//------------------------------// // Family // Story: What Brings Us Together // by Hyzaku //------------------------------// “Spike, clean faster!” Twilight shouted. Several cleaning tools floated busily around the library. “They’ll be here within the hour! I want this place spotless!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Twi, please calm down. You’ve already cleaned the whole library twice since we got that letter this morning, and the place was pretty darn clean before you started.” There was no detectable response to Rainbow’s plea. “Ugh,” she groaned, cautiously approaching the busy unicorn. “Are you even listening?” She waved a hoof in front of Twilight. Once again, she was ignored as the frantic unicorn turned her focus to another part of the room; her cleaning supplies were already en route. “Twilight!” The magical aura faded, letting the cleaning supplies fall to the floor. Twilight spun around to see a very frustrated pegasus glaring at her. “Rainbow, don’t yell at me. I’m right here,” she snapped. “My family is going to be here soon-” “And you still haven't put any thought into what you’re going to tell them about me.” Twilight shrank back. “W-well...” Twilight gave in to the stress, falling to the ground in submission as a frustrated groan escaped her throat. Rainbow walked over to embrace her. “Twilight, you can’t make this go away by ignoring it. Never mind that you’ve been yelling at Spike for the last few hours even though he left to help Rarity just after breakfast.” Rainbow gently nuzzled her partner. “Look, it’s all gonna work out. You just need to-” Knock. Knock. Knock. Great! I can’t even get a minute to cheer her up... the pegasus thought as she went to open the door. Shining Armor stood calmly outside the massive tree-turned-building. It was his first time visiting Twilight in Ponyville. The door opened to reveal a blue-coated pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. She assumed an annoyed expression upon seeing him. “Hi. Library’s closed. Please come back later.” She slammed the door in his face. Shining Armor stood silent with shock. A somewhat nervous feeling washed over him, but it only lasted a moment. He gathered his confidence and knocked on the door once more. The door opened again. He smiled at the pegasus who responded with a roll of her eyes. “What? Didn’t you hear me the first time?” she snapped. She made to slam the door again, so he moved his hoof to stop it. It struck hard, causing him to grunt in pain. “This is Twily’s place, isn’t it?” “Yeah, it is. Unfortunately, she’s not ready to see you guys just yet. Why don’t you come back in a week?” Rainbow growled from behind the nearly-shut door as she pushed harder against it. “You’re Rainbow Dash, right?” A measure of smugness managed to bleed through her grunts, “The one... and only!” She quickly pulled the door back and slammed it against his hoof again. Shining flinched as his hoof slid back just enough for the door to slam shut. He growled in frustration as he channeled magical energy into his horn. He disappeared in a flash of light. A bright flash lit the room. “Damn it...” Rainbow turned around to face the angry stallion. “Didn’t know you could teleport too.” “Why are you being such a pest? I’m just here to talk to my sister!” he yelled at the surprisingly nonchalant pegasus. Rainbow Dash leveled her gaze at him. “Twi’s having one of her little freak-outs. She’s been going crazy ever since she got that letter this morning.” She narrowed her eyes to a glare. “I don’t think she’s in a good state to see you guys right now, so just go home and come back later.” Shining Armor found himself giving ground to the smaller pegasus. “Hey, look, our parents aren’t here yet. I wanted to talk to Twilight about something before they got here.” The stallion was quickly backed up against a wall. Realizing there was nowhere left to retreat to, he flinched. “Please, it’s really important. Just let me talk to her for a minute.” Her glare was starting to get to him. Rainbow nickered. “Fine, but only if she stops panicking when I tell her you’re here. Otherwise, you leave and tell your parents to come back later.” “Deal.” Rainbow released her death glare, much to his relief. “Twilight! Your brother is here by himself and wants to talk to you!” Twilight appeared with a purple flash, wasting no time interrogating her brother. “Are they here yet?” “No, I came ahead of them,” he replied calmly. Twilight sighed heavily. “Thank Celestia.” “Okay, Twily-” Shining was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a feather duster floating in front of his face. “Fantastic! You can help us clean up. Start with bookcase thirty-seven,” she exclaimed before disappearing in a flash of light. Shining could practically feel the flood of sarcasm Rainbow Dash was waiting to unleash upon him. Come on, just improvise... he thought. “Well, you heard the lady!” he exclaimed with the fakest smile he’d ever worn before teleporting upstairs with his newly acquired feather duster. Shining looked around frantically for his sister. He knew he only had a few moments to find her before he would inevitably be faced with Twilight’s impromptu guardian. Luckily, he had picked the right room. Twilight was on the upper level of the bedroom adjusting the blankets on the bed. He trotted up the stairs to stand next to her. When waving a hoof in her face and calling her name failed to elicit a response, Shining Armor came up with wonderfully devious idea to grab her attention. He took his feather duster and began tickling her nose. “Ahh, S-Shiny... Achoo!” He chuckled as Twilight scowled at him. “Are you gonna pay attention now? Or is it time for round two?” He grinned as his younger sister’s expression lightened from the teasing. “Alright, but this better be important.” Shining placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Twily, I need you to help me out with Mom. Whatever you do, you cannot tell her that you’re still single.” “Why the hay not?” Rainbow interjected. Shining Armor groaned. “Why do you even care? This is a family matter. I appreciate that her friends want to look after her, but you don’t run Twily’s life.” Rainbow stuck her face in his, her care for personal space waning. “Neither do you!” “I told you, this is a family matter! Stay out of it!” Twilight stomped a hoof in frustration. “And why don’t you stay out of my love life?” The stallion stepped back at the sudden retort. He nervously glanced back and forth at the two angry mares. “Hey, come on, Twily I’m just asking a favor. Do you have any idea what Mom will do if she finds out you’re still single?” That was the final straw. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had said something wrong. He didn’t quite know what it was, but the look on his sister’s face told him he was about to find out. Shining Armor preemptively shrank back from the incoming verbal assault. “Well, I’m not single and I’m not going to lie to my mother about who I’m dating!” He stared at Twilight as several silent moments passed. “Uh... Is that all?” “What?” Shining cautiously picked his next words. “You tend to yell a lot more than that.” Twilight slumped to a sitting position. “I considered it, but I’m a bit worn out from all this cleaning. Besides, it’s not like this is the craziest thing you’ve asked me do.” “Wait,” she leaned in next to Twilight, “so, what is that craziest thing he’s asked you to do?” Twilight grinned smugly. Immediately, an embarrassed look overtook the stallion’s face. “Twily, please don’t-” “Just after I was accepted as Celestia’s pupil, he asked me to sneak him into the royal guard’s armory so he could try on the armor.” Rainbow shot Twilight an odd look. “Okay, what’s so funny about that?” “What? A royal-guard-obsessed colt wanting to break the law isn’t funny?” Twilight asked, taking the chance to rub salt into the wound. “Ironic, yeah. Funny, not really... Unless you actually did it. Though that would actually be more awesome than funny...” Rainbow took on a contemplative pose as a delighted smile crept onto her face. “That is so adorable.” The siblings stared bewilderingly at the pegasus who was lost in her own imagination. “Uh, Rainbow?” Rainbow Dash snapped out of her fantasy. “Oh, um... it wasn’t me?” She replied nervously. Twilight immediately started giggling. “Do I want to know what you were thinking about?” she teased. Rainbow’s eyes shot open briefly when she recognized Twilight’s tone. She leaned in close, touching the tip of Twilight’s nose with her own. “Well, I’m sure I can make it safe enough for company if you want to know right now.” Rainbow rolled her muzzle down to press her lips against Twilight’s. Quickly pulling back, she continued, “or I can save it for later.” A waggle of her brows and the drop in her tone made her intentions clear. Rainbow aimed a devious expression at Shining Armor. Maybe that will get him out here. Shining’s jaw fell. “Twily, please do me a huge favor.” Twilight turned to her brother. “Which is?” “Please don’t tell Mom about-” he pointed at Rainbow Dash- “that...” Both Twilight and Rainbow shot him incredulous glares. “Excuse me?” “Look, it just won’t be good if Mom finds out you’re...” Suddenly finding himself unable to finish his remark, Shining averted his gaze. At that moment a loud knocking sound echoed from downstairs. Twilight shouted in frustration, “Gah! They’re already here!” With a flash of light she vanished from the room. Rainbow Dash turned away from Shining Armor with a grunt. “Hey...” Rainbow stopped, not bothering to look back. “What?” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound...” He closed his eyes and allowed his head droop. “Mom’s going to raise a fuss about this. It would have been better if she didn’t find out so suddenly. Maybe I could have prepared more-” Rainbow Dash turned her head to interject. “You let me worry about her. If she doesn’t like it, then she’ll get an earful; maybe more than that if necessary.” That’s not quite what I was worried about... Still, maybe I can let her have this ‘victory’ and use it to get back on her good side. “Thank you,” he replied with a smile, “if it’s somepony like you watching over Twily, then I’ve got one less thing to worry about.” When Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest and flashed a cocky grin, Shining Armor knew his little ego stroking plan had worked. “Yeah, Twi’s in good hooves,” her posture returned to normal, “though you should probably apologize to her before you leave.” “I’ll make sure I do that.” Shining Armor proceeded to make for the stairs. “Hey... Um, can I ask you something?” Shining froze mid-step. Why don’t I like the sound of that? “Sure.” He turned to face her. Rainbow averted her gaze toward the large window next to the bed. “D-do you think I look pretty?” “Uh...” Shining Armor froze. Oh come on! I’m married; I shouldn’t have to get this from another mare! Rainbow continued to stare out the window, her ear twitched at the silence. “I’m that bad?” “Hey, I didn’t say that.” Her gaze remained averted. “You didn’t say anything! I think that gets the message across just fine,” Rainbow snapped. Shining walked over to her. He reached a hoof up to her chin and pulled her head around to face him. “Rainbow Dash, you’re not ugly, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Rainbow closed her eyes. “Yeah, and I’m no fancy princess either. Why should you care about me anyway?” Okay, seriously... What is up with her? “Exactly. You shouldn't be worried about what I think. I’m sure Twily-” Rainbow reached a hoof up to Shining Armor’s chest and shoved him back. Her eyes flew open into a glare. “I know what Twi thinks of me! I was asking what you think of me.” Okay, I’ve had enough of this. Shining returned her gaze with a glare of his. “Well, excuse me for not knowing exactly what you want to hear!” He took several steps forward, his body tensed into an aggressive posture as the pegasus fell back a step. “I didn’t come here to tell somepony else’s mare how good she looks!” Rainbow stood silent. Content with his small victory, Shining relaxed; his visage warmed into a smile. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is, but if you’ve got a personal concern about your looks, Twily is a really good listener. Just talk to her. I promise she’ll understand.” Tears began to well up in the pegasus’ eyes. Rainbow lept up, briefly taking flight, and landed on Twilight’s bed. She swiftly buried her face into the pillow. Muffled sobs made their way through the pillow. I just can’t win... Shining trotted up the steps to the loft containing his sister’s bed, complete with its new bawling pegasus accessory. He took a seat next to the bed. “Hey, do you need to talk about something?” A pillow impacted the stallion’s face. “I’ll take that as a yes.” “Take a hint and just leave me alone. What makes you think I need to talk about anything?” Rainbow pouted. Shining Armor chuckled. “That’s because I’m a big brother.” Rainbow sighed in defeat. “I guess that makes sense.” The stallion climbed onto the bed, lying down next to her. He wrapped a foreleg over her shoulder reassuringly. “So what’s wrong?” Rainbow took several sharp breaths as she tried to calm down. “You ever feel like you made a decision too soon?” The stallion furrowed his brow. “Rainbow, everypony’s acted hastily at some point. It doesn’t have to mean you totally messed up though.” “I guess...” “Hey, I bet I know what’ll cheer you up.” Shining grinned devilishly. “Wanna hear some funny stories about Twily?” Twilight paced nervously by the front door of her library-home. A quick sense of dread washed over her as various scenarios played out in her mind simultaneously, none of which she had been able to plan responses for. Another series of knocks grabbed her attention. Oh well, guess it has to happen now. She sighed before opening the door. The anticipated sight of her parents greeted her. Twilight put on her usual smile in hopes that they might not notice her apprehension.“Mom, Dad, it’s good to see you.” She greeted them each with a hug before allowing them entrance into her dwelling. Her mother was quick to begin her doting, “Oh, Twilight, sweetie, this is such an adorable little place you’ve got here. You did remember to thank Princess Celestia for providing you these accommodations, right?” “Of course I did, Mom.” “That’s our daughter, always keeping up her manners.” Her father chimed in. “So, I take it Shining is already here?” “Yes, he is. He should be coming down any moment now.” As if on cue, Shining Armor appeared walking down the stairs with Rainbow Dash walking behind him as she laughed aloud. “Wow, that was pretty good. You need to share more of those with me.” Twilight’s mother immediately spoke up, “Oh, Twilight, sweetie, how thoughtful of you to go through the trouble for me.” Twilight turned to her mother, her face scrunched in confusion. “Uh, what?” Her mother laughed. “Why for setting me up with grandfoals, of course. I don’t know how you got Cadance to agree to it, but thank you so much.” Shining’s ears picked up the conversation; worry set in swiftly. “Mom, what are you-” “Oh, that’s the sonic rainboom mare, right? Rainbow Dash, isn’t it?” the father interjected. “Oh, yeah, that’s me,” Rainbow replied. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but praise was always welcome. “I say, what a fine choice, my little Twilight. Such a good pedigree will definitely make for some good foals.” Rainbow was suddenly very confused. “Twi, what’s he talking about?” Twilight’s mother shifted her attention to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “Oh, yes, I simply can’t wait. Thank you so much, Miss Dash. I really owe you for this. And don’t worry about any of the expenses, we’ll take care of everything for you.” “Mom! I am not having foals with her!” Shining Armor shouted. Rainbow’s eye twitched. “Oh, why not?” Twilight’s mother replied, seemingly unfazed by the response. “Seriously? I’m married! What makes you think Cadance would be okay with this?” he snapped back at her. “Well, you do look rather cute together.” his father remarked nonchalantly. “What does that have to do with anything?!” Shining Armor snapped. “Nothing, really. I’m just saying you look cute together.” “GAH!” Shining stomped his hooves. “You two are impossible!” “Now, now, dear,” his mother calmly intervened, “don’t yell at your parents. We didn’t raise you like that.” At this point, several veins were beginning to sprout on Shining’s head. “Then stop trying to interfere with my marriage!” “Well, if you’d just be more considerate of my need for some grandfoals to spoil-” “Rainbow Dash is my marefriend!” Twilight exclaimed. Twilight’s parents turned to stare at her in silence. Their unnerving gaze bore down on her. Great... They hate me. I just know it. She averted her gaze, unable to bear the feeling of disappointing her parents any longer. Her mother turned back to Shining Armor. “Hear that, Son? Now you owe me four grandfoals.” “What!?” “Well, your sister’s off the market with a mare, and you had both promised me two grandfoals each before you went off to your fancy schooling at the castle. That leaves you to pick up after her.” “B-b-but... I can’t,” Shining paused as he thought back to a conversation from the previous day. “Shiny, sweetheart, promise you won’t let your mother bully you about giving her grandfoals when you go to visit Twilight. I don’t want you to come sulking back again having made a promise you know we aren’t ready for.” A cold sweat ran down his neck. “Cadance won’t even let me in the house if I tell her you want four foals now!” “Oh look, our son is so smart. Good going, Son. You keep the wife happy and you stay happy.” His father beamed a smile at him before grunting in pain as a hoof slammed into his side. “Whose side are you on?” Twilight’s mother growled. The father chuckled, “See what I mean?” “What the hay is going on here?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. The room was silenced as all attention turned to the pegasus. She turned to face Twilight’s parents. “I thought you two were here to check on Twilight, not to pester your son about how many foals he’s going to have. Just quit arguing already.” The dark blue stallion raised a hoof to his chin, “Hmm.” He craned his neck as his eyes scanned the feisty pegasus. After a few moments of inspection, he lowered his hoof. “I see you picked a firecracker, my little Twilight. If your mother’s any indication, good choice.” Her father waggled his brows suggestively. Twilight’s mother shimmied up to her husband, “Oh you are such a flatterer.” She planted a long, deep kiss on his lips. His hoof moved up to pull her head in closer, tightening the embrace. She moaned pleasurably and began to slowly pull him on top of her. “AHEM!” The embraced couple’s eyes shot open as they froze in the moment. They glanced awkwardly at each other before releasing their hold and assuming their normal posture as though nothing had happened. The mother turned to Twilight, “So, a mare, hmm? Any particular reason?” “It’s a long story,” Twilight replied, continuing to stare at the ground. “Huh,” Rainbow Dash remarked, her faced briefly scrunched in thought, “well, that explains something.” Twilight raised her gaze to meet her partner’s. “What explains something?” “Oh, I was thinking that that, um... scene they just made... explains a bit about you.” “I’m nothing like that!” Twilight snapped. Rainbow leveled and incredulous stare at the unicorn. “Yes, you are. You act exactly like that when I say the right things.” “N-no, I don’t.” Her face flushed slightly. Rainbow smirked, “Literary devices.” Twilight’s face fell. “Y-you wouldn’t...” “She spoke of times past and future, and dreamt of things to be.” That’s anastrophe. Twilight fidgeted, a mild excitement coursed through her. Oh this is fun. Rainbow narrowed her eyes.  Finally a chance to tease her with these where she won’t just pounce on me. Her lips curled into a devious grin. “Soon, my cute Twilight will be unable to restrain either her excitement or her passion.” Syllepsis... Has Rainbow really been paying this much attention during my lessons? Rainbow continued, allowing her her voice to carry a sensual tone. “In the same way as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, I could not have my Twilight without her books.” An analogy... Twilight’s fidgeting suddenly turned into nervous squirming as she tried to contain her excitement at Rainbow’s literary progress. The pegasus’ tone was also not doing her libido any favors. Now for the finale. Rainbow took a deep breath, “As an avid aerialist and adventurer, alliterations are asinine and awkward. Anyways, ages ago, attempts at appending alphabetical abnormalities always abated acceptance, and abhorred alligators and albatross alike. Anew are absolutions, as are ages. Ambiguity and anomalies are accepted as argumentative; as apples and apricots are about as akin as axes and arrows. All about air anyways; and as always, again, abundant aerial adventures await.” “That was quite impressive,” Twilight’s father remarked. He turned to his daughter, only to find a wide-eyed stare he had grown quite familiar with. He decided to keep quiet. “That,” Twilight’s tone dropped to a sultry level, “was so hot.” Rainbow noticed the look in Twilight’s eyes. “Uh oh...” Twilight pounced on the pegasus, knocking her to the floor. The lavender unicorn had her target pinned and swiftly planted a series of hungry kisses, starting at Rainbow’s shoulder and working her way up the neck. Rainbow squirmed fruitlessly, “Uh, Twi. Can we just say I-” Her words cut off as Twilight’s lips pressed into her own. Twilight pulled back briefly, her eyes half lidded. “If you’re gonna talk, then be dirty. Give me some metaphors.” Shining Armor was in the process of of averting his gaze when his father’s words struck an uncomfortable chord. “Oh look, honey, our little Twilight’s all grown up. You know what this reminds me of?” “Did you bring your ruler and chalk?” his wife replied seductively. “You know I always come prepared.” He glanced over to his daughter briefly. “She really does take after you.” "Mmph." The pegasus tried, futilely, to talk as Twilight’s lips pressed into her own. Suddenly, Twilight pulled her lips away. “This is hereditary!?” Rainbow exclaimed the moment her mouth was free. Twilight frowned, “No, no, Rainbow I said metaphors, not genetics.” She wiggled her hindquarters a bit, squeezing her back legs to ensure her hold over the pegasus was unchallenged before returning to her kiss. “Twilight, sweetie, do you have a chalkboard upstairs we can borrow?” her mother asked suddenly. Twilight broke briefly from her kiss, “Yeah, it’s upstairs in the closet on your left.” “Twi can we please-” A mildly frustrated groan interrupted the pegasus.“Oh fine, if you don’t want to do a metaphor then talk about something you like. Oh, I know, aerial physics. That’ll work.” Twilight returned to her endeavor, stealing a light kiss on Rainbow’s nose. “Well, she seems busy enough. Shall we?” Twilight’s father planted a kiss on his wife. The two made their way towards the stairs “What is wrong with my family!?” Shining Armor exclaimed in a poor attempt to vent his frustration. “Shining.” Twilight spoke up. He turned to meet his sister’s gaze. “Yeah?” Twilight’s stared angrily at her brother. “Shut up, you’re ruining my mood.” Inspite of his sister’s threat, Shining noticed Rainbow Dash silently mouthing something along the lines of ‘stop her or get out.’ He was mildly confused by the first part of the request. Oh, I bet she was just trying to prove her point. Not that I blame her for not caring if I leave... Shining vigorously shook his head. No, I didn’t take this time off just to waste the day while the rest of my family has sex. His horn flared with magic. Twilight suddenly found herself on top of a nearby bookcase, number twelve to be precise. “What the hay! Can’t you take a hint?” Twilight shouted, her face flushed with anger. “Oh, drat. Guess this will have to wait,” Twilight’s mother commented. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ve still got all our toys back at the hotel room.” “Enough!” Shining exclaimed. “We didn’t come here so you two could have a romantic vacation; we came here to visit Twilight.” “Don’t be mad just because Cadance couldn’t come with you.” Twilight quipped. Shining responded with a spiteful glare. “Will you stop being bitter and get down here so we can talk like adults about the important things you’ve neglected to mention to us, your family, for the past seven months?” “I was talking like an adult.” Shining took a series of long, deep breaths. Don’t snap. You can do this. Just stay calm and don’t level her house. “Ugh, fine.” Twilight teleported back to the floor and stomped off into the kitchen without another word. Shining Armor felt a light jab on his shoulder. He turned to find Rainbow Dash hovering next to him, her head leaned in to whisper to him. “Thanks, that got way more awkward than I thought it would.” Despite all the tension, Shining managed to crack a smile. Thank Celestia it wasn’t just me. “Excuse me, Miss Rainbow Dash, could I talk to you for a moment?” Twilight’s father spoke up. The pegasus stared blankly for a moment. She turned to him and nodded slowly before flying over to him. He motioned for her to follow him upstairs, she hesitantly obliged. Once they reached the bedroom, the stallion’s horn lit up with magic, shutting the door behind them. He turned to Rainbow with a smile, “I trust you know what this is about?” Rainbow nervously swallowed, hoping to remove the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. She landed before finally speaking, “Is this the part where you threaten me not to hurt your daughter?” “Oh, ha ha,” he boomed to the air, “that is so stereotypically quaint.” The pegasus slumped to a sitting position, releasing a huge sigh. “Oh good.” The stallion walked calmly over and sat down beside her. “No, Rainbow Dash, the best threats are the ones left unsaid.” Rainbow felt the sudden twinge of fear as her muscles tensed all over. This guy is really creepy. He reached a fore leg up around her neck and pulled her close. “But enough of that, why don’t you tell me a bit about this whole situation?” he asked as calmly as ever. “I’m guessing you mean about me and Twi?” Rainbow replied cautiously. “Yes, of course. I want to know why you like her, why you love her. In short, why’d you choose my little Twilight over everypony else?” He released her and scooted over so that he was sitting in front of her. “Oh, okay. It’s kind of complicated though.” “Good.” Rainbow paused, her head tilted slightly to the side. “Huh?” Once more the stallion chuckled. “Real love is always complicated. I’d be worried if you could sum up what you like about my little Twilight too easily.” “R-right. So, um, I’ll just kinda start at the beginning.” Rainbow took a moment to clear her head. “Okay, so this may sound a bit weird, but until a few months ago, I’d never given a single thought to romance. It always seemed like a waste of time. Every pegasus stallion who showed in interest in me was so slow they couldn’t keep up with me at all.” Rainbow grinned as a small laugh escaped her. “There was no way I was slowing down for some loser. My life was about speed. “Not that I didn’t try. Peer pressure can get to ya, ya know? Like, this one time I tried humoring this one colt and it was just so boring! Not one thing about that date was exciting. No flying, no stunts, no racing, nothing! It’s like he had no clue how to have fun.” “Are you sure it was just the activities, and not your preferences showing up?” “Nah, he was kinda cute. I mean, that was the only reason I agreed to go out with him in the first place. I’ve always liked staring at stallions, though I never really thought much about it...” “Then it seems odd that you would fall for a mare, don’t you think?” Rainbow sighed, her expression settled on a smile. “I’m getting there, but yeah. It confused the heck out of me for weeks. I mean, I didn’t even know what it was like to really like another pony that way. And for it to be a mare, that was stressful.” Rainbow’s tone brightened as she continued her story. “So, anyway, I’m sure Twi’s told you about how we met and junk, so I won’t bore you with that. One day, I was out practicing and I got this idea for a wickedly cool trick. My friends were all watching me practice and I figured I’d just improvise and pull off this cool trick and ‘wow’ them like I would a crowd. Unfortunately I miscalculated a certain air current and it sorta wrecked the whole idea and left me with a  broken wing.” “Ohh,” the stallion grimaced at the thought, “I assume you went to the hospital?” “Oh yeah, and I hated every minute of it. I was totally grounded for days! It was pure torture. I mean, my friends all came to visit, but that was only a few hours a day at most. So, there I was, a pegasus whose whole life revolved around flying and I wasn’t allowed out of bed. It didn’t take Twilight long to realize I was bored stiff. So, naturally, she recommended I read a book.” “Daring Do?” “Yeah. How’d you know?” “I remember buying every one of those for her. I’d never seen a filly so happy to get a book before.” “Makes sense, she told me it was one of her favorites. Anyway, eventually I caved in and started reading the thing and it was way better than I thought it would be. Like, imagine the coolest pegasus ever that isn’t me, and that’s Daring Do. Somehow, Twi knew exactly what I’d enjoy reading and picked out the perfect book for me. That was the day it all started. When I realised just how good a friend she was. I mean, how many ponies can know the perfect gift without asking their friend a single question?” He nodded in agreement. “That is a pretty special connection.” Rainbow nodded, her smile grew softer and just a bit warmer. “So, after a little incident I ended up hanging around here a lot to make use of Twi’s Daring Do collection. I was a terribly slow reader and it took awhile for it to sink in that reading out loud in a library is against the rules.” “Did she use a ruler?” he asked, raising his brow. “Uh, yes...” He grinned contentedly, “I taught her well.” Rainbow shifted nervously, “Anyway... After going through the whole series twice, I decided it was time to try something new. Naturally, Twi had been waiting for that and prepared this massive tour of every. Single. Shelf.” She shuddered as the memories returned. “So after a big waste of time, I finally found a book, I don’t even remember what it was called, and Twi suddenly asked if I wanted to read it together.” “She loved doing that when she was younger.” “That must have been adorable.” Rainbow was suddenly caught up imagining Twilight as a little filly in front of large book. The cute little unicorn was curled up with her brother who just smiled gently as she read aloud from the book, hardly needing any help with even the largest words. “Awww.” The stallion repressed a laugh. Dash shook her head to clear her thoughts. “So, anyway, I agreed and it was pretty strange at first. For one thing, since we had to read out loud to make it work, we had to do it up here in her room... on her bed. It took a bit of adjusting; I wasn’t used to sitting still that close to another pony for any length of time. Hay, just sitting still was hard enough. But somehow, after we got into a routine, it felt relaxing. All the restlessness in my wings just vanished when I was with Twi. It was so strange to me, not feeling the urge to get up and just fly. Even when I read by myself I still had those urges. Reading was fun on its own, but with Twilight... it was something special.” Rainbow paused momentarily, indulging in the memory of her feelings, before continuing. “And I liked it. Okay, not at first. At first I was terrified.” “Terrified? Of not wanting to fly?” He looked at her unbelievingly. “Yeah. I told you, my whole life has been about flying. It’s my talent, my passion, my life. Imagine that you wake up and find that you don’t want to make use of your special talent, the one you got your cutie mark for.” The stallion took on a thoughtful expression, “Hmm, yes I can see what you mean. That would be unsettling.” Rainbow nodded, “Exactly. So, once I got over that feeling, I realised I actually liked being there. That I enjoyed spending time with her. Slowly, I noticed that I started to get that same feeling, that lack of an urge to fly, anytime I was around her. Even then, I still liked it... I wanted that feeling. It was like a craving for really good food or something. You know, that kind of desire you just have to indulge or drives you crazy.” “Oh, I know quite a bit about those,” the edge of his lip curled to form a sly grin, “cravings.” “Seriously, please don’t start telling me what you do with Twi’s mom.” The stallion laughed. “Alright, I guess I can spare you those stories.” A bit of sarcasm dripped from his words. "Right..." Rainbow scooted the smallest of distances away from Twilight's father, before collecting her thoughts and continuing. "Anyway, after I figured out what it was that I was feeling and came to terms with just who I had those feelings for, I went for it.” “And? How did she take it?” “Pretty bad at first.” Rainbow slumped a bit. “I probably could have done better than just kissing her with no warning.” “That is a bit forward for a first confession.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head while she stifled a laugh. “Yeah, she had a look like I had burned one of her books in front of her. But we worked things out and she gave me a chance to just... be natural around her. It was a few weeks after that first kiss that she finally reciprocated...” She then found herself giggling. “Sheesh, she’s really taught me some big words.” She looked up to the stallion, his smile was warm and genuine, as far as she could tell. “Well, it seems like everything has worked out well between you two.” “Yeah, it has.” He gave a quick glance to the door. Upon finding it still shut, he leaned forward with a sly grin across his face. “So, my little Twilight’s pretty frisky, huh?” “Er, sometimes...” Rainbow leaned backwards a bit, slightly uncomfortable with the new direction of the conversation. Quick, Rainbow think of a distraction! “So, uh, why do you call her ‘my little Twilight’ all the time?” The stallion pulled back in surprise. “I... wasn’t expecting that.” He calmed himself before answering. “Well, that’s because her mother’s name is Twilight Twinkle. I call her Twilight, always have. When she chose little Twilight’s name, I needed a way to differentiate whom I was addressing. So my little Twilight Sparkle, became just that, my ‘little Twilight.” “Oh, that makes sense.” He swiftly leaned forward once more. “Now, stop deflecting. Tell me what you’ve done with my little Twilight.” Rainbow threw her front hooves up in front of her face, “Hey, I haven’t done anything to her.” He pulled away from the pegasus’ personal space. “Well that’s boring.” Rainbow lowered her hooves to find a disappointed looking expression on his face. His eyes widened as a wave of excitement suddenly washed over him. “Say, would you like some tips on getting started?” Without waiting for confirmation, he placed his hooves in the air as though he were resting them on something. “Okay, first, just take you tongue and run it across her lips like this.” “Twilight, sweetie, are you still mad at your brother,” The white and purple unicorn called out into the kitchen. “No, I’m just making some food, actually. Would you like to help?” Twilight called back. Twilight Twinkle turned to her son, “Come on, you can help too. I’m sure learning to cook a few things will help Cadance out now and then.” Shining groaned. “Mom, I already know how to cook. Basic cooking skills are a requirement in the guard and I happen to have taken lessons for the castle’s head chef in some of my spare time before I was promoted to captain.” “Then why is your cooking so terrible?” she replied smugly. “You’ve never eaten my cooking.” “And if you were any good, you would have made something for us at some point.” She quickly turned and trotted into the kitchen before her son could offer a rebuttal. Shining Armor grumbled as he followed after her. “Oh, Brother,” Twilight, who was cooking over the stove, called out to him, “how nice of you offer your services.” She levitated her utensils over in front of him. “Here, take over for a bit while I talk with Mom.” Shining grabbed the utensils with his magic and took Twilight’s spot at the counter. He glanced down at the neatly organized piles of ingredients, then over to the other implements on the stove. “Uh, what are you making?” “I’m not making anything. I figured that somepony who brags about being a good cook in most of his letters to me should be able to make something with all that.” She turned away from him, leaving her brother to fend for himself. Great... Something tells me she’s not going to let me get away with a soup and a salad. Shining Armor set to work on his preparations with a sigh. He mulled over various options as he scanned the pantry for available ingredients. Twilight Twinkle maneuvered her way to stand in front of her daughter. Her eyes remained focused on her son, silently weighing his his choice of ingredients.  “So, Twilight, sweetie, tell me about this mare of yours.” She turned to face her daughter. “Oh, you know, she’s an athlete. Rainbow is a strong flier with plenty of stamina. She likes to... uh, wrestle and read...” Her mother sighed while shaking her head. “Sweetie, you’re still distracted aren’t you?” Twilight groaned, “Yes, yes I am. I’ve been trying to get her in the mood for days, but everything just keeps getting in the way.” The older mare put on a comforting smile as she reached over and placed a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “Sweetie, you can’t just get frustrated over little things like that. A few days break isn’t the end of the world.” Twilight turned to her mother, “That’s just it, this isn’t a break... it’s our first time.” Clang! The mares turned to find Shining Armor had dropped a ladle on top of the stove. “Uh, oops.” He forced a smile, hoping to deflect from the situation. The mares turned back to each other. “Sweetie, you can’t be serious. I saw what you were doing out there. That’s not the kind of thing you do without a bit of practice.” Twilight immediately fell into her typical rambling pattern. “Do pillows count as practice? Cause I’ve read a lot of books on the subject and I’ve been nervous to try them out with Rainbow because I wasn’t sure if she was ready. I mean, I’m pretty sure she’s ready now or I wouldn’t be so forward. She’s recently been giving off all the proper signs according to one of my books, so I figured it would be the proper time to be assertive. That’s another tip from a book. Not the same book; a different one.” She gave a nervous smile to her mother who simply frowned in response. Twilight Twinkle responded with her practiced motherly tone. “Sweetie, have you actually asked her if she’s ready? You don’t need to follow a pace set out by some book, you know. Not every couple moves at the same speed, so you can’t just try to force things to happen.” Twilight slumped to the floor, her head falling into her hooves. “Y-you don’t think I’ve been pushing her away because of this, do you?” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Augh, I’m such an idiot!” Her mother laid down next to Twilight and placed a hoof over her. “Oh come now, Twilight, I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Twilight looked up at her mother’s caring visage. “I’m overreacting again, huh?” “Most likely, yes.” Twilight Twinkle pulled her daughter closer. The lavender unicorn founder her body instinctively leaning against her mother’s. “Now just calm down and think rationally about it. I’m certain if you properly examine the situation you’ll find the right answer.” She let out a small chuckle. “For now, why don’t you just tell me a bit about why you like her?” Twilight nodded, allowing the motion wipe the negativity from her expression. “Well, Rainbow is complicated.” She smiled warmly as she thought about her partner. “She’s brash, silly, and arrogant. She rarely bothers to think anything through. And yet, somehow she manages to be sweet and thoughtful. Oh, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say her impulsiveness was actually a plus.” “Sounds like the total opposite of you, Twily.” Shining Armor interjected. “In some ways, yes.” “So, what do you have in common?” he asked as he stirred the pot in front of him. “Well, for one thing we both hate to fail.” “Who doesn’t?” “It’s more than that.” Twilight snapped. “We both can take failure pretty harshly.” The stallion gave his sister and odd look. “And this is a good thing?” “It helps us keep each other in check, actually." Twilight countered. "We know... We know what to look for in each other and we make sure the other doesn’t get too carried away.” A sudden whiff of the aroma emanating from the stove caught Twilight’s attention. She turned to her brother and tried to peek into the pot he was stirring. Shining chuckled confidently. “Smells pretty good, huh? And you thought I couldn’t cook.” Twilight’s first response was to lean forward and steal another whiff of the liquid. She couldn’t make out what all her brother had put into the pot, but it did smell appetizing. Her second response was a smile and a compliment. “Well, it does smell good. Is this a soup?” “Nope, this is a sauce.” “What kind?” Shining shot her a sly grin, “Tell you what, you tell us some more about Rainbow Dash, and I’ll tell you more about what I’m making.” “Deal.” Twilight chirped happily. “Okay, don’t tell her I told you this or she’ll whine for weeks about me ruining her ‘reputation’.” “That doesn’t sound like something you should be telling us, sweetie,” her mother interjected. Twilight giggled, “It’s nothing serious, Rainbow just likes to put up a front about certain things to try to look ‘cool’. The funny part is that some of the things she claims to not like are some of her favorite things to do.” “Like what? Does she secretly get hooficures?” “Oh no, she hates those. I meant romantic things. I already told you she’s sweet and thoughtful, which is something she doesn’t want to let other ponies know. Unfortunately, she’s not that great at hiding some of these things. We just have a bit of an unspoken rule around town not to mention that we know she’s really a softie so she doesn’t freak out about being uncool.” “That sounds complicated.” “Oh that’s one of the easier things we deal with in Ponyville,” Twilight replied nonchalantly. “I could go on for days about some of the odd behaviors of the ponies in this town, but life’s just easier here if you leave some things alone.” “I see,” her mother responded with a slight bit of worry. “Anyway, Rainbow actually loves to cuddle. Oh and she’s so cute about it too,” Twilight gushed happily. “She loves doing all sorts of cute things with her wings.” Her mother grinned slyly; slightly arching her brow to accentuate her expression. “Oh, I’m sure she’s very creative. Wings have so many uses, after all.” Twilight blushed. “W-well she likes to wrap a wing around me when we read together to pull me really close to her. And sometimes she likes to just run her feathers gently down my back. I think it’s supposed to be something special pegasi do, but I haven’t found a reference to it in any of my books yet.” “She certainly does sound like a very sweet mare.” Twilight nodded once more before turning to Shining Armor. “So, your turn.” Rainbow watched Twilight’s father awkwardly as he proceeded to do some very strange things with his tongue. She had no real clue what she was supposed to be learning from all this, but at the same time, it was oddly difficult to look away. After a few minutes he retracted his tongue and smiled at her. “So, any questions?” he asked plainly. “Yeah, what was all that for? I mean, you just kinda waved your tongue around at me.” He stared blankly at her. “Well, at least I know you weren’t lying when you said you hadn’t done anything in bed,” he suddenly burst out laughing. Rainbow flinched. “What the hay, dude? That was totally awkward.” “Perhaps,” he chuckled a bit more, “but the look on your face was worth it.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs, putting on a pouting expression. “Y-yeah, well I already know how to kiss with my tongue. I don’t need your advice on that.” “Right, of course.” Rainbow averted her gaze from him. “Besides, it’s kinda creepy getting kissing advice from Twilight’s father.” “Please, Rainbow, you don’t need to be formal. You’re practically family at this point. Feel free to just call me ‘Dad’.” He patted the pegasus on the back, trying to ease her tension. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Sorry, uh...” Rainbow paused, realizing she had never gotten his name, “Mister Twilight’s Dad, but I’m not calling you that.” “Care to use my actual name?” he teased. Rainbow immediately switched to a smug expression. “Nah, you’re an awkward guy to be around, so I think an awkward title fits.” “Alright, but if you get tired of that joke, just let me know.” He raised a hoof to his chin, tapping it a few times. “Or I guess you could just ask my little Twilight.” "Right." Rainbow nodded slightly in agreement. “So, are we done?” “For now. Shall we head downstairs?” “Sure,” Rainbow replied energetically, allowing the stallion to get a head start towards the stairs as she took a moment to wipe the sweat off her brow. Whew, thank Celestia that’s over. Spike’s day had been perfect, so far. He got to skip his usual chores, spend nearly the whole day with Rarity, and he had a pile of gems for lunch. It wasn’t often Rarity gave him even a single gem to eat, she wasted way too many on her dresses, much less a whole pile of them. Arguably, the only way it could have been better is if Fluttershy hadn’t been there the whole time. Spike had nothing against the sweet pegasus, but she just had a way of complicating his attempts at romance. Besides, the only thing better than spending time with Rarity, was spend time with Rarity alone. “I hope Twilight’s already made something for dinner. I’m really not in the mood to cook,” the little dragon mused as he approached the library. Spike casually opened the door, knowing full-well that Twilight would have left it unlocked for him. Once inside, he gave his usual call. “Twilight! I’m home!” Twilight cantered out from the kitchen, “Oh, perfect timing, Spike. You can help set up the table. Dinner is almost ready.” She smiled before returning to the kitchen. Spike deflated immediately. Guess I just couldn’t get that lucky. Oh well, at least I’m not cooking. He swiftly made his way to the kitchen to fetch the dinnerware. After gathering what he could carry, Spike set off toward the dining area. “Oh, look, Midnight. It’s Spike.” Twilight Twinkle remarked upon seeing the little dragon scurrying about, arms full of dinnerware. Spike skidded to a halt. He turned to see Twilight’s parents, Twilight Twinkle, and Midnight Sparkle, standing in the room. “Oh, I didn’t know you guys were in town.” The mother frowned, “Didn’t Twilight show you the letter we sent? We even went through the trouble of having Princess Celestia send it through you to make sure she’d receive it in time.” “Oh, was that what that thing this morning was?” Spike thought back as he looked upwards and tapped his chin. “Yeah, I kinda just gave it to her and set up breakfast before I went off to help Rarity for the day. She didn’t mention anything about it, so I just figured it was nothing special.” “She wasn’t even panicking about the short notice?” Midnight asked. An expression of clarity dawned on the little dragon’s face. “Maybe that’s what that feather-duster was for...” Twilight emerged from the kitchen with several sets of utensils. She frowned before nudging the little dragon with a hoof. “Spike, quit stalling and finish setting the table.” she chided. “Oh come on, Twilight. I haven’t seen your parents in forever.” “You saw them just a few months back at the wedding.” Twilight replied. Her assistant opened his mouth as if to form a reply, but no words came forth. He slumped his shoulders and begrudgingly set back to work. “Sweetie, you don’t have to be so hard on him,” her mother spoke up. “Oh, it’s fine.” Spike replied as he brought a stack of plates to the table. “It’s all part of my assistant training. Besides, you’re our guests. And if Twilight’s in the kitchen, then that leaves me to set the table.” Twilight Twinkle eyed Spike curiously. “Assistant training?” “Oh, right,” Twilight replied happily, “it’s an apprenticeship program that the Princess set up for Spike. Basically, he stays with me and helps me out, while I teach him a specific curriculum of organizational skills and administrative duties followed by a few years of political instruction so that he can serve in the royal court when he’s older. Well, if he still wants to at that point. Essentially, by the time the program is done, Spike would qualify to be a foreign ambassador for Equestria.” “That sounds interesting.” Midnight nodded slowly. “It certainly is. It’s a custom curriculum hoof-made by the Princess herself. It helps that Spike is actually rather enthusiastic about it.” Twilight continued to describe Spike’s curriculum to her parents as Spike and Shining Armor set the table. Once everything was in place, the family took their places at the table. “Alright, I suppose you can actually cook a reasonable meal, Son.” Twilight Twinkle spoke after tasting some of the dish. “It might not be fancy, but it’s good.” Shining simply beamed a proud smile in response as he dug into his own plate. “Yeah, I gotta hoof it to ya, Shiny. This is pretty good.” Rainbow chimed in after swiftly downing half of her meal in only three bites. Shining eyed the pegasus’ plate. “Really? I could've sworn for a minute there that you hated it,” he quipped. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh that’s funny. I’ve totally never heard sarcasm before.” She made a distinct show of nodding her head toward Twilight. Her antics managed to draw a laugh from everypony except the lavender unicorn. “So, Rainbow, how’s it feel now, being part of the family?” Midnight asked. The pegasus felt a strange nervousness overtake her as that question sank in. Before she could respond, Shining Armor shot his father sour look. “She’s not part of the family. They are just dating.” His father laughed. “Oh please. At the rate they’re going, I give it seven more months before they tie the knot. Really, Son, it’s all just a formality at this point. You should start getting used to your new sister-in-law.” Rainbow exchanged a worried glance with Twilight. “Seven months? Are you crazy?” Shining Armor retorted. “There’s no way Twily would rush into marriage that fast.” Midnight grinned slyly, “That a bet, Son?” “Darn right it is. What’s the wager?” “How about, if you lose, you have to get to work immediately on those grandfoals you owe your mother?” “Quit betting on my love life!” Twilight shouted. “Aw, come on, Twily,” Shining begged, “This could be my big chance to get them to let up about the grandfoals thing.” “You know, you could just order some kids.” Rainbow threw out there, causing everypony - and dragon - in the room to stare at her as if they were waiting for the punchline that wouldn't be coming. “Uh, Rainbow... You can’t just order foals,” Twilight remarked. “Sure you can. You just fill out the order form and send it off. Then a few months later they drop them off at your doorstep.” “Did she fall on her head recently?” Midnight asked. Rainbow groaned in frustration. “I was talking about adoption...” A collective, “Oh.” Echoed throughout the room. Shining was the first to respond. “Actually, that wouldn’t look very good if Cadance and I adopted so soon after our wedding. I know it’s easy to forget, but Cadance is a political figure and the living symbol of love for many ponies. If we adopt, some ponies might take that to mean that she can’t have foals of her own, or that our marriage isn’t doing well.” He took on a sour expression at the thought. “Which is why you should hurry up and have some foals with her to show you two are doing perfectly fine,” his mother added. Rainbow spoke before Shining could even let out a groan. “Why are you so stuck on having grandfoals?” “That’s because they promised them to me,” she replied. “Twilight!” The lavender filly perked up at the sound of her name. “Coming, Mom!” The filly bounded over to the mare who tapped at the open spot next to her on the bench. Twilight Sparkle leapt up, claiming her place on the concrete structure. Eyes brimming with excitement and curiosity gazed upward at the warm smile set to greet them. “What is it Mom?” “Twilight, you are going to be moving into the castle soon. Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Twilight shook her head up and down in a rapid nodding motion. “Mmhm! I can’t wait!” she exclaimed. “I’ll be staying in a room next to a big library, and the Princess said I can check out as many books as I want. No more three-book limit to slow me down!” Twilight Twinkle could scarcely contain the laughter bubbling up inside her. “Yes, that’s wonderful, Twilight. Is there anything else you’ve thought about? Perhaps, how much I’m going to miss you?” Her voice wavered slightly. She quickly found herself embraced as two little forelegs wrapped around her. The pair sat in silence. Suddenly, Twilight felt something warm running down her face. “Don’t be sad, Mom.” Twilight spoke as her mother’s tears streamed down her face. The embrace tightened. “I-I’m just...” Twilight Twinkle swallowed to clear the lump in her throat. “Your brother has already gone off to the castle to start his guard training. It’s going to be lonely without either of my children here.” A silent sob escaped. “I’m gonna miss you too.” “Twilight.” A pair of white hooves gently pulled the filly from the embrace. “Your brother made a promise to me before he left. I’d like you to make one as well.” “If Shiny can do it, so can I!” Twilight Twinkle chuckled. Not the greatest reason to make a promise, but it’ll have to do. “I already know you are going to work really hard in school, so I want you to make a promise that you’ll fulfill one of your dreams. You do that, and I’ll promise to come by and visit every chance I get.” The warm smile from moments ago reemerged on her lips. “Okay! I promise that I’m gonna grow up and find a really great stallion and we’re gonna make a perfect family with two foals, just like you and Dad did!” How funny. She laughed softly. “You know, your brother said something very similar to that.” Rainbow couldn’t help but notice the look Twilight was receiving from her mother. It was unsettling. “So, that’s probably not going to be happening.” Rainbow shrank as the mother’s glare was redirected toward her. “How astute. Do you have any other secrets to share? Oh, how about you tell us all how books are made with paper?” “Mom, leave her alone,” Twilight interjected. Twilight Twinkle’s expression softened. “Oh, Twilight, I’m just teasing her.” “Do you always look like you want to kill somepony when you tease them?” Rainbow asked as she returned to her normal posture. “Oh, Rainbow, sweetie, don’t you know that glaring is a fantastic way to relieve pent up frustration?” Rainbow was almost certain she heard a sinister chuckling as the older mare spoke. “Um, no. Can’t say I ever heard that.” A sly grin crept onto the white mare’s face. “I’m not surprised. You probably haven’t heard it since it isn’t true.” Rainbow found herself fighting the urge to hide again. “Mom!” Twilight protested. The older mare waved a hoof dismissively, “Oh calm down, I’m just having some fun with her.” She turned back to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “Now then, I’m sure you’ve answered a good number of our questions already, sweetie. Is there anything else you’d like to know about us? Surely you have some questions for your new in-laws.” Rainbow felt a sudden twinge in her wings. She suddenly felt like leaving the house for a nice, long, tiring flight. Oh come on, just calm down. Stop being so scared, Rainbow! “Well... I was just wondering, um... why you two don’t act like the other Canterlot ponies I’ve met.” The couple laughed in unison. Midnight smiled proudly. “Well, that’s simple. We work for a living.” Rainbow looked at the parents, rather confused. “So, you aren’t all snooty because you aren’t rich?” “I never said we didn’t have money, Rainbow. I said that we work,” Midnight replied. “You see, we both teach at Canterlot University. It’s actual work, though you might call the pay a bit disproportionate to similar positions outside Canterlot. To be fair, nearly every paying position there is... overly compensated, by comparison. It comes down to the fact that there are quite a lot of ponies who inherit wealth and status, and they are often flagrant in what they will spend for things they perceive to be ‘worth it’.” Twilight recognized the look on Rainbow’s face. “He means that when rich ponies throw their money around there’s simply more money available to pay wages and salaries to workers,” she interjected. The pegasus nodded, both to indicate understanding and to shake the confused look from her visage. “That makes sense.” “Excellent,” he replied with contentment. “Any other questions?” “Yeah, I have one more...” A feeling of discomfort accompanied the drawn out pause. Rainbow’s gaze shifted away from the parents across the table to some uninteresting knot in the table’s woodwork. “Rainbow,” Midnight broke the silence, “is there something wrong?” Her eyes widened briefly; her gaze found his face. Rainbow’s response came with a slow, measured pace. “Sorry... I was just trying to figure out how to ask the question without it sounding weird. Nothing’s coming to mind though...” A lavender hoof found a spot on the pegasus’ shoulder. “Rainbow-” “Are you two really okay with this? With Twi breaking her promise?” The lavender hoof slid to the floor. Midnight was the first to respond. “Are you happy? Both of you?” Rainbow stared at him, silently. No sign of hesitation, no wavering voice... Just that same calm expression he had had since they arrived. It nearly made her sick. Rainbow just couldn’t imagine being so... detached. “I am.” The words sent a shiver down her spine. Why did that feel so cold? Without a word, Twilight simply draped herself over the pegasus’ back. Her forelegs wrapped around Rainbow’s neck as she lay her cheek against the back of Rainbow’s head. Warm. Like a scarf and coat... Rainbow never even noticed the fact that she was smiling. “You know, Rainbow, sweetie,” Twilight Twinkle put on a warm smile, “just because our little Twilight messed up on half of that promise, doesn't mean she can’t make the other half come true.” Midnight turned to Shining Armor. “Seven months.” The taunting tone cut right through his son’s unprepared defenses. Shining narrowed his eyes, “It’s just cuddling, Dad.” “Don’t talk back to your father,” his mother snapped. Shining unconsciously flinched. Mustering his courage, Shining decided to bite back. “Oh come on, Mom!” “Now, now, you should listen to your mother, Son.” Midnight’s lilting tone only made his words sting that much more. “Why?” He thrust a hoof towards his father. “Because she’s on your side?” The older stallion chuckled. “No, it’s just something I’ve found to be a healthy thing to do.” Shining immediately shrank back. The twin cackling of harpies emanated from across the table, fueling his embarrassment. He turned to snap, only to be stunned at the sight before him. How his sister had managed to turn a romantic embrace into some kind of tickling contest was beyond his understanding. Twilight had the advantage. She was still draped over Rainbow’s back as her hooves tenderly squirmed over a particularly sensitive spot on Rainbow’s belly. Somehow, she couldn’t help herself from laughing alongside Rainbow. “She really does take after you.” Midnight leaned close to his lover. “She seems to know how to work her hooves-” “Augh! No!” Shining protested. “I’m not letting you two ruin dinner with more of that private talk.” “Oh, don’t be such a killjoy, Son,” Midnight retorted. Shining ignored the remark as he turned to Twilight and Rainbow. His gruff tone grabbed their attention. “And you two should really save that kind of stuff for your dates.” Rainbow’s brow furrowed. “Wait, we’re allowed to do this on a date?” “I think he means, ‘save it for the end of a date’,” Twilight replied. Not entirely satisfied, Twilight decided to resume playing with Rainbow. She swiftly reached up to softly nibble the pegasus’ ear. A soft gasp informed her that she had found the spot she had been aiming for. “Twi-” Rainbow shuddered as a sudden wave of pleasure coursed through her. Of all the times for her to find that spot again... “Twilight, sweetie, as entertaining as that is, we are still in the middle of dinner. Perhaps you could listen to your brother and save your fun until after we’ve left.” “Hey, Twilight, is that what you two do when you lock your room during the day?” Spike suddenly spoke up. “Cause if Rainbow likes it that much, do you think Rarity might like it too?” At that moment, a shiver ran down Twilight's spine, and her pupils shrank to microscopic size as she yelled at herself in her thoughts. Crap! I totally forgot Spike was here. Why’d he have to be so quiet for once? “See, Twily, this is why you save those... er, games, for after a date.” Shining grinned nervously as Spike redirected his attention. “Wait a minute.” Spike crossed his arms as he shot Shining Armor an incredulous glare. “If that’s the kind of stuff you’re supposed to do at the end of a date, then why are Twilight and Rainbow doing it? They haven’t even been on a date yet!” Twilight Twinkle narrowed her gaze towards her daughter. “You mean to tell me that you haven’t even been on a date together, and you’re already acting like this?” “Um, yes...” Twilight replied, a nervous smile overtaking her expression. Her mother’s horn lit up as a quill and parchment floated over from a nearby desk. The quill began its work as she responded. “Well, I admire you for knowing what you want out of life, sweetie, but this simply will not do.” With a final flourish, the quill fell to the table. The parchment immediately rolled up and found its way to Spike. “Spike, sweetheart, be a dear and send this for me.” The dragon just looked at Twilight's mother oddly for a few moments before scratching his head. “You know I can only send stuff to Princess Celestia, right?” “That is fine, just send it.” The dragon shrugged and set the parchment ablaze with his magical flame. The ashes swirled briefly in the air before whisking off out a window as though they were caught in the wind. “Mom, what was that?” Twilight asked hesitantly. “Just making some reservations,” her nonchalant reply did little to soothe Twilight’s growing sense of worry. Twilight steeled her expression in hopes that a stern response might get her an answer. “Reservations for what?” “For your double date with Shining Armor and Cadance tomorrow. Don’t worry, the Princess should make sure everything is in order. Now, hurry up and finish your dinner. You two will need to start packing if we are going to catch the last train back to Canterlot this evening.” As if in sync, Twilight, Rainbow, and Shining exchanged a collective glance at one another before all turning towards the oldest mare in the room. “What!?”