Batmare Begins

by Batbrony


Dinner With The Kickers

It’d been some time since Derpy had had a meal in a cloud-house, but she was honestly looking forward to it. It was probably a pegasi thing, but there was just something very homey and natural for her about eating a meal high in the sky, the whole world spreading out far below her like some wonderful tapestry. Granted, Tornado and Nimbus’s cloud-house probably wouldn’t be that high in the air seeing as most of the rare cloud-houses around Ponyville were fairly low, and certainly nowhere near as high as Cloudsdale itself, but she was sure it would still feel close to home all the same.

Flying along with Cloud and Blossomforth, the three mares arrived just as a hot air balloon was making its way up to the Kicker cloud-house, operated by Cherry Berry. Drawing near, they found both Time Turner and an earth pony Derpy didn’t recognize sitting in it.

“Evening, ground dwellers!” Cloud chimed as all three mares hovered around the balloon.

“Evening ladies,” Time replied, doffing his cap at all three while Cherry and the other earth pony waved.

“Hey Time, who’s your friend?” Derpy asked.

“Ladies, this is Officer Sun Flowers, our newest rookie on the force,” he explained. Derpy waved politely to him but suddenly noticed something peculiar.

“Um… what are you wearing?” she asked with a puzzled voice. The officer’s face reddened considerably at that, and for good reason. While Time was dressed in what appeared to be a standard police uniform, Sun was dressed in a far more formal outfit.

“Ah, yeah. Bit of a misunderstanding I’m afraid. You see, Officer Flowers, well… he was under the impression that instead of ‘dressing in uniform’ we were supposed to ‘wear dress uniform.’ Which is a perfectly understandable mistake,” he emphasized, trying to assure his nervous-looking companion.

“Why are you both dressed at all?” Blossomforth added, causing both stallions to exchange bewildered looks. It suddenly seemed to dawn on Time that none of the mares hovering before them were wearing anything.

“Isn’t this a… formal dinner?” Time asked tentatively. The giggles that broke out among all three mares was all the answer he needed.

“Wait, wait, wait, I think I know what happened!” Cloud said between laughs. “Uncle Cirrus asked you to dress up, didn’t he?” Both officers nodded, which drew even more laughs from Cloud. “Ha! Oh you poor saps. Cirrus dresses up for everything! He’s the only guy I know who’s ever worn his uniform to his own wife’s birthday party. Even my mom’s not that bad. Though I have to admit, Flowers, you might actually be more overdressed than he’ll be. Wonder how he’ll react to that?”

Beads of sweat surfaced upon Sun’s brow when he heard that and his face seemed to pale just a little. Blossomforth waved a dismissive hoof and attempted to calm the forlorn-looking fellow down.

“Ah don’t listen to her. Cloud just gets a sick kick out of getting under the skin of any pony she can. Believe me, I should know,” she assured him, nudging her marefriend in the side.

“It’s true, she really does,” Derpy agreed, nodding and nudging Cloud from the other side. Cloud swerved away from both mares, blowing raspberries at each of them.

“While I certainly enjoy my sick kicks, I am still looking forward to this all the same. You two don’t know my uncle like I do. Guy makes my mom look downright dandy as a daisy.”

“I’ll have to tell him you said that, see what he thinks,” Time remarked, smirking.

“Eh, he probably wouldn’t give two bits if you did. But then again, maybe you shouldn’t; after all, you have to work with him every day, not me. See you boys in a bit!” Cloud called out before ascending the rest of the way to the cloud-house with Blossomforth right behind her.

Pausing for a moment, Derpy just shook her head. “Oh I can already tell she’s just going to be a barrel of laughs tonight. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how the evening goes.”

“Hey, if we’re lucky she might even distract everyone from Sun’s attire,” Time suggested, earning a wide-eyed look from his companion. “Kidding, just kidding!” he assured him.

“Well, I’ll see you two at the top,” Derpy said, waving to them both as she flew to join her fellow pegasi.

The cloud-house was rather large, but hardly gaudy. Compared to cloud-houses like Rainbow Dash’s far flashier residence, the Kickers was downright spartan, at least on the outside. No rainbows adorned the roofs, nor did any rainbow falls pour out along the edges of the exterior. It was not, however, without its own simple charm. The walls and columns sported a very neoclassical design akin to some of the oldest structures one might encounter in Cloudsdale, and a few carefully placed waterfalls of pure, clear water poured from certain, select outcroppings. Knowing the austere and practical tastes of Clan Kicker, this was hardly surprising.

Derpy had been to the Kicker Compound a couple of times to visit Cloud, and that was more than enough to know they were unlike any other pegasi in Equestria. The simple fact that the entire place was earthbound was the most noticeable feature of how the Kicker’s differed from most pegasi, but that was merely where their peculiar characteristics began. The entire place was more like a residential castle and barracks than family residence, a centerfold piece of Canterlot’s military culture dating back centuries. Every Kicker family’s residence was virtually the same in size and design, and besides its defenses, it also came with its own training yard, armory, library, medical ward, and even a museum! Actually, come to think of it, it was more than a touch similar in function to the Order’s Die Schmiede, albeit perhaps a tad smaller given it sat in the middle of an urban center like Canterlot, though certainly more modern and developed as well.

The Kickers’ oddities, however, didn’t stop there. From what Cloud had told her about her family, despite their frugal veneer, Kickers were allowed to hold and build their own personal wealth and property, and the clan as a whole was immensely wealthy and as powerful as it was puritanical. Besides their rich history and the high position they held in Equestria’s military culture, the clan also owned and operated a number of businesses in both Canterlot and throughout Equestria. Some of these businesses exclusively catered to Kickers alone, including, if Cloud was to be believed, at least a few Crown-sanctioned brothels. Even these businesses’ ultimate purpose, however, was to benefit the clan, be it through the services they provided or the profits they turned. The clan’s ultimate purpose, in turn, remained, as it had for centuries, to serve Equestria in any way it could, first and foremost in its defense.

And now Derpy was about to have a friendly dinner with that very same clan’s pater familias and mater familias. It suddenly occurred to her that she should be far more freaked out about this than she was. She barely knew Nimbus as it was, and she knew even less about Cloud’s dad.

Guess when you’ve spent the past year living with a secret group of ponies whom the world forgot about centuries ago, some things don’t seem quite as daunting as they used to. Besides, they knew mom and they’re one of your best friend’s parents, how hard could it be to carry some dinner conversation with them for a couple of hours? Yeah, should be a piece of cake.

Flying over to the ostium where Blossomforth and Cloud already were, Derpy joined them at the vestibulum imbrem, a small waterfall and pool adjoining the entrance. This was a traditional feature of most cloud-houses, a sign of welcome and hospitality to guests, especially pegasi. Here guests, especially any who had travelled a great distance or come from a hard day’s work, might rinse themselves off of the day’s grime, dust, and sweat before entering the cloud-house proper.

It was considered an insult to pass up on such a feature proffered by one’s host, but seeing as neither Derpy nor her friends were in any sort of ragged state, they simply opted for an act that was more ceremonial than functional, a ritual all pegasi were taught in childhood. Wings spread, they all casually glided twice through the vestibulum imbrem, dipping only their wings into it as they passed and lighting upon the soft clouds to its side after they had done so. The water was warm and felt good upon Derpy’s wings and joints, and she hummed in pleasure to herself as she felt it run over her feathers. Their motion through the cascading water was so quick that they barely got wet, and pegasi were generally used to damp surroundings so it wasn’t hard to dry off afterwards. All three gave a few flicks of their wings while they stood before the ostium, waiting to be greeted by their hosts.

They didn’t have to wait long, though their “greeting” was most unexpected when it came. From above, a yellow blur dropped on top of Cloud, squealing with delight and sending Cloud sprawling.

“Haha, gotcha Cloudy!” a little filly proclaimed triumphantly.

“You sure did, ‘Lula,” Cloud conceded to her little sister, rolling her eyes, but at the same time breaking out a mischievous grin. “But you’ve failed to anticipate my impending counterattack!” In a flash, she rolled out from underneath Alula, scooped her up with one hoof, and began assaulting her purple mane with a ruthless noogie with the other. Alula wriggled in her grasp, but to no avail. She looked over to Derpy and Blossomforth for support, but they were too busy themselves trying to suppress their own laughter to help. With no other recourse available, she soon opted for a desperation maneuver.

“Mom! Cloud’s messing up my mane before dinner!” she shouted, drawing a dirty look from her older sister. Unfortunately for Alula, her mother happened to be Nimbus Gust.

“Did you start it?” Nimbus’s voice called from inside.

The pregnant pause that followed was probably all Nimbus needed to know, but eventually Alula relented with a resigned, “Maybe.”

“Then finish what you started, young filly, or sue for peace,” her mother replied. Now it was Alula’s turn to roll her eyes, but a few more seconds of vigorous noogies soon convinced her to follow the latter half of her mother’s advice.

“OK, OK, stop, you win!”

“That much is obvious,” Cloud said. “But what do I get for my hard-earned victory, hmmm?”

“Ummm… lemme go and you can have my dessert.” Alula shot the most darling smile she could up at Cloud, hoping her proffered terms would suffice. Unfortunately for her, her sister happened to be Cloud Kicker.

“Dessert, eh? I don’t know. Pretty sweet deal, but not sweet enough, if you ask me.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a moment before breaking out an evil grin. “Tell you what. Throw in doing Blossom’s dishes as well as mine, and you got a deal.”

“But we have caterers for that!” Alula protested, only to get squeezed even tighter by her sister’s strong, unyielding arm. “Alright, fine, I’ll do your dishes too, sheesh.”

“And just like that, the war is won and hostilities cease,” Cloud announced, relinquishing her grasp and bowing to Derpy and Blossomforth’s feigned applause. While Alula straightened up her mane, grousing to herself about her stupid big sister, Cloud’s parents showed up for a more proper greeting.

“Ah, girls, so good to see you could make it,” Nimbus said, directing a pointed look Derpy’s way for a split second as she flashed a smile.

“Been too long since you last visited, Cloud. I think you’ll like what we’ve done with the place, it’s a lot more furnished since you last saw it,” Cloud’s father, Tornado Kicker, informed her.

“I’m sure it looks great, dad,” Cloud replied with a hint of disinterest, though she did give both of her parents quick hugs, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

“Nice to see you again, Mister Kicker and Missus Gust. You too, Alula,” Blossomforth said with considerably more warmth.

“Good evening, Blossomforth, nice to see you as well,” Nimbus returned, nodding.

Blossomforth wasted no time removing a bottle of wine from a bag she was carrying. “We brought you some wine over from Berry’s. Not exactly an old age, but she sure knows her stuff. Thought you might like some if you hadn’t tried any.”

Tornado graciously accepted the proffered wine. “Thank you, I have heard some good things about her place from some of the townsfolk. Not sure we’ll crack it open tonight, but I look forward to giving it a taste all the same.” He took a moment to examine it before glancing behind his daughter’s shoulder and seemingly realizing out of the blue that Derpy was standing there.

“Oh my, sorry, almost didn’t notice you there. And you are…?” he asked, furrowing his brow in thought.

“C’mon dad, it’s Derpy, you know her! She’s been to the compound a couple times,” an annoyed Cloud said, shooting an apologetic look Derpy’s way. Her mother opted for a softer approach.

“Dear, this is Derpy Hooves. You know, Ditzy’s daughter, remember?”

“Oh yes, how could I forget? My goodness, it has been a while since we last met. How long have you been in the area?” he asked.

“Oh… pretty much since I set out on my own. I came out here around the same time Cloud did.”

“My, my, that long, eh? Well, we’re certainly happy to have you in our home. Your mother was a dear friend of ours and a wonderful mare; I’d be happy to learn more about the mare her daughter has become.”

Derpy smiled appreciatively, though felt a pang of guilt when she realized she’d yet again probably have to pass off her fabrication of the past year’s events to yet another pony, and this time not just one of her best friend’s parents, but also someone hosting her in his own home. After a month of selling the same tale to anypony who asked, she knew she ought to be used to it by now, but it still felt weird and unnatural to just blatantly lie to virtually everypony in town besides Carrot.

Come on, suck it up, girl. You have to, it’s important. At least, I think it is. It will be… maybe. Whatever, don’t worry about it, just go to dinner right now, have a good time, and do what you gotta do.

“So, who else is here?” Cloud asked.

“Aunty Gale and Uncle Cirrus are, and some work friend of his,” Alula answered.

“Oh goody, he’s already here,” Cloud remarked, flashing a mischievous grin. “I can’t wait to see his reaction.”

Both of her parents raised an eyebrow at that. “Reaction? Cloud, what did you do?” her mother asked in a warning tone.

“Nothing! Nothing, I swear, it’s not me! But I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Just trust me and wait and see, you’ll know it when you see it,” she assured them both, which did little to reassure them.

“You take an unhealthy delight in consternating your family, you know,” Nimbus said.

“Ah, what can I say? It’s part of my charm. Sometimes I think it should’ve even been my special talent.” Nimbus looked like she was about to rejoin that with another stern reproach, but before she could, Tornado stepped in.

“Well, let’s not dawdle out here. Come in, come in, all of you. We’re just waiting on a couple of other guests, but they should be along shortly.” He beckoned everyone to come inside, and they all followed suit.

They soon came to the atrium, a large space which was the most important in any cloud-house, the center of all social activity between hosts and their guests. This one was exceptionally large, which Derpy figured stood to reason considering who her hosts were. They probably had the place designed to accommodate far larger and more important gatherings than the one they were currently hosting.

Like many cloud-houses, it was pretty sparse in its furnishings, or at least any permanent ones; pegasi could shape virtually anything they desired to or needed out of clouds, so homes frequently changed to suit their owner’s needs or wants. On top of that, the only solid objects that could furnish homes without falling straight to the earth below either had to be magically enchanted or made of thunderforged steel, and such materials were rare and expensive. Still, even for the spartan Kickers appearances were important to maintain, so there were a few noteworthy features here and there.

Cloud columns ringed the room, a couple of pedestals held aloft a tasteful looking vase and a bust of some pony Derpy didn’t recognize but was sure was important enough to warrant having a bust made of him, and four large paintings hung on the walls. They all appeared to be depicting momentous events in Equestrian history, and Derpy was sure she espied the red armor of Clan Kicker in at least two of them. All in all, it was about as respectable an atrium as any cloud-house might have, more than fitting for its prominent occupants.

In the middle of the room they came upon three other pegasi standing around idly making small talk, Cirrus Gust, a bespectacled mare whom Derpy assumed was his wife, and another one of Time’s police officer colleagues, this one a mare she recognized from seeing around town, though she’d never actually met her. As Cloud had said they would be, both Cirrus and the officer were in uniform, and Derpy couldn’t help but notice that Cirrus’s wife was not dressed up in the slightest.

Huh… guess it really is a weird quirk of his.

They exchanged greetings and introductions with one another while Tornado went back to the ostium, most likely to welcome Time and Sun Flowers. Nimbus introduced Derpy to Cirrus’s wife, Gale Gust, and she learned the other officer’s name was Spring Frost. It wasn’t long before Tornado returned with Time and Sun in tow, and when he did Cloud beamed from ear to ear and subtly moved to the side, giving her uncle a clear line of sight at the incoming guests.

Tornado himself already had a funny look on his face, and it wasn’t long before everypony else learned why. The overdressed Sun’s face was as red as a beet as he and Time approached the rest of the group, his eyes not meeting Cirrus’s own. Cloud was biting her lip, trying her best not to burst into laughter, and it looked like Spring was having a hard time keeping it together as well. Cirrus simply looked over his two officers with his typical, neutral expression. Surprisingly, he was not the first to comment upon their appearance.

“What are you wearing?” little Alula asked Sun, curiously examining his dress uniform.

“IswearIdidn’tknow!” Sun blurted out. Mercifully, Time decided to take it from there.

“What I think Officer Flowers is trying to say is that there was a bit of a misunderstanding, is all. But hey, we’ve all made mistakes, right? I remember this one time a couple of college friends and I had a bit too much fun one Friday night and learned in the morning that we’d ‘accidentally’ let loose a cockatrice from the biology department. Let me tell you, that was not a fun weekend.” That got a few chuckles from the group, but most still seemed fixated on Cirrus, waiting to see how he’d react.

After a pregnant pause, he raised an eyebrow but, much to everypony’s surprise, simply said, “Looking sharp, officer.” Normally Derpy would take that as a joke, but in Commissioner Gust’s case, he seemed to sincerely mean it without any hint of irony whatsoever. Cloud looked a smidge disappointed by his anticlimactic response, and Sun’s jaw dropped in surprise, but maybe that was just Cirrus’s way of looking out for his officers. In any case, everyone else took Cirrus’s nonchalant reaction as a cue to treat Sun’s wardrobe malfunction as no big deal for the rest of the evening, although Spring Frost still appeared to be quite amused by it herself.

With that out of the way, Time and Sun introduced themselves to the rest of the group. Once all the remaining introductory pleasantries were out of the way, Tornado and Nimbus led the party to the triclinium, designed, unsurprisingly, in a very traditional fashion, with cloud couches placed on three sides around a large, square table, made from a combination of oak and thunderforged steel.

Commissioner Gust, his wife, and the officers, as the guests of honor, took their seats at the middle cushion, while the host family sat on the left, and Derpy, Cloud, and Blossomforth on the right. As was custom for a traditional pegasi dinner party, all of the guests, rather than simply sit upright, reclined on the couches around the table. The uniform-clad guests - with the exception of Commissioner Gust, who looked perfectly at ease – shifted awkwardly as they attempted to get into comfortable positions, especially poor Sun Flowers. The poor lad had clearly never been on clouds before and kept looking nervously at the floor as though any minute now he might fall through.

Once everyone was seated, caterers began to bring dishes out, which were aptly passed around the table. It wasn’t an obscenely large meal, but the dishes themselves were very appetizing. Steamed broccoli, three bean salad, fresh loaves of garden vegetable bread with more than enough butter to go around, blackberries, dates, and Derpy’s personal favorite of the night, a delicious mushroom and eggplant casserole. She’d have to seriously ask for the recipe for that one and try making it sometime. Well, try convincing Carrot to make it sometime at least.

Truly there were more than a few downsides to being a mortal enemy to kitchens worldwide.

After everyone had gotten their meals set, conversation resumed once more as they all dug in. Sun Flowers in particular seemed to get a handle on his nerves once he got some good food in his stomach and tried to put on a good show for his boss.

“So, what do you guys do?” he asked his hosts, who exchanged puzzled looks with each other. Time almost choked on his food at the question, and Spring Frost made an exaggerated facehoof.

“Well, I’m one of three lieutenant commanders in the Royal Guard and Nimbus here leads Machwing Company,” Tornado patiently explained.

Officer Flowers nodded, but maintained a blank expression. “OK… what does that mean?” he asked. Spring proceeded to plant her face in both of her hooves.

Nimbus gave Sun a hard look as though trying to determine whether or not he was just pulling their legs before further expounding. “It means that my husband is one of the three highest ranking officers in the Guard just below the Captain of the Guard and their majesties themselves, and that I lead one of its most elite companies.”

The officer spent a few seconds processing that before nodding to himself thoughtfully. “Oh… cool. Very cool.” He took another bite of his meal, savoring every bit of it. “Mmmm, very good food, you guys sure know how to put on a party.”

Cirrus Gust conspicuously cleared his throat at that, leveling his gaze upon his young officer. “Officer Flowers, I would prefer it if you maintained a certain level of professionalism and referred to our hosts as Lieutenant Commander Kicker and Major Gust. Think you can handle that?”

“Sure thing, boss!” he said, offering a sloppy salute. Cirrus rolled his eyes, but thankfully Sun got the gist of that. “I mean, er, sure thing, commissioner!” he amended.

“So, how long have you been working with the police force?” Tornado asked Officer Flowers.

“Oh, bit over a month now,” he replied.

“What led you to join the force?” Gale Gust asked. Whatever answer she might have expected, it wasn’t what she got.

“Beets.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Beets. My whole family’s done nothing but farm beets for the past six generations on the same patch of land. Figured I wanted to do something different.”

Cloud leaned over to Derpy and said under her breath, “Well that certainly explains a lot.” Derpy couldn’t help but quietly giggle in agreement, though luckily no one seemed to notice.

“Saw a flyer in the mail one day about attending police academy and thought that sounded like it’d be swell, so when I was old enough, I packed up and went to the nearest one I could find. Got assigned to Ponyville when I graduated and couldn’t be happier! I was kinda worried I’d be sent to some big city where I’d be getting lost every two seconds, but this place ain’t so bad. Still pretty big compared to what I’m used to, but folks around here sure are friendly and the whole town’s real nice. Well, most of it is anyway. Not that the bad parts aren’t nice- wait, no, I mean not that the not nice parts are bad… no, that’s not right either. Uhhhhh… I got nothing.”

“I think what Officer Flowers is trying to say is that he’s mostly fond of our town, and that’s what matters most. No town’s perfect, after all, but so long as you can make a good life there, then it’s worth living there. Sound about right, officer?” Commissioner Gust offered. Sun exuberantly nodded.

“Yeah, what he said! Commissioner Gust’s got a real fine way of putting things. Real happy myself to have him for a boss, yes sir.”

If she were more cynical, Derpy might have assumed he was just being a kiss flank, but Sun Flowers was one of those ponies who seemed to sincerely mean everything he said. His attitude was actually kind of charming and admirable in its own honest, straightforward simplicity.

“Well, I’m sure Commissioner Gust is happy to have such an enthusiastic officer as yourself in the Ponyville PD’s ranks,” Tornado declared, and his compliment brought a bashful grin to Sun’s freckled face. Tornado turned his attention over to Spring Frost. “And what about you, Officer Frost? You’ve been with the police force for about a year, but I don’t believe my wife and I have had the pleasure of hosting you yet. What led you to take up police work?”

“I’m curious about that myself. If I’m not mistaken, you have some family in the Guard, yes?” Nimbus added, and Spring gave an affirming nod.

“That I do, ma’am. Four older brothers to be exact, all in the Royal Guard. To answer your question, lieutenant commander, they’re the reason I pursued police work.” She smiled wryly. “Or rather, the reason I passed on the Guard. No offense intended, but when you’re the runt of the litter and a girl growing up with four testosterone-fueled lunkheads whose favorite pastime was any game that stood a chance of inflicting bodily injury on one or all of their siblings, you don’t exactly go out of your way as an adult to work alongside any of ‘em, much less in a job like the Guard. I love my big bros, but I know enough about them to know their old antics haven’t changed one bit, even in adulthood.”

Nimbus offered a sympathetic nod. “I can believe that. In fact, one of your brothers is in my own Machwing Company. Summer Breeze, I believe. A fine soldier, to be sure, but I’ve seen him on more than one occasion with at least one of his brothers. They do indeed tend to roughhouse to an impressive, dare I say almost excessive, degree with one another, to say the least.” Pointedly looking at Cirrus, she continued, “That, and I can also attest from personal experience that one older brother is trouble enough to handle, much less four.”

A faint smirk surfaced on her features, but nothing more; Derpy figured that was probably the extent of her playfulness, at least with her just as stoic brother. Whether her teasing bothered or amused Cirrus, none could say, as he only offered a twitch of his mustache and a neutral gaze in return.

“Oh yes, that sounds exactly like something they’d do,” Spring confirmed. “Believe it or not, Summer’s probably the most levelheaded one of the whole lot. So obviously I wasn’t about to follow them into the Guard. But the family’s got a long history of civil and military service in Equestria, and spending my days sitting behind a desk pushing papers was the last thing I wanted to do, so police work it was. I figured it could be just as meaningful and physically demanding as the Guard, and with the added bonus that only the direst of events would require my working with those four knuckleheads I call kin, it was a no-brainer.”

“A mare who knows what she wants, I like that,” Cloud said. “You ever hit up any clubs in town, Frosty? Blossom and I are always looking for a new playmate- I mean, pal to party with.” She shot a look whose suggestive meaning wasn’t hard to miss Spring’s way, which was more than enough to draw a bright, crimson blush from her and several other guests. Neither of her parents said a word, but Nimbus made a point of giving her a very warning expression.

“Sorry, sorry!” Cloud said, though she was quite evidently pleased with herself and the results she’d gotten all the same.

Guess even a steady relationship isn’t enough to slow Cloud down. I guess it makes sense that she’d have to take some baby steps for something like that, and monogamy might still be a ways away for her. Wonder how Blossom feels about that? She must be either supremely patient or actually enjoy romping around with Cloud to put up with that. Well, either way, I just hope she’s happy.

“Cloud, no fair!” Alula hollered. “You’re always bragging about how much you and Blossom get to party all the time. If you get to party with Officer Frost, too, then I want to too.” The little filly crossed her hooves and made a rather adorable pout, though what she’d unknowingly implied caused more than a few eyes to widen, as well as some of the color to drain from Cloud’s face. A sharp nudge in the ribs from her marefriend, and an even stronger look of admonishment from both of her parents was more than enough for her to know she needed to dial it down. If there was one thing Cloud wasn’t willing to sully with her irreverent behavior, it was her little sister’s still-innocent (she hoped) mind.

“Oh, I was just kidding around, ‘Lula,” she quickly amended. “I’m sure Officer Frost’s far too busy to, er, party with the likes of Blossom and I. Besides, we don’t nearly go out as much as you may think we do. That’s mostly me just talking big, and our parties are a lot more boring than the ones you go to, I’m sure.”

Her sister considered this for a moment, and finally, much to Cloud’s relief, said, “Yeah, I guess it would be pretty hard to have a party better than the one Featherweight had last month. Pinkie Pie spent a whole month planning it, and they even had a chocolate fountain shaped like a dragon! Bet none of your parties ever had that before, Cloudy.”

Cloud shook her head, relief washing over her. “They sure didn’t, so there ya go. Instant party-supremacy right there. Our boring grown-up parties couldn’t ever possibly hold a candle to that.” Alula beamed, having ‘won’ the contest of party-coolness, and Cloud breathed a sigh of relief. Her mother nodded approvingly and set about getting their derailed conversation back on track.

“Well, from what Cirrus has told me, Officer Frost, you’re a very standup member of the force with a fine career ahead of you. Keep up the good work.” Spring bowed her head graciously, blushing once more.

“Thank you, ma’am, you’re too kind.”

Nimbus nodded in turn and finally affixed her eyes on Time. “Now then, Detective Turner. Our most interesting recent addition to the Ponyville PD. You’ve got quite a bit of experience under your belt already, yes?”

“That I do, Major Gust,” he replied. “Two years with the Trottingham Constabulary, four years with the Manehattan PD.” Both of his colleagues’ looked at him with surprise.

“Geez, detective, I had no idea you were that seasoned!” Spring remarked.

“Well, no sense in dwelling on it. What’s in the past is in the past. I’m here now, and what I’m doing right now is all that matters.”

“Yeah, but what’s a big shot like you doing here?” Sun asked. Time merely shrugged, maintaining a nonchalant demeanor, or at least trying to.

“Just wanted a change of scenery, is all. A job out here sounded good to me and there were some openings, so I took it while I could. End of story.” Normally Time was as easygoing as they came, but right now he seemed strangely aloof. If Derpy didn’t know any better, she’d almost venture a guess that he was dodging the matter. From the hard look both Nimbus and Tornado were giving Time, it seemed they were both trying to determine the same thing, but before they could press him about it any further his boss intervened.

“It’s good to routinely inject some seasoned blood into a force, even one as small as ours,” he explained. “Emerald Ember knew I was searching for a solid veteran and highly recommended Detective Turner, said he’d be a good fit here. She knows me like the back of her own hoof, so that pretty much settled it. I offered him the job, he said yes, and he’s been doing a fine job so far.”

Nimbus and Tornado exchanged glances for a split second, but seemed to silently concur that that was good enough for them. “So how are you liking Ponyville so far, detective?” Tornado asked.

“Oh it’s a lovely town, sir. Quite lovely. Reminds me a bit of home, Trottingham I mean, though considerably less wet here. Just moved out of the Silver Saddle Inn into my new place last week; renting out a cottage from Filthy Rich. Pretty nice setup overall, and the rent’s pretty reasonable as well. Actually, I have Miss Hooves over there to thank in part. She’s the one who first recommended I seek out Filthy Rich about finding a place, and I have to say it went as smooth as I could’ve hoped.” He raised his glass to Derpy, and she waved a casually dismissive hoof.

“Nah, don’t mention it. All I did was drop a name, that’s all. Literally anypony could’ve done that.”

“Well I still appreciate the assist all the same.”

“So, you know Derpy?” Nimbus questioned, looking back and forth between the two.

“Oh yeah, we see each other quite a bit. We’re running into each other at Sugarcube Corner all the time, so most days we converse for a bit over coffee and muffins. Afraid she’s gotten me hooked on the muffins around here.”

“Well that’s just what happens after an entire lifetime spent not knowing the joy that is muffins. I’m honestly surprised you lasted this long without them.” She blew a playful raspberry Time’s way, eliciting a snort and sheepish grin out of him. Their banter was brought to an end by Nimbus’s pressing forward.

“So who else do you know around here? Got any family in the area?”

“No, no family. Most of mum’s side of the family lives in and around Trottingham, and dad’s side is spread out Celestia-alone knows where. I do know your daughter, though, and Blossomforth too. They’ve both been very friendly and welcoming… er, in a totally appropriate manner of course.” Cloud snorted, but it was probably smart of Time to clarify that considering he was having dinner with her parents and aunt and uncle, the latter just also happening to be his boss.

Heh, guess it didn’t take him too long to figure out Cloud’s rep around here. Then again, he probably had a good idea of what she’s like after five minutes of conversation with her.

Time continued, “Met with the mayor and Element Bearers at Pinkie’s surprise welcome party for me, and I’m getting more and more acquainted with the other police and townsfolk every passing day. All in all, I’d say things are going just fine and dandy so far.”

“Glad to hear it,” Nimbus said. “Moving to a new home is never easy for anyone, and lately we’ve got a lot more new folks around town than usual. Obviously that takes some adjustment from new and old townsponies alike, so it’s good to hear you’re at least feeling right at home. Speaking of which,” she continued, turning now to her brother, “how is everything going with all those newcomers? They have built up a new section in town and all, so they must keep rather busy these days. That or there’s quite a few of them. Or both.”

Time gave Commissioner Gust a sidelong glance, but the commissioner didn’t meet his gaze and maintained an unreadable expression while he thought in silence. Finally Cirrus responded, choosing his words slowly and carefully. “Yes, they have been rather industrious in the South Side. We’re keeping a close eye on some of them since we’re still getting a feel for what they’re doing here, but it’s nothing our town can’t handle. There’s a chance some of them might not be the best characters, but if that’s the case my force is more than up to the task.”

He’s being awfully cagey. It doesn’t take much looking to figure out there’s a lot of bad things going on in the South Side. If I could learn that much just from eavesdropping all over town and scraping up what I could, I have to think our feathering commissioner knows even more.

Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk about it in front of some of us; his wife, his younger niece, us civilians. Makes sense. Or maybe he’s trying to keep the Royal Guard out of it. Also makes sense. He’s never struck me as the type to jealously guard his power, but one of these Guards happens to be his sister, so maybe it’s a sibling thing. That said, he’s always been very by-the-books. Probably places a premium on boundaries, groups like the Guard and Ponyville police sticking to their business and only their business. Maybe it’s a little bit of everything and there’s some truth to all three.

Whatever his true motivations for remaining enigmatic, the commissioner clearly wasn’t about to share them as he in turn shifted the direction of the conversation. “What about you and Machwing? Things still all clear in our region, no changelings creeping about or anything like that?”

Nimbus shook her head. “No, thank Celestia. I’m not exactly surprised since there are a good many reasons they’d be fools to try to come here, not the least of which being that they’d be in such close proximity to some of the most powerful beings in Equestria. No, wherever they are, I imagine they’re still licking their wounds in some remote location either no one can find or would never wish to go to in the first place. Still, we stay vigilant. We have to after such spectacularly awful security breaches.”

“How bad was it? I know they caught us all by surprise, but it’s hard to get a sense of how bad it really was from secondhoof sources like the papers. What’s your sense of it all, Nimbus?” Gale asked her sister-in-law.

Like her brother before, Nimbus too collected her thoughts before responding, contemplatively sipping from her drink a few times. “Well it was worse than I think most ponies know. Not because we’ve been withholding information or anything, it’s just much clearer how bad it really was when you’re as close to it all like Tor and I are. It wasn’t just Princess Cadance who was abducted, oh no. A very fair number of civil servants and low ranking military personnel were replaced in Canterlot and across Equestria in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Thankfully in the end their abductors didn’t cause too much damage; we believe they were supposed to sew chaos across the land in the event that the attack on Canterlot had actually succeeded, or act as undercover operatives to help compromise whatever resistance movements may have sprung up among ponies if Canterlot had fallen. Most of them fled with the changelings scattered, and almost all of the abducted were recovered, thankfully.

“Our worst security breach after Princess Cadance, however, was Captain Steel Shield. From what we’ve found, she was abducted months before the attack, by an Infiltrator no less. They operate independent of changeling hives, and this one was most likely a mercenary. To think, I spent months conversing and working with a wretched impostor of a good friend. It was only by a stroke of luck it was discovered a couple of weeks before the attack at all; a Long Patrol investigation into some reiver activities stumbled upon some information in Freeport about a rumored Infiltrator in Equestria itself. After digging around a little they managed to discover its base of operations was in the Rambling Rock Ridge itself; they disposed of the vile creature, and… and also found Steel Shield. Too late, I’m afraid.”

All the ponies hung their heads for a moment in silence, even those who’d never known the mare. “Damn shame about Steel Shield,” Cirrus said gravely. “Showed me some of the ropes when I first joined the Long Patrol, near the end of her tour. Quite the magical talent, that one, though she had an uncanny ability for leading operations with all kinds of ponies as well, not just unicorns. Probably why she was such a good fit for the Mage Corps; wasn’t the type to think that unicorns alone can handle Equestria’s national security.”

“No she wasn’t,” Tornado agreed. “The fact that she was making such a strong recovery after her injuries suffered when Nightmare Moon returned makes it all the worse. She was so excited about getting back in action, getting back out into the field. I imagine you know the feeling all too well, Cirrus. On top of that, her loss has complicated things in the Guard’s high command. The security breach was bad enough, but Steel was also one of the few high-ranking unicorns who wasn’t totally self-absorbed with unicorn interests or her own personal ambitions. She had a knack for peacemaking and forging compromises between disagreeing parties in more, eh, political matters, and we could really use someone like that right now.”

“Ah yes, I see. Let me guess… that featherbrain Fervent Quest has been up to no good, right?” Cirrus asked, scowling.

Tornado looked a touch uneasy at that. “It’s not my place to talk badly about a fellow Lieutenant Commander. Fervent earned his place as much as Nimbus and I have earned ours. He’s just –”

“A feathering, flank-kissing mule,” Cloud offered, earning her a reproving glare from both her parents. “What? I saw him enough times at West Hoof to know that. And that brat of a daughter of his too, Glorious Day. Now there’s a mare I have never felt any inclination whatsoever to ban- uhhh, ‘party’ with.”

Nimbus rolled her eyes, though did offer a conceding nod at her daughter’s crass, but also on the nose, assessment. “There is sadly more truth to Cloud’s appraisal than I’d care to admit. Lieutenant Commander Quest’s been making Guard politics excessively difficult and time consuming and brought our decision making to a standstill. The worst has been his constant bouts with Blue Moon.”

“Oh my, little ol’ Blue’s been going at it with him? I’m almost sad I’ve been missing out on that,” Cirrus remarked, making what Derpy assumed was his attempt at a wry smile. “Next time you see him, send him my regards and tell him to keep up the good work.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but if you don’t mind my asking, who’s Blue Moon?” Derpy asked. “Is he another Lieutenant Commander, or some other officer in the Guard?”

“Nah, Mister Moon’s a family friend,” Cloud explained. “I think he used to be in the Guard, but now he runs some family business in Canterlot.”

“I wouldn’t call Moon Enterprises just a family business,” Nimbus clarified. “But yes, Cloud is correct, he was in the Guard for a while. Long Patrol in fact, and graduated from West Hoof around the same time Tornado and I did. He’s always had a deep respect for the Guard and has had his company invested in military technology research and development for a long time. However, he kicked a lot of his projects into high gear after the changeling attack. I think it shook him quite a bit and he just needed to do whatever he could to help. Since then, he’s been relentless and far more serious than usual, setting up meeting after meeting with the Guard’s high command to pitch whatever he can to us. Most of it’s been magical technology that all three races could implement and deploy on a massive scale.”

“Fervent’s not too happy about that, right?” Cirrus extrapolated.

“Those two have never seen eye-to-eye on anything, so on the one hoof this is hardly new,” Tornado said. “But still, it’s taken a new intensity this past year, that’s for sure. Half the time they seem like they’re on the brink of just tearing each other’s throats out right then and there. So it’s basically turned into an irresistible force paradox; you’ve got Blue’s irresistible force meeting Fervent’s immovable object.”

“That sounds like something the princesses might want to intervene in,” Blossomforth observed.

“I almost wish they would,” Nimbus agreed. “Unfortunately the princesses have never particularly enjoyed interfering too much in Guard politics, well, Princess Celestia hasn’t at least, though I don’t think Princess Luna is particularly comfortable with the notion either. More importantly, they recognize that there are valid merits to what both Blue and Fervent have been arguing. So they’re leaving it up to our discretion for the time being to figure things out and square things away. After all, the Guard’s still functioning just fine; troops are getting deployed where they need to be and operations are going off without a hitch. It’s just our inner politics that are a mess at the moment.”

At that moment the caterers returned, clearing away most of the dirty dishes and leftover food and dispensing slices of fresh apple pie. Alula’s eyes, like any self-respecting filly’s should at the appearance of sweets, lit up at the delectable sight. Much to her chagrin, however, Cloud coughed rather conspicuously, flashing an evil grin her way.

“Ah, ah, ah, don’t forget the terms of your surrender earlier, ‘Lula,” she reminded her.

Eyes widening in dismay, Alula looked to Nimbus for assistance, but her mother waved away the caterers when they brought pie her way, directing them to give it to Cloud instead. At the same time, they brought over both Cloud and Blossomforth’s dirty dishes to where Alula sat, further augmenting her ire.

“Awwwww, mom, can’t I have some? Pretty please!” she asked Nimbus endearingly as possible.

“Now, now, young filly, be reasonable,” her mother urged. “You must fulfill the terms you agreed to. It is the honorable thing to do, and should also teach you a lesson about biting off more than you can chew and more carefully picking your fights in the future. Besides, you have to get to bed soon, and your father and I don’t want you hopped up on sugar.”

“But mom!”

“No ‘buts’ young filly,” she warned.

Alula sighed and her shoulders sagged heavily, the very picture of dessert-deprived despondency. After a moment, however, her mother showed she was not without mercy and, without a word, cut up her own piece of pie in half, setting one of the portions in front of her youngest. Immediately the filly’s mood brightened and after giving her mother a grateful smile, she gobbled her pie down as fast as she could.

“You big softy,” Cloud playfully scoffed, winking at her mother.

“Perhaps I am getting softer with age,” Nimbus remarked with a quiet chuckle. “But your sister does still have to clean your dishes, so I figured this might alleviate the pain of her defeat just a tad.” In a rare instance of levity between the two, both Cloud and Nimbus shared a laugh at that, and Derpy, Blossomforth, and Tornado all smiled warmly at the sight of the two getting along so swimmingly.

After everyone had finished their dessert, the adults left the triclinium and enjoyed some fresh coffee and after-dinner conversation while Nimbus accompanied Alula while she cleaned the last of the dishes before putting her to bed. At some point, Cloud and Blossomforth snuck away from the main group. Where they’d gotten off to, Derpy could not say, though if she had to guess, knowing Cloud she figured they were probably grabbing a quick make out session in some closet somewhere. Time also slipped out at some point, so Derpy decided to tag along with the main group for the time being. Standing with Time’s colleagues, the commissioner and his wife, and Tornado, most of the group listened to the brothers-in-law go on about Royal Guard affairs and other business in Canterlot. When they’d been carrying on with that for some time, however, Cirrus suddenly asked a rather peculiar question.

“So Tor, I just have to know… you’re still working in Canterlot on an almost daily basis, right? And Nimbus also has to go there often enough, as well. So I have to know, because there’s no way you’re just that fast of a flier, how in the world are you getting to Canterlot on a daily basis without running yourself ragged?”

Tornado chuckled knowingly. “What, you don’t think I’m spry as ever? I could fly to Canterlot and back in my sleep! Honest truth, I swear, as Celestia is my witness.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, but seriously, what’s your secret?” Cirrus pressed.

“Oh, alright. You caught me in a good mood, so I’ll let you all in on it. But you have to promise to keep it a secret, all of you. Is that clear, Officer Flowers?” Sun evidently wasn’t sure why he was being singled out, but he bobbed his head up and down rapidly. “Good lad. Well if you must know, it’s quite simple, really. Blue Moon set Nimbus and I up with a new toy of his.”

“Oh great, what’s he up to now? I hope for your sake it wasn’t anything you had to ingest,” Cirrus quipped. Tornado heartily laughed but thankfully shook his head in the negative.

“No, only thing he’d offer that I’d ever be willing to ingest would have to be from his liquor cabinet, and even then I wouldn’t necessarily go for it. Seriously, have you seen some of the things he’s got stocked in there? I’m pretty sure he’s got at least one whiskey distilled by dragons; don’t even ask me how he got his hooves on that, I’m afraid to ask myself. But he did set us up with something pretty crazy all the same.”

“Well, what is it?” Gale asked anxiously.

“A teleporter,” Tornado simply stated, giving his guests a moment to wrap their heads around what he’d just told them.

“So… what, you’ve got, like, a unicorn living with you guys who can teleport you?” Sun postulated, obliging Spring to facehoof one more time. By now starting to get used to Sun’s naïve but innocuous nature, Tornado lightheartedly chuckled.

“Heavens, no! That would be more than a little uncomfortable, to say the least. No, it’s a rather remarkable contraption of his, actually. Blue’s not just a businessman, you see, he’s an actual inventor as well. A technological genius, if I’m being perfectly honest. There’s probably not a single mind in all Equestria better at coming up with industrial and practical, everyday magical implements. This teleporter he set us up with is a prototype, a small portal powered by its own, self-contained magical reservoir permanently affixed in our house, designed for individual use. I don’t know all the details of the larger project he’s working on, aside from the fact that he’s hoping to set up some sort of teleportation network throughout all of Equestria, and this prototype was one of the first steps towards it.”

Derpy cocked her head to the side. “Is it safe? I know some unicorns can teleport themselves, but I’ve never heard of any portals designed to do the same thing.”

Tornado waved a hoof reassuringly. “Oh of course, of course. Once he heard we were in a bit of a pickle with the whole commute situation, he practically begged us to let him help. He already had a few teleporters of his own for personal use, but none of those covered nearly as great of a distance as ours was going to; he thought it’d be a splendid opportunity to further test his teleporters’ capabilities, but he made sure to personally test it himself before even thinking of letting us try it out.”

“That sure sounds like Blue, alright. Acting the damn fool and carelessly putting his neck on the line, even when he doesn’t have to.” Cirrus shook his head in bewilderment. “I don’t suppose it ever crossed his mind once to just have some plucky young intern give it a go?”

“I’m sure it crossed his wife’s, but yeah, you know that’s not his style. Rest assured, Nimbus and I did make a point of protesting his haphazard decision, but he wouldn’t have any of it. Thankfully, as with most anything he comes up with, it worked like a charm. Didn’t charge us one bit for it either, although I suppose the data he’s gathered from its successful use is some manner of payment, so to speak. But there you have it, that’s the secret.”

“I don’t suppose we might be able to see this contraption at all, eh?” Spring asked.

“Afraid not,” Tornado replied. “I might be able to show it to Cirrus and Gale some time since they’re family, but I can’t just go around showing it to everypony, it’s a matter of national security. Horsefeathers, we had to get approval from Princess Celestia herself before we could have it installed, and the other end connects to a secure location which I’m not at liberty to disclose for good reason. If enemies of Equestria discovered that such a portal exists in an unsecure location, it could be disastrous. That said, the princesses are very interested in the potential uses of this technology, and the Guard might have a multitude of applications for it once it gets further developed.”

Cirrus downed the last of his coffee, nodding contemplatively. “My, what times we live in. Seems like every time I think I’ve seen it all, something even more wondrous or bizarre crops up out of nowhere. I wonder what it’s like for the princesses to see such things. Probably fairly banal and routine by this point; I imagine once you hit two centuries, three tops, that not much of anything would really surprise you anymore after that. But hey, what do I know? Princess Celestia seems to embody all that’s good and wonderful about our country as much as ever; sure doesn’t seem bored by her lot in life. Princess Luna… well I guess I can’t really say for her. I haven’t really seen her enough to tell. What’s your sense of our Princess of the Night, Tor, hmmm?”

Tornado pondered that query for a moment before answering. “Hard to say. She’s thrown herself into a number of projects and oftentimes seems passionate about doing her part, no doubt about that. But she can be… moody. Not ill-tempered or anything, but she has her good days and her bad, and on the bad ones she’s often quite melancholy. Lately she’s had a string of such days. Can’t say why. I suppose Celestia would know better than any of us in the Guard, and I’m sure she’s doing what she can for her sister to help her adjust. I can only imagine what it was like returning to our world after a thousand years. A weaker mind would probably be driven insane by such a traumatic event.”

While the brothers-in-law carried on their conversation, Derpy decided to step out for some fresh air. Interesting as their talk might have been, she couldn’t help but feel a touch out of place, so she figured they wouldn’t mind if she excused herself. Cloud and Blossomforth were still nowhere to be found, but as luck would have it, it seemed Derpy wasn’t the only one who needed a break from Guard talk and Canterlot’s political affairs.

Stepping outside, she found that Time had apparently slipped out for a smoke. He didn’t really seem like the type to her, but there he was, puffing away quietly with a pipe. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon some time ago, and the moon and stars were putting on a dazzling display tonight.

“Hey,” Derpy called, “mind if I join you?”

Time turned around in mild surprise but quickly nodded. “But of course. Er, you don’t mind, do you?” he asked, indicating his pipe. “Because I can stop if you want.”

“Nah, go right ahead, it’s fine,” she assured him. “I have to admit, though, I hadn’t pegged you as a smoker.”

“An old and bad habit I picked up in my youth, I’m afraid,” Time explained. “But I don’t do it nearly as much as I used to, just the occasional smoke here and there these days.”

Derpy nodded. “We all have our indulgences. I can’t exactly pretend that the amount of muffins I consume is healthy,” she said, offering a playful laugh. Time laughed in turn.

“Well said, well said indeed,” he concurred, chuckling.

“So, how’re you liking life in the sky?” Derpy asked.

“It is… something. It’s definitely something,” Time remarked. “I’ve done a bit of training in the past with settings like this, but I’ve never been up this high for this long. Certainly not doing something this… pedestrian. It’s weird to think that ponies live up here like this, day in and day out. Don’t you get cold?”

“Nah, pegasi are built for the cold. Come to think of it, we’re pretty good with extreme temperatures in general. Guess that’s one of the perks of your entire race dealing with weather so much on a regular basis.”

“What about the heights? I get that pegasi can fly, but what about kids who can’t yet?”

Derpy laughed. “Yeah, that is a bit of a problem. Trust me, though, we’ve gotten pretty good over millennia at looking out for the young’uns and foal proofing our homes. And you wouldn’t believe how early some parents manage to teach their kids how to fly. I swear, they’re starting them earlier all the time.”

“How old were you when you first flew?” he asked.

“Oh, about five or so,” Derpy replied, a sentimental smile slowly surfacing. “Mom was a feathering good teacher, that’s for sure.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know,” Time said apologetically, well aware from one of their earlier conversations a couple weeks back of what had happened to her mother.

Derpy just shrugged, though, not upset in the slightest. “Nothing to be sorry for. It’s a good memory, one of the best I have. Always happy to bring something like that up.” Time nodded understandingly, impressed by her patience and positive attitude.

“I will give you guys this, though,” he commented, “There’s no beating this view, that’s for sure.” They both took in the sight of the luminous moon and twinkling stars for some time in silence, a silvery-white orb attended upon on all sides by thousands of sparkling gems gathered upon the blackest canvas. For Time, the magnificent sight seemed closer and clearer than it ever had before, like he could touch it all if he just went a little bit further.

Derpy soon decided to proffer a question of her own. “You doing alright? With work and all, I mean. You and the commissioner seemed a little evasive when Nimbus asked about it.”

A sour expression flashed across Time’s features, and for a moment he seemed to waver between whether he should or shouldn’t answer. But after puffing away at his pipe for some time in silence, he finally decided he could trust Derpy, at least with a vague response. “Well… things could be better. We’re just in a bit of a rut right now is all. We’re working our flanks off, make no mistake, it just doesn’t feel like anything we do is making a difference at times. I hate that feeling. That empty, hollow feeling of futility, like you could have done something more than you did, but you don’t know what. It’s like incessantly bashing your head against a brick wall, hoping it might achieve something because you don’t know what else might work.”

Derpy nodded sympathetically. It wasn’t so long ago her own life had been quite similar. Although if she were being perfectly honest with herself, it still kind of was; having the tools to make a difference was nice and all, but only if you got to actually use them. So far, she hadn’t managed to hit on it, whatever it was she was meant to do with what she could do. Each second she still didn’t felt wasted, and she felt all the worse for it.

She quickly snapped herself out of her self-pitying thoughts, mindful that this was about Time, not her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure things will turn up for ya soon enough. You seem like a good detective, Time, like you really do want to do right by this town. Hard work and integrity like that pays off in the long run, and folks notice that kind of thing; I know for a fact that a lot of the ponies on my South Side routes sure have noticed. I hear ‘em talking about you quite a bit… in a good way, of course! They know you really care about them, about their neighborhood. Makes ‘em feel good to know that you’re looking out for them like that, and I think they’re thankful you showed up when you did.”

“You’re too kind. But thanks, that’s awfully generous of you to say,” Time said, giving an appreciative smile in return. “Gosh, you kinda sound like my mum. She used to always say… ah, forget it.”

Derpy raised a curious eyebrow. “No, c’mon, it’s OK, what’d she say? Nothing to be embarrassed about I’m sure.”

“Oh alright, but I’m telling you, it’s corny as a bad comedian. She used to say my special talent was ‘getting somewhere in the nick of time.’ Got this fella, you see,” he said, indicating his hourglass cutie mark, “when I helped save a friend from falling down while they were trying to fetch a cookie jar from the highest shelf in their house. I know, I know, pretty anti-climactic story if you ask me, though I suppose they could’ve seriously hurt themselves otherwise, so I guess that makes as much sense as any for what my cutie mark means.”

“Hey, that’s cutie marks for ya. Not always clear what they mean, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Believe me, I should know,” she said, indicating her own cutie mark.

“For sure, for sure,” Time agreed. “Guess it was good I didn’t ever get too hung up on what it meant anyway. I mean, who knows, maybe my special talent is getting to places in the nick of time. Not sure how that could be a special talent, but you never know I suppose. But in any case, didn’t really matter to me one way or another; all I knew was that I wanted to watch out for other ponies when I got older, so police work and I fit together like peas and carrots.”

“Sure seems like it. In a way, I guess you could say you defined the cutie mark, right? Some ponies, they get theirs and they know what they’ll do for the rest of their lives just like that. Folks like you and me though? We don’t have that luxury. Sometimes ponies don’t know what to do with cutie marks like ours; they want that roadmap to life, and it can be comforting knowing what comes next, no doubt about it. But I think it’s even more exciting getting to make your own roadmap all on your own, don’t you?”

The familiarity of this conversation did not escape Derpy, and it felt oddly gratifying putting some of her lessons from Aucune and the Order to work, even if it stirred up some very recent, painful memories as well.

Time gave an impressed nod. “You know, I never thought about it that way, but I think you hit the nail on the head. Sure things can get a bit crazy at times, but I think it’s important taking life by the horns come what may. That’s what you went away for, right? To learn how to be the captain of your own ship.”

“You got it,” Derpy confirmed, glad she could at least be honest about that much, even if the details themselves were left out. It was pleasantly surprising how similar their views were in this particular matter; in hindsight, not too many of Derpy’s friends could’ve ever guessed some of her struggles before she’d left last year simply because they’d never had similar ones. The closest one who could relate to Derpy was Cloud, but her struggles had more to do with her family’s expectations of her than what she was good at. In fact, as far as Derpy could tell, Cloud had always been pretty much good at whatever she set her mind to, be it during her time at West Hoof, working on Ponyville’s weather team, or picking up mares and stallions. But friends like Carrot, Rainbow Dash, Blossomforth, Fluttershy, they’d all pretty much always known since getting their cutie marks what they wanted to do, to be, and what they wanted out of life. They knew what they were good at, and in turn were good at doing it. Derpy didn’t blame them for not being able to relate to her; the fact of the matter was, however, that none of them really could, and that was probably a big reason it had taken her so long to recognize there was anything wrong with her life in the first place.

Bah, what does it matter? Just water under the bridge now, no need dwelling on it. Still… maybe if I’d known Time sooner I could’ve learned a thing or two from him about me. Maybe I could’ve turned things around in my life more… normally with him.

As a friend.

Yeah… a good friend.

Gosh, what am I thinking, why does that matter either? You are who you are now, no changing that. No take-backs on the past at this point; I learned who I am my way, he learned who he is his own way. That’s all there is to it.

Before they could go any further in their conversation, they both became acutely aware of a commotion emanating from the cloud-house, and from the sound of things it was a rather heated one.

“Cloud, c’mon, be reasonable, she didn’t –”

“No, I’m done! You wanna stay, go ahead, but I am out! Can’t believe I thought this was a good idea, what the flying feather was I thinking?”

Cloud Kicker suddenly burst through one of the walls, clearly upset about something and startling Time at her sudden appearance. Derpy wasn’t fazed by her entrance (it was hardly unheard of for pegasi to pass through the walls and floors of their homes, just considered a bit rude and uncouth for them to do so at public gatherings, especially if they were guests in another’s home), but she was surprised by how angry she looked. Last she’d seen of her, Cloud seemed to be having a grand old time.

What the hay happened?

Blossomforth wasn’t far behind, vainly calling after her marefriend and trying to get her to stop flying away, and soon Nimbus appeared as well at the entrance of the ostium, her features as stone-faced as a statue.

“Cloud Kicker, please, get back here right this instant! You have no right to storm out of our home like this! Please, hear me out.”

That managed to get Cloud to stop in her tracks, but when she turned around it clearly wasn’t because she was in the mood to have a calm, quiet conversation. “Oh, I have no right!? How silly of me, I completely forgot who has to call all the shots around here. You’re just terrified at the thought of me making any decisions on my own, aren’t you? I’m not some special snowflake, mom, and I’m not some perennial buck-up that needs you or dad constantly watching out for me! Is it really just so hard to hope that you could, for just five seconds, trust that I can handle my own life? Is it?”

Nimbus wavered for just an instant, but quickly shot back, “Cloud, we’re not just talking about anything, you’re suggesting–”

“I know exactly what I’m suggesting, mom! You think I just picked this randomly out of a hat. I thought this through, I really did. I tried to play nice, I tried to compromise and meet you guys halfway, but I guess even that’s too much to ask. I swear, if you force Cirrus to say no… forget it, I’m out. I am just so sick and tired of this.” Without another word, Cloud flew away as fast as she could.

Blossomforth shot Nimbus a look of regret and said, “I’m sorry, Nimbus. I’ll talk to her, try to get her to calm down.”

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for, Blossom. Thank you for the offer, but please, take your time and don’t rush her. I suspect it’ll be some time before she and I speak again, and rightfully so; no sense in you upsetting her as well. Take care.” Blossomforth nodded and flew off in pursuit of Cloud. Tornado, Cirrus, and the others appeared shortly thereafter, wondering what the commotion was about.

“What on earth was that all about? Nimbus, what happened?” Tornado asked.

“I… I’ll tell you later. Could you make sure Alula didn’t get woken up, please? I’ll be in soon, I just… need some time is all.”

Tornado looked his wife over carefully but soon nodded. “Sure thing, honey. Well, I guess we better start wrapping things up. Sorry things are ending a bit abruptly, everyone.”

“No trouble at all, it’s getting late anyways. Thank you kindly for having us, sir,” Time said.

As everypony began exchanging goodbyes, Nimbus called over her shoulder, “Cirrus, could I speak to you for a moment?” Without a word, Cirrus trotted over to where his sister stood, a short distance away from the rest of the group.

“Thank you again, Mister Kicker for having us over. It was very kind of you and your wife to invite me,” Derpy said.

“Not at all, dear, it was our pleasure. I do hope we’ll be seeing more of you in the coming months; after all, any friend of Cloud’s is a friend of ours. Take care.”

“Thanks.” Turning to Time, she continued, “So, see ya around, Detective. I imagine that’ll probably be tomorrow morning at Sugarcube Corner, yes?”

“Bright and early as always, Miss Hooves. Until then, farewell, it’s been a pleasure.”

While Time and the other officers began to leave, Gale Gust called out to her husband, “Cirrus, dear, are you coming?”

“In a moment, honey.” Still chatting with Nimbus, Cirrus seemed to hurriedly finish up whatever it was they’d been discussing, and as he left Derpy managed to catch this much. “ –talk more about this later, but you needn’t be worried for now. I told you I won’t take her right now, and I meant it. That doesn’t mean, though, that I won’t ever, and if I think she can do it, you can’t really stop her and you know it. Just don’t worry about it, alright. Thanks for dinner, sis, you have a good night.”

With that, Cirrus flew over toward his wife, and together they leisurely flew off into the night. Nimbus remained stock-still where she stood, and after a moment’s hesitation, Derpy carefully approached her, taking slow, delicate steps.

Can’t hurt to check in on her, make sure she’s doing all right. Might not be my place to say anything, but she was kind enough to talk with me the other day. No reason I can’t do the same.

“Missus Gust, you OK?”

“Not particularly Derpy, no.” Her blunt assessment seemed about right judging from the look of her. Compared to her usual disciplined comportment, Nimbus now looked tired and worn down, her shoulders sagging just enough to be noticeable.

“What happened back there? I thought things were going pretty well with Cloud before. Why’d she just up and leave like that?”

Nimbus gave a weary sigh. “Because I’m still reaping what I sowed from years of being a bad mother, that’s why. Just when I think she can’t surprise me anymore, she goes and does just that.”

Derpy tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“It was going so well. You’re not wrong about that. I put Alula to bed, and then Cloud and Blossom said they wanted to talk with me, alone. I knew where this would go, or thought I did, but at first even that seemed to go well. I was patient, we were calm and weren’t shouting. Cloud even finally admitted she understood that joining the Guard wasn’t the way to go at this point. She said that West Hoof probably wouldn’t have her back even if we weren’t trying to prevent it, and enlistment wouldn’t be a wise option either at this point. She could get deployed any moment wherever the Guard fancied sending her, which could be very problematic for her and Blossomforth, not to mention she has four years’ worth of training from West Hoof. She was trained to join the officer corps, not enlist as a grunt. No offense to our enlisted, but Cloud’s overqualified and was prepared for a completely different role. She was trained to lead at an advanced level, but she turned her back on that future, and tonight she admitted as much.

“I was proud of her for that. For a moment I let my heart soar, and my hopes overcame my prudence. I thought we were finally going to move on and start our new beginning. So I wasn’t ready for what came next.”

At this point, Derpy couldn’t possibly imagine what might have taken Nimbus off guard to such an extent. She patiently waited while Nimbus herself fell into a melancholy silence once more, staring off into space. Finally she continued, eyes still staring straight ahead.

“She said she now wants to become a police officer instead.”

Derpy was very thankful she was not eating at the moment, otherwise she might have choked to an unhealthy extent on her food. “Where the hay did that come from?”

“Well it’s not hard to see where. Cloud wants to protect others because she knows she can, and she’s still young and healthy enough to go through police academy and join a police force rather than try to get back into the Guard. Really, it’s not an illogical step for her to take.”

“OK… so what happened that caused her to freak out?”

Nimbus hung her head and sighed once more, this time in frustration. “I did nothing, that’s what. I did nothing, I said nothing, I was literally speechless. I couldn’t say yes to that, I just couldn’t, but at the same time… I wasn’t ready for it, and I couldn’t on the spot think of a good reason to say no either. I’m sure there are good reasons to say no, but at that moment I couldn’t think of any. In any case, she knew I didn’t want it, even after she’d clearly thought this through quite a bit. To her, I suppose that meant the old Nimbus was still there; the Nimbus who believes her daughter is a perpetual screw-up who can’t control her own life or figure out what’s best for her. And the sad thing is… maybe she’s right. Maybe I haven’t changed. Maybe I simply can’t at this point, no matter how much I want to.”

Forlorn despair dripped from every word she now said, a kind that Derpy was all too familiar with. It was the kind of hopeless sense that one could never change who they were, trapped being something they desperately didn’t want to be. Throwing every semblance of caution and decorum to the wind, she decided to do something crazy.

“Come on, Nimbus, don’t be like that. You’re a Royal Guard for crying out loud! Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh, but buck up, will ya?” That definitely grabbed her attention; it was rare for any pony to address Nimbus by her first name or with such candid words outside of close friends and family, much less one as young as Derpy. She turned and gave her a hard look, but didn’t say anything, allowing her to continue for the time being. Maybe she was too shocked to speak, or maybe she was simply curious about what exactly Derpy was about to do. Frankly, Derpy herself wasn’t entirely sure, but nonetheless words came out all the same.

“You’ve probably stared death in the face more than most ponies combined ever will, and you’ve come out on top every time. You’re the commander of one of the most elite companies in all of Equestria, and one of the heads of the last major pegasus clan. My mom may not have been much like you on the surface, but she didn’t just befriend anyone; she was kind and warm, but also courageous and tough as nails, and I know she looked for both qualities in others. If you were good enough to be one of her best friends then, well… she must’ve seen you could be both things just as easily as she could. You love your family and your children fiercely, enough that you’re willing to lay your life on the line for them time and time again. I don’t know about you, but in my book, that means you love Cloud, and also that you’re more than capable of changing who you are to her. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and just do it, because you and I both know very well you can! Now by all means, please throw me out and tell me never to come back again, because I have absolutely no idea where that just came from and I’m kinda freaking out about it like you wouldn’t even know.”

Derpy took a deep breath as she came to the end of what she was sure came off as spontaneous and totally random rambling. Much to her surprise, Nimbus did not immediately rebuke her for what amounted to lecturing an elder with significantly more years of experience and social standing than her. Instead, she just gave her a deadpan look that was simultaneously as curious as it was concerned for a silent moment that seemed to drag on far longer, Derpy was sure, than it actually lasted.

Finally, she shook her head in disbelief with a look of bewildered amusement fixed on her face. “My, my, my, you are full of surprises aren’t you? I had no idea you were that much like your mother; for a second there I could’ve sworn I was speaking to Ditzy once more. Sounded exactly like what she’d tell me in this situation.”

Derpy tried not to blush too much at the unexpected compliment. “Well… thanks. That’s really nice of you to say. But I just call ‘em like I see ‘em. You’ll figure this out, ma’am, and I’m sure Cloud won’t do anything stupid. Like you said, there’s actually some good reasons for her to want to be a cop. Then again, she might be acting a tad rash right now, so maybe she should wait before she reaches any definitive decision. I guess all we can do right now is encourage Cloud to take her time, think things through, and hopefully reach the right decision. Whatever that may be.”

Nimbus sighed but nodded. “You’re probably right. I don’t like being unable to calculate something’s outcome; a big reason I joined the Guard in the first place was to assert some control over my life. But I suppose I can take that need for control too far sometimes. I have to… I do trust that Cloud will do the right thing. I just want to be able to help her do it.”

“I’m sure she’ll get there with you. You’re not the only one looking out for her, after all. Between myself, Blossom, Commissioner Gust, and you and the rest of her family, I’m sure we’ll all be able to help Cloud make the right choice and patch things up between you two. Count on it.”

The older mare smiled but as soon as it came her smile quickly wavered and was swiftly replaced by a melancholic aspect. “You’re a good mare, Derpy. Me… I’m still working on it.”

“What do you mean?” Derpy asked, unsure if they were still talking about Cloud.

Once more Nimbus sighed, although this time she looked Derpy in the eye from the get-go. “I need to get something off my chest. Something I probably should have told you as soon as you got back. Tell me, have you… have you been in any contact with your father?”

Derpy immediately stiffened at the query, her jaw slowly dropping but, for a moment, unable to muster any words. She just dumbly shook her head before finally managing, “No… not for 17 years. Why?”

“Has he been in contact with you?”

You’ve got to be kidding me. You have got to be kidding me.

“No, but… he sent letters to Carrot. Why?”

You know why.

Pressing, hoping she was wrong, she added, “Do you know why?”

Nimbus nodded stiffly, closing her eyes as she determined how best to continue while Derpy weighed whether or not she should just fly off right now. But she couldn’t. Not after Cloud had already stormed out, not after what she’d just said; she had to hear Nimbus out, even if she knew what was about to come and that it was going to suck. “When you went missing, I… I reached out to your father. Tor and I were just starting to try to fix things between ourselves and Cloud, and I guess I saw some parallels between us and Hardy.”

Now it was Derpy’s turn to give Nimbus a hard look of her own. “What did you do?” she asked with the slightest edge to her words.

“I didn’t tell him to do anything, per se. I just told him you were missing… and where you were living before you left. And I… I reminded him that it was never too late for things to change. That he could if he really wanted to.”

Once more, Derpy simply asked, “Why?”

“Because… because deep down, I know that Hardy is good and decent. Your mother loved him, Derpy, because she saw the best in him; when she first started dating your father, I didn’t know what she saw. But I did in time, because she brought out how good he could be. She wouldn’t want this, Derpy. She wouldn’t want you two not talking, not being there for one another.”

“He left me!” Derpy cried out. If Nimbus was taken off guard by her sudden outburst, she didn’t show it. “He left me. He left me.” Again and again she said it quietly to herself, every reminder a fresh wound. Nimbus eventually extended a consoling hoof cautiously, and when Derpy didn’t recoil from her touch, she softly stroked her back.

“He did, and it wasn’t your fault. Don’t for a second even consider that. I’m not asking you to forget what he did. Forgetting won’t change anything or make anything better, but neither will holding on to your anger. What have you been telling me tonight, hm?”

That ponies can change,” Derpy mumbled.

“Speak up, dear.”

“That ponies can change,” she said more loudly.

“Ponies can change,” Nimbus repeated. “If you believe that for me, then surely you can believe that for your father. But change, I’m afraid, isn’t always easy.”

“What are you saying?” Derpy asked tentatively.

“I’m saying he might need you if there’s to be any hope for him.” She left it at that, but her meaning was clear enough, much to Derpy’s chagrin. A thousand thoughts spun like little tops through her mind, overwhelming and exhausting. She wasn’t about to reach a decision in the next few minutes, that much was certain. She suddenly felt very tired, the sweeping breadth of the evening’s many, many events and unexpected quarrels and conflicts all at once coming home to roost. Shoulders sagging, she shook her head wearily.

“One last thing: what was he like?” she asked.

Nimbus took her time with that before finally answering, “He looked… empty.”

Turning toward her once more, Derpy quietly murmured, “Thanks again for dinner. I, uh… I should go. Got some thinking to do.”

Without another word, she departed from Nimbus’s side, leaping into the night air and spreading her wings as she began the flight back towards Ponyville. If Nimbus had had anything else to say, she didn’t bother, nor did she go after Derpy in pursuit.

Empty. Funny, that’s how I feel right now. Guess I really am his… whatever.

I’m not mad she did what she did. No, I’m mad at myself. I’m mad that after everything I’ve done, everything I’ve gone through, suddenly I find myself totally, utterly lost once more. At least in this I am.

I just don’t know if I’m ready for that. Right now, he’s… he’s everything I want to forget about who I was. But he’s also my… ah, forget it. No more life changing decisions tonight; right now I just need a warm bed and a soft pillow.

Home she went, ready to leave every care and anxiety behind after a long evening in the comforting touch of Luna’s dark, peaceful embrace.