“Well, that sucked.”

“Oh, don’t be so mean, Blue!” Indigo said indignantly as we stepped out of the theater. “I thought it was a very sweet movie.”

“It was a manipulative tearjerker! No amount of bad luck like that happens to one pony!”

“I wouldn’t say that. I knew somepony from my hometown who lost their hoof in a farming accident.”

“Yeah, but did the immediately get run over by a cart and have their parents die in a horrendous fertilizer accident?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Exactly! It’s just a further demonstration of Applewood’s separation from everyday reality! Everything they make now is just contrived dud
after contrived dud.”

I let out a breath of air as we continued to meander down the nighttime street, though the signs glowed bright enough for the entire street to be illuminated. A few carts raced by on the street, filled with either departing theatergoers or late shift workers making their way back home from the various offices and stores scattered around Canterlot.

Indigo leaned her head against my neck. “Boy, you’re feisty tonight.”

“I know, I know. Sorry, Indy. It’s just...that kind of movie just isn’t my cup of tea.”

“Well, can’t you at least be happy that I liked it?”

I glanced down at her. She stared at me with big puppydog eyes, whose violet pupils shined the city lights back at me. Her silver mane gave a similar gleam, making the light parts of her mane stand out from the light purple coat the rest of her had. I leaned down and kissed her nose.

“I am happy you liked it. If anything, I’m just happy about the fact I got to spend a little more time with you.”

She blushed. “Nice save, Casanova.” She got on her tippy-hooves and gave a peck on my nose. “And don’t worry. We can see what you want next time.”

“I don’t know, Indy. You never seem that into horror movies.”

“That’s not true!” she scoffed. “I just don’t like how...exposed all the mares are in those movies.”

“‘Exposed’? Indy, you rarely ever wear clothes!”

“Exposed in an emotional sense, Blue!”

“Sure…” I said, shaking my head.

She poked me in the ribs. “You just ruined your save, buster. Now you better make up for it quick before I dump you and make Quick Flash my stallionfriend.”

“Now I know you’re pulling my chain. No way a smart mare like you would dump one of the highest rated students in the School’s history and go with that chicken head.”

“Well, your continued emotional derision is hurting me, Blue,” she said in mock pain. “And when a mare gets emotionally strained, she can start doing desperate things in order to feel loved again. Like going out with somepony like Quick Flash, who everypony knows has a huge co-”

“Alright, alright, missy. I’ll make it up to you.” I glanced down the street, looking for the nearest ice cream parlor. Though Indy may have been half-kidding about the affair, I’d been with her long enough to know that these little mock-arguments were her own little way of saying she wanted a nice sweet treat.

We soon came across one on our side of the street, a quaint little place called Stone Cold’s Ice Cream and Other Treats. We both ordered banana splits with pecans on top and walked back out to the street, our deserts floating in our respective magical auras (hers violet, mine aqua blue).

“Aren’t we going to eat them back in there?”

I shook my head. “I know a place where you can eat them even better.”

She arched her eyebrow at me. “How does one eat ice cream ‘better’?”

“In a more suitable environment. C’mon, I’ll show you.”

Taking her by the hoof, I led her down a few blocks, away from the center of town where the School was. It took a bit longer than I planned and we were halfway done with the ice cream by the time we got there, but eventually, we reached the literal edge of the city. Above us, the soft glow of the electric signs shone, while the darkness of the trees below remained unpenetrated. We found an old wooden bench nearby and took a seat.

“This is the better environment?” Indy asked incredulously.

“Oh yes,” I said with a smile. “It sure is.”

She arched her eyebrow at me again. “You pulling my chain now?”

“No, no. I just wanted to show you something.” I pointed out in the distance, over the ledge and out into the horizon. Far in the distance, a few shimmering lights broke the darkness and made their presence known. “See those lights?”

She leaned forward, spoon in mouth, and gazed out at them. “Yeah?”

“That’s Ponyville.”

She perked up at this. “Really? You mean THE Ponyville?”

“The same,” I nodded.

“Huh. Didn’t know you could see it from here in Canterlot.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know until Princess Twilight said so.”

She whipped around so fast our faces nearly collided. “You met Princess Twilight?!”

“Well...not exactly. My mother did. Went to discuss some sort of local Ponyville event with her and the mayor once.”

“Did your mom say what she was like?”

“Yeah, she said she was nice.”

“Nice? Nice how?”

“I dunno. Nice in the way a Princess is supposed to be, I guess.”

She frowned. “That’s not very specific.”

“Well, like I said, I only know what my mother said. And honestly, she seemed more concerned about that event than the fact she met a Princess.”

She leaned back on the bench. “Your mother has weird priorities.”

I shrugged. “I suppose she does.”

We sat there for a long time, staring out in the darkness at the little lights in the distance. I told Indy all about the town and the Castle down there and the boutique and whatever else came to my mind. She just sat there and listened, letting me ramble to my heart’s desire and absorbing everything she could about the place.

“I’d like to visit there sometime,” she eventually said.

“You should. It’s a nice place. It can get a little too exciting sometimes, but other than that, it’s a decent place to be.”

“You going to go back there once you’re done with school up here?”

“...”

“Blue?”

“I honestly don’t know, Indy. Maybe, maybe not.”

She leaned against me. “Are you not sure because of me?”

“That’s part of it. But there’s also where I’m going to go after school, and who I’m going to intern with as a student under, and bunch of other
things.”

“Hmm.” She kept her head against my body for some time. We continued to stare out at the lights, which were dimming slightly now as the night wore on. Eventually, only a few remained on and were just barely visible through the trees that were now seemingly darker.

“Let’s go,” Indy eventually piped.

“Okay.” We got up and wandered back the way we came, her head leaning gently on my neck as we went on.

“You still gonna keep me?” I said with a smirk.

“As long as you’re still handsome and can do magic, Blue, I’ll put up with your shenanigans.”

“Cool.” We walked a ways more, further and further into the bright, new city.

“Indy?” I said as we the dormitories grew closer in sight.

“Yeah?”

“What’s huge?”

“Huh?”

“You said Quick Flash had something huge. What was it?”

“Oh. A coat hanger.”

“A...coat hanger?”

“Yep.”

“May I ask how that’s an attribute when it comes to relationships?”

“Well, it’d allow me to hang all the scarves and coats I wear in the wintertime very neatly.”

Now my eyebrow was arched. “You were willing to dump me for Quick Flash because you could hang your clothes with him?”

“Yeah,” she said with a sly grin.

“That’s not much, Indy.”

She shrugged playfully. “It’s something.”

---

BAAARINNNNNNG!

The fierce cry of the alarm clock stirred me from my sleep. Well, what passed for sleep for me at least. Most of my fellow schoolmates and professors at the School for Gifted Unicorns would likely call it a quick snooze at best, just one degree this side of insomnia at worst. But the assignments and projects were all turned in at their proper times and the study sessions were all attended, so whatever impact my lack of sleep had on myself was of little concern to them.

I, on the other hoof, found myself very concerned in that moment the alarm clock rang. For despite the thinness of my blanket and the overall comfortable temperature of my room, several drops of sweat were streaming down the sides of my face. The dampness pooled all over my body, from under my legpits and between my hind legs. From head to hoof, a searing heat wound its way through my body, emanating from me like I was an oven that had been left on all night.

Sluggishly, I shoved the blanket off me and rubbed my eyes.

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

Turning my head, I halfheartedly threw a spell in the apparatus’s direction. I turned my head back toward my body, ready to deduce how this fever came ab-

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

“Eeek!” I squealed at a high pitch. I lept out of bed, my hooves barely managing to not buckle under my weight as I hit the ground.

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

What the hay?! Why’s that still ringing?!

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

I threw another spell its way. It was hard to see in the darkness, but I was still able to make it out. The first spell must have missed it the first time, when I was groggy and not fully-

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

A look of confusion came across my face. There was no way that second spell could have missed. I’m looking right at it!

BARRRRIIIIIIIING!

I hurry over to the clock, my hooves still wobbling a little from the sudden arousal.

BARR-

SMASH!

The clock stops midway through its piercing chorus, a muddled mix of mechanical gears and springs under my hoof. A few tense breaths escape my mouth, while my eyes simply stare down at the former time teller.

What was that? Why didn’t it stop ringing?

A loud knocking suddenly came from the front door.

“Hey, dude, what’s going on in there?” I recognized the voice as that of Raggy Riches, the tenant of the dorm across the hall. I quickly grab my orange bathrobe from the closet and race to the front door.

I opened it, and Raggy stood before me, fully living up to his name. A thick beard and moustache covered his face, and his unkempt brown mane hung almost to the floor. Some jeans that looked 5 years overused and covered with patches were loosely hanging off his back legs. His eyes had a glazed look, half-hidden by the thin spectacles that were just millimeters from falling off his face.

“Everything A-OK in there, dude?” he said in a strained tone. A slight whiff of alcohol whished over my nostrils.

“Yeah,” I quickly said, my breath still not quite back to regular speed and yielding from the Raggy’s liquor breath. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just some furniture falling over.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “‘Furniture.’ That what they calling them these days?”

“Calling who?”

“Girls, dude. They calling them ‘furniture’ now, eh?”

“Huh?! No, I mean furniture as in furniture! Couches, chairs, stuff like that!”

Raggy stared at me, his eyes only loosely focusing on me. “Dude, you shouldn’t put mares down like that. Comparing them to appliances for your own personal use is extremely demeaning.”

“What’re you-? Look, Raggy, I’ve no clue where you’re getting this idea, but I just dropped something. There’s nopony else in here but me!”

“Then who the hay made that girly scream just now?”

“...Don’t worry about it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got things to do.” I closed the door in his face and turned back toward my bed. Raggy’s last few grumblings made their way through my door, then gently faded as he made his way back to his own room.

I wandered back to the nightstand, my eyes not leaving the smashed clock for a moment. A million thoughts tumbled through my mind, none of them pleasant. What happened? Was the clock malfunctioning? Why wasn’t my magic doing anything? Did I keep missing? Is this fever affecting it?

I brought a hoof to my forehead, where the thick sweat quickly moistened it. Whatever’s going on, I better take a quick bath first. Last thing I need is to go to class smelling like a pig.

I made my way to the bathroom, my eyes now mostly adjusted to the darkness that still hung in the apartment. The bookshelves to my left and the closet to my right were now visible as soft outlines, indicating I was heading the right direction. Eventually, I made out the bathroom door in front of me and shoved it open.

A quick flip of the light switch illuminated the ordinary bathroom. Nothing but a toilet and a bath adorned the room, both an unassuming shade of white that matched the tiled floor. The only shades of color came from the dark green towel hanging from the rack over the toilet and the aqua colored shower curtain. For one reason or another, my mind wandered back to how proud the dorm director had been when he showed me this bathroom.

“This is the best room in this place, I tell ya,” the portly stallion had said with a respectful nod. “A nice and simple room. The main room out here,” he pointed out to where the bed and desk were. “...too darn complex. Can do anything you want out there. Eat, sleep, work, pontificate, you name it. Perfect for a multi-tasking magic student like you. This room, though...this room is simple. Only three things you can do in it.”

“Only three?” I had replied.

“Yep. Number One, Number Two, and take a bath.” His face lit up in a toothy grin, an immense pride for his crude joke beaming from his ragged face. I recalled giving a feigned chuckle to the joke back then.

But the memory soon left my mind. I’d already spent too much time chatting with Raggy and pondering the clock’s malfunction, and I still had half a dozen things to do before I left. At this rate, I’d be lucky to make it to class on time. I reached toward the light grey water knobs, anxious to get the bath over with.

But one of those million questions I had been wondering a minute ago made me pause.

Is something wrong with my magic?

I shook my head. No, no way. I was moving things around with my horn just last night with no difficulty. Unicorns don’t just lose their magic overnight.

But the uneasy question still lingered. All of me wanted to say it was a malfunction with the clock, a mysterious condition where the material wouldn’t react to magic. But I still couldn’t shake that foreboding feeling.

I looked at the water nozzles. With more concentration than I’d put into a spell for some time, I focused all my energy on the nozzles. The heat that had been all over my body a minute ago suddenly centered, pulling itself toward my back and up my spine. All the way up to my head, it flowed. Every inch of me was contributing to the spell as it built.

I released the energy, the heat leaving my head like a tea kettle whistling steam.

The nozzles didn’t move.

I tried again, exerting even more.

They still didn’t move.

Again.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

And so the cycle repeated for Celestia knows how long. I kept pushing and straining, my mind focused on those nozzles, push push pushing as hard as I could for as long as I could. The sweat trickled down my face with new intensity, small puddles forming at my feet as time went on. My normally blue coat became slowly crimson as the blood flowed harder and harder to cool me down.

And the nozzles still did not move.

Finally, at some point, I simply stopped. The heat in my head was getting too much, and I couldn’t handle it building up anymore. I fell to the floor, panting and now newly soaked by the sweat puddles. But I didn’t care.

My magic was gone!

I quickly sat up. No, that couldn't be it. I was using it last night! I couldn’t have lost it! My eyes darted around the white washroom, looking for anything else to cast spells at. The toilet handle was the first thing that came to sight. I sent a small exertion in its direction. Nothing happened.

I raced out the bathroom door and furiously scanned for anything else I could move. I have my magic! I know I do! Some clothes lied idle on the floor. I exerted toward them with the greatest effort I could. They didn’t move.

I raced toward the closet and did the same. Nothing.

The bed sheets. Nothing.

The pencils lying on the brown desk. Not even a tremor.

My mind raced some more. Maybe I just couldn’t do movement spells! Yeah, that was it! Maybe I just had to try something else! I closed my eyes and concentrated on a Cloud Creator Spell. Not exactly the most indoor friendly spell, but whatever; I just needed something now!

I thought and thought and thought. The heat came to my head and it flowed out as I cast the spell.

But no cloud appeared. Not even a lowly cumulus.

I tried some more spells, ranging from the Clone Creator Spell to the Inanimate Object to Frog Charm. Every spell I knew, easy and hard, simple and complex, minor and major was built up and released.

And yet nothing appeared. No frogs, clouds, or clones came into being. Not even my light blue magic aura appeared anywhere on anything.

It was no longer sweat coming down my face. Only tears now, salty and large and falling to the floor with loud little ploops.

I was done, finished now. The School for Gifted Unicorns didn’t allow crippled unicorns in their doors. Oh, they’d allow little fillies, old ponies, and unicorns with only three legs. As long as they had brains and usable horns, they could come.

But I had only one of those things now.

---

I should have stayed in my room today. I was in no condition mentally to go to the School, let alone with a defective horn. But maybe out of sheer habit, I rushed to pull myself together so that I could be out the door in time. I only had enough time to quickly down a bowl of oats and wash my face. Hopefully, the sweat wouldn’t stink me up too much, but just in case, I splashed some old cologne my father had given me some time ago. It was supposed to smell of daisies and lavender, but it mostly just smelled like old soap.

It was close, but other than a few near hits with some overzealous joggers and a grumpy associate professor, I was able to get to Magic and Mysteries 101 unabashed. Unfortunately, it also meant that I missed all the good seats. Everypony always crowded in the front of Professor Trotsky’s class, as not only was his class exceedingly difficult, but the fellow also tended to have trouble seeing raised hooves toward the back of the class.

But that was fine with me; I wasn’t going to ask any questions today. Today, I was just going to sit in the back and let the class take its course. I made my way up the stairs, up and up toward the top of the desks until I was at the very top. Only three ponies filled the chairs up here.

Other than the attendance grade, nothing else would really concern me. I needed to figure out what was wrong with me and quick before whatever was-

“Hey, Blue!” a chipper voice called out. I spun around and was greeted by Indy coming down my way behind the other desks.

Oh horse apples. I had completely forgot Indy and I had this class together. In fact, I had forgotten about Indy period.

This opens a whole new can of worms. How the hay was I supposed to tell her what is going on? She may be one of the sweetest ponies I know, but there’s no way in Tartarus that she would keep me if she knew.

I know that sounds mean and harsh, but it’s true. No proper unicorn loved crippled unicorns. It’s just what’s done. She’d even said it herself: As long as you’re still handsome and can do magic, Blue… Oh, how I hated those words now! They’d been sweet just hours ago, and now they were an omen.

It wasn’t just her, though. What would my parents think? What would everypony else in Equestria think? It was common knowledge: Earth ponies use their hooves, pegasi use their wings, and unicorns use their horns. One that couldn’t...well, were they really a pony, pegasus, or unicorn anymore? I’d never gave it much thought before, but most everypony else had. Oh, they’d always be nice and courteous toward those unfortunate few, all smiles and sympathetic nods toward them. Heck, they may even befriend the pony in question, or dare I say it, fall in love with them.

But they’d always have that Look in their eye. That subtle, resigned Look that mixed sympathy with disdain and the knowledge that this pony, whomever they were, wasn’t ‘whole’ anymore. They were just a fraction of a pony now, unable to fulfill their potential and make those great impacts that all the great Equestrians did. Those great Equestrians could both do and inspire; those unfortunate ponies could merely inspire.

I don’t want that. I don’t want to be that little footnote in somepony else’s history. I don’t want to be a quiet blurb in the biography of some future Master of Magic that says ‘I was always inspired by Clear Blue, the old unicorn that kept that shop. He was a cripple, but he kept his spirits up everyday…’

I don’t want everypony I love to look at me like that. My mother, my father, my brothers, Indy....

Why, why, why? Was this some cruel joke one of the upperclassmares was pulling on me, using some obscure spell on me for some slight I committed against them that I couldn’t remember? A debilitating medical condition I just developed overnight? Was Princess Celestia herself overseeing this happening, singling me out for some great punishment I had no comprehension of and had no means of finding out how to atone for?

Well, whatever the reason, I knew at least one thing: I was in some deep sh-

“Hey, you!” Indy said as she sat down beside me.

“H-hey, Indy,” I choked out.

“You alright?” she said, looking at my disheveled mane. “You seem a little...off.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” I said, quickly straightening my mane. “Just, uh...didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Our date was a little too exciting for you, mm?” She raised her eyebrows up and down, a smug look on her face.

“Yeah…” I quickly turned back to unloading my knapsack, dumping my paper and pencils upon the tan desk.

“Oh my goodness!” Indy squeaked.

“What? What is it?”

“Blue, you’re sweating like a hog!”

“Oh, er...I had to run to get to class on time. Accidentally overslept.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Well, uh...I mean, I couldn’t sleep for most of the night. When I finally did get to sleep, it was for two hours before sunrise and I only woke up just in time to race over here.”

I wanted her to say “Nice save.” I wanted to hear her say something like she’d said last night, when she was so happy and playful and wanted to know more about where I came from. But she just stared at me, her body telling me that it wasn’t a ‘nice save’ and that she knew something was up.

“Hallo, everypony!” a voice rang out below us. We turned in unison to see the good Professor Trotsky shuffle into the room, his plaid jacket clinging to his body like it was fearful of bursting from the stallion’s well-fed midsection. His turquoise tie (a beloved piece of clothing to him, as he said he won it from a rival professor who had said he couldn’t turn a piece of silver into gold) flapped to the tune of his body, as did his pitch black mane.

“Sorry I’m a bit tardy! Some needy student wouldn’t stop bugging me about the necessity of ceasing experimentation on frogs. But no matter; today is a very special lesson!”

A few audible chuckles crept through the audience. Trotsky always claimed that each lesson was ‘very special’.

“I heard that! Scoff now, pupils, but today’s lesson is of immense importance to modern-day ponies like us.” He picked up some chalk and began to scribble on the blackboard.

“Ponies...Without...Magic....” he intoned.

My heart felt like it stopped.

“Now…” he said as he turned back toward the class. “I know this may seem like a rather odd subject to emphasize in a distinguished magic school like this, but I believe it is an important subject for unicorns like yourselves to have at least have some knowledge of.”

A student raised his hand.

“Yes, Mr. Rush?”

“Isn’t that just pegasi and Earth ponies?”

“Interesting you bring that up. Unofficially, yes. When we usually speak about ponies without magic, we usually think of non-unicorns. However, it should be pointed out, to all in this class who do not know, all races of ponies have some form of magic in them. While we unicorns obviously have the greatest talent at manipulating different forms of magic, Earth ponies can make things grow and Pegasi can manipulate the weather. They are not ‘Ponies Without Magic’ in any sense of the word.”

Another student raised their hoof.

“Yes, Ms. Blaze?”

“Professor, if Earth Ponies and Pegasi are not ‘Ponies Without Magic’, then who is?”

Trotsky stamped his foot. “A pertinent and excellent question, Ms. Blaze. Ponies Without Magic can only be Unicorns.”

A few audible gasps went out through the audience, along with a few skeptical scoffs. I could feel the sweat begin to build up all over my body. Oh sweet Celestia, why was this the topic? Why was this torture still building up on me?

“Let me explain. Earth Ponies, that group of our nation both we and the Pegasi like to poke fun out every now and then, are nigh impossible to losing their magic. Never in the history of Equestria has there ever been a recorded case of an Earth Pony that couldn’t grow something. Sure, they may have been unable to grow a potato like their ancestors had done so easily, but there’d always be something that they could use their green hoof to sprout, be it an apple tree or radishes. And even if they somehow lost all their legs and were reduced to being dragged around on a cart, they could still poke the ground with their head and make something shoot up.

“Pegasi are also not ones who lose their magic easily. You can damage their flight, of course; no Pegasi’s wings are completely invincible. But even if you take that ability to fly away, they can still manipulate weather and stand on clouds and the like. It’d be extremely difficult and likely the Pegasi who suffer such injuries would likely not partake in such activities anymore, but it would still be possible for them to continue with the aid of other Pegasi. Their magic is left intact.

“We Unicorns, though? Heh, we are extremely sensitive creatures. All of that magic we know and use all comes from this.” He pointed at his light red horn. “If something goes wrong with this, we have nothing. Whether the horn gets separated from the body or you develop a high enough of a fever, you lose everything. No plant growing powers, no weather manipulation, nothing. We become Ponies Without Magic when we don’t have these things. To many out there in Equestria and even here in this classroom, we would become Nothing.”

Nothing…

Nothing…

---

I left the class the second it was over. I got a good head start ahead of Indy. I heard her holler at me through the throng of other ponies, but I didn’t stop for her. How could I? She knew something was up, and she wouldn’t leave me be until she knew what. I couldn’t let her know. Not ever.

I made my way to the on-campus nurse. I didn’t tell her entirely what was going on: I said I was having trouble with my magic and that I had a fever, but I made sure to not say that I had no magic whatsoever. She nodded and gave me some pills that she said would take care of the fever. The magic problems were probably caused by the fever, she had said. They’ve been known to send Unicorn magic all callywompus before; the best thing to do was to get plenty of rest and wait for it to pass.

“Can fevers make you lose your magic?” I’d asked curiously.

“It’s possible,” she said with a shrug. “Anything gets hot enough, it can get frazzled enough to where it don’t work properly anymore.”

I had nodded and made my way back to my room, my mind filled with a million more questions. What was this? Was it psychosomatic? Was I just under stress? Did I really have a new disease? Was it a tumor? Would it progress? Would I go into shock? Paraylsis? Death?

All of these thoughts ceased the second I reached my dorm room. Indy stood there, standing next to the door with the most concerned of faces.

“Indy…”

“It’s your horn, isn’t it?”

I had to keep myself from falling backwards. How did she know?! Was it obvious?! Did everypony else see it and-

“Your horn, Blue. It isn’t working, is it?”

I want to lie to her. I want to say that it isn’t so, I just have a little fever that’s making the magic all off balance and odd. That’s all it is.
But I know it’s not true.

“...Yes, Indy.”

She didn’t move for a few moments. Her face betrayed no emotion except the concern she had shown when I appeared.

“Indy, how’d you-?”

“I saw the way you were looking at the professor during the whole lecture. I may not be the highest rated student here, Blue, but I know a look of panic when I see one.”

I closed my eyes. It was over now. She’d be gone, disassociating herself from me for the rest of her days, like the rest of my family. Pushing away the Nothing I was now.

“Before you say anything, Indy,” I managed to choke out after a few moments. “Let’s go inside my room. Whatever happens next, I...I want us two to be the only ones that see it.”

She nodded her head and moved aside so I could unlock the door. With a quick shove, it gave way and the two of us shuffled into the abode. She moved toward the middle of the room, her back turned to me and facing the bathroom. Under her hooves lied the wet spot where I had collapsed after trying every magic spell I knew. I stood close to the door, poised and ready to flee down the hallway if I couldn’t take whatever emotion she threw at me, be it anger or anything else. I wouldn’t come back after she left the room; I’d just keep running and running, getting away from this forsaken school and all the happy memories I was sure it was going to rob me of. Running out of Equestria, past Griffonstone, over the ocean, whatever there was left to run over.

It felt like an eternity before we spoke.

“Indy, I want to-”

“Wait, Blue. I have something to say first.”

“...Okay.”

She nodded and turned back to me. Even from here, I could see there were tears she was trying to fight back.

“I’m...I’m not angry that you didn’t tell me, Blue. The more I think about it, the more I realize I’d probably do the same thing. We Unicorns can be a very proud bunch of ponies, even around the ones we love.

“No, I’m angry at...at what this means. Does this mean you distrust me, after all we’ve been through? That you can’t even confide in me about something that could affect or relationship? Who...” She sniffled a little bit. “...Who am I supposed to be angry at that for? You, for being so distrusting, or me, for proving you absolutely correct?”

My eyes went wide for a moment. I wanted to cry out she was a good Unicorn and that she’d never do such a thing. But I knew what I had thought before, and it was exactly what I had feared.

“Oh, I remember what I said last night, Blue. About how I’d be with you as long as you were handsome and could use magic. And I meant it when I said it. I didn’t say it in that silly way I do when I want ice cream or when I’m ribbing you. I absolutely meant it. And I absolutely hate myself for it. I keep thinking that maybe I was tempting fate, like...like I was playing on train tracks and daring a locomotive to come my way, but it hit you instead.

“I know this probably isn’t the case, Blue. I know I’m probably just all worked up and crazy thinking about you now. But...but…”

At this, she exploded. The wet spot got even wetter as the new tears came down to the carpet like a waterfall. I ran toward her faster than I had ever run before and threw my front legs around her. She returned the gesture and we both squeezed each other tight. I could feel her tears dribbling down me now, down my back and tail before it finally flowed down to the wet spot. It took everything in my body to keep me from letting loose some tears of my own. But I’d already had my fill this morning, down there on that wet spot. I’d had my pity party.

“This isn’t your fault, Indy. Don’t hurt yourself over this.”

She kissed my ear, then whispered between the tears, “I still love you.”

“I know. I know.”

“I’m not leaving you. I’m not.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t care if the Princesses themselves say you aren’t a Unicorn. I love you all the same.”

I pulled her off of my shoulder and brought her face in front of mine. Her eyes were strewn with tears and puffed red, but she was as beautiful as any fashion model here in Canterlot.

I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She gladly returned the motion.

I don’t know for how long we kissed, but when we stopped, her tears were gone and my back was dry.

“It might just be a fever, Indy,” I eventually said. “The nurse said that fevers can affect magic and-”

She put a hoof to my lips.

“Blue, you know as well as I do that this fever you have couldn’t do anything like that. Maybe there’s a chance you’re right. Maybe there's a 0.01% chance you’re having a rare allergic reaction to something and this fever and your horn not working are a symptom. If you are, great. If not….well, not ‘great’, but you know...we’ll deal with it.”

I tightened my embrace around her figure again.

“Thank you, Indy. You...you make me feel more like a Unicorn than I’ve ever felt before, magic or not.”

I heard her chuckle in my ear.

“Nice save.”

I smiled and leaned her back so I could look at her beautiful little face. I looked deep, deep into her big eyes.

And that’s when I saw it.

The light.

The light in her eyes. They were the lights on the street that had shone in them last night. They still shone out of them, filling this dark and damp room with a light not even Celestia could’ve matched.

But it was what I didn’t see that made my soul soar. Nowhere, deep in those beatiful pupils, was that Look. The one everypony else gave to the Unfortunate Ponies with no wings or horns or legs. Her eyes didn’t say “You will only Inspire and Inspire Only.” They said, “You will Do a Great Many Things, and I’ll Be With You When You Do Them.”

They radiated that light like it was still midnight in Canterlot and we’d seen a terrible melodrama and had ice cream and Ponyville could be seen in the distance and I was telling her stories about it and she was describing Quick Flash’s coat hanger and I was just shaking my head and we just laughed and laughed and loved.

It was like everything was perfect again.

Because it was.