>You've never really felt like you had a home
>Even when you were too young to do anything, the place where you lived didn't feel like a home
>Homes were happy
>Homes were a place you felt secure
>Homes had people that were happy to see you
>You lean back in your car
>For a while, on and off, you've been sitting in your car for a few minutes longer than you should
>Not because you don't like being... there
>With everyone
>But because you're having a hard time adjusting
>You believe that you have a home
>And you're worried that you could lose it
>You recognize the irony of the situation
>You check your phone again
>You ordered a little something but it's taking longer than you wanted
"God dammit..."
>You can't let it be late
>You have a few days left, but still
"Alright... time to head in."
>You slip out of your car and shake yourself awake
>You don't think you need to go shopping for anything anytime soon
>You've gotten a wider variety of foods, now that you're paying more attention to everyone's wants
>Even down the hallway, you can smell them
>It's kinda like when you realized that your first girlfriend had a unique, distinct scent to her
>You can tell them all apart
>You're really not sure if your neighbors have noticed or cared that your apartment has become a constant party house of sorts
>You don't particularly care, to be honest
>You're outside your door
>You can hear some music going on and some bickering
>You're so used to being alone
>Of having a silent place, outside of what little sounds your computers make
>You would be lying if you said you didn't miss it
>But
>All of these sounds make this hole in the wall your home
>With another hard shake, you open the door
>You recognize that song
>"Come on, Sparky, you're being silly!"
>"Oh can it already! We've been at it since lunch!"
>"You too! You've just been watching us!"
>"Not all of us have your energy, Jacky. Besides, isn't that dance sort of... much?"
>"Is it?"
>"Don't listen to her, Jacky... it's gonna work out really well."
>Oh boy
>You're not sure if you should or shouldn't intrude on that
>To be conveniently present, you clear your throat like an overly-enthusiastic trumpet player
"Boy, I sure hope nothing weird is going on here!"
>You can hear Jacky sputtering
>Shine clearing her throat
>Nothing from Dashie
>You take a few steps into the hallway and poke your head around the corner, looking into the living room
>All of them are sitting on a pillow
>Jacky gives you her best, innocent smile
>It's a little too wide to be normal
>Shine rolls her eyes and gives you a smirk
>Dashie just gives you a shrug with a blank expression
>She's always been a bit spacey, you think
>You take note of how messy Jacky's mane is
"You should definitely get a haircut one of these days."
>You give her a squint and an accusatory finger point
>Her smile widens
>You cross the hallway intersection, your squint fixed on her
>Until you whip away
>You kneel and fall onto your mattress
>It feels nice to finally lay down
>You should at least kick off your boots but you aren't worried too much
>After a few moments, you feel a pony leap onto your back
>With a practiced tempo, said pony pushes down on your shoulders and back, slowly trotting and kneading in place
>With a long, low groan you drag your hand up and give a thumbs up
>"Heh, getting better?"
>You rotate your head, resting on the left side of your face
"Oh yeah... thanks Jack."
>"Heheh, don't worry about it. Were you serious about a haircut?"
"Sure. We have your twin tail style."
>"And that's a crowd pleaser."
"Definitely."
>"How short were you thinking?"
"Short enough so we have one less source clogging the tub drain."
>The slow stepping and massaging melts
>She lays on your back, kicking out her legs
>"True enough... you know, I don't really remember how I cut my mane before. I think Sparky just had a knife or something."
"Yeah?"
>"Iunno. Probably. That excuse makes sense though, right?"
"Sure."
>Over the last while, you've learned a lot about the girls
>About Jacky
>It seems like there really aren't that many more secrets or revelations to discover
>Which is fine
>At least you know that she wasn't some sort of serial killer or something in her past life
>Just a petty criminal that occasionally got into dangerous situations
>And who could honestly say they didn't have that sort of situation in their life at one point or another?
>You can feel her shaking on top of you
>She had let out a long, tired yawn and stretches
>"So... Anon...?"
"What's up?"
>"...are you doing ok?"
>You reply without thinking about it
"Well sure."
>"Really?"
>This time you wait before answering
>Well, of course it's hard to say
>You're losing someone
>You've seen them and just how far it's gone
>But work is going well
>But you're feeling a little awkward about coming back into your own apartment
>But you've never really felt happier, because of what and who you return to every day
"Yeah... I am, Jack. I'm doing ok, thanks to you and the other dorks. I'm doing a lot better than if I were by myself. What's that song... 'I'd rather be with you than be alone'?"
>"I've never heard that song before."
"Yeah, me neither. I think."
>She lays her head right below your left shoulder and nods
>"You really like your weird songs."
"Oh, you don't know the half of it."
>You both lay in silence for a few moments
>The bed smells like her
>Like Shine too
>And you can tell that Dashie's been sleeping here recently, probably when you're at work
>But it smells like Jacky
>It brings you comfort
>"Gonna go to sleep already?"
"Mmm?"
>"I recognize that exhale."
"Is that right?"
>"Mmhmm."
>She rubs her face against your shoulder again
"I'm blaming you."
>"Hey Anon?"
"Mmm?"
>"How long has it been since I've been here?"
"Almost a year."
>"...wanna do something to celebrate it?"
>You've already been planning a way to celebrate it
>You've been planning out some things for almost a month now
>Not that you'd ever tell her
>Or Shine
>Or Dashie
"Well, I was thinking about it... how about this Saturday?"
>"Aw... at the end of the entire week?"
"Yup."
>"It's gonna be forever before Saturday."
"Only three quarters of forever. Sunday would be legit forever."
>She giggles and sighs
>"I don't know where I'd be without you, Anon."
"Me too, Jack. I don't know where I would be right now if I didn't have you. I don't know what I'd be doing. I'm sure both of us would be still breathing."
>"Probably."
"Yeah, probably. But I wouldn't be happy if I didn't have you. Especially with... well, you know."
>"Yeah... you've lost a lot."
>You don't feel particularly inclined to answer that
>You have lost a lot
>And you're in the process of losing more too
>It just isn't happening in front of you
"I've gained a lot."
>"Oh you... I ain't much."
"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about Shine and Dash."
>You hear a shocked gasp and feel a hoof press into your head
>It's hard enough to push your head into the bed but not so much so that it actually hurts
>"You wanna run that again by me, pardner?"
>Here comes the Applejack southern twang
>She's gotten almost perfect when it comes to imitating her ma
"I said..."
>Your head gets squished into the mattress, your face covered by part of a blanket
>You repeat yourself as well as you can, given the circumstances
>She pulls her hoof away from your head
>And instead puts her head on yours
>Despite her being a fraction of your size, her noggin is pretty sizable
>She blows air through her lips in a hard huff
>"You got some cheek, talking to me like that."
"Yeah, catch me on my back and you'll see me do more than talk."
>Both of you stay quiet and enjoy the new positioning
"Do you really enjoy being here? Do you have any thoughts of wanting to branch out and live on your own or something?"
>"Me?"
"Yeah. Or all of you, as a group or something."
>"Nope."
>That answer was quick
>"This is our home, Anon... you make this a home for us."
>You're not surprised
>But you are happy
>And relieved
"Bold of you to speak for everyone."
>"It's not bold, just honest."
"I'm glad. You make this place a home for me too. Shine, too. Dashie, too. All of you little weirdos."
>"What are you two doing?"
>That's Shine's voice
"I've got a monkey on my back. Send help."
>"Oook ook?"
>Shine scoffs
>"Right... what are we doing for dinner?"
>You feel additional weight on you
>You try to look out of the corner of your eye
>She's laying down on Jacky
>Who's laying down on you
"No clue."
>"Why are you laying on me, Sparky?"
>"Because you can't stop me."
>"Anon, Sparkler's bullying me."
"Good."
>Shine scoffs again
>"Dashie, get in here! Help!"
"Aw crap..."
>"Why do I know where this is heading..."
>You hear light, quiet steps
>"...well this is a weird pyramid."
>"Get on Sparky, quick!"
>"Don't you dare, Prism."
"Yeah, Prism. Don't you not dare."
>"Who's side are you on!?"
"I'm on my front side because you two nerds won't get off of me!"
>You feel the bed yield from yet another intruder
>And more weight landing resting on your torso
>"Freaking unreal..."
>"Oh my... it's quite comfortable up here."
>"Ha ha! How's them apples, Spark?"
>"I'm still laying on top of you at least."
>"Tch..."
"Didn't think that one through, did you."
>"Jacky isn't the best for thinking, you know that..."
>The playful, condescending tone of Dashie leads to Jacky trying, and failing, to thrash about
>"D-don't you say that?!"
>"It's true, Jacky."
>"Dreadfully true, dear..."
>You can hear her flap once
>You can't see the pony pile on you, but you can see that her wings have finally been let out, acting as a sort of blanket
>Those really are some big chicken wings
"...so is everyone just gonna lay here now?"
>"Yeah."
>"Yup."
>"It seems that way."
>All of them reply at once
"...well alrighty then."
>You exhale, feeling parts of your back pop
>The weight feels nice
>The warmth
>The company
>You really believe that you're home
>And you believe that they're home too
>Nothing could ruin this

>It's Christmas season
>Technically
>You ordered something and have been keeping it in your car to be safe
>It's not that you don't believe that it wouldn't be safe in your home
>You just don't want Jacky to see it
>You don't think anyone has caught onto it
>You don't even know if Jacky's aware of what today is
>They were all surprised when snow first came down, though it wasn't until this week that there were enough layers to turn the atmosphere grey and bleak
>What's noteworthy is that unlike last year, everyone's actually pretty happy and content
>You know you are
>Despite everything bad that has happened
>Whether or not you'd like to admit it, your apartment has become a home
>You don't think you've ever had such a home
>You aren't ever apprehensive
>Scared
>Angry
>The few issues that have popped up ultimately weren't the worst things in the world
>And everyone got through them
"Alright... alright alright alright."
>Are you nervous?
>Nah, that doesn't make sense
>You definitely aren't nervous
>You just hope she likes it
>She has no reason to not like it
"You're not nervous."
>You repeat to yourself, shifting back and forth in the elevator
>You also have some groceries
>You still aren't a master chef
>Compared to last year, you really haven't cooked that many quality dinners
>365 days have passed and while you can say that your life is better, you haven't grown in the ways you necessarily wanted
>That's ok
>You've still grown in other ways
>"You're not nervous. You're just worried."
>You mumble to yourself as you enter your apartment
>What used to be a cold, quiet, vaguely messy place is now a warm, comfortable, certainly messy den
>You're not nervous
>You say your 'hi's and get them in return
>Jacky and Dashie are goofing around in the living room
>After filling the fridge with tonight's planned dishes, you shake off your coat and boots
>And maybe shake off some of your nerves
>You head to your room and plop down onto the mattress
>Shine is playing another game
>It involves a girl hunting giant robots with normal bows and arrows
>And something about technology
>You stopped caring about the plot of it
"Hey Shine."
>"Hey."
>You're not nervous
"Hey, uh... listen. Today's an important day."
>"Yeah? What's today?"
"It's Jacky's... birthday I think."
>"Birthday? Since when did she get a birthday?"
"I don't know. But it's been a year since she's been here. And I want to celebrate it."
>"Oooh... well aren't you caring."
>She leers at you out of the corner of her eye with a smile
"Alright, you can officially can it."
>She gives you a mocking gasp
>"Did you buy her roses too?
>...
>You glare at her
"God damn it... I knew I was forgetting something."
>You sigh and shake your head
>"Oh... oh wow. You mean it."
>She looks surprised
>"I didn't think you would keep track of something like that."
"Well... why wouldn't I?"
>"Fair enough I guess."
"So... when you can, can you find a way to lure her into here?"
>She lets out an elongated sigh
>It isn't a real one but she's enjoying the minor inconvenience she's causing
>"You want an audience?"
"Later, sure."
>"Sure. When?"
>Right now
>You wouldn't say
>You're really not sure if you want to do this right now
>You're really not sure if she would like it
>You're really not sure you would like it
>Obviously you would
>But maybe it's a little much
>Is it appropriate?
>It wasn't exactly expensive
>But it wasn't cheap either
"In a few min...ah..."
>You visibly deflate
"Not right now. But later tonight."
>Without turning away from her game, she nods and smiles wider
>"Don't worry about it, ok? You could've bought her a shiny plastic spoon and she would treasure it."
"It's no spoon, alright..."
>"Yeah... I bet. What are you gonna get me for my birthday?"
>She sounds hopeful
"Oh don't worry, I'm planning something for you too. And boy, you're gonna get it."
>She finally pauses
>After a second, she starts going through menus, as if to purposefully look for something
>"...that's cool."
"And don't you worry. Everyone is going to see it happen. Jacky's going to see and you're not going to know how to possibly respond to her reactions."
>She shifts on the bed, clearing her throat
>"...well alright then."
>You can return the teasing at least
>What she doesn't know is that you actually have been Christmas shopping
>The first time you've done so in you don't even remember how many years
>What you have in your pocket is for Jacky
>But you also have other things on the way for all of them
>Hopefully all of it will turn out well

>You've been watching Shine play her save file for...
>Too long
>She doesn't seem to mind it, though she looks back at you every now and again to make sure you're still awake
>After another successful side mission done, she lays down on her side and kicks her hind legs out
>"Sun's already gone down..."
"Yeah... winters up here are pretty harsh sometimes."
>"It's still warm in here though."
"Free heating, gotta enjoy it you know?"
>"Definitely."
"..."
>"..."
"..."
>"I'm gonna get Jacky in here."
"...thanks, Shine."
>"Don't worry about it."
>She goes through the motions to save and closes out of it, putting the console into sleep mode
>You personally don't understand why you wouldn't just put it in sleep rather than always shutting it down
>She stretches once more and yawns
>"Getting sleepy earlier too... you better be getting us some blankets and stuff."
"Don't worry, I'll add it to the list."
>She still sometimes does certain things that might not be the best but she's gotten a lot better
>More helpful, certainly
>Hopefully she'll continue to improve
>You slip your gift out from your pocket and put it to your side, under a blanket
>You really should have some sort of words prepared but it would just be too silly if you did that
>After what sounds like some joking around, you hear Jacky trotting toward you
>More so, you see her speeding toward you!
"EN GARDE, FUCCPONE!"
>She squints and pushes down on the ground, leaping into the air like only she can
>Good lord are her legs strong
>Still sitting, you prepare your reaction
>One arm goes around her neck, like a hug
>The other goes to her belly
>Letting her momentum carry you, you fall sideways
>Effectively suplexing her
"AS GOD AS MY WITNESS SHE IS BROKEN IN HALF!"
>Jacky gives some sort of autistic screech that sounds like a buzzard getting hit with a tennis racket before exhaling with a gurgle
>You lay on your side, your hand petting her belly
>She lays there, her head against your chest
>Your head against her shoulder
>What counts for a pony shoulder, anyway
"Hey Jack."
>"What's up?"
>Say it
>Come on, you've said goofier things before
>What makes this so different?
>You give her belly drum a few more pats before sitting back up
"Listen... do you know how long you've been here?"
>Rather than get up, she just looks at you
>"Not really. A pretty long while, I guess."
"Yeah... it feels like it's been no time at all."
>That look in her eye
>She looks completely content
>Content with her live
>Content with this place
>Content with her friends
>Content with you
"I... uh, well. I've been counting the days. And today marks a full year since you've been here. So I got you something. Not really for any huge reason, but I just thought that I should. It'd go well with your hat, you know?"
>You reach under the blanket, which thankfully avoided the suplex, and pull out a little black box
>Catching that this is something important, she flips onto her stomach
>Her ears twitch at the sight of it
>It's certainly not a big box at all
>"I... you're serious? You've been keeping track of all of this time?"
"Not counting the seconds or anything, but... yeah. I guess it's a sort of custom here."
>"Well, I mean... I guess it's a custom back there too..."
>She tries to focus on both your hand and your face
>From the twitch of her tail and her ears, you can tell she's a little nervous
>"...should it be opened here, or...?"
"Well... no reason not to, right?"
>You open the box and reveal what looks like a round, oval silver coin
>With another, smaller, oval stone in it
>"W... what is that?"
"Well, Jackeroo..."
>You set down the box and pry it out
>The silver oval is connected to a cord, which is capped with silver lengths that end in little bell shapes
"It... well, it's a bolo tie."
>"A what tie?"
"Bolo tie. Like your hat, it's a big of ol' west fashion. Kinda what your standard Texan would wear at a formal gathering."
>You rotate the pendant over to show her the front and back
"The end studs and the pendant itself is silver. The little stone there is... uh..."
>This is going to sound stupid, now that you have to explain it
"It's apple coral. It's called that due to the color. And, you know, I thought it's something that your ma would wear. So I think it's something you'd enjoy wearing as well. The orange goes well with your hair, even if it's a little darker. And next time we go out... you know, with that and the hat included..."
>You trail off
>She keenly focuses on it, a certain expression on her face
>She isn't ready to pounce on you and say that she loves it
>She isn't going to go into some death match staredown
>She looks...
>Maybe it's your imagination, but she looks a little sad?
>Without saying anything, she moves up to your side and hugs her face against your chest
>"Oh, Anon..."
"I know, Jack..."
>"I don't know what to say. You've done so much already over this year."
"I know."
>"And you have your family stuff going on too..."
"I know."
>"And..."
>You bring your arms up to hug her, pulling her a little into your lap
>"...you know Applejack isn't my mom. I know it too. I just want to think that it's true..."
"I know... but does that really matter?"
>"Well. You wanted her."
"Sure. But, thankfully for me, I got you instead."
>"You know, we never got around to that sort of gardening stuff... not really."
"Nope... and we never really went camping either."
>"You don't mind?"
"You kidding me? I wouldn't trade the time I've spent with you for anything in the world. You've kept me going through the worst of things. You've made me want to excel and improve. You've made me want to be better, so I can give you better."
>You give her a tight hug
>She inhales as you exhale
"You are exactly what I wanted, and what I needed."
>You hear something snap, to your left
>Both of you turn to the left
>Shine's holding up your phone
>Dashie's sitting nearby
>"Aaaaaaaaand that's a wrap."
>"Such a touching moment... I've misjudged you, Anon. May I see the bolo tie?"
>You
>Are very irritated with them
>"What'd'ya think yer doin' lass?"
>Oh God
>That's an accent you haven't heard in a while
>You look down at her
>She has a crazed look in her eyes
>"I try'an have a special moment with my bes' man an' you two come and spoil it."
>"To be fair... what I recorded is really sweet. And the picture is really one of a kind."
>Shine gives her a wide, shit eating grin
>Her eyes go to yours
>She knows exactly what she did
"Jacky."
>"Aye lad."
"Kick her ass."
>"Aye."
>You point at Dashie
>Her ears flatten
"I'm gonna cook your goose, chicken wing."
>You don't remember how the rest of the night went
>After an all-out brawl that must have leveled the city block, you all called a cease-fire
>Fatigue and vaguely bruised joints healed quicker when there were distractions to focus on
>Which meant a very specific trilogy of movies
>You still love those movies
>But there's no topping the trio that is The Dashing, The Sparking, and The Jacky

>Though it's still cold outside at night, you found yourself out on your patio
>You brushed off all of the snow from the little bench you have, so it's not like you're going to have a wet butt when you get up
>You've been keeping track of things on your phone, regarding your family event
>With how positive everything has been, you wouldn't want to spoil it
>Especially since Jacky's been flaunting her stuff with her hat and bolo tie
>She's been experimenting with new hair styles too, thanks to Shine working her... magic
>Actual magic
>She has no higher capacity for hair-themed fashion, it's all been Jack giving her instructions and coming up with ideas
>You return a text regarding a recent medical turn and sigh
"Ah... God damn it..."
>It's something you say so often it may as well be a catchphrase
>It kinda used to be, before Jack
>Old habits die hard when things get rough
>"Excuse me. Mind if I join you?"
>Speaking of rough
>It's Dashie
>You haven't actually socialized with her all that much
>Not since that little stealing stint she and Shine pulled
"Eh? Yeah, sure, I don't mind."
>She nudges open the screen and steps out
>It's not the coldest out currently, so you didn't see the immediate need in closing the door
>Besides, you get free heating and the two boneheads are either in your room or the bathroom
>You sigh and put away your phone, wiping the wide of your face
>"Did I interrupt something?"
"Nah. Nah, no, it's... uh."
>You exhale, failing to enunciate with your hands
"Well I'm sure you know what's going on. There just isn't a ton I can do about it. I got some updates and some other things."
>"Good news then?"
>She fluffs out her chest, doing her best to smile
>Her optimism is admirable
>You scoff
"If only. No, it's going worse. How much worse, I genuinely can't say. Could quickly go to the worst case scenario. Or could keep at it's current level."
>Her smile drops like it was a well-trained mask
>"Oh... I'm sorry Anon."
"Nah, don't be. It would've happened regardless, you know?"
>She doesn't look like the topic is affecting her all that strongly
"Hey, D. How much have you hid from Jacky, when you two were growing up?"
>She doesn't look at you
>She looks like she's focusing on something else, out in the trees
>You don't really hear any birds though
>"A lot. To this day there are things that I never want her to know."
>That doesn't sound too good
"That's fair, I understand that."
>"Have you been telling her about these updates?"
"Nah... she has her own things to worry about."
>"Like her latest hair style?"
>You chuckle
>That makes you smile
"Like her latest hair style, yeah. And the best way for her to wear her hat and tie."
>"I'm proud of you."
"You're proud of me?
>"Yes. I've had my doubts about you. I really did. I had my doubts about you bringing me here. And I thought you were manipulating Sparking."
"You know what? That's fair. If I were you, I think I'd be paranoid too. Did you think I was some monster playing Hide The Hands with Jacky?"
>She looks at you
>Sort of a blank stare
"...on second thought, don't answer."
>"For the best."
>You rub your eyes with your thumb and index finger
"So."
>You're really not sure what to talk to her about
>You've been losing a lot of your focus lately due to everything
"There something you particularly want to talk about?"
>Her wings ruffle and shake once
>"No... just that I want to apologize."
"Eh, don't worry about it. I think at this point you're pretty set on your opinion of me so no reason to overthink it."
>An uncomfortable look grows on her face
>"You don't hate me, do you?"
"Me? No, of course I don't. Without you, she wouldn't be here."
>"Without you she wouldn't be here."
"And neither would you be here. Which means I wouldn't be able to thank you for doing what you've had to do for her sake so she'd... remain her. Save me the semantics."
>Your attention focuses to the living room
"I would enjoy it a fair bit if we could be more... friendly to each other."
>"Like how Prism wants to be friendly to you?"
"Hopefully no. I kinda don't like that you'd default to that."
>"Then how do you mean friendly?"
"Friendly as in 'hey, let's not get that ozone smell when we need to talk'."
>You can catch a smile out of the corner of your eye
>"We can work on that."
"Preferably with a third party present."
>"Why a third party?"
"Because if it's just you and me, I get the feeling I'd say something a little too mean-spirited."
>It's not that you don't like her
>But you understand that there are a few rough spots
>"We may not be friends, Anon... not as much as you are with them."
"But we're not enemies either. Here's hoping you remember that."
>"I will."
"Good... now kindly go away for a bit. A lot's on my mind."
>You don't feel good about the bitter tone you stuck to
>"Anything you'd like to discuss with me?"
>She sounds... hopeful
>This really would be a good chance to have a sort of real discussion with her
>Maybe a chance for her to understand you better directly, rather than through the rose-tinted glasses of someone's interpretation
"...no. Not with you. Not with Jack or Shine either. Just leave me alone for a bit."
>"Oh... ok."
>She sounds dejected
>She gets up and nods
>"I hope you don't talk to her like this."
>Whether it was a warning or a stray comment, you don't know
>You don't really care
"Good night, Prism."
>It's going to take a while for things to improve with her
>At least she did ask

>It's Thanksgiving
>A lot of families are together, even if they only see each other once a year
>Your Thanksgiving...
>So far has included you just sleeping throughout the day
>You wake up every now and again, either to answer a question or to check your phone
>Given the job change, you don't have an extended weekend
>It's actually maybe today and just that until next weekend
>You haven't told the girls yet
>There's a number of things you haven't told them lately
>Not for any particular reason, of course
>It's a lot of little reasons
>Not only is this another Thanksgiving without your relatives
>It's the last possible Thanksgiving you could have with one
>And you're here, while they're in a hospital
>Once the sun set, you finally woke up for good
>Your laptop isn't in sight, so it was probably shifted out into the living room
>Stumbling out of bed let you know that your body wasn't ready move around
>Something smells good
>"How's the oven going?"
>"Another twenty minutes, I think."
>Sounds like D and Shine
"Got some oven stuff going?"
>D gives you a glance and walks off without answer
>Guess you don't blame her
>It's been a while since the last time you spoke with her
>You haven't felt any better about it
>"Oh, Anon! Happy Thanksgiving!"
>Eh?
"Thanksgiving?"
>You don't recall telling her about the holiday
>"Yeah. You celebrate it, right?"
>You used to
"Eh... I guess so. Last year..."
>"Yeah, Jacky told me you guys just cuddled up and did questionable stuff."
"It was nice, for sure... where is she, anyway?"
>"She's in the garage downstairs. Since she hasn't been able to really wake you up, she's been off trotting around."
"Oh... guess I should go check her out then."
>"Well don't take all night. Turkey's gonna be done soon. Sorta."
"Yeah, you know, I was kinda... wondering about that. You guys go to the store?"
>"Yup."
>She flashes you a quick smile that doesn't go up to her relaxed eyes
"...did you at least use my card this time?"
>"Yup."
"Groovy. Well, I'll be back."
>"Sure."
>You did have a few questions, but you weren't all that energetic enough to ask
>Ignoring that you were only in boxers and a slightly stretched out shirt, you go down the stairwell that is right next to your apartment door
>At the bottom of the stairwell you can hear galloping
>Guess it makes sense
>You haven't seen her since Tuesday
>Literally
>You're not sure why but whenever you've tried looking for her, she's always been out of sight or doing something that required lack of visibility
>You're hoping that you didn't screw up something
>You open the door a crack and swooce right in
>You really don't like how cold the concrete floor is but it's whatever
>You hear her coming
>To your left and behind a wall
>You crouch down
>Extend your arms
>She's coming
>The second you see the tip of her face poke out from around the corner, you swing yourself to the left as hard as you can
>You scoop her up and squeeze her as hard as you can
>You expected it to turn out better
>Except she's screaming
"GOTCHA, I'M THE-"
>You see her
>Her twin tails are gone
>What her mane consists of makes you scream
>She screams again when she realizes it's you
>The both of you make rather unflattering noises until you stop and shake her
"STOP IT I GET IT ALREADY."
>Her screaming stops, leaving her looking at you like she's expecting big news
"That's..."
>Her mane has been cut considerably into a sort of bobcut
>Except it looks more like a sort of hair helmet
>Her ears popping out from the top of the mane looks cute though
"..."
>"..."
>Adjusting her so your arm is around her back while her hooves press against your torso, you part her hair a little to the side
>Shine did a pretty good job
"..."
>"..."
>You're so close to saying something, but you aren't able to get the words out
>She looks like she's expecting something
>Good or bad, who knows
"...looks good on you."
>You can see her eyes dilate
>"You like this?!"
>She sounds in disbelief
"Yeah."
>"Oh."
>You hold her
>You can feel how relaxed she is, only keeping strength in her legs so she doesn't slide off of you
"...when'd you get this done?"
>"I... finally got it done yesterday."
"...how's the downstairs look?"
>You admit, you were thinking it, but you didn't think you'd actually say it
>The look on her face more or less confirms that she wasn't expecting it
>"You mean my-"
"Your tail, yes."
>"Well it's not as long as it was..."
"..."
>"..."
"Lemme see it."
>"W-wha, no!"
>She laughs and squirms out of your grip, landing on concrete ground
>Because you have the self control of a spoiled child, your eyes immediately travel to her flank
>Her tail's length has been cut in half it looks like it's been braided
>Decent change from how long and unkempt it was before
>You enjoyed brushing it when you had a bad case of the idle hands but it looks nice too
>She catches you gawking and smirks
>"Really couldn't help yourself, could you."
"Is that a real question?"
>Without really considering the consequences, you lean back and sit down on the concrete, sighing
>Jacky winces
>"Should you really be sitting there?"
"No. Because now my butt's cold and I think a little wet."
>She stands in front of you, looking you over
>Appraising you, it feels like
>"How're you feeling?"
"Well... I got work for tomorrow and probably the weekend."
>"Seriously?"
"As serious as a bad joke, Jack."
>"That's not good..."
"Not really."
>You've come a long way to getting used to pony facial expressions
>She looks like she wants to ask a big question
"I see you guys went to the store."
>"Oh, that... yeah."
>She looks embarrassed
"I'm glad you guys got everything without much issue."
>"Well a lot of people stared. And without Sparks we couldn't have actually... gotten most things."
"Sure, that does suck. But I'm glad that if something ever happened to me, you guys would be able to get along."
>"Y... yeah..."
>You just look at each other
>"Have things... gotten better?"
>That's really the only question that matters, isn't it?
"I... I don't think so, Jack. I think it's a slow slide down an icy hill. Stopping isn't really in the cards."
>"Oh..."
>The cold floor doesn't feel good but it isn't the worst source of numbness
>"Is it really something that can't be stopped?"
"Yeah."
>You had the urge to say more about it, but you feel drained from just thinking about it
"So what were you running from?"
>The question catches her off guard
>"Huh?"
"Why the running around?"
>"Oh."
>She gives a half-hearted shrug
>"I can't have big, meaningful talks like you. And I can't play games as much as Sparks can. And Dashie is kinda spending more time with Sparky so it's not like I can butt in and..."
>She shrugs again
>It's a defeated sort of shrug
>"I don't know how to deal with these things... I kinda miss how it was back then. I kinda miss when it was just you and me. I miss seeing you be so happy and... well, without worry."
>You extend your arms
>She trots into your lap and leans against you
>"I'm powerless to stop it. And I'm powerless to change anything."
"You're not powerless to make me feel better. Things suck. They really suck. And I think by the time this is all done, it'll change me into a different person entirely. But you'll still be around. And I'll still be around."
>You want to hug her tighter but you feel what little strength you gained by sleeping for so long drain
"I just hope that I'll be able to bounce back. I hope things improve."
>"They have to... as bad as things were for me, they eventually got better. Even when I believed they never would."
"Yeah..."
>Your eyes close
>As cold as the garage is, Jacky's warm
>That warmth is enough
>"You know, they've been cooking that dinner up there..."
"I know."
>"Think having a real Thanksgiving dinner would be good? You wouldn't be around your relatives... but you'll be near us."
"Yeah..."
>"Will it make you feel better?"
"I hope so."
>You feel more at home with ponies than you do with other people, at this point
>You thought it was so weird, a year ago
>Even thinking back to... when you were a lot younger, you thought having Missy Pie nearby was weird
>You almost feel the same warmth from then, now
"You know the gimmick about Thanksgiving?"
>"What?"
"It's all about giving thanks for stuff. Kind of a highly sentimental sort of holiday."
>"Where does the turkey fit in?"
"I have absolutely no clue. Some people stick with ham."
>"...but... ham isn't anything like turkey."
"I know."
>"I'm thankful for you, Anon."
"And I'm thankful for you, Jack."
>"And I'm thankful for Sparky."
"And the job she did with your mane."
>"And I'm thankful for Dashie."
"I do need to apologize to her."
>"Wanna head up yet?"
"No... not yet. You're warm. I just want to feel warm for a while longer."
>It is close to winter, if it isn't already classified as winter
>It's getting harder and harder to stay warm
>The numb cold that you've been feeling lately has all been on the inside
>Soup, tea, blankets and showers don't do a thing to stop that chill
>But this hug
>This warmth from Jacky
>It helps
>It allows you to feel again

"Alright... how about now."
>"No."
>Both Jack and Shine answer at the same time
"Seriously?"
>"Yes."
"...alright. Shut it down again."
>You've spent an hour trying to get an upgrade to work right
>After long enough, you resign to the fact that the new hard drive is just crap
"Ah... damn it. Well, time to start the RMA process."
>"The what?"
>Since you gave your approval of Jacky's mane cut, she's been less skittish about it
>But it still is a little surprising to look at her every now and again
>It's sorta like something an actress or supermodel would have
>You think so, anyway
>You've never seen anyone all that normal sport the specific style
"Well, RMA stands for... return... something something."
>You give her a stern look with a small nod
>She nods in turn, narrowing her eyes into a squint
>"Does this happen a lot?"
>Shine paid more attention to the process, though it really wasn't more complex than connecting and reconnecting two cords to a little metal lump
"Not really. Last time I had this issue, it was because I was trying to change my operating system to a solid state drive but I still had my hard disk drive and the original instance of my operating system on it. And I just didn't unplug the old one. So I made my own error."
>Jacky looks like she understands all, and comprehends the greater perils of computer hardware maintenance
>Shine looks at you like you're an idiot
>"What."
"Exactly."
>"Obviously."
>You and Jack nod with a content smile
"See, she gets it."
>"I..."
>The unicorn looks like she's going to say something
>She shakes her head, rolling her eyes upward
>"Nevermind. So what happens, now that you started the process?"
"Ship it back out, they look at it, and then they give me a refund. And I suppose I'll buy a different type of hard drive."
>You pry the faulty drive out, grumbling at how much it cost
>"So... do you do these sort of things with laptops too?"
"Not really. The newer one, I put in a solid state drive... and conveniently enough, the hard drive it originally came with died pretty quickly. So good timing for that."
>"A... solid state?"
>She sighs and shakes her head, hard enough to ruffle her hair
>"You know what? I don't want to know."
"Exactly. But no, most laptops don't have room for that sort of customization."
>"Kinda like a revolver versus a cannon?"
>You didn't expect that from Jack
"Kinda... yeah, actually."
>You give her an incredulous look but it makes sense
"You can swap out the cylinder, barrel, trigger, hammer, whatever. But the cannon's... a cannon."
>"So the laptop is as cannon, even though a cannon is stronger than a revolver and you're calling the desktop a revolver."
>You contemplate the irony for a moment
"Yes. The desktop is a forty pound revolver and the laptop is... what, a four pound cannon."
>Jacky smirks at Shine with a leer
>"Guess you need to study up on your stuff... you ain't the smartest one now."
>Those words cause a very specific sort of reaction to Shine
>She looks...
>Aghast
>Like it was the forbidden insult
>Without saying anything, she gets up and walks off the bed
>Every other step is a bit of a wobble on account of the mattress squishing under her
>She almost trips on the last step down onto the floor
>Jack scoffs at the sight
>Shine holds in some sort of obvious intent to murder because she tried to speak but her first word was some sort of angrish pony noise
>Only when she walks away does your attention focus elsewhere
"Nice analogy there."
>"Thanks."
"What made you think of cannons and revolvers?"
>Her answer is a telltale whistle
"...oh yeah. There was a cannon at the end, wasn't there."
>"There were a lot of cannons."
"Yeah... damn, those things must be loud."
>You finish putting everything back to way it should be, grumbling at the state of dust
>Thankfully any pony-length hairs have been caught by the cases
>The desktop case, the laptops, even the consoles
>You're surprised the normal fans you have don't have little weird bundles of pone hair on them
"Wonder when the other mane cuts will happen..."
>"Huh?"
>You take the little bundle of hair and push it into a nearby empty mail envelope
>You're so happy most of your mail is digital these days
"I noticed that you gals are leaving evidence behind. Lotta long hairs."
>"Seriously? How?"
"I'm guessing it's just stuff that happens."
>"Oh... sorry."
"Nah, it's nothing to apologize about. It's why I keep my hair short-ish too."
>You scoot backward, still in your sitting position, until you awkwardly fidget your way back onto the mattress
"I get my hair cut maybe twice a year. But I suppose I'm getting close to due, myself..."
>It doesn't grow the fastest, but it's still something
>"What do you think Sparky should get her mane cut like?"
"Me? I'm the wrong guy to ask."
>"Sure, but you like what I got."
"Sure, but you and her decided on that."
>"Sure, but she said you'd probably like it."
"Sure, but... wait, why?"
>Jack gives you a shrug
>"Iunno."
"Well, she wasn't wrong."
>You aren't sure what to do now
>You planned on working on your computer but now it'll be put off for who knows how long
>You feel a pair of hooves press against your back
>"Massage?"
"Sure."
>Your inner shitposter wants to ask if she's using her front or hind hooves
>But you're better off not asking
>You're also worried that she may buck your spine into powder
>After a few minutes, you sigh
"Things are really rough."
>"But we're helping out, aren't we?"
"Yeah, of course. But it's hard to want to be helped."
>"Is it pride?"
"Not really. More I'm just used to dealing with my issues on my own. Or more or less having to deal with things on my own."
>"Should we keep asking about things?"
"Well... yeah. I like being shown that you care. And I should be better by not being so... blah."
>"Blah?"
"Blah."
>"...blah..."
"...Thanks Jack."
>"Blah!"

>It's close to Saturday
>The Day
>You've been in your room, goofing around on your laptop
>You asked to be alone for a bit so you've been shitposting and looking at things to torrent and probably never actually play
>So much has changed in the last year
>Where as you used to want to be selfish on your birthdays, this year you just want some semblance of...
>Of what?
>Objectively speaking, you've improved
>Mostly
>You miss your old friends
>You still think about them
>Maybe you've thought about them more, the longer it's been
>Soon you'll be the last male of your family, too
>It's impossible to describe what that's doing to you
>It's made you visibly distant from the others
>You already feel bad for being rude to Dashie
>You wouldn't be able to abide by doing the same to either of the other two
>This time last year... it was just you and Jack, wasn't it?
>And this time last year, you recall her giving you some really goofy talk about wanting to know about such a day
>You really didn't expect that
>You didn't expect any of this year, from start to finish
>You lean back, having made a quilt cocoon around yourself
"I'll really be the last one..."
>Every time your mind wanders, it goes back to how you'll be the last male of your line
>What do you do with this knowledge?
>What's the lifespan of the girls?
>What's the rest of your lifespan?
>Does it matter?
>Do you just call it good when their time is up?
>What else is left?
>You feel downright frigid when you try to contemplate such extreme morbidities
>Where will you be this time next year?
>Will there be a next year?
>You close your eyes, sighing
>You've had The Outlaw Josey Wales playing as background noise
>Maybe the end is closer than you realize
>Could you be content, if that were the case?
>After you had so much struggling to reach what low level of relative success that you have?
>Part of what kept you going was your friends
>You were like a big brother to them
>You fancied yourself the sort, anyway
>Maybe...
>You feel someone climbing onto your lap
>Probably Jack
>"Hey, bro."
>That's not Jack
"Hey Shine."
>She sounds unusually upbeat
>"...you know. I know you and Jacky and a thing... and Prism is kinda like Jacky's older sister."
>She plops down on your lap sideways
>There's more than enough layers of quilt on you that you probably make a decent bed
>"But... I don't know. I wish I had a mom. Obviously I wasn't close to them like they are with each other..."
>You remain silent
>It sounds like she's trying to push a mood of some sort
>"...you're kinda the closest I've had to a big brother. I think."
>You're not sure what to think of that
>You don't think you can even really respond
>"I mean... yeah... I... well. You know how I was."
>Too true
>"But I've seen what you've done. I guess I've seen more of your history and your past than Jacky ever has."
>She inhales
>"And I guess I was jealous."
"Of her?"
>Your response catches her off guard, since you can feel her flinch
>"Didn't expect you to respond... and yeah. But also of your friends."
"My friends, huh..."
>"Remember our first game of Soul Caliber?"
>That makes you smirk
"That I do."
>"You know the... thing I did? With looking into your mind?"
"So you could cheat?"
>"So I could play on equal footing as you, yes..."
>That casual tone of annoyance makes you chuckle
>One of your friends used to have that exact same tone
>"I saw how you spent your birthdays with them. I felt what you felt."
>To be honest you don't remember a ton about her little mind reading gimmicks
>"...I know it's early for birthday presents. But I..."
>She sounds audibly awkward
>"Uh..."
>She fidgets, her attention honing in on the movie
>Half of your screen consisted of loading bars so there wasn't all too much to look at
>"...mind if I see you as... my brother?"
>Wat
"Wat."
>You tilt your head to the side and try to gauge Shine's face
>She actively refuses to look at you
"Where did this come from?"
>"I know you're missing your friends... your bros."
>You aren't really going to ask her why she thinks that
>But she isn't wrong
>"So... I want to be your friend. Like how you were with them."
>Oh
>A hard weight sinks on your chest
>It has nothing to do with the pony laying on your cocooned torso
"I don't know what you're going on about, Shine."
>You sigh, shifting so the pillow against your back moved a few inches to the left
>You hear her struggle to make a comeback but you cut her off
"You're already a bro to me. With how much stuff we watch and play together... you remind me of my friends when we were kids."
>You swallow hard
>It's rough to think of the days back then
"Way way, way back when... we used to watch a ton movies together. Really nothing much else, for a while. Just movies, anime, cartoons, games..."
>You chuckle
"We wasted our childhood playing games. Usually solo stuff, but we'd always compare notes, strategies, have dick waving contests about who's teams were better."
>You see her
>And you see the movie
>But you're looking past them
>You can still remember a lot of it
>You remember a lot of it like it was yesterday
>Sometimes you remember those days better than you remember the previous weekend
>Maybe this is what it feels like to be getting old
>"-on?"
"Huh?"
>"I said, what's on your mind?"
>Shine's still watching the movie
>Which is preferable to her trying to give you some doe eye treatment
"Well... you know how it goes. Some memories you really can't stand. Other memories..."
>You really would give anything to be able to have another elongated phone call that really was just mutual ranting at each other about goofy RPGs or whether or not Kreia was really all that wrong
>"I guess so... do you think you'd be able to share those sorts of memories and stuff with us?"
>You think
>If Shine was a bit more selfish, she would've said 'me'
"Yeah... yeah, of course. I would love it if we all could be like that. I guess we just need to find out a better way for them to use controllers."
>That would be cool
>Even though you were really the only one who had such a diverse taste in games
>Everyone had their niche, but you liked playing a bit of everything
>Besides, you couldn't imagine spending thousands of hours in a single game when there was so much to try out and go through
>"Well, from what I saw... it was a lot of talking about games without everyone having had to play them. Right?"
"I guess you're not wrong there..."
>"...hey Anon."
"What's up?"
>"Do you think your old friends would have stuck around if they knew about us?"
>It's hard to even think of that
"I don't know. I like to think so. They got me into the show to begin with, all those years ago."
>You can feel her fidget
>"...did any have Twilight as their favorite?"
>You chuckle
"You know? I really don't recall."
>You chuckle again
>It doesn't feel good
"There's a lot of things I can't recall about them. I remember so many things we used to do, the things we've said and near-misses we had with danger."
>Your throat feels like it's trying to close up
"But I don't recall the last time we ever just... genuinely talked and enjoyed being around one another."
>You bury your head into the excess bundle of quilt near the side of your face
>You can feel something warm slide down your face
>You don't want to make a big deal about it
>What's done is done
>But
>You miss them
>And you know that you miss them more than they miss you

>You didn't really want to wake up
>You tried to, you set your alarm for a normal time
>But you just kept dozing back off
>Both then and now, you haven't seen anyone
>You grumble and sit up
>No Jack
>No Shine
>No D
>No one
>While you're completely aware of the fact that they're most likely in the living room
>You can't help but feel...
>Deflated
"Gah... slept like the dead."
>You speak out loud
>You wait
>For just a moment
>For some sort of response
>You watch the hallway out of the corner of your eye
>Nothing
>Damn...
>You're thirsty but you don't want to get up
>Some unexplainable worry sticks to your head
>You know it would never be the case but you worry that if you got up and went to the living room, that they'd be gone
>Or that they were never there
>It's one of the goofiest worries you could have
>But it's almost a possibility
>So, instead of getting up and getting a drink, you just get onto your laptop
>Some morning birthday shitposting will suffice for now
>It'll also give you a good chance to get out of your early morning funk
>Maybe the girls were just up late last night or something
>After a few hours of shitposting, you decided that... nothing much was going to happen
>So you went to the bottle you kept in your room
>A third-full bottle of vodka that you and Jack shared a month or two back
>After downing most of that last third, you devolved from shitposting, to listening to music
>Specifically the same few cycles on repeat
>It's been repeating to the point that your loosened up self control has led to you singing the lyrics
"YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE PRICE OF EVIL. AND IT HURTS TO KNOW, THAT YOU BELONG HERE.... YEAH!"
>You rock back and forth, belting out with the best of them
>You've been so into it that you haven't noticed a sleepy Jacky sitting in the doorway to your room
"PEACE OF MIND IS LESS THAN NE-"
>You stop in mid-screech, head bobbing just enough to the music to make her visage a little less than focused
"Hey Jack... I was worried you were gone."
>You hold up what little was left in the bottle
"Wanna join me?"
>She yawns and look at you
>She looks exhausted
>But, drawn to the bottle, she hops onto the mattress toward you
...
...
...
>The funky Billy Joel tune starts to kick up again
>Only for some other guy's vocals to kick on
>"DRAGGED YA DOWN BELOW"
"DOWN TO THE DEVIL'S SHOW"
>"TO BE HIS GUEST FOREVER"
"PEACE OF MIND IS LESS THAN NEVER!"
>With Jacky in your lap, she ways left whenever you go right and right whenever you lean left
>Given the song's been on repeat for who knows how long now, it's something both of you are picking up on with ease
>"HATE TO TWIST YOUR MIND"
"BUT GOD AIN'T ON YOUR SIDE
>"AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE SEVERED"
"BURN THE WORLD YOUR LAST ENDEAVOR!"
>You grab Jacky's shoulders and violently shake her back and forth with that last line
>She really can't do any sort of threatening tone compared to you, but the alcohol-filled fervor is there
"FIGHT! NOT TO FAIL, NOT TO FALL, OR YOU'LL END UP LIKE THE OTHERS!"
>"DIE! DIE AGAIN! DRENCHED IN SIN! WITH NO RESPECT FOR ANOTHEEER!"
>The more the song replays and replays, the more in sync the both of you sing
>When you aren't shaking Jack, she's whipping her head back and forth, barking out the words
>Every new pass, the music becomes that much more groovy
>The lyrics become that much more angry and venomous
>After one final round of singing the song, all goes quiet
>You've been manually resetting the song's place but now, after the... who knows how many runs, it has ended
>Jack leans to the side and looks up at you
>While the singing and screaming has woken her up, she still looks visibly exhausted
>And a little loosened up from the bit of vodka that she had
>Neither of you have drunken so much that there's been a resistance built up
>"Well Happy Birthday to you, Anon."
>You nod, giving her a complete bear hug
>She's real
>And she's right here with you
>You worried over nothing
>Not that you were worried
"And a happy birthday it's been..."
>One hand shakes away from her and toward the mouse
>There's another song you want to go to
>"Sorry for the late awakening... we've been working on something for you and-"
"OH MY GOD! PLEASE HELP ME, KNEE DEEP IN THE RIVER TRYING TO GET CLEAN"
>"HE SAYS WASH YOUR HANDS, GET OUT THE STAINS"
>It's a song you've introduced her to before and she snaps back to attention
>In unison, you both continue without missing a beat
>"AND I'M ALL ALONE AND THE FIRE GROWS!"
>By the time you reach that line, you thought you heard a third voice
"AND I'M ALL ALONE AND THE FIRE GROWS!"
>You point to the newcomer, Shine
>She looks...
>Messy
>She has some sort of yarn or cord wrapped a few dozen times around her horn
>Looks almost like paracord
>During the last half minute of the song, she lets out the angriest yawn and awkwardly climbs onto the bed
>Both of them look like they've been up for who knows how long
>She goes behind you, sitting down on your right
>With a light sniff and another yawn, she gives a tired glare at Jacky
>"Could've woken us up."
>Jacky shrugs, content with keeping in your lap
"Alright... ready to hit it for real this time?"
>"Aye-aye!"
>"Sure."
>You restart the song and take the lead on singing
>Both of them follow up, shouting or barking whenever is required
"AND I SAW MYSELF STARIN' BACK AGAIN!"
>"AND I SAW MYSELF STARIN' BACK AGAIN!"
>The longer the song goes, the more angry Shine gets
>The louder you go, the more Jacky rocks and bangs her head
>The more the speakers are turned up, the more Shine's horn glows
"SWING SWEET SERAPHIM, TAKE ME BACK AGAIN, OR WATCH ME MAKE THE MESSES OF MEN!"
>The two ponies chant out alternating "la"s, combining relentless, infectious energy with smoldering, burning hot fury
>After yet another turn of the tune, you finally feel like a lot of your frustration has been vented out
>Jack and Shine yawn at the same time, still in sync
>You lean back, giving a heavy yawn
>You aren't tired but the booze and the singing did wear you down a little
"Where the hell were you two?"
>"Come into the living room and find out. I almost thought you left in the morning or something because you were too quiet."
>"But his boots were still here."
"And I'm not going to work or anything on my birthday."
>"Oh shut up, both of you."
>"Or else what?"
"Or else... you'll tie Jacky up with the cord on your horn?"
>"Wait, what?"
>"...deal."
"Sweet."
>"Wait, why me?!"
>"You asked."
"It's true."
>Shaking her head at the casual absurdity of the conversation, Shine stretches hard and stands up
>"Whatever. Follow me, both of you. We all worked on something for you."
"Must be true if even she said that, huh?"
>"Yeah! Come on, we worked hard on it!"
>Guess they really were doing stuff for you
>Made sense that they weren't around last night
>After a hard rub of your nose, you work yourself to your feet
>You do manage to drag yourself to the living room before you just plop back down on a pillow
>There's at least a dozen pillows out here now
>And half a dozen big blankets that used to be in your closet
>As messy as it looks, it looks like a really comfy nest of sorts
>D is still sleeping
>Or dead
>Her head is covered but you can see her wings that are splayed out
>"Dashie, we're finally back and all up!"
>You hear a light, wispy series of...
>Words?
>Coming from her
"She seems wiped as much as anyone else. What were you guys doing all night? What's with the cord?"
>Your answer is met with a floating quartet of... what looks like bracelets float up in front of your face
>One green
>One red
>One yellow
>One blue
>"I hate this cord you have, by the way."
>They look like a variety of handmade paracord bracelets
>What's particularly interesting is that each one has a different pattern to them
>The pattern isn't just how the paracord itself is woven, but each one has a different array of...
"Feathers?"
>"Dashie's feathers!"
>"Evidently she's been collecting them when she does her weird bird cleaning thing."
>You hear another muffled reply from the pegasus
"That's... huh. Wait, why are these all different sizes?"
>"Because the green one is yours. Red one is mine. Yellow is Jacky's, and blue is Prism's."
>You pick the green bracelet from the magical fog and slip it onto your left wrist without thinking of it
>The bracelet itself is at least a good two inches wide
>There are a half dozen feathers woven all along one side of it, like it's meant to be on the outside of your wrist
"These are neat..."
>The yellow one floats up and sits itself on Jacky's head
>After a rough shake of the head, it seems to fit into place better
>It looks like a headband with the same number of feathers poking up and back on her left side
>"Like the Indians wore! Pretty cool, right?"
>The red one stretches a bit
>Shine tries to keep a neutral expression but even she smiles when it slips down her neck
>Three feathers poke out to the back on each side
>The blue one seems to be the smallest
>Shine's magic lets it gently drop onto the pillow covering her head
>"So... we were thinking of what to get you."
>"Without grabbing your card and sneaking out."
>"Or stealing."
>Dashie pushes the very edge of her face out from under the pillow and joins in finally
>Though she sounds like it's taking all of her energy to just talk
>You fiddle with the bracelet and shift it back and forth
>You've never even worn a wrist watch, so this will be a big adjustment
>Something about the feathers seem kinda funny
>They're stark white, like the rest of D's wings
>But if you jostle your bracelet fast enough, you could almost swear that you see other colors
"This is... trippy..."
>"So we decided on... what's normal."
>"Turns out 'normal' means 'spending all night trying to figure out how to make these patterns."
>"Please don't let us do this again..."
>It's kinda neat how well the three can talk, with one picking up right where the last one left off
>It reminds you of how you used to aggravate one friend while the other two actively joined in and rebounded off of everything being said
>"They're friendship bracelets!"
>"Jacky had the idea, Prism had the spare feathers to add to it and I..."
>Dashie picks up
>You can see the smallest smirk
>"Sparking had the inability to stop when she knew it would be for you."
>A red-enveloped pillow slaps down on her
"Wow... so what's the things about the feathers?"
>You slip the bracelet off and wave the bracelet back and forth
>If it's fast enough, you can see a variety of colors
>Really like it is some sort of white prism that descends into colors, except it isn't reliant on what angle you look at them act
>It's not even like they leave a trail of color behind, but more they actively change colors themselves when moving fast enough
>By the time you stop gawking at it while flailing your arm around like a jackass, you get an answer
>"My wings are... different, in that way. If I fly, they tend to shift like what you see there."
>"It's super rare! We once tried to sell her feathers but..."
>"The less said about that, the better. Right?"
>Sounds like they have some sort of mutual history going on with that
>The blue band ends up slid up D's left hind leg
>It reminds you of a garter
>The feathers on that one are so woven in that they don't stick out at all
>That probably makes sense since she still has two wings full of them
>"So what do you think, Anon?"
>Jacky looks pleased as pie, hoping for a good answer
>Shine looks content with her work
>Dashie looks...
>Well she looks like she's about to drop dead, since her mane is more than a mess and her wings are ruffled enough to look like she'd drop like a rock if she tried gliding
>But she looks happy too
"...hear me out... this is some mythical level shit: made with magic, has pegasus feathers in it..."
>You squint at the trio
"...will this give me magical powers?"
>Jacky looks completely surprised
>"COULD IT?!"
>Shine rolls her eyes
>"Get real."
>Dashie looks confused
>"What?"
"I'm serious. This is some Hercules-class stuff. Thanks. Thank you, everyone."
>"I do realize this kills the mood... but what time is it? It was dark when I went to sleep an-"
>"You mean passed out?"
>"...y-yes, thank you Jacky. It was dark when I... slept... why is it still dark out?"
"It's just the way of winter."
>You haven't really bothered to eat anything all day either
"Listen, how about this. I order us some pizza, we watch some movies... and then just call tonight a wash so we can just stay chill and relaxed?"
>The two supernatural ponies look more than fine with that
>Though Jacky seems distraught
>"But it's your birthday! Shouldn't we... celebrate? Or something?"
>You nod, stretching
"Eh, why worry about making it a big deal? We'll have food, we'll have movies... I'm around my best friends. What else could I want for a birthday?"
>Everyone seems happy with the answer
>Dashie seems so happy with it that she just falls back over and nuzzles her pillow
>"I agree. Let me know when the festivities start and I'll be... right there."
>The promise of pizza
>The movies
>The intense fatigue shared by everyone mirrored only by the eagerness to do things together
>You still miss your old friends
>But you're doing the exact same things now that you did with them
>This familiarity
>This unique sense of comfort
>This is really all you could want
>This is your real present
>And, of course, the possibly magical artifact that you were bestowed
>You never know, right?

>You've been paying a lot of attention to your bracelet since you got it
>Or maybe it's more keen to say it's an armlet
>Armlets are more manly
>And it's pretty thick to be a mere bracelet anyway
>Given everything you've been taught by video games and fantasy movies, you've tried everything to see if you've been bestowed any grand, wonderful powers or enchantments
>Sadly it's only paracord with pegasus feathers
>The feathers do shine in a really weird way though
>It's kinda like they go through colors whenever you wave your arm around fast enough
>You've been doing that for the last five minutes now, at the very least
>You're sure that there's something to it
>You just aren't sure what
>"Are you still wagging your arm around?"
>It's Shine
"Yeah? There could be some serious mojo to this, you know?"
>"What, do you think it's some... power bracelet or something?"
"Well unicorn magic with pegasus feathers."
>"And paracord."
"And the modern magic of paracord. Doesn't it sound like something that could have some fancy stuff attached to it?"
>"... not really."
>She climbs onto your mattress
>You've been stuck on a pause screen for a while, waving your arm like you just don't care
>Except you have cared
"Well... I think there's something fancy about it."
>"... you know it's not the biggest thing in the world."
"Sure, but who else has gone out of their way to make me something?"
>"I don't know?"
"Well neither do I. So there you go."
>She sits next to you, on your left
>"What you got playing this time?"
"Yakuza."
>"Who-za?"
"It's a series about criminals and gangsters. Some of them are really bad guys, to the core."
>"Sounds riveting."
>She doesn't sound that excited
"But some guys... a lot of the guys. They've had to deal with violence before. Some of them are really good at it. Sometimes it's the only way they can genuinely communicate what's important to them. Best of all? Even the hardest, stone cold-looking killer is really just a goofy guy. And he might not even be a killer."
>You wave your arm around a few more times and finally give it a rest
>You're able to see maybe three different colors in the feathers, at most
>"That sounds... kinda romantic."
"Yeah. Romanticized to hell and back, given criminals today."
>You unpause, giving her a view of a frizzy-haired looking guy and two others
"So here, you have your idiot who's good for nothing but has a good heart... and then another idiot that threw his life away for someone who didn't even really like him... and then a third idiot that couldn't do what his honor demanded... so he spend decades giving his money to someone to invest in them as an apology for his self-perceived incompetence."
>"...that's rather charitable of you."
"Hey, it's all true."
>You show off the characters
>"They're... old."
>That makes you laugh
"Tell me about it. The main character has had basically no life to live and he's in his 40s..."
>Shine frowns
>"You're telling me he's over forty?!"
"Yeah. That's kinda crazy, isn't it?"
>"...and how old are you again, Anon?"
>You go silent
>And clear your throat
>"...how old, Anon?"
>She glares at the side of your face
>You're doing everything you can to ignore it
"...sure as shit not even in my 30s yet..."
>You're not too sure of what you would do if you were in any of their situations
>You never thought that you were 'ambitious' but you've looked back on your past and you can tell that's what you've become
>You think
>If nothing else, you've become ambitious enough to have three ponies live with you
"Hey Shine."
>"Eh?"
"How old are you?"
>You turn your head to give her a full-faced look
>She... doesn't look insulted at least
>"...isn't it rude to ask a girl that?"
"Well you're a pony girl so it's ok."
>The squint she gives you could melt a glacier
>She inhales
>Holds
>Shrugs and exhales
>"Honestly? I do not know."
"How old is Jack?"
>"Don't know."
"Dashie?"
>"Older than both of us, but not by much."
"Oh.. that's brutal."
>You scratch the back of your head
"So... how many years do you think you spent on the streets?"
>Shine shrugs
>"Honestly? I don't know. Either I didn't ever care, or I stopped counting. It's hard to keep track of time when so much of it is worthless to you."
>You nod
>You know that feel all too well
"Yeah... well, it doesn't feel like it's been a year that Jack has been here, and it feels like yesterday that she popped up."
>"And?"
"Well that time wasn't worthless to me."
>"I didn't say it was."
>The conversation dies there
>She watches you play for a while
>You spend a lot of your time wandering around, helping out random people, and beating up thugs
>"That's a pretty lively city... and this guy's a criminal?"
"Well... not really. I mean, technically he was a thug, at one point."
>"But he isn't?"
"Not really. He's just a nerd."
>"Like you."
"Nah, he's a snappier dresser. But my hair's better."
>She looks up at you
>"...ok, true."
>She watches you goof around more
>"He's pretty cool, to help out so many people."
"Yeah he is."
>"Doesn't he have a job?"
"Not really, no."
>"Where's his home?"
"Doesn't have one. Guy's a hobo."
>"...a hobo with a bat, beating the stuffing out of thugs for pennies?"
"Yeah... gotta scrape by somehow, right?"
>Though she didn't say anything, you could tell that was starting to get her attention
>"How far are you in the story?"
"Not so far. If you want, I can start a new file, from the beginning."
>"You'd do that?"
"Sure. Want me to?"
>"Please."
>So you do
>You go through the first few hours of it with her
>She's silent for all of it
>No real quips
>Insults
>Some scoffs and laughs
>But nothing else
>By the time you enter into the main map, she looks worn down
>"Anon..."
"What's up?"
>"How can you face these stories with a straight face?"
"Well... life is pretty rough sometimes."
>"So why not focus on something like Final Fantasy?"
"Because the guys... the men in this game, and the others in the series. They're willing to fight and even die for their beliefs. Their codes of conduct, personal standards, and honor."
>"But what would you do if you gave away your life like that?"
"I'd be proud. Just as he is. Sometimes, all a guy can do is to find a cause to throw himself into. Body and soul. That way, every failure hits him the hardest, every success is the best, and if he dies? It's for a valuable cause. The most valuable cause."
>You don't know if she likes that answer
>It doesn't seem to sit well with her
>"If you had nothing but the cause, would you be happy with that? Could you be happy then?"
>You think that's not a rhetorical question
>It takes even you a moment to consider it
"You know. If I had feedback that I was doing the right thing, yeah. I think a lot of guys, when they were kids, had fantasies like I did. Of being a hero. Of standing up for justice, love, friendship."
>You gulp down some stray saliva
"Of... sacrificing yourself, for what could be considered a greater good."
>"Who dreams of sacrificing themselves for others?"
>You're starting to get that familiar feeling
>Like you're looking forward from the back of your head
>Or maybe that you're falling backward but still sitting up
"Kids that have nothing else to live for."
>By your tone, you aren't joking
>From the way her ears are down, and the...
>Shocked expression on her face
>Maybe that's not something she expected to hear from you
"But hey, the hero always sneaks out at the last second and lives on, right?"
>You give her an apathetic half-smirk
"That's usually a benefit of plans like that, anyway."
>She doesn't take the bait
"You know how it goes... gotta believe in something when you have nothing."
>She doesn't answer
>You've never really tried to analyze anyone's face while talking to them about this sort of thing
>Going off of Shine's one expression, you've felt enough heat well up in the back of your eyes to remind you why you don't
"But... look at him. He's focused. Given purpose. And from what you saw, he'll have some pretty goofy adventures going on soon."
>You attempted to make it sound better than what it was
>More upbeat and comedic
>But at the end of the day, the main character sacrificed a lot
>Though his story hadn't even started yet, he had already lost so much
>The look on Shine's face
>If you could read minds, you could guess that maybe she was wondering how someone could live after sacrificing so much for apparently nothing
>You didn't expect to, but maybe this is the right sort of game for her

>It's been a Friday alright
>So much a Friday that you've had some vodka
>Because it's getting close to Christmas, you stuck a candy cane in it
>Shine has been playing more of Yakuza, sitting to your right
>Jack has been sitting in your lap, sharing the festive booze
> Dashie has been sitting to your left, going between watching Jack and the screen
>She's been stuck on it all day, apparently
>You had a feeling she might
>"So what classes are we?"
>Dashie seems like she's been deep in thought, since she spent the last half hour trying to bring up that question
>Jacky nods, more than a little loose from the drink
>She only really drinks as often as you do, and that isn't much these days
>"Buckin' Beautiful Bronco, I bet."
>Shine scoffs
>"Fire Elemental, obviously."
>Dashie herself looks unconvinced
>"...what would I be, Thief?"
>You nod
>Not necessarily to agree with her, but to think about what you would be
"...Weirdo?"
>Your skillset certainly isn't the norm, nor are your interests
"I'd say that two out of three of these names are fine... but Shine, you aren't made of fire."
>"I can use fire magic."
"Well, sure, but..."
>"You're a nerd."
>Jacky states, in no uncertain terms, with a pair of squinted eyes and an accusatory hoof point at the unicorn's back
>This shouldn't be shocking to anyone
>But it is
>For a second
"...gal's got a point."
>"It's true."
>You and Dashie reply at the same second
>Shine turns her head and gives you a dirty look out of the corner of her eye
>You smile at her
>And slowly raise a thumbs up until it's right up against your face
>"Guh... whatever..."
"It's fine. We're all a bunch of dorks anyway. So we have a..."
>You look down at Jack
>She beams at you
>"A dork. A thief. A nerd. And a weirdo."
>You nod and pet Jack's chest
>She wraps her front legs over your arm, like a cat
>Thankfully minus the claws
"Honestly? That's not the worst thing. Look at Ichiban's party."
>Depending on how far back you want to go, technically all three of them could count for the Homeless Guy class
>Or Homeless Pony, rather
>Thankfully none of them smell like the hobo in the game
>But there's a skill-less thug
>A hobo
>A long-retired cop
>And a barmaid
"I think we could take them if we were all even-leveled."
>"You think so?"
>Dashie definitely doesn't seem the combative sort
"Sure. You got wings, and you can always run distraction. Or fly and drop things on their head."
>You lean forward and poke Shine's flank
"Our resident nerd knows honest magic, so that's actually a legitimate skill they can't beat."
>You try to break your hand free from Jack's grip
>You fail
"And our bronco girly here can aim for the heart."
>As if to prove it, she lets out a loud POW and kicks out one of her hind legs
>You're worried that she could've clipped you and still done massive damage
"And... well, I have guns. I have tools. Though to be honest, I'd really like to not get hit in the face too..."
>The pegasus shifts her wings
>"...so who should take on who?"
"Well you take on the chick. Shine, you take on Namba. Jack takes Adachi. And... I guess I get my face pummeled in by Ichiban."
>You aren't looking forward to the theoretical beatdown
>Mostly because you don't think you could start and follow up on a fight with a guy like that and not feel regret
>"You know, they'll probably gang up on one of us to start with..."
>Shine has a good point
"Alright, so change tactics. Who do we start on first?"
>"Nanba. He can heal the others."
"Do you know any healing magic?"
>"Iunno."
>She's surprisingly attentive despite playing a game
>Though she's basically grinding for levels and money
"Alright... who next?"
>Dashie chimes in again
>"Adachi-san is pretty tanky. And he deals a lot of damage. So him next, right?"
"Adachi-san?"
>"It's what he's called."
>Shine scoffs
>"Nerd..."
"Well... sure. I guess she has a point. So that leaves Ichiban and the chick. Who's next?"
>Jacky kicks out again
>"DEFINITELY GO AFT-"
>You reach your hand up and smear your palm over her face, causing her to descend into vague gibberish
>You chuckle
>Revenge after her stealing your arm
>You finally stop
>She gives you a hard squint but she blows you a kiss soon after
>"Definitely Ichiban next. He's the hero, right? And... wait, no!"
>She stares straight up at the ceiling, like it's some massive revelation
>"We three take on the chick... and then it's one-on-one smashdown between Anon and Ichiban."
>Dashie leans back, impressed
>Shine looks over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow
>You aren't so sure this is so great
"...so no pressure, huh."
>You roll your shoulders, sighing
"Well... I suppose if he has his bat, I'm having my rifle. If he's bare-fisted, I suppose I am too."
>Your wrists and back is hurting just thinking about it
"What are my odds?"
>"Well... he's older. Leaner. Stronger, since he's fought for decades. Probably willing to risk it all."
>Shine sounds like she's actually enjoying listing off how screwed you are
"Sure... but I have the power of friends."
>"So does he."
>Fuck
"...I have the power of love."
>"He does too."
"Wait, how?"
>"Iunno, but it's probably something to do about justice?"
>Fuck
"...well I have a gun."
>"Getting shot doesn't seem to bother him that much to be honest."
"That's just RPG mechanics."
>"Well if RPG mechanics are in play, wouldn't a punch to your jaw just deal HP damage and not be worse?"
"...point."
>Leave it to the party nerd to logic away any risks and benefits
"So you guys are really just gonna watch and stand back?"
>"Well yeah."
>"We have to."
>"Like you need our help!"
>They all reply at once
"Ah... God damn it. I guess there's no helping it."
>Jacky gives you a cruel grin
>"You could suplex him like you suplexed me..."
>Dashie gives you a questionable look
>"Excuse me, you did what to Jacky?"
"...you know, that's true. I've watched some wrestling. Ichiban has too."
>Jack gasps and grapples for your arm again
>"Awesome, it'll be a wrestling match! Shirts off, bare-knuckled, no holds barred, no tapping out!"
>"I have no idea what half of that means."
>"Anon, what did you do to Jacky exactly?"
>You do the best and decide to focus on the most obvious detail of all of that
"First off... it's gonna be embarrassing going toe to toe against him with my shirt off. He looks cool and he has the tattoo. I don't."
>"Hairy chest though. Obviously that's more manly than a tattoo!"
>"Anon, will you answer me?"
>Jack still seems on task
"Secondly... if it's coming down to him versus me, do we really need some massive gang brawl? I don't want you guys getting hurt. And he wouldn't want his friends to get hurt."
>"And you're as huge a nerd as him when it comes to having friends."
>Shine sounds like she's enjoying these cheap shots too much
"You shush your mouth up, nerd. But I guess that may be a point too..."
>"You and Ichiban are kinda similar."
>Dashie says what you were worried about hearing
"I freaking hope not! Guy's a complete block head."
>"Well you-"
"Nope, not hearing it."
>"But you both-"
"Nah."
>She growls and ruffles her wings
>"Accept the compliment, Anon."
"No way fag."
>Jack snorts at your lightning quick retort
>"That's rude."
"You started it."
>"See, he's rude too."
>You sputter out some failure of a response
"Whatever... when I suplex him, I want everyone to cheer."
>"How?"
>Jack seemed to calm down and let go, leading to you rubbing and patting her belly
"Like... freaking out like a set of fangirls. He won't have that if he slap chops my shit to Okinawa."
>"You really think we would freak out?"
>Dashie doesn't sound convinced
"It's not about getting all that hyped up, but it's ego. It boosts my confidence, shaves away his. It allows me to fight harder. And it means that I could do a follow up."
>"I think I get it..."
>Shine sounds like she's trying to understand
>This really changed track pretty fast
>But at least it's no longer a full-on street fight
>Jacky looks up at you, pointing up at your mug
>You bring it down
>She gulps down... what's frankly a very fair share of vodka
>"So... does this mean you can't have your gun?"
>You frown
>And gulp down some of the booze, yourself
"That fight better have a two drink minimum."
>"You guys don't get to drink. We do."
>Jack's unsettlingly serious in tone about that
"Jesus... did I ever mention that you're a sadist?"
>She beams at you
>"Think about it this way, the more you get hurt, the more I get to take care of you!"
>"...Anon, what did you do to Jacky? What's a suplex?"
"Again with the suplex... God damn it."
>You still have so much to show them, after even a year