Family Reunion

by MisterEdd


I'm Related to Who?!

"I'm so glad we could get to do this, Starlight!"

Starlight beamed at Sunburst as they headed towards the Canterlot Royal Archives. Thanks to Sunburst's connection with the Royal Family, who were more than happy to help, they could find out all they needed and more. Firelight had sent what he could and while it wasn't much, covering only the last six generations since their family had arrived in Sire's Hollow, it had gotten the proverbial ball rolling. According to the Sire's Hollow archives, Starlight's family had originally moved to the town from within the city itself, so if there was anywhere that had answers, it would be in Canterlot.

"Me too! It's so nice that we're back together again!"

Starlight was thrilled to be reunited once more with her foalhood friend, who also happened to be the best researcher in Equestria and the smartest pony that she knew...second to Twilight, of course.

"You said it! By the way, what did your dad find out about your family?"

Starlight's trot slowed. "Not much, to be honest. My great grandfather was the town's postmaster and his father was the mayor. My great-great-great grandmother served as the head of the Sire Hollow's Ornithological Appreciation League and her brother was the town barber. Other than that, they were all just ordinary ponies."

"What's wrong with ordinary?"

"Well, nothing. It's just, I don't know, I hoping for...more."

Sunburst laid a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Well, with any luck, the answers are right through these doors," he smiled, gesturing towards the Royal Library.

"Let's do this."

Two Hours Later...

"Let's not do this," Starlight groaned. As it turned out, the Royal Archives were much, much larger than they'd anticipated, the Genealogical Section containing more records than the whole of the Crystal Empire and Ponyville combined. Then again, given the size and longevity of Canterlot since its founding, there had been a lot of ponies that had been born here. Nevertheless, Starlight was adamant in her search for answers and wouldn't stop until she found something interesting or nothing at all. Even if the search was super, super boring.

They picked up where Firelight's records left off, with Torch Bearer's exodus from Canterlot. He was an aspiring farmer and as he owned no land, he was determined to find his own. Before him, there were his parents, Firebrand and Jubilee, a steelworker and nurse respectively. It was almost a relief how ordinary and non-evil Starlight's family was but now it was ridiculous how mundane they were. She was Tartarus-bent on finding at least one of them that was noteworthy.

"Let's keep going," Sunburst yawned. "I'm sure we'll find something."

Determined to get things done faster, Starlight poured magic into her horn and let out an arrowhead-shaped missile that flew through the stack of documents.

"What are you doing?"

Starlight watched the papers being stacked into smaller and smaller piles. "I cast a spell that searches for the oldest documents. Right now, its sorting through the records and dividing them up based on age."

Finally, the arrowhead stopped in the heart of the smallest stack, hovering above the paper like a beacon before sinking into the pile and vanishing with a puff.

Intrigued, Starlight floated the pile over to her and began to sort through it.

"Whoa, this goes back a thousand years! Let's see...horseshoe thief, that's bad but not evil. Alewife, whipping colt...an admiral in the Royal Navy? That's better! Thief-taker, alchemist, teacher at the school of magic!" Starlight flipped over paper after paper, her excitement mounting with every new discovery.

She paused. "I can't read this last name; the ink's been smudged by what looks to be a wine-stain. Looks like it starts with an 'S.' Anyway, she was one of the founding members of Canterlot's Thaumatology Committee and a powerful enchantress as well as the eldest daughter of..."

Sunburst sat up. "Of who? Come on Starlight, don't leave me in suspense!"

Starlight didn't reply, her jaw hanging open in astonishment. "This...can't be right..."

"What? What is it?!"

"It says here that her mother was Gusty the Great and her father was...Clover the Clever."

The stallion held up a hoof. "Wait a minute, are you telling me that you're the descendant of Clover the Clever? The Clover the Clever? One of the founders of Equestria, creator of the fiducia compelus spell, student of Star Swirl the Bearded, defeater of the Djinn of Solomob?!"

"A-apparently," Starlight stammered, her mind still in the middle of processing this information. To think, she started out under the assumption that all of her ancestors were boring, ordinary ponies. Now it turns out that one of them was one of the biggest figures in Equestrian history and the other was a bona fide war hero and as well as the vanquisher of Grogar the Cruel. Now all Starlight could about was how amazing her genealogy presentation was going to be!

"Sunburst, is there a word that means incredible and unbelievable?"

"Um...'incredilevable'?"

"Yes..." Starlight stood triumphantly atop the table. "This is incredilevable!"

~*~

"So Twilight, what was in that scroll you had earlier?"

"Hmm?" She peered down at Spike. "Oh, yeah, right! I was at the Castle of the Royal Sisters when I came across this hidden room...-"

The doors of the map room burst open revealing a hopping Starlight, her over-stuffed saddlebags bouncing alongside her. "Guess what, guess what, guess what?!"

The two looked at one another.

"You took whatever it is that makes Pinkie Pie...Pinkie Pie?" Spike offered up.

"Don't be silly, Spike. She clearly found something exciting about her family tree. Go on, tell us."

Starlight nodded madly. "It turns out that my great-great-great-times-fifty great-grandfather is none other than Clover the Clever! Can you believe it!"

If Twilight's jaw hadn't been firmly attached, it would've dropped to the floor. She stared dumbfounded at Starlight. "You're wh-what? Are you sure?"

A thick stack of papers wrapped in turquoise light flooded out of Starlight's saddlebags and thudded onto the Friendship Map. "Go ahead, take a look! It's all there!"

Skimming through the documents, Twilight's eyes bulged out of their sockets at the last few pages.

"Even with the proof in front of me...I still can't believe it..."

Spike waved a hand in front of Twilight's unblinking face. "I think you broke her."

Twilight snapped out of her trance. "This is huge! You see, I told you there was nothing wrong with your family tree. Just imagine how everypony's going to feel when they see your presentation!"

Starlight froze. "'Ev-ev-everypony'?"

"Yeah! Myself, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie. Oh, I know! The whole town could be invited! Just think, everypony's going to hear this amazing discovery!"

"Riiiight, of course...everypony. Great."

What am I going to do?!