Evening Sprinkle

Evening Sprinkle stands alone in the Pony Shrine. She's nervous as she prepares for one of the most important moments of her scholarly career so far: presenting her thesis. But being here, surrounded by the smiling One-Horns and Two-Wings calms her, reminds her that it will be okay.

She is joined by someone else. An opossum. Her father, Professor Pancake. It had been many years since he first found her here, a young filly trying to hide from Winter's cold. And now his pride for his daughter, and the Scholar she's become, is clear on his face. His presence is already enough of a reassurance, but regardless he says, “You'll do great, Sprinkle. Now, we don't want to keep everyone waiting, do we?”

The two of them exit the Shrine and take a short walk to a nearby Shelter, where a crowd has gathered. Professor Pancake begins to give an introductory speech as Evening Sprinkle looks over the crowd.

She spots Pebbles, here to support her in the way she supported them during the Carnival, Gearbox, with whom she shares her optimism via a magical rainbow bridge, Barny and Crab, who have been teaching her how to climb recently, Maple, who's been preparing her own thesis this Winter, and many others. She thinks she even catches a glimpse of the White Raccoon, the first one to hear the draft of the lecture she's about to give.

As the Professor finishes his opening remarks, Evening Sprinkle steps up to the stand. She clears her throat and begins.

She starts by saying how happy and honoured she is to see everyone gathered here today, and how it’s a lovely display of community. She says she hopes that, going forward, everyone will continue to work together towards a brighter future, especially after the harsh Winter just passed.

She goes on to talk about the connections between animals and Spirits, and how they’ve grown closer in recent times. Continuing together in this way would be to the benefit of everyone. She pauses, taking another look over the crowd.

Finally, she moves the topic of the lecture to trinkets: how each of them is different and each has a unique story to tell, and that animals are the same. Everyone is unique and has worth, in the same way that every trinket has a beauty to it.

As she finishes the lecture, the audience begins to clap, and she bows with a smile. Her scholarly debut has gone well.

Evening Sprinkle, Gearbox, and Granny Moth-Spider gather in the Place with the Lanterns once more. The warm sun of Spring (or, at least, warm compared to the harsh cold of Winter) beams down through the canopy of the Deep-Woods. The last time they met in this way, a deal was done. And now, it was time for that same deal to be undone.

Each of them has grown since the rainbow bridge was forged.

Evening Sprinkle, who was so overflowing with optimism that she risked giving up that part of herself to help someone else realise their own worth, has come to realise that there are other ways to spread her sunshine. Rather than the ebbing and flowing of the optimism over the bridge, she can impart these lessons through her speech and actions instead.

Gearbox, who once saw himself as a breaker of all that he touched, as broken, has now begun to foster his own sunshine. Now he believes he can fix things: music boxes, friendships, himself. He no longer needs the light of another to shine.

And Granny-Moth Spider, who once had to trade the connections of others in order to form her own, is now able to help and be helped without having to take in exchange.

The nature of the deal creating the rainbow bridge is no longer a benefit to any among the trio. And so the three have agreed it would be better to bring it to an end.

In but a moment, the deal is ended. A sudden change, though has anything really changed at all? All that is gone is an unnecessary deal. The gradual changes that happened over the past few months still remain: the lessons learned, the sunshine created, the connections made. The three will continue to be close during the many years to come.

“Mum, Dad, I’ve just been to the most amazing place!” the young colt shouts as he races back into his Shelter.

“It was a small room in one of the other Shelters, but its shelves were full with so many trinkets and little figures. They were all horses, like us, but all in different bright colours. And some of them had horns. And wings!”

The colt’s parents smile at him. “That sounds lovely, dear,” his mother says.

The colt continues excitedly. “And then there were lots of other shiny things as well. I think people leave them there, and the elderly horse who looks after the place takes care of all of them and makes them shine bright! She was really nice. She told me lots of stories; apparently she was there when the White Raccoon was freed!

“Oh! And she gave me this!” He raises his head proudly, fully displaying the plastic horn he now bears upon his head. “She had one as well. It’s just like the figures around the room!“

“Well, it's certainly a unique horn,” his father comments.

“Can we go back and talk to her again?” the colt begs. “I think you’d really get along with her! Can we? Pleeeease?”

“Well, alright then, dear. We can go back tomorrow,” his mother replies. “Perhaps you could take your own shiny thing to add to the shelves?”