My eyes open. There is a knife at my throat. I don't panic, I know better. The knife is in my sister's hands. My arms are around my daughter. Everything is great.

"You are truly the best alarm clock." But as I looked at my phone, I saw she woke me up at 6:30 in the Author-damn morning. "I could sleep for another 30 minutes."

"Early bird kills the worm."

"Gets the worm."

"Yeah, and then what does it do with the worm? Learn your proverbs." Darcy tossed her hair aside. The blade never left my throat. Most people have panic attacks by this point, I tell myself. Maybe including me early this week. Now? A different fight/flight instinct is waking up. This instinct tells me to stay docile. This could also be the part of me that's exhausted. "Also, is there, like, food?Or do I need to trust your mother's cooking again."

I grunted, softly. Lilac snored. A puff of smoke came from her nose. Darcy and I watched it float to the ceiling.

"So about that food-"

DMLE=

Every morning starts in the chapel. We group there. Lilac at my side, curling into my lap. Darcy used me as a lean.

"-and announcements are almost done. Oh! My family has one. My sister's daughter is in town. Darcy. We also have a new foster! Lilac is in a fragile state, so please, pray for her and her family!"

Darcy raised her middle finger. I quickly shoved it down. "She's not fragile."

Lilac shifted. I kissed the top of her head. "He doesn't know how strong you've been this week." My daughter sniffled, curling tighter to me.

"Prayers? Any request?" My dad called out to kids raising their hands.

Darcy muttered. "Phone?"

"Two burners." I slipped one to her, and another to Lilac. "You text me if anything happens. The numbers installed are mine, and your aunts. Press these buttons to get us, then it's just like writing on a typewriter. Okay?"

Lilac nodded, slow. "Typewriters are fancy."

Given we planned to bring her to our world, learning about typewriters was required. She was a rare species in Ponyville- something with fingers. She needed exercises to work out those muscles. Typewriters, certain video games, and even painting with special human paint brushes. She didn't need to know they were human. "Yeah. You're good at them, though." Cheerilee thought it was adorable any time Lilac and I handed over her paperwork done via typewriter.

Lilac accepted the phone. We spent most of the prayer time testing her texting skills. I'm just relieved the burner phones came as iphones. This would've been a nightmare with the old style buttons. Darcy has that old phone, so this worked out for us.

"Yes, a lot to pray for. The continued safety of our school, our students, for peace and wisdom, and! And, if you could pray for Morgan, for the healing of her body and heart."

I ignored it. Everyone believes I was in the hospital for falling from a tree. They don't know the truth. They don't need to know the truth. The truth exists underneath my sweater, hidden from the world. The injuries are starting to itch now. Thinking about touching them has me recoiling inside. It doesn't help that a handful of students turn to look at me in my seat.

Darcy gripped my hand. I ignored it. Lilac kissed my arm. And that? That made me crack. I took a long breath, letting it out slowly. My family curled around me.

DMLE=

I ran towards science class. Darcy was suspiciously missing, and this is her favorite subject.

She's not in the classroom. My fear doubles. She has a burner phone today, so there's no telling if she'll appear at my text.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, reading the screen.

It's Lilac. She's in the second grade room today. The subjects are universal. She was texting about going home. She missed her teacher, Ms Cheerilee. Which, honestly? Fair.

"Ms Spencer, phones away." The teacher ordered.

"But-!"

"Now. We're working on chemical reactions today!"

I groaned, cursing the existence of life. The teacher believed me. So I snuck a look at my phone screen again. My thumb texted back from under the desk.

"We are?" My sister poked her head in. "But I brought all of these!"

She threw a box on the floor. Dozens of frogs hopped out.

My classmates screamed.

DMLE=

The bathroom door slammed shut. Darcy is annoying as shit. It took twenty minutes to get Al the frogs back outside. She was no help. And the teacher docked my participation grade for the day because of it. My hands still feel covered in mucus.

Darcy walked out after me. Effortlessly, she tossed her hair back. I growled at her, marching off to my locker. She merely giggled, skipping away.

Caroline came up to me. I ignored her. "Is that a knife in your sister's pants?"

"Well, she's not happy to see you." I snarked. A beat. "Yeah, sorry about that. Yes. She's got one."

Caroline glanced again. "Is...I should report that."

I huffed. "If you think my parents could take it from her, go for it."

Caroline hesitated. "Will she use it on others?"

A head shake.

"Herself?"

I snorted. "No." She's more likely to stab me than herself. We are twins, but using the knife on me doesn't count as using it on herself.

Caroline nodded. "Okay." She leaned in. "Are you okay?"

I turned my head. Something must've been on my face. Caroline met my stare without flinching. She expected an answer. "No."

She pressed her lips together, rolling them out as she spoke. "Do your parents know?"

My shoulder rested on my locker. The other hand pulled out the phone, texting Lilac again. "Yes. They're praying for her body and heart too."

Caroline thinned her lips. She adjusted against the wall, fidgeting with her fingers. "Umm. Listen. About that-?"

"Sorry." I ducked away. Caroline wanted a heart to heart. If I speak about my feelings in the next five minutes, I will start crying and I'm only allowed to do that once a week. "My sister has a knife. I need to stuff her into a supply closet. Bye."

She watched me go.

"Ill call you later." I assured her.

DMLE=

Lunch time.

Lilac latched onto me. I latched straight back. Darcy held up a bag of take out. I wisely asked no questions.

As we sat down, Lilac's teacher walked over. Daniel Brown is an unassuming man. Yet as soon as I figured out that he would be the teacher, I learned absolutely everything about him. He's 59, from Illoinois, and he lives at 42 Walnut Avenue. he kept his key and a jar of shit like a tomato. The milk in his fridge is about to expire, and he should really clean out his vegetable drawer.

"Hey there, Lilac!" He cheered. Lilac clutched me tighter. "Hanging out with oyur new sisters?"

Lilac shook her head. Her fingers tightened.

"Need anything?" I asked him.

Mr Brown made this face. A pitiful expression, like his heart broke for me. "No, no. It's okay. This is really-"

Lilac fidgeted. I tried again. "Lilac, you okay?" She shook her head. "Talk or potty?"

Darcy pointed. "Down the hall, right, door on left."

Lilac squeezed once before running away.

Darcy leaned back in her seat. I leaned forward, focusing on Mr Brown. "How is she in class?"

Mr Brown put on this warm smile. "She's good. Great. A little quiet, but I think that's just first day jitters." He looked at me. Something new brightening his eyes. "She really loves you."

Hold it in

Hold it.

You already cried once this week, you know that.

"Hmm?"

Mr Brown gestured back in Lilac's direction. "She drew a picture of her family. You girls see the only people there." He pulled it out to show us.

I held it, like it was delicate gossamer thread. Darcy leaned closer.

It's in marker. Mr Brown hadn't trusted her with watercolor paints. She drew her human form, all of our human forms. Two stick figures with black hair stood beside her. They had different colored eyes, shirts, and my bag was at my side. Lilac drew Darcy with something silver. Mr. Brown probably assumed it was a phone. We stood by a brown house. The Spencer's had a white house. This is our home in Equestria. She drew this before texting me earlier.

Fuck.

Fuck.

"Do either of you know her home situation?" Mr Brown asked.

"It's bad." I supplied, still looking at the art.

Darcy hummed in agreement. "Legally, we can't say more."

"That bad?" The old man tsked. "That poor child. I'm grateful she has you. You are such a good sister, you'll be perfect for Lilac. I'll talk to your father later." He held out his hand.

I met his stare.

Mr Brown glanced at the art.

I met his stare.

"..or you can show him." Mr Brown said. "You probably will see him next period." The entire school knows when Dad teaches. Not because it is a big deal, but because that means my dad is unavailable for that stretch of time.

He walked away.

"Hiding?"

"Chocolate, from his wife. He plays Bingo on Mondays." Darcy answered. She hummed, eyeing the drawing again. "She drew my lucky knife."

"She did." I cooed. "Oh I need to laminate this."

Darcy snickered. "Or Lilac's photo album."

"Right! I have one just for art."

"Of course you do."

Lilac came back as I tucked her latest art project away.

"Everything good?" I asked, clicking my bag shut.

Lilac groaned. "I embarrassed myself in front of him."

I tilted my head. "Oh?"

"He wished me luck on my first day. I said 'you too'."

Darcy and I winced. "Yeah, I would move."

"Start over a new life in the next town." Darcy agreed. "It's the only way to recover.

Lilac groaned. She slumped, falling against me. "Will that stop it? The next town?"

We failed her, because we did not give her an answer. I patted her back with a sad little frown. Darcy pushed forward the takeout bag.

Lilac understood. She groaned again.

DMLE=

We survived a full day. Mom and Dad had meetings for another two hours. So the three of us snuck off to an empty classroom. Mr Brown had bingo on Mondays, and he liked a home-cooked meal before he played.

My Little Pony echoed in the empty room.

DMLE=

Equestria

Everfree Forest smelled like moss and evergreen trees. The enchanted flowers come in a breeze. It's a warmer season here. There's no trace of winter even in this forest. The warmth is welcome against the inconvenient cold of Southern winter.

Our backyard, in Equestria. It's a beautiful place to go.

The pain numbing spell went over the three of us. It covered up Lilac's pain of transformation. She squeezed me even long after the spell faded.

My hoof patted her back. "It's okay. It's over. We're-" I looked up at the sky. "We're home."

Lilac climbed my body. A dark pink pony body, free of scars and of anything related to torture. This is just a unicorn. She's a part time school teacher, and full time mom.

She settled on my back, arms still around my neck. Darcy- Killjoy- hovered above us. Her pegasus form was a dark bloody red, with a shimmering silver mane. She took to flying again like she never stopped. It's beautiful. Our family, whole and safe, is beautiful. Fuck, it makes a woman wish she could cry.

Killjoy adjusted her clothes. "So. You said twenty minutes?"

"Yes."

Killjoy nodded. "Let's check your house. It's closer, and they would have assumed we'd go there first for our stuff."

I agreed.

Lilac hummed. "Are we getting our stuff?"

"No, we're getting our friends." I said.

Her eyes lit up.

At my house, the ponies were preparing a trap. A simplistic trap that turned our backdoor into a net.

"Y'all had twenty minutes." I blurted out.

Everyone screamed. If they had arms, Rarity would've jumped into Applejack's. Pinkie started giggling when she realized it was me.

Twilight face-hoofed. Oh it's weird to think that again. "We thought we had an hour!"

"And you made this." Killjoy gestured to the trap again. "This is pathetic."

Twilight groaned. "But we needed to keep you in one place! So we could offer to help you!"

"Trapping us in a net so we'd take their help." I clicked my tongue, shaking my head

Killjoy copied. "Makes me sick."

"Hey!" Rainbow prepared to fight. Fluttershy grabbed her hindleg, pulling her back down. "We want to be nice to you! To help you get your life back!"

I paused. "You do?"

"Yes! But if you won't accept it-"

"Well." I looked at Killjoy. She met my stare. We exchanged a look. She accepted her fate.

She landed.

"We need...we have a friendship problem."