//------------------------------//
// Chapter 43 - Life Giving Filly 
// Story: Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

Where do we start? Where to start the process of finding twelve keys with no name, description, color... This was already terrifying. Dawn was becoming stressed out and it hasn't even begun!

She raised a hoof to her head and rubbed her temple to ease the definite incoming pain of knowledge that her brain stores daily to figure things out with. Kia would probably say something smart right about now.

Gardeen poked her right shoulder and got her attention. "Why don't we start with the size?" She quickly recommended. "The ponies back in Psera are already theorizing that the keys are round. Like marbles or Western Pearls."

Hmmm, that made sense. Round artifacts, strange magic. The freaking Zebra was still creeping Dawn out, but she ignored her and got back to the task at hoof.

"So marbles..." Dawn reached down to the glowing necklace her parents gave to her on her fifth birthday and looked around. All of them had on a necklace similar to her own. Just different colors. And all sized like Western Pearls.

She motioned to the one around Chancellor's neck and asked, "Where did you get those?"

He followed her eyes to the green pearl around his neck and answered, "Your mother actually... Are you thinking these might be the keys?"

Dawn immediately nodded. "I believe so. All of this is really ironic."

"Like I said, this is too strange," Cadance stated. She scoffed and jabbed a firm hoof to the floor. "First a book written in Old Pseratopian instead of an easier language for Twilight to read. Then the stones she gave us as a symbol of unity may be the keys to free her from a prison. What's next?"

Dawn ignored her and looked up to Gardeen all business. "I need to get in contact with Father and Congress."

She smiled at Dawn's eager enthusiasm. Just like Twilight. "You can contact Congress through Aquata Zero, but you have to setup a meeting time because they're always busy. I'll do it for you. In the meantime we should discuss residential stay. If we're taking these ponies to Psera, we'll need authorization. And Congress takes at least a day to reply. We'll be here for a minimum of twenty-four hours."

Before any of them could make a recommendation, Dawn locked eyes on Queen Tarsafani and stated, "Queen Tarsafani cannot come."

Can't come? Taken back she lost that smirk and asked, "What? Why not? I would love to visit your land and meet the ruler."

"Right, yeah, but since you knew nothing of Psera to begin with, we're not going to add on to that. Psera has a strict nondisclosure policy in which the event that a pony sees Psera or approaches our seas without our consent would be imprisoned in our cells, then memory erased and taken back to where they came from. But that was when my mother was in office. So since she's not, we go with the other option." Dawn raised her hoof to her neck and slid it across slowly making a cutting sound. "You see what I'm saying? Not to mention ... Psera doesn't have a good history with Zebras."

Flurry couldn't help but feel like Dawn was a troublemaker. But it seemed the message got across when Tarsafani immediately nodded. Dawn reverted back to a smile and said, "Great! So we have a base theory. We'll get in contact with father and move on from there. Gardeen, would you mind?"

Gardeen shook her head and replied, "Not at all. I'll be back in a little while. Stay with the Guard and follow those rules, you're doing good." Gardeen playfully flicked her mane. Then walked around the Princesses they were standing in front of with a wink to Celestia.

They watched her depart in quick haste with two more Elite Guards. Her hoofsteps soon left their sights and ears. Then Cadance turned back to Dawn for an explanation they clearly needed.

"I'm a 'Princess in training'," Dawn explained. "I'm learning how to do things on my own as a Royal of Psera so I can take up the throne whenever father decides to pass it over. Or... Mom, if she's alive in there."

Shining walked over and patted Dawn's back with a free hoof. "Your mother is alive, Dawn. And when she gets out, she's going to be so proud of her filly that grew up ... Somewhat."

Dawn knew what he was getting at. She sighed and said, "Yeah, dad said that I was born prematurely. He never said why or why I have this hole in my ear." She pointed to and wiggled her right ear around. The piercing that took up half its mass was still there after all these years. "You guys knew my mom, did she ever say anything about this?"

The Equestrian side of IHT seethed and made different sounds after the question was delivered. Queen Novo and the rest of them had no idea. But they did. And she had the right to know. Cadance timidly asked, "Dawn... What do you know about your parents before they were married?"

Dawn planted her face with a smile and answered happily, "Mom landed on shore, Dad fell in love, mom fixed everything, mom got pregnant, then mom and dad got married and had me shortly after."

Well at least she had the basics down. "What do you know about their wedding?"

"Mom and dad had a private wedding in the castle throne room. There's a large picture of it in my living room."

"Is that all? Nothing before that?" When Dawn shook her head the three princesses slowly shared a look of knowing. So she didn't know about it. How? Madun never told her?

Dawn hummed and glanced between the ponies who clearly knew. Who definitely knew. She asked, "Am I missing something?"

Celestia didn't answer her. She looked to Captain Smalls literally in between them on the side and asked, "How does she not know about this?"

Smalls answered, "Probably Cop's School System. They decide on what to tell their students and their grading school. At home though, I am not sure. I do not live in Cop or hear rumors."

Well Dawn deserved to know the truth either way. Since Madun wouldn't tell her, Cadance would. She sat down and whispered, "Dawn... That was their second wedding. They had two because their first one was ruined in front of all of Psera."

Ruined? As in trashed? Dawn crept closer as if the floor was fragile. She whispered, "What? What are you talking about? How could someone ruin the royal wedding of the century?"

"Dawn... Your mother is a beautiful pony. And anypony would do anything just to be with her. A pony from Equestria was infatuated with Twilight, and they didn't want her getting married. I'm not sure why, but on their first wedding at Events at Eventa... He shot Twilight with a crossbow. On stage." Dawn gasped in horror. She couldn't believe her ears. The others couldn't believe their ears. "They flew her from Events at Eventa all the way to Capita. She lost a lot of blood and almost died. We all witnessed it.

"At the time, she was pregnant with you. To keep herself and you alive, she was using her magic as blood to circulate through her body. And once blood got into her system, she went into a coma for... I think two months, if my memory serves me correctly. The arrow that was shot actually hit you."

Cadance reached forward and nudged Dawn's ear. "Right here," she said. "I take it they never told you that."

Dawn slowly shook her head. Her hoof calmly reached up and felt the purple fur on her ear. Then her eyes narrowed slightly and she whispered, "Dad lied to me."

Cadance immediately backpedaled. "No, no, I'm pretty sure your father didn't bring it up because of everything that happened now. I'm sure he would tell you when you were older and Twilight was still around. However when she disappeared, he decided to keep those wounds and scars buried for both your sakes. Losing your mother to the Mecrah Portal was hard on Madun."

Luna had to give Cadance her props for how she came with this stuff on the spot. She never told them this. Yet, here she was with that on the tip of her tongue. That didn't mean Dawn was going to listen though.

She stomped her hoof in fury and yelled, "He still should've told me! I ask him about this all the time because when I look in the mirror, I just see how small and short I am with no idea why or how! How weak I am compared to my mom who was this all powerful goddess, and who everyone expects me to be just like! To follow in her hoofsteps, to be this mage of magic when I in fact don't know any, and won't learn any! And I couldn't even get an honest answer as to why I..."

Dawn sniffed away an escaping tear and wiped her face with her hoof. She was sad. She was furious. All at the same time. A thick pair of wings wrapped around her and pulled her into a hug. Celestia sighed and nuzzled Dawn's mane like how she would do with Twilight. "There there," she whispered. "I'm sure not all of them expect that from you."

"That's easy to say when you're not the only pony in your country with a horn." Dawn nudged her way past them with her head low and emotions flaring, and stopped behind IHT. "You don't have to be seen by ponies who look at you expecting you to at least make a flower grow. By ponies asking you to teleport and you can't. I don't know any magic. And I'll never know any because all of mom's spellbooks are in Ponish and I can't read Ponish! I can only read Old Pseratopian, not Ponish."

Dawn walked over to the stained glass and pointed up to the one of her mother as Princess of Equestria. "Then I see things like this. Pictures, photographs, required school lessons in history, artifacts, recounts all about my mom who everyone looks up to and expects me to be like! A constant reminder that I'll never be like her—to even coming close! As the only pony among the millions of Psera I'm the only one that can do magic, but can't because I don't even know the basic spells. Levitation? I can barely lift my bag of books, let alone anything else. So the least I can do is go to school, do all my work, and study what it takes to be Queen because that's all I can do. And the horn on my head?"

Dawn huffed and whispered, "I wish I didn't have it."

"Stop it, Dawn." Flurry used her hoof to raise Dawn's chin so she could look stare into her eyes. "What you have is a gift you don't know how to use yet. You just have to push yourself to learn"

Dawn wasn't entirely convinced. "But how?" She asked. "I can't read mom's spellbooks and Psera's Magical Labs know so little."

"We can start by getting Aunt Twilight back. She's the only one who can teach you on Psera. We get her back using these..." She raised the stone up around Dawn's neck. "And then we can worry about what's next. But there's nothing we can do until your Auxiliary comes back with the news."

Shining Armor marched over and suggested, "So until then, we're going to show you to your roots. To your mother's humble beginnings. We're taking you to see Ponyville."



In all her years of flying and traveling, Flurry had to say that Dawn's chariot was by far the best! Seats so soft she could fall asleep in them. There was enough space inside for six ponies. So the Princesses and Shining decided to occupy that space while the rest of IHT stayed at the castle. They weren't needed at this moment and decided to stay back. This was clearly family business now that no longer involved them.

Flurry felt her hoof along the gold inside and commented, "Wow, you must be luxurious over there, huh?"

Dawn nodded and tapped on the hoofrest in between her and Flurry to pop open a small tray filled with fruit. "Yeah, we have a lot of expensive things. A lot of my ponies believe that it comes with being Royalty, but it doesn't actually. Yeah, we are granted nice things, but that's because it comes with the job. This chariot..." Dawn felt the seats and design. "Is not provided by the government. This comes from my family's own income."

"You mean Madun bought this?!" Luna exclaimed. "So your family makes a lot of money. But your country seems to be rather abundant in Gold. So much it seems that its value would dwindle."

Dawn leaned her head back with her braid flapping in the wind. "You're right, it is. But it's still hard to get and takes a few months for a solid brick. It's really hard to plow. And shipping to Merōl for manufacturing without any degradation is a challenge too. So a solid brick of gold is around five hundred thousand shims, which in Equestrian currency would amount to seven hundred thousand... Bits I think?"

"Your family actually has that much money?" Cadance replied. She and Shining don't have nearly that much in stipends. Same for Celestia and Luna, no matter how old they were.

Dawn nodded and swished her braid to the side so she could look down to the small town they were approaching. "According to Dad, most of our income originates from sales and royalties of Mom's inventions and innovations. Comm Blocks, chemicals, magical things. Dad said she never wanted to sell it. But he convinced her that doing so would help her make a living in Psera before she was Queen and it would be good for the economy. She couldn't exactly make a good living in Cop if she didn't have some type of job. After she started selling, she was given the title Secretary of Royalty. This is a really cute town."

The sun shined bright on the busy town of Ponyville. On all the ponies they cruised past flying along. On the shiny things below that attracted Dawn's eyes. On their golden chariot that touched down on the dirt road to park outside of the town.

Dawn's remaining twenty guards touched down behind it and started the process of helping her down. Flurry could easily jump down. But Dawn needed steps. Once she took a step down and stepped a hoof onto the soft warm grass, they picked the steps back up to stash and followed her and the Princesses into town. The sound here was naturally quiet. Unlike Merōl where everything was loud. Ponyville and Merōl were similar, but unlike Merōl, everything here was—once again—much more simple.

Dawn fawned at all the buildings and trees she walked through. At all the ponies looking at her and waving kindly from the open doors of their hay-roofed cottages. From the edge of brick fountains spurting water out from the mouth of a statued mare. From high above in the clouds that Pegasi were pushing. At the foals running past into alleyways cheering some type of chant.

Flurry trotted up the grassy path next to her and slowed to a walk shooting her a grin. "Do you like it?" She asked.

Dawn dumbly nodded and stopped in front of Sugarcube Corner to whisper, "It's beautiful here. Everything in Psera is so modern. Except Fenix. And they have a city in the middle of everything. Even the parks have a city around them in some distance. But here, it's... Calm. Relaxed. Normal. Melurno."

"You should come here in the winter months."

Maybe one day." Dawn continued walking with Flurry. "I was never allowed to leave Psera due to some law. I practically had to beg Congress to give me this chance."

"Well once we get your mom out, I'm sure you can visit whenever you like."

Dawn shrugged and walked into the square. "Maybe. I guess we'll have to wait and see." Gosh it was so hot here. She stopped and raised a hoof for one of her guards.

An Elite shuffled over and saluted. "Yes, Princess?"

"Could you take my dress back to the chariot, please? It's getting a little warm."

"Yes, Princess." At a pull of a zipper, Dawn's dress split from her back and pulled around her hooves. She stepped out of it and stretched her wings in nothing but her coat, cutie mark, and hoof shoes and crown. "Oh that is sooo much better."

Flurry teased, "Too big for your liking?"

"No, that's actually one of my many favorite dresses. It just holds heat. I only wear it in the winter but I decided to show it off."

"Well slap me on the head and call me an apple!!" Dawn faced the source of that oh-so colorful shout and eyed an orange mare with a light brown—and worn out—stetson approach with more ponies. An alabaster one with the cleanest coat she's ever seen with a purple mane and tail, a cerulean Pegasus with Spectrum colors carrying another pegasus who seemed really shy. Her mane was covering the right side of her face.

Then a Pink one with a crazy bouncy mane that reminded Dawn of Caltras back home. A candy made into a web on a stick.

The Orange one slowed in front of her guard line first and asked, "Is that Fresh Dawn?! Twilight's daughter?! I recognize that mane and color anywhere!"

Celestia giggled and quickly nodded. "Yes, it is. They found something on Psera and need us there. But we're waiting for a meeting tomorrow to come through for Dawn to set things up."

Rainbow Dash bumped Applejack to the side and shot Dawn a grin she didn't like. "Hey, squirt! It's been too long!" She reached out to scruff her mane as a pleasantry but it was slapped to the side by one of the guards glaring at her. The message was clear: No touching the Princess.

While she rubbed her hoof, Rarity scoffed and eyed her with a scowl while she walked passed. "Darling that is in no way to treat a Princess. Let alone any creature. Hello, darling. I am Rarity. It's a pleasure to meet you. We were all friends of your mother when she first moved here and have been her friends far after."

Fresh Dawn's hoof shook Rarity's with an eager greeting of, "Greetings, Rarity. I'm Princess Fresh Veola Dawn of Psera, Daughter of King Shimmering Madun and Queen Twilight 'Arcadia Nova' Sparkle, heir to the Psera crown. It's a pleasure to meet you. You knew my mother?"

"Oh yes, very much!" Rarity slowly circled Dawn with eyes on her body particularly her shoes, crown, and necklace. "She was very studious and had a love for knowledge and books. Like how I am certain you have a deep love for attire?"

Dawn blushed at the praise. "Yeah, I have many accessories back home. I'm just here to look around. Touring. This is my first time in another country and so I'm taking it all in. You have a beautiful town. I especially love the buildings. They're so simple. Everything back home on the other hoof is grandeur. I've been craving something simple, so this was a grand opportunity."

Flurry bumped into Dawn and said, "Wait until you're inside of one."

Fluttershy walked forward with Angel bunny and whispered, "You ummm... You look just like your mother you know?"

Dawn's smile turned into a saddened frown when she was once again compared. Her eyes turned from their lively violet to a lifeless purple. Her ears folded down to the side of her head. She whispered, "Yeah... Thanks."

Fluttershy hid deeper behind her mane with the thought she did something she wasn't supposed to. Said something she wasn't supposed to. Oh no, did she hurt her feelings?

Flurry Heart came to Dawn's rescue by grabbing her hoof and exuberantly yelled, "Come on, let's go visit Grandma!"

"Grandma?" Flurry pulling her along was the answer.

While they left, Luna looked back to the Element Bearers and explained quietly, "She doesn't like to be compared to her mother because a lot of ponies in Psera expect her to be just like her. And it upsets her since she can't do any magic like her, or be taught the basics because she's the only Alicorn-Pseratep there right now until we get Twilight back. So it puts her under a lot of pressure."

"Oh the poor dear..." Their sights followed the tracks Flurry and Dawn were making before Rarity commented, "She's quite the small filly though."



Flurry was taking Dawn and her security over to a cottage on the edge of town. Away from all the fanfare, sounds, and excitement and into the quiet and peace.

The home was humble,  two story cottage with a picket fence in the front yard, a few ornaments, green grass, and a mailbox reading...

"Velvet and Light," Dawn whispered to herself. Then focused on the door they were approaching. A standard door just like the rest of the houses. With a diagonal wooden board running across the front that may serve some kind of purpose Dawn couldn't see.

Flurry boldly walked up and banged her hoof on it. "Grandma, Grandpa!" She yelled. "It's Flurry! Come out!" She turned to Fresh Dawn and whispered excitedly, "They're fun, you'll like them."

If you say so, Dawn thought. She has never met this many ponies so fast in her life. Even in middle school, everyone was sort of reclusive and kept away. Either in fear of her father or in fear of her horn, it was unknown and unsaid. It was still a mystery even now in high school.

The rotary door handle jiggled briefly. Then was pulled open swiftly by a dark blue unicorn stallion with small bags under his eyes, and a cutie mark of a moon with something else. And a very smooth dark blue mane. It was rather impressive work for a stallion his age. Well kept and curled at the end.

He grinned at Flurry then locked eyes with Dawn and the guards in black. Wait... He knew these ponies!!! He reared up on two legs, and yelled, "Honey!!! You may want to get out here!! Oh my stars, is that you Fresh Dawn?!!"

"FRESH DAWN?!!" Night Light was unceremoniously pushed to the side out of view to allow room for the one mare on this land that has finally managed to scare Dawn way more than that Zebra.

Dawn guessed this was "Velvet". She had a striped purple and white mane that was curled in the back with a cutie mark of three purple stars, light blue eyes, and a gray coat. Oh and a mad look in her eyes. Something that made Dawn take a step back.

"Where is she, where is... Ooohhh!" Velvet locked eyes with the eyes of her own daughter. Same coat, red mane. Velvet's face scrunched up, then her lip wobbled. And finally, she burst out and started bawling in tears.

Flurry leaned over to Dawn and whispered, "Just... Just let her have this for a moment."

Fresh Dawn nodded and eyed the grinning stallion walking past his crying wife just fine. "Oooh, look at you. All grown up. Come here, give your grandfather a hug!—That's allowed?" He referred to the Guard.

Captain Smalls nodded and sternly answered, "No rough treatment, no sharp items, no sudden movements that seem offensive, and we're good."

"Great." He reached down and pulled Fresh Dawn into a tight hug while Velvet was distracted with tissues and Shining Armor patting her back. It looked like the Princesses caught up to her. And Gardeen has finally returned.

"You've grown up away from our eyes, Fresh Dawn. Ohhh wow, look at you. I'm your grandfather, Night Light." He let her go so he could get a good look, but she was pulled into another hug by Twilight Velvet. This one was much tighter and involved tears that were wetting her dress.

"I've missed you so much!!" She cried. Then blubbered, "I-I-I've always wanted to give you your presents, come inside!! Right now, missy!!" Velvet surprisingly picked Dawn up like a foal and carried her into the home with the rest of the family.

Their house looked small on the outside, but it was definitely bigger on the inside. It had none of the tech that most Psera homes had and everything was really old fashioned. Velvet carried Dawn into a big living room with two couches and a table in between them. The floors were a brown wood, and a red brick fireplace was sticking out of the wall with a steel gate in front of an ash-filled furnace. It smelled like quartas too. Sweet. Like any grandparents' house back in Psera.

On the walls were pictures of their family. Including what seemed to be her mother... As a Unicorn?! Velvet sat Dawn on the couch softly as if she were a small foal. This mare had some serious strength. She didn't even use magic and managed to pick her up with a single hoof.

Then Velvet stepped back and looked her up and down. "Oooh, you look... Very small, deary! Here, hold on! I'll make you some snacks, you want a snack?! I'll make you a snack!!" Then darted into the kitchen through the two Guards so fast she actually managed to knock Cadance to the side. "Sorry, dear!"

Cadance groaned from the floor and raised a hoof. "I'm okay," she assured.

Flurry sat down next to Dawn with a sigh and said, "I told you she'd be fun." Dawn wouldn't describe her as fun. Interesting was probably the correct term.

Night Light laughed from across and took a seat next to Shining while Cadance conversed with the Princesses.

"I'll say!" He commented. "Nothing's more hyper than a grandmother who finally sees her granddaughter after ten years! I mean look at you, you look great! You grew up! I remember when you were a little foal running around with your crown all lopsided and carrying Sky Blue everywhere! Talking to it like it was your best friend! Your mother had a doll named Smarty Pants that she—"

"Uhhh, dad?" Shining interrupted. "She doesn't like to be compared to her mom."

Night Light blinked once at Shining Armor. "Oh! Well I certainly know absolutely nothing about your father. He's a big ol' stallion, I tell you what. He makes me look like a rabbit compared to him. Whoo! Hey, I know Grandma is supposed to ask this but I'm going to do it instead. Have any colts ever tried to take you on a date yet? Anyone we should background check first?"

Flurry gasped and scolded, "Grandpa!"

"What? It's a valid question!" A newspaper flew out of the kitchen and booped Night Light on the muzzle. "Ow! Hey!"

Velvet walked out behind it with her head held high levitating a batch of those Quartas Dawn smelled earlier. "Stop it, Nighty," she warned. Then smiled at Dawn and held the tray of chocolate in front of her. "Have you ever had these before on Psera?"

Dawn slipped her front forehooves out of her fancy hoofshoes that made Celestia's look funny, and grabbed one. She yelped and dropped it back on the pan in embarrassment. "Meekah!" She squealed.

"Oh? What does that mean, dear?"

"Hot."

"Oh! Sorry, sweetie. These just came fresh out of the oven. Do you have these on Psera?"

Dawn used her magic to pick one up and answered, "Yes. They're called Quartas."

"Quarters?"

"Quartas. Like Coolahs. Quartahs."

Velvet grabbed a few napkins and placed them in front of Dawn. "So you know two languages? Ohhh, my baby is so fancy. And your accent is really deep, dearie."

Dawn shrugged and meekly answered, "Uhhh... Sort of. I can't read Ponish but I can speak it." She couldn't deny that she and the rest of her team spoke much differently from the rest of the ponies here. They were so out of place.

Velvet dropped next to her husband and took a breath of fresh air. "Well this is amazing," she said. "So why are you here? I'm absolutely positive your father would not have sent you so many miles from home if you didn't have a good reason."

Dawn wiped her mouth and levitated the binder Gardeen held out to her on the table in front of her for all to see. Then flipped it open and gave the photographs to Twilight Velvet and Night Light. "I found this with my friends."

"Ooohh! That's nice!.... What is it?" Night Light dumbly asked.

Shining stifled his laughs and said, "That's Twilight's Mecrah Portal. The other one is on Psera underneath their castle. They just found it a few days ago. And Dawn's doing diplomacy to get us to help them open it. There's twelve keys that the Pserateps believe are the gems Twilight passed out to the rulers of each country in a symbol of unity during the war against Maheera. Now we're going to try and get back there to see if we can set Twilight free from whatever's in there."

Set Twilight free?!  Twilight Velvet stood up and bellowed, "So my filly could still be alive?!"

Gardeen cleared her throat and answered, "There's no concrete way to tell, but our brightest minds are predicting that Queen Arcadia has set this up so she could be freed. I told Congress about the Pearls, and they told a few Science and Magic labs. They all agree that if she willingly gave out the keys that she wanted to be taken out of there. And that she knew it would be a futile effort to get her out if she wasn't alive. So the only logical reason to actually distribute the keys were to unlock the Portal and set her free. So she's more than likely alive in there."

"WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT OF THERE!" Velvet yelled. Then ran to the door, pulled it open and started to rush out before she looked at everyone else casually watching her. "What are you waiting for?!"

"We have to wait for approval from Congress," Gardeen deadpanned. "And that doesn't happen until tomorrow morning."

"Oh... Well you have all made me look silly." She used her magic to shut the door back. Then switched back to "happy grandmother."

"I'm getting your gifts!" She announced. Her hooves trotted past everypony to make a dash up the stairs.

Shining smirked and looked to Fresh Dawn. "So you know about us," he said. "But we don't know much about you. How's life in Psera as Princess? Is it difficult to make friends?" It was hard to see Dawn's nod, but she did. "Don't take it too hard. A lot of foals just aren't too comfortable making friends with the foal of a higher power. Flurry Heart had trouble making friends too because... Well..."

Cadance placed a wing on Shining's back and completed his sentence. "Her father is one of the most feared ponies in existence."

"No I'm not."

Dawn lowered the second cookie she was about to bite into and replied, "Well I have two friends outside of the Castle. One is named Dark Dust, he's not much of a talker. And a little clumsy in a cute way. Then there's Kia. She's a frenemy."

"...I'm sorry, a what?" Flurry queried around her own cookie. "Frenemy? What's that?"

Dawn quickly answered, "A friendly enemy. Kia and I were enemies in Elementary school. She was always being mean to me. But we confided in each other after the CPC Disaster, which I'm sure you are all familiar with. Both of Kia's parents were in there. And I lost mom that night."

Cadance shared a sorrowful glance with the rest of the ponies in the room. They all knew about that day all of those lives were lost. Less than five seconds after Dawn blew out her candles, the first explosion took the lives of over a hundred. Then the CPC fell and took the lives of thousands. Because of Maheera.

Cadance whispered, "Oh... I am so sorry to hear that."

Gardeen shook her head sadly. "She's a common face around the castle," she whispered. "But I never knew her background."

Dawn sighed and stuffed her hooves back in her shoes. Then lifted them back onto the couch to sparkle. "Yeah. She's been acting strange lately though. Like usually she's calling me by pseudonyms she created for me and making fun. But now she's all protective, strong, and wants to talk like a normal pony around me. It's strange."

Their conversation was disturbed from a thump in the stairwell followed by another. Then another. Then another. Velvet yelled down through whatever was in her mouth, "Oh she's just in love, dear! Here's your present!"

The love thing to the side, Velvet backed out of the stairwell with a red ribbon in her teeth belonging to a huge gift box that was doubled her size. Once it was in sight and out of the stairwell, she grinned at Dawn's disbelieving face and stated, "You're going to love everything in here. After we were forced back to Equestria and all communications with Psera were cut, I thought, 'Since we're not using the Embassy anymore, I might as well grab Twily's things.'"

Night Light gasped and clarified loudly, "Did you raid the castle without any of us knowing?!"

Twilight Velvet scoffed and answered, "Of course, I wasn't just going to let my Filly's property go up in dust. I would never let that happen! Come here, Dawn! Check out some of mommy's old things. Her old room was still intact years before all of this."

Dawn stood up and slowly progressed around the table with an unsure look in her eyes on Velvet. "Are you sure? Wouldn't mom want this stuff back?"

Velvet laughed like it was the funniest question ever asked and answered, "I'd be surprised if she did. Open it!" She grabbed the free strand from a bow and held it out to her. This was her mother's things. Not hers.

Well maybe mom would want her to grab some of this stuff to bring back home. So Dawn grabbed the strand with her teeth, then jumped back and yanked her head to the side to pull the bow off.

The sides that made up the box fell away to reveal a mountain of colorful toys, books, clothes, and other things Dawn couldn't understand. Equestria wore some weird stuff. Where was all the Gold? Where was the flash, the symbolism of pride? Everything here was so...droll.

The mountain was so big, some belongings even slid down to her hooves. She lifted up a notebook that was never used and glanced up to Twilight Velvet with that same look.

She really didn't get any of this stuff obviously. So Velvet dug around inside and pulled out a few things. "Books, toys, a few clothes, science things even I don't get..."

A stuffed doll rolled down the small hill at Dawn's hooves. A doll that made her gasp and cheer, "A puppy!" She used her magic to grab and bring it up to her face.

Twilight Velvet directed her attention to Dawn hugging the doll to her chest and said, "Ohhh, that was one of your mother's dolls when she was two. I can't believe that was in here." With the thought that Dawn was a little old for that, Velvet reached down to take it. But Dawn jerked it back.

"No, no, it's fine. I always wanted a puppy." Dawn set the doll back on the floor and used her magic to capture it in a field of black. Then it sparked to life just like the bird back at the castle.

It popped up on its "paws" and opened its sealed mouth to reveal fake teeth, a tongue, and a happily wagging tail. It barked up to Dawn and hopped on her hooves in an attempt to climb on her.

"Hey! Hi!" Dawn greeted. She rubbed a hoof through her fur and nuzzled it. The dog licked her cheek with it's fluffy tongue. Then jumped back off and ran over to Gardeen to yip and bark up to her.

She just patted the top of her head before Flurry scooped her up in glee and happiness. "Ooohhh, you're so cute! I wish I knew that spell you do, Dawn. It's awesome!"

Dawn started looking at a few clothes she'd actually wear and stated, "I have absolutely no idea how I do it. Once we get mom out, I'll ask her about it and see if she knows anything."

Cadance smiled at their interaction. But couldn't help but feel a bad omen at Dawn's gift. Whatever she was doing with her magic that was giving inanimate objects life... She felt she shouldn't be doing it. But here she was.

And it was giving her a bad feeling.



While the adults conversed, Dawn was allowed to tour the house. Everything was so simple it blew her mind away. This place was practically a museum!

When she stepped into the kitchen, she gasped and pointed to what she deduced as their "washing machine." It was nothing like that. It was a container filled with soap and dirty clothes.

She walked over with Flurry and Gardeen and asked, "So...does this move on its own through magic?"

"Uhhh...no," Flurry answered.

"Is it some sort of rechnology to clean clothes faster?" Gardeen inquired.

"I'm not sure what we're comparing to."

Dawn smiled and proudly said, "Back on Psera we have what is called a washer and dryer, two separate machines that wash your clothes. You put your clothes inside, you thrown in some chemicals, set a timer and cycle, and boom. The clothes are being washed! It works for anything with fabric!"

"Whoa." Flurry looked back to the dirty clothes soaking. "So... I guess we're pretty ancient, huh?"

"No, not ancient, just really simple. I can't see mom doing things like this. I thought Equestria traded with Psera."

"It didn't get as deep as you're thinking." Cadance made her appearance into the kitchen for the refrigerator. She grabbed two fizzy beverages, one for her and the other for Dawn. "Here, give this a taste."

Dawn took it in her magic, but investigated the can. "Uhhh... How do you open it?"

Flurry took the can from Dawn and demonstrated popping the cap. "Ohhhh, that's so cool. See, we have like buttons and stuff back home."

Flurry recommended, "Maybe you can introduce me to some of that stuff when we get there."

Dawn had a feeling this was the beginning of her first friendship with Equestria. The first out of many.