After typing in the password and opening the front door to my house, I almost proceed in right away until I notice that Diamond is not following behind me. As a result, I look back and notice her hesitating to cross the threshold, so I ask her, “What's up?”

Diamond glances at me for a brief moment, then resumes looking through the open front door.

“I'm not sure,” Diamond replies timidly. “I guess this doesn't quite feel real to me yet.”

Understanding sinks into me. I turn to face her fully then approach to stand beside her. I wear a knowing grin.

“I know what you mean. It sort of feels like a dream, doesn't it? A dream that you're scared to wake from,” I give an educated hypothesis.

“Entering places like this used to appall me,” Diamond informs me. Her eyes shift to me. “It's kind of like how you might feel at the thought of entering into a mud-soaked pigsty full of fleas and maggots. This used to feel like a big step down for me, but now it feels like a sanctuary that I'm afraid I'll lose.

“Besides that,” she half shrugs lightly, “Twilight's place isn't half bad. In fact, it's kind of neat. It feels like visiting the future. My only problem with this place is I'm still relegated to sleeping on the couch over this past week, but there is still a roof over my head, something I had feared I might not have after I left my mother's mansion.”

“Yeah, we don't have much extra room in the house,” I acknowledge as I look off to my right side. “There is the basement, but it really is cluttered with all kinds of stuff. Even a few dangerous things, I suspect.”

“What kind of danger?” Diamond asks me nervously. “Dangerous as in the house could explode?”

“No.” I look back at Diamond. “Dangerous as in a lot could go wrong if those inventions fell into the wrong hands,” I assure her. “Besides, as for explosions, the ceiling and walls are reinforced for that. My mother also has blast shields down there for any experiment she feels it could happen to. I wish I was kidding, but being an inventor does mean taking certain risks. At least she's smart enough to take certain precautions.”

“Isn't that . . . illegal?” Diamond asks me quietly.

“I think my mother has the proper permits,” I answer with uncertainty.

Although, on second thought, I don't think she would be able to legally get permits in this state to operate with explosives in her own house when she has a kid living within it. That sounds like something one might want to hide from the inspection of an adoption agency.

Plus, I know the portal to Horse-Land is down there. It may be busted, but that is still not something one wants to splash all over the news. Even in it's broken state, if that machine were to be reversed engineered by others, they might accidentally, or on purpose, open a portal to literal hell, or some other dimension akin to it.

Horse-Land is not the only destination a portal like that could potentially open to. Even if it was, some horrors exist in Horse-Land as well. Their magic has been known to transform humans in our world into monsters, or summon monsters from Horse-Land itself.

Like the Dark King. I still don't know how I'm going to deal with that bastard.

I'm not even entirely certain he exists at all, or if I'm going crazy instead.

Apparently Diamond echoes some of my thoughts.

“Where would one go to get a license to invent stuff with potential explosive properties?”

“I don't know! It just seems to me that my mother has all that stuff squared away. I trust her.

“Um . . . by the way, change of subject.” I hold my bookbag in front of me as I look at Diamond squarely. “My mother asked me, about three days ago, if I'd be upset if you moved into my room. I told her that I wouldn't find that too inconvenient since we're both girls, and I don't mind the company besides, but then it occurred to me that you might have a problem with it.

“Do you? Despite appearance, you'd actually have more privacy in the living room.”

“Moving into your room? Uh . . .” Diamond trails off as she thinks about it. “Huh.” She blinks in surprise. “I don't know why, but for some reason moving into your room feels more private and secure. I know,” she shakes her head, “it shouldn't feel that way but, for some reason, I feel more exposed in the living room. Maybe it's just because of the mere idea that the living room is meant for something else. Like it's a shared space for everyone. In your room, in contrast, it would be just us.”

“Huh.” I blink with a thoughtful look on my face, then half shrug.

“Another idea Mother proposed is to redecorate the living room by perhaps installing new walls to section one corner of it off,” I mention. “After that, she'd convert it into your room. It would be much smaller, but it would also be fully yours.”

“Hmm.” Diamond looks beyond the still open door to our home. “That's something to think about.” She looks back at me as she says, “Before I agree to that, I think I want a look at the exact floor plans.”

“I'm sure Mom has one on her computer,” I tell Diamond. “It’s probably also a 3D model.”

Diamond sighs. Her face has an expression of worry. “But I don't know if I am even going to stay here. Your mother might get disapproved for this home to turn into a foster home, or my mother might complain too much and drag me back to hell kicking and screaming.”

“Okay, now I know that's not going to happen without a fight!” I warn Diamond. “My mom wouldn't be the only one to put up a struggle on that front.

“Besides, I think your mother is too busy doing damage control because of the leaked footage of her abusing you.

“One thing that does have me curious, though, is your father. What does he think of all of this?”

“My father? Um,” Diamond looks off to her side. “I've barely heard much about him over the last four years. Video conference calls, e-mail letters, and some gifts are the most I've heard from him. Other than that, he's too busy out there making us more money, as if we didn't have enough of that already.

“Honestly, my father has barely set foot inside our mansion. He treats it more like a summer home rather than his primary residence. Sometimes I think he has a second family and spends more time with them.”

I look at her in shock. “Do you really think that?”

Diamond shakes her head. “No. That's just how I feel, but I don't really have any evidence other than his frequent absence. Of the few times he has been in my life, he's usually been pretty warm and kind about it, but I can't help but I feel like he looks down on me at the same time. It's like he loves me, but he doesn't respect me. He treats me like I'm still some little kid.”

Part of me still feels like a little kid. It's honestly eerie how closely Diamond's life and mine mirror each other.

“Maybe that's common with all fathers,” I reason.

“Especially absentee fathers,” Diamond says bitterly. “He still looks at me like a little kid because I was one when we last hung out for any reasonable length of time. He's not accustomed to seeing me as a teenager or adult because he wasn't there to watch me grow up.”

“All of that might change once he catches wind of what his wife did to you,” I suspect. “If he really loves you, that might be enough to prompt drastic changes in him.

“Honestly, I'm looking at him as the most likely true reason you'll leave this home.”

“Eh.” Diamond shrugs carelessly. “We'll see. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.”

“Question,” I broach.

“Hmm?” Diamond looks at me with interest and focused attention.

I cut a hand across the air as I say, “For now, let's pretend that, no matter how much your mother bitches and moans, her opinion doesn't matter. Pretend, for a moment, she already lost custody rights to you. That sounds likely to happen anyway.”

“Okay,” Diamond acknowledges with a nod. “Noted.”

The hand that cut through the air returns to my bookbag as I continue with my point. “Your father, on the other hand, is a different story.

“Now, I want you to pretend that, instead of demanding you back, your father approaches you and asks you if you want to return home with him, or stay here with Twilight. Pretend he also insists that your mother will not be in the picture. Pretend he successfully imposed a restraining order on her.

“If given the choice, would you go back with your father . . . or would you stay here with us?”

“You asked yourself that question many times in your life, haven't you?” Diamond perceptively asks me.

Very astute of her.

Yes, I have. To this day, I still don't feel entirely certain how I would answer that question, but after six years of my mother showering me with love using all her might, I'm heavily leaning toward remaining with her.

“I'll admit, I have thought about it,” I concede. “Even in my imagination, that perspective is painful to look at because, no matter what I choose, I feel like I'd be hurting someone I care about.

“Ideally, in that scenario, what I'd truly want is for my birth parents and my new mother to move in together and we all become one big, happy family. I'd also settle for them moving in next door as neighbors. That way I can visit them anytime I want, day or night.”

“If my father offered something like that, he'd easily be able to afford it,” Diamond acknowledges. “Furthermore, I'd see the motive. Your mother took care of his beloved child while my mother abused me and made me feel less than human. She made me feel more like garbage.”

I wince at that. For some reason, hearing her admit that felt painful to me.

I guess I'm sensitive to subjects like this, even if it comes from my worst enemy.

“But if you had to choose and you were given the choice, what would it be?” I press. “Knowing something like this might affect your living plans in this home.

“While your father could buy us an entire home with ease, my mother redecorating a single living room and converting it to a bedroom would be a strong financial strain on her.”

“I can see why you asked, then,” Diamond realizes.

I shake my head a bit. “It's not just that. Yes, the cost/benefit analysis is part of it, but I am also curious about the length and intensity of your stay here. Are you just a visitor here, or should I start calling you my sister now?”

Diamond opens her mouth to speak, but freezes that action as she looks through the door when both of us hear my mother calling to us from within.

“Cozy, Diamond . . . can you join me in the backyard, please?” my mother calls to us with an edge of insistence in her voice. Whatever the reason, it sounds important.

Looking back at Diamond, I see tension return to her face. I realize that she must have heard that steel in my mother's voice as well. Diamond is quickly growing concern that my mother may have bad news for her.

But, personally, I have another theory in mind.

“Come on.” I offer a hand to Diamond. “I'll be with you every step of the way.”

I calculate a seventy-nine percent chance that the old Diamond Tiara would have scoffed at that offer, but this girl proved she's not the same girl by gladly taking my hand. With our hands clasped, I notice how her hands are cold. She squeezes my hand for comfort.

I really can't blame her. Her entire future seems like it's in jeopardy. It must be so nerve-racking to wake up every single day and worry if tomorrow things might get so much worse for complex reasons.

I am surprised to find myself sympathizing with her, but the reasons for that are quickly falling into place for me.

Maybe this is the true Diamond Tiara. Maybe her earlier arrogance as she scoffs at everything is just a mask to hide this part of herself, a frightened and tortured child who is afraid she's going to get hurt again.

That's honestly my new impression of her. Her current fears are so strong that she doesn't see any reason to conceal it anymore. Instead, she's trying to play the “pity me” card. Why oh why is it actually working on me?

Together, hand in hand, I lead her to our backyard, where my mother is waiting for us as she stands in the middle of the rectangular, grassy yard. Initially, her back is to us.

To the corner of this yard is our khaki-colored plastic storage shed. A few feet in front of that shed, and also to the shed's right side (if facing towards it), is a small flower garden that my mother loves to tend. Surrounding this entire area is a red wooden fence that is so dark it's almost brown.

It does not escape my notice that an unusual amount of gardening tools are spread across the backyard as well as a few other large items, which are normally stored in the shed, are now sitting outside and near the shed in a great big pile. The way those items are stacked together is as if to conceal something, or rather someone, behind the stuff. This also means room has been made within the shed.

I look around more carefully and notice several shadows of people hiding around the corners of our home. I narrow my eyes at that.

Okay. Theory confirmed.

Diamond overlooks these details, though, largely because she is less accustomed to this place. Instead, she continues to regard my mother with strong worry.

“I'm here,” Diamond reports nervously to my mother's back. “Or, rather to say, we're here. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

My mother's back is still facing towards us, and she has her arms crossed in front of her.

“I have only one thing to say to you today, Diamond Tiara!” my mother says in an unusually hard voice. After that, she spins about and spouts out, “SURPRISE!!!” She, and many others, say simultaneously as they suddenly reveal themselves from behind wherever they were hiding.

As I suspected, a few were hidden behind the large objects that should have been in the shed. More emerge from the shed itself, and most of them reveal themselves from around the corners of our home.

The only ones that I didn't account for are the people hidden within our kitchen behind us which leads to the backyard through a large, sliding glass door.

“Wah . . . what's going on?!” Diamond asks in shock, still on edge.

“It's your housewarming party, silly!” Pinkie Pie explains as she places a party cone hat on Diamond without permission. It is a shiny green hat attached to a tiny, flexible string.

Right after securing the hat on Diamond, Pinkie blows on a small, coiled plastic thing that stretches straight when she blows on it and makes a sound. At the same time, it blows a small cloud of party confetti towards Diamond’s face.

Looking at Pinkie, I notice she is wearing her typical blue and yellow one-piece dress with puffy shoulders. On her skirt, she has what is highly likely to be her pony counterpart's cutie mark, three balloons of blue, yellow, and blue again squashed together.

“Congratulations, Sugar Cube!” the clear country accent of Applejack says from behind us as she emerges from the kitchen, along with a dozen others. I notice Applejack wearing a brown leather skirt. On her chest is a loose, highly breathable plain white shirt except for the image of a single red apple on it. On her head, she is wearing her cowboy hat.

For a brief moment, the first words her pony self had said to me flashes through my mind, because that is the last time I encountered Applejack in any form.

“I see ya met my human counterpart, else ya wouldn't have recognized me,” pony Applejack had once noted to me. “To bad she didn't tell ya about the importance of honesty.”

Because of the circumstances of that meeting, part of me feels on edge around her, but I struggle to remind myself that, to human Applejack, I'm perfectly innocent.

I quickly try to brush this thought aside in order to listen to Applejack's explanation, and I'm glad I did.

“Ya been approved to stay here as a foster child,” Applejack went on.

Diamond widens her eyes at Applejack while yet more people are quickly converging into the backyard.

“Really? So soon?” Diamond asks Applejack in astonishment.

“Yeah! I got the papers yesterday morning!” my mother cheers, regathering Diamond's attention in front of her. “All I need from you is for you to sign them, and as you can see,” she gestures to everyone around them, “I brought a lot of witnesses with me!”

“Which is something you don't have to do,” an elderly, blue-skinned woman approaches us who is dressed in a very long, straight, ivory-colored gown and dark red blouse that nearly matches the color of our fence around the backyard. She also wore spectacles clipped to her pointy nose which is sharply angled down. Her curly hair (sort of like mine) is dull blonde, but I get the impression that it used to be brighter yellow when she was younger. The expression on her face is mostly serious, but she seems a bit fascinated to observe Diamond . . . or is it me?

I, of course, recognize her on sight. This is the same woman who normally visits our home to check up on me, but this time she seems to be visiting one extra time this year.

“This is Miss Templeton,” my mother introduces to Diamond as the older and taller woman approaches. “She's here from the adoption agency to make sure everything is legit. She's the only one who is required by law to be here to witness and then claim these papers if you choose to sign them. If you do, then you get to stay here and live with us, legally!”

The excitement in my mother's voice makes her hope about Diamond's decision very clear.

“Oh gosh! This is all happening so fast!” Diamond expresses in an overwhelmed voice.

“I quite agree if present circumstances weren't withstanding,” Miss Templeton says with a very severe and curt voice. “In light of recent evidence, however, my agency wished to expedite this process so that your mother, in particular, wouldn't have legal precedence to rip you from this home.

“As it stands, however, she did the opposite of standing in Miss Sparkle's way. Your mother tried to make it very clear that she's trying to disown you.”

Diamond looks crestfallen, or more like crushed to hear that news.

“She really said that to you?” Diamond asked Miss Templeton in a distraught voice.

“Not directly, no,” Miss Templeton corrects. “Instead, word came at us from her lawyers. They seemed to want to make it very clear to us how you are written out of her will.”

“Which only means that we can get to keep you with less of a struggle, darling,” Rarity quickly adds nearby as if to try to cheer Diamond back up. I look at her, feeling a bit startled and threatened.

Rarity is not wearing the noir trench coat like she did before. Instead, she is back to tradition in a fabulously floral dress with all kinds of different colored flower petals on it. She is also wearing a wide sun hat and dark sunglasses with a pink rim and stem.

“So cheer up!” Rarity encourages. “This is great news, darling!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash agrees as she stands next to and places an arm around Rarity's neck but physically looks directly at Diamond. Rainbow is wearing a sweat jumpsuit with rainbow lines stretching up her pants legs then up across both shoulders, even though the sweat coat on her top is a separate piece of her outfit.

“Cheer up!” Rainbow agrees. “It means you get to hang around us more, and I promise we'll make it awesome!”

“Yeah you will!” Scootaloo cheers behind Rainbow Dash like an excited fan. “That's because you make everything awesome!”

Rainbow gives a cocky grin then a great big thumbs up back to Scootaloo over her right shoulder.

“Were you surprised?! Were you surprised?! Huh-huh-huh?” Pinkie Pie excitedly asks Diamond literally in front of her face, obviously having no qualms about, or even knowledge of, personal space. She got especially close with each “huh” she spoke.

“Uh . . . yeah.” Diamond presses a finger to Pinkie Pie's widely grinning face in order to gently push her back a bit. “I was surprised. In fact, very surprised! I still can't believe this is happening!”

Pinkie trembles with giddy glee, looking like she's a volcano that is about to erupt.

“Be that as it may, you are being faced with a choice, young one,” Miss Templeton says seriously. In her mind, she's probably putting the most important reason for this party back on topic. “I need you to understand that staying here as a foster child does not, I repeat, does not void your parent’s custody over you. It does, however, give Miss Sparkle here permission to take care of you pending their desire to reclaim you. Basically, you are still their child who is having an extended stay at a friend’s house.

“If you agree to these terms, then you may stay here for as long as you wish and your parents don't object.

“If you don't sign these papers, however, then we'll quickly need to consider alternative options for you.”

“I've got a pen for you right here!” my mother excitedly points out then hands both the papers and the pen to Diamond while wearing an expression that begs the teenager to sign it, but she is not insisting.

“You don't have to stay with Twilight if you don't want to,” kindly Fluttershy says as she approaches. She is wearing a white, lacy dress from shoulder to her thighs. Like Rarity, she is also wearing a wide sun hat, but no glasses this time. For some reason, she also hands Diamond Tiara a single pink flower, which Diamond accepts with a bit of bewilderment.

“There are plenty of other options besides her,” Fluttershy goes on. “Pretty much any of us would be willing to accept you if you don't want to stay with her.

“But . . . why would you want to reject Twilight? She's more eager than any of us to accept you into her huge heart.

“Oh!” Fluttershy suddenly widens her eyes as if afraid she said something offensive. An oversight she quickly corrects.

“Not that any of us want you any less! Honest! We are all driven to take care of you right now. We want to.”

“But again, why would you want to reject Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asks with a questioning shrug then pointed to our home behind us. “Honestly, she's got a cool place here . . . for an egghead, that is.” She gives an amused grin at my mother as she asks, “Although the electricity bill here must be a nightmare.”

“Well, actually,” my mother adjusts her temporary glasses (while she waits on the repair of her smart glasses) in preparation to give a long-winded speech about how many of her inventions are electrically efficient. She even made other inventions that actually produce energy in various ways.

“I think you'll fit right in with us eggheads,” I quickly tell Diamond in an attempt to cut off my mother's long-winded explanation, though I'm probably only delaying the inevitable. “Besides, this means you'll get to live with me, too, and you know a winner when you see one. You said so yourself not long ago about how you are jealous of my natural talents.

“Well, if you stick with us, I might be able to teach you some tricks that will help close the gap between us.”

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say!

I look to my left as I notice Mr. and Mrs. Cake each holding one end of a folding table as they carry it into our backyard.

The Cakes pass another couple that lures my attention. Cadence and Shining Armor are also here. That must have been one heck of a drive. They live in the next county over by now.

If they are here, then Flurry Heart should be here too somewhere. She needs to be watched because she's still a toddler.

Looking around, I grow a bit amazed at how many people showed up to this party. I see Sweetie Belle and her parents, Scootaloo, Applebloom, Big Macintosh, Silver Spoon, the young Cake twins playing with . . . Oh, there is Flurry Heart!

The three of them seem to be fascinated with smacking and pulling out grass for some reason. I just hope that they aren't stuffing the grass blades in their mouth. That would be disgusting!

“Where did you all park?” I suddenly ask aloud. “We have a lot of guests here today but I didn't see any of your cars parked out in the streets, so . . .”

I chill suddenly descends down my spine. Startled, I spin about. Doing so causes me to notice Pinkie Pie standing right behind me while staring down at me with a hypercritical look. I swear to God she was not standing behind me a few seconds ago! In fact, wasn't she in front of me just recently?

The look in Pinkie's eyes causes me to imagine that a surrounding environment darkens except for a single illumination under her face. It's probably my imagination, but there is something about the way the shadows seem to stretch up her face.

“Parties . . . are serious . . . business!” Pinkie explains to me in a hard tone while her eyes are wide and her eye pupils are tiny. The creepy expression on her face is giving me goosebumps all over.

“If extra time is required to protect the secret of a surprise party,” Pinkie went on to say then leaned down to peer about seven inches in front of my face, “then we make the time!”

Pinkie's eye pupils doubled in size for two seconds, then shrink, then double again during and after the moment she said the word “make”.

I can't move! I am so scared right now!

“Okay!” Rainbow Dash, to my infinite relief, grabs Pinkie's shoulder and drags her away from my face. “How about we steer out of Creepy Town for a second and head over to . . . oh, I don't know. Want to watch how many times I can bounce a soccer ball off my head, Pinkie Pie?”

After Rainbow Dash asks her pink friend that question, Pinkie seems to visibly reboot like a reset computer. Her eye pupils remain very tiny as she twitches an eye for a brief second. The blank look that claims Pinkie's face seems to indicate she completely forgot what she was doing a few seconds ago. Instead of that, Rainbow's suggestion now dominates Pinkie's mind.

It's as if there is no room in her mind for more than one thought at a time.

“Okay! That sounds like fun!” Pinkie agrees then playfully skips away with her hands diagonally held away from her hips while she sings, “La-la-laaaa!”

I give Rainbow Dash a relieved “I owe you!” sort of look.

Rainbow flashes me a wink before heading off to do as she promised.

You really are awesome, Rainbow Dash!

“Yeah, most of us are parked in a shopping center a few blocks down,” Cadence explains to me. “We took the bus from there. It was only a short hop, skip, and a jump from there.”

“We actually got a new family van, too,” Shining Armor adds while pulling his happy and cuddly wife close to his side. “It's bigger than we need, but we sometimes carpool for other parents and their kids, especially while we head to church.

“You should check it out sometime later.”

“I think I have a few pictures of it now,” Cadence brought up. “You want to see it, Cozy?”

I shake my head at them while I say, “Nah. I'll check it out later.”

“We're actually planning a family road-trip using it next summer,” Shining Armor casually announces. “It's going to be great!”

“And I am the one who recommended the vehicle!” my mother brags smugly while adjusting her glasses. “It has great gas mileage, many safety features, ten-year warranty under two-hundred and fifty thousand miles, aaaaaaaaand it comes with on-star roadside assistance for six months, and only two bits a month after that!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Shining agrees with a roll of his eyes. “It was a good pick, Twillie. I'll give you that.”

“Give me those papers!” Diamond demands as she yanks both of the foster care papers and pen from my mother's hand. “I need someplace sturdy to sign these.”

“We're setting up a good table right now, deary,” Mrs. Cake announces kindly as she finishes setting up the folding table along with her husband.

“That will do,” Diamond agrees as she heads over to them.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Miss Templeton asks Diamond while Diamond scampers off to the folding table.

“Signing this isn't necessarily committing to anything permanent,” Diamond says back as she puts the papers on the table just when it got set up. Her eyes skim over the papers. She's not really reading it. She's just looking for the places to sign. “Signing this is simply expanding my options. Right now I can use that security.”

My mother and Miss Templeton approach in order to look down at the papers over Diamond Tiara's shoulder. As they watch, I notice my mother starts shaking in building excitement.

Midway through, she gives me a thumbs up and winks at me.

I give a great big happy smile back at my mother, but inwardly I feel a little threatened. For so many years it's been just the two of us, and now I have to share my house, bedroom, and my mother's affection with Diamond Tiara, of all people?

Dang it! Diamond's right! This is all happening so fast.

Even though I saw this coming a week ago, it still feels rushed now that I'm actually witnessing it.

I sigh then look around me, taking stock of what everyone else is doing.

Flurry Heart is still playing with the Cake twins. The three of them are all about the same age, approximately three years old.

As I watch them, Pound Cake unceremoniously dumped a large clump of dirt, with grass still in it, on top of Flurry Heart's head.

In response, both his sister and Flurry Heart clap and giggle to cheer at him for his actions.

Big Mac and Applejack are both going back and forth in order to deliver more party supplies from the kitchen. Food and drinks, in particular. Among that, Big Mac is carrying several stacks of liquids with ease. I happen to know that Applejack can carry quite the payload as well if she has to, especially if she is using magically augmented strength.

Among the items that they are carrying are delicious baked apple pies. I made a note to myself to partake of it shortly.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Fluttershy gather at the opposite corner from the storage shed. Between all of them is a small bushel of white baby bunnies. Applebloom is attempting to feed the bunnies some baby carrots, but they don't seem interested at the moment.

While that is going on, Sweetie Belle asks Fluttershy how she is doing with her Sweet Feathers animal sanctuary, which I personally know is something of a cross between a zoo, an animal hospital, and a safe area the animals in care there can roam about freely. Originally it got funded by kickstarter for over a quarter of a million bits, but now it's being funded by paying tourists and youtube videos of Fluttershy talking about the various animals in her sanctuary.

Given how painfully shy she is, I know that is very difficult for her, but she presses on anyway for the sake of the animals. I get the feeling that's one of the reasons why her videos end up so successful. I think her audience finds her both adorable and admirable for her bravery.

I also happen to know that Filthy Rich, Diamond's father, is one of Fluttershy's biggest financial backers both during the kickstarter and continued funds since then. Most likely he's doing it for publicity's sake. It also has to do with the fact she's basically a popular superhero. Maybe she saved him at one time.

I have no doubt that Filthy also tried to turn Fluttershy's sanctuary into a business. To a point, he was also successful with that idea. Sweet Feathers is drawing in a respectable number of customers every single year, but Fluttershy was firm about the way the animals are treated as they stay in the sanctuary. Since none of the animals are in cages, alternative methods had to be taken so that the visiting tourists could see the animals without being threatened, or vice versa.

As promised, Rainbow Dash is entertaining Pinkie Pie by bouncing a soccer ball off either her face or her head repeatedly. I hear Pinkie Pie counting up to fifty-eight so far.

Since she is at it, I have a feeling Rainbow has dared herself to break a world record for this activity now. If so, it would be wise for someone to record this soon.

Then again, the footage from some of the cameras set up outside the home may suffice for that.

Eventually I notice something that really focuses my attention. Rarity is standing off by herself, talking to no one. Instead, she is merely looking at the others while sipping on a tall glass of something in a bamboo cup, bamboo straw, and tiny red umbrella in her drink. I calculate a forty-two percent chance that her drink is either tea or something alcoholic. If not either of these, however, then I have no idea.

Considering the unique opportunity, I venture over to her to give her a piece of my mind.

As I approach, Rarity looks reserved at me, but not surprised. I soon realize, as I approach her, that I really am the reason she's standing off by herself for the moment. She is giving me this opportunity to converse with her in private as long as we both keep our voices down.

“Do you still think that I am the one who framed Sunny?” I ask her quietly when I arrive in front of her.

“I don't think so, I know so,” Rarity returns to me with an edge of ice in her voice.

“Why do you think I did it? I love Sunny!” I complain.

“Darling, please! You may dispense with the charade,” Rarity says with a dismissive wave of disdain at me. “I know you did it. All of the evidence points to you.”

“What evidence?” I challenge her.

She raises an eyebrow at me in response to my question as she asks me, “Are you seriously going to continue to pretend that you didn't install that hidden camera in the hallway right in front of the door leading to the basement? A camera that just so happens to be aiming at the digital keypad in order to record the passcode?”

I look down, feeling depressed that she discovered that.

“Or how about the fact that Twilight's machine got smashed to bits from someone who measures at exactly your height?” Rarity goes on. “Every item that got smashed on the machine could only come from someone measuring at your height considering the angle of the damage pattern.

“For that matter, who else would have known that your mother even had such a machine in the basement? That's hardly a public knowledge, darling, so don't insult my intelligence.”

Rarity pauses a moment as she sips her drink.

Meanwhile, in only ten seconds, I come up with one-hundred and fifty-five ways I can murder her without putting too much suspicion on my part.

But I really don't want to. The guilt I feel at framing Sunny is bad enough as it is without stacking yet another crime on top of that.

“So . . . you smash the machine,” Rarity goes on while examining her purple polish and bejeweled finger nails of her right hand. During that time, her left hand continued to hold her cup and drink. “I'm guessing that you used it first. That machine is locked with a passcode, but someone as intelligent, resourceful, and knowledgeable as you probably found a way to bypass that. Once you were in Equestria, I'm guessing you saw something that did not sit right with you. Some information, perhaps, that you felt could threaten your plans, whatever that may be.”

Rarity peers back at me sharply as she went on to say, “As for Sunny, you had to at least take out her laptop because it had the ability to communicate with Equestria which, in turn, would inform any of us if you were seen there, but again . . . who else knew that Sunny's laptop was something special?

“But that wasn't enough, was it, darling? Sunset Shimmer could threaten your plans directly because she had the magical ability to read other people's minds and their recent history. If you had a nefarious scheme that you don't want anyone to know about, then Sunset is a dire threat to your plans.

“I'll admit, I did try to take a quick peek into your computer file system in your room, but even an average user locks their operating system with a passcode. That in itself is not too suspicious, but this,” Rarity pulls out the very same flash drive I used to infect Sunset's computer.

I widen my eyes in astonishment at it. I threw that thing away almost a moon ago!

“Yes,” Rarity agrees, seeming to read my mind. “It wasn't pleasant digging through the trash for this little pup, I can assure you. Sometimes, while investigating a case, we investigators have to do some pretty unpleasant things that's quite unsightly for a proper lady such as myself.”

Rarity fluffs her hair for a moment, then goes on.

“Imagine my surprise, or lack thereof, when I inserted this flash drive on another dummy computer. No hacker worth his or her salt would make the flash drive itself accessible to just anyone, but I clearly know what those scroll bars were meant for during the brief few moments they appeared. I recorded it, after all, and played it back later one frame at a time.

“It was not but one week after Twilight's machine got smashed when Sunny got framed. Coincidence? I think not, darling. Whoever the culprit was wanted to act fast, but waited until the school-wide safety fire drill to make her move.

“Once again, who had access to that kind of knowledge that the event would occur? That was not public information to the rest of the school. Even most of the faculty didn't know that the drill was scheduled for that day.

“So obviously I was dealing with a culprit who had intimate knowledge of Twilight's portal, Sunset's laptop, and the secret fire drill plans. It also had to be someone with expert hacking skills, and she would have to be a genius at it.

“Do you know anyone who is like this, Miss Shadow Queen?”

“Fine!” I growl quietly. “You CAUGHT me! There is just one thing I don't understand.”

“Just one?” Rarity asks in suspicion. “I have quite a few things that I don't understand, darling.”

“If you know all of this, why haven't you turned me into the police yet? You even have a motive; to exonerate Sunset Shimmer.”

Rarity reaches up to slowly pull off her sunglasses. She folds them one stem at a time then slides them into her bejeweled purse. Because she did so, I can see the look of pain on her face far more clearly.

She stares down at the grass in front of and below her at a ninety-degree angle, then she shifts that pained look to my eyes as she explained, “Because Sunset Shimmer swore me to secrecy.”

I widen my eyes at her.

“That's right, darling. She knows too,” Rarity informs me. “She knew before the last moment the cops pushed her out of her classroom.”

I think back to that moment with wide eyes and a blank expression.

I remember the look of pain on Sunset's face before she was led away. She looked like she was convinced that she failed me somehow. I used to think that is because she thought she disappointed me due to being arrested, but if she knew . . . that expression on her face takes on a whole new dimension of meaning.

Princess Twilight said that she told my mother about the history of my pony self. If that's true, did my mother share this secret with Sunset?

For that matter, do all of my mother's magical friends know?

One of them is right in front of me, but I find I don't have the courage to ask her.

Besides, if the answer is no, then I’d end up tipping her off on yet another reason to distrust me. The consequences of that might get very bad considering everything else she’s already figured out about me. Right now Rarity seems content to stay her hand, but I don’t want to feed her any more knowledge that might potentially change that balance.

While thinking abou this, I am reminded that I did not have the courage to open the file I stole from Sunset's computer, either. I still have a copy of it sitting in my computer, but I can't bring myself to open it.

It might also be a curious sense of guilt that kept me from opening that stolen file. At this rate, it might as well not even be on my machine.

“But . . . why would Sunset swear you to secrecy?” I ask as I look back up into Rarity's eyes. “It comes back to the same problem. If I am found guilty, then Sunset goes free.”

“If you think that is what Sunset wants, then you clearly don't know her at all, darling,” Rarity says in disgust. “Sunset has no more desire to see you in jail than you do. She knows you suffered enough.

“Besides, if either of us blow the whistle on your crimes, then it would break your poor mother's heart.”

“My mother doesn't know?” I ask with rising hope.

A cold look sank into Rarity's eyes which evokes a flash of guilt in me.

“No, darling. She does not,” Rarity confirms. “I aim to keep it that way.”

Rarity sighs as she looks away from me. She narrows her eyes, but her face remains pained due to the torment of being stuck between two awful choices.

“So you needn't worry about me,” Rarity expresses to me with a bit of an empty voice. “I won't tell anyone about what I've discovered. Instead, that will be up to you.” Her gaze shifts to me. “Only you can decide how long an innocent woman pays for your crimes.”

Rarity sighs again as she looks forward, then says, “Just . . . do me a favor. Whatever your reason for doing all of this is . . . whatever it is that's in your system . . . just finish what you are after and get it over with, but I also beg you to consider how many good people suffered as it is. If you truly think all of this has been worth it then move forward and don't look back.

“I, ah . . . I gotta go. I can't stand the sight of you right now.”

There is a part of me that panics when I see her walk past me in as much disgust as she is in pain. I actually surprised myself when I called out to her.

“Rarity,” I called to her back. She pauses to listen, but does not look back at me.

I go on.

“Do you really think I'm irredeemably evil?” I ask sadly.

Maybe they are all thinking that. Maybe they have been watching me and judging me all these years. Maybe they were suspicious of me all along because of the crimes of my alternate self in another dimension.

“Why do you ask?” Rarity challenges me, still without looking back at me. “Have you done something recently that causes you to question that?”

I look down in depression. That question honestly stabs me in my heart.

We pass a while in silence, then she finally turns around to face me over her left shoulder. For that, I glance up at her in surprise.

“For the record, the answer to your question is no,” Rarity replies. “On the contrary, I actually think you are a rather good girl at heart who has made some awful choices lately. After all, someone who was truly irredeemably evil wouldn't bother to ask that question at all. She wouldn't care, or she would enjoy it.”

Hope returns to my eyes and voice as I ask her, “Do you really believe that?”

The hope I feel starts to fade when I notice Rarity not answering right away. Instead, she pauses for at least ten seconds before answering as she turns away again, “I have to, darling.”

Rarity walks away, which leaves me with a great empty feeling in my heart.

After that morbid conversation with Rarity, I want to spend some time alone, but fate had other plans for me.

“Look, Honey! Look!” my mother squeals at me excitedly as she quickly dashes up to me and flashes me the foster papers. “It's all signed up, witnessed and certified, so it's official! Diamond is going to be living with us, at least for a while.”

I force a smile to my face. Usually that is pretty easy, but it's never been more difficult for me when I feel the opposite way.

For once, lying is hurting me.

“Gee whiz, Mother! That sure sounds swell!” I cheer for her in a peppy manner. “That's awesome!”

“Oh Cozy!” My mother glomps me. “You're so kind and brave to be willing to share our lives with someone else in need. Also, think of it this way; with Diamond living with us, it will be almost exactly like having a sister! Isn't this great?”

I say, “Sure, Mom,” as I pat her on the back.

Diamond as my sister. Greeeeeeeaaaaaat! You sure know how to rub it in my face, Universe!

“Um . . . listen, Mom. This is great and all, but I kinda need to go to the little ladies room,” I lie with another affectionate pat on her back.

“Oh, sure!” My mother releases me immediately. “Take your time, but be sure to hurry back once you're done. This party is as much for us as it is for her. We're celebrating this together, as a family.”

“Don't worry!” My smile brightens even further as I pat her shoulder.

Meanwhile, inwardly, I feel like I'm popping a blood vessel due to my psychological strain.

“I'll be back as soon as I'm done,” I tell her, but I don't really know if I'm telling the truth.

“Okay!” My mother looks at someone else, then scampers off to brag about her new accomplishment.

My gaze follows her long enough to notice she ran to her sister Cadence and Shining Armor. When I see that, I calculate a seventy percent chance that their parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, will also know before the end of the hour.

I shake my head as I look back into the kitchen, which is the entrance to the house from the backyard.

I need some air! I feel like a weight on my lungs is killing me!

I probably need my inhaler soon, too.

I barely take two steps before I am accosted by more unwelcome guests, but they are probably unaware how I feel behind my fake, happy smile.

“Cozy, we want to talk to you!” Scootaloo says to me with a serious voice and expression on her face which causes me to drop my fake smile in seconds.

Applebloom also approaches me beside Scootaloo.

“We’ve all been talking about something as Crusaders,” Applebloom says to me upon arrival.

“We discussed this with Sweetie Belle, too,” Scootaloo adds.

“And we've all been a think'en that we all should invite Button Mash into our next meeting,” says Applebloom.

“You know, since he's in and all about the secret to the Shadow Queen,” says Scootaloo.

“In fact, Button was the first one to blow the whistle on that awful, mean hacker,” says Applebloom.

“That mean old bully needs to be taken down a peg!” Scootaloo says while smacking her right palm with her left fist in front of her chest.

“As president of the Student Council, we know ya ain't look'en too kindly upon cyber bullying at our school,” says Bloom.

“And we also have to rescue Sunset Shimmer!” Scootaloo says passionately.

My gaze whipped back and forth between both of them as they spoke. It is so eerie to me to get confirmation that these two (probably even three if I include Sweetie Belle) are on the same wavelength so much that they finish each other's sentences.

I wonder what that's like.

I lift both of my hands in a halting gesture to forestall any further suggestions from them before they make me any more dizzy and give me whiplash by looking back and forth between them too many times.

“Okay, okay! This sounds pretty swell, but can we talk about this later? Right now we got a housewarming celebration for Diamond, and I also need to go to the little ladies room.”

“Oh, sure!” Scootaloo and Applebloom say simultaneously.

How do they do that?

“When ya gotta go, ya gotta go,” Bloom agrees casually as she hooks her thumbs in two separate belt loops on her jean shorts.

“Sure! Take your time,” Scootaloo agrees. “Applebloom and I will go mingle while you're gone. We'll also propose this idea to Diamond and Silver since they are in the club, too.”

I was about to leave until Scootaloo said that. I hesitate, then look at Scootaloo as she's about to leave.

“Wait! You're going to propose this to Diamond?” I ask Scootaloo in a slight tone of objection.

Both Scootaloo and Applebloom look back at me. It's noteworthy to notice that Scootaloo blinks at me in confusion, but Applebloom narrows her eyes at me with suspicion as if privately asking herself, “Does she know?”

“Why wouldn't we bring this up with Diamond? She's in the club too,” Scootaloo points out innocently. “Just because it's her party right now, doesn't mean she stopped being a Crusader. We think she needs to know.”

“Sweetie Belle said yes to this? You sure?” I check.

Applebloom widens her eyes at me as if she's thinking, “Oh my God! She does know, or at least suspects!”

But Scootaloo looks even more confused.

“First you object with Diamond specifically, and now Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo turns to face me fully. “Okay, what's going on?”

“I, uh . . .” I hesitate when I see Applebloom give me a quick shushing motion, but she drops her left pointing finger from her lips the instant Scootaloo turns to look at her.

I shake my head. “Never mind. We'll discuss the full details of it later.” I wave them off. “Go ahead and extend this offer to all the rest of the present Crusaders. If we all share a unanimous vote, then we'll definitely at least invite Button to our next meeting. I'm pretty sure I can convince him to come, too.”

In fact, I can convince him in two separate ways.

“Well . . . okay.” Scootaloo still looks a bit confused for two seconds, but then waves me off. “Go ahead and go to the bathroom then quickly come back. We have a lot to discuss.”

“I'm sure we do,” I agree as I focus my attention back to the kitchen.

Alright! No more distractions! I am out of here!

“Cozzzzzzyyyy!” my mother calls behind me.

I felt like screaming, “WHAT?!” but, at the last second, I swallow back my frustration and give a great big, happy fake smile back to her.

“What is it, Mother dearest?” I ask her pleasantly.

Mother waves at me to approach. I'm confused at first until I notice her typing into her cellphone which, apparently, is giving commands to a magnetically hovering drone nearby. It flies back then aims at the back end of the backyard where, apparently, Mother is attempting to get everyone gathered for a group photo.

Damn it! Not NOW! I want to just sink back into my room, lock my door, and cry into my pillow.

But it's my mother requesting this. I cannot let her down.

I inwardly sigh. This is just my luck.

“Um . . . Cozy needs to go to the bathroom,” Applebloom notes to my mother.

“It will just take a few seconds!” my mother says excitedly. “I want to capture this moment! The first moment when my family grew a little more complete.”

“Applebloom, it's okay,” I reassure her.

“You sure?” Applebloom double-checks.

“Yeah. Let's just get this over with,” I say in return, then gather together with the rest of the group.

I'll probably remember this. Remember how much I wanted to cry while forcing a great big, happy smile on my face. Lying has never been more painful to me.

I hope it does not show through on the photo.

“Come on, everyone!” Pinkie Pie cries out enthusiastically in front of us. “I want to see you SMILE!”

Right after Pinkie says that, she traces both pointing fingers at her lips then curves them up her lips into a smile. While doing that, she widens her smile to demonstrate to the others what they should be doing.

Diamond Tiara gathers in front of and slightly to the left of me. I grab her shoulder to get her attention. She turns her head slightly to me and leans back while keeping her gaze directed forward. I lean forward and whisper to her ear a dire warning.

“You better do as she says,” I warn Tiara. “Give Pinkie Pie a great big smile when she requests it, or she'll keep hounding you until you do.”

“Really?” Diamond whispers back to me. “Sounds like an issue worthy of a restraining order.”

“It's got to be a genuine smile, too,” I further warn Diamond. “I don't know how, but somehow she's able to tell.”

Diamond looks a bit spooked, but she nods and says, “Noted.”

Which is a problem for me, actually. I just hope that Pinkie won't double-check mom's photo from the drone too carefully.

For a moment, I try to contemplate reasons to force a real smile to my lips.

Diamond is closer to me. I'll know her intimate secrets more easily than ever, and I won't even need my Shadow Queen persona to pull this off.

It may be an unexpected opportunity, but it does have advantages.

Flash thoughts of Sunset Shimmer still haunt me, however. Sunny should be in this photo as well, standing alongside us.

It would be worth it, too. Her smile is pure radiance!

Just when I think that, I feel an inward glow rise inside me. Again, it feels like my soul is being hugged from within.

“That's right, darling. She knows too,” Rarity had recently informed me. “She knew before the last moment the cops pushed her out of her classroom.”

Sunset Shimmer swore her friend Rarity to secrecy about my involvement in Sunny's arrest.

Not only has Sunny forgiven me for my crimes, she's taking a bullet just to protect my mother and me.

Tears try to creep their way into my eyes because, thinking of this, it makes me feel even more guilty. The more noble I notice Sunny to be, the more awful I feel because of what I've done to her.

That inner warmth in my chest intensifies as if encouraging me to smile brightly for the camera too, even though it is so painfully hard.

In a small way, it almost feels like Sunset Shimmer is standing beside us, at least in spirit.

If there is any way she could do this, I do see the motive.

I struggle to smile brightly for the camera, but a few of my tears do rise to my eyes. At best, I probably manage a bittersweet smile. I just hope the others mistake it for the pain of holding my bladder at bay.

Upon command prompt, most of us yell, “CHEEEEESE!” I think Applebloom and Applejack yell “APPLES” instead, and I definitely heard Pinkie Pie yell, “CUPCAKE FROSTING”.

After taking several photos, my mother checks her phone to review those images. After that, she glances back at me and waves me off as she says, “Go ahead and go to the bathroom, Honey.”

“OOO! Let ME see!” Pinkie Pie says instantly as she swipes Mom's cellphone away from her grasp.

I leave for the kitchen in a hurry before Pinkie has a chance to object to my bittersweet smiles.

I almost make it to the kitchen when someone short grabs my leg.

Oh . . . COME . . . ON! I can't believe this! Can't I just go to the bathroom once without every force in the universe trying to stop me?

When I look down, though, what I see melts away my frustration in an instant.

Flurry Heart is hugging my leg.

“Oh hi there, little one!” I smile at her brightly as I crouch down beside her. “How's my favorite little cousin doing today? Are you enjoying yourself?” I ask her sweetly.

Flurry Heart's stark white face examines me in confusion for some reason, then she reaches a hand forward and places it on my chest.

Then she frowns.

“Owie!” Flurry Heart cries out to me as she looks at me sadly.

I look at her in confusion as I ask, “Why do you say that? Are you in any pain right now?”

“Owie!” Flurry Heart repeats as she taps me over and over again on my chest as if to indicate me.

Plus, the sympathy she gives me in her eyes tells a very clear story.

She knows. She knows I'm in pain right now. I don't know how, but a little three-year-old girl saw right through my fake, practiced smiling mask.

“You know how I feel, don't you?” I ask her solemnly, but also in some amazement.

As if to answer my question, Flurry Heart steps forward and embraces me in a hug. To her, that's the best answer she can think of to comfort someone else from pain.

My eyes are wide open in shock for a moment, then I close them as my face sinks into her tiny little shoulder.

Mmm. She smells good, like sweet roses.

She's a genius too, I realize. Except, while my mind focuses on practical intelligence, her genius focuses more on emotional intelligence.

I'm not bad at reading people either. I can study their vocal patterns and very subtle messages in other people's body language. I determine what others are thinking by psychoanalyzing them, but that only gives me a narrowing list of probabilities.

Flurry Heart does not need that much technical knowledge. She can touch another and simply know exactly how they feel. Most likely, she is feeling it herself with her enormous heart whenever she does that, but somehow she's still able to tell when emotions come from herself or someone else.

She is an empathic genius.

I guess such talent runs in the family, especially among the females.

I hug Flurry Heart close to me like squeezing a tiny toy in my arms. From there, I soak her cute little dress with silent tears