Spirits: All You Need is a Sunny Day.

by Enderdragonslayer1

Family Integration

A movement against my side woke me up. Opening my eyes, I looked at the young filly against my side. By the looks of it, she had buried her head deeper into my coat. I had to resist the urge to nuzzle her, as that would most likely wake her. Though that changed pretty quickly when I heard her yawn before she mumbled, “Five more minutes, mom.”

I smiled at what she called me. I knew Sunny was smarter than an average filly, but I didn’t care. No longer able to resist the urge, I lifted up a wing, using the tip to tickle her barrel. As I started to tickle her, she started to stir and it wasn’t long before she was giggling uncontrollably, trying everything in her power to stop my ticklish onslaught. Even after I was done, she continued to giggle for five minutes afterwards. When she finally stopped giggling, I heard a grumble coming from Sunny. I looked at her as she looked away, trying not to look embarrassed.

Giggling a bit, I said, “Come on, little one, let’s get you something to eat.” Picking her up with my magic, I deposited her on my back before heading to the kitchen to prepare a bottle of warm milk for her. I prepared the milk, bottled it, then warmed it over a fire. Sunny just watched me with a look of curiosity as I prepared the milk for her. When it was finally done, I returned to our room before depositing Sunny on the bed before laying down myself. Using my magic, I moved the end of the bottle to her mouth, where she reluctantly took the end before starting to suckle on it.

We sat there for maybe ten minutes before she finished off the bottle. I congratulated her for finishing it off before she released a yawn, the warm milk making her tired.

“Goodnight, my little filly,” I whispered with a nuzzle as she fell asleep snuggled up against my side.

The next morning, I repeated the process for feeding her, though this time she didn’t fall asleep, so I played with her until she did. Later that night, when she awoke again, I fed her once more, with her falling asleep shortly after finishing off the milk. I repeated the process for a few years, just until she was able to keep solid food down (the first time we tried to give her solid food was a complete disaster). Any free time I had (usually when Sunny was asleep) went to figuring out how to get rid of the crystals on Sunny’s horn, with little to no success. Even so, after years of research, I think I finally got the solution.

---

“Mom,” I called out, “I think I figured out a way to get rid of the crystals on Sunny’s horn.” She looked at me, surprised.

“And how would we go about that…?” she asked.

“Well, I found out that the crystals absorb magic, so all we need to do is overload them.” Mom raised a hoof to her chin in thought.

“That….could work,” she admitted. With that, I went to get Sunny, who was still sleeping. Carefully picking her up so she wouldn’t wake, I moved her to my back before heading back to the living room. I gently deposited her on the ground in the center of the room before stepping back, lighting up my horn in the process. I looked around at my family, Luna on my right while Mom was on my left. We all charged our horns before pouring magic into Sunny’s. After about five tense minutes, we heard the sound of shattering. I took a look at Sunny’s horn and found that the crystals were falling apart. After another minute, the all but one patch of crystals were gone. I stopped my own magic as I drained my pool, Luna having done the same. Sunny let loose a yawn before opening her eyes.

---

I was awoken to the sound of shattering. While I just lay there, trying not to wake the one who took me in and took care of me, the shattering stopped. While I didn’t want to let them know I was awake, I was once again betrayed by my own body as I yawned. I slowly opened my eyes before rubbing them with my hooves to try and clear up my sight. Before it did, though, I was lifted up by a pair of hooves before I was embraced. With my eyesight still clouded, I let my instincts guide me as I returned the hug.

“Tia,” I heard a voice say, “Can we hold her?” When I heard the name, my brain started to work.

There was only one pony who was called ‘Tia’ by her sister, so that must mean….

I gasped internally as I realized that the one who nurtured me back to health was my own adoptive mother. That was why I felt the way I did when she first found me. But one question remained, why did she look the way she did?

“Sure, Luna,” my caretaker replied as my eyesight cleared up. I felt Luna shift into a sitting form as she started to rock me.

No! I just woke up! I protested mentally as I released a yawn. My eyes got heavier and heavier with each and every motion, the relaxing rocking making me tired. It didn’t take as long as it did the first time as my eyes closed on their own, forcing me into slumber.

---

I don’t know how long pass since I fell asleep, but when I woke up again, I felt the wind in my fur, like I was moving. Opening my eyes, I noticed that my caretaker, Luna, and the third alicorn were running for their lives. Then I heard my caretaker cry out in pain, causing her to drop me onto the ground. When this happened, anger flared up through my body. I was not going to allow anything hurt the ones who helped me in my moment of weakness. I ended up doing something I swore never to do, I drew energy from the Spirit Realm. With one last shatter, I felt the last of the crystals on my horn shatter into pieces. Getting up, I summoned my Spirit Blade as I charged the attacker.

When I finally got a look at my target, my muscles locked up as fear overtook me. My blade disappeared in a flash of light. I just sat there as the manticore moved towards me. Just as the manticore raised it paw to swipe me, a green blur pushed me out of the way as she took the blow. Seeing this caused my anger to rise again, allowing me to overcome my fear. I once again summoned my Spirit Blade and charged the manticore, not caring about the fact that it’s much larger than I am. Just as it was about to swipe it’s paw, I rolled out of the way while swiping my sword. Now behind it, I jabbed the sword into it’s back, piercing it’s heart. I withdrew my sword before it disappeared in a flash of silver. I turned back to the dying body of my caretaker’s mother.

“Mom, please,” Luna cried, “Don’t die!” The green alicorn managed to place a hoof on Luna’s shoulder.

“Celestia, Luna, please...don’t let my death...hold you back,” she managed, “I know...you’ll live to do...great things.” She coughed a few times before she set her sights on me, “I also know...that Sunny is...much stronger than she let on. Keep....her safe.” With that, she stopped breathing. I continued to play the act of a young foal by crying into my caretaker’s (Tia, I amended) coat, Luna doing the same.

---

I was trying to comfort both Sunny and my sister, both of them crying, with Sunny crying the heaviest of them both. I don’t know how long we sat there for, but I knew we had to get moving if we were going to make sure to honor Mom’s final request: protecting Sunny.

“Luna, come on, Mom wouldn’t want us to grief over her,” I told my sister while picking up Sunny, who had cried herself to sleep. I would have continued, but I was interrupted by a manticore roar. “Luna! Come on!” I yelled at my sister while starting to gallop away from Mom’s body with Luna not far behind. “Luna! Get your wings ready!” I yelled while unfurling my wings. Just as I remembered, we came to a cliff where I jumped off and started to flap my wings, Luna doing the same. I heard the manicore roar in frustration at it’s prey that just escaped. I looked down at Sunny and saw tear stains on her face from her heavy crying.

“Don’t worry, Sunny,” I whispered with determination, trying not to wake her up, “I’ll make sure you’ll be ok. I’ll treat you with kindness that could only be rivaled by your own mother. I’ll treat you as if you were one of my own. Welcome to the family, Sunny.” With that, Luna and I went to try and find a new place to call home.

Comments

[Samellan]

If I remember correctly, manticores also have wings and are capable of flight.

Poor Tia's and Luna's mother, Sunny didn't even learn her name in those couple of years.

[icecreammac]

Sorry I haven't reviewed in a bit. I have a lot of questions about what's going on. A lot of questions. However, I'm willing to wait until the end of this flashback before I open my floodgates.