Chpt. 2
(Forgotten memories)
It was two days after the welcoming party that Spell Squire’s things came. He frowned looking through his things, scorch marks and water damaged covered the few things that had been saved. Apparently after he left other ponies around the down had tried to burn down his house so he had nothing left to go back to. As what little luck he had would have happen, he still knew one of the ponies on the fire squad that had a soft heart that had put the fire out before things were too out of control. He sighed tossing aside another ruined box of blackened contents. So far he had found a few photo albums that were air drying, a few articles of clothing that weren’t burned to badly as well as a few of his books. For the most part it looked like his furniture was all in need of replacing along with most of his clothing which hadn’t been extensive to start with, and a good portion of his books.
With a sigh Spell looked around at all his ruined things and shook his head. He knew that he was never going back but the fact they burnt his house down, he just couldn’t fathom that much anger and rejection. Standing up he walked outside, the skies were clear and nice, cool breeze greeted him as he left his house. While he had grown used to Ponyville some of its inhabitants hadn’t gotten used to him, and occasionally still gave him the odd look or sympathy or a hushed question to a friend about the unicorn with the broken horn. Walking out he decided to visit the library to see if he could borrow any of his favorite books from the library in the meantime while he waited for his new things to arrive. Looking up he smiled and sighed softly as the sun felt good on his fur. The trip didn’t take long before he was at the large tree that housed the library and one lavender mare and her assistant that Rainbow Dash was friends with.
Rainbow Dash, the name made the stallion smile. She was his first real friend since his… accident. Shaking his head he walked into the library quietly and began looking for his books. As he looked his mind began to wander back to a certain mare. Dash was fun to be around but knew when business needed to be taken care of. The mare herself had also been the victim of bullying and though not as sever, she could relate with him on some level and she supported him one hundred percent in trying to find himself again. Looking back to his flank he gave a sad smile.
A shield. That was his cutie mark. A sign of protection, safety, defense. When he was younger he had shown a talent for barrier and shields, spells of protection that had earned him his cutie mark, but more and more often, he’d had to use other means of protection and defense. Usually he’d run away and find a hiding place, or became evasive when other ponies were talking to him, he’d also become very agile and experienced at taking, and dodging blows anypony might toss his way.
Shaking his head he sighed softly to himself and looked back to the shelf and pulled out a large blue spined book and blinked seeing a large violet eye looking at him. With a yelp of surprise the book fell from his mouth as he cowered back. The eye moved and he looked at the end of the shelving to see Twilight Sparkle come around the corner.
“I thought I heard somepony in here. You’re…. Spell Squire right?” Twilight asked trying to recall the name. He blinked for a moment but nodded mutely as he stood before he leaned down again to grasp the book in his teeth, but before he could Twilight’s magic enveloped the book and lifted it to her letting him chomp on thin air. “Hmmmm, Magical Shields and Barriers A-Z For Beginners, what would an Earth…oh…” she faltered for a moment as she noticed for the first time the broken horn protruding from his forehead, “Oh! I’m so sorry Spell Squire, I di-” the stallion put his hoof up cutting her off and putting aside his hurt for the time being.
“Twilight, it’s alright, I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” He felt like having a fresh made scab ripped off but he also knew from Rainbow that Twilight would never purposefully insult him. Twilight looked down and embarrassedly scrapping her hoof on the ground as she offered the book back to him. Taking it, taking it Spell took the book and slipped it into his saddle bag, “Miss Sparkle?”
Hearing her name Twilight blinked coming back from her thoughts, “hmm? Oh yes Spell Squire?”
The stallion sighed softly and gave her a smile, “Just Spell please. I was wondering if you could help me find these?” he asked before digging in his saddle bag for a moment before pulling out a small list of books offering it to her. Taking the list and looking it over Twilight smiled, they were mostly adventure books, but there were a few magic tomes, curiously she looked at the list and back to spell.
“Some of these are really advanced Spell, can you use these?”
With a soft sigh Spell Squire thought for a moment and shook his head his mane falling in his eyes “..no” he said softly before raising his head a new determined look in his eyes, “no, I can’t, but I’m still learning my craft and I’ll put myself and more behind learning to do it.”
Twilight blinked and smiled as she looked at him and nodded at his resolve, “Well then Spell, if you ever need help, just ask, I’ll be happy to help.” At this, it was spell’s turn to blink and smile in return. As they went through the library, picking out the books they could together they worked out a time to meet and she could see where he was and help him practice his magic safely. As it so happened neither had much going on that evening and it was agreed to meet then.
Leaving the library the stallion smiled to himself and decided to get a bite to eat on his way home. Setting his bag down he started to dig for a few bits out of his bags but paused and sat back down as he came across a familiar silver ring, the same one he had stuffed back into his bag at on the train. Shaking his head, he must have forgotten to take it out of the bag when he had started to unpack. Staring at the ring in his hoof, he tilted the ring in his hoof he tilted the ring letting the sun shimmer and sparkle on its surface. Again, memories unbidden came to light, pushing them down and shoving them into a bottle, all thoughts of food were abandoned as he absently made his way back home trying to keep a semblance of composure.
She had a mane that reflected her name, Silver Lining. Cloud white and silver grey mane braided to keep it in order, her tail however she let be, it was a wild tangled spiky mess but she never cared. She had a dove grey coat and her cutie mark was a grey cloud with a silver lining and a sun peeking out behind it. She always had a smile for him, a treasure that was his lone source of warmth in a world of abuse and neglect. She was a soft voice that whispered words of hope to him in the darkness of his nights, a hoof that held him close and held close the doors to his nightmares, and held the ghosts away before the dawn. She had been his very special somepony, until the town found out.
Going inside he closed the door behind him locking it as he climbed the stairs up to his room. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and focused. He felt the magic the flowed in him, visualized a trickle of that river flowing out of him to the curtains, pulling them down as grey aura flickered around the small pull knob of the shades and with a painful groan they started to close out the light of the mid-day sun. screwing his eyes shut as he focused making sure that the windows stayed close he gasped panting softly, his body was covered with a thin layer of sweat as the aura around his broken horn flickered in and out all the while shooting sparks of unfocused magic.
As the blinds finally shut the aura around his horn finally winked out as he sighed deeply his entire body relaxing before he gathered himself up for one final hop up onto his bed. With a satisfied flop and groan from his bed he closed his eyes before opening them just enough to look down at his hoof staring at the ring as he drifted off, the memories of Silver Lining coming back to him like the whispers of a siren.
The day was warm as Spell Squire laid out on the soft grass on the edge of town where no pony would find or bother him. When a shadow blocked the warmth of the sun, he mumbled a soft curse at the pegasus moving the cloud before opening an eye to see a familiar pair of sky blue eyes looking down at him. With a smile he rolled over getting his legs under him before standing up slowly to nuzzle the mare’s neck “hey there Silver, what are you doing out here?”
Silver Lining smiled and returned the nuzzle warmly “I just thought it was too nice of a day to spend alone Spell.” she said moving around siding up to him with a smile. Together they walked through the open field just talking, more appropriate to say Silver talked and Spell listened, about the going on’s in town. Reaching an old oak tree, they had claimed as their own as they sat in its shade and continued to talk until there was nothing left to say, by then the sun touched the horizon and the shadows had grown with the evening chill making the ponies cuddle up against each other. Silver’s head finding a familiar nook in Spell’s neck that always felt like it was made for her as his chin gently rested over her head, together they lay still until Silver was snoring softly.
It was these moments that Spell Squire loved…
And hated…
Silver Lining was the only pony in town that didn’t seem to care that his horn was broken, the only pony that didn’t look on him with pity or hate, just saw him as the pony he was and not an invalid that brought shame upon the town. At the same time though, he hated that she was given dirty looks and called names because she was his friend. She shrugged the names off saying they didn’t bother her and that the towns pony were being silly. It was for that reason he loved her, and why in secret he had gone to the next town over and though he had to pay extra because of who he was and even more in bribes to keep the smith quiet, he had commissioned a ring.
It was a silver band with ground diamonds making a small line around the middle of the band. With a glance into the hollow of the tree where the ring was hidden he bit softly on his lip before leaning down and whispering softly in the mare’s ear, “Silver, are you still awake?” His reward was a gentile sigh as she shifted slightly and gave a sleepy nod and a soft mumble. With a smile he kissed her cheek softly and whispered, “I have a very important question for you,” his voice was shaking softly with nerves and anticipation but he still held a tone of amusement at how cute she looked when she was sleepy and waking up. Slowly she lifted her head to get a better look at him before nodding that she was more awake and wanting him to continue.
Taking a deep breath Spell screwed shut his eyes as he focused sparks flew gently into the dimming twilight from his horn as slowly the box lifted out of the hollow behind her. Opening his eyes slowly he heard her surprised gasp not only at his rare display of magic but that inside the black velvet box was a small ring. His voice shook as the magic took its toll, “W-will you ma-marry me Silver Lining?”
Silver wrapped her own magic around the ring box to help support the box in his own magic field lessening his stress out of habit as her mind was blank looking at the ring before she let out a squeal of glee and tackled the distracted stallion kissing him all over practically giggling yes between her kisses. Slowly she started to calm and cuddle back up with him and started to plan their escape from the town to be together without anypony giving them a hard time. What they didn’t notice was the distant shape of a pony running back to town.
It was near two weeks later that their engagement ended, but for now he pushed those back into their box deeply and tightly sealing them away. Slowly Spell Squire rose, carefully he stretched his stiff limbs from his afternoon nap. Carefully he set the ring down on his bedside table and looked at it as if trying to glean secrets he knew it did not have before sighing softly as he got up deciding that a walk through he market would be good for him, not to mention his stomach.
Spell had been through the market a few times now, for groceries and it happened to be the hub of the town. It was during one of these visits that Spell Squire had met Apple Jack. The orange mare was sitting back in her booth wearing her trademark Stetson, they had talked and gotten to know one another since the chance hadn’t arisen at the party, which she apologized for explaining that it was getting close to harvest time for most of the trees meaning that Sweet Apple Acres was even busier than normal.
Approaching the booth though Spell didn't see Apple Jack but her brother Big Mac. With a smile and a nod Spell picked up a few apples and looked at the other stallion “six bits?” with a nod and his own trademark “eeyep” Spell pulled out the bits and put the apples back in his saddle bag. Looking up he noticed the town’s clock tower and cursed softly as he ran towards the library already late for his appointment.
FIN.