Chapter Nine

Night soon began to arrive. Everypony and the sugar sprites had drifted to sleep after playing the day away. Starburst offered to sleep with Shugo so she could sleep peacefully. Unfortunately, a few other saccharites didn't think highly of it. They were the same sugar sprites who had picked on her earlier. It was unknown to why they disliked it, but they didn't want to wait till morning to ensure Shugo has a terrible experience. Knowing that the sprite is a heavy sleeper, they managed to cradle her gently prior to exiting the valley.

After they have reached an area that wasn't within earshot of the valley, they found a small puddle and dropped the sprite in it. The sudden cold woke her up immediately. She looked up to see the very rose, daisy, sunflower and orchid sprites that had picked on her before.

'Glucy…Sacchi…Cara…and Fetti?' She had addressed their names respectively.

Just channeling her words into their minds had irritated them.

"Stop it. Just stop it!" Glucy shouted. "It's rude to read our minds!"

'But…it's the only way I can communicate…!'

Shugo tried to flutter up to their level, but was pushed into the puddle again by Fetti.

"Please…We're not born yesterday!" she said. "We've all learned how to speak. You have no excuse!"

"You shouldn't even be on this trip with your puny excuse," Cara followed. "I can't believe leader Gluco even let you join this group. It's a complete waste."

Shugo attempts to get back up again.

'I'm…I'm not a waste,' she says. 'Soon…I'll be a great leader one day!'

There was a long pause. The silence grew more awkward as the larger Saccharites took in her empty words.

Their response? They burst into laughter. Seeing them laugh completely caught the little sprite off guard. She was confused, but also worried about what they had to say next.

"Let's get serious, Shugo," Sacchi says. "What makes you think you have the confidence to lead us?"

Those words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened from the shock.

"Face it," Fetti said. "You don't have a voice, and let alone a real one. How can you possibly be a leader when we know you're not suited for the job?"

"Can you believe she received encouragement from that colorless pony?" Cara asked. "It's a complete joke. A pony like her can't stand up to our level!"

"It's because she's mute like her," Glucy says. "To think her first friend would be a pony! They're both talentless rejects!"

'E-Enough! I won't let you talk about Starburst that way…!'

The four sugar sprites glared at her.

"And what are you going to do about it, reject?" Glucy asked. "It's not like your voice will carry through these hills."

All the sprites close in on Shugo and took turns shoving her in a circle.

"You're too puny!"

"Too timid!"

"Too different!"

"Too weak!"

"And speechless!"

Glucy's final shove sent the little sprite back into the puddle.

"You are a complete joke to the rest of the group," she said. "Gluco made a terrible choice, and none of us will stand for it! We'll make sure you never return home, because this whole year you have done nothing but hold us back!"

The bullying Saccharites develop a smokescreen out of their sugar dust prior to fleeing from the area.

"She wants to be a leader," Fetti says as they fled. "How pathetic!"

Silence filled the air after the dust cleared. The little sprite slowly got herself out of the murky puddle to remove any excess mud from her crystal frame. For a while she acted like nothing happened. She believed it was a dream…A nightmare sounded better.

'It's no big deal…!' she thought to herself. 'This is just a bad dream! I'll wake up soon!'

The more their words entered her mind, the more her eyes filled up with tears.

'…I can be a leader! I can!'

*You have done nothing but hold us back!*

'I…!'

*Gluco made a mistake!*

*You're not suited for this job!*

*You're pathetic!*

'I…can't…'

Tears.

Tons of them streamed down her face as these awful words played back repeatedly. It hurt more about wishing to hear herself cry, but nothing could escape her lips other than the sound of her exhales.

They were right. Everything they said to her was on point. What was the point of taking this trip? Everyone either ignored her or teased her. There were more than enough signs to prove being a leader was completely out of reach. Her dream was crushed by her own kind who only laughed in disbelief. None of them believed in her.

…And she was starting to accept that.

She was starting to think Starburst had never meant to sound so trustworthy. Glucy and her clique – despite not being able to hear her thoughts – believed the pony's words held no value. If that was true, then did Starburst lie to her? Was she just saying those things to cheer her up? What if that was her talent?

It all makes sense now. She wasn't a friend. She purposely brought her spirits up just so the other sugar sprites could bring them down again. It was a perfect plan…It was pointless to return home. It didn't matter where she was going. She just hoped she would never be found.

So much time had passed. She wondered how long she had traveled prior to reaching a small cavern. It appeared like the size of a rabbit's den from the outside. The lily sprite approached and entered with no hesitation. By being entranced with keeping herself from getting found, she failed to notice a raised root at the entrance.

She tripped and began to roll through the slightly steep tunnel, only to soon have her back collide against the side of a boulder. The force was intense enough to cause one of her petals to tear completely. Pain rushed through every corner of her body, and her disability kept her from yelling as loud as she wished.

She could no longer move. She could no longer fly. She couldn't yell for help because there was no one around. She was all alone with the very tears constantly streaming from pain and rejection.

'I'm pathetic…I'm a failure…and I will never be a leader…'

The tiny sprite continued to weep in silence as the red adornment on her chest had begun to glow at a frequent pace.