“Happy New Year, Happy New Year~” Vinyl hummed, tiptoeing about the kitchen and taking a good swig of the beer that was standing by the sink. “Baby, just grab a beer now and then mmm mmm hahamm hmm hmmm~”

“Vinyl, that’s not how the song goes!” Octavia called out from the living room, to which the pianist swiftly downed the bottle and threw it into the dustbin.

Octavia walked into the kitchen, carrying the special set of wine glasses they usually kept in the bedroom. She took a breath. Vinyl… You’ve been drinking again… She sighed, putting the glasses onto the table. Why do I even care?

“Why couldn’t I bring Silver?” Gliss demanded from her usual place at head of the table. Long ago, when she was a little filly, her parents had found it cute for her to be at head of the table, and the little tradition had persisted. “We’re dating now so he’s basically family.”

Octavia scrunched her nose, putting the wine glasses on the now-slightly-larger table, now that the wooden extensions were brought up and propped up properly. “Glissando, you two have been dating less than a week-”

“And you and Mom had been dating less than a week when you already had sex!” Gliss blurted out defiantly, picking up a glass and filling it to the brim with orange juice, which she then proceeded to consume. Suddenly, from the silence in the room, she realised she had said something wrong.

“Glissando…” Octavia spoke very slowly, her eyes narrowing slowly. “How exactly do you know that?”

Gliss gulped. At least she’s not denying it.

“Oh come on, Tavi,” Vinyl chimed in, taking the blow. “Slidey is old enough to know about such things. She and Silver are going to, you know, eventually, so it’s all right for her to know.” She filled the four other glasses with champagne.

“It’s not about being old enough,” Octavia protested, taking out the starters from the fridge. “It’s about that being our private matter!”

“I like private matters!”

Gliss chuckled, seeing how quickly Lyra had popped up in the kitchen, followed by her wife Bon-Bon. The mint unicorn swiftly levitated one of the sandwiches up to her mouth. “Besides, you told me and Bonnie all about your love life, so why not tell your daughter?”

Octavia sighed and shook her head, looking at the floor. Then, with another sigh, she waved her hoof in the air dismissively. “Might as well let her have a glass of champagne.” And hope that she doesn’t become an alcoholic like Vinyl.

Gliss squeed and clapped her hooves together at the prospect of a slightly-more-adult treatment. “Did I show you my violin?” she blurted out, immediately showing the inner child she’d been working so hard to hide. “I, uh, I’ll get it now!”

Swiftly, the filly ran into her room - which wasn’t technically hers - and fished out the violin case from under the bed. Returning to the kitchen, she announced proudly: “Silver gave it to me as a Hearth’s Warming present!”

“Ooooh,” Lyra cooed immediately, grabbing the case and opening it. “Shiny! Is it that one colt that you like?”

“And the one,” Gliss finished with a goofy smile, “that likes me back. We’re dating now!” she announced with pride in her tone. “But somepony…” She glared at her parents, mostly at Octavia. “Somepony thought that it’s too early to invite him to celebrate with us.”

“Yes, because it needs time,” Octavia replied sternly and sighed only innerly. I am the one who tries to keep this family together. I am the one who does all the housework. I am the one who brings in money. I am the one who looks after Glissando. And what do I get?

“Come on, Gliss, don’t be grumpy!” Lyra exclaimed, patting the filly on the shoulder. “Let me tell you the story of how Bonnie and I got drunk and bought a riding crop…”

Octavia downed her champagne in one go. “I am not nearly drunk enough for this…”

***

The whisky swished in the Old-Fashioned glass as Tom sat in the armchair, looking at it with a grim expression. He remembered this glass so well: when he’d told Alexandro he and Cornelio had picked up drinking, their father did not shout or reprimand them. He bought them two identical glasses, with initials: C.P. Cornelio Philarmonico. T.P. Tom Philarmonico.

Now Cornelio’s glass was forever on the shelf, and his glass was in his hooves as he cradled it, waiting for Alexandro to come. How long ago it had been, long before the… All what was wrong with the world… The world had changed. Fairness was no longer an option for the marefia. Other clans had moved on to pushing drugs to foals, and dealing in business with the feathered, and… The police were damn liars, and didn’t do their responsibilities to the marefia, hiding behind ill-rotten politicians. The golden days of the marefia were over, but what made Tom furious was that the days of honesty and word-of-honour were gone too.

“Tom?”

The younger stallion looked at his father, eyeing the grey-maned stallion with a sombre expression. “Hello, Father,” he greeted Alexandro warmly. “I am sorry to be in your office.”

“Well, Tom…” Alexandro made his way towards his own chair. “I am sure you have reasons for that.”

“I do.” Tom winced and placed the whisky on the table. “I have news for you.”

“I’m listening.”

Tom sighed. “You’re not gonna like it.”

***

With laughter, the five ponies escaped the block of flats, walking into the early morning, the two unicorns floating champagne glasses. Happy colourful equines all around, dancing, carolling, drinking champagne and congratulating each other.

And at this precise moment, Gliss knew that, even though there were desperate and dispossessed, even though there were griffins who couldn’t take part in the celebration, even though there were lies and unfairness and cruelty - at least she could finally feel that they were a family, Vinyl and Octavia and she, and maybe Lyra and Bon-Bon too, at this precise moment-

At this precise moment, the public radio system came to life, drowning out chatter and yells and songs. Magically amplified, the radios informed, dully, severely, in that bland, emotionless male voice:

“CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA! IT IS WITH DEEP REGRET THAT WE INFORM YOU THAT ALL NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES ARE TO BE CANCELLED. THE GRIFFIN KINGDOM HAS JUST DECLARED WAR ON OUR BRIGHT AND PEACEFUL LAND. ALL PEGASI ARE TO REPORT TO THEIR UNITS IMMEDIATELY. EVERYPONY WHO IS PATRIOTIC AND WANTS TO DEFEND THEIR HOMELAND SHOULD ENLIST AT THE LOCAL RECRUITMENT CENTER. WE REPEAT, IT IS WITH DEEP REGRET-”

Somberly, Gliss took a sip of her champagne and looked around. Fear and disillusionment on every face. Horror on the grey face of Octavia. Drunken confusion on Vinyl’s white face. Paleness on Bon-Bon cream-coloured cheeks. Deep, thoughtful silence from Lyra.

Welcome to the New Year, Equestria, Gliss thought and downed the champagne gracelessly. Welcome to the New Year.