How long had Buck been sitting on Adagio’s couch, trying to make something happen? He didn’t know, and he was certain that Adagio didn’t care.

Buck knew what Adagio was doing.

She was pushing a paradigm that he wasn’t ready to confront.

He had to summon “passion” and give it to her. In his head, that meant a hundred thoughts and one action that he would prefer to ignore.

At the same time, there was too much at stake to just bury his head in the sand, and so he tried to send his energy through his arm and up Adagio's to no avail.

Adagio saw an odd pink fuzz dancing above Buck’s head. His eyes were closed in concentration, but inside the little chaotic image, Adagio saw blinks of her own eyes and smile, tentacles flailing, a dragon roaring, and for just a second, Ditzy Doo’s concerned expression.

After a few moments of watching him strain, Adagio let go of Buck’s hand.

“Enough. You need rest. Why don’t you go run yourself a bath?”

“Come on, 'dagio, this's important! What if that poor girl gets attacked tomorrow or tonight? I’d rather you have enough energy to make a difference.”

“You don’t need to use mana transference for that. I can easily drink you, instead.”

“Sure, but that ain’t the case for everybody. What if Starlight gets in trouble, or Scoots?”

“Since when did you care? I thought you were firm in the stance that you wouldn’t get tangled up in the Pillar’s escapades?”

“Well yeah, but it’s better safe than sorry, right? I'm not lookin' for trouble, but if trouble finds me and one of you is around, isn't it better if I'm prepared? I mean, I guess the best case scenario is just staying away, but you never know when-”

“Buck, stop. You’re winding yourself in knots. Decide if you’re in or out, and commit to it. This wishy-washy behavior doesn’t suit you.”

“‘Scuse me?”

“The Buck I recall from game night and the boardwalk was direct and decisive. What happened to him?”

“That Buck is really damn tired.”

“I don’t buy that. You’re much more than tired, Buck. You’re deprived.”

“Enough, already! I don’t wanna debate with you.”

“Pity, that. I do so enjoy our little talks.” Adagio smiled, and Buck was frustrated to find that he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Let me try again.”

“Your aura is starting to taste wrong. The flavor is heavily diluted; like watered-down wine. Vile. You need to rest yourself and emotionally recharge.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What did I say about groveling?”

“Just let me try a little longer!”

“Why are you suddenly so determined?”

“I’m just tryin’ to make sure no one gets hurt because of me! And hey, if I can stop people from getting hurt in general, that’s pretty good, too.”

“Oh, how dreadfully heroic. At the very least, that altruistic streak of yours will help you with mana transference. As I’ve explained, you just have to put an earnest wish behind your mana.”

“But what the fuck do you mean I just have to wish?”

“Exactly that, Buck. Remember that spellcasting is shaped by intention. You’re sending power into someone or something else. It’s a bit of an arcane investment.”

“So, like the spirit bomb?”

“The what?”

“Nevermind. What quadrant is it?”

“Order/Ethereal. You are directing the flow of mana. Despite its placement, however, this spell is often used by conjurers in the Chaos/Tellurgic camp, with great difficulty. Transferring mana to conjurations on the fly is the most common application. It’s not altogether different from casting fancies, but instead of images, you are…summoning a desired outcome by granting a stipend of mana.”

“How do you know how much the person needs?”

“You don’t. You have to estimate it yourself. Or guess, if you’re feeling flippant.”

“Right, uh, so it’s like givin’ your boy a ten spot so he can get something to eat. A donation.”

“Yes, but instead of passing him a bill, you simply make it appear in his wallet.”

“What?”

“Like, oh, what is it you humans call it…crowdfunding? Patronage?”

“Okay, I think I get it. But how do you do it, though? I know you’ve explained it, but I’m sorry-”

“Don’t apologize. This is tricky. Doing it on command can be difficult if you aren’t practiced. Most magic that is projected outward is of the harmful variety, and yours is a bit volatile.”

“A bit?”

“This once again comes down to fine control.”

“You mean the thing I’m worst at?”

“Nonsense. You’ve been getting much better at controlling your aura, it’s just the large amounts that you have trouble with.”

“I’m not looking to blow someone up, ‘dagio. Especially not someone I care about! So I've got to get this down as quick as possible.”

“Then if you’re so determined to run yourself ragged, we’ll focus on small amounts,” Adagio sighed. “I haven’t drained any of your mana today, Buck. I’m thirsty, but you are going to give me the mana instead of me simply taking it.”

“But no pressure.”

“None at all. If you can’t do it today, I’ll simply drink you normally. Are you ready?”

Buck spent the next two hours trying to send his magic into Adagio, but he just couldn’t seem to focus on it. He kept thinking about her head exploding like an over-inflated balloon or her catching flame because he ‘felt’ at her too hard.
That, and he didn’t really get if he was supposed to visualize something. Once or twice, he managed to get a spark of power coursing between them, but it was like a jolt of static electricity that caused Adagio to jump.

Adagio watched as Buck struggled, offering gentle tips as he went along. She watched fancies float around his head, thoughts swimming, separating and expanding. It was almost like looking into a kaleidoscope. Eventually, the abstract shapes became an exclamation point and then a small angry face that matched Buck’s expression.

“Take a break, Buck. Stand up and stretch.” Adagio said, rising from her seat. Buck followed suit, but he was nowhere near as relaxed as she was.

“Damn it! What am I doing wrong? Do I need to cram more theory, or what?”

"Hm. How did you learn to sing, Buck?" Adagio said. She poured herself a glass of white wine.

"Everybody in New Horseleans sings. It's just the culture."

"But you possess technical skill. Where did that come from?"

"Well, I was in the Ponytones back in high school. I uh, I was pretty motivated to get better, back then. It was just about the only thing I was sorta decent at. I also did street performance for a while."

"And in all that time, did you need to read sheet music to perform?"

"No."

"Did you ever stumble over your words, or forget the lyrics?"

"Well, yeah."

"And did you ever get frustrated about that?"

"Sure, but it was never a huge deal."

"So why do you get so upset when your magic misfires?"

"Because it's life and death. If I can't get a leash on this thing, everyone's in danger!"

"You're afraid of your own potential."

"I'm afraid of lighting people on fire with my mind, yeah."

"No, you aren't. You're afraid of what you might become if your powers are let loose."

"What's the difference? I'm a danger either way."

"Lighting people on fire is a choice. As for whatever it is that's sleeping inside you, that's simply part of who you are. Nothing more, nothing less. That's the difference." Adagio smiled at Buck, who looked in no way comforted.

"But there's a monster in me! If I don't keep a lid on this, I'm gonna turn into somethin!"

"Oh, dear. So many men in this world are taught to think that. It's an excellent excuse for their actions. 'Oh, woe is me, I have a penis, and that means I have to act like a narcissistic rapist!" Adagio mocked.

"That's not funny, Adagio."

"Yes, because it's not a joke. I can't describe to you how exhausting it is to find men like that in so many positions of power. No one and nothing forces them to act abominably. There isn't a nine-tailed fox in your stomach making you do things, Buck.”

“...”

“What? Am I only allowed to watch anime when you’re around?”

“No, go on.”

“The point is, what you do with your magic is your choice. If you don't want to light people on fire, that's a choice that you've made. Now that you've decided, it won't happen. There. Problem solved."

"And if it happens accidentally?"

"If someone lights someone else on fire accidentally, my first thought is that they shouldn't be allowed to keep a lighter. Not taking proper precautions is also a choice, Buck.”

“I guess…if someone shoots themself in the foot, they shouldnt’ve had their finger on the trigger.”

“Exactly! Coincidentally, I'm of the opinion that any man that harasses me on the street shouldn't be allowed to keep his penis. Removing it would be the responsible thing to do."

"Hah, well, I can't argue with that."

"Oh, I'm sure you can. You just choose not to. It's almost like you have agency! Imagine that. Besides, you also have that ghastly necklace to act as a safety. Your powers are yours."

"So you're saying that I need to own my powers to control them?"

"I'm saying that you need to be decisive in the use of your magic. Embrace your emotions, decide on a course of action and commit to it. That's all magic really is."

"So how do you do it, then? How do you embrace your emotions, 'dagio? 'cause as far as I've seen, you're not that good with 'em."

"Oh?"

"Whenever I bring up your feelings, you swerve away from the subject like an old lady that saw me walkin' down the sidewalk."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Buck." Adagio huffed.

"Like that. Exactly like that!"

"Hmph. If you must know, the emotion I tap for my spells is ambition. The secure knowledge that what I am doing is for a cause greater than any other; my own. It means that every spell I cast exists to push my own agenda forward. I don't make excuses. I own the choices I make. Your problem is that you've spent a long time without being able to make any meaningful choices of your own. You go to work, you go home, you barely sleep, you repeat. Now you find yourself with infinite potential at your fingertips, and it frightens you." Adagio crossed her arms as she talked, watching Buck shrink away gradually.

"And if I screw it up?"

"Well, the good news is that I've already been lit on fire for your sake, so it's nothing new." Adagio smirked.

"That don't sound like good news."

"What I mean to say is you can do as you please. Your magic is an extension of your soul. It's part of you, so treating it like something to be sealed away isn't going to help. It's a tool, and it's neither good nor bad." Adagio said.

Buck went to her fridge and poured himself a glass of juice without thinking twice about it. It brought a smile to Adagio’s face.

"Like a penis?" Buck said.

"Like a penis; exactly. Your magic is like your penis. I've already seen it, and I'm not afraid of it, so why bother hiding it?" Adagio chuckled.

"Are you coming on to me?"

"No, Buck,” Adagio rolled her eyes. “Listen to what I'm saying. Your magic is just you without the filters. If there is a monster deep inside, that monster is you. You have impulses, wants and needs and pretending that you can ignore them and still manage to be yourself will only cause you harm."

“Are you teachin' me this for my own good, or to make a point about my personality?”

“Why can’t it be both, Buck? All I'm trying to communicate is that if you bury your feelings away, your magic won't work. You can't wait for someone's permission to be yourself.”

In the silence that followed, Buck set his drink down and stared at his changeling stone necklace on the coffee table. Fancies boiled up from his head, but he didn’t seem to notice. They were little motes of pink flame, popping like soda bubbles before they could become hearts.

Adagio tasted Buck tensing up. When he looked at her again, his eyes shined with wetness.

"Can I have your permission?"

"You don't need it."

"I want it."

Adagio dared to take a step forward.

"I demand that you be yourself in my presence. I won't settle for anything less." It was haughty and sweet, and it drew a fleeting smile from Buck.

"Even if I make you uncomfortable?"

"If you make me uncomfortable, I'll tell you, without hesitation. I'm not an infant who cries to communicate. Loathe as I am to admit it, I like that you make me uncomfortable."

'Even if I challenge you?" Buck took a step forward. A small one.

"You’ve been challenging me since the moment we met, Buck."

"Even if-"

"Stop it.” Adagio placed her hands on Buck’s cheeks. “Human lives are cheap and incredibly short. I am too old and too impatient to watch you waste yours trying to fit into a tiny box in someone elses' head. I get tired just sitting across from you, knowing that you're going to go home and put a mask on. You’re here to do magic, and magic requires honesty."

"So I can be honest with you?"

"Always."

Buck lunged, and Adagio felt her heart leap in her chest.

She could taste his aching need crashing into the reality in his mind, like waves against a rocky shore. He hugged her tightly and tenderly.

"You're using me."

"For your magic, yes."

“But you’re also helping me.”

“Absolutely.”

"And you won’t lie to me?"

"I never lied to you."

"I missed you. That's the truth. Despite everything, I missed you so damn much, Adagio."

"I know. You're a sentimental fool, Buck…" Adagio said, but her arms came up to embrace him.

"And you like that."

"...Yes."

"Because it makes you uncomfortable."

"Yes."

"You know how I feel right now?"

"Of course I do."

Buck finally pulled away and looked into Adagio's eyes. His stare was intensely vulnerable, and to Adagio’s shock, she could see a similar expression reflected in them. They had found each other again.

"If I asked you to kiss me, would you do it?"

"I don't want you to ask, Buck.” Adagio whispered. “I never want you to ask."

“You want me to be honest.”

Adagio trembled as Buck drew closer.

“Do you want me, Buck?” Adagio said.

She could feel his heart beating. She could taste his desperate longing, but she needed to hear him say it.

“Yeah, Adagio. I want you.” Buck took Adagio by the chin and tilted her face up.

“Then you shall have me, Buck.” Adagio sighed.

She closed her eyes and let him have his way.

Finally.

She waited, but he didn’t come.

Instead, Adagio looked up to see Buck paused, his eyes looking a little ways past this moment. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he inhaled sharply as he backed away.

"Buck?" Adagio reached out to touch his cheek, but he cringed back.

"This is wrong. I need to leave."

"Buck, you don't have to-"

"I'm sorry. Thank you. Really, thank you for this. But this is wrong, and I need to leave."

Without another word or even a look back, Buck collected his things and left.

What Buck didn’t see was what happened next. He walked even faster than his usual march, to the elevator, to the bus stop, to his bedroom.

He didn’t see how Adagio stood, staring at the door, expecting him to come back.

Other men would have realized their mistake and returned on their knees, begging for her to forgive them.

Other men would have seen Adagio for the oasis she was and luxuriated in her attention, spellbound.

Other men would have been happy to throw themselves at Adagio, for to deny her this triumph would be foolish.

Buck decided instead that he needed to go home.

Home.

Instead of laying in Adagio’s bed, where he belonged, Buck decided that his home was that horrible little hole in the wall on the east side.

With her.

As Adagio slowly approached her bedroom, her hands came up and clutched at her shoulders. Without his touch, she was freezing.

Home. Her Home opened its arms to her. She needed to run a cold bath. She needed to be numb, dark, and safe.

Adagio crossed the threshold on shaking feet, but she didn't make it to the bathroom. She fell onto her bed and clutched the pillow that smelled of him and she wailed until her throat was too sore to make a sound.

When she eventually found sleep, her face was red, and her sheets were wet.

Home would not take her. She couldn't bear to be cold anymore.

It was Wednesday, and the air was stuffy and still at CCU. Wind Sprint had just finished lacing up her running shoes, gym bag at her side. There was a single thought rattling around in her head.

She just had to impress Scootaloo today.

“Hey, I heard you smoked Scootaloo on the track! That’s pretty hot, new kid. What’s your name, anyway?”

He had light blue skin and a slender build. His dark blue hair was coifed into a douchey cowlick with yellow frosted tips. At the moment, he was following Wind Sprint as she walked out of the locker room beside the athletic field.

“I’m trying to get to the track right now, actually, so-”

“Oh yeah? That’s where I’m headed, too. The names’ Gallus. I’m kind of a big deal around here. You see that junior long jump trophy from last year? All me.” He continued.
Despite Wind Sprint picking up her stroll into a slight trot, the young man kept up, unabated.

“That’s nice and all, but I’m kind of busy.” Wind Sprint adjusted the strap on her gym bag and tried to politely shake Gallus, to no avail.

“Right, right, you’re trying to go for regionals. You’re fast, but I’ve seen your warm-ups, and they could be a lot better. Might be holding you back, you know?”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey, no sweat! I can teach you some better ones, no need to thank me, come on.” Gallus said, grabbing Wind Sprint’s wrist.

“What? Let go of me!”

“Trust me, you wanna hang with me. I’m about the nicest guy on the track, and if I’m not there, the other guys’re gonna come at you. Just stick with me. It’ll be cool.”

“I said, let go!” Wind Sprint yanked her arm free and squared her stance.

“Look, I’m trying to be nice. You need someone to look out for you, when you’re wearing shorts like that.” Gallus smirked. Wind Sprint took a step back, but Gallus stayed in her direct orbit. “I mean, you’re asking for trouble with those legs. But it’s cool. You can hang with me.”

“I don’t want your help. Leave me alone.” Wind Sprint started to walk past him, but Gallus grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey, I said I’m being nice. Don’t be a bitch.”His expression soured into a scowl. His grip was stronger this time.

Wind Sprint felt terror shudder down her spine.

“She said she doesn’t want to play with you, Gallus. Get lost.”

Wind Sprint was expecting a teacher or a counselor. Instead, she saw Scootaloo, arms crossed, looking exactly like the kind of person that would stab a man for touching her. Fear unfolded into hope.

“This is none of your business, Scootaloo.”

“Yeah, no, it is now. How many times do you have to hang around the girl’s locker room before you take the hint? Leave her alone.”

“Or what?”

“You know what. If you don’t let her go, I’m going to get nasty, and I am totally willing to go to jail if it means kicking your ass.”

“So?”

“So, if you don’t drop this, I’m going to take that picture you sent to me last semester and send it around as a group text. To the faculty.”

“Alright, alright, you fucking psycho!” Gallus dropped his hand from Wind Sprint and stomped away like an angry toddler. Scootaloo let out a breath and noticed Wind Sprint shaking. She also happened to notice that her bag was slightly unzipped.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Just…what the hell is that guy’s problem?”

“He’s just your average ‘nice guy’. Really likes to pat himself on the back, but he’s just another jerk. I should’ve warned you about the guys around here. You’ve got to watch your back.”

“Yeah…it’s been sort of like this all morning, people have been talking to me because of, well, you know. It’s like everybody wants something from me.”

“Hey, yeah. Look, I was really surprised then, but I wanted to say that was great, and I’m sorry if I was kinda, I dunno, kinda distant?”

“That’s okay. I was being annoying.” Wind Sprint said, quickly.

“How did you do that? Did you learn some sort of new technique?” Scootaloo put on the best smile she could manage, and Wind Sprint managed to match it in spite of the circumstances.

“I don’t know? I just sort of…went for it, and I got ahead! Do you think you can show me some pointers on how to stay that fast?”

“Well, I mean, sure. You looked like you were really going hard, which will get you ahead for the 60 and 100, but if you go for anything longer, you’ll probably burn yourself out. There’re ways you can maintain a speed like that and not get out of breath. It’s about the form.” Scootaloo rattled off, and she could swear she was talking in Dash’s voice, not her own.

“Okay, cool! Can you show it to me?”

“Sure. Only for a little while, though, if that’s okay. It’s really hot out here, and I don’t want to go too hard when preliminaries are on saturday.”

“That’s right! I forgot about that!”

“Are you going to run?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going for regionals?”

“I mean, I thought about it, but I thought…like, who cares, right? My Mom doesn’t like that I sprint, so even if I told her, she probably wouldn’t show up. Too busy hanging out with her crappy boyfriend. It’s not like anyone would care if I ran.” Wind Sprint rambled.

“If you wanna compete, I say go for it! I think you deffo got a shot at making it to regionals! And even if you don’t make it, if you’re serious about sprinting, it’ll be a good challenge for you.”

“You think so?”

“Well, yeah! We’d be competing, but I’d super cheer you on!”

“Thank you!” Wind Sprint squealed and threw her arms around Scootaloo. “You have no idea how cool it is to find someone that actually wants to see me run!”

“Uh…” Scootaloo managed a half-hearted pat on Wind Sprint’s back with one hand, while the other took the opportunity to exploit the opening in her gym bag.

“Sorry! Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry! That was super weird, wasn’t it?” Wind Sprint scrambled backward, blushing.

“Hey, that’s alright! No worries! Uh, well…I’m gonna go ahead and run, now. If you want, I can give you pointers after my set, okay?”

“No, no, no, I think I’m gonna go take a shower and maybe, like, die a little? From embarrassment?” Wind Sprint said, before abruptly turning on her heels and heading straight back to the lockers.

“...huh. So that’s what that’s like.”

It was still Wednesday, and Ditzy was taking refuge from the heat on a small couch in a cozy little office.

Cozy was clearly an aesthetic that Silver Spoon had clearly spent some time developing.

There was a bookshelf against one light blue wall, filled with topics of interest and little hobby manuals. Ditzy saw something for origami and knitting and painting and all sorts of other things that tickled her curiosity. There were plants hanging in the window; leafy green filters that the harsh summer sun had to pass through on the way into the room.

So far, therapy had been both tense and relaxing, like growing a garden for the first time. Ditzy Doo had been planting seeds with her bare hands, and Silver Spoon was helping her find the tools that would make it easier.

“I’d like to ask you an important question, Ditzy Doo. You’re not obligated to answer, I just think it will help me to contextualize things.” Silver Spoon said, tapping at a discreet tablet.

“Okay…what is it?”

“You went to Canterlot High, so you’ve seen what magic can do, for good or bad. What is it exactly about magic that bothers you so much?”

“Magic caused the bad stuff that I talked about before.”

“I understand. That must have been very painful for you. Did magic have an effect on your situation directly, or did it affect the people in your life at the time?”

“Both. It would have been bad even if it was, uh…normal, but magic allowed it to happen, and magic made it worse.”

“Do you want to talk about that time? I don’t exactly have any details besides the specific type of trauma.”

“I don’t. Not today, please.”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

“But, I guess to answer your question, I don’t think magic is, like, evil? I think it does bad stuff to people, and it lets people do bad stuff to other people, and I don’t want to have to deal with it. It makes everything more complicated.”

“I understand. How are you feeling this week, Ditzy?”

“Stressed. Money is funny, as usual, but we’re getting by. Work has been hell, and then there’s the whole Buck situation.”

“He’s a situation, now?”

“He always is.” Ditzy smiled, looking out the window.

“Aren’t we all? Do you want to tell me about the Buck situation? Has he been a handful, lately?”

“He tells me he loves me every day. I mean, every single day, even when he's super tired. Sometimes he forgets to, and he apologizes and says it to me then. He does all these little things I notice…like he knocks on the counter before he steps into the kitchen because he doesn’t want to sneak up, and he offers his hand to me so I can place it in a comfy spot when we sit together; like on my thigh or around my shoulder, and he always, always asks if he can kiss me. And it’s funny; Buck will forget to feed himself or brush his hair, or what day of the week it is, but he never forgets to ask me how I’m doing. You know; ‘how’s Dinky?’ ‘That’s a cute skirt, did you make it?’ ’How was work for you?’ He notices everything and he wants to make me feel seen, doesn’t he? So why doesn’t he notice that he’s running himself ragged?”

“So you’re worried that he’s neglecting himself in favor of caring for you?”

“Yes! He paid for these sessions with money he got in a…in a not so good way; not illegal or anything!”

“But not good.”

“Yeah. He just gave it to me! Didn’t even have to think about it!“

“So you have a problem with him being generous?”

“Maybe a little…but also, I don’t know if I really…trust him?”

“Well, that’s completely understandable, considering your background. Trust is hard to repair once it’s been broken.”

“But he never betrayed me, or anything! It’s not his fault!”

“It’s not about him. Trauma can change the way you view relationships, and it makes sense that you would have trust issues.”

“Okay, but, maybe it is him, a little bit.”

“Oh?”

“I know you sort of know him, maybe?”

“We’re loosely acquainted.”

“Don’t tell him I said this, okay?”

“Everything that’s said in this room is confidential.”

“I don’t know if I trust him, because…well, I mean, he’s done some—some work that he’s not proud of. And it’s like, I have no idea what kind of other stuff he did before he met me and if he’s still doing it! I mean, how would I know? And it’s not just that, he acts different with other people. He’s more honest and open with Sunburst, he and Scootaloo are always laughing out loud around each other, and when he was with Adagio he was…like…”

“Yes? What was he like?”

“Horny. And, bold and aggressive…and I dunno, like, sharp. Manly, I guess, maybe a little mean. Like he could take charge at any moment, and Adagio brought that out in him, I guess because she’s kinda the same way! But that’s not him, is it? The Buck I know is this big teddy bear with these puppy dog eyes and the gentlest hands ever. He’s sweet! He’s not like what the rumors say, and he’s not some sort of monster, he’s my big cuddly guy! And he’s great with Dinky! I really, really feel like we could have a future together!”

“But?”

“But I keep wondering that maybe that’s not real, because sometimes he’s like the perfect boyfriend, but lately, he just seems a little…”

“Lost?”

“Yes! Exactly! Sometimes I’ll tap him on the shoulder, and he looks at me like he just woke up! He gets so distant sometimes, and I wonder if he really is this guy I fell in love with, or he’s just pretending.”

“Because you don’t want to fall into the same situation as before.”

“Yeah! Because he’s horny! He’s horny way more often than I thought, and, and putting everything else aside, I just…I don’t have the time to take care of that for him, and I’m not really…like that…as much.”

“So he’s not being catered to in the bedroom. That’s pretty typical of early relationships.”

“He hasn’t said it to me, but I heard him mention it to Sunburst. I’m sort of waiting for him to say it, you know?”

“Sounds like a communication issue. And adding your specific trauma to the mix doesn’t help. You have hard limitations.”

“Which we’re working around! He said it’s fine, but I know that’s not the whole truth. I want to do more, but I don’t know how, and that doesn’t feel right, because it’s not like he asked me to do that for him. I shouldn’t have to do that for him, right? It should be, uh, mutual.”

“So you’re afraid that you’re not doing enough for him, but you’re also afraid to do too much for him? And he’s off learning magic with his ex, which worries you.”

“Yeah! How could I not be worried? What if this whole magic business is just another Fillydelphia waiting to happen? What if Buck changes because of it? What if he’s already changed, and he’s just acting like nothing is different? What if I do something, or say something that sets him off and-”

“Okay, I need you to take a deep breath. You’re safe here, Ditzy.”

Ditzy tried to catch her breath. She felt her heart beating fast, and before she could catch herself, she started up again.

“But he wouldn’t! I know he wouldn’t because he loves me, and I feel sick to my stomach that I’m scared anyway! It’s not fair, to either of us!”

“I understand.”

“And what if I’m making a mistake? What if I do something, and I lose him, like what happened with Adagio?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re together because I kissed Buck when they were together.”

“You had an affair with him?”

“It was a kiss! It was just a kiss!”

“But now you’re dating.”

“...Even though he explained that she lied to him and hurt his feelings, he still talks about her like he really cares, and I’m scared she’s going to steal him away from me, like I stole him from her. I keep waiting for him to come home and tell me it’s over. But he wouldn’t do that! He loves me, and it’s not fair that I can’t trust him with this!”

By now Ditzy’s legs were up on the couch, and she was holding a pillow to her chest. She was on the verge of tears.

“Well, Ditzy, I can see that this is a multi-faceted problem with no easy solutions. I’m not exactly qualified to address the intricacies of relationships; that’s my sister’s game. What I can do is tell you this; much like Buck, you need to focus on yourself more.”

“What do you mean?”

“How often have you gotten to just take time for yourself and do as you please since your daughter was born?”

“Not a whole lot…she’s my whole world.”

“And now Buck is part of that world, and he’s adding all sorts of extra complications on top of it.”

“He’s not doing it on purpose…”

“I understand that, but Ditzy, I think you may be fixated on looking after him because he’s giving you a sort of care that you haven’t had in a long time. I think the two of you may have similar pain, and you’re trying to heal him the way you need to be healed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s common for those who have been in situations like yours to have difficulty trusting others, but also themselves. Your self-esteem has suffered, and the validation that Buck gives by paying careful attention to you has had an impact. Would you say that’s the case? Does he make you feel seen and appreciated?”

“Yes.”

“But not safe?”

“I don’t know if I know how to feel safe. Does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does. I know that you’re having fun spending time with Buck, but the way you talk about him, it sounds like you’re trying to put him into a slot he doesn’t exactly fit. I think you need to break away from this mindset that you’re obligated to take care of him.”

“How do you mean?”

“From what you’ve told me, you do more than your fair share of doting on him with acts of service and emotional support. What you need is to take care of yourself. That’s what we’re here for, after all. I think what’s happening is that you’ve attached the ideal of having a happy life to Buck and now you want to preserve that ideal at any cost, because you believe that pursuing him is the same as pursuing happiness.”

“But he does make me happy!”

“Yes, but are you happy because you’re with him, or is it the idea of being with a supportive partner that makes you happy?”

“I dunno! Both, I guess? He makes me feel like I’m a little more whole. Like with him, I can move on.”

“Right, right. But do you love the man, or the idea of him?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t know what went wrong! I thought we were fine!” Ditzy sobbed.

Silver Spoon sat silently, letting her vent. After a moment, Silver Spoon passed Ditzy a handkerchief.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you, Ditzy. Do you want to take a break?”

“No…I just wish you would tell me what I need to do to fix this.”

“I don’t like to use the word ‘Fix’ when it comes to mental health. It implies that your problems are dents on a car that can be buffed out, when really they are wounds that need to be treated and healed. I think we need to shift away from trying to ‘fix’ this situation, and figure out how to help you heal.”

“Okay. How do I heal, then?”

“This may sound selfish to you, but you need to consider your own happiness before you worry about his. If his needs interfere with your own, you should prioritize your own.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you need to decide what you want from this relationship. You’ve established your boundaries and he seems to respect them, and that’s good. But if you’re concerned that he isn’t having his needs met because of those boundaries, the two of you might not be as compatible as you first thought, and that may mean that your relationship will have to change.”

“Change how?”

“You need to find a balance between caring for your daughter and finding your own joy. If Buck’s needs can’t fit into that dynamic right now, it may be better for the two of you to take a break.”

“But I don’t want to leave him alone! And I don’t want to be alone either! He’s important to me, and we make each other happy! Why can’t that be enough?”

“I don’t mean you have to leave him. It just seems to me that you both have your own battles to fight, and they might not intersect. You need to have a frank conversation with yourself about what your needs are, because they are a part of who you are.”

“My needs are part of who I am?”

“Yes. If you want to live a happy and fulfilling life, you need to fulfill your needs and pursue your wants.”

“Okay.”

“I’d like you to carry this question home today; what does Ditzy Doo want, and what does she need?”

Ditzy Doo stared at the floor, and after nearly bursting into tears all over again, she finally found the words.

“I just want to have my happy ending. Haven’t I earned it?”

“All I’m saying is that whatever you want to do, I will support you.”

Wind Sprint stood in the foyer of her parent’s house. She had stopped on the way in from practice, waiting in agony for the ‘but’ that was coming.

“But you don’t have to be a sprinter if you don’t want to. No one ever said you had to follow in his footsteps, and I don’t want to pressure you-”

“So you’re cool with me free-running, then?”

“Mmmaybe you should chose something that’s a little less dangerous, hm? I don’t want you to run your way into the emergency room. I’ve seen enough of that. It's not too late; I could always teach you crochet."
Wind Sprint frowned. She could see into the living room, where a glass of wine sat on a table next to a cushy chair, facing away. A pale pink hand moved a crochet hook in a methodical dance.

“Whatever, Mom.”

Wind Sprint turned the door handle, then cringed as her mother spoke again. Her tone was gentle but just the slightest bit annoyed. It had been that way for a while now.

“Hang on.”

“What is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know; I feel like we never talk anymore.”

“So…?”

“Well, have you found a boyfriend, yet?”

“No.”

“Well, I’m just saying that if you found a nice boy, maybe you wouldn’t be such a frowny face all the time, hm?”

“Ugh, for the last time, I’m not like you! I don’t need a boyfriend!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m going.”

“Well, even though my daughter is being nasty today, I just want her to know that I love her, and since she’s so determined to beat a hole into her shoe, I’m still going to come to her little race.”

“Oh great, so you’re going to show up with your dumb neckbeard and pretend were a normal family.”

“Excuse me?”

Wind Sprint walked upstairs quickly. She heard the creak of the chair as her mother rose.

“Where are you going? Come back here, young lady!”

“Leave me alone!”

A door slammed. Some old speakers crackled to life with enough base to rattle the slightly dusty action figures on the shelf next to them.

Soon, the opening chorus of a sentimental song started, but it couldn’t drown out the argument to come.

Sunburst stepped into his suite with a paper bag. The side of it had a graphic of a bubbling cauldron with sparkling smoke coming out of it.

Starlight Glimmer was carefully chalking out a spell circle on the coffee table.

“Ah, right where I left her."

"Hahahahah." Starlight laughed without a hint of sincerity. She smiled as Sunburst kissed the top of her head.

"Did you remember to water Phyllis?”

“No. I’ve been trying to figure out a mana-efficient way to cast this aura map spell. Scootaloo said she has the tracking talisman on the girl now, but she could live anywhere in the city, and casting a spell that accounts for that radius would take a lot more power than a couple of quartz crystals.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Maybe after lunch?”

“Did you get the components I asked for?”

“Everything except the moth wings. She was fresh out.”

“Damn! I needed those to listen in! Now we’ll have to spy on her in person.” Starlight groaned.

“Maybe we don’t have to spy? Maybe Scoots will get us some relevant information before anything happens?”

“Not likely. The girl is skittish, apparently. Likes to run away when she gets emotional.”

“Sounds familiar.” Sunburst smiled.

“Regardless, she’ll be running in a public track and field event. Someone will probably come after her then.”

“Either way, bing-bong, this is your personal boyfriend clock, reminding you to take a break!”
“In a minute. Let me see what we have.” Starlight said, grabbing the brown bag. One by one, she placed the contents onto the couch cushion next to her.

Along with the usual pieces of quartz, black obsidian, a clay effigy, and a shrike’s beak, there was a small leather bag tied with twine, a spool of golden thread, and a petrified two-headed caterpillar, or was it a slug?

“I know the golden thread is for arcane lasso. I don’t actually know what those extra two are.” Sunburst said as Starlight carefully examined the quality of the components. She held up the weird bug.

“This is rare, two-headed velvet worm. They can spit out a web to catch their prey, and they're also quite magical.”

“Ah, a sticky web spell.“

“And the bag?”

Starlight grimaced.

“It’s zombie powder. It will help me cast a mind-control spell.”

“What!?”

“Just a minor one!”

“Starlight, you’re not going to try and hypnotize Buck into giving you his power, are you?”

“No, Sunburst! I’m going to use it to interrogate whatever cloak is after that sprinter! The one we fought talked about a “master,” which probably means they have a slavish devotion to their leader. They won’t sell him out by choice, so I figured I would just command them to with a motor mouth spell.”

“I see. That makes sense.”
“But that’s a good idea. I didn’t think of that.” Starlight said.

“Starlight!”

“Kidding! I’m kidding!”

“Are you?”

“Yes!” Starlight smiled unconvincingly.

“...So, you don’t know how to get this spell off, with the city’s size?”

“Yes. It’s a real brain buster…if we just had more mana, everything would be so much simpler.” Starlight groaned.

“So the distance is the problem?”

“No, it’s the scale. To ping the tracking talisman is easy, but to get an accurate scrying of the sprinter’s aura, we need to turn the tracker into a transmitter, and that means sending out our aura as a wave like a radio signal.

“Is that how it’s done in the book?”

“Yes, I think. Could you check it for me?”

Sunburst plucked a weighty tome from his desk and flipped through it quickly.

“Let’s see…In the imperial days, unicorn guards would place tracking talismans around the edge of their forts and then use them like transistors, sending their mana in a circuit. Then they would be able to see the auras of everyone inside.”

“Why would they do that?”

“In case there were changeling spies.” Sunburst grimaced.

“I see. Without the moth wings to help with scrying part, we would need to scatter tracking talismans all over the city to make this spell work.”

“And there’s no time for that. The cloaks could make their move any day now.”
The doorbell rang.

“And that’s lunch!” Sunburst said, rising.

“What did you order?”

“Pizza!” Sunburst smiled over his shoulder, giving the delivery guy a tip.

“With?”

“Pineapple, of course!”

“I love you.”

“I know you do. Now relax, and have something to eat.”

Sunburst was delighted to see Starlight uncoil herself for just a little while. When was the last time they went kite flying together or had a date in general? Sunburst couldn’t remember.

As Starlight mumbled her way through lunch, she seemed more relaxed than she’d been in months. Maybe it was having more people on the team, or just being in her element, or being a teacher. Whatever it was, Sunburst would trade anything away to keep seeing this smile on Starlight’s face.

“I’ve got it!”

“Hm?” Sunburst said. He hadn’t realized he was zoning out.

“How to get the spell across town! Instead of creating a wide field, all I have to do is send my mana to where the tracking talisman is! Like an arrow!”

“Oh, I see! That way it would be more like an arcane bolts spell, and you can save on the mana cost!”

“Exactly. I’ll make it into a tether, so when it lands, we’ll have a direct connection. Like an ethernet cable!”

“Ah, that’s brilliant, Starlight!”

“Could you help me with this?”

Starlight made some careful adjustments to the spell circle while Sunburst placed a chunk of quartz in the center. The two sat together and held hands. Motes of cyan and yellow light mingled above the spell circle.

“Like an arrow, Sunburst…” Starlight reminded, eyes shut in focus.

The light molded into a pointed shape, and with a brief flash, it streaked insubstantially through the window. The thread of arcane force it left in its wake anchored itself to the spell circle and wiggled like a fisherman’s line.

“I’ll keep it steady. Can you ping the tracking talisman?”

“Right.”

The arrow of mana weaved and darted through the air, through glass and steel and concrete, faster and faster until it finally landed.

“Got it!” Starlight said. Her eyes opened to see a flickering image taking shape before her. It was fuzzier than Starlight had wanted, but she could make out a rough cross-section of a bedroom and the backyard just beyond its window.

The twisting bluish aura was swirling around a human silhouette, was making angry gestures in the direction of a far more tepid, lighter blue aura. Fists were raised and a foot was stamped, and then the little blue tornado slammed a door.

“Looks like an argument.” Sunburst said. “Maybe a parent?”

The blue aura flared and swirled with intensity, flopping dramatically onto a bed.

“Seems like kind of a drama queen.” Starlight said.

“We were teenagers once, too. Give the girl a break.” Sunburst said.

“...what’s that?” Starlight said. She squeezed Sunbursts’ hand briefly, and something she saw on the periphery of the aura map came into view. It was a strange, dark aura. It didn’t waver or pulse; it stood as still as a gravestone.

“That aura is static. Tellurgic, possibly, but something isn't right.” Sunburst said.

“That has to be another cloak…!” Starlight said.

The creepy aura moved slowly away from the window and into the trees lining the backyard before disappearing completely.

Sunburst relaxed, then took Sunbursts’ hand, holding it gently.

“They must be biding their time. Waiting for the emotions to fester so they can explode when there’s a lot of people present.”

“Who would sink so low as to come after teenagers?” Starlight’s grip tightened almost painfully.

“We’ll find out, Starlight.”

“We’d better. We have to assume that they’ll make their move on Saturday. We’ll catch them off guard before they can cause any chaos.”

“Right,” Sunburst said. His smile brought a bit of reassurance to Starlight, who’s grip finally relaxed. “Wait, did you say Saturday?”

Buck awoke on Saturday to a heat so oppressive it seemed he had used up all his sweat just surviving the night. It was an effort to peel himself out of the bedsheets, hoping that Ditzy wouldn’t mind him using one of her bathroom towels to get dry.

“It shouldn’t be legal for it to get so hot this far north.” Buck grumbled. He shuffled laboriously out of the bedroom and into a scene of sheer bliss.

There was a fresh, perspiring pitcher of lemonade on the kitchen counter and a little plate with three muffins on it. The fan was on in the patio door, keeping the room as cool as possible.

And then, of course, there was Ditzy. Buck never trucked with the idea of the housewife. His mother had made it clear when he was young that women are meant to choose their own roles, and 'woman of the house" is the most malleable of all. There was no space for chasing dreams when a woman was expected to do all the damn housework all the damn time. And yet, here Ditzy was, sitting daintily on the couch, knitting her way through a rip in her daughter’s overalls, looking like the cover of a 50’s home catalog with a high-waisted skirt and a light blue shirt. Buck wasn’t sure if he should feel worried or awed.

And then he remembered. He was supposed to feel guilty.

“Mornin’, Muffin,” Buck said, sleepily. Ditzy jumped a little at that. “Sorry! Wasn’t tryin’ to scare you.

“Oh, no, that’s okay! I didn’t hear you get up!” Ditzy said with a smile. She leaned her head back in time to receive a sweet kiss.

“Where’s Dink?”

“Sunburst came and picked her up. We’ve got the house to ourselves.”

“Does that mean I can take my pants off?”

“Well, if you want! But you might wanna eat your brunch. That track thing you mentioned is in a few hours, and I don’t want Scootaloo to think you forgot about it!”

Buck opened the fridge and was struck dumb by what he found. He quickly opened up a wedge covered in plastic wrap and tasted roast beef, pepper jack cheese, and a bit of hot sauce. He couldn’t remember ever telling Ditzy what his favorite sandwich was, and yet here it was.

He couldn't get it into his mouth fast enough.

“You’re not talkin’ to me, so I guess you like the food!” Ditzy giggled.

“Well, yeah, it’s great!” Buck said, around a mouthful. “What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing big, I just wanted to treat you! You’ve been real quiet for the last couple of days, and I just thought it would help a little.” Ditzy’s smiled gently, one eye settling on Buck as he sat down next to her.

“That’s really romantic, actually.” Buck said. He reached for Ditzy’s hand and then realized it was busy working a needle. As he pulled his hand back, Ditzy stopped what she was doing and took it.

“I’m not super good with the words sometimes…but I can do brunch, so that’s gotta count for something, right?” She laughed.

“It’s perfect. You don’t know how, I dunno, how weird it feels to have someone that does that kind of thing in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ditzy.”

“Starve, maybe.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Just a little bit.” Ditzy giggled.

“C’mere.”

The kiss was tender and long. Ditzy laced her fingers in Buck’s and sighed as his lips went from hers to her cheek and her forehead and the tip of her nose.

"How're you feeling today, Muffin? How's therapy?"

"Good! It's, really hard, but in a good way!"

"Hah! Giggity."

"Stop, you know what I mean! It's really tough and complicated, but it really feels like I'm making progress."

"Well that's good to hear. Anything you wanna talk about?"

Ditzy went quiet, and Buck imagined a dial tone on an old telephone. Uh-oh. He was very familiar with that particular silence.

“Buck…are you happy? With this? With us?”

“You make me plenty happy, yeah.”

“And you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Yeah?”
“So, what’s bothering you?” Ditzy said, finally. Her smile didn’t leave, but the gentle squeeze of her hand showed her concern.

“Huh?”

“You’ve been coming to bed without a word, and you’ve been sorta intense lately, and you only do that when you have a big idea, or something’s bothering you. Is it money? Is it work? You can tell me.”

“I mean, it’s always money and work.” Buck said.

“And what else?”

“...I’m just burnt out, that’s all.” Buck kissed Ditzy’s shoulder and laid his head there.

“Are you sure?”

There were a million things Buck wanted to say. That something had almost happened and he was beating himself up about it. That he was scared a distance was growing between them because of his training. That learning magic wasn’t really a stressor; it was anything but. And it all turned to ash in his mouth because all he wanted to do was hold on to this moment. The smell of Ditzy’s sea spray shampoo and the coolness of the fan and quiet conversations were all he should want for.

“I just wanna do what I wanna do, instead of workin’ so damn hard.”

“I get it.” Ditzy cleared her lap and patted it. Buck couldn’t resist the invitation.

The feeling of Ditzy stroking his hair, her breasts sitting lightly on the side of his face, and the softness of her thighs brought a feeling of serenity that he knew he wouldn’t be able to find again in a million years.

“I know with this kind of job, it can make you feel trapped, and it’s worse for you because you have to go and learn this dangerous stuff, too, and it's all thankless. But you know what? You paid all that money to send me to therapy, and you’ve been stepping up in helping with Dinky, and all the while, you make me and everyone else smile whenever you can. And nobody seems to see it, but I do. I can see you doing your best because I’m right here with you. So, I don’t want you to feel like you can’t complain to me, or you can’t be open. If you need to cry, I’m here for you. You don’t have to be alone in this. You can always tell me what's going on. I'll listen.”

“Okay.” Buck choked out. “I love you, Ditzy Doo.”

“I love you, too. “

Buck tried to exorcise his guilt. He wanted to confess his feelings but ended up blurting something different out, instead.

“Someone is following this girl that Scoots has been talkin’ too. Starlight and Sunburst are pretty sure it’s one of those freaks that messed with Smolder at the fair. They might make a move any day now, so they’ve been watchin’ her.”

“Okay…so what?”

“Well, they’ve figured out that these guys are trying to stir up trouble at public events so they can…sorta suck out the panic and use it for something else.”

“What?”

“Magic is weird. Point is, there might be something going down at the prelims…and Starlight asked me to help if things pop off.”

“Starlight did?” Ditzy’s hand stopped stroking Buck’s head.

"Uh-huh."

"Starlight did."

“Yeah. Is that...does that bother you?"

"Nope! What did she ask you to do?"

"With my powers, she figures I can be like a fuel tank that she and Scoots can tap, in case they end up usin’ a lot of mana. I said no at first, and hell, even Adagio was like 'no, you should stay out of this'.”

“Okay…”

"But I'm not sure, now. What if they really do need me out there?"

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to help if I can.”

Ditzy was silent. Buck sat up and found either dull anger or disappointment in Ditzy’s eyes. He wasn’t sure which.

“Without getting into a fight, or anything! I just…I wouldn’t feel good about it if it turned out they needed that mana and I wasn’t there.”

“You think they need you?”

“Probably.”

“Then help them.”

“Really?”

“Just this once! If it’s that important, then help. But you need to promise me that you’ll play it safe, okay?”

“I will. If we’re lucky, Starlight and Scoots will be able to handle it.”

“Is Scootaloo learning magic, too?”

“Yeah. I don’t think she’s havin’ as hard a time as me, though, which is good. Her powers are wind themed.”

“And you can turn your diddly chocolate flavored and make little hearts. Does your magic have something to do with valentine’s day?”

“Hah! I wish. That might make it easier to grasp. No one knows where my powers come from, exactly.”

“Buck…can I ask you something? Or, tell you something, I guess?”

“Always.”

Ditzy took a deep breath. This was going to be a hard conversation, and she knew it. Her head filled with things to say, and none of them seemed right.

“I…really think you should try to wrap it up with the magic stuff. The way you talk about it is…odd, and you seem to be obsessing about it a little, and I’m worried. And now you want to show up to something that could be dangerous. It’s…it’s not like you. You have all this stress on you already, and adding magic to it is just, well, it’s way too much for any one person to handle, and I think it’s starting to mess with your head.”

“You think so?”

“What I’m trying to say is, I think that the Buck I love is getting buried by a lot of difficult stuff. And I’m here for you, you know I am! But I don’t think there’s much I can do to make it better. I feel like I’m letting you down, and it should have to be that way.”

“Muffin, I know you’re trying.” Buck said. The feeling of Ditzy’s hands in his made him feel naked and ugly.

“After all of this is done, after you get the basics down, maybe you can start spending your Tuesdays over here again, or start going to the library like you used to? Starlight said that as long as you get a good grasp of it, you won’t have to worry about your magic backfiring. When you get there…maybe we can just go back to normal? We can just be Buck and Ditzy again and figure things out.”

Buck saw an old sort of exhaustion in Ditzy’s face. He knew she’d been around events like the Fall Formal and Camp Everfree and other events like them. She’d even been at the Friendship Games. He wondered how many times she’d had to adjust to magic bullshit, how many times she had to just grin and bear the weirdness around her.

Buck didn’t want to be another magical mishap in Ditzy’s life. He was tired of being an accident.

“Buck? Are you spacing out on me, again?”

“Huh? No, no! I mean, yeah, a little, sorry I understand. Normal is good. We can try and find normal. I promise.” Buck said. He kissed Ditzy’s hands and finally saw a smile on her face.

“Okay.”

“Do uh, do you know what I wanna do, right now?”

“What’s that?”

“I wanna do some more of this.”

Ditzy squeaked in surprise as Buck kissed her again. He pulled back and smiled innocently, but Ditzy leaned forward and returned the kiss. For a bit, they sat there, trading sweet little pecks like crushing kids out on the schoolyard, but then Buck pounced.

Without warning, his hands grasped at Ditzy's breasts, and his lips were on her neck.

“Buck! Where’s this coming from?” Ditzy giggled.

“I’ve been neglecting you, haven’t I? You’re workin’ just as hard as me, if not harder. But it's Saturday, and on Saturday, I don’t wanna see my Muffin workin’ hard. I wanna see my muffin turn red. I wanna hear my muffin moan.” Buck growled, nipping at Ditzy’s neck.

“Ah! Okay, okay, hi there, uh…okay, okay, that’s…that feels really nice, and…ah!” Buck’s hand found its way under Ditzy’s skirt and up her inner thigh.

“My muffin’s been takin’ care of me. I wanna take care of her.”

“Buck, slow down, I don’t know if…”

“You want me to take it slow?” Buck’s thumb pressed down at the front of Ditzy’s panties. She shuddered.

“I…I’m not really in the mood for this!” Ditzy panicked.

“Oh. Oh, uh…sorry. Sorry, sorry about that! I got caught up in the…sorry.” Buck let Ditzy go and saw the shaken look on her face.

“Geez…could you maybe give a girl a little warning, first?”

“Sorry, Ditzy. I’ll be better about that, I promise.”
Buck shuffled across the couch, but Ditzy held on to his hand.

“We can….we can do that later, okay? Once we get back from the track stuff. Let’s maybe just try and have a normal-ish day, alright?”

“Alright. I’ll go get dressed, and then we can head out.” Buck kissed Ditzy’s hands and headed back to his place. Before he could dress himself, he sat on the edge of his bed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” Buck sighed, and his head slunk down into his hands.

“Can’t you just leave her there? I need you out here in the field!” Starlight whispered urgently into her phone. From her vantage point in the copse of trees just next to the field, it looked like a whole lot of people had come to cheer the runners on.

Parents and friends and loved ones chatted amicably between bursts of athletic effort on the track. A load of people just waiting to have their emotions twisted and stolen away. Today was make or break.

“Starlight, she’s seven years old.”

“So, she’s a big girl! We were doing algebra at seven; she can manage to avoid burning your suite down!”

“Ditzy and Buck are depending on me to look after Dinky. I’ll just run comms from over here. If something happens, just shoot me a text and I’ll coordinate. Do you have eyes on Scoots?”

Starlight frowned and looked around. She could see Scootaloo chatting with the sprinter girl far across the field. They both had numbers attached to their backs.

“It looks like they’ll be racing together. Twenty-two and twenty-three.”

“Good. Scoots can keep an eye on her. What about Adagio?”

Starlight looked to the other side of the field and grimaced. Adagio seemed to be rebuking a frat boy while keeping an eye on the field and the area around. She was taking sips from a water bottle.

“She’s in position next to the bleachers. If anyone goes for the field, we’ll be able to surround them.”

“And Buck?”

“I don’t see him. I don’t think he’s going to show up.”

“Never say never.”

Starlight saw a car pull up, and she swore under her breath.

“What, what’s the matter? Did you see Buck?”

“I see him. The idiot decided to bring Ditzy Doo here! Doesn’t he know this could be a hot zone at any moment?”

“Well, it's their date night. He’s probably just didn’t want to cancel.”

“Why not?”

“Well, that would be rude.”

“Ruder than possibly putting her in danger?”

“I’m sure the three of you will be more than enough. Have you seen anything suspicious yet?”

“Nothing, yet. If things get weird out here, well, I won’t let you know unless I have a moment, but, I…this is weird.”

“You miss me already?” Starlight could hear the infectious smile in Sunbursts’ voice.

“Oh, shut up. I’m going to call Scootaloo and make sure she’s briefed.” Starlight chuckled.

“Just for me, can you keep an eye on Buck and Ditzy? According to Scoots, they’ve both been burning the candle at both ends. If something happens, I’d like you to protect them.”

“Oh, please. Ditzy can handle herself just fine, and Buck is a walking fireworks factory.”

“Just watch out for them. Please.”

“Understood. If something happens, I’ll let you know.”

“And if I don’t hear back from you a few minutes after that, I’ll send help.”

Scootaloo stood a few feet away from the locker rooms, nervously waiting for Wind Sprint to come out. She was talking quietly into her phone as Starlight reminded her of the plan.

“Stay on guard. They could come from anywhere and set things off. Just stick close to the girl, and don’t be afraid to take her down if you have to.”

“Take her down!?”

“I mean capture her, Scootaloo. You have the lasso spell I gave you, right?”

“Right. Okay. I can do this…I can do this…I can’t do this! Why do I have to lie!?” Scootaloo looked around in the least subtle way in the world.

“If someone told you that you were being targeted by magic-stealing villains, what would you do?”

“Ask them if this is a prank.”

“Well, this isn’t one, and if you insist that the girl is in danger 'because magic', she’ll think you’re crazy. We don’t want to drive her away, we just want to keep her safe.”

As Scootaloo talked, she failed to notice someone creeping up behind her.

“It just doesn’t feel right. This seems like a long way to go just to watch out for her. It feels sorta slimy.”

“I understand. If things get especially bad, we can always have the organization wipe her memory.”

“That’s worse than lying!”

“Just keep an eye out, Scootaloo.” Starlight hung up, leaving Scootaloo to gather herself. She turned around and saw Wind Sprint, who had an unmistakably hurt look on her face.

“Uhh…”

“Was all of this a joke?”

“Okay, hear me out, that sounded bad, but I’m out here looking out for you!”

“No, no, let me guess. You’re working for my Mom, aren’t you? I told her I was running anyway, and she decided to send someone out to babysit me! Are you gonna tell me not to run? Was that the idea?” As Wind Sprint stomped the ground and balled up her fists, Scootaloo saw her hair whip around her head as if caught in a rising breeze.

“Hold on, you need to calm down. If you don’t, you might-”

“Embarrass my Mom? I can’t believe I was so stupid! I thought you actually cared!”

“I do care, but-”

“No! You know what? I don’t care what it is! I’m gonna do what I want! Get out of the way.”
Scootaloo followed Wind Sprint in lockstep, having to move her shorter legs a bit faster to keep up. As she searched the ground for something to say that would fix this, she heard the intercom crackle to life.

“Would the sprinters numbered twenty through twenty-five come to the track?”

Wind Sprint broke into a jog, Scootaloo right next to her.

“Wind Sprint, wait! It’s not what you think!” Scootaloo tried to grab her wrist, but Wind Sprint yanked it away.

“Stop following me!”

“We’re literally going to the same place!”

“Leave me alone!”

“I can’t do that!”

“Then stay out of my way!”

The air around Wind Sprint was unsettled, the dirt around her feet swirling away in a whistling wind.

Ditzy had opted for a sun hat, which Buck thought he might be able to hide under if he really cuddled up. He doubted that Ditzy would want to after what he did at brunch, but it was a nice thought.

Buck had gone for his classic black tank top and jeans, and this turned out to be a mistake. He was getting dangerously close to nosebleed range due to the choking humidity and heat, and, fool that he was, he hadn’t thought to bring anything to help him through it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ditzy said.

“It’s fine! I wanna show Scoots I care by bein’ here when she runs. I can survive that, I’m sure.” Buck said, fanning himself off.

“Okay…So, I wanted to ask, what did you tell Dinky to say to those bullies? She seemed really relaxed and happy, so it must’ve been something good, right?”

“Basically, I taught her how to sass.”

“What?”

“My parents called it ‘playin’ the dozens’. Someone insults you, you get’em back immediately. It’s a game! Did it all the time back when I was in elementary school.”

“Buck, that’s not a solution, that’s just mean! What did you teach my daughter to say?”

“No swears, no swears, I promise! Look, it’s like this; I wanted Dinky to know that you can’t sink down to a bullies’ level, but you also can’t just sit back and take it. I taught her some basics that’ll throw the other kids off.”

“Like what?”

“Like Pillock. That’s brit for dumbass. Stumbly lummox, bumble king, screamlord, just a whole arsenal of silly shit. You call a kid a cunt, they can run to a teacher and get you in trouble. But if you call’em an ‘unsalted pretzel’ the teacher they rat to is gonna have to try not to laugh.”

“Purple Prose, are you trying to get my daughter in trouble?” Ditzy said, making an effort to stay stern.
“I’m tryna teach her a lesson. Arguments between kids should be hilarious; not traumatizing. I’m teachin’ Dink to laugh when she gets insulted, and then clap back. It’s a skill you gotta develop early when you’re a weirdo like us, or no matter what grade you go to, it’s gonna be the same story.”

“She's not a 'weirdo'. There’s nothin’ wrong with her, Buck.”

“I’m not sayin’ there is; I’m sayin’ that even if she gets in trouble for this, learning to make tense situations more absurd is gonna help her in the long run. My Mom taught me to snark when I was little, and now I’m passin’ it on.”

“Okay…that does sound smart.”

“And hey, she might be better at it than me! You know she came up with some zingers?”

“Really? Like what?”

“Alright, check this out, imagine you’re at recess; fighting over a dodgeball, and someone rolls in and call you a ‘flippy canoe’. Brutal, right?”

Ditzy finally laughed at that, but her mirth was cut off by a shadow falling across her face.

“Here. If you insist on risking heatstroke, you should at least drink something and fight off dehydration.”
“Thanks, babe.” Buck took the water bottle offered to him on instinct, and as he took a swig, he realized that it hadn’t come from Ditzy. Buck spluttered around the mouth of the bottle and saw Adagio smiling next to him. She was rocking a white off-the-shoulder top and a pair of puddle jeans, looking like she was on the way to some sort of photoshoot.

“What is she doing here?” Ditzy scowled. Adagio’s smile sharpened.

“Oh, just being supportive and heroic. It seems to be a trend, lately. There, Buck. Is that better?” Adagio said, taking the bottle back.

“Uh, yeah. Why, uh, why’re you up here on the bleachers?”

“I saw you suffering, as usual, and decided to help. Am I suddenly not allowed to visit when you’re with your precious girlfriend, Buck?”

“No, that’s alright, I just thought you’d be off doin’ covert ops type stuff, not palling around with me. I don’t wanna be a distraction, or a liability, you know?”

“I assure you, I’m on high alert. Whatever happens today, I can protect you and deal with it at the same time.”

“Well, if you’re planning on annoying Buck for the whole event, I’m sorry to say that we’re gonna be leaving as soon as Scootaloo does her run.” Ditzy said.

“On your way to spend some quality time, no doubt! You two must have a big evening planned; filled with gazing longingly at each other, watching TV at an agonizingly appropriate distance apart, and whatever else married couples do, I’m sure.” Adagio rolled her eyes.

“We aren’t married!” Ditzy said, as if on reaction.

“You could have fooled me. Since you’re so caught up in the throes of monogamous loyalty, I’m sure you won’t mind if I post my watch here in the audience. Buck doesn’t mind, does he?”

“I don’t; if you promise to be nice.” Buck said.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then will you at least not stir up any trouble?”

“Anything for you, Buck.” Adagio smirked.

“Wait a minute, I never signed off on that! Oh no, uh…” Ditzy looked past Buck and Adagio and visibly tensed up.

“What? What’s the matter, Muffin?” Buck said.

“Nothing, Nothing! What’s she doing here!?” Ditzy whispered.

“Who?”

“Just, uh…just act normal!” Ditzy said

“The fuck does that mean?” Buck said.

“Language! Don’t talk about magic, or, or weird stuff, or anything!” Ditzy straightened up and screwed on a smile just as a willowy woman with light pink skin and pale hair with a blue streak through it approached the trio.

She was wearing a breezy pink button-up and a navy blue ascot, which Buck identified as a bewildering choice, but not nearly as shocking as the fact that she was wearing Quibble Pants on one of her arms. A look of horror was slowly bleeding onto Quibble’s face.

“Ditzy Doo! I thought that was you! It’s so nice to see you out and about!” Clear Sky spoke in a voice somewhere on the sliding scale between Heather and Karen.
“Hi, Clear Sky! How are you doing today?” Ditzy strained. “Oh, I’m doing just fine! And who’s this? Is this the infamous boyfriend that I’ve been hearing about?”

“You been talkin’ about me?” Buck said, raising an eyebrow at Ditzy.

“Not really.” Ditzy frowned. Clear Sky took a seat next to her as if she had reserved it.

“Ditzy’s mentioned you once or twice, but I never would have guessed you were a guy with a reputation!”

Buck saw Ditzy blush and grimace. He touched her hand gently, and that seemed to help a little bit.

“He doesn’t do that type of thing anymore.” Ditzy said.

“Well, that’s a shame! From what I’ve seen, he’s very impressive in action!” Clear Sky smiled.

“You think so? Are you uh…a fan?” Buck said, raising an eyebrow at Quibble.

“Oh, no. No, no, not at all. I just think it was heroic how you and your associates took on that beast at the boardwalk! The way you swung that axe, you have the makings of an excellent firefighter.” Clear Sky said.

Buck felt the tension leave Ditzy’s hand.

“Thanks, uh…” Buck looked over at Ditzy.

“Clear Sky. Crochet.” Ditzy said.

“Ah! Got it!” Buck said, reaching over. “They call me Buck, and yeah, I’m the boyfriend.”

Clear Sky tortured Buck with a limp-wristed handshake, but her smile was as polite as ever.

“Where did you two meet? The thrift store?” Clear Sky said, as pleasant as can be. Adagio tasted Ditzy seething, but couldn’t get anything from Buck. His expression remained neutral.

“Good guess. No, we’re neighbors.”

“Ah! That makes sense. I can’t imagine Ditzy meeting you anywhere besides the east side.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ditzy growled.

“Don’t sweat it, Muffin.” Buck said, with a smile. “I hear you can hook up a mean sweater! Issat how you managed to tie up Quibble here, or did you have to use bait?”

Buck emphasized the last word, patting Ditzy’s thigh.

“Really, Buck?” Quibble said. “A pun?”

“What? Did I sew a little discord in you, Quib?”

“Ughh…bad one.” Ditzy groaned.

“I thought it was clever.” Adagio smiled.

“Quibble? Are you friends with Buck, here?” Clear Sky’s sudden frown rooted Quibble Pants to the spot.

“I wouldn’t say that.” The men said in unison.

“But you know each other?”

“Oh sure, me and Quibble have been playin’ games for a few years now.” Buck said.

“Games?”

“Golf!” Quibble exploded. “We used to play golf, but we haven’t in a while. Scheduling problems.” Buck and Ditzy squinted at him, while Adagio smiled sharply.

“Some strange circumstances made us cancel. I hope you didn’t take it personally, Quibble.” Adagio chimed in.

“Oh, is this another friend of yours?” Clear Sky said.

“I’ve been known to make appearances at the…golf course with Buck and Quibble from time to time. I’m Adagio Dazzle. You’ve heard of me.”

“Ah. Right, I’ve seen you on TV!”

“Of course you have.”

“A few years ago, I think. Didn’t you have a single out or something like that?”

“It was a tour, actually. A new digital album.” Adagio said.

“And what have you been up to since then?”

“...enjoying some time off.”

“Oh, that must be wonderful! I’m so busy with my daughter and trying new things with Quibble, I barely have any time to myself these days! And how are the other members of your group doing? Not just laying around, I hope?”

“Peachy.” Adagio smirked. “We’re all working on our own little projects while we prepare for a grand reunion.”

“Soooo….what brings you guys out here, today?” Ditzy said.

“My daughter is sprinting today, and I’m here to support her, even though I think it’s a bit of a waste of time.” Clear Sky said.

“That her down there?” Buck said, pointing.

Down on the track, the sprinters were stretching and warming up as the announcer explained the dash and how it worked. Wind Sprint was facing away from the stands, while Scootaloo was facing her.

“That’s her.”

“I hear that my girl Scoots has been givin’ her pointers!”

“Wind Sprint has been spending time with one of your friends?” Clear Sky said, a touch of horror in her voice.

"Well, sure. It only makes sense since Scoots is a killer sprinter. They’re about as thick as thieves.” Buck said. Adagio smiled as he poked the bear.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, I’d guess they’re pretty close since they’re training buddies. You know what they say about people that exercise together!”

“Huh?”

“They want their relationship to work out!” Buck said, slapping his knee. Clear Sky grew furious in an instant, whereas Adagio barked out a single sharp laugh, then covered her mouth.

“Hah! Um…that was a cough. I’m going to need more water before long.” Adagio said, saving face.

“Oh, are they selling any nearby?” Clear Sky said.

“Yes, they’re being sold over on the quad, I’m assuming because of the heat.”

“Oh, good. I think I’ll get one for everyone!”

“Will you need a hand with that?” Buck offered, in Quibble’s direction.

“I was just about to ask! Ditzy, would you come with me and help me carry the bottles back?” Clear Sky said, standing.

“Huh? Uh, sure?” Ditzy said. Quibble shrunk in his seat.

“We’ll be back in just a moment~!” Clear Sky said, dragging Ditzy away.

Behind the locker rooms, a glyph on the brick wall lit up. The sounds of quiet whispers could be heard through it as a trio of people wearing dark cloaks stepped through. Two of them moved with an unsteady, shaking gait, whereas another strolled with thoughtless ease.

“...a’ight Quibble, spill. What’s with the super model?”

“What? Is it really that surprising?”

“Yes!” Buck and Adagio said in unison.

“What, do you think I just sit in a closet waiting for the next tabletop session when you’re not around?” Quibble said.

“To be honest, I don’t think about you much outside the table.” Adagio said.

“Well, while you guys were out making cheap urban fantasy videos for UTube, I was off getting a girlfriend.”

“Makin’ what, now?” Buck said.

“You think I don’t know what’s going on? You guys have been making viral content behind my back, so I went out and got a life!”

“Viral content? The fuck are you on about?”

“When you fought that cheap CG octopus? Or when Adagio fought that actress in the costume? With the anime sounds?”

“Quibble, that wasn’t a film, that really happened. We literally fought a fucking shoggoth, and Adagio very actually bodied a supervillain.”

“I mean, I thought it was suspicious when Sunburst put the campaign on hold, but you could’ve let me in on it! Let me guess; you’re writing the scripts,” Quibble went on, heedlessly.

“What makes you say that?”

“Because they desperately need a proofreader. I mean, the dialogue alone; sheesh!”

Buck’s eyes glazed over. It would be so easy to throw his changeling stone necklace across the field and turn this man’s shoes pink.

“Did Sunburst not tell you nothin’ about what’s goin’ on?”

“He made it sound urgent, but he didn’t give details, no. When I saw that you were making low-grade superhero shorts, I realized it wasn’t really anything important.”

“Our lives were literally at stake. Magic bullshit has been happening to me like every week since me and Adagio first hooked up.”

“Buck, you sound crazy. Magic isn’t real.”

Buck looked to Adagio for a moment and found no help. He put his hands together, as if in prayer.

“Quibble. You live in Canterlot. Magic is obviously real. You’ve seen the Rainbooms on the news before.”

“Oh, please. I also saw them in that crappy Daring Do reboot a few years ago! Now they know how to make a viral video! Who does their special effects? You should have hired them.”

Buck pinched the bridge of his nose. Adagio, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying every second of this.

“...okay, fuck you very much Quibble. I’m havin’ a nice day, so do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Make like a fart and blow this shithole. I got enough problems as it is without you’re date judgin’ me while I cover for you lyin’ ass.”

“What?”

“Golf? Fucking golf!?”

“I panicked!”

“Whatever, man.”

“And I can’t leave. We're here to watch her daughter run!”

“Relatable. Me and Ditzy are here for Scoots.”

“Since when are you dating Ditzy? Talk about a downgrade.”

“Thank you!” Adagio said.

“Oh, I can make this hell for you, Quibble. The kinda shit you pull at the table, I could tell Ms. ‘you got a reputation’ some serious dirt. Don’t fuckin’ test me, I’m in no mood.” Buck glowered.

“Now now, let’s not get nasty.” Adagio said. “He’s right though, Quibble. Pretending to be someone you’re not never holds up in the long run. Isn’t that right, Buck?”

Buck refused to turn around and look at the face Adagio was putting on.

“We are not having this conversation right now,” Buck said.

“It was just a little word to the wise. Nothing more, nothing less.” Adagio said.

“...am I missing something here? What’s been happening since the last time we played?”

“Magic.”

“Yeah, pull the other one.”

“Just, if some shit goes down out here, you oughta take your lady and go.”

“What do you mean if some shit goes down?” Despite his skepticism, Quibble Pants was taken aback by Buck’s serious tone.

“Shut up a sec. They’re getting ready!”

All of the racers had taken their spots at the starting line. Buck waved, but Scootaloo’s attention was focused on Wind Sprint. She was saying something urgently, but Wind Sprint was obviously tuning her out..

“Oh no.” Adagio said.

“Oh no?” Buck said.

Adagio saw the purple-colored girl look out at the stands and rankle when she saw that Quibble was sitting there.

“I can only taste it faintly through all this emotional noise, but that one seems like she’s ready to burst.” Adagio pointed.

“That’s Wind Sprint!” Quibble said. “Clear Sky’s kid!”

“Oh, fuckin’ brilliant. If she’s got you for a stepdad, it’s no wonder she’s about to pop off.”

“What do you mean, pop off? What’s about to happen?”

Adagio’s phone buzzed. She checked her text, looked across the field, and saw Starlight dash in the direction of the quad.

“It looks like something is already happening. Buck?” Adagio said.

“Hold this.” Buck sighed and removed his necklace, tossing it to Quibble. With that out of the way, he held his arms out, and Adagio squeezed him tight.

“That should do, thank you.” Adagio said, and then she ran off with a smile on her face. Despite his frown, Adagio saw a single pink heart pop into existence next to Buck’s head.

Scootaloo was flanked on all sides by girls that were taller and younger than her. She had pushed herself as hard as she could, and had almost caught up to Dash’s time. That meant she was probably faster than everyone else here. All except for one.

“I’m sorry I lied to you, but it was for your own good! If you would just let me explain–” Scootaloo tried again.

The runners took her places, putting their hands on the ground, tensing up like a coiled spring.

“Shut up! What would you know about my own good? You don’t really care! No one does!” Wind Sprint spat. Can’t believe I trusted you….I looked up to you, you know? I thought out of everyone here, you’d understand, but it was a lie!”

“Look, I never meant to be a role model or anything, I was just trying to help you! I know things are weird for you, and you need someone to listen, but right now I just need you to relax and-”

The starting pistol fired.

Scootaloo was thrown backward by a burst of dust that covered the track in an instant. Coughing and rolling, she squinted through the disheveled runners and caught a glimpse of Wind Sprint dashing away toward campus.

Adagio caught up just as Starlight sat side-saddle astride a spear she had pulled from the concrete below her. She held on to the spear with one hand, while the other held up a sensing stone.

“What did you see?” Adagio said, trotting along in sneakers instead of high heels for once.

“I sensed that creepy aura that Sunburst and I detected the other night...over there!” Starlight pointed, and Adagio caught a glimpse of the hem of a cloak turning a corner. Adagio reached into her purse and produced a water bottle. She was getting used to carrying them again.

“I guess that confirms that there are more than one! Are you going to give me a ride on your little stick again?” Adagio said.

Starlight turned the corner wordlessly. A pair of people in cloaks ran toward the little forested area beside the campus grounds, while another ran into a glowing portal on the back wall of the locker rooms. Starlight’s sensing stone lead straight to it.

“I’ll take the portal! Go after the other two!”

“Hold on, that may not be the best-”

“Just do it! There’s no time! I’ll find my way back!”

Starlight flew through the portal without another word, leaving Adagio to roll her eyes and run toward the trees. As soon as she was out of sight and sound of the athletic field, the cloaks came to a stop.

They were in a shaded clearing, surrounded by ash trees covered in fresh green leaves, and as Adagio slowed to a stroll, she noticed the two cloaks were quivering with barely contained violence.

“You may as well throw the disguises off. I can recognize your putrid taste, and the plundered magic you’re using to cover it.“ Adagio tutted, brandishing a water bottle.

The cloaks fell away, revealing a pair of humans who were normal looking, save for the blank look in their eyes and the fact that they were now naked.

“Really, now?” Adagio frowned.

The duo smiled, and their eyes flashed red before they were enveloped in a crackling green energy.

They had shiny, greenish-black skin and curled horns protruding from their foreheads, tarnished insectile wings protruding from their backs, and odd, puckering holes in their limbs. The rest of their features were identical, looking like mass-produced ken dolls by their smoothness.

“You really are repulsive, no matter what world you inhabit. You have my pity.”

The twins tilted their heads, then cracked their necks in unison.

“No response? Ah, right. You’re just infants, aren’t you? That skinwalking trollop doesn’t even have the decency to teach her minions how to speak the local language. How craven can you get?” Adagio smirked.

The changelings’ eyes flashed red, and misting clouds of fury wafted from the corners as if their tears were so hot they were vaporizing. The clearing was filled with the unmistakable taste of Buck’s seething anger.

“Did I strike a nerve? I expect that you’ll try to capture me, now.” Adagio said, taking a sip of her water.

The changelings charged, enveloped in a slimy green film of energy which splattered into the ground where Adagio had been standing.

“Careful now, you almost chipped one of my nails!”

The changelings split up and dashed around Adagio like manic dragonflies before charging at her like blazing red fireballs. Adagio moved with measured steps but caught a strike to the shoulder.

“Hmph!”

Adagio’s eyes swiveled to and fro, trying to predict their erratic movements, but whenever she dodged one, the other came biting at her from another direction. As fangs tried to snap at her throats Adagio moved like a fencer, reaching for her water bottle as if it were a blade at her hip. The changelings paused, smelling her devious intent.

“You’re more expendable than a condom wrapper.” Adagio sighed.

One of the changelings balled its fists and hissed, barreling at Adagio at breakneck speed.

A tendril of water whipped up and snatched the changeling by the ankle, taking its momentum into a wide swing. It had barely enough time to howl with shock before it splattered against a nearby tree.

The other changeling rushed over to its fallen ally and began lapping at the mess like a starving dog, drinking in the leaking mana. Its wings turned a reddish color to match its eyes, and its stringy muscles ballooned in size.

“How expectedly repulsive. I'd better finish this quick.”

Adagio pulled out her phone and tapped out a brief and concise message, managing to send it just as the beast charged again with double the power and fury.

Sunburst sat on his couch, laying a blanket over Dinky Doo.

He had just closed a book, glancing expectantly at his phone, when Dinky spoke.

“Uncle Sunburst?” Dinky yawned.

“Dinky?”

“Why did Gandalf want Bilbo to come along on the adventure so bad? It sounds sorta like Bilbo really liked sitting around with his books and his cheese and his tea and stuff. Why would a strong unicorn like Gandalf want to bring a Bushwoolie along with all those diamond dogs?”

“Well, Dinky, Gandalf is a funny old stallion. He has a way of looking at things in a way that others don’t. You know what I think?”

“No!” Ditzy smiled.

“I think Gandalf saw something special in Bilbo. He knew that even the most unassuming of creatures can make a big difference when put in the right place at the right time.”

“Uncle Sunburst?”

“Dinky?”

“What does una-un…that word you said, mean?”

“Unassuming? It means not pretentious or arrogant.”

“...”

“As in, something that doesn’t seem strong, or flashy, or practical! Something you wouldn’t think of as a big deal. Even something as small and meek as a Bushwoolie can change the whole world, as long as they do their best, and their friends believe in them.” Sunburst smiled.

“Uncle Sunburst?”

“Dinky?”

“Do you think…do you think people can do that too?”

“I believe that with all my heart, Dinky. Do you need anything before your nap? Juice? Water?”

“No, I think I’m-ZZZZzzzz…” Dinky drifted off on the spot.

Sunburst was just starting to wonder when he should broach the topic of narcolepsy with Ditzy Doo when his phone played a snippet of “Primadonna Girl” by Marina and the Diamonds.

“Must be Adagio.” Sunburst said. His eyes narrowed as he looked over a text.

It said ‘WILD GOOSE CHASE’ in all caps, followed by several frowny faces and a devil horns emoji.

About halfway to the water stand, Clear Sky put a hand on Ditzy’s shoulder.

“Okay. What’s going on? Is he blackmailing you? How did he trick you into this!?” Clear Sky said, reaching out to Ditzy.

“What? Nothing, no! He’s not tricking me! Buck would never do that!”

“Oh please, Ditzy, I’m not blind. He’s obviously a brute. I’ve heard about him, and not just from the news! They say he never leaves a woman the same once he’s done with her!” Clear Sky said, visibly shaken. Ditzy paused with her mouth open and had to collect herself.

“I don’t…think that means what you think it means.”

“Is he a criminal? Is he holding you hostage?”
“He’s just a man! A good man! A really, really good man who’s really doing his best!”

“Honey, he’s a thug.”

“If you don’t stop insulting him, I’ll show you a thug!” Ditzy growled.

“When did you get so violent!?” Clear Sky gasped. “Is he part of a gang? Are you in it now? Are you his…’bottom bitch’?”

“Oh my god. I thought my life was crazy before, but now I know it is.”

“I’m trying to save you! If we get in my car now, I can get you to a shelter and we can get you help!”

“Clear Sky, I am not in any-a shelter? Why not just bring me to your house?”

“You want me to be seen with you? In that skirt? What would the neighbors think?”

“I’m not being kidnapped, Clear Sky. Me and Buck were having a nice time until you butted in. He’s the sweetest man I’ve ever met.”

“Are you sure? He looks a bit…scruffy. Like, is that stubble a statement, or what?”

“He…! He cleans up good! That’s not the point! He loves me! He says it every day, sometimes multiple times because he forgot he said it already!”

“So what? Anyone can say that they love you! Is he hitting you?”

“No, he would never! He’s always treated me gently! Sometimes a little too gently, but he’s doing his best!”

“Oh, so he’s not a jerk, he’s too nice. You know, in some ways, that can be worse.”

“Now you’re just nitpicking. What about your guy? Everything I’ve heard from Buck about Quibble is that he…quibbles.”

“Quibble is…he has a lot to prove, but he’s really a very sweet, special man.” Clear Sky said. The two of them slowly started walking again, carrying on their conversation as they paid for some water bottles. And besides, I like a project. I’m sure you can relate.”

“Buck is not “a project”! “

“Well, he looks like a work in progress, if you know what I mean. How did you manage to snag him from that Adagio woman? I could have sworn they were dating when I saw them on the news.”

“I didn’t snag him! Okay, maybe I snagged him a little, but that sounds bad! Things just sorta worked out this way, and we’re figuring things out as we go.” Ditzy said.

"So why is she hanging around, then?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It’s complicated, and you just left him alone over there?”

“You pulled me away!”

“I thought you were in danger!”

“Well, I’m not. So how about when we get back with the water, you can take Quibble and leave us alone.” Ditzy said.

“What? But you have to tell me how all this happened! I want to hear all the juicy details!”

“Why?”

“Because we’re friends, aren’t we!?”

“Uh…no? You just sort of invited yourself to the sewing circle. I barely even know you.”

“Oh, that’s close enough. Besides, I can help you deal with that Adagio.”

“What do you mean?”

“When girls like you say things are ‘complicated’ with their guy, they usually mean that some other girl is trying to take them.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I’m just saying, if I were in your shoes, I’d put my foot down before he up and disappears on you.”

“I’m not worried about that.”

Ditzy and Clear Sky approached the bleachers. Where Adagio and Buck had been sitting was some empty space, with a contrite-looking Quibble sitting next to it.

“Where is he? Where did Buck go? Did Adagio drag him off somewhere!?” Ditzy said, grabbing Quibble by the collar. The water bottles fell around her feet.

“Don’t get hysterical, now! I thought you weren’t worried?” Clear Sky said.

“He ran off after Scootaloo and Wind Sprint!”

“What? Wind Sprint ran away? To where?”

“I don’t know! I think they might be filming a video or something; there was a big cloud of dust and then they were gone! Oh, and Buck said to give you this and that he’s really sorry.” Quibble said, placing Buck’s changeling stone necklace in Ditzy’s hand.

“What do you mean they’re gone? Where’s my child, Quibble?” Clear Sky’s tone got sweeter, but her eyes betrayed a sudden fury.

“Uh…” Quibble pointed to a small cloud of dust leading off the field and toward the campus proper.

Starlight emerged in a dark, dusty space. It smelled like slowly rotting plaster and looked like every crack house she’d seen in police procedural shows. Broken bottles and paper trash littered the floor, and the walls were riddled with holes. The cloaked figure stood in the middle of the room

“Well, lookie here. You actually took the bait.” Said a voice that had been gruffed by decades of cigarettes. The cloak was tossed off, revealing a man with dark brown skin and a white handlebar mustache. He was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.

Starlight brandished the concrete spear. It took both of her hands to wield it.

“We know what you’re after, and we’re not letting you get the sprinter girl or leech off the magic she makes.”

“We’re done with the runner. Only a matter of time before she pops.” The man said. He reached slowly behind his back, and instead of presenting a weapon, he produced an old fashioned stetson hat and placed it on his head.

“Not if we can help it!” Starlight said.

“That ain’t why I’m here today. My mission is you.”

“Where are we? Why are you here?”

“A little back’n forth? I can do that.” The man said, strolling deliberately around the perimeter. Starlight matched his every step, as if they were squaring off to cross blades.

“This here is a little abandoned buildin'over in the slums. As for the why; our leader wants you. I didn’t much ask the reason, but apparently you’re important enough to catch.”

Something about the casual expression on the old man’s face unnerved Starlight. She stayed tense as he rolled his sleeves up.

“You're here to catch me? Well, I'm here to catch you. I’m not letting another one of you freaks get away.” Starlight growled.

“You see me runnin’?” The man pulled a cigar from his pocket. He struck a match in his stubble and took a long drag. “I’m gonna make this as simple as possible. I’m not one for the whole “devotion” part’a this here posse. I’m a simple man with a simple job. I'm here to see what you can do, and take you back to base. Whether or not you got much in the way o’ magic, you’re comin’ with me.”

“Not if I can help it!" Starlight rushed forward, bringing the spear forward in a vicious stab.

"Let's find out if you can." The man punched a hole in the wall, and the whole building creaked. There was a groaning crunch as the spear connected.

The man’s arms and shoulders were covered in a bark of dusty wood. Where the spear had struck, there was the barest hint of an indent. Starlight jumped back as the man swiped with his free hand and just kept coming, feeling the shock in her arms as she blocked his heavy blows with the spear.

The man bobbed and weaved like a boxer, jabbing and hooking without slowing down. Starlight kept the spear between them, taking care not to trip as she backpedaled.

The portal flickered.

“I better make this quick!” Starlight feinted and then brought the concrete spear around in a bone-shattering swing. With a crash, the spear crumbled in two against the man's shoulder.

The man’s smile gleamed through the dust, and suddenly Starlight was flung against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

“He's tough…probably as tough as the last one. Don’t melee, keep him at range, stupid, wait for an opening…” Starlight groaned quietly, picking herself up from the pile of trash she’d been thrown into. Her hand went for her pocket.

“Come on, now! Where’s that fire I heard about? Didn’t you try an’ fight a dragon not too long ago?” The man approached slowly, his hand dragging through the wallpaper. Another creak came from the walls, and the wood on the man’s arms extended to cover his shoulders.

“I beat a dragon, just like I’m going to beat you!” Starlight barked, falling back and firing off a few arcane bolts. The man covered his face with his armored limbs, and in one fluid motion, Starlight drew a piece of quartz and fired a bolt.

It was a sound like a steak being seared. A hole was torn in the side of the man’s thigh, but he didn’t seem to notice. What Starlight noticed was that there was no blood.

“What are you doin’? It’s like you’re not even tryin’ to beat me!”

The man lunged with a haymaker, but Starlight rolled out of the way. A stud shattered in the wall behind her.

“He’s quick for a big guy. Stay low and out of reach.” Starlight mumbled. In times like this, she fell back on how Sunset Shimmer had taught her to fight. Keep moving, keep thinking.
Starlight fired another volley of cyan bolts, tearing a hole in the man’s calf. He stumbled for just a moment, then his smile returned as his boot stomped clean through the floor.

Wood crept up the man’s legs, turning into a pair of splintered greaves.

“Pokin’ holes in me ain’t gonna do much, girlie. I’m made of tougher stuff than that!” The man said, charging forward.

A bluff, Starlight thought as she dodged around another strike. He’s covering his limbs. Even if he can survive without them, he’s still protecting himself. There must be a limit to how much punishment he can take!

Starlight tried to block with the remainder of her spear, but the man kicked her bad leg and sent her stumbling.

“Now, why’re you limpin’ like you got the gout? You get a charlie horse from all that runnin’ around?”

“Shut up!” Starlight screamed. A blast of cyan light sent the man hurtling through a wall. A piece of quartz disintegrated, spent. Starlight tried to check her emotions, but she felt a familiar old fury from being infantilized by this grizzled cowboy.

The man rose slowly to his feet in the adjacent room. The left side of his body was covered in carnage, chunks of flesh having been blasted away, but the building creaked and his butchered limbs were enfolded in more wooden armor.

“Well, well, you’ve got somethin’ behind all that talk after all. Tell me, how’re you doin’ all that with just some basic components?” The man said as he swiped at the dust that had been kicked up.

His only answer was a thud as his arms were suddenly restrained to his sides. A sticky web of mana lashed around the man’s body, he fell to the ground.

“I’m the one asking the questions around here.” Starlight said. One of the heads on her velvet worm shriveled up as she swapped it for another piece of quartz. “And you’d better answer them if you don’t want me to break your bones!”

The man smiled and whistled.

“Hey now, that was pretty crafty! You passed the first test, girl. I guess it’s time I got-”

*WHACK*

Starlight smacked him across the face with the remainder of her rod of concrete, yet the man managed to keep his cigar clenched in his teeth.

“I guess it’s-”

*WHACK*

“Spoilsport.” The man grumbled.

The cigar suddenly erupted in a gout of flame, driving Starlight back. Fire licked up the threshold and walls as the man pulled himself to his feet. Starlight took a step back.

The smile that greeted her came from the bowels of hell.

“Let’s see how you handle this, little missy.”

Scootaloo was trying not to think too hard about it. She had messed up, sure, but it wasn’t really her fault, was it? She was basically a trainee, and there was no way of knowing that Wind Sprint had been listening, and this was all just a misunderstanding! All she had to do was catch the girl and explain things, and everything would be okay!

Except she barely understood her new magic, she had no idea what to do about Wind Sprint’s magic, and come to think of it, she didn’t really know what she was doing.

What Scootaloo did know was how to run.

The sun beat down on Scootaloo’s pumping arms and legs, covering her in a sheen of sweat as she chased Wind Sprint across walkways, around corners, and up fire escapes until at last, Wind Sprint doubled over at the edge of the roof of the auditorium, doubled over from the exertion.

“Careful! If you stay bent like that after running so hard, you might throw up!”

“Stop acting like you care about me!” Wind Sprint turned and shouted, her hair waving in a sudden wind. “You never did! No one does!”

“That’s not true! I care about you, and so do my friends! We’re all worried about you, and we’re just trying to help!”

“What are you talking about? What friends!?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but what this is, what’s happening to you is magic! I’ve been hanging out with you, because there’s wind magic that’s sorta, like, bubbling up from inside you! And if you keep being all angsty and stuff, uh…something bad will happen, I dunno!”

“So you admit it!”

“What?”

“Magic! Are you serious!? So this whole time, you let me think you were going to be my friend, because of magic!?”

“That’s not totally the-”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Wind Sprint shrieked, and Scootaloo’s world took a sudden trip. Scootaloo’s thoughts raced against the concrete rising to meet her.

She didn’t know any fancy incantations, and she hadn’t put down any spell circles. All she knew was what she had been told about casting. She tried to keep the equation in her mind.

First, she bounced upward on a burst of air. A bit of quartz crumbled in her hand, but it bought her enough time to act.

Her hand dipped into her pocket and came back with a bit of golden string. She saw Wind Sprint’s back racing across the rooftops ahead. Scootaloo tried to find the wind.

“Pleaseworkpleaseworkpleaseworkpleasework!”

Instead of the crunch of bone on concrete, a warbling twang echoed through the air. Scootaloo was snatched along by a rope of purple light which had snared Wind Sprint by the waist, swinging like a monkey on a vine right past a row of classroom windows.

“Shit, shit shit shit! This is so not sneaky! Starlight’s gonna kill me!” Scootaloo whined as she shut her eyes against the countless camera flashes.

The sidewalk came up to meet Scootaloo as she was towed along at a ludicrous pace. The arcane lasso was wrapped around her wrist, and for a few seconds, did her best to scramble along the ground and dodge through the narrow spaces between campus buildings.

“Okayokayokay, think fast, think fast! She’s gotta get tired soon, right? She can’t just keep putting out magic, ‘cause humans don’t have a lot, so all I gotta do is keep up until she gets tired! I just have to save my energy! Right? Right! If I can just get a…aha!” Out on the quad, there was a kid walking along with a backpack and a cruiser skateboard. Scootaloo didn’t have any time to slow down; she just snatched the board out from under his arm.

“Hey, what the fuck!”

“I’msorryIpromiseI’llgiveitbaaaaack!”

Scootaloo threw the board under her feet, and suddenly she didn’t have to run anymore! That was one problem solved, but others came rushing at her, forcing Scootaloo to swerve and ollie and spin her way around them as Wind Sprint charged across the quad.

First came the sign outside of the lunchroom, which Scoots vaulted over with an airburst, then a streetlamp, then a fire escape, then a chimney cap threatening to trip her back down to ground level.

Scootaloo pulled on the rope, hauling herself gradually closer to Wind Sprint. She could see students and faculty whizzing by.

“Will you stop following me!?” Wind Sprint panted, leaping across a gap in the roofs.

“I can’t! If I leave you alone, something really bad’s going to happen!” Another airburst, another piece of quartz used.
Scootaloo whipped around a corner, hitting grass and barely managing to stay on the board. Wind Sprint was at ground level, and despite the shortness of her breath, she show no signs of slowing down.

“What’re you talking about!?” Wind Sprint said, looking back.

“Like running full speed into a light pole!” Scootaloo said, pointing forward.

Wind Sprint just barely made a sharp turn around one of the towering light poles ringing the football field. Unfortunately, she didn’t move fast enough to avoid catching the lasso on the pole, and so she and Scootaloo snapped around and slammed into each other, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

“Oww…” Scootaloo opened her eyes to see a bewildered Wind Sprint, who was laying on top of her.

“Scoots! Scoots? Y’allright?” Buck said, running over to the two. His shirt was wet with sweat and he was breathing heavily.

“Whuuuuuh…Buck? When’d you get here?”

“I was…haah…holy shit…I was tryin’ to catch up and see if I could help, and y’all double-backed around, and uh…am I interruptin’ something?”

There was an awkward silence, but a blush formed on Wind Sprint’s face as she realized how close to Scootaloo she was.

“Uh..what? Why’re you looking at me like that? Were you thinking that-oooh!” Scootaloo said, connecting some dots in her brain. “Oh, look, you’re really cool and stuff, but I’m like six years older than you, and that would just be weird!.” Scootaloo blurted.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Wind Sprint shouted, running off in another gust of air. Scootaloo looked at the arcane lasso around her wrist for a moment, watching it pick up tension. She quickly grabbed Buck by the arm.

“Plant your feet!” Scootaloo said.

Buck gritted his teeth and barely budged an inch as the rope tightened, leaving Wind Sprint to run in place.

“Will you quit running? I’m just trying to talk to you!” Scootaloo shouted.

“I don’t wanna talk to you! I don’t wanna talk to anyone!”

“Scoots, it sounds like lassoing this girl is making things way worse.”

“But if we let her go, she’ll go turn into a an angry cyclone with horse ears, or whatever! Maybe you should talk to her, you’re good at this stuff!”

“Maybe if we get her to calm down! Isn’t her Mom around here?”

“Actually, that might be even more of a problem. And…ooh, speaking of…” Scoots said, wincing.

Ditzy had come around the corner, running in Buck’s direction with Clear Sky right behind her and Quibble taking up the rear. Ditzy’s expression was the wrath of god and a disappointed math teacher rolled into one. Clear Sky’s expression was much clearer than that.

“Wind Sprint! What in the world are you doing!?” Clear Sky shouted furiously as she approached from across the field.

By now, the chaos on campus was starting to catch up, and people from around the school were wandering toward the scene.

All of this served to intensify the blush on Wind Sprint’s face. She came to a dead halt as her greatest nightmare came to pass.

“Mom! What are you doing here!?”

“No, no, I’m asking the questions here! I came here to support you, and this is the thanks I get? You run off the track, you start roughhousing with a couple of dumb thugs-”

“Hey!” Scootaloo said, while Buck shrugged.

“And whats this I’m hearing about magic!? Is there anything else you’re hiding from me!? Is this all because I said that running wasn’t a great idea?”

“Mom, it’s not like that, things are just weird and complicated and I don’t want to-”

“Oh, it’s complicated? It’s complicated, so you have to make a scene here and embarrass us in front of this whole school, even though I came out to support you?”

“Now hold on a minute-” Ditzy tried.

“No! I didn’t even want you to be here today! Why don’t you take your boyfriend and go adopt a new kid so you can leave me alone!?” Wind Sprint said.

“Enough. I’m sick of the whining, I’m sick of you disrespecting me and Quibble, and I’m sick of all this dramatic nonsense! You are coming home with me, and we are going to have a serious talk about your future here.”

Silence descended with a silent crash, shattering Wind Sprint’s heart. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. The wind rose, blowing Ditzy’s skirt around.

“Oh great, now I’m the bad guy.”

“You always do this! Ever since Dad died, you have done nothing but act like everything I do is a mistake waiting to happen, and you always have something to say about it! I’m sick of it! You don’t even care about what I want, you just want me to pretend like everything is fine, and we’re perfectly normal, but it’s not! We’re not!”

“That is enough out of you, young lady!”

“Stop treating me like a kid! I’M NINETEEN YEARS OLD! I GET TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANT, AND I WANT ALL OF YOU TO GO AWAY!”

The lasso of force blew away like dust on the wind, and so did the earth beneath Wind Sprint’s feet. Buck heard the heart-chilling howl of a tempest.

He managed to drag Ditzy and Scoots to the ground just as a baseball bat flew through the air toward them, followed by a football helmet, then a tennis racket, and then an automatic pitching machine.

The teenaged sprinter rose into the air, eyes filled with white light as a pair of glowing purple wings unfurled from her back.

Wind Sprint was awakening, and a storm was waking with her.

“Hey…Sunburst?”

“Buck? What’s going on over there? You sound shaken.”

“We’re…we're gonna need some damage control, man.”

“Okay, what kind?”

“Do you think your organization can fix tornado damage?”

“I’ll get right on that.”

“Thanks, babe.”

Buck shuddered and covered his ears. It was an all too familiar sound; a destructive wind howling a mournful song. It brought Buck back to a horrible time and place. Flooded streets. Floating bodies. Wind through telephone wires.

He shut his eyes and tried desperately to not freeze up, but then he felt a hand on his back.

"Buck? Buck, are you okay? What's wrong?"

It was Ditzy Doo, and despite the guilt he still carried, he was immensely relieved just to have her here. Buck turned and hugged Ditzy tight.

"Oh! Okay, okay…you're alright, Buck. It's alright."

Just ahead of them was bedlam. All around the athletic field, people were rushing to a safe distance where they could catch the action on their phones. Clear Sky was caught in pure astonishment, while Quibble had fainted outright.

A twister had torn up the athletic field, whipping up a storm of whirling sports equipment.
Somewhere in the center of that mess was Wind Sprint, and on the edge of the field, Scootaloo gawped at the unfolding disaster.

“Uhhh…maybe we should call in Starlight? Where is she, anyway?”

“She and Adagio ran off. Probably some other shit’s goin’ down. I…I think you’re on your own on this one, Scoots.” Buck said, shivering.

“What!? But, but, she’s like a freaking tornado! What am I supposed to do!?”

“You! Whatever you’ve done to my daughter, you are going to reverse it right now!” Clear Sky said.

“She didn’t do anything, Clear Sky! Your daughter is freaking out because of you!” Ditzy spoke up.

“Yeah, Scoots is a good bean! She was just trying to help!” Buck said.

“You’re a girl?” Clear Sky squinted.

“Not important! Okay, okay, okay, what did Starlight teach me? Wind Sprint is a tornado, she’s a pegasus, so she’s Chaos/Ethereal. She’s not gonna run out of wind, but she’s deffo gonna run outta magic soon, 'cause Chaos/Ethereal spells don't last long. So someone needs to catch her, but how am I gonna get in there with all that junk flying around? Oh, I’ve already messed up so much!” Scootaloo paced back and forth.

“If I could make a suggestion, I think you’re entirely capable of tying this up, little birdie!”

Adagio emerged from the crowd of gawkers, carrying an armload of water bottles. She looked a bit rumpled, and her hair had lost its luster.

“Adagio! Where’d you get that water?” Scootaloo brightened.

“Someone just left them rolling around in the stands! What luck! With these, I can create a small ramp to get you up there, but the rest is up to you.”

“But what am I supposed to do when I get there!?”

“You’ll just have to play it by ear. I’m sure Buck can help you with that.”

“What? Me?”

“Yes, you! First I’ll need some of your energy to get us started.” Adagio extended a hand to Buck, who looked bashfully at Ditzy Doo for a moment.

“What?” Ditzy blinked.

“So the thing about my magic is that I’ve got to-”

“There’s no time, just give it here!” Adagio grabbed Buck’s hand and her hair poofed outward, her skin glowing yellow for a moment.

Adagio hummed a brief tune, smirking at Ditzy, then the water bottles erupted in a stream that swiftly froze into a short, high ramp. Scootaloo dropped the skateboard at the start of the ramp, still looking unsure as it crackled underfoot.

“Uh, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’ve only got one piece of quartz left, and I don’t think that’s enough.”

“Components? Oh, please, we don’t need that peasant magic! We have Buck!”

“I don’t understand! What are you going to do, and why are you holding her hand!?” Ditzy said. Buck cringed and let go of Adagio. Adagio could taste the potent flame of his magic diminish in an instant.

“No, no you don’t! You need to turn around and give these two some privacy.” Adagio barked.

“What!?”

“You heard me! Buck has been practicing a technique, but it’s a bit intimate, and you are obviously holding him back!”

“What did you say!?” Ditzy said, growing furious. Adagio took a step toward her. Her tone became frigid.

“I said; you are holding him back. As usual.”

“Adagio, come on, let’s not-”

“We don’t have time for this! Shame is the enemy of genuine emotion, and you need genuine emotion for magic! You two stepford wives need to give these two some privacy, now!”

Clear Sky looked at Ditzy with utter confusion. Ditzy stared at Adagio, but her expression softened, just a bit.

“Now." Adagio hissed. In that instant, her eyes flashed red, her teeth sharpened and gills rose on her neck.
Clear Sky and Ditzy turned around immediately.

“Why are you blushing?” Clear Sky mumbled.

“Shut up!” Ditzy whispered.

“Alright, Buck! It’s time for your test! You obviously can’t give me mana transference, but I’m sure your feelings for little Scootaloo are much clearer!” Adagio said, with a pained smile.

“‘Dagio, I’m sorry I ran off on you, but I-”

“No! Not now. We can talk about it later, and oho, we will talk about it later, Buck, but right now, I need you to give this one what she needs.”

“What? Out here? In front of everyone!?” Scootaloo squeaked.

“You know what to do, Buck.” Adagio sighed. “Earnest wish. Go on.”
Buck looked to Scootaloo, who by now had turned red. She couldn’t seem to meet his eyes, so he walked around behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Scoots, I’m not mad about what happened or what you said. You’re stressed out and things are weird right now, and you don’t gotta explain it to me. We’re cool.”

“Okay, that’s good, that’s great, but how’s that gonna stop me from screwing this whole thing up!?”

“You’re not gonna screw it up. You’re gonna get in there, you’re gonna save that girl, and you’re probably gonna do some sick flips.”

“Buck, I dunno…maybe I’m not cut out for this. I tried to talk to her, and it just made things worse! Maybe…maybe I’m not really a hero like Starlight or Sunset or Rainbow Dash! Maybe running is the only thing I’m good for…”

“Is that what you’re worried about? Not measuring up?”

“Well, yeah! Everybody’s got something! Starlight knows a million spells, Sunburst knows stuff in general, Adagio’s aquaman and you’re good at, like…uh…”

Across the field, the tornado was moving at a casual crawl. One of several storage sheds crumbled like a gingerbread house as it was sucked into the vortex.

“Fuck shit. You can say it.” Buck sighed.

“But you’ve got more magic than all of us combined! And what’ve I got? A little puff of air! Rainbow Dash can run faster than a race car, and all I can do is keep you cool on a hot day!”

“Well, you’re not RD, so why bother comparin’ yourself to her?”

“You don’t get it, Buck, Rainbow Dash is…”

“No, I do get it! She was your idol. You wanted to be like her so bad, you went into sprinting just to try and catch up! I know what its like to wanna be like the Rainbooms, Scoots. They’re my friends, too. But you don’t gotta be like Rainbow Dash!”

“But Rainbow Dash would-”

“She’s not here right now! She’s fuckin’, I dunno, gettin’ put on a cereal box or an energy drink or something! You’re here now, and you’re the only one that’s got the moves to get up there and talk some sense into that girl!”

“But what if I mess it up?”

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Oh, yes I do.”

“How!?”

Adagio tried to hide her smile as she watched Buck work. This too was part of his charm, and she was keenly aware that he didn’t know it. A fine pink warmth enveloped his hands and spread through Scootaloo. Her posture straightened and her shoulders squared even as she protested Buck’s advice.

Adagio was so bemused by Buck's performance, she nearly forgot that she was cross with him.

“Because the Scoots I know doesn’t run away from crazy bullshit; she runs straight into it without a second thought. It’s the same Scoots that plays a batpony who always speaks her mind and never regrets the trouble she gets into. The same Scoots that never, not even once in her life has shied away from a new experience! She’s a baddass, knife throwin’ lady, and anybody that’s got a problem with that can kiss her cute lil’ ass!”

“You think my butt is cute!?”

“Not the point! Point is, you got this. I believe in you, and you’re pretty much the only person that girl’s gonna listen to.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“But what am I supposed to say!?”

“Oh, that’s the easy part.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. Just say what she needs to hear. Now get in there!” Buck slapped Scootaloo on the ass as if they were old workout buddies, and like a lightbulb switching on, the aura that had been gradually enveloping her ignited into a pink flame.

A sound like a cannon boomed across the athletic field, and Scootaloo catapulted off the ramp and into the air.

“Okay, what the heck was that?” Ditzy said, running up to Buck and Adagio.

“That,” Adagio smiled. “Is Buck’s power. It’s why everything and everyone that uses magic wants a piece of him.”

The glowing human-sized bullet of blazing pink energy known as Scootaloo began to dip in the air, then another blast jumped it upwards, then another and another, bouncing it through the air until it disappeared into the twister.

“Is she going to be okay?” Ditzy asked.

“Oh, she’ll be fine! She might…crave his magic after this. It’s very euphoric to feel that amount of magic coursing through you, almost like a constant, gentle orgasm.” Adagio said.

“Okay! Too much information! Now that this is dealt with, can we go home?” Ditzy said, turning to Buck.

“What? Don’t you wanna stick around and make sure Scoots makes it out alright?”

“I thought that was Starlight’s job?”

“Actually, that’s a good point.” Adagio produced her phone, poked it a bit, then groaned.

“What? What’s going on?”

“According to Sunburst, Starlight has failed to get in touch in the allotted time. That means she’s probably fighting for her life right now. Come along, Buck. We need to hurry.”

Adagio took Buck by the wrist and was surprised when he didn’t budge. She looked back and saw that Ditzy had his other hand.

“Buck, you don’t have to do this. Starlight is a professional; she can handle herself!”

“Oh, here we go again! Still determined to block him at every turn, I see?” Adagio said, rolling her eyes.

“You just want to get Buck into these situations so you’ll have an excuse to drink his magic, you old hag!” Ditzy said.

“Muffin!” Buck gawped.

“And you want to keep him wrapped around you like the security blanket you so desperately need, little girl.”

“‘Dagio, come on! You both need to back down.”

“That’s simply not an option, Buck. Your sweet little barbie doll can say whatever she wants about me, but I am a woman who keeps her promises. I said that I would cooperate today, and I will not allow this operation to fall apart just because little miss Ditzy Doo is afraid of your magic!”

“I am not afraid of his magic!” Ditzy blustered.

“Then you’re ashamed of it. Same difference. Or perhaps you're just ashamed of being with a man who ‘has a reputation.” Adagio said, sneering at Clear Sky.

“Wh-I never said that-”

“Did you forget that I can taste your emotions? You’re being obscured by that disgusting trinket right now, but you started to stink of shame the second she arrived.”

Ditzy looked to Buck, whose even expression had drooped into one of hollow disappointment.

“Buck, listen, it’s not like that! I was caught up in the moment, and-”

“And she admits it. Wonderful. Well, you two clearly have a lot to talk about, but you can’t do it right now. Lives are at stake.”

“Right.” Buck sighed. “Ditzy, I’m gonna come back, alright? Would you hold on to that necklace for me?”

“Okay, Buck…I love you.” Ditzy said.

“I love you too.”

Their kiss was brief, but genuine enough to bring a frown to Adagio’s smug face.

As soon as Adagio and Buck were out of earshot, Ditzy turned to Clear Sky, ready to scream in her face.
She saw instead that Clear Sky’s makeup was running. She stared fearfully up at the twister that was her daughter.

“What have I done?”

Ditzy gritted her teeth and closed a fist, and for a second she thought very hard about clocking Clear Sky right in the teeth. Instead, she took a breath.

“You drove your daughter to a tantrum that you can’t fix on your own. Luckily for you, there are people around that can get her down from there, but once she’s on the ground, you gotta apologize.”

“What?”

“That’s the first thing. You need to apologize to your daughter. And then the two of you have to talk about whatever it is that’s going on with her.” Ditzy said, touching Clear Sky’s shoulder.

“But, I’ve already make such of mess of this! I’m a failure of a mother!” Clear Sky sobbed into Ditzy’s chest. Ditzy’s mind worked overtime to try and find the right words.

“You’ve really, really gotta show her you care and that you’re sorry. Parenting is hard, and sometimes we make mistakes, but if we don’t fix, er…work through them, our kids will carry those mistakes forward.”

“Okay…who told you that? That’s very wise.”

“My Mom. Sheeee….made a lot of mistakes. but everyone once in a while, she had something to say.”

“Clearly.” Clear Sky sniffled. “I hope she didn’t dress you.”

“...You’re a bitch, Clear Sky.” Ditzy sighed, patting the woman’s back.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong.” Buck huffed as he and Adagio ran through the crowd back toward where Starlight had run off.

“I’m never wrong!” Adagio smiled.

“You’re not wrong, you’re just bein’ a rude bitch.” Buck finished. Adagio scoffed.

“I’m being pragmatic! Perhaps I should educate you on the concept since you always have to do things the hard way!”

“Well, you hurt Ditzy’s feelings, and you hurt mine, too. I asked you not to stir up trouble, and you turn around and throw that in my face!”

“Wh-I, well, you…! It needed to be said! If you don’t mind being held by a leash, far be it from me to kinkshame, but I will not allow that woman to strangle you away from your potential!”

“Here we go, with the potential! Everybody’s got somethin’ to say about who I am or what I’m supposed to do!”

“Oh, I bet. You’ve gotten very popular lately, Buck. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t let her hold you back!”

“I get it! I get it, alright!? Just next time, when I ask you to be cool, can you actually do it?”

“I didn’t mean to go back on my word! I’ll, I’ll make it up to you, Buck!” Adagio said, desperately.

"You can't say that you want me out of the action one moment, then change your mind the next!"

"If circumstances were different, I would let you lounge at home with your precious little housewife, but you and I both know that's not what you want! Why else would you come out here today?"

"Stop it! Just stop it! I want to trust you, but you can't keep jabbing at me like this!"

"You don't even trust yourself, Buck!" Adagio said as they came around to the back of the locker room.

At the other end of the wall, there was a portal of shimmering grey smoke. It began to blink in and out of reality. “That’s it! Oh, but it’s closing! We need to hurry!”

Buck let go of Adagio’s hand and broke into a football sprint. His knees rose high and his arms pumped, and he felt a familiar burning sensation in his lungs. Adagio was running just at his side. Neck and neck, they raced for the portal as it got smaller and thinner with each passing moment.

Starlight had warned Scootaloo that too much magic could corrupt her. She didn’t feel evil or anything. She wasn’t laughing maniacally; she was smiling ear to ear. She felt like she was being carried on Buck's shoulders, like every laugh they had shared was bubbling in her stomach. She could feel what Buck felt as he hyped her up. He was telling the truth; he understood her, he accepted her, and he believed in her.

It was like the first time she cleared a jump on her old scooter times a thousand. When you got sick air like that, it felt like you could fly.

A baseball bat zipped by Scootaloo's head, followed by a couple of rocks.

Scootaloo wasn’t flying, but she wasn’t falling either. She was crouched, holding on to the skateboard with one hand and touching her head with the other. She could feel a pair of ears up there and was struck by the bizarre knowledge that she had two sets, now.

Boy, was it loud in here.

She touched around her shoulders, and couldn’t feel any wings, but knew the unique sensation of something fluttering between her shoulder blades. Weird.

The sun was beaming down through the open top of the whirlwind. It was clear and beautiful, not a single cloud in sight.

Everywhere Scoots looked, she saw objects that really shouldn’t be flying. There were backpacks and football armor and a bunch of old desks and chunks of wood, roofing, and foundation, all suspended in the air. Scootaloo looked up and saw a purple dot that must have been Wind Sprint. If she fell from that height…

But no, there was no time to think. It was time to be awesome.

Scootaloo’s hands pointed behind her, and a pink gale pushed her forward, just under a flying exercise bike.

Scootaloo whooped with joy, boosting through the air with another powerful burst, each blast of magic like the beating of a falcon’s wings. There was no gravity here. She was unlimited. Free!

It was like a dream; everything seemed to be slowing down, but in the back of Scootaloo’s mind, she knew that if even a single thing in this wind tunnel hit her, it would be lights out.

She slid along a pole vault, then spun like a fighter jet through a flying flock of sprinting hurdles. It was like something out of a dream.

Higher she thought. Higher! She could almost touch the sky!

Her heart sank as she saw it. The shadow in gym shorts, striding along a row of floating barbells like it was completely natural, rainbow hair fluttering in the breeze. Scootaloo chased it, higher and higher, around and around in this flying deathtrap, boosting through the air, pushing with everything she had. Her breath was getting shallow, and her lungs were burning as she bounced through the air, wavering like a leaf in an updraft.

A flying desk clipped the board out from under her, and Scootaloo spun, but she wouldn’t fall. She couldn’t fall now; everyone was waiting for her. Wind Sprint needed her. Rainbow Dash was watching.

The solitary figure floated above a chunk of grassy field in the center of the storm. Scootaloo could see purple wings shining in the light.

Scootaloo’s pink, blazing aura was flickering. She didn’t have any time. She had to clutch this out right now, or they were both dead. She gave off another chain of violent airbursts, narrowly avoiding dodgeballs and mouth guards and training cones.

Closer, faster, higher and higher, Scootaloo pushed, eyes squinting, teeth gritted. She was almost there!

Wind Sprint’s eyes were glowing white, but Scootaloo could see tears shimmering away from her face. Just a little closer, Scootaloo thought. Her arms extended. She screamed the girl’s name.

It was so loud and so bright, Scootaloo shut her eyes. For a moment, she dreamt. She remembered something important.

It was about a decade ago, and Scootaloo was on the verge of tears. She had bruises and cuts all over.

People were cheering, but not for her, because in the last round of the Canterlot High Junior Trick Off, she had managed to beef it on the last flip.

Her scooter was in two or three pieces, and her pride was shattered. The crowd picked the winner up while Scootaloo was pulled to her feet by a cyan hand.

“Let me tell you a secret. It’s not really about winning, Squirt.” Rainbow Dash said.

“What? Get out of here! You’re just saying that ‘cause you win all the time!” Scootaloo sniffed.

“Well…yeah, but you were great out there! So your first time in a pipe contest didn’t work out, so what?”

“So what!? So…so, my scooter’s busted and everybody saw me fall on my face!”

“Well sure, but that’s just it! If you weren’t out there killing it in the first place, you wouldn’t have fallen at all!”

“So you’re saying there’s no point in trying?”

“No! I’m saying, nobody in that crowd had the guts to try what you tried out there, so you should be proud! You don’t get to be awesome by standing on the sidelines, you get awesome by trying your best and being yourself! I might’ve fallen off my board like a zillion times before I could do half the stuff you were doing out there!”

“But you’re like…like,super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing at every sporty thing ever! There’s no way you fell!”

“No, I did. Twilight’s got video.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…how about this, I’ll get her to fix your ride, if you promise not to show anybody those videos. Deal?” Rainbow offered her hand.

“It’s a deal!” Scootaloo threw herself into the older girl’s arms and laughed as her hair was tousled.

“And hey, just remember that no matter how many times you fall, you’re always gonna be you. And the Squirt I know is awesome. Don’t ever forget that, ‘kay?”

“Okay!”

A light thud.

Scootaloo opened her eyes to find that she had tackled Wind Sprint, but the young sprinter hadn’t fallen over. She was curled up in a floating ball, sobbing with her mouth closed, trying to shut out everything in the world.

“Wind Sprint! Wind Sprint, you’ve gotta listen to me! I know how you feel! You don’t have anything to prove!”

“You don’t understand! You’re awesome all the time! No one ever second-guesses you, or tries to push you away from what you wanna do! Every time I try anything, I’ve gotta prove myself to someone; my Mom, you, or the memory of my Dad! And I’m never, EVER GOOD ENOUGH!” Wind Sprint howled, and the wind howled with her.

“No, I do get it! You’re out here doing your best, and you feel like you have to be on this grind all the time, or you’re never gonna be anybody! I know that you look up to me, and those feelings can get all mushy and mixed up, and that’s okay, too! It’s okay to mess up, and it’s okay to give up and try something else when the thing you want to do doesn’t work out! You don’t have to be like your dad or your mom or anyone else! You just have to be the best you, each and every day, and things will turn out fine!”

Wind Sprint’s eyes blinked away the blinding glare, and Scootaloo saw the hurt welling up from inside them. The uncertainty and the fear. And the hope. They were the same eyes she looked at Rainbow Dash with.

“How can you know that!?”

The platform of dirt disintegrated. Scootaloo was dimly aware that the two of them were falling, hand in hand, and the ground was starting to get closer.

“Because even though I’ve only known you for a little while, I know how awesome you can be! You don’t need to hide in my shadow or anyone elses’!”

“But how am I supposed to know what to do if I don’t follow anybody!? How will I know where to go!?”

“You won’t! Sometimes you’ll mess up, or you’ll get lost, and that’s okay, too! You don’t have to follow me; we can go together!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! You don’t need a mentor; you need a friend!”

Even as the world was rising below them, even as all the debris and gear began to fall as the tornado died, and even facing certain death at terminal velocity, Wind Sprint, and Scootaloo hugged.

Then, Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked down.

“Although right now it would be really cool if you could use those wings to save us, because I don’t think mine are gonna cut it!”

“But, but, I don’t know how these things work!”

“Just try! What’ve you got to lose!?”

It wasn’t like the buzzing behind Scootaloo’s back. Wind Sprint’s wings were long and slender like an albatross. They extended awkwardly, wiggling while Wind Sprint bit her lip.

The ground got closer.

Scootaloo could see Ditzy Doo and a pink lady watching with clear attention. Adagio and Buck were gone. That was good. She didn’t want them to see her turn into a stain. She remembered Adagio’s breath at her ear and Buck’s big, skillful hands and how it was so rough and fast but so tender and strange, and she really wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing, even now. She wondered what she would say to them.

“Thank you” seemed about right.

She hoped that Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were okay.

And then there was a great beat of Wind Sprint’s wings, but it seemed like it was a bit too late. The rush of air in Scootaloo’s hair reversed and her head rolled with whiplash, and then everything was silent.

Wind Sprint awoke with a start. The ringing in her ears was louder than anything she had ever heard. She was being shaken gently. She saw her mother’s hair glowing like a halo.

She blinked.

Her mother was holding her, and as the static cleared from her throbbing head, she heard something she never thought possible.

An apology.

“I never meant to discourage you, and I’m sorry that I’ve alienated you, and I’m sorry that I moved on so fast! I didn’t want to see you go down the same route as your father and I wanted to find a normal life again, but I moved too fast and I must have neglected you, honey, and I’m so sorry! I love you, sweetheart, and I promise that it’s going to be okay!”

She could feel tears on her cheek. Wind Sprint looked up and saw her mother’s terror melt into a smile of pure relief.

“Mom…I don’t…I think I need to go lay down.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. As long as you’re okay, it’s fine.”

“Yeah, I’m not fine. Can you get offa me, please?” Scootaloo groaned.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Wind Sprint said, shuffling off, trying to wiggle out of her mom’s death grip.

“Scootaloo! Are you okay?” Ditzy Doo said. Scootaloo winced as Ditzy supported her back, sitting up. She shut her eyes against a stabbing pain.

“That depends. Does my ankle look as yikes as it feels?”

“Oh…oh no, it’s twisted and red. I don’t know…I, uh, maybe I should call an ambulance, huh?”

“No no no, Aunt Ruthie would kill me if she had to pay for another ambulance ride so soon! Get me to Starlight! She might have some healing crystals, or something!"

"Uh, Starlight is kind of busy, somewhere."

"Oh, uh, well, can you help me find somewhere I can put my leg up?"

"Sure. Gimmie your arm. You can sit in my back seat, 'kay?"

"Okay..."

As Ditzy helped Scootaloo hobble in the direction of the parking lot, she couldn't help but notice she was being stared at.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just...You're really calm right now."

"I've been here before, that's all." Ditzy sighed.

The wooden armor on the man’s limbs crackled like logs in the fireplace, the bark prickling like a hedgehog’s spines; with a spark, they became wreathed in flames. A pair of equine ears sprouted on the man’s head, protruding through his stetson hat.

When are you going to learn, Starlight thought. When are you going to learn to stop running off on your own? How many times can you make this mistake before it kills you? The thought of Adagio in the rainy alleyway haunted Starlight. How could someone lying face down look so smug and superior?

The webs that Starlight had cast burned away. And with a grunt, the man came charging forward, swinging his blazing arms. It was all Starlight could do to turn his blows away with the piece of concrete, hopping away as the man swept at her leg. Every movement the man made scattered smoke and embers, lighting up the dilapidated apartment with quickly spreading flames.

Starlight’s eyes watered in the spreading haze, her sight obscured.

Suddenly, a blazing fist came swinging out of the smoke in an uppercut and snatched the piece of concrete, trying to wrench it out of Starlight’s hand.

“Let go!” Starlight shouted, holding on with all her strength.

“I was just about to say the same thing!” The man laughed. The concrete smoldered red before detonating like a firecracker.

“Gah!” Starlight pulled away, escaping the burst of shrapnel., but not the burning armored boot that slammed into her stomach.

Starlight clutched at her guts. At this rate, there was no way she’d be able to capture this guy. All she had left was her shield spell and some bits of quartz. At best, she could try to tire him out, and at worst, she might have to run away and get her enemy’s help.

“What’s wrong, girly? Can’t stand the heat?”

Starlight turned and saw the portal wavering. She had seconds to make a choice. Her feet suddenly felt heavy, weighed down by decision.

She screamed in her head to move in any direction, just move, when she heard the portal open behind her.

The man stood still, surrounded by a cloud of black smoke, looking past Starlight, arms up in anticipation.

"Whatever water powers you're bringing to the table, now's a good time to use them. It's only a matter of time before this fire spreads and we get smoked out." Starlight said, through gritted teeth.

"Uhh…yeah, about that?” Said a familiar voice. “I’ve got some bad news."

Starlight looked back and saw the portal close behind Buck. He was not wearing his changeling stone necklace, and he looked as he did at the aquarium several weeks ago, terrified and determined.

Adagio was nowhere to be seen.

Author's Note

Song Review: Bedroom community is about a girl trapped in an emotional spiral because she isn't able to express who she truly is. A bedroom community in this context is basically a suburban sprawl, but I think the term can also be applied to young outcasts that are stuck in a performance that's been placed on them by society and their parents.
"And as she gets up to shut the bedroom door behind her
He stands right beside her, she's trying to get her head on straight
With box dye hair to match her black thigh highs
And scratched nail polish, she performs femininity
She laughs so hard I watch her lose her balance, fall over backwards
To the arms of Mephistopheles
But she'll never leave her bedroom in this bedroom community."
A lot of these (oftentimes LGBTQ) kids just don't fit the mold that high school expects of them, unable to cauterize their feelings and personalities to be "normal" and so they only feel safe alone or online.
The arms of Mephistopheles, I think is an excellent metaphor for experimentation into discovering your true self. Finding subversive, odd or outcast aesthetics and culture that fits your emotional space is deeply important, and it's likely the reason why so many kids have a "magic" phase and an "anime" phase, or hell, even a "brony" phase.