//------------------------------// // Thanks! From Therapy // Story: The Day My Life Began // by Authora97 //------------------------------// Tuesday Afternoon was no more exciting than it had ever been. To be completely honest, I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. A monster filled rut. It’s not my fault I’m in this rut, it’s the town’s fault for not putting a sign in front of the rut! “KJ! LOOK AT YOUR RIGHT!” I screamed. The blood red pegasus shot off, avoiding the monster’s attack. She turned to glare at me, flying right up next to me. “What else is there is this stupid place?” “Nothing.” I lied. “Unless you count the rocks.” Killjoy raised a brow. “Rocks?” “Rocks!” I pointed a hoof behind my sister. A large rockslide had begun falling down from the sky. “Ah!” Killjoy and I panicked. “To the right!” I ordered, dragging the pegasus to our right. Killjoy grunted, getting back onto her own hooves. “This is all your fault, you know!” I shook my head. “Well, maybe if somebody listened to me more often we wouldn’t be in this mess!” “No. If somebody hadn’t forgotten-” *ROOAAARRR* “Monster on the left!” I shouted. “Thanks Captain Obvious!” Killjoy said with an eye roll, flying away from the monster. “How much longer until we get there?!” “The map said it’s past the monster holes!” I shouted over the roaring monster. Killjoy groaned. “I hate those stupid things!” “Oh, giant killer fucking worms are bad, but you were perfectly fine with the thing on the doorstep!” I snapped. “It was really cool when it died and that guy went insane!” Killjoy argued. “On your left!” “Gah!” I blasted a stun spell at the monster. “That’s enough! KJ, grab onto my hoof! I’m teleporting! We can find them faster this way!” My little sister grabbed onto my hoof. We vanished just in time to miss the monster’s gaping wide jaws. Okay. Now that I think about it, rut might not be a nice word. It’s more of a Ghourge. Why am I in Ghastly Ghorge? Well, that started a couple days ago...when I was harshly reminded of my annual adventure... Darcy clapped once the episode ended. “Great. Another episode where friendship wins, and karma makes you her bitch!” Darcy laughed. I shook my head. “Darce, is wasn’t about those three becoming karma’s bitches. Karma is the bitch.” Darcy scoffed, getting up off my bed and walking around my small room. “Whatever.” She went up to the closet, pulling out one of her other shirts. “Hey, didn’t you have something important coming up?” Pushing myself off the ground, I walked over towards my desk. It was covered in sticky notes, ranging in one of four colors. Blue was stuff for school, pink was stuff about my life, yellow was traveler related stuff, and purple was anything Darcy-related. With a life as long as mine is, it was easy to forget things. Many of the notes were crossed out, some were thrown into the trash. I looked around only at the blue and pink ones. They had some random reminder, and then a date. “Nothing coming up.” I shrugged. “So, we can talk about what the Plan is for this episode?” Darcy asked, giddy. The episode this week was called ‘One Bad Apple’. The song was catchy (and stuck in my head) with some funny costume changes. The part with Diamond Tiara getting coated in mud drove the two of us into hysterics. What? Just because I’m her part-time teacher doesn’t mean that I like her. She’s still a bully. “I have a sick feeling that my life is gonna change at this episode, or at least around it.” I commented. Darcy groaned. “You and your feelings. We’re Andersons, cold emotionless robots.” I rolled my eyes. “I know, but you and I know I can’t stop my gut instincts.” “You could try.” Darcy said. She rifled through the closest. “Hey, do you remember where I put my fake licenses?” “Check the-” *creak* Our eyes widened. We snapped our heads towards the door to my bedroom. I motioned with my head for her to hide inside the closet. Darcy rolled her eyes, but still shut the door to the closet. *knock* *knock* “Morgan? Can I come in?” Mom’s voice asked. “Just a second!” I said, going up to the closet. “Get ready. It could be a long one.” “Why do you have so many shoes in here? You only wear that one pair of crappy crocs!” “You know Mom buys whatever shoes fit me.” Darcy made some gagging noises. I opened the door to my bedroom. “Yes?” I asked, looking over my mom. She was dressed, not in her pajamas like I expected. Her favorite pale blue polo shirt, and long white pants. On her feet were black heels. Her blonde hair was fading into a dirt brown, with a gray streak here and there. She was probably going to get them dyed soon, again. Her make-up was on; red lipstick, black eyeliner, and a faint blush on her cheeks. It didn’t do much to hide her freckles. Mom was much shorter than me. She was 5’5, I was 5’9. So I had to look down in order to be looking into her water blue eyes. Over her shoulder, I saw her large purse. It was pink, with white and silver zebra stripes on the sides. “I don’t really wanna go shopping today, Mom.” I told her. Mom shook her head. “Morgan, do you remember what’s happening today?” My mother asked. “...no.” I admitted. ‘There wasn’t anything on the sticky notes.’ “We’re leaving for your uncles house.” My mother explained. “Thanksgiving is in a few days, and we need to get there early so we can spend time with everyone.” I held back a groan. My cousins and I were not on the best speaking terms. They were all five years younger than me, and the only one I could have even a semi-decent conversation with was always with her little sister and our step-cousin. That, and they were everywhere. In the bathroom, then the living room, then the bedroom, then the kitchen, then the dining room, and back to the bathroom. It was impossible to be alone. My aunts and uncles would always ask me about three topics: jobs, school, and my non existent love life. My grandparents on my mother’s side were worse, because they weren’t subtle about it. They also loved playing cards, and making us children play outside. There was only one aunt on my mom’s side that I actually liked, and she was never at the Thanksgiving reunion every year. I haven’t seen her in decades...so maybe three human years? It was after The Fifty Years of Darkness, I know that much. The last few human Thanksgivings have not been so great. The entire time, I tried Jumping or at least reading about another place to Jump. My cousins always tried including themselves in my privacy, asking me questions about the books I was reading. Thanksgiving meals were no better. I couldn’t escape the table, and was stuck on the child end. No matter how hard I tried, people always ended up sitting near me. “Pack up what you want to take.” My mother said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We’re leaving in one hour.” Then she left my room. I immediately went to work. The worst part of these trips? The nine to ten hour drive to Destin, Florida with my family. It’s impossible to Jump, there is no quiet, and no space for me to be alone. Week of Hell, here I come. “So...” Shit. I turned around, seeing Darcy walk out of the closet. She had a confident smile on her face. “You’re sure you didn’t see anything.” “There wasn’t a-” I cut myself off, glaring at Darcy. “You took the sticky note!” My twin pulled out a small sheet of blue paper, waving about. “Oh. Yes. Be mad. Your anger gives me power.” She joked, laughing. “Those things are sacred!” I growled. “I’m gonna kill you!” Darcy shook one of her fingers. She picked one of my shirts out from the closet. “Or, you could get my help in packing?” “You’ll take out my bras, underwear, and bathing suit. You’ll replace it with two pieces of cloth and a string.” I snapped, pulling my suitcase out from the closet. “It’s called a bikini, old lady.” Darcy chuckled. “Why don’t you wear something like that? Show a little skin? Live dangerously.” I rolled my eyes, pulling out five shirts from my dresser. They were thrown into the suitcase, coming out of their foldings. “Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe I like two-pieces?” “And you call me killjoy.” Darcy commented. “Cause it’s your name, Killjoy.” I droned, packing up my bag for the car ride. “Can’t you just cut loose?” Darcy groaned. “You’re looking a girl who didn’t wear a bra when she was a bridesmaid.” I reminded, shoving a pair of sneakers into my suitcase. “Because the dress makers made it too tight!” Darcy countered. “No underwear in a school.” I said, throwing in some shorts. “Prank from the bitch in Carrie.” “Ah well.” I shrugged. “Guess I’m just vanilla. Can you toss me a couple hair ties?” Darcy groaned loudly. She did as I asked, pulling some hair ties from their holding place. She threw five at me. “Can’t you be something cooler? Like...Superman ice cream!” “French vanilla.” I sang. “One of these days, Morgue, your gonna wish you were a little more like me.” Darcy pointed out. “Sure. Yeah. Can you give me my purple lollipop necklace? I hung it on the dresser.” “You don’t wear it at all times?” “You’re telling me you wore yours in Ponyland?” I countered, taking a brief stop from packing to look in her eyes. Darcy shrugged. “Good point.” She picked the necklace, tossing it over towards me. I caught it, quickly putting it on. “So...what will I do while you struggle?” “Stay as far away as you can.” I ordered. “Where was that book I took from the library?” “The one on gemstones and their uses? Brown cover? Yellow pages?” Darcy asked. I sighed. “Yes.” “Under your suitcase.” Darcy said, actually being helpful. “Oh.” I pulled the book out from underneath the suitcase. “Thank you.” “Meh.” Darce said. “Didn’t feel like messing with you.” I smiled, putting the large book in my travel bag. I had checked out a book from Twilight’s library on gemstones. During some Planning, I wondered if I was using all resources available. So I thought I would look into gem uses to see what I could do with them. Gems have had a lot of uses wherever I went, whether it was for protection charms or power restrainers. I was looking forward to seeing what the jewels could do in Equestria. Twilight’s happened to have a book on this very subject. Sapphire Quarry’s Research on Gemstones. My homework for the week. I was also bringing along a notebook, some pens, my charged iPhone, headphones, my computer and it’s charger, my wallet (with fifty dollars in cash, one fake license, and two debits cards from my two separate accounts), sunglasses, a spare blanket and pillow, and a sleeping eye mask. “Ready to go.” I said, zipping up my bags. “Uh...you’re forgetting two things.” Darcy snickered. “What?” I asked, looking around to see what I forgot. “Oh.” “You’re still in pajamas!” Darcy laughed. “I hate you.” I growled, pulling a long sleeved pumpkin orange shirt and long baggy smokey purple pants. “Would you like a bra?” “Yes.” I snapped, pulling one out from a drawer. Then I remembered the second thing. “Don’t even think about following us. We can’t take the risk.” “So, you want me to stay here? In Mount Pleasant, until I die of boredom?” I carefully got myself dressed. “I don’t want to come back and find the city is in fear over a serial killer.” “...no dead people?” I shook my head. “Well, only in cases where the guy is a killer or drug dealer.” “Yay!” She cheered. Rolling my eyes, I pulled my bags up. “Okay. I’ll see you next Saturday. Don’t start any fires-” “Without you, I got it!” Darcy said, opening my bedroom door. “Now get the fuck out of my room.” I glared. “If you mess with any of my stuff-” “Bye bye!” Darcy sang, slamming the door. I groaned, raising my hand to knock on the door. “Morgan! Is everything alright?” Mom shouted from the bottom of the staircase. Looking down in her direction, I held up my bags. “I’m ready to go.” Mom smiled. “Oh good. Put your stuff in the car. Your father should be home within the hour. Then, the vacation starts.” “Story help me.” I muttered under my breath. For the sake of my character’s sanity, she has asked me not to repeat the car ride to you all. Ms. Spencer told me that it was a boring ride. The most she remembers was her youngest brother, the four year old boy, had a tantrum about his iPad dying halfway thru the drive. That, and her father becoming enraged while they tried ordering lunch. Ms. Spencer wants you all to know that she spent the car ride listening to music, reading a book, and ignoring her family. For further clarification, I will not write about the car ride. None of you want to know what goes on during an extensive Spencer Road Trip. I’m sure they’re just as exciting as your’s. So, I’ll just skip to the morning after they arrived. -Authora97 It was morning in the Gafford household. My back ached slightly from sleeping on the uncomfortably floor of my cousins’ room. To spare you the thought processing of imagining what their house looked like, let me explain. It was a one story house, three bedrooms, one living room, two bathrooms, one kitchen/dining room, and a sitting room. Nothing too special. I had a lot of cousins. Isabella (Izzy) and her siblings; Sarah and Scotty Junior (Joey(Jo-Je)) Gafford. Then, there was Jordan and Emily Gafford. I hadn’t seen them in years, and didn’t expect to. They had some younger siblings, my step-cousin Aurora and the new Gafford baby Selina. Seven cousins, and that’s just on my mom’s side. I have a lot of aunts and uncles. Uncle Scotty and his wife Aunt Myriam. Uncle Frank (Trey) Gafford and his new wife Melanie (I hadn’t seen my old aunt in over century, so I can’t remember a lot about her). Uncle John (he was adopted from Ukraine), and Aunt Hannah. Then, we have the grandparents. Grandpa Gafford and Grandma Oakley divorced when my mother was a little girl, and eventually married other people. Grandma Gafford and Grumpy (called so because Mom wanted us to call him something sounding similiar to Grampy). That’s everyone on Mom’s side of the family that I recall. Her grandfather died years ago, her grandmother when she was around thirteen, a ton of aunts and uncles that can’t travel long distance to see us, some cousins that I went to New York with a couple decades ago, and maybe one more that escapes me. Whoever does come, either stays at Uncle Scotty’s house or stay at the hotel he works at. Well, hotel is bad word. It’s more of a resort. The Emerald Grande (AN: it’s a real life hotel, I just felt too lazy to come up with a new one) is the default gathering place. “Is she awake?” I heard a voice ask. “Sarah, shh!” My eyes opened, so I looked over at my two cousins that were watching me sleep. Izzy was twelve. Her skin was naturally tan, and she was very thin. She was around five feet. She was a gymnast, so I guess being thin was a part of the deal. Her hair was black, going to her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown, almost concealed by her new glasses. Her eyes were pretty big, even without glasses. Almost cartoonish. Right now, she was dressed in a light purple shirt with purple sparkles. A pair of blue shorts were on her legs, barely going to her mid thigh. Some colorful sandals were on her feet. Of all my cousins, I got along with Izzy the most. Yes, I still was occasionally annoyed by her presence, but I was always annoyed by the others. Especially her little sister. Sarah stood right next to her sister. She was four foot six, a foot shorter than me. She was around ten. Her hair was light brown, like cinnamon. It fell to her shoulders, and was lightly frizzed. Her skin was lightly tanned, showing some of her Latina heritage, but was overall pale and freckly. Her eyes were big (like her sister’s) and dark green. She was skinny, almost like her sister. I think she was a ballerina. She was wearing a light green tank top, covered in pastel flowers. There was a purple skirt, about as long as her knees. She wore pink sandals. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. Who doesn’t? But Sarah had been a pain in my behind for one hundred and ninety years. When we were little, I had tried to form a connection with my cousins. To put it simply, they cast me out of their little circle. Sarah at the head of the decision. How did she put it? Ah yes. “Morgan, you are the worst and most boring cousin ever. We don’t want to play with you ever again!” Who am I to turn away from a young child’s wish? I can’t remember my last conversation with her. I avoided Sarah at any point. Aurora too, since they were attached at the hip since the met. The youngest of this Gafford Branch was Joey, his nickname since he was Scott Gafford the Second. He looked just like his daddy did at that age. Brown hair in scraggle, big puppy dog brown eyes, olive skin, and some kind of energy I was 88% percent positive Pinkie Pie gave to him. He wore a blue LEGO Ninjago shirt, and cargo shorts. His sneakers were black, and light-ups. He was off playing with Nathan, coloring books. I gave my two eldest cousins a wary look. “Hi girls.” I greeted half-heartedly. “Hey Morgan!” Izzy greeted, enthusiastically. “Hey Morgan.” Sarah said, with less enthusiasm. Looking back down at my stuff, I tried to find Sapphire Quarry’s book. “What do you want to do today?” Izzy asked, trying to strike up some fun. “Read.” I answered, almost robotically. “Really? We have some cool art stuff. We learned how to decorate stuff with duct tape!” Izzy cheered. “We could fix up your wallet.” “I like my wallet that way.” I said, opening to the third chapter of the journal. The wallet was probably as old as Lilac. It was made with pink leather (peeling in too many places), covered in stickers with my name on them, and some newer ones I got from GetGlue. Yes, it was falling apart. No, I wasn’t getting a new one any time soon. “We have some with animals!” Sarah cheered. “And Aurora’s coming soon for lunch so she can help.” As if the mention of lunch was an alarm clock, my stomach rumbled. “What time is it?” I asked them. “Almost noon.” Izzy sighed. Nodding my head, I pulled out my notebook and pens. “Cool. I’ll get some breakfast, then keep reading.” “But don’t you want to play?” “We don’t want to play with you ever again!” I shook my head to get that thought out of my head. “No thanks. I’ll just stick to being boring.” My tone was lighthearted, but I still felt a little hurt at that memory from when I was fifty-seven (eleven in Human). Then, I picked the two books up. Locking them tightly in my grip. I walked over to the kitchen with confident steps. I didn’t have time to hang around with my cousins. I was always on the clock. Always working. Huh. Maybe Darcy is right. Maybe I’m the Killjoy. After a quick bowl of cereal, I thought over my plans for the day. Having Aurora come over might cause some problems, but I’m sure I could keep on researching. I should have around an hour. Sadly, just as I put my dishes in the sink, Aurora came barreling through the door. Aurora’s heritage was a little blurred for me. Her skin was dark, along with her hair. She looked like a Hawaiian. Her eyes were brown and small, almost like a squint. I knew she wasn’t Latina, but I could never find the courage to ask Aunt Melanie. Aurora was dressed in a dark blue top, with some jeans. It was weird to see a ten-year-old wearing jeans. On her feet were orange sandals. “Ayoshi!” Now that nickname, I can’t explain. “Sarah! Izzy!” Aurora cheered, running up to our cousins. She hugged them tightly. “Melanie!” I heard my mom cheer coming from the door. Rolling my eyes, I pulled out my headphones. I couldn’t concentrate while my family was reuniting after a year apart. Can’t they understand I needed silence? I turned on the music, and kept on taking notices. According to Sapphire, some gemstones are supposed to hold onto an images fro ponies. Maybe there was a way I could expand on that? Record a kind of message on a gemstone? The stones were called ‘Mirror Reflectors’. From the drawing, they looked like a cross between a diamond and a quartz. They grew in some corner of what was now the Everfree Forest. I made sure to make a note in my notepad of that. Looking over some more of the mythology of the Mirror Reflection stone was interesting. It could be any color, according to the color spectrum. Purple gems meant they could hold a pony’s image, as a sort of visual message. Could these be what Chrysalis used when she trapped Twilight in the caverns below Canterlot? Making a note of that. Blue ones could record a voice, for many days and almost years. It was like a pony version of an answering machine. Green ones looked more my speed, since they could supposedly keep a projection of a pony. From the drawing, I saw this was like Princess Leia’s message in Star Wars. Yellow ones couldn’t really hold much, just really a glorified mirror. Orange could hold even less, and were just holding a single image for seconds at best. Red ones were practically worthless. I should be looking for green ones when I check the Everfree. Sapphire reported on finding some more green and blue stones hidden inside G- “MORGAN!” “GAH!” I shouted, snapped out from my thoughts. The chair I was in shock, nearly making me fall off. I rolled out my headphones, taking notice that everyone was looking at me. Mom looked especially mad. “Yes, mom?” I asked, trying to stay calm. Mom gave me a glare, and I realized what she had been trying to do. With a quick breath, I turned towards my step-cousin. “Hey Aurora. I haven’t seen you in forever.” I got up from my seat and gave the little girl a hug. “It’s nice to see you Morgan.” Aurora said, with about as much enthusiasm as I felt. Letting her go, I looked over to see my aunt and uncle and last cousin. Uncle Trey had a pointed jaw, covered by a brown beard. His hair was long, reaching his shoulders. It was really curly. His eyes were dark blue. Aunt Melanie was...hooker-esque. Her makeup was gaudy, and over done. Her lips looked sticky with lipstick, and her eyes looked like a raccoon’s. Her golden hair was greasy, and looked like she brushed on the way here. Little Selina was way different. Her hair was pale blonde, falling straight to her shoulders. Her eyes were big and blue. Her skin was pale like snow. She was wearing a frilly baby pink shirt and sparkly hot pink skirt. On her feet were blue sandals. I tried to give a quick hug to Uncle Trey, but he held me tightly. “What’s up Morgan?” “Nothing.” I mumbled into his shoulder. He was a few inches taller than me, but only just. Aunt Melanie was my height, so I was face to face with her when I gave her a hug. “You’re gettin’ so big! Gosh it seems like just yesterday when Ah was taller than ya!” Did I neglect to mention my step aunt’s southern accent? “Yep.” I said in a clipped tone. “Can’t help growing.” Aunt Melanie laughed. It was weird laugh, the kind you hear from snooty people. She turned to my mother. “Sara, ya better be careful. Yer kids are growin’ like weeds!” My mom laughed. “I’ve been trying to get them to stop.” I shut my eyes, rolling them so Mom wouldn’t see. “I need to get back to reading.” I mumbled, walking back over towards their kitchen table. “Actually, Morgan, why don’t you play with your cousins?” Mom ordered. My face tightened. As much as my teenage side wanted, I couldn’t lash out at her. Mom just wanted me to be friendly, like her. My mature side wanted to politely decline, but my pride couldn’t let me. “Mom, I don’t think they want to play with a boring teenager like me.” I explained gently. “I’m no fun, so they should go and play like they want to.” “Morgan, spend time with your cousins! They haven’t seen you in months.” ‘Years.’ I almost corrected. “I’ll slow them down.” Mom glared at me. Her blue eyes pushing into my amber. Mom and I were complete opposites. She was blonde, I was black haired. She was small, and athletic. I was tall, and in this form I couldn’t do much running. Mom was a girl who could get scholarships in any college she wanted, I would need to be the dean’s kid to get into a college. Not that I wasn’t smart, I had just gone to high school sixteen times and it was boring after the third time. Mom was extraverted, and wouldn’t hurt a fly. I’m introverted and have killed more people than I want to count. The one thing we had in common? We’re both too damn stubborn. “What’s wrong with just hanging out with your cousins?” Mom asked. Before I could give an argument, Mom gave me a look that told me I was going to lose this argument. Izzy grabbed my arm, dragging me towards her and Sarah’s room. “Come on, we can show you how to make a duct tape bracelet!” I sighed. ‘Great. I get to spend more time with people that hate me. How much longer is this vacation?’ Two Days Later: Tuesday Tuesday. Most people hate Tuesdays. They think they’re boring. Tuesdays are in the worst part of the week; just after Monday and long before the weekend. I love Tuesdays. They’re usually when shit hits the fan. Tuesday is a day when I can get some real peace and quiet. Today, my family moved into our hotel room at the Emerald Grande. Two big bedrooms, one smaller bedroom, three bathrooms, one kitchen, one living/dining room, and three balconies facing the sunset. We were on the ninth floor, so the balconies were always cold and usually left alone. It also had a bunch of TV’s with great channels. My cousins just had cable. I was given the smaller bedroom for tonight. My brother Damian would get it tomorrow, while I slept on the couch bed. The bedroom was great. One closet, a door leading into a hallway bathroom, a TV, two nightstands, and a bed nearly as big as the room. It had a ton of plugs so I could work on some Planning now that I have some information on these gems. I was perfectly alone...until my cousins came back from the hotel’s heated outdoor pool. “Look, Izzy, I love you, but I’m trying to read.” I said gently, trying really hard not to snap at this preteen. The latina sighed. “But Morgan! All you do is read!” She stomped her feet. “Because it’s fun.” I said, trying to keep reading. “Come on! You’ve been here almost three days and we haven’t done anything together!” Izzy complained. ‘Because you were with Sarah and Aurora all of those three days.’ I thought. “Your mom told me that I had to get you out of your book.” Izzy said. I groaned, loudly. “Fine. What are you and those other two doing?” I sighed. “Sarah wants to have a dance party, but Aurora wants to color.” Izzy explained, dragging me out of the room. I escaped the small girl’s grasp, placing my book on the nightstand before being grabbed again. Twilight would kill me if I got that book damaged. “What exactly does Aurora want to color?” I asked, not entirely excited. “A ‘My Little Pony’ coloring book.” Izzy said with an eye roll. “Sarah wants to dance to the radio, but Dad says that we can’t because it would be too loud.” ‘Because you all set it to the highest setting.’ I thought. “Why can’t you just play with your polly pocket dolls?” “We got rid of those.” Izzy said, the two of us finally arriving in the living room. My two other cousins were arguing. Sarah was stomping her foot, a very heavy frown on her face. It looked like she would start crying soon. Aurora was waving her hands around, her black hair flailing all over the place. I couldn’t see her face, but I had a feeling she was scowling. They were still damp from swimming in the pool. I spoke up. “What’s going on in here?” Sarah turned towards me, and she was indeed scowling. “Aurora just wants to color! That’s no fun!” “We went swimming for an hour! I’m tired! Can’t we just color?” Aurora whined. “Not in those! I don’t want to color in ponies!” “Hey, ponies are cool.” I argued. They ignored me. “Ayoshi, coloring is boring! We color all the time!” Sarah argued. “Well, I can’t dance like you guys can!” “Can’t you guys just do your own things?” I suggested. “I won’t do anything without Aurora!” “And I won’t color without Sarah!” I almost groaned. It was easier to argue with the Crusaders. “Sometimes your friends don’t want to do what you do, so you have to do it on your own.” “That’s stupid!” Sarah whined, stomping her foot. “Come on, guys. Can’t you just do what you want without your cousin?” I suggested. “Because!” Aurora yelled. “It’s boring to color alone!” “Well, then I have to make the decision.” My part time teacher voiced came out. “Sarah, you’re gonna dance to music so long as you don’t make it too loud. Aurora, you’re going to color on the dining room table.” “But-” Aurora and Sarah began. “No.” My voice was fierce. “Go. I don't want to hear another word.” “But-” “Not. Another. Word.” The two girls shrunk down, going off in opposite directions to do their separate tasks. Aunt Myriam and I were making dinner. She for my cousins, I for myself. I was wearing a raspberry pink sweater from my school, as well as some jeans. Underneath was a hot pink athletic bra. No shoes on my feet, since I planned on eating on the balcony where Sapphire’’s book waited. Aunt Myriam was definitely Latina. Izzy looked a lot like her, but Aunt Myriam was a few inches taller. She was wearing a water blue long sleeved shirt, and brown pants. Some black heels were on her feet, adding an inch to her height. She was making oven baked pizzas. My meal was just a simple bag of popcorn. “So, how are you doing Morgan?” Aunt Myriam said, with a Spanish accent. “Good.” “Oh good! And how is school going?” “Slowly.” I admitted. Aunt Myriam laughed. “Oh. I know, but it goes so fast. What year are you in?” “Sophomore.” I shrugged, waiting for the microwave to finish. “What classes are you taking?” “English, Chemistry, Geometry, and Spanish Level One.” I explained. “Oh? Cómo se llega a lo largo?” I blinked. “Bien? I’m only on level one.” But, I can do some good Afrikaans and Japanese. It helps when a couple of my backstories involve my being raised in places where those languages are accessible.’ I know what you’re thinking, ‘why didn’t I just take Japanese or Afrikaans?’ because I like the challenge. “No es ningún problema. I’m sure you can do it.” “Dankie.” I said. “I mean...thanks.” Aunt Myriam laughed. The microwave beeped, telling me it was done. I pulled the food out, running out towards the balcony. I needed some quiet to properly study this book. Sapphire mentions in chapter seven a lot of gems used for other magical reason. Fire Rubies were known to help create fires when smashed, and give off the illusion of fire when a light is shown thru. There was these things called shroud emeralds, which could hide the pony from the eyes of others unless they got covered in dirt. Iron Diamonds could cut through anything. I bet I could use some of those shroud emeralds. Making a note to send Killjoy to...Mountain Range near Appleloosa. She’ll like the excuse to see Little Strongheart. “Whatcha reading?” ‘Fok, help my Storie.’ I swore mentally in Afrikaans. “A book.” I muttered, turning a page. “Why?” “For science.” I muttered, trying to focus on the book. “Oh! It’s a school thing?” “No.” “Then...extra credit?” “No. I’m doing research.” I said in a clipped tone towards Aunt Melanie. My aunt smiled at me, though I could tell it was fake. She rubbed at her arms, shivering as a breeze came by. “Don’t ya wanna come inside? It’s nice and warm in there.” Her words were smothered in so much southern twang even Applejack would hate it. “Cold doesn’t bother me.” I shrugged. Aunt Melanie grimaced. “Well, all yer cousins are havin’ dinner inside.” “That’s why I’m eating outside.” I answered. I turned the page in the book. Now I was in Chapter Eight: Security Crystals. “...yer eatin’ popcorn fer dinner?” Aunt Melanie questioned. “Yes.” I answered, not looking up at her. Aunt Melanie shivered. “Ah’ll go back inside.” ‘Good riddance.’ I sighed. That was when o learned o was reading the same page over and over again. Just a few more days, and then I can go home. I can go to Equestria. Now...what are these security crystals? Two Days Later: Thanksgiving The meal was finished. The dishes were put away, the leftovers stored, and the family chatted away. I was ready to sleep, to be honest. I had a traditional meal, with turkey, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a fuck load of Southern Style Sweet Tea (tea flavored sugar). I had so much to eat, that I was barely aware that I had been driven back to Uncle Scotty and Aunt Myriam’s house. Before I fell asleep on their couch, I tried to get a little more research done. These security crystals were really interesting. They were a source of protection in the Royal Canterlot Dungeons. They were mostly used to keep an eye on prisoners, sending a live magical video of the prison to other security crystals where the Royal Guard would watch. They were the pony version of security cameras. Like I said, interesting stuff. So, it came as a surprise when I woke up to find Sapphire’s book gone. “Where’s my book?” I asked my aunt, panicking. Mom and Aunt Myriam looked up at me. “What?” “My book. The one I’ve been reading for the past four days?” I asked, looking around the living room. “Where did you leave it?” Aunt Myriam asked. “I was sleeping with it.” I said, internally panicking. “It’s kinda old looking, with a dark brown shoulder? The pages are yellow with age?” Recognition shined in my aunt’s eyes. “I saw Joey with a book like that.” My eyes widened in terror. The six year old had the book?! I dashed off in the direction of young Joey’s room, ignoring the yells from my mother and Aunt Myriam to stop. When I reached the door, a horrid sound reached my ears. *rip* My head snapped towards the girls’ room. The tearing had come from inside. I practically broke the door open. Inside of their room, they four of them were all looking over the book. Or, better yet, what was left of the book. Each of my young cousins held some part of the book. Izzy held the from cover, Sarah held crumbled up pages, Aurora held the end of the book, and Joey was...holding some torn out pages. My eyes scanned the floor beneath them. Multiple crayons were strewn about, as well as markers and glitter glue. Taking another look at the pages in their hands, it was fair to say one of them thought I had a coloring book. *rip* “Joey!” Izzy warned her little brother, who was stil tearing out pages. “My book!” He argued, ripping out more pages. Twilight is going to kill me. I fainted, my head hitting the floor so hard I probably would be unconscious anyway. Blinking, I tried to focus on where I was. I was lying on the couch in their living room. An old blanket was draped over me. Behind my head was something really cold, and a pillow. I could hear the voice on my aunt off in the next room, along with the muttering a of my cousins. Reaching back, I grabbed onto the apartment ice bag. Pushing it deeper onto my head, wincing from the irritation it caused a large new bump on my head. Getting up off the couch, I wobbled over towards the next room. Then, I remembered why I fainted in the first place. “...and why did you color over it?” “I thought it was a colorin’ book.” Joey muttered, ruffling his hair with his hand. “And Sarah? Aurora? Izzy? What were you thinking?” Aunt Myriam asked. The three girls had their heads lowered. “We saw Joey drawing in it.” Sarah started. “We thought it was another coloring book.” “Then I remembered I saw Morgan reading it yesterday.” Izzy added. “We tried telling Jo-Je to stop, but he wasn’t-wouldn’t listen.” “And why didn’t you come get me or Tia Sara?” Aunt Myriam asked. It was Aurora who answered. “We didn’t wanna get in trouble.” “How bad is it?” I asked. The five practically jumped. They turned to see me, all looking surprised. “Morgan!” Aunt Myriam said. “Are you okay? Are you alright?” I nodded, pushing the ice pack on my head. I had to see how severe my murder by Twilight Sparkle, the Protege of Princess Celestia, would be. “How bad is it?” I asked again. “We’re so-” Izzy began. “How. Bad. Is. It?” I interrupted. Aunt Myriam sighed, guiding me over towards their dining room table. Mom sat in one of the chairs, a lost look on her face. In front of her...was the remains of Sapphire Quarry’s research journal. It is going to be painful. So very very very very very painful. I like-actually I love- to make jokes about murder. Being murdered, murdering, and the like. Usually it was focused at one red pegasus. Until today, I haven’t really thought over being horribly mangled by a unicorn who would take down Discord, Chrysalis of the Changelings, an Ursa Minor, taken Cerberus of Tartarus for a walk, faced King Sombra’s Fear Door, and so much more that hasn't been seen yet. "It looks worse than it is. I'm sure we can buy you another one just like it when we get home." Mom said. “It was a handwritten novel about the scientific study of minerals, and gemstones within the region, also explaining lore behind each gemstone in existence. Even some of the stones that are just legends. Each chapter was filled with each stone, as well it’s material composition and internal structure.” I explained, my body feeling numb. “There are probably only a handful in existence. Do you have any idea what the librarian is gonna do to me when she finds out I ruined her book? She already has problems trusting me, and ruining the book isn’t going to help!” There was silence. I groaned, grabbing remains of the book. I hadn’t even finished my research! “I’m gonna...just...head outside. Clear my head.” I walked out the backdoor, immediately heading for the chair swing. “I can fix this.” I muttered. “I can totally do this. I’m Morgan Spencer. I can fix a silly book.” I was getting hysterical, but didn’t know how to stop. “I fixed a planet’s internal structure while it was about to self-destruct. I fixed Retroville when Jimmy shrunk everyone and we were captured by the Egg Aliens. I can fix a journal written by an earth pony from hundreds of years ago. It’ll be a piece of cake.” I gripped my arms tightly, feeling myself start to panic. “There’s a spell somewhere that I can use. Maybe I can write one that will turn back time in a sort of way that will fix the book. But, what if time goes forward and it falls apart on it’s own? Ugh.” My body fell into the chair, making it rock like crazy for a moment. I was still panicking. “What’s Twilight gonna do to me when she sees this? I already have a bad connection with her because of the whole incident with Philomena. Maybe I could ask Luna for a favor? Keep me from being roasted by Twilight’s rage? No. No. Not even Spike can do that. Fluttershy? “No! No! What am I thinking? Twilight wouldn’t hurt me. She’s too scared of getting banished. I can probably just explain that it wasn’t my fault. It was those kids. Those damn kids.” My sanity was slipping. “I wouldn’t be in this mess if Joey hadn’t been messing with my book I wouldn’t be in trouble. If Izzy or Sarah or Aurora were watching him then I wouldn’t be like this! No...it’s my fault. If I were watching it more closely I could’ve stopped Joey from finding it. If I had finally put that lock on my stuff he couldn’t get inside it. I can’t fix this. I can’t. “No. Wait. I’m Morgan Spencer. I can fix a book. I can totally fix a book. I can make it work. I can make it work. I will make it work.” “Morgan?” “Gah!” I yelped fumbling about in the chair swing until I noticed Mom standing behind me. “Mom, don’t sneak up on me like that!” The teacher gave me a cautionary look. “Morgan...I know you don’t have the best relationship with your cousins-” “I’m not angry at them.” I groaned, rubbing my forehead where Thomas was. Crap, now Darcy’s got me doing it! “You sure?” “Yes. I’m not mad at any of them. Joey is just a kid and doesn’t know better. Those girls were just trying to help.” I sighed. Losing my sanity really did help me think, as crazy as it sounds. “I just need a little time to...find a place to get the book fixed.” I lied. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was a library book. I know how much you liked that book. I should’ve been more careful where I put it.” “No, I should’ve been more-” My eyes widened. “Wait...what did you say?” Mom gulped. “You were asleep and clutching that book. It didn’t look comfortable, so I brought it to the girls’ room. I put it with the other coloring books and Joey got confused.” “You...” I muttered. “You’re the reason Joey...” I made a choking sound as I remembered the state of the book. “...tore apart the book?” “Morgan, I am so sorry.” Mom apologized. “I should’ve put it someplace higher where he couldn’t reach it.” “Yes. You should’ve!” I snapped, immediately regretting it. “Why did you take it away? I had slept with a book in my arms before. At school! What made this one so different? It wasn’t even the largest book I slept holding!” Mom shrunk away, in guilt. A horrible thought entered my mind. “No.” I tried to reject. “Mom...did you...did you put the book there on purpose?” “Morgan I-.” “Did you put it there just so Joey would rip it apart? Why would you do that?” My eyes widened. I got up from my chair. “Because...because you wanted me to play with my cousins?” Mom hesitantly nodded. “I didn’t know he was going to use it. I thought one of your cousins would and accidently drawn in it and try to cut out the pictures. It had some black and white drawings inside, so I thought it would make sense. You were just so lonely, I didn’t want you to spend Thanksgiving without spending time with your cousins! Your family!” My jaw dropped. My mom had done a lot of things to try and get me to socialize; dropping my off at sleepovers, putting me in classes where I would have to work with others, put my desk around the friendliest people in school, sending me to parties I didn’t like. This felt like she betrayed every branch of trust I had with her. The worst part? Now my peaceful spot was tainted. “I’m gonna sleep at the hotel tonight.” I decided, trying to walk inside. “Morgan, I’m sorry-” “Mom.” I cut her off. “I need a little time to process this.” I walked inside, going for my iPhone. I needed to call someone to come pick me up. “Yes, Morgan?” Grandma Oakley said once she answered. “Grandma...can I sleep at the hotel tonight?” “Oh of course honey! I’ll be there in thirty minutes to pick you up!” It was morning...and I was still wide awake. I couldn’t sleep last night, I was too busy trying to fix the Remains of Sapphire Quarry’s journal. I had tried some reversal spells, but they were duds. I tried erasing spells, but they just got rid of the crayon markings. My body begged for sleep, practicing spells without my actual magic connection made it difficult. It was a kind of lesson: Never Use Unicorn Magic Without My Horn. I might have to go to Equestria to fully get the book fixed. ‘The problem could be that I don’t have enough magic. It could be watered down by this world’s lack of magic.’ My stomach rumbled. ‘Or I’m too weak from the near concussion of last night, the betrayal from Mom and cousins, and no sleep for almost fourteen hours.’ I stepped out of the small bedroom, seeing the concerned face of my Grandma as she sat at the dining room table. Grandma looked up at me. “Good morning, Morgan. How did you sleep?” “I didn’t.” I said, in a monotone voice. My legs carried me to the kitchen, and I made myself a bowl of oatmeal. “That’s not healthy.” Grandma commented. ‘Well, Mom completely rebooting this form’s trust issues isn’t healthy either.’ I thought. “I do it all the time.” “That’s really not healthy.” Grumpy said from the living room, where a football game was playing. I sighed, waiting for the pot kettle to tell me the water was running. It was awkwardly silent for a minute. “Hey, so, your cousins are going to see that new movie, Wreck-it Ralph later this afternoon. Do you wanna see that movie?” “I’ll pass.” I said. drumming my fingers on the countertop. “Morgan Spencer turning down movie theatre popcorn?” Grumpy chuckled. “What’s wrong with you today? “Mom crushed my trust.” Was all I said. A pause. “How did she do that?” I was silent. “Do you maybe, just want to go to the shopping center? I heard they have this great new store for teenagers.” The kettle whistled. I finished making my breakfast and sat down at the table. I was able to eat in total silence, minus Grumpy’s football game. Or maybe he was watching the morning news? Didn’t matter, because for one minute, I was peaceful. For a minute, I didn’t think about my mom betraying me. For a minute, I didn’t think about how Twilight was gonna murder me. For a minute, it was just me and my breakfast. Then, my phone rang. So what we get drunk, so what we smoke weed. We’re just havin’ fun, we don’t care who sees. “Eep!” I picked up my phone, running off towards the balcony. Didn’t I turn the ringer off and change the ringtone?! What the fucking fuck? “How did you change the ringtone back?” “Hey...remember that thing you said not to do while you were gone? Or, at least, not to do it without you?” Darcy asked. Whelp, there goes my calm. “Yes.” In the distance, I could hear fire truck sirens. “I may have started a fire.” Laughing, I shook my head. “You just can’t let me have peace of mind, can you?” “Hahaha! Peace of mind is for suckers. I prefer the Anderson lifestyle!” There was a sound of a crash. “Are you still inside the building?!” “...maybe.” I laughed, shaking my head. “Darcy Elizabeth Anderson, you are going to get yourself killed leading that lifestyle.” *crash* “Good point. I’ll call you when I get out.” Darcy said. “Stay pure.” “I can’t. I’ve been around you.” I joked While my human life might not be that great, I can always count on Darcy to liven things up.