//------------------------------// // Donimo // Story: 7DSJ: Treasure // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “This is a love story.” If I remember correctly from one of Spike’s comics – Superman’s narration, specifically – that’s what it’s says. And it’s so very true. “This is a love story. Not a love story in the sense of a man and a woman. But more about a family who grows to love each other. They don’t tell stories like these anymore.” I don’t know who wrote that dialogue…but he’s right: here in America…or even back in Equestria…they don’t tell stories like these anymore. But I’m glad there’s one story left… …and it’s mine. There are things on this world that I’ll never get used to. Like looking at the moon, situated in the afternoon sky, and not having to freak about all the Nightmare Night tales that were nothing but myth on my homeworld. Sure, I’m guessing there was once a warlord named Nightmare Moon that tried to challenge Celestia for the throne, but…no matter how powerful a mage you are, you can’t beat the mare who moves the fucking sun and moon around the world. So, obviously all the legends about her being an all-powerful monster that Celestia sentenced to the moon is nothing more than heavily-embellished myth, pure, plain and simple. Furthermore, I asked her about it once; she told me she wasn’t even going to justify the question with an answer, which to me says that it’s nothing more than a historical incident that got turned into a macabre holiday, just like Halloween is here in the US, or, for a better parallel, how the Gunpowder Plot over in Britain that turned into Bonfire Night, with all those people wearing Anonymous masks – and this was before the hacker group took the man’s name as their own. Yes, I read up on that. It’s interesting the things you find out when you’re no longer reading things like The Book of Five Rings or The Anarchist Cookbook. Besides, I pride myself on being familiar with esoteric things, and here in the US, something like the history of Bonfire Night tends to be a little off the beaten path. But I’m digressing. Back to the moon and its melodies. Like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the moon hanging in the sky like that, or the fact that winter’s caused by the shifting of the planet on its axis and air pressure patterns, rather than the fact that the Princess doesn’t want to bake the planet year round, as she does with her sun and Equus. As it is, I’m still getting used to the fact that Earth circles Sol – wonder how the name came about, yet everyone still calls it “the sun”; I’m not sure Equus’ sun has a proper name – rather than the other way around, as I’ve been used to for nearly all of my life. But there are some advantages to living like this, I suppose. Seeing Earth’s moon, with its unusual markings – some cultures think it’s the face of a man, and some a rabbit with a pestle and mortar – reminds me of how much my life has changed. I used to think of this place as the bolthole from where I would plan my invasion of Equestria. Then, once Princess Twilight defeated me, then it became a hell of my own making, complete with nightmares and stupid things I did. Now? It’s home. And there’s a big reason why. “Sunny?” I hear a bright, chipper voice behind me and it fills my heart with warmth. Twilight Sparkle. Not the alicorn that defeated me, but her counterpart. My sister. I’m not sure when I started thinking of the family I live with as mine, but they did long before I even came to that realization. I’ve been living with them just a hair over two months now and they treat me as one of their own, not simply as a foster child that they took in out of charity. I’m…loved. And I don’t mean the same way that my friends care about me, or that stereotypical “true love” garbage that, somewhere in the deepest parts of my soul, I hoped Flash felt about me. No, with my family I’m loved in the same way that I’d once hoped that Celestia felt about me, that my parents might have felt about me if I’d stayed with them. Of course that last part’s probably a fallacy; I have no idea who or what my parents were. “Sunny?” I turn this time to look at Twilight – Twily, that is. She prefers that and besides, it helps me to disambiguate her from the alicorn princess. Not that a human is generally hard to tell from a pony, but the mind works in funny ways. I rub the back of my head, searching for an excuse. “Sorry, I kinda spaced out there,” I tell her; it’s not exactly wrong. “Just…not used to seeing the moon in the sky like that.” “Really?” she asks me. “That’s perfectly normal this time of year, I guess; I’ve never really given much thought to it.” “Just not used to it,” I repeat as she hands me something. “Yeah, I guess,” she says in that way that indicates she knows there’s a story, but she’ll wait for the day that I’ll tell it. Twily, you’ll probably be waiting a long time for me to tell that one. “Oh, here’s the caramel apple cider you wanted. Sorry I took so long; they had a line at the coffee shop.” She favors me with a smile and it lightens up my day. Is this how family’s supposed to feel? Is this what I’ve been missing my entire life? “You okay?” Twily asks me as I take a drink from the cup. “You seem a little out of it.” “Just…adjusting to the holidays. It’s unusual for me to spend any time with anyone.” I see the sad look in her eyes and it breaks my heart in more than one way. For starters, I hate seeing that look on her face; it makes me want to do whatever it takes to make sure it goes away. Second, it’s the truth. This is the first real Christmas and New Year I’ve had. The previous couple of years, I spent doing stupid shit I now regret, and the year of my arrival, I was studying as much as I could in order to get used to the strange new world filled with monkey people and the fact that I would be here, mostly sealed away from my magic abilities save for what I could scrimp and scrape from the moon’s aura. “Well, I still have to buy a few more presents, so we’re not quite done with the shopping just yet,” she says, reaching down and taking my free hand. “C’mon, that looks like a nice place to get some stuff!” I see the sign on the building she’s pointing at, a structure that looks like a medieval-style home, or something in one of the villages that dot Equestria. I also notice the sign on the wall: PRECIOUS MEMORY’S MUSIC BOX AND MORE EMPORIUM. Well, I still have to get Mom…I mean, Mrs. Velvet…a gift. Maybe I can think of something there. I tighten my right hand around the mouse and aim carefully. If I miss, we all die. But if I hit…. My arrow flies from my bow, a dart of illuminated red, powered by magic, cutting through to hit the creature in the chest. At the same time, three others, two carrying jian swords and the last a fighting monk throwing a perfectly-timed punch, make their strikes perfectly. The last of the group of bandits blocking the path to the footbridge fall, leaving us a clear path to the village. I look down at the chat window and see Twily’s response. As usual, even though we’re all wearing headphones, she still likes typing her responses instead. “Twily,” I remind her, “It’s okay to talk, you know. In fact, it’s preferable when you’re in a combat situation.” On screen, her avatar stands there, green hair tied in a bun and popping healing potions. “Yeah, too bad Fluttershy couldn’t play tonight. We could use the healing spells,” Rainbow says over the teamtalk channel. I don’t disagree; when we first started to play this MMO, Fluttershy tried to play a monk, just like Applejack. Of course, her proclivity to not wanting to hurt things made it hard for her to play, and in a game where there was no dedicated healer class, it was going to be difficult for her. However, thankfully two weeks ago they opened up the Scholar class, which was essentially a mage class – something else missing from the game prior – and made it easier for her to play, especially with the weak but available group heal spell. “Ah heard she’s on a date with her new guy,” Applejack replies. Fluttershy, dating? I didn’t know that; her crush with her boss, yeah, but apparently this is an entirely new thing. Then again, given that I was getting into the positive aspects of my friends’ lives only as of recent, maybe it’s for the best that I didn’t know about that. “Well, I gotta get ready for dinner and tomorrow’s shit,” Rainbow adds. “It’s a long story, but I promise I’ll tell you guys later.” “Yeah, Ah gotta go as well,” Applejack chimed in as well. “Gotta take mah ma somewhere t’night.” “Yeah, let’s call it a night, then. Twily, I’ll head over to your room.” She, of course, types her answer. I log off the server, then put my laptop into hibernate, take off the headphones, and walk over to my sister’s room. She rushes past me, blurting a “Sorry!” before rushing into the bathroom. I try not to giggle at my sister’s antics, but it’s hard. Really hard. “Sunny? Have you seen Twily?” I turn my head to see my foster father standing there. To be honest, it’s been a long time since I used the foster in my mind. To me, he’s just “Dad”, even if I can’t call him that. I think he knows that, too, but as Mo—Mrs. V. told me, there are rules we have to follow, and even she can’t break them. “She just went into the bathroom,” I informed him. “Okay. When she gets out, I need both of you two downstairs,” he said. “Family meeting.” For a family like ours, family meetings tend to happen a lot. It’s probably why my family’s so hyper-organized. Of course, that wasn’t how I reacted the first time I heard the term. It was for a meeting the second night back from the hospital after I got stabbed, and that night I had a fuck ton of nightmares about how they were going to just declare me a loss and toss me out. It didn’t help that week Twily was having her period and so preferred to sleep by herself, so I got lonely being in bed by myself. Yeah, twenty-nine-year-old mare/sixteen-year-old girl was uncomfortable sleeping by herself after spending four years alone in a near-condemned warehouse. It’s a wonder I don’t just go out and buy a night light sometime. “Night Light.” Yeah, don’t know if I should be making jokes about Dad’s name, or singing the lyrics to “Birdhouse in Your Soul.” Yeah, Dad’s a They Might Be Giants fan. I love the guy, but…seriously, Dad’s taste in music is weird. “Sure, I’ll let her know,” I tell him with a smile, while he heads over to Spike’s room to tell him – and I don’t envy Dad that one bit. I know he’s just a kid, but the given the family he’s growing up in, he’s well above his peers, and so that makes him even more of an annoying little snot. Plus…I have to admit that some of it’s probably my fault as well. I’m still trying to figure out all those interactions that humans are born with or learn from a lifetime of being together, and sometimes, well…I fuck up. Still doesn’t mean I forgive Spike for walking in on me while I was showering two weeks ago because he was too lazy to use another bathroom. Really not happy about that one. Besides, like I said, he’s just a kid; with a little luck, he’ll convert from snot-nosed brat to over-hormoned teen in a few more years. Twily picks that moment to step out of the bathroom and I tell her exactly what’s going on. She looks at me with a resigned face; apparently she knows more than I do. “Want to update me?” “Oh, it’s nothing bad, Sunny, you know that.” Yeah, I’ve long since learned that if I really screwed up, either of the ‘rents would’ve talked to me separately by now. Like when I was grounded the week after the stabbing, because I wasn’t supposed to go over there. I get that. Even still, I sometimes get the feeling that this is all a dream and that it’s going to go away and I’ll be back in that warehouse…. No, Sunny. Get a grip. Or, to quote Rainbow’s favorite quote for the moment, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.” I swear, she can’t pass a test to save her life, but she can memorize more memes than the combined brainpower of the population of Know Your Meme. Twily and I walk downstairs, followed with Spike and Dad behind us. Mom’s already sitting on the couch, apparently focused on the tablet in her hand, but I already know her far better than that. She’s listening – and I mean listening: she’s probably been focused on the brief snippets of convo that Twily and I had, Dad and I had, as well as other things related to the situation, such as breathing and such. As we’re almost completely down the steps, she puts down the tablet and looks at us with a smile, and that smile, just like Twily’s or Tavi’s, warms my heart. Mom was the one to really reach out to me the first day, when I was frightened and defensive, just like a caged animal…which I probably was little better than. I think it’s more than fair to say that if it was my friends that turned me from a monster into a girl, it was Mom that turned me from a girl into a daughter. I love her, simple as that – I love all of them, my family. I would do anything for them, without hesitation. Even Spike. As Twily and I plop on the love seat, Dad sits down next to Mom on the couch and Spike hops onto the recliner. Once that happens, Mom looks at all of us and says, “Well, kids, here’s the thing: the family has an invitation for a dinner party and ball on the 2nd of January. It’s a state function for various city and county social service programs. Since it’s on the Second, it’ll be after the party you two, Tavi and your friends will be attending. Also, since it’s on a Sunday, we don’t expect to be out long, and since your aunt and uncle will be travelling again as of tomorrow, Tavi will be staying with us. “What I want to know is if you two would like to attend; I already called Tavi and she said she’d be willing to go if you were. Spike, since you’re a little too young for this and I assume you’d rather be anywhere else in any case, you’re going to spend the night with your brother and Cady, unless one of the girls decides to stay home. But again, that’s up to them.” I think about that for a second: a party held by the state in honor of the various county and city social service programs…like the one that has me here with my family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the idea at all; even if I didn’t like it – and for the record, I do – as a “recipient” of social welfare, I’d be a hypocrite to complain. Plus, if this gets Mom a higher profile, I’d do it just to make her look good. But that’s my worry: not that she’s doing it to look good – Mom’s not that kind of person – but rather, their concerns that I might see it that way. I mean, family or not, we’ve only been together a shade over two months. “So….” I begin. Dad sees that look on my face. “Sunny, even though this is a state function, this isn’t just so Velvet can parade you around. You’re much too important to us to use you like that.” I give him a smile. “I know, and I appreciate that. Plus, that was never on my mind. If anything, it was the opposite.” At that, I see Mom relax; she’s always been fiercely protective of me, and I guarantee that if I even hinted that I was worried, she would’ve pulled the plug on it immediately. Not as in not insisting that I go, but more like refusing to have anyone in the family attend, even if it meant her job. She’s just principled like that. Makes me proud to be her daughter. Makes me wish I were her real daughter. Meanwhile, Twily looks at me. “Well, if we can get Rarity to make us dresses in time….” I give my sister an askance look. She should know that when prompted, Rarity can whip up incredible garments, complete and total works of art in practically hours. Plus, she’s made a lot of them for people, even when underpriced or for people who couldn’t afford them at all – like Princess Twilight, for example, as there’s no exchange rate for bits. That being said, I would insist on paying Rarity, regardless. I’m not the kind of mare that would steal anymore. Wait, did I just refer to myself as a mare? I mean, yeah, technically that’s what I am, but…nowadays, it feels wrong. I feel more like the teenage human girl I am than the almost-thirty mare that I should be. Maybe it’s just the human hormones in me currently, or maybe the result of having lived here on Earth for almost five years now. Or maybe…it’s because I have a family. Because I have a sister, brothers, and parents, whether official or not. “C’mon, Twily, you know that Rarity can hook us up. I’ll give her a call afterwards.” I then turn to Mom and said, “I think we’re in.” “Good,” she says with a smile. “That’s what I was hoping for. Well, that’s all this was for. Spike, time for you to go to bed. And girls? Nothing too revealing, okay? No little black dresses or anything; think ‘prom’ or ‘homecoming dance formal’ and you’ll get what I mean.” I wince involuntarily, and I suddenly feel Twily’s hand on mine. I confessed to her my fears just the other day and how much I was afraid that I would do to them what I once did to the people I now call my friends; Twily had the courage to tell me otherwise and to let me know I was family. Twily has been there almost since day one – and only missed that first day because she was on travel. And she has cared about me since the day we met. She has called me her sister since the day she first learned of the homeless runaway her brother almost arrested. To her – a monster like I was, an alien to this world, like I am…have someone who cares about me. Truly cares about me. I’ve gotta be the luckiest mare in the world. Actually, I probably am. “Quit squirming, Sunset, darling,” Rarity tells me as she takes my measurements. She’s fussing over me, and I can see that she’s already making me, Twily and Tavi matching dresses. Since I’m the one who has the most extreme measurements out of the three of us – Twily and Tavi have almost the exact same measurements, save that Tavi’s got a thinner waist, and Twily the slightly larger bust. On the other hand, I have a much larger bust, larger waist – but not that much larger, thankyouverymuch – and I’m taller, though not by much in that department, either. “Sorry, Rares,” I tell my friend. Out of all of our friends, she’s probably the one I’m closest to. She’s the first one that I showed what I really look like, and she’s the one that I naturally get along with the most. That’s not to say that I don’t get along with the others; they are my friends after all, but you always have your friends you’re closest to, I guess – not that I would really know until now. “You know me, always in motion.” “Oh, hush,” she responds tartly, though I see an impish gleam in her eyes. “I would expect that sort of response from Rainbow, not from you. Didn’t you say that unicorns are the soul of grace in Equestria?” “Unicorns are the soul of grace in Equestria?” I hear Tavi repeat, and my blood freezes. I didn’t think that Rarity spoke that aloud, and from the brief glance she gave me, she hadn’t either. I know she’s going to regret having said that, and we’re going to have to be a lot more careful from now on. “Oh, just thinking about a bit of poetry I’d read as of late,” Rarity says in a breezy tone, throwing up her hands and acting as though it was of no issue. “I…think I’ve read that poem. Translation from French, but isn’t the line ‘But a unicorn’s soul be an equestrian’s grace’?” Twily replies. Yeah, she would happen to find the only link between our statement and reality. I had a theory once that there are similarities between the realities that I’ve lived in, and given two Twilights, two Celestias and the fact that I have – or had – a counterpart here on Earth, it stands to reason there are others. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was. “Perhaps; it’s been a while since I’ve read it and my French wasn’t as good as it is now,” Rarity replies without so much as skipping a beat. Her penchant for drama really comes in handy at times, I have to admit. I just wish I’d noticed them a lot sooner. We could’ve been friends then. But then again, if I’d been able to notice any of that sooner…I probably wouldn’t have left Equestria. I wouldn’t have met the people I care about, met the people I love. And I would’ve remained as the faithful student of Princess Celestia. A student, a mentee, a protégé, an apprentice – never a daughter. As Twily steps up to be measured, Tavi looks at me. “Something bothering you?” “Yeah. I take it that Twily told you about our little talk from the day before you got back?” She nods but says, “You really don’t have to worry about that. I’ve known you long enough to see you as a good friend and a cousin, of sorts. Whatever sort of person you were in the past is that – the past. If Aunt Velvet believes that you belong with the family, it’s not for me to say – and frankly, I agree with her.” She pats me on the shoulder and smiles. “Plus, Twily’s come out of her shell a little since you joined us, and that makes me smile. We’ll probably go to separate colleges, and I’m not going to be there for her forever. The fact that you’ve introduced us to your friends and come into our lives helps more than a lot for getting her out more.” “Hey, Sunny? Tavi? What do you think?” Twily asks, getting our attention. We look up to see her standing there with two rolls of silk, held in front of her. “What do you guys think: dark purple—” “Actually, Twilight, dear, that’s eminence,” Rarity replies. “Dark purple makes the shade of your hair a little too bright.” “And what’s the other choice?” I ask. “It’s artist’s purple. It’s a similar shade to red-violet, but not precise, as the other color would make her skin look too sallow.” “I’d say go with that. It looks like it would match the amber of my dress.” I then look at Tavi and add, “Better find something that doesn’t clash with ours.” Behind me, I can hear both Twily and Rarity giggling. Tavi then looks at me and sighs. “Fine, fine. I guess I’m up next?” My family’s asleep. It’s the last night for a long time that I have the opportunity to do this, but this is my choice. Sneaking out of the house, I walk down to the small copse of trees at the end of the block. At one time this used to be part of the Everfree, but even though San Palomino has expanded well into what used to be the forest, the neighborhood kept these trees for some reason. I guess I shouldn’t complain; it does make the neighborhood look good and probably brings up the property values or whatever. Far enough into the glade and pausing to make sure that there’s no homeless people or animals around, I cast my spell. It generates enough light that I would’ve easily woken up Twily or Tavi, which is why I’m out here freezing my ass off at three in the morning. Thankfully I don’t have to go to school tomorrow, or I’d be toast. Anyway, I have to do this. The last divination spell I ever intend to cast. The last glimpse I ever intend to see of Equestria. Okay, that sounds melodramatic, but I’ve come to two conclusions. The first is that I want nothing to do with Equestria any longer. It’s nothing but pain for me, and I have a death warrant hanging over my head. I’m more than lucky that Princess Twilight didn’t drag me back in chains, and if she left me here to learn a lesson, I’ve learned it in spades. The other conclusion is that…I have no reason to go back any longer. I have friends and family, everything that I should’ve had in that other world, and didn’t. That’s not Celestia’s fault – it’s mine. That was everything that I should’ve paid attention to, and I didn’t. All I wanted was power, to please her and prove that I was worthy of her, and when that didn’t happen, well, I went apeshit. Maybe Earth was meant to be my prison…but now this is my home. I guess that makes me like an Australian or something. The disc of blue before me grows larger and larger until it forms a circular mirror floating in the air. “Show me my parents,” I tell the spell. Of course, that doesn’t happen, because I don’t know who my biological parents are…and at this point, those who I consider my parents are asleep in the house a quarter-mile behind me. This kind of divination spell doesn’t show what goes on in this world, and I’d probably better get a move on before I become exhausted. “Show me Celestia.” The mirror shimmers, and I see her lying in her room. I’m taking a very big chance by doing this. I was able to find out all I could about Princess Twilight by doing this; whatever magic skills she has, counteracting subterfuge spells isn’t one of them. But Celestia taught them to me. Celestia taught me to be prepared for them. So I know she’ll see this. If I’m lucky, she’ll think this is just another one of those “spy on the princess” spells every teenage unicorn tends to use. If not, I’m doomed. Sure enough, she sees it; I see the flicker in the corner of her eyes. Others wouldn’t notice that sort of thing, but I lived with her long enough to learn her nuances, and besides, I’ve seen that look in person whenever somepony was using that sort of spell on her. The spell fuzzes for a second, and when it’s back, I’m staring at the Equestrian sky, except for magical words written in the air – NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY! YOU SHOULDN’T DO THINGS LIKE THAT – PRINCESS CELESTIA. I exhale in relief; she thought it was the former than the latter. One last thing to do before I go home. “Show me Twilight Sparkle,” I command the spell, and it shifts, apparently to another part of the castle, if the marble’s any indication. Sure enough, it’s the castle’s Ivory Tower, the library that I once lived in and I guess Twilight does now – I wonder if the slang meaning for “ivory tower” exists in Equestria as well. Either way, she’s reading a large book, which is typical for her, I suppose. At last the spell’s going to run out for me, and I need to dissipate it. Seeing here there reminds me of what I have at home. And with that, I rush back home. Maybe I can get back in time to get some sleep. Uggh, I feel like shit. “Sunny!” I can hear Twily call out. “Are you going to get up? You gotta go to work in an hour, right? Don’t worry about the dresses; Tavi and I’ll go by Rarity’s house this afternoon to pick them up.” She opens the door to my bedroom but then says, “Oh, and don’t forget about the dance tonight!” “Okay,” I utter in something that approaches either Equish or English, take your pick. Why the hell did I stay up so damn late? I’m going to be dead by midnight. “Wow, they really decorated the place!” Twily’s right – I almost don’t recognize this as the place where I performed my impromptu magic show just a few weeks ago. A second later, Applejack agrees. “Y’ got that right, sugarcube.” Meanwhile, I’m making an ass of myself and I’m not too worried about that. I’ve got my headphones on, listening to Jamiroquai’s “Return of the Space Cowboy” – unlike Dad, I think I prefer Mom’s music collection – and I know that dancing in public looks goofy, but it’s New Year’s Eve. Everyone’s supposed to look a little goofy now and then, right? I hand my jacket to Twilight, who looks like she’s trying not to laugh at my antics. Oh well, let’s up the ante. I turn and grab Tavi’s hand and start dancing with her. Ladies and gentlemen, I just broke Rainbow, if her falling to the ground, laughing her ass off is any indication. Tavi stops and pulls the earbuds out of my ears. “Hey, would you mind leaving the interplanetary good-vibe zone for a second?” I blush in embarrassment; Tavi was the one who told me about it and I didn’t listen at first. Shows me right for listening to nothing but hard rock; that’s an indicator that I gotta broaden my horizons musically. “Okay, okay, you were right – I like the song. Happy?” “Ecstatic. I told you some of Aunt Velvet’s CD collection is worth listening to if you just find the right gems.” Rarity looks at all of us and adds, “Well, darlings, shall we start mingling?” I look at Vinyl Scratch, who’s just setting up. Granted, I really don’t like her, and the feeling’s mutual, but I’m not going to miss this fun just because the DJ’s a bitch. “Hey, let’s wait until some more people show up, Rares,” Sunset said. “We don’t want to look like we’re the only girls in here besides the deejay.” Finally, about twenty minutes later the shindig starts and we start dancing. I’m having fun, and I don’t care. I’m with most of my friends – Pinkie doesn’t come back for a few more days – and family. I’m in my comfort zone and I’m perfectly happy with that. If you want to know the truth, I would happily trade all my years as solitary training under Celestia just to have learned this lesson much earlier. But if wishes were fishes, I’d have been an alicorn by now. And a really, really fucked up one, too. So maybe I should just be happy for what I have. Seeing my friends, my sister and my cousin here, I am. And I hope it stays that way. “Oh, great – what’s he doing here?” I hear Tavi mutter. Yeah, learn to open my big mouth…. “Something wrong, Tavi?” She nods. “Yeah, I thought I just saw that guy I told you I went on a date with. Mr. Grabbyhands?” “Hey, you’re with friends,” I remind her. “No way in hell is he touching you or starting anything.” “Yeah, I know…. Sorry, just…bad memories,” she tells me. From the look on her face, I know it’s gotta be bad. “Well, don’t worry; you’re safe with us,” I promise her, but as I look at her, I swear I see Flash out in the distance, and he’s talking to that boy Tavi gestured towards. I have no idea if that’s good, but I’m not going to let Flash screw this up for me. Well, as long as it doesn’t affect me, no skin off my teeth. Problem is, with my luck…. Sunny, just relax – how bad can it get? “Here we go!” Fluttershy shouts excitedly, and the rest of us cheer. We all shout in unison, “3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!” The ceiling erupts with a spray of confetti that almost makes me wonder if Pinkie’s hiding in the rafters, while Vinyl plays an electric guitar version of “The Promise of a New Year”, or as it’s known here on Earth, “Auld Lang Syne.” It’s a new year, and with it a promise of change. And for me, it will be. I am a human girl, and that’s what I want to be. A feel a peck on my cheek; I look out of the corner of my eye to see that it’s Twily. “Happy New Year, sis,” she said, a soft smile on her face. Ah, my sister. Anyone else would see that move as one hundred percent incestalicious, but my sister doesn’t think that way. And I’m not going to be the one to break that news to her. I throw my arm around her, then around Tavi. And before I know it, we’re all in a group hug. “Happy New Year, everyone,” I say, enjoying this group hug. If this is how the year’s going to be, it’s going to be a great one. The following day I’m treated to another ritual that pretty much indicates that this family is mine: everyone just lounges around the house the whole day in pajamas, and we watch the Rose Parade, and a bunch of other family friendly things – Spike is here, after all. Lying in front of the TV, Twily, Tavi and I are inhaling our second bucket of popcorn and watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s always amazed me that my adopted species has dreamed about going to space – but not only dreamed it, actually achieved it. Ponies…we look at the night sky with amazement, but have never really thought about heading out there into the stars. Maybe that’s the thing about having an omnipresent goddess-princess living in a castle that you can see from nearly every direction in Equestria: when you have that sort of being that can take care of virtually your every need, you don’t need to seek more. We have nearly no poverty, minor disease, and almost no war in Equestria. Can’t say the same about here. But at least here, we try. We don’t have Celestia or Faust before her, or the kings and generals during the Warring States Era to keep the peace – and they certainly didn’t during that last group of leaders. But we do it on our own here. I don’t know if the various gods and goddesses and spirits that humans believe in are real – I’m going to assume so, even though many beliefs contradict each other – but I know this much: they let humans handle things on this plane of reality. Right or wrong, they trust in humans to do their thing. Celestia has always said she has wanted that for ponydom, but her reign? Sometimes, I wonder. Eh, not my problem anymore. Only problem now? Getting more popcorn! Finally, the day of the ball comes. Dad really rocks a tux, I have to say, though this is the second time he’s worn one in as many weeks. Must’ve been a real busy season for academics and dinner parties, I guess. Mom? She looks stunning, a real knockout. If I were a guy, yeah, I could see why Dad married her – he’d have been a fool not to. Tavi, in her black dress, looks incredible, as does Twily. I don’t look half bad either, if I do say so myself. We check in our half-capes – only Rarity would think of half-capes to cover our bare shoulders instead of coats – along with Mom’s faux-mink coat and Dad’s longcoat and head over to the anteroom, where they’re serving light refreshments prior to dinner and the eventual ballroom dancing. An old man comes up to Mom, and she introduces him as Dr. Charitable Soul, her predecessor in her position. He already knows Dad, as the two chat breezily for a few minutes about minor stuff. Finally, he turns to look at us, and asks, “And who are these three beauties you’ve brought with you, if I may be so bold as to ask?” I hear Mom chuckle. “Well, the one to my closest left is my niece, Octavia Melody.” Tavi offers her hand and Dr. Soul, apparently a gentleman, kisses it. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Melody.” Mom continues. “The middle one is my younger daughter, Twilight Sparkle.” “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sparkle,” Dr. Soul says, repeating the same gesture for my sister. Wait, did Mom just say “younger daughter”? “And, last but not least, the one at the end is my older daughter, Sunset Shimmer.” I’m stunned and I can barely hear Dr. Soul’s greeting to me or his attention. I’m too out of it. And I’m barely recovering when I hear Twily whisper in my ear, “Well, shall we go get something to drink, big sis?” I nod, not daring to say anything further as I resist the urge to break into a smile that would make me look either like an axe-carrying maniac…or Pinkie. In any case, I think I’ve just reached the happiest moment of my life. Nothing can be better than this moment.