Mirror: Book I - Mind

The lid of the trash can slammed shut, dust and flies buzzing about, and the red remnants of the world’s most unlikable scarf poking out from over the lip of the bin. The little unicorn was too angry to push the rest of it inside, and so she twisted around with a huff and began trotting away with a snort and a stomping to her hooves. She promised herself then to never try something like that again. No more being creative, no more putting herself out there. She would go the rest of her life without a cutie mark, or anything to show at all, and she was just fine with that.

Although the thought was lingering at the back of her head, clawing at her brain like a griffon’s grip upon her hide, she dared not turn back to look at the scarf and swiftly turned the corner and out of the alley way. In an instant her muzzle collided with another pony’s, and the two equines fell flat on their rumps as they rubbed their noses and blinked the tears of pain away. The little unicorn looked at the ground, a pair of blue glasses upturned and lying in the dirt at her hooves. Across from Dinky sat a dull, gray earth pony with a silver-white mane neatly braided and brushed to the side.

“Silver Spoon?” Dinky gawked.

The earth filly grunted with frustration. “Perhaps a little warning would do next time?” She aimlessly pawed at the ground.

Dinky looked back down at the glasses lying in the dirt, connecting the dots as she aimed her sights back to the pony and began speculating. This was the same pony who watched me almost drown. She just stood by and did nothing. Why should I help her? With that thought in mind, the unicorn rose and dusted herself off.

“Stop following me.” She said over her shoulder as she began to trot away.

“Dinky, wait!” Silver called out. “I’m not here to bully you, I came looking for you because I wanted to apologize.”

Dinky stopped in her tracks, glancing backwards. “What?”

“Please, if you’ll just hear me out…” The earth filly had ceased the desperate search for her glasses, focused on reeling the unicorn back in for whatever purpose she was truly here. If it was important enough to her to ignore the impairment of her vision for even a small moment, then maybe there was a sliver of genuineness within her after all.

The little unicorn remembered what her mother had always told her. Even though it didn’t seem like it, there was some amount of good in every pony you met, no matter how small. Even the most unlikely of those individuals just might turn out to have the best intentions for others. Why then, Dinky thought, would this pony put herself in a vulnerable situation and call out to her seconds later? Perhaps it truly was an accident, perhaps then there was some amount of purpose within her fault.

Dinky stepped forward and picked Silver’s glasses off the ground, carefully lining them up onto the earth filly’s face and over her eyes. Silver blinked a few times, and the blurry world cleared away to reveal the unicorn only inches away from her face.

“Um, thank you.” Silver responded awkwardly.

Silence blanketed the two like a buzz in the air, eyes darting nervously and head scratches shared in rhythms. Even the flies buzzing around the cans back around the corner could be heard clear as ever. A clearing of the earth pony’s throat brought their attention back to the situation at hoof.

“I can’t think of any better way to say this right now, all I know is that I have to say it.” Silver prepared herself. “I never should have done what I did that day, I never should have hung out with those numb skulls, and I never should have just stood by and watched it all happen. For what it’s worth, Dinky, I’m sorry.”

The gray little mare bowed her head, low enough that her braid was touching the ground. On the receiving end, a hint of skepticism lingered, and the little unicorn responded carefully.

“It’s not like you hurt me at all, anyways.” Dinky sighed. “I just want to know why you’re really apologizing to me.”

Silver looked up with an unsure gaze. She knew now only the truth would settle this dilemma once and for all. The little earth pony prepared herself once more.

“Because…” She hesitated. “Because I’m…lonely.”

“Huh?”

“I’m lonely, okay?” Silver burst out. “There, I said it! You can go ahead and bully me now, get your payback while you still can.”

“That’s not-” Dinky shook her head. “What do you mean you’re lonely?”

“Why do you think I was spending my time with those two goonies? I didn’t know what else to do with my time, so I sort of flocked towards the only thing I ever really learned, and that was making other ponies feel hurt so that I’d feel better about myself. But now…” Silver sniffled and shot a dejected look to the earth. “Now I just feel horrible…”

Only a few days ago there was an enemy before Dinky. A bully, a menace, a fiend, but now here she was as vulnerable as ever and showing splashes of her true colors. No bully in Dinky’s book would ever admit these sort of things, or anything concerning their inside life for that matter. Now that the little unicorn had realized it, it could even be a series of problems that led this sad little earth pony to this point in her life. Rejection? Betrayal? A broken household? She could relate with them all and so much more. It was then that a spark of empathy was ignited within the blonde little mare, her amber-gold eyes growing wide with both concern and realization together.

“What about that other girl?” Dinky wondered.

“Other girl?”

“What was her name? Dying…chihuahua?”

“What the heck are you talking about?” Silver looked on, bewildered. “You mean, Diamond Tiara?”

“Yeah, that’s her!” Dinky shot up, caught in Silver’s harsh-squinted gaze. “What?” She asked.

“Nothing, it’s just-” Silver sighed again. “Her and I sort of drifted apart, I guess. Ever since she had that huge meltdown and the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally got their cutie marks, she just moved on.”

“You mean she sort of abandoned you?” Dinky searched.

“It’s a complicated story. The short version is that I heard she’s working for Ponyville’s official news printing service now, I’m guessing her mommy and daddy got her into that program with little to no effort. In any case it’s not like I’ll be getting anywhere near her now.”

“She’s at Town Hall, right?” Dinky asked further. “Why don’t you just go talk to her?”

“I guess I haven’t worked up the courage to do so.” Silver gazed across the alley way. “I’m just too afraid that if I try she’ll push me right out. And then…well, I don’t know what I would do.”

The unicorn was still in the dark as to what exactly this desperate little earth pony was asking of her. Part of her wanted to simply accept the apology, shake hooves and go home, pretending as though none of this had ever happened. Alas, Dinky could not ignore the tiny burning in her heart, that strange scent of empathy lingering in the air. Perhaps then there was something that would come of this encounter, something along the lines of defeating one’s enemy in the best way possible. Many of her scholars and elders had taught her the phrase, she’s even read it in a few books before and knew the saying by heart.

“Listen, I’m willing to forget everything as long as you are.” Silver proposed.

“I am too.” Dinky agreed. “It was all stupid from the very beginning.”

“I just wish things could go back to the way they were…” Silver yearned.

“Well, maybe they can.” The unicorn began. “You want to get your old friend back, right? How hard can it be to just walk in there and say hello?”

“You don’t understand, it’s an office for the local newspaper, not a park. You can’t just walk in there and strike up a conversation unless you have a reason to be there.”

“Then we’ll think of one.” Dinky declared. “It’s for the newspaper, right? Let’s think of an interesting story to give them. Maybe then you’ll get the chance to get a few words in to Diamond Tiara while we’re there.”

“I guess I do feel better about it now that’s somepony’s with me.” Silver blinked with realization. “You would really do that for me, Dinky? We’ll call it a solid. No, a truce. I’ll do anything for you in return.”

Dinky felt a warm smile creep to her face. She raised her hoof and spat in it, holding it out to the earth filly. “Truce.”

“Ew! Why would you do that?” Silver recoiled.

“What? This is how I’ve seen them do it in the movies.” Dinky supposed. “Sorry I don’t have a knife on me, maybe we can find one in the trash bin-”

“No no!” Silver halted. “I’ll just, uh…do what you did.” The little earth pony fixed her glasses and warily looked down at her raised hoof, awkwardly pressing her lips together as bubbles began to seep from the creases. She let a slow, lengthy loogie land onto her frog with an estranged, dissatisfied look.

“You don’t gotta drool on it!” Dinky sighed. “Here.”

The two slapped their wet, slobbery hooves together and shook on it. “Truce.” They announced.

With that, Dinky turned and began trotting in the direction of Town Hall, asking Silver if she was coming or not. She was busy rubbing her hoof into the dirt trying to dry the saliva away. Back in the alley way from which Dinky had vacated, the trash mare made her rounds and lifted each of the bins into her haul for the day, slimy bits of filth piling into her wagon, the forgotten scarf included.

Dinky played a confident stride past the double door entrance of Town Hall with a timid, nervous-glancing Silver in tow, ears flat and eyes bouncing off the wall. They climbed the spiral steps and entered into the office space foyer where a lone mare sat at a desk and directed them towards the printing office, Silver feeling the intensity of hesitance settle in all the more as they made their way through and to the supposed office door of Diamond Tiara. Dinky got ready to knock, but a gray hoof held her at bay.

“Silver?” The unicorn blinked.

“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Silver’s breath picked up. “I appreciate the enthusiasm you’ve shown so far, but I’m not so sure this is such a good idea anymore.”

“It’ll all be for naught if you don’t act now.” Dinky confirmed.

“I can barely stand on my own four hooves right now!” Silver squeaked.

The door knob jiggled, sending the two fillies into a jolt. The panel swung ajar, and there on the other side stood a tall, tan stallion with a slick, black mane and a red tie with a golden money symbol embroidered onto it. He seemed not to notice the two visitors as his head swiveled back and called into the office within.

“Just think about it, sweetie, please.” The stallion sounded desperate. “For your mother’s sake.” He flipped back around and nearly marched over the pair at the door, recoiling at the sight of the tiny ponies before him to which he instinctively fixed his tie and put on his best smile. “My apologies, young ones, are you two here to see my daughter?”

“Daughter?” Dinky wondered, a little regretful she had thought out loud.

“This is Mr. Rich, Diamond Tiara’s father.” Silver informed. “It’s good to see you, sir.”

“Likewise, little miss Silver Spoon. I hope your parents are in good health?” He nodded and turned to Dinky. “And who might your friend be?”

“G-Good afternoon, mister, my name is Dinky.” She paused, then blinked with realization. “Dinky Hooves.”

“Dinky Hooves, hm?” Rich prodded his chin. “Hooves, Hooves…I imagine it’s a rather common surname, but I feel like it might ring a bell.” He laughed and shook his head. “Oh, but listen to an old colt babble your little ears off. Surely you’re interested in my daughter’s work here, so I’ll just let you two slide right in.”

“Thank you sir, it was good to see you.” Silver said confidently.

“Of course, little ma’am, the pleasure is all mine.” He tipped an imaginary hat and called back into the office. “Diamond, honey, you’ve got yourself a couple of visitors.”

“I thought I might’ve heard voices out there.” A feminine tone sounded from within. “Send them in.”

Mr. Rich took the courtesy to shut the door behind them as they entered and took a moment or two to gander at the office space before them. Down the center lane laid a massive, mahogany desk fit for an executive, complete with fine carvings, lacquer coating, and a small name plaque propped onto the top of the desk which read Diamond M. Tiara.

To the left laid a studio space with stacks of newsprint parchment, a small work bench, a state of the art printing press machine which was currently dripping a black, inky drop or two onto the cloth mats planted underneath the machine. To the right hung a cork board with dates, drawings and documents of all kinds beneath a bright, yellow lamp, below it a series of filing cabinets, and to the side a collection of awards and golden plaques showcasing various headlines of the past and achievements concerning the field of news reporting. Finally, back to the center desk and behind it was the back of a large, red office chair with golden stitching and upholstery, to which it slowly spun around in response to the two little mares.

For a fraction within the second Diamond Tiara’s eyes met Silver Spoon’s, all of the confidence the little earth mare mustered talking to her father at the door was completely washed away. Silver froze, although she had already walked enough of the distance to be in clear talking distance with the pony sitting cross-legged at the desk, holding a small note book in her right hoof and scanning over the contents, to which she returned to quickly after looking at her old friend. Silver felt almost completely ignored in that moment, as if she was just any other pony Diamond would have met today. She did not let it get to her, she did not let it crawl under her skin, and instead allowed her patience to settle in.

“Diamond?” Silver took the first step.

The pink little earth pony looked up from her desk. “Good afternoon, miss…?”

“It’s me, your old friend.” Silver responded dully.

Diamond stared at her blankly.

“Y,know? Silver Spoon?”

“Ah, miss Silver Spoon. I’ll have to save your profile in my list of acquaintances.” Diamond rested her notebook to her desk and smiled. “In the meantime, what can I do for you?”

Silver Spoon was at an absolute loss, boiling from within from hoof to nose. She wanted to flip out, to shout and cry at the same time, but instead she only looked over at Dinky with an exasperated stare. The little unicorn shrugged subtly and took a step forward, clearing her throat.

“Diamond, Silver Spoon here has come to talk with you personally.”

“Is that so?” Diamond raised a brow.

She felt like she was getting somewhere. “There’s something she’s been needing to get off of her chest, and you’re the only pony who can listen.”

“I see, I know what this is all about then.”

“You do?” Silver perked up.

“It’s astounding how many ponies neglect the fact that a journalist is one of the most crucial assets to a good news printing agency.” Diamond justified. “Banal as it may sound, it does my heart good to hear you take it to such a personal level.”

“What? That’s not what I-” Silver froze once again.

“Tell me,” Diamond began. “What was your first thought upon walking in here? What captured your interest the most?”

Both fillies were silent. “Was I supposed to answer that?” Dinky asked.

“Was it the inane size of my office chair?” Diamond walked over and gazed out the window as she spoke. “The scent of ink in the air? The sight of newspaper print stacked tall, or the tacky golden plaques over on the far wall, shimmering in the warm, afternoon light? You must be thinking to yourselves, how could some boring old office be interesting in any aspect whatsoever? That, my friends, is the key, the great blockade which banishes all creative thought and passion eagerly waiting to ooze out of the tip of every journalist’s stencil.” Diamond went on. “To put one’s sights, sounds, smells and thoughts into words is a truly tantalizing process, and if one can master it, they have the ability to make anything sound like the most interesting thing in the world. That is the story we strive to tell, that is the scoop.”

Once again, the fillies remained silent. “Was that supposed to be a sales pitch or something?” Dinky asked.

“I always ask the applicant whether or not they think they’re confident enough in their skills, not entirely for the sake of the company, but for the benefit of their passion.” Diamond turned back around and addressed the two. “So, do you two think you have what it takes?”

Silver stepped forward, a desperate look in her eye. “Diamond, please, listen to me.” She pleaded. “I know you’re upset with me, but it isn’t going to do either of us any good by pretending none of it ever happened, let alone act like you don’t even know me anymore.”

“We all deserve second chances, Miss Silver Spoon.” Diamond answered dutifully. “They may not always lead down paths we’ve already taken.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Suddenly, Silver Spoon felt a yank at her braid and yelped quietly as she was pulled back by the young unicorn, her mane in her teeth.

“What the hay was that for?” Silver snarled.

“Don’t push it, Silver, she’s obviously in deep denial.” Dinky told her.

“Huh?”

“I don’t know what you and Diamond went through, but I’ve seen this kind of thing happen before in my family. You’ll only push her further away from you.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Silver pouted.

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s already put the journalist job on the table. We’ll take her up on the offer and go write some stories, that way we have excuses to keep coming back.” Dinky explained.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Silver noted. “But can you write a good news story?”

“Well, I do daydream in class a lot…”

Silver groaned irritably and Dinky busied herself with a scratch of her head, the two ponies unaware of an enthusiastic Diamond Tiara creeping up on their little conversation. “So, willing to take a shot?” The news girl asked delightfully. “I can’t give you your badges today, but I’ll write your names down so I won’t forget.”

Silver looked beyond to the blanked out, hollowed soul hiding behind Diamond Tiara’s unwavering smile, and she looked back over to Dinky for a hint of help. The unicorn was stoic, confident, more courageous than Silver had ever seen the mare or known her to be previously. If a timid little pony like Dinky was so confident in a situation such as this, she figured she might as well take the evidence to heart and make her decision. Silver closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to lock away all of the memories of Diamond Tiara and herself for just this one moment. She looked back up with an equally stoic expression.

“This is my partner, Dinky Hooves.” Silver said. “We’ll be the best journalists you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting…Miss Tiara.”

“I’m confident you will.” Diamond nodded back. “Miss Spoon, Miss Hooves, welcome to the club!” And she held out her hoof for a small sign of initiation. As the two little ponies took their turns shaking the pink earth pony’s hoof, she turned back around and grabbed the small notebook from on top of her desk. “This is for you, I’ve already written a list of locations around Ponyville that might be of interest to a worthy news event. But of course don’t forget, a good news writer has the ability to make anything sound interesting. In the meantime I want you to keep your eyes peeled, your ears open, and that brain of yours creative.” Diamond sighed delightfully and skipped back to her desk, hopping up to the chair and spinning around to face them. “I’m looking forward to working with you girls, you two seem like an excellent pair already. By chance, do you two happen to have a team name?”

“Team name?” Silver wondered.

“I got it! We’ll call you the ‘Scoop Sisters’!”

Silver recoiled in bewilderment, and Dinky began snickering to herself.

“If you have any problems with the name just let me know.” Diamond froze. “Oh, I almost forgot! Just one more thing…” She bent and reached into the bottom left drawer of her desk, pulling forward a small silver bell with a chestnut brown handle resting between her teeth. The earth filly jiggled her head and rung the bell, the tiny little metallic sound reverberating through the studio followed by a spell of silence. Dinky and Silver looked at each other, back to Diamond, and all around the room as they wondered what was supposed to happen next, and upon looking up they caught the sight of a single pony fluttering down from the rafters. His coat was an almost white, vanilla cream, his mane and tail a stark brown, complete with two enormous front teeth hanging from his upper lip and a silver-white feather as a cutie mark. The young colt was a pegasus, and he gracefully descended down to Diamond Tiara’s desk and skipped down to the floor to meet the two fillies below. “This is Featherweight.” Diamond continued. “My one and only news printer and gifted photographer. If you girls need any pictures to help liven up your story, this is your colt for the job.” She looked to the young pegasus with a curt, knowing nod. “Featherweight, you know what to do. Document everything.”

Dinky looked over the stallion carefully, noticing the camera hanging from a strap around his neck, an old fashioned looking model but in very fine, neat condition. The slender, gaunt architecture of his body told Dinky he clearly didn’t work himself out that much, but the solid shade of his coat and the clearness of his complexion told the little mare he was a young stallion who took care of himself well, and if anything the two front teeth were rather iconic. Silver proceeded to glance the pony over and sigh with a roll of her eyes.

“So what’s so gifted about your picture taking anyhow?”

Dinky nudged Silver’s shoulder, a hard stare upon her friend. “It’s called photography.” Dinky corrected.

“I don’t quite call myself gifted,” the boy’s accent pierced their ears. “but, if that is how other ponies must feel, I have no right to disrupt their admiration.”

Dinky’s pupils began to rise, and she was completely unaware of the blush forming upon her face. He sounds like he’s from Trottingham, just like Doc! Dinky exploded from within.

“Well, thanks for all the support, I guess.” Silver groaned internally and headed for the door. “C’mon, partner, let’s go get this over with.”

The gray earth pony was already out the door and far ahead down the hall when Dinky stopped and turned to give a friendly wave goodbye to the young stallion. Timidly, he lightly waved a hoof back and waited for the unicorn to shut the door before allowing a blush to form upon his face. The boy sat back and nervously began preening his feathers, ears flat as he froze and slowly looked back at Diamond Tiara, whom gave the young colt a confused stare. The tiny pegasus spread his wings and darted for the open panel in the large window, fluttering and soaring out to the expanses of Ponyville.

The pair of adolescents walked with heavy hooves down Town Hall’s front steps, more so heavier on Silver’s side, to which she halted halfway down and initiated her ritual sigh and hanging of her head. As the ponies of the afternoon bustled and hustled about their business, Dinky scanned each and every horizon in search of anything that might be of the slightest interest to their first story. It was all going too fast, too many sights to choose from, far too many sounds all commencing at once. A gardener finding a mysterious ball in the hedges he had been trimming, excavators finding a random mattress buried in the ground, an…orange-frog? The little unicorn shook her head to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, and soon enough turned around to the most interesting story to her in that moment.

“I’m sorry to have dragged you into this.” Silver apologized. “I thought it’d be as simple as walking up there and talking to her, but obviously it’s going to be a lot more trivializing than that. You can go home if you want, I’ll figure this all out myself…”

“Don’t go back on our truce!” Dinky reminded.

Silver blinked with realization and looked at her friend at the bottom of the stairs.

“You’ve already apologized to me once, I don’t need to hear it again.” Dinky went on. “If anything, the one pony you need to be working up an apology to is Diamond Tiara, and we’re going to figure that out together.”

“I suppose I’m just…taken back by your enthusiasm.” Silver shyly stroked her braid. “I’ve never had anypony who was willing to do so much for me.”

“You’ve never had a friend willing to do so much for you, right?” Dinky smiled. “Now c’mon, let’s find a scoop to write about. Something that Diamond would say, y’think?”

The little unicorn held a hoof over her forehead and squinted across the sights of Ponyville once more, whereas Silver quickly followed suit. She barely needed to squint herself, locating a pair of familiar colts huddling themselves between a few hedges on the side of a distant building. She nudged her friend in the side and pointed in the direction of the two ponies, nodded and making a beeline in their direction. Unbeknownst to them the pair of young colts were too engrossed in their work to notice the girls approaching from behind, and thus their conversation carried far enough to be within ear shot.

“Take it easy, Snails! That paper ain’t made of steel.”

“Oopsie, sorry Snips.” Snails chortled. “Wait’a minute, why’re we burying the biology notes again?”

“What’re you two morons up to?” Silver promptly asked.

“Yipe!” Snips jolted and spun around instantly. “I mean-what a terrific afternoon to get ahead on those biology notes, right Snails?”

“Did you want the pictures to be facing up or down?” Snails asked dully.

“Zip it, you dunce!” Snips snarled and zipped back around. “Yup, just some good ol’ biological research. Just look at these hedge leaves, so green and, uh…green!”

Silver stared at the two with a slack jawed expression, Dinky obliviously smiling in the meanwhile. The gray, young earth mare shook her head and began to turn around. “I don’t even know why I decided to waste my time with you in the first place. C’mon, Dinky, let’s go.”

Snips and Snails began to wipe the sweat off their brows.

“Now hold on, they might actually have something enticing to tell.” Dinky halted.

Just as quickly as it had gone, the sweat returned, far more profusely this time. This wouldn’t have been so nerve-wrecking had it been fellow boys instead of young girls approaching them, and it didn’t help in the slightest that they all attended the very same classes at the exact same schoolhouse. Snips internally cursed himself for not staying up late the night prior to finish the last few panels of the latest Power Ponies comic, for he knew his end was nigh. Snails in the meanwhile had already returned to his daydreaming, gazing stupidly up at the clouds and the birds buzzing by.

“I can’t believe it’s had to come to this, but I will pay you two anything to never tell a single living soul about this.” Snips bargained.

“What? I don’t want your guys’ money.” Dinky recoiled.

“You don’t? Well good, because I’ve got four good hooves and a few decent organs to spare.” Snips nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll let you pick what goes first.”

“That’s gross!” Silver countered. “Enough of this, just tell us about these ‘biology notes’, stubby.”

“No, please!” Snips pleaded. “How about an eye, or a tooth? My horn? I’ll give you my collection of hoofball cards!” The young colt blinked and looked down in Silver’s hooves. “Say, what’s that?”

“What’s what?” Silver Spoon quickly hid the notepad she had been carrying.

“Wait a second…” Snips began to speculate. “You girls are writers, aren’t you? Journalists?”

“What gave you that idea?” Silver glanced about desperately.

“I see what’s going on here, a trap!” Snips declared. “I know my rights, and my rights state that I’m not obligated to tell you anything.”

“He’s got us there, Silver.” Dinky pouted.

“Fine, whatever.” Silver seethed. “It’s not as if you two had anything more interesting going on in your lives than being stuck to gum. Are we done here?”

“Well…” Dinky considered. She turned to Snips and Snails. “I know you guys aren’t obligated to tell us anything, like you said, but could you at least give a couple fillies some advice or direction?”

“Of course.” Snips chuckled softly. “But it’ll cost ya.”

“We just wanna know if you guys have seen anything interesting around town lately. Y’know, because we’re journalists now.” Dinky took a glance back at Silver. “It’s for something unrelated, but I want to help my friend. You got any ideas?”

Snips considered that telling them to buzz off might be easier than he thought, but false information could come and back stab him sooner than anticipated. There were several, distinct locations which he and Snails had planted their “biology notes” that he wanted everypony and anypony to steer clear from, and the fact that nopony had even knew of these locations in the first place was the best course of steering he could ask for. Alas, he cursed himself once again for being caught, more so doing the deed in broad daylight. Suddenly, his friend got an idea in that hollow head of his.

“Say, aren’t you the girl who almost drowned in the lake?” Snails drawled obliviously. “That sounds like it’d make a great story. You should write about that.”

“Pipe down, ya’ big dummy, she’s right in front of you!” Snips growled at his friend, and quickly turned to Dinky. “Hey, listen, what those kids did to you was awful! Real jerks, and I hate them for it!”

“Yeah, I hate them too!” Snails agreed. “Er, why do we hate them?”

“Why, I’d call them things that I wouldn’t even say in front of my parents, like…shit-heads! Assholes!”

“Um, alright?” Dinky shrugged. “Thanks for doing the hard work, I guess?”

“It doesn’t end there, sister.” Snips pitched. “The way I see it, we unicorns gotta stick together in a town full of earths. If you ever need a couple of colts to teach those bullies a lesson, Snails and I got you covered. Of course, it’ll cost ya’.”

Silver’s ears fell flat against her head as she slowly shied away from the scene, and turned to leave the conversation at that. Her partner took notice and turned back to the two unicorn boys.

“My mom always says violence doesn’t solve any issue, so no thanks.” Dinky told them.

“Oh? Alright, well if you change your mind the offer still stands.” Snips called to her. “Just as long as you got the bits!”

As the two fillies trotted off, Snips waited for them to be out of ear shot, out of sight even before he broke his smile and let a loud, exasperated breath of air loose from his lungs. “Thank Celestia, haha! That was a close one…” He panted.

“Yeah, I totally wasn’t ready to fight those bullies.” Snails admitted.

Snips grimaced again and turned to his tall, seemingly unaware ally. “Forget the bullies! You better be on lookout for the rest of the afternoon, bub! Gimme that shovel…”