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Princess Twilight Sparkle's School for Fantastic Foals

by kudzuhaiku

Chapter 1

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Ponyville. A village of ponies. An almost perfect place with an almost perfect blue sky and in this almost perfect place there was a far from perfect foal being stalked by a long, terrible monster that was as far from perfect as anything could get. The long, noodle-like beast slunk towards its prey, its long body looping, its tail swishing from side to side, and a wide, terrible, toothy grin split its overlong muzzle. One single fang protruded from the monster’s lip.

“Why Sumac Apple… such a serious pony!” Discord said as he descended upon the foal in question. “Where other foals are off having fun on this glorious day, you are hanging out in the cemetery. Trying to dig up a friend?”

Sumac, who stood near a headstone, gave the draconequus an annoyed look. He raised his eyebrow and cleared his throat. “I like it here. It’s quiet. There is a lot of history to be found here. It’s all written on the stones.”

“What sort of foal comes to a cemetery and pulls weeds on a lovely day like this?” Discord floated just a few inches above a headstone and looked down upon Sumac Apple. “I tell you, Sumac, ponies will talk. This is not normal behaviour.” Discord’s tone was teasing and there was faint laughter in his words.

“I don’t care.” Sumac sort of shrugged and looked down at his pile of pulled weeds. “I needed the magic practice and this place needs looking after. This is a special place.”

Discord’s head bobbed up and down as he listened and when Sumac was finished speaking, Discord ramped up his teasing. “You know, I think I know the real reason you came here…” The draconequus saw Sumac’s eyes narrow and his grin grew ever larger. “Pebble Pie. She confuses you, doesn’t she?”

“None of your beeswax!” Sumac let out a little huff and then, he turned and stood in brave defiance of Discord. “Go away and leave me alone!”

“So much confusion,” Discord said in a knowing voice and as he spoke, his smile vanished. The draconequus came a little closer to Sumac. “You know, Sumac, this is my fault.”

The little colt inhaled so hard that there was a faint whistle from his nostrils. Sumac shook his head, trying to get his wheat coloured mane out of his eyes. He looked up at Discord, his jaw clenched, and even though Sumac knew it was foolish to do so, he felt the need to ask why.

“How is this confusion your fault?” Sumac’s green eyes narrowed into thin slits. Not only did this make him look tougher, or so Sumac felt, but it allowed him to see a little better. It was hard, sometimes, to see the details on things.

Reaching up with his talons, Discord began to stroke his chin. “Well, you see, it was a long time ago, back before the days when I was reformed. A very long time ago indeed. The ponies, male and female, lived in harmony and really, really liked one another. Little colts absolutely adored little fillies and all was right in the world. It was kinda gross, really, as I am sure you will agree.”

Sumac backed a step away from Discord as a peculiar sensation crawled up his spine like a centipede. He didn’t like Discord very much. So far, every encounter with the draconequus had left him unsettled, disturbed, and Sumac found that he had trouble sleeping after his chance meetings with Discord. The things Discord said caused him to lay awake in bed at night thinking, rather than sleeping.

“So, being the Spirit of Disharmony that I was, I might have sort of sabotaged the ponies as a bit of a joke.” The tip of one of Discord’s talon-fingers scratched his chin. “Using my most powerful magic, I cast a spell that made it impossible for the sexes to understand one another. Mares became a total mystery to stallions. Little fillies became oh so gross and disgusting to little colts. Stallions became an unknowable headache for mares. And colts… colts became little snips and snails and puppy dog tails to little fillies. I fear ponykind hasn’t been the same since.”

Sumac, who had some trouble taking in everything that had just been said, took another step back from Discord. “I don’t believe you. You… you lie. Applejack warned me about you!”

“Ah, but I did you a favour,” Discord said with a dismissive wave of his lion’s paw.

“How is this a favour?” Sumac asked in a squeaky voice.

“The great unknown. The mystery of it all. By making mares complete unknowns, I’ve made them better. Now, one has to study them to appreciate them. The mystery that a mare is… that is what makes her special. That sense of confusion and wanting to understand… I’ve actually improved love, I think. It’s better this way. You know, I should ask Cadance about it and see what she thinks.”

Staring up at Discord, Sumac’s eyes opened a little wider and the colt shook his head. “Even if you did do it, and I don’t believe that you did, you should put it back. If you are reformed like you say you are, you should fix what you broke. You’re bad!”

The draconequus heaved a sigh, reached down with his tail, and brushed some dirt off of a tombstone. His talons flexed and his wings flapped even though there was no need for them to do so. Lifting his head, Discord turned and looked at a trilling bird off in the distance.

After a moment of quiet reflection, Discord turned to Sumac and said, “You like Pebble because you don’t understand her. That is what makes her special to you. She’s the most fascinating pony you’ve ever met. Nothing about her makes sense. If I were to fix things, as you say, she would cease to be interesting to you. She would no longer be special. In this particular instance, confusion makes everything all the sweeter, does it not? The chaos is like chocolate chips in a cookie, little bittersweet morsels that make everything better. Your whole relationship with Pebble is defined by your total lack of understanding of her. She is an object of study, and as such, she holds your attention.”

“Shut up!” Sumac snapped. “You don’t know anything! Stop messing with my head and go away, Discord!” As Sumac raised his head, his mane tumbled down and covered his eyes. His lower lip protruded and he huffed, trying to blow it out of his eyes as he glared up at Discord with a defiant gleam in his now covered eyes.

“I know that Pebble is in trouble right now—”

“What?” Sumac’s anger shifted to panic.

“She’s in the park and Olive has found her. Poor little Pebble is too sweet to fight back.” Discord reached down with his lion’s paw and brushed Sumac’s mane from his eyes. “This little spat isn’t my fault, I assure you. You ponies get into enough trouble on your own.”

“Pebble is in trouble?” Sumac’s head turned and looked in the direction of the park, which was quite some distance away.

“Oh, she’s about to be. Olive is spoiling for a fight and right now, I do believe that Olive is planning her approach.”

“Gotta go!” Sumac shouted as he bolted.

As Sumac ran away, the Lord of Chaos waved goodbye, and then, wasting no time, Discord began putting all of the pulled weeds back into ground, trying to restore the cemetery’s spooky ambiance, which was hard to maintain without weeds and neglect.


Hooves clattering, Sumac galloped along the path that led into the park. He couldn’t figure out why Pebble would be here, she hated the park. She didn’t like being around other ponies. The only thing he could figure out was that perhaps, Pinkie Pie had made Pebble go and play in the park.

Sumac was little, but he was fast. Years of walking the many roads of Equestria had given him a body of lean muscle and he was far more fit than most foals his age. He went streaking past Bon Bon, almost bowling into her, but he did not stop to apologise. He had to find Pebble and Olive.

Olive was, perhaps, the worst pony that Sumac knew. She was bigger than him, older by a few years, smarter than him by far, and she was an awful, awful pony. She was big, mean, and green. She was bossy, loud, and a terrible bully that seemed to get away with everything. Sumac hated her more than anything.

As he came tearing around the fountain, he saw them. Pebble was sitting in the grass, trying to read a book, and Olive was standing near Pebble with a cruel, horrible smile upon her face. Sumac hit the brakes and he approached, breathless, his sides heaving.

“Dork!” Olive said to Pebble. “Such an ugly shade of brown… you know what else is brown? I’ll give you a guess… sometimes it’s full of corn—”

“Shut up!” Sumac came to a skidding halt on the grass and almost fell over. He bared his teeth at Olive and he could feel his neck growing hotter. Pebble had problems responding like other ponies, she was like her mother, Maud. But Pebble had feelings, even if she had trouble showing them, and she could be hurt.

“Sumac Apple...” Olive said as she turned to look at Sumac.

Something about the way she said ‘Apple’ made Sumac’s neck feel even hotter. He sucked in a deep breath and tried to make himself look as big as possible as he stared up at the dull green unicorn filly with a pink mane. He bared his teeth and tried to remember all of Trixie’s lessons for dealing with unpleasant wildlife.

“Look Pebble, your knight in stupid armor has come to protect you.” Olive let out a snort of derision, shook her head, and laughed. Staring at Sumac, Olive said, “I was just telling your filly friend that she doesn’t belong in a school for the gifted. She belongs in a school for soft head—”

“Shut up, Olive!” Sumac snapped. “Shut up or else!”

“Or else what?” Olive’s mocking grin grew wide. “Are you gonna tell on me?” Olive asked in a baby talk voice. “Are you going to be a tattletale, Sumac Apple? Nopony likes a tattletale.”

“Just go away and leave us alone!” Sumac demanded as he felt the corner of his eye twitching.

“You know, Sumac, there is just one thing I can’t understand about you and Pebble… she’s not your sister, Sumac Apple.” Olive let out a shrill, nasal laugh and stared at Sumac, daring him to respond.

It took a moment, but Sumac began to understand the insult given to him. He was young, but he was smart, and it slowly percolated through his brain and the implications of what was being said were painful to think about. He began to have a glimmer of understanding on why Olive said the word ‘Apple’ with so much derision. He thought of Big Mac and Applejack. He felt his blood boiling in his guts and he felt far too hot.

“I’ve heard it said that the real reason why Applejack’s husband left was because Hidden Rose and Ambrosia Apple weren’t his—”

“Shut up!” Sumac shouted.

“—but were actually Big Mac’s. The whole town is laughing about it, Sumac—”

As Sumac screamed, his voice broke, becoming shrill and squeaky. He didn’t notice, nor was he embarrassed by it, because he was too busy launching himself at Olive. She had gone too far and this time, he was going to let her have it, and he didn’t care what sort of trouble he was going to get into.

Sumac never reached Olive. Something grabbed him, immobilising him, and he felt himself being pulled away. There was a muffled cry as Olive was snatched by a pegasus, lifted, and carried away. Sumac kicked and struggled, deep in the throes of his temper tantrum, and he let out a pained scream as he watched Olive being spirited away to safety.

There was a pink blur in his vision near Pebble and for a moment, Sumac was certain he could hear Pinkie Pie, but the thudding, thumping heart that he had in each of his ears made it difficult to hear anything. He kicked and thrashed, then began sobbing, overwhelmed by his anger, his emotion, everything that had happened had caused him to come to a boil.

The world went dark as something was slipped over his eyes and there were soothing whispers in his ears that he couldn’t hear. Sumac let out a bleating cry as he was carried away, unable to see, and he wailed as his temper tantrum continued to make his body spasm.

It was difficult to be so young and filled with so much rage.


Sumac was resting on something soft, some kind of cushion. He felt a cold wet cloth being placed on the back of his neck. It was soothing and the cold wetness felt good against his fevered skin. The blinders over his eyes were whisked away and he was blinded, dazzled by the sudden light, and as he squeezed his eyes shut, a cold damp cloth was placed over his face.

Shuddering, Sumac felt more sobs coming. He had worn himself out for a bit on the way to wherever he was right now, but he felt painful convulsions in his stomach that let him know that more tears were coming.

A cool, damp cloth was placed over his snotty nose and he felt his muzzle being cleaned. Somepony was gently rubbing away all of the mucus. Sumac felt the sobs creeping up his throat now, it hurt, it was like lumps too big to swallow trying to work their way up out of his stomach. The pain, too intense to bear, only made the need to cry even worse.

“Sumac, you’re safe,” a soft voice said. “My name is Lemon Hearts… I’m going to be one of your teachers.” There was a pause and Sumac felt the cloth around his muzzle get pulled away. “Trixie asked me to help you if there was trouble and so here I am.” Sumac’s ear twitched as the soft words were spoken into it.

It was almost too much to bear. Sumac’s whole body was racked with pain and he felt as though he was burning. He curled up into a fetal position on whatever it was he was laying upon and bawled his eyes out, not caring that he was having a meltdown in front of a stranger.

“There there, it’s okay, Sumac Apple. Just let it out… let it all out.”

Sumac felt the wet cloth on his neck get pulled away, it had gone warm against his rage fevered skin, and a moment later, he sort of heard the sounds of water over his own sobs and the roar in his own ears. The cloth was returned to his neck and it was cold, frigid even, and it felt so good.

“Sumac, I’m sure if your mother could be here right now, she would be,” Lemon Hearts said in a soothing voice, “but she has to work. You’re such a big, smart colt. I’m sure you understand.”

Shuddering, still sobbing, Sumac felt something touch his side. He was being stroked. It felt good and the soft touch helped him to relax. He felt the cloth pulled from his eyes, which he kept squeezed shut to avoid sudden bright light, and after a few moments, the cloth was returned. The cold on his face helped make the painful ache in his body go away.

“Temper tantrums are awful things to go through, aren’t they? It feels like your body is betraying you. It’s so hard to be so angry. Just try to breathe, Sumac, and you’ll feel better in a bit. When you do feel better, I’ll get you some juice, okay?”

At that moment, Sumac decided that he liked Lemon Hearts. She was a good pony. Her voice was soft, soothing, and made the dull ache inside of his head go away. She was still stroking him. Best of all, she hadn’t tried to shame him for having a temper tantrum.

“I know what it is like to be so angry and have tantrums. I was bullied in school.” Lemon Hearts’ voice softened a bit as she continued, “I went to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I was smart, but I wasn’t that smart. I was just gifted enough to get my hoof in the door. In a regular school, I might have been one of the smartest foals in the class, but there, I felt like I was one of the stupidest foals in the school and I was teased so much.”

Hiccuping, Sumac tried to take a few deep breaths so he could calm down.

“I had a few friends though that helped to make it better,” Lemon Hearts said as she continued to rub Sumac’s still convulsing body. “But I was a very angry little filly. It didn’t take much for me to have a meltdown, and there were some very mean foals who took advantage of this. They knew just what to say, just what to do, they knew just what buttons to hit to make me have a meltdown and cause me to have a tantrum. It was very, very hard for me.”

It took a moment, but Sumac found his voice. His throat was dry, scratchy, and it was difficult to talk. “Trixie. She did it to you, didn’t she?” Sumac, unable to see, heard a sigh.

“Trixie warned me that you were smart,” Lemon Hearts said in reply. “Yes, Trixie was one of my tormentors.”

“So why are you helping me?” Sumac asked.

“Because, Trixie Lulamoon gave me a sincere and heartfelt apology. She and I talked… we did it on that day when you were out on Sweet Apple Acres. We sorted out all of our old differences.” Lemon Hearts coughed and cleared her throat. “What sold me that she had changed was how she talked about you. Do you know how much you are loved, little Sumac Apple?”

Unable to reply, Sumac hiccuped and then clutched his heaving stomach.

“Trixie, my former tormentor, was a completely different pony. She tried to make amends. Not long after Trixie and I made up, Twilight shows up and we all had a very pleasant time with one another.”

The cloth covering his face was pulled away and Sumac squinted his eyes, bracing for the light. After a moment, he realised that the room had been dimmed, the curtains drawn. He was in a mostly unfurnished living room. There were a few boxes, a beat up couch, and not much else. He was laying on a cushion on the floor, and Lemon Hearts was sitting beside him. The kitchen was visible from where he lay, the kitchen and the living room being one large shared space.

Once again, his muzzle was cleaned, this time with the wet cloth that had been pulled off his eyes. When the snot was cleared away, Lemon Hearts patted his cheek and gave him a smile. Sumac, who still felt miserable, somehow managed to find it within himself to smile back. The cloth was tossed into the sink.

“Discord is such a helpful sort,” Lemon Hearts said in a low voice. “He showed up and said that there was about to be some real trouble in the park. It’s nice knowing that he has been reformed.”

Saying nothing, Sumac did not respond. He didn’t feel like saying or doing anything that required feeling. His stomach hurt and his whole body ached. He looked up and studied Lemon Hearts’ face. She was yellow, so very sunny yellow, had a blue mane, and her eyes were the colour of raspberry syrup. She was kind looking and there was a good natured twinkle in her eye.

“There is a lesson to be learned from all of this… Trixie changed and I forgave her. Discord has worked very hard to redeem himself and earn our trust.” Lemon Hearts paused for a moment and looked into Sumac’s green eyes. “And one day, Olive might have a change of heart. She’s going to need somepony to forgive her.”

Sumac scowled, finding Lemon Hearts’ words to be a bit too sour for his tastes. His muzzle crinkled and he pulled his head back. Ears drooping, he gave a sullen shake of his head. Olive was a horrible pony and he had no desire to forgive her.

Reaching down, Lemon Hearts stroked Sumac’s cheek. “You have such an expressive, adorable little face. I could just kiss you all over but that would probably embarrass you. Maybe even to death. Wouldn’t that be awful? Want some juice? I have a few banana nut muffins in the breadbox. There’s no milk though.”

Blinking, Sumac took in everything that had just been said. His drooping ears lifted and then pinned back against his skull. Why did so many mares say that he was so adorable and that they wanted to kiss him? He didn’t understand this need to kiss things that were ‘cute.’ He didn’t much care for being babied, but he wasn’t big enough to make it stop. It seemed that all he could do was endure it.

“Excited for school to start?” Lemon Hearts asked.

That was quite a question. Sumac gave it some careful consideration, now distracted from his previous troubles. Lemon Hearts was going to be one of his teachers. He liked her, he liked her a lot. As he lay there thinking, the cloth was pulled from his neck and tossed into the sink. He didn’t feel so hot and miserable now.

After a few long moments, Sumac nodded. “I’m kinda excited for school.”

“And I’m excited to have you as a student,” Lemon Hearts replied as she stroked one of Sumac’s ears. “Twilight hired me as a teacher. I’ve never done teaching before. I used to be an event planner in Canterlot and I was in a band with a pony named Pepperdance. The uh, career in music didn’t exactly work out and there were a few disastrous gigs as a wedding singer. Those, uh, were bad enough that it hurt my business as an event planner. So… I’m starting over… in Ponyville.”

Sumac blinked and continued to look into Lemon Hearts’ eyes.

“Oh dear, Trixie wasn’t kidding when she said you were the quiet, serious sort. Want some juice?” Lemon Hearts stood up, shook her backside to fluff out her tail, and then extended one front leg out to Sumac.

Reaching out, Sumac gripped Lemon Hearts’ front leg with his fetlock, pulled himself up, and stood up beside her. “Thank you.” Sumac took a deep breath, shuddered yet again, and tried to ignore the dull ache that permeated his whole body.

As he started to follow Lemon Hearts over to the kitchen area, there was a knock upon the door. Startled, Sumac’s muscles tensed hard enough to cause him to squeak. He turned and stared at the door.

“Excuse me, dear,” Lemon Hearts said as she moved towards the door. After a few steps, there was another knock. “I’m coming!”

Fearful, worried, Sumac began backing away. What if Olive’s parents were outside? What if he was in trouble for losing his temper? He felt his stomach clench tight and for a moment, Sumac was certain that he was going to be sick. There was no place to hide.

Lemon Hearts pulled the door open and then let out a happy sounding squeal. “Twilight Sparkle! Do come in! I was just looking after a guest, but I can look after one more.”

“Thank you,” Twilight replied as she stepped inside. The regal alicorn smiled at Sumac. “Just the colt I was looking for. I understand there was an altercation in the park? Are you okay? You look a little worked up. Sumac?”

Sumac stood there, his stomach churning, and he stared at Twilight. He was dead meat and he knew it. Twilight knew about the park. She was here because he was in hot water. She was probably here to get his confession. Sumac gulped, felt his knees wobble, and then he decided it would be best to just admit to everything he had done wrong.

But the words did not leave his mouth, they never had a chance. Instead, the contents of his stomach, his partially digested breakfast decided to make an appearance, and Sumac threw up all over the floor, splattering his front legs as well.


“Poor little dear is high strung,” Lemon Hearts said as she scrubbed Sumac’s face with a hot washcloth. She had to use her magic to hold the squirming colt and she looked over at Twilight. “He was just recovering when you arrived. Olive got him worked up in the park.”

“So I heard,” Twilight replied as she cleaned up the mess on the floor. “Sumac, I have something that I think will make you feel better. Once all of this is sorted out and we have you fixed up, can you come with me?”

“Why?” Sumac asked in a muffled voice as his muzzle was scrubbed. “Is Pebble okay?”

“As far as I know, Pebble is with Pinkie, and Pinkie Pie knows how to read Pebble’s moods like a book… so yes, I would say that Pebble is okay,” Twilight replied.

“Sorry I barfed on the floor.” Sumac’s ears drooped in shame as he spoke and he had trouble meeting Lemon Hearts’ eyes. He could feel every muscle in his body twitching and he felt miserable. His stomach hurt, his mouth felt dry and tasted bad. He had something of a headache coming on.

“So, Sumac, do you think you can come with me? Your mother will be there… she’s waiting for us.” Twilight gave Sumac a gentle smile. “I have something that will make this bad day seem better.”

“What?” Sumac asked as Lemon Hearts tossed the soiled washcloth into the sink.

“It’s a surprise,” Twilight replied. “Hey, let’s get you something to drink and see if we can’t make you feel better. But we have to hurry… time grows ever shorter.”


Princess Twilight Sparkle’s crystal castle loomed large and made Sumac feel even smaller than he was. He scooted closer to Twilight, brushing up against her hind leg, and as he moved, he felt another rush of nausea. He didn’t feel good.

“Are you sure I’m not in trouble?” Sumac asked.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Twilight replied. “As for Olive, she will be reprimanded. Sumac, she has a lot of potential, just like you. She’s smart, gifted, capable, she just needs some time to mature and there are some behavioural issues that she needs to work on.”

Sumac said nothing in reply. He just let out a pained whimper.

“I know it is very, very difficult, but you need to be patient with her if you can. I know she can be awful, but she just needs a chance to blossom.” Twilight turned her head and looked back at the colt walking beside her left rear leg.

“Weeds blossom too, but smart ponies pull them out of their gardens before they choke out the vegetables,” Sumac replied.

Twilight snorted and then struggled to swallow a laugh, her sides heaved with her efforts. She took a few deep breaths, bit her lip for a moment, and then looked away from Sumac, shaking her head.

“What’s so funny?” Sumac asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Twilight continued to shake her head as her sides heaved.

Sumac wanted to tell Twilight what Olive had said, but he was unable make the words happen. Just thinking about them made him feel sick again. He wobbled for a moment, took a deep breath, and then steadied himself out.

Together, they went up the steps leading to the massive double doors to Twilight’s castle, which was now also Princess Twilight Sparkle’s School for Fantastic Foals. As they neared the doors, Sumac wondered how Trixie was doing. Being a librarian was a whole lot easier on her legs than pulling a wagon.


For once, Sumac didn’t resist when Trixie squeezed him. He squeezed her back, glad to see her, and being close to her, he almost started to cry again. He sniffled a bit, sucked in a deep breath, and tried to be a grown up. But he didn’t let go… no, he clung to Trixie’s neck, having a secret satisfaction for being a colt.

“Spike, how is she?” Twilight Sparkle sat down upon the floor as Spike brought a basket into the room, clutching the handle in his claws.

“I think she’s ready to come out,” Spike replied, flashing Twilight a joyful smile.

“Sumac Apple,” Twilight began, “I have brought you here today to present you with a unique opportunity.”

Sumac, still in Trixie’s embrace, turned to look at Twilight.

“Being such a serious, responsible little colt, I thought you’d be perfect. I thought you could use a friend.” As Twilight spoke, Spike peeled back a blanket and revealed an egg sitting in the basket. “I thought that you might appreciate having a special friend… a special companion.”

“What is it?” Sumac asked.

“A pygmy dragon egg,” Twilight replied.

Sumac’s head swiveled and he turned to look at the egg. A pet? No, not a pet. Spike wasn’t a pet. Spike was so much more than a pet. Staring at the egg, Sumac realised that he wasn’t old enough to be a parent. So what would he be?

“Twilight, why me?” Sumac glanced at the smiling alicorn sitting on the floor.

“Because, Twilight thought that you could use a special friend… you don’t exactly fit in with most other foals your own age, and Twilight knows what that is like,” Trixie replied before Twilight could say anything.

“What would I be to it?” Sumac asked.

“What do you mean?” Twilight replied.

“I’m too young to be a parent.” Sumac shook his head and didn’t know what else to say.

“In time, you will have to define your own relationship together, just like Spike and I have.” Twilight looked at Spike, smiled, and then turned to look back at Sumac. “This is a chance for some real growth and development for you, Sumac.”

Spike, eyes glimmering, scooted over to Twilight, threw his short forelegs around Twilight’s neck, and gave her a hug. He remained there, clinging to her in much the same manner that Sumac was clinging to Trixie.

“Trixie thought that looking after a little baby dragon might help you define your relationship with her. You know, sort everything out and get a feeling for being a family together. Think of this as a learning experience.” Twilight turned her gentle eyes upon Trixie and gave the mare holding Sumac a nod.

Blinking, Sumac slipped away from Trixie and approached the low table where the basket was sitting. He could hear something from within the egg. His ears perked as he heard little mewling peeps.

“How will I feed it?” Sumac asked as he approached. “Don’t dragons need gems? We’re poor… she’ll be eating the sorts of things that could buy us a house...” Sumac’s words trailed off as he watched the egg with wide, staring eyes.

“You’ll get them,” Twilight replied, “Spike is looking forward to sharing. This is a big moment for him too.” Twilight gave the dragon clinging to her a squeeze. “She’s a pygmy tree dragon. Mostly, she’ll eat bugs, mice, little things. Fluttershy will be able to tell you all about her.”

The egg, sitting in the basket, rocked back and forth a little. Sumac could see a crack in it. Entranced, he drew closer until his nose touched the egg. Something smelled a little bit like rotten eggs and woodsmoke. He felt like sneezing. All of the worries and stress from the events that happened earlier melted away, and all thoughts of what Olive had said were forgotten. He took a deep, calm breath and sat down, his ears perking straight up as he did so.

“You are going to have a very special friend,” Twilight said as she hugged Spike closer. “Spike and I are trusting you with a lot of responsibility. I know that you will not let us down. Sumac, do you accept?”

There was no reply. Sumac was entranced. He sat with his nose touching the egg, he could feel the gentle warmth radiating from the egg and it calmed him. Everything felt right in the world. Everything was good and some faint spark of happiness ignited deep within Sumac.

There are moments in life that are magical, and they have nothing to do with spells or unicorns. The egg was moving. The hard gemstone like shell was glowing with a faint light. The dragon egg itself was a valuable, precious stone, but that wasn’t even counting the magical value of said egg for unscrupulous alchemists and potion makers.

The egg was a living thing, a living thing made of some kind of crystalline gemstone or something; Sumac had no experience with anything quite like it, except for perhaps a geode. The eggshell was smooth against the fleshy pad of his snoot, like fine polished granite.

This day had started out like any other day, had become one of the worst days in Sumac’s young life, and now… at this moment, this was quite possibly the best day of his young life. Transfixed, he stared at the egg almost cross eyed, his little brows knitted together in concentration.

“How do I take care of her?” Sumac breathed.

Twilight, still squeezing Spike, wiped something from her eye with her wing. She looked down at Spike, then over at Trixie, and then Twilight turned her attention back to Sumac. The small study in which they were sitting was growing warm and filling with a smokey ambiance.

“What will I be to her? How big will she get? How do I keep her happy? How do I make her love me? How do I do what is right for her? I’m a pony, not a dragon… I don’t understand why you chose me.” Sumac’s ears leaned forwards over his face. Little crinkles appeared on his muzzle and his eyes narrowed. “Mama?”

Trixie choked, the emotion of the moment overcoming her. Sumac didn’t always call her ‘Mama’ or ‘Mom” just yet, more often than not, he called her ‘Trixie.’ She began to sniffle a little and her eyes glimmered with tears.

“Sumac?”

“Mama, what was it like for you when you took me in?” Sumac asked.

“Well, Sumac, as you know,” Trixie replied, “it took me some time to adjust. But once I opened my heart to you, you became very dear to me.” Trixie scrubbed her eyes with her foreleg, shifted her weight, and winced when her knee popped.

“Love knows no species,” Twilight said in a low voice. “Tarnished Teapot and Maud Pie know a dragon named Gorgonzola and Gorgonzola the dragoness has a pegasus filly named Grey Owl. Tarnish and Maud rescued Grey Owl from giant spiders and they returned her to her mother.”

Sumac’s ears twitched when the egg popped. A long crack appeared and a curl of smoke rose up. He jerked his head back for a moment, his eyes going wide, and then, after calming down, he resumed his vigil, pressing his nose against the egg. The egg itself was tiny, not much larger than a goose egg.

“What are all the sparkly things on the eggshell?” Sumac asked.

After clearing her throat, Twilight replied, “The mother dragon eats a lot of gems and minerals before laying her eggs. A dragon’s eggshell is made out of an amalgam of precious stones; diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, anything and everything the mother can find to eat. The little glittery bits are crushed gemstones left undigested that the mother passes along to her hatchling. Upon hatching, a dragon eats its first meal, its eggshell.”

Nodding, Sumac continued to stare at the eggshell. “It’s a girl?”

“Yes,” Spike replied, “Twilight did some magic.”

“How big will she get? Sumac lifted up one hoof and placed the soft part of his frog against the eggshell.

“Oh, when she’s full grown, she’ll be about pony sized, maybe. Depends. Some tree dragons are larger, others are smaller. She’s a different kind of dragon than Spike is.” Twilight felt Spike slip free of her embrace and she watched as the little dragon waddled over to the table to sit with Sumac.

Another crack appeared in the eggshell and Sumac’s ears pinned back against his skull as more smoke curled out of the new fissure. He reached out a foreleg, wrapped it around Spike, and pulled the dragon, who was about the same size as he was, just a little closer so they could share the moment.

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Spike?”

“Why did Princess Celestia have my egg and why did you have to cast a spell to open it?” Spike asked.

Twilight’s mouth dropped open and she gave Spike, Sumac, and the egg a blank stare for a moment. “It was so I could pass a test… the entry test… there was a binding seal on your egg, Spike.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, Spike, I’m sorry… I’ve never given it much thought,” Twilight replied.

Beside Sumac, Spike’s eyes narrowed and it was clear that the little dragon was concentrating. Spike turned to look at Sumac, and then returned his focus on the egg. The little dragon sighed, a wisp of smoke escaping his nose, and his tiny fingers and claws clenched into fists for a moment.

“I’m glad that you hatched my egg, Twilight.” Spike leaned over against Sumac and watched as another crack appeared in the egg. “I’m a lucky dragon… and she’s gonna be a lucky dragon too.”

“Why do ponies have dragon eggs?” Sumac asked.

“Later, Sumac, I’ll tell you a story about how this egg came into my possession,” Twilight replied. “As for Spike’s egg, I don’t know.”

Ears splaying out sideways, Sumac eyed the egg, his mind filling up with so many questions. He wondered if the dragon would be happier with other dragons. He wondered if Spike would be happier with other dragons. Then again, Spike had grown up with Twilight and he was happy—but then again, Spike was happy because he had grown up with ponies. Sumac’s mind struggled with the thoughts his brain was trying to make. They were far too big, far too complicated, they were far beyond what he was capable of.

A dragon could be happy when raised by ponies, and thinking of the previous conversation, it seemed that ponies could be happy when raised by dragons. Maybe. Sumac knew nothing about Grey Owl. Sumac turned to look at Trixie, the mare that chose to be his mother. She had adopted him, formally, and she was his mother in every way that mattered.

A piece of the shell flaked away and a tiny clawed hand poked out. Sumac saw little fingers, three of them, and a thumb. It was covered in gooey slime and the little fingers flexed. Beside him, Sumac heard Spike say, “She just punched her way out.”

Sumac nodded. The tiny little hand was orange, with tiny brown claws. More cracks appeared and the shell opened. Smoke and slime poured from the opening as it grew ever larger. A second later, Sumac saw the face that changed his life.

The hatchling’s head pushed its way free of the egg. She was small, delicate, she had a stubby neck that would one day be long. Her head was shaped like an arrowhead. Her scales were mostly orange, with a few yellow scales here and there, and she had two little horn buds growing just behind her curious, yellow eyes. She blinked as she looked at Sumac, trying to clear the slime away. She pulled a leg free, a foreleg, and Sumac was curious about what he was seeing.

Her foreleg had a membrane connecting it to her body, a thin transparent membrane, almost like a batwing or perhaps a flying squirrel. She was looking at him and there was something intelligent glittering in her gleaming yellow eyes. She coughed, spat out a glob of goo, and then, before Sumac had a chance to react, she shot out of her eggshell.

Her tiny claws tickle-prickled his face as she latched onto his muzzle and began climbing. She was slimy, slick, gooey, and Sumac was drenched in dragon egg goop. She was tiny, thin, slight of body, and her tail was easily three times the length of her torso. Her underbelly was a pale yellow and she had thin membranes that stretched from her front legs to her hind legs, very much like a flying squirrel.

She scurried up his face in an instant and letting out a little cry, she wrapped her tiny body around his horn, her tiny claws clinging to the stubby growth protruding from his forehead. Her long tail wrapped around his right ear and Sumac could feel slime dripping down his face and neck.

In that moment, overcome with joy, Sumac laughed. The troubles from earlier were forgotten completely. He went cross eyed and tried to focus upon the little lizard clinging to his horn, a blissful grin blessing his face.

Sumac was almost startled by Trixie’s touch when he felt her pressing against him. He hadn’t even been aware that she had come over. More than anything, he wanted to share this moment of happiness with her. Spike too… everypony, really. At this moment, Sumac wanted everypony to feel the happiness that he was feeling.

There was a flash of a camera and it took Sumac a moment to realise that Twilight had snapped his picture. He was still trying to look up at the little dragon clinging to his horn. She seemed happy up there and Sumac decided to leave her where she was.

“What do I name her?” Sumac asked.

“Well,” Twilight replied with a huff, “I was really little when I named Spike—”

“Hey!” Spike interrupted, looking over at Twilight. He raised his claw and he pointed at her. “I have an awesome name. Spike is a great name for a dragon.”

“Somepony is going to a need a bath,” Trixie said as she gave Sumac a nudge. “And I suspect a little dragon is going to need a bath as well.”

“Ugh,” Sumac whined, his ears drooping. Everything was ruined. He didn’t care that he was slimy and gooey. It wasn’t that bad. Sumac however, was too happy to sulk for long. He perked up right away. “She’s perfect.”

“I said the same thing about Spike,” Twilight said, looking misty eyed. “He was so amazing… so little. And he used his tail as a pacifier… it was so cute.”

Spike let out a grunt, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. He tried to look gruff for a moment, but failed. He got up from where he was sitting beside Sumac, and returned to Twilight to give her a hug.

“What about eating?” Sumac asked.

“Give her a little while, she just hatched.” Twilight gave Spike a squeeze. “We’ll save just a little piece of her egg so you can have a momento. I still have a little piece of Spike’s egg. It’s one of the few things I really care about… I’ve never been one for possessions.”

“Thank you, Twilight… for everything… you’ve given me a mother, you’ve given us a home, and now, you’ve given me a new friend. I was having the worst day ever and you made it better.” A tear rolled down Sumac’s slimy cheek. “It means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Twilight replied. “Just be good to her. Be the good, kind, compassionate pony that I know you can be.”

“I can do that.” Sumac, looking up, felt more tears coming. Happy tears. He couldn’t wait to show Pebble. This would make her feel better. Or better yet, showing Pebble some of the egg shell; Pebble would love that, even if she didn’t show it. Turning, he wrapped his forelegs around Trixie’s foreleg and gave her a hug.

Sumac couldn’t wait to show his friend his new friend, and he hoped that they could be friends together. He had a moment of worry for Pebble and hoped that she was alright. He clung to Trixie and as he did so, Sumac Apple closed his eyes and counted his many blessings.

Author's Notes:

I just wanted to give a special shout out to all of my patreons, who made this possible. For everybody reading this, you should thank them too... thanks folks, to all of you. The readers, the patreons, everybody. I couldn't do this without you folks... so... thank you, thank you so very much.

:heart:

Next Chapter: Chapter 2 Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours, 3 Minutes
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