Dash knew the drill; when someone's at the door, get in the basement and hide there until Dad told her it was safe. She didn't like it, but she understood the need for it, at least; the internet had taught her much about how freaks were treated, and she imagined that if she was revealed to the public, there would be political and scientific debates revolving around her very existence for the rest of her life.
So when she heard the doorbell ring, she closed her book and moved as quickly and quietly as she could to the basement, then locked the door behind her. She heard her dad's footsteps outside, clearly audible to her equine ears and listened intently in case she could recognize whoever was at the door. If she was lucky, it could be her cousin Darren or aunt Samantha, the only other people that knew of her existence.
Her hopes were dashed when she heard the voice of whoever was at the door. It felt familiar, somehow, but it wasn't Samantha's or Darren's, and that meant that she'd be stuck in the basement until the girl at the door left. Which wasn't bad by a long shot - she kept two bookshelves filled with books and a playstation four down there for occasions such as this, so there was plenty to keep her occupied - but she still prefered being out in the living room with her dad, or even outdoors. Sighing in resignation, Dash did her best to tune out the sounds of her father and the visitor and picked a book at random - The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
She was hardly two pages into it, however, when her father knocked at the basement door. “Dash, I think you should come out here.” Come out? But there were people here! Suddenly filled with apprehension, Dash dropped the book and moved towards the door. She tentatively unlocked it, and peeked out.
She did not expect the pink bundle of joy to open the door wide, rush into her and hug her. “Dashie!” Just as quickly as she’d taken hold, the pink one let go and began jumping up and down in excitement. “How have you been! It’s only been a week for us, but Matthew says that you’ve been here for years and that he adopted you!”
Dash opened her mouth to speak, but found that she couldn’t think of any words to say in response. Instead, she found herself glancing from the pink pony to her father to the five ponies behind him. The large white alicorn adorned with a golden collar should have stood out the most, but for some reason she found her eyes drawn to the purple unicorn standing next to her.
Dash recognized her - she recognized all of them, in fact, and not just from that old cartoon. Once-forgotten memories stirred deep within her, and though most did not surface, one did play back in her mind’s eye - her and a yellow pegasus, gently lowering the unicorn to the ground. “Twilight?”
