You know, I never thought that the day that I got my cutie mark would be a day that pleased me. That was mostly because I never thought that I would get one because a human getting a cutie mark might just be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. But gosh darn it, I'm a freaking alicorn goddess now, and I just got my cutie mark. I have to say, I like the symbolism behind it. It's kind of nice. The crowd went absolutely berserk when I got it, particularly seeing as how I got it right after a rousing speech about how I was going to be an awesome princess.

Why couldn't I freaking be an awesome prince instead?

Well, given that it seemed that I had the full support of the Equestrian ponies, and the fact that I got my cutie mark, I have to say that the press conference was a rousing success. I didn't see any of the Mane Six there, but Celestia assured me that they came. I almost wished that she hadn't told me that. The fact that they didn't come to congratulate me seemed telling.

Still, that wasn't something that I wanted to dwell on. I had something more pressing to attend to. A privilege that Celestia told me was one of the most sacred traditions amongst the princesses since Cadance ascended.

Poker night.

When Celestia told me about that, an evil smile crossed my face. I was quite the card player in my high school years. I fell out of it a bit in college because I didn't have many people to consistently play with, but I was always up for a game. So, the four of us found ourselves back in the private room that I had come to after we arrived in Canterlot. The minute we entered, a guard came up levitating several suede pillows. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance ignited their horns, and all of their regalia floated off of them onto the pillows. After two tries I managed to get my own breastplate and shoes off. The guard saluted and exited the room.

"There is no need for stuffy regalia here," she said to me with a knowing smile. "This is a time for us to relax."

Luna grinned and levitated a deck of cards and a gigantic pile of bits onto the table. She rubbed hooves together and began distributing them. "Our sister is indeed correct. 'Tis the best night of the week!"

Celestia took the cards from Luna and used her magic to shuffle them. "Now, are you aware of how to play five card draw?"

I grinned evilly and mimicked Luna's action of rubbing my hooves together. "Oh you'd better believe that I know how to play five card draw." I pulled the cards close to me that Celestia had dealt out. With a little effort, I lifted them up. Five of clubs, six of spades, four of spades, eight of spades, and... princess of diamonds? It even had a picture of Luna on it. I wanted to ask, but if I did then they'd know what I had, and I certainly didn't want that. I put on my best poker face and tossed a bit into the middle for the starting pot.

"Well, since I dealt, it's your move, Cadance," said Celestia.

Cadance grinned and cracked her neck. She slid two cards across the table. "Two please." Celestia slid her two more cards.

I looked down at my own and stared at them. I had a shot at a straight which would have been quite the good beginning. On the other hand, I had a shot at a flush too. Decisions, decisions. Eh, the night was young yet. I put down my princess of diamonds and asked for one. Celestia gave me a replacement. I tried not to hold my breath as I picked it up. Six of diamonds. Curses. Pair of sixes wouldn't get me very far, and I wasn't quite ready to bluff. I clicked my tongue and tossed my cards down. "I fold."

The other three princesses exchanged amused glances that increased my determination to completely clean up by the time the night was over.

Luna requested three cards and Celestia took two for herself. Then the betting began. "I'll start off with three bits," said Celestia, pushing the amount onto the table.

"I'll call," said Cadance.

"We shall call and raise thee two, dear sister."

Celestia slowly nodded, but pushed two out. "I'll call that."

"Me too!" said Cadance.

"Very well, mares, show 'em!"

I have never heard Celestia use slang before. It kind of made sense to me when I thought about it, though. We weren't trying to be regal here. We were just playing poker. I have to admit: after everything that had happened to me recently, this was kind of nice.

Well it turned out that I was quite right to fold. Celestia smugly placed a pair of princesses and a pair of... princes on the table. I made a mental note to ask them just which ones were higher. Luna put three aces on the table and leaned back in her chair with a smug smile. "We believe that trumps two pair."

"Yeah? Well I think that a full house beats three of a kind, Auntie Lulu," said Cadance with her own smug smile. Sure enough, she put three fives and two sixes on the table. Luna groaned and facehooved while Cadance eagerly scooped up the nineteen bits she had won. She giggled as she used her magic to begin dealing out the cards again.

As I looked through my cards, I heard Celestia clear her throat. I glanced up at her to see that she was looking straight at me. "TD, I am glad that you obtained your cutie mark today, but I must ask this: why did you decide to be the princess of pastries? That was not something that we agreed on."

A wide grin split my face. "Well, that would be because I am aware of your fondness for cake. Twilight has told me that you partake in your fair share of it. Now I am the princess of it, and that means that I have power over it." I chuckled and looked back down at my cards. "Right?"

"Are you planning on eating a lot of it? said Celestia with a hint of stiffness. "Or is it simply a prank on your part?"

"A prank," I admitted as I pushed a bit into the pile. "A rather good one, is it not?"

"Indeed," said Celestia with even more stiffness. The other two princesses tried, but failed, to hold back their laughter. "You do realize this will not go unavenged, correct?"

I chuckled and put three cards on the table. "I would expect nothing less."

Cadance exchanged my cards, and I was quite delighted by them. I didn't show it, though. I had long since learned to have a poker face. It had served me quite well in high school.

"Okay, mares. Just like last time, let's start with three," said Cadance.

"You're on and I'll raise you two!" I shot back.

Luna grimaced and put her cards on the table. "We fold," she groaned.

"I'll see you and raise you five," Celestia retorted.

Ooh. If this wasn't an attempt to get back at me for becoming the princess of cake, I'm not sure what was. I'm sure something more was in store for me, but she'd start here. I smirked at her and pushed the bits onto the table. "You are so on."

"Same here!" Cadance chirped. She pushed seven bits onto the table. "Alright, called. Show them."

I smiled and put my cards down. Flush of spades. Cadance clicked her tongue and put her three eights on the table. Celestia raised an eyebrow at my hand, but sighed and put her cards down. Three princesses.

"And that's me," I said happily, gathering up the thirty bits and putting them in a neat stack. I took the cards from Cadance and began shuffling them. "So, you said that I'd be able to create my own guard. When will that be?"

"Well, I think that it would be prudent to start the selection process once you move to Baltimare," said Celestia as she pushed a bit onto the table. "You'll be pretty much on your own there."

"Makes sense." I began dealing the cards. "When will the move be?"

"Whenever you're ready, TD." Celestia pulled her cards closer to her. "I assume you would like that to be sooner rather than later."

I smirked and nodded. "Not that I don't enjoy the pleasure of your company."

Celestia chuckled and put two cards down. "The princess of snark and sarcasm you are."

I snorted and began exchanging cards.

"We suspect that thou hast a plan for your branch of the royal guard, do you not?" Luna said with a knowing smile. "Thou seems quite eager to initiate their creation."

I chuckled quietly and exchanged my own cards. "Oh, you know me too well, Luna." I snorted and called Luna's bet of four bits. "And I really do mean that."

"We don't get to know your plans for them, do we?" Cadance guessed.

I smiled proudly and shook my head. "Nopedy nopedy nope. My guards are my business until they are ready to begin active duty."

Celestia chuckled and called Luna's bid. "I look forward to it."

Do you know what none of you knew about Cadance? She's quite the card shark. I mean, the night didn't last as long as I thought it would because Cadance kept winning. I'm just glad that Luna was out before I was. That probably had to do with my experience with poker coupled with some good luck.

Having said all of that, the night was quite good. I didn't quite expect to see the other three princesses so relaxed and laid back, but it was kind of refreshing. I hate to admit it, but it started to shift my perspective on them a touch. Not enough that I didn't have some resentment towards Luna and Celestia for, you know, breaking my spine and tearing me away from all I knew and loved, but I was starting to feel more comfortable around them.

I'm not sure how I felt about that. I'm also not sure how I felt about me being so comfortable around all of them. Sure, poker nights are awesome in any dimension, and I had an absolute blast. Still, when I thought about it, I realized that I was kind of getting... comfortable with the whole 'me as an alicorn princess' thing. That I did not like. Yeah, I was only tolerating this for now because I was getting some cool stuff out of it, like my own guard that I had deliciously mischievous plans for, but once I got powerful enough I was going to expend all of my free time looking for a cure.

Though... maybe I'd spend some of that time looking to see if I couldn't get Twilight to ascend in my place. This was her destiny, after all. Not mine.

I sighed and laid back in my temporary chambers in the palace. I settled into the cloud-filled mattress--pegasi were right to favor those--and stared up at the ceiling. Now that I had a moment to reflect, I was kinda... worried about how much I was settling into this. I didn't want to be an alicorn princess. End of story. Fate could deal me this hand--heh... poker puns--but I didn't have to take it with grace and dignity.

"Focus, TD," I muttered. "Focus on what's important. You can have your fun, but get back to being a human."

I nodded to myself and slowly closed my eyes. "Focus. You're a human. Forget this pony body. You're a human."

The more I thought about it, the less I liked the situation. I had money, power, ponies who would bow to me--I especially hated that part--and a position that others would kill to have. Just my luck that the one being in all of this universe who didn't want this is the one who got it.

Figures.

Author's Notes:

My next Wanderings chapter is complete and halfway edited. expect tomorrow, as well as a longer chapter of this one. Maybe another Interesting Date chapter. Heck, I might even update Gwenwyn too.

That's for me to know and you to find out.