We have to move because my dad has gotten a new job somewhere called Hollow Shades. I can't believe it, I have to leave all my friends behind and everything!
Moving is never easy, well, unless you are my dad. He just tells me one day, "General Sparks the Magnificent," that is totally my name, by the way, "we are moving to Hollow Shades." I had two days to say goodbye to my friends, and pack up my things. Trains also suck, but that is because they don't let me drive them.
"But Daaaaad, why do I have to go?" I frowned up at my dad, ignoring the calm look he returned. This wasn't the time for calm looks, this was war. My dad was being stupid. The job he was getting was stupid. The train we were sitting in was stupid. And now I was stupid for letting him bring me.
The carriage jolted, and a loud, ear-piercing whistle cut through the noise and made talking impossible for nearly four seconds. The huge impact of the train ripping at the carriages threw me into the air, catapulted me around and tossed me like a rag-doll. It definitely wasn't the train pulling away normally, and me just falling off my seat.
Dad looked down at me with a half grin on his face that tore at my pride. "Sparks, you know—"
"Call me by my real name, dad!" I was proud of my real name, it was literally the best thing ever, and since the laws said a foal could choose a new name when they became an adult it also made me a stallion.
"Sparks, you don't get to choose a new name until after you get your cutie mark."
Clearly my dad knew the rules, which was totally unfair. "No," I had a counter, and began deploying it, "it only says I get to choose a new name then, but the other part said a foal can change their name. So, I can change my name however I want!" Climbing to my hooves, I almost bumped my horn on the seat standing up. I tossed my lime green mane to the side so I could deliver the full force of my stare upon him.
"Sparks, I need this job. And with Wind Blossom…" Dad wasn't playing fair. Mom was gone, and just mentioning her name broke any desire I had to use my "real" name. "With her gone, I have to take care of you. So please, just bear with this."
I climbed up on the seat beside my dad, and leaned against his soft, brown side. "I miss Mom." Sober thoughts threatened to drown me, but with Dad's scent strong in my nose I could push them back.
Dad put a foreleg around my shoulders. "I do too, Sparks. I do too."
Waiting a moment, I tilted my head up to look at my dad. His silvery mane was trimmed neatly, as neat as Mom used to keep it for him. Of course he had trimmed it, with his new job starting he wanted to look his best. "But why couldn't you have gotten a job in Canterlot?"
He ruffled my ears, something I usually hated, but Mom used to do it too. "Too many builders here already. There isn't much more mountain to build on, and the bat ponies need—"
"Bat ponies?" My interest focused on the point. I had seen a few of them around Canterlot, mostly near the castle, and always during the evening.
"I told you it was Hollow Shades we are moving to." Dad's chuckle was at my expense, and I knew it. He had said where we were moving, but if I remember rightly I was "holding my breath in protest" at the time.
It was time to cover. "I thought you meant Hollow Shades in… in Manehatten!" It was flawless, perfect.
"There isn't a Hollow Shades in Manehatten." Dad ruffled my ears again, which let me cover my cry of anguish. "Since Princess Luna's return, the bat ponies have been looking to grow, which means more houses, which means more builders."
Even the lure of meeting bat ponies didn't cover one terrible fact. "But all my friends, Dad…"
The afternoon warmth seemed to fade as our train dove into the cover of a forest. Big trees loomed around the train tracks from all sides, and the lanterns in each carriage now showed their purpose.
"Cool!" I watched the huge shapes of the wooden giants fly by, but each one we passed seemed to pass a little slower.
"They are amazing. I have been building houses with Shades' Redwood a lot lately, didn't think I would get the chance to work with it at the source." My dad's words held the same reverence as the single word I had said. "We're almost there, Sparks."
It was pretty cool, and I struggled to not show it even as the train slowed all the way down to a crawl, then a stop. The carriage jerked around us, and I followed Dad to the end of the car. "Where's all our stuff?"
"Don't worry, Sparks, it's in the luggage area. They will unload it for us." I doubted my dad's words, and was eager to ensure all my comics and Power Pony figures were okay, but as we stepped from the train we were pushed into a strange quiet. It wasn't the silence that being truly still and alone would bring. The train was still noisy, as were the ponies tending to it. The town of Hollow Shades that sprawled out before us, however, was quiet. "That's strange…"
Panic rose within me, and I reached for the scariest scenario I could think of. "Princess Luna must have turned back into Nightmare Moon and has taken them all away!"
"EEEE!"
The high-pitched sound startled me out of my panic and into terror. I looked up to where it seemed to come from, only to see a huge creature of the night swooping towards us. "AAHHHHHH!"
"He. Is. So. CUTE!" The monster was upon me with its strange war-cry. Huge leathery wings hooked around me, and the talons on the leading edge of each tore at my fur. I had to run, I had to fight to get free, I had to stop the crazy bat pony from tickling under my chin.
"Sparks is a brave and daring colt." My dad knew what was up, and the moment he informed the monster of my reputation she backed away. "My name's Load Bearing, I don't suppose you could—"
"Load!" The vicious monster spread her wings in excitement and reached up with a hoof to clop my dad's. "I'm Halfa Grape! I hoped it was you. You have to forgive me for being a little mopey, but it is hours early for me."
Dad connected his hoof with hers in a good clop. "That's perfectly fine, Halfa. What time does the town normally… wake up?"
I saw some ponies unloading our stuff, and trotted away to make sure they were doing it right. "Hi!" I fell in beside the stallion unloading my big toy-chest with his magic. "Are you making sure not to tilt it? It looks like it is tilting…"
The big, gruff-looking stallion paused and looked down at me. "This is your stuff?" I nodded sharply up to him. "Don't you worry. I got me a colt all grown up who has things twice as heavy as this. I'll take good care of your toys."
My fears assuaged (I learned that word from my dad, and practiced it until I got it right), I decided it was time to check out the town. Trotting from the train station, I perked a single ear towards my dad. He was still talking with Halfa Grape.
The town itself seemed like the quieter parts of Canterlot, but it was so quiet I could hear myself think. Picking a house at random, I walked up and peeked in the windows. I couldn't see anypony inside, so moved around it. Finally, at one of the side windows, I saw a big bunk bed and two foals asleep on it.
I tapped on the window with a hoof, then a bit louder, but I had to go louder still before one of the ponies inside woke up. "Hey!" I waved a hoof at the pony, and felt excitement build as I saw their wings spread wide in a stretch.
The bat pony foal came to the window and opened it. "What are you doing?"
"Just got here. My dad's moving in. Why is everypony asleep?" In the dim light of the town, I only just realized the foal was a filly.
She rubbed at her eyes with the balled-up knuckles of her wings. "Because it's not sundown yet! Why are you awake for?"
"Uh… because it is day time? Do you sleep all day?" She nodded to my question. "That's really cool. So will I get to stay up all night now, too?"
"Sure, I guess. You are going to be goin' to school, right?" She yawned, and I had a moment of silent awe as I studied her teeth. She noticed my attention and tilted her head a bit to the side. "What're you looking at?"
"Your fangs are awesome!" I started reaching up, grabbing at the window and climbing into the house. "Can I see them closer? You really have fangs!"
More movement on the bed only barely caught my attention, but I was too focused on the filly to look now. "Tuftette? Eeeee… What time is it?" The other pony wobbled and fell from his bed. "Is that a unicorn? Why is there a unicorn in our room?"
"He's cool, he just got here and wanted to see how awesome my fangs are!" Tuftette picked that moment to open her mouth and shove it into my face. "Hree?
My eyes widened, and I managed to jolt my mighty horn to life. Tiny fizzing sparks and fireworks accompanied my light spell, but it was enough to let me see in her mouth. "How sharp are they? Do you eat animals with them? Would I turn into a bat pony if you bit me?"
"Sorry Tuftette, you found a stupid one." The colt walked up to me and poked me with a hoof. "Hey, why are you here?"
"He is cute! And it's none of your business, Mango." Tuftette stuck her tongue out at her brother.
It took me nearly five seconds of the pair arguing before I realized what Tuftette had said. "Wait a second!" I puffed my chest out. "I am not cute! I am a brave unicorn warrior!"
"Brave warrior, huh?" Mango looked at me with disdain. "Okay, let's wing wrestle. If you can't beat me I get to call you a dweeb forever!"
I blinked in confusion before the best idea ever came to mind. "You're on!" Tuftette pulled a low table over, and I sat across it from Mango. "Okay, how does this work?"
"Well," Mango grinned like he had just bitten into chocolate, "you put your right wing out, like this." He demonstrated, and I saw the problem with this game. "And then we push on each other's wings until one of us pushes the other to the table. GO!"
The look on Mango's face, of pure astonishment, as my magic held his wing in place was worth it even if I lost. I started pushing, and he pushed back. "What? You thought I didn't know how to play? Stupid… stupid-face."
"He's going to beat you, Mango!" Tuftette clopped her hooves together in excitement. "Go… uh… unicorn!"
"What's all this noise about?" The door to Tuftette and Mango's bedroom opened, and an adult bat pony leaned in. "Who is this?"
My concentration was broken, and Mango shoved his wing down to the table unopposed. "Noooo!"
"This is Unicorn." Tuftette gestured at me with a wing. "And he totally didn't lose, did he mamma? To win, Mango would need to push Unicorn's wing to the table, but he hasn't got any wings, so he can't lose!"
"Well, you would need to talk to your grand-papa about the rules, but how did your new friend get in?" The big bat pony was focused on me, and mustering all the bravery I could, I managed to not shake like a leaf.
"Please don't bite me and turn me into a bat pony!" My bravery gave out as my mind unrolled the horror ahead. Dad would get bitten too, of course, and we would both lose our magic and be… I yanked on the reins internally. I was cowering on the floor before the fearsome mare.
She leaned down over me, and before I knew it one dread-wing reached out to tilt my chin up. I knew the move, she was going for my throat. I stiffened up and started to shake. "Hey, I don't bite good foals. Are you a good foal?" I tried to nod, and even say something, but all that came out was a whimper. "You haven't… what would a bad foal do?" I was confused now, she seemed like a scatter-brained monster. "Oh yes, they would steal the moon. You didn't do that?"
"N-No…" I tried to look for an out, a way to escape the house of monsters. A familiar face was at the window. "Dad! Help!"
"Tapped on the window until somepony let him in, then made enough of a ruckus to wake everypony up… am I missing anything?" Dad was entirely too clever for his own good sometimes. He didn't know about the wing-wrestling, though.
"He was wing-wrestling with Mango here." Tuftette and Mango's mom was giving away all my secrets now. If two parents started sharing too much information, then foals everywhere would be undone. Nopony would be safe! "Why don't you come around the front, I will get you some juice."
"Your dad is totally cool, No-wings." Mango's voice was both annoying and stupid, his nickname for me was as stupid as it was obvious, and he totally didn't beat me at wing wrestling (Tuftette was right).
"Now-now, Mango, Sparks might not have wings, but he has magic. Everypony is special in their own way." Mrs. von Screech was pretty awesome. She had the coolest fangs I had seen so far, and amazing wings. If she didn't have Mango, she would have been perfect.
Puffing my chest out, I bit into the banana that formed my "breakfast." I was still trying to work out the whole awake-at-night thing, but Dad had assured me that it would only take a few days to get used to. He and Mrs. von Screech had talked for a long time, and when Tuftette and I checked in on them they were laughing together. At last, Mrs. von Screech had told Dad that she would take care of getting me to school today. "Thank you for dinner… breakfast!"
"At least Sparks has manners!" Tuftette was attacking her banana with enthusiasm. I had a moment of surprise when she picked it up with her wing-claws-of-doom (what I like to call them), she seemed almost as good with them as I was with magic.
"Mom always said, 'Proper manners make the pony.' " I made sure to stick my tongue out at Mango, if only to achieve the maximum "I am better than you" status. "So," I turned to look at Tuftette, "do you know what is happening at school today?"
Mango tried to cut in, but Tuftette beat him to it. "Tonight, you mean." She grinned at me, flashing her fangs. "Well, it's Tuesnight, so we will be doing flying practice later…" My scowl must have been too much. "But we will be doing geography first, and maths!"
Skipping over the flying practice, which would be awesome if they gave me wings for it, I latched onto something she had said. "Wait, 'Tuesnight'? Don't you mean Tuesday?"
Mrs. von Screech lifted one of her wings and pointed at the window. Outside, of course, it was pitch black. "Oh… right…" I finished my banana and carefully folded the skin up. "So when does school start?"
The answer turned out to be "very soon" and led to things like "rushing to get ready" and "get our plots out the door," or so Mrs. von Screech claimed.
"… welcome Sparkle, a new student from Canterlot." Miss Kee beamed at her class as if she hadn't totally messed up my name.
"Sparks." My correction at least had her blush.
Miss Kee flashed her fangs with a smile. "Sorry, Sparks. Now, could everypony please take out your books and turn to page twenty-five?" She passed a book to me, a loaner I guessed, and pointed to an empty chair.
The class was mathematics. I was so good at it I could afford to sleep. So I did.
I woke to a wing poking me. "Sparks." Tuftette's voice was like a rusty nail on a chalkboard. "Sparks, wake up. Class is over."
I jerked my head up and looked around. Miss Kee was sitting at the end of the room with a knowing smile on her face. I was caught, but she didn't seem angry about it. "I wasn't sleep. My eyes just needed a rest."
"Pfft." Tuftette bumped me with her wing. "You were totally sleepin'. Miss Kee caught you and everythin'."
"I did, Sparks. But it is understandable. I saw what you had written, and you seem a little ahead of this class. Consider maths to be your catch up for sleep, until we reach algebra." Miss Kee's voice held a slight giggle to it, but I had heard everything I needed to.
"So what now?" I looked at Tuftette for help, she had apparently appointed herself as the pony who would show me around. Struggling against lethargy, I couldn't keep a yawn back.
Tuftette slung a wing around my back and started urging me forward. I was shocked at first, mostly by how soft her wing felt, but more that the huge talon didn't slice me in two. Walking along beside her, she was chattering away at me, but I could barely focus. I was initially worried about cooties, but Tuftette seemed too cool for them. I nodded from time to time, but barely noticed when we were sitting outside together, eating our lunches.
"Here he is!" A scratchy voice tore my attention away from my daisy sandwich. "He is soooo smart Miss Kee didn't even bother him while he slept in her class!"
"Must be such a brainiac!" Another bat, apparently the crony of the first, seemed intent to reassure them that everything was true. That it was actually true sucked, but that never stopped me from a fair fight.
"So, you can fly! What if Sparks is a bit ahead. We are going to catch up eventually anyway." I had to close my mouth. They weren't my words; they belonged to Tuftette.
It seemed to egg the colts on, however. "Hah! He needs a filly to stand up for him!"
Ears twitched around on the group of colts, and not a few of them actually looked around for a teacher. I knew what was coming. Standing up, I stepped away from Tuftette and glared at the three colts. Each one was bigger than me, and I could see them flexing their wings.
"So what if a filly stands up for him!" I almost recoiled from the excited anger in Tuftette's voice. She stood up beside me and loosed her wings at her side. "He is a nice pony!"
I finally decide I was done with letting Tuftette stand up for me. "Why don't you just flap off." My words—as I figured—didn't phase them.
"Hey Screech, you going to trounce this newbie?" I turned my ears first, then my head; Mango was walking over to us. "You better watch out for him. His magic nearly busted my wing when I tried to wrestle him."
I stared at Mango in surprise, and almost jumped when I saw his eye that the bullies couldn't see wink. Catching on to the ruse, I energized my horn. Focus, emotions, and hope all combined to keep the fizzling down so that a strong azure glow splashed down into my eyes. "I was working on that spell last night. I think I should be able to nearly break your wing in half now."
A cracking sound drew all eyes to Tuftette, who had just broken a small branch with her wing claws. Three bullies all gulped at once. "Don't look now, but I think the teacher is coming." Tuftette's words caused the bullies to spin around and scan for a teacher that wasn't there.
Picking up another stick with my magic, I levitated it up just behind the three, and broke it.
"Look at them run!" Mango actually fell over, he was laughing so hard. "Oh Luna, I thought I was pulling your plot out of a fire, but this! This was worth it!"
Mango's change of allegiance surprised me, but I wasn't going to look a gift-bat in the snout. "That was pretty awesome. But I didn't beat you at—" I froze as Mango looked up. "What?"
"You can be a bit of a dweeb, but I will make you wrestle me again, No-wings." Mango rolled to his hooves and stood up. The three of us walked back to where Tuftette and I were eating our lunch, and sat down together.
"Okay, Hornless." I twitched my lips into a grin. "You're on!" A nearby table became our target, and though it was late at night, I was buzzing with excitement. Sitting down at the table, I mentally prepared myself. "So, no teachers. No parents. No interruptions."
"Nope. We find out which is more mighty." Mango took the seat opposite and braced himself. A wing reached up and settled on the table between us.
Tentatively, I reached up with my magic. "So, on the count of three?" He nodded to my suggestion. Looking up at Tuftette—who was watching avidly—I nodded again.
"One." Tuftette looked to me first. "Two." She turned and looked to her brother. The world faded, and it was just the three of us. I stared at Mango, and he stared back. Like cowponies in the old west, we were about to do battle. "Thr—"
The school bell rang, and with all the competitive nature burned out by tension, Mango and I broke into laughter together.
"Three! I said, "Three"!" Tuftette slumped. "You colts are so silly! You spent all your time posturing to those bullies!" A strong wing pulled across my withers and yanked me away from the table. Eeping in surprise, I realized Tuftette was pulling me along towards the school building again.
Geography was way different to what I had studied in Canterlot. Bat ponies traveled at night, and with their wings. Every part of Equestria could be mapped by the smells it gave, the lights it put off, and by the stars above. Mr. Flappies was really interested in what I would say.
By the time sports rolled around, I was yawning more than talking. Miss Kee had us for that, and she gave me permission to find a tree to sleep near. It was gloriously dark, and just as I was about to pass out I had a thought: if I went to sleep now, it would be harder for me to sleep through the next day.
Finding a comfortable spot, I squinted my eyes at the dim light of Luna's moon, and watched my classmates flying. So fixated was I, that I didn't even notice my Dad was sitting beside me until he spoke. "Watching somepony in particular?"
I hadn't realized I was, but when he drew my attention to it I blushed. "No. Just wondering what it would be like with wings."
"Liar." Dad was too dratted clever by half. "I was talking to Banana… Mrs. von Screech… some more. She has a spare room." He angled his foreleg around my shoulders. "Would that be okay with you, Sparks?"
I looked up at my dad in surprise. After him dragging me here without asking, now he was giving me a choice? My eyes drifted back to the bat ponies doing their exercises, and I saw Tuftette watching me back now, a curious look on her face. So distracted was she, that she flew right into the teacher.
"I don't know." I smiled, watching Tuftette screech loudly and try to untangle her wings. "Dad?"
"What's up, Sparks?"
"Why are fillies so… I used to think they were stupid, but then…" Nothing seemed right. I got halfway through one sentence and my brain just lost track of things. I kept watching Tuftette. "Why are fillies cute?"
"All fillies?" Dad's tone brooked no interruption, something else was coming. "Or just Tuftette?" That he knew her name stung. That the question made me think harder about her was nice. I was confused and annoyed.
"Both." I watched as she regained her poise and start flying again. "I thought fillies were horrible. I heard one colt actually died of cooties!" My dad's shocked gasp was so obviously a joke at my expense that I wanted to poke him with my horn. "Dad!"
He actually laughed. "Sorry. Go on."
"She stood up for me today. Mango did too, so I guess he is pretty cool as well, but Tuftette was ready to get in a fight with some bullies for me." That was just as confusing as finding myself liking a filly.
"Sounds like a brave filly." I noticed something about Dad's tone, and particularly in the way he was looking across the field and not up at the foals zooming around. Tracing his line of sight, I spotted Mrs. von Screech. Cogs connected and transferred thoughts in my head. I put two and two together and got just short of eleven and a half.
"Dad?"
It was Dad's turn to be distracted. "Yeah, Sparks?"
"I think it will be okay if we move in with Mrs. von Screech." I looked upwards again, and watched the cutest pony I had ever seen fly around the sky.
