"What were you thinking, having us come to this awful place?!"
"I thought that this led to Princess Twilight's castle, not some kind of sick place like this?!"
"I wanna go home!"
Seeing them half-shouting amongst themselves, Sunset facehoofed with a groan.
"I can't believe this," she muttered to herself. "Hey, Dark, mind calling those things off?"
Dark shot her a sidelong glance. "Seriously? I don't even know who they are."
"Yeah, you do. Just take another look and you'll recognize them."
Confused as to why she was so calm about the three intruders being in the same room as the portal, Dark listened and took a good look at the three earth pony mares. As he did, he looked at each of them individually. While he didn't notice anything familiar with them at first, he later began to see it. It started when he noticed the light-yellow mare with the familiar poofy orange mane being held back in a spiked hairband. Next was the light-purple one with the dark-purple mane with the green stripe in it, being held back in pigtails. And then, lastly was the light-blue mare, with her two-toned blue mane held back in a ponytail. Finally recognizing them, Dark's eyes snapped wide open.
"And there's the lightbulb," Sunset commented, noticing his reaction.
"Stand down!" Dark snapped. "They're fine. You may return to your stations."
Hearing his orders, each of his Shadow Wraiths retracted their blades and gave a bow before fading into the nearby shadows. However, even with them gone from sight, none of the three moved. Sparing a moment, he saw that Rares, Dash, and AJ had gone over to their actual sisters, before moving towards the three mares. Stopping in front of them, he looked down at them with mixed expressions.
"Soooo, dumb question here, but just to make sure I'm not confusing you three with somepony else, you three wouldn't by chance be Adagio, Sonata, and Aria, would you?" Dark asked them, earning a surprised look from them.
"What's it to you?" Aria rudely asked.
"Not now, Aria," Adagio scolded before turning back to Dark. "Sorry, she can be a bit moody at times."
"Yeah, I know already."
Adagio gave a half-lidded gaze as she got up and slowly approached him.
"Mmmm, so you do. So, tell me, handsome, who might you be?"
"Careful there, Adagio," Sunset warned, gaining her attention.
"Oh, Sunset Shimmer, how nice to see you again so soon after summer vacation."
"What are you talking about, Dagi?" Sonata asked. "We just saw them a few days ago. It's how we knew that the portal was open."
Adagio looked at her youngest sister with her jaw opened in disbelief that she just dumped their plan like that, while Aria facehoofed.
"Anyway," Sunset redirected, "like I was saying, you better stop with the flirting while you can, Adagio."
"Oh? And why would I want to do that?"
"... do you seriously not recognize him?" she asked before motioning a hoof. "It's Dark Flame. You know, the guy who got trapped in our world last fall and killed off that gang that took over the school."
"Really now?" Adagio asked, taking a moment to look over Dark before resuming giving him her hungry gaze. "Well, well, well, aren't you a hunk of stallion."
"Alright, that's enough!"
Before Adagio could blink, she vision became obstructed when Twilight suddenly appeared up in her face.
"Now you listen here, Adagio. Dark is my fiancé, and if I catch you trying to flirt with him again, then you'll know first-hoof what it's like to be beaten down by an angry and pregnant alicorn."
"Ah, Princess Twilight, I forgot about- wait, what was that last part?"
"She said that Dark's her fiancé and that she's preggers," Sonata recalled.
"What?! You're kidding me!"
"Doesn't look like it," Aria said, directing Adagio's gaze towards Twilight's ring before pointing out her pregnant belly.
"... oh..." Adagio directed her gaze from Twilight's belly up to face her, just to see Twilight looking back at her with her horn alight, and a rather disgruntled look on her face. "... eh, sorry about that."
Twilight furrowed her brows and growled, "You better be."
Feeling like she was in some serious danger, Adagio slowly walked back to stand between her sisters while Twilight walked back and stood beside Dark.
"Hey, Dark," Sunset began whispering to him, "do you know what was up with Twilight just now?"
"It's probably her mood swings," he whispered back. "They don't seem to happen often, but it's best to avoid triggering them."
"Yeah, I noticed." Sunset turned back to the Dazzlings. "So, what are you three doing here?"
"And why are you all earth ponies instead of sirens?" Twilight added with a hint of venom in her voice.
"If I had to guess," Twi spoke up, "I would say that it's because their pendants broke."
"She's right," Adagio confirmed. "If we still had our pendants, we would've returned as sirens. But, since you girls broke them, we were turned into these instead. The portal must've noticed this and made the proper changes to us."
"Why?" Dark wondered.
"You may not have seen us as sirens, but in that form, the gems were actually apart of us, not a pendant," Aria answered him. "They were embedded in the base of our necks, so if we were changed back into sirens when we returned through the portal, then we would each have a gaping hole in our neck."
"Eesh."
"Yeah, exactly."
"And why are you three here?" Twilight questioned.
The Dazzlings each shared a look before Adagio spoke.
"To be honest, we just wanted to visit our old home," she answered her. "We heard about what these seven were doing, and then heard from their three sister here about how they were curious about Equestria and wanted to go see it. After we heard that, we figured that we would come with them."
"So you wanted to come back to the same world that Starswirl the Bearded banished you from?"
"Considering that we lost our gems and can't use our magic like we used to anymore, I didn't think that it would be much of a problem."
"She does kinda have a point, Twilight," Sunset voiced, earning her a surprised look from Twilight.
"You're agreeing with her?!" she asked incredulously.
"Well, she's not exactly wrong."
"But their banishment-"
"Was not your decision," Aques said as she floated up over to them. "It was mine."
Surprised by Aques intervening in this, Twilight snapped her attention towards her, missing the terrified looks on the Dazzlings' faces as they each bowed deeply and fearfully to her.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked Aques. "It was Starswirl the Bearded who banished them."
"You forget, Twilight, that we Scaleless Dragons prefer to stay out of the history pages. While your books do say that it was indeed Starswirl who banished them, what they don't say is that it was I who asked for his help in doing so in the first place."
"What?! Why?!"
Aques' gaze turned to the Dazzlings. "Because the sirens were creatures of water, in a way making them my subjects. And since I was unable to properly do it myself, and since I sure as heck wasn't going to bother asking mother and father for help with it-"
"You still haven't told me about them," Dark interrupted, only to be ignored as Aques continued.
"-I recruited the help of Equestria's most powerful wizard to do it for me. Even the matter of them being earth ponies instead of sirens now doesn't change a thing about them to me."
This new news took Twilight by surprise, now knowing that her favorite wizard of all time had previous dealing with the Scaleless Dragons. This also begged the question as to what else they might've been involved in that the history books didn't mention. Feeling a headache coming on from this information, Twilight pressed a hoof to her temple and began to slowly massage it.
"I'm... I need to sit down for a moment," she said as she made her way over to the couch.
"And what about the Dazzlings?" Dark asked.
"I don't really care right now. Aques can decide on how to go about them. However, if she does end up allowing for them to stay, then I don't want any trouble from them, which includes them hitting on you... again."
"Oh, I'm sure they'll behave themselves," Aques confidently said, glaring down at the Dazzlings. "Right?"
"Y-Y-Yes, L-Lady Aques," they all squeaked, fearing what Aques would do to them otherwise.
"Good."
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the room, Rares, AJ, and Dash were all trying to comfort their younger sisters as best as they could as they adjusted to their new bodies. After the CMC calmed down from the sight of their transformation, and from getting over seeing their older sisters like this, Rares, AJ, and Dash started to get some answers out of them.
"AB, what in tarnation were y'all thinkin'?" AJ asked her gently yet firmly.
"Ah've been hearin' from you and your friends about this other world, so we were wonderin' what it would be like," she answered her.
"And you girls thought that it would be a good idea to come running along not knowing that was on the other side?" Rares chastised.
"We figured that we knew enough when we heard Sunset Shimmer talking to you and your friends about it," Scoots replied.
"That was still reckless of you girls to do, squirt," Dash told her.
"I know, but the way Sunset Shimmer talked about it made it just sounded so cool."
"And we figured that since the Dazzlings were coming with us that we'd have the supervision to do so," Sweetie defended. "You know, since they used to live in this place a long time ago."
"Yeah, about that," AJ began with a disapproving frown. "Why did y'all group up with them anyway?"
"We figured that it wouldn't hurt," AB answered her. "Ah mean, we still remember what they did ta all of us at the Battle of the Bands, but that was when they had them shiny gems. Now that they're gone, we figured that it wouldn't hurt ta trust them with this... well, that, and they said that they were kinda homesick."
"Them? Homesick?" Rares scoffed.
"They said so themselves," Sweetie told her. "They figured that without their magical necklaces that it wouldn't hurt for them to come back, just to see how things in this world changed."
"Still though, this was a plumb bad idea y'all had this time," AJ scolded. "Ah mean, does Granny and Big Mac even know where ya are, AB? Or your friends' parents for that matter?"
The CMC shared a look before AB spoke up.
"We told them that we'd be hangin' out at a friend's place and possibly be stayin' the night."
Well, she ain't technically lyin', AJ thought, much to her dismay. But still...
"While that may be, it was still mighty foolish of ya ta come over here like that, even with a... guide. So, with that bein' said, once we get back home, you're grounded."
"Awww."
"Same goes for you too, Sweetie," Rares told her. "I'm sorry, but of all of the crazy stuff you and your friends tend to do, this is easily the worst."
"Okay," Sweetie sighed in disappointment.
"Good. Now then, seeing as how we've gotten all of that out of the way, what do you say about us showing you girls around?"
"Really?" Scoots asked with a bit of skepticism.
"Why not?" Dash shrugged. "You girls may be grounded when you come back with us, but until then, you might as well enjoy yourselves. Besides, it's not often that you get to go to another world, or get to see that world's version of yourself."
Hearing that last part, the CMC turned their heads past their sisters to see their Equestrian counterparts.
"Uhhh, isn't there some rule against seein' ourselves like this?" AB questioned.
"I think that's with time travel," Scoots replied.
"Wow. Do I really look that cute as a pony?" Sweetie asked.
Hearing them talking about them, the Crusaders locked eyes with their human-turned-pony counterparts and walked up to them before sitting themselves down just out of their reach.
"Umm... hi?" Apple Bloom greeted.
"... hey," AB returned unsurely.
"... well, this is kinda weird."
"More like a lot weird," Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, I'm with me on this one," Scoots agreed.
While the two Apple Blooms and Scootaloos were somewhat unsettled by this, Sweetie Belle and Sweetie weren't very worried. If anything, they both appeared to be taking it rather well.
"Hello, I'm Sweetie Belle," Sweetie Belle greeted.
"Hello, I'm Sweetie Belle, too," Sweetie returned warmly. "But if you want, you can just call me Sweetie. You know, to make things less confusing for everybody."
"Don't you mean everypony?"
Sweetie cocked her head in confusion. "Every-what-now?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Guess it's a custom thing for us ponies. You'll get used to it eventually."
"Ehh, I'm not so sure. We may not be here long enough for us to have the time."
While they were talking, Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity walked up alongside themselves to watch their sisters talking. After a few moments had passed, Rarity glanced off to the side to see Spike silently watching them. Seeing the eagerness in his eyes, Rarity cleared her throat, catching their attention.
"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized, "but there's a certain dragon who's been waiting patiently for you girls."
Remembering Spike, the Crusaders looked over to him and waved him over. Slowly and nervously, Spike walked over to them and sat down besides his fillyfriends. However, even sitting beside them, Spike still felt uncomfortable about having two versions of them right there before him. So, it was with some level of difficulty that he found his voice to greet them.
"Um.... hi?"
"Whoa! It can talk?!" Scoots exclaimed.
"Wow, that's neat," AB said.
"What is it and how did you get him?" Sweetie asked.
Spike tried to answer them, but seeing them with his fillyfriends' faces kept him silent. Seeing this, Sweetie Belle took over for speaking for him.
"This is Spike, and he's a dragon," she explained, gaining each of their attentions before she continued. "Also, Twilight hatched him and raised him, so he's not a pet like a dog or anything."
Spike snorted, remembering his trips through the portal when he actually was a dog.
"So he's not a pet dragon or anything?" Scoots asked in clarification.
"Eenope," Apple Bloom answered. "Spike is Ponyville's one and only dragon... well, normal dragon anyway."
"Huh, neat," AB commented.
"Yeah, but that's not the only thing about him," Scootaloo said with a knowing smirk. "You girls wanna know the best part about Spike?"
The CMC looked at her expectantly. "What is it?"
To answer them, instead of using her words, Scootaloo got up and walked over to plant a big kiss on Spike's lips. Seeing this for the first time, the CMC, along with AJ, Dash, and Rares, all watched in shock as Scootaloo lingered. Only after several moments had passed did she let Spike go, just to settle herself down on his lap while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle scooted themselves over until they were snuggled up against his sides, earning them a new wave of looks.
"You see, girls," Scootaloo began, "while Spike's all of what we said and more, he's also our coltfriend."
"... your what now?" Sweetie asked half-stunned.
"She means that Spike is their boyfriend, darling," Rares answered her, causing each of their eyes to snap wider open.
"What?!"
"Who does that even work?!" AB half-shouted.
"It's actually a lot easier than ya think," Apple Bloom spoke.
"Speaking of Spike," Scootaloo began, "what about the Spike on your world?"
"Eh, that won't be happenin'," AJ answered her.
"Why not?"
"You see, in our world, Spike's a dog, not a human like we are."
"So?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Spike's not a pony, but we're still together."
"Maybe, but things are pretty different in our world," Dash began smoothing out. "You see, in our world, cross-species relationships are considered a crime."
"What?! Why?!"
"You have to understand, dear, that in our world, humans are the only sapient species," Rares explained to Sweetie Belle and the others. "Unlike your world where you have a multitude of sapient races, in ours, we have only us, so we don't have the flexibility that you do."
The Crusaders shared a look.
"I think we get it," Sweetie Belle said unsurely. "We have similar laws here, but nopony has ever broken them, so I guess it's just a bit of a surprise is all."
There was a rather awkward pause before Spike, now feeling a bit more comfortable being around them, cleared his throat.
"Soooo," he slowly began, "do you girls like comics?"
"Sure," Scoots shrugged. "Well, I suppose that depends on what you got. I'd bet that whatever we've got that you have has ponies instead of humans."
"Probably, but you can't deny that it's still interesting, right?"
The CMC looked at each other before looking at their pony doubles for approval. With a nod from each of them, the looked back to Spike.
"Ah don't see why not," AB said before glancing up to AJ. "That is, if it's alright with y'all?"
"Ah don't mind," AJ answered her.
"Sure, you kids go on ahead and have fun," Dash waved them off.
"Yes, what they said," Rares agreed.
With their approval, the Crusaders gave Spike some room to get up before they began to follow after him. However, after a few steps, they all stopped when they heard the sound of grunts and collapsing bodies behind them. Turning around, they saw AB, Sweetie, and Scoots all laying with their faces planted on the floor.
"Oops. Guess you girls aren't really used to walking on four legs, huh?" Spike figured, watching as they got back up wobbly legs.
"Not really," Scoots answered him. "Just give us a moment and we'll get it right."
Figuring that they could help them, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo each walked up to their doubles and let them lean on them as they figured out how to walk on four legs. Though it was slow for them, they soon made their way out of the lounge and towards Spike's bedroom with him and Soul slowly and patiently leading them along.
Once the eight of them were gone, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and their doubles each let out a breath of relief, figuring that that could've gone a lot worse, considering that it was their younger sisters that they were dealing with. Of course, they weren't the only ones as everyone else in the room felt a bit more relaxed after seeing that. However, just as everyone was starting to feel a bit more relaxed, Applejack walked up over to Twilight and Dark.
"By the way," she began, catching their attention, "Ah almost forgot ta ask what happened ta Aunt Sunshine."
Twilight's body froze as she slowly locked eyes with Applejack. "Huh?"
"Don't think Ah didn't notice, Twilight. Aunt Sunshine came in ta see Sunset Shimmer and left with her, but then Princess Celestia comes in and tells us that she's done talkin' with her. So, Twilight, how is it that Aunt Sunshine came in ta talk ta her, but when they were finished, it was Princess Celestia who came back instead of her?"
Twilight looked blankly at her before facehoofing. I know that you wanted to keep this a secret, but this one is on you, Princess.
With a sigh, Twilight removed her hoof and looked around to see that the others had gathered for an explanation.
"Okay, I'll tell you, but nopony, or dragon, or siren, is to tell a soul about it, okay?" Once she got confirmation from each of them, Twilight nodded before she continued. "Alright, so here's what's going on. You see, sometimes Princess Celestia likes to get away and take a break, but she can't just walk into town without everypony making a big deal of it, and that's where Aunt Sunshine comes in..."
Later that day, just after sunset, everyone but the Scaleless Dragons were out at Sweet Apple Acres to play Ghost in the Graveyard together. As it turned out, they were even able to get Big Mac and Cheerilee to join them. That is, after they got everything sorted out with there now being another Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo around, and of course, who the three earth pony mares were. Once they got everything explained, and assured that the Dazzlings weren't evil anymore, Granny allowed for everyone to start their night of fun.
While they were out playing together around the house and in the orchard nearest to the farm, Dark and Twilight sat on top of the roof of the house with Granny, watching their friends and family having fun below them thanks to a night vision spell Twilight provided for herself and Granny. As they sat securely and comfortably on the rooftop, Dark flew inside to make them each some of his homemade hot chocolate, with Granny's permission of course.
"Sure is good ta see the farm so lively again," Granny commented before sipping on her mug.
"I'm sure it'll get even more so pretty soon," Twilight said, taking a sip herself.
"You're talkin' about Big Mac and Cheerilee, aren't ya?"
"... yes?"
"You can't say that you haven't thought about it yourself?" Dark questioned, getting a small headshake from Granny.
"No, Ah have. Quite a bit actually," she admitted, gazing out at the trees below, and the ponies and dragon playing in them. "Since Ah found out about them two, Ah've been wonderin' about how long it would be till Ah'd start hearin' little hooves runnin' around the house."
"So you're looking forward to being a great grandmother?" Twilight cautiously asked.
"Of course Ah am! Ah've been wantin' great grandfoals for years now, but that big lug's been luggin' around, and Ah doubt that Applejack is gonna wanna get herself into a relationship anytime soon. Speakin' of foals," she began, glancing down at Twilight's belly, "how ya doin' with the little one?"
Twilight looked down and smiled as she gently caressed her bump. "We're doing just great, Granny."
"Good. Dark takin' care of ya?"
Twilight giggled and nuzzled Dark. "He's hardly left our side during his time off of work or training."
"You know you like it," Dark teased, draping a wing around her.
"Good ta hear, otherwise Ah'd tan his hide," Granny threatened. "And don't think that Ah won't! You may be the Lord of Death, and a prince soon, but you're still not nearly old enough ta not be bent over my knee!"
Dark looked uneasily at Granny, ignoring the giggling coming from Twilight. "Umm... yes, Granny."
"Good boy." Heheheh. Ah still got it. Not bad for a... dagnabbit, how old was Ah again?
Pushing that question off to the side for now, Granny closed her eyes and took another sip of her hot chocolate. Her thoughts drifting back to Dark and Twilight's foal, Granny sighed as memories of her time pregnant returned.
"Everything alright, Granny?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, everythin' is just fine, sugarcube. Just thinkin' of when Ah was in your horseshoes," she replied fondly. "Ah tell ya, lookin' back on it, Ah have never felt more happy than Ah did when Ah heard my son's first cries, or when Ah saw him for the first time." Setting her cup down, Granny took Twilight's hoof in her own and held it gently. "Ah'm really happy for y'all, and Ah hope that you two will feel the same joy when your little filly is born, that Ah did for my son."
"I'm know we will, Granny," Twilight smiled before wrapping her hooves around her in a hug. "And I know we're both excited and eager to meet our little girl."
Smiling warmly, Dark watched as Twilight and Granny hugged each other. A few moments later of watching, with his thoughts drifting towards their foal, a new thought came to Dark.
Good thing that the castle is made of crystal and is fireproof, he thought to himself before frowning. Although, I should probably cast a few fireproofing spells on some of the non-crystal things in the room. Celestia knows that the carpeting will need it, along with her crib, the blankets, her toys... actually, now that I think about it, I'll have to fireproof just about everything that isn't crystal. Well then, I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow.
Hearing the fun screams of their friends and family members, Dark, Twilight, and Granny watched from their spot as everyone started running out of the treeline and into the yard, followed closely by Soul who was chasing after them. Laughing at the sight below them, they watched as Soul caught up and tagged Sonata.
"Got ya!" he announced.
"Awww," she whined in brief disappointment before shrugging it off. "Oh well, that just means that you'll get to find me now."
"Just remember, Sonata, to stay within the boundaries we set out for everypony," Sunset reminded her.
"Don't worry I will. Besides, I think that I've found the perfect hiding place."
Chuckling to herself, Sonata rubbed her hooves together and ran to hide while everyone who was playing turned around and began counting down, ready for another round. Fortunately, Sonata's hiding place was pretty clever as she found that hiding in the pond was a place where they didn't think to look until Adagio brought it up.
As time began to roll by, everyone who was playing began to get more and more tired. Eventually, it got to the point where both the Crusaders and the CMC were starting to doze off. Deciding to call it a night, they each bid Granny, Big Mac, and Cheerilee a goodnight before they all made their way back to the castle. Once they got there, the older sisters each led their younger siblings over to the rooms that they were staying in for the night, while the Dazzlings, having been allowed to pick out their own rooms earlier that day, quickly retreated inside for a good night's sleep. Of course, while Twilight was allowing for them to stay, she didn't trust them completely. So, to calm her mind of any worry, she placed a few wards on their bedrooms to keep track of them, along with ordering some of the Shadow Wraiths to subtly watch their doors and follow them if they did leave.
Now, with the Dazzlings being watched over, their friends all hunkered down for the night, and with the castle secured, Twilight let out a tired sigh as she crawled in beneath her bedsheets, ready to call it a night. But, before that could happen, she smiled tiredly as she felt Dark crawling in from the other side and sliding himself up alongside her. Feeling his familiar warm coat, Twilight wrapped her forelegs around him as she snuggled up against him, all the while being mindful of the baby between them.
"This was fun night," she quietly said.
"Yeah, it was," Dark muttered, feeling tired himself.
"I know I said it before, but you really didn't have to stay with us the whole time. You could've gone down and played at least a few rounds with them."
"I know, but I felt content as I was by your side. Besides, it really was fun just watching them. That, and listening to Granny's stories."
"I know, and it was enjoyable for me too, but my point still stands."
Dark gave a tired sigh and shared a brief kiss with Twilight. "Alright, next time we play, I'll be sure to play with them."
"Good answer," she said with a quick peck before snuggling back down. "Now, if it's alright with you, I'm going to sleep."
"Okay. Goodnight, Twilight. I Love you."
"Goodnight, Dark. I Love you too."
Everyone awoke the next morning bright-eyed and ready after the good night's rest from their eventful day yesterday. Despite the tiredness they all felt the night prior, none of that was seen this morning as they were all helping out either making breakfast in the kitchen, or helping setting up the table in the dining room, which also included the Dazzlings. Despite her unease about having them sleeping over in her castle, Twilight was pleased when she learned that not one of them tried to do anything funny last night while they were all asleep.
With everyone pitching in together, they were quick to finish setting the table with dishes long before their breakfast was actually ready for them. However, with how many of them there were, and with the kitchen unable to allow for all of them to help, Dark, Twilight, Sunset, and Twi, all remained in the kitchen while the others sat around the table and talked about how much fun they had last night. As their conversation continued, it soon began to drift towards them playing it again tonight, and eventually towards Fluttershy offered the day before to allow for them to play over by her cottage. While none of the Equestrians were very eager to jump at the offer, even with Fluttershy's assurance that none of the Everfree creatures would try to harm them, they weren't denying her offer either.
As they discussed the offer, they eventually came to an agreement to play at Fluttershy's cottage tonight on the condition that Discord would be there to seal the area they're playing at off, and to watch over them, just incase. With that settled and out of the way, they then began to talk about some of the adventures they had, but before they could get very far into them, Dark, Twilight, and Sunset came in with everyone's food held in their magic, while Twi came in pushing a trolley of food, still unwilling to use any of her magic. With them bringing the food in, the were pleased when the others pitched in and helped relieve them of the food as they began setting the food-filled plates on the table. Finally, with everyone gathered around the table and sitting down, they each began filling their plates with food, some more hastily than others. After a few minutes of eating, the verbal silence was finally broken.
"Uh, sorry for askin', but why aren't any of us eating hay or grass?" AB wondered.
"You mean because we're ponies?" Apple Bloom asked back.
"Yeah. Ah thought that ponies ate grass and hay and oats and stuff, not people food like this."
"Ah don't know what you mean by people food, but yeah, we do eat grass, hay, and oats. The thin' about it, though, is that we tend ta mix it in with our food when we do eat it. Like these pancakes for example. Sometimes we'll add them into it for some extra flavor."
AB looked back down to her plate of food. "Huh, neat. Is there any in this one?"
"Just a little bit," Twilight answered her, watching as AB took a bite of it and chewed on it thoughtfully before swallowing.
"Huh, Ah can't even tell that it's there."
"Probably because you're a pony now, so it tastes natural to you. Actually, to be honest, I'm kinda surprised that you're taking to eating stuff like this so well."
Ab shrugged. "Well, ta be honest, Ah kinda did eat grass when Ah was a little kid in diapers."
Scoots laughed as she sat beside her. "Hah! You used to eat grass?!"
"Oh, come on, Scoots. Don't tell me y'all never did that yourselves." Scoots fell silent, causing AB to give her a triumphant smirk. "Yeah, Ah figured as much."
"I think it's safe to say that we all did that at some point in our lives," Sweetie voiced.
"Probably, but Ah'll bet that none of y'all liked lickin' the salt blocks."
AJ looked at her sister with suspicion. "You're not still lickin' them, are ya?"
"What? No! Ah stopped doin' that years ago." AJ gave AB a stern look which caused her gaze to falter a little bit. "... okay, Ah might take a small lick once in a while."
"Ah thought so." Then again, Ah shouldn't be one ta talk, considerin' Ah was just a tad older than she was when Ah myself stopped doin' that.
Deciding to leave that topic be, everyone returned back to eating... until Spike felt a familiar pressure in his gut and his cheeks puffed out. With a mighty belch not coming from his food, Spike let out a small stream of fire where a scroll with the royal seal fell out of it.
"Whoa! Where'd that come from?!" Dash asked in surprise.
"It's a thing that I can do," Spike said, using his magic to pick up the letter so he wouldn't be reaching over the others. "I'm able to send and receive letters through my fire breath."
"Do you always burp like that when you receive them?"
"Yep."
"Heh, sweet."
"I take it that it's a letter from Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.
"Looks like it," Spike answered before levitating the scroll over for her to take a look at.
"What do you think it's about?" Pinks whispered to Pinkie as she leaned over to her.
"My guess, it's probably the beginning of the next story arc," she whispered back with a shrug.
"Are we gonna find out then?"
"Not just yet."
They both glanced over briefly to see Twilight just starting to break the wax seal.
"So, next chapter then?"
"Next chapter."