//------------------------------// // Ponies IX // Story: Integration // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// The Buffalo FAQ If you’ve been keeping up with current events, you have noticed that the princesses of Equestria have recently created five brand new seats in the Senate that are being filled with members of the Buffalo tribe. This is part of the ongoing integration project to ensure that the Buffalo tribes have their interests properly represented in the Equestrian government. The following question have been commonly asked by the populace: Why are the Buffalo getting seats in the Senate? A little over one thousand years ago, when the World Court was founded and international lines were drawn, the Buffalo refused to participate and withdrew from contact with the outside world. The exact reasoning for this has been lost to history, but Equestria received the land in the negotiations. Princess Celestia forbade expansion into the Buffalo territories, but after several centuries of her attention turning to other matters, this law was forgotten and the settlement Appleloosa was built in the territories. After a few months of conflict, a treaty was signed, and the buffalo now wish to strengthen ties between themselves and Equestria. As such, Celestia has drawn more concrete territory lines and allowed the buffalo to elect representatives for the Senate. Will this mean that the buffalo territories will be under the same laws as the rest of Equestria? No. The Buffalo Territories will still largely govern themselves, as there is very little in their laws that conflicts with Equestria’s. They will still be required to pay taxes, though their use of bartering as opposed to money will make this difficult. We have a system in place. More details will follow. Are the buffalo Equestrian citizens? Not quite. They will be given the same protections as other citizens, and may certainly apply for citizenship like any other creature with sapience, but the tribes will largely govern themselves. Will the buffalo be allowed access to the services Equestrian citizens receive? Yes. It is part of the deal for being allowed to settle in buffalo territories that the buffalo be allowed access to health care and other social programs currently available to Equestrian citizens. Twilight rubbed her eyes as she looked over the pamphlet that she had spent the last three days putting together. It still needed a little work. She was meticulous, but there reached a point where lack of sleep started affecting even her work. That first question repeated territories a bit too much, and she might have done some incorrect capitalization, but otherwise it looked good. Things were going well in this regard, at least. Ponies seemed welcoming to the buffalo so far. She only hoped history would repeat itself when humans came to Equestria. The candle at her side had nearly burned down to the end, and Twilight looked at the clock. It was getting late, Starlight and Spike had been tucked in two hours ago. It was time to turn in as well. She moved to her room, mentally going over her schedule for the following day. There was the daily report from Sunset, wondering what sort of help they should be sending to Terra to help with the Changelings finalizing the buffalo pamphlet, working on her speech for her campaign to end Chancellor Neighsay’s “Ponies First” policy... She mentally shivered. Just thinking about that policy made her mad. It had ever since she had to tell Spike he couldn’t attend public school. It had broken the little dragon’s heart, and even today he hardly spent any time with anyone his own age. Neighsay had stunted Spike’s attempts at happiness, and she always regretted not fighting him more. She wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen to any other creature. Not while she was a princess. What happened next was a routine, and those were always comforting to Twilight. Brushing her teeth, having a final glass of water, reading a few pages of her book, and setting her alarm for the next morning. Thirty minutes after the routine started, she was in bed, and the comfort started to fade. It seemed more empty than before. She was missing Flash already. She had slept alone ever since Spike was finally convinced to sleep in his own bed, and it had never bothered her until now. But that old her hadn’t known what she had been missing. But the anxiety did very little to keep her awake. After the day of political meeting with difficult figures and constant editing that she had just finished, she was asleep in minutes. Starlight was back in Sire’s Hollow, having tea with Sunburst. He had never left her. He had fought the cruel headmaster and refused to leave her. Then, this magical princess had swooped in and brought them to the future, where they were getting the best training possible. They had been brought back to their childhood home to see all the good that had been done. The orphanage had been fixed up, and their old bunkmates were now happy. “This is great, Sunburst,” Starlight said. She looked at Ponyville’s park. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing some distance away. Diamond Tiara was nearby with her father, but her mother was nowhere in sight. “I’d never leave you behind, Starlight. You’re my best friend.” She looked at her friend again. “We’ll never have to be apart!” “You bet! We’re going to grow up and be the best Unicorn’s Equestria has ever seen!” “Maybe we’ll even get to be alicorns like Mama!” “You bet we will!” “Just you and me!” “Yeah!” ... ... “...This is another dream, isn’t it?” Immediately after she said that, Sunburst started to dissolve. His entire body turned to dust. Then all the fillies and colts playing on the grass, and all the other ponies, all disappearing one by one. Then, the entire scenery itself. Starlight was left in a void, all alone and crying. These dreams were worse than any nightmare, at least those ceased to hurt once awake. Okay, maybe she needed to run to Princess Twilight or Spike and share a bed, but it eventually stopped hurting. But Sunburst was gone, and as long as she had these dreams there was no stopping that. “Little Starlight?” Starlight jumped, but her fear quickly dissipated when she saw who it was. Princess Luna had entered her dream realm and was looking at her with some concern. “Princess Luna!” She sprung to her hooves, standing on some invisible floor. She bowed. “Oh, little one. You don’t need to bow to me. You’re practically a member of the royal family.” Luna gently trotted toward her. “I’ve come to ask you, Starlight: is everything alright?” “Um... yes, everything’s fine.” “You’re not having nightmares?” “Nope.” She said. Then, after a brief hesitation, she added, “I wouldn’t call them nightmares. I... I keep dreaming about my friend Sunburst.” Luna looked at her for a moment. Then, she took her into a wing. “Oh, little one. I understand your pain. I have lived thousands of years, and even before I... went away, I had lost many of those dear to me. I dreamed of my father for years after he died. I still do, when times are hard. And there are several loved ones that passed during my time away. Some so badly that even their family lines no longer exist.” Starlight gasped. “Oh, Princess, I shouldn’t be complaining when you’ve lost so much more.” “Nonsense, little one. Your problems are no less painful or real than mine are. I might have been through more, but that doesn’t mean your tragedy is any less real, or that you don’t deserve to feel tragedy and want comfort. I merely wanted you to understand that I know loss.” Starlight was silent for a moment, mulling over what Luna had told her. “Does the pain ever stop?” “Not completely. But it fades, child. It fades in time. And you can still live a happy life with that pain.” Starlight felt herself crying a bit. “I asked Princess Twilight if we could try and find him. I want to know where he is now.” Luna bit her lip. This was a touchy subject. “I’m sure that Princess Twilight is doing everything in her power to find out what happened to him,” she said. “Do you know anything about it?” Starlight asked. “Nothing that Twilight does not know,” Luna said. “And if she hasn’t told you something, it wasn’t something you needed to know. Or perhaps...” She trailed off. “Princess?” Starlight asked. “Oh, nothing, little one. I was just imagining that Princess Twilight wants nothing more than what is best for you. I’m sure she would tell you all the answers you were ready for. Starlight nodded. Twilight wouldn’t lie to her, and she always had her best interest at heart. She would know the truth. “Are you feeling better, little one?” Luna asked. Starlight nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Princess. I’m sorry you have to keep coming here...” “Child, it’s what I do. It’s my duty as Princess to patrol dreams and keep my subjects safe from their nightmares.” After a pause, Luna lit up her horn. A table with a full chocolate cake appeared. “Have yourself a treat. Dream calories don’t count, after all.” Happy to have some sweetness, Starlight approached the cake. A piece automatically separated itself from the whole and plopped itself down on the plate. Starlight took a bite. “I must take my leave, little one,” Luna said. “I have many more dreams to look through.” “Okay. Thank you, Princess.” Luna was gone in a flash of light. Starlight took a few more bites. She loved it at first, but with every bite, its effect was fading. Luna had a lot of experience poofing up dream cake, largely at her sister’s request, but it couldn’t heal this heartache. She wanted Sunburst back. There was a moment of silence as Starlight thought of her friend. She was frustrated. Why was it that Princess Twilight was so smart, but still hadn’t discovered anything? But the princess took her from that horrible orphanage and let her live here. She wouldn’t keep anything from her... Would she? Starlight thought a few moments. Then, she concentrated until she woke up. Luna walked through the dream realm, passing through several doors to Equestria’s various citizens. There didn’t seem to be any major nightmares going on, which meant that she was free to enter Twilight’s dream and have a chat with her. She passed by Spike’s door and stopped, looking at it for a few moments. She debated checking in on the baby dragon again, but after some consideration she opened the door. She immediately regretted it, as she felt her heart crack. Twilight was cuddling a small colt. One that had a purple coat with a green mane and tail. She kissed him just above the horn and told him how proud he was of him for getting such good grades in his magic studies. Luna closed the door and sighed. Sometimes he was young and being coddled by Twilight. Sometimes he was fully grown and proposing to Rarity. But in so many of Spike’s dreams, he was on the outside what he was on the inside. She thought about interrupting the dream and giving him the lecture that he should be happy being a dragon, but the lecture did no good, and it was best to just let him have his dreams. Besides, she had more immediate concerns. It had already been a hard night, breaking up Discord’s nightmare about working in an office, Diamond Tiara’s nightmare of everypony in her class finding out she still wet the bed, and the many disturbing dreams that the females of Ponyville had about Big Mac. She finally found Twilight’s realm and entered, hoping she wouldn’t walk in on one of her more intimate dreams, which were getting more frequent now that she had a coltfriend. Luckily, it was her dream of alphabetizing the Canterlot Archives, and she was only up to C. Seeing her count through the books for a bit was always relaxing, but she needed to interrupt the pleasantries. “Cold Spells and You... Cold Spells and Me... Cold Spells and the Three Wizards Who Know How To Use Them...” “Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight jumped in surprise as the library dissipated around her. She sighed in frustration as she looked at Luna. “I was having the greatest dream...” “I apologize, but I think I need to talk to you about Starlight.” Almost immediately Twilight’s demeanor changed from annoyance to concern. “Why? Is she okay? Is she having nightmares?! Dr. Heart said she was refusing to talk about her dreams...” “Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle, fretting as such will do your charge no good,” Luna said. “It isn’t something that you can make okay easily. She misses Sunburst even more than you might be aware of.” “I know she misses her friend,” Twilight said. “She asked me nearly every day for a week after I brought her here, but then she stopped.” “I believe that she’s afraid to know the truth,” Luna said. Seeing Twilight tense up, she went on. “I don’t think that she suspects he’s dead. But I fear that she believes that Sunburst is now an adult who has moved on without her.” Twilight softened. “Yeah... I figured as much. I’m planning to tell her at the end of the summer... but maybe I should tell her now. No, no... I shouldn’t rush into this, I...” Luna put a wing around Twilight and held onto her a bit. Twilight took a few deep breaths. “...Okay, I’m sorry. I’m calmer now.” Twilight pulled away. “It feels like I’m walking through a minefield here. There’s so much that could go wrong... this is like Spike all over again.” Luna tilted her head. “Spike?” “When he was newly hatched, I spent so much time fretting over whether or not I was doing the right thing. I looked up every book on childcare I could find, but they were all about ponies, with a few on griffons and zebras. I asked the Canterlot librarians about dragon care, but they told me ponies knew nothing about dragons. This was back when I believed whatever an adult told me, I didn’t bother to check until Spike started questioning who he was, years later... “I was always worried he wasn’t developing right. I worried he wouldn’t get out of diapers until too late... or too early, depending on when a dragon develops bowel control. I worried his diet wasn’t right, I worried about him sleeping in my bed too much, I worried that he might get a sickness I wouldn’t be able to treat... I spent so much time worrying. “And now... you’d think raising a pony would be easier, but I’m worrying all over again! Oh, I don’t know what to do.” “Twilight Sparkle, I don’t think there’s ever been a pony my sister trusts more than you. I’m confident you’ll make the right choice.” Twilight looked at Luna. “I... she kept SMILE and FROWN a secret from me...” “A misguided attempt to make you happy, Twilight. One I told her was a mistake... but I do not interfere with one’s attempts at guiding their students.” Twilight tilted her head. She heard the rest of Luna’s words, even as they remained unspoken. “...or I would have told Starlight the truth already.” Luna quickly went on. “It’s an exaggeration to say that my sister would give you her throne if you asked, but not by much. She still hasn’t completely forgiven herself for Tirek... or your brother’s wedding...” Twilight shifted. “Even after...” Luna nodded. “Even after Smarty Pants. My sister trusts you completely, and so do I. The Creator picked you for a reason. Learn to trust yourself.” Twilight sighed. “That’s what Dr. Heart keeps saying. Well, I guess you’d know.” Luna smiled. “I do. And taking his advice helped. It’s why Celestia assigned him to us.” Twilight smiled. “Then I’ll do my best. After all, Starlight’s a good filly. I don’t think I’m going to have any problems.” Starlight darted along the hallways, careful not to be seen by any of the guards. This was nothing new, as she frequently made a game of sneaking to the kitchen to snag some cookies. She had heard Miss Sunset managed to sneak past them at the Crystal Empire and right into Princess Twilight’s room. If she had been caught, she could say she was going to the library to get a book to read since she was having trouble falling asleep. Which wasn’t completely untrue. She did want to read something. She still got lost in the hallways sometimes, but she managed to find it pretty easy: Twilight’s private study. After a moment of looking around, she snuck in. The room was pretty much a miniature library with a desk in it, along with a safe next to the desk that Princess Twilight kept important documents in. Coming in here was not allowed, but at the moment Starlight needed to know if Princess Twilight had found anything about Sunburst. There was a little voice in her head telling her this was wrong, she needed to just ask Princess Twilight about what she had found, that she needed to trust the Princess that had showed her so much kindness. Another voice was saying that the Princess couldn’t be trusted, she needed to do this on her own. And a third voice was saying she was going to hate what she found. She approached the desk and pulled herself up into the chair, finding comfort in the big red cushion. She looked at the desk. There were two pictures, one of Princess Twilight with Spike just out of his shell, and another of Princess Twilight and her. There was also one of the crayon drawings of her that Starlight had made and given her. The princess had framed it and displayed it. You’re violating the Princess’s trust. She took you in, took you away from that horrible orphanage and gave you everything. You practically live like a princess, and she’s shown you a mother’s love even if she never says it out loud. How could you do this to her? She reached to the desk, opening up the first drawer. It was all inkwells and quills that were waiting to be used. But you can’t trust anypony but yourself. You’ve heard how often the Princess messed up. She even admits she’s not perfect. She might be hiding something from you. If she really loved you, she’d understand. She looked in another drawer. Here, it looked like a filing cabinet. Carefully, she lifted the sheets of paper out of the drawer and looked at them. There didn’t seem to be anything important here, at least on a governmental level. There was a folder labeled “Citizen Documents” She lifted a few sheets out. It was birth certificates: first Princess Twilight’s, then Spike’s, then hers. Then there were three small cards that read “Equestrian Identification Card”, one with each of their names on them and a number. Sunburst is an adult now. He’s moved on. Princess Twilight knew that, she knew it would break your heart. She’s an adult, she knows better than you. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know better than her. She went to the next folder. It was simply labeled tax documents. The folder after that was labeled Medical Records. She opened it up. She saw her name on a few forms, and realized that these were left over from the medical appointments that the Princess took her to. She winced at the records of the shots she received. They had always been the worst part of her routines at the orphanage (they had always made sure to keep up with the vaccinations, at least), and having Princess Twilight nearby only made it slightly more bearable. The ones who ran the orphanage were adults, and look what they did to you. You can’t be sure Princess Twilight isn’t looking out for your self-interest either. Sure, she’s acting like a mother, but you know what Diamond Tiara’s mother was like. You can only rely on you. She went to the next folder. It wasn’t labeled. Carefully she opened it up. These were crayon drawings. Crude crayon drawings, most of Twilight. The only way she could tell they were Twilight was because her name was written underneath them in crude lettering. She cycled through them until she found one with writing on it. SPIKE AGE 4 She was looking at drawings Spike made when he was a child. See? There’s nothing here. It’s just stuff Spike gave her. Now stop this. She closed the envelope, feeling ashamed. There was nothing big and sinister here. What had she been thinking, acting like Twilight was up to anything? The one adult that had showed her kindness in her life, and this was how she repaid her. She closed the envelope and started to put it back when she noticed the next folder. CUSTODY Her heart quickened. She took the folder, not listening to any inner voice on the manner. She set it down and opened it up. She saw a form that was headed FAMILY COURT OF CANTERLOT that had Spike’s name on it. The one underneath said FAMILY COURT OF PONYVILLE that had her name on it. But there were more papers underneath. Her heart quickened as she saw the heading. ADOPTION APPLICATION FORM. But then her hearts lurched when she saw that it was Spike’s name on it, not hers. The voice started to yell her that this was proof that Twilight loved Spike and not her, but she saw something else that silenced it. The date on the paper. 994 AN. That was before Princess Luna returned. She did the math. Princess Twilight would have been seventeen then. She filled this out as soon as she was old enough to adopt. But then her eyes drifted down and saw that the previous statement wasn’t accurate. The form wasn’t filled out completely, it was stopped halfway through the first page. Starlight looked at the writing. Even to her untrained eye, she noticed the way the writing seemed to get sloppier, lacking the Princess’s usual grace. She was confused. Why stop filling this out? She looked at the next paper. It was another adoption form, dated a year later. This time, Princess Twilight had filled out the entire first page before stopping. A third page and she stopped halfway through the first again. Then there was another adoption form. She looked at the date. It was only a week ago. Then she saw the name and her heart raced. Starlight Glimmer... her name. Princess Twilight had started a form to adopt her. But it wasn’t finished... why? Because she doesn’t care about you, that nagging voice said. No, there has to be another reason, another voice said. Just get out of here! The third voice said. You shouldn’t be here! There was nothing else here. She put it back in the drawer. She saw the next folder. It was labeled CPH. She lifted it up and started to look at it. Then she noticed the last folder. It was labeled SUNBURST. She stopped. Her heart quickened. Instantly her mind went to three different places all at once. There’s the answer. The answer that Princess Twilight has been keeping from you. Go on, open it. It’s waiting right there It’s probably nothing. Princess Twilight found out so little that it isn't worth telling you. Just go home. She found out something you don’t want to know, you idiot. Get out of here! Carefully, she reached for the folder, putting the CPH folder back. Carefully, she opened the folder up. There was something labeled an Incident Report. Her heart leapt into her throat. In an instant the three warring parts of her brain were silenced. Whenever an adult used the word incident, it was never a good sign. Still, she kept reading. There was an explosion during a lab class. There were a few injuries, and only one fatality. She felt her heart quicken. She knew what that word meant. She knew what death meant, even if she never personally had to experience anypony dying. She was sweating all over as she read the name. She read it over and over, hoping that she was misreading. Maybe it was just that there wasn’t any light in this office, but she kept reading. Sunburst. She read the entire document, hoping it would provide context and show her that she had misunderstood. Over and over again she tried reading, hoping she had just misunderstood, before the rational part of her brain reminded her that there was only one reason that this report would be in a file labeled Sunburst. She sat at that desk for nearly thirty more minutes, trying to stop her head from spinning. She felt like she was going to faint and throw up, all at once. She also felt like she was going to cry. She wanted to cry, but her eyes refused to produce tears. Finally, after who knew how long, she placed all the papers back into the folder, closed it, and put it back in the drawer behind the CPH folder and closed it. She barely remembered sneaking back through the hallways, though she never really worried about being caught by the guards. She entered her room, closing the door behind her. She sat there, wondering what to do next. Sunburst was dead... and Princess Twilight knew, but had kept it from her. She looked all throughout her room. There was her large, four-poster bed, a chest filled with toys, a small drawing table, a bookshelf filled with books and comics, a private bathroom off to the side with an extra-large tub for bath time whenever she didn’t feel like the castle’s bathhouse, and a closet that only had a dress and a set of rain gear, but only for lack of needing anything else. There was a voice in her head saying that Princess Twilight had been manipulating her. She didn’t really care about her. But that couldn’t be true. Princess Twilight had brought her here and doted on her in a way she never dreamed she would be. The best luxuries, plenty of love and attention, and an education that was even greater than Celestia’s School for the Gifted. And an adoption form. She wanted to adopt her. Then... why wasn’t it filled out? Because she doesn’t really care about me. Because she left it there so I’d find it and think that she actually cared. But if it was a set-up, why did she leave Sunburst’s information so clearly in the same drawer? She’s a master manipulator. I’m just a little kid, I couldn’t possibly understand. She walked toward her bed and climbed on top. There was a stuffed bear on top. She grabbed a hold of it and squeezed it hard. The tears still wanted to come out, but they just weren’t. She lit up her horn, undoing her pigtails and letting her mane fall in a mess. At that point, the door cracked open. Starlight jumped and looked up. The hallways was dark, so no light was coming in, but even in the dark she could tell who it was. “Oh. Starlight. Did I wake you?” Starlight tensed up as Princess Twilight entered the room. “I’m sorry. I woke up and was getting myself a drink, so I thought I’d check on you...” the princess trailed off as she got a good look at her charge. “Starlight, what’s wrong? You look scared. Did you have a nightmare?” Starlight opened her mouth to reply, but found the words not coming out at first. “Y-yes,” she said. Princess Twilight came forward. Starlight felt her head spin again, almost afraid to let her teacher touch her but unable to stop her. Twilight climbed onto the bed and wrapped her forelegs around her. “Princess Luna told me you’ve been having trouble with your dreams. Are they...” she trailed off, like asking would be a horrible thing. But she forced it out. “Was it about the past? Before I brought you here?” Starlight nodded. It was all she managed. Princess Twilight kissed her on the top of her head. “Oh Starlight. I know it hurts...” With Princess Twilight embracing her, the barrier that had been keeping her tears back suddenly disappeared. With a loud sob she buried her head into the princess’s neck and cried. She cried and cried and cried, thinking the flow of tears would never cease. Princess Twilight’s wings joined her forelegs in wrapping around Starlight. She shifted her head to kiss her just above the horn. “Starlight... are your sessions with Dr. Heart helping?” Starlight tried to answer, but she could only sob. “Starlight... I wish I knew what to do for you. I’m trying everything in my power to make you happy. The lessons I’m teaching you are to help you find happiness. I...” Princess Twilight trailed off. “Princess?” Starlight asked. She was starting to calm down a little, but her emotions were even more confused. Her mentor seemed like she didn’t know what she was doing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t make you happy as you deserve.” Starlight wanted to ask about Sunburst, but something stopped her. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something telling her to leave it be for right now. “Can I sleep with you?” Starlight asked, not sure where the request came from. There was a long silence before Twilight answered. “Okay. Just for tonight.” Within a few minutes, they were lying on Princess Twilight’s large bed. Starlight was tucked under the princess’s wing, wrapped in the feathers that were warmer and more comfortable than any blanket. She felt safe and comfortable. Her mind, previously at war with itself, was starting to silence. She still didn’t know what to think, or what to do with this new information, but right now it didn’t matter. She wanted to just fall asleep with the first adult that had shown her kindness. She fell asleep, and she didn’t dream again.