//------------------------------// // Family // Story: Aftermath of the Games // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// Twilight gripped Spike tightly in her lap as Cadance drove her home. Sunset was next to her in the backseat, having insisted on coming along to provide some moral support. Applejack was following in her truck, waiting to take Sunset back to her house. After that fateful incident where she had been defeated by the others, the Apple family had opened it's doors to her, thanks in no small part to Granny Smith being present at that dance as a chaperone. She had pressured her son and daughter-in-law into taking in one more child, letting her move from the abandoned apartment building she had squatted in into a real house. “Try to get some sleep,” Sunset said. “Tomorrow we can meet up at Sugarcube Corner and talk a little more. Who knows? If Princess Twilight gets my message, you might even meet her." Twilight tightened her grip on Spike at that. "M-meet her? But would she want to meet me? I..." Sunset placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "She will, and she'll love you. She isn't the Princess of Friendship for nothing." Twilight tried to imagine what this other Twilight was like. The girls spoke highly of her, and said she was always reliable to deal with a threat. Does that mean I could have ended up fighting her? If I made it to the other world. Seeing Twilight's expression sour again, Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen... I told you the guilt would be bad. So I'll give you a little piece of advice. Whenever it starts to get to you, you just have to repeat to yourself: My past is not today." Twilight blinked. "My past is not today?" Sunset nodded. "Even after the school forgave me, I kept dumping on myself for a long time. You need to forgive yourself, it's just as important as making things right with others, okay?" "Alright." Sunset hugged Twilight again. Just as they broke apart, Spike leap onto Sunset and gave her a few licks. "Ah! Spike," Sunset said through her giggles. "What's that for?" "For being nice to Twilight," the pup said happily. Sunset smiled and scratched behind his ears. The car came to a stop in the parking lot of an apartment, and Applejack's truck soon after it. As they climbed out, Sunset spoke. "You spend tonight with your family. Tomorrow we'll meet up again and talk. I really want to see what you know about magic." "You... I thought you hated that I was researching magic?" Sunset shook her head. "I hated that you were being so reckless. I'm researching magic too, but my research has hit a wall. Maybe you can help me. I need to figure this out." "I'd like that," Twilight said, her voice coming just barely above a whisper. "Good. I need to clean up the mess I made." Twilight looked at her. "I thought you said..." "I might have fixed my reputation, but magic is in this world because of me. I can't go home until I find a way to teach people how to harness it. With how much it's growing, we can't keep it secret forever." Twilight was silent for a moment, but nodded. "That makes sense." "Come on, Sunset," Applejack called. "It's a long way home, and I wanna get some sleep tonight." "Coming," she called. She gave Twilight one final hug. "I'll call you tomorrow morning." And with that, they were off. Twilight entered the apartment and was immediately swept up by her brother. "Twiley! I heard what happened! You weren't hurt, were you? Any bomb big enough to blow up a statue..." "I'm fine, Shiny. Just... shaken." That wasn't a lie, really. But breaking the truth about magic needed to be done with tact. Shining Armor released her little sister and bent down to scratch Spike's ear. "You've been protecting my baby sister?" he said playfully. With his free hand, he pulled a treat out of his pocket. "Been saving this for you, boy. Come on, speak!" "Sure thing. What do you want to talk about?" "That was mean," Twilight said. "It was funny," Spike said, munching on his treat. While Cadance tried to get her husband to come out of the bathroom with assurances that he wasn't going crazy, Twilight slipped into a sitting room that held what she wanted to see. At the far end was a heater made up to look like a fireplace, complete with a mantle. And resting on it were two clay urns, both of which were peeking out from behind a framed picture of two more people. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad." Twilight's voice was a whisper, but Spike heard it clear as day. He whimpered, knowing Twilight only did this when she was truly sad. "I... I can't imagine what you must be thinking right now. I really messed up, haven't I?" Spike whimpered again. He had never met Twilight’s parents. In fact, he had been a gift from Shining Armor and Cadance to help ease her grief, but he needed to try and talk Twilight out of this. “Twilight, remember what Sunset said.” “I know, but...” “Cadance still loves you, and I’m sure Shiny will after he’s finished questioning his sanity. Your parents would too.” Twilight sat in a large chair and hugged Spike tighter. The pup wormed his way out enough just enough to lick her face. After a few licks with Twilight not responding, he whimpered and nuzzled up to her. “Twilight?” The girl looked up to see Cadance walk into the room. She blinked through the tears in her eyes. “Is Shiny any better?” “I got him some tea and I’m letting him breathe. He’ll be fine.” She placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “I think you’re priority number one right now.” Twilight looked down, then back to the remains of her parents. She scooted to one side and allowed Cadance to sit next to her. The chair had been a favorite of theirs, back when she was young enough to sit in Cadance’s lap. The older girl would read her stories at first, but once old enough Twilight would as often read to her, excited to show off her skill. Its use continued into middle school and on that fateful day when the drunk driver claimed the lives of Night Light and Twilight Velvet, Cadance let her cry while Shining Armor, marginally keeping it together better, filled out the necessary paperwork to take custody of his sister. And even in recent years when Twilight needed a hug after Fleur pulled another prank, or called her ugly, or had her stuffed in a locker. The following days punishments were handed out, and eventually the student body learned the foolishness of so outwardly bullying the Dean’s sister-in-law, and settled for ignoring her outside the pushes she got in the hallways. Cadance pulled her into a hug. “Your Mom and Dad still love you, sweetie, just like I do.” “That’s what I told her,” Spike said. Cadance grinned and scratched his ear. “I knew you were a smart dog.” She focused back on Twilight. “Sunset took me aside and told me what to expect. I want you to spend some time with her and the others. I think they’ll be good for you. They’re what you need to heal.” Twilight actually smiled at that. “I know. I really want to. I... you were right, it is nice having friends. I’ve never had them. Well, other than Spike.” “And I wanna see them more too,” the dog in question wagged his tail. “Especially the pretty one.” The others looked down at him. “Who, Rarity?” Cadance asked. “Sunset?” Twilight asked. “No, the really pretty one: Fluttershy,” Spike swooned. “She’s so sweet, and other than Twilight she gives the best belly scratches.” Cadance giggled. “Someone’s smitten.” Twilight chuckled, but yawned soon after. “I think I better turn in.” “Do you want me to sit with you a little while?” Cadance asked. Twilight shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” Cadance kissed her on the forehead before letting her leave. As she walked back into the kitchen to fill her freaked out husband in, Twilight entered her room. Everything in it was neat and orderly. A large bookshelf dominated the wall the door was on, left filled with fiction, right with textbooks and reference guides. Her home computer sat on the left wall, her bed in the corner on the right, next to her closet. Spike leapt out of Twilight’s arms and onto the bed. “I’m glad you’re willing to get some sleep, but you never did answer Cadance or me. You know your parents...” “Spike,” Twilight said as she pulled a set of pajamas out of her closet. “I really just think I need a rest. I’ll be able to think clearly in the morning.” Spike looked at her, but nodded. “Okay.” Twilight began to lift her shirt up, but stopped. “Uh, Spike? Could you step outside for me?” Spike blinked. “Why?” “I’m changing.” “Twilight, you’ve changed in front of me plenty of times.” “It’s... different now, you can talk.” “Talking didn’t make me any more intelligent,” Spike pointed out. “Yeah, but now I’m aware of it...” Spike scoffed. “You humans and your shame over your own bodies. Why are you so obsessed with clothes anyway?” “Spike...” The dog lowered his head. “I’m not that different, really. Please don’t treat me any different.” Twilight stopped, looking at his sad face. She smiled and reached down, scratching under his chin. “I am going to treat you differently, Spike, but it’ll be for the better. Having someone that can talk back is fun. And believe me, I still love you.” Spike smiled. Twilight, after another few moments of hesitation, got undressed and changed into her pajamas. By the time she looked back at her bed, Spike had laid on the end. She got between the covers and was about to pull her glasses off when she remembered she no longer wore them. Spike came up to her and licked her one more time before laying down, this time for the night. Twilight was running, but she could still hear her calling. “You can’t run from me!” Twilight redoubled her efforts, and was rewarded with a fall on her face. Before she could recover, she felt herself lifted off the ground as if by invisible puppet strings. She was lifted to face the eyes she feared so much. Her other self, her dark self, laughed. “Why run? I’m everything you’ve ever wanted.” “No! No, you aren’t!” “Oh, really?” The mad version of Twilight snapped her fingers. Three figures appeared. Principal Cinch, Fleur de Lis, and a woman Twilight recognized: Berry Punch, whose drunk driving had killed her parents, leaving her an orphan at age 13. The bodies were lifeless at first, but suddenly they screamed in pain. They twisted and convulsed. Her twisted self laughed. “Stop! Stop, I don’t want them hurt.” “Don’t lie to yourself. You really want them alive? Cinch, who paraded you around like a trophy, stuck a target on your back that made every other student gun for you, and blackmailed you so you could be another stepping stone? Fleur, who led the students to bully you, who humiliated you at every opportunity, even mocking you when you had your period for the first time in the locker room? Berry, who killed your parents and got out without a scratch, who will be walking free and driving again in a few short years? “You want me. I give you the power to rise above what these three have made you. I put you in charge!” “No! No! I’m not you!” “Yes you are! All it took was a taste of me, and you went all in. Sure, Sunset might have talked you down, but for how long? How long until you crave me again? How long before someone comes along that she can’t protect you from? Then... then you’ll come running back to me. And we’ll have such fun!” “No, no, no, no!” Twilight’s eye opened with a gast. She took deep breaths as tears streamed down her face. Spike was at her side in an instant, licking up tears. Then she felt something sit on her bed. Two big strong arms wrapped her in a hug. “Wh... Shiny?” Her big brother held her close. “I’ve got you, Twiley.” “Wha...” she felt her bed jostle. Cadane sat on her other side, Spike in her lap. “How did...” “Cadance told me you might have nightmares, so we decided to peer in on you.” Twilight cried a bit more upon hearing that. “Did... Cadance tell you...” “She told me everything,” Shining said. “I was skeptical, but with the talking dog, I can’t really deny it.” When the joke failed to cheer his sister up, he went on. “I still love you, Twiley. You’re my baby sister, even if you made a mistake.” Twilight kept crying. Everyone said that. Why didn’t it make the pain stop? “I think Sunset was right,” Cadance said. “Only time can fix this. And loved ones. Luckily, there’s no short supply of the latter.” Twilight looked at her brother, then her sister-in-law, then her pet, all trying to comfort her. And she cried even more.