. 

“I’ll let you get back to your studies,” Starlight said to Sumac. “Hit the books, Sumac. Hard. Have Pebble be your study buddy. If you have any more questions, find me. Ask. I’ll give you answers that the others might not.” 

“Okay.” 

“Oh, and Sumac…” 

“Yes?” 

“Keep this conversation between us, alright?” 

“Okay.” 

“Good colt. Olive, let’s go and finish our rounds.” 
> Chapter 113
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was just cool enough outside to make wearing his new poncho quite comfortable and Sumac was enjoying the autumn afternoon. Boomer, who had been with Pebble for her cooking class, was now sprawled over his back, her belly protruding, and she was napping away the consequences of her overindulgence. 

Ponyville seemed to be growing. Much like how a forest fire clears away old growth and allows for new, so had the harpy attack affected Ponyville. With the new houses, the roads were now a little straighter, some of the new layouts were more efficient, and many of the new homes, in various states of being finished, were a whole lot nicer. As awful as the attack had been, much good had come of it and Sumac understood that destruction was a force that balanced out creation. He had even read about it in a book that Twilight had written about the contrasts of harmony, a book that the much older students had as required reading. 

He looked forward to doing a little reading when he got to the cemetery with Pebble, who followed alongside him with a strange spring in her step. He had the most magnificent book called Skyreach and it was all about Tarnished Teapot’s fabled adventure in finding an ancient lost city of the pegasi, a ruin that nopony wanted him to find, including Princess Celestia, who had told him that some things were better left alone. 

Although he could not be certain, he suspected that A.K. Yearling had written the book and used a pseudonym to maintain anonymity. He had only just started reading, so he didn’t know what all of the controversy was about or why some secrets were better kept as secrets. The book was of an adult nature, kept in the adult wing of the library, and Sumac wasn’t so sure that he should be reading it. He had convinced Spike to get him a copy after reading a reference about it in another book.



 

It took Sumac about an hour or so to get the cemetery all nice and tidy. He used his telekinesis to push the leaves out through the fence, he pulled a few brown weeds, and he picked up all of the fallen branches scattered all over the place. Ponyville’s cemetery didn’t have a groundskeeper, as Sumac had found out, since the previous one had died quite some time ago and had never been replaced. 

Now, Sumac liked to think that he was the groundskeeper, and perhaps someday, he thought he might even try and make it official. Somepony had to look after the dead. With everything done and the cemetery looking much nicer, Sumac took a seat on an old, ratty blanket spread out over the grass. 

“You dere, you clean up dis place, why you do dis?” a voice asked. 

Sumac’s head turned from side to side and he tried to see who was speaking to him. The voice was strange and the accent stranger. The last time Sumac had heard an accent like that was from a group of zebras travelling abroad. After a quick look around, there were no zebras to be found. 

“Is you blind, or someding?” 

Forehead crinkling, eyes narrowing, Sumac looked around again, and Pebble, who was now standing in a defensive posture, did the same. Boomer might have been a brave protector, but at the moment she was sound asleep. Sumac felt a cold prickle along his spine and his horn flared with a flash of bright green light. 

“I is over here.” 

Turning his head once more, Sumac found himself staring at a crow. No, a raven, it had a beard and it was far too large to be a crow. He stared at it, and it stared at him. Not far away, a second raven was perched on a branch, preening its feathers. Sumac studied the bird and wondered if it was a threat. 

“You’re a raven,” Pebble said, stating the obvious in a flat deadpan. 

“Would you believe me if I dell you I is a zebra?” 

“Maybe,” Pebble replied, “but I have my doubts. Who are you and what do you want?” 

“My name is Brave Ghede and dat over dere, dat is my companion, his name is Ghede Nibo.” The raven’s head bobbed up and and he danced from side to side on his branch, his eyes glittering with mischief in the autumn sun. 

“And what do you want?” Pebble demanded, her guard still up. 

“I ask you first, why you in my graveyard, cleaning up dis place?” The raven cocked its head off to one side, and the second raven flapped over to another branch. “Is very odd to have you paying respects to de dead, why you do dis?” 

“Cemeteries are my happy place.” Sumac relaxed a little, he couldn’t help himself, he found the ravens rather comical and something about them didn’t seem threatening to him. “This is your graveyard?” 

“All graveyards is mine,” the raven replied in a peculiar voice. “I watch over de dead as dey rest.” The raven blinked a few times and his feathers ruffled. “Some of de dead, dey ain’t sleeping so well lately. Is a bad ding, when de dead get insomnia.” The raven’s head bobbed up and down and he flapped his wings a few times as his talons clenched tight around the branch he was perched on. 

“You speak of Grogar.” Pebble’s voice was confident and unafraid. She relaxed a bit, her tail swishing, and she sat back down. “What does a talking raven know of Grogar?” 

“I dell you, I’m a zebra.” 

“Funny, you look like a raven.” 

“HA!” Brave let out a cawing laugh and his body bobbed up and down with enough force to make the branch he was perched on rise and fall. “Ha ha! I like you, you is funny.” The raven took wing, flew a short distance, and landed on a weather-worn headstone just a few yards away from Pebble and Sumac. “I like you both, maybe Brave Ghede give you gifts, eh?” 

“My mother told me to only take candy from strangers if I am absolutely certain that I can break every bone in their body,” Pebble replied, looking the raven in the eye. 

“Your mudder, she very wise, foal of Derra Firma.” The raven bounced once on the headstone and then clicked his beak together a few times. When Pebble opened up her mouth to say something, the raven cut in with a few smooth words. “I know who and what you is, foal of Derra Firma, and I mean you no harm. I was very shocked to see the Stone Speaker in my graveyard.” 

“How do you know who and what I am?” Pebble demanded. “And how do you know that I am a foal of Terra Firma?” 

“You is in my graveyard, it be my business who and what you is!” 

“I feel like I’m missing something,” Sumac remarked. He focused upon the flippant fowl and gave the raven a stern look. “As for you, I mean no disrespect to your graveyard, though I’m not sure how or why this graveyard is yours. Not that I’m saying that it isn’t, I’m just not sure how or why, that’s all.” 

“De sorcerer has a silver dongue,” Nibo commented, his accent even thicker than Brave’s. “Listen to how smood he be. Would you ensorcel me wid your sweed words, Sorcerer? You speak wid much glimmer-glammer, Sorcerer. Maybe Brave and I deach you de voice.” 

“A silver what?” Pebble asked, sounding confused and quite embarrassed. 

“A dongue! A dongue! Dongue!” Nibo let out a frustrated squawk as Pebble kept turning darker shades of brown every time he repeated the word. 

“I think he’s saying ‘tongue,’ Pebble.” 

“Of course dat is whad I is saying!” Nibo, looking annoyed, let out a shrill screech and flapped his wings. 

Curious, Sumac had to know, and so he asked Brave, “What is the voice?” 

“De voice...” Brave’s words trailed off for a time before he continued, “De knowledge of de voice is someding dat Nibo should keep to himself.” The raven inhaled, puffing out, his claws scratching on the headstone, and he let out a wheezy sounding sigh. “Lima would kill us—” 

“Who is Lima?” Sumac asked, now burning with curiousity. 

“I is now dead duck, not raven.” Brave blinked a few times and focused his beady eyes on Sumac. “Forget I said anyding. In fact, my companion and I, we must be going. We have other graveyards filled with sleepyheads to check in on.” 

Before Sumac had a chance to say anything else, the two ravens took wing and flew away, heading north towards Canterlot. He watched them go, not noticing that Pebble was still a dark shade of coffee colour and staring down at the grass. Weird things happened in Ponyville, Trixie had warned him, Ponyville was in the middle of a vortex of weirdness and anything could happen here. 

Including meeting a raven who claimed to be a zebra, it seemed. 

His curiousity unsatiated, Sumac focused on Pebble, knowing that there was far more to her than first met the eye. In his mind, he tried to think of a polite way to ask some questions, but no matter how he phrased it, it sounded intrusive or maybe even a bit rude. If Pebble wanted him to know, she would tell him. Of course, there were other things he was dying to know about Pebble, like what her cutie mark was. 

“I have a dirty mind,” Pebble confessed in a breathy whisper.

“What? Why?” 

“Nevermind.”

“Whatever.” 

“Good, let’s never speak of it.” 

“Pebble, I have a question…” 

“If that question is what I think it is, you’ll be sorry.” 

“What is Skyreach?” 

“Oh.” Pebble let out a little gasp. “I don’t know much about that, my parents won’t talk about it around me at all and if I ask questions, they both get upset.” The filly prodded the brown grass with the hard edge of her hoof and made a little indentation in the soft soil. “I once asked Twilight about it and she told me to never speak of it again.” 

“How bad does something have to be for ponies to never speak of it?” Now feeling a little out of sorts, frustrated perhaps, Sumac let out a little huff, turned to his saddlebags, and pulled his book out. “Pebble, can I ask you another question?” 

“You just did,” Pebble replied, her nostrils flaring. 

“Can you help me learn physics?” 

“Why would you want to do that?” 

Sumac almost replied with the word ‘power,’ but he thought better of it. Instead, his reply was, “For a better understanding of magic.” 

“I can do it, but I expect you to pay attention and not waste my time.” Pebble focused her soulful eyes on Sumac and without realising that she was doing so, she batted her eyelashes at him. Lifting her hoof, she waved it from side to side for a moment, then moved it in a circle, moving up and down, and then she pointed it at Sumac. “What will you give me in return?” 

“You want something in return?” Sumac asked. 

“Tit for tat,” Pebble replied. “I learned it from my mother and my father. When they do something for one another, it is an exchange.” 

This seemed reasonable enough, but there was a problem. Sumac didn’t have much to give and he wondered what the filly wanted. It occurred to him that she was acting funny, but he couldn’t quite put his hoof on how or why she was acting funny. Something was off though, something was peculiar. 

“Well, what is it that you want?” Sumac asked. 

“I don’t know.” 

Was Pebble being coy? Sumac wasn’t sure. He waited, his ears perked, wondering what was up with the filly. She was a strange, mysterious creature, more dangerous and unknown than Discord himself. This was somewhat frustrating, how could he give her something if she didn’t know what it was that she wanted? 

Much to Sumac’s alarm, Pebble giggled. It was a strange sound and it worried the colt. No, not worry, it scared him. Not only did she giggle, but she snorted as well. It was a squeaky sound, a little shrill, but not unpleasant. She was now the colour of a dark roasted espresso bean. 

“I need a dance partner,” Pebble breathed, “so I can be a better dancer, like my mother. I’ll teach you physics if you dance with me during my dance lessons. Pies are expected to know how to dance.” 

It now felt like summer and Sumac could feel himself sweating. This was a steep price to pay for learning physics. He tried to swallow and found that he couldn’t get rid of the lump caught in his throat. Pebble was still giggle-snorting and she sounded just a tiny bit like her aunt Pinkie Pie. 

Just as he was about to say something, Sumac was interrupted by a strange, yet familiar voice and hearing it made his blood run cold. 

“Why, Sumac Apple, how you’ve grown…” 

Gritting his teeth, Sumac turned and it was like looking into a mirror when he looked into the eyes of Flam Apple, his father. He almost choked, but somehow held himself together. Pebble was now pressed up against him, and somehow, she had done so without moving, or at least Sumac didn’t see her move. 

“Why, I thought I’d drop in and say hello… honestly, I thought you’d be happier to see me…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 114
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac had the disturbing realisation that he couldn’t remember how much he remembered about his father. Flam was familiar, but strange. They had the same coat colour almost, Sumac was a little paler, and the same green eyes. Even his father’s voice was familiar somehow, even though the last time Sumac had heard it was when he was teeny-tiny. 

“Look, I didn’t come here to cause problems, I just stopped by to check up on you,” Flam said in a smooth voice. 

Ears perking, Sumac realised that his father also had magic words, and now, Sumac was aware that he was using them. Flam’s smooth words carried with them magical reassurance and Sumac struggled to keep his guard up. Pebble bumped into him as she moved closer and her ears were angled out over her face in an aggressive manner. 

“I’m not a bad pony, no matter what you might hear,” Flam continued, “it’s all rumour and hearsay. I was framed, railroaded, I’m just an honest businesspony. I had a chance to be a bad pony when Catrina raided the prison, many joined up with her on the spot and I didn’t. I didn’t like her terms. Flim did though, and so did Belladonna.” Ears drooping, the stallion sighed and looked quite sad. 

Sumac didn’t buy it for a second. None of it. 

“I understand that you’ve ended up with Trixie.” Flam’s well-practiced sadness vanished in an eyeblink and a strange, pleased smile could now be seen on his face. “Never has there been a better grifter and con artist than Trixie Lulamoon.” 

Hearing this made Sumac grit his teeth together. 

“For a time, she worked with my brother and I… she dazzled the crowd, kept them distracted, allowing Flim and I to conduct our business—” 

“You just got done saying how you’re an honest pony and yet now you are bragging about swindling others,” Pebble deadpanned as her nostrils flared. 

“Oh, that… a fool and his money are meant to be parted. No one can fault me for preying upon the irresponsible and the foolish. I can’t snooker those who are aware and prepared. Ponies get conned because they want to be conned, and I provide a service.” Flam offered up a greasy, slippery-looking smile and gave Pebble a wink. 

Seething, Sumac wondered how Flam had not been caught, and then remembered that his father was magically gifted. Non-detection and misdirection spells were powerful. The colt came to one gritty conclusion; his father couldn’t leave this graveyard. 

“Trixie was the best of us, why, Flim and I, we learned much of our trade from her. She’s the most gifted grifter of our age.” Flam’s eyebrows furrowed and he let out a slow, drawn out chuckle. “And now, from what I understand, she’s got everypony fooled, including that ditz Twilight Sparkle, into thinking that she’s a good pony. Why, Sumac, she’s made good use of you as a prop. Has she been teaching you the trade?” 

His father’s laughter ringing in his ears, Sumac boiled over and he could feel himself developing a bad case of bubble-guts. Baring his teeth, he reached out with his magic, and using all of the magical strength he could muster, he lifted up a worn, eroded headstone. It was heavy enough to cause some real pain in his sinuses and the root of his horn, a thin trickle of blood ran down from both of his nostrils almost right away. Rage gave him strength though, and he ignored the pain of magical strain. 

Swinging the tombstone, he caught his father a glancing blow alongside his face, sending Flam sprawling over the ground, the headstone connected to Flam’s temple with a meaty, solid sounding whump! The unicorn lay in the dead grass, his legs twitching, his body convulsing. More blood ran down in rivulets from Sumac’s nostrils, the consequences of lifting too much and asking too much of his underdeveloped thaumaturgical system. 

“Oh, you little bastard, I’m going to kill you!” Flam cried out in a muffled voice thick from pain. “How dare you do this to me! I have half a mind to take you right now and sell you to Catrina, she’s offering a fortune for you, you wretched little imbecile!” 

As Flam started to get up, Sumac hit him again, and this time, it wasn’t a glancing blow. There was a crunch as the hard edge of the headstone connected with the corner of Flam’s jaw and the stallion dropped down in a limp heap, no longer moving at all. Sumac, teeth bared in a bloody rictus of rage, raised the tombstone again and made ready to bring it crashing down upon Flam’s head. 

“Sumac, don’t.” Pebble’s voice was flat and held no trace of feeling whatsoever. “If you do it, you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it. Please don’t… I know you’re angry, and you have a right to be, but what you’re about to do is murder.” 

The headstone quivered in the air above Flam’s head and Sumac’s whole body shook with the strain of holding it up as blood now flowed in a steady torrent from his nose. Letting out a choked sob, he tossed the headstone away and it landed in the grass less than a foot away from where his vulnerable father lay sprawled out in the grass. 

“Sumac, I’m going to go and get help,” Pebble said, still sounding so very calm. “I don’t think he’s going to wake up soon. Stay here and try to calm down. I’ll be right back with help, I promise.” Pebble paused for a moment, then added, “Thank you for doing the right thing, Sumac…” 



 

As Trixie wiped Sumac’s nose with a clean, dark grey cloth, a worried looking Twilight Sparkle stood nearby, taking in all of the situation. Quite a crowd had arrived, and had Sumac been a little more aware of his surroundings, he might have been surprised by who had shown up. The two most likely to draw the colts interest were Starlight Glimmer and Tarnished Teapot, who gave each other plenty of space. 

Confused, a little disoriented, Sumac found himself staring into another pair of green eyes that matched his own—Applejack’s. His vision was fuzzy, even with his glasses on, but he could still make out the worry and the fury on her face. Her touch on his neck was firm, but gentle, and she looked him over as her sides heaved from her heavy breathing. 

And then, just like that, Applejack took off with a snarl, launching herself in Flam’s general direction.

Cursing and spitting, spewing ear-burning profanity, Applejack shoved past Starlight Glimmer, pushing the startled mare right out of the way, and she laid into Flam, who was only half conscious. She began pummeling him, kicking him, over and over again in the face, including a few hammering blows onto his already broken jaw. 

“You bloodied him, you worthless, no good, good for nothing skinflint!” 

Nopony even tried to stop Applejack and Twilight watched with no emotion visible on her face, her mouth pressed into a tight, thin line. Tarnish began cringing with each blow that landed, and he pulled Pebble closer to him, shielding her eyes with her foreleg. Trixie held the cloth over Sumac’s snoot, trying to staunch the flow of blood. 

“That’s enough, Jackie.” Big Mac’s command was bellowed and it boomed though the graveyard. The soft spoken stallion moved forward, pushing through the crowd, and he moved to his sister’s side, looking grim and a bit sad. “I done said that’s enough!” 

Snarling, her teeth bared, Applejack pulled back her front hoof, going way, way back, and then slugged Flam right in the eye, one final blow for good measure, and then she ignored her brother’s stern grunt of disapproval. 

“Sorry ‘bout that, family affairs can get a bit messy,” Big Mac said, his voice now soft again, but it still somehow carried through the crowd. “I’m powerful sorry that y’all had to see that.” 

“Flam Apple, you picked the wrong town to come and visit,” Twilight Sparkle said, her voice cold and commanding. “It might have gone better for you to have been caught anywhere else in Equestria, but you came to my kingdom. You have shown yourself to have no redeemable qualities. I once argued for leniency and mercy for you, and you have squandered that away. Now, you’ve threatened to kill your own son from what I’m told, and even worse, you talked of selling him to our enemies. I have no reason to think that Pebble lied to me.” 

Sumac could not help but notice that the two ravens were back, he could just barely make them out in his fuzzy, blurred over vision. Choking, unable to sob because of all of the blood and phlegm in his throat, Sumac went limp against Trixie and took comfort in her soft, velvety warmth. 

Flam, who lay on the ground in a bloody, broken heap, said nothing in his own defense. 

“Even worse, Sumac is now a protected asset of the Crown, and you tampered with his safety, his well being, and his security. This will not be a civil trial, but a tribunal, conducted on the very scene of your transgression against the Crown.” 

A murmur went through the crowd and Twilight cleared her throat.

“Tarnished Teapot, as one of my most trusted and devoted subjects, I am appointing you as one of my tribunes. Starlight Glimmer, you as well. Big Mac, for your discretion, your wisdom, and the wise counsel you’ve offered me in the past, I know that you will serve me now—” 

“Eeyup.” 

“And for the last pick, Lemon Hearts, I know this will trouble you, but I need a pony with a merciful, tender heart and I can’t think of a finer pick than you. Can I count on you?” Twilight turned to face Lemon Hearts, who squirmed as her hooves shuffled in the grass. 

“Okay,” Lemon Hearts replied in a squeaky voice. 

“There will be no debate of your guilt or innocence, Flam Apple.” Twilight’s voice had a hard, flinty edge to it now, and a faint quaver could be heard by those with the most sensitive ears. “Only a discussion of how much life you have left.” 

Several ponies in the crowd gasped. 

“I don’t want him killed,” Lemon Hearts said, her voice squeaky and panicked. “As bad as he is, I don’t want him to die, not for this, but I agree that he needs to be punished.” 

“He should live and suffer.” Big Mac eyed his sister, and Applejack gave him a nod. 

“I agree that he should live.” Starlight turned her head and looked down at Flam, who lay in the grass beside her, squirming in pain as his face swelled into something unrecognisable. “I must say though, what will making him suffer accomplish? I doubt he can be rehabilitated, but should we resort to cruelty?” 

“Letting him live means putting him back into prison, and we run the risk of him getting out again.” Tarnish’s soft voice somehow carried over the sound of the gathered crowd. “I have a solution that will allow him to live without suffering.” 

“Tarnish, I already know what you are about to suggest,” Twilight said to Tarnish, “and I approve.” 

Letting heave a weary sigh, Tarnish explained himself. “I can turn him into a tree. I’ve already done it to several ponies who attempted to violate the grove. He won’t suffer, and as far as I know, I am the only one who can turn him back into a pony. I actually tried this on Maud because I needed somepony that I could trust to tell me exactly what it was like. She said it was like going to sleep and dreaming.” 

Looking a little disturbed, Lemon Hearts frowned, but she did not object. She looked over at Big Mac, who looked back at her, and the two seemed to be having some silent exchange. At the end of it all, Big Mac nodded, but said nothing, as Applejack kicked the ground with her bloody hoof and muttered with disappointment. 

“So, we give him life and mercy.” There was unmistakable relief in Starlight’s voice. Her eyes darted from side to side, as if she was gauging the acceptance of the crowd, and then she added, “Before we do anything, I want the opinion of Sumac Apple on this issue, as he is the one who has been wronged.” 

“You’re asking the poor colt to condemn his own father?” Big Mac gave Starlight an incredulous, wide-eyed stare. 

Starlight’s ears perked. “He’s the one who laid his father low—” 

“He did that in a fit of foalish temper, no doubt.” Big Mac’s voice filled with a soft, unmistakable worry and he looked over at Sumac, who was being cared for by Trixie. “It’s easy to get him riled… I don’t know that we should ask his opinion on this matter.” 

“I don’t know,” Starlight replied, “but I think that asking his opinion is important on this issue. This is going to be a pivotal moment in his young life. Having no say over what happens next might leave him bitter, disillusioned, and angry. He needs to feel that he has some say in this matter, as I think it will leave him more trustful of authority in the long run.” 

Big Mac snorted, looked thoughtful, and his withers quivered as he lapsed into deep concentration. Beside him, Applejack chewed on her lip, but said nothing. The gathered crowd waited and Tarnish stood with his head cocked off to one side. The big red stallion glanced over at Twilight, as if he was trying to read her opinion on this matter, but she was statuesque. 

“Starlight, you make a fine point and I find myself agreeing with you.” Big Mac drew in a deep breath, his sides expanding like a blacksmith’s bellows, and he let out a long, windy sigh through his open mouth. “We should hear what the colt has to say.” 

When Lemon Hearts and Tarnish nodded, so did Twilight and she made a gesture to Applejack.

“L’il Mac, you have something to say about this?” Applejack asked. “You look a bit upset. Do you think you can talk? Say a few words?” 

In anticipation of Sumac saying something, Trixie pulled away the bloodied cloth that she was using to try and stop the colt’s nosebleed. Sumac was a mess, his face crusted with snot and blood, his eyes were filled with red spiderwebs. Trixie made a few last second swipes with the cloth, trying to wipe away the mess. 

The crowd went silent as Sumac drew in a deep breath, and then, his eyes narrowing, Sumac found that he did indeed, have something to say. “I want him dead! Kill him! I want him—mmmph!” 

Sumac’s words were cut off by Trixie covering his mouth and silencing him. The colt kicked and struggled, having an apoplectic fit of rage. The bloodied, snot-drenched cloth fell away for a moment and Sumac’s bloody nose, which had been a trickle, was now a torrent. Trixie held the cloth up to his snoot and held it in place, trying to get the bleeding under control. 

Ears drooping, Starlight Glimmer looked disappointed, while Big Mac just looked sad. Applejack had a strange look of smug satisfaction upon her face, a worrisome expression indeed. Twilight bowed her head as the two ravens in a nearby tree began to caw and cause a ruckus. Pebble, clinging to her father’s leg, looked shocked and a little disturbed. 

“I don’t think Sumac means that.” Lemon Hearts’ voice was a soft whisper that was difficult to hear. “I think he’s having a bit of a tantrum. Sumac can be a bit unreasonable if you say something awful about his mother, and what dutiful son wouldn’t be?” 

“Sumac’s opinion has been noted.” Shuffling on her hooves, Twilight turned to face Flam, who lay on the ground groaning in pain, his face now an unrecognisable mess. “Come, let us convoke together as a tribunal and see if we can agree on the sentencing.” 

In a nearby tree, the two ravens continued to caw.
	
> Chapter 115
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac’s vision was obscured by the fresh cloth that had been placed over his muzzle by Trixie in an attempt to get the spurting to stop. His head ached in a new, previously unexperienced and horrible way. His whole body burned with rage and sweat poured off of him as he sat there in the dead grass, trembling. He had the hiccups and he felt like throwing up every time his body hitched. Bitter, stinging bile pooled in the back of his throat and burned the insides of his cheeks. 

“Are we all in agreement?” Twilight asked, her voice solemn. She looked at her tribunes, her eyes flashing with restrained emotion. “All of Ponyville awaits your answer… what shall we do with Flam Apple?” 

“Tarnish, I want to hear you promise that he won’t suffer.” Lemon Hearts turned to face Tarnish, her eyes pleading. “I can agree to his punishment, which he deserves, but I will not condemn anypony to a lifetime of cruel suffering.” 

“Miss Hearts, I give you my word that he won’t suffer from this.” Tarnish lifted his head and drew himself to his full height, which was impressive. He towered over all present, even Big Mac, though Big Mac was much, much bulkier by far. “I’d be willing to Pinkie Promise, if you’d like—” 

“No, that’s alright.” Lemon Hearts let out a resigned sigh and her ears drooped. “You have my vote, turn him into a tree. It’s probably a nicer fate than being returned to prison.” 

One of the ravens in a nearby tree let out what sounded like a cawing laugh. 

Blinking a few times, Big Mac’s sides expanded and then there was a whistling snort as he let everything out. He looked at Flam, a cousin, and then he looked at Applejack. For a time, he studied her rage-filled expression, looking a bit sad himself, and then he looked over at Sumac. The big red stallion said nothing at all, but seemed to be weighing his opinion. 

With a hesitant clearing of her throat, Starlight gave voice to her thoughts. “If I was to make a mistake, I would want mercy.” As she said the word ‘mercy,’ her voice cracked and became a squeak. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and all of you know that. I’m far from perfect. He needs to be punished, he needs to pay for his mistakes, a pony has to pay for their mistakes when they do wrong. Mercy is what makes us better ponies and mercy is the single greatest lesson that Twilight has taught me. I say we punish Flam, but give him a peaceful existence, free of suffering.” 

Big Mac, his head rising and falling, looked over at Starlight as he nodded in agreement. 

“My opinion on this matter is known,” Tarnish said, and then he swallowed once. “We can’t have him running around as a threat to us. It’s not just about Sumac, but all of us, and Pebble too. As a father, I have to keep my daughter safe and look after her better interests. Our enemy would like to have them both, both Sumac and Pebble. I will not have her safety compromised. I say we turn him into a tree and neutralise him as a threat.” 

Twilight let out a muffled grunt, blinked once, and then looked Tarnish right in the eye. “Tarnish, are you saying…” Twilight’s words trailed off when she saw Tarnish nodding. 

“Twilight, we both know that the threads of fate can be manipulated.” Tarnish, his head still held at a commanding height, looked down at Twilight. “I’m not worried about our enemy coming along and saving him from being a tree, but I want him removed from the playing field completely.” 

Sumac felt Trixie pull him a little closer and he could feel her trembling. 

Big Mac, noticing Trixie’s distress, took a step closer and said, “Before I cast my vote, I want your opinion, Trixie. As Sumac’s mother, I want to hear what you have to say about this issue. Can you sleep better at night knowing that he has been turned into a tree? Or do you want a more final outcome for your own peace of mind?” 

There was a shrill squeak as Lemon Hearts sucked in a lungful of air and Sumac felt Trixie go rigid. The colt drew in a deep, shuddering breath and tried to quiet himself so that he might hear what his mother had to say. Trixie’s sides rose and fell, her breathing now rapid, and she looked over at Lemon Hearts, then looked away after a second, blinking away tears. 

“Speaking as a pony who was given a couple of second chances, and understanding the importance of mercy… he traumatised my son... I would feel better having him put down. I don’t want him turned into a tree, I want him hung from one!” Trixie spat out the last few words and she turned a burning, spite-filled stare upon Flam, who still lay in a heap in the grass. 

All of Big Mac drooped, his ears fell, his back sank a little, and his knees bowed out a bit. He let out a resigned, weary sigh, the sort of sound one might expect from him after pulling a plow all day. Applejack moved to his side, looking worried, and she looked up at her brother with shimmering, moist eyes. 

“Mac?” 

“I cannot in good conscience cast my vote for mercy,” Big Mac said in a voice little more than a whisper. “I say we put him down and plant him in this here graveyard.” 

At this, one of the nearby ravens let out a mournful cry. 

“Twilight, the vote falls on you,” Tarnish said to Twilight, who looked visibly shaken by Big Mac’s words. “I don’t think any of us expected that from the big guy, but I understand. Family comes first.” 

“Eeyup.” 

“The final vote is a formality at this point,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “With three consenting, that’s enough to carry the decision.” 

Shaking his head, Tarnish’s jaw muscles clenched. “No, princess, we’re owed an answer from you and I for one would like to hear what you have to say.” 

Scowling, Twilight looked up at Tarnish and glared him at him, her eyes glittering with anger that she did nothing to hide. “You said what needed to be said, Tarnish. Family comes first. After hearing what Trixie had to say, I had a painful reminder that she is my sister and Sumac is my nephew. That changed my mind and my vote. That made it equinal for me and I felt my objectivity go right out the window. There, are you happy? Two dissenting, three consenting! Mercy wins out.” 

“Twilight… I’m sorry.” Tarnish’s tone was apologetic and he lowered his head a bit. 

“No need to be sorry.” A tear rolled down Twilight’s cheek. “That’s why I formed a tribunal rather than make a decision on my own, just in case my own judgment was compromised. Justice will be carried out here, maybe not the justice that some of us want, but the justice that was chosen by cooler, wiser heads.” 

“You could overrule our choices—” 

“Tarnish, no.” Twilight’s lower lip quivered. “That would undermine everything I stand for as a princess of Equestria. I will adhere to the principles of democratic rule even if I don’t always agree with the outcome.” Twilight swallowed and the audible gulp caused many ears to perk. “Now, come on, let’s get this over with.” 



 

Gagging, Sumac coughed out a wad of bloody phlegm onto the grass as Trixie clapped him on the back. Feeling nauseous, he lifted his head for a moment, gagged again, and coughed up even more bile and phlegm, which he spat out. He became aware of the fact that Pebble was sitting right next to him and Boomer was coiled around one of her front legs. 

“Starlight Glimmer, remove his mark,” Twilight commanded, her voice ringing through the cemetery. “A tree needs no destiny and should have no fate.” 

“Twilight…” 

“Are you disobeying my command?” Twilight asked, tilting her head off to one side. 

“No, I wouldn’t do that,” Starlight replied, “I just feel funny about doing that in front of other ponies, that’s all.” Looking a bit confused, Starlight glanced over at Flam, who had started sobbing when Twilight had issued her decree. For a moment, a very visible expression of pity passed over Starlight’s face, and then it was gone, replaced with a mask of grim resignation. 

“Already, I know that you feel no regret for what you’ve done,” Twilight said, her horn glowing, and Flam’s body was outlined in a faint glow. “The only regret you feel is that you got caught. You sicken me, Flam Apple.” Twilight lifted the prone stallion and held him up in the air for all gathered to see. 

He hung limp as a rag, his face was as lumpy as a sack of potatoes. One eye was swollen shut and he made a few feeble kicks with his legs. His jaw, crooked, hung away from his face at an unnatural angle. The stallion gibbered with terror as Twilight let him hang in the grip of her magic. 

“I’ve learned a few tricks from Princess Luna,” Twilight continued, “and even with just a peek at the surface of your mind, I don’t like what I see, Flam Apple. I know why you came here to Ponyville and you’ve compromised the safety of all of my subjects in doing so. Mercy is more than you deserve, but mercy you shall have. The ponies of my tribunal have spoken.” 

“Twilight,” Starlight began. 

“The condemned have no rights,” Twilight replied, cutting Starlight off. “Don’t lecture me, Starlight, not now. I know that mind reading is frowned upon, but Flam is now equina non grata. He’s surrendered all rights to privacy when he came to my kingdom and threatened my subjects…” For a moment, it looked as though Twilight was about to say more, but then she bared her gritted teeth at Flam. 

Lifting her head high, Starlight’s horn flared with light and Sumac felt his magic sense go bonkers. For a second, he was certain that whatever was left of his brain was about to be scrambled and he worried that his eyes were going to pop right out of his head. The pressure on his brain increased to unbearable levels and the light coming from Starlight’s horn was blinding. 

A mournful, burbling cry came from Flam as his mark was torn away from him, and his whole body trembled as Twilight held him in place. It was difficult, but Sumac made himself watch every horrible second of it, hardly blinking, and he refused to turn away, even when it became unbearable. 

“Now, now bare of your mark, you feel regret for what you have done,” Twilight said in an emotionless deadpan. “How interesting, Flam Apple, it seemed that fate was not kind to you, and it was your mark that made you the way you are. That pain that you are feeling right now… that is what the rest of us feel when we do wrong. It hurts, doesn’t it?” 

A ragged, wet scream tore free from Flam’s throat and one swollen eye struggled to open, his eyelid fluttering like a frantic butterfly. There was another scream, and then another, and there was a broken sounding howl that could no doubt be heard all the way into Ponyville. For Sumac, it was probably the most dreadful sound he had ever heard in his whole life. 

Flam’s mark floated inside of a little glass jar that Starlight had conjured; she held it in her magic, looking solemn and sad, her face etched with pain and regret. 

“Yes, you threatened your own son,” Twilight said as Flam thrashed in her magical hold. “Having never felt the pain of doing wrong before, I’d imagine that this is a terrible experience for you. Don’t worry, it will all be over soon.”

A raspy, bubbling cry came from Flam’s lips and with only one eye somewhat open, he managed to look at his son, Sumac. Whatever expression that Flam might have had on his face, it was obscured by the swelling and was unreadable. Disgusted, Sumac turned away from his father, and with a sob, he pressed himself up against Trixie. He felt Pebble’s foreleg come to rest on his withers, but it offered no comfort in his current inconsolable state. 

Looking grim, Twilight turned to Tarnish. “Are you ready?” 

Cringing, Tarnish turned away from Flam and looked at Twilight so that he could acknowledge her. He nodded and replied, “Yeah. I can do what needs to be done. So it was his mark that made him the way he was?” 

“He still chose to do wrong, his mark just protected him from his guilt.” Twilight eased Flam down into the grass and let go of him. “He is not absolved of all of his crimes just because of his mark.” 

“No, no, I suppose not.” Tarnish’s withers quivered a bit and his tail swished from side to side. “I know all about taking responsibility for my own mark.” The chocolate brown stallion’s lower lip protruded a bit and he shook his head as he exhaled. “Flam, Twilight is done with you. Come, let’s you and I have a little heart to heart, Flam, and then we’ll do what must be done…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 116
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Why’d you do it, Applejack?” Lemon Hearts asked as she looked over in the direction of where Tarnish and Flam were. The lemony yellow mare turned her head to look at Applejack, her face was stern, serious, and her eyes held an accusatory glare. “There was no need to beat him like that, Applejack, it just seems heartless.” 

“She was keeping her word,” Big Mac replied, speaking for his sister as she puffed out in anger. 

“Her word?” Lemon Hearts’ eyebrow arched as she turned to face Big Mac. “I don’t understand.” 

“When Flam was tried, Mac and I was there.” An intense scowl formed on Applejack’s face and the green in her eyes seemed to darken a bit with her mood. “I done told Flam that if he ever got out somehow and brought harm to one single hair on Sumac’s head, that I was gonna beat him to within an inch of his life. So I did. I kept my word as an Apple.” 

“Applejack…”—Lemon paused and took a moment to consider her next words— “Sumac got a bloody nose from magical strain.” For a moment, it seemed as though she might say more, but everything else came out as a sorrowful sigh. 

“Oh.” Applejack swallowed, her jaw muscles clenched tight as she gritted her teeth, and the muscles in her neck stood out in sharp contrast as she looked over at Sumac, whose nose was bleeding once more as he bawled. “Well then, he hurt Sumac in other ways. I done stand by what I’ve did and I don’t feel bad about it.” 

“Jackie—” 

“Shuddup, Mac, now is not the time.” 

“Fine, we’ll talk later.” 

“That’ll do me fine, brother.” 

“I ain’t got a problem with what you did, just with how you’re being right now.” Big Mac’s ears pitched forwards, his nostrils flared, and he looked at his sister with an intense, focused stare. When Applejack slumped over a bit, Big Mac looked off elsewhere, focusing on nothing but the empty sky. 

“What sort of pony uses his own son as a hostage, anyhow?” Applejack asked of nopony in particular. “All these years later and I still can’t make a lick of sense of that. If I could just somehow wrap my head around that, I think I’d be a lot less angry. As it is, every time I think about it, it just burns me up inside. Makes me feel sick to my stomach.” 

Ears sagging, Lemon Hearts shook her head. “I don’t know how to answer that, as I don’t understand it either.” 

“All this mercy is more than Flam deserves,” Applejack spat and her green eyes looked venomous. “The ponies of Ponyville was ready to lynch him for everything he did. It was so awful that we had to send Sumac away so ponies could calm down, cool off, and try to forget what had happened. Because of what he did, Flam robbed me of my cousin… I love the little booger, even if I don’t understand him most of the time. Twilight had to put herself between an angry mob and the courthouse. Sometimes… sometimes I wish—” 

“Jackie…” 

“—that Twilight would have just let Flam get lynched right there on the spot.” Applejack’s eyes flooded with tears as she spoke. “Flam made Twilight break her word, she promised the ponies of Ponyville that Flam’s shadow would never darken this town again and that justice would be served. She put her own reputation on the line and it galls me that her promise got broken.” 

“Keeping your word is important to you, I understand,” Lemon Hearts said to Applejack. 

“I done broke my word once, and it’s a lesson I’ll never forget,” Applejack replied. 

“I wasn’t here when Flam was put on trial.” Lemon Hearts reached out one hoof and placed it on Applejack’s side. “So I don’t understand everything that is going on. And I only know a little bit of the Sumac situation. I know there is a reason why he was sent out on the road with Trixie, but I don’t know all of the details.” 

“We didn’t want him growing up in his father’s shadow, so we sent him away.” Big Mac let heave a wistful sigh. “He was in pretty awful shape, he’d been neglected pretty bad. By Belladonna’s own admission, she named him Sumac because he was an irritating annoyance. Life on the lam wasn’t good for Sumac at all.” 

“Does Sumac know this?” Lemon Hearts asked in a raspy whisper. 

“No.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “And he don’t need to know how his name came about either.” With a deep breath that she held for several long seconds, all of Applejack’s bluster vanished. “It scares me just how much like his father Sumac is. The same smooth talk, the intelligence, the bad temper, his absolute fearlessness when it comes down to certain things. He’s so much like his dad that it scares me sometimes, and it keeps me awake at night. I have nightmares that something somehow sets Sumac down the bramble-strewn path from which there is no return.” 

“He’ll turn out better,” Lemon Hearts whispered to Applejack, trying to assuage the earthen mare’s fears. 

“And what makes you so sure of that?” Applejack asked. “It seems to me that Flam was born bad, and Twilight just got done saying that his cutie mark made him an even worse pony.” 

“Because, there are ponies who love him and keep him from going astray. I’m one of them. He is very, very dear to me, both him and his mother.” Lemon Hearts looked over at where Trixie and Sumac were with half-open eyes. “I’m not going to give him up without a fight and I refuse to believe that Sumac is a bad pony, like his father.” 

“So, Lemon, you admit that Flam is a bad pony.” 

“Why yes, I suppose I did.” Lemon Hearts’ disappointment at this admission manifested in a thin wrinkle just above her eyebrows and below her horn. Reaching up with her foreleg, she wiped at her eyes, sniffled a bit, and then looked at Sumac with a quivering smile. “I won’t let him turn out like his father. He’ll grow up to be good…” 





“Flam, I don’t know if you remember, but you once sold me some alchemical laced salts,” Tarnish said to Flam in a soft, easy-going voice. “It set me on the path for good and I ended up meeting my wife because of it. Funny how things work out, eh?” 

There was no response from Flam, who lay in the grass, panting, his breathing heavy, almost sobbing. With a gentle touch, Tarnish placed his hoof on Flam’s neck, trying to comfort the condemned pony. The gathered crowd seemed so very close and yet so very far away all at the same time. 

“This isn’t going to be so bad, I’d say it’ll be a lot nicer than going back to prison. No more stale bread and water, or whatever they feed ponies in prison. No more violence, no more struggle, no more negativity… doesn’t that sound nice?” 

Much to Tarnish’s surprise, there was a noticeable nod from Flam, who whimpered as he moved. Tarnish sat down in the grass, kicked out his legs a little, got comfortable, and let out a huff from his exertion. Being a tall pony, there was a lot of him to ease down to the ground. He was aware of the fact that Twilight was staring, but he ignored her. 

“You’ll be able to see the sunshine, feel the rain, and watch the seasons roll on by, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Tarnish looked down and again, Flam nodded. Taking note that Flam’s lips were moving, Tarnish leaned his head down so that he might hear better if Flam spoke, but he wasn’t so sure that Flam could speak in his condition, as Sumac and Applejack had done quite a number to him. 

“Flam, the Wardens are going to come and visit you,” Tarnish continued in a soft voice. “Turns out, they can see into the minds of ponies turned into trees. The Wardens tell me that my little collection of trees in the grove are happy sorts, free from need or worry.” 

Lips quivering, Flam tried to lift his head but couldn’t. Tarnish, sensing Flam’s desire, offered assistance, and lifted Flam’s head in his magic, being gentle and mindful of Flam’s injuries. His ear twitching, he tried to listen to whatever it was that Flam was trying to say.

“Fthorry,” Flam said, spitting out a wad of blood-speckled, phlegm flecked saliva as he spoke. “Fthell Fthumac I’m fthorry.” 

“I’ll do that,” Tarnish promised. “Now, are you ready to do this?” 

“Tarnish, are you trying to get him to agree to this?” Twilight asked. 

“Hey, princess, I don’t tell you how to do your job,” Tarnish replied. 

“Actually, you do. All time. As one of my advisors, you constantly tell me what to do and how to do it.” Twilight’s voice was a flat deadpan that even Maud would appreciate, had she been here to listen. “What’s the hold up?” 

Groaning, Tarnish rolled his eyes and shook his head. Lowering his head once more, Tarnish tried to look into Flam’s eye, his one somewhat open eye, and he smiled. “I bear you no malice, even with what happened in the past. Are you ready to do this? Do you think you can show your son that you are not a coward, and now that the time has come, can you accept responsibility for what you have done?” 

A strangled sob slipped out of Flam’s lips and his whole body shuddered. Blood dribbled from his nose and from his ear, which had been split wide open from one of Applejack’s hammering blows. Tarnish, looking doleful and morose, stroked Flam’s neck, trying to offer him a little bit of comfort and compassion in his final moments. 

“Be brave,” Tarnish whispered, “try to give your son something positive to see in you. This is hard on him, too. He’s really hurting. For the rest of his life, he is going to remember this moment… how do you want to be remembered, Flam Apple?” 

Whimpering with fear, Flam nodded his head and peered through his swollen eye at Tarnish. Raising his eyebrow, Tarnish nodded back, wondering how much Flam was able to see. The stallion was weeping now, deep body-wracking sobs that made each of his legs twitch. His tail thumped against the cold ground as one of the ravens perched on a nearby headstone. 

“Ready to do this?” Tarnish asked. 

Flam nodded in reply and offered no resistance as Tarnish lifted him up. Unable to stand on his own, Flam wobbled a bit until Tarnish steadied him, holding him up in a supportive field of levitation. Flam managed to turn his head a little and he tilted it to one side, until he was able to look at his son. Tears streamed from his swollen eyes and he kept his single open eye on his son, unable to look away. 

“It’s time,” Tarnish said, his two words filled with a purposeful sense of finality. 



 

Again, Sumac’s magic sense went bonkers. He stared at his father, who stared back at him, and the little colt didn’t know how he should feel right now. Something about his father was different—without his mark, his father was so very different, but Sumac could not say why. Seized with a strange need to say something, Sumac broke away from his mother’s embrace and pushed forwards. 

At his approach, Flam flinched in pain and turned away, which made something in Sumac’s barrel ache. Something moved in Sumac’s peripheral vision and it turned out to be Twinkleshine, who was now sticking to his side as he approached his father. Something was happening, Sumac could feel it, and he felt a growing sense of worry as he wondered how much time he had. 

His rage was gone, his tantrum had burned itself out, and now, Sumac just felt numb, for the most part, save for the strange ache he was experiencing. He looked up at his father and he could feel all sorts of eyes upon him right now, far too many eyes for an introvert to feel comfortable. 

“It’s better this way.” Sumac’s voice bubbled with phlegm and his voice was scratchy from bile. “If you couldn’t be a good pony, then you can be a good tree. You won’t be able to get into trouble or be tempted to do bad things this way.” Sumac’s voice sounded strange in his own ears and there was far too much pressure inside of his own head as his magic sense continued to intensify. Some sort of crescendo was fast approaching. 

Much to everypony’s surprise, Flam nodded, his head bobbing up and down with a weak, feeble effort. 

“Fthorry.” A long ribbon of blood flecked drool dribbled down from Flam’s swollen lip. “Ftho fthorry.” 

In the back of his mind, Sumac realised that he could be vindictive right now and say something hurtful, something awful, he could say something that would no doubt hurt his father in his final moments, and that those hurtful words would be the last thing said between them. He glanced over at Twinkleshine, his head throbbing so hard that it caused his vision to fuzz over. 

Unbeknownst to Sumac, he had reached one of the many forks in the road that he would encounter during his life. The path of good and the path of wrong. The path of wrong beckoned, it would feel good to lash out in these final moments and dish out the hurt, it had certainly felt good to vent his venom on Olive, on Catrina, and on the harpies. Sumac knew that his words would carry magical hurt, the worst sort of hurt, the sort of hurt that was like getting a sliver lodged in one’s brain, as those words would stay there, hurting for a very long time. 

A part of him, a dreadful part of him that lurked in the deep recesses of his mind, wanted his father to hurt, to ache, to suffer. Another part, a far more noisy part of him, a far more vocal part, reminded him that being a good pony would really impress Pebble right now. That part of his mind was the loudest, and it drowned out the vindictive suggestions that bubbled through Sumac’s subconscious. 

“I’m sorry too,” Sumac whispered, feeling very awkward and rather queasy. “I have a temper problem, I know it doesn’t excuse what I did, but you said bad things about Trixie. She’s a good pony now, for real, and I just got upset. I love her a lot and she means a lot to me.” 

After a moment of intense struggle, something that was almost a smile could be seen on Flam’s face, beneath his mustache. It was difficult to see, with the broken jaw and all of the swelling, but Sumac saw it as clear as day. He looked up at his father while Flam looked down at him, and he watched his father’s face contort in pain. After a moment, Flam looked over at Twilight, and something that was almost a pleading, pain-filled expression crept over his face. 

After a moment, Twilight had a sharp inhale and her wings flapped against her sides. She bowed her head a little so that she might look Sumac in the eye and then she said, “Your father says to be good and don’t let your temper get the best of you. He is also thinking very, very hard about how sorry he is and he doesn’t want you to make the same mistakes that he did.” 

Flam gibbered a bit and nodded.

There was a tug and Sumac allowed himself to be pulled away. As he backed away, his magic sense overloaded and he would have fallen over if Twinkleshine hadn’t grabbed him. The area around Sumac flooded with magic, but Tarnish’s horn wasn’t glowing in the slightest. There was a strange crackle in the air, a whiff of ozone, and the most peculiar smell of apple blossoms. 

The ravens began cawing and screeching as a few tiny root-like shoots came out of the ground. Growing at an unnatural speed, they began to wrap themselves around Flam’s legs, and everywhere they touched, Flam’s pelt and skin began to turn into bark. It didn’t take long until Flam was held up by the growing, grasping roots and he was lifted away from Tarnish. 

Now, the growing tendrils began to wrap around his body, and Flam’s features, which had been contorted with agony, started to turn peaceful. The stallion let out a gasp and then a sleepy sounding sigh as more and more of him was transmogrified into wood. His barrel became a trunk, his hind legs merged and formed the base of the tree, and his forelegs began to turn into sturdy branches. A twig and a leaf grew from his horn and his one open eye closed for the last time as Flam lapsed into his peaceful, arboreal slumber. 

Looking up, it took Sumac a few seconds to realise that his father had become an apple tree. Mystified, the colt stared through his glasses, watching as the last changes took effect. He backed away, feeling torn up inside, and he clung to Twinkleshine’s leg as his father’s face vanished completely, swallowed by wood. 

Looking disturbed, Twilight shook her head and backed away. 

“Twilight?” Applejack asked, looking worried. 

“I stayed with him the entire time,” Twilight said in reply as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I had to know that it didn’t hurt because I wanted to reassure Lemon Hearts…” 

“And?” Applejack moved closer to her friend’s side, looking worried. 

“It was so peaceful,” Twilight breathed, still shaking her head. “I wanted to be with him, it was such a nice feeling… excuse me, I’m sorry, but it has left me kind of shaken… I wanted to be changed as well.” 

Tilting his head back, Sumac looked up at the tree that his father had become. It was full, green, untouched by autumn, and appeared as though it was experiencing a vibrant spring. He stumbled forwards a bit, having trouble moving his legs, until at last he stood at the base of the tree. Lifting his foreleg, he placed it upon the trunk, which had a strange sense of warmth. 

It was over, Flam Apple was no more. 
	
> Chapter 117
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac Apple awoke to a terrible weight bearing down upon him. After a few blinks, he realised that there was nothing on top of him, but the feeling of being crushed remained. There was no memory of falling asleep, no recollection of drifting off, nothing. The bed was empty and he was alone. He was curled up in a near fetal position, his legs tucked against his body, and the crushing feeling he was experiencing was made worse by a feeling of utter emptiness, a sensation of being hollowed out. 

With a great deal of effort, Sumac recalled his last memory, and that was being held by Applejack, with Big Mac sitting nearby and looking worried. There were no windows in this room, so Sumac couldn’t tell if it was night or day. He listened for the sounds of Boomer and couldn’t tell if she was near or not. She wasn’t on his horn or in the bed with him. 

The memory of Applejack wasn’t a good one. When everything was said and done, when they had retreated into one of Twilight’s private rooms to be together, when they were finally away from the public eye, Applejack had broken down and began crying. It was awful for Sumac to see such a strong pony cry, and the little colt remembered feeling as though the world was going to come apart at any minute. 

The crushing feeling made it difficult to breathe. 

There was a click from nearby, followed by the clopping of hooves. A soft gasp could be heard, and then Sumac saw Twinkleshine. She looked worried as she stood near the bed, and she lowered her head to look at him. 

“I was in the bathroom, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to be alone when you woke up,” she said, the breath from her words causing Sumac’s ears to twitch. 

When he tried to speak, Sumac realised that his mouth was dry, too dry, and felt like it was full of sand. All that came out was a croak and the bed creaked as Twinkleshine laid down beside him, her weight causing the blankets to smoosh him. He didn’t mind, the sensation was comforting for some reason, like being tucked in, but better. 

“You got so worked up last night that you started barfing, so we slipped you a sedative and hoped for the best. I bet you feel a little groggy. You woke up in the middle of the night from a really bad nightmare, flooded the room with puke, and wouldn’t stop screaming, so we gave you another sedative.” Twinkleshine sucked in a deep breath and touched her muzzle to Sumac’s head. “It is now a little past four in the afternoon. I’ve been looking after you all day. You look a little out of it. Would you like to have a drink?” 

Sumac nodded. 

“Okay, let’s see if we can get something to drink in you, and maybe some saltines or something if you feel like eating.” Twinkleshine, whose lips lingered near Sumac’s ear, gave in and kissed him. Doing so left her looking relieved and she relaxed a little. “Princess Luna came last night in pony to check on you. She was worried and she said that your dreams were troubling, even for her, but she wouldn’t tell us what you were dreaming about.” 

Try as he might, Sumac could not recall any of his dreams. Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t. He wished that Twinkleshine would kiss him again, as it gave him tingles all over and it felt good. Something inside of his head ached, it wasn’t quite a physical pain, maybe it was more of a mental pain making itself physical, and Sumac wished that his mother was here to snuggle with him. 

He wouldn’t complain about being snuggled… much. 

“Be patient with me, Sumac,” Twinkleshine said to the colt. “I’ve done a little foalsitting, but I’ve never done mommy stuff before. All of this is new to me and I’m scared out of my mind that I’m going to mess up and make you hate me. I’ve been worried all day and the craziest thoughts have been going through my head as I stayed here with you. You’ve become the most important male in my life and you and I barely know one another.” 

Blinking once, Sumac closed his eyes and felt Twinkleshine breathing on him. He thought about what she said and something about it made him feel better. After a few seconds of warm closeness, Twinkleshine pulled away, the blanket was peeled back, and cool, invigourating air hit Sumac’s now exposed body. The sudden temperature change, while it felt really good against his skin, caused a powerful wave of nausea. It also caused a weird feeling of pressure inside of Sumac’s head, a ringing in his ears, and he worried that his head might pop. 

“Phew, you smell like you’ve been sick,” Twinkleshine whispered as she lifted Sumac up and out of the bed. She hefted the colt around like a sack of potatoes, mindful of his fragile condition, and once out of the bed herself, she headed for the door holding Sumac before her in a comfortable bubble of levitation.  



 

Twinkleshine had betrayed him, but Sumac couldn’t find the energy to be upset. After getting a drink, (a box of apple juice and some chocolate milk) and some saltines, Twinkleshine had carried him off. Before he could protest what was happening, she had dropped him into the tub and climbed in with him. He now sat between her legs, leaning up against her stomach, and she held him up with one of her forelegs wrapped around his barrel, as he had trouble sitting up on his own. 

The water made his achy tummy feel better, the heat worked its way deep into his cramped, fatigued muscles. Sumac wondered just how much puking he had done, as he couldn’t remember any of it, but he sure felt the consequences. Twinkleshine was doing something with his mane, sculpting it with suds, and no doubt making him look very silly. 

The colt yawned, feeling groggy, and it was difficult to keep his eyes open. The hot bath water, the warm feeling of Twinkleshine against his back as she held him, the relaxing sensation of having his scalp rubbed, it felt as though Twinkleshine was scrubbing away his stress and he felt his eyelids grow heavy. The foreleg wrapped around his middle was reassuring and comforting, but Sumac would never, ever admit to that, even under torture of the worst sort. 

After humming a few bars, Twinkleshine began to sing as she bathed Sumac. “Take me out of the bathtub, take me out of the suds. I've been here soaking since half past two, I feel so sudsy and wrinkle-y, too! Oh, I washed all over my body, my head, my frogs, my in between… I used one, two, three squirts of soap, take me out... I'm clean!” 

A half-hearted giggle escaped from Sumac, who then groaned because laughter in any form hurt right now. Going limp, he gave himself into the moment and leaned against Twinkleshine, glad for her comforting embrace. 

“Take me out of the bathtub, I'm stuck here with my toys… rubber ducks and squirters I think are great, but I better take off my roller skates—” 

Sumac found this pretty funny, and he laughed as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

“—'cause each time I get up, I wobble, I hold on, but it's a pain! I tried once, twice, three times to stand, better get me a crane!” 

There could no longer be any doubt, Twinkleshine was a silly pony. 



 

Wrapped in a toasty-warm blanket, Sumac was plopped down in an overstuffed chair. This was one of Twilight’s private rooms and Spike was here with Boomer. The colt had trouble sitting up and he didn’t feel very good—his magic sense was causing him some pain and discomfort. Twinkleshine stuffed a pillow on either side of him to prop him up and Sumac just sat there like a lump. 

Spike was teaching Boomer the ancient draconic art of toasting a marshmallow, and it was clear to any observer that Spike took his job seriously. A pile of comics was scattered across the floor, a dangerous thing with the flames being belched out to toast marshmallows into a crispy, crunchy state of perfection. 

“Any messages from Princess Celestia?” Twinkleshine asked as she sat down on the floor near Spike and picked up one of the comic books. 

“None yet,” Spike replied as he stabbed one of his claws into a marshmallow. 

“Hmm.” A look of worry crossed over Twinkleshine’s face for a second, and then was gone with the same suddenness which it had arrived with. She opened the comic book she was holding, peeked inside, then looked over at Spike just as he belched out some fire. “Are you going to teach Boomer how to use the dragonfire network?”

“Network?” Spike gobbled down the marshmallow on his claws, smacked his lips, and rubbed his stomach as he licked away the sticky leftovers. 

“Well, I don’t know what else to call it.” Twinkleshine shrugged. “Dragon mail.” 

“You know, I don’t know what it is called either,” Spike said as he stopped moving. “But yeah, I planned to teach Boomer how to do it. Seems like it would be useful.” 

The blanket wrapped around Sumac rumpled a bit as the colt’s head tilted off to one side and came to rest upon one of the pillows propping him up. His eyes were closed, his mouth was opened, and the little unicorn colt looked rather peaceful as he dozed, all things considered. Twinkleshine eyed him for a moment, trying to determine if he was comfortable, and when she was satisfied that he was, she returned her attention to Spike. 

“So, Boomer can do it?” she asked, her voice now little more than a whisper. 

“Sure,” Spike replied with a nod. “She’s a wyvern type dragon, but we’re not so different, she and I.” 

“Wyvern.” Boomer lifted her head up and then stretched out her forelegs to show off her membranes. Her slender body bulged in the middle from eating far too many toasted treats. “Tree dragon.” She pointed at herself with her claw. “Pegasus dragon.” Her eyes glittering, her claws flexing, she tilted her head off to one side and pointed at Spike. “Earth pony dragon.” 

“Huh?” 

“Just go with it.” Spike smiled and handed Boomer yet another marshmallow. “It’s how she understands our differences and she’s not far off.” 

“Unicorn.” Boomer pointed at Twinkleshine, then over at Sumac, who napped in his chair. “Colt.” Her claw pointed at Twinkleshine again and she said, “Filly.” 

“Close enough,” Twinkleshine agreed. 

A look of perplexed confusion appeared on Boomer’s face and she pointed at herself. “Filly?” 

“Filly. Female, yes.” Spike gave the younger, smaller dragon a nod. “Girl.” 

Blinking, Boomer allowed this new knowledge to settle in. She clutched her marshmallow prize, puffed out a bit, sucked in a little more air, and then let out a ferocious, fiery belch that sounded as though it came from a dragon at least twenty times her size. Sumac snorted in his sleep, but did not wake. The marshmallow turned a dark golden brown with just a few black and crispy bits. 

Scrabbling over the floor, Boomer came over and held out the still smoking marshmallow to Twinkleshine, and looked up at the mare holding the comic book. She looked a little apprehensive, as if she was worried about something. 

“Oh, why thank you! It’s perfect!” Twinkleshine took the offered treat and Boomer relaxed a little, looking relieved. The pearlescent white mare popped the toasted marshmallow into her mouth and began chewing, all while nodding and letting Boomer know that she had done a fine job. “Hey, Boomer… read to me…” 



 

“Kiddo!” 

His head heavy, and his eyelids even heavier, Sumac looked up from his bowl of alphabet soup, which was full of hidden messages just for him. Trixie came careening through the door, shoving Lemon Hearts aside as she too, passed through the doorway. A sour look appeared on Lemon’s face, but only for a moment, and her usual sunny smile returned. 

“I was worried!” Trixie pulled Sumac up out of his chair and lifted him into the air as his spoon clattered to the table. She sat down on the floor, her behind making a muffled plop, and then pulled her colt into a tight embrace, wrapping one foreleg around him. “Mmm, you’ve had a bath and you smell good, just like wildflowers.” 

Sumac just didn't have it in him to fight back or struggle, so he clung to Trixie as she kissed him and sniffed him. His patience was rewarded and he was put back into his chair after a few precious moments. As he got himself situated, Trixie rose from the floor, took a few steps, and then sat down in the chair on the other side of the table. Lemon Hearts, who had crossed the room, planted a wet tingle-inducing smooch on Sumac’s cheek, then she too, sat down. 

Twinkleshine, without getting up out of her chair, ladled soup into two bowls and then put them in front of Lemon and Trixie. A box of buttery crackers sat in the middle of the table, and beside it was one napping tree dragon with a curious bulge in her middle. 

“Feeling better?” 

One of Sumac’s ears twitched at his mother’s words. He nodded, but didn’t say anything as he picked his spoon back up. His magic was a bit wonky at the moment and it took considerable effort to even hold his spoon, much less feed himself. It was a matter of pride though, and he refused to stick his face down into his bowl. 

“Well, Twinkleshine, you did it,” Lemon Hearts said to her longtime friend. “You took care of a sick foal. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

“Eh, it wasn’t bad at all. Bathtime was nice.” 

Sumac’s face darkened and he peered into his soup bowl, looking for the many hidden messages to be found in alphabet soup. He didn’t enjoy bathtime, not in the slightest. Nope. Squirming in his chair, he poked at a few letters with his spoon and watched as a sliver of carrot bobbed up to the surface. The heat of the soup had turned it a bright, vibrant orange. 

“I got him to laugh with a silly song,” Twinkleshine said, and her words sounded an awful lot like boasting. 

“Hey, that’s an accomplishment!” Trixie pulled out some crackers, conjured up a jar of peanut butter, and then began spreading said peanut butter over her crackers. She smiled for a moment, then crammed an entire cracker smothered in peanut butter into her mouth. 

Sumac, preoccupied and thoughtful, looked around the table and thought about family. 
	
> Chapter 118
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Perhaps seeking comfort or reassurance, Sumac pressed his hoof against his mother’s leg and felt the fine hairs tickle-prickle against his frog. He rubbed his hoof up and down, reveling in the sensation, his frogs were sensitive right now and the feel of his mother’s coat was a marvellous distraction from the thoughts that plagued him. 

Not far away, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were playing cards, Sumac didn’t know what they were playing, nor did he care. His body felt a little better, but his mind, not so much. There were things that he wanted to say to Trixie, but how could he say them? How could he ask? What if she became angry? What if everypony started shouting? 

Sumac decided that it was a risk worth taking, and he licked his lips as he prepared to ask what was sure to be a tough question. Tilting his head, he looked up at Trixie, who was reading the newspaper. He cleared his throat a little, it felt scratchy and dry still, and he took comfort in the velvety feeling of his mother’s pelt against his frog. 

“Mom...”—Sumac felt his breath almost catch in his throat and he hesitated a moment before he continued—“some things were said… about you and Flim and Flam.” As he spoke, he felt Trixie go tense and there was almost a faint whistle as she sucked in a deep breath. “That’s why I hit him, he said bad things about you.” 

Lemon Hearts’ head turned away from her cards so she could look at Sumac, and Twinkleshine did the same. In the grate, a fire crackled, on the mantle, the clock went tick-tock, and the private sitting room of Twilight Sparkle filled with a noisy, distracting silence. Trixie’s newspaper made papery crinkle sounds as she folded it up and put it down on the small carved stone table beside the chair that she and Sumac were sitting in. 

The colt wondered if perhaps, he had made a mistake. 

“It’s true that I worked with Flim and Flam for a time,” Trixie began in a scratchy voice, “and he probably told you that. He might have said a lot of things that might’ve been half truths or things that were true but said in such a way that makes them look much worse than they are.” 

Ears perking, Sumac thought of the effect of spoken magic, honeyed words and how they might influence the listener. What had his father hoped to accomplish? 

“I tried several times to set myself straight, like when I took a job on the Pie family rock farm.” Trixie’s ears fell and went limp against the sides of her face as she shook her head. “And, as I’ve already admitted, when I first took you in, I did so for reasons that weren’t entirely good. Not a day passes where I don’t feel some measure of regret for that. Yes, I used you when you were little to gain sympathy and leverage.” 

“Sumac, darling”—Lemon Hearts’ eyes darted from Twinkleshine, to Trixie, and then to Sumac—“Flam no doubt wanted to make you doubt the decency of your fellow ponies, probably so you would be more like him. Bitter, jaded, and cynical. Do you understand what these words mean?” 

Squirming in Trixie’s embrace, Sumac shrugged, as he wasn’t entirely certain. “Distrustful?” 

“Yes, Sumac, distrustful is a good start. To be cynical means that you believe that other ponies are only focused on their own self-interests, lacking sincerity and meaningful trustworthiness.” Lemon Hearts glanced over at Twinkleshine once more, her eyes worried and pleading, and then she returned her attention to Sumac, looking a little scared. “Your father wanted to undermine your faith in your fellow ponies, including your own mother. Your father probably has the misguided belief that all ponies are really just like him deep down in their hearts, and that’s just not true.” 

“I didn’t think I’d ever be having this conversation with a foal,” Twinkleshine remarked as she stacked the cards together into the deck. 

“He did bad, Sumac, he did wrong, but I’d like to think that he really was trying to look after you in his own messed up way,” Lemon Hearts said to the colt that Trixie held. 

Baffled, Sumac felt tears coming, as he was overwhelmed and in over his head. “How?” 

“This is just what I think, mind you, so it might not be true, but I think that Flam was just trying to show you how he thought the world was to prepare you to deal with it. He lived a very different life than say, Twinkleshine and I did. He saw the worst of ponies, he lived and breathed it, and it coloured his perceptions. So did your mother, Trixie. The difference is, Flam probably saw no good in anything, and so he had no desire or motivation to do good, he only looked out for himself, while Trixie is recovering and returning to decency.” 

It was going to take a good think and some quiet, but Sumac was certain that he could make sense of this. Already, he had some thoughts blossoming in the fertile soil of his mind. He pressed his hoof a little more into Trixie’s leg and felt the fine hairs tickle against his frog. 

“You know, up to this point, I had this weird belief that parents only had one big talk to have with their foals, and that’s the whole birds and the bees thing.” Twinkleshine slid the cards back into their little stiff cardboard box. “I always imagined it was difficult and parents dreaded it. I had no idea that a big grown up chat about equine morality would be necessary.” 

“So my dad… Flam, he wanted me to see the world like he sees it, and he wanted to protect me?” Sumac’s eyes narrowed behind his tea shades and he rested his head against Trixie’s barrel. Listening to his mother’s heart, he thought about right and wrong. “It’s like he wanted me to drink poison to protect me from poison.” 

A three way glance occurred between Trixie, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts. Twinkleshine nodded, then shrugged, Trixie’s ears rose, then fell, and Lemon Hearts took a deep breath as she was the moral, level-headed one of the group. 

“That’s not a bad way of putting it, Sumac,” she said in a quavering voice that sounded as though Lemon was on the verge of tears. “Just a little tiny sip of poison with the hopes that you build an immunity to it over time. That’s how bitterness and being jaded works… enough bad things happen and you just stop caring. Apathy takes over, apathy meaning indifference, a lack of interest, or a lack of enthusiasm.” 

Twinkleshine nodded, but looked out of sorts. 

“If you don’t care, then you can’t be hurt, you won't be disappointed, you can’t be let down by your fellow ponies. If you expect the worst from them, you’ll never have your hopes dashed when something bad happens.” Lemon Hearts’ voice became a tight, pained squeak. “I try to expect the best from ponies, like, even right now, I’d like to think that your father really did want to protect you, he just went about it the wrong way. I get hurt a lot being the way I am, it’s caused me a lot of heartache, I’ve cried a lot, but I’ve never given up my belief that ponies are inherently good.” 

A few tears spilled out and Lemon Hearts sucked in a deep breath. “Just like I believe in you, Sumac. Flam Apple and Belladonna weren’t very good ponies. In fact, they were pretty rotten, and it pains me to say that, but I believe with all of my heart that you are still a good pony, even with your temper. Pebble said you had a chance to crush your father’s skull and you didn’t.” 

“But I wanted to,” Sumac admitted as he thought back upon that dreadful moment. The memory made him shake and he pressed up against Trixie as she squeezed him. “He called my mother a grifter and he said that I was just a prop.” 

Her barrel heaving, Lemon Hearts lost her battle for control and she buried her face into her hooves. Twinkleshine sighed, shook her head, and gave Trixie a pleading look. Trixie, shrugging, held on to Sumac and unable to do anything, she watched as Lemon Hearts wept. 

“Um…” Twinkleshine licked her lips, her bright orange tongue flicking in and out as she began tapping her front hooves together. “Uh, um, okay, I’m tapped out here, I can’t say the sort of meaningful stuff about morality that Lemon Hearts can, I just hit stuff really hard when I’m angry with it and I try to do good on a case by case basis. Lemon Hearts is clearly the heart of our little group.” 

“Does that make you the body?” Sumac asked, his words filled with a surprising sincerity. 

“I… guess… I… suppose that it does?” Twinkleshine’s words were hesitant and she said in a slow, drawn out manner. “I still don’t know my place in… well, whatever it is that we seem to be forming. I didn’t expect to be drawn in like this and I still don’t know my own feelings about this.” 

“And that makes my mother, Trixie, the mind.” Sumac wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s foreleg and hugged her tight. The colt closed his eyes, felt his stomach gurgle, and was relieved when he realised it was probably just gas building up. He could deal with gas, and the moment would pass. 

It made him think of Applejack, who was a very wise pony. She had once told him that you couldn’t see the wind, but you could see the effects of the wind and its passing. Such was the way of friendship and everything unseen. It all seemed so profound, coming from her, and Sumac liked Applejack’s earthy wisdom. 

“Is it too late to go out to Sugarcube Corner?” Sumac asked, feeling hungry. 

“Hey, that’s a good idea!” Twinkleshine’s eyes brightened and she added, “I think it’ll help Lemon. With those soft, squishy hips of hers, you know that she eats to make herself feel better.” 

“Twinkle!” Trixie’s mouth fell open and aghast, she stared at Twinkleshine. 

Still crying, Lemon Hearts somehow managed to giggle, and then she choked. She coughed for a bit, sniffled, wiped her nose with her foreleg, giggled a bit more, hacked, and then with a turn of her head, she looked over at Twinkleshine, blinking away tears. 

“If we hurry, we might make it there and slip in before they close,” Lemon Hearts said in a squeaky, husky voice. “I need something deep fried and drenched in chocolate.” 



 

A blast of warm, cinnamon-scented air slapped Sumac in the face as the door opened and he started drooling right away. Disoriented, a little dizzy, and still groggy, he tried to recover his senses but was struck by a pink whirlwind that smelled of vanilla and rich-roasted coffee. He was swept up, lifted up off his hooves, and the world whirled around him, the horizon bobbing up and down in a crazy way as Pinkie Pie swung him around, alternating between hugging him and holding him up above her head in her hooves as she balanced upon her hind legs. 

Twinkleshine was the last to enter, and she pulled the door shut behind her. Very few patrons were here at this time of night. There was a nocturnal pegasus hunched over a table in the corner, an odd sight indeed. In the large, comfy booth in the corner, a few familiar faces could be seen. Maud was stuffing her face with little crescent moon shaped pies and Octavia was stirring a cup of tea with a spoon held in her lips. Tarnish and Vinyl were throwing raisins at one another while Pinny Lane tried to make them stop. 

“Aunt Pinkie, may I please have my special somepony?” Pebble asked as she trotted along at Pinkie’s heels. 

“Nope, he’s mine!” Pinkie replied as she continued to swing Sumac around the room and give him pegasus pony rides. “You have to learn to share, Pebble.” 

“No!” Pebble’s words were almost a foalish whine. “Gimme what’s mine!” 

“Nope!” Laughing, Pinkie bounced away with Pebble in pursuit. 

Moving together, Trixie, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine went over to the corner booth, already crowded, and joined them, stuffing themselves into the already packed seats as Pebble chased her aunt around the room. Mister Cake, laughing, stood behind the counter and watched as the merry scene unfolded in his establishment. Tarnish flicked a raisin at Twinkleshine in greeting, and being a polite sort, Twinkleshine flicked it right back. 

“Not much left at this time of night,” Mrs. Cake said to her guests. “Just the spicy chili pepper pumpkin pasties and Maud seems to be determined to eat all of those.” 

“Want more pumpkin,” Maud deadpanned around a mouthful of food. 

“And raisins,” Tarnish added as he shot his mother in the nose, and then he laughed when she stared cross eyed at the wrinkled, dead grape stuck to her snoot. “But who wants to eat raisins?” 

Sumac, being flung about by Pinkie, thought about the best that ponies had to offer… 
> Chapter 119
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Overhead, the stars twinkled like a thousand glittery jewels and Sumac took the time to look up so that he might appreciate it. He had slept for the longest time and now he was wide awake, which was the perfect way to enjoy Princess Luna’s night. His poncho was draped over his back and Boomer slept with one corner pulled over her to ward off the night’s chill. 

After a good look about, Sumac noticed yet another nocturnal pegasus, this one in armor as it hurried through the streets. Was it a Warden? Sumac wasn’t sure. It was strange enough seeing one in Sugarcube Corner, now this. Ears perking, Sumac focused on his magic sense, feeling a strange current in the air. It was like using his eyes to look at something, and recognising it for what it was, but when he focused his magic sense and concentrated, he could sense the magic of the nocturnal pegasus ponies. It was strange, peculiar, and not at all like unicorn magic. 

“What are you doing?” a deep, growling baritone asked from Sumac’s left. 

Startled, Sumac let out a bleating cry as he retreated to his right and he heard an indignant wickering of righteous fury. A flash of pearlescent white filled his peripheral vision to his left and Twinkleshine trotted past at a brisk pace. When he turned his head, he saw that it was a mare that had addressed him, and not a stallion as he had thought. 

“What’s the big idea, scaring some poor little colt like that?” Twinkleshine demanded. 

The big mare towered over Twinkleshine and looked down at her with a rather amused expression on her face. After a moment of study, she spoke. “Twinkleshine… hmm, we have a file about you. A list of unicorns most likely to go rogue. As I recall, you were completely taken over by changeling mind control magic.” 

“I’ll go rogue right in your big ugly face if you don’t tell me why you thought it was a good idea to scare Sumac!” 

“He was observing our magic,” the big mare replied, “and that is forbidden.” 

“He can’t help it!” Lemon Hearts crept forward, cautious, and she remained behind Twinkleshine. “It’s an involuntary reaction. Go and ask Princess Twilight and she’ll tell you the same.” 

“Hmm,” the big mare hummed as she shifted her weight from one side to another and caused her armor to clank a bit. “I was not made aware of this. My apologies for my gruff behaviour, but I have orders to obey and follow. There is very little flexibility in my directives. Punishment is dire indeed if I fail in my orders.” 

Twinkleshine, still bristling, bared her teeth at the much larger mare, and Lemon Hearts stepped around Twinkleshine, brushing up against her side as she did so. Sumac found refuge beneath his mother, Trixie, and peered out from between her front legs. When Twinkleshine refused to stand down, Lemon Hearts gave the snarly pearlescent mare beside her a full body bump to push her aside. 

“You’ll have to forgive Twinkle, she’s under a lot of stress right now,” Lemon Hearts began as she tried to resolve the situation. “Sumac wasn’t trying to interfere with your investigation or whatever is going on. Scaring him was just unnecessary, you know? Does your mother know that you run around in the dark, scaring little foals half to death?” 

“Twinkleshine is just doing her job, just as I am doing mine. I would expect no less from her. It was never my intention to scare Sumac and you have my apologies.” The big mare smiled, revealing many jagged shark-like teeth that had a strange bluish-white glow to them in the darkness. “My mother is also my superiour officer, so if we could just keep this between us…” 

Lemon laughed, accepting the offered olive branch, but Twinkleshine didn’t and Sumac, whose heart was still thumping around inside of his ribs, found all of this rather funny. The colt let out a squeaky, nervous laugh and looked up at the big mare. Trixie made a dismissive wave with her hoof and let out an indignant snort. 

“Go on, go and do your job, go sniff out dissension or whatever it is that you are doing here.” Trixie’s eyebrow arched and she stroked Sumac when she returned her leg to the ground. 

“Actually…”—the big mare leveled her steely, draconic gaze on Sumac—“he might be able to help me with that magic sense of his. All of you have alpha-clearance as representatives of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and she is the one that authorised our search.” 

“Oh, I don’t know if I like this,” Lemon Hearts gasped. 

“How?” Trixie asked in a curious voice. “I don’t see how Sumac could help you.” 

“Flam Apple had a contact right here in Ponyville. We couldn’t see the face or hear the voice in his memories, as they’ve been clouded in shadow. We know that who we seek is here, hiding in plain sight, using magic to protect themselves. Perhaps Sumac can sense the origin of this magic for us—” 

“No!” Lemon Hearts squeaked. “No! No way! Nuh-uh, not gonna happen!” 

“But Lemon!” Sumac whined. 

“No buts, Sumac! I said no and that’s final! And that goes for you as well, you big mean foal-scarer!” Lemon Hearts stomped one dainty little hoof into the ground to punctuate her words and her tail flicked from side to side. “Come, we’re going home, all of us, right now. This is why decent, alicorn-fearing ponies shouldn’t be out after dark!” 

“Lemon has spoken,” Trixie said to the big mare, “and I fear that we must get Sumac home so he can go to bed—” 

“I’m wide awake, I don’t wanna go to bed!” Sumac’s protest came out as an especially whiny whine. “I just woke up a while ago after sleeping for like a week and a half!” 

“Oh, good job, you big brute, now you’ve got him all riled up.” Twinkleshine glowered up at the much larger mare and her lip curled back a little farther from her perfect white teeth. “Now we have to look like the bad guys when we tell him that he can’t help. Just… go away and go do your job so we can go do ours!” 

Bowing her head, the big mare then said nothing as she turned about and strolled off, her armor jangling. Sumac watched her go, looking disappointed, and he let out a little huff of discontentment. Twinkleshine snorted, her nostrils flaring, and she shook her hoof in an aggressive manner at the big mare as she trotted away. 

Disappointed, Sumac kicked the dirt with his hoof. “But I wanted to help…” 



 

Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle glowed in the night, to the delight of some and to the dismay of others. Sumac supposed that having the castle shine in your window while you tried to sleep might be annoying, but this is what curtains were for, right? The little colt was unable to understand the complaints about property values, as they utterly mystified him. 

Another cause of disturbance was the crowds that gathered around Twilight’s castle, like now. Sumac’s eyes narrowed as he peered ahead, looking at the herd of ponies milling about. The royal guard was out in force and much to Sumac’s surprise, he saw a familiar tall figure, and there was only one pony that tall. 

As Sumac and the group of mares behind him approached, the guards parted to get out of the way of Twilight, who stepped away from Princess Celestia to greet Sumac, Trixie, Lemon, and Twinkleshine. Twilight looked tired, even in the dim light Sumac could see the bags under her eyes and her tired, worn out expression. 

But then he saw something else that made him freeze in place… 

“Good evening, Sumac,” Twilight said in a somewhat dry, scratchy voice. 

Sumac didn’t hear a word, he was too busy gawking at the strange alicorn surrounded by guards. The colt’s mouth fell agape and he just stood there with a wide-eyed, unblinking, blank stare. Sumac was so much in awe that he failed to notice his own magic sense, but he did notice that the alicorn shook as though he had a palsy. 

“It’s okay, Sumac, go on over and say hi,” Twilight said as she made a gesture with her wing. “He’s friendly… in fact, he and I became friends almost right away.” As Twilight Spoke, Moondancer came into view, and Moondancer looked more than a little harried. “I think it might be nice for him to meet somepony that isn’t a guard, an advisor, or a princess.” 

His brave little heart blazing with curiousity, Sumac trotted forwards with his eyes locked upon the strange, twitching alicorn whose eyes didn’t blink quite right. Everything about him shook and shivered, and a feeling of pity joined Sumac’s curiousity. The strange alicorn wasn’t very tall, not much taller than Twilight, his wings didn’t quite seem large enough, and the magic exuding off of him felt all wrong to Sumac. 

“Sumac, this is Adventus,” Trixie said as she gave her colt a nudge. “He and I have already met. He has some trouble speaking.” 

“H-huh-heh-huh-hum-huh-hello,” Adventus stammered as his left eyelids spasmed. 

“Hi,” Sumac breathed as he stood looking up. “Adventus is a neat name.” 

“He can’t remember his own name,” Moondancer said to Sumac in a voice that held a hint of anger. “They burned the word ‘Adventus’ into his mind and that is all he can think of when he tries to identify himself.” 

Princess Celestia, now closer, reached out with one wing to offer comfort and calm the quivering, twitching alicorn known as Adventus. She looked down at Sumac with sad, wise eyes, and she said, “Adventus was an investigative reporter and he went to speak with the Equalists with the hopes that we might find some common ground and stop the fighting.” The princess shook her head. “They did this to him… he escaped and he came to Twilight with a warning about the Ascendancy, from what we’ve been able to gather.” 

Ears perking, Sumac hung on every word being said. 

“This is why I had to learn the mind-reading stuff from Princess Luna,” Twilight admitted to Sumac as she too, touched Adventus with her wing. “He stutters and stammers so much that it is almost impossible to have a conversation. If we want to help him, we have to understand him.” 

“The Ascendency needs to be crushed for what they’re—” 

“Twinkleshine, let it drop for now,” Lemon Hearts said as she stepped closer to Adventus. “Hello, how ya feeling?” 

The alicorn’s face contorted as he tried to smile and he began to stammer, “Lem-Lem-Le-Le-Lemon!” After expending all of that effort just to say Lemon’s name, Adventus grimaced, as if he was in great pain. He let out a whinny from between clenched teeth and then almost fell—only Princess Celestia kept him upright with a push of her wing. 

“I fix Adventus tea and we sit together,” Lemon Hearts said to Sumac. “We don’t get a chance to talk much, but that’s okay. Sometimes, just sipping tea together is fine. Of course, I have to hold his tea for him, otherwise he sloshes it everywhere.” 

With a great deal of effort, Adventus managed to smile at Lemon. 

“I bet you get bored,” Sumac said to the alicorn stallion. 

Adventus nodded, his head jerking about. 

Sumac was resilient in the ways that only the very young could be, springing back from trauma with surprising endurance. Adventus engaged his curiousity, his interest, and Sumac’s troubles were now the furthest thing from his mind. He felt bad for the sickly alicorn, and a sincere feeling of pity filled his tiny five year old heart. With a turn of his head, he looked up at Princess Celestia. 

“What is going to be done with him?” he asked. 

“We’re going to do everything we can to heal him,” Princess Celestia replied as she peered down at Sumac, who did not even come up to her knee. “That’s actually why I’m here, Sumac.” 

“And not at home doing married pony stuff with Prince Gosling?” 

“Yes.” The word came out as a soft hiss. “And not at home doing married pony stuff with Gosling. Horrible, icky stuff like hugging and kissing my special somepony. Just like you do with Pebble—” 

“No I don’t!” 

Adventus wickered and Princess Celestia’s eyes twinkled with merry mischief in the faint light. “Oh, I think you do… are you being an honest Apple?” 

Chewing on his own lip, Sumac’s whole muzzle crinkled in a very familiar way—anypony that knew Applejack well enough might’ve seen this same expression on her face, as it was an endearing Apple family trait. Rather than answer, Sumac chose to remain silent. The laughter of Twinkleshine, Trixie, and Lemon Hearts burned his ears, and then Twilight joined in as well. 

“Sumac, my devoted little Apple-kith, you look bright-eyed and bushy tailed,” Princess Celestia said to the little colt that appeared to be trying to swallow his own muzzle. “How would you like to help me tonight? I could use the help of a sorcerer and you… I know that you’ve been having a hard time and that you are recovering from what happened with your father. Maybe a little hard work might help distract you from your troubles, what do you say, Sumac Apple?” 

“You just talked like Princess Luna,” Sumac said, making a fearless observation. 

Blinking, Princess Celestia recalled all of her words, then after a few seconds, she nodded as she gave Sumac a warm, sunny smile. “So I did.” 

“Can I help?” Sumac asked as he turned around and gave Trixie a pleading look. Of course, the little colt never once gave thought to whether or not Princess Celestia actually needed his help, had he thought about it, he might have realised that an alicorn as powerful as she probably didn’t need his help, but it sure did make him feel better about pretty much everything. 

“Well, I don’t know…” Trixie seemed hesitant to give an answer. 

“Pinkie Pie gave me coffee—” 

“SHE WHAT?” Twinkleshine blurted out. “Oh, I am going to have to have a talk with that pony!” 

“She said it would make me feel better and it did. It cleared my head and I was able to think again and I didn’t feel so sluggish—” 

“That’s what coffee does, Sumac.” Lemon Hearts heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. 

“Trixie,” Twilight said to her friend and confidant, “you have a right to say no if you want to. Nopony will think any less of you—” 

“I will.”

“Sumac Apple!” Lemon Hearts snapped as Adventus began snickering and wheezing and Princess Celestia let out a mirth-filled chuckle. 

“Tiny drops of tincture only,” Trixie said to Princess Celestia. “I don’t want him brain dead come morning. I don’t like it when he’s powerfully stupid, it scares me.” 

Sighing, Twinkleshine said, “It’s going to be a long night.” 

“Wonderful.” Princess Celestia looked down at Sumac and winked. “I look forward to working with you, Sumac Apple.” 

“Say, where is Gosling, anyhow?” Sumac asked. 

“He and Spike are… running an errand,” Moondancer said, answering without really saying anything meaningful. “They’re off with Princess Luna—” 

“Looking for Flam’s contact here in Ponyville?” Sumac blurted out. 

“Yes.” Twilight gave Sumac a nudge. “That’s the honest answer. Though, Gosling did say that he was going to give Spike prettification lessons on the way so that Spike will be good looking enough to catch the eye of a certain somepony that he has a crush on.” 

“How did you know about Flam’s contact?” Moondancer asked. 

“Funny story, one of those big brutes just jumped out and scared poor Sumac,” Twinkleshine replied as she made a rude, downright obscene gesture with her hoof. “There was an incident.” 

“An incident?” 

“Yes, an incident and I thought I was gonna have to Twinkle-Smack somepony.” 

Her eyes darting between Moondancer and Twinkleshine as though she was watching a tennis match, Princess Celestia drew in a deep breath and butted in. “We should go back inside before there is an incident.” 

“What’s a Twinkle-Smack?” Sumac asked, sounding innocent as could be while Lemon Hearts let out a flustered huff. 

“It’s where I hit somepony so hard that they see stars for hours,” Twinkleshine replied. 

At this point, Adventus was laughing so hard that Princess Celestia had to hold him up in her magic. Lemon Hearts was huffing and rolling her eyes in exasperation while Trixie sniggered and struggled to hold back her laughter. 

It was just what Sumac needed. 
	
	
	
> Chapter 120
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The resplendent dawn was glorious and Sumac struggled to hold back a yawn as he witnessed it, not wishing to disturb the sanctity of the moment. Beside him, Princess Celestia had a look of rapturous joy upon her face as she raised the sun, bringing warmth and light to the near frozen morning. Perhaps it was the lingering zap apple tincture and Sumac’s sorcerous powers, but the dawn really was noteworthy. 

The balcony was crowded with ponies, giving Sumac a rather foalish fear of being stepped on. The ponies present were of the rather large variety; Princess Celestia being the largest, but Princess Luna and Prince Gosling weren’t so small either. Twilight was miniscule by comparison, even though she had grown quite tall by Ponyville standards. 

There was strange knowledge buzzing around inside of Sumac’s head, the aftereffects of assisting Princess Celestia with her efforts to help Adventus. Moondancer had used her magic as well, trying to help poor Adventus recover his memories and his name. Alas, Adventus was not present on the balcony, as he was fast asleep in his room after an exhausting night. 

Stretching out his wings, Prince Gosling yawned out the words, “That sunrise is the only thing better looking than I am.” 

His words seemed to set off Princess Luna, who rolled her eyes, stomped her hoof, shook her head, and smacked Prince Gosling in the back of the head with her wing at all once. Sumac’s ears jerked upright as Princess Celestia began to giggle. It was a strange sound, hearing a regal princess giggle, and Sumac was in awe of it. 

The little colt was filled with a peace that he had not known for quite some time. All of his fears and worries seemed distant, which may have been the zap apple tincture wearing off, but Sumac liked to think that he was happy. He was surrounded by good ponies, the best ponies, and as little as he was, he had helped a noble cause. He had, in his own way, helped to make a difference. 

With the glorious dawn, Sumac had a powerful reminder that the world was worth saving. The world was a beautiful place, full of promise and hope, and in his own way, he wanted to help save it, even though he didn’t think that he wanted to be an adventurer. He liked being at home, he liked moments just like this one, this feeling of togetherness and unity. It was at these moments that the call of the herd was the strongest, that need, that desire to be together, to be close, just like right now. 

Exhausted, Sumac yawned and shuffled over a bit. He leaned up against Moondancer’s leg and the somewhat scratchy wool of her sweater sleeve was rough against his neck. It was cold enough to see his breath, which looked like clouds of steam coming out of his nose. The cold was invigourating, filling his lungs with stinging air that made him want to take off at a run so that he could get warm, his heart thudding and his blood pumping. 

“I don’t like the fact that we have ponies that we can’t find hiding among us,” Prince Gosling said in a low voice, all of his mirth from earlier now gone. “I don’t like this at all… infiltrators, agitators, rogue changelings, bumble jelly that messes with a pony’s brain… I wish I knew what to do.” 

“This is not the first time that Equestria has been beset by enemies from within.” Princess Celestia’s voice had a dull edge of fatigue to it and she shifted her weight from her left to her right. “Mind control is becoming an increasingly difficult problem to deal with though, I’ll admit. The Ascendency has powerful magic to do what they do.” 

“I think the Ascendency was the ones pulling the strings when everything went down with Mister Mariner.” 

“We don’t know that for certain, Gosling.” 

“Well, call it a hunch,” Prince Gosling said with a surprising amount of insistence. 

Princess Luna wrapped her wing over Gosling’s back and leaned in a little closer to him. She said nothing, but gave her sister a direct, penetrating stare, an expression that Sumac could not read or understand. The little colt was aware that something was up though, perhaps some disagreement or maybe even a squabble. From the looks of things, it seemed as though Princess Luna had taken Prince Gosling’s side. 

“Hunches are fine, but we have to be careful not to make dangerous assumptions,” Princess Celestia said to her sister and to Prince Gosling. “Our resources are limited and our enemies are many. Gosling, I know that you are eager to begin hunting down the Ascendency and that you are just looking for a reason, but we have to be very, very careful where we commit our resources.” 

“She is correct,” Princess Luna huffed, her barrel expanding and contracting as she spoke. 

“I’ll be the first to admit that my anger is probably clouding my judgment, but I’m still sore about everything that happened.” Prince Gosling lifted his head as he struck a regal pose—something he did without trying or effort, an act that came as naturally as breathing—and he gazed at the sun on the distant horizon. “I’m having a hard time adjusting,” he confessed, his voice a little creaky. “Overnight, I became the proud papa pegasus to several million ponies. I take all of this very, very seriously. It weighs on me and there are times when I feel like I can’t do anything at all… I can’t fight Grogar, I certainly can’t fight Catrina, so when something comes along that I feel that I can do something about it, I wanna do it just so I don’t feel useless.” 

“I know how you feel.” Blinking, Sumac looked up at Gosling. “It’s hard being so little, weak, and powerless. Not being able to do anything just makes you angry and frustrated. I think that’s why I have temper tantrums. I just get so angry sometimes and I just hold it all in ‘till I can’t hold it in no more.” 

“Yeah?” Prince Gosling’s eyebrow arched. 

“Yeah.” Sumac nodded. 

“It’s rough, wanting to prove yourself, ain’t it?” 

“Yep.” Again, Sumac nodded. 

“Count yourself lucky, kid,” Prince Gosling remarked, “at least you don’t have everybody just waiting for you to fail so they can call you out and ridicule you, calling you a useless prettyboy and a plaything for the princesses.” 

“Oh, I don’t know, I think I can understand that.” As Sumac spoke, he was all too aware that everypony present was now looking at him. His mouth went dry and he licked his lips while he looked up at Prince Gosling. “I have a filly that I really want to impress,” Sumac began and his own voice became squeaky. “I have Applejack and Big Mac breathing down my neck to be the best Apple that I can be, and I have to work really hard to be as good as they are because I have a bad case of the angries. I’m smart, but I’m not that smart, so I have to work really hard to even understand half of what Pebble says, and it’s not just Pebble, but the adults around me, because I’ve fallen into a trap where the adults sometimes talk to me like adults, and I don’t always know what is being said, but I can’t come right out and say it because I don’t want to let them down or look like a foal.” 

Sumac sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs with frigid air. 

“When I do screw up or fail, I gotta worry about Applejack’s eyebrow and that face that Big Mac makes. Then there is Lemon Hearts, who just sort of sighs, and it is the worst sound in the world, because I know she is disappointed with me, but she’s too nice to be mean about it or punish me, so she just sighs, and I want to crawl under the bed and die of shame. And there is all of you…”—Sumac’s words trailed off and he looked around at the different ponies on the balcony—“all of you have come to expect so much from me and none of you are normal ponies. Because I’m a sorcerer, all of you watch me and the pressure and worry about screwing up almost crushes me sometimes.” 

Embarrassed, Sumac felt tears stinging his eyes, which was made worse by the cold. He wished that Trixie was here, or Lemon Hearts, or even Twinkleshine, but they were all asleep, and he was about to start crying in front of some very important ponies. He was tired, maybe a little cranky, and he was up way, way past his bedtime. 

“Aw, nuts,” Prince Gosling muttered as he pushed himself away from Princess Luna. He wiped at his eyes with his wings, let out a shuddering huff, and then shoved his way past Princess Celestia, who let out a startled whinny because of his sudden movement. “Come on, kid, you’re coming with me. We’re going to have breakfast and have a talk. I’m gonna make you some pancakes, how’s that sound?” 

Sumac, saying nothing, allowed himself to be led away as he blinked back his own flood of emotion. 



 

Looking at Sumac as he slept, Trixie Lulamoon let heave a maternal sigh. His face was sticky, messy, covered in syrup, whipped cream, applesauce, and there was a chocolate chip smeared into the short, coarse hairs around the corner of his mouth on the left side. She wanted to be mad at Prince Gosling for returning her foal to her in this condition, but she just couldn’t. At least, not now. Maybe later she would let Prince Gosling have it for returning Sumac as a sticky, dirty mess. 

“Is that ice cream?” Lemon Hearts asked in a low whisper. 

“Maybe.” Trixie shrugged. 

“Was there a food fight?” Lemon brushed up against Trixie’s side and leaned against her. 

Again, Trixie shrugged. “Maybe?” 

“And I’m stuck cleaning that up later,” Twinkleshine said, sounding rather grumpy, “because both of you will be working.” 

“Is that… is that some kind of syrup in Sumac’s ear?” Lemon Hearts edged a little closer to the bed, holding her head high and trying to peer downward at just the right angle so that she might see better. “I thought they had pancakes for breakfast, but the evidence suggests ice cream sundaes.” 

“Well, it doesn’t matter what it is, Prince Gosling can no longer be trusted to be alone with Sumac.” Twinkleshine bristled as she rolled her eyes. “Do you know how much scrubbing that is going to take? It’s in his mane, ugh.” The pearlescent mare snorted and tossed her head back to get her pink mane out of her eyes. 

“Oh, I don’t know, Sumac could probably use some guy time.” Lemon Hearts looked over at Twinkleshine, then over at Trixie, and then her eyes focused on Sumac. “I mean, this is what guys do, right? They talk about hoofball, complain about mares, and leave each other all sticky.” 

“Lemon, that sounds so wrong.” Twinkleshine, looking disgusted, took a step back from Lemon while shaking her head. 

“What?” Lemon blinked and shook her head, not understanding Twinkleshine’s words. “Males are messy, we all know that.”

“Prince Gosling might just be the most immaculate creature that has ever lived,” Trixie said to Lemon as she shook her head. “I’ve never seen a cleaner, more well groomed pony.” 

Scowling, Lemon glanced at Trixie, then looked at Sumac once more. “Well, maybe we should reconsider and let Prince Gosling spend more time with Sumac, because Sumac can be one stinky little colt.” 

“Oh, Lemon, tsk tsk tsk.” Twinkleshine clucked her tongue as she shook her head. 

“What I do?” Lemon demanded in a hushed voice. 

“To be fair, Sumac is pretty stinky.” Trixie bumped up against Lemon and there was the suggestion of a smile on her muzzle. “That’s my fault though, raising him the way I did, roaming the countryside, which is oddly free of things like plumbing. Rivers, lakes, and streams can be a bit chilly, but I got used to it and I guess I just sort of figured that he would as well.”

“Hey, both of you. I have something I need to tell you,” Twinkleshine said to Lemon and Trixie. 

Ears perking, both mares looked at Twinkleshine and waited for her to continue. 

“This foalsitting thing is hard,” Twinkleshine began in a low, scratchy whisper. “The world is such a dangerous place and it drives me nuts when I think about all of the different ways that Sumac might get hurt. Trixie, I don’t see how you do it… I mean, you take the free roaming approach to parenthood and you allow Sumac to experience the world in his own way, and I don’t want to say that what you are doing is wrong—” 

Trixie’s eyebrows both raised as her ears pivoted around. 

“—but I will say that I’m having a hard time with the free roaming approach. Especially now after Flam… the idea of letting Sumac out of my sight makes me feel panicky.” 

“If we were to corral him or fence him in, he’d hate us.” Trixie’s words were a soft, patient whisper. “I did everything I could to teach Sumac how to look after himself. Most mothers scold a foal for independence, at least in my own experience, watching the world around me. I’ve always just sort of pushed Sumac away and then tried to reward him when he did the right things. I don’t know why, but it has always bothered me when I watched other mothers punish their foals for being curious and wanting to explore the world around them.” 

“But Trixie, the world is a dangerous place—” 

“And I know that better than just about anypony, Twinkleshine, don’t lecture me.” Trixie, calm and collected, nodded her head at Sumac. “And so does he. I’ve shown him what the world is really like, away from the cities, away from civilisation, I’ve shown him all of the nitty-gritty parts of life that most ponies are happier pretending don’t exist. He and I have found ponies that didn’t survive the wilds and we’ve buried them. Sumac grew up without illusions, I showed him what lies beyond the curtain of civilisation, and he’s a better pony for it.” After inhaling, Trixie added, “I gotta go to work.” 

“So do I.” Lemon, looking downcast, let out a sigh. “I was up too late last night.” 

“Have fun, both of you.” Twinkleshine’s barrel expanded and she held everything in for several long seconds, before letting it all out from her nose. “You know, Trixie, it’s funny, what you said, about Sumac growing up without illusions, seeing as how you’re the illusionist…” 
	
	
	
	
> Chapter 121
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There were a lot of flashing lights in Twilight’s workshop. Sumac, somewhat buzzed on zap apple tincture, watched as the adults around him hurried from place to place, making certain that everything was perfect. In the middle of the workshop, standing on a raised platform, was Pebble and the lantern was beside her. 

Pebble looked quite sedate, bored even, and Sumac thought about the word ‘lackadaisical’ while he stared at her. Olive brushed up against him as she passed, and Sumac wondered if she did it on purpose. She was here because Starlight was here, and to be honest, Sumac didn’t mind. Olive had changed, just a little. His former rival was now tolerable, and maybe even just a little likeable, but Sumac wondered why she kept bumping into him every chance she got. 

It was a little chilly in the workshop, but it was a whole lot colder outside. Fall was ending and there were the occasional feral flurries that blew in from the Everfree. Sumac couldn’t help but feel that he and Moondancer had the right idea; she wore a sweater and he wore his poncho. The blanket with the hole in one end was perfect for him and kept him warm. Sumac was a bit on the thin and scrawny side and he didn’t have much in the way of pudge to help keep him warm. 

“So, this time travel thing… I’ve been thinking about it, and it is a little weird,” Sumac said, talking for the sake of talking and because he was bored, so bored. 

“That’s not the first time I’ve had something like that happen,” Twilight replied, sounding absentminded. She turned away from a paper readout and faced Spike. “Hey, Spike, everything ready on your end?” 

“Yep.” Spike gave Twilight a claws up. 

“Sumac, how is your magic sense?” Twilight asked. 

“Tingly.” 

“Good, good.” Twilight now faced Pebble. “You ready to become an alicorn, Pebble?” 

“Yes, I am ready to become an overbearing force of good that tells everypony what to do and what is best for them.” 

All around the room there was snickering, but Twilight did not seem to be amused by Pebble’s deadpan snarking. Twilight’s lack of amusement was highlighted by her narrowed eyes and angled ears. Lemon Hearts was giggling so hard that she felt compelled to cover her mouth in an attempt to silence herself. 

“How is the camera, will we get this on film?” Twilight asked. 

Vinyl peeked out from behind her camera, most of her face hidden behind her glasses, and she nodded to let Twilight know that she was ready. A small slate was held up over Vinyl’s head, and it had these words on it. I’ve got Pebble’s savage roast on film. I’m proud. I can’t wait to tell Maud. 

“Oh… peas and carrots,” Twilight spat, swearing without swearing in front of the foals present. “Okay, let’s do this and see what happens. I’m going to use the lantern on Pebble. Everypony, be ready for anything, as we really don’t know what this setting will do.” Her eyes glittering with keen intelligence, Twilight’s head turned and she looked right at Sumac. “I’m hoping that your sorcerous powers will allow you to absorb whatever alicorn magic that Pebble manifests during the duration of the spell. Be ready, Sumac.” 

“Do you really think that will work, Twilight?” 

“I don’t know, Moondancer. It’s a stretch, but the lantern does stuff to ponies, and we might as well see if we can exploit any temporary powers it introduces.” Head high, Twilight strode across the room and approached the raised platform where Pebble stood. She lifted the lantern in her magic and checked the settings. 

“Kiddo, hold fast,” Trixie said, being supportive. 

Holding the lantern, looking quite solemn, Twilight opened up the shutter and zapped Pebble. There was a bright flash, Sumac winced in pain, and a short, brown horn appeared on Pebble’s forehead. Two bulges appeared under the fabric of her dress. There was a gasp from Pebble, and the little filly staggered, but she did not fall. 

“Pebble, what do you feel?” Twilight asked, her voice neutral. “Try to be articulate as possible.” 

“I want to keep all of you safe,” Pebble replied, her monotone absent. Real strain could be heard in her voice and her knees all knocked together. “The pressure, the need to keep all of you safe is overwhelming. It feels like it is crushing me. All of you are in such danger… Sumac especially. The danger is close, it feels like it is all around us and very close by.” 

With a shallow inhale, Twilight set down the lantern while her right ear twitched up and down. She watched with cold, clinical detachment, studying Pebble’s reaction, and she stayed out of the way of the camera. 

“It’s very strange,” Pebble continued, “it feels like the threat to Sumac is right here in the castle with us. It’s like an itch inside of my mind, and I can sense it, above us and below us. There is a greater threat though, off to the east, it’s close but also far.” 

“That’d be the Everfree,” Moondancer murmured, “location and detection spells don’t work very well there.” 

“Something watches, and I can feel their eye. It’s focused on Sumac, and I can feel their desire. They want him. All around us, many somethings are watching.” Pebble now looked quite panicked, and she trembled as her lower lip quivered. “I can’t bear this any longer, make it stop.” 

“There is no way to make it stop, Pebble,” Twilight said in a cool, calm voice. “All you can do is wait it out.” 

Wheezing, Pebble sucked in a few deep breaths and was almost panting. “It feels like I’m choking. I want to keep all of you safe, the need to keep all of you safe is so overpowering that it hurts. How do you stand this, Twilight?” 

“It can be very difficult at times,” Twilight replied. 

“I can feel so much malice and hatred.” Pebble sucked in a hissing breath through her clenched teeth. “They know I can sense them. I can feel them trying to block me and prevent me from seeing. There is a buzzing sound—urk!” Gasping, Pebble’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed on the platform. 

“Moondancer! I need a spellbreaker over here right now!” 



 

Much to Sumac’s relief, Pebble’s eyelids began to twitch. His magic sense was going crazy, just as it had been for a while now, but right now it was unbearable. Reaching out, he patted Pebble’s cheek, and then, seized with an idea, he leaned in closer, puckered up, and gave her a peck on the cheek, as that was how one woke a sleeping princess. 

Pebble had been an alicorn for a while, so Sumac was absolutely certain that counted for making Pebble a princess. His princess. He felt his ears grow hot as he thought about the fact that he had just kissed a princess. He held his breath as he watched her eyes open. 

“I have a headache,” Pebble deadpanned. After a moment, she added, “My cheek is wet.” Her eyes focused on Sumac and she stared at him in a knowing sort of way. 

Sumac did not apologise. 

Pulling away, he felt a strange tightness. Laying on her back, Pebble had a certain prettiness to her, and with the way her mane spilled out all over the pillow… something about it took Sumac’s breath away. She was a princess, and she was… pretty, so pretty. Her cheek was soft, fuzzy, and felt pleasant against the sensitive pad of his snoot. 

“Twilight said you suffered some sort of magical backlash, but you’re fine now.” Sumac kept his voice low, knowing that Pebble had a headache. “Vinyl was here with me, but she stepped out for a moment. I’m sure she’ll be right back.” 

When tears started to fall, Sumac felt a growing sense of worry. 

“You’re in so much danger, Sumac, I felt it… we’re surrounded on all sides and some of the danger felt very close.” Pebble closed her eyes, rolled over onto her side, and curled up into a fetal position in the bed. “I don’t ever want to be an alicorn, that was awful feeling that way, and I feel bad for what I said to Twilight. It’s horrible what she must go through and I feel very ashamed of what I said.” 

“Twilight is trying to figure out what the threat is,” Sumac whispered to Pebble, trying to be reassuring to his princess. “She said she’s felt it too, but you got an exaggerated version of alicorn senses. Everypony is out right now trying to figure out what is going on.” 

The door opened and Vinyl entered, followed by another pony. Maud, looking sleepy and sedate as ever, followed Vinyl into the room, then went to the bed where Pebble lay. She stood there beside Sumac, silent, looking down, and Sumac was certain that he could hear Maud’s eyelashes brush together when she blinked. 

It was just that quiet. 

Vinyl, her face wrinkled with worry, sat down upon the floor beside the bed, easing herself down, moving like a slow old mare. Reaching out with her foreleg, she hooked it around Sumac, pulled him close, and then pressed her snoot into the warm, fuzzy hollow just behind his right ear, causing him to shiver. 

“Twilight told me what happened,” Maud said, sounding very, very bored. “Even though this was accidental, this might work out to everypony’s advantage, Pebble. I’m proud of you, and I know that Tarnish will be proud of you too. He’s out right now, trying to help find out what it was that you sensed.” 

“I just wanted to keep everypony safe,” Pebble murmured, and she winced from pain. 

“Twilight also said that whatever is around us, it was taking advantage of Sumac’s sorcery, at least, that is what Moondancer thinks. You got a head full of magical feedback. That’s happened to your father a few times now, and it leaves behind a headache that lasts for days.” 

Squeezing her eyes shut, Pebble moaned and clutched her head. 

“I had something force its way into my mind once,” Maud said to her daughter, trying to be reassuring in her own special way. 

“What happened?” Sumac asked, almost breathing the words. 

Maud closed her eyes, remembering, and the muscles in her jaw tightened for a second. “It came in and it didn’t like what it saw.” Her eyes opened and one hind leg twitched. “I then held it in my mind and with all of my will, I refused to let it leave. I let it see what I’m really like on the inside. It got scared.” 

Hearing this, Sumac felt a tickle-prickle of fear. 

“With any luck, Pebble is a lot like me… or worse… and whatever poked into her mind is off whimpering in fear right now.” Lowering her head, Maud pressed her muzzle against Pebble’s neck and breathed in. “Pebble, I don’t know what I’d do without you. The first time I felt you kick inside of my belly, I got scared. Tarnish and I both. We both freaked out and panicked, we worried that we would be awful parents, and he and I held each other for hours, trying to comfort one another.” 

“Mother, I’m afraid to ask…” Pebble’s words were a bit dry and scratchy. 

“What?” Maud’s lips moved against Pebble’s neck and caused the foal to fidget. 

“When I was in your belly, did you and Father…” Pebble did not finish her sentence. 

“Oh, all the time. It was a special time for us. We were very close and very much in love.” 

“Oh gross, I think I’m gonna be sick.” 

“Pebble, stop being so melodramatic.” 

Proving her mother wrong, Pebble hung her head over the edge of the bed and spewed. 



 

Leaning back in an overstuffed chair, Vinyl Scratch made herself comfortable. The house wasn’t fully furnished, not yet, but at least Vinyl had a comfortable chair to sit in. Stuffed in the chair beside her was Sumac, who had been sent home with Pebble just to be safe. Trixie and Twinkleshine were busy patrolling Ponyville, looking for the as of yet unidentified menace. 

Sumac, more than just a little scared, didn’t mind being so close to Vinyl, and he didn’t complain, not even once. He didn’t complain when Vinyl had tossed him into the tub and gave him a bath, washing hot, chunky vomit from his hide. Not a single peep of protest had been made. 

Now clean and silky soft, he watched as Boomer prowled the stone floor, sniffing about in the corners of the room, no doubt looking for spiders. Vinyl was warm and her body was inviting. Being an albino, her pelt had a different texture and feel to it, causing her to be quite luxuriant to snuggle up against. Sumac was far too frightened to be brave and independent, at least for now. 

Holding out her hoof, Vinyl’s horn ignited with a glittery glow. A flaming ball manifested and she held it with her hoof. She brought it closer to Sumac, who shied away from it, but then Sumac realised that if Vinyl was holding it with her hoof, it couldn’t be hot. Distracted, the curious colt touched it and discovered that the fire was cold and the ball was solid. 

He tapped his hoof against it as he pressed up against Vinyl’s side, entranced. Each tap made a clinking sound, like glass, and he tried to figure out what it was that he was touching. It was a solid manifestation of magic that burned with cold flames. When Vinyl dumped it into his hooves, Sumac let out a nervous giggle, and a part of him still feared the fire, even though it burned cold. He held it in his front hooves and began to examine it with the hopes of figuring out whatever it was that he was holding. 

It was so very fascinating. 

Stepping out of the hallway and into the living room, Octavia paused to take in the adorable sight of Vinyl and Sumac together in the chair. The flames were a flickering reflection in both of their glasses, and the look of wonder on Sumac’s face threatened to make Octavia’s heart stop. 

Looking up from the flaming ball, Sumac asked, “How is Pebble?” 

“Asleep,” Octavia replied. “Tarnish gave her a few tiny droplets of opiate extract that he brewed himself. He didn’t want to do it, but Maud and I insisted. Pebble no doubt has a dreadful headache and she deserves a blissful, undisturbed rest.” 

“I hope she gets better soon.” Sumac, still holding the flaming ball, hugged it to his chest, no longer thinking about the flickering flames or how they might consume him. 

“She will.” Octavia’s voice was certain and confident. “Now, tell me, Sumac, what might you like for supper? I fear our menu options are a bit limited at the moment, but I am not adverse to heading out to the market, if need be.” 

“There’s no need to make a fuss for me.” Sumac, feeling a little bit awkward, squirmed in the chair beside Vinyl. “I’d be happy with grilled cheese sandwiches.” 

Inhaling, Octavia’s eyes lit up. “Fabulous! We have bread, we have cheese, and there are some canned soups in the cupboard. No doubt, Maud will be wanting some cream of pumpkin soup.” 

“That sounds good with grilled cheese,” Sumac said, still clutching the mesmerising flaming ball. 

“Indeed it does, indeed it does…” 
	
	
	
> Chapter 122
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sumac had discovered the length and breadth of his patience, and it was far, far more than he could have ever imagined. Maud had given him a long, meandering lecture about the various values of stone flooring, the positives, the negatives, and the intrinsic beauty of said stone flooring. The first hour, Sumac had sat there and paid attention out of an innate need to be polite. But the second hour… much to his horror, shock, and surprise, Sumac began to find the lecture interesting and he had listened with rapt attention. 

Maud had ended the lecture with the mention that limestone tile was great, because limestone was a soft stone and it was pleasant to walk all over. It was at this point that Pebble had let out a strange giggle, and Sumac couldn’t help but feel that there was some joke that he didn’t understand. 

The morning was wonderful, pleasant, great even. Pebble had recovered somewhat, but still had a minor headache that lingered between her ears. Sumac had slept off the stupids and was no worse for wear. Even with all of the recent trouble, it was shaping up to be a glorious, carefree day, and Sumac was looking forward to whatever the day brought. 



 

“What was it like?” Sumac asked, keeping his voice down for Pebble’s sake. 

Lifting her head, Pebble looked up from her cookbook. She blinked at Sumac a few times and the faint suggestion of a wrinkle appeared just above her thick brows. The cookbook was almost as big as Pebble was, and its cover was speckled with the remnants of many a meal. 

“There was so much that happened all at once,” Pebble replied as she shifted in her seat. “It was all so much and so overwhelming. That feeling of needing to protect, of sensing the danger, it was so powerful that it drowned out everything else. I…” Pebble halted for a moment, her ears drooped, and a very visible look of shame tugged the features of her face downwards like overbearing gravity. “I think I owe Twilight an apology for what I said. I don’t think that she or any of the other princesses can help how they are. I always thought that they were just being, well, princessy, but I was wrong. I think it’s a natural reaction to a state of panic.” 

“Oh.” Sumac didn’t know what else to say and he glanced over at Boomer, who was sunning herself as she clung to the wall with her claws. 

“I think that, when they lecture us, and we learn something from it, it is one less thing for them to worry about,” Pebble continued, her eyes half closed. “I know one thing… I’m not cut out for that kind of worry and stress. It’s awful.” 

There was a loud clunk from the kitchen, followed by the sounds of metal against stone. Pebble winced, squeezing her eyes shut, and she would have dropped her book to the floor had Sumac not caught it. The colt tucked in Pebble’s bookmark, closed the book, and set it down on the arm of the chair that Pebble was sitting in. 

“Vinyl tells me that because I strained my brain with magic, my magic should be a little stronger now,” Sumac said to Pebble. “It’s like training your muscles for running or flying she said. She said it was good to push myself to my limits, but to be careful not to push too hard too often.” 

“That makes sense,” Pebble said in reply as she rubbed the side of her head with her hoof. “Did you gain any alicorn magic or pick up any new magical tricks yesterday?” 

“I don’t know.” Sumac shrugged. “Everything just sort of happened and I stopped paying attention. Maybe I did, but I don’t know. I do know that since I helped Princess Celestia raise the sun, I can now feel when the sun is rising, and it gives me warm tingles all over.” 

“That’s neat.” Pebble lowered her hoof and stared at Sumac. “I wish I knew what that felt like. I’m a little jealous, actually.” 

“Pebble?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I kinda want to find out what it is like to be an alicorn, even with what happened to you. I’m a little jealous too.” 

“No tickling!” Octavia cried from the kitchen. “Tarnish! Do behave and stop that at once! What has gotten into you?” 

Without realising that it was happening, the corners of Sumac’s mouth curled up as he listened. He liked the sounds of a happy house, it satisfied something deep within him, some desire, some craving that he didn’t quite comprehend. After life on the road, this was what he wanted. The little colt basked in the warm glow of his own contentedness and let out a satisfied sigh. 



 

Pebble wasn’t the only one that had a headache. Sumac too, now had one, but not a bad one. His magic sense had gone wonky, so now, there was a persistent sensation that thrummed just behind his eyes, which caused his sinuses to ache and his eyes to water. Sumac did his best to pony up and not complain. 

The house had gone quiet, the laughter gone. Pebble was napping with her mother, Maud. Octavia had vanished to elsewhere in the house. Tarnish was nowhere to be seen. Vinyl was trying to teach him something, but Sumac was having a hard time paying attention. 

Shields must be maintained with equal, opposite force. The words were written on the stone wall with bright orange chalk and Sumac rubbed his muzzle as he read them. If a projectile hits your shields, you have to apply an equal amount of outward force to the area struck to maintain your shields. 

Sumac was having a little trouble understanding the lesson, but he was trying. 

If I chuck a rock at you, and it strikes your shield with one pound of applied force, then your shield must press outwards with one pound of force. That’s pretty easy to do, though it is a little tricky to learn the reflexes required. This is why most unicorns can’t raise a shield spell. 

Tilting his head off to one side, Sumac thought about what Vinyl was saying. He sort of understood it, it was like a game of Push-Me, when two ponies each put a front hoof together and then tried to push one another off balance. He had never seen the appeal of the game, but little earth ponies and big earth ponies alike loved to play it, and he had watched Applejack play it with her fillies. 

The orange chalk moved in a blur and new words appeared. Blipping is the act of repeatedly hitting an opponent's shield over and over with rapid telekinetic strikes. Blipping isn’t about strength, but speed. I’ve trained to time my magic to music, so I can blip at over two hundred beats per minute. I’ve managed to take out Twilight Sparkle’s shields. Her shields are very, very strong, but Twilight isn’t fast. Repeated applications of force done quickly can take down the shields of strong foes.

Ears twitching, Sumac sat up a little bit. This made sense to him and he understood the concept. He wondered if the reverse was true, if reverse-blipping, the quick application of outward force would allow him to keep a shield up against a strong hit. His curiousity now engaged, Sumac no longer thought about the thrumming inside of his head. 

Blipping can also be done to apply a very nice soothing massage to those you care about. Turning about, Vinyl Scratch waggled her eyebrows at Sumac, and the little colt started laughing at the sight. I’ll teach you more about this when you are older, my apprentice. 

Shaking with mute laughter, Vinyl erased all evidence of her words and prepared to continue her lesson.



 

The lesson was interrupted when Octavia’s voice cried out, “Vinyl, I need you!” 

Setting down her chalk, Vinyl Scratch let out a sigh and teetered off at a slow, sedate pace, leaving Sumac all alone. He watched her go, glad for the break, as Vinyl was a relentless teacher who kept the information going in a steady, unending flow. There could be no doubt that Vinyl was getting better with each passing day. 

Blinking a few times, Sumac tried to get his vision to unblur. His magic sense had been going nonstop for quite some time now, he had no idea how long. Twilight and the others had to be doing some pretty serious magic and Sumac wondered how they were able to keep going for so long without getting tired. 

Hearing hooves, Sumac turned his head and saw Maud coming down the hallway. She looked sleepy, but then again, she always looked sleepy. She also wasn’t wearing anything, which was odd, but not too odd. She had gone to bed with Pebble after all. He gave her a smile as she approached. 

“Twilight is outside,” Maud said to Sumac as she drew near. “She wants you to join her. I think she wants your help with something.” 

“Oh.” Sumac nodded. “Okay.” 

“Go have fun.” Maud began to turn around as Sumac got up to go and see Twilight. 

That struck Sumac as being a little weird. He paused, as that didn’t seem quite Maud-like. Maybe Maud was just tired, or maybe it was because she was pregnant. Mares acted funny when they were pregnant. Heading for the door, Sumac decided to pay it no mind. He had been cooped up for far too long and he was in desperate need of fresh air. 



 

The autumn air was crisp and cold enough to make Sumac’s nose sting. Twilight was standing in the lane, waiting for him, and much to his surprise, she had Olive and Strawberry Hearts with her. Twilight seemed a bit worried, her head turned to and fro, from side to side as she kept watch over everything around her. 

“Hi, Twilight.” 

“Took you long enough,” Twilight said. 

Taken aback, Sumac looked up at Twilight, feeling worried, and he thought about how much stress she had to be under. He did his best to look apologetic, and then, with a turn of his head, he looked back at the house and thought about Boomer, wondering if he should bring her along. He decided against it, as Twilight seemed a little annoyed already and making her wait would only make things worse. 

“Let’s go,” Twilight commanded, and she took off in a hurry, her long legs making graceful strides as she trotted down the lane, her eyes darting from side to side. 

Sumac fell in place, the last in line, bringing up the rear behind Strawberry Hearts. Twilight was moving far too fast and he was almost having to gallop to keep up with her. The cold, brisk air was clearing his head a little, and he sucked in deep lungfuls with the hopes of invigourating himself. 

“Where we going?” Olive asked. “You said you’d tell us after we got Sumac.” 

“The Everfree,” Twilight replied. 

“Why there?” Olive pulled up alongside Twilight and looked up at her. 

“Must you always question your teachers this much? Hasn’t Starlight been teaching you better manners?” 

Admonished, Olive hung her head a bit and she fell back. 

“Twilight?” Sumac felt a strange tickle-prickle along with a buzzing inside of his ears. “Are you okay, Twilight?” 

“Of course I’m okay,” Twilight snapped. “Don’t you little brats ever shut up?” 

Sumac’s sudden halt was so abrupt that he almost fell over. Turning his head, he looked back at the house behind him, and then back at Twilight. Fearful, he took a deep breath and said, “I’m going back. I don’t feel so good. You’ll have to excuse me.” 

“You’re coming with me.” Twilight whirled about and faced the three foals behind her. Fury could be seen on her face, unbridled fury, and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the foals. “You need to obey me and do everything I say. I am a princess and your teacher. Don’t make me punish you, because I will. Things are very, very tense right now, and you need to obey my every command. Do you got me?” 

Terrified, Strawberry Hearts nodded her head, and then Olive did as well. Sumac did not, and he alone remained in bold defiance. He didn’t know what had come over Twilight, but he didn’t like it, not at all, and he was prepared to tell her so. The fine hairs along his spine bristled and his ears angled forwards as his tongue began to feel tingly. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Twilight’s horn glowed and just as Sumac was about to say something, she fired off a spell before the words left the colt’s mouth.

Magic flared and Strawberry Hearts let out a fearful, high-pitched scream. Olive watched dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open, and there was nothing that Sumac could do to defend himself. The spell struck him and it was like a thousand knives digging into his flesh, he gagged from the pain, his voice withered into an agonised screech, and he felt a crushing force being applied to his horn. It suffocated him, strangled him, and robbed him of his ability to speak or use magic.

“Stop! Stop! Twilight, what are you doing?” Strawberry Hearts ran up to Twilight, clutched at her leg, and Twilight kicked her away, sending the foal rolling over in the dirt. 

For Sumac, the world went green and there was a deafening buzzing sound all around him… 
	
> Chapter 123
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Sumac, wake up, can you hear me?” 

It was difficult to pull himself up from the depths. There was so much pain, so much horrible pain, and Sumac wanted to drift through the void of unconsciousness for just a little while longer. He felt a gentle shake and somepony was breathing on him. It took a while to make anything out, because it was dark and he didn’t have his eyeglasses. 

“Sumac, it’s me, Olive. Wake up. Please?” 

Inside of his mouth, his tongue felt like a fat, squirming caterpillar. The inside of his cheek was scabbed over and the taste of blood lingered on his tongue. One of his nostrils was caked over, with snot or blood he did not know, but it made it difficult to breathe. He became aware of the fact that somepony was holding him, and he assumed that it had to be Olive. 

With a great deal of effort, he lifted his head and began to peer around. Wherever they were, it was dark and there wasn’t much to see. Something on the walls glowed with a pale green light, but Sumac couldn’t see well enough to make out what it was. The smell of vinegar was strong in the air, and other more unpleasant smells. 

“She took us, Sumac, Queen Chrysalis took us and she wants to sell you to the highest bidder,” Olive said as Sumac sat up on his own. “Sumac, there is something I need to tell you, Sumac.” 

“What?” Sumac didn’t recognise his own voice because it was so dry and scratchy. 

“Sumac, Moondancer is here with us—” 

“Oh, good,” Sumac gasped, feeling relieved. 

“—and she doesn’t know any of us. She’s never met any of us before.” 

It took a few seconds for Olive’s words to sink in and Sumac was certain that he was going to be sick. Fear and terror welled up inside of him as his mind began to race, thinking about what that meant, exactly. A thousand different thoughts all lept into Sumac’s mind and he had trouble not screaming or throwing up. 

“It’s true,” a raspy voice said from a short distance away. “I don’t know any of you. I’ve been here for a very long time now.” 

Shuddering, Sumac began thinking of Moondancer’s skill with mind magic. Her ability to grow wings and fly. Her knowledge of dark magic and just how much she knew of it. He thought about how she had pressed into his mind, how she knew his thoughts, it was all too much for him. With a strangled gurgle, Sumac puked all over the floor and would have fallen into his own vomit puddle had Olive not caught him. 

He felt like crying. 

His stomach lurched again and his mouth filled with bile, but he didn’t throw up. He gagged though, and had to spit and sputter to expectorate the stringy, clingy bile that refused to leave his mouth. Olive gave him a good hard whack on his back, which hurt quite a bit, but also helped. 

Moondancer had been his friend, a trusted adult, somepony that he cared about a great deal, and this revelation filled him with a horrible pain that he had never known before, a powerful feeling of grief and loss. He had lost a friend that had never really existed. A powerful spasm overtook Sumac’s body, one born of fear, of revulsion, and the little colt was overwhelmed by the sheer horror of this new knowledge. 

Never in his life had Sumac ever felt more alone, and he wanted his mother. No, his mothers. Trixie, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine. They would keep him safe and make him feel better. But then, Sumac had a dreadful thought. What if they weren’t who they were supposed to be? He thought about Pebble’s feeling of danger, how it had been all around them in Twilight’s castle, above them, below them, surrounding them in every direction.  

Faced with the horror of his own existence, Sumac screamed. 



 

The three foals and Moondancer huddled together as the door began to open. There was a sound, like a faucet running—Sumac could hear water pouring—and then the stink of urine wafted up to Sumac’s nose. Moondancer fell away from them, crying, gibbering with fear, and she curled into a little ball on the floor as an ever growing puddle flowed around her. 

Snarling, Sumac jerked himself away from Olive and Strawberry Hearts and rose to his hooves, ready to fight. The changeling queen was long, tall, and scary, but none of that mattered to Sumac. He looked up at her while she approached, and she looked down at him as though she was examining her food. 

“Such bold defiance,” Queen Chrysalis said. “My agents told me that you were brave, but I don’t believe that. I think that you are incredibly stupid. The problem, as I see it, is that Trixie has protected you a little too well from the consequences of your own stupidity.” 

“I know stupid when I see it.” Sumac’s words carried the sting of magic and he felt a deep, equinal sense of satisfaction when he saw Chrysalis wince. “You think you’ll be able to sell me.” 

“And you think I won’t?” Chrysalis asked, and then she began to shake with laughter. 

“No, I think you’re stupid enough to try,” Sumac replied. 

The changeling queen looked ever so irritated, so Sumac pressed his advantage. 

“The sorts of monsters that want me, they’re not going to pay you.” Sumac held his head high and stood with stiff-legged defiance. “Catrina will rip you apart and kill all of your changelings. You’re not going to get anything for me, except dead.” 

Hissing, Queen Chrysalis recoiled and shook her head. “What do you know, you’re just a stupid foal with delusions of intelligence!” 

“There’s a lot I know,” Sumac said as his hackles stood up. “I know that you are a venereal disease with four legs! You’re what ponies catch when they have careless love!” 

The changeling queen stood there, her mouth hanging open in a perfect round ‘O’ of shock. Her green eyes glowed with hatred and malice as she stood frozen in place, unable to move or respond. Sumac took this opportunity to strike, and he unloaded everything he had on her, lashing out with as much telekinetic force as he could muster. 

Queen Chrysalis’ head snapped off to one side and she stood there, her cheek smoking from the impact. With a slow turn of her head, she returned her baleful gaze to Sumac. Her horn glowed an awful shade of green, and she lifted Sumac from the floor. A thin band of pale green telekinetic force wrapped itself around Sumac’s neck, and his tongue lolled out as she began to strangle him. 

“Just like Moondancer, you are going to learn to fear me…” 



 

Helpless, Olive watched as Sumac was being choked right before her eyes. She had already tried fighting once, but her magic fizzled out before anything had even happened. Fear, fear was her undoing, just as Starlight had said it would be. But now, something else welled up inside of her, something awful, something she was supposed to channel into something more positive. 

Rage. 

Bravery had failed her and she had been unable to act. 

But rage, rage gave her strength. Pushing Strawberry Hearts aside, Olive got up on her hooves, unnoticed by Chrysalis, who was choking Sumac into submission. Gritting her teeth together, she channeled her rage into her horn, and she could feel static all along her hide. The chubby green filly’s lip curled back from her teeth, and she let go of the single largest telekinetic burst of her life. 

Unlike Sumac’s telekinetic tap, Chrysalis felt this one. It struck her in the neck and sent her flying. Sumac tumbled to the floor, coughing and gasping, his eyes bulging. Chrysalis slammed into the wall behind her with terrific force, causing her chitin to crack all over her body. She bounced, hit the ground with a thud, and green ichor began to spill out all over the floor. 

The changeling queen was up in seconds though, and Olive hadn’t quite charged up again. Taking aim, Chrysalis gave Olive a taste of her own medicine. The blast of horrid green light struck Olive and sent her flying. She too, hit the wall, slamming into it with terrific, spine rattling force, and Olive saw a million stars in her vision. 

She had no memory of hitting the floor, but she found herself there now, trying to make her legs work. Everything felt distant, as though her body was yards away from her head. She could hear her master’s voice inside of her head, telling her that now was the best time to strike, right now, when your enemy least expected it. Somehow, Olive focused through the haze of pain, picked one of the many Queen Chrysalises that she saw in her vision, and fired. 

KERPOW! 

Caught unawares, not expecting it at all, Queen Chrysalis caught this blast in the face. She somersaulted backwards, going end over end, and it was Sumac that added insult to injury when he unleashed a torrent of lightning from his horn, hitting the bug queen in the backside. It didn’t do much in the way of damage, but it stung and there was something fitting about frying a bug with lightning. 

“I’m not like Sumac,” Olive said, spitting out the words. “I’m not brave, I’m just angry! Whatever you got, I can take it!” The rotund little filly barreled forwards, closing the distance between her and Chrysalis, determined to do as much harm as possible before she went down. 

“ENOUGH!” Chrysalis roared as she lept up to her hooves. There was a flash of bright green light that filled the room, blinding Olive. 

When Olive could see again, she saw Queen Chrysalis standing on Sumac’s head, crushing down upon his skull with her hoof. She quailed, not knowing what to do, and she glared at Queen Chrysalis with seething hatred. As she watched, Chrysalis applied pressure to Sumac’s head, and the little colt kicked and flailed around, helpless. 

“I need him alive,” Chrysalis said in a cold voice devoid of any feeling whatsoever. “But I think he’d be a lot more desireable if he was made a bit more compliant, don’t you think?” As she spoke, she leaned a bit more of her weight against Sumac’s skull, causing the colt to squeal in pain and his whining squeals became a keening wail of agony. 

On the floor, Moondancer continued to gibber and sob in terror. 

Olive didn’t know what to do, this didn’t seem like a fight she could win. Her ears twitched as Sumac’s pained shrieks tore their way into her brain, and she felt a torrent of shame when she thought about what she had done to him. 

“Make her kill me!” Sumac screamed at Olive. “Make her kill me! I don’t want to be given to Catrina!” 

A cold prickle could be felt in Olive’s dock and she thought about what to do. Perhaps sensing Olive’s intentions to be defiant, Chrysalis ground her hoof against Sumac’s head, grating his skull over the rough floor. Her tongue went dry as she made the most difficult decision of her young life, and she hoped that everypony would understand, she hoped that they would forgive her. 

They forgave Starlight, hadn’t they? 

Olive fired off a massive blast, but not at Queen Chrysalis. No, she fired at Sumac, hoping to spare him of a lifetime of torture. Queen Chrysalis was big, tough, and armored. Sumac was little, small, and helpless. One good telekinetic burst would tear him apart. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the bolt of magic flew from her horn and skimmed over the floor. 

She hoped that Sumac would understand. 

She was certain that he would. 

Queen Chrysalis reacted with supernatural speed, flinging Sumac away, slamming him into a wall with her carelessness, and she moved to punish Olive, to strike the fear of the changelings into the flippant filly that had dared to defy her. Olive felt a crushing force seize her, and that was okay, because she knew that she deserved this. 

The world became a blur all around her, and she was slammed into the wall with terrific force. Again and again, she was flung into the wall, swung by her hind legs, which Chrysalis held in her magic. After the first few hits, Olive began to drift away and she became oblivious to the savage beating that she was getting. 

Over and over, Chrysalis hurled her against the stone wall, and a dark red stain began to form around the place of impact. Strawberry Hearts clung to Moondancer, who lay on the floor, gibbering incoherent words, and the little filly shrieked with every breath as she listened to the wet, muffled whump of Olive being slammed into the rough stone wall. 

With her rage spent, Queen Chrysalis tossed Olive’s limp, unresponsive form down to the floor, kicked her once more for good measure, and then loomed over Strawberry Hearts with a menacing gleam in her eyes. 

“Tell me, little filly, do you want to be brave?” 

Clinging to Moondancer, the frightened filly shook her head and bawled in terror. 

Hissing, Queen Chrysalis’ eyes burned with baleful green fire as she stormed out of the room, having established her dominance over the inferiour lifeforms that plagued her. “Never, ever be brave… Moondancer had to learn that lesson!” Satisfied, getting the last word, having the last laugh, she left, pulling the door shut with a soft click. 
	
	
> Chapter 124
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Clutching Sumac’s limp body to her barrel, Olive sat on her haunches and wished that he would wake up. She couldn’t see anything—both of her eyes were so swollen shut that she couldn’t even see any light. Everything hurt; there were parts of her that felt broken, like her ribs, and her jaw didn’t move right, either. She was missing most of her teeth. One ear was little more than shredded tatters at the moment, torn apart by friction. 

But none of this mattered. 

“Why are you so stupid and brave?” Olive’s words were an almost recognisable slur and she was horrified by the sound of her own voice. Woozy with pain, Olive forced herself to remain upright and alert. 

Moondancer still lay sobbing in a heap, and Olive felt both pity and anger. Pity, because Moondancer had no doubt been broken, and angry, because she was an adult and she couldn’t do more to help. At least Strawberry Hearts had calmed down a bit, and the little filly was now stroking Moondancer’s neck, trying to offer comfort. 

Somewhere, beneath the pain, Olive felt an immense feeling of pride. True to her word, she was able to take whatever Queen Chrysalis was able to dish out. Olive coughed a bit, felt blood bubbling in the back of her throat, and then spat out another tooth fragment onto the floor. Her lips were ragged, torn tatters hanging from her muzzle and her nostrils were plugged with blood and snot. Cold air flowed over the exposed nerves in her broken, shattered teeth, and her whole head was swimming with agony. 

How long had it been? Olive didn’t know, it had been a while now. Queen Chrysalis had not returned to the room. In fact, not one changeling had come to check on them, bring them water, food, or anything. Sumac’s limp body was starting to feel a little colder, and Olive didn’t know what was wrong. He hadn’t been beaten quite like she had, but he was a whole lot more fragile than she was. 

Left alone with her thoughts, she thought of Sumac. What a mess. She liked Sumac, she even thought he was kind of cute, and it had been both her master and her counselor that had set her straight—she had responded to her feelings of vulnerability due to her attraction for Sumac with feelings of aggressiveness. 

Now, no doubt, Sumac was probably dying, and she had never once gotten a chance to tell him how she really felt, and just how sorry she was, or that she was just a very confused filly that had trouble making sense of the world. The worst of it was, she was probably dying too. She coughed up more blood, and the inside of her lungs felt soupy. That couldn’t be good. 

No matter what though, she was determined to be the friend that she had failed to be, now more than ever. As long as she was awake, as long as she had strength, she was going to hold Sumac, and if nothing else, at least make his passing more comfortable. She owed him that. 

Tilting her head back, Olive rested it against the wall, and she waited for the end to come. 



 

“I think he’s waking up.” 

The voice was strange, but Sumac was too groggy to do anything about it. His body felt leaden, heavy, and warm. There was a soft tickle against his neck, and he squirmed. The tickle persisted, making him kick his legs. One by one, his legs were grabbed, given a gentle tug, and he felt a warm, pleasant tingle seeping through his body. 

Somepony tickled his frogs, all four of them, and this pulled Sumac from the groggy depths where his consciousness had sank. He tried to open his eyes, but he was having a hard time. Somepony was blowing on his nose, and it was just annoying enough to make him respond. His whole body jerked, and each of his legs kicked from the tickle. 

“The swelling and the pressure on his brain stem is gone, he’s moving again on his own and breathing well.” The strange voice sounded relieved. “Princess Cadance, how are you doing with Olive? Do you need some help?” 

Olive? Sumac sort of remembered that he and Olive were in some trouble. The muscles in his face felt all wrong and nothing wanted to work quite right. With a great deal of effort, he managed to force one eye open, and he saw a rather purple face with ice blue eyes staring down at him. 

“Sumac Apple, can you tell me your name?” the strange mare asked. “My name is Radiant Hope. Can you say something to me?” 

Above the mare was a blue-grey sky that Sumac had trouble seeing. Other faces were around him, and he could hear worried murmurs. He could feel his legs being kneaded, all four of them, and there was a warm, pulsing sensation that throbbed through his neck, radiating from the base of his skull. It felt great. 

“Mama?” Sumac managed to say. 

“She’s right here, Sumac,” Radiant Hope said in a voice as soft and warm as spring. “As soon as I’m confident that you’re okay, she can hold you.” 

Sumac struggled, but he was as weak as a newborn, and nothing worked. He couldn’t even lift his own head. After much concentration, he was able to get his other eye open, and then he sucked in great big lungfuls of air. The world was bright again, but out of focus. 

“I want my mama,” Sumac whined, begging to be held. 

“Miss Lulamoon, I think he’s fine.” 

The words were still being spoken when Sumac felt himself being snatched up. Trixie was careful, and he could feel his neck being cradled. She was shaking, Trixie was, and Sumac’s ears twitched as she let out a shuddering sob of relief. She sat on her haunches, holding him to her, and he just sort of lay there, limp and unable to move. Two legs were wrapped tight around him, and all was right in the world again. 



 

What a difference a pair of glasses made. Blinking, Sumac squinted around, able to see again. He was still too weak to sit up on his own, and Trixie held him, clutching him to her as if he was a newborn. There was a desert all around them, and it looked as though most of the army was here. Guards were everywhere. Makeshift shelters had been set up, and tents were being pitched.

Lemon Hearts was just outside of his field of vision and Sumac couldn’t do much to turn his head at the moment. Twinkleshine was standing guard nearby, her axe hovering in the air above her back. Pegasus ponies filled the skies. 

“What happened?” Sumac asked. 

It took a while before Trixie answered. “Queen Chrysalis contacted Princess Celestia and offered an unconditional surrender. I don’t know why, but she did.” 

As groggy as he was, Sumac suspected that he knew why. He wondered just how much his words had burrowed into Queen Chrysalis’ mind and made her worry. Strong though she might be, terrible as she was, in the end, she was a bug, and cats ate bugs. There were bigger, scarier things in the world than Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings. 

“Is… is he okay?” 

Sumac knew that voice, and the owner of that voice sounded afraid. Discord’s long face appeared in his vision, and Sumac saw something strange in Discord’s eyes, but he could not say what it was. The draconequus was rubbing his paw and his claws together, fretful, and his whole body quivered. 

“She cracked several of his neck vertebrae,” Lemon Hearts said as she placed a hoof on Discord to comfort him. “Radiant Heart said he’ll recover, but it’ll take time.” 

Blinking his eyes, Discord’s nostrils flared outwards several times, and his tail swooshed from side to side. He held out his paw to Trixie, hesitant, and he placed it down upon Trixie’s foreleg, which was wrapped around Sumac’s body, cradling him. 

“M-m-may I?” Discord stammered. 

Squinting up at the tall figure towering over her, Trixie Lulamoon sized up Discord. She knew that Discord was a lot of things. A trickster, a prankster, a creature that struggled with doing good… and he was also Sumac’s friend, in his own messed up way of course. Trixie, who was struggling with maternal feelings, thought about her own long road to redemption. 

“You may,” Trixie replied. 

Sumac felt himself taken into Discord’s paw and claws, and the back of his neck was supported. It took the colt several long seconds of staring into Discord’s face to realise what it was that he was seeing, and it was pain. The draconequus was gentle to the point of absurdity. 

“When I found out that you had been taken, I cried,” Discord admitted in a husky voice. “Fluttershy held me and she stroked my neck. It felt nice. She explained to me what it was that I was feeling. When it occurred to me that I might not get a chance to pester you ever again, it made parts of me hurt… and I didn’t like it. I… I would miss you if you weren’t there… and Fluttershy too.” 

His ear twitching, Discord’s expression changed, becoming manic. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he stared at Sumac. Trembling, Discord passed Sumac back down to Trixie, holding his fragile neck the entire time, only letting go when he was certain that Trixie had Sumac in a secure, safe embrace. 

“Keep this safe,” Discord commanded in a strained voice. “It is very dear to me, and I fear for my sanity should something happen to it. Now, please, excuse me, I have to go and squash a bug.”

“Discord, wait!” Lemon Hearts shouted, but it was too late. Discord was already gone. 



 

The Lord of Chaos moved through the crowd, scowling, and his eyes had a baleful stare. It was time to remind everypony that he was still the Lord of Chaos. In particular, it was time to remind Queen Chrysalis that he was the Lord of Chaos, and the Lord of Chaos was not to be crossed. 

Twilight Sparkle intercepted, because of course she did. She was Twilight Sparkle, and this is what Twilight Sparkles did. Twilight Sparkles had to keep order, and under most circumstances, Discord would be annoyed. But not now. He advanced, too angry to hover, to defy the tug of gravity, and everywhere his feet touched, the sand turned to fine dust and what few plants that could be seen died, withering away. 

“Discord, I don’t know what you are doing, but stop!” Twilight commanded. 

Snapping his fingers, Discord put a very stiff and uncooperative zipper over Twilight’s mouth, and did so without slowing his advance. He ignored Twilight’s angry murmurings, and made a mental promise to apologise later, make a few promises that he would never keep, and maybe get Twilight some chocolates and flowers. It worked for Princess Celestia. 

Princess Celestia was next to try and stop him and Discord found that he really didn’t want to hurt her. He just needed her out of the way. She was in the way, the intended target of his fury was behind her. He made a gesture and shoved her aside. Something yellow flashed in Discord’s vision, and he let out a sigh of exasperation. 

“Discord, please, stop!” Fluttershy begged as Princess Luna attempted to undo Twilight’s zipper. 

Snapping his claws, Discord blinked out of existence and appeared right beside Queen Chrysalis, who looked very, very afraid, and for good reason. Discord’s talons shot out, he grabbed the queen of the changelings by the throat, and he lifted her up off of the ground so that he might look her in the eye. 

“You…” 

“Discord, please, don’t!” Fluttershy cried as she flew closer. 

“YOU!" Discord howled as he redoubled his grip on Queen Chrysalis throat. “You now have the unique distinction of being the only creature that I HATE!” The Lord of Chaos’ whole body trembled as he looked the bug queen in the eye and his words echoed somehow through the desert. “Oh, I used to joke about hating Celestia and Luna, but the truth is, I was too comfortable in my apathy to feel much of anything towards them. I was very, very comfortable in my apathy, and I never felt much of anything at all. I had apathy like a comfortable armchair, and I never had reason to leave it.” 

Hundreds of eyes were now focused on Discord, who had Queen Chrysalis dangling from his claws. 

“I liked my state of existence, I found it rather swell,” Discord continued as he squeezed hard enough to make Chrysalis’ eyes bulge. “But then she came along!” Extending his paw, he pointed at Fluttershy. “This is all her fault, as she taught me how to like her, and I do like her, oh so very much… she is my Dearest Fluttershy. Much to my surprise, I found myself liking other ponies, like Zipper Lips over there, and I really hope she’ll find it in her heart to forgive me.” 

Discord’s voice was a manic, half-crazed whine and it was obvious that he was fighting to keep his self control. “I also found myself liking little Sumac Apple…” Discord’s voice cracked and his head began to bob up and down as he glared daggers into Chrysalis’ eyes. “And then you came along. You hurt him… and by doing so, you hurt me… you hurt me… I feel vulnerable now… me… The Lord of Chaos. I am a God… and I feel vulnerable.” 

With a yank, Discord pulled Queen Chrysalis snoot to snoot with himself. “I hate you.” Sucking in a deep breath, he repeated himself. “I hate you. I hate you more than anything else in existence. You… you… you will go down in infamy as the creature that taught the God of Chaos how to hate… and I will spend the rest of my existence contemplating just how much I hate you. I will spend eons writing entire volumes filled to the brim with how much I hate you, written in flowery, poetic words. Poets and writers will weep at my perfect hatred.” 

Queen Chrysalis squirmed in Discord’s chokehold, but she couldn’t do anything to break free. No one moved, no one did anything to stop Discord, and even with an army surrounding them on all sides, it was quiet enough to hear a feather hit the sand. 

“There are just not enough words for just how much unfathomable hatred I now have in my heart for you,” Discord said, his voice now a crazed, pained whine. “I hate you in equal amounts for how much I adore Fluttershy… she is very special to me… and had you hurt her… why… I might have killed you. Yes… I might’ve killed you.” Discord cackled, a menacing sound, and his eyes burned like seething volcanic calderas. “I might have killed you, raised you from the dead, and then killed you again, etcetera.” 

Looks of absolute horror could be seen in the faces of the ponies gathered around Discord.

“I don’t like killing,” Discord admitted with a sniff. “Once you kill something, it’s over. Playtime is over. You… you… you… you’re not worth playing with. But I’m not going to kill you… no… I’ve decided that I want you to live.” 

There were gasps of relief from all around Discord. 

“You hurt Sumac… he’s little, small, and mostly harmless. He is a creature of chaos, like myself, a creature that defies the natural order and lives in opposition of harmony. That makes him interesting… and because of this, I like him. He’s my friend.” Sniffling, Discord wiped his eyes with his tail and he gave Queen Chrysalis a cruel, violent shake. 

“YOU ALMOST TOOK MY FRIEND!” Discord howled, his whole demeanour changing. “NOW, YOU TOO SHALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LITTLE, SMALL, AND HELPLESS!” 

In the distance, lightning crackled and overhead, the sky darkened. Discord slammed Queen Chrysalis down into the sand, and then moving with supernatural speed, he lept on her. He stabbed his claws into her chest, causing quite a few witnesses of the act to scream, and he yanked out a small chitinous-looking pocket watch. 

The changeling queen lay in the sand, unmoving, her body frozen, her eyes unblinking. She didn’t even breathe. Discord lifted up the pocket watch in with his paw, opened it with his talons, and then began to turn back the hands of time in a rapid manner with one curved claw. Before all those watching, Chrysalis shrank, becoming smaller, smaller, and even smaller, until she became a cocoon. 

But that wasn’t the end of it, no. The cocoon burst open and a writhing, wiggling larvae now lay in the sand. Discord’s manipulation of time did not stop, and he continued to turn back the hands of the pocket watch. He kept going, and going, until… 

A pale green egg lay in the sand. Discord reached down, picked it up, and stuffed the pocket watch inside of it. He held the egg with a gentleness that stood out in a sharp contrast to his previous malice. He contemplated it for a moment, thought about smashing it down onto some nearby rocks, and then looked at Fluttershy. 

“I gotta warn you, this egg is bad news,” Discord said as he tossed the egg in Princess Celestia’s general direction. “Do with it as you will. I am going to go, stand myself in the corner in Fluttershy’s house, and contemplate my misdeeds. Zipper Lips, I owe you an apology.”

As the egg sailed through the air, Discord snapped his claws and vanished. Wide eyed, Princess Celestia caught the egg, doing so with great care. She stood there, almost unmoving in the sand, confused, startled, and holding one of the greatest enemies to her little ponies in her magic. Fluttershy let heave a sigh of relief, and then did so again a second time.

Princess Celestia, now had an expression of intense concern, held the egg up over her head and asked the question that begged to be asked: “Who is going to raise… this?”

No one answered… no one dared.