Displacement Shockby Joshua CrapoChaptersChapter IChapter IIChapter IVChapter VChapter VIChapter IIIChapter IWhew. It’s been a while hasn’t it? I’ve been excited for my birthday since school ended. I apparently did pretty well judging by Twilight’s excitement for the report card she got about me yesterday, which was a Monday. It feels like yesterday when I went to the cookout with Sunset Shimmer and her friends. I’ve been told throughout the weekend to keep my mind off my birthday until Wednesday, which happens to be tomorrow, but by mentioning that just now, I probably failed at that. I wonder why Twilight and her friends were telling me that. …Hmmm… Oh! Are they planning a surprise party?!? I can’t believe it took me days to figure that out! I’m gonna have to keep my eyes peeled for a dark room tomorrow then. One thing’s for sure. I can fake the appearance of anybody, but there is no faking my reactions. What’s that? Oh, sorry. Forgot to talk about the present. My bad. I just get so lost on my thoughts playing Planet Puzzle League. It’s pretty obvious how I play: I float the stylus. It does get a little lonely only having myself to play with. There isn’t another DS in Equestria, so even if Starlight, Twilight or even Spike can play, I would have to wait my turn. I pause my gaming session when Twilight knocks on my door and opens it. I set down the DS and jump off the bed and hug her. “What’s up Twilight?” “Oh… Spike and I will be out for the afternoon. Lots of mail to send throughout Ponyville. Starlight’s staying here in case you need some company. Sound okay?” I nod. “Are you gonna be talking with my classmates too?” “Yep.” Twilight looks over my shoulder towards my bed. “Planet Puzzle League?” “Yeah, I felt like having some fun today, trying to distract myself.” Twilight sits down and pulls me closer with her wing. “I’m really proud of you for acing the semester. We’ve got a special treat for you tomorrow as a reward. All I can reveal for now… is we’ve managed to get an old friend in Canterlot in on the action. You might’ve heard of her.” This is leaving me confused. What could Twilight Sparkle be planning? “Oh yeah, and while we’re on the topic, is it okay if we borrow your device a bit when we get home? I promise it won’t be long.” “Okay.” I race back onto the bed and turn off the DS. “I didn’t mean now, Aita. I mean when we’re done with mailing your friends.” “Oh, well I figured if you were gonna need my DS, you might as well have the extra time in case you need it.” “I appreciate the thought, but that won’t be necessary.” Twilight jumps onto my bed to join me. “It feels like only yesterday when you visited my old library. You weren’t even half my height. And now look at you; you’ve grown so much. I really hope tomorrow goes well for you. I guarantee it will be the best day of your life.” Twilight then gets up and takes the DS with her as she heads out of the room. “I’ll swing by the library to charge your DS, but we won’t need it ‘til we get back.” “Okay, thanks?” Something was definitely off. Twilight said someone in Canterlot was helping her, then immediately asked to borrow my DS, then returned it with the game I was playing still in the slot. Obviously Twilight was referring to Moondancer since all she does is study. Are they going to make a new game for me? Well for now, I’m in bed with the DS on the side-table. Like Twilight promised, she’d only need it for a short time. It was a good thing too, because it’s supposed to remind me of my birthday tomorrow, because that’s how it was set when I first got it. Oh well, I won’t let that day of weirdness stop me from looking forward to tomorrow. I’m really hoping to have the best day of my life like Twilight said. When I open my eyes after the feeling of a few minutes, I’m in the hive with Chrysalis. “Ah! Aita! I was just thinking of you. How is everything shaping up back in Ponyville?” “Fine, from what I could tell. Maybe I could be filled in on something though. Is there going to be a surprise party for me? A new DS game?” My questions leave Chrysalis speechless. I guess human Applejack wasn’t lying about my guessing. She looks like I was right. “How did you… guess that?” “At least with the DS thing, Twilight kept Planet Puzzle League in the cart slot, she told me she got Moondancer in on whatever they’re planning, and she asked to borrow the DS. I could only guess that they’re making a new game for me. For the surprise party, throughout the weekend Twilight and company told me stuff like one day at a time, or your birthday will be here soon enough whenever I brought up my birthday.” You know Aita, Chrysalis was right about you. You are such a bright soul. I jump and crouch down. “Huh? Chrysalis who’s that?” Chrysalis just chuckles as a similar looking changeling comes up into our view. “You probably haven’t met her, but this is my old teacher, Queen Areola.” Pleasure to meet you, youngling. Areola holds out her right forehoof. I meet it with my left. “So you came before Chrysalis?” Areola nods. Mhm. This is your first time in Equestria for your birthday, so I figured I’d wish you a truly great one. A smile starts growing on my face. “Hm… thanks, Areola.” Suddenly, lightning starts striking outside the hive, prompting Chrysalis to get out of there while Areola and I watch in shock. “W-what’s happening?!?” I ask. I don’t know but I’m pretty sure you should hold onto me. I start to feel a pain in my head as my horn starts lighting up, crackling with its own electricity, sparks every which way, and I feel all of it. I turn my head away from Areola, but then my vision goes white. Next thing I know, I am in my room, curled up in the fetal position, shaking more violently than I could ever shiver in the winter. The pain catches up to me, making me scream and hold my horn. When I do stop screaming, my eyes are about to close, only to be kept open by a six and a half foot ball of light in the center of my room. After a few seconds, the ball sinks onto the floor and fades out to reveal that Areola is now in my room. I look around me. Every loose item you could think of is on the floor, in front of where it’s supposed to be. This also includes my DS. I try to put it next to me, but I feel too drained to even do basic levitation. I’m still in too much pain to inch anywhere right now. All I can do is wait. Chapter IIWhen the pain in my horn finally dulls, I reach over the edge of the bed for the DS, only to fall onto the floor. Right… not tall enough. Soon after, Twilight, Spike and Starlight stop at my door and start knocking. “Come in…” I weakly command. The door opens with Twilight the first to speak. “Aita! Are you al-” She stops short when she sees Areola in the center of the room. “...right?” Starlight and Spike’s jaws drop at the sight of Areola. One of them, Starlight, comes forward. “Is that… Queen Areola?” “Aita! What happened?!?” I hear Twilight ask with concern before I doze off. I see Aita practically faint in front of my eyes, so I do the only logical decision and float him next to me. “Starlight,” I start. “take Aita to the throne room. Spike, go with Starlight. I’ll handle things from here.” When Spike and Starlight leave with Aita floating behind them, I walk around to see the DS next to where Aita was just before. I pick it up with magic and try to turn it on. Unfortunately, it looks like whatever Aita did drained the battery on this device, not just his horn. I turn around at the sound of groaning behind me. “Ugh, where am I? …Twilight Sparkle? Is that you?” The changeling I see seems to resemble Queen Chrysalis’ old form, except a slightly more green-shifted light scheme. “Whoa… are you… Queen Chrysalis’ teacher?” “Yes, I am. I must conduct a test for myself. This is highly unusual to have neurons firing off for real.” Areola proceeds to touch me softly in the chest, then nod. “Uh huh. That definitely confirms.” “I don’t know what Aita did, but it seems to’ve brought you to the waking world, that and it seemingly dried out the batteries on this thing.” “Hm… what are you holding?” “Aita calls it a Nintendo Dual Screen, or just DS for short. Looks like I have a thing or two to do before I go back to bed. Why don’t you come with me now that you’re alive and well.” In the library, I carefully put the DS onto the mirror so that it can charge. Meanwhile, Areola is looking out the window of the library out toward town. “So, Ponyville right? I don’t remember this ordinary town boasting a castle.” I turn my head and nod. “Yep. It was only a couple of years ago I got this castle. My hooves have been a little full ever since.” “So, are you the-” I interrupt, approaching the window Areola is looking out. “-legal guardian of Aita Bagley-Handy? Yes. Yes I am. Since that disaster from last Hearth’s Warming, I took him in and let him attend school to expand his circle of good friends.” “What do you think caused him to pull me into the waking world?” I open up the DS and attempt to turn it on. The screens turn white, then the top one shows the logo as that classic piano chime plays. When I see the calendar, it says June 14, 2017 at 12:15 am. On the top of the same screen, it says that it’s his birthday today. “Mm… I don’t think he meant to take you out here; it must’ve been a whole slew of things, starting with this DS.” I pause, Areola responding by waving her right forehoof. “...Go on.” “This DS runs on normal electricity that Equestria only has sparse amounts of. And each one of us emit a cranial pulse everypony, even changelings, can detect. Now what happens when the delta waves from rapid eye movement and electricity are bridged by extrasensory neurons?” “Uh, lightning? Funnels to the waking world?” “But more importantly, Areola, haywire magic. This DS was attempting to let Aita know that his birthday was today, but because it required electricity, any close proximity to it would lead to a discharge. You were in his dream, right?” Areola nods. “Then he had you on his mind when the discharge happened, thus you were led here.” “Twilight… where’d Aita go?” When Areola and I enter the throne room, Aita is sound asleep on Applejack’s throne while Starlight is on Fluttershy’s, and Spike on his own. “Starlight, Spike, how are things going with Aita?” I ask. “Spike and I were curious about what spell that DS triggered. So using Ampliatur Vestigium, I was able to find the main culprit: Sumnus Revivia. It’s really powerful stuff that I won’t mess with nowadays, especially after that time I tried to condense five lessons into a single session.” Areola shakes her head in confusion. “She did WHAT?!?” I turn my head to Areola. “Starlight’s good with spells; I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” I turn back to Starlight. “Starlight, is Aita going to be alright?” “With a spell that powerful, he might be out of commission for the morning. He’s sure gonna feel that when he wakes up.” I take a quick, deep breath. “Okay. I don’t know if he’s reentered rapid eye movement yet, but just to be sure, we’ll need to put him back to bed. Areola, would you be up to that?” Areola lets out a grin of inclination. “Great. Then Starlight, Spike and I will stay here until you’re done.” So now, Areola takes Aita out of the throne room so that Spike, Starlight and I can discuss the adjustments we need to make. I moan. “I didn’t expect Aita would involuntarily bring the former changeling queen back to life. Now he’s gonna miss half his birthday. We had so much planned for him this morning.” “Don’t worry about it Twilight. Starlight and I have everything covered, right.” Starlight nods at Spike. “We’ll just offset everything by a few hours. And because this is, well, Aita’s birthday, I think we should let him stay up as long as he wants; just keep him occupied, and do not let him see the night, should his daily rhythm kick in again.” I teleport in the communication journal and start writing. Dear Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle here. We’ve just had a little mishap here in the Castle of Friendship. Aita’s DS was attempting to notify him about his birthday, but because he had it on the side-table next to him, it led to a magical discharge that brought someone back to life. I know that all sounds crazy, but I’m notifying you because we’ll have to delay our party by a few hours as a result of the discharge. I hope you understand if we don’t get started right away. Author's Note The note at the bottom was originally the result of some attempt at consistency between EqG:OA and this. Chapter IV“How- H-How’d you find the time to do this?!?” I stammer to Twilight with a mixture of hype and shock. “As I’ve learned from Pinkie, when you’re family, you make the time. I couldn’t just take you outside the castle without getting you looking forward to the rest of the day, could I?” Well that got the gears turning. “...I don’t know. I may not’ve minded sleeping late, but if I ever did, this would definitely make up for it. Thanks again for doing this, Twilight. No one in here will ever have to wait their turn to play now!” I stop when I have this strange feeling, like… “Wait, aren’t you forgetting someone? I can’t put my hoof on it, but something in the back of my mind is nagging at me about another changeling living here. Ah well, I’m sure it’s nothing.” I start to head for the main entrance, and while Twilight initially doesn’t follow, like she was asking herself what that was, she does pass by and begins to lead my way. When I do see her, she’s carrying the copies of my DS into a saddle bag. Ah, what a peaceful afternoon, though I might’ve spoken too soon. Two different ponies enter my place, and the door opens with plenty of space. One is a changeling no younger than eight, to Twilight Sparkle he seems not to relate. “You know this place, right Aita?” “Twilight Sparkle, good to see you again. Tell me, have you made a new friend?” The changeling named Aita waves at me, so I return the gesture for him to see. “Hi, I’m Aita. Are you Zecora?” “Why yes I am, little changeling. You can ask me anything.” “Maybe not him, but more for me. I made new copies of Aita’s games. Do you have anything to remove recorded data? I tested them out earlier and they have Aita’s records on them when they’re also on the original.” “Ah, machine or not, memory is complex. Perhaps I might have the perfect specs.” I hurry over to the window, where I begin looking high and low. Eventually I find a memory swab, one that just may do the job. With my hoof I dip it in broth, wetter than most other cloth. The games are held so I wipe then down, so the memory won’t be around. “There you go, good as new. I hope you have fun, you two.” “Thanks Zecora. This really helped. Anything extra before we use them?” “Yes Twilight, just let them dry. You wouldn’t want your machines to fry.” So Twilight and Aita turn around, and begin heading back into town. Wow. I don’t know what happened in there, but I sure liked it. I never realized it before Twilight and I went to the hut, but Zecora has a certain rhythm to her movements I wish I could describe. It’s like she’s always in the middle of a song. “Anything wrong Aita?” “Actually no… I was pleasantly stunned at how nice Zecora seemed. I don’t know if it was my changeling instincts kicking in, but I was thoroughly enthralled with everything about her; it was like watching a performance. How come I didn’t feel that watching TV?” Twilight gasps. “That’s because you were actually in her hut, and she gave you vibes you couldn’t have gotten on TV! She sure feels good to be around, doesn’t she?” “Yeah! Good to her core!” “Just as long as you have a reason to go, Aita, I’ll happily let you teleport there on your own time.” Twilight and I stop and take a look at the scenery. There’s a bush to our right that looks like Arnold Shortman’s head for some reason. I guess Fluttershy’s house must be close. This seems to be where I hid all those years ago when I ran away from home. “You remember this place?” “Of course I do,” I answer calmly. “This was where you, Spike and Fluttershy found me. All I remember before that was just running away from the guards in Canterlot. I was told I ran away from my old home around the same time. That must’ve been why I was in Canterlot in the first place.” “Do you ever remember why?” I shake my head. “Nope. Just that you kept me safe until Mom took me back home.” “Oh, so as far as you can remember, you’ve always known what you are?” “Why? Did I not at one point?” “In my memory, you were scared of that fact. Carina shushed me because I was about to say ‘changeling’ too soon on you.” “Yeah… I do remember being very sensitive to new facts, especially ones that conflicted with what I knew… But if I can accept that I’m a changeling, and even forget why I couldn’t in the first place, then I think I can listen to whatever there is to know now.” Twilight hugs me with her wing like she did yesterday. “I’m so glad I took you in, Aita. Your the friendliest, loveliest changeling I could ever ask for.” I give Twilight a hug back, eyes beginning to water. “Oh… I love you, Twilight.” “I love you too, Aita… Now, let’s head back into town. I’m sure you could use some dessert after all this.” About halfway to Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight begins another conversation. “So, what do you think you’ll want as Sugar Cube Corner? Cookie cake? Chocolate fondue?” “I don’t know… I really see myself just having a good time with you. Put any dessert on my plate and I’ll eat it up.” “Oh, that’s right. I forgot… so just as long as it’s a labor of love, right?” I nod. “Yeah. That’s why I liked Greta Scone Corner so much in Las Pegasus. Hopefully the Cakes should have the same idea.” “Maybe I can see if Pinkie Pie can tell what you would be in the mood for the most… actually, why don’t I order a dozen cupcakes, that way we both co-” I suddenly stop Twilight when I realize as we approach our destination the lights are off. “That’s weird. They’re normally open on a Wednesday. Don’t tell me they suddenly started celebrating Flag Day of all holidays.” “Oh don’t be ridiculous Aita. I don’t think they’re celebrating Flag Day; we have that right before winter starts. Why don’t you take a whiff from in there; I’m sure it’s open.” I do as Twilight says and… I smell anticipation… excitement. Where’s it all coming from? I don’t see anyone in there. I seriously don’t know what’s going on. Chapter VI take a deep breath and open the door, Twilight following close behind. Walking straight, not having daylight to contrast, I can now see that it’s packed with ponies in here. As I look around, someone jumps up and flips the lights on. The sudden change in lighting makes me jump initially. “SURPRISE!!!” everyone says with noisemakers in the background. My heart is racing after the light came on, but the excitement and love kick in again, which means I could calm down. “Whew, thanks everyone. That’s a fun start. Twilight, did you have a hoof in this?” I ask with a smile on my face, to which she nods. “Happy birthday, Aita.” I take a good look at the ponies in the room. Two of them stick out, and one of them is Chrysalis. Is the other one… Queen Areola? “Areola?!? I thought you lived exclusively in the dream realm!” “I did… until today. It was an accident.” “...so I really did pull you into my room?!? How?!?” Twilight pulls me under her wing again. “Maybe you might be interested in a science lesson or two to figure it out.” “Accident or not though, Aita…” Chrysalis starts, approaching and locking eyes with me. She doesn’t even have any negativity in her, yet I start crouching. Maybe it’s her posture that’s making me do it. “You will have to be more careful where you put your electronic devices from now on. Am I clear about that?” I swallow hard. “...yes. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Twilight taps my right wing, so I quickly turn my head to her. “Aita, relax. It’s just Queen Chrysalis. She’s not even disappointed.” “I know, Twilight. I don’t even know how I could be doing this without any-” “Are you okay, Aita?” Areola interrupts, floating me past Chrysalis over to her. “Is my old student too stern on you? Honestly Chrysalis, would you be so hard on him if you experienced that for yourself?” “W-why wouldn’t I? And besides, you have limits too, right?” “Only around the adults… have you seriously forgotten why human Spitfire was arrested?” I start getting angered when Areola mentions Superintendent Spitfire. Oh well. Some things never change. I soar between Areola and Chrysalis and push them away from each other. “Queens! Cut it out!” Areola and Chrysalis look utterly shocked by what I’m doing. “I can listen to you two discuss the parental guidance of a changeling family, but bringing up my abusers is where I draw the line!” I start choking up at what I think of next, but it’s got to be done. “I gotta leave…” I walk away from Areola and Chrysalis and go upstairs, who are even more shocked now than when I initially cut them off. The rest of the crowd is also shocked at this short feud. When I enter the Cakes’ master bedroom, I lie and break down near the door. After what feels like hours, I hear two ponies and a dragon come upstairs. I feel Twilight’s left wing drape across my back. “You okay, Aita?” she asks. “Of course not! I had to w-walk out on m-my own party!” Starlight begins petting my head. “We understand that.” “And it’s okay, Aita,” Spike finishes. “You did the right thing.” “I… I did?” I look at Twilight, who nods. “Yeah… if you stayed like you wanted to, that royal tension would’ve made things worse for everypony. I know you feel hurt having to do that, but there are times you have to speak up and do something.” I hug Twilight after hearing her comforting words. “I’m proud of you for standing up to Chrysalis and Areola… it was the only way they’d stop and think about what they were doing.” “Now we know why we were all called by the map to Sugar Cube Corner,” Starlight adds. “to help Chrysalis and Areola understand just what happens when they’re at odds with each other.” When Twilight, Spike and Starlight go up to comfort Aita, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and I watch as Applejack and Rarity are the first to come forward to confront Chrysalis and Areola. “Areola…” says Rarity. “How do you think Twilight feels for upsetting Aita like that, for mentioning those who’ve deeply wronged him? You are aware of how sensitive he is to that kind of subject, right?” Applejack points to Chrysalis. “And Chrysalis, how do you think Starlight feels for not considerin’ the fact that Aita is a child? He was only tryin’ to have a good time… on his birthday for cryin’ out loud!” Rainbow Dash sits down and turns her head to the side. “Not cool, girls!” “What royal party poopers…” Pinkie Pie tosses her forehooves up and flops forward on her stomach. Suddenly, one of the crowdsponies on the other side of the room comes toward Chrysalis and Areola from behind: an amber unicorn with a sunset color scheme for her mane, tail and cutie mark. “They’re more than that, Pinkie Pie.” Chrysalis and Areola turn around to face her. “They are fools.” “Who’s that?” I ask. “That’s Sunset Shimmer! Now-” Fluttershy shushes me as Sunset Shimmer keeps inching toward them. “Chrysalis, I’m especially disappointed after you and your teacher lost sight of why we were here in the first place. This was supposed to be a special day for not just a juvenile changeling, but someone important to every single one of us, including you two. Your petty argument just evaporated all the respect I had for you. Aita’s too good of a friend of mine to let you live that down.” And so, Sunset Shimmer walks out of Sugar Cube Corner. Looking at Chrysalis and Areola now, they turn around with welled-up cheeks. I sigh. “Surely after those ponies confronted your behavior, you’ll understand what happened.” “What do you two have to say for yourselves?” Fluttershy sternly asks. “Chrysalis?!? Areola?!?” Chrysalis takes a deep breath. “We’re sorry, everypony… Areola and I should have left our quarrel in private. There’s no excuse to bring it out here for all to see, including Aita. I only hope you all can forgive our shortsightedness, especially Aita with my intrusiveness and Areola’s insensitivity. Sunset Shimmer was right; this was supposed to be Aita’s special day. I’ll go up and check on him. Areola, I advise you follow suit.” Areola follows Chrysalis as she goes upstairs. Soon after, the room is silent, with Fluttershy of all ponies to break the silence. “Do you think they learned their lesson?” “It sure sounded like it,” Rainbow Dash answers. “That was an even better apology than Starlight’s.” Chapter VISomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter IIILater in the morning when I wake up, I look around, not remembering a single thing that happened after Areola went to put Aita to bed. When I see her sleeping on some towels, it all comes back to me: When Areola returned, the meeting broke and we all went to bed. She asked that I make a nest for her, so I made it out of several towels. I let out a small yawn before I hear tossing and turning. I look at the analog clock on my side-table: 7:16 in the morning. That is way too early to have the proper rest I need after what happened to Aita… Hm… I didn’t dream at all, so maybe I slept more well than I thought. I just hope Aita’s okay after all that. He’ll just have to be careful where he lays his DS from now on. Eventually, Areola perks up and looks at me. “Drifted back to conscience too?” “Yeah. I guess that kerfuffle earlier left everyone drained. But hey, we’re awake now. Would you like to help us out or just keep Aita company?” Areola hangs her head and holds it down with her left forehoof. “Sorry, but I’ve been ejected out of the dream realm. I’ll need some time alone to take in my surroundings.” “Understood. I’ll go see if Starlight and Spike are awake. We’ll be on our way soon enough.” While walking down the hall to Spike’s room, several cutie marks seem to race by, followed closely by their bearers: Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. “What’s the rush girls?!?” Suddenly, looking back to the girls, I see my cutie mark glowing. The map is calling, but why during Aita’s birthday? Aren’t we supposed to have the whole day planned out already? When Spike comes past me, his spikes are glowing, with a head of him whizzing ahead of him. At the throne room, not only is Spike and my friends here, but also Starlight and- “Moondancer?!? Queen Chrysalis?!? How can the map call so many ponies at once?!? Where are we headed?!?” Queen Chrysalis moves out of the way to reveal that eight cutie marks plus Spike’s head and Chrysalis’ crown are all floating around Ponyville, specifically Sugar Cube Corner. “Isn’t that where we’re supposed to have the party?” Fluttershy asks. Rarity sticks her nose up with her hoof on her forehead. “Of course darling, but who could possibly be having a friendship problem in Sugar Cube Corner?” Chrysalis starts to think out loud. “Hm… there might be one who will. I briefly visited Aita last night, and him being his bright self, he figured everything out that we planned. Collaborating with Moondancer, the new game, the party…” “Seriously Twilight,” Moondancer says. “what the hell? You were supposed to keep this all a surpr-.” “Moondancer- shhh,” Chrysalis replies. “There’s no keeping a secret with Aita. He’ll find out what’s going on with even only one clue. I think it stems from losing his old family.” “Aw man,” Rainbow Dash complains in the air. “I wish we never pushed the birthday topic away from Aita. Now he’s figured it all out.” Applejack approaches Rainbow Dash. “Oh buck up, Rainbow Dash. The party should be swell anyway. Ah reckon Aita can still talk with us if it means so much to him.” “Yeah, but we can’t throw a surprise party without him knowing so easily… or can we?” Pinkie Pie’s deliberate expression gives me a little hope for some secrecy. After what feels like a week, I’m finally conscious. I spring up, gasping for breath. When I subsequently calm down, I see Twilight. “Twilight! Oh thank goodness! I had a terrible dream about Areola and I getting dragged out into my room, then it suddenly ended and everything went black! It felt so real!” “That’s not important right now. You were out for a REALLY long time. So long in fact, lunch time’s almost over.” “WHAT?!? Then hug me! Make it quick!” Twilight gives me a quick hug so that I can get fueled for the afternoon. With this newfound energy, I look around for anyone in the castle, but the quick skim leaves me emptyhooved. “Where is everyone?” “Oh, everyone is out and about… I’m so sorry about your birthday being offset for sleeping so long. This never usually happens to you.” “Twilight… this is my first birthday in Equestria! It’s not supposed to be a plain ol’ normal day. So what if I sleep in? I can handle it. So, where do we go first?” “First, the throne room. I wanted to show you something personally. Lucky for you, you get to play it.” Twilight teleports out and then back in with my DS floating with her when she comes back. “You said it’s been sad not being able to play with anyone else on this, right?” Twilight asks as we walk down the hall to the throne room, to which I nod. “Well, Starlight and I were originally gonna do this with the old friendship journal, if you even remember seeing that when you were watching us, but I made a branch of the spell that makes perfect copies for anything.” I gasp in excitement. “No way! You’re gonna copy my DS?!?” “Not just the DS, but also the games you brought with you when you first moved in.” I jump for joy, knowing I’m gonna be able to play with Spike, Twilight and Starlight on the games I brought with me. “Oh my gosh! This means a lot! Thank you so much, Twilight!” So, when Twilight and I arrive at the throne room, Twilight signals me to come to her. “How’s your horn doing?” I light my horn, which takes a little bit of time, but it does activate. “Alright, it seems like.” “Alright, I’m gonna put the DS on the map, and we will join horns.” With my horn still lit, Twilight sets down the DS, then lowers her head for our horns to touch. What follows is a bright flash of light, then my DS beginning to float on its own, as well as three beams radiating out of the DS like one of those toys I saw shortly before leaving my homeworld. As soon as the light dims, three more DS’s smoothly land on the map with my own landing soon after. I’m in shock of how Twilight managed to get this down pat. It’s left my mouth agape. I lift each of the DS’s, and each one has a copy of Planet Puzzle League and Pokemon Soul Silver underneath.
Chapter IWhew. It’s been a while hasn’t it? I’ve been excited for my birthday since school ended. I apparently did pretty well judging by Twilight’s excitement for the report card she got about me yesterday, which was a Monday. It feels like yesterday when I went to the cookout with Sunset Shimmer and her friends. I’ve been told throughout the weekend to keep my mind off my birthday until Wednesday, which happens to be tomorrow, but by mentioning that just now, I probably failed at that. I wonder why Twilight and her friends were telling me that. …Hmmm… Oh! Are they planning a surprise party?!? I can’t believe it took me days to figure that out! I’m gonna have to keep my eyes peeled for a dark room tomorrow then. One thing’s for sure. I can fake the appearance of anybody, but there is no faking my reactions. What’s that? Oh, sorry. Forgot to talk about the present. My bad. I just get so lost on my thoughts playing Planet Puzzle League. It’s pretty obvious how I play: I float the stylus. It does get a little lonely only having myself to play with. There isn’t another DS in Equestria, so even if Starlight, Twilight or even Spike can play, I would have to wait my turn. I pause my gaming session when Twilight knocks on my door and opens it. I set down the DS and jump off the bed and hug her. “What’s up Twilight?” “Oh… Spike and I will be out for the afternoon. Lots of mail to send throughout Ponyville. Starlight’s staying here in case you need some company. Sound okay?” I nod. “Are you gonna be talking with my classmates too?” “Yep.” Twilight looks over my shoulder towards my bed. “Planet Puzzle League?” “Yeah, I felt like having some fun today, trying to distract myself.” Twilight sits down and pulls me closer with her wing. “I’m really proud of you for acing the semester. We’ve got a special treat for you tomorrow as a reward. All I can reveal for now… is we’ve managed to get an old friend in Canterlot in on the action. You might’ve heard of her.” This is leaving me confused. What could Twilight Sparkle be planning? “Oh yeah, and while we’re on the topic, is it okay if we borrow your device a bit when we get home? I promise it won’t be long.” “Okay.” I race back onto the bed and turn off the DS. “I didn’t mean now, Aita. I mean when we’re done with mailing your friends.” “Oh, well I figured if you were gonna need my DS, you might as well have the extra time in case you need it.” “I appreciate the thought, but that won’t be necessary.” Twilight jumps onto my bed to join me. “It feels like only yesterday when you visited my old library. You weren’t even half my height. And now look at you; you’ve grown so much. I really hope tomorrow goes well for you. I guarantee it will be the best day of your life.” Twilight then gets up and takes the DS with her as she heads out of the room. “I’ll swing by the library to charge your DS, but we won’t need it ‘til we get back.” “Okay, thanks?” Something was definitely off. Twilight said someone in Canterlot was helping her, then immediately asked to borrow my DS, then returned it with the game I was playing still in the slot. Obviously Twilight was referring to Moondancer since all she does is study. Are they going to make a new game for me? Well for now, I’m in bed with the DS on the side-table. Like Twilight promised, she’d only need it for a short time. It was a good thing too, because it’s supposed to remind me of my birthday tomorrow, because that’s how it was set when I first got it. Oh well, I won’t let that day of weirdness stop me from looking forward to tomorrow. I’m really hoping to have the best day of my life like Twilight said. When I open my eyes after the feeling of a few minutes, I’m in the hive with Chrysalis. “Ah! Aita! I was just thinking of you. How is everything shaping up back in Ponyville?” “Fine, from what I could tell. Maybe I could be filled in on something though. Is there going to be a surprise party for me? A new DS game?” My questions leave Chrysalis speechless. I guess human Applejack wasn’t lying about my guessing. She looks like I was right. “How did you… guess that?” “At least with the DS thing, Twilight kept Planet Puzzle League in the cart slot, she told me she got Moondancer in on whatever they’re planning, and she asked to borrow the DS. I could only guess that they’re making a new game for me. For the surprise party, throughout the weekend Twilight and company told me stuff like one day at a time, or your birthday will be here soon enough whenever I brought up my birthday.” You know Aita, Chrysalis was right about you. You are such a bright soul. I jump and crouch down. “Huh? Chrysalis who’s that?” Chrysalis just chuckles as a similar looking changeling comes up into our view. “You probably haven’t met her, but this is my old teacher, Queen Areola.” Pleasure to meet you, youngling. Areola holds out her right forehoof. I meet it with my left. “So you came before Chrysalis?” Areola nods. Mhm. This is your first time in Equestria for your birthday, so I figured I’d wish you a truly great one. A smile starts growing on my face. “Hm… thanks, Areola.” Suddenly, lightning starts striking outside the hive, prompting Chrysalis to get out of there while Areola and I watch in shock. “W-what’s happening?!?” I ask. I don’t know but I’m pretty sure you should hold onto me. I start to feel a pain in my head as my horn starts lighting up, crackling with its own electricity, sparks every which way, and I feel all of it. I turn my head away from Areola, but then my vision goes white. Next thing I know, I am in my room, curled up in the fetal position, shaking more violently than I could ever shiver in the winter. The pain catches up to me, making me scream and hold my horn. When I do stop screaming, my eyes are about to close, only to be kept open by a six and a half foot ball of light in the center of my room. After a few seconds, the ball sinks onto the floor and fades out to reveal that Areola is now in my room. I look around me. Every loose item you could think of is on the floor, in front of where it’s supposed to be. This also includes my DS. I try to put it next to me, but I feel too drained to even do basic levitation. I’m still in too much pain to inch anywhere right now. All I can do is wait.
Chapter IIWhen the pain in my horn finally dulls, I reach over the edge of the bed for the DS, only to fall onto the floor. Right… not tall enough. Soon after, Twilight, Spike and Starlight stop at my door and start knocking. “Come in…” I weakly command. The door opens with Twilight the first to speak. “Aita! Are you al-” She stops short when she sees Areola in the center of the room. “...right?” Starlight and Spike’s jaws drop at the sight of Areola. One of them, Starlight, comes forward. “Is that… Queen Areola?” “Aita! What happened?!?” I hear Twilight ask with concern before I doze off. I see Aita practically faint in front of my eyes, so I do the only logical decision and float him next to me. “Starlight,” I start. “take Aita to the throne room. Spike, go with Starlight. I’ll handle things from here.” When Spike and Starlight leave with Aita floating behind them, I walk around to see the DS next to where Aita was just before. I pick it up with magic and try to turn it on. Unfortunately, it looks like whatever Aita did drained the battery on this device, not just his horn. I turn around at the sound of groaning behind me. “Ugh, where am I? …Twilight Sparkle? Is that you?” The changeling I see seems to resemble Queen Chrysalis’ old form, except a slightly more green-shifted light scheme. “Whoa… are you… Queen Chrysalis’ teacher?” “Yes, I am. I must conduct a test for myself. This is highly unusual to have neurons firing off for real.” Areola proceeds to touch me softly in the chest, then nod. “Uh huh. That definitely confirms.” “I don’t know what Aita did, but it seems to’ve brought you to the waking world, that and it seemingly dried out the batteries on this thing.” “Hm… what are you holding?” “Aita calls it a Nintendo Dual Screen, or just DS for short. Looks like I have a thing or two to do before I go back to bed. Why don’t you come with me now that you’re alive and well.” In the library, I carefully put the DS onto the mirror so that it can charge. Meanwhile, Areola is looking out the window of the library out toward town. “So, Ponyville right? I don’t remember this ordinary town boasting a castle.” I turn my head and nod. “Yep. It was only a couple of years ago I got this castle. My hooves have been a little full ever since.” “So, are you the-” I interrupt, approaching the window Areola is looking out. “-legal guardian of Aita Bagley-Handy? Yes. Yes I am. Since that disaster from last Hearth’s Warming, I took him in and let him attend school to expand his circle of good friends.” “What do you think caused him to pull me into the waking world?” I open up the DS and attempt to turn it on. The screens turn white, then the top one shows the logo as that classic piano chime plays. When I see the calendar, it says June 14, 2017 at 12:15 am. On the top of the same screen, it says that it’s his birthday today. “Mm… I don’t think he meant to take you out here; it must’ve been a whole slew of things, starting with this DS.” I pause, Areola responding by waving her right forehoof. “...Go on.” “This DS runs on normal electricity that Equestria only has sparse amounts of. And each one of us emit a cranial pulse everypony, even changelings, can detect. Now what happens when the delta waves from rapid eye movement and electricity are bridged by extrasensory neurons?” “Uh, lightning? Funnels to the waking world?” “But more importantly, Areola, haywire magic. This DS was attempting to let Aita know that his birthday was today, but because it required electricity, any close proximity to it would lead to a discharge. You were in his dream, right?” Areola nods. “Then he had you on his mind when the discharge happened, thus you were led here.” “Twilight… where’d Aita go?” When Areola and I enter the throne room, Aita is sound asleep on Applejack’s throne while Starlight is on Fluttershy’s, and Spike on his own. “Starlight, Spike, how are things going with Aita?” I ask. “Spike and I were curious about what spell that DS triggered. So using Ampliatur Vestigium, I was able to find the main culprit: Sumnus Revivia. It’s really powerful stuff that I won’t mess with nowadays, especially after that time I tried to condense five lessons into a single session.” Areola shakes her head in confusion. “She did WHAT?!?” I turn my head to Areola. “Starlight’s good with spells; I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” I turn back to Starlight. “Starlight, is Aita going to be alright?” “With a spell that powerful, he might be out of commission for the morning. He’s sure gonna feel that when he wakes up.” I take a quick, deep breath. “Okay. I don’t know if he’s reentered rapid eye movement yet, but just to be sure, we’ll need to put him back to bed. Areola, would you be up to that?” Areola lets out a grin of inclination. “Great. Then Starlight, Spike and I will stay here until you’re done.” So now, Areola takes Aita out of the throne room so that Spike, Starlight and I can discuss the adjustments we need to make. I moan. “I didn’t expect Aita would involuntarily bring the former changeling queen back to life. Now he’s gonna miss half his birthday. We had so much planned for him this morning.” “Don’t worry about it Twilight. Starlight and I have everything covered, right.” Starlight nods at Spike. “We’ll just offset everything by a few hours. And because this is, well, Aita’s birthday, I think we should let him stay up as long as he wants; just keep him occupied, and do not let him see the night, should his daily rhythm kick in again.” I teleport in the communication journal and start writing. Dear Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle here. We’ve just had a little mishap here in the Castle of Friendship. Aita’s DS was attempting to notify him about his birthday, but because he had it on the side-table next to him, it led to a magical discharge that brought someone back to life. I know that all sounds crazy, but I’m notifying you because we’ll have to delay our party by a few hours as a result of the discharge. I hope you understand if we don’t get started right away. Author's Note The note at the bottom was originally the result of some attempt at consistency between EqG:OA and this.
Chapter IV“How- H-How’d you find the time to do this?!?” I stammer to Twilight with a mixture of hype and shock. “As I’ve learned from Pinkie, when you’re family, you make the time. I couldn’t just take you outside the castle without getting you looking forward to the rest of the day, could I?” Well that got the gears turning. “...I don’t know. I may not’ve minded sleeping late, but if I ever did, this would definitely make up for it. Thanks again for doing this, Twilight. No one in here will ever have to wait their turn to play now!” I stop when I have this strange feeling, like… “Wait, aren’t you forgetting someone? I can’t put my hoof on it, but something in the back of my mind is nagging at me about another changeling living here. Ah well, I’m sure it’s nothing.” I start to head for the main entrance, and while Twilight initially doesn’t follow, like she was asking herself what that was, she does pass by and begins to lead my way. When I do see her, she’s carrying the copies of my DS into a saddle bag. Ah, what a peaceful afternoon, though I might’ve spoken too soon. Two different ponies enter my place, and the door opens with plenty of space. One is a changeling no younger than eight, to Twilight Sparkle he seems not to relate. “You know this place, right Aita?” “Twilight Sparkle, good to see you again. Tell me, have you made a new friend?” The changeling named Aita waves at me, so I return the gesture for him to see. “Hi, I’m Aita. Are you Zecora?” “Why yes I am, little changeling. You can ask me anything.” “Maybe not him, but more for me. I made new copies of Aita’s games. Do you have anything to remove recorded data? I tested them out earlier and they have Aita’s records on them when they’re also on the original.” “Ah, machine or not, memory is complex. Perhaps I might have the perfect specs.” I hurry over to the window, where I begin looking high and low. Eventually I find a memory swab, one that just may do the job. With my hoof I dip it in broth, wetter than most other cloth. The games are held so I wipe then down, so the memory won’t be around. “There you go, good as new. I hope you have fun, you two.” “Thanks Zecora. This really helped. Anything extra before we use them?” “Yes Twilight, just let them dry. You wouldn’t want your machines to fry.” So Twilight and Aita turn around, and begin heading back into town. Wow. I don’t know what happened in there, but I sure liked it. I never realized it before Twilight and I went to the hut, but Zecora has a certain rhythm to her movements I wish I could describe. It’s like she’s always in the middle of a song. “Anything wrong Aita?” “Actually no… I was pleasantly stunned at how nice Zecora seemed. I don’t know if it was my changeling instincts kicking in, but I was thoroughly enthralled with everything about her; it was like watching a performance. How come I didn’t feel that watching TV?” Twilight gasps. “That’s because you were actually in her hut, and she gave you vibes you couldn’t have gotten on TV! She sure feels good to be around, doesn’t she?” “Yeah! Good to her core!” “Just as long as you have a reason to go, Aita, I’ll happily let you teleport there on your own time.” Twilight and I stop and take a look at the scenery. There’s a bush to our right that looks like Arnold Shortman’s head for some reason. I guess Fluttershy’s house must be close. This seems to be where I hid all those years ago when I ran away from home. “You remember this place?” “Of course I do,” I answer calmly. “This was where you, Spike and Fluttershy found me. All I remember before that was just running away from the guards in Canterlot. I was told I ran away from my old home around the same time. That must’ve been why I was in Canterlot in the first place.” “Do you ever remember why?” I shake my head. “Nope. Just that you kept me safe until Mom took me back home.” “Oh, so as far as you can remember, you’ve always known what you are?” “Why? Did I not at one point?” “In my memory, you were scared of that fact. Carina shushed me because I was about to say ‘changeling’ too soon on you.” “Yeah… I do remember being very sensitive to new facts, especially ones that conflicted with what I knew… But if I can accept that I’m a changeling, and even forget why I couldn’t in the first place, then I think I can listen to whatever there is to know now.” Twilight hugs me with her wing like she did yesterday. “I’m so glad I took you in, Aita. Your the friendliest, loveliest changeling I could ever ask for.” I give Twilight a hug back, eyes beginning to water. “Oh… I love you, Twilight.” “I love you too, Aita… Now, let’s head back into town. I’m sure you could use some dessert after all this.” About halfway to Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight begins another conversation. “So, what do you think you’ll want as Sugar Cube Corner? Cookie cake? Chocolate fondue?” “I don’t know… I really see myself just having a good time with you. Put any dessert on my plate and I’ll eat it up.” “Oh, that’s right. I forgot… so just as long as it’s a labor of love, right?” I nod. “Yeah. That’s why I liked Greta Scone Corner so much in Las Pegasus. Hopefully the Cakes should have the same idea.” “Maybe I can see if Pinkie Pie can tell what you would be in the mood for the most… actually, why don’t I order a dozen cupcakes, that way we both co-” I suddenly stop Twilight when I realize as we approach our destination the lights are off. “That’s weird. They’re normally open on a Wednesday. Don’t tell me they suddenly started celebrating Flag Day of all holidays.” “Oh don’t be ridiculous Aita. I don’t think they’re celebrating Flag Day; we have that right before winter starts. Why don’t you take a whiff from in there; I’m sure it’s open.” I do as Twilight says and… I smell anticipation… excitement. Where’s it all coming from? I don’t see anyone in there. I seriously don’t know what’s going on.
Chapter VI take a deep breath and open the door, Twilight following close behind. Walking straight, not having daylight to contrast, I can now see that it’s packed with ponies in here. As I look around, someone jumps up and flips the lights on. The sudden change in lighting makes me jump initially. “SURPRISE!!!” everyone says with noisemakers in the background. My heart is racing after the light came on, but the excitement and love kick in again, which means I could calm down. “Whew, thanks everyone. That’s a fun start. Twilight, did you have a hoof in this?” I ask with a smile on my face, to which she nods. “Happy birthday, Aita.” I take a good look at the ponies in the room. Two of them stick out, and one of them is Chrysalis. Is the other one… Queen Areola? “Areola?!? I thought you lived exclusively in the dream realm!” “I did… until today. It was an accident.” “...so I really did pull you into my room?!? How?!?” Twilight pulls me under her wing again. “Maybe you might be interested in a science lesson or two to figure it out.” “Accident or not though, Aita…” Chrysalis starts, approaching and locking eyes with me. She doesn’t even have any negativity in her, yet I start crouching. Maybe it’s her posture that’s making me do it. “You will have to be more careful where you put your electronic devices from now on. Am I clear about that?” I swallow hard. “...yes. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Twilight taps my right wing, so I quickly turn my head to her. “Aita, relax. It’s just Queen Chrysalis. She’s not even disappointed.” “I know, Twilight. I don’t even know how I could be doing this without any-” “Are you okay, Aita?” Areola interrupts, floating me past Chrysalis over to her. “Is my old student too stern on you? Honestly Chrysalis, would you be so hard on him if you experienced that for yourself?” “W-why wouldn’t I? And besides, you have limits too, right?” “Only around the adults… have you seriously forgotten why human Spitfire was arrested?” I start getting angered when Areola mentions Superintendent Spitfire. Oh well. Some things never change. I soar between Areola and Chrysalis and push them away from each other. “Queens! Cut it out!” Areola and Chrysalis look utterly shocked by what I’m doing. “I can listen to you two discuss the parental guidance of a changeling family, but bringing up my abusers is where I draw the line!” I start choking up at what I think of next, but it’s got to be done. “I gotta leave…” I walk away from Areola and Chrysalis and go upstairs, who are even more shocked now than when I initially cut them off. The rest of the crowd is also shocked at this short feud. When I enter the Cakes’ master bedroom, I lie and break down near the door. After what feels like hours, I hear two ponies and a dragon come upstairs. I feel Twilight’s left wing drape across my back. “You okay, Aita?” she asks. “Of course not! I had to w-walk out on m-my own party!” Starlight begins petting my head. “We understand that.” “And it’s okay, Aita,” Spike finishes. “You did the right thing.” “I… I did?” I look at Twilight, who nods. “Yeah… if you stayed like you wanted to, that royal tension would’ve made things worse for everypony. I know you feel hurt having to do that, but there are times you have to speak up and do something.” I hug Twilight after hearing her comforting words. “I’m proud of you for standing up to Chrysalis and Areola… it was the only way they’d stop and think about what they were doing.” “Now we know why we were all called by the map to Sugar Cube Corner,” Starlight adds. “to help Chrysalis and Areola understand just what happens when they’re at odds with each other.” When Twilight, Spike and Starlight go up to comfort Aita, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and I watch as Applejack and Rarity are the first to come forward to confront Chrysalis and Areola. “Areola…” says Rarity. “How do you think Twilight feels for upsetting Aita like that, for mentioning those who’ve deeply wronged him? You are aware of how sensitive he is to that kind of subject, right?” Applejack points to Chrysalis. “And Chrysalis, how do you think Starlight feels for not considerin’ the fact that Aita is a child? He was only tryin’ to have a good time… on his birthday for cryin’ out loud!” Rainbow Dash sits down and turns her head to the side. “Not cool, girls!” “What royal party poopers…” Pinkie Pie tosses her forehooves up and flops forward on her stomach. Suddenly, one of the crowdsponies on the other side of the room comes toward Chrysalis and Areola from behind: an amber unicorn with a sunset color scheme for her mane, tail and cutie mark. “They’re more than that, Pinkie Pie.” Chrysalis and Areola turn around to face her. “They are fools.” “Who’s that?” I ask. “That’s Sunset Shimmer! Now-” Fluttershy shushes me as Sunset Shimmer keeps inching toward them. “Chrysalis, I’m especially disappointed after you and your teacher lost sight of why we were here in the first place. This was supposed to be a special day for not just a juvenile changeling, but someone important to every single one of us, including you two. Your petty argument just evaporated all the respect I had for you. Aita’s too good of a friend of mine to let you live that down.” And so, Sunset Shimmer walks out of Sugar Cube Corner. Looking at Chrysalis and Areola now, they turn around with welled-up cheeks. I sigh. “Surely after those ponies confronted your behavior, you’ll understand what happened.” “What do you two have to say for yourselves?” Fluttershy sternly asks. “Chrysalis?!? Areola?!?” Chrysalis takes a deep breath. “We’re sorry, everypony… Areola and I should have left our quarrel in private. There’s no excuse to bring it out here for all to see, including Aita. I only hope you all can forgive our shortsightedness, especially Aita with my intrusiveness and Areola’s insensitivity. Sunset Shimmer was right; this was supposed to be Aita’s special day. I’ll go up and check on him. Areola, I advise you follow suit.” Areola follows Chrysalis as she goes upstairs. Soon after, the room is silent, with Fluttershy of all ponies to break the silence. “Do you think they learned their lesson?” “It sure sounded like it,” Rainbow Dash answers. “That was an even better apology than Starlight’s.”
Chapter IIILater in the morning when I wake up, I look around, not remembering a single thing that happened after Areola went to put Aita to bed. When I see her sleeping on some towels, it all comes back to me: When Areola returned, the meeting broke and we all went to bed. She asked that I make a nest for her, so I made it out of several towels. I let out a small yawn before I hear tossing and turning. I look at the analog clock on my side-table: 7:16 in the morning. That is way too early to have the proper rest I need after what happened to Aita… Hm… I didn’t dream at all, so maybe I slept more well than I thought. I just hope Aita’s okay after all that. He’ll just have to be careful where he lays his DS from now on. Eventually, Areola perks up and looks at me. “Drifted back to conscience too?” “Yeah. I guess that kerfuffle earlier left everyone drained. But hey, we’re awake now. Would you like to help us out or just keep Aita company?” Areola hangs her head and holds it down with her left forehoof. “Sorry, but I’ve been ejected out of the dream realm. I’ll need some time alone to take in my surroundings.” “Understood. I’ll go see if Starlight and Spike are awake. We’ll be on our way soon enough.” While walking down the hall to Spike’s room, several cutie marks seem to race by, followed closely by their bearers: Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack. “What’s the rush girls?!?” Suddenly, looking back to the girls, I see my cutie mark glowing. The map is calling, but why during Aita’s birthday? Aren’t we supposed to have the whole day planned out already? When Spike comes past me, his spikes are glowing, with a head of him whizzing ahead of him. At the throne room, not only is Spike and my friends here, but also Starlight and- “Moondancer?!? Queen Chrysalis?!? How can the map call so many ponies at once?!? Where are we headed?!?” Queen Chrysalis moves out of the way to reveal that eight cutie marks plus Spike’s head and Chrysalis’ crown are all floating around Ponyville, specifically Sugar Cube Corner. “Isn’t that where we’re supposed to have the party?” Fluttershy asks. Rarity sticks her nose up with her hoof on her forehead. “Of course darling, but who could possibly be having a friendship problem in Sugar Cube Corner?” Chrysalis starts to think out loud. “Hm… there might be one who will. I briefly visited Aita last night, and him being his bright self, he figured everything out that we planned. Collaborating with Moondancer, the new game, the party…” “Seriously Twilight,” Moondancer says. “what the hell? You were supposed to keep this all a surpr-.” “Moondancer- shhh,” Chrysalis replies. “There’s no keeping a secret with Aita. He’ll find out what’s going on with even only one clue. I think it stems from losing his old family.” “Aw man,” Rainbow Dash complains in the air. “I wish we never pushed the birthday topic away from Aita. Now he’s figured it all out.” Applejack approaches Rainbow Dash. “Oh buck up, Rainbow Dash. The party should be swell anyway. Ah reckon Aita can still talk with us if it means so much to him.” “Yeah, but we can’t throw a surprise party without him knowing so easily… or can we?” Pinkie Pie’s deliberate expression gives me a little hope for some secrecy. After what feels like a week, I’m finally conscious. I spring up, gasping for breath. When I subsequently calm down, I see Twilight. “Twilight! Oh thank goodness! I had a terrible dream about Areola and I getting dragged out into my room, then it suddenly ended and everything went black! It felt so real!” “That’s not important right now. You were out for a REALLY long time. So long in fact, lunch time’s almost over.” “WHAT?!? Then hug me! Make it quick!” Twilight gives me a quick hug so that I can get fueled for the afternoon. With this newfound energy, I look around for anyone in the castle, but the quick skim leaves me emptyhooved. “Where is everyone?” “Oh, everyone is out and about… I’m so sorry about your birthday being offset for sleeping so long. This never usually happens to you.” “Twilight… this is my first birthday in Equestria! It’s not supposed to be a plain ol’ normal day. So what if I sleep in? I can handle it. So, where do we go first?” “First, the throne room. I wanted to show you something personally. Lucky for you, you get to play it.” Twilight teleports out and then back in with my DS floating with her when she comes back. “You said it’s been sad not being able to play with anyone else on this, right?” Twilight asks as we walk down the hall to the throne room, to which I nod. “Well, Starlight and I were originally gonna do this with the old friendship journal, if you even remember seeing that when you were watching us, but I made a branch of the spell that makes perfect copies for anything.” I gasp in excitement. “No way! You’re gonna copy my DS?!?” “Not just the DS, but also the games you brought with you when you first moved in.” I jump for joy, knowing I’m gonna be able to play with Spike, Twilight and Starlight on the games I brought with me. “Oh my gosh! This means a lot! Thank you so much, Twilight!” So, when Twilight and I arrive at the throne room, Twilight signals me to come to her. “How’s your horn doing?” I light my horn, which takes a little bit of time, but it does activate. “Alright, it seems like.” “Alright, I’m gonna put the DS on the map, and we will join horns.” With my horn still lit, Twilight sets down the DS, then lowers her head for our horns to touch. What follows is a bright flash of light, then my DS beginning to float on its own, as well as three beams radiating out of the DS like one of those toys I saw shortly before leaving my homeworld. As soon as the light dims, three more DS’s smoothly land on the map with my own landing soon after. I’m in shock of how Twilight managed to get this down pat. It’s left my mouth agape. I lift each of the DS’s, and each one has a copy of Planet Puzzle League and Pokemon Soul Silver underneath.
