Author's Notes:

Not letting myself miss Halloween this time.

Still some work to do on the remaining two parts of the night, but this is going up so I capture the time of year appropriately. Next two parts are far less focused on the particular holiday stuff anyway.

Lots of stuff being set up here.

The light jingling of bells accompanied a faint rustle of heavy cloth as I finished settling my costume for the evening. The three-toned blue robe was decorated by a few well-researched stars and a crescent moon on each side. Another moment of jingling sounded as the broad-brimmed, tall and pointy blue hat of similar design was placed upon my head by Twilight.

Her gentle giggle brought a smile to my face as a hand came up to stroke the long white beard now attached to the chin of my muzzle, taken from my tail that had been regrown. As part of the presentation, I would be in pony mode for the evening festivities.

My insistence for one had also seen a decorative crystal added to the top of my quarterstaff. The crystal itself was not drawn from Equestrian history, but Earth fiction. A small personal touch that I couldn’t resist.

A roguish grin appeared on my face, a swish of my tail hidden by my robe. “So, how do I look?”

Twilight stepped back and looked over the complete image of what we’d made together. The time we’d shared as we attempted to make things as historically accurate as was rational was now a warm memory, but those kinds of quiet evenings would stick with me in times I needed them. And with how limited our time had been since the squad arrived, I was glad most of our work was done by then.

“You look like Starswirl the Bearded on two legs. There’s a more distinguished charm to your face with that beard. Nuzzling under your chin is a little strange, but I think it makes you look wiser,” Twilight answered.

“Tch, if only function followed form so easily,” I replied, a stray thought coming to mind. “Hey, I just realized… We’ve been up to Canterlot twice now, but you never mentioned visiting your parents. They do live there, don’t they?”

For herself, Twilight was wearing a simple brown hooded robe, with a braided cloth belt bearing a mix of symbolic colors, having decided to dress up as a historically accurate Clover the Clever, aside from slits for her wings. To the average eye, it would seem plain, but a history buff would smile.

“You actually asked me that on the way down from Canterlot, the first time we were up there,” Twilight said as her eyes found mine with a faint hint of regret. “They’re on a trip to Neighpon while my mother is doing some research for her book. They’ll be back in time for Hearth’s Warming.”

Feeling my ears give a twitch, I let out a small grunt at having forgotten something else.

Every time I ran into another moment I forgot because of breaking that spell, it caught me off guard in how much it dug at me. Only time would stop it from getting to me.

If only because holes in my memory about so many little things would blur a little more beneath each new day.

“I still think it’s funny to learn about the origin of that mistaken idea between Starswirl and Clover having ever known each other.” I told her, wanting to change the subject.

Twilight gave a little giggle as a hoof covered her mouth. “I still can’t believe the idea got so widespread because of a popular historical fiction novel twenty years ago. I don’t think I will ever understand how so many ponies got it into their heads that Starswirl somehow taught magic to Clover the Clever. Not only did they live centuries apart, but they were gifted in entirely different schools of magic!”

It had been strange to find out the real Clover was a healer and philosopher acting as an advisor and close friend of Princess Platinum, and that Clover had lived and died long before Starswirl was even born.

And how the Unification and Founding of Equestria was around 3600 years ago.

The amount of history I had to learn as part of my training to be an officer was boggling. Most critical was my lacking the general education Equestrians got as they grew up.

Yet, I had to learn. One step at a time, and no thought to how long the road would be. There was no other choice to be had.

Then, a faint tension began to grow in my chest at that moment, swelling and twisting my guts as my hands clenched. A recurring experience since recovering from Bright Spark’s test.

Before it could go very far, I knelt next to Twilight with a soft jingling of bells and wrapped my arms around her. My face buried itself against her neck as I trembled, holding her tight as my hat slipped from my head.

Twilight said nothing. A foreleg slipped around me as she returned the hug with a fierce gentleness.

A few times, the false image of her lying near death had sprung up at me. The unfamiliar quiet panic of believing I was about to lose her threatened to crack my easy-going facade, needing a minute or two of just holding Twilight close to calm the new fear.

Despite expecting to adjust in due time, I didn’t resist taking the time to just hold her tight. To know she wasn’t going anywhere.

The test made me realize Twilight was the very core of my ability to handle all I’d been through. That I had little else but goodwill from others in the strange world that was my new home.

Without her, it would have crushed me.

***

The upbeat din around town fit well with the various decorations strung around the town as Twilight and I made our way towards the square that held most of the activity.

The early evening was chilly, but comfortable. A slight breeze kept the air fresh as part of me prepared for a meeting that left me on edge.

Muted sounds filled the air with a syncopated rhythm as our steps met the road, my staff tapping alongside. My hand rested against Twilight’s neck as we walked, welcoming the closeness. The bells on my costume rang out in the night air in an almost subdued fashion.

Both of us had been tempted to just forget the party and enjoy a quiet evening together, but knew more than a few friends would hunt us down if we didn’t show up. The thought that left a small smile on my lips.

As we drew near the town square, a new song began.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFo8-JqzSCM

My smile broadened as familiar guitar notes sang out into the air. A quick chuff of amusement escaped as the lyrics began, washing some tension from my shoulders.

Before I knew it, my tail was swishing to the beat under my robe. Twilight giggled when our eyes met, the two of us stepping to the beat. Both of us able to forget our worries and relax for the evening.

Aside from the obvious things, I could close my eyes and almost feel like I was on Earth. To be concerned with only dealing with the discomfort of a crowd of strangers, and my long tradition of finding a couple friends before sitting off to the side somewhere to stay out of the rest whatever hubbub I was talked into attending. A little bubble of space to pass the night in good company, rather than the press of party throngs.

It was incredible how fast Vinyl Scratch was recording copies of music from my smartphone. Equally impressive was how fast she was establishing translations that seemed so close to their original language.

I had spent a combined four hours of sitting with Vinyl to record word pairs for her to run through enchanted translation crystals that did most of the work for her. Aside from locations, names, and unknown technology references requiring a direct touch to change or leave in, most things crossed the divide far better than I had anticipated.

The square was laden with banners, lights, and booths that suited the Nightmare Night style. Off to one side, Vinyl Scratch was running her setup, a few ponies dancing in the space in front. Vinyl waved a greeting when she saw us at a distance, as did a lot of the townsponies that noticed us.

A lot of surprised, amused, and often delighted smiles were directed my way at seeing me in pony mode for the first time, though I had the impression it was being written off as part of my costume.

As we soaked up the happy atmosphere, we found ourselves drifting towards the apple bobbing booth and Applejack. It was a little separated from the main flow of the crowd, and quieter in contrast.

Before we could make our way over, Twilight and I both grew tense, when a new set of hooves matched pace beside me. The one mare I was almost dreading to see again.

Bright Spark said nothing at first, a glance at her showing a calm seriousness on her face that seemed at odds with the burlesque outfit she wore, fishnet stockings and a burgundy corset with plenty of frilly black lace. How she got so close without my even noticing until she was there, I could only guess at.

Upon nearing the stall Applejack was running, the mutual silence was broken.

“Twi, I need to borrow Vojin for a short while,” Bright Spark said as she kept her eyes forward. “Dangerous situations don’t respect holidays, so neither does training a new Candidate. Time to get started, but I only need him for a few minutes this time. That’ll be it until tomorrow.”

The three of us stopped in front of the stall, a questioning look on Applejack’s face as she sensed a reason we had not yet said hello.

Twilight met my eyes, then looked to Bright Spark with a twitch of her wings. “I… There isn’t really much for me to say, Disciple Bright Spark. I know enough about the Order, but thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” came the neutral reply.

Bright Spark looked up at me, expression unchanged. “C’mon, hot stuff. We don’t have to go far. I just want to avoid getting bumped into.”

Meeting her gaze, words failed me at first. My eyes narrowed as hand and jaw clenched.

Looking at Twilight reminded me why I made the choice to begin with, then turned back to Bright Spark. “Let’s go.”

With that, she turned and headed towards a small alley a short distance away. Turning back to me, there were no words at first.

Bright Spark gave a sigh, something unsaid crossing her face before she spoke. “I went through it in my own way when I joined the Order, Vojin. One of the most important things you have to understand, is just how dangerous this world we call Equus actually is.”

Her head turned and looked towards the partying townsponies, giving a somehow sad snort.

“Most of them have no idea anymore. They haven’t suffered the deep pains of mortal life because those like the Disciples keep the shadows at bay. For them, real harm is mostly little more than a matter of story and fiction. They don’t know what’s constantly done to shield our society and protect them. The scary shit we stop, for their sake. So most foals never have to find out just how real their worst nightmares often are.”

When she looked into my eyes again, a smoldering fury was growing.

“And far too often, they will never know they should be thankful. If they even realize you fought for them at all. Or worse, think we aren’t needed anymore and look at you with misplaced disgust. You’ll rarely be appreciated for it, save by the ones you rescue from worse than they’d already been through before you arrived. This is a small hint of the life you agreed to take on.

“Above all else that might happen, remember that Disciples never fight alone. If you manage to become an Apprentice and find you can’t fight anymore someday, our compounds are our home and our rest. We’ll provide for our own. Although, beyond enough time to recover from something particularly nasty, no Disciple has given up the fight forever. Even if it takes years to stop waking up screaming from the scarier shit, we find a way to fight again. Even if we manage to grow old, there is only one way we stop. To the last breath, we fight.”

Smoldering, unending fury gleamed in her eyes like an uncontrollable forest fire at a distance. A vicious energy that told of destruction that had been wrought, and was yet to come. A flame that blazed hot enough that it might ignite others if they drew near enough.

To burn with, or be burned by, I did not yet know.

Tightening my grip upon my staff, I sank down to my knees after a glance back at the townsponies and met Bright Spark at eye level. “What are you going to teach me?”

A whisper of a smirk found the corner of her lips, but she did not otherwise react. “My giving you time since the test was for me to consider how to start. You said you trained to read auras. I have a spell to place on you that will take advantage of that as part of opening your mind to the necessity that comes later. Kind of advanced for a fresh Candidate, but you have the right preemptive knowledge for this. Tonight, you are going to start learning to focus under constant awareness. It will be enough for now.”

An eyebrow arched up. “What does that mean?”

A slow, devious smile crept across her face as her horn lit up. “It means a splitting headache and hating my guts for a while, hot stuff.”

The subtle sensation of spellwork slowly wrapping around me was felt, while Bright Spark mumbled some chant too faint to pick up much of.

“Sol… una ex duc… rorum aper... ocul… veri… vitae…”

When her words stilled after seven cycles, she spoke clearly. “Brace yourself. The first time always hits like a freight train.”

When she activated the spell, nothing could have prepared me for the impact it made.

…

Suddenly, I felt like I was being swept away.

Color.

Impression.

Emotion.

Presence.

Brilliant Life all around.

It was all I could do to gasp as I swooned from so much at once. My eyes slammed shut against the radiance, body folding over to hold my head, hat clamped in place by chance, as my staff fell clattering to the ground with a hurricane’s roar.

All of them.

Everything.

At the same time.

A raging torrent pounded at me as I grasped for anything I could hold onto, even my link with Twilight and sense of my own body drowned out by the rush of it all.

There was nothing coherent but the deluge until something caught me. For an unknown length of time, a miniscule thread of something slowly drew my mind out of the raging tempest.

I became aware that I was panting, though I had moved little. Too much was still raging around to open my eyes to the brightness around me, clinging to the thread. It dawned on me, over what felt like hours, that I was leaning into a touch.

Every sound was hitting me at the same time, my ears uncontrollably twitching under my hat in every direction in a fruitless attempt to track them all. Muscles were slow to heed my attempts to move.

After what felt like an age, I found myself beginning to pull my mind back with grudging effort. To set aside portions of what was assailing me like arranging a pile of stuff on a table. As I sorted more pieces, my capacity to understand began to return. Comprehension of senses I didn’t know I had were akin to standing in front of open floodgates, surging through me as an overwhelming whole.

Voices told me range and emotion, hoofbeats shaped solid objects. The sense of auras battering a near tangible strike against my skin. A pulse from the land beneath me thundering against my being.

Pressure in my skull rose as the thread I’d clung to was revealed in Bright Spark keeping me from falling on my face, cheek pressed against the side of my head, her body holding me up.

Time meant little while getting enough room in my own head to think again. The slow effort of sorting through and setting aside much of what I was registering came with grudging steps through the overwhelming weight. The staggering presence of every living thing within an unknown range starting to register with vague coherence as I managed to shut more things out of my awareness.

As time crawled along, I knew my mind was not made for what was being forced upon it.

Piercing pain settled into my head as the awareness of so much faded like a tub on my back being drained. As less remained, so too did the cognitive pressure lessen. Even then, it all washed across my body along the way, leaving me knowing much of it by direct exposure.

A shaky hand made it to the ground, pressing down some fractional degree, a powerful migraine throbbing in my skull. Nausea danced in my guts, a part of me tempted to puke on Bright Spark for putting me through whatever she had done. The hand still on my head squeezing against as much as I could grasp, trying to counter the pressure within.

“Wh-what did…,” was all I could gasp out before needing a few more breaths to continue. “What…did you do?”

Bright Spark said nothing, only giving me something to lean against.

When the inner storm had at last calmed enough where I could pull away from her, I chanced opening my eyes.

For a moment, it was like first stepping into the light of the sun from a dark room, leaving me to wince as I adjusted further. Right in front of me, Bright Spark shone like a beacon that was not made of light. Both hands pressed palms to the side of my head, squeezing my temples and nearly dislodging my hat entirely.

As the near blinding appearance of her gradually faded to something tolerable, somehow a soft yellow glow not really seen with my eyes, she finally spoke.

“It will never go away completely after we’re done with your training, Candidate. That is your first glimpse of how all Disciples learn to see. In time, it changes even how your mind interprets things. I wish you would never have to learn from personal experience the reason we do this, but that would be false hope. We are the last resort, and now, you have seen as we do.”

My body felt weak, though my strength was returning as things kept fading further away. Glancing towards the crowd that was enjoying the party with little regard to us, I saw a sea of flowing, dancing lights that kept dimming. Lights that resolved themselves into the townsponies as my mind continued to calm.

A hand held in front of my face revealed a faint white glow that was also receding, then turning my eyes look at Twilight as she stood near Applejack. The bright burnished orange around AJ was almost overwhelmed by proximity to Twilight’s blazing magenta glow.

All living things around me, even a tree in the distance, had some sort of glowing haze surrounding them. My practice sensing auras had shown such things in part, but only with a clear mind and intentional focus.

Bright Spark had somehow torn a veil from my sight, and auras were almost a physical presence. Swirls and eddies, shifting colors that weren’t really color as I knew them.

“Hey, hot stuff,” Bright Spark said quietly, calling my attention back to her. “That’s it for now, other than a little warning. Usually don’t have to mention it for a while, but you’ve got some atypical skills, and I understand you don’t have enough background for risk factors in a few spots. Never try teleporting anywhere you can’t see. You try to teleport into a solid object by mistake, you’ll never reform. Try to pop in with a solid object occupying part of the space, it’d be a rather messy event. You’d only reform your mass in the unoccupied areas, and what didn’t fit gets compressed into less than a hoofwidth of space from the obstruction. And to help make my point, I’ll remind you water doesn’t like to compress, and will rapidly release itself in that case. The words ‘a fine red mist’ would be literal. The term ‘chunky salsa’ would apply to any part of you caught by the ensuing decompression blast.”

As that lovely image started to sink in past the pain in my head, I saw her face tighten a little as Bright Spark continued. “Headache should pass within the hour. What you see will probably last a few more. Trust your instincts, as they’re more open, too. I’ll be nearby to keep an eye on you, but there’s nothing further tonight. This little introduction is about absorbing the experience. Enjoy your night with Twi if you can. You’re not the only one with a migraine.”

Before I could even think of how to respond, she turned towards the alley. Walking down the short space we’d slipped into, she then teleported to parts unknown without so much as a glance back.

Staring at the empty alley for a few moments, I picked up my staff and used it to help get off my knees. Giving myself some time to move past the queasy side effects of the migraine, I made my way back to Twilight, a small sweat prickling across my skin beneath my thin fur.

When my eyes fell on her, I saw my pet raven, Solomon, sitting on her back. I didn’t give it much thought, considering my head felt like it was about to split open.

Drawing near, her mouth started to open, but I held up a hand to forestall any questions, trying to keep bright lights out of my vision. “I’m sorry, but I need a quiet bench or something for a bit. She kinda did a number on me, and it left me with a pretty bad migraine. I need some time before I’m ready to do much of anything right now.”

Breathing in my nose and exhaling from my mouth, it was taking more effort to keep my stomach under control.

Applejack responded before Twilight could. “Ya’ll can set yerself down on the bench next ta my booth, Vojin. Ya’ll ain’t lookin’ so good.”

Managing to thank her before shambling towards said bench, I all but collapsed onto it.

Twilight sat down beside me as I held a hand over my eyes, thankful that there were no pressing issues to deal with. It had been a long time since I’d had a bad heachache, but after whatever it was Bright Spark did, I had what was easily the most horrendously painful migraine of my entire life.

The soft chime of magic came from Twilight as a small, gentle wave of magic passed through me. Probably a healing spell, but it had no discernible effect.

If anything, I felt like I was heating up.

A soft rustle was followed by a weight landing on my shoulder opposite from Twilight. The quiet kaw made it clear that Solomon had decided it was time to claim a favored perch again. His growing habit of following me, to either watch from nearby or perched on my shoulder, had been interesting.

Paying him no mind, I brought my hand away from my eyes and looked to Twilight. Even turning my head made me dizzy, as the heat was leaving me damp from sweat in the chilled evening air.

“I don’t suppose you have a spell for magically started migraines, do you?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I just tried the one I know and it doesn’t seem to have worked.”

“Thanks anyway,” I said with a strained groan as I set my hat on the bench beside me, feeling sweat pouring out of me. “Maybe something to cool me off, at least? A bucket of ice water?”

Twilight touched my knee, her voice taking a different tone. “You feel overheated?”

“Yeah. Lot better than when Sparky initiated the spell,” I replied. “I can deal with being sweaty for a while”

“Vojin, listen to me. Are you getting hotter, or feeling like your senses are going fuzzy?”

The anxious edge in her voice gave me pause, Solomon started preening part of my mane as I turned my head to look at Twilight. “I feel like I’m getting a little hotter, but nothing that would be unreasonable from a sudden massive mental load and the rush of caloric energy that takes. Why?”

Her face grew tighter with concern. “Vojin, I know we didn’t go over Cascade Events yet, as that’s more a concern with an advanced magic level that you haven’t reached, but you might be experiencing one. One theory I know about Spellweavers is particularly concerning because of your unique nature. I’ll give you a minute to see if the heat stays or not, but if you don’t start cooling down then we’re going to the hospital.”

All I could do was grimace, aggravation rising at the idea of some new hidden thing going on with my body. I had to take a slow breath beyond just keeping my stomach calm. “Ok. Give me the summary and we’ll see where I’m at once you’re done?”

“Alright. Cascade Events require high energy spells to be cast. Depending on how the resonance interplays, it can also be multiple spells at lower ranges in short succession. Powerful wizards have been known to sometimes induce one in themselves from magical duels.” Twilight explained, her hoof rubbing my thigh with nervous energy.

“Regardless of initial symptoms, heating or sensory loss, the majority of cases can suffer a feedback loop of mana use without directed control. A spellcaster can focus and regain control of the recursion, but that takes special training you likely wouldn’t grasp until you have more knowledge. While it is serious, external stabilization treatment until a spellcaster’s mana reserves empty means it usually isn’t life threatening. You don’t have enough of a mana reserve to spontaneously combust from a Cascade like I do, but you might overheat enough to damage your internal organs.”

As sweat continued pouring from my body, I wiped a hand across my soaked face as I panted. Despite the chilly air of the autumn evening, a snowbank to lay in would be rather appealing.

“Well that just sounds lovely. What was that theory about Cascades and Spellweavers?”

Twilight’s tension was rising as time passed. “Um, there’s the idea that, assuming very specific circumstances, a group of Spellweavers could enter an Exponential Cascade. In that case, the whole idea of individual mana reserves becomes meaningless from magic rapidly folding in on itself in ways that have never been known outside of theory. Of course, in order for it to be possible at all, Spellweavers would first have to be intrinsically merged in their magic. Although closely tied, the teams still aren’t intrinsically bound that way. On top of that, they would have to be simultaneously not aware of drawing their magic up, while also giving it no direction. Which is usually an inherent impossibility because you give purpose to your magic by simply calling it forward.”

There was a sneaking suspicion growing in me in her explanation. “What does ‘usually’ an inherent possibility mean?”

“Spellweavers could, in theory, be intrinsically bound in the right way. You qualify. Fortunately, the only way known for the latter is a spellcaster to be both unconscious and drawing fully on their magic. Since sleep casting can’t draw that much before interrupting REM sleep and waking the caster, I think you can see how that is kind of improbable.” Twilight said, pressing into my thigh as she leaned a little closer. “How are you feeling? That was long enough.”

For a brief moment, I contemplated saying I was fine, because I was really fed up with hospital visits.

Once my less intelligent urges were pushed aside, I took stock in myself and found I was feeling the chilly air a little more than I had been. A moment more, and the heat did seem lower than before. “The heat seems to have peaked, or at least stopped rising.”

The wave of relief I felt from Twilight was surprising.

“Oh, I am so glad to hear that. It might not have been a Cascade, after all.”

“It was kind of scary to you, wasn’t it?” I asked quietly, slowly starting to cool off.

Twilight gave me a meaningful look. “You could have developed second degree burns on your lung tissue, you ass.”

After the notion made its way through my head, I blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh,” was all she said, her eyes closing for a calming breath as my hand rested over the hoof she had on my thigh.

A few more minutes passed, neither of us feeling the need to speak. The Fall air worked to bring my temperature down and helping the migraine fade, with a faint unease lingering in the back of my mind that began to register.

The festivities carried on in town, unaware.

When I noticed I was starting to shiver a little, I raised my hands in front of me to cast the little cleansing spell Twilight had taught me, only to have her interrupt by grabbing one hand with her hooves.

“Vojin, just in case it really was a minor Cascade, don’t use your magic unless you have to tonight,” Twilight warned as her horn lit up. “I’ll cast it.”

The soggy, icy feeling of sweat faded from my body, then a small warming spell. Twilight scooted close and leaned into my side after she was done, pulling my arm around her shoulders.

“Thank you, Purple Angel,” I said, giving her a soft squeeze as the sound of approaching hooves reached my ears. “Pity the migraine wasn’t affected. Sparky said it’d last about an hour. Seeing auras for a while at least makes for some interesting sights.”

Before I had much chance to turn my head to see whom had approached, the question was answered for me.

Loudly.

“Hi, Mister Vojin!”

The notorious trio known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders so declared their presence, causing me to wince as the migraine reminded me loud noises enhanced the sensation of a splitting skull. A small surge of nausea provided a chaser as my ears folded back against my head.

With a small force of will, I made my ears perk up and managed a faint smile. “Hello, girls. Enjoying your night?”

A costume-free orange earth stallion with a navy blue mane that I didn’t recognize stopped behind them with an apologetic smile and tired eyes. His mark was a fancy-looking clay vase.

Rainbow Dash was beside him, a dark blue bodysuit with white covers and lightning bolts on her hooves. The lightning bolt necklace and headgear finished her look as Zapp from the Power Ponies.

As she replied, I saw Applebloom was dressed in some sort of body suit that made her look like a skeleton, only her ears, mane and tail visible. “Me an’ the girls are doing great!”

A smiling Scootaloo was wearing a blue bodysuit and mask, her mane and tail done up to copy Rainbow Dash. “We just finished our candy run. What a haul!”

There was something about Scootaloo that made me pause for a second, but beyond a weird sort of wiggle in her aura, I didn’t notice any immediate reason.

Sweetie Belle, her mane and tail the only parts not wrapped up in bandages like a mummy, chimed in. “I really like your costume! How did you make yourself look so much like a pony?”

The unknown stallion spoke up, a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face. “Uh, sorry if we’re interrupting. The girls saw the two of you sitting here and had to say hello.”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “We were just relaxing for a little bit, Ceramic. I’m glad you managed to schedule tonight off after all.”

Ceramic gave a faint, vaguely tired chuckle. “Had a client delay their delivery until next week for a party, so I lucked out. It’s been fun taking this little scamp and her friends around tonight.” His hoof mussed up Scootaloo’s mane in a playful fashion.

“Daaaad, you’re messing up my style!” Scootaloo whined as she ducked away, giving a quick shake of her head to reset her messy facsimile of Rainbow’s usual style.

A more relaxed smile formed on my lips as a question I’d had was answered. The weird little wiggle in Scootaloo’s aura was still nagging at me in a way I couldn’t place.

Before things could progress further though, I turned to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, to answer your question, the beard and robe are the costume, but the rest isn’t.”

There was a moment of surprised chatter from the Crusaders that left my teeth gritting from the migraine as I kept up a facade, not wanting to spoil their excitement.

After the initial burst, they seemed about to ask questions in a coherent manner, when all three gasped and pointed a forehoof at me with the declaration, “If you can turn part pony, you might be able to get a cutie mark now! We can help you find your special talent! Cutie Mark Crusaders Human Helpers! Yay!”

All I could do was blink at them at first, and wished they’d yell quieter before my brain tried to escape to a less painful abode. The growing idea I’d already met them and completely forgot because of the Rose Window was another aspect, but it wasn’t worth bringing up with them.

I chose to run with it, since it was inconsequential to the moment. Although, I did opt to be gentle about the relevant reality of their ‘help’ so they didn’t get any false hopes. “Girls, before you get ahead of yourselves and make any plans, I have to say I don’t have time left in the day for trying to figure out if I can get a mark or not. Right now, I simply have too much training and studying to deal with. If I get time at some point, I’d be happy to have your assistance, ok?”

“Awww…,” came the response as all three gave me a disappointed look. “You promise you’ll let us help then?”

“If I get enough free time, I promise.” I told them, feeling a little guilty, but telling the truth.

The girls got distracted by some of their schoolmates passing by and ran over to the pumpkin catapults nearby with a sudden goodbye.

It left me wondering how much candy they’d already eaten.

The nagging feeling I got from seeing Scootaloo’s odd aura wiggle was still there as I eyed her again, deciding to just voice my thoughts. “Hey Twilight, you wouldn’t happen to know what a weird wiggle in a pony’s aura meant, would you?”

“Hmm…,” Twilight said, thinking as a hoof tapped her chin. “Unless it was Scootaloo, I don’t recall anything. Why?”

“Huh. Well, it was. Just have this nagging feeling about it, but no idea what it means.” I replied.

Twilight frowned at that, thinking for several seconds before lighting up her horn and looking towards the girls.

When she turned back, she looked at me, then at Scootaloo’s dad. “Ceramic, I can’t remember all the details off the top of my head, but just in case, could you please take Scootaloo for a Feather Twitch Test? I’m sure it’s fine, but knowing what happened when she was born, they might not have been able to test her soon enough. You can have the hospital send me the bill and the Crown will cover it. Rainbow Dash can confirm for you if they try to refuse. I recall the test is pretty expensive at her age.”

Ceramic wore a wary expression, looking between Twilight and myself. “Is something wrong with my daughter?”

Shaking her head, Twilight smiled. “I’m sure she’s fine. It’s just a certain pegasus condition that has to be tested for within a few hours of birth. It’s mostly just for peace of mind, but it could possibly be contributing to the reason she can’t fly yet. I’d have to look up the condition again to remember more. I recall reading about a couple of relevant rare conditions when studying pegasus flight magic after getting my wings.” Her wing flexed as she spoke.

“Ok, I guess. I’ll make an appointment tomorrow,” Ceramic said before turning to me, holding out a hoof. “I apologize for my manners. Ceramic Glaze. As you already saw, I’m Scootaloo’s father. And please, call me Ceramic.”

Catching his extended hoof in my hand, I nodded to him. “Good to meet you, Ceramic. Vojin Drayce. You’re welcome to just call me Vojin. While the subject is there, would it be alright to ask what happened when Scootaloo was born?”

Twilight gave me a small nudge, a small burst of sadness coming from her. Rainbow Dash gave a wince at the same time, strangely silent so far as her eyes flicked from Ceramic to Scootaloo and back.

Ceramic gave me a soft, strange smile, several emotions flashing across his face before settling on a quiet, resigned sorrow. “My wife died within a few hours of giving birth. Internal hemorrhage while we were stuck on a stalled train in the middle of nowhere. Went to sleep after the birth and never woke up, so she didn’t suffer. You didn’t know, so don’t go beating yourself up about it. Life happens. What matters is Scootaloo is growing up alright, and I’m sure her mother would be proud.”

“I…,” was all that I could manage at first, knowing there wasn’t really anything to say. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He nodded, glancing towards the catapults and sighed. “Looks like I need to get back to trailing the girls. Again, don’t worry about it, Vojin. It was good meeting you.”

With that he trotted after the Crusaders, leaving me feeling all kinds of awkward.

Rainbow spoke up then, “Don’t worry about him too much, big guy. Ceramic’s made peace with it and he’s tougher than you’d think. How’re you feeling? Had a chat with Sparky before spotting Ceramic and the Crusaders. She said you wouldn’t be feeling too hot for a while.”

“She did, huh? Where did she get off to?”

Rainbow gave me a questioning look before gesturing with a wing. “She’s laying on a roof, two buildings away. I’m surprised you didn’t see her.”

Turning in the direction Rainbow indicated, there was a yellow flicker of something near the ground in the corner of my vision before I spotted Bright Spark laying on the roof, staring right at me.

She waved the moment I looked, and clearly keeping nearby to watch me like she said. There wasn’t enough light on her to separate whether her expression was strained or teasing from a distance.

After a moment, I turned back to Rainbow. “Maybe she’s easy to spot for a pegasus flying above the rooftops. What’d she say?”

There was something in Rainbow’s eyes that I couldn’t quite place. “That you might have trouble keeping warm for a while and not able to use your magic to warm up. Said I should sit next to you for extra warmth until you recover?”

“Well, that isn’t wrong.” A quick glance at Twilight for my own peace of mind left me to shrug. “I wouldn’t mind the company Rainbow, but I’ve still got a migraine and not really planning on doing anything but sitting here for a while.”

“That’s cool. I’ve been flying around doing Nightmare Night pranks a bunch already.”

With that, Rainbow settled on the bench and, to my surprise, sat close enough for her side to rest against mine. After a moment to consider, I put my other arm over her shoulders, too.

For a minute, there was a little idle conversation, when a thought struck me and I looked back up to where Bright Spark was.

As soon as our eyes met, she sat up to smile, licked her lips and blew me a kiss, then seemed to wince and rub her temple as she laid back down. I realized she might have felt worse than I did after the spell she cast.

I was also left with various questions as my face warmed, the circumstances coming together in my head as I held a mare under each arm. The idea that Sparky might be trying to get me laid, on top of getting me in her own bed, lingered in my mind.

My eye twitched as I fixed my gaze forward, not quite knowing what to think about Sparky acting like a pander on my behalf.

Bloody hell.