The Fillyhood of Sprinklejinx

After staying up late last night looking through Cadence's textbook I was a little tired the next day. So i had to rush through my morning activities.

"Sprinkles, your teacher is here." Papa said taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm coming." I said hustling out of the bathroom.

"Are you ready to go?" Princess Cadence asked smiling at me.

"I sure am." I said trying to hide my panting.

"Good. Then let's go." Princess Cadence said teleporting us to the castle.

"I wish I could teleport." I said.

"One day you will, Jinx. So have you been reading your new book?" Princess Cadence asked.

"Uh, yeah." I said nervously. I hoped she wouldn't make me take another test.

"How far have you gotten?" Princess Cadence asked.

"Well... I only read up to chapter four." I said.

"Four chapters? That is a lot of pages for a filly your age to be reading in one day. " Princess Cadence said seeming a bit surprised.

"So what are we going to do today?" I asked anxiously. I wanted to show her everything I've learned.

"How about you show me your breathing techniques." Princess Cadence said. I read in the book that it is easier to use magic when you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. I haven't tried to do it yet.

Princes Cadence levitated a pile of bricks that fell from the roof yesterday. "I can't levitate all that." I said.

"We'll start off with one and then I'll gradually add more. Don't worry. Just do your best." Princess Cadence said. My horn flickered. I took a deep breath through my nostrils. My horn glowed even brighter than before. The brick slowly raised into midair.

"I did it?!" I whispered.

"Sprinklejinx, focus." Princess Cadence whispered.

"Sorry." I said looking back at the brick. She added another one to the pile. The two bricks lowered for a split second and returned to its position. I regained the pattern of the breathing technique. The stress in my head is slightly relieved. She added the third brick. This time I hardly noticed the difference.

"Hmm..." Princes Cadence mumbled to herself. She added another brick to the stack. The weight was finally dragging my magic down a little.

"Stay up. Stay up. Stay up." I whispered closing my eyes tightly.

"In through the nose. Out through the mouth." Princess Cadence said calmly.

"Nice form." Princess Celestia said from behind me. I panicked and all the bricks fall like rain. Princess Celestia levitated them before they hit the marble floor.

"Oops! I'm sorry." I gasped.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to have a little word with Cadence and Luna alone." Princess Celestia said.

"Alright. Maybe Trixie and Sunset Shimmer can give you a couple pointers while your waiting." Princess Cadence said.

"She'll be right back." Princess Celestia said leading Princess Cadence out of the room. Trixie and Sunset Shimmer entered the room.

"You know what's going on, don't you?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The princesses are having a meeting right after the final princess found her student." Sunset Shimmer said trying to give me a hint.

"So what?" I asked.

"So they're probably picking the pony who will be the next princess." Sunset Shimmer said.

"Don't be ridiculous. They're not going to pick the princess now. We're too little to be given that much responsibility." I said.

"If they are choosing one it's obvious that The Great and Powerful Trixie would be the the most qualified." Trixie gloated.

"Of course." I said dryly as I rolled my eyes.

"I have just as much of a chance of being the new princess as you." Sunset Shimmer protested.

"You? Well may I remind you who scored highest on the last test? That's right, The Great and Powerful Trixie." Trixie bragged.

"May I remind you who's teacher got banished to the moon?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"Maybe they'll make all of us princesses." I suggested.

"You? A princess? Look at your cutie mark. Now look at our cutie marks. What do you notice?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"They have similar symbols to Princess Celestia and Luna?" I ask.

"Hmph! I guess you're not as stupid as you look." Trixie said.

"Your cutie mark has nothing to do with being a princess." Sunset Shimmer said.

"Maybe we'll be the next ponies to raise the sun and the moon." Trixie added.

"Well they have to pick one of us sooner or later." Sunset Shimmer said.

"Which is why The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to prove to them that I'm better than the two of you combined." Trixie boasted.

"How are you going to do that?" I asked.

"I'm going to take down an Ursa Major, of course." Trixie said confidently. The worst part about it was that she looked dead serious. I laughed hysterically. "What's so funny, Sprinklejinx?" She asked.

"That thing would eat you in one bite. You wouldn't last ten seconds in that cage." I said.

"You dare to belittle The Great and Powerful Trixie?" Trixie said.

"I'm not belittling any pony. I'm just stating a fact." I said.

"I bet that Ursa Major would kick your sorry flank." Sunset Shimmer said.

"How much do you want to bet?" Trixie said.

"Whoever loses has to do whatever the winner says for a whole week." Sunset Shimmer said spitting on her hoof.

"It's a deal." Trixie said spitting on her hoof and pressing it against Sunset Shimmer's hoof.

"You're all crazy." I said spitting on my hoof and joining in. The three of us went down into the dark dungeon.

"How are we going to get the key?" Sunset Shimmer whispered?

"I don't think this is a good idea." I whispered.

"Relax, The Great and Powerful Trixie has this all under control. I'm going to take that key from the guard who comes in to feed the monsters." Trixie said pointing her hoof at a Pegasus stallion. He scooped up a pile of ground meat and dumped it into one of the cages. Since the Ursa Major is the last cage in the dungeon that means he hasn't eaten since last night. So Trixie was about to go inside a cage with a hungry Ursa Major inside. He had a key hooked onto his belt. Trixie's horn glowed brightly. The guard fell fast asleep on the floor.

"We're going to get in trouble." I whispered.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie never backs away from a challenge." Trixie said.

"This isn't a challenge. It's suicide." I said.

"The Ursa Major is no match for the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria." Trixie said.

"You're not the most powerful unicorn! You're seven years old." I said.

"Don' t you want to see Trixie go head to head with an Ursa Major?" Sunset Shimmer asked. I really wanted to watch all the action happen. It would be really exciting to see Trixie get maimed by and Ursa Major, but this was dangerous.

"Give me the key." Trixie said to Sunset Shimmer.

"Here you go." Sunset Shimmer said levitating the key to Trixie.

"Wait! Stop!" I shouted.

"What now, Jinx?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"If you open the cage the guard can get eaten. He's just laying there like a sitting duck." I said.

"Hurry up and get him out of here." Trixie ordered. I took the shovel out of his snoring mouth and tried to drag him up the stairs. He is nearly twice my size.

"This is taking too long." Sunset Shimmer said. Trixie unlocked the cage and closed herself inside. She put a spell on the ground to make it slippery. The glare of her horn woke up the beast. The Ursa Major roared ferociously. He swatted at her with his giant claws. At the last second Trixie ducked. He knocked her hat right off her head. If she didn't duck her head would have came clean off. The Ursa Major got up on his hind legs and bared his sharp teeth. Trixie shrieked and bolted out of the cage. The Ursa Major slipped on the ground. Sunset Shimmer quickly slams shuts the door behind her.

"That was so close!" Trixie said hyperventilating a little bit. Her eyes were opened up as wide as her eyelids would allow.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I think so." Trixie said.

"Are you crazy! You could have died." I groaned.

"I told you you couldn't do it." Sunset Shimmer said. Trixie ignored her scornful remark. Trixie was trembling like a leaf.

"Now is not the time for that, Shimmer. She almost got eaten alive by and Ursa Major." I scolded. Trixie was cocky and deserved to be proven wrong,but that didn't justify Sunset Shimmer rubbing it in her face. "So what are you going to do about your hat?" I asked looking back at the cage.

"M-my hat?!" Trixie stuttered putting her hooves over her head. "It's gone. What am I going to do?" Trixie said frantically.

"Who cares? Your parents can buy you a new hat." I said. Her parents are high class and have a lot of money.

"That's not the point. If the princesses see the hat they'll know she went in there." Sunset Shimmer worried.

"And if Luna finds out she'll get mad at me." Trixie said.

"She'll get over it. It's not like you did any serious damage." I said.

"Do you know what happens when Luna gets angry?" Sunset Shimmer asked.

"She'll turn into Night Mare Moon and Princess Celestia will have to banish her into the moon for another thousand years!" Trixie said.

"Oh, no! We have to get that hat back." I said. I was overreacting. I didn't know Luna as well as I do now. Luna doesn't just transform into Nightmare Moon for every little thing that goes wrong. At the time I honestly thought that Luna was going to get sent directly to the moon without passing go or using a get out of jail free card.

"There's no way I'm going back in there." Trixie said.

"We have to." Sunset Shimmer said.

"Can't we just put the Ursa Major to sleep, walk in, and take the hat?" I asked.

"He might be too powerful. But I'll give it a shot." Sunset Shimmer replied. The horn flashed. The Ursa Major curled up into a ball and yawned. He closes his drowsy eyes.

"That should do it" Trixie whispered.

"Now all we have to do is levitate the hat." I said.

"The glare from our horns might wake it up." Sunset Shimmer said. I could hardly hear her over the beast's deep snoring. The cell door creaked open. I cringed. The Ursa Major didn't seem to stir. I swallowed a lump in my throat and creeped slowly towards the hat. I held my breath and tried not to make a sound. I snatched the hat with my teeth.

"Got it!" I whispered to the two fillies behind me.

"Shhh!" Trixie said putting a hoof over my mouth. As we crept back out of the cell, Sunset Shimmer's long wavy tail brushed up against the Ursa Major's nose. He sneezed loudly startling the three of us. We all screamed in unison galloping out of the cage. The Ursa Major came barreling after us.

"Hurry!" Sunset Shimmer screamed.

"Help us!" Trixie yelled. She skidded to a halt. "I have an idea." Trixie said. Trixie teleported out of the room. Sunset Shimmer was about to do the same.

"Wait! I can't teleport!" I pleaded. Sunset Shimmer looked back at me for a moment. Her horn lit up and then she disappeared leaving me to die. I try to get out but the door won't open. The Ursa Major stood on its hind legs towering over me. My ears went down. The Ursa Major roared and slammed his paw into me. His claws raked through my skin as I tumbled backward. As I tried to get back up I noticed the feeding shovel from across the room. It was in the mouth of the still sleeping guard. I used my breathing techniques and levitated it into the air. I heard hoof steps coming down the stairs. The Ursa Major opened his jaws widely as he pounced at me. I swung the shovel at his snout. He recoiled for a moment and put his paw over his nose. I struck him again. It just seemed to make him angrier. He picked me up with his slobbery mouth. His breath smelled like fish. I heard some pony coming down the stairs.

"What in Equestria is going on down their?" Princess Cadence asked as she burst through the doors. The Ursa Major whirled around and growled. He was bearing his teeth. Princess Cadence stood still with a dumbfounded expression. The Ursa Major threw me head first against the wall. My vision was blurred for a moment. After a few seconds of disorientation, I saw the Ursa Major lunging at Cadence. She was flying over to me. I staggered out of the pool of my own blood.

"You leave the princess alone!" I shouted whacking The Ursa Major in the face with the shovel again. This time a pointy tooth hit the floor. He licked the bloody gap in his mouth. I keep beating him over the head with the shovel. Beams of magic shoot out of Cadence's horn blinding him temporarily.

"What do we do?" Princess Luna asked.

"Get the Elements! Now!" Celestia commanded. She begins hitting the Ursa Major with sparks of magic as well. It seemed to be helping more than my shovel attacks. Luna quickly got all these magic necklaces and a magic tiara. They all made a rainbow vortex surround The Ursa Major. Princess Cadence lifted me into the air before the Ursa Major fell on me. The three princesses trapped the unconscious monster into his cage.

"We heard screaming and we got here as soon as we could." Princess Celestia said.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked.

"I don't know." I said staring down at my red hoof prints.

"I should have kept a better eye on you. I don't thin I'm ready to have a student yet. I'm sorry, Jinx." Princess Cadence sighed. I struggled back up on my hooves and faked a smile.

"Sunshine... Sunshine... Lady Bugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake?" I said. I wasn't sure if I was doing the dance right or not. I'm sure I looked kind of stupid. But it seemed to make Cadence happy so, whatever.

"You're in no condition to do any shaking." Princess Cadence said.

"I'll put a healing spell on you for now, but we need to take you to a hospital immediately." Celestia said. Her magic made some of the pain go away.